Rushing River, Placid Lagoon

Tommy's New Best Friend

2010-02-07T13:47:00.007-07:00

Thanks to Susan, Tommy is now spending all his time with his new best friend, Zummi. I feel a little left out, but am trying to adjust.

Some scenes from the past few weeks:

Two sleepy boys. . .

Painting lessons in the studio. . .

Tommy and Zummi wanna rock n' roll all night, and party every day!

Each evening they read the Bible.

Tommy says: Thank you Susan very very much. Tricia says: Susan, give a call. I"m getting lonely! Zummi says: Help! I'm surrounded by lunatics.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-02T18:48:00.004-07:00

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tricia Warewolf. (Tommy helped me with the makeup!)

Tommy's freak box never fails him. (Hard to believe he only dresses like this during Halloween, nowadays.)

I Miss You, San Francisco

2009-11-02T18:35:00.007-07:00

It's been more than I month since I strolled by the seaside, hiked in Muir woods, tried the Plant Burger, and hung out with beloved friends Kate and Paul. So rejuvenating, I think I'll tap into that vibe once again by posting these pics:

I loved looking at the colorful details on these Victorian buildings. They look more like desserts than houses.

No one seemed to know what this tree was called, so I named it Pink Magic Tree.

This is when Kate and I went on a walk.

I adored China Town. I knew I would.

Come into my parlour. . .

2009-04-29T18:43:00.003-06:00

We just finished spring cleaning, and now the house smells of Murphey's Oil Soap and Method Cucumber Melon Cleaner. The highlight of the event is our new Alexander Girard rug. Hooray! Come visit and behold its fabulous-ness!

Guess where we've been!

2009-04-17T18:05:00.009-06:00

That's right, Austin! And we just got back Tuesday night.

We got to spend some time with friends--and it wasn't nearly enough. Take a look:

We visited our friends the Dudleys and the McCoys in nearby Burnett for the local Bluebell Festival, Easter dinner, and lots of ham--and hamming it up, too.

The Rabbit Test: Sheila and Sam get outta control

Bob makes sure nothing goes undocumented.

Attack of the giant peep! Tommy narrowly escapes. . .

Sheila shows off her most mod and minimalist bunny cake to date.

Absolutely a colorful weekend.

Missa's Birthday Bash!

2009-04-17T17:56:00.007-06:00

The setting: A southern-Colorado cabin at the foot of the Rockies.
The time: April 4, 2009
The occasion: Melissa Nigh's 40th birthday!

Yep, it's been two weeks since I road-tripped from my home in Santa Fe to the outskirts of Alamosa, Colorado, to visit the cabin of The Great Aunt Jodine and celebrate Melissa's 40th with her and her family. Behold the highlights:

Melissa--in her fabulous tiara--blows out the candles on her birthday cheesecake while auntie looks on.

Next, she's mobbed by fans!

But seriously, I had a lovely time and the setting couldn't have been better. Happy birthday, Missa!

Road to Ruins

2009-03-25T19:49:00.009-06:00

My folks were just here a couple weeks ago, and we enjoyed a late winter day at Bandelier National Monument, site of ancestral puebloan ruins. If you've never been there, it's about an hour north of Santa Fe, near Los Alamos.

Can you see the caves in the distance?

Mom heads up the steep ladder to the ceremonial cave section of the ruins.

At the top, Mom and Dad have a look around as Tommy heads down the kiva ladder.

On the walk back to the car, Tommy and Dad spot a crow.

Mom and me near journey's end. ;)

Fun with Kitty!

2008-03-23T19:24:00.003-06:00

Well for those of you who know Meredith, let me just say we had heck of a time when she, hubby Jim, and sons Abijah, Rowan, and Sage visited this weekend. It struck us that we are now 38 (well, she will be April 20) and Abjiah is now eight--the same age we were when we met. That's 30 years of friendship folks--and it's probably just the beginning.

Jim was nice enough to snap this photo, which turned out to be only one of two we took during the whole weekend.

What didn't get photographed:

Tricia, Meredith, and the boys having a lovely time in the playground across the street.

Chilling out in front of the tube watching Across the Universe.

Daisy snarling like a rabid demon while the twins exclaimed "Look! Puppy dog!"

Abijah tripping and landing on a prickly pear cactus.

Nevertheless, I hope they had fun and come back soon!

