Last Night's Sunset

Yet another perk to living in the most beautiful spot on earth ...

See all the pointy things sticking up on the horizon? That's part of our ocotillo forest.

A Christmas Prayer from 1513

In 1513, Fra Giovanni wrote a letter—what we’d now consider a Christmas card—to a friend and patron, containing a Christmas prayer. It's a wonderful sentiment and I thought you'd enjoy it as much as I do.

Fra Giovanni’s Christmas Prayer

I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in the present moment. Take Peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach is joy. Take Joy!

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

Happy Holidays

Here’s hoping the fat guy in red brings you a special surprise this holiday season!

Thanks (or no thanks) to Mr. Wizard’s work schedule, we’ll be spending this Christmas at home with Hoodie, Fredo and Paco (the cats), although we did get in a quick trip to Austin last weekend and got to see our kids for a short time.

Mr. W and I wish you all a healthy and happy year ahead, and hope this year’s holiday makes memories as sweet as sugar plums! And please remember to drive safely and watch out for the other guy!

Click HERE for a delightful Santa phenomenon this year in New York City, about as far from the desert as you can get. If it doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, then you need some more eggnog!

Flour Tortillas

Learning how to make good (i.e., EDIBLE) flour tortillas was my new year's resolution for 2008. I know, I aim a little low ... or so I thought.

In my past endeavors, Mr. Wizard would try a bite or two and proclaim: "Too floury." or "Too doughy." or "Not enough salt." or "Too salty." etc., etc. But last night, miracle of miracles, he took a bite, then buttered it up and ate the whole thing. And after he was finished, he went back and got another one!

So after many, many tries, I am pleased to report that I think I finally got the recipe and ingredients right, and learned how long to let the dough rest before cooking them. I found that if you don't let the dough rest enough, they're nearly impossible to roll out--too elasticky. And they don't taste just right. It's a much finer art than I had anticipated.

You'd think after all this mixing and rolling that I could at least roll the little suckers into perfect round circles. Most of the time they're round enough, but there are still some that more closely resemble letters of the alphabet than circles ... I have the same problem with pie crusts. I'll have to keep practicing. And at least now that I've hit on the right recipe I can eat the mistakes. Past tries have lined my kitchen trash can, sad to say.

But now, if I'm not there yet, at least I'm on the road to success. Yum!

Mornin'!

Brrr! It's cold at Lunaloca this morning. The porch thermometer reads 40 degrees, and that's on the porch where it's usually 5 to 10 degrees warmer in the cold months. No worries though, because the sun will warm things up, and this morning, what an entrance el sol made in our desert skies!


As soon as I caught a glimpse of the rosy sky outside, I grabbed the camera and snapped up these photos so I could share this beautiful morning sky with you.

I took lots of shots in a hurry. I was shivering and hadn't had my morning coffee yet, so I made it quick.


This morning's sunrise could be seen in every direction with pink and orange clouds everywhere. The photos below are the western and northern skies around 7 am.


It was like the proverbial rose-colored glasses; the brown winter desert was bathed in pink light. It was surreal and magical. And chilly.


The splendor stretched overhead, complementing the dwindling moon.


Good morning, sunshine!

And the water's fine!

After months of preparation (it would have been weeks if we'd been younger, but oh well ...), the hot tub is installed, wired and full of water!

We filled it last night with water we trucked in from the ghost town. We didn't use our own well water because it's so full of minerals; we opted for the treated stuff instead to kind of jump-start the process. This tub is a two-seater and takes 200 gallons to fill it, so it took awhile to get all the water pumped in.

As soon as the tub was filled with water (and it was brrr cold water, too), Mr. Wizard checked the chemical balance and fine tuned it. We set the heater to 103 degrees, put the cover on, and hoped that by the following night (tonight), the water would be warm enough to enjoy.

This morning when we checked the water temperature, it was already 103 degrees. Yay! It didn't take us long to grab towels and bathrobes, shuck our clothes, grab some water (yes, we always drink plenty of water whilst soaking in hot water), pin up the hair, and climb right on in. It was heavenly! It was wonderful!

Of course, right away Mr. W's glasses fogged up ... and then there was that pesky rising sun shining right in our faces. We'd positioned the tub so that we could watch the moon rise. Unfortunately, in the early mornings, that's the very same position to watch the sun rise, too. (Note to self: grab sunglasses when enjoying a morning soak.)

Because we have no bathtub here at the Lunaloca, I have really been missing soaking in hot water since we've been here, especially during the colder months. Back in Austin, I would float in our hot tub at night and watch the few stars that are visible in the light pollution of the city. There's something very peaceful and therapeutic about floating in hot water, and I've certainly missed it.

Because of his lupus, Mr. W's missed it, too, but he misses the water-jet action that helps his legs and back. His medical condition is such that his doctor prescribed hot water therapy for him, and it really helps with the chronic pain and lack of mobility he suffers.

