One won’t find a pile of weeds growing under the boots Gypsy Cowgirl, Bambi Porter.

As the years go by Porter seems to add more notches to her belt, living her dreams and helping others as she does so.

Most recently the Oakdale Cowboy Museum Manager has added to her on-air appearances with a newly developed show “Preserving America” on Wild Rides TV.

While it’s an idea which Porter has visualized and developed in her head over time, it was a chance phone call that helped launch it on the newly released app-based station.

As an Oakdale Saddle Club volunteer, the Gypsy Cowgirl shared she was fielding calls at the Saddle Club and helping arrange photo ops for rodeo events. Upon going about this task, she received a call from someone working with RFD-TV and the Cowboy Channel.

“That’s all I heard,” she shared of the person on the other end of the line, “and I thought to myself maybe they saw me on Good Day. I totally shut off, I thought they were calling about me.”

In addition to all her local work, as well as her classes with Gypsy Cowgirl Kitchen Co., Porter has a twice monthly segment on Good Day Sacramento. Another endeavor she came upon a few years back, after pitching the idea of sharing her Gypsy Cowgirl teachings with the station.

“It’s live and they only give me two minutes. I only have two minutes, so it’s fast,” she said of her Good Day appearances filmed in her Oakdale home kitchen.

As she spoke to the caller at the Saddle Club, however, she quickly realized indeed they were actually calling for permission to do some interviews with the cowboys in the upcoming April rodeo.

Still maintaining her belief in the “Preserving America,” show idea, Porter, a real go-getter, shared it with the channel producer when they visited to meet up with the cowboys.

He followed up with her a few weeks later, expressing an interest in the show and making it work on one of the two channels. The idea, however, did not work out for the two networks. It did, however, work for and find a home at the new app-based channel he would be launching, Wild Rides TV.

“He called me and said we’re a go,” she said. “You’re going to get 12 episodes and you’re going to film at least two episodes in 2022.”

And so they did, with the help of the team at Tea at 202 the first two episodes were filmed in late fall in the 202 kitchen at the converted Victorian home on East G Street.

“Hopefully here in Oakdale,” she said of future tapings. “I’d love to film here in Oakdale and concentrate on a local farmer and highlight them. The show is really about who’s growing the food that we’re putting on our table. How are they doing it?”

What type of person is growing the food is also part of the educational aspect of the show, be it a former banker or generational farmer. The show also educates the viewer on how to properly preserve what’s in season so it can be used throughout the year.

Porter further shared she feels we’ve kind of lost the knowledge on growing our own food and how to preserve it. That, as well as what’s in it.

“What are the things that are leading people to be sick? How do you control those things? Well, you can control them,” she continued.

Now that the dream is blossoming, Porter noted it is a bit draining, as she’s been given free rein to make it all she envisions and she wants to make it the best it can possibly be.

“I dared to dream this really big dream from little ‘ol Oakdale, California and it really happened,” she said of her newest endeavor. “So, I kind of look back and think what else should I have dreamed about. Nothing’s too big, absolutely nothing too big.”

As for comments and thoughts on the Gypsy Cowgirl being “lucky” to have stumbled upon such unique opportunities, she’s the first to share it was hard work, drive and perseverance – not luck – which brought about her opportunities.

“I have a pretty good life, but it’s because I make it so,” Porter shared. “Nothing was given to me. And there have been hard times. I just don’t wear it; I find a way around it.”

She also feels some adversity can be helpful.

“If life were good all the time, how would you know that life was good,” she continued. “We need to be reminded and humbled.”

The Gypsy Cowgirl shared as a Christian she has a deep faith in God, as well as prayer. She also keeps up a practice of making ‘Vision Boards’ and believes strongly in visualization and manifestation.

“In my mind it was going to happen. I didn’t know how it was going to happen. I’ve been visualizing it in my mind and now they’ve left it up to me,” she noted of this opportunity.

“You can make things happen anywhere,” she noted of the Central Valley location. “I’m just riding the wave and making lists of other things that seem kind of big. And see where it all takes me.”