Clear Creek Ranch Mom Catch-Up

Today I'm talking with Leah at Clear Creek Ranch Mom. She has some exciting things on the horizon after experiencing a health scare.

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00:00
You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters, and topics adjacent. I'm your host, Mary Lewis. If you're enjoying this podcast, please like, subscribe, share it with a friend, or leave a comment. Thank you. Today I'm talking with Leah at Clear Creek Ranch Mom, and this is a catch-up episode. I interviewed Leah back last March, and her episode is originally called Clear Creek Ranch Mom. Go Fig!

00:29
So good morning, Leah. How are you? Good morning, Mary. Good to visit with you again. You too. I, it's funny. A lot of the people I talk to on the podcast, I, I don't necessarily ever talk to them again, but I have like six people that I check in with and I keep up with and you're one of the six. So.

00:48
I feel blessed. Thank you for thinking of me. Oh, you're welcome. And it's really hard to miss because you have been doing a lot and you've been sharing on Facebook a lot of all the new things you're doing. So give me a real quick who you are and what you do. And then I want to talk about all the new things you've been doing. Sure. Leah Peterson. I am from Custer County, Nebraska. I am blessed.

01:14
to live on and help operate a multi-generation family operation in Custer County. We raise cows and crops and kids, I like to say. Additionally, I am an executive director for a small nonprofit in Nebraska where we apply for federal grants. So if you hear that buzzword of late, you know, that comes with a whole bunch of rain.

01:40
Cringing and curling your toes, we use those federal grants to help provide education and technical services for farmers and ranchers in Nebraska. So I've been doing that for a little over two years. And then, you know, I'm just that busy lady as a volunteer service oriented person in my community and then doing stuff for Clear Creek Ranch Mom too. Okay, awesome. Before we get into all the new stuff you're doing since you brought up the federal grant thing.

02:10
One of the things somebody told me the other day when we were discussing this, it might have been my dad, I don't remember, was that if you had submitted an application for a federal grant and it's up in the air right now, there are also regional grants and local grants out there that aren't necessarily funded by the federal government. So if you're still looking, those are good alternatives to look into.

02:37
Absolutely. There are also so many donors, charitable groups out there that care about causes that you care about. Someone told me last week, it's as simple as trying to spend some time listening to public radio. If you'll notice on public radio a lot of times that your news breaks or your commercials are sponsored by some of those foundations that exist out there, and those people are also looking for opportunities to help fund projects.

03:05
and education. And so we have been looking under some of those couch cushions as well as we try to diversify some of the funding sources that we look to to help us keep on with our mission, which is to bring quality, solid education to farmers and ranchers. Yep. So that's an alternative or those are alternatives and you're not completely screwed on this right now.

03:31
I don't really want to talk about anything to do with government right now. Amen. The chaos is making me really nervous. I just talked to my folks this morning and they're, my mom is not in her 80s yet. She is two years away and my dad is 81 and they're very smart people and I love them with all my heart. And when I freak out about things, I talk to them and I said, so what do you think? And my dad said, hang in there.

04:00
I said, that's it. He said, yeah, hang in there. I was like, okay, I'm going to take you at your word, dad. Thanks. Absolutely. That's all I got. Hang in there guys. Hang in there, get off social media and go sit down at the dinner table with your neighbors, your friends and have one-on-ones and that will help center you, bring you back to center and help you feel more calm and assured that things will work out and be all right. Yes. Or read science fiction. Yeah. Or read.

04:29
romance novels because at least it gives your brain something else to focus on. Yes, or dad jokes. We're big fans of dad jokes in this family. Yes, exactly. So, okay. So, back when I talked to you a year ago, we talked about ranching, we talked about what's proper etiquette, asking questions about ranching. I will remember that. Whoops.

04:54
Now I know if I'm going to ask somebody a question that I don't know is a good question to ask, I say, I do not know if you can answer this or if you're comfortable answering this. If you're not, that is fine. And that way I'm covering my bases because I felt like an idiot after I realized what I'd done with you. I know. So for those who don't know, I asked Leah how many head of cattle they have and that is an inappropriate question, but I didn't know it at the time. Whoops.

05:23
So now I know. So since then, you had a health scare. And ever since you got through your health scare, I've seen all kinds of new things popping up on Facebook about what you're doing. So do you want to talk about that and what it prompted? Sure. Well, I am like a lot of women in agriculture who, in spite of your best intentions, find that it's very easy to be distracted.

