Heritage And Home Speaks Softly To My Heart…

01 Aug 2012 20 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Harvest, Heritage, Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscapes, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

As I was standing this evening on my front porch…

Looking out at the same view I have looked at all my life…I was filled with a grateful heart that was full of honor for my parents and for my ancestors that came before me. I am so incredibly blessed to live where I grew up…where my family has lived forever, as my Great Grandmother would have stood on the same front porch looking out at the same view…as did my Mom.

 To me that says a lot about living your heritage and breathing it in every day.

I live in my forever home…this is me when I was 3 or 4…it was taken on a snowy Christmas Eve as my folks and I were getting ready to join Grandmother T and all of Dad’s brothers and sisters with their families. I loved the family get togethers…I had lots of cousins my age and it was always fun!

And here is my beautiful Mom…she was such a lady…full of style and grace but mostly lots of love:) She would make homemade cut out cookies every Christmas and would take about 200 of them to the family get together as all us kids loved them! She iced them and decorated them…they were delights! I still have the cut outs…and guess what…she found a cut out of a horse so I could have horse shaped cookies too:)

And this is the front porch today…where I often stand to watch the weather or sit on the porch swing to cool off after a hot day…or watch the horses play in the pasture. It has always been front and center in the life of this house as when you want to see what in the world is going on outside…you go to the front porch. Right now it looks a bit bare as we moved all the furniture off the patio including the porch swing…and my pots of flowers as we are working yet on the patio as it needs some TLC.

Several years ago now I had the opportunity to travel to the Middle East with my sister in law…it was a gift of time for me to see another part of the world.

The above picture is of Jerusalem…we spent almost a week there touring the Old City as well as all the historic sites…it touched my heart and spirit deeply.

This photo was taken at the “Wailing Wall” in the Old City of Jerusalem, I am in the blue skirt and black t-shirt.

We were gone for three weeks and the night my plane touched down in Portland I was thankful to be almost home again…we saw many incredible sites in Israel and Jordan…Syria and Turkey…but the best site that I saw, was in NY at JFK Airport, it was a Burger King!!! Humus, strange meat and weird veggies did not cut it at all…I lost 20 pounds due to not eating unsafe veggies and meat…so an American Hamburger was “Manna” from heaven for this American Cowgirl:)

The first morning I was home I stood on the front porch and thanked God that He chose for me to live right here…where I have lived forever…and not in Syria or Jordan or Turkey or Israel…but here in Juniper Canyon:)

God blessed me with my parents and blessed my parents with me…they had waited a long time for me to finally make an apperence…I was their little cowgirl as I grew up and still a cowgirl today,  we had lots of good times together and good memories…and then God directed my path to meet Wild Bill and we made a family together of our own…God was determined that we would meet…we came close to meeting many times when we were growing up!

What a blessing it has been to live here in the same old house my parents and I lived in with Wild Bill…we have made lots of good memories here…where my family lived before me…leaving me lots of heritage, traditions, hopes and dreams…mostly though they left their love for us.

Often when I stand on the front porch or saddle up my horse to go out riding into the country or be in the kitchen cooking dinner I will smile and laugh as God brings back some good memories of my folks and I when I was growing up…good memories of Wild Bill and my folks…and our family. Living in a forever house does that…it brings back comforting memories, sounds, smells and love.

I look out the same window that my Great Grandmother looked out of and the same view that my Mom looked out at…now it is my view of life today…but for some reason I would rather view life the way it was…being an only child I know that all the heritage and memories will be lost with me, part of my wanting to view both the past and future is to write all the history down.

I can close my eyes and imagine what my Great Grandma saw and felt…I can hear the sounds of horses and mules with the noise of harnesses…men talking about how many acres that can be done today in the heat…or maybe she was baking homemade bread and pies…or Norweigian potato cakes…maybe not simpler times but they did things the old-fashioned way…and created family times…working together on the land…with hearts full of heritage and hard work for the future of their families.

This photograph would have been in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s…pull combines pulled by tractors without cabs or air conditioning…no CB’s or communication…you had to watch the machines in order to tell where a combine was in the field…sometimes the pull combine would be down in a canyon so you could not see it…but if you listen and watch for a puff of smoke from the Caterpillar tractor pulling the machine up a hill, then you knew…truck drivers always sat on top of the hill in the field, trying to figure out where they were needed. Today’s truck drivers have the luxury of radio or cell phones…and they know where they are needed.

In todays techno world…combines are outfitted with a GPS, that can program the machine to drive themselves…and the driver does not have to drive it as the combine is satellite guided. We have come a long ways baby!

Farming has gotten as high-tech as my office is high tech…smart phones…satellites…gps…computers and all the incredible bells and whistles.

Todays equipment does not compare to yesterday’s equipment…today they have 40′ headers that flex in the center, with their own wheels to help drive and turn them.

This is a Gleaner combine with the 40′ header…you can go with a 42′ or a 45′ header as well.

