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.

Well, Finally A Blog Post!

Hello, it's me.
I was wondering if after all these months you'd like to meet
To go over everything.

Thanks, Adele.

Yep, it's been awhile, and I am sorry, but also not sorry because I've been concentrating on being healthy, visiting doctors and wondering what the heck was wrong with me. It started this past summer, a weak, shambling, dizzy, heart pounding, hurting-in-every-joint, mentally confused and depressed kind of summer. I was very scared and had many blood tests to figure it out. All was negative except for a slightly low normal B12 number which my local physician's assistant pronounced as normal. After a little reading, though, I learned that low normal B12 for people over 55 may signal a deficiency. Hmm.

After all that I can say I am well and what might have been Lyme disease/something autoimmune/rheumatic/hemochromatosis or what ever else I've been Googling on the internet has boiled itself down to a plain old Vitamin B12 deficiency and osteoarthritis. So after taking the B12 in megadoses and beginning a keep-the body-moving regimen, I'm much better and ready to forget all this nonsense.

So let's catch up and go over everything so far this winter:

We've had snow, more than ever since we moved here. Z came for a visit around Christmas time and we did a little hiking. Isn't it just like Californians to go for a hike while it's snowing?

Then it snowed some more and melted. Then it snowed some more and that one lasted for a couple of weeks because it was cold. Last night it snowed again and it's absolutely gorgeous. Tom went walking around this morning before the sun came up and then decided to plow the driveway. Ms. Pearl likes to ride in the Polaris Ranger, but doesn't like the whirring sound when the plow goes up and down and bails out of the vehicle.

That's it for today. Hope you like the pics.

For my quilty buddies: I have one top finished and another one almost there. This will be the Year of Finishes. Yep, it will.

Tom shot all the photos.

Z and B hiking in the snow-That chubby person is wearing lots of layers, just so you know.

Snowy Beaver Dam

Cabin Before Sunrise

Front Gate of Nickel and Dime Ranch

A Sleeping Garden

Snowy Rimrock

Sheepherder's Wagon-The Sheepherder is Out

Growing Dome and Rimrock

Looking West

A Snowy Woodpile

Ms. Pearl is Plowing

The Ranch Has Snow!

We haven't seen this much snow since mid-March five years ago when we moved in. This past couple of weeks have seen waves of snowstorms, not like back east, but substantial enough for it to stay on the ground for longer than a day or so. Everyone says, "Thank God for the moisture!" 

Tom took some photos while he and I hiked around the ranch, so, Trudy, here you go. It really is a Winter Wonderland.

We were glad the propane truck was able to get in since we were running a bit low.

 That's Earl, the delivery driver, braving the elements to deliver our propane. I gratefully sent him on his way with a mug of Raspberry Zinger tea and a bag of Trader Joe's trail mix.

Here's the view, looking north toward the beaver dam along the creek.

 Ms. Pearl decided she didn't want to wade across the creek.

I miss our steers. Tom doesn't, though, because they tended to destroy his targets and knock over the park benches scattered around the ranch.

Ms. Pearl wants you to know that she didn't need a coat because she just keeps moving and that generates heat. Besides, there's nothing quite so invigorating as rolling around in the snow for a snow bath.

We have a few more days of snow and that's just fine. This is the trade-off for mild, low-80's summers, and for that, we are glad.

Looking south. That's me and Ms. P walking across the front pasture.

Cheers!

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!

Good To Be Back Home Again

When we left for Southern California a couple of weeks ago, I thought, "Gee! It will be warmer there, so let the fun begin!" Instead, the weather was record-breaking in its coldness and it even snowed not too far from Trudy's place where we were staying under the carport in our little teardrop trailer. And it rained, too. My flip flops remained in the suitcase.

Of course, as soon as we got home, the Cali weather recovered and temps were a balmy 75 degrees. Just my luck!

It was still a good visit and Trudy was much better after having picked up a vicious flu bug at our place during her Thanksgiving visit. Thanks to excellent nursing from Pattie and with Z's weekend respite care, she's back in the game and once again beating me at Words With Friends.

After a brew pub dinner and night spent with brother K and sis-in-law J at their Isabella casita, we headed back to NM, provisioned ourselves at Trader Joe's and drove north.

Now we are home and it's time to declutter and get rid of the dust rabbits (they are bigger than dust bunnies) which have accumulated since Thanksgiving. (I had the flu, too, and then there were Christmas presents to make and to buy and then it was time to go!)

And there is sewing and quilt making to do, AQS Quilt Week in Albuquerque, a Growing Dome to plant, and an Arctic Front coming in.

 Let The Fun Begin!

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.

Growing Dome- Fall 2014

It really is fall here, now, with the pretty aspen trees and last night's below freezing temperatures. In SoCal, there really aren't distinct seasons, but just hot and not so hot. Back in California, when it dipped into the 50's, I'd get out my long underwear and think I was really cold.

 But I didn't really know what cold was until I moved to Northern New Mexico. Heck, there's a small community around here whose nickname is Little Alaska, for heaven's sake!

But I am willing to put on my coat and longies for winter because it's a fine trade for wonderful, temperate summers. Months of over 100 degrees is not my thing, so I find the lightest weight, high performance warmies to wear during wintertime and deal with it.

