(Above: This afternoon I made another line to mark the east side of the Guesthouse roof battens. Esta tarde hice otra línea para marcar el lado este de los listones del techo de Guesthouse.)
2/16/2025: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the 80s. Noontime rains brought temperatures back into the 60s.
A unique sunrise on February 16, 2025 in the central field. Un amanecer único el 16 de 2 de 2025 en el campo central. 
Now the ‘new’ headchute (head chute) is in use. Ahora la ‘nueva’ rampa de captura está en uso. 
Lunch on 2/16/2025 consisted of beef sausages accompanied by coleslaw topped with slices of hard-boiled egg. El almuerzo del 16 de 2 de 2025 consistía en salchichas de res acompañadas de ensalada de col cubierta con rodajas de huevo duro. 
The easternmost field of the ranch on the cloudy afternoon of February 16, 2025. El campo más oriental del rancho en la tarde nublada del 16 de febrero de 2025. 
The Wagyu beef and rice mix was accompanied by a green salad topped with leftover coleslaw from lunch and a few slices of havarti cheese and avocado. All of this was drizzled with homemade barbecue sauce. La mezcla de carne wagyu y arroz estaba acompañada de una ensalada verde coronada con sobras de ensalada de col del almuerzo y unas rodajas de queso havarti y aguacate. Todo esto estaba rociado con salsa barbacoa casera. 
For dinner I made a pan-fried mixture of Wagyu beef and rice. Para la cena preparé una mezcla de carne Wagyu y arroz en la sartén. 
Dessert consisted of a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. El postre consistía en una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
2/17/2025: Today began in the high 40s and warmed into the mid 60s. Sunny.
The dawn of February 17, 2025 in the central pasture. El amanecer del 17 de 2 de 2025 en el campo central. 
This is what remains of the church on the corner in Sparr. Esto es lo que queda de la iglesia en la esquina de Sparr. 
Lunch consisted of a platter of sushi accompanied by a bowl of miso soup garnished with avocado, red cabbage, and spinach. El almuerzo consistía en una bandeja de sushi acompañada de un tazón de sopa de mizo adornada con aguacate, repollo rojo y espinaca. 
Padre riding his Segway on the afternoon of 2/17/2025. Mi padre conduciendo su Segway en la tarde del 17 de 2 de 2025. 
I made a new business card for Master Blend. The front has a code to access the recipes on our website, and the back has a code to leave a review. Hice una tarjeta de visita nueva para Master Blend. El frente tiene un código para acceder las recetas en nuestro sitio web, y el reverso tiene un código para dejar una reseña. 
The back of the new business card. El reverso de la nueva tarjeta de visita. 
In the afternoon I used string to make straight lines for the battens on the roof. Por la tarde utilicé hilo para hacer líneas rectas para los listones en el techo. 
Dinner consisted of a Belgian blue burger-steak crowned with Swiss cheese and mushrooms. This was all accompanied by a green salad topped with leftover coleslaw from the day before and a slice of havarti cheese. La cena consistía en un bistec de res molida de azul belga coronoado con queso suizo y hongos. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde cubierta con sobras de ensalada de repollo del día anterior y una rodaja de queso havarti. 
This is a sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
2/18/2025: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the 70s. Mostly sunny.
Some cranes and the moon in the early morning of February 18, 2025. Algunas grullas y la luna en la madrugada del 18 de 2 de 2025. 
A green salad topped with beef, rice, hard-boiled egg and seaweed paper. All of this was drizzled with a dressing of homemade barbecue sauce and olive oil. Una ensalada verde cubierta con res, arroz, huevo duro y papel de algas. Todo esto estaba rociado con un aliño de salsa barbacoa casera y aceite de oliva. 
This afternoon I made another line to mark the east side of the Guesthouse roof battens. Esta tarde hice otra línea para marcar el lado este de los listones del techo de Guesthouse. 
These are the concrete screws I used to attach the outlet to the concrete post outside the Guesthouse. Estos son los tornillos para hormigón que utilicé para fijar la tomacorriente al poste de concreto afuera de Guesthouse. 
Tonight I made a Wagyu London Broil. It had a pattern because I made crisscross cuts before cooking it. Esta noche preparé un London Broil de Wagyu. Tenía un patrón porque lo hice cortes entrecruzados antes de cocinarlo. 
The plated dinner: A piece of Wagyu roast topped with a spoonful of sour cream and accompanied by a colorful salad and a piece of bread made by Padre. La cena emplatada: Un trozo de asado de Wagyu cubierto con una cuchara de crema ácida y acompañado de una ensalada colorida y un pedazo de pan hecho por mi padre. 
This is a sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
2/19/2025: Today began in the mid 50s and warmed into the high 60s. Drizzly and cloudy.
The morning of February 19, 2025 was a morning of community service at the Livestock Pavilion in Ocala. La mañana del 19 de 2 de 2025 fue una mañana de servicio comunitario en el Livestock Pavilion de Ocala. 
I judged record books for 3 hours. The first hour went pretty well, but the following hours were too long. Juzgué libros de récords por 3 horas. La primera hora fue bastante bien, pero las siguentes fueron demasiado largas. 
For lunch, I got sushi and miso soup. Everything was delicious. Para el almuerzo, conseguí sushi y sopa de miso. Todo estaba delicioso. 
The grey afternoon of February 19, 2025. La tarde gris del 19 de 2 de 2025. 
I tried to prepare a beef brisket but it was still too frozen to cut. I’ll try again tomorrow. Intenté de preparar un pechuga de res pero todavía estaba demasiado congelada para cortarla. Lo intentaré de nuevo mañana. 
