May 18, 19, 20, 2012

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The Cowgirl Co-op was once again honored to host a retreat for women combat veterans.  The end of May 30 women warriors and 8 counselors came to the ranch for a weekend of fun, healing and connecting. We played together, broke bread together, cried together and came away with renewed strenght and new found friendships.

The weekend centered around horses, art and gardening. All endeavors that connect us with the healing powers of animals, creativity and the earth.  Thanks to assistance from the Spokane Vet Center, Red Cross and VA Medical Center the 2011 Women Warriors retreat was another succesful veteran event. Just see for yourself below….

Smiling Faces were how the weekend ended and this is how it all started…

The Women Warriors are almost to the ranch! Nestled in a valley on the back side of Green Bluff, WA the ranch is a peacful setting for healing.

Up the ranch drive  in giant trucks, the arriving women warriors just weren’t quite sure what to expect for the weekend!

De-trucking and ready for adventure.

“Commander cowgirl” Jill gives the first briefing and threatens to keep everyone in line with her blue fluff whip!

The first instruction on horses came from THE Cowgirl Shannon mounted on her trusty steed, Raven.

Intently learning horses!

Next experience was learning how to fire the pottery raku kiln!

After serious horse and art talk…. the cowgirls got out the industrial strength egg launcher! Launching and throwing raw eggs was fun for all! Sometimes you just have to break down and do something “eggxactly” ridiculous!

 Time for lunch and a chance to relax and break bread together.

Next it’s saddle up and get ready to ride!

Cowgirl Shannon ‘saddles’ her dog.

Time to ride those ponies!

Another class was into heavy metal! Cutting out metal signs and designs with the plasma tourch and instructor Sean.

Then there was the wild and crazy raku firing area!

The raku kiln area was raucous with laughter the whole weekend as women warriors painted and fired pottery bowls and did the “raku rock” to get them through the whole firey process.

Working with clay and then conquering the potters wheel was also a popular endeavor. Instructors Colista and Virginia were right there to offer suggestions and support.

Next up…….cooking!

A class on working and cooking with herbs taught by well known cook Alison was also popular.

Out on the range, Dutch oven cooking is the way of the day. Instructor Connie gave a great demo that left mouths watering!

Fly fishing is a rapidly growing sport for women. Instructor Nancy came to help the Women Warriors launch a perfect cast!

Who can resist an impromptu game of jump rope. Cowgirls always have lots of rope handy!

Other classes centered around gardening and sustainability.

The horses were right there for counseling help and loved the hugs, pets and kisses.

Plenty of time was left for talking and connecting.

Last ride of the day, a great Dutch oven cooked diner and then a heart felt campfire around which to reflect, relate and connect.

Night was spent at the Green Bluff Community Center and was peaceful until midnight when the water pipes broke and flooded the basement sleeping area! No problem….Women Warriors and Cowgirls take everything in stride and just grabed their gear and moved upstairs!

Breakfast was scrumptious and made up for the water-filled adventure of the night before!

Load up the transport trucks and back to the ranch for another wild west fun day!

The horse corrals were ready for action … ride’m cowgirl!

Horses and fun horsing around!

The drawing horses class taught by nationaly known artist, Janene Grende,  created many warrior women artists!

The “healthy cooking” class taught by Krisha Charbonneau was a hit and a delicious treat for those who attended.

The pottery classes were off and throwing pots.

Who knew “mud” could be so much fun?!

v

Over in the front garden, our Cowgirl Gardener, Lou, was giving instruction on sustainable gardening.

Herbs were there for each woman warrior to make their own herb garden and take it home. A living rememberance of the weekend

To add some art to the garden, Sean Smith was teaching classes on making cement stepping stones.

Each women warrior could take  a step home to remember the connecting steps that happened at the retreat.

Nationally known writer and poet, Nance Van Winckel, came to teach a diary and journaling class to the warriors.

Learning about keeping chickens and bunnies was a hands on feathers and fur session with Mandy! Ooooo, baby goats too!

Meanwhile things were still rock and rolling hot over at the raku kiln!

