Some Stuff

Kobae comes to the porch about 2 to 3pm each day for his meal. He's calmed down a little versus his big eat day he had a couple weeks ago. He's two or three head of romaine, five or so green peppers, and five or six cucumbers. When food comes out of his nose, he's full. Then he sits by the porch for awhile and heads back over the his house. Came out twice today to eat.

Temps drop about 4pm and it will go from 90ish to high 70s in an hour or two. I feed birds and squirrels, water, and I hate to say it but I kill ants. For 12 years no ant ever bit me and I'd see them on my leg and feet and nothing. Last week they bit me twice. It's only a matter of time before they bite guests so I'm eliminating them anywhere close to people. Plus I've seen a line of hundreds carrying bird seed back to the mound. Probably cut my bird seed bill by 20% and instead is going to ant spray.

Took guests on a hike to The Fingers.

Had three incidents in the last week or two where dogs didn't want to leave. They come to me for protection to keep them from going home to their fenced in back yard or whatever their situation and I side with the guests. They give me this look of betrayal as they are hauled off. This is Guru. His parents are really into yoga and they are all over the property filming themselves doing yoga. Apparently Guru has seen all the yoga he cares to see as he wanders over to the lodge and hangs out in the kitchen. I've found him at the boat dock, boat ramp, Condo, in the pond by the Main house, in the big garage next door and when Tami and Chris took his parents to town to kayak back they left him with me. He seemed content after they left and I was petting him and the phone rang. I answered and it was about a ten minute call. When I came out Guru wasn't around. Chris called on the walkie and said Guru followed the truck up to Hurrah Pass and they were taking him with them. When they got back he came over and hugged me as a sort of apology I think. Tomorrow his parents check out after ten days, going to be a tough one.

There are rock squirrels everywhere and more babies than I've ever seen and they all go right for the engines to see if there's any vegetable flavored started or spark plug wires and so far they gotten Tami's car and my Jeep. Without Jax we're vulnerable again so making all the guests park backwards and leave their hood's unlocked and we've built spraying engines with coyote piss part of our up and down the parking lot daily ritual. They've also eaten or torn out all but two of the bushes I planted to make more foliage where they feed to protect them from the hawks so there goes $150 worth of plant life as they destroy their own protection. To add to their destructive habits they are eating much of the flowers on the desert willows. There's been a whip snake hiding in the desert willow the last few days trying to pick off some lizards. He got a whip tail lizard but it sheds it's tail which the snake ate and escaped. Today when I went to catch it up the tree it went. Chris grabbed it by the tail and I by the neck and took it over to the gravel pit for release. I'm not close to any of the side-blotched anymore like Who's Up and What's Up but still I've seen a few of the same lizards for three or four years and gotten use to them.

River is finally going down and the beach re-appearing. Not much yet but it's coming. I haven't seen a single mosquito yet but I expect them any day. Water never got up in the tamarisk so I doubt there are many eggs to hatch this year but if so it's year 13 and I'll deal with them. Branches are falling daily off the right side of the dead cottonwood. Need an alternative place for the birds to go so I can chop that thing down.