Wet! I don’t remember a 4th like this, tho’ Dad talked of a 4th when he was a child and it snowed. Anything can happen in this country!

We had mist and lite drizzle all day yesterday and then in the evening it rained so hard that you couldn’t see out the window! Must have gotten over an inch. There is an old frying pan setting on the step and it is full of water.

Remember the cat who had kittens in the house last winter? Guess what?!

Yup, she’s at it again. When I got up at 5 I could hear mewing. I finally found a wet, fresh born kitten, in the closet by the front door. Then I found the cat in my leather shop with some other kittens. When I went outside later, I found 3 by the red granary that sets next to the house, for storage. Then I found one that looked to be dead, out by the other front door. When I went to move him, I saw he was still alive! So I brought him in with the others and left them in the leather shop. I hear mewing again, so I better go see where else she has left them!

Man, how many kittens can one cat have?

Anyone need kittens?

The 4th is almost here! How did that happen so fast?

Cool and misty this morning. Lots of guys got hay down and it hasn’t been drying out for them with lots of humidity. Makes it kind of hot and muggy to ride on cattle. Chance and I doctored on a couple the other evening, until we lost the syringe in a wild chase where I almost got my saddle jerked off my horse.

Chance and Hope had a get together yesterday evening. Burgers and Brats and beer. Quite a few people showed up. Me and Gramma left early so she could get to bed so she could get up this morning.

Guess I better go work on some leather.

Have a happy Fourth of July!

My friends Jim and Jode left their oldest son with us, so he and Chance and I saddled up this morning and jogged out to rope a heifer who has something stuck on her ankle. Looks like a bracelet. We had a wild time, ran her thru’ several fences before me and wild Woody got her caught. I still don’t know what she had around her , but we got it cut off. It was loose enough, it hadn’t hurt her any. But it was going to.

Then this afternoon we went down and broke the cement out of the bottom of a huge tire tank and dug the dirt out and tried to find and fix a leak it had in the pipe that runs under it and brings water to it from an 18,000 gallon storage tank. We even had Fr Tyler to help us.

We patched it and left it to dry. Hopefully it will work. It sure was hot and cramped working inside a black tank when there is little to no breeze and it’s 90 degrees and humid. When we got home I took a shower!

We will ride again tomorrow morning and then run Brendan in to his folks. I hate to keep him too long. Might ruin the poor kid!

Whew!

The ordination went wonderfully. Teared me up a few times and when the Bishop knelt at Tyler’s feet and asked for his blessing, it was so moving. It speaks a lot of these men who dedicate their lives to serving others.

Tyler said his first Mass at Belle Fourche on Saturday morning, as he had spent a year there with those people a couple years ago. Again, very moving and hard to explain the feeling of seeing your son, all grown up and firmly taking command of the situation and acting so priestly!

Then on Saturday evening he came out and said Mass for our small church at Red Owl, where he was nurtured and loved and got his first taste of the Church and all she stands for. It was so special. And the lady who was our music leader for quite a few years came back and lead us in the music. That was wonderful also. It felt good to have the old gang together up in the choir loft! Thanks Mary and Theresa!

Then, this morning Tyler went over and it was just us, his mother and I, his two brothers and wives and the four grandsons. Tyler said Mass and I served as his alter server. I hadn’t done that in over 40 years!

This whole experience has moved me so! Words can not express my pride and wonderment. God is great!

Thank you, all of you, who had a hand in this, the past 28 years, that led to these events!

Fr Tyler Dennis!

Here he is, standing with the Bishop, right after the ordination. We are so excited and proud!

This young feller;

Pilgrim, down south, yesterday evening, and again this morning. I sure like him. He’s out of a full sister to Beaver and his sire was Fritz, a little King Fritz x Peppy San horse Chance had for a while.He sold the sire to a young neighbor and he is making into quite a roping horse I hear. Hopefully, this will turn out, “like father, like son”.

We will be going in to Rapid this afternoon for practice for Tylers Ordination and then the Ordination is tomorrow evening. Hope to see a lot of friends their. We sure are proud and excited!

Go to saddle page for info, scroll down.

Mijo started packing a spade bit today.

He did well. As most do.

We had a little wreck this morning. Neighbor lady called to tell me we had a big bunch og yearlings in on them. I rushed up there in Purple, with the dogs, afraid the cattle were in their new mown hay. But they weren’t. So me and the neighbor got them chased back thru’ the gate they had knocked down, only leaving a few of his cows in with them. Chance came and helped me this afternoon and we rode down and sorted the cows off and put them back. I need to go in the morning and move the yearlings and fix some fence to keep them away from the neighbors pasture for awhile.

Later we went back and roped and doctored 3 yearling’s. One had twine around it’s horns, whether by accident or design, but it was cutting in and causing it to get sore and bleed. We cut the twine off and gave him some antibiotic.

Fun, fun!

Our water heater quit on Sunday, so I spent the morning calling and trying to get someone to bring a new one and install it today. Prices for the guys in Rapid were around $1000 to bring a new one and install it. Then I finally got thru’ to our electric company. Man there told me if I bought one from them, they would bring it down and install it for free. $420, total cost.

Guess which one I did!

He will be here tomorrow.

Talk about a price difference!

I had a lady friend come on Friday. I got her saddle mostly done. She went with Chance, Hope and I down to Philip to watch the bronc riding and then on Saturday she and I went to a neighbors to help him brand. She rode her saddle and got to check it out. Then she took off for her mothers in Rapid City. She left the saddle so I could finish up the seat piece, which I had left undone, in case the ground seat didn’t suit her. She will stop back on Tuesday and pick it up.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/memo-to-the-left-how-about-redirecting-the-rage-and-scorn/

Cutting edge satire!

If you don’t, your going to go to hell!