with July past and the monsoons visiting

It seems to us like we've seen quite a few double rainbows this summer, from Kansas to NM. And then this one happened, only a single, but in a full arc over the sky...from the mountains to the mesa, against the cloudy sky over our adobe. It was so bright it didn't seem quite real...

A lot of my feeling fortunate moments are around my garden. This morning I was in the garden cutting handfuls of thyme, in order to dry them for the winter. The aroma of the cut thyme, and the sage (a bush of sage with flower stalks coming up to my waist) which sits next to the thyme, along with the smell of the wet rained upon dirt...and I felt lucky to have such perfume in my life. Then cutting my bouquet of flowers, which I could do each day if I wanted...thank goodness for land and gardens. 

The flower bed just outside our house is now in its second year. I knew when I first planted it, that it would mean I could see blooming flowers from the living room couch, and that it would make me smile. I was right, of course.

Now into August, the warm sunny mornings turn into cloudy afternoons, with monsoon rains sweeping through and drenching the forests and desert. The smell of wet pine, sage & chamisa fill the air. 

Having injured my foot a few weeks ago (no more hopping over the acequia in flip flops for me) I'm still limping and having some pain. (One of the ladies I work with saw me on crutches and said, oh you hurt your pata! -- I love learning spanish words from hearing them used rather than reading them in a textbook -- if only I could go back to college and have this understanding--"pata" by the way really means "paw" it is just used as an cute nickname for foot)  So walks have been on hold, as well as any late summer hikes. It is a too bad way to spend the end of summer. But I have to remind myself it is better than how I was feeling this time last year.

october

I'm am at the point of posting monthly now. Amazing what working full-time away from home can do to your blogging. Writing about work isn't any fun, so it all comes down to weekends. And sometimes weekends are just washing dishes and baking bread. Though lately I've been cooking up tomato sauce too. And in preparation for surgery I'm having in two weeks, I've been baking up pasta and fixing up burritos for the freezer. Somehow it makes me feel less anxious if I know there will be food I made for D. to eat during my recovery.

The garden faded in a lovely way, and it became a home for the rabbits (safe from the coyotes). The aspens turned gold in a week, and now are beginning to lose their leaves. Fall in northern NM means seeing golden patches on the mountains appear and disappear, bushes of chamisa turn bright yellow, the smell of pinon burning, mornings hazy over the valley from woodstove smoke, deer tracks in the yard and truck beds either piled high in wood or showing the tops of antlers, a tell-tale sign of a recent hunt. 

In late September was the Taos Fall Arts Festival, this time including the idea of a friend of ours, incorporating street art & performance. Called The Paseo (for the street it lined) it was a long walk of different street art, from huge mechnical robots and displays to adobe walls lit up in papercut projections. We were lucky enough to get our tintype photo taken by one of the visiting artists. Though it took forever, since the plate had to be exposed and processed one at a time, we love that we held out. 

It also means sunny, warm days and crisp, freezing nights. The pleasantness of the weather here.

A few weekends ago we started out on a drive to see fall colors, with a walk in mind. We drove through little Truchas, where I found some awesome roadside graffiti. But we ended up heading south to Chimayo, to visit El Santuario.  A site of pilgrimage, famous for the healing dirt upon which it is built. It was a spiritual place of healing for the native populations before the Catholic populations began living here & built a chapel. Now the courtyard is covered in altars of rosaries, candles and homemade crosses. And as we visited the simple adobe chapel full of believers. People praying in spanish, and people weeping at the altar. A moving place, you can feel the belief, the hope, the sorrow, the relief and the ancient ways. We brought home a little wooden replica of the chapel, and in it we filled with some of the healing dirt. This is a part of what you do when you live in New Mexico.

september

We've reached that time of year, time to prepare for winter. The cat hunted/caught two mice, we are collecting newspapers, calculating how much wood we need to cut & burn. It is soon time to fill the propane, clean the chimney and start wearing slippers again.

We spent the last week camping near the Walnut river, in Kansas. Our annual time to see & spend time with many people we simply love to be nearby. 

Picking the flowers which are slowly fading and will soon freeze. 

Warm temperatures alluded my tomatoes this year. Picked my first big batch today, and made some sauce. Quite a change from last year's bounty. But since we still have sauce from last year in the freezer, we didn't really need as much. 

The Statice I grew has come out in blues, pinks and purples. I've been cutting it & hanging to dry on the back porch. Thinking it will be welcome color in the winter depths. 

Working full-time in town has been rewarding, but a new perspective for me. Suddenly my time is no longer mine, it belongs to work. And I'm not sure I'll ever be convinced that is really how I want to live. Am glad the job I have now is one I feel good about. 

into July

Last weekend we took a morning hike up the Canoncito trail. It is a tree-covered, creek-crossing abundant trail. We had sandwiches at the end of the trail before we headed back down. 

I get a little bit claustrophobic on these tree-covered trails. And I find that what D. loves about these walks (the time to quietly walk & think all your thoughts) is what I have a hard time doing. But me leaving myself alone with my thoughts isn't something I've been very good at in a long time.

The garden is filling up in colors. Pink hollyhocks, orange & yellow marigolds, yellow blooming cucumbers and all kinds of green. 

And I'm quite in love with the flowering sweetpeas. Hot pink and reddish purples, fairy-like petals on delicate stems. Glad I decided to grow these. 

