(Above: One of this morning’s projects consisted of uprooting two posts and planting six along this fence line. The intention is to allow the bovines close enough to ‘trim’ up to neighbors’ yard while deterring them from pushing on the old wires and boards.)
7/11/2021: This day began in the high 70s and proceeded to warm into the low 90s. Prominent sunlight swept moisture into the skies to create a sultry clime.
Morning of 7/11/2021: Our next two Gaur-mothers recline, chewing cud amidst the tall grasses. 
Needs a lot more work, but the ‘Cook house looks much better than it did a couple months ago. 
Lunch today: Master Blend Wagyu sirloin tip steaks accompanied by spring mix topped with fresh corn. Delectable. 
An afternoon activity: IV’ing a wobbly Wagyu calf for the second time. 
Late afternoon in the southeast beef pasture (looking west): Storm clouds gather. 
Dinner: A chiltepin, garlic, sausage, & parmesan omelet accompanied by a Malabar Summer Spinach & Jewels of Opar salad dressed in a homemade ginger & garlic vinaigrette.
7/12/2021: Today began in the low 70s and proceeded to warm into the low 90s. At 3 PM, cloud cover and nearby storms reduced temperatures to the low 80s.
Lunch today: A delectable and quite colorful repast procured from the sushi bistro. 
Garden spider in the Jacobhouse garden. 
Dinner: A chiltepin, garlic, & Parmesan omelet accompanied by salad dressed in homemade Italian vinaigrette. 
Dessert: Two Florida peaches. It must be the height of the season, because these were truly delicious.
7/13/2021: A somewhat toasty day beginning in the high 70s and proceeded to warm into the low 90s. Cloud-cover was scant in the afternoon.
Morning of 7/13/2021. I cleared more brush around the swimming pool’s west side. 
Lunch: A cubed steak encrusted in Parmesan & black pepper served alongside a salad dressed in homemade Italian vinaigrette. 
Elephant ears flourishing due to the recent rains. 
Jewels of Opar after irrigation. The number of ‘water beads’ seemed uncountable. 
Dinner: A sauteed egg & onion teriyaki served alongside a salad dressed in homemade Italian vinaigrette.
7/14/2021: This day began in the high 70s and proceeded to warm into the high 80s. Distant thunderstorms prevented temperatures from going much higher.
Morning of 7/14/2021: More trees were cut down near the old ‘Cook house swimming pool. At this point it seems as if there is an unending supply of verdure. 
Lunch at La Vaca Frita: This dish had a combination of seasoned pulled pork, chicken, and beef accompanied by tostones and a fresh salad. 
My friend, Shae, and I also shared the Marquitas de Plátano appetizer which consisted of extremely thin plantain chips served with a garlic-lime mojo sauce. 
Back on the farm, one of my afternoon activities was to repair a panel via fastening roofing tin to it (self-tapping screws).
7/15/2021: This day began in the high 70s and proceeded to warm into the mid 90s. Fortunately, low humidity kept temperatures quite bearable.
Lunch today: A simple yet satiating fare of British Blue ground beef wrapped in Romaine lettuce leaves. 
Padre took this picture of our two Selembu (Gaur & Brahman hybrid) heifers. They are presently doing quite well. 
A picture I found while searching backward a week and a day. The farm was much more wet than it is right now. 
Later on in the day, I sauteed a combination of diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, and okra as a ‘sauce’ for a ratatouille pizza. 
I don’t even know why I called it a ratatouille pizza, but it was delectable. The crust was simultaneously soft and crispy. 
Dinner: Ratatouille pizza and Padre-made Sausage, Tomato, & Pepper pizza accompanied by a salad dressed in homemade Italian vinaigrette.
7/16/2021: A warm and sunny day beginning the high 70s and warming into the low 90s. Perfect for a proper swim.
Morning of 7/16/2021: The bovines were already enjoying shade in the southeast beef pasture. 
Ritsabittle #31: A classic combination of Salt Springs, Lorito’s, and Library. Noseeums were not present at the spring today, so I was actually able to sit under ‘my’ tree and play accordion for a while. 
Lunch: A repast at Lorito’s Italian Kitchen with Padre and Madre. Padre and I appreciated how the black olives on this salad bore a firm texture and matched very well with the Italian vinaigrette. 
A delectable slice of pizza. I was ravenous today, so I ate four. Blame the cold spring water. 
I began reading about Epictetus at the library today. He seemed much more intent on achieving happiness than Seneca did. This quote stood out to me. 
An observation of the book’s author, Tom Morris. 
A picture-perfect image of our next Master Blend candidate: an Angus. 
Late evening farm activity: Fixing some boards on the east side of the Jacobhouse lot. Hopefully it will deter the creatures from attempting to poke their heads through the ancient wire fencing. 
After fence shenanigans were complete, I filled 10 Moo-Magic bags. It was surprisingly shady behind the compost mound. 
Dinner: Master Blend Belgian Blue picanha accompanied by a fresh salad and topped with a ‘mojo’ deglaze consisting of 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, 3 cloves garlic, 5 crushed chiltepin peppers, 1/4c lime-infused water, and ~ 3 tbsp of sour cream. Delectable.
7/17/2021: An especially toasty day beginning in the high 70s and warming to the low 90s. The primary difference between today and yesterday is that there was no swimming involved.
Morning of 7/17/2021: Open blue skies over a pasture of sida weed. 
One of this morning’s projects consisted of uprooting two posts and planting six along this fence line. The intention is to allow the bovines close enough to ‘trim’ up to neighbors’ yard while deterring them from pushing on the old wires and boards. 
Lunch today was originally going to be Romaine beef wraps with a Garlic & Chiltepin sauce similar to last night’s. 
Instead, I transformed it into a ‘salad’ version which was much more satiating and less messy to eat. 
Late afternoon of 7/17/2021. 
Dinner and lunch: Two pastry Strombolis filled with mozzarella cheese, a tinge of red wine vinegar, and a plenitude of Italian spices. 
Dinner: The aforementioned pastry accompanied by a fresh Italian-vinaigrette.
Final Note: Just a couple quotes from an old friend.
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.” – Henry David Thoreau
“I do believe in simplicity. It is astonishing as well as sad, how many trivial affairs even the wisest thinks he must attend to in a day; how singular an affair he thinks he must omit. When the mathematician would solve a difficult problem, he first frees the equation of all incumbrances, and reduces it to its simplest terms. So simplify the problem of life, distinguish the necessary and the real. Probe the earth to see where your main roots run.” – Henry David Thoreau
Mating grasshoppers to quality quotes, never quite sure what I’ll find, but always enjoyed.