I was singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" as we saddled up and anticipated the ride we'd take together. It's one of those songs that's been in our family history for a long time, and it naturally comes to the lips on a morning like this when the sun is shining and the wind will be to our backs as we ride 'em up.
Branded.
This past Friday we branded the heifers' calves. We let them sit and heal up for a couple of days in a nearby pasture and today they were ready to move 'em out and head 'em up to the Belle Pasture for some fresh spring grazing. The smell of sagebrush and wild onions filled the air as Three Sons and I moved the cow-calf pairs out this morning. See those nice brands on the calvies' sides?
"The Road Less-Traveled"
(S. took this photo)
Move 'em on, head 'em up,
Head 'em up, move 'em out,
Move 'em on, head 'em out Rawhide!
Set 'em out, ride 'em in
Ride 'em in, let 'em out,
Cut 'em out, ride 'em in Rawhide.
Rawhide
By Frankie Laine
How I would LOVE to sing, with gusto, "O What a Beautiful Morning" on the back of a horse. The horse may not like it, but I would!
ReplyDeleteHowever, the first song that came to my mind when I saw your blog title, Jody, was "Rawhide". I am old enough to remember!
Happy riding!
Joyce
What a wonderful song to sing while riding on such a gorgeous horse. I am so jealous! :) Being a cowgirl was my childhood dream. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteHmmm - your wv is pregie - any news to share? :)
LUV this glimpse into your ranching life, Miss Lily! ;-)
ReplyDeleteRawhide! That is my DH's ringtone on his phone. Boubt makes me jump out of my socks every time his phone goes off. :)
ReplyDeleteGot the same thing going on down here. I don't get to saddle up. :(
I have to stay in the kitchen and cook for the crew. Even if I didn't have to cook this outfit is a 'man only' kinda deal. They like us women in the kitchen and not on a horse....Bah hum bug.
~M~
Joyce,
ReplyDeleteI guess this post has a little bit of "O What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "Rawhide" to it. I didn't sing "Rawhide" while I was out riding even though we sometimes do.
Island Sparrow, I always wanted to be a rancher's wife so I'm living the dream. It's good, but there's a lot of frustration and hard work that goes along with it. But one beautiful morning can wipe a lot away.
My wv is pregie? What is my wv?
Dixymiss, thanks for stopping in.
Ranchwife, I spend many more hours in the kitchen cooking than I do in the saddle, but since we're a family ranching operation, everyone pitches in for all the jobs. Do you ever get to ride for pleasure?
By the way, I always heard it say that the Cook runs the whole outfit!
Jody
Rawhide, I used to watch that show and yes, the cook did run that outfit!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a little girl, my father would often shout out the lyrics to the Rawhide song when we were getting ready to leave the house. :)t
ReplyDeleteBrenda, that's funny! But a smart way to gather up the "herd."
ReplyDeleteJody
Jody, yes I get to, matter of fact I can any time I want..just finding the time is the hard thing. I have determined that this summer I am going to do more of
ReplyDeleteit. Sometimes we just have to leave the house to itself and get out and enjoy life.
Whew just got finished cleaning my kitchen after feeding 14 or so. I am going to eat pie and not worry about the calories.
~M~
What a great way to spend a day!
ReplyDeleteDeb
Oh, I enjoyed this post, the music too. Look at those wide open spaces, you don't get those 'round my neck of the woods!
ReplyDeleteWow, this scenery and scene is amazing! Like Dulce, wide open spaces are a minimum where I live, too. Thanks for the glimpse into your world!
ReplyDeletefrances
Just wanted to say that I always enjoy these "wide open spaces" posts, too. I'm sure the work is grinding sometimes, but it looks so purposeful and I like how everyone is pitches in together.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll start belting out Rawhide tomorrow morning when it's time for everyone to wake up and get going. This should be quite entertaining for the neighbors, since we have our windows open and our building courtyard really echoes ;-).
love it!
ReplyDeleteJust don't put it away wet and road hard. :)