Gods Blessings...still good people in this world.

I am one of those people who are still always trying to find the good. I believe this world is inherently good even though some may not agree. I feel that God puts in in positions to help others...even if we don't have much. He also puts us in situations for others to help us all as well I am sure. The reason I am talking about this is because of last night and also a memory I have of my Grandmother when I was younger.

So this is how last night went. My husband got stung by bees in the neck the day before. He wasn't feeling that well in the morning so we actually ended up not going to church and canceling lunch with our friends. He told me to go but I felt I should be with him instead.

By early evening he was feeling better so we drove 30 miles to the other ranch (as we do daily) to do irrigation. I finally had phone service so I made some phone calls while he did the irrigation. By then it was already almost 9pm. I wanted to go to Holiday Market to pick up some stuff since our local store had already been closed for hours. Holiday Market is another 30 minutes or so but we needed a few items for the lunches and dinners I provide our helpers at the Ranch.

We kind of hemmed and hawed about whether we should go because it was getting late. Decided we would go anyways. We were out of creamer and that's a must ha! On our way there Ryan and I saw a guy on the side of the road that was in his car with flashing hazards with out of state plates.

Now to understand this...we do not live in a city. We live VERY MUCH in the country. The nearest gas station is 25 miles either way from where this guy was. Ryan told me to stay in the car and he asked the guy if he was okay. He was...thankfully, he had just ran out of Gas.

We told the guy we would go get some for him but it would be at least 40 minutes as the nearest gas station was 25 miles away. Long story short...we got gas, brought it back to him.

He was very thankful and proceeded to tell us that he was coming back from his fathers funeral and just wasn't thinking about being in the country. Thought he could make it to the next gas station. We felt so bad for him. Ryan got him laughing a bit by telling him how he used to do that too. Told him God Bless. That night we prayed for the guy. I have lost my mother to Cancer and I couldn't imagine losing my father too. I felt SO BAD for this man.

Moral of the story...I think God puts you in the position and also the moment that you should be in to help others. Its up to you to actually take on that role. I am glad my husband is a helpful man. If we wouldn't of had to get that creamer (among other things) we wouldn't of been there at the time the guy needed us. We didn't do anything great or heroic by all means but it just really made me think about the fact that its always in Gods timing.

This brings me back to when I was a teenager. My sister and I went on a road trip with my Grandma and Great Grandma. While at a gas station my Grandma accidentally left her purse on the back of a toilet seat in the restroom. We drove miles upon miles before we stopped again and she discovered it. Quickly we called and they said yes they found the purse that someone had turned it in. We drove all the way back to get it. I kept saying to my Grandma that there is no way they didn't take the money out. My Grandmother told me that there are good people in this world and to always think positive. When we arrived to get the purse....not a cent was taken. All the money for our trip was in there. Hundreds of dollars someone could of taken. This made a big impact on me. God was there that day helping us out. If someone would of stolen all that money we don't know what we would of done. It was a good example for me as a child. One that I carry on with my kids.

People are inherently good. Is there bad in this world...of course. Its about making someone's day and lending a hand though. For all the good stuff that people have always done for us we have to make sure we do it back for others. Kind of a pay it forward type of thing. I am hoping that man pays it forward to someone soon too. Remembering the day he ran out of gas and someone came to help.

The more good we do for others....the better this world will be!

Top Ten Gardening Tips

I love gardening! What I love about gardening more though is learning new tips and tricks to make it more successful and fun! I wanted to share with you some of my favorite tips and tricks! They are must haves in my opinion!

1. Plant Basil and Lavender. Not only is Basil super yummy and I love to make pesto but Lavender is a great smelling plant. These two plants help to keep mosquitos away. Where I live…this is a must.

2. With Vegetables that vine like squash, cucumbers or green beans I grow them in a large pot but have them climb up a trellis. Not only is it beautiful and easier to find the veggies but its space effective.

3. I like to save money where I can. You can make your own miracle grow to have healthier, brighter and yummier plants. It’s super simple. 1 Tbsp of Epsom Salts and 1 Tbsp of sugar in each hole that you plant.

4. I hate pests and bugs. I love garlic though! Growing onions, garlic or chives around your garden helps keep the pests away. Also gives you a great crop to add to any recipe.

