The Idaho Rancher's Wife

The Ranch From the Wife's Perspective

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The Family That Brands Together, Stays Together

May 16, 2016 by Allison

I’ve been feeling somewhat emotional about family this week.  It could be leftover mushy feelings from Mother’s Day extra stirred up from all those post-partum hormones flowing through my veins and totally exaggerated from looking at all these photos of my favorite people.. but I dunno.  Regardless of the why, I have a mega-sized dose of love for family and all I keep thinking is, “I love my life!”

Seriously, how often do families get days like these?  How many times do you have a chance to take your kids to work?  It happens pretty much daily around here.  How often do you see three generations of men working together?  Yep, every day.  We are pretty lucky that even the brothers come around the ranch often.  And when I say often I mean, like, weekly!  I know guys that would give anything to be able to work with their dad and brothers like these boys get to.  Of course, the fun doesn’t stop there- we have sisters-in-law that love this life too and that, my friends, is no easy feat.  Honestly, its hard enough for brothers to marry wives that like each other, but then to find wives that love ranching and cowboying too?!  Good work boys… Good work!

We all have varying jobs at what we do to help or entertain, but no one is sitting around. Some come packing the camera and some bring the cinnamon rolls (thanks to The Cattlewoman, for sure!).  The kids are always elbow deep in the work (sometimes making more work for the rest of us, but at least they are out there wanting and willing to work!)  Some live the dream life on the back of the horse and some do the dirty grunt work.  Even if you think that you are just going to spectate, crazy things happen to get you moving.

Check this out.  Quick story time-  The Buckarette…  This girl was 39 weeks pregnant on this fine day of branding (which is why there isn’t a SINGLE picture of her… hmmm…)  She came out planning to just sit on the back of the truck and, ya know, just take it easy.  Then she starts holding the calves back and helping sort out the already branded calves.   Then she starts helping with shots (which is admirable in itself because that meant bending over and if you know pregnant ladies, that gets a little difficult when you are growing a human being in your middle!).  And then she suddenly swings her way up on the horse to get out and rope!  We teased her that she had better be careful where she dallied because her belly was a little close to the horn.  She got up there, turned her horse to the calves and before you knew it, she was back dragging one in.  She gets extra kuddos in my book because it had been a good long while since she had roped and she was as smooth as ever.  Honestly, we should have had her out roping lots earlier because she caught every calf she swung at!  She told us that she as only going to rope one, but once she got started, we couldn’t stop her.  Ok, not really… but she did have her good handful of them.

Anyone can tell you, working as families can be rough.  One person wants something done one way and someone another, and some crazy fight ensues.  One person feels like they are doing all the work while the others get the benefits.  One suddenly thinks they are the boss and the others stop working dead in their tracks.  It can really happen…  But I don’t think feelings like these have ever come up around here (I’m crossing my fingers that even though I am saying it out loud, nothing changes…).  Sure we have our moments of frustration or disagreement but I have never seen an operation run so smoothly.  Family comes first and with that, everyone works together towards a common goal that brings us together.  At the end of the day, we are all apart of making Eliason Livestock successful and sustainable.  More importantly we are apart of a family legacy, building from our heritage something for the future that we can all be proud of.  

A Letter to a Sandwich

May 12, 2016 by Allison

When you have three kids and your husband is gone a lot and returns home tired to the bone and just falls asleep, you tend to not get much adult interaction.  And when that happens, you tend to start having conversations with yourself.  And when that time is prolonged for a few weeks, the conversations with yourself in your head turn  sideways.  All of the sudden you think, “Man if I have to make one more sandwich…!  Boy, I’d tell that sandwich…!  I’d tell it….!”

Suddenly you have a letter written to a sandwich, that doesn’t exist, and if it did, it did nothing to you to deserve such retribution.  And that letter would go something like this:

Dear Sandwich,

We are back to our annual hot-and-heavy-relationship again.  I must say that as the days drag on, I find you less and less desirable.  Getting together every once in a while is manageable, but lately you have been coming around WAY too much.  Lets face it, you have nothing new to offer.  When you whittle it down, you are just two slices of bread with a piece or two of meat and cheese in the middle with a little mayo slathered on to provide a little lubrication for the trip down.

Sure, you could be a bit more.  A little fluff can really go a long way.  In fact, I enjoy a little tomato and lettuce on my sandwich.  Heck, I’ll even take some pepper or cucumber to make things a little interesting.  But that’s only when its fancy-sandwich-day at home.  Sorry to tell you, but a fancy sandwich doesn’t fly out on the range.  A juicy tomato turns a sandwich sitting in lunch box in the back of the truck soggy REAL fast.  And limp lettuce is even less appealing!  Knowing that adding the extras in an attempt to change things up is all just wasted effort and  just makes you even less alluring.

I know that if we get creative things could be a little exotic with some tuna.  But The Rancher is a land creature and can only take so much tuna.  And we could get the creative juices flowing and pull out some spicy mustard and add a little zip or zing to it.  Heck, The Rancher even gets creative out on the range when he tries to pep you up with a few chips to give you a little crunch.  But even with all the creativity, you are still just two slices of bread with a piece or two of meat and cheese in the middle with a little mayo slathered on to provide a little lubrication for the trip down.

