Chapter Nine

Is now available.

Ya'll know the drill by now. Go, read, enjoy.

The End Is Nigh

At least I hope it is. Feeling much better, in spite of the pure evil that has taken up residence in my sinuses.

I'm still digging on the issue of the original Pinon Canyon acquisition, including the oft-repeated in regional papers rumor of a "promise" from the Army at the time of the original establishment of the Maneuver Site that it would "never be expanded."

I'm branching out in my search a bit since the local library, chronically short on funds, has little in the way of Colorado history in that time period, and the internet is remaining quite mute on the subject other than references to the original establishment inside pieces on the current issue of expansion.

Hopefully I'll be able to find... well, something, and shed some more light on the issue.

Until then, I did some research on a vaguely-related line, brought up in the comments on my last post on the subject.

Commenter Well Seasoned Fool brought up Picture Canyon (which is one of my absolute favorite places in the area to go trail riding) and I shared a bit of information beyond what he'd known. At which point commenter Chas S. Clifton suggested a book, which I found at the library and spent an afternoon digging through to get enough pertinent info to make a blog post.

So, coming soon, some information on ogam (or ogham, I've seen it spelled both ways and I'm not entirely sure which is correct) carvings in Southeastern Colorado.

A method of writing that is considered to have originated in Ireland found heavily in the middle of the United States, especially heavy in a "corridor" here in Southeastern Colorado that is generally agreed to have been one of the easy travel routes for trade.

One carving appears to document a planetary alignment that may have happened, according to a cosmological model, before sunrise on August 8th, 471 AD.

Very, very interesting stuff, and I'm working on a post to do it justice and trying as best I can to keep my facts straight, considering I am neither an archaeologist, nor a student of ancient languages.

That's in your coming attractions, anyway.

Phlegm River

I be fighting it.

Getting back towards feeling semi normal, and I'll get that research done as soon as I feel I can go in the library without getting my butt kicked by the librarian for bringing her germs.

Which will be soon, hopefully.

Per The Previous Post

I've been trying to find some "Official" information concerning the original creation of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site.

I have not yet found the information that I was searching for, I'll have to make a trip to the library and do some digging there.

When I get it, I'll also have some pictures for you, from one of the canyons included in the site, and the murals that one owner painted on the living rock. Murals which were promptly used as target practice once the Army got a hold of the land.

Pinon Canyon

Peter and Wing asked me whilst they were here to visit the last couple of days about the signs they saw on the highway on the way into town.

"This Land Not For Sale To The Army"

"No Pinon Canyon Expansion"

This, understandably, confused them. This issue hasn't really made a lot of waves as far as I know outside of the state of Colorado.

But, perhaps it should.

Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site is a training site for the US Army, located outside of Trinidad. Take a moment and look that up on google. Got it? Good.

The initial map of proposed expansion to occur over the course of five years, detailed that they would expand that site from where it currently is, roughly to the southern Colorado state line, east to the Kansas state line, and north to US Highway 50.

And kick everyone out.

Since I live within the area that would be, by the original plan, "acquired" in year five of this plan, and most of our land is in the "future expansion area" I sort of have a problem with this. (A map leaked to the public detailing the original draft of the plan can be found here The LaJunta Tribune-Democrat found it to be a bit obscure so they did their digging and made it a bit easier to read here.)

It's been an uphill battle for farmers and ranchers in this area to oppose this, without being painted as anti-military. We aren't. We're anti land-grabbing.

Some of the "sparse population" has been on their land for generations. Many ranchers can take you to the crumbling adobe or sandstone-block hut where their grandfather or great grandfather or his father homesteaded their land, and they're proud to do so.

This is their heritage, their livelihood, and their love.

The area targeted also feeds half a million to a million people, annually.

The people here, and all across the proposed expansion area, are tough. They work hard every day to make a living and they, being among what some would consider "throwbacks," don't take kindly to the idea that anyone, even the Army, would come and attempt to take their homes and the land that they love from them.

So they've created the Pinon Canyon Opposition Coalition to make their voices heard. Those are the signs along the highways, bringing attention to an issue that shouldn't be hushed up.

Seventeen thousand, two hundred and sixty three.

