Natures Light

Test your ovens calibration without using tools!

2012-01-24T18:29:00.000-08:00

If you suspect that your oven is cooking hotter than the temperature you set it at. (Your Thanksgiving rolls burned) Try this easy way out:

             Pour a spoon full of sugar in a oven-safe bowl or use some foil into a 350 degree
             oven, After an hour the sugar should still be granulated(might turn a little brown).
            If it started to melt your oven is running too hot!

Life on the Ranch 5, first Dressage Lesson on Aimee!

2012-01-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

This is Aimee! She is a 12 year old Oldenburg/Pinto mare. She is wonderful. She is shown here with her foal born 7-10-11, Justice. He was a beauty and is living in Divide, CO with his new owner. When Aimee got bred in 2010 there was a little uprising here at the Ranch. I did not want her bred for two reasons: one I love to ride her and two her foal died when it was 14 days old in 2008. It was very hard on Aimee and also on us. Well Boss Man put her in with Tysen(Friesian Stallion) and I saw her in there and went to take her out along with some other people who were here at the time. They got Aimee out and were walking her away from the stallion when Boss Man comes driving up in his Bobcat with the hay spikes on it bouncing all over the place and comes to a screeching halt in front of all of us. After a few *!*!! we were told to put her back in with Tysen. Which of course we promptly did, because it was hysterical him chasing us on the bobcat. He looked like a transformer!

The next day Boss Man saw my reason and took Aimee out. Well it only took ONE Night with Tysen

and WA la Justice was born 11 months later.. During the time she was bred, Aimee did nothing but have the royal spa treatment. It was worth it Justice was a magnificent foal.

Well Aimee is back to work and that means I am to. She is a Third Level Dressage Horse. Which means she is smart and knows her stuff. So Saturday we had a trainer come and work with us on the basics of Dressage. I had so much fun and was so sore when done. The great part was I was thrown from a horse in July who is about 6 feet tall. Needless to say we had a disagreement on running and she won. I could have thrown a parachute and landed softer. But good news is I started wearing a helmet 2 years ago as my one daughter who is a nurse worked at a Rehab Hospital where there were a lot of head injuries. I was amazed at the sound when I hit the ground on the top of my head, but the helmet took the hit and I was sore but fine. Nothing a little Pro Extreme, acupuncture and

chiropractic didn't help.

So I am getting not only my seat back but my confidence. Oh and Boss Man went out Saturday night and bought me new riding pants, chaps and a helmet. What a nice guy when he's not chasing me with the bobcat!

Oh Aimee will be bred in May of this year to Tysen again. Yes a mare can be ridden when bred. Just not hard rides.

Life on the Ranch 4 "Taking care of the fireplace ashes"

2012-01-20T17:43:00.000-08:00

Friday is trash day on the Ranch. So on Thursday all the trash is hauled to the dumpster at the top of the driveway. Yesterday I was putting the trash from the house in the dumpster and saw the container with the ashes from the wood stove. I had cleaned the wood stove two days ago and the ashes weren't smoking or anything so I took them up and dumped them in the dumpster. I than grabbed the 4 wheeler and went and got the trash from down by the tack shed. I also picked up the hose that we replaced as it had way to many holes in it. I'm driving up to the dumpster and before I come around the trees I see smoke! I was like OMG what's on fire and than saw it was the dumpster. I sped up to it and saw the ashes were burning a bag and smoke was coming out all over. Now you have to understand in the past our neighbors wouldn't have called the Fire Department, but that was 25 years ago. So I grabbed the hose I had carried up with the holes in it and ran to the house and hooked it up. I ran out to the dumpster and the hose stopped 20 feet from the fire. I'm thinking I have to get this out as I didn't want the Fire Department put on notice. So I ran down to the shop and got more hose and hooked it up. Finally I was dumping water on the dumpster. It took about twenty minutes to finally put it out! Thank heavens no one was home in the neighborhood as the Fire Department didn't come.

Winner of Aviva Lavender Soap

2012-01-16T18:48:00.000-08:00

We have two winners. There orders came in at the same time. One is Nilda B. and the other is
Barbara S. Your orders with your prize will ship on Tuesday. Remember the coupon is
good until January 21, 2012.

