Changes

I thought most of you would be interested in how our place has changed since we first arrived.  The picture on the left shows our Motor Home and Camper Trailer with the gazebo between them.  This was all we had for shade in a desert with no trees.  As you can see from the picture on the right, alot has changed.  We acquired another trailer and built a roof between the trailers and added the gazebo to the front.  Believe it or not, the gazebo is the same as in the other picture.  The only difference is all the modifications that were done due to wind storms.  Every year in Spring time we get some really fierce winds that will do a lot of damage, so repairs are done during the Summer to prepare for the next Winter and Spring.  In the Spring of 2010, we had winds of 70-100 miles an hour which tore up our gazebo and solar panels etc. We had to replace our solar panels so we made new ones. (Yes, I know how to make solar panels. We will talk about that later).  We repaired the gazebo and made the top out of tarps, which work better in this area.  We have also planted trees.  The two you see in the picture are Cottonless Cottonwoods that we planted in June, 2010.  They have grown great with plenty of water from our well. Yeah! Currently, we have nine trees that are growing good, but we also have trees that have not made it.  Planting and growing in the desert has provided many challenges and we have had try numerous methods in order to get things going.  Our soil is sand, no dirt, just sand and while you might think you can't grow anything in sand, we found a way.  The other challenges are the winds and sun. Our first garden only grew about 2 inches before the lizards ate it and the sun baked the rest.  The next year the freeze we got at the end of May took out the garden. Last year I did manage three tomatoes, about ten blackeye peas, two cucumbers and a small pot of potatoes.  I had planted in the trailer, but didn't have the right soil mixture.  During this past year we acquired two school buses so I turned one of them into a greenhouse.  We took the seats out and set up tables and started the seeds.  It has turned out to be the best place because you don't have to worry about animals or lizards or wind.  We still have a sun problem, so I put up shear curtains and that has helped a great deal.  Right now our plants are doing fantastic.   I have also started a couple hundred trees to be planted next year.  We are experimenting with different types and so far the Sugar Maples and Common Hackberries are doing the best.  We are hoping that the trees will provide the shade we need, food for the Antelope and deer, and nitrogen to the soil, not to mention they are pretty.  I will try to write about the horses and now we have chickens, in the next blog.  Until then.....