Dust Storm

Yesterday Mother Nature gave us a little reminder that she was in charge. The weather forecast was for high winds and blowing dust; they were right.

The schools closed early so the children could be transported home before the county was forced to close the roads. Indeed the roads were closed around noon. If you were in Deming, Silver City, Las Cruces NM, or El Paso TX you had to stay there; all of the connecting roads through the desert were closed until early evening. I stayed off the computer expecting a power outage and sure enough the power went out.

Today I should deal with the leaving of the storm, but it is cold and the wind is starting up again. We are supposed to get rain today which will either wash away the dirt, or just spit and make the dirt stick. If the weather is better tomorrow I will clean the back porch with a leaf blower or a hose; depending on how much dirt is left after today's winds. If I am lucky the winds will reverse and blow the dirt off the porch. That rarely happens.

Blizzard

Blizzard came to us a year ago; he was five years old, neglected, and abandoned with a broken shoulder. He had been picked up by the Humane Society and taken to the Vet’s office; where he had surgery on the shoulder and recuperated for a month.

He was not at all the spayed female we were looking for. He was an intact male. The Vet knew we had been looking for a companion for Roul. While I was at the Vet’s with Roul for his routine shots Blizzard was suggested. As I hemmed and hawed Blizzard was carried in. With his white fur, and his black shoe button eyes he was irresistible. He and Roul gave each other a sniff and appeared to be at peace.

The Vet preformed a quick neuter and some dental surgery and Blizzard joined the family the next day.

Blizzard felt safe with me and after his new home was no longer strange; he decided that I belonged to him and him alone. He attacked both my husband and Roul when they came near me. He hated big dogs and would attack them if they came within five feet of him. Any visitors to our home were greeted with a snarling white fury. We had our hands full.

A little over a year later his shoulder has healed, his fur grown in, his fear of strangers under control, and his temperament is mellower. Having never played with toys he is not sure what to do when Roul offers him one. The damage to his shoulder keeps him from leaping the way Roul does. His coat is now as soft as down and no longer crunches, the dirt is gone from the inside of his ears, and his eyes are as bright as stars.

Blizzard is a happy, secure member of the family.

Lost in Google land

This morning I spent my “blog time” on Google looking through the text of old knitting books. I have accumulated a frightening backlog of titles on my “To Read” list.

Knitters have it easy today; our books come with pictures and charts. A lot of the old books had no pictures, and charts are a fairly new addition to knitting. An early knitter would go by the title of the pattern, and be skilled enough to “see” the pattern without a visual aid. A few of my contemporary knitters have gone through these old books and knitted samplers and composed charts. They are better, more patient knitters than I am. I don’t want to knit samples; I want to knit something I can wear. How impatient we have become over the years.

The scarf I am sharing with you was knit as a gift for my friend Marilyn. I used lovely soft merino wool, in fingering weight. The pattern came from the book Arctic Lace.

Meet Roul

Meet Roul, one of my “Boys”. Roul came to us when he was 5 months old. We purchased him from a breeder who had bought him to breed with her 4 lb. female. When it become obvious that Roul would grow over the 6 lbs. limit to show, and would be too big to breed with their smaller female they went looking for his ”forever home”. He came to us never knowing anything but care and love; he is fun, loving, and secure. He now tips the scales at 7.5 lbs. and is 4 years old.

He was a constant companion to my late husband, Ralph. Roul is a fierce hunter of birds, spoiled rotten with toys, well mannered, and so cute that disciplining him for bad behavior is hard. He is a joy to be around and has convinced many people who dislike Chihuahuas that they are wrong. He is a love.

Poppies

Most every spring the Mexican Poppies bloom on the Florida Mountains. How many poppies bloom depends on the spring weather and the winter rains. This year Nature gave us a yellow carpet running from the base of the mountains up as far as a wee bit of soil could be found between the rocks.

My friend Pauli took me to the less accessible east side of the Florida’s in her high clearance truck. It is hard to describe the beauty of the bright yellow flowers, with the contrast of the purple or orange occasional other wild flowers, and the clear blue sky. New Mexico is truly “The Land Of Enchantment” just like it says on our license plates.

Petting Zoo Continued

There were more goats than any other kind of animal at the Petting Zoo. For some reason, that I choose not to analyze, I am intrigued by goats.

Several years ago I found a photo taken by Jay Hoffman of a group of goats. After getting his permission I used the photo as the basis for a mixed media piece I call “The Billy Family”. It is colored pencil drawing on cloth, machine embroidered, machine quilted, and machine appliquéd. Apparently I am the only one intrigued by goats because while it was often admired, it never sold.

I like “The Billy Family” and it is OK to have them living with me.

A CAMEL in Courthous Park!

Earlier this week I was on my way to a Luna County Fiber Arts meeting when I spied a CAMEL in Courthouse Park. Even in Deming a camel in town is unusual. I grabbed my camera and went to investigate, the fiber arts could wait.

The camel was part of a Petting Zoo that was traveling from a gig in California to their home in Kansas. Deming looked like a prosperous little town so they stopped, got the proper permits and put up their tent for a few days. I caught them just as they were unloading the animals.

I could tell just by looking at the animals that they were well taken care of: they were happy, gentle, and clean. Hmmmm – I wonder if I could borrow a child and go back to pet them?

Goodies from Amazon.com

The mail lady brought such treasures today.

The road atlas and the book on National Parks of the West were purchased because my older editions were from 2003 and I needed to update before I started planning any road trips.

The Casita Travel Trailer is in the process of having all its systems overhauled. It has been sitting so long that I didn’t dare even light the stove until I made sure that all of the connections for the gas were in good order. I know it needed new tires, an anode for the heater, and one of the power outlets didn’t work. I have no idea what it will cost to overhaul it, but whatever the cost, it will be worth it.

The copy of “500 Handmade Books” was added to my Amazon order because I was a few cents short of the $25 purchase needed for free shipping. I am aware that this was not an economically wise decision, but a little eye candy never hurt anyone.

I think I will brew a pot of tea, ignore the work that needs to be done, curl up on the sofa to fondle my new books.

Spring in the front garden

This morning it was so beautiful, when I went out for the paper that I came back outside in my bathrobe with my camera. The front garden had gone from brown sticks and mounds to beautiful blooms. I wanted to share it with my friends.

No matter how old you are spring is always a season of new beginnings. There can’t be a better time of the year, or my life to attempt a blog.