New Mexico Memories

Found some photos from an abandoned neighbor's place in New Mexico. I really enjoyed this historic photo session, which created wonderful memories.

 

Tone of Voice

New Canine Companion

We adopted a new dog on Friday, 2/16/24. It was time. Grace (now Tilly) has some health challenges and  was transferred from Gallup, NM to High Country Humane in Flagstaff. She's quite a cutie, and can't stop wagging her tail (see photo) and licking us. An Australian shepherd mix, she was only 27 lbs when High Country did their intake 3 weeks ago & today is 41lbs. We're feeding her 3/day and now able to cut back to a reasonable amount of food. So far, we haven't found anything she will not eat.

She was food deprived (probably on the streets for a while) and likes to eat fast & run away. To slow down her eating, and instead of buying a fancy slow-eat bowl, I put a big river rock in the middle.  Works like a charm😂

 

 

 UPDATE: 2/20/24. She is sleeping well, walking better on a leash (several times a day), and bonding with us quickly.  She's laying outside my office door on the cool tile, waiting for me to stop writing. 😁 (she'll learn it may be a while).

THE GOODLANDS - My Debut Novel

I've completed my debut Western Mystery, The Goodlands, A Sam Rios Novel (or maybe a Wide-Open West Novel. Now it's time to query agents!

 

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THE GOODLANDS

A Sam Rios Novel

Christine Haese

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Part One

GONE WESTERN

 

“Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you.”  ― John Muir

 

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CHAPTER ONE

 

He was flat on his back and barely conscious when the brown and gray canine roused him with her soft whine and accompanying bad breath, panting in rapid rhythm. She had just finished rolling and rubbing on his open backpack and was standing near his side, licking his bloody shoulder. He flinched as she ratcheted her head sideways and moved her soothing tongue from his shoulder to the open wound on his forehead.

 

 “K-Dog, is that you pal?” he asked faintly.

 

With squinting eyes, he followed the canine’s flaring nostrils upward, until he saw two yellow eyes glaring at him with uncertainty. Small, pointed ears were alert and attentive. Turning his eyes and head slowly downward, Sam knew this was not his pet, but a wild creature. He should not show dominance. He held his breath as the she-wolf looked up and listened intently to something in the distant twilight. Carefully, she stepped over the human and walked toward a game trail leading into darkening timber.

 

Looking back once, the lobo shook her head, and twin strings of slobber created an arc in the final light of day. She trotted confidently into the darkness, accompanied by the scent of her mother, stolen from the human evidence bag. Her faint whine and howl called for her pack and converged with the wind.

 

Oddly, Sam Rios, Law Enforcement Officer for the US Forest Service did not fear the wild creature, but as she disappeared, he found himself exhaling in relief. Searching in its direction, he saw only black, silhouetted statues of Ponderosa pines displayed against a backdrop of disappearing sky.

 

What just happened? He stretched his wounded body upward to peer deeper into the woods, lost his balance, and rolled downhill, landing in a shallow stream of icy water, which racked him in pain. He shivered and cried loudly. His scream sent chills along the mountain’s spine and all the predators paused to listen.

 

He knew he must desperately struggle to remain in survival mode, but the warm fluid was dribbling into his eye, pain stabbed at his chest, and he could not lift his left arm. When he tried to escape the water, its sandy bottom hugged his body tighter.

 

Then he heard the shouting.

The Write Words

I found a comfy chair and was writing at the Chino Valley Library, engrossed in finding the right words. After an hour of working on a chapter of my debut novel, The Goodlands, I was hackneyed for a fresh idea and I needed the plot to take a deadly turn.

I sat back in my chair, took a nice, deep yoga breath and a drink of water. Glancing around the room and noticed that I  was surrounded by suspicious words and nasty characters. I was certainly sitting in the right section of the library.

Yep, this is definitely the time and place. Now...how shall I have my villain husband die?

Elk-Proof Fence That Works!

 

 

Traditional Elk Fencing. Most elk fencing used in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Colorado and throughout the West measures 7’-8’ tall. Past experience stipulated that going to greater heights or electrifying the fence was the best way to elk and deer out of a designated area. Federal and state agencies use high fences to protect highway frontage, pastures, and elected land. This fencing can be expensive, time consuming and difficult to install, and may not be ascetically appealing for homeowners.