05:52
distracted, it's very easy to put others' needs ahead of your own. So kids, husband, livestock, putting them first. And I'm guilty of that, both time-wise, money-wise, putting myself down on the priority list. It was actually my dentist who had been twice a year reminding me of the importance of

06:19
not just getting my teeth cleaned, but paying attention to other stuff when it comes to the aging process. And of course, your dentist is right in your face. And he said to me, because he takes care of cleaning farmers and ranchers' teeth all day long, I would imagine, I should ask him, that he probably has sort of this rehearsed can speech that he gives them often, which is, you know, I'm looking at your face, I'm looking up close at you, and I think you should see a dermatologist. So he'd been after me.

06:48
several reminders. And in particular, he cleans teeth for my folks, right? So he knows us, he knows some of our genetics and stuff like that. And he was always kind of ragging on me about my lips in particular, and I'm very fair skinned and blue eyed. I think you just should get those looked at. So I did. I finally, I made an appointment and I did. I went in March. And I think right after we did our first visit before you aired the episode.

07:17
and met with this wonderful dermatologist specialist. She's not a dermatologist, she's a nurse practitioner who specializes in skincare. And she works with farmers and ranchers. Most of us have really high deductible insurance or no insurance, so she works on a cash basis. Nice. Ranchers love to hear those kind of creative solutions. And she was so thorough and so kind and explained everything.

07:43
I mean, I pay attention to my skin. I'm so fair skinned. I've always covered up. I've always worn hats because I burn so easily. And even so, you know, these spots showing up. And so we started doing biopsies. Of course she started with my lips and she's like, you know, I really, I'm not too concerned about them, but I'm seeing some other stuff that concerns me. And, you know, I just started to sweat because I'm like, the stuff that doesn't look suspicious at all. You're telling me it concerns you.

08:10
Sure enough, she said, you'll get a letter with your pathology results. If I call you, you need to take my call. Sure enough, two weeks later on a Monday morning, promptly at 8.01 AM, my phone rang and I knew it came up on my caller ID. And I am certain I said a naughty word. We were just starting into the thick of calving season and my world stopped. And your world doesn't stop.

08:38
very often during calving season. I mean calving season dominates your existence, your family's existence. And she said, I need you to sit down and I need you to listen to me. And basal cell carcinoma, I knew that word because my mom has had several of those cut off or burned off over the years. I know that you do an easy removal of those. They're pretty common skin cancer. So we started with that.

09:08
And then she said, but we got to talk about something scarier than that. And I'm thinking to myself, I don't know what else there is when it comes to skin cancer. And she said the word melanoma. My heart stopped to marry because I know two people who have died from melanoma. And it was because they waited. And I didn't even realize that I didn't know that much about it, except that I knew melanoma is a killer. But I thought it was, I thought it looked different.

09:36
than what it looked like on me. I didn't realize it can start with the tiniest of spots and then quickly get into your lymphatic system and spread. Life stopped. She says, we got to move and we got to move on this now and I don't care what you've got going on in your own life. We got to get more biopsies. We got to see what we're dealing with. Life stopped. Through March, April, and May of 2024, which is historically for most farms and ranches in America, the busiest months of the year.

10:06
I was going to doctor's appointments when I was supposed to and my husband was going with me. Again, that's like a double ask during that time of year until we had finished the last rounds of removals and pathology reports to say, you're clear, but your life has changed now. You're going to come see me every 90 days. Again, who has time to go to the doctor every 90 days? Well, this girl does.

10:36
this darn thing sneaked up and appeared really out of nowhere so quickly, which just tells you melanoma doesn't mess around. I'm so glad that you're still in the world and you're not sick. Thank you so much. Yeah. And she, you know, I would like to interview her myself because she's so compassionate for farmers and ranchers who often feel like they're sort of misunderstood or not seen or heard.

11:05
affording their healthcare, which is the thing that I love, the thing that sustains life and gives life to our farm and ranch, which is the sun will also kill you and that you must respect it. And even with being careful, it got me. Now it got me on the face and I've always worn thick glasses, strong prescriptions since I was two years old and we'll never know if that helps, you know, it pulls more light onto my face because in the time since I had another spot pop up.

11:35
across my nose to the other side that looked and mirrored exactly identical. So I rushed right in to get it removed and it came back just as a beginning. Just that fast though, Mary. Like a lot of cancer. And then there's the cancers that silently getting you from the inside and you don't realize it. But I thought how foolish am I that I could see it.

12:01
you know, and I could hear it to know that it had to be a priority. And yeah, it awakens something in me, which is we farmers and ranchers, again, we so focus on work ethic and dedication and loyalty and getting the work done and the place comes first. There are real consequences to those philosophies. Mm-hmm. Of course there are. Your health and your relationships at the top. Those are the consequences. And at age 45.