It wasn't long enough. Meredith and I had much more to talk about, I didn't get a chance to really talk to Abijah about Harry Potter, and it seems like I didn't really talk to Jim at all. Ah well, we got to see each other, and that's what's important.

I think my favorite thing was how much the twins loved my hoochie faux-leopard throw, which they named "kitty." I did my best to make Pinky and kitty into a very cuddly bed.

New Digs

2008-01-26T16:30:00.001-07:00

Ever log into somebody's blog and noticed they haven't updated in a while and figured that nothing much must be going on? Well, let me just say in our case, the opposite is true. A few days after my last post, I got word that I got a new job. Then, Tommy got a new job. Then, he and the Unborn Soul started playing more gigs. Then we moved. Then Christmas happened. Then New Year's and well. . . here we are.

Let me just say we're settled and having a great 2008 so far. One night, shortly after we moved in, I lay in bed, staring at our cozy viga ceiling and counted how many places I'd lived in. I came up with 12—and this place makes Lucky 13. Aside from the farmhouse where I grew up, this is the best place I've ever lived. I think the thing I like best of all is that it's about 60 years old, which means no drywall, no el cheapo white carpeting, no tupperware bathtub. This place was built to last, baby, and we love the wood floors, beamed ceilings, kitchen and bath tile—and best of all in winter—the fireplace. I sound like I'm bragging. I don't mean to. What I'm trying to say is this place is SUBSTANTIAL. The closet doors close with a thud instead of a fffttt. Know what I mean?

Welcome to our adobe abode. Take a little tour.

Please, step on to the portal.

Come inside to our living room.

This shower curtain was custom made for us in Oaxaca. Okay, it's really from K-Mart. Admire it's loveliness.

We've got a little nicho in the hallway.

Well, I'd like to upload more photos, but Blogger is being a pain in the butt right now. Perhaps I can post more later.

Lotus Eaters

2007-07-08T20:53:00.000-06:00

Today, Tommy and I ventured out of Santa Fe to the village of Los Ranchos (on the Rio Grande near Albuquerque) to attend the annual Lavender Festival. Honestly, I was a bit more excited about it than he was, and had visions of us romping admidst the heady scent of purple fields (cue sappy music here) the likes of which one rarely sees outside Provence.

The coolest part of the fest takes place at an organic farm called Los Pablanos, which is at the end of a lane shaded by massive cottonwoods. Once we go there, we were surrounded by lots of folks in shorts, sandals, and straw hats, and I overheard a couple people say something about the lotus pond. Naturally, I was expecting a cute little koi pond, and since I love the lotus and its symbolism (transcendence, enlightenment, beauty) I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it. . . and then. . .

OH MY GOD!

How could I possibly miss it? Because there, to my left was a swampy area the size of a Missouri farm pond teeming with pink and white blossoms and round green leaves the size of platters. It was unbelievable, and for minutes, I just stared, convinced this was a dream. Lotuses? In the desert? Where is this? Egypt? And then I got overly excited because I remembered one of the final scenes from of my favorite childhood books, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, by C.S. Lewis wherein our protagonists sail a ship to The Very End of the World, and when they get there, the water grows calm and there are only lotuses as far as the eye can see.

I was talking about this when Tommy told me to lower my voice a little. Anyhow, it was utterly mystifiying and we took quite a few photos.

Law of the universe: where there are lotuses, there are dragonflies.

Hope me standing here gives it a sense of scale.

Of course, we got to see the lavender fields, too, and they were every bit as lovely as I had hoped.

And we got a passerby to take a photo of us. (Please note Tommy's little chicken legs, but very stylish hat.)

Even though the car's air conditioning went kaput on the drive there, all in all, it was a good day.

Summer Rain

2007-06-11T21:37:00.000-06:00

This evening after work, I had big plans to go on a brisk exercise walk and work in the garden. Only it rained and rained, so I'm inside blogging instead. So far, summer has blessed us with rain at least once a week, and I can't believe how green everything looks in these photos. (Click the above photo so see it full-size on your screen. It's beautiful.)

Life is good for Tommy and me. He started a new job last week, and it's going well. Other than that, this seems to be one of those time periods where a lot of plans and ideas are incubating, but nothing is really sprouting yet--except in the garden.

Some volunteer plants of some kind have sprung up around the Buddah. I think they might be alliums--which is awesome, because my Grandma Marjorie used to grow them in her garden. As for deliberate gardening plans, I sowed seeds of two kinds of sunflowers, plus morning glories and (cross your fingers) moonflowers. The latter were described on the seed packet as "slow to start" (oh goody), but I took the risk anyway. If they actually grow, I'll have vines of white flowers that only open at night. How cool is that?

