Diana Ross sang……..
Do you know where you are going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
(Lyrics to the theme song of Mahogany- written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin)
DO YOU?…….know?
My story did not include “living with longhorns in Texas.” Let’s face it. I’m a city girl from South Africa. I love where I am now but how did I get here?
Paul and I have ranched with Texas longhorns in Texas for close on 20 years and with long horned cattle for almost 3 decades in total.
My story with my husband, Paul…..
- He has an infinite imagination.
- He thinks big
- He is always working towards an objective and as long as I have known he has completed every mission successfully.
- Consequently, our life is never boring and our journey often takes off in another COMPLETE new direction!
- Our first major milestone as a married couple was a result of one of these grand ideas.
In the early 1990’s
Paul had a desire to own a game lodge on his parent’s farm in the South African bushveld. We had talked about recreating a living museum centered around some Iron Aged ruins we discovered on the land. We learned everything we could from a group of leading Archeologists from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. We would talk and Paul would scribble in his scrapbook. After many months he produced a set of very professional looking hand sketched Architectural drawings – his dream lodge.
To enhance the overall experience, Paul’s dad bought a herd of Sanga Cattle. They are an original breed of African cattle and our first experience with long horned cattle. Incidentally, we also had a herd of indigenous sheep known as Pedi Sheep.
Our first guests arrived on the last weekend of March, this same weekend over twenty five years ago.
We had no Wi-Fi – we also did not have a computer in the Bush. Despite that, we gained a following. We also achieved a luxury ranking, 5 Star rating and, with Paul’s Mom as our chef, we were thrilled to accept a nationwide recognized chef accolade.
- In 1998, we closed the lodge for an extended period over the Easter weekend, marking our second major milestone as husband and wife. Our son Alex- our real life Easter Bunny was born.
We have had many dreams since then, reached other milestones and had our fair share of obstacles. We immigrated to the US ( in April 2000 ) and bought land in Texas ( in April years later). But because Milestones are achievements, whether big or small, they are all significant. So fast forward to today. I have wanted to publish a blog for ages and the time just feels right. In fact, I am intrigued by the timing- coincidence or not- Technology is incredible and I am excited!
– I invite you to join me vicariously, “Living with Longhorns.” Ranching is not all glamorous but it is surprisingly interesting. All our mama’s are pregnant and expecting in the summer. We anticipate an abundance of joy.
Visit our Salebarn for your own bundle of joy
And, as Spring is a refreshing time of the year, it is a perfect time to reflect on the past, anticipate summer and plan ahead. Easter and Passover both signify an element of rejoicing despite past hardships.
If you celebrate Easter, Passover, or the weekend-
Happy Easter, Chag Sameach, or happy weekend.
.. and before you turn the page to see a corner of my world, I’d love to hear from you. What milestone are you celebrating today?
We love to hear from you. Please send us your comments at Cathy@GVRlonghorns.com
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