Margie's Ramblin'
Note from a Scotch Lass By
Margie Taylor This Ramblin' introduces our dear friend, Margie Taylor, a lovely
Scotch lassie from Edinburgh, Scotland. She and her partner, Robert
got hitched here on the ranch in September 2003. They loved it so
much they asked to come back and see what it was like to live like
real cowboys for a few months. Of course we said YES!!! So here
they are!! As you read this, be sure to imagine Margie talkin’
to you in her gorgeous Scotch accent. -- Boss Lady
Hi! Robert and I come from Edinburgh, Scotland, so we had to travel quite a bit to get here. We are Granny and Granddad to three beautiful grandchildren, Ryan 5, Jay 3, and Shaun who's 1. So we are no spring chickens but definitely 'no too auld for a wee adventure'. So after saying goodbye to our lovely family, here we are. Here's what happened in just our first week.
Wednesday 11th February 2004. We arrived at the ranch around noon to find there is quite a busy week ahead. All the wranglers were preparing for a party of around 50 or so visitors to the ranch. So we were literally thrown in at the deep end. Today was a rehearsal for a show in the arena, so everyone was given a schedule on how the day would go. There is so much to organize, and I've discovered already that cattle and horses don’t always run to schedule. They have their own timetable.
Said hi to everyone we already met in September and a few new faces too. There is a crazy little mare (a human one) called Colleen from New York I’m already quite fond of.
In bed by 9 o'clock. It gets cold and dark here in the desert in February. We are holed up in a little trailer with everything we need for our time here. So nighty night for now.
Thursday 12th February 2004. Up and raring to go around 7 o'clock. No choice really. There is a noisy little burro living out back of our trailer who sings to us in burro talk as soon as sun's up.
We found our way around the ranch today, there seems to be more for Robert to do than me, with him being more physical, but I soon got into the swing of things and there is so much cleaning and straightening and preparing to do to make sure it all goes really well for the guests arriving tomorrow.
Hit the sack pretty early again, quite tired, this ranch living is quite exhausting for a pampered wee city girl like me.
Friday 13th February 2004. We got an early start today with a little help from "Bubba the Burro" out back. The whole day was amazing. Guests arrived around 3.00pm. I don’t know what they expected but they must have thought they had time traveled back 100 years or so. They were held up on the road into the ranch by half a dozen gun toot in' cowboys (including one Scottish one), marched off the bus at gunpoint, loaded onto the wagon and driven to the ranch house.
The great big smiles and flashing cameras said it all. They had such an exciting, busy, wonderful day. They watched a show in the arena, beginning with a grand entrance, a sleigh pulled by two gorgeous horses followed by all the cowboys. Then they watched some roping and cattle penning, and a sword fight between a real mean bandit called Mark, and "Zorro", (Yup! I did say Zorro, he's still around these parts don't cha know!!!)
Guests got to try cattle penning and all sorts of cowboy capers before having dinner and drinks in the ranch house. Ranch food is lovely but a bit different to the food we are used to. (My wee man's missin' his mince'n'tatties.) I tried to explain what haggis was but everyone left the room when I got to the part about it being cooked in a sheep’s stomach! (An' I thought cowboys where supposed to be hard men, HUH!) I'm glad we never brought Scotland’s national dress. With the amount of beans these guys eat, they would all see that Robert's a true Scotsman with his kilt blowin' around his ears, and it would be nothing to do with the Nevada WIND!
Living here is a bit like living in an old cowboy movie, even if after dinner it’s more like the campfire scene in 'Blazing Saddles', rather than 'How the West was Won'. The day was finished off by sitting around an amazing campfire, singing songs, roasting marshmallows, and playing 'Chubby Bunny' (Don’t ask, it has to be seen to be believed).
In bed around 11.30pm, tired but happy everything went so well.
Saturday 14th February 2004. Valentine's day. No fancy restaurant candlelit dinner for us cowboys, another busy day. 3 guests are staying in the little covered wagon for bed and breakfast -- a couple from Las Vegas and their little girl. I got to go on a trail ride with them through the desert, trying to avoid rattlesnakes and 'Desert Gators!!!.
Missing ma bairns, (young 'uns in these parts), especially when I see Kyle (the trail boss's grandson).
Sunday 15th February 2004. Up pretty early with Bubba. I just love that Burro! (Sometimes I'd rather call him an ass, can’t think why…) Lots to do, another party of about 32 people arriving tomorrow to camp out overnight and enjoy two days of, well, just about everything you can think of to do on a ranch and more.
Monday 16th February 2004. Wow! Can these guys have fun, 32 lovely guys and gals from Germany and they had a ball. They arrived around 10.00 am, divided into 6 teams of 5 or 6 people all competing for hay cubes. They earned cubes for their team by competing in cow pie throwing, roping, horseshoe throwing, buckin' bronco and hatchet throwing, more cubes could be won on a treasure trail on the wagon and more still for the best cornbread made by each team in the kitchen with our cook (They were putting all sorts in that cornbread, and the wranglers and the Boss Lady had to taste it. YEUCH!!).
Then the teams all competed in cattle penning, some good riders, some not so good, but they all had a try and they all loved it.
They were camping out at a little place we call Cow Camp, just a little way from the ranch house, where they had dinner and drinks around two roaring campfires before settling down for the night. After saying goodnight, Robert and I moseyed on down to our trailer for some shuteye
Tuesday 17th February 2004.
After breakfast at Cow Camp guests alternated between shootin' balloons in the arena and going out on a cattle drive. Now those Germans were quite competitive, stealing each others hay cubes, so at the prize giving in the ranch house just before they said goodbye, one team had stolen most of the hay cubes so got most awards, which were gold mounted cow pies in a horseshoe, really cute too (well, as cute as cow pies can be).
They all left around 1.00pm, happy, smiling and if I'm not mistaken, I'll swear I saw a couple swagger John Wayne-style on the way to the bus. We all waved them off by the front gate and I just know they will be charming their friends and family with tales of sleeping under the stars, coyotes and cowboys, and their visit to Sandy Valley Ranch for a long, long while to come.
Wednesday 18th February 2004.
Had a peek out my window this morning and watched the sunrise. We are so lucky to be here. The ranch is surrounded by mountains and there is nothing more peaceful than sitting astride a beautiful horse watching the sun set over those mountains, a million miles away from the rest of the world.
Everyone on the ranch has been so welcoming. I felt sad leaving my family at home and we will be happy to see them all, and the greenery and countryside of Bonnie Scotland again, but we have found another family here. I can guarantee tears when we leave, but I'm sure we'll return soon, ‘cause I'm leaving a little piece of my heart here where It seems like it always has been, and I know now it always will be.
If we have the chance to write another Ramblin's before we go, I will try and convince the grumpy wee Scotsman to say a few words (if I can get him to dismount Ginger!!!!!!) Nighty, night Bubba,
Ma wee pal.
XXXXXXXMargieXXXXXXX
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