If I had composed a bucket list participating in a roundup would have definitely been on it. The cattle had already been rounded up and brought to the holding area where they would be branded,wormed,vaccinated and the bulls castrated. Our neighbors Bill and Marla Patrick along with Bill's mother Dee lease 100 miles of land just outside of Superior where they are raising some cattle. My neighbor Teri had participated in bringing the cattle in and she got an invited for me to tag along today.
If there is a windmill you know I am going to take a picture of it. This is a working windmill that Toy built. The water was pumping into the holding tank and into a pond behind where I was standing. This is not the holding area we were working in today, we drove up to this one to hang a sign that Teri made.
When Bill was younger he would swim in this holding tank.
Here's one of the no parking signs Teri made.
Frank preparing the fire for the branding iron and their coffee.
The branding!
Teri vaccinating a calf.
Bill and Marla
This calf is still a bull in this picture but.........
Teri is holding a testicle from the calf that is on the ground. They cook them in the fire and the men chowed down like there is no tomorrow. I was told for my initiation I needed to taste this delicacy. I did it and it tasted like chicken. I have to say chicken I will eat again but this other was a once in a lifetime experience.
Waiting for Toy and Devan to rope the first calf of the morning.
This is Black Jack, a one year old Jack Russell and he herded those cows all over the place. At one time he was moving 12 cows at once.
Meet Toy who works the ranch and Joleen a beautiful Palomino getting ready to rope.
Toy's cute daughter Devan roping a calf. She works full time with her Dad and she can outride and out rope most guys.
This little calf,Sweet Pea, got separated from her mama when she was only 3 days old and she walked all the way down a canyon till someone found her and called the ranch. Frank picked her up and has raised her at the ranch house for the past 6 months. Two days ago he took her out to the holding corral with the other cows who did not accept her. Sweet Pea got to go back to the ranch house today. When Frank brought Sweat Pea her milk bucket she drank the whole thing without even coming up for air. I think she is adorable.
It was a fun morning and I was glad I could participate. It reminded me of being in Panaca, Nevada (my mom's one town) during the summertime when I was a child. Still on the bucket list is to ride out and bring the cows in........Next time!
1 comment:
This is such a fun post. It brought back such vivid memories. I have done all of that (okay, I never roped). When I was little, I just tagged along with my mom when she went to cook for the cowboys, like the time I hurt my kidney so bad. Later, I participated. I will never forget carrying a newborn calf in the saddle with me in the cold, cold, weather and snow and having it pee in my boots. (Sweet Pea is cute as can be). I am familiar with holding tanks. Didn't ever swim in one, but I remember one time when David threw me in one. Mom was pretty ticked off as dry clothes were at a premium. Don't think my men folk ever cooked the testicles. I could be wrong, though Thanks for posting this.
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