Daily observations of my simple life.

Desert Culture and Old Cars:

Last Sunday I watched an old motorhome being towed away past my place. It was probably a 70's model with no door and a real junker. "Hmmm, guess someones cleaning up," I thought. Last evening when I was out feeding the goat and chickens I heard a very large engine putting down the road, dust flying. Peering down the road I was wondering what could be making such a racket. Finally coming into view is the old motorhome, towing a junker car. I couldn't help but laugh. I wonder what it is about this culture that ever so many of the residents have these old junker cars all over their property. I'm not talking about fashionable antiques, I'm talking about junkers, like you find in the junk yard. Why would anyone tow one in, is beyond me, seems like most people have trouble towing them out.

I have grown to love the desert and the landscaping on many homes is interesting and fun to observe but on many others the landscaping is 5 or more junker cars. Because the land here is cheap and so far there aren't too many rules people buy a chunk of land and pull a motorhome, trailer, 5th wheel or other temporary type home and live on small incomes. Many retired people here and I do believe people die and then these temporary homes are just abandoned. There they sit blowing in the wind, baking in the sun.  Some of these temporary type homes most recently set up have beautiful interesting yards and you can see the creative owners are making a home.

I often drive about or walk in the open desert and find bits and pieces of lives that lived there and went away. I find it interesting  to explore and I'm glad it is not so stiff and ruled by every little law.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 20:33 | link | comments (1)

Savoring a bowl of porridge:

It's been a while since I had a nice bowl of hot cerial. The hot weather may have something to do with it. I like it dispite hot weather and think the real reason is I ran out of my nine grain cerial that I order on a yearly basis. It was a rainy morning, summer monsoon and I craved a bowl of my nine grain. Standing in the kitchen mulling over what I would fix for breakfast if not what I wanted ,the light went on. I realized that I had a number of whole grains and nuts in various jars in my cupboards. I gathered up wheat, barley, oats, cornmeal, flaxseed,soy grits and walnuts and took out my little mileta coffee grinder. I mixed a big batch of mixed grains together and put them in a large jar for future use. Taking out about 1/4 cup of mixed grains I wherrrrred them in the coffee grinder, added some powdered milk and some raisens along with water and stuck the bowl in the microwave for 5 minutes.  I took my hot bowl of porridge out to the patio and sat among the plants and savored the chunky sweet goodness slowly, bite by bite.

Last week I watched on one day two shows on the plight of the black natives of Sudan. There are air drops of bags of grain which often break on the way down. I watched a small painfully thin boy scrapping up dirt and corn kernals into his gourd bowl. He said , " He would eat better than he had in months"  I'm impressed with these people. Bombed out of there little villages they have escaped to the hills which look very much like the terrain I see here in my desert, Az. The women wear these beautiful hand dyed dresses and head wrappings despite their intense poverty. The village had homes made of circular stone structures. What simple and self sufficient lives they live if undesturbed by war.

Savoring a bowl of porridge with probably the greater part of the world population. It is a simple wholesome food. Whole grains, delicous, nutty and healthy.

This morning I went out to check my little hen, Princess. She was out of the nest with two chicks. One large and one tiny so I'm guessing the black came from an arracana egg and the tiny one came from a silkie egg but the tiny one has arracana markings so Mr. Mr. my arracana rooster is the dad. I'm so tempted to open the left over eggs to see what's inside. Guess that's morbid curiosity. The hatching time is up, 21 days and it was 21 days on Saturday. Hmmmm

Last night the moon came sliding up in a great orange circle behind the beautiful Hualapai mountains. I sat out in my half circle garden of cactus by the rock creek and ceramic sink water feature watching the moon slide up in the sky. Evenings here are just wonderful, night after night. I have no flies and no misquitos. I don't know why as I have the animals and keep water for the birds as well. Every lovely evening for months I have enjoyed the clear air and stars. I know we will have colder months when I won't want to sit out but for now, ah, this is paradise.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 18:02 | link | comments

One little chick:

Saturday morning I went out to feed the chickens and peacocks and checked the little nest. There was an empty eggshell. Lifting the hen I found one little chick, black with a yellow spot. I think it is an aracana so if it is a girl it will lay green or blue eggs. My little hen Missy who I got at the swap meet last spring has layed a beautiful medium sized green egg every day since I got her. More than enough eggs for me. I guess that's why I always stick extra eggs under my little silkies whenever they get broody.

Last winter when I had feed delivered I found the delivery guy quite interesting. He lived on 160 acres in the mountains and was a real independent sort. We got to talking about International Scouts and chickens. He liked my Scout I have parked out close to the front of my property. My son brought it over to me and I had him park it like that because it seems in the desert everyone has to have at least 3 or 4 old cars parked on their property. My Scout makes me a respectable desert dweller. Sooo--- the delivery fellow and I talked Scouts and chickens . He has many of both. I asked if he had any chickens to sell as I only had a rooster and two hens. The hens didn't lay so they were just pets. He said, "Would you take silkies?"  I guess because they are so broody and set all the time, people don't want them or something, but I said, " Sure." A week later I came home from town and found 6 little fluffy chickens in my pen. Two roosters and 4 hens. Don't know exactly how many chickens I have now but they just keep settin. I've given chickens to my neighbor too.  My chickens are free range. I love seeing them busy darting about and scratching. The silkies are so cute and fluffy.

After I saw the little chick I went into the house with some chicken scratch and ground it in my coffee grinder. I took two lids and put mash in one and water in another and took it out to the chicken box, which happens to be a small dog carrier. Now mama can teach her chick to eat. Wonder if I will have anymore hatch?

I hadn't gone to the mountains the night before because the air was so balmy with wispy breezes. I thought of sleeping in my camper and I thought of the huge bull who was wandering the area last time I was up there. Ah, I'll just sleep here on the veranda under the stars.

My neighbor called and so we went out to eat breakfast and go to the swap meet. The chit chat was nice and later at the swap meet it was fun winding our way from booth to booth. I bought some paint for my tall fence. $20 for 5 gal. to start the undercoat. Plan to paint a mountain mural on after so I can look at more mountains. There was an artist there who was making Indian and animal wall hangings out of metal. They were painted and had a special glaze on them that made them look like they were fired. Really beautiful and so reasonable. I bought two. Sigh. I have a hard time hanging on to my money at the swapmeet, for sure.

After I got home the couple who contacted me through freecycle showed up to pick up the dryer. So glad to be getting stuff out of my garage. They had come over 50 miles to pick up the dryer. They were hoping to find a rural place to live and admired the chickens and the peacocks. I showed them the chic.

I just got inside the door when my daughter called and said, "We're having a barbeque, come on up" So I did. I used that drive to take the fireplace set to the lady who wanted it on freecycle. More stuff out of the garage.

Had barbequed chicken and visited with the family and then headed home after a busy long day. Slept outside again so balmy, full moon, like day out. By morning it was getting cold so came in to sleep inside.

Couldn't see if there were any more chicks this morning when I went out to feed. I guess I will have to lift her up with a stick to see what's under her. Saw the little black chick, peep, peep, peep.

Posted by: cactusandquail at 18:59 | link | comments (1)

Peacocks and Pomegranites:

When I was a very small girl the house where my mother grew up was in a small town. Sometimes on Sundays we'd go visit family. I can remember riding in the back seat of the little blue Oldsmobile with my sister and winding our way up the hill to my great aunts house. On this road were peacocks and pomegranites.  I loved seeing those stately beautiful birds wandering about through the pomegranite bushes covered with their pleasing red fruit. We would always take a few home fruits and put on big bibs to eat the delicious seedy fruit. Mother said theyed stain our clothes.

