Airborne

This is the sort of rustic scene I see on my morning walk. A chicken getting ready to fly the coop. A rusty old truck in the background--so New Mexico. A dead tree. And...wait, a goat? A goat in the tree?

This is the goat who entertained us by teetering on the top of the fence the other day (Morning Glories). I've been waiting for a chance to catch him/her resting in the tree. Forgive the blur--Beany was trying to help me focus by pulling on his leash. 

Morning Glories

This is the sky that greeted me this morning. 

It's monsoon season here in the desert. This is the fourth wettest year on record, so far. That means lots of clouds, which make for interesting photos. 

Yesterday, the sun was just breaking through some gloomy morning clouds. As long as those clouds bring rain, we are happy to have them here. 

The day before that, the morning clouds were echoing the shapes of the mountains again. 

And this is the friend I see on my morning walks, the little goat who lives on the other side of the orchard from us and who likes to climb trees. I was ready to get a photo of him doing just that, but this time he decided to teeter on top of his fence instead. 

If you peer through the pecan orchard, you can make out a part of our garage roof on the left. Whenever I go out to see the chickens or to tend to the garden, this little goat calls to me and I say hello back to him. 

The City Goes Green With Goats

Goats doing what goats do

The City of Las Cruces Public Works Dept. recently decided to try out goats for weed control at a local drainage pond. I was lucky to get this shot, as the goats had just about completed their job of ridding the area of tall weeds that were acting as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. A few days later, the herd was moved elsewhere to help out with another project.

The neighborhood where the pond is located is called "Chiva Town" for the goats that were once commonly kept in yards nearby. You can read an article about this "green" weed control project in the El Paso Times.