JIM, RENE, AL & KELLY ON THE FRONT PORCH OF DA RANCH
It was nearly a hundred years ago when Mexico’s Pancho Villa invaded the United States in Columbus, New Mexico. He hasn’t been seen or heard from since but don’t tell that to Hailey from ROADTRIP 2010 because she has been up in a tree keeping a wary eye out for that wily Pancho these past few days!!
Donna & Russ are looking forward to spending some lazy days in their brand spanking new Lazy Daze in a few days. Another sentence like that & I’ll be in a daze myself:)) Watch for their new rig coming soon at TRAVELS IN 'THERAPY'.
Noticed this morning we have a few new blog Followers on our list. The Bayfield Bunch welcomes…..Felicia & Jeff from HIGGINS POD…..Ron & Thelma from RON & THELMA & LITTLE ELI…..David from RV EXPLORING AMERICA IN RWHLST8…..Cindy & Ken from FRERX ADVENTURES…..Aaron at DESERT ZONE…..and last but not least, RUNNINGLINER. Thanks to all you folks for dropping by & adding yourselves to our Friends/Followers list:))
Had my fuel price wrong for California a couple days ago. I think it was diesel fuel I was thinking about. Paid $3.32 in Elfrida yesterday for gas & that is a 40 cent jump in about a week & a half. Doesn’t sound like anyone is worried about the rising prices so I’m just going to go stick my head back in the sand & forget about it….until we have to fill up the Motor Home again. What a rude awakening that will be!!
How nice to finally feel warm air earlier in the mornings now. With the morning sun spilling over the Swisshelm Mountains onto the Valley floor this is a very special place for sure. I enjoy filling up the bird feeders as the the feathery little fellows are literally jumping up & down on the branches near by. As I turn my back & head for the rig I can hear the whirring of many little wings as my tiny friends all swoop into the feeders. Somewhere in the far distance I hear a single cow & from another direction the faint barking of a dog. The birds are happily twittering & a slight breeze rattles the lanyard on the tall flag pole. It was just one of those special moments this morning.
Biggest part of my day was spent dragging down Sagebrush weeds with the Jeep & old tractor tires & then burning the small piles. Someone commented how clever it was of me to come up with the tire dragging idea but alas, it was not my idea. It’s a common thing for dealing with weeds on a ranch in these parts & it was Ray from the McNeil Ranch that had spotted those tires all bolted together & told me about it. My main reason for dragging those weeds down had to do with a fire hazard to the house. The Sagebrush was so thick & dry that if I fire ever started somewhere it would sweep right up to the house in no time. Felt it was important to create a fire break but boy oh boy is it ever dusty now. Arizona has waaaaaay more dust than it really needs & we probably have more dust in the Motor Home than Oklahoma lost in the dust bowl years.
BURNING ONE OF MANY SAGEBRUSH PILES
Jim & Rene from LIVE. WORK. DREAM. who are now on the property we just vacated last week walked over around 4 with a big pot of Chile Beans On Rice. Kelly had made up a Tuna Casserole & after a property walk around we all sat out on the front porch chowing down on Tunabeans enjoying the beauty of the Swisshelm Mountains sweeping up from the eastern side of the valley floor. Food & conversation was great as we watched the nearly full moon climb lazily into the twilight sky. Desert nights always cool off quickly so as darkness settled in Rene & Jim, who were in shorts, headed back down the lane for the 4 minute walk back to their rig. Nice way to wind down the day.
I must admit that Kelly & I are still waffling back & forth on this ranch deal. At times we are totally convinced that this is the right decision for us. Other times we are filled with doubt & apprehension. It is a very big decision & not unlike the one we made a few years ago when we decided to buy an RV & hit the road as Snowbirds for 6 months of the year. Seems to be at night when the fears set in but as soon as I step out of the rig in the morning & feel the total peace of this place envelope me I am convinced we are doing the right thing. Sometimes during the day Kelly is up for the idea & I am down on it. Other times it is opposite & most times we are pretty much on the same wave length. Oh, tis quite a Roller Coaster we are on over here at the Bayfield Bunch. I do have some other thoughts & feelings about all this which I may share with you in a future post. Thanks again to all the folks for their ‘comments’ & ‘emails’ today.
