Visiting Longshadows Ranch
Dec 30, 2023 End of Month Community BarBQ
A gathering of our patrons, supporters, neighbors and the community at large. We will have a pot-luck dinner. We will provide turkey and ham, you all bring side dishes and desserts! Weather allowing, we will enjoy a fire and watch the sun set over the lake. The kids can play with horses, chickens, and jump on the trampoline. There is no cost but we do have a pay-it-forward jar. We will start about 4:00 pm but you are welcome to come early to help us set up!
This is Gadugi at it’s best! Wado!
We love visitors!
When you visit Longshadows Ranch, you will experience an every day slice of life on our homestead farm and ranch. We are not off the grid yet, but are working our way in that direction. We do produce much of our own food and other resources, are always building something, gardening, taking care of animals, canning, cooking and so much more. We currently have ducks, chickens and horses, a large year round garden, a pond, an orchard and lots of fenced in pasture to wander around. By early spring we are adding cabins, a duck pond, rabbits, sheep, pigs, bees (second attempt) and maybe a small cow so I can make and sell cheese.
Whether you are interested in stopping by for a few hours, staying overnight, or want to serve as a regular volunteer, we have lots of opportunities. In general, we are open Mon – Sat from 9 -5 for pick up of bread, eggs, other food and volunteers that come and go on their own. We also have specific days and hours designated for work-with-us projects. These are listed below and are updated the first of each month.
If you have questions about scheduling your family, group or for an event, just reach out to us. Someone checks email at least once a day. Because this is a working farm and ranch, give us a heads up before you come so you won’t have to stand at the pasture gate wondering where we are 🙂
2023 Project Calendar
We love helpers, volunteers, and donations of materials and supplies. Many people have asked how they can get involved in helping us build up Longshadows, and so we have developed an opportunity for people in our community to do just that! Curious? Want to swing an axe or dig a hole? Come on over and become part of our growing community who believes children learning the forgotten ways is critically important.
- Gardening (always)
- Putting in a fence around the orchards (in progress)
- Roof for chicken run (almost finished)
- Setting up a duck pond (almost finished)
- Building rabbit hutches
- Putting up an enclosure for sheep
- Straightening the paddock fence
- Trenching water to garden, barn and far side of property (a work in progress!)
Dec 2023: Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat: 8 am -2 pm
This schedule is for people who want to come and spend time for a day or week, or longer – work, learn, play and teach with us. It is perfect for new volunteers to learn the ropes for a few weeks before taking on a project all their own. Always let us know when you are coming. We BBQ on the last Sat of every month for volunteers, neighbors, patrons and new friends!
Ranch Closed Dates (updated each month):
- Wed mornings and Sun, all of them. We can make special arrangements for folks who are traveling or staying over, just reach out to us through the contact form.
- Dec 24, 2023 – Jan 2, 2024
What to expect at the ranch
We do not live in the city, LOL. This is a working farm and ranch, it is our homestead and we work every day but Sunday. That means you will get to experience something different every time you come. It is not a programmed experience, rather, it is life as we are living it. You can help with anything we are doing. Especially the little ones. There is no job so big that they cannot help in some way. Or, if you just need to get away, you can simply hang out.
We live on a ridge that overlooks Ft. Gibson Lake from the east. There are some developed properties along the lake shore, but where we live it is relatively undeveloped. The paved road stops just short of our driveway, so nothing to worry about with the roads. We are on county water presently but are researching drilling a well and we have electricity and internet with a signal that comes and goes. Brian’s sister, Gloria, visited us and had no trouble with her signal, she uses Verizon.
This is not a place for city shoes! Rubber boots if it has been raining, work boots, hiking boots or tennies that can get dirty, because they will get dirty and muddy. There are animals free ranging and you know, they go when they gotta go, wherever they are. We do have some extra rubber boots in various sizes that we can lend out.
We have a no-shoes inside our home policy, so wear your Sunday socks as my Nan used to say. If you have house shoes you use at home, feel free to bring them along, Japanese style.
We suggest you dress in layers. The wind can be very cold here at the top of the ridge and then dies off…the sun warms things up quickly in the pastures.
List of things to bring:
- water bottle
- sun hat
- something with pockets
- for little ones, a collecting bag in case they find something very cool to bring home and a change of clothes
- camera, binoculars, telescope, metal detector, sketch pad
- work gloves although we do have small, med and large gloves that we buy in bulk
Things not to bring
- bug sprays- we have natural ingredient-based sprays here for you to use. Essential oil based products are acceptable.
- an animal off-leash- we have too many farm animals running around.
- cigarette butts- you must take these with you when you go and we ask that you smoke in the designated smoking areas where our young guests cannot see you.
Our Wish (Barter) List
- breeding pair of rabbits (1 buck, 2 does) – Not now, in the future.
- a few sheep for their wool
- a Dexter cow
- fencing, 2×4 welded wire
- canning jars, rings and new lids
- lemon balm, lemon grass, rose hips, hibiscus flowers (red), organic practices, locally grown
- a tractor
- a truck
- cash donations