August 2024

Look what our trail cameras caught roaming in our west pond: a female mountain lion (or cougar) and her three cubs taking a morning stroll.  We are on the southern edge of the 820,000 square acre San Bernardino National Forest, and all kinds of critters come down to drink and forage.  We regularly see lions on our trail cameras but have yet to see one in person. They are very elusive creatures.

As it does every summer, the August heat taking its toll on our Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs. They don't call them the "dog days" for nothing.  Anyway, their natural rhythm is to be up and about at night, so we needed a way to keep them cool while they sleep during the daytime hours. After some head-scratching, we decided to build them their own pond, complete with a mini-waterfall and shade trees. Just like true summer vacationers, they spend much of their time in and around the pool... or at least their pool.  No poolside food service though.  .

So recently our queen silky fainting goat, Cocoa, got upset and decided to square off with Oreo, her best friend, After a brief but violent battle, Oreo once again demonstrated her hard-headedness by coming away virtually unscathed.  However, Cocoa, the initiator, managed to break her left horn  after administering a few good shots to Oreo's head.  We had to call upon our livestock vet, Dr. Emily Shieblish, to come to the rescue and saw off what remained of Cocoa's broken horn.  It's now been bleeding for a few days but is slowly getting better.  For now Cocoa has been isolated to avoid future confrontations and it will be some time before she can rejoin her little herd. Once she does, we'll need to put a cushioning pad at the end of her broken horn so she doesn't harm herself or the other goats.   

Our local population of brown bears have been moving around of late, and we're seeing them regularly on our trail cameras and occasionally at a distance. It prompted this sign, humorous in nature but serious enough in content.  Also below is a photo of a bear cub seen nearby a few days ago.  We would like to avoid any Bears vs. Dogs fight if at all  possible, and so far we have.  Still it's hard to tell a bear where to go.. 

The summer is monsoon season is here in the Coachella Valley but we've managed to get through most of August without one.  Nonetheless, we've recently had our excitement with wind, rain, heat, and humidity reminiscent of Florida. It's OK once in a while, but we're not yet back to our dry climate.  Florida, come take your weather back.  We've had enough of it.

Despite the summer heat, our valiant ranch hands are continuing their work on a scenic viewing and picnic area at the northeast end of our ranch.  It's moving along nicely and should be completed sometime next month.  Wonderfully isolated and yet still with services, it's a great spot for birdwatching, nature photography, hiking, and even special events... especially if your taste happens to be one that favors places that are often described as middle-of-nowhere.. Insofar as our fall tour and special event season is now starting to percolate, you might want to give us a call if you've that kind of taste.  .