fiction – Only in a Stauff world

Come again?

Posted on April 29, 2026 by onlyinastauffworld

I wear a lot of hats. I have the real job that helps pay the bills, that seems like I juggle about 5 hats in itself. I have one that takes care of the ranch. I have one that takes care of Paleo. I have a few others that fill in the time during the week. Only 1 pays and they are all brought on by yours truly. Purely not complaining, just saying, the kid is busy. Someone asked me today what I will do on my time off. “Time off”.. hmm novel concept, but I don’t really have time off, I have a time where I change hats. Sadly, it just seems like I just keep adding to the plate. Writing is my only escape from it all and at times even it feels like a job. I have to write stuff out or it just sits in my brain, swirling, until it projects into my Mac. Even with all my jobs, I am fiercely protective of all of them. Which leads me to today…

I have been busy booking stays at the lodge for the past few months. Trying to get my niche figured out for Paleo. Breathing new life into an old concept, or maybe just redefining the original concept. Either way working every angle. I have molded it, dreamt it, and prayed on it for a while. I had a guy call about a month ago to come stay. I am going to refer to him as “Cat”, cause he was some type of cat and I want to keep this cleaner than the name I really want to call him. Cat texted me to reserve the lodge in July for a week and wanting to talk. I at first was like, “cool, this is getting SO exciting”. I immediately texted back and said, “Yes, would be happy to talk about Paleo”. Then he ghosted me until Easter Sunday. He texts, “Can we talk today?”. I raised an eyebrow and thought, “Pal… My family is here and we are all enjoying each other, so I am going to say I didn’t see the text. You can wait till tomorrow”. Which I did. I texted him the next day and said, “Hey, I apologize I didn’t visit with you yesterday, being it was Easter, my family and I were doing some stuff. Available today”, and I gave him a handful of times to reach out. He went back and forth on the time and we finally settled on a time.

He called me a few minutes after the time. It is fine, whatever. He starts out with explaining what is going on in his life. I am blankly staring at my wall wondering WTH I was doing. He then tells me the dates he is coming.

I interjected, “What are you going to be doing?”.

He stopped like I had just asked for his blood type.

He said, “well, digging dinosaurs”.

I thought, “Come again?”.

I said, “oh, interesting, where are you digging at?”.

He scoffed at me and said, “well at your ranch! Don’t you have things to dig?”.

I said, “actually no, we don’t.”

You could tell he was getting edgy, but I was as well.

He said, “well, don’t you have a microsite?”.

I said, “yea, but you are not going to sit on it for week. That is just a spot to go and look and sit for maybe an hour and move on”.

He stammered. “Well, what about the stuff we find? Can we keep it?”.

My blood pressure was starting to spike. I thought, “Pal, we have a website that covers all of this. Obviously you didn’t check it out”. I was taken aback thinking, he isn’t even going to ask what we offer? He is just telling me what he is going to do?

I said, “well, if you are on private land owned by us, it is our property, so, no, you get what we allow”.

Then he proceeded to complain about my price to stay at the lodge.

I stood firm and at this point I was hoping he was getting the vibe that this might not be the place to go.

He ended the conversation with, “I will have to talk to the rest of my group and get back to you”.

“Perfect”, I said. I thought, “there ain’t no way in hell, that boy is calling back”.

Sure enough, he ghosted me, until yesterday.

Two weeks had passed since our conversation. He texts completely out of the blue. He had talked to most of the group and they were good. He needed our address and wondered how to put down a deposit. I blankly stared at the phone. I drew in a long deep breathe, “is this cat for real?”. He literally tells me what he is going to do on our ranch, has no plan while he is here and then thinks he can ghost me?”. I immediately shot back with, “so your group is good to have nothing to dig on? Your group is good to not stay on the microsite?”. I waited…. and I waited. I got grumpier.. I kept rolling it in my brain, “Who does this cat think he is?”. I continued to spin it around in my brain for a day, still nothing back from him.

