Gone With The Wind

Our family cattle ranch is located in one of the windiest places in the world!! Anyone who's been there can attest to this fact. The wind blows and blows. I often worry about someone losing a hand or foot in a door that closes too quickly. The trees grow funny, the dirt comes in through every door and window, and no one leaves without some serious chapped lips. At times it's almost unbearable. (I tend to be dramatic--but this really is true.) I have seriously worried that one of the children would be thrown down to the ground from a gust. Don't you just want to head out there and join us?

We really do love the place. It's my children and husband's favorite place on Earth. They don't seem to care about a little wind. The cowboys don't mind as much as they should. I guess they're just a whole lot tougher than I am. There have been some cattle drives in winds up to sixty miles per hour or greater. Ugh. These are the days where I am more than happy to stay inside doing dishes or making another pitcher full of tea. I know my limitations. Plus, my hair gets tangled. And, someone needs to be there handing out the Q-Tips, eyewash, and ChapStick when they return. I'm useful. Really.

The man who sold the family the ranch over eight years ago had a parting shot after all the papers were signed. "Enjoy the wind!" Harsh.

Guess what, Mister? I think we are about to start enjoying that wind a whole lot more. Turns out there are some people mighty interested in it. There have been several wind energy companies vying for our precious commodity. These guys pictured with Max are from one such company. From left to right we have Scott Rowland, Max, Dave Cowan, James Kelly, and Bryon Paez. They have been meeting with Jerry and Tom, Max's dad and brother for quite some time trying to work things out. Because we were going to be out at the ranch on Wednesday while they were in town, Max agreed to show them around.

Do you know when you get to the doctor to show him how bad you've been coughing, and you can't cough? Or when you take your car to the mechanic to let them listen to that terrible noise, it's gone? Well, when the "wind guys" came out to the ranch to see for themselves, the wind didn't disappoint.

I'm sure while showing the guys the map Max was saying, "There's wind here, and here, and here, and all over here."

If all goes as planned with this company, they will put up several test towers to verify that the wind does indeed blow. Max kept telling them as they drove around, "In my expert opinion, the wind blows!" Although amused, they let Max know their investors needed something a little more scientific. If they insist. But, we have eye witnesses. We know the truth.

Once the towers prove the cold hard facts, they will put up wind turbines to harvest the energy created by the wind. They will then send that energy to places like Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. I wish I could wrap my simple little mind around how any of that works. I guess it just does.

I am told these wind turbines stand 420 feet high. To put that in terms that might make sense, that's approximately a football field and a half high. They're big--really, really big.

Whoever thought all that annoying wind could be used in such a positive way? We'll see what happens. The talks continue on. I guess the place is plenty big enough for cattle ranching and wind ranching. And just think, the wind doesn't need to be branded!

If you want to know more about this whole concept, you can check it out here.

We'll keep you posted.

New Bundle Of Joy

Any guesses who this beautiful creature is just arriving at Galloping Grace? "Who is that?" If you can remember back to a previous post about a possible donation of a horse, it happened!! BB has arrived, and he is absolutely wonderful! He is gorgeous, friendly, calm and very well trained. He is a purebred twenty-three (almost twenty-four) year old Arabian, which we understand are generally a little on the crazy, spirited side. Not BB. He let our girls hug all over him--girls he didn't even know. He was nothing but gentle and loving. They brushed him for several minutes without having to halter him. He never moved. We are in awe!
He is being kept in the geriatric ward by himself until the other horses become familiar with him. They were all pretty curious to meet the new horse in town. We were so pleased with the initial greetings. The beautiful Appaloosa pictured below is our nephew, Bryce's horse. Crackerjack was especially interested in BB. He visited him several times.
Don't be surprised these knuckleheads were less than welcoming. (Notice Jericho's pinned ears.) It's just how they roll.

For the most part, BB was welcomed with open arms.
We don't even know where to begin thanking Steve and Robin. How do you express enough gratitude to people who have just gifted you their horse they have loved for so many years? A card doesn't seem to cut it.

We cannot wait to share with them pictures of all the happy kids loving and learning with BB. We have a feeling their gift is going to affect so many lives. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
We hope they come back to Galloping Grace as often as they'd like. BB will be waiting.

