(Above: Dawn in the south-easternmost beef pasture (looking from the west).)
4/16/2023: Today began in the mid 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny.
Dawn of 4/16/2023. El amacecer de 16/4/2023. 
The dahlia seedlings are growing in size and number. Los brotes dahlias están creciendo en talla y numero. 
Lunch of 4/16/2023: This taco salad consisted of lettuce and spinach topped with Wagyner Blue ground beef, tomato, two types of salsa, and sour cream. El almuerzo de 16/4/2023: Esta ensalada taco consistía de lechuga y espinaca cubierta con picadillo Wagyner Blue, tomate, dos tipos de salsa, y crema ácida. 
Wagyu #72 accompanied by a “harem” of nearly 10 young bulls. 
Cow-polished aluminum located on the south side of the catch chute near the central feeding barn. 
The same type of metal, but not cow-polished (shown for comparison). 
Four carrots harvested from the garden on the afternoon of 4/16/2023. Cuatro zanahorias cosechadas del jardín en la tarde de 16/4/2023. 
This afternoon, I began digging the hole for the leach field beneath the outdoor shower. Esta tarde, yo empecé a palar el hoyo para el lecho de piedras debajo de la ducha afuera. 
Dinner of 4/16/2023: Mushroom pizza on sourdough crust accompanied by a cucumber, carrot, and red cabbage salad, a bowl of homemade tomato sauce for dipping, and a glass of prosecco. La cena de 16/4/2023: Pizza de champiñon en un corteza masa madre, accompañada de una ensalada de pepino, zanahoria, y repollo rojo, un bol de salsa jitomate de la casa para mojar, y una copa de prosecco. 
This desert consisted of a sliced apple and two halved strawberries. All of the fruit was sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by Greek Yogurt. Este postre consistía de una manzana en rodajas y dos fresas en mitadas. Toda la fruta estaba espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de yogur griego.
4/17/2023: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the low 70s. Cloudy morning, sunny afternoon.
Early morning of 4/17/2023. 
Two more sheep were born on the morning of 4/17/2023. The mother (Silent Sister, as Padre calls her), appeared to be reaping great pleasure from nursing her little ones. 
Today Madre and I procured lunch from Sushi Bistro of Ocala. Both sushi and soup possessed excellent flavors. 
This is a loaf of sourdough Bred that I made for my Spanish teacher. How purty! Este es pan de masa madre que yo hice para mi maestra de español. ¡Que bonito! 
Jewels of Opar glistening in the late day’s sun. Las Joyas de Opar estaban brillante en el sol de la tarde. 
This afternoon, I shoveled more dirt out of this hole. Now, it is ready to be filled with rocks. Esta tarde, yo paleé más tierra de este hoyo. Ahora, está listo para llenarse de piedras. 
Dinner of 4/17/2023: A coffee & salt -encrusted Belgian Blue burger steak. This was acompanied by a salad of lettuce, carrot, steamed broccoli, and jarred peppers in a tangy vinaigrette. La cena de 17/4/2023: Un bistec hamburguesa de Azul Belga incrostado en café y sal. Este estuvo acompañado de una ensalada de lechuga, zanahoria, brocóli al vapor, y pimientos de frasco en una vinagreta ácida. 
A crosssection of the steak to show its doneness. Un corte transversal del bistec para mostrar su cocción. 
El postre: Una manzana dulce en rodajas y espolvoreada con canela. Esta estuvo acompañada de una fresa en cuartos y un bol de crema ácida para mojar.
4/18/2023: Today began in the mid 40s and warmed into the mid 80s. Sunny.
Dawn of 4/18/2023: This is a picture of the sunflower path leading to the dead lot. El amanecer de 18/4/2023: Esta es una foto del camino de girasols que va al terreno de los muertos (el cementerio para vacas). 
This morning, I prepared beef shanks for slow-roasting. They will be eaten for dinner. Esta mañana, yo preparé pierna de vaca para asando lento. Se comerán para cena. 
A picture of bovines on the way to the brunch barn. Una foto de bovinos yendo al establo del almuerzo. 
Cows and calves wait for Padre to open the gate. Vacas y terneros esperan mi papá para abrir la puerta. 
Lunch of 4/18/2023: Fried eggs and beef topped with salsa verde and accompanied by a green salad. El almuerzo de 18/4/2023: Huevos y res frito cubiertos con salsa verde y acompañados de una ensalada verde. 
For dessert, I enjoyed a sliced granny smith apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by Greek yogurt for dipping. Para el postre, yo disfruté una manzana Granny Smith espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de yogur griego para mojar. 
One of this afternoon’s activities consisted of our helping another calf nurse it’s mother. In this case, it was the newborn F1 Wagyu out of #719. 
