A powerful westerly swell rumbled and roared all night, and in the soggy sunlit morning we headed across the ranch for the bluff trail to see, feel, and smell the ferocious surges collide with our rocky honeycombed coast. On the way back, as we often do, we marveled at our little grove of recently identified Pygmy cypress (Hesperocyparis pygmaea) at the wild end of the ranch, and I collected cones for propagation (more to come on that).
As I meandered the south end of our fence line inventorying any native plant populations I could find in the understory, I was stopped in my tracks at the site of the entire corner section of our wire horse fencing ripped from the posts and molded into an accordioned hammock on the ground. We’re saying it was the very big neighborhood Black bear making the nightly rounds, and not an aggressive crazy guy storming the bushes for our property wearing shit-kickers.
My mare’s hoof trimming was canceled due to the farrier receiving a badly broken leg on the job at another ranch (always tip your farrier), so I seized the moment to connect with my beautiful pony on this crisp morning for a little bareback halter ride across the ranch, and she promptly let me know that she was not interested by suddenly and cinematically bursting into a mini rodeo, which she was prone and known to do from time to time. I, however, have become stunt-like in my reflexive response to this bronc act, and somehow stayed on her dusty back.
Now sore, it was time to reset the two have-a-heart traps for the aggressive squirrel (or three) that has been harassing the hens in the coop yard. So far, a multi-day fool’s errand.
I then collected the eggs from the barn and the little shed coop, and headed in for the kitchen to make frittatas, or any recipe that calls for at least eight eggs. On the way in I checked on our new seed-starting beds, and the first sprouters are Bromus sitchensis carinatus! – a very tall and robust maroon-purple variety collected from seed in our eastern pasture.
The moon has been so bright at night, and is heading toward the last full moon and super moon of the year. No rain in sight.. for now. The usual California “winter” weather rollercoaster. We might need to start watering. Maybe it will rain by Solstice.
