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.

I love junktiquing and finding ways to create a "new" use for items that have been discarded. It brings a sense of accomplishment and creativity to my life. It also allows me to put my own personality into the way something looks making it unique and one of a kind.

Yay for wonderful make-do projects and thinking too! You were fortunate to be able to soak up " that way of living" with time spent with your grandparents…
I like to think it is a wonderful way of honoring your creativity while being resourceful. Not to mention very satisfying and easy on planet to boot.
Love your cubby project! 🙂
I hope you will show more in future posts!
Happy Creating~
Debbie

Your grandparents story reminds me of my 25th wedding anniversary present. I wanted and got a roto-tiller(not sure I spelled it right). Its those little things that count!!

What wonderful memories you have of your grandparents. We could all learn lessons from them. Love your "shabby cubby". I love searching for treasures at thrift stores and flea markets too. Thanks for sharing your memories.

That old wall chest is too cute! You are very talented. It makes me feel better in my quest of old "junk" that others see the beauty in "old stuff". I have a hard time buying new and prefer something with a little "history". My Father also liked to "fix it up".

Thank you for sharing. Heidi

Hi Shery,

Your cubby is adorable and your horse is a beauty. You are a lucky woman!

I loved your "dump days with Grandpa" story! When my husband and I married 37 years ago, we would go to the dump periodically and search for treasures. I found a small 2 drawer chest. I use it in my sewing room all the time and I will never get rid of it. It reminds me where I came from, very humble beginnings: growing up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvania, and makes me grateful for all I have now. I live on 1 1/4 acres in a small community in Texas, just southwest of Dallas. My husband and I have moved many, many times in our 37 years together, and this is our last home and it’s as close to country as we can get, considering where we live now.

Ooh, I love your Shabby Cubby! I remember going dump scrounging with my father once a long time ago when I was very little, in the San Francisco Bay Area (this would have been during the early 70’s). I don’t do that anymore, but I am an avid Freecycler – I hate to throw away perfectly good stuff that someone else might be able to use. By the same token, I have gotten all kinds of useful stuff from fellow Freecyclers. When we lived in Ohio, I was even known to stop and pull things off of people’s trash piles that they’d put out for the garbage truck, take them home, and try to find them new homes through Freecycle. I just hate to see a perfectly good piece of furniture or whatever end up in the landfill when all it needs is a little TLC to be beautiful and useful again. Unfortunately, this drives my husband up a wall. Where I see potential, he only sees junk. He would rather throw something out and go buy a new one than try to find a way to salvage the old one. Now that the economy is so awful, and our financial situation is much more precarious than it had been in the past, I am even more adamant about using the last drop of something, or repairing things or fixing them up instead of just going and buying new. I find it very frustrating, but I guess it’s partly because I’ve been thinking about this issue longer – both the environmental implications of our over-consumerist, throw-away culture, and also the social and economic implications. Our entire economy and society are built on convincing people to buy things they don’t really need, even if they have to go into debt to afford them. What if people stopped buying all this stuff? What if people stopped buying into the idea that they have to buy all this stuff, that new is better, that it’s perfectly acceptable for an appliance you spent good money on to stop working and have to be replaced after a couple of years because it can’t be repaired? What if we took back our financial health and our power, and stopped being slaves to the consumer culture? I’m sure this is the kind of thing that gives CEOs nightmares, but sadly, my experience to date suggests they have nothing to fear – the consumer habit is an extremely difficult one to kick, and most people don’t even realize it’s a problem. When even my own husband looks at me like I’ve got three heads because I brought home a gorgeous antique end table made of solid wood that just needs a little refinishing and TLC, I know we’ve got our work cut out for us. Spread the good word, sister! I’d love to hear about some of your other finds and projects!

WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY !! IT REMINDS ME SOME OF MY CHILDHOOD IN NEBRASKA. ISN’T IT WONDERFUL SOME OF US ARE WANTING TO GO BACK AND RECYCLE, AND RE-USE EVERYTHING WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON. WASTE NOT, BECAUSE THE OLD CAN BE NEW AGAIN. AHHH, ISN’T LIFE REALLY GRAND.

Oh Shery,
I LOVE your grandparents…for the wonderful values they gave & shared with you.
Re-purposing old discarded items is so gratifying.
I too love to go "junktiquing" especialy at 2nd hand stores….and two things I always keep in mind..
1. Spray paint is your friend….
2. Show No Fear!
It’s amazing what we can do when we roll up our sleeves, dig in and have fun!
Your cubby turned our beyond cute!
So, what are you working on now? after all, it’s snowing over here so I am guessing it’s probably snowing where you are too! Perfect time for indoor projects!
farmgirl hugz
>^..^<

Your story brings back wonderful memories for me. My grandma used to take me "dumpster diving". We would go down to the shopping center and find treasures in the dumpsters. It was wonderful fun! She decorated her house with many of these finds. Your grampa reminds me so much of my father-in-law. He was always making things out of stuff laying around in the garage or wherever. He also fixed things rather than buying new. My kids loved the stuff he made better than anything from the store. These are the the kinds of things that make life so beautiful! Thank you so much for sharing.

Sherry: Your Cubby is adorable. Good job. Our most precious moments are spent with love.

Bonnie

Sherry- I like the cubby! It’s so nice to read that others are trying to "make do" and renovate rather than buying something. I always feel like I’m the only one that thinks this way! I, too, wash plastic bags and re-use them and use our old, damaged clothes to make quilts or dog beds. Frankly, I love the sense of self sufficiency!

Hi Sherry!

Your blog is great. I am a newcomer to your site. In Alaska we called it "dumpster diving". The ‘open’ dump in our town closed about 25 years ago to be replaced by a baler system – no chance for exploration unless you looked in the dumpsters located at the harbor or someplace with common access. BUT when I was a girl we lived on a ranch in the high desert in eastern Oregon and guess what? We lived ‘out by the dump’. And the dump was a good old-fashioned dump. Just kind of out in the middle of nowhere and you drove around in a circle and threw out whatever you wanted and could also walk around and take your pick of things to bring home. The climate was so dry it wasn’t icky really – things just kind of dried up and blew around. On one spot on our property there was an old dump all covered over from years of erosion and wind. We spent hours looking through rusted cans and pottery shards. Then it was ‘discovered’ by outsiders looking for bottles, etc. and it became a real issue as they would come in and set up large screens to dig and sift – range archeologists! (kind of). Unfortunately they would cut fences to get in and since it was a ways from the house we never knew what was going on until too late and cattle were out. We actually had to patrol that section regularly to keep the fences up and repaired and the cows in. What a deal – but wow – you bring back great memories. Thanks! I’ll stay tuned.

I too remember going to the dump with my Grandpa in Idaho in the 1960’s. The ride in his old pickup was always full of anticipation about what we might find on the way to the dump and glee over what we had found on the way home! I remember these outings much more fondly than just about any other shopping trip I’ve ever taken! Thanks for reminding me about finding the beauty in things that are cast off.

Love your story. When I was a kid my grandpa owned the town dump! I think recycling is way more creative than just buying new and sometimes you end up with projects way better than the new ones. For example, I was in need of a new faucet for my kitchen sink. I found a "new" one at a flea market, it really was unused in the box, but about 30 years old and priced at 10 bucks. I brought it home and my husband installed it, but it didn’t really fit, the base was smaller than the old one and the hole showed on the top of the sink. So my husband got the idea to cut a piece of sheet copper in an oval shape and place it under the new base. It looks great and everybody who sees it thinks it’s a custom sink. It is! I just love making do.

