Indian Market Place

There is one area of Old Town that is called the Indian Market Place. Many years ago only Native American Indians were allowed to sell their things in this area. After some problems now others nationalities are allowed to sell here as well. But being a traditionalist with some Indian blood I will only buy from those that look and sound like Indians to me. Most it is hand made jewelry that is sold here. Lots of silver and turquoise, some gold, and copper. But it is very good artistic work and you will pay as much for it here as in some of the shops but instead of being in fancy display cases it is laid out on blankets spread on the ground. At one time I am sure it was on dirt but now it is a wide concrete sidewalk.

Another View

This is a view of the Indian Market Place from the other end.

Shop Bench

This bench was outside one shop door and looked like it was worth taking a picture of.

Bandstand

This is the traditional Spanish type bandstand that was in most of the town squares in New Mexico. There is still frequently bands playing there but not on the day I was there. It is surrounded by several large cottonwood trees and is across the street from the church on one side, and shops on the other three sides.

San Felipe de Neri Church

This is the huge, old Catholic church in Old Town Albuquerque. It is over 200 years old. I took this photo from across the street from the church, and you can see the steeple and gates leading to the area in front of the church. This church is still used and very popular for weddings and other celebrations. This church is known as the historic San Felipe de Neri Church.

Church Clock

This is the church business offices with the big clock in the top. There was a small garden in front.

Basket Shop

This is from the courtyard in front of the church looking toward the Basket Shop that is so well known and poplular in Old Town.

Old Town Church

This is the front of the Catholic church that is in the middle of Old Town Albuquerque, NM and is still in use.

Covered Walkway

This is the covered walkway by the side of the church where their offices are.

Old Church Sign

This sign my the Old Town Church told about it's 200th Birthday. 1793 - 1993.

Church Steeple

Photo of the steeple at the catholic church in Old Town Albuquerque, NM. There was a huge prickly pear cactus in the small area to the side of the church. And the sign that was in the previous photo.

Carving in Tree

Behind the church in Old Town is a very big, old cottonwood tree. About 10 feet up the tree is a tree bole as is common in cottonwoods. Someone had taken the time, and talent to carve a old-style catholic saint, (I guess that is what it is as I am not catholic and not into the old art that much.) I do know it is very unique.

30 Years & Working on More

Anniversary Congratulations are in order for my sister and her husband who are celebrating 30 Years in Las Vegas, NV this week.
There's not many couples that have bragging rights for this one. But I have to brag and say that Lee and I will celebrate 39 years together this fall. My mom and dad, and my brother-in-laws parents each had 50 years together. I believe that my mom's sisters also had 50 years with their husbands, as did a couple of my dad's brothers, and sisters. Congratulations to all even if it has been a few years.
Long marriages are made by lots of give and take by couple. They are made with lots of love and understanding. It takes a lot, a super lot of work to make a marriage work, even from the very beginning. It means doing your job and sometimes having to help with your spouses job. I am talking about jobs at home like dishes, laundry, yard work, auto maintenance, kids, cleaning, and everything that goes with making a home. A man should be willing to do the dishes or laundry or clean the bathroom or change a few diapers. A woman should be willing to mow the lawn, change the oil on the car or take it to be done, take out the trash, or see if she can do a simple plumbing job if need be.
While lee was working I usually cleaned the horse pens each day. When he retired and my medical problems got worse Lee took on the job of cleaning horse pens. This week Lee has been down helping our son get his car running so I had to clean pens. My arms feel like they are ready to fall off this morning cause I am not used to having to do it. But you know what - it gives me a good feeling that I am still able to do it, even if it is hot, and it's dirty work, and now my arms hurt. Think I will try doing it a bit more often after Lee gets back. Besides its good exercise.

Chapparral

Lee is still in Chaparral, NM and working on the car. Sounds as if he is making some progress toward getting it fixed. Someone had tried to replace the gaskets on it at some point and didn't know what they were doing. Hope they didn't 'fix it' beyond repair.
It is hot down there too, actually hotter there than it is here. Hope he is alright with all that heat.
Dustin keeps wanting us to move down there but I keep thinking why trade one desert hot spot for a worse one. Sure wish he could find a job somewhere better.

Wiley's Big Adventures

Wiley sneaked out the door twice today. He can be at the far end of the house and he is so fast he will be out the door before I can slip out the door and get it shut again. I have never had a kitten or puppy as lightning fast as this guy is.
It was so hot today he was happy to come in this morning when he first got out as I was going to feed the horses. He was ready at the door when I went in a half hour later. Later about 3 pm he got out and tried to catch a flock of birds that were bathing in the bird water containers we keep out for our feathered friends. Actually it's to try and keep them out of the horse water buckets. Anyway Wiley chased them off and then let me catch in. But when we got in the house he took off slid across the kitchen cabinet, knocked a plate off and broke it.
I was able to remember to put Wiley Wild Cat into a bedroom each time I went out after that. Now it's late and he is wandering the house looking for bugs. We say he has Bug-idus each night. Along with all the heat we have had a huge amount of bugs this years. Most are moths, crickets, and June bugs, but a few are the weird little scorpians we have here. I don't mind him playing with a few moths but sure don't want him playing with the scorpians. At least once or twice an evening I use pieces of a paper towel and try to catch all the bugs and either kill them or throw them back out the door. Would be nice to know how so many get in the house.

Hot!!

