Here Houston takes us through the life journey that led her to buy a piece of ranch land in the southwest corner of Colorado. She knew nothing about ranching but with the help of many people and animals her wandering life became tethered to the land. She describes the pivotal moment in her life when she had a book advance of $21,000.00 in the bank and her mother had just died. She describes that moment: “That was a whirlwind year, the death of my mother, the success of my first book. I didn’t know if I was coming or going and people say things that change your life. My agent said ‘Don’t spend it all on hiking boots.’ Terry Tempest Williams said ‘You are not tethered anymore to the earth.’ I think my actions were in response to those statements which clearly had truth for me or I wouldn’t have acted on them.” Houston goes on to describe living on the land that includes extreme weather including blizzards, wildfires, and floods. It is a place where people depend on one another. She includes the experience of a devastating wildfire and concludes the conversation with her experience of writing. When asked about how she can organize an entire book she says, “Even when I can’t keep it organized, I can’t keep it in order, I think that’s actually very good writing time. When you’re in despair and think ‘Oh, I’ve just lost it. I can’t make sense of any of this, it’s too big, it’s gotten out of control, I’ll never get it back.’ Those, I think, are sometimes the best times of writing that yield the best results even though they’re terrifying and full of despair.” This deep dialogue is filled with stories of the land, the animals on it, and a way of life where neighbors help one another.