5. When growing carrots, grow them in pvc pipes in the ground vertically. Add great soil and the miracle grow mixture in each pipe. Your carrots will grow straight and very orange. Love the smell of fresh garden carrots.

6. Where I live it gets hot. Also let’s be honest…I hate weeding. Spread 1-2 inches of untreated mulch around your plants. It helps keep the weeds down and also plants moist in the hot sun.

7. When planting tomatoes, cover with soil up to the first leaves to make them stronger. It helps the root system grow also.

8. If you are new to gardening. Plant things that are easy to grow such as beans, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, corn, kale, lettuce, okra, peas, potatoes, radish, spinach, squash and tomatoes.

9. Plant peppers with a box of matches since they like sulfur.

10. Use dental floss to tie plants to sticks, or trellis.

 

I wanted to include some extras also to help you anywhere you are. These are my two favorite gardening apps and they are both free. I like free!

Garden Compass- you can post disease, bugs or questions that you have and experts will tell you what it is and what to do!

Sprout It- It gives you step by step instructions based on where you live, your climate and weather for planting. Gotta Love Free

Please feel free to share some of your tips and tricks with me! Subscribe to my blog via Email at the top of my home page, Google+, Bloglovin app or even by coming back over and over. Remember also if you share a post this week tomorrow someone will be winning a Amazon Gift Card! Can’t beat FREE!

 

Family at the Dude Ranch

This weekend was pretty fun. Ok, I know its Wednesday but after all the fun we had I have had to take a break. My cousin Aaron, his lovely wife BreAnn and their two kids came to visit for a couple days. It’s a lot of fun when family comes to visit. I am still recovering from Brain Surgery 11 months ago (it takes a year or more) so sometimes I get really exhausted from fun. Isn’t that crazy? It’s true though.

Aaron used to go to my mom’s once a year to visit. She passed away 4 years ago and now has adapted to coming to my house each year which I love. I like hanging out with them.

Its especially nice because of having so many bottle fed animals we can’t really go anywhere for more than 12 hours right now unless we have people to watch them. So family comes to visit here which is great! And we don’t even have to leave the Ranch ever.

Our first day was feeding animals, eating and reminiscing with each other while also catching up on life.

The next day Ryan took the day off and we all went to the reservoir on the property we live on. We had a great time taking canoes and kayaks out. It’s kind of funny because in 2 years we haven’t even done that because we never really had time. You know how it is. You do more stuff when your family comes to visit. We had a great time as you can see. It’s nice to have a place that no one else is at. It’s just you and your family

And dogs….they didn’t want to be left behind.

I loved seeing my mother in law smile so big! This is my all-time favorite picture of her.

Kaiden and Brock had a great time. Kaidan learned to ride a quad and learned to shoot ground squirrels with a pellet gun. That sounds mean but it has to be done because the holes they create are bad for the earth and also can break cow’s legs. Brock learned really quickly that he wanted to feed all the animals. I also taught him to tell his mom that “it’s ok to be dirty, I am on a RANCH mom” J

I loved visiting with them. I really enjoyed just hanging out with BreAnn and talking. I even got spoiled by her cutting my hair! She did a great job! Now only if I can fix it every day to look as good as the cut!

We had a great time. It was a short and fast visit but it was nice! I am always happy to see family. It’s a good vacation for them too because it’s like going to a dude ranch but its free ha! The only payment I ever want is tons of hugs! Love my family! Now if we can only get Seth and Danny here.

Three New Babies

We have three new babies! The best part about that is we don’t have to change any diapers! I wanted to get some more bottle fed calves because #1 I love them and #2 if I could get a bull that would make Ryan super happy because he always talks about wanting a bull. I looked and looked and looked for bottle fed calves. Ended up finding three in Redding that the lady was practically giving away because her Jersey cow needed a break and she was sick of milking. I am thinking to myself, “This is great! Father’s day is coming up and Ryan will get his bull! Not one but two!”. She had three bottle fed calves. 2 bulls and a heifer. All we had to do was go up there and get them, take them to the brand inspector, get calf milk and go home! Calf replacer is pretty expensive. I think we walked out of the store paying 350.00 for three bags and a couple extra bottles. Going rate for Calves right now is 600.00 someone told me at the auctions so this really was a steal. Glad she got sick of bottle feeding because I never will.

