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Garden

2009-06-22T07:39:00.018-06:00

I'm getting this retirement thing down. I have been gardening this spring, and spending a LOT of time at it. Seems like the weeds grow right in front of my eyes. The vegetable plants are a different story. I planted on May 13th, and had pretty good germination (except for squash and cucumbers). So I replanted those and the "skips" in the green beans and corn on 5/28 and again on 6/12. The weather had been cool at night (below 50 degrees), so maybe that was the problem getting the seeds germinated. The past week has been warmer, and nights are now over 50 degrees. We'll see what develops. So here's the desert garden. There is a 5 wire electric fence around it to hopefully keep deer, raccoons, and skunks out:

A couple of years ago, I had planted a garden and then in the hot part of the summer, everyone on our irrigation ditch wanted water at the same time. So there was none available when I wanted it. This year I bought a 425 gallon tank, so I can hopefully have it full when those times roll around. I figure I can keep the garden alive for about 9 days with the water in the tank.

We also bought a used chipper/shredder this spring. It mounts on the tractor and runs off the PTO so there is no engine with it (less maintenance). Previously I have burned all the branches that fall from our trees (especially the globe willows). Now I can turn those branches into wood chips.

Erica has been busy planting perennial flowers in the front and side of our house. They look really good, although these shady shots don't show them off very well.

Well, gotta go. Time to irrigate!

Elk Hunt

2008-11-02T09:42:00.053-07:00

October 11-15 2008, Lizard Head Wilderness Area.
My camp was just to the right of this photo, which was taken before Saturday's big wind storm.

This is almost the same view, just north of camp. Photo taken after Saturday's wind storm blew most of the aspen leaves off the trees.

Another view of camp.

Cold Creek (lower right), camp on hill.

Dolores Peak from Groundhog Trail

La Plata mountains

Here's the six point bull I got, about a mile north of camp. I'm pretty happy with him.... he is my first bull. I've shot a couple of cows before, but this is my first bull.

Dolores Peak in the background.

I had to make 5 trips to pack the meat out. This photo is from my last trip and shows a front quarter and a bag of tenderloin.

The evenings were below freezing, but the afternoons were in the 60's. So I put a blanket on the truck topper to help keep the meat cool.

Snow

2008-02-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

OK. We give up! We couldn't get out of the driveway Monday, and I couldn't get the tractor from the back to the front to plow it (I kept getting it stuck... no chains). We have about 3 feet on the ground now. Kinda hard to get a good average, since the wind has moved it around several times, and in some spots there is 18 inches and others there is 4 feet in drifts.

Arizona in the winter is sounding better all the time.

A fellow worker digging out the stairs from the parking lot. I was offering encouragement.

Home away from home.

This pic was taken back in December, but I'm including it because it was cool to see a buck in the yard.

Bill and Jeannie

2006-10-10T05:49:00.000-06:00

Our friends Bill and Jeannie from Richmond, Kentucky were here the third week in September, and we had a great time with them. We hiked in the Lizard Head Wilderness (at left) and got snowed on.

Here's another shot just before it started to snow and rain. We were on the Navajo Lake Trail.

We also went on a horseback ride south of Mancos at the Robbers Roost Ranch. It was a lot of fun, and makes me wish we had horses. If only we had someone to take care of them...

Bill and Erica played some music. I banged on the bass until they told me to stop. Erica has been getting some tunes ready to try and teach me, so we will see if they'll take. Kinda like trying to teach a dog to drive a car.

Last Thursday, this tree decided to split. It has been raining so much since then that I haven't been able to get it cut up and pulled out. We have had over two inches of rain the last four days, so I can't complain about that.

Anybody need some firewood?

Sarah's Wedding

2006-09-01T09:02:00.000-06:00

It's true! Sarah and Rob tied the knot on August 11th. Here's a photo of the happy couple and Sarah's proud dad. It was a very nice wedding and we had a great time. We hope Mr. and Mrs. Lund will come see us soon.

Here's a picture we took in the front yard the other day. The sky was purple, pink, and peach, over a golden sunset (says Erica).
Since I have color deficit disorder, I wouldn't know. But it sure looked cool.

Green Again

2006-07-08T07:06:00.000-06:00

The last couple of days, we finally received some rain. It had been raining to the north of us, but was missing us. We got 3/10ths of an inch the last couple of days. And a really nice rainbow that filled the sky.

Some of the chickens (sorry Mark, I mean poultry) started laying about a week ago, and we are getting 3-6 eggs a day. Most are still pretty small, but they are getting bigger. We let the chickens out of their house for a couple of hours in the late afternoon, and they have a great time in the yard.

Hike

2006-06-25T07:51:00.000-06:00

We went for a hike Saturday in the Lizard Head Wilderness, and here is a photo of a columbine we saw. It was a hot hike, and we didn't go far, but it was fun. I didn't take any general shots of the area, and now I wish I had one to post. Rats!

Here's a shot of the wonder dog on a hike we went on last week. No, the pack is not hers. She made me carry it. And her water. Not that we needed it... there was a stream the whole way.

