9 years ago

9 years ago i had a baby. a teeny tiny little baby who we named Roscoe after his great great great great. (add about a jillion of these)....grandfather from 13th century France, Roscoe de la Feld.

Roscoe of the Field.

We thought Rosabel was him. We waited and expected him . he travelled far and wide through the ages to get to us, only problem was, he was 4 months EARLY! He just didn't know he was soooo so teeny tiny.
we called him the "early bird special" when i finally woke up i got to meet him...it must've been the middle of the night, it was all dark except for a peaceful blue light and there under a shiny halo was my little perfect man....i put my hand on him and prayed.
i kept praying, refused to doubt, surrendered even when they cut him open and fixed his teeny tiny heart

and as each miracle revealed itself we kept on ...one tender hopeful unknowing step at a time

til he came home on his due date a fat little newborn who is now a brilliant, athletic, handsome, sensitive, wise, perfect son of mine.

Happy Birthday Roscoe of the Field!

xo milady

Its About Time

roscoe and duke herding up the mamas and babies from the mountain

can u see morgan?

roscoe & pistol

Hello dear friends out there! I have been a busy art farmer ranch lady. No time to sit inside and hyperlink (which, BTW takes me wayyyy to long...any easy tips? why is it always duplicated? i'd sure appreciate it - i may even post more often!) I have so much to tell you.

My adventure to the ocean, my life as a ghost host, my car that sounds like a monster truck and has left parts of itself across america, the demo that was my boy's bedroom and bathroom because of an internal leaking pipe, kids sleeping on the floor like dogs...pig raising, showing, horse grooming, parades, rodeo, gardening, the dream kitchen reno on a fantasy budget (why do i torture myself?)and oh yeah! the first day of school and all that jetlag from waking up so un-naturally early! x x (those are my eyes)

its about time, time i posted, time i haven't.

so get ready for some catch up.

im serious about the hyperlink help...it drives me crazy!!!

xo!

milady

Busy Kitchen

"i want the grass to by flying by mom" says morgan as he sketched

Roscoe sketching the Hungry Fox

Birdy-Cow by Morgan

Horse Chase by Morgan Tate Rogers

The Hungry Fox by Roscoe Stone Rogers

Portrait of Lucky by Stephanie Morgan Rogers

The last few weeks have been crazy in my kitchen. I gave up trying to compartmentalize different activities in different rooms and invited it all into my main digs...the kitch. Accounting for 3 businesses took up one long table top while the table we're supposed to eat on was getting a new Jackson Pollack makeover from the little brothers as they created their masterpieces. The cat joined in by laying on and proceeding to eat important documents, while the dog stepped in blobs of paint and tracked it all over my stone floors. But Dad Gummit....look what we achieved!

I'm so proud of my little boy's BIG art. They really got into it...stood back and pondered, added a bit of this and a dab of that...until the magical moment of i'm-doneness made itself known.

I can't wait to take the show down and find homes for these on my walls...they are so awesome, some of the best folk art i've seen in a while. hmmmm(evil paw rubbing) maybe an etsy shop is in order? college funds? ok...maybe just a trip to the movies!

xo milady

page 7

page 7, originally uploaded by milady productions.

Roscoe the Brave said " i am not afraid!"

page 14

page 14, originally uploaded by milady productions.

Roscoe the Brave returned to tell the others the good news.

A Decade

The million dollar man babyturned 10 yesterday. Roscoe the Brave has reached an epic milestone...he is now the proud owner of a REd Ryder bb gun (...you'll shoot your eye out!!... It even says : for kids 10 and up on big letters on the box. Cool. It is strictly off limits without dad. And no pointing bossy big sisters or whining little brothers either.

Its hard to believe this guy could've become something so different than what he is. Wheelchair bound, asthmatic, blind or dead. He is vibrant, smart, capable, freakishly athletic, sensitive, thoughtful, has big beautiful greeny blue eyeballs that see deep into your soul without a hint of needing eyeglasses. He is the cheese in the sandwich , the meat in my faith in whats possible and unknown.

I love you little man. I am sooooooooooooooo glad to be your mum!

xo milady

Farewell dear Friend

a few days after Christmas 2003 Hello old friend a few days after Christmas 2008 Goodbye old friend

Rosie and Lucky

Morgan and Lucky

having a cowboy cookout in the driveway Roscoe and Rosie

It is 2 days past the parting of our dear old friend "Lucky" - the biggest, fattest, most noble, gruntable, kissable, huggable , protector of our little farm. Lucky came to us on a cold winter's day with bleeding legs and a shrunken belly a few days after Christmas. We had seen him before, digging in the trash, catching him just before dawn running away like a wild animal. He was a handsome pure bred, had a nice blue collar on him. surely he belonged to someone!

Then one day, just after an upsetting family Christmas, he appeared at our house in the early am as usual, looking for food. This time he was closer to the house and didn't run away when i talked to him. I could see his legs were raw and bleeding and as i talked sweetly to him he dropped his big boy ways and came to me. i invited him in for a bowl of food and a warm up by the fire...the rest is history. The top photo was taken then...he literally bee lined to Rosie like a long lost lover, parked it infront of the fire and stayed for 5 years.

After a long search and neighbor interrogation we learned he'd been dumped. No one wanted him and in fact he was scheduled to be executed that day by the evangelical ranch down the way. nice. anyways..don't get me started...he became our boy, thyroid problem and all...his tag actually read "LUCKY" .

