Turning: Day 246 of 366, 2024

Dwight constructed this
structure on which two
vines could climb; also
providing a "gateway" to 
the backyard.

The air is crisp, the sky is clear and the Roger's red grape (Vita californica) vines holds a plethora of clusters of fruit.

These grapes are not to my taste, but I might add that the people who bought our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico ate them with relish.

A stunningly tall sunflower, Hopi Black Dye sunflower (Helianthus annus or Hopi name: Tceq' Qu' Is), to which my introduction came while living in New Mexico. The seeds are saved from year to year to plant as soon as the soil is warmed.

Between the very short wooden fence and the three Deergrass (Muhlenbergi rigens) the sunflowers seeds are planted in four circle of potting soil. Sunflowers do not seem to need enriched soil so the same circles of soil are planted with eight to twelve seeds. The puniest plants are pulled out.

Clearly all of the seeds are not saved for planting the following year. They are fed to birds. There is in the tray hanging in the back yard. Shasta is very adroit at keeping the squirrels from consuming the seeds. 

The Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia) is one of my favorite. It's "common" name is red sunflower. It is native to Mexico and Central America and typically grows 4 to 6 feet tall in on season. Indeed they grew to that height in Santa Fe, New Mexico. However, here in Northern California it usually is 2 to 3 feet.

This one is planted just east of the driveway in the garage and seems to be the most ideal spot since it is nearly two feet tall.The remaining four, planted to the west of the walkway to the front door, are merely a foot tall with nary a flower bud.

One of my favorite shrubs is Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica 'Eve Case'). There are two planted along the backyard east most fence in 2021. 

For the very first time here at PageRefuge a "berry" has appeared on the larger of the two bushes. Excited just cannot nearly describe the feeling when it was first noticed.

As I was sitting in the living room a couple walked along the pavement near the ditch, the male noted that he considered the house attractive (or some such word . . . my memory is NOT what it use to be!). I said "thank you" then had a delightful

Dense

This morning  and the previous several ones I awoke to dense, dense, dense fog. I was so dense that I was certain it had rained. However, when I check the rain gauge no rain was recorded.

When I looked out upon the patio all the indentations of the slate was filled with moisture. It is hard to come to grips that this is all the result of dense fog. 

When Shasta and I have taken our morning walks with this dense fog, all the trees were "dripping", the roadways very wet as was the sidewalks and grasslands we walked past. I have to admit I am not an enthusiast of fog as are many I encounter on our morning walks.

And for those of you who have contacted me about the wood chip pile remaining in the ditch in front of my house, the pile is, as I write this post, being moved by my neighbor to the West. 

 

As I did, when this property had grass in both the front and back yards, I applied for a "lawn rebate" from the city of Cotati. My neighbor did likewise. He has been waiting for  confirmation which just yesterday he received. Thus today he is moving the remainder of the wood chips in the ditch in front of my house. WHEW! Just in time because I got a notice from the City yesterday that if the pile was not removed by noon 12/14/2023 they would do so.

My neighbor's plan is to mulch his yard then plant natives as I have. He and his wife will use my plant list to go shopping at California Flora Nursery.

Now I would like to "give a shout out" for my long time friend's book. It is now available for purchase . . . $12.00 on Amazon. A word of caution: be sure to buy his book on Amazon rather other sites. I found the cost to be $2.00 to $3.00 more on a number of sites that sell books.

EVOLVE: A Modern Wizard's Apprenticeship with Merlin

Rob is such an interesting human BEing. He has cut my hair for eons, except of course when I lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We have such amazing conversations while he is skillfully cutting my hair.

I am hopeful that the sunshine will eventually burn off the fog. It is late morning here in Cotati and dense fog has yet to be dissipated. So I enjoy, as I invite anyone reading this post, to 

Summer to Fall

Fall color on October 26, 2017
in Bishop, California 
which is along the Highway 395 corridor

For me the seasons seem to be zipping by more quickly all of the time*. It seems to me I was just starting seeds in my mini greenhouse. Now I am pulling out spent plants and depositing them in the green bin for pick up.

