RURAL UTILITIES SERVICES

While talking with neighbors Tom and Eleanor recently, the matter of the once titled Rural Electrification Administration (REA) came up.  Apparently it's still on the books.  Which means that there could be a glimmer of hope that electricity could come to the Santa Rita. 

Counting our blessings for the creation of Google, it took a matter of seconds to find out that the once titled Rural Electrification Administration, now goes by the name of Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and is governed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Several States, including New Mexico are slated to be receiving funding from the USDA, per a press release dated Oct. 19, 2012.  The USDA has recognized New Mexico as a possible candidate to receive funding.  They have lumped NM in with Arizona and California.  The USDA may never recognize the Santa Rita as being worthy of any funding, but they are at least including New Mexico as being one of eight States to receive funding.  Have to start somewhere, and just having them acknowledge NM put a smile on my face while reading the press release.

So, anything is possible, friends and neighbors, even in New Mexico.  I'm going to continue to look into it a bit further, and perhaps by the time we're all in the position to live up there full time, you never know, there may be power up there, in one form or another. 

We're still going solar at the T-Square Ranch, and who knows?...the government might be able to help with that too!

Hope to see you all sometime in 2013.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

TO LIGHT OUR WAY...

We haven't purchased anything for the T-Square Ranch lately as our plans to build seem to have put on hold.  However, yesterday when we were taking a walk around our local Goodwill (it was 50% off Saturday, our favorite day to shop!) Bill and I gazed down upon a lovely, heavy metal lamp with a SW cutwork motif and painted my favorite color, a turquoise-green, or I guess you could call it that oxidized-copper green. 

At first I commented how cool it was, but thought, not buying that, no point in buying it, we already have too many things for the ranch, with no place to put them. 

And then Bill commented that he really liked it. 

And then when we saw the price...after the 50% discount...

He liked it, I liked it...and it was going to be, after the discount... $8.00! 

Yeppers...you guessed it, Karen picked it up and headed to the checkout counter! 

Hopefully at some point in the future you'll be able to visit the ranch and see our great $8.00 find gracing one of the entry points to the cabin, or possibly hanging over the dining room table.

Bill is leaning towards over the dining room table.  Me, I'm thinking entryway. 

Only time will tell to see where it will be hanging, because the dream is alive and well.

Because the first part of the dream has already come true...

And the second part of the dream will never die!

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE...

It was a lovely drive up to the the ranch and a much needed break.  Short, but sweet, and much needed.

All was well at the T-Square Ranch.  Nothing broken, nothing stolen.  An overall good vibe was felt there.  After taking in a beautiful sunset we played three games of Monopoly and watched several episodes of Northern Exposure, after which we gazed upon a sky full of stars and a perfect crescent moon.  The night was quite brisk, with the temp dropping to the mid to high 30's.  Even though we spent more time in the car than waking moments on the ranch, it was good to visit.  Looking forward to seeing it again soon, even it is only one quick day, it's still our paradise. 

WHAT WILL WE FIND...

Our five hour car ride to the ranch will be a much needed break from work for this getting-older-by-the-minute body of mine.  I'm hoping the fresh air, solitude and quiet of the T-Square Ranch will rejuvenate my soul.  Granted, said rejuventation only has about 5 hours of daylight in which to permeate my being, but there's something about the property that awakens the creative spirit in me, much more so than anywhere else.

Maybe it's the whispers of the ancient ones who still roam that area, or putting my fingers in the sand, or taking the mile walk around the property, or walking out to see where the power of water has cut through the earth.  I especially look forward to partaking in my morning ritual of walking out to the road and sitting on my special rock, listening to birds song, taking in the beautiful vista. 

Our last trip over yielded a surprise that we actually thought would happen long before it did, with someone "helping themselves" to our utility trailer.  For the past several years we'd come up the drive, around the bend and breathe a sigh of relief to see everything in its place.  Not so the last couple of visits.  First the generator was missing, then the broken window, and on our last visit, there was one less thing, the utility trailer on the ranch than was there in the summer.