What I am trying to say is that I am done with you.  I am tired of all your fixin’s taking up so much space in my fridge.  I’m tired of looking for ways to mix it up.  I’m tired of making you and then seeing you come home when you just weren’t worth eating.  Lets go back to the days of only getting together once in while.  A man needs a man lunch that will stick to his sides for these long days.  Sorry, but a sandwich day after day isn’t going to cut it.  I’m severing ties and turning to cold pizza for now.  Go find some other lunch box to fill…

Sincerely (tired of fixing and eating you!),

The Rancher’s Wife

Finally Moved in!

January 14, 2016 by Allison

I hope you have ear plugs in because I have something loud to tell you.. WE HAVE MOVED INTO OUR NEW HOUSE!  I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to be in.  It has been a LONG summer of building.  And really it has been an even longer year of tearing the old house down to get ready to build.  But it has all been worth it.
There has been so many ups and downs in this process and lessons learned.  Like, do you know how many banks think it is ridiculous to build this far out in the country?  I mean, how do we ever plan to sell it?!  The idea that we are building on our ranch, where we work and live, was such a hard concept to grasp.  I also learned that living out in the middle of nowhere makes it hard for contractors to want to come out.  But with the promise of a home cooked meal and a place to sleep we were able to get the workers to come.   And let me tell you, when they give you a date, whether its when a project will be completed, when they will start something, or the day you get to moved in, whatever date it is, add on about half as much time and that is your realistic time frame.  
 The Rancher has turned into a fine electrician,  plumber, negotiator, excavator, framer, and all around handyman.  I could probably hire out as a great painter, with a twist of high wire acrobatics if you are lucky.  And if anyone wants any advice in picking paint, flooring, cabinetry or anything else that has color, I would love to help you…. But its pretty stressful so you are on your own!
As we were building there were a few musts that we had to have.  I wanted a real laundry room for the mountains of dirty clothes we accumulate from ranch fun.  And it had to be separate from the mud room because a laundry-room-mudroom combo means just exchanging dirt rather than actually getting rid of the dirt.  I needed to have a bathroom close to the back door so The Rancher wouldn’t track mud and dirt and poop through my new house (because I already know that the boots aren’t coming off…).  The Rancher wanted a garage, one big enough to TWO trucks in and his 4 wheeler and his tools and still have room to work in.  So pretty much our garage is as big as our house… Ok, not really.  His final must have for the garage was that the roof couldn’t slope so that the snow didn’t dump off in front of the garage doors, something we are already so thankful we planned for!
After all being said and done (even though we aren’t all done…) it has been such a great experience.  Everyone needs to build their own home at least once in their lives.  And when I say build I really mean build.  Being the ones to string wires, put in flooring and cabinets, to paint the walls and hang garage doors has helped us to appreciate our home so much more.  When we began building I told The Rancher that this house was to be a house of perfection- everything absolutely perfect.  But I’ve learned that it is more a house of forgiveness- mistakes have been made, some that can be fixed and some that we cover up and some that we just live with.  But imperfections and all, it is ours. 
I promise there will be more details and photos to share later, but that will need to come as we get everything finished and after it is decorated all fancy and after I do some cleaning (its amazing that even though it is a new home it is a lived in home and is messy already!) But here is a few shots of my LOVELY kitchen, the kids play room, the mud room, and our bedroom.  Now don’t judge that things aren’t finished and that there are things hiding under my bed… just look past it all!

Weaning… and Pregnant

January 12, 2016 by Allison

Looking back at weaning a few (four!) months ago, I don’t recall it being overly eventful.  I mean, there wasn’t any disasters or mix ups.  Nobody was injured and all calves were accounted for.  That all being said, it could be that time has softened any of those bad memories and they have slipped away.  We can just say that it was a good, uneventful weaning.  Well, relatively speaking…

Ok let’s just get it out there that so long as the cowboys are having a good day, nobody else’s suffering really matters.  So while I don’t recall any issues with the weaning itself, I do specifically recall it being a little rough on this pregnant rancher’s wife, but again, that doesn’t really matter… 

The first weekend of weaning I wasn’t even planning on really helping out.  They figured there were plenty of guys so I planned on just playing photographer.  That morning as they got ready to roll out they realized there wasn’t enough cowboys and The Rancher came in asking for me to ride.  I had just barely rolled out of bed when he asked me how I was feeling and lucky enough for him it seemed like it would be a day that I wouldn’t be kneeling in front of the toilet (hooray!).  So I went.  And it was fun.  And it was so painful!

Have you ever rode a horse with a cantaloupe bouncing around your insides?  It didn’t matter how fast we went, something was being smashed or jostled or bumped.  And let’s not forget how a bouncing tummy can turn sick in what seems like an instant.  It was like being sea sick from the inside out!  

