Barbara Grieb – Wife, mom, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend – slipped away from us and into the arms of Jesus. Rejoice with us that she’s out of pain and with Jesus. Dad has lost his best friend and companion, many others mourn her loss yet rejoice in the hope of heaven.
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13 NLT
My Testimony Written by Barbara in 2004
I must say that through my life God has drawn me to Himself and put a bubble of protection over me. I was born in Los Angeles, CA. My parents did not go to church but both were raised with Christian values. My Dad was raised in a strict Christian home but rebelled and started drinking in High School. He was very good at sports and was very popular.
When I was two-years-old my mother started taking me to Sunday School and she was faithful to raise me a Christian, but only went to church on Easter and Christmas. She worked very hard to support me. But God had his hand on me and always gave me a desire to love God and learn more about Jesus. So when I was old enough I walked to the nearest church. When I was about four my Mother purchased a clothes cleaning business because my father would spend his money at the bar before he came home with his paycheck.
At that time God was dealing with me about accepting Him as my Savior but because I was afraid to be baptized (I would have to go under water…I almost drowned when I was four). I didn’t. But later in life I asked God, “When?” He had me remember a time my Mother, who was now divorced, was on a date and I repented of my sin and cried kneeling before a old rocking chair. Although at about 12-years-old, I didn’t have assurance I was saved because I didn’t obey church rules…like don’t go to movies do this and that.
When I was 12 & 13 my life had many changes. My parents divorced and there was no more fighting, drinking or being afraid of my father. My mother married again and my step-father was good to me. He was into drilling oil wells and in my senior year of High School they became very wealthy. Most of all I turned my life over to Jesus and wanted to be baptized to show He was my LORD. Soon after I met my now husband, Carl, who lived in Arroyo Grande, who was from a farm and cattle raising family. We wrote letters for five years. When I got a step-sister and brother who lived close to AG, I was able to see Carl about once a month. He too was a Christian and my faith continued to grow. I continued to work with the LORD through High School and now thru 54 years of marriage (updated 2020 70 years). In 2004, Carl and I have three daughters who love the Lord. We have seven grandchildren and seven great-grandsons and they all live on our ranch except two in Oregon. We are blessed to see them also growing in the Lord.
At 19 I dedicated my life to the Lord to serve him wherever the Lord led me. Since I had a new baby and my husband and I had a dairy, I began to teach Sunday School and then Junior Church. In 1957 God called me to reach children and I became a Child Evangelist and do a a weekly Bible Class in a neighborhood, labor camp or whatever town or home he lead me to. I love to teach women and children and especially boys, as I was a tomboy growing up on a block of boys. Today camping and riding horses are still my favorite things to do – Beach Meadows in the Sierra’s was a favorite.
I feel so privileged to be here to teach women and children as God gave me a love to do that. I love the The LORD Jesus and his Word the Bible. It is true and if we follow it we will have a full and abundant life as He has promised. In my life and in my family we have experienced divorce, abuse, suicide, rejection, death, drought and loss of business, cancer and many trials. But Jesus has been there and took us through every time. He is a wonderful Savior.
Bread making was Lorna Grieb Erickson favorite thing to do. She loved family get-togethers and over a period of years, created a wonderful recipe for homemade pizza that greatly pleased her family. Everyone looked forward to the pizza night as a special occasion. Lorna prepared the dough; then each family member could customize the pizza with toppings of their choice.
Everyone was all smiles as they put the pizza creations in the oven to bake.
The aroma was irresistible, with the family huddled around the oven in anticipation of the tasty bread and delicious cheesy/meaty toppings. All enjoyed the hands-on experience making their customized pizzas, and were all satisfied with the results.
Everything tasted better because all participated in making the pizzas together. Love and harmony in a warm kitchen.
It is a wonderful thing that this tradition is still being passed down from Lorna’s children to grandchildren and now to great-grandchildren.
