Day 1: Twelve Days of 2023

Sooooo many things have happened around here this year, some of which I'd forgotten about until I started going through my pictures. I decided to recap by doing a post a day, one for each month. So this is some of the highlights (and lows!) of  January 2023. Above, some first eggs from new Black Copper Marans pullets.

I had several beds of greens thriving under row cover

Early in the month there was a lot of rain and some snow with high winds, causing a lot of damage to tarps and garden covers. At Christmas I had 3 doelings born to two mammas and they were doing well.

And then Esmarelda had her twin boys the morning it was 25 degrees outside.

I started lots of seeds. Over 500 seedlings

Lots of rain and snow

My Posie goat was so sick and I really didn't know what I didn't know. I lost her and it broke my heart. Now I know that she was extremly deficient in copper and carrying triplets she went down with pregnancy toxemia. I did everything I could think of for the toxemia but at that point I didn't know anything about copper deficiency. 

Esmarelda rejected her twins so they became bottle babies. 

But she has been an awesome milker and once I got her milking she settled down just fine and in all this time has rarely danced around or kicked the bucket while milking.

Wonderful Wednesday

The girls are still a bit suspicious of the puppy but are at least eating even if he’s in the pen, as long as he’s not noisy and doesn’t get too close. 

Early morning watering because I didn’t get here last night. I think I saved most of them. 

Today’s project, make this nematode infested garden space into a goat pen. 

I hauled a lot of the bigger rocks to add to this retaining wall. 

This boy is quite a water dog. 

And likes to play in the mud. 

I think I wore him out. 

Gazelle, the hay hog. 

The mmmm. Bambi, that bulge on your right side is mighty suspicious. (Goats rumens bulge on their left   Babies bulge on their right). 

Puppy is not sure he wants to come out. Tink the cat was just of the picture and he wasn’t too sure what to make of her. 

I did make progress on the new pen and got some more pallets to hopefully finish up the pen tomorrow. And of course did all the usual things… dishes, laundry, feed, water, milk, feed the puppy and the bottle baby and now it’s waaay past my bedtime. Good night 

Been a long hot week

The flowers are picking up

Okra

Picked the first Trombonccino plus Armenian cucumber, zucchini and patty pan

Seeds planted are popping up

Made some yogurt 

Posie gave me bit of a scare with some super rapid breathing. It was a super hot afternoon like 110 very humid and no breeze at all. She was much better when it finally cooled down and the next evening was her usual trouble making self. 

With the heat plus the heavy rain a couple weeks ago I’m seeing signs of coccidiosis in some chicks. Most are doing ok but these two are down. Giving some milk and hope they make it. 

The flies oh man the flies. I have about 25 fly traps out right now and they aren’t even making a dent. This trap has only been up about 48 hours. And it’s not just me, apparently the whole state has issues. 

Mr coyote comes by every afternoon. The red arrows point him out. 

First tarantula of the season

#appreciation

Today I appreciate the much cooler temperatures 

FIRE!

Planted out sweet potatoes and okra

Had a rattlesnake close to the front door. Haven’t seen it since.

1st egg from a fall hatched Pullet

Working on making a flat space to build a real goat shed

Dug some new potatoes 

So there I was about June 4th going about my business, trying to keep everything watered and taken care of.  When some 20 miles away, just south of Superior, AZ a brush fire started. 

By June 6 my area was on SET mode of READY, SET, GO! The fire was moving hot and fast and came over the mountains with lightening speed. 

Looking west towards my house area and the fire morning of June 7. My kids convinced me to go ahead and leave because what would happen if the GO order came in the middle of night. 

Family nearby made room and we evacuated the goats, Giotto and probably over 100 chicks, some of which I just took out of the incubator. And it was a good call because the GO order came about 4am June 7

The night glow from my safe space. This was actually one of the less exciting evenings 

On Tuesday June 8 the mountains were on fire. When it was less than a mile from my house the fire turned into the mountains. I missed work on Monday but by evening I’d done everything I could do so I went to work on Tuesday. These pictures are from the drive in.

 

I spent some time at my house dumping out piles of feed, filling water pans and turning birds loose while I watched the ridge line for any hint of flame. 

It was scary and nerve wracking 

Even more so in the dark. 

I was fortunate to be able to to the house and turn on the sprinklers. We had some days in the 105°-112°F range so I lost a lot of plants in small pots. The loose chickens mowed the oregano to the ground

And left the pepper plants with no leaves at all

I went home after a week tho the fire was still burning up the mountains my house was fairly safe. 

A few pics from hiway 60 between Miami and Superior. Still some hot spots. 

The fire burned all the way through the Pinal mountains and joined up with the other fire burning at the same time, the Mescal. Then it headed south. Many ranchers have lost all their grazing land and some families have lost their homes and everything they own. As of today, June 23, 2021 the Telegraph fire has burned 180,725 acres of land and is only 89% contained. It was a human caused fire that is still under investigation. From west to east it burned over about 45 miles in less than a week. From north to south it has burned about 15-20 miles. Our mountains will never be the same.