In Search of the Perfect Christmas Tree

This last weekend it was time for us to go out tree hunting. We always get a live tree for Christmas, and we figure with the relatively recent influx of trees to lower elevation areas, we are doing our part to help restore sagebrush grasslands. 

Although some years we go different places, this year we went to our usual haunt, which is full of pinyon pine and juniper trees. Not far from the truck I saw the tall juniper tree above, and it looked like the perfect Christmas tree to me. But you can never pick the first tree you see, that just wouldn't be right.

So we wandered around some more in the freezing temperatures, tromping through the snow. The snow wasn't very deep this year, so we couldn't go sledding, but there was enough of it that we could follow our tracks back to trees we liked a lot. The one above was in contention.

My mother-in-law liked this cute little one. You can see some sagebrush nearby--some people will get sagebrush as their Christmas tree, but we haven't tried that yet. I bet it would smell good.

Here I am squinting into the sun next to a really bushy pinyon pine that would take up half our living room. My husband for once said he would take a photo of me. I said okay because of you dear friends who read this blog and say I don't have pictures of myself. But I knew what I was letting myself in for.

"Dear, your finger is over the lens."

"No it isn't."

I bit my lip and tried to smile, then realized it didn't matter. But his finger wasn't completely over the lens, and  I cropped that part out. Someday my husband will learn to take photos. Maybe. When pigs learn to fly.

Before we get into the actual cutting the tree down part, I should tell you a little more about getting a Christmas tree, in case you live in the city and your only experience has been to the tree lot on the corner. On public lands in the West, it's quite common for the BLM and Forest Service to sell Christmas tree permits. The permit conditions range quite a bit, often depending on how many people live near the public land. Some permits cost up to $20, but where we live a BLM permit is only $3.50. The number of permits is generally limited to one to three, but in some areas an unlimited number of trees can be cut. The species of tree can vary from pinyon pine and juniper to white fir, Jeffrey pine, and even incense cedar near the Reno/Tahoe area. 

Okay, now to the cutting. When you go and cut your own Christmas tree, you have to remember to bring the right tools, namely a saw. My husband used a little saw that happened to be in the truck from when we cut our Christmas tree last year.

Which tree did we choose? We ended up back at the first one I had seen and liked, a juniper. We had never had a juniper tree before and I wanted to try something new. Junipers are often used for fence posts, and with this one growing so nice and straight, after Christmas we'll strip off the branches and make it into a fence post for our garden.

After a few minutes of sawing,  the tree was down. My husband may not be good at photography, but he makes fast work of cutting down a Christmas tree.

Back at home, we took it inside and found---oops, it was a couple inches too tall! A little clip solved that problem. Next came decorating it, which was quite a chore with Desert Boy. (My husband went off to do ranch chores.) While I put one ornament on the tree, Desert Boy decided it was fun to play with the others. With his fascination with balls, he had to handle nearly every one of the bulb Christmas ornaments. He found out the hard way they really aren't balls, and they shatter when you throw them. He also learned that it's not a good idea to bang them against the stone fireplace. I now have extra room in my Christmas storage bin.

Nevertheless, we eventually got the Christmas tree decorated, and Desert Boy is fascinated with the lights. Any bets on how long until he pulls the whole thing down?

Desert Boy Rides Henry

I came across this charming scene a couple days ago, Desert Boy trying to ride Henry, holding tight onto his collar.

Desert Boy seems to be trying to get Henry to go; Henry doesn't seem to be enjoying it much. But like a faithful dog, he just hangs out.

Then Desert Boy bails. What is he up to now?

He decided he should get a stick for Henry. Henry's not too impressed.

With his gift rejected, Desert Boy is ready to ride Henry again. But Henry has had enough and gets up and wanders away. Desert Boy will have to try again another day.

A Bike Ride

Tonight and tomorrow we're supposed to get a big winter storm, so I figured I better post these photos right quick. (Okay, I know 'right quick' isn't proper grammar, but it is accepted local lingo and sometimes it just feels right to ignore grammar conventions. And because I can.)

Last weekend my husband fixed up our bikes, which had been lingering in the garage with various quandries. We have this odd-looking bike seat for Desert Boy. He loves it, but it sort of gets in the way of our pedaling.

Henry came along, happy to have a chance to go exploring. He loves to run along the fencelines, sniffing for something interesting.

