My cowboy and I have been married for 26 years. As I think of the Valentine’s Days we’ve experienced over the years, it’s clear that just like other things in life, there are phases. And there are probably more phases to come.

In a business meeting, you usually have old business and new business. At the beginning of new years, I’m always inclined to look for the “new business.” What’s new this year? What could be new?

When some folks think about the cowboy life or ranch life, they think of being horseback 24/7. In fact, there are a fair number of cowboys I’ve met in the last few years who only want to be horseback. One tool we’ve grown to love and appreciate perhaps more than any in all our learning is a solid spreadsheet.

As we’ve built a cow herd and moved around to increase opportunities, almost every time we’ve moved, we’ve moved into a fixer-upper. And I’m sorry, but it doesn’t go nearly as fast as TV would like for us to think it does.

Do I have a story to tell you … But it’s a little embarrassing, so go easy on me.

A couple of weeks ago, we A.I.’ed our herd. Last year was our first year A.I.’ing, and we were on a new place – and let’s just say it wasn’t as smooth as we had hoped.

My husband is great at judging distances. Time is another story entirely.

When I was growing up, I figured I’d be a dancer and a musician. Little did I know I would grow up to become … Gate Girl!

Many of us live in places where the weather may change at the blink of an eye. We may have four layers on in the morning, but by afternoon, we have shed three of them: our “I’m warming up” layer, our “It’s past midmorning” layer and our “Dang, it’s a different climate” layer, which leads to …