Beauty in the Desert

    I love the desert life and everyone I know keeps asking me why. It is hard to put into words what can only be described as beautiful scenery, quiet nights, and the feel of tranquility when you look up at a million stars or when you wake up in the clouds.
     I add pictures occassionally in hopes of showing the real beauty there is in living the desert life. Here are a few more that can say what I cannot.

 

 

    

Work on the Ranch

    We have been working hard at the house. We finally started to lay rock for our patio. Stephen was up in the air about the final size the patio would be but we finally decided on the 12x40. We spent an entire day laying rock. We only finished an 8x12 so we have so much more work to do. My legs were sore for three days from the lifting, bending, digging and shifting of the rocks to make them just perfect. I have to let my legs recover before starting the next section but we have to build the patio up to 5 times as big so I am hoping that we can do a bit more on the next run.
     Since we were waiting to work rock again we decided to install a small seating area where we could enjoy a drink. We concreted it in so it looks really nice. The first night we had it up our friend, David, came out with his cousin and we enjoyed some wine and good conversation.
      Yesterday we got up to a crisp 43 degrees. Stephen went hunting and saw a fresh rub but nothing else. Then we started planting trees. We planted an ash, pecan, and six elms around the house. We then went down to the shop and planted eight peach trees near our water tank. We want to plant at least seven more.
      Today we are going to start setting post for fencing. We have to keep the deer out of the orchard if we want to keep any peaches for ourselves. We will be planting a garden in the spring so we are going to start preparing the soil for that as well. I am loving the improvements we have made. It is so nice to be able to create something from your own hands and call it home!

Rain in The Desert

    It seems so strange that we moved to the desert yet it seems to rain here much more often. The drought in Texas has affected so many places but Bastrop was affected by the drought and then the wildfires. I can only remember it raining about 5 or 6 times last year in Bastrop and it has rained here more times than that since July.
   We have a 550 gallon water storage tank that filled up to the 350 gallon line in just one day. It is now full and has been for a while. We really need to get some more tanks.
    On Sunday we got over a quarter inch of rain at our place. This seems like a lot but it isn't even close to what we got last week. It rained so hard last week that our road flooded. Stephen had to get out and walk it to see how deep it was. In one place the water was up to his waist.

 

 

 

 

 

        Along with the rain comes amazing skies and the occassional animal out for a stroll. I captured this picture of a turtle drinking from a mud puddle just after the rain stopped.
 

     

A Long Week

    Stephen's new job allows him to work only a couple of days a week and still make the same amount as before. This has been perfect because the house was not complete when we moved out to the ranch. The chickens needed more space being in smaller pens than they were used to. They had just started to lay again so we needed to get them into a coop as soon as possible. We decided to spend a week getting things in order.
    First on our list was to get the chickens in a new home with more space. We had only kept our best mother hens, one rooster and two pullets (all but two are game chickens). We needed to build a coop that would keep them safe as well as give them warmth for the winter. We took into account the fact that we now live in an area with bob cats, mountain lions, coyotes, and snakes. We used landscaping timbers for the outside border and then dug down around the coop to install tin. The tin would be harder for snakes to climb. It would also make digging into the coop a longer task so we could respond to the chickens if they alerted to danger. We then added a small room with laying boxes that would keep them out of the weather. The chickens were very happy to be in their new home. We still wanted to be sure they were protected so in a final effort to do that we built a dog pen around three sides so that at night the dogs can keep them safe.

    The next job to tackle was one I was desperately waiting for... inside plumbing! Stephen is licensed in water and waste water so this part was the easiest. The hardest part was digging a huge hole for our septic tank. I tried to help but he really did most of the work. This was a huge stepping stone in getting things the way we want them. Once the septic was in it was time to install the toilet. I could not wait for this to be marked off our list but I would have to because it was getting too late and darkness was fast approaching. (Solar power was next on the list!)
    The next day Stephen wanted to start by installing the solar panel. This would be a quick job since we had a completed 1600 watt panel. We had also purchased a smaller panel as well as additional squares to build another large panel later. We wanted to have plenty of power for the house and shop so we also bought two large wind generators. Stephen installed the solar panel and then we got to the toilet.

 

          
        The installation of the toilet took most of the day but we still had a bit of time to install the roof trim. Everything was coming along just as we hoped. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in the cool evening breeze. Out in the desert you can see a million stars when darkness falls. The Milky Way looks like thick cloud cover and shooting stars are common. Some nights it takes forever for the moon to come up and on others, it comes up almost as soon as the sun goes down. I think the evenings are my favorite part of living here.

