Yeehaw Farm

04/25/2026

Obviously, I don’t post much on social media these days. The social media world just isn’t the same anymore with AI and just the funky state it is in.
However, I have been mulling over posting about my year long health journey that I have been on. My general consensus is if I can help just one person advocate for their health, then my guaranteed lengthy and wordy post will have been worth the effort.
Ready to hear my story? (This is when you scroll on by if you don’t like reading a lot of words!)
Here goes.
The first weekend of last April 2025, we took a quick family tent camping trip to the Delaware beach. It was exceptionally warm weather and our tents were covered with crawling ticks until the end of the weekend. Surely, one of us would come home with a tick bite. Turns out, two of us were bit. Cranky’s bite was quickly diagnosed as Lyme Disease and the usual prescription diagnosis was a round of Doxycycline. I, personally have tested positive for Lyme Disease so many times that I can’t even remember the actual number. However, this time, I didn’t test positive but my family doctor gave me a prescription of Doxycycline anyway. That’s pretty standard procedure as far as Lyme Disease goes. By the beginning of May, Crank had no signs of Lyme but I still wasn’t feeling well. I went back to my family doctor and was issued another antibiotic to fight the disease. This antibiotic made me extremely nauseous but I tried to follow the full prescription protocol which was for the month of May. At the end of May, we flew to Idaho for a week to visit our friends. It was a wonderful trip but on the drive from Idaho to Salt Lake City to catch our flight, I started getting really sick. I chalked it up to the elevation of where we stayed (6,000 to 8,000 as we were in the Tetons) and seasonal allergies as Idaho’s spring was just starting! By the time our plane touched down in Harrisburg, PA, I was really feeling like crap. After a couple days of being home, I still didn’t feel well. I just felt plain icky!
I was scheduled to return to both my jobs that first week of June 2025 after our Idaho trip, which I did but not successfully. I showed up for a shift at my banquet serving job and couldn’t remember how to perform my job! I have worked in the service industry for over 30 years, how does one forget how to be a server? Seriously, for the life of me, I was dumbfounded as what to do. I dropped an entire tray of stacked meals because I suddenly lost my balance and my arm strength. At my other job, I couldn’t lift or stack suitcases like I have done for eight years previous! I have always prided myself with my love of my airport job. I often half joked when someone would ask what I do?, “I love my job! I get to throw luggage all day!”
But because of my health, I hated my jobs and I was MISERABLE. I didn’t have energy, slept a lot, was in pain for no reason, nauseous, daily headaches, dizziness, diarrhea…the list goes on.
It was back to my family doctor with another visit regaling of my latest health woes. You know what that entails. Bloodwork, tests and referrals (because that’s how stupid insurance works) to see a slew of specialists. I spent the summer of 2025, going from one doctor office to another. Neurologists-turns out bat s**t crazy can’t be treated, infectious disease doctors-I am happy to report that I do NOT have malaria!, internal organ doctors, orthopedic doctors, a nephrologist, a hematologist-I saw so many “gists” that I can’t begin to remember them all. I have had every possible “diagnosis” from MS, ALS, kidney disease to the final straw when a mass was discovered on my liver. I will always remember getting that phone call which scared the bejesus out of me. “Go get a MRI immediately. We found a mass on your liver.” Ugh. Coming from a family health history of internal organ cancer, this one scared me the most.
But nothing panned out, made sense and none of the many prescribed drugs worked. By the end of September, I still didn’t have any answers and I was using a walker and/or a walking cane.
I couldn’t work, my brain was a fog machine and I spent my days in bed or on the couch. Even washing the dishes exhausted me. I was absolutely miserable and even considered the possibility that I was dying!
My momma died the middle of October 2025, and I thought that maybe, just maybe, the stress of her long death would elevate some of my symptoms. (Squaw didn’t go out of this earth quietly or peacefully. She fought her death like a fatigued but faithful soldier!)
October meshed into November and life moved on but my health remained the same. I was still on my couch or bed, miserable and depressed. I wasn’t enjoying life; eating bon-bons, smoking cigs and watching the soaps like I had hoped to do when I turned 54!
Randomly texting with my friend, Morgan about my current health situation, she said that my story sounded much like the exact same stories shared by others for a functional doctor in our local area.
I was all in until I found out the cost of visiting a functional doctor. Out of the blue, Morgan shared a $200 coupon for my first visit and that was the clincher for me. I am a sucker for a deal or a coupon!
At the end of December, I went to my initial visit with a very optimistic attitude. What did I have to lose? I had spent the last nine months with no answers, not being able to work and still not feeling well.
After my first appointment, I was all in with my new health journey. I adopted a VERY strict food diet, not so much to lose weight (although I had gained 30lbs by sitting on the couch for so long!) but to cleanse my system of possible food allergens. I also participated in dry January (toughest thing I have ever done in my life! Ha!) and started on a natural supplement plan specifically for my body. I forced myself to start walking a mile a day-something that I used to do religiously but hadn’t done so in almost a year! Alpha gal Syndrome, an allergy to red meat was a possible culprit for my failing health.
After a month, I started feeling a bit better but the big turn didn’t happen until my second appointment. In conversation with my “doctor”- he is really a chiropractor, we discussed environmental factors that may have contributed to the demise of my health. In January 2025, we had a house fire in which we slept through for several hours until Greta, our Great Dane woke us up. We were able to put the fire out but considerable damage was done in the several hours that it burned. Evidently, the toxicity of those ingested fumes caused considerable damage to my internal organs; specifically my liver. Not long after, during the renovation process of our old house, we discovered black mold in the walls. Add everything up and it’s a case of an unrelated domino effect.
A burning log pops and rolls, hitting the latch on our wood stove causing the log to roll out to the floor, catching the floor joists on fire. After gutting our house of the fire damage, black mold was discovered after a few years of exposure to it. Two months later, I was bit by the Lone Star tick which caused Alpha gal Syndrome. Just one of these incidents is enough to make a seemingly healthy person uncomfortable. Combine the three factors and you’ve got a valid case of an unexplainable health demise.
I am happy to report that I am now feeling fantastic! I can’t articulate all the positive improvements in my health. I am back to working at both my jobs and can attest that I truly love them both again! I am gardening again, visiting my favorite thrift stores, talking to my beloved house plants, have strength in my arms, have considerable more energy and am working towards transitioning from my daily walks to running again! I had an acne like rash on my chin for almost a year and it has all but disappeared! My brain still functions with a bit a fog but I just contribute it to my level of “bat s**t crazy”! I just had an appointment with my functional doctor this week and most of my blood work numbers are back to normal!
There are some things that are different though. I still can’t eat (or be near red meat), lanolin or some dairy products. Cheese used to be my love language! I can not hug a cow or I will go into anaphylactic shock! This is such an oddity for life long lover/farmer of dairy cows and sheep! However, I have a bottle baby goat that I can care for with only a bit of itchiness on my body.
I am not writing this rather lengthy post to berate our conventional medical system. I have a lot of friends and family who work in the medical field and take their roles (and our health) very seriously. I am writing this post to offer alternatives for our health. My wish is for others to advocate for their own health, be in tune with their own bodies and think outside the box, so to speak.
And if you think not taking the 15 seconds it took Morgan to forward the $200 coupon doesn’t make a difference in someone’s life, you are wrong. (Forever grateful for that coupon, Morgan!)
*Photo of Greta, the “Not so Great Dane” who saved our lives. She dumb but she knew the house was on fire! (She is pouting in this photo!)

