desert

54:365:2011


Sometimes you have to reach "rock bottom" in order to get better. This is proven time and time again... as stories of recovery from all kinds of odds abound.

I think my mom has reached an all-time "low point" in her life... and is currently in the hospital back in PA. She has been physically sick for a month or so... some kind of flu... and has been emotionally devastated ever since my father passed last August (on her birthday). It is a very rough time for her... but I have faith that no matter what... she will be OK.

When we were in Arizona, we went to the Sonoran Desert Museum... which has a cave. BAJ loves caves... and in another reality... he is probably a spelunker. It is amazing to be in a cave. All your senses are on overload... everything seems colder... darker... sounds more obvious... etc. I am sure there are scientific reasons for this... I just think it's cool. It's very peaceful.... even though it is (no doubt) quite dangerous.

I feel like (at the moment) I am in that cool, dark, peaceful place... just before heading out into the light...


*photo by Elaine A. Russell

52:365:2011


Well... I am back from vacation...


On Monday....BAJ and I decided to head "west"... and ended up driving to Tuscon, AZ.
It was about an 7-8 hour drive... and the weather was wonderful the whole time we were gone.
On day one... we drove the whole way to Tuscon... stopping in Hatch, New Mexico at SPARKY's for a fantastic green chile cheeseburger, home-made fries and a coke. AWESOME!

We took along a big basket of organic fruits, nuts, bread and cheeses... and we used this food stash for breakfasts and snacks while we were gone. It turned out to be a real money-saver... as well as providing us with healthy nutritious food while we were traveling.

Day two.... was spent exploring around the San Xavier del Bac Mission. Oh my. All I can say is... that it is stunningly gorgeous... and a must see if you are anywhere near there.
Day three.... was spent exploring and shopping in/ and around 4th Ave in Tuscon. This is what I would consider the "art district" of the city... and it is jam-packed with fantastic little shops... cool items... street musicians... cafes... bookstores.... you name it. Wonderful!

Day four.... we went to "Old Tuscon"... which is a very elaborate and very museum-like movie studios place that has been in active use since the 30's. All kinds of movies... (310 to Yuma, Wild Wild West, Tombstone, etc)... and TV Shows (Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Gunsmoke, etc)... have been filmed there. It was fantastic.
All day I was thinking how my dad would have LOVED this.....

And then we went to the Sonoran Desert Museum... which is actually more of a botanical park/ zoo/ refuge/ preserve type place. ... stunning!

Day five.... we headed home to ABQ. Lots to tell there... including an act of GOD that saved us from being stranded in the desert....
But ... more on all that in future posts...

And now that it is the weekend... I am catching up on laundry, housework, groceries... etc...
_____________________________

My computer is still DEAD.... so I am only able to post when I can use someone else's computer. This means that my posts may be irregular for a little bit... and it also means that I won't be posting photos for the most part because I would have to load them onto someone else's computer... which seems kinda silly.

As soon as everything is back up and running... we will have a PARTY! and I will try to make it all up to you... my faithful readers :)

288:365


So today... after making friends with some of my fellow motel customers (a very nice couple from Tennessee and their newborn daughter)... and some of the hotel staff (2 very nice ladies in the hotel office that talked with me about rescue dogs and Smartcars and such...)... I got some fresh coffee for the road and headed out.

This overnight stay has sort of changed my perspective a little on Texas... and that is a good thing.

Driving through the desert is a wonderful experience. And I was rather surprised at how happy I was to be back in New Mexico. Not just because I happen to live here and was coming home... although that is certainly a crucial factor. But it was more that New Mexico seems to be such a sacred kind of place. Yes, the economy sucks. And yes, there are certainly distressing things about living here... but it is also a very serene kind of place... almost eerily so at times. It's like you can feel the land and the stories it is trying to tell...

And so... I got home late in the afternoon... and it was an awesome thing to behold.



*photos by Elaine A. Russell

216:365


I am in love with water.... and yah... I live in a desert. Some things in life just aren't planned out... and moving here was definately one of them. That said... it is a gorgeous place to live.

I haven't been getting much done... at least... not as much as I would like to be. I am feeling a strong push to be more productive ... and my body just won't oblige.

This past week, my father came home from the nursing care facility he was at for the past couple of months. I am positive he is happier at home... but I am concerned about the amount of care that has been foisted upon my mother. She is getting some help from hospice... and a portion of help from her church community... and from family... but the majority of it has landed on her shoulders.

What do these three snippets have in common? They are all things in my life right now that are relatively out of my control. All three have been weighing heavily on my mind... some definately more than others... but there you have it.
As a working artist, and having my studio at home... life can completely overwhelm the time that is allotted to working on art. The lines of what is work time... and what is home time; often blur. It's easy to fall into the trap of not working on art because other things need done ... laundry... errands... etc. And I am as guilty of that as the next person. It takes alot of discipline to work from home... and I am working on getting more control over that time and trying to be more disciplined.

About my photos for today's post: While running errands today... I happened to drive by this spot way off on Unser Blvd on the westside of ABQ. I love this little pond of water... and it always suprises me when I come upon it. In this desert environment... it is completely astonishing... and out of the realm of what most people think of when they think of living here. Sometimes a little surprise and break in the "normal control" of things is good....

--->photos by Elaine A. Russell

202:365


Tonight there was a wonderful storm here on the westside of ABQ. It's been so very hot... and today the storm clouds rolled in and took up residence. By suppertime, the rain was coming down... the relentless heat was abated... and it became fresh and alive again here in the desert.


-----------------------------> photos by Elaine A. Russell

the problem with neighbors

----------------------photo by Elaine A. Russell

...is that you never see eye to eye.

Since moving here in 1995, we have always had that "one special" neighbor who can be a pain. Now.. that particular title has changed from neighbor to neighbor over the years.. and for the most part, my neighbors have been pretty good.
For the past 2 years we have had a new neighbor adjacent to our back yard. He has had this never ending quest for us to remove all our trees. In particular, this huge clump of cottonwood trees that is shading his back yard. Little does he know that if we were to take out these trees.. he would never be able to even use his back yard for the sun.

All the trees in our yard were here when we bought the house in 95. In fact, we removed about 10 trees and bushes that were left for dead from the previous owner. The ones we kept, we have kept clean and healthy. Our yard is the biggest in the neighborhood, and everyone comments on how nice it is that we have so many mature trees in the area.

Well. Last year we spent over $4000 rebuilding most of the concrete wall that goes between our houses. The old wall was cracked; and he was convinced it was going to fall. (the contractor dis-agreed). But.. we re-built most of the wall and re-did the stucco so that it mostly matched. We leveled our yard, trimmed some of the trees, etc.

Now, mind you. That was improvement for our yard in general as well. But we did it to make him happy.
NOW. Said neighbor is saying that another part of the wall is cracked ( and it is... but it is not structural) .. and he wants the trees removed NOW. Why ? Because the trees occasionally drop twigs that "ruin" his yard, and the roots of the trees won't allow him to properly grow grass in his back yard. Now... of course, his inability to grow grass has nothing to do with the fact that he has a dead pine tree in his yard, or the fact that this is a desert... and the dirt in our yards over here are SAND. naw.....argh.
I know. Long rant. I just wish everyone understood how important trees are here in the desert. .. and not focused so much on some imaginary, perfect lawn with perfectly green water-sucking grass. I love grass... but sometimes it just isn't meant to be.