Finding a Different Rhythm at 6790' MuRefuge

Shasta remembers the lushness of the vegetation at MuRefuge . . . .

and the field to the South of MuRefuge teeming with wildlife
like this doe and her two fawns . . . .

Shasta recently shared through an amazing interspecies communicator that she "REALLY, REALLY, REALLY misses her old territory," aka MuRefuge. 

her big brother, Sage . . . . 

and her duck flock which is now divided into
2 flocks, the older ducks remaining at MuRefuge
and the younger 4 now live a bit to the North
with Sage.

She also shared that the air in Santa Fe is "zingy," "it's harder to breathe," and the "land feels different." All of this is true for all three of us as we deal with the altitude, which is considerably higher than MuRefuge. 

Here at 6790' MuRefuge we all are in the process of finding a different rhythm drawing from the ancient energy stored here in the mountainous soil and surroundings. The vegetation is different, the dryness in the air is different AND the people are different . . . more open and accepting of diversity.

For me the human connection, which has been difficult for me since my childhood move (the Summer after fourth grade) from Corwith to Shenandoah, Iowa, is a new and exhilarating experience  I guarded my heart thinking that was protective and here I realize the folly of that stance. The only downside I note is when I am planting in the front yard people come by and want to make a connection with a chat, thus the planting takes much longer than at MuRefuge.

So I can empathize with Shasta. She wants to BE back in rural residential MuRefuge rather than here in an urban environment where her job of guarding her territory is so much harder with the flood of people and their energy, dogs walking by and/or barking and all the noise from the traffic, not to mention the coyote that boldly trots down the street.

"We advocate takin it easy,

but always being on guard, alert to opportunity. 

 We encourage clever wisdom -- seeing the little things

that hold everything together. 

We have finely tuned senses and enjoy using them.

If you come to work with us, this level one:

learning to fine tune your sensing apparatus.

We like to work with humans who know how to laugh

and have a good time.

But we are not lazy. We love to explore and learn new things.

With an open mind,

you can see what's really present

and sniff out openings for fun and learning.

That's the Coyote way of life?

from Animal Teachings: 

Enhancing Our Lives Through the Wisdom of Animals

by Dawn Brunch

illustrations by Ola Liola

With the frustration of relocation half way across the country, Shasta has become very aggressive with other dogs. To let her know that she is safe and that we are leaders of her pack so she does not have to be, we now use a "gentle leader" when walking her. And I have created a "magic potion" just for her so she has the opportunity to be fully present here at 6790' MuRefuge.

Here she is in the Santa Fe River, no water, with the mountains in the background.

To offer her a connection with "wildlife," we walk most mornings to
Frenchy's Field which use to be a dairy farm. Now this park is for all, two leggeds and four leggeds alike, to enjoy.

Shasta on high alert for prairie dogs and rabbits, too.

It is not surprising that Shasta is unclear about her "job" with our house's location in Santa Fe.

San Felipe Circle runs along the front of our property joining
San Ildefonso Road which becomes San Felipe Avenue
and runs along the side of our property.
As we don't yet have window coverings in our home
headlights at night shine right into our living room
where Shasta can see out the window barking!

'Tis a gift to be simple,

'Tis a gift to be free

'Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be.

And when we find ourselves in the place, just right

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."

Shaker hymn

As we all find a different rhythm at 6790' MuRefuge, aka "the place just right," we

ReRooting: A Process

Snow, rain and hail, wind and pleasant weather seems to be Spring here in Santa Fe, New Mexico/Land of Enchantment. With the elevation above 6790' Spring is slowly arriving. The city has an abundance of flowering trees now sporting their blossoms. This is a stunning contrast to the deciduous trees with bare branches remaining.

Recently we enjoyed an excursion up into the mountains through Chimayo 

El Santuario de Chimayo;
19th century adobe shrine that now draws tens of
thousands of pilgrims during Holy Week.
Quite an amazing place to walk about,
which we did, feeling the love throughout the grounds and church.
For those of you that have visited the missions in
California, this is, to me, the most similar to the San Luis Rey mission
located outside Carlsbad, California.

and onto Truchas which in Spanish means "trout" and is mostly an artists' community 

where we visited Tooley's Trees owned by Margaret and Gordon Tooley.

There we purchased and brought back fruit trees to commence our "food forest" in our walled backyard (typical here in the Stamm developments of the 1950's):

Esopus Spitzenburg

Available as one year whip for Spring 2018

Thomas Jefferson’s favorite; dessert apple for connoisseurs. Medium to large, round conical, orangeish fruit with tough skin, russet dots and inconspicuous stripes. Crisp, fine grained, spicy, juicy, yellowish flesh. Rich, aromatic flavor. Ripens unevenly; hangs well into November. Average to good when tree ripe; radically improves in storage. Keeps until May. Tends to bear biennially. Pollinator required. Susceptible to fireblight, scab and canker. Hardy to Zone 4. Requires 800 chilling hours. Originated in Esopus, NY. Introduced in 1790.

Westfield Seek No Further

Available as one year whip for Spring 2018. Excellent for eating fresh and drying. Flavor intensifies as it dries. Fruit is streaked with red and russet over yellowish background. Crisp, juicy, high quality flesh. Rich, mild, pleasantly aromatic, mildly subacid, distinctive flavor. Beach rates Westfield as very good to best, a rare distinction in his Apples of New York. Average keeper. Medium to large tree. Flourishes in well-drained, gravelly or loamy soil. Ripens during October. Hardy to -50 F. with occasional winter injury. Originated in Westfield, Massachusetts. Introduced in 1790.

Hargrande Apricot 

RS- Myro.
Very large fruit, up to 2.5 inches diameter. Dull orange skin with a speckled blush. Firm, smooth, orange, freestone flesh. Good texture and flavor. Suitable for fresh market or processing. Productive, cold hardy tree. Tolerant to brown rot, bacterial spot and perennial canker. Ripens in late July. Zones 5-8. Developed at the Harrow Research Station, Canada, 1980.

Harogem Apricot 

RS- Myro.
Small to medium, glossy, orange fruit with a bright red blush. Very firm, orange, freestone flesh with good texture and flavor. Excellent for fresh market. Upright tree. Consistently productive. Resistant to perennial canker and brown rot. Moderately susceptible to bacterial spot. Ripens in early August. Cold hardy. Zones 4-8. Developed at the Harrow Research Station, Canada, 1979.

Chokecherry

Prunus Virginiana
20'-30', Zone 2. Small suckering tree or large shrub with oval crown. Flowers are white 3”-6” long racemes. The fruit is red, ripening to dark purple. The fruits can be used for making jams, jellies, sauces and wines. Good screening and wildlife habitat plant.

American Plum

Prunus Americana

10'-25', Zone 3. Small graceful tree or shrub. Beautiful fall color. Fragrant, white flowers bloom profusely. 1” red and yellow fruit. Excellent food for wildlife. Good for jams and jellies. Drought tolerant, and not soil specific. Excellent pollenizer. Good choice for screening and wildlife habitat.

These above descriptions are from Tooley's Trees website.

Tooley's Trees on our back cement patio, aka portal, in Santa Fe await their forever home at 6790' MuRefuge's coming soon "Food Forest."

Both of the apricot trees that had tight blossom buds in Truchas have now burst into full flower with the warmer days here in Santa Fe.

"Contemplate in the morning

Pull weeds in the afternoon

The joys and labor of a single day

Are a part of a whole journey."

365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao

As we pull weeds or whatever activity(ies) we engage in to care for Mother Earth, may we