The Last Fig

Plucked the last fig today....got a total of 38 off the tree this season. Fortunately, I'm not totally figless now thanks to my friend Fred Friar who sent me a jar of fig preserves.
My buddy Chris Johnson who has a place out here on the ranch sent me this video today.  He is a pilot and suggested this might be something interesting to shoot from the air sometime.  He has been promising for a year now to take me up in his plane.  Hopefully next chance he gets to fly down here, the weather will cooperate with a nice big storm up north.  90,97,68,0,C,.12

4,250 Gallons

Melted some more silver this morning then headed south to the post office to mail off a couple of large orders and 2 going to England.  Had another last chance of an isolated thunderstorm today to I grabbed a few essentials.  Finished 5 more coins this afternoon then it started looking gloomy.  Checked the doppler radar and confirmed that TFL just might get more rain.

As usual, the storm started light then got ugly.  Had 15 minutes of heavy rain, thunder, lightning and high winds....then another 45 minutes of just heavy rain.

The storm ended at about 5PM and I had plenty of water going through the creek so I fired up the gas pump.  Sucked an additional 2,000 gallons out of the flow and topped off a tank.  My creek tanks are now all full - 7,500 gallons.  That ought to keep the greenhouse watered for quite some time.  Ended up with just over an inch of rain.

This storm came just in time as a high pressure system is moving into the area finally.  Looks like I will have plenty of sunny days coming up to dry out the road.  75,102,77, 1.03",G,0  

new molds...last casts

Just about worn out the first two molds.  Was able to get 38 cast out of each so far - probably just enough life left in them to finish this round.  FYI - I won't be offering any more online for awhile.  I will however have some on hand for visitors to purchase.  Think I will take a break from the melting for awhile once I finish the rest of the orders.  I got a lot of messes to clean up around here.  85,98,75,0,B,.18

the wrath of the lamb

Some Sunday's the sermon is not about love and forgiveness, although that message is always out there for all to receive if you put forth the effort to listen.   Messages of warning are also out there.  As our country and the world falls further away from Christ, the end of times draw nearer.  Fewer and fewer are ready for judgement. The wrath of God for those disinclined to even try to seek Him will be punishment like no other. For far too many, Heaven and Hell are just a myth.  But what if it is all true?  It really isn't that difficult to open your mind and seek the truth for yourself rather than just ignore it.  I would suggest that it is worth the effort to seek Him in order to avoid the consequences of not even having tried.  It is one thing to die having not been saved - but to be alive during the final judgement will be Hell on Earth.

Revelation 6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard , as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying , Come and see . 2 And I saw , and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering , and to conquer . 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say , Come and see . 4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. 5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say , Come and see . And I beheld , and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say , A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. 7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say , Come and see . 8 And I looked , and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. 9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held : 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying , How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled . 12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo , there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together ; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day of his wrath is come ; and who shall be able to stand ?

National Day of the Cowboy

Snagged another load of sterling flatware out of my mailbox before I got swamped in yesterday.  Kind of afraid to check the road damage after a jeep tour came out past TFL today.  Turned the silver into nuggets this afternoon.  The remaining coin orders should ship by Wednesday. Will do another round of 50 when I find a good sterling flatware deal on Ebay

In other news....It is National Day of the Cowboy today!  86,96,77,0,C,0

got a gusher

Was planning a supply run for Saturday with a couple of days of rain chances coming up.  Decided this morning to just get it over with.  Back from Alpine by 2PM and it was hot and sunny.  By 3PM it was pouring here(including some pea sized hail) - lasted about an hour.  I think I made the right decision.  My poor old dam area is more jungle than swamp these days.   77,109,73, .66",W,0

¡El rebote más divertido!

A recent visitor suggested that some cattle really like to play with that ol' standby...the HippityHop.  Went online and found a cheap knockoff for $15 to try out with the boys.  It just arrived today and gave me the perfect excuse to finally install the replacement capacitor I bought for my compressor months ago.  Popped it in and it worked like a charm and inflated the new cow toy.  It was already starting to get dark when they got their introduction.  They were very curious about it and after sniffing and licking - actually went after it a couple of times.  I hooked the handle on Ben's horn which was probably a mistake because it freaked him out a bit. Hopefully I will be able to get some good daylight video soon of them playing soccer.  That's how my day went.  91,103,71,0,C,.11

Rhizome Wednesday

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the golden envelope...