Ouch!

This post is dedicated to my friend Demetria--she has an eyeballs in peril phobia. Maybe seeing graphic pictures will help her work through it.

This is yet another reason I would NOT want to be a cow! (I'm going to write a book about that--keep keep an eye out for it.) It would be pretty frustrating not being able to get the cactus out. I think I'll take a moment and thank God for my thumbs.

Makes your day look pretty terrific, huh?

Bloggorama

I have four blogs belonging to others that I check on a daily basis. Three of them are funny to me, and one is very moving. The weird thing is that I didn't even know what a blog was until a few months ago when my sis-in-law, Regina told me she was starting one. "A blog?! What's a blog?!" Who would have thought I'd be doing one of my own?

There are all kinds of blogs out there. I bet you could find one to fit any of your interests. Two that I love, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman and The Ranch On Salmon Creek, are right up my alley with the whole ranching thing.

Pioneer Woman is my blog hero. She is hilarious! You never know what you're getting from that woman. If you ever think any of my posts are a little off color, don't go to her blog. She talks about anything and everything. She lives on a ranch somewhere in Oklahoma and tries to show city folks a little of what country life is all about. She gives Photoshop advice, shares delicious recipes, shows cowboys in their chaps, talks about "my retarded brother Mike", and much much more. Her site is currently under construction--I guess she's getting a new set-up. She might be worth checking back in on in a few days.

Have you ever noticed two of our loyal, faithful commentors on our blog named TJ and Mark? They always have something witty and oh so funny to say. We had the pleasure of meeting them last year in Oregon when Max attended a clinic on setting up a youth ranch. Their blog is The Ranch on Salmon Creek. If you're in the mood for some beauty, you will love it! They're located in northern California and boast amazing views--waterfalls, mountains, etc. Every time I read their blog, I realize how badly my vocabulary has deteriorated. (Once again, I'm blaming the four kids.) They take turns posting, and they're both a delight to read.

Confessions of a CF Husband is the touching blog I mentioned. Nathan is the man keeping the blog about his life. His wife has Cystic Fibrosis, was on the list for a double lung transplant, got pregnant with a miracle baby, delivered her at 24 1/2 weeks, and is now back on the list for the lung transplant. Nate takes beautiful pictures, has a gift for showing just how much he loves his girls, and is such a trusting, cheerful Christian. I don't know how he keeps up his faith and courage. He is a huge advocate for organ donation and finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. It is a beautiful thing seeing his sweet little baby grow. She's up to two pounds now and is healthy and thriving. Nate believes that his wife, Trish, has CF for a reason. They are trusting God that he knows the reason so Nate never says Trish is "fighting" the disease.

The last blog that I must read daily is my dear sis-in-law's. If you know Regina, you know she is a funny one. She has a very sarcastic sense of humor and can be brutally blunt. She's way fun! Through her blog, I can see my nieces and nephew grow and hear all about their lives. How dare they move away? You also never know what Regina is going to say. One minute she is innocently talking about her knitting hobby, and then the next she'll show the picture the red light camera took when my brother got a ticket. She keeps it real by complaining about her children and challenging us to lose weight with her by weighing in every Wednesday.

All of this to tell you that I get extremely disappointed when one of my regulars chooses not to post. Annoying stuff! Regina is the queen of taking the entire weekend off. How dare she? Doesn't she know she has adoring fans wanting more, more, more? (Yes, she knows. I whine about it every time.) That is why I try to post every day. I know I'll probably start slacking soon, but I'm going to try and keep up.

My issue now is that we're headed to our family ranch for about three days. Our kids are on spring break, and there's no place they'd rather go. Unfortunately, the ranch doesn't have anything even close to resembling a computer. We're lucky we have a phone for emergencies. We prefer it this way--it's good to get away. No TVs, no cell phone service, no door to door salesmen, all great. There's just no posting gonna be taking place. I'd hate to let down my peeps. (Anyone there?)

I have devised a way to provide a daily post. There are rules. Directions must be followed. Only one post may be read a day. (Yes, I'm a big goof with what you'd think was too much time on my hands. Oh contrare.) I'm just going to put up Thursday and Friday's post before this one. Scroll down to get to those. On Thursday, read Thursday's. On Friday, reading Friday's. Easy stuff. No reading ahead when you get to the end. Now I don't have to have guilt--I have provided a post for those two days. I should be back Saturday with some stories to share.

