We awoke this morning to a white wonderland of snow covered trees, bushes and grass. On the flat parts of the land we seem to have about two inches of snow, but the real beauty is the covering of each tree branch or bush, even the grass stems have their own individual covering of snow. Surprisingly, even the barb wire fences are covered with a tube of snow . The oaks are the most spectacular, lacy white on the few leaves remaining and each branch defined, with the larger branches showing dark on their undersides. The juniper look more like the Christmas pictures with large lumps of snow clinging to them.
As we ate breakfast this morning before going to church we watched the birds out the side windows as they hopped about looking for seeds. I almost split my sides laughing as I watched a Lewis's woodpecker try to land in a bush. Of course it expected to land on the top of the snow and instead its feet went right in until they hit the branch. After a second or two of contemplation it took off in a flurry of snow from its wings to try for another branch with the same results. After about four tries it finally found a dry branch, rested for a minute of so then flew back into the oaks to land on a trunk and start pecking for bugs.
Meanwhile a scrub jay was digging for seeds, sending snow every which way as it dug through it to the ground. Over to the side a pair of juncos were hopping up and down next to a tall weed trying to knock seeds out of it. They finally gave up and just flew up to hang on the stem while they picked the seeds out from the dried flowers. The dried sunflowers are too covered with snow to get to the seeds, but often we see the small finches clinging to them as they bend over until the bird is upside down picking at the seed heads.
Susannah and I plowed out to the wood shop to check on the feral cat that I think has been living out there. Saw it a couple of days ago when it took off as I approached. Looked like a pretty, long haired, dark gray cat it it got cleaned up a bit. I have been leaving dried cat food under the shop and something has been eating it, but I haven't seen the cat again. Footprints in the snow this morning seem to indicate that it has been living under the RV and traveling to the wood shop for food. Guess we will keep leaving food for it in the hopes that we can eventually tame it a bit. Besides, we could sure use a few less mice out there. In fact Susannah caught a couple of rats out there. Either that or the mice have gotten into the steroids. No, not the black rats of the city, we have several varieties out here including kangaroo, pack, cotton, and probably a few others. Wouldn't mind something making a meal of the ground squirrel that is tunneling under the well house and RV pad. Might even tolerate a few coyotes for that.
Speaking of coyotes, they have been getting a bit bold lately. Even saw one right next to the RV where Susannah has her compost pile. Chaco saw it about the same time I did and took off after it like an arrow. Thought for sure he might get a bite of its tail since he is pretty fast, but apparently it was neck and neck to the fence line and then Chaco let it go. Maybe that will be enough to discourage it from coming around. Doubt it though, all the neighbors are reporting seeing them along with missing cats, dogs, and chickens. I understand their pelts bring around $40, so some of the locals might have a little extra Christmas cash.
We are also on the outlook for a large mountain lion. It is not to unusual to catch a glimpse of one now and then, or hear a howl, but this one seems to also be getting a bit bold. When one stops being shy, it can become a problem. At least one steer has been killed by it, so it kind of has a price on its head. I told Susannah to make sure and take the dog with her when she goes back into the woods and quite a few around here are carrying guns when they go into the woods for any reason. Personally I would rather avoid it then have a confrontation. I did some cat tracks that were pretty good size, maybe three inches across last year. Never decided whether they were lion of bob cat.
We let the fire go out in the stove last night, it got too hot in the house to be comfortable. Still it was 71 degrees inside when we got up this morning. But it is about time to relight it, sit back and watch it and the snow, and have a cup of hot tea. It feels good to relax and rest today. I will be putting up a new 43 foot high vertical antenna this coming week for the Ham radio and have been laying the radial wires for the ground plane the last couple of days. 32 wires each 65 foot long doesn't sound like much, but it is two thousand feet of wire that is now laying out there, and I am tired. So I shall say good afternoon, and go enjoy the fire.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Rat-a-tat-tat, we're here
Winter is trying hard to stick its nose under the door. It has been snowing all morning, although there is no accumulation. However, when the clouds cleared off the Manzano mountains, there is a lot of white up there. And of course it has turned colder, yet the oak trees are still holding on to a lot of their leaves. Today is a fine day to sit back and rest.
Seems like the last couple of days has been dominated by birds. Off to the side of our house, where we look when sitting at the breakfast table, I have let the grass (well, maybe weeds, but anything that turns green around here is grass) grow tall, tall enough that when birds are picking at seeds only their heads show. Mostly right now we have Steller's Jays, Western scrub jays, at least three Lewis's woodpecker, and one starving hawk.
