Month: May 2020

Purple

Vitex

In our courtyard, the Vitex tree is crowned with purple blossoms. The bees and butterflies flit and dive above the branches in an elaborate ballet. Somehow, they avoid collision. I look forward to this display every year. It will only last for a week or so, and then the flagstones below will be covered with a carpet of purple petals.

The potted Calibrachoa compete for the spotlight. Elsewhere in the garden, the Purple Cloud bushes are in bloom. Later in summer, after the monsoon rains, their display will be even more spectacular.

  • Purple Calibrachoa
  • Purple Cloud

Historic Mesilla

  • Finally open again
  • Basilica of San Albino
  • The Village Square
The Village of Mesilla (Little Mesa), pronounced ‘maseeya’

Like many small towns, Mesilla, New Mexico, has been closed for a few months. However, non-essential retail businesses (except salons, gyms, tatoo parlors, etc.) can now operate at 25% occupancy. It’s good to see some businesses open again. I wish them well.

There were so many cars at the plaza yesterday that I could only take the photo of the book store. I went back early this morning to get the other two.

GPS

This time at home has given me an opportunity to reflect on the past. I suspect many others have been doing the same.

Looking back on my life, I have to admit that I made a few wrong turns. Fortunately, God is very much like GPS. He knows the address of the final destination. Every time I take a wrong turn, He simply recalculates.

More Gate(ways)

Back in April, I wrote about the gates on some historic houses in my area. Pictured above are some modern examples.

Apparently, I am easily entertained. I never tire of admiring them as I meander on my morning walks. I have heard so many people say they have no artistic talent. And yet, I see it all around me.

Garden Love

This week I am up in the mountains. At home, my husband is faithfully watering my plants. This morning when I called, he had just finished watering the courtyard. He had lingered for a moment, and he remarked how nice everything looked.

The thought of him there made me smile all day.

Budding Actor

Emerson the Dog is fifteen-and-a-half years old, but apparently it’s never too late for an old dog to learn new tricks. Here is his rendition of The Sphinx, although he doesn’t have the back legs quite right. We’ll have to work on that.

On our walks, he still drags me down the block to the corner, but by the time we have walked another two blocks, he is the one who is lagging behind.

He loves people and other dogs, and he almost never barks. We are so grateful to have had his companionship in retirement and now in ‘social distancing’. Yet, we know our remaining time with him is limited.

Every day is precious.

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Not Rodin, and yet…

Neighborhood Art

Not long ago, some trees in our neighborhood common had to be cut down. (Fortunately, there are still plenty of others left.) I hardly noticed the stumps until an enterprising neighbor worked with an artist to decorate them with metal sculptures.

At first there were only a few. Then, more and more began to appear. Each morning brought new surprises: a quail, a spiral, and even a basketball hoop.

One day, I saw a woman walking with her young family. Her daughter ran from one to the next. Look Mommy! Look!

Unfinished Garden

Outside, my garden is growing. I water it, and God does the rest. Inside, I have discovered a garden of unfinished projects that need my attention.

So far, I have completed a crocheted shoulder wrap that doesn’t exactly look like the picture on the pattern. Yet, it’s wearable. Pictured above is my unfinished embroidered pillow case. I neglected it for so many years that I forgot how to do the back stitch. (It was much harder doing the stitch forward before my memory kicked in.)

Waiting in the wings is the velveteen fabric destined for living room chair cushions. And for over a year, an unfinished red shawl has gathered dust on my triangular loom. It only needs a few more rows and the fringe.

I could go on….

Grand Opening

The Red-tipped Yucca are just coming into bloom in front of our courtyard wall.

In the back, our neighbor’s Yellow Ball Tree is in full bloom. Difficult to see in this photo, but the blossoms are perfectly round spheres. I love the way the branches hang over the wall into our yard. On the right, the Blooming Plum Tree is hiding tiny fruit. It’s supposed to be a decorative tree, but in recent years I have found the fruit on the ground.

This year we’re going to eat them.

Life goes on…

Rose Geranium (Pelargonium)

Back in February, I posted a picture of a Rose Geranium cutting that I rooted in water. Now, it is flourishing in a pot, and I have already topped it and started another cutting in water. The new cutting has no roots yet, but it is putting out new leaves.

A couple of years ago, I discovered “Gardening World” through my britbox streaming subscription. In Southern New Mexico, I will never create an English garden, but I am surprised how many of the “Gardening World” tips I can use. I am currently trying to grow rocket (arugula) in a pot (the seedlings need to be thinned), and I am rooting some mint cuttings. The rocket should regrow after picking and provide several harvests, and the mint will be delicious in iced tea this summer.