Ninth Day of Christmas...on a Ranch

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...nine helpful neighbors,

Especially when the kids were little, we relied on neighbors and family to help get the ranch work done. P.S. that is Eric with his finger in his nose! :)

•  Eight hungry barn cats,
•  Seven Flint Hills pastures,
•  Six cows a'calving,
•  Five awesome kids!
•  Four special friends,
•  Three old red barns,
•  Two cotton work gloves,
•  and a Cow Dog to work beside me.

I'm sure you've all heard stories about a farmer getting sick or injured and the neighbors pitch in to get his crop planted or harvested. That really does happen! We don't make a big deal out of it, because it is the right thing to do and no one does it for the glory--we are just willing to help out. More likely, helping happens every day in the country...my dog strays into your barnyard and you bring her home, or your cows visit my pasture through a break in the fence. We all work together to get things done.

Neighbors work together to get cattle rounded up and vaccinated, to build fence that borders between their pastures, to burn pastures and to help out a neighbor who can't get the job done for some reason. We have friends we can call on to help feed cattle if we need it, some to call for advice on cattle, and some to help put cows back into the pasture when they've gotten out. Neighbors are one of the best parts about living in the country...and they may not actually live right near each other, but they are close enough to help out when called. So, nine helpful neighbors is a gross understatement!