Waves of Nostalgia

Weird-Bird by Shel Silverstein

Birds are flyin' south for winter.
Here's the Weird-Bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back 'n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes it's kind of nice
To be the only bird in town."

When I was young I loved nothing more than my Shel Silverstein Poetry Books. Okay, I loved alot of other things too, going wild on the drums, playing in rain, science projects, dancing to Madonna, having conversations with my dog, making potions with anything I could find in the pantry+kitchen cabinets, wearing only the bottom half of my bathing suit, my rock collection, my infatuation with outerspace, my ninja turtle punching bag, my super mario nintendo game (that I beat on a daily basis), running around in only my underwear. I didn't understand how quirky I was at the time, only in retrospect do I grasp just how peculiar of a child I was.


Anywho, along with those other things and countless more, I loved my Shel Silverstein poetry books. The poems were fun, silly, and equally quirky as my childhood personality was. Somewhere along the way, my books, and nintendo games were replaced with makeup and boys, and I'm guessing my Silverstein books are somewhere tucked away in the basement of the house I grew up in. I really should get those. Dust them off, and save them for a rainy day, save them for my children who are inevitably going to be weirdos because they will share my genes.

As I was reading the poems I felt like I was hidden away in my childhood room flipping through my books and laughing at how silly Shel's words were. It made me miss my family, my old room, North Carolina summers, my rock collection, etc.

This poem reminds me of my sister everytime I read it.

Hug O' War by Shel Silverstein

I will not play at tug o' war

I'd rather play at hug o' war,

Where everyone hugs

Instead of tugs

Where everyone giggles

And rolls on the rug,

Where everyone kisses

And everyone grins

And everyone cuddles

And everyone wins.



And this one reminds me of my handsome husband.

The Gardener by Shel Silverstein

We gave you a chance

To water the plants.

We didn't mean that way-

Now zip up your pants.

He's gonna love me for that one. 

The Meehoo with an Exactlywatt by Shel Silverstein

Knock knock!
Who's there?
Me!
Me who?

That's right!
What's right?
Meehoo!
That's what I want to know!

What's what you want to know?
Me, WHO?
Yes, exactly!
Exactly what?
Yes, I have an Exactlywatt on a chain!

Exactly what on a chain?
Yes!
Yes what?
No, Exactlywatt!

That's what I want to know!
I told you - Exactlywatt!
Exactly WHAT?
Yes!
Yes what?

Yes, it's with me!
What's with you?
Exactlywatt - that's what's with me.
Me who?
Yes!

GO AWAY!

Knock knock...

 Some things never really change.

White Oaks

White Oaks was named for the white oak trees that grew around a local spring in the foothills of the Patos Mountains. In 1879, following the discovery of gold and coal in the Jicarilla (prounounced hick-oria) Mountains, White Oaks became a desirable town to live. At its peak White Oaks had an estimated population of 2,500, along with churches, a newspaper, a bank, opera house, lodges, saloons and well-stocked retail stores.

This was White Oaks in 1905.

Along with White Oaks thriving social scene came drunkenness, killings, and frequent visits from Billy the Kid and other desperados especially in the early years.

If you were to drive through White Oaks today you would never believe at one time it was a happening place. Now it's a ghost town, but without a doubt fascinating, and rich with history. Yesterday we had some business around those parts and I decided to stop and take a few photos to share with you guys.

This is the old schoolhouse, built in 1895 when White Oaks was the second largest city in New Mexico.

The schoolhouse is two stories, has four classrooms, and no electricity. The last class ever taught in this building was in 1942. 

This is the Gumm Mansion.

 A beautiful victorian home, and one of my favorites in White Oaks.

The Gumm brothers owned a lumber mill in town. At the time Billy the Kid escaped from jail in Lincoln, Pat Garrett was at the Gumm Mansion buying lumber to build a scaffold for Billy's execution.

An older picture of the Gumm Mansion.

On the south side of town sits the Hoyle Mansion. This mansion was built in 1893 and cost $40,000.

(ALOT of money for that time.)

The Mansion was built by Andy Hoyle, part owner of Old Abe Mine. He built it for his Massachusetts fiancee, a mail order bride. Story tells, she came as far as Texas, then turned back, apparently disenchanted with the desert landscape. He was heartbroken and then the story takes many different turns. Some say he leaped off a cliff, others say he married another girl and lived in the home. I'd like to believe he lived happily ever after with his new wife, but I'd be lying if the house didn't feel a bit eerie when passing.

