5 Things Every CowboyGirl Should Have

1.  A Good Bridle Horse.

Everyone has that neighbor, or friend, or friend of a friend who is a wreck waiting to happen.  Sooner or later you will have to work around them horse back.  It is comforting to know you have something to ride who can take that stress without having a come apart.

Case in point:  We helped some family brand this spring.  Whether it was the neighbor kid running under my horse's head to get to the calf we just heeled and were headed to the fire at a high trot, or the drunk idiot stumbling through the middle of the branding pen you had to watch out for, there was always some kind of chaos afoot.  Knowing the potential I took "Natty," my bridle horse the Cowboss made for me (who I am still trying to get used to after losing Cricket).  She was doing pretty good.  Then I pantyhosed a big calf.  Instead of dallying, I went with the calf, bucking across the branding trap (calf, not Natty), hoping the rope would slide off it's flanks and I could get dallied before slipping a foot.  When that didn't work, I went to turn the calf off the fence.  I was thinking I could reach down and slip the rope down.  Just as soon as I got close enough to reach down and move the rope, someone decided to help me.  They came running at me, spooking both Natty and the calf.  The calf darted behind my horse still roped.  We were a tangled up mess. Instead of panicking with the rope around her feet, Natty held her breath and waited for the dust to settle.  In case you are wondering, I lost the calf.  Natty didn't have a come apart.  She didn't lose her head.  She stood there and waited for a cue from me.

You should always have a horse that can keep it's head when things come tight.  Not just for your safety, but for everyone around you.

2.  Pretty Boot Tops.  They are like expensive lingerie.  Nobody has to see them, but you still feel sexy.  Feeling sexy makes you confident.  When you are confident, you rope better.

3.  Pretty Silver Earrings.  They make you feel good and like you are put together.  You are more confident when you look and feel your best.

4.  Painted Nails.  Either finger nails or toenails.  Just because I work with a bunch of men doesn't mean I need to act like one.  Painted nails are a good reminder that I am a girl and should always act like a lady.

5.  A Good Cinch, and not just because I tie and sell them!  I feel a cinch is one of the most important pieces of tack a person should have.  It keeps your saddle on your horse.  You need to keep it clean and check it often for broken strands.  There is nothing worse than soring your horse or roping a soggy yearling and having your saddle come right off your horse!  Your horse will perform better when they are more comfortable.

Photo Courtesy of the Fabulous Heidi Stevens!

Sometimes A Mom.....

just needs a long hot shower without someone pounding on the door every 2 minutes or flushing the toilet!

to take the outside circle on a long trot with a green horse, and maybe her dog.  NO ONE ELSE!

an hour without the question why?

an hour where "Because I said so" is sufficient.

a nap!

Curled Up With a Book

I see a lot of people who are critical of Kindles, Nooks, pretty much any type of e-reader. Nothing beats the feel of a book in your hands, and the smell of the ink in it.  I admitt, I used to be one.  I love to read.  Nothing makes me happier than a good book, a cup of tea and 30 minutes quiet to enjoy it.  I have been like this ever since I learned how to read.

A year ago in December I bought myself the best gift ever.  I bought a kindle.  My whole perspective changed.  You see, the closest Barns and Noble or really pretty much any kind of bookstore is a good 4-5 hour drive away.  My library consisted of what I found at WalMart, or the grocery store.  Not a very great selection.  I ordered books off of Amazon, but generally paid more in shipping than the book was worth, then had to wait (impatiently) by the mailbox for them to arrive.  Don't get me started on the 2 big boxes of books in my basement, or the filled in bookcases in my house.  I even resorted to mailing nearly every book I read to my friend in Montana, whether she wanted them or not!  Now, I have books at my fingertips.  Finished a book, no problem, hop on Amazon and download another one.  Plus I don't have books lying everywhere!

Granted, a kindle does have it's drawbacks.  For one, I haven't figured out how to jump ahead to the end if a book is really intense and I need a little reassurance that it will end the way I think it should (I know, I'm one of those people), and I can't jump ahead a chapter or two if I'm not really getting into the book to see if it gets any better.  But, I don't have to wait a week for a new book to arrive, or am limited to grocery store romance novels.

