The Rancher - The Idaho Rancher's Wife

Why a Rancher Goes to College

January 24, 2018 by Allison

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!

Trailing the Cows Home: If Only We Can Find the Gate…

January 12, 2018 by Allison

Its definitely winter here on the ranch. Not because it is cold and snowy, because it has actually been warm (relatively) and rainy. I’m saying its winter time on the ranch because the cows are here and The Rancher is officially feeding every morning. Slowly over the last 2 weeks we have trailed and hauled cows home, starting with the group up in Quaken Asp.

Quaken Asp is some of private ground in the mountains past our home where we pasture the cows in the fall. Its a favorite of our family’s- a place where we go up for a 4 wheeler rides, hunting, an evening drive… you name it, we do it up there. In fact, The Rancher proposed to me up there. Yep, I love it up there. When The Rancher announced that it was the day to bring the cows home from there, I immediately asked if I could come along too. I would say it was 50% me wanting to go for a ride, 30% that I needed get out of the house and do something, and a strong 20% that needed some quality time in a place that I loved.

Luckily for me, I managed to upgrade my ride from the gator, which I always plan to take because it lets me take all my little people and manage to take photos off the trail, to my horse! The Ranch Boss, my father-in-law, had shoulder surgery a few months ago and the thought of something going wrong and him coming off his horse was enough to make him call dibs on the gator. At first I thought that meant I was destined to stay home or to sit in the truck and wait. But, because I am his favorite daughter-in-law, The Ranch Boss volunteered to take my kids with him and I was free to saddle up and go.

Once we got up the mountain, it didn’t take long for us to realize that the cows were going to be difficult to bring home. We rode to the very edges and corners of the field and only gathered up a small portion of the herd. As cows do, they had managed to tear the fence down in a few places and meander far, FAR away. And not only they were few and far between, but they were also belligerent and stubborn and wouldn’t move. They would sit in the trees, head up the mountain, and no matter what we did, turn tail and run.

Ya wanna here just how stupid and ignorant and frustrating these cows were? Ok, it wasn’t the worst move we have ever done, but still frustrating.

There were four cows that I found in the bottoms, stopped in a groves of trees. Calling them trees is kinda pushing it… It was more like a bunch of overgrown bushes that left no room for a horse to move around but apparently enough for a cow to wiggle under. And there was no amount of whooping and whistling that was moving these cows. I tried coming at them from every direction and something worked because eventually they started moving (I guess I am scary… BOOM!) Of course they don’t take the easy way down and jump in with the rest of the herd but they decide to go further up the mountain, through even more brush. About this time The Rancher rides in and he followed them up and over while I kept looking for others in the rest of the brush.

Things were going pretty ok, but we could see handfuls of cows that still needed gathered in. The Rancher and Cowboy E headed out to gather in whatever they could find, while I grabbed those four cows and kept pushing them. I actually didn’t have to push all that much because they were moving plenty fast on their own. Unfortunately they kept going further and further up the mountain and away from the herd. I would get the leader stopped and headed back down just to see one take off another way. This happened over and over again. Where was a good ranch dog when I needed him?

We were headed in the same general direction as the herd and I knew that we would come out just fine, so I opted to stop fighting those old girls and just see where they were taking us. I knew that other cowboys were on the same side of the mountain as we were and that in reality, if I needed help, I could leave the cows and things would be ok. But, being the good cowgirl that I am (or at least pretend to be), I just kept going. One of the best pieces of advice I ever learned when I first trailed cows was to let them take the lead. They knew the range better than I did so it was likely that they knew the best way out. I was hoping that this little bit of advice wasn’t about to fail me. After moving for a long for a while, I start to see more and more cows. Apparently this group all had the same idea to head for the same corner of field, not realizing that they had passed up the better route of going through the bottoms. About that same time, I see Cowboy Pete push a few more cows in my direction and turn around to head for more so I figured I would just take this group and move on down. We started following the fence, assuming that it would take us to the road and out. But I started to look where the fence headed and all I see are corners.

