Weather: Rain last Wednesday and Thursday from tropical storm Raymond that developed off the coast of México around 11/12. It traveled west, but apparently kicked up enough moisture for us to get our fall soaking rain.
Last useful rain: 11/21. Week’s low: 18 degrees F. Week’s high: 61 degrees F in the shade.
What’s still green: Leaves on juniper and other evergreens, cliff rose, yuccas, red hot poker, chives, grape hyacinth, bouncing Bess, pink evening primroses, golden spur columbine, snapdragons, alfilerillo, blue flax, hollyhock, vinca, violets, sweet peas, coral bells, Queen Anne’s lace, Shasta daisy, anthemis, white and yellow yarrow, purple aster, cheat grass; bases of needle grass; rose canes.
The alfalfa fields have been cut, so the manmade landscape of fields and yards has been stripped to the base coat. It’s tan, while the fields on Dreamcatcher Hill have more colors and heights. A few dead leaves remain on the cottonwoods, catalpas; and Russian olives.
What’s still gray or gray-green: Leaves on cliff rose, snow-in-summer, catmint
What’s red or purple: Leaves on coral beard tongues
Tasks: Men were cutting down the last of the corn stalks in market garden fields before the weather turned wet. Others have been replacing their farm fences with block walls, horizontal board fences, or coyote poles.
Animal sightings: Small birds
Weekly update: Years ago when I laid Saltillo tile along the west side of the house, I first had to apply three coats of sealer on each side. I ran out of tile before I was done. A few years later, I bought more tile and started the sealing process. I don’t think I ever finished.
A couple years ago I laid gravel between the tiles and bricks edging the western border of blue-flowered plants. That also could go no further than the tiles, but did eliminate most of my problems with standing water that turned to ice in the winter.
This summer, I decided ready or not, I was going to lay the remaining tiles. Before I started though, I had to reset all the existing tiles so they were flush with ones at the north end. On Tuesday, the day before the rains started, I finally got it all down — or all except some tag ends that I can do later.
After I was done, I took the hoe and leveled the dirt in the path. It was so dry, I couldn’t compact the ground enough to put down the rest of the gravel.
Last week’s rains revealed no low places, but I made some when I walked in the path to test the surface. They filled with water.
I didn’t stick my nose outside again until today. The ground was frozen. I’d never thought about it, but it’s obvious: you can’t have frozen ground without water.
The sun reached the area in the afternoon and thawed enough of the ground I could re-level it with a hoe and dump the gravel. I learned I only needed one layer to keep my feet out of the mud, and the stones didn’t need to be dense. There only had to be enough to support my entire foot.
I had a little gravel left, and spread it in tire tracks in my drive that had become bald. A thicker layer is needed there because the weight of the car pushes stones into the ground. Of course, if I could have gotten the man who rebuilt the driveway to hire a roller to compact the ground that wouldn’t have been a problem. But, that wasn’t a concept in New Mexico. He just told me to drive over the gravel a few times.
Anyway, there had been standing water in some of the tire tracks last Thursday. So, I used that most useful of tools — the side of my foot — to move loose gravel that had accumulated a few feet from the tracks into the bald areas.
Nothing is ever complete. The main drive probably will need a new layer of gravel this winter, but nothing will happen until we have rain following a thaw that creates problems. My neighbor only reacts to problems, not symptoms.
The new tiles already are beginning to disintegrate. I always thought that was because the interior tiles shouldn’t be used outside, and the actions of snow and ice eventually destroyed them.
However, last week I noticed something else. Some of the new tiles had splotches of white on them. I realized that some of the water that drains off my roof is sufficiently corrosive (either too alkaline or too acid) to eat through the sealer and the glaze. When that happens, chips loosen, and eventually the tile crumbles.
Like the realization that rain or snow is necessary for frozen ground, it was one of those answers to small puzzles that had never quite form themselves until the solutions appear.
Notes on photographs: All taken 17 November 2019.
1. The tiles and gravel two days before I finished laying the tiles to the stairs. The hose to the burn pile is at the right.
2. Newly laid tile with white splotch.
3. Newly laid tile with section eaten from the surface.
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