Chiminea

Wanting to burn some wood on the deck, but not wanting an open flame, which could get out of control, I started to look into a chiminea. Turns out Mom had one sitting at Aunt Fran's house that wasn't getting used. Might as well see how it fits in our shanty. 

Pretty good, I'd say. I do remember this showing up on our patio back home shortly before I left the house. Don't remember ever using it, though.

Not only does it fit nice in our gig, but we also have plenty of wood to burn from our pergola project.

I like the boy scout mode of criss-crossing wood to get a fire started. 

One match will do. 

Seems to have a good draft. 

I dig it. 

I love wood heat, just not a fan of the smoke. The chiminea seems to burn nice while getting the smoke heading in the right direction. We'll see. With fall arriving, it's never too early to be thinking about winter. If gas costs get to high to heat the house, we can always come out to the cabin and stoke up the chiminea. 

Coming Home

I was planning on leaving the girls up at Joe's for another month or so. But, being the generous man he is, he welcomed another rancher to bring in some cows. We could have left them, but I didn't want to spend the energy to dig them out of a larger bunch. So, as they say, might as well get while the getting is good.

Here's the new girls: about 20 head of red replacement heifers. Nice cows.

After Chief and I rode around a bit for fun, we found our girls in another pasture hanging in the trees. 

Super simple trail up the fence line.

And into the corrals.

Then we got backed up to Joe's fancy load out.

And walked the girls in. Nice and easy.

Let's go home.

Beneath these western skies. 

It's all good. We needed to bring the cows home anyway. They'll be happy here with all the grass/alfalfa they want. Only three critters left. This'll give me plenty of opportunity to drive out into the prairie to throw them hay. Can't beat it with a stick.

Into the Deep

Grace perfects our nature.

           https://youtu.be/J6wKNcTPXzs         

Stuck Pivot

Modern farming technologies are great, but not trouble free. Irrigation around the Bighorn Basin has evolved from flood irrigating to pivot sprinklers. Pivots are great, when they keep moving. 

Dad's sprinkler went down from being out of alignment. We figured it probably got stuck from all the corn dragging along as it's climbing up the hill in the mud. Not uncommon if so. 

So we got the drone out and flew the field. 

And found it wasn't just stuck, it had a flat tire... in the middle of the field!

So we got geared up and drove the side-by-side down the pivot track until we came to the tower. 

Sure enough... it was flat. 

With enough blocks we were able to get it jacked up. 

Once unbolted we had to dig it out. 

And load it up. 

Dad's corn is looking pretty good. Within the next couple weeks they will chop it into silage. 

I bet some of it is 12' high.

Back in business. 

Dad and I are always up for an adventure. A flat pivot sprinkler tire in the middle of a corn field is right up our alley. Farming is fun, and can even pay the bills at times. But I think it's the challenge that makes it the most enjoyable. Men need to be tested. It's what gives us strength and builds up our character. Giddy up. 

Ranchin with a Cause

Having a couple days off after Labor Day, I ran home to get some fall work done. The project at hand was to bury some electrical line in the barn yard. Mission accomplished. 

Safety first around this ranch. After a 1/2" of rain, the digging conditions were perfect. 

This back shed has been fed with overhead power from the barn. We basically just wanted to start fresh with burying it. 

A little grease goes a long ways. 

Once lubed up, we got to digging. 3' deep was our basic depth. 

Once dug, there's always a little shovel work to do.

Then Dad came down with some 8 gage reda cable for our main source of power. 

We just drilled a hole in the logs of the barn and ran it to the breaker box. 

We added a couple 110 wires to power the water tank heater and a couple other spots. 

Here's an old oil field trick: bury some tape well above the cable so that if you're digging at a later date and hit yellow tape, you better stop. 

Then we unhooked the backhoe. 

And really got to back filling. 

It cleaned up pretty well with the blade. 

Then we made several passes over it with the tracks just to pack it in. 

Then we cut down the old poles with a chain saw and pulled the stumps out with the 4010. 

Muy bien. 

Sure looks cleaner. I know we won't regret going to this work. The electrical will be better, once we get it wired back in. And it will also give us more gate room in an already tight location. If you put your mind to it, you can get a lot done in a little time. On to the next one. 

Labor Day

I love to work.

           https://youtu.be/oeqaUVHvMLA         

Open Range

John and I have done a lot together: worked bison, served Mass, held retreats, had dinner... the list goes on. But we have never ridden horses together. Well, no better time than the present. With both of us having a couple free hours Sunday afternoon, we decided to saddle up and explore the Durham Ranch. 

Fr. Bryce and John Flocchini ranching in a free world. 

Once unloaded and saddled, we headed east of his house. 

The first stop was to see some old teepee rings. 

From my understanding, the Indians would use these rocks to hold down the bottom portion of their teepee covering. When they'd leave they'd just roll them off and walk away leaving a ring of rocks. Cool.

Mollie is loving this new bit. So am I. 

These segmented rocks are crazy. You often see them perched on ridges around this prairie country. 

They sure look like a fossilized sea creature of sorts. Though most people I talk to say they aren't. 

Scoria of varied colors is common around here. 

It's basically baked clay from ancient burning coal seams. 

John's eyes are always fixed on the ground, checking out the soil and the grass. 

And even finding an occasional fossilized sea shell. 

Seeping springs are not uncommon in the draws between the hills. 

Good ride cowboy. Thanks for the tour. 

Day is done. 

It's hard to beat a couple hours of horse back on the Wyoming prairie. Of course, if you're with a good buddy, all the better. John is a generous man in more ways than one. But he really shines when it comes to stewardship. From the ground to the critters to the guests, this land is your land this land is my land. In the end, John understands that this land is God's land. And he, for now, is it's care taker. Well done, my friend. Keep up the Good work.