Today, I went to town for the first time in three weeks. I needed to pay some bills, get a mammogram, lead a class and pick up some groceries. I’ve been unable to easily leave the ranch because of flooding that took out our main ranch road as well as the county road above us. I guess if I’d been super motivated I could have found a way into town, but I’ve been unwilling to spend an extra hour each way to take long and extra bumpy detours into Winnemucca.
A few years ago, not going to town for three weeks would have been unthinkable for me, but these days, I have to say, it’s been a pleasure. Probably the best part has been the uninterrupted solitude. Along with me having a rough time getting off the ranch, visitors have had a rough time getting on as well. You might think that we go days without seeing people out here, but the truth is that the ranch is a bustling place. I’d bet that days without visitors or deliveries are far fewer than those with. I’ve really enjoyed uninterrupted days working in the shop, checking cattle, playing with my dogs, helping a couple turkey hunters find their gobblers and even cleaning my house a bit.
I hadn’t realized just how much phone calls and unexpected visitors can upend a day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a people person, but it’s amazing what you can get done in a day when you’re not distracted.
These past few weeks have also taught me the real value of my well stocked pantry, and how “just fine” a can of soup and crackers can be for supper. My dogs prefer chicken noodle and I’m fond of tomato. We all like ritz crackers but saltines do the job too.
My biggest challenge during the past few weeks was running out of dog food. I’ve got eight dogs to feed and we generally go through about 125 lbs of dry chow each week. My solution was to clean out my big chest freezer a little each day, giving my dogs the older meat. I think my pooches believe that they’ve moved to the Hilton. Purina isn’t gonna stand a chance after a couple weeks of soup bones, round steak and stew meat.
My daughter has been out here with me for much of the time, although she left to attend a family wedding in California last week. She doesn’t seem to mind the solitude either and has really enjoyed grabbing a horse and taking half day rides down through the ranch just to check on things.
People have asked if we were afraid of the flooding and I think the answer is a resolute no. We’ve survived worse, we knew what to do in order to divert water and just had to stay on top of the situation as it developed. I did have to jump in a couple times when the sheer volume of water broke dam boards or when culverts got plugged. Each time, I did my best to stay safe and get out of the snowmelt creek as fast as possible. All in all, we are very grateful for all the water. It’s delivery has been a little inconvenient but I try very hard not to ever curse the water Gods.
I think it’s going to be a glorious year for pasture and hay, and now that Ive been reminded how nice it is to disconnect and stay home, I think I’ll have a lot more time to enjoy it all.
Kris Stewart is a rancher from Paradise Valley, NV.
