(Above: This morning (10/8/2024) we were successful in connecting this generator to the propane tank. Esta mañana (8/10/2024) tuvimos éxito en conectar este generador al tanque de propano.)
10/6/2024: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the 80s. Drizzly morning.
I took this photo on the morning of 6/10/2024. I wonder if these rains today are a precursor to the hurricane. Tomé esta foto en la mañana del 6/10/2024. Me pregunto si estas lluvias de hoy son un precursor al hurucán. 
On the morning of 10/7/2024 we were searching for this calf for at least 45 minutes. En la mañana del 7 de 10 de 2024 estábamos buscando a este ternerito por al menos 45 minutos. 
Lunch consisted of a romaine and red cabbage salad topped with pan-seared ground Belgian blue beef, avocado slices, diced tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream. This was drizzled with salsa verde. El almuerzo consistía en una ensalada de lechuga romana y repollo rojo cubierta con res molidas de azul belga a la sartén, rodajas de aguacate, cubitos de tomate y una cucharada de crema ácida. Esta estaba rociada con salsa verde. 
We didn’t know it at the time but this valve would be a point of difficulty on the next day. No lo sabíamos en ese momento pero esta válvula sería un punto de dificultad en el siguiente día. 
A new calf in the evening of 10/6/2024. Un nuevo ternerito en el atardecer del 6/10/2024. 
Dinner consisted of two types of pizza. My dad’s pizza had just cheese and mine had wagyu short rib, red onion and green pepper. La cena consistía en dos tipos de pizza. La pizza de mi padre tenía solo queso y la mía tenía costillita de wagyu, cebolla roja y pimiento verde 
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.
10/7/2024: Today began in the mid 70s and warmed into the 80s. Drizzly.
An Indian bison and her calf in the early morning of October 7, 2024. Un bisonte indio y su cría en la madrugada del 7 de 10 de 2024. 
This is a hose my mom and I got in Ocala to connect the propane tank to the generator. At this point, we used the hose but had to change the tips. Esta es una manguera que mi madre y yo conseguimos en Ocala para conectar el tanque de propano al generador. En este punto, hemos utilizado la manguera pero tuvimos que cambiar las puntas. 
This is the regulator we were going to use to connect the propane tank to the generator. Unfortunately it didn’t work. Este es el regulador que íbamos a usar para conectar el tanque de propano al generador. Desafortunadamente no funcionó. 
At 1:30 pm, we finally had lunch. That lunch consisted of a platter of sushi accompanied by a bowl of mizo soup garnished with avocado, spinach and red cabbage. A la 1:30 de la tarde, finalmente comimos el almuerzo. Ese almuerzo consistía en una bandeja de sushi acompañada de un tazón de sopa de mizo adornada con aguacate, espinaca y repollo rojo. 
An experiment in one of Master Blend’s freezers: We filled two buckets with water, and after that, we put empty bottles in the water to prevent the buckets from being destroyed by the ice. I don’t know if the bottles will work, but I’ll be interested to see what happens. Un experimento en uno de los congeladores de Master Blend: Llenamos dos cubetas con agua, y después de eso, pusimos botellas vacías en el agua para prevenir la destrucción de las cubetas por el hielo. No sé si las botellas funcionarán, pero me interesará ver que pasa. 
The Red Couch: I found this soft seat in the southeasternmost field of the ranch. El sofá rojo: Yo encontré este suave asiento en el campo más sureste del rancho. 
Dinner consisted of seared reverse Wagyu short ribs accompanied by a green salad topped with smoked blue cheese. Plus, there was a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce for dipping and a horn of red wine to drink. La cena consistía en costillitas de wagyu doradas al revés acompañadas de una ensalada verde cubierta con queso azul ahumado. Además, había un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera para mojar y un cuerno de vino tinto para beber. 
Dessert: A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
10/8/2024: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny morning. Cloudy afternoon.
This morning (10/8/2024) we were successful in connecting this generator to the propane tank. Esta mañana (8/10/2024) tuvimos éxito en conectar este generador al tanque de propano. 
