Branding

It is branding time here in the sandhills....yesterday hubby went to one, then we joined him for lunch. This was a really large neighboring ranch.... I was so intimadated when I walked up to eat. Cowboys and girls everywhere. And then there was me... pushing a stroller. This ranch is like out of a movie... complete with a cook, cookhouse.... bunkhouse... and like a gob of people. It was fun.... but they were all so tired from branding that no one really talked that much. When I drove up there were like 30 horses all tied to pick ups and trailers..... very fun.

Today was a bit more fun for me at least. This was our neighbor that is the manager of the ranch from yesterday.... only today we did his personal calves. So this was more people I know... and really laid back. I got some video... but my camera died so didn't get any pics. Clay and his friend Cooper spent nearly the entire time crawling all over the panels. This was so cute because they had on their cowboy hats and jeans and boots and they are both 3ish so they are just funny. Waving to people, yelling at the calves.... then waving their sticks around and riding their stick horses. DH wanted me to learn to wrestle (wrastle) the calves and I was really excited to try. Because this is something that everyone around here seems able to do.... so in my never ending struggle to fit in.... I had to try. So I climbed over the panel.... and got into the ring. For those of you who haven't been to a branding.... there is a corral... and men on horses rope the calves... drag them to the wrestlers and then 2 wrestlers hold them down. Then someone comes and brands them.... and someone else castrates them..... poor little guys. It is a rough day for them. So Ken and various other people tried to help me.... and I did eventually succeed. One of the cowboys said he would try and rope us the little ones so that helped. It was really fun... and I wished I had got to do more. Meanwhile... baby was crawling around... I had to wash off cow yuck with a wipe... doesn't work so well really. Then we all went and had lunch togetherr... which was really fun. People were laying in the grass.... It was so beautiful out.... not hot, not cold, a gentle breeze. A man who I didn't even know asked if could feed the baby some cake.... I love that it is so laid back and fun. The kids just run free and play.

Now if we can get through our branding.... that will require a whole new post of its own.