a rememberance...

*this is a post i wrote the 5th year after my daddy's passing, it has now been 7 and i miss him more than ever...as i gaze upon this land and my wild prairie children, i am filled with such gratitude for his sacrifices and strength.* 


a cowboy's hat can tell many stories...


this hat for instance belonged to a man that i *love* dearly..
and miss terribly...




the sweat ring comes from years of being a steward to a land...


a land his great-grandfather worked and cared for...


from trying to live for the cattle that had been trusted into his work worn hands...


a dirt patch tells of the day he dusted his daughter off when she tumbled from a frisky colt...


another of the grueling day of trailing 1000 head of cattle over a slick rock trail with a 500 foot drop on your left...


that day a calf fell off that trail, this hat and it's cowboy were lowered over the side of the sheer drop off by lariats tied together.  the cowboy rescued that baby calf that day simply because that is how this cowboy lived...on the edge...


the red sand embedded into the grains came from the year he took his daughter on her first view of the only free roaming buffalo herd in the united states..


we ran with the buffalo that day...


the sounds of their thundering hooves keeping time with our quickening hearts and our horses long strides...


the water stains were left behind on a day where his most trusted horse, and friend moved on to greener pastures...


the round burn marks were left behind by the dying embers of a camp fire...while he sat listening to the coyotes howl at the full moon rising over the snow capped peaks of the henry mountains...


among the dirt is patches of flour....this hat watched over the cowboy while making many of his famous sourdough biscuits...there has yet to be one made that sticks to your ribs better than what this cowboy made...


the crimp in the brim came from a day full of anxiety...the day that his first grandson was born...


....this daughter is blessed....not only can i gaze at the life of this cowboy each day....but i am able to hear him in the breezes that sway the grain fields...i am able to hear him in the lone coyotes howl...i am able to hear him in the crackle of the camp fire...i am able to feel his love in the land that i work with my hands...


we love you dad and miss you so...

the branded truth...

summer temperatures seem to have finally found us here...{for a few days at least}! :0)

warmer temperatures mean one thing...{the branding of calves}

we must wait to work over the calves when there is fair weather for them to recover in...

the less stress the better for our sweet little ones.

the days are filled with hard, hard work by each and everyone involved,

but none harder than the cowboy and/or cowgirl who is given the job of pushing the calves into the chute.

it involves a right of passage for the lack of a better explanation..

you prove yourself in the muck, sweat, and dangerous calf kicking hooves; you move on up to a somewhat less painful job. :0)

it is not only where calves are marked and branded but also the truth of a cowboy...

this year it was my son's turn to show his truth...

picture 300-400 lb. calves having their way with my 75 lb little boy and his cousin..

i can't tell you how proud of them we all where by the end of the day...i also can't tell you how many bruises they ended up with because they are too numerous to count!

my little boy definitely proved himself; he worked his little heart and soul out that day...

but at the end of that hard working day childhood called once more...

and off in the wind his newly branded wings flew..

Artographer...{Jamie Heiden}

if you have been reading my blog awhile you know my passion for {artography}..

it has been something i have wanted to incorporate into my photography, while i have played hours and hours with textures i've always been a little hesitant to take it one step further...

textures can be tricky and often daunting...

i wanted to share with you one of the first {artographers} who has fueled my passion and given me pause...

dear {Jamie Heiden}...

this girl is absolutely amazing in capturing and creating raw emotion with her photographs...

{sound of silence}

the light illuminating from within each photo is stunning...

{tadaa!}

of course living in rural wisconsin she has plenty of beauty surrounding her...

the whimsy, simplicity, and joy with each and every photo touches the soul...

{center of the universe}

the center of a girl's universe is definitely her family's farm and ranch...

you are tied blood and soul to the place...jamie captured the essence of the tie completely...

i do believe the print above needs to come and grace my prairie home soon...

Jamie does offer her prints for sale, you can contact her while loosing yourself in raw beauty via flickr, facebook, and her site jheidenphoto...

*thank you* ever so much jamie for allowing me to share a piece of your soul here with my readers...

you truly inspire us all...

i did purchase one of jamie's photos...it should arriving soon and i will definitely share once it does! :0)

also, please don't mind the mess while i change things up around here..it was way past due for an update...

waiting...

i'm not exactly sure where time has gone?

i've sat in front of my computer screen with good intentions of writing a post i don't know how many times...

these months have been filled to the brim with living...

living the life that i dreamed of for my little family, living with intention and gratitude each day...

has there been trials along the way...yes..

has there been days that i just wanted to give up....yes..

it feels really as if i'm {be}ginning again...

i've had to say no to some dreams; our farm, cows, and family come first in everything...

i've learned that it is okay, that patience and faith are key to living an intentional life...

so i wait...

capturing beauty and feeling blessed...

even when i see photos of green grass, lilacs, and flowers blooming everywhere upon your blogs...

while we are still battling freezing temperatures and snow...

hope things are going well for you my friends, i'm hoping this is the {be}ginning of more posts and photos of living with intention here on the prairie....