Three Wishes

A few more from the Q&A…. and there are a lot more left ~ I shall hack away slowly but surely….

If there was one other animal you could add to the Farmily with no restrictions on laws, society views, etc, (domesticated or not), what would you choose and why?

A panda bear. I think I would spontaneously combust if I ever got the chance to be face to face with a panda. I wanted to be a panda scientist when I was little. My realistic hopeful addition to the Farmily is bees.

If the Shoe Fairy flew into your window and granted you three free pairs of shoes, any shoes (or boots, or mules, etc) in the whole universe… Tell me dearie, what would those three be? Signed,  Faithful Fellow Farming Reader  (Who loves to dream of shoes she will never get to wear)

I love to dream that way, too!
These (and seen in action here). My ONLY consolation in not owning them is that I’d never be able to wear them outside. What the red mud would do to these beauties….. it’s too terrible to think about.
These are pretty much the holy grail of boots; unfortunately they’re $1000.
These remind me of Frisco. They’re absurd and wonderful.

If you could have someone take care of the Farmily for you for 3 weeks, where in the world would you like to visit?

After watching part of “The Blue Planet,” I want to go to the bottom of the ocean. Actually, a multi-level ocean tour, from surface to seafloor ~ snorkel, scuba, submersion pod. That’s what I would like to do.

Let’s Meditate On A Bucket Of Plums

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Out on the range on Ranger

Trailed.

Tired.

Tortured tush.

Et tu?

Back For More

When you left the “city life” and moved to quieter settings, what were the five biggest happy consequences/surprises and five biggest “hardships” about the move? 5 years later, are they the same?
I think I’ve described the happy surprises in great detail throughout this blog and my book, so, how about I give you three hardships, and what they’re like 7 years later (it’s been seven years now!).

1. Fence gates. SO many fences cross this land, which means you have to open and close fence gates to get through them all. Some fence gates are hanging metal panels that close with a simple wrapped chain and swing easily to open and close. But far more common are the wire fence gates, which usually consist of three “stays” (short wooden posts that aren’t set into the ground, though if you’re very unlucky, these will be metal) with several strands of wire (often barbed) wrapped around them and stretched between them. It’s essentially a section of a wire fence that’s held taut by tension between two fence posts. They can be heavy and unwieldy and when you unlatch one (by wrestling yet another loop of wire off the end post), it will collapse on you if you don’t know what you’re doing. To add insult to injury, the first THREE times I opened gates when I first moved here, I allowed whoever I was with to drive through, then closed it with myself on the wrong side.

Now: I still don’t like ’em but I have them mastered.

2. Planning ahead for food. With the nearest grocery store a 40 minute drive away (each way), there is no “dashing out for this or that,” which was the only method of shopping I was accustomed to when I moved here. (That, and calling for delivery, which does not exist.) I’d like to say I learned quickly, but it took years for me to form better habits and Daisy saved me more than anything ~ a quart of fresh milk is a far better makeshift dinner than gas station potato chips or plain dry oatmeal eaten straight from the bag.

Now: Since going to the grocery store is such a pain, I’ve found it’s easier for me to DIY out here. Like growing alfalfa, lentil, and pea sprouts all fall and winter instead of buying greens or veggies from the grocery store; and milking Daisy instead of shopping for dairy products. It’s a work in progress, as I add more elements bit by bit after what started as new and stressful becomes second nature, but with the current state of commercial food (GMOs in everything, organic still so expensive), it’s been a blessing in disguise, being forced away from what was so convenient.

3. So much whiteness. As in skin color. Moving here was downright eerie. Like if all of a sudden, everyone around you had the same hair color, or wore the same color shirt.

Now: It took a bit longer for me to realize the horrifying, pervasive bigotry. It is shocking and vile. I’m not saying everyone in Wyoming is a bigot, but it’s more common (and accepted! wtf?) here than anywhere else I’ve lived, by far. Certain friendships have gone from very close to just cordial after the other person rattles off some anti-gay hate speech like it’s normal conversation and I…. first, my heart breaks, because HOW can people think this way??? (Don’t answer that, rhetorical question.) Then I respond with my thoughts which in no way align with theirs, and then there is a chasm, permanently. No one says the N word around me anymore, but that’s only because they know I’ll go off. It doesn’t mean they don’t still say it or still think everything that goes along with it. The bigotry is the hardest part of living here.

How difficult was the transition from city girl to country girl? What was the most difficult?
Most of this is answered above. But overall, it was more exciting than difficult. And I wouldn’t even say I’ve “transitioned.” I’m certainly not 100% country ~ I still have and use the perspectives that come from city life.

While living your city life, did you just…know deep down inside that you were meant for a life much simpler, real, and natural like you live today? It’s like my heart longs for so much more living in the midst of a busier town down in the Houston area of Texas. I know I’m meant to be in the mountains and valleys…the open spaces…raising animals like you and many other women I follow via the Internet. I know that’s only one question, but I also just wanted to say thank you. Your story is inspiring me to pursue the dreams I have to work cattle, raise horses, and live the ranch life I always knew I was made for. Hopefully within the next year I will be moving to make that dream a reality. You’re awesome – much love.
I didn’t know. Didn’t have a clue till I spent the majority of two months riding through rural areas on the Vespa. But once you know….. DO. {and thanks ~ back at’cha}

Could you repost or link to the post you wrote about dealing with/confronting fear (taking risks)? I hope that’s enough detail to jog your memory. I loved that post and had it saved, but misplaced it!
CLICK HERE. Thank you for reminding me of this!

Where did you find the courage to up and move to Wyoming after being a city-girl for so long? Were you afraid of how you’d put food on the table or did you just believe that things would work out?
CLICK HERE ~ it’s a super long post so I’m not copy/pasting it here, but it answers everything.

How did you know going out west to the mountains was the right thing to do? I feel very restless like I need to change my life. What drove you to make that huge change in lifestyle?
CLICK HERE…….