A boot

These are expensive, custom made boots. The spurs have a ruby inset in each, or, well, one has a ruby inset. On the other boot, not pictured, the ruby fell out. If you want to dig through the dirt on a 350 acre ranch you could be the lucky finder of the ruby! The spurs were a gift to our friend from his grandad, so they're very precious to him. I asked him why the spurs were so teensy and he said the large spurs were made for breaking in horses and he's not breaking in horses so his spurs are like this. I guess he kept them on a wall for years till his grandad told him to quit looking at them and wear them. So he did. He does. They have a large, close-knit, family. His grandad died two years ago and our friend had a very hard time with it.

The calf branding was beyond my expectations. It was a piece of Americana - New Mexican flavored Americana. Evidently it's a yearly gathering that they've done for generations. Literally, generations. Some of the people in this sleepy little town have lived in this region for years. Some stay, some go and make a living and come back, but the roots here are strong. These people are dug in and they're not leaving. That's a new feel to me.

So. Yeah, I got pictures and video. I considered whether or not to post them. People who buy all their meat at the market (that would be me) or people who are vegan or vegetarian will find offense in the calf branding...and ear tagging and castration. The way it was done 100 years ago is how it's done today and that's what I saw yesterday. Me, I've had time to get used to the idea. People ranch here. People hunt here. In Southern California, as a city dweller I met zero hunters and ranchers. It's just not done, it's not cool to kill animals. But here it's different. They hunt and kill and eat the animals. The whole thing, they eat. There's not much waste I tell you that for certain.

I'm going to post some of my photos and maybe a video. Don't look ifns you don't like that kind of stuff. That's your fair warning.

I saw a baby roadrunner outside today! And yesterday there was an incredible sandstorm like what you see in the movies! Worst sandstorm I ever saw. Husband and I had just finished checking our campers for payment (we call it "checking for scofflaws") when we saw some weather approaching. We talked back and forth - could it be fog, could it be rain? But it wasn't grey. It was an odd neutral color with maybe a little amber in it. Then my husband said, "Sand. It's a huge sandstorm. Make sure everything's battened down." We were rockin' and rollin'. Found out this morning four boats sunk at the marina. The marina is closed today and looks like it's sunk a little. The levee, which isn't really a levee but the tires they put the water to decrease the waves from the boats, came loose and lots of tires are spread about. But no one died out there. I'm glad no one died. Get caught out in the lake and have your boat capsize in weather like that? I was just hoping everyone could get to shore quick enough. They did.

Did I mention that I got asked this morning to help out with VBS? Egads. Pray for me. They want me to help put up decorations. They asked me if I was any good at that and I said, no, but if you tell me exactly what you want done I can do it. Then he said, you take good pictures. Will you be our roaming photographer and take pictures for us? Sure I said, I can do that. I was kinda quiet because I was screaming on the inside when he said, "You like taking photos, right? I mean, we can take them but they don't turn out like yours." I do like taking pictures says I.