We reap what we sow, for good or ill.
Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
Monday, June 19, 2023
Sunday, June 18, 2023
Ranchin' Around
It's been a prolific spring on the Durham Ranch. Calves and grass abound. Having a buddy in town who has a love for buffalo, we set up a tour with my friend and ranch head honcho John Flocchini.
There's pushing 800 calves on the ground on this 55k acre ranch north of Wright.
Fr. Alan Bower is a priest for the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida and is currently working with Cross Catholic Outreach, an international charitable organization. He celebrated the morning Masses in Gillette and then ran down to Wright with me in the afternoon.
John is always a gracious tour guide.
The buffalo are neat, but John's always interested in the terrain. Their grazing program mirrors the days when the Bison ran free. They're only in this pasture for 3-4 days before moving on, and won't be back here for another 400 days or so.
Part of this intensive grazing is the Buff's hooves stirring up the dirt, so when a bit of rain comes it soaks right in.
The calves are a good month old by now and all the adults are shedding their winter coats.
Their wool rolls around the prairie and gets picked up by mice and birds for nests.
With a wet spring, the cactus is in good bloom.
The Lupine is looking good too.
To top it off, John sent us home with some homegrown top sirloin Bison steaks. Fr. Alan sure enjoyed it. I stuck to the beef.
It's always fun to get to know brother priests. Fr. Alan has a good heart and a joyful disposition, two fine characteristics in a man of the cloth. Keep up the good work, Padre. The world needs more holy priests!
Authority
True fatherly authority only comes from being in relationship with God the Father as His beloved sons.
Saturday, June 17, 2023
Friday, June 16, 2023
Cattlemen
The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus reveals that God loves us with a human heart. With that in mind, Kelly and I set off to glorify the Lord with our lives. No better way to do that than by chasing cows.
Kelly's my right hand man. Whether it's on the Altar or in the pasture, he's always one step ahead of me.
Today was redemption day. The last horse Kelly was on broke four of his ribs. The only way to heal after something like that is to saddle back up.
It was time to pull our critters out of John's place. He has some other cows coming in so we decided to get while the getting was good. Of course we found the girls hiding in the trees.
Getting them all going in the right direction was a bit of a chore.
As well as finding a place to bring them down that's not rim-rocked.
Giddy up.
Well done.
A good fence is worth 10 cowboys.
Good ride cowboy.
Once in the corral we loaded them up in Paddy Wagon. I always wondered if you could fit five cows in the back half of her. Guess so.
We weren't done though. I wanted to put some fly tags in their ears. John didn't have a squeeze chute so we borrowed the neighbor's.
Got er' done.
It was a trick loading them back up again. And to top it off, we had to chain up to get out of there. Any time I can put iron on my tires I'm a happy camper.
Then we unloaded them at Joe's place where they'll spend the rest of the summer.
But before we kicked them loose we rode the fence.
This was a cute little find. You can almost step right over these fawns without them moving. Pretty obedient to mom, I'd say.
Good luck girls. Don't eat it all in one day.
Muy Bien.
I love chasing cows. And when it's with a good buddy, all the better. I've been around a lot of cowboys, but not as many cattlemen. A good cattleman thinks like a cow. He makes going where he wants them to go their idea. Kelly and I are cattlemen in progress. But what fun is it to be a finished product? Life's about the journey as much as the destination. Jesus not only leads us home to Heaven, He also teaches us how to enjoy life in the process. Thanks Lord for a good day. We're on to the next one!
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Rainy Rodeo
It takes a lot to stop a rodeo, and rain and mud are not enough. The second weekend in June is Hulett's annual rodeo. I've served my time in the chutes, now it's time to enjoy the ride from the stands.
Thanks be to God it's been a rainy spring. Combine that with cool temperatures and good cattle prices, ranchers around Hulett are happy.
The Burch boys brought out their baddest best.
Rain or shine, they came to ride.
They bucked bareback, broncs, bulls, and ranch bronc. I only got there in time to see the bulls and ranch bronc.
My buddy Ben Miller stole the show with a 75 point ride.
Bucked his boot off in the process.
I love rodeo. Though I'm more than happy to sit and watch from the stands, it still get's your blood pumping when you see guys grin and bear it. The rain and mud just add to the fun. Life is good. Thank God for cowboys.
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