We were fortunate to get more rain. It varied a lot from one location to another in the amount we received but extremely thankful.
Hopefully we have changed the weather pattern for the good at least for a while. I never want to be too proud to tell God thank you. South of Woodward some only got 0.15 of an inch with several reporting a half of an inch and some more. Close to Oklahoma City, people received big rains. At least our area now looks green. After mailing a check for my last several loads of cake for my cows and some yearlings I texted my hired hands and said, “Let’s only dribble a little cake when checking the weather now that everything is green.” I hope they know what the word dribble means.
I dehorned a steer today so when I sell him as a feeder I think he will fit in with the better steers and not the crossbreds. So I was using my branding iron to seal where the horn was to stop the bleeding. I have done this several times. The steer threw his head hard throwing the branding iron right below my eye and partially my eyelid. I’m thankful it didn’t hit my eyeball.
I never wanted branded and no I don’t need an earmark. And, no, don’t go there—I’ll be fine as a bull. I’m sure some of you ole ranchers are tossing around some crazy thoughts in your head about that scenario. After telling the story about branding close to my eye this morning one of the cowboys said, “Maybe you are getting old enough you need someone there with you all the time.” I said, “Well, if that someone was there with me maybe they would have been doing it instead of me.”
All of us need to conserve water, so I suggest we should all start drinking beer. Maybe one of you cowboys ought to see if you can do the next Bud Light commercial. All you would need is a bubble bath, a cowboy hat and hopefully still have all the right fixtures.
A friend said, “I only consider people that like me my friends.” I said, “Not me. I want more friends than that.”
Editor’s note: The views expressed here are the author’s own and do not represent the view of High Plains Journal. Jerry Nine, Woodward, Oklahoma, is a lifetime cattleman who grew up on his family’s ranch near Slapout, Oklahoma.