This morning we took a walk up our backyard. The morning sun was already quite intense, and it was a relief to drop down into the canyon and walk home along the water. The chollas are blooming impressively, and have filled the desert mountains with bright pinks. 

little patch of lettuce

The hollyhocks, which I planted last year, are about up to my shoulder now. There are dozens of buds all over the plant. Hollyhocks love northern New Mexico, they grow all over town like weeds. Very pretty summer weeds. 

Now that June is ending, the tomatoes are starting to actually grow. It takes getting slightly warmer nights for this to happen. My marigolds are getting busy, which makes me happy. I like the clusters of marigold oranges, yellows and greens throughout the garden. The self-seeded cilantro is tall and about to bloom. I've been eating fresh cilantro on my evening salads, and tonight we threw a handful into our turkey tacos. 

These are the cosmos, which also self-seeded from last year's blooms. They are so very green & whispy.

Now, the afternoon breezes are summer soft & warm. The papery Aspen leaves flutter all around the house. We've been enjoying sits on the front porch. Libby comes out with us and chases grasshoppers. 

Yesterday J. from next door brought me a bag of freshly picked salad greens, mostly kale and chard. Delicious, and considering the abundance he has planted, it will be a fortunate summer to be his neighbor.

My own little patch of lettuce is just now getting big enough to pick and eat. This first-time lettuce growing experience has not been very satisfying. 

I applied for another job, and I've been told I'm the final candidate, and have a start date of 7/14. I'll be working for a non-profit. I'll be the admin assistant for the Director--and my job will involve grant writing, organizing fund-raisers, working with the press and other basic admin stuff.  It has been so long since I've been challenged that I'm a bit intimidated, but I'm also excited to have a job that I have to really think about and care about. 

Tomorrow, a massage (last year's birthday present from T., which I'm finally taking advantage of) and some outside time, some laundry on the line time, some sewing time, some cleaning the house time. 

petunia called picasso

today I put some shade cloth over a few plants. I think the sun is draining them. I recall being worried about this last year, but I don't recall it seeming quite so bad. they just seem sapped of a happy green. some shade should help. and the garden looks like it has ghosts in it now.

I always want to buy lots of marigolds and I never do simply because it gets expensive. but this year I started them from seed, and they were the easiest thing to grow. and now I might have too many. 

I bought this petunia for two reasons, one it has flowers hot pink rimmed in green and two, it is called a "Picasso petunia". and we may officially have too many plants now. 

flowering sweetpeas are the most darling things. I'm growing some but they aren't flowering yet,  these I picked from the greenhouse. my neighbor J. offered them, and he referred to them as the "wedding peas".

I drive into work each day trying to keep a positive attitude, I drive home exhausted from trying to stay positive. the place has too much chaos, mess and lack of processes for me to deal with, either emotionally or professionally. it gets in the way of me feeling like I'm doing a good job. but I have no input on changing it. I know lots of people work jobs they aren't happy in, I know I even work with some of them. I'm going to do my best to find a better one.

for months now I've been hearing about a job from a friend, and she said it might get posted this summer. and it was just a few days ago. so I've been working on my application this weekend. This is the kind of job that would actually use my capabilities & my degrees. I'll probably be more stressed out by this job, but I'll also be happier. so fingers crossed on this one.

D. is off camping with other boys. he'll be home tomorrow. and though I used to live my life this way, alone each day & night, and I'm quite okay with alone-time,  I'm so happy to know that he will be home tomorrow. when you get used to having someone around to talk to, or just, be near, there is quite a gaping silence when that person is gone.  

june garden starts

I spend the first few weeks of my garden season fairly certain it will all fail. But then the roots begin to take, and new leaves begin to sprout, and I realize that once again, I know how to plant things. And every year something is new and something dies and something thrives.

This year, just outside the living room window, I have a bed of spinach and lettuce growing. Safe from munching bunnies.

And since the neighbor is building a house next to our back yard, our back patio isn't as inviting as it used to be. We're accommodating by making the front porch a pretty place to sit too (lots of plants and some camp chairs).  And though we have a few too many wasps buzzing around the front porch, we still find it more relaxing that sitting within view and earshot of the neighbor and his construction. 

Also outside the living room, we put in a flower bed. Though some leftover tomato and pepper plants have landed there as well. By Summer, I should be able to see blooming flowers while sitting inside on my couch. (Notice the rock wall inspired by Chaco.)

The hollyhock is already up to my chest. And last year's herbs (chives, sage, thyme & oregano) are already bigger than they ever were last year. All the garden is planted. Now we wait. And also now I have to investigate the little black bugs I'm finding on the tomatoes. 

middle of May

at the beginning of the week we received several inches of snow, though it all melted away by the next day. and here at the ending of the week, we spent the day in shorts and t-shirts.

mi madre y mi tia were here for two nights. I got to take them to favorite places, eat good food with them, and show them our backyard hike. it felt nice to be with two women I am so incredibly related to. 

i've been moving little plants out during the day. my basil gets lots of sun, and then comes back in at night. but the flowering sweetpeas and some of the morning glories went in the ground today. oh, how satisfying it feels to plant things. these little green bits that I put in soil to sprout back when the outside seemed so cold and Spring seemed forever away. I moved a lot of my geraniums outside today too, and then filled up my red water pitcher in the acequia, and watered them with the fresh snow water. 

 the hollyhock I planted last year has boldly returned.

this evening the sky turned pink and purple, and D. shot some hoops as it got too dark to see. our night is closing with another viewing of Easy Rider, in honor of the Dennis Hopper-day celebrated in Taos this weekend (Hopper being one of our more infamous once-residents). and because it opens with a scene shot with a view of Taos Mountain.

next weekend we are taking a trip to Chaco Canyon. I'll have pictures.