Ranch Wife's Slant

Cowboys, kids, and ranch life

Category: My Husband

  • 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…

  • Stress-Free Environments

    I’ve read several articles recently, suggesting ideas for reducing stress and shrinkage in calves but none address the stress-related concerns I have. Some articles mention minimal handling, eliminating hot shots, whips, and sorting sticks while others suggest trying plastic nose clips (on the calves) or fence line weaning. What I want to know is how…

  • The Cowboy Book

    About twelve years ago, before my husband and I moved into the house he grew up in, his dad had an attic cleaning day to clear out what had been stored away for years. My sister-in-law spearheaded the cleaning project and found this book in the attic. She remembered it being one of my husband’s…

  • Spouses In Translation

    Some days I wish I was a cow. Then maybe I could communicate with my husband better and get the same attention our cows do. I recently read Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, about decoding animal behavior in hopes of finding out what a cow’s got over me with my husband’s attention. Cows seem…

  • My Husband’s Record Book

    My husband won’t admit that he journals, but essentially, that’s what he’s doing every time he records in this little shirt-pocket sized calendar/calf record book. It’s become his memory bank or hard drive, and he’s very possessive and protective of it. If I want to look at it, he always asks me why. I rarely look…

  • Fixes and Kisses

    My kids know better than to come to me with their broken toys or equipment. The best I can do, is give them a sympathetic hug or a kiss, but neither have been successful repair tools. My approach doesn’t fix it, or do much to make the kids feel better, but my husband delights in…

  • Cowboy Logic Camping

    My husband told our kids once, A campground is about as close to living in a city as you can get, when they mentioned how much they liked staying at a campground. Considering the way we choose to live and the idea behind camping, I had to agree with him. Experiencing the outdoors and connecting…

  • A Working Ranch/Marriage

    The column “What I’ve Learned,”  about my sixteenth wedding anniversary evolved while trying to come up with material based on an idea I had to write about things I’ve learned since my husband and I got married. During my  free-writing session, I created two lists; one that went into my column and another that was a list…

  • What I’ve Learned

    My husband and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary. After sixteen years, I’ve discovered a few things about him and marriage in general. Namely, that I started out married to a perfect stranger. The following are ten things I’ve learned about my spouse in sixteen years. 1. Do not, under any circumstances, wake him up…

  • Sporty at Forty

    For twenty-some years, something’s been missing in my life; a void that needed to be fulfilled. Getting married and having children didn’t satisfy the void, although both have been very fulfilling. Getting married gave me a husband who knows how to fix the problems I create or encounter and with whom I can kiss every…