Unplugged and Eight Extra Legs Under My Table at 4 am

   I’ve been away for a bit. Not  away, away. I’ve been here, but  our  Internet has been down for 12 days. Right after my last post, the Internet quit. Later, I realized the TV was out too. The roofers were shoveling  4 layers of old shingles off of the roof…right onto our satellite dishes. :)

 We’re not big TV watchers so that wasn’t a big deal, and even the Internet isn’t a big deal, but being without it made us realize how much we depend on it. We couldn’t check the weather or get any news and I felt lost without checking in with y’all. Only learned about the Oklahoma tornado from one of the crew on Tuesday morning.  Those poor people. I cannot imagine. We don’t see people on a day to day basis out here so we tend to rely on the Internet for our news.

 After 3 days, we did get the DISH technician out so we had TV for news. Found out we were in the path of some severe weather that included hail. Half finished roof plus hail does not make for a good combination. Thankfully, we were spared the hail, but sadly, we didn’t get any rain either. All of you in Texas who are soaked…let’s dig a ditch to NM. I’ll start from this end.

Our Internet was another story. We have Hughes Net. It’s our only option out here. I used up all my cell phone minutes chatting with the lovely representatives in India. Still no Internet. Nuff said. 12 days later, and another $100 tacked on to the phone bill and we're finally up and running.

We branded 2 days the week the roofers were here and had a small crew. Just  5 men. Not a big deal, but that 3:30 wakeup call is getting harder and harder to obey.  After cooking for a crew for 26 years, I have a system. I know what they like and how much they eat and no one goes hungry…except maybe this morning. We’re not working tomorrow so I planned everything just right. I finished up a lot of stuff. Cracked the last egg (with just enough for scrambling, plus a few for the blueberry muffins, and 4 left for a chile rellenos casserole); used the last of the bacon and sausage and hash brown potatoes. Last piece of bread for toast too. Then the neighbors walk in the door…4 of them. Suddenly, my 5 for breakfast turned into 9. DH didn’t have them scheduled until the 30^th. Oops! LOL. Um…think fast.  Grab those 4 eggs and dig very deep into the freezer for a package with 4 pieces of bacon left. Have just enough coffee left for a few more pots. Gather more chairs… and silverware and plates and cups and pull out the table to put in an extra leaf.

 I saw the crew watching me. I think they were wondering if I was going to blow. LOL. Honestly, I just laughed and dusted off the initial surprise and made due. What kind of ranch wife would I be if I didn’t? If you’re planning on being a ranch wife, flying by the seat of your pants is a skill I highly recommend, and add in a dose of humor. It’ll serve you well on a daily basis. At dinner I was highly praised for not coming unglued. 

 Poor DH had to quickly change his schedule around too. The day before, he had hauled the branding rig to the pens where they were going to work and I was going to drop the crew and their horses in another pasture. We didn’t need a big crew for what he had planned so he quickly changed things up to take advantage of more help. Oye! It was a little like Keystone Cops in my tiny kitchen for a while.

To top it all off, a little critter jumped out of my apron when I pulled it from the hook on the wall. He looked like this:

Sorry fella…you are not invited to breakfast this morning.

I had already made up a big pan of chicken enchiladas and a berry pie for dessert the day before. With 4 extra, I had to expand my menu. I was already fixing a salad, and a big pot of beans, and homemade rolls, and Pico de Gallo. There is a really nice family at our North Camp and when Jake left after breakfast he whispered, “Kassie’s up and planning on making a trip to town if you need anything.” Dear man…married to a dear wife who picked up some apples and orange juice for me to make a big pan of Spiced Apple Twists to serve with ice cream for dessert. I was trying to think of something that didn’t require eggs since I had used my last one. Then I went out to the coop and sweet talked the chickens into laying me just 2 eggs in time for me to make a different chile rellenos casserole. I bribed them with the promise of watermelon later in the day, and a few minutes later I ran to the house with 2 eggs. Good girls!

Heck, there’s always room for one more around here…or 2…or 3….or 4! Just don't judge my gray hair...I earned every one.