Vaccine Needles, Man Calves, and a Peddies Giveaway!
I have been helping on the ranch since I was a small child. Branding is always something that I look forward to. Yesterday we helped some good friends of our brand. It went really smooth as the crew was good.
When I was a kid I started out wrestling calves. That’s what the young folks do on the ranch (physical work). I have seen how we graduate to different levels as we age and gain experience. After wrestling calves, I graduated to vaccinating, then branding, then cutting (castrating) calves, and even roping. I really enjoy cutting. I’m pretty prideful of the fact that to my knowledge I have never had a calf swell up and get infected. I am a clean cutter so to speak.
As far as the other jobs, I like them all. Every single task is an important one on the ranch. There truly is a correct way to rope and drag calves. If you do it the wrong way you can cause an accident or hurt the calf. Branding is important because it’s the mark that calf will carry all its life and it’s a pride factor of the person(s) who owns the brand. Cutting is important for obvious reasons. I have heard horror stories of castrating gone bad and the after effects of having to deal with swelled up, infected calves. In truth, every job is important. Vaccinating is important also. Those shots are given for a reason. There is a correct way to vaccinate also. You need to be careful so calves don’t show a lump where the shot was given. Also, it’s expensive so you want to make sure the calf gets what it is supposed to. Another important thing about vaccinating is to only poke the calf. Things get tight when tending to calves being wrestled and the possibility of sticking someone with a needle is high if you don’t pay attention.
In all my years of branding I have never stuck someone with a needle….that is until yesterday. The person who got stuck was me. Ouch!!! It was one of those unforeseen happenings that took less than the blink of an eye to occur. In fact, it was a shock so I don’t remember every tiny detail. I just know that I went to give a calf a shot and he struggled and kicked. He managed to kick my vaccine gun hand, which ended up going directly to my shin. I don’t know how far the needle went in, but it scared the daylights out of me. I didn’t end up actually giving myself a shot, but the thought of that needle going in countless calves before it went into my leg was cause for concern. That and the fact that is was a live virus….well, you can imagine my concern. I know lots of folks who have been vaccinated and lived to tell the tale. In fact, in all my years helping I have been run over, branded on the knee, poked with a ralgro gun in the knee, got Warbex on myself, had Dectomax running down my arm, etc. I have lived to tell the tale also. Still…..I was concerned
Once I got home after the day was done I took a long, hot shower and got out my good old hydrogen peroxide and iodine (I love that stuff). I woke up this morning and was glad to see that my leg wasn’t twice its normal size. I’m really sore as was expected. However, I do believe I’m going to be okay. Note to self: BE CAREFUL with vaccine guns and needles! It’s not like I need a reminder as I know how dangerous there are, but I can definitely tell you this….it’s fresh in my mind!
Now that I’ve told you my story we can get on to my giveaway. I’ve had this giveaway planned for weeks and it involves legs (insert dry expression). The fact that I stuck myself with a vaccine needle in the leg is quite ironic (and definitely wasn’t planned). I am talking about Peddies from Noble Outfitters.
Socks are socks, right? NO!!!! I am a sock snob. I’ll come clean and admit it….I have man calves!
Haha, funny term right? Not if you have them……but I guess I can be happy as it could always be worse. I have big calves…..and sometimes finding socks to fit them is a chore. I don’t want socks that cut in, but I also can’t wear guys socks because if they fit my calves then the foot part is too big. I don’t want socks that are too lose because they fall down (that’s the worst). I’m telling you, the struggle is real!
When Noble Outfitters told me to pick a few things out that I would like to review I saw their socks (aka Peddies). I instantly knew I had to try them out. I’m so glad I did! I instantly fell in love with them. I got the ones with the horseshoe print on them. I was intrigued to see that the footie part of the sock was much thicker and warmer than the rest of the sock. I liked that! They went on easily and weren’t too tight. They stayed put all day and didn’t dig into my leg. My feet were cozy in them too. I wore them several days in a row to get a true feel (I washed them every night). I came away with the opinion that I really like these socks and I would recommend them to anyone who wants a tall sock that will stay put, wear/wash well, and keep their feet warm. They come in a selection of colors/prints too which makes it fun. Peddies will definitely have a spot in my sock drawer. I hope you get a chance to try them out and if nothing else, here is your opportunity to win a pair:
Best of luck to you! ~ Cheyenne
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