Who builds a fence with 12 hundred corners in it?! Ok… I know that the where and how the fence goes depends on a lot of different things, but still… I mean, if I kept following the fence, where was I gonna end up. I didn’t bring my map of the range so… I called The Rancher instead. He informed me that occasionally they just take the fence down and make their own gate… Oh. Make my own gate. I can do that. I rode up ahead of the cows and took the wires down. Just then The Ranch Boss called me to explain that I needed to turn the cows around, that there is a gate at the corner already opened. Ya know, the gate that we had passed already. He said it was an easier ride out so, I turned those cows around. And went back to where we had started.

No gates to be found… I might have grumbled a little.

And then we turned around again and headed for the place I knew I could get out, make-shift gate I had torn down. And that is when I saw it. A gate. Hidden in a sort-of corner (as opposed to a nice square corner) that we had passed. Over and over again… These blasted cows, that have been on this mountain year after year, head straight for the gate that THEY want to go out, and then MISS it altogether! Gah! If I was a cursing woman, I would have used all sorts of obscenities but… I held my tongue. And those crazy girls redeemed themselves by sticking to trail for the rest of the ride home.

Mostly…

Until the next ride!

The Rancher’s Wife

Christmas for a Rancher

December 12, 2017 by Allison

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!

Dinner For a Rancher

April 12, 2017 by Allison

The other night I made dinner and, as our life goes about now, The Rancher had to head out just as I was putting it on the table. I fed the kids and myself a tasty dinner of grilled steaks, fresh pineapple, salad, and green beans. Everything I love and my kids too! It went over with flying colors and any dinner that I don’t have to coax my kids to eat every bite is considered a win.

But with The Rancher it was a whole different situation.

He came home sat down ready to eat. I was pumped for the steak and the pineapple was a fun treat. But he looked at me and we had this conversation:

Him: “So where is the rest of the food?”

Me: “The rest of it? I think you got it all out.”

Him: “But, like… where is the filling stuff?”

Me: “The filling stuff? What does that even mean?”

Him: “Like potatoes or something. I’ll eat this, but I’m still gonna be hungry if I eat JUST this!”

I couldn’t help but just laugh and laugh! Heaven forbid he had some fruit and veggies in his diet. He thinks that he is going to shrivel up and die if he doesn’t have meat and potatoes for every meal. Actually, I did hear him say once (and I’m sure it will be the only time in his life!) that he was a little tired of potatoes… But that only lasted a few days.

But seriously, cooking for a rancher can be tough. With such a physically demanding job, he needs some serious calories to help him make it through the day. Over the years I have learned a few things about cooking for a rancher.

Things like how a salad will never cut it for him. It may be yummy and it may be nutritious, but it will only last about an hour before he is back in the house looking for a snack to help him make it to the end of the day. Only once has a salad been ok and that was on a hot summer night when the idea of a hot meal was just more than he could handle. Lesson here is, a salad can only be a side, not the entree!

It may be because we raise beef, but I’ve learned that EVERY meal needs to have meat in it. I didn’t even have to attempt a meatless meal to learn this lesson! I think it came with the wedding proposal, something like, “Honey, will you marry me and not EVER make dinner without some meat in it?” I can’t blame him though. Protein is essential part of a healthy diet and it is even more essential for a physically demanding job like his.

Making sure the menu meets his criteria isn’t the only thing I had to learn when I started cooking for The Rancher. His daily schedule is anything BUT predictable, which means that his dinner schedule is also anything but predictable. So what I do is ask him what time he thinks he will be home, add at least 45 minutes to that, but make sure that the table is set if he manages to make it in early so it looks like I believed him. Ok, not really… I think we have had a few reheated meals or overcooked and mushy noodles or the kids and I eat without The Rancher. Its what happens when dinner is on schedule and a calf needs pulled, a cow gets out or something breaks down. Its what happens when you are married to a rancher!

