The Boss Man and I had our Father’s Day trip yesterday on the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition/Nebraska Cattlemen tour. We had a great day and I have tons of fodder for future blogs.
We cut out from the tour a little early, neither of us usually pass up a nice juicy steak, but the 2:15am wake up and the four hour drive home gave us a little extra incentive.
We received a phone call from the Boss Man’s Wife on the way home. My aunt and uncle were being mandatory evacuated from the Black Forest near Colorado Springs. Fires were raging out of control, and my Uncle could see flames from the window of their house. Fortunately their church family arrived and helped to load items into their fifth wheel. It’s still not known if their house, which was built on the land that my grandparents lived, is still standing. I ask for you to keep all of those in that area in your prayers.
It got me to thinking though….if I was mandatory evacuated and could take ten items, what would I take?
1. Ryan
2. Jazz-and yes I did put her after Ryan. It was tough, but I did it!
3. My grandfather’s belt buckle. It has the flying diamond on it, and one that he always use to wear. Grandma gave it to me around a decade ago and it’s one of my most prized possessions.
4. My wedding rings. I still can’t convince myself to wear them in the manure and grease, and my knuckles are usually scratched up enough that it takes me a little bit of effort to get them on and off.
5. The framed ticket from the concert where Ryan and I met in Concordia, KS. I hung on to it all the time we were dating and gave it to him in Costa Rica right before our wedding.
6. The picture of President Clinton and I in the East Room of the White House during Girls Nation.
7. The metal horse that use to sit on my grandparent’s fireplace in their house in the Black Forest.
8. The framed saying my Favorite Uncle (and aunt) gave Ryan and I for our wedding. He passed away this winter and I miss him a lot.
9. Two wall hangings from the Sand County Foundation, from when the ranch won the Leopold Conservation Award. One was from a symposium that the Boss Man and I attend at Texas A&M, the other is a seven foot tall banner of a picture of me and my retired pony moving yearlings.
10. I guess I better also grab some certain electronics….or else the Editor might get a little cranky.
Hopefully the list is something I never have to use, and my heart goes out to those that do. What would you take? Comment at www.midwestproducer.com, Facebook me at Jaclyn Wilson Demel or tweet @jacd_up.