Notes from Almost Below Zero and Almost 2008

Well, not really below 0 but close enough to have to cancel driving lessons! But of course the skier can go have oodles of fun (cold fun, though), which she totally deserves. And up on the top of the Ski Basin it was -45 today with the wind chill. How can you people do that??
In honor of the end of 2007, a year of events for us and ours, I present here the first parking ticket of Santa Fe origin to grace our checkbook. It is a lovely design --- see how the faint print is obscured by the noble seal of the City of Santa Fe? One can hardly read the fine amount! ($16.00--$16)And there is the little ribbon within the seal with the dates of the three (post-conquest)countries of Santa Fe's government history: Spain - 1610, Mexico - 1821, and U.S. - 1846.
We received this for neglecting to put in the ha'pennies required for several hours parking starting at 8 am. Well, the 8 am part is true; you actually need a couple quarters.
Of course we ring in the New Year with Gruet. Also black-eyed peas (the comestible, not the band)for that southern touch of good luck. Please eat yours, too. We love you all.

The Devil Did It

Tonight is the 100+ yr.-old festival here in SFe called Las Posadas. Our first trip here, oh so many years ago, we just happened upon it one evening around 5 in the plaza. Absolutely captivating -- a mix of Old Word Catholicism and All World paganism.
The devil roams the rooftops of the plaza(assorted civic worthies in costume) spewing vileness and lack of hospitality to poor Mary & Joseph. So that was why there was no room at the inn --- the bad guys got there first! Finally, after visiting all four corners of the plaza in search of lodging (and an obstetrics unit, obviously) the Palace of the Governors relents and gives them shelter from evil and the cold. History is made and all is topped off with cookies, hot chocolate, pinon fires and carols in Spanish.

Cold Morning

Well, we've finally -inevitably-reached the point of insanity we swore we wouldn't achieve again: two cats have been added to the mixola here. Tom & Ducky are currently living in the little bedroom while we convince the dogs (well, Folly & Twist; Bodkin doesn't really care) that Satan did not send them to lead us all into Hell.
The shelters here are overflowing with cats (can we blame George W. Bush?) and it was just time to make good on our re-surfacing laments, "Gee, I miss having a cat..." Should be an interesting winter.
It's Friday, which means I'm off work, for we have winter hours at my job! Fireplace blazing, jammies still on --- a Friday off is pretty much heaven. Not that I have nothing to do, mind you. It occurs to me that most of you have no idea what this publishing job I've landed is. Next year we'll have 6 million issues of 60+ slow food, local & sustainable agriculture magazines around the US and Canada. I get to be "Director of Operations" --- sounds a little like the CIA, huh? It really just means I have lots of things to do and occasionally a small fire to extinguish. Here's a photo of Edible San Francisco to give you all an idea. Check it out. Also on the web! for you modernists.

Santa Fe Time

Here's a good little story of our time & place. M. comes home and says "Squash your inner Scrooge tonight because we're going to watch the Santa Fe Christmas Tree lit at 5:30 at the statehouse. No arguments. I'll make it worth your while." She had it on Good Authority (a flexible term, apparently) that the tree would be lit between 5:30 and 5:45 pm. There would be charming schoolchildren there (from Waldorf, actually) singing charming carols. So I roused my inner Norman Rockwell, bundled up, and inquired, "Where are our flasks?" Perhaps a bit obvious, so we settled for a large coffee mug from El Indio in San Diego and a discreet stainless steel mug from nowhere. The "coffee" was actually Gruet champagne; staying local, as always.
As we pull up to the statehouse at 5:25 I gestured and said, "Is that the tree there, the all-lit-up one with many colors??" Sadly, yes. Our local source got the time wrong. I, however, was in a more celebratory mood than I thought possible because the flask and the lack of carols (people were fading away at this point) meant we could make our way to the tree without a tiresome crowd and enjoy the prettiness as one slightly modified curmudgeon and her chastened wife. It was fun! Let's do it that way next year!