Dear Shery,
I love to read your stories. They give me hope. Frugality is spoken about as if it is a modern day sin. I must say that my family falls below the federal poverty level, but I have this little computer (pocketbook), and a roof over my head, land, and love. I have all that one needs to survive. I have been modifying my clothes to make them look ‘modern’. I am frugal. I thank God that he blessed me with the talent to sew. I have began a huge endeavor to start my own sewing business and selling produce. People love my jalapeno chili and salsa, and my sewing. Now, why not make money? Your stories gives me hope. I see your cubby and you inspire me that this frugality is truly art. Who else can see beauty in someone else’s trash? Thank you for inspiration. I AM GOING TO GO FORWARD with my business, and restyle and alter and sew old into new. I will bring out the beauty in someone else’s discards!! Thank you for helping me see the art in my business. I have NEVER thought of myself as artistic, and am far away from the Martha Stewart type crafts, but I know I can sew well, and can bring out a good business. Now I am ready to look forward to writing a business plan. I live on an acre of land, how can I be poor? Sometimes people give wrong titles to poverty and richness. I feel like I am the richest person in the world to have land!!!! My husband and I are planting our seeds for the future, figuratively and literally. I get inspired each time I read your stories. Keep us motivated!!
Su lectora loyal,
Your loyal reader,
Carolina

For someone who lives in a midwesttern area of the nation, this sounds like a whole nuther world. The close’st I ever got to a cowboy, was an uncle who wandered the west moving his family every two years or so. We never knew where he would show up next. But he had wonderful stories! And to be a cowgirl or to live on a ranch sounds like a lot of work! But having five sons, I often wished they could have been raised up out west on the backs of horses, learning how to really grab hold of life! Keep on writing, you have a fan in me,and I am up for an adventure even if it only consists of words on the blue screen! Thanks!

I just love your writing and the great pics that go with it.Makes me feel like I am there.I am a frustrated cowgirl with no ranch so for now I will live vicariously through your writings.Thank you.

Thank you for letting me "see" life as a cowgirl, and "hear" the reality of it instead of idealism. Attitude is the glue that makes any job worth doing. And what an awesome way to do the job. None better than with a ride from such a beautiful animal–your horse.

Great article. It really put me out there with you. In fact, I wish I were there, just not when it gets cold, wet or blustery. vbg

I love your writing!! I feel as if I’m right there. I am on a farm in OH and I know what fallwork is here. Harvesting, shearing, putting the land to bed, and making sure I have enough hay. You keep up the joyous work cowgirl.
Patty

We always have a rule here on our farm/ranch…
#1. Animals die
#2. Can’t change rule #1.
It’s what life is made of.
We start the road to our death on the day of our birth.
But we try to pack as much fun and love in the middle.

I’m new to blogging and being a blogger. I hope it is ok to add my own comment here. I would like to thank ALL of you, new friends and old for your kind words and encouragement. I can’t express how good it makes me feel to know my writing is worthy of your time. Happy Trails to you all and thank you for tuning in.
Shery, the MJF Ranch Farmgirl (‘shery on the prairie’)

Shery,You know I love your pictures and your writing is exceptional. Thanks for taking me along. ONe day I hope to actually get out to meet you and your great Morgans….Keep up the blogging you’re a natural 🙂

Great post Sherry! Thank you!

Hi Shery –

I can totally identify with the cowgirl up mentality! As kids, we were workers, and riders, and chefs in one afternoon! We were wherever we were needed and it was one of the best jobs in the world! You can ride some of the most beautiful country in the world, work cattle, and feed your helpers without missing a step. Wonderful memories! I think it also shows our strength as women, that we can do all these things and feel completely at home. 🙂

Your site is like a blonde with a brain. I love it. Jokes aside, very informative article and equally impressive design.

I was curious if you ever considered changing the page layout
of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with
it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for
only having one or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?

Bartering really is a fine art! It was an absolute way of life for the pioneers who lived in this area of our nation. It’s such a simple way of doing business, but it’s very effective, especially when trading for the necessities.

