NOVEMBER...

MEMORIAL WEEKEND 2013

I was wondering if I'd ever be able to have another piece of birthday cake on my favorite piece of land in the whole world.  This year I was hoping to have my favorite piece of cake in the whole world (Sanders Bumpy Cake) on my favorite piece of land in the whole world, but the latter was not meant to be.  I'm just extremely happy and appreciative to have been able to spend my 58th birthday out on the T-Square Ranch.  And the cake, even though not Sanders Bumpy Cake, was pretty darn delicious!

Of course there were chores to be done, like washing windows.  Bill put another scissor jack on the trailer to help keep it level, and there was just general cleaning and straightening to be done inside and out.  Fortunately we got a lot of things accomplished because the weather was perfect!  There was always a bit of a breeze, but not the 40 mph winds that we had experienced during Memorial Day weekends of the past. 

We had the awning out early in the morning, and Bill usually took it down mid-afternoon because the winds would start to kick up slightly.  We certainly didn't want our visibly aging awning to go flying across the meadow like had been the fate of two of our neighbor's awnings.  I have to say that Mr. Bill is becoming quite adept at putting out and taking in the awning all by himself, in about 3 minutes, or less!

It was quite dry, although by evidence when rolling out the awning, the area has gotten some rain.  Yet, when we drove in it was dry, dry, dry, and I'm sure a lot of prayers were being said in the churches of Quemado for some much needed rain.  It wasn't all blue, cloudless skies over the weekend, there were some clouds rolling in on Sunday and Monday, but they cleared out later in the evening and the sky was filled with the usual "billions and billions" (thank you, Mr. Sagan) of stars as we've all been able to view on our visits out to the Santa Rita.  The huge golden yellow moon coming up over the mountains to the east was spectacular. 

Something was obviously going on in the atmosphere, as we could visibly see this ring around the sun, which is what can usually be seen around the moon during humid weather in the fall.  On Sunday and Monday there looked to be rain falling all over the land between the Santa Rita and Quemado, and also up on the mesa to the north, but who knows if any of it actually hit the ground.  We certainly hope it did as the land and the animals are certainly in need of it. 

There were a few cows and their doggies out in different fields, and there were a few cows in our front meadow and across the road at Tom and Darlene's place, but not in the numbers we've seen them cross our property in the past.  They've taken the meadows down to just about dirt, but there are new green shoots sprouting in little pockets here and there. 

And there are flowers too!  These are just some of the wonders I spied on my "birthday walk-about"

when I take a hike down to the ravine.  Well, okay, I didn't actually get down to the ravine this year.  I went a little farther north, towards the base of Moreno Hill. 

  

Overall, it was a cherished birthday weekend, as I walked along the land, remembering those who have served our county with honor, and who fought for our freedoms. 

Thank you to all past and present service men and women for helping us to keep our dreams alive.

GREAT WEEKEND...

Nothing all that newsworthy during the four hour drive over to Quemado from Fountain Hills, but we picked up a couple of newsy bits when we got into Quemado.


It seemed like an odd Saturday. Too quiet, actually. We got into Quemado about 4:00 p.m. Usually there are cars at the Largo Café, or in the parking lot at the Largo Motel. Not a car to be found in either parking lot. No one at the pumps at J&Y, no cars on the road. We’ve always seen activity somewhere on the streets of Quemado. There was none at this very moment. It was almost a Twilight Zone kind of moment.

I’ll admit I thought perhaps we should check the churches to see if there were any services taking place for a newly departed, but former resident of Quemado. Highway 60 was especially quiet also, with only two cars going west while we were standing in the Rito Quemado Convenience Store.

“We haven’t been here since November,” I said to the clerk, a woman I didn’t recognize as anyone who formerly worked at the Largo, or the True Value Hardware Store, or J&Y Auto. But she looked like she fit in just fine, and before we walked in, she had been speaking with a couple of possible “locals”, as we went about our business, using the facilities and picking out a few bags of munchies for the twenty-six mile trip to the Santa Rita

“What’s new in town?” I inquired.

“Well, we have a new Trading Post,” the kind woman said with a smile. “It’s right next to the Largo Café.”

“Oh, right where the old one used to be!” I said, hoping it would give her some idea that we just didn’t drop in once last November, but had been around since the last Trading Post was in business, which was probably well over 5 years ago before it closed. It didn’t seem to matter either way to her how long we’d been around, or how well we knew the former businesses in town, yet she continued smiling.

The next new thing for Quemado is that it is no longer a “dry town”. The Rito Quemado Convenience Store has a Liquor License!

I do have to wonder how the introduction of readily available alcohol might change the people, and of course, the town. Only time will tell.

The Highway Patrol has new vehicles, and we saw one of said vehicles going east on Highway 60 as we were just coming out of town heading for our turn-off. Not much as changed as we headed up the gravel. The saw mill has some beautiful wood logs baking in the sun, and the houses on that side of the road have really cleaned their yards of miscellaneous junk and junk cars.

And well, what else did our eyes spy while going up the road? A small white pick-up truck with a utility trailer very similar to the one we used to have was parked off the road. We sighed, and I kept driving.

Bill usually drives up the road, but on Saturday I gave him the day off, so he could do a little sight-seeing, like I get to do when he drives. It was a beautiful afternoon. No threat of rain and just breezy enough to blow the dust off the road that our truck was kicking up. As Bill was chomping up the bag of Bugle’s I had bought we were listening to Classic Vinyl on XM Radio.

The drive to the Santa Rita could be summed up in three words… LIFE IS GOOD!

The road was in pretty good shape, and it had obviously been recently graded and more gravel added in some areas. Only passed one car which was headed in the direction of Highway 60. It was a lone woman driving a nice white short bed step-side pickup truck. Had to wonder where she had come from, or where she might be going to. I can only hope that she made it safely to her intended destination.

