The Sandia Mountain Range

Here is the beautiful Sandia range. They change color with the weather, time of day and time of year. Powerful, peaceful, awesome. This is our neighborhood and Nikita our Siberian is in the foreground.

Holiday Over, snow gone - for now.............

Here's a little friend that was cold and hungry that came to dine over the holiday due to snow. He's a "Flicker" woodpecker.

He/she, was gorgeous and quite a character! He climbed up and down the trunk of the tree, climbing all over the bell made of suet and bird seed - and all over the bird seed house that you can't see which is located to the left. The seasons really bring to mind that change truly is a constant, and that no matter what we do, or how much we'd like things to stay the same - or - leave our mark on the the earth somehow - it just may not be. Mother nature does what she wants!

The Sandia's, the mountain range right behind our home, are of granite and are spectacular. They are just under 11,000 feet and are planted or driven into the ground 6 miles deep! The granite is so heavy that it actually sinks the mountains. It is said that if they were all above ground, they'd rival Mt. Everest. On a fault block rift, they are one of 5 of its' kind in the world. This whole alluvial valley called Albuquerque, was once ocean. There are all kinds of ancient marine fossils that are lodged in the Sandia's. The ocean level has risen and fallen a great many times over millions of years here, leaving the topography extremely powerful and mystical.

Who knew? We're just blessed to have the beautiful mountain range in our backyard...........

Thanksgiving upon us.

Thanksgiving is upon us and friends and relatives are here, with more coming our way. The dust is falling heavily upon all of the plant life here in the desert and what was previously rich and green, is drying and preparing for winter, and sowing her seeds. The night skies are luminous and clear, begging investigation. It's the time of year to give thanks and dig deeper into ours souls to exude the riches that we've gathered throughout the year.

I am learning about the cycles of the desert and appreciating what each one holds. It has a "come hither" temptuous call, yet, it takes tremendous fortitude to live here as it can be extremely inhospitable. Kind of like the " I love you, go away..." approach to life. I watch the lizards, birds and bugs and see that they take whatever, however they can. They burrow into anything and everything for shelter from both the heat and the chill - this includes my outdoor hacienda table, swinging bench and whatever trash has flown out of the garbage can during a strong wind.

I put a little bench out by my fire pit in the backyard a few days ago and within 24 hours, critters had claimed it as their own. Little blue lizards scattered & scampered as I lifted the the plank to check for spiders, as to not receive any "unexpected visitors" in my drawers while meditating the day, in front of my pit!

I am truly thankful for our home, the lessons and the incredible, open, open space.

Susan's Wildish Whims: Sometimes.........

Susan's Wildish Whims: Sometimes.........

Sometimes.........

Sometimes, as my sister so delicately reminds me, "you have to just shut up and do it!"

In other words, just get out of the fear and procrastination, and let the art be art - whatever it is, let it come into being. Thanks Willer!