My country girl heart went home

Saturday, I went "home." You know, that place that made me the country girl I am today--even if it is just in my heart. I grew up in a small ranching community in Utah. The school I attended had 2 rooms--one for K-4th graders and the other room--5th-10th graders. We had to leave home in order to finish high school.

Saturday, I attended the funeral of my 93 year old school teacher. He taught me in 5th-10th grade. The walk down memory lane was great. I had not been "home" for about 8 years.
The roads into the town are all rock and gravel. Lots of dust. Not pavement.

Not a scene I see everyday here in the city. True cowboys wear these cowboy hats. They earn their living by the sweat of the brow.

The church where the funeral was held. You can see the hearse. Notice the cattle guard that is at the entrance of the parking lot. Not something I see in the city :).

This plaque actually came from the old church that I attended. When the new one(pictured above) was built, this plaque was saved and hung in the new building.

I remember these stain-glass windows from the old church I attended in my childhood. I loved the colorful display of sunlight on the walls from them when the sun hit them just right.

I had to take a photo of the hill. I remember climbing it as a little girl. It seemed much bigger then. We would reach the top of it and then walk on to a cool rock quarry where we found all kinds of treasures--you know, spiders, rocks, berries, and plants. I loved going there and the freedom I felt as I hiked along.

This flag pole was erected by my youngest brother for his Eagle scout project. It is in the church's parking lot.

The little country store. It sells everything a person would need!! From fly paper to milk. From tissue to horse shoes!!

This is a picture of the ranch where I was raised. It has changed hands several times since my family owned it. The home I grew up in, is no longer standing. I wish it were so that I could have taken a photo.

Here is the corral and some of the out buildings. It looks quite a bit different now. But, I still recall all the fun times we had playing and working as a family here. I learned the value of hard work, integrity, finishing a job right and being commited to something from my father as I worked beside him. I helped swath hay, lay hand-lines, milk a cow, feed pigs, combine grain, feed animals, fix fence, ride horses, chase coyotes, ice skate on frozen ponds, watch as baby calves were born, feed baby calves from a bottle, and brand cattle. Days went from sun up to past sun down. There was always something to be done, fixed, or taken care of.

I wish that windmill would fit in my yard. I would love to have it. I sits in the corrals and used to help produce water from a well below it.

That green branding shoot brought a flood of memories. I remember every fall branding our cattle that had been on the range all summer. We would corral them, help send them down the corral and into the shoot. I can still smell the burnt rawhide of the cattle and the hear the bawling calves as they cried for their moms to save them from the branding iron. They also would get their ear lopped and a tag put in to identify them as ours. Our house smelled for days as we deposited branding clothes in the laundry room. My Mom had more patience than I to have dealt with that mess!! I remember my Dad making bulls into steers...and then us having rocky mountain oysters (not for the faint of heart), straight from the fire. Definetly and old cowboy thing to do. :) Ahh..the memories.

My trip "home" was great!! It is always good to remember our roots. I am so grateful that mine run strong and deep. Thanks for walking down memory lane with me. Hope your day is blessed.

Be Nice to People,

Julie