What the "H" means...

So, I finally took a big step forward in "earning my 'h' "... I figured out what it stands for! Still haven't earned it, but at least I know what I'm looking for, right? This great advancement came about through the recent painful process of trying to figure out what exactly went wrong at the last job. It's been a couple weeks now and we've had ample opprtunity to pray about it, discuss it, roll it around & examine it & we finally came to a 3-part conclusion as to what happened & what we can learn from it. Basically, it was "them", "us" and "everyone". 1. Them: The job as it was posted and explained and represent to us (especially Jeff) was NOT what it actually turned out to be. What the owner really wanted was an "implementer" to enthusiastically move ahead with every hair-brained idea that the owner came up with. This isn't necessarily wrong, but when you don't know that ahead of time, it causes issues down the road. 2. Us: Looking back, we feel that perhaps we were a little too proud of our home state of Montana. No one wants to keep hearing others talk about how things are better somewhere else. We're certain that the phrase "In Montana..." or "Back home..." got really old to them. 3. Everyone: The culture in CO is different than here, especially in the workplace - especially with the recent legalization of pot. We feel that we were probably "cramping their style" as we don't smoke (pot or otherwise), we drink very little and we don't swear. It was becoming quite obvious that they felt either judged or just uncomfortable with us around. They used the "F" word as if they'd never learned any other adjective or adverb, even in the office. They used it a LOT and b/c they knew we didn't they were always apologizing. They had weekly drinking parties. And, they all admitted that they really enjoyed going home after work & having a joint. And when I say "all", I mean all... even the GM apparently partook as she spent a lot of time w/ the rest of the crew at those parties. So, upon reflection, we really DIDN'T fit in there and it truly was a personality issue that led to some of the issues. You might be asking yourself how this all relates to my "h". Well, mostly item #2 was the eye-opener. I believe that one of my biggest issues is "humility" or "humbleness". I need to work on how I express my admiration for my home state; how I try to put my experience & knowledge to work for others without coming off as arrogant or bossy; and generally how I relate to others. I don't seem to run into issues w/ people I don't work with, but I can come across as all of those things to fellow employees. So, moving forward, I will continue to try and be aware of my attitude and how I express it, and to continue to pray for a humble and loving heart.

Endings....

As most of you know, today was our last day here at Smith Fork Ranch. We were terminated this a.m., as nicely as possible, although it came after a very vindictive and antagonistic meeting Jeff had last week with the owner. Hired as Ranch Manager (as well as Horse Operations Director, Facilities Manager, Ranch Foreman etc) the owner had indicated directly to us, during the interview process, that there were some very severe issues with those areas and he needed someone w/ the knowledge to make changes. He also, at that time, hired back a previous Dining Manager as the new General Manager. The two Managers (Jeff & Courtney) were to work in tandem to make necessary changes to the ranch & improve overall ranch performance. We arrived in November, Courtney started in January. The owner was gone for all of mid Dec thru March 30, with the exception of several weeks in late Jan / early Feb. During that time, Jeff & Courtney worked together to hire staff, implement proposed changes and make plans for summer. Upon his return 10 days ago, the owner called a meeting with the whole staff as a "brainstorming" meeting for the summer. At that meeting, it quickly became clear that he didn't really mean "brainstorming", he meant "listen to my ideas and say they're great". Any attempt on Jeff's & my part to suggest anything was quickly met with derision, impatience or hostility. A few days later, another meeting was called to discuss projects. At that meeting, Jeff was blamed for everything the owner didn't like, even if he hadn't been involved. He was told: - "Why didn't you move ahead on this? (Jeff - "B/c I was waiting for your approval") - "Why did you move ahead on this? (Jeff - "B/c a decision needed made and you weren't responding") - "Why isn't this project done?" (Jeff - "b/c it can't be done until the snow is gone and it just went off this week) and so on... At the end of that meeting, after everyone else had left, the owner really jumped all over Jeff for the people he hired (even though they were ALL far more qualified Courtney, or himself (the owner), even though he was told to do the hiring etc. Jeff HAD discussed every single hire, repeatedly with Courtney but she told the owner that he had done it all w/out consulting her. And, she also told him that Jeff was intimidating and a liar and didn't communicate with her, and that he had "an agenda" and always had to have his own way. Now, anyone who knows Jeff knows the falsehood of all of that. The owner was unhappy w/ me as well b/c I wasn't quiet enough (probably true), and said that I also wanted to control everyone. (Not true, but I know I can come off as bossy). So, this a.m., we had another meeting with the owner at which time we came to an agreement on severance. We have 2 weeks to move out. We are not heart-broken as we weren't sure how we would be able to stay on knowing the GM was not trustworthy, and that lies were being told about us.We are trusting that God has a new plan in place for us, and that we were here for a purpose also. We hope to find ranch work, but obviously will need to be open to all options. As of right now, unless a job offer comes by mid-next week, we'll probably head back to Big Sky. I think that's the update for now. Not sure what we're doing about mail yet but will keep you all posted. Thank-you everyone for your prayers, advice and support. We'll be seeing some of you soon!