Thank you!

COUPON CODE FOR JANUARY

2012-01-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

I guess it is the 15th of the month in Europe so here is the code: COLD
This code will give you FREE SHIPPING on your order from 1-15-2012 to 1-21-2012.

First order in receives a free Aviva Lavender Soap.

Something to think about.....

2012-01-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

I heard this quote today:

To live in the hearts we leave behind, is to not die.

By Thomas Campbell.

Pass this on to someone who has lost a loved one.

Rosemary Oil and attacking those germs in your home!

2012-01-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

Want to kill germs that are in the air of your home? Everyday your family brings home germs and bacteria that they pickup all day. An easy way to help eliminate them is as easy as boiling water.
Put a pan of water on the stove, add a few drops of Rosemary Oil, and let the oil permeate the air.

You can find Rosemary Oil at your local health food store and sometimes the grocery store.

If you don't like the smell of the Rosemary Oil add a little vanilla to it.

Using a PITCH FORK wrong on the Ranch!

2012-01-09T18:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a "Told You So" story. Thursday night I went down after my husband had fed all the horses
to feed the kittens. Well the babies (Thor and Dove) looked like they wanted a little more hay.
So I picked up the pitch fork and got them a load of hay. Problem was I turned when I threw it in their stall. Yup, I hurt my back! I have been using ice, heat and a lot of PRO Extreme on it.

My husband has told me for years, don't do that you will hurt yourself. Guess I should listen, he was right! But on the flip side he brings me food and drink and I have the remote!!!! HMMM maybe a little rest isn't so bad.

SUNSET ON THE RANCH!

2012-01-05T07:29:00.000-08:00

The sun setting over the Rocky Mountains last night was magnificent! The reds were beautiful.
The weather has been beautiful, it was in the 60's yesterday and will be today.

We need to enjoy it as the cold and snow will return.

BMI FORMULA

2012-01-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

1. Multiply your weight in pounds times 703.
2. Multiply your height (in inches) times your height (in inches)
3. Divide the number in step 1 by the number in step 2 to get your BM!

Underweight:    less than 18.5
Normal weight: 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight:       25 to 29.9
Obese:              30 or higher
Morbid obesity: 40 or higher

Source: National Institutes of Health and American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery.

For example if you weigh 148 pounds and five feet six inches tall, the calculation would look like this:

1. 148 pounds x 703=104,044
2. 66 x 66 =4,356
3. 104,044/4,356 = 23.9 BMI (normal) or your SKINNY JEANS WILL FIT!

What is BMI ( BARELY MADE it IN your jeans) or a bad stomache?

2012-01-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

The question is: What is BMI? To people my age it sounds like something you ate that didn't sit well or its that age old question from your grandmother "When was your last Bowel movement". Ohh bad subject! Anyways it is a common question among people today "What is your BMI?" Those with a good BMI answer quickly, however those of us who aren't sure just smile.

BMI is Body Mass Index. It is a formula that you use to calculates your body fat. Now I find that pretty funny that millions of dollars have been spent on scales, books and diets to get this horrible little number. In my day if you couldn't fit in your skinny jeans and needed the fat ones, than your fat index
(your belly) was up! We didn't need a formula for that. Other ways to see if your Fat Index was up, was to try and get an honest opinion on the question "Do these pants make my butt look big?"

Anyways there is a very easy formula I found that will give you that answer for your BMI. Than when you are at gatherings for business or with friends and the question comes up, you can proudly
answer what your BMI is.

What do you see first in the picture?

2011-12-31T07:32:00.000-08:00

What do you see first in this picture of the sky this morning? Did you see the white or the dark storm clouds first. If you saw the white your cup is half full...the dark its half empty. Think about this going into the New Year. My mother use to say when I would complain about something or someone,
think of 3 positive things about the situation, or what can you do to change the situation.

Just a thought. But think about it next time you look into the sky....are you seeing the Light or the darkness.

Happy New Years!

2011-12-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

May God Bless you and your family this coming year! Keep checking back for more stories of The Ranch and natural ideas for your family.

