So the funny thing about that was...

So, I can't help but feel that this week's trip to Cascabel is going to be the oddest series of events of my time spent in AZ. Rather than wait a week to post (and most likely forget everything that happened) I am treating you all (you're welcome) to a special "bonus" post.


So WWOOFer Jenn,WWOOFer Whit, and I drove up to Cascabel Sunday evening so that we could put in a full day's work on Monday and Tuesday. Before leaving, Debbie let us borrow a book she had on Enneagrams -- needless to say much of the car ride was spent on self-diagnosis (we also got Dairy Queen so that took up some time as well). If you are wondering, I am a two. The book is written in such a way that makes one ashamed to be whatever number you are. It starts out by saying some really frivolous things about your personality (e.g. you are really generous and are kind) and then the gloves come off. Twos apparently are extremely giving with their time and energy but it's only so people think of them positively/ to avoid dealing with their own issues. It goes on from there and each number description goes about the same. You are good at silly x,y, and z but in general you are terrible and awful and no one should bother being your friend. Needless to say, we are sulky about the book. However, whenever anyone did anything clumsy or say something offensive we would just say, "That's typical 4 behavior (or 2 or whatever)".


On Monday we finished fence reinforcement and then as a group we scoured the field for large rocks so that can be safely tilled. During this process I found an Indian artifact (maybe two?)! I found awhat I am told is a Mano-- a stone used wit a matate to grind grains into whatever. I was very excited and contemplated mailing it to Mom... but thought it was better to leave it at the farm than to risk criminal charges/ crazy UPS shipping fees. I also maybe found an arrow head. If not an arrowhead, then it is an incredibly symmetrical naturally arrowhead shaped rock. Who's to say?

Also on Monday: A trip to the river. So, there is a river at the back end of the property! During monsoon season it is swollen and looks like a typical river/creek. Currently though, it's a kind of meh trickle. Despite how unimpressive it looks at this point in time, it is absolutely teeming with minnows and tadpoles. Ihler had a really fun time letting the minnows swim between his toes and catching the chubby/sluggish tadpoles. During the hour or so we spent by the river Ihler went from completely clothed to completely naked. It happened slowly...but really we should have known that naked baby was on the way the moment his shoes and socks came off. I'm looking forward to monsoon season to see what sort of new wildlife is around when there is a consistent water source available/ tubing down the river during lunch breaks.

Monday night CJ said, "It would be great if someone could drive to Benson to get Diesel fuel so that Tuesday we could have full use of the equipment." At the time he asked, I was feeling alert so I volunteered. It was a definite, "If you give a mouse a cookie..." situation because by the time I had left I was committed to doing 2-3 more errands out in town (and by the time he'd finished his list of things for me to get I was getting into the sleepy range). So Benson is a 30 minute drive away and I think size-wise is like Richlands. In order to get there you have to drive through windy, hilly roads in which cows are a very real road hazard. It's a scary drive to make in the day time and much more difficult at night since there's no light around except for your headlights. To keep awake, I rolled the windows down on the pickup and listened to one of the few non-static-y radio stations around. It was classic rock so I was content for a while. When I noticed I was the only car on this deserted highway It occurred to me that I was living out any number of Jackson Browne and/or Eagles hits and I decided to change the radio to the other non-static-y station, Mexican Mariachi Music... lest I end up at the Hotel California or Running on Empty.


Tuesday I think was the funniest day of all. We took the big dogs, lily and gus, for a walk around the property in order to exercise them and to reinforce their understanding of the farm's borders. When we came by the pond we took them off the leash so they could swim around and cool off. CJ brought his bathing suit and jumped in with the pups. I wanted to wade in with them so I took off my pants and got in just above my knees. Jenn just got her toes wet. So while we people were hanging out and talking, the dogs decided to do some exploring. Lily slipped under the fence and Gus followed and soon they were outside the borders of the fence. We could still see them, and knowing that they aren't fast dogs, we limited our retrieval efforts to whistles and the occasional yell of the name. Then they just take off -blam-and are no longer in eyesight. It's important to know that our neighbors in the direction they bolted are cow farmers (actually in about every direction...cow farming). It is the policy of cow farmers to shoot dogs who wander on their property in order to protect livestock. Suddenly, there is an urgency in getting the dogs. I start running after them.... as is... barefoot in my underwear. I have a pretty well known "I would not run to save my life" policy, but my urge to protect the dogs overwhelmed my desire to not look ridiculous (I'm an ugly runner) and I RAN after the dogs....for a mile and change in the desert...barefoot...in my underwear. I caught up with them after about 10 minutes when they stopped to sniff sniff something dead. They were happy to see me and were very compliant in their return home. Cute.


So, I thought all of that was funny, especially my run for dogs (typical two-- right?) and I hope you all feel a little bit closer to me now that I've shared alll of that/ won't avoid eye contact because of all of that.