Grab those pots out of the hot fire!

Painting pots and doing the raku rock! Friendships sealed by fire!

Then came lunch! The whole weekend was deliciously catered and prepared on site in Dutch ovens and Bar-B-Ques by cowgirls Janene  and Connie. Cowgirl style eatin’ and was it ever good and plenty!

Dishin’ up the grub!

A precious moment by Women Warrior Precious!

Nationally known writer and poet, Nance Van Winckel, recited some of her poems for lunchtime entertainment.

A few more activities and then it was time to load up and leave the ranch. The Women Warriors proudly rode in the Spokane Armed Forces  Torchlight Parade that night  to the cheers of thousands of people lining the streets to honor our military.

Sunday breakfast was hosted by the Green Bluff Grange and literally stuffed us all with generous eggs, sausage and pancakes!

Lots of laughter and weekend memories flowed at each table.

Spokane mayor, Mary Verner, came and spent time with each women veteran to hear their stories and offer her thanks for what they have done for their country.

Mayor Verner and the Cowgirls all wish to thank these fearless Women Warriors for what they have  done and what they continue to do. We were honored to have you at the ranch for the weekend.

What was the weekend really about? Healing, connecting and making new friends and doing it through creative challenges, the feel of a horse, fingers in the soil of the earth and breaking bread together. Peace.

We heartily wish to thank the following for the generous support they gave this project. It couldn’t have happened without you!

Spokane Vet Center

Spokane Veterans Hospital

Wounded Warrior Project

Spokane Red Cross

Trading Company Stores

RnR RV Center

Generous Individual Donations

The faces of new friends!

Yee Haw!

THE Cowgirl, who is as comfortable on the back of a horse as a fly on a cow pie, felt that to be a real cowgirl you really needed a horse to ride. The Cowgirl Gardener, was convinced that women executives who commander boardrooms have as much “cowgirl tenacity” as any woman on a horse! Being a horse breeder and racer, a crazy artist potter and also a closet corporate executive…I thought they were both right!

Cowgirl is a state of mind, a spirit and a lifestyle!

Rainbow over Cowgirl Mercantile/Gallery

As I was musing over cowgirls and watching the rainbow that gracefully arched from my front pasture to my back 40, my companions all of a sudden shook hands and jump-started our adventure!

THE Cowgirl surveyed my 70 acre ranch and started staking it out for development as the Cowgirl Gardener was already reving up her rototiller!

Before I knew, it the rope was thrown, the knot tied and 3 very different Cowgirls had formed The Cowgirl Co-op and started a business to highlight the life of the modern cowgirl! Even the horses were excited about our jump into business! Could only mean one thing…more hay!

YeeHaw...a cowgirl business adventure

What a great weekend at the Cowgirl Co-op! The talented sortin’, ropin’ cowboys came back and assisted THE Cowgirl (my cowgirl partner Shannon) with a fabulous cow teachin’ time in the ranch’s back pasture.  Remember? These were the cute cowboys from last year that fluttered my heart and gave such an educational cow clinic. We just had to bring Mark Milbourn and Preston Johnson along with their cows back for another whoop’em up time! We weren’t  disappointed!

Getting ready to start the day. The cows are ready (well…as ready as cows can be) and cute cowboy #1, Preston, is rounding up the cowgirls to start the clinic. It just might be harder to round up a herd of excited cowgirls than a herd of rangy cows!

The cow ponies are standing ready and waiting to do their duty.

As in all good clinics, everyone lines up for some good instruction first. This is where the cute cowboys excell! They gave great initial advice on how to work with cows,  just as they are worked on a real ranch. These guys are the genuine thing. They live and work as cow cowboys but can also teach what they know by heart.  And they teach it in a fun, spirited way where everything  becomes  another educational moment. They say they learned “cow smart”on the range and “people smart” at the dude ranches they worked at!

It couldn’t have been a prettier day either!

Learn’n cow.

Let’s get some action going and rope one of these critters! OK, so you got one roped …. now what do you do?

