The story here isn’t the cow standing on our porch and sticking her head into our house, even though I suppose that could be considered notable.
The real story is that we have two mama cows living full time in our yard. The two mama cows are sick—they couldn’t take care of their babies (who, it so happens, are sawing logs in our barn with stomachs full of milk replacer as I write this)—and Marlboro Man decided he’d just let them stay in the pasture nearest our house. There, he said, we’d be able to find them and feed them check on them and take care of them…and nurse them back to health.
They stayed out in the pasture for about four hours. Then they moved straight to our porch. The other cow, a Brahman, prefers the smaller porch right outside my bedroom. It’s her new crib, and I’ve almost gotten used to her big, black eyes staring through the window at me every night.
I’ve almost gotten used to a 1,300 pound creature rubbing up against my door in the middle of the night.
Ol’ Blackie here prefers our back porch. It’s where all the action is, and she thinks she’s part of the family. I’ve never in my life seen a tamer cow.
That’s not blood on her face—don’t worry. It’s a mark, designating that she’s sick. In case she ever got mixed in with some other cattle, we’d want to be able to find her and bring her back home.
Back to her home on the porch.
Blackie wants to know what’s for dinner. She smells somethin’ powerful good emanatin’ from the kitchen.
I won’t tell her we’re having roast.
You can see that she’s not the typical big, fat, healthy cow. But sometimes, just as with homo sapiens, a cow will get sick and start to go downhill.
But we’ll bring her back. We’ll feed her and her bovine sister every morning and every night, and we’ll make sure their every need is met. Tomorrow we have pedicures planned!
Because nothing brings a mama back like a good, robust pedicure.
Sorry. I’ll try to leave myself out of this.
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.
