When some folks think about the cowboy life or ranch life, they think of being horseback 24/7. In fact, there are a fair number of cowboys I’ve met in the last few years who only want to be horseback. One tool we’ve grown to love and appreciate perhaps more than any in all our learning is a solid spreadsheet.

As we’ve built a cow herd and moved around to increase opportunities, almost every time we’ve moved, we’ve moved into a fixer-upper. And I’m sorry, but it doesn’t go nearly as fast as TV would like for us to think it does.

Do I have a story to tell you … But it’s a little embarrassing, so go easy on me.

A couple of weeks ago, we A.I.’ed our herd. Last year was our first year A.I.’ing, and we were on a new place – and let’s just say it wasn’t as smooth as we had hoped.

My husband is great at judging distances. Time is another story entirely.

When I was growing up, I figured I’d be a dancer and a musician. Little did I know I would grow up to become … Gate Girl!

Many of us live in places where the weather may change at the blink of an eye. We may have four layers on in the morning, but by afternoon, we have shed three of them: our “I’m warming up” layer, our “It’s past midmorning” layer and our “Dang, it’s a different climate” layer, which leads to …

I remember one time we were trying to make it back to the house before the snowstorm drifted our lane shut, but our four-wheel drive was no match for the high winds, and I sank into a drift about half a mile from the house.

Thank you. Thank you for showing up month after month and engaging with others in our community. Your time and attention is valuable.