I don't care for the bubbling and noise; I'm just in it for the floating and soaking. As soon as he turns those water jets on, I'm out of there.

Of course, there are the hot springs in the national park just an hour's drive away, but that's an hour's drive away. And the Big Bend hot springs close at dark. And there's usually lots of other happy strangers soaking there, and they sometimes stare at my fat thighs, or at least that's what I imagine they sometimes do. I'm funny that way.

We're really looking forward to tonight's star-watching while soaking in the hot water. I saw a couple of falling stars last night, but it was too chilly to stay outside long. Tonight we should be toasty warm while enjoying the therapeutic effects of the warm water on our tired ol' bones!

Feast Day

Today's the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, my personal favorite feast day. It's really a holy day on several levels. Her story is sweet and a bit twisted and involves no martyrdom (at least, not hers); it's also the story of a meeting of two great and very different cultures.

The Virgin of Guadalupe, now a Catholic saint, is the protector of the unborn. Hers is the only sighting of the Holy Mother in the 'new world,' too, so it's no wonder that she is also the patron saint of the Americas. Since her appearance in 1531, she's been a strong symbol of security and hope in Mexico and beyond.

Here at Lunaloca, you'll see lots of her around, keeping an eye on things:




The appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe in 1531 to Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in what is now present-day Mexico City is an event that bridged the religious worlds of the Spanish conquerors and the Aztecs. It's also a great story of how an unfairly suppressed culture was able to 'reinstate' their most important goddess and her temple in a way that was actually embraced by the Christian Spaniards. Those Aztecs were pretty clever.

Photographer and former monk Martin Grey wrote a fascinating account of her sighting that includes most all of the pertinent details (www.sacredsites.com):

"... the hill of Tepeyac was a place of great sanctity long before the arrival of Christianity in the New World. In pre-Hispanic times, Tepeyac had been crowned with a temple dedicated to an Earth and fertility goddess called Tonantzin, the Mother of the Gods. Tonantzin, like the Christian Guadalupe who usurped her shrine, was a virgin goddess, also associated with the moon.

"The Tepeyac hill and shrine had been an important pilgrimage place for the nearby Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan. Following the conquest of Tenochtitlan by Hernan Cortez in 1521, the shrine was demolished, and the native people were forbidden to make pilgrimages to the sacred hill. Such practices were considered by the Christians to be devil worship. This policy of labeling pagan religious practices as demonic already had a more than thousand-year history in Christian Europe.

"On Saturday, December 9, 1531, a baptized Aztec Indian named Juan Diego set out for church in a nearby town. Passing the pagan sacred hill of Tepeyac, he heard a voice calling to him. Climbing the hill, he saw on the summit a young woman who seemed to be no more than fourteen years old, standing in a golden mist. Revealing herself as the "ever-virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God" (so the Christian telling of the story goes), she told Juan Diego to go to the local bishop and tell him that she wished a church to be built on the hill. Juan did as he was instructed, but the bishop did not believe him. On his way home, Juan climbed the sacred hill and again saw the apparition, who told him to return to the bishop the next day. This time the bishop listened more attentively to Juan's message from Mary. He was still skeptical, however, and so asked for a sign from Mary.

"Two days later Juan went again to Tepeyac Hill and, meeting Mary, was told by her to climb the hill to the site of their first encounter, pick a bunch of roses that would be growing there, and return with the roses to Mary. Juan climbed the hill with misgivings. It was the dead of winter, and no roses could possibly be growing on the cold and frosty hill. But upon reaching the summit Juan found a profusion of roses, an armful of which he gathered and wrapped in his shawl to carry to Mary.

"Arranging the roses, Mary instructed Juan to take the shawl-encased bundle to the bishop, for this would be her sign. When the bishop unrolled the shawl, the presence of the roses was astounding. But truly miraculous was the image that had mysteriously appeared on the inside of Juan Diego's shawl. The image showed a young woman without child, her head lowered demurely. Wearing an open crown and flowing gown, she stood upon a half moon. Soon thereafter the bishop began construction of the church.

"News of the miraculous apparition of the Virgin's image on a peasant's shawl spread rapidly throughout Mexico. Indians by the thousands, learning that the mother of the Christian God had appeared to one of their own kind and spoken to him in his native language, came from hundreds of miles away to see the image, now hanging above the altar in the new church. The shrine, rebuilt several times over the centuries, is today a great basilica that has space for 10,000 pilgrims. Juan Diego's shawl is preserved behind bulletproof glass and hangs twenty-five feet above the main altar in the basilica. For more than 450 years the colors of the image have remained as bright as if they were painted yesterday, and the coarse-woven cactus cloth of the shawl, which seldom lasts more that twenty years, shows no evidence of decay."