Dinner for a rancher isn’t typical or predictable. Usually I don’t even know what is for dinner until it was time to get fixing and all to often I have to ask The Rancher what he wants for dinner (and his usual reply is “I dunno…”). But dinner at our house is delicious, nutritious, never meatless, and full of love, because every dinner is a chance I have to take care of my rancher so he can do a little bit better at his job.

What is dinner look like at your house?

Momma-Cow Turned Momma Bear

April 5, 2017 by Allison

Before we moved to the family ranch, we worked our way through college at few different ranches. Of course nothing compares to working your OWN ground or your OWN cows, but we still had some great times and some great memories on the operations we were a part of. Once in a while a story comes to mind from those days and we have a little fun reliving those good times. Every year when calving season comes along, there is one story that always comes up. One of those remember-whens that you actually don’t want to remember.

Any rancher will tell you that a momma cow can instantly turn momma bear real fast. A cow that seems perfectly harmless suddenly becomes anything but as soon as you lay hands on her baby. And really, who can blame her? I think that sometimes I turn into a momma bear when I have sweet little babies, and they aren’t even getting tagged!

But… Even if I do relate to them, sorta, that doesn’t mean they need to eat my husband for lunch!

Actually this story was before we were married. Even before we were dating. I was in the midst of my sophomore year of college and my only sanity was heading up to my brother’s near Salmon, Idaho. He had my horse, cows, and a population of about 50 and it called to me after long hard days of school and work and SO many people. Ironically, I didn’t have a car (probably a good thing or I would have spent all of the money I didn’t have driving up there all the time) and I had to convince friends and roommates that we should take a trip up to the ranch to have a little R&R.

It was on one of these weekends that I met The Rancher. He was doing his internship up there, partially in an effort to avoid the school work and people like I was. Truth be told, I had no interest in him at first. I had sworn off boys because they just caused frustration and heart ache. Cows and horses, on the other hand, only caused frustration. I was determined to take advantage of the little time I had on the ranch and soak in as much fresh air and get as much poop on my boots as possible. To that end, I got brave, and asked The Rancher if I could ride along with him to check cows on his late night watch. Being the player he was at the time (haha…) he shyly agreed and I hopped in the truck.

For the most part, it was uneventful. There was a calf or two born. We tagged them, gave them shots, wrote it all down and moved on. It was cold and bumpy but it was fun. We went out checking for a few nights and it was all the same every night. Until we found one of those momma-bear momma cows.

This brilliant momma, had decided to have her calf in the snow. Something not all that conducive to life if you were just born and wet and cold. We had been checking around the different fields and found this cow exactly where she shouldn’t have been. Labor does strange things and apparently with her, it made her want to climb through a few fences and birth in the privacy found in the wheel-line stock pile. Not knowing that she was calving or had just had a calf, we drove over to get her back in where she was supposed to be.

The Rancher hopped the barbed wire fence, figuring it would only take just a minute to get the cow back in her field. That’s when he saw the baby and plans changed. Getting the two of them back was totally on the back burner and keeping the calf alive was all that mattered. The momma was loving on him, but he had yet to get up and out of the snow. So being the nice guy that he was, The Rancher grabbed a leg and started dragging the calf out of the snow.

It only took a second for that cow to turn momma-bear. For all she knew, someone was messing with her baby and she wasn’t going to have any of that.

Now put yourself in my shoes, or rather my seat. Here I was, sitting in the front seat of an old, beat up ranch truck, riding around with a kid I hardly knew. He was across a barbed wire fence, through drifts of snow and there was a momma cow about ready to have him for a midnight snack.

What was a girl to do?

