Shery, What wonderful pictures. What a great ranch and I know you are a great calf "mom". God bless and I hope your season is fruitful. Bonnie

I love calving season, to see all the new babies. The first time I saw a calf born was about two years ago. We have dirt piles in our front yard. Next thing we saw was a new baby calf. The babies and the mothers love to play on our dirt piles. The Lord has blessed us all.

Shery,

I am so glad I found your blog. I have always wanted to live on a farm/ranch. My mom grew up on a big farm. I loved visiting there during my childhood. I enjoy your pictures and can’t wait to see more calves.
Blessings,Vicky

How great – it all looks so wonderful. Love your Morgan. I can relate to the calf on the kitchen floor. We’ve had a lot of babies that had to be brought in including a baby billy goat that was brought to us by a young neighbor boy "please take him otherwise my dad says he’ll have to die". Of course we took him, he spent a few weeks in a bed behind our wood stove in the kitchen before it was warm enough to go out. My Mom would sit in the rocking chair by the stove and bottle feed in in her lap.
Your baby looks bright and happy.

Shery,
I love your blog and the new babies! I live in the country and this is the first time I’ve seen baby calves in the kitchen…It’s Great!
Bless you,
Sonja

Shery,
Thanx for sharing a part of your daily life with us…
I luv the pic of your "hubby & baby" in the kitchen…white socks & all! lol!

How great is that! Thanks for sharing. So sorry the one twin didn’t make it but how great it must be to have a calf in your kitchen.

wow that is awesome – glad you gave us pics thanks so much from the fiber girl horseylady

Shery, it sounds like so much fun, but I know it must be very hard work. I would just get too attached. The calvess in our area are so cute to watch, but I usually just see them as I drive by. You have an exciting life! One day I may have to stop by and say hello! Carol

No calves yet here on our ranch. We still are below freezing most nights. I did buy a few plants at the hardware store and hope to get them potted this weekend.

The brand inspector came by and asked if we would foster a couple of abused “Zonkie’s” they brought in. My husband said, sure. They are the strangest critters I’ve ever seen. They have the features of a donkey, but look like zebra’s. I guess they are hybrids-a cross between those two animals. The girl is shy, buy the boy is a mischief maker. He chases our drafter horses (weighing about 2800 pounds each) and our Quarter horses everywhere, but they are pretty sweet creatures. They were starved and abused really bad. I just don’t understand cruelty and won’t tolerate it.

No wildflowers yet.

Treesé
Front Range Colorado Rockies

Ahhh. Feelings of home. I was ranch born and raised. We had polled Herefords mostly, but some mixed breeds, a few sheep, pigs for eating, ranch horses and chickens. Always had a big garden and a couple of milk cows. Spring was always my favorite time of the year when everything is renewed and life abounds everywhere. Many times we had calves in the house especially when is was too cold outside when they were born and ears and tails often froze. Many times dad would come in with a frozen calf in his arm, yelling run a tub of warm water. He would leave me then with the calf to massage it back to life while he went back to check on the herd. One time our old sow farrowed in a blizzard. As the piglets arrived mom brought them into the house. She told me to keep the fire stoked…so I did. I was only 5 years old and didn’t really know the difference, so I filled the stove with all the small chunks of wood next to it. Guess what, it was pitch. Well those piglets got warm. Next time mom came in with a piglet she found the wall behind the stove dripping and the piglets laying on their sides panting. Well times have changed and we don’t seem to have that many blizzards any more. Mom and dad are gone, but a lot of the old ways are still alive and well. I will always love the spring.

I love these pictures, I remember calving when I was a child in Harding County South Dakota. Love it, wow the memories. I no longer live on the farm/ranch life but love the SIMPLE life and the beauty of the the outdoors!

I too am the night watchman on the farm. I just made my 11:00PM walk to the barn. I usually try to have my calves born in February to have them ready for the feeder sales beginning in September. Of course you know how it goes, you always have a few stragglers. If this one cow doesn’t have her calf soon I swear she is going to explode. Love your post, and of course those Hereford pics always catch my eye.

I am reminded once again of my western roots…! After I read your post I closed my eyes for a moment so I could visit the sage covered mountains of my native state Nevada. I sooooo miss the fragrance of damp sagebrush…. It rains a lot in New England, but there is no "fresh smell of sage" to go with it. I was just thinking about that the other day as it rained and poured here for more than 5 days.

