The Fourth of July traditionally means fireworks, barbecues and rodeos – and maybe crazy Uncle Joe saying, “Hey, watch this …” or “Don’t you think we could barbecue Oreos?” Someone will likely be caught saying, “Remember the year that …” and it usually ends with hysterics.

Show up to any cattle sale, and you are sure to see a variety of cowboys. Folks who don’t know agriculture assume all cowboys are the same, but saying one cowboy is the same as all the others is like saying a horse is the same as a pony. (Gasp!)

My cowboy and I talk about the nuts and bolts of life on a regular basis. Well, maybe more like an irregular basis … I mean, planning is a part of any ranch: seasonal, yearly and multiyear plans are necessary. “Which heifers and how many should we retain?”

My husband coughed 5,218 times last night. His lung is in the bathroom. He is sweating through his PJs, but he’s putting on his coveralls.

We have teens in the house, so we are often hearing about common trends or funny memes. Super Puncher, anyone?

Researchers now say the attention span of the average American is eight seconds. When you are riding a bronc, eight seconds feels like a long time. An eight-second conversation, on the other hand, doesn’t last very long.

We’ve heard it repeatedly: The average age of the rancher is 68. Certainly, there is a necessary focus on encouraging younger generations in agriculture. However, did you ever stop to think about what else this statement means?

It is fall and most of us are getting pretty excited for a paycheck. Come November, we'll be selling calves and putting money in the bank for the rest of the year. We budget, like most ranchers do, but then the skid steer broke, our main truck died and one of the kids needed her wisdom teeth out.

We know the old sayings “opposites attract” and “let your spouse be your best friend.” These sayings are great. But when you look at cowboy attraction … well, the norm doesn't always apply.

Summer is a time when other professions take vacations, but universally, it's also the season of backyard barbeques – which means yard work. Here's the deal with yard work to a cowboy: What's the point?