*Early in my nursing career 

                                                      when I would visit my parents 

                      on their farm South of Shenandoah, Iowa 

Stephen B. Howard

my dear, dear, dear stepfather 

warned me of this. 

  

Hopeful fall will arrive soon
Also the maple tree's colorful leaves

The 2023 autumn equinox here in the northern hemisphere occurs on September 23 "officially" at 06:50. Many of my local friends are commenting that day light is arriving later in mornings. Since I am an early riser I for sure notice this shift.

Fall color along the Santa Fe River Trail
featuring the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
in the background

Frenchy's Field was a short walk from Santa Fe 1950's Stamm home. Then another brief walk through the park to the Santa Fe River Trail. Shasta and I did this almost every morning then frequently repeated it with Dwight when he was up and ready to begin his day. On many occasions we walked in the dry river bed rather than on the concrete sidewalk where Shasta could run off leash. Of course if a coyote was spotted we'd keep her on lease, otherwise she would be off chasing the interesting looking BEing.

The Japanese maple tree on the West side of my front yard still remains clothed in bright green leaves. The breath taking vibrant color of the turning leaves has yet to occur. I notice other local maple tree leaves are still green as well. On a recent weekend PBS Newshour I heard a clear explanation of why leaves on trees change color. As usual I found the scientist's clear explanation helpful in understanding why all the local tree's leaves mostly remain green.

Hopefully fall with cooler temperatures will arrive 
so the maple tree in my front yard
will display colorful leaves like in this picture.

Cathie and Rose
November 18, 2009
in Bridgeport, California

Dwight and I along with our dog or dogs often spent a month over Thanksgiving in the Mono Lake area. We usually stayed at the Walker River Lodge in the ground floor "apartment" where the view out the kitchen window is the Walker River. The surrounding scenery is spectacular in the fall with the air both crisp and clean. We noticed the air since we were living south of Sebastopol where the air quality was often compromised ie full of smog.

Dwight and Rose with 
the Sawtooth Mountains in the background.
We were on a few mile walk along 
the road up to Twin Lakes.

Snow always remains on the highest tops of the Sawtooth Mountains. And fisher people were often seen along the shores of Twin Lakes  reeling in trout when we would drive up there to walk. On Bridgeport's Main Street we would see the trout frozen in Ken's Sporting Goods cases that sit out in front of their establishment.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend so much time in the most beautiful area in the world. Also grateful to be able share the time with my husband, such an exceptional BEing, Dwight J. Sims. 

"As we attune to rhythm and flow of the seasons" (Jo Poore) may we all celebrate with a hardy

Rocks

Within the circles of our lives

we dance the circles of the years,

the circle of the seasons

within the circles of the years,

the cycles of the moon

within the circles of season,

the circles of our reasons

within the cycles of the moon.

Again, again we come and go,

changed, changing Hands

join, unjoin in love and fear,

grief and joy. The circles turn,

each giving into each, into all

Only music keeps us here.

each by all the others held

In the hold of hands and eyes

we turn in pairs, that joining

joining each to all again.

And then we turn aside, alone,

out of the sunlight gone

into the darker circles of return.

WENDELL BERRY

In the tradition of my mother I collect rocks. These rocks come from places I visit or in the case of Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I lived for a short while . . . something like an extended vacation of 4 1/2 years. I have no idea why rocks draw me other than I watched my mother pick up rocks from various places. She took them home with her, often in her suitcase. Her rock pile grew, grew and grew. I often wonder what happened to that huge pile of rocks?

This rock came from Butterfly Beach
in Santa Barbara, California.
A man in Sonoma County 
cut the enneagram symbol.

The pebbles that created the "walkways" in
the backyard of the home Dwight and I
bought in Santa Fe, I raked from the entire
backyard. The bigger rocks lining this 
walkway came from the Santa Fe 
River. The river was without most of the
year so finding just the right rocks was
easy. Bringing them to the backyard
was done by loading them in the car trunk.

Tufted evening primrose in bloom
in front of a water catchment
filled with rocks that were on
the property. 
It grows throughout the West
in sunny, dry, infertile, rocky,
well-drained soils.
Apparently before San Felipe
Circle was built and filled
with Stamm homes, the area
was covered with this lovely plant
that is larva food 
for hawk moths.

