Non-contradiction

We need a solid philosophy before we can do good theology.

           https://youtu.be/x-aMTOJroLY         

Dog Days

Lay it down at the foot of the Cross.

           https://youtu.be/MKFZR6pImnw         

Confident

Confidence comes from experience.

           https://youtu.be/mXyp0e8D67w         

Senses of Scripture

There's two: literal and spiritual. The spiritual is broken into the allegorical (not the analogical), the moral, and the anagogical. 

           https://youtu.be/6M3Jx737T88         

Dialed In

The HydraBed on White Horse was a huge improvement to our operation, but she took some fine tuning to get her really working good. 8 cows later, she's running smooth.

Once we've shot our critter, we load her up and haul her to the pasture. 

The lift arms make gutting a breeze. 

Next, we unhook and extend our arms to grab the back legs.

Probably the greatest improvement was the hooks on the lift arms. This was our third try. What makes them tricky is that they have to rotate, keeping the chain vertical, while the arms travel a total of 180 degrees. Looks like they do the trick. 

With the arms fully extended we can get her skinned without kneeling down. 12' is a minimum height needed to string a cow.

The great thing with the HydraBed is that we can also swing the carcass into the truck bed. Once there, we quarter the front shoulders.

Then lay the hinds in and lop off the the final two hooves. 

Giddy up.

With White Horse dialed in we can operate as a one man band. This is helpful because I'm running out of cowboys that want to shoot a cow with me. Such is life I guess. It's hard feeding American by yourself, but the mission must continue. Thankfully I have my trusty caballo by my side to do the heavy lifting.

Doing What I Love

Find what you love to do and you won't have to get paid.

           https://youtu.be/2m5t3ftWAik         

 

 

Tall Grass

Wyoming is known primarily for its short, stocky, prairie grass that packs a punch of protein. However, there are a few areas with tall grass, and the Blacks Hills of Wyoming are one of them. Planning to celebrate Mass in Hulett tonight, I blew out early to check on the cows.

Chief sure didn't mind getting out and about. He didn't have to bow his neck to get a mouth full of Smooth Brome. 

The girls have enjoyed it too. Sitting around getting fat is hard work.

Of course I had to stop at the Gulch for a burger and beer.

Here's why we have tall grass this summer. Our Father truly provided in our need. Thanks Dad.

 

Priestly Disciple

The Church needs pastors who are first disciples.

           https://youtu.be/Z-MsDoAZ3pk         

Mud Flaps

Back when I used to put flatbeds on trucks, the mud flaps were the crowning jewell. They had to be the right length and width for the bed. If fit correctly, they would compliment the truck. If not, they looked like high waters on a teenager. 

Helena Trailer Sales was our business back then. No better billboard then hanging from the back of a truck.

White Horse's flaps were riding a bit high, so we put some chrome extensions on them. Now we're ranchin in style.

Snake Homily

We can walk on snakes through a Good perspective.

             https://youtu.be/xCF7gP3hSmg           

Intention

Bring your prayer intentions to our Lord at Mass.

           https://youtu.be/AevsJ87bD2I         

Dirt Work

One thing that never gets old is playing with dirt. And if there's a purpose behind it, even better. Such was the case the past couple of days. Before we can start driving some posts for the corrals, we needed to level the playing field. 

The tool of choice was obvious: JD 450 with our recently purchased box scraper. 

Safety first around this ranch. 3 days without a reported injury.  

The mission was simple: level off the back corral so that is is more accessible and user friendly. 

The scraper is slick. Lower the box to scrape dirt into the bucket. Then lift it up when the can is full. The gate had a hard time closing with a big load, so Gerry and I welded on some hooks to hang tractor weights on. Seemed to help.

Once you've hauled the load to where it needs to go, just tilt the box up and turn it loose. You can turn really sharp and put the dirt right where you want it. 

While we were at it, we built a new road to access the back corral. 

There she be.

The right equipment makes a hard job much easier. But let me tell ya, it takes a lot of work to move a little dirt. Thanks be to God for hydraulics and horsepower. Without it, America would not be what she is today. May God continue to bless her.