This is the infamous propane tank we have been working on for two days. Finally, this morning we were able to hook this tank up to the generator. Este es el infame tanque de propano en el que hemos estado trabajando durante dos días. Finalmente, esta mañana fuimos capaces de conectar este tanque al generador. 
This is a float valve that I needed to replace with a new one. It had a lot of moss and algae on it. Esta es una válvula de flotador que yo necesitaba reemplazar por una nueva. Tenía mucho musgo y algas. 
And this is the float valve I used to replace the old one. The old one was prettier but the new one works better. Y esta es la válvula de flotador que utilicé para reemplazar la vieja. La antigua era más bonita pero la nueva funciona mejor. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs, leftover beef and mozzarella cheese topped with salsa verde and Cholula hot sauce. It was accompanied by a salad of spring greens, carrots and tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos, sobras de res y queso mozzarella cubierta con salsa verde y salsa picante Cholula. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada de lechugas primaverales, zanahoria y tomate rociada con vinagreta balsámica. 
These are mushrooms I found near the Gaur lot. They were very white and very clean. Estos son hongos que encontré cerca del lote Gaur. Eran muy blancos y muy limpios. 
After working and preparing some barbecue sauce for dinner I put up one of the posts for the roof of the Guesthouse. The weight of that pole was incredible. I think next time I’ll ask Padre and Wag to help me put it up. Después de trabajar y preparar un poco de salsa barbacoa para la cena yo coloqué uno de los postes para el techo de Guesthouse. El peso de ese poste era increíble. Creo que la próxima vez le pediré a mi padre y a mi tío que me ayuden a colocarlo. 
For dinner, we had a Belgian blue ground beef steak encrusted with sesame, black pepper and salt and topped with blue cheese that my brother gave me. This was accompanied by a green salad and a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce for dipping. Para la cena, comimos un bistec de res molida de azul belga incrustado con sésamo, pimienta negra y sal y cubierta con queso azul que me regaló mi hermano. Este estaba acompañado de una ensalada verde y un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera para mojar. 
Dessert: A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
10/9/2024: Today began in the low 70s and warmed into the high 70s. Quite rainy, and a bit breezy.
I took this photo on the morning of 10/9/2024 to document the condition of the center barn roof prior to Hurricane Milton’s landfall. Tomé esta foto en la mañana del 9/10/2024 para documentar el estado del techo del granero central antes de la llegada del hurucán Milton. 
This is a photo of the cows arriving to eat at the buffet in the central barn. They were very hungry because of the rains and the cool weather. Esta es una foto de las vacas llegando a comer al buffet en el granero central. Ellas tenían mucha hambre a causa de las lluvias y el clima fresco. 
For lunch we had rain sausages accompanied by a green salad made by Padre. Para el almuerzo comimos salchichas de lluvia acompañadas de una ensalada verde hecha por mi padre. 
This is the F1 Wagyu shoulder roast that I prepared for dinner on 10/9/2024. I seasoned it with fresh rosemary, fresh garlic, black pepper, salt, chiltepín, Worcestershire sauce, coriander powder and a little olive oil. Este es el asado de hombro de Wagyu F1 que yo preparé para la cena del 9 de 10 de 2024. Lo sazoné con romero fresco, ajo fresco, pimienta negra, sal, chiltepín, salsa inglesa, cilantro en polvo y un poco de aceite de oliva. 
The cloudy and rainy afternoon of 10/9/2024 in the southeasternmost field of the ranch. La tarde nublada y lluviosa del 9 de 10 de 2024 en el campo más sureste del rancho. 
Dinner: A F1 Wagyu shoulder roast accompanied by roasted plantains and roasted potatoes. There was also a green salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. La cena: Un asado de hombro de Wagyu F1 acompañado de plátanos asados y patatas asadas. Además, había una ensalada verde rociada con vinagreta balsámica. 
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.
10/10/2024: Today began in the high 60s and warmed into the low 80s. Mostly cloudy. A bit breezy. Very windy and rainy last night.
