The Idaho Rancher's Wife

The Ranch From the Wife's Perspective

A Heartfelt Thanks to a Rancher

by

Thanksgiving week is often the pinnacle point of heartfelt gratitude.  The holiday helps us to slow down and take time to see all of the goodness in our lives.  We give thanks for the families around us, the homes and careers we have, the opportunities for growing and learning and the many luxuries we have that we surely take for granted.  

High on that list of thanks should be the farmers and ranchers that help feed families around the world.  This may seem like an obvious choice but I wonder how many people actually realize that without the backbreaking work of the agriculture industry, their thanksgiving would look very different.

From the turkey at the center of the thanksgiving table to the stuffing and corn and mashed potatoes and even the sweet potato souffle, it all began in someone’s field.  Those tasty rolls began as a small wheat seed that was cultivated, harvested, milled and prepared into the flour you used to make great-grandma’s best ever roll recipe.  That sweet whipped cream started at the dairy and made its way to the shelves for you to whip up for a tasty pie garnish.  That beautiful garden salad is brought to you by the row crop farmers tending their lettuce, carrot and onion fields, just to start.     

There isn’t a single bit of Thanksgiving dinner you could have without the management and stewardship of farmers and ranchers. No, I take that back.  In this day and age there are plenty of synthetic food alternatives and imitations that you could choose from.  But synthetic foods only imitating the real flavor of a savory plate of meat and potatoes could never compare to the real thing.

Besides thanking farmers and ranchers for the foods you get to enjoy, not only on Thanksgiving day, but every day, we owe them a thanks because without them, there is so much of life we wouldn’t enjoy.  Imagine if you can, a world without large operations growing masses of food products to sell around the world.  Imagine what life would be like if you were responsible to grow and provide all of the food that you and your family would eat.

Tending to animals and crops, harvesting the meats and vegetables, processing the farm products into kitchen ready goods would be all consuming.  Think back to our pioneer ancestors and the time they gave to butcher their own animals, church their butter and grind their wheat.  If we were completely dependent on providing all our own foods we would either have very little or spend all our time growing it.

With advancements in technology came great improvements in agriculture that allowed farmers and ranchers the capacity to take on more crops and more acreage to feed more families than just their own.  As people could purchase foods, it in turn allowed them to use their time and energy in other ways.  People could follow their dreams and new ideas, whether it was an exciting career, traveling adventures or enjoying the arts.

Today we have celebrities, stars and popular figures that do very little to provide for themselves, but rather spend all their time entertaining us.  Around the world are presidents, leaders and dignitaries that work to make our countries safer to raise our families.  Our children have chances to learn more things in more ways than our forefathers could have ever dreamed of.  And all of these opportunities and more are afforded to us because we have an agriculture industry that takes on the responsibility to feed the world.

This week as you count your blessings and all the good you have, remember that so much of it comes from the good men and women that labor in fields across the world.  They deserve your thanks in so many ways.

REAL Taco a.k.a. Carne Asada

by

Tomorrow is Tuesday, so dinner calls for TACOS!  Taco Tuesday is something my family can always get behind.  It satisfies my husbands Mexican craving and it is such an easy meal to adapt for the kiddos.  This recipe has a lot of names- Street Tacos, Carne Asada, Steak tacos, Taco bus tacos, but at our house there is only one name I need to say and everyone knows what I am talking about- REAL Tacos.

The Rancher lived in Mexico, near Tijuana, for a couple of years and fell in love with ALL Mexican food and all the things that makes Mexican food so good.  Things like freshly squeezed lime juice, avocado, pico de gallo, and cilantro.  These are some of the critical things that make these tacos REAL tacos.  But the kicker is the beef.  A flank steak, thinly sliced and marinated with lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeno with a little seasoning, flame grilled for just a few minutes on each side and it is SO GOOD! Its so good that you don’t even have to have it on a Tuesday.