Dinner consisted of a spring mix and cabbage salad topped with seasoned beef, avocado, sour cream and salsa verde. La cena consistía en una ensalada de mezcla primavera y repollo cubierta con res sazonada, aguacate, crema ácida y salsa verde. 
This is a green apple and half a red apple, both sliced, sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana verde y una mitad de una manzana roja, ambas en rodajas, espolvoreadas con canela y acompañadas de una cucharada de yogur griego.
2/20/2025: Today began in the 50s and slightly drizzly. Did not warm much.
The morning of 2/20/2025: There were sheep and their offspring in the yard around Padre’s studio and Madre’s containers. La mañana del 20 de 2 de 2025: había ovejas y sus crías en el patio alrededor del estudio de mi papá y los contenedores de mi mamá. 
Lunch consisted of a green salad topped with slices of hard-boiled eggs and leftover beef. This salad was drizzled with a red wine vinaigrette. El almuerzo consistía en una ensalada verde coronada con rodajas de huevos duros y sobras de res. Esta ensalada estaba rociada con una vinagreta de vino tinto. 
In the afternoon, I put a tent over the aloe plant to protect it from the cold. En la tarde, puse una tienda de campaña sobre la planta de aloe para protegerla del frío. 
Before dinner, I started preparing a stew for Saturday by cutting up a 20-pound beef brisket into cubes. Antes de la cena, comencé a preparar un guiso para el sábado cortando una pechuga de res de 20 libras en cubos. 
Dinner consisted of a Wagyu burger-steak. This steak was pan-seared and accompanied by a coleslaw topped with three slices of handmade cheese. La cena consistía en un bistec de hamburguesa de Wagyu. Este bistec estaba dorada en sartén y acompañado de una ensalada de repollo cubierta con tres rodajas de queso hecho a mano. 
This is a sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt. Esta es una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
2/21/2025: Today began in the low 30s and warmed into the high 50s. Sunny.
The rising sun on 21/2/2025 shone through the new leaves of the hackberry tree in front of the old milking parlor. El sol naciente del 21/2/2025 brillaba a través de las hojas nuevas del almez frente a la antigua sala de ordeño. 
Noon on February 21, 2025 in the central field. El mediodía del 21 de 2 de 2025 en el campo central. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs and seasoned beef. This was accompanied by a colorful salad made by Padre. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos y res sazonada. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada colorida hecha por mi padre. 
Before dinner, I prepared jars of honey and homemade ranch seasoning for the store. Antes de la cena, preparé frascos de miel y condimento ranch casero para la tienda. 
Dinner was a reverse-seared Belgian Blue New York strip accompanied by a green salad topped with cabbage and Havarti cheese. All of this was accompanied by a horn of red wine and a bowl of sour cream for dipping. La cena consistía en un bistec de Nueva York de Azul Belga dorado al revés y acompañado de una ensalada verde coronada con repollo y queso havarti. Todo esto estaba acompañado de un cuerno de vino tinto y un tazón de crema ácida para mojar. 
A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of sour cream. Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de crema ácida.
2/22/2025: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the low 70s. Partly cloudy.
The central field in the early morning of February 22, 2025. El campo central en la madrugada del 22 de febrero de 2025. 
These are the peanut butter puff pastries I made on the morning of February 22, 2025. Estos son los hojaldres de mantequilla de maní que hice en la mañana del 22 de febrero de 2025. 
Lunch consisted of beef sausage topped with mustard and accompanied by a green salad crowned with leftover coleslaw from two nights ago. El almuerzo consistía en salchicha de res cubierta con mostaza y acompañada de una ensalada verde coronada con sobras de la ensalada de repollo de dos noches atrás. 
On the evening of February 22, 2025, I began installing the battens on the roof of Guesthouse. En la tarde del 22 de febrero de 2025, comencé a instalar los listones en el techo de la casa de huéspedes. 
I added two battens to the roof of the Guesthouse this afternoon. Agregué dos listones al techo de Guesthouse esta tarde. 
This is the dinner of 2/22/2025: It consisted of a Mississippi-style stew topped with red cabbage and a piece of sourdough bread. All of this was accompanied by a green salad made by Padre. Esta es la cena del 22 de 2 de 2025: Consistía en un guiso estilo Mississipi cubierto con repollo rojo y un trozo de pan de masa madre. Todo esto estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre.
Final Note: An epigraph from Grimorzak’s 9th chapter in TLB (Book 2).
“I’m not supposed to be showing you this, Trefy, but look here: Artifact #7734, a vapor-powered reciprocating engine. It’s one of my favorites, because it’s a perfect demonstration of why the Empire does not conquer but instead incentivizes belief.
“The machine could be utilized in almost any application ranging from cultivation to production to transportation, reducing the need for man labor. Yet it reduced the need for man labor. A reduction in need for human exertion reduces the need for humans. And when we humans aren't needed – when necessity does not provide purpose – it’s left up to us to find our own, or better-worded, to create it.
“…Oh certainly it’s possible [to find purpose], but we can damned well see how that goes in most cases. How many of our high society are listless sacks of ennui? How many can you find in the breadflower dens? How many take their own lives: result of indolence and inaction and too much time thinking about the thoughts rattling about in their heads? And those are our highly educated. If so many of our so-called ‘elite’ have failed to find purpose, what chance will the poorly educated masses have when the machines take theirs?
“That, I hypothesize, is when religion — no — belief, will come front and center once more. But where that belief once served as an aegis against the terrifying dark of ignorance, it may now end a haven for our humanity: a shelter for our beleaguered spirits away from corrosive and unremitting currents of progress.”
– Prince Rowen Plompaytis to Trefor Glibb on the merit of belief