Ranch Wife's Slant

Cowboys, kids, and ranch life

Author: Amy

  • Pledging Character Building

    In honor of National 4-H week I thought this column was appropriate for the occasion. 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…

  • Sleepless in September

    September has arrived in the Black Hills. The morning air has gathered up a sharp edge, frost has been knocking on our windows, and leaves want to change. My husband and I know what’s coming next insomnia. For much of September, I get shorted on sleep due to bull elk bugling every night until the…

  • How to Know If Agriculture Has Consumed Your Life

    Farmers and ranchers get into their work so much that it can become more than just a job. It can become their whole life. The following list can help you determine if agriculture has taken over your life. Going on a date with your spouse involves a quick drive through an implement dealership to look at…

  • One of My Favorite Stories: Cowboy Country

    Some of my favorite moments spent with my kids are the times I read to them before naptime and bedtime when they were little. They had their favorite books and I had mine and this is one of mine: Cowboy Country, by Ann Herbert Scott. I like this author and I have another book by…

  • Setting the Record Straight

    Reading about the Pringle Compound, or the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) compound disgusts me. Pringle does not have a compound! We have excellent food, a pool table, and beer at the popular Hitchrail (of which owner/award-winning Chef Dennis Boitnott, recommends making reservations), a sand plant, the Pringle Poacher Car on…

  • Getting Ready For Winter

    With the exception of a couple of rainy days and an extremely windy one this past week, progress has been moving along on our siding project especially when the materials we’ve ordered are in and we can pick them up. Over the past couple of weeks dealing with getting all the necessary materials we’ve ordered…

  • Ice Cream: A Necessary Staple on the Kirk Ranch

    Our family goes through a ton of ice cream (specifically, chocolate chip or vanilla) and it’s a good thing, because I don’t know what we would do without all the ice cream buckets we use for different things. A gallon of ice cream usually lasts my family 2-3 weeks and once everybody’s enjoyed a gallon’s…

  • Looking Forward to a Warmer Winter

    This past week work was started on our home to get new siding put on. It may not be very exciting news to everyone else, but for this ranch wife, the facelift to our house is long over due and I am excited to embrace winter this year in a warmer home. The old stucco…

  • Eat Like An Animal

    There are days when I would rather feed our heifer calves than my family. For me, cooking is oftentimes more trying than parenting or ranching. I strive to have supper ready at a time when we can all sit down together and I try to make wholesome, home-cooked meals that nourish and satisfy, but I…

  • Keeping Readers Healthy With Humor

    I make an effort to incorporate as much humor as I can about the topic I’m writing about in my column A Ranchwife’s Slant. I try to laugh at myself as much as possible and share it with my readers. I like to think that sharing my humor benefits people in agriculture who can relate…