From the Home Place

April 9, 2026

Good morning! She’s looking like a fine day outside my window. Sitting at 31 right now, headed for 62 after the sun gets to cooking, with a 14 mph breeze.

Way back when I was a kid, this was one of the best times of the year, most every day was a branding! By early April I would always have two or three colts going well enough that they could be pretty-much trusted in the branding pen. I mean, they were not fool proof by any means, but they were solid enough that they would drag calves most of the morning.

I remember one big, stout Dunn horse I was riding for a feller. The ‘ol kid would buck if something spooked him bad, and the bugger could stretch the latigo on a good saddle when he blew, but I could get him covered most days. I took him to his first branding to an outfit about five miles south of us. I left at daylight and we hit a big swingin’ trot about a half mile from home. We stayed at that pace most of the way, except to open gates, and by the time we got to the pasture we were to gather, I was sittin’ pretty tall in the saddle seeing how everyone was complimenting how well behaved ‘ol Dunny was acting.

We had the pasture gathered and was headed for the branding pen, all was well. That is, until that jump cactus flew up and stuck ‘ol Dunny in the undercarriage. His first jump was about twenty feet long, and it slid me back on my rig a tad bit. But by the second jump I had both hooks over the point of his shoulders, and we were fittin’ a bronc ride! I reckon we tore up about 75 yards of pasture before the ‘ol boy decided to give up the excitement and let me pull that cactus out of his parts. The rest of the day went along like he was plumb broke and ready to go back to his owner.

Like I said, I loved branding season when I was a kid. Now, I can’t get my hip to rotate far enough to step into a stirrup, and if I was to ride anything like ‘ol Dunny today, he wouldn’t have to buck, the big jump would leave me looking for airplanes. Time isn’t really our friend when it starts adding up to years.

But, I guess that’s what they call the cycle of life. All of the old fellers that were with us that April morning back in the early 60’s have all been planted for a long spell by now. Those of us who were kids then, are old men now, if we are still above the turf, and the young fellers of today hadn’t even been planted yet back then.

Today, I enjoy going to brandings to get to maybe rope some calves on a borrowed horse, but the most fun of the day is jabbering with the young men who were just little fellers when we first met. It’s plumb humbling to ride for a young man who was in diapers not that long ago according to my calendar. Yep, time sure goes by quicker that a jackrabbit being chased by a hungry coyote.

I have to admit, about the only thing I’m really good at when I get invited to a branding now days is eatin’ and telling stories about “the way we used to do it.” I reckon most folks wish that those stories were buried as deep as all of my old friends, but they are kind enough to listen just the same.

Do you reckon that the Lord ever gets tired of all of our stories? I mean, He must listen to several million folks a day yammering about how tough things are and that He needs to pay them special attention. Yep, I reckon He gets an ear-full every day, but because God is so gracious and kind, He lets us tell Him all of our woes.

During my prayer time early this morning, it hit me, that I need to spend as much time thanking and praising God, as I spend asking for His assistance. Stop and chew on it a minute, if you were God and all I ever talked with you about was how tough my life is and about all the things I need you to do to fix my life, wouldn’t you get a little gun shy every time I showed up?

Now I know, our Heavenly Father is plum full of grace and kindness, but maybe we could at least thank Him for all that He did for us yesterday before we toss the troubles of today at Him. I mean, if you and I were to bump into each other on the street today, we would at least exchange pleasantries before one of us was to start bellyacking about life.

Here’s the other thing God taught me during our morning visit today, when I start my day praising and thanking Him, my whole attitude is better when I get up and get to goin’! May I suggest that you give it a try, spend the first minutes of your prayer time telling God everything you are grateful for and see if it doesn’t give you an attitude adjustment as well. ‘Sides that, He already knows everything we need before we even mention it.

I’m grateful to still be looking at the top of the Spring flowers with you, Neal