The One

The last shall be first and the first shall be last.

           https://youtu.be/F9evGTytlNw         

Lesson

Jesus' lesson on riches.

           https://youtu.be/akp04qeklg8         

Teacher

Don't forget about the basics.

           https://youtu.be/qCO9xdI6kOg         

Thawing Out

Over the years, many different methods of thawing meat out have been proposed. Sitting on the kitchen counter, soaking in sink full of water, resting in the fridge for a couple of days, all work well depending on the circumstances. When time allows, I prefer the rooftop technique. 

Thawing out on the shingles of the garage with sun shining down, gets the job done in a reasonable amount of time. It also makes for a nice, easy, and even thaw.

Slowly, the frost rises to the top of the meat.

After a couple hours of Sunday Mass stuff, they are ready to be turned. 

What I like about this method is that it thaws the meat out relatively quickly, without causing the meat to release its blood, as other methods can do. Soaking in water, for example, can turn your meat white because of the blood loss. That's how I explain it anyway. 

Perfecto. 

These burgers thawed out nicely for our parish picnic down in Kaycee. It's alright to think outside of the box, and even outside of the house, when coming up with meat thawing. The rooftop idea has worked well for me this summer. It also gives the neighbors a chance to see what I'm having for dinner. Beef, of course! Ranch on. 

Struggle Bus

When your feet are stuck in the mud of anguish, have faith that God will bring good out of this and He will give you hope!

           https://youtu.be/jK69P_nBg2Q         

 

Blessed

Divine favor resting upon me.

           https://youtu.be/V9X2CbkmeoQ         

Exchange of Love

Love longs to die so that it can rise.

           https://youtu.be/tqCG8rZ7QIw         

Community

To be Christian is to be part of the Body of Christ.

           https://youtu.be/brZVodRU8XQ         

Sick Calf

Because Friday is a Holy Day this week, I ran back home on Monday to see how life on the ranch is going. Great, for the most part. As day broke, I saw a lone calf by the fence while everyone else was grazing. After breakfast, she hadn't moved. So Dad and I ran down to take a gander. Sure enough, little sister was not feeling well. With it not being an emergency, we watched her during the day, and then decided to doctor her that evening. 

Tale-tale signs of a sick calf: hanging head, drooping ears, mouth hanging open, and a dry cough. She definitely needed a shot. But what was the best way to go about it?

Little blackie was pretty sluggish so roping was my first method of choice. In situations like this, you basically get one good shot, so you better make it count. Well, I didn't. I blame it on the tall weeds in this corner. It probably had more to do with my impatience. Regardless, no go with the rope. 

So I walked them up to the corral. All was well until we got to the gate and they smelled a rat. First, one darted then the rest. Fortunately, Andi landed on the right side of the gate. All it took was some secret cowboy ninja moves to get her daughter in there with her. 

No sense in stressing the critters out more than necessary. So we ran them in the working pen. 

Then just sandwiched Sister in the Trinity Gate. 5cc of a spin-off of Darxxin, which is a respiratory antibiotic. Most medications are either administered sub-q (under the skin) or IM (in the muscle). This guys goes deep in the muscle. 

Good luck, girls.

I'm hopeful. Doctoring calves is super effective by catching them early and using the right drugs. Mom and Dad will keep a close eye on them. I bet in two days she'll be back to her old bucking self. Good stuff. Working cattle is fun if you are set up for it. Our little operation is working good so far. If the cows are healthy, everyone's happy. Ranch on. 

Christian Faith

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for.

           https://youtu.be/LL41Sgc8A_s         

Moving Day

"What to do with the meat locker?" has been on everybody's mind since we left Gillette. I've been open to whatever, even if there is a better use for it out there. Bringing it to Buffalo has been on my heart, but I hadn't found a place for it. Until now.

The tough part about this guy is it requires 3 phase power. And it's large.

Two things, it was nosed up to a fence and the area we are going to has the same scenario. So we found this old set of trailer axles to build a dolly out of. 

Not light. I thought we could haul it home. No go. So we backed the brakes off and drug it home. 

Then built a little fifth wheel contraption on it out of some scrap iron we had laying around. 

And knocked the outside duals off. These tires will work for the lone axle on the locker trailer. 

Then loaded up and headed to Gillette. 

Once arrived, we knocked the deck off. 

After we ensured that everything inside would ride fine. 

Then unhooked the power. 

And put the duals on. 

Then winched the dolly into place.

And pulled the trailer back with White Horse, after we had backed off the brakes.

Then changed drivers with Kuhbacher's black beast. 

And hauled it to Clear Creek just northeast of Buffalo. 

Welcome home. We've got a good spot out here on the Garland place. There's a little bit of work to do before she is in cutting condition, but not much. It'll just be nice to have the trailer near by. I do not plan to bring Lungren Brothers back to life with this move. But if there is someone who needs a little cutting done for free, I'm your man. Special thanks to all the good folks in Gillette who made our stay in Campbell County so good, especially Dave. Thanks also to the men who helped me on this move, especially Jack, Tyson, Nate, Phil, and Jared. Definitely no walk in the park. But alls well that ends well. Let's cut!

Martyr

 For the sake of the joy that lie ahead of Him, Christ endured the cross.

           https://youtu.be/xomvnDDVcgk