We’re taking a little blogging break through the rest of the year, but don’t worry we’ll be back in 2015! Check out our Facebook page for updates and holiday posts! Enjoy this season and time with your family!

~ The Idaho CattleWomen

One of the most special things I cherish with my 2 1/2 year old daughter is reading bedtime stories. I often think she will grow tired of it and refuse, but each night she has a lighted expression when I ask if she is ready to read books. Heck, if I can get away with it I may read her bed time stories until she graduates! We all know that is just a mom dreaming, but I will drag this shenanigan out as long as she will allow it. Our routine goes as follows: we march into her room, kick the cat out of the chair, she picks two or six books from an overflowing pile, then she chooses the order in which we read them. About a month ago she let ME pick out books, which of course are either approved or thrown out anyway, but I sure felt special! Finally, with Mesa on my lap, we fill the next 15-20 minutes with lovely stories. We have many favorite books but I have grouped a few that I am sure have passed the million times read milestone.

The neat thing about books is they all have a story besides the one that is written on their pages. Second hand books are especially my favorite. Many of Mesa’s have inscriptions on the inside cover that are addressed to friends or family, hand-me-downs from generations. There are even a few that have scribbles from when I was her age. One of her favorites (which I may have influenced) that is not pictured is The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Who doesn’t love that book?!

“Once there was a tree…… And she loved little boy. And every day the boy would come
And he would gather her leaves And make them into crowns and play king of the forest.
He would climb up her trunk And swing from her branches And when he was tired, he
would sleep in her shade. And the boy loved the tree…..Very much,
And the tree was happy.”

Now, sometimes there are circumstances that force a book to be removed from the pile of options. My own mother warned me about this, when she told me she almost had to hide One fish, Two fish, Red fish Blue fish from me as a child. That darn Fox in Sox book may just get the boot.

“Clocks on fox tick.
Clocks on Knox tock.
Six sick bricks tick.
Six sick chicks tock.”

Thankfully Mesa doesn’t choose it very often, but I will tell you it’s a tough read! It’s a thoroughly mental taxation that comes at the end of the day, no less. Sometimes I am tempted to get it for a baby shower gift just to spread the joy.

Although I was never the kid who read our high school geometry book front to back, I do believe there is some magic within these pages. The way a hard bound creaks as it’s opened, the musty smell of the pages, maybe some food droppings or a page corner folded, it is all irreplaceable. The probability of Mesa reading mostly online or from an electronic device as she grows up is very high, however I hope she will appreciate sitting down with ol’ Mom and reading from the tattered pages of a book.

Do you have a favorite book to read to your children? Or maybe a favorite book from your childhood? Please share!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Diana

Diana and her husband grew up farming and ranching. Now they own a crop and rangeland spraying business, and their own herd of cattle. Diana is a busy ranch wife and mom to a two-year-old little girl. When not helping with their spraying or cattle, she travels throughout north Idaho discussing feed programs with ranchers as a full-time feed consultant.

Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s Dec. 2, but there really is no denying the calendar. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating with family and friends. I always enjoy this season. The sights, smells and sounds of the holidays bring a smile to my face. And while I offer thanks and praises every day; it’s still nice to have a day completely dedicated to showing gratitude for our many blessings.

I am thankful for a strong family. Not only did I grow up with a large, supportive family, but I gained many wonderful people into my life when I married. Through good times and bad, we are in it together and committed to making it all work. It’s like that with so many of Idaho’s ranching families. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and visiting with them over a cup a coffee. They love the land, their animals and their families. And whatever life throws at them, they just get back up and keep fighting for what they believe in.

I am thankful for my husband and children. You never know how much you can love your spouse until you get all bundled up and go out to check heat on the cows in the middle of the night or help fix a fence in a blizzard because the cows got out (that was really early in our marriage). Our children provide us with moments of joy and laughter daily (and some times minutes of head shaking too). Truly though, I am thankful I get to be their mom because they continually inspire me to be better tomorrow than I am today. They are our future, our legacy.

I am thankful for my health. I know friends and family who are struggling now with various health setbacks, and I do not take for granted being physically fit and healthy. And beef is definitely part of my healthy lifestyle.

I am thankful to be part of a strong agriculture community. Being part of the food and fiber industry is not easy as so much is dependent on factors completely out of our control—like weather, markets and consumer demand. But I can’t think of an industry more noble or rewarding.

