A list of things I'm noticing.........here in this
small town almost in the exact center of New Mexico.....
A hawk......landing squarely in my side yard with a mourning dove in it's claws......stopping me and it......looking at each other.......who will move first? I did.....in respect......I thought to myself...."I will not judge you".......and went inside to look for my glasses.......gosh I wish I had a better look.......at that magnificent bird........
A hole......freshly dug under the center of my front porch step........who thinks she'll live there now? As I recall the smell of skunk the past few nights........
A hummingbird.........sucking the sap from the saddest smallest lavender plant I've ever seen....but she persisted and seemed so happy to find it.......perching several times on the wire nearby.....in the heat...and shade.......
Swallows..........swooping every evening.........
A large yellow butterfly circling my abode............
Mourning doves everywhere all the time............
A robin or two.......and a blue egg cracked open...........
Rabbits on the road side.........as I drove home from Albuquerque....in the dark.....lit by the almost full moon.......
Watering, watering......garden dry..........
The sound and sights of trains..........you can see them trail at a distance in the desert.......and at the end of my street........and in the distance droning after midnight........windows always open to catch the cool......
The cowboy siren at noon...........what the heck is THAT about?........Imagine a tornado siren...for two seconds at noon.....every week day.........right at the end of my street.....almost knocks your head off.
The best food at the friendliest coffee shop (and more) I've ever been in........
Alpine Alley.......
A small town.......with a bank, a post office, a laundrymat, a small grocery, a small pharmacy with an authentic 'old time' soda fountain, a hardware store, an auto parts store, an auto repair.......a used auto dealer.........an art gallery co-op.......a new art center........and Uncle Walter's discount store....where everything is now 1/2 off.........the town is NOT happy with a 'dollar store' being built down the street......yes......oh, and a historic hotel with a restaurant........all very reasonably priced........and lots of empty buildings for sale........
The nearest Home Depot...........1 hour and a quarter away.........Imagine.....
Imagine......the open desert.....and big sky between me and it.......
Home Depot I mean........
And my surprise in turning off the interstate into a
'dream mall' (OK after driving from my home over 1-1/2 hours through amazing landscape).....the open street kind, with a small town feel........and seeing the
Apple Store,
Anthropologie,
Lucky Brand Jeans (honestly my first time there), and
Trader Joe's (with ample parking!).......any excuse to drive a friend to the airport will result in a reunion with those modern luxuries........that I never felt were important.......boy, I still have a lot to learn.........about myself.
And Vietnamese food..........
May Cafe in Albuquerque..........amazing.....
and an area called
Nob Hill there too.....charming shops.....
And friends I have not seen or spoken to in years........seeming like they have been with me all along......
