(Above: Picture of a simple spice plate that I took for Master Blend purposes. It consists of olive oil, black pepper, fresh rosemary, and about 0.5 tablespoons of butter.)
11/13/2022: Today began in the low 60s and proceeded to warm into the high 60s. A cold front was very visible as we performed the morning beef pasture inspection.
Dawn of 11/13/2022: As Padre and I set out on our beef pasture inspection, we noted an odd cloud formation in the distance. 
It appeared to be a cold front of some sort. The formation approached rapidly as we continued with the inspection. By the time we were done, that lower ‘foggy’ band of clouds had arrived and passed overhead. 
Due to Tropical Storm Nicole bungling the feed schedule, this was the second full-feed Sunday in a row. It went quite well. 
For lunch, Padre, Madre, & I ventured to La Hacienda Colombiana #2. There, we enjoyed Sopa de Gallo (rooster soup) accompanied by a salad and fried yucca. Everything was delicious, and the restaurant was bustling. A very enjoyable meal on Madre & Padre’s 39th anniversary of togethertime. 
Vivid white sheep on a grey autumnal day. 
The reverse-seared Belgian Blue Rump Roast prepared for dinner on 11/13/2022. 
The full dinner spread: Belgian Blue rump roast accompanied by a green salad. A mixture of sour cream and mustard was utilized as a dunking condiment. 
Cinnamon, apple, and sour cream arrangement enjoyed for dessert.
11/14/2022: Today began in the low 50s and warmed into the high 70s. Mostly sunny.
Dawn of 11/14/2022: Padre found this unique hackberry specimen in the line that separates the central pasture from the south easternmost pasture. 
Like many Hackberry trees this one is doomed to rot from the inside out. In the case of this tree, however, the process has been so prolonged that it is now rooting into itself. 
An image of classic #314 behavior. We needed her to come in for vaccination, and she seemed to sense this. A wait ensued: us (Padre, Wag, and I) vs. the hungry bovine who did not wish to be vaccinated yet simultaneously wanted to eat. We humans won the game of patience. 
Lunch of 11/14/2022: Leftover pan-pizza accompanied by plenty of Padre-made & Madre-dressed salad. 
A dessert comprised of apples, blueberries, and a small mound of Greek Yogurt. 
Due partly to poor seed quality (I used 11 year old seed), a need for the soil to be packed down slightly, and insect damage, the Jacobhouse garden has not prospered. These are much higher quality seeds that I’ll be planting over the next few days. Broccoli, Carrots, Radishes, and Salad-Bowl Lettuce. 
We removed these F2 Wagyu Sirloin Tip steaks from the freezer to get a genetic sample from them. The rest shall be utilized for dinner this evening. 
Dinner of 11/14/2022: A delicious repast of F2 Wagyu Sirloin Tip steak accompanied by a cucumber, tomato, & cabbage salad. 
An arrangement of cinnamon-coated apples, fresh blueberries, and Greek yogurt enjoyed for dessert.
11/15/2022: Today began in low 60s and proceeded to warm into the mid 70s. Foggy in the morning, and cloudy for the remainder of the day.
The foggy dawn of 11/15/2022. 
Some form of dicot that exhibits 3 different leaf-growth patterns for its 3 first leaves. 
One of this morning’s tasks consisted of shoring up the postern side of the haybarn roof (west side). Gravity is becoming a struggle for that section of the barn. 
One of these T-25 bits has seen more use than the other. 
Lunch of 11/15/2022 was procured from Sushi Bistro of Ocala. This is the miso soup that we garnished with fresh spinach and crunchy (but not TOO crunchy), red cabbage. 
The main course was a delicious 1.5 trays of fish-packed sushi. 
A cinnamon-coated apple enjoyed as a post-meal snack. 
The cross-field Bovine highway at dusk (11/15/2022). 
Dinner of 11/15/2022: Fried eggs (spiced with chiltepin, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt) accompanied by a Padre-made & Jacob-dressed green salad. 
A dessert platter of apples, blueberries, and Greek yogurt.
