The thunder rolls and the lightning stikes!

So some crazy storms rolled through Montana last week, it was the craziest thing, one minute its sunny and nice outside and 3 seconds later is pouring rain, hailing, thunder and lightning and I'm crying. Then five minutes later the sun was back out.  I think I hyperventilated twice.



So Henry went out of town for a fun filled rodeo packed weekend and since I had to work on Saturday I stayed home.  WELL lucky me there was ANOTHER severe storm warning... and since I'm home alone I think the worst is about to happen, TORNADO/HURRICANE/EARTHQUAKE/END OF THE WORLD is about to happen.  So what do you do when you are about to pee your pants?  You call your mom.

After my freak mother (who loves storms) made me send her pictures//videos of what was going on while I am fearing for my life all I get from her is "OH SO COOL!" and then the occasional, "just go sleep downstairs, if a tornados comes thats where you are safest." oh.. ok thanks?

Well they were also predicting BIG HUGE hail balls, so I think oh crap, the cars.  But since I cannot go outside anymore in fear of getting struck my lightning I call Henry's dad, who calls Gilmer (head ranch Peruvian) to move my car for me.  Cuz I'm five and cant function as an adult. 

this is not my hand, thank god

Bout that time I hear THUNDER AND SEE LIGHTNING like I have never seen before, and I do this:

Then out of no where GILMER appears at my back door:

Praise the lord for this tiny little heaven sent angel.  I tried to explain why I needed my car moved but apparently there are no hail storms in Peru cuz he looked at me like I was nuts (which I am) and just moved my car without knowing a reason.  

If it were not for Gilmer I don't know what would have happened... Oh I know, NOTHING would have happened because I completely overreacted and the storm passed over with no giant hail balls or aliens coming to attack me.

MOM REMEMBER HOW MUCH YOU LOVED THIS SONG?  Oh how I miss 90's Garth.

Branding Day

Well, I've officially survived my first Hollenbeck branding!  PHEW!  Brandings are like social gatherings around here, you call all your friends and family and hope enough show up to wrestle some calves. Today I learned a few lessons of branding.

1. COWS ARE LOUD.  When you sort out the cows from their babies they get a little pissed, as you can imagine being separated from your child it might make you raise your voice a tad.

2. Find yourself a job or get out of the way.  Between the cows, calves, people, hot branding irons, vaccines, ropes, horses and trucks it causes a commotion.  I wasn't immediately given something to do, so I grabbed a camera and took it upon myself to be the very important image documenter.  Its a hard job, but someone had to do it.  In my quest of being the best branding photographer I almost got branded, run over, and vaccinated.

3.  Its totally normal and highly recommended to drink beer all day long. (my kind of Sunday)

4. Its totally normal and highly recommended to eat testicles all day long. 

and now a few pictures from the day (you know, my job).

directing traffic

the bigger calves took the whole village

They start the help young

Charlie and Carlos

Proof that I attempted to help