I woke up this AM at my witching hour of 3 AM. Front and center in my brain was this cat. I tried getting back to sleep, I tossed and turned and tossed some more. I got up, got a drink of water, still rolling in my brain what all he had said to me and his actions afterwards. Daylight finally broke and I saw rays of sun gripping the landscape waking it up. I got my warm clothes on to go run around the cows to check for new calves. There was a thick layer of frost on everything. A heavy bank of fog was slowly fading into the creek channel. I jumped on my 4 wheeler and buzzed through the cows, grabbing my magical number. (#12 is still standing strong watching me, and me watching her). I snaked up onto a tall hill where some yearlings were so I could get a count on the cows below. I shut off the 4 wheeler and started counting. The yearlings all wandered up to me and had their heads right next to me. I quit counting and looked at the sweet babies next to me. Wide eyes with long eye lashes studying me. Were they probably looking for a treat? Yes, most likely, but they sure loved on me for a bit. I looked around me at the beauty of the morning. The frost slowly melting into the thirsty earth. The fog bank had almost all disappeared. The blues and yellows of the early morning made me wish for the crayon box God himself gets to use. It was still, it was peaceful and it made me understand my cat.

Looking at those cows and the land made be realize the depth of a being the 4th generation on a family ranch. I thought about my Great Grandmother roaming the same ground as I did. I looked at the yearlings beside me. I said, “What do you think Great Grandma would do with this cat? Would she turn Great Grandpa loose on him?”. I laughed as I turned my head and I locked eyes with one yearling. I quickly looked away and then slowly looked back at her. She was staring right at me. I looked right into her shimmering eyes. Goofy, I know, but it was like that damn yearling looked right into my heart. I say that, cause everything became clear about my cat at that point. I looked around the ranch and said, “yea, it is a privilege to be here not a right”. I got another quick count on the cows and zoomed back to the house. I grabbed my phone and sent a text back to the cat, “I feel like our visions are not the same, thus I am canceling your time at the lodge. I wish you the best of luck in finding a new place to dig”. I threw the phone to my bed beside my 2 hounds and took a long hot shower. Question of the day, did he ever respond? Nope…

Protective? Yes, absolutely. I had a neighbor once that said her mother in law told her when she moved out here that she lived in a palace upon a kingdom and to never forget it. I get that. Is our place a destination? Nope. Is there lush green meadows everywhere? Double nope. Is it a place that holds me? Yep. Is it a place I know like the back of my hand? Yep. Do I make 3 generations proud knowing that I am protecting the ranch? The same one that they busted their asses to keep? Gosh, I pray that I do, cause it crosses my mind a lot. I love this hat that I wear, it is probably my favorite. A privilege, not a right. I think that is my new slogan to folks wanting to sneak a peak at my way life. Maybe I should make some T-shirts with that saying on them for the shop at the lodge. Maybe I will send that cat one… LOL.

Person putting Crunchy Oats cereal box into shopping cart in a supermarket aisle

Life Lessons from Buying Cereal

Posted on April 26, 2026 by onlyinastauffworld

I had to take a day off of work to go work my other job. I had to run to Rapid to get stuff for the lodge to get ready for folks to stay.. I was lucky enough to catch lunch with J and then went about gathering, pondering and dreaming. The last stop, Walmart.. I was about drained of energy and had a headache that was starting to pound. I strolled the isles planning things out in my head when I turned down the cereal aisle. In the aisle was a dad and his son, whom I would guess to be 8 or so. As I wheeled my creeky cart toward them, I caught their conversation. Dad, “hey, do you want to pick out some cereal?”. Boy, “yea!”. Dad, “here is some that has dinosaurs in it it. Would you like those?”. Now, at this point I almost looked at what he was pointing out and grabbed a box. I laughed to myself thinking of having dinosaur cereal at the lodge. Anyway….

Boy, “no, oh WAIT! These.. I love these”.

Dad, “Applejacks? I have never seen you eat those before”.

Boy, ” I have too, they are the best”. Dad, “are you sure?”.

Boy, “yep, that is the one I want”.

I was smiling at their conversation as I whispered a “excuse me” as I swerved through them. As I past them, my brain replayed a million scenes of the same conversation with my hooligans as they were growing up. As my brain finished the memory lane it looked at my heart sitting there all swelled up. My brain asked my heart what was wrong. My heart said, “gosh, it is hard to believe those days are over. All in the past.”. And then just like that my heart broke just a little. I looked down and some big ole drops fell from my eyes and splashed to the floor by my feet. I turned to face this “fascinating” selection of granola. I pushed my glasses into my hair and wiped the tears away as my brain whispered, “you two, pull your shit together, tears another time, another place”. And, so we did. I managed to squeeze some air back into my lungs that at some point had deflated and went on about looking at my list.

