More Branding from 2004

Clayton starting 3-yr. old in branding trap.

June is always a busy month for ranchers. We're hardly in the house long enough to eat and sleep. Besides branding, there's also shipping, sorting and putting bulls out. Some years heifers are artificially inseminated. There's farming and yardwork. And, all this is done while working around the rain and mud. Not complaining though. We talked to a friend in Oklahoma today. He had to ship all his cattle 250 miles away. The drought down there has devasted the country.

This year it's even wilder since Ray retired this month after 37 years on the same ranch. I really don't have time to sort photos. I need to be sorting everything we own since we are in the moving process. We're not going far. This is home.



I still have a brace on my right hand, but hopefully that will be gone next week. I only wear it now when I'm working, so at least I can type now. Next week is the 18th annual camp meeting at church. It goes all week, and is a great time, but very busy since the ladies feed 3 meals a day, and Ray and I always help clean up after the late evening meals. At  least this year I don't have to get up at 5 a.m to brand!



Using nordforks.

Here's some of my favorite branding photos from a few years back. Not a whole lot has changed. One thing I look forward to with our new freedom is being able to get out and get cowboy photos from other places. I doubt that we'll be retired long. Ray's already looking forward to new opportunities. Only at a little lower stress level.

That's good. I'm not ready for "driving Miss Daisy"!

Vernon heeling on Little Brown Jug.