Speaking of what’s unpredictable. It snowed again here. Last week was quite mild, then boom, it’s winter again. Of all the weeks this month this was not the one my husband wanted snow. He’s been planning his schedule for breeding cows and this is the big week. He has done all the prep work, given the shots, synchronized them so they would come into heat at the same time, researched all the pedigrees, calculated the EPDs, purchased the bull semen, and spent many hours studying and planning. The weather is not on our side right now as it can affect the conception rate in cows. I’m hoping all his hard work will still pay off though. There is nothing so rewarding as seeing the new baby calves hit the ground (which will happen 9 months from now if all goes as planned).

But that is one thing with cattlemen and women. Even though the weather is not going as planned, we will still be thankful for the moisture. We will be thankful in all things—both big and small.

~ Maggie

Maggie and her husband raise their four children and registered cattle on his family’s southwest Idaho ranch. As a family, they enjoy sports, showing cattle, 4-H, church and other activities when not working on the ranch. She likes to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, shares her love of sweets through baking with her children, and has been known to start a DIY project every now and then. Sometimes she actually finishes one.

Every rancher we know has a plan—that outlined picture of what the future holds. Some people have it typed and saved on a hard drive, others pencil it out on paper-—or scribble it on a napkin—and yet others sketch their plans in their mind map. Whatever the case, we are all aware of what we’d like the future to look like. If we are really honest, we often have two plans—the practical plan and the “whoa, I’m dreaming big, baby!” plan. Usually we file the first and tuck away the second in our underwear drawer so no one will see our outlandish thoughts.

Recently, something happened in our own little world that defied both plans and made us stop and think: “What do we do with this?”

It isn’t on the plan—not even the wild plan. It feels like it’ll really make things better or spiral us toward the polar opposite.

Will it be like the time I lost my rope or saved a calf?

 

Often things come into our lives that we aren’t sure what to do with—and somehow our uncertainty seems to make us think we’ve failed. There should always be a plan, whether it is the normal one or the big one, right? Plans have always helped us, but they just can’t always be concrete. Life is bound to change; surprises happen. Sometimes it isn’t exactly a cut and dry answer that’s needed (Unless it can be fixed with duct tape or baling twine), as much as it is a process.

Truly ranching is a process and one that I’m thankful for regularly. As we celebrated Thanksgiving this week, thankfulness is on my mind. I love how producers help each other and share information. I treasure how friendships can be formed easily. I’m thankful for fresh air and animals. I’m grateful that even though plans change or get flipped upside down, we still have ranching. I’m thankful for everyday ideas and “Whoa, baby” big plans—and for the people in my life who appreciate both. As producers, we have a lot to be thankful for—both in industry standards and in each other. Here’s to dreaming big and flexible plans!

~ Marci

Marci is a city girl gone country. She married her cowboy and never looked back. While life may be different than what she first imagined, it’s also better than she expected as well. She and her husband are raising their three kids on the ranch, and she has grown used to all the boots by the door.

Last week, the Idaho Cattle Association held their annual Convention in Sun Valley. Cattle raising men and women from across the state came to mingle with old friends and learn new information. This year’s theme was “Not Your Grandad’s Industry,” representing that things have progressed a long way since the days of our grandparents. As I walked around and chatted with my fellow ranch girl counterparts, one thing stood out in my mind—these cattlewomen are not taking cues from their grandma’s closet!

Ranch women are plagued with the stereotype of someone whose only outfit consists of a button up shirt, high-waist Wranglers, and a hair kerchief. However, in the two days I spent in Sun Valley, there was no plaid, no kerchiefs, and the Wranglers I saw had plenty of bling. Ok, that’s a bit of a lie. I wore plaid; but it had sequins. I’ll be the first to tell you, my Grandma Marie never wore sequins with her plaid, so I think I’m in the clear.

When it comes down to it, the cattlewomen of Idaho are a stylish group of ladies, and the rest of this post will do nothing but prove that fact. Unfortunately my phone was dead most of the day on Monday, so the only outfits I got a chance to document came from Tuesday. I missed a couple of great ones, including fellow ICW bloggers, Jayme Thompson, who wore the most beautiful braided scarf, accompanied by a gorgeous pair of Stetson boots, and Julie Kerner, who looked stunning in an Aztec print dress—with sequins. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

~ J