I survived that day, but I decided I was done riding for a while.  So when we had our next weekend of weaning I stayed on the sidelines, which finally gave me a chance to take some photos.  It seemed like forever since the last time my camera had been out on the range.  It felt good to use my trigger finger again!  Now before you worry about me just sitting around NOT being helpful, remember that this girl can’t sit still long.  As soon as they had enough calves sorted, the kids and I jumped in the truck and hauled calves home.  See?!  Very, very helpful…

With two weekends of weaning under our belt, we had just one more major day to spend out on the range.  That one last day was maybe the longest of them all! The Rancher asked me to help ride because once again they were low on numbers.  By that point my morning sickness was less of an issue, but my growing belly was still something to be dealt with.  Being the good wife that I am, I helped, of course.  I sorta hoped that my sacrifice to come and help would earn me a little doting and sympathy but I should have known better…  There is no room for weakness in the cowboy world, even for the pregnant ranch wife…  

So now here we are, four months down the road from weaning and I am finally getting things posted.  I live be the saying, ā€œBetter late than never!ā€  And maybe that’s not so bad of a thing if it means that I remember it being relatively uneventful (because my suffering doesn’t matter, so long as the work gets done!).
 

 

Revisiting 2015

January 5, 2016 by Allison

Our New Year’s Eve was pretty uneventful.  We had an early dinner, watched a movie and just relaxed at home, which in reality was the best way to end our crazy, stressful, busy 2015.  With the new year well under way, I’ve finally taken a minute to look back over the last year and realize that it was a HUGE year for us.  And before you contest my observation (because I didn’t blog hardly anything that eventful and if it didn’t happen on the blog, it didn’t really happen, right?!), I’m gonna list it all out for you!

Lets just start at the top, shall we?

We started the first of last year with a bang, literally, as we began demolishing the old ranch house to build our new home.  When the walls came crashing down we knew we had committed ourselves to this adventure!  Although it was oddly satisfying to take a sledge hammer to the old house, it did get tiresome and the work seemed long but after 3 months we got it down!

In January we realized that there was nowhere near enough feed to calve out all of cows in Locomotive so we kept back an additional 250 cows at the ranch.  Luckily we had an easy winter that helped things go more smoothly, but calving was a lot more intense.  And because there was such little feed in Locomotive, we ended up hauling a lot of hay down south, putting a lot of extra miles on the feed truck.

When we weren’t busy on the ranch or demo-ing the old house, we were busy studying to be EMRs (aka first responders).  The Rancher and I took a class to test and certify to run on the ambulance in our little valley.  The long weeks and late nights of studying took me back to my college days and I was so glad when we tested and PASSED the beginning of May.  Don’t worry, if you get hurt out here in Holbrook and need assistance, you have a ready, willing, and terrified crew to put you back together!

The spring was its normal craziness of branding, turning out, and praying for rain.  Luckily, we were blessed on all fronts with a successful branding season, fast turnouts and a lot of rain!

The busyness of spring only got busier with summer as we were full swing into building a house, haying, hauling heifers to rodeos and ropings, and summer fun.  I worked on my bucket list and scratched off hiking Mount Timpanogous with my siblings (it might have been a few days before I could walk normal…).  Being the cool people that we are (and humble, I promise…)  we volunteered in our community at every chance we could!  A few highlights included our 4th of July where we cooked breakfast with Farm Bureau as the Young Farmer and Rancher’s chairman, had a fire truck in the parade to represent the Holbrook/Stone fire crew, cooked dinner with the Search and Rescue and put on a fire work show with the Malad fire department.  I planned and took (with help!) the 12-18 year old girls on a week long camp trip (that had its own ups and downs with beautiful sunny mornings and snowy afternoons!).  And we ended the summer with a week long of fair fun where I helped organize rodeos, a hypnotist show, vendor booths, and horse races all while doubling as EMS after a huge meth cookhouse was found (don’t worry, it hadn’t been running in years, but still scary to have in our little valley!).  And if that doesn’t sound like a crazy summer, lets add in a little morning sickness!  Let me just tell you that one of the highlights for our summer was NOT our garden…  I don’t know that I have ever neglected it so bad as this summer.

As the summer came to a close, we hit a new milestone when we sent The Rancher’s Sidekick to school for Kindergarten!  I didn’t cry, but the house certainly felt empty without him.  While we was at school, The Ranch Princess and I spent a lot of quality time at the new house painting… and painting… and painting…  Don’t ask me to come paint anything… I’m all painted out…

Even though we were solely focused on getting the house done in the fall, we took time to go on school field trips to the zoo and pumpkin walk and our annual family fishing trip.  Of course we had calves to wean, cows to preg check and fall pasture to be moved to.  And before we knew it, the calves were sold (so glad that we contracted in the spring!!)  We also learned that my dad’s cancer had returned but we are hopeful with a quick catch and aggressive treatment he will beat it again!  With appropriate timing, we gratefully moved into our new home the day before Thanksgiving.  In fact, we moved our crap in and then jumped in the truck to head to Montana for Thanksgiving all in the same day!

We closed the year out by watching The Rancher’s Sidekick first Christmas program, Christmas shopping, The Rancher breaking a few ribs, a week long trip to Tijuana and strep throat.  We were delighted to stay home for Christmas to celebrate the season and enjoy our new house!

Yep, looking back we had a crazy year, but I don’t think that I would have changed anything about it.  OK, I could have done without camping in snow in July or the morning sickness or The Rancher breaking a few ribs (I mean, did you have to do it right when we were finishing moving in?!) but we learned and lived and laughed so much!  I love and appreciate my family more this year than ever and truly look forward to the coming year.  In some regards I’m a little afraid, because I have learned that times can be tough.  But I have also learned that together we can get through it all!

Expanding the Herd

December 8, 2015 by Allison

With all the preg checking done with for the fall, we look to be having a great calf crop on its way.  The heifers are set to begin dropping calves towards the end of February and the cows to start shortly after that.  As always, March will be a busy month for us, but that’s ok… Springtime babies are so fun!

The cows won’t be the only ones to expand their herd in 2016.  You guessed it- our little ranch family is expanding by one!  As any good ranch wife would, I’m due to calve right with all the other cows the beginning of March.  The Rancher has already said that it will work out great to check the cows and check me all at the same time.  That comment only got him a swift kick in the pants!

We are delighted to have a another little cowBOY on the way, something that The Rancher’s Sidekick has known from the beginning.  Before we even knew pink or blue he was telling everyone that he was going to have a new baby brother.  The Ranch Princess is loving the prospect of a baby around the house and tells me everyday that my tummy is getting BIG.  Thanks…. The Rancher is excited too, but I see it only through his comments of me being in good shape for calving or that he will be sure to bring the chains along the way to the hospital, just in case.  And of course I am excited, and terrified all at the same time.  What if The Rancher is in the middle of pulling a calf when I need to go?  Who is going to do night calving while we are at the hospital?  What if he gets stuck in Locomotive were I can’t call him?  Ya know, normal pregnant wife concerns…. When I try to get some answers out of my cowboy, he just says that I don’t really need him anyway and it will all work out. 

He is right, it will all work out… Somehow it will all workout…

2016 Cowboy Calendar

December 7, 2015 by Allison

Life has ben crazy but I still couldn’t NOT make a few calendars!  After having a few years of calendar making under my belt it really didn’t take too much to put these together and I just love how they turned out. 

And now after my yeas of wisdom, I have found a new printer where I have been able to SIGNIFICANTLY drop the prices!  Now you can get a 2016 Cowboy Calendar for on $8.49.  If you are interested, email, comment on this post or message me on Facebook and I will get your order in!

A Family Cattledrive

November 11, 2015 by Allison

Oh boy was this a crazy summer!  With all the ropings, family events, community activities, and building a house we were running in every direction.  To help things out, the cows decided they didn’t need much moving for the summer.  For real… Between the field rotation we were on and the rains it seemed we hardly had to move the cows.  The unfortunate thing about that was that I didn’t have many opportunities to ride with the guys or take any photos. 

On the one chance I had to saddle up, the whole family got to tag along.  We really weren’t even moving to new field, just pushing the cows to a different trough.  So even though it wasn’t too much of a ride, it was perfectly short enough that we knew they would last and have a great time.  We have my old horse from when I was a kid that The Rancher’s Sidekick has claimed.  And the Ranch Princess bounced around between me, Rancher Sr., Cowboy E, and The Rancher.  It might not have been much, but we made a few good memories.

10 Lessons Learned as a Rancher’s Wife… Part 2

October 3, 2015 by Allison

Last year I gave you a handful (ok 2 handfuls) of things that I’ve learned as my time as a rancher’s wife. Let me tell ya, that was not an all included list. There are so many gems out there. If people really only knew all the truths of  making it married to a cowboy they would say we live such a bizarre life!  So as weird as you may think I am, I have another 10 lessons I’ve learned.

 

  1. There gonna be dirt. And manure. And mud. And dust and grit and weeds and anything else dirty you can think of. Ok so that isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine all that until you start to think of all the places this dirtiness goes. If it’s on your boots it’s on your floor. If it’s on your pants it’s on the couch. If it’s on your hands it’s on every blasted light switch, door handle, counter, key, or button you touch!  So this is my advice: DON’T EVER CLEAN!! It’s all going to be messy all the time, so don’t worry about putting any effort to it… Ok that’s not how I roll. I do clean. The barn dirt and germs can stay in the barn but you have to pace yourself. Or hire a maid. I’d really love a maid…
  2. Learn your 1st aid and always keep band aids on hand.  It’s one if those Murphy proof things. If your prepared it’s not gonna happen, right?!  Actually no… Cowboys think that they are either invincible and nothing will happen to them or they are can handle any type of wound or pain.   And that leads to another lesson- know how to MAKE them stop and get real help. My rancher is pro at washing it in the ditch and calling it good. It’s only after I make him go to the doctor that he realizes that a pretty intense infection has set in and I was right.
  3. You can hope for a set dinner time but don’t be heart broken when he’s late.  In fact, that is more of the rule than the exception.  Some machinery will brake down or a pipe will break or he might just forget what time dinner is on.  That gives you two options- you either start eating without him or slap a smile on your face and wait.  Its as simple as that. 
  4. Ranching and cowboying can be tough work but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun.  They really are just little boys playing with bigger toys.  Having to saddle the horse to go rope a bull or load up the motorbike to bring in a few strays might be their job but that doesn’t mean they don’t get any thrills out of it.  You might think then, that since they play all day on horses and tractors and bikes that when they can really go play, they will head out to do something else.  But likely not… With any free time they will head to some team roping or start working a new colt or take the bike up in the mountains.  Some days its hard to know what is work and what is play!  We just roll with it and jump in no matter what he’s doing.
  5. There will be so many hats. So many!!  And I’m not talking figuratively.  Sure, there is that too- he is the vet, the mechanic, the feeder, the farmer, the business man, the irrigator, and the milker.  But right now I mean to tell you that ranchers have so many hats.  They buy a new swather and they give him a new hat.  He gets a load of feed in an he given another couple of hats.  The vet comes around and has a handful of hats to give away.  But he still needs a good cowboy hat to the keep the sun off of him so every few months its time for a new one of those.  And not to mention that that he needs felt hats and wool hats in the winter.  And heaven forbid it when a new hat comes in, we throw an old one out.  You’ll get some sort of response like, “But it has a lot of good life in it!” or “I just got it to fit me just right!”. It may be greasy, grimy, poopy, and sporting a nice sweat ring but it MUST stay.  Just call him a hat collector and move on… (and sneak a few out to the garbage during spring cleaning!)
  6. Just because you don’t get a paycheck from the ranch doesn’t mean you don’t get called into work.  In fact, you are on call… 24/7… no weekends, holidays, or even birthdays off.  You have to have a really good excuse like in the hospital having a baby or on the couch with a broken leg to get off the hook.  You never know quite what to expect when it is time to drop everything and go help.  It could be something quick like stand on the road to turn the cows or come help moves the trucks to the next field ready to farm.  But it could be in the middle of the night because you have to help with the calving.  Or it could be an all day thing and you are sent on a parts run.  I guess that’s what you sign up for when you marry a rancher, but you could always try to guilt him into a nice foot rub at the end of your long day! 
  7. Have you ever seen a cowboy in a tux?  I mean, aside from a wedding, where the groom was threatened within an inch of his life that if he didn’t where his tux on the MOST important day of his life his bride would throw out his favorite rope, slash the tires on his truck and smash his best cowboy hat.  His formal attire looks a lot like his work attire except that its clean.  He will still have his boots, belt and buckle, jeans and a good western shirt topped off by his favorite hat.  If its super fancy he might throw on a tie, but you can guarantee that it won’t last the night.  I’ve been told that I can get all fancied up and it will work for the two of us.  Naturally, If I’m dressed up appropriately for whatever event we are at, he is too simply by association.  Honestly, I stopped caring… So long as he is clean and doesn’t stink, jeans and boots suit me just fine!
  8. You will find that no matter the experience you are trying to help him relate to, he will find a way to compare it to ranching.  You want him to understand that you are trying to eat nutritiously and he starts talking about feed supplements and offers you a salt block.  You are trying to help him understand that he has to move the furniture when he vacuums and he realizes its much like how he has to move the wheel lines to cut all the hay.  The best is when it comes to having babies, nursing babies, and raising babies.  He is the expert in this field since every year he helps hundreds of mothers and babies.  I guess that means that he is trying to get it if he is making the effort to make the comparisons.
  9. This next little lesson was a hard one to take… A rancher isn’t always that sympathetic.  There is no room for weakness in cowboying.  It doesn’t matter the reason you need a little pat on the back… If you want to be out with the guys you had better suck it up and tough it out.  After enough days of trying to get a “thanks, honey” for the late nights checking cows, early mornings haying, painfully cold days calving, or sweltering afternoons of hot fencing I’ve just decided its not gonna happen.  I guess when your job demands that you show up no matter the conditions, you just expect it out of everyone else.  And wives are no exception… Darn it…
  10. When its movie night, just go for the western.  You will never go wrong with a little gun play, a few pretty ponies and the handsome cowboy saving the day.  When in doubt go with John Wayne or Tom Selleck.  Or if you have the time you could even go with Lonesome Dove (although I have to admit, I have only done that once… and I think that’s plenty).  Fortunately, there is a plethera of great old westerns that will make your cowboy proud to ride and a little more manly at the end of the night.

 

Here’s one last bonus thought… Crap runs downhill, therefore stay upriver, upwind and out of the spray zone!

Ag in Your County Promotions!

September 11, 2015 by Allison

Ag promoting has become a big part of my family- my dad, brothers, me…  We all love the life and want to share what we have!  My brother works on his Farm Bureau board in Salmon had a fun opportunity to do a little ag promoting at his fair.