I have seen the woodpeckers around from time to time all summer, beautiful birds with a russet belly and wings when they fly. But suddenly a couple of days ago they seemed to attack our well house. We watch three of them clinging to the stucco sides as they explored it. Later we though someone was knocking, but it turned out to be the three of them under our porch roof testing the plaster. Susannah chased them off and I haven't seen them again, but I suspect they will show up again in a day or two.
The Steller's jays are fantastic. If you have never seen one, you are missing a great sight. Backs, bellies, and wings are deep blue, the heads are black with golden eyes. Perhaps the most striking feature is the large crest they bear, it always reminds be of a an ancient Spartan soldier, or perhaps something from long ago. They are constantly flying in and out, then hopping through the oak trees, or searching the ground for seeds. We have counted at least 10 of them, and I suspect there are more.
The scrub jays are not as colorful, but also plentiful. Turns out the young may stay around for several years to help their parents raise subsequent broods. I suspect the Stellar's do the same. All in all it makes for a colorful display while we eat breakfast.
Yesterday we had an increase in activity with the arrival of either a coopers hawk or a sharp shinned hawk, haven't been able to identify which. He (or she) has been trying hard to make one of the jays into dinner. Because of its failure, I suspect it is young, but it hasn't failed for lack of trying. Given that the jays are about 12 inches long and the hawk is no more than 14 it has been an interesting contest. The jays pretty much ignore it unless it is actually chasing them, then the two go twisting and turning through the trees until the hawk gives up. Then everything is quiet for a few minutes followed by another swoop for supper, while the rest of the jays go on feeding on the ground. Well, just saw him chasing a jay in the woods on the other side of the house, which I can see from the computer. I know that most young hawks starve to death before they develop sufficient hunting skill, and I hope this one learns quickly. On the other hand I am a bit partial to the jays, hope he learns to catch mice.
We have a large "deck box" out behind the well house. It is about 6 foot long and a couple of feet wide and deep. Susannah keeps trash there until we take it to the dump. Last year it was pretty badly mauled by a bear and since then she has kept the garbage separate. Guess she left some veggie matter in it and we found it drug about 20 feet off to the side. Couldn't tell definitely what drug it; Susannah thinks it ws a bobcat, I still suspect a bear. I am dubious of my suspicions because I think a bear would have opened it (the last one did, in pieces!) and it maintained its integrity this time. On the other hand I can't see a bobcat going after veggie matter. I did find some scat that looked like bear scat not far away, full of acorn husks. Guess I will stick with the bear theory, with the addition that it probably wasn't very hungry.
The gas furnace, which we use for cold mornings has been turned off and the wood stove has been burning since yesterday keeping the hose a warm 80 degrees. Amber is asleep in her bed on the window sill next to me, Chaco is sleeping in front of the stove, and Oliver, the not so smart tom cat, is prowling around outside, or maybe hiding under the RV. At any rate he does not want to come in. Susannah is puttering around in the kitchen, and I think it is time for another lot into the stove and a snooze in the recliner in front of the stove. It may be winter outside, but the fire is cozy that the Laing tribe, New Mexico division, is at peace.
Hugs,
Mike L
Seems like the last couple of days has been dominated by birds. Off to the side of our house, where we look when sitting at the breakfast table, I have let the grass (well, maybe weeds, but anything that turns green around here is grass) grow tall, tall enough that when birds are picking at seeds only their heads show. Mostly right now we have Steller's Jays, Western scrub jays, at least three Lewis's woodpecker, and one starving hawk.
I have seen the woodpeckers around from time to time all summer, beautiful birds with a russet belly and wings when they fly. But suddenly a couple of days ago they seemed to attack our well house. We watch three of them clinging to the stucco sides as they explored it. Later we though someone was knocking, but it turned out to be the three of them under our porch roof testing the plaster. Susannah chased them off and I haven't seen them again, but I suspect they will show up again in a day or two.
The Steller's jays are fantastic. If you have never seen one, you are missing a great sight. Backs, bellies, and wings are deep blue, the heads are black with golden eyes. Perhaps the most striking feature is the large crest they bear, it always reminds be of a an ancient Spartan soldier, or perhaps something from long ago. They are constantly flying in and out, then hopping through the oak trees, or searching the ground for seeds. We have counted at least 10 of them, and I suspect there are more.
The scrub jays are not as colorful, but also plentiful. Turns out the young may stay around for several years to help their parents raise subsequent broods. I suspect the Stellar's do the same. All in all it makes for a colorful display while we eat breakfast.