It was dark and the only light was from the poor headlights (calling the headlights as poor was a compliment!), and he was far enough away I really couldn’t see well enough to know what was happening, just that things were getting a little (or a lot!) intense over there. But, was he ok and wouldn’t need any help? Or was he only seconds away from broken bones and smashed insides? Was there even anything in the truck that I could use to help him? Should I risk life and limb for this kid? I could see myself jumping out of the truck, slipping a time or two as I trudged through the snow, getting tangled up in the wire fence as I tried to cross it in the dark and finally make it to him only to find everything ok and totally unworth my efforts. Or I would do something embarrassing like fall on my face in the snow or rip my pants on the barbed wire…

So I just sat there.

Heroic, I know. But before I made a move, I wanted to know what that cow had in mind. It didn’t take long for her to prove that she meant business. She took off straight for The Rancher, covering the 10 yards between them in seconds. At this point all I could do was pray. Pray that he got out of there in time. Pray that she changed her mind. Pray that even if she did get him, it wouldn’t be too bad. Pray that he wouldn’t need mouth to mouth…

It must of worked because just as she was about to him, a snow drift popped up in front of her and she dropped to her knees. It was the few seconds The Rancher needed to get clear of the calf, sail over the fence, and finally take a breath!

And then, to be terribly honest, I don’t remember much that happened next. I know we had other cows and fields to check and so I’m sure we just moved on with the night. The Rancher might have been a little more weary and a little more spry in case any other mommas had a little bit of momma-bear in them.

Reliving that story every year always brings new things to light, like how The Rancher was actually grateful for the chance to look so brave and he was a little sad that I didn’t need to give him a little mouth to mouth… I, on the other, hand, am just glad that he managed to survive that night so we could have our life together now. Do any of you have a good momma-bear story?

Feeding Frosty Cows

February 1, 2017 by Allison

Did you read the title and let your eyes roll back because its another post about feeding cows? It is that time of year, ya know… But don’t worry. I knew you would be tired of the same (awesome) ramblings of feeding hungry cows with my crazy crew.

So I did a little something different. For your benefit and mine.

Since I had The Rancher corner, I though I would take the opportunity to do a little Q&A with him. Its good for you because its something new for you to read. And you get to know him a little better, and everyone wants to know The Rancher a little better. The upside for me, is that I have an intentional conversation with an adult. Being the CEO of this ranch house full of little people can be lacking with adult conversation. Oh, that’s starting to show? Oops!

So for the next few hours, in between me jumping out of the tractor to open and close gates and cut the wrap off of the bales, and juggling the baby and big sister, I asked him some stimulating questions.

Here goes…

About that Super Bowl…
Me: So what do you think about the Super Bowl coming up? It’s this Sunday, right?(I’m super up to date with what’s happening in the world right now…HA!)

Him: Well… (long pause)… Since I’m so into football… It should be good. But you know me… I’m really just in it for the commercials and food. And the commercials haven’t been that good lately, so I’m really just there for the food.

Me: Right… So what food should we have?

Him: I dunno. Something good. (This is the conversation we have every day when I ask him what he wants for dinner. He’s so much help…)

“We feed cows…”
Me: So tell me about feeding cows.

Him: We feed cows.

Me: … Yes… I know that. How much? How much have you already fed this year? How long will this feed last?

Him: Well, we have fed at least that stack… We figure that we have enough hay to feed 20 bales of hay for 40 days.

Me: Oh… That’s not enough, is it?

Him: Nope. Having to feed cows in Locomotive has thrown a wrench in things this year.

Me: So we feed 5 bales to the cows on the pivot pasture, 6 to the cows at the feed yard, 1 to the bulls, and 1 to the horses, old cows, and whatever is in the corral by the barn… and 5 to Locomotive. So… I guess we need to buy more hay…

Him: Yep…

Ranch faves
Me: So, what is your favorite thing to do on the ranch?

Him: I dunno…(its his favorite phrase…)

Me: Well, what is your least favorite thing to do?

Him: Feed cows.