Just a few tips when you make this delish dish.  I have seen some grocery stores that carry a cut of meat called carne asada that is made just for sort a thing.  It is thinly sliced and ready for the marinade.  But you could also grab a flank steak and do the cutting yourself.  If this is the case, when I say thin, I mean super thin.  Like 1/8″ thin.  Between the thin slices and the great grain, you have tender bites perfect for a taco!  It will be a little easier to cut thin if it is a little frozen and if you start in the center of your steak and cut towards the ends.

When it comes time to grill your carne asada, you are going to want a hot grill.  The idea is that you are only going to grill it for a few minutes on each side so you want a good sear on the outside without losing the juices in the middle.  Salting the meat, even just a little, will help keep the juices from dripping out as it cooks.  Let the meat rest for a few minutes and then cut it up across the grain for the best tacos your Tuesday has ever seen!

Print

Carne Asada

The best tacos your Tuesday will ever see!  These tacos start as thinly sliced steak marinated in spices, cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice, and jalapeno, grilled hot and end up as taco perfection! 

Ingredients

  • 1/4 Cup olive oil
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/2 Cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • 1-1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 lb flank or skirt steak

Instructions

  • Cut steak into 1/8" thin slices and place in glass baking dish.  In a separate bowl. mix together all other ingredients.  Pour over steak and make sure that all sides are well coated.  Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Heat grill up to high heat.  Place steak on the grill and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill, wrap in tinfoil and let rest 10 minutes.  Cut into thin slices against the grain.
  • Serve tacos on your favorite tortillas- corn, white, or homemade!  Top with pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, queso or your favorite taco Tuesday fixins!

French Dip Sandwiches

by

**Before you start reading this…. I need to say something up front.  I am no food photographer. HAHA… If the pictures don’t look too appetizing, I apologize.  But I do make a promise that every recipe is delicious, easy and family friendly!

Dinner time can be a fight, yes?  It can be hard come up with something easy and fast and something that everyone likes.  When we find something we like we hang on to it for dear life.

Over the last few years our little family has collected a good handful of beef recipes that we come back to time and time again.  One of the first recipes that I loved as a new wife and head chef in my home was these French Dip Sandwiches.  It was easy, it called for ingredients I already had on hand, and it was so GOOD.  It was something that worked well for just me and The Rancher but it was also a great option to feed a crowd.  And it works for feeding the little people in my life too.  If they aren’t interested in a sandwich, the roast makes for a great supper.

This is a pretty ideal recipe when you need something to through in the crock pot early in the day and you want it ready for dinner when you come home.  Come time to eat, all you will have to do is slice up the roast, load up your buns (ha…ha…) and pour a little broth in a bowl.  Then dinner is on.

We dress up this sandwich in all different ways.  I like it with some fancy cheese when I can but The Rancher just puts on good ol’ American cheese (we affectionately call it “slimey cheese”).  Sometimes we cook up some onions and peppers and add them to the mix.  Most times The Rancher puts a little steak sauce on with it.  And every time, we have the yummiest sandwiches ever!

Just a few tips when it comes to making these French Dip Sandwiches. 

-Toasting the buns will help keep your sandwich from getting too soggy.

-If you want the cheese melted, pile it on your meat and put ONLY the meat and cheese in the microwave.  This will keep the bun from getting soggy.

-To change up your sandwich, add peppers, onions, cheese, or mushrooms.

Print

French Dip Sandwiches

A simple recipe for a delicious and easy dinner that the whole family will love.  A beef roast sandwich dipped in savory broth that will hit the spot every time!

Ingredients

  • 3 pound chuck roast
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup soil sauce
  • 1 tbsp onion flakes
  • 1 tsp italian seasonings
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 3-4 peppercorns
  • 6 buns

Instructions

  • Place the roast in the crock pot.  Salt and pepper the roast.  Mix together the water, soy sauce, onion flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and peppercorns.  Pour over the roast.  Cover and cook the roast 7-8 hours on low.  When getting ready to serve, ladle off the fat from the broth.  Remove the beef and cut into thin slices.  To serve, fill buns with roast beef and serve with broth for dipping.