The smaller John Deere combine next to today’s machine is a 1955 model…no cab and a 10′ header compared to the 40′ header…it held 40 bushels of wheat while todays model holds 400 bushels of wheat…when I was driving truck we had one of the JD 55’s and my uncles always used it to open up fields and draws or canyons…I can not imagine the 40′ header today…WOW!

Harvest has changed a lot since my Grandfather homesteaded the land out here…often I wonder what he would say today if he saw the equipment and how much our way of life has changed.

Back when WB and I farmed the land, the machines we had were considered the art of technology…20′ headers and a bulker that held 120 bushels of wheat. Here the combine is leaning as it is using the automatic leveling to unload the wheat into the back of the truck.

The first summer I drove wheat truck, I was 15. Our harvest started June 25th on the winter cattle ranch…if all went well with good weather and no huge equipment breakdowns, we were lucky to be done by my birthday in late August. We had a total of about 5000 acres to cut…we ran four pull combines with tractors and two open cab combines that at the time we called pushers as they were the first of the machines you see today. Harvest took a long time as the machinery moved slower and the headers were small…as were the wheat trucks. My little truck held 2.5 dumps from the combines and I would be off to the elevator to dump it…my truck had a hoist which means I would stay in the cab of the truck and would activate the hoist which would lift my truck bed up into the air at an angle so that the wheat would dump out the back of the truck, falling into the grate on the elevator floor, going into the elevator bin below, where it would be stored until we sold it. Today, the old cab of my truck sits out in one of our fields behind the house…someday I hope that we can restore it…I loved that old truck!

As the world of farming evolves each year with new farming practices, along with equipment that has all the bells and whistles…I am blessed to have the old memories of farming during a different time when life was a bit slower and time seemed to stand still…and with the old stories that were passed on to me about my Grandfather coming to America when he was 13 years old…eventually homesteading 10,000 acres.

My imagination carries me back in time when he was here farming and my Great Grandmother was seeing a whole new world as she stood on the front porch watching her son farm…I am reminded of the past and how hard my ancestors fought for this land, working long hours and days to leave a lasting legacy that today blesses my life.

I was born country right here where I live today…with a 100 years of down home, filled with rural heritage and hard honest work…I was born country and this country is what I love!

Born Country

By Alabama

Clear creeks and cool mountain mornings

Honest work out in the fields

Cornbread in my momma’s kitchen

Daddy saying grace before the meal

Family ties run deep in this land

And I’m never far from what I am

I was born country and that’s what I’ll be

Like the rivers and the woodlands wild and free

I got a hundred years of down home, running through my blood!

I was born country and this country’s what I love

Moonlight and you hear beside me

Cricket’s serenadin’ in the yard

What more could two people ask for

Laying here in love beneath the stars

Now this is where I wanna raise my kids

Just the way my mom and daddy did

I was born country and that’s what I’ll always be

Like the rivers and the woodlands wild and free

I got a hundred years of down home, running through my blood

I was born country and this country’s what I love

I was born country

And I will always be that same country cowgirl, farm girl…this is what it is all about. Traditions, family heritage and the incredible land and soil of the ranch. I thank God for His blessings and His incredible beautiful land and scenery…His animals and His world:) For harvest time and the blessings of those who went before us and those who someday will follow in our footsteps after us.

In remembrance of Donna Goff…she was a great lady and a good friend. 

The Mighty Columbia River Gorge Of Oregon…Round Two!

23 Jul 2012 18 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Photography, Ranch Life, Weather, Wild Bill Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

As  side note…if you click on my photos they will enlarge so you can see them better if you choose.

Last weekend we attended our niece’s wedding in the small town of Carson, WA.

This was our view out the window in our very classy hotel room…we loved seeing the green trees and the mountains cloaked with weather…and hey…there is the Columbia River!

We stayed at Skamania Lodge…in Stevenson, WA. I highly recommend it…they have spa services and excellent restaurants for small snacks, as well as nice dinners or maybe just a relaxing sandwich at noon…we missed out on their Sunday Brunch which is famous for the food and atmosphere…next time WB. They offer a golf course, swimming and lots of great trails to hike that are mapped out from easy to difficult.

When we walked into our suite and saw the view…we instantly relaxed:)

Looking back across the Columbia River towards Cascade Locks, OR. The bridge you see is called “The Bridge Of The Gods”…it is one of the many bridges that crosses the Columbia River into either Oregon or Washington.

Looking East towards home for us…the Columbia River is a river that you respect as it is wide, deep and fast-moving. We have boated on it lots as our ranch is only about 30 miles from it…being able to make a quick drive to the river during the hot summers always appeals to you…I love boating, as long as the boat is big enough to ride out the waves with a V-Hull!

It was truly beautiful to see our niece look so very happy…you know without a doubt they are soul mates…like WB and me:)

Before we knew it, time passed quickly and it was time to head home. We decided to travel home on the Washington side of the river until The Dalles, where we crossed another bridge to reach the I-84 freeway…seeing the river from both sides is worth it, as the views on each side are vastly different.

We had quite a bit of wind on the way home and look who is out on the river…the windsurfers…they pray for windy days like this!

