October is Gone

October is one of my favorite months with usually cooler weather and beautiful days. This year it was a very rainy month. We were both gone for a week and we got a lot of rain and even more when we got home. Since I wasn't here to empty my rain gauge, I'm not sure how much rain in total, but the gauge was full at six inches so I'd guess at least 6-8 inches of rain in the last two weeks of the month.

Before we left we took Jerry the Twisted Oak Ranch's #1 billy goat over to the neighbors as they need a billy to breed their herd of goats. Jerry is a very large and a very good billy. I may have also underestimated his value as a guard as we had several goats missing when we got back. I originally assumed they just found a way to get into the neighbors since Jerry was over there, but that wasn't the case. These weren't baby goats either which makes me believe it could be a BIG predator. I sure hope not. It's a mystery as of now. Looks like my primary nannies are well along with kids. I did sell one little nanny for someones Thanksgiving and I still have a few I would like to cull.

Not any work done on the pool due to the rain. We did get the local masonry man to do some work. We installed a nice rock border all around the house, the courtyard, and around two circles of trees. We had loose rock previously and the raccoons were always moving them around looking for bugs. It will be very nice to have them set in concrete and it really makes the house look finished and much nicer.

Not as many deer coming up the past few days as we have missed a few weeks of setting out corn and there is so much grass, water, and acorns around. I'm sure hunters are now setting up their feeders too. We are getting the usual deer, but not the dozens we were seeing together. Of course it's getting in to season soon so the bucks will be out doing their thing soon.

The weather is supposed to be clear for most of November so hopefully we can get back to the ranch chores and projects. In fact the sky was clear tonight and I saw a big meteor traveling from north to south just after sunset. It was very large and a blueish color. It wasn't as big as the one we saw about five years ago, but that one was so big it was given a name. It went from south to north and came down somewhere along the Oklahoma / Texas border. This one was a very distinctive blue color. Meteor showers are nice, but these are more unique. The country night sky on a clear night is very amazing for sure.

Happy Halloween.

Still Wet

It was another wet week. Lot's of clouds until end of week. About four inches of rain total off and on during the week. It dried out enough to work on the road today, but most of the material is still too wet to install. I use material from my own little gravel pit.

They are still working on the new pool deck. They aren't going to be able to fix it so it's now how do we make it look good at this point. The concrete batch should not have been accepted in the beginning as the truck was very late-he probably got lost out here and wouldn't admit it. We would not have had this long delay and so much extra work for the last month.

It is very green and we have a lot of grass. I put goldfish in the new stock tank a few weeks ago and they are doing well. The water looks clear too. I've never had to fill it since I put it in because of all the rain we have had. I did buy the line and float to install so it will fill with water on it's own, but it's been too wet to get it installed. Good time to dig the ditch though.

I looked out the bathroom window early this morning and saw some BIG tom turkeys walk through the woods just east of the house. They were a lot bigger than the turkey hens that used to hang around here a few yeas ago (prior to the mountain lion). These were very dark in color and the hens were more brown. That's the first turkey I've seen here in years although I see them over by Gary Creek more often.

Fall is here

October is usually my favorite month on the ranch as we get cooler weather. That has been true this year too, but it has been very wet as well. Lingering weather with light rains almost for two full weeks. A few nice days, but most have been wet. This will be good for the trees, but it's hard to get any work done. Not a lot of rain, but consistently wet. About 1.5 to 2 inches in total but very beneficial for grass and trees as it's so slow to fall.

The weather has also held up work on the new pool. They have a new deck installed, but it isn't the correct color so it is not finished. They won't finish the pool until the deck is finished as not to damage the pool. Oh well, it's too late for swimming this year anyway.

Not as many deer coming up for corn in the last three weeks as there are so many acorns on the ground. I've never seen so many acorns. In some places the ground is completely covered. Also because of the rains there is a lot of fall grass coming out. Also some nice fall wild flowers. Very green. The deer come up to eat all the grass growing around the house as much as for the corn.

On one of the dry days I did trim the trees in front of the house cutting the low hanging limbs. This will allow a good view from the pool area down Gary Creek Vally.

September is already gone!

This was a fast month.

The pool construction has hit a snag. There was a bad batch of concrete used for the deck. Since the deck was to be the finished surface with color and texture added at the time of the pour, all the work was lost. We'll see what can be done to repair. The pool company is 1st class and I'm very glad we are using them. The pool project has taken up most of the ranch time. The are looks like a construction site for sure.

The county has finished the rest of our County Road project. It looks very good.

Weather is usual, still hot, but cooling off at night. We had hoped to be able to swim this year, but that does not seem possible for this year.

Relief from the Heat!

It's been an interesting week at the ranch. The pool construction is on going and they have finished the weeping wall and coping and are now in the patio deck stage. It is progressing well.

The good news is that we have a low pressure weather system that has settled over the area and we have been getting clouds, showers, & rain for three full days now. It has been a very good steady slow rain so it is soaking well. There are gullies to be repaired, but not bad considering the amount of rain. So far we have had nine inches accumulation. That's great. The tank is full. The pastures are turning green and all is well. We are expecting several more days of perhaps the same.

Cumulative rain total now at 10.4" as on Monday morning.

September is already here!

