The Cowgirl

I had a s-t-r-a-n-g-e day Saturday, November 28th.  The day started very well, me sippin' a mug of joe in my recliner knitting, The Man at the computer looking at local real estate for sale.  The man finds a 1930's cabin that has been re-located from Murphy's cabin's in Pinetop, to the Concho area.  The real estate ad said it had 23 acres, couple of barns and wood cook stove in the kitchen, WELL...........that fired up my lightbulbs.........I learned to can on an ol' wood cookstove.  So we decided that when a reasonable morning hour rolled around, we'd call a realtor and maybe go see this cabin.  In the interim, the man located some further properties we could look at.  So our morning consisted of  driving around our area looking at listings we were interested in.  The cabin............not EVEN worth the money they are asking, but they've only been on the market 30 days, we'll keep our eye on it and see how low it drops (which is really unfortunate for the people who own it, but it's a buyers dream!). 

We decided that since none of the houses we had seen were really good income property, we'd drive around in the Black Mesa area, just because it's pretty and we'd never been on the road.  We went past some very interesting places.  New Dawn Ranch.........that was defintely an interesting place.........several yurts, a single wide mobile, gorgeous backdrop and view and an es-guess-timate of close to $100,000K in fencing and barns for Alpacas.  I wanna be an Alpaca when I grow up............crazy the craze over Alpaca's.

We finished up with that lil' road and headed down Stirrup Road which ended up at the edge of a huge wash...........it was impassable with a four wheel drive vehicle.  However, when we turned around and headed back out to the highway, about a mile or so down, we ran across Stirrup Road. Guess that road's for 3 & 4 wheel drive ATV's. Certainly wasn't one we could take, and we're not weanies.

As we headed East on Concho highway, The Man says," there's a road that I wanna check out, how's that sound to you?"  Well hell, I'm captive in the car, going 70 mph down the road, "sounds good to me."  So we do, we turn onto a dirt road with a sign out on the highway that reads, "A to Z Well Drilling & Water Tanks," so it dawns on me The Man wants to inquire about the water storage tanks, but turns out I was dead wrong.  He really did just wanna take a drive down this road.  This is where my day turns strange...........we are heading South on this dirt road, we're approx. 4-5 miles back in (BTW-there is NO sign of any living creature, driveway nor home), when we happen upon a guy (in the middle of nowhere) in a Bobcat driving down the road........hmmmm.  Further down the road, say another 3-4 miles we run into a guy (looked like an old hippy from the 60's), driving a 1940's Ford tractor.......hmmm.  I ask The Man, "what in the world are these two guys doing?"  I can tell by his look I'm not gonna get an answer.  We are driving along, admiring the country (in the middle of nowhere), taking spur roads off spur roads and just driving.  We're hoping that one of these dirt roads will take us out to the highway in a very round about way......ya know, so we can see all this remote country!  We are in this huge rock outcropping of sandstone driving, when we come upon these piles of stacked rocks.........you know, the "new agey" type of stacked rocks you see in Sedona.........all over!  In the middle of nowhere...........hmmm.  We continue on, both thinking about the rocks when we spot a Border Collie/Aussie Shepherd with a bandana around his neck, running.  Seems he's with the cowgirl on the horse that rounds the corner about the same time we round the corner.  She stops, we stop..........the dog is running around trying to follow her commands and gettin' an ass chewin' by this cowgirl at the same time.  I roll down my window.........we talk, I ask her if we can get out to the highway on this lil' ol' dirt road.  She says, "used to, but the damn wash washed out and ya can't anymore."  O.K. well, can we head further South on this road and meet the highway South of here?  She says, " ya, ya can, but don't turn left up ahead, keep veering to the right and the ol' road turns kindly rough, but........well" she says as she pets her horse,  "I have 4-wheel drive so I can get through anything." About that time, she takes a long pull on a beer she's got with her in this cool beer holder that's part of her darn saddle!  "Yep," she says, "I figured I'd take ol' Wallace out today for a long ride cuz it's gonna snow tomorrow."  She looks up at the sky, sniffs the air, seems like in anticipation of a snow flurry at any moment.  The Man and I look up also....then she says, "Ya know I aint afraid to ride out her by myself, cuz I pack a gun and I know how to use it."  "Good, good," I say to her, "that's a smart thing to do riding this far out."  "Oh no" she says, I don't live that far away, see that mountain over yonder, well I just live up on the side of that damn thing......been living there for five years now, came from Chicago."  "Told myself I'd never live anywhur it snowed evur again after Chicago, but here I am."  Takes another long pull off her beer and gazes off. "See, the Mr. and me bought land out here, pulled in our travel trailer and an ol' bus, but hell it cost us so much to put the well in that we can't afford electricity or a home..........so I live in the travel trailer and he lives in the bus.........works just fine by me."  "Got me three horses." O.K...... I am thinking that we have warped backwards in time to the Twilight Zone.  She's tellin us stuff I don't NEED to know. She says, "What do you do?"  I tell her we have a small sheep ranch and she says, "well, how do you like that?"  I tell her we really love the sheep and it's just a hobby farm really.  "Where do you live?"  I give her a vague idea.........we all sit in silence for a bit AND just when I'm getting ready to tell her to enjoy the rest of her ride with Wallace, she begins talking again.........stuff, like........."ya know, I told the ol' man that we're gettin' to old to be livin' like this, what if he had a damn heart-attack on me, how am I supposed to get his ass loaded in our truck to meet the ambulance out on the county road?"  "My GOD, we're miles off the road on the side of a damn mountian!"  I tell her I can feel for her, "yep, getting to old for this kinda life style for sure."  She likes that I agree with her, like maybe I'd ride home with her and tell her ol' man that I agree with her! 