If it were to stop raining, our yard might actually look like this picture I took last week:

Lately, since I've just finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the umpteenth time in preparation for next month's Deathly Hallows, I've taken to sitting in the garden reading my other favorite book: The Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells. Uh-huh real spells. Most of 'em cast with herbs and other garden goodies. I'm havin' fun, I'll tell ya. I'm becoming a regular Professor Sprout. Funny, I always saw myself as more of a Hermione Granger type. . . .

Anyway, just because I love it, here's a gorgeous photo Tommy took last week as your parting shot:

Abiquiu Afternoon

2007-05-21T21:17:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, I had to drive north to Chama for work. Tommy came with, and on the way home, we stopped in one of our favorite places, Abiquiu. This is the place O'Keeffe called "my country," and before you is El Cerro Pedernal, which she painted again and again. It had just rained when we were there, so the the wet red rocks were extra vivid, and the horizon darker blue. And the smell--high desert after a rain. Ahhh. . . the purest, best smell in the world.

Tommy had his eagle bone whistle with him, so he played an impromptu tune. I actually made a mini movie of it, so maybe someday I'll figure out how to load it to this blog. He stood at the edge of the Echo Ampitheater (below) so the flute sounds echoed through the countryside along with bird calls. It was a good day.

Blognesia

2007-05-21T20:56:00.000-06:00

Yep, it's a disease I have. I go out, I do something neat, I take photos of it, I think about how I'll put this on our blog, and then I forget that I didn't actually post it. Oh. Logged in a couple days ago and realized that I hadn't posted since Easter. So, I'll try to catch up.

For starters, spring arrived in our little corner of the world, even though it snowed on May 5. Not that I'm complaining exactly. The fact that we had abundant snowfall last winter ensured that our apple trees were heavy with blossoms.

Ahh. . . this is why we have our Mama and Papa chairs in the yard. Remember being a kid and seeing old couples sitting in their yards or on their porches? Just sitting there? No TV on or nothin'? Makes more sense to me now. . .

This is where gardening is a metaphor for life. Remember when I transplanted buckets of iris last fall? Well, those look like utter crap. However, the iris I left alone because I was just too tired from all the transplanting are doing great because I effectively "thinned" them by moving their brothers and sisters elsewhere. Such is life. Sometimes stuff you work on doesn't turn out like you planned. However, there are lovely surprises.

Easter Memories

2007-04-13T21:06:00.000-06:00

Well, it's exactly five days after Easter Sunday. And it snowed. Buckets. Actually, there's nothing on the ground here in Santa Fe. It looks more like we just had a heavy rain. The mountains, however, are completely white. All the more important then, that we savor last Saturday night's rite of spring. Our buds Kate and Paul came over (above) and we made an Easter tree like we used to when I was a kid.

Before they arrived, Tommy and I went outside to pick an appropriate branch. He wanted one that was perfectly proportioned but dead. I wanted a live one from the peach tree with its fragrant pink blooms. I persevered, and won the argument, but when we brought the thing into the house, it set off my allergies and I was sneezing so much I couldn't enjoy our guests. So I took a Benedryl. And got really drowsy. And stopped caring about anything. Then Paul drank some beer and got as lethargic as me. Luckily Kate and Tommy plowed through (as seen below).

Briefly, we talked about Easter's roots as a fertility ritual, hence the eggs and bunnies.

So, Tommy made some fertility interpretations of his own. Yep kids, it's the Easter Sperm.

Tommy's huevos.

Paul drinks beer on the Easter couch.

A Week In the Northwest, Part II

2007-04-09T21:13:00.000-06:00

After the conference was over, Mom and Corey headed home, and the two of us went north to visit buddies Sheila and Pablo in Vancouver. (Tommy took this photo of them in front of the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.)

Inside, we loved seeing the totems and other Native art. (When we got home, we also discovered the museum is one of the settings for the cheesy sci-fi flick, Alone in the Dark, with Christian Slater. Part of our permanent DVD collection.)

These kinds of designs are everywhere in Seattle and Vancouver, but it was solemn and beautiful to see the source.

Since our trip, Tommy's considering an image like this for a tattoo.

On the flight home, Tommy snapped this photo of Mount St. Helens. (We think. What else could it be?)