Notes

*Toast the buns to keep the bread from getting too soggy.
*Add cheese, cooked onions or peppers to spice things up. 

Running Cows on the Range for You

by

Our ranch couldn’t operate without running on public lands.  We would love to run our cows totally on private land but that just isn’t doable right now.  Don’t get me wrong, the range land that we graze on is really, REALLY great.  Our cows come home fat and healthy.  But it would be nice to not have someone to dictate where and when we can run our cows.

Remember the days when we didn’t have to answer to anybody about our cows out on the range?  Ya me neither… Mostly because I haven’t been around this operation very long.  But also because even if I had been around here my whole life, the range has been regulated for longer than I was alive. 

When the first cows were grazing out on this range, nobody owned it.  It was just leftover land from when the railroad had been built.  Cattlemen would take their cows to Curlew Valley to graze through the summer months and then head south to Locomotive springs to winter.  It ended up being a conglomeration of all sorts of cattle and brands, which may seem crazy but it worked out well.  Between all of the cowboys there was always enough help to get all of the work done- water kept up, the cattle checked, and all the ground covered.  In the spring they would help brand each other’s cattle and in the fall they would all gather in and wean the calves.

Over time and from experience, they established good patterns of grazing, making sure that they wouldn’t over graze the land and have something available when it was time to come back.  They let the seasons and weather dictate how and where the cattle would be, flowing with range and its needs.

These days we still run our cattle the same, just with a LOT more direction from the higher ups.  We still run in an association, with most of the original brands that we began with so many years ago.  We still help move cattle, brand, wean, and check water just like they did in the past.  But now we are on somebody else’s schedule.  They tell when to turn out, how long we can stay, and where we go next.  The dates are rigid and there is no flexibility to work with what the range is giving.

I really have mixed feelings about this.  I think it is smart to have organization to it.  We want to ensure that the range is healthy for our cattle to feed on so it is important to make sure that we don’t have too many cattle or spend too much time in one area.  But at the same time, having someone from behind a desk telling us what we can and can’t do, especially when they don’t understand cattle or the work it takes to run them, is frustrating.

The job gets even harder when there are special interest group trying to keep you from your range land.  There are all sorts of reasons that they don’t want us on the public lands.  They think that we are harming the land.  They figure it needs to be left for the public to use for recreation.  They want it preserved for wild life.  Or some just don’t want it used at all for any purposes. 

Right now, we aren’t in a position where we are being troubled by anyone directly, but we aren’t excused from the fight to get cattle off of public lands either. 

I’m the kind of girl that is all about being efficient with what we have.  I’m pretty sure that it’s in my genes.  I hate to see things go to waste when there is so much value to be had.  But I also don’t want to use it all up at once.  That’s being wasteful too.  There’s that sweet middle ground that should keep from wasting by keeping things from totally unused but also keeping it from being over used and ruined.

But how can we apply that to the range?

It’s all a balancing act, friends.  Its working to keep too many cattle off too little ground with too little feed for too long.  But it is also having cattle out there to disturb the ground to help new seeds to grow, to cultivate the ground, to carry seeds in their poop and fertilize them to grow.  Its having cows out there to eat the grasses and keep the fuels down so fires don’t devastate the range.  Using it for cows keeps it as usable, profitable range land and not the next development area for a new subdivision.

Balance.  That’s how we do it.

A few years ago, I saw a book that was talking about public lands and it was obviously against ranchers using it for their cattle.  In fact, there was a caption in big bold letters that said something to the point of “keep ranchers from turning your land into a feed lot!”  And right next to it was a picture of an area that had been overgrazed (most likely it was right next to the water trough, right?!). 

It was a little like a punch to the gut.

Is this what people really think ranchers do?  Do they assume that we use public range land to feed our cattle so that we can make some money by fattening our cattle while we ruin someone else’s land?  I just wanted to shake someone, anyone, EVERYONE and say, “WE DO THIS FOR YOU!”

