Maybe Because He Learned To Drive A Pickup at 7

I have said about myself for a long time that I have rancher blood running through my veins.  My grandfather was a foreman of a ranch, and my great grandfather was also a rancher.  Although my dad grew up on a ranch, he did not carry on the family trade.  But I believe he passed on in his DNA a love for ranching.  I am not sure that any of my sisters got this, but I sure did.  I love riding horses. I love hanging out with the cows.  I have from time to time had farm animals.  I'm sure there is a lot more work involved in ranching than I've experienced, but what I have experienced I enjoy.  I hope someday to have my own ranch. 

The first time I rode a horse was at my aunt's house in Colorado.  I was 8 or 9.  My aunt had 4 horses but only 2 saddles.  One of the horses was too wild or too old to be ridden (I can't remember which).  My cousin and one of my older sisters took the saddles and two of the horses and went riding.  I wanted to ride also, so they put the bridle on the 4th horse, and let me ride bare back.  I look back now and am not sure what my dad was thinking letting me ride alone for the first time.  Maybe because he learned to drive a pickup at 7, riding a horse was no big deal.  No matter, I went off riding alone.  The horse I was riding didn't like the small streams of water that were running across the property from the snow run off.  The horse would jump over them.  So at each stream I came to, I had to get off, lead the horse across the stream, and then get back on.  I'm not sure how I got back on, but I did it.  My sister and cousin didn't want me to ride with them.  They rode over in the hills, and I went the other direction into the woods.  I don't remember too much about the ride except that I rode quite a while and absolutely loved it.

I didn't ride a horse again until I moved to Colorado when I was 24.  And even though my backside hurt so terribly bad after the first few times of riding, I loved it again.  I rode every chance I had.  I even rode in the winter through the snow.  I think that was my favorite time to ride.  Dressing warmly was key, but I always had a blast.  I haven't ridden in quite some time but look forward to the next time I ride except for the sore backside. 

While I as at the ranch in Colorado, I found something else I throughly enjoyed.  We had a menu that repeated each week.  Us staffers had our meals that we looked forward to.  We knew which meals to show up for.  One of my favorite desserts that we served was Buttermilk Pie.  The recipe for that pie was given to the cook by a previous employee.  That employee had asked them to not give it out.  So I never got a copy of it.  However, after much hunting and baking,  I have found a recipe that I think is similar.  And since it didn't come from the ranch, I can share it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Buttermilk Pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 pie crust
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 Tbsp flour
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400.  Place pie crust in pie plate.  Mix sugar and flour together in a large bowl.  Lightly beat egg and add to the bowl.  Mix well.  Add butter and buttermilk and mix.  Stir in lemon juice, vanilla, nutmeg and salt.  Pour into the unbaked pie shell.  Bake for 15 minutes at 400, then turn the oven down to 350.  Continue baking for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Place pie on a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.