Earth Ranch Rodeo

For the past 11 or so years Mi Familia has been helping with the Famous and Fabulous Earth Ranch Rodeo. Now, we don’t call is “Famous and Fabulous” around all the cowpokes because if we did…well, they might not come.

And if they didn’t come…

Well, then there would be no Earth Ranch Rodeo. The End.

All of us, had the best view because we all sat in the Crow’s Nest and helped out timing, score-keeping, and babysitting.

Some of us helped out eating…

And some even helped out painting.

While others just watched.

Just kidding, the Mom & Pop did their fair share too.

The good news is that we all did so well, and were so efficient that we get do the whole rodeo thing again tonight at 6:30p.m. in Lazbuddie, Texas in honor of the wonderful FFA program.

You think I’m a walking poster for this event?

Well, that’s because I am.

So everyone, drop what their doing tonight and come out and join us for fun, rodeo, and homemade ice-cream. Amen.

 

Sweet T

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Cabin Fever

We have a cabin. A tiny cabin in Valle Del Rito of New Mexico. It sits in a plethora of mountains that consume your view every which way you look. (One of the mountains which my father, sister, brother and I managed to hike, get lost while hiking, not ever notice we are lost, scale down a mountain, and return to the cabin in time for supper, Amen.) It rains almost every day. There is a stream. There are wild mountain flowers that fills your nose, and then unavoidably make you sneeze, but it’s a lovely sneeze. There’s a stream. Did I mention there’s a stream? And the cabin has turquoise windows. Need I say more?

Ahhh.

You feel that?

That was your heart telling you that it needs a vacation, and the vacation needs to include mountains, turquoise windows, and s’mores.

At least that’s what my heart tells me ever so often…

We had a great time at the cabin. We stayed for almost a week which is basically an eternity for the Townsend family seeing as that most of us ahem, Daddy, are busy bodies.

The Brahman Breeder fished.

The Daddy slept, read, dreamt of horseback riding up a trail, and ate.

The Mama did some kind of crafty sewing, cooking, and walking.

The Lovely Sister hiked, beat everyone at poker, babysat (me), and ate.

And this bum read, picked flowers, hiked, and ate. Oh, and I made Potato Pancakes. Let’s just say they are a work in progress…

We all had fun, we all want to go back, we all will go back…next year. God Willingly.

Until then, I will waste away my days not making Potato Pancakes. Amen.

 

Sweet T

I Think It’s Time For a Sister Post…

I do these periodically because one of the greatest joys in a girl’s life is to have a sister. And I want to remind my sister that even through the bickering, the fighting-over-clothes, and the sarcasm (Lots and lots of sarcasm) that she is my best friend. Amen.

Even though me and my Lovely Sister are completely and totally opposites, we act pretty much like the same person. Does that make sense? Oh well, my seestor will understand…She’ll underestand “seestor” too.

She is the first person I tell good, bad, and even ugly news too.

She is the only person I will borrow clothes from compulsively…and sometimes without her knowing.

She is the only person that lets me sleep in her floor, on a trundle-bed, and completely destroy her room while I am home from school.

She is my best friend.

She is my sister. Or seestor.

And she (along with the rest of the family) are the only people who could eat Earth Rodeo Hot Dogs for the rest of eternity and never get tired of them.

Amen.

 

Sweet T

 

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, I am going to see how many times I can say “completely” in a post. Just kidding.

What I really meant to say was…I know I usually post my blog on Facebook, but I think I will quit doing that for the mere fact that people have to get tired of seeing “Sweet T” on a daily basis. I mean, it probably make them crave Sweet Tea, and then they end up with a bunch of cavities. So in order to avoid that,  I will from now on only post the ones that are important, interesting, shocking, or contain delicious food. Amen.

 

 

Picture Overload

I suppose my absence has not been missed as usual, but also as usual I have missed all of you. So for today I am doing a photo dump (or Picture Overload) of all the pictures I have taken these past few weeks so you don’t think that I’ve just been sitting at home, eating captain crunch, and watching Little House on the Prairie…Although that does sound delightful.

I realize none of these pictures make sense to you but they will someday soon and for the rest of your life…or something like that.

For now though, this is all I have time to share with you, because there is a house that needs cleanin, and a lunch that needs fixin’, and some wood that needs choppin’.

