What We've Been Up To

 Last Thursday we had our HVAC system serviced. Thankfully, it just needed to be rewired so that it would communicate with the thermostat so it won't cost an arm and a leg, but service calls are not inexpensive since it's 50-60 miles out here.

As Joseph was leaving, with cookies 😉, the dump truck with base material for some road prep showed up.Traffic jam at the end of the dirt road

Fabric is expensive these days, but so are rocks.

DH wanted to build up the road a bit and change the grade

to help divert rain water away from the  cattle guard he and our boy installed on Friday

I told DH I felt fancy

We've got another cattle guard to install later this week, but we were pulling everything together to brand our calves on Monday so other projects were postponed.

That means lists and phone calls were made on Friday. Brand inspectors, health papers, vaccine, trucks, confirm dates and times with everyone on the crew as well as the owner of the grazing lease. Lots of moving parts.

A trip to town in separate rigs filled up Saturday for both of us, but lunch out was a treat

I never enjoy going to town, but being in there on Saturday makes me break out in hives. It's just too people-y out there. 😉

And I was in the kitchen on Sunday.

I made salsa

Queso

 48 Buckaroo Bundles

And Cookie Jar Gingersnaps (an old photo, from when I first posted the recipe, that still makes me smile). I was going to make Special K Cookies too, but DH didn't think I needed to make 2 kinds. I was running out of steam by then anyway. 😉

And loaded coolers and everything else I'd need in order to be ready for Monday as DH loaded his rig for everything for branding calves.

I put a note on the fridge to remind us to pack the vaccine in the morning because I don't trust myself to think clearly at 3:30 a.m.

Time on the deck to visit and double check our lists is a good way to close out the weekend

Under the Needle: May

Progress slowed down in the sewing room this month, but that's to be expected with outdoor projects and the fire burning close by on our mountain filling the days. However, I was able to move some things forward before the fire started on the 14th.

This month I managed to get Old Dirt Road into a top. The full blocks were made last month and I made the 20 half blocks this month. When I was pressing the individual blocks, I noticed a rougue hourglass block. An easy fix

 Binding was also made and I am using this toile on the back. 

It's in line to be quilted, but It'll be a while, as my friend and long armer moved this month and I want to give her time to settle in before I start handing her quilts. I still have 7 here that I need to bind anyway. 😊

4 of those are ones I picked up last time I was in town and I got those trimmed

I needed a baby boy quilt and bought a bundle of fat quarters on sale

These will be perfect for a safari baby

It didn't take too long to get it cut and stitched into a top. This is the 2nd time I've made this pattern. The quilt I am currently binding is from the same pattern. It's the Layer Cake Scattered Stars pattern from It's So Emma.

The original pattern makes a 14.5" block, but I down-sized it to an 11" block. 

The last few days of the month, I dusted off this FQ bundle and started pressing and cutting for a new project

And the hsts are piling up, but there's a long way to go

I also stocked up on some basics when I saw them on a good sale. I like this burlap print and use it often and these were 3-yd cuts so they ought to last a while.

I am still binding the same quilt I was binding last month although no actual binding took place since the fire started so no finishes to share this month...but it's close.

 but I DO have a quilt related story to share.

When we discussed the fact that we may, at some point, truly need to evacuate, we had conversations about what to take besides Skeet and the horses. The Pelican case of documents, my Bible, a painting of DH in the mountains with horses, a few firearms that are not replaceable, photos, 3 old favorite cast iron skillets that can not be replaced, an old metal pitcher from Austria that belonged to my mom that I use almost daily, and a handful of quilts. 

Of course, we talked about things with the kids and they were quite insistant we take ALL the quilts. I love that, but I told them they had no idea how many that was! Our son said, "Our car is empty. I'll load 'em up." Gonna need a bigger car son. 😂 He had talked to his sister who lives in Oklahoma and she threatened to come get them if we didn't take them all. 😂  

I'm glad that the kids love and appreciate the quilts I have made for them and  tried to reason with them and said I could make more. 

During a conversation, our girl said, "Every one of those quilts has a piece if you in it and when you're gone, I want all those pieces." 🥰 I chuckled, but when we finished our conversation and I hung up, I may have walked out into the forest and shed a few tears.

Old FQ Bundle, New Project

 A new project found it's way under my needle this week.

WAY back in 2012, I won this FQ bundle in a giveaway from Amy at Diary of a Quilter.

It's called Tend the Earth by Deb Strain and it's been patiently waiting on a shelf for a long time. I've been eyeing the Ramona quilt pattern for a while and I had a sudden hankering to put the two together. 

I wanted a few more low volume prints so I spent time doing one of my favorite things...shopping from my fabric pantry and finding coordinates that worked with the fat quarters. I think these 6 pieces are a good fit!

That gave me 38 fat quarters. It took a while to press everything and cut squares, but now I have a nice stack and construction can begin. I love the versitility of hsts.

This quilt was not on my list at the beginning of the year, but this just feels like the right time to dig in and it is filling the need to just guide fabric under the needle.

After the Rain

 Monday night we went to bed with the windows cracked open, listening to the sound of a soft rain playing across the tin roof. It's one of my favorite sounds.

And if you're lucky enough to be in the high desert mountains when it rains, the smell will intoxicate you. It's one of my favorite smells.

I woke early Tuesday morning...3:00...too early, yet perfect timing. I could hear another favorite sound from the deck.

I had to wait for daylight to see anything

I walked down close to the dirt tank in my jammies and couldn't see even 1 toad, but the sound was almost deafening.They stop singing when you get close even though you think you are being stealthy. 😉 This doesn't happen often in the desert. It's always cause for happy tears and a grateful heart and today that is especially the case as it was absolutely God's hand and your chorus of prayers that rained down on the fire.

