Hold up!

👡👡

Those shoes will never do, you will need boots for this one. We are going all the way down below, then all the way to the top of that property to see if the old apple trees survived the winter. They are pretty amazing. They are at the top of a knoll, the nearest creek is several hundred yards away and at least 30 feet lower elevation. They get no water all summer long as we have absolutely no reasonable way of getting water up there, but they don't seem to need it. Our land has several clay layers to it and these old apple orchard survivors have managed to sink some roots into the underground mini-aquifers the clay allows to form. They survived the collapse of the apple orchards. They survived the wheat farmers that came next. They survived the cattle rancher who begged for grazing rights from the previous owner. At last David capitulated and let the old man move his cows on. A call comes a few days later that the old guy was cutting down apple trees on David's land. David was furious, the old guy's explanation was "Cows don't like them."

Spoiler Alert! They Are Alive!

(All photos taken today with my Samsung Galaxy cell phone in the howling wind!)

Can you imagine? Cutting down hundred years old trees on someone else's property without even thinking to ask?! Especially after you had been told "No" to grazing several times and hounded the man to be allowed to put cows there? This is a funny little town, one family once owned all this land and they lost most of it. That is the family, so I think they may have a little residual "ownership" attitude that is not really justified at this point. Lets head on down the hill!

The tulips are walking on down the hillside, following the snowdrops.

This section of fence is decorative... luckily. This area we do not graze, it is the lowest spot on the land and we try to make it wildlife friendly.

Makes a handy place to step over rather than go around at least!



This little corner is just crawling with wild leeks. It cracks me up when I see what they get for them in the grocery store, they are WEEDS down here!

If you have leeky dreams, have I got a field for you!



We need to keep an eye out for asparagus. The first shoot of the season was spotted by my husband on his chore run yesterday! It is really interesting how much food is on this land, just naturalized, considering it is high desert. Life is tenacious. Well, the asparagus patches are not producing yet down here, so lets gather what we find.

No asparagus yet, but yarrow at the base of the old stalks!

A reminder of how tough life can be out here. I am not an expert at these types of things, not sure what animal this was or what may have gotten it, but... I am reminded of hard news I got last night. A friend of my husband and mine from high school just lost her beloved husband. She and I were not close, but we have a mutual close friend and stayed in loose contact through her. What I had noticed was how happy she looked in her photos with him. When I knew her she was very pretty but always so guarded she almost had a fierce look to her. He erased that look, and I ache for her loss. Life is so fragile, remember to be gentle with the people you love.

RIP



LOOK AT THAT!!! Oh wait, it is not. I thought for a minute the camas I have been calling for two years was here at last, wrong bud though. It was on the neighbor's place last year and it had to come from the other side of the hill. I mean, how fast can you expect a plant to walk, right? Although the more I look at it, the more I am not sure. I will have to go check again in a few days when it blooms.

It was a cheap momentary thrill, but not camas. Or maybe it is...? CLIFFHANGER!

OK we are finally back where we visually started! I wanted the trees to be the thumbnail so they got put at the top of the post. Chronologically, they should go here. We will have to get by with this photo of one of these staunch trees that has weathered so many tribulations! Look at this trunk, nearly empty, but the tree is about to bloom anyway.

Fairy home if I ever saw one.



Looks like dwarves moved in here.

The white house in upper / center frame - that is where we started. Pretty good hike already and we still have to go back! That is Council Mountain on the right side.

Do you smell smoke?

They are doing "controlled burns." They do them every year. That is what they call it when they go out and start a fire to reduce the fuel load and thus the risk of wildfires. That is what they call them until they lose control of it and they burn adjoining ranches like the Hammonds. Don't you DARE try to light your own backfire to save your property or you will go to prison as a domestic terrorist. DWIGHT AND STEVEN HAMMOND. Look into it, please. That is NOT fiction, that is reality out here. (And in case you forgot, I did mention the wind here is HOWLING. Has been for 2 days.)

Relax! The government says this is under control. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, yes... look who is back! Thank you, my sweet sage plant! This lovely grows wild all around here but this is the only plant on my land. I do harvest a bit every year for my smudge.

Blessed by sacred plants!

That is a TINY moth! I click away, hoping the cell phone gets a halfway decent shot! Such a pretty little thing!

Got the shot! And it turns out he was having lunch with an even tinier friend!



Don't you love it when your own pictures hold surprises for you?



Almost back now! Lets go check on that old cherry tree. I have been saying I thought everything got frozen, but @warpedweaver has been holding the faith. She appears justified!

Blurry pic from the wind, but I think those are blooms!

Home again, lets have one last look across that gorgeous view before we head inside!



Lets get the harvest on trays. The air here is dry enough that I won't even turn the dehydrator on. The sage, as noted, is for smudge and the yarrow I will dry out and crush for using on cuts. I use dry in a pinch for stings, but I prefer to grab some fresh for that when possible. It grows everywhere around here so it is usually possible.

The combined aroma is heavenly!

That was a long and long winded walk lol! Thank you for keeping me company and may your every step be blessed!