The boys and I drove home from Colorado last Thursday, and Friday morning everyone had to get up and ship cattle. We are deep, deep, deep, deep in shipping season—this will be the fourth week—and if you’ve read my website for any length of time, you’ve probably read all sorts of summertime lamentations that involve the whole family getting up at 4:00 am for several consecutive mornings in a row, and everyone’s eyes bugging out of their heads before the whole thing is done. Before the boys and I left for Colorado, we got in a good two weeks of up-before-daylight mornings, and by the time we headed west, we were mere shells of human beings. We were dead inside. Our souls were rotting. We…
Okay, I’m just kidding. I’m being a little dramatic there (how very unlike me!) I’m just saying that it’s shipping season here on the ranch, which is probably the most trying time of the year in terms of endurance. It’s unrelenting—especially for Marlboro Man and his brother, Tim—and when you’re in the throes of it, you start to question everything. After about a week and a half, here are the things you start to wonder about:
* How few hours of sleep can a human body actually endure before it starts to break down?
* Why even go to bed in the first place? Isn’t that kind of teasing yourself?
* Why am I here?
* Is it all worth it?
* What does it all mean?
* What is my mother’s maiden name?
* What is my name?
* What is?
* What?
* Wha?
* Wlshfoiaew jhfofl;lsj ;dskfjskljdf jjiiiislwe?
But guess what? Marlboro Man is pulling into the home stretch. This is the last full week of shipping, and while that doesn’t mean it’s smooth sailing after this week, it does mean that everyone can maybe sleep until 5:30 am instead of 3:50 am. And believe me, that hour and 40 minutes can make all the difference in the world!
And then the fog will lift, the cobwebs will clear, the guys will be more rested, and we’ll all be able to remember once again why we’re here (it’s our home), whether it’s all worth it (it is) and what our mothers’ maiden names are (Olsen and Leffler).
Hope you all had a beautiful weekend!
Love,
P-Dubster