There ya have it. Just a few of the historical sites still standing in White Oaks. Next trip I'd like to take a stroll through the Cedarville Cemetary which has tombstones dating back as far as 1881, and possibly even earlier. White Oaks is certainly a charming little reminder of the old west history, and such a fun place to explore.

Lions and Chiggers and Snakes, Oh My!

After living in a few different states it seems no matter the place there's always some sort of pest, or critter that you could live without. Mosquitos, spiders, horse flies, etc.

Growing up in North Carolina I spent my summertime outdoors climbing up mountains, hiking through the forests and rolling down banks. I recall getting chigger bites on a day to day basis. If you didn't itch the bite they would go away in a days time, but that was much easier said than done. If somehow you escaped the chigger bites there was definitely a tick somewhere on your head.

After graduating I lived in the swamps of South Florida where I encountered numerous creepy critters. The bugs thrived in the thick humidity.

You can run but you can't hide.

And even worse than bugs...



Since I've been on the ranch the most unwanted animal I've come across has been the rattle snake.

I hate snakes, especially the killer kind!

Disclaimer: Photographs presented on this website have been approved by the states Game and Fish Department and are not subject to any harrassment from PETA, ASPCA, or any other animal rights organizations/activists groups.



Today I saw the biggest, scariest, most terrifying critter I've ever seen in my life.  Ever.

For the sake of my life, I'm very thankful I saw him dead.
The last couple of months we've spotted mountain lion tracks near our game park fence. This is a problem for a few reasons.

1. The game park fence is big part of our livelihood.
2. The game park fence is less than 1 mile from our house.
3. I love taking walks down our drive.

Oh, and how could I forget...

4. My beloved chihuahuas, Madeline and Franklin <3


They say if you get in a bind and cross a mountain lion with no escape your best chance at saving your life is to run full force towards the lion making as much noise as possible.

 Yeah, not gonna happen.

What large teeth you have!



What large claws you have!!

What large paws you have!!!

Forget the killer rattle snakes, at least I stand a chance with those suckers!

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Belated Valentines Day Everyone!

Sorry for not posting all weekend, I was a little busy being swept off of my feet. <3

My sweethearted husband planned a weekend getaway for us in Santa Fe, one of my favorite places on earth!!

February 13th of last year he planned a similar trip and surprised me with a marriage proposal...in his snowboarding thermals. He "didn't want to be corny and propose on Valentines Day" but thought it was a great excuse for leaving the ranch for a weekend. It was such a blast last year, he decided to recreate some of that same fun this year-and he did just that!

Besides sleeping in, relaxing, and just enjoying one anothers company away from cattle, we did alot of eating. Santa Fe is known for its concentratinon of arts, music, and fine dining. There is such a free-spirited, creative, eclectic, artistic, hipster vibe in the air, along with the smell of the most delicious food you can wrap your mind around! Santa Fe loves to eat, and loves to eat healthy. From the Farmers Markets to the farm to table fast food operations around town. Our first pit stop was Real Food Nation.

It's a cozy "fast-food" restaurant on the outskirts of Santa Fe. They grow their own food right there on the lot and use organic, and natural products, AND it's delicious!

The first night we found ourselves at San Francisco St. Bar & Grill, a hidden second story "American Bistro" overlooking histroric downtown. The restaurant was very casual, and after peering around the place we realized everyone was ordering hamburgers. They looked so yummy! We decided to follow the locals and fall in line with the orders of hamburgers. We're so smart.

Our cheeseburgers were so filling I could have went without eating for a week...but we were in Santa Fe, so that was just not happening!! The next morning we woke up early and wasted no time getting to The Burrito Company for breakfast and apple cider. :)

I give you the breakfast burrito. I think it speaks for itself.

I'm drooling just remembering how delicious.

I know someone that could better explain just how good it was.

Nevermind, he's busy.

Moving on.

Night two we decided to go to Rooftop Pizzeria for dinner, where last year we went to celebrate our engagement! Here they serve gourmet pizzas on the roof.

At this point in our visit I had at least put on 5 pounds, but I still had two more to go. (According to my scale post-Santa Fe)

Our last morning before leaving we ate breakfast at Santa Fe Baking Company & Cafe. 

Can you guess whose breakfast is whose?

Did the strong, weathered hand in the first pictures give it away? Yeah, thought so.

I love Santa Fe. I love food. I love my valentine.

Our Greenhouse

Last year we decided to build a greenhouse, taking a step forward on our quest to becoming completely self-sustainable. A greenhouse is a building with glass, or polyethelene walls and roof attached to a metal structure used for the cultivation of plants under controlled conditions.

This is a look at the inside of our greenhouse, before it was up and running.

