This month has been difficult in the high desert.  The first snow came early this year in November.  Then storm after storm kept the ground white.  It caught us off guard as far as preparation we thought we had more time to get ready for winter.

The November 20^th high winds caused the Internet Satellite Dish to flutter and sounded like it was going to rip it off the roof.  The wind did take some roofing off the southwest corner of the house.  I just got the roof patched and was climbing down, when it started snowing.  The roads cleared enough for us to make the seventy-five mile trip to Reno to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter and her kids and grandkids.  We had a nice time visiting and it was a nice break from fighting the weather at the ranch. 

It started snowing again Friday evening on November 27^th and we had a good layer of snow on the ground by Saturday morning.  It cleared off for a few days and we got some work done around the ranch before the temperature started dropping on December 5th, Dean was able to break ice on the water troughs to water the animals.  Outside water lines and water reservoirs froze and we had to bring our six-gallon water jugs into the house to thaw.  It snowed all day on December 7^th and Dean could not navigate the snow with his leg braces and slick soled shoes so I had to do the outside chores.  The kitchen sink water lines started to freeze so I got out our dozen one-gallon water jugs to fill from the bathroom sink before it froze up.  That night the temperature dropped to two below zero.   By December 8^th the snow had stopped but we were snowed in.  Dean decided he could go out to do chores so we shoveled three or four hundred feet of pathway, so he could walk to the hay stack and animal feed troughs.  That night I tried to start the generator and the pull cord broke.  We carried the back up generator through the snow to the generator shed but could not get it started.  My cell phone battery was dead and we had no way of charging it so we spent the evening using DC lights and by candlelight, listening to Christmas Carols on our battery operated radio.

The next morning the neighbor came by to check on us, because they did not see any lights on at our house when they got home after dark, and could not get us on the cell phone.  It is a wonderful thing to have the neighborhood watch; I don’t know what we would do without it.

A ranch needs a cat or several cats if just wild barn cats.  It helps keep the rodent problem around the ranch in balance.  However, you must provide protection for the cat, due to natural enemies.

We have a rodent problem at the ranch due to all the feed we have to keep for the larger animals.  A good mouser is good to keep the rodent population in check in a natural way.  I have had several cats over the years, some were pets and some were just wild domestic cats that were dropped off, or just drifted in from abandoned homesteads.  My favorite cat was a half seal point Siamese cat, named Mae-ling.  I got her at eight weeks old, in hope that she would become a good mouser.  I brought her home, made a bed for her out of an old boot box, and placed it near my bed.  Surprisingly she spent a quite night in her new bed.  In the morning, Dean got up first and walked out to the kitchen to start the coffee.  When he came back into the bedroom, he said that if I was squeamish, I should not go out into the kitchen.  At eight weeks old, Mae-ling had killed a rat that was almost as big as she was.  I knew then, I had picked the right cat for the ranch.  We had our own communication system and were good friends for several years.  

Mae-ling loved to hunt, and began to cry to get out at night so she could hunt.  I did not like the idea, due to so many natural predators like coyote, owl and hawks.  One night I had a real uneasy feeling about letting her out, but she was very insistent.  I knew we would never get any sleep if I did not let her go out for a little while.  I stayed up to let her back in but she never returned.  I have never become close friends with a cat since.   

We hear a lot about dog breeds that were created for certain purposes such as Irish Setters for hunting, Pekingese for companionship, Border Collies for herding sheep, goats and cattle.  However, when I stop and think about it cats were also bred and domesticated for certain purposes.  The Siamese cat was bred to be a guard cat at the Siamese Palaces.  They guarded the treasures and gifts the people brought for the King.  I have just become aware of a different breed of cat, which is a quit old breed, but rare.  The Turkish Angora Cat, which was bred to be a friendly, social cat and make great pets.  Mainly white in color, they have odd eyes in that the each eye can be a different color.  If you would like to find out more about the Turkish Angora cat, go to http://www.foreverkitties.com/2009/11/03/the-beautiful-odd-eyed-turkish-angora-cat.html they describe the rare cat in detail and explain how to care for it and what to expect if you decide to own one.

One thing I appreciate about living in the rural desert is that I have my own haven to insulate me from all the political agendas that Politian’s are trying to get validated.  The only exposures I have too all that mumbo jumbo is when I watch the news. 

Before I moved to the desert, I was constantly being bombarded by well meaning people to live and believe as they did.  However, I could also see that their belief system was not making them happy nor did they see things much deeper that what they could physically touch or feel.  They were not concerned about the health of the planet, nor did they respect all living things.  It seemed to be more of divide and conquer.  Anything that could better themselves even at the cost of the planet or other people who might stand in the way of what they think would make them happy.  My big issue is if you have to have your ideas and belief systems validated by someone else, then you must have some deep down distrust of the idea or belief in the first place.  When I listen to people who are preaching their ideas with such force, it seems they are trying just as hard to convince themselves as they are trying to convince me that their way is the right way.

Since moving to the desert, I have learned more about living in harmony with others and with the planet earth.  I have learned to appreciate the wild creatures and the native flora.  I have learned that balance in nature is better for all than to impose an idea of trying to create a Garden of Eden in the middle of the desert.  If there is an over abundance of any one type of creature for any given year, nature will even it out the next year.  Of course, if we have helped create the imbalance, then we are responsible to help bring back a balance.

I try to stay away from talking politics, because mainly I do not like to argue.  At http://www.controversialpolitics.com/blog/2009/10/20/a-president-who-opposes-pie.html they claim apple pie symbolizes the individual, if so, we have a nation full of apple pies who desire to have their individual belief system validated and will cause all kinds of ruckus to try to get them validated.  I do not like name-calling or labeling anyone just because I do not agree with something they said.  I know what I believe and live accordingly.  I do not have to have my individual belief system validated by anyone else.  However, I do believe that when a group of people or a nation must set some rules or guidelines, it should be for the group as a whole with clauses to protect the individual.