Happy Halloween!

Cloud Pictures for Skywatch Friday

Most days, it feels like Clovis, New Mexico doesn't have a lot of scenery down here on the ground. But the sky--now that's another story. One afternoon while driving home I saw so many cloud pictures that I wanted to stop the car right there in the road.

I must tell you that another thing Clovis, New Mexico doesn't have a lot of is traffic, so I probably could have stopped the car. However, I continued driving for the remaining two minutes of my "commute" and dashed into the house (do arthritic people dash? It's an interesting visual, I know) to grab the camera and capture these pictures before the clouds moved too much.

My retired life out here on the High Plains is just chock full of these stressful situations.

Here is what I saw. If you click on the photos for details, I am sure you will see the very same things as I did:

A big jet, coming in for a landing

A fat-cheeked baby chick and a mustachioed walrus

A boomerang approaching from the left

A Douglas Dolphin WWII transport plane, also known as a C-21 or C-26

(I needed a little help on this one)

and a fancy bulgy-eyed goldfish!

For cloud pictures from around the planet, be sure to visit Skywatch Friday.

Bragging Time: Grandchildren!

My daughter-in-law, Aimée, put together this slide show. Click on "View All Images" to see the show and read her captions.

What We Do With Grief

I believe that whenever we are confronted by a sudden death and the grief that follows, we re-live all the other deaths we have encountered. It works that way for me--in the middle of the disbelief, I take out memories of all the other losses that have happened before.

And then, of course, we take a good hard look at our own mortality.

Hopefully, the next step is to find something constructive to do with our sadness; some way to turn great loss into something positive.

***

When my friends' house caught on fire, so many things went wrong:

First of all, there were no smoke detectors in the home. If there had been, the story might have had a different ending.

The fire may have started by a small kitchen appliance, left on or plugged in right below the bedrooms.

The bedrooms were upstairs, as is often the case in a two-story home. But Bill was elderly, ill with Alzheimer's, and easily confused. It would have been very hard to get him out quickly.

The emergency dispatcher received a 911 "hang up" call. Not knowing the nature of the emergency, the police went to the house, discovered the fire, and called for the fire department to respond.

The policeman tried to get inside to the occupants but, once inside the house, found his way blocked by too much furniture that was in the way.

Although the house was located less than 50 feet from the fire department, the town has an all volunteer department. Those volunteers were at the fire in an amazing seven minutes. Bear in mind, they had to get the call at home on a Sunday night, get dressed, get down to the station, get into their gear, and get the equipment across the street. A seven minute response time is even more amazing when you consider the logistics.

***

Ironically, October is Fire Safety Month.

Here are some things you can do right now to keep your family safe. Do them in memory of Jane and Bill and Copper:

Check your smoke detectors. Make sure they have fresh batteries and are fully functional. Buy a smoke detector for someone you know who doesn't have one, and install it for them if they are unable to do so themselves.

Have an evacuation plan and a place for family members to meet outside the home. Practice by having drills.

Make sure that you always have two ways out in case of an emergency, and make sure that those passage ways are clear of any clutter.

Consider moving elderly or frail family members to a bedroom on the ground floor.

Unplug kitchen appliances when they are not in use.

***

Of course, there is a lot more information available about fire safety in your home. Here are some resources that will get you started:

National Fire Protection Association Safety Information

For teachers: ABC Teach Fire Safety Month

Home Safety Council Fire Prevention Tips

Please pass this message on to everyone you know.

Jane and Bill and Copper

The last red maple leaves on an almost bare branch

Are startling against the black and charred house wall

I want to take you with me and fly away above the flowering flames

I want you to tell me it was just a bad dream

I want you to tell me that it didn’t hurt at all

My friends and their dog died in this house fire a couple of days ago.

Time has frozen since then, jarred into stillness by disbelief and horror.

Words and pictures that I want to deny run through my head like a wailing musical score, playing behind the common events of everyday life.

"That Orbed Maiden" for Skywatch Friday

Click on the photo for a better view

... That orbed maiden with white fire laden, whom mortals call the Moon...

~The Cloud by Percy Bysshe Shelley

For day skies and night skies from all over the world, be sure to visit Skywatch Friday.

The Clouds Sail in Like Crystal Ships; Monsoon Weather for Skywatch Friday

According to the National Weather Service: A monsoon is generally defined as a seasonal variation of wind, cloud cover and precipitation that is controlled by the annual cycle of the sun. In climates that are strongly influenced by monsoons, most of the annual precipitation is received during the monsoon season. Portions of the southwest United States, including New Mexico, are influenced by the North American Monsoon System (NAMS), which is also referred to as the Southwest Monsoon. Many locations in New Mexico receive 40 to 50 percent of the annual precipitation during the period from July 1 through August 31 and much, but not all, of the summer rainfall can be attributed to the Southwest Monsoon.

I'm a little late with my monsoon cloud photos, but these are pretty much what we see in the afternoons in eastern New Mexico during the monsoon season (even though these photos were taken in September). Our mornings often bring us clear blue skies, but once we pass noon, the crystal ships come sailing in from the south and the west.