It is hot this summer. I know it gets hot here in New Mexico, heck I've lived here for the past 30 some years, and yet it feels hotter to me than in previous years. According to the weather on TV it hasn't reached 100 degrees yet but it's been close, and according to my thermometer outside my front door it has been as high as 102 but that may be because it gets extra hot right there in the afternoon even tho the thermometer is in the shade.
Lee decided to go to Chaparral, NM to see our son, Dustin and to help him with his car that isn't running right. They think it might have a blown head gasket.
I got to stay home and take care of the critters and try to keep the garden and flowers alive with water. Trees arn't doing to bad even with the heat. Guess they are now getting big enough to handle a little hot on their own.
And of course the motor on the air conditioner went out.
But I have this very nice neighbor who came over and took off the motor. I took it to the store and let another nice man tell me what all I needed. Then my neighbor put the new one on for me and now my house is nice and cool.
It is very difficult for me and my family to ask for help for anything. We just never do. If we can't take care of a problem on our own it just doesn't get down. Lee and I are always more than willing to help others that need help we just really are reluctant to ask for it ourselves. I was so glad my neighbor could help with the air conditioner but I still feel guilty for having to ask.
Of course it is very difficult to survive without an AC when you are already used to one. We lived without one most of the time when I was growing up, but I would sure hate to have to do it now.
Thanks again Neighbor.

Wiley & the Angel

Wiley sitting up on the shelf that is over my kitchen sink and divides the kitchen from the living room. This shelf is about 10 feet long and 18 inches wide. Wiley likes to chase his tail up here while moving back and forth on the shelf. I don't know how he keeps from falling off. It is a long leap to get up there for such a young cat. Oh, and that is a griffin siting between Wiley and the Angel.

Rainbow

The best thing about Independence day that I was saw was a beautiful rainbow that graced our skies after a dreadful thunderstorm that hit yesterday afternoon about 5 pm. It really poured for about a half hour but afterward the sun came out and the prettiest rainbow I have seen in a long time spanned the sky with the Sandia Mountains right under it. I haven't got the photos I tried to take on the computer yet but I couldn't get the whole thing in my lens with either the small digital camera or the video camera. Will try to get a couple of the digital shots on later.

Horror of the 4th

4th of July was a nightmare for us. As expected there were people shooting all kinds of illegal fireworks all night. It was worse than previous years. I don't think the police even tried to do anything about it. I heard that the sheriffs office weren't even answering their phones. Maybe they were just to busy. We can hope they were actually out there trying.
My poor little Tuffee dog hide in the bathtub for hours and hours even tho I had given her a tranquiler. My two mares were really frightened several times by large display type fireworks that are totally illegal going off right over us due to the idiot people that live in this neighborhood. The three boy horses didn't seem to be quite as upset.
It was after 2 in the am before it slacked off and I was able to get some sleep. I spent alot of time out checking on the horses and making sure that the stress didn't cause one of them to run and tangle in a fence or colic.
I bet that there are more doctors on call on July 4th, both for people and animals, than any other holiday.
I heard that there were almost 100 dogs turned into the Albuquerque Animal Control or caught by Animal Control Offices who were having to work Saturday night and Sunday. There were about half of the dogs that did get back to their owners today. Of course there were probably twice that many dogs that weren't found.
We found a mini horse running loose this morning, caught it and held it until we saw a family out looking for it this evening. We were glad to be able to help and to keep the little guy from getting hit by a car or even more lost than he was.
And yet those shooting off all those expensive fireworks things never seem to learn that they are endangering their own lives as well as others, not to mention all the pets that are terrified every year.

4th of July

Its that time of year again. I hate the sound of fireworks. And my dog hates them even worse. I don't know why they arn't banned everywhere. Not just the big ones but the little noisy firecrackers, and sparklers, too. Every year you hear about people and even worse small children being injured by all kinds of fireworks but especially the sparklers.
And have you ever asked a war veteran if they like fireworks? Most answer that it reminds them to much of having to be in a battle. Battles are not fun. People die in them. So we go out and make mock battles that scare small children, veterans, and our pets. Doesn't make much since does it?

Have a safe Independance Day.

Going On

Life goes on even though we loose those that we love. But there are those times we are sure it would be better if it didn't. Losing a horse, and two dogs in the past year hasn't been easy. I remember the very first time I went to funeral. I didn't know what to expect. Now I think I have been to too many and want them to stop and I know that they won't. Everything and everyone dies at some point. But it always seems so sinceless and stupid.

Loss of Another Pet

Last week we lost our German Shepherd, Codee. I don't know what was wrong with her. She didn't seem to be feeling well one evening, and I had planned to take her to the vet the next day if she wasn't better, but she died during the night.
I have always wondered if it was better for our beloved pets to go fast like this or slowly and in pain until we can't watch them suffer any longer and take them to the vet to have them put down. Now I know it doesn't matter. It is so devasting either way.
Codee was only nine years old. A few months ago we lost our old Nikki dog who was at least 16 and maybe older. Why the difference? I will never know. It doesn't make since but then I have decided that there are a lot of things in life that will never make any since to me.
About a month ago my sister lost Codee's sister, Ginger to cancer.
Sometimes I wonder why we even have pets but I don't think I would servive without them. I know that my sisters and I were meant to take care of lots of dogs and cats that would otherwise not have a good life. We take in those pets that don't have decent homes for one reason or another and give them the best life we can for as long as we can.
Then we cry and try to remember that we did give them a decent, loving home.
Codee, Ginger, and Nikki you will be remembered.
Codee and Nikki

