My dad's newspaper column for March 6, 2010

[Justin]

great article.

[leanin' H]

Kosmo walks a trail blazed by his Dad and Grand-dad who have built a dandy ranch and have passed thier love of the land and stock down to him. Hope you know how special that is! But I am sure ya do!

[Bob M]

I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSES TO A PROUD GRANDPA'RELATING ABOUT ANOTHER GENERATION STARTING A CAREER IN RANCHING. i AM, IN FACT, PROUD OF THE REST OF THE FAMILY AS WELL. SOAPWEED AND PEACH BLOSSOM HAVE PASSED ON INTEGRITY, FAITH IN THE FUTURE, AND A SENSE OF WELL BEING TO THEIR FAMILY WHO YOU KNOW AS SPARKY, SUNFLOWER AND kOSMO KID.

SOAPWEED HAD THREE YOUNGER SISTERS, SANDRA, SYBIL AND NANCY SANDRA DIED AT THE EARLY AGE OF 37 BUT NOT BEFORE SHE HAD TRAVELED IN ALL 50 STATES AND QUITE A FEW FOREIGN COUNTRIES. SHE AND HER HUSBAND, KIM, HAD MANY FRIENDS. OVER 500 CAME TO HER FUNERAL.

SYBIL AND SANDRA WERE VERY CLOSE. SANDRA TAUGHT SCHOOL SEVERAL YEARS. SYBIL WORKED IN THE LOCAL BANK WHEREVER SHE TAUGHT. THEY TOOK A VACATION AFTER SCHOOL EACH YEAR. SANDRA USUAALLY DREAMED UP THEIR DESTINATION AND SYBIL FIGURED OUT THE DETAILS. SYBIL RETIRED FROM THE CODY BANK LAST YEAR AFTER SHE HAD BEEN THERE 13 YEARS. SHE NOW HEADQUARTERS ON OUR GREEN VALLEY RANCH BUT HAS BEEN AT THE BECK AND CALL OF FRIENDS IN NEED, TAKING THEM TO ROCHESTER, BABY SITTING FOR A COUSIN IN MINNEAPOLIS WHILE SHE HAD MEDICAL TREATMENTS. SHE FILLS IN FOR FRIENDS DRIVING THEIR MAIL ROUTES WHEN THEY NEED TO BE SOMEPLACE ELSE BUT, BEST OF ALL, SHE HAS BEEN A GREAT SUPPORT FOR ARLISS AND ME. THIS PAST YEAR SHE HAS DRIVEN US TO TEXAS, TO LEWISTON, IDAHO, TO ALBUQUERQUE AND ARIZONA, AND WENT WITH US TO VISIT ARLISS' SISTER IN NEW YORK WHERE SHE DROVE OUR RENTED CAR TO WATERLOO, ONTARIO, AND SIMCOE TO VISIT FRIENDS AND RELATIVES. A COMMON SAYING AMONGST SYBIL'S FRIENDS, ''EVERYBODY NEEDS A SYBIL!'

OUR YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, NANCY, IS MARRIED TO SHAWN. THEY ALONG WITH TORI, 16, AND TERREL, 14, LIVE ON A SMALL RANCH NEAR OSHKOSH, NE. WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THEIR FAMILY. SHAWN AND THE KIDS HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP IN COWBOY ACTIVITIES. THEY HAVE BUILT UP QUITE A REPUTATION DOING DAY WORK FOR RANCHERS IN THE AREA INLUDING THE HAYTHORNE RANCH WHEN GETTING READY FOR THEIR HORSE SALES. TORY AND TERREL HAVE EACH COMPETED IN THE NATIONAL JUNIOR FINALS IN GALLUP, NM AND ARE VERY COMPETITIVE IN SCHOOL SPORTS. NANCY HAS HAD SEVERAL ADVANCEMENTS WHILE WORKING AT CABELA'S THESE PAST 10 YEARS.

ELAINE AND I WERE MARRIED 53 YEARS BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY IN 2004. I GIVE HER A LOT OF THE CREDIT FOR BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY OF OUR FAMILY.

NOW I AM GREATLY BLESSED AGAIN WITH ANOTHER WONDERFUL CHRISTIAN WIFE. ARLISS AND I HAVE BEEN MARRIED SINCE OCTOBER 2, 2007. WE LIVE ON THE RANCH AND ARE ABLE TO TRAVEL WITH CREDIT GIVEN TO SYBIL AND ARLISS' THREE DAUGHTERS, PATTY, DE ANN, AND SARA. ARLISS ALSO HAS TWO SONS, BRYAN AND DICK, WHO IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HER ON THEIR RANCH ACROSS THE LINE IN SOUTH DAKOTA. WE VISITED BRYAN AND FAMILY IN TEXAS.

SO, YOU SEE, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED AND HAVE REASON TO BE PROUD!~!

[Bob M]

A little bird tells me that people on Rancher's Net do not appreciate people writing in capital letters. My tab lot accicentally was on and I left it on in that I could see iit easier as I type, I have an appointment on March 25 to get my cataracts taken off. That should help I hope! It is snowing on the "Green Valley" this morning. It must have rained close to an inch during the nigiht. We have had wonderfuil moisture so soon the Green VAlley will be green, my vision should be greatly improved and I'll have new store bought teeth. I told ARliss to go along with the newly restored BobM i migiht have to purchase a dark colored wavy wig.

My apologies for the capital letters!

[Big Muddy rancher]

[gcreekrch]

Bob, you keep telling stories any way you feel like typing. When I was a youngster I spent more time with fellers your age than I did with my own generation.
It is you guys that we learn from if we just listen.

Good luck on the reconditioning process.

[per]

Like gcreek I spend lots of time with folks my senior and some of them holler because they can't hear well. That is what I thought you were doing. No matter even while hollering our Dads are worth listening to. The hollering we don't like is the mad kind. No one took it that way.

[Boss Cowman]

type however you want, I enjoyed it. My grandpa passed away in 2002, but not after sharing with me a lifetime of stories and knowledge.