Northern New Mexico Winter, Where Wood Is All That

Since my blogging friends, like Guy and Diane, have been wondering where my blog posts are, here you go. I've been wondering the same thing myself and my only explanation is that I've become used to life here in Northern New Mexico and so you must be used to it, too.

Yes, this is misguided thinking on my part because there is always something new and I just needed to get out there and find it. And we have new stuff right here.

Like this pile of wood:

Since we arrived seven years ago this coming March, we've been gathering wood from the property, nothing alive, just dead and downed wood, and it's been enough to keep our home nice and cozy. We are running out of dead wood, though, and don't want to cut down any of our trees. So we called a local wood supplier who has a contract with the Forest Service to thin trees and he was glad to sell us this load of logs.

Tom has been busy cutting and splitting the logs. There are about six cords of wood there.


Ms. Pearl supervises.  She is good at that. Also sleeping on the couch. She's good at that, too.

The new steers, Regis and Phil (Bin) and Jimmies Fallon and Kimmel drop by to see what's going on.

They like to play the log rolling game. That's Jimmy Fallon. He has a bigger head than Jimmy Kimmel.

Tom gets the work done. Ms. Pearl's job is to look noble.

What's my job? I'll let you know next blog post.

Schlubbing Through Summer

Okay, I admit it: I've been a schlub this summer. That's Yiddish for an unkempt lazy butt.

Well, not totally lazy, but blogging has taken a back seat. Priorities. Work on that.

What have I been doing this summer?

Sitting on the porch, watching this little feller grow up. Miss Bonnie almost killed him, but he shook it off and survived. Bonnie is still patrolling the perimeter of the porch, just in case Little Bunnyboy gets careless.

Watching Mr. Robot while the lawn grows is an afternoon must. The rain has been amazing this year.

I've been outdoors a lot, pulling weeds and tending The Potager, which is a fancy way of saying The Garden.

We had asparagus and strawberries early in the season. Grasshoppers ate the shallot sets and the garlic was small this year since the rains started late.

The tomato plants look great, with lots of green ones, but the picking has been slow with all this rain and the clouds.  Hope reigns, though, since we a few moisture free days forecast. And those tomato bags may be my saving grace since we can take them into the Growing Dome if it gets too cold.

The climbing purple green beans are thriving, an homage to my dad who loved showing off his purple green beans. When they are properly cooked, they turn green. Magic. "Purpipple." He liked to say that.

The steers are growing large and still curious. Here's St. Thomas, saying hi.

We've had time for dinner with friends.

And I've been tidying up the fabric and sewing area. This is an ironic pic, don't you think? You may recognize this best selling book.

There are a few finished quilt tops and a couple quilts finally quilted, but minus their binding and a load of unfinished projects, but isn't that how it goes?

Next post will be quilts. Yep.

Life With Cattle

We are playing host to three young heifers (teenaged virgin cows) because our friend has a bull at his place romancing the older ladies. If a heifer is bred too young, they most likely will have a difficult time birthing their babies and you don't want that.

So the three girlfriends (AKA The Supremes) along with our four steers (castrated bulls used for meat), can really wreak havoc. The term "Bull in a china shop" is real: cattle are big, curious, opportunistic galoots. Check out what happened when another bunch got into the growing dome.

This morning I was troubleshooting the drip irrigation system, finding leaks and digging up the hose to determine what needed to be done. Like many people with ADHD, when I am concentrating, I am in hyperfocus mode. So I was in my own little world when all of a sudden I felt hot breath on the top of my head. When I looked up, I was eye to eye with St. Thomas, the brown one. He's a nice boy, but he's getting very big!

The cattle have an entire creek full of fresh mountain water, but that water leak in the drip line was just way too interesting and before I knew it, I was surrounded. So I turned off the water, closed the gate and went inside, hoping they'd go away.

They didn't. They decided they liked it just where they were.

 Don Everly, one of the girlfriends and Ace Frehley were polite squatters. They didn't attempt to smash any plants and were perfectly happy under this pine tree.

 St. Thomas,  Phil Everly and Girlfriend 2 decided they liked this patch of chamisa. It's the last plant to flower each year and signals that fall is coming. I think the cattle were there because it is supposed to rain today--check out the rain clouds gathering. When it's fixing to rain, flies start biting and maybe this was their way of keeping the flies off.

St. Thomas is hilarious. He just buried himself in the chamisa and at first all I could see was his big old head.

The picture of contentment.


 Also looking quite comfy is Girlfriend 3, guarding the grand entrance gate. Before she lay down, she gifted us with a big pile of poop on the driveway and Tom stepped in it.

We like to keep it classy at the Nickel and Dime.

Until next time....

A Side of Beef

Our two steers, Roman and Buffalo, were 955 and 1040 pounds when they took their trip to the great blue grama grass pasture in the sky. I am grateful for them, for their comic antics, for their curious nature and for the nourishment they will provide. Their life on earth was a life I wish for all beef cattle: a wandering, eating, sleeping, peaceful existence with a calm and quiet finish. Hell, I wish that existence for all of us!

