I haven’t written anything here for several months. Instead, I made a decision back in February to focus on work. I had taken on a couple of paid writing/AI projects, along with teaching 5 classes, and this ate up much of my time. But now, with the projects and semester behind me, and as the summer Solstice arrives this evening, it’s time to turn a page.
Of course, Alan and I took our yearly trip south, leaving in late January, and I’ve added some photos from that (check out the links in the captions). We had an amazing time camping in our new Skyliner hot tent in southern New Mexico, mostly in the remote reaches of the Gila and Aldo Leopold Wildernesses. It snowed, rained, and blew hard at times, but the tent was awesome and kept us warm and dry. We took many incredible hikes and saw nary a soul. Unfortunately, we had to come home early, having both tested positive for Covid after a workshop I attended at Ghost Ranch in late March. That laid us up for a few weeks.
Since then, we’ve been hard at it here at 4Fords, working on numerous projects, getting a garden planted, and gathering materials for future ones (fencing, mostly). The used Kubota tractor with a backhoe we bought from a neighbor has already been invaluable in moving stuff around. We also have a new 1500 gallon cistern, which will get installed soon (it needs a 2′ deep hole dug and lined with gravel). It will hold overflow water from the roof. I did my annual test of our rainwater (drinking water) for bacteria, viruses, microplastics and toxic metals, and it came back absolutely clean as a whistle!
Alan finished the kitchen remodel and we love it. It comes complete with a broom closet! Who could ask for more in a “rustic” cabin?
This year, we have opened our home to Worldpackers, and so far have hosted 2 wonderful and hardworking women, with several others coming throughout the summer. They have helped immensely in getting the garden planted, hauling rocks for dams, and painting one of the sheds, along with fantastic conversations and shared stories. It is sad that several of our applicants (from Britain, Paraguay, and Ukraine) had to cancel because of visa issues.
We’ve been a bit political, given the current state of our country and the world, attending a couple of protests in Taos. Need I say more?
Right now, it is very hot, windy, and dry. Our creek has nearly dried up for the first time in decades. There’s still one good swimming hole we take the dogs to every day to cool off, but even that is getting shallow. The well seems to be hanging in there so far with no slowdown. We are very careful not to push it too hard. The garden is fully planted, with a new small expansion: a “three sisters” area of corn, squash and beans. So far, it is growing well, although the heat and wind can be a challenge for baby tomatoes and peppers. The potatoes (in the foreground) don’t seem to care about the weather; they are going crazy. The watering system is nearly perfected. Once that happens, Alan and I can plan a few overnight backpack trips.
We did get into the high country last weekend for a wonderful hike at 11,000′. Still plenty of snow up there, and it was 30 degrees cooler than down in the valley.
Alan and I wish you all a peaceful, joyous solstice.
4Fords Journal 