Early morning of 10/10/2024: We noticed a large puddle in my uncle Eric’s field. La madrugada del 10 de 10 de 2024: Observamos un gran charco en el campo de mi tío Eric. 
I found this tree frog on the west side of the central barn. Could it be Ms. Esmeralda’s brother? Encontré esta rana arbórea en el lado oeste del establo central. ¿Podría ser el hermano de la señorita Esmeralda? 
Just before lunch, the electricity came on. So, I was able to heat up the leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. These leftovers were accompanied by a green salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. Un poco antes del almuerzo, llegó la electricidad. Así que pude calentar las sobras de la cena de la noche anterior. Estas estaban acompañadas de una ensalada verde rociada con vinagreta balsámica. 
On the evening of 10/10/2024, we found an Akaushi heifer enjoying a long piece of moss. En la tarde del 10 de 10 de 2024, encontramos una vaquilla Akaushi disfrutando de un largo pedazo de musgo. 
We also found many calves resting. They were qutie tired from the storm the night before. También encontramos que muchos terneros estaban descansando. Ellos estaban muy cansados por la tormenta de la noche anterior. 
Later, I started digging more holes for the posts that will support the roof of the Guesthouse. Más tarde empecé a cavar más agujeros para los postes que sostendrán el techo de Guesthouse. 
Dinner consisted of a romaine and red cabbage salad topped with pan-seared Belgian Blue flap steak, blue cheese that my brother gave me, avocado, and banana peppers. The salad was also dressed with homemade barbecue sauce and olive oil. La cena consistía en una ensalada de lechuga romana y repollo rojo cubierta con bistec de falda de azul belga a la sartén, queso azul que me regaló mi hermano, aguacate y pimientos amarillos enfrascados. Además, la ensalada estaba aliñado con salsa barbacoa casera y aceite de oliva. 
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.
10/11/2024: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the low 80s. Sunny.
The dawn of 10/11/2024 in the central field. El amanecer del 11/10/2024 en el campo central. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs, beef short rib, mozzarella, green pepper and red onion. This was accompanied by a green salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos, costillita de res, mozzarella, pimiento verde y cebolla roja. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada verde rociada con vinagreta balsámica. 
During today and yesterday, I dug four more holes to place the posts that will support the roof of the Guesthouse. Durante hoy y ayer, cavé cuatro agujeros más para colocar los postes que sostendrán el techo de Guesthouse. 
While I was browning the ribs, I saw the crescent moon high in the clear sky. Mientras estaba dorando las costillas, vi la mediaLuna en lo alto del cielo despejado. 
Dinner consisted of Wagyu F1 short ribs accompanied by a coleslaw. There was also a horn of red wine to drink and a bowl of homemade barbecue sauce to dip the meat in. La cena consistía en costillitas de Wagyu F1 acompañados de una ensalada de repollo. Además, había un cuerno de vino tinto para beber y un tazón de salsa barbacoa casera para mojar la carne. 
Dessert: A sliced red apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a spoonful of Greek yogurt. El postre: Una manzana roja en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego.
10/12/2024: Today began in the low 60s and warmed into the mid 80s. Mostly sunny.
The dawn of 10/12/2024 in the central field. The cows were grazing in the refreshing weather. El amanecer del 12 de 10 de 2024 en el campo central. Las vacas pastaban en el clima refrescante. 
These are the cookies I made for the morning at the Master Blend store. They were peanut butter cookies topped with dark chocolate chips. Estas son las galletas que hice para la mañana en la tienda de Master Blend. Eran galletas de mantequilla de maní cubierta con chispas de chocolate negro. 
Lunch consisted of a fried mixture of eggs and seasoned leftover beef. This was accompanied by a green salad drizzled with a spicy vinaigrette. El almuerzo consistía en una mezcla frita de huevos y sobras de res sazonada. Esta estaba acompañada de una ensalada verde rociada con una vinagreta picante. 