 Sometimes, according to cute cowboy #2, Mark,  you just let the cow think about it for awhile. Versitility ranch work is smooth and easy going so you don’t stress the cows so much.  A calm cow is just plain easier to deal with.  So the cows learn to be worked  just as the cowgirls  learn to work them.

Heather is going to give it a try as Mark gives some last minute suggestions.

Heading into the herd. Don’t the cows just look ready to play this game?

I choose you! Keep your eyes on the eyes of the cow you want to sort.

And they’re off!

Got’cha now!

Hmmm, you slipped right on by. Have you played this game before???

Yee haw, haw, haw. I’m off and runing. Catch me if you can!

THE Cowgirl and cute cowboy #1 sit and watch.  You think they’ll figure out that this cow sortin’ thing is harder than it looks, THE Cowgirl wants to know? Oh just wait here a minute it’s about to get alot wilder, Preston replies.

You know it looked so easy when the cowboys sorted those cows!  Did they slip some ringer wild cows in here when the cowgirls weren’t looking??!! Come back here!

Get along little doggie, I’ll show you the way…

Now here’s a cowgirl with some experience! I think the cow’s already figured that out!

Don’t even think about slippin’ by !

OK, I’m done with you….now git on back to the herd. Little doggie be gone!

Speaking of “doggies” how about a lunch break and some hot dogs!? This versitility ranch work can make a cowboy and cowgirl mighty hungry!

Did you ever wonder what goes through the mind of the cow during these ropin’ clinics?

Come get me little cowgirl! I’m easy and sleazy and I’ll slip right by you.  Score  so far?  Cows 20 – Cowgirls 2

Cow’s eye view of  an oncoming cowgirl!

 What can I say … it’s a job and they feed us reeeeeal well! It’s a whole lot better being a clinic cow than a beef cow. And the cute cowboys really like us. eat your heart out cowgirls.

 A man and his cow. Or is that a cow and his man? It begs the question … if cowboys work with cows then do boycows work with cowboys? Yeah, I know, just get back to the clinic.

 Good job, cowgirls! You’re really getting the hang of this!

Watchin’ and learnin’ the fine art of cow.

So now you got the first rope on the beast. Get ready to throw a loop and catch  his back legs.

Hold that cow. Now on the real ranch, you’re ready to doctor, brand or de-nut the little critter. WHAT!!?? Remember I’m JUST the clinic cow!

Still want to play or are you tired of the catch-the-cow-game?

Last minute cow talk as Smoki gets ready to head into the herd.

I’m choosing my cow! Get ready little doggie, Smoki’s gonna get you!

Smokin’ ropin’!!! Got’cha that time!

Too much fun, I’ve got to catch me another one!

Yee haw, got’em smokin’! Look how nice that little appy is taking to cow work!

You’re doing great cowgirls! I can just sit here now and  let you cow around to your hearts content!

All fun must come to an end. Time to round’m up and head’m home.  What a great time was had by all! Our two cute cowboys once again taught us the ropes, educated us on cow sense and made us feel like real versitile ranch cowgirls for the day.  One of the attendees said it all… “I learned more from these real cowboys and had more fun, then in a lot of the clinics I’ve taken with the “famous guys” . Thanks cowboys Mark Milbourn and Preston Johnson, you did a great job! And you’re cute on top of it all!

Join us cowgirls and bring your cowboys to the next versitile ranch clinic at the Cowgirl Co-op on Aug 20 and 21, 2011. Our own partner, THE Cowgirl will  teach the clinic and watch out …..will it ever be fun and educational!

The 2010  Retreat for Women Veterans

In May of 2010 the Cowgirl Co-op was honored to sponsor a retreat for Woman Warriors, women veterans who had served on the front lines of war or offered support to those that did. In partnership with the Spokane Veteran’s Outreach Center, the ranch hosted 27 woman warriors and 8 counselors for a two day adventure centered around horses, art and gardening. 