The creek of the rusty wheels on the cart was the only sound my ears could hear. I don’t know if it was my headache, the tide wasnt right or it just caught me just right, but one thing is true. If you have kids or friends or loved ones, or pets, do me a favor and love on them a little. Time is indeed a thief and you won’t understand that, until that time is gone. Buy the cereal. Plus, I think this world needs a little more happiness and lovin.. oh….side note…the kiddo got his Apple Jack’s and I got a random sack of protein strawberry granola.. lol..

The Piano that Sealed the Deal

Posted on April 6, 2026April 6, 2026 by onlyinastauffworld

She was a teacher who moved from Omaha to the wilds of Wyoming in the early 1900s, leaving her family behind to embark on a new life in the West. The newest school teacher in the area sparked intrigue, particularly capturing the attention of two dusty cowboys who worked for a large local cattle company. Introduced as Miss Gieseleman, or Helen to those close to her, she began to dream of her own land and homestead. As days turned into months, the two cowboys continued to visit, offering their assistance. Eventually, one cowboy proposed, unaware that the other had feelings for her as well. Unsure of whom to choose, Helen devised a plan: she declared that her heart desired a piano, promising to marry whichever cowboy could deliver one to her school. Charles Zerbst stepped up to the challenge and delivered a beautiful piano. Grateful, Helen took his hand in marriage. She signed her name to her first homestead paperwork on June 3, 1909, and just six days later, Charles and Helen were married in Omaha. They would bring three children into the world—a girl and two boys—believing they had forever together, but ultimately, their time was limited to just 17 years.

They built a vast ranch together, where Helen continued to teach. Every year, she would take their three children with her to school, where she dedicated herself throughout the academic year. Once the school year concluded, she would return to the ranch with her family in tow. Horses, cattle, and sheep formed the backbone of the ranch, and selling horses to the cavalry stations helped to establish their trusted name.

Nestled in a beautiful valley, the ranch was graced by a lazy creek that meandered through the landscape. Lush meadows filled with tall grass provided ample grazing for the livestock, and a quaint two-room cabin housed the family of five—creating what many would consider a perfect life. However, tragedy struck when Helen was just 39 years old. Her oldest son, William, was left to help lay his mother to rest. At just 16, he had completed the eighth grade and was already working alongside his father. As they managed the ranch together, he also took on the responsibility of raising his younger siblings.

Helen’s untimely death marked the beginning of a series of heart-wrenching tragedies that would befall the ranch. Over the course of its 117-year history, the ranch has been a source of both profound joy and deep sorrow.

At the end of the day, as I gaze around the familiar meadows they once roamed, I watch the sun rise over the same hills and sink down into the horizon they cherished. Though the horses and sheep are long gone, the brand first pressed onto a calf endures to this day. The worry and wonder of maintaining the ranch and building upon its legacy persist, four generations later. I would do anything to keep the ranch and their dream alive. As I gaze at their wedding picture taken on that June 9th in 1909, I notice the dimple in my son’s chin and the curls of my daughter’s hair; I see echoes of five generations reflected in my own children. I remember the locket that Great Grandma lost, and how Dad found it one day while riding, the same one I have safely locked away.

So I dust off the dust and adjust my hat, casting off the burdens that weigh me down. I come from a long line of strength, a resilience forged in the moments spent on my knees, praying for help, a sign, or just a much-needed break from the trials that life so often thrusts upon us. Each whisper of hope echoes through my lineage, reminding me that even in the darkest times, we rise, fueled by unwavering faith and an unbreakable spirit that has been passed down through generations. It is this legacy of perseverance that lights my path, guiding me through storms and shadowy corners, teaching me that the essence of my ancestors lives on in me, urging me to keep pushing forward, to embrace the challenges that come my way, and to never lose sight of the dream that fuels me to fight for a better tomorrow.

And to think, it all started with a piano. Maybe I should learn how to play one.