Standing in the middle of nowhere unprotected....

Yesterday morning I posted about a wonderful weekend in the company of Mary and Jennifer.  Shortly after, they awoke, ate breakfast, packed up, and headed off.  It was sad to see them go, and though Thomas could have made a day of yard work, neither of us knew how much of the wind we could take.  Thomas suggested we take off for Santa Fe to pick up a few things, including a new camera. 

 

After three or four hugs apiece, I waved off the girls, hopeful to hear from them in four hours or so that they made it home in one piece.  Jennifer's car had overheated on the way down, but Thomas had gotten the fan working in hopes of remedying this problem.  Away they went.  We turned our attention to shutting up the house and grabbing what we needed.  Soon we were headed down the road, too.

 

On the highway, halfway between Miami and Springer, we saw a small herd of bull elk standing very close together.  It was maybe 10:45 am, and they were standing in the middle of a treeless pasture.  It was quite peculiar to see them out on the plains exposed.  There must have been about 7 or 8, a cluster of racks emerging from a dark mass.  It is not hunting season, but all the same, in the heat we have been having, they are more likely to come down that low between dusk and dawn and take shelter from the heat higher up the mesa in the shade of the brush and trees.  Peculiar to see them in the middle of nowhere looking so vulnerable.  What an omen!

 

Thomas and I were pulling in to Las Vegas, NM when my phone buzzed.  Thomas opened the text message to read that the girls had almost made it to Raton before the car died.  TERRIBLE NEWS!!!  We were now two hours away in the opposite direction.  We stopped and waited for news updates, but they told us not to turn around.  They caught a tow to Trinidad and were looking into bus options.  I was terribly conflicted about what to do.  If they caught a bus, then we could turn around and not find them in Trinidad by the time we could get there.  I offered to grab the Honda on our way up, and let them take that up, but they refused.  So we waited.  We had lunch in Vegas before getting word that we should push on, and they would call if they needed us.  It really felt confusing.  I am sure they didn't want to trouble us, but I wasn't sure if there really was something we could do.  So much could happen in the time it would take us to get there.  So we continued south reluctantly.

 

Hindsight is always tricky.  Jennifer's parents ended up driving down to pick them up in Trinidad, but they didn't leave Denver until 3 pm, which meant they were in Trinidad from 1ish to 7ish.  If we had turned around, we could have picked them up at 2 pm and met the Davises halfway or just brought the girls home for a few more hours or, or, or....  So it goes!

 

In the end Thomas and I did not find a camera, but he got some new jeans for work, some work shirts, and freon for the Honda.  We picked up some groceries, as well as dinner out.  We struck out on the camera - not in stock, a copy of the Hyundai key, and a tank of propane - Home Depot didn't have a problem charging Thomas and making him wait for a service clerk, only to find out they didn't even have any propane.  We made it back to Miami only slightly before the girls made it home to Denver. 

 

So maybe those elk were an omen of two pretty ladies standing on the highway next to a cute little blue bug...

Memorial Day

It's been a great weekend so far.  Everyone is still asleep, so I thought I would post a note.  Mary and Jennifer arrived on Saturday afternoon.  Thomas and I were eager to start our weekend and were lucky enough to enjoy some porch time at Daniel and Julie's.  We were picking up the grill in preparation of the first meal we hosted for the family at our house.  This invitation was, of course, contingent on everyone being able to sit outside and hang out.  Otherwise, we would have had to have shifts. 

Saturday morning, Thomas and I were fighting for counter-top space as we prepared various parts of the meal.  He cubed a couple rump roasts for shishkabobs.  I cubed potatoes for shishkabobs and then made pasta salad, bread, and peach cobbler.  The kitchen got a quick makeover once we finished making messes.  Then the waiting.

We were psyched when the little blue bug rolled in and parked.  Poor thing had overheated on the drive down (nothing Thomas couldn't fix once it cooled down), but the girls and their things, a tube of cinnamint fluoride-free toothpaste, two handfuls of beer, and two bags of produce poured out of that bug, and the party was on!  We enjoyed showing off all the work that has been done in the last 10 1/2 months since they were last here.  And we did put them to work - picking up a picnic table and chairs from Mom and Pop's. 

