A big part of our life revolves around our little slice of heaven. We bought the place when our kids were old enough to appreciate the special offerings “land in the middle of nowhere” could offer. Life moves at a slower pace and meals are hearty and imaginative. The closest market is thirty minutes away, which is great in a pinch, but we usually don’t want to leave once we arrive. So, I stock up with menu items and as the days go buy the meals get more and more creative using what ever is left. We have come up with some real interesting dishes only proving the old saying that “necessity is the mother of invention”.

A big part of life at the ranch is the animals. We have cows, two burros and have named them all. When we first got the place, our daughter was the official “namer” (we still have the list) and these guys have become family. The reality of what can happen with these animals was tough to learn at times and forced us to accept a way of thinking that was not part of our “regular” life. You make them your pets, but realize how exposed and vulnerable they are when something happens that a quick trip to the vet can’t fix. One such situation presented itself when we arrived late one night and found one of the female cows laying in the side of our road. Since it was calving season, we assumed she was in the process of giving birth. My husband went to sleep with a shot gun next to the bed just in case we heard coyotes during the night. Sure enough, around three in the morning, the howling started but where it was coming from, we just couldn’t tell. We jumped out of bed and my husband went running down the driveway , shot gun in hand, to protect both mother and baby. Thankfully, there were no coyotes and the mama cow was still laying down with no baby, or so we thought. As my husband was walking back towards the house, he heard a weak moo. After searching around with flashlights, we found a little baby nestled in the grass. We carried him up the hill and putting him in the dog run until we could figure out what to do. The next morning, the vet came out and explained that the mama had severed a nerve on her left side as she was giving birth and was there nothing to be done for her…she was paralyzed. With tears in our eyes, we talked to her as she was put to sleep.

But we now had an adorable male calf that needed to be mothered. In keeping with the family tradition, we needed to name him and Lucky seemed the perfect choice. With help from a local gal, we fed him, chased him around for exercise and eventually weened him.

Lucky is still with us, weighing in at around 900 pounds. He moos when you call him and still loves to have his head scratched. He has become our pet and will never end up on the dinner plate.

Can’t forget Buzz and Faye…