Where's the song ~~ "Don't let your daughters grow up to marry a Cowboy" ?

​​​​​​​Life is tough! Requires hard physical work, long, long days of pain, dirt, and broken fingernails.​
​Days of frigid cold & scorching heat; through the dust & mud; daybreak into the darkness of nite~~​
​the heart & body becomes toughened & weathered replicating leather!​
​A forever constant factor for a real Cowboy's Wife is tons of sweat, oceans of tears and a constant 'drought' in the wallet!​
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​​​​​​​​​IF​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ she wants to spend anytime at all with her Cowboy, she must do as he does, you become partners!​
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​​​​​​Kick off your boots, grab a cup of coffee, sit back and envision yourself in my life!​
​... It really isn't that bad! There are many rewards to be had to make it a great lifestyle! ...​ ​​​​​​​


Wednesday, September 17, 2008

I Traveled to Jordan Today..

...into the Lost City of Petra!

What an adventure for someone who goes no where!
If you want to learn more, as I plan to, click here for starters.

Do you remember the movie
"Indiana Jones:
Last Crusade"?
Well, walk through the Siq
(to the left) and you come out at
'The Treasury'..
(to the right)
Do you recognize this?
It is where parts were filmed.
The Lost City of Petra is built exclusively out of sandstone.
Beautiful colors, which these photos do absolutely NO justice for.


To the left,
is the Monastery
"ed Deir"
which is a mere
900 steps to reach!"
*
"Lawrence of Arabia" was filmed mostly
here in Wadi Rum
(to the right).
Home to the Zalabia Bedouin people.
It is said T.E Lawrence wrote "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" here.

I had the most incredible journey today....
via video and the traveler who took us there!
*
THEN....
*
I WON!!!
*
All because # 11 is always my 'chosen' number when asked....





Aren't they pretty? And they are my 'birth month flower'!
A touch of Fall indoors now!
*
I ALSO......
*
Got "dressed up" today!
MY kind of 'dressed up'!
My best Wranglers, a pretty shirt and....




The only make up I own,
...Mascara!







And the most dreaded item in my closet,
...SHOES!




That is as dressed up as I get!
*
(I did get more dressed for my niece's graduation in June, ONLY because it was in a BIG city in Minnesota... & I think my family would have made me watch from the skylights if I hadn't.
I actually thought about returning the dress I purchased when I got home...heck!
It was only worn for 3 hours!...but didn't...
And I did get dressed up for our daughters wedding years ago...not sure why I had to though. Cowboy was allowed his spanking new Wranglers & Black Tux jacket & black Cowboy hat..."He wouldn't be Dad if he dressed any other way! "
...cough...er... um .. like I was ever seen in anything but Wranglers?
Dress? nada...but that's Ok "Hydro & The Guy"...

I did it for you because I love you!.. )

*
WHY?
Did I travel to Jordan?
WHY?
Win a pot of Chrysanthemums?
WHY?
Get 'dressed up'?
*
It was Meeting day! That's WHY!
*
No, not AA, or PTA; not even a Meeting of the Minds!
*
Nope!
*
It was our first Women's Farm Club Meeting of the year! Well, more like first of 8!
Why only 8? Because these are hard working Farm/Ranch women!
Harvest is mostly over, and the rush will all begin again in 8 months!
The Club was formed in the 1920's, which is the oldest,still active club in the County!
The women had very little time to socialize, homes were miles and miles apart.
Out of loneliness and lack of the access to socializing, they decided to meet
once a month, at each others homes.
Meeting time was set for 2 pm as these women had to prepare and serve Supper to
their working crews and families~ Supper, being the main large meal of the day.
The women whose families still harvest/ranch,...continue to do that, so the meeting is still 2pm!
There are 42 members ranging from 'Me' to 94 years young.

(Until today, I was the 3rd youngest member. The two younger ones whose lives didn't revolve around agriculture dropped out.)

My~does it feel good to be the "Youngest" at anything these days!

There are 27 active members and the remainder are 'honorary' status, because
they either live too far out and don't drive any longer, or they may be in nursing
or retirement homes elsewhere.
When I was asked to join 3 yrs ago, right after we moved here,
I was honored to be included as a member of the community.
This is the only socializing with other women I get to enjoy.
Everyone has tremendously busy lives and I thoroughly enjoy their company.
The stories they have to tell, the knowledge they willingly share,
and their trials, truiumphs and tears ~I empathize with.
All of these women are strong in faith, family and life.
They are fearless, sincere and have hearts as big as the sky!
*
The Club does community work helping to maintain the grounds of the tiny cemetary,
to painting a flag pole or replacing a bench in the park.
They contribute to the battered womens home in Spokane at Christmas with gifts of the little things these women might miss.
Donations are made to certain causes that come to the attention.
(Last year, the Club made a generous contribution to the Fistula Foundation.)
The women help with the sick, the dying or the lonely people in our community.
No matter how wide spread over a map our community is,one of us lives somewhat close to someone in need.Whether it be helping with grocery shopping, a trip to the doctor,
or the need to just have someone sit and listen in a time of suffering.
There is one of us to help. Always.
*
Holding to tradition, the two hostesses for the monthly meeting pick a program,
decorate, prepare delicious foods andserve with real china, silver, linens, and tea pots!
I think this idea was incorporated to make their meetings eloquent!To separate themselves from the aprons, stacks of pots and dishes;the dust, the chafe and the grime of their accustomed daily farm lives.
The women know how to put on a grand 'tea party'!
(and, yep, this hillbilly has learned! One time a year, I can pull it off!)
So....
Today, the Program was the sharing of an excursion by a Club member who traveled to Jordan and Egypt last year. Time didn't allow for her to present the complete trip that she had captured on video, but with her narration, her knowledge and the treasures she purchased we all were enthralled and had the feeling we were experiencing the trip with her.
It was an amazing journey! I plan to discover more about the history surrounding the Bedouin people and their country. I am facinated with what I learned today!
The Gift today, was that beautiful pot of Chrysamthemums.