04/05/2026

Obviously, I don’t post on social media much anymore but the happy, exciting news that I just found out, I CAN NOT keep a secret! (I can’t keep a secret to save my life, regardless!)
Thanks to having a dear, sweet pen pal/friendship relationship with a California gal for almost 45 years, she won a lottery chance to obtain tickets to attend the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics!!! And guess who she just purchased tickets to attend the Olympics with? Yep. Her PA bestie.
Dude. I am so excited.
In 1984, I remember having a LA Olympics poster taped on my bedroom wall. I was so proud of that poster as my momma had somehow managed to finagle it from our local beer distributor in my small town! I have no idea how my momma got a poster from the beer distributor but GSquaw was a pretty innovative, quirky farm wife. She somehow made small feats of Olympic posters transform themselves onto my old farmhouse bedroom wall.
I was thirteen at the time. A gangly, mousey brown haired seventh grader and generational farmer’s daughter who could only ever dream of Los Angeles, let alone attending the Olympics in that California city. I vaguely remember hearing that my neighbors roadtripped to the ‘84 Olympics and I also remember my first taste of pure jealousy.
In 1984, attending the Olympics was but a pipe dream for a 13 year old , Pennsylvania farm girl. But in 2026? It’s quite possible for this now middle aged, 50 something OLD gal (who works for an airline) to attend the 2028 LA Olympics!
Lawd willing and the creek don’t rise and I’m still alive, I’m going to the Olympics!!
I know I still have that Olympic poster somewhere…time to hang it on my wall again.
Thanks, GSquaw.

