Recent Adventures

Updates!

Once again, we apologize for being lazy bloggers.  We have decided to try to make a post everyday from now on, even if it's just one sentence or a photo.

Here are some snapshots from recent adventures:

Yet another sunset photograph! I bet some of you are getting tired of these, but we never do!  The evening we took this photo, the radio host on KRTS Marfa named it one of the best sunsets of the year!  A few minutes after this picture, the sky became much more dramatic, with bright gold clouds and a pink & purple sky.  I like the sedate pastels of this skyscape, too though.

I love watching the wildlife, and at work we get a veritable parade of animals past the office as critters stop by for a drink at the troughs.  Quail, javelina, and lots of mule deer love to visit us daily.

Of course, hunting season is now open on mule deer, and the hunters are starting to pour in.  Poachers have already been caught on the Ranch, and I'm sure many more will follow.  We have two game wardens on the Ranch this season, and many people have asked for their number already. 

I try to let everyone know that while BOW season opened early this month, GUN season doesn't open until the 26th of November.  So anyone out hunting with guns, or hunting from the roads, is breaking the law.  Anyone caught breaking the law could lose more than just their license -- there are huge fines, and also anything used to break the game laws (guns, vehicles, and other paraphernalia) can be seized by the wardens.

Also, FYI, it is a longstanding and dearly held MYTH that property owners can hunt anywhere on the Ranch.  While this was never a de juro rule, it was a de facto rule early in the Ranch's existence.  Back then, the population in this area was much smaller, and a lot of the land was as yet unsold by the developers.  There used to be Hunt Parks that POs could utilize, but these parcels were sold to individuals a while back, and are now private property.  But these days, we must all follow the law of the land and hunt only on our own tracts, and always obey the hunting regulations.

Casey spent a weekend building this rack for his pickup truck.  Now we can transport long board and sheetrock more easily.  It's wonderful what you can do with a little conduit, a welder, and some ingenuity.  This is a great step toward finishing the house.

Casey and Arick spent an afternoon hauling gravel, and now we have gravel around 75% of our house.  It really keeps the dust down, and looks cool too!

Weather-wise, it's been getting cooler here.  The days still get up into the 80s, but the night drop down to the 30s and 40s.  Our heating system will be installed in the bathroom, so we have to get that project finished soon. 

My new chick-a-dees are doing well despite the late season.  The broilers are getting fat in their chicken tractor, though one is already limping.  Leg problems are common in this breed because they get so fat so fast, but I don't think this injury is related to that (of course, I could be wrong -- it has happened once or twice).  He will either heal up, or become ostracized by the other birds and probably die.

I did bring one of the new Brahma babies into our home last night.  This little girl broke the tip of her beak off somehow, and the injury was attracting a lot of attention from the other chicks.  I decided it would be better to take her home until the beak healed, than to leave her to be pecked by the other birds.  Sometime a small injury can become lethal, thanks to the nature of chickens to exacerbate each others' injuries.

I have decided to name this little pullet, since she is a layer and not a meat bird.  While all the layers are named Henrietta (just a nickname I've given to all my hens), I will call this little girl Buffy, the Buff Brahma with a Broken Beak.