Farm news

We lost a turkey this past week. Two days in its new yard and gone over night. Taken by a coyote, I'm pretty sure. A fox would be too small to carry it off, I think. And I found a couple of piles of coyote scat and foot prints. I tried to track the coyote, but lost it in the big field north of our house.Not sure what I thought I would find. Maybe the carcass of the turkey, but I didn't find anything. As I followed the trail of feathers and occasional foot print, I came to a place of peace within myself over the loss of the turkey. The coyote was feeding itself and its pack, doing what a coyote does. Too bad the turkeys weren't smart enough to get inside their house.They go inside at night now and we close them in, just like the chickens.

I believe this is where the turkey took its last breath.

In happier news, this week for home school we made rainbow fish based upon the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. It's a great story and we made a couple of versions of rainbow fish with tissue paper and oil pastels.

We also went out to Our Place, our Taos land, to collect the glass windows we have stored down there, plus the poles for the windmill. Sad news...the wind blew down my coyote fence I built a couple of summers ago, and the adobe plaster is all but weathered off the shed. Shows what happens when you don't stay on top of it.

downed coyote fence

adobe plaster coming off pallet shed

We will have to get back out there to repair that plaster. We are thinking of taking it off and putting on cement instead, which will work better over paper and chicken wire. It may last longer too, if we aren't there to maintain it.

This Saturday we are headed north to our new land outside of Alamosa to watch a landscape company put in a driveway. That is exciting. Then we can get in there and decide where to build what. We need to get an office space up for Richard, and then we can move the RV up there and live in it while we build. We also need to get some batteries for our wind generator and an invertor. Plus some source of water, whether that is a cistern or we try to come up with money to drill the well.

Now we are taking stuff down on our rented farm. One of the landlords showed up and wants to renew our lease. They all decided they didn't want to do a month to month, which makes it hard for us. They came back with a five month lease, which is odd. I'd like a three month lease at most. We need to get out to the land and start building while the weather is warm, and we just can't dedicate the time to it if we are living here. Plus, we'd like to plant some hemp up there and get that project going too. So, it remains to be seen what will happen. The landlord is checking with his co landlords to see how they all feel about a three month lease. It seems it hampers their travel schedules. Must be nice to spend so many months abroad. Not good for the environment though...all that flying.

Next week we are taking the camper to an RV dealer/repair facility to have them check out the systems. We may need to replace some things. I hope it turns out that most of the appliances work and the water lines work. That'd be great news.

Pet rocks and new dreams in new places

This week we are making pet rocks. Why not? For two little kids who make pets out of paper, this seemed like a good project.






We are also learning about insects and pollinators. I am eager to finally land and really begin to build a flower garden. And bees...I have wanted to get bees for about four years now.

7 yr old daughter's pollinators

5 yr old son's pollinator

On Tuesday we are going to close on a piece of land near Alamosa. 37 acres of sand, salt bush, rabbit brush and cactus. Plus wide open blue skies, the towering protection of Mt Blanca, mountains in every direction you look, and pure silence. Until we get there with the kids anyway.

Mt Blanca

Land near Alamosa

Let the plan be reborn in a new place. We are planning on building an Earthbag house. The benefits of this location are the shallow water table under our feet, the close proximity to town, passable roads, and the affordability of such a large piece of land. Plus, we can grow hemp here, if we figure it out. Hemp is supposed to help marginal soils, which is definitely what we have on this new piece of property. Hemp, in my opinion, has the potential to save the planet. Hemp can replace petroleum in every way, and then some. It will replenish the soils, can be used in building materials, can be used as medicine (hemp seed is powerfully nutritious) and grows fast. Cannabis is good too and has its benefits as well, but industrial grade hemp is the answer to a lot of the problems facing the planet and humanity right now.

I have been scouting out rvs, trying to decide between a trailer and a motor home. Some of the trailers are really big and will be hard to tow, even with our old van. But, depending on what we choose, I'd like to be able to use it in the future to travel around a bit. I still want to go to Mexico, even if only for a visit. We are debating the rv as a potential living space as we build. As we have learned, it is too hard to build if you are not living there too. There just isn't the time, and so much energy is lost in commuting. Plus, it's just easier to stay home if the motivation is waning.

We will hold onto our Taos land for a while and perhaps we will build there too in the future. I can collect sage there and maybe the energy of the NM mountains. It is a beautiful place, but so hard to get too. I think maybe the road is seasonal, and not passable in the Taos mud seasons. Or maybe we will sell it and let someone else carry on the dream. It is a nice, peaceful place.

The wind is back. It is spring, isn't it? Everything not tied down or inside is blowing away. Wind season has just begun. I need to make my peace with the wind. Still, there is excitement in the air and so much potential blowing around. I welcome change and new opportunities.