We went far enough for a little exercise, but not far enough to satisfy Desert Boy. He would have been happy spending an hour or two going for a ride. He might change his mind a little when he has to do some of the pedaling!

Henry got some of his puppy energy out. On the way back we stopped at the pond and he went swimming. He's got the making of a triathlete. I'll leave Desert Boy to train him how to do the bicycling part.

Desert Destination: A Cold Lake

I think because we live in the dry, desolate desert, we are attracted to water. That would certainly explain why I post more photos of water than dry terrain in this blog! Last weekend we took a detour to visit a nearby lake.

The lake is very popular for fishing. During the summer lots of boats dot the blue waters, while in the winter ice shacks are set up over holes in the ice. The main catch is rainbow trout, although northern pike have invaded and are also found in the lake. They aren't good for the rainbow trout population.

We didn't have any fishing gear with us, so we had to entertain ourselves by throwing rocks into the water. Desert Boy was happy to participate.

He spent a lot of time throwing rocks.

And throwing another rock.

And another.

But don't worry, I realize I've had a lot of posts about Desert Boy lately, so here's some other information about where we were. This is rabbitbrush with some seeds still clinging on despite the chilly temperatures.

There were a number of birds out on the lake, including this American Coot. It's easy to tell apart from other waterfowl with its all-white bill.

Here are a couple more coots, also called mudhens, swimming away. The birds didn't seem to like having their photos taken.

It was fun seeing the lake before it gets covered with ice for the next few months. The cool temperatures seemed to make the water look icy blue, and it was definitely cold. The wind pierced our coats and made the water choppy. We definitely live in the cold desert!

Desert Boy and his Tractor

It's been getting downright chilly around here, so we haven't been scampering up farm machinery quite as much, but Desert Boy has an alternative: his John Deere scooter tractor. His favorite thing on it is the steering wheel, which he can turn and turn and turn. 

It seems he does the best scooting when he goes in reverse. That can get him in trouble if he's not paying attention to where he's going. 

Alternatively, he will sometimes walk around and just carry the tractor with him. It's a hoot to watch.

Eventually Desert Boy gets off the tractor. What could be better than driving his high-rev vehicle?

Being a ham for the camera. 

Desert Boy and a Cat

Recently Desert Boy saw this cat and took off towards it. He's been around cats sporadically, and usually they don't like all his attention. I figured I would just watch and see what happened.

He's getting close and the cat is getting nervous, ready to take off. I expect the cat to dash away at any moment.

But instead something else catches Desert Boy's eye and he keeps traipsing past the cat. I can hear the cat's sigh of relief. Whew, no little boy to put up with. I can just relax and do my own thing.

All the commotion attracts some of the horses, who had been grazing out in the field. They like being around people and don't want to miss any of the action.

Here are a couple more coming in to see what's going on.

And for this horse, it's a good reward, a little nuzzle time with Desert Boy. He's not intimidated by these huge creatures, and he usually laughs when they nip his clothes--or Mama. He's growing up to be quite an animal lover. I just am not sure what I'll do when he gets to the stage when he wants to have more pets!

Fixing the Faucet

We had a freeze-proof faucet out by our fence develop a leak, and my dear husband went to fix it. As most home improvement projects go, it wasn't easy.

First he had to get the backhoe to dig a deep enough hole to get down to the freeze-proof faucet connection on to the water line. Of course the water line wasn't marked on the surface, so he had to guess where it was and try not to dig too deep and break it.

Dig, dig, dig.

It beats doing it all by hand. But he still had to shovel a lot.

Henry is excited about everything.

Time for the hand shoveling. That white pipe just above the shovel is the main water line--whew--it was still intact.

The new freeze-proof faucet is on the left, and the old one on the right. You can see the hole just on the other side of the fence.

When we weren't looking, Desert Boy wandered over to the hole and promptly fell in. He didn't get too worried, but grunted enough to let us know he was stuck. Mama had to take a picture before rescuing him.

With Desert Boy out of the hole, we could put the faucet in.

Then it was time to fill in the hole. Desert Boy was all about helping.

He wasn't making much progress, though, so we had to figure out another solution.

Dad gets the big shovel back and Desert Boy gets an appropriate-sized shovel.

He scoops up some dirt and toddles over to the hole.

Now he's carefully aiming.

And the dirt goes down. He kept "helping" for the entire process. He thinks it's so fun to help with projects, especially if they involve dirt and equipment.