The out come? The weekend itself fostered a sense of healing, community and camaraderie for these women who have done so much to defend our freedom.  Not only that, 100% of the participants came “off the mountain” with a renewed commitment to continuing their healing by accessing the many resources available to them through Washington state Vet Centers and VA medical facilities.   

The women warriors  join the cowgirls for a wild west adventure and two days of fun.

Friday afternoon and the Green Bluff Grange served as the registration post and evening bunk house.

Then it was into a familiar mode of transport and up the road to the ranch.  They sang all the way!

The cowgirls were waiting along with a few friends who knew just how to put on an event.

Unloading and ready to ride! These ladies are amazing. Did you know that today there are over 200,000 women serving in the armed forces? That comprises  more than 17 percent of the total force.  55,060 women vets reside in Washington State alone making it the eleventh largest state population of women veterans.

Cowgirl welcomes and orientation. It was a cool day in May, but no rain……yet!

War changes lives in profound and powerful ways. Returning veterans of both genders often suffer from physical and psychological injuries that can make readjustment to civilian life demanding. On the battlefield there is team and peer support, but that camaraderie can be difficult to find once vets leave the military and try to blend back into home life.

An outstanding catered dinner always starts an event well.

Then it was the Xtreme Egg Throw Challenge! Give a group of combats the materials to create raw egg launchers and watch out!

These ladies can aim! 10 dozen eggs later and they still didn’t want to quit!

Tearing themselves away from egg target practice, it was back to the grange for an evening of rock and roll.  Women warriors can dance a mean line dance with athletic abilities and percision timing!

The historic 100 year old Green Bluff Grange served as the Woman Warrior Bunkhouse for the retreat. Donated cots from the Red Cross and sleeping bags from Cross Walk gave a cush to the old dance floor.

A candle light ceremony concluded the evening. Each candle represented a personal vet wish and dream for peace both for their country and in each of their own bodies. These women warriors proudly served and are  still serving their country, living up to the oath that they took to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic…”. As our veterans return home to families and communities, our women vets in particular tend to hold their combat experiences close to their heart, isolate their feelings and too often suffer in silence. Tonight, we took time to recognize the urgent need to address the unique challenges that returning women veterans face.

Up early for a Cowgirl Tex-Mex breakfast.

There was no shortage of good food. Cowgirls and women warriors like to eat! Now its hit the trail for the ranch. There’s horses that need riding, clay pots that need forming and herbs to plant.

Off loading from the “covered wagon” and ready to ride!

The animals were ready!

The horses were ready and the warriors rode!

The Cowgirl Xtreme Trail Course was conquered by each woman warrior and enjoyed by both horse and rider.

Obstacles, both real and internalized,  were over come by horses and riders. Horses are used in many therapeutic programs because of their innate ability to bond with humans. Being somewhat large animals they can bring out fear and also help to conquer fears.

Up, up and away!

Not even a miserable rain, then hail and cold, deterred these warriors! They came to RIDE and RIDE they did! 

Everyone learned horse grooming in the shelter of the barn. One pampered group of equines!

New friends were made and milestones accomplished.

While some warriors rode, others created art. All during the day there were 5 or 6 different animal, art,  gardening or other classes occuring at once in various parts of the ranch.  After each hour session the farm bell rang and everyone shifted to a new experience.

Each 35 pound stepping stone was hauled home by its  maker and now adorn gardens every where.

Woman warriors can handle playing with fire easily and cutting signs with the plasma tourch was a hit!

Makin metal!

Showing off the masterpieces.

Next came playing in the mud as each warrior tried her hand at the potter’s wheel.

All budding potters !

 The dinner bell rang for lunch!

Clustering around the campfire with lunch. Thank goodness for buckets of hot coffee and cocoa!

Next class was all about digging in the dirt. Sustainable gardening and ending up with a pot of herbs to take home.

Making friends over soil-ful conversations, dirty hands and the healing found in the living plants of the earth.

Learning about horse breeds and the art of breeding winners.

Meeting the stallions.

The cooking class had been busy fixing dinner under the careful eye of Chef Erin, caterer to the Seahawks training camp. Now it was time to try the results. Delicious!! The evening was rounded out by cowgirl poets and writers with entertaining tales.

