Hula Hooping Cowboys

On the night before Branding, I made supper nachos for our family, Colter and Carly's family, and our overnight guests.  We had twenty at our house by 5:30 on Friday evening.  We pulled out the hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, and bubbles.  The hula hoops were a hit!  In no time, we had hula hooping cowboys!

Roundup the Day Before Branding

Rain was falling Friday morning at 6 when Colter and crew arrived for the last roundup and cattle push, before Saturday's roundup and branding.  Everyone was wearing a slicker to stay warm and dry, and the cows moved easily.  Everyone came to the house for brunch.

Picking Peaches before the Big Rain

We split up in the morning, with Papa, Dickie, Elizabeth and Catherine taking care of the horses and riding.  Susan went with me and Madilyn to Apple Annie's Orchard to pick peaches, then to get a load of hay, and a grocery stop.

In the afternoon, Papa went to do road work on the tractor.  While he was out, we had a big downpour, with wind and hail, and 1.2" of rain.  Dickie and Catherine left in the ranger to help him, and they got caught in the rain across Davis Canyon.  Papa left the tractor and started walking home.  After a couple of hours and not knowing what they were doing, Elizabeth and I hiked to find them. We found them, drenched and happy on a very sloppy road.

More Cattle Moving

Another early morning to move cows from the pasture east of our house to the pasture west of our house, followed by a 9:00 breakfast of Mansion Beef with piping hot bread and jam.

Ranch Roundup

All cowboys and cowgirls rode in trucks pulling stock trailers full of horses to the Patterson corrals, on the west end of the ranch.  They split into groups and then pushed the cows to the pasture nearest our house and to the west.  There were 21 riders and they were back at our house by 12:30, ready for lunch, with tales of Carly killing a rattlesnake and removing the rattles with her bare hands. 

Branding Week Guests

My cousin, Dickie, his wife Susan, and their daughters, Elizabeth and Catherine, arrived yesterday from Kentucky to experience our Winchester Ranch Branding Week.  They jumped right in, with Dickie helping Dale change Pablo's shoes.  Next up, Catherine drove the ranger while Dickie threw rocks out of the road for a couple of hours, behind Papa doing some grading with the tractor. 

We were up by 4 this morning.  Everyone had breakfast and started down the hill for our ranch roundup, with Papa and Dickie leaving the house at 4:45 and the girls at 5:15. 

Big Rain with Big Wind

Since living on the ranch, we've had a few rain storms with extreme wind.  Late yesterday, we had one of those storms.  We watched for close to an hour as the storm rolled toward us.  Once it arrived, the wind blew at 70 mph and we received about .60" of rain.  Good for the ranch!  Scary for us!   After the storm passed, we had an incredible sunset!

Preparing for Branding Week

Over the past few days, we've been ticking off items from our chore list, to prepare for Branding Week.  While I've cleaned the house and cooked, Papa has done road work.  Colter has been out riding, to check on the cows.

Taking Photos with Madilyn

Madilyn came over at 4 this afternoon to take photos with me.  She brought her camera and after checking it over and cleaning the lens, we took lots of photos.  She stayed for dinner with us, and then we took more photos of the sunset.  I enjoyed every moment. 

Mamas and their Calves

There are lots of mama cows and their calves in the pasture nearest our house now.  

Thia mama was hiding behind a bush.