A GREAT CHATTERING FROM THE SKY

FULL MOON SETTING THIS MORNING

The frost encrusted car told us we had a cold morning going on outside so right from the get go we jumped into our warm winter Canadian clothes. No snow on the mountains this morning but it felt like we were parked right next to a big iceberg somewhere.

We didn't waste anytime getting our rounds down stopping only briefly to talk to Jeanie & Ray who were likewise dressed in warm clothes. The chickens had their toques on & the big four legged guys were wearing heavy woolen scarves, furry ear muffs, & matching hooves mittens. All the dogs refused to suit up saying they thought the donkeys looked ridiculous in their matching attire.

THE RANCH

Jeanie & Ray headed off to Sierra Vista later to find some extra parts for a new water heater they were putting in. We hung around the rig mainly staying in out of the cold wind. It was around noon when I noticed there was a steady sound in the air outside. This sound continued steadily until around 3 in the afternoon & never let up. It was the thousands & thousands of Sand Hill Cranes returning from their morning feeding grounds. There must have been a lot of gossip going on to-day because there was an awful lot of chatter coming out of the sky. Noticed that they were flying much higher than in previous days & the flocks seemed a lot larger. They seemed like mere specks against the blue sky. Sat in one of the lounge chairs for awhile with my binoculars watching wave after wave go over. I could tell there were many small groups within the larger groups. Sometimes only 3 or 4 birds in a single group. Sometimes single birds moving around in the flock. And the flocks weren't always going in the same direction. Sometimes they would circle around & merge with another flock. Sometimes small groups would break away going in the opposite direction. And all the time was the constant chatter. It's more of a weeble than a honk. HIGH FLYING CRANES TO-DAY

In the coming weeks we hope to check out some very interesting places in the area. The Texas John Slaughter Ranch east of Douglas, the alpine like village of Bisbee in the Mule mountains. Cochise's stronghold in the Dragoon mountains, Geronimo's surrender point in Skeleton Canyon, ghost towns Gleeson & Pearce, just to mention a few. Was feeling a little under the weather to-day so hope I'm not coming down with a nasty case of chickenpecks!! YEP, WE'RE ON A RANCH ALRIGHT

To-night's DVD was, Amazing Grace. Based on the true story of Wiliam Wilberforce & his quest to end the British slave trade. An inspiring movie & well done. Liked this one:))

No photos for the web album to-day. OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

STORM CLOUDS & SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS

THE SWISSHELM MOUNTAINS EAST OF THE RANCH


The rooster started up about 4 & the rain started about 5. The wind never got started because it never got stopped from the night before & yes, I know it's not proper English to use the word got but I'm tired so I gets to say what I wants:)) SAND HILL CRANES FLYING BY THE MULE MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE RANCH


By the time the doggy guys rumbled in & out for their morning constitutional we had about half an acre of yukky mud in the rig........everywhere.

We donned our seldom used raincoats & headed for the chicken pen about 8:15. Jeanie met us half way & walked around with us as we fed the chickens & dogs. She checked the rain gauge & noticed we had a quarter inch of rain this morning. Ray came out & we all walked down to the corral being careful to steer clear of the muddy patches. Luckily the rain quit & we were able to shed the cumbersome raincoats. Because the donkeys & horses stayed in the corral & pen areas overnight they had to be fed this morning. Normally they are out on the range feeding but because of the inclement weather they are staying under cover for a few days.

PORCH CORNER WITH MULE MOUNTAINS IN THE DISTANCE

The dark rain clouds had dropped snow in the mountains & as they slowly lifted off the mountain tops I made a bee-line for the rig to grab my camera. It's not every day we get to see scenes like this. Flocks of Sand Hill Cranes were making their way north to their feeding grounds & the snowy Mule mountains to the west gave them a picturesque backdrop. My hands were freezing because of the wind-chill factor but I did manage to get a couple of nice photos. The cloud shrouded Dragoon & Gleeson mountains to the northwest caught my attention next & as I turned to the east, the snow covered Swisshelm mountains presented another photo opportunity. What a splendid morning it turned out to be despite the cold temperatures. The rest of the day evolved into a mixture of sun & clouds so we decided to take a drive down to Douglas this morning around 10. The cloud shadows playing across the Swisshelm, Perilla, & Pedregosa mountains on the way to Douglas made for a beautifully scenic drive. In the mixture of sky & earth it is the clouds that add character & to-day what a moody & mysterious character the clouds presented themselves to be. Downtown Douglas was very quiet as we drove along the main street admiring the old buildings. We reached the south end of town & had to swing round to the west because we were right at the Mexican border. Found a spacious mall with a good selection of stores including a Wal-Mart. We weren't long in getting a grocery cart rolling & spent half an hour picking up a few groceries. CLOUD SHROUDED DRAGOON MOUNTAINS TO THE NORTHWEST

We were back to the ranch by noon & spent the rest of the afternoon shoveling all of the morning's mud out of the rig. Mats to be shakin out, steps to be swept, doggy paws & shoes to be cleaned, etc. The winds outside made for a cold day so we stayed inside & watched a DVD about the San Pedro River. Very informative & we learned more about the plants & animals in the area. To-night's DVD movie was called, Run The Wild Fields. I liked this quiet heartwarming tale which takes place during the mid 1940's in rural & small town America. Just kind of a feeling good kind of movie with the producing, directing, & acting, all done well.

