Fire in the Hole

Dad and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to burn our old corral piles from last summer. Well the feast of St. Stephen proved to be the perfect day. 

We had 5 piles of old lumber from around the ranch needing to be burned and buried. Not wanting to mess with a prairie fire, we decided to wait until snow was on the ground. To get them burning hot we dumped about 10 gallons of diesel/gasoline mixture in the center and around the base of the pile. 

To ignite it we pulled out one of Dad's old oilfield tricks: Put a little dirt on a shovel and douse it in gasoline...

Throw a match at it...

Once lit...

Carry it to the pile...

Give it a good aimed toss...

Then stand back.

That old wood really burned nice.

Perfect for marshmallows and hotdogs.

Or beer and beef jerky. 

That's my kind of feast day. Every boy likes to play with fire. And when it has a purpose, all the better. A lot of work went up in smoke today. This ranch was a labor of love for my granddad. But wood just doesn't last forever. To everything turn, turn, turn. Wood was yesterday. Steel is today. Thanks Grandps, we'll make you proud. 

God is with Us

If God is with us, than who can be against us. 

           https://youtu.be/9uJIO3VNBYo         

Tenderloin

The most tender piece of meat on any critter is the Tenderloin. Not sure what its actual function is, but it hangs out inside the ribcage and waits for the day for someone to enjoy it.

You can do much with the loin itself. I usually combine the TL into part of the T-bone steak. You can also leave it has a whole loin. Or cut it into individual steaks. 

Cutting it off the cow is not too tough. But there is not a lot of meat to work with so you want to take your time and get the whole thing. 

It's not a super fatty piece of meat. So after aging two or three weeks, there is a bit of cleaning up to do. 

Thick steaks are a common usage. I usually package them in two's or three's and give them to guys to impress their wives. 

But I went out on a limb this time to make filet mignon. This literally means tender filet, but on the menu it usually has bacon wrapped around it. Having some thick cut bacon on hand I wrapped some of these tender morsels up with simple cotton string. 

Wallah!

Yeah buddy. 

Looks like a Christmas delight to me. Hard to go wrong with a tenderloin. They are tasty by themselves or wrapped in bacon. They are usually tender whether off a fattened calf or an old bull. God put them there for a reason, which I'm sure in part was for us to enjoy. 

Zoom Out

Thanks William. 

           https://youtu.be/LgVkBdw2h2c         

Fight for Mass

It's fun to be able to love God in the way He has loved us. 

           https://youtu.be/PlGVn0R-8u4         

Virgin

Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus.

           https://youtu.be/R16ROQLqcvI         

Memorial

Signs, signs, everywhere signs.

           https://youtu.be/nq44tQzDmfI         

St. Joe's Fiat

Open and aware. 

           https://youtu.be/lLXfwfPNLx0         

Sale Barn

There comes a time in every butcher's life when he's just done cutting for the year. Such was the case for this Catholic Cowboy. This spring we had picked up three more cows than usual. Well, come the end of the year, that looked like two too many. With a freezer full of meat already and the first of the year creeping up, we loaded the last two girls up and hauled them to the barn in Buffalo. 

The Buffalo sales ring now has sales on Saturday. So we hauled the load in on Friday afternoon. 

These are the last two girls. Smaller than then others but still finished out nice. 

They seemed to be happy with their new home.

Not bad.

No harm no foul. It's nice to have options. I still have two cows looking at me in the cooler. Once we get them cut up... then it's snowmobile season! 

Least

Be childlike.

           https://youtu.be/Vwf5TdIjGyE         

 

Snow Day

“Snow days are a gift from God,” says my buddy Fr. Brian. I’d have to agree. There’s little more that I enjoy over fighting through the snow and cold to feed the critters. With the town of Gillette being shut down by the mid December blizzard, I saddled up ole Whitehorse and hit the trail.

These day, enduring the winter weather isn’t that bad, with Carhartts, Muck boots, and Yeti coffee cups. 

The first stop was the horses. About the only time they are happy to see me is when I come to feed them. 

One thing about Campbell County, you can count on the wind with the snow. 

I try to win brownie points with the horses. They are suckers for oats. 

The winter has treated them well so far. Pretty tough existence, they haven’t seen work for two months.  

Happy campers. 

Next stop was Caballo Cr. off of Bell Rd. Not crazy bad roads. But no fun without a ranch truck. 

The cows are content. With hides like theirs they probably don’t even know it’s snowing. 

Then there’s Whitehorse… Thank God for Chevrolet, the heartbeat of America. 

I love winter. The challenges she presents I welcome and enjoy. It’s days like this that test your cowboy gumption. So far I’ve passed. We’ll reevaluate come February. Peace 

Mother Mary

Am I not here? I who am your Mother?

           https://youtu.be/RThPbKdmUEc