Noel Nessler is a student at Loyalton High School, Loyalton, CA

Summer 1998 -The alarm rings at 5:15 a.m. I reach up and beat it into silence. I really hate the sound of that alarm. I slowly drag myself out of bed, and get ready to start my day. My work day starts at 6:00 a.m. and ends at around 4:00 p.m. I ask myself, "Is this any way to spend my summer vacation."

My name is Noel Nessler. I am 15 years old and live in Sierraville, CA in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The morning I just described was how I started every day this summer.

Money and boys are a vital part of every teenage girls life. I would have to say that, while boys are nice, money is a necessity! I decided to quit hitting my parents up for their hard earned dollars, and get a job of my own.

I started work for Sierra Valley Ranch, owned by Frieda and Erik Roen.  Erik and Frieda have been buying my 4-H steers for 4 years. They are very generous people and have always supported me. Erik and Frieda live  in Knights Ferry, CA and their ranch here is managed by Erik’s brother Paul. Paul is a pretty nice guy most of the time, but I soon found out he is a tough boss.

Most of the time my duties on the ranch involved using my horse, Lou. Lou was not a ranch horse, so we both had a lot to learn. And learn we did!

One day while we were gathering cows we came to a large irrigation ditch. Lou and I picked what we thought was a safe place to cross. Lou dove in and the water went over his head. He tried to scramble up the side, but he slipped and fell over backward. My shirt got hung up on the horn in the fall. He regained his footing with me hanging off the saddle by my shirt. He ran about 30 feet before my shirt ripped and I fell off. Through all of this everyone kept working. Paul just looked over at me and said, "Get back on, you’re not done yet." I finished  working that day with mud in my hair and ears.

I worked with some really fun people at the ranch. Gustavo, Trague, Ross, Frank and Albert to name just a few. There was also Shari. Shari was my lifesaver, she always took my side, and helped me. I also met Jim and Mary Sue Davis. Jim works for Superior Livestock, a video sale company. I was in one of the videos that Jim took of Roen’s cattle, and I was on television. For my year end bonus Erik and Frieda gave me another horse. Her name is Daisy, and she’ll probably be my work horse  next year.

I learned a lot this summer, more than most kids learn in a lifetime. Paul said one of my best qualities was that I was able to get my butt chewed, and still keep a smile on my face!

Along with my job this summer I also raised a 1,284 steer named Emmitt Smith. (I love the Dallas Cowboys). I spent evenings walking him and practicing showmanship. I was lucky that he was tame, and he didn’t require a lot of time.

In my "spare" time I also ran for Sierraville Rodeo Queen. Running for queen involves three types of competitions. To win queen, you must win at least two of the competitions. You must compete in a riding competition, an interview competition, and last but not least, a ticket sale competition. Ticket sales was the hardest competition for me. I  hated knocking on people’s doors. I did sell $2,076.00 worth of tickets. I swear my mom’s next plan was to use a hot shot to get me to sell more tickets. Lou and I won the riding competition. Our only fault was that Lou thought that it was a timed event, and he went way too fast. I also won the interview and the ticket sale competitions. I have never been so happy to see the Sierraville Rodeo end.

Believe it or not I also work as a bus-girl at the Sierra Valley Lodge in Calpine. (I told you I like money!) If you ever find yourself in Sierra Valley this is a great place for dinner, and I’m sure I’ll be there working.

I had a busy but fun summer, and I plan to work at both of my jobs next year. I can tell you that when the alarm rings at 6:00 a.m. I still  beat it into silence, but I go to school willingly. I now consider school my vacation.


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