Congratulations

Congratulations

to Cyndi

on her graduation

from University

NASCAR Guitar

I know it has been about a week since it happened but the more I have thought about it the more I feel that Kyle Bush is a despicable person. I have never been for or against any particular race car driver. I watch NASCAR because my husband watches it. It is interesting but not something I keep up with like I do the bullriding and rodeo events. But when I saw Bush smash up that beautiful guitar it was the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen on TV. I have heard lots of disgusting jokes and comments and seen some stuff I didn't like but for a person who is as well known as Bush is this was the worse exhibition of childish behavior I have seen.
And any of his crew members who excepted pieces of that guitar are just as bad as he is.
It was disrespectful to NASCAR, his and all sponsors of the sport, to his crew and himself, to Gibson and Sam Bass that made the guitar, and most of all to the fans of NASCAR.
I know that Kyle Bush was after the publicity he got by breaking the guitar, and some have likened it to the rock stars that break up their guitars. but have you ever seen a rock star break up an award they got. I am sure none of them would break up that kind of a guitar, and I know none of the country and western singers and guitar players would do that. Would an Olympic winner throw down a gold metal and stomp on it (since I don't think gold metals can be broken) or have it melted down?
Don't you think he would have been better of with the good publicity he could have gotten from giving that guitar to a person who had talent playing the guitar but couldn't afford a good one?

786 Posts

I noticed today that I have done 786 posts all total since I have had this blog. It may not be near as many as some blogs have, but to me it is pretty amazing.

Trip to the Jemez

We took a trip to the Jemez Mountains last week. There are two ways to get into the forest area where we prefer to go but this time we went in by way of the Gillman Tunnels. Gillman is a little town that is near the tunnel area. During the early 1900's a railroad was built up through the forest to bring out the logs. Two tunnels were blasted through an area that was solid rock with a small rocky canyon below them with a creek going through it. Eventually the railroad line was taken out and a narrow dirt road still allows cars to make the same trip. The tunnels are still there. This is a photo going into the first tunnel.

Other End of Tunnels

This is the other side of the tunnels. The canyon with the creek at the bottom is on the left hand side.

Spring Runoff

There seems to be more water in this creek at the bottom of a rocky canyon on the road where the Gillman Tunnels are than I have seen in several years. That is really good.

Canyon

Looking down the canyon from the road where the tunnels are. You can see the creek in the bottom.

Beaver Damn

there was a beaver damn in the meadow. You can see the beaver lodge in about the center of the wet part of meadow. The damn is on the right hand side of photo but difficult to see.

Forest Road

Pine Tree on Ridge

Creek

We found this little creek with lots of water in it. In another couple of months it will be all gone and nothing but a dry creek bed.

Meadow

Rail Fence

Jemez Creek

This is a photo of the Jemez Creek where it goes across the dirt road that runs along the meadows. Popular for fishing but we have never caught anything in it.

How to Entertain a Kitten

One of the best forms of entertain for your new kitten is you, yourself. It doesn't take long for the kitten to lean that you are a good substitute for a tree. Make sure you don't realize the kitten is near by, let him climb you, especially with shorts or a dress on and then watch it's expression as you dance around the room with it on your shoulder. They love it. (But you might not).

One of my cats favorites is for me to go to bed. They wait until are I am asleep then attack if I slightly move my fingers or toes as I am sleeping. It is delightful for them when I wake up screaming and kicking.

Beds are good for other things, too. Cats love to help you make the bed, especially if you are changing the sheets. They can be so much help as they hide under the covers and keep you from pulling the sheets tight.

Dripping sinks can keep a kitten entertained for a few minutes but it can be difficult for you to wash your hands or do the dishes.

When you are taking a long soak in bubble-bath and hubby or a child opens the door to talk to you, kittens delight in making a headlong dash across the bathroom and into your bath to catch the bubbles in the water. Of course they arn't as fond of the full bath as they are of the sink dripping, and then they dislike the blood that gets in the water after they scratch you getting out of the water. (you might not, either)

A dog or older cats waving tail is a constant source of amusement for a kitten. Until the dog or older cat protects it's self from the kitten. But two cats rolling around the house as they fight can be great entertainment for the dog who will try to help his/her kitty friends.

And of course your friends may be greatly impressed by the way your cats and dogs have redecorated for you. Plants are very high off the floor if you still have them at all. Breakable nic nacs have all either been packed away or disposed of when broken. Any thing wood has deep scratches in it. Cloth and leather upholstery is in tatters. The dishes are all plastic, And everything is covered with cat hair.

The kitten will do a delightful dance around your feet, purring and meowing, and finally climbing up your body when you have a meal which can only be eaten while holding the plate over your head to keep the kitten out of it as long as possible. Kittens always prefer what ever you are eating to the yucky cat food in it's bowl.

Cats do tend to make a good deterrent against the unwanted guest.

