(Above: During the late-afternoon beef pasture inspection, Padre and I stopped by a cluster of blackberry bushes to the east of Jacobhouse [they occur along the farm’s eastern fence border]. The bushes were riddled with ripe fruit… and thorns. Lots of thorns. I included this picture as the feature image so it would remind me to look for blackberries again at the beginning of May next year. I also wrote it on my calendar.)
5/8/2022: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the high 80s. Mostly sunny.
Dawn of 5/8/2022: The artichoke flower has opened farther. 
A classic Sunday-morning scene on a so-called ‘full feed morning’. On such mornings, every bovine group on the farm gets fed. 
A picture Padre took of me spraying for flies after he put out feed for the wean-lots. 
Lunch: A 15 oz. Belgian Blue burger-steak accompanied by plenty of delicious greens. 
Pastries for Madre, Padre, Wag, and I — made in the name of Mother’s Day (Madre gets the extras.) 
Artichoke flower in the mid-afternoon (5/9/2022). 
I found these blackberries along the farm’s easternmost tree line. They were simultaneously sweet and a tad bitter (just like the blackberries I enjoyed in Taxco). 
A picture of Madre forking feed on Mother’s Day. 
For dinner, I enjoyed three parmesan & black-pepper encrusted eggs accompanied by a cucumber / tomato / onion salad. 
For dessert: One of the earlier-shown Mother’s Day pastries accompanied by a dollop of frozen (whipped) cream. The pastry was crisp, the filling was savory & sweet, and the frigid cream provided exceptional contrast in temperature.
5/9/2022: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Quite sunny.
Dawn of 5/9/2022: A young brindle gaur (#326’s spawn) and white gaur (#335’s) lick and tug on Padre’s clothing. They are learning. 
Morning of 5/9/2022 in the south-easternmost beef pasture. 
Blackberries found and plucked during the noontime beef pasture inspection. 
For lunch, Padre and I ventured to Lorito’s (Madre, alas, was tending to doctoral-related tasks at Grandma’s house). There, I started with the Greek Salad. All the ingredients were fresh, and the salad itself was a sight to behold. 
This salad was accompanied by a Diet Coke and a couple delicious pieces of cheese pizza. 
After returning home, in spite of being satiated, I decided it was a good time to prepare dinner. This entailed rubbing some Belgian Blue short ribs down with a spice mixture and stirring together the ingredients for a couple jars of homemade BBQ. 
Thyme seeds destined for planting. They are probably the smallest I have ever planted. 
The left two columns are planted with lavender. Meanwhile the postern six on the right side are planted with thyme and the front six on the right side are epazote (Mexican Tea). 
One of two bench scrapers I procured from Amazon. I appreciated the fact that someone thought to print measurement values on the otherwise unused surface of this tool. 
Dinner: Belgian Blue short ribs seared in cast iron skillet and accompanied by (not-seen-here) a Padre-wrought cucumber salad.
5/11/2022: Today began in the low 60s and proceeded to warm into the high 80s. Sunny throughout.
Morning of 5/10/2022: I’m uncertain what these bugs are, but I found them on the fence beside a mulberry tree just west of Jacobhouse (one of those growing into the old milking parlor). They may be a type of ‘cotton-stainer’. 
The weanling herd just east of Jacobhouse were reposing under an oak as I pulled up 3 fence posts in the nearby field. 
At approximately 11:30 AM, the herd entered the feed barn for their lunch. 
My lunch followed soon thereafter. It consisted of 6 parmesan-and-black-pepper encrusted eggs accompanied by a Padre-made and Madre-dressed salad. 
Madre atop her office container. One of her tasks today was to neaten the cell-booster and TV-antenna cables where they come out of the side. 
Another Madre-activity: She planted some flowers just outside her office-container’s front door. 
This is one of the Holstein Heifers that Padre bought from the Ocala Market. We hope that our regular feeding regimen will bring her back to full health. 
Two Belgian Blue rump-steaks destined for dinner. These were seared in a cast iron skillet and then rested on a warm plate seasoned with butter, black pepper, roasted garlic, and fresh rosemary. 
My Belgian Blue rump-steak beside a Padre-made & Jacob-Dressed salad. 
The steak ended up being exceptionally tender and cooked to what I consider a perfect medium rare. It was an especially enjoyable repast. 
For dessert, I enjoyed a small brown bowl of blueberries accompanied by a small silver bowl filled with homemade whipped cream.
5/11/2022: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Sunny and breezy throughout.
Dawn of 5/12/2022: Mini-cow #402 peers back at the photographer. 
#338’s gaur heifer is not even 10 months old. She is an impressive specimen. 
