(Above: A close-up of the flourishing flora named Common Purslane. )
5/15/2022: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Afternoon showers returned temperatures to the low 80s.
Dawn of 5/15/2022: Looking west across the south easternmost pasture. 
Mid-morning inspection (just before IV’ing calf #7207). 
I neglected to procure an image of lunch (bacon & eggs-cooked-in-bacon-grease accompanied by a Padre-made salad), but in the late-afternoon beef pasture inspection, I took this picture of bovines laying in ‘protective formation’. The three mother cows all faced different directions while the calves laid at the formation’s center. 
Treating #7207. Despite the calf being ‘on the way out’, Padre brought it some oral electrolytes, and I helped him inject it with penicillin (in the case that an acute infection was the cause for ailment). 
Sunflowers peeping over a compost pile. 
Instead of having rain gear hang from the door or from the light switches in the office, I added hooks to the wall behind this door. 
When the door is open (as it usually is), most of that rain gear is hidden from sight. 
I also added a few hooks in Jacobhouse upon which I hung two cutting boards and a bench scraper. 
Dinner this evening consisted of leftover pizza – both of the Padre and the Jacob variety – along with Padre-wrought cucumber salad. All satiating and enjoyable upon the palate. 
Dessert: Apples coated in cider vinegar and cinnamon. It was a tasty as it looks.
5/16/2022: . Today began in the mid-60s and warmed into mid-80s. The day started off sunny and foggy and grew cloudier as it progressed.
Dawn of 5/16/2022: Bovine #41 is still with us and appears to be becoming accustomed to her new fodder-filled environment. 
Morning of 5/16/2022 in the central beef pasture (looking eastward). 
A few minutes later, peering westward across the Eastern Pasture. 
A mid-morning necropsy made by Padre and Wag revealed the cause of death for one our Wagyu calves: a malformed kidney that was either filled with fat, scar tissue, or both. 
One of the late-morning tasks consisted of catching almost 15 cows for vaccination and (1) embryo transfer. 
Lunch at Lorito’s. It was a delectable and refreshing repast consisting of Italian-dressed salad, pizza, a few of Padre’s french fries, and Diet Coke to drink. 
One of my less-extensive afternoon projects consisted of preparing some bacon-wrapped Belgian Blue rump steaks for dinner. These are going to be seared on a cast iron skillet. 
The full spread: A Belgian Blue bacon-wrapped rumpsteak accompanied by a Padre-wrought cucumber salad. 
The result. After searing both filets for 2 minutes a side, and doing a slow rotation along the side (to fully caramelize the bacon), I placed them on a warm plate ‘seasoned’ with melted butter and fresh rosemary.
5/17/2022: A day beginning in the high 60s and warming into the high 80s.
Before heading out this morning, I spent a few minutes drawing up two 250×160′ lots that are potential candidates for horse-and-RV rentals. 
Dawn of 5/17/2022 in the south-easternmost pasture. 
A project that Padre, Wag, and I worked on this morning. It simply consisted of replacing the old lowest pipe (which was dangling off in a perpendicular direction) with a 16 foot long 2×4 and a piece of aluminum. 
The sunflowers are reaching the ‘full-blossom’ point once again. It makes for a pretty sight, especially under a dun, grey sky. 
1,000 polypropylene bags destined for the Moo-Magic compost stand. The packaging fell apart during shipment, but they appear to have arrived in good condition. Now, we need to figure out how to extricate them from the wasp-inhabited package shed. 
Dinner of 5/17/2022: Belgian Blue short ribs seared on a cast iron skillet and accompanied by Padre-wrought salad and a glass of Yellowtail Merlot. Just another example of our diet’s ridiculous quality.
5/18/2022: Today began in the low 70s and proceeded to warm into the high 90s. Late day clouds allowed some cooling to take place.
Dawn of 5/18/2022. 
Another image of that same dawn from within the south eastern-most beef pasture. 
When I stuck my right foot into its boot this morning, I felt some ‘bumpiness’ and thought there were merely a few pieces of feed. On pulling that foot back out 45 minutes later (after beef pasture inspection), I found that those bumps were instead an unfortunate colony of carpenter ants. 
One of my morning tasks consisted of adding white pieces of tape to the fence that divides the beef field from the lagoon lot. This was to ‘warn’ some newly arrived cattle of the electric fence’s presence. 
A young wagyu calf displaying its opinion of the post-birth procedure: tagging, dehorning, and shots. 
This guacamole was made from 3 avocados, 1 clove fresh garlic, 3 dried chiltepin peppers, 1 pack of real-lime crystals (1 wedge of lime), and a pinch of salt. The migas were a medley of eggs, mozzarella cheese, and tortilla strips fried in a mixture of avocado oil and beef tallow. 
The ‘full spread’ of lunch on 5/18/2022: Migas topped with guacamole, sour cream, and a wild blackberry accompanied by a Padre-made & Madre-dressed salad. 
The full dinner spread of 5/19/2022. 
Dinner’s main course: half an acorn squash filled with two eggs and three cloves of roasted garlic. Savory and nutritious. 
A fresh piece of Padre-made pizza topped with tomato, olives, roasted peppers, and Belgian Blue rump roast. Delicious. 
A Padre-made & Jacob-dressed salad consisting of cucumbers, tomato, onion, jícama, olives, and pepperoncinis.
5/19/2022: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the low 90s. Partly cloudy.
Dawn of 5/19/2022. 
After beef pasture inspection and some chores around Jacobhouse, I ventured to Salt Springs. There, I played accordion for about 30-40 minutes, and swam for an equal length of time. Due to the day’s heat and humidity, the water felt especially refreshing. 
