I think that it is natural for consumers to automatically think that they farmers and ranchers must be living “high on the hog”, no pun intended. But really that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Last week our kindergartener had a show and tell assignment where the kids were asked to bring something that they were thankful for and they must be ready to tell the class 3 things about that item. When I asked our kindergartener what she was going to take, without skipping a beat she said she was going to take her cowgirl hat. I thought, hmmm, that is interesting. So I asked her why choose her cowgirl hat? She said because I am so thankful that God made me a cowgirl.

Last week our kindergartener had a show and tell assignment where the kids were asked to bring something that they were thankful for and they must be ready to tell the class 3 things about that item. When I asked our kindergartener what she was going to take, without skipping a beat she said she was going to take her cowgirl hat. I thought, hmmm, that is interesting. So I asked her why choose her cowgirl hat? She said because I am so thankful that God made me a cowgirl.

Tonight our girls have their 4-H Achievement Night to wrap up their 4-H year. Then this weekend we have some fence that needs put up around cornstalks so we better take advantage of the decent weather while it is holding out. There are never enough hours of daylight and honestly, we know that we will just end up working in the dark this time of year.

When you are a rancher, you are married to this life, in sickness and in health. There are no “sick days” to call in. Just days where I may not move as swiftly as others.

Now that the cards are dealt and the new Fisher/Grassley bill has been put on the table, it is easy to see, we have been duped. This should be called the “compromised bill” because that is exactly what this bill does, it compromises our future in the cattle industry and sets a dangerous precedence to regionalize our country when regarding other future laws.

More trucks rolled in yesterday. The pairs that we had sent north for the summer returned to our home place. Maybe it’s just me but I swear as those trucks round the corner a mile from my yard, I can hear the ole girls belting out a little Ozzy, “Momma, Momma I’m coming home!”

Karina Jones is a real-life ranch wife in the Nebraska Sandhills and one of the most highly sought-after speakers in the cattle industry nationwide!

Speaking of new... We have had an extreme corral makeover project going on the last few weeks, replacing the rickety wood posts and rotting fence from our working facilities that are under the most pressure when processing calves. It was beyond time.

Do we have any Yellowstone fans listening? Before I go further, I will admit, I’m not like a super-hot fan girl. I have my own cowboy and live this life every day, in a way less romantic, more wind and dirt kind of way, but I do like analyzing the hype.