The cowgirls name is Deb.  She is a real cowgirl from Chicago, who lives off the grid, off the land and as far away from any establishment as she can be!  She rides her three horses everyday of the week cuz she loves them, they need excercise and she can drink her beer in peace.  I wish I'd have had the camera with me for a candid shot of this women on her horse...........Goldwater would have been proud of the shot.

We say "good-bye" and head down the road she suggested............it becomes evident to us right soon, that this road is indeed only passable with her kinda 4-wheel drive..........a horse named Wallace.  We turn around and head back the way we came..........I look to the North and wayyyyy up on the side of a mountain is this.......yellow bus, up near the clouds.  Can't tell if there's a travel trailer or not cuz it's so far up..........but I think it's where she lives.  We never see her, the horse, nor the dog again on our way out...........we drive in silence......................we come upon the man still on his 1940's tractor just driving around on the road................we scoot home once we hit the highway.........in silence. Been thinkin' about Deb the cowgirl all day......... while it's stormin and I'm sittin' by my ol' woodstove in my nice, lil' cozy home. God bless you Deb, the Cowgirl from Chicago!

THANKS-giving

Thanksgiving........my favorite holiday.  Nothing is expected from anyone aside from some good vittles and a comfy, cozy, atmosphere spent with family. Something magical happens on Thanksgiving........we become more focused on the many blessings we've been bestowed in our lives.  We take a calm, deep breath and allow "life to be life" for a day. No worries, no timelines, no problem..........a blessing before a meal with hands interlocked around the table, chatter, naps, movies, and hot, comforting beverages round the ol' woodstove.  

My Thanks & Blessing

1. The health of my entire family

2. The safety of our soldiers.

3. My sweet husband, who has allowed me to be ME!

4. My home

5. My animals

6. Friends

7. My belief

8. My life

9. A special blessing to those who have passed before me.....I miss you all dearly.

May you all have a blessed, and "comfy" Thanksgiving with those you love.  

~Happy Thanksgiving~ 

Marketing Fleece

Finding the niche for marketing our fleece has taken me some time.  When I started raising sheep, I was in it for the meat production only.  It didn't dawn on me that I would soon become addicted to spinning.  Once you learn to spin, everything else becomes muted, in the background.  I still market my sheep for meat sales, and every year, I sell all our lambs.  That's a big deal to me. How did I do it?
1: Give samples of your good, natural lamb (already processed and back from the butcher) to people to try.  Once they've tried your product, they will be back to purchase a lamb the following year........guaranteed!

