TAD with Rain Farm Land

 Greetings!

Don't know why I have such a problem reading Rain's list of themes. I am a week off again.

Today is Farm Land with TAD over at Rain's.

I am going to tell you a true story. When I was 22 years old I was the second cook at a huge hospital in the San Fransisco Bay Area. My babies were 5 and 3 years old. One of my neighbors was a semi truck driver that told me about a job opening for a cook 50 miles outside of Winnemucca, NV. It was a 10,000 acre ranch with 30 (real) cowboys. There were buffalo, Charolais cattle, horses, chickens, and alfalfa with a mill to make rabbit feed among other things. They had a trailer for me and the kids and I was in charge. In 1974 Winnemucca was a nothing of town and 50 miles out was more of nothing. I love it!!!! My neighbor with the semi truck moved me from SF to the ranch. However, one look at the trailer and my heart fell out of my chest. It had no living room floor, and the kitchen was.... well there wasn't one. I found the foreman and within a day that trailer was removed and a new one sat in it's place. The cook house was the worst kind of mess. It took me 2 days to get it clean along with the dinning room.  During the 2 days of cleaning the cowboys were not allowed in. I am not sure what or where they ate but it wasn't in my kitchen. On day 1 I got up at 4Am to get the best breakfast prepared. I remember standing out on the porch watching the sun come up over the mountains and the fragrance of clean air mixed with wild sage and alfalfa. Then I rang the big bell for the cowboys to come eat. It was amazing! Come lunch, I rang the bell and 30 filthy men started to come in. Ohhhh Nooo! I handed them towels and pointed to the big wash sink outside. Some of them were reluctant but they all washed before they came in. Lunch was the big meal of the day and I never got so many compliments in my life. The cowboys loved my kids and me for that matter. Respect from some old cowboys that were trying to keep their way of life alive. If the ranch hadn't closed a few years later, I would still be working there. Riding horses with my kids, teaching them to shoot and hunting rabbits for our dinner. The cowboys playing silly tricks on us and camp fires with singing and laughter echoing through the valley. Yes, I was young but it was a life I loved. I am sad to say that I do not have one photo of this time of my life. Taking photos was just not easy and there was always so much work on the ranch.

These are the types of cattle on the ranch.

From ranches to raunchy. I finished the drawing I started while waiting for Mr M. at the doctor's

 

And for some great news, for me anyway. Some of you may know that a few years ago I hurt my back pretty severely. This year it is not doing well at all. I truly thought I would not be able to garden. Mr. M. helped me put up a few containers to make a small garden. This summer Mr. M. is building me an elevated garden section where I don't have to bend over and I don't have to take it all down for the winter. Just cover it. So I will be happy with a small garden this year.

I made a small greenhouse. Works great. I have lettuce growing inside.	I got these buckets of potatoes planted last week.
I will have 5 more buckets set up tomorrow.	I couldn't believe the sun came out today.
The onions on the table I grew from the ends of green onions. The next plant is black bean that I started in the house.	I have 5 buckets of squash on the fence side. I Germinated them in the house and they are already showing after one day.

Growing food makes me happy!

Have a great day today.

Nicole