Small Branding

We got the little bunch branded today. One hundred and ten head done and out of the way. I never have done a spring branding of calves in May when it was snowing but it was today when we <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/snow05012005.jpg" onclick="window.open('http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/snow05012005.jpg','popup','width=1020,height=686,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">started</a>. I am really tired of this cold weather and the snow every morning. I don't think the cows thought too much of the whole thing when we started to <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/gather05012005.jpg" onclick="window.open('http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/gather05012005.jpg','popup','width=725,height=500,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">gather</a> them in the snow. They were trying to leave the country at a fast and furious rate. It was kind of a whip and spur operation for a while. I was riding my new horse Ole and I don't think he knew what a hill was. He lived most of his life near Huntley in the flat valley and I was trying to take him up and down the steep hills chasing the cows and he kept stumbling and falling and didn't know what to do. This is the first time I had him in the rough country and it wasn't fun. He has a lot of learning to do. <br />n<br />nYesterday our high temperature was 37 F and today it was 35 F. That is just way to cold for the first of May. I do know while we were branding the branding fire was the most popular spot. Everybody kept gathering around it to stay warm. I had both girls out helping today and they thought they were going to freeze to death. I finally told them to do like everybody else and huddle up to the branding fire and then they were a little more comfortable. The oldest girl was giving the calves a vaccination shot and the vaccine kept freezing up in the needle. She had to keep holding the needle in her fingers to keep it thawed out. What a pain.<br />n<br />nThe only people that weren't able to gather around the fire were the <a href="http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/rope05012005.jpg" onclick="window.open('http://www.nowherethoughts.net/pics/rope05012005.jpg','popup','width=1020,height=687,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false">ropers</a>. As much trouble as they were having roping the calves they probably kept warm just by swinging their arms all the time. I never did decide if the cold weather was affecting their roping abilities or the calves were that difficult to rope. They finally caught them all but it was fairly late by the time we finished. <a class="block_level" href="http://www.sarpysam.com/archives/914-Small-Branding.html#extended">Continue reading "Small Branding"</a>