Long Looking Love

Jesus and Paul are equal opportunity offenders. We can be too. 

           https://youtu.be/hhECv2f5Qug         

Contemplative

If the contemplative lets the standard fall, the battle will be lost. - St. Teresa of Avila'

           https://youtu.be/v0xEJSDHHqc         

 

Horse Move

The Lord always provides. For the past three months, we have held the horses up at the Vignaroli Ranch near Ucross WY. They weathered the summer well; looked slicked off and are in good shape for winter. That being said, it was time to settle them in some new pasture closer to town.  

The kids have been running with a couple other horses out here. They were pretty much on summer vacation, as I haven't saddled either of them since July. 

It's been a beautiful fall along Clear Creek. 

Recently, the horses have been grazing the creek bottom. Not a good combination for catching my brumbies. So I set a trap and lured them in with oats. 

Our new place to run on is just south of Buffalo at Jack Marton's ranch off of Klondike Road. Here, he's got about 150 acres that we can pretty much run wild on. We'll see what ideas we can dream up over our time together. 

The only stipulation of running out here is that we have to take care of Buck, the ranch manager. 

Shouldn't be a problem. We'll let them get to know each other over the fence for a couple days, and then turn them loose. 

Home sweet home.

I think this is going to work out well. Special thanks to Jean and Jeremy for letting us pull up some grass for the summer at their place. Thanks also to Jack, who is just cowboy enough to turn me and my horses loose on his ranch. Let's see what kind of fun we can drum up. 

Hauling Pipe

One of my biggest fears is not having anything to do when the day's get cold and the nights get long. One remedy for that is having some welding projects lined up before winter hits. Well, we've got plenty of gates to build around the ranch. So I hauled some pipe over to Buffalo to pick away at the gates over the next several months. 

I aways wondered if you could haul 30' joints of pipe in a 20' stock trailer. Why not?

Against the better judgment of my mother and eldest brother, Dad and I shoved some 2 7/8" tubing over the gate of Paddy Wagon with the help of the 4010. We also stuck some other random joints in there as well. It actually pulled just fine over Powder River Pass. 

The big question wasn't whether we could haul it, but how to unload it. My buddy Darin shook his head, but was willing to lend a hand. I also wouldn't trust just any stock trailer gate to support this kind of weight. However, Circle D's are built ranch tough. 

One by one, we shoved the lighter joints out from the back and set them on the ground. 

Then we could slide the door open and push the heavier joints from the front and pull them out the back as well. 

And pile them up next to the garage. 

While I was at it, I brought over some gates that needed help and some filler pipe too. 

About as beautiful as a pile of firewood heading into a long winter. 

In Wyoming, you don't wait on winter. You let winter wait on you. We're ready. Granted I got to get the shop set up to weld, but that's minor. Having a stock pile of projects for the winter is the first step. This gives incentive to get the welder up and running. I couldn't tell you the last time I bought a piece of new iron. It just doesn't fit my style. Rust is my flavor. Let's ranch!

Allegory

The spiritual life is like...

           https://youtu.be/ZI4edT6gkII         

All things are Possible

 With God.

           https://youtu.be/-_PD8gnXjJQ         

Buffalo Lake

Being a new pastor, Bishop Steven asked if I’d attend a pastor’s training workshop near the twin cities in Minnesota. Recognizing the goodness of ongoing formation, I gladly agreed.

So early last Sunday morning, White Horse and I hit the trail. Flying was an option. But that would’ve entailed traveling to a close airport, switching planes in Denver and renting a car to finish the trip. Simpler and more reliable to drive. Besides, diving allows you to see the beautiful countryside. 

 

12 hours later we arrived at Christ the King retreat center in Buffalo Lake MN. 

And true to Minnesota’s claim of 10,000 lakes, we sat right on the shore of the lake itself. 

Beautiful, prayerful grounds, with trees changing colors.  

It was a pretty intense five days. We engaged in about six hours of classroom discussion a day. A bit tough, as I’m out of practice. But very relevant information. The program itself was ran by the Institute for Ongoing Clergy Formation, which is part of St. Paul’s Seminary. 