Umbrella man come

Quick, quick, quick,

The monsoon rain is here.

The rain is finally here.

~Lisa, Newcastle Community High School

Dust Storms and Global Warming for Blog Action Day

We have recently seen some dramatic photos of the great dust storm that swept across Australia on September 23rd. Naturally, we wonder if such storms are related to climate change and global warming. I thought that I would look around the Internet to see what scientists were saying.

A Reuters news article shortly after the storm indicated: Weather scientists are reluctant to directly link climate change with extreme weather events such as storms and droughts, saying these fluctuate according to atmospheric conditions, but green groups link the two in their calls for action to fight climate change.

For a debate on whether the storm was a symptom of "anthropogenic global warming," see the New York Times article, Australia's Dust Bowl and Global Warming.

October winds in Clovis, New Mexico

Another New York Times article, Climate change, water shortages conspire to create 21st century Dust Bowl, hypothesizes that dust storms, which have doubled over the last six years, cause early snowmelt followed by water shortages.

On the other hand, an article in The Observer suggests that, although dust storms may spread deadly bacteria across the globe, the storms, in a yet little-understood fashion, may help mitigate the effects of global warming.

And an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, which contains video and photos of the storm, also asks the question if we can be sure that the dust storm they experienced can be blamed on global warning.

Dust Storm in the 1930s, Colorado: The Library of Congress Archives

For blog posts on Climate Change from all over the world, please check out the Blog Action Day site.

Spooky Tales from New Hampshire and New Mexico

Reading Judy's blog post the other morning--Do You Believe in Things That Go Bump in the Night?--I realized that quite a few spooky tales have appeared right here on The Zees. Since the October chill is in the air and we are all drawing a little closer to our fireplaces in the evening, what better time is there to remind you of these ghostly stories?

They start out with the strange happenings in our old Colonial home in New Hampshire, and continue out west with us to New Mexico, where the wide open expanses and lonely dark roads give rise to the spookiest tales of all--the skinwalker stories of the Navajos.

Creepy back hall in the 1770 house

From The House on High Street; Living in an Antique Colonial:

Meeting the Laundry Ghost

Bumps in the Night

Skinwalker Tales:

Skinwalker Tales: Introduction, definition, and the story of the newspaper delivery woman

Skinwalker Tales, Part 2: Anglo encounters with skinwalkers

Skinwalker Tales, Part 3: A shapeshifter dog, a dog snatched up by a skinwalker, and a shapeshifter in the bathtub

Skinwalker Tales, Part 4: The strange creature on the cliff

Skinwalker Tales, Part 5: Living with a Navajo witch

Skinwalker Tales, Part 6: Chased by a skinwalker on the way home from a party (ever notice how many skinwalker sightings happen on the way home from a party?)

Skinwalker Tales, Part 7: Tales from the City-Data New Mexico Forum

So Why DO We Live in New Mexico?

Last week, my post called What We Tell the Tourists brought this response from JC:

My question is .. why did you move to New Mexico ?

I've been there 3 times. Always while driving to see Carlsbad Caverns .. nice to visit but I wouldn't want to stay.

Do you live in a big city ? I've heard that some of them are nice.

Inquiring ... people who have driven thru .. minds .. want to know?

I promised to write a post about why we chose to live here, but I had to think about it for a bit. First of all, to clear up a couple of JC's specific points:

My favorite part of the state is the northern half, so I understand JC's thoughts about the southeastern part where Carlsbad Caverns are located. I wouldn't want to live there either.

I live in a small city of about 32,000 in eastern New Mexico ("Little Texas") on the High Plains. It is way too conservative here for us and we have plans to move closer to Santa Fe.

For the rest of the reasons why we chose New Mexico (or why it chose us), here are my answers.

We came for:

The scenery and open spaces

The incredible skies and weather

The different cultures--ancient and not-so-ancient

The adobe (and faux adobe) architecture

The folk art

Virgin Mary, by David Martinez

The amazing wildlife

... and the food, starting with green chiles

Put all of these things together and add the indefinable "enchantment of New Mexico" with a bit of "mañana" attitude, lack of traffic, sunny days, and I think you'll start to get the picture. At least I hope so, but if you have more questions, please ask away.

The Seasons as a Metaphor

gather up

those vivid colors

into your eye and heart

because

you know

the black and white season

is fast approaching

Arrow to the Sky for Skywatch Friday

Summer sky; Estancia, New Mexico

For skies from all seasons, be sure to visit Skywatch Friday.

Crazy Ladies

There is so much good in a garden, if you don't count what happened to Adam and Eve. ~Michael Lee West; Crazy Ladies

The air is full of strange light, like a photograph negative. ~Michael Lee West; Crazy Ladies

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I began reading Crazy Ladies--perhaps a comic romp through a Southern town? There was that quote on the cover, however, that indicated that the book was, among other things, "puzzling."

Indeed.

