Hidden Treasures.........

I love this ol' ranch, considering it's ONLY eighty-five years old, one can only fathom the treasures left behind by others.

When we first moved in, all I seemed to stumble upon was broken glass.  That was rather frustrating since I have grand children and animals that could be injured on such items.  Then I began to find utensils.........in the strangest places.  I've found spoons, forks and knives in the pastures and corrals, it's like all the ol' time cowboys were out on the fence eating "Beenie-Weenies" all day, and keepin' an eye on the "doggies."

But then one day, I started really focusing on my finds.........purple glass shards, pottery shards, railroad spikes, beautifully designed broken plates and cups, old buttons, coins, a compass, kids play jacks(the old metal ones), marbles...........the insurmountable treasures I have found now grace my home and yard. 

I have been collecting purple glass for many years now.  Beginning in the 1860's glass makers in the United States started using manganese to give glass clarity instead of lead due to the lead shortages created by the civil war.  Glass containing manganese eventually turns a light purple when exposed to sunlight, a side effect that was unknown at the time the practice started.  By roughly 1915, most companies in the United States switched from manganese to selenium to maintain clearness in glass.

Also.........the multitude of machinery parts I have found, sheep shears (hum?....I thought this was a cattle ranch), bolts, hammers, hand tools, and some pieces I have NO clue as to their origin.........abundant to say the least.  It's truly like a treasure hunt out here, one just need be aware, and pay attention, and "ye shall find."

These railroad spikes have been found in abundance on our lil' ranch......we did have a railroad running just in front of our home many years ago.  I've seen these in the antique stores as high as $4.50 a piece.  I'm thinkin' we're sittin' on a small fortune here at the ol' homestead.

We have lived here for almost four years, on the first of January 2010, "The Man" and myself decided to head outdoors to finish a fencing project that needed to be completed.  I was on one side of the fence tying wire, "The Man" on the other side.  I leaned down to tie wire to the bottom of a post when low and behold.....I found a real treasure.........a button....... a sea-shell button from a womens garment.  I was very excited, my grandmother used to collect sea-shell buttons, in fact my sister and I split a few of her buttons years ago so we would have her collection to remember her.

Over the years I've often felt her presence near me.  I have been told by her two children that she would have loved this ol' ranch.  So this find sends a very positive omen to me, I know she is with me daily, edging me on to till the soil, fill my lungs with fresh air, plant and can, spin my wool and be with God here in my humble abode.  I take nothing for granted, all these treasures were meant to be found by us.......thanks for guiding me grandma.....I love you!