They fly across the river with the wind…they are true athletes and fun to watch…often we see 100’s of them on our trips down the Gorge to Portland.

I am enjoying the view but, I would not care to be on the water with the white caps…as you can see the wind is blowing pretty good…and about perfect for the windsurfers!

I was standing down there on the concrete deck when WB took my picture.

Looking West…pretty view huh?

One more view of the Gorge Wind and my flaming red hair!!! What a great hair styling job…ala natural…which I love anyway:)

Another stop for photos…we are getting closer to The Dalles and home…

The closer we travel to our neck of the woods…the Columbia Basin of Eastern Oregon…Cowboy Country…Let Er’ Buck…Yee-Haw…the less trees and green. Western Oregon receives several inches of rain a year, where we usually have around 9-10″ a year…we are on the dry side of Oregon.

Crossing back over the Columbia at The Dalles Damn…tried to grab a quick shot of the spillway…could not talk WB into stopping in the middle of the bridge so I could take pictures…geesh…he said something about cops and mumble mumble…hmmm?

And then we drove on another 100 miles into Eastern Oregon…to our home…to the North Country of Juniper Canyon…into wheat country:)

As far as you can see wheat fields…that are almost ready for the harvest of 2012!

Once we were home we had lots of petting and loves for all our animals, as they missed us…our dogs are so protective of us but so sweet to us too:)

And our horses came over to see us as soon as we pulled in the driveway…it is funny that they know the car…

And the real “Boss!” I know she missed us….right?

“Minnie….I missed you!”

Minnie said back to me “Oh sure…what am I chopped liver? Going to see the dogs first…hurumph!”

And then she took pity on me as I love her very much…”Well ok…just this once I will forgive you about the dang dogs!”

“But do not let it happen again Mom…”

“Ok already Mom….I am so glad you are home:)”  Me too Kitty Girl…my Min-Min Kitty Angel:)

We had only been home for a short time when the incredible clouds rolled in for a rock and roll thunder storm…

The summer of 2012 has gone down in history with different weather and clouds such as these…

Reminds me of Wyoming weather and not Eastern Oregon where for the most part we have mild weather…with four seasons.

It keeps it interesting and keeps me grabbing my camera trying to capture the strange weather…how about you…is your weather odd this year too or is it just here that it is a bit crazy?

Hope you have a great week! Enjoy your summer with warm days and magical nights! Find time to relax and take it all in as summer will be gone before we know it!

Harvest Traditions and Family Heritage In Juniper Canyon

08 Jul 2012 77 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Landscapes, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The smell of the wheat is in the air tonight…that smell speaks to my heart and soul:) It is a smell you never forget…much like a cattle truck pulling up to the barn or corrals to load out cattle or deliver cattle…I can hear the trucks as I write…familiar sounds…smells…memories that bring comfort as…

Times past speak softly to me of heritage and family…traditions and hard work.

My heart can hear the sounds of my families history…the sounds of the horses pulling the combine…with the men it took to run it…dry dusty hot days for man and animal alike.

Before the farmer had a truck to haul the wheat into the elevator he had men who would sew the sacks of wheat shut…can you imagine harvesting thousands of acres and having to put the kernels into gunny sacks and then sew them shut…then you loaded your wagon and went to the elevator to unload the sacks of wheat…often driving your team of horses with the wagon several miles to reach the elevator.

My Dad remembered having to take the wagon loaded with sacks of wheat to Vansycle Elevator which is 8 miles away…16 miles round trip…he said it would take the day to take one wagon and the horses or mules would be exhausted when you reached home…all of Grandpa’s horses and mules were very well cared for and loved…they had to do their job but they were cared for. Dad used to come here to the barn (our barn is older than our house) and ride some of the work horses bareback…he spoke often of the various ones he remembered…Grandpa kept around 80 head.

Today we have semi trucks with double trailers hauling wheat out of Juniper Canyon…night and day.

Heading on down the road to the Columbia River…

Where the kernels of Juniper Wheat are loaded onto a barge…and they begin the journey to feed the world:)

Self leveling combines…hillside machines…can you see how the combine is leaning a bit…it is leveling itself.

This photo is better so that you can see how the combine keeps itself level rather than leaning…I heard that most farmers do not buy the combines with the automatic levelers anymore due to the price…

Wild Bill is showing how the leveler works as he is touching the spout. I could not imagine not having the machine level as we have some really steep hillsides!

Here is an older picture of the land when we farmed it…sorry this is a scanned image before digital…the house complex is our home and the green fields are the wheat crop of that year…see the road over in the dirt?

That is WB’s air strip for his plane…looks cool sitting in the wheat…actually it is on the strip.

Tucker is hiding in the grass…she follows me everywhere keeping an eye on me:)

Soon farm families will once again put in long days to bring the wheat crop in…as has been done for over a 150 years.

150 years of country strong…we dig deep when it comes to toughing it out.

And if the going gets tough…the tough get tougher:)

No matter how hard!

