I saw a similar list for farm wives in our old family cookbook and was inspired to write one for this ranch wife and I thought this would be a good day to do so. 1, 5, and 10 are from the original list, but I wrote the others. I could easily have made it a list of 20 commandments. It was hard to keep it to 10.
10 Commandments of a Ranch Wife
1. Thou shalt not sort cattle with your hands in your pockets (husbands and cattle don't like it)
2. Thou shalt cook meals that can be served 1 hour early or 3 hours late for a dozen men, improvise when the electricity goes out in the middle of cooking breakfast for the branding crew, and whip up extra when 4 of the neighbors show up at 4 a.m. for breakfast to help brand on the wrong day.
3.Thou shalt be ready, willing, and able at the drop of a hat when your husband walks in and says, "Honey, I could use your help", even if you're putting the baby down for a nap or stepping out of the shower.
4. Thou shalt love the smell of rain, not fuss about mud in the house, saddle up at 5 a.m. when it's 20 degrees, paint cattle guards when it is 120 degrees, be willing to help pull a windmill when the wind is howling at 40 mph, and blow dry a newborn calf brought into the house during a blizzard.
5. Thou shalt be inspired to see the sun rise and relieved to see it set.
6.Thou shalt always be willing to open gates, close gates, fix gates, and guard gates.
7. Thou shalt thrill at the sight of a newborn calf, the sight of a new tractor, and the sight of your husband riding up on that young colt an hour after dark after telling you he'd be back by 2.
8. Thou shalt cherish meals together, mend fence together, clean out water troughs together, gather - sort - brand - and doctor cattle together, pull windmills together, fix leaks and plumb pipeline together, repair water gaps together, drench sick cattle together and know you are blessed.
9. Thou shalt pray without ceasing...and for rain...always.
10. Thou shalt be exalted by the hand on your shoulder, tender kiss to your forehead, and these four precious words...thanks for your help.
11 comments:
Perfect list!
Well said!
I can't remember when I found your blog and started reading, but I've enjoyed every post
yes yes yes anyone who lived on a place that had cows understands the "open gates, close gates, fix gates and guard gates". how many hours have women stood by a open gate waiting in the hot sun or drizzling rain?
I was almost crying on that last one. You are amazing!
Great post, again. Some of the things you mentioned are just plain fun to do. City life just can't hold a candle to living in the country on a ranch.
What a great list! I am so grateful that My Cowboy never fails to thank me for my help, even when I don't feel like I was any help. And it is definitely a relief to see him come riding back, late, when he said he'd be back way earlier -- my poor nerves some days! This list also made me feel a bit guilty for grouching about those dang gates some days -- haha! And I feel super blessed that I don't have to cook for a large crew! Happy blogiversary!
and coming from someone who grew up on a dairy farm. Thou shall willing hand milk the dairy cows when the power has been out for days because of downed power lines due to snow and ice.
Amen to all that. I married a city boy, but have lived on a ranch and watched my mother. So many blessings...
Some of those things on the list I miss and some not so much. One on mine would be.....Willing to go put out salt and mineral with a hand drawn map on the back of an envelope (Which I still have) and him coming to look for me because I was late.
What a list, Karin! Lots of work, lots of love, and lots of blessings in that list. They give us non-ranchers a bit of insight into what your life is like. I think you should share the second 10 commandments, too.
I would also say AMEN to your list and don't wait another 10 years to give us the next 10 commandments :)
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