People often remark that they wouldn't be able to eat cattle that they knew. They would rather get their beef at the supermarket, packaged and ready to go. They feel better about eating meat if they don't have to look it in the eyes.

It's easier that way, yes it is, if we can close our own eyes to the way the majority of food animals are treated. A package of regular old meat from the store is guilt-free until you learn the path that steak or roast took, from its mama to the package you hold in your hand. Read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan to get a sense of the ethics involved in our modern day food chain.

If you can't afford humanely raised meat? Buy it anyway, but cook smaller amounts. We don't need to eat meat every day. Eat more veggies!  Or become a vegan. I have a healthy respect for those who eschew meat because they just don't eat other living creatures. You're okay with me!

So yesterday and today I am delivering beef. We bought a new freezer and here's what a side of USDA inspected beef looks like, half a steer, about 170 pounds of healthy, never-corn-fed beef, dry aged for 31 days. It's vacuum sealed, so will stay fresh tasting for at least a year.

Every time I take out a roast or a pound of hamburger, you can bet that I will thank the Lazy Boyz and know I did my best to honor their lives while they were among us.

Wood is Wealth

A while back I wrote about wood and how important it is in Northern New Mexico. To Tom, Wood Equals Wealth. He says Chuck and Rick, his old friends, would understand. Even at our old Corona place we burned wood for heat and when we recently read of a ban on fireplace burning in the Corona area, Tom said, "We would have frozen if that happened while we were living there." Well, we wouldn't have frozen, but it would have been as cold as a well digger's butt in our little Temescal Canyon stone house.

There's no ban on burning here, which is good since many people rely totally on wood for their heat and it's a lot colder here in the winter than in SoCal.

 I don't know why we need such a stockpile, but I guess if we have room, why the heck not?

The first year we were here we applied for a forest cutting permit, but never used it since we had plenty of down and dead wood on our place.

Our place when we first moved in, pre wood piles

The trees that look dead here aren't really, it's just winter time and they are dormant.

Still, we've found plenty of dead trees that need cutting up and since Tom is up to the task, he cuts them up, hauls them home and we have free heating. You can't beat that.

Last year Tom and Z cut down this tree because it was diseased. When Z came for this year's Thanksgiving visit, they planned to cut it up, but the chainsaw was out of commission so Z dodged the wood cutting bullet.

The chainsaw is back in action now, so here's Tom doing his logger duties. When he cuts wood, Ms. P and I go along, too, in case events were to go terribly wrong. The helmet keeps his face safe from flying bits and has built in ear protectors.  I like his woodcutter chaps, don't you?

Ms. Pearl and I aren't totally useless, though. I helped lift those logs into the Ranger.

Off in the distance look closely and there are The Lazy Boyz, Roman and Buffalo, soaking up the sun, well fed and content.

Tomorrow, something quilty!

December 2014

The Lazy Boyz came up to the house for a snack because, well, they like snacks, so we oblige them with what is called Cake. Its real name is Ranch Cake, made with supplements, minerals and other goodies. They just get a little because their food is grass, but Cake makes their day. Buffalo, one of The Boyz, reallytruly kicks up his heels when he sees us because He Likes Cake.

A few hours ago it started snowing and The Boyz were still hanging outside the garage.

 A Lazy Boy just never knows when there might be just a Little More Cake.

First Snow: The Lazy Boyz Want Snacks!

Over the weekend we had snow, so the ski areas are happy and so was Ms. Pearl.

Playing Frisbee in the snow is the best thing, ever. The Frisbee lands under the snow and Ms. Pearl must dig for it. It's a fun time for a dog, that's for sure!

The Lazy Boyz, Roman and Buffalo, are looking decidedly, well, beefy. And very furry.

Do you have any snacks?

When temps get into the teens and below, or if it snows and the grass is covered up, we feed extra hay. If The Boyz don't keep up their calories, they will lose weight. They are full figured dudes and we want to keep it that way.

It's almost sundown, but the sun is still on the rim rock for a few more minutes.

Ms. P says that's just enough to throw the old Frisbee one more time.

Sheep Camp

There aren't any sheep, but Roman and Buffalo, a.k.a. The Lazy Boyz, investigate where Tom has moved the sheepherder wagon, closer to home for the winter.

Ms. Pearl says "Back off! This is my place."

We Had Some Snow!

It's hard to tell how much snow we have had in the past four days, but my not-so-educated estimate is almost a foot based on our tromping about outside and looking at the accumulations on fences, tables, and other fixed objects in the yard.

Raised Beds and Long Porch

Garage and Grand Entry

Yesterday the guys and Ms. P went outside for some exploring. No blue sky yesterday.

Z and MP Snowshoing Along Coyote Creek

Ms. P loves the snow!

Today we went looking for the L'il Guyz, which is my current name for the new beef cattle. We've been feeding them hay since it's so cold and their grass is covered with snow.

This is down the driveway looking north.

And this is looking south. Z says it looks like a Norwegian fjord.

It's a winter wonderland out there and it isn't even winter yet!

And here's a photo of something new, a sheepherder's wagon. More about that later.

We are snug in the cabin and today will be a let's-finish-something-anything day in the sewing room.

Maybe the Drought is Over?

