Marlboro Man and the kids saddled their horses Friday and took off to sort some cattle. This marked the beginning of a long, arduous weekend full of ranch work, cooking, soccer games, writing, fixing fence (a herd of cows broke through and entered our yard so they could attack the beginning stages of our garden) and finally, fixing my garden and cursing the cows.
I also found time in there to watch “Steel Magnolias.”
And all was right in the world.
As I write this Monday morning, my husband and children are back on their horses. The next stage of ranch work has officially begun.
Through the frigid winter months—and this winter was particularly frigid—the work on the ranch is defined by long mornings of hauling feed and hay to strategic areas around the ranch in an attempt to keep the cattle and mustangs adequately nourished. It’s very vehicle-centered; through the cold winter months, there’s very little occasion to saddle and ride our horses.
But as soon as the buds start appearing on the trees in our yard, the nature of the ranch work changes.
And our ranch horses are more than ready. By the end of the winter, their sense of purpose is usually at a real low.
But those days are over, at least for this year. Here in about a month or two, they’ll be begging winter to hurry up and arrive.
We have a long, hot summer of ranch work ahead of us.
I don’t want to talk about it right now. I might weep.
Instead, I’ll show you this lovely little ranch vignette from Friday.
Rogue calf! It broke away from the herd.
There’s one in every pasture.
Marlboro Man doesn’t go after them himself anymore. In almost every instance, he motions for one of the kids to go get ’em.
It’s how they learn.
Go, cowgirl! You can do it!
Stay with him…
It’s hard to know who I like watching the most—my girl, who’s becoming more confident on her horse with each passing year…or Jack, the fearless ranch horse?
I’ll have to go with my girl, I guess. I carried her in my womb.
Oh, geez. Charlie, what are you doing here?
Pay no attention to this creature.
He’s seriously no help at all.
She got it! The calf’s back in the herd, sucking on its mama’s teat where it belongs.
Good job, cowgirl!
Her baby brother watched the whole thing with great interest. He hopes someday to be able to go after rogue calves himself.
For right now, though, he’s content just to sit there and look pretty.
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
