My gardening companion Winnie, covered in catkins from the trees… Both she and Lennox come into the house covered in these throughout the day. The house is now covered in catkin-dust. My happy thought is that even though this is annoying and a bit allergic, it makes for a super-cute Winnie!
Today (and yesterday) I’m most happy to be in Albuquerque with M and his family to celebrate a 50th Anniversary.
We had a great dinner last night at Pappadeux’s. (If you tell the waitress that you’re vegan, she’ll bring you grilled asparagus with olive oil and sea salt, and an unbuttered baked potato. Yum! I come with my own animal-free condiments so I was set!)
We’re staying in a Residence Inn…. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, one living room, one kitchen, 3 tvs for $150! That is a great deal! Plus, they have a waffle maker with their full service breakfast. (Shout out to my dad, who now asks each and every motel establishment if they have a waffle maker.)
Plus, we’ve got both Lennox and Winnie with us, making it a truly family affair. Chicory is kickin’ it back home and most likely enjoying herself.
Today is M’s ONLY day off this weekend due to work stuff. So we went for a family walk (me, him, 2 boys, 2 dogs) by the river. Nature is always a calming & relaxing force, even when the river is down crazy-low like it is today.
Lazy Sunday Mornings!
I’m late with this post. It was bound to happen with all I’ve got going on lately.
Just Lennox and me, and some cleaning supplies, in my soon-to-be-ex empty apartment!
On Tuesday, I loaded 2 large plants, Chicory, Lennox, and the first of several ice chests of refrigerated food into the car and headed to Carlsbad. Chicory meowed mournfully the whole way. Lennox and I ignored her and jammed to old school Alanis Morrisette.
After a few hours of poking around every corner, Chicory was settling into her new house. Lennox took the couch, as usual. I picked up Winnie from M’s parents and began the ‘cat-dog introduction process’.
Things went well the first night and most of the following day. Until 230a.m….. Winnie’s excitement at having a cat roommate overwhelmed her and she knocked down baby gate that keeps her in the kitchen.
Of course, that’s what I learned later. What I experienced was a loud crash coming from the living room of the new house where I was spending my 2nd night alone. (M is at a training in Arizona.) Much like a Christmas carol, I awoke to a clatter and sprang up to see what was the matter. My brain was racing!
Sarong, shoes, fucking sarong fell off, is it worse to have midnight robbers if you’re naked? shut up Winnie, its cold, where’s the phone to call 911, please remember the address!
So yeah, it was just Winnie, not midnight robbers. But now that my heart is still racing, I’m here on the internet. 
…and now I’m hungry…
Week 1 (let’s hope there’s no Week 2…)
Day 1 – spent most of the morning kinda freaking out with M, thought a lot about money and missing paychecks, etc. I then made mental lists of all the places we should go since we now ‘have the time’. Thank you Congress 😦
Oh, then crossed off half the places in my mental list because they’ve got the word “National” in their name and that means they’re CLOSED! Then made mental list of all the things that needed to be done at home (cheap and/or free).
Day 2 – Marathoned Parks and Recreation, Season 5 – Thank you Netflix for releasing this on October 1st. I totally feel that it was done to help all of us in the NPS… I might be overthinking that but whatever. Oh! I also spent some time cleaning the house… Maybe if I had a furlough once a year, the house would be cleaned once a year? M came in late in the evening and was wrecked from a long day. To end our first official “furlough day” (yesterday was technically our day off), we watched some stand-up comedy and fell into blissful, allergy-pill enhanced sleep.
Day 3 – M worked on his book, so I Facebooked. Reading all the NPS friends and family posts about whats happening to them kinda got me down, and pissed. So M and I went for a nice long walk by the Rio Grande with Lennox. The sounds of the riparian area, mixed with the crisp fall breeze really helped. Later, after a lot of Champions of Norrath, we cooked a nice fall dinner of lemon risotto and champagne, and settled into a romantic evening with 28 Days Later. (Fall is the perfect time for scary movies!)
Day 4 – Went hiking in a STATE PARK! Franklin Mountains State Park encompasses the whole mountain that splits El Paso into East and West sides.
Thank you state parks for not shutting down at the same time as our federal parks did… that would incite a riot among hikers. Afterwards, we decided to hit a cheap date spot and went mini-golfing 🙂
Day 5 – Woke up early (8am, but for the first time in 7 days) to hit the Saturday Arts & Farmers Market in downtown El Paso. I ALWAYS miss this market. Every Saturday there are posts all over Facebook taunting me about the fun being had at the market while I’m at work. Later that afternoon, M and I caravaned out to Carlsbad to spend the weekend. Driving through Guadalupe Mountains NP during the shut-down is bittersweet. I know the natural forces aren’t shut-down, the indigenous animals don’t listen well to our federal government. I’m sure they’re enjoying the quiet, peaceful void of humans. I want to be out there with them.