Yesterday we had an increase in activity with the arrival of either a coopers hawk or a sharp shinned hawk, haven't been able to identify which. He (or she) has been trying hard to make one of the jays into dinner. Because of its failure, I suspect it is young, but it hasn't failed for lack of trying. Given that the jays are about 12 inches long and the hawk is no more than 14 it has been an interesting contest. The jays pretty much ignore it unless it is actually chasing them, then the two go twisting and turning through the trees until the hawk gives up. Then everything is quiet for a few minutes followed by another swoop for supper, while the rest of the jays go on feeding on the ground. Well, just saw him chasing a jay in the woods on the other side of the house, which I can see from the computer. I know that most young hawks starve to death before they develop sufficient hunting skill, and I hope this one learns quickly. On the other hand I am a bit partial to the jays, hope he learns to catch mice.
We have a large "deck box" out behind the well house. It is about 6 foot long and a couple of feet wide and deep. Susannah keeps trash there until we take it to the dump. Last year it was pretty badly mauled by a bear and since then she has kept the garbage separate. Guess she left some veggie matter in it and we found it drug about 20 feet off to the side. Couldn't tell definitely what drug it; Susannah thinks it ws a bobcat, I still suspect a bear. I am dubious of my suspicions because I think a bear would have opened it (the last one did, in pieces!) and it maintained its integrity this time. On the other hand I can't see a bobcat going after veggie matter. I did find some scat that looked like bear scat not far away, full of acorn husks. Guess I will stick with the bear theory, with the addition that it probably wasn't very hungry.
The gas furnace, which we use for cold mornings has been turned off and the wood stove has been burning since yesterday keeping the hose a warm 80 degrees. Amber is asleep in her bed on the window sill next to me, Chaco is sleeping in front of the stove, and Oliver, the not so smart tom cat, is prowling around outside, or maybe hiding under the RV. At any rate he does not want to come in. Susannah is puttering around in the kitchen, and I think it is time for another lot into the stove and a snooze in the recliner in front of the stove. It may be winter outside, but the fire is cozy that the Laing tribe, New Mexico division, is at peace.
Hugs,
Mike L
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Intrusions at the Hacienda, Redux
Lately several people have given me a hard time for not posting on this blog, so I guess I need to bring you up to date on the creatures that have been visiting our house over the last month or so.
This seems to have been a good year for reptiles of one sort or another. Some weeks ago Susannah reported that a lizard had skittered in through the front door and sequestered itself under the bookcase that stands next to the door. Not a problem, I just opened the front door and slid the bookcase in front of it so that our invader could escape. The only problem being that there was no invader under the book case.
For me, I wasn't too worried. I just figured that some of the spiders and other bugs that had been sneaking in to find a snack would find themselves on the the other end of the hunt. I did worry about what might happen if said lizard did not get enough to eat and expired under one of the cabinets, that could be a stinky situation.
Well, the spiders, the bugs, and I were all saved when I saw the tail sticking out from under the baseboard. A little prompting and said lizard ran under the bookshelf and then outside and off to the woods. Maybe it had noted our two cats that prowl the house and decided that there might be easier, or at least safer pickings elsewhere. I am still not sure what kind of lizard it was, certainly not one of our normal rail lizards. A friend said it was most likely a western skink that could grow as long as two feet. It certainly had a sinuous way of moving as it took off.
Speaking of rail lizards, would anyone like a few? Seems we have had a successful breeding season and everywhere I look there a one to two inch long rail lizards taking off for shelter. Cute little things. Guess by next year that will be considerably bigger.
Susannah is (IMHO) a bit of a mail tape freak. You know, that transparent tape about two inches wide. She patches everything with it, including ripped paper grocery bags which she keeps in the kitchen and uses for trash bags. That's for background. About a week ago I was working in the shop when she stuck her head in and innocently said, "when you come in, would you mind checking the birdbath and telling me what kind of snake is there?" It took a second for that question to register but I still caught up with her before she got back to the birdbath where a little, about 10 inch, garter snake was curled up in a bit of water. The story is that Susannah went to get one of the bags and apparently the snake had gotten into it, tried crawling over the sticky side of the exposed mailing tape and had its chin stuck to the tape. Susannah thought it was dead until the tail moved. Since it was obviously still wiggling she got a pair of gloves on, carefully peeled the snake off the tape and then decided it was probably dehydrated and so took it to the birdbath, turned it loose and added water. She says the snake seemed to enjoy the water and seemed to be drinking for quite a while. She also claims it had probably been there for a week because the cat had been nosing around that area with great interest for that long.
At any rate a small garter snake has now joined the bull snake released by my shop to chase mice. They should eat well.
Speaking of mice, we have finally begun to allow our younger tom cat to join our female cat for nightly hunts. The results have been interesting in the number of mice that have appeared on our door step. I never thought house cats co-operated in hunting, but I may have been wrong. Most nights they leave at least on, on often two midnight snacks on the welcome mat for us. This must be doing something to the mouse population. I also finally had to bend up some wire mesh to make a ladder out of the water bucket we leave out for the dog. Without that too many mice were falling in and drowning. The water bucket was in competition with the cats, and was coming in a very close second. I don't have a problem with the cats hunting them, but I didn't like the thought of them slowly downing when they couldn't get out. Guess I have been there once or twice and didn't like the experience at all.
