Road Time

 Yesterday we loaded up and headed out at 4:30 in the morning and pulled back up to the barn at 5:30 that evening.

Seems like we do that a lot for retired folks. 😉

We headed 2 1/2 hours North to pick up our heifer bulls

We branded them before loading them

Drove another 4 hours southwest, crossed state lines, unloaded the bulls 

So they could get aquainted with the heifers

Looks like he's charming them already

Then another 160 miles west to ride through the cows and baby calves and check on the 3 bulls he picked up the day before.

No cute pictures of the little ones because I couldn't get close enough so here's one of my favorites from the past

Then another 60 miles home. Whew. We didn't even stop anywhere for dinner, but dug into leftovers when we got home. Showers and under the covers by 8 where I tapped out this post and turned out the light,  because DH was going to be back on the road again at 4:30. 

Over 600 miles made for a long day, 

but I did manage to add some stitches to a binding when we traveled smoother roads

Well, I guess it keeps us out of the the rocking chairs. 😂 Rocking chair or truck seat... either way, we were sure tired of sitting!

What's in the Orchard

 You can just scroll past this post. It's just a list for our information. We wanted to document what we planted in the orchard and backyard. The nursery owner, Jaimee also asked us to record it for her since many of these trees are heirloom trees. We have a hard copy and a map, but I wanted to keep a backup here.

                                                            

1. Pomogranite (planted behind the house)

2. Heirloom Pear - 2 varieties: Lower Orchard & Lemon Hogan on a Quince rootstock

3. Heirloom Pear - Jaimee's Big Sweet

4. Stella Cherry

5. Montmorency Cherry - pie cherries

6. Tartarian Cherry

7. Contender Peach

8. Red Haven Peach

9. Heirloom Cinderella Peach (Krymsk 1 rootstock)

10. Heirloom Peach - Brill + 2 other varieties (to be planted in September behind the house)

11. Santa Rosa Plum

12. Heirloom Stanley Plum x Krymsk 1

13. Heirloom Plum & Pluot (to be planted in September)

14. Sweet Gem Apricot

15. Heirloom Apricot (to be planted in September)

16. Jonathon Apple - applesauce & apple cookies

17. Jonamac Apple - applesauce & apple cookies

18. Honeycrisp Apple

19. Heirloom White Cloud Applè x M7

20. Heirloom Black Twig Apple (Salazar Canyon) x Bud9

21. Arkansas Black Apple

22.  Letizia Fig - planted behind the house

23. Heirloom Apple (Antenouka) (planted behind the house) with 4 varieties:

 Black Twig (N) Beechie -Rio Ruidoso Watershed

 Greer #3 (S) Bonito 

 Sawmill (W) Beechie - Rio Ruidoso Watershed

Northwest Greening (E) Old Greer Orchard - no DNA verification. Possibly Fameuse or Montgomery Apple.

Whew. Hopefully we can put our shovels up for a little while. The waiting season has arrived. Waiting...we're not very good at that. 😉

Till the Cows Come Home

 These days our ranching program looks a little different.

We bought a set of cows 2 years ago in South Texas.

The fella that was looking after them, daily, was from a family we've known for 30 years and as dependable and reliable as you could ever hope to know, but we still made multiple trips to help gather or work. It's a 12 hour drive one way so DH put on a lot of miles, always leaving out long before dawn

Unfortunately, the owner and his brother tragically died on the ranch in a plane accident and the family, understandably, lost their compass. Eventually, the manager left and the cattle weren't tended to under successive management so we looked for alternatives. None of this was the family's fault as they were dealing with an unimaginable loss and moving our cows eased their load a bit and gave us peace of mind when it came to our investment.

                           

Thankfully, DH's BIL shared a contact that steered us in a new direction and we were able to move our herd to wheat pasture (still in South Texas) for 6 months, at which time, they droughted out and we needed to move them once more. Of course, the day they processed them (last Thursday), it poured. DH phoned that evening and asked me to pray for it NOT to rain overnight or the trucks wouldn't be able to get in. THAT'S a first. I've spent the last 39 years praying FOR rain. This reversal was completely foreign to me, but pray I did and the good Lord kept the rain at bay.

12 hours on the road after loading 87 pair, unloading in the dark, driving another hour home and unloading horses at 11 p.m. made for an incredibly long day. I know the barn lights were a welcome sight when he pulled in

                            

And then we were headed back out just after 5 the next morning

                                                           

to insure the cattle were settled and paired up. Hated to truck pairs with baby calves that far, but it couldn't be helped and now they are only an hour away and it's easier for us to keep an eye on them.

DH found one sick calf he doctored

 

We are still hunting grass, but a friend had room in his feed yard and let us keep our motley crew there until God opens a grassy window.

We also currently have 40 heifers on wheat and will be moving them May 1st to some lease country.

It's been so very different from what we've known, but we're incredibly grateful for the network of friends and family that have helped us along the way. And all glory goes to our Lord and Savior because not a single step has been possible without Him.

Garden Plans

I've never had a huge garden, but always enjoyed growing a few things. The 20 years we managed the LE Ranch, it was a challenge. In a good year, we had 10" of rainfall annually and those good years were rare. Besides harsh desert conditions, the water wasn't great and the ground was tough so I cobbled some raised beds together. They were just 6" deep. 

But the dirt I mixed up for them was like black gold for 12 years and and the garden was mostly successful

The last year we were there, I didn't have a garden because we moved in August and I didn't have one here last year because we were too busy with other projects. But we recently finished the orchard and I didn't want another year without a garden. I splurged and bought some raised beds from Anleolife. I just started with 3. They are 8 x 4 x 2. We put 1 together Tuesday evening

And the other 2, Wednesday morning. The 1st one took a long time, but by the time we started the 3rd one, we had a system and it took us an hour.

There are 80 of these wing nuts and bolts per bed. That's a lot of twisting for old hands.

When we moved here, the backyard was not a priority. The previous owners had dogs so they put up a fence for when they were away. We're not fans of chain-link, but when you have a nice deck and a beautiful view, you're not going to be spending time in the backyard.

It was just left natural, which we loved, but we did want to clean it up. We trimmed things up, plucked things, and cleaned out a lot of cactus. We removed 5 loads with the skid steer.

And I do want to toss out wildflower seed and see what takes in this rugged terrain.

DH moved some rocks

because when we ran out of room in the orchard, we put 4 fruit trees behind the house.😉

There was a big pile of old wood that DH was going to haul off, but when I went to clean it up, it ocurred to me that I could use it as filler in the beds. 

DH leveled out a spot to set the beds.

I chuckled when he pulled out the level. It's a garden bed. I'm not that particular, but DH is detail oriented. I'm so grateful for his help. I couldn't have done this without him.

I broke down old cardboard I'd been saving to put in the bottom

 and then I started raking up and hauling branches and old  bark

DH and I set the beds in place and I worked on filling them while he was away, processing and moving cows. I am not comfortable running the skid steer so I am zipping around in the Can-am and piling it with branches

I'm also going to need a lot more dirt!

It's still too early to plant most things, but that's up next after I get the beds filled. It's a work in progress and it it looks like I'll be spending more time back here than I thought. 🥰