Me: Oh. (Hmmm, do you not like it because that is like all you are doing right now?) So what is your next least favorite thing to do?

Him: Fix fence.

Me: Oh. (That one actually surprised me… I thought he liked it more.) And then what is your next least favorite thing?

Him: Changing water.

Me: What’s the next?

Him: Checking water.

Me: You don’t like the things that you have to do over and over again, do you? You wouldn’t make a good mom. That’s kinda all I do. So what’s your next least favorite thing?

Him: I dunno… I guess I like all the rest just fine. But it all depends on the day.

Me: Yes, moving cows when the sun is shining and the cows are moving good is a way better day than a blizzard when you are working cows through the chute.

Him: (Nod… Silence… conversation… OVER)

Baby driver
Me: He (the baby) is in his favorite place- at the steering wheel. That makes you the coolest dad for letting him be there.

Him: Yep… (he’s big on words…)

Me: Aren’t you glad we have him?

Him: Yep. I guess we will keep him.

Me: Are you ready for the next one?

Him: (silence… stink eye…) NOPE. (silence… conversation over…)

You can see that riding with The Rancher is GREAT conversation. To his credit, he is sick (currently fevering and sleeping on the couch) and since talking when he is feeling great gives limited conversation, I really should expect less when he is feeling crappy. But even sick, he’s still great, don’t ya think?!

Until next time, Friends!

Growing a Kid Crop, Growing a Calf Crop

January 11, 2017 by Allison

2016 will go down as a big year for The Rancher’s Sidekick. It’s amazing how fast kids can learn and grow and change. This boy went from baby to a boy overnight. I know, that’s not how it actually happens , but when you are the momma you just can’t let your oldest grow up. But then one day you wake up and he is going to school and totally ok without you. And then he comes home from school and he can read and write and likes girls and he just isn’t the same kid you sent out the door.
….
Click “Read More” for the rest of the story!

Obviously school wasn’t the only place he was growing up on me but at home and on the ranch too. Can I just say how amazing it is to finally have a kid that can help out around the house?! My kids have doing chores and helping since they were little (in our house everyone helps in the home and on the ranch as soon as they can walk… not really, but young… I believe in teaching my kids how to work). But The Rancher’s Sidekick can actually really help now. Like do a job on his own. And not like the I’m-doing-my-chores-but-mom-really-does-all-the-work-because-I’m-too-little-to-do-a-good-job kind of on his own.

Can you tell I’m pumped?

This may be as freeing as potty training!

Ok, I may be dramatizing things a bit, but it’s so nice to have him growing up and able to have a little responsibility and him handling it so well. Proud momma here.

And then there’s the growth he’s had on the ranch. There’s a reason I call him the sidekick because he goes everywhere with his dad. In fact, this last summer, he would wake up early to make sure that he wouldn’t get left behind. There were very few day that he didn’t go about to work with The Rancher and stay out there all day. And he wasn’t just a tag along but actually helped get the work done. I couldn’t believe the stories he would come home telling about his adventures throughout the day. In fact, I would sit there, eyebrows raised at The Rancher, when I would hear about how he had pushed the cows all alone out on the range. It seems just like yesterday I would have to go with him if he wanted to ride and now all of the sudden he isn’t just riding by himself but pushing his own herd of cows! Of course, The Rancher would smile and beam with pride at his growing boy and slowly my heart would slow down and I could see that our boy really was growing up and he is becoming someone I am so proud of.

Now, it complete transparency, he is still a typical little boy that is currently in big trouble for not listening to his momma. And he absolutely drive me crazy with all the boy noises, farting, burping, and how he torments his sister. But, as we are all a work in progress, I can’t help but be so pleased with his progress.

