Bread of Life

The risen Lord is present in the Eucharist.

           https://youtu.be/PL6LnXr9lCo         

Go and Sin no More

The goal of Christianity is to not sin. 

           https://youtu.be/0W9-iXPPHso         

 

Water Reel

Dad and I are always thinking of ways to make things easier around the ranch. In doing, we usually create a lot of work for ourselves. That’s ranchin. 

All the irrigation on our little place is done by pump and sprinkler. Grandpa had handline and we still have a bit of it around. On a long narrow 5 acre hay field we thought a water reel might work well. So I kept my  eye out for a used one and found one at a farm sale in Montana.  This bad boy is equipped with 5” poly pipe and the reel is operated by a gas engine. Looked promising.

 

So we grabbed Luke’s truck and trailer and blew up to central Montana. They lifted onto our trailer. That proved challenging. 

But it fit nice and we got it boomered down. 

Watch your teeth when your camming a boomer over. 

We always wrap the leftover chain around the handle so it can’t break loose. 

Good load. A bit top heavy. 

Blew a tire heading east on I-90. 

We were like a pit crew out there. 

On the road again. 

Beautiful spring storm heading south near Clark WY. 

Made back home safe and sound. Needed to use the 4010 to unload it but she was dead. To pull start a farmhand, hook a chain to the front end and run it to the side of the bucket when you hook it to the truck. Then as you pull forward the chain will run under the bucket and lift the loader up so it doesn’t dig dirt as you’re pulling. Trick of the trade.

Then we shaped up a bit of a loading dock. 

To pull it off rather than lift it off. 

It was such a tight fit that we had to be real careful to pull it off straight. 

Once on the ground it was easier to maneuver. 

So we backed it into the shop to do service it up. Tight fit on a 12' door. 

Money. 

The gear box acted froze so we pulled the drain plug to see what we were working with. Had quite a bit of water in it. No surprise. It did naturally free up though. 

And we added fresh oil. 

We had to get it to fit some of our already existing supply line. 

So we cut the old one off and welded on the new one. 

The hose hook up to the gun took a bit of work but seems pretty solid. 

Cool unit. Once the gun is hooked up you can leave it attached and then just lift it up when you need to move the whole thing. There was a lot more work done to get it ranch ready, including changing the engine with another 4hp Honda that cousin Mark had sitting around. 

Eventually we hauled in out to the field to see if this dog would hunt. 

Even though the water level in the canal wasn't high enough for our pump to run, Dad and I couldn't wait. So we put an 10' extension on the suction line and gave it a whirl. 

It took a lot of priming, but eventually she took off. 

It works. Has couple minor water leaks. Engine sounds strong. It is revved up pretty good in this shot, causing the reel to wind up at a pretty rapid rate of speed. You'd likely run it at an idle. A couple disappointing features. The hose isn't as long as it is supposed to be and the gun doesn't shoot as far as I'd hoped it would. Those aren't deal breakers, but do need to be addressed before this unit becomes the main waterer on the 5 Acre. 

Giddy up. 

Life is about the journey as much as the destination. I have mixed feelings about the end result of this endeavor. But the road to get there was a ride that only a couple of Catholic Cowboys would take. Dad and I whistle while we work. The labor may be hard but the time spent together is always enjoyable. Cowboys do have clutches, but they rarely use them. We'll probably kick a little more on this sprinkler project before we throw in the towel. I've got some ideas brewing already. On to the next one. 

Sheep Wagon

Sheep wagons are probably more popular now than they were a hundred years ago. Yesterday they were part and parcel of the western frontier. Today they are an heirloom of simpler times. 

Uncle Phil Schmeltzer recently fixed up his grandfather's original sheep wagon. 

Great-grandpa William Murdoch, who resembles the man in the lower left corner, came to the United States from Scotland in the early 20th century. He gained his citizenship after serving in WWI as a member of the calvary. He went on to homestead a section of ground in the Owl Creek Mountains in central Wyoming, underneath the Washakie Needles. Later he married Adeline Neiber, who's father homesteaded at the mouth of the Gooseberry Creek south of Worland Wyoming. Several members of our family still live on that homestead, including my parents. 

The sheep wagon has always remained in the family. My grandfather, Ed Schmeltzer, originally fixed it up in the 60's after his father-in-law, William, had died. After passing a few different hands over the years, Uncle Chris, who still runs sheep, inherited it. He got it up and running, but thought it would be better served by his brother Phil. 

Uncle Phil, who has carried on the Schmeltzer trade of painting, has spent the last few months getting it all polished up. Originally, this sheep wagon would have likely had wooden wagon wheels under it. The current running gear was probably modified in the 50's or so. 

Sheep wagons are cool. Not a wasted square inch. 

If only this table top could talk. 

Deep drawers go under the bed. 

Counter space was limited, but functional. 

The stove was a prominent fixture. As the saying goes, sheep wagons were either too hot or too cold .

But they were always a welcome sight for anyone wanting to get out of the weather. 

Grandpa William's brand was a five-point star.

Well done.

Good stuff. Heirlooms like this should be enjoyed. I'm thankful Uncle Phil fixed up Grandpa’s sheep wagon so the rest of the family can enjoy it. Inside, the past becomes very present. The fronteir may have been centuries ago, but the western way of life still lives on. 

Give My Heart

To believe is to love.

           https://youtu.be/6TCkOychzjA         

Halter Broke

There's more to halter breaking a horse than just being able to lead him where you want him to go. Like all initial steps of starting a horse, what we do in halter breaking is crucial to the rest of the training process.

The halter is the first piece of rigging that ole Red is going to wear. If we introduce it to him right, everything else, saddle, bridle, blanket, and more, will go just as smoothly. Here, Paul lets him get to know that this scary rope is nothing to be scared of. 

Another way of showing him that is by putting yourself in between him and the scary object. 

Even walk him by them and over the top of them.

Slowly we took the halter from out in front of us and let him actually follow it. 

Again, showing him that it's not a snake. 

The more senses a horse can use to explore the nature of something, the better. 

Rub it all over him. Let him feel the texture of it long before you try to swing it over his neck. 

Introduce just the lead rope in the same fashion. 

Slowly you can start to bring it all the way around his neck. 

And eventually on his nose with no problem.

Let him walk around with just the halter on, well before you attach the lead rope. Helps him get a feel for it as it bounces around. 

Good boy. 

Red is so cool. He's everybody's buddy. 

The hooking on isn't just partial to Paul. Anyone who shows a respectful authority, he'll happily follow. 

Right away, you want to introduce the pressure and release mode of operation. Put a bit of pressure on the halter and once he gives that way, release! This is the mode from here on out. 

Time for the lead rope. 

Best way to start this action is by unhitching the hide quarters. 

Both sides. This is good because you drive a horse from behind his head, not in front of him. When your in the saddle, all the commands come from behind his head. Might as well get him used to it now. 

It's all still new to him. Ride out the blow ups and he'll calm down. 

Halter broke. 

Nice work. This is a great place to be. The progress is obvious. But the hidden lessons he's learned are huge. Once a horse learns to learn the transition into the saddle is a walk in the park. So fun. I'm thankful for Paul's expertise. Red has great potential. He just needs the right guys to bring it out of him. Stay tuned.