The Catch Pen Adventure

The morning dawned bright and clear, and Jeff & I loaded the girls into the pickup to start our 5-hour trek to Salina, UT to pick up the horse panels that we had ordered for the new catch pen. As we drove through the North Fork valley, the dogs were eagerly watching out the windows as we drank our coffee from the travel mugs and discussed the day’s plans. In Delta, we were pleasantly surprised to quickly find parking for the one-ton truck and 20’ horse trailer hooked to it, at the Delta County Courthouse. We were even more pleased when the process to get our licenses switched to Colorado was relatively quick and painless. In less than 20 minutes were back on the road. As we got settled into our pace on I-70, headed west, we enjoyed seeing the area sans snow or rain as this was our first trip through the area without inclement weather. In Crescent Junction UT, we stopped at “Papa Joes” to fill up with diesel & quickly got back on the road. Some time later, we passed Green River and saw Capital Reef rear up ahead of us. The climb up past the reef was quite scenic and we enjoyed the new country we were seeing with it’s many mesa’s, red rocks and unusual rock formations. As we passed Ghost Rock, however, I happened to see some long black thing go flying from behind the truck into the berm. When I mentioned it to Jeff, he quickly noticed that we had a flat tire on the trailer. So, we slowed and found a good spot to pull over. As he prepared to change the tire, I carefully herded the dogs up into the trees for a pit stop. When I returned, I found Jeff just standing waiting for us. He was not pleased to inform me that while we did have a spare tire, we had no way to get it off the trailer. The lug wrench in the truck only fit the truck lug nuts, not the larger trailer ones. Neither did we have a jack if it became needed. So, we unhooked the trailer and headed back to Green River – 30 miles behind us. An hour and half later, we were back at the trailer with a new high-lift jack and star wrench. Still took nearly another 45 minutes to change the tire, however, as the lugs were pretty “boogered up” from some past trauma and so getting the lug nuts off, and then back on, was extremely difficult. But, Jeff persevered and we finally got back on the road. We arrived in Salina two hours late, but the driver of the truck we were meeting had been able to do some other deliveries in the meantime and so the timing worked out fine. We loaded our new panels into the trailer and headed back east. While we were a little nervous about the five-hour drive home with no spare trailer tire, we decided the rest were in pretty good shape & we’d go for it. I took a nice little nap west of Green River and overall we were enjoying the drive. Then, about 40 miles west of Grand Junction, a mysterious single beep had us looking for warning lights or other issues. However, after a few minutes we found nothing so continued on. However, within just a few minutes of that, the temperature suddenly pegged out and we started getting steam & smoke from the exhaust. We pulled over and Jeff popped the hood to see what he could see. The water had all boiled out of the overflow, but we couldn’t find any reason why. As Jeff was checking things out, a Colorado State Trooper pulled up behind us to see if we needed help. While he couldn’t do much for the truck, he did offer to take one of us in to get anti-freeze if needed and left us his card. But, before he left, as all good Trooper’s do, he ran the plates on our horse trailer as it didn’t have updated tags. We assured him that it HAD to be current as all of the ranch vehicles get renewed at the same time & just show up in the mail. He went back to re-check and discovered that it showed that the ranch had “sold” the trailer a year or two ago, but it had never been re-titled by a new owner. “Whaaattt?!” How does that even happen? Seems pretty suspicious, huh? Anyway, the trooper said just to get it taken care of and left us to our more immediate issue. We decided to try & limp the truck down the freeway a short way to find water. At the next exit (for “Mack”, “No Services”) we pulled off & found a hydrant to fill the truck. But, the water didn’t really help and so we decided we’d better call a tow truck. But, with no phone book or other info, we had to call back to the ranch to get info & have someone else help us find a tow truck, etc. So, after an hour or two, we finally saw the tow truck show up. He quickly loaded the pickup and then it was time to head to Grand Junction and the hotel we’d booked for the night. But, when I crawled up into the cab, I quickly noticed there were only TWO seats.. the driver and the passenger. Where was I going to sit? I wasn’t allowed to sit on Jeff’s lap, so the only place left was between the two seats. Yes – the tiny little space BETWEEN the seat… maybe 18”? So, on the floor, between the seats, tilted on my right side (because my butt does NOT fit between seats anymore), with my right leg stretched out beneath (Yes, UNDER) the passenger seat, my left leg pulled up to my chest, my left arm cradling my purse and my left arm up over my head – that’s how I rode the 40 miles back to Grand Junction. We arrived at the hotel around 10pm where the driver dropped us off. The dogs had ridden in the pickup up on the back of the wrecker and so Jeff crawled up to get them out. Apparently Sage didn’t realize that the truck was on another truck, not on the ground. So, even though Jeff tried to grab her to hand her to me, she took a flying leap out of the pickup. It was a pretty hard landing on the parking lot, but she jumped right up & ran around so that was good. Josie was much more cautious in her exit. After a brief discussion, we realized that we not only had nothing for us, we had nothing for the dogs either. So, Jeff walked over to the convenience store, but they didn’t have any dog food. So, I quickly called the restaurant for room service. A short 10 minutes later, Jeff had a Calzone, I had an Italian Chef Salad & the dogs had a big bowl of meatballs which the restaurant gave them for free as they felt bad for them. So, our day ended much different than we had planned, but we were happy to be somewhere warm & with a comfy bed. The next morning, we found out that the truck had blown a head gasket –much worse than we feared. (So, apparently, this year of Ford truck is known for this). Someone was dispatched from the ranch to pick us up and we finally arrived home around noon. Now… to get the trailer off the interstate, the truck fixed & home and the trailer tags straightened out. But, it’s good to be home.

