The ANTecdote
On Hard Work
On Hard Work Having a strong work ethic is something we value hugely here at Red Ants Pants. We toss the phrase around loosely and we certainly work hard, but we don’t spend much time thinking about it, or why it is so darn fundamental to our company values. Having our home base in Meagher County, where the top industry is agriculture, we are fortunate to be surrounded by some really hard-working people. People that work from 5am to 10pm this time of year, when the grain has to be harvested, and the second cutting of hay has to be put up, and the cows need to be gathered from the high country. And when a tire blows on the combine, you need to know how to replace it ($2,700 for a new tire!) and when the starter goes out in your grain truck, you need to know how to fix it. You need a good parts store nearby, you need a good welder, you need the right skills and equipment, but you also need the work ethic to keep moving forward. “Ethic” is defined as a set of moral principles. I like that a work ethic is tied to morals. A good farmer/rancher friend of mine gave me hell for sleeping in the other day (past 5:00am). “People die in bed you know…that’s what my Dad always says.” Fair enough. So here’s to the elbow grease, the early mornings, the duty of it all. Here’s to the men and women working incredibly damn hard to feed this country, to build and maintain the infrastructure of our cities and towns, our roads, and our lives. Our hats are off to you. See you at 5:00am tomorrow. In love and gratitude, Calhoun
Learn moreOn Perseverance
Perseverance Hello all, this spring has been a challenging one for lots of folks in our circles. It seems that far too many bones and hearts have been broken. Perhaps it is the reality of getting older, as life seems to intensify with the years passed by. Or perhaps it’s just a tough season. Regardless, perseverance seems pretty relevant right now. per·se·ver·ance \ˌpər-sə-ˈvir-ən(t)s\ Noun: steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Steadfastness. The word itself reminds me of the lilacs and apple trees that were planted by our grandparents on these homesteads. Plants that push through really long, cold winters, and hard dirt, and they persevere, always. If White Sulphur grows one thing well it is our lilacs! And so we keep pushing too, onward and upward. Despite the difficulties, we get our work done, we take care of our families and our responsibilities, and hopefully we take care of ourselves too. So go pick some lilacs for your kitchen table to remind us of our steadfastness. Persevere. Onward and upward my friends! Calhoun This poem was just shared with me by a friend and mentor. He said the Spanish version is even more beautiful. Enjoy. Throw Yourself Like Seed Shake off this sadness, and recover your spirit sluggish you will never see the wheel of fate that brushes your heel as it turns going by, the man who wants to live is the man in whom life is abundant. Now you are only giving food to that final pain which is slowly winding you in the nets of death, but to live is to work, and the only thing which lasts is the work; start then, turn to the work. Throw yourself like seed as you walk, and into your own field, don’t turn your face for that would be to turn it to death, and do not let the past weigh down your motion. Leave what’s alive in the furrow, what’s dead in yourself, for life does not move in the same way as a group of clouds; from your work you will be able one day to gather yourself. ~ Miguel De Unamuno ~ (Roots and Wings, edited and translated by Robert Bly) Spanish: Soneto: LXV SIÉMBRATE! Miguel de Unamuno Sacude la tristeza y tu ánimo recobra, no quieto mires de la fortuna la rueda como gira al pasar rozando tu vereda que á quien quiere vivir vida es lo que le sobra. No haces sino nutrir esa mortal zozobra que así en las redes del morir lento te enreda, pues vivir es obrar y lo único que queda la obra es; echa, pues, mano á la obra. Ve sembrándote al paso y con tu propio arado sin volver la vista que es volverla á la muerte, y no á lo por andar sea peso lo andado. En los surcos lo vivo, en tí deja lo inerte, pues la vida no pasa al paso de un nublado; de tus obras podrás un día recojerte.