11/16/2022: Today began in the low 70s and then cooled into the high 50s. Cloudy at the start, sunnier toward the later portion of the day.
Morning of 11/16/2022: An odd plant growing in the herb bed just outside of the Master Blend freezer room. 3 different types of leaf patterns are coming from the same organism. On tasting it, I deemed it to be some form of clover; it is not thyme or lavender. 
Lunch of 11/16/2022: Skillet-fried eggs & greens. 
An apple-stack, blueberries, and scoop o’ yogurt for dessert. 
Silhouette of the white Brahman out of #477 just two months after its birth. 
Rapeseed planted about 1 month ago (left to right): broadcast on tilled soil, overseeded on killed grass, and overseeded (and accidentally mown) on live grass. 
Annual ryegrass planted about 1 month ago (left to right): overseeded (and accidentally mown), overseeded on killed grass, and broadcast on tilled soil. 
I appreciated the decor choices in the bathroom belonging to CF Vintage Farm’s conference hall. 
Dinner of 11/16/2022 consisted of slow-roasted Belgian Blue beef shanks & a side salad. The beef was seasoned with chiltepin, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary. As for tenderness, I was able to cut the meat with my fork. 
A number of cinnamon-coated Granny Smith apple slices enjoyed for dessert.
11/17/2022: Today began in the high 40s and proceeded to warm into the low 70s. Partly cloudy.
Morning of 11/17/2022: #489 standing with her quite sizeable son. 
Eggs enjoyed for lunch of 11/17/2022. They had some bits of the leftover beef shanks from last night’s repast and were accompanied by a Padre-made green salad. 
A plate of thinly sliced Granny Smith apples accompanied by yogurt and a couple slightly-flavorless blueberries. 
For dinner of 11/17/2022, I made a pan pizza topped with homemade sauce and some finely grated Parmesan (American Parmesan) cheese. This was accompanied by a Padre-made cucumber & cabbage salad. 
This apple & yogurt plate was garnished with two cherries of exceptionally crimson hue.
11/18/2022: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the high 60s. Sunny throughout.
Morning of 11/18/2022 as seen through the Jacobhouse garden. I neglected to take pictures during our lunch at Latinos y Más, but I’ll use this space to say that I enjoyed la ensalada aguacate con pescado a la parrilla. 
When I took this first picture of #273, she was caught unawares. 
A few moments later, she posed in a more majestic fashion. 
Picture of a simple spice plate that I took for Master Blend purposes. It consists of olive oil, black pepper, fresh rosemary, and about 0.5 tablespoons of butter 
Dinner of 11/18/2022: A Belgian Blue burger steak (garnished with butter-crisped rosemary). The salad was Padre-made and Jacob-dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette. 
A dessert comprised of sliced Granny Smith apple, some blueberries, and a little bit of sour cream.
This is the text that accompanied that picture of the seasoned rest-plate:
Good morning beef connoisseurs!
This is a seasoned rest-plate.
A seasoned rest-plate is simple strategy that makes the searing process easier and the final result tastier.
Required materials are:
◉ 1 oven-proof plate large enough to hold a steak or two
◉ ½ – 1 tablespoon of butter
◉ ½ – 1 tablespoon of good olive oil
◉ A small quantity of your favorite non-salt spices. My personal favorite combination is shown in the image above: fresh cracked black pepper and a sprig of fresh rosemary
Here’s how it works:
1. Prepare the rest-plate. Simply put the spices, olive oil, and butter on the oven-proof plate, and then place that plate into an oven at 170 F. It can safely sit in there for about 30-40 minutes, but it needs to be in for long enough to melt the butter and toast the spices. So, do this before or while you are preparing your meat for the skillet or grill.
2. Next, sear your steak(s) or burger(s) on the skillet. Use just enough fat – preferably something like avocado oil with a very neutral flavor and a very high smoke-point – to keep the exterior from burning, but it’s alright if it gets a tad crispy. As a matter of fact, ~crispy~ is exactly what we want, so don’t flip too often, and don’t baste*! Simply, get the beef to an internal temperature of about 120-125F (for rare to medium-rare), and then remove it from the pan.
