garden notes, mmxxiii-i-xxx

we're thinking this is a broad-winged hawk

the lump on the chest/belly in the top picture is a foot tucked for warmth - 

it's pretty cold today

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-xxvii

Cora with clouds and shadows and Romeo,

Cora's arena toes,

Reno and the almost-first-quarter moon

trail notes, mmxxiii-i-xxvi

 

garden notes, mmxxiii-i-xxvi

cedar waxwing, robin, yellow-rumped warbler

critter notes, mmxxiii-i-xxv

Elliot is officially here to stay. After feeding her outdoors for seven months and having her inside with us for five weeks, we finally got her into a cat carrier and took her to the veterinarian yesterday morning. She got vaccinated and viral tested and she's all clear. At the vet's office they found that she had a microchip, so Bren prayed a little while and then called the microchip company to see whether Elliot's previous owners were looking for her, and discovered that the chip was registered to a rescue group that traps, spays and releases feral cats. They were delighted to hear that Elliot has found her way into someone's home, and they're going to change the microchip registration to us. We started letting her start interact directly with the Sōsuke and Leeloo last evening--up till now we've always had a barrier between them, the screen of their play tent or glass doors--but now that she has been cleared they can all be together.

So far, so good.

trail notes, mmxxiii-i-xxiv

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-xxiii

Cora and me in the round pen

Casper and Nicholas

sleepy Romeo

hanging out with Romeo and Cora

Winnie, the ranch owner's new sabino mustang

(Winnie spent her first three years in the wild,

then a year and a half in a BLM holding facility,

then four months with a trainer in Bryan, TX.

Our ranch owners bought her at an auction Saturday night

and brought her home on Sunday.

She is super elegant and seems friendly and curious.

She will likely be Cora's new paddock mate

when she is cleared from quarantine.)

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-xx

On our first pass over the raised bar Cora klunked it

with her front left foot but lifted her other feet over it.

On our second pass she said "heck with this"

and walked around the bar. She is ridiculously smart.

Later we caught a glimpse the next-door ranch's barn cat.

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-xvi

dainty sulphur on shepherd's purse

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-xiii

Cora and Phoebus Apollo,

Minnie

critter notes, mmxxiii-i-xiii

Elliot

trail notes, mmxxiii-i-xii

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-xi

trail notes, mmxxiii-i-x

chiltepines

and a newly discovered footpath

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-ix

gray hairstreak, bluebird, little casper and jazz, pollinating junipers

trail notes, mmxxiii-i-vi

moonwalk under the wolf moon -

the opossum was on a very dark part of the trail,

it held very still and pretended i couldn't see it

the great horned owl was at the top of our front tree when i got home

ranch notes, mmxxiii-i-v

magical Cora, and Reno, Casper and Nick with the old timers from the field beyond

critter notes, mmxxiii-ii-v

elliot and sōsuke, junji