We run and raise cattle for people to eat.  It’s plain and simple.  Yes it is our jobs and we are trying to make money doing it (enough to survive at least… ha… ha…).  But at the heart of it all, we care about making a good, affordable product for families to put on the table using the resources available.

For years and years, nothing has changed how ranchers use the range.  But what has changed, is the public’s perception of how and why use the land.  Their land.  The bigger picture is that we use their land to raise cattle to feed their families.  And we have before it was really anyone’s land.  The cattle were there long before any interest groups even existed, let alone had an agenda. 

We are going to keep running cattle out on the rangeland for as long as we are able.  We are going to keep using that land to keep our cows healthy and we are going to keep using our cows to keep the land healthy.  And in the end, you, that eat our beef, will stay healthy too.

 

Why a Rancher Goes to College

by

We just got done with an awesome weekend with the whole family. Nothing big. Just some good food, some game time, and our favorite people. Three of The Rancher’s brothers are in college right now and coming home to the ranch is their quick breath of fresh air and their means for rejuvenation before the next week of school. I totally get the need to take a break and come up for air after so many deadlines nagging at you over and over again. Over the weekend we heard all sorts of “I gotta study for this big test…” or “I have this huge assignment coming up…” and it almost sorta, kinda took me back to the days that The Rancher and I were in school.

I had two different college experiences in the quest for my degree. The first was when I was single and living my own dream and all that was on my schedule was a little bit of school, a little bit of work, a little bit of homework, and a lot of sports games. That was my life. Oh, and trying to get into nursing school… Then I got married, moved and started a new university experience. I didn’t have an apartment of girls that I had to share the bathroom space with anymore, but I had a man that needed real food, that I had to negotiate who got the car with and that I was building a life and sharing a dream with.

It was awesome.

It was hard.

The Rancher is not a sit-down-read-the-text-book-to-learn kind of kid. There might have even been some classes that he didn’t even open his book up, let alone learn from it. He is hands on, learn as you go, trial and error kind of learning guy. He learns fast and can see so quickly how to get from A to B. But sitting in a classroom just drained the life out of him.

There were a lot of times that I heard people say, “Why is he going to school if he is just going back to the ranch? He isn’t even going to use his degree anyway. Its just a piece of paper.” And when I hear those words, my blood starts to boil.

Yes, my husband was very VERY lucky that he had a job waiting for him the day he finished college. The job he had dreamed of having his whole life. He didn’t have to do scores of applications and interviews. He was qualified for the job by his experience long before ever finishing his degree. But that doesn’t mean that his college experience wasn’t a valuable asset for him as he returned to the ranch.

Here’s why.

When a grad walks away from college, we like to think it was only worthwhile if they got a job in their field or if they are able to make money using the skills and knowledge that they gained. If not then their experience was a total waste. In The Rancher’s case, it would seem that he already knew everything he would need to know to cowboy, so what was the sense in spending all that time and money on math classes and literature classes that he would never use anyway? And of course everything they would teach him in his ag classes were things that he should already know or he wouldn’t need to use. Right? It was just as wasteful as someone that went to a trade school or did an apprenticeship but changed course after getting done. Its wasted money and time if the girl that went to beauty school doesn’t open up a salon the week after she is certified or if the boy that went for diesel mechanics doesn’t end up working on trucks. Right?

Wrong!

I get that getting degrees and certificates and those kind of things cost money. I also get that we feel that there needs to be a return on that investment that is deemed worth such an investment. But the future potential income ISN’T the only returns from going to college.

There are so many life skills learned while going to college from the little things of doing laundry to learning how to problem solve from some crazy math (I will NEVER forgot the ah-ha moment I had mid-math class when I figured out the most complex problem… Never…) . Not to mention learning how to meet deadlines and pushing through to the end when you don’t want to.

You also gain an amazing network of friends and professionals in your area of study. They are the people you can work with, lean on and learn from. They push you to be better, help pick you up when you fall, and encourage you to try again. These people are so invaluable!