Driving from the airport north to Santa Fe, this new moon welcomed us home.

A Week In the Northwest

2007-04-09T20:35:00.000-06:00

Clearly the scenery has changed. Rushing River and Placid Lagoon have finally recouperated from their week-long trip to the Pacific Northwest the last week of March. I presented at a conference, but managed to work in some downtime with Tommy. Corey and Mom even joined us for the first few days. Above, a photo from our stroll on the pier in Seattle.

Tommy and Mom have a chat.

Tommy got a great shot of these seagulls. (It's all so exciting to us desert dwellers.)

Corey was our tour guide at the Boeing Museum of Flight. (Gearhead!)

Ground Control to Major Tommy. . .

Corey's too cool for space.

How do you like me now, Richard Branson?

Outtakes

2007-02-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted. First I got busy with Christmas, then I took an eight-week freelance assignment on top of my regular job and fitness teaching, and the next thing I know, I haven't blogged for about two months. Anyway, the assignment includes photography, so over the past few weeks, I've taken quite a few photos that haven't made their way into print, but are nice nonetheless. Here's a visual log of the past six weeks.

A very snowy December day. I took a long walk with the camera and felt like Lucy in Narnia.

My gym, Evolve. Seems kinda mundane, but I've spent a good portion of my life here. Being part of a fitness community is endlessly rewarding. (And any of my Evolve friends who read this will TOTALLY make fun of me for being sappy now.)

On some travel for work, I went to Santa Rosa and Tucumcari, New Mexico. In Santa Rosa there's this geological phenomenon called the Blue Hole. As far as I can tell, it's the same thing they call a cenote in the Yucatan. It's an 80-foot-deep spring that's a constant 62 degrees. (I think that's the temperature, anyway.)

I took lots of photos of the koi in the Blue Hole. (Yes, the water really is that blue.)

I went on to Tucumcari, where I visited the historical society museum there. I thought it was kinda hokey at first, but I grew to love it, because it was obviously such a 3-D scrapbook of the community. Clearly, lotsa folks donated skulls. . .

. . . and family photos.

I love a museum that doesn't take itself too seriously.

On the drive back from Tucumcari and Santa Rosa, I managed to get several photos of these pronghorn antelope. I was surprised by how curious they were about me. The longer I stood there, the closer they got.

Here's the view in my windshield as I headed back to Santa Fe. That's Hermit's Peak, which looms over Las Vegas, New Mexico, stomping grounds of the Placid Lagoon (Tommy).

Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

2006-12-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well, this holiday season, I did something I always said I'd never do: I bought an artificial tree. Usually, my tradition is to get an inexpensive Charlie Brown-er and deck the house with natural greens I harvest from outside. I love the ritual of hanging the greens and how it makes the house smell. Plus, I like being part of such an ancient tradition. But this year, I caved. I mean, how many opportunities are there to buy a Christmas tree made entirely of pink feathers? Tommy and I thought it looked great with our purple and green Christmas tree balls and his Homer Simpson ornament. Later this week, we're gonna build a gingerbread house, which I think might complement the cotton-candy look of the tree quite nicely.

Here's a shot of Daisy and me by the tree.
(All photos by Tommy.)

First Snow

2006-11-29T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last night, we got the first snow of winter. This morning, Tommy got up and took photos while I got ready for work.

Admittedly, I got a little grumpy when he photographed me scooping snow off the car instead of actually helping. Incidentally, this became the last snow picture taken this morning. . . but then he lovingly helped me scrape the car windows while I grumpified. (He demanded I add that last part.)

Anyhow, at 9:14 pm, the stuff is still comin' down. If the state of New Mexico is closed due to inclement weather tomorrow, you may just see some more snow photos. ;)

Re-enactment of the First Thanksgiving

2006-11-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Tommy's family dressed up like Indians and danced around the table in a ceremonial celebration for the feast. Tommy played his flutes while wearing a loincloth around his neck (should have been a little lower.) His father sang traditional Johnny Cash chants. My family dressed up like pilgrims. (It was funny to see Corey in a bonnet and dress.) At first we were afraid and rounded up the wagons. Then we realized the savages were throwing corn cobs instead of arrows. So we decided to put the cobs in a pot and thus the feast began.

But seriously, this is how the day really looked. (Note Tommy, Mom, and Fil in the mirror.)