2: Take good care of the animals, the facilities they live in, and keep them in good body condition.  That speaks volumes to people who are in the market for meat.  A dirty pen, matted sheep, long hooves and foul water do not!

3: Once sold, take a deposit to hold that lamb for them when weaning/or locker time arrives.  Keep them posted on their lamb, the growth, weight, etc.  Set up the locker date for them, once that's done, the locker and the individual are now in correspondence.  Make sure to deliver the animal to the locker as a courtesy.

I have repeat customers who contact us a year in advance of the next lambing due to our attention to detail, exquisite taste of our lamb, and the quality care of our animals. 

Our Fiber: I've just recently found my niche' for marketing the fiber.  It took leg work, word of mouth and a skill.  I have marketed on-line via farm blog forums, walked into shops and displayed my yarn to owners, talked with many people. It has finally paid off......I now market fleece in the Appalachian mountain range, sell yarn on consignment in a local boutique, and have sold to a fiber artist in the valley. I hope to have my own web site designed, and up and running in the near future. People will buy your product if you believe in your product.  I'm not out to make huge sums of money from my fleece or yarn.  I just want to offer a premium yarn and fleece to women who enjoy the art of spinning and knitting as I do.  If the income supplements a small portion of what it takes me monetarily to raise the sheep, I'm happy. Plus, I get all the fiber I want to spin and knit my own lil' treasures.

I have found peace in my love of raising sheep.  At this point in my life, I can't imagine NOT having sheep.  A good friend of mine once told me........."you'll probably keel over in a mess of sheep dung one day Kat, but you'll be happy!"  I couldn't have said it better! 

"Crafting Happiness"



For Melanie

"Hands on projects are like mental health vitamins: They remind our brains we can have some impact on the world."-Body & Soul

"Research suggests that when we immerse ourselves in activities involving planning, anticipation, and self-forgetting movement--such as gardening, crafting, or even engine tinkering (a pastime of the Dalai Lama)-we not only come back into the moment but also reduce stress and combat anxiety and depression."

Yep, hard physical work producing palpable results might be a source of pleasure!  Modern science tells us one of the best cures for depression is god old-fashioned handiwork.  Think of it as DIY therapy. 

In our contemporary age, when it's possible to Tweet ones' deepest thoughts while waiting two minutes for dinner to warm in the microwave, "this circuitry, encompassing a vast amount of "brain real estate," isn't often called on to function in coordination and communication, as it seems evolutionarily designed to do."  When we activate our own effort-driven reward circuitry, it squirts a cocktail of feel-good neurotransmitters, including dopamine (the "reward" chemical), endorphins (released w/exercise), and serotonin (secreted during repetitive movement.)

There are low rates of depression among members of Old Order Amish communities. The Amish, who sew their own clothes, tap their own syrup, and drive handheld plows through dry furrows, could be getting a serious neurobiological lift from all of their effort!

When I knit a scarf, spin my fleece into yarn, can goods from our garden and grow my garden, my brains executive-thinking center get busy planning, then the happy-anticipation zone begins to zing with activity, talking back to the executive top brain and reaching out to other parts that make me dive my hands into action.  The irony is that some of these hobbies sound so simplistic!

As I age I understand that keeping my brain fit is crucial to keeping my body whole, alive and alert.  Learning something new, working Soduku, crosswords, crafting, are all key to aiding in the "whole of Kat." It produces new, healthier brain cells. Doing a mentally absorbing task interrupts ruminations long enough for them to subside, and my thinking becomes more clear and less negative.

When I repeatedly do things with my hands that have a tangible result, I get better at them and I have more confidence.  Handicrafts are so gratifying, and promote a fine grained, joyful observing that is hard to come by when life flies by at it's usual breakneck clip.  Any creative activity presents an opportunity to realize how much you've never noticed, which leads to more engagement, which leads to better health and well-being.  When you let yourself explore your own innate creativity, the resulting "mindfulness"-often branches out into other areas.

