Bringin' 'um to the Fire

~The way to avoid housework is to live outside.~

~Sandra Blacksmith 1900~

No truer words have ever been spoken!!! And yesterday was the perfect day to be outside in what I consider "God's Country."

Not only was it just the right temperature (60 F) with just a slight breeze, the sun was shinning gloriously!!!

My Man and I were invited up to Bossman Dan's branding...you know the one with all the dutch oven cookin'? There weren't too many ropers, and a couple of them I new I could do better. So, I put my big girl panties on and got Colt ready. I asked Dan if I could give it a try, and he said OK...take lil' ones, watch out for the other ropers, and be careful. YES!

Our neighbor Martin was in the pen on his horse, and he said to take a lil' one...so I did...well, I missed the one I was aimin' for. The loop landed just behind the calf's ears and then conveniently slid to the left right around the head of calf next to it...hey...it wasn't branded yet, so I'll take it!

Ropin' isn't easy is all I can say. Someone was lookin' out for me on our first calf...now remember, neither Colt nor I have ever roped before. I know the sayin'...green on green makes black and blue...but Colt was perfect! His instincts kicked in (and our years of hard work training), and he did everything I asked him to do.

First calf caught...pulling him forward for Martin to catch the heels.

Martin missed his shot, but my friend Pat caught, and we got the calf to the fire.

Pat and I get this calf to the fire and I'm smilin' 'n cryin' at the same time...I'm sitting there on my trusty steed holding a calf to be branded...somethin' I never would have imagined myself doing five years ago. It was just the greatest feelin'!

Keeping the tension made me nervous...worried about Colt moving and stretching the calf too much.

My friends Pat and Mary thought it'd be best if I let them head and I take the heel shots...it would be better for Colt and myself since we are beginners. It made sense to me.

I made lots more misses than catches, but we helped get quite a few to the fire.

The last two calves of the day. Pat's on the heels of one and I'm on the heels of the other.

A couple of calves got through the brandin' pen fence and we had to round them up to finish the day. I got a good heel shot in and was thrilled to end the day sitting on Colt next to Pat on Lil' Joe with the last two calves of the day!

L-R Mary, myself, and Pat...the ending of a truly awesome day!

Well, you won't be hearin' from me for a week. The trailer's loaded with a ton of warm cloths and winter weather gear. The forecast says 90% chance of rain tomorrow...and we don't ride in an indoor arena at the clinic either...gotta Cowgirl Up!!

Hope you all have a great week...and many blessings to you and yours on this Easter Sunday.

Number Three

~He told me I'm a real woman,

But I'm not sure what he meant.~

~Betty McClare 1901~

Participating a fun blog hop over at:

Let me introduce you to Number Three, born March 25, 2011, out of Annabelle, sired by Goof (I'm sure Goof has a fancy registered name since he's purebred, but his owner just calls him Goof). Number Three is a permanent fixture now for our herd...she should make some awesome calves.

"I'm pretty? Thank you very much!"

OK, Number Three isn't a very "country" name. I had asked for some suggestions for naming her and readers suggested Clarabelle, Isabelle and Grace. My Man and I  couldn't decide and we kept calling her Number Three, and it just sort of stuck.

But remember Seven of Nine? She was a character on Star Trek: Voyager. I always thought she was very pretty and elegant. They called her Seven. (yes, I have a lil' bit of Trekkie in me ;~)

So, we have Three of Three.

Number Three.

She's pretty (look at those eyes) and elegant, but she doesn't have any bio-implants!

Question...which of these two photos of Number Three do you like best...I can't make up my mind and want my reader's opinion. One of them will be entered into the county fair this September...so help me decide!

Three of three...Number Three

Life at the ranch...they seem to like it here!

The CowGirls & calves takin' a sunbath after a good breakfast.

Enjoy your Friday. It's Good Friday and it's Earth Day...a great day for sure!

SkyWatch Friday

Sky in the Eye

The reflection in Colt's eye includes blue sky, clouds, my camera, my hat, and my cattle dog Cowboy.

See more skies from around the world at SkyWatch Friday.