One way I cope with colder weather is with my Growing Dome, where I have a chance to garden and to bask in the winter sun. Over 300 days of sunshine definitely hits the spot.

During winter I grow cool season crops like chard, kale, lettuce, and all that.

 During summer, I grow most of my tomatoes and all of my cucumbers inside the dome. Some friends grow tomatoes outdoors, but I seem to have bad luck with outdoor tomato plants. They give me a few and then it freezes. I know I could mess around with walls of water and little hoop houses, so maybe that's on the agenda for next year.

Right now my outdoor tomatoes are toast, but inside things are still perking along.

It's like a jungle sometimes/ Sometimes I wonder how I keep from going under (Sorry-Grandmaster Flash took over for a sec.)

In here it's usually about 20 degrees warmer. Temp outside was 29F last night, but all is well inside the dome.

Here's a pretty yellow tomato. I had some red ones, but a varmint climbed inside and chewed them down. We added some wire mesh to the side air vents, so maybe that will keep the little @#$@ out.

We still have plenty of green tomatoes, so if our days are in the 50's to 60's for a while longer,  they will ripen.

We have a load of cucumbers on the vines. Earlier in the summer there were juicy, tasty green straight eight's. Then a couple weeks ago the cucumbers started looking like this. I waited for them to turn green but they never did. They taste fine except for a little bitterness at the stem end (my fault for not being a consistent waterer). Earlier I replanted some varmint-ravaged plants, and maybe they were Poona Kheera seeds? It's a mystery.

Each time I visit the dome there is something to pick, which is totally cool. Earlier I had a bumper crop of Shishito peppers, but the aphids made them anemic, so I had to pull the plants. Those peppers were the best, though, just sauteed with a little salt and lime. Yum!

My fishies are doing well. Last year I was mystified to see strange little fish in the dome's water tank, then realized my original three goldfish had a menage a trois which resulted in fourteen goldfish babies! 

Not Koi, but plain old Wal-Mart goldfish, they recognize me when I lean over to visit, happy to eat their fish food pellets.  During winter they hunker down at the bottom of the tank and wait for spring.

So come on, winter! I'm ready for you. 

Well, kind of.

Marching Into Spring

Geez, that's a corny title, but spring is almost here and I'm itching to plant some stuff outside. Considering June 1 is our last frost date, I have a way to go, but a girl can still dream, can't she?

Inside the Growing Dome, though, we have a flourishing garden of winter veggies.

On the left are Waldmann's Dark Green lettuce and a red lettuce variety. I can't remember its name, but will look it up if you are interested. I use a cut and come again technique. All these lettuces have had haircuts and the leaves just keep growing back. All I do is use some organic fertilizer on them once in a while and we've had lettuce all winter.

That's some rainbow chard to the right of the lettuce. I will give them a trim, too, but their leaves take longer to grow back.

Below, take a look at the kale, romaine and basil.

I tried this dwarf kale for the first time in the dome and it's doing well. I keep cutting its leaves and they grow right back. The same goes for the romaine lettuce, called Little Gem. It's the gift that keeps on coming. These little varieties for the dome are perfect because it's just the two of us eating from this garden and they don't take up too much space.

At Trader Joe's I bought a pot of live basil for $3.99. When I looked more closely, there were five separate plants, so re-potted four of them and stuck the fifth in the dome's planter bed. All are doing well, but if we were to get some sub zero weather, we'd cover them and say a prayer since basil is a definitely a warm weather plant.

Outdoors it's still too cold to plant anything, but here's a look at my bed of garlic, its shoots peeking up from the straw mulch I put on there last fall. Plant garlic by Halloween and it's ready for harvest by the Fourth of July.

I have big plans for these raised beds. We all just have to wait.

Last, a reason why I love living here. Yesterday I stopped off at our local grocery store, a little place that has shown much improvement since we moved here almost four years ago.

I needed eggs, and among the Shur-Fine brand eggs, were these. They are from a local farmer who I know and trust and isn't it just cool that I can say, "Oh, those are Roger's eggs."

And aren't they pretty?

That's all today, peeps. I am close to a quilt finish, so stay tuned.

Happy Valentine's Day! You Rock.

Yesterday was amazing, 70 degrees on our long deck, I in my sun hat and shirtsleeves, Ms. Pearl lying in the warm, panting.

It's supposed to be averaging upper 40's in February, but it looks like we're having a couple weeks of respite weather and I'm all for it.

Have a great Valentine's Day, whether you have a sweetie or not, because you deserve it!

Nice Snow Isn't Always An Oxymoron

It seems like the Southwestern United States has been in a state of drought, or almost out of a drought, or here we go again, it's a drought again, year after year. It's been an unending loop.

A couple of small snowstorms here in Northern New Mexico have made folks a little happier. As everyone I talk to says, "We need the moisture."

Along with the snow this time came some wicked cold, down to single digits at night and teens during the day. It's warming up, though, so that nice snow will melt slowly, trickling down to feed the soil and its plants. Well, that's the plan, anyway.

Ms. Pearl and her man went on a morning survey; I was lazy and stayed inside.

 

The report is simple:  The sky is blue, the sun is shining and all is well.