Incredible Sunsets

As most of you regular readers know, I am a sunset freak--completely and seriously! November went out with a spectacular sky. It had been kind of gray and overcast most of the afternoon and I did not have a lot of hopes for a pretty sky but shortly before sunset the clouds thinned and spread and combined with a lot of jet trails--they say that the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest flying day of the year--the sky turned into a spectacular panorama of colors and patterns.

My favorite hue for sunsets is a brilliant fiery red-gold shade I christened "firegold" when I was just a youngster. There was plenty of that as well as pastels, real gold and coppery shades and every imaginable variety of red from pink to deep fuchsia and even near maroon. It was just awesome. It was a little chilly though the breeze was very light yet every time I thought okay, that is enough and I will go inside, I'd spot something else. I for one am thankful for a camera that captures at least a semblance of the beauty. It's not quite like the real thing but as close as we can come. The Powers that paint that sky are so far beyond us that we cannot even imagine.  So since it is gray tonight with no promise of color at all, I wanted to share a few of the best ones. Enjoy! (Remember you can click on the first one to get a slide show of larger versions!)
Via en Pax!

SAD and sunshine

Looking back, I realize I have suffered from that odd depression they now call SAD or Seasonal Affected Disorder most of my life. When the days get short and autumn slides toward winter, I am perpetually cold and it is a struggle to get up and go each day. I always have because I am too hard-headed not to do what I feel needs or has to be done, but it gets harder as the years go by. Still, I can recall when I went to college in Flagstaff, AZ, which is high enough to 'enjoy' some real winter with Ponderosa pines, 12,000 foot peaks to the north east and nary a saguaro in sight! No, Arizona is not all desert! Those winters I sat through many classes huddled in a coat and feeling chilled to the bone. For one thing, I walked everywhere! I guess that is why I am now a confirmed desert rat.

Back in my ranching and mule-skinner days, I was out working and riding on many chill, gray, wet days. I'd come in at night and sit in a corner behind the old fashioned wood-burning stove until my jeans almost smoked yet still feel my bones were frozen and leaking cold out through my body. No, I do not do winter well! And yes, I know my dreams and plans of Alaska, especially being up there in the late winter when the big races are run, is pretty crazy but I think I could cope with the enthusiasm and the will driving me. But that's another story.

We have had less of the nice fall weather than often here this year. It went from the late summer rainy period right into the transition type storms and a number of gray days and then this past week the first real hard frost with temps down in the upper twenties here at my house. We sit on a ridge where it is not as cold as lower in the basin and a bit protected by the hills looming near to the east but even in "the promised land" as my brother calls it, we have winter. I want to hibernate but of course humans do not do that. Was I a bear in one incarnation? ~ Latina  shrug--who knows.

But the last two days the sun has been out bright and warm. I sit out in it as much as I can because that precious charge of solar energy is how I keep going through these shorter days and colder times. I was inspired to write a couple of verses which I will share at the end of this post. And here are two photos of the contrast between the gray times and the bright blue fall I love. It was about the same time of day --mid morning--in both, too!

To close I have to say I do not "worship" the sun in the sense my pagan ancestors did but I can surely understand why they  might have made old Sol a deity or the avatar of one. When you feel that heat and energy and your eyes dazzle with the light, you sense the presence of something very powerful, something without which life as we know it would not be possible at all. So in that sense, I may be called a sun-worshiper I suppose.

     Sun Fired, Sun Inspired

                        I

There’s still a lot of sunshine.

As I soak in healing rays

I sometimes doze or wander down

The path of my many days.

Good or bad but often strange,

What I’ve done and where I’ve been.

What would I try to modify

If I could go back again?

The sunlight cannot absolve

The wrongs or the pain I’ve known

Yet I feel them start melting away

As I sit here now alone.

I’ve always been a bit alone

Though good horses, dogs and friends

Have shared parts of my road with me

Until such partnership ends.

I miss them all; they are a part

Of the one I have become.

A little lives on in my heart

Of each and every one.

There is still a lot of sunshine

In the autumn of my time,

The warmth and light give life to me

And call from my soul this rhyme.

                        II

Sitting in the sunshine

Gives me life and light.

It has fueled all my days

And helped me through each night.

