What are Green Eggs and Ham?

The perks for working for a newspaper, are more than a salary. There are the people you meet and the experiences, like meeting Tony Stewart and Buddy Lazier at Texas Motor Speedway, Buddy was the winner of the Indy 500 in 1996,

But my favorite is meeting and becoming friends with Maurine Pearson, owner of the Pearson Ranch, where her father raised Arabian Horses.

Would you eat them on a boat? Would you eat them with a goat?

Would you eat them out to sea? Would you eat them up a tree?

Would you eat them here, would you eat them there, would you eat them anywhere?

I would not eat them on a boat? I would not eat them with a goat?

I would not eat them out to sea? I would not eat them up a tree?

I would not eat them here, I would not eat them there, I would not eat them anywhere?

I do not like green eggs and ham you see!

I do love Dr. Seuss!

The FlowerPlex PipeLine Newspaper was a neighbor of the Pearson Ranch and, Doe, the paper’s editor was friends with Maurine Pearson, and she invited Doe and her staff to visit her ranch.

So.. When my stepson Kevin and his family called to say they were coming to visit from out of state, I decide to take Maurine up on her invitation. I called Maurine to ask if it were possible to bring my family for a tour of the ranch.

She said she would be delighted to give us a tour of the ranch and show us her menagerie. I knew that she rescued abused and abandoned animals, as well as running a working ranch. She no longer raised horses, after her father expired, she began to raise emus.

Saturday, the day of Kevin and family’s visit. My son and his girlfriend picked-up Kevin, Jan and Little John at the airport and we all met at a restaurant where I told them of my plan for the tour of the Pearson Ranch the next day.

My son Walter was excited and had visions of horseback riding but he seemed to be the only one interested. I thought just wait, the kids will love it.

Sunday, we all went out to I-hop for breakfast, then back to the house for jackets, the weather had turned cool and we did not want the babies to catch cold.

As we were leaving home, I saw a good size turtle crossing the road, because I did not want it to get run over I picked it up and put it in a wash pan, to take with us to the ranch, thinking I would leave it there.

We arrived at the ranch and rang the bell and the gates opened and after we passed through the gates closed. We drove up the long driveway to the garage, where three golf carts were waiting for us.

Before we went out to see the animals we went inside the huge garage and Maurine told us about her excitement of the night before. Her animals were being stalked by coyotes, her dog Dougie was in charge of protecting the pigmy goats, donkeys, and other animals.

Approximately twelve coyotes were circling, and ready to attack, When Dougie charged and after killing five of them the others ran off without their anticipated meal.

We piled in the golf carts and set off, 1 year old Zane, 2 year old Little John, 3 year old Zacquiri, 9 year old Shaunna; sons Walter and his girlfriend Karen, Kevin and his wife Jan.

First stop was a small house with a special room that had an incubators that had several sections for more than one baby emu.

Marine said that after her father passed away, she sold the horses and decided to try her hand Emu ranching.

Maurine explained that EMU chicks were hatched and treated just like human babies; they are placed in incubator play pins with stuffed animals and toys for companionship. She showed us eggs that had not yet hatched; they looked like giant, textured Easter eggs painted a beautiful jade green. I thought “Green Eggs!” The once famous horse ranch is now an Emu ranch.

Then we went to the Emu breeding pen and Maureen went inside and we waited outside. The males all gathered around her, each one vying for her attention.

They made the most beautiful sound: the males made a drumming sound and the females a humming or maybe it was the other way around, together the sound was phenomenal, like a beautiful far away symphony.

Next stop was the yearling pen. This time Maurine, Walter, Zacquiri, Shaunna and I went inside. The others stayed outside and Hubby was filming our adventure, It was very interesting but, Zacquiri found the rocks more interesting.

Why do most little boys like to throw rocks?

The next stop was the pen with the pigmy goats, donkeys and “DOGS” (big, beautiful, snow white dogs) inside an electrified fence.

Maurine opened the gate and went in with Zacquiri on her heels and he headed for the dogs trying to hug them all at once and, each one trying to be the closest to him, Walter and I ran in after him.

One of the goats butted me in the thigh almost knocking me into the electric fence and I was relieved to get out with just a bruised thigh.

We made an unplanned pit stop, one golf cart, Hubby’s videos camera and both babies ran out of juice, and both babies needed changing. So we headed back to the garage refreshments, diaper changes and a freshly charged golf cart.

With everyone refreshed we were on the way to the duck pond, past the hanging tree.

Maurine brought lettuce for Hooter, a big duck, and two loafs of bread, one for the other ducks and one for a donkeys, who loves to show us how smart by opening the loaf by shaking it till it burst open.

Hubby kept asking, what kind of dogs are those? Maurine told me several times and I didn’t want to ask her again.I would wait and maybe ask Doe, when I was back at work.

Maurine heard Hubby asking and told him, Dougie is a snow white, Akbash.

The Akbash Dog is native to western Turkey in the region known as the Akbaşh, and it is primarily used as a livestock guardian dog. When Maurine said, she breeds the Akbash, I could see the light in hubby’s eyes, I thought uh-oh, hubby wants one of Dougie’s pups.

Everyone enjoyed the tour, in spite of the cold wind, Little John and Zane had cold hands but seemed content to be in the arms of Jan and Karen. Even hubby, big John was glad he came along.

Maurine, our beautiful and gracious hostess gave us gifts when we were leaving. Green Emu egg shells and feathers for each of us, T-shirts for Shaunna and Zacquiri and a frozen Emu Ham for us to have for Thanksgiving.

At the pond Maurine had mentioned that turtles were eating the ducklings and cygnets, I was so glad I had forgotten the snapping turtle in the van. When we got in the van we found that the turtle had gotten out we had to round it up and get it back in the pan, and we found a pond without ducks or swans to endanger, and left it there.

Thanksgiving Day I prepared the traditional turkey and the Emu Ham, Maurine had given us. How to describe the Emu ham? Take the best ham (pork) remove all the fat, and I do mean all the fat and you have an Emu Ham.

I wonder if Dr. Seuss in from Australia?

Emu Ham and Green Eggs.