02/02/2026

02/01/2026

It’s been a great week in the world of receiving mail through the United States postal service!
Along with the usual unwanted stack of bills, solicitation flyers and nuisance mailings, I was the lucky recipient of three letters, one package and one 2026 seed catalog.
One letter from a wanna be farmer from Texas, one from a farmer friend in a nearby little town in Pennsylvania and a large envelope from a Switzerland based farmer friend, complete with a heart shaped Swiss chocolate taped to the paper letter pages! (The chocolate arrived unscathed, still creamy and sweet!) All letters were handwritten and filled me on the tales of their lives from their respective locations.
It wasn’t just the chocolate that filled me with sweetness and love. It was the words, carefully chosen and written down for me to thoroughly enjoy at my leisure.
I stand by my letter writing resolve. Letters are love. Send some and they will come. (A take on the old movie line, “Build it and they will come.”)
For realz…I feel like I won the lottery.

01/08/2026

Right before Christmas 2025, my parents (both deceased) received a holiday card from a name I didn’t recognize. The return address was from a fellow from California. Upon opening the card, I realized that it had to be an old school chum of my parents. My parents had attended Penn Township school together and were childhood sweethearts. While my father’s name was actually Charles; his school chums called him by his nickname, “Jimmy”. The Christmas card was addressed to Jimmy and Naomi so I knew the writer of the card had to be someone from my parent’s childhood.
After a quick Internet search, I found the card writers address and learned his age to be 88 years old, around the same age as my parents. I decided to take a bit of time and write back to the person who sent the card. I let him know the status of my parents and I also filled him in on their life. I touched briefly on the comings and goings of the Cove in Penn Township where they lived and where I still live. It was a fairly lengthy letter and even required extra postage to send it.
I sent it off with a feeling of contentment, hoping for a return letter but not banking on it. Sharing my thoughts in written words and possibly making someone’s day were my true incentives.
Today the favor was returned! As I peered into my mailbox, I spied a manila envelope, addressed to little old me! Once again, the same return address of my parent’s school chum greeted my eyes! Inside the envelope, I found a handwritten letter, a copy of a never seen before photo that included both of my parents and writer of the Christmas card and a copy of the Penn Township school bulletin!
My day has officially been made and I am so thankful that I took the time to write back to the Christmas card sender! Dennis-that’s Christmas card writer’s name, says that he plans to send me more information of his life in the 50s when he knew my parents.
As for me? I’m writing this good old boy back and letting him know how much his letter meant to me. Most likely fairly soon as the old boy, Dennis IS 88 years old! Time is on my side, not his!
Take the time. Write the letter. Let someone know you are thinking of them! Buy a book of stamps! Pay the extra postage, if need be!
I dare say, letter writing is a lost art and so important for preserving written words in history.
Write the damn letter. Please.

P.S. My address is:
286 Cove Road
Duncannon, PA 17020
Bwahahaha!

11/17/2025

Very excited and proud of this gal!
Hana Toth, you are the bombdiggity!

Meet Hana Toth from New Tripoli, PA—a proud Penn State alum who has turned her passion for agriculture into a thriving career at John Deere.

Hana earned her B.S. in Biological Engineering and M.S. in Agricultural & Biological Engineering. Growing up involved with the Rural Preservation Association and the Lehigh County 4-H Equine Club, she developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and conservation that ultimately led her to Penn State.

After completing internships with Sterman Masser Inc. and John Deere (including participating in three rotations through Deere’s Engineering Development Program), Hana now works as an Automation Engineer, designing automation systems for combines.

She shares advice for current students about embracing internships, exploring classes outside your major, and not feeling confined to a single career path. Her Penn State experience, supportive mentors, and hands-on field research gave her the confidence to step into leadership and thrive in fast-paced engineering environments.

➡️ https://ow.ly/rVc050XsTWc

10/07/2025

Does anyone remember the PBS tv show, Big Blue Marble?
Well, I do.
And I think the gal in this photo remembers too! Although, she IS getting pretty old so her memory isn’t what it used to be!
Today is this old gal’s birthday and what better way to let social media know than a post about my dear, sweet friendship with this California chick!
Over a year ago, I posted this testimonial on the Big Blue Marble Pen Pal page. Yes, they have a social media page! Of course, they do!

