A Yankee in Texas Cow Country stands out like a sore thumb. Or as Texans would say, ‘A Yankee in Texas Cow Country is as scarce as hens teeth.’

My sincere apologies for not having posted in so long. I’m still here, and miss writing my crazy stories for you all very much. I started another part-time job, am still working at the park, and writing for Yahoo! on the side. No, I’m not getting rich – yet. But before my work-week turned into fifty-plus hours a week, I got to do this…

This ‘Yankee’, the name some Texans call me when they aren’t calling me ‘The Californian’ or ‘Cali’, went to a ranch to videotape someone cut the balls off bull calves.

NO, I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP.

Calves waiting for shots, tagging, and…

This is cattle ranching, Texas style… a complete departure from the suburban life I lived before hitting the open road in my RV a year and a half ago. …

As much of a “Glamper” as I am, I didn’t start this journey to hide from real life. Just the opposite. I began it to see what life is like outside of the suburbs. How do other people live? What are they like? Where is the Largest Ball of Twine? (Ok, maybe that last one won’t expand my view of humanity, but it will expand my world outside of suburbia.)

I chronicled A Day In the Life of a Texas Cattle Rancher for all you out there in Reader Land so you could get a slice of what Texas ranch life is like, too. (Ok, bad pun. Sorry.)

It’s an honest, tough life, and a bit brutal at times. Ranchers make no apologies for supplying America with much of their meat in the manner which it’s been done for years. Nor should they.

You know you’re in the south when you see yard signs that say “Occupy Your Bible”.

BE FOREWARNED!! The video at the end of this post will make you cringe – at the very least. This is raw footage of a bull calf being castrated, given its shots, and an ear tag. (I’m sure to lose readers over this. If you’re new here, just know I’ve never posted anything like this before and don’t plan to make a habit of it. Unless I can get video of how some reportedly castrate sheep: using their teeth to remove the gonads.) This video is not for the squeamish or vegetarian or anyone who doesn’t want their “meat-grows-in-plastic-packages-on-trees-and-is-harvested-for-the-supermarket” view of food consumption to be challenged.

My intention is that my blog is always honest. Often sarcastic, but honest. Today’s post is about what I saw and my experience in Texas Cow Country. I am not making a political statement, just showing those of you who care to see what a day in the life of a rancher is like. If you don’t like the subject matter, please go to the next post (to be posted shortly), which is about the softer side of ranch life: hay baling and cowboys.

The following video is similar to an episode of Mike Rowe’s “Dirty Jobs“**, except with my bad videography. To quote the Discovery Channel:

“Dirty Jobs profiles the unsung American laborers who make their living in the most unthinkable — yet vital — ways.“

If you don’t have the stomach for Dirty Jobs, you will not be able to stomach this five minute video.

**Sadly, Mike Rowe just anounced in his blog “Mike Rowe WORKS” that Dirty Jobs has been canceled. I’m crushed. Well, Mike, feel free to come travel the country with me in my RV! I’m sure we can find something dirty to get into. Ahem.

(For those of you preferring something a little more tasteful (although I can’t imagine why you’d be reading this blog), the following post is of the softer side of ranch life and farming: hay baling, and cowboys. I got to ride on a tractor pulling a hay rake, see a baler make huge round bales, and watch cowboys sweating. Coolest. Thing. Ever.)

Without further ado….