MUSINGS

(Top: Las Cruces Farmer's Market; Botton: Pecan orchards near La Mesa.)

MUSINGS

You would think that we’ve been really busy since we have not written anything on the blog since the end of January, but that is only partially true. We do keep busy and the days go by fast --- sometimes with us wondering what we did with the time that day. We have stuck close to Las Cruces for more than a week now but plan to take a short trip tomorrow.

It’s actually been nice to stay close to “home.” It reminds us of why we are here. There are three main reasons why we like spending this extended period in New Mexico. They are:

1. The Weather: It would be hard to ask for better weather than we have had during our stay. We have yet to need our heavy coats and many days we have not even needed a jacket. Yesterday was the only day out of 40 that was really a problem. The newspaper had a headline that read “SWEATER WEATHER” – but it was referring to the fact that people were putting sweaters on their dogs! A cold front went through and with very high winds the visibility was poor as well. The temperature barely got up to 50. Nevertheless the sun did shine from time to time. Today started out cold but turned into the usual sunny day for most of the day. We have heard talk about rain several days this week as well as last but have not seen any. I was told that the last rain was on Thanksgiving. (That pretty well explains why the farmers depend on large irrigation systems.) So… having sunshine at least 98% of the time keeps us in good spirits and lets us get lots of fresh air and exercise outdoors.
2. The Mountains: The Organ Mountains overlook the city of Las Cruces and can be viewed from quite far away. They are so named because the early Spanish settlers thought the pinnacles resembled the pipes of the great organs in the European cathedrals. They rise to a majestic height of nearly 9000 feet. I especially like to see how different they look at various parts of the day. From our patio I can see them as the sun rises near them in the morning. As the sun brightens the mountains come alive with various shades of brown, grey, and gold. As the afternoon progresses they may be very dark colored, almost black in places. Then they take on a wonderful pink and red as the setting sun reflects on them. It is no wonder that they are a favorite of the many artists and photographers around here. It is very special for us to be able to gaze on these majestic peaks each day and feel the grandeur of their Creator in a very special way.
3. The Mexican Food: Las Cruces has some of the best Mexican food we have ever eaten. Of course there are numerous Mexican restaurants and no one agrees on which one is the best. We have eaten in a dozen or so and have favorites for certain menu items. I have been accessing the huevos rancheros and have two favorite places for that speciality. Dan most often orders red enchiladas, so he has been rating who has the best red chili sauce --- not too mild and not too hot. He is also the tamale tester since I don’t eat tamales. However, I am more likely to order chili rellenos. I’m still trying to decide whose I like best. Almost every restaurant has good fresh salsa that has a good bite to it --- unlike our wimpy Virginia restaurants. Other popular items are green enchiladas, tacos (rolled or folded), sopapillas, empanadas, and guacamole. A soup that I especially like is on the menu at one of our favorite restaurants. It is a chicken soup with chipotle peppers, big chunks of chicken breast, carrots, other seasonings, and avocado. It is wonderful! It’s no wonder that we are having to go to the gym every day in order not to gain too much weight! Of course, we don’t go out to eat every day but it is certainly a temptation. It will be hard to go back to the Mexican restaurants in Richmond where the sauce is made from tomatoes instead of chili. I guess we are just going to have to make our own sauce more often than we had been doing previously.

Of course there are other things that attract us to this place and the lifestyle that we experience here. We enjoy walking down memory lane. Obviously Dan’s lane is much longer than mine since he lived here from the time he was four until after we were married. Although I lived here only a year, I came to love being here and have enjoyed returning through the years. It is good to renew old acquaintances and to make new ones. Last week about a dozen folks from Dan’s high school class got together for lunch at a Mexican restaurant owned by one of them. That was fun.
People are very friendly and there is a small town atmosphere here. It has also been good to explore new places, do more hiking, picnic, learn about New Mexico culture and history, and be a part of the community whenever and wherever possible.

At the same time we miss our family and friends back east very much. It really helped to have Dan’s brother here for a visit and we are looking forward to our week in Santa Fe with our special friends, the Morrisons, soon. Eduardo’s parents may get to come from Hermosillo, Mexico, for a short visit before we leave, too. Others thought they might come but have not been able to so we will really look forward to getting with them when we return home.

Over the past ten days we have enjoyed a trip to La Mesa to go to Chope’s restaurant. The road to La Mesa passed the huge Stahmann pecan orchards which I found beautiful and interesting even this time of year. We’ve made several trips to the Wednesday or Saturday Farmer’s Market and have enjoyed local produce purchased there such as fresh lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, turnips, five kinds of sprouts and, of course, chilies! We’ve been to the Railroad Museum and a Community Theater production and visited the newest state park, Mesilla Valley Bosque Park. Tomorrow we plan to go up into the Sacramento mountains to Cloudcroft for the day if the weather is good. That should inspire me to write again!