Month: November 2009
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What Vegas Taught Us
The National Finals Rodeo gets under way December 3rd. Thinking about it recently got me reminiscing about the time my husband and I went way back in 1998. We’d been married four years and had our first child. Going to Las Vegas that year was our first trip together two years after our son was…
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Pledging Character Building
The words of the 4-H Member’s Pledge are important for all youth in today’s society. Raising good and caring citizens while still protecting kids from an era of new dangers has become increasingly challenging for parents. I believe in 4-H club work for the opportunity it will give me to become a useful citizen. 4-H…
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Sale Day–A Family Event
Sale Day–A Family Event Every year my husband and I let our kids decide if they want to come with us to watch our calves sell. We always brought them with us when they were small and kept them out of school a few times back in their early elementary school days to come…
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Producers and Their Cows
Part of the reason people don’t know much about cattle handling practices is because the cattlemen are busy spending time with their cows. Ranchers are committed to raising and caring for their stock to the best of their ability which means getting frequent updates on their herd. Numbered ear tags serve as an identification and…
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First Day of Elk Season
Nasty weather didn’t discourage elk hunters from attempting to fill an elk tag on the first day. Wind gusts and chilly air laced with flecks of flying snow on and off all day, kicked off elk hunting season. Clouds covered the sky that made for a grey-looking day with only glimpses of sunshine in the…
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The Thrashing Machine & Other Boy Games
No, that’s not a typo. Threshing machines and the thrashing machine are similar but the thrashing machine is man-powered. My brothers and son invented it about ten years ago when my boy was a sweaty-headed, little three year-old bouncy ball. A couple of weeks ago we had everybody down for supper and card playing and…
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Motivationally Speaking
Of the most influential motivational speakers I’ve heard, ranchers top my list. The general public may not categorize ranchers with such speakers but cattlemen have equally influential communication skills. The purpose of a motivational presentation may include persuading workers that they’re capable of doing challenging tasks, provoking a specific reaction, or spurring attendees into action. All…
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Odds & Ends Going On
My guys left the house at 4:30 a.m. this morning to go pheasant hunting today and tomorrow. Last night the family went to Belle Fourche for our son’s first middle school wrestling tourney of the season. Belle’s about a two hour drive, so it was 9:30 before we got home. Even though I’ve been looking forward…
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Spoiled on Necessities
I like being spoiled; I just haven’t openly admitted it before. Always having a wide variety of beef on hand to fulfill my insatiable appetite for it has made me as well as my family, very spoiled. A well-stocked chest freezer of beef is an unlikely source for spoiled a person but it wasn’t until I…
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Fall Vaccination Day
The night before we worked cattle, my husband and daughter went to the Father Daughter Ball. Working cattle on Friday turned out to be a decent day. Fortunately, temperatures were in the 40’s and the sun peeked out a few times. The temperatures on Thursday only reached a high in the mid-twenties and it snowed…