Dog Paddle

Fido blowing in the wind in Saturn on the Rio Grande.

We got lots of rain today as promised by the forecast.

A slight break in the weather about 30 minutes after I got all wet carrying groceries from the store to the car and then from the car into the house in the pouring rain. Les choses sont contre nous!

¡Un Dos Tres¡ Pink Moon… NOT! Again!

One Owlet. Major Tom Peepers.

Two Owlets. Mona Lisa and Major Tom Peepers

Three Owlets. Mona Lisa, Major Tom Peepers and ????

How about Sleepy for the third Owlet?

Actually Major Tom Peepers ran out of steam, also.

Sweet dreams Major Tom Peepers.

Mona Lisa and Major Tom Peepers thought it was a little bright out as you can see them squinting in the next two photos.


Another year. Another no show for the Pink Moon. Marina had clicked on my Pink Moon post from last year and reminded me that tonight is April’s full moon (maybe April’s fool moon) known as the Pink Moon.

Cloud cover thwarted me again. The Pink Moon would have risen near the towers.

The extent of the pink southeast of the Sandias.

We got a slight big of clearing to the west.

Two Firsts and a Wet Skunk

I got water for my first irrigation tonight. It’s so dry the land soaks up the water for a long time before it keeps flowing. Furthermore, the water level in the acequia madre keeps fluctuating, which changes the water pressure. Between bone dry land and changing water pressure, it’s going to take a long time to get everything watered tonight. I may not get everything watered tonight.

That little fuzzy head in the darkness is Mama Owl’s and Daddy Owl’s new owlet sticking its head up for the first time to say “Hello world!” I was talking to Jim between calling the owlet and taking photos, and Jim asked “Why don’t they stick their heads up when it’s light?” I told him that owls like darkness.

Mama Owl and Daddy Owl in a cottonwood in the bosque looking for Junior’s dinner.

If anyone has suggestions for names for Junior, I’m open.

“¡Hola Mundo!”

The left fork in the Y in my irrigation ditch flows through a culvert where Scrappy Skunk was sleeping. Poor Scrappy was rudely awakened by the water and he came out one end of the pipe but got offended that I was videotaping him. He crawled back in the culvert, came out the other side, went back in, and stayed in the culvert until the water got too high and finally forced him out. He was an embarrassed wet skunk when he finally climbed out of the ditch and ran off. You can watch Scrappy Skunk in all his wet glory in the video below.

Tonight’s flowers, bunny and moon follow.

Beatrice Bunny

Eye of Fuzzy Wild Skies

I walked up to check on Fuzzy. Nora Owl was not in the nest, but Fuzzy would not look over the edge. Osric Owl was in a cottonwood about 200 feet south of Fuzzy, but he was busy looking up at something between hoots. Nora Owl was in a cottonwood about 200 feet to the northeast of Fuzzy, hooting at Osric and probably telling Fuzzy to keep his head down. The skies on the way back from visiting with the owls were nothing short of wild.

Osric Owl keeping his eye on something I couldn’t see.

Nora Owl giving me “square eyes”.

Osric Owl is looking a little thin. I think he’s overworked keeping Nora and fuzzy fed.

Nora Owl just after she gave a hoot.

A Country Song

Spunk relaxing in on the deck rail this afternoon.

Two-Stepping To Nowhere

Music: Ron Blood & Joel Lewis. Arrangement: Joel Lewis. Rhythm Guitar: Joel Lewis. 2nd Guitar: Timothy Price. Bass: Timothy Price. Drums: Mark Simma.

Spunk: “NOOooooo! Not that stupid country song!!!”

Two-Stepping To Nowhere is a collaboration between Ron Blood, Joel Lewis, Mark Simma, and I. Ron sent Joel tracks with a bass line and Mark Simma’s drum track. Joel wanted to make a country song, so he slowed it down, which messed up the bass line, so he took out the bass. He recorded the rhythm tracks with the drum tracks playing a semi-hollow body Tele, if I remember correctly, and sent the song to Ron and me. I listened to the song, lyrics popped into my head, I wrote them down, went into the studio, added a vocal track, and sent the song with vocals back to Joel and Ron a couple of hours after Joel had sent the rhythm guitar and drum tracks. Later I added the twangy 2nd guitar playing my Black Tele, and a new bass line. It’s a really silly song, as you can see by Spunk’s reaction above. But it’s fun and funny. The lyrics are at the bottom of the post if you want to follow along.

Spunk taking over my lunch back before I got it packed this morning.

Spunk: “And YOU thing cat herding is really tough!”

Spunk: “Oh Gwedolyn! Did you really need to break wind?”

Silver planning his attack for after I turn out the lights.

A little before sunset tonight.

Two-Stepping To Nowhere
Music: Ron Blood & Joel Lewis
Arrangement: Joel Lewis
Rhythm Guitar: Joel Lewis
2nd Guitar: Timothy Price
Bass: Timothy Price
Drums: Mark Simma

I barfed on my cat today
He was pissed. It’s always the other way
I dragged myself out of bed
Stepped on cats trying to get them all fed
The life of a cat herder is really tough
No one ever seems to get enough

Chorus
It’s like trying to glide
Across the dance floor
When all you do is a slide
Two-Steppin’ to nowhere

I got myself made up and dandy
Going to go dancing and find some candy
A lovely chica got me out on the floor
She looked real nice she knew the score
But it was just my dumb luck
I drove my car, I had left my viagra in the pickup truck

Chorus
It’s like trying to glide
Across the dance floor
When all you do is a slide
Two-Steppin’ to nowhere

Out in the truck to do some shoppin’
The County station was down,
I had to listen to a dude named Chopin
It’s hard on a fella and his imaging
When the country chicas could hear
The wussy music he was listening to

Chorus
It’s like trying to glide
Across the dance floor
When all you do is a slide
Two-Steppin’ to nowhere

I barfed on my cat today
He was pissed. It’s always the other way
I dragged myself out of bed
Stepped on cats trying to get them all fed
The life of a cat herder is really tough
No one ever seems
No one ever seems
No one ever seems to get enough