Learn moreOn Humor
Humor A reminder to us all. It seems this time of year we need a good laugh more than ever. Whether it’s busting your ankle from a fall on the ice, Or having to put down a damn good dog, Or supporting a neighbor through chemo, Or worrying about the uncertainty of the world, Or yet another morning rushing to work because you didn’t leave enough time to shovel the snow off your truck, again… then you open the driver side door and the snow piles onto your seat, again… Let’s pause, just for a moment. Let’s make time and intention to chuckle, chortle, giggle and snort, to double over in hysterics. When was the last time we all had a good belly laugh? Invite those friends over, even if you don’t have time. Pour them more wine than you should on a school night, bust out Balderdash or Cards Against Humanity. Tell more jokes. Join a dodgeball team. Dust off your old Calvin and Hobbes comic book. Surround yourself with those that make you feel good and make you laugh. Maybe if we do this a little more frequently we’ll strengthen our resolve, our hearts, and ourselves. And let’s not forget to take our Vitamin D! “The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” ~Mark Twain In love and you guessed it, laughter, Sarah
Learn moreOn Vests
Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in and excitement for the concept of a Red Ants Pants wool vest! I am excited to announce that I just got back from our manufacturing facility and we are, at long last, taking orders! Because this will be a limited edition, we will only be able to offer the vests on a first come, first served basis, which is most easily facilitated through phone orders: 406-547-3781. Sadly, we cannot guarantee that they will reach you by Christmas, but the good news is they will be well worth the wait. Red Ants Pants’ beautifully crafted vests are made with 21 oz. Woolrich Wool (America’s longest continuously run woolen mill). Made in the USA. These vests have flattering side panels with contrasting colors. Fully lined and featuring two inside zip pockets on the ribs, not the chest! Deep Polartec® fleece-lined exterior pockets, fleece-lined neck and chin and a longer sweep in the back will keep you covered and cozy in any working conditions. Questions? Q) When will the vests arrive? A) The vests have arrived in our headquarters in White Sulphur Springs, MT, and we will ship them out to you right away! Q) If I go to the website, it says the my size is out of stock. Should I still call to pre-order? A) Yep, please call the store. More vests will be coming in the New Year! Q) If I call to place an order and no one answers, should I leave a voicemail? A) Yes, please leave a voicemail. We will keep track of the time you called to make sure the pre-order process is fair and orders are received on a first come, first served basis. Please leave your name, phone number and email for us to confirm. Thank you! Q) What if you run out of stock and I don’t get one?! A) We apologize if this happens to you, but the good news is we are doing another production run in early 2017 and will have even more options for you! Sign up for our vest interest list and we’ll email you info as more vests are available. Again, huge thanks for your patience and support. We welcome your feedback on these new vests. Can’t wait to hear how much you love them, and what we can do to improve them! Happy Holidays, Sarah and the Red Ants Pants team
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On Hope
Red Ants Pants presents you with a holiday challenge. Choose someone in your world with whom you have some serious differences. Sit down with them over coffee or bourbon, preferably by a fire. Find something you have in common. Anything. Celebrate that. Tell us your story, in any creative way you choose by emailing: info@redantspants.com. And then you shall receive 25% off your entire holiday order. *There is no small print. Repeat this as often as you possibly can. With love and HOPE, Calhoun and the RAP team
Learn moreOn Courage
On COURAGE Courage/noun/: the ability to do something that frightens one. Here is what I know. The sun will rise tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day, and so on. We all need a lot of courage. It is necessary for starting a business. It is necessary to pull the trigger on a big muley buck. It is necessary to have a kid. It is necessary to go into chemo, or to stop going into chemo. It is necessary to learn how to use a nail gun, or Quickbooks. Here’s to more courage, for all of us. For the things that frighten us. For all these things and more. Courage to trust. Courage to say “no” and to say “YES!” Courage to be risky, and frisky. Courage to love, big sloppy love. Courage to say “I do!” Courage to say a real, honest, and tearful good-bye. Courage to believe and to never, ever, ever lose HOPE. And if today is not the day to be courageous, then stay in bed and watch Gilmore Girls reruns. For the sun will come up tomorrow. I promise. In love and courage, Calhoun
Learn moreTen Year Celebration!
