Branding Day at the Ranch

Blog followers will know of Clint and Amanda's ranch in North Dakota, as we have dropped in and stayed with them on 3 previous years, and this year makes the 4th. Murray had his first experience of cutting and baling hay with Clint during our other visits, and now he can add branding cattle to his list of accomplishments. There were about 40 calves that Clint and his two older daughters had separated from their mothers' that morning, and the cows were outside the corral mooing their distress at being separated from their babies. The calves were doing the same. If you play the video below you will get an idea of the environment.  Sounds and all.

Video of Branding Environment

Clint shows Murray his brand location and design

Horse and roper keep calf steady: Murray grabs branding iron from the fire

Clint likes to invite friends along to share in the ranch activities and then follow up with sharing a feast and a fire after the work is done. The branding was a great opportunity for this to happen. At one time I counted close to 35 adults and children around the branding pen. Amanda started off doing the vaccinations, but then she had to take her 4WD and help pull a horse trailer out of the mud, so she handed me the vaccination gun and I took over from then on. I had never done it before, but Clint taught me how to pinch up the skin at the neck and I was off. Mind you, when a guy is sitting on the calf's head to keep it steady so it doesn't buck when Murray puts the red hot branding iron on it's hide, I had to be careful NOT to inject the cowboy instead of the calf! 

Vaccinator (yep that's me in the green) and brander (Murray) at work simultaneously

Clint and Amanda's 2 elder daughters Taylor and Hayley did a great job roping the calves, and different cowboy friends took turns helping them with the task. Their job was to rope the two rear legs and pull the calf to the area where it was flipped to ensure the left shoulder was exposed for the brand. Someone sat on the head and someone on the tail to hold it still during the branding, vaccination and castration. Then they were released out to their mothers anxiously waiting on the other side of the corral. 

Taylor (far right) and Hayley (in pink) with friend Jason rope the calves

Once the calves were all done, we went back to the house where Amanda prepared enough delicious food to feed us all. Remember, she is an aussie, born in Tasmania like Murray, and although she has been living in the USA for 18 years now, she hasn't forgotten her roots! As well as huge slices of melt-in-the-mouth brisket (corn beef), she served slow cooked lamb. Delicious. She had made a huge crock pot full of a tasty hot potato salad, some devilled eggs and pasta salad. There was oodles left over. For dessert she had made a rhubarb kuchen (german dish that has a pastry base topped with a set vanilla custard filling with fruit (rhubarb in this case, although I have made it with peaches myself) and sprinkled with cinnamon. She also made a slice that had caramel and chocolate and mini M and M's on top. Very colourful. 

Enjoying a drink after the branding

Young Macey pulls in her catch!

After everyone had second and third helpings, we went outside and sat in the late afternoon sun. The teenagers practised their roping skills using a wooden 'bull' with horns. Then Clint and Amanda's youngest, Macey, who is 6 years old, demonstrated how girls catch their partners here in North Dakota. That's right, rope them and drag them kicking and screaming by the ankle! Before long it was time to move over to the bonfire (fuelled by palings pulled from an old windbreak) for s'mores - you toast a marshmallow then sandwich it with a slice of chocolate between 2 graham crackers. Then a volley ball game started up and that kept kids and adults entertained for ages. Slowly people started drifting off home, and the few who remained went inside the house where we were served a slice Amanda's baked cheesecake. One of the best I have tasted. 

Murray is stoking the bonfire

Murray and I were surprised to find it was 10.30 pm when we walked out their front door, but it was still light enough to go for a walk and soak up the quietness of the North Dakotan 'outback'. It wasn't at all spooky. After our walk we settled into the RV for the night, parked almost right at Clint and Amanda's front door!