"Udderly" Surrounded

A Valentine’s Day gift bouquet can “twitterpate” us flower lovin’ farmgirls. A colorful wildflower mix would do it for me, which made me pause and think about the immediate landscape… the Valentine “garden” in my life.

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  1. Cyndarella says:

    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.

  2. Victoria says:

    Great pictures, and oh how I love that blue truck!!!!
    Cheers –

  3. Marilyn McDowell says:

    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

  4. Terces says:

    Good Morning Shery,
    Thank you so much for pointing my attention in the direction of all there is to be grateful for and how love is surrounding us all the time, no matter our circumstances. There are days on our farm when I see the dew on the blades of grass, and listen to the singing of all the birds and am brushing down our Dexter cows, or feeding the chickens and I think, "how beautiful it all is." We live in a yurt, with future plans for a house and sometimes I wonder if we’ll build the house and then move in doors, the out of doors is so inspiring!
    What a great start to my day your blog this morning was.
    Thank YOU.
    Love, Terces

  5. Ann says:

    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

  6. Sarah says:

    Thank you for the fabulous photos. I grew up a South Dakota farm girl and can vividly recall from my farm all of the blessings that surrounded me. Spring wildflowers, kittens in the barn, horses to ride and, my favorite, baby calves. Their rough tongues and big brown eyes and gawky first steps. Thank you for my memory walk this morning. ♥

  7. Cindy says:

    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!

  8. Paula says:

    Forget my Bonanza fantasies…Sherry you are living the real deal! (:

  9. carol branum says:

    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

  10. Emily says:

    Thanks for the lovely blog and the ’53 Ford looks great!

  11. Vicki says:

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

  12. bonnie ellis says:

    I’m sure Valentine should be your middle name. You and I love the same things, husbands, family, horses, pets and the beautiful settings God gave us in his autograph. Have a great day and thanks for the wonderful blog. Bonnie

  13. Hilda Collins says:

    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!

  14. Catherine says:

    Beautiful flowers and some beautiful blessings as well. Thanks for sharing them with us 🙂 .

  15. Pat says:

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

  16. Oh Shery,
    Thank you for sharing your many "Valentines" with us…
    I have many too! my hubby of 37 years, my daughter & son-in-love, my grand foster baby & my 4-legged fur babies.
    blessings
    >^..^<

  17. julie hofmann says:

    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

  18. I just love everything about this post. Your loving appreciation for your parents & the animals in your life. To me this is what country living is all about.

  19. Linda says:

    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!

  20. Sonja says:

    My husband and I love your post. We understand your love for your family, animals and your ranch. We have enjoyed your pictures (we love out west). Have a Happy Valentines Day.

  21. amy says:

    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.

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Winter Schminter

Generally speaking, we don’t get as much snow accumulation as some places in the north country. We jokingly say that we get twelve inches of wind with our snow. I’ve never been able to make a friend of the wind. Winter isn’t so bad if you don’t have wind blowing snow in your face and down your neck.

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  1. Reba says:

    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!!

  2. Rene' says:

    The pictures are beautiful and I really like the one of the horse! Just beautiful. Wyoming is such a wonderful place I have seen it in the summer but never in the winter thanks for sharing!

  3. Reba says:

    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.

  4. Debbie says:

    Shery, I just love how you blend your beautiful photography with your stories…:) I always think of the blue western sky when I look at them… and the back ground of your blog page too for that matter! It brings back memories of girlhood out west… Thanks for posting them… and I’m with ya on the getting outside in winter… I was peaking out my kitchen window checking out " the girls" basking in the sun in their run (during our last heat wave… 17 degree’s) I think it was, and the thought occured to me that I ought to head on out and snap a few pix of their feathers sparkling in the sun… I poured another cup of coffee and went on pondering the idea then went on to something else… Tomorrow! I’ll do it tomorrow…. Pray for sun! Stay warm and pat that beautiful horse on the neck for me will ya?
    Deb~

  5. Paula Spencer says:

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

  6. Diane Loehr says:

    I love your photos and the birds are just adorable. The photos make me want to come and visit the land and all the wonderful animals you have. I love the beauty of winter from my living room window but when I have to travel to work or get somewhere in a car – I hate it! And I am one of those individuals that should be off the road when snow starts. I am counting down the days until Spring arrives and looking forward the "warm sun hitting my face". Have a wonderful day!

