Mamas, don't let your babies grow up...

**hadassahchana**[$] · #1 08-19-2007, 08:39 AM

You thought I was going to finish that song? Ha! That bit says it all. #1 came home last week, and claims to be more mature, ready to take on life. He says the summer spent doing a miserable job with no thanks was a really good learning experience.

I, on the other hand, would recommend you all buy stock in Gloria Ferrer's vineyard. Trust me, it's got nowhere to go but up. Sigh. The list of really mature things #1 did while he was gone has made my hair stand (even higher) on end. Since #2 hasn't yet managed to finish me off, #1 has stepped up to the plate.

During the summer he:

Shot rattlesnakes which were in the shower. He fed the meat to the other wranglers in chili. He said he told the ones he liked what was in it. The other ones thanked him for a delicious meal.

Chased a bear. But, he said, he was with a group of friends. Because everyone knows that bears are afraid of a bunch of guys.

Tried to see a cougar by following it up a mountain which had no trail - only loose rocks going up a really steep side with dropoffs on both sides.

Got a brand.

Got. A. Brand.

Not a designer label or a bar code, a brand, as in, hot branding iron. On bare skin. Apparently, he and his friends (the ones who chased the bear) were bored. The camp was dry, so they couldn't drink, and there was no internet, so they all decided to brand each other. Note that when I have been in those conditions, sticking a red-hot piece of metal anywhere upon my person has never ever seemed a viable alternative. Or sane.

He did do some pretty good things, too. He heard a commotion in the corral in the middle of the night and ran outside with a loud BB gun and shot in the air to scare off the mountain lion who was just fixing to make a nice midnight snack out of one of the horses. He opened a vet clinic in the bunkhouse for the townfolk. At one point he had 19 cats being treated for various things. And a ferret.

He had to do one job I don't think I could have done: he had to put down a horse who fell down the side of a mountain and broke both legs so severely that the bones were sticking out. The wranglers called the head of their program, the guy #1 followed all summer long because he knew so much about horses, but he was about three hours away by Jeep. #1 couldn't bear to hear the horse scream in so much pain. So, he talked to the boss, who told him where to find the real gun and what to do, and #1 did it. And cried afterward.

#1 did change over this summer, a lot. He now has a drawl that makes him nearly impossible to understand. For example, when he told me he was roping folks from Boston, I panicked. Howevere, what he really said was that he spent a lot of time roping bison. Say the vowels in 'bison' using those from 'Boston' and you'll get what I mean.

He never got a haircut, so now instead of the super-short ROTC cut he's got curls. He blames me for them, but the girls around here seem to like them just fine. He grew sideburns, so that when he wears his Stetson he looks like an extra in 'Oklahoma!'. Most important to him, he got dirt on his hat. And dust, and all sorts of other biological hazards associated with hanging around cattle and horses and things like that. I would just like to point out that my pink cowboy hat is as clean and as pretty as the day I bought it. Cows and pink do not go together. Just saying.

All things considered, he had a pretty good summer, except for the brand. I've finally realized that no matter how I feel about it, #1 is growing up. And despite my best efforts, is doing it just as fast as he can go. Maybe it's in a different direction than I'd expected, since he's hoping to go to vet school in Texas. He's a pretty amazing, and yes, responsible kid. Except for that brand.

**lynnzop**[$] · #2 08-19-2007, 09:00 AM

Don't tell #4 about the brand. He'll be chasing his brothers with clothes hangers.....

**phoenixx**[$] · #3 08-19-2007, 09:47 AM

Sounds like he had a good summer

What's the brand of? They are the new thing here, now that even MOMS get tattoo'd, making tattoos not as edgy (according to some young people who have them).

**pippadaisy**[$] · #4 08-19-2007, 10:15 AM

I know that branding is "in" with the body mod folks, but YEESH.

magenta321 · #5 08-19-2007, 10:39 AM

Your son is definately in style with the brand. Although, now that lots of folks are getting branded, I have to wonder what is next for people to do.

Brands don't bother me too much. Ear stretching... now that's just gross...

**phoenixx**[$] · #6 08-19-2007, 10:49 AM

Yes, ear stretching grosses me out. As does excessive facial piercing. I don't mind a tongue stud, a nose piercing, maybe an eyebrow ring or lip stud or something, but the people who get so many piercings their face looks stretched and weird just gags me. Dunno why.

**theworm**[$] · #7 08-19-2007, 11:15 AM

Facial piercing grosses me out. I can deal with ears and noses. I don't get it but I can deal with pierced tongues, but hat eyebrow thing skeeves me and the thing in the chin - EEK!

Stretched ears I find bizarre, but if done slowly they probably aren't excruciating. Just sort of dumb and a vain attempt at being wordly and ethnic.