Elk Proof with Double Fence. We have another fence design that is simple, well designed, long lasting,  environmentally friendly,  and attractive. It is a barrier that offers another path toward elk and deer proofing your precious landscaping and gardens. No tall fencing is needed, just smarter fencing. Simply, it consists of two fences – four feet tall and four feet apart.

 

Our first attempt to create a garden for our family gave us plenty of wildlife experiences - but no vegetables. The rabbits, gophers and especially deer and elk destroyed the plants before they grew large enough to ripen. Sometimes the elk would just walk around in the garden, tasting everything, and never actually eating anything. They trampled everything, thus ruining hard work in our garden. The first attempt at garden fencing was a 4 ft tall vintage, looped wire design. It was beautiful, but useless when it came to elk.

 

Our bedroom overlooked the flower and vegetable garden, so we kept our window slightly ajar and listened for the invaders throughout the night. Using this technique, we harvested plenty of sleep deprivation, and gained an education into the nocturnal habits of Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni).

Observing these large, horse-sized creatures trying to enter the garden always followed a precise well-learned process, and was usually instigated by cow (female) elk. Below are the methods they use:

 

Sizing up the fence. First the elk push against the fence. This tells the elk how tall and how sturdy the fence is built. Elk prefer to enter a garden or yard by simply muscling their way into the structure. It's safer for them and they aren't as likely to get tangled in wire or fencing material. If the fence is not extremely strong (which many are not) this is a fastest way for the large creatures to get to potential food.

 

Fence Jumping. If the elk are unsuccessful at pushing a fence down, they will attempt to jump from a standing position. The jump is usually easy for them, even at heights of 6 feet or more. Watching these creatures jump a fence looks quite effortless. In reality, they jump only after careful consideration and sizing up the height and width. If they have jumped the fence in the past, elk biologists have told me that the animals have a way of remembering it. As they jump, many elk will “tap” the top of a fence line with a hind foot when they jump. When I heard this, I watched them closely, and many elk certainly do tap fences, especially the cows. Experts believe their brains “remember” each fence in their territory and store its height for reference when fleeing predators.

 

Repeated process. Each night, the elk started their practiced routine: pushing, bumping, leaning, and finally jumping into forbidden area. The elk would enter and exit the garden on the same side, always on the farthest side from the house.

 

Think Outside the Fence. After reading a pioneer Alaskan’s advice on moose fencing, and watching the elk purge our garden night after night, we decided to add another fence outside of the original garden fence. We outlined the fence so that it was 4 feet away from the first one. It was made from cedar poles with 3 rails, measuring about the same height, 48 inches. The results were immediate and unfailing. We had one elk purge the garden fence in 5 years. We left the gate open and she was actually “trapped” between the 2 fences.

 

Size Matters. Elk do not like being restrained in small spaces. They will enter a small area if they can quickly escape - but as prey animals, if they cannot flee, they do not feel. This  game animal behavior is the basis for the double fence design. Our specifications are below. 

 

I   Install the 48-52” high inside fence first. This fence works best if it is made of livestock wire. Our garden was 25 feet square (25’ x 25’ x 25’ x 25’). We do this because we can         purchase a 100 foot roll of fencing. You could have some left over. You will nee to plan ahead for a gate and we left the tops of posts high - up to 72” tall. These tall posts create        nice spaces for bird houses, gathering baskets and other garden décor. 

 

Measure 4 feet from inside fence, and then install the outside fence. (We originally determined this space with one of our horses as a model, standing her between the proposed outside and inside fences. She’s a big mare, and 4 feet was tight for her, so we decided to use the dimensions for our fence separation).

 

 Use split cedar, three-rail or wooden slats for outside fence. This fence should be minimum 48” tall. The tops of the 6 foot posts should be set at about 50”, placing them about 22” deep. Pack and tamp them well. The sturdiness of the posts is crucial. Elk will not jump into the alleyway that is created between the two fences and therefore do not get into your garden.

 

Garden Access. We took an extra step and created a walk-through arbor into the garden with a gate at the second fence. We never had an elk able to walk into the from arbor.

Important Note: if your two fences are different, elk pay better attention to them. I believe they view them as two obstacles instead of one.

 

Prettiest Wire Fence. I love vintage style wire fences, especially the double looped, cottage style, garden wire that surrounds old homes in small towns. Many gardeners are re-stretching the old wire and buying reproduction wire from new manufacturers. The double loop design can be important because the bottom half of the wire is smaller and will discourage rabbits and large rodents. 

 

Updated and republished from 2013

C Haese, copyright 2024