Shayne and Whiskey- a great team!

June 6, 2020, Volume 15, Issue 22

Folks, the moment has arrived. We are done with branding.

I know, I know- its been a long time coming. But, it’s finally here. This week we were able to finish the final 40 head of steers and kick them out to Ferguson Mountain. Branding this year was a learning experience for everyone; while we weren’t able to have our usual crew coming in for roping it was a super awesome chance for our McGinnis Meadows team to do it all on our own.

Tucker- calm and collected in the midst of the branding pen

Our ground crew was spectacular- our ropers were on top of the game. Shayne and Des made sure that everyone stayed safe and focused on the job to be completed and with plenty of laughter and lots of dirt we got the job done.

Happy Birthday, Anna!

It should be pointed out that the head of our ground crew this year was Anna- our very own strong, brave, and encouraging Anna. For nearly every steer that was roped (221 in total) she was one of the first to help pull him to the ground and get his feet secure. She worked tirelessly and made sure everyone on the ground was safe. One of the reasons we want to point her contribution out, especially, is because Friday was her birthday! She is entirely necessary to the successful operation of the ranch and one of the most delightful people to be around. For myself, I always know I will enjoy myself if Anna is around to chat and make jokes with. For her birthday, Emily made her a GIANT skillet cookie cake- it was exceptionally delicious and a great way to end the week.

In other news, as we get further into this month of June, we are preparing for the coming of guest season even more! Just this morning, Brenda and Emily were outside getting the gardens around the lodge and the cabins prepared and beautiful- there’s hanging pots everywhere!

Trouble helping with the garden

Though summer is closer every day, we’ve had the delight of experiencing some really fascinating lighting storms over the past week- it is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, because of the magnitude of the storm, we did lose power for a whole day. But, we made the most of it- we rustled up some board games in the game room and all sat around playing an ancient version of Trivial Pursuit for the evening; this may sound pretty boring- but we had a grand old time!

That’s all for this week, everyone. Next week is bound to bring up more adventures and fun times. See you soon 🙂

Happy trails,

Anna

PS. Demonstrated by our Trump, we present for you: The Progression of a Good Roll