3. After that, take the heated rest plate from the oven, place the just-cooked beef on it, make sure to get a good coating of the butter/olive oil/spice mixture on the first side, and then flip the beef over on the plate and get a good coating on the second side.
4. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. The plate will keep the beef warm, the spices will have been toasted and infused the fats with their flavor, and those fats will soak into the beef’s exterior crust (especially if we did not baste). Juices from the depths of the steak or burger will also be redistributed through the entire piece as it rests.
5. All that remains after all this, is to enjoy.
(*Butter adds moisture, which I have found hinders the formation of a crispy crust. Also, I typically let a 1 lb & 1″ thick piece of beef sear for 8 minutes, flipping every 2 minutes.)
11/19/2022: Today began in the low 40s and warmed into the mid 60s. Partly cloudy throughout.
The overcast dawn of 11/19/2022. 
Lunch of 11/19/2022 consisted of a taco salad. Toppings included Belgian Blue ground beef, sour cream, La Preferida Salsa Verde, fresh tomato, fresh onion,. and a little bit of red cabbage. 
Sheep enjoying dinner at dusk. Lambs played in the background as the adults ate. 
Assembling dinner of 11/19/2022. I’ve found that it is quick to assemble ratatouille by making multiple stacks and then positioning them around the outside of the skillet rather than adding one piece of tomato, zucchini, summer squash, or Swiss cheese at a time. 
The fully assembled ratatouille arrangement. 
Sauce application: To make this sauce, I utilized the thin portions of zucchini & summer squash, tomato leftovers, 4 tbsp butter, ~ 1.5 tsp of thyme, and about 3 tbsp of olive oil (applied after blending the veggies to prevent bitterness). 
The ratatouille arrangement covered in the aforementioned sauce. 
The ratatouille pre-slicing. To cook it, I cut a piece of parchment paper to fit over the top, placed the whole pan in a 375 F oven, and roasted it for 45 minutes. I next removed the parchment and broiled on low for 5 minutes followed by a high broil for 2 minutes. I probably could have just broiled on high for 3 minutes. 
Dinner spread: Fresh ratatouille accompanied by leftover pizza. The latter was made even more delicious by dunking it in the Ratatouille’s ‘broth’. 
A dessert of Granny Smith apple, satsuma, and blueberries accompanied by a large spoonful of Greek Yogurt.
Final Note: Here’s a excerpt from the chapter I’ve been working on this week. (Not italicized because italics are utilized in the excerpt itself.)
Hattun disturbed the quietude with a tired chuckle;
“You know, this reminds me of an old three-pane my Pa had framed in his study. Was titled ‘The edge of reason’, and depicted two folk. Th’ first was the author himself: Raswald Streeph, one o’Old Fahrendel’s greatest satirists. He was also suspect in the sudden disappearance of Court Alchemist Auriel. She was the second o’ the two figures. They were standin’ beside each other at the brim o’ the world – that cliff where folk used to believe our seas fell into the Nether.
“In the first frame, Raswald stood there peerin’ into the distance as Auriel was bent over, peerin’ into the depths. He wondered aloud; ‘What’s the point o’ it all?’ Second frame; Auriel glances up at ‘im and asks: ‘Aren’t we at it?’ Third frame; Auriel ain’t there anymore, and Raswald is back to his ponderins… wonderin’, ‘What’s the point o’ it all?’”
“He pushed her?” Bakkan asked.
“That was the insinuation,” Hat admitted, “A few folk really did think he offed her, but most knew that t’be no more’n a rumor spread for rumors’ sake. The two were great friends. Some even said there was a romance. Me? I think the lass made herself disappear. She had the treasury at her fingertips, after all, and she was not keen on being regent of Spyre. Would’ve rather been in the lab, I reckon.”
Great week full of tremendous food and I’m definitely looking forward to hearing/reading more of Hat and Balkan, made me laugh