As we prepared our feast, from some deep valley in the mountains came wandering this fearsome wolf. As it smelled the turkey roasting, saliva dripped from her fangs. Snarling and growling she proceeded into our camp. Tommy, with his magical flute calmed the beast and taught her how to roll over. Thus, a new spirit had entered our community.

This is food prepared from the original recipes of that first Thanksgiving feast. Note the red chile enchiladas, a dish indigenous to New England.

Sugar Pie

2006-11-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, more than 10 years ago, I went over to my Grandma Lois's house to find her tending to a pan of something orange on the stove. It was a crisp autumn day, and with a grin, she explained that she was cooking pumpkin for a pie. "This is how Mama used to do it," she said, referring to my great grandmother, Lily May Winger. "And I just got a notion that I wanted to do it." She told me she wasn't really sure what she was doing, but she bought the pumpkin anyway, and memory seemed to guide her. Years later, I'm missing Grandma Lois, and a few weeks ago, I got the notion myself that I'd like to cook some pumpkin. I don't know what I'm doing, of course, but if all goes well, we should have a heck of a pumpkin pie come Thursday.

This, my friends, is a certified organic Sugar Pie pumpkin. It's supposed to be for baking. I bought it at the Santa Fe Farmer's Market.

Compared to a jack-o-lantern pumpkin, it's smaller and has fewer seeds.

Dang that rind was tough! (I skinned a knuckle cutting it up.) This is probably why someone once decided canned pumpkin would be a lot easier.

The pumpkin is now simmering on my stove. Stay tuned for the next exciting installment, in which I bake a Thanksgiving pie.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

2006-11-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Tommy's paintings are now showing at our home-away-from-home, Santa Fe Baking Comany, at 504 W. Cordova Road. Personally, I think the artwork looks pretty cool on their bright yellow walls, and I REALLY felt at home there this morning as I ate my burrito combo since these paintings normally hang in our house. To top it off, we ran into our friends David and Marci and their toddler, Finn; fellow artist Stan; our ever-fashionable friend Stevie; and buddy Brian, who promised to take us out for pizza tonight. Then, to cap off a perfectly wonderful morning, we walked home in the New Mexico sun.

Punkin' Heads

2006-10-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, our buddies Kate and Paul came over, and the four of us carved jack-o-lanterns. We scooped out the goo, we toasted pumpkin seeds, and we ate pumpkin cake Kate brought--all while kinda-sorta watching Bram Stoker's Dracula. Anyhow, we were proud of the results. Paul used a creative sideways design so that his pumpkin's stem became the jack-o-lantern's nose. I used the Pumpkin Master's pattern "zombie", though in the end, we agreed the face looked more like Che Guevara. Kate used the "skeleton" pattern, though finished the image more closely resembled Bender from Futurama. (Even better.) And Tommy used a skull motif of his own design (you're not surprised, are you?) Anyhow, the pumpkins are blazing away right now. Happy Halloween!

A Day's Work

2006-10-28T17:58:00.000-06:00

Behold, I have planted the iris bed! After culling together several different gardeners' on-line how-tos, I settled on a technique (clumping the rhizomes in threes) and then adapted their instructions for what I thought might be appropriate for a high-desert climate. (For example, I don't think there's any way over-watering will be an issue for us.) And I wanted them to be in a round mound, dammit. So I did that, too.

It was a gorgeous fall day today, and I managed to get us some pumpkins to carve this weekend when I was out picking up the gardening supplies I needed. There's still quite a bit going on in the garden considering it's late October, but my sunflower-sowing plans are foiled. You see, I had planned on saving my own seeds and scattering them around the property for a Van Gogh-like effect (sunflowers and iris--geddit?) but the birds beat me to it. All the sunflower seeds have been claimed as bird chow. Nevertheless, here's what a sunflower looks like stripped of its seeds. It's strangely beautiful, really.

Oh, and while I was digging around outside anyway, I decided it wouldn't be much more effort to water all 16 of the fruit trees. Yeah, right. Now I'm totally pooped--but happy in that job-well-done kinda way.

