Spoiler Alert: Yellowstone Isn’t Completely Accurate…

Like most of America, we are fans of the show Yellowstone. This romanticized version of ranch life was how I envisioned our life moving to the Ozarks (minus the murder, bombs, and grudges, of course).

While watching the most recent season, I had my first “that’s not real” experience as I watched with my novice cattlewoman’s eye. In this scene, brucellosis was discovered on the ranch. This highly transmissible bacterial disease affects all bovines (bison, cattle, etc.) by shutting down their bodies. In their effort to protect surviving cattle by moving them to a different pasture the cowboys found an orphan calf hiding in the trees. In the show, they walked right up on this calf, picked it up without fuss, and loaded it on their horses.

Spoiler Alert: If that was real life that calf wouldn’t have let anyone near it. It would have bolted. It would have taken three, four, maybe five cursing cowboys to corner, rope, and subdue that calf.

If you subscribe to this blog, you know that moving cattle is an art. But, when you’re moving calves, throw all the rules out the window, pack your patience, and maybe solicit the help from a seasoned momma cow or two. Without all this, you will turn into a cursing cowboy and before you know it hours have passed and you’re no where near getting that calf where you want it to be.

There is no denying that my family has learned a lot since moving from the suburbs to the ranch. We have gained skills we never would have if we stayed in our little house on the cul-de-sac. These skills have also changed the way we watch romanticized versions of our current life style. I haven’t decided if this is a good or bad thing…