On a brighter note: I remember the beauty of wild flowers in the high desert. Just spectacular! Here in the Northeast we have our own spring splendor…When the trees and shrubs begin to leaf out and blossom it is with great boldness! Neon Greens, hot pinks, bright corals, ravishing reds, royal purples, and the sunny yellow daffodils that punctuate the road to my house in spring. Having faith is easy in February, for we know what is coming! We are lucky to have such beauty to enjoy where ever we call home!
Thank you for sharing your lovely life and photos! I always look forward to your posts here!

Deb~

Absolutely beautiful!! I am envious I have never lived out west but I have visited there and it is simply awe inspiring! Thanks for the beautiful pictures and words.

I don’t live on a ranch or a farm…yet 🙂 🙂 🙂 However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article. I love animals and nature. Your pictures where wonderful. It’s like God took a small paintbrush and painted all the colors by hand. Simply amazing.
I did visit a pen-pal in France many years ago. Her family lived on a small farm. I remember one morning seeing them go one direction towards the barn…not longer after they are going the other way with a new baby calf. Beautiful.:)

Hey Shery, I so enjoyed your blog. And I could almost "smell" the sagebrush. I went out your way in 2000 for the first time. It was so funny; I came back trying to find that same smell, somehow. I found the "sage" scent by Yankee Candle Company, but it is nothing like the "real" thing when visiting out west. The pictures are so beautiful, as well as your horses! I am in awe of your landscape, the animals, and the love of life that God is able to place in us humans, to enjoy what He created! Thanks again!

Hi Jena! For others reading these comments…"Jena" is my husband’s ‘baby girl’…who at this point in her life as two children in grade school and one baby boy! Thanks Jena for stopping in to say hello. I know you remember well the goings on of ranch work this time of year as you and your two sisters did a lot of riding while helping your dad.  ~ Shery, her step-mom

Hey Shery,
I have to giggle at your "Lip Balm & Hairy Lips" comment…
I have 3 kitties, all of which are shedding like mad right now…and goodness knows you’d think I would know better than to apply anything on my lips before brushing them…
Great minds think alike! lololol!
Hairy lip hugz
>^..^<

Hi Shery – your comment on the shedding reminded me of a note from a friend a few days ago. She had been out brushing her horse and said to remind her never to wear fleece or lip gloss again when doing that.

Love the pictures – it’s just beautiful and the babies – so wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

Shery, I love the way you write, I feel that I am right there seeing the eggs in the nest, grooming the horses. I would love to be that close to all the baby calves. And, note to self, no lip balm!

Shery, you’re truly in your element. Blessings sweet ranch girl.

I had to laugh! I was currying my horse the other day, with lip balm on, and yes, I had very hairy lips!!! I live in Montana so can relate to all you say. Love hearing that someone else sees the world as I do.
Thanks!

Thanks for sharing that story! It gives me great inspiration to hold fast to my dream of some day owning my own little patch of farm ground where I can have a few horses of my own. Somehow I have faith that the day will come, I just pray that I am not too old to appreciate it when it happens. Thanks again, beautiful!

Shery,
What a beautiful gift you gave yourself! I love your message…about holding on to "old" dreams…I guess some dreams have to float around out in the ether’s for a while before they come home to roost! 🙂
I too have faith that one day my horses are out there waiting for me to arrive at just the right time for them! Did I mention that at least one of them is a Golden Palomino?

Deb ( who hears bare-foot horse hooves in her dreams )

Sheri,
Your sharing is such a blessing.
hugz

Congrats on your little miracle. She is beautiful.

She is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing your blessing with us. I love reading your blogs. You always inspire me so much!

Hi all you farmgirls, I just wanted to let YOU know how much YOU inspire ME. It is so thoughtful of you to take the time to leave comments and I love reading about YOUR lives. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for stopping by to visit and for your private emails also. Shery J

Shery, your writing makes me weep. I think all farmgirls have felt what you have so magnificently put to pen. Thanks for the inspiration!

