The color of spring

New Mesquite Leaves

For me, the one color that most means spring is the delicate green of new mesquite leaves. If I was to define "spring green" in a box of crayons or colored pencils that is exactly what the color would be. It seems so alive and vivid yet fragile and just stronger than pastel. Normally I am not a 'green' person but that hue is just special.

Creosote

Yes, spring is here. In the past week, all at once the mesquites have gone from knobby bare branches to small fronds of green that quickly unfurl into real leaves. The catkin-like blooms will follow soon. I walked on the ditch bank today--along a drainage arroyo not far from home--and in about a week since the last time the red dogs and I took that route, this sea change has occurred. Flowers of many kinds are out now whereas a week ago or less the only color was the creosote bushes whose acid green hue remains all winter long.

Spring flowers are mostly white with some lilac and lavender or other purplish hues. Oh, there are some yellow ones. but to me yellow is the fall color with the 'sneeze weed' sunflower type blooms, the cottonwood leaves and other foliage all in shades of gold. Now it is white--African Rue, some of the mustards, milkweed or Queen Anne's Lace (the tiny delicate mini-flowers in clusters, and then purple in the sand verbena, filaree and several other weeds. The mustard family has some yellow but also white and there are a number of varieties blooming now. They have colorful common names such as London Rocket, Shepherd's Purse (below) and such. Most are descriptive of the plant or its seed form.

Shepherd's Purse

London Rocket and Sand Verbena

Desert and high desert flora has always been fascinating to me since I grew up in central Arizona which is very similar to the local environment here in the Tularosa Basin. Many of the same plants prevail. And most of them I know. My parents enjoyed an association with renowned botanist Leslie N Goodding when I was very small and learned much from him. Over the years it filtered down to me. I enjoy knowing names of things since that makes them friends or at least acquaintances and not alien strangers! So I have learned minerals and rocks, stars, and of course the flora and fauna of my home areas. Now as spring bursts free, I look for old friends and greet them. Some are in the sky on clear nights and others surround me on those morning walks or drives into the hills.

Check in Time

I've been AWOL from this blog quite a bit lately. There are only so many hours in the day and as I nurse my sensitive and hyper-dry eyes along with a new treatment program--Restasis which is the only prescription available that may help--I'm trying not to spend all day staring at a screen.

Those who may be interested are invited to visit my other blog where most of the action has been the last two months. gwynnmorganalaska.blogspot.com  That's where I've been talking about the two thousand mile sled dog races and the women running in them, the focus of my in-progress book that has become a huge goal and purpose in my life. Now that the races are over and the season is rapidly turning to spring, even in Alaska, I promise to be here more!

Another activity I've been involved with which I may have mentioned before or not is OWL (Older Writer's League) which meets at the Senior Center here in Alamogordo every Friday afternoon. Five of us are most active and we're working on an anthology of essays and stories from our youth and pasts, which are widely different and yet in many odd ways quite parallel! I was already thinking of trying to do some sort of memoir and this project is moving in that direction too. So far I have done about a dozen pieces from 1500 to 4500 words and am reading and doing light editing on those of the other members. My friend Brenda Cockrum, who is working to grow her AZKatz Publishing Company is kind of the honcho for this effort and she's a go getter! Crack the whip and all that, but we are having a blast. There are four women and one man involved at present with others who come and go and may contribute some. I'll share some of  my pieces later and keep you posted as this develops.

Meanwhile spring is coming to New Mexico, at least the southern part where we live in the high desert. Lots of flowers and pollen and sneezes and such! The windy season is also coming although it hasn't been bad so far, no big dust storms in the whole state! But there will no doubt be some. I posted lots of local flora photos in the past but will try to get some new ones shortly.

Have a great spring, everyone! The photos are a nectarine tree in our yard and a shot of a fillaree plant, one of my favorite early spring desert blossoms.

Quilts and Spring time

Oh my, I have not popped in here as I mean to. I've been posting more on the Alaska blog since the Yukon Quest was run last month and now the Iditarod is underway. You can go over to gwynnmorganalaska.blogspot.com if you want to follow that.

