Barn Door

Our goal this fall was to get the new barn door installed before winter hits. To say the least, this has been a work in progress. But thanks be to God, with His grace and the gifts of creativity and hard work, we achieved our goal.

We've been working in the barn yard since 2021. Once we got the corrals done, our plan was to change the barn loft into a living quarters. Now that's my kind of fun!

With a couple good days back home, we didn't waste any daylight.

Earlier this fall we built the steps up to the loft. Since then, we have set them in concrete and began to clean up the deck railing. 

Next up was the walk-in door into the loft, replacing the 4'x4' hatch.

A 36" metal exterior door was our unit of choice. 

So we took down the old hatch door. 

There was quite a bit of rotted lumber behind it. 

Then we removed the old header. 

And set some new studs and cut the opening for the new door. 

Then we replaced the header. This really isn't a weight-bearing wall. Each rafter in this barn acts as the roof and the wall. Regardless, we need a good header.  

Working with the siding was going to be the biggest challenge. We decided to recess the brick molding on the door and allow the siding to butt up against it. 

Should work.

Sure enough.

Fitting the door just right was a chore. Though in the end, it fit nicely. 

So we called it a day and had some homemade goodness. Thanks, Ma. 

Next day we tackled the siding. We had some leftover panels from the house that we cut down to size. Worked well .

Then caulked it all up good.

Later that afternoon we put a coat of paint on it, just so it doesn't stand out. The entire barn will get painted in the next few years, God willing. 

Giddy up. 

With a few hours to spare, we decided to dung out the loft itself. Not a real friendly dust to breathe. 

The loft is cool. Grandpa used it mostly for a grain bin. The barn itself was built in about 1975. The rafters Grandpa designed and built himself. For the last 30 years, it's been mostly used for storage. 

These old saddles and harness are about the only antiques up here. Neat, nevertheless. 

Giddy up.

So much potential up here. We'll be taking the next steps next year. 

All for the greater glory of God!

So fun. This barn speaks of my heart. The logs the loft sets on came off an old cabin in Tensleep Canyon that belonged to Fr. Cyril Hmelovsky. Fr. Hmelovsky was the forever priest in Worland. He baptized and married Mom, and he baptized me. Solid. We'll see what the years bring. Part of the fun in a project like this is the work itself. No need to get in a hurry, then. I've got a long time before I'll be living in here for any length of time. In the meantime, however, it gives me something to dream about. Let's ranch. 

Bells Baby

With our church building turning 75 this year, we promised to animate the two big bells in the bell tower, to let the town know we are still here and going strong. Talk is cheap, so we didn't get too excited until we heard the singing from on high. Well today, on the feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude, we let the anthems ring. May they proclaim loud and proud that the Kingdom of God is at hand for another 75 years!

When I ran the idea of animating the church bells past the pastoral council, one gentleman said, "We have them, might as well use them!" My thoughts exactly. 

Two 36" bells and one little bell lie inside this bell tower. Placed there at the construction of the church in 1950, the bells remind all within earshot, that God's Kingdom is present on earth. So, be at peace! Charles Marton, of happy repose, was the main church bell ringer in the early days. Living across the street until the late 1960s, probably instigated that. Since then, the bells have only seen random activity, usually before a funeral or a special Mass. 

These guys are fun. When I first laid eyes on them they said me, "Please let us play!" Roger that.

There are two main ways to electrically toll church bells, rock them with a chain and motor or strike them from the outside. We chose to strike them, as the wooden wheels wouldn't allow for the rocking motor and the strikers where much less expensive. After a bit of searching and inquire, McShane Bell Company, out of Missouri, was our specialists of choice. 

Once the parts arrived last week, Darin and I got to work. The tower is well constructed, but there was literally 75 years of dust and dirt up here. Good time to clean house. So we shop vacced the whole upstairs before we dove in. 

Outside, where dirt belongs, was a good place for all this grime. 

Once swept clean, we got to work. Electric strikers do sound different than swinging the bells. Part of this is because when the bell rotates, and the clappers dong, the sound swings out. Striking the bell from the outside, in a stationary position, can sound more like a death toll. To help curb this problem and mix the sound up a bit, we fixed the bells at their normal tolling angle and at opposite positions from each other. Couldn't hurt, anyway. 

Then we removed the original clappers. 

And hoisted up the new parts from down below. 

