THE BLACK FAMILY: Branding in the snow

I guess when you pray for moisture as much as we do here in San Juan County, you can't complain about the timing. Last Thursday was beautiful, and then Friday was windy - the kind of wind you only see in San Juan County, where the sky turns brownish red, the tumbleweeds gather along the fences, and you might as well not fix your hair or wear contacts because neither will end up lasting very long. But, wind or no wind, we loaded up and headed out to the winter range. On the way there it started to snow, and in case any of you are not aware, wind+snow=blizzard. Now, I consider myself a pretty tough girl, I am not afraid to get dirty and use my tiny muscles to try to do a man's work - but I HATE being cold! So the thoughts of camping in a blizzard were not very appealing. I suggested turning around and going home, but Kenny just smiled and shook his head, and we continued on. The closer we got to the rock corral (our camping spot) the nicer the weather got, and by the time we got there the snow had stopped, and the sun was shining - my prayers were answered! Since I am the world's worst cook - especially while camping - I had prepared some taco meat the day before and we ate taco salad around a warm campfire that evening. I think there were as many dogs as there were people! Andy and Alicia were there with their two puppies, Kenny and I had our dog and puppy, Shawn Jack had his dog and puppy, and Steve Bennett had his dog and puppy. It turned out to be a beautiful evening. Since becoming a mother, I am unable to sleep when camping - I guess maybe I am just too worried about my little guy getting cold. So it was kind of a long night, and I could hear the storm raging outside - thank goodness for camp trailers! We awoke the next morning to a winter wonderland. Stetson was so excited, and just about went out to play in the snow in his pajamas! I was a little skeptical, and figured the branding would be called off. Once again, my dear husband smiled. "No, this is perfect branding weather!" For a minute I wondered if maybe he had gone blind or something, but then I noticed that the sky was pretty clear, and it actually wasn't THAT cold - so we continued on as planned. After a small breakfast of premade muffins and cold bananas (I forgot to get out the grapes and boiled eggs), we headed to Point Lookout.

Are you sure we want to brand in this?

I decided that it was time to break Stetson in and take him with me to gather the cows. So the two of us boarded my horse, Cinnamon, and off we went. It was a tight fit since were both bundled up in so many layers we could hardly move, but I think that kept both of us warmer. Stetson seemed to enjoy the ride, and helped by pointing out the cows when he saw them. We were almost back to the corral when we came up over a hill and a big gust of cold wind hit Stetson's tiny face (the only part of his body that was exposed). Apparently he takes after his mom, and doesn't like the cold, because he immediately started to whimper and turned and burried his face in my coat. We weren't much help in corraling the cows, but at least we were trying, huh?

I was really surprised at how many people showed up to help in the nasty weather. We were sooo grateful though, and couldn't have done it without them. Kenny made some very yummy baked beans for lunch, and I supplied some BBQ Beef, chips, veggies and lemonade. After everyone got full we started the branding. For the first time since we got the ranch, I didn't have a job. So Stetson and I just sat by the fire and watched; then he fell asleep for awhile (I don't know how he slept through that. . .once again, he takes after his mom). When he woke up he was rearing to go. He wasn't afraid of the calves at all, and thought that he needed to be right in the middle of them. So, I guess I did have a job - keeping my son alive!

The weather was very unpredictable, and I decided that if I didn't like how it currently was, I could just wait 5 minutes and it would change. One minute the sun was shining, and the next it was snowing. We had a great crew, and they continued to work, no matter what the weather. Shawn Jack, Steve Bennett, Andy, Kenny, and Kendall roped the calves. Josh did the cutting, James and Randy did the branding, Heidi gave the shots, Kirk did the ear tags, and Kenny/Andy did the implants, Brittany and Jenacia helped keep the fire going, Marty's kids helped with the tags, and Alicia and Michelle took pictures. I think Marty got the prize for sitting on the most calves - what a woman! Tracen Jack, Kade Palmer, Kendall, Parker Lee, and Eric all helped tackle the calves as well. We were so glad to have Eric and Natalie Montague and their three kids down for the event. The girls, Savanah and Eva, weren't too impressed, but Dakota got right in and sat on a few calves himself! Poor little guy even got kicked in the leg, but got right back on - way to go Dakota!

It turned out to be a great day, and we branded 117 calves. We REALLY, REALLY appreciate all those who helped us - Thanks Everyone!!!!