By Cattle on summer pasture. Easy week. Cattle work this week. Patrick rode in the truck. He pointed out two heifers I had not noticed. He sees things I do not. The work is shared.
Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods. Tuesday meeting in Roundup. Eight regulars. Three vets. I do not lead. I show up.
Beef burgers in the backyard. The standard. Eighty-twenty grind. Cheddar from the local creamery.
I sat on the porch with coffee Sunday morning before chores. The mountains were the mountains.
Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.
Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.
Listened to the cattle market report on AM radio while I worked the shop. Beef is up. Feed is up. The math is the math.
Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.
Storm came through Friday night. Thunder. The dog hid under the bed. The kids slept through it. The cattle bunched up by the windbreak. Standard.
Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.
Took a walk to the river before supper Tuesday. The cottonwoods were silver. The water was running. I did not think much. I just walked.
The wood pile is half what it was at Thanksgiving. I will split another cord on Saturday. The cord will be ready by next winter. The wood always is.
Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.
Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.
The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.
Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.
A neighbor's heifer was choking on a corn cob. I drove over with my emergency kit. Cleared the cob with a length of garden hose. The heifer recovered. The neighbor brought a pie the next day.
Wrote a blog post Friday night. The first one in two months. About making chili in a snowstorm. Short. Practical. Posted it. Forgot about it.
A reader emailed about the elk chili recipe. Asked what beer to use if non-alcoholic was not available. I wrote back: any beer is wrong if you don't drink. Use stock.
The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.
The barn cats are doing their job. Down to one mouse this week, in the feed shed. The cats brought it to the porch as proof. They are professionals.
Truck started cold Tuesday. Twelve below. Battery is the original. I will replace it before next winter. I always say I will replace it before next winter. I never have.
Mr. Whelan from down the road came over Saturday with a story about a horse he sold in 1979. The story took an hour. I listened. He needed someone to tell it to.
The burgers that week were the standard — eighty-twenty, cheddar from the local creamery, backyard fire. But there are nights after a week of fence posts and auction yards and cemetery stops when you want something you can just set out, something that holds together the way a good week should. This cheddar bacon cheese ball is that thing. It goes with the coffee on the porch, it goes with whoever shows up, and it does not ask much of you.
Cheddar Bacon Cheese Ball
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min + 1 hr chill | Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped (for coating)
- Crackers or sliced vegetables, for serving
Instructions
- Mix the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the shredded cheddar, half the crumbled bacon, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Stir until fully combined.
- Shape. Turn the mixture out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a ball with your hands. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to hold its shape.
- Coat. Combine the remaining bacon and chopped pecans on a flat plate. Unwrap the chilled cheese ball and roll it in the coating, pressing gently so it adheres evenly on all sides.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving board or plate. Set out with crackers or sliced vegetables. The cheese ball will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 25g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 340mg