I love your pics!

I was just thinking about bartering a few days ago and wondering how a person would go about getting involved. It was nice to read about your experience. Those steaks look fabulous!

I’ve been a barter-er for most of my adult life, trading fresh veggies & fruits in exchange for other things I’ve needed, mostly the more heavy-duty yard work that my husband & I are unable to do any longer. Two years ago, however, a hairdresser friend of mine said she really loved my hand-knit socks, so in exchange for a pair of knit socks, I get three free haircuts! Another good trade for us are several bags of fresh-picked Satsuma plums for a haircut. My hair grows over an inch a month, and I wear it short, so these kinds of trades work wonderfully for me.

I wish I had more folk to barter with here!! I’d much rather barter than charge someone for goods or services.

It’s wonderful to hear that bartering is still amongst us. I don’t know how it would be perceived here where I live….maybe it’s happening and I am not aware of it. I love your posts! Keep them coming!

I too love to barter, my sewing skills for what ever…
it is a good feeling to be able to trade my talents for the talents of anothers….
>^..^<

I live in Southeast Missouri were bartering is still a common occurence even at the grocery store. I moved from a large city and am amazed of the trust and love that goes into each item offered (plus the wonderful stories!).

Hey Shery! Love your blog & proud that I’ve bartered with you. It’s been great fun for me & I’m almost done with that scrapbook! Great Work Friend!

In the late 1970’s, we paid $200-worth of our dentist bill with a bear skin, professionally tanned. We had shot the bear in season. This nice rug hung on the dentist’s wall for many years, until he redecorated his waiting room. Only in North Idaho…… At about the same time, we traded 2 cords of dry tamarack firewood for a $250 solid wood smallish dining table. I still have the table. In 1975, I walked into an antique store in Idaho City and bartered for a horse bridle – kept at it until the $25 price tag came down to $12 – bought it. Love the art of barter.

A few years back, I needed a crown in my mouth. Well the dentist and I made a deal. I made a quilt for him and he did the crown. It was one of the best deals I have ever made. I grew up as an auctioneer daughter.

I love bartering, I make goat cheeses and I have trades all over town. We are trading cheese and milk to our vet for our past bill. I love our vet and the fact that bartering is beneficial to both parties!

hi and welcome,I am sure I will love this.I also am a farm/ranch girl in missouri,This will be fun.blessed be,carol branum,Lamar mo.

I look forward to your blogs. I live on a farm in PA and we raise beef cattle but I look forward to hearing about ranch life in Wyoming.

Sherry, I’m excited about your blog. I already sense some "common threads". I love the word you used "junktiques" that sounds better than what I call "junking". I am an authenic born and raised farmgirl.

Hello from the sandhills of NE. I am orginally from Goshen Co. Wy. My husband and I lived and worked on the family ranch until we decided it was time to be ourselves. Hence NE. My favorite season is calving and branding season. My husband Loren is the only one around that casterates. So we are called upon. He has a knack for no bleeders. I run a vaccine gun or work up the dinner. We no longer wrestle calves but use a calf cradle. Better for our old bones. I have a few favorite things. Milk face calves, the creak of a windmill and the breeze on a sea of grass. We run several hundred head and so it keeps us busy. Besides I teach school in my spare time. Its so nice to hear from someone who actually maybe understand what a ranch wife is and does. Again, it will be fun to read and see the paralelles of ourlives. Christina

Welcome Shery,
I am also a Wyomingite, it is good to see a Farm girl so close to home. I live in Laramie Wy. My family has been in the sheep ranching business outside of Medecine Bow. I look forward to reading your musings.