Another afternoon task consisted of bringing rocks to the outdoor shower by Jacobhouse. Prometheus was wondering what I was doing. Un otra tarea de la tarde consistía de llevando piedras al proyecto de ducha al lado mi casita. Prometheus se preguntaba que yo estaba haciendo. 
A picture of the half-filled rock bed (mini-leach-field) under the future outdoor shower. 
Dinner of 4/18/2023: Belgian Blue beef shank accompanied by a salad of cucumber, carrot, red cabbage, and olives. The beef was delicious, but not quite as moist or tender as I would have liked. Next time, I think I will put the foil wrapped shanks into the oven earlier, let it cook 4 hours, and then pull it out a good hour or hour and a half before dinnertime. That way, it can reabsorb all the juices. 
Dessert: A sliced honeycrisp apple and a quartered strawberry. All of the fruit was sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by Greek yogurt for dipping. El postre: Una manzana honeycrisp en rodajas y una fresa en cuartos. Toda la fruta estaba espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de yogur griego para mojar.
4/19/2023: Today began in the mid 40s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny. Quite dry.
Morning of 4/19/2023: This is a flourishing Mexican calabaza plant. La mañana de 19/4/2023: Esta planta calabaza brotó de unas semillas yo compré en México el año pasado. Está creciendo. 
One of this morning’s projects consisted of gluing and clamping shut a gap in the door belonging to Madre’s old office container. Our hope is that everything will remain in place after we remove the clamps in a few days. 
Lunch: A very satiating meal of Master Blend taco salad. The beef utilized consisted of leftover beef shank and London broil accompanied by a pack of Wagyner Blue ground beef. This meaty medley was accompanied by avocado, sour cream, and salsa atop a bed of greens. 
Mid-afternoon in the south-easternmost beef pasture. The grass is brown from drought, not frost. 
One of this afternoon’s activities entailed collecting a cartload of tile from the field east of Jacobhouse and bringing it to the outdoor shower project. That was one heavy cart. 
The hole beneath the outdoor shower is almost full of rocks. El hoyo debajo de la ducha afuera está casi lleno de piedras. 
I was not very hungry last night, so my dinner consisted of two small slices of pizza (made by Padre) and a sliced Granny Smith apple. The apple was sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. No tuve mucho hambre anoche, y por eso, mi cena consistía de dos porciones pequeñas de pizza (hecho por mi papá) y una manzana Granny Smith en rodajas. La manzana estaba espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cuchara de yogur griego.
4/20/2023: Today began in the low 50s and warmed into the mid 80s. Quite sunny.
Dawn of 4/20/2023 in the south-easternmost beef pasture (looking from the east). El amanecer de 20/4/2023 en el pasto más sur y este (como visto del este). 
Dawn in the south-easternmost beef pasture (looking from the west). El amanecer en el pasto más sur y este (como visto del oeste). 
At this time, there are faux grape vines blossoming at the south end of the central beef pasture. I call them faux-grapes because the vines look like grape vines but they never seem to produce anything aside from fragrant flowers. En este tiempo, hay enredaderas de uvas falsas floreciendo en el lado más sur del pasto. Me las doy el nombre “uvas falsas” porque las enredaderas se ven como enredaderas de uvas pero nunca crecien nada excepto de flores. 
Padre, Madre, and I ate lunch at Latinos y Más today. There, I enjoyed the Latino’s avocado salad accompanied by a pan-fried grouper filet. Hoy, mis padres y yo almorzamos en Latinos y Más. Allí, yo disfruté la ensalada aguacate de Latino’s y un filete de mero a la plancha. Note: Mero = Grouper 
Dinner occurred after a very long class at CF Vintage Campus. It consisted of a pan-seared Wangus Blue burger steak topped with three sautéed mushrooms and accompanied by a salad of cucumbers, red cabbage, carrot, and olives. Mi padre y yo cenamos después yo volví de una clase larga en el instituto. Cena consistía de una bistec hamburguesa de Wangus Blue a la sartén cubierta con tres champiñones salteados, y acompañada de una ensalada de pepinos, repollo rojo, zanahoria, y aceitunas. 
Dessert: A delectable arrangement of Honeycrisp apple and strawberries sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by sour cream for dipping. El postre: Una construcción deliciosa hecho de una manzana Honeycrisp y una fresa. Ambas frutas estaban en rodajas, espolvoreadan con canela, y acompañadan de crema ácida para mojar.
4/21/2023: Today began in the high 50s and warmed into the high 80s. Mostly sunny, but also the presence of puffy clouds.
Dawn of 4/21/2023. El amanecer de 21/4/2023. 
Morning of 4/21/2023: Bovines stand in front of the burgeoning sunflower blossoms. Mañana de 21/4/2023: Los bovinos estaban parado enfrente de los girasoles con flores que están creciendo. 
This morning I harvested many sprigs of rosemary for drying. Esta mañana yo coseché muchas ramitas de romero para secar. 