Ya know, on the ranch we are all about growth- we’ve gotta get out calf crop BIG. We select genetics to grow big calves and to have cows that milk well to grow big calves. We have genetics to have calves that grow big out on the range and desert and genetics to have low birthweight calves that will gain fast. We supplement our cattle with protein and mineral to help with nutrition to grow big calves…. Its all about growing big calves! At home we are worried about growth too, but less about physical growth and more about what kind of people our kid crop is becoming. We want to see them grow into hard working, responsible, caring, and committed people. We want them to grow into people that

So far, I think we are doing pretty ok!

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!

A New House

June 7, 2015 by Allison

Big things are happening, folks! BIG THINGS! I (and The Rancher of course) am building a new house! It has always been a dream to build my own home and this summer we are making it a reality. I’ve wanted to share my news with you for so long but I wanted to make sure it was really happening. I mean, how rough would it be to make that kind of announcement and then be devastated by reality?! Heartbreaking, I’m sure.

Like any house building project it’s been simple. No big things to mull over. No learning curve to overcome.

Ya right! It’s been crazy prep work that we’ve done over the last year. But honestly, the toughest decision has been the “where” of it all. A place that gives us a nice view, our own space and definitely on the same side of the old highway as where dad works (because yes, my kids have scooted their little bodies across the road by themselves!). We found a treasure of a place when The Rancher had the idea to build where another old, old, OLD house stood. It had trees, the view, the yard and most importantly, it’s in the right side of the road.

When we finally realized this was the summer to build it meant we had to get to work making a place for a house. The old house (commonly called The Broken House by my kids because it really was old and broken) hadn’t been used for more than storage in 30 years. I would say nobody lived in it, but that’s not entirely accurate- there was a a few happy families of rats and mice and all sorts of other yucky creepy creatures.

It had been our plan to keep and remodel a lot of the existing house but unfortunately we could see it just wasn’t sound. With my luck I would have put in my pretty new cabinets and shiny new appliances and they would all go crashing down if we left the old structure. So we had our work cut out for us. The whole house had to come down to the bare basement. My vote was to just take a match to it. Or push it all in with a bulldozer. All very fast and certainly effective. But being the smart man that he is, The Rancher wanted take it apart more carefully to save every thing that was good. We were able to save all the good lumber in the floor and walls along with the outside walls. We actually just lifted the roof off (ok, more truthfully, we made the roof cave in) and cut the outside walls down to use later. Where, I don’t know but there are done walls ready to make some kind of shed…

The demoition part of our project began at the first of January. I’ve never been so delighted and so satisfied to punch a whole in the wall. I’ve also never been sore like i was after swinging a sledge hammer like that for so many days! It took months to take down walls, clean it up and move on to the next room to do it all over again. But all the sudden the house was gone and we were digging for the foundation!

Ironically we had to put things on hold for a couple of weeks at the beginning of Msy. I say it’s ironic because there was too much rain that it slowed us to a stop. I NEVER would have thought we would have rain like that for so many days. It was so hard to not cuss the rain because we have needed it so badly for so long! I didn’t dare tell the man upstairs that his answer to our prayers came at an inconvenient time…

Eventually the storm clouds parted and my floor was laid! And then I blinked and the walls were up! It’s been incredible to watch it unfold right in front of me. I am so happy, so excited and so (happily) stressed.

And unfortunately that is why my little blog has been somewhat neglected. I’m just pulled in so many ways and throwing a house in the middle of it all didn’t help! But maybe I can appease myself by sharing it with you here. You want to hear about how a rancher’s wife puts a house up, right? I’m sure there are life lessons being learned that are worth someone reading about!

The old house… Taken as The Rancher took the porch roof off.

The upstairs completely gutted. At this point we took out the windows, the final studs and then began taking the outside walls down.

No windows or doors…

Goodbye old house!

We borrowed a track hoe from some great neighbors to do the work. And I have to say that being able to operate this is a serious talent!

The walls are going down!

A last look from the inside.

The roof fell in…

And no more house!

Footings- the first new construction!

Pouring the foundation walls…

The floor system in (and beautiful green EVERYWHERE!)

The first wall up.