Their board had seen posters with farming/ranching photos with a some facts relating to agriculture as a whole.  My brother’s wanted to put up something similar at their fair, but more specifically they wanted to spread a few facts about their county.  They thought about using the generic posters for the sake of ease and that they were already available, but my brother said he knew a photographer that might be able to help out…

Then he called me.

And I said yes!  I love this stuff!  I love spreading the word, creating posters, using my photos… ALL OF IT!  The one hitch was that it was the week before my fair and I was already pulling my hair out getting everything ready.  (Ya know, they ask the young naive ones to be on the fair board before they know how crazy it REALLY is.)  But I didn’t want to miss out on this fun chance so I packed up my stuff and found a corner at the fair to pull together these posters!

My brother did the hard work of picking the photos and the wording.  I got the fun part of throwing it all together however I wanted.  In my opinion, they turned out great!  And it sounded like a lot of people at the fair loved them too.  I should actually say men instead of people, because they were the only ones to see them.  Unless some lady decided she needed to use the men’s bathroom…

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Hello! I'm Allison, The Rancher's Wife! There's nothing I love more than being out on the ranch with my husband and kids. Join me for a look at what goes on here at the ranch and the life being a rancher's wife!

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Hello! I'm Allison, The Rancher's Wife! There's nothing I love more than being out on the ranch with my husband and kids. Join me for a look at what goes on here at the ranch and the life being a rancher's wife!

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theidahorancherswife

Idaho ranch wife + mama 🐮🤠
Living on cattle, cocoa & kids running wild.
Daily ranch life, western style all with a side of dirt.

Cows are funny. They are ready to plow you over Cows are funny. 

They are ready to plow you over one second for messing with their calf, and then 2 minutes later completely forget they even have one when they see a patch of green grass. 

Did you know they only recognize their calves by their smell? Of course they don’t go by tag number, but I’m not even sure they can recognize markings or color. 

Which means these lovely windy days this spring has provided can make pairing up cattle a little tricky. 

If only a cow could read…

#raisingcattle 
#didyouknow 
#cowsandcalves 
#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher
Growing up I knew I always wanted to be a mom, to Growing up I knew I always wanted to be a mom, to raise a family like I had. I had visions of working together on the ranch and quiet nights watching the sunset together. Ya know, the perfect ranch family. 

But as life goes, it certainly hasn’t been that easy.

In fact there were parts of motherhood that I absolutely struggled with. It wasn’t the late nights or all the diaper changes. I could handle messes and the tantrums. 

The hardest part for me was that I felt… stuck. 

I loved the nap time snuggles, the chubby hands in mine, and the shadow that followed everywhere I went. But still I felt untapped, like I needed to be doing more, contributing to life in a meaningful way. 

I told myself ā€œthis IS meaningful work!ā€ and ā€œseasons change.ā€ But there were so many hard days. 

Time went on, kids grew and our seasons changed. And motherhood has never been so meaningful and fulfilling as it is now. 

I love watching my kids struggle and then succeed. I love talking through the good days of school and love when they need a hug after the bad. Teaching and walking them through first experiences brings me pride and joy I can’t explain. 

All those hard days were worth it. 

I don’t know if motherhood was meant to be enjoyed everyday or in every season. But I can tell you the hard days of being a mom have made the good days that much sweeter and that much more fulfilling. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I hope you are finding joy and fulfillment in every season of motherhood. But if you aren’t right now, I promise it will come. 

#motherhood
#ranchmom
#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#raisingcowkids
When you see a handsome cowboy in a pair of chaps, When you see a handsome cowboy in a pair of chaps, did you ever wonder why he’s wearing them? Yes, because they look dang cool but there’s a few other reasons. 

Here’s why I throw on mine:
1. Chaps help keep me warm on those cool days. That extra layer is just enough to keep the chill from getting to me. 

2. Leather chaps are (mostly) waterproof and help the rain off. Of course, if there’s a ton of rain it will seep through but, let’s be honest, I’d be happy for the problem. 

3. When you kneel in the dirt over and over, maybe even in a little poop or blood, chaps help keep you jeans a little cleaner. 

4. Chaps keep my pants from a little less wear and tear, especially when I’m ripping. The first place my jeans wear out of I don’t wear chaps is in the place my rope slides across my leg. 

And, yes, I do think they look cool and I really want to look like a REAL cowgirl so chaps are a bit of a fashion statement šŸ˜‰šŸ¤£. 

Chinks, wooleys, shotgun chaps… ALL the kind of chaps 🄰

* #chaps
* #ranchgear
* #womeninagriculture
* #marriedtoarancher
* #lifeonacattleranch
It’s my birthday today… so indulge me a moment. It’s my birthday today… so indulge me a moment. 

I LOVE my birthday!  Not in a get-me-lots-of-gifts-and-make-it-all-about me kind of way. I just love celebrating another year of living.

Over the last year I have made so many memories. I have made new connections and enriched old ones. There have been hard learned lessons I never want to go through again but wouldn’t trade them for anything. I love being a wife and mom but also being a coach, a leader, and a rancher. I love having pretty nails but also building strong muscles. 

