The last month has been a whirlwind!!

We finally saw the sun about four weeks ago after a winter to end all winters! We had snow through the end of April. We were beginning to wonder if Montana would ever get above 30 degrees again.

Then bam! Here came warm temps and the spring works were underway. Plus, we calve in April and May. Then there are track meets, school programs, and this year–our oldest daughter graduated from Montana State University and will be headed to Kansas for veterinary school.

It’s a new adventure for her–she doesn’t know anyone in her new hometown, but God led her there, so He will be providing friendships. She has friends about 4 hours away, so I imagine on long weekends, she’ll skip over to see them.

Really, it’s a new adventure for us as well. We’ve been in the zone of raising a family and a herd, so we’ve been excited to see new parts of the country. And let me just say–the parts of Kansas we’ve seen are beautiful. Granted, I love my mountains and the flats seem to go on and on when you’re driving cross country, but the rolling green hills and the sunsets–well, it’s quite exquisite. We prayed for the drought to end as we traveled across the miles–and on our way home, the rain began to pour. I sure hope it continues and spreads across Oklahoma, Missouri, and beyond.

Anyone else experiencing new adventures? Spring is a time for rebirth–so may blessings abound as we consider the new mercies of every day.

Last time I wrote, my husband had just broken bones and had surgery. What most of you want to know is:

Is he a good patient?

In the past, I would’ve grimaced and struggled to spit out a congenial answer. Today, I’m happy to report that he is a good patient.

Yes, there were days when pride frustrated him because he couldn’t saddle his own horse. (Of course he still rode–is that even a question? He’s a good rider on a horse that shares his personality, so it worked out.) He wanted to lift something heavy or pick up a shovel, but couldn’t because he’d reinjure his arm. However, he didn’t complain about pain. He wanted it healed in two days, but he followed the doctor’s orders so he would heal in due time.

He had his follow-up x-ray last week and the break is healed! He still has to work on mobility because of damage to ligaments and tendons, but he’s been using his hand and he’s happy.

We are also pleased to report that fall works went well last week–the calves are vaccinated and gaining nicely. The weather has been beautiful–no snow! It’s so nice to give shots and keep records without also trying to manage gloves. If you’ve done this before, you know that gloves can slow down the process. It was the calves first time through the chute and a few were tentative, but for the most part, they did well. There’s always that one that tries to turn around…

The cows are grazing in front of the house now and it is always a gift to drive home and see them in the field. There’s something about happy cows on good pasture that warms the heart.

We have a home.

It’s been a long road, but we are settling.

We found a ranch to work with in southwest Montana. We are only an hour away from where we lived before. It is a beautiful setting, but the house needed a lot of work. We ripped out carpets and painted before we moved. There will be clean up projects around the yard and shop for awhile, but we’ve made a nice dent in clean up. We’ve taken several loads to the dump.

It’s been an intense 6 weeks–a rollercoaster of emotions and a lot of work. We have been sad about leaving, excited about a new place, and tired.

Those of you who have moved a ranch before know it is different than selling a house and moving. While moving is exhausting in and of itself, when you have equipment to move or sell, a barn to relocate and critters to transport, it can be a lot of moving parts. While we were once beyond excited about moving south, I suppose not moving so far away was easier. There were a few trips where I simply put pictures or lamps in the back of the rig and brought them over without boxing them up.

I spent a couple weeks really missing our old home. I didn’t want to write about it because I had poured so much into it. Yet, I am content where I am right now. It was gross at first, so I think that’s why I was sad, but as we clean it up and put some love into it, it is feeling homier. Plus, we’ve already met some really nice people.

Friends, home is where you have people to love and that love you. Home is a place we create.

Thanks for joining us on this journey. It’s been a ride!

We had a plan.

You ever have a plan?

Yeah, a plan. That we thought was divine–literally and figuratively. We thought we were doing what God wanted for us and I thought I’d have this amazing news to share.

I was waiting to share it because we were waiting to cross what we thought was the final T.

And then…Road Block.

It didn’t happen.

We sold our house, our cows, our equipment because we were so excited about a possibility in a different state and we needed to be ready to roll. Long story short, we prepared for a situation we thought was concrete and it wasn’t.

It messed with us a little bit. We were SO disappointed.

After a bit of time of grieving, we are looking at new options. It feels different because we spent so many months picturing something else. However, God is always good. The way He does things may surprise us, but He never leaves us. He has something good–for all of us! You, too!

Since we are back in the preliminary stages of options, I can’t reveal much info about possibilities yet. But they are out there! And they are new things to be excited about.

When we sold our ranch, we didn’t do it out of necessity. We were making money. Managing well. It was about an opportunity to be involved in something bigger than ourselves and to help others. We still want to do this and are starting on a very exciting opportunity that I can’t wait to tell you about.

Sometimes road blocks lead to detours that are just as amazing or better than the original route. I will update you soon. In the meantime, what road blocks have you encountered that led to something good?

When my husband was working ranches early in our marriage, I knew moving was part of the deal. Cowboys often move, but I thought once we started our own production, that would stop.

I’m a girl who loves roots. Deep roots. As in, I have wished we had land that was handed down, complete with the house my grandmother was born in. However, this has not been our experience. I am not upset that hasn’t been our path, but I have daydreamed about what that would be like to have that kind of heritage.

However, I have heard the stories about my grandmother’s family traveling from Missouri to Montana, hoping to find land. Their path was hard. They made a difficult journey and things never really got “easy”. My grandmother’s family had sheep and some cows, but they mostly farmed. I don’t think they had much land. Anything they had was gone before my dad came along and from then on, everyone worked in town.

When I think of people traveling in the 1800’s and early 1900’s to find a better way, it impresses me. Many people moved 100 miles away from family and never saw their family again. Others moved across the US for “free” land or the hopes of having something of their own. Their tenacity is commendable.

Our current culture isn’t doing that kind of moving anymore–exploring unexplored land or mining in the hopes of striking it rich are gone. However, I think we still long for more, for something better. Those of us who have started out on our own in agriculture certainly look for new opportunities.

A new opportunity brought us to our place here in Montana.

A new opportunity will take us to another place.

I will tell more later, but for now, what I can say is: We are moving again. We sold our little ranch.

I’m sad. I’m sad we aren’t staying here forever. YET–we can’t stay in the same place if God’s plans are for moving on.

I’ve poured my heart into this place. It was in need of so much TLC. We gutted the house, refenced the place, built new gates, etc…only the exterior of the buildings stayed the same–well, except for some paint.

Making a home is part of my DNA. I want a place where people feel welcome. I want to pour into my community. Hopefully we’ve done that and will do it again.

I’m also excited. We are on an adventure. A big adventure with many unknowns–not to mention Covid unknowns! We look forward to being a part of something new again and hopefully the love we poured into the place we are leaving will be felt by the new owners.

Fortunately, we get to stay until our middle daughter graduates in May. We have a few months. I’ll be in touch.

Anyone want to guess where we will land?

God has a plan!