Not all lessons come without pain, however. Dustin got a nasty cut learning "to keep your fingers out of the dallies" (the ropes that wrap around the saddle horn), but it didn't curb his enthusiasm for the job.

Not everything is done the old-fashioned way. For example, branding irons are now heated by electric generator, rather than over a fire. "That way they stay hot," says Don Talmadge, Janice's father, who owns some of the cattle, and at age 80 is the oldest member of the crew.

Talmadge has also spent his life in the ranching business. "I've been doing this since forever," he says. Or, as another senior helper, Jim Rathal, puts it, "we've been around the room a couple of times, haven't we, Uncle Don?" For both men, spring roundup is still a great time. "There's lots of camaraderie," says Talmadge.

The Cleggs still rope their calves for branding. "Some people herd them into chutes, but our kids enjoy the roping so much," says Janice. Roping doesn't hurt the calves, and is not that much harder than the chutes, she says.

In fact, they do use a chute when it comes time to do the "pour-on" (a protective spray) for the heifers. But it's not surprising, either, that many of the Cleggs and Clegg in-laws have turned the skills they've learned at the ranch into success on the rodeo circuit.

"It's fun to think we're doing something that's been done for generations," says daughter Lindsay Clegg Sundloff. "For a while, you can go back and not worry at all about what's going on in the world. Roundup also has a distinct smell." It immediately evokes memories, she says.

It's just fun, adds Lareine Clegg Baker, another daughter. "We get to see all the other kids. We're really lucky. We all live in the same lane, and we're all best friends."

It is hard, dusty work, "but it gets in your blood," says son Adam Clegg. "I like the roping. It's just what I like to do."

Son-in-law Brett Paulick agrees, and seems to be speaking for the whole crew when he says, "branding is the best thing in the whole summer. It sure beats living in a subdivision watching TV. It's real cowboy stuff."

It is that — and more. "It's something we've been doing all our lives," says Bruce, and it has built deep bonds not only with his family, but also with his world. "I like the camaraderie with the kids and grandkids, the friends and neighbors. I like taking care of cattle. I like taking care of the land."

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E-mail: carma@desnews.com