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Galatea
10 miles from town 20 miles from home Galatea Old run down buildings, only the foundation crumbles left to commemorate the history of that time, was our marker to turn home on dirt roads. Thirty miles was a long ways for most kids to travel for school, but there was no traffic. Only corn fields…
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Cowpokes Who Cry Preview
I cringed, sympathy pain for the cow that was being lifted into the air by our HydraBed pickup. The chain hooked up to her allowed us to maneuver the cow who’d just given birth. A prolapsed birth. Her entire uterus was on the outside of her body now. The sex education I received on the…
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Thank a rancher…
You may often see me on here talking about my respect for all life on Earth. Taking care of baby calves was an experience that left a lasting impression on me. These animals will grow and ultimately be slaughtered one day for meat and other animal products. But… Regardless, they deserve a happy and healthy…
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Be the bridge, not the gate…
It isn’t a question that the ranch shaped me into the woman I am today, but when followers first stumble upon my page I think there can be some confusion. I no longer reside on a ranch, and my husband and I work with people, not cows. But, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still a…
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We can do hard things…
Written by: Tayla Waite “I can’t wear this cowboy hat. I haven’t earned it.” I said these words to my husband Chance, who I was dating at the moment. He screwed a felt hat on my head the first time I helped move cattle horseback after moving to the ranch. We trailed pairs six miles…
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Who’s Watching?
This story is based on true events. Wait! Have you read part two, Ghost Riders? My sister and I sat on the floor of our new modular home floor playing with Bratz dolls. It was an October evening, Dad was working in the shop about 200 yards away from our new humble abode. It had…
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The Unrelenting World
The cowpoke I became in God’s Country is part of my identity that I will never lose. This version of myself is with me as I walk the world, and she is always standing guard, waiting for the moment that I need her the most. The day my boys were born she cinched her britches…
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The hat that you wear…
The cowboy hat… Shade from the sun, protection from the elements, a symbol of the American west, rests on the heads of many cowboys and cowgirls. Cowboy hats come in different shapes and sizes, different colors and materials. The cattleman, the Gus, the half taco, the full taco, the gambler, straw, felt, wool, 4.5 inch…
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Once a Cowpoke, always a Cowpoke…
Floriculture, zoology, rock collecting, scrap-booking, archery shooting, goat herding, rabbit herding, reading, drawing, treasure hunting, fishing, movies, sewing, baking, cooking, welding, bullet reloading, riding scooters, riding bikes, roller skating, dinosaurs, history… This is a short list of the interests I had as a kid. What the hell happened to me? After I graduated college I…
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Two Fathers
“Come on Pokey!” Dad shouted at me from across the pasture. “I’m hurrying!” I shouted from my seat on my old gelding named 202. The truth is, I was doing something far from “hurrying.” Cowpokes like me never take their seasoned ponies out of 4-low. The diaper bag and our water bottles that hung secured…