Additions

I have always enjoyed going to hardware and feed stores. There is something that takes me back to being a kid and my grandpa making a big deal out of me going to one of them with him. I was always taken to the feed store to pick out chicks each Spring. I almost always was allowed to pick out a couple chicks that were of the more uncommon breeds to add to the flock and more than not they were of a Banty breed. His flocks consisted of egg laying and meat birds. More often than not he had Rhose Island Red, Dominique, Buff Orpington, and Leghorn. I usually had one or two banty roosters that I called "mine" but they were usually so full of themselves they'd send me running from the coop or yard. When I turned 17 I left the farm and began my life as a big city dweller and pushed on through life. Now I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to live a live back in the country. This isn't a farm we live on by any stretch but it's quite rural and has lots of room for animals. Of course a place wouldn't be home to me without chickens. Four weeks ago I brought home the Cuckoo Marans. This week when I went to the feed store they had Americaunas. Those are the chickens that lay the blue green eggs. If you followed my old blog you know that I already have some Americauna hens, and some pullets that are suppose to be the same. But since the pullets have matured more it's clear that I was sold a bill of goods. So I called Mark from the feed store and respectively made sure it was OK to bring some chicks home. That man really needs to learn that I shouldn't be allowed to go to the feed store alone!!! LOL! Anyway, I came home with 15 Americauna chicks last week. We have lost one that was a little weak since I got them home. The rest of the lot are doing quite nice. Here are some pictures to share with you.

Spring

I guess it doesn't take a whole lotta sense to figure out when Spring arrives. I am sure that all of you are enjoying it in some way or another. Hopefully all of you have been able to get out and really take it all in. For me in this new environment of New Mexico it feels like Mother Nature just cranked up the volume on my senses. Of course there were signs a few weeks ago. The twigs of the willow trees are yellowed up and the reds were really becoming pronounced on the Coyote Willow along the river and asequias. The willow trees were first to leaf out and now our elms are doing the same. the The grass seed that Mark has so diligently planted and cared for like a new born began sprouting and the few spots that it was established began to grow. The chickens started giving us a few more eggs daily. The snow has nearly all melted on the mountains near us. Our native wildflower seeds have sprouted in the many flats we have going. The eight varieties of heirloom tomatoes have shot up and we just repotted them. The lettuces, carrots, spinach, and radishes have finally broken ground. Of course the Cuckoo Maran chicks came home with me four weeks ago are a really flourishing. My cactus collection is greening up and small flower buds are developing on some of them. This week the gate was opened on the asequia and we can now listen to a quite rush of water twenty four hours a day. But what really made a difference was a weekend of occasional rains. Mostly at night, but it was slow and gentle. This morning I went out to check on the Cuckoo chicks, open up the coop door for the big chickens, and throw grains like I do each morning and my nose went into overdrive with the smells of spring. The deep rich smell of the soil was most prominent in the air. I think if you are a gardener like me you begin to develop a nose for soils over the years. The soil in Georgia that I gardened in had a mild scent. The soil in Colorado had a hard woody scent. The soil here has a deep rich sandy, loamy scent. (I know some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking I now should be committed) There is a very mild scent of sage and juniper in the air too. When the sun warms it more I am very sure that I'll be enjoying that deep scent that reminds me of this region. I have had a love for this region since childhood and I am about as happy as can be knowing that I am finally experiencing life and culture here.

Some additions

As if I didn't have enough going on in my life I decided to bring home twenty chicks on Tuesday. We've been talking about getting some chickens that lay darker brown eggs than the ones we have. Brown eggs seem to be very popular here. So I have been waiting for over two months for the feed store to get these girls in. They are a breed called Cuckoo Maran that originally comes from France. Our hope is to order Copper Marans or Blue Marans sometime soon. They lay the darkest brown egggs you've ever seen. The catch is that the Coppers and Blues cost a hefty $10.00 per chick, they are unsexed, and the minimum order is twenty-five chicks!

These are our Cuckoo Maran pullet chicks


This is what the adult birds look like. With a lot of luck I got all hens this time around. Chances are good I'll end up with a couple roosters even though the chicks are sexed at the hatchery. Sexing seems to be a secret of the Gods or one left only to a very select group of people.

The views

I know that I am way behind in sharing photos and stories of this new life I am living. It seems that there is rarely time to sit down and write or spend any time blogging. The process can be pretty time consuming and we have so many other projects that priorities have to be made. Here's a quick view of the way the property sits. Pictures of the house itself will be coming later.

This is looking South down our lane from U.S. Highway 84. Everytime I come home from a crazy day in Santa Fe or Espanola I always, always take a second to take in this view. I am always kind of energized when I see these mountains.


Mark will be disappointed that I used this picture because it really doesn't capture the colors of the sandstones we look at each day. This is our view from the back porch looking North. It's the mouth and the arroyo to Canon del Cobres. This picture doesn't begin to capture the breath taking sight you find after you crest that area of red and yellow on the mountain sides. Photos of the canyon itself are for later. In the foreground is a brush and cactus filled field and then the highway is hidden (yeah!) behind it. Immediately across the road is Forestry Service road that accesses the canyon. It might be about 200yds from the house.


This photo is looking to the South from the back porch. In the foreground is the roof of our old shed, then about 100yds away the roof of a neighbor. Behind the neighbor is the Rio Chama and these mountains are at the shoreline of the river. All totalled it's maybe half a mile away at the most.


This is looking West off the back porch. On the left is my very rigged up chicken coop. To the right is our little adobe building we call the capilla (or chapel). We have hopes of restoring it sometime soon. Behind both buildings is the arroyo the a couple farms, then the ridge line that eventually becomes the dam for the Abiquiu Reservoir.


We don't see much to the East off our front porch. That's where the lane to the house is and then a field of small trees, brush, and the ruins of an old adobe structure.

These photos of me were taken by Mark back before I moved here. But you can get an idea of what is right acrossed the road from us! I will be writing an entry about that trip soon

It's working!!!

Hey all!

I am finally able to get photos posted to the blog! Things are crazy busy around here so I will try to get some things posted on a more regular basis. Right now we are repainting the kitchen, moving the office, putting in the vegetable garden, trying to get grass to grow, claering the pasture of weeds and some of the cactus (keeping a few), making a blue bird trail, designing a new chicken coop and enclosure, starting flats and flats of veggies and wild flowers, and sneaking in a hike or two once in a great while. I will email you all when I get some stuff pulled together. I have MUCH to blog about!

Catching up

Lots has taken place in the two months I have lived here at the mouth of Copper Canyon and near the Rio Chama. It's been crazy busy. Spring has finally begun to show up. The native brush and grasses are greening up, the yard is beginning to fill in around the bare spots, the chickens are giving me more eggs daily, and we have a large variation of birds that come to the feeders. I want to show you all pictures but my photo program is not working with this site. Mark when he finds some time has said he'll try to help me figure things out. If you know of issues with this site and know how to get around them please let me know! without pictures it's really difficult for me to write. I can't begin to explain the beauty we see each day here. The colors of the soils and the skies are amazing and always changing. We travel to Santa Fe often so we get the opportunity to see quite a bit of varied terrain. Added to that is the last couple snow falls we've had and the mountains really add a nice back drop to the mesas, cliffs, and canyons. I know that I rwent on about living out in Calhan, CO with the view of Pike's Peak but this beats Pike's Peak all to heck! AND ... there isn't the constant wind! LOL! Anyway, all is well here and hopefully pictures will be coming soon. If I can't get this site figured out then I will be changing to a personal website.

Time to sow some more seeds in the flats. The garden is just about ready!