ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP............stories from ranch women By Gail L. Jenner

As an introduction to the anthology, ANKLE  HIGH  AND  KNEE  DEEP, I’m posting the Introduction here. It was part of the pitch I gave to the editor at Two Dot/Globe Pequot 4 years ago. She loved the concept and worked with me through the development of what would be included or discarded with energy and tenacity. I’m so grateful to my editor. The pitching process took a couple of months, UNTIL I settled on the title of the book – ANKLE  HIGH AND  KNEE  DEEP.   Funny, the power in a title; when I wrote my editor and suggested it, she immediately wrote back: “That’s it! We got it now!”

The title came from an old-time expression --- when you are knee deep in s--- and everything around you is falling apart, you might just end up ankle high in it, too!! 

“Farming seems easy when your plow is a pencil and you are a thousand miles from the corn field.”  ~  Dwight Eisenhower  

INTRODUCTION.......or Lessons Learned....

            Life is all about the learning, and the “family farm” is a great schoolhouse. Ankle  High  and  Knee  Deep represents what 40+ rural/farm women have learned while standing in or stepping out of mud, manure, and other “offal.” It is a collection of entertaining and inspirational essays that offers a unique perspective on love, marriage, parenting, relationships, loss, and other universal issues. These women’s connection to the land and to the people and animals in their lives is documented here.   
    

Concepts that the general public has now adopted, words like sustainability and renewable/ recyclable, come to us directly from the life of a farmer or rancher. Working within a landscape that can change with the seasons or alongside the forces of nature that demand commitment and sacrifice develops deep character; interestingly, the word “character” comes from the Greek word meaning “to chisel.” That describes perfectly what living and working in an often harsh physical environment does to the human soul.

            Several of the best lessons I’ve learned have come from forty-two plus years spent on our fifth-generation ranch:
           

            *Sometimes the mud and muck gets ankle deep, but it can always be washed off.

            *You’ve got to plant the seeds before there’s anything worth harvesting.

            *Waiting is time well spent. After winter comes spring, and after spring rains comes the summer harvest.

            *Never think anything is not worth saving; sometimes it’s just the odd piece of baling wire that keeps things from falling apart.

            *Don’t be in a hurry; that’s when you run through fences or get stuck in ditches.

            *Always watch out for the soft places:  Anything that looks that good has got to be dangerous.

            *Don’t ignore the rotten apples. They can destroy the entire barrelful if overlooked.

            *Don’t be afraid of hard work and sweat. There’s nothing finer than a shower or warm fire after a day well spent.

            *Love your job. It’s what you do, all day, every day.

            *Just because a skunk is cute doesn’t mean he won’t stink!

            *Don’t look back: that’s when you

find yourself belly up in a low spot.

            *Don’t hold onto trouble; you’ve got to spread the manure around in order to make it effective fertilizer.

            *Do things right the first time so you don’t have to do them twice.

            *Be willing to invest – not only money – but sweat and time. In the end you’ll have something worth keeping.

            *Out of the garbage heap grow the seeds you ignored.

            *Good fences make good neighbors; know what people’s boundaries are and learn to respect them.

            *To have a good garden, you’ve got to live in it; weeds take over quickly.

            *Weaning time can’t be ignored; there’s a right time to let go.

            *Most of the time there’s no choice:  Success requires frequent sacrifice and persistence.    

            Though not a faith-based book, this collection of essays does underscore traditional values while providing an oftimes humorous look at life spent at the wrong end of a tractor, cow, or horse. Many reflect the lessons learned from a life centered around work, work, and more work. Trivial moments become significant moments of transition – revealing that maybe the destination isn’t as important as the road that leads there. 

           

            Maybe that’s why farmers eventually become philosophers.

ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP is a great read! If you haven't checked it out, please log onto amazon or check out your local bookstore and ask for it!? This was such a fabulous "journey" -- collecting the voices of western farm and ranch women, some of whom claim they are NOT writers ;-)   

Gail L. Jenner, a past history and English teacher, began writing at age 9. Inspired by so many writers, one of her greatest thrills is having WON a WILLA Literary Award for Best Softcover Fiction from Women Writing the West, for ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, re-released by Prairie Rose Publications in 2013. I'm so grateful PRP took it on and gave it new life! It's a story that took 10 years to research/write/rewrite.... 

