By Snowstorm Tuesday. Two feet. The county plowed by Wednesday afternoon. 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.
Venison steak from a doe I shot in October. Cast iron. Salt, pepper, butter. Three minutes per side.
The week held. The work continues.
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.
Mended the chute hinge Wednesday. Welder was finicky. Got it on the third try. Patrick used to do this. I do it now.
The Musselshell was clear Sunday. Could see trout in the deeper pools. Did not fish. Just watched.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Worked on the truck Saturday afternoon. Plugs and wires. Two hours. Hands black with grease. Came in. Showered. Ate.
Drove to Billings for parts Friday. Stopped at the cemetery on the way home. Stood for ten minutes. Came home.
The Tuesday Roundup AA meeting was eleven this week — three new guys from a referral. The room was full. The coffee was strong.
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.
Hank, the dog, herded the chickens by accident. He apologized in the way dogs apologize — eyes down, tail low. The chickens were unimpressed.
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.
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 venison was the meal, but the coffee on the porch with Patrick — that was the rest. After eleven horses, two ranches, a finicky welder, and a truck that started at twelve below only because it decided to, the thing I kept coming back to this week was that cup. Not the work. The cup. I’ve started adding a pull of vanilla and a little almond to the grounds before I brew — picked it up somewhere, don’t remember where — and it turns ordinary coffee into something that feels like it was made on purpose. Which, after a week like this one, matters.
Vanilla-Almond Coffee
Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 cups strong brewed coffee (freshly brewed, hot)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar or sweetener, to taste
- 1/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half (optional)
- Pinch of salt (optional, rounds out bitterness)
Instructions
- Brew strong coffee. Use your preferred method — drip, percolator, or stovetop. Brew it stronger than usual; the flavoring holds up better against a bold base.
- Add extracts while hot. Pour hot coffee into mugs. Stir in vanilla extract and almond extract immediately. The heat blooms the flavors and keeps them from tasting sharp.
- Sweeten to taste. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and stir until fully dissolved. Taste before adding more — the almond extract carries a natural sweetness.
- Finish with milk if desired. Add milk or half-and-half and stir gently. A pinch of salt at this stage cuts any lingering bitterness from the coffee.
- Serve immediately. Drink it outside if the weather allows. The good cup matters.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 45 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 15mg