This is a sliced green apple sprinkled with cinnamon and accompanied by a dollop of Greek yogurt and another apple core that Padre gave me. Esta es una manzana verde en rodajas espolvoreada con canela y acompañada de una cucharada de yogur griego y otro corazón de manzana que me dio mi padre. 
I didn’t take a photo of the farm on the afternoon of 10/12/2024. So instead, I took a photo of the process of cooking the beef, plantain, and potato mixture in the pan outside my little house. It smelled delicious. No tomé una foto de la granja en la tarde del 12 de 10 de 2024. Así que, en su lugar, tomé una foto del proceso de cocinar la mezcla de res, plátano y patata en la sartén afuera de mi casita. Olía deliciosa. 
Dinner consisted of a lettuce and red cabbage salad topped with banana peppers, avocado slices, and the aforementioned mixture in the prior photo. This salad was drizzled with a combination of homemade barbecue sauce and a little olive oil. La cena consistía en una ensalada de lechuga y repollo rojo cubierta con pimientos amarillos enfrascados, rodajas de aguacate y la mezcla ya mencionada en la foto anterior. Esta ensalada estaba rociada con una combinación de salsa barbacoa casera y un poco de aceite de oliva.
Final Note: This final note arose from an assignment given to me by my Uncle Eric. He wanted me to write a paragraph about my predictions of what will be occurring in year 2124. I also take inspiration from the book Luna recently recommended to me, “Industrial Society & Its Future” as well as from my own writing & observations. I myself wondered if my prediction was a tad crazy / sci-fi, but when I considered the fact that in 1926, refrigeration had barely made it into homes, and that technology has a tendency to compound on itself, it no longer seemed so far-fetched.
A paragraph containing my prediction for year 2,124:
There are two groups:
• ~98% - Those part of a collective – the network of humans enhanced with artificial intelligence and connected via chips implanted in their brains.
• ~2% AND those who are not part of a collective. Outliers.
Those who are part of the collective experience great technological perks (a huge range of entertainment for all senses that takes place inside of the brain, instant communication, etc.) and they experience economic stability provided by the collective of which they are a part (basic income & a comfortable place to live with modern accommodations). Those minority individuals who are not part of the collective will, for the ‘safety of the majority’, have been removed to reservations where they are allowed freedom to a point. Reservation inhabitants are allowed to believe what they will, they are allowed some technology (basic transport, refrigeration, and computing) so long as it is in accordance with reservation laws, and they are always welcome to join the collective*. Do note, however, that these reservations will be closely monitored by very advanced technology and that any who break reservation rules will be disciplined based on the severity of their breach of conduct. None of this will be done out of cruelty; it will be done for the safety of the majority. By limiting the outliers, those outliers cannot harm the majority.
*A good choice for the very elderly and chronically/terminally infirmed?
This is just one possibility, of course, and I’d like to make some personal notes about this possibility:
1. I would not want to be part of a collective, because I very much value my individuality. However, I would not advise thinking of a collective as an inherently bad entity. It is just a system designed by and operated by people who have been conditioned to find its parameters more favorable than the alternative. With the mass of humans being linked together in such a way, enormous feats could be achieved: an increase in resource efficiency (less waste / environmental impact), equalization of quality of life, & consensual population control.
2. In this iteration of history, the collective is allowing outliers to survive even though those outliers are potentially dangerous to the majority. Why? Firstly, recall that I don’t see the collective as an inherently bad entity. Secondly, if artificial intelligence bears ultimate logic and has the ultimate ability to analyze patterns, it will know that all systems eventually alter and/or fail, including itself. Those in reservations are a ‘backup’ or 'restore point'.
3. Which brings me to #3: I cannot help but notice that the outliers are as much a part of the societal system as the collective is. Societal systems are an unavoidable part of living in civilization. Those who are part of the majority benefit from the boons of and are vulnerable to the failures of that majority. Those who distance themselves from the majority are still affected by the course of the whole, and ironically, result in the reemergence of a new system after failure of the old system occurs.
4. Reservation life, here I come.
I too take the reservation, hurricanes and all… What a week.