Life in a Southwestern Mountain Town #10 FIRE!

This time of year is fire season. The snow is barely melted and before anything can grow, the winds kick up and start dirt storms so bad that trucks on the I-40 carrying food and merchandise across the country, have to pull over to the side of the road and wait for the air to clear. Cars sway, trees bend, windows wobble, garbage cans get blown over, and worst of all, sparks fly.

Later on, in the summer, when there are thunderstorms, fires can be started by lightening. But, invariably, this time of year, there is some "human caused" reason for fire. I am not talking kids in a field playing with matches (although that does happen). I am talking about poor planning on the part of professionals. The Forest Service does "controlled burns" that are supposed to prevent wildfires. They burn piles of brush and dead wood, but they do it even when it is dry, hot, and windy! There is a fire southeast of town right now burning over 500 acres and it is the result of welding being done in the forest by the Fish and Game department. Seriously, hot, flying sparks with 20 -30 mph winds. This is the second time in the last couple of years that a major fire has been started by this exact behavior.

I parked my car in the driveway last night and today it is covered with dirt and ash. I was on my back porch for about 15 minutes and my sinuses were burning so badly that I had to take Advil and nose spray.

Over the years, since we have lived here, the trees, fields, and forests have burned and been thinned out. It seems to be a better situation for the eco-system and for the safety of the humans. But there is always more to burn and more careless people.

The photo at the top is from SOS Wildfire Support.

Sunday - Funday! My Big Week-end!

This Sunday was a fun day and it was a follow-up to a fun Saturday! Yesterday was my birthday and today is Mother's Day, so I got a full week-end of treats! I gave heavy hints and helped get things organized so my expectations would not be disappointed - and it all went swimmingly!

I got gifts, homemade cards, and a pedicure along with lots of little indulgences. But the best (and most important) part was the desserts. I made my own cake, which I really enjoy doing. My daughters made a strawberry/rhubarb pie, and my husband bought a decadent little chocolate mini-cake.

I did my workout video this morning and really got my cardio going so I could burn some calories and make room for more!

Skirts on Friday - Friday Night!

Oh yes it's Friday night and the feelin's right... I can't believe it but I have reached the stage in my life when my kids are both off doing their own thing!!! My husband and I are free to go out or chill on our own! The weather is finally warming up, the days are getting longer, and I am feeling happy!

I ate a lot at a local Greek restaurant and I am stuffed, but I am trying to have a steady workout routine so I can stay fit. I have been pretty good about exercise and eating healthfully and I think it makes me feel better in my skirts!

Happy Friday Everyone!

I have an idea!

I had a weird idea last week. We were driving home from Phoenix and I was staring out the window, thinking. It is finally Spring and, sadly, I was noticing all the animals that had been killed - some recently while scampering recklessly for food or sex or the hysteria of a full moon, others from a while ago, caught in a storm and buried under snow, just now revealed.

I also noticed all the garbage and car parts that had collected over the winter. Torn off tire treads, smashed plastic and metal, bags and household items that had flown off in the wind, look like the excrement of the giant mechanical creature that is our system of transportation.

As we whizzed by, I realized that it was sometimes hard to tell the difference between the natural and the mechanical corpses. It gave me the idea to do a series of sculptures that would be a statement on the cold, callousness of what we glibly refer to as "road-kill".

I think it would be a very macho project and I am not sure I have the stomach or the arm strength to do it. But, someone could collect scraps of tire, car parts, etc.; bones, pelts, and antlers; and combine them into sculptures of animals. Without being violent about it, they could show the animal lying down. They could sculpt and sew the pieces of cloth and rubber into a kind of stuffed animal.

I always say a prayer when I see an animal dead on the road or the side of the road. Sometimes see small white crosses stuck in the berm off the road commemorating where a human has died and I say a prayer for them too. It is a remnant of my catholic upbringing - a nice one, I think. It makes me remember that we are all part of a family on Earth and that our techno-industrial world has to be a help to the natural world, not it's antithesis or enemy.

Textile Tuesdays : #23 - Hampton Court England - Part 1

The photos above are from a blog called Tier 1London. Unfortunately, when we were there it was before digital, so all my beautiful photos are buried somewhere in storage.

Here is part one of my story that really does have something to do with textiles in the end! but you will have to check in for part 2....

