Run Coyote, Run

November 13, 2022

Hello again,

Well, our little houseful of cats has just increased by another 40-50% again. Zia finally had her babies downstairs, amidst all the chaos of the dogs and other cats and us going in and out all day long. She had five kittens, matching her sister, Chelly's, batch that she had a month or so earlier. Over the weekend, about four or five days after they were born, Erin decided to move them upstairs to the big dog crate that Chelly was based out of initially. Likewise, after the same older kitten fell from the second floor down to the first floor(the second time with a sickening 'splat') over the course of two days, she decided to move Chelly and her older batch of kittens downstairs and to seclude the younger batch upstairs. After letting Zia try to move some of them a few times and get them back downstairs, she finally relented and seemed to then embrace the change. As for Chelly, she didn't even know that we had moved the older five down to the first floor for a few hours and then came down to find them playing and already having taken over the place! So, now we have six adult cats in the house and ten kittens. On top of that, Bootsie looks pregnant again outside and her daughter, Boo-Boo, may well be, too, and has now disappeared. We're hoping that she didn't end up another victim in the Coyote Wars, but we haven't seen her in a few days and aren't exactly sure. Being a first-time mother, we're hoping that she just found a really out-of-the-way place in the barn to disappear to. Either way, we have two litters of kittens inside and one or two outside(here or on the way) and, the colder it gets, a starting-to-be incessant presence of coyotes trying to raid the kitten nests every night at about 3am or so. Erin usually hears it first from upstairs and hollers down to me to wake up. Then, I fling the door open and let the dogs out on the stoop, who immediately start barking and howling like crazy. Finally, after a half-minute or so, I have my shoes and robe on and am finally outside, letting the dogs loose and they tear off into the darkness to chase the coyotes away. We've had no encounters thus far, but I'm very intent on doing everything that I can not to keep losing cats out here...we're up to 15 or more since we moved in. In any event, that has become a nightly exercise at some point when we suddenly are awoken by all the yipping and have to go into defensive mode. While some would probably cringe at the thought of loosing your dogs on wild animals in the middle of the night, these coyotes are quite small...probably smaller than our smallest dog, and much tinier than our biggest...so, all is fair in love & war and the fight to keep all of our cats alive. I think the dogs are more worried about all of their 'kitties' than we are, so they gladly join the fray every time!

Otherwise, the weather keeps trending colder, ranging in between 20 degrees in the morning and 70 degrees during the afternoon. That being said, the next day can be completely different and I must add that whatever the high is supposed to be some days feels like it's only achieved for a whole, whopping fifteen minutes or so, before immediately beginning to drop again. We experienced a beautiful full moon and, as is typical, I was out feeding the horses as it finally broke the edge of the horizon and started peering at us from way off to the East. Now, with the time change, it's getting dark around 5:30, if not earlier. I'm currently working until 3:30 every day and now find myself cramped a little to get all of my outside chores done before dark. Still, when the moon is out, it is very easy to keep working outdoors as there is hardly any ambient light out here and the full moon at times seems to shed as much light as the sun on a cloudy day. But, during new moon or as you head towards that and the moon keeps rising later and later each day, there are times shortly after sunset when you literally can't see your hands in front of your face out here. But, then, the stars and the Milky Way more than reward you for stumbling around a little bit. Erin keeps cooking and canning like crazy in the kitchen and has been slowly but surely restocking our pantry. Some of her latest creations have included: apple butter; apple slices in syrup; salsa; Rotel tomatoes; a caramelized pear & cornmeal skillet cake; and a daily variety of roasted chicken(and the subsequent sandwiches and wraps), tostadas, tacos, cheesesteak wraps and pierogies. She also spent a little time in the garden to get a whole bed of garlic planted and covered in straw. I've said this before and I'll say it again, its really hard to want to go to town to go out to eat...there's just no reason!

So, now I've prepared another batch of photos for everyone's pleasure. First of all, some graffiti on the dumpster at the jobsite...La Jefa, or boss lady in Spanish. Then, two shots of the kittens this week: first, four of the five taking a big nap; then, Chelly scowling and checking on her brood. Next, four shots from the dogs and I heading up to the old quarry for a run one afternoon: first, looking into the setting sun as Rui and Ela nose around; then, Willow recalling and racing back to me; next, Willow's big Dumbo ears flapping in the very stiff wind that we were feeling; and, finally, a closeup of Ela grinning ear to ear on her adventure. Then, two different shots from the jobsite this week: first, Valentin up by the barns working on his walls in the cold, crisp air; then, a shot of the tractor loaded up with all twelve sets of scaffolding to be put away. Next, three shots of the full moon rising: from the barn the night before the eclipse; then, two shots from the pasture on the night after the eclipse...including Freedom and Nanette munching away in the moonlight. Then, the last light of day reflecting in the big water trough. Next, two scenic shots from our dog walk in the old quarry overlooking the Pecos River Valley: first, looking downriver towards Villanueva and the plains beyond; then, looking right across the river to see all the roofs of San Jose gleaming in the sun. And, finally, a shot of the mesa from the interstate as I was almost back to the ranch after a quick beer run to Las Vegas one day after work...three IPAs a day keeps the doctor away!

See you soon.