Mark your calendars for April. That is when the first foals are due! It will be spring before we know it.

Running out of time for Christmas cookies...Try my cheater version!

2011-12-15T16:01:00.000-08:00

Years ago I made the homemade sugar cookies. Which involved making the dough, refrigerating the dough and than hopefully at the right time rolling out the dough! My family loves sugar cookies, so this year I took the cheaters way out. I bought the cookie dough in the refrigerated section, baked and than I made my frosting. (I think they just like the frosting!) A little red sprinkles and wala sugar cookies.

Here is the recipe for the frosting: 1/2cup softened butter, 2 tsp of vanilla, approximately 2 cups of powdered sugar and add milk for the right consistency. Make sure you mix this until it is smooth and delicious. Frost and decorate cookies!

Honey for Coughs

2011-12-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

Its the time of the year for those nagging coughs! You have tried everything and it is just irritating.

Try a little honey. It coats the throat and is soothing for a temporary fix to that cough! The plus side is honey tastes good and you can repeat this as necessary.

Pics of Tree

2011-12-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

Jessica after putting Rossi's ornament up

Travis getting the last part of the tree up with the Star!

Trying to get part 1 back to the bottom and part three back to its place!

The tree, kids and me

2011-12-12T18:52:00.001-08:00

Pic of tree

Christmas at the Ranch!

2011-12-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

Take a 14 foot ceiling, 12 foot tree, 10 foot ladder, tons of ornaments and add 4 kids! You have the start of Christmas. The preparations start with getting two huge boxes, 6 totes and assorted items up the stairs. Getting this done before the UFC Fight was on (so we had men carry them) and dinner cooked so the crew was fed all before any of this could start was like running a small country!

The girls (women) finally wrestled the tree into the stand and added the 4 parts to make the 12 foot high tree, only to find that part number 1 was where part number 3 should have been. The tree looked like someone had chopped the bottom off. My son came in as the tree was toppling over on the girls and with a lot of laughter and cussing part one was put in its place!

The star is a big part of our tree. However, I need a new one but the tree got up before I could replace it. So the old one will do.

The boxes containing the ornaments were opened and so were the memories of the heart. Every year since the kids were little (30 years plus) everyone in the family received a personal ornament. I try to make it reflect what was going on that year in their life. But in addition if you are part of our life that year and around at Christmas you get a special ornament with your name, and the year. You have to leave it here and it goes on the tree.

This year my daughter Jessica had to put her dog of 13 years down, Rossi. The vet did a paw print ornament for her. I had put it away earlier this year and brought it out and gave it to her. She cried and put it on the tree along with the one I gave her the year she got Rossi.

So our tree is more than a Christmas Tree it is a Memory Tree a diary of our lives.

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate!

PS Picture of me and grandkids with a done tree!

An amazing true story of a horse.

2011-12-12T17:38:00.000-08:00

You all know that I LOVE HORSES! So much so that when Secretariat came out my grandson Jonathon went to it and called me immediately on the phone to tell be about it. He was 6 at the time and knew I would love to hear about it. This is an email that I received about the new movie "War Horse" which will be out in December. I loved it. It truly is remarkable that an animal would have that much heart and compassion to do what she did. Please read it and let me know what you think.

In light of the movie War Horse which is coming out Christmas, I thought you all would appreciate reading about this War Horse Hero named Reckless. What a story-and true. She was an amazing little horse!
This horse is a hero . . . don't know if you have seen this, but it is truly amazing

This horse was a pack horse during the Korean War; she carried recoilless rifles, ammunition and supplies to Marines. Nothing too unusual about that, lots of animals got pressed into doing pack chores in many wars.

But this horse did something more . . . during the battle for a location called Outpost Vegas, this mare made fifty one (51) trips up and down the hill—on the way up she carried ammunition and on the way down she carried wounded Marines.

What was so amazing?

She made every one (1) of those trips without anyone leading her.

I can't imagine a horse carrying a wounded Marine, being smacked on the rump at the top of the hill and heading back to the "safety" of the rear. But to imagine the same horse, loaded with ammunition and trudging back to the battle where artillery is going off, without anyone leading her is unbelievable.