As many of you already know I have bottle fed all of our lambs. Then we have my baby Minnie who was born by C section who has been bottle fed since birth. She is the cutest calf ever! So I was thinking that bottle feeding three more calves wouldn’t be THAT much of a chore! Our lambs are weaned now but Stevie Wonder our blind lamb doesn’t feel like he is weaned at all. He is a fat pig (well lamb) now but he still will push the calves to the side to try and get the bottle. What a piggy! This is my favorite all time picture of him because it cracks me up.

Anyways, we got home with our three new babies. It take about 20 bottles a day to feed all four calves. We will be feeding them till they are 7 months old so about another 4 months. They get 2 bottles in the morning and 2 at night. If they want more they get more. They are also eating grass and grain. They do love their bottles though. It’s nice because it makes them all so much more used to humans.

Princess was our bottle fed baby 1.5 years ago. She is now a big ol girl who will be a mommy come Fall. It’s funny because RJ thinks she is the mom and keeps trying to nurse off of her. RJ is Ryan JR. This is Ryan’s Bull Calf. He is so cute! Great coloring too.  He is 3 months old. His mom had died but he is bigger as he did get some nutrition from the mom before she passed. RJ is an Angus/Herford Cross.

This is Tulu. She is a pretty Heifer. She is only two months old. Her mother passed also. They were at a ranch with over 900 cattle so I am sure this happens a lot throughout the years. I love her eyelashes. Is it weird I am obsessed with a cows lashes?

This is Quinny. He is a Bull and a Herford Cross. He is a sweet little bull. He will eventually become a Steer though. This means he will be “fixed” so to speak and not be able to produce. This is still up in the air though so we will see. My BFF kids named Quinny and Tulu which is super cute. All of our animals have been named by kids in our family. My Nephew is naming the pigs when they come in a month. It’s fun for the kids.

So our little herd is growing by leaps and bounds. I think I started looking the day my teens all left and went to their other parents house for the month because its summer. I have this thing where I want to nurture everything! It took me a couple weeks to find another bottle fed calf that we could get for practically nothing. I just lucked out and got a three in one deal!

I know you are probably wondering why in the heck I would do this. I love it! I can’t help it. I love watching them grow. I was raised a city girl and only had one dog growing up. I want my kids to remember all the animals and be able to bring their grandkids back to see them too when they are older. Like 30 years older ha! In reality too these animals can help be our kids futures too if we ever decided to sell them later on. I don’t see me being able to do that but you never know.

This is what happens when I get bored because my kids aren’t here. They better hurry back because I am looking for pigs and more chickens now. I get excited too when family comes to visit because the kids get so excited to be able to feed. This week my cousin and his family came (that will be my next blog) but here is a sneak peak at my little cousin Brock feeding animals. What more fun for City SlickersJ Next my BFF and her kids are coming and then my Sister and her family! It’s so fun! Who wouldn’t want to do this?

Love,

Farmer Rae J

 

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!!!! So excited!

I am beyond excited today because I actually got Rachel W. Teal to do an interview! Its exclusive because she hasn't given an interview before on her book. Thank you Rachel for giving me the opportunity to share this with my Blog Subscribers. She even gives us a 40 percent Discount on her book which I put the coupon at the end! So Amazing!

 

1)  So you have released your first novel, The Gathering Place, recently.  Why did you choose to self-publish over traditionally publishing? 

Self publishing was always an option but I wanted to try to secure agent representation and have my novel sold to a publisher. I assembled my "dream team" of agents, and several responded. The overall feedback I received was regarding my platform: who I have in my network that will buy my book and who I have that will refer my book - fans, if you will. So I decided to self publish to build my platform and an audience so that I can then go back to agents with future projects and have the numbers there to support my dream.  

 

2)  What was the inspiration behind The Gathering Place?  How did you come up with the idea?

 

They say to write what you know, and I know the legal system in Tennessee through my "day job" as a paralegal, and I know the south and Nashville having grown up there. I've always loved murder mysteries and legal thrillers, so I put all those elements together and started writing.  Lucas came to me first, quickly followed by Samantha and the rest was history.  

 

3)  What parts of yourself are hidden inside the pages of your novel?

 

There is so much!  The setting is in Nashville, which I know like the back of my hand, so it was very easy to pull inspiration from my hometown.  Maliha is Cherokee and I have strong Cherokee roots. I love England, so having Lucas come from there was natural for me. Samantha's hometown is where my Dad's family is from, and the house where her father lives is an old farmhouse out in the countryside that I love. There are so many other things but I don't want to bore you!

