By Hay cut. Hay raked. Hay baled. Three days of farrier work. Two ranches in the county. Eleven horses. The body is tired in the right way.
Patrick on the porch in the afternoon. Coffee in the good cup. The cottonwoods.
Whole trout in cast iron. Caught from the Musselshell that morning. Butter, lemon, salt. Crispy skin.
Cattle were good. Horses were good. The week was the week.
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.
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.
Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.
The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.
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.
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.
Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.
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.
Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.
Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.
The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.
Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.
Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.
The trout that morning was its own thing — caught, cooked, eaten before the day got away from me. But by Saturday, with the wood split and the truck done and Mr. Whelan’s horse story finally finished, I wanted something I could set on the table and let sit there. Something that said the week was over and you made it. Creamy crab spread is that for me — takes almost nothing, goes on a cracker, and feels like you put in a little more effort than you did, which after a week like this one, is exactly the kind of small lie worth telling yourself.
Creamy Crab Spread
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling) | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 8 oz lump crab meat, drained and picked over
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives or green onion, finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Crackers, sliced baguette, or crudites for serving
Instructions
- Mix the base. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a fork or hand mixer until smooth. Add sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and Old Bay. Stir until fully combined.
- Fold in the crab. Gently fold the drained lump crab meat into the cream cheese mixture, keeping some chunks intact for texture. Stir in the chives or green onion.
- Season and taste. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Adjust lemon juice or Old Bay if needed.
- Chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to let the flavors come together. Overnight is better if you have the patience.
- Serve. Transfer to a serving dish. Set out with crackers, sliced bread, or whatever you have on hand. It holds in the fridge for up to three days, though it rarely lasts that long.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 310mg