September 4 -- The Internet And Rural Life, And Re-Designing Faranuf's Back Yard

I've said before that, if the Internet didn't exist, I certainly would have given second thoughts to living out in a rural area. But because it does, it makes life out here -- where the nearest big market is over 50 miles away, and the nearest gas is 25 miles east in New Mexico,  1 hour ahead -- much easier. Take, to use an example, "internet banking". I bank at Bank of America. The closest B of A is nearly 100 miles to the west, in Sierra Vista. I could deposit checks at any ol' ATM, but then you'd get charged fees as it's not your bank. So what options do you have, short of making the long drive west? The answer -- "mobile banking". Along with my MacBook Pro, I have an iPad Mini. On it are, among other things, my Kindle reader; a BirdsEye app that lists up-to-date rarities in your region -- along with your Life List; "Radar Now!", an app that shows your weather in real time, using radar stations -- and Bank of America mobile banking. I never really gave the banking app much thought -- until I had a check to deposit. I remember seeing a commercial -- from another bank -- about taking both front and back photos of the check, then depositing it into your account via the Internet. Did B of A have something similar? Yes, they did. On the mobile banking app on my iPad Mini, I was able to take photos of the check (the bank actually does it; all you have to do is center the check in the viewfinder), then hit "submit" -- and presto! -- your check is deposited. No driving 100 miles one-way, no hassles at all in fact. And it was because the B of A branch was so far away that I was considering changing my bank to the Wells Fargo in Douglas, "only" 55 miles away. But with this ability to deposit checks electronically, a big negative was solved -- and I just may stick with Bank of America, especially as I've been with them, well, for "donkey's years". And then there's Amazon. EVERYthing is on Amazon -- bags of wild bird seed, hummingbird feeders, an inflatable mattress when friends or family come to visit, Swiffer cloths for cleaning, a Canon fax/copy/scan machine ---the list goes on. And if you're an Amazon Prime member, then you get your items usually within 2 days, 5 days at most -- and don't pay mailing fees. It's why I've been an "Amazonian" for over 15 years, buying my camera bodies, 500mm lens -- oodles of stuff from them. And now that I'm out here in the -- pardon the term -- "sticks", it's an invaluable tool. And in most cases the packages get delivered directly to the Portal post office, and you don't have to deal with the dreaded "leaving a ticket because you're not at home", and possibly having it sent back. So, to summarize -- if you've always thought of living in a rural area, but hesitated because of certain inconveniences, well, it's gotten easier. Not totally, because I still have to drive those 25 miles into the next state to get gas, and into Douglas for groceries, but with careful planning those can be worked around, and not "deal-breakers". And, let's face it, it's worth putting up with those minor things -- to be living in Portal, with the Chiricahuas as your "back yard", and breathing some of the clearest air in the nation (there's a Sky Village a few miles to the north of me where astronomers have observatories next to their houses, the skies are THAT clear here -- but that's another story).
     I mentioned in this post's heading about working on Faranuf's back yard. One of the pleasures of living here in Portal has been the extreme friendliness of its residents -- and John and Carol are good examples of that. Carol is a former teacher, and John, among other interests, is a gardener, and over the years of living in his house has painstakingly designed his back yard. It's now full of desert plants and trees such a desert willow, yucca, ocotillo, different types of cactus, mesquite -- you name it. He has achieved this without a drip irrigation system, which is what Faranuf has; John mostly uses a water diffuser, and deep-soaks his plants and trees. It's now a wildlife "sanctuary" hummingbirds flock to it for its flowering flora and carefully-spaced feeders, butterflies are attracted to its flowers, and various animals either call it home or are seen passing through. So it was only natural that I both discussed John's plant and tree selection, his method of nurturing them -- and how I can apply those methods to the areas around Faranuf, particularly its back yard. I'd always assumed that Faranuf had an excellent back yard, with its water feature, hangers for feeders, and drip irrigation system - certainly better than I could ever design. When John came over, he saw the yard's possibilities, and pointed out its design flaws. For one, the water feature doesn't have a drain, so the water becomes stagnant and probably breeds bacteria, as the water only goes out through either evaporation or animals drinking it, such as the gray fox, javelina, and the Coues deer. It's a plastic tub set in concrete, and John immediately recommend to break up thc concrete, take out the plastic tub, and fill it in. As a replacement, he said to check at a home improvement store like Home Depot for simple water features that have a way for the water to drain, and set it above the ground. (The water feature in his garden has a drain and is replenished often, so it's clear and as clean as it can be, considering it's located outdoors.) Then he pointed out the Russian thistle dotting the back yard -- tumbleweeds. Get rid of it. Pull it out so it doesn't come back. We looked at the timer for the drip irrigation system -- it was under a wooden box that a wood rat had turned into a nest. It looks like a good system, but the original owners probably used it to nuture shade trees that for some reason never took hold, and now the areas where they were are fenced in with posts that have no use whatsoever -- as there is nothing in the fenced-in areas. So I'll pull the posts out and store the wire fencing for some possible future use. The tall, Y-shaped feeder hangers that dominate the back yard -- get rid of them, as they're in intrusion on the landscape, and can be replaced by more strategically-spaced feeders. The hummingbird feeders are now located on the porch, so the hummingbirds have to fly across an open area from their perches on the trees lining the outside perimeter of the yard to the feeders, instead of the feeders being incorporated into the landscape. And that landscape needs trees and plants to provide shelter and food for the birds, butterflies and animals small and large.. He recommended the first addition to the yard be a desert willow; it's easy to maintain and, provided with a planting site that has a slight slope to it, will get not only the water from the back yard hose -- located only a few feet away -- but the water from rains, which runs naturally down the slope to the area where the desert willow would be located. He pointed out venerable mesquite trees and others lining the back yard, and with brush clearance (needed to have a fire break around the house, anyway) can add to the yard's attractiveness along with its usefulness as a critter magnet. In talking to John, I saw the possibilities -- and now I have another project to (entusiastically) do, which will take years, but that's how long I plan to live in Faranuf. And next year I also plan to put a metal roof on the house, replacing the wood composition shingles it now has, as they can break off and fly away in a high wind -- which this area is known to have on occasion. And perhaps during the time the metal roof is installed, I can ask about putting in down spouts, so the water isn't just shooting uselessly off the roof (folks here have estimated  I can collect about 50,000 gallons of water from rain on the roof) and perhaps collected in rain barrels, or directed with small hoses to areas I want to have watered. I'd started off the day thinking Faranuf's back yard setup was a good one, and efficient -- and ended up with a vision of what the yard COULD be. Thanks, John, for the ideas and inspiration!  Now to get those Russian thistles pulled out...