Well that certainly went well.  Sold 50 coins by midnight.  If you ordered after that time - it will be about a week before I get caught up on the overage.  Due to demand - I'm going to mint at least another 50 coins. Orders will be shipped in the order that they were received.  The first batch will be on their way by the end of the week.  Thank you for supporting TFL!  88,102,69,0,B,.23

coinage

Got 50 half ounce sterling silver Benita coins ready to go out the door (weather permitting).  To give you an idea of profit margin on this venture - materials and shipping will cost me $700 for this mintage and I haven't really kept track of the labor hours.  Probably could do better working at McDonald's...but not nearly as much fun.  You gotta spend money to make money.  92,101,67,0,B,0

God speaks through others...

When I moved out here to the desert...I wasn't exactly a rank sinner, but I was far from being in tune with the word of Christ.  For those in my situation who have ignored God speaking to them - sometimes the Word has to come from another human.  That is how God works.  For me it was a chance meeting with Dick Cain.  It happened December 13, 2008.when I met him the first time on the way out to the swimming hole.  It was then that I told him about my befriending Benita.   It took 3 1/2 years for the message of that meeting to finally get my attention.  God works on his schedule and the ways that you will hear Him, but the message is always out there.  Thanks again to my friend Pastor John Wiley for the message today.

Proverbs 1:5 A wise man will hear , and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

Proverbs 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed : but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded . 14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. 15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard. 16 Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly. 17 A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health. 18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured . 19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil. 20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise : but a companion of fools shall be destroyed .

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased . 17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves : for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief : for that is unprofitable for you.
     

drizzly saturday

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New addition...

For those who might have missed it - last year Dick Cain gave another longhorn to me.  Her name is Old Brown Cow.  She was the only one that Benita would ever back down from.  She is about 16 yrs old.  OBC (as she is affectionately known by some) has been coming and going for a couple of years.  Yesterday she popped in for another visit with her new heifer calf, Jane - named after my recently deceased step mother.  So now I officially have 4 longhorns....the herd is growing.  Whether or not I try to pen the girls up remains to be seen.  I think Bud has a crush on Jane.  75,87,68, .02",B,.14

State of the Water Address

Had lots of rain in the area lately but not much here at TFL.  Reckon it is time to asses the catchment and usage for my desert empire.  One of the things I was warned about when I first moved out here was evaporation from the water tanks.  I have discovered that it really isn't much of an issue.  I have been checking one of my 1550 gallon tanks - without being completely sealed, in over a year it has only lost about 75 gallons to evaporation.

This is where we stand today:

Total rainfall for 2013 so far = 5"

Total water in storage = 9,950 gallons

During a light rain event of 1", my roof surfaces catch 2250 gallons

During a heavy rain event of 1"when the creek runs, I catch an additional 3000 gallons via pump.

Water usage per week:

Ben and Bud = 175 gallons

Greenhouse = 140 gallons

Chickens and rabbits = 1 gallon

Washing dishes/showers = 25 gallons

I have yet to set up purification and filtration for my potable water from my catchment for cooking and drinking because I only use about 5 gallons per week.  For that I fill 5 gallon jugs ($1.75)

from the water machine outside the grocery store when I do supply runs to Alpine.  79,88,69, .08",B,0

new bunny, new coins

Got a new baby bunny venturing out and about on the TFL grounds. They are nesting under one of my 350 gallon water totes.

Waiting on some packaging to arrive - then the half ounce sterling silver Benita coins will go on sale here. Only selling 50 of them from the blog starting sometime next week.  Will have another 50 on hand here for visitors to purchase.  76,86,68,0,B,.10

There is something on my back...

