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| The combine is unloading chopped corn stalks to be used for cattle feed. |
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| Here's a partially harvested corn field. |
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| The hops from this field are on their way to making your favorite beer! |
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| Homedale beet dump. The harvested sugar beets from Owyhee County will be taken to the Nampa sugar factory for processing. |
My dad didn't grow hops but he did grow lots of corn and beets, as well as barley, oats, wheat, and of course hay, since he had a herd of 150 milk cows plus about 400 head of heifers, steers, and dry cows. Once he harvested the crops, then he turned out the livestock onto the field to eat the rest of the foliage and while the cattle grazed, they pooped, which fertilized and conditioned the soil for next year's crop. In the spring, Dad disked it all under and prepared the soil for seeding. I'm not sure if farmers still do that, but I hope so.
Speaking of which, here's a long shot of the farmstead where I grew up.
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| Walker Farm, established in 1939, sold in 1978. All the buildings are still there but most of them are pretty rundown at this point, unfortunately. |
Aurora Valentine, star of Aurora's Treasure, wouldn't have seen crops like this in 1885 even though the book is set during the autumn season. Owyhee County only gets 8" to 10" of precipitation a year so all these crops are grown by irrigation. The Owyhee Dam, which was the prototype for Hoover Dam (those techniques were NOT developed at Hoover Dam!!!) is just across the border in Oregon, and between that reservoir and the Snake River, northern Owyhee County is very fertile. Lots of crops are grown, and they're high quality.
On the other hand, I haven't seen many dragons here, so she has me one-upped there.
A lust for adventure, a fear of the unknown, and an irresistible faery man...should she fly in the face of danger, or should she play it safe?
Aurora Valentine left the circus life for a new adventure--becoming a mail-order bride. But she dodged that bullet only to fall into an escapade even more dangerous, this time an ancient family curse that involves a mysterious pirate treasure, dragon shifters with more attitude than altitude, and a man so fine he makes her heart skip a beat. Only this man has wings.
Conal of the Sun Clan will do anything for his grandmother, including risking everything to recover the Golden Legacy in order to bring his grandfather back to her. And to do that, he needs Aurora's help to unlock the curse. Riding alongside beautiful Aurora isn't much of a sacrifice. But losing his soul to goblins is.
Can Aurora and Conal overcome the perilous curse to find their own Happily Ever After?
Happy Reading!
I absolutely love Idaho in the fall. Well, actually bI love Idaho all the time
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It's beautiful here year around...but, I could do without the winter months. Then again, I guess January and February make us appreciate the other 10 months.
DeleteI remember all that stuff so well Jackie this people work so hard all year round to life that life. As we know milk cows don't let you have a day off,
ReplyDeleteTruth--milk cows are a 24/7 proposition, rain or shine, sickness or health. I don't miss being responsible for tending cows/calves and I never will. I'll just look and appreciate someone else's hard work. LOL.
DeleteYou grew up in such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing your photos. Aurora's Treasure sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteLyn, I love genre blends and Aurora's Treasure is a blend of fantasy, western, and romance. It's always fun to play outside the box.
ReplyDeleteYou always have an interesting spin to any book, Jacquie. Your dad was a major farmer. We have a lot of farmers in our families, but no dairy farms. Dairy farming is such a confining business! Your dad must have been a resourceful man.
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