The Next Generation
Goodbye, Dot
The end of the decade and the end of an era at Thomas Cattle Company.
On Tuesday, December 31, 2019, we laid Dot, the oldest ranch dog in our family to rest. Dot was a staple here at TCC.
In April 2020 she would have been 15 years old. 15 is old for a dog but REALLY old for a working ranch dog. She’s been retired for some time but was still the greeting committee at our house and office. At any given hour of the day (and night) you could hear her moving through the house, claws clacking on the hardwood floor and then a solid thud when she’d found her place to rest for the moment. There’s already a different type of quietness within our house without her.
Dot existed at TCC a few years before I ever even came into the picture. She was the original gal in Seth’s life. We will miss her so much but know that she is no longer in pain and is enjoying being able to run around and chase cows once again. All dog’s go to Heaven, right?
It is a bittersweet way to close out our decade here at Thomas Cattle Company. We will miss Dot and appreciate her part of the legacy that we are building here, she has been a part of our story in the lifestyle we live and the business we are working hard to build. Ranch dogs are our friends but they are also our business partners, helping us do our work in moving cows and helping facilitate order in doing so. (and sometimes disorder) They welcome us home when they see us coming, they confirm our presence and importance in their lives with just a quick glance and they hold a piece of our heart…as an important part of our families. What we do could not be accomplished without great dogs, and Dot was one of the best. We will miss you Dotty Patotty. Rest in Peace.
The Important Work
I was abruptly reminded of this lately. And for good reason.
I’m pretty sure that the world expects us to do it all, do it all well, have everything perfectly organized and squared away. And we get in that hustle and bustle...to school, to work, to meetings, pickups, sports, ranch work, day job work...and sometimes those relationships closest to home suffer the most.
Garth Brooks: A concert and master class in leadership
A decade!
On June 13th, 2009, Seth and I said our wedding vows and committed to each other for life. We’re not quite sure what Seth’s vows were exactly, as Paul, our 92 year old minister, said Seth’s entire section, with no breaks for him to repeat. While we may not know the exact words, we knew at the core the commitments we’d made to each other.
Good Things Take Time
So many times ranching is a metaphor for life. Good things take time, and precision, and focus, otherwise if they’re done fast and cheap and without quality, they’re done but not in greatness.
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Pushing cows is like this, you take time to do it the right way, to give your cows the space they need to get where they’re going and not spook them or push them too hard.
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You push too hard and they start to spread out and go off in small groups, this takes you off path and spending energy getting everyone back in the same path.
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You don’t push them steady enough and it’s going to be tomorrow when you get done.
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Life...and pushing cows requires us to find balance and rewards those who put in the time and effort to do things effectively, efficiently, and the right way the first time, even if it takes more time and happens more slowly.
Taking chances
Take a chance, fall down, get back up.
Take a chance, fall down, get back up.
Take a chance, fall down, get back up.
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The most important part being the last...get back up.
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To have tried and failed, is better than to have never tried at all and always get back up.
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Each time you do, you get better, stronger and more experienced in how to have success and it will make the victory even more enjoyable!