I 'm home from church and it was great. So back to Gabbs. We had a Green Ford Pinto that we put many miles on taking the kids back and forth to town for school. Remember, 14 miles of dirt road and 15 miles of pavement one way. You wouldn't think there was anything to see in the desert but you'd be wrong. There were wild mustangs grazing or running and coyotes coming out of the alfalfa field in the morning after a night of feasting on rabbits. Once we saw a little furry thing going down in the ditch and us stupid city slickers though that it was a bear cub. and stopped the car and got out to chase it. Come to find out it was a badger and they are not the nicest of animals. Plus what would have happened if it had been a bear cub? where would the mom have been.? Duh!! that's why I said we were stupid. Just didn't think.

We had a diesel generator and couldn't afford to run it all the time so most of the time there was no electricity. At night the kids would do their homework by kerosene light until they talked their dad into turning the generator on for a while. We ran it mainly to draw water, adn do laundry and showers then it went off again.
Our Pastor friend gave the girls little ponies and Mike a green broke Mustang. He road that thing way out into the desert and loved it. The bad thing was when we left we had to leave them behind. Kathy learned from our friend how to put the saddle on her pony and I thought it was too tight so I told her to loosen it. She said it had to be that way and when she wasn't looking I loosened it. well she got on and took off and that saddle started falling sideways. she was screaming and I was laughing so hard I couldn't move to help her. Of course she didn't think it was funny. Thank GOD she didn't get hurt but it was a memory worth keeping.

This was in the 80's but when you saw the ranchers out herding their cows it was just like something out of a western. Mc Kays were our neighbors, 14 miles away and wonderful people. She was Morman and he was Catholic and they had a baby every year. She'd be pregnant while carrying one in a papose on her back while herding cows. But these people were wonderful people. The kids were on horses before they could walk. They would come to our church and fill a pew and never a peep out of them. Good natured and happy all of them. Why can't the world be like that? They had no electricity either, and she not only made her own bread but ground the wheat her self from 100 pound sacks.

The ranchers and the farmers there worked with each other. One farmer would have a piece of equiptment and another would have another. they helped each other. Come branding time the different ranchers got together and helped each other. (Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.) Sounds like the golden rule to me. But life there was simple and taught us a lot.

More tomorrow. bye for now.