Easter on The Ranch

We spent Easter Sunday on the ranch together with just our little family - a rare event coming from big families on both sides! We had intended to go to Easter mass in Fort Jones - even stopped by Saturday to check the time at the adorable little church in town! - but after a late night at the neighbors the girls were all sound asleep at 9am and seemed ambitious to get up, fed, dressed and have pleasant church goers ;)

but the Easter bunny still found us!

and then we had an egg hunt up behind the house

my Ukrainian egg attempts. Not winning any awards here ;)

the girls found them and hid them all again 

JJ in her finest Easter ranch wardrobe

her curls are the best after she actually has a shampoo ;)

and this kid made fast friends with a pet Lizard - carrying it around everywhere and insisted on bringing it home in a Tupperware habitat with straws for air holes. #sorrylizard

and there were many lizard shows. JJ was Francie's loyal assistant (just don't ask her to hold the lizard)

I love my view from the cozy couch in this little cabin :) happy Easter!

and another reason to celebrate - the end of Lent means Heff and I can drink our road trip Diet Cokes again, woohoo! ;)

Happy 5th Birthday Maisie!

Maisie turned FIVE up at the ranch Friday April 18! We had a great day celebrating as a family. She's such a sweet girl and doesn't need much to make her happy. 

presents and breakfast in the morning then hanging outside all day - sweet little five year old 

snacks on the four wheeler headed out to the fields 

and team work to get it done - Maisie on the wheel line with dad 

they love their dad

making lunch- egg salad of course!

and a surprise for parade in the middle of the day!!

and this was her present waiting for her from uncle jerry her godfather when we got home from the ranch. Good picks Jer!

happy birthday sweet Maisie. We all love you!

especially your sisters. You are always so kind to each one and thinking if them and their feelings. We are lucky to have you as a part of our family that's for sure!!

Saturday at the Ranch

We had a fun day working and hanging out in Fort Jones Saturday! Our neighbors the Blacks son had a baseball hand in town at 11am so after our morning chores (moving water lines every 12 hours!) we went to the elementary school field to watch some little league. 

the girls were enamored with Will and Bryce ;)

but early that morning when we were watering Heff gave me the chore to go retrieve this giant wheel sprinkler from the other side of the fields. I tied it on with bailing twine best I could - not having high hopes this would work 

but after a re-giger higher on the four wheeler and a mad dash through the pivot sprinkler I made it!

girls walking the fields having sister talks

tiny was super proud she got her dada glove on ;)

way up in the air

then Saturday night we went over to the blacks to dye eggs with them and another family. They had a serious egg dying set up! JJ was on cloud nine with her crush Bryce ("Brwyce you make really good eggs" "Brwyce wanna show me your bedroom?" !! Oh geez JJ )

tiny getting in on the action 

I brought our Ukrainian egg dyes. Always a hit for dark vibrant eggs. 

and since we failed Friday night with a cake, the big girls and I made fun-fetti and brought it to sing happy birthday to Maisie!

Cousins on Sharps Gulch

Awesome photos by my sister-in-law Andrea - wish I was back there with all these kids right now. Carefree kids on the ranch is pretty awesome with family around. Can't wait to do it again!

Cousin Campout - Year 2!

We gathered up the troops to celebrate the spring birthdays again this year - at the ranch! Some of my favorite photos below but full post on the RANCH link! (still trying to figure out the best way to blog on this new one - I better get the hang of it soon :)

Happy kids after some fun in the mud - nothing like a tub bath!

Out on the creek with Uncle Mark - kids were clothes-less in 2 minutes

And lined up for sheep shearing!

After dinner camp fire for s'mores and sparklers

Sister-in-laws with sleeping babies hike

the best days ever.

some sassy girls on Heff's Troopy

and one happy dad!

April 21, 2014/ Mary Heffernan/ Comment

Sharps Gulch Ranch, Ranch Life, Heff Cousins

#ranchlife, Sharps Gulch Ranch, Heff Cousins

Mary Heffernan

The Ranch!

Finally after 5 years of looking at ranches and dreaming of someday having our own property - we bought a ranch and couldn't be more excited. We have high hopes to raise our own all-natural pasture raised cattle. And if I can talk Heff into it - maybe chickens and hogs :) It's going to be a lot of work and a slow process to get an operation going but it's a great starting point for us. The ranch has pasture lands for cattle and lots of wide open space and wilderness to raise some free range kids!

hi here cows

the pasture

the Barn

the view of Marble Mountain Wilderness from the base of the hills

Someday we might build a house on the hills, but for now we will camp out in an 1868 old Victorian on the property- it was built without a kitchen, bathrooms or central heat! But a little kitchen and bathroom have been added to the back and there is a stove for heat. It's simple old 8 bedroom and ONE bath house and could sure use some love. It will be an adventure!

and this is the foreman's house - it used to be a creamery and has 1 foot thick cement walls. Stays cool in summer I bet. guessing there is a 50/50 chance the realtors photo shopped this rainbow in :)

The ranch is in a town called Fort Jones, CA and 5 miles up the road is a supermarket, coffee shop & deli, bike shop and community center. 20 miles north is the city of Yreka (that has a WalMart :) and 6 miles to the south is the town of Etna - good restaurants and Etna Brewing Company. So it's not terribly remote but still off the grid. (but TG for high speed internet in Fort Jones due to a federal grant - and 4 bars cell reception! WooHoo!)

Maisie went with Heff for 3 nights a couple weeks ago and was a trooper going to all the district farm and county offices with Dad. Stayed in the fancy Etna Motel too :)

first time on the ranch that we could call it ours. Oversized jackets for xmas, hoping they grow into them :)

JJ might never want to leave

Bundled up - snow still on the hills

that's a happy husband opening the gate for the first time - my Rancher husband!

dry pasture - needs some rain

we met with the former owners and lots of local neighbors who couldn't be nicer people - learned lots of ranch history! The family who sold it to us were only the second owners since 1850 - or as they say the fourth owners - The Indians, The government, the Sharps and themselves!

JJ riding in the back seat of the family size four wheeler

high fives by the river. First time I'd been down all the way to the river to see it - I see lots of summer picnics here!

pretty happy, can you tell ? :)

throwing rocks in the water - never gets old

the family showed us the old cabin site up in the gulch. There are old tin cans and mining equipment from the gold rush days.

Tiny in the snow - it was chilly!

sunset on the ranch - can't wait for this adventure!