M0untainF0rester

Chuck and Yauch catching some early morning rays.

Our girl cat Diamond, getting some sun after a chilly morning, taking turns near the puppies, Chuck and Dee. Diamond is the smallest of the cats and isn’t always thrilled with puppy energy, or the energy of her brothers, for that matter. But she does like them, and goes up to them when they’re calm.

Cats and dogs consorting right out in the open! It’s a scandal, I tell you!!

The pictures of Chuck and Dee inside the barn were taken one month ago, their first day here. The puppiness is very apparent. They’re still puppies, 4 months old this week, but you can see the difference in these pics taken today. Dee is next to the power pole, Chuck is in front of the tree.

Babies everywhere need a nap after lunch. These two might be as little as 3 months old, not older than 4 months. Dee is in the purple collar, Chuck is in the green. They like to lap sit but they’re heavy on my legs. They’re learning how to walk on a leash, today was the second day of training.

Dee and Chuck are very tired after all our exploring of the property. They were born in a nice rescue facility about 20 miles from us. They’ve walked miles along the trails we have here, on their second day with us. They’re big but young, ~4 months, and puppy-tired, so they need to crash right now.

Two new doggies. Blue heeler x German Shepherd/Bull Terrier mix, about 3 1/2 months old. Very smart and friendly. They seem like excellent dogs and we do like heeler mixes. The brother has a dark spot over the right eye, he’s Chuck. The sister is in the cage with a toy, she’s Dee.

Valles Caldera national preserve, near Los Alamos NM.

This summer has seen a super bloom of sunflowers. This stand near our barn is self-sown, and the bees are loving it. It’s also the time for golden crownbeard to bloom. This patch next to the driveway is also entirely self-sown.

This enclosure is where the cats and dogs will sleep. Only thing left is the mesh. The barn is already insulated and we will add more to the walls to make it warmer for winter. We’ll add a pet door to the barn wall so they can go in or out as they please. Cats hunt at night.

A tower for the cats. Yes, it’s Grinch Green.

They’re obviously sleeping and had zero interest in photos, but we decided on names. Left to right, please meet Adrock, Yauch (pronounced “Yowk”), and Diamond. Beastie Boys theme. Diamond is the female; props to Mike D for being a good sport without even knowing. We used his name for our girl cat.

New barn cats.

You have to look close but you may be able to see a rabbit getting some shade by our propane tank. This is from our dining room window.

Last fall we had a massive crop of piñon nuts around here, and one result is a surplus of mice. A co-worker of Alycia’s has a barn cat that just littered two kittens, which we will soon get. This will be their house. There’s a sheltered place by the barn where they will stay.

Two blooms with more soon to pop as well. This is a pineapple cactus. They struggle to compete with the prickly pear, which is beginning to bloom itself.

OK this can be enough furniture porn for one day. A glassware cabinet, also from Karachi. It had been sitting out in the weather at a furniture seller’s outdoor area. He gave it for what seemed like a very low price. We’ll probably set a lamp on it.

Here’s another very special piece, from our days in Karachi. Cred to the legendary Mrs Faruqui for telling me about the cabinet, which I got for Alycia’s birthday. Reawakens fond memories from half a lifetime ago.

On 4 June 2025, we finally moved out of “provisional quarters” (in order: Ford van, van inside barn, and camp trailer) and into the house. It’s far from finished but it’s getting cleaner and more organized every hour. That means we’re sleeping in our own place. First time ever!

Handmade by our neighbor. We have a few stored art pieces that we will be putting around the house, but this is the first. I don’t usually think of a dining table as art, but this one is.

We’re moving our stuff in already, as we clean each room. I think we’ll be inside in just a few days.

Out the kitchen window

Water pressure! And yes, it’s hot! I turned on the water main from the well house pressure tank to the house for the first time day before yesterday. Today I turned on the water heater. Tonight are the first showers in a home that belongs to us!

You’d never know it but this little elm sapling had all its leaves stripped off by high winds less than 2 weeks ago. It’s the same tree that posted pics of early in April. I had thought it would die, but it looks downright vibrant.

Is it snowing where you are on 5 May? This happens at least once every May in this region. You might also glimpse the deer that got in when the gate was open. I don’t want them to climb over the fence so now I will go and gently try to get them to leave.

Before we finished the fence and the deer would wander through, I called them neighbors. This little horny toad lizard lives inside the fence so he’s a roommate. In a five acre room, kinda. We’ve seen a few around the place, they hibernate in the soil during winter. He’s about 2 inches/5 cm long.

A familiar bloom and a new species. These little flowers are fleabane, which is a strange name because it doesn’t repel any bugs. But it’s a nice little flower. Also I found a “new” species for our place, Rocky Mountain juniper. Piñons and juniper often grow together, this is the first on our place.

The humble sheep fescue grass. Not native to the region but it is all around, and it self-planted, I didn’t sow it. It helps prevent erosion and is generally beneficial to the soil so we will let it grow and spread.

This is the little seedling I posted yesterday. I took that photo less than 24 hours ago, and the little leaves are almost twice as big as before.