I've had a bit of a holiday away from the ranch (if you read my Cruise Blog you know this) and it has been very busy since my return. We began a BIG project here as we are installing a custom swimming pool. The day I left is the day the big equipment arrived for the big dig. I just got off the mountain when they brought it up. Of course they hit rock so it was good they had a big excavator. DW supervised the project while I was away and when I returned two weeks later the project was well underway with the pool basically being formed. It's been very interesting watching the workers install tile, build walls, set forms, build patios, and the like.

Of course all the chores are related somewhat to the pool project. We have cleared cedar along the bluff in order to get a better view from the pool location. We have also gone on a fossil hunts so that they can install the fossils into the pool's weeping wall. One thing I arranged before I left was for the excavator to dig a hole for me in the back of the house. They did. I bought a 3x8x24" metal stock tank that I then set in the hole and back filled to create a 'water hole' for the wildlife. Hopefully this will keep the deer and varmints out of the pool and add to the wildlife viewing from the house. I was very pleased with how it turned out. (photo above ) I think we will place natural rocks around the perimeter of the new 'water hole'.

DW did a great job with the goats & wildlife while I was away. Thanks. The deer are still very active and the big bucks are huge. The birds have slowed down, just the usual natives.

It still remains hot and dry.

Summer routine

We seen to have settled into a weather routine. Hot and hotter. It's still getting to 100° most days and continued dry. We really kick up a lot of dust on the trails, it's good that the County Road is now paved as it saves the clouds of dust that happen when cars pass.

The deer are still very active. We have one very nice trophy deer. He is certainly the leader as well as he eats where and when he wants when they come out for the deer corn. The fawns are also fun to watch.

We had some visitors on the ranch road last night. Probably joy riders who thought our gate was a pasture gate (not fancy at all) and when they saw the house turned around. Unfortunately for them they hit a culvert. Probably damaged their vehicle and it did bend my culvert. I had just swept the road with some cedars I had cut so their trail was easy to spot.

There is still grass in the goat pasture, but I did let them over on the 'house' side over the weekend. There are a lot of nice spots with good grass for them. I had to put down Zulu this morning. She was not improving and could not stand. I nursed her in a pen for a week, but really no improvement. Not sure who will be the new leader of the herd, but it looks like the big billy for now.

Zulu

We have eleven deer in the big group for sure. Got another count yesterday. In addition to the 11 feeding close to the house there were several does 150 yards away on the bluff waiting their turn. I saw four different fawns for sure. One fawn is very big and will probably be a big buck. (Fawns in photo)

It has been raining around us for a few days but we have not received anything as yet. It is our turn. We had .10 overnight which does help the trees, but isn't enough for the grass.

I was watching a Painted Bunting this morning on the feeder next to the window and sure enough a sparrow came and chased it away. I may have to get that trap out or invest in a good BB gun.

Poor Zulu. She was our first Boer Goat and she isn't doing well. She really has never recovered from the dog attacks that got her last kids. Both nannies who lost their goats were very stressed at the time and in fact I was afraid I would lose one. She recovered with some meds and TLC. I though Zulu would 'shake it off' too but she is older and although it's been several months she just acts like an old granny goat now. I gave her penicillan yesterday, but she is thin and looking frail. I will watch her closely. I can't sell her and she deserves respect as the 'mother doe' of all the goats we have ever had on the ranch.

July Heat Continues

The heat has continued. Most days over 100° for a high although there were two days of clouds and almost rain. Only .20 over the two days, but at least it was something. I was able to get some outside work done in addition to usual chores.

I checked the water meter yesterday (we read our own meters in the country) and we used 22,000 gallons of water this month. Normal is 4,000 gallons. Really the grass is not as bad as it could be for this heat. We are fortunate for that. We are allowing the grass around the house to go dormant now.

Set two records for number of deer behind the house at one time. It was ten for several days, but its actually eleven. They have come pretty consistently. Two big bucks, two average bucks, two yearlings, a doe with twin fawns, and a doe with one fawn. This seem to be the regulars. We get an occasional stray doe or big buck as well especially during the day now that I'm putting out corn in the mornings.

Continued Heat!

Well another week of 100+ degree heat. It's starting to take a toll. Fortunately the rain last week has kept everything from burning up, but if we don't get some relief soon though we'll lose the grass. It was cloudy this morning for the first time in a while, but that was all. We have a 20% chance of rain in the next few days so we'll hope for something.

I've given up on the sparrow trap. I had it out and there was no action at all until all the feeders where empty. The squirrels and raccoons empty the seed from the trap and I'm afraid the raccoons will damage it. No luck in getting a sparrow. They will eat from the ledge, but won't commit to enter the trap. I'm not sure I will get any. There are enough feeders that the Painted Buntings will find a place even with the sparrows and there are not really that many sparrows. I did catch one female Cardinal and two male Cardinals in the trap so the trap does work. Just too hard to get the 'bad' birds interested. Today I refilled all the bird feeders and I'm putting up the bird trap for a while.

The deer are getting active and the bucks are really getting their antlers now although still in felt. They go through 2 buckets (#10) of corn a day and empty the water trough in only a few days in this heat. I have got into the habit of putting the corn out in the mornings and not in the evenings. They have learned this and we get several deer in the middle of the day. Usually the does with fawns.

The goats are doing fine. Just feeding every few days as they still have grass. I did get a new salt block for them. The billy has been chasing the does for a week or so, so it's time for that routine again. Hopefully the kids won't come until mid to late December.