Leppies and Other Excuses

Taking care of kids and calves keeps me plenty busy.

Several months ago, I launched a plan to interview other ranch wives and share their stories and insights with you. So far, this plan only exists in my mind. The first gal I asked to interview was down to chat, but then she visited her family in Colorado for three months before returning to her home in a remote part of Chile, where she lives off-grid and washes cloth diapers by hand.

Another potential interview subject recently moved from her longtime home in Oregon to Nebraska. I couldn’t wait to ask her about the changes and get her perspective on life since she’s a couple of decades older than me. Then I got sick, she had to unpack, my kids got sick, she went on a road trip, I had to take care of bottle calves, she had to make lunch for the haying crew, etc.

Here are some other reasons my new project has been delayed.

A leppy calf showed up.

My husband and kids came home from a day of moving cows last month with a surprise — a leppy! It felt strange to make bottles full of milk replacer in the heat of summer rather than the standard muddy snow of early spring, but the kids were enthusiastic, and it would be a fun family project.

Another leppy calf showed up.

Because the only thing more fun than one leppy calf is two, right? Both were on the verge of starvation after fending for themselves on the rangeland. We nursed them back to health just in time for the kids’ enthusiasm to run out. The calves are now Mom’s project, and I mean a real project that exists in a pen out back and not just in my mind. I want to complain about the calves but won’t because I’ve grown emotionally attached to them. I’m sure it has nothing to do with all three of my kids being in school all day for the first time ever.

My son broke his arm.

My 8-year-old rode his bike off the side of a large hill in a daring feat that was almost awesome but instead landed him in the emergency room. Actually, it was still kind of awesome — you never know if you can do something until you try.

I drove him an hour to the nearest hospital that night, then proceeded to repeat the trip for the next two days for follow-up care. Since we were in town anyway, we also picked up groceries, calf starter and slip-on shoes since his arm was in a cast, then filled up with diesel and headed home after dark. I’m just glad my husband didn’t give me his farrier supply store list and send me to pick up supplement tubs, too. He probably tried, but that’s why I kept my phone on silent.

Laundry can’t wash itself.

While everything else is unpredictable, I can always count on laundry. With three feral kids and a husband who works outside all day, my laundry baskets are always overflowing. They’re just like my heart, except with more mildew. Why, oh why, can I not convince my family that wet towels belong on a hook on the wall and not the bottom of the basket?

I think I’ll just focus on my interview project since I know I’ll never get ahead of the laundry anyway. Hopefully, I’ll share news and views from other parts of the ranch wife community with you soon. Until then, here’s hoping for no more orphaned animals or broken bones.

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