Toys for Kittens

There are lots and lots of ways to entertain a kitten. It is not necessary to go to the store and buy fancy, expensive toys for cats. First -- as seen in the photo-- is the stuffed animal. I have found that boxes are a favorite as seen in the following pictures. Wiley our new kitty loves the boxes that RC Cola come in. At this time he is about 8 weeks and still fits into one. Our grown cats need something a big bigger. Easter eggs, the plastic kind, are a good toy. They roll but not straight like a ball. Wiley will carry a half an egg in his mouth that is open. He likes to carry wadded up copy paper. Plastic water bottles are good as they don't roll straight either. Drop a couple of pebbles in it to rattle. You can try egg cartons, pens, and pen caps. pieces of candy wrapper, crunched up cigarette packages, old socks with a knot in them, plastic cups, and small bowls.
Of course they love string and pieces of rope but this should only be used with supervision as they can choke to death on a string very quickly.
Remember to never let them have plants, or anything sharp to play with. All house plants should be considered poisonous as there is no telling how an individual cat will react if they eat part of one. The same with all medicines. Never give a cat any kind of medicine with out your vets approval . Even aspirin can be deadly to cats. Never give a cat things like needles, straight pens, or any tiny object that it could swallow. A sudden death or big vet bill is not fun for the kitty or you.
Just like children and puppies, cats shouldn't have plastic bags to play with. To the kitten it looks like fun, but they can suffocate quickly if it gets over their head.
Remember your kitten is a baby. He needs frequent rests while playing. If you keep encouraging him to play he will, but could get overly tired and become sick.
Just a few of the things I have remembered since I now have a kitten.

Cat in a Box

It's My Box!! You can't have it.

In a Box

You big bully. You can't get me while I'm in my box.

Attack!

I can't help it. Her tail was just too temping. I had to jump on it.

Wiley Wild Cat

I am trying so hard to good!

Blind Kitty

Callie has left a comment on my blog that she has a blind kitty. She is a special person to take in and care for a special kitty. My son has a blind cat in his household. It takes a special person with a big heart and very caring to take in the special needs pets and we need more people like that. I haven't had a young pet with special needs but have had lots of elderly dogs and cats that were hard of hearing and almost blind, as well as having arthritis making it difficult to get up and down. I have an elderly horse that has arthritis and a damaged hoof but he still enjoys a short ride ever once in a while.

Kitten Help

I had forgotten how much "help" a kitten could be. It's been 8 years since we had a kitten and this one is very much into everything. What ever I am doing he wants to be part of and 'help' me do it. As with my other 2 black cats he is fascinated by dripping water. Wiley will be in the sink as soon as I turn the water on. He helps me wash my hands, and do the dishes. We are having a hard time teaching him that he can not help with the cooking. Not to bad when I just making a salid or peeling potatoes but when it comes to the stove I am hoping he doesn't learn the hard way and get burnt. We frequently have to put him in the bedroom when we are cooking, or eating. Not only does he want to cook he wants to eat it, too.
Wiley Cat also helps with gathering dirty clothes, folding and hanging the clean cloths, making the bed and sweeping. He doesn't care for the vacuum cleaner. Of course using a pen or pencil is a favorite as he thinks he needs to catch the pen as I use it.
When I get dressed or change clothes is a great time to catch the clothes or help me put them on. And a sleeping person always needs to be woke up so they can play with an active kitten.

Kinks in My Life

I could make a very long list of the kinks I have in my life that make life harder. First and foremost is the urge to have a garden in the desert. I have done it for years and years - more than I want to count. Each spring I get this compulsive urge to plant seeds; flower seeds, vegetable seeds, and any other seed I might find. Then all summer I kick myself for having done so as I have to water, and care for first the seedlings, and then the plants. And then you have to figure out what to do with all the veggies that you have grown. That is after you and all your neighbors and friends have been veggied out on fresh squash, tomatoes and watermelon.

for example - take this mornings kinks

I got up and decided to plant the last of my seeds. While doing so I realized it was already very warm outside. So I turned on the water and proceeded to water all the little spots that I had planted the last of the seeds in, and all the little seedlings - in pots and in the ground - that are just poking their heads up as that is the time they need the most frequent watering. This wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been that every time I pulled on the hose it kinked. I would put down the end where the water was supposed to be coming out of - and wasn't - and walk across the yard to the kink, unkink it and stretch out the hose so that hopefully it wouldn't kink again. WRONG Within a few minutes of pulling the hose around it would kink again. Again this wouldn't have been to bad if I hadn't had extra "help" from Tuffee, my Border Collie, who has a major goal in life of 'catching' the water as it comes out of the hose - and in the process running and stomping through the seedlings.
At last I gave up on watering for the time being and retreated to the horse pens to hook up the ATV to the railroad tie drag and drive round and round the pens smashing and dragging sand and manure to hopefully desrup the breeding cycle of the gnats that have been torturing the horses the past few days. At least doing this I was sitting down on the ATV and not bent over at the waist - with my head down - planting seeds and fighting with a contrary water hose.

President Obama

It is a bit late to be writing about it, but President Obama was in my town of Rio Rancho on Thursday of the past week. We arn't actually in Rio Rancho but out in the county near the city. Rio Rancho is the town where we go to shop. Albuquerque is east of Rio Rancho but we don't go there if we can get what we need in Rio Rancho. President Obama gave his speech at the Rio Rancho High School which had the biggest place for people to attend that is in the city. I didn't even try to go as I can't stand to get in those kind of crowds. I did watch it on TV.
I don't understand why President Obama decided to come to Rio Rancho instead of Albuquerque where Obama had done a lot of his campaigning, but I guess it was quite a big deal for our small city.
I do hope that President Obama can do what he said in his speech about getting credit card companies to not come down so hard on people, like me, who haven't been late or missed any of their payment dates. I had all my credit card interest rates raised several years ago for no reason that I know of. I was told it was 'standard policy'. Now that 2 of my cards are paid off the companies still refuse to lower the interest rates. Consequently I don't use those cards and have even closed one.
The training I received at a credit reporting company a few years ago said that if you only closed one that was paid off with out having any problems with being late on payments it shouldn't affect your credit rating. I will find out for sure now. But I was so upset that Bank of America wouldn't lower my interest rate on a card I had never been late on and had paid off twice in the past 2 years that I decided to take a chance on it.
I would also like to voice my opinion on the problem of the people who think that President Obama is wrong to be for abortion. I agree with him. The world is over populated now, and I hear of way to many children being abused and even killed as it is. I would rather know that child was aborted as a fetus than to be born and then tortured and killed.
Just yesterday a little boy about 3 or 4 was found buried in a park in Albuquerque after he had been killed. No one has come forward to even say the child was theirs yet. It seems that no one wanted this child from the time he was conceived. This is something that is too horrible for me to comprehend. It needs to be stopped, and if abortion is where that starts - so be it.
That is not to say I would have an abortion. I haven't ever had one. Nor did I ever have a child out of wedlock or give up one for adoption. In my imedent family - me, my husband, my son, sisters and their families - I do not know of any of this ever happening or being necessary. We were raised and have raised our children to understand how to use birth control and to do it, as it is not necessary to have as many children as possible, as so many people seem to think. You only have children you want and can care for properly. Other wise you use birth control.
And I will add that abortion should not be used as a form of birth control.

