Category Archives: Ranch Journal

JULY DAWN

Posted on July 13, 2016 by | 2 comments

 

The barn light
leaks off the metal roof
a golden stream of rain,

black silhouette of hills,
a carcass slumbering
beneath first blue.

Breeze down canyon—
dogs bark,
chatter of raccoons.

 

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Posted in Poems 2016, Ranch Journal

Nameless

Posted on July 11, 2016 by | 2 comments

 

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While waiting for the water tank to fill yesterday morning, I took the big lens to the stockwater pond that is receding to see if I might get some clearer photos of the birds I posted on July 1, still unable to identify them.

 

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Rather drab birds except for the pair of white tail feathers, about 10-12″ long overall. They have been circling the shore of the pond looking for grasshoppers in the water that they have flushed from the surrounding grasses. They are busy birds with rather large feet, somewhat comical to watch.

 

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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TWO BLACK VIRGINS

Posted on July 10, 2016 by | 2 comments

 

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Coming through the dry
blond stems of wild oats,
late spring rains

in their eyes, two black
virgins weave their way
to water as they discover

the near reaches of womanhood
that simmer within—come
to a boil from time to time.

And they are beautiful,
and innocent—just unable
to see what’s ahead.

 

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Posted in Photographs, Poems 2016, Ranch Journal

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STRIPED ARMENIANS

Posted on July 8, 2016 by | 4 comments

 

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Fences down, cattle wild,
my father warned, ‘Don’t
let the ranch run you—’

when it was like slaying
a dragon or stealing a ride
to dream of such control.

Armloads of cucumbers
like firewood to the kitchen
for pickling after boxes

of vegetables to give away
each morning, we could say
the same about your garden—

knowing that acreage
has nothing to do
with the life we choose.

 

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Posted in Photographs, Poems 2016, Ranch Journal

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Who are these guys?

Posted on July 1, 2016 by | 4 comments

 

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The size and behavior of a grackle working the shore of a stock water pond that is drying up.

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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Tarantula Hawk

Posted on June 29, 2016 by | 2 comments

 

Photo: Terri Drewry Blanke

Photo: Terri Drewry Blanke

 

Terri, Robbin and I weren’t the only ones busy early, yesterday morning.

 

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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Fire Season

Posted on June 28, 2016 by | 6 comments

 

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About 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, an arsonist started a grass fire about a quarter-mile north of the house, 110°. After calling CalFire, I got to the head of the fire with the skid steer as the first engine arrived.

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Fortunately, the fire break we built in April kept the blaze along the road and off the hills, leaking only north and south. After unlocking the gate for the crew from Modoc County familiarizing themselves with the local terrain and responding to smoke, I returned south as Air Tac dumped Phoschex on both ends of the 3 acre blaze.

A wake-up call and good practice for us all as we enter fire season.

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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Portraits of Girls

Posted on June 27, 2016 by | 2 comments

 

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Our solar pump is unable to keep up with the demand from our weaned heifers, so we’ve been having to pump water with a gas generator everyday as temperatures rise. While waiting for the tank to fill, I kept busy with my camera.

 

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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Milkweed

Posted on June 25, 2016 by | 10 comments

 

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After most wildflowers have disappeared and the green grass fades to a brittle bronze, Milkweed becomes the sole attractant for bugs and pollinators, especially the ubiquitous Tarantula Hawks, flying low and slow on erratic, yet undeterred courses. We, and most other animals, move around them.

Unlikely partners yesterday while checking the stockwater and cows on the Paregien ranch, I caught this Tarantula Hawk and a butterfly I’ve never seen before. I Googled lots of black and red moths and butterflies without a match. Now, I wish I’d spent more time and taken some macro shots.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: “Partners”

 

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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State of the Oaks

Posted on June 24, 2016 by | 8 comments

 

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Twenty-plus inches of rain last winter and spring was not enough to save the oaks stressed by four years of drought, 30-50% of the trees, some 100 years old or more. Many Blue Oaks showed signs of recovering last spring, but now hang in limbo with a single limb of green as they face a hot summer and dry fall. Whole slopes of dead trees, such as the photo above on Dry Creek, are evident everywhere in our lower foothills, adding dry fuel to the potential of fire. Usually located on better moisture, the Live Oaks have fared worse.

The word ‘devastation’ comes to mind, new trees and limbs fallen on fences and roads, as a chain saw becomes necessary equipment to navigate the ranch. Devastation much more serious than that proclaimed by a young botanist where horses gathered and watered around a stockwater pond, years ago, when we were exploring a conservation easement. It may be centuries before the Blue Oaks recover.

We, and the ground around us, haven’t escaped the drought. Already, one hard rock well that supplied stockwater with a solar pump throughout the drought has failed despite our above average rainfall. The trend is dry as the hangover from the drought continues to tax the landscape.

 

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Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal

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