The best little helpers… They have loved every bit of this!

More walls

Beautiful progress!

The Last of the Association Branding

May 28, 2015 by Allison

How about a little different post? Still lots of pictures but instead of a wind up with some sort of an interesting story, lets do a commentary. A running commentary to let you know what I was seeing when I took each picture.

Ready?

Riding in the herd…

Brothers… The little brother was pestering the older brother, the older brother took down the younger brother and commenced the Chinese torcher tap. Nothing but true love there!

The Ranch Boss just had his 87th birthday and refuses to stop. He may slow a little, but he is determined to never quit.

I just thought this blaze was funny… Like, bummer birth mark or something…

You find cowboy style and personality everywhere. Some cowboys go simple and some like bling everywhere, even by their horses slobbery mouth.

When I got up close I realized that he had his name on his spurs- AWESOME! And he has some cool red top boots peeking out. That’s like cowboy lingerie, right there!

Horses on the range- its a beautiful site.

There isn’t a better place for kids to be than out in the middle of nowhere branding.

The Rancher’s Sidekick always has to be in the middle of it all. At the point in the day he had proclaimed it his job to stand on the leg so it wouldn’t move. Don’t know that we needed it but I’m glad that he found a job he could rock.

The saddle- a cowboy spends many long hours in this seat… It better be just to his liking!

Just a boy giving shots, but once again… its a great place for a growing boy to be.

Dragging calves in…

Sure glad he has a cap on that… Sometimes people get unintentional vaccinations

Thank goodness for back pockets because when your hands get full there is always a place to hang your tagger and your clips.

We always load up toy for the kids. In fact I think there ends up being a whole sand pile worth of toys out there!

And then sometimes they end up hauling more than just dirt. The Rancher’s Sidekick started gathering up discarded nuts and taking them to the dogs. I’m glad that was all he was doing with them…

The Rancher’s uncle… I’ve known him for quite a while and he has ALWAYS had the mustache. The length of the handle bars has varied over the years but it is truly his signature!

I know he wasn’t really posing, but I tease that everyone is so used to striking a pose for me that it is just second nature to stand picture ready!

How many boys does it take get a calf down? Lots… and still the calf will give ’em a run for their money!

It got dusty… no surprise. And it looked cool.

Gathering the herd in for the after lunch branding. Taking a pit stop at the watering hole…

Rancher Sr. doing what he does best. He has become such a great friend. I love having him for a father-in-law.

When you ride next to me you are going to have your picture taken. And I love them even if you aren’t looking at the camera!

Cowboys make beautiful photographs… I love my job!

Cows scattered across the range- this is why we bring so many cowboys. And this was only one small corner of our beautiful world. I love having wide open spaces for an office!

Boys in the dirt… need I say more?

We could see a storm moving over the mountains and it was a stunning backdrop.

Love the dramatics of the sky. Having a non dusty windy day was incredible!

A look at the scene from herd side…

One of my favorite cowboys.

Every week there are a few new faces around to help and enjoy the cowboy lifestyle.

A different perspective… But appropriately, looking up to a cowboy

Cute. I love cute calves! Especially the baldy calves.

Drug by the heels. If only he knew what was going to happen to him.

Sisters make the best friends.

Her parents had better be ready for this beauty to grow up. Check out those eyes!

A little saddle bling with your brand on it can never be a bad thing.

Just taking a minute to visit with a friend. Kids and horses were meant to be together.

Any guesses what this coffee can is for? Oh, just to gather nuts in… Calf nuts…

Should we be concerned that there are no adults in this picture?

J4… When the ropers bring in a calf they shout out what brand to put on it- Rocking-A, AE, J4 , Bar over the hip, K+… and many more

When you pester the big boys they just might decide to hog tie you. While I was taking this picture I could hear them saying (in more colorful language) that they unfortunately didn’t have enough rope to finish the job on this growing boy… It was his lucky day, that’s for sure!