Jack Varian's Blog V6 Ranch

Jack’s Blog

Read about everyday ranch life and the ramblings and ponderings of an 80-something year old rancher, Jack Varian

Jack Varian Jack Varian

Have I got what it takes?

It’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I had fallen asleep in my favorite chair so it was easier to use the back bathroom to “leave a leak” when I noticed a light black ball at water level…

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

Want to have more grass to graze?

Then you’ll have to improve your water delivery system. I believe that the cheapest way to grow more grass is to harvest what you already have, that is underutilized because it’s too far to water.

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Oh, God!

The year was 1977 and George Burns had shown me what a one of a kind actor he was. He brought God into my soul in a way that I could grasp and believe in his presence.

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

The political side of the coronavirus

What I have discovered in the last couple of weeks traveling around checking and fixing water troughs on the ranch is that the coronavirus has even made its presence known here at the V6. How so, you say?

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

Look who's back in style

My wife being a thrifty sort never let me throw out my old Levi’s and for many years, she would get her trusty Singer Sewing Machine out and with her inventory of no longer reparable jeans she would carefully cut a piece of the same color material to plug a hole in one of my well worn Levi’s with the idea to make the patch as inconspicuous as possible.

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

I’m coming out of the closet

I now call myself a Grass-man first and a Cattleman second. It may seem inconsequential just a game of semantics but it’s not. Because now my priority is to look at the condition of the land first and the condition of the cattle second.

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My algorithm for a satisfied mind

I’m not sure if I have a satisfied mind or maybe it’s a comfortable mind, either way they can roll with the punches and know that someday when our tenure here on earth is over, I do believe if you thought kindly of yourself amongst the living it follows that you get to take this attitude with you when you take your last breath.

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Lauren Varian Lauren Varian

I just deleted myself

“Jack press the delete key and knock this monotonous piece of fact and fantasy in the head.”

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

Fighting Danger with Danger

I was listening to a TED talk on my iPhone the other day and one of the talks was about danger and how young people deal with it. I didn't necessarily agree with the author and as to how he would solve the problem so I would like to offer up my own thoughts on the subject.

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Highest and Best Use

We all need to join together and say that the Highest and Best Use for open space is open space and is not to be taxed out or zoned out of existence by the government’s insatiable need for “always more cash.”

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

Has my extended warranty expired for a “do over”?

I hope not. For I’ve just left the admissions office at Cuesta College. Where I register for the fall semester taking a course in Political Science which should be interesting especially with all the mean spirited politicians in Congress now a days. Anyway it went quite smoothly and I’m hoping that in this learning environment it might stimulate a few of my brain cells to get off the couch.

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Jack Varian Jack Varian

The Age of the Anthropocene

My well managed grazing cow who uses all the acres that can’t be plowed produces nutrient dense meat full of Conjugated Linoleic acid that’s good for a person and omega threes and sixes, another fatty acid that’s good for the body and proteins that don’t make fat and sequesters CO2 back into the soil. My hope in closing is that meatless meat will go the way of margarine that was going to replace butter as the health food of the 1980s and 90s and when all the propaganda about the health benefits of margarine were debunked butter regained proper place at the table of good stuff to eat.

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