Harvest is a time of hard-working families working together for the same reason…the goal to get the crop in…harvest is like gathering cattle with my Dad in the mountains…we shared our work effort together to round-up the cows and that is what makes memories and heritage!

It is the working together and sacrificing…and harvest time is a sacrifice…husbands leave the house before sun up and come home when it is dark…often putting in 18 plus hour days in the heat of harvest.

I grew up driving wheat truck through my high school years with my other cousins…then after WB and I married, my Mom taught me (no this picture is not of Mom and me…more like my Grandma and Great Grandmother) the tradition of cooking a large lunch for our men and the crew. While it was a lot of work to cook a huge meal by 1:00 each day it was my family…I came to enjoy hearing about what had happened in the field and then all the joking and funny times too…I felt very much part of the harvest crew and was always sad when they finished the fields around our ranch moving on to the fields around my Aunt and Uncles homes.

Food was in abundance when the crew came in for their hour lunch break…we had home cooked meals with meat, potatoes, gravy, salad, vegetables and desert…and home made ice tea…no not sun tea or tea made by a tea maker…real deal tea!

Here is the recipe:

Get a small sauce pan and fill with cold water…buy Lipton Black Tea…loose leaves….put 2-3 heaping tablespoons in the pan and boil…then cool it and strain out the leaves…dump the tea water into a gallon jug and fill with ice-cold water and ice and you have real ice tea…all the good caffeine and antioxidents…and so refreshing!

Harvest skies and harvest heritage…have a good night wherever you are! HRC has her eye on the land…will post new pictures as soon as harvest begins….stay tuned…I keep hearing the song Country Strong going through my head…in fact I am going to go listen to it now!

Country Strong

I know you see me, like some wide-eyed dreamer
That just rolled in, off a dusty Midwest bus
Yeah on the outside, Hallowed fragile
But on the inside something you can’t crush

I’m Country Strong, hard to break
Like the ground, I grew upon
You may fool me, and I’ll fall 
But I won’t stay down long 
‘cause I’m Country Strong

I have weathered, colder winters
And longer summers, without a drop of rain 
Push me in a corner and I’ll come out fightin’
I may lose but I’ll always keep my face

‘Cause I’m Country Strong, hard to break
Like the ground, I grew upon,
You may fool me, and I’ll fall 
But I won’t stay down long, 
‘cause I’m Country Strong

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

17 Jun 2012 58 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Cattle Ranch, Family, Juniper T Ranch, Ranch History, Ranch Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

I am a bit late with posting this but seems life right now is a bit fast and crazier than I want…today is a very special day of honoring our Dad’s.

This is my Dad…he was an amazing man…he lived with a left stiff leg from a football injury during his senior year in high school. Yet not once did he ever complain or make excuses for his life. Instead he fought to live a normal life and he did. I saw it and was witness to it…Dad was the real deal when it came to being a cowboy and a great Dad!

Dad with his horse Jingle across the road from the house in the 1940’s.

Dad roping in the 1950’s…

Dad in the 1970’s running one of the biggest cattle ranches in the state of Oregon. One of the very last cattle ranches in the state to drive their cattle down from the mountains in the late fall to the winter pasture. It was a 90 mile cattle drive with 800 head of mamma cows.

Newspaper Article On The Juniper T

Yearly Fall Cattle Drive

Cows headed home…we drove the cattle every fall for almost 30 years and by the time we did it the last year…it was a piece of cake. They knew where they were going…home.

Dad looking weary on the drive about half way through. This is my Dad…his horse Bucky…his dog Blue. He was pretty much John Wayne to me and Mom and kinda scary to Wild Bill:)

Oh come on WB Dad does not look scary here!!!

 “WB are you gonna marry my daughter?”

“Yes sir….I am!”

“She is our little girl…and our only child…so I am watching you!”

“Don’t worry Dad…I am good with WB.”

I have so many good memories of growing up riding with Dad and working cows…but some of the best ones are when Dad took me fishing or when he taught me how to drive a four speed Scout up in the mountains…he was the solid comfort in Mom’s and my life…and he always kept a going.

Dad, you gave me the gift of life and horses:)

Happy Father’s Day…I learned everything I could from you about life and living and I miss you and Mom so very much.

I thank God for giving me a cowboy Dad like you!

Hotrod Cowgirl headed on down the road with horse power and horsepower:) Over and out…see ya on down the dusty trail!

Ranch House Remodeling…Hang On!

28 Apr 2012 25 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Hot Rod Cowgirl, Minnie My Cat, Photography, Ranch House, Remodeling Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Before we began the remodel…before the siding was off…we had a yellow house.

Today our house looks like this…a rather naked tongue and groove house, almost a 100 years old. When I was little, I vaguely remember it being white…my parents put the first siding on it when I was 6…and then the yellow siding when I was 19. Today the insulation guys came and blew the walls full of insulation to help with being energy-efficient and to lower the electric bills next winter.

I think Minnie is ready to start her own blog about how “NOT” to remodel your house!

