(Above: Dawn as pictured through a gap in the tree-line where there recently stood a hack-berry tree.)
9/12/2021: The weather today began in the mid 70s and warmed to the high 80s. Clouds prevailed until the end.
Morning of 9/12/2021: A disfigured roan bovine and her calf. We are still uncertain what caused the partial paralysis of this cow’s face and the loss of her left eye.
A juvenile anole atop a Jacob-finger.
Lunch today consisted of pulled-pork topped with homemade BBQ sauce and a hefty amount of Romaine-based salad.
A Brahman cow stands sentry over a herd of calves – four of which are Gaur-lings.
Dinner this evening consisted of corn tortillas topped with a spiced egg scramble. I included a hint of cinnamon with this batch to grant it a tinge of sweetness. It was different, but quite enjoyable.
9/13/2021: A partly cloudy day beginning in the high 60s and proceeding to warm tothe mid 80s.
Lunch today consisted of victuals procured from Sushi Bistro. The soup was excellent with additions of arugula and chili flakes, and even though the sushi rice has changed for the worse (slightly) recently, the whole still makes for an excellent meal. As always, the fish was fresh and savory.
#268 bore a new Gaur hybrid into existence today. Even though it seems quite docile at this time, it possesses some similarities to an animal one would find in the wild. The eyes – amber in color – are especially noteworthy in this regard.
For dinner, we consumed a grilled Master Blend Belgian Blue chuck steak alongside plenty of greens.
9/14/2021: A day beginning in the low 70s and proceeding to warm into high 80s. A heavy afternoon rain brought temperature back down to the low 80s.
Morning of 9/14/2021: Bovines graze beneath a mostly-clear sky.
One of the morning activities consisted of replacing a broken post with a new one and attaching the electric cable at an appropriate height.
Another morning activity: Venturing to the Taylor Gardens Nursery and procuring another 6-7 lbs of muscadine grapes. Many still remain.
Today’s lunch consisted of a Jacob-baked potato along with cabbage salad and chicken-noodle soup both acquired from Robert of Aneta’s Bistro.
The impending arrival of heavy afternoon rains.
Cachucha peppers dripping with the remnants of recently dissipated precipitation.
Dinner: Spiced egg tacos accompanied by a delicious arugula-based salad.
I found this creature at the Taylor Garden’s Nursery.
9/15/2021: A cool and foggy morning in the 70s ensued by a temperate day reaching the high 80s.
Dawn of 9/15/2021 in the central beef pasture.
The same dawn as pictured through a gap in the tree-line where there recently stood a hack-berry tree.
A morning adventure to the Salt Springs. The weather was perfect for playing the accordion, reading some “Children of Dune” by Frank Herbert, meeting an older fellow with an interesting cat named “Squeaky” (23 year old critter), and swimming.
Instead of venturing out to eat somewhere afterward, I returned home where I put together a couple especially tasty burger-steaks comprised of Master Blend Wagyner Blue ground beef.
Later on in the day, I took time off of work to rest, make some ‘twisty’ loaves of bread (literally twisted the dough to make the loaves longer and give them a unique form), and to put together a creamy leek bisque.
A dinner of the aforementioned bread and bisque accompanied by a Padre-made and Jacob-dressed salad.
9/16/2021: A warm day beginning in the mid-70s and reaching the low-90s in the afternoon. The only precipitation was a brief drizzle.
9/16/2021: Dawn.
One of the morning activities consisted of repairing this fence and adding the lengthy board along the top.
Lunch: A hefty Wagyner Blue Chuck steak accompanied by plenty of Aneta’s cabbage salad. Both were excellent in flavor.
Sizeable false parasol mushrooms located directly west of Jacobhouse on a compost heap.
Quite… sizeable.
An impressive cloudscape viewed over the central eastern pasture.
The fully pressure-washed north side of Jacobhouse. Tomorrow, I intend to do the same for the south.
9/17/2021: A day beginning in the low 70’s with fog and proceeding to warm into the high 80s. Prevalent cloud cover kept the afternoon fairly comfortable if not a tad humid.
Dawn of 9/17/2021.
A morning project: Putting in a couple posts by the Chiltepin-Oak and stringing an electric-wire around it to prevent bovines from wallowing in the mud.
Lunch was eaten with Padre at Lorito’s this day and consisted of two very large pieces of pizza, some French Fries, and a terrific salad dressed in a light Italian Vinaigrette.
A right triangle.
Flourishing cachucha peppers within the Jacobhouse garden.
Jacobhouse’s south side pre-pressure washing.
The pressure-washed south side of Jacobhouse.
Dinner: An ultra-lean Belgian Blue sirloin accompanied by a salad comprised of Eduardo greens, onion, olive, and Jacob-dressing.
The grape-population has shrunk drastically over the past couple days, but that is a good thing. They will all be consumed before the Mexico trip on the 21st.
9/19/2021: A tepid day beginning in the low 70s and warming to the mid-80s. Constant cloud cover aided the temperatures in remaining stable.
Morning of September 18, 2021.
An early-day task: Creating a lift for the central feed barn’s float valve. This will raise the water level and provide the bovines a greater reservoir from which to drink.
Lunch: A delectable meal of spiced beef & egg tacos topped with Padre-made and Jacob-dressed salad.
This is a hammer-head planarian (worm) whose length was almost 1′ long. Padre and I witnessed how multiple of these hammerheads were hunting for prey – namely earthworms. Both types of worms had been forced to the surface due to the sodden nature of the soil.
Dinner: A tremendous fare of reverse-seared Wagyu Shoulder Roast, arugula-based salad, and toasted bread with Plugra butter.
Final Note:Awareness is a tool by which beauty may be recognized and truly appreciated. With that in mind, here is a word from Hattun the Madcap.
Long ago, I said to meself; “Be the tree who walks.” I don’t know where the words came from, nor did I completely understand what they meant. I simply knew that I liked trees and that I never wanted to be rooted in any one place.
Over the years, though, I began to see a greater wisdom to the whim. Trees don’t seek water or soil or sun or mate; why… they don’t actively ‘do’ anything at all. Yet, by hook or by crook, they succeed at Life’s purpose o’ subsistence n’ procreation while, too, grantin’ us such gifts as fruits and nuts and needles and shade.
How can this be? How can a tree – a thing without thought – live and produce so effortlessly while most folks capable o’ consciousness fail again n’ again?
I’ll tell you why, Bak: The tree is a tree. It is itself. It is. It doesn’t have all these ‘conditions’ that we human ‘beans’ require for comfort. It bears not an inklin’ of expectation. Aye, whether thrivin’ beneath gentle rains and a warm springtime sun or being snapped to splinters before the autumn gale, the tree just ‘is’ while beauty’s brought about by’n’by.
1 thought on “Week of 9/12/2021 – Trees.”
Padre
I’ve missed Hat, look forward to hearing more from him along the way… liked the passage a good deal too.
I’ve missed Hat, look forward to hearing more from him along the way… liked the passage a good deal too.