Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

This week Jessie explores a legendary folk tale that has been told and retold in her community since 1894 when a dead cowboy fell from the rafters of an old blacksmithing shop and into the middle of a poker game, sending cards and unsuspecting cowboys flying. A tale just waiting to be made into a song, Jessie tries her hand at creating one for Poker Jim and shares it here. She sits down with her h...

Jessie contemplates how this phase of life feels like February and she sits down with her husband to talk all things middle age. And Chad has A LOT to say about it. And also, did you know he has "work Crocs?" This episode goes long as they get into discussing Jessie's battle with chronic pain, her recent CT scan and why it's so important to share our stories. Jessie shares her column of the same n...

This week is all about 5 year old Rosie and her big stage debut. Jessie sits down with her youngest daughter to talk about what it was like for her to sing her OWN song at a recent open mic, and Rosie's thrilled at the chance to share her story about nerves, expectations and being brave and proud of herself. Her big sister tries to chime in, but Rosie makes sure she knows who this is all about.&nb...

Back after a week in Elko, NV for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Jessie catches her husband up on the highlights (and some glitches) of her trip. And he listens, covered in sheet rock from holding the home construction project down and keeping the kids alive and well while she was gone. Grateful to be back, this week's column is about finding refuge in getting out under the sky in Jessie's...

This week Jessie's mind is on the music as she works on a new album and packs for the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. She sits down with her husband to talk about what it means to her to still be recording and creating music at 39 and answers a listener's question about the songwriting process. Chad's been busy building the addition, so he gives a little sheetrock-covered update too.  PLUS,...

It's January so we're eating all the noodles and cream around here, of course. Jessie sits down with Chad to talk about one of his favorite things, cooking. His other favorite thing is building stuff, so they talk about that too, and why it isn't Jessie's favorite thing. Especially tiling. If you like food and cooking and some talk about making music, this episode is for you.  For more storie...

This week is all about the rabbit hole Jessie went down when Chad did something unexpectedly nice for her. She sits down with him to talk marriage, her grandparent's 70 + year marriage and how flipping our mindset just a bit can potentially make all the difference. Jessie shares her column and a rough cut of a new song she wrote about their relationship called "Supermarket Line." For more stories...

Between snow pushing and cleaning up the explosion of Christmas break, Jessie sits down with her husband Chad to talk about how margaritas and cookies should definitely be part of people's resolutions and they recap a few of their favorite and memorable moments on the ranch in 2022. The couple also talks about the harrowing task that is bed shopping, Jessie's recent music trip and an unfortunate i...

Christmas just keeps getting whiter at the ranch as Jessie and her husband Chad sit down in the middle of a blizzard to talk about windchill and frozen equipment, digging out and and staying home, Christmas traditions and finding gratitude where you can. Their daughter Edie gives a snow day report and then stick around to hear both her and little sister Rosie sing their favorite Christmas song thi...

It's a snow day at the ranch and all the roads in ND are closed. So while all the kids are in the house, Jessie sits down to chat with her little sister, Alex, about parenting five year olds and trying to replicate the magic Christmases they had as kids. There are interruptions, per usual, Jessie talks about Rosie and her packrat tendencies and Alex shares a story about how she and an egg went to...

Jessie and her dad have been singing and performing together since Jessie was a just a little kid and his music has been the backdrop and influence of her career ever since. This week's column is about Jessie finding herself in her own version of the classic Harry Chapin song, Mr. Tanner and so she sits down with her dad to talk about the music and why it's such a powerful and important storytelli...

It's windy and cold at the ranch, but this week Jessie and her husband Chad warm up by reminiscing about some of the most magical times of their childhoods after their daughter's seventh birthday reminded them of how exciting the little things can be when you're young. Then Jessie confesses some of her most embarrassing moments in the recent weeks while Chad cringes in the corner and questions his...