 A greenhouse is transparent so sunlight can shine through in order to reach the plants. Some sunlight bounces off of the plants and reflects back out; however most of the sunlight is absorbed and turned into heat. The temperature is constantly rising, so in order to maintain the perfect temperature for the plants to flourish we install a control system. The system allows us to adjust temperature settings independently for day and night heating and/or cooling. At night the windows cool down significantly but since the greenhouse stays so moist, water condenses against the walls. The water provides an additional barrier, helping trap heat in the greenhouse throughout the night. If it starts getting too hot the ventilation system allows some heat to release, keeping the temperature stable at all times. Pretty interesting stuff, huh?

You'll have to excuse me,  I could talk about how our greenhouse works forever, I'm easily amused. Blah, blah, blah, right? I suspect you're wondering if the thing even worked for us!

In October our greenhouse was finally ready to plant so we made a list of seeds we thought would do well in similar conditions. Swiss Chard, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Kale, Onions, Eggplant, Green Chilies, Serrano Peppers, Banana Peppers, Basil & Parsley.



The day we planted.

A week later. It's working! We have growth!

This is two weeks progress, above is Spinach, Kale, & Swiss Chard.

Working hard.

After a couple of weeks things were going so well we decided to plant wheat grass for juicing.

It took off faster than we could blink!

From left to right- Eggplant, Banana Peppers, Serrano Peppers, Green Chilies & Parsley.

"It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. 1 Corinthians 3:7

The onions are alive!!!!

Our peppers are just starting to grow.  We realized the temperature needed to be set a bit higher for them to take off and that is just what they're beginning to do. Our greenhouse project was a success. We learned so much and can't wait to create another garden in the greenhouse next winter!

P.S. If you come by the ranch please bring baskets, bags, or anything to carry away some of our organic produce- we'll have to eat spinach every night for 10 years to eat it all!

Flea Market Finds

Over the past few years I've accumulated a small collection of old junk. Between here and there I've done my fair share of thrift shopping and flea market "loaferin". I'm always up for the challenge in finding the gems among all the clutter of old housewares and lawn furniture . Roaming around these markets also give me the opportunity to use my (always under construction) creativity. I try to find  eye-catching, whimsical collectibles and incorporate them with another (less noticeable) hidden treasure. The collaboration of the two make for a great conversation piece (about my ingenuity, or lack thereof).

 The most fabulous thing about shopping these rummage sales is this- you occasionally run along a dusty old piece of china, or decor, and after blowing the dust away and polishing your find, it looks as though you picked it up at your local pottery barn. I love this. Sometimes you get really lucky and after erasing all the scuff marks and dusting all the dirt away, you realize you just stole a vintage item!! Paying $2 for something that's worth $50 is a pretty invigorating feeling.

I've recently decided to start a collection of china. Nothing in particular, but I do have a few requirements before making my purchase.

1. I must absolutely love it, and have to have it. ("Have to Have it": meaning I absolutely want it)

AND

2. It must be under $10 (unless, that is, if I have to have it).

I absolutely stayed within my rules of purchase when I snagged these at the flea market.

Here are some of my older finds...

I found all of these things at a flea market/thrift store, with the exception of the flowers where I found in my yard.

This is Hootie, our napkin holder. One of my more whimsical finds.

Whooooo Me?

Yes You.

 McCoy Pottery

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

"Oh, What a beautiful mornin', Oh, What a beautiful day."

"...I  got a beautiful feelin' ev'rything's goin' my way."

 I'm so happy to report this weekend we are expecting great weather, praise the Lord! I'm almost completely thawed out and my attitude is changing with every second the sun is shining.

 Matter of fact I'm so chipper, I caught myself smiling while cleaning my snow camoflaged floors. What is going on? Apart from the sun healing my soul, I also picked up a few heart-warming goodies last I went to the "big city" (population 1500 or so). I picked up my first goody on my way out of a store, and was overcome with excitement by the cover title!

Like a breath of fresh air- the smell of spring fashions, ahhh.

I may spend 355 days a year in muddy ol 'work clothes but I'm still all girl!!

Later, at the grocery store, I think I stood in shock for at least 5 minutes in the produce section where I found these babies.

I had to pick my jaw off of the dirty grocery store floor. I haven't seen strawberries in months!!

Okay time to repress, I don't want to get my hopes up too  much, winter isn't over yet.

However...

I would like to give a quick shout out to that gracious groundhog for not seeing his shadow this year!

Thank you Chunk. I'm pretty confident that I speak for all of America when I say it is very much appreciated furry little friend.