From What I Hear...: Weblogs

For a while now, I have been hearing about "The Pioneer Woman" and her website, but for some reason I didn't make time to look her up. About a month ago, I finally wandered over to her site and was graciously rewarded for my tiny effort by an amazing site, which includes sections on Cooking, Photography, Homeschooling and Gardening, not to mention her Confessions of a Pioneer Woman Section. I am enjoying it way more than I should.

Anyway, during my perusal of the site, I realized this woman and I had a strange connection––let me explain, before you think I'm stalking this poor lady––which I kind of am.

"I’m a ranch wife, mother of four, moderately-agoraphobic (self-diagnosed) middle child who grew up on the seventh fairway of a golf course in a corporate town. I attended college in Los Angeles and wore black pumps to work every day. I ate sushi and treated myself to pedicures on a semi-regular basis. Then, on a brief trip to my hometown, I met and fell in love with a rugged cattle rancher. Now I live in the middle of nowhere on a working cattle ranch. My days are spent wrangling children, chipping dried manure from boots, washing jeans, and frying calf nuts. I have no idea how I got here…but you know what? I love it. Don’t tell anyone."

So, that's Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman. I have decided that I'm something of her "bizarro" self--the opposite, yet the same. Whereas, she grew up a "city girl", I grew up in a tiny town in Idaho, a daughter of a farmer.
(My grandfather circa 1920)

I spent my days playing across the acres my family farmed, hanging clothes out to dry, digging holes in the dirt and chasing kittens around our yard. Then, I went to college, met my husband and somehow, I now live in the 4th largest city in the U.S., whereas, she lives in the middle of nowhere. She probably imagined her life to be much like mine is now, and I imagined a life much like hers. The remarkable thing is that she seems pretty happy about it and so am I.

Still, there are some things that are intimidating about my life. I wished I learned how to decorate a cake, my home, myself, and do the shopping, clean my house and wear a big fat smile like I knew just what I was doing. But, instead I learned, how to work hard, grow a garden, be self-reliant and even herd a little cattle. ("Just wave your arms," my dad would say. "They're more scared of you than you are of them." Yeah, right).
(Despite popular belief, Idahoan Farmers grow more than potatoes. Here is just one crop grown on my brothers' farm)

Growing up, I knew everyone––my neighbors were my cousins and grandparents. The kids I went to kindergarten with were the exact same kids I graduated high school with twelve year later. My third grade teacher taught every single one of my nine siblings. Now, I live on a street when I know only three of my neighbors––a family from India, a single gay man and another woman from Louisana, who plays bunko once a week, and talks about all things southern. Despite my lack of experience with this kind of life, I love it.

And this is how Ree and I are the same: We gave up what we know, for a life with the one we love.

Ree Drummond met her husband and after their first date, they were basically never apart. Ten days into the relationship, he told her he loved her and two weeks later they were engaged. I can understand this. Adam and I met and ten days later, we were engaged. The end of life as I knew it.

So, here's what I am trying to learn from Ree, my bizarro twin, and her jaunt into all things rural. Ree seems to have a complete lack of fear. Okay, correction––she sometimes gets intimated, but she overcomes. If she wants to learn something, she'll just dive in, regardless of failure looming just overhead. Here's just one example, in her own words about her experience with photography. "Four years ago, cameras scared me...but I slowly taught myself the ropes."
(This is just one of Ree's photos on her great photography section.)

I've known a few people like Ree––Tracy, you're one of them––and I immediately want to be around them. These type of people inspire me to get over myself and try something new. I struggle sometimes with wanting to stay in my comfort zone but her site inspires me to get off my tush and start plowing a new field.
(Can you guess what my 'new field' might be?)