Winter Activities

Here we are back in Santa Fe after a whirlwind weekend (movie title?) in San Francisco. Good whirlwind but bittersweet as always. Contrasts, contrasts. Eat, drink, be merry, fly away.
I took Margarita carriage driving last week. Well, it was actually a little marathon cart. A pair pulls that cart, and we had sleigh bells on Lady because the weather is cold enough. We trip-trapped, jingle-belled down the road and back for a mile or two in the open country northeast-ish of Santa Fe. Happy ponies in the cold were quite frisky. I'm more competent at driving just a single now, so my very wonderful instructor sits with me when I drive the pair. See photos.

Tipperary, PSAT, & Truffle Oil

What are you reading? I so much prefer that question at a cocktail party to "So what do you do?" Well, I'm reading lots of stuff: Blood & Thunder, The Origins of the First World War (surprise), and about to start reading a certain person's thesis, titled "Syntactic Strictures: Errors of Grammar, Style and Usage on the PSAT". How fun is that?
Blood & Thunder tells me that New Mexico was violent and dangerous to live in even before the Cerrillos Road corridor was built. But pretty darn fascinating and beautifully written. Finally I read it, after 825 people told me to. Thank you, Elizabeth.
And what are you cooking? Made a fun little pizza last night with truffle oil and arugula and sheep's milk cheese. Oh, and an egg on top for me.
And what are you listening to? A new favorite around here is Architecture in Helsinki (of course just the name is hard to resist), and I have a newly compiled CD of World War I favorites, quite good sound quality, in case anyone needs a stocking stuffer. It's bound to be this year's Cool Gift. And reasonably priced.

On the Road Again

Clearly I'm not gifted in the dailiness of journal writing. Tried, can't. So here I am close to 4 weeks after my last post, again in Chicago. Not in the library today, since the laptop accompanied us here. It's a conference, and I got to tag along. Well, I needed some new shoes, and Akira in Chicago is just the Best Place Ever for such projects. Yes, already went there and found much but bought only one pair. Such restraint.
Last night we dined with dear old friend Shane and his fabulous child Hayden, all of us (except H.) transplants from San Francisco. Tonight it's the free night at the Art Institute, so we'll be roaming around there for some time. This being in places so very different from San Francisco is something I think I appreciate so much more now that I'm older and not the roving college student. Is it about confidence or experience? For some reason I'm just more accepting of getting "lost", which I think is a good way of truly feeling one's way round a place. I like the challenge of getting out of the lostness. I guess it's another puzzle, like figuring out irregular verbs.

Abiquiu

Abiquiu in fall is dramatic in a different way. Very sharp light variations & all the sunflowers lining the roads have gone dry and brown, soon to collapse and return to the earth. And when the clouds obscured the sun it was really quite cold. Twist had to be on a long lead, because of his twice disappearing to hunt critters and not returning for Some Time. But Folly and Bodkin were happy adventurers. Folly goes off in one direction for a while and returns from the opposite direction. Magic. The water level is substantially higher than in the summer --- perhaps some volumes of rain since then from way upstream? The shoreline we occupied over the summer is under water now, so we pitched camp farther up the hill and tied Twisty to a log. Miraculously, he did not yip and complain. The water was tested by MCR with several strokes and two dunks under water. That was it. Even compared to SF Bay it was Way Too Cold. Welcome to the change in season. So we finished our picnic, packed up and climbed back up the hill. Really a perfect Sunday in Abiquiu.

Addendum: No Sazeracs

Plans changed, somewhat. Drinks and dinner were at Harry's Roadhouse, then a quest for a tattoo parlor ensued (not for me, truly), which was fruitless (tattoo parlor closed at 9 on a Friday night ---- good sign or bad sign?), so we regrouped and had to go to the Dragon for a manhattan, a cosmo, and the Yellow Pages. Lo, we found another tattoo parlor, which I thought I could nose our way to. Well, it's pretty dark here, especially on the fringes of town, and I didn't get actually lost, but let's just say I was misplaced for a few miles. Mind you, the friend I was "leading" has lived here for only a year, so we were pretty much living the blind parable. Eventually (with the calm telephone support of MCR who was in New York last night), I found my way back to civilization, whereupon my friend and I decided her tattoo wasn't meant to be last night, and we both took a rain check. We had fun, though. But I want to retrace my steps in the daylight and find out just where I went astray....

