Thundering Hoof Ranch

About two weeks ago I wrote about making Bone Broth.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2016/04/the-benefits-of-bone-broth.html

I have been drinking a cup a day for about a month and look forward to it.  I really believe in the healing powers it has.  I feel great, although I felt fine before I started it.  My only problem was finding the organic bones needed to make it.  I had a friend get me some from her source, but I haven't been able to get them from her yet.  Then on a recent trip to my daughter's house, I noticed this sign.

My other daughter also makes bone broth.  Her neighbor gave her some soup bones to cook.  Guess where they came from?  Yup, Thundering Hoof Ranch.  I took this as a sign to research this place near Berlin, Wisconsin.  I went on their website  http://www.thunderinghoofranch.com and found a lot of good information.  I found the principles of the ranch are that they use no antibiotics or hormones.  They use forage based farming which means they use permanent ground covers to protect the soil from erosion and ground water contamination.  They do not use any chemical fertilizer.  The animals are allowed to roam without any unnecessary confinement.

Being impressed with this information, I called to see if they sold bones.  A very nice man told me they do, and they have a farm store which is open on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.  I was very happy to make this discovery, and today we took a little drive.  The ranch is less than a half hour from our house.

As we were driving in, I had a little pang of guilt and sadness.  Along the fence line I saw the cutest cows I have ever seen.

Calves on this ranch nurse and stay with their mothers for up to ten months giving them a very strong immune system.

I proceeded into the store and purchased two large bags of bones.  The store not only had beef, chicken, lamb and pork but also spun wool from the sheep and homemade soaps made from the beef tallow.

Two bags of frozen bones.

I never thought in a million years I would spend money on bones, but here they are.  I came home and started a batch of broth, but couldn't think about how I got them and where they came from.  I am not a vegetarian but after seeing these animals I am getting close. 

My Little Oil Diffuser

Essential oils have been around for many centuries.  There is evidence that oils were used in Ancient Egypt, China, Greece and many other countries around the world.  Cave drawings from thousands and thousands of years ago indicate the use of oils.  Now days, everywhere you look there are companies selling essential oils.  Some products aren't actually oils at all but just an essence mostly used for the smell while others are grown and extracted from high quality organic plants.  I am part of a Young Living team, but I am not involved in building a business or being an active member.  I am too old and lazy to do that.  I just love having the access to order high quality products.  I have heard the spiel from other companies, but I feel Young Living is one of the best.  People use oils for physical healing, cosmetics, mental clarity, their pets, safe cleaning products and just about anything else you can think of.  If you have a concern or problem there are millions of combinations and oil blends to try.  I have my favorites, and that is an individual choice.  The internet can help with the best choice for you, or I can put you in contact with someone more knowledgeable than me. 

The reason for this blog is not to convince anyone to use essential oils, but I would suggest looking into them before beginning a prescription drug regiment.   The FDA is very strict about saying a specific oil cures a certain disease, but it doesn't hurt to try them for yourself.  What I do want to mention is a product I have found.  Because I have used essential oils for a while, I have also used the oils in diffusers.  Diffusers are devices where distilled water is mixed with some essential oil.  When you plug it in or provide batteries, a fine mist disperses into the air.  People use it to kill germs in the air, to breath in calming vapors and for air fresheners.  The gadget I found is a small simple diffuser, and it doesn't use water.  It has a small pad on which a few drops of oil are placed.  It runs with two batteries or plugs into a USB port.  We have a USB port in our car, but if you don't have one there are USB plug in's which plug into the cigarette lighter.

The little diffuser looks like a computer mouse.

It has a USB connector or uses batteries.

An adapter for the connection.

Microfiber pad to put the oil on.

We plug it in the car when we travel.  It makes the car smell so good and helps with drowsiness.  A little peppermint smell often helps with car sickness. Some lemongrass is invigorating.   It works better than any car deodorizer especially the little trees that hang from the rear view mirror.  It is also nice to plug into your computer.  It adds relaxing scents to the air if your working a a project.

Diffusers come at many price points.  This little one is less than $10.  It doesn't appear to be of a very high quality but seems to work great in a small area like a car.

Osprey Nesting 2016

Over the years I have blogged about the Osprey we see in our area of Wisconsin.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2014/04/osprey-in-green-lake-wisconsin.html

It's always a thrill, but I could never get great photos because the birds were either out hunting, too far away or being blocked by branches in our trees.  Fortunately for us, the Green Team working with Alliant Energy has built four Osprey nesting platforms in different locations not too far from our house.  The Green Team is a partnership of several organizations which introduce all the special things Green Lake Wisconsin has to offer.   It is a group of volunteers who dedicate their time and effort for everyone to enjoy events and nature around Green Lake. http://www.glakesd.com/events/list/

The first breeding nest I ever saw was several years ago on the lights of the baseball diamond in downtown Green Lake.   This year a lot of people will have that opportunity.  It seems that three of the four platform sites have attracted a breeding pair of Osprey.  Perhaps there is time for the fourth platform to welcome another pair as well.

Today we saw the Osprey pair who have taken over the Silver Creek Inlet platform along Hwy. A.  I expected a more elaborate nest.  This one looks like a few sticks were brought in and that was good enough.  Maybe they aren't finished with the nest, but she is sitting there looking like she is incubating eggs.  I will report further when they are hatched.  We have the perfect setting for such a platform on our property.  I wonder how we could make that happen.  Wouldn't it be amazing to sit on our deck and see these beautiful raptors nesting?