Branding got off to a good start this year.  We had a beautiful day, full of sunshine and a little breeze.  We had bloody noses, laughs and windburns, good food, neighbors helping neighbors, first timers and old timers when it comes to branding.  All in all, we branded about 500 calves, using several family brands.

Even though I took a lot of pictures, it was hard running around giving shots and trying not to trip over ropes or get stepped on by horses.  I even tried carrying my camera in one hand and my vaccination gun in the other, a little hard when sometimes it took two hands to squeeze due to my sore thumb (shut it in the door of the dually 2 days prior!).

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Look closely and you’ll see the clouds in the bottle!  And, yes, the brands appear upside down.  You (I) couldn’t actully see the brands the right way due to the smoke.  If you ever have a chance, check out Nebraska brands.  It’s a pretty neat site but I prefer to peruse the old brand books instead. 

BRANDING.Blog10-690x1024 I love these of Barb, Case and Perry with the farm in the background.

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Shortly after we were done, Perry took my little boys (Ian and Case) for a ride.  They couldn’t handle sitting in the back of the Yukon XL when the horses were in plain site.  Case just oozes with excitement when he gets to ride.  He’s great at getting them to move.  “Trot, Trot,” he says!

Thanks to everyone who helped!  Hopefully our California visitors had a great experience and enjoyed their time back in Nebraska.