Branding.

self-inflicted burns.....I DON"T get it! Ouch! I don't like tattoos - I've seen some that are really gorgeous, but I just don't like anything that permanent on my skin. Branding.....I can't imagine how much that hurts - it seems a LOT more dangerous than tattoos!

**pippadaisy**[$] · #8 08-19-2007, 11:32 AM

the cheek/forehead/chin stuff I think is a bit off. Eyebrows are NOTHING... in fact, those usually grow right out because skin sheds so fast there.

The burning... yeah.. that skeeves me. Then again, I keloid... I still have a burn scar from my acupuncturist.

magenta321 · #9 08-19-2007, 01:09 PM

Quote:

theworm said

Stretched ears I find bizarre, but if done slowly they probably aren't excruciating. Just sort of dumb and a vain attempt at being wordly and ethnic.

Have you seen someone remove a large (like 1 inch or larger) dowel pin from the hole, and then stretch their lobe up over the top of their ear so they look like a cat? That's about when I want to vomit.

Piercings don't really bug me. I've had several done, and the pain doesn't last very long. The only piercings I left in are in my ears, however. The only place you can tell I had done but don't any more is my belly button. I had that done 15 years ago now... scary.

The hole is still there, but it's a thin little piece of skin.

Except for gaging, I think piercing is pretty innocent. It's not as permanent as a tattoo or a brand. I'd rather see someone piercing themself than cutting themself.

The thing that scares me about tattoos is that someone is putting ink into you. You haven't read the ingredients on that ink. When there is a recall on that ink, you won't know what ink was put into you, so you won't know if you have it in you. I have a lot of reds and pinks in my tattoo, and those are the ones most frequently recalled for lead, I'm told. With all the worries we have over lead in toys and in dishes and god knows what else, I am not too happy about the fact that I had substances injected into my body permanently and I don't know what they are.

Even still, I sometimes consider tattooing eyeliner on. My friend does permanent makeup and has done a lot of my other friends and I like this idea on some level. The idea of the needle so close to my eyeball makes me nervous though.

**conradd** · #10 08-19-2007, 01:25 PM

Oh, he is growing up isn't he.

I love that kid. Brand and all.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #11 08-19-2007, 05:41 PM

The brand has an intersting story. The nearest neighbours to Philmont are on a ranch, the Chase Ranch. It was started in 1866 by a woman whose husband had passed away. Her brand was a heart, but it broke in half. The story goes that since she couldn't afford to have a new brand made, she used the half heart. Then one day a blacksmith showed up needing food and a place to sleep for the night. She gave him a bed in exchange for reparing her branding iron.

The blacksmith, of course, married the lady and stayed, and ever since then Chase Ranch has been handed down to the oldest daughter. This is the first generation not to have a daughter who wants to stay on the ranch. #1 is sort of sad about that. So, when the guys were deciding which brand to get this year (they actually do this every year!) #1 mentioned that he'd like to ue the Chase brand. And so they did - and now those guys including #1 have a heart-shaped brand on their chests.

And Pippa, he didn't ask before doing it else I'd have told him that keloid scars run in our family, too. His scar is starting to look pretty wide.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #12 08-19-2007, 06:03 PM

Thinking about a huge heart keloid...

**taurusmoon** · #13 08-19-2007, 07:01 PM

**hadassahchana**[$] · #14 08-19-2007, 08:09 PM

Think about this wide:

________________

and this long:

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

And I am hoping that it won't be a keloid scar. Ick. Do you think it's too late to treat it with vitamin E?

**conradd** · #15 08-19-2007, 09:05 PM

Try Oil of Olay Regenerist Serum. When I got burned a few years ago all over my face, arm, and shoulder (hot car radiator), I used Regenerist Serum on my face and arm and had no visible scarring. I have a huge keloid scar on my back and am kicking myself now for not using it on every burned area. My face caught the worst of it and I can't imagine what I'd look like now if I hadn't used it.

**pippadaisy**[$] · #16 08-19-2007, 09:12 PM

OMFG.

**theworm**[$] · #17 08-19-2007, 09:16 PM

dare I ask where this heart is branded?

**soxfan**[$] · #18 08-19-2007, 09:22 PM

*emeleel* · #19 08-19-2007, 10:26 PM

Cindy, only one of YOUR kids would be macho enough to get a brand, but then choose a heart!

**amykhar** · #20 08-19-2007, 11:36 PM

What about that scar stuff, mederma?

**hadassahchana**[$] · #21 08-20-2007, 12:11 AM

Deb - what Pippa said! I'm so glad it worked, your skin is beautiful.

The brand is- guess- on the right side of his chest. You know, in case he ever has heart surgery and the doc needs instructions.

Melanie, you cannot imagine how disappointed #2 was when he found out it was a heart. He was hoping for a lightening bolt, or something really rough and tough. Needless to say, #1 has lost some 'cool points' over this one.

And

is right - I felt ill when I saw it.