The last night ceremony when candle dreams can come true. A tired bunch of warriors (and cowgirls!) turned into sleep.

Breakfast brought the last meal together but still some cowgirl surprises!

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner made a special point to tear herself away from Bloomsday activities (Spokane’s major 50,000 people plus, runner marathon, held each May) to come and personally talk with each vet. 

Each woman warrior got her personalized attention,  encouraging words and heartfelt thank you for their job well done.

As each woman warrior said good-by and headed back down their own trail, they went knowing that there were new friends to back them up, there was a community that cared about them and there were people they could trust to help. It’s the beginning of a trip back to a happy trails life.

From the Cowgirls, a very sincere thank you to all
the Woman Warriors for what you do for us.

We would also like to thank all the volunteers who made this event possible, the individual people who graciously donated to our fund and to our major sponsor, Washington Trust  Bank.

Be still my heart! The two cutest cowboys just rolled up the ranch driveway with a passel of cows and ropes a twitchin’. THE Cowgirl had arranged a rope day at the ranch and found two of the cutest, most talented ropers around. Why they even brought their own cows! Having grown up on the range, these guys were true cow wranglers and still roped cows the old way….. with skill and sitting on the back of a good cow pony!

Let loose the cows, get out the ropes and plant those cute cowboy buns in the saddle. The ranch ropin’ day at the Cowgirl Co-op has begun!

Hmmmm, it’s going to be a great day watching cowboys ……. I mean watching how cowboys rope cows that is. These guys are really good and so willing to teach their methods to the other folks around.

Single a cow out of the herd and start ropin’! Let’s try this black one to start with. Cute cowboy #1 makes a loop,  gives it a twirl and takes one black cow by the horns!

The cowboy got his first rope around the horns and now THE Cowgirl is going to rope the back legs.

Catch those little black back feet in a loop. Easier said then done! But she’s intent!

Success with that cowgirl rope! Got the cow down and snuggly held between the two cow ponies. Now if we were a real cow raisin ranch, this is when we would administer any needed shots, do a little branding or if it was a young male steer, well he might get up with a few private parts gone! Now set her free.

Woo hoo! One mad cow and one foot still roped. Got to get her loose somehow! In runs the cowboy to do the deed.

So its one thing to have a bull by the horns but a whole ‘nother story to have a cow by the tail! No worries cute cowboy #2 handled it with ease.  All in a days work on the range!

So Gertrude, I think we can make an escape to the left! Let’s stampede!

RUN GERTRUDE RUN!!!

Drat! Escape route foiled by good ropin cowboys!

Roped, trapped and wondering what to do.

That’s the idea,  just lay down and play dead.  Maybe they’ll go away……….

Hey, wake up and I ‘ll turn you loose!

So when you get tired of ropin’ cows, what do you do? Rope your horse!

Oh not again! I thought I cured him of this at the last cow rope.  This isn’t what a respectable cow pony puts up with.

Now a Roy Rogers stlye horse mount from the rear. Heh, heh this is where I got even for the head ropin’ last time…. right in the middle of his jump… if i just move a little forward…

But cute cowboy is quicker….back in the saddle again!

A good cow pony is REALLY a cowboys best friend!

A little ropin’ practice goes a long way.  Notice the happy cow in back. She hopes her day is done.

THE Cowgirl takes her hand at throwing some ropes. She’s already a good roper but practice makes a cowgirl even better.

Twirl, throw, release  and YEs…. almost got that darned gum tricky rope dodger!

Ladies, I think were done they’re into ropin’ each other now!

Tired of roping? Let’s play on the horses! Those good old cow ponies will let you do anyting with them.

The day is done. Time to round’m up, headm’ up and loadm’ in.

Last one in is a rotten cowpie! The cows literally jump in…..almost as if they know they’re goin’  home to a big pile of grain reward!

Hmmmm, good by too cute cowboys. It’s been a blast!

So fun in fact , that the cowboys are coming back next summer to rope again with the  cowgirls!  Ooooo, happy trails and cowboy dreams!