12:29
And I have had some pushback a little bit because people are really much their gatekeepers, right? They're gatekeepers of the reputations. They have it as these stoic solid hard people It is very difficult for some of us to speak and say things like I need to take care of myself today And especially as a woman Women have a hard time putting themselves first and it's it's been since time began

13:00
Since time began. And you know, sometimes I like, are we really doing it to ourselves? Maybe it's not community or people around us doing it to us as much as we think they are. But, you know, I had to reconcile my last cancer surgery was on the kids' last day of school in May and I missed it. I've never missed it. It's a celebration of sorts. I did not want to miss it. I wanted to reschedule. She couldn't reschedule. So I missed it.

13:29
No one said anything to me, but I was kicking myself on the inside until my youngest said, mama, I wanted you to get yourself taken care of today. Yeah. And I'm going to sob here, but now you will be around for the first of the other or the ending days or the marriages or the proms or whatever's coming down the road. Yes. And she knows when she's a grownup that her mama will say, you take care of yourself.

13:59
Let me help you take care of yourself. Yeah. And you know from personal experience that that's terribly important. So I don't want to cry through the whole episode. So tell me what that has inspired you to move forward with because I know you're doing some awesome things. Thank you, Mary. Well, you know, I've spent, and I'm going to be the emotional one today too, I've spent a lot of my life being afraid to speak.

14:29
my story or my truth because of fear of judgment or being wrong. And I am a, I'm sensitive by nature. I've met, people don't realize that about me, but I am. I, I often tell my oldest, you don't see me cry because when I start, I can't stop. So I guard myself that way. Um, but finally giving myself permission to say.

14:55
The things I would like to say and I what I always hope is kind and respectful as much as possible and inclusive. But say the things that need to be to be said to speak up for those who feel like they don't have a voice or they haven't been able to find that voice and hope that in doing so I can encourage them if they need to be encouraged. Or encouraged and brave than enough to use their own voices.

15:25
Mary, I have a little board in front of my desk. I print out and keep track of people who wrote me to say, I went to the dermatologist. I'm not giving myself credit. I don't want it. The only thing I can say is you never know when your words, your story, your sharing, being vulnerable with people will encourage them in a way you have no idea.

15:54
how you can positively impact or touch a life. And everyone is capable of doing that for another human being. Yes, and it can be the tiniest thing. Like there was a lady at Panera back years ago when I was starting to go bray and freaking out about it. And she was the hippest older lady I had ever seen in public. She had the most beautiful jacket on. She had like...

16:21
slim fit hands on, she had the coolest shoes, she was just really cool. And her hair was short and wavy and white. And she was beautiful. And I walked up to her, and I'm really shy, I don't walk up to complete strangers very often. But she was putting her stuff in the trash can and I walked up and I said, I absolutely love your hair. And she took one look at my stripe in my black hair and she said, I love yours too.

16:50
And I teared up and I was like, thank you. I said, I can't wait until mine looks like yours. This half and half thing is driving me crazy. And she just had the biggest smile on her face. And so it was this little tiny thing that I did. And it didn't change, it didn't keep her from getting cancer and dying, as far as I know, but it was a little tiny smile thing that I did. For you, you are doing something that

17:18
probably is saving lives. So it doesn't matter how big or little, just try to make a good impact in the way you can. That's right. It doesn't cost anything to be kind and to share. And of course for me what hit closest to home was trying to encourage my siblings to get to the dermatologist and get checked out. Again, all of us are just so guilty of getting busy prioritizing.

17:47
ourselves slips down the list. And I missed my last appointment with a dermatologist last week because I had influenza in our home and couldn't do it. It is on my to-do list, just right up there with getting my taxes done for 2024. Don't we hate it? Why do we human beings feel like we don't learn our lessons unless it's the hard way a lot of times? Because we're busy and we're distracted. Yep, busy and distracted.

18:17
Yeah, that's the thing that kicks everybody or we just ignore things. If I ignore it, it'll go away. Yes. I'm really good at that. It's not true. I need to not do that anymore. Okay. So what I've been trying to get Leah to get to in the last five minutes, but she's not doing it is Leah is a very talented writer and she writes these beautiful essay snippets, I call them on her Facebook page and

18:43
I love them. She tells these stories and I read them and I either guffaw or I cry or I take a big deep breath and go, yup, that's right. And she also is getting into public speaking. And I love this for you because I watched the video that was posted of your speaking engagement a couple of weeks ago, a week ago, whatever it was. And you were nervous, but you were fantastic. Thank you. Yes, I was so nervous. And

19:13
I have done public speaking for a long time. I did high school competitive public speaking. That was a long time ago. I've done small groups. This was a unique challenge because it's a huge event. So when I say huge, I don't just mean number of bodies, but like the pressure to make it be good because it's such a great event in the state of Nebraska celebrating 40 years of Nebraska Women in Ag, a dynamic setup of speakers and workshops.