Good Day
I just came in from going to look at a horse that I am considering purchasing…I am looking to buy my first horse at 51 years old. She is a Tennessee walker. I will be going back after lunch to ride her and see if we are a good match. Your story and testimony brought tears to my eyes and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing. God Bless you…I see He already has

Sherry, Dreams do come true because God is good. You also learned the beauty of EVERY horse in your care. They are ALL special. Happy Trails. Bonnie

Shery, That was beautiful and reminded me that dreaming "out of the box…or stall" is norm for us "farm" types…and needs to continue. She is a beaut for certain. Reminded me of my own Bluebell of many moons back. Thanks for taking time to introduce us all to Ribbon and to your faith in the unknown. You rock…as my granddaughter says.

Shery,
This blog entry came at a perfect time for me. I just came home yesterday from a horsemanship retreat. I don’t own horses yet but it is a childhood dream I am working on fulfilling. The most amazing time for me came a few days ago during my first experience in the round pen. I did the "horse whispering thing" and when the horse looked at me with both eyes and then I turned and could hear his footsteps behind me I was nearly moved to tears. It was amazing! Thank you for your inspiring entries in this blog. I love every one of them.

What an amazing story! You will never know how much you helped me when I read that. I was all but ready to give up on a dream I have had and now I have a renewed faith and I am not going to give up. Thanks for the reminder that it is God’s timing for some things to happen.

Sherry,
Thank you for sharing this lovely story of almost lost dreams. The foal is amazingly beautiful!
My dream for years, though almost forgotten, buried, let go…has been reborn. A log home! This dream is coming true in the midst of a 25 year marriage that my husband has decided to bring to an end. It is my earthly father who is making this possible, thus bringing my dream to life and my precious Heavenly Father, who has never left me nor forsaken me, that is whispering in my ear that I am loved.

Blessings,
Tracy

Thank you for the wonderful story. And congratulations on your girls. I just know she will be all you dreamed for and more. Our Father always outdoes our dreams. I am a former Morgan horse breeder and trainer. Where I live has turned into a resort town and all of the farms are being developed and the farmers leaving because they can’t afford the taxes. We had to let our farm go because it was on the ski mountain and the taxes were out of site. We leased a place for a while and I studied dressage and still trained horses. Now at age 65 and my husband 70, I don’t believe we will be starting over again. But I know I had the best – my dream horse was a dark horse with light mane and tail. I found it when I bought a 6 month old colt, the grandson of Jubilee King. He turned out to be a dark chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail and the best horse ever – more than I had dreamed for.

Dear Shery,
Today I read your blog for the lst time…I’m new to Mary Jane’s Farm, but not new to being and loving being a farmgirl. My very lst horse and the love of my life was Captain Fox, a government bred Morgan who lived to be 39 years old. I thought all horses were like Captain, until I owned a number of them through the years and loved them all, but never quite found one who measured up to dear Captain. Life happened and we had to be city/suburb folks for a number of years and I never thought I’d see life on a farm again. God was good though, and we had a great life, but then, suddenly, life happened again and we made a move, my husband made a job change and we ended up on a farm again! God outdid Himself this time, as it’s just such a special place…we call it Full Circle Farm, because we’ve come full circle in our lifestyle, and in so very many other amazing ways. Anyways, on the note of Captain….I began giving riding lessons here at Full Circle, and we have 11 horses, all of them oh, so special. There’s a mare, Sassy, who we acquired, and she was to be a school horse. She did well for awhile, but then began to balk and fuss and buck and I knew she’d not make a school horse. I pulled her from my program and began to work with her myself. She’s a buckskin and dappled and just so gorgeous, and…"sassy"! Little did I know that she would become "that horse"!! I would have never known it, had she not started acting up and letting me know she wanted to be a "mama’s girl" only. Now, we are so bonded, it’s not funny. I turned 57 this year, and God has given me this special girl with our special relationship…total trust in each other and knitted hearts…full circle, like the Captain and I once were. How merciful of our Lord to do this for me, after all these years! I love all of our horses, but He gave me a reason not to feel too guilty for keeping one out just for me! I’m going to love your blogs! Bless u and thanks so much!

This city girl is just "plain" jealous!

Sounds like a fabulous evening…and the recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bread is forthcoming, yes???

Yeppers…on the recipes. Just waiting to hear back from Michele. Shery J

What a fun group. Michele has a beautiful home. I feel like I was there with all your beautiful photos. So glad you gals had such a great time. I think I need to start a farm gals group where I live!

The photos, gorgeous!