Is the Sun Over the Yardarm Yet?

It's Friday here in Santa Fe, too. I have plans to go to a cool watering hole, in honor of Friday afternoons in SFo. It's called the Dragon Room Lounge--- come on, what better name? And since it's an hour later here than in SFo, I'll be there, effectively, at 3 pm! Here's a photo of the Pink Adobe, wherein you'll find the Dragon. Hard to resist. Wait till you see the multiple tin and glass lanterns hanging from the ceiling inside.

I'll check tonight to see if they have Fernet. But my new drink of choice is a Sazerac, known as the father of all cocktails. Of course it's from New Orleans. Let's go there next.

Another October Red

Today I babysit the office since the others are off on busyness trips. Thank goodness for iTunes radio. I can listen to PlayClassicalUK with Mr. Lambourn while I update databases and other bits and pieces. Phone and email are quiet.
It's time now to find a ristra wreath for the car. The chiles are harvested and being roasted all over the place in various store parking lots. Big black barrels rotate over flame while people stand in line with enormous burlap bags of fresh green chiles waiting their turn for roasting. You see this all over town. The aroma is beyond belief. The ristra chiles are red, however, usually, traditionally, and when you see them hanging in quantity, some 2-3 feet in length, the effect is a magnificent experience of red.

Escape No More

The birds are eating us out of house and home in their October efforts to bulk up for the winter. They empty the feeders at least twice a day. At any given time there can be 20+ birds active around the 3 feeders. Big blue jays of various types tend to push everyone around, and the aspens are changing raiment from green to yellow. Something unfamiliar is a wonderful rusty red now. Last weekend we had to reinforce the back stretch of fence to keep Steve McQueen from escaping yet again. It was accomplished thus: we dug a trench along the base of the fence, about 5 inches deep. Then we unrolled a 2-ft. wide length of chicken wire the whole stretch of the fence, 1/2 of the wire upright along the fencing and 1/2 flat on dirt at a right angle to the fence. One of us staple-gunned the chicken wire to the fence posts, and the other hammered the chicken wire onto the dirt with large spikey things. Then we shoveled the dirt back over the chicken wire. Very very sore hands after all this. And of course McQueen found a spot on the other side of the yard to start digging a new tunnel in. It's time to call in the professionals and just line the rest of the fence with railroad ties and call it a day. Thank goodness our Steve has no motorcycle.

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.

Our Friend Flicker

In honor of the scarlet flash on either cheek of our latest wildlife friend, I write this in bright red. He/she is a Red-Shafted Flicker (a songbird), whom I found today being used as an unwilling toy by Folly-dog. Presumably the bird was wounded before (although no blood evident)because I can't imagine how else Folly could've gotten to her other than on the ground. Folly was most intrigued: is it a rodent with feathers that feel weird in my mouth? Fortunately, she's pretty gentle and obedient, so she left it when I told her to, and I could then pick it up. Flicker then was gently boxed and taken to the Wildlife Center about 20 minutes north, where they were most grateful and promised to do their best to heal her/him.
And just yesterday Twist had a little adventure next door, where he managed to squeeze his determined little self under a spot in the fence we weren't aware existed and proceed to ignore our calls for 45 minutes while he worried some poor creature deep in the neighbors' woodpile. Darn terriers. Once we located him (I'm considering belling him.), we extricated him with a firm grip on his tail, which is exactly what Patterdale tails are designed for. Finally put one part of him to good use.
The fence has been reccyed but good today and all even theoretical escape hatches plugged solidly.