Wait Well

By moving forward.

           https://youtu.be/LH3ne0BjhYY         

Party Patties

Our beautiful church at St. John the Baptist in Buffalo celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Though the Catholic Church has been present in the Johnson County area for 145 years, we still think this milestone is worthy of a celebration. So on June 24th, the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, we are going to throw a parish party. 

To do so, we decided to slaughter the fatten cow. Jim Borgialli graciously donated this open cow to our cause. Because this is a solely charitble cause with no money exchanged at all, I volunteered to turn her into hamburger patties. 

So on a Thursday afternoon, we sent her from hoof to rail. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, sister. 

Then on Friday, Darin came over and taught me some hamburgering tricks. 

By noon, we had her all boned out. So we decided to grill up some tenderloins for the boys. 

Then back to grinding. We put a second fine grind on the burger before we started pounding out patties. 1/3rd pounders. 

575 burgers total. 

Good stuff. It's fun to cut a little beef again, especially when it's for a good cause. I'm not sure how many people are going to show up for our anniversary party. But for those that come, we'll have a hamburger ready for them to enjoy. 75 years is something to celebrate. And not only is St. John the Baptist still around, she is going strong! Special thanks to Jim and Darin their effort and contributions. This party is off to a good start. Let's ranch.

Holy Waiting

Waiting with hope.

           https://youtu.be/6wIch9DYwD8         

Ranching Freely

Memorial Day is a day to remember and give thanks to all who have sacrificed themselves for our freedom. No better way of doing that than by taking advantage of that freedom and branding some calves. Jason and Boni Kuhbacher once again hosted our Memorial Day branding. God bless America! 

Buffalo Brothers  

Devlin, FB, John, and Mason.

Four of us came up the night before, including Jared from Gillette. Once arrived, we picketed the horses and set up camp. 

After we got the fire going and let it simmer down, Jared cooked us up some steaks. Good stuff. 

After a couple of hours of shut eye, we were up with the sun. 

First things first. Celebrate Mass. 

Then we rendezvoused at the branding pen to get our roundup orders. 

Cows and calves were scattered all over. 

Jared and Chief really got riding figured out. 

We held our bunch up until the rest were gathered. 

Then made the mad dash to the corrals. 

Got 'em. 

After separating the cows, we stoped for an early morning break. Diane made monster cookies. A touch of salt on the top really brought the flavors alive. 

Then we got to work. 

Plenty of green wrestlers this year. By the time it was said and done though, it was old hat to all. 

Just ranchin.

Just ropin. 

After the first bunch, we packed up and headed to the next pasture. 

By this time the sun came out and cleared the clouds. Still a nice cool day for working cattle. 

Devlin and Chief pared up and did some slick horn roping. Looking good.

After 300 head, it was time to dine. 

Freedom doesn't come free. However, if you don't use it, you'll loose it. If we don't get out and enjoy life, we can loose an appreciation of what so many have fought for. I love having the freedom to run cows, something a lot of places don't have. It is a nice idea, but a better reality. Nothing better than sharing that gift with others. Jason and Boni are great about letting us city folks come out and enjoy their ranch. Thanks be to God for all who have, and who continue to sacrifice themselves to ensure our freedom. The ranching world is appreciative.

Open Heart Faith

Jesus is present always, if we keep an open heart in faith.

           https://youtu.be/0RiSjm8hyGI         

Buford

After playing in our Sandbox Riding Arena back home, I realized we needed something to rope. Remembering a roping dummy that a buddy had, I went searching online. I found what he had, which was way more than I could justify spending. So I called another buddy to do a regional search on Facebook marketplace. Lo and behold, Buford popped up.

We did a couple modifications to make it more personally tailored. In the end, Buford is all I could ever ask for in a roping dummy. 

Martin in Gillette brings the plastic parts over from Mexico and then builds the metal frame and attaches the back legs. Much cheaper than the name brands. Keep up the good work, pal. 

First stop was Paul's place where Doug gave us a free lesson in heading and heeling. 

The coolest feature about this style of dummy is that the horns fold up when you dally, allowing your rope to pop right off. No getting off your horse or walking up to remove your rope. Beautiful. 

Back legs do something similar. When the slack is pulled, they come together and pull back. This is usually enough to let your rope slip by. But if not, just let off the slack and the legs will widen back out, allowing your rope to loosen up and slide down. 

After we branded Buford and made him part of the herd, I introduced him to the horses. They were a bit unsure to say the least. 

So I hitched him to Dad and we trailed behind. Once the horses could see that it wasn't a grizzly bear that wanted to kill them, they calmed down and we could rope. 

Money.