19:43
and I was the keynote to close the event. Yes, you were. Yeah. I hyped myself up into thinking that I was not going to be able to meet the expectations given how great it had been and the weather had been so terrible. Women were anxious to get going and go home. So they had told me 45 minutes. I knew that wouldn't be appropriate. I was myself looking at my watch thinking I'm anxious to get home to my family and help.

20:11
put things back together after such a vicious Arctic blast we'd endured. And so I was nervous. And then when I saw my father sneak into the corner of the ballroom in the corner of my eye and my mother was at a state or she'd been there with him, um, I had to pivot and I couldn't look that way because

20:34
Well, I wrote about it because I'd cry because he's a baby boomer and I am the next generation. When you know, you know. The relationship dynamics between the generations are different and it's hard to explain that. That's why I wrote about it again a week later. I wrote about it, which seemed to resonate with many who said, yes, this is my experience. It is my experience. It doesn't make me stop longing for.

21:03
dad that would say I love you but showing up 70 miles down the road does mean that he loves me. Absolutely. The thing that I really wanted to say about your speech as the keynote and the last speaker of the thing is that I felt like you were the dessert after the really good meal probably because you were very earnest but you were also funny. Thank you.

21:31
As I get older, I find myself being funnier. So I think my teenager rolls her eyes. Her boyfriend tells me I'm funny. Yes, and I felt like that was appropriate because the content of the event was so wonderful. It was heavy. It's a heavy time. Of course, I mean, it's heavy for all Americans right now, but it's particularly heavy for women in agriculture in spite of really good markets and stuff. It's just heavy. It's all heavy.

21:59
always heavy right now, it just seems heavy, heavy. I thought that humor would be appropriate. But let me say that when I entered into certain components of that 20 minutes that I spoke and I didn't see it coming, I mean, I practiced on a small group of women and my husband several times, the emotional response from them took me by surprise. And so that's…

22:24
that also drove a bit of my nerves in particular when I pulled up the picture of the from the mom cyclone. And I selected that one because it was a picture that people recognized. It had something like 25 million views or something. And I saw some women kind of do like a, like it was like a blast from the past. And so they recognized it but hadn't put it together that it was mine. And it had been on the front of many papers and magazines that

22:53
the following weeks that it was me that had written and shared that, but also it drew back drew up their own memories from 2019 from that bomb cyclone. And after the event concluded as I was packing up and we were done to go home, how many of them embraced me to, to thank me for for helping remember that event, but in like a positive way. There were some women that said though it was hard. Some PTSD is a very real thing.

23:23
and several that said I had an instant emotional response because I haven't revisited those memories and then you brought it right in front of my face and I had forgotten how hard it was. So that was, it was a, like I said, it was a unique experience to see the tears in the audience when I didn't expect that. At the end of the day,

23:50
My goal was to connect with them and I feel like that mission was accomplished and then help them connect with one another because while we've been together for two days and while we women in agriculture do feel interconnected on so many things, it's very hard to get to that state of authentic vulnerability where you actually are saying me too and you're

24:21
flesh that out together and you establish trust and credibility and you feel like you're in that safe place to do that. And that's what I, that was what my goal was. And it blesses my heart when I see women exchanging phone numbers and email addresses as they go home because they're doing that. And there's so few of us, Mary. Yeah. We will not survive without that community.

24:51
Yeah, and I feel like that's true of any community doing good things. I mean, I don't know if there are still communities doing bad things. I mean, biker groups used to be accused of doing bad things. And I don't know if they're even still around. But when you have people, it doesn't necessarily have to be women, it tends to be women because for ones who are very social. But when you have a group of people focused on something that is good.

25:21
whatever it is. You guys are all lit up. You have ideas. You share them and amazing things happen. And the other thing here is that you are very good at pulling the heartstrings and pulling people forward to hear what you're sharing. Thank you. I get that from my mother. And I know I sound like I'm a fan, you know, a raving fan.

25:47
And I am a fan, you know, I really like you. I like what you're doing. I really love how you write. I love the history that you're sharing of your farm and other places, but you're good at this and you need to do these things. And I feel like you finally have your own permission to get out of your own way, to be able to pursue these things that you love to do. Thank you. I too, I appreciate that so much. And.

