Well, well, well ....

It's been a busy week at This Land, and I now have a new appreciation for the job of well drilling. Thanks to Mark and Phil, who spent the entire week drilling, pumping and capping, the well is in, all 180 feet of it.

"Lucy, you got some 'splainin' to do!" Okay, it just looks like Lucille Ball at the laundromat--this was part of the flushing process, apparently involving suds of some kind. It looks a lot like the snow the guys brought with them on Monday from Elko.

Several of the neighbors came to call, both the four-legged kind:

and the people kind. James stopped by on Thursday and introduced himself, then on Friday we had visits from Curt (who helped deliver Tex--thanks Curt!), Harold, Dianne and Robert. It's good to know we have friendly, helpful folks around us. We really aren't in the Middle of Nowhere. (We know almost as many neighbors here already as we knew in our city neighborhood.)

While the Well Guys were hard at work, so were we, hauling dirt around to fill potholes in the driveway, cleaning up the site of the first building project, where the old shack stood, collecting trash (and a few more relics of the past) and rocks for that first building. Rosa the Chewdle got to explore her new bit of desert, although she has to watch out for coyotes, hawks and Edgar the Raven, all of whom would find her a tasty snack.



Running Away To Home

Montello, Nevada--only 200 miles round-trip to Wal-Mart. I think I'll shop local ....

We finally made it--home. Well, almost. We're renting an RV space in town while waiting on the well and a couple other bits and pieces. We spent four days on the road, to accommodate those 40-mph hills towing Serenity, and trying to get into the habit of relaxing. Also, driving shorter distances was less stressful on Bunnicula and Bun-Bun, the two Cinnamon rabbits given to us shortly before we left New Mexico. We don't usually name livestock, but we wanted a way to tell them apart, short of saying "the dark one," or "the lighter-colored one." (No photos yet--they're currently battened down in a covered dog run, awaiting the arrival of a last-hurrah winter storm due in any minute now.)

Marvin and Matilda, two of the Terrifying Space Monkeys enjoyed themselves at campgrounds along the way, first at the Picacho KOA near Tucson:

and then at the Ely, Nevada KOA:

On Thursday morning, a call to the well driller brought an almost-immediate response, and now the drilling rig is sitting on This Land, not far from Tex, ready to start drilling:

This will probably also have to wait until the projected storm passes, but we're confident the well will go in soon, as I'm sure they'll want their rig for other jobs.

Montello is a fairly friendly place. Just this morning, the neighbors came to call:

In the meantime, Greg has been busy reattaching barbed wire to the fence posts and I've been cleaning up the site of an old shack/cabin. The building has been gone for a few years, but the footprint is still there, and full of trash. Some of it is interesting trash, though, like partial pages from a 700-plus page book on such things as composting, growing fruit trees and other subjects of interest to the average homesteader. I believe the relics to be at least 20 years old, some much older. (The two fairly complete polyester shirts sort of scream 80s. No, I didn't save them.<shudder>) In the midst of very masculine relics (rotting socks, a razor handle, car parts and bits of a radio, I think) I found most of the pieces of a very delicate Sheffield china tea cup:

Interesting picture of previous occupants ... I find myself wanting to build my studio on the site of this former dwelling. There's history here, and a fabulous view of the mountains across the valley. Home.