  7. Sevea says:

    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.

  8. Joann says:

    Shery, I’m what you call a fair weather outdoors person too. The cold keeps me from getting out too much. Once I do it isn’t so bad, but I don’t like all those layers. We are having a heat wave this week here in Michigan~ Maybe a ride on my ol horse will be the draw to get me out and get some exercise. Beautiful pictures by the way!

  9. Tana says:

    Loved the pictures. Thanks for sharing.

  10. carol branum says:

    Hi Sheri, We have had a lot of snow here too,its beautiful,I don’t mind,but I have had trouble with daddy staying in the house,he is all man,at 83,and thinks he can do it all,and it is really wearing me out emotionally,I am totally terrorized that he will get out there and fall and freeze to death.I don’t have four wheel drive.Last year I wrecked my car because I was so worried about him,went through a barbed wire fence.There is nothing I can do,at least if something happens to him,He will be happy.Our farm is equally breathtakingly beautiful.It is simply heaven.Stay warm,blessed be,carol branum,lamar mo.themofarmersdaughtr@blogspot.com

  11. Terces says:

    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

  12. carol McElroy says:

    Having moved from Hawaii, then San Diego, then Kansas City, I was not very impressed with Winter. It took a few years and an ice storm to really see the beauty in the cold outdoors, and I try to spend 30 minutes a day out no matter what.
    Pretty pictures Shery, great article, Carol

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

  14. Grace~katmom says:

    Oh Shery,
    I have to laugh @ your "when mother nature calls & we gals have to shed 40 lbs of clothing" comment…hahahha! soooo true!
    I took a walk this morning around our mini orchard & my small lavender field….yikes,,,got some water/freeze damage…but that’s the way it is up here.
    As for the stir crazy cats…you could not have described ‘my’ kitties any better…they must be related to yours! lol!
    Well the good thing about this time of year…. it will be over soon, but till then…pass the hot cocoa & mint cookies!
    hugz from the Inland NW

  15. KimberlyD says:

    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.

  16. meredith says:

    Oh, I know about the wind! The only thing I remind myself is that the frigid winds of winter become our blessed breezes on a hot August day when we are sweltering in the heat putting up hay!
    We had our first 40 degree day yesterday after a month and a half of 10-20’s- let me tell you, all the horses and cows were simply basking on their sides in the sun- true peace. I so appreciate your ranch stories- we tend to get isolated from other folks living the same lifestyle we do!

  17. Jamie says:

    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.

  18. Holly says:

    I love the feel of winter portrayed in your photos. I don’t think there is any season I really dislike. There is something I love about going out to feed the sheep in the coldest part of winter. My husband will say "do you mind helping" if his Father isn’t able to go. I wouldn’t mind going everyday. There is such a wonderful silence (other than the sheep noises) that you can’t find anywhere else when its dark and the snow is falling. And if you get in by the woolies its not so cold.

  19. Ellen says:

    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

  20. Barb says:

    Great pictures! I love the winter, snow etc… I too have not been able to befriend the wind, which is why I’m able to write this midday instead of being out riding. I train horses for a living in PA, but when it’s in the low 20’s with 30 mph winds I’m staying in! Cold wind makes even the sanest horse nuts! Happy Trails!

  21. Blaine Foster says:

    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! 🙂

  22. Arron Cooper says:

    I really like when people are expressing their opinion and thought. So I like the way you are writing.

  23. gucci shoes says:

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