26:15
I had this conversation with a friend who works in ag and advocates too is sometimes we in agriculture, people think because you're self-employed or similarly that you have all this free time. And to be very truthful, I mean, I've had people say, Leah, you owe it. You owe it to the community. You owe it to citizens or consumers to do these things.

26:44
And I am pleased to share and to research and to give and to write and to speak like you do, Mary, how you advocate. But it does come with a cost. And I don't just mean in dollars and cents. It can come with a cost because we're a very private, sometimes prideful community. There are consequences of sharing sometimes. And...

27:13
If someone said, do you want to make a living doing some of this? I'd say, I would be delighted if you'd like to help pay my gas mileage and cover my time to put together a speech for you or write a column for you. I'm getting braver at asking for that because I don't have any more time to give away, so to speak. And yet advocacy and just being inherently.

27:39
knowledgeable enough to help is so important to me and that's why I'm asking others to take time to be knowledgeable as well. Like when I wrote the other night about that very unfortunate sign at the airport restaurant to just have awareness and enough advocacy skills that if you're in the aisle at Walmart and you hear someone saying something that's incorrect that you be brave and you help them see that.

28:07
If they will hear it. And you're right. And today it concerns me that I was, I mean, I was blessed. I had an internship in the Nebraska Unicameral in college. Nothing fancy. I made copies and shuffled papers and open mail and helped write summary reports and greet guests. And I saw the senator I worked for and all these other senators get into spirited.

28:37
debates and disagreements at times and then sit down and talk the next day over coffee. And I saw people change their minds with my own eyes. And I just feel today like people have just dug in their heels. They are reluctant to open their eyes and their ears to listen and listen well and intentionally. And it seems impossible.

29:07
nearly to change a mind anymore and I don't feel like it used to be that way. Yeah, I okay. I'm gonna I'm gonna agree with you to a point. But back in my younger days, I actually used to like people. I used to be social. I used to sit down with folks more than one at a time and have a cup of coffee and chat. And there were people then that weren't.

29:33
They were intractable is the word I would use. They didn't want, they didn't want to hear anything that wasn't there. Already known paradigm. And the thing that I find with people like that is they're not, they're not willing or they're not ready to hear what it is you're trying to share and they probably never will be. So when I meet people like that now, I do my thing. I chat, I listen.

30:01
I take their their viewpoints into consideration. And when we part ways, I say, it was really nice chatting with you. You have a nice day. And then I try not to go around them anymore. It's just, it's not worth it. It is a waste of their time. It is a waste of my time, but I still try just like you try. Um, so, so we've talked a lot about you and you taking care of you and you trying to help other people.

30:31
And you also had posted about the wildfires in Nebraska. Were there wildfires in Nebraska near you? Yes. Um, so I was commenting to my husband that I don't recall there being as many wildfires during my youth. And this is not a commentary about climate change or changed weather patterns.

30:57
I think it's important today to remind all of ourselves, including myself, that when I was a kid and even up in through the 90s, access to information was limited. I got my daily news from the newspaper. Actually our community newspaper was published twice a week. I watched the, in the morning, I watched the news and weather with my parents before I went to school.

31:26
Otherwise, I had no news for the rest of the day, right, until maybe the six o'clock or the 10 o'clock. I watched the weather report. Access information was more limited. That's just a fact. So if there were wildfires, there certainly probably were. They just weren't reported on like they are today. We're literally being fed information minute by minute. And I don't think that that is a positive for us.

31:53
human beings, I think it's too much, it becomes noise, and then you can't separate out important from non-important. So, I am certain we had wildfires. I remember a very vivid memory in the 1980s. We actually were at Sunday dinner with cousins up in the very far reaches of Northwest Custer County and the railroad started a wildfire. And I have vivid memories because the young teenage cousin of mine became in charge of all the kids and the adults went to fight fire. So yes.

32:23
horrific fire again last week. Some of it's a credit to today's ranchers. They're doing so much better at managing their grass that they have good grass, standing grass. As we go into spring calving, it's all brown so that they have good cover for these cows as they start calving. The unfortunate side effect is it's a high fuel load because none of it's green yet. There's lots of fuel to be had. We also have some invasive problems like with

32:52
Those boogers love to light up and burn and they burn hot and they can rekindle after weeks. But yes, we had over 6,000 acres burned in Custer County last week, literally started within 36 hours after the snowpack had melted away because there wasn't a lot of moisture in it and then the winds cranked up. And people that had lit their burn piles when we had snowpack, those things flared up on and on and on.

33:18
on and on and so we ended up with some state and federal resources here to finally tamp them down. I think Friday was their last day of operations and now we go into March which is also a tough month for wildfire because as we lose snowpack and we get winds you know we're just at risk so we could use rain we could use snow however we can get it because the risks are great and of course I'll see.