Well, make that more than one thing.  I had a feeling that the people who used to live there a long time ago, whose spirits are still hanging out there, were also not present as they had been over the past five years.  Maybe they were hunting down the person who helped themselves to our utility trailer.  I hope I will sense their presence again when we get there today, and I hope to have a little chit-chat with whomever might be listening.  It will also be wonderful to hold their creations in my hands once again.

Yes, I'm hoping it will be a much needed, rejuvenating trip...

Sifting my fingers through the sand, never knowing what I might find...

Have a great weekend everyone! 

OCTOBER...

Here it is October.  And hopefully there will be a trip out to the Santa Rita near the end of the month to meet up with our neighbors.  It seems like the thefts and destruction in that part of Catron County are on the rise, but the local constabulary really doesn't want to bother with tracking down, and bringing to justice the folks responsible.   And the war goes on.

COVERING ALL MY BASES...

I promised to publish the St. Jude's Novena, so I shall, here on my blog, as it seems that this blog gets more hits than my other blog, Paranormal By Design.


I only evoke the power of this prayer when absolutely, positively necessary.  And the last couple of months have been like being in the Twilight Zone, where you just want to shout, "Stop the world, I want to get off!"...or at least fly to Tibet, get on a Yak and ride into the sunset.  At the very least, I'd like to get to my ranch, not find anything stolen or broken...and  I'd like to be able to stay for more than 24 hours!


I just need something good, and positive to start happening in my life, please and thank you!  I especially would like to be able to use my God-given, and hereditary talents, and my highly creative and artistic abilities to be able to make a decent income.  So that with this decent income I can then fulfill my goals, and also possibly help others succeed in fulfilling theirs.


At the very least, I would like to get paid what I'm worth, as in the higher salaries that I've made in the past, and I would like to make that salary by utilizing all the knowledge and talents I have acquired in the past 57 years.


In short, I need a miracle.


So...every so often, when the usual means of communication out into the Great Beyond, and to the Heavenly Father and to the Powers-That-Be doesn't seem to be working (and honestly, I've actually had a couple of "my mouth to God's ear" moments!)...and nothing else I can possibly think of and do to try to change things for the better is working either...


Then I start reciting the St. Jude's Novena, hoping that a positive change is going to happen.  I know "stuff" happens and I can deal with it, like all the ups and downs along the roller coaster that is life, but there are times when I can't for the life of me see that light on the horizon or at the end of the tunnel without thinking it might very well be a train coming to mow me down...and that's when...


I pull out a prayer I once found published in the newspaper (and the little piece of paper is now several decades old) by someone who (hopefully) received what they were praying for.


As I mentioned above, I only evoke the prayer as a last resort, (because I believe in the "this too shall pass" rule and it usually does!) and I have to be honest and say that I don't always receive what I'm asking for (at least that I'm aware of), but at least twice I have received what I had requested, in one form or another, and because of this I continue to believe in the power of prayer.


I've lost count as to what day I'm actually on with this prayer, it might be day three, maybe day four, I've told myself I'm just going to continue with this prayer until what I'm praying for is actually fulfilled...
And I've already promised to publish the St. Jude's Novena, so I shall...


ST. JUDE'S NOVENA
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be adored, glorified, loved and preserved throughout the world now and forever. 
Sacred Heart of Jesus pray for us.
St. Jude, worker of miracles, pray for us. 
St. Jude, helper of the hopeless, pray for us.


Say this prayer nine times a day.
By the eighth day, your prayer will be answered. 
However, say if for nine days.

It has never been known to fail. 
(The line above was in the paper I received. Who knows for sure, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!)

Publication must be promised. 

(And you must fulfill your promise, which is so very easy to these days via the internet!)
Thank you, St. Jude.

I would also suggest...leave nothing to interpretation...be as specific as possible in your request, but of course, be appreciative of anything you might receive.



Wishing any reader of this blog many, many blessings!

HAPPENINGS IN QUEMADO...