Taking time to step back from the ranch to learn from other people, their experiences and knowledge widens what can be a narrow view. You learn different ways, other ways, possibly better ways to work in the same industry.
If you ask The Rancher, a boy that spent all of his growing up time on the ranch, he will immediately tell you that he uses things that he learned from his classes. Especially his ag classes. Could he still ranch and cowboy without what he learned? Probably. Is he better at doing what he loves because of it? Absolutely.

The Rancher pushed through school because we both felt it was important to him. Not just for the things he learned, but for him to accomplish something that was hard, something that he thought he wasn’t made to do. We also thought it was important for the day that he may ever have to look for a job. Our dream was always to come back to the ranch, but what if that didn’t happen? What if it took years for that? What if at some point he had to look for other work? Having a degree made him marketable. It was a safety net that we needed for our family.

I am a big proponent of getting an education, ANY education you can. Because it is there that people gain valuable experience and confidence, gain life skills, net work, and find what they do and don’t want to do with their lives. You might think that this is an expensive cost to learn what they don’t want, but gaining an education is priceless. No matter what you are learning. It can be simply that you don’t ever want to be the prescribing rations of feed supplements. It could be that you learn how interested you are in genetics.

Not everyone is made for college or trade school or an apprenticeship. But everyone is made for learning. There is a whole world out there waiting to teach us is only we are ready to learn. So don’t ever think that because you or someone you know wants to cowboy or be a rancher that they don’t need to go to college or that they shouldn’t waste their time on college. Because it isn’t wasted time. Its invested time. Support them and their want to learn, their want to do something hard. They are probably going to complain or even regret it while in the thick of it all. But when it is all over, they will tell you it was worth it!

Christmas for a Rancher

by

I am a big fan of Christmas!  BIG FAN!  I love everything about it- the tree and ALL decorations, the gift wrapping, the baking, the music, the snow, the hot chocolate… ALL of it!  Except all the crazy shopping.  I do admit that my anxiety reaches an all time high when I am shopping and there are 12 other people looking over my shoulder trying to find tooth brushes too.  Ok, it was only 5, but still… CRAZY!

Shopping is especially stressful if I don’t know even what to get someone, especially The Rancher.  I can pick out Barbie’s and tractors with the best of the best.  I know my toys.  But I have those moments of total blank-ness (yep, made that word up… Merry Christmas!) when my blonde hair sinks deep in the midst of a brain fart and nothing comes to mind to put under the tree for my cowboy.  That’s when I wander the isles aimlessly hoping something will jump out at me to give him.

Obviously the smart thing to do is to ask him what he wants for Christmas.  I do.  And he doesn’t answer me.  Or he says, “I don’t need anything.  Spend it all on the kids.”  So sweet and noble, right?  But I know deep down inside that there is still a little boy inside that wants something exciting for Christmas too!  Should I resort to filling his stocking with tractors too?  I mean, there should be something besides socks in there, right?  Anyone else in this boat with me?

Actually, this year… I got a list.  Well, sort of a list.  It was a list of all things that he likes.  Not quite what I was hoping for but its definitely a start.  Ya know, for those moments that nothing comes to mind as I’m staring at the shelves with an empty cart.  (More likely when I am searching amazon with an empty cart and nothing coming to mind…) I thought I would share The List for any others that sometimes need a jump start for a cowboy.  This list is certainly not totally encompassing and lets be honest, shopping from this list could really empty out the penny jar.  But, in the case where a girl just doesn’t know what to get her cowboy, this might just get you through.

A cowboy hat– They can never have enough.  Ever.  Just when I think he is good, its time for a new one.  And there are so many kinds you can have and they need to have them ALL.

Horse tack-  Sometimes I feel bad getting him tack because that seems like work stuff.  I try to be a little more original than that.  So that’s when I get maybe a little fancier bit.  Make it seem like more than just ‘work stuff.’

