Between Grass and Sky : Where I Live and Work

by Hasselstrom, Linda M.

• ISBN13: 9780874175226
• ISBN10: 0874175224
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nevada Pr

Summary

Acclaimed nature writer Linda M. Hasselstrom sees herself as a rancher who writes -- a self-definition that shapes the tone and content of her writing. Now owner of the cattle ranch where she grew up in western South Dakota, she lives in daily intimate contact with the natural world. As she says, "Nature is to me both home and office. Nature is my boss, manager of the branch office -- or ranch office -- where I toil to convert native grass into meat. . . . If I want to keep my job as well as my home, I pay attention not only to Nature's orders, but to her moods and whims."

The essays in this book reflect Hasselstrom's close attention to her homeplace and the depth of her sympathy with the world around her. She writes knowingly of the rancher's toil and of the intelligence and dignity of the animals she tends, especially the much-maligned cow, as well as of the wild creatures -- the owls and antelope and coyotes and others -- that share the prairie grassland she calls home. Hasselstrom's voice rings with the ardent common sense of one who knows and loves the l

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction: From Rancher to Nature Writer	p. 1
Learning to See the Unseen	p. 23
Whirlaway	p. 25
Making Hay	p. 30
Out to Pasture	p. 39
The Owl on the Fence	p. 44
A Mouthful of Mice	p. 54
The Pot of Hospitality Still Simmers	p. 62
The Totally Integrated Crawly Kingdom	p. 66
Coiled in the Pressure Cooker	p. 72
The Duck in the Highway Department	p. 84
Running with the Antelope	p. 93
Black Powder Smoke and Buffalo	p. 112
At the Rattlesnake Rendezvous	p. 126
Sleeping with the Grizzly	p. 132
The Second Half of Life	p. 143
Cattle Ranching in South Dakota	p. 157
The Cow Is My Totem	p. 173
Waddling over the Dam	p. 187
Rising from the Condos	p. 194
Coda: Walking Burial Grounds	p. 209
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.