Spring is still fitting and starting here. We have gorgeous days and yucky ones. No, no snow or really severe cold but just a lot of gray, some drizzle/snizzle wet stuff and wind. We did get 6/10 of an inch, which was very welcome, last week. The last couple of days clouds come up over the mountain almost like the summer rainy season "monsoon" stuff so we are now in the transition between seasons and that shows. Fruit trees are blooming like crazy, some iris and daffodils etc. are too. Lilacs are starting to leaf out. Many signs of spring appear on our morning walks and even the birds are serenading with spring sorts of songs. Soon, very soon. Then of course the windy season and a few inevitable 'brown out' dust storm days. No place is prefect but this winter seems to have been a bit more taxing here than the first three we went through. Still no huge snows, sub zero temps or anything really scary and rough. Count my blessings!

I finished the three lap robe sized quilts. Each one is different and both are two sided as I always make them. The last one I tied through yesterday. I'll put all pictures on my Pinterest page but here are the prime sides of each. They are "named"  Bridget's Cross, Celtic Camelot and Celtic Blues--all have fabric with Celtic inspired designs as a main component. Been fun! Now I really want to try some more scenery type hangings and get to work on some new jewelry ideas for the market as June will be here before I know it! Time flies, fun not withstanding.

Let sleeping dogs lie

I know about a dozen huskies--well, actually a number more than that--who are probably enjoying some well deserved rest tonight. That includes the eleven who finished the Yukon Quest on Allen Moore's Black Team in the wee hours of the morning today but I'm thinking more about my own canines now.

Like small children, there is something so sweet and precious about a sleeping dog. Even puppies who are never still a minute otherwise relax and look so angelic. My two red dogs often sleep close together on my bed, even when I am not there with them. They also have a special bond or synchronicity.

Rojito is a very sensitive little guy. He formed a special bond with Belle that

summer before we lost her when he was new here. He often laid down near her and followed her around outside. I think he understood whether by scent or just some innate awareness that she was old and ill and wanted to comfort and offer sympathy. He has those very dark and intense dachshund eyes, large in his delicate face. He can look at you very keenly at times but always with a tiny frown or bit of concern. That's different from Ginger.

Ginger like most of the Border Collie breed has that giving the eye or staring down trick they use on sheep and cattle to bring them into line. Many dogs will not get in your face and stare right at you; it is generally a threatening or challenging gesture to them. She will; you definitely have to be in charge with the BCs! She knows she cannot get me into or out of any herd LOL.

Still, there is a connection between them for all they are vastly different. Yes, they are both "my" dogs, "the red dogs", but it goes beyond that. Some people have mistakenly thought he was her puppy when we are out walking but that is impossible. Not only are they totally different breeds but she is about four now and he is at least eight! They really do not look alike except for the color. Right now he is almost more blond, faded by the sun on the outer layers of his coat.

Yet too many times to be chance, I have found them both on the bed with their four legs in exactly the same pose or a mirror reverse of each other. Not always of course, but often enough that it was not just a fluke! I even took pictures a time or two without waking them. BTW the tan is a dust cover sheet I use to protect my good quilts! They do get grassy and dusty outdoors.

So when they are napping after dinner and I am on the computer like now, I let my sleeping dogs lie and cherish the sweet peace about them, the contentment they are clearly feeling. They are safe, secure and at home, trusting that no one will harm or bother them here. In their time, they watch over me, too. One or both usually curl close against my back at night so that subconsciously I know I am not alone. After many years with a partner, being alone in bed is an empty feeling. No, I am not talking about sex here or even love, really but just the sense of another living soul nearby, the warmth and companionship. It's a precious thing that my sleeping dogs give me... I wish all who love canines much the same gentle pleasure.

Too soon for spring

We've had some awesome weather for several days (78 yesterday and 77 today by my thermometer!). They predict a short chill for the next two days and then more of the same. I am afraid the trees will come out too soon--I actually saw a peach tree in a sheltered area in full bloom today!--and we'll get a frost in a few weeks that will wipe out the fruit and maybe put the other trees back into a short winter with blackened leaves. On our walks I am seeing a lot of mustard weeds and the familiar green 'doilies' of fillaree, but they usually appear early and are native plants that can handle a moderate frost and not die back. So we'll see...

