Last week, I spent a morning at the corrals, pushing calves through a cute. The last time I’d had a ranchwork day, it had been a crisp, fall day and the season had felt vibrant, but this morning, nearly a month later, the season had faded to gray. Out in the brisk wind, the generator … More In Praise of Gray
Fall always feels like renewal for me. In college, I loved that back-to-school feeling, a new schedule of classes, a pile of new textbooks. I was on fire for all the new things I would learn over the semester. That feeling of renewal has continued on the ranch, when the change in temperature brings a … More Season of Renewal
A few years ago, in an encouraging rejection letter, an editor said my piece was “post-card writing,” describing a particular time and place in a way that is accessible to the reader. It was something that they used to publish quite a lot of, but now rarely do. When I read his description, I thought, … More A Spring Postcard
Shearing, Kem and I believe, if it does not fall on a weekend or Spring Break, warrants a school holiday. It’s a day spent in a barn, which, I’ve insisted, is a necessary antidote to the daily grind of schedules and classrooms. Also, it’s one of the most important ranch work days we have, and, … More Child Labor
I witnessed the first sheep feed of the year last week, when, after dropping the kids off from school, I crested the hill just above our house I saw Kem’s truck out in the pasture, surrounded by a knot of hungry sheep. As he began to drive the truck in a slow circle, dropping cake … More Winter Feeding
When I came across Helen Rebank’s memoir, The Farmer’s Wife: My Life in Days, I thought: Well, shit, she wrote my book! She gives us a glimpse into the daily life of a farmer’s wife, getting kids to school, checking on livestock and feeding a hungry family. She’s a champion of the unpaid and invisible … More Domestic Perfection: A Review of The Farmer’s Wife
I’ve heard it said, “Everyday do something that scares you.” . . .Or maybe I saw it on a cat poster. . . Where ever I came by it, it’s generally good advice, though I think the frequency is overstated. And what is scarier than public speaking? Jerry Seinfeld once made the joke that public … More Doing Something That Scares You
Every year in late May, I begin to watch antelope, paying close attention to the does who stay put rather than running from the sound of the approaching vehicle. I scan the grass, looking for the newborn fawn she’s protecting. It’s a ritual I began long before becoming a mother myself, and, actually, I think … More Tough Mothers
It’s that awkward time of year, that transition between winter and summer. Spring sounds like flowers and bunnies, but it’s actually alternating days of sunshine and snow. And mud. Lots of mud. I wear a sundress and sandals one day, a sweater and muckboots the next. Wardrobe complications are slightly annoying; work complications are … More Recollections in Tranquility
Another shearing is behind us, a year’s wool crop bagged and ready to ship. It’s one of my favorite ranch jobs, a chance to get my hands in the fleeces. I love any work involving our livestock, any chance to spend some time around the animals, but as a vegetarian, it’s the one thing we … More Raising Kids in a Barn
Vegetarian Ranchwife 