Midian Ranch Blog

This is the web log for Midian Ranch, an isolated homestead in rural Nevada. It is owned by Jason and Tina Walters, whom are also its regular posters. This blog is exclusively for the enlightenment and edification of our friends, family, and colleagues.

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Location: Gerlach, Nevada, United States

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Our Child In Production

First Hints Of Spring

The end of winter is close. If you’re paying attention out here in the Black Rock Desert, you can already catch tiny glimpses of the spring that is soon to come. The buzz of insects awakening as they take flight from whatever secretive places they’ve been hiding in. Tiny sprigs of grass growing in the damp shadows of still slumbering sagebrush. Buds beginning to grow on the red stalks of salt cedar trees. Days in which you just barely need to wear warm clothing. Light rains falling early in the morning just as you stagger out of bed to make your coffee.

This is one of the good times.

I apologize to you all for not posting more often in recent months. It’s been a busy time. As you can see from the picture above Tina is pregnant. This is a source of enormous joy and wonder to me, as I never thought I would get to be a parent. Now I can’t wait. This is just the right time in just the right place. We are very blessed.

My newish operation is doing all right, though things are still a bit up in the air. You can read more about us here. I keep reading that times are very hard back in the real world, so I’m considering any step forward no matter how small to be a blessing. Also, my fantasy novella the Vast White is out to good reviews. You can read more about it here and here. You can even buy a copy if you like the genre of dark, military fantasy. Likewise, Urban Fantasy Hero has come out to brisk sales, though oddly not a single review. I wrote 30,000 or so words of that book of which I am (hopefully justifiably) proud. It was a fun assignment.

I’m working on building a functioning, sturdy greenhouse for almost no money. It’s a challenging project but it seems to be coming along well. I hope to have it completed by the end of March. I have created additional frames for growing more food in my garden, fortified its walls, and hauled in more dirt. I hope to quadruple my yield from last year, which was admittedly tiny. Still, one has to start somewhere, and I was astounded that I got anything edible to grow out here at all!