Ok, no wood, but you get the idea.

 

Peace, Love, & I’d be a lot stronger if I had to chop wood every day.

Sweet T

The Cabin

For the first 18 years of my life I spent every summer in the mountains of New Mexico. My Mom’s family has a small, quaint cabin there that I have always considered to be a faded pink adobe with a red tin roof. It’s actually tan but in the mind of a  6-year-old wanna-be-princess it’s definitely pink. The cabin sits in a valley, surrounded by mountains, and filled with a little stream that is big enough to fall into, get completely soaked, and loose a shoe…or two.

Last summer was the first summer I did not go to the cabin in 18 years, and it was my Mom’s first summer to not go to the cabin in 39 years. (Big difference there huh? Wait. What? Oh, nothing…)

Needless to say, we are very excited about going this year.

Actually, “very excited” is an understatement. “So excited it’s hard for me to remember my first name” is a little more appropriate.

While we are the cabin we will do a number of things:

We will eat…alot.

We will go to Santa Fe, Taos, and other New Mexico mountain towns to walk through their markets, buy their pottery, eat their food…etc.

We will sleep.

We will hike.

We will sit on the porch and observe.

We will make s’mores.

We will make fires.

We will play poker. (And I will win…something that will definitely make the church bulletin.)

We will eat. (Again, and again, and again.)

We will not want to leave.

The Cabin is…well, it’s The Cabin. That is the best way I know how to describe it.

 

Today, we are spending the whole day cooking for the cabin for tomorrow we leave.

So far we have made Blonde’s (I made the blondes for obvious reasons…That’s right it’s because I’m 5’4″.)

And Mashed Potatoes…The mashed potatoes were made early so that we could take them to the cool mountain air, fry them in Panko, top them with sour cream, and then eat them. All of them.

You know, it’s a hard life.

While we’re at the cabin My Mimi does not live very far away, so she usually meets us in Santa Fe, or Taos for a day of shopping.

Which brings me to this picture…it was not taken at the cabin, and it was not taken at Mimi’s…it was taken somewhere in-between. At Dawson, New Mexico, an old mining town that still has some buildings, and a large grave site.  It is the definition of “neat.”

I’m not sure how I got off on that rant…

Forgive me.

Anyways, Me. Cabin. Tomorrow. Potato Cakes. Amen.

 

Peace, Love, & Come join us!

(But find your own cabin first because ours barely has room for me…I might even have to sleep outside. In that case, Can I come join you?)

Sweet T

 

Chaos at Dusk

It’s dusk, and all is still on the open plain…

Well all is still if you don’t count the Brahman Breeder running around trying to catch his chickens that have escaped, and Little Cro (the little colt) running away from my Lovely Sister because she is trying to spray him with the water hose.

Ok. Let me rethink that phrase…

It’s dusk, and all is in complete chaos on the open plain…

Good thing my family handles complete chaos very well.

In fact, we are experts.

In the midst of all the chaos tonight, I am trying to capture Little Cro in all his mischief.

I am also trying to capture him without his mouth around the Brahman Breeder’s arm…apparently he is a biter.

Did I mention I am an expert in the art of salsa making?

Didn’t think so…

Goodnight Wisconsin.

 

Peace, Love, & It’s time for bed.

Sweet T

Babysitting 101

My day was fairly boring

Er…Ok. Maybe not so boring.

But it was even less boring when I got home and babysat these cuties.

Scout and Reno.

They have taught me the best baby-sitting methods around.

I’ll share:

1) Let them feed chickens cherries.

It makes the kids happy.

It makes the chickens happy.

It solves your problems on how to get rid of unwanted cherries.

Not that I don’t like cherries, I do. I just prefer them in pie. Amen.

 

2) You let them sit in the big chair.

Or flip….

 

3) You let them watch Diving on the Olympics

They were glued.

I think it’s because they’ve seen me dive so many times on the olympic level that they were extremely surprised to not see me in London.

It happens quiet often actually…*Cough* NOT *Cough*

 

4) Oh and let them call you “Summah.”

 

Peace, Love, & Yes I have already been nominated for World’s Greatest Babysitter.

Sweet T

Or Summah.

Whatever you prefer.