Living The Dream
- October 30, 2015
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- Richelle Barrett
Posted in: Featured, Uncategorized
The following could sum up any number of mornings spent moving cows around from field to field; heaven compared to my weekly day job.
This cool morning starts early; before sun-up early. The horses’ backs are fresh and cold, and their youth begins to show as they dance around in the dim yellow light of the barn. We saddle up, and since we are going to the leased property today, we load them up in the trailer for the trip up the county road. As my husband, parents, and I load ourselves into the pickup, I feel a shiver of excitement crawl up my back; same as what I imagine the horses feel as well. Once we reach our destination and unload ourselves and our steeds, everyone finishes getting dressed- first ourselves: buckling chinks, chaps, and spurs; then the horses bridles and tightening their cinches. I am barely warming my saddle when dad starts formulating the game plan. I take a deep breath and make sure I have enough clothes on, so as not to freeze my ass off as the sun starts to rise over the hills in the background of this scene. Finally the sun peeks above the peaks, and the cattle that were hidden from view only a few minutes ago stick out like a sore thumb against the greenish -brown grass and brush. The stars that shone like diamonds in the sky have disappeared, and the sky has turned shades of vibrant orange, yellow, and blue.
Sunrise in Montana is a sight to behold.
As our group splits up, we all head our designated ways to round up the cows and calves to move to a new pasture. I feel the stress start to melt from my bones, I feel lighter and slightly giddy. My horse feels it too; he steps up into an easy jog and together we enjoy the peaceful descent to lower ground behind these beautiful red cattle. Back and forth we go, pushing them down the road. Flushing the hiders out of the brush, and coaxing the rest down off the sidehills. Soon, we meet up with the rest of the group; another hour or so (depending on how warm it gets today) and the cows will be to water, and we will be headed back home to do whatever else needs to be done. I grab my camera to capture yet another photo of yet another landscape full of {almost} everything I love: the wide open Montana sky, our cows, and the land that supports my family. I wish I could freeze this moment; make it last a little longer, because Lord knows it never seems to last long enough.
This is as close to freezing this moment as I am going to get.
But time keeps marching on- like the cows looking for greener, lusher grass, it is time to move on. I know our trail is getting shorter, because I can see the gate and the stock tanks just up in the distance. We push the cows up to the tank to make sure the calves know where to go when they get thirsty, and then head back towards the pickup. The sun has warmed us up enough that peeling off a layer or two will not result in frostbite; thankfully I remembered to tie some homemade saddle-strings made of baling twine on my saddle this morning, so I have somewhere to tie my coat to (and I look back on my state of mind when purchasing this saddle and wonder why I probably bought the only saddle in the tack store without strings, but that is another story). We finally make it back to the pickup and trailer, and relax with a cold beer and laugh as my dad tells stories about his wild and woolly days.
He loves to tell stories about the good old days…
Soon enough it is time to load up and head for home- the horses are tired and are more than happy to step up into the horse trailer. Much happier about it than I am. I realize, in this moment, that this is where I am meant to be- the place my heart yearns to go when the reality of being an adult with a city job just gets to be too much. Tomorrow, my heart will find itself locked back in it’s fabric-walled cage; just waiting to saddle up again, spread it’s wings, and ride. But for today, the rest of this sweet, beautiful day, I fully intend to bask in the glory of being a cowgirl and am thankful to be living the dream.
May you find yourself living your dream too! ~Richelle
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About Richelle Barrett
Richelle is a part time rancher, home office manager, full time wife, mother, and Customer Service Rep at the local telephone cooperative. She was born, raised, and lives on her parent's ranch in the North- Central part of Montana; and spends most days...