Anyway, I 'wasted' the last couple of days getting my jewelry shop tidied up. I first dealt with the big batch of sewing stuff, fabric and trim that I acquired from the stash my gentleman friend's late wife had left when she passed three years ago. It was a bit of a mess, stored in an old mobile, pretty dusty and a few mouse nests. I washed almost all of it, some fifteen loads or so in my washing machine! There was also some beads and other odds and ends and a lot of little storage cabinets with drawers--I'd dumped the non-sewing part in the garage/workshop to deal with later. Later just came. A corner of that facility is mine for my beads, rocks and such. It's almost back in working order after two busy days. Maybe I should have been writing but...just not in the mood!

We are to have a couple of chillier days now so maybe I can finish some indoor chores like rearranging my room, "the Red Dog room", which is about a third done. I moved the computer and its peripheral stuff first. There are limited options as the space (roughly 10 x 13 feet) is packed very full and I have to leave room for Ginger and Rojito to move around and get on the bed. So we'll see. I also have three quilt faces done and am working on the back sides. All my quilts can be used with either face out; its just a quirk of mine. There will be photos in time!

And, last but not least, the Yukon Quest started on Saturday. While not as well known as the Iditarod, it's one big and tough race. Several experienced mushers have scratched before the half-way mark as it has been bitter cold--until today I do not think the temperature got above about -20 and the ice is brutal. Anyway I am following that on the race website and the site of my favorite mushers, Aliy Zirkle and her hubby, Allen Moore. I met them in August and several of their great dogs so have a very personal connection now for the "Red Team" (Aliy's) and the "Black Team" (Allen's.) Aliy ran the YQ300 (the main race is 1000 miles) and placed second behind another fine lady musher, Michelle Phillips, who lives in Yukon Territory. Michelle will be featured in my future book too! So I am busy.

I got some good news today that the new drops prescribed by my eye doctor are starting to work and maybe my extremely dry eyes that have bothered me seriously for about five years now, will be much improved.  In just three weeks there is some improvement and since they work to restart idle tear ducts, it takes some time. I'll go back in ninety days for another follow-up.

Pictures next time, I promise. Not sure of what but pictures I'm kind of like Alice in Wonderland in the theory that books with no pictures are not very inspiring!!

I'm still here!

Gosh this month has gone by in a blur. I came down with this weird cold/flu/ virus bug right after Christmas and have just been running on three of four cylinders--or maybe five of eight at best--most of the time since then. I'm really not "sick" anymore but still cough some and sniffle and snuffle and am just constantly tired. A little bit of activity and I feel like I have run behind my dog sled all day!

The weather has been uneven--nice and mild and bright for a few days and then chilly, gray and damp for a few. I don't think that is helping. Today it was in the upper 60s here with lots of sun and light breeze only. The official high was 66 but I suspect it was a tad warmer here. And tomorrow is to be a clone of today. Then clouds Thursday and maybe rain by evening.

I know; I have not got a flipping thing to whine about when I look at the rest of the country with the freezing rain, heaps of snow, bitter cold and ice everywhere. And I don't whine--much. Then, in Fairbanks, AK today it was -30 in the middle of the afternoon--which is about sundown at the present time, but still should be about the warmest part of the day. That is close to 100 degrees below nice, LOL, but the dogs don't mind and folks dress and prepare for that up there. You learn how to live with it.

The Yukon Quest, the 'other' 1000 mile race, begins in just a bit over a week on February 7. This year, odd numbered, it goes from White Horse, Yukon (Canada) to Fairbanks. Lots of preparation underway at this point and I'd somehow cope with the cold if I could be there. Maybe next year. For now I just have to live it all vicariously.

I'm still here, anyway, puttering around with some sewing and craft projects and going through a huge pile of fabric and notions and craft stuff that my gentleman friend's late wife left behind. It has been three years since she passed away and he is ready to color it gone. I do not feel odd about inheriting it and am sharing with my brother's lady friend and putting some on Free Cycle, too. That is semi-brain dead kind of work I seem to be capable of right now! Also have three lap robe sized quilt faces done and am about ready to tackle the other sides. They are all kind of Celtic themes and in time I will post pictures!