Clothes-  The Rancher can go through work shirts and jeans like candy.  Barbed wire, pocket knives, oil stains, poop… It is all hard on his clothes and a wardrobe upgrade is always welcome.

Boots- He teases me about how many shoes I have, but does he really need so many boots?  Yes, he really does and there is always room for more!

Tools-  Whether it is a new Leatherman or knife or wrenches or whatever, more is certainly merrier.  Because tools get lost all. the. time!

Cowboy gear-  What cowboy doesn’t want a new pair of chaps or a new work coat or wild rag or gloves?  It may seem like a boring gift but they will put a smile on their face for sure!

Gun-  Guns and ammo are always good.  Yep.

Then there is always the list like- a new custom saddle, a new truck, a new trailer, a new horse…. the dreamer list.  If you can shop the dreamer list you have made their Christmas for sure!  I haven’t made that yep but someday… maybe…

Now that I have shared a few ideas to get you through some cowboy Christmas shopping, what are you getting your cowboys?  What do you want for Christmas? Merry Christmas, Friends!

Thankful for the Moments

by

Happy Thanksgiving!  Wasn’t it a terrific day yesterday?  A day full of eating and family and eating and sleeping and eating and fun!  Actually, I don’t think I got an-after-lunch-nap but that’s ok.

I like my Thanksgivings best when its steeped in tradition and intentional.  We can eat a turkey any day and we can over-indulge whenever we want, but to be really be Thanksgiving, this day has to be more than that.

My mom has a tradition every Thanksgiving.  Its simple.  Its easy. But it helps me keep Thanksgiving more than just a day about eating. 

Every year my mom pulls out her hand drawn thankful turkey and carefully puts it on the wall.  To begin with he looks a little sad, so bare because he doesn’t have any feathers yet.  But as the days surrounding Thanksgiving pass, he is filled with colorful feathers inscribed with the blessings that we are most grateful for.  Some of them say “family.”  Some of them say “God.”  Some of them say “my blankie.”  And some of them even say, “my hot wife!”  They aren’t elaborate or fancy, but they are true, heartfelt things we are grateful for.

For this first time ever, I struggled to know what to write.  Not because I wasn’t grateful, but because I was so grateful for so many things I just didn’t know what to pick.  We have been blessed with a beautiful home in a place that we get do what we love to do.  We are constantly surrounded by good friends and family.  We have so many opportunities to learn, to serve, and to grow.  And while our year was so full, it was so full of blessings!  I just didn’t know what to write.

As I sat there trying to decide what to put on my empty thankful feather I began to think back through this year and all the things we had done and I began to realize that what I treasure most are the moments.  Those special moments you breath in deep because you know just how fleeting they can be.  Those moments you pause to take it all in so you can remember the sounds and smells that wrap around you.  Those moments that seem to make a place deep within your soul.

Those moments came as I stood with my kids as the heavy snowflakes drifted down from a peaceful winter storm while we were building a snowman.  They came as we worked in the garden, planting, weeding and watering lending to our eventual harvest.  It was in the quiet that I had those special moments when I rocked my growing baby before bed.  More came as we worked together as a family to fill our yard with new grass.  Some of those moments were spent late at night as we talked and laughed with our brothers and sisters. 

There are so many things in this life that I wish we could have or that I could give to my family.  We fill our lives with things or with moments and if I had to choose what my kids filled their lives with, it would be these moments.  More than anything, I hope that they hang on to them.  That they cherish them.  Because all of the things that they have will slip away, but these moments are for them to keep forever. 

There was no better thing for me to be thankful and to put on my feather than “the moments.”  What are you thankful for in this season of gratitude?  There are no wrong answers because being grateful is so much more important than what we are grateful for.  If you haven’t, take a minute and look through your life and find those things that bless your life. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

From a very grateful Rancher’s Wife

 

The Idaho Rancher’s Wife Braves the Stage

by

True to my word, here I am, telling you about my experience speaking at the ICA Annual Convention.  I’m still in shock that people wanted to hear from me and ask questions about what I do.  I’m also a little in shock that I am posting twice in one week!  Maybe this can become a regular thing….