Shery,
I love to read your blog. I am working hard to become a Ranch Farmgirl myself. Two years ago I bought my own piece of heaven in Wyoming…40 acres of potential for me to pour my heart and soul into. For now I’m stuck in Florida with a condo that won’t sell but your blog keeps me going and fuels my dreams. Thank you.

Shery,
I so enjoyed your blog and the photos are absolutely gorgeous, just like it always is in the west! I am still in the city but I feel like a "part" even though I do not have a farm of my own yet. Mary Jane is right, "farmgirl is a condition of the heart." Thanks for sharing.
Reba

I want to live in Wyoming and be in your chapter!!! please!!! I want to ride a horse rounding up cattle and pack iron and shoot at varmits!!! Seriously…I so enjoy your blog I finally decided to let you know. I too have a new chapter here in California…YES THERE ARE STILL FARMGIRLS IN CALIFORNIA…and they are blessing my life every time I turn around. You said it all so beautifully.

Oh My gosh, the bike is awesome… there are lots of goodies. I love it and it is so awesome that you brought it into your home!!!!

Shery, what a wonderful peek into your life! Michele is indeed very talented. Thanks so much for sharing your terrific photos of her skills. It warms my heart to see something like a bicycle decorated and hung as art. What courage! Being a city dweller, very disconnected from like souls, I have raised many an eyebrow when visitors see a family pitchfork used as a kitchen curtain rod or a manure fork decorated with silk flowers as a wall display. lol

Your china is beautiful 🙂 I think you just inspired me to start a new collection!!

In answer to those who have written and asked if the photos I use are my own…Yes, they are. I’m not a ‘real’ photographer, but I sure do enjoy it as a hobby. I have a Sony Alpha 100 DSLR and I bought a zoom lens and a wide angle lens to play with.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your kind comments. I love hearing from you and about the details in your own ‘farmgirl’ lifestyle whatever it may be! Happy Trails, Shery Jespersen

For a brief moment, I wish I lived over in your neck of the woods…but then remembered that cold white stuff followed by winds! Did I mention, I HATE Wind!!! lol!
I luv your "friendships are like compost in the Garden of life – they help us grow"….
hugz,
>^..^<

Gosh, Sherry. I wish I lived in your neck of the woods. That group of gals sounds mighty fun. Farmgirls do have fun wherever they are. I love your positive outlook. Happy Valentine’s day, Bonnie

How wonderful this sounds. I moved into the area we live a couple of years ago and left most of my long long time friends an hour south. I would love to know enough women in my new neck of the woods to do something like this. I would love to have all my new blog friends I have made in the last few months all together in one spot. How much more we could learn from each other.

Hi Shery!
What a delightful topic! I know exactly what you mean about looking at your friendships old and new in a different way since Mary Janes Farm came into your life… I have had this same revelation! I have been playing in the Farmyard Connection with my new farmgirl sister’s for the last 2 weeks and it is just such a nice warm place… all the gals are so friendly and supportive of everyone’s "farmgirl dreams" no matter how big or small…
I vowed to myself that in 2010 I would round up my own " off -line "farmgirl friends" to play with whether it be,gardening, swapping recipe’s,talking chickens, home schooling, art or making new friends at our local horse rescue! I have a few that fit the bill, we just need to make it official. Perhaps with spring just around the corner we’ll have spring fever meeting where everyone brings there favorite seed and garden catalogues and we begin the planning for " new gardens to come "! You and your words on "farmgirl fellowship" have inspired me to not get lazy about this resolution! I have been part of another kind of sisterhood for twenty years that brings me great joy. I have " beach sisters"! Women who are my neighbors and friends in a small beach community of seasonal summer cottages. These tried and true friendships are such blessings.. Now,I just need to find me some gals with "farmgirl fever" to carry me through the rest of the year once my flip flops have been hung out to dry!
Thanks again for such a great post!

as always… love love love the photo’s!!!

Deb~ Pat some horse necks for me o.k.?

Oh Shery! I just had to say how much I LOVE this post! And girlfriend, yes! You are a REAL photographer! Beautiful!