But many word-type projects are perking along in the back of my mind and I will get to them when the time is right. One day I will wake up with the urge and the words will just pour out as if I am taking dictation. Sometimes I think I am although I have no idea where the stuff comes from!

In closing, just for laughs, here are a few photos of me as a tough little tomboy a very long time ago. She is still in there somewhere and peeks out from behind my eyes every now and then. You've seen the saying: inside every old person is a young person screaming, "What the heck happened?"  Not that I am old yet...

Happy 2015

Well, I hope so anyway!

I am first and foremost glad the holiday season is behind us for another year. The main highlight was some nice notes and cards from beloved folks I seldom or never get to see anymore. Anymore I just do not enjoy the festivities lately. I think for a long time I told myself I "should" and did my best to put up a good facade and finally that is just too darn much work! When you are older and no kids to do for and such it is just a disruption in the peaceful daily routine that feels like a bad detour instead of a fun time. So call me Scrooge if you want to.

It does not help to catch a version of the Alamo-land bug swarm--a kind of smush-up of virus/cold/flu with all the icky miserable symptoms that such things usually have. The fact the weather is bouncing all over does not help. One day it is sixty-plus and you can sit out soaking up sunshine and the next it is maybe forty-five and not a spot of sunshine to be seen plus a sharp NW wind that makes the wind chill feel about frosty. Yes, I know it is not nice to whine and by Alaska and Yukon standards this is balmy but when you feel lousy and expect the sunny south-land to be just that...! Enough already--whine over.

We're looking ahead into the new year and trying to make some plans. Right now it does not look feasible for me to get up to Alaska for the big races this time. I am disappointed but knew all along it was a long shot. Maybe next time. I still do plan to get up in the fall for the start of the training season and meanwhile will follow the progress and accomplishments of several favorite mushers. Right now it is iffy weather in Alaska too with bitter cold around Fairbanks and some snow but very little farther south. Many are still training with ATVs as there is nothing to run a sled on unless they trek up around Denali.

So I am slowly doing my start-of-the-year sort, organize and get rid of binge. Somehow that seems to help me get the ole brain in gear and begin to lay out various goals and projects. I have several fiction efforts in the preliminary stages, some new sewing and craft work, and further effort to seek some funding aid for the Alaska visits. Many grants and such are worked on a calendar year basis so an early entry stands the best chance. It is a long shot for my project but I have to try. Meanwhile a few holiday donations direct to me have built up the savings account a bit beyond what my Go Fund Me page reflects. Thank all for that!

Also keeping a toe in the door on many dog issues. I see a lot of stuff on line; 'they' seem to get your interests down pretty fast! I have two dear friends who lost canine companions not too long ago and my heart went out to them. One has already got a new boy in her home--I am so happy for both Julie and Rocco! He is another blind older Blue Heeler and the Powers-That-Be in charge of such knew they could rescue each other and made it happen. My other friend is not ready yet but I think the year will bring a new special little buddy to her as well. Julie feels her canine angels work the Man Upstairs to get the right one to her so I pray this will work for SE too--her little guy will know when and where and nose those gates to move as they should! Doggie Deity, do your thing!

When I had to let Belle go in October 2012 I thought it would be longer but within less than two months Ginger crossed my path. I've had her for two years now and cannot visualize life without her. She is aggravating at times and has all the Border Collie traits of fierce intelligence, persistence, insistence and high energy but she gets me up every day and keeps me on my toes. If I need anything, that's it! Right now she is asleep behind me, saving energy for whatever barkable truck may soon come by or other matter that needs her attention. She sleeps on my bed, close when it is chilly and she and Wee Rojito jockey for the best post--right up against Mom, often as close to the pillows as I will allow!
Here they are, when they have the bed to themselves before I crawl in! Note how their legs are positioned nearly identically! They have this sync between them, as different as they are. Isn't that precious?