That's the number in the Army's own proposal (released October of '08 see it here) used as an estimate for total "displaced population" at the end of phase five.

6,914,328 acres in total. Functionally, the entirety of southeastern Colorado.

So far, congress has refused funding. Next year, that may change, and thousands of people, including myself and the Farm Fam, may be "displaced."

Look at the information, look at any information you can find, and make up your own minds, but for me, there's no question.

This Land Is Not For Sale To The Army.

Save The World, Let Home Suffer

As you all know, I'm not usually political, but lately, this kind of stuff has just been galling me.

Breda mentions a group with the admittedly admirable intent to stop violence against women all over the world. Admirable intent, poor execution, in my opinion. The ads are indeed going to send a powerful message to today's youth, unfortunately, the message in the ad Breda posted is not going to be a general "hitting girls is bad, mmkay?" but instead a rather specific idea that (generic) men in battle dress with rifles are raping and killing pregnant women.

The ad speaks of conflict minerals (yes, that's used in the same sense as "conflict diamonds") in the Congo. Most people in my generation, sadly, will not stop to question any bit of the ad, not the drill-team maneuvers with the rifle, nor the idea that a woman in one of the most conflicted areas in the world has an intricate set of braids and an iPod. So obviously they won't hesitate at the thought that fighters in the Congo apparently wear very similar gear to our own military. And the subliminal push will drift into their brains, unnoticed and unheeded.

Don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that the strong terrorizing the weak whether it be a man hurting a woman, or a woman hurting a man, or a bully pushing around the skinny kid in school, should be stopped. Unfortunately standing around saying "I won't stand for it!" does nothing unless you're ready to actually take a physical stand as well. Nothing backs a bully down like getting punched in the schnoz.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me!"

Regrettably true. There are times for negotiations and talking and there are times to break some bones, or punch some holes with conveniently black-powder-accelerated projectiles to get the point across that you will not stand for something.

Non-violence has it's place and I have the utmost respect for those who have practiced it with such admirable success as Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.

But there comes a point where being non-violent just means that the other side knows you're not going to fight back, so they can do whatever they want to you.

Aside from all that, we can't even "cure" violence against women here in our own country, where women aren't considered property, or forced into various indignities thanks to religion or law.

Clean your own house before you start trying to clean up the neighbors'.

Another example of this from right here in my own state, regrettably enough: a push to send "excess" prescription drugs to Haiti. What angered me was not the idea of sending needed drugs to people who have literally nothing now, but the way the news anchor I heard speak of it phrased it. To paraphrase as closely as I can recall:

"These drugs would go to Haiti to be used instead of discarded. Some could even go to needy patients here in Colorado."

I understand. Haiti is devastated, and I feel for those people, I really do. But since when is another country more important than our own people?

"Mr. Sanders, I'm sorry you're dying, but you're going to have to decide between eating and getting your meds this month. Good news though, we sent the same medication to a Haitian for free!"

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Solve the problems at home. Then save the world.

You can bet Superman didn't fly off half cocked to help a little old lady cross the street when Lois Lane was dangling from a building.

Farmmom's Spicy Mustard Potato Salad

This post is specifically for Labrat who showed me a new way to eat potato salad.


To start with boil 4 or 5 smaller potatoes. Don't peel them just rinse them off and throw them in a pot. Cook them till you can stick a fork into the middle of them.

Next boil and peel a couple eggs.


Once the potatoes are done peel the skin off and cut into bite sized cubes.


Chop the hard boiled eggs, and add them, a small diced onion and a good sized blob of dill relish.

Mix it all together till it looks somewhat like this.

In a skillet scramble 3 eggs.

Add about 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard, 1 tsp sugar and about 3 tbs vinegar. If you want it to have more of a tart taste add more mustard and vinegar.

Stir it all up till it is smooth and start cooking it on a medium heat.

Cook till it is a thick sauce. Stirring constantly to keep it smooth.

Pour it on the potato mixture.


Mix it all up and chill.

Sorry about the measurements but this is one of those recipes that i just throw things in till it looks good.

If you want just a little more bite to it you can add a bit of cayenne pepper at the end.

Now Labrat can have her Chicken Fried Steak and Potato Salad sandwich.