The venerable Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells (founded 1959) gathered up its members and joined us recently for a hike, stretch class, and two meals. Some of the participants found themselves so relaxed by the setting that they dozed off in between exercises! Among our biggest events of the season was a fundraiser for the Bighorn Institute of Palm Desert. More than 60 people came up to enjoy the ranch, gobble down BBQ from one of our favorite restaurants (Cornerstone), and bid on a...

Our dog population is now up to eight, and they're all big. We go through an awful lot of dog food. Poet is our latest addition, an Armenian Gampr puppy that has been growing like a weed. He's nearly as big as our Great Pyrenees and still has a ways to go. Still, he's a complete sweetheart and loves to play with our younger dogs. We have an old bee house at the ranch, built long ago and entirely of stone. Evidently there was an active beekeeping business here for a while, and there is...

February was a tour-heavy month with a number of groups passing through the ranch. Among the notables were board members of the non-profit organization Animal Samaritans, a huge provider of health and welfare services to our valley's animals. KESQ weatherman Patrick Evans was among the attendees. Another event that took place at the ranch this past month was a yoga retreat with some 20 participants. Their day included a ranch tour, lunch, yoga sessions, animal intros, and some DIY fruit...