Funny Farm

by Dr. Eileen A. Schweickert

Available for $14.95 in paperback and $9.99 for e-book (Kindle) at Amazon.com (see link below)
Written in large, bold print easy-to-read style

Reviewed by LizOP
MSWorld Book Reviewer

Now look at the nice picture of the medical doctor, Eileen, above and then look at the bucking bulls below, Baroness and Lady. Keep reading . . .

Would you guess that when Eileen was diagnosed with MS that she and her husband, Dan, decided to fulfill their retirement dream early and start a bucking bull ranch??

That is exactly what they did.             

Now glance back to the top at the cover of the book and it gives you a good idea what you will read in this gem of a book. She warns you early on that if you are squeamish you might want to skip certain parts. But I didn't want to.

I wasn't raised on a farm but my grandmother had a farm so none of this surprised me -- but I did learn quite a lot about life on a ranch raising bucking bulls! I found myself reading aloud to my husband because he was raised on a working farm.

Her love of the animals, large and small, and her dedication to raise them with love and care is heartwarming. I can visualize the rain and mud of Michigan and the animals she describes. My favorite being her night in the barn with a new calf whose mother would not nurse him that night.

This book is witty and honest. If you are adverse to the word "poop" in all the realities of farm animals, donkeys, bulls, chickens, and roosters, then you will learn that it is all part of the business of farming. Her tales are very real.

And her message is one of not giving up or giving in. Although she never denies her MS, she "bucks up" and keeps going and adapting. The outdoor life has made her stronger and healthier. As she says in the final chapter,

"Some days are harder than others, but when the times get tough, I've learned to cowgirl up."

In her own words:
I was a family practitioner in Traverse City. First I taught and worked for the residency program at Munson/Michigan State then was in private practice 2001-2003 at Rising Star Wellness Center. I also served on the Board of Directors of the American Medical Women's Assoc. as State Director for Michigan and then Regional Governor for the mid west.

In 2003 I had to retire because I was so sick, I couldn't walk or see well. It's been a long road back to health.

Check out her Web site at: http://www.bluewaterbaybuckingbulls.com/main.html


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