So many things impact our lives as individuals, but nothing more than hard work. Growing up as
a kid on a ranch, I learned many of life’s lessons through the chores that had to be done. It
wasn’t always something I enjoyed, but these were things that were necessary in order for our
ranch to operate properly.
First, let’s look at the ranch I grew up on, located about 10 miles east of Talco, Texas. My dad
and his brother were partners of this property, known as Graf Brothers Ranch. My dad’s
brother (Uncle Bill) lived in Ft. Worth and was the owner of a major trucking company, while
my dad worked full time in the Talco oil field as the superintendent for Vick Well Service.
Uncle Bill’s involvement with the ranch was mainly financial as Dad did 90 percet of the work
that took place. On the ranch, we raised several breeds of cattle including Herford, Angus and
Brahmas, and at one point we even ran a few Charolais. The ranch was known for producing
high quality crossbred calves, all due to one awesome Angus bull by the name of “Doc.”
Doc was a pure black Angus bull that became famous for the calves he produced, which landed
him on the cover of Texas Farm Magazine. My dad truly loved this bull and had a special
relationship with Doc, who was his favorite bull that we ever owned.
A ranch requires a lot of work and there were many chores that had to be done, some I
dreaded and others I looked forward to. But nothing was worse than what my dad called
“picking up chunks.”
This was a job that took place anytime Dad decided to clear some of the timber on our property
in order to create more pastureland. We owned a D8 Caterpillar dozer that was used exclusively
for clearing property and building stock ponds.
Once the timber was cut and piled up ready to burn, there were a lot of “chunks” of wood that
had to be picked up by hand and placed in small piles, also to be burned. I do remember muttering a few choice words every time I heard the call, “Pick up chunks.” It really was the worst job in the world!
One thing about working on a ranch — there was never a shortage of things to do. Whether it
was building or mending fence, bailing hay, bush hogging, barn repairs, or doctoring cattle,
there was plenty of work.
The greatest lesson I learned from growing up on the ranch was the importance of a strong
work ethic. Our ranch was our family business and required plenty of attention. Being a
teenager, a lot was expected of me by my dad when it came to getting things done, as he
worked full-time in the oil field six days a week. Therefore, Sundays were always dedicated to
any and all jobs needing to be done on the ranch.
But this place was also my playground for hunting and fishing. It’s where my passion grew for
both hunting and fishing as I spent hours upon hours fishing our stock ponds or hunting ducks
and squirrels.
Looking back at my time on the ranch rekindles some great memories. It helped shape me into
the person I am today and motivated me to continue my education as Dad reminded me often
that if I did not go to college, I would be working seven days a week on the ranch. That was
something I DID NOT WANT!
‘Til next time, enjoy every opportunity you get to wet a hook or enjoy the great outdoors and
remember, it is always a great day when you get to go fishing, whether or not you catch fish.
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com