 

 

4) Tell me a little bit about your writing routine.  Do you have a special place where you write?  How often do you write?  What inspires you? 

 

I tend to write at home. I don't have cable television so it's very easy for me to get lost in my writing at home. I usually write at my kitchen table or my chaise lounge. I also love independent coffee shops - caffeine is a must when holding a day job, having a life and trying to make your dream to be an author come true. It takes discipline. I'm inspired by people - that I see, that I meet, that I overhear. The world is your oyster if you will only listen! 

 

5)  Is the editing process as gruesome as it seems?

 

It can be at times and I was terrified of letting anyone see my work. I had actually shelved The Gathering Place for many years  until my friend convinced me to rework it and polish it up. The nuts and bolts were there, it just needed to be polished.  But it is terrifying at first, like someone telling you that your baby is ugly. And trust me, some people have, or have nit picked about things but over all, it doesn't change my opinion about my novel and rejection didn't hurt as bad as I had imagined.

 

6)  Has writing novels always been one of your dreams? 

 

I think writing in and of itself has always been the way I communicate with the world around me. I've written letters to boyfriends telling them things I couldn't confess in person, letters to the President and Congress...that evolved into writing short stories and poems in high school and college as an outlet, so writing novels, I think, was a natural next step. 

 

7)  Many may not know this, but you are a survivor of a rarely-diagnosed endocrine disorder called Cushing's Disease, one that I am familiar with myself. What is it like trying to accomplish your goals while struggling with a chronic illness?

 

It has its challenges. There's a spoon theory out there that says that an action costs you so many spoons and you only get so many spoons a day. My day job takes most of them but I'm lucky that writing is relaxing and cathartic, and I can take most of my stress and frustration out on the computer and turn it into something that makes me proud. In the end, it replenishes my supply of spoons. There are barriers and bumps on everyone's journey and Cushing's is no different. You just have to push through and climb and surmount a little more, but man do you feel accomplished when you get there! 

 

 

 

8)  So you are working on a literary fiction novel that contains a very important subplot regarding Cushing's Disease.  Is it easy to separate yourself from Tori, the character who fights this disease in the novel? 

 

Yes and no. I didn't want to write a memoir, at least not yet, because in the grand scheme of things, who am I? Plus, I am most comfortable writing fiction and telling my truth through my characters. I think I gifted some aspects of my journey with Cushing's to Tori, which helped me a lot in the end, but I also wanted Tori's journey to be her own, because I've learned that no person's story is the exact same, either with or without Cushing's Disease. So I let her express herself in ways I never would, and let her tell her own story.  

 

9)  When will The Hiding Place be ready?

 

It is outlined and a few chapters are written, but the literary fiction one is taking precedent right now and then I will finish The Hiding Place, which will feature Lila and Jack, though Samantha and Lucas will make a few appearances, too.  I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I think everyone will enjoy, and they will really start to see why certain things happened the way they did in The Gathering Place. 

 

10)  And finally, where can we find The Gathering Place?  (I'll talk about the discount for your blog readers here, and the giveaway of a Nashville prize package). 

 

It is on Amazon, in paperback and Kindle, and also on my e-store that you can access via my website, www.rachelwteal.com, on the novel's page. Also, I am offering a discount for your readers on the paperback version if they buy it through my store. As an added bonus, anyone from your blog who reviews on Amazon will  be entered to win a Nashville-themed goodie bag with some of my favorite things from my hometown. Use discount code GTLU4KCP  to get 40% off! 

Worst Chore and My FAVORITE chore!

Most people hate chores that they have to do daily. I guess there are a few that I don’t particularly love like doing dishes and I hate ironing. My favorite chore to do each and every day though is bottle fed my animals.

I was discussing with my husband how we went from one dog to 6 dogs, a cow, a calf, lambs, cats and 5 horses. Then I remembered who I was…an animal lover. It’s a big joke in my community that my name is Farmer Rae. It’s not because I farm that’s for sure. It’s rather for the fact that I have a bunch of animals….a Farm of them.

Our horses we saved them all except one was given to us. Princess, our black angus, we got at 5 weeks and had to bottle feed her for the next 6 months. Minnie, our calf, was a C-section baby that was early and we have bottle fed for months and will continue till she is about 8 months old. I love her! Then we have Stevie, Wooly and Lamb chops our bummer lambs that we bottle fed. And yes….6 dogs….of which over half were rescued and the other ones we just couldn’t live without.

