Working on the ranch is a family affair.  Partly because we all love to be out there but also because we need all the man (and woman)-power we can get.  That usually means we get kid-power too because wherever I go, the kids go.  So when we vaccinated the calves, The Rancher’s Sidekick came too. 

This little boy loves to be on the ranch and already can be a great helper.  He even has his own paddle to poke the calves through the chute.  And he can “hup” with the best of them.  His size is never a factor- he just finds a way to climb up or reach whatever he needs.

But sometime he needs a break.  So we pull out his tractors and cars and plays on his own ranch.  Life is never dull for a little boy living on a ranch…

There are so many benefits to having a gentle old milk cow.  Of course we get the milk (by that I mean Rancher Sr., we don’t milk her too often).  She also comes in handy when we have bum calves that need to still suck.  But a little less obvious is that she is a great roping buddy for a three year old boy.

On a morning walk The Rancher’s Sidekick had the clever idea to rope Jersey.  And she, like a good friend, stands there while he torments her.  He grabbed her tail, pulled her ears, and poked her belly as he tried to put a rope anywhere he could manage.  Think of Nana from Peter Pan, but instead of a dog, we have a cow.  And with a cow like that, who needs a roping dummy?