Flight of the weanlings: This picture was taken moments after the newly weaned calves were introduced to their new (albeit temporary) lot. 
Lunch of 5/12/2022: A satiating repast of raw fish wrapped in seaweed & rice. In other words, sushi. It was delectable. 
Later on in the afternoon, Padre and I filled and moved 20 bags of compost down to the Moo-Magic stand. 
Searing of two Belgian Blue burger-steaks destined for the dinner plate. 
Dinner of 5/12/2022: Belgian Blue burger steak accompanied by a Padre-made & Jacob-dressed salad. Mustard was the condiment of choice for the beef.
5/13/2022: Today began in the low 60s and proceeded to warm into the low-to-mid 80s. Sunny throughout.
Dawn of 5/13/2022: A view looking west in the south-easternmost beef pasture. 
Due to Wag being needed at my Uncle Eric’s farm for vaccinating / preg-checking 130 cattle, I stayed on the farm this morning to help with another ‘full feed morning’. Every creature on the farm was fed. 
After an active morning, lunch ensued. Here is a molcajete full of tomato salsa destined for a taco salad. 
The taco salad topped with aforeseen salsa along with a few dollops of sour cream. Delicious. 
A pair of cattle-shears bought last year and used only once. I proceeded to post them on the Facebook marketplace for $100.00. They sold during the night. 
Prometheus, the Belgian Blue Gaur Hybrid out of #273. As Padre says, the creature’s head looks too small for its body. 
A brown anole consuming a garden spider. 
Dinner tonight consisted of half an acorn squash filled with a couple eggs and topped with roasted mushrooms. This as accompanied by a Padre-made & Jacob-dressed salad.
5/13/2022: Today began in the mid 60s and proceeded to warm to the mid-80s. Sunny throughout.
Dawn of 5/13/2022: Bovines grazing in the central pasture. 
Mid-morning: A trip to the Salt Springs. There, I played accordion for a time before swimming a few laps and exploring the depths of the central spring. 
Yesterday, I sold those cattle shears for $100, so today I took Padre and Madre out to eat at Latinos y Más. The starter was a sizeable pile of chips accompanied by freshly made salsa. 
Last time, I was especially impressed by the avocado salad, so I got it again. The avocado was fresh, and the combination of palm heart and feta was delectable. 
The fully assembled salad with blackened white-fish on top. 
Tomato sauce made via molcajete. It consists of 2 freshly mashed tomatoes, 4 cloves roasted garlic, 1/2 tsp of oregano, and a pinch of salt. It is destined for a deep dish pizza. 
The late-afternoon beef pasture inspection was a hasty affair due to the impending rainfall. Bovine #675 (or #686) was aware of this fact… or at least as aware of it as a bovine can be. 
The deep dish pizza pre-cooking. Olive-oil inundated dough was topped with mozzarella cheese, which was itself topped with a layer of prosciutto and the aforementioned tomato sauce. To finish it off, I sprinkled on a heavy dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano. 
And done. All it took was 25 minutes in a 500 degree (F) oven. 
The crunchy ‘deep-fried’ crust and the ‘crackly’ Parmesan & Tomato Sauce layer on top made for a delicious combination. A Padre-made cucumber salad and a bottle of Lithuanian beer was enjoyed alongside the entrée.
5/15/2022: Today began in the low 60s and proceeded to warm into the high 80s. Mostly sunny.
Dawn of 5/14/2022: A slight mist granted the landscape a golden cast. 
One of the morning’s later activities consisted of my aiding Padre in setting a pile of brush/debris in the central beef pasture aflame. Here, he is using the loader to push kindling over the juvenile blaze. 
Lunch consisted of migas (egg / beef / jalapeño / baked tortilla chip) served with a salad of lettuce, tomato, onion, and fresh salsa verde. 
The result of that picking: a whole handful of sweet and tart wild blackberries. I ended up eating the majority of these after dinner. 
During the late-afternoon beef pasture inspection, Padre and I stopped by a cluster of blackberry bushes to the east of Jacobhouse (they occur along the farm’s eastern fence border). The bushes were riddled with ripe fruit… and thorns. Lots of thorns. 
For dinner, I reverse seared a couple small Belgian Blue rump roasts (actually two of the 5 pieces that I cut from an enormous 8 lb roast). 
Belgian Blue rump roast, sliced and ready for serving. 
In this picture of those previous slices of roasted beef is hidden under a mound of Padre-wrought cucumber salad.
Final Note: From artichokes to blackberries, and from humans to spider-eating-lizards to gaurs, there is a remarkable amount of life and living that occurs on the farm.
It always seems like so much happens/can happen in a single week, along with lots of great food, which no doubt makes it even more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing.