Harvesting Faith and Good

Soul restoring Montana style

The one thing that I learned from being on the farm for so many years, is that despite your best efforts, sometimes things don’t go as planned. And perseverance and faith are your best friend, along with a good dose of hope. That learned life skillset has served me well and as I continue to learn new lessons from less than desirable circumstances, there are blessings and silver linings to be found.

And the reason I am sharing this is because of a setback on a goal of mine.  Without getting into the weeds too much, my application to host other events at my barn was denied by the Planning & Zoning Committee.  All the events Rod & I had dreamed about hosting were now in ashes.  The application hearing & process as a whole was basically awful and I was unprepared for mudslinging at me by one distant neighbor. (I now have even greater empathy for politicians who endure name calling). Anyway, after the dust settled and a recent soul restoring trip to my beloved Montana, a new dream is in the making.

Let me share my story on the magic of when things don’t go quite as planned.  After the P&Z hearing, I was feeling a bit off balance and said to my “Mr. Right” that “this girl’s soul needs Montana”. His response was, let’s go!  As Rod described a leisurely trip up Lolo pass and on over to Philipsburg (P-burg), I could hardly wait.  Bless that sweet man of mine.  Anyway, we arrived in Montana late afternoon and hungry. We were beyond disappointed that our favorite brew pub diner was closed… on a Wednesday of all things.  So after a quick bite at another place that wasn’t all that great, we discover that our hotel reservations were for Philipsburg, Kansas…. Not Montana.  Ugh. No hotel room was available in this cute little tourist town.   I was trying to not be glum as this evening was turning out not as I envisioned… so we decided to console ourselves by getting a beer at our other fav brew pub.   There the magic began, as we were sipping our adult beverage and getting a game plan, we struck up a conversation with another couple who didn’t live in P-burg, but spent a fair amount of time there. This couple were nothing short of being fascinating (she was an appellate judge in Ohio & he was a contractor building a small cabin here in Montana) and we felt like instant friends.  We head over to a different bar so the other couple could grab a bite to eat and (only in small towns) is a hoola-hooping contest in progress.  Out of the blue, a woman walks up to me and hands me the hoola-hoop, so I give it a try and win the contest. I guess I impressed Rod with my new found skill and got high 5’s from all the patrons…. Lol.  Basking in my new fame, in walks the mayor & owner of the beautiful historic hotel to find us as our new friends had called him after learning of our hotel situation.  He has a drink with us and says he has one room available with a king bed. Glory be! We follow him and the hotel is spectacular, the great room has comfy chairs, a wood stove and books that made you want to stay all winter and read your way through the room.  All the rooms were themed and we had a rustic style room decorated with skis and sleds and a divine plaid Eddie Bauer down comforter that you melted into on the chilly rainy evening.  The universe was putting just the right people in our paths and let me tell you,  I felt blessed beyond measure.  The next day we headed over to see my cousin Ginny & Scott with plans to see their fav Western themed dinner show in Jackson Hole, WY.  Family, music, good food… heavenly! On our way home, Rod & I do a day trip through Yellowstone and opt to spend the night in Virginia City, again another historic hotel and good conversation with the manager.  Getting to soak up the magic of Montana, spend quality time with beloved family…. this girl’s soul was filled up and I was ready to move forward as I felt there was just something better out there for me to do.  

Picture perfect in Jackson, WY

Barn envy

Yellowstone and Old Faithful, be still my heart

Once home, I connected with a lovely woman named Sara who sought me out and asked if I wanted to partner with her and do an antique show as this was also a dream of hers.  We plotted, planned and found a venue at the fairgrounds and now have two dates, the first will be a Spring event, April 2, 2022 and the second will be a Holiday sale November 12, 2022.  We’re starting to attract other cool vendors and I’m beyond excited!!!!

In the matter of a 3 weeks, I got my soul restored and a new events partner by trusting in a higher power and that Our CREATOR had something better in store for me.  The power of good people put in the right spot in the right time and seeing the magic of silver linings in situations that you didn’t plan for.

Again, those lessons learned from my time in Agriculture, this is an industry unlike no other. Besides feeding the world, I got to see firsthand how hardworking farmers/ranches paychecks depend on circumstances beyond their control – weather and the market.  This creates in you the power of faith and hope in all situations.  So no matter what speed bumps come up, I’m grateful to have gotten through them, I’ve prevailed and come out strong.  As for the barn, well we are blessed to have a large family and it will be the central point for our family gatherings, and that is  always a good thing.

Wishing you a very blessed Sunday.  Here is a special blessing I came across and want to share.  “May you always have enough happiness to keep you sweet; enough trials to keep you strong; enough success keep you eager; enough faith to give you courage and enough determination to make each day a good day”.  All my best, Gayle 

 

 

 

Thoughts & Pictures from the Farm-chick

A  favorite view from my back porch - the glorious rolling hills called the Palouse

I awoke to one of my favorite sounds..... rain. My mind was once again urging me to get up and write at 3:37a.m., but I forced myself back to sleep before jotting down a thought for the blog.  So friends as I sit here by the fireplace, cup of coffee next to me and  getting to chat with you, a nice way to start the day.  I've put an Apple Cider Pound cake in the oven and on a whim decided to try to bake a gluten/vegan version of that same cake (for my baby brother Barry) who has allergies galore.  I'll post the recipe soon, but first decided to see if there was a difference in apple cider. The really yummy stuff that looks like "Fall in a Container" and only available during September and October.....or the generic stuff you can buy in a store any day.  So stay tuned I'll post the recipe later today.  Then just to complicate stuff I am also trying another glaze to go with the cake, an Apple Cider glaze... yumm.

Apple Cider Pound cake with Salted Caramel   Glaze

What is on the agenda today?  Well lots.  I want to work on the blog. Perhaps you've noticed some of the simple changes Kristi has been making.  Ideally it would have been better to scrap this site, and start with something new, but I didn't want to as I wanted to keep this URL because I didn't want to lose anymore readers.(which happened when I changed URLs from my old blog name to my new current one). You have been with me as you saw what my life looked like before as a farm-wife, then as I rebuilt my life from the ashes of divorce.  Because you are important to me, I'm hoping you will like the changes on the blog that are coming! (promise)

I'm still toying with what I want the blog  to look like and frankly, I'm having a hard time because I don't just focus on one thing..... nope  that would be way too easy.  My passion is writing about how our food is grown, but the balance is to give just enough information, not be boring and provide a personal glimpse of  what life on the farm looks like (and then try to make it somewhat interesting).... then there is my passion for making huge messes in my kitchen, which normal people call baking. So do I just have one page? Or pages devoted to those topics? hmmmm.  Oh and then there is the other messy passion, refurbishing furniture. So friends, please let me know what you want.(pretty please)

One of my "projects"  the barn is my new shop! And the white cottage
is where I'll put up my bed and breakfast guests.

This building project has been a lesson in patience.... today Randy and I get to finish sanding so the inside of the cottage can be primed, then the really fun stuff, I get to decorate.  I'm so excited to show you...

My shop will allow me to do projects like this over  the winter (below) in my shop and NOT in my bedroom like I've been doing.

A buffet that I redid with homemade chalk paint

Geez!! What is a girl to do? So many things to write about....

Since it rained I'm toying with if this is the right time to re-seed my lawn with the "no water" grass seed to get it started for a no work lawn next summer. Rain is forecast but so is wind, guess I'm make that decision shortly.  The really cool thing about this seed is that it is grown my area farmers and I'm thinking I can do a field trip to the seed company's site to show you.  Yup, by now you realize there is lots going on in this crazy farm chick's brain.

Miss N, Miss M, Miss B for a day on the farm

Of course, one more pic of these cuties.

My yard art all staged for Fall!

Well, more to come!  Gotta go -but come back later as I'll be posting the recipe for the cake and if the vegan free cake turns out, I'll post that one too.

As always, thank you for stopping by. If you want to share any thoughts, ideas or whatever, I'm only a click away at Swheatfarmlife@gmail.com or leave a comment on the blog too.
 All my best, Gayle

Trust the Farmer but not the Ag Industry??