To know that she would make fifty one (51) of those trips is unheard of. Hell, how many horses would even make it back to the barn once, let alone return to you in the field one (1) single time.

So here is a clip of her story and photos to prove where she was and what she did .
. . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIo3ZfA9da0

She was retired to the Marine Corps Base @ Camp Pendleton, California where a General issued the following order . . . she was never to carry any more weight on her back except her own blankets. She died in 1968 at the age of twenty (20).

P.S.: Just how bad was the battle for Outpost Vegas? Artillery rounds impacted at the rate of five hundred (500) per hour and only two (2) men made it out alive without wounds—just two (2) . . . and a horse and she was wounded twice.

Horse Shots

2011-12-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

Will continue this weekend. Sorry for the delay but my camera battery went dead. It is now charging.

Thank you for your patience!

Lost Creek Ranch 4"How do you give a horse a shot?"

2011-12-01T15:00:00.001-08:00

Hey, had a lot of inquires into "How do you give a horse a shot?" They are a big animal and that's a needle in the rear end. Don't they kick?

Well tomorrow morning when we are doing the shot I will do a play by play. Its not fun, and it helps if the horse is a willing participant. I don't know its a big needle!

Check in tomorrow and see how we give a shot! Oh this is a picture of the area it goes in.

Stay warm!

Life on the Ranch 3 "Cold and Snowy Days!

2011-12-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

Really...it was 62 yesterday and the high today has already come and gone. Its not even noon.

The high today is 28. When it changes that drastically it is hard on all the animals. Except of course Kia(the Alaskan Malmute) whe loves it. Yesterday Tysen(the Black Friesian Stallion) had the start of a cold. So he is locked inside, dry and warm and he gets a shot of penicillin once a day. We will do this for 3 days and see how he feels. The two babies(foals) are also locked in to keep them dry and warm. They are doing great!

I can't wait to see the sun, warm and thaw again. Thank heavens in Colorado that could be hours, or days. But never months like Minnesota.

Stay warm!

More Pics of Kia and Buddy

2011-11-29T12:07:00.000-08:00

Lost Creek Ranch #2 Whos who

2011-11-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

There has always been a great debate over whether animals have emotions like us. I for one say "Yes!" We have a Giant Alaskan Malmute, called Kia who is 3 years old and she is in love with Buddy a neighbors dog. You might call them Lady and the Tramp! He is definitely the "Bad Boyfriend."

Kia came into our lives about 3 years ago. She was 3 months old and our son Travis went to look at her. She was in a small pen with her parents. Kia weighed about 30 pounds and had very little muscle do to the small pen. Travis felt sorry for her and bought her bringing her home. He was going to buy a house and instead moved into an apartment, so Kia lives here. Kia has grown into a beautiful dog. She weighs about 150 pounds. Now to Buddy. He is the neighbor's dog.

Everyday he comes over and waits for her to come out to play. He brings her gifts, a dead chicken, a dried out steer head, bones and assorted things. The other day she was laying by me as I was feeding the horses, and she saw him. She waited crying until her got closer than she jumped up and ran to him. Kia sometimes gets sore running around. So one day she was laying down, and hurt. Buddy stood over her licking her face and than cuddled up with her.

He is the "Bad Boyfriend" as he was taking her across the street. So we put gates up to keep her in. Well he shows her a way under the fence to get out. The funny thing was when I was looking for the place they got out he showed me. He is also the not smart boyfriend!

Do I think animals have emotions....You bet I do.

Elderberries for Gout

2011-11-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

Elderberries are one of the little known good foods for gout. Try to get them into your gout diet as juice. Herbalists have said for centuries that elderberries can relieve gout. But who would imagine that the tiny black (or red) elderberry, found in clusters at the tip of purple stalks on white elderflowers, would be good for gout? Not many.

But of all the berries int he USDA database, they score highest for one key anthocyanidin-elderberries have a whooping 758mg per 100 grams of the berry of cyanidin. That is 10 times the amount in cherries.

Give it a try!