The soft-spoken Virgin became a symbol of the fusion of the two cultures, Spanish and Aztec, into the country and culture of Mexico. She's sometimes called the black or dark madonna because she appeared as an Aztec and spoke in Nahuatl, their native language. Many Mexicans still refer to her as the "Little Mother."

So it's no coincidence that, in 1810, when Don Miguel Hidalgo called for an uprising which led to the independence of Mexico from Spain, he adopted her pennant as the first Mexican flag. While spending a month in Guanajuato this summer, my daily trek into town would take me by the corner where Father Hidalgo's head hung in a metal cage as a warning to all revolutionaries. The Spanish rule of Mexico was bloody and unjust and often unreasonably cruel. But I digress ... don't get me talking about Guanajuato and the Mexican revolution ...

More than 2 million people are expected to make the pilgimage to the Shrine of Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill this year, but they are not the only pilgrims, just the luckiest. All over the world, people will be honoring her, and not just good Catholics. I read this morning that more than 20,000 people will attend services at Dallas' Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe where the cathedral is decorated with hundreds of roses.

And in other news, shame shame! Playboy magazine has issued an apology for its recent cover photograph of a nude Virgin of Guadalupe. The issue was released only in Mexico, where I'm sure it offended some of its regular readers. Click here for that story.

Here in Terlingua, prayers to her will be said and requests made as the full moon, the biggest and last one of this year, rises over the desert mountains on this crisp, chilly evening.

Creative 'Getting'

Her: You know, I'd really like some Rosie's Overalls. I think I'll order some.

He: What?

Her: Some overalls to wear around the house while I'm working on stuff.

He: What's this 'Rosie' stuff then? I thought you said 'Rosie overalls.' That's what you said, right?

Her: Yes. They're some really neat overalls, designed for women, but with all the features of regular carpenter's overalls. See? [points to photo below]


He: [narrows eyes and looks suspicious] How much do they cost?

Her: Well, the coolest style is $45. There's another style that's more, but I like the $45 ones.

He: WHAT? For WORK clothes? For clothes you'll just work in and get all messed up? That's a little steep, don't you think?

Her: I know, but they're tailored to fit a woman's body. And see? They're shorter than men's overalls. [points again to photo]

He: [becoming exasperated] They're OVERALLS. They're just to keep your real clothes from getting ruined. And why would you need to work in something that's tailored?

Her: Well, they're really cute. And they come in pink or sea green.

He: [rolls eyes] Oh, I see ...

Her: And they'd make me look cute, and you like it when I look cute, right? [smiles cutest possible smile]

He: But $45 --

Her: Uh, well, they'd be a little more than that, babe. There's shipping and handling, too.

He: Good grief. Can't you find something cheaper than that? Like maybe, just old clothes you don't wear anymore?

Her: My old clothes don't have that loopy thing on the side to hang your hammer on.

He: [snorts and rolls eyes]

Her: Well ... I could go thrift store shopping next time we go to Austin and find some men's overalls in 'small.' That would probably be cheaper, but they wouldn't be pink or sea green.

He: I think you look good in any color.

Her: So I can get some overalls when we go to Austin?

He: OK.

Her: Promise?

He: Yeh, I promise.

Menu Item for the Recession

Last night I made beans'n noodles for dinner.

Beans'n noodles is a wonderful dish: homemade noodles topped with flavorful pinto beans topped with crunchy buttered bread crumbs. Oh my. Totally delish! And cheap, cheap, cheap to boot--perfect for tight budgets and healthy appetites. Just never mind the calories.

My ex and good friend T introduced me to beans'n noodles, a traditional Friday dish in D'Hanis, a predominantly Catholic community. You know, a "no meat on Fridays" kind of place. My kids loved beans'n noodles. Who wouldn't?

(Of course, when I was in elementary school, we always had fish sticks on Fridays at the school cafeteria. I never connected the fish/no meat thing with Catholicism then though. I wonder if school cafeterias still do that?)

In D'Hanis, we usually ate beans'n noodles with fried fish, but last night we didn't have any fish in the freezer. Here in the desert, fresh fish is a rare commodity.

I hadn't made beans'n noodles since the kids left home, so Steve had not ever tasted this culinary delight before last night. I would have taken a pic of the dish, except we were too busy eating. It was wonderful stuff, just as good or better than I remembered.

Anyway, here's the drill:

Noodles:
1 cup flour
1 egg
Enough milk to fill an eggshell half

Make a well in the flour and mix in egg and milk until sticky dough forms. On a floured surface, roll out dough as thinly as possible. Cut dough into thin (1/4-1/2 inch wide) strips and drop into salted boiling water (I always add oil, a tablespoon or two, to the water to keep it from boiling over). Reduce heat to low and simmer 15-25 minutes. Stir every couple of minutes to keep the noodles from sticking together.

