The Pioneer Woman Is Living My Life

I like to live uniquely. A friend calls me cultured. I’ve been called a lot of things… but cultured? Maybe in a backwards hillbilly way, I mean really, we rocked our babies to sleep at night to banjo music. So when Aunt Sissy told me to check out www.thepioneerwomen.com cause she thought Ree was someone I could identify with…I did. Well, after about 4 months and countless emailed links later. I did.

Turns out she’s right.  Me and ole P Dub are like peas and carrots, only in reverse. She is a city girl transplanted from golf course to ranch. I was transplanted from ranch living in Nebraska to lady of luxury (well my definition of luxury) in Kansas.

She writes of days fillled with calf nuts and manure, two things that defined my childhood. She spends her days cooking for cowboys, bottle feeding calves, chasing kids and tending her garden. All things I knew I would be doing, as soon as I married a cowboy like my Dad. But it never happened. I ran off to Washington DC to be a live-in nanny,  met Ben, and moved back to his home state of Kansas and all my plans were dashed. Hallelujah!

I think about ranch living often, though, and miss getting up early to ride with Dad,  the smell of branding smoke, horse sweat, and barns. I don’t miss getting up early to milk, chop ice, or having to ‘put something down’. Through her blog, Ree embraces all these and more and brings all the good things from the ranch into your home. Her recipes are from the gods, her humor is bang yer head on the ground funny, her photos of her life are beautiful, making the visit to her website well worth the trip.

I’m happy to say ranch living is still alive and well in Oklahoma. My long abandon dreams are safe and are being lived out by a lady who calls herself The Pioneer Woman. I like to show up once in a while and live vicariously through her in her newly remolded lodge.

Check her out. You’ll be glad you did.

Simply,

Sandhill Sis

Tags: the pioneer woman, the pioneer woman cooks