Clark County Fair and Rodeo - 2006 Edition

April 11, 2006

We spent the first part of our vacation at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo. Living up to expectations it was a good show. The musical acts are, however, disappointing. A couple of years ago we walked in and heard the Doo-Wah Riders a great country band. After listening for a bit we picked up some autographed CDs and have been listening to them ever since.

The last two years, however, have been disappointing. Each year I enter the fair holding on to hopes of hearing another great band. The results last year and this have been disappointing. On the other hand, the rodeo never fails to impress. The PRCA rodeo features many of the same names that compete each year at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Not only are the cowboys and cowgirls those from the NFR but many of the same stock are in Logandale as well. One has a chance to get a little slice of what the NFR is like with much better parking and a beautiful spring evening.

Early Spring

March 18, 2006

Catnip's minty freshness mixes with the edgy onion aroma in the air as the sky fills with clouds bumping into one another as so many bags of cotton candy piling up. Spring is well on its way in Southern Nevada. Though the warmth of the day is somewhat less than the normal 70 degrees for this time of year, the trees are budding out and the grass is greening up. All of which means it is time to get the garden underway. As one who spends most days building with electrons planting season is a perennial favorite. The richness of the soil and dealing in the realm of real things instead of theoretical always refresh the mind.

For gardeners and those considering some improvements to the home landscape, Rain Bird publishes a nice Low Volume Landscape Irrigation Design Manual. Sometimes better know by the name "drip" low-volume irrigation saves not only lots of water but lots of money for its users. With the savings, folks might be interested in Hunter's Wireless Valve System.

Desert benefits

January 31, 2006

One of the great benefits of living in desert southwest is the early start of the spring growing season. With the end of January comes the arrival of Growers Supply, Ramm Fencing and many other catalogs to get the spring projects underway. With a much expanded garden (double the size) and probably doubling the number of trees planted on the place it will be a busy spring. Probably won't figure out how to incorporate a water wall this year but just might get a system for collecting rainwater.

Burrr....

December 16, 2005

Stepping into the hot shower this morning the water pressure seemed a little lower than normal but not badly. Turning around I picked up the shampoo and clicked open the lid. Lifting the bottle to encourage the flow of shampoo the water stopped coming from the shower head. It just petered out and stopped. Dry as a desert summer day. Now comes the fun part, wet and in cold air I try to try off as best I can while gathering some clothes to head outside. Every faucet in the house shares the paucity of water flow. Going to the well it seems the top of the well is frozen. Fortunately not broken or busted open by the pressure of freezing, but none the less, frozen. Returning to the house I test the adage about whether watched pots boil. This one did not. Not that it didn't try or wouldn't have but that I lack the patience to wait for a full boil. Headed out with a kettle full of hot water and turning the pump back on, the hot water softens the icy plug in the pipes and water begins to flow.

Time for more winterizing.

Small scale farming techniques

August 1, 2005

I came across a book at the store the other day that looks interesting. The title Small-Scale Livestock Farming: A Grass-Based Approach for Health, Sustainability, and Profit tells part of the story. More importantly it has good information on designing a small farm whatever the purpose is (even small equestrian facilities).

Weekend

July 10, 2005

The great thing about publishing rumors is that if I publish them they rarely come true. CNN and a few other outlets picked up the story late Friday afternoon. Friday morning I skipped my normal podcast listening on the way to work in favor of hearing NPR's coverage of Renquhist's retirement. It was not to be. Even their story on O'Conner didn't mention the rumor floating around.

This weekend was spent on much more satisfying projects. Things like assembling a pile of old concrete blocks into a garbage shelter. I've driven home for the last time to see the trash cans blowing about. They're nicely contained. This afternoon bought real progress like completing the cross braces for the fence which we should be able to install next weekend and replacing the world's worst lawn sprinkler installation. It's another project that will usurp hours of daylight next weekend as well. For some reason the nearly-square rectangle of lawn in the house was the victim of installers who didn't completely grasp geometry. On one edge three sprinklers provide nice coverage of the lawn. On the other side, where there is more sun, there are only two sprinklers and a perpetual brownish thin spot. It doesn't help matters that fluid dynamics plays a role as well. The two lone sprinklers trying to do the work of three were installed on an extra 50-foot run of 1/2-inch line instead of directly on the 3/4-inch feed line.

In other ranch news it seems the owners of the vicious dogs next door (the ones that attack our horses) will be getting new neighbors. These neighbors will be raising goats. Likely they will also need to study Nevada's law about dogs harassing livestock. Read more about Weekend

Ranch Notes