Tag: ranching
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Summer Commute
There’s a reason why we drive beat up little four-wheel drive pickups. Our summertime commute is not full-size pickup, sedan, or new vehicle friendly. Getting to stock tanks on summer range or to salt locations requires using Forest Service roads. The ones we frequent are a little more than a two-lane cow trail. Driving on…
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Branding Day Protocol
If you’ve ever been to a western South Dakota branding that served Rocky Mountain oysters cooked on a branding stove, you may not think such an event requires etiquette but there are certain expectations that go with branding. According to an undocumented branding policy, if you want to help gather cattle, don’t be late. Special…
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Branding Day 2010
If you want to find out who your real neighbors and friends are, just put on a branding when the weather is at its worst and see who shows up. Our neighbors were put to the test when we branded this past weekend despite 25 mph wind with gusts up to 40 mph and an…
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Sponsor A Ranch Wife
If you are looking for a worthwhile, trustworthy charity to donate to, consider the benefits of sponsoring or donating money to a ranch wife (me and I’m flexible on either method). Since ranch wives don’t get a paycheck, regular days off, or even a safety award for being injury free, accepting charitable donations would be…
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Miracle Wire
For a while, our son was convinced my husband made miracles happen with wire. As a three-year old, he believed baling wire produced miracles because his dad used it a lot and called it miracle wire. The nickname stuck with our son because he witnessed bailing wire saving the day many times when my husband…
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Ranching Lifestyle Survey
If the thought of ranching for a living sounds interesting and fun, you should take the following survey first to determine if ranching would suit you. Some of the questions concern your personality; others determine your knowledge about ranch life. 1. After accidentally stepping in fresh manure, a. you’re convinced that your shoes are ruined…
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Revisiting Ranch Country
It’s time for a trip back to ranch country which means another lesson in the country’s language (you can read the first lesson at www.ranchwifesslant.com archives section). The following are more words and popular slang terms used by natives of ranch country. Gather: To scatter in all directions or spread out. By doing so, horseback…
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Ranching Career Trainees
Our kids’ instincts to ranch were evident at an early age. They preferred helping with outside chores over inside ones and recognized a good incentive package. Each milestone they met meant they were on their way to a ranching career. At one and two, our little rancher trainees wanted to go with dad and be…
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In My Next Life I Want to be a Cow
In my next life I want to be a cow on a United States cattle ranch so I can find out what it feels like to be spoiled. Cows live a cushy life as a result of a rancher’s hard work and his pocketbook. If I were a cow, I would get to eat an…
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Learning in Style
How stylish one wants to look while doing ranch work is totally up to the individual. Correctly understanding what’s expected is far more important on our ranch. Learning through one’s style to comprehend instructions and process information is helpful in fulfilling job expectations but our ranch utilizes all three learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile…