Checking Cows

With no rush to be had on a Thanksgiving morning, we headed out to check on the cows. Having a good heater in the truck and some coffee at hand, not much sounds funner to me on a day like today. 

The cows are enjoying Jack's place. Plenty of grass and places to lay around. They stay bunched together. Only one yearling from the neighbors has jumped in and hangs with our girls. All are welcome.

Anytime the horses hear White Horse bouncing around, they come running for some oats. Buck just wants some attention. Peter Asmuth is our new ranch hand. Growing up in Wisconsin and living in Buffalo for the past couple of years, he's been looking for some ranch experience. Welcome aboard, pal. 

The cows look real good overall, heavy with young. That being said, Grandma is developing a bit of a lump jaw. If caught in early stages, it can be doctored with some antibiotics. We better tend to this matter. 

Thankfully, the water is still running at full capacity. Staying open too, with some freezing weather around. 

Our main mission was to deliver a protein lick-tub for the winter. There is plenty of roughage around here, but it doesn't have much protein being all dried up. So ranchers usually supplement their critters in one way or another. Lick-tubs are the most common way to do so.  

Having horses in the pasture too, we got a blend that is suitable for all our critters. 

Good to go.

They'll take to this lick-tub like they will a salt block. Putting both at the other end of the pasture than the water will cause them to roam around more, giving them some exercise and utilizing the grass better. It's good to see that everyone is doing well. I'm thankful for having to check on these cows and horses every once in a while. I'm also thankful to have a new hand to hang out with. I think Peter will fit right in. Ranching forward. 

Testimony

 Don't be afraid to share your story.

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Modern Martyrs

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Already but Not Yet

We already participate in the Kingdom of God.

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2 7/8"

Back in 2021, I was singing the pipe blues to my friends George and Jeannie Etchemendy. I had been looking for a rack of pipe to buy for our corral project, with no luck. To my surprise, George said, "Well, we have some pipe you can have." Sold. 

I'm a pipe guy. If there is a project around the ranch or church that needs some construction, 2 7/8" oil field tubing is my building material of choice.

Taking advantage of the Etchemendy's generosity, we picked up around 60 joints of rusty 2 7/8" pipe from them in the Douglas area. That was right at four years ago. 

Just getting our corral project underway back home, we stock piled it for future use.

Back in the heyday, Grandpa had this barnyard in tiptop shape.  

But over the years, she had fallen into disrepair. 

So we torn down the old network. 

And started fresh. Cutting and pounding in 2 7/8" posts was the first step.

Followed up with three years of welding.

This week, we fitted our last section of pipe. It's nice not to have to wrestle any more joints around. And it's also a good chance to reflect on the gift this pipe has been. 

Of all those 60-some joints. This is all that is left.

Most of it went into posts, where we were able to weld on continuous fence. This north-forty made for a nice riding arena. 

Some areas that would see more pressure from cattle, we put on a 2 7/8" top rail.

This worked especially well in our working pen.

We even used that pipe to build some gates. 

The final leg was our horse pen around the barn. 

Giddy up.

Between Grandpa and I, we have exerted a considerable amount of energy down here. He used a shovel and paintbrush, we used a post pounder and welder. Hopefully this time around it is here to stay. That string of pipe that Etchemendy's gave us has been a termendous blessing. I had a rough idea of how many feet of pipe we needed and how much we had. Never once did I let a worry of not having enough slow us down of doing the kind of job that needed to be done. That being said, we hardly have enough left over to make a brace post!

God is good. Planning our work and working our plan these past four years has been a great joy. Even better is the end product. I know Grandpa would be proud and I believe the Father is too. One real way of giving glory to God is by letting our light shine. When we use the skills He gave us to better creation, God is glad. I'm super thankful to Mom and Dad for letting me play in the barnyard. I'm also thankful to George and Jeannie Etchemendy for giving us the pipe to be able to do so. Now, let's ranch for real! 

Transmission Swap

2012 HD trucks are tough, but their transmissions don't last very long. The factory tranny went for 200,000 miles and this one only lasted 150,000. Not bad. But doesn't really match the rest of the truck. Regardless, anything mechanical is bound to break down.

White Horse started slipping a few weeks ago. Thankfully, she didn't leave me stranded. So we got all our ducks in a row, and changed the transmission out in the rectory garage. Ranching. 

Special thanks to Jim and Brittnee Borgialli for letting me borrow Grandpa's rig for a couple weeks. Sweet ride. 

It was a snug fit in the garage, but actually made for some nice working space. We ran her up on chalks and had plenty of room underneath. 

I didn't change the first transmission, but I've done them before. This one couldn't be that much different. Only one way to find out. 

Crossmember first. The transmission could rest on the back of the transfer case while we dismounted everything else. 

The exhaust was interesting. Surprisingly, it came out pretty well. 

Piece by piece, take it apart. Make sure and put all your bolts together in order. 

Breaking the torque converter bolts free from the fly wheel was tough. We lost a little knuckle hide on this job. 

