Warm Winter Day

January 16, 2022

Howdy folks,

Greetings to you from sunny and warm northern New Mexico, where we were 60F today(and 55-60F for most of the week), even having the screen doors open for a while! As for most of our family and friends, however, they are being slammed with a big Nor'easter back East, accompanied by super low temperatures. I don't note this to rub that contrast in anyone's face, but it does underscore, however, one of the biggest reasons why we sold everything that we owned and moved 2000 miles away to the Old Southwest! Formerly, we experienced roughly 300 days of clouds a year and, now, it's the exact opposite and we are basking in about 300 days of sunshine each year. Erin cleaned up the garden this week, pulling the dead out and trimming the perennials. She was happy to discover some very hardy parsley, chard and kale that were lying under the dead brush, green as could be with some very tiny new growth bursting out of the ground. We've made one compost bin thus far and need to complete one or two more to satisfy our needs before our supply of pallets dries up as work at the jobsite keeps moving towards completion. Also, we have an outhouse made out of old Pennsylvania barnwood that's still in storage that we need to get out here, so that we can finish setting up all of the tools that we need for the garden and be able to keep them separate from the ranch's tools. High on the agenda for this week is setting the little greenhouse tent that we have back up for plant starts and getting some of those same plants actually started from seed here in the house. Also, a few of the raised beds need some minor repairs and there's probably a mile(seems like!) of irrigation hoses that we need to isolate from the garden and put on their own loops. Work, work, work, but well-paid work as we should have beets ready to harvest in March and a whole lot of other things ready not too long after that!

In other fields, we're trying to figure out all of the landscaping that didn't get done last year so that we can get a jump on it and have it done by the time things are growing in a few months. Both the tractor and the buggy need fluids and filters changed again, so I've been gathering supplies and trying to find the right day to get both done at the same time. I keep taking my two cars for spins, trying to work all the kinks out, as I will soon be commuting to Santa Fe to work every day once we get into February or March. That date keeps being pushed back, but there are at least two projects in town that I will be working on. That being said, the cars are both running fine, it's just silly, stupid things that are more annoying than anything: the blue one won't shut off when I turn it off because of a leak in the vacuum lines that I can't find(probably just a pinhole or crack, literally); and the yellow one really squeals when I'm driving slow because it needs a new alternator, and as it is our third vehicle that spends 99.9% of its time on the ranch, getting a new one hasn't been a priority. There's nothing like a daily commute to let you know the shape of things with your automotive fleet! Of course, I could always take Erin's car, which is 32 and 33 years younger than my cars are, respectively, but what fun would that be! We've also finally fallen into a much better rhythm with our shopping and have learned what we need to get where and how. From Las Vegas, we get food from a food co-op that delivers there, off of a truck, once a month and use their smaller grocery and hardware/feed stores. From Santa Fe, we make use of a much bigger, brick & mortar co-op and all of the rest of its much bigger stores. Our end goal is to buy everything that we can in either 25# bags or bigger, if appropriate, or by the case, if it's canned or boxed goods. Also, as this country is awash in plastic that fills, wraps, stuffs, and cushions everything, we're trying to eliminate all the packaging that we possibly can. Garbage collection and recycling are very quaint, East Coast ways of thinking and looking at things, which becomes very apparent once you get out here...you're pretty much on your own with whatever waste you generate!

Now, it's time for another batch pictures. First up, two shots of the kittens in the garden today: first, Chelly running the trapline and checking out all the critter holes; and, then, Zia lying in wait, trying to blend in with her surroundings. Then, four shots of the dogs: first, Rui lounging on the couch and catching Willow as she walked by to clean her ear; next, two shots of those same two playing out in the setting sun; and, finally, a shot of Willow looking pretty this morning, enjoying a rare, open-door winter day. Next up, four shots of our foray into the garden today: first, the whole entourage(mostly) swarming the garden; then, two shots of some new, green growth; and, then, a shot of Erin, happily in her element. Then, three shots from the jobsite this week: first, a pretty sunset one night before I went to put my car away; then, two shots of the wild, wire, mental mix-up that I had to deal with one day, as I had to re-lay the path of everything in this room around a new loft that had finally been decided upon! Next, a tremendously colorful sunset. And, finally, a color and a black & white shot of the sun rising through a lone cholla out in the horse pasture.

Take care.