Tag: horses

This must give avowed anti environmentalist and overall science denier, Drill Baby Spill, Tea Party Caucus Congressman Tom McClintock of CA 04 a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside, because now the area up around his homey base of right wing zealots, Susanville, is undergoing a wild horse purge with Federal Tax dollars-  for BP and Anadarko Petroleum.   Because he had a staffer rep at the BLM’s planning session per documents at the Dept of the Interior website.

They’re going to take 2000 mustangs off the northern California scrubby ranges and leave a small remnant herd of 500.   The roundup started yesterday, Wed Aug 11th.

There are only about 4000 wild horses in CA.  This removes half our state’s wild horses !   And they’re doing it now during the hot days so it won’t interfere with DEER HUNTING SEASON.

Flat Earth McClintock recently had a hissy fit that the Federal government might transfer some Federal land into a National Park or Monument here up in Northern eastern CA because the government doesn’t “create jobs.”    

edit. v2.

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You can tell it’s an election year by the amount of wild horses that suddenly have to be removed off Federal range to “preserve habitat” for mule deer hunters and cattle ranchers who also lease it.   This year, 1200 in our sister state, home to the Senate Majority Leader.

The Obama administration touted that it would use so called “science based” decision making.  After watching the Bush administration decide to humor the National Park’s decision to murder a bunch of introduced, very cute, but non trophy type smaller deer at Pt Reyes National Seashore with helicopter hunting, (think more canned Tule Elk Special Hunts as a result ) under the guise of they weren’t “native,” and the helicopter contract went to a big Republican donor, while the Dems made stupid excuses for this, I was sort of cynical that this was going to happen.

Science does not = rotor cowboys.  

Science does not = Cattoor Livestock.

http://rtfitch.wordpress.com  7/12/2010 BLM – Infamous helicopter contractor returns for illegal tuscarora wild horse roundup.  “It was Cattoor Livestock that stampeded the horses of Pryor Mountain in 95º+ degree heat for miles, and again the Cattoors who were actually credited with running the hooves right off from several foals during the bloodiest of all roundups on record, the Calico Complex debacle.  Due to the deaths in the field, …. documented on video, the Cattoors launched an attack on the First Amendment and instructed their attorneys to issue threat/demand letters to news agencies, major non profits, magazines and blogs that were reporting the news to the public on the deadly Calico roundup.  The letters wanted to “fix” the news…. and insist on public apologies for reporting the facts as witnessed. The mention of company owner David Cattoor’s past indictment for capturing and selling wild horses to slaughter was likewise considered taboo. ”

“In their care, 86 horses have died and 40 mares have aborted their late term foals….”

http://tuesdayshorse.wordpress…

“In late December, government contracted helicopters took to the air, rounding up every horse they could find on the vast 500,000 acre Calico range, an area designated principally for wild horse use since 1971, but grazed by thousands of privately owned, government subsidized cattle. The roundup….. has cost at least $1.3 million…. while causing injury and death to hundreds of wild horses.  ….. over 24 million acres have been withdrawn from wild horse and burro use.  The BLM “welfare ranching” practices continue allowing the land to be leased primarily to corporations at minimum fees of $1.35 per cow/calf pair or per 5 head of sheep per month, along with land leases to extractive and energy industries on Western public lands.

I made another trip to the old house today and grabbed most of my power tools. shop vac, a small table and some other odds and ends.  There was a table down in the basement that needed some attention, I cleaned it up and tightened the legs, now it is in the living room with a small bankers lamp and a backgammon set on it.  The cats like it because now they can stare at teh bird feederz and the apple trees.  The two cats from the other house made it up  yesterday, they seem to like the place so far.  So now the total is 3 barn cats, 2 inside/outside cats,  2 horses, and one dog soon to be 2 dogs.

I ran through the electrical panels and verified the labeling was correct.  Found one live wire buried in the wall, fixed an outlet in the front hall that was never properly installed.  Installed a new phone as the one I had was old and kept breaking up.  The new one seems fine. There is a small leak in the shower unit but I have the tools to fix that tomorrow.  Started laying out ideas for vegetable garden locations, perennial beds, natural wetland areas etc.  There is a spot on the South side of the property that is perfect for the first garden area, I’ll just need to create a gate in the fence to access it and add a small composting area.

The horses were very active in the warm weather today, Rio seems to be the more inquisitive of the two.  They got a good brush down yesterday and are starting to respond to my voice.  They got fresh bedding today and rolled around in it right away.  

The most immediate neighbor stopped by last night, she filled me in on other artists living in the neighborhood.  She’s a professional writer and built her own active solar home for $75,000 about 5 years ago, she’s still working on the final touches.  She is very active politically and is trying to get some things done regarding pesticides and toxic wastes.  She has great energy and it is nice to know a like-mind is nearby.

I apologize for the delay in uploading pics.  I’m not used to the laptop yet and had to install some software to get it to work.  So without further ado:

Meet Rio!

And Laser!

He was being a little camera shy this morning.

Then There’s Jasper!

Kossaks helped me name him.

The House!

The Barn!

More pics of the land to come later in the week.

Be good and do it yourself!

An old salty Irishman, half Pagan, half Catholic, a bootlegger by night and a blue collar man by day…he’d take me for drives in his K-Car or Escort wreaking of stale cigarettes and Old Spice.  The car would round a special bend that reminded him of his homeland and he’d give me wink and say “This here is God’s Country”.  That phrase meant a lot to me because I knew my grandfather was very serious about his religion…he crossed himself every time he drove by a Church…so I figured he had a special in with The Lord for doing all of that heavy lifting down here on Earth.  Well grandpa…I finally finished the chain that you started when setting foot aboard that ship so many years ago.  I have me a piece of God’s Country and I’m bound and determined to make it work.  My life is half gone, the first half wasn’t special by anyone’s measuring stick, but maybe this last half was what I was meant for.

The horses are fed and bedded down for the night the dishes are done, the barn cats and birds are fed as well.  The dog has been walked he’s passed out at my side.  He loves the horses, gave them both kisses on their first meeting.  It’s snowing just a bit, making the light reflect off the snow.  The house is small but cozy, needs some work but don’t we all.  Hey they got intertubez in God’s Country by the way, just gotta use some of that satellite love to do it.  I’m sure the Holy Rollers will be pleased to hear that.  Found some tapes left behind from the previous owner…now I know who buys soundtrack recordings of pop movies…and yes Celine Dion was in the mix.  

I’m fading fast,  g’night Grandpa.