Daisy Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Am I the only one who wants to be the Pioneer Woman? Every time I go to her site, I drool. Sigh, I hate the suburbs. so. much. Anyone have a spare ranch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I hear ya! I'm sure I'd go through a period of withdrawal as I've gotten rather accustomed to having things so close at hand. But, yeah, ranch life looks so romantic doesn't it? :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 No. :D Her life looks great...for her. I'm from Okahoma, lots of people in my family are farmers and ranchers in small towns. Small town ranch living is not for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Pioneer Woman & I must have switched places. I'm stuck in her big city life and she's living my "grew up in the sticks" childhood. Oh well. That's life. Time to go make lemonade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Me - but I want to be near Cody, WY not OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I'm from Okahoma, lots of people in my family are farmers and ranchers in small towns. Small town ranch living is not for me. Hey, me too! My Grandad had a small ranch in OK (where I grew up). He loved it. It was his passion. It's not my thing. I've gone through spells when I really wanted to move to the country and have chickens and such. But I've come to realize how much I like having libraries and museums and shopping close at hand. In fact, I'd like to move to a bigger city which has more of those things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I do!!!! I would love to get out of our suburban neighborhood and live on a few acres. Not too far out....I still need my Target and WalMart trips without making it an all day outing LOL. But....I dont think I'll ever be living the pioneer life though. It does not appeal to DH whatsoever. He cannot even keep up our small yard here in our neighborhood.....I can just imagine a few acres looking like an overgrown mess. And he already has to drive 45 minutes to an hour to get to work.....he already does not like that, and does not want to move further out. And animals would be out of the question, as he does not care for animals. He looks at them as an unnecessary monetary expense with vet bills, meds, shots, accessories, etc. I'd love to have a few goats and chickens or something. I SOOOO wish for my kids to grow up with a "simpler life." That would make for incredible childhood memories and opportunities. But I don't think we'll ever get to experience it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth in OH Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 lots of people in my family are farmers and ranchers in small towns. Small town ranch living is not for me. Mine, too. In fact, we farm for a living, and we lived on the farm for 16 years. We finally couldn't stand the isolation anymore and moved to the suburbs. Now my husband is a farmer who drives 60 miles each way to work. We are all much happier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 The grass is always greener. Living on a ranch for two yrs. now, I am kind of wanting a condo in the city w/a waterview. I was hoping to live the big ranch life in a couple yrs. w/land waiting for me. But, now I am second guessing it. Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 My hubby would be a farmer/rancher in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, school teachers are not in high demand in lightly populated areas of the country. UUGH. We'd own a zoo if we could. We both come from farming/gardening families though so I think it's in our blood. It makes me sad to think my children are missing out on all the great fun we had as children. It is so much harder to "find" ways to teach them responsibility when we have a house and 9,000 sq foot yard. We can only garden, mow, pull weeks, clean house so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I have read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books and I totally romanticize that type of living, now if I could just find someone to do all of the work for me so that I could enjoy the views and animals I'd be all set. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 It looks like it would be great fun in the beginning but I don't even want a dog because they are too much work (I hate to clean up poop). The idea of that many animals for the rest of my life makes me a bit shaky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I would LOOOOOVE to be her! Or just her "neighbor". But, we need to live near the city right now for the kids' sports activities. We're considering buying some land for that someday dream and maybe just visiting it on weekends for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Yep, cause I sure don't wannabe! lol ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninmommy Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 This last year we have started a small hobby farm. It is a lot of work but so very rewarding. I love this life. City life is not for me. I would like to see more cowboys in chaps around here though. I think I'll get the hubby some. :drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Yes, I want to live like her but you can't catch shrimp in the middle of nowhere. I think dh should drive to the river:auto: and let us live in the country! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 No. It would be easy to hate her if she weren't so darn likeable. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I totally do. I would love to live on a ranch. However, I also understand that she's an excellent photographer and she's one of those people who can make the most mundane thing seem funny. She ought to be a writer for "Seinfeld" or something. I, on the other hand, cannot take a good picture, and I tend to consider the mundane, well, mundane. I'd love to have her Lodge, though. And I'd also love to be able to cook like that and she doesn't seem to put on the pounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I've never lived anywhere but the city but she sure does make ranch living look desirable. Hubby would do it in a heartbeat though. He grew up on a farm in very rural Montana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Oh, gosh, no. The cow poop. The giant spiders in Oklahoma. The dust everywhere from unpaved roads. The early morning chores. I'd take my tiny house in the suburbs and an itty-bitty photography/printing busineess any ol' day. If I want a farm setting, my inlaws' secluded 60 acres is just 20 minutes away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Well, she is a gifted blogger, a great cook, beautiful, makes beautiful babies, is from a well respected family AND her 'ranch life' although she makes it sound funny and hilarious....let us not forget she is married into a very wealthy OK family. I love her blog. I doubt she would invite me to dinner though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 We live on 5 1/2 acres in a semi rural area (2 miles to the nearest gas station and 12 to Walmart, etc). We have 3 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 10 chickens. We really do love this but it is not quite so romantic when when it 28 degrees and dark outside at 7am on a Sunday morning but the critters still need to be fed. The sunrise sure was pretty though. I enjoy this though as we are only 15 minutes away from some of the best beaches on Lake Michigan, 35 minutes from a major city with top medical care, cultural opportunities, etc. but yet only 5 miles from some very nice horseback riding trails, etc---actually we can ride for an hour behind our house on our neighbor's trails and feel like we are in the middle of no where. I still have good shopping within 15-20 minutes and a mall within 30 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 No thanks. It is a great place to visit but I don't want to do it full time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I think she's loving it, and that's great....me, I doubt it, lol. I am definitely a big city girl. We tried small town........not ranch, just population 5,000 nearest grocery 20 minutes away, only 2 in town to choose from, and if you wanted clothing it was a 40 minute drive to the first possibility. All that was a pain with toddlers, but I might have been able to live with it....but the killer for me was the crappy library. The children's section was TWO bookcases about 10 feet long and 4 feet high. Period. And the rest of the library was 90% novels and romance stories. By the time the toddlers were ready for homeschooling we knew we had to move to the city. I have to respectfully disagree though that because we don't live on a ranch that we're missing out on experiences or that somehow our life isn't good, lol. We have different experiences, but they are just as good and rewarding as kids with lots of wide open spaces. No, my kids aren't learning much about animal husbandry or mowing a thousand square feet of grass, lol.....but hey, we aren't exactly locked in our closets waiting for the ranch life to be available to us, lol. I think it is indeed the "grass is always greener" situation. We have a lot more cultural opportunities than I would presume were available to a ranch community. We can go to the opera, symphony, ballet, and have our choices of a dozen live theatre events each week. We have the opportunity to explore cultures quite different from ours....the Greek Festival is coming up this month. Also this month we will be attending/learning about the Mexican "Day of the Dead", our area will be hosting a huge Storytelling Festival with experts from all over the world here to tell stories to the kids and teach the adults how to do their craft at home. And that's just this month, and special events, we can visit the Asian culture center anytime to learn something new about those many and varied cultures, and our town is rich in other culture centers, Muslim, Hindi, African and others. My kids may not have 100 acres to run around and play, but we participate in a lot of wonderful hiking in our beautiful desert and our mountains, just minutes from home. While a city park isn't as big as a ranch, my kids plenty of work out running around.....I doubt any kid needs much more space. Yes, our city lights blot out a lot of the stars at night, but the ones we can see are gorgeous in their own right....and while it's a different view, it's not worse to see. And besides, if they really want to see stars and planets, even ones that Pioneer Woman can't see, we have a top notch planetarium observatory here in town that gives monthly free family nights to come in and see the stars. Our town was/is instrumental in the vehicles that went to Mars....and we got to see the actual vehciles before they left, and can go and explore replicas and talk to the men/women who built them, and monitored them, and still work with the data coming back. I'm sure I could go on and on.......and it's not to put down Pioneer Woman's (or other ranchers or people who live away from the big city in smaller towns or where).....it's just a different experience. I wonder if Pioneer Woman's kids ever wish they had the chance to choose from about 50 different movies playing at the dozen 'huge-o-plexes' in town? When we lived in the small town there was one theatre, playing one show for about two weeks before a new show come along. And of course, most weren't the G rated ones, lol. Of course, DVDs make that almost unnecessary anymore, but you get the idea. I'd certainly be open to visiting for a