Push and pull
A few move-related complications---along with some irresistible riding weather in Texas---delay our return to the Land of Enchantment.
A few move-related complications---along with some irresistible riding weather in Texas---delay our return to the Land of Enchantment.
Last October my husband Kenny and I reluctantly returned from our Pie Town, New Mexico, ranch-inprogress to our Hondo, Texas, property---we had hooves to trim and chores to do. We’ve now been in Texas for six months and counting. Although we are as eager as ever to head back to New Mexico, we’ve had to contend with a few move-related complications.
Most significantly, the process of sorting through a lifetime of accumulated belongings has proved far more daunting than we’d anticipated. My efforts mainly involve going through boxes of books, photos, equine publications and letters. But Kenny is an engineer and a collector. He likes building things and taking them apart, and he hates to throw away anything that might have potential use. So he has spent the winter sifting through heaps of scrap metal, separating brass, aluminum, copper and steel into individual piles that can be recycled rather than simply discarded.
We’ve been making frequent trips to thrift stores, recycling centers and, yes, even the county landfill, as we seek to fulfill our goal of moving only those materials we can use during building our new ranch, things that are of practical use, and items that have meaning to us. It’s been a painstaking process and sometimes it’s hard to let go. “You just have to grit your teeth and work your way through it---deciding what is important enough to take with you, and what can be left behind,” says Kenny. It’s becoming increasingly clear that, despite our best efforts, this project, along with our other preparations, will take more than one winter to finish, especially with Kenny still working full-time as a software engineer.
Meanwhile, back in New Mexico, spring has been elusive and much of the state has been racked by an extended drought. In fact, our friend and neighbor Karl Phaler has even begun feeding the herd of elk that roam our neighborhood, and he’s put out water jugs along the Continental Divide for hikers as the springs are drying up.
The cold and windy conditions have also made it difficult to begin construction for our new ranch’s utilities. We had decided to go with underground power lines, planning to do the 500 feet of four-foot-deep trenching ourselves, but when we ran out of time last year, our electrician was unable to find someone to come all the way out with a backhoe to do the job. As a result, we are reconsidering the idea of going with overhead power.
We’ve also been going back and forth on the details of our “migration.” The current plan, subject to change, is to make a run without horses but hauling building materials, t-posts for fencing, a wood stove, composting toilet and other items. While we’re there, we’ll empty out the remaining furniture in our storage unit in Pie Town (it’s been nearly three years!), then come back to Texas to prepare for
the next phase with horses, dogs and cats. We’re planning to take six horses, one dog and three cats on our second run.
Although the equine facilities have been our first priority, we also need to think about our three Siamese cats. They are accustomed to ranging freely over an approximately five-acre area on our Texas ranch that is bounded by our neighbor’s fence line. They go out in the morning and come inside before dark. But the coyotes in New Mexico seem bigger and more aggressive than those
FURRY FRIENDS: Although the equine facilities have been a priority in planning the New Mexico ranch, the family’s dogs and cats will also be accommodated.