Truth is when my mind conforms to reality. Not vice versa.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Sunday, September 17, 2023
Murphy's Place
Nancy Murphy has been trying to get me out to bless their cabin for years. Well, the stars finally aligned this Sunday. After Mass in Moorcroft she jumped in the truck and showed me the way to their place on the east side of Key Hole Reservoir.
Beautiful area. Where we stand looks right down upon the their cabin and the spread of the lake. This area is also the beginning of the Black Hills of Wyoming.
You don't want to take your mother's Buick down this road. And if it rains, you might want to call in sick for work.
They had a big family get together this weekend to celebrate Nancy's 90th birthday.
Nancy says she "refuses to act her age."
The cabin is set up for family fun. Many bedrooms and plenty of room for kids to run.
Grandpa Tom, who passed away within the last couple of years, built this grotto to honor our Blessed Mother. Nancy and him have always been so faithful. Now I know why.
The water is definitely the main source of entertainment.
In her younger years, Nancy was quite the water skier. She figures that over the years Tom and her taught some 500 people how to water ski.
The great grand kids are easily entertained.
To top off a good afternoon, I even got a boat tour around Key Hole.
Nice.
The priesthood is an adventure. I really never quite know what the next day is going to bring. But one thing I can guarantee is that it won't be boring. I love it. Accepting an invitation to bless Nancy Murphy's cabin just opened the door for a pretty fun afternoon. God has a mission for us to accomplish. But He also want us to have fun in the process. On to the next one.
Saturday, September 16, 2023
Huck and Pray
I'll all about combining recreation with a good cause. Such was the case with William's second annual disc golf tournament to help raise money for faith formation here at St. Matthews.
The Camplex in Gillette has a beautiful disc golf course. Last time I played this sport was PE class in high school.
William's not afraid to think outside of the box. Why not take something you already like to do and use it for the greater glory of God and the building up of His Kingdom? I'm down.
Just like in golf, disc golf courses are laid out according to distance and terrain. All the holes on this course are par 3.
Teeing off is key. Here, Jason gives us a lesson in proper driving form.
Plenty of trees around here. All you have do is keep your foot on the place where the disc last landed. Here, Brandon drains a putt from a peculiar place.
One technique, if you have a lot of obstacles in your way, is to land the disc vertically on the ground and let it run upon the grass.
I pretty much implored the old cowboy way of just throwing it as hard as you can.
Cassidy used a little more finesse. Once you're at the hole, all you have to do is sink the disc in basket below the chains.
After 18 holes, we all arrived back for some Lungren Brothers hamburgers.
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Then William and Jason handed out awards.
Somehow, yours truly came out on top of the beginners category.
Just send it!
Sweetness. This morning's activity was right up my alley. Maybe not disc golf in itself. But taking something you naturally love and using it to proclaim the Gospel, that I can get behind. Well done, William. Keep on ranching in a free world, brother.
Friday, September 15, 2023
Pine Box
Part of the priesthood is to be a rock in the middle of the good, bad, and ugly moments of life. This past week tragedy struck a family in the parish with the death of their young son. Not being able to pay for all of the funeral expenses up front, Dave and I volunteered to make his casket.
A rather sobering project take on, building a child of God's resting place as they await the Resurrection was actually a real honor.
Tounge and grove blue pine was the lumber of choice. In the Rocky Mountain west where many forests have been hit hard with beetle kill, if you catch the dead pine trees right, they have a grey tone to them, which we call blue pine.
Dave and his shop have all the right tools.
Plan your work and work your plan. Most of the fastening came from screws on the inside.
Keeping it simple was the goal. No fancy finish.
Just a good coat of linseed oil.
Should work.
It only seemed fitting to brand it with the Rocking Chi Rho. After all, in our baptism we are branded for Christ, we are His. Baptism is where we spiritually die and rise with Christ. That sign is a reminder that our physical death does not have the last word. Resurrection does. May our little brother rest here in peace until the Lord awaken him on the Last Day.
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Monday, September 11, 2023
Brisket
When I start in on cutting a cow the first thing I go for is the brisket. It's handy to get to and it opens up the front quarter to other potential cuts. It also takes more doctoring up that most other cuts, so it's nice to get out of the way.
Briskets are basically a cow's pectoral muscles. The grains of meat go every which way and the fat is always abundant.
Briskets are that wattle looking mass in between a cow's front legs.
Beings I halve and quarter the carcasses, my briskets are a bit smaller than store bought ones. This cow has been aging for 21 days.
They are easy to identify and cutting is not complicated either. These hooks make a big difference in butchering. They help keep your own limbs out of the way of the knife.
It's good to cut plenty beyond the brisket itself and do the trimming at the table.
They do take some cleaning up.
And especially a lot of trimming of the fat. There is way more than most cooks know what to do with.
The under side takes plenty of trimming as well.
Money.
I like to cut briskets and I enjoy eating them. But I'm not any good at cooking them. This is an art that is in the hands of the next guy down the line. A good brisket is hard to beat, though. Low and slow makes this woody meat fall apart.
Today's 1.5 hrs of cutting in between other priestly responsibilities, marks the beginning of this years butcher season. Taking a bit of time during the day for this creative hobby only fuels my ministry as a priest. That's the beauty of living out of one's sonship. It properly orders our vocation to stem from our relationship with God the Father. Then we can remain peaceful and be creative in fulfilling God's mission in our life.
Sunday, September 10, 2023
300k
Today was a big day on the ranch. White Horse turned 300,000 miles. I wouldn't be the priest I am today without my trusty steed. She has gotten me to Mass, up the mountain, and everywhere in between.
South on 59 heading to celebrate Mass in Wright where she rolled over. Fitting place, I'd say.
I love what you do for me, Chevrolet!
Chris Ledoux said, "It ain't the years, it's the miles." The more miles the merrier, for me. That's where the stories lie. White Horse and I have quite a few. And I'm confident that quite a few more are to come. Let's ranch!
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