St. Mary Magdalen

A real treat for me is to celebrate Mass in my home parish of St. Mary Magdalen in Worland. I was asked to fill in the for the pastor, Fr. Robert Rodgers, over the weekend and he asked if I'd also preside at the Mass for St. Mary Magdalen's feast day. Can do. 

The present day church was built in the 1950s. In typical fashion back then, they first built a school gym that would serve as the church building until they got the real church built. But as often happened in the decades to follow, the new church never got built. Over time, the People of God and their various priests have worked well with what they've been given. First came the school portion, which operated throughout the 1960s. That same decade saw a remodeling of the sanctuary and later in the early 2000s a fuller remodel that really accepted that this is going to be our church. Within the past 10 years, they also put in an elevator.

This was also 75th anniversary of SMM as a parish. Many fond memories. 

SMM in Worland was originally a mission of Thermopolis. Fr. Endres was the iconic priest who traveled the Big Horn Basin on horseback in the early 1900s, celebrating Mass and building up the Body of Christ. In 1949 Worland had become big enough that it was made it's own parish. Today the tides have changed and St. Francis parish in Thermop is now served by the priest in Worland. 

This is the baptismal font that I was baptized in. 

December 23, 1979. John Schmeltzer and Frances (Schmeltzer) Hesseel were/are my godparents. Fr. Cyril Hmelovsky presided. 

Here's where I received my First Holy Communion. May 8, 1988. My cousin Beth Schmeltzer was beside me. Fr. Joseph Fraher was the priest for much of my youth. 

May 8, 1996 I was Confirmed by Bishop Joseph Hart. My Aunt Nancy Martinson was my sponsor. 

Though I wasn't ordained here, I do enjoy celebrating Mass for the family and friends I grew up with. 

           https://youtu.be/e5FrFV3qvy8         

After the Mass for today's feast day, we had an interview with a long lived SMM parishioner. Dee Arps will turn 108 in a few weeks. She's sharper than a tack and has much encouragement for the younger generations. Like, Go to Mass! 

A parish feast wouldn't be complete without a picnic to follow. 

Fun stuff. This is what it means to be Catholic. The past remains present. We take time to celebrate all the Good water under the bridge. So many folks have gone before us to make this parish a reality. The Good News is that they are still with as members of the Body of Christ. It is in the liturgy where this truth becomes present. Thanks be to God for all who keep this parish alive. Worland thanks you. I thank you too. It is at St. Mary Magdalen that I received all my Sacraments of Initiation. Through this grace I have been able to hear God's call to the priesthood. Keep up the Good work, y'all!

Rest a While

We need to be healthy in order to be holy. 

           https://youtu.be/-CRsGDdrbe0         

Cutting Hay

The Big Horn Basin usually gets three cuttings of alfalfa a summer. Mid July, right before the fair and barley harvest, is a good time to knock down second cutting. Uncle Chris farms several fields and pivot corners in the Neiber area. With his big green machine, he made light work of about 45 acres of hay.

Water and heat is about all it takes for alfalfa to grow. Great source of protein and quick rebound in between cuts, makes it an ideal hay crop. 

As in all farming practices, cutting hay has come a long way.  There are still plenty of sickle bar mowers around, but most guys in the industry have gone to these rotary heads. Clean cut and fast. 

Uncle Chris has a deal with a local farmer to use this swather for cutting hay in exchange for driving corn truck in the fall. Win win. This guy is not your daddy's windrower. I could just imagine my Grandpa S., Chris' dad, wanting to ride a round with him.

So in memory of him, I took a turn. Good hay. 16' swath. 

On these bigger runs, he programs the auto steer. Then sits back and watch it make nice straight cuts, even matching the arch of a pivot sprinkler. 

While he was at it, he mowed our little corner. Not bad. 

The going trend is wide flat windrows. Good bed to dry in. 16' apart is about all you want to go. Any more and it's hard to dry and a twin rake can't reach them to bring two windrows into one for baling. 

Pretty much all hay cutting involves a crimper behind the mower. Alfalfa is a solid stem plant, and by crimping it every 4 or 5 inches helps it dry sooner. 

Looks good. 

Putting up hay in July is standard issue for dry land ranchers and irrigated farmers alike. The sooner you can get it knocked down the sooner you can get it put up. In the west, most of our summertime ag activity is geared toward surviving the winter. Cutting hay is just one example of that. The more bales you have in the stack the more time you can spend in peace by the fire. Good work, Uncle Chris. Keep those big green wheels turning.

Pump Repair

Water is everything around Worland. There are about a half a dozen canal systems in this area, and all are managed by a board of directors. Dad sits on the Bluff Canal board, which runs past our place south of town. Most of the water is gravity fed off the river. But every so often there is an offshoot pump station that lifts water to higher plane and allows for more fields to be water. Well, sometimes those pumps go down.

Not your standard pump. This guy sits in a cistern and, along with a sister pump, raises water about 75'. Not long ago it started making a real rough sound. So Dad and crew pulled it out and had it repaired. Today we reinstalled it. 

The Bluff Canal begins about 15 miles south of Worland near Winchester. It is actually fed by the Upper Hanover Canal. 

This telehandler was indispensable. When the canals need repair, often local farmers donate equipment and personnel to help. After all, it's their crops that are dependent on getting the water going.  