Today's Photos

Today I have uploaded a bunch of photos. Here is one of an apple tree blossom. There are some of the desert wildflowers that grown in my yard and on the nearby desert. There are some of the redbud trees in our yard and some of my geraniums. Then there are a couple of our new kitten Wiley. Hope you like them.

White Wild Flower

Unlike the purple wildflowers in the next photo these white ones are nice and don't have stickers. Even the leaves are soft to the touch.

Purple Wild Flower

This purple wildflower is blooming all over the desert. This one is right by my house. They are such a lushish shade of purple but if you look close you can see the hair-like stickers that they will have when they are through blooming. These will go right through cotton gardening gloves and are as bad as cactus stickers to remove for the glove or your skin.

spring on the desert

Spring has come to the desert as well as to my yard. We drove out a few miles the other day and found these tiny clumps of yellow flowers growing everywhere. I don't know what they are called. There are some cactus growing near these that will blooming in a few weeks.

Juniper Tree

The juniper trees out on the desert can be hundreds of years old. It is such a shame each time the contractors cut one down to make way for a new home. The contractor that built our home seemed to take care not to cut down any of the trees or even the cholla cactus growing on the different properies. We are glad he didn't even if we didn't get a juniper tree on our property

Desert Hillside

Redbud and Sandias

Here is one of our redbud trees with a view of the Sandia Mountains behind it.

Blooms on Redbud

Redbud Tree Blossoms

the redbud tree is one of my favorite trees. They have these tiny, pinkish-purple blossoms in late spring. There are clusters of thousands of the pretty little blooms that sort of look like tiny orchids. The bees flock to them so they must be very sweet and loaded with pollen.

Pink Geranium

It is so hard to get any decent photos of the Sandia Mountains and my flowers without getting the power lines in them.

Geranium and Sandia Mountains

This geranium is sitting on a table on our deck and you can see the Sandia Mountains that we can see any time we are in our backyard.

Geraniums

My geraniums are enjoying being outside after a long winter in doors. They are all starting to bloom better. They bloom in the winter but not as well as they do outside.

Baby Wiley

Baby Wiley has taken a moment to rest. Notice I said a moment. Most of the time he is going full blast and it is almost impossible to get a photo of him. By the time I snap the photo he is gone.

Kitten in a Box

the favorite toy of a kitten always seems to be a box and a small ball

Me and Wiley

Wiley Wild Cat

This is Wiley Wild Cat our new kitten.

Kitten

Last week a neighbor found a tiny kitten and no one claimed it so I decided to adopt it. He, yes it is a male, and is all black. Of course we already have 2 black cats, Jade and Murphy. Jade is about 12 and Murphy is 8. When I brought the kitten in Jade looked it, licked it's nose and I swear she asked if we could keep it. Murphy hissed at him as did Kasie our 10 year old gray and white. But after 3 days Murphy was starting to play with the kitten, although a bit rough.
The dogs have beem a bit more of a problem. Codee is 9 and Tuffee is 5. They weren't sure they liked the idea of a new kitten in their home. So at first I put the dogs out when the kitten was in the livingroom and kitchen. When the kitten would get tired I would put him back in the spare bedroom with food, water, and a litterbox. Then I started keeping one dog in on a leash and up close to me while the kitten roamed and played. But today the dogs are doing better with him running around them and I let the dogs stay in with him while off leash. Of course these dogs have grown up with cats and are used to the ones we have. They do bark at and chase the stray cats that come around outside. I will continue to put him in the spare bedroom when I go out and leave the dogs in the house. No since taking a chance on him getting hurt when he decides to play with a dog tail.

Beat the Plants

My neighbor told me that her grandma used to say that a tomato wouldn't produce tomatos until she beat it with a broom or something simular. I hope it is true as my little baby tomato plants are being beaten with in an inch of their little lives by the wind we keep having. But they seem to be strong little plants and are surviving. That can't be said for the watermelons. I have lost half of them already. the squarsh are thriving and growing. I am having heck keeping them watered. I have to water them at least twice a day. That tells me just how dry our air is with no humitity in it at all. At this point I wonder why I ever started this project of having a garden and flowers.

