10 below zero Fahrenheit isn’t romantic.
It’s just cold. There is nothing romantic about not being able to wash your face because the pipes have frozen. Which means that my cattle don’t have access to water. That is far more important than washing my own face. There’s nothing romantic about a distress call to a friend at 7 A.M. There is nothing romantic about layers of clothes when you’re still cold. There is nothing romantic about not being able to tell if your nose is running. There is nothing romantic about driving twelve miles to buy insulation. There is nothing romantic about plugging in pickups and tractors. There is nothing romantic about diesel gelling. There is no romance in telephone calls about barley, strays, fuel tanks, vaccines and sugar beets.
It may not be romantic. It is my home and my life. I love it.
November 29th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I agree
My pipes don’t freeze, but I do understand some of your pains.
November 29th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
Oh…I forget the gelling diesel! When we moved back to Montana for me to finish my rotations our moving truck gelled in Idaho Falls…oh that was fun!
November 29th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
Moos, you are truly one of my heroes. Seriously.
November 29th, 2006 at 7:44 pm
Karen, you continue to amaze me.
November 29th, 2006 at 11:52 pm
Just thinking about it makes me cold! You are a strong woman Moos!
November 30th, 2006 at 9:02 am
Chin up! A warming trend is coming . . . 20’s this weekend!!!
November 30th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Oh, Lord, ten below and frozen pipes. Sorry to hear that and hope improvement is on the horizon!
November 30th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Blow your nose!
November 30th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
BTW, I fixed your link on my my blogroll. Now folks are directed to a Kleenex factory or some such thing.
November 30th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
Oh Karen, If I only had 10% of the strength & ambition you have…. You are so super amazing. You are a super hero in my book! Them’s some lucky cattle.
December 1st, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Girl I feel your pain. Please try to stay warm any way you can.
December 2nd, 2006 at 3:41 pm
Wow. And to think we were upset the ice cracked our windshield and we scratched the paint on the hood of my SUV trying to scrape it free. We’ve had the space heater on the washing machine now for three days trying to prevent the pipes from freezing. I haven’t even attempted to do laundry . . . I simply don’t want to know if the water is frozen or not.
Keep the faith, Karen. You’re doing an excellent job! Hope all thaws soon.
December 2nd, 2006 at 6:16 pm
Damn, you got a good attitude!
December 2nd, 2006 at 11:23 pm
You’ve got some serious grit.
December 3rd, 2006 at 10:29 am
god, i can’t help myself. i love the cold. i love the misadventures. (except maybe my aching toes).
take heart, honey. june is just around the corner…
p.s. I keep one of those little personal packets of kleenex on my (top left pocket of my carhartts). if i see a reasonably attractive man looking at me, i pull one out, and blow - no matter what.
(they always look away, i don’t get that - it’s not like i’m using my sleeve!)
December 4th, 2006 at 5:42 am
It sure looks like the same gruelling work, long hours and back breaking work..just a different season!
The best part and most importantly is that you love it and do it well! Not everyone can lay claim to that!
December 7th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Oh truer words were never spoken! Montana country life is far from idealic, but some of us wouldn’t have it any other way.
December 7th, 2006 at 4:29 pm
My pipes froze up about that time, too but I don’t have cattle!
December 14th, 2006 at 11:00 am
karen, you are one heck of a Montanan! I love the way you write — the way you tell it like it is. Enough already with Hollywood’s stereotype of romantic life on a western ranch — especially in winter! It can be cruel, frustrating, trying and downright dangerous. Working with the land and your animals through a Montana winter (or Wyoming or N.Dakota for that matter) can also be rewarding — beating the cold or going with the flow (of ice) makes you stronger. And though that may not be romantic (being stronger) it’s surely a reminder of how alive you are.
You are one of the most alive people I know. Your animal companions on the ranch are lucky to have you. Way to go, Karen.
Great photo, too — one of my faves of your photos, ever! the frost crystals, that one facial expression … those yellow tags make it zing — or should I say sing?
how do you like wordpress for your blog? I’ve been thinking about switching over to wordpress ever since Blogger beta screwed up my meticulous formatting on my Raven’s nest blog. Sigh.
December 20th, 2006 at 6:25 am
I love your life too!
Everytime I start to wax poetic about the “good old days” my old friend Margie drags me back to the reality of it. When she was a young bride living in their place (no central heat, no running water) the water literally froze as she tried to scrub the kitchen floor. Yeah, real romantic.
You are awesome - a woman with true grit and a true heart. And being a gearhead at heart, I’m in love with your new piece of machinery!
You go girl!
February 1st, 2007 at 12:29 pm
That is cold! Mike says, that is not funny!!!