“Hi!
Our pen pal story is one for the Big Blue Marble Pen Pals history books!
I am incredibly proud of how our beautiful friendship was forged and has lasted for over 44 years!
Eve is on the left in the photo and of course, that’s me loving her tight!
We were 10 and nine years old, respectively when we both got that card in the mail informing the other of our new penpal. My new friend was a suburban girl from sunny Southern California and I was a farm girl from rural Pennsylvania. Although our backgrounds and geographical locations couldn’t be more different, we found our similarities were more in tune to form our solid friendship!
To say we hit it off immediately is an understatement! Fortunately, we both loved to write and we did quite a bit of it in our younger years. Through those letters, cards and care packages, we formed a friendship and bond that has been unbreakable. We both still have a box full of old letters in which our kids love to read and make fun of us! Although, I’m pretty sure that since I am the more sentimental one, I kept more of our letters that Eve did!
I first visited Eve when I was 15 years old. It was a trip of many firsts; airplane ride, California traffic, palm trees and picking my first orange off of one of her dad’s trees IN THEIR YARD! It was Eve’s turn next and she visited Pennsylvania when I was a senior in high school! It was a trip of many firsts for her as well; driving in snow, our PA cold weather, cutting firewood, and rattlesnakes! Next came cross country visits for meeting each other’s significant other, weddings (Of course, we were in each other’s weddings!), babies, monumental birthdays, anniversaries, work trips, family vacations and just hanging out together! In the photo, we were camping together in Montana in 2021! Eve, her husband and her one son flew to meet up with my family as we dropped off my youngest at college at Montana State University! She had just dropped off her youngest son at college in California and we needed to commiserate with each other!
Honesty, I don’t know what I would do without my dear friendship with Eve. Our fantastic friendship over the years has been one of my biggest blessings in my life and I am extremely grateful for it!
Thanks, Big Blue Marble and whomever decided we would be a good fit!”

I still stand by these words and as we head into our 46th year of friendship, here’s to you for celebrating a birthday today!
Happy Birthday, old gal! Thank your mom for pushing your big head out of her body! That was no easy feat for such a little woman! Bwahahaha!
Oh, and I am requesting a real letter from you for MY next birthday! Kapeesh?
Love ya, Eve!

09/04/2025

I made my girl, Sarah a birthday dinner and a homemade Angel Food cake for her birthday dessert.
While making the cake, I ran out of eggs and had to scavenge more from my dear neighbor. God bless her as I am already blessed with the absolute BEST neighbors! I always aspire to return their kindness.
The peaches came from in Vermont, the cream from the cows from in Maine and the raspberries came from my garden! It was quite the New England/Pennsylvania connection to make my girl her favorite cake!
When Sarah realized that I had made her a cake, she cried and cried. Old memories of Angel Food cakes of her past 21 years. My momma, the original GSquaw was the one responsible for making all her grandchildren their birthday cakes or pies. (Seth, the Thanksgiving baby always wanted pumpkin pie for his birthday dessert!)
GSquaw suffers from a previous stroke and severe dementia so her cake making days are over.
I am not a cake baker; Sarah’s Angel food cake sure wasn’t GSquaw’s!
BUT…it was made with the same love that GSquaw mixed her famous birthday desserts with.
And Sarah’s cake came from three states and three dear friends.
That’s love, ya’ll.
That’s dear, sweet birthday love.

09/03/2025

Happy Birthday to the best Labor Day I ever had!
Literally, the day I labored you out!
Yep, our Sarah girl is 22 today! Whoop, whoop!
Sarah is…somethin’ else; not sure which words I should use to describe our daughter?
As Boo affectionately termed her years ago, “She FIE-STEEE!” And then, he followed that statement up with a cat claw motion and cat hissing sounds. I am unsure if this was meant more for Sarah or for Boo’s alter ego, Skittles the Cat? Yes, Boo had several personalities growing up and one of them was Skittles the Cat. (More on that for his birthday post in October!)
I often wonder if Sarah wouldn’t be so feisty had she not had Boo as one of her brothers? Birth order matters, man!
Anyway, back to the birthday post!
May your day be filled with lots of love, happiness and all the things that bring you joy. Speaking of which, do you think you can get your damn guinea pig and hamster out of my house today?
Oh. One more thing.
May you enjoy a beer without having to use a coaster to protect a fake marble bar and I hope a bartender NEVER chastises you again for such a filthy mistake! I stand by my original opinion of that bartender; she is a mean biddy and obviously had her panties in a bunch the day this photo was taken!
If you want to stop by that bar today to celebrate, I’ll buy you a beer for your birthday? We can harass that bartender by not using coasters and asking her a million stupid questions which she will surely answer in the most condescending way! She WAS a lovely bartender, wasn’t she? (Sarcasm)
Love ya, Sarah and Happy Birthday to the best gender surprise evah!