After cooking in the oven for two hours, the rosemary was completely dried. Después de se cocinando en el horno por dos horas, el romero estaba completemente secado. 
In this picture, there is a calf with crooked legs. He is with his mother in the desert. Poor little calf! En esta foto, hay un ternero que tiene piernas tortuosas. Él está con su mamá en el desierto. ¡Pobre ternero pequeño! 
Today, my lunch consisted of fried eggs and beef accompanied by a green salad made by my parents. Hoy, mi almuerzo consistía de huevos fritos y res acompañados de una ensalada verde se hizo de mis padres. 
A dessert of a sliced Granny Smith apple accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Un postre de una manzana Granny Smith en rodajas acompañada de una cuchara de yogur griego. 
This afternoon, my father, uncle, and I repaired a fence. We straightened the posts and added some boards to reinforce them. Esta tarde mi padre, tío, y yo, arreglamos una valla. Pusimos los postes más derecho y añadimos algunas tablas nuevas para reinforzarlos. 
This is the rockbed below the project that will be the outdoor shower. Este es el lecho de piedras debajo el proyecto que será la ducha afuera. 
A coffee-and-salt-encrusted Wagyner Blue chuck roast, roasted in the oven, and then seared in a skillet. This cut was accompanied by a cucumber salad and by a little bit of sour cream for dipping. Una asada de paleta de Wagyner Blue incrostada de café y sal, asada en el horno, y entonces sellada en una sartén. Este corte estaba acompañada de una ensalada pepino y un poco de crema ácida para mojar. 
Dessert: Sliced apple and two sliced strawberries sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a bowl of sour cream for dipping. El postre: Una manzana en rodajas y dos fresas en rodajas, espolvoreadas con canela, y acompañadas de un bol de crema ácida para mojar.
4/22/2023: Today began in the high 50s and warmed into the high 80s. Sunny throughout.
The beautiful morning of 4/22/2023: Today, I spent two hours in the Master Blend freezer room. La mañana bonita de 22/4/2023: Hoy, yo pasé dos horas en el cuarto de congeladores de Master Blend. 
These are vegetables harvested from my garden. To the left is a carrot, and to the right is a calabacita that is from a plant that is growing from one of the seeds that I bought in Mexico last year. Estes son vegetales cosechados de mi jardín. A la izquierda está una zanahoria, y a la derecha está una calabacita de una planta que está creciendo de una de las semillas yo compré en México el año pasado. 
Lunch of 4/22/2023: Today I ate a taco salad consisting of lettuce topped with avocado, tomato, fried Wagyner Blue ground beef, sour cream, and two types of salsa. El almuerzo de 22/4/2023: Hoy, yo comí una ensalada taco que consistía de lechuga cubierta con aguacate, tomate, picadillo frito de Wagyner Blue, crema ácida, y dos tipos de salsa. Toda la comida estuvo deliciosa. 
Dinner of 4/22/2023: A mixture of fried eggs, beef, and broccoli from my garden. This was topped with salsa and accompanied by a salad of Romaine, tomato, red cabbage, and carrot. La cena de 22/4/2023: Una mezcla frita de huevos, res, y brocóli de mi jardín. Esta estaba cubierta con salsa taquera y acompañada de una ensalada de Romaine, tomate, repollo rojo, y zanahoria. 
A dessert of a sliced & cinnamon-sprinkled Granny Smith apple accompanied by a sliced strawberry and a spoonful of Greek yogurt. Un postre de una manzana Granny Smith en rodajas espolvoreadas con canela y acompañadas de una fresa en rodajas y una cuchara de yogur griego.
Final Note:
“Blessed are those who choose before the fall of Fate’s foot.”
“You know better than that, Madam. There’s no such thing as choice.”
“Where there is thought, there is choice.”
“There’s an illusion of choice, maybe, but naught else.”
“Marco, when a road splits in two, there are two roads to choose from. That is no illusion.”
“True. But if you believe for one moment that we’re going to choose a road of our own volition—free of the fetters of prior experience which are themselves attached to a chain of circumstance extending backward to the dawn of all days—If you do actually believe that, then—.”
“I said nothing of what causes choice. I just say that those who choose before the trampling are blessed.”
“…Un’Mei?”
“Yes, Marco?”
“I’m sorry for doubtin’ you, lass.”
“Why apologize when you have no choice?”
“I have no choice.”
“OH, for zeh sake of boths your b’loved Fate! Eizer go on zeh honeyhunt or let’s do business. My master awaits his bride. You do have one in stohk?”
– a dialogue enjoyed by Madamu Un’Mei, Marcus B. Stiverius, and Phineas Herr in the Cove of Chosen Fates moments before the arrival and sale of Merydeth Havioci and Hattun Plompaytis
One thing about the illusion of choice, it offers the sense of control… Great meals this week too, thanks for sharing.