Tuesday I was part of a panel to speak on different forms of advocacy and just briefly describe the how’s and why’s of doing it.  Speaking out about ranching and trying to connect with people is become really important these days.  It is easy to become disconnected from the things that keep our world running whether it is knowing where our food is coming from or how the plumbing in our homes work. 

While I was there to talk about how I reach out through blogging, there was another woman, Cheyenne Smith, there to speak on how she is apart of the ranching and beef conversation through twitter.  I was really impressed how she wants people to care about us as ranchers and as people providing food for families.  By sharing the tidbits from her everyday life, she helps people really see what ranching is like.  If you are tweeter (is that even a thing?), go find her @JLazySAngus.  Not only does she have great insight to ranching, but she has a great network to be a part of.

The other presenter on our panel was Matt Brechwald and how he goes about advocating really impressed me.  A little back story…  After college, he ended up living and working in the city.  Eventually, he realized that he was not happy with where is life was taking him.  So, he and his wife found some land that they could relocate to and start their own ranching experience.  In order to make ends meet, he used his skills, machinery, and tools from the ranch to create a side job.  As he was out working one day, he realized what an awesome thing he had been able to do and how he needed to share that.  He started doing podcasts, highlighting his journey to what he was doing and how others could do it too.  To find more about his story and his podcasts you can go to his site at www.offincome.com.

It was really a great experience sharing the mic with these people and helping to share the importance of advocacy, why we love it and how others can do it too.  I’ll admit, I was so nervous to begin with.  And through most of it… In fact, there was one point that the moderator asked me a question and I was in the middle of answering it with one of my stories.  And all the sudden I realized I couldn’t remember what I had been saying and couldn’t even remember where I was going with it.  Haha… You can laugh at me… I am!  Once we were done with our two 25 minute session I was finally relaxed enough that I felt ready to start.  Pretty unfortunate that it was all over, huh? 

You are probably thinking that I am last person that should be telling other people to get out there blogging because I struggle in this realm myself.  I can be inconsistent and unreliable, and that is a hard pill to swallow.  But yesterday I realized that what I do have is that I keep coming back to it.  This experience may have been more important to me that for anyone else because it reminded me why I do this.  And maybe now I have recommitted myself with new a new drive and hope for what I can do here in this space to reach out and advocate for something I believe in so strongly!

The Reality Is…

by

… Its November…

GASP!!

I can’t believe that not only is summer gone, like LONG GONE, but Fall is on its way out.  And so much has happened in that time.  The good news is, I FINALLY (mostly, or almost mostly) have the new look for the blog up and running.  The reality is that I am NOT web designer and so what I thought would be a quick and easy change was anything but…  There is still a handful of surprises I have up my sleeve but I have enough done that I might sleep at night and NOT stress over it all.

I don’t have the time or the head space to give you a complete update on everything that has happened between now and then.  But here is the highlights reel of the summer.

The kids and I made a trip to Montana- a much needed break and chance for renewal before a long and crazy summer.  The highlight of that week had to be the basketball camp that The Rancher’s Sidekick got to be a part of.  I have to admit that I was swelling with pride because I went to that same camp since I was a girl in second grade and it was my high school basketball coach that put on the camp!

My Montana skies!

Between The Rancher and I, we had FIVE different family reunions scheduled throughout the summer.  No, we didn’t make them all, and that’s ok.  We still had lots of time to reconnect with family, especially those that we don’t have the opportunity to see often.  Highlights included fishing, water slides, bon fires (and consequently FIRE TREATS!), and late night games.  Low-lights include being stuck at the mechanics for SEVEN hours, stomach bug while camping, and never enough time for it all.

