This is How We Go Swimming in the Desert

We all know that water is scarce in the desert, after all that's what makes a desert a desert. So it's just smart to try and conserve water and use it wisely. The other day these three brilliant, up-and-coming contributors to our society found a wonderful way to conserve water. It was a simple idea--go swimming in the swimming pool without any water. 

The swim was great. It took no time at all to get the water to the right level--none. Throw in the pool toys, and they immediately began using their imaginations. They never argued about someone getting them wet accidentally and they didn't have any splash fights. They didn't get too cold, they didn't worry about their swimsuits not fitting properly, and they didn't get any water up their noses.

When they finished their swim, they didn't need towels or a change of clothes. Their moms were pleasantly surprised by how simple it was for them to go for a swim.

We can all learn from these three creative tykes. It will be interesting to see what they think of next.

Harvester Ants Do Fall Cleaning

I love to go caving but haven't been underground lately. On one of my recent walks, I thought about the harvester ants going in and out of their mounds and realized that they are tiny little spelunkers. They don't even need a helmet or three sources of light or knee pads. And somehow they can adapt to being in the total darkness to coming out to bright, blinding sunlight without pausing at the entrance of their mound.

So in fascination, I stopped at one of the harvester ant mounds and watched these little guys for awhile. They move really fast, so I was happy when I got one closeup photo that looked fairly decent (see above), showing the tiny hairs on the ant's body. If you missed the earlier post about harvester ants, click here to learn some basics about these neat little insects and see some good photos of harvester ant mounds.

As I was peering intently at the mound, I saw a couple smaller ants with darker rears than the harvester ants nearby. I'm not sure if they were a different species or simply a different type of ant from the mound. (If you know, please share!) Both kinds are on the white rock.

The entrance to this particular mound consisted of several small holes on the south-facing side. Since I've noticed that harvester ants always seem to prefer their openings on the south- or east-facing sides of the mounds, I've been examining every mound that I've found. So far I've only found one anomaly, with a north-facing opening. I'll keep an eye on it to see if that mound survives.

Many times the ants went in and out of the holes several times before deciding which way to go. I'm not sure if they were confused or communicating or just playing. Somehow I doubt that ants play, they always seem so industrious.

As I stood squatting with my eyes on the mound, I realized that a few ants were leaving the mound with bits of debris. It won't be all that long till the snow flies, so it's time for them to do some fall cleaning before they spend the winter underground. 

And I was so fascinated with the ants that I took this short video. The quality has been compressed, but I did find some fun music to put to it. Look for the ant that's taking a little white something out of the hole, and later the two ants carrying a dead one. One of those two ants has to walk backwards!

Desert Destination: An Old Homestead

Every Monday we visit a desert destination.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to visit an old homestead, one so old that it's for the most part been forgotten. A few signs of it still remain, like this square nail. The site is not easy to find, but we had a guide.

After driving a distance on a two-track road, we got out of the vehicle and started walking among some sandy knolls. The sun was bright, with not a cloud in the sky. It was a typical hot summer day.

As we got further from the vehicle, the vegetation became sparser. Could this be right, was there really an old homestead out here? Who would want to live in such a desolate place when not that far away much more hospitable places could be found? Anxious to find out, and lagging behind due to all the pictures I was taking, I hurried to meet with the rest of the group and see what they were looking at.

Sure enough, there was an old wooden log. Our guide explained that the area had once been substantially wetter. The homestead was close to a freighter route that was used to take supplies to the mines.

This obviously isn't one of the freighters, but it is an old wagon and helps me get in the mindset of how hard life was back then. My goodness, the wheels are made of wood! There's no suspension, much less comfortable seats, air conditioning, and a radio. Travel would have been a lot different than it is today.

Here's another view of the wagon. Can you imagine how dusty you would get sitting in it, behind horses that would be kicking up the dry dirt? And back in those days you might only have one outfit, so you wouldn't even be able to put on a clean outfit when you arrived at your destination. You'd just shake off the dust, and everyone smelled a little ripe so you wouldn't even notice--maybe. The definition of a shower was standing under a waterfall or a bucket, and a hot shower was probably beyond most people's comprehension.

Some old barbed wire was nearby. I imagine that they used it to fence in stock animals. Back in the early days of the homesteads, in the late 1800s, there were very few fences up in the valley. Herds of sheep used the valley as winter range, and the sheepherders moved them all over, following the grass.

A few more square nails and some old glass lie over on the side. But beyond these few reminders of someone trying to scratch out a life in the harsh desert, we can't find anything. Our imaginations fill in the blanks as we think about how these hardy people survived.

Not too far away are shells, indicating the increased water of the past made it possible not only for humans, but also for other creatures to survive. 

Living in the desert is not easy, especially when you don't have the conveniences of today, and more importantly, when you don't have water. After the water dried up (probably due to nearby pumping for irrigation), the vegetation died off, and the wind carried off the fine particles of sand, leaving just the coarser material behind. The site is called "the blow out" because of this, and on very windy days, the wind still blows dust from this area. It's such a change from the time when it appeared to be a good place to build a house and make a living. 

Please Don't Drink and Drive

Desert Boy is back today with a public service announcement: Please Don't Drink and Drive. As you look at the above photo, you can see that drinking is consuming all his attention, and he is not even paying attention to what's in front of him. He doesn't even have his hands on the steering wheel, for goodness' sake! His face has a content expression as the liquid warms his belly and spreads throughout his body. He has become relaxed, not caring what else is going on around him.

Then Desert Boy gets distracted by something behind him. Anyone or anything in front of him could be in grave danger. Trying to steer but looking in the wrong direction is an inherent danger while drinking and driving. He doesn't even seem to notice that he is performing a grievous mistake and continues chugging down the elixir. 

As he gulps out of his bottle, he has become a threat to society. So practice what Desert Boy preaches, not what he does. Obviously drinking and driving don't mix.

How Do You Get These Clothes Clean?

As my husband and I got to know each other while we were dating, I found that I had to dispel a lot of myths about what it is to be a rancher. I thought ranchers wore cowboy hats. My husband prefers baseball caps. I thought ranchers wore cowboy boots. My husband has some but say they pinch his toes and likes work boots better. I thought ranchers liked to ride horses. My husband says they're too unpredictable and likes riding his motorcycle much more. (Fortunately one of his brothers likes riding so can take care of that part of the operation.) 

One thing I never thought about was how dirty ranchers get.

Here's my dear husband after a normal day of work. His boots are muddy, his jeans are filthy, his shirt has a big grease spot on it, and his face is dark with dirt. Usually as soon as he comes home in the evening he changes his clothes so he can play with Desert Boy. A couple times a week I wash these stained clothes. I've given up trying to get the stains out; they seem to be so meshed into the fabric that they will never leave. I guess that's what happens when you're under farm machinery trying to fix it and then walk through manure and later go check hay. I just ask him to make sure he doesn't mix up his good clothes and his work clothes.  The stained clothes just keep getting more stained. Eventually they wear out and have to be replaced, and it's so strange seeing him go to work in a set of new work clothes. I know that in just one day they will be broken in, and his new work clothes will blend in with the rest.