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. 

Apostolic Succession

Is why we still exist. 

           https://youtu.be/hG7oHESmnuE         

Horse Shoeing

Thankfully, Chief is not lame this spring like he was last fall. That was worrisome. To prevent it from happening again, I think we better start running shoes on him. At least on his fronts, anyway. But to do so, I called in a professional.

Devlin has been shoeing horses for several years now. Only being in Buffalo for about a year, this is his first summer of getting much work lined up. We've been hanging out since the first of the year. And over Easter, he was Baptized, Confirmed, and received Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. Congratulations, pal. Let the Good times roll!

The angle of Chief's hooves have been too high in the back, causing him to put too much pressure on his toe. The correct angle for a hoof is to be parallel with the pastern bone above it.

Another way of getting it right is to use a hoof gage. Anything below 50 degrees is concerningly low. And anything above 60 is too high.

One way of gaging the level of a hoof side-to-side, is with this T-bar. With good square hooves like Chief's you can generally just eyeball down the frog to make sure it's perpendicular to the rest of the foot.

Beings I've been complaining about him being lame, Devlin took this hoof tester to look for any sensitivity around the hoof. None to be found.

Once a game plan was established, he let the trimming begin. Just what I was hoping he would do, left the toe alone and took the heal down quite a bit.  

Best to do all the rasping you can before any iron is put on. 

Hooves change over time. I've ran 00 in the past, but we went with 0 this time.

Good to put a custom fit on them.

And even put a good edge on them so they keep pressure off of the sole. 

Then let 'er buck! Guy's have different nail combinations they like to use. Devlin puts in the three up front, but leaves the nail out of the wide part of the hoof so it can flex. 

Then crimp them over.

And call it good.

Nice job, boys.

I'm pleased with the job Devlin did. He likes to take his time and do things right. Grace builds on nature. It's been fun to see Devlin do the things he naturally enjoys and watch how God's grace enlivens him by doing so. Christianity is not complicated. Just be fully yourself and let God change the world. Keep up the Good work, pard.

Works of God

Speak to God's presence.

           https://youtu.be/XoBa-dVbpVA         

Life-giving Repentance

Turn back and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd.

           https://youtu.be/yKHoU3s9mWM         

Good Shepherd

Feeds His flock with Eternal Life. 

           https://youtu.be/8O5FKv0y78o         

Family Affair

Ranching is fun. But it's funner with family. We reunited Mom and Andi yesterday after we hauled the white pair back home from Luke's. They were both busy keeping track of their calves, but I think they were happy to be back together. So we took time to work them and their calves.  

Like mother, like daughter. Pretty girls. White cow is five, red is 1 1/2. 

First we ran Andi through to bangs vaccinate her, which guards against Brucellosis. We did the other heifers a while back. But being pregnant, we had to wait until she calved. Dr. Dan came out and did the honors. 

All we had to do with Mom is put a new ear tag in her.

So this morning, we set out to brand the calves. Not being in a rush, we went old school. I've branded with wood before, but never over an open fire. Dad said to burry the iron in the fire. We did, and it worked good. 

Two character brand with one iron. Reverse L, Drawknife. Grandpa Adams old brand. 

We had my nephew Carter and his brother-in-law Brandon come hold the critters while we branded and vaccinated them for Blackleg. 

Then turned them loose. All the cows are out to pasture now. Spring work is over.

So we celebrated with some of Mom's breakfast burritos. Thanks Ma.

Fun stuff. Family is so good because you learn from one another. Andi learns from her mom how to be a mom. We learn from one another how to get along and get a job done. It's just how the world goes round. And thanks be to God for it. With spring ranch work coming to end, let's see what other kind of fun we can drum up. On to the next one.

9 Iron Branding

My brother Luke revamped his branding corrals, so we ran a couple hundred head through to see how they worked. Pretty well, I'd say.

Pipe is the only way to go. 3 1/2" uprights. 2 7/8" and 2 3/8" posts with continuous fence in between. Nice.

Luke has ole Red working pretty good. He calls him Roany. 

Two different bunches we worked that have been on some lots being fed. 

Once gathered, we separated the calves. They look good and strong.

Then we'd crowd a small bunch up.

And Carter would wrestle them into the alley.

And push them into the hydraulic calf table to be worked.

Grandpa applauded the effort.

On the table, they were banded and vaccinated. 

Luke uses a lazy 96 iron. 

With little effort we were done and ready for some brats. 

Not bad at all.

Fun time. Good to see everyone. Luke puts a lot of work into his farm/feedlot operation, and it shows. The new branding corrals are a nice addition. Good work, brother. Keep it up. 

Revelation

Comes formally through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium. 

           https://youtu.be/zs-YHy2tlJ0         

Truth

Can either unite or divide.

           https://youtu.be/DnGs-hhHB2g         

 

Sign of Forgiveness

A true witness of Christianity.

           https://youtu.be/sQiKJoonIe0         

Shop Signs

With a rainy day on hand, I headed to the shop to hang some final touches on the wall. It pays to have the shop set up like you want. If done right, it can be a little sanctuary in the middle a lot going on.

Shops are a place to slow down and let your inner child run. That's what they are for me, anyway. 

Old license plates are standard shop wall covering. 

Good memorabilia. 

My buddy Adam Miller made this for me years ago. 

This sign reminds me of my buddy Chad, A.K.A. Swede. 

A friend in Polson Montana made me this guy. That's some serious detail. 

That's why I like have a stick frame interior. You can pretty much just do what you want. 

Here's to you Nick Smith. 

Of course, our Lord, front and center. 

Classic, no good reason not to hang on the wall, sign. 

Good stuff. 

This will be the sixth shop I've hung my dart board and Olympia Beer sign in. Jared better get ready.

A good shop has to have character. Even without any wall hanging, this shop already has character. Now it has personality. Shops are all season hangouts. If you have them set up right, they are always there for work, or if you just need to get out of the office. Let's ranch.