Welcome to the Ranch!

Every summer my two nephews from Oklahoma come and stay a week on the ranch.  They are 10 and 8 years old, which are great ages for exploring and enjoying the outdoors.  Their ages also fit in nicely with my five children, whose ages range from 15 to 3.  Whenever we have visitors, it is fun to see the ranch through their eyes.  My kids especially like to show-off the fun that our ranch has to offer.

Whether you call it hiking, exploring, or walking, being able to enjoy the countryside is certainly a pleasant experience.  In the cool of the morning or the evening is when we like to talk a walk.  Who needs a park when you have creeks to cross, hills to climb, vines to swing on, and tanks to wade in?  From open pastures to the deep woods, there is plenty to find, observe, and see.

Watching nature from the cabin is another delight to any visitor.  It is birthing season for the deer right now.  We have a deer feeder stocked with corn for our favorite wild animals in a bottom pasture.  Getting to see the baby fawns with their mothers is a joy.  Barn swallows have built a nest on my front porch.  They have raised four baby birds, which are just about ready to leave the nest.

The kids on horseback stumbled upon a spot where the feral hogs have been keeping cool during this extreme drought.  I guess I should say that the horses found it.  The horses began snorting, whinnying, and prancing around, which was odd behavior for them.  The kids looked closer and found a sow and several piglets bedded down and sleeping.  Fortunately, our children left them alone and told us.  We know where to place a live trap for the hogs now.

The boys slept outside on the deck.  Falling asleep while stargazing is always peaceful and enjoyable.  We have not had rain so mosquitoes are not a concern; however, a campfire was completely out of the question.  The nighttime sounds on the ranch are usually pleasant.  The croaking of the tree frogs, the occasional hoot of an owl, and the gentle swaying of the pine boughs in the breeze all act as a lullaby.  Partly due to the activity of the day and partly due to the coolness of the evening, all the boys slept nice and sound.

As with most visitors on the ranch, we include you in the daily chores.  My nephews enjoyed checking on the herd, feeding them alfalfa cubes, and feeding the horses.  One nephew and my son helped my husband and I pen up a steer that found itself on the wrong side of the fence.  He was in my neighbors pasture.  Luckily, it did not require much encouragement to get him in the correct pasture.  After that, they helped us weigh all of the calves in our grass fed beef program.  My nephew was quite impressed with the scale on the chute.

I don’t know who is going to be more sad when the week is up and life has to return back to normal, my boys or my nephews.  We have completely enjoyed visiting with our extended family members.  We have enjoyed including them in our ranch life.  They have visited, played, worked together, and enjoyed the outdoors.  Hopefully they will always look fondly on these days when they grow up into adulthood.  Weeks like this are the ties that bind a family together.  May you and your family have similar summer experiences.

As our Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it is normal to look back and count your blessings.  2010 has been a good year for Cross Creek Cattle Company.  Many great things have happened this year with our ranch and family, but the good events have been intermingled with sadness and heart break.  The roller coaster of life has taken our family on a honest to goodness ride.

With both the ups and downs, we try to “give thanks in all circumstances.”  We strive to have hearts full of gratitude regardless of our situation.  It is not always easy, but it helps to focus on the positive.  Therefore, I am going to share with you the top 10 best things that happened at Cross Creek Cattle Company this year.

The Best of 2010 Top Ten List
for Cross Creek Cattle Company

10.  We have seen a quail, turkey, and wolf in the wild.  One of our goals is to encourage wildlife to live in their natural habitat.
9.  Our show heifer won her class at the Grimes County fair.
8.  We are sought out for advice by other ranches about the grass fed business.  We are happy to help in any way we can.
7.  Our cows gave birth to healthy calves.  We did not lose one or have to doctor any.
6.  In preparation for winter, our hay barns are full of freshly cut bales.
5.  Cross Creek Cattle Company was the subject of an article in Country World magazine.
4.  We had more rainfall than last year’s drought.
3.  We are thankful for the two new barns that were built on the ranch this past year.
2.  Our grass fed customers gave us great feedback on our beef.
1.  We are still a family-owned and operated business and proud of it.

Family is one of the most important things to us.  It is what life is about.  Even though we lost some members of our family this year, we are grateful that we have a close-knit family on which to lean.  From our family to yours, we wish you a very “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Kyla and Will

Everyone in my family loves this ranch.  My husband and I got married here.  My brother comes as often as he can.  It has a special place in our hearts.   My dad and his wife throw birthday parties, barbecues, and other social events at their cabin.  Some of the get-togethers are planned and some spontaneously happen.  At times, the latter are more fun.

The other day my brother, his wife, and their infant son came for a visit.  They originally wanted to go fishing, but stopped by my house to say hello first.  Then all of us went to the cabin to visit.  We were having  such a nice conversation that before we knew it Daddy was grilling hamburgers.  My mouth is watering just thinking about how delicious they were.  Fishing was forgotten somewhere between the conversation and lunch.  As the temperature climbed during the day, we were cool and comfortable all seated under a ceiling fan on the front porch of the cabin.

Soon in the shade of the tall pine trees, a game of horseshoes began.  My children had never played before, but you could not tell that by the way they played.  Jake and Kyla threw several ringers!  We took turns playing each other on different teams.  The spectators took turns holding the babies, Will and Andrew.

Jake, Isaac, Will, and Andrew

It was a memorable day for both young and old.  I know that it doesn’t sound like much, but maybe that is why it was so great.  Have you ever thrown a party or function and were too tired to really enjoy it once it started because you had worked so hard preparing for it?  I have.  A day like this proves that it is not the food, the decorations, or the invitations that make a party.  It is the guests, the conversation, and the love you have for each other.

Family is the most important thing to those of us who live and work at Cross Creek Cattle Company.  We are truly a family owned and operated business.  We invite you to have some spontaneous fun with your family and friends.