Releasing and Embracing

RELEASING: Today, Tuesday, November 07, 2017, Leslie Resnick becomes MuRefuge's steward. Sage and the ducks have relocated about a third of a mile North of MuRefuge where they are integrating into a wonderful space with humans that appreciated their BEingness.

On Tuesday, October 24, we began our transition from Northern California to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We chose to drive through the Sacramento Valley into the mountains, then South on Highway 395 through the Eastern Sierras we love and have frequently visited throughout our lives together.

The predominate Fall color was Arizona ash or "velvet ash"
(Fraxinus  velutina) in Bishop, California.

Mt. Whitney viewed from the Visitor's Center at the first turn off
from Hwy. 395 into Death Valley. We enjoyed a lovely picnic
lunch in the shade of a ubiquitous Chinese elm tree and
carried out business related to the selling of
MuRefuge before continuing onto our next
overnight stop in Barstow, California.

Stopping at this same location in March, 2017, we could
barely push open the car doors and stand. The
wind was fierce and the air filled with alkali
dust from the desiccated Owens Lake.
Mt. Whitney was barely visible. 

Tuckered out travelers from MuRefuge to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

EMBRACING: With the releasing of Sage and the seven female Indian Runner ducks, our pack is markedly smaller. Two two leggeds and one four legged are in Santa Fe, New Mexico residing in a HomeAway house a half a block from the Santa Fe River Trail.

Every morning our diminished in size pack heads for the Frank Ortiz Dog Park. Shasta exuberantly embraces the experience. It is a wonderful sight to see her connect with a welcome playmate: one day a Great Pyrenees, another a sight hound, yet another day a smallish medium sized "New Mexico mutt". Monday when she greeted and played with her special friend, Shanti. She zeroed in on him in September as a special and fun playmate, as the picture below shows!

The vegetation looks different from our September visit since most of the trees have shed their leaves and the native shrubs with their previously glorious yellow flowers are now dried to a stunning pale brown.

Chamisa (Spanish name ) or Rubber rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseous)

The deep, vibrant green color is
Pinon pine ( Pinus edulis)
and Juniper (Juniperus species not identified)

Still a wonderful walk experience with abundant opportunities to connect with both local and transplanted humans who all so love dogs of any sort. All seem to enjoy Shasta, embracing her jumping up on them as not only a natural way of dogs but a a way to connect with her.

During our September Santa Fe exploration we found a house we wanted to make an offer on. The first buyers of MuRefuge did not work out so we were unable to do it then. Once we identified the next MuRefuge steward, we found that the house we wanted to buy was still on the market.

 Pueblo style Stamm home in Casa Alegre.

This house is considerably smaller, a bit over 1400 square feet, on a lot also considerably smaller, about one third of an acre. During the initial phase of online searching for a home in Santa Fe, I was drawn to the Stamm homes because they are a piece of the city's history. During our whirl wind survey of Stamm homes on the market, we found most "upgraded" in a manner we were not comfortable with or in total disrepair. This Stamm home was advertised as "a pristine Stamm . . . located in a superb cul de sac location." We were fortunate enough during our initial viewing to meet the delightful couple who live across the street. They shared that the neighborhood is composed primarily of professionals who are friendly and welcoming of transplants like us.

There is work to be done on the house but the roofers and contractors who have looked at the house with us, assure us it is sound. Our realtor emphasizes the enormous advantage of increased resale value. AND Shasta will have a large "back" yard, and she has already given her stamp of approval on her walkabouts of the property.

For those of you still living in Sonoma County, the property taxes will be about a quarter here in Santa Fe compared to what we paid on MuRefuge. The cost of living was one of the many reasons for our choice to embrace Santa Fe and release MuRefuge.

Hopefully we will enjoy a belated anniversary (which is on Thanksgiving) present with escrow closing on November 27.

Saturday past was the first cloudy day since our arrival.
The Farmers Market has considerably fewer
vendors than when we shopped here in September;
still many choices of seasonal, locally grown organic produce.

New Mexico is touted as the pepper capital. A vast array of peppers, both dried for decorative use and roasted for a tasty addition to any meal, are in evidence throughout the Farmers Market.

To maintain our equilibrium and discharge emotions, during our transition of releasing and embracing, which is fraught with glitches and annoying issues, we