Satisfied

Grace is what we are all looking for.

           https://youtu.be/hmkrZoqXpcA         

Catholic Cowboy Wedding

I love being cowboy. But I love being Catholic more. Even better is when they both work together. Today we had the opportunity to celebrate the wedding of a Catholic Cowboy couple in Rapid City, SD.

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the name of the local Cathedral. Built in 1963, she is a force to be reckoned with. 

Robust and spacious to say the least. Beautiful as well. 

It definitely has a late 50s/early 60s vibe. Which usually involves a lot of marble and tall ceilings. Over the decades, this Temple of God has stood the test of time. 

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is an interesting title of a western Catholic Church. Tradition has it that the original image of this painting was done by the Gospel writer, St. Luke. This rendition of that icon is one of the biggest in the western hemisphere. 

The cathedral has many side chapels. Including this Mother of God perpetual adoration chapel, where we celebrated Mass early Saturday morning. 

After which, Gerry, Fr. Josh Lee, who is the associate pastor of the cathedral, and myself all went out to breakfast. 

Then came time to marry Wyatte and Brooke. Really beautiful wedding Mass. Super great Catholic Cowboy couple. 

Followed by everybody's favorite, the reception. 

Paul and Cindy walked with Wyatte and Brooke as they prepared for marriage. Well done, good and faithful servants. 

Good stuff. Little brings joy to a community more than a wedding. And when it's a Catholic Cowboy wedding, all the better. Wyatte and Brooke, you're an amazing couple. Keep letting your light shine for all the world to see!

Tradition

Thread of continuity. 

           https://youtu.be/yV4zMuJgoz0         

County Fair

The county fair that Chris Ledoux sang about would have been right here in Johnson County. So Gerry and I had to swing by and see what it’s all about.

Fair time is the highlight of the year for small western towns. Buffalo is the Johnson County seat. 

Livestock is the main attraction. 4H kids bring their finest to show and sale. 

All week long they wash and polish them. 

They even practice their showmanship before the big day arrives. 

Every night, before each critter’s event, they have a feed sponsored by different community organizations. Today was pork, put on by the local FFA. 

Afterwards, they started the pig judging. 

Out of every weight class, the judge selects the best in build and tells the kids why. 

At the end of the week long fair will be the rodeo. 

Because Johnson County is full of cowboys, it only allows locals to sign up for the events, with the exception of the rough stock. Anyone is welcome to come get bucked off. 

Gotta have a snow cone to top things off. 

Fun stuff. The county fair is for everyone. Whether you ranch or not, come out and enjoy the livestock and good folks. It’s about as down home as you can get. God bless America! 

Brick by Brick

One right step after another.

           https://youtu.be/TwYq4SCWCOc         

Walking Horses

It was time to move our two brumbies into new pasture. Leaving them in Gillette until some pasture opens up in Buffalo, we ran over to walk them across the street. 

Gerry from Spain came to visit for a couple weeks. It's nice to have him back around the ranch. 

Every spring, for the last five years, Mike and Nancy Fulton have graciously taken care of our critters. Chief and Mike have grown to be pretty good buddies. Thanks, you two, for putting up with us all. 

Once we gathered up the horses and their oats, we just walked them to a neighboring pasture. 

Sally Craig has watched over Chief and Mollie before. She does a fine job. So much so that they rarely want to leave. 

This guy will keep the horses watered for weeks. 

This is also a good time to trim their hooves. Black hooves in late July are like clipping stone. 

Happy trails. 

Good stuff. Part of the fun of running critters on other people's places is interacting with them. I have grown fond of the folks that have housed my horses and cows. We've gotten into great discussions and have been able to draw nearer to God and His Church. The horses appreciate it too. They usually get plenty of TLC. Thanks y'all for being good stewards of God's creation. 

Weeds and Wheat

How to deal with evil in a good world.

           https://youtu.be/NVvsS0fRZ0Y         

Chapter 6

Jesus is God, not just a prophet and king. 

           https://youtu.be/KMdxno6n02Q         

Barley Harvest

Late July in Wyoming is barley harvest season. The grain has looked ready for the last couple weeks, but the kernel still needs time to mature. Coors has been good to the Big Horn Basin, and the farmers in turn, do good for them. 

Today, Luke brought his combine out and Dad got busy threshing. 

Combines have come a long way over the years. Luke has had this guy for a couple seasons now. Makes light work of a field. 

Dad's right at home in a cab surrounded by green. 

The barley has looked good all year and we are just thankful to get it in the bin before foul weather hits. 

When we were kids, we used to shuttle the trucks to the elevator in town and bring them back out. Today, they primarily use semi tractor trailers. 

If you don't want to seed the borrow pit, you better tarp your trailer. 

Every load that comes into the Coors elevator is weighed and tested for protein, moisture, and trash content. This was a 65,000lb load of barley. 

This is quite the facility. It can dump a lot of grain in a hurry. 

Unlike most grain bins, the Coors elevator in Worland is horizontal and dumps off of a conveyor belt from the top. This allows them to mix the year's produce. This is last years crop that they are now shipping down to Golden. 

Looks to be a bumper crop this year. 

Dad's little field went about 120 bushel to the acre. Pretty darn good. 

Done just in time.

So God made a farmer... It really wouldn't be any fun if the necessities in life just appeared in front of us. The more we work for them, the more we appreciate them. The reason I enjoy Coors beer is because of all the goodness that goes into raising the High Country Barley. You can taste the love. Well done, boys. America thanks you. 

Youthful Zeal

Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

           https://youtu.be/TpoyouMl9QM         

Sale Barn

Once I’ve cased the local feed store in a town, I like to check out the sale barn. I've been to the Buffalo Livestock barn before. In fact, I bought my first pair of herefords here. 

The last there years or so have seen some big changes at this barn. New owners have really brought it up to speed, making it a real contender among other area sale barns. 

Their sale is on Wednesday, which is staggered from the other near by barns. Torrington is Friday, Riverton is Tuesday, and Worland is Thursday. 

The market has been at an all-time high for about two years. Sounds like the biggest reason is the low cattle numbers throughout the country. 

Good bulls like this will go for $175 a hundred weight. Making a big bull a $4000 hamburger cow.

You've got to think on your toes at a livestock auction. The column on the left is the weight of the current cow for sale. The going sale price is being rattled off by the auctioneer. The right column is the stats of the previous sale. On the bottom of the right column is how many have sold and how many are left to go. 

Good time and good place to meet new folks. I think ranchers' ship has finally come in. These prices are about double what they have been in recent years. I spoke to one ole boy about the high prices and he said that they are finally where they need to be. Fair enough, ranching is far from cheap. Even though I wasn't bidding on anything, the local sale barn can be a pretty fun place to kill a little time. On to the next one. 

Perennial Vocation

Discipleship is the universal vocation for us all.

           https://youtu.be/DF9xndJxbqg