 For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com OR: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O Her newest releases from Prairie Rose Publications include PRETTIEST LITTLE HORSE THIEF, JULY'S BRIDE and JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS ! These stories have also been included in the PRP anthologies, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, LASSOING A BRIDE and COWBOY KISSES. 

#NewRelease -- Gail L. Jenner's Prettiest Little Horse Thief and Kristy McCaffrey's A Westward Adventure

Gail L. Jenner's Prettiest Little Horse Thief

Rebecca Williams doesn’t need a man. One abusive husband was enough and now that she’s widowed, she resolves to make her own way in the world of horse trading – with only Shih-chai, her Navajo “grandfather,” as companion and hired hand. 

Colt Ryman is a stranger who happens upon Rebecca after a cowboy-turned-thief assaults her. He finds himself captivated by the beautiful but stubbornly independent widow, and he determines to make her his own. 

In the heat of the moment, and after Rebecca’s life and reputation are again threatened, the widow finds herself married to Colt Ryman. In spite of her protest, however, she comes to discover that this stranger is more husband than the late Frank Williams, and that love can sometimes, quite unexpectedly, have the power to heal.

Barnes and Noble Nook     Smashwords

Kristy McCaffrey's A Westward Adventure 

Aspiring novelist Amelia Mercer travels from New York City to Colorado to help her injured aunt recover. When the stage is robbed and her luggage stolen, bounty hunter Ned Waymire comes to her aid, acquainted with the harmless culprit and wanting to spare the boy. But Ned also seeks to impress the independent young woman. Amelia's wish to never marry, however, clashes with Ned's desire to keep her reputation intact. When a final bounty from Ned's past threatens their future, she knows that A Westward Adventure isn’t just the title of her novel, but the new course of her life.

Barnes and Noble Nook     Smashwords

"PRETTIEST LITTLE HORSE THIEF..." -- An excerpt and Give-Away -- by GAIL L. JENNER

Being a part of the Prairie Rose Anthology, Lassoing a Bride, has been a lot of fun! I've always enjoyed writing short stories and short memoir pieces, but this is the first western or historical short story anthology in which I've participated. I have only sold a handful of stories in the last few years (some children's stories and a couple of women's stories), but it's a genre I find challenging and satisfying...

Perhaps in part because, as a former English teacher, short story was a form I loved to teach and to have students pursue. It's not easy writing a short story; word selection becomes much more important. There is no "time" to wander down rabbit trails if description or conflict takes a giant turn! The story must remain true to its central character and his/her internal or external conflict. Every scene must move the story forward, even as it must reveal something powerful about the character and his/her struggles. No random situations relevant here...

Playing with the theme of an unwilling bride, I knew my heroine would have to become "trapped" by circumstance...and knowing that took me into all kinds of possible and wild scenarios. I also knew she would have to be strong and resist the notion of marriage. She had to be strong, too, so that when she "fell" for our flawed hero, she'd fall hard! That's when the story writing really became fun and the pages filled themselves. A great feeling when you have an approaching deadline.

Unfortunately, sometimes, with novels, the deadline looms but the story begins to wane and then you, as author, must dig DEEP to find the motivation to keep moving forward. I didn't have that issue with composing "Prettiest Little Horse Thief".

For that reason, I hope to write more stories and am so delighted that Prairie Rose Publishing is encouraging its authors to submit to its upcoming anthologies. I am delighted to do so if only because of the energy writing them has generated.

In addition, I feel quite honored to be among some wonderful authors...The stories in Lassoing a Bride are varied and delightfully entertaining. One of the reader/reviewers wrote: "Wonderful stories from five wonderful storytellers. These authors know how to pull you in and keep you reading. PRETTIEST LITTLE HORSE THIEF by Gail L. Jenner, UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS by Sarah J. McNeal, NO LESS THAN FOREVER by Tracy Garrett, THE BANK ROBBER'S LAMENT by Sara Barnard and THE BRIDE AND THE BADGE by Livia J. Washburn are all exciting western romances that will stick with you and make you want to read them again and again." 