My sister planned an EPIC road trip for herself and I was privileged enough to kick it off with her.  The Cowboy Kid (my littlest) and I braved a plane to California, two full days of driving to Arizona (where we surprised our brother) and a flight back home in just a few days.  Once again never enough time, but still so much fun.  I have a whole new appreciation of how much I love where we live.  One, because it isn’t swarming with people and two, because it isn’t a desolate, dreary, bleak, sterile desert.  I mean, we live in a desert, but at least we have cedar trees and sage brush growing!

Road trippin’… (we really had fun despite these crazy faces!)

Even though it was summer, there was so much work to be done on the ranch.  We rolled from crazy winter to busy calving to hectic branding to a quick turnout to rushed spring field work.  This was our first spring with the new pivots (Christmas in May!!) and there was a heavy learning curve and lots of kinks to work out.  I wish I could have had a dollar for every time The Rancher said,  “We shouldn’t have to touch the cows until…” or “The field work should be down now…” because I swear Karma would kick in and we would inevitably have something come up that we STILL didn’t have a chance to catch our breath. Maybe we will after the calves are all gone?  The reality is, catching our breath is pretty unlikely because we just don’t know how to slow down!

Getting the pivots up and running

A little spring farming!

Out on the range to check water with The Rancher

Of course we had our hands full of rodeos and roping all along the summer.  The Rancher’s Sidekick even took a chance to ride into the arena and do a little sorting like the big boys.  I don’t know how well he did, but it didn’t matter when you saw the smile he had on his face.  All I could do was pray that he didn’t fall off and all he could do was beam with pride!

No summer would be complete without a little fire action.  Unfortunately a lot of the action we had was on our private and BLM rangeland in Locomotive.  And of course Mother Nature has no regard to Holidays or family time so Fourth of July fireworks had a whole new meaning and the dust was a little thicker with smoke at the Annual Stone Rodeo.

When we actually managed to be home and NOT working, we poured sidewalks and laid sod!  I had been saving my pennies for a good long time and it was all worth it to a new sprinkler system, established grass and sidewalks instead of mud!  It might actually be worth dusting now that we don’t live in a giant dirt bowl… HA!  The reality is that even though I don’t have as much dust, I still don’t have any more time to clean!

The summer closed out with fairs, concerts (can you say bucket list!) and a wedding (Cowboy Pete tied the knot! More on that later, for sure!!)!  Being on the County Fair Board is exhausting but always worthwhile.  From ropings to horse races to hog washes, we did it all!  Probably one of the highlights of my summer and the best way to end it was to go to a Home Free concert!  The music was awesome, my date was the best and having a TERRIFIC babysitter was the icing on the cake!

Home Free date night!

We are full swing into school and fall work and back into some sort of routine.  We eat, sleep, work, play and pray.  The reality is, I don’t ever feel caught up and I never feel like I am doing good enough at any of it.  But as a good friend recently told me, we are too blessed to be stressed.

Until next time, Friends!

Changes Going on Over Here

by

I love blogging.  I LOVE it!  And I also hate it…  Because as much as I love writing and telling stories and my photography… I hate sitting at the computer.  And it is always pulling my chain.  The days between posts can slip by so fast and then I feel guilty and terrible and frustrated at not being consistent and organized enough to keep things going. 

But I keep doing it because I LOVE IT!

We have had this conversation before…

Usually my absence on here is due to the busy rancher’s-wife-and-little-cowboy-momma life I lead but for the next few weeks you won’t here from me for a good reason instead of my slacking.

Are you confused?  Or maybe just wondering what the heck I am talking about…  I’ll tell you what I’m talking about.  For the last several months I’ve had big plans in the works.  Actually I have been dreaming of big things for even longer and now I am pulling the trigger.

I am giving my blog a facelift!  Its not that I don’t love how things look now, its just that I want to add more.  I want to incorporate so much more for you and for me.  Knowing me, it is actually going to go quite slow to get everything where and how I want it.  But in the next few weeks you will see the beginning and I’m so excited for it.

So… you won’t hear from me for a few weeks and even though that isn’t uncommon for me, it is on purpose!  

About Me

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!

instagram

Recent post