Recipe for Grandma Lorna’s Homemade Pizza
Ingredients:
1 cup hot water
1 cup milk or 1 C cold water mixed with 1/3 C dry milk
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 Cup shortening
1 pkg. active dry yeast
½ cup sugar
6-7 cups all purpose flour
Home Made PizzaInstructions
In a mixer bowl mix together hot water, milk or water and dry milk, salt and sugar. Add shortening and yeast. Add 4 level cups of flour and mix on low.
Beat until smooth and elastic. Add 2 to 2 ½ cups more flour with mixer still on low speed. Dough should be soft and pliable but not sticky.
Cover and let dough raise for 15 minutes to ½ hour.
Grease 3 pizza pans. Divide dough into 3 parts and press into the pans forming a thin crust. Cover with small amount of desired pizza sauce and sprinkle with dry ground oregano. Cover sauce with grated Colby jack cheese. Add additional toppings as desired.
Preheat over to 375 degrees and bake pizzas for 15-20 minutes or until desired doneness.
Cattle ranching this year has been an adventure. Since we have received no rain until recently, most of our cattle were sent to Oregon. Yet, we did enjoy a wonderful, happy, healthy year with hours spent checking the cattle water (for the remaining cattle). Off the ranch we spent time going to church, the park and other local outings. We also have a new dog named Ruby.
Mom (Barbara Grieb) helps us keep everything in perspective and remind us to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Being blessed with an abundance of persimmons this year we blessed others and wished them a Merry Christmas with goodies baked from our family recipes for Persimmon Cookies and Persimmon bread. Christmas blessings to you from the Grieb Ranch.
It should have been a cold, dreary, foggy day but it wasn’t. The sun shone down brightly from a clear azure sky. Shortly before 8 a.m. trucks rumbled into the driveway, halting just inches from the split-level house and the tree beyond.
Oh Yes, The Old Oak Tree
Oh yes, the tree. The tree situated just beyond my back fence at the Grieb Farmhouse. That’s the reason for all the commotion. Several days before, the neighbor had received the bad news from an arborist that the old oak tree must come down. Its center was filled with dry rot and termites. It was now a safety hazard. She was heartbroken, as the grand old tree was one of the reasons she purchased the house.
The Take Down
Four Men Were Up to the Task
Four men, strong, fit and agile were up to the task of taking down the beautiful, graceful tree. Armed with ladders, long-handled pruners, chain saws, ropes, hydraulic bucket lift and a crane; these men were ready for action.
In spite of the fact that taking down the tree was upsetting and depressing, it was fascinating to watch the men expertly orchestrate this huge take down.
Two of the men effortlessly ascended the immense tree, and with their equipment, systematically and methodically brought down the twigs, branches and smaller limbs in a circular fashion for safely reasons to prevent injury to them, the house and the balance of the tree itself. Another man hauled branches to the grinder and the remaining man fed the branches into the machine. All the small and medium branches were removed, ground up or sawed into big logs. At days end, the old tree’s skeletal frame was still standing naked and tall against the sky. A sad sight to see.
Loss Brings Thoughts of the Past
The loss of the tree brings up thoughts of the past, the history of this living tree that has survived wind, rain, drought and floods during its 150 plus years of life. It played a part in the Grieb family history as it was one of the original oak trees on the Grieb Family Farm established in circa 1872. It represents a piece of the original landscape. It also represents the strength and resilience our ancestors had in carving out a rewarding and prosperous life through labor and hardship. Going back further in time, it provided shelter for pioneers and its’ acorns food for the Chumash Indians. Birds and animals nestled in its ample branches. Children were drawn to climb and play on the sturdy limbs.
A Stump and Heaps of Sawdust
Just a Stump Remained
The final workday of the tree takedown, the workers tediously labored to remove the largest limbs. The crane assisted in lifting the heavy limb sections into the truck. The workers’ expertise and experience made the daunting task seem so easy. At the end of day two, all that remained of the magnificent, ancient oak tree was a stump and heaps of sawdust. At the end of its life, the tree was estimated to be 60 inches in diameter with limbs 30 inches around. The tree lived over a century and its’ life ended in only two work days (14 hours of tough physical labor).
