It all started with me picking my first heifer out of my parents herd. I raised her and named her Miss Calloway, from the movie "Home on the Range"! I showed Miss Calloway at the 2016 North Park Fair breeding heifer open class. Then it was time to kick her out to pasture. When we got her back in she was bred, and this calving season she had her first baby. I named her calf Grace because in "Home on the Range" Miss Calloway is Grace's mentor and here Miss Calloway is Graces mo

I was born in Gunnison, CO, lived in New Mexico for a year or so then moved here when I turned two and have grown up here in Walden. I would spend a few weeks every summer in Gunnison, but I'm always right back to Walden. When I was younger my role for the ranch was whatever chores my dad gave me. In the spring, during calving I would go tagging with him. Whenever a baby (calf) needed to be pulled I always wanted to go and watch and help. We would move pairs whether it was n

In addition to ranching, I started making rope baskets in 2002. The first time I saw a picture of a rope basket in a magazine, I was hooked. Now I just needed to figure out how to make one. Thankfully, I had a friend who knew the craft and was willing to teach me. We had met a previous summer, while she was camping at the Gould KOA. She returned to camp the next summer, and that is when the fun started. I am never short on material for baskets; on a cattle ranch there is no

Memories of North Park Cowbelles Beef Cook Off It has been suggested that I write about some of my memories of the Colorado Beef Cook Off sponsored by the North Park Cattle Women (called Cowbelles back at the time we were competing, I believe). I was the Home Economics teacher back then (Family and Consumer Science teacher nowadays) . I have always believed that many kids love to be competitive in class and a cooking contest is way too fun to pass up. The food competitions on

Ranching is the lifestyle I know and love. I was raised in North Park on a ranch my entire life, and I am extremely excited to raise our kids the same way. My husband Mike and I are able to lease my parents’ ranch where we run our cattle and raise our kids. I graduated from North Park School, where our three kids Alex, Tristan and Aubrey have attended. Ranching has taught me valuable lessons that I can pass on to our kids including discipline, hard work, caring for others,

Today we celebrate National Ag Day and I’d like, in addition, to share with you a gentleman who is a recognized cowboy “in these parts.” In fact, the North Park Stockgrowers honored him with a special award this weekend so it’s only fitting that in observance of today’s holiday, we make it “Buck Huston Day” in North Park since we love to celebrate great things and cowboy heritage. The story Phil Anderson told at the Annual Stockgrowers Banquet was too perfect to edit so I s