Is this thing on?

*tap* *tap* *tap* – Is this thing on? Yeah? Thumbs up from the back row?

Okay, good.

I’ve been doing a lot of tall thinking over the past few weeks. And now tonight I’m sitting holed up with a blizzard swirling around my tiny country house. The pup is at my feet and a mug of hot chocolate is at my fingertips. I figure tonight is good as any to push that tall thinking out into the open.

 

Life is change; change is life.
I’m changing this here corner of the internet a little bit. Adding some new directions. Not subtracting anything, mind you. It’s just that over the last year, I’ve felt pretty one-dimensional in my writing. Yes, I am a ranch girl. Yes, I like cows, and there’s nothing much that beats a day on horseback.

But every time I look in the mirror, I see myself in 3-D. Did you know that ranchers like to read books? And not just Louis L’Amour novels. (Ironically enough, I just wrapped up an L-squared paperback. Look for the review in a few days.) Ranchers and farmers like lobster, traveling, seeing new places. They like concerts and watching the History Channel. Like Chris LeDoux said, “even cowboys like a little rock n’ roll”.

 

Awkward First Date
Maybe it’s just me, but even though PNW Rancher has already passed its first anniversary, this feels a little bit like a new beginning. As much of a new beginning as one can have. New beginnings seem far too similar to an awkward first date. Sometimes you get the good kind of awkward where you think you might really like the guy, because he remembered to look at your face every once in awhile, has a cute l’il drawl, wears cowboy boots and isn’t living with his mother.

I have specific changes in mind. A new layout to roll out the red carpet for. Some content additions. Please bear with me and the sure-to-be dysfunctional transition. Also very similar to how my first dates usually go, now that I think about it.

 

The Fire Alarm Moment
Maybe you’re asking, “Why the change?” If you’re not, then I am. It’s a decision I wrestled with, because I really liked – and still do – the original focus I had for PNW Rancher.

It’s because I had a fire alarm moment.

Ever had those? Fire alarms beg to be pulled. They’re just so red and pull-able. Normal, law-abiding people like myself have never pulled a fire alarm without due cause, but haven’t you ever wanted to just pull a fire alarm for the heck of it?

Truth: I’ve wanted to.

I had a fire alarm moment after Thanksgiving, and it resulted in me signing up for a half marathon. At the end of May 2012 I will be running 13.1 miles with hundreds of my closest friends. Why? Please, someone tell me. I’d really like to know.

I want to – or maybe I need to – write about my journey back into running and fitness. There’s a certain motivation in being accountable to people you’ve never met, don’t you think?

 

It all fits together.
If you’re me, it all ties together. Cattle ranching is all about providing quality beef for the dinner plate. Running is about putting that protein to good use. And the other topics I’m tossing in…well, they’re the pieces that make up a person.

Ranchers and farmers are no different than anybody else when it comes right down to it. They have families and bills, good days and rotten ones. Most have an undying passion for what they do, but it doesn’t make every day easy to get up and go to work.

I still like cows, horses and everything ranchy. There will be plenty of it still to be had here, but life is 3-D and that’s where we’re headed.

The gate’s open. Gather your reins, and let’s ride.