A Saturday on the Ranch...

Hm. Today started off early...too early. I was out to help finish chores before 5:30. By six, we were in the pickup with three horses saddled and loaded. We stopped in town to pick up Glen, and then headed west to Delbert's place where we were rounding up cow calf pairs and moving them to summer pasture.

We drove out to the far end of the pasture and then got out and split up and rode it... Well the best we could. That pasture was so rough there were places that I don't think a cow could ever make it to. A horse certainly couldn't, and I'm pretty sure a cow would have to fall and roll down a gorge to get to the deepest point of the thing. Merle and I took the far end and didn't find a thing- the feces along the trees over there were so low in spots that it wouldn't take much for a cow to jump out and you could easily miss one in all of the trees. Eventualy we met up with a few head and everyone else and headed out down the road. Everything was going fine until this one stubbon calf decided to run through the fence and go back. So, they ran around and opened the gate to get to her and pushed her back through the fence. Now, she was behind me on a road with a fence on both sides... yeah. So after trying to get around the dumb thing and successfully doing so multiple times but having it escape time and time again we ended up on a wild goose chase. Three of us ran this dumb calf around for a good twenty minutes until we decided to rope and lead the sucker but right about that time two more riders emerged with a group of cattle and we stuck her with them.

So I got the pleasure of spending the next hour and a half pushing this calf at the back of the pack because she was all tired out from running around...yeah definitly not cool. During this time I also managed to get slightly sunburned, but not horrible just enough to make it a little uncomfortable to touch. We eventually made it back with our herd after moving them back and fourth for cars on the road (one went through three times)! Afterward we paired them off and headed in for an amazing dinner.

Right after round up we dropped Glen off in town and headed straight for Tina's family branding. Tina is Merle's nice who works here and is related through Sharla- Merle's wife. So, needles to say there were lots of family there. This is one of those brandings that is more of a social event. There were about as many calves as there were people! But, I managed to wrestle quite a few and even had a little boy sit with me on one and help- he loved it! haha Afterward I was able to meet some more people and some kids who wanted to initiate me by throwing me in the dugout and then drag me out the "H" (which is the hoppin' bar in town) but they accomplished neither: they didn't dare try to throw me in and there is just no way that I can even get off my chair right now, let alone go to a small town bar with a bunch of people I hardly know! lol During supper I also sat next to a couple who had just moved out here from Louisianna- it was hillarious because they wanted to set me up with some kid so the lady snapped a picture of me, but then they realized I had cattle crap all over my butt so she got that on camera too! Yeah, this should get interesting cuz they know who I work for! O, and I failed to mention that this meal was like a feast with fried fish, rocky mountain oysters (which are usually eated right off the branding grill but this time they were bought and fried), salsbury steak, and every kind of side dish and pie you can think of! -YUM

So after bumming two meals today, Merle and I headed home to do chores. While feeding Ace and Joe somehow the right series of gates were open at one time and Ace decided to escape to the pasture...so Merle grabbed a four wheeler and spent the next ten minutes chasing ALL the horses back in. This whole time Joe is pacing in the paddock freaking out cuz his friend is gone for more than ten seconds! O, what a tramatic experience. In fact, it ruined his appetite and even after we caught Ace, Joe wouldn't finish his grain- lol, o boys!

That puts me about where I'm sitting. Sounds like I am going to church tomorrow morning. Since we branded last Sunday I haven't done church out here yet. This could be intereting- hope I don't sit in anyone's pew! haha Night.