Once she was ready to drop, I grabbed Darin and we let her down with a floor jack. Then lifted in back of the pickup with a come-along and hotshotted it to Billings to exchange for a rebuilt one. 

Meanwhile, we flushed the oil cooler lines. First with diesel fuel, then brake cleaner, then ATF. This pump-up weed sprayer worked good, I thought.

Then back in we go. 

Amazingly it all bolted up nice. Chevy has really come a long way in their engineering over the years. Once bolted back up to the engine, we started reassembling things. 

Ending with the crossmember. 

These transmissions need to be flash coded by someone who has the right tools and knowhow. So we pulled her over to a shop who programed it for us. 

After that, she was back in business. So we cleaned her up before winter hits. 

Giddy up.

$4,000 for a new transmission is a lot better than $45,000 for a new used truck. Besides, miles give a truck character. I'm super thankful that this job went as smooth as it did. I'm not going to lie, when I first crawled under, I was a bit intimidated. But bit by bit, she came apart and went back together. Sometimes a guy just has to trust the Lord and start loosing bolts. I'm excited to get her back on the road. The town was starting to talk about White Horse not being in the driveway. No need to worry, anymore. We're back in action. Let's ride. 

Saddle Blankets

We've always called them saddle blankets. Some guys call them saddle pads. Regardless, they are the cushion between your saddle and the horse. The correct combo is important. It is also important to maintain them. 

This is my main pad. 3/4" thick felt. Maybe I should call it a saddle pad.

And call this one a blanket. I run the pad down and the blanket up top, usually. Sometimes I won't use the blanket at all. I've seen other guys ride with a blanket down and the pad up top. Personal preference, I guess. 

The one on the down side, which is my pad, should be cleaned every now and again. 

The two main points that it gets a lot of pressure, and consequently a lot of hair and grime, is the front, next to the withers. 

And the back, where the saddle tree ends. 

My cleaning tool of choice is a wire brush. 

Just get aggressive. Back and forth, side to side. You don't have to follow the grain. In fact, it probably works better if you don't. 

Some of the heavy haired up spots, you might just have to pull apart. 

Giddy up.

Muy bien. 

Good stuff. I've owned this saddle pad for probably fours years and have only cleaned it once. I don't ride a lot, so that sounds reasonable. When thinking about tack maintenance, it's good to put yourself in the horse's hooves. An old, grimed up saddle blanket doesn't sound too comfortable. Therefore, your horse would probably appreciate a pad cleaning every once in a while. The longer you wait, the harder it is to tend to. I've seen guys take a pressure washer to a saddle pad. Probably works fine. Me, I'm a wire brush guy. Easy to use and easy on the pad. Now we're all cleaned up and ready to ride. Ranch on. 

Pope St. Leo the Great

Pray for us!

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Temple

How's it going being a temple of God?

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Wyoming Wind

Last Sunday, Ian Welles hit me up to ride the following Saturday morning. Don't tempt me with a good time! I waited in joyful anticipation all week, and I was not disappointed.

The forecast for Saturday was wind, and they were right! The mission: move two different bunches of freshly weaned mother cows out to winter grazing. 

This time around, I just borrowed one of Ian's horses. Buddy was the brute assigned to me. 

Good guy. Friendly fellow. 

Before we rode out, BJ wanted to warm his steed up in the corral. If you think your horse might unleash, a good technique is to grab the back of your cantle, if you have a Cheyenne roll, and hang tough if need be. Not always stylish, but definitely effective. 

Our first chore was to move a few head out to meet up with the big bunch we were to push to pasture. 

Right outside the corrals lies Crazy Woman Creek. Flowing good for this time of year. 

Then we all met up and headed out. Today's posse: BJ, Ian, Colter, Austin, Coy, and Buddy and I.

The Welles Ranch was at the heart of the House Draw Fire last summer. Ian and crew fought hard to save the ranch, but about 100 miles of fence was destroyed. With a lot of hard work, they are back up and running. The new fences look real good. 

We probably gathered up 150 head or so and pushed them south of the home place. 

Cool views of the Bighorns out here. 

We all split off and convened at the first gate.

New Traditionalists. 

Cowboying takes all kinds. Colter ain't about to get cold. He also rides with a war bridle. Ranchy. 

Once through the gate, we pushed on. Wind to our back, thankfully. 

The last two miles was up against a fence. Easy. 

Through the gate they go. Round 1. 

So we fast trotted back to the other boys who were gathering up the next bunch. Wind to our face. Cold.

Stopping for a drink in the Crazy along the way. 

Ian and BJ had picked up the next batch.

Jumping in behind, we helped finish the drive.

Mission accomplished.

Good work, pal. 

Hot cup of coffee and a sandwich never tasted so good!

After living in Great Falls, Montana for a few years, I finally figured out why God made the wind. It's so you can appreciate a day when it doesn't blow. Wind will make a man out of you. Once forged, you are better suited to enjoy the beauty of a calm day. Life will do the same. Tested by fire and trials, we can appreciate and give thanks to God for times of peace and tranquility. We call this the school of hard knocks. Not always the cheapest education. But often the most valuable. That's ranching in the 307.