For me, the joy is in the planning and execution, when I can tap into some new realm by returning to a beginners mind thinking (I'm thinking it's similar to a childs way of being a free spirit).

Just about everyone has a story, and her/his own deep, uniquely creative talents.  There's so much to learn from the unknown--realizing that often there's no such thing as right or wrong in anything you do.  Hands on work satisfies our primal craving to create solid objects; it could also be an antidote to our cultural malaise...........



My Baby Girl.........Jessi

Jessica Ann

There is a reason GOD gives us the pleasure of having daughters, because we need them like we need breath and a heart-beat.  They are such a quintessential part of our being, an extension with a "new, fresh perspective."  This is my sweet baby girl, Jessica (I've always called her Jessi or Sis).  She is a Thursday's child, born at 11:43 a.m. at 6 pounds 14 oz. in a huge snowstorm, very near the Canadian border in Eastern Washington.  I had her naturally, by the LeBoyer method and nursed her until she was six months of age.  She was a sheer joy from the moment she entered this world.  She has always smiled a lot, talked a lot and been very, very smart!   When she entered pre-school she could count to 10, say her ABC's and was one of the teachers favorite kids.  By the time she was in kindergarten, she was honored with going next door to the pre-school class to "READ" to them.  She has always been a Type A who enjoys excelling in everything she does. 

She's done amazing things over the years: Graduating from high school a year early w/excellent grades, getting her Associate degree when she was pregnant with her second child.  Getting her Bachelor's degree in between the second and third child.  Now enrolled in the Master's program with three kids and a full-time job as a teacher.  She is an excellent cook, debater, dancer, singer, hiker, mother, wife, teacher, lady!  She is MY BEST FRIEND!  I am very proud of this young woman, she has done copious amounts of "good things" with her life. 

She's thoughtful, sweet, humorous, sensitive, kind, loving.  When I watch her with her three kids, I feel honored.  She hugs them, loves them, tells them positive things all the time, she also disciplines like know one you've ever seen.  The kids respect her, love her back immensely, worship her, confide in her, miss her terribly when she's gone...............isn't that the way it's supposed to be?  She rules with an iron clad fist, and holds them as if they were a glass figurine, ever so gently, the perfect dynamic.

She's beautiful with a very slight body frame (size 0), she's very health conscious, energetic beyond human capability (she wears me out).  She outdoes most men in fishing, hiking, and horseshoes.  Anytime I go ANYWHERE with her, people stare.  She exudes a confident demeanor and zest for life that shows in her stance and face.  

Jessi, from the moment you entered my life, you changed me forever.  I wanted you to always be safe, be happy, be healthy.  I pray for you everyday, because now I can't protect you from under my wing.......you have your own family to do that for you now, but it's the BEST way I know to still keep you safe from afar.  I will be praying for you the rest of my days..........because I love you beyond measure.  My life is far more enriched because of you.  Did you know that Thursday's child will go far?  You have gone far my sweet baby, you have pursued a richness in your life and I'm very, very proud of you. I often miss holding you, playing barbies or plane with you, I miss baking lil' goodies for your small, sweet mouth.  I miss the kisses, the grimy hugs, the cherry stained face.  I miss that lil' baby girl, but then I see you walk in the door............and I'm taken back.............you have become a beautiful, smart women, and I'm so proud of you................this is my Billet-Doux to you!



When times seem too hard to bear & I l feel like giving up

I envision your beautiful face, the twinkle of your eyes and things of such

The bond we created from my womb to the day you were born

Is a mother and daughter bind that can never be torn

With the strength and guidance of God and the blessings he pours down from above

I want to be the best mom I can be to you and embrace you with all my love

You are as precious as a flower and as gorgeous as a rose

You have been specially made to the very tip of your nose

You are as sweet as honey; such an innocent young child

You are brighter than any star in the sky every time you smile

I want you to be proud of who you are and strive to be the best

Put forth your efforts to achieve your goals and let God do the rest

I will always be your mother first, but I'm also your friend

Your are the most precious gift, that I've ever been given

I love you Jessica Ann!

