Serious Cowboy Business

After lunch, it was time to get the new calves taken care of. This involves shots, ear tagging, branding, and "banding" the males. (Rubber bands around the Rocky Mountain Oysters...)

I ended up roping the calves. Not throwing a lasso, but instead tossing it over their head and letting them step their front feet through. Then, pulling fast to catch the back legs. I actually did really well, catching the most on the first try. The guys were too impatient and pulled too fast.

The rest was rough to watch at first. Poor calves were bawling. I had to hold the legs tight while someone else flipped the calf on its side. Then the team did the shots, tagging, banding, and Chuck branded them. Bar FC was the brand. That was the worst. But I eat beef, and this is part of that process.

It was hard work, and by the end, I was hot and tired! I took a quick shower to rinse off. I also got a bit of a rope burn on my left arm, along with some purpura bruises. The shower thing is interesting. There is one bathroom with a shower. The water pressure is low. I didn't even want to try washing my hair! But with 12 guests and 5 staff, it is hard to get in.

Dinner was Freetoh pie--or walking tacos. Take a bag of corn chips and put chili, cheese, and toppings in the bag. Then, eat it out of the bag. It was good. After dinner was a whiskey tasting. I'm not a huge fan, but some were good!Read more