Getting Ready to Work Cows

We’re gearing up for working cattle next Friday. I’m planning my dinner menu in order to get all the groceries needed to bake, cook and prepare food for the meal.  

I generally cook the same thing, but always check my standard menu grocery list anyway. At our place, I usually make BBQ short ribs, roast beef, homemade cream corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, beans, homemade bread, relish trays, my son’s favorite peanut butter pie and a couple other favorite desserts; salads and desserts that ladies bring, and of course lots of beer—it’s work incentive if guys can drink on the job. 

I’ll spend a couple of days in the kitchen preparing whatever I can ahead of time. I started doing things this way a long time ago so I could be outside where the action is and it helps eliminate opportunities for forgetting something for the meal the day of. I love cooking for these occasions but its torture for me to be chained to the kitchen the whole time. I like the outdoor work, camaraderie and bantering that goes on at corrals.  

We’ll be working cattle up at the barn by Pringle where the cows and heifers are now; about five miles from here (the bulls are here at home). The vet’s supposed to show up at nine. I usually try to show up right before or about then with rolls and coffee once the sorting is done. We usually pick a Saturday to work cows but our vet was already booked for the 31^st which we were hoping to get, so we took Friday instead. It’ll probably mean a smaller crew, but vaccination day usually is for fall work anyway.

Heaping plates full of food should clue me in that I worry unnecessarily but I always find something to stew about prior to getting dinner served. Guys show up hungry. They don’t care and don’t notice. Beer and hunger causes them to overlook the things about my meal that I tend to fret over which makes them my favorite dinner guests to have over. 
                               

Yesterday we had eight new windows put in the house. I think the old ones helped settlers see the west. I spent the day moving furniture out of the way and cleaning up behind the guys who were doing the installing (friends).

Only a fellow ranch wife understands what I mean when I say that getting new windows in an old house is more exciting than getting diamonds. Upgrades and new home-related stuff is as close as most ranch wives get to having a new home. 

Since moving into this house I’ve wanted to upgrade the windows. The old ones were not energy efficient and the storm windows were so shot they barely stayed up or got stuck when pulled down.

I’ve been giving my husband a hard time that I can’t believe I waited ten years to get new windows that took half a day to put in and cost less than one of our bulls. I should’ve nagged a lot more persistently. Friday will be my first chance to show them off to the neighbors and friends that show up to help.