Full Circle of Life - Bringing Home the Hay

Hay cutting time is a fine balance between praying for rain and grabbing days filled with sunshine to cut the hay, dry it and bale it before praying again for rain to fall, and fall aplenty.  As my grandfather always said, "Make hay while the sun shines."

My father, as my husband does now, sold farm machinery, ranch and garden equipment.  The hay meadows and the successful harvest were a daily concern for him.  The good working order of the machinery, ours and everyone else's, was a vital concern during hay cutting season.  I grew up well aware that all of life evolved around a growing cycle.  Spring to plant and bring rainfall, summer and fall to harvest, winter to rest the land, spring again - the full circle of life.

 

 

The hay meadows are life giving just as is the rain.  With a healthy crop of hay, the livestock thrives, the land flourishes and life continues.  When the rain falls in the spring and summer, we give heartfelt thanks - we dance in the rain.  It is literally a shower of blessings.

 

One of the favorite breakfast menu items here is our egg casserole:

 

Grease large baking pan

Set oven to 375 degrees

Put rack in the middle of the oven

Line the bottom of the baking pan with frozen hashbrowns

Top with an onion that has been peeled and chopped

Add a layer of mushrooms chopped

Add another layer of crumbled bacon softly cooked

Add another layer of ham which has been chopped into bite sized pieces

Put 12 eggs in a mixing bowl and add 1 cup of milk

Beat well then pour the egg mixture over the ingredients in the baking pan

Set in the oven and back 30-40 minutes until the eggs are firm

Top with shredded cheddar cheese while still warm

 

Cut into pieces and serve warm with toast, coffee and orange juice.

 

Mmmm mmmm good!

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only son; that whoever believes in Him shall never perish, but shall have Everlasting Life.  John 3:16

 

From our ranch to you, we wish you many

 

Happy trails!

 

 

Carrie Anne Wilson Woolverton

 

 

 

 

 



Good morning and good day!  Summer has reached our Texas haven, but we have enjoyed a fair amount of rain this spring.  The pastures are green, the tanks are full, the wildflowers are blooming, the horses are slick and happily munching in the grassy meadows.  All is well at Honey Creek Farms.

 

You are cordially invited to share a weekly video from Ask GranMa Carrie Anne which includes annecdotes, versus, and stories about country life with something for kids of all ages.  Ask GranMa Carrie Anne has a FB page and videos are posted on YouTube at honeycreekfarms.

 

 

The fishing has been great this year with fish biting as soon as the lure hits the water in our tank.  We have a catch-and-release program which keeps the excitement always hopping.  Our daughter, Chelsea Anne, and our grandchildren, Preston, Payton and Katie Paige, always look forward to fishing at Honey Creek.

 

In February, two of our beautiful mares, Goldaana and Promise Miragold, had two lovely foals both by BT Sun Dancer.  They are Honey Creek Beckett (American Foundation Bred colt) and Honey Creek Cassidy (American Foundation Bred filly).  Watch for them at the AFAHA In-Hand Show and Halter Futurity at Mystic Acres on 21 September 2014 in the Get of Sire class!

 

 

Beckett and Cassidy are both products of the Pulque Preservation Program and would make their great grandsire very proud.

 

Wildflowers grow abundant at Honey Creek Farms and one of the most valuable is the Passion Flower.  Known for its medicinal value helping with insomnia and anxiety, the Passion Flower has nine varieties in North Texas.  It's blossoms emit a lovely fragrance which keeps the bees very happy.

 

 

We welcomed an old friend to Honey Creek this summer.  His name is Benjamin Button.  Ginger Mensik made it possible for Benny to join our family and we thank her kindly.  Every farm needs a precious horse like Benny.  We look forward to enjoying many happy trails.

 

 



When a breeder puts their heart and soul into choosing the perfect mate for their precious mare, a dream is born that is months, sometimes years, in the making.  After the mare checks in foal, the breeder waits (im)patiently for until the big moment arrives and the long-anticipated foal makes its appearance.  From then on, with four wobbly legs growing and turning into four-wheel drive that takes a horse owner on a trail ride directly to enchantment, the breeder's dream has reached fruition and all of the planning and waiting is made abundantly worthwhile.

