Rain! Flowers! Mud!

 We live in the high desert mountains, as I'm sure I've said.  There is always, during the summer, the worry of forest fires, because of how dry it can get, and because with the beauty of the area come tourists and campers.  Who wouldn't want to camp here?  I don't fuss about the summer people, because without them, this little cluster of towns would dry up to nothing.  The combination of Show Low, Pinetop, and Lakeside (where we live) is around 22,000.  In the summer, that can quadruple!  You can imagine the traffic. 

So...where was I?  Fire danger.  There are, among those summer people, a few reckless, careless, or just plain stupid people who don't understand--or don't care about--simple fire safety.  Forestry personnel constantly find fires there were left still smouldering, or fires when there's a current ban on camp fires.  It's always the few that ruin it for the many, right?  When it gets really bad, super dry, or windy, they just close the forests, and camping is only allowed in supervised camping areas, and even then, no fires.

BUT...

With the rain this summer, starting around the 1st of July, we have little to worry about!  I'm not sure what the annual rainfall is for the area, but we've likely hit that amount already--even without the coming snows!  The wild flower show has been spectacular, and every walk across Sherwood Forest to get the mail is a wonder.  We even have mushrooms, sprouting up everywhere.  I had to get a field guide so I could identify as many as I could while they're here to see--there are years when very little blooms.  But to name a few; wild yarrow, geranium (cranes-bill), a kind of tiny cosmos, a kind of blue-bonnet, of course thistles, desert mallow, clovers, and a gazillian sun flowers! 

It's amazing to see how green everything is, how many colors line the roads and paint a color wash across the grazing fields on the way into town.  There are even baby pine trees, sprouting all over the yard.  (Get them now, if they sprout where you don't want a tree!)

Along with the flowers is mud.  This is primarily because we just built our house last year, and the natural carpet of pine needles and oak leaf litter has yet to re-establish itself.  Muck boots are the order of the day for walking the dog, and for any outdoor chores.  But it's worth it.

Now, if it can just dry up enough so we can get the chicken coop foundation dug and poured, I'd be happy. 
In the meantime, here's a picture of a volunteer sunflower "bush" that sprouted by our driveway.  Most of the ones along the road to town get maybe 3 or so ft high.  Phil is 6 ft tall, for reference. 

 Hope everyone has had a fabulous summer!

Spring Fever, Excuses, and Recuperation

Last post was early March?  It was all about the studio, which I have yet to really use. 

My excuse: Spring Fever hit me.  Hard.  After this first winter on the mountain, I was hungry to get outside in the sunshine.  Our spring is chilly, but fine for digging.  I got potted iris into the ground and some herbs planted.  The gardening is--and will remain--limited.  We're on a community well, with higher water bills than a municipal system.  But surrounded by pine trees and wildflowers, who needs a big flower garden? 

So: the herb garden and the irises. A little salvia for the hummers and mahonia for interest.  That'll do.  The herbs are for the chickens later.  I still have chicken fever, but due to a recent recuperation, chickens will happen next year. 

(Click on the first photo to expand them all.)

The recuperation was due to a bladder prolapse surgery in mid-April.  It was my second--the first was five years ago.  "No lifting more than ten pounds for six weeks."  Ten pounds!  Six weeks?  Doc even nixed the dog walking.  (Gypsy is large, very strong, and has the prey drive of a wolf.) 

I have behaved myself, as it was my over-lifting that caused the prolapses.  The spirit was willing, but the body was furious.  Now I can work my way back to normal life.  Wisely.

Coming up: a chain link yard for the dog by the end of July, and a chicken coop/run by fall.  A friend gave me fencing when her little dog passed.  That, combined with a couple more panels, will make a safe run for the chooks.  And for the record: Apologies In Advance for all the chick pictures!

Cheers, y'all!

 Coop/shed is 12 x 10, total run area is 240 sq ft.

Gypsy waits for a fenced yard.  In the meantime: hiking.

Progress is a beautiful thing. (And beauty is in the eye of the beholder.)

I took a risk today and photographed the studio as it is so far.  The risk is that someone will call the paddy wagon, and I'll end up in one of those nifty sweaters that ties in the back.  Livin' dangerously. 

With a before photo to illustrate how far it's come, here's a tour of what's happened to what my spousal unit calls The Scary Room.  (This has been his name for it the last four places we've lived.  I wonder why?)

Even though it seems a mess right now, it's at least set up so I can start working soon. First it was a storage room while we got moved in--everything that didn't have a place yet got shoved in there. Then when it was (mostly) empty except for what would live there, it was the Painting Room, because we've done all our own finish work on the new house. I painted miles of trim here. 🙂

Now that there are work tables, I used my old doll show display screens to go vertical with storage and as a backstop for the paint/sculpt and the sewing tables. On the other side of the screens/tables are walls of storage, big windows, and the Willie-Cat's favorite sunny spot.

A Before photo, and then some (not quite ready) Afters.

Don't know where something goes?  Throw it in here!  We put one little twin bed in there, in case one of us snores the other out of the master bedroom.  It sort of turned into the pets' daybed. 

 

There's Willie in her window sill basket.  She sleeps there allllll day.

 

I bought seven bookshelf units to store things...almost organized!

 

Still need trim for the closets.  It's painted and ready, just not up yet.  

No doors, though--they just get in the way.  

 

The top two rows hold yarn.  Below that are bins, drawers, and boxes full of...well, so many kinds of supplies I'd be embarrassed to list them all here.   We'll just say I could make just about anything.

I hope y'all enjoyed the tour.  Or at least weren't traumatized by it.  I'll post again when I've got it entirely functional.  As I need to turn some piles of fabric into curtains for the new house, I'm highly motivated to get this all sorted out!