Snippets ~ Early Autumn Edition

It’s dark at 9pm and it’s dark at 6am – the light changed while I was gone. It’s not summer anymore, equinox schwequinox.

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I’ve been home for a week since my final Star Brand Beef deliveries and, as always, it’s a little weird adjusting from my time as a turtle. My little red reefer truck was my home for three weeks, four delivery routes, 8181 miles – and I loved every second of it, despite the truck having issues every. single. day. (the truck kept me safe and all my beef safe, so, hooray for that). I absolutely love getting to spend time with my customers, long-time readers, email pals, and the opportunity to move beyond the veil of the internet into real life.

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I think it might be time to hire seasonal help next year, spring and summer. Maybe even sooner. More details on that as soon as I get logistics worked out in my head. I would love to give someone from “the outside world” a chance to come in and work in agriculture and be part of sustainable, ethical food production…… so much to figure out, though!

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Last night’s dinner: organic brown rice cooked in homemade bone broth, served with seared elk tenderloin. Does this sound like a special menu item at an elegant restaurant? Did I mention this was Charlie’s and Chloe’s dinner? Mike had a peanut butter sandwich and I had cereal.

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I’ve been home for a matter of days and have already dove head first into a giant new project, which will debut next year and which I know you will LOVE. It is a love project. After 2014 and 2015, when I was barely functioning and just trying to keep myself and my businesses alive, it feels SO GOOD to work hard!

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Farmily update: everyone is wonderful and happy and peaceful – Mike held down the fort while I was away, and, thanks to having my own truck, I got to spend time at home with the Farmily between each delivery trip. It made a world of difference for me and them!

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AND, since I’ve been getting emails about this already: the 2017 CHARLIE CALENDAR is coming! I would never break tradition! It will be ready to share mid-October….

Thank You x 2

Thank you to everyone who shared and supported my Kickstarter…. this is what I got!
A Little Red Reefer!

All thanks to YOU.

Barn doors instead of a roll up door!
She is perfect.

And she needs a name……….

Thank you, also, to Taylor, Sharon, Brian, Heligal Anne, Flying Coyote, Kate, Jane, Dennis, Jan, Rue, Jessica, Lindsey, Meghan, Mary, Ellen, Susan, Abi, Kelley, Sophie, Kathleen, Broken Wagon Farm, Rocko & Daisy, Bree, Pat, Julie, Marya, Maureen, Joyce, Pam, Nicole, Karie, Torre, Katie, Corinne, Sheri, Laima, Lissa, Linda, CeeBee, Sally, Liza, Susan, Leslie, Sara, Melissa, Sandy, Maggie, Bud, Joy, Jay, The Fourteen Anonymoi, Blithe, Moonyean, Keli, Karl, Marian, FOSS, John, Elizabeth, Theresa, Kevin, Rowan, and Jacquelyn for donating to my fundraiser to Help Fight Hunger.

We’re a third of the way to my goal (which I am matching to $10K)! I’m going to let it run till the beginning of November, then take a truckload of beef to The Food Bank of the Rockies in time for the holidays. You can join us and donate HERE – just $5 makes an impact.

Quickie Farmily news ~ Tinkerbell might be pregnant! Can you believe it? She looks so good, so strong and healthy, you’d never guess her tragic calfhood by looking at her. You’d never know Sid was an orphan, either. He is downright fat and he and Roxy are joined at the hip. I want to make them a draft team. I’ve been wanting to train an ox for years – since Frisco was born – and I always run out of time, so we’ll see if they ever pull a cart together…. but I do have them both halter trained. They are the cutest little pair. When Frisco died, I didn’t know if I’d ever fall in love with another calf like I did with him, and with Roxy and Sid, I have, times two.

Snippets: Mid-Summer Edition

How do you deal with authority?

subquestion a) if you don’t agree with it?

subquestion b) if it seems you have no choice? (ie, noncompliance results in personal harm)

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Someone stole Kota’s tail. Can you even believe that? Stealing horse tails is an actual thing – for braided horsehair hat bands and headstalls. The thing that pisses me off is that I would have freely given a partial, considerate harvest of pieces of all my horses’ tails had the thief asked – but whoever did this stole all of Kota’s tail, which means Kota can’t swish away flies. And Kota used to be so friendly and fearless and whatever happened during the theft made him head shy. What is wrong with people?

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I was in the center of a bovine love pile last night. I was lying against Fiona’s massive, warm shoulder and Roxy and Sid came over to smoosh on top of me. There’s no therapy like cow therapy.

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Einstein, bringing it again and always:

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

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Found in my files: Leila & Pixie, about an hour after Pixie’s birth, May 2016

Snippets ~ Early Summer Edition

I am still really upset about the shootings this weekend, so the cute story I was going to post isn’t ready yet.

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Here is a photo of Roxy. She is beautiful. And sweet and hilarious.

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I am very close to sold out of Star Brand Beef! If you’ve been planning to order but haven’t yet, DO IT! If you’re looking for local Partners In Dine with whom to share/split an order, EMAIL ME and I’ll connect people who live in the same cities – this has worked wonderfully in the past and I’m happy to be a link.

And I’ve added a PNW route!
Bozeman & Missoula: Friday, August 27
Seattle & Bainbridge Island: Saturday, August 28
Olympia & Portland: Sunday, August 29

Everything else related to Star Brand Beef may be found HERE, or by emailing me.

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I posted a video of Charlie being very serious about being funny. Or being very funny about being serious. You decide. You can see it HERE.

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Please consider donating to my fundraiser to Help Fight Hunger – your donation will go far and be appreciated by many! Just five bucks makes a difference. In fact, if everyone who has viewed Charlie’s little video donated $5, we’d achieve our goal! You can donate HERE.

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Love. And more love.

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