By Calving season finishing. Lost two. Saved twenty-eight. 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.
Roast chicken Sunday. Whole bird. Salt, pepper, butter, lemon. Three hours at three twenty-five.
Tomorrow I move the herd to the upper pasture. That is the next thing.
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.
Three days of horses this week. The work is meditative. The horses know. The owners pay. The cycle holds.
Drove the back fence line Saturday. Two posts down from elk. Replaced them in the morning. The fence held the rest of the week.
Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.
Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.
Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.
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 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.
The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hauled three bull calves to the auction yard Wednesday. Got a fair price. Came home. Counted the cash. Put it in the ranch account.
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.
The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.
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.
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.
Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.
The roast chicken was Sunday’s meal — salt, pepper, butter, lemon, three hours at three twenty-five, no argument. But after Patrick poured the last of the coffee and the cottonwoods went quiet, I wanted something small to make with my hands that didn’t require much thinking. Lemon shortbread is that kind of baking: four ingredients, a cold kitchen, and something worth leaving on the counter for whoever comes through the door. The week had enough weight to it. These don’t.
Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 14 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling) | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream the butter. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 2—3 minutes by hand or with a mixer on medium speed.
- Add lemon and vanilla. Mix in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Add the flour. Add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough just comes together — do not overwork it. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
- Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- Preheat and slice. Heat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice the chilled dough log into rounds about 1/4 inch thick and arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets.
- Bake. Bake for 12—14 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to turn pale gold. The centers should look set but not browned. Rotate the pan once halfway through.
- Cool. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool. Dust with additional powdered sugar if desired.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 120 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 25mg