Frequently Asked Questions

Dear Reader,

It’s been a long hot summer. I know that the season is only three months, but in Florida it is more like four or five. There are many things to enjoy in the summer, but sometimes you find yourself just trying to hang on until the first cold snap in mid-October. It brings relief to the animals and the ranchers alike. There is less foot rot, rain rot, and itches to worry about with the horses and cattle, and the air doesn’t feel like you are breathing underwater. Just like many ranchers wait for spring to kiss the earth, ranchers in Florida can’t wait autumn to whisper her greetings.

Questions about the weather are probably some of the frequently asked questions in a ranching household. “Daddy, is it going to rain today?” “Daddy, can you check the radar to see how long this cell should last?” My dad is the resident meteorologist at our ranch, and dodging rainstorms is a regular occurrence during the summer. It isn’t uncommon for my mom to say, “Can someone check the weather before I start the laundry?”, or to frantically text, “Can someone get the clothes in before it rains!!!” We do not have a dryer so if it rains on the clothes that means that we have clothes drying all over the living room or we have to haul everything to the laundromat in town. Having a clothesline is not as romantic as it sounds, but nothing beats a sundried towel after a long hot shower. And after a while your jeans will not feel clean unless they have been dried in the sun.

Other frequently asked questions in our ranching household include:

Did anyone feed the dogs? Horses? Cats?

Where is the feed scoop!!??

These questions usually occur when not everyone is home during feeding time and the people who are home are trying to figure out which animals have been fed, or who did not put the feed scoop away. (The trick is to use the family chat and all of the notifications will usually be annoying enough to get an answer.)

Is anyone going to the feed store?

Did someone tell daddy we need x from the feed store?

These are usually in last minute text form sent in a panic by me when I am sitting at my desk while at work and realize I forgot to put my order on the feed list.

I am going to town, does anyone need anything?

And the reverse,

Is anyone in town that can pick up something for me?

And if you are deep into a detailed list:

Can you also bring me a coke? :)please

When you live a good bit away from a bank, decent grocery store, or just plain don’t want to deal with the muddy driveway, these are the texts that are often sent.

Other favorite questions of a ranching family include:

Can someone see what the dogs are barking at?

Are the cows out?

Does that cow look like it is out? (Said while squinting into the distance)

Did someone turn the water trough off?

Can someone make sure I turned the water trough off?!

Who left the water trough on?!?!

And then the last minute, have to leave now or I’ll be late questions:

Are there any clean jeans?

Does someone have my jeans in their drawer? (When you all wear Wrangler jeans mix ups are a regular occurrence.)

And the all-time favorite?

Who took the girth off my saddle!!!