Your Memory Lives On

My Dad used to log with a Percheron work horse named Toby. Toby was quite the horse and the memory of him was preserved all due to a picture my brother; Steve, took years ago of Toby in the pasture. The picture is proudly displayed in our livingroom and will always have special significance to our family.

The Fabric of Our Lives

The familiar song lyrics of the cotton commercial, “the touch, the feel, the fabric of our lives” causes me to reflect on the quilt pictured here.  Year after year as Carl has worked on the farm, he has worn out many pairs of jeans. And even though they are ripped and stained, I can’t bring myself to throw them out. So I cut and stitch them together with other pieces of fabric and throughout the years a quilt has evolved.

Many times I’ve looked at the old jean squares and wondered sometimes what all Carl must have done in a day to create their unique look. Was he fixing fence that day? Was he wrestling hay bales another? Was he cleaning out stalls or feeding feed? Maybe he was trimming a horse’s hooves or riding a green broke horse. I’ll never know, but I do know this quilt will have special meaning when it is completed for it will represent the hankies he uses in the summer on a dusty day, the livestock he cares for on a daily basis and the Wrangler jeans he wears when working.

“Happiness is a Warm Puppy" ~ Charles Schulz

I would like to introduce "Lady," our most recent addition to the Swingin S. Isn't she adorable? She was born Christmas Day and is the offspring of Mr. Peter's (aka Pete Peters/Expresso) and Lily (aka Silly Lily). We look forward to years of entertainment as she grows and becomes an integral part of our farm.

Will It Ever End?

Is it Just Me or Does Winter Seem as if it’s Dragging on Forever This Year? Carl is growing tired of going out and slugging through the snow everyday. He expects to have to contend with this every year, but the realities of farming are forgotten by many when not having to care for a farm 24/7 for 365 days a year. Yesterday, when feeding livestock, the skidsteer got hung up on some ice when Carl had to stop on a hill to open a gate. It is yet another reality of winter, you never know the where, when or how it’s going to affect your livestock or your chores. All you can do is try and be prepared. As for the skidsteer, thank goodness Jon was close by and could pull him off the ice with the truck. A little pull and “bazinga,” off we go again to contend with the weather another day or as Carl says to "go get stuck somewhere else." 

On the other hand, as much as I want the snow to come to an end, I know we need the moisture from the snow to provide us with beautiful green pasture for grazing the livestock this coming year. I have to admit though after the last snowstorm, it’s a welcome sight to see some sunshine peeking through the clouds today. A hint of optimism is in the air at the Swingin S Ranch and gives me a little bit of hope that winter is close to an end.  

New Swingin S Ranch Website

Our Swingin S Ranch Website has a whole new look. We recently completed the process of transferring the domain name, transferring the hosting and rebuilding the website. It's been a long journey, but we think we will have a few more options available to us, such as a blog and link to facebook from our website.  If anyone is interested, please take the time to check it out at www.swinginsranch.com. We look forward to hearing from you.