The continuing story.......

Since my last posting we have once again moved. The old adobe and the repair work it needed became more than we could stand. The straw that finally broke the camel's back was the need to remove the roof from over the garage, master bedroom and bathroom. For those of you that don't know anything about adobe dwellings, this entails tar paper, gravel and tar and the removal of the old. Our landlord, his son and a friend removed the old roof which left nothing but the vega beams over the garage and a lot of daylight. The bedroom and bath were not quite as wide open, but they used a leaf blower to clean all the small debris off the roof and of course, it all fell down into the rooms below. And of course, most of the debris was left in the yard behind the house and not cleaned up until we moved and he had to find new tenants. The help that our landlord hired (which I am sure got paid dirt cheaply as they didn't speak a word of English and the landlord is very cheap) did not do too bad of a job replacing the roof, but they were very messy and tar leaked down the walls, into the bathtub and all over the comforter on my husband's bed. By the time it was finished, it was either find another place to live or do grievous bodily harm to the landlord. We were also finding the electric bills to be extremely high and didn't even want to find out what a full month of gas for heating would cost! Someone told us to check on Craig's list for houses for rent and we lucked out. The rent is cheaper and the heating bills are normal. The electric is still high, but that seems to be the norm around here.

The new house is smaller, brighter and much easier to keep warm.
The living room holds most of the furniture that was in the other house but is still not used. We each have computers and TV's in our rooms so conversation is done over the kitchen table at dinner time. There is one major complaint that I have about rental properties in New Mexico for anyone out there who may consider moving here and renting. Unless you rent from a large complex you will find that the places are generally not clean when you move in. I have shampooed the carpeting 6 times now in the 3 months we have lived here and still can't get the stains out. The house is well built and it is unfortunate that the original owners went into foreclosure and never got to finish what they started. We were going to do some finishing work in here and then thought better of it. I am really tired of doing work to a home that doesn't belong to us.
I am eagerly awaiting the day of the final closing on the house in Tularosa. Once we have the rest of the money from the sale of the house we can make our plans for travel. The people in our house have until Sept. 1 to refinance and close. I am hoping that it is sooner so that we can head back "home". The warm weather and salt water are calling me................

Summer into Fall

It has been a month today since Murphy left us, but seems like just yesterday he was the trouble making pup that he is in this picture. Time passed too quickly. It is good that we have the other guys to keep us busy. This must be the time of year for them to blow their old coats and ready themselves for the coming winter. I have black fur balls the size of tumbleweed blowing through the house. With what they have lost and all I have brushed out I would think they should be bald by now !!

Our foster guy, Lakota, is fitting in well and is extremely smart. He has learned to sit for treats, food and occasionally just when you ask him to. There was never a problem with house training as he already knew to use the doggie door. However, he is a master of escape so the doggie door is locked down for the time being until he feels fully secure with us and does not have the need to try and escape. We have also reinforced the fencing in the yard. I don't know who he belonged to originally or where he escaped from, but someone has lost a really good dog. I cringe at the thought that someone just dropped him off and let him fend for himself although I am well aware that happens all too often. He was in serious need of grooming and had not been neutered when Bob picked him up from the shelter lady. Both needs have been taken care of. He goes this Tuesday for his heart worm test and I have my fingers crossed that he is negative.

For any of you that read this that have older dogs with the onset of cataracts or nuclear sclerosis, I have just ordered some eye drops from Revival that are supposed to help alleviate both of these problems. They say you can see results in as little as 35 days. I am sceptical but willing to try anything that might help Phantom see just a little. I will keep you all updated.

Cool weather and rain are upon us. I think winter is just around the corner and I am not looking forward to it..............

3 Day Vacation.....and newest house disaster !!

We started our jaunt in Aztec NM where we walked the ruins of an Aztec village. There are still parts of several buildings standing. The kiva or meeting house has been rebuilt and is used today. Our next stop was in Shiprock NM and wasn't actually a stop. More like a drive through and quick look. I think the drawing factor here is the large rock formation which is off limits to everyone. We stayed in Farmington NM on Friday evening and had dinner at a very quaint restaurant/bookshop that has live music on Friday night. If you are ever in Farmington make sure you make a stop at Andrea Kristinas. It is well worth the visit. There was a four piece guitar group playing the evening that we were there and the lead singer sounded very much like Eric Clapton. Combine that with a good sandwich and soup and you will have a very enjoyable 2 hour visit.