So why no posts? Well, I do have a good reason. I have been feeling considerably better over the last couple of months and have been spending a lot of time in the wood shop getting it back in shape and starting on a few projects. First we had quite a bit of foam insulation left over from building the house, and I have been using it to insulate the shop. Then I started using some of the black walnut that I bought dirt cheap a couple of years ago to build a decent workbench. Yeah, I can hear the screams from those of you that know what 2 inch thick black walnut sells for when they hear I am making a workbench from it. But I managed to get 1,500 board feet at a dollar a foot, so it is the cheapest wood that I can get my hands on. Still, a black walnut workbench :).
I had to finish the bench because I had been using a stack of 4 X 8 foot foam insulation as a work bench, and I got a new table saw. The saw is bigger than my old one, and if I wanted to get into the shop and USE the new one, the foam had to go to give me space. The foam was supposed to go up into the rafters on the roof of the shop. However, I am facing the ridiculous situation that I can move a 400 lb table saw off the back of my pickup into the shop by myself, but can't hold a 4 lb piece of foam up on the ceiling long enough to secure it. Ripped rotor cuffs are a real pain even if not in the a*s!
So! Even though I am recovering from my various surgeries and beginning to do things again, I do end up very tired after just a few hours of work, and just haven't been able to generate the energy or enthusiasm to write for the blog. Actually, right now I am on vacation and sitting at my daughter's computer in Northern Virginia. Susannah and I will be out here for a bit over two weeks ending with a trip down to Norfolk for my 50 high school reunion. Good grief, a half century since I left high school. I don't guess I would ever have imagined what all would happen in those years, mostly because I never much thought about what might happen. Such is life.
Oh yes, one final critter invasion. A week or so before we left New Mexico, I notice that every so often a humming bird would stick its beak inside the shop door, not see any flowers and take off. Then one day one came in to really take a look around. Maybe it was my red shirt? Anyway it fell into the trap of thinking that escape meant go up, which does not work well in a building. I tried to chase it out to no avail, and eventually it arrived at the highest point, that being inside of the turbine vent in the roof. You know, those kind of round things that are on roofs that help pull the hot air out? Luckily it wasn't turning very fast but the poor critter looked a bit forlorn up there sitting on one of the struts slowly going in circles. So, go get the tall step ladder, climb up holding onto the loft structure and finally stick a hand up in the turbine, stopping it. After several tries the hummer landed on my index finger and on the first try I managed to grab him. One wing, one foot, and a long beak sticking out from between my fingers as I worked my way back down to the floor. Surprisingly not a wiggle out of the little creature, not a bit of a struggle. I kind of wondered if it had run out of fuel. Sometimes you find them sitting in the grass, exhausted, but if you pick them up and set them where they can get to some sugar water they refuel and off they go again. Not this one, I got to the door, opened my hand, it it was a straight 45 degree climb into the nearest tree! Good deed done for the day I went back to making sawdust :). Guess all the hummers will be gone by the time we get back to NM.
Well, that should catch everyone up with what is going on, and I will try to do better in the future, although I doubt if anyone will be seriously injured if I fail :)
Happy first day of spring, and peace to all.
Hugs,
Mike L
This seems to have been a good year for reptiles of one sort or another. Some weeks ago Susannah reported that a lizard had skittered in through the front door and sequestered itself under the bookcase that stands next to the door. Not a problem, I just opened the front door and slid the bookcase in front of it so that our invader could escape. The only problem being that there was no invader under the book case.
For me, I wasn't too worried. I just figured that some of the spiders and other bugs that had been sneaking in to find a snack would find themselves on the the other end of the hunt. I did worry about what might happen if said lizard did not get enough to eat and expired under one of the cabinets, that could be a stinky situation.
Well, the spiders, the bugs, and I were all saved when I saw the tail sticking out from under the baseboard. A little prompting and said lizard ran under the bookshelf and then outside and off to the woods. Maybe it had noted our two cats that prowl the house and decided that there might be easier, or at least safer pickings elsewhere. I am still not sure what kind of lizard it was, certainly not one of our normal rail lizards. A friend said it was most likely a western skink that could grow as long as two feet. It certainly had a sinuous way of moving as it took off.
Speaking of rail lizards, would anyone like a few? Seems we have had a successful breeding season and everywhere I look there a one to two inch long rail lizards taking off for shelter. Cute little things. Guess by next year that will be considerably bigger.