Dear Shery,

Just when I was feeling "lonely" your writing inspired me to reach out to others. Thanks for the nudge. So appreciate you, your sharing, your photos and your amazing contribution to us women out here. Thank you so much. Terces

Hi Shery,I loved the stories and awesome pictures,like the other girls,and I am so thankful I found you today, because I have been feeling misplaced and I will try to gather up a few of my friend’s to have some fun, absolutley! Thank you, and I will read your blog with anticipation. :c

I really enjoyed reading your blog today. I hope to live on a ranch someday soon. And reading about you helps me reach for the stars. Thank you. BTW Great pictures. I especially like the one of you.

Nice. These are thoughts I will take with me as I move through my day. (I especially LOVE the truck.) What a dad!
Have a wonderful day Shery.
Marilyn

Shery…how blessed you are to still have your folks. I almost envy you and to have them close by.
Yes riding a horse is "one" of God’s blessings to us. Another is our animals. Whether they are for raising to provide food or just there for our "comfort".
Thank you for reminding us of our "garden" in our lives especially this time of year when it is cold and windy and not a lot of sun out.
May you walk in the path God has for you.
Ann
John 3:16

Dear Shery,

You are so right! Love and goodness are all around us. Sometimes we focus on love looking a certain way, sometimes we think it should come in a green bottle, but it’s coming to us in a yellow box! I think you know what I mean, our pre-conceived notions of something can prevent us from recognizing the real deal. My life is full with a loving family….my husband, my two WONDERFUL daughters, my pets, the great outdoors I enjoy here in Kentucky and all the abundance I enjoy on a daily basis….and some chocolate never hurts either! You live a life I admire so much. I lived out West twelve years ago and always felt such joy when I was on the back of a horse! My fondest memories are of the Rocky Mountains. I think ranch people are the salt of the earth…and that means you, my dear! I love your blog! Happy Valentine’s Day to all the ladies out there that hold true to what matters in this life….LOVE!

Shery, You’re so lucky to still have your mom,she is a pretty lady,and your daddy a handsome man.Your right, I forget to count my blessings everyday. Happy Valentines, blessed be, Carol Branum themofarmersdaughter@blogspot.com

Hi Shery,
Love your blog, love your pictures. Wow, what a truck! You are very lucky to be surrounded by things you love.

The old truck and the vintage tablecloths are my passion.
I only have the tablecloths but I am happy for your Dad
and you with the truck. Your ranch looks beautiful!

Love your blog. Shery, I also love your stories and pictures. Thank you so much for sharing. From a Virginia Country Girl.

Thank You Shery, for reminding me that after the snow and cold will come the flowers and new born calves. I look forward to each and appreciate all that god gives us. I to enjoy the many hours spent working with my valentine and am thankful he is in my life. Happy Valentines Day Shery.

Julie

Just this month I discovered Mary Jane Magazine and it had such a calming effect I decided to check out the web site. Love your photos Sheri and what a great story about your grandparents. I too love to hunt out special finds at second-hand stores, garage sales, antique shops etc. It’s not about the bargain, but the story I know is hidden behind my treasure!

Since I was a child my love of animals and nature has stayed with me and kept me going. After decades of city living and raising daughters I have been able to restart my country life and reclaim my love of horses though I have always had dogs, never a day without them. I now ride, show and breed Rocky Mountain horses and as always when with nature I feel free in the spirit again. We now have chickens, miniature donkeys, one who is due to deliver any day and the new baby will be starting its life journey with us. This picture of life renewing life is one of country life’s biggest gifts. My life has renewed me spiritually and has been the culmination of my life dreams to come back to simpler, greener life filled with animals. You can take the girl out of the country but not the country out of the girl. One of the greatest gifts this life has given me is allowing my beloved grandchildren to have animals be a part of their life also. It is great to live in the country and still have access to the city where my grandchildren live. I am truly blessed by God.

Beautiful pictures!! I love the cold as long as it is not wet. I do like your cat, speed-scooch backwards. And in the South, usually what we have is "wet" cold!! When we have snow, everything closes. If there is a hint of snow, schools begin closing. NO one knows how to travel in the snow here. I visited Austria at Christmas one year with my daughter. It was so-o-o much fun. We did the Sound of Music tour by bus (with several feet of snow on the ground), traveled all around Salzburg, and enjoyed the sights of ice skaters. In Vienna the parents were out with their carriages, plastic over the children, but nevertheless all were out to enjoy Christmas festivities. It was soooo much fun. I don’t like being closed up indoors. This is quiet possibly why we hear "flu season" or "cold season." I’m not buying it. I’m layering and going outdoors!!

