Still new to each other, I met Clif for breakfast at the local Marie Callander’s after buttoning up the final days of the 1986 Antelope Valley Fair… Read more “How Breakfast at a California Marie Callander’s Led to Santa Fe’s Coyote Cafe for Dinner”
A Prayer for Healing
When I understood the challenge ahead in my personal battle with a cancer still to find a cure, and a projected two year longevity prediction, it was time to dig in for answers—all while avoiding the world of quackery and misinformation.
There’s often news of such patients overcoming the incurable and substantially extending projected survival times. Admittedly, those patients hold infinite amounts of discipline that I’ve yet to achieve.
Today I Cried
Today I cried. I don’t cry easily. Like a 50 foot storm driven wave, sadness swept over me. Indifference, greed, phony piety, and souls lost in the… Read more “Today I Cried”
Native Plants for Native Pollinators & Birds
The underlying cause of this gardening semi-failure, was my view of a pollinator garden was wrong. It was for my pleasure, not for the betterment of native species. But isn’t that just like a human? We take on an idea without connecting the dots to the big picture. I ignored the very premise of my book “Connection with 48 Natural Contemplations”—interconnecting with nature.
A New Mexican Holy Week
On a Good Friday I drove to Albuquerque. Thousands of the faithful walked north along Interstate 25. They sought the healing miracles of the sacred sands within the Santuario de Chimayo in the village of Chimayo, nestled in a valley, lined in cottonwoods and pastures within the Sangre de Cristo Mountains 24 miles (38.4 km) north of Santa Fe. From Albuquerque, the distance nears 80 miles, but the distance is unimportant to those who make this annual trek.
1968. Canned Heat Explodes
Hollywood. Sunset Strip. 1968. Indeed, Eight Miles High. The Vietnam War grew uglier by the day. Since January the nightly news rolled reel after reel of the Tet Offensive and the brutal American loss. In February, President Johnson, set on curbing draft deferments, made graduate students draft game.
North of Santa Fe, It Takes a Village
Dixon, New Mexico is home to historic acequias (irrigation ditches) that remain protected by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildago, signed on February 2, 1848. One of those… Read more “North of Santa Fe, It Takes a Village”
Philiberto—The Good Bro
Author’s Note: I changed his name to Philiberto for this story from a work in progress with the working title, “New Mexico Notes by a California Girl.”… Read more “Philiberto—The Good Bro”
Ray–Like A Dragon
Ray was fun and easy to know. Regardless, his gayness in rural New Mexico wasn’t always well received. Ray was young and out. If you didn’t like his sexual proclivity, that was your problem. Not his. “I’m like a dragon,” he said. “Full of fire and not ashamed.”
Full Moon Mountain
The gentle slope from the lift allows me to find a place without skier traffic. I take in the magnificent view below — a village nestled in the pines, to an expanse of a muted brown, deep green and mauve rural valley. A chilled wind adds pink to my face. Another swipe of chapstick protects my lips, a swig of water trickles down my throat like fuel for the ride downhill.
The Muse Pallet 