Month: March 2011
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Raising A Couple of Characters
Even though I call my kids little heathens (I use the term in the sense that they act uncivilized around here half the time), I do try to build character in them and teach them how to be good christians and citizens. One difference I like about 4-H from the days when I was a…
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The Core Values of A Ranchwife’s Slant Column
Monday is the day I’ve designated to sharing about my column writing life when I think of something worthy and non-boring to share. Over the next five Mondays, I will elaborate on the five core values I established for my weekly column, A Ranchwife’s Slant. It wasn’t until a year or so after I started…
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Looking Out for the Consumer
Consumers should be informed about the food they buy, not coerced into certain beliefs about their food. The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) is a nonprofit organization that looks out for the consumer and promotes protecting the consumer’s choices. This site informs consumers of what certain people and organizations are doing to sway consumers about…
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A Very Taxing Job
Being a bookkeeper for our ranch is not one of my strong points. I would rather spend my time outside dealing with cow-related problems but the IRS won’t let me use that as an excuse. Much to my relief, my husband and I recently got our taxes done and it will likely be another year…
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Binoculars: Our Buddy at Calving Time
Having binoculars is a handy way to check on a cow from a distance that’s calving but we never used to use binoculars much at calving time because we were too cheap to get a good pair. We had several cheapie ones but every time we tried to use them they just frustrated us. They…
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Baby Fix
I don’t miss changing truckloads of dirty diapers, feeling half comatose all the time, and smelling like a dairy barn everyday, but I do occasionally get baby pangs. Spring calving is my oddball way of getting my baby fix. Unlike my husband, I’ve always enjoyed the newborn stage when our kids were tiny and dependant…
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Thinking of A Warmer Place
At least once every year in the dead of winter my mind runs away to a much warmer place and time of year. These escapades usually happen at a time when my toes and fingers never seem to stay warm and I’ve been outside all day. These little mind jaunts are a welcome mental…
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Labor Pains
Sometimes the labor involved to help a cow out that’s in trouble is nothing but a big pain. I can relate to the motherly instincts cows have, just not their impulse to calve alone and unassisted. If a cow’s a first-timer, having complications during calving, or the calf is in jeopardy, her unwillingness to cooperate…
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I Feel Like a Ranch Wife
My husband feels like he’s truer to the cowboy way and a better cowboy when he’s saddled up to get a cow in, and I can relate. The way a person goes about doing an activity or job can invoke certain feelings. In her song, Man! I Feel like A Woman! Shania Twain feels like…
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My Elk Hunting Trophy
I’ve gone to our county library for many things but never to learn how properly brag about the bull elk I harvested. Obviously, this is not an impressive way to show off the bull I shot. My elk horns are used mostly for hanging junk on the shop. The head librarian at our library is…