Holiday at Home

2006-10-19T14:01:00.000-06:00

Mom and Corey visited me last week, and I barely took any photos the whole time! Oh well, there's a time to document stuff and a time to just participate in your own life. We had a fun time. Here's a picture of my three favorite people at Tommy's store, Peruvian Connection:

Purple Haze

2006-10-19T13:32:00.000-06:00

Our yard is awash in hardy, albeit very old, purple iris plants. The leaves are perennial enough, but each year, we're thrilled if we see one or two blooms. Iris are supposed to be thinned every year, and my guess is these haven't been thinned in at least 12--when our house was added to the compound. Anyhow, my grandma Majorie planted many purple (and yellow) iris around the home place when she was a young woman raising a family there, and they continued to bloom once my Dad was grown raising his own family there. Purple iris always remind me of Grandma, home, and our family. So I want to do the plants justice, and I feel fairly confident that with some thinning and fertilizing, I can get these suckers to thrive. If you care to visualize along with me, come May we'll see about a dozen white-bloomed apple trees in the yard, scattered among them, a handful and peach and apricot trees with their pink blossoms, and on the ground, round beds of purple iris.

The first step was to simply dig up most of the rhizomes so they can be relocated to new beds where black soil and bone meal await them. ("Yummy, yummy" say the starved plants.)

Here I am last Sunday just beginning the task, feeling confidence and enthusiasm.

The work seems easy enough as I start to fill my bucket.

By this time, my shoulders are hurting a lot more than I thought they would.

Now, I have to trim the excess leaves off the rhizomes and prepare them for re-planting.

After the weekend was over, this turned out to be my weekly horoscope:

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): "What is Great Purple?" asks Japanese poet Nanao Sakaki in his book *Let's Eat Stars.* Is it "a piece of purple sky floating in my lover's eyes?" he speculates. "A cloud made of purple wine passing over Mt. Fuji? The color of a full-blooming magnolia's root? The shadow of a star visible only to birds? The light of the last water you drink?" I invite you, Aquarius, to brainstorm your own answers to the question "What is Great Purple?" According to my reading of the astrological omens, you now have a special relationship not only with plain old everyday purple, but with sublime, magnificent, life-changing PURPLE. It's a perfect moment to develop a closer relationship with whatever Great Purple means to you.

Well I certainly know what the Great Purple means to me. Stay tuned. This weekend, I'll plant the rhizomes in their new homes.

A Walk Through Tent Rocks

2006-10-01T20:26:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I drove out to Cochiti Pueblo with my friends Paul and Cassin, and we hiked Tent Rocks. It's at times like this that I wish I had paid more attention to the eighth grade geology teacher we christened Stale Dale. (You Maryvillians know what I'm talking about.) But I was 14, and how could I think about crap like rock formations when there was important stuff on my mind like Simon Le Bon? Anyway, I wish I could bestow some sophisticated knowledge upon you and explain how these Dr. Seuss-like hills were formed, but I can't.

There's also a slot canyon there, and it's cool and intriguing to wind around the bottom of it. This summer's generous rains meant there was more vegetation than other times I'd been there, and this odd bush with a delicate yellow flower created the scent of honeysuckle mixed with vanilla in the early evening air.

My photos don't really do it justice, but enjoy!

Paul walks ahead while Cassin and I look at these funky tree roots.

Paul notes that perhaps a fourth Indiana Jones movie should be filmed here.

Cassin meanders through the slot canyon.

View from the end of the trail.

Deep Cleaning in Hell

2006-10-01T20:02:00.000-06:00

Ever wonder, if there is a hell, who's there? Nixon? Naw, not quite bad enough. Hitler? Yeah. Idi Amin? Probably. The inventors of white carpeting? Definitely.

Much as we love our house, it has 12-year-old white carpeting in the bedrooms. This was not a smart choice. We have a gravel driveway and a "lawn" that incorporates large patches of light brown dust. So it isn't surprising the carpet doesn't stay clean. What's more, the carpet has stains. Stains that aren't ours. Stains that are probably cocoa cola, but when my imagination runs wild are actually the fermented blood stains of an innocent high-school girl who was murdered here on a dark and stormy night. Or worse--dog poo.

So yesterday, the carpet cleaner guy came. Kindly, our landlords pay for this. We are grateful, but we still have to empty the bedroom and Tommy's music room of their contents. Then, we shove all that stuff in the living room, where we stumble around piles of crap that look like a garage sale gone bad as we try to go about our lives normally and wait for the carpets to dry.

Needless to say--lots of gruntwork yesterday. And then I went on a hike with my friends Paul and Cassin. Then this morning, I taught my Body Pump class. And I wonder why I'm tired.

Anyhow, the bedroom is as clean as a room at Motel 6 now, and we are very, very happy.

