Yesterday evening was the fourth annual Miss Mustang on our ranch. As the sun was starting to go down, I spent time among the beautiful equine contestants, interviewing them and photographing them in all their beautiful mustang glory. And there’s never been a more eager, enthusiastic crop of contestants: the gentle breeze was blowing their manes, and the horses remained relatively close to me the whole time, displaying their talents and swimsuits like no mustangs ever have before.
And then I returned to the house. I made dinner. I got the kids geared toward bed. I tidied up the house. Rearranged some stacks of books and papers. Changed into my yoga pants and played with Charlie and Walter and walked around in a circle a few times.
Then I sat down to edit the Miss Mustang photos and post the details of the pageant.
But when I opened my camera to retrieve the memory card, it wasn’t there.
To make a long story short, I’m convinced that I absentmindedly removed the memory card as I was walking into the house, thinking I’d go straight to my desk and insert it into the card reader, instead setting it down somewhere on the way to my desk. Otherwise, I can’t imagine that I would have taken 100-plus photos without a memory card in my camera, as when I take photos without a memory card in my camera, a red alert that says “Demo!” flashes, and in the past I’ve always noticed this alert and have remedied the situation by inserting a memory card, and if I were to find out that I actually took over a hundred photos and didn’t notice the red, demonic, flashing “Demo!” it means that I have severe deficiencies happening in my cerebral cortex and I need to make some serious changes in my sleep patterns…or, worse, my diet.
Speaking of my diet: when I stated last week that I’ve given up sugar, I didn’t mean things that technically have some form of sugar in them. I didn’t mean carbs and I didn’t mean wine. I literally meant sweets…desserts…things that drip with sugar. Things like cake and cookies and ice cream and candy and hot fudge sauce eaten with a spoon straight out of the jar. That’s what I’ve given up, and considering how much of the aforementioned things I eat on a weekly basis, it’s an effective enough first step. I’m suffering, my friends. I’m in pain.
I wonder if the abrupt absence of sweet, blessed, granulated sugar can be blamed for my Miss Mustang memory card fiasco? I’m open to all possibilities. And if that does, in fact, turn out to be the case, surely it would be better for me to eat sugar and have a clear mind than not to eat sugar and lose my memory cards or take a hundred photos and not notice a demonic, flashing alert. Surely! Surely? Don’t call me Shirley. Never mind.
I’m still searching for the memory card filled with Miss Mustang 2011 photos that might not even exist, and if it doesn’t, I fear for my lucidity.
Meantime, please take some time to browse the prior years’ pageants to get a feel for what the pageant is all about.
Love,
Lucy Lucid. I hope.
Miss Mustang 2008
Miss Mustang 2009 (This one saw a couple of startling developments.)
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.
