Mary

Be open to where God can be found.

           https://youtu.be/OkwBD3RuIwQ         

Fearful yet Overjoyed

The tension in the Christian life.

           https://youtu.be/3KN0ywBPL0o         

Risen Signs

Let the signs of God point you to Christ's resurrection. 

           https://youtu.be/vUwfdB8nPts         

Betrayed

Jesus shows how to handle betrayal.

           https://youtu.be/pu0eNP6H230         

Lawn Care

With Easter around the corner, we decided to give the church lawns a little cleaning up. They are in good shape. But coming out of winter, everything could us a manicure. 

Looks fine from a distance. But up close, the yard is matted and full of debris. 

So Darin fixed me up with this yellow stallion. 

Bring it. 

So fun to make such a difference with so little effort. 

Having this gone has to promote some new growth. 

We just dumped the tailings in the Paddy Wagon. 

Much better.

Then to the next yard behind the church. 

Same scenario. 

That works.

Then onto the house. 

This grass was thicker. I had to go over it twice, at different levels, to get the crew cut I was looking for. 

This mower is an animal. 

Done. 

Muy Bien. 

Good deal. I'm glad we got this dirty job out of the way. With some moisture coming in this week, these lawns should be perked up nicely in time for Easter. We'll find out. Ranch on. 

Betrayal

Let's stay close to the heart of Jesus.

           https://youtu.be/Cu-0Bpc_5w0         

Burning Ditches

Springtime in the Rockies usually involves a lot of work. Irrigation is a nonnegotiable in the Big Horn Basin. The canal system around the area, that gets water to ground that would otherwise be barren, is beautiful, but labor intensive. Before you can get water running in them, you have to make sure they are weed free and ready to flow. 

Burning is the best way to get rid of weeds, grass, and trash. Dad was scrambling because water is coming, so I jumped in and gave him a hand. 

Safety first. Good to have a fire truck on hand. Ranch truck is multipurpose. 

Tumbleweeds packed around a bridge is a common effect of the winter winds. 

Situations like this, we just pulled them away from the wood structure. 

And let 'er buck. 

Great conditions for burning. Dried out weeds, no wind, and green grass outlining the ditch. 

That'll work. 

Burning around headgates is also a good idea. Keeps them from getting plugged with trash and allows water to flow in freely. 

Dad takes no chances on fires getting out of control. His philosophy is, Where there's smoke there's fire. Douse it with water.

The crops are well on their way. The barley planted early germinated on its own. But it'll be looking for a drink soon. 

You think driving down your neighborhood alleys reveals some hidden gems? Try cruising the canal roads. There's some unseen treasures laying behind people's farms. 

It's also a good idea to burn the grasses that line the ditch banks. Anything hanging in the water is going to cause friction and hinder the flow. 

Best to burn it now. 

Giddy up. 

This dog should hunt. At least it has been for the past hundred years. The canals around the Basin are remarkable, but they don't operate themselves. Your best bet is to do as much preventative maintenance as you can. Because when a wreck happens, it is usually big. Best to avoid the near occasion of sin and be ready before the water ever hits the dirt. Let's farm. 

Rolling Wire

Believe it or not, there is an art to rolling up old barbwire. With springtime coming on strong, we took advantage of the opportunity to clean up last year's electric fence set up. 

#1 on our to do list is build this 500' section of fence on the north end of our pasture. We took down the old fence last summer. Now we need to spool up the temporary barbwire to get ready for permanent posts and fencing. 

This is the most common way to spool up barbwire. Get about a 24" loop built, then just start rolling it up from the bottom. The biggest trick, from start to finish, is to weave the wire back and forth as you roll it up. 

Left side, then right side. If you don't do this, your spool will spring apart. Doing so keeps it neat and tighty, in order to store it on the north 40 or re-use it again. 

If you do it well enough, you can simply loop the last end around the spool a time or two. Sometimes, I'll leave a long length and wrap it once at the top and then cut across the spool and wrap it at the bottom as well. 

Another method is the big loop trick. This is good for old men that don't want to pack the wire while they wind it up and don't want to bend over as they do so. 

Same theory applies here, left and right weaving pattern. 

Works. You'll often get a lot of trash wrapped up in the spool with this method. 

If you really have a mess on your hand, there's the old tumble weed approach. Just start balling it up. Move your spool all around as you do so. 

Not a bad tactic if you have multiple, uneven or broken wires to work with. Pretty much plan on not reusing it again after you've rolled up this ball of wax.

Simple as that. 

These days, lot of guys will use a hydraulic set up to spool up wire. Definitely has its place. But sooner or later, you're gonna find yourself hand rolling up some barbwire. No problem. Just get creative with your weaving pattern and go to work. Now that all the old wire is picked up, let's build some fence. 

Chrism Mass

Every Lent, we gather as a Diocese and celebrate the Chrism Mass. This is where the bishop blesses the Holy Oils for the year to come and priests renew their ordination promises. 

Traditionally, this Mass would be held on the morning of Holy Thursday. But with the vastness of the Diocese of Cheyenne, it has to be held the week before so we can travel back to our parishes in time for the feast of the our Lord's Supper and the holy days that follow.

A good portion of our 45 or so active priests were gathered, along with several deacons of the diocese. The evening Mass was preceded by a day of reflection. 

The bishop blesses all three Holy Oils, the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens, and the Sacred Chrism. But the Sacred Chrism, which is the oil used for anointing in Baptism, Confirmation, and ordination to the priesthood and episcopate, he also breaths into. Kind of cool. 

Each parish designates a family to receive the Oils from the Bishop and bring them home. Bonnie and Sean Belliveau with their family represented St. John the Baptist.

Good stuff. Liturgies like these are Catholic. Their significance is rich and it brings the entire Diocese together. It's also a beautiful day to renew our consecration to Christ as His brother priests. Each Chrism Mass I take time to thank Bishop Steven for ordaining me to the priesthood. Let's ranch!

Spring Cleaning

With some miles to put on this spring, it was time to give White Horse a good cleaning. 

Winter can be long and hard. Which, makes it difficult to keep a pickup tighty.

First stop was to the carwash. I like to hit it with soapy rinse first. 

Especially after winter, I like to scrub it down.

Then rinse it again. Buffalo water is pretty spot free in itself. 

Then the big chore, dung out the inside. If the back seat of your pickup doesn't look and smell like a tack shed, you ain't no cowboy!

Little vacuuming and straightening up, good to go. 

Front seat, needed the same attention. 

Ranch truck to the full. 

ArmorAll is tough to beat. These wipes are sure handy.

New again.

Ready for another 350.

Let's ranch. 

Giddy up. 

I had a buddy who used to say, “Life looks better through a clean windshield.” True that. Not only do trucks run better when they're clean, but we also feel better driving a clean pickup. I’m thankful for the goodness White Horse has been to me. I do my best to treat her right in return. Ranch on.