Western Hospitality . . . AWESOME!!

This summer I had the WONDERFUL privilege of taking a road trip with my daughter, Robin,  . . . "Farmgirls on the Loose" in connection with MaryJanes Farm Farmgirl Connection.   We met and were taken care of in grand, glorious style by farmgirls in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.  There is absolutely NOTHING like Western hospitality!  Thank you for sharing your homes, your familes, your dining tables, communities . . and all the fun with us!!!!Ilene Wilson, one of the "chicks" in our Farmgirls Southwest Henhouse.  She prepared one of the most fabulous lunches ever for a "chick" lunch at her home in Denver

The Pilgrim family on the ranch near Baggs, WY  let us stay for a couple days.  We saw their ranch, cattle, horses, sheep . . tied aprons on goats and calves. Man what a good time we had.  Michelle is one of our Farmgirls

On the right is Denise Smart, Farmgirl from Green River, WY with her daughter and grandson.  They provided an amazing lunch in a park for us as we traveled through their beautiful city. 

And, then we were able to stay with the Ed and Kathy O'Hara, with their daughters, Mia and Erin.  They have a beautiful place in Hayden, Idaho which is near Coeur d/Alene.  Marvelous cinnamon rolls, great burgers . . . and such a fun time.

 Cy and Diana near Orofino, Idaho have a BEAUTIFUL place overlooking Dworshack Reservoir.  They have a HUGE house they hope to turn into a B&B.  We all had our own bedroom with quilts made by Diana.  What a restful, relaxing gorgeous place to stay. 

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU for showing us your true WESTERN HOSPITALITY!!!

Adversity

Reading from Oswald Chambers, "MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST" .  The typical view of the Christian life is being delivered from all adversity.  But it actually means being delivered in adversity.  "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Psalm 91:1.  God does not give us overcoming life - He gives us life as we overcome.  The strain of life is what builds our strength.  If there is no strain, there is no strength."

I pray for His continued strength for the stresses and strains of life and the difficulties that come my way that seem impossible.  Thank you Lord, for your grace, mercy, strength and love!

"Gunsmoke" . .. and cornflowers

One morning about 2 weeks ago as I was returning from my morning power walk I noticed that all of our Longhorns were laying down, enjoying the morning sun.  They had been across the lane in another pasture up until about 3 days before this picture was taken so this pasture had grown up quite nicely.

This is a picture of "Gunsmoke" the 4-month old Longhorn calf, now a steer, peering at me through the periwinkle cornflowers. 

GARDEN PLANTING "GAUGE"

Around here they say you can plant your garden when "the snow is off the Sleeping Ute". By that they mean the Sleeping Ute Mountain which is to the southwest of our house and right in the very SW corner of Colorado. It is on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian reservation and visible from our house to the SW.

USUALLY, the snow is off the mountain about now and, USUALLY, we have planted part of our garden (NOT the plants such as pepper, tomato, etc. because there is ALWAYS a late frost the first part of June)

We have had THREE days of rain, hail, snow . . well just about all there is that is called wet. As of this morning, Saturday, May 21st, this is what the Sleeping Ute Mountain looks like. Not only is the snow not OFF the mountain . . . it just received more.

Hmmmmmmmmm . . . .what's a garden-planting farmgirl to do??

Bill has tilled the garden, but he wants to till it again.  At first he said we needed to put the sprinkler on it first.  Well, not now!  We have to let it dry out now before he can till it again and fertilize it.   We know everything is in God's timing!!!!

Meet my MOM

Since Mother's Day is fast approaching I thought I'd share this photo and a little bit about my mother.  She was born Evelyn Marguerite Gilman on March 29, 1914, the oldest of eight children.  She married my dad, Gaylord N. Gardner on December 7, 1933.   They met, married and lived in the Belen, New Mexico area until 1945 when they moved to southwest Colorado.  They bought the farm that I spent my entire life on, sometime before 1948.  

This photo has the date August 1955 in the margin and is one the very first color photos in my mom's photo albums.  Left to right:  my sister, Marilyn, who is their 3rd child.  Next to her is our mom and then Janice, who is their 2nd child and the oldest girl.  The little tyke standing on the fence is the youngest of all of us, Gaye Lynn and next to her is the oldest child, Noel.

In front on the left is me, and then my brother Gerry, who is their 4th child.

My mom loved the Lord and served Him.  She loved her family and was the utmost as a farm wife and mother.  She was also a musician, played the piano and taught a multitude of piano students all through her life.  She encouraged, nurtured and helped four of her six children to learn to play and do it well, fortunately I am one of those four.  She worked hard at caring for our home, her husband and her children.  She was the best cook and knew how to raise a garden of gargantuan size, put it all away for the winter, bake, sew, do just about everything there was to do,  keep us all pretty well . . . and love us like crazy!!!   She became very ill with chronic lymphocytic leukemia which eventually, after several long, hard years, took her life on February 6, 1994.   She was quite the lady!!!!   And I miss her so much!!!  THANK YOU MOM FOR YOUR LEGACY!!!!  HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

FARMGIRLS and SISTERS! FRIENDS!!!!

Farmgirls . . . . Sisters! Friends!!! This picture is one from MaryJanes Farm and one of my very favorites. It just expresses the spirit of the heart of a Farmgirl. I have three sisters and two brothers and we grew up on a true, blue, work-hard-every-day farm. We drove tractors and while I don't think that all four of us girls were ever on the tractor together and most certainly not all six of us kids, this makes me think of my family and our farm.

It also reminds me of all the Farmgirl Connection farmgirl friends I have all across the country and how much I appreciate each one of them. I have had the wonderful privilege of meeting some of these farmgirls in person (and hugging their necks!) and I will have opportunities to meet more. But we have managed to build relationships through modern technology called "cyberspace" . . and we have managed to share the kindred spirit of a farmgirl. That spirit is one of caring, sharing, encouraging and having fun together!!!

I'm grateful for Farmgirls . . . Sisters . . . Friends!!!!

Spring is Coming!

When we see the little blades of new green grass poking up through the ground and the first sign of flowers and spring it just seems to also bring a feeling of excitement! We have longer hours of sunlight, the temperatures are warming up and we see all the promise of new life. We can shake off the doldrums of the winter cold and dark nights!! Thank you Lord for spring and the new signs of life . . and allowing us to hope for the joys, newness and fresh growth you can bring into our hearts and lives!