You would think that is the end right but whenever my husband has some time (this is his busy season) we are going to go and pick up some pigs, and two more calves. So I guess I am Farmer Rae. I will hold that title proud. I love my animals! It’s hard not too especially when so many start out bottle fed and I am their momma!

How can you not love this….When they run to you each morning!

 

Or this….when Ryan is actually home late enough to feed with me. That’s always a treat!

 

Or seeing this…My cow Princess who used to be bottle fed. She still comes straight up to me even though she doesn’t even think about the bottle anymore.

 

They graze a lot too of course as you can see.

 

This is one Chore I definitely love. Sure beats dishes or ironing!!

 

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I finally did it!

I have decided that NOW is the time! I need to get my legs into action and start walking daily. I get about 5 miles in just doing my normal stuff or that’s what my Vivosmart says at least. I decided yesterday that I will walk 2000 extra steps at minimum each day. What started out as my own adventure in walking alone? Ok, wait…that’s a lie. I am NEVER alone. 6 dogs were walking with me. Anyways, back to the story. What started out as my own adventure in walking alone ended up with me walking to the creek which gets in my 2000 steps and seeing my handsome husband on the quad coming home from checking fences out. He of course is wearing camo because if he sees a coyote it becomes instant hunting. It was the coyote’s lucky day….he didn’t get seen and Ryan just did fencing stuff.

So I am 39 and I live on a Ranch. I am really not a Ranch girl so to speak. Never was raised on one. Grew up on Military Bases all over the world. We had ONE dog growing up….one! Now I have 2 cows, 3 sheep, 6 dogs, 2 cats and chickens. I am also looking into pigs and more calves right now but Ryan has been so busy with work we haven’t even had time to go anywhere. He is the Rancher. Working from 7am to sometimes 9pm or so. I am the Ranchers wife. Lol. I am the animal lover who takes care of all our animals and our children. I love this job. It’s my passion.

So back to being old….39 and not being a ranching super star. I have NEVER ridden a quad before. All my kids and my husband know how to ride one. They all have to know for working. They even enjoy moving cattle with them sometimes when not on horseback. I however have NEVER ridden one. I don’t know why. I guess this massive thing freaks me out or something. I kept telling Ryan I want to learn. He said I have been on a dirt bike before that I can ride a quad with ease. I just kind of always walked everywhere I needed to be on the ranch. Would be easier to ride a quad sometimes. Especially when it’s 100 degrees outside.

I walked up to my husband at the creek and he asked me how my day was going. We talked about fencing for a bit (YAWN) and then he said the magic words…..”Today is the day you are going to learn to ride the quad”. I think I came up with a billion excuses….”I am too big, I have allergies, I am going to turn into a pumpkin or something if I ride that”. He just smiled and said to get on the thing.

Then it happened! I turned it on with him in the back in case I died or something I didn’t want to be alone. I drove it!!! DING DING! I felt like a winner! Mind you my children have been driving them since they were little but I felt like I could SOAR! The closest thing I ever had gotten to ride a quad was in the back with my husband or his mom (that’s another story).

I was ready in an instant to do it myself. Ryan said lets go take the dogs back home and we can go out for a ride because he had to check the other ranch. I was ready! I am an expert now…I had driven a whole 3 minutes!

Ryan giving Sebastian a drink

It was pretty easy anyways. He was right I knew how to do it all along. We went on a romantic ride. It was romantic to me because we were together. To him he was checking fencing again and smiling at me every couple minutes. I asked him later why so many smiles. He stated it was because I had the biggest smile on my face. Well yah! I was now an award winning quad rider. Maybe in my mind only but hey I couldn’t wait to get back home, finish dinner and call the kids and tell them that I finally had done it.

Only I would have my Pellegrino on my quad

We had a celebratory dinner of ribs and beans. Seemed appropriate to me for some reason. Sent Jackson the picture of the ribs since it’s his favorite thinking he would say “not fair” but instead he is one smart cookie and said “you are breaking the rules”. He was right. We were sitting in the living room eating. Whoops! I wrote back to him that it was my vacation too and that I am a award winning quad rider that deserves it! J Till next time….maybe I will go over 15mph.

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