33:47
Long-term forecast shows us in a persistent drought condition through May, which is hard to hear because we were dry going into fall. Hard to say what we're looking at. If I had a crystal ball, I'm sure I wouldn't be a rancher. So hopefully people have stockpiled their feed well. Inventory on cattle is down across the country. So for people who cold hard.

34:17
hopefully they're okay. Hopefully they've got enough feed going into spring and grass will come and they'll be all right. But the obvious side effect of that is of course increased prices on your beef because inventory is down and will continue to be down because now it's expensive to get into the business. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm going to say something not so good. I'm not. I'm so beefed out, Leah. Oh my God. I think we might've talked about this back when. But

34:45
My husband and my son would live on beef every day if we could. And I swear to God, if I have to look at one more pound of ground beef, I'm going to throw it at my husband. And as I say that, we're actually having sloppy joes or tacos tonight. So I'm... I hear you. I feel you.

35:06
I just want it to be spring or actually late spring, early summer when I can go out to the garden and cut some lettuce and some chard and some baby spinach and have a salad. There you go. And I'm not Catholic, but I love the spring because I love seafood and I enjoy a good fish sandwich to mix up the mundane. And yes, and I grew up eating a lot of pork actually. We couldn't afford to eat our own beef. The 1980s was the family's...

35:36
hog business that got us through those really hard times. So we had pork most days of the week. And now we don't because my husband has diverticulitis and pork is not his friend anymore, which is sad for me. But yeah, I like to tell people, I advocate for all my friends who raise all kinds of protein, all of the ruminant animals, all of the poultry, the fish farms, and I have excellent, excellent responsible.

36:06
super duper people in the dry edible bean business, for instance, and we need them. We need all of the choices for people. What I can't stand is when one party attempts to put fear or belittle a different producer in order to boost your bottom line. That has never worked. Consumers don't like it. They get confused by it. Then they set the whole thing down and then we all lose. So that's what gets to me.

36:36
If you are being a, what, now this has a loose definition to some, a responsible producer. If you're a good steward of the land and a good steward of your animals, um, don't you dare be putting that person down and their enterprise down. There's that's ridiculous. And, um, when these self-righteous, vegan, radical people start going after all of us. Um,

37:02
You know, I just say that's why people hate Americans, because most of them are Americans that are that way. You're trying to dictate the choices of the whole world and their pets. Yeah. Yep. I met a, I met a missionary once who lived in Inner Mongolia for a period of time where nothing grows in the soil because of the arid, bitterly cold terrain environment.

37:31
They live on what they call the keto carnivore diet, basically. Yeah. Except for when they can import a little bit of, I think, some rice or something to go with it. You know, your self-righteous comments would mean the destruction of an entire group of people. And again, and how many are starving or have insufficient access to food, and you think you should dictate what they eat? I mean, that's the stuff that really gets me fired up.

38:01
Oh, absolutely. And I can't stand beets. Okay? My mom would pickle beets. I'm with you, girl. Oh, they bled into the mashed potatoes and turned to pink. That too, yeah. But the only way I could eat beets is if I ate like one pickled beet out of the jar that my mom would can. And my mom to this day doesn't understand why I don't like beets. And I don't like beets because to me, they taste like dirt. If I wanted to eat dirt, I'd go get a spoon and eat it out of the garden.

38:31
I don't care that she loves beets. It's fine. Enjoy them. Eat all the beets on the planet. It means I don't have to. Right. So, so yeah, it's just I wish that I'm gonna sound really Pollyanna ish again. I wish that people would live and let live other than like killing people. Don't kill people. I'm not comfortable with living and letting you kill people. That's not okay. But, but just.

38:59
try to have some compassion and some patience and some understanding and then everything would probably be slightly better. Now to end this podcast, I got a couple housekeeping things that I wanted to share with you and share with listeners. I started a new thing. The episode that went out this morning has something called the Homestead Holler at the beginning of it. And basically it's a shout out to...

39:24
anybody who wants their business name and what they do and where they can be found. You know, just a little snippet at the beginning of the podcast. And I thought this would be fun. So if anybody listening has some kind of homesteading, farming, ranching, growing things, making things, business, and you want to be part of the Homestead Hall or at the beginning of every, not every episode, but an episode, just contact me and we'll get it together.

39:52
That's awesome, Mary. There are so many Facebook groups for homesteading. I follow some of them. Now I can just think of a ton of them that that would be great for them to participate because they're doing good work. Yeah. And I was just going to call it the tiny homestead shout out. And then I was thinking about it. I was like, no, homestead holler. It's a shout out. So it's a holler. It's a homestead holler. And then the other thing I wanted to say is our chickens that we just got a couple of weekends ago, they're 23 weeks old now.