Currently, I am reading Shadowland:  A Tale From the Dark Ages by C.M. Gray.  (You can download it from Amazon here). I'm not even sure why I picked it, it's not really my forte as far as books go, but I loved Eagle of the Ninth, and it is similar.   I signed up for an online newsletter that sends deals on books to my inbox everyday, and it probably came across that way.  I am fascinated by it.  It's pretty good.

amazon.com

The gist of it:
We grow up with the Legend of King Arthur ... But where did he come from? Who was Merlin? What part did the Druids play in bringing Arthur to his round table? This is the story that came before, when Britain was just a Shadowland.

Shadowland is a story of historical fantasy set in Dark Ages Britain.

`I have lived more years than I can remember, probably more than the sum of all your years combined. Kings have called me friend and brigands have sworn to burn the flesh from my bones even if they have to search all seven halls of the shadowland to find me.'

On the night of midwinter's eve, a storyteller takes his listeners back to the Dark ages and a tale from his youth.

Deserted by its Roman masters, Britain has been invaded by the Saxons at the invitation of Vortigern, traitorous leader of the Britons. Now, as the tribes unite to reclaim their land, one man must rise to lead them and become their true and only king.

What is on your Kindle this week?

Lean Finely Textured Beef

I have started to branch out with my writing career.  This is an article of mine recently published in the Nevada Rancher.  The magazine isn't on line and I've had a few requests for this article, so I thought I would share it here!  Enjoy!

Recently on a social media site there was a post claiming that a certain fast food chain “is changing the recipe for their hamburgers.”  Jaime Oliver (a British chef/media personality who has made it his mission to prevent the use of processed foods in our American school systems), claims “the fatty parts of beef are “washed” in ammonium hydroxide and used in the filling of their hamburgers.”  He calls this the “Pink Slime Process.” 

When heifers make weight they will be shipped to the feedlot to finish and then to a harvesting facility.  Before being portioned, they are misted with ammonium hydroxide to prevent bacterial growth.

There is no “pink slime” in hamburgers.  The correct term is Lean Finely Textured Beef (LFTB).  LFTB is lean meat that is used in part to make ground beef.  Ground beef is made up of lean beef trimmings and other beef trimmings that are combined and ground together.  The benefit of LFTB is that the fat from the lean in the beef trimmings is separated from the meat and we are able to make a leaner and more affordable ground beef. 

Unfortunately, it is impossible to trim the meat from the fat by hand.  This is where technology comes in.  Before this technology was utilized, roughly 13 pounds of beef was wasted on each carcass.  When beef carcasses are portioned, the pieces that are cut off often have lean meat remaining.  It is virtually impossible (not to mention time consuming) to manually remove the meat from the fat by hand.  To separate the fat from the meat, the trimmings are warmed to their pre-chilled temperature, and then sent to a centrifuge where the fat is removed using a centrifugal force (think spun really really fast until the meat and the fat separate, similar to how milk and cream are separated).  You now have a meat product that is 94% to 97% lean.  It is 100% beef and fully inspected and regulated by the USDA.

Ammonium Hydroxide is another phrase that is used to scare people.  You know ammonia is used in several household cleaning agents and fertilizers.  It is toxic and if mixed with bleach a toxic gas will result.  Did you know that ammonium hydroxide is naturally found in beef, other proteins, and virtually all foods?  So what is ammonium hydroxide? Ammonium hydroxide is a combination of ammonia and water, two things that naturally occur in our bodies.  It is administered in the form of a puff gas which is misted over each carcass, and is used to slightly raise the pH on the surface of beef (where bacteria and germs like to congregate) to create an environment that prevents the growth of deadly pathogens like E coli and salmonella, helping to prevent bacterial contamination of our food. 

Ammonia based compounds are naturally occurring and found in every component of a bacon cheese burger.  In fact, the beef in a bacon cheese burger makes up about 9% of the total 2,013 ppm (parts per million) of ammonium hydroxide in that burger.  It is estimated that people ingest about 17 grams of ammonia daily.  Essentially you could consume 1,000 hamburger patties containing LFTB daily without any adverse effects.