All was quiet in regards to wildlife out in the middle of nowhere. We sometimes see a coyote, or a few antelope, and have seen some elk and deer at times, but on this drive the plains were void of game. Possibly it was a bit too early for evening grazing. What there was left to graze on, that is.

Even with what seemed to be a typical winter season, occasional snow and rain, the plains looked parched and over-grazed. And if there’s no precipitation in the forecast over the next few months, and all the cold temps that area has been experiencing, wildflowers don’t stand much of a chance to make an appearance either. But Spring is not over yet, so never say never!

I slowed the truck to make it around the last bend, and finally the Santa Rita was in sight. It was so good to see the Santa Rita, and especially our little piece of heaven, after all these months away.

All was as we left it. Nothing stolen or broken into! Hallelujah! The truck clunked over the cow-path that was probably a little deeper than it was in November. Pieces of sonotube around the concrete piers were blowing in the breeze. Cleaning up the piers was on the list of chores for the weekend.

We had just taken a load in from the truck when our neighbors Barb and Paul came riding up the drive and into the back meadow on their ATV. We had a nice chat with them for a couple hours, with topics ranging from our local cowboy to what happens when one puts a stick, or several sticks of dynamite down a dead well, among other topics of discussion, like who maybe potentially owning the lot next to us; and the outfit that seems to now be in possession of several lots on the Santa Rita. It also seems that the matter of our stolen utility trailer may still be getting “looked into”, but personally, I think the chances of it being returned to us are slim to none.

And in the “did ya know?” department…it’s still in the County books that if a brand is registered (for the $100 fee) you can then deem your property an official “ranch”. Well, brand or no brand, we’ll always call our piece of heaven The T-Square Ranch.

We had just finished dinner when neighbor, Gene came cruisin’ up through our back meadow. It’s so good to know that we have full-timers on the Santa Rita! Gene is getting around quite well, but none of us were up to standing around much more at that point so we all went inside and “set a spell” while we talked some more about the goings on in the area and with family.

The stars were beginning to blink on in the heavens as Gene made his way back to the Rock House Ranch, and it was about time to call it a night. But not before I beat Bill at a game of Monopoly!

The moon was beginning to rise over the tiny town of Quemado in the distance as we hit the hay!

Sunday!

While it was a little chilly at night, probably in the 40’s, we woke to another wonderful sun-soaked, cloudless day in Central Western New Mexico. Great weather for all the time we were planning on spending outside. The temp climbed quickly, but there was just a hint of a breeze to stave off it becoming too intolerably warm. Bill put out the awning and life got that much more pleasant.

Of course I went visiting, walking up the large sandy wash, looking at all the odd tracks in the freshly “bloomed” sand. I knew I would have to spend some time looking for possible new discoveries, as freshly bloomed sand might also yield newly percolated treasures that the earth had kept under wraps for a while.

But first, a walk up the road to check on a neighbor’s dwelling, and then a walk back through the front meadow to take a look at the south-end of our treed area which we don’t walk through that often. Bill found a pinon pine, and we hoped it wasn’t the last standing pine in that area of the property. We’ll look for more, possibly get an exact count of the pinon pines that also inhabit our little slice of heaven.

Then we went chasing after more of the sonotube paper that had blown loose to be found hither, thither, and yon around the property. While we got the cement piers freed from their raggedy sonotube bonds, I’m sure we didn’t get all the pieces of paper that had blown loose.

While the concrete piers are now unusable for the building we had hoped to put up several years ago, hopefully we’ll be able to utilize them for something at some point in time.

Make that…I know we didn’t get all the pieces, but we’ll have to leave that for our next trip, when we have a few more days. Hopefully the weather will be just as beautiful for walking the entire property.

And the next trip will be just a few weeks from now.  Long weekend.  Memorial Day Weekend.
Birthday Weekend.   Bumpy cake out on the Santa Rita.  I couldn't think of a better way to celebrate 58 years on planet earth. 

NOTICE OF VALUE...

Ah...the current Notice of Value from Catron County Assessor was in the mailbox the other day.  Looks as if the value of our land has gone up a tad since last year.  It's nice to know that once again it's worth a little more than we paid for it.

Maybe the value of the parcels on the Santa Rita went up because there are a couple of folks living there full time now.  And for their presence we feel blessed. 

And it's those folks we hope to be seeing when we get over to our place over Memorial Day weekend.  It will be a long weekend, and I will once again be able to spend my birthday at the T-Square Ranch.  The last birthday spent there was when we had the First Santa Rita Land Owners BBQ! 

One of these days we'll have to have the Second Santa Rita Land Owners BBQ.   I know I'm looking forward to it! 

HERE'S TO 2013!

Here it is, March already, and not a day goes by that I don't think of what might be taking place out on the Santa Rita! 

Spoke with neighbor Dianne a few weeks ago while she and other neighbors were having dinner at their place.  I hope no one minded the intrusion, but she did ask if my ears were burning, because she and the neighbors had obviously been talking about me.

No doubt to say something about my not keeping up the blog!  LOL!

We do hope to get over to the T-Square Ranch over Memorial Day.  It will be my 58th birthday and now that I no longer have to work weekends, and it is a long weekend, and I actually get Memorial Day off, it will be a LONG weekend, so even if Mr. Bill can't get the day off (which is possible, because it's month end, hrrump!)  I'm going! 

And I think that everyone knows that if I want to do something I WILL do it! 

Like write books, even if no one reads them!  Oh, sorry, that is a subject for my other blog!

Looking forward to getting back out to the Santa Rita, and seeing what's what in Quemado too!

Thanks for stopping in, whomever might be reading this!