Ash Madness

September 25, 2022

Hello again,

Well, we're finally starting to see tarantulas again. Last year we started seeing a few in July, many more in August, and then only a few in September. This year we've only just seen our first adult this week. I've seen some babies and younger ones up at the jobsite here on the ranch, but no big ones out cruising around, walking like they're on a mission. Of course, just because we haven't been seeing any doesn't mean that they're not around; for that matter, we've seen bear tracks out on the driveway many times but have, as of yet, never actually seen one in person. Still, we wondered if the very active monsoon season and/or the huge wildfire that was just a few miles north of us had anything to do with us seeing less of them. In any event, Erin and I have both seen them within the last week on and off the ranch. Speaking of Erin, she's been wading back into the garden again, now that the mosquitos have pretty much gone back to being non-existent. She's moving section by section and is starting to clear out the dead flowers while also beginning to harvest all of her dry beans. She tried some really interesting varieties this year and they include: Zuni Gold; Peregion; Colorado River Bean; Black-Eyed Pea; Light-Red Kidney Bean. Already she's been storing them in her Mason jars and is assembling quite a stockpile...with probably only 25-33% of them harvested! The plumbers came out to install our HVAC mini-split at our house and we had to throw up six sets of scaffolding, three stories high, really quickly the morning that they were coming to enable them to be able to reach the peak of the roof at the front of the house where they needed to drill through the wall. I had erroneously stated that these were powered by propane, like the radiant flooring in the new house, but, in fact, they run off of electric. While I am very old-fashioned and dream of a place of our own with only a woodstove and great southern exposure that is built back into a hillside to take care of heating and cooling, the technician did make a good point in saying that these little units could run very efficiently off of a solar power setup...hmmm. Not only am I grabbing anything nice that makes its way to the dumpsters at any of the work sites that I am at for future use, I'm also seeing how everybody solves their heating/cooling/water issues out here with their houses as Erin and I continue to think of the best possible layout for our future little New Mexican piece of heaven. We'd really like to pull the trigger on a piece of land nearby, as there are many owner carry situations out here, and 2023 might just be the year to do it!

The days keep getting shorter and suddenly darkness is sneaking up on you at 7pm or earlier, depending upon moon and cloud cover. I managed to get through most of September with feeding the horses only once a day, as there has still been plently of grass, purslane, weeds and all kinds of other plants growing. It has really thinned out, though, and it is clear that I'm going to need to feed twice a day again soon. The boss usually does on the weekend, but sometimes only does it once. They totally let you know whether they're hungry or not...it's not hard to figure out the difference between them being nowhere in sight and all ten of them ganging up on the buggy before you even make it out to the feeders from the barn! I've been continuing my wooden plug madness at work here on the ranch as I continue to install plugs into all of the screw holes in the wooden flooring that we made. It's made out of ash, with a river of walnut that the bathtub 'floats' on, and it's absolutely mind-blowing to see all the variations in color from just one kind of wood. I've been cutting plugs for weeks and weeks outside with a drill press and now am popping them out of their panels 200 at a time to fill my tray with and give me a good assortment of colors to use. Then, kneepads go on and I start squinting hard, trying to methodically glue them in one by one in the best possible spots. I'm not sure if the darker walnut will be harder to do or easier. Time will tell, though, and I should be to that section by mid-week; then it's on to another whole room of ash! On the cool news front, my buddy, Valentin, surprised me the other day with a 1981 VW Diesel Rabbit that he found. He rolled up to the house one day after work with it, and I could immediately tell that it wasn't his little red, gasoline Toyota Yaris. He loved riding in my diesel Mercedes so much that he wanted to get his own little piece of German auto heaven: 1.6L diesel; 4-cylinder; 4-speed; 52hp; 45mpg; and just recently repainted!

Now, here is another batch of pictures for your viewing pleasure. First up, the tarantula that I saw this week, with a rainbow prism from shooting towards the sun. Then, the three dogs spending the day with me at work while our HVAC project was done...they're always in Erin's car, but mine is a special treat! Next, Willow and Ela working their way through the tall grasses, hunting for trouble. Then, Erin's assembled collection of dry beans thus far. Next, two shots from the scaffolding project: first, how it looked set up in front of our casita; then, the view from the top, looking out towards the mesa, showing where we'll be moving to once the new house is done. Then, my squirrel-saving device in the horses' water trough...none have drowned since I found the right stick to leave in there that the horses left alone! Next, a shot of all of my wooden plugs: first, in the tray that I use to keep them organized; then, even closer, showing all the various hues. Then, three shots of the new site I was on at work this week: first, the vehicles circled close to the site of the concrete pour; then, full of rebar and ready to go; and, finally, done and drying. Next up, two shots of some of the many flowers out here as they've been dying and turning into even more interesting things! Then, one of the many beautiful, evening scenes that we are graced with out here. And, finally, a shot of Valentin and his new pride & joy, looking to see all the work that needs to be done as all the seats, seat rails, handles, dash, etc., are still not back in place from painting...there's always a catch when something's too good of a price!

Take care.