This stunning heart shaped rock
came from the Santa River bed.
Dwight carried it home to me
for an anniversary present.

Another water catchment,
beneath a rain spout
in the back of the house,
is filled with rocks
that were on the property.

The rain chain was Christmas gift that Dwight bought me from a nursery in Santa Fe not far from our Stamm home. It now hangs above the green flat bowl that Dwight created. It is pictured below filled with rocks I found in the dirt here in Cotati as I established my native plant garden.

The view of the Santa Fe house from the middle
of the street. Waving around the entire front
and side yards are rocks
that were already on the property.

The rockslide to the West of Mono Lake
is where the below rock was found.
It now sits on my back patio in Cotati.

This is a collection of heart shaped rocks 
from various places visited.
They are on a narrow shelf
beneath the bureau mirror in my bedroom.

I love collecting rocks as you can attest from viewing this blog post. Truly I am my mother's daughter as I follow in her footsteps of her love of rock collecting.

This day is gloomy with intermittent rain. Rain has been falling off and on now for a week with more predicted this upcoming week. The reservoirs state wide are filling which is excellent since many have not been full for some while. May each of us, in spite of whatever kind of weather is happening wherever we are, 

Autumnal/Fall Equinox, 2021

O sacred season of Autumn, be my teacher,

for I wish to learn the virtue of contentment.

            As I gaze upon your full colored beauty, 

                    I sense all about you

an at homeness with your amber riches.

You are the season of retirement, 

of full barns and harvested fields.

The cycle of growth has ceased,

and the busy work of giving life

is now completed.

I sense in you no regrets:

you've lived a full life.

I live in a society that is ever restless,

always eager for more mountains to climb,

seeking happiness through more and more possessions.

As a child of my culture,

I am seldom truly at peace with what I have.

Teach me to take stock of what I have given and received,

may I know that it's enough,

that my striving can cease

in the abundance of God's grace.

May I know the contentment

that allows the totality of my energies

to come to full flower.

May I know that like you I am rich beyond measure.

As you, O Autumn, take pleasure in your great bounty,

let me also take delight

in the abundance of the simple things in life

which are the true source of joy.

With the golden glow of peaceful contentment

may I truly appreciate this autumn day.

                                      EDWARD HAYS                                  

My friend DeAnne just a few
days ago shared this picture 
of newly purchased ristras
hanging in her back patio.
She says they are exordinarily heavy
this year given the abundance
of rain during the recent monsoon season
with the most monsoon rainfall since 2014.

Oh my gosh, where have these first nine months of 2021 gone? I have a fleeting remembrance of Christmas. Was that really almost 10 months ago? Really? It seems to me we were just making the decision to sell our 1950's Stamm home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, yet here we are settled into our 1950's cottage in Cotati, California. All this has taken place amidst the pandemic. 

And now the Autumnal Equinox is just around the corner. September 22 at 12:21 pm PDT is the official arrival of Autumn. This is a time of equal balance of light and dark on planet Earth. Based on the astronomical definition of seasons, the Autumnal Equinox marks the first day of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere.   However, according to the meteorological definition of the season which is based on temperature cycles and the Gregorian calendar, the first day of Fall is actually September first.

Dwight donated his Mu sculpture that he
created to sit in front of our Sebastopol MuRefuge home
to the Upaya Zen Center before we moved from Santa Fe.
It now sits atop the mountain
of the Prajna Mountain Forest Refuge
which was been created for deep longterm retreat.
In the above picture Joan Halifax
and her 4 legged companion, Jaya (Victory).

The two above pictures are more chili ristras hangings at DeAnne's home in Santa Fe. Everyone in Santa Fe seem to hang these lovely traditional, and so Santa Fe, decorations on their porches, door and gates as DeAnne has done. Thank you!!! DeAnne for sharing these pictures with me.

