Jesus bring eternal meaning to those who follow Him.
Monday, July 17, 2023
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Saturday, July 15, 2023
Kelley McCreery
Today was a milestone for me. I finally got to saddle up next to a good ole friend, Kelley McCreery. Our history goes way back to cattle drives and brandings in the southern Big Horns during the early 1980's. I wasn't much help back then, being all of about 4 or 5. But those memories are burned into my mind. Well today, we set out to drive cattle once again.
Kelley and his wife Nadine have deep roots in Campbell County. Today, they manage their family ranch land by running another outfit's yearlings.
Kelley and Dad were friends in the oil field. He'd come up and spend time with us in the mountains.
July brandings were the highlight of his year back then, as it was for all of us. He'd take the week off from moving drilling rigs and help the Lungren family trail cattle up the Cherry Creek stock drive and brand the calves when they got to the summer range.
Kelley left the Worland area in the mid 80's and I hadn't seen him since. I knew he was living back in Gillette, so I kept my eye out for him. One day, in the spring of 2021, I spotted him in at Lula Belles. I knew him in an instant and it didn't take him long to connect the dots back to another time. Since then, we get together every once in a while and trade stories.
Today, a Lungren/McCreery duo teamed up once again. When the National High School Finals Rodeo are in town, Kelley and Nadine supply the yearlings for their team penning and cutting events. This requires them rounding up 1-2 cattle pots worth of cattle each morning to provide the contestants with fresh cattle. As providence would have it, I was able to help them round up a 1200 acre pasture and push some 650 yearlings through the gate and into the next lot. The Canada smoke is starting to roll back into the lower 48.
For a special occasion such as this I busted out my new chaps. I was planning on riding Chief, but he didn't take the bait into my catch pen this morning, so I took my big steed Mollie.
Campbell County prairie is so interesting. There are these little mounds all over the country. Most of them have scoria at the top, indicating to me that they were once smoke flues for a burning coal seam. I'd like to learn more about their geology.
Then out in the middle of things, you'll find astroid looking rocks that sit there like they've fallen out of the sky.
Slowly we started to get the yearlings bunched up.
Water in prairie pasture is everything. These days, instead of relying on reservoirs, guys have drilled wells and pumped water to a storage tank on a high point where they are able to gravity feed water to tanks all around the area.
Yearlings are fun to chase when they are going in the right direction. But it doesn't take much of a glitch to scatter the scene and make you start all over again.
We met up with Kelley's son Pat and his posse of riders, who were cleaning house from the other end of the pasture.
Once gathered together, the big rush began.
Hole in the wall gates are not easy to trail through. Fortunately this experienced crew of cowboys was one thought ahead of the girls and made them turn before they could think otherwise. Another well job done.
Long live cowboys.
WYO Rodeo
Summer time is rodeo time. This year William and Cassidy, and Kurt and Leah, invited me to join them in Sheridan for the annual Wyo Rodeo. Good rodeo. Good time.
So fun. I love these Catholic Cowboys.
The rodeo starts out with four heats of the Indian Relay Race. Wild. The Wyo Rodeo is the world championship race for these boys.
It was cool to see Lefty Holman crack out. This dude is smooth. In fact, he makes bronc riding look so easy that I think he actually gets less points than deserved. You could balance a wine glass on his cowboy hat as he rides these buckers.
Ira Dickinson is a Wyoming Catholic Cowboy from Rock Springs. This ride, on Burch's Lunatic from Hell, was pure poetry. Nice ride cowboy. You should consider the priesthood.
Afterwards, the kids took to the town. Yee haw!
Looking good.
But before I left, I used up my Kings Ropes gift certificate that the St. Matthew's parish staff gave me for my 5th year priestly anniversary to help buy me some new chaps. After all, I think leather represents 5 years.
Super fun time. The rodeo was good, but the company was better. The world needs more Catholic Cowboys! Thanks y'all.
Thursday, July 13, 2023
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Monday, July 10, 2023
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Family Fun
It's a small world, and an even smaller Church. Inside the Church we’re all one big happy family. Some of us just haven't met yet. Well, today we met a fellow Father in the Church, Bishop Dan Mueggenborg from the Diocese of Reno. He's here visiting some of his flock, Bud and Mary Lou Flocchini, on their ranch north of Wright.
Kelly and I introduced him to a Catholic Cowboy Mass. He seemed to fit right in.
Afterwards we went back to the ranch for dinner. John cooked up some of his famous Swiss Chard.
While Mary Lou fried us up some zucchini flowers.
The main course was Bison tenderloin.
Let's dine.
Salute!
Good stuff. The family of God is wide and varied. We may be from different states or from different cultures, but our Catholic faith unites us all. I love it. Meeting new members of the Church is like discovering new brothers and sisters. No better way to get to know each other then over a meal. First the sacred banquet of the Mass, and then at an Italian feast back at the ranch. God is good. On to the next one!
Saturday, July 8, 2023
Haying
Our little corner of hay finally produced well enough to bale. It's a grass/alfalfa mix, but the alfalfa has a stronger presence. She's thick though, and will serve well our part-time ranching purposes.
I've chosen two forms of haying that no one wants to help out with, hand-line and little square bales. I jetted back home a couple weeks ago and pulled off the 40' joints of hand-line.
Then Dad windrowed it. Beings Worland has been getting so much unexpected rain, he had to rake it a time or two.
Once he baled it up, I came back home to pull it off the field.
Mom cooked us up a good ranch breakfast.
Then Dad and I went to work. He drove...
While I stacked.
About 100 bales. Good hay, but discolored from the rain. Cows will enjoy it through.
Once loaded I headed it back over the mountain to Campbell County. 1st gear up. 1st gear down.
Help wanted.
Hobby ranching is a lot of work. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It's the work that makes it fun. Special thanks to Dad for putting up with me and for putting up my hay. Now I just have to haul it to the corral and stack it. Any takers?
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