Dear WinkWorld Readers
For my non-prairie friends, the annual branding is a big day in the year.
Branding Day
Here is a little glimpse of our branding 2018.
Family and friends come to help and have fun.
My peeps.
Cousin Love
Cousin Love Continues
The Day After
The day after branding, we like to rest and maybe even bask a bit with relief that a big, annual job is done again. This year, I was quietly planning on starting another Isabel Allende novel. Often, Wink is busy checking on the calves and shutting down the branding area. I am usually busy putting large serving dishes away; putting food into smaller containers; washing lots of dishes and floors; washing sheets and towels, etc.
But, this ‘day-after’ took on special significance when the main sewer drain stopped draining, which led us to a full-rich day searching for the problem, fixing the problem, and cracking bad jokes, which I think only prairie people will understand. For example, Wink did mutter: “After branding, the real s**t begins.”
When we first realized the problem, I needed to run and dig out a special t-shirt. This shirt has special meaning, as when I retired from CSUS, the then-president gave me this t-shirt. And, when I asked what the meaning of the shirt was, she said that this was what I replied when people gave me a difficult task and a short timeline. Since then I have been known to mail similar shirts to friends, when they meet a road-block in life.
You can see that Wink does not have a special -t-shirt, yet. And, incidentally, that toilet has now been moved, so we can really get-to-work. Turns out that Wink’s 12 ft. sewer snake was not long enough, so he ‘slipped’ into town (2 hours away) to buy a longer one. Due home soon, so my WinkWorld writing will abruptly end.
Grandma Grace’s lilacs bloomed for branding this year.
And, not everything is a mess today on the ranch.
Best Quotes I overhead:
“This is the best week I could have had.”
“I have never seen it this green.”
“Those things are heaven on earth.” (said when speaking of Grandma Mary’s bean recipe)
at 1:00 pm
I love it all! Family, work, laughter and good food and then just when you think you can rest …ha ha ha!
I love you! Thanks for sharing. Cathy
at 3:02 pm
Love you right back, Cathy. xo
at 2:57 pm
Branding day was always special. I was always glad I was too small to throw calves. We also had a Docking Day for the lambs. Another special memory on Thunder Butte Ranch. All hands on deck for all of it, but the sharing of the work made it a forever memory!
at 3:01 pm
Cuzzin’ Judy, I so remember those days with your family, too! If you, Ken, Rob-Dob, ever take your 4-wheelers out to Thunder Butte again, I’d love to go, too. Hugs.
at 5:17 pm
Makes me wish I had been there … minus the parts that pathetically weak stomachs can’t handle. I would surely have needed several layers of those T-shirts.
at 7:14 pm
Hi Denise, you are right: No weak tummies. Hope ou are well.