We went to a going away party for a co-worker… of course, she can’t move to her new job until the govt reopens…
We closed the day with The Omen. (we’re doing all scary movies for October)
Day 6 – Woke up realizing that the boys don’t have winter jeans that fit them… Hit Walmart before the church crowd showed up. (i seriously had to remember what day it was. this no-work thing messes up your internal calendar) Played Words with Friends for the first time in several days. I now realize that I mostly play this at work… sorry WWF friends. We went for a family+dogs walk to enjoy the early fall afternoon and play at the playground.
The scary October movie of the evening was Insidious, which scared the crap outta me. I may have hidden my face in a pillow for over half the movie, but that just tells you how scary it was. Fantastic evening flick! (Can’t wait for the second one!) We also watched a family-friendly Percy Jackson and the Olympians with the boys. It was pretty good too. 🙂
So we’ve been gardening for about 2 months now and things are finally starting to happen! Our garden isn’t as awesome as my dad’s but he’s been doing this for at least 30 years. Plus he uses chemical fertilizer. I’m trying to NOT do that, but we shall see.
We wanted to get a shade structure… something that we could remove when necessary. Lowe’s sells them but they are way above our budget so we searched for a DIY way.
 |
| The inspiration… |
 |
| Making our own shade structure – pvc pipe, pcv pipe corners, pvc pipe glue, quick ties, and burlap. |
 |
| Lennox inspected; Lennox approved |
 |
| M getting the frame together |
 |
| Burlap across top to allow sun to come in, but reflect some heat |
It was too windy outside to get a good completed shot so you’ll have to wait until we actually use it. Its for the dog-days of summer, which in southern New Mexico come in May… so you won’t have to wait too long.
As for the garden itself….
 |
| We bought tomato plants, and I installed a special DIY watering system Old coke bottles so that we can water the roots without the evaporation. They seem to like it…. |
 |
| The broccoli is going crazy. |
 |
| Someone among us LOVES the broccoli. |
 |
| We have potatoes!!! |
 |
| The herbs are doing great, and they taste fantastic |
 |
| M cleaned out the boys’ room and I got a storage area! |
 |
| The pomegranates are blossoming. These are great for birds. Keeps their mind off my garden. |
The lavender out front is kinda the same. I’m worried that they aren’t growing. They are flowering like crazy though! Every time I rip a flower off, they put another one out.
Soon I’ll be sowing sage and green beans. And in the fall we’ll try another round of spinach and kale.
Oh! and I haven’t killed my cilantro yet! WooHoo!
 |
| Seeds! |
 |
| Spinach and Kale getting ready to go |
 |
| my gardening help…. an eager Lennox, while a reluctant Chicory hides in the shade |
 |
| Planting in containers |
 |
| Best gardening book ever! and I found it in a random used bookstore. Fate! |
Meanwhile, in Carlsbad –
 |
| Lavender for the front bed |
 |
| Cutting off awesome blossoms makes the plant healthier – we hope. |
 |
| Let’s hope these guys grow big and awesome |
 |
| red potatoes bought in Albertsons and planted in the backyard |
 |
| the beginnings of broccoli |
 |
| the family farm… and Lennox. Potatoes in the bins on the left, broccoli behind the chiminea, cilantro in front chilling with herbs bought to provide instant gratification. |
 |
| drilling drain holes in bins. guess they aren’t all the same size. Oops! |
 |
| Winnie wants to help too |
to be continued….
It’s officially fall – that time after summer when its not blistering hot out. It’s also autumn, which in Kristi-speak is the time when the leaves turn brilliant shades of colors that I wish I could turn into sweaters.
So, here is a list of why I love autumn!
 |
| Skyline Drive, Shenandoah NP |
1. That brilliant reddish hue in the afternoon light as it streams down through red, yellow and orange leaves. It must be similar to the rose-colored glasses that illuminate the cobbled streets of Paris, only more organic.
2. Fuzzy socks!
3. Crisp fall air brings with it clear blue skies
4. Cuddling keeps you warm and happy (Like I really need an excuse to cuddle!)
5. I can finally indulge my love of fuzzy sweaters and scarves. I’m totally happy when I get to unpack all my winter stuff, & totally happy in the spring to pack it all away again!
 |
| Yummiest Book Ever! |
6. My inexplicable urge to bake everything in my Bread Bible. I give most of what I bake away, otherwise I’d look like those creepy people on tv who are too big to get out of their house!
7. Sleeping with my windows open is all the air conditioning that I need
8. Did I mention cuddling? It is important enough to repeat.
9. Hiking is much more enjoyable for everyone living in the desert.
10. Choosing the perfect beautiful leaf to bring home to loved ones
 |
| Hiking in Lincoln NF with CT |
11. Christmas lights are just around the corner
12. The ability to listen to Vince Guaraldi for a whole month is one step closer!
14. All those emails about Christmas wish lists and “what do you want for Christmas” texts. Also searching for the exact right gift for loved ones.
15. The fact that my dog blends in with fall colors better than any other season =)
 |
| Lennox, the perfect fall accessory! |
What’s your favorite thing about autumn?
Happy Fall, Ya’ll!
High Rises to Hiking Boots 