I love the beautiful pictures. Wyoming is one of my favorite places to visit. I would live there if my husband liked cold weather. He would be like your cat. I have music by David Walburn. He sings about Montana and this time of year being the time "to have a little fun" because "meats in the freezer, let’s go skiing." Thanks for the pictures that you post. They make me dream of going back.

I am loving loving these fotos of yours! Like getting postcards from far away!

Just wanted to say that I enjoyed your blog and the pictures! I myself am not a stranger to long and cold winters. Being from Alaska, where it is winter about seven months out of the year; I commiserate with you.

I loved seeing the picture the fluffy and frosty horse. It reminded me of my horse "Jewel" that I had growing up. How soft her fur against my face as I rubbed it in to her neck to keep my nose warm, and that warm wild smell that can only be truly appreciated be a girl with a horse.

Loved the pictures. Thanks for sharing.

My husband grew up near the Canadian border in upstate NY so is OVER winter and doesn’t even talk much about it amazing beauty, although he loves the out of doors! I on the other hand, love winter, and have only spent a few years of my life living where there really is a winter. Here in California, winter doesn’t bring us all those beautiful sights you shared, and there is clearly a changing of the seasons and a turning inward. We live in a yurt and when all the flaps are down on the windows it is clearly an indoor cabin lifestyle, with a wood stove going. I keep telling myself I will sit and read yet still the chores of farm life, being we can grow food year around here, keep me out of doors! Thanks so much for sharing, what a beautiful life you live. How fortunate are we all?
Love, Terces

Thanks so much for the posting, love the pictures as well. Lovely thoughts about appreciating each season.

It gets windy here in the *Thumb* area of Michigan they say we are a good area for the big wind mills for the wind we get. I understand finding winter beautiful but hate the wind. My dad likes feeding the birds but since he is unable to get out and do that anymore I feed them, but not as regular as he did. Boy when the feeders are empty you hardly see any birds but once they are filled every bird in the tri-county are at those feeders it seems…lol.

Keep warm.

Ditto to the photos. So beautiful. While I am not a fan of cold weather, ironically some of my favorite art work is of winter scenes, go figure. Winter to me is best enjoyed with a warm cup of coffee from a cozy seat by a large roaring fireplace positioned perfectly to view the snowy beauty of nature out a large picture window.

Thank you Shery for sharing your wonderful pictures! I live in Ky~we get a few flakes of snow now and then. Mostly rain~I am a sunshine person & a horse lover. I have always lived on a farm & love it. Have been to WY several times in the summer & Love the scenery. Have a happy blessed day~you have brightened my day! Ellen

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now. Keep it up! And according to this article, I totally agree with your opinion, but only this time! 🙂

I enjoy your site and I have bookmarked it, Kind Regards

Bernice Johanson

OMG- this is my year all the time. My parents made it UNFORGETTABLE! SO i have huge Christmas Stress that I induce on myself. While I have toned it down a bit, as the kids are now 15 and 19, I was still baking cookies before my daughter went to school this morning. The candy was done, but pep band, finals etc had prevented cookies from being baked. My daughter’s teachers truly deserve a sweet treat in appreciation for all their caring. They used to get delivered on hand-painted plates . Now to finish that quilt before next Thursday afternoon.

I love the beauty of your prose and your eye for detail in nature. I am doing a little bit of the same idea in a blog, too. But I have to say that yours is an exquisite model to use as a pattern! Love the grogg recipe! I will be making some this holiday season.

The rule in our house was that no one could find what Santa had put in the stocking that was delivered to our bedroom door until it was six o’clock am.

I was not a good sleeper on Christmas Eve..or even in the wee hours of Christmas morning. I have no idea how Santa managed to get the jingling stocking propped up against my door without getting caught at it.

What I did on one such sleepless overnight was to go frequently into the bathroom where my father always hung his prized Hamilton watch (awarded on his 25th year in his business) on a hook on the door jamb. I could tip the face of the watch to see if it was six o’clock yet. I did this. Often. All night long. BUT at about four am I managed to unhook that watch when I tipped it to see, and it smashed on the tile floor.

