Life on The Ranch
Redfield Buffalo Jump
April 22, 2020
Growing up, our imagination was as big as the Montana sky! We did not have cable tv (we had 2 channels and cartoons were only shown on Saturday morning) or video games to occupy our time. Instead we had acres and acres of ranchland on which to play. When the sun went down, which is late in a Montana summer, we would grudgingly come inside.
I often spent time at my Uncle Bob’s ranch on the east bench. As the crow flies it is about 9 miles away from where I lived. I had six cousins to play with and was especially close to Barbara. Being the typical ranching family, chores were expected and a part of life.
A personal note to my Uncle Bob….sorry… you’ll read why….
One of our chores was to herd his flock of sheep during the day, which in itself, is completely boring. It’s like watching paint dry. Sheep eat, drink, poop and have a herd mentality. When one gets spooked, all get spooked. They are quite docile, however. I haven’t heard of anyone seriously injured or have died from a sheep attack!
Montana is home to seven Indian Reservations. One of our favorite games were to play cowboys and Indians. We all wanted to be the Indian. They were, in our minds, a mystic figure of intrigue and well, they were just plain cool… Montana is also home to the Madison Buffalo Jump State Park. Native Americans would stampede vast herds of bison off the massive semicircular cliff to their deaths. Do you see where this is going?
…The day of the hunt was an exciting one. We would eat a hearty breakfast knowing that if Uncle Bob caught us it would probably be our last meal. We prepared our trusty steeds for the battle. We often tied turkey feathers in their mane and painted them with mud. We gathered our weapon of choice – a big stick. Off to search for the vast herd! When found, we would run our horses into the flock, using the stick to count “coup” and begin the chase to their glorious demise over the buffalo jump – in this case the irrigation ditch…
Our little herd of sheep was quite content to eat and get fat, but we had other ideas. We didn’t think of the consequences. The goal of any rancher at market time is to get as much weight on the animal as possible. I’m sure running them off our own Redfield Ranch Buffalo Jump several times a day wasn’t conducive to having them at their full market weight by the fall.
Often times we don’t think of the consequences of our own actions until after the fact. We are seizing the opportunity as it presents itself. In the moment, we don’t think down the road, how it will affect us and the people who are involved. To us kids on those long, hot summer days, we were just engaging in fun play…unfortunately at the expense of the sheep and the pocketbook of my uncle.
My words lately have become my buffalo jump. In the moment of frustration, I am saying things to those I love that normally I would not. A harsh word may have lasting effects. I believe we are all under more pressure than ever during this season of COVID-19. Kids are home, jobs are lost, and the future is uncertain. I am finding myself more stressed than ever and unfortunately, unkind words are the result. I have been putting myself in time out in the 25 square foot cat-io I built for Jack Frost and Spockett. This way everyone is safe as I lock myself in. I can regain my composure and mediate on James 1:19; Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
This is not an easy time. I encourage all of you to find something you love to do and do it! Take time out of your day to read God’s Word. Practice kindness and patience and take a deep breath. Pray. God is in control. He will see us through this. He will also give us the strength we need to endure.
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