Marci, Lead Teacher , and her sister Lori, who works with the Ranchers caring for the horses and managing the barn,  are fondly referred to here at the Ranch as “The Fabulous Jones Sisters.” 

Marci and Lori offered to host a slumber party in the Lodges for the Ranchers who had returned from their Christmas break by New Year's Eve.  The Ranchers thought this a fine idea, and plans were made for yet another round of holiday party food, movies, karaoke, games, and watching the neighbors' firearms.

S'mores around a bonfire were in the plans, too, but a gusty cold front helped the Ranchers decided the s'mores would taste just as good baked in the oven.

The evening's revelry unfolded happily as planned.  However, we have a tradition here at the Ranch of celebrating the arrival of the New Year with Barbados, where we think it's midnight just as our clocks are striking 10:00 PM.  This didn't set too well with some of our newcomers, who insisted on staying up until Texas midnight, according to Marci.   I'll let her tell the rest of the story in her words:

“At about 10:30 most of us were getting really tired and some of the Ranchers wanted to know if we could celebrate early so they could go to bed.  While Anita and Lori were singing karaoke with the Ranchers I changed the clock on the wall to 11:45 PM.  I was caught redhanded and fussed at by numerous Ranchers, but I put it back on the wall with Barbados time anyway. 

The singing continued and no one wanted to stop singing for the countdown.  (I won't mention that it was mostly Anita and Lori who wouldn't stop singing).  After 13  minutes more of singing, Anita took the clock down and changed it back to 11:45 PM!

Crystal and I refused to take this sitting down,  and we changed it forward 10 minutes!

At last we did the countdown, blew our horns, yelled for 5 minutes, drank sparking red cider to celebrate and sang “It's 5:00 O'Clock Somewhere”(substituting 12:00 O'Clock for 5:00 of course).

After all the noise, we made a circle and almost everyone gave a wonderful toast to the coming New Year, invoking God, friends, and the blessing of living and working at Down Home Ranch.”

I can tell you, the blessing is ours–blessed with staff who care, who enter joyfully into the world and lives of our Ranchers. 

Judy Horton, Down Home Ranch