Between the pounding on the roof and the various people who come each day….”Geez Mom can you please stop it!”

I know Minnie I know but we have to finish it. It looks sort of old and pretty bad except for the new roof:)

The last time we remodeled we started here in the kitchen…

And found out we had a chimney that was hidden. Mom did not tell me about hiding the chimney when she remodeled the original kitchen. I always wondered why she had a funny shaped closet over there and we found out:) The wall that you see beside Bill we opened up…

To the living area so that when I was cooking I could still visit with WB or guests…this is looking back from the living area.

Yes we saved Mom’s GE steel kitchen…I will show you in a minute.

But first I want to show you one of the original 1920 red fir cupboards with the breadboard still intact. When Mom remodeled the kitchen in 1960 taking out the original kitchen she saved this cupboard and also the pass through cupboard for storage down in the basement…they were painted a mint green with pink trim….along with several other paint colors that I found when I refinished them. I remember my Mom making pie shells and cut out cookies on the breadboard…I would stand on a chair next to her and help:) I do have the original red fir top but switched it out with this awesome piece of pine from one of the old mills around here.

Both cupboards are back in the kitchen where they began…when our cabinet maker came to our home the first time he immediately noticed the old growth red fir floors…he said 30 years before he bought a bunch of antique red fir wood at a lumber auction and the wood was old then…would I be interested in having him make the kitchen cabinets out of it? Yes…Yes…Yes! I strive to return the house to the original build and era of 1920 and the kitchen turned out beautiful…classic and simple as he modeled the cabinets after the original kitchen cabinet.

Minnie was really “NOT” impressed with totally re-arranging her kitchen either…the carpenters left for the day and she came out of hiding to see what was going on…see how amazed she looks:)

Here is Mom’s steel GE kitchen in the shop now…and in this picture, T and I are making Norwegian Lefse…also known as potato cakes. Yummy and very good:)

We have a ways to go but before we know it, the house will be done:) I can plant my flowers…Wild Bill can sleep better again…and Minnie will be happy having her house back in order:)

Until then…she is staying on the coffee table keeping an eye on me:)

Humph…

Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see
Bluebirds singing a song
Nothing but bluebirds all day long…Nothing but blue skies from now on:)

Blogger Awards!!!

21 Mar 2012 35 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Award, Life, Photography Tags: , , , ,

A few weeks ago I was honored to receive several awards  from Heather at  http://sugardishme.com/ who was given these awards herself and in turn has passed them on to me:)  She has a great cooking blog and also writes about life…has some great stories about her boys and her recipes.

First was the Kreativ Blogger Award:)

I try hard to be Kreativ but sometimes I have to dig and ruminate for a new idea….and get creative:)

The second award is The New Blogger Award:)

I am in award shocker-roos…

One of my favorite pictures of my parents…I know I have shown it before….Mom was a true cook. She cooked on a wood cook stove…without running water…electricity or any of the conveniences. Ranch crews in the early years ranged from the average of 6 to 25…Mom had no telephone or internet or tweets or facebook…cell phones…na-da for Mom to know exactly how many to cook for…but on a moments notice Mom always had enough food for whoever showed up at the dinner table and always had a smile:)

Somehow I got sidetracked…I was thinking about Heather being a good cook…and I thought of my Mom too:)

Seven Things About Me

1. Mom told me when I could take care of long hair I could have long hair…I quickly learned how to take care of my hair and traded in the pixie hair cuts for pig tails!

2. When I lost my Dad and found out that Mom was terminally ill too…I made arrangements to cut my waist long hair off and did…I did not tell anyone so both Mom and WB were shocked as my long red hair was part of me. It took several years but it is long again thank goodness…and it will stay long forever:)

3. Wild Bill and I will celebrate 36 years this year…he is still the love of my life and my heart…my man and my soul mate.

4. I have three awesome horses that I love and appreciate…I have had horses ever since I was born…Dad had me on my first horse who I called “Prince” when I was two years old…they are like my hair…part of me.

5. I love writing and photography as well as music and dancing.

6. I have never lived in town or had neighbors that lived close to us. When we go to a large city it is a bit nerve-wracking.

7. I am not a TV watcher…I find it mindless and boring.

Ok I get to pay it forward…I nominate these 7 blogs and pass the awards on to each of them. Here are the links for you to click on and read some great blogs…and look at some great photography.

My Seven Blog Nominations To Pass The Awards To Are:

1.  http://somethingtoliveby.wordpress.com/

2.  http://tau0.wordpress.com/

3.  http://justanotherdayoutwest.wordpress.com/

4.  http://jesusknowsmyname.wordpress.com/

5. http://anothercowgirlup.wordpress.com/

6.  http://skedazzles.com/

7. http://aislingjenningsphotography.wordpress.com/

Ooops I almost forgot….

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you with a link posted on your blog back to their blog.