 

There are miles of trails to ride and hours of training to accomplish.  There are tons of hay and feed to consume, grooming, trimming, cleaning tack and stalls, all adding up to an investment of the heart which is paid back tenfold with each stride shared with the horse.  The wind of good fortune blows between a horse's ears - and that is the truth.

 

When I ride one of the horses which was bred and raised here at Honey Creek, there is an especially precious sense of accomplishment - I thank the Good Lord for allowing us to share our lives with the horses at Honey Creek.

Irish Gillan HC

Honey Creek Que Frisco

Honey Creek Que Justin

Honey Creek Austin

Honey Creek Bobbie

 

 

A favorite dish here is Jambalaya which is easy to make and delicious to eat:

 

3 cups of fluffy cooked rice

6 strips of softly cooked bacon, crumbled

1 can of spam, chopped

1 can of mushrooms, chopped and drained

1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

1 green bell pepper, chopped and sautéed

1 onion chopped and sautéed

1 pound of cooked and peeled shrimp

 

Mix all in a large skillet and heat to serve.  Suggested side dishes are sliced and heated French bread spread with garlic butter and a side green salad. 

 

Enjoy!!

 

We publish a newsletter with articles and postings of interest to farming, ranching and country folks.  If you would like to subscribe to the newsletter and/or place a posting, please let us know at honeycrek2 @ aol.com.  All ads and postings are free.

 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11

 

From our ranch to yours, we wish you many

 

Happy trails,

 

 

 

Carrie Anne Wilson Woolverton

 

 

 

 



 

 



 

 



Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the family at Honey Creek Farms!

Welcoming in 2012!  We are looking forward to a year of good times and good fun.

Had the grandkids this weekend and that is always an eventful time at the farm.

Congratulations to Honey Creek Que Osage who is going to his new owners, Carl and Patricia, in Longview, Texas.  Osage will spend some time with Clint Bailey, Lindale, Texas, in training to be a family riding horse.



We wish Osage and his new family many happy trails!

We are enjoying the fresh eggs from our Honey Creek Rhode Island Red chickens, thanks to Wayne Pope.  The eggs are delicious and we have them aplenty.

Beautiful weather for the beginning of this new year.  We have finally received blessed rain.  It is so good to see the tanks filling up and the creek running again.

Enjoyed Mom's visit and holidays with the family.  Did my Christmas shopping with local Texas artisans this year.  It was great to see the happy faces of family opening presents of doillies, scarves and blankets made by Texas Crafters Arleta McLaughlin and Janell Bucci.  Each one was a beautiful creation.  Thanks you ladies for your talented artworks.

The hogs are back again and we are working on getting them relocated!

Feral hogs are more than a nuisance here in Texas, they are a dangerous disturbance to the land and its people.  Three litters of piglets have been born here in just one month and nothing is more fiercely protective than a momma sow.  Hopefully, our folks at Texas Boars will be able to send the hogs on their way again soon.

We are so happy to see 2012 arrive and hope that this is a blessed year for you and yours.

All the best,

 

Carrie and Ben Woolverton

Country Breakfast - Black and Blue Smoothie

A good breakfast makes for a good day :)  Here is a recipe for a quick and delicious Black and Blue Smoothie:

1 Cup Blackberries (organic from our farm are the best)

1 Cup Blueberries

1 1/2 Cup Milk

1 1/2 Cup Water

1 package Smoothie Mix

Blend until smooth,  Pour into three large tumblers and freeze. 

This is a good breakfast on the go in summer's hot and dry days.

Meet the Family of Honey Creek Farms

Horses and cattle graze the pastures of Honey Creek Farms and Triple Cross Ranches.  Our ranch lands are family-owned and operated - we descend from several generations of Texas and Oklahoma people who raise meat and produce.  We are proponents of conservation and conservative-ism. 

Each day is a new day of enjoying the wonders of country life.  Here, I will share with you the view from my Kitchen Window.

Carrie Anne