Well I just found this ole goodie. I wrote it when we Spencer first moved to Nevada and must have forgotten to post it. It happens……. A LOT more often than I would like to admit. But here you go, I enjoyed it just as much now as I did when I wrote it.
The last few months have been a whirlwind. With the hubby’ s new cowboying adventures, we have embarked on this new chapter of life. Needless to say it has been an exciting few months. School got out the end of May, and I made my journey to Smith Valley, Nevada. Boy is it beautiful- the sunsets, valleys, cattle, etc. Breathtaking to say the least.
The first week was met with wifely duties- painting, grocery shopping, and the magic that surrounds turning a strange house into “our home”. That was shortly halted when The BOSS came home one evening, that first week of June, and said the famous phrase “I need your help tomorrow”. There I stand in the kitchen cooking dinner wondering………… do I get excited or …………. Let’s be honest I GOT EXCITED!
With how busy spring got with school and FFA, I was accepting of the challenge. I was looking forward to working on my roping skills and getting to spend some much needed time in the saddle! So it began, pairing up, sorting and the well known SHIPPING SEASON! Summer leases were ready for cattle and the summer turnout commenced. Early mornings, long sleeve shirts, thermoses of coffee, it was day in and day out of this routine for about three weeks. I quickly learned that my “California” ways don’t exactly work out here when you are 5000 feet closer to the sun. In some places 10,000 feet closer to the sun. My tank tops were soon replaced with long sleeve shirts, and sunblock became my BEST FRIEND! Oh and chapstick, lots and lots of chapstick!
But besides the sun and a sore behind at first, the days were long
and FUN. One day though makes me laugh more than others. We were pairing up heifers and his mare just wasn’t quite cutting the mustard for him. So he and I switched horses. Now mind you- my stirrups don’t go long enough for him and well, his the exact opposite, don’t go quite short enough for me. But none the less the job must be done. We got near the end of the day and were about done pairing off. We noticed a slick calf in the bunch and he needed to be roped and put in another pasture. So Spencer headed this calf, no big deal. I came in behind to heel, no big deal………. except this time I was using HIS rope, saddle, and horse. That’s when I decided using someone else’s rope is like wearing another person’s underwear. So I trotted up there, with more coils then would fit in my left hand, built a loop, threw a trap, had two hind feet, pulled my slack, went to the horn……….. WAIT WHERE IS THE HORN……………… definitely not where MY horn usually is! Thank goodness I finally found it dallied and got the calf shut done. When all was said and done, we walked back to the pick-up and had a good laugh. If you have never used another person’s rope or saddle, just wear their underwear. It’s about the same I imagine. Not that I have ever worn someone else’s underwear, but if I did, it would be like using another person’s rope!
As I look back on the last few weeks it’s definitely been a lot of different “underwears” to say the least. New place, new cattle, new people………… but before long its begun to feel like our own. Life is merely a book of unwritten chapters. We are blessed enough to write our own. This has definitely been a chapter of firsts for us and we are excited to keep the pages coming. So here’s to roping in your own saddle and wearing your own underwear! Keep on keeping on, and when you can remember to dally!