Author: Amy
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Hand Signals: Synonym for “Confuse”
This column was originally published February 26, 2014 Whenever Art and I are dealing with cows, machinery, or trailers, he’ll suddenly switch to his native tongue to communicate with me. It’s the language cavemen invented communicating with hand gestures and sometimes accompanied by loud grunts. Thousands of years later farmers and ranchers still use this…
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The Loathesome Gate Job
This column was originally published May 21, 2014 I’ve never viewed any job involving a gate as being a coveted one. Stubborn gates always seem to require more muscle, squeezing, and grunting to shut than to open. I do not enjoy being watched while straining to get a tight wire gate open or getting perfectly…
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What A Ranch Woman Wants to Hear
This column was originally published December 11, 2013 After the first year as husband and wife and every day thereafter, a ranch wife loves to hear certain words from her husband. Words that renew her romantic notions about the man she married. Whether husbands realize it or not, there are certain things a wife never…
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The Art of Encouraging and Supporting Shop Projects From Afar
One of the many shop projects I’ve witnessed over the years: converting my old family car (Ford Explorer) into a “ranch pickup”…on Mother’s Day. This column was originally published September 25, 2013 It’s a good idea for wives to show genuine interest in their husband’s projects, but discretion is advised. Supporting my spouse’s projects demonstrates…
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My Annual Lucille Ball Moment in Twine
A couple of ideal-looking baling twine balls. Examples courtesy of my Hubs. This column was originally published December 26, 2013 Cutting twine on a round bale and gathering it into a wad may seem like a task any idiot can do, but at the start of a new winter cow-feeding season I have all sorts…
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A Day for Celebrating Gratitudes
Thanksgiving may be a day set aside once a year for being thankful and celebrating it with family and food, but I try to be thankful regularly by keeping a gratitude journal. This is a gratitude journal I received one year for Christmas from a girlfriend whose name is also Amy. This is the “instructions”…
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A Chilly Day for Comforting Chili on the Kirk Ranch
This past Monday morning was a rude awakening, not just to freezing rain early in the morning that turned to sticky snow but plummeting temperatures. I had just spent a week at a writer’s retreat in Florida and thankfully, got home late Sunday night before the snow rolled in. The next morning it was…
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South Dakota Farm and Ranch Life in Poetry
Anytime I discover something that becomes a part of my favorite things list, I want to share it with others. I met farmer and cattleman Bruce Roseland of North Central South Dakota at the South Dakota Festival of Books back in September in Sioux Falls. Bruce writes free verse poetry about everyday things that pertain to…
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Atlas’ 1st Anniversary
A year ago today, winter storm Atlas began with rain, then turned to rapidly piling snow overnight. I was not at home, but rather attending the annual Women in Ag conference for our area 30 miles away along with many other farm and ranch women. My family was home and rode out the storm mildly. Our…