Perhaps a New Oak Tree
Sandi Erickson Ferrio and The Old Oak Tree
Without the stately tree, the yard seems bare and open, but bright sunshine bathes my yard. Light pours into my windows and my view is expanded from a few feet to a few miles. I can see Mt. Picacho across the valley. All that physically remains for me, are several slices of a smaller limb that one of the workers kindly left for me, neatly stacked in my yard. The tree is missed, but who knows, maybe one of those plentiful acorns will root itself and grow into a new living oak tree for future generations to enjoy. Life goes on. The tree is gone, but our growing family tree will thrive and survive.
Every Fall Barbara Grieb would make this cake for Doctors, Mailmen, and others who so kindly served the Grieb family throughout the year. This Caramel Glazed Pear cake recipe came from the Telegram Tribune. The cake is made with oil rather than butter, but there is butter in the glaze. This yummy cake is chock-full of diced pears and roasted pecans for the quintessential fall dessert.
Instructions for Caramel Glazed Pear Cake
Caramel Glazed Pear Cake
4 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled and diced (about 3 cups) sprinkle with 1 TBS sugar – set aside
Beat together with mixer
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
Sift Together
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
In a large mixing bowl, add liquid ingredients to dry Ingredients – MIX
Fold into cake mixture (with heavy wooden spoon) diced pears and 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped roasted pecans.
Bake
70 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased and floured 10 inch Bundt Pan or Angel Food Cake Pan
OR small pan with half the recipe and then bake 35 mins an hour.
When done remove from pan and poke with fork tines
Prep time 10 mins Cook time 70 mins Total time 1 hour 20 mins
Caramel Glaze DRIZZLE Prep
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbls butter
1/8 cup evaporated milk or cream
1 tsp vanilla
Stir together brown sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, 2½ minutes or until sugar dissolves.
Pour the warm caramel glaze over the cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
What is a grandma to do with all her grand-kids on the ranch for many days of summer? Well the answer is simple: Make it a Summer Staycation and go outside and explore God’s wonderful and fascinating world. Grieb Ranch provides an endless array of things to explore. Plus exploring the ins-and-outs of our beautiful locale simply add to the fun.
All the grands explored the ranch and local area with Grandma for a Summer Staycation
Summer Staycation Activities
A Summer Staycation at Grieb Ranch means . . . almost daily trips to the creek or rope swing when it’s hot, exploring places on the ranch we’ve rarely seen, watching a monarch caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly which we released, checking livestock water daily due to the drought, helping host Ag Adventure Day Camp at Thousand Hills Ranch for two weeks (much more time was taken for setup and putting things away), following bear tracks while having fun singing “Going on a Bear Hunt” (shucks we never found the bear), climbing trees, making guacamole, keeping the stop-by Fruit Stand full, prayer walking the property with friends, and playing follow the leader on horseback.
Setting up the tent for camping
Monarch Butterfly
Evening Sky
Following Bear Tracks
Exploring the Local Offerings
One fine day we packed up our picnic lunch and left the ranch to explore the beautiful central coast.
First stop, Shell Beach and caves. After descending the long flight of stairs to the rocky beach below, we set off exploring the rocky caves and tide pools. Here we discovered many sea creatures like crabs, hermit crabs, limpets (conical shell snail), turban snails and sea anemones.
Exploring the rocks and tide pools
Next, we climbed the rocks, then built roads and castles out of the gravel type sand. We all enjoyed our picnic lunch and the amazing weather.
Our adventure continued to Avila Beach Aquarium to see things we missed at Shell Beach. Here we were fascinated with little jelly fish, shrimp brine, crabs, the touch tank and watching the crab and other fish be fed. We learned limpets and turban snails are gastropods which means their stomach is in their “foot” or pod.
Creating such wonderful memories together, while experiencing first-hand the wisdom and creativity of God on display is a wonderful way to spend a Summer Staycation.