Mr. W's Boathouse Beans:
2-3 cups dry pinto beans
handful or more of salt pork or bacon (peppered bacon is oh so good)
2 onions (one diced, the other whole to eat later--onion cooked in bean juice is veryvery good!)
2-3 jalapenos, sliced
salt

Soak beans overnight or for several hours. Drain and rinse. Add fresh water to beans (enough to cover beans plus an inch or two) with remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower heat to good bubbling simmer and cook until done, about 2 hours. (You'll thank me for that whole onion--mm-mm good!) Hint: if you have to add water during the cooking, heat up the water first; otherwise the bean skins will crack and you'll have UGLY beans!

Bread Crumbs:
4 slices bread (fresh, stale, whatever)
1/2 stick butter

Cut bread into small cubes. Melt butter in big skillet, then add bread cubes. Stir until crispy and well-toasted.

That's it.

This morning Mr. W asked me if we could have beans'n noodles every week or so. Hallelujah! He's a convert!

Just be careful the next day ...


Beans can be deadly.

Pistol Packin' Mama

I recently got a Smith & Wesson .38 SPL, a small 5-shot revolver that looks like this:

I've been practicing and I'm a better shot than I thought I'd be. I've never really liked guns, but way out here there's a need to protect me and my cats from getting bitten or attacked by:

1. rattlesnakes
2. javelinas
3. coyotes
4. mountain lions
5. black bears
6. deranged criminals

Actually, I don't think there are any deranged criminals around, but if there are, I'm now prepared.

I don't want to KILL anything, so I have my little gun loaded with shot so I can just scare the intruders off. The only exception is any rattlesnake that tries to live under my house; those I will not tolerate. Just don't tell my snake-loving friends, okay? There's thousands and thousands of uninhabited acres out there and if a rattler is unlucky enough to choose my house, then he's just bought a one-way ticket to rattlesnake heaven, if there is such a thing. (See how this gun is already making me talk tough? wow!)

After the holidays I'm taking a concealed weapons class, not because I want to conceal a weapon, but because I want to know how to correctly handle my firearm. I've learned to shoot it and clean it afterward, and I'm pretty sure I have it stored properly and in easy access. I'm taking my second amendment right seriously.

Last Night

Yesterday evening I watched the stars. Or I should say 'planets,' because Venus and Jupiter were shining brightly even before it got dark outside. I got a preview of what tonight will bring when the crescent moon moves even closer to the planets in our night sky.

It looks very peaceful, doesn't it?

The reality is that things were far from peaceful here, even as I was snapping photos of the sky. Mr. Wizard had borrowed a skid-steer to move our new hot tub in place late yesterday afternoon. Once we finally got the tub lifted, he had to carry it past the house without hitting any trees (or the house). Sounds easy, but with the big load in front, he couldn't see where he was going so I had to be his eyes. I nearly got hoarse, screaming directions (the machine is loud and Mr. W doesn't hear all that well anyway).

We finally got the hot tub in place, no small miracle. That thing weighs 680 pounds, according to the spec sheet. The only casualty was a cracked porch post at the corner of the house.

The cats were running rampant, excited by all the outdoor commotion and strange loud noise. At one point the three kitties were up three different trees. It was cool and brisk, their favorite kind of weather. You know how dogs will bark and run and get all excited when the first cold front blows in? Hoodie, Fredo and Paco are pretty much the same way, only quieter about it.

We keep our cats indoors during dark hours to protect them from coyotes, owls, javelinas and the occasional mountain lion that prowls our part of the desert. After the sun goes down, there's lots of hunting that goes on, and except for one baby kitten snared by a hawk in broad daylight, the kitties we've lost have been probable victims to these nocturnal hunters. When I took this photo, Paco was still outside somewhere. Not a good thing.

Mr. W tried to lure him in with food. Paco knows this trick. Last time we used it, it meant a trip to the vet to get neutered; he wasn't going to fall for that again. Finally he came right to me for a chin nuzzle, and I scooped him up and brought him inside.

Unfortunately, I didn't see Fredo lurking by the door, waiting his chance. He darted out and ran out of sight. I grabbed a flashlight and went back outside to retrieve our errant Fredo. This time Hoodie slipped past me and ran outside.

I'll spare the details, but it took a full 30 minutes to get all the kids inside, safe and sound and not too happy about it. They were over it by the time we fed them their nightly treat. During the night, it got down to the high 20s. We awoke to three cats at the foot of the bed, keeping our feet toasty warm. Of course, every time we'd shift our feet we were taking a chance on Paco growling with displeasure or Fredo attacking them; Hoodie could care less.

Thanks to the cold temps, we couldn't have lured those cats outside if we'd tried! Definitely not the case last night, though.

Still, it's a nice photo, even thought Jupiter is a little hard to make out. Tonight I'm hoping for a better shot. And I'll try not to let any cats out in the process.