 “What’s up big boy, you look dejected?” I ventured, never knowing just quite what my talking stallion might respond with.

 “I’m not dejected, I’m deflated” Came the answer from the pink lips. “ All these years, I‘ve been a good horse, a wise horse, a horse who has invested his time and energy well. But I am still just a quarter horse… with inflation the way it is, I should at least be a dollar horse by now!”

 “You should be happy you’re not just an old plug worth only a plug nickel!” I couldn’t resist. But oh, was that really the wrong thing to say! I think there were almost tears in those blue eyes. But then with a sudden flash I could see inspiration hit as his head came up and he trotted up to me.

 “You know, I do listen to the news. I know what’s happening out there. The government is bailing things out, they’re fixing stocks and they’re changing the value of things.  You’re the government of our ranch and I’m your stock so you could bail me out and give me more value! There’s bailing wire right there in the barn!” Commander looked at me imploringly.

 Ah, if only things were so easy! “Commander, you don’t quite understand. Your being a quarter horse doesn’t have anything to do with money. It has more to do with the rich history of your ancestors and the generations of horses who came before you. You should be proud to be called an American Quarter Horse.”

 The beginning of the quarter horse breed occurred in the 1700s when the English colonists on America’s eastern seaboard started importing the thoroughbred style stallions from their homeland racecourses. But races in the new world were quite different from racing in the old world! The 1-4 mile races in England over cleared field and dale weren’t possible in the heavily wooded areas of Virginia. Consequently American races were done on a quarter of a mile through city streets or on pieces of ground cleared of timber and known as “race paths” or “quarter paths.” Breeding focused on producing horses that were small, hardy, and quick.

 The early day predecessor of the quarter horse had to do it all, from entertaining the early colonists who had a need for speed and an appetite for racing, to pulling the plow and herding the cow. Money was tight and families could only afford one horse that could multi task! This early multi-use horse is considered one of the reasons why the quarter horse of today is so versatile.

 As people moved west, so did their stallions and the handy racers of the east were bred to the mares of the west. These western dams were descended from the Spanish Barb horses brought over by the Spaniards and skillfully “borrowed” by the Chickasaw, Cherokee and Choctaw native tribes. They were generally known as “Chickasaw horses”. With the cross of the hot-blooded sire lines from England on the sturdy Spanish mares came a horse that not only raced but also proved to be very handy on the large cattle ranches of Texas.

 The quarter horse as we know it was starting to take shape. It was a horse that had great sprinting speed over short distances, had a short, refined head, strong, well-muscled body and featured a broad chest and powerful, rounded hindquarters.

 Until the 1940s the Quarter Horse existed as a type of horse, not a breed of horse. They were called by different names depending on what part of the country they came from and the desired sire bloodline of that area. There were Little Steel Dusts in north Texas, Billy horses in south Texas and in other areas they were dubbed Short Horses, Bulldogs or American Quarter of a Mile Running Horses. In the end after heated arguments and many compromises the horse breed emerged as simply the American Quarter Horse, intended to reflect the breed’s original purpose of racing the quarter mile.

 In 1940 the American Quarter Horse Association was formed with the mission to record and preserve the pedigrees of the American Quarter Horse while maintaining the integrity of the breed and providing beneficial services for its members. Today there are 4.5 million Quarter Horses on the AQHA registry with a worldwide membership totaling 340,000 owners. This makes AQHA the largest horse breed association in the world and quarter horses themselves have become a several billion-dollar industry.

 There are 17 recognized colors of American Quarter Horses including the most prominent color of sorrel (brownish red). Other register colors are bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, dun, red dun, gray, grullo, palomino, red roan, blue roan, bay roan, white, cremello and perlino (Commander!). The shape of the quarter horse has diversified as the breed matured into mastering different disciplines. The ranch, reining and cattle horses have stayed the shorter, more compact, stocky and well muscled, yet agile shape of the past while the racehorses were infused with more thoroughbred blood to become taller, leaner moving machines. The halter and show horse became larger and more heavily muscled to suit American show tastes.

