First Day of Spring

March 21st, 1. day of Spring in the City Different in the Land of Enchantment

After one more thunder, hail and snow storm when winter asserted itself for the last time for this season.

Another deposit of several inches of very dry snow that easily blew or melted off the surfaces the very next day, our 1. day of Spring. Yes, we have the potential of snow, ice and frost way in to the month of May. But at least from now on it will no longer stick to create havoc with traveling conditions.

Notice how the Pueblo style architecture melds in to the landscape and creates a rather pleasant meeting of nature with culture.

Quintessential Santa Fe

On the first day of Spring, the day after my neighbor's Aspen tree buds burst open and we all then had to deal with an assault of thunder, hail and another snow storm that delivered again inches of very dry snow, I felt blessed to take our evening walk under a blue and sunny sky on roads that had mostly dried by the end of our first day of Spring. Heading back home this is what we encountered:

I was enchanted by this quintessential Santa Fe look: The magic golden light just before the sun sets with the very long shadows. An almost deserted plaza even on a Saturday evening offering plenty of space even downtown. And a Mariachi band that played with gusto and skill so that even I could enjoy this style of entertainment. I felt delighted to be in the right place at the right time where the eyes and ears got their due.

Notice the light off the buttons on the musicians costumes, such a feast for the eyes with the Governor's Palace making a perfect background.

They say now happiness is contagious and so is misery. Experiencing this scene made me feel delighted, despite having had to go out and walk the dogs in still frigid air. The charms are many in the Land of Enchantment or - Entrapment.

2 years prior:



Can you see the growth over the last 2 years?

Light Reflected

3 Years with Sumo

Sumo a Yorkie/Poodle/Maltese when he still sported a professionally groomed look, 3 years ago today, on his first visit with us and one week before he joined our pack for good. He felt uncertain as it was time to go to sleep in a new place, but on his bed - not mine!

Schnuegge (cute guy) on his first afternoon hanging out in our yard with bones he tackled with vigor, perseverance and single-minded focus. He was then still our neighbor's dog and Schnuegge was my term of endearment before I settled on his most appropriate name, Sumo. A name, I recently discovered to my great surprise, shared with former french president Chirac's 'vicious' Maltese. (After biting the president 3 times that Sumo was abandoned to a farm.) My Sumo is not vicious, but vigorous, be it in tackling bones or wrestling with Isabella almost 3 times his size.

Sumo at the dog park, rebuffed, unable to comprehend why I would not want his muddy paws on me.

Sumo not so long ago at the dog park after an extensive trim by me that brings out his contours nicely in the light of the setting sun.

Lunar Ebb and Flow

I remember how excited I was when I noticed this one branch set on fire by the setting sun.

And I remember how disappointed I was when I discovered the splotches from a dirty lens.

For 11 months I did not look at this image again - until yesterday when I reminded myself that the road to hell is plastered with good intentions.

Imperfection may just have to be good enough. So here I post this lovely image tarnished by a few splotches despite, or because of it all.

Much-Macho Lover-Boy

While a little bit of tail has never hurt anyone,



our Lover-Boy can be a tormentor and bit mucho much in his insistence on attention, love and affection.

My Mucho-Macho Lover-Boy

Pretty Kitty stays slim and trim by scaling our 7 feet fence to escape and to exercise his freedom to torment our new neighbor's cat.

2 Year Anniversary

2 years ago exactly our Pretty Kitty, Mucho-Macho-Lover-Boy, Saemi, formerly San, joined our pack, I thought temporarily, but we were able to keep this charmer, luck bringer and mice-dispeller.

His responsiveness impressed and endeared me to him right away. One shush, and he would stop nibbling on a plant, or get off where he wasn't welcome.

Here I am in search of catness, this mysterious quality of cat, that is so different from dogs. This kitty is street smart and seemingly unafraid. He will approach any dog when he deems the time right.

Our Lover-Boy has now finagled for 2 years, trying to get up close to cuddle with Sumo. His desire is so intense and his approach so devious, as he inches his way closer.

These are my pups on their first encounter with a cat in our home. Isabella's quizzical look is priceless and so very familiar. She never been close to a cat before while Sumo had lived with one prior. His tendency is to start licking and cleaning himself just like a cat.

Thankfully we never had a fight. In the beginning I was concerned about the sudden swipes coming from the Pretty Kitty, just as they were getting more comfortable with him. Now I understand this was his way of demanding respect and attention which he gets now from both. My Isabella-girl I think is really impressed with his ability to scale the fence. This must have contributed in great parts to his current good looks and loss of weight.

