It's About to Get Real

We have had the LONGEST FALL EVER here in Wyoming this year. Okay, maybe not EVER, but pretty long by our standards. The leaves turned beautiful shades of Autumn and stayed on the trees until about a week ago. Wonderful!!!

Hubster and I took a trip to Jackson last weekend, and while we were gone, the winds whisked through Sage Creek and took the leaves down. While in Jackson, the first snow fell. It felt very much like we left Sage Creek in the fall, and in the span of two and half days, returned in winter time.

But the last week has been pretty great weather, which we've tried to take advantage of, despite daylight savings ending.

However, according to the weather, it's about to get real around here. My older brother, his wife, and their two boys visited this weekend, which was great fun. My 3 year old nephew was so excited about getting to see the chickens that he exclaimed all about them for days beforehand. Since we wanted to have some good family time, we decided there was no better bonding than winterizing work. So, we loaded up the farm truck, bundled up the boys, and headed out to pick up irrigation pipe (this ranch wife HATES irrigation pipe. And irrigating in general...but that's a story for another time). Once we got the pipe picked up, stacked, and separated for repair, there was still time to have some fun--we spent some time at the rifle range, as well catching a few horses and taking the boys for a ride.

But it looks like this weekend was our last chance for enjoying pretty, warm weather. It's supposed to drop below zero this week, which means that I am digging out the winter hats, gloves, and fleece lined leggings that I often wear to work in the winter.

It's a time for change, really, and considering the weather, it feels appropriate for what Hubster and I have been up to lately. Change has finally come to the Sage Creek Ranch, and it's come to me as well.

You see, I've been struggling with some health issues over the past year and half. I've hesitated...okay, avoided...talking about it for a long time because it felt to close to home to share with others. But I've discovered something this fall that's been critical to bringing about good change: sharing with others. As my wise and wonderful friend Sarah says, telling others about your struggles in writing can be good for your mental health, and often you find that far more people than you expected have gone through the same thing.

So, it's about to get real around here on The Ranch Librarian. I've found that my story is not unique among women; it's far more common than I ever realized. Last year, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, which is a gynecological condition that can impact you in a lot of different ways. The two most prominent ways are painful periods and reduced fertility.

For a woman who wants to have a baby, hearing the words "reduced fertility" come out of your OBGYN's mouth is terrifying. Devastating. Heart stopping.

Thus began a quest for the alleviation of the symptoms of Endometriosis I was experiencing, and the long journey to finding positive change.

I'll be detailing some of what I've gone through in subsequent posts, but for now, I want to ask the same question that my friend Sarah asked in her blog not so long ago: Have you heard about Kindara?

Kindara has been the single largest positive change in my life through this episode. Kindara is a Fertility Awareness Method of pregnancy achievement and pregnancy avoidance, all contained in a handy app on your phone. How awesome is that? It's super easy to use and helps women like me (whose bodies aren't big fans of anything that changes our hormones around) avoid having to take hormone changing drugs.

Hubster and I are hoping to start a family sometime soon, and I am confident that Kindara will be a tool that will help us in that quest. In the meantime, I am eager to share what I've learned through this experience with you.

It's about to get real here, on the ranch and the blog. See you soon!