GROANER’S CORNER:(( 'O'Halloran,' asked the pharmacist, 'did that mudpack I gave you improve your wife's appearance?' 'It surely did,' replied O'Halloran, 'but it keeps fallin' off.'
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You sure have a way with words. I could almost feel the warmth and hear the little birds enjoying breakfast at the feeders. Great photos and the ranch sure is looking good. You done drug a lotta weeds!! Good luck with your continued discussions on what to do. I hear ya...it's never easy.
ReplyDeleteWith the ups and downs you are experiencing over the decision, it sounds like it will be "right" no matter which way it turns out, huh?
ReplyDeleteYou talked about it being so dry and dusty... much as I like the SW, I would not buy property there myself because of the water issues. One historically reasonable drought would make it unappealing to live there... a drought of many years would make it almost impossible. Many places in the world today are experiencing weather far outside the norm... guess I like the flexibility of turning the key and heading off to find a friendly climate. :)
Yes...life IS a Roller Coaster, with ups and downs, sudden curves and deep valleys..But...isn't that better than it being a Merry Go Round...all you do is go round and round..no excitement...I got that thought from the Grandmother in the movie "Parenthood"..and it has stuck in my mind ever since.
ReplyDeleteSometimes ya just gotta step out of the box, so to speak...Caves are sending good karma to the Bayfield Bunch!!:))
enjoy the roller coaster ride!..the ups and downs will stop and you will both figure out what is the best decision!...it does sound pretty darn peaceful there, though!! Have a good one!!
ReplyDeleteSometime soon, I'll bet, you and Kelly will arrive at a point where your decision will become crystal clear. You'll both agree and then move on happily no matter which way you go along life's path.
ReplyDeleteOne thing we all have to remember as we get a bit older is that 'the path' is getting shorter so whatever decisions we do make are likely ones that we will not have a chance to re-visit.
I hope I never end up in an old folk's home thinking "coulda, woulda, shouda - didn't"!!!
We've always figured that if everything works out, we made the right decision. If all we have are problems that never seem to get resolved, we aren't supposed to do or have or whatever. But I'm such a worrier that I spend most of my nights thinking about the decision and getting no sleep which makes me not fun to live with.
ReplyDeleteSo yes, it is a roller coaster ride, but we sure wouldn't change it for anything else. At least you aren't being bombarded with the noise of the city.
Rick is absolutely right. Grab your dream and live it, as tomorrow is promised to none of us.
ReplyDeleteOnly you and Kelly know what the right answer is Al. It will turn out the way it is supposed to!
ReplyDeleteRick said it perfectly, these where the words I was looking for!
ReplyDelete"One thing we all have to remember as we get a bit older is that 'the path' is getting shorter so whatever decisions we do make are likely ones that we will not have a chance to re-visit."
And this is exactly how I feel at this very moment.
Andrée
Hey you're sneaky Al, I didn't see you taking those other pics!
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is, when the place is right, you'll know it immediately and there will be no wafling. At least that's the way it was for Jim and I, so I can only vouch for our own experience.
The best thing we've found in situations like this is to make a list of pros and cons. If the cons list is longer, start packin'!
Great time last night, thanks for having us.
I ride the roller coaster of decisions many mights. I have doubts I going in the right direction, and then the next day my first thoughts are "What can I do today to make it happen."
ReplyDeleteMy biggest problem is I do not have the same level of communication with my mate as many others do.
It's not that he disagrees with me, it's just he doesn't let me know.
With all the work you're putting into the ranch now, it feels as though you've already made your decision and are making the ranch your own. Buying property isn't a final thing. If it doesn't work out, you can always sell it or invite others to be co-owners. If you had partners in the ranch, it would decrease the $$$ you need and there would be someone there to watch the property if you want to take off to Borrego Springs. However, having a co-owner or 2 would present different problems. You could even host astronomy and/or photography workshops once a month or so and charge a fee for that. Lots of ideas. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteIt looks and sounds like a great place, but it is no doubt a very big decision.
ReplyDeleteWhen we think about settling down again, besides the biggie for us-the kids-we ask ourselves if the year around weather is going to be acceptable. I would think it is going to be very hot there in the summer. That was one of the negatives for us when we thought about southern AZ.
Keeping our fingers crossed for ya... having a *home base* in AZ would mean we could come and visit you! LOL
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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/