Desert Magnolia

Yes, green chili roasting is the first hallmark of fall , but the season itself usually takes a month or so to follow suit. Apparently, we're there. This morning's walk was definitely not what it has been in terms of heat. While the average temps have been declining, there was a noticeable ..something as I made my way along the trails. And it was humid, too, which is super rare for here and results from the recent tail end of Hurricane Odile making her way through our fair state. So, before we know it the leaves will change (aspens are already neon yellow up in the northern part of the state, per my husband, who just returned from a backpacking trip), then, one night the temps will drop just far enough to make the trees call it quits for the year, then WHAM!, our silver maple will drop every.single.leaf in one night! No kidding, this tree...just decides when it's time, it's time, and there's a resounding crash as thousands of leaves hit the ground. It may b

Well, I've broken through the 400 barrier of blog posts. When I think about it, I can't imagine having enough ideas - random or organized - to have written 400 missives. In fact, this feels a little, you know, anticlimactic. I mean with all of the big changes in my life, the current state of the world, global warming, the continued fight for equality for all, ebola, a shocking lack of notable miracles of late, and a general malaise of the soul that so many feel right now, breaking through a number seems shallow. On the other hand, life is made up of the small things, the notable moments, the special, serendipitous happenings that color days in beautiful ways and empower frightened people to accomplish Herculean feats. The moment in which we find ourselves is the only moment we are guaranteed, after all. The past, well it's already happened, and the future isn't a given. Little (and not so little) things that make life remarkable and help fill moments with..someth

Getting older has its perks. I am now comfortable enough in my skin to answer questions I used to find incredibly invasive, though I am mature enough to know when NOT to answer them, as well. I no longer feel the need to justify or explain away aspects of myself in mixed company. I am not an  unkind, nasty or evil person, so I know that facets of me that seem quirky or odd are fairly easily explained away by unresolved childhood trauma. I'm still working on stupid stuff/reactions that characterized my life before 30, really, and know that this life is about evolution, not perfection, so whew! There are occasions, though, when maybe I'm a little too comfortable, that maybe I just feel that sharing something under cross examination is for the best. Or maybe I just don't hyper examine every single thought that escapes my face via my lips.... Case in point? Recently a fellow student, someone with whom I have been equally distant (by instinct - there is just something abo

Occasionally, in spite of our advancing years, an opportunity to be a little silly, to let our collective hair down a bit, to just be in the same space with dear friends happens. Tomorrow night, this is the case. Now, for the first time in many years my hair happens to be longer than either of the two women I'm referring to here, because one of them has gone chic short after decades of elegant, long tresses and the other has opted for a medium short, very sassy cut that suits her well and makes her not stress every day, which is saying something. So what I'm saying is my comment about letting hair down is really figurative, not literal. Both of these women have also opted to stop dyeing their hair, which means LV is salt and pepper and gorgeous, and PD is all grey and stunning. I, however, am still waffling and continue to highlight my hair and will until it's really silver instead of in between, I think... Anyway, these women are remarkable. Interestingly enough, we a

I was brought up by hippie intellectuals, or intellectual hippies, I'm not sure what the correct order is for those descriptors.  We had no TV. We had bookshelves full of an astonishing variety of tomes covering topics from anthropology to fine art, science fiction to popular social treatise work. There were no banned areas; if I wanted to read something, I could. Not that there was porn or anything age-sensitive to speak of, but you know what I mean. My parents were about broadening perspective, always, regardless of whether it made a person uncomfortable in the process. Social awareness isn't always pleasant, after all. Did I mention I was an only, too? I am. Solo. No sibs. Lots of good friends within a 5 minute walking radius of our house, but no sibs. Anyway, I'm a voracious reader. I had to learn at an early age to entertain myself, and I did, of necessity. I admit, I snuck in TV watching when I could, but for the most part, reading was my escape. So I treasure