There's No Place Like Home on the Ranch

 

There's something satisfying about coming home.

 

After 1,676 miles, Al corrected my mile estimate...

 

Colorado, Wyoming, and back to Montana, it felt good to pull into the yard.

 

The cows were waiting.

 

The freezers needed attention.

 

And somehow, a new batch of kittens had appeared in the barn while we were gone.

 

 

Apparently, they didn't want to wait for us.

 

Their eyes are just starting to open.

 

Around here, kittens usually come with a little tradition.

 

When they're old enough, they go to approved homes along with 5 pounds of T Bar J ground beef.

 

Assuming I can catch them!

 

It's become one of our favorite little ranch traditions.

 

Then it was time to get organized again.

 

I spent the next day defrosting freezers and taking inventory.

 

Every package has its place.

 

Every freezer has a list inside the lid.

 

When something comes out...

 

I mark it off.

 

It isn't fancy, but it helps us know exactly what's available when families call.

 

Then it was back on the road again.

 

Not to Colorado this time, just around home.

 

For the last three days, we've been delivering beef shares to local families.

 

One hug after another.

 

One freezer at a time.

 

One smiling family after another.

 

I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching people open their freezer and see months of family meals waiting inside.

 

That's still my favorite part of this ranch...the families.

 

 

One stop this week was filled with pride for us.

 

Because 38 T Bar J families trusted us with their freezer, 190 pounds of ground beef found its way to the Montana Veterans Meat Locker.

 

Every beef share we sell helps feed two families.

 

One at home and one through the Meat Locker.

 

Thank you for making that possible.

 

Our next delivery is on Veterans' Day.

 

We also handed out more milestone gifts this week.

 

Blacksmith-made steak turners, 5 years.

 

Dinner bells, 10 years.

 

And our new T Bar J trivets for our 15-year customers.

 

Those aren't awards.

 

They're simply our way of saying...

 

"Thank you for letting us feed your family year after year."

 

With temperatures expected to reach 106° this weekend, we're making another move with the cows.

 

This morning they'll head to a pasture that's rested for more than a year.

 

Plenty of grass.

 

And an 1,800-gallon tire tank full of fresh water.

 

When it gets that hot, the cattle come first.

 

This heat reminds me of another July years ago.

 

It was about 113 degrees when Al was swathing hay.

 

A hydraulic hose burst late Friday.

 

Saturday morning, I headed to town for a replacement.

 

While I was standing at NAPA, my phone rang. It was Al.

 

He'd decided to rake hay and broke another hydraulic hose.

 

I figured two broken hydraulic hoses were enough for one weekend.

 

I told him to "Go home. Sit in the living room. And don't be touching the TV remote either."

 

Sometimes the best thing to fix on a hot day is the rancher. 😊

 

One more thing before I go...

 

One of our customers—whose family has been buying beef from us for 17 years—had this piece of paper taped on her office door.

 

It was called The Four-Way Test.

1. 1. Is it the truth?
2. 2. Is it fair?
3. 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

She made me a copy for my office.

 

I think that's pretty good advice whether you're ranching, raising a family, running a business, or just trying to be a good neighbor.

 

I thought you might appreciate it too.

 

Thanks for riding along with us this week.

 

Whether you've been with us for seventeen years or you just found this little ranch down a dirt road in Montana, we're glad you're here.

 

Thank you for choosing to know where your family's beef comes from. We never take your trust for granted.

 

Stay cool this weekend... and I hope you have plenty of iced tea on hand.

 

P.S. Our annual pork shares are almost spoken for.

 

We currently have 13 reserved, and I can secure two more. 15 pigs altogether.

 

If you've been thinking about filling your freezer with pork this fall, please let me know by Wednesday.

 

I'll also be calling everyone who has already reserved a share to choose sausage flavors and ham preferences. (Our thin-sliced ham for sandwiches was one of our family's favorites last year.)

 

👉 Reserve Your Pork Share Here