Cattle rustlers & team penners
It was family day, for some by force. But we won't talk about that. He was glad he went in the end. Anyway – we went, as a family, and helped/participated/watched in a benefit team penning for a local boys/girls home. As hot as it was, it was fun and we are ready to do it again. Every one of us.
Just look at that arena – it's so quiet and calm as the cowboys all walk down to begin the process of moving and tagging the cattle. The cattle had to be numbered for this event. Cattle don't like to be numbered and I think on some level I can relate with that. I think I just admitted that I can relate to a cow. Please ignore that.
They didn't particularly like being crammed up into a little bitty pen and forced down a chute single file. They really did not like the single file part. Cattle are the darndest things. They all wanted to be first. Now, if I was a cow, I'm thinking that I'd just go on and let the rest of them beat me to whatever fate waited for me at the end. But there I go again, thinking like a cow. Or trying to at least.
That's the "other end" where their fate awaits them. Lucky for them, today, it was only getting a number strapped around their neck. That's Dr. D – the head honcho of the entire event. He did an amazing job organizing and getting it all together. And the cowboy on the right there, is a stranger to these parts – he looks familiar, but I can't quite place him. Hmmm….who could that be?
Now we have more cowboys congregating at "the end" trying to determine the most effective method of strapping the numbers on. The cattle, meanwhile, are getting a little restless. And I'm thinking #1 in line is regretting his own hastiness to get to the front right about now. Hey, I see Hubby from my bird's eye view over there on the left. Hey Hubby!!! Wave at me! He was too busy doing cowboy type thinking to notice his wife with the camera.
And so it begins. And there's that stranger again. Who let him in? The cowboy on the left doing the numbering is MDN from over at A Nichols Worth. They made it a family day too. But when they make things a family day – they do it right. That stranger? That's MDN's brother Cowboy Reese. And were we ever so glad that Cowboy Reese was with us today! He was the only one who thought to bring gloves. Just check out where his hands are and you'll see why that is important in this whole process. Cowboy Reese had his girls with him, all 5 of them. Sweet ones they are too.
Yes, I'm thinking that we'll just let Cowboy Reese and Cowboy Matt have the job of holding the tail end. Although, I will insert here that I did not escape un"dirtied". Sweet Baby was fascinated by the whole process. We stood not 2 feet away from the chutes. He reached up and wanted to pet one of them and came back with a handful of poop. Nice, fresh, warm poop. And then proceeded to wipe it down the side of himself. We made a mad dash for the restroom to take a quick bath in the sink. He left a little behind on me and I smelled lovely the rest of the day. Good thing I was in the bird's nest.
And there's Hubby – he got the job of moving them down the line. I think he enjoyed that job until the cattle were not content with their place in line. Here, I'll show you what I mean.
Number 4 decided he didn't like where he was – he needed a new spot. He's doing the leap frog right over the one in front of him. I told Cowboy Reese he was letting them get all out of order and messing up the whole system, but he {seriously} looked at me like I was crazy. I am not a fan of getting things out of order, he should know that. And now he does.
As you can see, it takes lots of help to number cattle. Thank goodness we weren't putting those earring looking things in their ears – I would think that would hurt, but I've never asked them. Maybe I should. Hubby keeps wanting to put one on 50 Head, but I won't let him. I'm protecting her.
And then this happened. #4 decided that he did not want to go any further. He was done. So he sat down in the chute. Try as they may, these cowboys could not get him to budge.
And the more they beat on him, the more irritated he got. They were trying everything. They even broke out the shocker thing. I stayed waaaay back when they were using that.
This cow seriously almost lost 2 ears. Didn't seem to help.
Their faces, their drenched with sweat shirts just say it all. To me, this was the fun part but I'm sure to the cowboys trying to figure out how to get him out of there, it wasn't so fun.
How about this way? Um, no. Not working either Cowboy Hubby. K1 has joined the spectator crowd. He's as curious as we are to see how this ends up.
AAHH!!!! No! K1! Don't do it! You don't have gloves! Let Cowboy Reese in there to grab that tail. Eeewwwwwwww!!!!!!!!
Evidently that was the magic formula because he jumped up and bolted. I think the rest of the cows behind #4 learned their lesson – not a one of them sat down in the chutes after that.
As you can see, we had all kinds of help just standing around waiting to be shouted an order by one of the cowboys. Not me, my job was catching it all on film.
I tell you one thing – if there was anyone in their element, ever, it was my husband on this day. He loves this kind of stuff and longs for the day when he can own his own ranch, stocked with cattle. That day isn't on the near horizon so he's not quitting his day job just yet. For now we have 50 Head and that's plenty. But when he gets to do this kind of stuff, it always rekindles that desire in him to be able to do it full time.
They have to move them quietly down the arena and through the "penning" pen so that the cattle know to go in the pen. Then they take them back to the other end to wait for the teams to come and sort them and try their hand at penning a certain 3.
Awww! The little man got to work the cows too for a little while. I think he and Daddy will be thick as thieves when it's time to be riding horses. They are thick as thieves as it is, but when it comes to horses and cows, Sweet Baby will not be left behind, no matter what.
The team penners gathered and had a meeting of the minds before the event. Really I think they were all standing around texting each other because they have forgotten any other method of communication.
Dr. D meets with the judges in the bird's nest. That's where I was stationed during the competition. I was a time keeper. Because I couldn't hold a stop watch and a camera – well, I could have done it but I was afraid some parents might question the validity of their kids' times – so I relinquished my camera to some of the Nichols' Worth family in hopes of capturing my kids in action. Here is what I did not expect:
Can you say absolutely priceless? My heart melted, on the spot, when I saw this. Something about seeing my oldest, side by side, with our youngest just made everything complete for that one moment. If I died today, it would really be ok. In my oldest I see the past 16 years – all that our family has gone through, all that our marriage has gone through, all that God has taught me from raising 3 kids. And then along comes our youngest, Sweet Baby, and he represents all that is to come, all the memories yet to build together as a family. Together they are my life from beginning to end and everything in between.
K2's team was up first. They came in slow and steady. They were ready to get to work. Their job: cut the 3 cattle with their designated number, take them to the other end of the arena and pen them, without allowing the rest of the herd to cross the "foul line". And lots of other minor rules that, apparently, are essential to completing the task. Just ask M1.
For K2's team, it was not to be. They had too many trash cows. Trash cows are cows that are not their designated number.
And their run was over. Just like that. This scene played over and over throughout the competition. Those cattle were tricky. Only 3 teams were able to pen at least one cow.
K3's team suffered the same fate. But they were oh, so close! They had it going for a while. K3 totally disagreed with the judge's call, but he only expressed that to me, I hope. I told him I wasn't the judge and he just had to accept the call, like anything else. He got over it pretty quick.
He works hard at whatever he does, this child of mine. He didn't even want to give up when the judge gave them the flag. I'm proud of the efforts of both my kids. They did well.
I'm thinking her sweet friend took this picture of her. This was right about the time when the cattle had to be moved and she was designated "pedestrian patrol". She did a good job at that too.
It was a fun day spent raising money for a good cause. It made me leave wanting to find other ways of helping out. I know God will provide the right opportunities at the right time. For now, I am blessed to be involved in the lives of some of the kids that live at the boys and girls home. They have touched my life and changed me.


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