I love all of this life I get to live!

And I hope you do too. 

From one hopeful, happy, struggling, anxiety ridden cowgirl to another and everyone else out there- work every day to build a life that is meaningful to you. And then celebrate it!

PS- no need for birthday wishes here, I’m not here looking for them, just sharing my heart.
ā€œI just want to make my mark.ā€ (Please tell me you ā€œI just want to make my mark.ā€ (Please tell me you are ā€œHow to Train Your Dragonā€ fans with us!)

And depending on how the day goes…
we either do just that…

or make a few marks in all the wrong places.

Branding season keeps you humble šŸ˜…

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#ranchlife
#brandingseason
#cowboylife
The thing about this kind of work is—it takes a te The thing about this kind of work is—it takes a team.

There are no tryouts. No cuts. But you better believe there are expectations.

They’re not measured in stats or accomplishments. More like attitude, work ethic, and whether you show up when it matters.

Our team has kids and experience alike.
It has energy and wisdom.
Cowboys and cowgirls.
Boots on the ground and boots working behind the scenes.

The lineup changes from time to time… but I’d say we’ve got a pretty solid crew.

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#ranchlife
#brandingseason
#cowboylife
He probably hasn’t roped this few of calves in the He probably hasn’t roped this few of calves in the branding pen in years. Not because he isn’t out there working, but because he is giving others the chance. 

He points out pairs for me, our son, our other son, or even his cousin to chase and rope. 

At the end of the day his pride isn’t in the number he drug in, the fancy loops he threw or how many minutes he spent spinning his rope. 

Success for him was when someone he helped strung up two heels instead of him. 

He’s one of the good ones. 

#RanchLife
#BrandingDay
#CowboyHusband
#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher
Rocky Mountain Oysters… The delicacy of branding Rocky Mountain Oysters… 

The delicacy of branding day that no one partakes in, usually. 

There’s always a few castrated bits grilling on the top of the branding box and, I’ll admit that they smell delicious. In order to feel like a true cowgirl, I once indulged and it wasn’t bad. But I just can’t really wrap my brain around eating more than just a taste. 

Tell me, would eat them? Have you? I want to know!

#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher 
#brandingday 
#rockymountainoysters 
#outontherange
I’m playing catchup on the website but photos from I’m playing catchup on the website but photos from branding over the last weekend have started dropping! 

Let’s just say keeping up with the actual work, the laundry it makes, feeding my people after, and chasing the other activities makes editing and posting photos challenging sometimes 🤪🤣. 

Stay tuned to TheIdahoRanchersWife.com this week for daily photo drops. You won’t want to miss anything from the ropers dragging calves in to the kids adding a little extra chaos. 
#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher
#daysofbranding 
#outontherange
#branding26
What a crew! This posse willingly signed up for th What a crew! This posse willingly signed up for the cold, dust, wind, bruises and hard work all for a chance to rope and a full belly. 

If we would have told them there was 100 more they would have happily gotten back to work. In this day and age are, that kind of attitude feels a little rare. 

We would never be able to do this work without them. And the best part is that these friends make it feel more like play than work. 

Peterson Place 2026 branding in the books. Thank you, to everyone that saddled up, dished up, and chatted it up.  See you next year!

#Brandingontherange
#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher 
#branding2026 
#cowboysatwork
Dust? What dust? 🤣 If there is one thing you can Dust? What dust? 🤣

If there is one thing you can guarantee out here on the range is plenty of dust. We keep praying for rain and have had little bits here and there, but not really much to amount to. 

Until the rains come we will keep doing our work the best we know how, which will mean eating a little more dust. 

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#cattleontherange 
#dustandmoredust
#cowboylife
I’ve loved ranching for as long as I can remember— I’ve loved ranching for as long as I can remember—though marrying my husband proved I still had a lot to learn about their way of doing things.

It’s been about 10 years since I got serious about roping, and only in the last 5 that it’s really started to click. And now I’m hooked!

Still learning, still improving—but fair warning: if I don’t get to rope, I will absolutely be in a mood about it… but I’ll do my best to keep it to myself.

#marriedtoarancher 
#lifeonacattleranch 
#BrandingDay 
#RanchLife 
#WomenWhoRope
Did you know we have been running cattle on this r Did you know we have been running cattle on this range for over 100 years? Even before these public lands were claimed as BLM, my husband’s great-great-grandpa raised cattle through these same hills. In fact, this large herd of cows still carries some of those same genetics. Of course there have changes through the years, but we try to do the same they did five generations ago- raise great cattle. 

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher 
#branding
#cattle
#ontherange
Rancher’s wife tip- consult calendar dates for any Rancher’s wife tip- consult calendar dates for any and ALL possible events, including your child’s birth day. 

On this day 16 years ago, my husband left our little college-town home to drive the 3 hours down to the family desert piece to brand. I instead went to my OB appointment where I was told to go directly to the hospital to deliver my baby. 

Nothing scary or concerning- both baby and I were perfectly healthy. But of course it had to happen on branding day.  I heard the sorted calves loud and clear in the background. And if I remember right, there was a small hesitation where I’m sure he considered staying to brand the first set of calves before coming to the hospital. 