Hi Shery, loved your "view from the saddle." I am a ranch girl from California. It is a wonder that my daughter, friends, and I each have the "The Best Darn Horse in the World." Mine is a Palomino Quarter Horse mare named Dapples. My favorite time of day is feeding the horses before the sun comes up. We finally got some rain and the hills have turned green. I look forward to your blog!
Dixie

I am also very much looking forward to reading your musing. I am not a farm nor ranch woman but am most definately a "earth woman" and at 59 just getting my creative burst of energy and in the process of leaving all that I am familiar with here in Colorado to start a new life in North Carolina with my 83 yr old mother. It somehow comforts me to know I have these blogs and Mary Jane Farms that I can take with me -something comfortable and familiar in the newness. Thank you for sharing

Hi Shery! I sure do look forward to reading your blog! You are such a creative writer, I’m sure you will provide hoots n hollers as well as some hard truths about life. Let the fun begin!
:)) Sue

Welcome, Shery! Love the way you write and that you ride. I don’t live on a ranch, never have but ‘back in the day’ my relatives did and I feel an affinity for that. I can’t wait to read more about your life style and experiences! Looking forward to more muse notes. Thanks, Karen

Welcome!
I’m looking forward to the view from your saddle. I too am a horse person and FarmGirl and just LOVE this idea of FarmGirls getting together (even virtually) to share and explore the condition of our hearts.
Cant wait to get to know you and Wyoming.
Blair

Looking forward to more from Wyoming and those beautiful Morgan horses.

Hi Shery, I am looking forward to hearing from you each week! I was born, and raised a rocky mountain ranh/farmgirl, and miss it tremendously. best wishes and God Bless!

I’m looking forward to seeing life on the range. We live in SC close to the mtns. and we love it. My greatest desire is to visit Wyoming and Montana. You just might inspire us to get there soon.

Hello, Sherry. I will follow your blog with interest. I am just a week into my new life on a 12 acre farm in the Puget Sound islands, near Gig Harbor. We are a team of women who are going to turn this lovely place into a productive and beautiful source of produce and beauty. I am an avid gardener and an artist. My co-horts are writers, art folks, and above all, master gardeners. This will be a venture on virgin land– lovely pasture and meadow land which has been home to horses, goats, and lots of deer. (electric fence comes first!)
I will recommend your site to my fellow travelers. And look forward to reading the tid bits and treats your sister promises us! 🙂

Susan

Shery, It was so good to read your Blog today. I was needing to read some real farm girl news. I have a real love for gardening and being out of doors. The thing I am enjoying in Indiana now is the change of the season. I love all the color.
The animals that I have been enjoying lately are the deer. They have been cleaning up the apples that have fallen on the ground. So this year I haven’t had to rake them up. Blessings

Congratulations on your new blog here! I’m looking forward to what your Wyoming winds will bring my way in the high desert of SE Oregon~~

I am an east coast farm girl raising registered Hereford cattle and have the dumbest darn horse in the world- a beautiful buckskin QH named PJ who is afraid of cows, deer and all other manner of hooved things. Good grief. Looking forward to your blogs! I would love to see WY one day….

Sometimes being so creative, can be a curse, so many ideas all of the time. We just have to learn to organize and prioritize all of them! lol! Welcome to blogland!!

Linda & Dixie
The Funky Junk Sisters
http://www.funkyjunksisters.blogspot.com

Love the Western ranchgirl theme. I raise babydoll sheep, cashmere goats, and have two donkeys and an alpaca.
Today I made a rice, Himalayan salt and blackberry leaf mix for a lamb with diarrhea. I also gave her a mix of kelp, baking soda, manuka honey in watere to hydrate her because she has scours.
It seems to be working as well or better than the medicine from the farm store. Anyone else use natural medicines on their livestock?
Jacquin
McMinnville, Oregon

Can a 50 year old woman still hope for a farm?
I’ve dreamed and dreamed of owning a farm … is it to late – wink!
You said " What is true of other Farmgirls is equally true of me. Being a Farmgirl is a condition of the heart and a place where your spirit feels especially welcome, like a wonderful childhood memory of when you walked through the door at Grandma’s house." Your words are right from my heart — so is it to late?