That summer i lost my first born ...a blue heeler named Schnooey Hutz (don't ask) and experienced my first euthanasia. to make a long story not so long...i lost it. the tears came and wouldn't stop...all the events that had passed through me in those years, the dreams i had bundled up in his ranchy little form..the farm, the babies, the husband, the committment to growing up and staying put, growing a family, losing my grandmother, my best friend, and others....it all came out...and who was there to hold me up and soak my sadness...LUCKY.

He was a soaker ...he let the babies crawl on him, pull his eyelashes, let new puppies and kitties jump on his face...and never let an iota of bad ass outa him...and yet, when the other neighbor's pit bulls (2 of em!) attacked he took em! had 2 very expensive surgeries to repair his mangled ear...and still let my son pretend to be a dog and eat from his bowl. (i know...cooties)

Besides all the above..the deep sadness that fill me has a question: "Who was inside that big furry body anyways??" I knew Lucky with every fiber in my body...and boy did he know Rosie.

I am inviting a comment discussion on what everyone thinks about animals and spirits . He feels just as important as anyone i have loved and been loved by. A few days after Christmas this year we all sat with him, laid our hand on him, petting and weeping as he slipped off to sleep in front of the fire, the same exact spot he had claimed years before. A long lost wayfarer who spent his whole life just trying to get here...where he will stay ....forever.

xo milady

Drum Roll Please....

We've finished the mural.  4 days. 100+ kids. A handful of adults.

Phew!

This project relies on child involvement, design and installment.  Nothing could be more fun than destroying the school with permission! The other side of this wall is the library.  We got in trouble for making too much noise.  Doesn't my boy Roscoe look great in pink?!

After the children grouped the tiles into environmental "families" they began to install them, mixing mortar and using trowels like real builders.  The story started to unfold.

They were quite sure where everything went. No second guessing. No wondering if it made sense.

After painting the mortar to match the wall we all stood back and wondered...what's next?
That would be revealed the next day.
Enter 7 year olds...to be continured.

Drawing Challenge : Hands

santos at the victorian ruralist

Yesterday the little boy turned 11. That little tiny boy our hands could cover up.

Happy Birthday to my miracle boy Roscoe.

You amaze all of us!

Hands.

Hold.

& Heal

xo milady

Fair Fair and the Great Train Wreck's a Coming

roscoe the brave has been trying out his duds for weeks now

getting in the spirit of the old west
watchin old men on tractors doing donuts

eating dirt for lunch and dinner
getting chased around a parking lot by a boy and his chicken

watching the kids scrub, trim, clip and shine their stock

and putting on their best for show

anticipating the full stands tomorrow
rumored guests include past presidents and Ralph Lauren etc....

while the big sister puts the finishing touches on her retro cowgirl shirt
in preparation for grand entrance
as the Queen.

Small town rodeo and fair. It's an American tradition.
I feel lucky to dip a toe or two in it.

the train wreck?
 oh, the very next day after is dramatic finish to the summer
is the first day of school.

ugh

xo milady

Goodbye Duke

Duke the wonder horse is on his way to greener pastures today. 
He was the gentle grand- dad of the herd.  Picked on a bit, off alone alot.
He was the one we'd pile babies on, ride double, bareback, backwards, stand on him
and hug for long spells muzzle to forehead.
Duke had freckles and a kind loving heart.
WE will miss you Duke.
ALOT.

With great love,
your human family,
Tate, Stephanie Rosie, Roscoe and Morgan.

Catching Up

finally, my girls are laying eggs again!

Hello friends. Let's catch up. I've been a little busy. its spring in the valley and babies abound.
I did go and feed the bum lambs on my birthday. they are so sweet, so fragile, so in need of a warm hug and milk. i fed a little brown one that looked like a tiny elk toy. when i returned to feed on another day i saw the unfortunate pile of those who didn't make it. i like to believe my little elk was part of the robust group now feeding from a bucket ringed with nipples.

i also went to see about some baby goats. one in particular decided she liked me. alot. for some odd reason, my husband won't let me get her. (though he will kiss a pig...) speaking of pigs...we had quite a day yesterday. remember Morgan's painting Horse Chase?

well, it came to fruition. the kids picked out their show pigs, we drove for miles, and then, they escaped from the trailer. one got ended up in the horse paddock relentlessly chased by our frisky colt until the poor little thing ran right into a fence. Tate grabbed it while the stars were still circling around its head. the other ran into the the great wood and headed up the mountain. Roscoe and I gave chase, bushwhacking and tripping over and empty rugged river bed. we lost sight of the little guy when we heard a distressed squeal coming from the neighbor's property- which meant only one thing....Otis. Otis the giant slobbering loverboy with the head the size of a cow's was on the piglet, head in his mouth. i was sure that was the end of that little piggy. But Otis actually saved the day. he kept the pig in place until i could get to it at which point i flung my body over it to keep it from darting off into the wild west one more time. i picked him up like a baby and tried to calm him down as i carried him to his new home.
we all made it home okay and i am grateful.
Thanks Otis, thanks for not killing the piggy. Thankful that i didn't poke my eyes out on the scrub oak branches or twist my ankle on the rocks while trying to chase a pig into the wilderness. thankful that our investment is still alive.

more on my lamb obsession Blossom & Dot

Have a lovely day!

xo milady