The day unfolds in the black:
another circle of hay and water,
cows and bulls, a dusty track
on worn terrain now dreaming
on a cool, downcanyon draft
of bluster and damp—of drinking
dark clouds until the dust is mud.
Out of the shadows, the wild steps
lightly, all sharing the same dream
rising from the dry, dry earth.
Posted in Photographs, Poems 2014, Ranch Journal
Tagged Drought, Great Western Divide, Kaweah, Paregien Ranch, photographs, poetry, rain, water, weather
All tracks lead to water on a dry year like this one when good springs and stockwater may be miles apart. Checking the Windmill Spring yesterday, after feeding the cows on the Paregien Ranch, a young adult Golden Eagle I had seen a few weeks ago at the bottom water trough, was back for a bath.
The first time, it had been getting a drink while I spent fifteen minutes or so unplugging a pipe before I noticed it sitting on the edge of the old redwood trough in the oak trees about 150 feet below me. Yesterday, I could see its dark shape from the pickup when I arrived. Like the cattle, the wildlife becomes accustomed to the few humans they see, so I meandered closer snapping photos as I went.
I stopped at about 100 feet and it decided to continue its bath despite my presence.
After splashing and literally rolling in the water for several minutes, it was too wet to fly…
…and ran up the hill beating wings to dry its feathers.
Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal
Tagged birds, Golden Eagle, Paregien Ranch, photographs, water, wildlife, Windmill Spring
Welcome silhouettes in these two photographs, albeit ten days earlier than expected, of our first calf of the season delivered by 0075 on the Paregien Ranch. In past years, we have documented our first calf on this blog to jog our memories and as part of the “Age and Source” verification process when we advertise our calves for sale. Robbin and I went up the hill Sunday morning to check stockwater and to feed the girls, delighted to see this strong, healthy calf. Our year has begun once more.
Posted in Photographs, Ranch Journal
Tagged Age & Source, cows, first calf, Paregien Ranch, photographs, weekly-photo-challenge
These girls are two weeks away from calving as we begin a new season with little feed and less water, but we’re optimistic nonetheless, looking forward to a little rain and green grass.
Posted in Photographs
Tagged cows, Drought, Paregien Ranch, photographs, rain, water, weather
…and maybe, just maybe she
comes by a different route,
out of the south with moisture
early. I have felt her breath
in the shade of evening
on my face, harbingers
that teeter on imagination
long enough to become
themselves, develop within
the fading light. All this
imagining excites the flesh
and hair. As shadows stretch
between half-naked oaks
on these sepia hillsides—
we start to color dreams.
Posted in Photographs, Poems 2014
Tagged Drought, Dry Creek, Paregien Ranch, photographs, poetry, weather
Paramount on our minds these past two weeks has been the installation of three solar pumps to help keep our water troughs full. Each well is different, and subsequently each pump and solar panel is a little different, though the principle of utilizing the sun’s ultra violet rays to pump water is the same.
The old well at the Red Corrals was severely impacted by a rock and gravel operation upstream about 12 years ago. Only 26 feet deep, we have pumped 30 gpm with a gas driven centrifugal pump since I was a boy. As a shallow well, it has been supported by the Dry Creek acquifer where bedrock ranges between 10 and 30 feet. However, Dry Creek never got that far downstream this year while a pit in the abandoned rock and gravel operation collects most of the underground flow. We had to install a low volume solar pump and small panel to produce about 1.5 gpm or 90 gallons/hour or about 1,000 gallons/day. On a normal year, we ought to produce 3 gpm.
An inholding we lease near the Paregien Ranch already had a solar setup, though the pump had gone bad. When the hard rock well was drilled, the static water level stood at 55 feet in 400’ hole. When we pulled the pump, the static water level was about 90 feet and the pump set at around 125 feet. In the past, it produced 6 gpm, more than we necessary to keep the trough full, the excess went into a pond. With no tank to fill or float to shut the solar power off, it ran every daylight hour that probably contributed to the pump’s short life. Until a tank and float can be installed, I’ve reduced the voltage to where it is only producing about 2 gpm.
The abandoned hard rock well on the Top of the Paregien Ranch is 220 feet deep and when drilled ran 6 gpm over the wellhead. The tenant who preceded us over-pumped the well for his horticultural activities to the extent it no longer produced. In recent years, it has begun to artesian again, but only drops. We set the first pump at 30 feet, but could not maintain 3 gpm for more than 30 minutes. The second, low volume pump we set at 110 feet. Yesterday morning the pump had shut off when it ran out of water at 3 gpm. According to our calculations, it would take 5 hours to pump the volume of water in the well above the pump if nothing came into the well. Allowing 24 hour recovery time, I’m going back this morning to reduce the voltage to produce 2 gpm to see if the pump can maintain the storage tank and trough. Failing that, we’ll add more pipe, as the pump is designed for low volume at a greater depth.
With the extra water we have produced, the troughs at the Windmill Spring were all full at midday. To revisit past posts about the Windmill Spring see: June 29, 2014 and July 5, 2014
Posted in Photographs
Tagged Drought, Paregien Ranch, photographs, solar panels, Solar pump, water, weather, weekly-photo-challenge
After early rounds, we retreat, you and I,
to outside shade as the sun bakes
the earth white, drink hot breaths
of monsoonal air as finches pant on the beam—
and then again to the inside of the house
until the canyon’s shadow is complete.
We retreat, you and I, from the outside
world of wars and treachery, the frenzied
feeding of a fire of fears out there—
an eternal flame to keep from being
afraid of the dark—an instant enlightenment
designed for growth and commerce.
We retreat, you and I, knowing seasons
change—and we endure the heat reaching
into the fuzzy edges of our delirium
watering cattle and garden. We retreat
to one another and wait for the fire
to burn itself out—start over again.
Posted in Photographs, Poems 2014
Tagged Drought, Paregien Ranch, photographs, poetry, water, weather, world
What comfort to have
my presence be
less imperative than an itch.
Posted in Photographs, Poems 2014
Tagged haiku, Paregien Ranch, photographs, poetry, wildlife
Not many leaves, but
hanging on to the tops
of mountains no one sees.
Posted in Photographs, Poems 2014
Tagged Blue Oak, Drought, haiku, Paregien Ranch, photographs, poetry, water, weather
Meanwhile, back at the Windmill Spring, the cows have gotten ahead of the water. While trenching and plumbing the abandoned well before we install a solar pump on the Paregien Ranch, I’ve been checking the Windmill Spring every day, counting cows and noting how fast the troughs were recovering. As other water sources are drying up, the number of cows has increased from 30 to 46 this past week with temperatures well above 100°.
Both overflow troughs were all but dry this morning, and only three cows had watered. Fortunately, we have the two wells near the corrals, one with a submersible pump and 11hp generator I ran for about five hours yesterday towards filling the 2,000 gallon trough and 5,000 gallon tank that normally we utilize only at branding and weaning. I topped off the tank this morning, but only the tracks of a couple of cows had been around the trough. So I went off in search of cows to lighten the load on the Windmill Spring.
About a half mile away, I found some in the shade near the middle spring that is almost dry
and convinced them to follow the Kubota and a bale of hay to new water.
Obviously they hadn’t watered yet today. With a little luck, they will center on this trough instead of the Windmill Spring. Until the solar pump is installed, I’ll have to run the submersible twice a week to keep the top half of the tank full.
Scenarios such as this are happening on ranches all over the arid West.
Posted in Photographs
Tagged Drought, Paregien Ranch, photographs, water, weather, Windmill Spring
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