In my collection of books I have a cook book written by family of Frieda Kahlo. Inside there are lush pictures of her courtyards with peacocks and recipes just as lush and delicious looking adorned with pomegranites. Red , seedy, sweet kernals to savor.

When I moved here to the desert and began planting my five acres,  Pomegranites were high on my list of fruits to plant. I now have three planted along with figs, apricots, pears, cherries, and olives.

I took my neighbor to visit Luchias and the hidden garden behind the restaurant. We sat enjoying the peacocks . A week later she called and said, " I found you a Peacock", so we took a large cover and my camper and headed for a friends house. There in a garage was a beautiful peacock in a very small pen. I brought him home, clipped his wing, and let him in a pen I had. The following day I decided to call him Carlos.

A week later I traveled back to Luchias and asked if I could buy a peahen. The answer was yes, so now I have Carlos and Luchia. They are no longer penned and wander gracefully about my grounds to my great enjoyment.  

 

Posted by: cactusandquail at 05:05 | link | comments

Luchia's:

I went into a thrift store about a year ago and picked up several older Arizona Highway magazines. When I got home I sat down to read an article about the little town of Wikieup. Wikieup meaning tent, is a very small town in a beautiful valley on 93 before you get to I - 40.

Of interest was the discussion of a couple who had settled in this valley some 20 - 30 years ago and started a little restaurant selling Lluchia's homemade pies. I was intriqued and thought, next time I'm up that way I'll stop in.

Sometime later I had decided to check out a campground that I had passed on the same highway this little restaurant was on. Seeing the sign "Luchia's", come up I pulled over to a very regular looking roadstop restaurant and gift shop. There was a sign that said, "Eat on our patio."   Inside, the gift store was different.  I was met with very upscale Indian artwork and jewelry. Lovely.  Some were musium quality. I walked into the restaurant and saw the door leading to the patio and decided to check it out. Ah, what a lovely sight. I walked out on an L shaped, rustic, covered wooden deck adorned with athentic Mexican style leather chairs and tables.  A small lawn area nestled inside the L shape off the deck, with a wonderful draping olive tree. Then a real Mexican style courtyard with a beautiful tiled circular pond full of huge koi, reeds and water lillies. There were gardens all around with palms, cactus, pomegranite and gorgeous olive trees. Walking among these gardens were graceful, elegant peacocks and peahens. Positioned about the gardens was an antique collection.

Sitting on that Mexican style patio enjoying the garden and the peacocks I had coffe and pie and decided that this was a place I woudl come to enjoy a peaceful day whenever I could. I have in fact gone back many times and I have taken people there as a special treat.

Here a couple came to settle, built a business and made a beautiful oasis for people to enjoy. They made a living, a life and a paradise.  

Posted by: cactusandquail at 04:43 | link | comments

It's been two years since I moved here to the desert. I have grown to love my simple life. I have six pine trees, 5 palm trees and I have planted 17 more trees. These are mostly fruit and nut trees with more to come.

A cactus wren has built a nest in the pine behind the house. Such a friendly curious little bird with a rasping call. She buzies herself gathering fluff for her nest and scrambles under my chair as I sip my morning drink.

I've been sleeping outside most of the summer but the last few nights have grown nippy so I come indoors in the middle of the night. Love waking up to the miriad of stars. Now the moon is almost full and it stays so light out you could go walking. Took a walk in the evening  coolness down the wash and thought how nice it would be to camp there for the night. Open desert with views of both mountain ranges, gentle breezes.

I'm still waiting for my little princess hen to hatch her clutch of eggs. Will they hatch? Today was supposed to be the day and no sign yet. She is getting restless and wanting to leave the nest. Her last chick, the little female is about 6 weeks old and such a little beauty. Strawberry blond from head to chest then to her fluffy tail is a muted grey with slight reddish overlay.

I'm going to drive to the mountains this evening and camp. Been awhile and I want to have a bit of a change. I will plant my iris rhizomes this weekend after my trip.

 

Posted by: cactusandquail at 22:25 | link | comments (3)