Unexpected Visitor!

Why our patio was chosen as the place of decease is beyond me?!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

Rain!

Almost .6"

Dew and rain, bless the Lord!
Lightning and clouds, bless the Lord!

Orchard

View from the north/northeast

View from the south/southwest

the lone cherry bush, to the east of the driveway

And, lest I forget:

			(SOUTH)
	Peach		Gala apple		Winesap semidwarf apple
(driveway)	Redskin Peach		Jonathan apple		x
	Honeycrisp apple		Cortland apple		Honeycrisp apple
			Macintosh
			(NORTH)

Spring...

... always tries to come a little early.

Go back to sleep, little bulbs!
The girls, Mom, and I planted hundreds of bulbs last fall.
I look forward to seeing what grows... but not yet!

Site of the future herb garden

a work in progress
but progress is better than nothing!

What are we going to do with this ugly guy?

We should have watered our cover crop a little more last fall.
This is the consequence of a pregnant momma who can't face 100+ heat!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

katie z.

Fire!

Intentional, fortunately!

The gap in the trees pictured below may not seem like much to you, but multiply it by 10 for the various gaps in our tree break, and you'll understand how startling it is to have such a gap after six months without it.  James and Nathan took out our diseased pine trees, adding them to our ever-increasing burn pile.

On Saturday, the men were finally free and the weather cooperative enough to call for a burn permit.  And burn they did!

We even took care of the Christmas tree!

The pile burned down further, and the men were diligent in supervision, so there are only two stumps left.

Well done!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Pugatory Ranch.

Labor

... of various sorts has been transforming life here.

On January 14, the newest member of our family joined us.

On January 19, we began an orchard.  Our almost-a-neighbor tree man is planting a cherry bush, soon to be joined by 7 apples and 2 peaches.

We now call early evening/late afternoon (that time with children that is sometimes called the witching hour) the "bobcat hour," as recently, a bobcat has repeatedly tried to kill our cat.  She is smart, though, and has escaped, although (s)he treed Andromeda once.  We're learning to remember to shut her up in the barn before dark, aka, the bobcat hour.

The weather has been unseasonably warm, and now there are tornado warnings for places to the east and south.  Fortunately, we seem to be confined to possible thunderstorms.  As we could use the rain, bring it on!

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

katie z.

Ringing out the Old Year with Friends

and a brief visit to the land, partially mowed in preparation for fencing.

Until next time, remember, this is not paradise.  It's Purgatory Ranch.

(We're expecting a baby soon, so it may remain quiet around here!)