We've been having snow for the past four days, with daytime temperatures in the 20's.  Last night there was enough snow to cover the grass, so the L'il Guyz are eating hay. It helps them stay warm and conserve calories.

Yum!

They were waiting just outside the garage this morning, saying, "We would like some of that hay!" So, until the snow melts, that's what they will have.

Old Dog

Ms. Pearl likes her comfort.

But that doesn't mean she can't mix it up if someone isn't following orders.

Meet the New Guys!

A little over a week ago we bought two new Black Angus steers to wander around the ranch and eat grass.  They were born a little over six months ago on a ranch just eight miles away. By purchasing our stock locally, the babies won't have any altitude or weather adjustment issues.

First, though, they had a week's stay in a corral since they had just left their mommas. We wouldn't want these little guys wandering down the road, looking for their moms.

When I went to their home ranch to choose, the babies were with their mommas, ambling about, eating grass and drinking milk. Little did they know it was time to be weaned.
So for the first couple of days they were sad, mooing for their mommas. A friend who learned about this said it made her boobs leak!

And then she said that was TMI.

But the other day we opened the corral gate.

It didn't take much for them to realize there was a whole other world out there.

One with real grass, not hay. Yummers.

These guys are a little under 350 pounds right now, but in a year they will be close to 1200-1400 pounds after almost nonstop eating of grass, oak, and whatever else looks tasty.If it snows and covers up the grass, or gets really cold, they will get some hay, too.

How will their lives be different from factory farmed steers?

1. They will never see a feedlot, where thousands of cattle spend six to twelve months of their lives eating mostly corn, which they are not evolved to eat.

2. Because they will never see a feedlot, they will have happy tummies and never need antibiotics. The grain that factory farmed beef eat causes digestive upset and liver damage and they are often ill, so they need medicine.

3. They will breathe easily and see clearly. No gigantic pens full of beef cattle, kicking up manure contaminated dust which can get into lungs and eyes.

4. Stress will be minimal. Treats are served almost every day so the steers will not be afraid of their caretakers.

5. They will have a calm death. Some slaughterhouses process 300-400 cattle an hour. It can be chaotic. Our steers will either die right here at the ranch, not knowing what hit them, or will travel 30 miles to a processor who kills one beef at a time in a quiet room.

One thing I have learned in the three years we have raised beef cattle is that it's important to put a face on what you eat and on who is raising it.

When we eat an animal we are complicit in that animal's welfare whether we want to be or not. I have a hard time eating meat from animals and farmers I don't know because who knows what kind of life that animal had?

May I suggest a book?  Read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan where he follows each of four meals from source to final product.

That's when I really began thinking about how my food is produced.

Early October Snow

While I stayed inside, toasty and warm on the couch and perusing the internet, Tom and Ms. Pearl went out exploring the snow that accumulated last night. Pearlie had fun chasing those pesky ravens. They drive her nuts.

The snow is a couple weeks early, but because the daytime temperatures are well above freezing, it will have melted away in a day or two. The steers will get some hay rations today since the grass is covered over.

Tom Boyle photos

The weather dudes and dudettes are predicting rain and some snow for the higher ups, with sunny skies tomorrow.

That's good, because these photos look bleak and I don't do bleak.

If we were like Ms. Pearl, this would be an opportunity to enjoy the change in weather and to plow through the snow like an insane person. Not a bad attitude at all.

A Summer Walk to the Beaver Pond

It's trying to be monsoon season here at the Nickel and Dime, and in areas nearby they've even had some flash flooding with puddles, actual puddles (!) alongside the roads. Since most of the yearly moisture  comes during this July and August rainy season, everyone has been hoping and praying that the rain will keep falling, but not so much that we get flooded out.

There was rain last week here at the ranch, so the grass is growing a bit and the steers think it's candy. Sadly, our creek isn't running, though, so bring on more rain!

Yesterday Ms. Pearl and I took a walk through The Enchanted Forest to see how the beavers are doing.

Here's our empty creek bed.

If you look closely at the photo below, you might be able to see Ms. Pearl exploring an area just above what Tom calls "Bridget's Bottom." 

 Yeah, there she is! C'mon, you goofball!

Sometimes when we're walking around I can't find her. So I'm calling, a little worried, and she just appears, usually right behind me, looking like, "Didn't you know I was here the whole time?"

You've seen the pine trees all around here, but watch where you're going because these grow here and there on the forest floor:

Prickly Pear Cactus

Nylon Hedgehog Cactus

Don't the spines on this Nylon Hedgehog cactus look like embroidery?

So here we are at the beaver dam. Not much water left, so I wonder what happens to the beavers? Do they pack up their bags and find a better place? Research is necessary.

Come on and rain some more. We want the beavers back!

What is cool, though, is a chance to see how they built the dam. That's a lot of earth moved, don't you think?

You can see that even though I have been providing fresh water in a civilized water trough for the steers, their hoof marks are visible in the mud. Don't drink that stuff, you guys!

So we have green grass, pine trees, pretty cacti, rain, an empty creek bed, missing beavers, and a chance to experience both the beauty and the sadness of nature right in our back yard.

It will sort itself out eventually. It always does.