The earth hangs in the balance…. in so many ways. The sun is teetering over the equator, much like our democracy. But we know where the sun is headed, not so sure of the other.
This month has been one of extremes. We’ve gone from the driest summer in history, with not a speck of green on the ground and inches of dust, a sad sight, to the wettest month ever, with just under 5″ of rain in 10 days, (over 4″ in one day) and more coming. Green grass is sprouting up through the valley, and it looks like the spring we didn’t have. The temperatures have been from 100 degrees down to 30, with it hovering around 60 today, inspiring us to build a fire in the woodstove.
I truly believe that mother nature is pissed at us humans, and is letting us know everywhere across the globe. We watched the new documentary, How to Live on Earth, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, which was both inspiring and horrifying, and worth a watch.
Here at 4Fords, we had 2 flash floods in 12 hours, both 4′ deep at our driveway. It washed out a mile of our county road and caused a massive rockfall near the southeast corner of the property. No danger to us, but loud as a jet, and it covered the road 1/4 mile up the canyon with 20# boulders for 100 yards. The water flowed off the cliff behind the house and washed through the yard 6″ deep. Again, no serious damage, but a lot of debris and mud. The road crew was in the next morning to make the road passable. They are really responsive – within 24 hours we were able to drive out to the highway (2.5 miles away). Alan used the tractor and backhoe to clear the driveway of silt and dig swales to re-route future floods.
Our last Worldpacker (SK) of the year has been here since Sept. 2, and we’ve gotten several projects done around the place: fireproofing and stuccoing sheds, pruning trees and chipping the branches for mulch, closing up the garden, making chocolate (can’t survive without chocolate!), working on the last fence we need to better manage cows.
The garden was a sad failure this year due to the drought, wind, frost and heat, but I did get herbs, root crops and, amazingly, some awesome corn and peppers. Not enough to last the winter, but enough to enjoy. Not one tomato, out of 20 plants. I think I’ll take a year off next summer.
But it isn’t all work. We’ve enjoyed a number of days off to share with SK: a visit to the Chama Art Studio Tour, and El Rito Art Festival (where they excel in creating astounding found art). The Tiny Sofa Museum was a highlight. The artist really LOVES miniature sofas and builds and collects them. And the Death by Chocolate extravaganza, put on by the library was delicious.
SK and I also spent a day in Taos, visiting the Earthship Community once again. It never fails to amaze. Had a great lunch in town, where I bonded with Emmitt Lee Jones, a traditional American musician who plays ragtime (and other) music written/transcribed by Stefan Grossman. I corresponded with Stefan several times as a teenager and young adult, when I became obsessed with ragtime for guitar, and he sent me some of his Kicking Mule Music, which I learned and loved to play (never very well!)
Now, we are very serious about voting in the Fat Bear 2026 contest. I’ve been doing it for years, and it raises a lot of money for grizzly conservation in Alaska. It’s fun to watch the video cams at Brooks Falls.
I am teaching 4 classes this fall, one more than I planned on, and they are keeping me busy, as I am also testing a new AI behavioral health “learn-how-to-do-therapy” simulation tool called SimCare. While I have to admit that the avatars are well done and the conversations quite complex, the program has many glitches, and I have serious reservations about it as a teaching tool, not to mention all the other issues about AI. But it allows for some great dialogue with the students about the use of AI in education and in mental health.
So, as September draws to a close, we wait for the rain to stop. SK leaves in a few days, and I think Alan and I have decided to get on the road for awhile, do some camping, visit friends. It’s been a loooong summer. In January, we will head south yet again to the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, where I will once again be offering some safety/mental health support to the women living in vehicles full-time. I’ve splurged on a cabin on the Colorado River for the week, but then we’ll likely be traveling and camping about the southwest, as we love to do.
In the meantime, it is still beautiful here in Miller Canyon, peaceful, safe, and quiet. We wish the same for you all.