Susannah is (IMHO) a bit of a mail tape freak. You know, that transparent tape about two inches wide. She patches everything with it, including ripped paper grocery bags which she keeps in the kitchen and uses for trash bags. That's for background. About a week ago I was working in the shop when she stuck her head in and innocently said, "when you come in, would you mind checking the birdbath and telling me what kind of snake is there?" It took a second for that question to register but I still caught up with her before she got back to the birdbath where a little, about 10 inch, garter snake was curled up in a bit of water. The story is that Susannah went to get one of the bags and apparently the snake had gotten into it, tried crawling over the sticky side of the exposed mailing tape and had its chin stuck to the tape. Susannah thought it was dead until the tail moved. Since it was obviously still wiggling she got a pair of gloves on, carefully peeled the snake off the tape and then decided it was probably dehydrated and so took it to the birdbath, turned it loose and added water. She says the snake seemed to enjoy the water and seemed to be drinking for quite a while. She also claims it had probably been there for a week because the cat had been nosing around that area with great interest for that long.
At any rate a small garter snake has now joined the bull snake released by my shop to chase mice. They should eat well.
Speaking of mice, we have finally begun to allow our younger tom cat to join our female cat for nightly hunts. The results have been interesting in the number of mice that have appeared on our door step. I never thought house cats co-operated in hunting, but I may have been wrong. Most nights they leave at least on, on often two midnight snacks on the welcome mat for us. This must be doing something to the mouse population. I also finally had to bend up some wire mesh to make a ladder out of the water bucket we leave out for the dog. Without that too many mice were falling in and drowning. The water bucket was in competition with the cats, and was coming in a very close second. I don't have a problem with the cats hunting them, but I didn't like the thought of them slowly downing when they couldn't get out. Guess I have been there once or twice and didn't like the experience at all.
So why no posts? Well, I do have a good reason. I have been feeling considerably better over the last couple of months and have been spending a lot of time in the wood shop getting it back in shape and starting on a few projects. First we had quite a bit of foam insulation left over from building the house, and I have been using it to insulate the shop. Then I started using some of the black walnut that I bought dirt cheap a couple of years ago to build a decent workbench. Yeah, I can hear the screams from those of you that know what 2 inch thick black walnut sells for when they hear I am making a workbench from it. But I managed to get 1,500 board feet at a dollar a foot, so it is the cheapest wood that I can get my hands on. Still, a black walnut workbench :).
I had to finish the bench because I had been using a stack of 4 X 8 foot foam insulation as a work bench, and I got a new table saw. The saw is bigger than my old one, and if I wanted to get into the shop and USE the new one, the foam had to go to give me space. The foam was supposed to go up into the rafters on the roof of the shop. However, I am facing the ridiculous situation that I can move a 400 lb table saw off the back of my pickup into the shop by myself, but can't hold a 4 lb piece of foam up on the ceiling long enough to secure it. Ripped rotor cuffs are a real pain even if not in the a*s!
So! Even though I am recovering from my various surgeries and beginning to do things again, I do end up very tired after just a few hours of work, and just haven't been able to generate the energy or enthusiasm to write for the blog. Actually, right now I am on vacation and sitting at my daughter's computer in Northern Virginia. Susannah and I will be out here for a bit over two weeks ending with a trip down to Norfolk for my 50 high school reunion. Good grief, a half century since I left high school. I don't guess I would ever have imagined what all would happen in those years, mostly because I never much thought about what might happen. Such is life.
Oh yes, one final critter invasion. A week or so before we left New Mexico, I notice that every so often a humming bird would stick its beak inside the shop door, not see any flowers and take off. Then one day one came in to really take a look around. Maybe it was my red shirt? Anyway it fell into the trap of thinking that escape meant go up, which does not work well in a building. I tried to chase it out to no avail, and eventually it arrived at the highest point, that being inside of the turbine vent in the roof. You know, those kind of round things that are on roofs that help pull the hot air out? Luckily it wasn't turning very fast but the poor critter looked a bit forlorn up there sitting on one of the struts slowly going in circles. So, go get the tall step ladder, climb up holding onto the loft structure and finally stick a hand up in the turbine, stopping it. After several tries the hummer landed on my index finger and on the first try I managed to grab him. One wing, one foot, and a long beak sticking out from between my fingers as I worked my way back down to the floor. Surprisingly not a wiggle out of the little creature, not a bit of a struggle. I kind of wondered if it had run out of fuel. Sometimes you find them sitting in the grass, exhausted, but if you pick them up and set them where they can get to some sugar water they refuel and off they go again. Not this one, I got to the door, opened my hand, it it was a straight 45 degree climb into the nearest tree! Good deed done for the day I went back to making sawdust :). Guess all the hummers will be gone by the time we get back to NM.