I still love part of darkness,

A chance to see the stars

But it’s sun that keeps me going

And tears away the bars

Of my regret and sorrow for

Mistakes that I have made

And shows to me a beacon

So I go down unafraid

Too that dark end-time shadow

Where for awhile we bide

Until a new sun greets us,

There on the other side.

Both poems GMW Nov 2014 

and (c) as all material here is.

Two Important Days

I'd be seriously remiss if I let today go by without comment. Veterans' Day is one that holds a lot of meaning for me. My paternal grandfather served in the Spanish American War--not with the Rough Riders, I think--but he was there. My dad was involved in World War II, my late husband was a Korean vet and my middle son was in the first Middle East War or Desert Storm. Many friends and former schoolmates etc. went to Vietnam and some of them never came home. We owe all our vets, past, present and future, more than we can ever repay and we must never forget them--not just on November 11 but every day of every year.

Here is a verse I wrote a number of years ago that I read first at a Veterans' Day ceremony our VFW Post (10342, Huachuca City, AZ) held in the late 1980s, many years ago. I think it still resonates on the meaning of the day. To the right is a photo of me near that time wearing our color guard's uniform. I was a member but mostly the "official photographer" although I did march or take part in a ceremony now and then. I was very proud and honored to do so!

Veteran's Day

I hear the drum roll in my mind

and then I see, before, behind,

the Silent Legions marching past

to join the Great Parade, at last.

From Flanders Fields and Iwo's sands,

from nameless near and distant lands

where they have fought and bled and died

for to uphold the Nation's Pride

and secure the Peace and Liberty

today enjoyed by you and me...

Each heart with praise should overflow

and gladly search for ways to show

that we remember and we care

and at least in spirit share

their sacrifice, their gift, their pain.

We know they did not die in vain.

   

The torch still burns; we carry on

 the flame kept bright by those now gone.

They're marching still, they're fighting yet;

And so must we...lest we forget  (c) GMW

The other important day was yesterday, November 10. It is doubly significant because first it is the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps which was formed even before the USA was officially a country, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Semper Fideles! (That means "always faithful" and is the Corps' motto.) 

Also, in one of those strange non-coincidental happenings, it is the day that my beloved husband and partner left this earth, now eleven years ago. I always thought it was so very suitable that he left on the creation anniversary of the beloved military organization of which he was an active member for about thirteen years and a life-long member at heart. 

And here is a verse I wrote for that day. It has been around the world because another former active duty Marine found it posted somewhere and shared it through his extensive connections. (I can still find it if I google my name --Gaye Walton--as he credits my authorship.) I was humbled to learn of that but pray the words of my heart gave and may continue to give comfort to the widows and families of other departed heroes.

The Last Muster

Selfish in my love and needing

I resisted this final goodbye

But time marches on so relentless

And the last formation drew nigh.

I knew that the trumpet had sounded,

Knew you would answer that call,

Realized it was right, good and proper

And found I could smile after all.

Your step was not quite as steady

But you held your head high and proud

As you strode out to join your comrades

In that parade for the heavenly crowd.

Once again that small band of brothers

Stand assembled upon Fiddler's Green.

I blink when at once the young faces

Square shoulders and brave hearts are seen.

My eyes haze with tears as the sight fades

But I know 'tis the truth I have seen

And my heart spills pride, joy and sorrow

For my Hero, my Love, my Marine.
                                                   (c) GMW

God bless our veterans and their families today and every day. Remember, dear friends, that Freedom is not Free. We all must pay for it in our own ways. All give some but some give all. Go in peace--for that is the ultimate goal we all seek even when we are fighting the most fiercely. 

One for a lucky dog!

I just saw this on Yahoo and had to share. This poor pup is Husky and Shepherd (I assume German variety from his looks) which are two of my favorite breeds and he seems like one tough little guy as well as lucky. He's recovering from a near tragic and fatal  accident and they've got most of his vet bills covered but I agree that those rescue folks who went way out of their way to get him out of a bad spot and to safety definitely deserve a reward. Check this article out and kick in a little bit if you can. It will be good karma for sure. And hang on hard to those leashes when you go out walking with a canine friend. I know I do.