40:21
They're starting to lay. We got 12 of them on purpose because we can't use that many eggs a week, but we can sure sell them to people around here who don't want to pay $9 and $10 a dozen store. And so we can pay, we can sell them for less than that and we will have them. So I'm very excited about this. They, they just started laying last week and I'm so mad because one of them.

40:48
had given us an egg a day for like four or five days in a row. And then two days ago, my husband went out and there were two eggs, which means two chickens are laying in the morning. Nothing this morning. I'm like, girls get it together. We need eggs now. Play him some music is what I've heard. A little music. You know, Mary, what you just described to me though, I was trying to relay that.

41:15
You know, when I was a teenager, my job was to get the eggs. I took turns with my siblings. Yeah. And it took it for granted, right? The activity of doing that. If you have ever watched a young person in particular get to have that experience for the first time and connect the dots, like these light bulbs, it's my feeling, my opinion, that if every human being could be connected to their food like that,

41:46
we would see the world be changed overnight. Oh yes, back when we first got chickens, when we weren't supposed to have chickens, when we lived in town, we had four chickens. And my son was, oh my goodness, my youngest was probably 13, I think. It was a while ago, and he's 23 now. And he actually saw one of the chickens lay the egg.

42:12
And he came in the house and he was like, is that how women have babies? Yes. I was like, well, it's a little more complicated than that. But yeah, pretty much that's the chicken having a potential baby. He's like, that looks easy. I said, yeah, no, women having babies is not easy. Trust me.

42:36
And I said, if you really want to know, Google it because that's all I got. I'm not going to tell you about your birth other than the fact that it was fast and it was the least painful one of the three I've done. There you go. Yeah. And he just looked at me and I'm like, honey, I said, chickens have a bunch of eggs inside the bodies and they develop into the size that you saw come out. I said, eggs don't wiggle, eggs don't kick.

43:03
I said, you had hiccups, you would kick, you would roll over. I said, it's a whole different thing. It's like, Oh, and I said, yeah. So, so yes and no. Then he just laughed. But yes, that connection of where your food comes from is it's incredibly important. And I'm part of the reason that I'm again, I started this podcast for a lot of reasons, but

43:32
I want people who are curious about food to be able to come and listen to the people who are actually raising the food or growing the food. Because so many people who have been generous with their time and allowed me to ask them questions have said so many things on this podcast that even I didn't know about. I'm not a farmer. Yeah. It's complex. It's diverse. It's...

44:01
yet it's cultural and it's cultural specific to areas of the country and it's everywhere. It's easy to get caught up in like, what's my view out my window and out my back door? I hear from these lovely people who maybe they tap the trees and they make maple syrup. Maybe they're raising unique forms of poultry for consumption because people like Cornish

44:29
different kinds of specialty crops that grow that I buy and consume without thinking. And the unique thing is that every one of them is deeply grateful for the opportunity they have, deeply appreciative for those opportunities. They recognize how hard it is. They recognize that it's not easy to get started. They feel alone a lot of the time. It's hard to connect.

44:58
but also how intrinsically they believe that being connected to agriculture in any way, shape or form possible is life-changing and life-giving. And one of the most favorite stories I'd like to tell is I met a woman who lives in the state of Louisiana. The state has adopted a like make every public school ag model.

45:24
and they got grants and they brought in elements of agriculture to the schools and they require the children to participate in some level. So they've got greenhouses, some have livestock, they've got some enterprises going. And what she told me is that every school that has implemented this ag track, this ag focus where every child has some chores, has some connection to the work going on, their truancy problems.

45:54
absenteeism, discipline problems, and grade problems. Gone. Wow. Gone.

46:03
That's phenomenal. That tells you how powerful it is. And my opinion is if we can start with them when they're little people, then we're set for life, rather than trying to teach an adult who never grew up and experienced any of this. Yeah, and who may not even want to and will be forced into figuring out how to feed themselves. Mm-hmm. And doesn't know where to start. Yeah.

46:29
And I mean, I have a whole table right now full of seedlings downstairs in my kitchen. You're ahead of me. You need to get started. Yeah. And every, every February my husband gets the itch. He's like, we need to get seeds going in the seed trays on the table. And I'm like, yeah, I'm going to lose my kitchen table for eight weeks. Okay. And I'm always kind of bothered when he brings it up because I'm like, it's only February, what, and then he plants the seed because he's the gardener, he loves playing in the dirt.