Well, that should catch everyone up with what is going on, and I will try to do better in the future, although I doubt if anyone will be seriously injured if I fail :)
Happy first day of spring, and peace to all.
Hugs,
Mike L
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Intrusions at the Hacienda, Chapter 11
Kind of a surprise to look out the kitchen window and find this hansom fellow in the back yard, but that is life out here in New Mexico, you just never know what is going to happen next.
This view was, as usual for such events preceded by a surprised yell as I was relaxing at my computer enjoying a cup of coffee. Rushing out to see what disaster was threatening I was met by this beautiful horse and two of his buddies. Susannah had glanced out the window just in time to see the west end of this east bound creature go by, and thought it might be a neighbor coming to visit. Nope, just three unidentified horses that were enjoying the fresh grass in our back yard, having traveled down our 400 foot drive from the highway.
After getting this picture and several others (not as good) I realized that I had seen at least one of these fine specimens on some property up the road. We did know the owner of that property and so gave a call. Susannah got the owners son and when she described the three horses he recognized them as belonging to his sister and the two of them came over to retrieve them.
That was when the fun began. Apparently they much preferred the fresh grass of our yard to the hay that was offered to them to induce them to follow their owners home. Quite honestly, I just about laughed myself silly watching them try to round up even one of the horses. I remembered the "fun" several of us had trying to convince a young steer to move to a different pasture one time. We never did succeed, had to bring a real cowboy in on a horse to move that demented thing.
At last the black and white one was haltered and was last seen walking behind a slow moving pickup with its nose in a bag of oats and the son strolling along side of it hold the halter. We told them to take their time getting the other two, we didn't mind the loss of a little grass, but they said they would be right back as soon as they got that one home.
At that point I retreated to the house, still chuckling. On the other hand, I also remember the night I tried docking our 40 foot sailboat with a side wind and a whole party load of people on a boat next to our slip. Normally I had no trouble docking with grace, but no such luck with that group watching. In the end they took mercy on me, grabbed a tossed line and pulled me into the dock. So I decided that maybe they would have better luck with the last two horses if I didn't watch.
Susannah was not so nice and enjoyed watching the Chinese fire drill that apparently ensued when a bunch of people returned and tried to chase those ponies up the drive way. Eventually they made, and Susannah said they turned right at the highway and preceded to head home, about a quarter mile away. Must of done ok because the next day we drove by and they were happily grazing on their own property.
Another normal day at the hacienda. No, we really don't miss television, there is generally something more interesting going on around here, even if it just the humming bird fights at the feeders or the moon going down behind the mountains or maybe a coyote trotting across the yard going somewhere as straight as an arrow. Real excitement here is watching a thunderstorm come down from the mountains and head our way bring some much appreciated rain.
Ah, the sun is now behind the mountains, a soft breeze is blowing as things cool down, and the trees over in the oak grove are muttering and fussing before settling down. All is well.
Mike L
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Intrusions at the Hacienda
The last couple of days have been interesting in terms of the local wildlife. Day before yesterday I heard Susannah yelling in the living room and rushed to see what had happened. She had opened the door to go out, and for some reason a humming bird had flown in and headed for the window to go back out again. Unfortunately for the hummer the window was closed and before Susannah could do anything Amber, the cat, was up on the window sill, the bird was batted to the floor and the prcess of digestion started. I arrived in time to see the tail vanish. Amber was evicted since we figured the feathers were going to quickly come back up.
I hate to lose a hummer, although the truth is we have more than enough to feed two cats. Right now the population is high enough to go through about a half gallon of sugar water a day, and the consumption is increasing as the word gets out that high quality food is available at Mike and Susannah's place. Fascinating, two feeders, 8 spots to feed from total, and both birds are fighting for the same spot! While fascinating to watch, and really beautiful, they have no manners or social graces at all.
Right now we have green birds with black heads and red throats, but any time now the rufus birds will arrive in great numbers. They look like burnished pennies, bright copper with a red throat that seems to glow like a burning coal. Nope, manners are just as bad as their cousins, they are just prettier.
Then yesterday, as I struggled to wake up over my first cup of coffee while staring blearily at the computer screen in the study there was a a scream of "Michal, there's a snake in the door!" Now I admit, I wasn't quite fully awake, and I was trying to picture how a snake could be in the door. Perhaps embedded in the wood? Anyway I rushed to the living room, and from under the front door about a foot and a half of bull snake (also known as a gopher snake) tail twisted and turned. Opening the door, hoping not to hurt it, drug it inside where it tried to make an escape. No luck! We have laminated flooring, and apparently the stuff is just too slick for a snake to make progress, so mostly it just wiggled from side to side having no success in making progress.