I never imagined sharing my tiny home, with three furry ones, much less sleeping with them on a narrow single bed, which now I really enjoy! I can feel the benefits of snuggling up to other mammals. I bet my heart opens, my blood pressure lowers and I can attest to the improvement of my mood in general. I even fidget less.

We are very lucky to count our black cat as part of our pack!

Happy Valentine's Day!

May advances from or to you be more welcome
then between my cat and dog.



May you weather the inevitable storms.



And may you continue to play together,
as those may more likely stay together.

I made a point to grab a chance and meet this colorful character and his service dog when I spotted them hanging out on the plaza. Only days earlier our dogs had barked ferociously at each other, and I deem it important to teach my pups good manners. It helps to go towards what we fear, I think in general. I practice this more with my pups then myself I must admit. So this is how I started to learn that about Ray Masterson, a Vietnam vet and his certified assistance dog Yukon.

Yukon came to him after his prior service dog had died, so he had to train this fourth service dog from scratch, not easy. But Yukon learned to help him negotiate their blind corners from the back of their bike, they were such a sight together, here at the Fiesta 08 Parade, bicycling for peace. When I met them they had been together already 10 years.

Today I learned that Yukon, now 14 years old, lives retired at Melon Ranch with three other female dogs, but not before he trained the next service dog. Ray found him like all the ones prior at a shelter and only 2 years old, the puppy in him still visible. Ray looks very pleased with his new companion, somehow I was not in the frame of mind to take their image even though my Olympus was in my pocket and they looked handsome together, for once on foot.

His yellow bike got replaced with a new Schwinn that has given him nothing but problems, so he said today. But then walking is not the worst when the roads still are littered with icy patches. I am glad our streets are filled with colorful characters like Ray and his service dogs.

Sumo the trooper, my canine version of Super Hero

ferocious Sumo in action

I am getting much mileage out of my extended flickr toys, here with "focal zoom."

Man in Nature

I was out hunting for fall images and rather annoyed at people obstructing my view, until this man passed me by, I am a slow walker, especially up hill. I noticed how he blended in to the environment and realized a person might actually enhance my image.

But what happened to the singing? We always sang when out in the woods. My mom sang riding her bike, she never realized how far her voice actually carried, but when I hum to myself I get weird looks from strangers. I miss singing, casually, for the sheer fun of it. So looking at this image I find myself humming a song about a father, a wanderer and blood ties.

"Mein Vater war ein Wandersman und mir steckts auch im Blut, drum wandr ich froh, so lang ich kann und schwenke meinen Hut. Falleri, fallera, falleri, fallera - ha -ha -ha -ha -ha, falleri ..."

Neighbor's Bumper Sticker

It's all about framing

Laughing Buddha holds up under the weight of the world.
Do you believe God gives us only as much as we can bear?

small pleasures

between a rock and a hard place

Large On White

President Obama's State of the Union Address, eloquent as ever, and so darn self-confident, strikes me as covering a lot of ground, yet offering little of the change so many of us desire. Tightening the belt will not mean abandoning armament in Iraq, leading in alternative green energy will not exclude the quest for more unsustainable nuclear power and/or non-existent "clean coal," tax refunds will not make that big a difference to many that seek further education, and health care reform without a public option seems almost, if not entirely meaningless.

Some interesting fact checks can be found here:
www.salon.com/news/state_of_the_union/index.html?story=/n...

View On Black

Interesting though how any one image, any one thing can look so very different from another point of view. Seems to me that the Republicans and Democrats need to put themselves in to one another's shoes, so they can switch their point of view, have a deeper understanding of what is needed and really start working together. We like to vilify the other, but in truth they complement each other and make a larger whole. The search for this larger vision is a noble one, but sure goes against most of our desires to get things done - our way. I applaud President Obama for chastising both parties and encouraging both to work towards common goals and the good for all. Contrary to those that urge President Obama to force policies through and act more tough and angry, I admire, in theory, his principled approach and desire to bring along both parties.

I am afraid though we will not see the changes we so hoped for and were so excited about only 1 year ago. I am afraid Adriana Huffington might be right and we will not see great achievements, but little disappointing bits and pieces that will not add up to a whole lot, certainly not enough for the progressives.

