The Sudden Lovely Ranch
The
Sudden Lovely Ranch (SLR) has been brought to life in the oddest and most stunning
ways. From poverty and homelessness, to
love and today’s success, it has been anything but a simple ride. This healing and beautiful space has taken a
lot of work and an ability to embrace the unexpected. When visitors arrive, there’s only joy,
amazement and a sense of home, thanks to the many animals, the beautiful views,
and the good food and company that occupies this land. Let’s talk about how it began…
Jenae was facing a lot of
difficulty in the spring of 2013. As a
single mom of six children, she faced challenges that most cannot
comprehend. Committed to an organic,
healthy, and wholesome lifestyle, she often faced public criticism for choosing
quality food and education for the kids, although this often made it hard to
pay bills or keep a stable roof over their heads. She stuck to it, and sacrificed unimaginably
and kept a hopeful and positive outlook entirely. One day, fate brought her to a safe and
beautiful home, occupied by a man she’d known in passing for years. This place would later become known as The
Sudden Lovely Ranch and would change their lives forever.
The man was Steven “Woody," a local handyman and cattle rancher.
He had deep roots in the community and had
actually vaguely met Jenae six or so years ago, through the local co-op. He had a large room, an open kitchen and a
kind heart, and when Jenae was facing the most challenging moment yet, he
offered this place for her to stay and the chance to settle back into a
community that she once loved and knew.
She accepted, squeezed three beds into a cozy room, and began coexisting
with this generous guy she’d hardly known before.
Three
months went by in the blink of an eye, and Woody and Jenae shared many evenings
chatting. Woody also took a particular
interest in teaching the kids outdoor skills like hunting, fishing, wood
chopping, fence building, and cattle herding.
As a mother, Jenae noticed and was moved by how Woody served as a
natural role model, living the way she’d always taught her boys to be, in terms
of ‘gentlemanly’ conduct and respectful living.
His vision for life and for his home were not unlike hers, and he too
began to feel deeply about this visionary, powerful woman that had suddenly
filled a once quiet space with laughter, love, and the footsteps of many
beloved children.
One
August night, at the wedding of an old friend, Jenae and Woody looked at each
other and both suddenly realized they were actually quite in love. It was fateful. They were both a little nervous about what
this new relationship might mean for the future, and trust took a long time to
build, as the family was still in what most would call ‘survival mode’, because
things had been so hard. Fortunately, time
only showed that both partners’ commitments were deepening, and the following
year the ranch began to blossom.
It
started with chickens, as well as a connection to a local Alpaca rancher. Bette, a rancher in her 70s, was needing help
with her large ranch and wanting to help, Jenae took the youngest boys of the
family, Malik and Keenan, to help scoop poop and care for Bette’s Alpacas. Bette was generous and saw that this family
truly loved the animals. She provided fencing
and gifted seven Alpacas to Jenae for keeping.
This started a process of unexpected healing for the family and growth
for the ranch.
Over the following couple of years,
ducks were ordered in the mail, to bring in duck eggs and meat, and of course,
geese followed. The garden was restored
each summer to grow more and more bountifully.
There was never a dull moment, as both Jenae and Woody were managing a
large family, jobs, and building the ranch in spare moments, including building
a greenhouse, building chicken coops, fencing in multiple acres of land, and
more. The work was endless but so was
the abundance, and today, the ranch is thriving, with yak, cows, and even a
lizard. The name stems from Jenae and
Woody’s affection for a favorite band named “The Sudden Lovelies”… And so to
those sweet tunes, the Sudden Lovely Ranch has danced its way into the hearts
of many.
Neighbors and community members
gather greens, veggies, eggs, and meat from this ranch and others simply come
up for a good meal and healing space. The
community has truly brought this place together, along with the good intent and
love of an unexpected pair, Jenae and Woody.
The kids, Shaylee, 24, Tiana, 17, Jayden, 15, Isaiah, 13, Malik, 10, and
Keenan, 7, are all doing incredibly well.
Shaylee works with survivors of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Denver, CO,
and visits whenever she has time. The
other five are still home, succeeding in school and ranching at home. They are able to eat and cook shared, wholesome
meals, much of it sourced from the farm or from the cattle raised by Woody,
just like Jenae had always dreamed.
Here at the ranch, life has a whole different set of challenges to the family that was once struggling to put gas in the car
and pay rent. It's a balancing act that is worth every ounce of effort. It may take a village to keep the sacred, mountain ranch open and flowing. All who come visit, feel the therapeutic lasting effects of bliss, nature, fresh air and love.
As someone once said, “Not all who wander are lost…” and the Sudden Lovely Ranch seems to have wandered right into existence, changing the lives and spirits of everyone involved.
As someone once said, “Not all who wander are lost…” and the Sudden Lovely Ranch seems to have wandered right into existence, changing the lives and spirits of everyone involved.
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