Chirping in From an Empty Nest at the End of the Dirt Road

All is quiet on the homefront. Too quiet. We're 3 weeks and 2 days into this 'new normal' and adjusting fairly well. No one is cowering in the corner...nor hiding under the covers...nor devouring copious amounts of chocolate...nor drowning in a sea of tears. However, we are not exactly swinging from the rafters either. Now that I am no longer spending countless hours in the kitchen, I have been reassigned. I have traded in my dishwater hands for these:

And some days my two worlds collide:


DD came home the other weekend and we put her to work.



The three of us branded about 20 calves in a corner of a pasture. Gathering and settling the cattle:


The fact that we could have used 2 or 3 extra men did not deter DH from getting the job done.
 DD held the herd


 And corraled the escapees:


 while DH roped the calves

(because we're pretty useless in that department) and tied them down when he headed one:

And branded them:

He is a master multi-tasker!

 I was the offcial head-sitter-uponer and vaccinator and the keeper-of-the-irons...and photographer :)

Easy there Mama...

 It was entertaining to say the least with a bit of frustration added in for good measure, but we did get it done and finally were able to move them to the neighboring pasture.

I would say 'to greener' pastures, but there aren't any of those in this part of the country this year. The green you see is only mesquite, but it looks pretty good when there's a cute rancher settin a horseback in the middle of it:

DH teased DD and told her that this was 'college appreciation' weekend. No sleeping in for this college kid when she comes home! Hoping I can entice her back with some homecooking and more cookies to take back to the kids in her dorm. LOL!

It was a good day though and laughter eventually finds it's way into our days around here.

So shhh...that quiet I was complaining about earlier is perfect for sleeping and I've been sleeping like a baby on days like this.