I fondly remember our wonderful but brief time in stunningly beautiful New Mexico and the exceptionally welcoming neighbors upon our moving into our Stamm home. One neighbor who lives in the home in which she was raised says this particular neighborhood is "the BEST in Santa Fe". To discharge the incredible sadness of no longer living in Santa Fe, I have a good belly

The Magical Holidays in Santa Fe

Several years ago in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle we read an article about Christmas in Santa Fe. I have always loved luminarias, since introduced to them when I lived in El Paso, Texas. In the back of my mind I kept the thought to visit this city at that time of the year. A roadtrip in December can be fraught with weather issues. We decided to proceed anyway. The weather was not an issue except on the Eastern side of Echo Summit in the Sierras.

If anyone wants to experience this magical time of the year in Santa Fe without taking a roadtrip, I would recommend Susan Topp Weber's book Christmas in Santa Fe: lovely pictures depict all the area's happenings and history as well, from Thanksgiving well into January. Since we were there only for the Winter Solstice, Dwight's birthday and Christmas, we missed many events and celebrations. We did enjoy, actually over the top enjoyed, the time we were there. Susan has a charming little shop just steps from the downtown plaza, next door to The Shed, where we enjoyed a taste of the local cuisine.

Casita Alegria was home for 8 nights and located in the San Mateo section of
Santa Fe, New Mexico. The back yard was fenced to Shasta's delight.
And just outside the huge East facing window in the living room
were filled bird feeders. There were many LBBs we could not identify
but we did identify Mountain Chickadees and Black Throated Sparrows,
both additions to our bird list. The location was great and walking
in the neighborhood excellent since there were many unpaved streets
 and an abundance of wildlife.

Coyote in the fresh snow that fell during the night after Christmas.
His partner has already disappeared into the yard he is facing.

LA MONTANIA FOOD CO-OP

The first full day in Santa Fe we just settled and checked out the immediate area. We found a wonderful co-op to buy most all we needed to stock our kitchen for a week or so. The employees went out of their way to be helpful in every respect. There was even a small gathering of employees who serenaded while you shopped. Across the street was a great bike/walking trail along a creek. 

Besides this excellent co-op, there are two Whole Foods in Santa Fe with her population of almost 68,000.

Panoramic view of Santa Fe from the trail mentioned below.

On the DorothyStewart Trail near St. John's College and not far from Museum Hill.
The weather was brisk and very windy at times. I was happy to have my parka!
Some illustrous Santa Fe residents have gotten permission from many
individuals to use their easements for public hiking trail. We took a
number of hikes in different parts of the outlying areas of Santa Fe.

MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE

Sculpture on the plaza between the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
and the Museum of International Folk Art.

The Museum Hill Cafe came highly recommended from a number of different individuals so we decided to partake of their Sunday brunch. We were not disappointed and they lived up to their ad.

Welcome

Fresh and bursting with flavor is what Museum Hill Cafe has to offer. Serving the Santa Fe area, we provide great tasting food that's prepared fresh with the highest quality of ingredients. Treat yourself today with a meal from our delicious menu. At Museum Hill Cafe you are sure to enjoy the great atmosphere, friendly service, and affordable prices.

Take your taste buds on an unforgettable journey at Museum Hill Cafe.

In the museum's Roland Sculpture Garden was the exhibit Courage and Compassion: Native Women Sculpting Women. Since it was in the garden, we were able to take pictures.

Sculpture by Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo)
Inside of the museum no pictures were allowed.
The sculpture on loan to the museum of Roxanne's
piece depicting the creation story of her pueblo
gave me shivery chills it was so powerful.
Her pieces are massive so standing in front of
it was just so awesome!

Sculpture by Estella Loretto (Jemez Pueblo)
She also has a piece in front of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
It is a bronze statue of St. Keri, the recently canonized first Native American saint.
The link above provides some pictures of it: a most beatific statue.

Inside we also took in the exhibit, Turquoise, Water, Sky: the Stone and its Meaning.

This extraordinary exhibit showcased 'the museum's extensive collection of Southwestern turquoise jewelry" and examined "all aspects of the stone including geology, mining, authenticity and value." It seemed only fitting this exhibit was in Santa Fe since the earliest turquoise mining took place in the tenth century A.D. about 25 miles south of Santa Fe.

