Birthday Presents

I now very nearly know my way around, and I'm graduating to finding Back Roads. Everything is circuitous here, few right angles, pretty much Old Word. I like that. It is a good exercise for delaying Alzheimer's, as well as reminding one that predictability isn't always a good thing. Oh, and I have a new bike. Well, a bike. Didn't really have an old one. It is a gift. I do love it. My first excursion was down the road to the oldest restaurant in Santa Fe, which we rather like. Alas, the road back was a slight uphill grade, and my unpracticed, sea-level constitution just didn't like all that on a bicycle at 7000 ft. So I now have bicycle homework.

Re-entry

Our firewood arrived one day after we returned from SFo. A cord of pinon and a mixed cord of oak and cedar. Stacked and ready (could that be a dubious film title?). Part of it had to be stacked near the property-line fence, so of course Twist decided it was a perfect climbing structure from which to launch himself next door and visit and neighbor's dog. So my assignment today, Saturday, among other important things, is to lower the height of that particular stack. I think bringing inside a fair amount of it will do the trick, as well as make the house redolent of pinon & cedar even before we light a fire.

I started this post about a week ago. Clearly, re-entry takes up one's time. For instance, we had a fabulous visit from 2 special SFo friends last weekend, and now we are back in the thick of regular existence, if it can be called that. Tonight is Back-to-School Night ---- you all know what that means!! The air has been deliciously cold & crisp in the mornings. And then it can be quite warm during the day. So now we get to shop online for "winter boots!" I have my eye on a few possibilities. Maybe 3 or 4. Could be a long winter.

My driving lesson on Thursday, yesterday, was completely enthralling, as usual. There is room for Nothing Else in my head when I'm driving a horse & cart --- just think about controlling a horse while also maneuvering a vehicle. Nothing automatic about this transmission. Maybe I'll take a photo of where I am next time and post it. Interestingly, my instructor is a pilot for his day job, and he loved my WW1 aviation calendar. When worlds collide. Maybe I should lend him my copy of the book Horses Don't Fly. I'll leave it to you to guess the Venn Diagram of that one.

September Thoughts

It feels a very long time since we left San Francisco and yet no time at all. So it appears that all this while we have 2 homes, both SFs. If we continue in this pattern, though, yet another home would logically be....San Fernando? Not going to happen. We're happy with 2. Especially these 2 because they're The Best.
So the birthday week wanes but peaks with seeing amazing, sweet, affectionate friends who could not be more interesting, funny, fun, and true blue.
You all give us the depth and length of real sustained friendship that both consoles and inspires. Haven't cried yet, but here it comes.

Fickle Muse

Yesterday, I swear, I had a brilliant inspiration for this post. The muse was there, but I did not write it down (Where was I? Not the car -- I'd write it down there.), and the fickle thing deserted me. I know the kernel was floating round my mind with the banner "Really Really Good Idea". Now it seems all I have left is the unoriginal musing on the muse.
In 2 days we revisit SFo, for the first time, with excitement, nostalgia, and affection waxing.

From the Road

In the big city now, in the very beautiful Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago. Rather a switch from charming little SFe. But I've always loved the big cities as well as the little towns. Bookends, really. Walking along I noticed a sign for FLAX ---Flax! Drawn to it like a magnet I anticipated stocking up on all the lovely papery/inky things I think I need, but, alas, although it is the same as the one in SFo, it had shut and presumably moved to a more salubrious location. Well, just the sign alone was a tonic. Who knows what else I'll stumble on to bring back to the hinterland? Should I be stocking up for the winter, bringing back sacks of flour on the buckboard? Perhaps that's what the Internet is for now.
I go back home tomorrow; I miss it, however much I may enjoy the city for a while.

Sad Update

Alas, our friend Flicker died within 24 hours after arrival at the Wildlife Center. We received a letter with the news. Birds often do not do well when traumatized by large, well-meaning (?) creatures. Few of us do. So, farewell, very pretty bird. We have several of your feathers --- quite striking things --- saved in your remembrance.

License to Be New Mexican

We have finally received our NM license plate, long after getting library cards and driver's licenses, let alone the other accoutrements of citizenship. (We have voter ID cards here --- remember the flap about how Americans are too something to stoop to national IDs?? Obviously some Americans are more American than others, right Mr. Orwell?)
The plates here are in this pattern: ### ABC. Just like the California plate of yore, except in reverse. (Nostalgia for those old black/orange plates without commentary on them.) And here one can also get plates that 1)support the Lobos 2)sport one's combat veteran status 3)have hot-air balloons on them 4)have a simple green-on-yellow motif. We chose the 4th one. Maybe someday we'll be Lobos supporters, but most likely we will not acquire NM combat veteran status, and the balloon just isn't us.