    
   
 

The Final Move

     Everything was set to take the final load to our new home. We had just a bit of packing left to do and suddenly we both got sick. We were so sick with whatever it was that we could hardly get out of bed. We had paid Stephen's mom to do the final cleaning but when we got sick, she did more than we ever expected. She came over every day, for three days, and cleaned, packed, and helped load the truck and trailer. I don't know what we would have done without her. When she wasn't caring for the house, she was doctoring us and cooking our meals. After everything was finished and we were on the road with our final load, she got sick. I felt so bad after all she had done for us and we could not do the same for her.
      The shop was enclosed and everything had to be unloaded into it. We were still weak from whatever had knocked us down. Stephen's brother, David, had come with us on this trip. He had pulled Stephen's truck as well as hauling a load in the back of his own. It was his first time seeing our place nestled in the mountains. We were glad he came along to help unload and spend some time out on the land.
      The house was not finished but at least it was dried in and had a roof on it. We knew that we would have our work cut out for us. I think my least favorite part was the fact that we had to use a compost toilet. I was told that this was the norm for the area but I wanted inside plumbing. We went to the county to see what regulations were for the installation of septic systems but, other than the certificate of compliance- which we already had, there was nothing more we needed to do. So, this was my most important goal!
      Our first week living full time at our new place we encountered our first wildlife neighbor. He wasn't exactly happy to see us there. I was willing to be neighborly but he just wanted to have things his way. So, Stephen and Mr. Mohave did not see eye to eye- resulting in the death of Mr. Mohave (a fictional character; not referncing any specific person with said last name).

       I was glad that Stephen saw the snake before my little dog, Baby, walked by and got bit. Baby loves it out west. He jumps around and runs in circles when he gets to walk on the road. Baby is a mix between a papallon and a chihuahua. He weighs just a few ounces over five pounds. This was a warning that I needed to stay close to my little dog when it is outside and that the desert is definitely a wild place; not to be taken for granted.
     
   

Spring Semester

   January arrived with many new year's resolutions as well as my birthday, my new nephew Brodie, and the beginning of another semester at school. I was nervous about this semester because I would be taking two classes that I knew would be tough. I love history but have never made good grades in the course. I was also taking government which was even worse. The semester was rounded off by a dance course which would complete my visual and performing arts requirement and my final English comp class.
   Stephen had been talking about moving to our new property but had not made up his mind. There was nothing on the property but the outside kitchen that we had built. I knew there was no way we could make the move. I told him that once the semester started we would not be able to move until it ended. So January meant that we were staying where we were until at least May.
    He was unhappy working for other people and never having time for his own company. He had vacation time at work but every time he asked to take some time off they said they needed him. He had been working non-stop for 14 years and he was burned out. I just wanted to hurry up and finish my degree so I could get a job in journalism and let him stay home to work in his shop and build his company.
    In February he was again talking about moving so I told him that as soon as the semester was over we would go. I applied for school in El Paso so that I could enroll for the summer semester. It was the closest college to our property outside of Sierra Blanca, just over an hour away. I knew Stephen was pretty serious and he wanted to make a trip out to the property to start building a shop and house. Only having weekends off made it very hard. Each trip was an 18 hour drive (9 hours each way).
    I had to miss some days at school and began to worry about whether or not I would pass some of my classes. I was only allowed to miss five classes and I had missed seven. The semster was nearing an end and finals were just around the corner. Stephen and I had discussed it and he was going to give his notice the week before my finals. Once he gave notice he took off a few extra days at work to get some things done on the property. The shop was currently nothing more than a pole barn. No walls, roof or floor- just a frame and the house was only partially built without the trim boards, no inside walls, no plumbing, and part of the floor was still not completed. I was worried about the move.
   Stephen decided to head out west on the day of my final for history. I had to arrange to take my final early and had no time to study. I was so afraid that I would fail. When my grades finally came in I was surprised. I received an A in dance and a B in all three other classes. I was enrolling for the summer semester in El Paso although I was still unsure if we would make the move.
    By the end of May we were still unsure if we would be moving or staying so I added Austin back on my list for school just in case I would need to attend the summer there. We put the house up for rent and when we were contacted by thirty or more people, we knew that we would be making the move. It would all have to be done quickly because the summer semester started the middle of June and it was close to the first already. So we began to pack up. Everyone was shocked that we were going to be moving so suddenly. I was worried too because nothing was finished... we would soon find out just how hard things may be.

