Lemitar is a dusty sleepy little farm town of around 700 or so people, but I think there are more than that. It is only 7 miles from Socorro. Most of the hay fields have been cut and the farmers are now baling and putting up the hay for the winter. There are lots of beef cattle around, as well as horses, and I see horses and cattle trailers all the time. I saw some people out in one of the fields picking, but I have no idea what they were harvesting. It is on the El Camino Real.

El Camino Real ran from Mexico City, Mexico to Albuquerque, and was the main road for commerce and travel. Now it is called NM 1.

This area is high plains desert, 5000 feet above sea level, with lots and lots of sandy soil, rock formations, mountains all around, and the plant life that goes along with it. I don't know the names of all the bushes, but I am guessing that there is a lot of mesquite, sage brush, and manzaneta, as well as the occasional small cacti. Other than the small sunflowers which are now fading, there aren't a lot of other flowers, like there was at Anne's place in Datil.

Because of the soil, the cemeteries are different in that the crosses and monuments are on bare soil. Water is precious, and not used to grow grass in the cemeteries or most people's yards.

My little adobe house...

has eighteen inch thick walls. It is cool inside, which is nice, as we have had some hot weather, although it is beginning to cool down a little. And yes, there will be snow. In fact, yesterday I saw a sign about snow plows, and I thought to myself "snow plows?" But being as high as we are, of course there is snow.

Anyway, my little home is very cute, and I have been redecorating it a little. There are a lot of issues, which come from a house that hasn't been lived in for years, and that the mice have taken for their own. So far I haven't seen any, and have done a lot of cleaning up after them! There is a lot to be done however, most of which I can not do. The walls inside are plaster, and for some reason, only the bottom four inches of the walls are crumbling, in almost every room, except the living room and my bedroom.

With the help of my friends Edna and Mike, I have taken about twenty bags of trash to the landfill, as well as several pieces of furniture, and other "stuff." I still have cabinets to clean out and will get to that a little at a time. I have taken care to clean my room, my closet and my dresser thoroughly and have put away some clothes, etc. I have also cleaned most of the cabinets in the kitchen and papered them and washed the dishes and glasses.

Anne has furnished the house with many small wonderful items. Paintings of the Southwest, native American objects, Mexican tinware, including some neat mirrors, rugs, etc. There are bookshelves in the living room and both bedrooms filled with books and objects.

So, am I happy? Yes I am. I think there is a song about my little adobe house. Anyone remember it?

More later.
A hui hou,
I love you all,
Sally