The accountant daughter's dog will sometimes join our terriers and lounge on the bed with me when I'm reading. He recently stretched out to get comfy and I had to snap a pic because looking at him in profile reminded me of a squirrel.
Our mobile groomer really blinged out the girl dog Pepper last week, and she looked so fallidays cute with the little bows in her fur.
When we bought our older home, we spent about six months remodeling before we moved in. That included hiring a lady to apply an adhesive that mimics frosted glass to a big picture window and french door in the master bath. Both the window and door are contained within a small brick courtyard, but it faces the street and has some cut outs in the brick that forms a pattern. So yeah, it would take serious neck craning to catch some glimpses of us in the bathroom. However, I'm one of the most modest folks on the planet and this glass treatment was a must. Now when the sun or moonlight hits those frosted windows, we get some interesting silhouettes, which change with the seasons. In this month of halloween, I think they're a bit creepy in an Ichabod Crane and Sleepy Hollow sort of way.
This month I've made several soups, including a couple pots of cheese broccoli soup. My mother has been craving the stuff, and I've obliged her by whipping up the stuff from scratch and putting it in single serving containers I store in the freezer for her. I also made a big pot of pinto beans and pan of Mexican cornbread this week. I'm hoping we'll settle into a cooler fall weather pattern soon so I can make a big batch of chili.
Anytime I'm in the kitchen, the dogs gather around to look for a handout. Or to watch and see if anything falls on the floor.
I was cutting up an apple one day and they all gathered at my feet, waiting. I knew Chorkie would eat it, but figured my two wouldn't. Sure enough, he gobbled up his bite, while Ollie and Pepper caught it in their mouths and then promptly dropped it on the floor. But then Chorkie hustled over to gobble up their apple piece. Greed won the day, and they decided to give it a try when I tossed them another piece, if for no other reason than to keep Chorkie from getting it again. And I imagine they were wondering if it tasted better than they expected since Chorkie gobbled up his and theirs. They're now fans of fresh apple.
When we were in New Mexico over the summer, I was disappointed I didn't see any elk. This time we spied quite a few of them on several different days. They were always in big groups of cows with their calves, and a few bulls sizing them up in anticipation of the rut.
Mr. Big Elk, seen below, was all-in on attracting the attention of the lady elk, though in a most disturbing way. Be glad I didn't get a video of that. Right after I snapped this shot, he hopped up and proceeded to urinate so that he did a good job of dousing his own head in the stream - more flexible than I imagined! Next he belted out a bugle and rubbed his face on the wet-with-urine grass for good measure, just to be sure it was well coated. Then he swaggered over a few yards and started munching on the golf course grass after this he-elk display. Unfortunately for him, the cows didn't seem impressed.
We also ran across a group of mature mule deer bucks, just chillin' on the lawns of homes between the Kokopelli and Outlaw golf courses in nearby Alto, due north of Ruidoso. We didn't witness any urine dousing displays, thank goodness. I pulled over to take a couple pics, and they didn't give a hoot.
We tried several new restaurants while we were in New Mexico. The four of us snagged lunch one day at a burger place downtown (Hall of Flame) while we were checking out the shops. Who doesn't love beer battered fries, especially when they're covered in a tasty green chile queso. I also ran across a mural I hadn't seen before of Billy the Kid.
My friend was happy to hit the local Christmas store with me. They had expanded into a small space next door and the Santa options were even more impressive this time since they're gearing up for the holidays. I might need to see about a part time job in there once we build our mountain house, just so I can get an employee discount. We also hit a couple yard art places because the friend loves that sorta stuff.
All in all, it was a relaxing weekend. The view from the back deck of our VRBO was lovely, and we enjoyed the dip in temps at 7000 feet. I love nothing better than a pretty east facing porch to enjoy sunrises. I'm already looking forward to our next visit this winter. Hopefully by then we'll be well on our way to hiring an architect and can start the process of making our second home in the mountains a reality.
While we were in south central New Mexico, we enjoyed learning more about the area. We paid a visit to nearby Fort Stanton, considered one of the most intact 19th century military forts in the country. Surrounded by the Lincoln National Forest, this 240 acre site with its large parade ground is an interesting place to spend a mild fall afternoon exploring the past.
Named for Captain Henry W. Stanton, who was killed in a skirmish with the Apaches, it was built in 1855 by soldiers of the 1st Dragoon as well as the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of operations against the Mescalero Apache Indians. Closed by the Army in 1896 when the Mescalero Apaches were settled on a reservation nearby, it was reopened three years later by the US Public Health Service as a tubercular hospital for the Merchant Marines and served in this capacity until 1953.
During the Great Depression, it was also home to a Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) work camp. Then it shifted to become an internment site for German merchant seaman and POWs. It briefly had Japanese internees and served as a refuge for Japanese-American families threatened by mobs in their hometowns.
In later years, it became a state hospital for the developmentally handicapped from the 1960s until 1995. A nonprofit was created in 1997 to save Fort Stanton when it was set to be demolished, and it is now managed by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs. The fort more recently partnered with the Bureau of Land Management, offering nearly 100 miles of trials for hiking, biking, horseback riding and camping to outdoor enthusiasts.
Our friend pointed out that the fire hydrants at Fort Stanton come from our hometown in Texas.
Speaking of Apaches and their reservation, we made a visit to the nearby Inn of the Mountain Gods casino to make a donation. Many moons ago when our kids were in elementary and middle school, we spent a long weekend with the husband's extended family in Ruidoso for some skiing and visited the casino one evening. I'm not a big gambler, but I enjoy people watching. It's like the bus stop or airport - you see a little bit of everything. I committed to my usual $20 for the slots, cashing out when it got to $36. I chose the Wurstfest machine since it's that time of year. Prost!
