About Me...

Happy 1st Day of Spring!! I sure hope Mother Nature knows what day it is and acts accordingly from here on out. I’d love to look out and see this in my backyard…..

Sigh….wishful thinking……this picture sure does put me in a good mood though (even if it’s not in my backyard)!

The sun is shining out and it’s supposed to be nice today. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me. I need to go check on our cows in the calving pasture in just a few minutes. Our calving pasture is quite large so it takes me quite a while to get around it and get everything checked. I look forward to it (especially on beautiful mornings such as this). We will feed hay and then we will head in to have my son’s check up with the dentist who performed his oral surgery last week.

I mentioned that I’ve been writing a column. I’m excited that another publication has added me to their feature list and now I am being considered by three more (one a very well known magazine). I’m super excited about this wonderful opportunity! I’ve been sending off my bio and my intro column to them all for print. It dawned on me that it may be a good idea to post it on here so all of you can read it as well. So, here’s a few words about little ole me!

Greetings from the Pine Ridge Reservation! I have been busy thinking about what my first submission would be about. I came up with all sorts of topics, but then I realized that the majority of you don’t know who I am. So, I’m taking this opportunity to introduce myself. Once we are properly acquainted, I can get right into what’s on my mind in the next issue.

My name is Cheyenne Glade Wilson. I was born in Miles City, Montana and I was fortunate to be raised on a ranch north of the Yellowstone River northwest of Terry. My great grandparents had settled the place in the late 1800’s/early 1900’s. The ranch had been run by my grandparents, Art & June Reukauf and eventually went on to my parents, Cliff & Lila Glade. I grew up helping my folks on the ranch along with my brother, Wyatt. We learned all about cattle and horses. You may have heard the phrase, “She could ride before she could walk”. That phrase could pertain to me in one sense or another. As kids we spent a lot of time in the saddle and we learned a lot along the way. Our fun time was rodeo….youth rodeo to start with, then high school, and then college. The values I learned from how I grew up have carried me along my journey through life.

After a year or so in college, I drifted towards city life. I spend about 12 years in the retail trade. While growing up on the ranch, I always wondered what life was like “on the other side of the fence”. I got quite an education while I was “over” there. I learned a lot and I applied the work ethic I learned while growing up. It served me well as I was promoted quite quickly and eventually I became a district manager. I really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of city life. However, as I got older, I could feel a tug inside me. It was my past ranch life that was calling me. A couple times a year, I would come back and help out on the ranch during busy times (branding, shipping, etc.). It was always hard to go back to my city life after being “home” for a while. Eventually, I made the decision to move back. My life changed drastically when I met my would-be husband, Shane, in Miles City.

We eventually moved to ranch near my folks. They had sold their place in Montana and had moved down here in early 2000. We arrived in early spring 2005 and we have called the Slim Buttes area near Oglala home ever since. Moving back was the best decision I’ve ever made! Shane and I married in the summer of 2006 and then our son, Stone, came along in August 2008. He is truly my greatest accomplishment. I never knew how amazing being a mother could be!

Shane, Stone, and I spend our time doing what most ranch folks do: tending to our livestock, fixing fence, watching weather reports, speculating about the market, helping neighbors, and praying for few storms, heavy calves, and good prices at sale time. I also own a custom crystal cap business called Cowgirl Swank. I started it in 2007 and it has grown significantly in the last seven years.

I’m proud to say that my upbringing has led me to where I am today so I owe my folks a big “Thank You” for that! I love to write, which is something I did a lot as a kid (back in the days before Dish TV and iPads). I write poems, short stories, and I blog. I also love to cook so my blog allows me to share recipes, tell stories of ranch life, and I can talk about one of my favorite things, Women’s Ranch Rodeo. I hope you enjoy reading my column as much as I’m going to enjoy writing it every two weeks!

That’s it! Hope you enjoyed reading it. Enjoy this first day of spring….may it be the first of many wonderful weather days to enjoy in the coming months! ~Cheyenne