A Farm Girls Life

Life sure is good, I've absolutely no complaints (except on occasion when my hands are too stiff!). 

It's a GOOD life when: 1. You wake up to the most gorgeous sunrise ever.

2. The smell of the ol' ranch kitchen smells like fresh brewed coffee.

3. You wake up with a good plan for the day.

4. You feel good.

5. When it's feeding time in the morning, you walk out to a nice, crisp, clean, outdoorsy smell, and all the animals are happy to see you.

6. All the animals appear to be healthy.

7.  Having a bowl of oatmeal with fresh milk from the dairy down the road.

8. Taking a nice, hot bath in the morning with a book....just a half hour to read in peace.

9. No phones interupting the guiet.

10.  A husband that calls you shortly after he's left for work, just to tell you he "loves you."

11. A day spent either canning, gardening, spinning, knitting, reading or cooking.  No T.V. for this "farm girl." I like a productive day.

12. Or, a day skirting fleece from our sheep, or hanging out clean clothes on a well loved clothesline.

13. An afternoon spent blogging with other "farm girls."  We chat a lot about spinning, sheep, gardens, and canning.  Boring to most people I'm sure, but ever so exciting to have such a wonderful network of women to converse with, share ideas.

14. The joy of picking a lot of fresh veggies from the garden and then plotting the meal around it........how blessed we are.

15. A phone call from a grand child after school, to tell me something hugely, significant that happened to them that day.

16. The joy of seeing my husband pull in the drive-way, the three dogs thrilled beyond containment as well, what a splendid "welcome home."

17. A healthy, delicious meal spent with someone you love so deeply.

18. Crawling into bed together, snuggling and talking about the day, the weather, the animals, our grandkids.

19. Saying our "prayers" together in hopes that all those we love will remain healthy and happy.

20. Sleeping well through the night, awakening to the rooster outside our bedroom door in the early morning hours, only to start all over again........

Yes, life is very, very GOOD!

To my lil' cowboy, "I love you more and the most!"

"Ignorance is Not Bliss"

This is "Boone," he was one of three lambs born this year to "Freckles."  He has a brother that looked almost identical although he was polled, and a big sister that looked nothing like the two boys.  They were born very healthy.  My mother helped me with the lambing, it was her first time seeing a lamb born.  She told me the next morning, "I wouldn't have wanted to leave this earth without seeing this, thank you."  How fun that evening was for us.

As most of you know who have followed my blog, we breed and raise sheep.  We sell most of our lambs for meat, we raise a few for close family/friends, and we keep a few for good breeding stock, with desirable traits. Now that I've discovered spinning the fiber into yarn for projects, that plays a role in which sheep we keep and which ones we sell as well. 

No matter what the outcome for the lamb, we raise all equal. We practice good husbandry skills and provide excellent care to each.  We often have a waiting list of people who want to buy "our" lambs. 

We sold this lil' guy yesterday to a couple near our home.  Both moved here from California, apparently they've raised chickens before, possibly a steer or two.........so they've told us........  Late last summer they asked us if they could purchase a lamb from us after it was weaned.  I was a bit hesitant as I could tell from speaking to them, they really didn't have much common sense when it came to livestock (or chickens for that matter).  However, to be fair in my assessment, I gave her books to read on raising sheep and I told her to "google" anything and everything to educate herself on sheep.  From a physical standpoint it looked as though they were getting into the project of raising livestock.  They purchased an additional acre of land, fenced it (and re-fenced it), build a small shelter large enough to house a steer and sheep, bought a feeder, a water trough and hay.  They put some money into this little venture of theirs.  When the time was nearing for weaning, I asked her to return the book(which he said they had been reading), and pick the young lamb up at 7a.m. on August 13th. 