 Versatility still remains the hallmark of the American Quarter Horse breed. You will find quarter horses involved in ranch work, reining, rodeos and barrel racing in one arena and western pleasure, English pleasure, eventing and dressage in another arena. Many individuals and families spent hours on the trail enjoying their faithful companion that easily gets them from one place to another. Racing, still the Sport of Kings is enjoyed by racers, breeders and spectators alike. Whatever a rider wants to do, they can find a quarter horse to do the job.

 “So Commander, do you see what an honor it is to be a quarter horse?” I certainly was proud of my American Quarter Horse stallion. Quite a statement from an Arabian racehorse breeder!

 “I am proud to be a Quarter Horse although I still might be worth more as a Dollar Horse. I think we just need to start a new registry for Perlino Stallion Dollar Horses!” Commander could be quite stubborn with an idea.

 “Yeah, a registry with a membership of one horse!” I rolled my own blue eyes!

 “OK, I see your point, but I still need the bailout.” The twinkle had now come back to Commander’s blue eyes.

“Could you bail me out of this pasture into the mare pasture?”

Jill Smith is a Spokane, WA entrepreneur, international business
owner, artist/potter and cowgirl at heart. She raises Arabian racehorses,
Arabian/Quarter Horses, palominos and Cremellos/Perlinos.

High N Command (pen name, Commander) is a smart-talking
AQHA perlino stallion, constantly trolling for mares.
Visit our web site http://www.kriseanhorses.com/

What’s a ranch without a donkey!

Even Shrek couldn’t live without one. Our resident donkey, Honkeytonk Boudaka Donk (just Donk for short!), keeps everyone in tune, gives rides to youngsters and shatters the ranch peace at times with a bray. He is also a favorite with the tour busses that visit. At the Cowgirl Co-op we even have our own “donkey pack string”.

They actually have a working job as part of our Cowgirl Xtreme Trail Course. They are very effectively… obstacle #4. Have you ever seen a horse go straight up, pivot in air and come down with all hooves in forward motion? Just one sweet little donkey he-hawwwwww will do it every time! I think Donk knows that! He can be very entertaining!

Mini donkey "mule train" at the Cowgirl Co-op

DonKays Ready to Greet Visitors..... Well Prissy is actually a mini Mule!

DonKay Ears Forward! Someones a comin' up the drive!

Ridin' the Wild Donk-kay at the Cowgirl Co-op

Chick-A-Doodle Dinner ~ A one bowl chicken delight!

Cowgirls Love Good Chow!

There’s nights, after a day of  riding the range or herding cats in the corporate boardroom, when a quick simple meal fills the bill. Busy cowgirls not only like a quick fixer but a fast cleaner upper leaves more time to enjoy the fading light of sunset!  In this cowgirl dinner favorite, fresh veggies from the garden and a succulent chicken breast are flash sauteed in one wok pan and then served in a single dish per person. Speed, ease, taste, color and clean! This chicken dish gets crowed about and still leaves you time to doodle in a different endeavor for the rest of the evening! Ladies, start your burners!

Chick-A-Doodle Dinner

The best food starts with the best ingredients! In this case the freshest veggies you can pick, borrow or buy!

Oh my gosh that’s raw chicken up close! Look quick, sip some wine and butcher those succulent breasts into cubes…..yes, we’re talking about the chicken breasts!

Next, yield that big knife some more and handily chop the veggies into submissive little chunks. This is great if you’ve had a stressful day and just feel like whaling on something!

What a colorful event so far…well…except for the raw chicken. If you are meatless minded you could ditch the chicken all together. We just happened to have this squawky hen…

I just had to step back a minute to the carrots…. did you ever wonder why they called it “julienne” the carrots when you cut them in thin strips? Why not “barbaratise” the carrots or shannonize” them or “susiefy” them? Somewhere in cooking history this Julie girl got her two cents in … I’m  sure she was a cowgirl at heart! Since this is OUR blog, I can just say what I want so I proclaim to my fellow cowgirls that anything cut into small strips in THIS blog will now be “jillienne” cut!

