Falling Head Over Heels

During this week of Thanksgiving, there are many things for which we are thankful.  At the top of our list are the ranch and the people who work on the ranch every day.  This last Tuesday we were thankful to ditch the books and to hitch up the trailer for working cattle!  

We arrived at the headquarters at 7:00 am ready to hop into the trucks and head to the pasture. After arriving at KoJack’s house we unloaded our horses and pushed the cattle into the pens. After finishing that, the cowboys sorted the momma cows from the baby calves, while we mixed up the medicine. 

Once that was finished, we began working the calves. This is our absolute favorite part of working on the ranch! That’s because of the different jobs, the process, and of course, the camaraderie. This time Hannah and Henry gave shots, while Cate enjoyed “working the ground”. I attempted a new-for-me job as the “head guy.” The “head guy” is responsible for giving the calf a hormone implant, notching an ear (for identification), and checking each calf for horns. It definitely took me a bit to learn this new job, but I had a blast!

Of course, the most fun happens when someone messes up or does something embarrassing.  Since my siblings and I have joined the ranch crew, there has definitely been an increasing number of embarrassing moments. Our slip-ups on this day can be summed up in one word…falling. At any given point in the day, someone was: falling over a calf, falling on top of a calf, or falling off of a calf! We aim to keep the work lively!

I hope you enjoy these snapshots of our day and enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday. I am thankful for each of you who takes the time to read these thoughts. Hopefully, they can make you smile. Happy Thanksgiving!