Thoughts from the Middle of Nowhere

A calf being drug into the branding fire at our recent branding of odds and ends. My Darling Wife was playing photographer here. Taken 6/9/2007.

Getting ready to brand the old cows calves. We branded the last of the calves up the other day. old cows and late calvers. The youngest of these old cows is 14 years old and the oldest was 19. That's damned old for a cow. Taken 6/9/2007.

The cattle streaming in towards the corral during my branding on Saturday. It made for quite a beautiful sight. The only problem was that the 8 wrestlers I hired failed to show up so the crew was a little short. We got them done though. Taken 5/19/2007.

Forty adults and kids as young as 7 get on their horses and head out to round up the cattle at the Weller Ranch north of Kadoka, S.D.

They bring the 100 cow/calf pairs down to a corral made of cattle panels. Five or six men on horseback sort the cows out and leave just the calves in the pen.

I read this story and I really had to giggle. We did 100 pairs last week and ended up with 7 people to do the job. That was two more than I planned for and the extra help was nice but I can't imagine 40 people to brand 100 head. There would be so many people you would be tripping over each other.

For the big bunch, over 400 head, I am hoping to have at least 20 people. I have more than that lined up but if there is 20 people there we will be able to get them done. Forty? That would almost be too many people even for that big of bunch. People would be tripping over each other and nothing would get accomplished.

One year a neighbor had a bunch of somewhat famous people at his branding. There were so many people running around and getting in each others way that nothing got accomplished right. The next year he admitted it was a mistake because there was too many people there. Forty people for 100 head. I can't believe it, what a zoo it would be.

When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained. Mark Twain

We got a few done yesterday. With some neighbors, we branded 100 head of calves yesterday morning. Boy did it go smooth. A good crew makes all the difference. I was about 2 weeks behind schedule with this little branding. That's thanks to the snowstorm and later rainstorm putting me behind. Sorry, no pictures. I was to busy to get any.

Now to finish getting ready for the big branding. Cows to move to a different pasture, corrals to get ready, water to get working. Lots to do.

Talking about the snowstorm I was visiting with a guy who runs a place west of here a ways and his comment on the storm was, "there was one calf dying as fast as one was being born." The more guys I talk to the more I hear how bad it was and what the death loss from the storm was. There was a lot of calves lost in this area due to the storm and it hurts people. Nobody is dwelling on it, just mentioning it and moving on. What else can you do?

Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We branded up the last twenty head of late born calves yesterday and trailed them out to pasture. The cattle should be set for a little while now. It's time to concentrate on Haying. Taken 6/4/2006.

Well, we won for another year. We got the big branding done. It went very well. I had a very experienced crew of neighbors helping which makes all the difference in the world. All the riders knew what they were doing and did it well, no wrecks getting the cattle in, and the ground work was easy. For the most part camaraderie flowed well and people enjoyed the event. Yea, my branding is sometimes an event.



Old neighbors, new neighbors, and friends all travel to enjoy an easy day of working together and enjoying the lifestyle. As much stress and work as your own branding is, it is even enjoyable for us. There is always some people that don't get the enjoyment out of the branding but the majority do and that's what's important. Well, that and getting the calves branded.

We had a heavy thunderstorm that went through Friday night and really that helped the situation out. It rained enough to settle the dust and make for a very enjoyable branding. As dry as it was it could have been very dusty but with the rain there was no dust. It was a little muggy and warm by lunch time, but nice.

With few exceptions, a nice, fun, productive and friendly day.

A herd of passion
a portentous heat be,
discord some revel.
Sarpy Sam

Yay!!! We got about .40 inches of rain yesterday. I wish it would have been more but I will take all I can get. The seeding we did earlier hasn't seen any rain yet and this will help. Most of the seed was planted in moisture so i was not to worried about it but the way the alfalfa seed was planted it really needed some moisture. This will help. I predict the next rain will be on Saturday the 20th. Why then? I've scheduled to brand that day so chances are I will get rained out. Wait and see.

To wait idly is the worst of conditions. Robert F. Scott

Some of the neighbors roping calves for the little branding. The wind was blowing like hell making it a very difficult branding day. Ropes don't sail to well in high wind. Taken 4/28/2006.

Well, we got them done. Overall the branding went well. We got them all in and got them branded. The wind blew like hell which made things.......difficult but not impossible. When I said yesterday the wind doesn't blow much here, that also means that when it does blow, it creates problems for us since we aren't used to it.

One big mystery from branding yesterday is how I cut myself. I got back from branding and took off my jacket and found my shirt sleeve soaked in blood. I rolled up my sleeve and there was a cut on my wrist that had bled for a while. I never felt it, or knew it happened. I really would like to know how it happened but I have no idea.

It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Epictetus

Busy, Busy, Busy. Busy getting spring work done. It's finally getting dry enough to farm a little so I am trying to get some of that done. I might have been able to get some done earlier but everything I want to plant this year, around 200 acres, has alfalfa with it and you want to wait when planting it until the chances of frost are a little lower. Don't get me wrong, we can have frost into the first part of June but it's getting late enough now to chance it.

There are other things to do besides farming though. Tuesday we gathered up a few more pairs to take up to where the two-year olds are so we can brand "the little bunch" today.

Getting a few more pairs to take up to where the Two-year olds are at so we have enough to brand there. Taken 4/25/2006.

After we were done moving the cattle I jumped in the tractor and got some farming done. Normally I would have had the hired man do this but with him leaving there is no need to spend the time teaching him how to farm only to see him leave in a few days. Easier to do it myself and get it done. I hate sitting in the tractor farming but it needs done.

Yesterday I thought I could get a big day of farming in and finish getting the fields ready to plant. No such luck. Out checking water in the morning and a bunch of the drys are out in the wrong pasture wandering around. Everything that didn't have a calf on it when I finished kicking pairs out I put in a different pasture to sell later. Since I don't preg check there are drys in there along with stuff that has lost a calf and a very few left to calve. A bunch of these were in the wrong pasture and there was no water there so a good part of my day was shot getting them back in.

Getting the drys back in from their unauthorized excursion. It always shoots my plans to hell when critters decide to go exploring and need to be gathered back up. Taken 4/26/2006.

I still got some farming done but not what I wanted to get done. I hate it when my plans get shot. Today is the little branding. Just a couple of neighbors to help and get some branded. No big deal. I'm more worried about getting the farming done. On to that tomorrow. I will try to get a picture or two of branding today. No promises though.

Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing. Thomas A. Edison