There was about 20 of us young pastors there. We’d start the morning off with a Holy Hour and celebrate Mass together around noon. 

Midday Friday is when all the fun came to a close and White Horse and I headed back west. 1600 miles in total. 

The reality is, we are all heading back into the fire. But that doesn’t mean we have to be consumed by it. Whether it’s the spiritual life in general, or pastoral administration in particular, with the right tools we can all remain peaceful and joyful in our relationship with the Father, no matter what our mission in life is or what the circumstances that surround us are. Special thanks to all involved in the IOCF for helping us be happy, holy, and healthy Catholic priests. 

Original Holiness

Childlike docility is how to receive well the tough teachings of Jesus Christ. 

           https://youtu.be/bpekME-5gUw         

Oil Change

Clean air and clean oil will make an engine run for a very long time. Usually I'll have the local Grease Monkey service my truck. But when I have time, I like to do it myself. 

I service White Horse about every 5,000 miles.

Your best bet is to warm the engine up before you dump the oil. That way it picks up any dirt and grime and sends it out with the oil. The oil also drains better when it's warm. 

While the oil is draining is good time to spin off the filter. An oil filter wrench usually comes in handy. 

While the oil is still trickling, I like to get a bit on my finger and lube up the new filter's seal. 

When the oil is down to a drip is when I spin on the new filter. Only go hand tight. There's nothing worse than trying to get off an over tightened oil filter. Such a case has sent more than one Catholic Cowboy running to the confessional!

Same scenario with the pan plug. Wait till dripping and don't over tighten. 

My 6.0 gasser takes six quarts of oil. I carefully dump in the first quart. Then cut the bottom off of it, turning it into a funnel for the rest of the oil. Usually I'll use 5W-30 semi-synthetic. But when available for cheap, I'll run full synthetic. 

Then fire the engine up and check the oil pressure and for any leaks.

While it's running is a good time to check the tranny fluid level, which can only be checked when the engine is running. 

After a few minutes of running, kill the engine and let the oil settle for an accurate dipstick check. In the meantime, is a good time to check the air filter. This era of Chevy's are notorious for stripping out the air filter boxes bolts. After mine spun out, I just ran in 1/4" lag bolts. Works for now. 

The filter looked pretty good. 

So I just blew it out with a little compressed air. When doing so, blow from the clean side back. This sends the debris heading in the right direction. 

By then, the engine oil is settled in the pan and you can get a good check on it. Looks topped off to me. 

On the road again. With a trip to Minnesota ahead of me, for some continuing education, the time was ripe to service White Horse. Clean air and oil are cheap vehicle maintenance that goes a long ways! Doing it yourself may not save much money, but it does give you the opportunity to look over your truck. The more eyes you have under the hood and under the chassis the more confidence you can have with your rig. White Horse is ready to run once again! Let us ranch. 

Dry Time

Fall is time to get ready for the winter months to come. Back in the old days that involved canning, which many folks still do today. I prefer drying. Not that I'm looking to preserve food for the winter, but I do like to take advantage of savoring fresh fruit. 

I was looking for this year's crop of apples at the Circle J Ranch in Tensleep Canyon, but they weren't ready yet. However, their pears were. If you can dry an apple, why not a pear? We first had to let them ripen a bit. 

Then we just sliced them and threw them on the ole dehy. 

While we were at it, I had a few oranges that we tried out. 

Why not?

About 36 hrs later they were moisture free. Kind of a fun taste. Definitely different. 

They pears dried up real nice. Much more fleshy than an orange. 

That works. 

Good stuff. I enjoy dried fruit. Particularly in the fall. It just has a close of summer and getting ready for winter feel. It's been a hot, dry, smoky summer. But in the midst of it, God still provides plenty of beauty to behold. And even better, to taste. Dried fruit is just another way to savor the sweetness of the Lord's bounty. 

Vindication

Proclaim the Kingdom of God and let the chips fall where they will.

           https://youtu.be/I7adzpY9Zns         

Angels

Thank God for our guardian angels!

           https://youtu.be/x_DFbsIk2tg