46:59
And the sprouts start to come up and I see these little green babies on my table and I'm like, oh my God, they're so cute. Doesn't it do, it just does something to your spirit, doesn't it? When you see it. Yeah. And then the basil ones come up. I am a big basil fan. Love basil. And the basil babies come up and I wait to see how many actually germinate because if there's only like six, I'm not touching them because we need them to go in the garden. But if there's like 60 of them, I wait till they're about.

47:28
Yeah, an inch tall. And then I pinched the top off and taste it because I needed to remind it of what fresh basil tastes like. And my husband will notice the one that doesn't have me and he'll be like, was it good? Yes, it was. And I will wait until they are ready to take any more. And he just laughs. He's like, you always are so.

47:53
irritated when I'm like, okay, I'm taking over your table, but boy, that first basil seedling that you eat, you're like, oh, that makes it worth it. And then the other thing I was going to say is back at the beginning of January, I came down with COVID. First time diagnosed, haven't been sick with anything since December of 2019. You can guess how miserable I was for a week. And I had just interviewed a woman who works at Sunnyland Farms.

48:23
and I can't remember where it's in the south, and they grow pecan trees. And she was kind enough to send me a pecan pie, and then a couple days later, I got like two pounds of fresh pecans. Oh my goodness, what a gift. And that pecan pie was the only thing that I wanted to eat that week. And my husband didn't really love it. He doesn't really love that kind of sweet and sticky.

48:48
and my son wasn't into it either. So I basically lived on pecan pie one piece a day for five days. More for me. And then those pecans came in. The reason I'm bringing this up, because this is one of the things I learned from her, pecans are not supposed to be bitter. They're supposed to be bright and nutty and yummy. I've never really liked pecans because the pecans you buy at the store are bitter. Yes. And it's because of the way they're stored.

49:17
They're supposed to be kept cold. I had no idea. I didn't know this. I swear to you, Leah, those pecans that she sent me, they were just pecan halves. They were like eating potato chips. They were so good. Wow. I want to buy more from her, but I can't afford it right now. And the other thing about pecans that I didn't know is they are a huge source of antioxidants. Uh-huh.

49:47
I did know that. So I learned like a whole bunch of things from her and then had it proven to me that pecans can be really yummy. And I'll add to your list because I just learned this in December. Pecans grow exceptionally well outside of Tucson, Arizona. That is where I saw groves and groves and groves. I couldn't figure out what I was seeing from the road. So I asked someone and they're like, oh, those are the pecan trees. I said, huh? We're in the desert. They're like, yeah, they grow here. And I said,

50:15
Is anyone harvesting them? Yeah, a lot of them just hit the ground here because they don't have anyone here to harvest them. Someone planted them and had a business years ago and then it's just not where it's done now. So I'm like, because I noticed they were beautiful, these beautiful straight lines, right? These rows on the side of the road. I'm like, let me out. Can I fill my bags? They're like, I don't think they'll let you fly with them. Yeah. But I was like, that will do the work to harvest those things. I had no idea about the refrigeration. That makes a lot of sense.

50:46
Yeah, so now I'm an addict, but I can't afford to buy them from her. They are worth every penny but they are not cheap to acquire. Maybe one day you'll become an additional to the podcast. You'll do a YouTube channel. You can go to her when she's harvesting and do a whole experience day. That would be really fun. That would be awesome. That's an idea. All right, Leah, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

51:12
It's been my pleasure and I am so grateful for people like you, Mary, that always offer encouragement. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm speaking into a void or if I have anything to add of value that is separate from the noise because there are so many wonderful, powerful, educational, inspirational voices out there that I wonder if I have anything to add to that. So the feedback is helpful and I appreciate it. And I...

51:40
I feel called to be a soft place, a safe place to gather. I could get really passionate and talk about a lot of issues, hard hitting, important, scientific, research-based stuff, and I don't feel called or led that way. I want to be a soft place, a safe place, and hope that maybe we can stir hearts if we can't.

52:06
change thinking that if we can stir hearts, then maybe we'll make some positive moves and that we can then just also be an encouragement to those that are in the trenches. And yes, one of my goals is to get out and do more public speaking, putting on that brave hat and going out and doing it, connecting with all these wonderful people I've been talking to for the last seven years. It's time to get out and meet some of them and hear their stories and be able to share those or empower them to share them.

52:35
I would love to talk with anyone who's looking for a speaker to come their way and get that opportunity to do that. So I appreciate you giving me a voice to let me do a little self-promotion. Definitely. It was my pleasure. All right. Thanks, Leah. Have a great day. Thank you, Mary. Thanks.