Happy Thanksgiving. This week's column is about what it means to bring the kids along on shipping day at the ranch. On the podcast Jessie and Chad catch up after a really busy couple weeks and talk about all things, including the significance of this time of the year for the family. They talk a bit about their rocky road to parenthood as well as how scary it can be to face taking over a ranch oper...

What happens when the family tries to fit an entire life into one week? Jessie finds herself alone in her basement talking to you about memories of an old horse because despite her attempts, she couldn't bring herself to wake up her exhausted husband to visit. This week's column and podcast is a little late, a little nostalgic and a little awkward, just like Jessie herself. She gives an update on...

Back after a week off, Jessie and her husband Chad catch up when they can, which is in the middle of the night. The family's Halloween costumes remind them of Jessie's lack of sewing skills and Chad's ability to do everything (annoying, right?) And they dig in to what keeps us up and wakes us up at night. While the episode's lighthearted, the column, "Edie's worried" digs into how we deal with our...

This week it snowed at the ranch. Yup. A nice little ice and slush blizzard to remind us what winter is really like here. Jessie sits down with Chad to talk about why it's become so important to her to finish reading and actual book, and then he tells her why he thinks one of the characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the worst villain of all time. They talk libraries and old cell phon...

We're in what Jessie calls the in-between season, where we pull on layers in the cool mornings and strip them off slowly throughout the day as it warms up. We don't give it much recognition because we're all scrambling to get work done before winter comes, so Jessie sits down to recognize it and talk it out with her husband Chad. The conversation turns to fall work and food, naturally, because we'...

This week's been a struggle, and Jessie and her husband Chad  sit down to pontificate on what they're feeling here. Is it stress, the season change, or just trying to get the kids out the door on time for school? Plus, Jessie's current book choice and her fear of heights prompts Chad to give a bit of insight on what it was like working as derrick hand at the height of the oil boom, which then...

If you like dogs this is the episode for you. Jessie recently realized her true place on the ranch and, well, this episode and column is her way of working it all out. She sits down with her husband, Chad to reminisce about the good dogs, the bad dogs and all the reasons we love them. Which got them thinking about  the best dog movies of their childhood, their infamous pug and that time Chad...

This week Jessie sits down with her husband to talk about homestead houses and how history can haunt us, just like the Goat Man Chad encountered near the Lost Bridge in the badlands. Find out what word Jessie just made up out of thin air last week, hear a story about Lutheran kids dressing up as nuns and get the scoop on the spooky relic from the old house behind Jessie's childhood home that chill...

If you're not hungry, you will be after this episode, because it's all about food! Soup season is synonymous with tomato season and this week the couple talks about the tomato soup recipe Chad made up when they first moved back to the ranch, which leads to all sorts of talk about cream and butter and the different styles of cooking the two grew up with. Plus, learn about why you'll never eat pork...

This week Jessie catches up with her husband after he returns from leaving for a 75 day hunting trip (ok, maybe it was just 5 days). A small change in the barnyard makes Jessie reflect on how wrong they all were about the future of her home, and Chad wonders if Jessie would wish her kind of creative drive on her children, and then asks her to explain gravity. There's lots to unpack here, figurativ...

This week Jessie sits down with her little sister Alex and somehow a talk about the weather turns into embarrassing confessions and what was found in the septic tank.  The flies and the wasps and the rooster and the tomatoes and the mice are taking over the ranch and for all the inconvenient things, a fall ride to roundup cattle makes up for it all in a breath. Jessie shares her column about...

Jessie and her husband Chad have officially climbed the hill to reach middle-age and on this week's episode they talk about it. Like, what they would tell their younger selves, why Chad settled into his beard and cargo pants, how Jessie just can't anymore with uncomfortable underwear and why time is worth so much more than money.  Plus, Jessie reads this week's column. Read it yourself i...

This week Jessie has coffee with her little sister, Alex, who is a former guidance counselor and teacher, to get some perspective on back to school. Alex gives some tips on the best questions to ask about your child's day to actually get a response and Jessie tries to get to the bottom of why having a kid going into first grade is carrying more weight than the first day of Kindergarten. They talk...