Amanita Art for Market

SunStar Herbs has been a member of the Santa Fe Farmers Market since 1996.

We sell a variety of herbs and herbal tinctures every week of the summer and through the winter.

This corn was grown on our Organic farm, Smoke Signals popcorn and Red parch corn (YUM!)

I paint these wild Buffalo (also known as Coyote) gourds with acrylic paint and string them as ornaments. 

I also design these "Bag O' Nip" Cat Toys stuffed full of Organic Catnip.

We keep a diverse fowl flock from which we get our eggs. 

Their feathers provide me with another craft. 

These larger ones are good for moving around smoke while smudging (another product line which we sell at the Farmers Market). 

Smaller feather bundles can be stuck into a hat brim, as decoration on a self, or an ornament on a tree. 

Cats love them as a toy on a stick.

Wild West Celebration

Horned Locusts made a showing at the Wild West Celebration yesterday at the La Tienda...

Thom Ross and company are pictured down by his staged Indian show...

Stagecoach rides circled around the buildings all day...

The kids enjoyed the kids and the pups made a great big social leap...

Horseshoe tournament overseen by the artistic representations...

I loved these pack horses, very calm and stately beauties...

Pups are ready for adoption. These two enjoyed much admiration...

Pony Rides via Horses for Heroes...

Thom again standing with his dog Charlie...

Homeward bound at the end of the day...

Pup watches the scene fly by...

So does Thelma...

Home again! Lets not all jump out at once...

'Chomp-ions' of the ecosystem: Goats eat up non-native plants

                                                                       

photo by Luis Sánchez Saturno

'Chomp-ions' of the ecosystem:Goats eat up non-native plants

Julie Ann Grimm wrote this article for the Santa Fe New Mexican last June. 

It is a great article about the Goat Business... 

Well spoke, well written story told...

And I rather like the photo that headlined the issue. 

Goats in a Yard

Rocky is now a pro at jumping the electric fence. 

He has been watching Buck I can see- has the same tucked front feet...

Yard Work: Rocky inspects a scent while he watches the herd with Buck

Blue Duck is a compost specialist.

And Buck keeps close eye on the kids...

Working to prevent fires like the one yesterday south and east of Santa Fe.

Here and There

The Ever Ready Doonie stands ready for another GoatWalk, 

Fig photos by Kino Kopelov

Meanwhile, in a sunny window in Bernalillo...

Spring is here!! 

Our transplant from Colusa has emerged...

Of Birds and Beasts

The goats are hard at work out in the GreenBelts munching down the fields of ragweed and shoelace burrs. MMmmmm, they LOVE it!

On the way back home I caught sight of one of the Kestrels living near Compadres Park.

After a few photos the bird was as interested in me as I was in him...

He flew away, disturbed by my interest, but came back- curious about my calm attention.

Back at camp Doonie picked up pieces of grass in the company of a few bird friends. 

Cowbirds have started to be a camp fixture, and a new arrival in white also admires the horses.

Ride For Life: San Jon

Kino and I took Chopo and Doonie on an adventure this weekend.

We attended the Ride For Life trail ride near San Jon, NM. 

The ride was located at Kelly Boney's Lazy L.B. Ranch...

We arrived the Friday before the two day ride and took the opportunity Saturday morning to ride around the ranch a bit. We came upon one of Kelly's brand new calves, a beautiful bright-white bull-calf.

The early-birds setting up at camp...

Kelly arrives with Princess, riding double...

Kino and I took another opportunity to ride the ranch, this time along with Kelly and her good friends/neighbors to flag the trails for the weekend.

Kino spotted this gorgeous big toad on the way back. These guys usually are quite photogenic, this one was no exception, proud and enjoying the morning sun.

On our first trail ride...

There were over 40 riders on the trail on Saturday, and a lovely day it was...

Sunday dawned a cold and stormy day. A bit of wind, some snow flurries... the second day of the ride was rescheduled for a later date but we and a few others stayed around to ride anyway. 

A few more folks also showed up for a ride and so Kino and I took the lead on the other trail we had marked the day before.

We all had a great time, rode both trails before returning to the empty camp.

We stopped in Santa Rosa on the way back home to walk and water the horses.

We had left home on Friday without buckets, but Kino found a beaver felt hat that did the trick...

In all we all had a great time.

Much Thanks to dad for working the greenbelt with the herd while we took a little weekend vacation.

Glad they also had a good time in Eldorado while we were gone.