The St. Paul Rodeo

Well it’s that time of year again.  People from all over, put on their dusty (or brand new) boots and head out to St. Paul, Oregon for a show that they will never forget.  The St. Paul Rodeo is celebrating 81 strong years.  img_1486In a town of only 322 it’s incredible that we can find the room to welcome over 60,000 folks on this weekend every year.  But it’s a family tradition that lasts generations for many, it’s a way of life for others, but for many of us it’s a weekend of reuniting with old friends, cheering on those brave enough for an 8 second ride, and celebrating our freedom and all that comes with the good ‘ol 4th of July.

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It’s flags flying and the pride you feel as Mary Ann Zielinski belts out the National Anthem more beautifully than you have ever heard.

It’s cold beer on a warm night.  It’s dusty and dirty, with BBQ sauce and elephant ears.  It’s carnival rides and parish chicken dinners.  It’s freedom and fun, maybe in the end it’s just a small taste of all that I love about America.

It’s also a testament to the hard work that this community is no stranger to.  From the ticket takers and beer pourers, to the firemen and EMTs, it’s all one big volunteer effort to keep everyone well fed, well hydrated, safe and having a great time!100_27971

Happy 4th of July everyone! Come on our and see us June 30th-July 4th!  You won’t regret it!

Photo Friday…Dinners All Around!

For photo Friday this week I thought I’d share one of those, “How do you do it all?” moments that me and some of my other farmer gal friends had this past week.  It is no secret that while running a house and a farm, life can get crazy, hectic, downright overwhelming to be honest.  So a few of us decided to try to ease the pain on one of the sticking points in life…dinner.

Dinner in our house during the summer months of harvest is tough when your family is out in the field until all hours of the night, sometimes even overnight.  We also feed our harvest crew every evening that they are working, so every casserole, every slow cook meal, it all adds up to a much easier and yummy-er time for all.  It takes a lot more than just a harvester and a truck to get our crop to market, sometimes…it takes dinner!

So we found a “chief” to be in charge (Kathy because she has done this before and her kitchen is beautiful!) and we all showed up to be the “Indians” for the afternoon.  

And for a few-ish hours we chopped, sliced, diced, browned, measured and labeled to our hearts (or more than or heart’s) content.  

We all walked away with a cooler filled with 5 delicious meals all ready to bake or slow cook. 

Carrying out such a huge pack of food was one thing, but catching up with friends, teaching our kids tricks of cooking, and just plain drinking a glass of wine together made the night well worth it!

Davor was particularly impressed by our efficiency…or maybe not by the look on his face!

 

So happy Friday! And I’m hoping to include some photos and recipes as I use up my home cooked meals, so stay tuned!!

FarmHer Heels

Oh you know just out checking irrigation today with my pretty “FarmHer” heels on. 


I wear a lot of different shoes in this crazy life, but this pair has to be one of my favorites! Happy Friday!