Our first hosting of fun and food was fab!  We ate. We drank.  And then we watched the stars.  I think everyone saw at least a few shooting stars.  We got out the constellation map, but the map really lacks our perspective.  The map almost suggests that there aren't a million other brilliantly visible stars between constellations, so we played a little of our connect-the-dots.  Fantastic!  Only thing missing was the Salas family. who spent the weekend in Pueblo for a graduation.

Sunday, after a big breakfast of eggs and potatoes, a tradition of mine on Sundays at the Columbine House, we loaded up the car with water bottles, hats, wind breakers, and sunscreen for the drive to Red River.  Any guy out there who has been can already feel sorry for Thomas to be driving to Red River on Memorial Day instead of riding.  Yes riding is more appropriate as there is a huge Memorial Day rally all weekend that culminates with a procession of motorcycles out to the Vietnam Memorial in Eagle Nest.  Thomas and his buddies have been many a year, but this year it was a little awkward for him to come in on four wheels instead of two.  He toured the three of us girls around and pointed out the wussy bikes.  He stopped and waited as we checked out classy paint jobs and all the custom details guys were showing off.  It was a lot of bikes, to be sure!

The afternoon was more laziness, as the heat sapped us.  We had a bite at the St. James and wandered the halls of Western heroes and outlaws.  We came home and watched a movie.  We braved the wind and walked around Miami Lake, until we thought we couldn't keep our feet on the ground anymore.  After dinner we got into Trouble.  Yes, Trouble with a capital T.  You know the pop it game.  Jennifer schooled us all twice, and Thomas came in quickly behind her twice, and Mary after him, and I just got myself another drink.  "/

Well, I have watered this morning and had my cereal.  The girls are still asleep.  They will be headed off to Denver soon, and the weekend will end as it always has to.  Bummer!  It has been so much fun.  Thomas took apart the camera to try to fix it, but to no avail.  Maybe Mary will be kind enough to send a few? 

 

Are we going to make it?

I am not referring to the supposed rapture that was miscalculated by five months.  No, I am thinking about toothpaste.  A peculiar situation to be sure.

 

I am often asked where we get our food.  People find it most fascinating that we don't have a grocery store within 15 miles, unless you count the Mom & Pop Pantry about 3/4 of a mile down the road.  While we do most of our grocery shopping about every 5 weeks in the big cities with large grocery store chains - often stopping at no less than three stores to buy food and beverages, Thomas can stop at the Supersave in Raton after work or the Springer Market after he and his carpooling co-worker part ways.  I can stop at the Russell's in Cimarron, too.  These places get us by in a pinch, like when we ran out of tortillas yesterday.  They are pricier on non-perishables, and the produce is not usually prime, but when you need something, it is great.

 

Toothpaste is another matter all together.  One of us does not want fluoride in the toothpaste.  Incidentally, this is not the easiest variety of toothpaste to find.  One of us does not care for mint, which in and of itself is not a big deal with all the flavors of toothpaste one cane find: strawberry, mango, bubblegum, cinnamon, fennel, and ginger are just a few alternatives.  From that list of flavors, cinnamon is the only one that is mutually enjoyed.  Now go into a store with both of these specifications, and really only one toothpaste jumps off the shelf and into our basket: Tom's of Maine Cinnamint with propolys and myrrh, no fluoride.  This one toothpaste is generally only available at Natural Grocer or Whole Foods.  Safeway is now carrying some Tom's products, but nothing that matches our requirements.  We decided not to stop for it in Denver two and a half weeks ago because it seemed we would never run out.  Besides, it was the only thing we would have picked up at the store, and we didn't have time for frivolous stops.  We anticipated being in Santa Fe two weeks after Denver, which would have been just as fine a time to stop.  Then I stopped at a Whole Foods for the salad bar a week ago, but still I didn't pick it up because I thought we would be back over the weekend.  How foolish I was!  (We obviously didn't go over the weekend, or this post would be nonsense!)