week or two.....but in the end I'd want to return to our life. I imagine Pioneer Woman wouldn't mind visiting us for a short time too. But, then we'd each be happy to return to the life we've built and makes us happy. And I heartily, but respectfully, disagree with the poster who thought because Pioneer Woman had married into a wealthy family that this somehow made a difference in the experience. From what I've seen/read of her blog, Pioneer Woman, when she's not cooking for them hungry cowboys, is out mucking stalls and fixing fences and birthing calves. That's not what I'd call a typical wealthy wife experience....where are the maids, manicures and massages (oops, maybe don't go to that last one, but you know what I MEANT). Sure she may have it easier than some ranchers who are struggling to make ends meet, but that could be said for us city dwellers too.....I certainly don't have a maid, my last manicure was the day before my wedding, and massages, well, those involve my kids or my husband only. We don't have a huge house, but we have enough space for our true needs. But a few blocks away from us are the wealthy folks with their thousands of square foot houses with more bathrooms than the airport and paid help to take care of it all. I wouldn't mind visiting them for a week or two either, lol. But in the end I love my life and I'm guessing it would only make me appreciate what I DO have all the more. Grass is always greener is a romantic notion, but it's not always reality. I know that some on this board are going through a world of hurt and misery right now, and my heart goes out to them.....but the answer does lie in others' lives, much as we wish it could. And having had money, lots of it, once upon a time and given up that fairty tale because I wasn't happy, I can unequivocally say that money won't make your life better....financially easier, yes, but happiness is not the size of a checkbook. There are a LOT of very unhappy wealthy folk too, and they get less sympathy, lol, because people tend think they're whiners for complaining. Ok, I think I need to go find a horse to pet and get over the romantic idea of actually taking care of them, lol. Pee-Eww. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) Ree kills me. And freaks me out because: Our names rhyme. I'm a doctor's daughter too. Our dads have the same first name. We both grew up sorority/country club girlies. Both met and married ranchers. There's more stuff I've noticed over the years of reading her blog but I can't remember it all right now. I love living on a ranch too. I'm not young and redheaded though! Connie, I seriously doubt Ree is mucking out stalls and pulling calves. I've been on our ranch 31 years now, never mucked a stall and only helped pull a calf a couple of times. I've helped with my horses, given shots, branded, occasionally fed and have brought countless water jugs and hamburgers to the hay fields though. Ranch hands come in very......handy for the hard work like that. (Working cattle is not hard work, just a lot of work) Edited October 11, 2009 by Remudamom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeFe Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Not me. I'll take her clothes and her photography talent but not the ranch lifestyle. I'm glad she blogs though. It's fun to read about and I enjoy the pics! Am I the only one who wants to be the Pioneer Woman? Every time I go to her site, I drool. Sigh, I hate the suburbs. so. much. Anyone have a spare ranch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 (edited) I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. 400 acres was not self-sustainable. Both of my parents were school teachers and worked very hard nights, weekends, and summers on the farm. The teaching supported the family while the farm paid for itself and they have a pleasant retirement (my dad at 65 still fixes the fence, bales hay, works the cows, etc). We didn't have hired hands, unless you count the kids. Honestly..... It was an awesome childhood. I think my kids get a little of the best of both worlds because we visit often from our city life. I do want some land, but more on the order of 2 acres on the outskirts. Pioneer Woman definitely shows a romanticized version. I do love reading her stuff and I got my sister hooked on it. I can't even guess how many thousand acres they own to be their sole source of a very good income and to have hired hands. I think I've figured out which town she lives in and I have relatives there and their life is not like hers. Most farm families that I know have the husband and the wife working other job. Beyond that... I think she has a pretty good life. They are close enough to the city to have as much culture as they want. Tulsa and OKC have major concert venues, ballet, opera, musicals, jazz, Scottish festivals, Greek festivals , art museums, etc.... I highly doubt that her kids are missing out. Edited October 11, 2009 by snickelfritz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I love her blog! It is my new favorite and I check it out every few days. She has a certain flair about her doesn't she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Me! How fun. Except for getting up early. I'd love some chickens and a cow, etc. We have the land, however, just not the energy. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 We live on 5 1/2 acres in a semi rural area (2 miles to the nearest gas station and 12 to Walmart, etc). We have 3 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats and 10 chickens. We really do love this but it is not quite so romantic when when it 28 degrees and dark outside at 7am on a Sunday morning but the critters still need to be fed. The sunrise sure was pretty though. I enjoy this though as we are only 15 minutes away from some of the best beaches on Lake Michigan, 35 minutes from a major city with top medical care, cultural opportunities, etc. but yet only 5 miles from some very nice horseback riding trails, etc---actually we can ride for an hour behind our house on our neighbor's trails and feel like we are in the middle of no where. I still have good shopping within 15-20 minutes and a mall within 30 minutes. Oh this is so perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I think we have the best of both worlds. we have 7 acres on a dead end street that feel completely secluded, but is actually close to friendly neighbors. We have horses, cows, chickens, turkeys, goats, cats and dogs. My kids have several hours of farm chores each day. I love seeing their maturity and work ethic developing. We have home school classes 15 minutes away, and shopping and a community college 20 minutes away. It takes me an hour to get to my son's piano lessons, but only 30 minutes to his band class. It's an hour and a half to the medical center, and the Houston zoo and museums. I don't think any of us are missing out on opportunities. If I HAD to move, I would choose to move farther out and have more land rather than moving closer to the city. I never want to live in suburbia again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 LOL, Ladies. I know Ree's life is romanticized and I don't really literally want HER life. Guess I just wanted to know if there are others who feel dissatisfied with their suburbia life and would love to live out in the country like hubby & I would. I think it is because we grew up in the country. We don't live suburbia type lives even though we live here. We are essentially hicks. We want to go fishing without having to drive an hour to find water. We want to be able to put a shed in the backyard without getting permission from the city council. We'd like to raise chickens. I guess it boils down to feeling like a country gal stuck in a city girl's life. And Ree resonated with me because she occasionally declares she is a city girl stuck in a country gal's life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 We live outside a busy town on a couple of acres. We have lots of animals, mostly dogs, cats, & chickens. Sometimes I do not want to go out to that barn and take care of anything! Esp in the snow. It's nice, I am not moving, but it can be a pain. I enjoy my home and I love that the kids have this experience, but there isn't much glamour involved in mucking out chicken coops. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 I grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. 400 acres was not self-sustainable. Exactly. If you will notice on her blog she no longer keeps their last name a secret. I guess that would be kind of hard to do and sell cookbooks. :tongue_smilie: Btw, I do plan to buy one....I think they would make great gifts. But anyway, I think I read somewhere that family has over 100,000 acreas of land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Wow, well, I definitely didn't realize how big of an operation their ranch is. Yeh, a little beyond my aspirations. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieB Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Connie, I seriously doubt Ree is mucking out stalls and pulling calves. I've been on our ranch 31 years now, never mucked a stall and only helped pull a calf a couple of times. I've helped with my horses, given shots, branded, occasionally fed and have brought countless water jugs and hamburgers to the hay fields though. Ranch hands come in very......handy for the hard work like that. (Working cattle is not hard work, just a lot of work) Ok, maybe she wasn't actually the one with her arms inside the animal, but she also wasn't back at the house having tea with her friends either, lol: http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2009/04/prolapse/ . She does get out there with the animals: http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2008/01/cows_and_the_positions_of_classical_ballet/ ok, maybe only to take photos, lol. But she's out there, in the cold, among the aroma of those animals. Pee-ewww. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 We really do appreciate what we have here. There is a large university only about 20 minutes away, lots of other colleges within 45 minutes, and a fabulous library system. Then I can walk out my back door and head to the barn and enjoy the horses, watch the sun rise about the trees, watch the deer eat in the field behind our pasture (well, haven't seen them since hunting season started :glare:), and enjoy some nice quiet. Life is not perfect here but we do enjoy what we have. The chores are WONDERFUL for my kids. My 21 ds (mentally impaired) can fix just about anything. He is not a horse person really but loves his farm quad and dirt bike. My 14dd (about a 6 -8 year old level) can handle all 3 horses--bring them in, feed, put out hay, fill water, sort their grain, put them out again, muck stalls, clean pastures, etc. all on her own (but we do provide supervision for safety). She can even tack up her 16hh gelding all by herself and loves to ride. 12dd can run around on her pony and scare mom with how fast she goes--as well as do the chores. The girls also take care of the chickens and sell the eggs for a bit of money. I love having access to some of the nicest beaches in Michigan just a short drive away and the medical center just 45 minutes away has been a huge blessing due to the girls having very rare genetic issues. Just remind me of all of this when it is 4 below zero with -20 windchills and the horses need to be fed in the dark:001_smile: Oh this is so perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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