This was more-or-less what we were after. Once fixed and triggered, a magnet on the bottom of these strikers causes them to dong the bell. Pretty simple. 

So we got some bolts and a new 3/8" drill bit, and got to work.

It was amazing how well everything fit together. The head on the end of the striker is about 1/4" away from the bell, when it is in the closed position. When the magnet hits, the weight of the hammer head collapses the springs up high and makes it fall on the bell more naturally. Once bolted and adjusted into position, we fixed the bell in place with a little smooth wire and a wrenching rod. Ranchy. 

Then we pulled the ropes. A new era has dawned. 

Big Horn Electric was our service provider of choice. Lowell did a good job of working with the wiring dynamics and cleaning up our old power system. 

McShane preset some settings for us to get going with. Once we get some internet over here, we'll be able to get a bit more creative. Nerves were high as we pushed go. 

Success. So interesting to watch. Bells are cool. They don't take much to make them sing. 

Beautiful! The Church is ever ancient, ever new!

Bring it. 

St. John the Baptist in Buffalo, Wyoming has something to say. The Catholic Church that Jesus Christ established, is not long forgotten. She is alive and well, all throughout the world. The Church is the presence of God's kingdom on earth, says the Second Vatican Council document Gaudium et spes. The ringing of the church bells reminds us of this mystery. They call us to prayer and they also give us hope. It'll be interesting to see what the neighbors think, as I plan to ring these big beauties three times a day! Let's ranch, Catholic Cowboy style.

Apostolate

We are all called to the apostles.

           https://youtu.be/qFNIaSWmqo0         

Romans VII

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 

           https://youtu.be/qGV3aSh8IDE         

Have Mercy on Us

... sinners. 

           https://youtu.be/aCoeU6xunh8         

Fun on the Farm

Super nice fall days are a great gift, which no one knows how long they will last. So our philosophy is, take advantage of them while you can. 

With that in mind. Fr. Seth and myself headed out to Jack's place to horse around a bit. In celebration of such a beautiful day, we enjoyed a cold one. God bless America!

Once saddled up we just rode the pasture for the fun of it. Fence is tight, grass is green, life is good. 

Ole Seth and Chief got along just fine.

Buck has been doing a good job of riding herd. Thanks pal. Keep up the good work! 

After a thorough ride through the pasture, Fr. Seth and the horses rode off into the sunset as we followed in the pickup. 

Good stuff.

A fun time was had was had by all. Play is interesting venture. It is not a means to an end, but an end in and of itself. Meaning, play is something you do for the sake of playing. There is nothing it produces, except joy in the heart. We're thankful for the opportunity. Just fun to get out and smell the roses. On to the next one!

Water Works, Again

If there's one thing that makes or breaks ranching in Wyoming, it's water. Sometimes there's an abundance, but often it's scarce. On top of that, trying to keep it from freezing in the winter is a whole other battle. Consequently, it's best to make sure your water system is optimal before winter hits. Even if it takes you a couple tries to get there. 

This is not what you want to see. Especially after Dad and I just got it going last week. The problem then was the connecting hose was gummed up with rusty sludge deposits. This time, we were convinced that the entire line from the well to the tank was gummed up. Sure enough.

So Dad brought over our spray pump unit to flush out the system.

This 100'+ deep well free flows about 2 gallons a minute of water up the casing. So they just tapped the side of the casing and plumbed the water 100' or so down the hill to the stock tank. Awesome set up. The problem is that it is such a small volume of water that air flows with it down the pipe, causing the iron in the water to turn to rusty sludge. Remedy: flush the poly line with pressurized water, purging all the rusty junk from its midst. 

Purge it did! Buck and the boys applauded our efforts. 

At 75psi, it probably took 350 gallons of water to get it free and clean. 

That's more like it. 

So we hooked the transfer hose back up. 

And let 'er run. Doesn't look like much. But for Wyoming standards, this is a site to behold!

Everyone's happy. 

Good stuff. I probably enjoy ranching challenges as much as ranching itself. However, water is not something to mess around with. If old man winter is knocking on your door, you best have your water program signed, sealed, and delivered. If not, it might be an interesting five months. The beauty of our water set up on Jack's place, is that flowing water won't freeze. As long as this trickle keeps trickling, the line will stay thawed and so will the majority of the tank. Though, it'll still be something to keep an eye on. Ranch Ready.