Some Stuff

 Five more side by sides at the boat ramp went right through the No Trespassing sign. Emailing tonight the tour companies in town. A few of them have been telling their guests to swing by and say hi or come see us if they need anything while they are out here. I'd say still on an average hot day four to eight vehicles come up the driveway for bathroom, what is this place, buy something at the store?, and the like. Takes 15 minutes to be polite and send them on their way. Telling the companies not to send their people here unless there is trouble.

Jax and I are driving back from town. I stop, get out of the truck, Jax jumps out, I go over on the side of the road and take a pee, walk back to the truck, look over and Jax is peeing on my pee.

I send everyone staying here, even if it's next door, directions to get to the lodge, then I, or Linda or Linny, can take them next door and get them acquainted with their surroundings. Last week I had a family follow Jax and I over to the Main House. They parked, I parked, Jax and I got out of the side by side and when the rear door of the guest's vehicle opened a young girl, probably 10 or 12 years old got out with the biggest smile on her face. I said "What are you smiling about?" She said "I saw you and your dog taking turns eating an ice cream cone while you were driving over here. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen." Yes, she did.

Getting all the reeds out of the pond next door was my priority last year and this year on the list of things I have to worry about and get done, it's not even on the list and it's a big list.

So far, best I can tell most everyone has had their babies. There are two real small mule deer walking around which I see almost every day. Last year there were three. I've only seen one baby big horn and last year there were three, four the year before that. The striped skunks had four babies this year, sadly one of which drown before I got the cistern fixed, still one less than last year. I've only seen one raccoon family and they just have two kids this year of which in previous years, especially the early years they had four or five. It's a small sample but it's my sample, right here on the property, and there may be other factors at work also but I think it strengthens my argument that feeding the critters makes it so many babies are not necessary anymore because a larger percentage of them are surviving. It's not an exact science but it's something.

Have a few people coming by in the next week or two about working here and so far I've gone with all people that I know from the past or worked with their parents in one capacity or another at the indoor facilities so either they have proven their selves to me already or I know the family work DNA. It's encouraging considering my track record of locals in the past.

I'm turning more and more of the daily operations over to Linny should something happen to me she knows what to do. I've given her the daily routine of maintenance on the vehicles, feeding birds, Kobae, and the night life, checking the batteries and generators to get through the night each evening, and watering. When she's got it down we'll go through the next checklist of things that require attention every day or two.