Hail, Full of Grace

Mary is the Immaculate Conception.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAgwdpJ13Jc

Wisdom

Wisdom and is knowledge combined with experience.

           https://youtu.be/zgnhC54jTuw         

 

Revelation

Jesus is the fulness of God's revelation.

           https://youtu.be/5O1q14xF-SE         

Look Alive

Look alive in Christ by always being aware of His presence. 

           https://youtu.be/GOTQ9VYssyM         

Battery Time

Last winter my battery started to give up. It was mainly only when it got real cold, so I did my best limp it through the rest of the year. Now, with winter knocking on our door, I figured I better not chance it any longer. 

I'm pretty convinced you get what you pay for in life. That last battery only lasted four years. This time, I figured I'd go for the gusto. Interstate Batteries are hard to beat. Beside being a cool shade of green, they also have good longevity. But, they come with a price. 

Changing batteries on newer vehicles isn't like it used to be. It's pretty clean and easy these days. 

Most things are metric anymore. 

At first glance, it looks pretty tucked away. But by removing a simple bracket we had easy access. 

A good rule of thumb is to remove the negative terminal first. That way it kills the power. If it is still grounded and you're working on the positive side and hit your wrench on the fender, sparks will fly. With the ground unhooked, everything is neutralized. 

Back in the day, battery terminals were always corroded. So cleaning them before reinstalling was necessary. Even though corrosion isn't as common, I still feel the need to scratch the clamps before putting them on a new battery. This also puts a little seasoning on your pocket knife. 

Same rules go for reinstalling. But this time, hook the ground up last. 

Back in business. 

A vehicle is helpless without a battery. Makes sense to run a good one then. Tires, batteries, windshield wipers... they don't last forever. So a guy better just plan on replacing them every so often. I feel better going into winter now. In Wyoming you can't always count on the snow. But you can always count on the cold. Best be ready. 

Discipleship

Properly ordered, discipleship is to follow the discerned desires of our hearts.

           https://youtu.be/3tQ7fxGO6uk         

Christ the King

You can't cram Christianity.

           https://youtu.be/JjvPc2Y-0hE         

Ranch Improvements

With our new corrals being thrust into action sooner than we expected, we had to improvise a bit. Food and water are the basic necessities. We were able to put a tank heater in our water trough, but the feeding situation needed some attention.

Ranch hard. Be happy. 

The beauty of feeding round bales is that one bale will last us a month or two. That is, if you have the right feeder. Coming from farmer roots, I wasn't interested in buying a new one. So we called Uncle Chris who had an old bent up one on his north 40.

Definitely needs some work. But nothing a mig welder can't handle. 

It was easier to just cut that bend out of there rather than try straightening it. 

We just welded it solid, rather than pinning the three different sections. No sense in horsing around. 

The tin all around the base need some attention as well. Tack by tack, we had it all back in shape. 

Many of these old style feeders have one flaw. At different points the top angle comes to bottle neck. Once in a blue moon a cow will raise her head, get it stuck in this neck catch, and run off with your feeder. 

So, to avoid the near occasion of sin, we welded a piece of rebar to keep her from getting into the trap. 

Better than it once was. 

I'm all about working smarter not harder. One thing we didn't plan for on our catch pen was an access door. Climbing over this bad boy every once in a while isn't bad. But for regular checking on a pair, something needed to be done. 

So we set another post. and welded it to the top rail. 

Then built some hinges and cut the middle of the fence out. Works good. Just gotta duck. 

Everybody's happy.

These kids are going to call this home for a while; might as well make it accommodating. More than that, though, I wanted to keep my ranch hand, Dad, happy. I can't afford to loose him. With old man winter moving in, I think we're ready for whatever comes our way. Giddy up!

Thanksgiving Surprise

For the past seven months we've been fattening this little Charolais heifer just to discover that, she's not fat. She's pregnant! 

Little Andy was born on the feast of the Presentation of our Blessed Mother in the Temple. A heifer calf, we named her after my cousin Andy whose birthday is November 21st. 

We got mom last April from the sale barn in Worland. She came off the HooDoo Ranch in the Cody area. She was just a squirt when we got her and watched her grow all summer. She must have been bred when we bought her. 

The plan was to butcher her in December when she was good and heavy and her coat was full. All was going as planned until my buddy Minh and I showed up a couple Sunday's ago and discovered that she was bagging up. Oh boy, what a surprise! From the looks of her I thought she might calve that night. So the neighbors kept an eye on her and 10 days later I got a call from Casey that she had calved. 

Perfect timing as I hoped to haul them back home over Thanksgiving. The pair are pretty content, but Mom needs reminding that she is a mother. 

We got in late last night and Dad had our new catch pen all ready to go.

But the next day, in typical first-calf-heifer fashion, baby was curled up in the corner. 

And mom was fixing to head home. 

So Dad and I fixed up a little calving jug to help the two stay mothered up. 

A rancher's delight. 

There's no better sight in calving world then a baby nursing its mother. 

 

So fun. God is full of surprises. When one door closes, another opens. We were planning to put Mom in the cooler, but we'll take a calf instead. This does open new ranching horizons. What they are, not sure yet. The first step was to get a healthy calf on the ground. Now that we've got that, we'll have to see what comes next. St. Paul says to, "Give thanks in all circumstance" (1 Thes. 5:18). Gratitude opens our hearts to receive the will of God. Even when our plans change, God always has our best interest in mind. Let's ranch!

Stop and Give Thanks

Intentional gratitude is an encounter with the presence of God. 

           https://youtu.be/_vDzBXk_cUo         

Winter Ready

Usually I wait until its cold and snowy to make final winter preparations. Not this year. With an afternoon of nice weather, I went ahead and got the horses settled in their winter home. 

The kids look good. They always do. But their bay hides really stand out as they start to put on their winter coats. 

Colleen Chaulk has generously let us campout at her place for the past three years. It works great with a lean-to, catch pen, heated waterer, and a bit of room to run. 

I kicked the water on and the float seemed to be stuck. 

So I tore it down to take a looksee. 

Then just cleaned out the float seat. 

And it did the trick. 

Next was getting the feeder ready. These nets have really saved the day. 

I like to keep hay on the critters all day long so their minds don't grow weary. The net makes them work for their feed and keeps them from wasting hay. 

Before going into winter is a good time to trim their hooves. No one wants to do that in the middle of January. 

So I got all eight cleaned up. 

My old friend. 

Happy campers. 

The feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple is a fine day settle the horses in their winter pasture. Our Blessed Mother will take good care of them. For the next five months or so, this is what they'll be looking at. Good stuff.

Presentation

Mary was closer to Jesus as His disciple than she was His mother.

           https://youtu.be/g4GstZMN68s