Saturday morning we did a little shopping in an antique store in Farmington and then moved on to Gallup for the 87th Intertribal Ceremonial. We grabbed a bite to eat when we arrived in Gallup at a great Hispanic restaurant called Virgie's. We had eaten there two years ago and it is just as good now. I did not take any pictures at the Ceremonial as they don't turn out well from the distance at which we were sitting. The dancing lasted for almost 4 hours with tribes from Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Mexico. The Buffalo Dancers from Ohkay Owingeh (San Juan Pueblo) are one of my favorites and they are just down the road from our pueblo. I had seen them on two previous occasions but had made no association as we were still living in Tularosa and did not know the pueblos in this area.

Sunday morning we slept in a bit as we were out late Saturday. We had breakfast in Gallup in a restaurant called Earls, which is also a must for anyone going to Gallup. The Native Americans come around to your table while you are eating to show you their handicrafts in the hope that you will have money left from the ceremonial and be able to buy something. Their work is lovely and it is hard to resist buying something from each one of them. We left Gallup after breakfast and headed out on the scenic back roads to the Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave. I find it hard to believe that northern New Mexico has 29 inactive volcanos. You can see 15 of them from the top of Bandera. The photo below is one of the areas where the lava flow was 10,000 years ago. Also below is a picture of the ice lake that has formed inside of one of one of the caves formed by the molten lava. The temperature is a constant 31 degrees inside the cave area and the water is frozen to a depth of 20 feet. The really odd part is that you aren't down below ground level very far even though you are on the side of a mountain. The temperature drops rather suddenly on the way down the steps to the cave. It is really something to see. I went to Mammouth Cave in Kentucky when I was in my 20's and don't remember seeing anything like this. No one had to rock either of us to sleep that night. The next day we took Lea to the airport for the flight back to Florida and then went to a feast with dancing in the Santa Clara Pueblo.

Later that same evening while we were at home eating dinner we experienced yet another "pleasure" of living in a 100+ year old adobe. We lost part of the electric in the house. Not all lights on one circuit, but just those that drew a lot of power. Lasted about 30 minutes and then everything went back to normal (if there is such a thing). Around 11:30 the electricity went off again and this time stayed off. Our landlord and the electric company showed up this morning and found that one of the 110 leads going into the house had burned out. So wiring had to be replaced and finally at 2:30 this afternoon we had power again. This may be the last straw. I don't even want to think about what will go wrong this winter. Oh - I almost forgot - when I was working at the kitchen sink yesterday afternoon a centipede fell out of the vigas ceiling on to my kitchen counter and ran behind the microwave. My husband the bug killer dispatched it to a higher plain............What's next ??

I have greatly broadened my knowledge of the Southwest and of the Native American people since our move to Santa Fe. My perception of Native Americans - which is probably the same as a lot of other Easterners - is that they sit around all day in front of their houses, don't work and drink all day. This is quite possibly the case with some of the truly poor reservations like those in the Dakotas and I believe Oklahoma but that does not appear to be the case with the pueblos in our area of New Mexico. My husband and I had the opportunity to go to a "feast" at the Cochiti Pueblo a few weeks ago. We witnessed the residents of the pueblo doing the Corn Dance, which lasts throughout the day. There were vendors selling handmade pottery and jewelry and others selling food. We were invited by one of the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) officers that I dispatch to the home of his girlfriend to take part in the feast. It is a great honor to be invited into the home and one not to be turned down. When you have had your fill of the food provided, you thank the host and leave the residence.

Besides going to the Cochiti Pueblo, we have also visited the Taos Pueblo, which is pictured above and below. This pueblo is 5 stories high and still has some families living in it. It has no electricity running to it and the families that live there use propane and wood for heating and cooking. Several of the rooms on the bottom level have shops in them displaying the beautiful Taos pottery and the jewelry. The pueblo is divided in half by a stream running through it. This is a really beautiful setting. A large part of the drive from Santa Fe to Taos follows the Rio Grande River which offers white water rafting.

The feasts for the Nambe Pueblo (we live on the Nambe reservation) and for the Pojoaque Pueblo (which is where I work) will be held later this year. There can be more that one feast for each pueblo and these two are heading towards the holidays.

My veterinarian (and seriously good friend) is due in here tomorrow from Florida. We will be heading out to the Shiprock New Mexico area on Friday for some sightseeing before going to Gallup on Saturday for the 87th Intertribal Ceremonial. Lea and I have been twice before and enjoyed it very much. As this will probably be my last year living out here, I really wanted to go
this time. Bob and I are doing as many day trips as we can also so that we don't leave here wishing that we had gone to see more places. Made that mistake when we lived in Florida the first time. We will try to correct that mistake when we get back there...............

Loss of a friend.....

