Chuckwagons and Fat Rolls

I'll admit that I'm not nearly as fit and trim as I once was. When I was a kid, my size 9 breeches were loose on my taut, lean 6' frame. (You can quit giggling now. Seriously.). Once I entered college, however, the freshman 15# hit and pounded me like Mike Tyson, and hasn't let up since. I've gone a few rounds with it, and we'd finally called the fight a draw. I'm not quite where I'd like to be, but I don't ever forego Ben and Jerries, either. Ever. I'm not skinny any more, but I'm OK with that. Until today. Today, Mike Tyson crept back into the ring and pounded me into a bloody pulp.

Today was the annual Chuckwagon Round Up at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in OKC. It's an event designed to showcase traditional cowboy living, culture, music, and FOOD. Lots and Lots of FOOD. The organizers do an amazing job each year, and this year there were probably 15 or 20 wagons, each serving a different, traditionally cooked, meal to the public.

For $14.00, you could eat your heart out (or opt to have it removed during the angioplasty, or course). The food was amazing ~ there were soups, stews, fritters, chicken thingys, peach cobbler, coffee, and more deserts, all cooked over an open fire in dutch ovens.

This man was my downfall. I think I'm in love. He gave me the first donut of the day; fresh, hot out of the oven, and covered with that delicious sugar.

This guy was pretty awesome, too. I'm not entirely sure what he was cooking there, but it smelled amazing. Can you see if there's a ring on that finger?

This was the cutest cook there ~ he was in full traditional garb, right down to the handlebar mustasche and accent. He was a total sweetheart, and his wagon smelled amazing, too.

And the biscuits. OMG, the biscuits! This is how they used to cook them: By piling hot coals on the top of the oven, the bread cooks evenly. And it's also incredibly tasty, of course.

Oh, yay! This is better ~ see how they also served healthy vegetables as well? (Of course, these cans are still sealed, but it's the thought that counts, right?)

I just loved how they brought out the sausages. None of that little sissy 6" styrofoam packed crap you get in the store: These boys bring out the special stuff. When they say their sausage is big, they mean it! ... Sorry, mom, I couldn't help it!

OK ~ That's it for now. Gotta go run a few laps around the ranch to work off all the calories I consumed today. Did I tell ya that I actually saw them using REAL LARD to cook with? The really bad part is that I went back for seconds from that wagon! It was awesome!

Ranch Branding

Living on a ranch can be a wonderful experience.

There's nothing like waking up every day at 6 AM to feed. Once upon a time, I wasn't a morning person ~ ranching has fixed that. Even on my last "day off," I was up with the sun.

Ranching also has other benefits: there's nothing like the bitter, biting cold of the winters here, and the summers are even worse. Horses can't take the heat during the day, so it isn't unusual for us to start our days at 3 or 4 in the mornings, to try to be done before the heat hits.

Spring is my favorite season on the ranch. Even though we're all sleep deprived, covered in amniotic fluid 50% of the time, and suffering from varying degrees of sunburn, it's incredibly fun. Not only do we have tons of baby horses hitting the ground, we also have tons of baby calves coming. And baby calves mean fun work!

Last week, we had our branding, and drug (dragged? drugged? ...I's a colege gradate!) about 60 calves to the fire. As I was the official photographer, I was exempt from the "real work" but I've catalogued it for your enjoyment.

This is Travis, one of our cowboys working in the herd. He's actually a much prettier rider than you see here, but it's nice to see that everyone has their off days. I was nice, though, and didn't show the shot where he missed the heels. Twice in a row.

Here's Casey, our head trainer. He's riding one of our three year olds that I foaled out. Beau did so good that day! It's my version of watching a child graduate from kindergarden. I just love it when they're finally able to handle themselves and become a productive, "gainfully employed" helper.

I'll be adding more branding photographs soon, but for now, I need to go crash. A 5 AM foaling has got me a little sleepy, and the couch is calling my name...