Everyone was asked to speak a number, one at a time.
I was the 21st person to speak,I blurted out #11. Voila! I won!
That just happened to be the number the two hostesses were looking for!
*
Yes, I did get 'dressed up'. My way.
The other women go all out with earrings, necklaces, nice slacks and tops.
NONE of them, not even the two gals who dropped outwear jeans and tennis shoes!
JUST ME! I've always been the odd one out.
If someone doesn't like me for the way I am....oh well.
But these women don't care. Everyone is respected in their own rights.
(Besides, I don't own any of those kinds of clothes or accessories they do!
....never been in my budget or on my wish list!)

Now, it's been an exhilerating & exhausting day...
getting gussied up, traveling around the world, and winning a gift!
I'm signing off~
As tomorrow is just another day .....


16 comments:

The Blonde Duck said...

Wow, Jordan! Where is your ranch at? From the pictures it looked like ya'll were in America!

wordmama said...

I'm sure that the nice slacks and jewelery come out for the same reason as the china and linens - if they didn't pull them out for these meetings, they'd never get any use! lol

Isn't it wonderful to have that circle of friends with similar life experiences, triumphs and troubles? It really can make you feel less alone. Funny enough, I get a lot of that feeling of sisterhood and companionship from my blog and the blogs of wonderful women like you WOW!

Theresa @ Take A Sentimental Journey said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful day ! And you surely deserved it too . I'm glad you enjoyed it !

Anonymous said...

Right on! Bringing out the goods for a terrific day with the gals! Loved the tour of Jordon.... gorgeous!

Me too.... make up wise. I love mascara and loathe other makeup goops. They make me feel like my skin is suffocating.

Blessings!
Lacy

Egghead said...

I love this. What a great group of women and I know that with hearts like this the fact that your idea of dressing up is jeans and tennis shoes is not even a blip on the radar.

That said, my makeup of choice if worn is only mascara as well. I own nothing else. I do wear shoes because I have to when I go to work but put me in the door at home and they are off before anyone blinks. I go barefoot year around. Did as a kid and my feet show it. My husband says I have hooves. Funny guy.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you about the shoes. I don't mind the weather cooling off...but then I have to actually wear shoes.

terri said...

What a wonderful day! I would love to have seen that slide show! Sounds like a good time was had by all.

LL said...

Shoes are Gods gift to mankind. You ought to wear them every waking hour to honor such a gift. :ewink:

Janice Thomson said...

I love reading your posts - they're so down to earth and humorous.
I sincerely hope you consider writing a book - I'd be first on the list to buy it - it would be an honour - and you wouldn't even have to get gussied up LOL.

Jenn said...

I am suprised that you ladies are able to have organizations like that. With your lifestyles being so hectic and the sheer distance you have to drive to do something like that, and then to make it back home to return to your nightly chores.

You are amazing.

Sarah said...

I had to get caught up with my reading! Your past three posts are lovely. I love to imagine sitting on the porch watching the deer.
I imagine the ranch wives group is full of great stories, nice for a little girl time.

Renie Burghardt said...

I bet you looked spiffy in your wrangler jeans and pretty bloude, Barb!

Congratulations on winning the pretty mums. By the way, they are my birth month flower as well! Yep, I'll be a year older in November.

Have a great evening, funny lady!

Renie

Anonymous said...

Dee from Tennessee

Just dropping by to say I truly enjoy your blog so very much!

GeckoGirl said...

Howdy-do! Love to see you gussied up! I dress pretty casual during the week, if I wear a dress to work people ask who died? ha ha Getting gussied up is for when I go to church, a wedding, or dinner with DodgeMan1. Still only prairie skirts, or clean Wranglers, but my boots are clean-er. Taking a girl's day is so important to our life; a must have! Have a great weekend! Teresa

The W.O.W. factor! said...

I agree... a girls day is always a refreshing change. It helps keep one sane. Jenn..that is WHY the women make the time, take the time 8 days of the year.
Can't say I look 'spiffy'..just 'cleaned up',(despite, the green stains of tomato...but we all had those..)
And shoes are a necessity...sometimes, but I think they were invented for the cobbler to make a living!
Did you know that mascara dries up after 2 months of no usage...even when brand new? What a waste of MY money :)

Train Wreck said...

Oh my beautiful friend! How great to be in such a group. What a admirable group of ladies. Hard working tending to their families and rances/ farms. With time and caring enough to help others. Bravo! If you ever need a donation, please do not hesitate to contact me. I donate my work to functions here and there. None as special as what you are trying to do. It would be an honor.
Also these other women most likely "dress up" because it is the only place they can. It is fun to feel pretty, no matter if it is "Gods Gift" a new pair of shoes(LL)or a fancy dress. We all like to feel beautiful. You my dear friend are the most beautiful. You are beautiful on the outside and on the inside! You are kind, more than generous,hard working, and talented. You have what others can only dream of, you have it all! I love you even if we never meet.You are an inspiration!
This is why you need to write a book! You will go on book tours!! Then hopefully I could find you in a city close to where I live. I would stand in line for hours, you would sign my book, have our picture taken together.Lunch,chat about how we met, compare stories etc... See I have it all planned out!!