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?