07/20/07 The Ranch House II

The last two days I have told you about old homestead houses and the one my Granddad built. I'm Jeff Keane; today I'll tell you more about its many roles. Mom and Dad turned Granddad's old homestead shack into a comfortable home that saw a lot of family gatherings and a warm place for friends and hunters to stop in and visit. It became known simply as the Ranch House. One fall after we had moved to the house in town for winter the Ranch House experienced of its dark days as it was robbed of all its western paintings, dishes and some furniture. The next year Mom and Dad decided to stay at the house in town and the Ranch House was vacant for about two years. After college I lived in the house and it became a bachelor's den again. My brother and I had a lot of friends stay with us, we learned to cook for ourselves, well, kind of cook, and The Ranch House heard jokes, laughter and quarrels again. A permanent water supply and telephone was added in 1980 and the Ranch House was connected to the world. When my wife, Carole and I were married we decided to live in the Ranch House and she added her touches to it. It became a family home again with a new coat of paint, carpeting, lawn and a good cleaning. Hey! I thought I kept it pretty clean, but I guess that was bachelor standards. Carole and I build a new home a few years later about a quarter mile from the Ranch House, but it still has a role to provide warm water to use assisting heifers at calving, warming a chilled calf and I make coffee there while doing the morning feeding. I think I'm pretty luck to still visit and use the house I grew up in  a lot of ranch families still have that privilege. I'm Jeff Keane.