Getaway For a Celebration
We did enjoy one getaway to Margie (Grieb) and Scott Runels’s 50th wedding anniversary in Oregon. Our stay was at their home. Carl (92) and Barbara (89) endured the 15-hour trip driven by Connie with flying colors.
We’ve been riding a ranching roller coaster. This experience often brings us to the place where we just want to be held. We love having our hills green by Thanksgiving, but that didn’t happen. The hills were not green by Christmas either. So, we waited, trusting. However, the hills were still not green by Valentine’s day so all our cows and babies were shipped to San Joaquin to a feed lot. That decision was made after feeding out three barn loads of hay. Papa with his tractor would load our RTV Kubota’s with hay and off we would go, up into the hills to hand-deliver feed.
While the cows and babies were away, hail hit our hills.
The natural feed and the hills have simply not recovered.
Just Be Held
Many other crazy events have happened in our lives so we are trusting in God to see how He puts the Grieb Ranch back together. As the words from Casting Crowns’ song Just Be Held explains, “Your world’s not falling apart, it’s falling into place.”
There’s nothing like a roundup to bring ranch people together. Grieb Ranch family members and trusted ranch hand friends pulled together to gather bulls, cows and calves in order to vaccinate, de-horn, castrate, ear tag and brand the animals. The fun family day put the hands of helpers aged 2 to 92 to work. Working together they processed the whole herd making the Grieb Ranch roundup a fun success.
Planning for a Roundup
Planning for a roundup involves many aspects from getting the vaccine trays, de-horning and castrating equipment, plus branding devices all together to planning enough food for feeding all the ranch hands and family.
Many Grieb Ranch Family Members Worked the Roundup
A variety of extended Grieb family members had a role: Papa brought up the feed for the cattle and hauled out debri while Amanda kept Papa company.
Little Mr. L at age five performed his first castration.
Connie planned the food and directed activities. Daniel led the ground crew.
Brian cooked the meat for the roundup lunch. It was really great this year to have the food ready to eat rather than wait around for a BBQ to get started.
Records of Work Done is Vital at a Roundup
Each one of the cattle received a multivitamin injection, along with needed vaccinations and a de-wormer. Records must be kept of all injections for cattle being shipped. Ear tags are also attached and go in the left ear in each animal. Ear tags contain important information for each animal like their registration number if purebred, the cow number above the calf number or animal’s name. On the back goes the bull number when available and the date of birth. Here’s a chart of all the recorded info kept for each animal.
Date
Product
Serial Number
Expiration
Route/location
Lot
1/2/2021
Inforce 3 2ml
463630A/455024
3/15/22
Intranasal
476540
Inforce 3 2ml
463605A/464251
3/1/22
473026
Covexin8 5ml
2280B/501
11/1/2021
SQ neck
Covexin8 5ml
2246C/502
5/2/21
SQ neck
One Shot BVD 2ml
439283A/420258
2/1/2022
SQ neck
472294
Multimin 5ml
B2004021
April22
SQ neck
Roundups are a Family Affair Enjoyed with Friends
Roundups truly are a family affair and many hands make light work. Local ranch hand friends make the rounds and show up to help out with other rancher’s roundups through the roundup season.
Just like a father may pass down a favorite tool, ranchers pass down their favorite tools – such as a lariat rope – as well. A lariat rope is simply the long arm of the cowboy.
Having the skill to swing a lariat rope to pull in stray cattle is a useful and admired ranching skill. The lariat has an eye, or a honda, tied at one end. The other end is threaded through this eye to form a big loop. Swinging the loop over his or her head, the cowboy or cowgirl then throws the loop from horseback towards the stray calf to lasso it for control.
Grieb Family Lariat Rope
Recently Daniel received a lariat rope passed to him by his great uncle, Larry. The card accompanying the lariat reads: “I heard it was made by an old horse trader that lived between Arroyo Grande and Pismo. I figured he lived in the area that Teddy lived in the 1950’s.”
Loop of Grieb Family History
This loop of Grieb family history will not be lassoing calves on Grieb Ranch. Instead, this lariat is hanging on the wall as both decoration and an historical keepsake.