Ben got his new bareback pad to try on today...something light to get used to before I try that old saddle on him.  First attempt and he was like a bull coming out of the gate. Second attempt and he just stood there like nothing happened.  Bud was awfully curious about the outfit, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't want one too. Unfortunately, I didn't read the small print when I ordered it...no girth strap included.  No wonder it was on sale.  No luck finding just that piece online so I will have to come up with a creative solution....I'm thinking velcro.  80,92,66,0,B,0

PBF

Gloomy day all day...time for a peanut butter and fig sandwich.  73,78,77, .04",B,.16

The voice of your spirit...

I am reminded today of my years in NYC.  The first year I was in the thick of it, I found it hard to go to sleep at night because the buzz was constant...I couldn't help but think that by going to bed, I was missing out on some fun out there.  After a few years that lure wore off but the buzz was constant still - then in the annoying form of car alarms and endless black noise clatter.  Made it hard to think clearly let alone listen to my spirit.

Now that I have constant quiet...I am trying to train myself to hear the word of God.  It is a bit tricky because first we have our Heart - the deceitful center of physical and spiritual life.  Next is the soul - God's famous free will gift to us which is the seat of our feelings/desires/affections.  And then there is the Spirit...our only link to God's voice but remains dormant as being controlled by our earthly bondage.  That pathway is very hard to hear but the voice is there.  The heart is wicked and all but dead...as bondage to the heart and soul diminishes - the voice of the spirit gets easier to hear.

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked : who can know it? 10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick , and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would . 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written , Eye hath not seen , nor ear heard , neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received , not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

-Thanks to Pastor John Wiley for this message
http://river.sermon.tv/8775110

George Zimmerman

I try not to get too caught up in our government controlled media.  But sometimes little snippets catch my attention when normally I am just tending my greenhouse and feeding Ben and Bud.  I haven't really been following the circus trial of George Zimmerman, but decided I would see what's going on today and found something far more disturbing than the fact that there was a fight and someone died. Saw this story from Alyssa Newcomb for Good Morning America on ABC:
http://gma.yahoo.com/police-monitoring-social-media-setting-areas-possible-protests-030246289--abc-news-topstories.html

Police Are Monitoring Social Media, Setting Up Areas for Possible Protests
"Police in south Florida are bracing for the verdict in the racially charged George Zimmerman murder trial, creating places for people to peacefully protest, monitoring social media and urging people to remain calm."

"In Miami-Dade County, where Martin lived with his mother, police have launched a campaign to encourage people to "be vocal, not violent" and have designated two parks as "First Amendment Parks" where people can assemble peacefully to express their feelings rather than take to the streets."

What's wrong with this picture?  When did this country start designating First Amendment Parks?  Are we now only allowed to voice opposition in special designated areas? That certainly makes it easier for the government to control opposing viewpoints.  

The first amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law....abridging the freedom of speech,... interfering with the right to peaceably assemble. 

Teresa Elliott

Alpine run today.  My friend Teresa Elliott graciously allowed me to stop in for a studio visit.  This is where she makes the magic happen.  91,103,68,0,B,0

my first fresh figs

Just so happens I looked online yesterday to figure out when figs are ready to pick.  Seems some of mine are at that point so I picked 3 and ate them for breakfast.  They were really good.  54 years old and I finally had a fig that wasn't in a Newton.  88,103,71,0,B,.11

facebook folly

Spent way too much time today trying to figure out how to put a Paypal button for the coins on Benita's Facebook page.  Half the suggestions I found didn't work and the other half involved third party app providers that wanted access to the names of Benita's 2,032 fans and all those on my friends list.  That means the button will go up on the blog instead - starting Monday.  Mark Zuckerberg might be a lucky billionaire, but he aint gettin' a piece of this action.  92,104,70,0,B,.14

tumblin

Caught 2 more hornworms this morning. 

This one was the cuter of the two. 

Got a great deal on a Harbor Freight rock tumbler that arrived today.  Ran a test with 2 lbs. of stainless steel shot and a couple of coins for 3 hours.  Does a nice job of pounding out scratches but it doesn't eliminate much of the hand finishing that's needed.

Transplanted an avocado and a palm this afternoon.  84,103,71,0,B,0