by Sharon Dunn
I live in a state that is mostly agricultural and my late husband was raised on a ranch in Eastern Montana. People who live off the land have a different mindset than other people. There is so much to admire about these tough salt of the earth people where a good year is when you break even. Like many of my books, my June release Targeted Montana Witness partly takes place on a ranch. In the years that I have been around farm and ranch people, I have found three values that most of them seem to have in common.
First, regardless of past history or disputes, you help a neighbor in need. This means that if your neighbor's car has broken down or slid in a ditch, you stop to help. When someone suffers a setback or a loss, you find a way to help them that doesn't cause embarrassment.
Second, people who live off the land throw almost nothing away. This isn't because they are junk collectors. When you live miles from the nearest tractor repair or auto parts store having old cars and tractors around means you might already have the part you need to fix what is broken down. Scrap metal can be welded and reshaped to repair things.
Three, even if you are doing well financially, it is considered poor taste to show off that that is the case. This means not driving expensive trucks. A nice truck is fine but an obnoxious one that screams "I have money" is not. Years ago, my husband leased some land next to two brothers who were the top bull breeders in the nation. They were probably millionaires. Yet, I watched those men wearing shirts with cut off sleeves and climbing into tractors on hot days and working along side their hired hands.
So much to admire about people who live close to the land. What is your experience with farm and ranch people? Did you grow up in the country? Do you share some of these values? Leave a comment along with your email address. I will be picking three winners to receive a pre-release copy of Targeted Montana Witness (USA only). Also if you want to sign up for my newletter, where there are chances to win copies of books as well, you can go to my website at www.sharondunnbooks.net.
Awesome cover. cheetahthecat1982ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeleteAs I've shared before at some point, I grew up in Paraguay, S. America, as the daughter of Christian missionaries, working with a primitive tribe we contacted in 1976, which is still thriving today. Therefore, besides learning about other cultures, languages, and sharing Christian values, I also enjoyed the challenge of living off the land, and teaching others how to survive in the "civilized" world. . . The last few years, my husband (who is a minister), and I, reach people for the Lord in rural Montana. . . Learn more about me and "Like" my Western art at www.facebook.com/LualOKrautter Thanks for an opportunity to enter this wonderful giveaway! Would love to win a print copy, especially since you, Sharon, are one of my many favorite CF authors! May God continue to bless you! Lual Krautter Email: krautter62520AToutlookDOTcom
ReplyDeleteLove this cover! I grew up in a rural area just outside a big city, and my husband and I owned farm land that we rented to awesome farmers,
ReplyDeleteI currently live in a rural area. I like that people miss you and check on you if you don’t show up at the post office or general store for a few days. I was sick and stayed at home for almost a month and when I went out, people came over to the car where I was sitting to say hello and ask how I was feeling. I line what you said about helping each other. That’s so true out in the country! watts.vickie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI love that story.
DeleteNice cover. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeletedianah7272 at gmail dot com
I was born and raised in NYC. I have never lived in a small town so I love reading about small town settings. My family has never had a great deal of money while I was growing up so I learned to be frugal and not waste things such as food. cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteLove the cover! This book sounds good. I grew up in a small town.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in a small town that was the county seat so I was considered the city girl who married a farmer. I've milked cows, helped raise tobacco, and raked and baled hay. It was a great environment for raising our daughter!
ReplyDeletecps1950ATgmailDOTcom
You know I love your books. Would review. jrs0350@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteWow, I love this perspective. We have never had a large farm, but I did grow up on a small farm with pigs, chickens, rabbits, and a horse. It was fun, but we didn't do it as a livelihood; it was more of a side thing. Thank you for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up - and still live on - the family farm. When I managed a book store my regional manager told me I needed to hire more farm kids. After all, mowing a field is the job; there’s no “at a minimum wage pace”. Farmers work hard, love long and pray a lot! Becca12901 at yahoo
ReplyDeletehardworking
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
My grandparents used to raise a garden every year.my dad would help them. One year we had over 100 bushels of potatoes . They also raised purple hull peas, tomatoes , squash, okra, pinto beans, green beans, cantaloupe , corn, and watermelons. I used to spend the summer with them. linda-henderson@stt.net.
