I was excited to see a review of Coyote Smart on Melayne Marchese’s blog, “Wearing Pearls in Kindergarten“. You might remember that I met her through Twitter and we happened to be in Ruidoso, New Mexico at the same time. We met at the Starbucks for a mini book signing right after Keeping Faith was published. She is a kindergarten teacher in Austin, Texas. In the picture is her aunt Linda, me and Melayne. Here is an excerpt from her review, but I encourage you to go to her very cool blog and read the entire article. [Read more…] about Coyote Smart: Teacher Review
A Week in the Mountains
I’ve spent a week in the mountains, and feel remarkably refreshed and rejuvenated. The cool air and peacefulness of autumn in New Mexico seems to always do that for me. Although I love living at the tip of Texas, I long each year for the change of seasons, which is not noticeable at the coast. [Read more…] about A Week in the Mountains
Ready To Go Home
Who says we don’t have a lot to learn in our old age? In these two winter months I have been in my condo in New Mexico. This Texas flatlander has learned loads about living in the cold, dry mountain air.
Since I am used to the humidity of South Padre Island, my skin has gone into shock!! It is so dry, I itch!! Not a little, casual itch, a major want to scratch off the skin ITCH. A “local” told me to get baby oil, and that was really good advice. It works extremely well, though I must admit I leave the soft fragrance of a fresh, newly diapered baby’s butt everywhere I go.
Maybe that young guy the other night at the casino wasn’t flirting after all; maybe I reminded him of his wife and newborn he had left at home!!
Another factor I have had to get used to, and haven’t quite conquered is the difference in altitude. Although I am much more acclimated now than when I arrived, I still huff and puff a little climbing the hill from the bottom of the condo complex to the top.
Several years ago I went over to play golf at Cloudcroft, about 30 miles away (elevation: 8,700) and I asked the lady in the pro shop if it was okay if we walked, knowing some golf courses require golfers to rent their carts. She looked at me and without smiling said, “If you think you can.”
I hesitated for a second, not understanding and went on my merry way. When I finished the first hole, I totally understood, and when I completed nine holes, I caught a ride with a friend who had opted for a cart and rode back to the clubhouse not sure I was going to live. There is no magic lotion for this problem, except I guess to get fit and in tiptop shape. Oh well, I’m leaving soon, so why start now??
And a couple of other things I now know: ice is really slick and deer in the road don’t really care if your car is bigger than them. Maybe someday I will spend the winter again in the mountains, but not until I get really hot, until my bare feet blister, and until fish walk in front of my car. Until then, I think I will see Santa deliver my toys in his boat, hang icicle lights on my palm trees, and eat fried shrimp on New Year’s. It’s been fun, but I’m ready to go “home.”
Woodpecker Would Not Give It Up
Yesterday morning a woodpecker woke me up pecking on the big cedar tree right outside my condo. It had been a long time since I’ve heard a woodpecker—not many are interested in the palm trees in South Texas. I remember when I was a kid, when we would have a woodpecker in our yard, and we had a lot in the piney woods of East Texas, my dad would say, “the woodpecker pecked on daddy’s leg because daddy had a wooden leg.” Who knows where he got that? Of course, my daddy didn’t have a wooden leg, but he had a lot of funny lines that I fondly remember.
This one woodpecker just wouldn’t give it up, so I finally drug myself out of bed, although I was cold and not really ready to crawl out from under the warm covers. When I looked at the thermometer, I knew why—it was 16 degrees. What is a woodpecker doing out in this weather?? Where is Al Gore these days? I turned on the news, and it is cold everywhere, even in the Deep South. Surprisingly, in South Texas, the forecasters are predicting near freezing temperatures. Crazy. Just think what it would be like if we were not in global warming!!!
Book Signing at Atticus Books
In all the holiday excitement, I almost forgot to share my book signing experience with you. Obviously, I was excited and a little nervous. After all, it’s not every day someone has a book signing. I should not have worried because most of the people there were locals who apparently hang out at Atticus Books and Tea House to drink tea, eat scones and hear the musicians, but it wasn’t a complete bust, and I did finally get to sign.
The musicians were good, the crowd jovial, except for one cranky old woman who said my book was depressing and so was the music!!! She didn’t even read the back of the book, much less the inside, and the music was a wide mixture, including some upbeat Christmas. I was glad when she left, and everyone else probably was too. But before she left, she was bragging about being a Sagittarius who spoke her mind, and then I found out we share the same birthday!!! Urggggggggg!
As you can see from the photo, the place is quaint. The inside is quite Bohemian, with all sorts of “bookish things” one might not find elsewhere—a fun, cozy place for a cold, Saturday afternoon in the mountains.
Bambi Must Love Cold Weather
I am loving the opportunity to spend the holidays in a winter wonderland, but I will be glad in about a month to toss the socks and coats. After all, I’m a beach bum at heart, and all these heavy clothes are becoming a nuisance.
But I am enjoying the change of weather, the smell and sound of crackling fires and beautiful surroundings. And the deer! They are everywhere. They are fun to watch, and many times they are just outside my condo window, fearless in their forging for food. I’m sure that is what happened to my pretty junipers I planted on my last visit. At the house next to the condo, two 8 point bucks hang out most afternoons. At dusk, they rule the streets and yards, and it is “driver beware time.” It’s not uncommon for more than 15 deer to amble across the road right in front of a passing car.
If I were Bambi, I would want to live and grow old here in this protected environment. But Bambi would have to love cold weather! Yikes!