Little Sally got skunked last night and had to sleep in her kennel. EB went to town this morning to get some peroxide and baking soda for a de-skunkifying bath. It's always something. You would think a wonder dog could avoid skunks....

In the Pen

2006-04-23T07:48:00.000-06:00

The chickens now have a pen, albeit fairly small. They have this space in front of their house, and the side between their house and the garage. After we get the ugly fiberglass fence replaced (behind the chicken house) they will have a bigger pen.

At first, they were kind of "chicken" to use their ladder.

Note the chicken on the ground giving encouragement to the one on the ladder.

Here's our house after a new coat of paint. The irrigation water is now in the ditch, and I am getting after the lawn to try and make it look like someone lives here.

The Girls

2006-04-17T18:57:00.000-06:00

So here's the girls. They are now six weeks old. They are not clucking yet, and they sound funny still peeping. The biggest one thinks she is really something and goes up to the others with her head up and feathers out, and says "I'm bad!" At least that's what I think she says.

Yep, they look like pullets now. Not chicks any more.

And here's their house with the paint on. My next goal is to build a pen in front of it. The house gets pretty hot when the sun is out, so they need a pen soon.

CHP Declared Complete

2006-04-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

No foolin. We are having our house painted next week (weather permitting), and the painter will paint the chicken house too. So I can declare my project complete. I will probably add a fenced run later, when we replace the fence behind the chicken house.

I sure am glad I didn't take up house construction to try and earn a living. I would have starved long ago. But I had a lot of fun with my chicken house project, and now I guess I'll have to do some of those other chores that I've been ignoring. The irrigation water will be turned into the ditch Monday, so it's time to get things ready for irrigating. I also have a lot of down branches in the yard (from the darn globe willows) that need picking up. And the fruit trees still need pruning. EB took a class on pruning, but so far it's all been academic.

Here's the inside of the chicken house. The feeder is hanging by the door for now, but it may get moved to the center since it's kind of crowded by the door. To the right is the waterer, and the nest boxes are on the left. The board in the bottom left corner is the roost.

Here's a shot of the roost and a baby roost for the chicks. I will remove it once they can fly up to the main roost.

The chicks are growing fast. If the weather will warm up some, we will put them out in the chicken house in a few days.

Now I guess I will have to clean up my construction mess.

Visited States

2006-03-26T06:53:00.000-07:00

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

I got this link from Sarah. It was surprising to see how many states I've been in. Kinda makes me want to sing that Johnny Cash song that's been in a recent TV commercial... "I've been to..."

Chicks

2006-03-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

We bought some chicks Tuesday. I wasn't really ready to get them, but the feed store had these older chicks, and I thought it would be good to get them now so we will get eggs earlier. I put them in the garage with a light bulb for warmth, and naturally it turned cold and snowy that night. So they ended up in the house. Hopefully it will warm up soon, and they will be feathered out enough to stay warm in the chicken house. Maybe we will have eggs sometime in June. I 'bout have the chicken house done, but still have a lot to do... building a roost, feeder stand, nest boxes, and a fenced run.

Door On

2006-03-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

I got the door on today. It may be just in time for some more snow. I had hoped to get the soffet on before more snow, but alas it appears it is not to be. I got tired of fighting the cold wind today.

Snow

2006-03-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Yep, it finally happened. It snowed, and it is still snowing. We had about six inches Wednesday, and it has snowed off and on since. The photo at left is the picnic table at work, and is visible proof that no one used it on Thursday.

Here's a couple of our bird friends. They were sure glad to see some sunflower seeds this morning. There were about 50 of them at the feeder.

And here's our front yard. with the sun going down. It was a good evening to sit by the fire and watch a movie.

And that's the way it is, here in the cold four-corners.

Oscar Winning Roof

2006-03-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well at least an honorable mention. I finally got the roof shingled. So now I'm ready for those March snowstorms we are supposed to get. I sure hope we get some precip soon. Looks like a short irrigation season.

Sheathing and Siding On

2006-02-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Well it's coming along. I was hoping to get the shingles on today, but didn't make it. I hope it doesn't snow (or rain) until I get it shingled, but we sure do need the precip. I used house water today to water trees, it has been so dry. I'll have to have a stiff drink before I look at our next water bill.

Here's a shot of the building inspector and her helper. They gave me the go-ahead to get this thing done before summer.

Ha.

Long Weekend

2006-02-20T17:04:00.000-07:00

Yep, it was a long weekend for me, what with last Friday off and today, of course, Presidents Day. So I got a lot of work done on the CHP, right? Uh, no. I started putting on the roof sheathing, and had to take it off and shim some rafters (imagine that... they weren't all level on the top. Must be somebody coming in at night and messing with my work). When I got the sheet and a half of sheathing back on, as shown, I got on top to do some nailing. Well sir, it commenced to swaying, so I got myself off and decided to put the siding on before trying to get back up there. Hopefully the siding will make the whole thing more rigid, so I can get on the roof. I had the fascia all on so I could put the roofing on, but realized I had to take it off so I could nail the tops of the siding. Bummer. So there it sits after this long weekend... part of the roof sheathing on, and part of the siding on. But the good news is that my thumbs still look good... no purple thumbnails yet.