We've got another storm front rolling in to-night so we'll see what to-morrow brings.

TACK HOUSE, PENS, & CORRAL

Afternoon chores went off without a hitch so all the critters will go to bed to-night with full tummies. I've always known that animals are a heck of a lot smarter than us people folks & now I'm seeing it in the actions of the horses & donkeys here. Just little things so far but it's nice to know I've been right about my theory all along....................:)) THE FARMYARD

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BIG WINDS TO-DAY & OUR FIRST SOLO CHORES

THE DONKEYS BEAT THE HORSES TO THE HAY IN THE TIRE

It was apparent right from the get go this morning that we had a big weather front coming in. The winds started early & continued to really build through the morning.

Kelly & I were out the door at 8 with our chores list in hand & got the chickens & dogs fed. Remembered to turn the farmyard water on as well. Jeanie & Ray came out later to confirm that we had done things right & no chickens lives were lost.

BUT LOOKOUT......HERE COME THE HORSES!!

We were low on milk so figured we'd drive over to Elfrida about 7 miles away & have ourselves a look around for a grocery store. Passed through McNeal on the way but not too much there. Heard about a good bake shop in Elfrida so that was our first stop. Big sign said "Breakfast" so that was good enough for me. Hadn't had myself a big old mess of bacon & eggs for a very long time so this morning was the morning. Next was the Library (went right by your house Sarge but looked like you had company:)) where Kelly got a library card so we could pick up some DVD movies. Stopped at the High Lonesome Trading Company for a browse.

By the time we got back to the rig the winds were so bad we just got ourselves inside & closed the door tight. Couldn't let the doggy guys out for fear of them getting their fur blowed right off. The dust blowing across the roads & fields made me think of those blowing & drifting snow storms in Canada.

AL PREVIOUSLY PUTTING HAY IN ONE OF TWO TIRES

Kelly had picked up 5 DVD's at the Elfrida library so figured we might as well have us a Saturday afternoon matinee. Because we are in the Tombstone area we decided to watch the movie "Tombstone" with Kurt Russell & Val Kilmer. This is a very, very, bad movie. It would be on my top 10 list of the worst movies that I've ever seen. It's waaaaay over the top, poor acting, & not factual. In other words, a typical Hollywood shoot-em-up western movie. I think the movie actually did a dis-service to the town of Tombstone. It's so bad I don't think it should have ever been released. Just my opinion!! HEY, HOW'S ABOUT SOME HAY IN THIS BLUE BIN FOR ME!!

Jeanie & Ray had to leave for a Birthday party up in Sunizona so we were totally on our own for the afternoon chores which included feeding the horses & donkeys. We got off to a good start when Kelly lost her glasses which she later found in the chicken pen under a pile of chicken dust. Gleeson & Pearce, the 2 dogs were totally confused about these two aliens putting food in their dish & I think the two yard cats left town. We did gather 3 eggs though & not one single chicken was harmed in the writing of this blog.

Next, it was time to feed the donkeys & horses. Kelly whooped up a predetermined formula of mash & away we went. She headed over to the horses feeding station & I went & loaded up some hay in a small cart. Headed for the corral & made sure Kelly locked the gate behind me as I divided the hay between two large tractor tires in the corral then walked (pictures in album) over to open a second gate to let in the 3 donkeys & 2 horses. Donkeys weren't sure about the look of me so hung back a bit until I moved away from the gate. Figured they'd just as soon give me a slap upside the head going by anyway. As soon as I was far enough away the stampede was on as the donkeys & horses came roaring round the corner & through the gate about 300 miles an hour. Donkeys got to the tire first & managed to wolf down some hay before the horses roared in & turfed them out. Donkeys went to the second big hay laden tire & wolfed down a few more mouthfuls of hay once again before one of the horses took over that feeding station as well. Oh no, now what to do. The donkeys were standing there looking at us with long, sad, & hungry faces. I went back & got a big forkful of hay & headed back for the corral. Carrying all that hay on a big hay fork in a big wind acted like a sail & I nearly ended up on the other side of the property. The wind had taken half the hay by the time I got back to the corral but we did manage to get some into a blue plastic bin for them. They did get some but I think the guys are gonna go to bed to-night with a little less in their tummies than they did last night.

AL EARLIER OPENS THE GATE FOR THE DONKEYS & HORSES

We fought our way into the wind & headed back to the rig. Remembered to turn off the barnyard water too. I really felt sorry for the Sand Hill Cranes & Snowgeese as the large flocks fought their way directly into the big headwinds overhead on their way back from their feeding grounds. I stood & watched as large flocks were at times motionless in the air from the big wind gusts. They struggled as best they could, keeping lower to the ground than usual. We thought of maybe hooking up one of Ray's trailers & driving up to the feeding grounds to see how many cranes & geese we could get on the trailer & fit into the car to drive them back to their roosting area.....poor guys. WELL, I KNOW IT ISN'T MUCH....BUT HERE'S SOME MORE ANYWAY

Weatherman says the next few days are going to be windy, wet, & colder, so we may not be moving too far. Good thing we got some DVD's.....................10-4 I wonder what rooster soup tastes like!!

P.S. All the great photos at the corral to-day were taken by Kelly:))

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