"The Good Old Days"

Nothing too exciting to post about this week, but thought I might share some thoughts & discussion Jeff & I had the other day. We were talking about a particular employee we have here, whose favorite "go to" response is "I hate ________, I just should have been born back in the Good Old Days". As we discussed him, it occurred to us, that he isn't really "out of time" in the sense that he would have been happier in another time period, but that he uses that response to mask his shortcomings, whether that is fear, laziness, anti-socialness - whatever. Additionally, he doesn't REALLY realize what he's saying. This person, who doesn't like guns (they're too loud & smelly), machinery (too big & noisy), work (unless it is just riding down a trail) doesn't realize that the time period he wishes he were born into, required: a) knowledge and use of guns, often, if you wanted to eat b) Work from sun-up till sun-down c) Viewing horses as tools NOT pets (so he wouldn't be able to coddle them the way he wants) All of this led us to thinking about how we sometimes say the same thing though! But, we've come to realize that we don't REALLY want to back to a time w/ no running water, no electricity, no regular mail, no passive entertainment (although sometimes I wouldn't mind no TV), no seeing friends or family for months or years at a time - or maybe ever, no microwave, no freezer, no good antibiotics... and so on. What makes us truly enjoy our times in the back country, or camping, or riding - is our knowledge and ability to go take a shower at some point, to sleep in a great bed, to share our experiences with others. On a final note, however, I WILL say, that I'm not so sure we wouldn't be better off at times with a lot less of the "more" we have now. The ability to veg out in front of a tv, eat a ginormous size McDonalds meal, spend almost nil effort in "work" each day, has resulted in an over-weight society (me included), that would rather be spoon-fed not only our entertainment, but "our" conclusions to any discussion item of worth (i.e., politics, religion, best "last" meal - whatever). I think we have gone past "comfort" into the death-trap of unconsciousness -with our eyes open. We seem to just sit & let an elite few's opinions & decisions flow into our wide-open brains. We no longer interact with one another on a real basis - instead it's facebook friends, email correspondence, and texts instead of calls. I remember some friends of my parents coming to visit one time, who had not seen my parents in over a decade. But, they sat down & visited & laughed like it had been yesterday - because they'd had a REAL friendship. How many of our "friendships" now would with stand such a gap in interactions? All this does make me somewhat nostalgic for an imagined "good old days".. but all-in-all, I'm pretty happy with where I'm at these days. And, I hope that you are too!

