Romans VI

Sanctification baby! 

           https://youtu.be/ZP0GnPbUv5U         

JPII

Pray for us!

           https://youtu.be/zXMqxFjdCgw         

Romans V

Mercification 

           https://youtu.be/-UKDYT6UnuE         

Romans IV

We can choose not to live out of our justification wrought by Christ.

           https://youtu.be/BMcIMMNTYPo         

Non-weariness

Pray with faith. 

           https://youtu.be/0dj6cy36W3o         

Round II

It was time to bring the other girls over to Johnson County to be with the rest. But before we could do that we had to tweak our game just a bit.

Five heifers and two heifers claves were all of the Neiber Ranch's herd left to haul out. 

If at first you don't succeed, try again. The filler door of last week was a good idea, but really didn't work that well. The cows bunched up in that corner with the extra 4'. So we went back to the drawing board. 

It's best to funnel the cattle right into the trailer, with no other options. So we decided to put the filler needed on the door side of the wide pen. We had this frame from some leftover equipment. 

So we just welded in some scraps of continuous fence to fill in the middle. 

Pretty simple. Wire it up to the outside fence. When not in use it sits flat agains the wall. 

Then just pull it out when needing to load. 

Giddy up. Smooth as butter. 

We're gone. 

This 5,000 ft of elevation gain in 20 miles was no walk in the park. Descending the other side was equally as fun. Thankfully, I like a trucking challenge. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, all the critters joyfully anticipated the new cows' arrival. 

Especially Grandma and Mom. 

Hopefully after two weeks of weaning, they don't mother back up. I doubt it. I bet they are just happy to see each other again. Fun on the farm. This should be a nice fall for these girls and hopefully a good winter. Time will tell. Let's ranch! 

Trany Repair

Late model Chevrolet 6-speed automatic transmissions are notorious for loosing the shifting linkage. I've dealt with the issue on White Horse before. Now it came back around.

Not a fun situation to run into. If the shifter on your column goes haywire when you try to put it in park or reverse, she probably came undone underneath. It's been about three years since I've had this happen on White Horse. But last week, she came undone. When I crawled underneath it today to address the issue, this is what I found, almost off. 

This is what you usually find when if comes undone, just no communication to the transmission. Be darn sure you have your wits together before you crawl under a vehicle in this situation. Make sure the engine is off and the park brake is set!

The first time it happened I almost bought a whole new cable. However, beings it's happened enough, NAPA just started selling the grommet that holds it in place. 

I should have known something was up when they came in a pack of three. 

I've found that a little WD-40 helps it pop into place. 

The little loop I think is only there to help with instillation. Once in place, I cut it off. 

Here's the key I've found to help keep it together. Really press the grommet into the recessed part of the linkage pin. 

Giddy up.

On the road again. Anytime you crawl under a vehicle to address a shifting situation, be careful! There are many variables that can be at play. That being said, you can handle this issue. If your shifter isn't shifting, it's probably the linkage. If crawl under to take a looksee or tackle the problem, use your head. Make sure precautions are in place, such as the engine off, setting on level ground, and the park brake is set. We ranch today with an eye on tomorrow. 

Romans III

We are justified solely by God's grace. 

           https://youtu.be/XhzfPkWGCAk         

Water Works

One beauty of Jack's place is that it has a free-flowing well on it. This translates into running stock water all year round, especially great in the winter. However, the water flow had slowed to a trickle. Such a scenario would freeze up without much effort. Dad learned of the issue, so he came over this afternoon to take a gander. 

Jack drilled a well on this place 20+ years ago. Being a good well, it flows about a two gallons a minute on its own. Coming up the casing, they just ran a line down to a stock tank. 

I was surprised to see how slow it had gotten. Last year in ran water even at -20. 

At the well-head we discovered the problem. There is an overflow hole that was running, despite the line to the tank being plumbed in. This was good news. Because if it was a well issue, we were sunk. 

It had an interesting plumbing concoction, a garden hose feeding a ploy line. 

When we unhooked the garden hose, the water flowed freely out of that port. Again, good news. 

We decided to start with the hose. They had really shoved that thing down in there. 

Bingo. The end of it was really plugged up. Ground water around here is pretty high with iron. Exposed to oxygen and it will cause rust, which was the case here.

Having another chunk of hose around, we just changed it out. 

Giddy up! That's a good head of water. The rust look was just a good flushing of the system. 

This is more like it. Two gallons a minute or so, will keep the tank full. But more importantly, it will keep the line and tank from freezing. 

Water and winter are a bad combination. If you want to keep water winning, you better beat winter to the punch. Don't wait until it's cold to mess with water in Wyoming, it'll each your lunch. Catch it while it's still warm and everyone will be happy. Super glad Dad came to lend a hand. If there is anyone who knows how to keep water flowing in the wintertime, it's my old man. Bring it, winter!

Humanity

 St. Theresa, pray for us!

             https://youtu.be/qYKVQfvyTu8           

Calf Sale

 Fall is shipping season in the mountain west. With calf prices at an all-time high, the barn is the place to be. 

This Wednesday, Buffalo Livestock had an impressive calf sale.

Cattle rigs are coming and going from this place. 

Calf sales fun, regardless of the price. 

If a producer brings his calves in, the barn will even them out, by cutting out the smaller ones and selling them separate. 

This was the funnest bunch I watched go through the ring. Charolais steers with a cross of something.

Weighing in at 623 average, they went for about $4.50 lb. Roughly $2,800 a calf! 

There's going to be a lot of new pickups rolling around Johnson County this Christmas, I'd imagine. When I left ranching in 2008, we got $1.35 for a 600 lbs steer. $800 a calf was a pretty good price. It's nice to see ranchers having more say in the cattle market. For years, they got what the packers gave them. Not today. The supply has turned into demand and the packers are getting what the ranchers give them. Ranchin'! 

Romans II

Stay tuned.

             https://youtu.be/EDsKRR_tb5Y