This link to the Arizona Turquoise Mines reveals much about the turquoise used by the Native Peoples in their jewelry.

TOWER GALLERY

I highly recommend checking out this link to experience the
Tower Gallery,

The Black Mesa  is a spiritual place for the local Native Peoples
 and is most impressive to view from many directions.

The Sangre de Cristo ("blood of Christ") Mountains, with snow atop, in the distance 

PUYE CLIFF DWELLINGS

Cathie and Elijah Naranjo-Smith, who was our Santa Clara Pueblo guide,
climbing down from the mesa through what use to be an ancient water conduit.
He mentioned, with much humility and humbleness, he was a potter.
Well, when we returned home and could check out his work (see below)
we were blown away with his talent. He is Roxanne Swentzell's first cousin
so like she, comes from a long line of artists.

Redware pottery bowl

Polished brown jar with sgrffito
butterfly and arrow design

In addition to our excersion to the Santa Clara Pueblo's land, for Dwight's birthday in the evening, we went to hear N. Scott Momaday speak. At the Hotel Santa Fe, the only hotel in the city owned by the native peoples, each Monday evening there is a gathering of Santa Feans to hear a speaker. We were so fortunate to "be in the right place, at the right time" to hear this wonderful man tell stories. I have read all of his books and enjoyed them all. When we came out of the hotel, a light snow was falling. The glow of electric lumarias, the outline of the impressive adobe building and the falling snow . . . magical!

GEORGIA O'KEEFE MUSEUM

Portrait of the artist

New Mexico landscape

Gerald's Tree

PALACE OF THE GOVERNORS

This National Historic Landmark represents Spain's deep roots in American soil. Its thick adobe walls are topped by massive timbers, a hallmark of what came to be "Santa Fe style." "The Palace is an iconic part of downtown Santa Fe."  It is here along the promenade during the day that artists and craftspeople bring their creations to sell. The space is limited so their is a daily lottery for space. To stroll along looking at one display after another of the what these individuals make was a delight. 

Each artist was proud to show you his or hers initials on each piece. A card was included with each purchase as well.

The necklace's artist is Ronnie Auilar (Santa Domingo Pueblo)
The studs are by Carol Calabaza (Santa Domingo Pueblo)
The earrings were purchased in Kayenta at the local Arts and Crafts Store.

Lloyd Garcia (Santa Domingo Pueblo)
created these "apple coral" earrings.

Teri Cajero, a fifth generation potter of the Jemez Pueblo.
I love her work in unusual designs, many with hearts
which is a draw for me.

EL MESON

Christmas Eve we had a celebratory dinner at the highly recommended downtown eatery (#12 of 473 restaurants). Each dish (tapas) was melt in your mouth delish! If you ever are in Santa Fe and want the ultimate culinary experience, don't miss El Meson.

CANYON ROAD

This is the place to be on Christmas Eve in Santa Fe. The road is lined with over 300 galleries and on this evening the area is lined with "faralitos" (in the rest of the Southwest they are called luminarias) and other magical Christmas lights. There are bonfires to gather around to warm oneself. Thousands of people turn out to walk up and down the road, signing carols or just ooh and ah-ing over the magic of the lights.

SANTA CLARA PUEBLO

On Christmas day we drove to the Santa Clara Pueblo to observe their dance which is performed after mass. The Matachines Dance, which was done at many of the other Pueblos as well, takes many hours of practice in their kiva to perfect the footwork, so we were told by Elijah who is a dancer at this pueblo.

No pictures are allow, in fact if a camera or mobile phone is sighted during the dancing, the device will be confiscated and not returned.

The dancing was spectacular to watch. We felt honored to be able to see the Matachines Dance in person.

It snowed the night of Christmas. When we took our walk, you can see our footprints in the
photo above, it was so quiet and lovely. It snowed off and all day but we ventured out
in Stella who negotiated the hilly streets with ease. We had some trepidation
about our roadtrip and Winter driving since our 4 wheel drive Subaru
was no longer with us. Stella did great in the snow! No problems!

MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART

The end to the posts of our roadtrip pictures, so feel free to