With the cows getting fat and the grass getting thin, it was time to pull the girls off the Raney Ranch. Working yearlings is no easy task, so I called my boys Greg and Zeke and brought in a couple of hands from EWTN.
Wyoming Catholic Cowboy Posse: Fr. Mitch Pacwa S.J., Zeke Zebroski, Ray King, FB, & Greg Hampson.
It's best to let your horse choose you. Chief walked straight up to Fr. Mitch. They couldn't have made a better pair.
Greg brought up ol' Skid for Ray. They always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
Knowing Fr. Mitch is a historian I wanted to show him this wall with ancient hieroglyphics dating back to 1975 A.D. I couldn't tell if he was impressed or not.
After the site seeing was over we went looking for cows. The terrain was far from friendly, steep hills with trees and rim rocks skirting every ridge top.
It took a bit, but Fr. Mitch was the first to see black. Getting them off the mountain and into the corral was another story.
Alls well that ends well. Special thanks to John and Sue Raney. Without their generosity, none of this would be possible. Sue, you bring a calming presence to the ranching world. John, what can I say... you have no quit.
We pulled the whole herd off of Raney's, taking four home and these three girls up to Ortner's. Ray and Fr. Mitch got to do the honors.
I like a challenge, but pulling seven heifers out of 50 yearlings on hot day in the mountains definitely tested my perseverance. Without a doubt, it couldn't have been done without our band of brothers. Each one brought their own set of skills, and each one complimented what the other was lacking. But the one thing shared by all was our Catholic faith. God's grace accomplished this mission, but it would have been wasted if we didn't do our part and saddle up. All things are possible with God. Thanks boys.
