SUENOSDEUOMI'S RUMINATIONS

Guitar Player In Disguise

Jim had stopped playing the fiddle

only 11 years old.

His interest in the fiddle got renewed only recently.

Now he cherishes a change from playing the guitar.

I cherish anyone eager to learn and to better themselves,

and able to surprise us,

especially at a certain age.

I consider Jim Santa Fe's best street musician

with the soul of a true artist.

Girl Plays Deep Blue Guitar

A Singer/Songwriter

the girl sings hauntingly beautiful songs

this evening

on the Santa Fe plaza.

A tune beyond us as we are,
Yet nothing changed by the blue guitar;

Ourselves in the tune as if in space,
Yet nothing changed, except the place

Of things as they are and only the place
As you play them, on the blue guitar,

Placed, so, beyond the compass of change,
Perceived in a final atmosphere;

For a moment final, in the way
The thinking of art seems final when

The thinking of god is smoky dew.
The tune is space. The blue guitar

Becomes the place of things as they are,
A composing of senses of the guitar.

-- The Man with the Blue Guitar, Wallace Stevens

Contributed by cunningba on flickr

Norwegian Style Protest

"A sky full of stars, blue sea as far as you can see

An earth where flowers grow, can you wish for more?

Together shall we live, every sister, brother

Young children of the rainbow, a fertile land."

"They gathered by the tens of thousands in the drenching rain to face down terrorism with song. They rallied against far-right fanatic Anders Behring Breivik, now on trial for a bomb-and-shooting rampage that killed 77 people. They sang a Norwegian version of a Pete Seeger tune that the confessed mass killer claims has been used to brainwash the country's youth into supporting immigration. Defiant singalongs of "Children of the Rainbow" were staged in Oslo and other major Norwegian cities, even as the ninth day of the trial went on with survivors of Breivik's attacks giving tearful testimony. In downtown Oslo alone, about 40,000 people raised their voices as Norwegian artist Lillebjoern Nilsen played the song, a Norwegian version of Seeger's "My Rainbow Race."

Appeal to Asma

Please watch then sign the petition and pass it on!

Those atrocities have to stop!

I say NO SEX for war mongers!

Women have power and can use it for good.
This is an appeal to Asthma,
the wife of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

A Peek On Peaks

Before moving on to brighter and more spectacular signs of Spring, waiting in the wings, yesterday's shot taken standing up on a raised flower bed, during a moment when rays of sunlight managed to escape from inbetween dark banks of clouds on the western horizon to light the again snow covered Sangre de Christo mountain peaks on the eastern horizon at sunset. Snow flurries again during the day, light frost at night after temperatures had climbed up in to the seventies and the Lilacs have it in mind to finally open up and blossom. Darn, it was cold, bare footed in sandals winter coat quickly thrown over.

On another note, I won! I placed my first winning bet ever on e-bay last night, a month after I signed on and had scoured the offerings, compared products and prices (in my affordable kinda range) and kept on obsessing and dreaming on. I won by 6 cents, cleverly posting an uneven dollar amount less then half a minute before the bidding would end! I hope there will be no unpleasant surprises. I do not like to participate in money transactions on-line, so this is truly a first for me. In about a week I hope to be able to post images with this new for me, but older, used camera, a Panasonic DMC FX-35 which comes with a lot of zoom, 18x, and features more pixels, 12.1 then my current Nikon D40, 6. Of course my lust for new gadgets has only increased in my last month of studying mainly unavailable to my current budget options.

I made up a wish list that includes a Panasonic DMC GF-1 because of the interchangeable lens option and it's compact system, that make it a good choice for street and low light photography. The Panasonic DMC ZS10 might be a good small, older and therefor more affordable pocket camera to have on hand. I still believe the Olympus C-8080 to be a good quality camera, even if outdated and likely requiring technical skills way over the top of my head. I hope my Nikon D40 will be worth the money to refurbish, it sure has given me a lot of pleasure and bang for the bucks, for now more then 5 years. A Nikon D90 with a self-cleaning lens system would be great as we do have a lot of dust here in the Southwest. But for now I will be very happy if the up and coming Panasonic will work to my satisfaction.

In Our Element

Sumo is in his element out and about hunting.

Isabella is in her element out and about relating.

I am in my element searching for beauty in daily life.

Wabi Sabi

Before a continued focus on Spring's

more flamboyant manifestations,

I like to honor the more quiet, more subtle beauty of nature,

Wabi Sabi.

Flawed Beauty

Imperfection

Impermanence

In the study of Wabi Sabi

we learn to find the most simple manifestations

interesting, fascinating and beautiful.

We learn to recognize beauty in simplicity,
authenticity and transience.

Nothing is lasting.
Nothing gets finished.
Nothing is perfect.

The aging process when not avoided
teaches us deeper truths about life.

That which arises came from what had been before.
Let's honor all seasons, Spring and Fall,
young and old
and appreciate each innate authentic being
for it's light and it's shadow.

Spring Has Sprung

Unpretentious Beauty

In search of Spring, I found remnants of seasons past.

