2024

Here's to another good one. Praise God! 

             https://youtu.be/2_lS3FmufPY           

Make sure the picture quality is at its highest. Click on the gear and see. 

Mother Mary

She's the way forward.

           https://youtu.be/llPay-oejLM         

Meaning of Life

The Word made flesh.

           https://youtu.be/71WSgaRV--0         

Evangelical Counsels

Standard mode of discipleship.

           https://youtu.be/eTnUnYypDN0         

Holy Family

Jesus reorders our lives around the Father's will.

           https://youtu.be/utBh-KcHqQA         

Trinity Gate

Every ranch's corral set up is unique. The main distinguishing factor is usually the lay of their land. Size of operation and material availability, all play into the picture as well. For us, space is limited and the amount of cattle we work is low. That doesn't mean we have to settle for a second class system, though. It just means we have to do a lot with a little. 

To this end, we installed our Trinity Gate: three gates in one. 

The cattle runway in our small working pen divides the corral into two alleyways. This gate will help complete this goal. 

We already had the gates, themselves, built. So we just had to build the hinges and install everything. 

Finding pipe to pivot on 4 1/2" drill stem doesn't exist. What does work is splitting 4" black pipe and pounding it over the 4 1/2" and peening all around it to ensure the spread stays and pivots smoothly. 

With heavy gates like these, we tapped the back half of the hinge to put in a grease zerk.

Then welded pipes to bolt up the halves. Due to the many variables of this project, we made sure to keep each half matched as well as ensue they were setting flush on the bottom and around the pipe. 

Down at the corral, the first thing we did is connect the two posts that will support the gate. These chunks of drill stem are concreted 3' in the ground. Pretty solid by themselves, but definitely need each other to support our gate. A piece of 2 7/8" up high will do the trick. 

We first hung the center gate, planning ahead for the staggering of other two sets of hinges. 

Before we hung the other gates, we set up the rest of the hinges, offsetting them toward their respective gate.

Definitely want some good welds to hold these heavy guys. Good grinding is imperative. 

To keep all the gates parallel we put a rod across the top to hang the other two. Then welded them to their hinges. 

Once solid, we greased it up before we gave it a swing. To our delight, it moved pretty freely. 

Once swung out of the way, we could set the chute. 

This Pearson 7' self-catching chute is a nice new addition to our ranch wear. 

The Trinity Gate lands about 6" in front of the head catch. When parked, it will separate the two alleyways. 

All the hinges rest on top of each other. The two sets of bottom hinges rest on a base fixed to the pipe. 

Not only is there a lot of weight on these hinges, but the torque is great as well. To help minimize tweaking, we gusseted the mounting brackets. 

The first use of the Trinity Gate is to move as one. Here you can separate a cow into the other pen. Or, when using the chute, you can turn a cow loose to one side or the other. Because they all mount on the same post, the gates don't shift or slide as they move. 

Each gate is then able to swing independently. This allows you to pen up a critter or crowd them for loading into a trailer. 

Just like the Trinity, it is utterly simple. 

And at the same time, quite complex.

There are still some finishing touches to do, such as filling in the 10' stationary section that proceeds the gate and adding some chain latches. But over all, mission accomplished. This three-in-one gate will serve many purposes on our little place. Though we are small, we can still be functional. Besides, being creative in the corral is fun. 

I doubt I have surpassed the man hours that Grandpa put in down here, but I bet I'm nipping at his heels. For him, and for me, this barnyard is a labor of love. By naturally encountering the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we can be recharged in our relationship with God. And in turn, serve Him even better. Keep on ranching in a free world.

Simple Man

 God meets us in the heart.

           https://youtu.be/B2UDS7tbVPA         

Genealogy

Names matter.

           https://youtu.be/-SynBfbVIcQ         

Light and Darkness

John is great. But better yet is a baptized child of God.

           https://youtu.be/e0ptPJVEa3o         

Name

Names lead to relationship.

           https://youtu.be/PAsojXluyro         

Assumption of Mary

Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven.

           https://youtu.be/i3orDdKqyFA         

Finish Strong

Enter into the mystery with Mary.

           https://youtu.be/Du5nqKb07JU         

Gate Time

So it begins. The season of building gates is upon us. First up was a series of crowding gates for the working pen back home. I can be accused of a lot, but not for building light. 

These bad boys will work together to sort, divide space, and crowd cattle for loading.

Little brings me more joy than a string of 2 3/8" sitting outside the door. The wobblier the better. Gives life character. 

Plan your work and work your plan. I spent my one free day this week working in the shop. Better use it wisely if I wanted to get these done by Christmas. 

Saddle cuts are the way to go. What's cool, if you plan ahead you can use the same cut for the next joint of pipe. 

