Dear to the Heart of the Shepherd

“Dirt, sheep, weather of all kinds, and, of course, people.” So begins this lively account of a western ranching operation. Tending livestock as a profession is almost as old as man. In some ways, modern ranching was not too different from tending flocks in Father Adam’s day, but in others it bore the stamp of twentieth century life. Mixing in the struggle to avoid an encroaching public, and the fact that grazing lands happened to be located hundreds of miles from home added layers of complexity of which Adam was blissfully ignorant.

And who can predict what an animal will do? Weather forecasting in those days seemed more art than science. Herders, who were comfortable living totally alone for months at a time, were capable of absolute randomness. Ranching was a practice in pushing through the unexpected.

Tending flocks for a living, with all of the ancillary activities in support, influenced nearly every aspect of family and home life. But ranching also happened to be what our family did. It meant time with Dad, doing what our forebears had done. One thing was certain. Ranching was never just a job.