Dried up, wrinkled and frail, yet still able to charm

- way too easily overlooked.

Snow In Spring

Spring Today

Snow Tomorrow

Overheard

"I can't deal with people in an eddy" she exclaimed with surprising vehemence while in conversation, seated outside the coffee shop, both eyes shut close and tight, one hand extended so as to keep it at bay. No attention payed to the pretty Doodle that stayed in a polite down along side her, while he really wanted to meet and greet the new arrivals.

Cozy

Cuddled up on our sofa turned in to a bed, still not quiet big enough for the four of us. Sumo's butt pressed up against the small of my back. The kitty draped across my arm languidly, Saemi's heat warms my heart. The weight of Isabella's chin on my chest, deep brown eyes look up at me. For a moment I feel it, the rightness of things. For a moment I can smile and exhale, life is good.

Comings And Goings

Picked a stage and waited:

- Moms pass with kids in contraptions, one pushes a stroller with two up front, the other rides a bike with cargo in back. I prefer a level playing field.

- Black woman in knee high, gray leather boots, too tight woolen dress and a kind of afro hair-do wears glasses.

- Two little girls in red bows and striped attire, both, watch the train arrive, then hop back in to their SUV.

- Guy reading and walking big brown dog with tail curled on up high.

- Black guy texting with one hand, swinging his cheap, cloth shoulder bag in other hand as he walks by leisurely.

- Older guy on bike, in green helmet, takes photo of train by phone.

- One guy in dark glasses follows tiny, skinny kid, no longer a toddler, dressed in blue. They cross the tracks and head toward the coffee shop.

- Couple approaches, walking hand in hand. I am jealous, always loved holding hands. They smile and look therefore less ordinary.

- Church bells ring.

With my dogs, Isabella-girl, who no longer walked very far and Sumo-boy, who was stymied by our slow pace, I sat and watched the comings and goings in my 'hood. Without camera, I simply took notes.

Boys And Bikes

I lied

I focused some more on the action in and around the portal of the Palace of the Governor. I just love the drama of the light and shadows, enhanced by the action of the people coming and going.

Once some of the native artisans have left,

space then opens to serve as a stage for the actors,

the people, to come and go.

Diversity is the name of the game in our City Different.

In Disguise

Out on errands with pups, in disguise, she wore her green, down to the ankles 'Earth Mama' frock, bare feet in lilac plastic Crocs, fuzzy unshaven legs exposed, on a frigid first day of Spring that must have held a wind chill factor down in the low thirty degrees. She did remember a time, decades ago, at work, when she was voted best dressed.

Spring

Late Luscious Light 3.21.12

Vendors

At the end of yet another day.

Native American artisans in their traditional area

under the portal of the Palace of the Governor

in Santa Fe, New Mexico

The City Different in the Land of Enchantment.

This concludes a series of photos focused on people, light and shadows.

Back to Scenes Seen from the Plaza

City Different Crime - A Reality

In the picturesque City Different

with a population of 67,947 (2010 census count)

the following crimes got reported during March 1.-14.

(a period of icy, cold and stormy weather

numbers may climb considerably in warmer temperatures.

-Total number of crimes; 1,221

-Average number of crimes per day: 87.21

-Average number of crimes per day that pertain to traffic, including the most common DWI: 42

-Average number of traffic citations per day: 36.93

-Total number of DWIs: 12

-Average number of alcohol-related incidents per day: 3.57

-Number of drug reports: 16

-Number of sexual offense reports: 0

-Number of thefts:17

-Average number of thefts per day: 8.14

-Percentage of total crimes that are thefts: 42

-My 'hood has is one with a higher percentage of theft.

-Number of burglaries: 60

-Average number of burglaries per day: 4.29

-Number of burglaries in my 'hood: 1

(Likely low due to the cold weather of late!)

Approximate number of police officers: 150

These numbers were published in today's weekly paper The Reporter and follow two homicides only this month in easy walking distance from my home, likely both related to burglaries.

2 a.m. today, before retiring, I left a comment under an article in our daily news in regard to a man held since the weekend for cruelty to an animal. Only 30 miles up north a guy made a sport of hunting down a puppy on purpose. It had escaped out in to street and while his own dog was running lose up the block to their home, he veered toward the puppy and killed it and later admitted he had attempted the same several times before. I suggest the guy be prosecuted to the full extend with service to the community performed at the local animal shelter under supervision, as far as I a am concerned for the rest of his natural life. Included ought to be aggression management counseling, that ought to probably be mandatory also for the rest of his natural life (well we can always wish.) We all know that aggression toward animals lowers the threshold toward violence against people.

Furthermore, 80% did not vote in our recent city elections (I am part of the twenty that did vote.)

So there you have it, some reality that goes along with picturesque photos of an artsy, trendy, culturally diverse and interesting, quaint, little town, that struggles with poverty, addiction, high drop out quotas, under-performing schools and lack of jobs. Despite a minimum wage above $10 (since this year, one of the highest in the US) it still makes it impossible to rent, much less own a home in downtown, so workers tend to live miles away outside of town, which includes a large part of our service men in the police force.