Have a good week and remember-- NO reading ahead!

I'm off to get a life..

Thankful Thursday

You should only be reading this post if it is Thursday or later. Stop cheating, Mom.


This very generous man, Kenny Trujillo, owns Raks building supply in Albuquerque. Back in November, Kenny donated over $30,000 of lumber to our Youth Ranch!! We were amazed by his gift. This lumber really helped us get things rolling! We have used part of the lumber for the horse shelters, the round pen, and our tack room. We still have a lot left that we'll use when it's time to build the barn. Thank you so much, Kenny & Raks Building Supply!

If you find yourself shopping for lumber to build a gazebo or doghouse this weekend, how about visiting Raks? Wood and people don't get any better!

Of All Ages

This post is for Friday (or after) readers. Obey the rules. :)





At Galloping Grace Youth Ranch we aren't very formal. We are not licensed instructors who hold structured riding lessons. We're just about hanging out and having fun.

We do have a mission.
That mission is to bring pure joy to children..


To children of ALL ages!
So far, I think we're getting close. Can you just hear the laughter pouring out of Joyful Juju?

See you soon.

More To The Story

Poncho wasn't the only horse intrigued by the lovely Miss Pat. She had all the boys looking.
I think she left for home feeling pretty good about herself. Like my mom said, "After all these years, you still got it Miss Pat!"

Love At First Sight

(Rated PG-13)


Oh la la! Poncho (if you haven't met him yet, read his story) met the girl next door, and was he ever smitten. Do you see this cutie pie? This is Miss Pat, a twenty something mare from our neighbor's place. Poncho had never had the pleasure of making her acquaintance until that glorious Easter morning yesterday. Steph and Mike walked her over to meet everyone. They also brought Yukon, their gelding, but Poncho didn't seem the least bit interested in him. Here is Yukon looking like a unicorn. Poor horses--the things we do to them.

Now back to the love story. Max got Poncho out of his little pen so that he could meet Miss Pat up close and personal. The little noises they made back and forth were hilarious. They carried on a whole conversation before things heated up. Poncho got very, very excited. I don't think Poncho cared that she was at least fifteen years older--he thought she was looking gooood. He had to be controlled. There were children present. Let's just say that he was sure happy to finally meet the neighbor. I don't quite know what to write for this last picture. This is a family blog. What would be your caption?

Que Bonito

What a beau-ty! He's a magnificent creature! (Make sure you say that in your best Steve Irwin voice.) I had the absolute pleasure in meeting Bart yesterday when our friends brought him out to Galloping Grace. Be still my heart!
He is as sweet as he is handsome. Happy Monday to you.

Eggcelent

He has RISEN!

Happy Easter to all of you. We hope your day is filled with all kinds of fun. We're heading out to Galloping Grace for a little egg hunting adventure.

Here are a few pictures of the kiddos coloring eggs at the Ranch yesterday.

What the horses must think of us!

Thank you Marvin, Taylor, Dalton, and Leslie for organizing the festivities and bringing all the supplies. The kids had a lot of fun.

Who says you need vinegar to dye eggs?! Hopefully I'll get some good shots of the hunt. Have a great day!

One Tough Cookie

Have you ever met a really tough cowgirl? One that makes you feel like a real wimp? Well, I met her yesterday, and was she ever somethin'.

She was making it really hard on me to enjoy my cookies. How do you think I felt trying to chat with my friends? Rough. Every time I looked up, I saw something like this. Or this.Or this. She worked for hours! I tried to get her to come eat a hot dog with the rest of the gals, but she was like the Energizer bunny--she kept going and going and going! Erin heard about Galloping Grace from a mutual friend and thought she might be able to help. She has been around horses most of her life, and has ridden competitively. Turns out she can also water trees and haul lumber--lots and lots of lumber! How jealous am I going to be when I see her get on a horse?!

Erin Doyle, you're an inspiration to all aspiring cowgirls out there. Thanks so much for donating your muscles to our cause.