I guess I should have grabbed my camera and gotten some pictures since it was pretty young, only about 2.5 feet long, and its skin was bright and shinny. I suspect if we really looked around we could find the skin that it had probably just shed. Oh well, forgot about that as I put on a pair of gloved and finally managed to pick it up despite the fact that it was moving as fast as it could, but not going anywhere. I don't mind handling non-poisonous snakes but do take the precaution of wearing gloves just in case they get too frightened and try biting when first picked up. Generally they settle down in just a minute or two and after that are safe to handle.
No problem with this one, it had a one track mind and that was to go someplace else. So we carried it out into the woods where I hope it can escape both cats and dogs. And as we walked along it found it could move in my gloved hands and so headed out, from one hand to another as fast as it could go, probably about as fast as I was walking had it been on the ground. When we reached the woods near my work shop I let it go onto the ground and it kept on going as fast as it could into the trees and grass, hopefully to grow a bit and keep the mouse population down a bit. Most likely it will also have an effect on the grasshoppers, the lizards, and best of all, on other snakes. Rattle snakes have not been seen around our property, but they are most certainly in our area, so the production of bull snakes is highly encouraged.
As I watched out the window this morning while exercising, the dog and the phoebes were competing to see who could catch and eat the most bugs. At least I guess that was what they were eating. Chaco just gobbles them up, the phoebe would catch one, go bang it on a rock and then either eat it or take it up to the nest. Haven't poked my head up to see if it was feeding its mate or newly hatched chicks. Since I generally see only one at a time out, I suspect that they are still next sitting. They present quite a drama as they swoop and then hoover, standing still in the air, then dropping to grab a bug. Or sometimes swooping down to catch one out of the air. Between them and the humming birds I sometimes wonder if it is safe to walk out onto the pourch. I can picture one of them stuck in me like a arrow in a tree.
I wonder what I next adventure with the local wildlife will be.
Hugs,
Mike L
I hate to lose a hummer, although the truth is we have more than enough to feed two cats. Right now the population is high enough to go through about a half gallon of sugar water a day, and the consumption is increasing as the word gets out that high quality food is available at Mike and Susannah's place. Fascinating, two feeders, 8 spots to feed from total, and both birds are fighting for the same spot! While fascinating to watch, and really beautiful, they have no manners or social graces at all.
Right now we have green birds with black heads and red throats, but any time now the rufus birds will arrive in great numbers. They look like burnished pennies, bright copper with a red throat that seems to glow like a burning coal. Nope, manners are just as bad as their cousins, they are just prettier.
Then yesterday, as I struggled to wake up over my first cup of coffee while staring blearily at the computer screen in the study there was a a scream of "Michal, there's a snake in the door!" Now I admit, I wasn't quite fully awake, and I was trying to picture how a snake could be in the door. Perhaps embedded in the wood? Anyway I rushed to the living room, and from under the front door about a foot and a half of bull snake (also known as a gopher snake) tail twisted and turned. Opening the door, hoping not to hurt it, drug it inside where it tried to make an escape. No luck! We have laminated flooring, and apparently the stuff is just too slick for a snake to make progress, so mostly it just wiggled from side to side having no success in making progress.
I guess I should have grabbed my camera and gotten some pictures since it was pretty young, only about 2.5 feet long, and its skin was bright and shinny. I suspect if we really looked around we could find the skin that it had probably just shed. Oh well, forgot about that as I put on a pair of gloved and finally managed to pick it up despite the fact that it was moving as fast as it could, but not going anywhere. I don't mind handling non-poisonous snakes but do take the precaution of wearing gloves just in case they get too frightened and try biting when first picked up. Generally they settle down in just a minute or two and after that are safe to handle.
No problem with this one, it had a one track mind and that was to go someplace else. So we carried it out into the woods where I hope it can escape both cats and dogs. And as we walked along it found it could move in my gloved hands and so headed out, from one hand to another as fast as it could go, probably about as fast as I was walking had it been on the ground. When we reached the woods near my work shop I let it go onto the ground and it kept on going as fast as it could into the trees and grass, hopefully to grow a bit and keep the mouse population down a bit. Most likely it will also have an effect on the grasshoppers, the lizards, and best of all, on other snakes. Rattle snakes have not been seen around our property, but they are most certainly in our area, so the production of bull snakes is highly encouraged.
