Sustainable SW Blogs

Some house finches have taken over (and refined) and old dove nest under the SW corner of the greenhouse.  There are 3 eggs in the nest.  I am monitoring it with my webcam and you can view it on my nightly live stream on YouTube from 7:15 to 8:15 PM CST.  91,99,74,0,B

1 John 4: 1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

The story behind the tire tumbleweed:  Tires for Sisyphus is a performance video utilizing a spherical tire clad sculpture. Angel Fernandez pushes the object on a 42 acre property in Terlingua Ranch, near Big Bend, Texas. Winter Rusiloski is assistant director, Persephone Battle is drone camera operator, and Christian deLeon is responsible for editing and sound. The video was included in exhibitions at KSpace Contemporary in Corpus Christi, TX and the CICA Museum in South Korea.  
The work is a performance video utilizing a spherical tire covered sculpture. The device creates a drawing on the sandy 40-acre surface on our property in Terlingua Ranch. I document the process and finished marking via drone photography as well as on the ground footage. While traveling from South Padre Island to the Big Bend along the U.S. and Mexico border, I encountered chained tires that the Border Patrol uses on the American side. Their white Suburbans drag tires to clear tracks on the dirt paths. This clearing or erasing of tracks allows them to monitor fresh foot traffic. Native Americans used this method to track and hunt various animals. This technique sustained their livelihood, which at times was unpredictable. Tires are symbols of progress, movement and date back to Sumerian culture’s invention of the wheel, one of the most revolutionary inventions of civilization.I intend to use the tires differently from the subtracting and destroying quality. In Tires for Sisyphus, they are a creative and mark making tool. The tires and my shoes leave impressions on the earth the same way that immigrants leave evidence of their passage. This drawing is a record of the journey. The process of pushing this object on the desolate landscape suggests a perpetual struggle, one filled with tension, pain and hard work. Our existence leaves a mark on the land, good and bad. This same existence also makes impressions on our collective identity, shaping the psyche of this country.Tires for Sisyphus is a reminder of the great cliché that great things come from hard work, risk and adventure. Immigrants make up the greatest part of our American identity and they embody the entrepreneurial American spirit that helped individuals traverse the Atlantic Ocean on their most perilous journey to this amazing land of opportunity. Presently, people come to this country and risk everything, including their lives. People are caged, turned away, and mistreated. Many will come back and try to find a different way to enter this country. This process is part of the unending cycle, a Sisyphean task, and the pursuit of a better tomorrow that may never come.

Taped all the sheathing seams and installed some peal and stick leak barrier on the ridge and at the roofing transition.  83,97,75,0,B

Got a little repair job coming up for a friend as soon as the insurance claim is finalized.  His house got pounded on the north side by some pretty large hail.  89,98,68,0,B  

It’s apricot season and they are out everywhere! It’s unusual to get apricots here in Santa Fe (about every 7 years) as usually a late freeze comes in spring and freezes all the blossoms, but not this year!

If you don’t have any apricots, don’t worry. There are apricots between La Choza restaurant and Whole Foods on Cerrillos in the Railyard Park for the picking. Last year I picked enough to make apricot jam.

I have a wonderful apricot jam recipe that has St. Germain’s liquer in it. St Germain’s is a liquor made out of elderberries and is delicious by itself but when added to apricot jam while cooking, it gives a wonderful floral nuance to the jam that is delicious. So I am excited to make more this year as I’m down to my last jar of apricot jam. The recipe can be found here.

First time I've been on top.  Finished all the roof fascia and some final sheathing nails.  Prepped for underlayment now.  Tin arrives next week.  In other news: didn't find any hornworms on my tomato plants - just a couple of grasshoppers doing a little leaf chewing.  81,99,73,T,B

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Hello all attendees- We’ve sent you a notice from Eventbrite about a location change for tomorrow’s class. This post hopefully will catch any of you that haven’t read your email! We look forward to a great presentation so please still come!

Due to a snafu with SF Home Builders Assoc, we’ve had to move (at the last minute) the venue to the following location. Same time. Different place. LOCATION: Jet Stream Energy
19 Plaza La Prensa, Santa Fe, NM 87507  

DIRECTIONS: (you can also get the directions from google map if you prefer)
South on Cerrillos to Beckner – turn right. Follow service drive and turn right at The New Mexican.  Turn left at first stop sign. First business on right has solar satellite dishes – turn right into parking lot.

A couple of days ago, I noticed the first evidence of tomato hornworms on my plants.  Haven't been able to spot them yet.  Did a quick internet search today and discovered they are easy to find after dark if you use a blacklight - they glow bright green.  Dug through one of my old boxes of electronics and found a black light that I probably bought over 10 years ago...and it still works!  Going hornworm hunting tonight. 75,94,70, .08",B

Today's holiday task - figuring out the gable fascia.90,100,72, .13",B

The rattlesnake skin is finished and shipping out Monday to its new home in Estonia.  My friend Herbert Murd is going to put it on display in his Texas themed restaurant.  90,100,74, .05",B

Hello folks!

Get the Buzz on Native Bees class is still open for sign up below!

Here is the next class this Sunday on native bees, how they differ from honeybees, how to encourage them to your property, what plants offer them nectar and pollen, and a demo on how you can make a simple native bee house. Bob has sold his beautiful native bee houses at the SF Farmer’s Market, SF Botanical Gardens and elsewhere in Santa Fe. It’s going to be great! I know they work, as I own one of his native bee houses!

Sunday, July 7th
12 noon to 2 pm

Get the Buzz on Native Bees!
Do you like melons, pumpkins, and squash? Well, you should thank the native bees! Honeybees might get the most attention, but native bees really are the major pollinators of food crops. Did you know that there are more than 500 species of native bees just in New Mexico alone? Do you know the differences between the native bee and the honeybee?

Come to the Native Bee class July 7 and learn all about these often overlooked pollinators. Bob Zimmerman, retired biology teacher, will show you how to provide a bee friendly yard for native bees and how to make a native bee house to encourage them to hang around your garden!

Instructors: Bob Zimmerman
Location: Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association building
2520-B Camino Entrada (next to Habitat ReStore on south side of building) • Santa Fe
Fee: $5 for members/$10 for non-member

Please sign up through Eventbrite below:

A few more repairs in the morning and I will be back to pre-storm damage progress...89,97,73,0,B

Mark 10:23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.