Tag Archives: nature

Books Sitting There, Waiting For Me

So the annual excitement is about to begin, or I should say, has begun already – and I mean the watching for, hoping for, praying for thunderstorms and the monsoon rains.

I have to agree with the often voiced opinion that the weather patterns are changing, and that we are indeed in an ongoing drought. I only hope it’s not like the one that drove the ancient people from here in the 1400s, which apparently lasted for forty years! It was so different in the early 70’s, when I had first arrived in Arizona, and my ex-husband and I were managing a large farm – I remember spending many a time balancing on top of the loaded wheat trucks, trying to cover them with heavy tarpaulins in the face of gusty winds, fighting off the thunderstorms and slanting rain. Continue reading

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Masquerading Cheese

It seems that every year the dates of the annual round up come earlier and earlier – or is that a sign of age?? Actually, this year the date has come earlier, as we moved our spring gather forward. Consequently we will be branding calves a month sooner than usual, and then, later in the year, selling them a month sooner also, hoping to beat the rush to market by the rest of the ranching community. Continue reading

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You Mean the Game is Over?

Ount in the Country

Out in the Country

About two years ago I became a member of a very informal women’s group, and we meet once a month for the best of reasons – to eat! Hence, we generally meet at some eatery or other, and we have tried many over the years. An East Indian restaurant… Continue reading

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It Only Does EVERYTHING!

I had been listening, for some time now, to countless people extolling the virtues of something called a Smoothie – and, seeing that it’s something to eat, and so is always of interest to me, I investigated further. It appears that one can make this concoction by using frozen fruit and good stuff like yoghurt – but I am Continue reading

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What a Show This Will Be!

You know that Arizona is on the national map when the New York news channels start talking about the awesome spring flowers that are about to appear! Generally, especially with the weather news, we are, to put it in cow vernacular, sucking on the hind tit. Are there storms in the east? More than well covered. Frost in Florida … heat wave in Chicago …mud slides in California… you bet you hear about it…. global warming, global cooling, long and short summers – we are treated to it all, as long as it doesn’t concern the south west. Perhaps they think we are still a part of Mexico, before the Gadsden Purchase? Continue reading

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Fiesta de los Vaqueros

I am looking forward to a riot of wildflowers due to the lovely rains in January, and I wonder how many of you know that a seed can live in this desert earth for up to 200 years without germinating – and then, when it gets some rain just at the right moment, it bursts out with a flower you’ve never seen before! I remember one year when almost overnight all the bushes on the mountains became entwined with long, thin tendrils of green covered with the most delicate, tiny mauve bells, so that each manzanita bush looked like it was shrouded in gauzy veils. Continue reading

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The Sonoita Cowboy

As I am sure all of you know by now from my last two postings, we have had wonderful rains this January, totaling to date an exciting 4.8 inches, which should make for some spectacular spring wildflowers. Some of the moisture came in the form of snow, and, as much as I hate to be cold, I thought that the attached photo of the cattle ranch headquarters under snow is too beautiful not to share with you. Continue reading

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In Loving Memory of Rio

I guess life isn’t always sunshine and roses – having as many four legged friends as we have, it comes to us more often than to most of you to have to say goodbye to one of them. This happened a while back to us, when a much loved horse called Rio went to the pasture in the sky. Continue reading

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Celebrating 25 Years

Dear Friends,

Gerry standing outside the house at the Cobre Loma

Gerry standing outside the house at the Cobre Loma

How time flies when you’re having fun!! I can hardly believe that it’s 25 years since Gerry and I began the ranch, as probably most of you know from the rest of the web page. But you don’t know… Continue reading

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Time of Many Fruits

Well, here we are again at that magic time of what the Apaches called “Time of Many Fruits”, and which we, less poetically, know as “Fall” – and with it comes the fall round up, starting this coming Monday. We will gather the pastures, bring in the cows and calves, and take all the steers and some of the heifers to the cattle auction. Normally we keep back about 20-30 Continue reading

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