I was excited to hear the morning report from the incident command center, and although he acknowledged the moisture as a blessing it did not put the fire out. It moderated fire behavior conditions for a day or two as they continue their work to mop up, continue clearing, and prep to secure the rest of the perimeter.

I was hoping more rain had fallen in other areas, but they said it averaged 1/2" with a little more on our side and a little less on the south end. Still grateful for every drop.

As of Tuesday morning, the road to town is now open and they have downgraded our 'Go' evacuation status to 'Ready'...both good things.

The fire now sits at 28,750 acres. 46% containment. This morning they reported that firemen were walking every step of the contained lines (the black outline on the east and north end), turning over stumps and piles to insure there are no hotspots or smoldering debris. Currently, that's a distance of 48.3 miles.

Prayers are still welcomed as there are more folks living in the area where the fire has moved into and the folks on the ground and in the air are still working to secure the perimeter. As for us, we are safe and the fire is no longer a threat to our property. We greatly appreciate each and every thought and prayer you sent our way. Thank you. 💖

Cookies Delivered

DH and I were outside at 8 on Sunday morning when vehicles began pulling down our road.

It was a small crew of 9 that had come in to chip the trees and brush they had cleared earlier in the week.

We visited with them for a bit and of course thanked them for the work they have been doing. They all said it was a pleasure to work in such beautiful surroundings.

And yes, they all got cookies. 😉

Quick Fire Update: Day 10

 Just wanted to pop in here and share a quick fire update with ya'll.

As of Saturday night, the fire has burned across 24,828 acres. It was 19,088 on Friday evening. The majority of the increased acreage is due to the back-burning that has been concentrated on the south side as the fire moved up and over Capitan peek so it is no longer visible to us. It's just smokey and when it clears, we can see plumes of smoke up high and down in the canyons.

Capitan Mountain sits at 10,079' in elevation. We are at 5,500'. The incredible good news is that the fire sits at 43% containment. That's the black outline on the north-east. And, that's also where we're located, so we can breathe easier though we continue to pray for the 916 people working to secure the remainder of the perimeter as well as other land owners in the fire's path.

The fire's a long way from out, but in this rugged terrain, they simply have to let it burn. A good burn is actually healthy for the forest, but it's also scary when it comes so close and get's out of control.

A reader had commented and asked how many ranches were affected and I don't have any concrete answers, but not a lot. There are 2 ranches on the north side of the fire that run to that road that is blue and they lost some grass, but the 1st responders were able to contain the fire to the lines they had cleared along the 616 base road. The ranch country is north of that and it's not rugged, mountain country. For the most part, the fire has been contained to the National Forest and Capitan Mountain Wilderness- the rough canyons and mountains which is the green on the map. 

Our rain chances increase on Monday and Tuesday so we're praying that comes to fruition and falls on this beautiful, but parched mountain wilderness.

A Quiet Friday

 Thank you for all of your very kind comments lately. I don't know what's going on but I stayed up late Thursday night and replied back to all of them individually and then I had a long influx of emails telling me they were undeliverable. 😩

Technology and I do not compute. I was tired and frustrated. Many of your comments come through as anonymous so even if you sign your name at the bottom, I don't know if my replies get back to you. Anonymous comments are fine; I just feel badly about not being able to reciprocate - especially when questions are asked.

I apologize. I so appreciate that you take the time to pop in for a visit and I like to reply back.

 The shower I posted about yesterday didn't last long. It barely measured 0.10 here but we are grateful for every drop and the evening fire report mentioned that it helped subdue the flames in higher elevations where they received a little more.

Friday morning I was still out of sorts. They have cleared the fire perimeter and have begun to back-burn which means lots and lots of smoke. I feel for the people and critters having to be out in that and I felt guilty that I had the luxury of being indoors after tending to chores. The chickens started out their morning with a little hen session. Probably complaining that it was time for a good coop cleaning.

 My FIL sent this photo from his home. They are 40 miles from us although as the crow flies, they are maybe 30. We live on the other side of that mountain range.

They reported 19,088 acres Friday evening from 17, 116 that morning. There was a lot of air traffic throughout Thursday and into Friday. I took this from the deck. I counted 9 aircraft in 20 minutes. They dumped 150,000 gallons  of water on the fire on Thursday.

DH had left at 5 a.m. on Thursday to pick up cattle guards in east Texas. On the way, he stopped in Portales, NM to pick up 6 gates. We are building a new fence around the property and the gates will allow him easy access when he is horseback or if we need to take equipment or the can-am through. We had put this one in a few weeks ago

He then stopped in Texas and had lunch with his brother and his wife and then drove on to Oklahoma and spent the night with our girl. She was returning from a business trip that evening and DH left out early Friday morning so sadly, they were only able to spend about 45 minutes visiting.

Then DH moved on to pick up cattle guards and after another 3 hour drive, he picked up more bees. He pulled back in at 9:30 p.m. 1250 miles in 40 hours. I know he is tired, but he admits that it is self-inflicted. He has gone hard all his life and the transition after leaving ranch management has not changed that. We were up at 5 this morning to unload the trailer

With all the smoke on Friday, I cleaned my floors and then spent time in my sewing room. It's been a couple of weeks since I sat down to sew. I began to relax as soon as I walked in. I cut out a baby quilt and actually sewed all the blocks in one day. 

That never happens. And this seasoned fabric that has been in my stash for years was perfect for sashing. I had just enough.

Then I trimmed up 4 quilts I picked up from my longarmer. The 'to be bound' pile is getting unruly.

An entire day to sew. That's a rare treat!