 

Despite having purchased additional tubes in the past and keeping them in the bathroom closet, it seemed we really couldn't go through the toothpaste fast enough.  Until now!  We are rationing out the last bit on our toothbrush each night, and on one of ours in the morning.  We have already reached the awkward squeeze where it takes muscle to bend the metal of the tube just right.  We have been watching our supply go down the drain with every spit and hope we can make it to Saturday.  Yes, our oasis in the desert of toothpaste is only a couple days away.  Jennifer and Mary are coming down from Denver to visit, and Jennifer is bringing us toothpaste!  Just two more days....

 

 

Early to rise

This morning I hopped out of bed about 6:30 am and took a shower before starting my day.  As I was stepping out of the shower, I wondered what happened.  Since when do I pop out of bed?  I am notorious for snoozing my alarms (yes, plural, which started in college because I am known to unplug or turn off alarms in my sleep rather than just snooze them) and known for waiting until the last minute and then being dressed and ready in 5 minutes.  Now I am usually out the door by five after seven.  This actually takes me back about twenty years when I started high school and left the house that early with my dad to get to school.  It was a struggle then, but this morning it wasn't.

 

Don't get me wrong - I am sure tomorrow I will drag my feet and try to stay under the covers a little longer.  I do think, however, that this is a seasonal thing.  The sun is shining brightly by 6 am.  It is hard to stay in bed sometimes when the sun is waking me up.  Next December when the sun is up much later, I am sure I will be going through this whole routine again of struggling to get up in the morning.  Anyway, now that I am up, I am feeling tired.

Twilight

Last night I got in late.  It has been a long time since I had a work day like yesterday.  I left at 8 am and got home at 8 pm.  Phew!  The beauty of that kind of day this time of year is that the sun was actually still up when I first left the office.  It had fallen behind the mountain before I was even halfway home, but it was still that wonderful evening light that draws out all the animals.  I saw a herd of 40-50 elk cow on the western edge of a neighbor's property.  At first it looked like horses in the road.  They are just a big animal!

 

As I slowed and counted heads, I also gave them stink eye.  After having planted the raspberry and fenced them up, something came through and ate the top off.  Said beast also got around the fence of the apple tree and nibbled.  Thomas thinks maybe it was a deer.  I am not ruling out any cloven hoofed jerk that doesn't have the brains to realize the fence around it means KEEP OUT!  Daniel said the elk have been through his yard, so I just don't know who to suspect.

I don't think the elk on the road really noticed the stink eye I gave them, though they did scatter as I approached. 

 

So we have wire fences around the fruits, we have an electric fence around the garden, and we have solar-powered sonic devices to scare away moles/gophers.  It is a little bit different than gardening in the city, definitely different than the community gardens.  But come twilight when the animals reveal themselves, I realize gardening is more of a combat sport than a casual hobby down here!  Today - I will be home at regular time to water and tend to all my little babies growing in the garden....and keep a watchful eye on who might be stalking our little sprouts.

Why did the snake cross the road?

It was chasing the chicken!!  Okay, there was no chicken, but I did see my first live snake crossing the road.  I have seen dead snakes in the road, but I haven't seen a live snake since I was startled to find one under a board behind the tin shed about 11 months ago.  That is a long time to go without seeing a live snake, especially since Thomas told me that I would probably be uncomfortable to know how many snakes actually live on our property.  I guess they are good at hiding when I am out and about.

 

Yesterday I was driving home, and before approaching the S-curves, I saw something ahead in the road.  I slowed, and it moved.  IT WAS ALIVE!!!  It was a bull snake about 3.5 feet long, and it was itself a picture of the S-curves as it slithered across the road.  I swerved a little into the other lane in an attempt to miss it.  In my rear-view mirror, I could see it in the road, but it wasn't moving.  I figured it was probably just startled and laying low to make sure "harm's way" had passed.  If it had been hit, I think it would have wriggled and fought back.  (At least that is what I remember of a snake's death.)  I verified with Daniel, who was headed home shortly after me, that he saw no snake in the road, and he confirmed my hopes that he did not see any snake, dead or alive, in the road. 

