Summer arrived with a continuance of the cronavirus (COVID-19) from the Spring 2020. Still have many restrictions in Santa Fe (most stores and restaurants are only partially open; museums and public gardens are still closed). We are getting used to living our new life! Susan and I are still staying in as much as possible. We are usually taking trips around the state this time of year, but we will not be going out much until the cronovirus is under control and we have either had it or get a vaccination. I still cannot volunteer at the New Mexico History Museum, Pecos National Historical Park, or the Santa Fe Botanical Garden. The Bienvenidos Visitor Information Booth on the Santa Fe plaza will not open this year at all. Thank goodness we live in a beautiful place and the weather is getting warmer allowing for gardening activities around the house. Santa Fe's summer temperatures are not as bad as many other places in the south of the state. Our days are usually in the mid to high 80's and the nights are in the 50's.

We have decided to do a lot of gardening around the house for the rest of the year here at Eldorado Windy Farm. You can keep up with what we are doing by clicking on parts of my website Eldorado Windy Farm Farm Blog under the 2020 sections. To keep up with specific parts go to the Vegetable & Herb Garden, the Fruit Orchard, or the Flower Garden. I will be keeing up with the plants that are blooming around the farm on my Flowering Plant Schedule by Date.

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Thursday, September 17

Baked sourdough bread in neighbor Paul's horno across the street.

Came out really good and especially with a little jam!

Wednesday, September 16

Susan and I took a 225 mile round trip to eat our picnic lunch somewhere scenic. We went north on I-25 to Wagon Mound and took a left toward the mountains on Hwy-120. The road is very desolate with only ranch trucks passing by from time to time. We stopped on the side of the road to have our lunch and saw many antelope along the way.

From there we drove to Ocate then to La Cueva where we walked in the garden at the raspberry farm. The farm and all of the buildings there are closed because of Covid-19, but the garden is still open.

We also saw four mule deer crossing the road on the way to Las Vegas as well.

Wednesday, September 9

Unbelievable snow last night! A cold front came through and dropped temps to 34 degrees with snow. Didn't freeze, so the plants are all ok. The wind did blow 40-60mph though!

Wednesday, August 26

Susan and I drove to the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge to eat our sandwiches. We saw lots of New Mexico sunflowers and birds (a red-tailed hawk, a northern harrier, a snow goose with a flock of Canada geese, yellow-headed blackbirds, western kingbirds, chipping sparrows and a mourning dove). We drove through town and saw quite a few people eating outside in new patio areas at several restaurants built into the streets. Went by the Castenada Hotel and saw that they are serving on their patio as well.

Wednesday, August 12

We decided to take an early drive over to Madrid. We got there about 9:30 am and there were very few people on the streets. We walked around town and then went to the San Marcos Cafe on Hwy-14 and got a couple of green chile roast beef burritos and a cinnamon roll to take home. Pretty tasty!

Wednesday, August 5

We went a little farther on our luncheon drive today. We first drove to the White Rock Lookout to enjoy the scenery of the Rio Grande River. After that we drove to the Valles Caldera in the Jemez Mountains. Beautiful scenery! Didn't see the elk herd though that lives in the area. The house in the T.V. series "Longmire" overlooked the same caldera.

White Rock Lookout

Valles Caldera

Sunday, July 19

We took a luncheon drive down to Madrid in "Big Red." There were a few more people in Madrid and most were wearing masks. The Mine Shaft Tavern has made a new outside dining area on the side of the building to comply with the patio dining only rule. The day was very beautiful and no sign of the storms from the night before. The mornings are always nice with the rains coming in the afternoon and evening. We ate our sandwiches on a pull-out between Madrid and Cerrillos looking toward the town of Cerrillos and the Cerrillos Hills.

Saturday, July 18

We had our first big monsoon rain. Lots of lighting and thunder with yellow skies at sunset. Supposed to have a monsoon storm every evening this week!

Thursday, July 9

We went north on I-25 toward Las Vegas, NM. Before reaching Las Vegas we turned off on Hwy-283 and drove toward the Sangres. We were looking for a good place to stop off the side of the road to have our sandwich & chips lunch. We found a great location that was in view of Hermit's Peak.

 

The road is also historically famous. It is part of the old Santa Fe Trail as it cut through the mountains from the prairie. Today I-25 goes through a cut as well to Romeroville, but that cut has been blasted out to make a way through the mountain. The original path for the Santa Fe Trail went through the cut called "Kearney Gap."

In 1846 during the Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the American Intervention in Mexico, which was an armed conflict between the United States of America and the Second Federal Republic of Mexico Brig. General Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny (Kar-nee) and his Army of the West with nearly 1,700 soldiers and Missouri volunteers in 1,556 wagons, with 12 cannons and 4 howitzers arived in Las Vegas, NM. from Levenworth, Kansas. After leaving Las Vegas the army went through the mountains through the gap that carries his name.

 

Earlier in 1821, the Alcade of Abiquiu, Captain Gallego met the trader William Becknell and his fellow traders in the same gap. Before 1821 New Mexico was part of Spain and had just become Mexico. Captain Gallego with his troops was going out to the prairie on orders from the New Mexico governor, Facundo Melgares to find raiding Navajos and Comanches. Both parties were suprised to see each other. Since the Mexicans only spoke Spanish and the American traders only spoke English they had to use French to communicate. The Americans were taken to the small village of San Miguel de Bado where a Frenchman lived who also spoke Spanish. Two of the traders with Becknell could also speak French. The Santa Fe Trail was opened at that point and lasted until the railroad replaced it in 1880.

Saturday, June 27

We drove through Espanola to Abiquiu Lake to eat our picnic lunch at the lookout above the dam. Weather was beautiful and no one was around. There were a few boats in the lake below us. We drove over to Ghost Ranch from there, but the road to the ranch was only open to those with reservations. Pedernal peak looked good from there though!

Sunday, June 21

The first day of summer. We have already had a couple of short monsoon rains and are looking forward to many more through the monsoon season which lasts between now and the end of August. The monsoon rains come from the south in the afternoon when the air heats up. This season is the time of the year that New Mexico receives most of its moisture.

We are having good luck with the greens that were planted in the veggie garden under the Pop Net Screen Mesh so we are getting to eat more of them than ever. The rodents and birds are trying to get to them as in the past, but now it is impossible for them to do so.

Chard, small bac choi, totsoi & radishes

Little momma spotted squirrel having lunch

Momma sharing lunch with a bird

No sharing lunch with another little spotted squirrel!