It is very difficult to do this posting as it concerns the loss of my friend for the past 16 years. We had taken Murphy to the doctor for one last attempt to pull him up and give him a little longer, but that was not to be. His immune system was shutting down and he was becoming unaware of his surroundings. He had comforted me in bad times and accepted me no matter what my mood. In good conscience I could not let him suffer even slightly. He already had an IV going so his transition to the Bridge was an easy one. He will long be remembered by our family for truly living up to the name Murphy. I have wooden knitting needles still bearing his teeth marks and jeans that have had buttons resewn. He traveled with us several times to Michigan and made the long trip from Florida to New Mexico. Fate determined that only his memory, spirit and ashes would make the final trip back to Florida with us. Be at peace my friend........

Catching Up......

Haven't posted anything for a long time. Hope I remember how. I am coming up on the 3 month mark at my latest job since our move to Santa Fe. Seems like this one is going well. I wasn't sure if I would be accepted by the people I work with as most are Hispanic or Native American. I have been adopted by one of the sergeants and he refers to me as his Hispanic sister. It is sort of like a large extended family with lots of joking and clowning around. The actual dispatching is much the same as when I worked in Ruidoso Downs with the exception of the tribal laws. I am working 11 am to 9 pm which are good hours for me since I can't go to sleep early and hate getting up in the morning.

My oldest schipperke turned 16 last month and is not doing well. He has Cognitive Disorder which is the animal version of Alzheimers and is not eating much these days. He is sleeping a lot more than before and doesn't want any attention as he used to. He doesn't appear to be in any pain, but I watch him closely. I hate the thought of losing him, but I know it is inevitable. I hope he will pass quietly in his sleep which would be so much easier for all of us.

We have done just about all that we are going to do on the inside of the house. The landlord had not finished off a lot of his projects, so Bob has been finishing up for him and we just deduct it from the rent. We have ceiling fans in all the rooms now, with the exception of the kitchen, and that is next. I have painted both of the bathrooms and of course, have put up mini blinds and valances in the bedrooms and bathrooms. I have some touch-up painting to do on the walls and especially the two kivas to cover the smoke marks from the fires. I don't think we will use the kivas much this coming winter as we now have gas heat and the fireplaces are really dirty. I am sure it is not good for Bob to be inhaling the smoke from the fireplaces either. I will try and take a few new pictures and add them to my next posting.

And So It Goes..........

Here it is, 4:00am and sleep is eluding me once again. That must mean it is time for me to post to my blog which has been neglected for sometime. We finally got gas heat the end of the first week in April. The electric bills were sky high because, as we all know, the small ceramic electric heaters make the meter spin and two kivas do not keep the house warm enough. About a week after the heat finally started working, the kitchen sink backed up and since the landlord was on his way to Colorado on business, I had a bucket under the sink for the week he was gone. Seems a tree root had grown through the 40+ year old pipes. The kitchen is part of the original 100 year old house. So along with having the backyard torn up to replace the gas line, the side yard was also backhoed to dig to the kitchen drainage pipes. I have my fingers crossed that nothing else will happen for awhile.

At least the house is starting to look like someone actually lives in it. We purchased ceiling fans for the livingroom and one of the back bedrooms as the ceilings had not been finished as far as putting in light fixtures. And after losing about half of my plants, my hibiscus has come back and has it's first bloom in the new house.

On the job front, things have been bleak. I left the security position after 3 weeks. Being a reformed smoker - but not one that lectures - I found that I couldn't handle the smoke in the casino. Apparently the building had been a school and was converted to a casino without making any improvements to the ventilation system. I never thought that I would be bothered but I guess when you aren't smoking it is a different story. I took a position with an E911 dispatch center in an adjoining county only to find that after being the lone operator at smaller police agencies for the past 12 years I am not fast enough for 911. The center is severely short staffed and instead of having 3 or 4 on a shift, there are only 2 dispatchers working. I could not concentrate on the 3 police agencies, 15 fire depts. and the various EMS units that were dispatched and take calls and type the information into the CAD all at the same time. I hope this doesn't sound like sour grapes, because it is not meant that way. I don't know that I could have handled this position 20 years ago, especially as short handed as they are.

So for the past 2.5 weeks I have been playing domestic goddess, working around the house. I finally got the small bathroom painted and replaced a few tiles that were missing around the bath tub. My next challenge will be to paint the master bathroom which has 12 foot ceilings. The ceilings are the wooden beams (vigas) and don't get painted, but there will be a lot of stretching to do those walls. I don't think there is any other major project for me to do, just the normal cleaning. Spring winds here are really something and blowing dirt is everywhere. Not to mention the amount of dirt that 4 little "pot bellied" pigs (aka schipperkes) bring into the house!!