Winter on the Ranch

This is my happy place. Ranch wife, ranch mama. Raising cows and a feral ranch baby on the shores of the Laramie River. Every once in a while, we wake up to a blanket of white. Whether this be ice or snow, it always brings the illusion of a snow globe. Our ranch house is tucked down by itself in this beautifully serene valley which makes it seem like our own little world. Especially when the snow or fog settles in around us. We watch the weather fairly close around here. Not only for the sake of all our animals, but also for travelling purposes. Anywhere we have to go around here, we have to drive. We are 15 minutes away from the nearest town. (Here in Wyoming, we measure distances in minutes, not miles).

When we check the weather and see that we are expecting snow, ice or extreme cold in the forecast, my husband will often make sure everything is all ready for the potential storm. This includes making sure our fuel truck is full. This is a pickup truck that has 2, 110-gallon fuel tanks in the bed that we keep our fuel in for the ranch. This fuel can be used to fuel up other vehicles, tractors, ATVs and even our generators if needed during a storm or power outage. He also makes sure the water tanks are full down at the barn. That way, the animals, horses, goats, barn cats and the occasional pet cow are able to get to water if they need it. While he is doing this, he makes sure the tank heaters are plugged in and working so that the water in the tanks don’t freeze. This keeps us from having to break the ice on the tanks for the animals. On the flip side, he makes sure the heaters in the wells are working so that we have water, even in the coldest weather. He also makes sure all the water hoses are drained and ready to use if needed. Next, he makes sure the hay is all ready to go. Our cows certainly know where home is and during any inclement weather, and they always make their way home during a storm. I always joke that they know where the “candy man” lives! We also can’t really use the saying, till the cows come home around here, because they come home all the time!

We both try to make sure we are fully stocked on any food or provisions we would need during the storm. Where we live, the two roads out of the ranch to town are prone to drifting snow, so after the ditches fill with snow, any wind we get with storms can cause some extreme drifting! Sometimes, it can take days to clear the roads so that they are passable. Where we live, down in the river valley, there are very few other houses nearby so when we get drifted in, it's almost 100% of the time just us down in this valley while the roads are closed. This winter will look a little bit different for us as we will need to make sure we are stocked up on formula, baby food, baby water and other baby essentials before any storms. Most of our baby essentials have to come from online, so we usually keep pretty well stocked. I am also looking forward for little miss to experience her first big snow that sticks around. Growing up in Northern Wyoming, I absolutely love snow and storms. I understand why it isn’t liked in the agricultural and ranching communities, especially the spring snow storms that bring a lot of wet, heavy snow during calving season, but on the flip side, the moisture is always welcome and too often than not, needed severely. Thankfully, where our ranch is situated, we have some hills filled with cedar trees and our mama cows know to take shelter in these hills behind our ranch house. Especially when they have calves at their side.

Once the storm is here, my husband continues to check on the wells, water tanks and heaters to make sure everything is staying thawed and ready to go in a pinch. We try to wait until the storm has passed before feeding hay to the cattle. This helps keep them sheltered in the hills until the worst is over and it also helps to not have the hay covered with snow while they are trying to eat. Sometimes, it isn’t possible to do this as storms can last days, but it is what we try for. The cows will usually come down by the house when they are ready for hay. Then, it's easy to be able to get the tractor going and our truck with a bale bed and head down to the haystack to pick up the hay and then the short drive out to our feed grounds. I love helping to feed because the cows always get super excited and seem so happy when they know that food is coming! Below is the first bale of hay that I ever picked up with the bale bed. I was so proud of myself, and I had to get a picture of it to remember it always!

Every once in a while, we lose power during the snow and ice storms. It’s rare but does happen. When we do lose power, my husband has everything all ready to go so that we are not without heat for too long. He fires up the generator, plugs our heat system into it and voila… we have heat! This is especially important now that we have a little one to keep warm. When it was just my husband and myself, we used to just start up the fire in the fireplace and camp out in the living room for the night, but I've got to say, it is very nice having heat to the whole house now that we have a baby. We light candles and have other sources of battery powered lights that we use, too. If you make the most of it, it can make for some romantic suppers! At that point, other than to check the generator off and on, we basically just hunker down and make sure to keep the doors closed on the fridge and freezers. My husband also makes it a priority to snow blow an area in the front yard for our dachshund when the snow gets too deep for her to walk through! You can tell how much she appreciates it and its cute watching her run around in her little cleared off area!

When I travelled for work, knowing the storms could close the two ways into the ranch added a whole new element of stress to my commute. My husband would do a great job of keeping me informed throughout my days and if he felt like the roads were headed toward being impassable, he would let me know so that I could start my trek home. I’ve only had one close call since I moved here. It was a harrowing drive home and it made me realize that no job is worth risking your life over. I did end up getting stuck on the roadway and had to call my husband to come rescue me. But this princess isn’t the wait around to be rescued type and with a little engineering and the pickup in 4-low, I was able to get myself out of the snow drift and met him up the road a ways with the tractor. From that time moving forward, I was a bit more cautious about the road conditions that I was willing to drive on. When I found out I was pregnant, I became even more cautious. I was no longer just responsible for myself. I now had another human being that I was responsible for. My little one’s safety became the number one priority. I am so thankful that I am able to stay at home with her and I don’t have to be hauling her back and forth to daycare while I go to work. So many of the roads around here don’t even have cell phone service, which adds a whole other level of insecurity to the drives!

My favorite type of meals that I like to make when it is snowy are crockpot meals. They are always warm and super easy. From chili, soups and stews to a good old pot roast or chicken dinner, they are all our favorites, and I love when I get the opportunity to throw something in the crockpot for supper. I'll include my husband's favorite crock pot recipe below. Of course, we use our home-grown beef as much as we can in the recipes that I make. I don't know about y'all, but I love being able to throw ingredients in a crock pot, turn it on and not think about it all day. The ability to have supper finished before 9 in the morning is so awesome, especially for busy stay at home mamas. Let me know if you have any tried-and-true crock pot recipes that your family loves! I'd love to hear about them. Stay safe and stay warm, everyone! This is the Laramie River Ranch Wife, signing off… From my happy place.

From My Kitchen to Yours:

Slow Cooker Pot Roast:

4-5 pound beef roast

1 1/2 pounds red or gold potatoes

1 pound baby carrots

1 pound button portabella mushrooms

1 packet slow cooker pot roast seasoning

1 packet brown gravy mix

1 packet onion soup mix

2 - 3 cups beef broth

Turn slow cooker on high. Cut potatoes in half. Place in a slow cooker. Place carrots in slow cooker. Place pot roast on top of veggies. Sprinkle packet of pot roast seasoning, brown gravy mix and onion soup mix on top of the pot roast. Pour 2 - 3 cups beef broth over the pot roast. Cook on high for 1 hour. Turn to low and cook for 6 to 7 hours. Meat is done when it shreds and falls off the bone. About 30 - 40 minutes before eating, remove the pot roast from slow cooker and remove any bones and excess fat. Shred the remaining beef and return to the slow cooker. Place button mushrooms without stems in the slow cooker and cook for 30 - 40 additional minutes. Enjoy!

TIP: You can add chunks of onion with the potatoes and carrots. You also can omit the potatoes and serve over mashed potatoes with beef gravy.