 

So there you have it!  I am hoping that is good snake karma for me.  I am not exactly sure what snake karma is, but if it exists, I want the good kind!

Feeling hot - hot - hot!

Not so much all of me is feeling hot, but the back of my head is feeling scorched! 

 

I spent a good portion of the day Saturday and Sunday working outside.  Thus, the first thing I did in the morning, aside from brushing my teeth and putting in my contacts, was to slather my arms and face with sunscreen - SPF 45.  I wore long pants and a t-shirt, donned my sunglasses and my dirty looking UVM baseball hat.  The hat was a gift from my sister years and years ago - go catamounts!

 

Sun protection is totally necessary out here (don't ask Thomas about it, though).  Miami is about 6300' above sea level - 1000' feet higher than Denver.  The sun shines hotter and burns faster and dries everything out.  I have both family and friends who love the "burn and let it fade" method or coloring their skin, but out here one rarely finds a burn before it has progressed to the fried stage.  Re-hydrating becomes harder, and then usually no amount of pills will soothe the headache.  Not to mention how alcohol consumption intensifies the headache and dehydration.  I feel like Debbie Downer, but the truth is we generally never learn this lesson from someone else's mistakes.  I have certainly had my share of red skin and seen it even worse on other people.  And I can't count on two hands all the people I know who have had melanoma removed.  Okay - enough scare for one Monday....I need to give it a rest.  So anyway....

 

Yesterday I did take my hat off when the wind kicked up because I couldn't keep it from blowing away.  However, this is not the culprit so much as the gaping hole in the back of the hat that totally let the sun get me.  I wonder now if I didn't sleep well last night because I kept rolling around trying not to rest my head on that tender spot.  This morning as I tried to rub aloe into my hair without matting it, I realized why cowboy hats make so much more sense.  Yes, indeed, I will be putting the baseball cap to rest unless I wear a handkerchief over the back of my head.

How many??

I counted up the wheels on motorized vehicles on our property, and no lying - there are twenty - 20!!!  No, Thomas does not drive a Mack truck!  And all are running...these are not cars up on blocks or anything like that.  It was a little shocking as I counted up to twenty, and then I wondered what happened to me.  Would anyone recognize me as the green girl who biked, walked, carpooled, or bussed everywhere?!?!  Is there a coefficient or formula for calculating green-hippie-ness that justifies wheels to acreage or something?  Eeesh!!

 

When Thomas and I arrived to Miami a year an one week ago,  we came with ten wheels: his truck, my little Pita, and his motorcycle.  A long while back Thomas brought home the dirt bike he left at his brother many moons ago.  This bumped us up to twelve.  Not yet a month ago, we decided to add a more fuel efficient vehicle to our fleet, as the cost of Thomas's commute was finally getting to us.  (Yes, the logic might elude some as to how buying a car without trading in or selling the other is cheaper...just deal with it.)  This bumped us up to sixteen wheels.

 

Now my sister can sympathize with me, as she and her husband just jumped back into the two-car family lifestyle.  There's no telling how much longer she could bike to work with her belly hanging from one side to the other.  Eventually, she is going to need something for a car seat, and a bicycle built for two is not necessarily what a pediatrician recommends (and she is a pediatrician).  We laughed about how she became a two-car family again, just as we became a three-car family, plus motorcycles.

 

Yes, I have not told about the last four wheels.  They arrived Wednesday night and have been driven now by five of the family.  Thomas came home with a tractor.  I don't think anyone would have ever guessed twenty years ago, ten years ago, or heck even five years ago that I would have a tractor parked out back.  But there you have it, we are up to twenty wheels.  I can't imagine that we will be getting any more any time soon!

A week of busy-ness!

Oh how I wish my camera hadn't died in Portland!  It is a pity, as there are so many things I wish everyone else could see.  We've had a streak of heat, not sure if there is a streak of moisture coming or not, but we desperately need it.

 

Thomas and I have been spending most non-work hours out on the property.  Sure there have been a few nights of drinking with the family, but we usually wait until the sun goes down.

