May Day...

It really is May 2nd, but I intended to write this on May Day. My memories of May Day go way back to my childhood, when we still lived at 1859 8th Avenue North. I lived at that address from the time of my birth until I was 7 or 8 years old. Then we moved to the Diggings outside of Fort Dodge. Every May Day that I remember during that time span, I would create May Day baskets with handles. I am sure I was helped with that process at least once or twice! I would fill each little basket with what ever flowers/bushes were in bloom at the time. Usually Bridal's Wreath and lilacs. Then I would go around the neighborhood and hang the baskets on neighbors'and friends' doors. Now May Day means demonstrations and unrest all over the world. But in Sally's world of the 1940's it meant May baskets and having fun.

I went to the Squirm Burpee Circus, and it was fun and lots of laughs. The kids in the audience loved it. It was very vaudevillian and slapstick comedy, with jokes, dancing, lots of juggling of hats, plates, balls, and even real chainsaws that were going while being juggled. There was a really good villain and of course the requisite helpless maid.

The next day I drove out to Magdalena for a class in Arts for Cellular Healing. It was quite interesting. The instructor was great and very energetic. We talked about the subject, and how she came to learn about it and teach the classes. Then she asked us to introduce ourselves by using a descriptive word starting with the first syllable of our first name. I was Salamander Sally. What was very interesting was that all fifteen of us were able to remember each others' names afterwards. I think I may be able to say their names even now.

We first did some watercolor painting. I have never really worked in watercolor. We drew a cell - yes, you heard it right, a cell, with all the parts in it, some of which were the ones that go out and heal. Then we painted spirals anyway we wanted to do so.

Cellular healing is also the art of meditating, asking for healing cells to go to wherever they are needed and heal the area. In my case it is knees, and the back of my knees. The class was filled, and we had two teenagers, which was wonderful.

After a break we played with clay, and were asked to make a container of some kind. I made a coil basket with brick red, white and purple clay. After all of us were done, Ruth gave us a feather to put in the basket. Then she told us to use the basket to put our requests and blessings in. We can take the basket apart and make a different design any time we want. The clay never dries up.

I have set up a little area in my bedroom with my basket and feather, already a request in it.  One of the spiral watercolor sheets I did is behind it. In front of the basket are some stones I have found around here as well as my hand-carved owl made by an Alaskan native from million year old ivory, with ballien eyes. Brooks Bear and my little wonderful pillow Marty gave to me sit at the top of the chair keeping watch.

The next week I had Noah (No way) do a few things for me, which since has grown into a bunch of "things." First he cleaned up the back yard and the field beyond, which as I write this is beginning to fill in again with weds! Never ending weeds. Now that the field in cleaned up I can park Matilda out back, and not in the front any more. I love that. Then Noah and his girlfriend LeAnne took down the TV antenna and removed the air conditioner which around here is called a "swamp cooler."

They are gone! The next thing he did was to take out some of the concrete blocks in the backyard, making small "steps" on either side of the entry way, in order that I can walk to the front door of the house, without having to climb over the wall twice or walking in the road around to the front door. I love it, and find it so much easier. When I get to San Diego in June, Marty and I are going to a Mexican Tile shop and get some pretty tiles, and Noah will cement them on top of the "steps". A section of my cleaned up backyard...

The walls cut away in "steps"...

LeAnne's mother is one of the postal people in Lemitar. She had told me that her husband had some old doors taken from tumbling adobe homes. I went over to their house, and looked at a couple of the doors. I picked one. Noah sanded it, got glass for the windows, put in a new lock system, and hinges, and now I have a back door, also blue! Before...

After...

And then Noah took the flat blocks that were on top of the concrete blocks he removed, plus many more lying around, and laid them to make an entry way into the house from the back door. It is really nice. One word about the back door. It is unique to adobe homes I think. Not the door but the way it is set. From the inside of the house it is 70" x 30", but looking at it from the outside, it is much smaller. That is because there is a step up to the outside area. I have a funky house with lots of character. What can I say????

On the 28th of April, I drove to Albuquerque and attended the 1st Annual New Mexico Poetry Society Convention. It was wonderful. I went to two outstanding workshops, one taught by the NM Poet Laureate, Hakim Bellamy. He write just incredible non-fiction narrative poetry. The other man was a Haiku writer, and that was fun. I know next to nothing about Haiku, and I found out that my "haiku" poem was in fact very good, but not haiku - out of the mouth of the instructor, himself! We were entertained by Dogstar, a group of four poets, who play various instruments and love to sing and entertain folks. "DOGSTAR, heavenly music with down-to-earth sounds." It is toe-tapping music for sure, along with Celtic and bluegrass sounds.

When I went over to Susan's to look at the door, these two vehicles were parked outside. The pickup is Susan's, and works. The panel truck is her husband's and it too works, and sits on the chassis of another vehicle. I loved them and had to take a picture for you all...

Around the area I took a few pictures for you all to enjoy.. A container of cacti, probably all now in full bloom...

Along the roadside are many clumps of these purple plants...

And in the field along Route 60, I saw this gourd...

Frankly I thought it looked like some woman had lost her breast, but no, I was told it was a gourd, from last year, and that when broken it emits a terrible smell. Some folks will make things out of them, once they are dried out. The vines just go across the fields and leave their fruit in the sun. I was told the name but at this exact moment I can't remember...does that sound familiar to any of you?

This is a mackerel sky or a buttermilk sky which means that within two days there will be rain. Doesn't happen out here though - it's a myth, for I took this from my porch, and we haven't had a lick of rain for several months!

As I was "weeding" along one of my walls, I caught a good picture of this little guy. He and his family numbering into the dozens, live all around and I see them daily. They just dart around catching insects. Here they are called geckos (lizards). Not the laughing kinds found on Molokai, however, and much bigger...

I am doing container planting here, since I can easily water my plants. This year I am trying tomatoes only...

Now for the puzzle - WHAT IS IT???...I know what they all are, do you???

The last thing to be done by Noah in Casa de Serenidad which he painted yesterday... the ceiling of the second bedroom...

I have enjoyed watching all the seasons avaiable of JUSTIFIED. And I have been streaming the entire series of THE TUDORS. I am only on Season Two, Episode 5. I have a long way to go, and I have read many books on this time period. This production is a very good one.

Life is good!
I love you all,
Sally