By the middle of May the weather was still off and on with rain and sunshine. Some days were wet and stormy and others held the promise of summer and heat. After being forced out of our flat so the landlady’s son could move in and live rent free, we had moved into a quaint but small Victorian conversion flat. It was on a nice street that was mercifully closer to the girls’ school but it was actually smaller and darker than our old cube-shaped apartment. We were only going to be there for two months before we heading out to Ireland and then home, so we didn’t even unpack all of our boxes. It hardly seemed worth the trouble but it did make the apartment seem unsettled. The space was cramped and torturous acoustically due to high ceilings, thin walls and wooden floors. Because of this we could hear all the noises the neighbors made, our own voices floated and bounced around the rooms, and worst of all, the girls had to refrain from shouting and jumping around. Unfortunately, this is exactly what they felt like doing after being cooped up for so many rainy months.

The winter had been long and difficult and the unwelcome move had left us all a little more fragile. My older daughter, Mira, who was normally quiet and sweet, had been crying and whining a lot. She wanted to be with me all the time and did not want to go to school. I was a little worried because after their initial settling in, both girls had loved their school. The teachers, students and administrators at Highgate Primary had provided friendship, encouragement and a sense of belonging. At this point however, the instability of our living situation compounded by the fact that her beloved teacher had taken ill and been replaced by a substitute, had made Mira shy and unhappy.

I decided that I would take her out of school one day, and the two of us would go on a relaxing and rejuvenating outing to Hampton Court. David agreed to stay home from the office and watch Valerie so Mira and I could have one on one time. We planned to go on a Thursday to avoid the weekend crowds. Unfortunately (and typically) it happened on that day to be pouring and gusting wildly. The girls were crying and David and I were arguing about what to do. We had had our hearts set on it, the girls had missed the start of the school day, and I had the travel logistics all planned out. Staying in the gray, little flat was too grim an option so we decided to charge on. David would stay home and bake cookies and do art projects with Valerie and Mira and I would face the challenge of the weather with our heads down and our hearts high.

The hardest part was bundling up and stepping out the door, running two blocks to the bus stop. We went on the bus to the Archway tube station, again running out of the bus, pushing our umbrellas into the wind and rain, and down the steps to the Underground. We took the tube to the spacious and beautiful Victoria Station where we got the overland train to Hampton Court. On the train, we felt exhilarated and proud that we were on our way and only a little damp for the wear. The train took us to the edge of the city and into the suburbs past Wimbledon. The last leg of the journey was a short walk from the train station to the castle gates.

Even though the area was quiet and uncrowded, we huddled together and ran shrieking as the gusts shifted and almost turned our umbrellas inside out. We were literally loosing our footing and Mira’s hat almost blew into the Thames. At the entrance to the palace grounds, we laughed and screamed down the wide empty pathways and our voices were carried away on the wind. The weather seemed to have kept away the typically large crowds so we were able to get in quickly and move about freely. After about an hour and a half of travel, we almost felt as if we had discovered some out of the way castle.

Sunday - Funday! The Wind in the Willows Video!

When my girls were little I would take them to the library and we would get piles of books and some videos (before DVD's). I felt like it was a treat for me as well as them to be exposed to beautiful stories and images.

I had heard of The Wind in the Willows, but I had never read it as a child. We found this version at the library and watched all of them multiple times. There is something so pure and basic about their little world and the way these artists represented it. Treat yourself and watch a little on youtube. If you like it, perhaps you can look at your library or even on Amazon.com to find the whole series.

Saturday Socializing - Tree Hugger

One of the first blog/webmags I ever followed was Treehugger.com. I was researching an article on hemp clothing and it came up in a google search. I love this site and could really get lost in it, spending hours clicking and linking from one story to another. I usually try to just go straight to the Fashion and Beauty section because that is where the textile stories are. This week they cover everything from men's underpants to a clothing factory in Peru.

So check it out, bookmark it, and keep abreast of the latest, and widest range of Environmental stories!

The T-shirt is from an etsy seller called Goblin Designs.

The two photos are mine from the Hoh Rainforest in Washington and along a country walk in the Peak District in England. Notice the old "wall" under the roots of the tree in the first photo. Big, old, living trees, breathing air and giving oxygen!