Coursing Poem

The sporting poem lives– in several forms, but I like it that it does in our own vernacular and non-academic culture, not just as a barely- living remnant in England. By Dave Isely, of the threatened California coursing culture, sent by his wife Robin:

More Recent Arrivals

This Bullock’s oriole showed up today to grab nectar out of one of the hummingbird feeders. And this lazuli x indigo bunting hybrid showed up later in the day. I put up a post about these hybrids last summer.

Spring Storm

I woke up to this early this morning. At 2 PM it appears to be finally stopping. I can assure you the hummingbirds are not very happy about this. As we always say here, we can use the water.

Quote

 Jefferson grinned. “You strike me as a ‘glass half-empty’ kind of guy, sir,” he said.  “I’m a ‘the glass is half-empty and filled with poison’ kind of guy, actually,” Wilson said. – John Scalzi, The Human Division

Grazing & Grouse

  Jim and I have noticed that sage grouse broods seem to be larger, and do better, in pastures where our sheep are grazing. Our observations are anecdotal of course, but we figure there are a couple of reasons why grouse do well with livestock grazing. The presence of our guardian animals (both guardian dogs …

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Observation

John Davila, one of my oldest NM friends, is an unreconstructed Catron county rancher, an unconventional soul who used to raise game chickens in the old days, not to mention cattle and stranger things.  I bet he likes the quote from a distant relative, 20th century philosopher Nicolas Gomez Davila, courtesy of David Zincavage’s Never …

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Recent Arrivals

I saw our first lazuli bunting of the season yesterday and our first broad-tailed hummingbirds arrived last Sunday (these are recycled pictures, not the actual arrivers). So maybe we will have summer this year after all. Of course they are predicting a foot of snow for Sunday.

I Quote Myself

Grouchily, from 2006, on the then- proposed coursing ban in CA. I may or may not elaborate…but I would not take back a word. Nor is its relevance particularly narrow. “Calfornia and the current government of the UK are in the lead of the west’s trying to ban death, injury, history, tragedy, and hurt feelings. …

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Local Color

Bar owner Darryl Pettis, new mayor Diego Montoya, and some library donations from Darryl — because I can, and because I support both. (I am on the library board). Not a secret, but I bet Libby and I are the only Magdalenians who have been there other than her: Diego’s mother came from Waltham, Mass. …

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Found Poem

Recently there has been a small revival of the odd early twentieth century writer Robert Chambers, especially his “King in Yellow” a sort of pre- Lovecraft, atmospheric, semi- horror tale with a fin- de- siecle air about it– think old Howard crossed with Beardsley or Wilde, though not as good. I saw  a battered  copy …

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