Tractor Time

After our tree harvest was complete, we needed to find a more permanent home for the logs. Knowing nothing we had would budge them, we turned to Jim Borgialli and his selection of tractors. 

Given the option, I am always going to choose green. Probably because I am more familiar with them, but also cause they are flat out cool. The John Deere 7410 was our model of choice. 

Don't tempt me with a good time. Jim's place is about three miles outside of town. We just ran her down the highway and into the church. 

Here lie our four logs for drying. We want to keep them on this lot, but in a more concealed place. 

So we moved the logs around and started setting the big ones in first.

Then the smaller, longer ones.

Just right.

I think this will be a good location for these logs while they dry. Out of the way and a bit more inconspicuous. They probably won't be ready for any use for a good two years. Someday a prophet will come by and know what to do with them. In the meantime, set and dry. Thanks Jim for the tractor, that made my day. Farm on!

Role of St. Joe

 In salvation history.

             https://youtu.be/J0TePJqHDRg           

Dec. 17th

Our place in salvation history.

             https://youtu.be/bKukBdbAlus           

Tree Harvest

Part of being a pastor is making tough decisions. This is especially true when it comes to moving the ball forward. That being said, after much consultation and discernment, we decided to remove a big evergreen in front of the church.

This initial conversation got started because the tree is in the way of flying a flag on our flagpole. After not having any luck on getting it trimmed, I started to wonder what life would be like if the tree were gone altogether. After all, it's counterpart to the left was removed in the not to distant past. 

This girl is a beauty. A good 75' tall and healthy. But she leans and her roots are shallow. Also, if it was removed, the entire east side of the church would be exposed for people to see. With all this considered, as well as a company being available for the job, we pulled the trigger on harvesting our big evergreen. 

Ty and crew didn't mess around when they showed up for work. The right equipment makes all the difference. 

With the crane, they could basically take it apart in segments. First came the top. Quite the sight.

Our plan was to save the lumber, so they delimbed every section they took down.

Then came the upper middle half.

Once they had a pile of limbs they hauled them off with the skid-steer. 

Then the bottom section. They had to lift it up above the flagpole to swing into the street. 

While they were in the boom, we had them run a new rope through the pulley on top of the flagpole.

Then they removed the final trunk portion. A good 80 growth rings on this guy, which would make sense considering the age of the church. 

Should be able to get some board feet out of these guys in a year or two. 

Once done, they ground up the stump.

Meanwhile, Darin and I hung our Nation's flag and our State's flag.

Muy Bien. 

There is definitely some bittersweetness to this project. Cutting down a live tree should never be taken lightly, and I don't think we did. At the same time, healthy harvesting of a tree does have a place in good stewardship. It'll take a bit for the dust of this project to settle, but I think in time it will prove to be a good move for the future of our Church. What we'll do with the lumber...? Time will tell. In the meantime, we thank God for the beauty of His creation and the gift that tree has been for so long. May its memory be eternal in our hearts, pictures, and the future furniture she provides. Ranching forward. 

Repentance

Great time of year for it.

           https://youtu.be/03oFRvoqJlk         

 

Pork Chops

Wanting to celebrate Gaudete Sunday with some glad rejoicing at supper time, I pulled out some pork chops dinner.  

Not having cooked them a lot and wanting to do these guys justice, I called my pig farming buddy Fr. Jacob for some advice. He said chops like that need to be smoked low and slow. That's a foreign language to me.

My buddy Casey fattens hogs and gave us this fully processed pork. Thanks, brother. Muchas gracias! 

Not following Jacob's advice, I turned to the old standard cast iron skillet. 

After showering them with a little Lawry's first.

Once seared good on one side, I flipped them to the other. 

Meanwhile, I warmed the oven up to 400°.

Once seared, I placed them in the oven for eight minutes. 

Looked good from the outside.

And even better on the inside.

Good stuff, literally. I enjoy pork. Not ready to raise pigs, but I'm definitely happy to have one in the freezer. Special thanks to Casey and family for their generosity. We'll keep working at how to cook pork just right. In the meantime, we should stay pretty well fed. Rejoice! For our God comes to save us!

Long Game

 Rejoice through thick or thin.

             https://youtu.be/yHCZA1ufR0o           

December Trimming

Jack's roping arena grew one of the finest crops of Canadian Thistle I have ever seen. Average of 6' tall and thick! That's what happens when barren ground goes dormant. Use it or loose it.

I don't plan on going roping anytime soon, but I do want to use this pen to house some cows occasionally. Tending to these weeds has been a desire of mine all fall. However, this could be done at anytime compared with more weather sensitive needs. So we waited until the time was right and tackled it. 

First step was firing up ole Bobby. The dang thing sure starts good, even in cold weather. 

Pretty chilly today. No sun drove that point home. 

The plan was to brush hog it. I've seen these mower attachments for skid-steers but have never used one. So we rented one to find out how well they work. For starters, I'm really not very handy with a skid-steer. Hydraulic levers with my feet, confuse me. Another frustrating point is hooking up the hydraulic lines. Talk about a finger-pinching, knuckle-busting, make-you-want-to-cuss son of a gun! And yes, I did neutralize the lines before attempting a hook up. We got it, enough said.

This guy means business. I was first attracted to them by the nice job of mowing they do. The versatility of a front mounted unit also makes it ideal for our job. And, we happen to have a skid-steer siting around. Let's ranch.

First round was tough. I didn't know if it was going to work. Then I started tilting it back as I pushed into the thistle. Slowing down also helped. 

Out in the middle, the thistle died out and tall grass stuff and old weed stems took its place. Mowed even better. 

Once we got into the light stuff I tipped the unit forward, with the front down, and it mowed nice. 

Good enough for me and the girls. 

Jack told me that it was too cold to be mowing weeds with a skid-steer. He was right, but the job had to be done. With these weeds knocked down, we can see what we have to work with. Plenty of potential. The fence needs tending and some gates need addressing. But other than that, she'll work for a big corral to hold the cows and run them into the smaller pens. Then we can work them all we want. Might even feed them in here come February. We'll see. Job is done. On to the next one.

Pivotal Character

Is St. John the Baptist 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-gv--c2EH8

Comfort

Trying comforting people back to the Faith.

             https://youtu.be/Fvy7uzLiG60           

Immaculate Me

 We can relate to Mary.

             https://youtu.be/NOskVrsgJms           

Salvation History

We are players.

             https://youtu.be/8BCtW6HANkI