Quarterly Update: The Sun's Xenith

The experience of Summer in the Mojave desert is quite different from that of Summer in temperate climate zones. During the weeks leading up to and the weeks after the longest day of the year in our hemisphere, we are entering into a sort of semi-hibernation, a stillness that is more akin to winter in the temperate world. Work slows as the sun turns on us, and we adjust our schedule accordingly: we wake early, work as the first light comes over the mountains, and shelter when the sun gets too hot to tolerate. We work again in the evening, and we stay up late. In between we fit in meals, siesta when we can, and do our planning. Our children are stuck inside most of the day this time of year, and so we also slow projects to interface with the community more: they do swim lessons, we volunteer at the local equine rescue, I take them to the free museum and the libraries, we picnic under big trees in the park with other families until we simply must refuge indoors. Stillness here is a paradox: we are at once still and not-still, experiencing cabin fever one moment and fatigue from being out the next. Yet, there is much to observe and note of what we've accomplished since Spring.

In March we began rerouting the water lines at the Ranch, both to fix some leaks that had been occurring unbeknownst to us for quite some time, and to enable filtration of all of the water coming into the property from the well. We also set up a 3000 gallon water storage tank so that we can pull water either directly from the well or from storage in the event of a power outage. This enables us to get goats, horses, and/or pigs in the near future, as we can ensure water availability at all times in the quantities these animals would need. We have finished this project, save for a minor repair that is in the works on the secondhand pump we were gifted by a community member. An additional bonus to this project is that our soon to be laying flock of chickens now has a float-valve system for their water, saving us the chore of hauling water to them each day and ensuring they always have plenty when it is hot.

In the garden, we experienced our first harvest of potatoes and green beans. Though these plants did not produce much, we have saved their produce to plant before monsoons this Summer. As we select the plants that produce under our harsh conditions, we may continue to create plants which are better adapted to this land, and therefore which are more efficient at utilizing our scarce resources. We also just harvested the year's mesquite pods, a crucial nutrient-dense native food source. We will also be seed-saving from this harvest, and trying our hand at propagating more mesquite trees from seed. Several other plants are growing: loofah, green onions, and white sage, though none are yet ready for harvest.

Our greywater system still needs more diversion channels dug out to be considered finished, but is currently creating its own rich ecosystem with clover and grasses sprouting around it, providing water and nutrients for insects and wildlife. In particular, both native and established pollinators have been spending their mornings getting water from it, and we've seen starlings and flycatchers picking about in the clover and splashing in the water.

Like us, the wildlife is behaving in a somewhat quantum way: at once still and not-still, the need for rest and minimizing of heat production through energy expenditure balances frantically with the need to obtain energy. Early in April we had been brooding our second flock of chickens, our Rhode Island Reds, in our chicken tractor. When they reached about 10 weeks old, as we always do, we turned them outside to forage. In the Spring, the resident ravens left our 10 week old Naked Neck chickens alone outdoors, but the turning out of this new flock coincided unfortunately with our first 110 degree weather for the year, and we lost four young chickens to the ravens. From this we learned a critical lesson on timing and care, and built the more docile Reds their own covered chicken coop. The remaining 11 Reds are happily plucking about in there now, and will get the chance to forage when they are more full grown come late July or early August.

Our Naked Necks, on the other hand, are delightfully free-ranging in the garden every day. They're doing an excellent job controlling flies without shredding the young plants we have, and so I'm thrilled to continue to have them roam each day. The soil in the basins that they till and deposit manure in is becoming wonderfully rich, and I look forward to seeing what we can cultivate for the Fall growing season.

We have also planted several more nopal cuttings, and are enjoying the proliferation of live fencing and hiding places for beneficial ant-eating lizards and the beloved kangaroo rats.

This Summer we see the biggest difference in our ability to sustain life yet. Prior years, Summer meant die-off, but this year, green is continuing. We have not increased irrigation, we have simply increased the water carrying capacity of the soil and food availability for wildlife. Now we look ahead to monsoon season with hope: if we get rain, we may get a second growing season which we will use to focus in on propagating more natives everywhere we've improved soil and have water already going. If not, we will have to wait until Fall to continue some of our plans. Until the rainy months, however, we will be maintaining, and trying to focus in on rest.

Thank you for reading, and for sharing this journey with us. If you'd like to support our mission of land regeneration and the cultivation of sovereign community spaces, please consider subscribing as a supporter and sharing this newsletter with a friend. As always, we welcome feedback on how we can tailor the information we share to best bring value to your life.

For locals: we will be opening up a unique support opportunity in August that will enable you to subscribe at a Member tier and receive eggs, bread, jams, and other special products produced here at the Ranch. Spots will be limited, so keep your eye out for that announcement next month!