Category: My Columns
-
Cowboy Shirts That Fit
I can still remember the shirt my husband wore on our first date like it was yesterday. That’s because he was wearing it yesterday. Upon close examination of the long-sleeved western shirts that hang in a cowboy’s closet, one might see how ranching cowboys’ (different from PRCA rodeo cowboys in my opinion) loyalty to things…
-
What Really Counts
People who spend any amount of time around a rancher should expect to be asked to count something sooner or later. My rancher counts things like money, days, years, bales, elk and cattle. After selling culled cows at a sale barn, he counts each day that the expectant check hasn’t come in the mail. Once…
-
Pringle’s PPA Monument
The southern Black Hills town of Pringle, which is out-populated by the area’s elk, knows how to laugh in the face of adversity. The proof is at the top of the hill and overlooks the town. The community’s unofficial monument isn’t obvious, well advertised, or the most photo-worthy site in the Black Hills, nor…
-
Will Shop for Ads
Most women don’t realize how much men love to shop because most of our shopping takes place in a store. I have yet to meet a man who isn’t crazy about browsing up and down the classifieds. Men favor a good classified section the way women patronize a particular department, grocery, or craft and hobby…
-
People Needing Direction
On days when you need some direction, it’s always smart to consider who to ask for advice. Answers differ depending on who you approach. Truckers would probably direct you on a route that includes all the best truck stops along the way. Linemen would have you looking at power lines and substations. Foodies would send…
-
Just Leave Me in the Dark
I’m left in the dark at our place a lot, but it doesn’t bother me. I’m comfortable there. Once my husband and I started a family, we outgrew our tiny two-bedroom home and my father in-law agreed to switch houses with us. After moving into the home where my husband grew up, the sodium yard…
-
Livin’ on the Edge
Ranch work isn’t as life threatening as say, working on an Alaskan king crab fishing boat but the way my husband and I go about getting our work done could be considered dangerous. We’ve become somewhat desensitized to the risks we take. We put the thought of consequences we could suffer later out of our…
-
Ranch Life Suits A Gemini
Horoscopes seems hokey to me, but I find ranching and my Gemini characteristics perfectly suited for each other. Both are chock full of the unexpected and our unpredictable lifestyle is well-matched to my mercurial nature and penchant for adventure. Work on a ranch takes place outside and requires a lot of physical activity a Gemini’s…
-
Side Effects of 4-H Judging
4-H judging teaches kids how to make better choices as a consumer, but it ruined impulse buying for me. My judging criterion conscience doesn’t consider hasty purchases acceptable. Doing so would contradict what 4-H judging taught me. I learned to take my time considering the criteria in order to make wise decisions and choices. In…