Thanksgiving in The Chihuahuan Desert

      Thanksgiving would be much different this year. My two daughters and my son-in-law were now living in Tennessee, my oldest son had to work for the entire holiday and through out the weekend, my middle son was headed to Michigan to spend time with our cousins and my youngest son was with his Grandparents. This left us home alone. Our friend Jim had just delivered his son to the dorms of St. Edwards University and found himself alone as well.
     We decided to head out to west Texas to try Thanksgiving on our land. Stephen and Jim discussed building a kitchen on the property with the materials from one of Jim's shops. So we loaded it up along with enough food to feed an army. Stephen's mom came with us. She was excited because she had purchased twenty-two acres beside us but this would be her first time seeing it.
     Once we arrived, we set up camp and I gathered wood. During a previous visit to our property we had assigned each other names. I mentioned before that one of my sons was nicknamed Billyjack- well, I had earned the name "Gatherer of Wood".
     The night was beautiful but freezing cold. We could not get close enough to the fire and Stephen's mom, Virginia, was freezing to death. We gave her a ton of blankets but sleeping in the tent was not going to work for her. Jim made her a bed by the fire and she survived the night. Stephen and I slept in the truck, starting it every hour or so to get warm. The following morning the temperature gage in my truck read seven degrees. The Sake (Japanese wine) had frozen solid... now that's cold!
     That morning we put the coffee on. It was the best coffee I had in a long time, maybe because it was hot and I was cold. We then put the turkey on and allowed it to cook all day. It was very tender with a nice smoke flavor. We also had a big pot of beans, Jim's homemade pickles, and some kind of greens. The guys had spent the day working on the outside kitchen. They ran into several problems but never gave up and by nightfall there was a structure that we could sleep in. Stephen and I still ended up in the truck because it was just that cold! We were later joined by Virginia and Jim slept in a chair almost in the camp fire.
    The following morning, just before packing up, we all talked about the things we wanted to do. We decided to come out again in a week or so to start working on improvements to the land. We went over some of the things we had discussed previously; one being the name of the ranch. I still was in disagreement but had been outvoted by the males.... The property was to be called "El Chupacabra Ranch". Jim wanted us to vote against having Llamas on the property. We refused and said anyone who wants them can have them. Of course, we didn't want Llamas either but it was funny watching Jim squirm over the idea of them being on the property. He hates the things.

A Break From The City

   We decided that we needed a break from the Austin traffic and the stresses of every day life in the burbs so we headed out to spend a weekend checking out our land. We had not found the time to camp as much this year as we usually had so this was a perfect opportunity to do it. We left a bit later than expected so we arrived around dusk. Camp had to be set up quickly and the wood had to be gathered for a fire. It was strange to be in a place that had no burn ban in effect. It also seemed to be much cooler than home. By dark the temperature gauge in my truck read sixty-seven degrees. We were loving it.
   Even with the camp fire, there seemed to be a million more stars in the sky. Out in the desert it is so dark at night, the closest neighbor being miles away. Even though our property sits just off a dirt county road, the only traffic at night was from the border patrol switching shifts. We are only eight miles from the Mexican border but there is a very large mountain range between us and them. The desert silence can be deafening to someone who is so used to the non-stop sounds of city life.

   Around eleven we all went to bed and just a few hours later I woke up thinking border patrol was shining a flashlight in my face. It was the strangest feeling but when I opened my eyes, it was the biggest moon I had ever seen. It had come up over the mountains and was shining in on me with such brilliance that I never would have thought it would be the moon waking me. I realized how cold it had become and tried to steal a bit of blanket from Stephen who is a huge blanket hog.   
   One thing I discovered out there was that time seemed so different. There was about an hour less daylight due to the rise and fall of the sun in the mountains. I woke very early, about 5:30 or 6. The temperature in my truck read fifty-six degrees and it was July. It was amazing!
   We started to walk our property line. The property ran two miles across the front, along the road and then all the way back to the mountains. During the hike we found many things we did not expect to see in the desert such as dragonflies and turtles. There were also jackrabbits, butterflies, many colorful birds, flowers, and crazy looking bugs. It was streaming with life.

 

 

 

    The temperature rose to ninety-five degrees but had a nice breeze and felt cooler than back home. We were much more comfortable and were relieved to be rid of that hot sticky feeling. We had taken our sons, Billy and John, with us and they were enjoying the freedom to run wild... even though they were 18 and 16. We gave Billy a new nickname... Billyjack. He received this name for two reasons. First, he ran through the desert, jumping bushes, and chasing rabbits as if he had been one in a previous life. Second, he tried to ride dust devils by running and jumping into them. One was so powerful that it pulled his shirt all the way over his head with it hanging on by just one of his arms. It was a sight to see.... crazy boy!
   My youngest son, John, spent the weekend hunting jackrabbits. He never gave up and just before we were leaving he finally got one. He brought it home and made jackrabbit stew.... I had none! The guys all said it was amazing.
   This was the beginning of the end for us. Life as we knew it had changed and we really felt it when we arrived back home to over one hundred degree temps and no breeze; even the evenings were barely below ninety. People started asking us why we would buy land in West Texas and we knew that no matter what we told them, they would never understand.
   
  

The Purchase

     I have always wanted some land in West Texas. For the past ten years I have tried everything to get Stephen to agree to buy at least 5 acres out there. He always said no. This past year he finally agreed to getting "a couple acres" out west. I found a twenty-two acre parcel through a land company and convinced him that twenty-two acres was not too much. I purchased the land and made an agreement with the company that we could switch parcels if for some reason we felt another was a better fit for us. Once everything was agreed to and the contracts were all complete, we decided to take a joy ride to check out our new property. Eight hours, in a car, later and we had arrived. The land was beautiful and full of life... hidden in a valley; in the mountains of the Chihuahuan Desert. We spent the weekend camping out and enjoying the peaceful quiet the desert has to offer. By nightfall we had purchased an additional eight, twenty-two acre parcels.