As I watched out the window this morning while exercising, the dog and the phoebes were competing to see who could catch and eat the most bugs. At least I guess that was what they were eating. Chaco just gobbles them up, the phoebe would catch one, go bang it on a rock and then either eat it or take it up to the nest. Haven't poked my head up to see if it was feeding its mate or newly hatched chicks. Since I generally see only one at a time out, I suspect that they are still next sitting. They present quite a drama as they swoop and then hoover, standing still in the air, then dropping to grab a bug. Or sometimes swooping down to catch one out of the air. Between them and the humming birds I sometimes wonder if it is safe to walk out onto the pourch. I can picture one of them stuck in me like a arrow in a tree.
I wonder what I next adventure with the local wildlife will be.
Hugs,
Mike L
Friday, May 29, 2009
Yes, We Had No Rain Today
For several days now the weather forecast has been for thundershowers, but the reality has been rather disappointing. The mornings have been beautiful, with wonderful blue skies that slowly grows a few fluffy clouds that shine with summer whiteness. They grow and late afternoon they begin to glower with the threat of rain that is all bluff.
Slowly they drift to the east with nary a drop of water falling to earth. Ah, but that doesn't mean it didn't rain. The clouds get heavy with water and finally begin to leak and you can see the dark drift of rain falling from them, but it never reaches the earth. The air is as dry as the ground, and greedily absorbs the moister evaporating it before it can reach the thirsty earth. Perhaps tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning more clouds will pass and will be more generous.
Yeah, those little wisps coming down from the clouds in the middle and right of the picture are the virga. Perhaps as they move east the rain will intensify sufficiently for a few drops to fall, what we call a 4 inch rain, one drop every four inches.
I won't complain too much, we have had several heavy showers, and things are turning green and some of the wild flowers are beginning to crop up. And we still have a couple of more days of forecast showers, so perhaps we shall be lucky and God will bless us with a good deluge or two.
Mike L
Slowly they drift to the east with nary a drop of water falling to earth. Ah, but that doesn't mean it didn't rain. The clouds get heavy with water and finally begin to leak and you can see the dark drift of rain falling from them, but it never reaches the earth. The air is as dry as the ground, and greedily absorbs the moister evaporating it before it can reach the thirsty earth. Perhaps tonight, or maybe tomorrow morning more clouds will pass and will be more generous.
Yeah, those little wisps coming down from the clouds in the middle and right of the picture are the virga. Perhaps as they move east the rain will intensify sufficiently for a few drops to fall, what we call a 4 inch rain, one drop every four inches.
I won't complain too much, we have had several heavy showers, and things are turning green and some of the wild flowers are beginning to crop up. And we still have a couple of more days of forecast showers, so perhaps we shall be lucky and God will bless us with a good deluge or two.
Mike L
A Bit of Wimsey
Susannah decided to lighten up my life an early Father's Day gift and so now I have a group of Kokopellis climbing up my wall.
There is some mystery about just who or what Kokopelli is, and I think that while we were volunteering at an archeological park in Arizona we heard most of them. In general he is considered to be a fertility symbol, and some think that the basis may have been traveling traders that announced their arrival by playing the flute thereby hoping to avoid being greeted as an enemy with a flight of arrows. Of course, all the traveling salesmen jokes would apply to this inturpretation. In any case, he is generally thought of as kind of a tricktster playing jokes and is associated with livelyness and fun.
On the other hand Oliver, who considers himself editor in chief and prefers to hang around Susannah's desk since it is normally neater than mine, much prefers a quieter surrounding. He refused to comment vocally on my new decoration by never the less managed to express his opinion.
Oh well, I long ago learned to let sleeping dogs lie, and since Oliver has joined our family I am also learning to leave sleeping cats lie. Turns out they are much better armed then dogs and more difficult to disengage from when they grab you with their claws.
Oh yes, I am taking sleeping lessons from Oliver, but don't believe that I shall ever achieve the mastery that he has managed to acquire.
Mike L
There is some mystery about just who or what Kokopelli is, and I think that while we were volunteering at an archeological park in Arizona we heard most of them. In general he is considered to be a fertility symbol, and some think that the basis may have been traveling traders that announced their arrival by playing the flute thereby hoping to avoid being greeted as an enemy with a flight of arrows. Of course, all the traveling salesmen jokes would apply to this inturpretation. In any case, he is generally thought of as kind of a tricktster playing jokes and is associated with livelyness and fun.
On the other hand Oliver, who considers himself editor in chief and prefers to hang around Susannah's desk since it is normally neater than mine, much prefers a quieter surrounding. He refused to comment vocally on my new decoration by never the less managed to express his opinion.
Oh well, I long ago learned to let sleeping dogs lie, and since Oliver has joined our family I am also learning to leave sleeping cats lie. Turns out they are much better armed then dogs and more difficult to disengage from when they grab you with their claws.
Oh yes, I am taking sleeping lessons from Oliver, but don't believe that I shall ever achieve the mastery that he has managed to acquire.
Mike L
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