Ice Fog

February 14, 2021

Hello everyone,

I'm writing all of you from the temporary north pole, as it is currently -3F with a 9mph SE wind, making it feel like -19F. On Tuesday, this week, it was 65F and the dogs were swimming in the pond. Thursday wasn't too far behind either and we soaked up some afternoon sun on the patio at the Skillet, in Las Vegas, getting some great grub and drinks. It was still in the 40s and 50s otherwise on the other days, until yesterday when we got blasted with Arctic air causing it to drop to just below zero last night, rising to only about 5F today, and then plunging back down below zero tonight. In the process, we got nearly a foot of snow dropped on us and were completely enveloped in ice fog on Friday and Saturday mornings...all day Saturday until dark when it started snowing. The ice fog clings to the ground, frosting all the plants that it touches, but it doesn't seem to leave too much moisture on the roadways(it is dry here, with lots of days having humidity levels in the single digits and dew points in negative integers). Looking ahead, after a cold start tomorrow, it should just about hit freezing tomorrow afternoon and then we're back to more seasonal highs in the 40s. Long story short, dress in layers, always have your sunglasses(the sunshine can be blinding, at times), and be prepared for just about anything!

So, not much going on on the ranch this week other than me being bitten about ten times. Now, with all the talk of neighboring dogs let out at night, feral dogs running at large and rattlesnakes coming out to sun themselves on sunny winter days, you'd think that this is where I'm heading with that, but, no, I had to break up two dog fights this week, both between our girls Ela and Willow, with me getting bit in the process on the hands and forearms multiple times(none too serious as I was heavily clothed). We never had this problem when Luna was still alive and I feel that we're all still missing her something fierce. She was leader of the pack and, though she was the sweetest, goofiest dog that you've ever met, she was in charge and we never had fights. Her most aggressive behavior was constantly ball-checking customers at the mill. Before her, Lotte was in charge for her long reign of 16 years. Now, our perceived problem child, our male, Rui, turns out to be a real wimp and is just really mouthy. Instead, we have Ela(7) and Willow(2) trying to figure out who's in charge...clearly this is a matriarchy at our house. Ela's always pretty cranky and, for instance, will stand next to whoever is eating dry food, about two inches away, staring daggers at them until they stop eating and then she'll put her hackles up once they walk away and 'guard' the food. We had always wanted to breed her, and she is still not fixed, and twice a year she really can be a handful when she's in heat, like she is now. Luna died in June and during her last heat late summer, the girls got into it a handful of times. Usually, even though it sounds like someone's being murdered, they only seem to be trying to grab the other one by the scruff of the neck. Now, along the way, lips, cheeks, eye lids, etc., get torn and cut, but these have never seemed to be death struggles. I always try to intervene and break them up, but it's a lot harder at 6500' and, I tell you what, it about makes your heart burst after 5-10 minutes of that! Not only that, I come home covered in blood and look like I just butchered something. Both of this week's instances seemed to have started with Cheyenne(Willow's new best friend) provoking Ela by her continuous puppy play and goofing around...once Ela growls or snaps at her too forcefully, Willow comes to the rescue and hits her like a ton of bricks. Cheyenne scatters, Rui seems rooted to the spot, and the girls are putting up their dukes. So, not the end of the world, and workable, but quite tiresome and annoying all the same.

Otherwise, we ran into Las Vegas twice this week: once on Thursday to pick up our first co-op food order from Azure, a farm/company out of Oregon that delivers throughout the West by truck; and then yesterday morning to grab a few extra things before the storm hit. Erin used to be part of a food co-op back in PA and always liked buying things this way...it is usually bulk organic type of stuff. This was much smoother than the old days, with everything being prepaid before delivery and all boxes labeled with the buyer's name. All the younger guys lined up(me included) at the back of the truck and grabbed each box coming off, helping the mostly senior crowd to load their cars. It was really nice and made us start feeling like we were part of the community. This only increased throughout the day as we ran into some of the same people elsewhere in town shopping at Semilla Natural Foods and then eating at the Skillet. Cool. Cool. Cool.

One note about last week, when I mentioned that non-hibernating snakes bromate, that was incorrect. They don't bromate, but rather brumate. I believe bromate is the scientific term for multiple male snakes sharing the same den...

So, last, but, not least, some pictures. I'm still trying to get my digital camera working(dirt, sand and grit keeping the lens from popping out), so I've attached a few of Erin's pictures alongside some of mine from the first week of the month. The first two shots are of the dogs swimming on Tuesday afternoon...almost 70 degrees warmer than it is currenlty. Look closely in the second picture and you'll see Cheyenne right behind Willow...they've become seriously tight! The next three shots Erin took on our way back from Las Vegas yesterday...she checked the weather and it was supposed to be 39F back in San Jose(it was 22F in Las Vegas). The fog never lifted and when we rolled back into the parking spot at home the car was reading only 23F...ice fog in the middle of the afternoon! The next three shots are of the approach to Fort Union, just above Las Vegas, which lies about eight miles west of the interstate. First, a couple of miles in, a look to the southwest towards Hermit's Peak, which towers over Las Vegas. Next, a shot more straight to the west with the Sangre de Cristos(Rockies) looming. Finally, a shot of Fort Union from an overlook a few miles away, showing the wide plain that it sits in...if you look really, really hard just right of center you can see the remains of the different lines of barracks and buildings. We attempted this the day we went to the Capulin Volcano, but only made it in to the overlook and decided to skip it for the time being as the wind was absolutely howling and we didn't feel adequately dressed for it...another time, it's less than an hour away from us. The next two shots are of a crazy, eroded pool that we found out hiking...always dreaming of ancient uses, but probably just from erosion. Then, two shots of ruts that you can still see from the Santa Fe Trail on the way in to Fort Union...you can see at least four different planes in the shots, all old wagon and cart ruts. Finally, my new favorite ride, the Kioti tractor that we have. Erin took three shots of me loading up hay and parking it in the hay barn. The Kubota buggy is in the shop right now and so we've been using this big boy to feed the horses. The last shot is of me in the middle of changing the engine, transmission and front axle oils and associated filters...I wasn't even sure how to fire this bad boy up a few weeks ago and now I feel like I could compete in a heavy equipment rodeo! I can't wait to start playing around with the big Case backhoe.

So, that's about it, guys...stay warm and don't let the icy winds blow you away!