 

In the last week, Maya made her First Communion.  It was a fun occasion.  We pre-partied over poker, an impromptu gathering.  Thomas and I showed up to drop off a gift for Maya only to discover that we had missed their invitation to come hang out.  Sunday afternoon we had a splendid BBQ and enjoyed eating and celebrating some more!

 

We have been working hard on the garden.  Now in the ground carrots, pintos, beets, spinach, and turnips - hopefully making a debut soon.  Potatoes, onions, peas, an artichoke, and garlic are visibly growing.  And the strawberries and raspberries are in the ground, but I am not sure what to expect for a crop this year.  (Maya helped plant the artichoke, spinach, and strawberries!)  Oh just thinking about them is making me hungry.  Off to sort out supper...

Band Practice

Last night, Thomas and I cruised back on into Cimarron to see Andres and fellow band-mates perform their spring program.  He is in 6th grade beginning band playing a big ol' piece of brass (I don't remember which horn - bad tia tori, I know!).  He performed "When the Band Comes Marching In" (not sure if that is the PC name for the" When the SAINTS Come Marching In", but it was good) at the beginning, and then his group came back to join the 7-12th graders for the theme song to the Transformers movie and "Hey Baby".  It was great entertainment!

 

As an aside, I was excited to faintly see the buffalo in the pasture along the road as we drove past Philmont.  I could only hope they would still be there this morning for viewing.  NOPE!  I did see them off along a ridge line, but Thomas suggested that they will be encourage (with hay drops) to hang out closer to the road during the height of tourist season. 

 

As another aside, while working in the garden before heading back to Cimarron, Thomas spotted the potato sprouts leafing up.  Now we have garlic, peas, and potatoes coming up!  Yummmmm.....

Finished at Last

I don't often boil eggs for myself. I love egg salad sandwiches for lunch, deviled eggs at parties, and occasionally sliced egg on a salad, but Thomas doesn't particularly care for them. Sure he'll eat an egg salad sandwich if I put it in front of him, but it isn't his first choice. So I don't often make them. Come Easter time, though, everyone enjoys coloring them.

I boiled a dozen to take to Marie's for coloring. I actually only took eleven because I dropped one between the pan and the carton. With all the eggs being colored for the Knights of Columbus Easter Egg Hunt, there were plenty for everyone to paint and dye. Yes, we painted, too, though I discovered that the beauty of the painting is quickly turned into a puddle of colors on the egg and hands once re-moistened.

Thomas made this lovely painted egg. It was inspired by Pop's regard for the beautiful sunset that night of fun. It was the last of the eggs I cracked from the eleven that came home with us.

So at lunch today I ate my last egg salad sandwich for a little while. They were all so delicious. Tomorrow, back to leftovers. And so lucky for me to have had an extra special dinner after First Communion practice with the Salas family - now I do have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. But not to worry - Easter is not over just because the hard-boiled eggs are gone. We still have malted robin eggs!

Maddie's First Communion

My sister has a wonderful husband, but Marty is also a fantastic photographer. We are pleased to have a "fruit stand" of photos on our walls, a rainbow of produce. He really knows how to capture an image. These are his pictures, which he graciously has shared. I am especially grateful as my camera died in Portland. Hopefully next week I will have some fantastic pictures of Maya's First Communion (two goddaughters, two weekends, and one really special day for each of them!)

Thomas and I felt like guests of honor -

being allowed to sit with Maddie in the little room left next to her.

Uncle Gene is Maddie's godfather, and I am her godmother.

Now that we're both married, she's got Karen & Thomas to support her, too.

Pat & Amy have their hands full with Maddie, Mia, and Monica.

Monica let me hold her all through Mass - a real compliment,

as she can be choosy about who she clings to. It shows that she is starting to remember us, even though are visits are not so often.

Somehow, this little dude snuck out of the family picture. Benjamin is now seven months. He was cheering for his big sister at all the right times.

Miki doesn't appear to be showing too much in this shot.

Thomas and I, Miki & Marty, and the unseen LG (little Greenlee).

