A Moment of Silence & A Breath of Fresh Air

This is my happy place. Ranch wife, ranch mama. Raising cows and a feral ranch baby on the shores of the Laramie River. Grief takes many forms. And every person deals with it in their own way and on their own time. Ranch life brings its own amount of grief. Animals don't live forever and many die before they have even had time to get started. Whether it be losing an animal to old age, a calf to scours or a yearling to an unknown illness, each one hits me hard. We do everything we can to prolong their time here on earth, but sometimes there just isn't anything we can do. I find solace in the fact that no matter what, I know that they were loved and well taken care of here at the ranch.

Then there is grief over the loss of a loved one. Sometimes the loss can be expected, and you have had time to prepare yourself. Other times, it comes as a complete and total shock. Those are the times when you may start questioning everything. Again, this ranch has seen its fair share of loss. My husband took over the ranch in 2014 when his dad died suddenly. It hasn't been easy, but my husband stepped up at a young age and has made the most of the ranch! He ensured it became a Centennial ranch and reached that 100-year mark. And then in 2022, my husband lost his ranch hand and best friend to a tragic tractor accident. Even though it's hard to put one foot in front of the other during these times, as a ranch, the work never ends and the show must go on.

The past week has been tough for me. I spoke too soon in my last blog, and I am devastated to report that we lost my uncle on May 15th. He did make it home from the hospital, if only for a couple minutes. I am thankful he got to see his cat and his home one more time. I had the honor and privilege to get to write his obituary. He and I were very close before I moved to the ranch and we spent tons of time playing frisbee golf, eating tacos and just having great conversations. Having the chance to look back on his life and write about him truly helped me to process his death. He will be missed daily, but I am so glad he is no longer suffering.

One thing that has gotten me through my grief is my daily reminder that new life will always be here on our ranch. We have so many new calves, including 2 in our front pasture. Seeing this helps to soften my heart and heals me in ways that I don't even understand. During a ride with my daughter in the side by side a couple days ago to check calves, we came upon the most wonderful bald eagle. He sat high in a tree on the river, and it was almost as if he wanted us to drive up to see him. Once we took a photo, we moved along the river to continue our drive. This eagle took flight after us and circled above us for over a half an hour while we finished our drive. My uncle was an avid bird watcher, and he loved searching for and watching the eagles in Sheridan. It felt like he was here with us while we drove around the ranch that day. And I felt an immense amount of peace after this encounter.

We are on our way into a busy holiday weekend, and we are expected to have a house full of family! Multiple BBQs and lots of fun should be had by all! I can't wait to share with you all the fun and food we will have! This is the Laramie River Ranch Wife, signing off...from my happy place.