Bathing Beauties

Bath time for the ponies! It's been a long winter for 5 very dirty equines. As the weather has warmed up I decided it was time to give each and every one of my horses and ponies a bath. It's taken several days over the past week but I did the last one this morning. What a chore. They were worse than I thought once I really got to washing them. I had already done a lot of the brushing to get as much loose winter hair off of them as I could. As I soaked each one then started soaping each one I realized how much dirt was ground into their hair. All that sand and dust can't be good for their skin anymore than it is for mine. It makes me wonder why the horses, dogs, and cats want to roll it it so often. I wish they wouldn't roll in the dirt.
I am grateful that Sunny, Nita, and Stormy like their bath. I think they would stand their all day and let me run water over them and massage them with a soapy rag or brush them and comb out their manes and tails. And Star didn't do to bad even though I know she doesn't care for a bath. But it is Trave that is the problem. He's ok about his head, neck, and front quarters being washed but doens't like his hind quarters or belly washed. I intend to try to do more of it with him this summer so that hopefully he will get more used to it.

Miracle of Growing Seeds

So now that we have reached this spring/summer type season I have planted my garden and flower seeds. Each year I get obsessed to plant some seeds. To me it is such a miracle to watch that tiny, little seed be planted, watered, and in about a week there is the first bit of green peaking up out of the soil. It doesn't matter if it is a very tiny little black speck of a seed, or the larger pumpkin, squash or gourd seeds. To me each one that sprouts is a miracle.

This year I saved several of the 2 litter soda bottles, cut them in half, added seed starter soil in the bottom half, plus the seeds, then slit the top on one side so that it would slide easily into the bottom half to make a small greenhouse. I do water the soil until it is very moist before I add the seeds. As seed starter soil is very dry you might need to stir it to help it absort the water. I use my hands to mix it up sort of like a bread dough. If you wait to water until after the seeds are planted the water will move the seeds around to different areas of the pot. It is best to make a few holes in the bottoms of the bottles to allow for excess water dranage and put the pot onto a saucer to catch the water. I use any kind of plastic container I can find for a 'saucer' like the containers that meat come in, or other plastic containers that are normally pitched in the trash. (Another way to re-cycle!) I did remove the soda bottle lids so that some of the moisture could escape from my make-shift greenhouse. You can do the same thing with other plastic bottles like gallon milk jugs, but I like the soda bottles as you can see though them (the green ones a more difficult) and you can use markers to write the names of the seeds on the top and bottom half so you know what kind of seed you have planted. Make sure they are in a fairly sunny location in the house but not to cool or hot.

I think each and every one of them came up. After a week most were up but I kept the greenhouse top on for another week to allow the baby plants to get a good start. You want to make sure they don't get too wet from the greenhouse effect or too dry. After about a week I took the tops off and allowed the plantlets more sun as when they go outside here they will get lots of hot sun and dry weather. This allows them to get used to our desert living gradually. After 2 weeks I start setting them outside on our patio for part of the day. Start with about 4 hours in the morning gradually increasing by several hours each day. I don't put them out if the weather is to drastic as when we have rain or bad wind. Now that they are into the third week I will start letting them spend the night outside. I make sure to watch the weather or some how check and make sure it won't be too cold for them at night. I prefer a temperature of at least 45 at night for them to stay out. If it should dip back lower I will bring them back in. As we don't have a roof on our patio I will bring them in if it should rain or get to windy.

Yesterday I have to replant one of my pumpkins as it got way to big/tall for it's little greenhouse. I put it in a 1 gallon plastic pot that I had saved in the pot pile. This happens faster to the larger plants like pumpkins, squash or gourds. The smaller seeds like tomatoes, cucumbers, or watermelon or flowers take longer to get to the transplant size.

All the seeds are now putting on their second leaves. If you arn't formular with growing seeds youwill notice that the second leaves are totally different in shape and size to the first leaves. All seeds, for what ever reason, the first leaves are different to the leaves that they have as plants. There are all kinds of theories as to why they do this. To me it is just part of the miracle of plants. But it does make it more difficult to recognize what kind of plant you are growing.

I also took several of the 1 gallon pots that I have saved over the years, filled them with potting soil three fourths of the way up and then with seed starter soil the top one forth and planted seeds in them, some being the same type of seeds I had started in the house. I have kept these pots of seeds out on the patio to sprout when they can according to our weather. The first ones are now coming up.

In the next couple of weeks I transplant the seedlings from their small pots to their permanent home in the garden. Some of the seedlings will find homes in some larger pots as here in the desert I have found that many garden plants and flowers do better in containers. Especially tomatoes. All will grow, flower and produce in pots if that is the way you want to do your garden rather than to dig a big patch of ground for a garden in the traditional way. Sometimes it is a lot easier to water and fertilize this way.

What ever way you decide to grow your seeds or if you prefer to buy them already up and ready to transplant to a bigger pot or directly into your garden, growing plants is a wonderfully way to add to your groceries or just to experience one of the miracles of nature.

What Season Is This?

For several weeks, or has it been months, we have been trying to decide if winter was going to leave us, and spring come to visit. And that is the secret word. Visit. That is all that spring really did here. Visit. In the past week we have had a winter storm, a touch of spring, and now summer has decended on us with lots of sunny days and warm nights. The winter storm was nice with it's scattering of snow and rain. We only got rain but we always need moisture. Spring was wonderful; for the few days it lasted. So today it is up to 80 degrees and only supposed to get down to 50 tonight. 50? Last Friday we had a high of only 50.
I do beleive that Mother Nature is very undecided as to what season it is.

Iffy Spring

Spring can't decide if it wants to come or not. Trees are bloomed out, a few anuals are coming up but we have another storm. It is spitting a combination of rain and snow. TV says lots of snow in mountains and points north. Sure wish mother nature would make up her mind what season it is.

