Grandma B's Tack

 My Grandma grew up on a ranch in California. She kept a lot of my families tack through the years. Before she died she gave me 2 bridles and breast collar and horse sheets. After she died Grandpa B thought it was fitting for me to have her beloved saddles. My daughter now rides her horse in Great-Grandma B's fancy black Western Saddle. It is so special that 4 generations have shared these pieces.

Silver Curb Bit

Slobber Chains and Leather Romel Reins

Bridle with Dots and chains

Hand made bit with roller

Hand braided quirt

Zenith Saddle. Made 1930s?

English Saddle and Navajo Blanket

Side saddle

Side saddle top. Hand stitched. Needs some preserving.

If anyone has any information on how to date these, please contact me!

Spring Fever? Already?

This winter has been so mild compared to last winter that I am almost embarrassed to admit this but...... I CAN'T WAIT FOR SPRING!!!! I recently got my Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog.  I become like so many women looking at gossip magazines, giddy with excitement over what is new, but I do it over what I could possibly grow this year! So many exhilarating choices to chose from. The possibilities are endless. So I begin planning my garden.  Where am I going to put all these amazing little treasures? 

I love heirloom varieties because they have been lovingly passed down for generations from people that pains-takenley chose the best plants and collected and preserved the seeds.  Just the word heirloom denotes that it is a bestowal from the old ones, the ones who know the importance of preserving these precious gifts from nature.

Crazy, weird, wonderful!

Nothing says summer than red ripe tomatoes!

The incredible choices you can get are unbelievable!  I can almost taste them now just looking at the catalog! Summer captured on a page!

Look at this variety!

My very favorite vegetables! Cause I'm spicy!

My fall comfort foods!

Another reason heirlooms are important to me. According to Indian crop ecologist Vandana Shiva, humans have eaten over 80,000 species of plants in our history. Now three-quarters of all human food comes from just 8! EIGHT!!! WTH? (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver pg 49) This sounds like a crisis to me! If all the animal species in the world was whittled down to just 8 species could you imagine how the world would react?

So here I sit, imagining me bare foot, with dirt under my finger nails, feeding tomatoes to the kids right of the vine. Its what I got to get me through these colorless months.  I really am like a kid waiting for Christmas. I can't wait!