08/17/2025

I have decided I am going to start writing about things that amuse me but are not really of any importance and if you don’t like it…just keep scrolling.
Earlier today, I was in my mother’s farmhouse attic looking for a mate to a pair of Chaco sandals and another mate to a favorite pair of cowboy boots. I discovered that I was missing these two items and remembered that things got separated a year or two ago. Some things were moved to where I am currently living (my brother’s old farm) and some junk was moved to the attic to my momma’s house. Don’t ask, as it’s not worth the explanation.
As I was going up the attic stairs, I spied this ceramic VW Beetle planter sitting on the steps. It was really dirty and dusty after years of neglect!
Awwww. Yes. Memories of my much younger days. Nearly 40 years ago!
I was gifted this planter by an old friend of my family when I was 15 years old. My dream car was a VW Beetle convertible and when I was 16, I did get a real 1979 VW Bug for my first car! Driving that car, I thought I was the coolest chick at Susquenita High School. In all actuality, I was an insecure nerd but my happy-go-lucky self esteem served me well in those days! I had no idea I was actually queen of the dorks! Or at the very least, a goofy jester of the Royal Dork court.
When a family friend found this planter at a flea market, he immediately got it for me. No clue how much he paid for it or if he stole it? I never asked.
I absolutely adored it.
I planted a Pothos in it (because even then, I loved plants) and kept it in my bedroom during my high school years. When I headed to college at South Dakota State University in 1989, I took the planter along with me. I remember my farmer daddy (who wasn’t much of a fan of plants or flowers) setting the planter on the sidewalk outside of my dorm room, bitching to my uncle Bill, “I guess they don’t have plants in South Dakota so we had to haul one 1,800 miles from Pennsylvania.”
Ahhh, yes. My daddy. He was a very unique father.
My daddy and his brother, Bill (my favorite uncle) drove me half way across the United States to college in an old, mint green 1970’s Dodge truck in 1989. My dad and my uncle dropped all my stuff on the sidewalk, outside of my dorm, hugged me and said their tearful goodbyes. They immediately hopped into the old farm truck and hauled ass down the street away from Hansen Hall. I was left on the curb, crying, wiping away the tears rolling down my cheeks, standing amidst all my worldly possessions, including VW Beetle planter. Things were different then and there was no such thing as a helicopter parent! My daddy and uncle NEVER stepped foot inside my dorm room. Instead, they had spied a 1948 Dodge car for sale when we rolled through Brookings, South Dakota earlier that day. They were headed to check it out. I remember being dumbfounded at their quick exit but it wasn’t until years later when we dropped our own kids off at college, that I finally understood their exit plan. Sort of like pulling the bandage off quickly verses the slow, drawn out process of prolonging pain. Years later, I got it.
After my college stint, I eventually moved home and placed the VW Beetle planter on the farmhouse attic steps. I guess I was too lazy to actually store it in the attic? Then, I got married, settled on our fourth generation farm, had my own babies and my dreams of owning seven different colored VW Beetle convertibles (one for each day of the week) vanished. Seriously, I listed this dream in my senior yearbook as one of my future plans. I wish I could tell you I was kidding! I also wanted to own and operate a pig farm in South Dakota so thank god for unfulfilled, foolish high school dreams!
It has been such a walk down my memory lane by discovering my old VW planter on the attic steps. I picked the planter up, removed it from the attic stairs, cleaned it up and planted a cactus in it.
It looks lovely.
Some day, my punks will be cleaning out my estate of junk after I am dead. One of them (probably my daughter, Sarah?) will surely hold up the VW planter which will certainly be dirty and disgustjng again, and say, “Why the hell did Mother keep this dumb, stupid junk?”
I envision myself screaming from my grave, “Because you heathens…it’s a family heirloom, you dumb dolts!” I have wild plans for my afterlife which include harrassing my kids posthumously.
Nonetheless, I am alive now and I fully intend to enjoy my funky planter from nearly 40 years ago!
Oh, by the way. I found the other cowboy boot but I fear the Chaco sandal will never find it’s mate. Who cares?
I FOUND A FAMILY HEIRLOOM TODAY!