Haiti Horror

January 12, 2010, just before 5 PM one devastating earth quake (7) struck Haiti and 1 week later, January 20. early AM one aftershock (6.1) shook their earth again. Imagine the terror this must cause. There seems to be concern of imminent violence sometimes overriding the giving of urgently needed care such as when Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN) was left alone in a medical tent for one whole night. Can the US be accused of militarizing the relief efforts? I wonder if race and class differences make up, if only a tiny part of the problems of the US relief efforts? 5 planes that carried crucial supplies like an inflatable hospital, for Doctors Without Borders were refused landing. Why aren't they given priority?

Crushed limbs, head trauma and no pain medication! The devastation, pain and terror must seem apocalyptic. Meanwhile for me, and I am sure many, that awful sense of impotent paralysis, wanting to help, but  ...

- back on line - back in business, but still out in space -

Failed State?

First I heard of Iran as "a failed state" now, after a failed attempt at blowing up an airplane over US soil, it is Yemen that is considered "a failed state." What is a failed state? A state in turmoil? A state that failed to embrace and or implement capitalist principles? A state that is not run under the tight-fisted control of a tyrant? A state that does not serve it's people? A state on the seeming verge of disintegration? A state with questionable morals? A state that failed to deliver on it's promises?

It is not Somalia, not Zimbabwe, not North Korea, and certainly not the United States?

We need only one terrorist attack on US soil and the power will be back in the not so capable hands of the Republicans. Meanwhile we have a handsome Dutch hero, but get to see nothing much of him, instead endless speculations from little information, yet. I want to celebrate the guy that was thinking not just on, but also off his feet. Wow, what chutzpah to tackle that Nigerian wanna be terrorist. And I seem to be wrong as regards my earlier posts. Education makes one not less likely to engage in extremist terrorist activities. So what makes these guys with brains turn to terrorist measures? The jury sure is still out on that one.

More in space then on-line

A change of neighbors brought a dire lack of connectivity. Just a quick few points.

Oprah announced her giving up her show after her 25th season, that is by 9.9.11. I will miss Oprah, 'The Queen of Empathy' and occasional truly insightful interviews. I will never forget the one from prison with Betty, the woman that killed her x-husband and his new girlfriend when she intruded in to their bedroom and then claimed her gun got off by itself. I was in awe of Oprah's sensitive inquiries that really gave us a window in to this woman's soul. I became an instant fan and have been so ever since then, the late eighties. To my mind Oprah's interview would stand in stark contrast to Heraldo Rivera's understandable, but unproductive assault on the KKK, a total missed opportunity that offered us no new insights of any kind. Oprah's reporting style enriched my life and my understanding of the world that too often looks weird beyond belief. Oprah is an icon of our times, a woman of my age, a power to be reckoned with that I expect to be relevant still for a long time to come. Really, if her recent interview with Sarah Palin gave her the highest ratings in 2 years, I do not blame her at all for wanting out! The freeing up of her time will allow this outstanding woman to do a lot more good in many new and different ways and I will be eager to learn about such and wish her only the best. She deserves our admiration and best wishes along with the freedom to do as she pleases.

Appalling Palin has been dominating the news. One thing that really bothers me is that the dominant culture does not distinguish between a woman's rights and an infant's need for a mother. Infants need mothers not formula! This has nothing to do with woman's rights. Women have breasts and men do not. Women have held the infant in gestation for 9 months in their bellies, men did not. In an ideal world, mothers breast feed their babies. Sure there are less then ideal circumstances, often they involve money. New mothers may need to provide for their babies, their families. Sure, we adapt, but this does not change the fact that infants need their mothers and suffer given substitutes.

Sarah Palin and daughter both were pregnant and she had no calms to take on a high level job! Obviously this woman is not concerned about the well being of the infants, hers a special-needs child to boot. This bothers me big time. Of course we do not expect the same from fathers, from men. Women's rights should not be about erasing the differences between men and women. Sacrificing all to the altar of achievements and climbing the social ladder is not admirable. What happened to all that we learned, the hard way, in the sixties and seventies in humanistic psychology? All forgotten or discarded? Wake up America!

Sarah Palin moaned about the flak her daughter got during last year's campaign. The criticism of course was never about her teenage pregnant daughter, but about the hypocrisy of a stance for no sex education and the real life hard facts of a pregnant teen. Sarah's phony glossing over such and creating this rosy picture that entailed her teen aged daughter about to marry her teenage, bad-boy infatuation, with this way ward son-in-law to take on a job at the White House, was hard to swallow for any seasoned human being.

Sarah will challenge us to the max in regards to the unification of this great, but deeply divided country, the United States. President Obama was calling on that which unites us, Palin will clarify that which divides us.