For lunch today, Padre, Madre, and I ventured to Latinos y Más. There, in spite of the restaurant being downright packed, we were granted relatively swift service and very fresh food. 
The Latino’s Avocado Salad. It was as delectable today as it had been the two prior times. 
Just after returning from Latinos y Más, I began to instrument plans for dinner. It is to be Beer-Braised Beef Shanks. The cook time ended up being 4 hours at 350 F (turned midway through). After those 4 hours, I turned off the oven, covered the beef with foil, and let it rest in the oven. Then, 45 minutes before eating, I removed the shanks from the oven and let them rest at room temperature. They were still plenty hot when it came time for dinner, but the additional rest-time allowed the beef to resoak some of its lost juices. 
Sometime today, a large limb snapped away from the trunk of this water oak and broke another limb in the process. The size of that upper limb was ridiculous (Padre says the tree has been there for his entire 50+ years in Florida), and both my Uncle Wag and I were surprised that the loader could drag it. 
I ventured to my left slightly so as to get sight of the previously-mentioned Wag working from the loader’s bucket. 
Beer-braised Belgian Blue beef shanks, carved and ready for serving. 
The Belgian Blue Beef shank’s collagen-rich nature can be clearly seen in this picture. 
Dinner of 5/19/2022: The aforementioned beef shanks accompanied by a small baked potato and a Padre-wrought cucumber salad. A truly savory and satiating repast.
5/20/2022: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Clouds and rain cooled the day back down to comfortable temperatures in the 70s.
Dawn of 5/20/2022. 
A bit of fence protecting the water trough’s float valve just west of Jacobhouse. It was falling apart and in need of fortification. 
Post-fortification. 
I took down both ends of this fence today. The intention is to let our bovines clear out the weeds while the soil is somewhat dry. 
All of the flowers planted in the front barn’s old water tank have fared well, but none moreso than the portulaca (purslane). On looking it up today, I found it to be edible and actually eaten throughout much of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Mexico. I like how the Greeks use it: combine the leaves and the stems with feta cheese, tomato, onion, garlic, oregano, and olive oil. 
A close-up of the flourishing flora. 
Eggs from Dana and her girls’ chickens. I agreed to compare the color between these and a batch that Gregorio (long time friend of the farm) brought the prior day. 
Eggs from Gregorio’s cousin’s chickens. There was not a large difference, but I did appreciate how all of the eggs from both batches possessed yellowish ‘whites’. 
Full lunch spread for 5/20/2022: Fried eggs, chorizo sausage, and salad. It was an excellent combination. 
Blackberries found during the afternoon beef pasture inspection of 5/20/2022. 
A storm approached as Padre and I performed the afternoon beef-pasture inspection. Unfortunately, at the end of our survey, we found a ‘malfunctioning’ calf who had not yet figured out how to nurse. We decided to attempt mixing, bring out, and feeding it colostrum before the storm arrived. 
Padre and I ventured back out to the pasture to ‘tube’ a non-nursing calf with colostrum. Meanwhile, the approaching storm drew ever-nearer. 
Rain began to fall as Padre fed the calf in question an esophageal bottle full of colostrum. It was fortunate that the Segways were there, because the calf was keen on pulling back with all its strength. Meanwhile, mother #506 observed the progress closely. 
Dinner of 5/20/2022: Leftover migas chopped into cubes, fried in a couple tablespoons of butter, and topped with sour cream and salsa. An exceptional variety of textures and flavors. 
The migas were accompanied by a Padre-wrought cucumber salad and (not-shown-here) a small piece of leftover Padre-pizza bearing beef, olives, and tomatoes. It was all enjoyable. 
Dessert consisted of a Granny Smith apple sliced and coated with cinnamon. Blueberries made for a delectable garnish.
5/21/2022: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the low 80s. Rain fell in the early morning hours and in the afternoon.
The grey dawn of 5/21/2022 after a wet evening of 3/4″ rain. 
Morning of 5/21/2022. I took this picture as Padre and I walked up some new cows to the feed barn. 
The cows performed even better than intended. Not only does it look like a machine had cleared out the weeds; the bovines departed after their task was complete and left the soil mostly intact (versus transforming it into a large mud hole). 
Lunch of 5/21/2022: A delectable repast from Sushi Bistro. The sushi was fresh and ‘fat’ with fish, and the soup was topped with crunchy pea pods. 
I neglected to take a picture of my morning farm-project, so I took one this afternoon. The task consisted of inserting a large post with gate-lags into the place where the dug-up post on left originally was. 
Dinner of 5/21/2022. Due to the prevalent precipitation outdoors, I seared a couple burgersteaks in Jacobhouse. It was messy affair, but the results were worth it. The accompanying salad was quite delicious. 
Cooked to a delightfully juicy medium rare (I like using spicy mustard as a condiment).
Final Note: As I took a moment to review this week’s picture’s, I was affected by two primary and somewhat conflicting sentiments: appreciation for the culinary exploits that I (and my people) enjoy and slight uneasiness at the rapidity with which the week seemed to pass. In my memory, it feels like just yesterday that I installed hooks in the freezer room or enjoyed a bacon-wrapped rump steak, but both occurred right at a week ago. More startling is how I’m now (as of 5/22/2022) four days from being back from Mexico for 4 weeks.
Despite being unsettled by time’s rapidity, I’m fortunate to be satisfied with how I’ve spent it.
Talk about time flying by, the first Mexico trip of this year concluded over there months ago, crazy.