A day prior to the sell date, the neighbor guy called to tell me that they couldn't come pick up this lamb until 10 a.m.  That wasn't good news for me as I don't feed any of my animals if one is getting transported, it's hard on them to deal with the stress on a full gut.  Gives them a tummy-ache.  Plus, "The Man" and myself had two surveying jobs to do that morning, over-time for him and a chance for me to help him.  Also we had to get back at a reasonable hour to accept two squeezes being delivered to our hay barn that afternoon.  This "10 a.m." time frame wasn't working for us..........so with a bit of protest, the neighbor said he'd be here at 8a.m. 

"The Man" and myself got up early, had our couple cups of coffee and then went out to the barn.  I always send an animal off with trimmed hooves, a worming shot, and a shipping fever shot.  I do this early enough to make sure there is no reaction to any of the shots.  All was fine with "Boone" that morning, his temperature was good, he was ready to go to a new home. 

The neighbors showed on time(thank goodness), and "The Man" did his magic on "whispering' to his sheep to calm them.  He caught "Boone" without a hitch............however, about that time the neighbor opened the gate into the barn, and stormed in with his "noose" in hand which he abruptly put around the lambs neck, scaring the dickens out of the other sheep.  Until the lamb was placed in the back of the truck did I notice the tightness around his lil' neck and the fact that his ear was cinched down in the tight mess.  I told the neighbor to "take the tight rope off his neck, sit with him in the back of the truck and try this knot, something that allows him to breathe if he strains against it."  He didn't tie the new knot, instead he held the lamb and they drove off down the road. 

You know when you have a little voice inside of you telling you something?  I didn't listen to that yesterday.  I regret that today.  GOD spoke to me yesterday and I just "blew him off."  Pride and a promise I guess.  Our Border collie even spoke to us and we didn't listen.  He was very stressed the lamb was leaving and baaing in the back of the truck, to the tune of running the fence line crying as they drove off.  It took awhile to calm him, those are his lambs and he bonds with them from the moment they hit this world.  He's the only dog I allow into a lambing jug after lambing, he needs to smell them, lick them, bond with them, he does and the ewes are not in the least bothered by "Blue," they know he is safe.

The neighbors showed at 8a.m. to pick up their lamb, the sweet lamb perished by 9a.m.  I keep asking myself, "how did this happen?"  Ignorance..........lack of education, arrogance, pride...........all of the above.  That was the voice......it told me to tell them I had decided to keep the lamb, raise it for ourselves...........I didn't because I had told them I would sell one to them.  I suspected they weren't educating themselves properly, I was right.

The lil' lamb should have been transported to their ranch, confined in a small corral for about three days and allowed to acclimate SAFELY!!  Instead, the lamb was tossed out in an acre pasture with a huge Hereford steer while the couple went indoors to do..........????  Evidently the lamb slammed his head into the welded livestock panel several times to the point of knocking itself out and collapsing in exhaustion.  By the time we noticed them loading the lamb up in the back of the truck, we went over and asked, "is everything o.k."  Response, "No, we're taking the lamb to the vet, he hurt himself."  I will spare you further details on the injury to this lil' lamb, we suspect a broken neck.  He was scared, wanted to go back home to his brother, mother and sister, the ranch he knew and loved..........his lil' life was premorse.

I will blame myself for not listening to "the lil' voice inside me," and for having suspicions about a couple not educated in raising sheep. They had this ideology that you could just "buy and animal, throw it in a pasture, fatten it up and all would be well."  No common sense came into play here, no observation over the lamb when they took it home, no clue what to do with a lamb once he was down (they didn't move him out of the hot sun (91 F.) for over thirty minutes), they put him in a truck which had been in the hot sun, untethered, with no pad or blanket, and hauled him 17 miles from home.  The sheep vet in town was five miles away. 

This could have been prevented with proper "know how" on raising sheep.  This could have been prevented had I not sold him to this couple. 

We've learned a valuable lesson here, one I will never make again.  I'm sorry sweet "Boone," so sorry.

"One act of pure love in saving life is geater than spending the whole of one's time in religious offerings to the gods.........." --Dhammapada

"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated."--Ghandi