Maddie & me...a lovely photo with the motto of the Jesuits:

AMDG - ad majorem Dei gloriam

Dry, Dusty Days

The humidity, or lack of it, is dramatically noticeable after being in Portland for a few days.  My lips and fingers are cracking, and I am using a water bottle again.  I had really hoped to take some of our sunshine (and wind) to Portland, and it seemed to shine through a few times.  Even more, I had hoped to bring back some moisture for New Mexico.  Unfortunately, I ran into some trouble.

 

They charge to check luggage now, so Thomas and I were flying the cheap-o route by carrying everything on.  So was everyone else.  The airlines are really cracking down on the two bag limit and making sure one gets shoved under the seat in front of you.  I thought I was going to get away with bringing home some rain, but it didn't work out.

 

I tried to stuff a rain cloud in the overhead bin, but the flight attendant made a big flippin' deal about how it has to fit end to end in the bin or they will gate check it because they want to be so courteous to all the other passengers, even if there is room for it to fit sideways.  Anyway, you know how that works - lost luggage, who knows where my rain cloud ended up, probably in the South where they don't want any more water.  Customer service said that probably someone just picked it up because they thought it looked like theirs and didn't read the tag, or maybe the ink ran, so "DEN" looked like "PENN" or maybe "BOM" or something.  When they find it - IF they find it, they will deliver it, but that could be in a month or two.  Geez...I tried!

Back in Miami

After a fantastic and full trip to Portland via Denver, Thomas and I are home and back to work.  I do have pictures, though my camera died on Saturday evening.  Marty got some good ones of Maddie's First Communion, and I hope to get his picture of the "boys". 

 

We ate a lot, laughed and played games, hid from the rain, went for walks, ate some more, and ended it all with a movie.  The rain kept us in a lot, but definitely kept me bundled up in a warm sweater.    It is always so good to be back in Portland!  The traveling can be a bit brutal, though.

 

Thomas and I set off at 5:52 am on Friday.  I let him sleep, since I can usually sleep on the plane.  We were lucky to have tuned in to some fun talk radio (the Bob & Tom Show is entertaining and not political).  On our return we landed around noon-thrty, but didn't actually drive away from the airport for another hour.  We were quite productive - making 11 stops and the drive home in 10 hours.  11:30 pm was later than either of us hoped to arrive, but it is good to be able to shop when you are already there and don't have to make a special trip.  Our trunk was full of groceries, so we really had to unpack and put everything away. 

 

This morning my feet are dragging!  Hopefully we can go to bed early tonight!

Pictures as Promised!

A woman of my word - I said there would be pics Monday or Tuesday, right? Well, more than one could hope for...

I was impressed with Thomas when he brought a bottle of Chimay instead of a sixer of a domestic when we first met. And our first dinner out was pizza. So....pepperoni for him, broccoli and fake sausage for me, and a bottle of Chimay's Framboise for the both of us last Friday as we celebrated our engagement.

New wheels on Saturday, snow on Sunday, picture on Monday... The car is still nameless. I am sure it won't be long, though.

I about had a fit on my way to work yesterday. Are cows afraid of the snow? Do they think the mud will stain? I caught them on camera in the way, even looking at me as if I should move.

The only hope is to stay on their heels. Unfortunately, I realized I forgot the dessert I made for my teachers (had a meeting with them Monday night and made dinner for them), so turned around and had to drive through them two more times! What a bother~

Safety First

This is a shout out to my niece Maya! She is a very brave soul indeed! A fancy feature of our new wheels is a yellow latch inside the trunk to release the trunk lock, freeing yourself from the trunk if you accidentally fell inside and a strong wind blew the door shut. Unlikely, but if you have a "worst case scenario" car designer, this feature is included. (Note to thugs - don't try to steal my car and lock me in the trunk because I can get out.) This is a new-to-us vehicle - a 2007. Who knows what methods the parents who owned this car before us had to use to keep their sanity while driving the long distances of the northern New Mexico plains? They lived about an hour south and east of Springer, and the car doesn't have tv screens in the back of the headrest. So there is a remote chance that the trunk release latch had been disabled. Maya, brave soul that she is, climbed into the trunk and let her Tio shut the door on her. Then PRESTO! The door opened, and she crawled out. Good to know it works!!!