August 13, 2010
We’re relaxing today after the Toby Keith concert last night. Did you know that while Toby Keith is from Oklahoma, he honed his craft in New Mexico? From Las Cruces to Taos and Clovis, he played every dive bar and honky-tonk that would have his band for five years before he got a record deal with Capitol Nashville. And, his 2008 movie, “Beer for My Horses” was filmed in New Mexico.
August 4, 2010
…but we are talking about them.
After all the talk of fly control lately and some of you suggesting we should have chickens, we’re considering it. Mind you, just considering it.
Some of the things we’ve talked about:
With some changes and updates, our old shed might make a fine chicken coop.
If we do get chickens, they’ll be named after our favorite female characters in Deadwood. And, if we do get chickens, it won’t be until next year.
Of course, we asked the boys what they thought about having chickens. While Bernard was noncommittal, Ellsworth thought it was a good idea.
And while Fergus thought it might be cool,
Nigel thought the idea rocked. He even asked to borrow the book so he could do some more research on the topic.
What do you think?
August 3, 2010
This time of year, watching monsoon clouds gather over Albuquerque is an almost daily occurrence.
The monsoon is our summer rainy season. It runs from about late June or early July until mid-September, and generally brings us about 40 percent of our annual rainfall.
I began a new love affair at the beginning of this year’s monsoon. How did I ever live without gumboots?
Several of the boys’ favorite spots have turned into cesspools these last couple of weeks. This corner of the corral is was the donkey place to be, thanks to the fine sand that Lenny dug out when he built his nest. Until the monsoon started, this was prime real estate for donkey rolling at Morning Bray Farm.
Not so much now. This is so cool though. I’ve never been okay with walking in green funk before.
Lenny is constantly making changes to his abode based on current conditions. We’re wondering if the Army Corps of Engineers is hiring, because Lenny is an engineering genius. He built himself a levee. ♥
August 2, 2010
We were so fortunate to have Stanley and Cindy from Lei Photography visit us on Saturday.
The boys took an instant liking to them.
Stanley and Cindy are amazing photographers… and incredibly nice people who absolutely love animals.
Through their photos, they captured the feel and emotion of every moment they were here.
And, they completely captured the magic of Morning Bray Farm.
I think that’s a very special gift.
Thank you, Stanley and Cindy. ♥
You can also visit Lei Photography on Facebook here.
July 20, 2010
Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me – I am happy.
-Hamlin Garland
I had never seen a live coyote before moving to New Mexico. At Morning Bray Farm, we see coyotes every now and then and hear them almost every night.
For the last several days, what looks to be the same coyote has been coming around. I suspect she has pups somewhere nearby.
As I thought about her yesterday, I realized I’m really happy.
I love the magic of this place. ♥
July 18, 2010
What’s with all the moths lately? We found a white-lined sphinx hummingbird moth enjoying the bee balm in our garden yesterday.
I think they’re gorgeous.
See the curled proboscis in this picture?
From butterfliesandmoths.org:
Caterpillar hosts: A great diversity of plants including willow weed (Epilobium), four o’clock (Mirabilis), apple (Malus), evening primrose (Oenothera), elm (Ulmus), grape (Vitis), tomato (Lycopersicon), purslane (Portulaca), and Fuschia.
Adult food: Nectar from a variety of flowers including columbines, larkspurs, petunia, honeysuckle, moonvine, bouncing bet, lilac, clovers, thistles, and Jimpson weed.
Habitat: A wide variety of open habitats including deserts, suburbs, and gardens.
Range: Central America north through Mexico and the West Indies to most of the United States and southern Canada. Also occurs in Eurasia and Africa.
Management needs: Occasional outbreaks of caterpillars have damaged tomatoes, grapes, and garden crops in Utah. (And at Morning Bray Farm.)
July 15, 2010
Over the last several weeks, we’ve been finding poop on our patio. And on the driveway, in the garage and even on the mat just outside our back door.
Based on the fact we discovered most of the poop in the morning and because of its size and shape, I figured a skunk was our culprit. In my mind, that skunk sure had a lot of nerve pooping in our garage and right smack on our back door step.
When Don suggested that it was toad poop, I scoffed at him. The idea that a toad could poop something a quarter of its body length was ludicrous.
With a little help from The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, we were able to identify our pooper. Let me just tell you, I’m simply amazed. We salute you, Mr. Toad.
By the way, if you’re wondering what The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management is, check them out here. They’re a non-profit, grant funded site that provides research-based information on how to responsibly handle wildlife damage problems. They happen to have a great scat ID section.
July 6, 2010
You might remember a post about Cecil from several weeks ago. Just as we call all of our barn swallows Cecil, all of our squirrels are called Lenny.
Lenny was in the inner sanctum of the Hairy Hacienda yard when Don took these pictures. Oh dear.
Hun, pleeeese be careful about coming into this yard. The last time Lenny ventured in here, he met a not so pleasant fate.
And, dude. Are you eating my plants?
For Cathy R… we promise we will. 😀
June 29, 2010
We just love a party. And, since we truly enjoy and appreciate every single one of your comments, we can’t help but have another contest to celebrate our 150th post today.
One lucky, randomly chosen winner will receive a Morning Bray Farm 100% cotton Hanes tagless t-shirt.
Since it’s a party, we’ll make it super easy for you. To enter our 150th post contest, simply leave a comment on this post. The contest will close Wednesday at 7 p.m. (Mountain time) and we’ll announce the winner on Thursday.
Thank you all for the smiles you bring to our faces each and every day. ♥
June 17, 2010
The toad has indeed no superior as a destroyer of noxious insects, and he possesses no bad habits and is entirely inoffensive himself, every owner of a garden should treat him with utmost hospitality.
– Celia Thaxter, An Island Garden, 1894
Morning Bray Farm 