Here's the link to the article: http://news.yahoo.com/dog-cliff-oregon-rescue-save-kenny-171144105.html

The treasure of Friends

A week ago this evening I arrived in Tucson and spent a day and two nights with a dear friend who is currently in remission and maybe--hope and pray--cured of lymphoma. Hearing, while I was in Alaska, about her illness, I had vowed I would get over to Tucson where she now lives to visit, and that came about last week.

I first met Melinda (Melinda Rucker Haynes who is an author, a licensed and trained hypnotist and a multi-talented lady indeed) at an RWA conference many years ago. If memory serves it was probably the one in Anaheim, CA in 1998 but I could be wrong. When I found out she was originally also an Arizona girl, an instant bond began. We both cringe at the modern term "monsoon" for the desert summer rainy season and even know some people in common. From then on, we met at various RWA and RT events but it was always just to grab a few minutes to chat before we had to run off to this workshop or that panel or whatever. It was such a treat to be able to sit and talk non-stop for hours! We came away from this feeling we knew each other much better and just had a marvelous time!

She has lived in Seattle and in Arlington, VA the years we have been acquainted so I am glad she's back in Arizona and thus only about a six hour drive for me. I met her husband, also, and he was as much fun to talk with as she! I do enjoy people who can converse about almost anything with verve, reasonable knowledge and an open mind! So that made for a great visit. Here's a shot I took the morning I was leaving of them at their lovely Oro Valley home.

I also got to see my granddaughter and her two young kids, who are growing so fast I can barely keep up. I've very proud of Julie who is a single mom but handles it with grace and courage and so far is doing a fine job with her two youngsters. She's a credit to the family as are they and it is really neat to feel you can be friends with kinfolk that way!

I also saw another friend from my Cochise County days. Mary Frances Clinton, with whom I enjoyed lunch as I heard about her adventures with a kind of elder hostel group that operates out of Cochise College. She's met some interesting folks, even a couple of gentlemen who have caught her eye and ear. Never married, she has gone through a great deal over the years and struggled with bad baggage from the past, just as many of us seem to. She'd become almost agoraphobic so it is great to see her getting out and enjoying activities with others. I'm so happy for her. We met through the Sierra Vista "Sisters in Crime" chapter that we both attended for a time.

In between my visits I got in some train watching since the UP mainline parallels the highway most of the way from west of Las Cruces clear to Tucson. I did not get a shot to rival my old Stein's Pass one from two years back but did snap a "meet" at the Mescal, AZ crossing. In railroader terms that is a sighting of two trains passing on parallel tracks and hopefully having a chance to get a photo of it. In mine you can see the 'pusher' or following locomotive of one train and the leading two units or locos of the other. Pure luck, that.  Many modern trains now use what is called distributed power with lead locomotives and others in the middle or the end of the train. It seems to work better in most freight applications.

In a way trains are 'friends' too since I have been a railroad fan for many years and still enjoy watching them. A chance to take a few photos is a bonus. All in all, it was a great trip. I got home Monday afternoon, tired but well pleased with the trip. An added bonus, I found that my old house in Whetstone (Huachuca City mail address) has been bought and is getting fixed up and clearly loved by some new owners. Hurrah! I hated to see it empty and abandoned. Cherry on the sundae that!

Summer storms and me

I've neglected the ongoing chats about my life and the desert southwest lately but I'll see if I cannot do better now. Life is settling back to a routine after the summer's adventure and while I am working on the next chapter of that epic, there is much else to recall, think about and share. So today, the topic is summer storms--with pictures!

I think I have had a love-hate relationship with water all my life. To this day I cannot swim and although I treasure water since I'm a denizen of a very arid land, I also fear it, especially in large amounts and violent motion! As I have said, my memories begin in the old mining town of Jerome, Arizona which perched on rusty-dusty hills above the Verde Valley on the west side. I really do not recall much about storms there but vaguely that it did snow in the winter, that leaking water from the large tanks adjacent to our home froze on the fence at times and that the last summer we lived there, 1953, a summer downpour and resulting flood devastated a good part of the town.

