Tag: South Dakota
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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…
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Amy’s South Dakota/Life in the West Recommended Reads
I’m open to reading a variety of different books, but am most drawn to non-fiction. I’ve read some excellent fiction, but if it’s a really good story, it’s disappointing to me in the end if I have to remind myself that it’s not true. I enjoy history, especially about women, but overall, I just enjoy…
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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 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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Motherland
Towns are a lot like mothers. Some towns insist on a neat, tidy, and uncluttered environment with well-groomed yards. Some have stipulations for businesses wanting to remodel or rebuild for the town’s appearance sake. Some communities regularly have buildings getting updated or renovated to restore a town’s original vintage look or a new addition of…
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Storm Mountain Christmas
Merry Christmas! For the past five years my siblings, their kids and spouses, our mom and my family, have celebrated Christmas at Storm Mountain Center. Storm Mountain is a Methodist church camp for youth and reunions in the summer, but hosts retreats, meetings and gatherings of all sorts in the wintertime. SMC is situated…
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One Big Free Bird
For many years Pringle’s had a chicken that’s somewhat of a free bird in the area. It loves a good time and is especially drawn to crowds. Back in the nineties, a nine foot chicken was given to the Pringle Volunteer Fire Department. For a long time it hung out in the back of…
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Waiting For A Downpour
I’m one of those people who look for the bad in a situation. Problems are commonplace on a ranch and I thrive on the drama that our ranch’s problems produce. The basis of my column is about marriage, parenting, ranching, and rural life in western South Dakota but it’s describing the troubles we face that…
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The Kirk Family Christmas Tree
Living in the Black Hills has drawbacks because it’s a vacation destination but one of perks I love the most about living here is being able to go into the woods and pick out our own Christmas tree. The Forest Service sells Christmas tree permits that are a third of the cost of buying one,…
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Sale Day–A Family Event
Sale Day–A Family Event Every year my husband and I let our kids decide if they want to come with us to watch our calves sell. We always brought them with us when they were small and kept them out of school a few times back in their early elementary school days to come…