We get out of Lent what we put into it.
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Monday, February 13, 2023
Sunday, February 12, 2023
Hog Leg
Nothing says America like shooting guns and watching the Super Bowl. A nice sunny afternoon was the perfect time to try out my newly borrowed six shooter.
I didn't know I needed a .45 long colt until I was running around with my brother Matt. I've always liked this hog leg of his so I asked if I could bring it home for awhile. Like a good big brother, he agreed.
So I called my buddy Ryan up and we took a little time to plink around. She sure does shoot nice.
We pulled out his AR-556 while we were at it.
The ole Silver Bullet didn't stand a chance.
Guns are fun. I know they get a bad rap from a lot of people, but it's hard to imagine life out west without one or two. Part of survival. American freedom comes with responsibility. We use the gifts God has given us to support human flourishing and the common good of all. In this neck of the woods, guns are an essential part of that equation.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
Shearing Sheep
Ranching sheep runs deep within the Neiber decedents. Mom and Dad's place is on part of my great-great grandfather Neiber's homestead. Uncle Chris is on another part of it. While we went more cowboy, they stuck with the sheep. Today was sheep shearing day on the Schmeltzer Ranch.
The ole Reverse C bar C
Uncle Chris is no stranger to shearing sheep.
This sheep wagon was Grandpa Murdoch's, Uncle Chris's grandfather and my great grandfather. He married Adeline Neiber after homesteading up the Owl Creek. Among other pastures around the area, he continued to run sheep out at Neiber.
Shearers are not easy to come by these days. Michael came down from the Belfry MT area.
Not much has changed in the sheep shearing business.
It's all about technique. If you put yourself in a good posture, you can run though a decent amount of sheep without much back trouble.
Some guys will use suspension belts, especially when tackling a couple thousand head.
Once the wool is sheared, it's collected and bagged. Stuffing measures have changed over the years.
Back in the day, they'd throw a bundle of wool up to a platform.
Where Grandpa would stand inside a bag and stuff it.
Hard to beat today's hydraulics though.
All cleaned up and ready for lambing in a month or so.
Sheep are cool, but they are a different ballgame to run. If you're not set up for them, they'll be a pain in the rear. However, if your ranch is ready like Uncle Chris's, shearing sheep is just another day in the office. Nice work partner. Thanks for supplying the world with Wyoming wool.
Friday, February 10, 2023
Welding
Anytime I have a security question that asks me what my favorite hobby is, I always answer: welding. I love to weld. I first learned in my high school shop class with Mr. Wise. Since then, the education hasn't stopped. Our intent last fall was to leave the corrals in condition that we could work on them through the winter. So with a day off needing to be spent, I ran back home to cap some posts.
Some might call this being a perfectionist. I say it’s being classy. I don't like uneven posts. Besides that, they needed to be capped. I've seen all sorts of ways people have capped tubbing. Some buy a domed cap that just pounds in. Other guys have wadded up newspaper and shoved it down the pipe a few inches and then fill the void up with sack crete, doming it up at the top. Others don't do anything. We decided to just put a flat plate cap with chamfered edges.
The first step was to cut out the circles just right. We're working with 2 7/8" o.d. pipe so I cut the circles just over 2 1/2". Being slightly smaller would give us a good welding surface. Plasma cutters make jobs like this clean and easy.
Once down at the corrals we switched to the old standby: oxy/acetylene cutting torch.
About this time is when Hank decided to join the fun.
The first step was to mark each post. I just went 1 1/2" above the top rail of the fence.
A torch does a good job but it's not always the cleanest.
Thank God for grinders.
Once prepped we were ready for the cap.
Cutting it just right leaves room for a nice 45 degree weld.
Our welder of choice is a Lincoln SA-200 pipeliner. She’s fun to run and listen to purr. This is a 1979 model. Guys still prefer these old timers in the oil patch. Their solid copper windings make them weld consistent all day long.
I take all the advantages I can. Auto darkening lens make a big difference. I've had this helmet for close to 25 years now.
The type and diameter of rod is important. When the guy told me that 6011 was easy strike I told him sold!
It took one rod exactly to make it around. Arc welds leave a slag of flux on top of the weld. You can leave it.
Or chip it off.
I like to go another step and run a grinder around it.
Muy bien.
I love to weld. In our senior year of high school, Mr. Wise took a couple of us to a state wide welding completion at the Northwest College in Powell WY. I took dead last. I've learned a lot since then and continue to do so. A guy has to get the basics down. But after that, let the ponies run! Metal is definitely my favorite material to work with. It's forgiving and lasts forever. What a gift fabrication is to man. It allows us to co-create with God. I love it, and don't ever plan to stop. On to the next one.
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Custody of the Eyes
Whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Monday, February 6, 2023
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