Welcome to the Ranch!

A 6 lb. bass swallowed Isaac's arm.

Summer would not be complete for my family unless we went fishing.  At Cross Creek Cattle Company we have several stocked ponds.  One has catfish.  The others have bass and crappie.  With so much work to do on the ranch, it is nice to carve out time to enjoy living here.

Last weekend my boys went fishing with their dad.  They did not catch many, but what they did catch was huge.  You cannot help but get excited when you hook a big bass on your line.  This one in particular put up a fight.  Catching fish is very rewarding.

Fishing is a great way to encourage father/son bonding.  I am not saying that my daughter and I do not fish because we do.  It is fun for me to see the way that my husband teaches the little ones how to fish.  He has so much patience with them.

Once Jake hooked Lane, my husband, in the forehead with a treble hook.  Actually he hooked him twice in the forehead by casting too soon before Lane was out of the way.  Lane calmly asked me to remove the hook.  When I saw that two hooks were buried in his skin, I got sick to my stomach.  I tried to move them, but they would not budge.  Lane had to remove them himself.

I will never forget how he did not yell and scream at anyone. Jake already looked sick.  He was only five at the time.  I think Lane knew that he had learned his lesson already.  Lane just asked him to not do that again.

When my step-father takes little ones fishing, he always cuts the tips of the hooks off.  The hook still catches fish, but it does not catch him.  A great tip for anyone fishing with young children.

Multiple generations like to come out here to fish.  Grandfathers and grandsons, uncles and nephews, fathers and sons enjoy the day together.  Friends are always welcome, too.

My dad has a friend who visited here two months ago.  He is an avid fisherman.  He began fishing early in the morning and fished most of the day.  He caught over 40 fish.  My dad said he has never seen anything like it.  Almost every time his friend cast out, he pulled in a fish.

We don’t always have luck.  Sometime we catch nothing, but those days are few and far between.  I tell my kids, “That is why it is called fishing and not catching.”

I find it relaxing to sit and watch your bobber float on the surface of the water.  My children prefer fishing with lures because there is always something to do.  They can reel in and cast out as much as they want.

We usually stop fishing as soon as we have enough for dinner.  The taste of fresh fish coupled with homegrown vegetables is out of this world.  There is nothing better than eating what you raise, forage, and/or catch.  Living on or visiting Cross Creek Cattle Company enables you to experience a taste of self-sufficiency.

Andrew, Isaac, and Jake with Ladd.

Working on a ranch is an endless job.  There is always something that needs attention.  The cows need to be moved into the next pasture to graze.  The fences need to be walked to check for weaknesses.  Pastures need to be inspected for proper grass growth.  Tree limbs need to be cleared after a thunderstorm.  Ranching is good for people who cannot sit still.

However at Cross Creek Cattle Company, we consider ourselves greatly blessed to be able to live on our ranch and pursue our dream of raising delicious and healthy beef and/or award-winning show cattle.  Despite all the work that needs to be done, we make it a point to enjoy living here. We want our family to not only work side by side, but play side by side.

Lane and Isaac on Cheyenne

Just the other day we saddled up four horses and went riding for sheer pleasure.  Not only did this exercise the horses, but it also relaxed our family.  It was just fun!  We rode through the bottom by the creeks while we talked and joked on horseback.  The horses were having as much fun as my children.

From time to time we take off a Saturday morning or Friday afternoon and go fishing.  Not only do we catch fresh fish for dinner, but we are able to spend time together.  Taking hikes through the woods on hot summer days is enjoyable.  The tall trees form a canopy of shade to cool us off after a morning of standing in the sun digging post holes for a new fence.

Another way we love to spend our time occurs in the evenings when dinner has been eaten and we have cleaned up.  We enjoy sitting on our porch in our swing or chairs listening to the crickets and cicadas serenade us with their newest songs.  Sometimes we burn a small campfire in the fire ring.  We roast marshmallows and tell stories of our past and ones passed down through our family.  These are times I treasure not only as an adult and parent, but as memories from my childhood when we did the exact same things.

Regardless of where you live and work, remember to take the time to enjoy where you are.  Do things as a family that include work and play.  Doing this enables families to create enduring bonds that will help secure them together through thick and thin.  Our motto is “Work together, play together.”