2. List seven things about yourself.

3. Pay it forward by nominating seven bloggers.

Let’s head over to check out what’s cooking at  http://sugardishme.com/ ….I need ideas for dinner tonight:) Thank you Heather…..sorry it took me so long to get this posted:)

Looking Out My Kitchen Window Into The Vast Portal Of Time…Chapter Two

10 Mar 2012 8 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Heritage, Lifestyles, Photography, Ranch History Tags: , , , , ,

Memories flood back to me as I look out my kitchen window…from a baby on my Mama’s shoulder looking out…to a young wife looking for Wild Bill to come in for dinner…watching the children that we grew together, drive off in the car the first time down the driveway without me…looking next door to see if my parents had a light on in their house…so many memorable views, emotions and heartfelt life has been lived here…looking out my simple window of time.

The quiet peace of solitude that you see in this view is filled with incredible beauty as it is what you know and what you have lived. Sometimes when I ride my horses out in the fields…I can close my eyes and hear the teams of horses farming the land from long ago…or hear the laughter of two brothers riding bareback on their Dad’s work horses. My Dad and his older brother rode all the way down Juniper Canyon, about 15 miles, to the Columbia River to swim, this would have been in the 1920’s…can you imagine?

Before we chose to make this our forever home here…Wild Bill and I pursued our cowboy lifestyle for many years. He grew up on the edge of the Owyhee Desert…which is pretty much Buckaroo Country…Jordan Valley…Big Loop Contest…The Alvord…The Crowley Ranch…Hole In One Ranch.

When we lived outside of Jordan Valley, I rode horseback with a BLM crew a couple times, while WB taught a welding class at the school in Jordan Valley.

We moved several head of cows on the high desert several miles out of Rome, OR. The Steen Mountains had my attention all day long…they were incredible jutting out of the desert floor. I was in awe of the vast cowboy country…but mainly I was in love with WB:)

I grew up on my parent’s isolated cattle ranch in the Blue Mountains…about 100 miles from our home here…the ranch encompassed 50,000 acres with 800 head of Black Angus mother cows. We had one of the last cattle drives in Oregon as we drove our mama cows 100 miles down from the mountains to our winter pasture.

The cattle drive would last about 10 days but when we first began the tradition it took a good two weeks…the cows began to learn the trail and their way in later years.

Because of our history together with owning and running cattle and doing this cowboy life…we were asked to manage and run two cattle operations away from here…we went through some incredible times on both ranches.

We loved living in Wyoming at 7200′ elevation on the Continental Divide…this was my view…we lived in the log house to the left of the picture…my kitchen window looked out at the divide.

We also ran a ranch in Central Oregon on the Crooked River…we lived through a 100 year flash flood on the ranch with God’s grace…however we lost one life in the flood…and one horse.

The life lessons we learned in both places were profound…with both hard times and good times in our lives. When it was time to come home to the Juniper T, we were thankful to come down the long hill, into Juniper Canyon, rounding the corner and seeing “home”…with the big yellow barn and big yellow house.

Moving home from Wyoming in the spring was not easy as I found it hard to leave the incredible never boring Rockies…yet it was time for us to move back.

We had been home about two months, when in the dark before dawn…the phone rang and woke us up…Mom was calling us as my Dad was quite ill…we called 911 and waited for the ambulance to come.

I was scared to death…I felt so very helpless…I did not know how to do this medical thing of life and death with your parents and it was a shock to grasp it.

Dad was like John Wayne to me…rough and tough…full of life with tremendous strength of heart.

Once the ambulance arrived and the paramedics had Dad settled…I stood with Dad at the back door of the ambulance…Dad was on a gurney propped up so he could see me and thankfully the sunrise, which was beautiful…it was truly radiant that dark cold morning…and then Dad asked me…

“So…where and what place are you and Wild Bill going to call home? Where will you put down your roots? Roots and family…a place to call home, is important.”

Then his eyes shifted above my head and he looked up to the hill behind me where he planted the trees when I was little and he said “I hope I see this place again…it means the world to me Marcy…it is home to me.”

Dad thankfully came home but his health began to deteriorate from that time on…I was then thankful that God moved us home from Wyoming so that as an only child I was here and able to take care of both my parents…while it was hard at times, it has been one of the treasured blessings of my life.

That crisp clear morning was a defining moment in my life…I became an adult daughter and I knew in my heart..I was home.
Snapshots of my life…Mom always did the turkey as she told me that it was too hard to do…so I could make the pies and salads…Mom was smart:)  After I lost my Mom, I roasted the impossible turkey and I am sure she gave me her turkey blessing.
“Love you Greggers…always will my “Moose Son.”
“You too Cowboy…”
And until next time…Ride hard…don’t push the cows too hard as you will wear off the fat of our profits…and don’t leave any strays behind!

The Portal Of Time That Takes Me Back To Golden Days Of Old

21 Feb 2012 25 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Heritage, Life, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , , , ,

A Typical Terrific Tuesday on a Fantastic February Day! I am ready for spring to come when everything turns green again and the earth seems to re-birth itself with hope, as new life really does spring forth. The wheat will be growing from the tiny seeds of faith planted by the farmer last fall in the fields that will bring forth another record bounty of grain in July. After the long dark winter comes a life-giving spring as the earth slowly turns from cold and dark to warm and light. I will not let this blah, dreary, lingering winter weather take my joy away! Now where is my camera!