Giddy up. 

Framework cut. 

Here's a little trick I learned years ago. To hold the pipe in place, wrap some tie-down straps around it. Keeps it snug while still giving you some wiggle room. 

Always pull a diagonal to make sure you are square.

Once welded on the one side, we stood it up to weld the rest. 

Even old rusty, bent up pipe can still be put together right. 

Works for me. 

Then for the filler. This 1 1/4" water pipe came from my buddy Monte in Gillette. I'm not a big fan of galvanized, but you work with what you got. This size of pipe will be strong for any pushback it may receive. Thanks Monte! 

First step was the verticals. 

Then the horizontals. What's fun about working with smaller pipe and a mig welder, you can get away without saddling the pipe. Just butt it up and weld away. 

Should work. We built three of these. Definitely heavy. The post they mount to is strong. I'm just wondering how much friction they will draw when we go to swing. Only one way to find out. Let's ranch!

Don't Mess with Gabriel

He'll stop your speech. 

           https://youtu.be/WvO69cMe8UU         

Annunciation of Joseph

It's actually only about 7 min. long.

           https://youtu.be/Ea4Kn5vHjQ4         

Dec. 17

The countdown begins.

           https://youtu.be/Z3lZtoTgO5I         

Perpetual Virgin

Mary is our Mother!

           https://youtu.be/Nh94JLj4kyA         

Slippery

The method to our Lord's madness. 

           https://youtu.be/c48x0eMYN4w         

Dichotomy

 Here's how we rejoice.

           https://youtu.be/zYDv_5v0baI         

Cowboy Nachos

Cowboy Nachos can serve a good purpose while you're waiting for your steak to grill or for a light meal in a pinch. They are easy and tasty, and can bring back happy memories as a kid.

I remember Grandpa having these Cowboy Nachos when I was growing up. They were good then and just as good now. 

To spice it up, I'll use these lime flavored tortilla chips.

Simply scatter a handful or two on a plate. 

Grab a couple pieces of cheddar cheese. 

And divide them on the chips. I cases like this, I like to put the cheese throughout the layers of chips. 

About 20-25 seconds in the micro. 

And giddy up! 

Simple and good. Add a Black Tooth IPA to wash them down, and you're ranchin! Cowboy Nachos get the job done. Certainly on the light side. But if your day is done and you just need something to hold you over, Cowboy Nachos might just be the meal for you. 

Signage

The one draw back of having the office attached to the rectory and away from the church, is that people often don't know where to go. One step towards rectifying this situation is a sign out front. 

Communication is key in life, and it's no different in parish life. 

Of course, I wasn't going to buy new metal. So I asked around and Dick Bradshaw thought he could help us out. 

Sure enough. Special thanks to Dick and his son-in-law John for this 2'x4'x1/4" plate. 

First step was to stencil in the letters. It is important that you make sure and spell the words right before you get to cutting.

Should work. 

Plasma cutter was my tool of choice. Old timers still prefer a cutting torch, but plasma cutters are quick and easy. 

Good stuff. I was trying to put a lot of letters on a smaller surface. By doing so, it is easy to not put enough space in between words. Such a case makes it tougher to read what you're saying. I probably could have made the letters smaller and avoided this scenario. She'll still do the trick, though. 

One of the beauties of plasma cutters is that the slag on the back chips off easily with a chisel and hammer. Dick said that if you buff the rust off the back before you cut, you'll end up with less slag. Makes sense, though I'll have to try it next time. 

A good buff with a wire wheel does clean things up in the end. 

A sanding disc on the front really sharpens up the letters. 

Next was the pipe legs to hold the sign. 2 7/8" was our joint size of choice. 

One way of capping pipe is what they call orange peel. Simply cut wedges out of the pipe about the same distance down as the width of the pipe. 

Pipe is stiff and takes heat to do about anything out of character with. 

Heat and hammer. With a mig welder this won't be hard to fill. Out in the field and with bigger pipe, you'd have to be more accurate. 

Should work. 

Then weld it up. 

In cases like this, it is worth measuring and putting equal welds down the side. 

Then paint. Primer and gloss top coat. 

That'll do. 

Then the ground work. Cleared the rocks and cut through the weed blocking fabric. 

With rock, it is work putting the dirt on a tarp to keep it clean. We went about 2' deep. 

Looks level to Darin. 

Simply tamped it in with the butt of the shovel. 

Fold the fabric up and kick the rocks back on. 

Should do the trick. 

Simple addition that can solve a lot of confusion. We stuck a mailbox on it to clean operations up as well. Time will tell. As long as I don't back in to it with White Horse, life should be good. On to the next one.