Fun stuff. I don't ever plan to get any steers or really ever team rope. But to have a dummy on hand to rope around with, is right up my alley. Buford serves that purpose. Whether standing still or being drug by a four wheeler or horse, this roping dummy will provide horse and rider with all the practice necessary to keep their cowboy skills sharp. The heading part is easy. Heeling is a different story. Just gives us a reason to saddle up and rope. Practice makes perfect, or at least passable. Buford the Roping Dummy is a great gift to the ranch. Special thanks to Martin and all who keep the cowboy spirit alive. Ranch on. 

Chicken Coop

One of the first things Grandpa built down in the barnyard in the mid-70's was a chicken coop. Since then she has housed many a chicken. Mom and Dad used it when they first moved out here. But for the past six years or so, she has sat vacant. Two things, it's in disrepair and it's in the way. Therefore, it's time to go.

Three of the sides are constructed out of three sided logs. The back wall is rotted out from dirt sloughing into it. If we went through the trouble of tearing it apart, I bet we could save about enough logs to build a single hole outhouse. Therefore, we decided to doze it.

Well used.

The tin on the roof was worth removing, though. We can find a use for that someday.

The single slant roof didn't help the rotting back wall over the years. 50 years standing isn't bad, though.

Having dozed sheds down before, we've learned that your best bet is to chop the roof up beforehand. So we cut it into quadrants. 

And then got to pushing. The idea was to implode it on itself. This would make for a nice burn pile, but also because there is a concrete pad underneath that should help in cleanup of the aftermath. 

Looks like a bonfire to me. 

Before we touched it off we got the professional's opinion. Fire Chief said go for it! 

So early this morning, Dad and I got to work. A little gas to get this party started. 

We started in the corner thinking we'd slow it's progression down as best we could.

Didn't take long before she was burning hot.

About our only concern was the tack shed, which was probably only 15' away. With plenty of water at our disposal, we just kept water on it during its raging stage. 

Definitely put off some heat.

After about three hours, she really simmered down. So we took the dozer and pushed the pile up to let it cook for the rest of the day.

So long.

There is a season for everything. This chicken coop provided chores for many a kid and it produced eggs for a lot of people. But those days are past. If we want to raise chickens again, we'll build a new littler shed out of the way. As for today, it was time for the coop to go.

Alls well. The beauty of being burned on the concrete pad, is now all we have to do is push it into the bucket of the tractor and haul it off. Then we'll break up the pad and haul it off, too. Nothing is going back in its place. Once we level the ground, this will make a nice area to turn a trailer around. 

One of my favorite aspects of the coop being gone is how it exposed the rocks. These sandstone gems line much of the hills around the barnyard. I like to look at them. They remind me of my ancestors. If you don't move forward in life, you get left in the dust. Grandpa would be proud of the work we've done down here. The heavy lifting is over. Now let's have some fun. Onward and upward. 

One

 Four marks of the Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic 

           https://youtu.be/_7SSQmMJg1o         

Peace in Fear

Stay peaceful in the midst of fear by listening to the Holy Spirit.

           https://youtu.be/nKI69J5TemI         

Mind of the Church

Let the Holy Spirit teach us anew in the next few weeks.

           https://youtu.be/L7VV2AVGkyg         

Don't Discourage

In times of peace, prepare for war. 

           https://youtu.be/iosfzPknHdg         

Neiber Roundup

Dad let me know of a delinquent heifer that got on the wrong side of the fence and didn't want to go back. So I grabbed Devlin and the horses and headed home. 

Chasing yearlings on a Friday morning in May... Don't tempt us with a good time. 

First stop was to our Blessed Mother. Good place to check a cinch. Let's ranch. 

We spotted her down in the greasewood next to Gooseberry Road. Riding through these rocks and brush makes you feel like you're in Nevada. You get one chance at calves like this. We wanted to make sure when we jumped her she was heading in the right direction, so we stayed high. 

Whatever you're chasing, you have to work together. One is the pusher, one is the wingman. Always ride to the head to steer them in the direction you want them to go. 

Giddy up! A fence is worth 10 cowboys. Just keep her along the fence and we should make it home. 

Got a little western at the Y. Devlin kicked Chief in high gear and cut her off at the pass.

Down at the barn we had all the gates set to make it her decision. Good choice, sister. 

Then we walked her up to the rest of the crew where she was welcomed with open arms. Cows are doing good up on this flat.

Fun stuff. Good for the horses and good for our hearts. Nothing better for either of us than fresh air, green grass, and wild doggies. These cows are actually pretty gentle. Making for a nice bunch. Probably have them up here until June before we kick them to the irrigated pasture. Ranchin.