Working Ranch 101

Despite all the belching, trampoline jumping, photographing of calf nuts, and Ethel Merman impersonations, this is also a real working cattle ranch. I recently read that only 13% of blog readers reside in rural areas, so I've decided post weekly ranch photos so the other 87% of you can see how we hicks live.

To rebel against the sweltering, soul-melting heat most of us are experiencing this summer, I selected photos taken in the dead of winter. Maybe our sweat glands will slow down just a tad if we gaze upon photos of people and livestock freezing their butts off. Click on any photo to enlarge.

Here's our three-year-old, getting ready to begin the long day of working. Everyone's bundled up, saddled, and ready to go by sunrise.

We spend the first hour or two gathering cattle from various pastures. In 23-degree weather, the horses and cattle tend to let off a little steam:

Marlboro Man likes to start our kids horseback as soon as their umbililcal stump falls off. Here he is with our one-year-old:

Once the cattle are gathered in the pens, the action really begins. Here's my father-in-law on the far left, dragging a calf to be worked. Our cowboy's son, Cody, flips the calf onto its side, while Marlboro Man, second from right, moves in to assist.

Though it's hard work, there's always time to pause for a moment or two. Here's my man enjoying a word with his dad:

And when the work is finished, everyone's filthy. And stinky. And hungry and thirsty and cranky. And sleepy:

And I wouldn't trade it for the world.
(Though I'd give anything to have a Starbucks nearby. You urbanites have no idea how lucky you are.)

Comments

[willowtree]

Jesus you get up early! Great pics, the ranch looks just like the property where I live. Cowpokes around here don't seem to work as hard, they don't do any of the stuff you've described. For a start any handling is done using a crush rather than a rope, also we don't brand the stock, instead they are tagged with electronic trackers as part of the NLIS (national livestock information system). Every movement from birth to consumption is recorded. Any bovine disease can be traced back to the paddock the cow came from. Finally, as the herds are mainly Hereford or Angus (or a cross of both) I'm pretty certain they don't have to de-horn.

[Almost Lazarus]

Why I prefer goats:You don't have to go get them, they come to you. And often jump in your lap. A steer would hurt.You don't have to keep a bevy of bomb-proof horses for the little kids to ride - but we do anyway. Neither the horses nor the goats enjoy "round up" via saddle. I do, but just to terrorize the spawns of satan otherwise known as French Alpines.Winter chores occur in the barn, out of the 23 degree temp (and the rain, ice, snow). It doesn't take 20 people to catch, castrate, dehorn, vaccinate, and freezebrand or tattoo a goat. Two people, one with the tools, the other with a lap, can accomplish al that...

[Ree]

Plus, baby goats will suck on your fingers. I just love that. I was hoping you'd show up today, Butch. :)WT, what's a crush?

[Claudia]

I'm personally not a fan of starbucks. But that may be because I am canadian :) You have the cutest ranch kids in the entire world :D

[Kristi]

Ree-Wow! I would absolutely love to experience your way of life. I have always dreamed of living on a farm or a ranch. I suppose I have romanticized it in my mind somewhat from the stories of my father growing up on a farm. I was looking at your pics and had a good laugh imagining how pics from our way of life would compare. To begin with, my man is not a Marlboro man, but instead, say, a Dell man. He works very hard, mostly from a chair in an office with artificial lighting. Rather than dealing with cattle, he manages a lot of computer nerds who are probably just as stubborn and smelly (although I am certain he has never castrated one of them nor has he slapped their butts to get them moving). He's easy on the eyes but packs most of his muscle in his head, which I find very sexy. My four kids probably get just as dirty and smelly as yours, which confounds me considering we have no dirt or livestock around here! We do have an Austrailian Cattle dog, and I know she longs for a life on a ranch herding cattle as well. She herds my children, but it is much less rewarding I'm sure. So maybe our lives are not that different! Just for the record I have no comparisons to make with the calf nuts.So when do you have time to homeschool, let alone write a blog? Blessings,Kristi ShawPS ANXIOUSLY awaiting that tunic!!!

[KimbaLee]

Wow! I love all the pictures, and like so many "city folk", would love to experience that life! For some odd reason, I find it soothing to know that this life style hasn't ended in these modern times. I absolutely LOVE that someone out there is rounding up cattle on horseback. :) Your kids are absolutely adorable! Little Marlboro kids.....

[sasha]

Your three-year old looks perfectly at home on horseback! I can't even get Joey to ride a tricycle.

[AllBeehive]

From the 22nd floor of my office, I can look out the window and know that there are 6 Starbucks within a 3 block radius of me. I do not go to any of them however, instead I go to the local coffee shop on the first floor of my building. But if they were not there, I'm sure I would be wanting one, looking for one, waiting for one to go up.

[Sandra]

Wonderful photos and words!A crush (at least at home in Ireland) is a cage-type affair into which the cattle are guided. One cow at a time can be penned in tightly, so that tagging/dehorning/injecting can be performed with less thrashing around and risk to the farmer. Many of the smaller farms wouldn't have so many willing helpers, so they are very useful.

[Brooke]

From one Oklahoma girl to another...I love your blog! It was sent to me by another Oklahoma gal and I've sent it on to many others. I grew up in Ponca City, so I know your neck of the woods well. As a desperate housewife as well I can truly appreciate your stories. Thanks for giving me something to look forward to during nap time at my house. Love the stories and the pictures! :)

[KaraMia]

I like this post, it's nice to see what it's like in your neck of the woods.p.s.starbucks if over rated..Tully's is better...lol

[Sally]

Thanks for posting this! Nice pictures. I think I'd love that life.

[Kari]

As a '97 USC grad myself, I get a total kick out of where you ended up.

[Ree]

Claudia, can I come visit you in Canada? I've always wanted to go there.Kristi, the tunic's in the mail! :)Kimbalee, Marlboro Kids! I love it, except for the youth/smoking connection. By the way, Marlboro Man has never smoked a cig in his life! Sasha...Joey? One of my top three boys' names of all time. Joe. Joey. Love it.Allbeehive...you're mean. Don't tell me that. If I had that many Starbucks nearby it would only increase my addiction because I wouldn't be ashamed of going more than once a day for fear of being discovered by the staff. I'd just rotate locations!Sandra...ah! Thanks. Here, we call it a "chute". I should have been smart enough to figure out what it meant.Brooke, I was in Ponca today. Ponca, as you know, is the home of the Pioneer Woman Museum! HeeHee.Karamia, Tullys? Mmmmmm, tell me more.Sally, the grass is always greener. I love our life, but I'd also love living in a highrise. I think I'm on a Starbucks kick today. It's all I can think about.Kari, FIGHT ON!!!

[willowtree]

Thanks Sandra, for the crush/chute explaination.Gee, this post really elicited some long responses, I guess we all love the romantic notion of country life, especially if you don't have to get up at 4:00am to help with a difficult calving!Your boys seem to be growing up fast, is that a five o.clock shadow on the little guy asleep in the car?Oh yeah, I have never tasted either Starbucks coffee or Krispy Kreme donuts, not that I don't want to, just haven't seen a shop.

[Kristen]

Ree, I didn't realize you were in Oklahoma. Don't know how I missed that. We're in the thriving metropolis of Tulsa. Lots of Starbucks over here. :-) I witnessed a cattle branding at the ripe old age of 8 or 9. I'm a vegetarian now. Heh heh. But I still appreciate and remember the way those ranchers worked their asses off.