Accidental Cowgirl: Six Cows, No Horse and No Clue by Mary Lynn Archibald

In 1990, we heard the wilderness call to us, and, God help us, we answered. Of course, we had no business trying to run a full-time ranch with no experience. People tried to tell us that The Simple Life wasn’t so simple, but we weren t listening. If you’re over 50, or in a job rut, or looking for adventure (or all of the above), and you yearn for a tranquil country hideaway, please read this cautionary tale first.
Available on Amazon

“Highly recommended”

Five Star Review on Amazon By Bergers Book Reviews

Have you ever thought life would be simpler if you just chucked your 9-to-5 job and bought a few acres in the country? Whether the thought is fleeting or you’re in the midst of a full-blown mid-life crisis, you have to read this book first, before you do anything you might regret.

Carl and Mary Lynn bought Twin Creeks Ranch with the idea of puttering around the farm and relaxing as they approached their golden years. But what they didn’t anticipate was just how much work they had unwittingly signed on for. Oh, and of course, the cows. They had bought a ranch.

Accidental Cowgirl shares the good, the bad, and the ugly times from their twelve years as ranch owners. Mary Lynn Archibald writes with humor as she shares the many trials they faced, battling the leaky roof and the endless plumbing problems.

She also shares the warmth and community of living on the side of a mountain with others who are managing to survive in sometimes harsh conditions. You can feel the love she and Carl have for their land, the cows, and the lifestyle they wholeheartedly embraced.

In the time they owned Twin Creeks Ranch, they discovered hidden reservoirs of talent and a strong will to overcome anything life handed them. The author shares her fears of living alone at the ranch, the excitement of new life when calves are born, and the sadness of death. And ultimately, she shares the pain of finally letting go.

Rarely do I find a book so enjoyable that I savor it in small nibbles, like fine chocolate. Accidental Cowgirl is such a book. Mary Lynn Archibald brings this mountain alive, and by the time you finish reading her incredible story, you’ll find you’re reluctant to ever leave Twin Creeks Ranch.

Reviewer: Alice Berger
Bergers Book Reviews

About the Author

Mary Lynn Archibald is a freelance editor and copywriter, and author of two books: Briarhopper: A History, a memoir of one woman’s life from 1913-1945 and Kentucky coal country to California, and three-time award winner, Accidental Cowgirl: Six Cows, No Horse and No Clue, a lighthearted personal memoir of a greenhorn’s life on a small cattle ranch (think The Egg and I meets City Slickers). Her forthcoming memoir, due out in mid-2016, deals in part with her life as a salesclerk, telephone operator, model, chorus girl and Miss San Francisco wannabe.

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