Moral of the story- don’t have babies in branding season. It’s best to consult his calendar. On the other hand, birthing little cowboys into such chaos might be the key to them growing into strong, kind, and capable young men. 

Tell me I’m not the only one who has to plan life around ranch work

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#ranchlife
#brandingseason
#cowboylife
Photos from our first of many brandings are coming Photos from our first of many brandings are coming off the camera and hopping on my website. There are too many fun moments captured to claim a favorite, but here are a few. 

Check out the rest on TheIdahoRanchersWife.com. Direct link can be found in my stories and profile Linktree 

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#brandingontherange
#westernphotography
#cowboysandcowgirls
Headed down to the desert this morning and had the Headed down to the desert this morning and had the best day branding. 

Sunshine āœ”ļø
Ropingāœ”ļø
Great foodāœ”ļø
NO wind āœ”ļø
The best people āœ”ļø

We kicked off branding season in the best way and I can’t wait for next week. 

Be ready for a photo dump and stories to come!! (Also, I had a chance to pull out my new telephoto lens for some fun photos today šŸ“ø)

#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher
#brandingseason
#brandingontherange
#cownoysandcowgirls
ā€œHello, Ladies,ā€ said in a low, sultry voice. The ā€œHello, Ladies,ā€ said in a low, sultry voice. The most subtle pick up line from the Old Spice commercials, of all places. 

We may be in the middle of dropping this years’ calves but that doesn’t mean we aren’t prepping for next year already. 

Bull turnout will be here before we know out which means we need to have enough herd bulls heathy, strong, and range ready to breed cows all summer long. 

For months we have been testing, doctoring, and buying bulls ready. With the last of them being delivered any day now, we will get everything branded, tagged and ready for their final inspection. 

There’s still a little time before turnout, but everything is lining up. Bulls getting ready, cows getting close…
And somewhere in the back of your mind, you can already hear it—
ā€œHello, ladies.ā€

#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher 
#bullsofinstagram 
#helloladies 
#ranchlife
You ever feel like you’re being watched while you You ever feel like you’re being watched while you work… ?šŸ˜…
We had a full panel of judges today, watching every move we made, and I’m sure they were thinking things like ā€œwe’re watching you,ā€ ā€œwhy are you doing thatā€ and ā€œdon’t mess this up!ā€

And honestly… they’re not wrong.

Because whether it’s giving a calf the little extra boost it needs, or raising a boy to step in, work hard, and figure things out—this stuff matters. It’s not always smooth, and we don’t always get it perfect, but it’s worth getting right.

The herd might have a lot more eyes on me, but it’s the eyes from my husband, my kids and the others that are counting on me. Good thing for a lot of love and grace!

Today I’m pretty sure we passed inspection, though. Jury’s still out. šŸ„šŸ‘€

•	#lifeonacattleranch
•	#marriedtoarancher
•	#ranchlife
•	#ranchkids
•	#judgedbycows
Dear Mother Nature, I’ve been skeptical of the we Dear Mother Nature, 
I’ve been skeptical of the weather and your intentions for months now. Could life really be this sunny and warm? šŸ„°šŸ¤”

But now that the calendar has actually flipped to spring, I’m feeling more confident and hopeful that this is here to last. 🄹

Now, that doesn’t mean you should drop snow on us just because I’m relaxing into it, although that still would be part of an Idaho spring. 🤪🤣

We could use a touch rain. The moisture we have had has done so much good but it won’t last long. šŸ™šŸ»

As ranchers we put a lot of faith and trust in you to take care of us. Don’t let us down. Not there’s a lot we can do in revenge or anything šŸ«©šŸ˜®ā€šŸ’ØšŸ¤£. 

Sincerely, 
A ranch wife pulling out the short sleeves and officially putting away the snow clothes. 

Ps- it seems like you always struggle to know how much wind to share our way. Please error on the side of too little. 

#lifeonacattleranch 
#marriedtoarancher 
#DearMotherNature 
#RanchLife 
#SpringVibes
Please tell me not the only one… I’m starting to Please tell me not the only one… 

I’m starting to realize I live in a constant state of being in the wrong place… while also being exactly where I’m supposed to be.

At a basketball game? Thinking about what’s happening on the ranch.
Out on the ranch? Thinking about the laundry, the schedule, or where I’m supposed to be next.

Turns out nothing on a ranch waits for you. Not the cows, not the weather, not the work.

And unfortunately, the rest of life doesn’t either.

I used to think if I just planned things better, I could keep up with all of it.

Now I’m realizing that was wildly… optimistic. 🤣🤪

So these days I just do my best to show up where I am, try not to think too hard about what I’m missing somewhere else, and trust it’ll all still be there when I get back.

(Some days I’m better at that than others.)

Give me an AMEN IF you’ve ever felt like you’re supposed to be in two places at once 

#lifeonacattleranch
#marriedtoarancher
#ranchlife
#womeninagriculture
#momlife
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