Gardening Suggestions

Here is another short article that was in a former gardening newsletter. Hope you find some suggestions you can use.


Early spring or winter makes it difficult for those of us who love to garden or are thinking of taking up this wonderful hobby. It’s hard to get out to do anything in our gardens or yards when it is cold, windy and sometimes snowy. Plus it is the ‘rest’ or ‘sleep’ time for all of our trees and plants. Most plants need to have this dormant period in their lives to be able to put on new growth and flowers during spring, summer, and fall.
But don’t despair. It is the perfect time to plan what you will do and grow in your garden. Winter is the time to sit down, relax, put your feet up, and look through all the seed and plant catalogs to plan your garden for the next growing season. Or if you prefer to use your computer most gardening catalogs have extensive websites with lots of information besides their online catalogs. Gardening catalogs seem to come quickly to your mailbox but the web sites are always faster.
I’m not pushing or even recommending these particular web sites, but these catalogs have been around for a long time. I have used them as did my parents and grandparents. Henry Fields Catalog has been in business since 1892.
www.HenryFields.com
www.Jackson&Perkins.com
www.Burpee.com
www.Parkseed.com
At these websites you can find out which “zone” you live in. The United States is devided into plant hardiness zones by the USDA These zones tell you which plants will live in your area. Each zone is based on the average last frost date in the spring for an area and the average first frost date in the fall. Knowing your frost dates will help you know what plants you can grow, when to put your seeds out in the spring and when to harvest vegetables in the fall before it freezes. The above mentioned websites have a place where you can put in your zip code and it will tell you which zone you live in. Many of us will have problems figuring out which zone we live in when we look at the map. I know I always have. You may find that different sites say you live in different zones. I live in New Mexico. Some sites say I live in Zone 6 and some say I live in Zone 7.
This just goes to prove that gardening is not an exact science or art. A lot of times gardening can be fun and interesting by experimenting to find which plants we can grow and which ones we can’t. I have found that I can grow certain plants that the books or professionals say won’t grow in my high desert garden. Other times I have bought plants that those same professionals and books say will grow in my yard and they don’t, even with the best TLC, and years of trying. Gardening can be different from your yard to your neighbors.
Here is a list of websites that have lots of plant and gardening information with out a catalog.
www.organicgardening.com
www.plantsofthesouthwest.com
www.livingthecountrylife.com

Early spring is also a good time to review your gardening books or buy some new ones, either online, or at your local bookstore or plant nursery. So many of us buy those pretty gardening books, put them in our bookshelves and forget about them. Most gardening, landscape or plant books will have at least a little bit of information that will be valible for your particular yard or garden.
Did you know you can contact your local county extension agent for more information about your area? You can look up the number in your phone book or online. Each county has someone who is good at knowing about what plants, trees, or scrubs grow well in your area and can advise you on how to grow them. Many Extension agents have handouts they can send you for free.
Remember there are several good TV shows, like The Victory Garden, that give great advice for gardeners. Check your local TV guide for The Victory Garden on PBS or Making it Grow on RFD.
Northern states are mostly covered with snow so actually working in the garden is difficult. If you live in an area that doesn’t get much snow, like I do, put on some warm clothes, get out, and plan your garden. You can take a single piece of blank paper and draw a design or you can use a tape measure and graft paper. You might want to consult with others in your family on what they would like to grow. This is a great activity for the kids on a winter day, which can be expanded into a full summer project.
If you still need to, now is the time clean up dead plants, and weeds. It’s a perfect time to put a layer of mulch on your vegetable garden area and around your shrubs and trees. Local nurseries should have different kinds of mulch as well as steer manure. Mixing steer manure in with the mulch for a top dressing of fertilizer that will slowly release into the soil. Manure can be either turned into the soil now or allowed to sit on top of your garden as a mulch until you are ready to plant.
I have an unlimited supply of horse manure. You can use horse, cow, or chicken manure on your garden. But be careful. Fresh manure can be way to ‘hot’ and will burn plants if you get it to close to them. You need to put the manure into a compost and let it set and fry for about six months to a year before using it. Then that manure becomes a great fertilizer. Steer manure you buy at a store or nursery has been heat treated and is ready to use.
So don't be afraid to try some gardening this spring and summer. Turn over a garden plot, get some seeds and plants and go for it. You might even find you like it, especially those fresh veggies that taste some much better than the ones you get at the store.

Violets

According to the date we are into spring and even though the wind continues to be nasty (last night we had sustained winds at about 45 miles per hour and gusts up to 65 miles per hour, according to the TV) my flowers are trying to bloom. One of my favorites are violets and pansies. Following is a short article I did a few years back for a gardening newspaper.