The characters were wonderfully drawn, all three generations of them. I wanted more, and was happy to discover that there is another book about these women (Mad Girls in Love), with all their "grace and outrageous flair." (Shelfari).

I love Southern literature--everyone is just a little (or a lot) off. From Bailey White to Fannie Flagg to James Lee Burke--I just can't get enough of those Southern authors.

A question to you: Do you have a favorite Southern author or a particular book that you can recommend?

Bertie Says: No!

If there were Terrible Twos around, he couldn’t see them. Later that night, wearing his pajamas with teddy bears, after his light was out, he peeked out from under the covers to see if the Terrible Twos were out there. They sounded scary. They weren’t anywhere around, and he was quite certain his mother had been wrong. But he put his pillow over his head, just in case.

~Lois Lowry: All About Sam

Lately, our little Bertie Pierre has been experiencing the Terrible Twos. Now, I know this must be confusing for you, as I was just recently telling you about Bertie's adolescent behavior, and now we're back to the Terrible Twos. What can I say? Life with a small chihuahua boy runs the gamut of emotions as we swing madly from one developmental stage to another, and then back again.

Bertie shows his emotional immaturity just as a two year old does--He says NO. Sometimes he says NO NO NO, in no uncertain terms. He does this by running as far from the authority figure as he can get, rolling over on his back, and covering his eyes. He figures if he can't see you, you will just go away. Let me show you what I mean...

Bertie, it's time to go outside for a little bathroom break!

Bertie says NO!

Bertie, do you know who might have unrolled the toilet paper and dragged it all over the living room?

Bertie says NO!

Bertie, have you and Gracie been playing Knitting Lessons again with my yarn?

Bertie says NO!

Bertie, would you know anything about this little wet spot on the carpet?

Bertie says NO NO NO!

*****

Be sure to see the Complete Adventures of Bertie Pierre

What We Tell the Tourists

You cahn't get theyah from heeah [You can't get there from here].

~What they tell the tourists in Maine

Here in New Mexico there are a number of ways to tell the tourists from the folks who have been here a while. Let me say right now that although I am not counted as a tourist, having lived here for several years, there is no way that any real New Mexican would mistake me for anything other than what I am--a displaced and sometimes confused Yankee person.

They laugh at the way I pronounce place names--Cochiti and Pecos, for example. They snort at my still-nervous questions about snakes. Much of the time when I talk with someone I've just met they have a certain bemused expression on their faces, until they finally just go ahead and bust out with it: I knowed you was a Yankee! (Remember, we live in eastern New Mexico, hence the cowboy patois, or lingo, as they say here).

I have to tell you that I am starting to catch on to certain ways that the people here seek to entrap unwary tourists. Take for example this passage in a National Geographic story about the Pecos River (The Pecos, River of Hard-Won Dreams, Sept. 1993), wherein a native New Mexican is talking to the young female non-New Mexican author of the article:

"It's going to be a snake summer," says Gloria Quintana.

"How do you know?" I ask edgily. Five brands of rattlesnake call the Pecos home.

"Wet year."

"I'll get a pair of snakeproof boots," I offer.

She looks at me with pity.

"Won't help. They aim high."

When I first read this article, I still lived back in New Hampshire. I wondered if I would have to wear something like hip-waders to protect me from the snakes when we moved to New Mexico.

Now that I have lived here some, I find this passage absolutely hysterical. Oh, that Gloria Quintana, what a card! She was having a good time, with her poker face, filling that young girl from away (as we Yankees say) with such fear.

Umm, wasn't she? I'm still not entirely certain.

Here's another example. In one of the tourist guidebooks to New Mexico that we bought by mail to pass the time while still in New Hampshire, we read all about restaurant etiquette:

If you walk into a Santa Fe restaurant and order a dish such as enchiladas, the waitperson will automatically ask you, "Want that red or green?" "Red" refers to red chile, "green" to green chile. Everybody knows this language, so the sooner you learn it the better.... If you can't make up your mind, just ask for "Christmas," and you'll get both. (Frommer's Irreverant Guide, Santa Fe, 1996).

Hahahaha, as my young Facebook friends would say. They just put that Christmas bit in there to catch the tourists, for sure. Any time you find yourself in a Santa Fe restaurant, just watch the action. The waitperson will certainly ask the red or green question, and then everything will get kind of quiet and diners at the surrounding tables will sort of lean in the direction of the tourists, just waiting, waiting... And then they hear it, from those sunburned folks wearing their brand new howling coyote neckerchiefs. Doing their very best to fit in, they triumphantly and proudly announce in loud eastern voices: "Christmas!" Diners all around the room try to smother their snorts of laughter as they turn away. And the entertainment continues...

I wouldn't tell you this if it hadn't happened to us. We did so much preparation, so much homework before coming to this new land of ours. We so wanted to be in the know. It was only recently that I read a discussion on the New Mexico Forum of the City-Data website, titled Have You Ever Said "Christmas" When Referring to NM Chile?, and the awful truth started to sink in.

Fooled again by that stuff they tell the tourists.

Oh, sí, we get these little fellas all the time