Autumnal Equinox

2006-09-25T19:03:00.000-06:00

So day and night were of equal length this Saturday. From here on out, the days grow shorter. It's a time that marks the coming of winter and the harvest, so I really wanted to make sure we went to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market Saturday morning. It was a crisp, blustery day. We saw lots and lots of apples, pumpkins, gourds, and of course, chile. They were roasting green chile at three different stands, and the air was thick with it. Later that day, things warmed up, and we went to an outdoor wedding at the Randall Davey Audubon Center. (It was Tommy's bandmate in the Unborn Soul, Mike Tait. You can check them out on My Space.) After the ceremony, Tommy and I took some time out to stroll around with the camera, and he got some great shots.

Tommy at the Farmer's Market, where someone was selling Dream Catchers made of salt cedar.

This baby liked to watch the chile roaster go round and round.

Lots of musicians were playing at the market.

Look close (or maybe, enlarge) to see the hummingbird in the background.

The birdseed bandit.

Daisy in Disguise

2006-09-20T15:43:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't live in Santa Fe, John Cougar has continued his world tour. That is to say, there has been another siting in which our mountain lion was seen eating a chicken in broad daylight in a public rose garden a few blocks from our house. Honestly, I'm not sure which is weirder: a mountain lion in a rose garden, or the fact that apparently, someone in central Santa Fe has a hen house. Anyway, recent events have been hard on Rushing River, Placid Lagoon, and our hairy child Daisy, who is no longer allowed to go outside without adult supervision, lest she become a chihuahua McNugget. This has been going on for weeks now, and our little dog is getting stir crazy. Luckily my friend Linda suggested camouflage of the kind that is respected in the animal kingdom: We disguise her as a skunk. She's the perfect size. And THAT should make old John Cougar think twice about attacking her. The costume is still in the works, but fortunately, the Placid Lagoon has illustrated the Stealth Chihuahua Camouflage Costume.

Our Twilight Year

2006-09-11T20:05:00.000-06:00

Well, we're about to sign a new, one-year lease. This is good because we were living here month-to-month and could be evicted upon sale of the property. This is bad because it means it's our last year here. I'm looking forward to it in a way. A year to plan for another home, whatever or wherever it may be.

One more year for this to still be our front door. Overall, I feel peaceful about it, like I did in the dream.

Sunday in Chimayo

2006-09-08T21:27:00.000-06:00

Sunday, we jaunted up the road to Chimayo. We made a brief visit to the Santuario and said some prayers for Tommy's mother. She's having some health problems and undergoing tests--for leukemia, among other things. We took a nice stroll and took some photos.

Later that day, Tommy played his flute at a wedding held at Rancho de Chimayo. It's a beautiful property with a massive restaurant and a bed and breakfast. I had never been there before. It was lovely and we pledged to go back soon.

Awakening

2006-09-08T21:21:00.000-06:00

Since my last post about the sale of the place we call home, I had a wonderful dream. I dreamt it was a golden autumn afternoon and almost time to go home from work. I was chatting with my co-worker, Barbara, and asked her if she wanted to come home with me for some cocoa or something. She agreed, and we walked to our house. Strangely (aren't dreams always like this?) I lived there, though I had never been there before. Or maybe my dream self had been there, but the whole thing was new to my waking self. Anyway, apparently, Tommy and I had a beautiful home on the edge of a forest that was ablaze with yellow autumn leaves. Inside, it was opulent and homey at the same time. Lush rugs, thick upholstry, warm light. There was even this entertainment center that looked more like a giant apothecary's chest (with a TV), and I had the sense that all its little drawers and cubbies were filled with treasures and surprises. I woke up feeling totally fine about the house thing, and that the best was yet to come.

Life is Amazing

2006-08-31T21:43:00.000-06:00

Look at this sunflower slowly unfurling. Even when it's hard, life is amazing.

Our Threatened Habitat

2006-08-31T21:26:00.000-06:00

Tommy, Bob, Liz, Juan, and I got word on Tuesday that the compound where we all live is officially for sale. For those of you who don't live in crazy boomtowns, what this means is, most likely, someone will buy these four continuous lots in a good neighborhood, level everything, and build condos. (Pictured above is our humble abode, but there are two other houses on the property. You can just barely see the entrance to unit B behind our place.) Sigh. Bummer. We really like it here, and we've enjoyed being little guardians of the earth what with tending all the apple trees and growing sunflowers and herbs. No wonder the landlord was so amenable to our suggestion of putting in new laminate flooring. . .