This was a disaster. Really a disaster. I cried, standing there, cried with grief and shame and true misery. I was not afraid of my father, but I was afraid of the loss of the watch for my father. It was, as far as I knew, his most prized possession. And I had ruined it. Smashed to pieces.

I couldn’t stand it. I went in at that early hour and awakened my father, burst into tears, confessed my terrible act, buried myself in his arms and sobbed out my sorrows.

I am sure it took a long while for my sleepy parents to figure out what to do with this inauspicious beginning of our happy day. But they figured it out. I saw the new watch-face and hands going around as they should in the next few days, to my enormous relief.

I have no idea what I got that Christmas, other than a whole lot of love.

Susan

You reminded me of so many great holdays at home. My mom always made Christmas so special.I have many great memories. Thanks

The author of rfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org has written an excellent article. You have made your point and there is not much to argue about. It is like the following universal truth that you can not argue with: If you take life too seriously, life will start to take you seriously. Thanks for the info.

Your blogs about your ranch life are very interesting. My husband and I are from a PA farm background. (We met on a Farmall M tractor!) We were grain farmers and can relate to much you share…so glad to learn more. Keep it up.

This is interesting but I for one do not know anything about the west really, I’m a north-easterner, nor do I know much about any kind of cattle besides dairy cows. Could you provide info that describes what the pictures are showing? Which horse is Harley? etc. Your photography is great and I enjoy looking @ your pictures, & reading what you have written, but this latest blog doesn’t grab me because I know so little. The stuff you written about your grandfather is so real & brings back my grandpa.

What beautiful photo’s. My grandpa was a cattle rancher in Decatur, Texas for most of his life. We visited the ranch once while I was growing up, but the cows were out to pasture. We saw nothing of his actual "operation"… but being a Texan, he was full of stories. He always used the nickname heifer for his female grandchildren and my granny too sometimes! It was definitely in his blood. He ranched until his late 70’s then he finally retired. I’m a western girl born in Texas, raised in Nevada, transplanted in New England and I just love your blog… Your pix are like little shots from home that warm me up when I look at them… I enjoy your writing as well! Keep sharing your wonderful way of life…It is a great reminder to us all that our food does not just " appear" wrapped up nice and neat at our local meat counter ready for our choosing. Cattle ranching looks like hard work, but it’s easy to see, there is joy in if for you!

Thank you for explaining it all. I wish you Happy Trails also and a great holiday season. The expression Happy Trails sounds so Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Is that where that expression came from or is it in general use?

I was referred to your website via twitter. I’m glad I was referred; it’s been an enjoying read. This post reminds me of a recent quote I read- "No matter how much horsepower your truck has it still can’t cut a calf from the herd."

Wow what beautiful pics. For a native Tarheel (NC) it’s really nice to get a peek into your life out west.

Thank you, Shery, for your wise words this morning. It is my day off from work and your words reminded me of a field trip in the country that I have wanted to do for quite some time and had forgotten about. Today is the day!! Thank you so much and God Bless.

WOW, I have only recently started receiving all the blogs and find myself so appreciating all the sharing. We live on 21 acres and are currently in a yurt with an outdoor bath house, outdoor kitchen and a composting toilet. We gather around the fire each morning for breakfast, the crew and my husband and I and again at lunch and once more for supper. I always find myself marveling at the simplest of things. Morning dew, fire heat, hummingbirds, flowers…and yet due to our city life, where we are the owners of 6 restaurants (all use the produce we grow on the farm), so many people ask me "do you like living this simply?" … I notice I NEVER ask myself that question, instead I find myself often asking, "what was it that sent us all indoors?" Thanks for putting beautiful words to such dear things in life. I am starting to save the hair from my brush TODAY! Gratefully, Terces

You are so right about this and good to remind us! One thing I love about getting out of the ‘burbs is seeing the SKY, which (along with a good beach) is my favorite, endlessly changing thing to look at.

I appreciate the words of wisdom. I love nature, especially in the mountains. My family and I are nature lovers and relationship lovers, the things that last. Have a blessed day.

This is such a beautiful gift that was given to you be your grandfather, this is one of the reasons we make it a point to include our family in almost everything.
I really have enjoyed reading your blog! I hope that you have a very Blessed Holiday Season.
-Amy

I so enjoy your posts! They make me miss my ‘cowgirl’ days of riding and feeling the wind in my hair. I look forward to more of your posts and wish you many blessings this holiday season.