Mama - don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. . . .or risk a life of loneliness. Or so the song says. But cell phones and other technologies are changing that tune. Larry Hendricks of the Arizona Daily Sun provides a glimpse into 21st Century ranch work, which has changed with the use of a variety of new technologies - from all-terrain vehicles to wireless communication. Isolated camps posted in ranch corners aren't necessary when you can put your horse on a truck trailer and "trailer" out to the site, Hendricks writes.
Cell phones have replaced hand-written notes nailed to camp doors, and all-terrain vehicles are more of a scourge to cattle than coyotes. Some things haven't changed for those who love the ranch life, though. It's still a lot of hard work and a lot of fresh air.
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In other parts of the country, the welfare checks have resulted in children being taken out of their homes and put back into government custody
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