Where we lived on Sunshine Hill, a separate ridge and peal north and east of the main town, we were above all that. It was on the main red hill where old Jerome was built, Cleopatra Mountain, that torrents of water poured down over and into the town. The damage was pretty frightful. Here is one shot Dad took of me looking at the mess. As I recall this was near the main street, a switchback or two above the Post Office and the service station which still exist on the squiggly main street, also Highway 89A, which goes from Flagstaff to Prescott through the Verde.

That and the decline of the town's infrastructure after Phelps Dodge ceased their mining operation there in 1951-52 resulted in our move down to Clarkdale which took place that fall. Not long after that, the first equines joined the family and I gradually assumed more and more of their care and maintenance. We lived in the lower town area and south of that ran an arroyo which drained some of the hills below Jerome and also received water once or twice a week when they drained the town swimming pool up behind the Clark Memorial Clubhouse which then housed the library, meeting rooms, an auditorium etc. So, when you had corrals to clean and animals to feed, rain was both welcome and a dratted nuisance!

I began to pay a lot more attention to the weather, especially the summer rains and the resulting flash floods that came surging down through the canyons. Here is a picture of brother Charlie in the bottom of that arroyo, only a matter of yards from the corrals housing some of our animals. That huge hole had been created where a rough dirt road had crossed this small canyon and exemplifies what rushing water can do.

In the summer of 1964, which was especially wet with some very heavy downpour type rains, a railroad bridge across Bitter Creek Canyon which ran between the main part of Clarkdale and the then-idle PD smelter facility to the north, was washed out twice. The large cement bases for the timber pillars supporting the bridge were washed out or so badly eroded on their foundations that they collapsed. And a major impact on my life was the indirect result for a Santa Fe B&B (Bridge and Building) Crew came to town to repair that bridge and we--brother and I--made the acquaintance of some of its members. But that is another story for another time. Here is another photo of some of the damage--not sure whether the first or second washout, probably the second since the heaped dirt and gravel was probably meant to provide protection for the first repair.

To be continued!!

October's Bright Blue Weather

That phrase has always resonated with me because it is so evocative and fits the best time of year in the southwest so well. If I ever knew who coined it, I had forgotten so I checked. It's wonderful what you can find on the internet. I learned it is the title and a refrain of sorts in a poem written by Helen Hunt Jackson, best know as the author of the novel Ramona. She lived in southern California many decades ago before smog and cities and crowds so I expect the weather was much like I now enjoy in Arizona and New Mexico. Here is the first stanza:

“October’s Bright Blue Weather”

SUNS and skies and clouds of June,

And flowers of June together,

Ye cannot rival for one hour

October’s bright blue weather;

And that is now upon us here at last. The latter part of the summer was very, very wet. One might even say soggy! July was the wettest month in central New Mexico up around Albuquerque but it rained the weekend I left for Alaska and quite a bit while I was gone and was much gray and damp after I got home. Hurricane Odile laid a swath of moisture heavily across much of the southwest and we got our share. Roof leaks and so on.... Too much of a good thing. But the weather can change literally overnight and change it did, on Tuesday to be exact and now it is clear and dry, the sky again that proverbial bright blue and the autumn flowers decorating the desert after all that rain. Not always good for allergies but lovely to behold if your eyes are working. Mine are back to fairly normal today; I think my ocular allergies may be due to molds. 

Anyway I took the red dogs walking and enjoyed the 'sneeze weeds' as well as the white, magenta and purple flowers, many of which I shared photos of last year. Maybe I will take a camera along the next day or two butt there is not much new to share, really. But it is nice to see even the cactus leaves plump and green, well watered for now.

The next few weeks should be wonderful to get out and enjoy. I'm hoping to make a trip to Arizona in a week or two and see some dear friends there that I miss greatly and I expect it will be very green there until the first frost and flowery as well. And on that trip perhaps I will take pictures. 

My skin already feels the absence of moisture and its back to the lotions and potions to forestall the lizard hide effect as much as I can! But I will tolerate that for the cooler evenings and daybreaks and the glow and beauty of my favorite early fall time. It's a good time to be alive and living where I do!

Here are a couple of rather iconic fall scenes; Alamogordo's balloon festival is earlier than Albuquerque's internationally famed one which begins this Friday and is supped to be terrific weather for it. The other is a few miles to the north and the grass will be green now not gray as this was in the late winter but the blue sky is the same!