Ten Reasons I LOVE Living on a Ranch

Yeah, you read the title right. For all you old friends whose jaws are sitting on their keyboard right now, go ahead and pick them up. Read on. I've just really been thinking lately of how good we have it here on the Micheli Ranch. So I've come up with ten reasons (not in any particular order) why I LOVE living on a ranch.

10. Our View! This is what I get to look at every day out our front window: the "Big Field," the hills on the other side, and then the beautiful Uinta Mountains! I love it!

9. Equipment. I don't know how we'd have done half the things we've done on our house without this backhoe and a number of other pieces of equipment that are parked around the ranch ready for us to use whenever we may need to. Of course, I don't know how to operate any of them, but Tony does a great job!

8. No neighbors. I suppose in some ways this isn't such a great thing. However, I've had several moments where I've been VERY glad this is the case. For example, when Connor was close to three years old, he would lose it and have terrible crying fits when he got tired. He couldn't fall asleep, obviously, until he was under control. Mylie was a baby at the time, and a very light sleeper. So, we'd set Connor on the front porch and tell him he could come back in the house when he was finished crying. I'm sure I'd be in jail or something for that if we had neighbors! Also, I have the luxury of being able to streak across the living room to get the phone or whatever I may need at the moment without the fear of the neighbors seeing me through the window. But maybe this isn't just for those with no neighbors. I seem to remember my mother doing this a few times when I was growing up, and we HAD neighbors.

7. Teaching my kids how to work. Now I know that this can be done in many ways. My parents found a way to teach us how to work with no ranch. But for a kid like Connor, who cannot stand doing indoor chores, but will do them so that he CAN do some outdoor chores, having some outdoor jobs to do is really nice. Just day before yesterday, Connor got a new job. He's taking care of a calf that needs to be bottle fed twice a day. He's very excited, and I'm excited for him to have this opportunity to learn some responsibility.

6. Gas. Tony works all summer and a lot of evenings and weekends throughout the year for a small check at the end of each summer, plus an awesome bonus: access to the ranch's gas pump. Now I know that they could pay us the money for all that work, and we could just go and buy gas at the pump like most people, but it's nice to not have the dollar amount staring you in the face every time you fill up.

5. Meat. Another perk of Tony's work on the ranch. Now, this isn't just any old meat. This is the meat of pampered cattle, which means they're raised on grain, not just whatever grass is in the field. I first understood what this meant at our wedding reception. Tony's family had some roast beef at our dinner, and then his mom packed some up for us to take on our honeymoon. I couldn't stop eating it all week! I'd never had anything so good. I knew I'd married into the right family.

4. Sex education. Now I hope this isn't inappropriate to post on my blog, but all you former ranch kids will probably agree that a ranch life gives kids a no-nonsense sex education. After seeing a few calves be born, Connor just knows how babies come out. It's not gross, and it doesn't make him giggle. It's just the way it works. Also, a few weeks ago, Connor said to me, "Mom, you know those things on your belly where Mylie used to drink milk? Well, that's just like a cow!" Yes, I suppose I am.

3. BIG LOT! Yes, we have a HUGE lot. I love that I'm not limited by the neighbor's fence. The possibilities for our yard's landscaping are endless. We're just doing a little at a time, of course, but I get excited just thinking about how it will all be when we're finished!

2. Room to Roam. I love that the kids have so many places to explore outside. We have the dump, where Connor loves to take a sack lunch, go in the old dump truck and eat while he pretends to drive to some far-off place like Lagoon or Casper. The kids' favorite (and it was their dad's when he was young) is probably the "Elephant Hill." This is a hill that is just out our back door practically. It was named for the slope on one end, which looks like the trunk of an elephant, wrinkles and all. This morning, I got some pictures of the kids climbing it and digging for something--could be fossils, arrowheads, Indian graves, you name it!

1. A Happy Husband. How can you put a price on that? Tony loves being outside and working on the ranch. Although I'm glad he teaches school as well, I'm glad he gets to do what he loves so much on the ranch. When he's happy, I'm happy!