When we went up to the ranch over the weekend of June 2nd, we actually didn't even drive the few extra miles to go into Quemado. Imagine that. We just wanted to get to the ranch, and once we discovered the theft of our utility trailer, all we wanted to do was leave.

However, while we were checking out our neighbor's property, we also have the pleasure of meeting more neighbors! It's nice putting voices with faces. I had only previously spoken with Barb and Paul via the phone so it was nice to get to meet them in person. Great couple. It was a pleasure getting to know them better. it's also nice to know that they live in the area.

And that they know what's happening in Quemado!

So per Barb and Paul... The El Serape restaurant is once again open for business. The food is apparently good, and the dessert, the banana split in particular is really something! Large servings and reasonably priced. They are also closed on Sunday and Monday, otherwise it would have given us a reason to actually turn to drive into town rather than head directly back to AZ.

The food seems to be popular enough to have people migrating from the Largo Cafe over to the El Serape. The waitress/owner of the El Serape worked for a spell at the Largo. Hope there aren't any hard feelings like there had been between the Country Store and the new Convenience Store. Only time will tell if the nice lady who makes a mean banana split can survive in Quemado.

The hardware store, owned and operated by Seventh Day Adventists isn't open on the weekends so who knows if that operation will be open for long. We don't know if their store is under any flag, like True Value, Ace, etc. but certainly hope they see the light to at least hire someone to run it for them on the weekends. At least there's a hardware store there now, regardless of the hours of operation.

And last but not least. Carl is still...well, Carl. Enough said. That story, let's say is probably best left for a conversation around a campfire after another landowners barbeque.

Hopefully we'll be able to get another one of those landowners barbeques together next year! Looking forward to seeing you all out on the Santa Rita next year! Until then...Happy Trails!

NOW YOU SEE IT...NOW YOU DON'T...

Unfortunately, and sadly, there has been yet another theft on the Santa Rita. The first thing we saw as we turned into the T-Square was that the "No Hunting No Trespassing" sign had disappeared from our sign post near the road. We put that up after the break-in to our trailer, and the theft of our generator and garden cart last year. If the cows had eaten it, they ate every bit of it, even the staples.

So on up the drive we went. Through the trees, and around the corner.

We looked to the left, seeing the trailer, the water trailer, and a big empty space between the trees where our utility trailer had been sitting for the past 5 years. Bill and I looked at one another. Our jaws went slack. Expeletives running through both of our heads no doubt, but no words came out of our mouths.

We both just let out a sigh. Bill parked the truck and we once again held our breath as we headed around the corner of the trailer, not knowing what we'd find this time. Fortunately, all was well.

Every time we'd get over to the Santa Rita, turning that corner after coming through the trees we had held our breath, hoping that everything would be just as we had left it the time before. And it always was. Until last year.

While our luck had held out for the past five years, and our stuff had been left alone, things are obviously a bit different now out on the Santa Rita.

The substantial lock on the tongue of the utility trailer didn't deter them, the brazen thief just probably hooked chains to it and hauled it over the chocks we had under the wheels. They illegally scored themselves a nice utility trailer.

Thieves: 1. Us: 0.

So I called all the neighbors I could get a hold of, trying to determine the time-frame of when the trailer had been taken, and then I called the Sheriff's office to report the theft.

Then I went for a walk. Past the sign that I had place my first T-Square on. The T-Square I had gotten in art school. That T-Square was the first thing to be stolen from our property. Even if I had nailed it down to the sign, it probably would have still been stolen. At least it made it to the T-Square Ranch, my dream-come-true.

Obviously my dream didn't include the thieves that wander through the Santa Rita as if it was their local shopping center. The black-hearted thieves who are obviously getting more desperate and/or brazen as the years go by.

Ah yes, New Mexico...is clearly becoming the Land of Dis-Enchantment.

BRANDON IS BACK!

Brandon Ski, the builder of the cabin at The Last Match Ranch is back in this part of the country (currently in AZ, actually) and is looking for work! Give me a shout if you want his phone number. Wish we could put him to work on an out-building on the T-Square. Someday, someday... I'm not giving up hope!