ReplyDeleteI live in rural WV and raise chickens and a big garden, fruit trees, berries and can as much as I am able. We lend a helping hand and our church family helps anyone in need. A simple, hardworking community of people. Blessings
ReplyDeleteI grew up with those values in small town, and for awhile my dad was manager of an Easter Lily farm where he also milked the cows. But my husband grew up on a farm that had some cattle and also raised chickens for Tyson. They always had a huge garden. Boy do I miss those days.
ReplyDeleteWhile a raised an Army brat with more of a city lifestyle, as an adult I learned to love country living. Living in the city with bootleggers (live in a dry county) and drug dealers was bad enough, but when murders started happening, I told hubby if we could sell the house that I was more than ready to try country living that he had been trying to convince me of. Found out that I loved the peace and quiet as well as the wild critters that visited on occasion. I think living in the city just made me appreciate country living all the more.
ReplyDeleteBeing economical (not a collector of junk) for me was from having gone through some very rough times in life. When you aren't born with a silver spoon in your mouth or things just handed to you, you learn early that to have you must earn first. That often meant working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Hunting to eat. Proudly I can say we never missed a meal or not paid our bills on time. You definitely learn to recycle and reuse things most take as granted that new will appear.
Wealth is like military service. My dad always said that the men that boasted about what they did in the military more than likely had a desk job in the states. Men that had actually participated in or saw things, didn't like to talk about it. I think wealth shouldn't be the highlight of your existence, but rather shared and use to benefit others, which in turn makes one a very rich man with riches that can't be deposited in a bank somewhere.
Super excited about the upcoming release of TARGETED MONTANA WITNESS! It's on my Amazon wish list and my Goodreads TBR list. Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy! I would love to read, review and help promote this book.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
I didn't grow up in the country, but I admire all of the hard work ranchers and farmers do. I wouldn't show off my wealth because I'd share it with people who need it. Your book sounds very exciting. LIS books are some of my favorites! christy41970 @ Gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteMy parents both come from large rural farm families & although not raised on farms myself, those values are passed on the same. My go-to remedies are those natural ones passed on by my resourceful parents.
ReplyDeleteI didn't grow up in the country, but I do believe in their values for sure! I believe in helping other people out when they're in need, and I don't believe in throwing anything away that can be used for something else later on.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the country and still live in the country today where we have had chickens and always have a garden and My daughter's and I always can our fresh vegetables Love the cover of your New Book would love to read it! Sarahbaby601973(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI grew up a little bit of everywhere (11 different states), but I claim the Midwest as "home," since I was born and then spent my high school years in Minnesota. My dad is a farm boy at heart. We never lived on a farm, but my dad is a pastor and we didn't have much money. We always had a garden, and helped mom can and freeze food for the year.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds great!
Heather Mitchell crhbmitchellfam@duck.com
I guess I've always been a city/town girl, but I did grow up in a very small town where it wasn't all that unusual to see a tractor driving down Main street!
ReplyDeletepattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com
I grew up in a suburb of Memphis, TN but have always felt like a country girl at heart. I have many of the values you mentioned and really need to stick with them more, like helping others more than I have lately. I do tend to keep things because I can repair them or use them to make something else. I hate to waste things. I really enjoy your books and have been reading your Love Inspired books for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn Frazier. frazierhlhs@yahoo.com
I was raised in the city. My Mom and family were raised in the mountains of West Virginia during WWII. They did not have much of a farm, but they did grow produce to eat. She was brought up with strong values which she passed on to me. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you. dpruss@prodigy.net
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance, I love in a small town in Michigan! tWarner419@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in the big city. My husband and I moved recently to the edge of a smaller city, but this is the closet I've been to living out in the country as we are surrounded by a farming & horse community. I was raised with those kind of values especially being from the baby boomer era. Thank you for sharing! ceedee1958@gmail.com
ReplyDelete