Yesterday morning I woke to a gray overcast day with snow falling and in record time, Monday went from Magnificent Monday to Moody Mundane Monday:( You know the kind of “woe is me and I am pulling the covers back over my head day”…so today no matter if it is gray or not…actually the winds are howling…no make that screaming at times…I made a solid decision…no ho hum moping around!

I began thinking of my Grandparents and treasured memories staring out my portal of time window feeling the golden days of old pulling on my imagination, wondering and thinking what it must have looked like here a hundred years ago…when my Grandpa first came to this area in the 1880’s. What was it like coming to America, traveling so far across oceans and continents? How he never looked back as he knew his future was looking forward towards the opportunity of building a new life and living in a new land.

I love hearing stories of American History and it is even better when it is my family history…so lets step away to a different time and place…just close your eyes and imagine that tonight on a family evening here in my house, my Grandpa is going to tell us about coming to America…being ship wrecked when he was 13 years old in The Azores…alone on his first attempt to come to America…how he somehow made it to Ellis Island a few months later and then worked his way across the United States in the 1880’s. The different things he would have seen and the life he lived…the adventures he lived! And then my Great Grandmother would interrupt and say “Vell now Terje let me tell of my adventure of crossing the Atlantic and coming through Ellis Island in 1920….yah I was 76 years old…that is old to leave everything behind…yah I did not know the language or understand vhat this people vanted from me…and you vere late to meet me…America is such a big country, oh my…it vas such a long trip to make for me but now I am home vith all my family.”

Can you imagine what she felt and saw? Once through customs she would have crossed the United States to her new home here in Juniper…in the middle of no where…she may have called it another name or two…as it would have been different from her home in Norway…but the incredible skies and views in a new place that was filled with her family and life…her children…her grandkids and a future here in America.

When we refinished the old original floors I realized that I walk in my ancestors footsteps not just on the land but also literally in the house. It was really interesting when we pulled up the carpet to see the foot traffic and the worn spots…if you look close you can tell the floor had a stenciled by hand design on it…I do not know what it was called but imagine doing that in 1920 on your knees stenciling about 1600′ of wood floor. If I could have restored the areas where the stencil was worn off I would have as it was unique. I was told that it was a Scandinavian custom…has anyone else heard of it?

Today when I hear a creaky board I think of my family who lived here before me…my Mom walking the floor with me as a baby and Anne Marie walking the floor looking at her new home and new life in America. I love how the old floors came out…so does Minnie:)

Anne Marie would have seen this view often in the summers…looking out my forever window. I would have loved all the horses…my Dad told me that when he was young Grandpa had over a 100 head of horses to farm with…the barn here holds a 100 ton of hay and it was set up to accommodate several horses.

During harvest their were always large meals served to the hungry crews…I am sure that Anne Marie helped cook lots of good food…harvest in the 1920’s lasted for several weeks…imagine the stories you would hear when you gathered around the table? When I drove wheat truck during harvest in high school, as we gathered for our noon meal there was always family talk…both serious and fun…with my uncles there was always lots of jokes and teasing going on:) No matter the difficulties and hardships…coming to America for Annie Marie meant that she would be with her family once again with hopes and dreams of a new life in a new country!

A view of our home in the early 1950’s…the house is in the middle of the trees…the white 100 plus year old barn is at the bottom with the corrals and roping arena. It has changed a bit as now we have a large shop between the house and the barn…and I have a round corral to train my horses in behind the barn.

My house was built before the Great Depression…World Was II…The Korean War…Kennedy’s Assassination…First Man On The Moon…Martin Luther King…Bobby Kennedy…Kent State…Vietnam…The Right To Vote…Abortions…Watergate. Our world has changed significantly the last 100 years!

But we remain the same. We are still about faith and hard work…heritage with honor while living the code that was passed down to us.

We are still of the old country…the old ways of love of family and life well lived.

Living daily in a 100 year old farm house reminds you to keep the old traditions alive.

As I look out my portal of time kitchen window capturing the same views of old…I whisper prayers of gratitude for the family that went before me leaving me with heritage and life…and prayers whispered for today and the future ahead.

 I often think of Neal Diamond’s song “America” when I am thinking of my ancestors…it is such an inspiring song and speaks deeply of the American spirit!

To a new and a shiny place
Make our bed and we’ll say our grace
Freedom’s light burning warm
Freedom’s light burning warm

Everywhere around the world
They’re coming to America
Ev’ry time that flag’s unfurled
They’re coming to America

Got a dream to take them there
They’re coming to America
Got a dream they’ve come to share
They’re coming to America

They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
They’re coming to America
Today, Today,
Today, Today, Today

My country ’tis of thee (today)
Sweet land of liberty (today)
Of thee I sing (today)
Of thee I sing
Today, Today, Today
Today, today, today……

Looking Out My Kitchen Window…Chapter 1

05 Feb 2012 8 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Heritage, Life, Lifestyles, Photography Tags: , , , , ,

Looking out the same kitchen window my entire life…I have watched a daily movie of crazy yet never boring life. I have seen wonderful moments filled with heartfelt memoreis…good stuff and good times…really boring times…terrible weather times…and tearful sad times.

