Summer's Here

I was just outside watering the garden and wondering where I put the parts for the outdoor shower we rigged up last year. It's 6PM and still over 90 degrees in the sun. What I like about living in New Mexico is that as soon as the sun goes down behind the hill the temperature will drop dramatically. All the animals are lounging around the house and yard waiting for that cooling.

The garden is just beginning to sprout. If we can keep up with the watering and weeding we should have a good crop. There have been years when that was not possible. If we don't get a good rain now and then the ground gets too hard and no amount of watering can get through to the roots. But for now I am hopeful because every type of seed we put in has into sprouted at least one or two plants. Time will tell.

Artists(?) at Work

My fountain is finally finished. I bought it home from the studio on Thursday and set it up this morning. I think it's the best work I've done in pottery. Thanks to Kris for all her help and guidance (and sharing the frustration of getting it to work!).

On my way to the studio on Thursday, I stopped at the mailbox and found a package from my nephew Tim and his girlfriend Leah. Leah is a glass artist and had emailed me a few days before to say that Tim had been in her studio the night before and had made something for me. Here is my surprise:

It's about 3-1/2" by 9-1/2" and hangs beautifully in my kitchen window.
(If you want to see more beautiful glass art, check out Leah's website at leahglass(dot)com)

A Hint of Spring

The daffodils made their appearance last weekend. The rodents around here eat crocus bulbs as fast as I plant them, so the daffodils are the first hint we have that spring will indeed be coming. For your viewing pleasure.....

And after the three inches of snow knocked them down, I picked them and put them in this lovely crystal vase.

Because I said I'd try....

Here is the video I shot at the Obama rally on Feb. 1. He's made some progress in the ensuing weeks, hasn't he? For the record, and without apologizing for New Mexico's abysmal political machine, the voting here was very close. Hillary came out ahead by only 1700 votes, which gave her 14 delegates to Barack's 12. Who knows what the totals might have been if all the other candidates were not still on the ballot?

On the technical side, I converted the video from QuickTime to mpeg and it went from 75MB to 4MB, allowing me to upload in a reasonable amount of time. As for the video quality, I think I've figured out how to change the brightness settings on the camera so future videos should be better. However, none of the programs I currently have would edit this clip for brightness. I know, "get a MAC". Someday.......

It’s Not About Politics

I grew up in the 60’s, in Southern California. I clearly remember the 1960 Presidential election campaign. At first I was confused- Eisenhower was the President and always had been. Then I learned about Roosevelt and Truman and all the others and began to understand the process.

My parents were Republicans but taught their children to think for themselves. Mr. Kennedy was getting lots of attention and I liked what he had to say. The other guy, Mr. Nixon, was a local whose family owned a car dealership, and even then I knew not to trust a used car dealer.

In summer school we had a mock election and Kennedy won. One of the boys was a Nixon supporter and said, “The girls just voted for Kennedy because he’s cute!” It was my first moment of feminist outrage and I knew I was a liberal for life.

Fast forward to 2000. I thought I understood the electoral process, and all I could say was “How did that happen??” When it happened again in 2004, I wondered where our country was going and why had everyone given up their right to vote? I wasn’t excited about the Democratic candidates, but at least they were better than the status quo. And I voted! I still have my doubts about whether my vote was actually counted, but that’s a different rant.

Now it’s 2008 and we are in the midst of an historic election campaign. Not only do we have candidates with progressive ideals and ideas, but a woman and a Black man seem to be at the top of the heap! What has made the difference? I think it’s mostly the grassroots efforts of thousands of people reasserting their rights to speak out, to participate and to vote.

My previous post, which you’ll see below this one, looks like a political endorsement. But to me, it’s not really about politics.

It’s about history.

How I Spent My Friday Night

I waited 2-1/2 hours in the cold and wind to attend a political rally for Barack Obama. I was still somewhat undecided last week, but was leaning toward John Edwards. He dropped out, of course, so I had to make my choice. Then Obama's camp announced he would be in Santa Fe for a rally and I thought "I have to go see this history in the making!"

It was well worth the wait. He is an amazingly charismatic man and you can't help but believe he means every word. The comparisons to Kennedy are not unfounded. I don't know if he has the management skills needed to run the country, but who does when they are first elected? He seems to have the vision to move forward and help us survive and heal.

I actually voted by absentee ballot for him before I knew he would be here because the ballot had to mailed by the 28th and I have to work on the 5th. (And Edwards was out). I don't regret that decision.

P.S.
I tried to add a video of part of Obama's speech, but Blogger would not cooperate in that endeavor. I'll try again another time, perhaps with a faster web connection.

Knee Surgery, Round 4

Meet Amy, my 10 year old Border Collie. She's not very happy today. Border Collies are really only happy when they are running. As you can see, running is not an option for her today. She had surgery yesterday for a torn knee ligament. She's supposed to walk on a leash for the next two months. She hates that idea....

You may think knee surgery is unusual for a dog, but not so for my dogs. Amy is the third dog I've had that has suffered this fate. When I picked Amy up at the Vet's office today, the vet started her post-op instructions with "You know the drill..."

In case you are wondering about the title of this post, I should say that I spent two months this summer caring for my neighbor after her knee surgery. My knees are just fine , thank you.