Our neighbors had a weenie roast Friday evening. It had been breezy during the day but fairly warm. Still, the fire felt good as the sun went down and the moon rose. Barbara and the Lopez gang joined us but not Janice, who was busy trying to get her house ready to sell, or Joyce, who had a cold. Them chillun seemed to have a lively time whoopin’ and hollerin’ and the evening turned out to be just about right for a weenie roast. Saturday it blew all to be damned and would not have been suitable for a weenie roast. I was pooped anyway Saturday evening after spending all day chasing water. My life consists of 30 minute intervals as I run from one end of the place to the other to move sprinklers. This week I concentrated on the south end and watered the line of junipers on the east. That was the first time they’ve ever been watered since maybe Dad irrigated last, which could easily have been 30 years ago. I should have started watering all of the junipers on the perimeter much sooner than I did during this drought. They’ve gotten in pretty bad shape but in my defense it is very time consuming to do that and I couldn’t do it and work at the same time. Hopefully I can keep up the watering over the winter and maybe we’ll even get some moisture and will see the benefit next spring. Winter moisture is much more effective since it doesn’t get blasted away by heat and wind.
Rojo the rooster has a tough time getting his share of the handouts Joyce brings to the chickens, usually when she lets them out in the afternoon to free range. The other day she had some stale bread but poor old Rojo isn’t fast enough to get a piece when she throws some on the ground. Even if she throws a piece some distance and the hens all chase after it and she gives Rojo his own piece, before he can consume it a hen will snatch it out of his beak and make off with it. He gets his revenge, though. I don’t know whether he has a system or he chooses his consort at random but either way he gets what he wants. However, if black rooster tries to get in on the action, Rojo comes arunnin’ and knocks him off. Rojo don’t share. The new chickens are all beginning to lay and Joyce even gave some eggs to Barbara the other day.
Wednesday Kari and I went to Abigail’s basketball scrimmage. She made the team and the season starts this week. Last Saturday she, li’l r and I were playing horse in their driveway. Li’l r won the first round and Abigail won the second. Abigail and I played 21 and Abigail won that, too. Guess I need to work on my shooting a little. Several of the girls from the volleyball team, like Abigail, are on the basketball team. As with volleyball, they have a 7th grade gold and a 7th grade silver basketball team, A and B teams if you will. Abigail is on the silver team along with several girls from her volleyball silver team. Abigail was pretty glad to make the team. The competition isn’t getting any easier. Besides, the silver team may be a little more fun and may offer more opportunity to get on the floor during the games. From what we saw in the scrimmage, the level of play is going to be entertaining. Why, they actually pass the ball around, except for one girl I remember from one of Abigail’s Kids, Inc. teams. She gets the ball and she keeps it until she either gets off a shot or gets it taken away from her. She’s short so the latter is the outcome about half the time. She can play and would be an asset if she became a team player. The last time I saw her, her parent, I don’t remember whether it was mother or father, was the coach. Maybe this team’s coach will take care of that little detail.