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The Ranch
In The Beginning....
Here's the ranch property soon after we opened escrow, late February 2004. The flatter section has large tree rows running north to south, where the avocados were planted, making undulations in the earth. Although most died from root rot, several trees do remain.
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Weeds,weeds, weeds!
We closed escrow in April, 2004, and by May the ranch became a sea of weeds! Large sections were 4 feet deep in cheeseweed, a deeply taprooted weed.
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For mowing our "poor man's cover crop," we rented a brush mower. Not much wider than a regular lawnmower! It took us three days to mow most of the flat section (Note LARGE cup of coffee on its top), and that weekend was 95 degrees outside (go figure). The mower finally gave up the ghost on Day 3, with about a fifth of the property yet to go.
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Our new Kubota tractor! |
Shawn does some manly bonding with his tractor...
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Shawn trying out the box scraper while I coil irrigation line and clear wood piles in preparation for flattening out the old tree rows. Now, the funny thing is, I talked Shawn out of a larger tractor because I didn't think we needed massive horsepower... |
We're gonna need a bigger tractor. |
This big grader/ripper flattened out the tree rows in Nov. 2004, so we could used the smaller tractor for tilling and planting. |
The land was ripped after grading to lessen soil compaction. Overuse of herbicides meant the soil has little organic matter - and without organic matter, the soil is very dense and hard. |
The dogs inspecting the progress of the pond, Nov 2004
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The pond dug and ready for rain! The main function of the pond is to control storm runoff. Historically, drainage of this section of the ranch has been poor, so the pond will collect and store runoff, preventing extensive flooding. |
In December, 2004, we received three times the normal YEARLY rainfall in two weeks. The pond worked beautifully and there was no standing water (except in the pond, of course) for more than a few hours! |
The newly sprouting garlic in the The Big Wet, Dec. 2004 |
Tilling and planting cover crops and pasture, Feb 2005. It's starting to look like a real farm and ranch!
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Critters at the Ranch
Our dogs, Mimbres and Nico, Feb 2005 |
Blue Oak Ranch Security Detail visits Island Seed & Feed |
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Chasing those pesky ground squirrels, Summer 2004
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Nico finds a cool spot to spy on ground squirrels, Summer 2004 |
Nico enjoys the ranch life, Feb 2005
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Meg's dog Duke - not at the ranch, obviously! |
Our two newest additions just home from the airport - Saada Apache Tears and Saada Snickerdoodle, 2/21/05. Both doelings are three weeks old, born just a few days apart. Thanks, Laura! |
Apache and Snickers, checking out the living room. "Hey, nice digs, can we live in here?" |
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