Braaaack!

2006-02-05T08:38:00.000-07:00

That's the sound this little hinge made this morning. It sounded just like a parrot would before he says "Polly want a cracker!"

So, being the handyman of the house, I grabbed a can of that wonderful bike chain lubricant, Tri-Flow (shown here with an eggplant for scale. I didn't want to commit another faux pas like the one yesterday... no scale. My first thought was to use a cucumber, but I realize some people might be put off. Thus the eggplant. And in case you think "faux pas" should be "faux pax" I really don't know. But dictionary.com shows faux pas, so there you go. Eggplants are not gourds, are they?).

Past experience has shown that if you push the cap down REAL SLOW, on the can of Tri Flow, you can make it come out in a dribble. Now of course if you push a little too hard, you get the "phhhhht!" I was confident of my ability to control the pressure, and I might have made it if I had not already had my morning coffee.

I'm sure there's a moral to this story somewhere.

Framed

2006-02-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Well I got all the mileage I could from my knee repair and the cold weather. I finally had to get the chicken Taj Majal framed.

After getting the walls up, I realized just how tall this thing is.

I should have had EB stand in the door for scale, but the opening is about 6 1/2 feet tall. If I ever have a basketball player collect the eggs, I won't have to worry about him klarning his head in the doorway.

And the height may come in handy if we decide to raise chickens on stilts.

Yummy.

Floor Done

2006-01-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

This photo was taken this morning. I got the flooring on today, but the area was in shadows then, so didn't get a photo. The frame for the floor is 2X6 pressure treated lumber. It is heavy.

I had a time getting good framing lumber for the walls. I had it delivered yesterday, and only about a third was usable. So I had to load it up and take it back to the lumber yard. Then I had to pick through their lumber to find suitable pieces. Bummer. Took half a day.

I don't remember where I got this picture, or why, but I think it is funny. I will definately keep my chickens off the sauce, just in case. I don't need uppity chickens.

Here's a woodpecker that was in our yard the other day. He was funny... he would get a sunflower seed from the feeder and then poke it into a crack in the bark on this tree. I didn't know they stocked up.

And that's all for today. Tomorrow it's back to work for me. The vacation was fun while it lasted, but now it's time to feed the bulldog.

Taking it to the Bank

2006-01-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest CHP progress report. I have added a retaining wall to keep dirt from sliding down the bank into the chicken house project area. And the chickens will be able to stay fit doing the stairs.

Yes, I know the fiberglass fence is ugly. EB tells me it has to go, and so it will. Later. Right now I'm on a mission. The CHP Mission. The fence can be replaced anytime.

We had a nice Christmas here in Lake Wobegon, I mean Dolores. Here are some photos:

Sally with her new treat ball. She stuck her nose in it trying to get her kibble. Pretty funny. She has since figured it out.

Brenda, EB, and Pat at McPhee. It was really nice... about 50 degrees! Sally got to chase several bunnies. The first time Pat heard her he asked "Is she alright?" It was rich.

EB and her new t-shirt.

Sally and Uncle Pat and his tatoo.

The stockings were hung....

Sally making herself comfortable on the stairs.

KC watching for those bad birds.

Pat's long-awaited sweater.

CHP Slow Go

2005-12-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

OK... I haven't actually started building the chicken house. But for a very good reason. I realized I should get rid of the dead and near-dead trees in the vicinity of the planned construction site. Note the pussy willow (Salix discolor) stump in the right-center of the photo. I'm thinking I will leave the multi-tiered stump for the chickens, so they will have a fowl version of a jungle gym. I think this should provide them with much amusement. Also, I won't have to dig the stump up. The other stump (globe willow, Salix matsudana 'Navajo') will have to go (some day).

Part of the slow progress on my CHP is due to my trip last week to the Colorado Weed Management Association annual conference, and the Colorado Section of the Society for Range Management annual conference. Erica and Sally went with me, and we got to see Mark in Littleton. Sarah and Rob also joined us in Littleton, and we had a good time with them.

The other part of the slow progress is the cold weather. It isn't much fun outside right now. But someday the chickens will come home to roost!

Chicken House Project

2005-11-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would build a chicken house during my vacation. So yesterday I spent the day looking up plans and trying to decide what kind to build. I'm still not 100% sure, but I'm getting close to a decision. It will be a blend of "easy to build" and "cheap". We only want about six chickens, so it doesn't have to be big. And I have pretty much decided on where it will be built. So now that the hard stuff is decided, I only need to build it. Shouldn't take long. But factoring in the tear-it-apart-and-start-over-because-you-
messed-it-up-the-first-time, I allow as how it will be done by spring. Just in time!

Having great expectations, I have taken the above "before" photo of the site.