1932 sorting wheat in the kitchen…in silence for the picture but…I bet they talked:)

I am not  sure how I will write this blog segment, I hope to share with you the memories that have been lived here while viewing life through my kitchen window…a significant portal to the outside world of daily life and memories.

My kitchen window began its life in a wild and wooly cowboy town way back in the teens of 1919. Pendleton was a rusty dusty small town at the beginning of the century.

Norwegians, Swedes, Germans and Fins were busy homesteading and farming the land around Pendleton…a dream they had in their heart from the time they left their homeland, setting sail for America, the land of opportunity. My Grandfather traveled by boat from Norway alone when he was 13 years old looking for a future and a hope… today I am living his future and his hope with the same deep faith and love of the land.

My window was carefully transported 20 miles on a wagon pulled by a team of horses headed out of town for the North country to Juniper Canyon. My Grandpa was building this house for his mother Anne Marie who was coming from Norway by boat to her new home in America, where she would join her sons and family to make a new life. She was 76 years old…can you imagine coming to a new world at her age? I have a deep appreciation for my Great Grandmother, as the world in 1920 was much more primitive out here without modern conveniences. She had the same kitchen window view that I have today, but in 1920 she had no electricity or telephone and the roads were dirt trails to civilization and life. I wish I had known her…how great it would be to talk to her and hear about what she saw and experienced.

 “Little Toot “and I in the kitchen in 1960… I still have the cookie jar…and the red hair:) I love red cowgirl boots…Mom liked Campbell’s Soup and the cupboards were now painted pale green.

I re-finished two of the red fir cupboards from the original kitchen…most people would have thrown them out as they were painted many hideous colors…but thankfully we saved them…and ta-da…they are beautiful and I use them daily.

My kitchen window is a quiet view of history…weather…life…and sometimes a lonely view…you see sunrises and sunsets…rainbows…incredible clouds and God given weather…horses, kids, cats and dogs…last minute crazy life pictures that make you hang on tight, which is why you get some of the wild pictures that I take. The dishwasher is right under the window…I will be doing dishes and look up and out the window saying ohhhh….

Wow, I have to shoot this and grab my camera which I keep sitting in the kitchen ready to go.

Looking out my window are many views of life, heritage and history that are reflected in today’s life and yesterday’s memories. Almost a hundred years of down home lived here in this house in a simple country girl’s life.

In sharing this part of my life the song “Guardian Angels by The Judd’s” comes to mind. When the going gets tough the tough get going…this song gave me the strength to fight and conquer the hard times of life.

Sometimes when I’m tired
I feel Grandpa take my arm
He says, keep a-goin, hard work
Never did a body harm.
And when I’m really troubled
And I don’t know what to do
Grandma whispers, just do your best, were awful proud of you!They’re my guardian angels

And I know they can see
Every step I take
They are watching over me
I might not know where I’m goin
But I’m sure where I come from
They’re my guardian angels
And I’m their special one

Have A Happy Superbowl Sunday!

Where Oh Where Is Ms. Madame Cold Winter?

07 Jan 2012 2 Comments

by Hot Rod Cowgirl in Family, Ranch Life, Storms, Weather, Winter Tags: , , ,

Where oh where is Ms. Madame Cold Winter? I want the winters that I remember in my heart and soul.

Winters of being snowed in out here…incredible times of sledding down hills…crazy snowmobiling times of taking off from the back door…off we go over them thar hills all eight miles to Helix and back…by the time we got home we had at least 35 miles on our machines:) Yee-Haw cowgirl style:)

I want this kind of winter…snowed in…not going anywhere kind of snow!

Ask Miss Hobby Horse…she knows about snowy Juniper white stuff.

Tuck Tuck remembers the white stuff too…it was up to her belly.

Our 100 year old farm house remembers the snow and cold winters…it can tell you lots of history and stories of past winters.

Miss Melody was laying on top of the third rail of the log fence as we had so much snow a few years ago.

“Hello Ms. Madame Cold Winter Snow Person.” “We need snow…rain and moisture…not to be greedy but we also need some cold temps to kill the bugs and all of the things that hurt our wheat…please gf:)”

And Ms. Razzy says yeah…winter…snow…what is it…I am only two?

We need snowed in type of snow and cold…drifts and lots of white stuff…where oh where are you Ms. Madame Cold Winter?

It should be like this…when we bought our first Chevrolet Blazer the first 1500 miles were solid snow floor out here.

“Ms. Madame Cold Winter Snow Person…please come see us again…you are always welcome…we have lots of hot chocolate and blankets…flashlights too:) Love you girl and want you back:)”

“Happy Birthday Mom…My Mother My Friend.”

“We miss you much!”

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