Bragging takes a more unique form on the ranch

Dropping hints and consuming goods that indicate a ranch’s financial status isn’t a cattleman’s style. Cowmen aren’t immune to showing off; they just do it in a “keepingup-with-the-Foxworthys” sort of way. They prefer flaunting only what seems legitimate: cows, equipment, hay and their work crew, which either help him make money or save him money but usually only contribute to breaking even. They don’t make out like they’re better than anybody else regarding their social status either; just that they’re smarter, wiser, handier and have more common sense, all of which their wives know better but choose to overlook. Ranchers will talk about their money, too. They discuss how much money they didn’t spend, how much they kept from spending, how much they saved, or how much they would never be willing to spend. They don’t own vehicles to decorate the driveway or boost their property value with but like having old outfits that fill up the driveway. They like owning something with power just as much as a wealthy suburbanite and will spend $40,000-$60,000 on wheels, too, but they better be really big wheels, have fourwheel drive, be able to drive in all sorts of weather and fields, handle jobs it wasn’t designed for, and have a GOOD radio! Ranchers will especially boast on vehicles with 200,000 miles that aren’t showing any signs of wearing out (aka not running). They’ll also crow about pickups that have never been washed and are still rust-free (as near as they can tell)...more