I've been calling myself middle-aged for years. Alas, I think I've now slid past middle age. Like if you doubled my age, I'd be busy pushing up daisies in the cemetery. Such cheery thoughts during my birthday month. And yet I'm fine with it. I'll be here until my life has served God's purposes. No point in kicking and pitching about something I can't control. As I've gotten older, I've been able to relax and trust in the Lord's perfect timing for my life. There's comfort and peace in that, and I'm grateful for it.
Since we finallllllly closed on our lot in New Mexico - even real estate transactions continue to run slower in our post pandemic world - we decided to scoot up there to check it out and see what the village of Ruidoso is like during the fall shoulder season.
We got several glimpses of fall foliage, though no big swaths of changing leaves. I snapped the pic above of our NM neighbor's yard. That's exactly what I intend to plant in our yard - some pretty maples and those lovely blue spruce CHRISTMAS trees. It's no secret how much I love the holidays. I may need a small forest of spruces to frame the view on our lot. Now I just need a livable structure on it! This trip we opted for a 3/2 VRBO in the neighborhood right across from ours since we invited another couple to join us. We were all happy about the cooler mountain temps since it's still way too warm here in Texas to consider it truly fall.
Our first full day in the mountains, we scooted up to the site of the infamous Lincoln County Wars as portrayed in the late 1980s all-male brat pack movie Young Guns, in case you've seen it. I somehow missed that one, so was completely ignorant of all things Billy the Kid related to this area of New Mexico.
Located about 30 miles northeast of Ruidoso, it's set in a pretty valley location on a mostly deserted two lane state highway where the speed limit slows to about 30 mph. We watched a video in the visitor's center, and then rambled around to see some of the historic buildings with their signs.
They had some interesting original artifacts inside. I was especially impressed with the highly ornamented pediment and molding around the safe door in what became the court house, particularly because it was so out of place in this rather humble setting. According to the husband, I need to sit down and watch the Young Guns movie because he says it's a pretty accurate historical account of what led to the bad blood between these two rival cattle barons in the late 1870s. Throw in some government corruption, and it was a recipe for pointless bloodshed and a serious body count by the time the dust settled.
Built several decades before this, the Torreon (below) intrigued me. Erected by earlier settlers, it was used as a lookout and defensive structure for protection from raiding Apaches. This simple stone tower contained a second floor made of rough hewn timber beams common to adobe construction called vigas. You can still see the primary vigas sticking out on the upper part of the exterior.
I never met an historic church I didn't adore. The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist) was built between 1885-87 by parishioners under the guidance of Father John Marie Garnier. It was constructed from adobe mudbricks made on site and vigas felled in the nearby Capitan Mountains. Sold to the state so it could be restored and maintained, I don't believe any sort of services are held in it anymore.
Some big and pointy ears this dog has... said in my best Yoda voice. Seriously. I took this pic of the chorkie when he was sitting on my lap, and the resemblance is remarkable. If Yoda ever needs a body double, we could make a bit of cash.
The master bathroom rainshower head has had a slow drip for a while and I've been meaning to find a plumber to get it fixed. That became a no big deal scenario last week when the husband came home from work to discover the dry cleaning bag in the master closet was sitting in a puddle of water. Which led to us finding a couple different places where water was slowly bubbling up out of the tile joints. Long story short, we had a leak in a copper pipe running from the tankless water heater into the laundry room, which backs up to the master closet.
Once we realized this and started looking more closely at the flooring, we realized the saltillo tiles in the hallway to the garage were also wet. Plus there were a couple puddles in the laundry room, too. Thankfully, a work buddy of the husband's had good experiences with a local mom and pop plumbing company. For five hours of work, we got the pipe replaced. Plus the shower head drip was fixed and an exterior hose bib that had been dripping for months got capped off. And it was all taken care of for a surprisingly reasonable price, by a younger guy who was just really sweet and explained all of the plumbing issues and fixes in a way I could mostly understand. Now I just need to get our old contractor in here to patch and paint the three holes in the laundry room walls where they had to diagnose and run new pipe.
Although the weather is still decidedly warm, with highs in the low 90s most of this week, I decided to forge ahead with autumn and do my biannual shoe flip. Out with all but one pair of brown sandals, and in with the footwear I'll use this fall and winter. Or rather, that's UP with each pair stored in its own box since I keep all my out-of-season shoes on the handy shelves up above the hanging clothes.
We're headed to New Mexico this month to celebrate my birthday, so I knew I'd need closed toe shoes for that. I should probably scratch around in the laundry room cabinets to locate my leftover can or two of the spray stuff that protects suede shoes from nasty weather. Last fall I bought two pairs of really cute wedge booties in black and taupe suede, which was so unlike me. I've always been way too practical for something high maintenance like suede footwear. But they were so darned cute. So I hosed them down with suede protector in 2020, probably killing off a ton of brain cells I can't afford to lose at my age. The fumes are truly noxious. And now I figure they probably need another good dousing in that water repellent concoction to remain presentable.
The husband was traveling for work this week, so the dogs were my bed buddies. It's both a blessing and a curse. They keep me company so I don't get lonely in the house by myself. But they also go barking mad if they hear any little thing at night. A raccoon climbing a tree in the yard. Our resident armadillo digging yet another hole in my beautiful St Augustine lawn in search of bugs. A leaf falling from a tree. The grass growing. No sight or sound is too insubstantial for them to ignore. Needless to say, I don't get much quality sleep until the husband is home again thanks to my hair trigger twelve-legged alarm system.
