Countdown...

We're leaving in 24 hours. Ready or not.

Our departure to take Anthony to university is Tuesday morning, and he's not remotely ready. I know the kid is prone to procrastination, but even I think this is getting ridiculous.

Books are... everywhere. Clothing in great piles... everywhere. (It's a miracle they are folded.)

The big roof duffel for the car... empty.

His room... unspeakable.

And if his damn cell phone doesn't quit ringing - classmates in similar states of excitement and stress - I'm tossing it onto the roof of the barn. It will take a miracle to get us out of here on time tomorrow - which we must do as we are caravan-ing with another classmate all the way to Indiana.

His plan for today? Sleeping as late as possible, a shower, then headed to town to run some errands.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

$721.10 / month

That number is our monthly savings on automobile insurance once Anthony is officially away at university. Mercy.

And we had every discount imaginable - good student, defensive driving course, non-smoking household, multi-car discount, ranch bundle, etc etc. Ouch.

It's a good thing he pulls his weight in chores around here, between insurance and groceries he is an expensive resident.

Makes the horse look cheap by comparison!

Hot damn

Electric fence - around here it's called "hot wire."

It's installed, it's working, I'm pleased as punch. Anthony helped me put in a bunch of extra t-posts (he got blisters, I wore gloves) and site the hole in the barn wall for the power cord, but I did it all myself. Now, I hope, Bugg will quit trashing the hundreds of dollars of field fence in search of - quite literally - green pasture.

And yes, I tested it on myself. Ouch.

Second spring?

Don't be fooled by delusions of greenery and blooms - these pictures were all taken in the past week, right here at 7,000' elevation in the desert.

We've had an extraordinary summer... long and cool spring, wet summer, three weeks of scorching heat, and now the cool nights of fall tempered by late summer thunderstorms. We're having second bloomings of...

Indian Paintbrush (note the tall green grass!):

Soaptree Yucca (with cholla and juniper in the background):

and assorted purple and white flowers:



Yellow flowers are typical of late summer and fall:

These "common sunflowers" routinely exceed 5' in height. Ditches are a popular location due to the accumulation of runoff water:

Predators and Prey

Catching up on pictures from the last 10 days or so... forgive the quality, most were taken right at dawn and with a zoom.

Some predators elicit a helluva response from my borzoi. Thank doG for prong collars... this fellow looked right at us, lifted a leg, and trotted off:

This is a very lucky shot - just one push of the shutter as it left a pole, and this is what I got. Pretty sure it's a red-tailed hawk:

My hounds as well as the predators above are all interested in meeting this fellow, Mr. Jack:
The New Mexico black-tailed jackrabbit (technically a HARE) is wicked-fast and unbelievably agile. It is a thrill to watch them in their home range.

NM Architecture

We may be low-ranked when it comes to national poverty, but there's no shortage of picturesque buildings from any state road. The following can be found along a single 3-mile stretch of a nearby county road.

Adobe is still a typical construction material:
Wood frame and siding became common in the last century:

As did stucco exteriors:

Of the three materials, adobe really does seem to last the longest:

And, lest you come away with the impression that we only have abandoned homesteads, rest assured that rusted-out hulks are commonplace, too:

He's back

Anthony returned from Taiwan last night; his flight from LAX was delayed and we arrived back at our ranchero minutes before midnight.

It rained on the way home; Anthony rolled down the car window, stuck out his head, and inhaled deeply. "I missed that smell," he intoned. Through the canyon and up the hill, he remarked that he hadn't seen any stars since he'd left.

Imagine. Millions upon millions of people who can't see the stars. That makes me feel sad.

I have a bunch of pictures from the last 10 days or so that need to go up, but not right now. It's trash day then off to the vet and then grocery shopping...