Intro Email from SFR to past guests... check us out!

Three Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolutions! Oh, those New Years resolutions- eat healthier, get more exercise, reduce stress and most importantly, spend more quality time with family and friends. Sound familiar? Well, we can help you carry out those resolutions right here at Smith Fork Ranch in the Colorado Rockies this summer or fall. Stay on track during vacation with healthy, fresh veggies-over 30 varieties and berries picked daily from our newly expanded farmstead for yummy entrées, soups, salads, sandwiches, light sauces and desserts-all prepared by our talented SFR culinary team More exercise? That's a no brainer here at Smith Fork Ranch -- riding "your" horse on miles of ranch trails or in the surrounding wilderness, fly fishing the Smith Fork or the famous Gorge of the Gunnison River, competing in our timed archery course through the woods, hiking to the top of "Sleeping Indian," mountain biking up Virginia Creek Trail, or shooting sporting clays in a "cradle" in the mountains. Stress, we're told, is shed upon arrival with cookies and lemonade in the barn, a glass of champagne on your cabin deck or wine on the open-air pavilion surrounded by the mountains. Perhaps a mini-hike and refreshing dip in our freshwater swimming pond up Second Creek or a massage in the treatment outpost overlooking the creek. Maybe it's snooze-time before dinner in a secluded hammock, whatever the choice, kids and parents alike seem to relax at once ... feeling the freedom of the ranch, a friendly, energetic staff and a sense that vacation fun has indeed begun. To carry through on your New Years resolutions, Call or Email Cindy for reservations: 970-921-3454/ Cindy@smithforkranch.com Call soon as our availability for summer and fall 2014 are filling up & we don't want to disappoint you on dates SFR is open May 22 through Nov 1 New Faces at Smith Fork Ranch in 2014!

Courtney is back...many of you may remember Courtney Tucker, now Courtney Belmont, from her years here at Smith Fork Ranch from 2008-2010, in charge of dining, beverage service and guest accommodations. After subsequent management positions in lodges in Belize and the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, we are pleased to announce Courtney has returned to Smith Fork Ranch as General Manager. Welcome to Courtney and her husband Beau!

Year of the Steed, Indeed ... We are also pleased to welcome Jeff Artley to Smith Fork Ranch as Ranch Foreman and Head Wrangler -quite appropriate for 2014 - The Year of the Horse. Jeff and his wife Sara arrived just before Thanksgiving after four years at a Montana Guest Ranch, where Jeff was in charge of the horse program and facilities management. Sara will head Housekeeping and Cabin Hosts at SFR. Ferraris Third Annual Winter Driving Experience at SFR!

The ranch is pleased to participate again in Ferrari's most dynamic driving program based on the Pilota on Ice Programs offered in Italy. "Smith Fork Ranch, known for its luxurious setting and fine food and wine coupled by our remote mountain location has made it a perfect fit for Ferrari drivers to experience the all-wheel drive FF in snowy mountain conditions - and be rewarded with a great lunch in a truly beautiful backdrop of the Colorado Rockies", Marley Hodgson said. This year we are hosting two groups of Ferrari Drivers (48 individuals) this month and in February, Marley noted, adding that no wine is allowed at lunch due to the nature of the event and driving skills needed. The groups drive from Aspen over McCLure Pass to the ranch for a gourmet repast in our cozy fireside room. We look forward to seeing you again soon at SFR! All the best, Marley, Linda & the SFR Staff