Violets

One of my favorite flowers is the wood violet. It may not be very big but it certainly sends out a lot of very fragrant, heady perfume. Not only do violets have this wonderful odor, they bloom and smell good in winter in the southwestern states, and in early spring in other parts of the United States. In fact I found my first one this winter on New Year’s Day. One doesn’t expect to find flowers, let alone such a wonderful perfume, from such a small, usually unnoticed plant.
There are lots of different kinds of violets, or violas, which are kin to the pansy, and they come in several different colors from white, and yellow to light purple and dark purple. Wood violets seem to have the sweetest odor of any I have smelled. I got my start from my mom and she got hers from her mom, and that’s going back some fifty years so I couldn’t say for sure which verity it actually is. They grow rapidly from seed and are easy to start from division of clumps. Some people think that violets can become a pest if not kept under control. I try to keep mine in beds or containers where they won’t choke out other plants that I want. Wood violets are larger than the wild violets but not near as big as a pansy and are a deep purple in color.
Violets of all kinds do well in containers or pots. Wood violets, by themselves, take very little care except for water in the summer. They do prefer a bit of shade for part of the day as they are not real fond of the hot sun of the southern states. A few annuals added to the container, or bed of violets can add color and height during the summer.
Wood violets make a nice cut flower for a tiny vase or with other flowers. A pot of violets makes a great gift at any time especially for the beginning gardener. I have heard of people picking violets and candying them to make decorations for cakes and cookies, but have never tried it myself.
I have let my wood violets take over a small flower bed right by my front door. I know that this wonderful little flower will greet me and my visitors with a lovely sight and a profusion of smell for about 6 weeks each spring. Following the spring blooming period violets put on lots of heart shaped leaves. These leaves look nice in the flower bed, and can add interest to a bouquet of flowers.
Wood violets might be the right flower for you to consider adding to your flower collection.

Where is Spring?

We thought spring had come to the Tumbleweed Crossing but it was only a figment of our imagination. Winter was back. We were hauling wood in again for the woodstove as the temps were back down to about 30 degrees at night. And the days have been filled with wind and blowing sand. For the past week we have had wind everyday. Wind is not good for working with horses or trying to get the garden ready for planting.
I bought seeds, seed starter for starting tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and watermelons. With the wind I don't dare put the little pots outside as they will blow away and I don't really have room for them in the house.
The peach trees and my Bradford pear trees were all bloomed out when the nasty weather hit. They were so pretty with the pink blossoms on the peach trees and the white blossoms on the pear trees. Now they are curled, shriveled and blackened. I am not sure yet if it was the cold, or the wind that got to them. Or both. Don't know if we will have any peaches or not. Of course Bradford pears are ornamentals and don't have fruit on them.
I do think I got some decent photos of the blossoms but they are still in the camera at this point.

New TV

We hadn't planned on buying one of the new fancy flat screen TV's. We had a good one, it was only 8 years old. But the one in the bedroom decided to give up it being older, I am guessing about 15 years old. So the one in the livingroom went to the bedroom and a new one came to the livingroom. We didn't get the bigest or the smallest of the flat screens on sale. It's a 37 inch vizio. We were a bit leary that the hipe on the new digital TV's were much, much better especially since Lee is color blind and I have poor vision. We couldn't see that much different while watching the ones in the store but decided part of that might be from the poor lighting in the store. So home it came. It did take a good bit of time to rework our entertainment center so it would sit in it, had to take out a couple of shelves to make the TV space bigger. Then it took even more time to set up the TV using the remote. Almost like setting up a new computer. Then we had to add the Direct TV receiver. but finally it was done.
So now it has been about two weeks. And I can diffently say "Yes" it has been well worth buying. The screen is bigger so easier to see, and the color is better, and it is much clearer, with really good sound quality. We have watching things like wildlife and nature shows and the make them looker prettier than ever. We have no complains when watching old black and white shows either. They are still good.
I'm not saying to run out and buy one. But if your old one quites it is worth thinking about.

Door Slave

it seems that I have become a door slave to 2 dogs and 3 cats. Of course I have known for the past 50 years I have been a door slave to large number of dogs and cats but it seems to be worse the past week or so. There is always one or another of them wanting in or out. They come in, they go out. And repeat. And repeat. The dogs have to go to use the facilities. But the cats were supposed to be indoor cats. I insisted on my cats being indoor cats if I lived in town, especially in an apartment. but here on several areas they enjoy going out as much as I do. I don't force them to go out, but I do "train" as much as you can train a cat to come in at dark each evening. I do it by constant, presistently doing a "cat roundup" each evening. They don't like it but it is a necessary evil as we have coyotes in our area. I see a lot of cats in our area now that are out at night and I am surprised more of them don't disappear.

In the mean time I will continue to be a door slave. I just wish they wouldn't always wait until I sit down to ask to come in.

Vacuum Cleaner

I do wish there was a factory that could make a vacuum cleaner that would work for longer than a about a year. Maybe they do in other parts of the world. But here on the desert they don't. I have had several now in the 6 years I have lived here, and each and everyone, (there have been several different brands) have given up after about a year of usage. The last one is my Bissell Powerforce which I have had for a little over a year. The on/off switch has quite. Once off it doesn't come back on until it decides to. I am sure it is due to all the sand and dust in the vacuum. Which is another thing. How many homes have an air compressor to use to blow out the vacuum cleaner when they have finished using it for the day. It is necessary here. My husband, being a mechanic, has an air compressor which I have leaned to use on my vacuum about once a week to keep the dirt cleaned out of it enough to work. I take all the filers and little parts out, shake out what dirt I can and then use the air compressor to blow out the rest. After which I am covered in a cloud of dust and have to take a shower. But if I don't do this the vacuum doesn't last more than a few months.
Do the vaccum companies do this on purpose so that we have to spend more money to buy more of these necessary evil devices? All my neighbors agree with this. Non working vacuum's are one of the most common item I see at garage sales.

Lonely Daffy

I didn't plant any daffodils last fall but did have this one come up from some I had planted before. It was the only one. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers but they don't like to do well here in the desert where the wind has a habit of burying them to deep with sand for them do to well after the first year.

Raindrop

I took this photo after our rain last Friday morning. You can see some of the other tree branchs in the raindrop

Close up of Quail

here is another shot of the quail that I pulled in closer. You can see part of a residental section of Rio Rancho, NM behind him.