Okaaaaaa, the raw chicken is lookin’ better! Hmmmm and it’s starting to smell like dinner! Notice this great Cowgirl Cookware Pan! It’s part large pan and part wok pan. Just great for stir fries that need to cook quick. Stay tuned for more on Cowgirl Cookware!

Now we’re cookin’!! This is smelling pretty darn good, just get your nose closer to the computer screen and take a whiff!  Stir fry those veggies with a heaping dose of herbs!

Now dump in the diced tomatoes, juices and all. We like a nice organic brand like Muir Glenn. If you’re not in a hurry, dice up a bunch of fresh garden tomatoes and add those instead. You would need to add a little chicken broth then to create the wonderful sauce this dish generates.

And there it is ! The finished Cowgirl Chick-A-Doodle-Veggie-Noodle masterpiece. Tasty and colorful and easy to fix. Oh my!

Nest some pasta in a bowl, nestle a heaping helping of chick-a-doodle in the middle and dust with parmesan.  Yum! Enough to satisfy just about any cowgirl out there and quite a few cowboys to boot! Notice how colorfully well it fits into a handmade “Funny Bunny Bowl” from the ranch mercantile store! I suppose you might like the whole recipe, huh? Well just follow along below.

Chick-A-Doodle Dinner

Prepin’ Time: 15 minutes ~ Unless you are really a timid knife wielder
Cookin’ Time: 15 minutes ~ Unless you wok-a-slow
Easy to do ~
Serves: 4 hungry people or 2 famished people!

Ingredients

    Cup of good wine for the cook ~ always the best first ingredient for a dinner time recipe!
1  whole chicken breast (a succulent 1 ½ pounder!), cut into cubes
1  tablespoon olive oil
2  cloves of garlic, minced (Ok, ok  just use more if you want to!)

1  cup sliced carrots
1  onion chopped (a medium sized one)
1  cup broccoli, chopped
1  yellow pepper, chopped (yes, if you can’t get yellow, green or red will do)
1  zucchini, chopped

1  28oz can of diced tomatoes 

1  teaspoon oregano leaves
1  teaspoon basil leaves ——–Now DON”T skimp on these spices or it just won’t be as tasty!
1  teaspoon thyme leaves
    Salt and pepper to taste 

 8  ounces Spaghetti or Fettuccine noodles
    Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

 Pour wine in nice wine glass and slowly sip as you proceed. First step is to chop everything up as pictured above. Sip. Start water heating for the noodles.

 Heat olive oil in wok pan or large frying pan till hot then add half the garlic. Brown the garlic then dump in half the chicken pieces. Allow them to brown just a bit on one side and then flippe’m over and cook the other side. Place the little succulents (I just like that word) on a plate and then cook the other half of them. Add to the same plate.

 Don’t wipe out the pan just throw the rest of the garlic in and sauté for a minute or two then add the carrots. Sauté while turning them around with a spatula for a minute or two then dump in the onions and broccoli.  Cook a minute or two and then add the peppers for several cooking minutes and finally put in the zucchini. What a colorful mix! Add the herbs and mix’m in.

 The secret to good stir fries is to add the veggies that need cooking the longest …first….so they cook the longest. Is that obvious?

 Stir this colorful mix around until the veggies are almost crisp cooked. Dump the chicken and juices back in and add the can of tomatoes, juice and all, to the mix. Mix up and let simmer on lower heat, stirring occasionally.

 Now cook the pasta according to directions and be sure it is nice and al dente, DON’T cook it to death!  When ready, drain the water off and make a nest with a wad of pasta in a pretty bowl. Chickens like nests, you know.  Spoon some of the veggie/chicken on top along with juices. Sprinkle with parmesan, serve it up and chow it down!

 The one pot wok is all there is to clean and the one bowl-per-person entry is a quick finisher. We do like some crusty bread and a green salad on the side so I guess you do have to have a plate under the bowl to accommodate these additions!

 Happy Trails!