The Rock House Ranch/My Lazy-A-Bar Days - Hardcover

Patterson, Barbara Corn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0971193088 ISBN 13: 9780971193086

Publisher: Barbed Wire Pub, 2002

Synopsis

Ranch life in the 30's and 40's was a juxtaposition of romance and hard reality. Cattle drives, campfires, bucking broncs, and "making do", are what Barbara Corn Patterson experienced as a child growing up on a ranch in southeastern New Mexico. Her rich pioneer heritage will kindle memories of a by-gone time when neighbors were neighbors, and a business deal was sealed by a simple handshake. Families and friends working and playing together during the Great Depression and World War II, in an environment where one's livelihood and survival were threatened by the harsh conditions of the American Southwest, provide a beautifully written backdrop for this bittersweet memoir of a dying way of life.

About this title

From the Publisher

Those of you who have read Sandra Day O'Connor's book, The Lazy B, will have an immediate appreciation for Barbara Patterson's new book, The Rock House Ranch. Though not as famous as our first woman Supreme Court Justice, Barbara tells her story just as vividly and, perhaps, more personally. And while New Mexicans have to share Justice O'Connor with Arizona and Texas, Barbara is strictly New Mexico born and bred.

Growing up on a ranch northwest of Roswell, Barbara tells about ranch life in the 30s and 40s like it was. There is no gloss; no attempt to candy coat the realities of growing up on a ranch where the nearest neighbor might be twenty miles distant, where rattlesnakes were part of everyday life, where daily activities were dictated by weather, season, or broken fences. But from that environment emerged men and women who had (and have) strong family values, integrity, and insights into the world that will never be imparted to those who grow up in urban environments and generations removed from the frontier.

Most people who read or write about the frontier west do not appreciate what an integral part women played in rural life. Certainly, women did the household chores, had and raised the children-but most also did all of the work that their fathers, husbands, sons, and other male ranch hands did. Need a windmill put up? Mother was their to help (in addition to fixing the mid-day meal!) Cattle or sheep need doctoring? The women were right there next to their men, doing what needed to be done to tend the sick, wounded, or otherwise in need animals. Fence need mending? Predators killing the livestock? The women were full partners in the ranching enterprise, wielding syringes, hammers, and rifles.

Ranch families knew how to play, too, even if the miles dictated or amended the means. There was the "Long Distance Club", a group of ranch women who shared a private telephone network strung along the top strand of barbed wire on their ranch fences, dances at Pine Lodge, fairs, and school activities. And how quickly we can forget that kids left to their own devices can come up with myriad amusing ways to entertain themselves-Barbara's cousins were no exception!

Barbara's story brings back memories of things long forgotten and days gone by. It is a trip down memory lane for some and an eye opening experience for others who may lack appreciation of how the West was really won! It is an excellent read and a wonderful gift. Highly recommended!

About the Author

Barbara Corn Patterson is the fourth-generation descendant of a prominent New Mexico ranching family. She has experienced the West as very few Americans have, and began her book as a way of life with her grandchildren.

Ms. Patterson raised four children on a farm in the Pecos Valley, and recently retired from nursing to pursue her life's dream of seeing the world and writing about her experiences. She still lives in Roswell and maintains the Lazy A Bar brand.

About this edition

• Publisher: Barbed Wire Pub
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0971193088
• ISBN 13: 9780971193086
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 220