Spring Round Up 2011

I married a city boy.  And I love him to pieces... But I miss the country life.  And for the past five or so years I've even missed working calves...because I've either been growing babies, working, or both.  This year I was determined to be a part of the nostalgia, and wouldn't you know it, I was in the way half the time.  :)  Like really in the way...like in the gate so the cattle wouldn't come into the right pen.  oops!  Sorry, Dad, and Keith, Reed, Clay, and everyone else. 

Luckily Spring Round Up was the same day as my mom's birthday, between Katelyn's HS Graduation and Memorial Day and a million other things.  I decided to make a mini-vacation out of it, and just stayed at my parents' house for a week.  It was fabulous.  

**Please don't cringe too much at the pictures...I'm learning as I go and thought I had the logo placement/specifics worked out...so sorry if they're driving you bonkers...but I am too tired to go back and take them off right now.  

Right in the way.  I thought I was out of sight,
but those cows and their calves saw me from  clear across the corral.
Still, I had some fun shots from this perspective, 'hiding' behind another fence.

Beautiful back-light.  The dirt was perfect...not dusty, not muddy.  

From L to R:
Tanner, Kortlen, Katelyn, Deseret, and Taylor
In the calving shed, out of the way in the way

This little calf made us all smile.  He was one of the ones to get past my mom
and Clay tackled the little thing to work him.  Isn't that face irresistible?
Such a cutie.

My dad.
♥

Sorting the calves from their mamas.  Loud, fun, and what needs to happen.

The weather this week was absurd; rain, snow, sun, wind, actually, that's all normal.
This particular day was beautiful, cool, damp and perfect.

Keith sorting...

This is my little brother...he's a financial guru and has an awesome job in SLC.
While he wasn't working, he was working.   You can tell his horse understands.
Best day of the year; closing deals (four, to be exact!  Go Keith!) and  having fun on the ranch.

Bar-C-X is my dad's brand.  Stephanie is  probably responsible for the embroidery.
And it's a given that neither my brothers or dad can't go anywhere without their pen. 

My dad and brothers have some serious leather-working skills.
Beautiful workmanship and talent right there.

Reed had two friends (both on the right) come up from SLC to experience working cattle with nordforks.
Here, they are getting instructions on how to use the nifty contraptions.

Nordforks, sometimes all five going at once,
 in the foreground; eliminates the use of a calf-table (takes for.ev.er) or tackling,
though some calves manage to  get full-on contact when they aren't caught in the forks.
My poor youngest brother, Clay (upper right corner) got to castrate...
but once he got it figured out he was on a roll.

getting worked

Funny how everyone does their 'own' thing their 'own' way.
This is Keith (or Calvin?) branding.  
My dad brands from behind, or from the topside of the calf.
The brand still has to be on the back left hip, but each does it from their own vantage point.

Happy Birhday, mom!!!
She manned the gate and ran it like a pro.
Those chaps were made for her by  her youngest, Clay, if I have my story right.
She spent 20 years growing babies and caring for them and feeding the men and
hoodlums she called her children so 'the job' got done...
now she's in the corral with her sweetheart, instead of behind the scenes.

Ryan had to work in I.F. this day, but my boys stayed with me.
I told them if they got off the back of the truck they'd get
shots and ear tags, branded and ear-marked.
They were angels and stayed right where I sat them,
looking like the brothers off "Second-Hand Lions"
and driving us crazy with those pretend bb guns.
Kortlen slept like a baby in the house for the majority of the morning. 

Deseret made sure all the tags were handed out in order...
and she helped me quite a bit with my boys. 

Katelyn with the tagging gun...She looks gorgeous no matter what she does.  :)

Reed roping calves.

Dad watching his operation run smoothly.
We were fortunate to not have any rodeos or mishaps...
Such a wonderful day! 

While a roper (Reed) holds the feet, the nordforks hold the head and
the calf is worked: branded, ear-tagged and marked
with notch in each ear, castrated if need be, and vaccinated.
It's quite the show when every fork is full, and runners doing their jobs.
In fact, it's pretty awesome to watch, and be a part of!

Reed, again. 

My dad (left) and his little brother, Calvin (right)
observing the younger generation get 'er done.

"I'm hungry," says Tanner.
"It's eleven o'clock.  Lunch is in two hours.  Drink some water,"
as I'm loading my tagging gun again.
"But I'm hungry!!!"
"Cowboy up, son.  Lunch is a long time coming."
This kid got lucky his Auntie had to pick up a friend and
grabbed him some Cheeto's from the lunch table.  

We finally got smart when I had to got to help.
Gave Desi the baby, and had her hand tags to the boys
who handed them to me and the other help.
Brilliant way to keep hungry boys busy.  :) 

It was a fabulous day, finished off with some birthday dinner and some pool time...

Can't hardly wait to get back for Fall Round Up...which is more or less 'less' exciting and more work.  :)