Ammonia based compounds are naturally occurring and can be found in every component of a bacon cheeseburger (bun, bacon, cheese, condiments, and beef). 

According to the World Health Organization, the world population is increasing by 220,000 people every day.  Red meat consumption is rising and the available supply is declining.  LFTB production makes it possible to have more of the leaner ground beef blends consumers want at an affordable price.  If LFTB were not produced, it would be equivalent to throwing 5,700 cattle away each day.  In an era where thousands of Americans do not have access to enough food and we are encouraged to conserve our resources, utilizing lean finely textured beef makes a lot of sense to me.

Love

Listening to my boys play in the other room while I drink my breakfast tea and catch up on current events.

Leaves changing colors and sweaters!

TR's passion and enthusiasm.

QT's free spirit.

The fact that I have a much better handle on my Rat Terrier than I do on my kids.

My fat sorrel horse and how we click on good days and tolerate each other on our bad days.

Sometimes....

All you need is a hug and a nice cup of tea to make everything better.

I wish I had little girls.  Lets be honest.  Little boys are no fun at a tea party!

I just want to hide away from the world and do my own thing.

I lay awake at night and thank god that we made it through another day with minimal injury.  I love all 3 of my boys so much, and they scare me!

I eat cake for breakfast.

I spend more time in my garden than in my house.

Life is all about how you handle plan b.

Some Insight....

I'm a sucker for a sad story and a puppy.

I root for the underdog.

I love happy endings.

Sad stories make me cry.

I have a very definite sense of black and white, or right and wrong.  There aren't many gray areas in my life.

I try to live by this:  

One of my favorite quotes is: "If we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt." ~ Black Beauty

The Sun is Setting in the West....

Listening:  My Rifle My Pony and Me by Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson from the John Wayne Movie Rio Bravo.  One of my favorites, and as QT says "Ricky Nelson is awesome.  It's too bad he died."

















Eating:  I'm actually cooking dinner.  One of my favorite meals:  Pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy!


Drinking:  Half frozen water and Dasani drink enhancers Pink Lemonade.  Would probably be more enjoyable if it wasn't frozen!

Wearing:  My "Naked and Hungry" shirt because really, where would you be without agriculture?  Baggy jeans, tennis shoes and a ball cap, you know....the usual!  =)

Feeling:  Blah.  Trying to decide if I want to zumba on the wii or tie another cinch after dinner.  This cold weather wears me out!

Weather:  Cold.  The pickup said 9* when I got home about 30 minutes ago.  Looking like another chilly night, perfect for calving!

Wanting:  A Captain and Coke, my toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, a cold drink in my hand.

Needing:  My potatoes to boil so I can start on the pork chops.

Thinking:  I need a house keeper.


Enjoying:  The momentary peace and quiet of the boys being on the other end of the house!

Currently

Listening:  The playlist I finally figured out how to download to my iPhone.  It includes Waylon Jennings, Pink, Marty Robbins, Nickleback, and Colder Weather by the Zac Brown Band, which I am listening to right now.

Eating:  Nothing.  Just finished dinner.  Spaghetti...yuck!

Drinking:  Spiced Apple Cider from Costco.  Where else can you get a million single serve packets for $5?

Wearing:  Feeding clothes.  Long underwear, wool socks, ratty jeans, wife beater tee, long sleeve tee, fuchsia hoodie.  Good thing I haven't seen anyone today, I look pretty much like I could care less how I look.  Which I actually could care less today.

Feeling:  Tired, sore, blue.  Long day.  Feeding takes so much longer with fresh snow.  Our pick up is a piece of junk.  I got tired of bouncing around the cab of the tractor with the Cow Boss, 2 boys and a jack wiener, that I decided to walk home in a blizzard.  In snow up to my knees.  1 mile.  I tweaked my hip wading through a drift.  I'm starting to get the winter blues.  I hate the winter blues.

Weather:  Cold,  right now it is 18* outside, the wind is howling, snow is drifting and according to my phone we should get more snow.

Wanting:  A warm bath, glass of wine, and a good book to curl up with.

Needing:  A hug and 5 minutes peace and quiet.

Thinking:  About going to bed.

Enjoying:  The thought that summer will be here in 5 months.