Hello friends! We hope you can join us to rest our calloused hands and toast together to ten years of Red Ants Pants! 2016 FALL FASHION SHOW + LIVE MUSIC! Join us as we unveil the newest Red Ants Pants product line during our 2016 Fall Fashion Show at the historic Strand Theatre next door to our shop on Main Street, White Sulphur Springs. Following the fashion show, we want to thank all of our friends, customers and the community by showering you with an evening of entertainment kicking off with live music with Montana Music Hall of Famer Rob Quist (Mission Mountain Wood Band) & Great Northern featuring Guthrie Quist! More music and details on times/locations to come! BLOCK PARTY! With our brand new Main Street and beautiful carriage lights we thought: how about a BLOCK PARTY??? Stageline Pizza will be selling pizza-by-the-slice throughout the day, enjoy beer specials and additional live music at 2 Basset Brewery and we’ll have complementary refreshments in the store as well as huge discounts on all seconds! Spend a day or two to relax and celebrate with the whole community – take a dip at the rejuvenating Spa Hot Springs and experience some of our world-famous hospitality at local businesses throughout White Sulphur Springs! We are still putting some finishing touches on the celebration, so please check out our Facebook event for updates. More details to come! We are looking forward to sharing stories, belly laughs and likely a few tears as we celebrate this milestone together! Love, Sarah PS: Our first-ever Red Ants Pants catalog is in production! It will include an in-depth look at our newest product line along with personal stories of real-life Red Ants Pants gals. If you’d like to receive one, please sign up HERE. Join us! Red Ants Pants Ten Year Celebration 10am – Red Ants Pants Opens, complimentary hot cider & goodies, in-store sales all day 11am – Stageline Pizza selling slices! 12pm – 2 Bassett Brewery opens! 3pm – Ribbon-cutting at Courthouse to Celebrate Main Street Construction 4pm – Live Music Begins at 2 Basset Brewery featuring Chad Okrusch of Butte 6pm – Doors Open at Strand Theatre 7pm – Live Music with award-winning singer-songwriter Martha Scanlan 8pm – Red Ants Pants Ten Year Celebration featuring 2016 Fall Fashion Show unveiling NEW Red Ants Pants product line 9pm – Live Music with Rob Quist & Great Northern featuring Guthrie Quist
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On Strength
We used to laugh saying, “We already have to wear one bra, we don’t need the waistband of our pants for additional support.” That line actually made it into some of our first marketing materials at Red Ants Pants. But maybe we do need some extra support, sometimes anyway. Maybe not for our chests, but perhaps for our pounding hearts. More recently we have been exploring how the theme of strength is woven into both our pants and the lives of the people we serve. As I write this, Tammy Wynette’s album Womanhood is on the record player. My trusty cow dog, Nellie, is at my feet. I’m drinking good, strong coffee from a mug made by a dear friend. Immediately out the window is a small grove of aspens, somehow able to hold root in this dry, rocky bluff overlooking the river. Ox bows, a buffalo jump, the swimming hole, hay fields, and the bull pasture frame my view. There is indeed strength all around us, in us…leading us, inviting us, challenging, and supporting us. I think about the courage to trust our own strength. The strength of womanhood, shared. The strength in gaining wisdom, earning respect, and growing up. And at the same time learning that it is okay to not always feel strong. I think of the strength it takes to accept our curves and even celebrate them. The strength in knowing we can raise a little one, or three little ones. The strength of sharing our stories, and the strength in listening. The strength of our partnerships, our families, our communities. I think of the darkest hour just before dawn when his hand somehow knows how to find yours, even in his sleep. And at that moment, despite our minds avoiding slumber and racing with things that need to get done, we are reminded that we have support. We are not in this alone. Ever. I think about after nine years in business finally writing our mission statement. We provide workwear for women. For the makers and the growers, the builders and the doers. We support them with humor and heart, quality and class, integrity and courage. Always. I think about the support beams of this timber framed home. And of barn raisings. How we need each other. We always have. And although there aren’t enough barn raisings anymore, perhaps we could have more wood cutting parties in the fall so we can have bigger potlucks around the fire when the snow flies. And we could help each other plant our gardens so we can have more harvest dinners and raise our glasses to the grit, the calluses, the courage, and the pride. For there is indeed strength in our togetherness.
Learn moreOn Love
On Love Love of a dog, a secret, a place. Love of a man, a woman, a family. Love of a mountain. Love of a valley and a river, a milk cow and a pet rabbit. Love of an idea, a dream, of a job well done. Love of oneself, of ones potential, of ones qualities Love of a Mom, and of a Dad. Love of an old stick shift pick up truck. Love of a painting, love of a composer. Love of a feeling, an emotion, an experience. Love of a book. Love of a garden. Love of a woodpile, well stacked. Love of a meal, cooked and shared with a whole lot of love. Love of a church. Love of a song, a bird song, a wind song, our song. Love of a future. Here’s to more love.
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