Here is an excerpt from "Prettiest Little Horse Thief"; hopefully this tidbit will whet the appetite for more:

PRETTIEST LITTLE HORSE THIEF

By

GAIL L. JENNER

As water pooled around her ankles, Rebecca felt a refreshing chill. She needed the shock of the water to clear her mind.

            It had been another hard day. After three months of struggling to get back on her feet, it seemed there should be a silver lining somewhere, but once more, it had eluded her.

            She stepped further into the stream, the water encircling the lacy edges of her knickers. She scooped up a handful and splashed it across her shoulder, gasping at the sudden cold.  

The sale had not gone well. Shih-chai, or Grandfather, her old Navajo ranch hand, had warned her she’d be disappointed, saying that the men who had conspired against Frank were determined to break her.

She hadn’t listened, but try as she could, no one wanted the two mares she had taken to the sale. The dozen men straddling the board fence had studied the pair of bays before regaling her with every reason they weren’t worth the asking price.

            Dent, a loud-mouthed cowboy who prided himself on his natural ability as a wrangler, had been the most vitriolic. “You may be the prettiest horse thief in this part of the country,” he spat, “but that’s all you are. Frank never paid a dime for anything, and he probably stole these two. Ask anybody. He owed ev’rybody money, which means these cayooses ain’t really yours to sell.”

            She’d stood her ground, flashing him a contemptuous look, then, turning to a second cowboy, remarked, “They’re hardy, and worth double what I’m asking.”

The sandy-haired cowboy had only shrugged.

After that no one offered her anything, so she returned home with two mares and an empty purse.

The sound of hoof beats against dry earth startled her. Quickly, she scrambled up the rocky embankment, but not quickly enough.

Three riders approached

Dent, sitting astride a small Appaloosa, grinned down at her. On either side of him rode men she didn’t recognize. Both let out a whoop when they realized she was standing in front of them with only her thin undergarments covering her pale flesh.

“I came thinkin’ we could strike a bargain,” crooned Dent as he wheeled off his horse. “But I never bargained on this.” His eyes swept over her with cold and hungry admiration. “Yep,” he whispered, “you gotta be the prettiest horse thief I ever seen.”

Rebecca steeled herself. What a fool she’d been to think that it was safe to disrobe in the middle of the day. Instinctively, she reached for the dress she’d thrown over a bramble bush.

Dent reached it first. Raising it to his face, he inhaled. “I do believe I smell— what? Sage?”

She wrenched it from his fingers. “Why are you here?”

Dent looked around as if thinking someone might suddenly appear out of nowhere. Unfortunately, Rebecca had left Shih-chai back at the barn, sneaking past him so that he couldn’t stop her from slipping down to the stream. Now she regretted her foolhardy decision.

Would she never stop being so impulsive?

“I want those two mares,” snapped Dent.

Rebecca held her tongue; she had to think before she got herself into more trouble. “What are you willing to pay?”

Dent chuckled. “I ain’t paying a dime. I told you, Frank owed ev’rybody something, and he owed me more than thirty bucks.”

“What?”

Dent stiffened. “You callin’ me a liar? Seems to me, even a pretty little thief better tread softly…” He took a step closer, his glance sending a sharp warning through her.

 As a thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment, I'd like to offer a free download of the PRP anthology, Lassoing a Bride. A winner will be selected on Wednesday and the announcement will be made here on the blog. I will also contact the winner personally!

Gail L. Jenner is the author of the WILLA Award-winning novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, recently re-released by Prairie Rose Publications. Like Rebecca in "Prettiest Little Horse Thief," Liza Ralston is a young woman -- determined and independent -- who must learn how to survive while pitted against the backdrop of the infamous and little-known historic Marias Massacre. It was recently ranked #13,400 on amazon.com's top list of kindle books! A big thank you to Prairie Rose for their support of historical fiction! In addition, Gail has coauthored five nonfiction histories. For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com  or http://prairierosepublications.yolasite.com/gail-l-jenner.php