Branding

Last Saturday was branding day.  The boys spent the night in Snowflake the night before so they could be there bright and early to help.  Bruce had to work at the PO so he couldn't go.  Shavan had a girls party the night before so Tylinn and Kaylee spent the night there.  Saturday morning I went over there so we could all head out on the range.  We got there and they were hungry.  It wouldn't be a day of branding if the wind wasn't blowing.  We ate on the other side of the horse trailer to try to block some wind from the food.

Wouldn't be branding without a calf getting away.  This was the special calf this time.  We had just pulled up as it took off.  Reed and Rex took off on their horses to try to get it.  It ran a long ways away then took off another direction and went through the fence then back through and took off again.  Reed the ropin boy he is as Rex said it - he was going super fast and the calf was a long ways away and he got it!!  Rex was quite the cowboy too keeping up with Reed chasing it.  They Rex got off his horse to help drive it a little bit while Reed tried to drag it.  There were almost back to the corral here.

The calf table was at the windmill and the cows weren't by there so we branded at 10 mile.  Dad said he was going to try to get the calf table moved but Reed knew he couldn't do it by himself and just suggested that we throw all the calves to brand them this time.  Well the first probably 30 everybody had smiles on their faces and were having fun.  Of course they were the 30 smallest calves too!

It went pretty fast because there could be 3 groups of us at a time holding the calves down waiting for them to get branded, shots, and castrated.  I didn't know it could be so much fun jumping on calves necks trying to wrestle them down or grabbing their back legs when somebody else had their necks.  Let's just say all these mornings of running and working out paid off that day!

These little kids had so much fun by the tank building a fort.  They had to come back for a drink of homemade root beer. Kaylee, Cayden, Tylinn, Austin, Trever, Layton

Rhett took a dive under a calf - well he was on top for a bit then the calf ended up on top and Rhett in the dirt - face first!  He was a trooper!

Rhett, Dustin, Brandon and Taylor had fun out there together!

Despite all the bruises from being kicked dirt in every crack and crevice in our body and Reed cutting his hand castrating the last calf it was a very good - DIRTY day spent with family making memories.  The only problem was Bridget and Bruce couldn't be there. Bridget was at work at Blondie's and Bruce at the PO.