This week on the homestead…
Sunset on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. We have been spoiled this week with spectacular sunsets almost every day!
Cholla buds on a cholla at the edge of the property. You can see the fence line right behind it.
Our cardinal friend is back since the bird feeder is filled up again. I think he could hear my camera! Or maybe that’s just my imagination.
A double rainbow opposite the sunset on Thursday, January 16th, 2020. I think every time we have seen a rainbow here so far, it has been a double rainbow!
The sunset on Thursday, January 16th, 2020. It was a little bit rainy, windy, and cloudy all day, but it was worth it to see this sunset.
We have been having some colder nights, with lows getting down to the high 20s most nights. I went to look at my apple trees and most of the leaves are gone. I planted the same type when we lived near San Diego, and the leaves never all fell off. It was shocking to me to see naked little trees. I am pretty sure that is OK though since the weather is colder here.
We have a lot of bushes and trees on the property. The last owner wanted the property to look good, so he did more planting then most people do in the desert. Most of the plants are in remote parts of the property so I don’t need to do much with them. There are some that are closer to the house and lining the driveway. Many of those are getting overgrown and need to be cut back to give us more space.
I bought a wood chipper this week to help with these plants. I had already cut some bushes and just stacked the branches in the property. That worried me because it creates a home for pack-rats, and that will bring in rattlesnakes. I have a spot that is going to be my compost pile. I had some sticks and things stacked there and a pack-rat had already moved in.
A picture of the new Sun Joe wood chipper we bought from Amazon.
I didn’t get everything cleaned up that I wanted, but I can see more of the driveway now. I also got a decent amount of compost for my efforts.
-Joshua and Lynn
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That was a lot of work! I am surprised to see the cardinal, I didn’t think they were out West as I haven’t seen one out West. We get a lot of House finches, chickadees, and blue jays at our feeder. In the yard, we get wood peckers. We have hummingbird that flit by and stop at the flowers.
I was definitely surprised the first time I saw the male cardinal. He really stands out in the brown bushes.
It seems that we live on the edge of where cardinals are found.
Such a different landscape than what I’m used to, but it’s very beautiful!
It is beautiful. The desert isn’t for everyone but we find it to be peaceful.
I love wood chippers.
It is a great tool! I don’t know why I didn’t get one years ago.