Stand back boys. 

Here's the set up. The station has been around for decades, but rebuilt and maintained along the way. 

Electrician, Anthony Marcus, was on hand to help with the technical work. 

It fit in the hole fine, but wouldn't line up with the bolts. We think that running the other pump while this one was down allowed the manifold to creep forward. So we drained the system and put a 20 ton bottle jack against the manifold and made enough room to get the pump set right. 

Once bolted down, we brought in the pump motor. 

This 150hp bad boy runs off 480 three phase power. Hence, the need for an electrician.  

Anthony's boy, Brendon, was there when we needed him. Good work son. 

These big pump motors sit vertical so that the entire bearing surfaces carry the weight at all times. Verses horizontal pumps that only the bottom part of the bearing carries the weight. The drive shaft also runs through the length of the motor. 

Not their first rodeo. 

Hooking up the power was the final step before touch off. 

Once kicked on the water started to flow. 

About the only adjustment on these pumps is the packing. 

They allow a little water by to keep the drive shaft cool as it goes through the packing, which keeps pumped water heading in the right direction. 

Done.

Alls well the ends well. Most canal board members help make decisions. Dad also helps keep the water flowing. Definitely a man you want on your team. It can be easy to take the water in the canal for granted. But there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes. Dad and crew keep the pivots turning and the crops growing. To them, America tips her hat. 

Cross

All healing is ordered to healing our relationship with the Father.

           https://youtu.be/IfdqVS8knds         

 

Beautiful

No one knows the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him.

           https://youtu.be/GEhcXAQkgb0         

Mount Carmel

Sacramentals are holy reminders.

           https://youtu.be/1DhIdNbzKz8         

Roping Dummy

If there's a trademark cowboy characteristic, it's that they are always roping something. In the past for me, it's either been a shovel handle or a truck mirror. But now I have an official roping dummy.

 

It's just hard to beat laying a loop over an old set of horns attached to a bale of hay. That's ranchy. 

Anytime I move to a new town, I get settled at the church and then I check out the local feed store. MTR has got all the essentials. Horse tack, feed, and basic vet supplies. I came in for some fly spray. 

And left with a new rope too. Typical cowboy candy store. To my credit, I was in need. I left my last rope at a branding. This new guy will suit me fine. 3/8"x35'. I hate to admit it, but I'm an extra soft cowboy. XS ropes are light but still have life. 

So I brought in a hay bale from Suzie and Galen's place. 

And fit it with my homemade dummy head. 

Lee Isenberger built this bad boy. Made from real Corriente roping steer horns. He mounted them onto a block of wood, wrapped it in casting material, and put a horn wrap on it. Cool. With some spikes coming out the back, it stabs right in a bale and is rope ready. 

I like to start out with about a five foot loop. If you're handy enough, you can feed the loop as you swing and make it bigger or smaller. I also like about 18"-24" of spoke, which is the distance between your hand and the hondo. Make sure you always keep the loop on the outside of the live part of your rope, then it swings inline. Some guys will even put their pinkie finger in between the two lines to keep them from overlapping. 

The biggest mistake most new ropers make, and even us old guys, is not letting enough coils out of your free hand when you turn your loop loose. Once you let her fly, just open your free hand and let her take what she needs. 

Giddy up. 

I've solved a lot of the world's problems with a rope in my hand. I think this new set up will serve me and the parish well. If you can't find me in the church, check the backyard. I'll likely be roping my new dummy. 

Called

 God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

           https://youtu.be/9C7phSWC36w         

Brace Post

If you want to build a good fence, you have to start with a good brace post. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the effort you put in your brace posts will determine the longevity of your fence line. 

Today we set out to build an H-brace. While ranching in Montana, we built a lot of Jack-braces. Those just had one vertical post and a diagonal post that drove into the ground. Whatever the style, the point of a brace post is to stand strong as the rest of the fencing is stretched off of it. 

Years ago, when we had the pivot sprinkler set up, it ran into the neighbors south fence line. He was generous enough to just move the fence so we could keep farming. Now that our pivot is where it needs to be, we can rebuild the fence in its proper place. 

When we had the post driver on the tractor we set these two posts in the ground. Most brace posts are built out of wood. But when you have a little pipe laying around and a welder handy, you might as well use steel. 

Once the vertical posts are set, the horizontal pipe needs to be saddled. 

Clean it up good. The more work can do before you head to the field, the better. 

Safety first. This dry grass is like gasoline to a welder's spark. Dad took time to water things down before we got to work, then was on fire watch until the job was done. 

Finding the right heat in pipe welding is key. The fine tune selector really helps us dial it in. 

A lot of times I'll just weld over the rust. But in a scenario like this, it makes sense to weld it right. 

Once set, we welded it in place. There is always the question as to whether to run the pipe with the contour of the land are set it level. We opted for level. 

Should hold. 

Giddy up. 

If you build an H-brace out of wood, you need to run wire from corner to corner to keep it tight. With steel, there's no need. 

It may look simple, but this brace post represents a lot our our little ranch. All the work we have done on the corrals began with the need to move the pivot sprinkler out of the neighbor’s pasture. We've arrived. One small step for a rancher. One giant leap for the ranch. Good fences do make good neighbors. But if your want to build a good fence, you better start with a good brace post.