What does a farm-wife & her family have in common with a famous concert pianist (Wayne McEvilly) or a fan (Janice Person) who wrote a blog post about  making hummus from the garbanzo beans (also known as "chickpeas") that I sent her? 

Well... we all met through Twitter and now "I am their personal connection to our farm, I am the face behind the food they eat, and I am "their farmer". 

Call to Action! Farm Bloggers Unite!

Our children are our future.
Even the littlest sleeping angel
loves her tractor and who knows,
may want to join the farm when she grows up. 
We need to protect our heritage
to pass on this legacy to our kids and grand-kids

I opened my book club packet today and saw, to my dismay, a new book out from the CEO of H$U$ on animal welfare. OMG, the blurb about it says “it is an important investigation into how we can repair our relationship with the animal kingdom.” I sat down for a moment and thought, the Ag community needs to do something!! But what??? Then I got an idea, if a blogger writing about her cooking from a Julia Child’s cookbook (i.e. Julie & Julia) could have it made into a movie, then what about the “Best Farm Blogs” all showcased into one book? A book that would capture a glimpse into the life of farm families all over the USA complete with stories and pictures. So now I’m off on yet another mission, and it is to contact all the farm bloggers on my Farmer Inc, The Real Story website and request they send me their best blog along with a picture or two. Call me crazy, but we in the Ag community need to do something and now! So to all you farm bloggers out there, please email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com with your best farm blog in Word format, along with a great picture or two, plus info on yourself. Let’s see where this journey takes us.

All my best, Gayle.

Farming - Through The Eyes of the Consumer

Farming looks idyllic and seems easy, but there is real precision, logic
and science behind everything we do 

Would you ask your plumber tax questions?  And believe his answers to be true because he observed how accountants went about their day and then considered himself to be knowledgeable on the subject?   No?  It’s the same concept that many of us in the Ag industry feel about the misrepresentation portrayed in the food movies and biased media.  Half truths, things taken out of context that are put out there as the real answers, but they are not.



What does taking a walk with a 5 year old and you, the American consumer, have in common? It’s about asking questions and getting the real answers. True facts to your questions, so let me explain….

The 5 yoa grand-angel. A day out in the field when harvesting wheat

Viewing an ordinary walk on our rural gravel road through the eyes of an energetic and curious 5 year old made me think about you, the average American consumer and how you view those of us who farm. Let me back up, yesterday Farmer Joe and I took our 5 year old grand-angel out for a walk (her idea) and as the pink coated, yellow booted short little blond was skipping down the road, throwing rocks in the ditches filled with water, and asking questions – it was viewing the same ordinary path that we walk a lot, but so differently viewed through the eyes of someone who was asking questions and wanting answers. So as the farmer and I answered questions about why water was running from the fields into the ditches and other curious, sometimes funny questions…. It made me think about the shopper, the ones who rely on us to get food on your table, who want to know about the hows and whys of the things farmers do.

Early Spring on the Palouse, the winter wheat fields
are starting to turn green

A close up of the wheat, note the wheat straw from
last year's harvest helps protect the crops

So my newest endeavor is to have you, the consumer, get the real answers to your questions from real farmers in all areas of Ag. I have been compiling the many blogs along with the industry councils and other good knowledgeable websites to do just that - give you a one stop shop and invite you into our daily farming lives. It is still a work in progress, but it is a beginning. So where do you find this site? The site is called, Farmer Inc., The Real Story, and the link is simply farminc.net. So we invite you to read about us and if you have questions, ask us, we know what we are talking about.


P.S. Yes, I will keep this blog site up, as it is about our wheat and garbanzo farm. Tomorrow I will be blogging about starting spring work and Farmer Joe has taken his camera along with him to begin documenting what he is doing. Later on in the week, I will be touring the Washington State University Wheat Research Lab to show you how universities help the farmers with developing better wheat varieties.  Then hopefully I will get to document wheat at the Port being loaded onto the barges that go to the foreign markets! Am I excited to share this with you? You bet! So stayed tuned, come back often and as always, if you have questions, email me at idahofarmwife@gmail.com. All my best, Gayle.