• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Rentals
  • Artists in Residence
  • Videos
  • Resident Reviews
  • Contact
DESERT DAIRY
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Rentals
  • Artists in Residence
  • Videos
  • Resident Reviews
  • Contact

Climate Change in the Desert

4/15/2019

1 Comment

 
Picture
We invested in the high desert just about a year ago. Happy Anniversary, Desert Dairy! The property is gradually turning the corner from complete wreck to decency. On arrival we no longer confront lists of screaming problems--we can start to think about making art, about enjoying nature. Almost.

When I look back on the photos from a year ago, the ground is bare. Now it's covered with wild grasses, the last of the wildflowers, and brambles. There are lots of critters, it's a whole different place. I bought a desert willow (tried to graft a few, but they kept dying), and an ocotillo (have wanted one since I was a kid!). Digging the holes to plant them, caterpillars kept falling in. They are White Lined Sphinxes, the fairies of the moth world. There's going to be a swarm of them. Our neighbor trimmed our poor butchered tamarisks so they actually look like trees again. Now I can look out from the house into the distance through the branches, and it feels like floating, yellow daisies glowing in the distance.

The scary thing is locals starting to talk about fire danger, because usually there's nothing to burn here. I wonder if this year is a fluke, all the rain. Early in the 20th century there was a decade of wet weather, prompting desert homestead settlement from eastern farmers who were fooled. Some crazy family built our dairy, complete with barn, basement, outhouse and cool houses. And then the dream was devastated with the return of desert weather, leaving failed farms and abandoned shacks across the Morongo Basin. 
1 Comment
Michael link
2/18/2022 08:50:34 am

Great Article! Thank you for sharing this is very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    October 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All
    Artmaking
    Barn
    Construction
    Critters
    Desert Art Spots
    Farmhouse
    Food
    Gardening
    Guests
    History
    Residencies
    Sensitivity
    The Emotional Desert
    Trash
    Water
    Weather

    RSS Feed

    Authors

    Anna does most of the writing. Ted does most of the photos. But sometimes we switch. We are repairing a distressed property in 29 Palms, California, and eventually hope to run an artist residency there.


@Meyer Stump Properties 2019

  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Rentals
  • Artists in Residence
  • Videos
  • Resident Reviews
  • Contact