I'm just beginning to get over the emotional turmoil of it all. Moving. Again. In our future. Dammit. Tuesday night, Tommy and I agreed that it didn't really bother us, that we'd be okay of course--and then neither of us could sleep a wink.

Worst case scenario is that we'll sign a new lease very soon. That way, even the new owner has to honor it for a year, which buys us time to find new digs. Also, I've resolved that it's time for me to confront my fears, look at my credit rating, and take a homebuying class. It's time. Even though the thought of buying a home petrifies me, it's the only thing that makes sense. I keep telling myself that the worst that could happen is that I'd find out that my finances are so bad, I couldn't buy a place for 10 years or more, but still I'd know what I needed to do.

I confess, I'm intimidated. The median housing cost in this city is $439,000. That's a lot for little 'ol me. But it ain't over 'til it's over.

Maybe We Should Name Him John

2006-08-30T15:59:00.000-06:00

Ah, another fabulous weekend in Santa Fe. This Saturday, our neighbors Juan and Liz, who live at 1022 B Don Diego Avenue, came home from an errand to find a cougar in their front yard (read: our back yard) devouring a small animal. When the mountain lion saw them, it hissed, jumped over a six-foot high wall, and disappeared. Needless to say, we've been a bit antsy around the compound lately. That same evening, Bob (our other neighbor) swears he heard a thump on his roof "heavy enough to be a man" and actually went outside to check it out because he thought some teens might be goofing around or something. Meantime, this story ran in the Albuquerque Journal North today

Cougar Ate My Cat, Owner Says

By John Arnold
Journal Staff Writer
Suzanne Getz does a lot of hiking, but she had never seen a mountain lion until Saturday morning.
And the lion wasn't on a mountain trail.
Getz was sitting in front of her Lomita Street home in Santa Fe's South Capitol neighborhood when she noticed what she believes was a mountain lion lying down at the edge of her yard.
"I know when I was looking at him, he was looking at me too," Getz said. "I was thinking, 'Wow, his head is really big.' ''
More surprising than the cat's size, however, was the prey in its paws— a neighbor's much smaller cat named Charlie that had been sunbathing in a nearby yard.
After seeing Getz, the mountain lion "got up, picked up the cat and took off," Getz said. "I don't think I had time to really be afraid."
Getz ran across the street and alerted Charlie's owner, Nicole Martel, that her pet had been killed. Martel said she left her house and joined some other neighbors gathered at the end of the street, where the mountain lion was hiding in some bushes.
"And all of a sudden his face peeked out with my little guy in his mouth," Martel said. The mountain lion climbed a 6-foot wall "like it was nothing" and fled.

Yep, that sounds like our John. And Lomita Street is only a couple blocks away. I called New Mexico Game and Fish, but didn't get a response.

Oh, and P.S. the photo isn't of the real John. Personally, I never saw him. This is just a random shot I lifted from somebody else's blog! You know, the stunt-double John.

Goldilocks? Red Riding Hood? Hansel? Gretel? Anyone?

2006-08-28T22:46:00.000-06:00

Not long ago, I took this photo on a hike in the Santa Fe National Forest a few miles from our home. We've had heavy rains here, and the the forest is so green and lush, it was like the beginning of every fairy tale I ever loved. However, I didn't run into any bears or big, bad wolves. Just a couple deer. And a chipmunk.

Ah, August.

2006-08-28T22:38:00.000-06:00

As amateur gardeners, we're thrilled with all the sunflowers we have in our garden right now. More to come!

A Day's Work

2006-08-28T22:33:00.000-06:00

Tommy and Jay Hester pose by the almost-finished portrait after a day of painting and posing at Mountain Trails Gallery. (In Santa Fe's old days, Jay used to paint portraits at the Bull Ring while patrons looked on.) On this night, Tommy and I were certainly ready to head to The Cowgirl for an O'Doul's (his) and a frozen marg (mine) with our buffalo burgers.

Tommy's Music Becomes Art at Indian Market

2006-08-28T22:22:00.000-06:00

We had fun on Indian Market Weekend two weekends ago. Tommy wore traditional dress and played his flute at Mountain Trails Gallery while Western artist Jay Hester painted his portrait. Tommy's CD, Council of the Crow, is available there. He and Jay agreed that the finished portrait just might be the cover of his next CD. Meantime, I had fun snapping pictures and drinking margaritas with Jay's wife, Judy. It was a very energetic opening. We got home around 9 pm, but it felt more like 3 am!

2006-08-28T22:10:00.000-06:00