Tree Cutting War

November 12, 2023

Hello again,

Well, we stumbled into a little turf war this week out here on the ranch.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a huge fireworks display took place the other night and scared the crap out of all of the animals out here.  We were not able to see it quite so much, as we are tucked down into the base of a hill that obscures our views to the east, but the boss could see it directly and reported to me instantly that her dogs were freaking out and that she was worried about the horses and the pasture itself.  So, first thing the next morning, I did a perimeter check and walked the whole fence line, searching for any evidence of burn marks or anything charred out in this dry patch of earth.  Not long into my survey, and literally directly across from the boss's backyard at the skinniest point of the pasture, I found evidence of a neighbor cutting down our trees.  Our eastern line goes back a mile from the Frontage Road and is mostly straight, except for a little jag that cuts in sharply towards the houses on the ranch.  This was exactly the spot that I saw some freshly cut branches and stumps, within several dozen yards of the fence, along with a huge, log splitter that sat just on the other side of the line.  Unless deadwood had been gathered and made off with over the last few years, this was something new and happened to be just where a rather big thicket of junipers and pinyons stands.  The cuts were so fresh, in fact, that on this very cold late fall morning there was frozen sap coming out of the ends of the branches.  It made me recall that I had heard quite a commotion coming from this very area last week, after dark, towards the weekend, with chainsaws and spotlights blazing.  Things are funny out here and the constant wind can make things that are very far away sound like they're right next to you and vice versa.  I knew the neighbors sat close to us at this point, but didn't think much more was amiss.  So, I reported back to the boss and was then asked whether we should call the police.  I suggested that we just paint the stumps and cut branch ends with florescent orange spray paint to serve as a warning and let it go at that.  The boss wanted to do that and also call the police and, before long, a state trooper was out here to check on things.  So, we drove over in the feed buggy and I showed him everything that I had seen and the very clear signs that the nearest neighbor had done this.  The trooper wanted to walk over and knock on the door to establish contact, but I warned of the neighbor's free-ranging dogs and, not wanting any dead dogs on my conscience, got him to go back with us to his truck and to then drive over on his own.

I never did hear back from the police about this.  Not that it was my place to be contacted about it, but the boss never mentioned anything again and the state trooper never came back.  We did hear back through the grapevine that this was someone who had been fired from their last job for stealing, so that did cast a certain light on it.  Although, I've run into this guy's dogs while out in the back 40 of the ranch and they are not assholes.  Rambunctious and freewheeling, yes, but not jerks.  So, maybe this is just a neighbor come on hard times.  Who's to say?  Quien sabe, as they say out here...who knows?  This whole situation did give me cause to reflect upon my current situation.  I don't own anything now other than three cars and a whole bunch of animals.  Back home, we had a house and an apartment building right next to each other; a feed mill 30 miles away; and a cabin 100 miles away.  There were always people trespassing up at the cabin, hunting on our land or driving their 4-wheelers on it.  At night, when we weren't up at our mill, we always had to worry about break-ins and whether a pitbull had ripped one of our millcats to shreds or things like...did the big transformer right over the hay barn blow again?  There's a real freedom to our current situation: we're nestled on a very nice ranch in very nice lodgings; but able to be gone like the wind at the end of the week, if necessary, with a quick run of all of our things to our two nearby storage units.  As much as I thought that our former path was the surest way to riches, fame and glory...if not comfort, security and well-being, I don't see it so now.  Now that we're completely untethered from our earliest foundations, we are free to enjoy the day just for being able to see the reflections in the eyes of the horses and to see the snow-flecked mesa looming over us.  Even polishing the boss's boots has become a zen-like experience, sitting on her porch, watching the sun flood the mesa with color.  Que bien!

So, here is another batch of pictures for everyone's enjoyment.  First up, a blurry, up-close shot of Erin taking a selfie to see how her glasses looked on her turned into a digital canvas.  Then, two shots of some of our youngest kittens that we currently have...outside ones: first up, little Cachito, full of mischief; then, a cute, as-of-yet unnamed tuxedo.  Next, four shots of the skylight in our new house that has been slowly sliding out of position: first, looking up to the big gap on the right, at the top; then, how far it has slid out of position at the bottom; next, a look inside at the middle of the three layers, clearly warped from critters going in there; and, finally, the main culprit on the critter list...Charley, who's been 'missing' for weeks and clearly living up in the roof!  Then, the adobe wall outside of the side door of the casita, where we used to live, and which is about to be redone in the next few weeks.  And, finally, eight shots from The Great Tree Cutting War: cuttings seen from afar; a closer look at a pinyon stump; fresh sap frozen overnight; probably a centenarian, at least; a juniper cut right along our side of the line; the evidence piled in the neighbor's yard; drag marks in the dirt; and, lastly, my little reminder to not be cutting anything.  By the way, turns out a local ranch that is available for rent did the big fireworks show...never even heard of the place, but they left their mark on the neighborhood!

That's it for this week.