Lilac season in Taos

 and, needless, to say, it was gorgeous!

The opportunity presented itself for a few days visit

to see my oldest son in Taos -

and I jumped on it!

Road trips are always fun for me -

and this one was no exception.

I love watching the transition from prairie to mountains

as you drive across MO, KS, then into Southern CO

and, finally, Northern New Mexico.

New Mexico is its own brand of beauty;

totally understand why its called the Land of Enchantment.

 While there were indications of spring being on its way -

there were nights of hard frost 

and even a day 

with snow flurries and a dusting of snow on the ground when we visited

one of our favorite parks -

Rio Castillo.

 

As much as he wanted to go fly fishing with the new rod he made,

it was too cold to sustain the effort for long.

SO good to have time with my first born.

We didn't spend all our time in state parks;

we also hit up our favorite spots in town.

 

It also made me smile to watch him teach himself how to knit/crochet/loom a hat!

In an afternoon, while we sat and talked...

who does that?

Anyone want to make a bet we all get hats this Christmas?

The other thing that made me smile was seeing how involved he's gotten in gardening...

ornamentals as well as produce.

While I type this, it's still 90 degrees in St Louis

(at 8:30 pm);

as hard as it was to believe, 

while in Taos, they still had nights below 40, 

so nothing's in the ground yet.

We had wonderful conversations about how gardening cultivates hope -

and couldn't we all use more of that!

While talking about what kind of fencing - or enclosures - to use,

I suggested that he use his new skill to make a wattle fence -

and wouldn't you know it, 

he did!

To be honest, I'm really envious;

I think it looks great.

 

I'll only brag about him for another second.

Years ago, a wonderful, talented and loving friend gifted me 

with a painting of my great grandmother.

I loved it -

and I managed to accommodate the almost life sized canvas as best I could

in my tiny cottage.

 

However, after living with it for years,

it simply seemed like too much body and background,

neither of which was necessary to tell her story.

 

After transporting her to Taos,

Mike helped re-size her and its SO much better now!

As much as I loved it before, I love it even more now!

I'll finish with a few more images from around town, including my souvenir -

which I also love!

At the end of the lane as I was leaving.

I was home for almost a week before I headed out again -

but that will be a post for another day!

Meanwhile, since the eclipse...

 This sassy little miss turned 2 -

how is that even possible?

All I know is that she's added joy to every day! 

 

She and her brother are high points of every day!

All the grandparenting tropes you hear are true!

 

My quilt top has been completed, returned;

and I LOVE it!

 

Spring continues to unfold

and my 'garden', 

my poor neglected, it used to be beautiful, once upon a time garden,

continues to gift me with beauty every day.

 

While I was being diagnosed and treated for skin cancer

 - on my knee of all ridiculous places-,

before the stitches had even healed,

Arizona's Supreme Court upheld legislation from 1864 -

when it was a territory, not a state,

when women couldn't vote, 

slavery was still a thing

and white men were still solely in charge -

forbidding women from having ANY agency 

when it comes to their bodies, reproductive freedoms

or ability to determine appropriate healthcare for themselves.

 

Short of that, I'll be in Columbia this weekend, 

knocking on doors,

canvassing and collecting signatures on the petition 

for a state constitutional amendment

which would guarantee women the right to make their damn healthcare decisions.

 

Srsly... can't believe we have to do this AGAIN!

Like every 50 years or so, 

we have to convince men that we're fully human and should be empowered

with the right to make our own decisions about our own bodies!? WTF!

 

In a totally unexpected fluke,

I was privileged to be interviewed by Humans of St Louis;

find out why on their Instagram page.

If I'm not arrested for arson this weekend,

I'll limp back here soon!

 

In the meantime:

Resist the Patriarchy

and remember sunscreen!

 

What a powerful experience

In 2017, during the previous Path of Totality,

I was still working at the hospital.

(And, yes, it does feel like that long ago!)

We watched as we could, in between answering pagers and taking phone calls,

and, while I remember it as being "out of the ordinary", is was, ultimately,

just a welcomed interruption in a day of the usual chaos. 

This time felt decidedly different;

not only because it will be my last eclipse,

but because as I get closer to the final mystery (death)

glimpses of natural, uncontrollable, breathtaking events 

interest me more.

A few posts ago, I mentioned that we scored the perfect setting for our viewing -

an art museum with trails and sculpture gardens, 

a lake, food trucks, a band and

clean bathrooms!

So, we drove 75" east and south to join a 'sold out' crowd of 200.

(Many thanks to Cedarhurst staff 

for realizing how many people 

your grounds can accommodate

without ruining the ambience of the experience.)

 

Some folks just couldn't resist the cosplay opportunities 

an eclipse provides

and, since it was my friends birthday, 

we pretended it was all a celebration of her

and went with the flow.

Group conversations, the band music etc kept up at a usual pace,

until about halfway through the eclipse.

As the light faded, conversations grew softer, in more hushed tones,

the band ceased their playing and

people settled in place, 

with glasses/eyes turned skyward.

The whole setting seemed muted and more serene.

As totality was achieved, you heard the occasional "Oh my God",

but generally there was 4 minutes of near total silence.

As the moon passed by and the light of the sun was returning, 

there were pockets of muffled clapping or cheers from the kids but,

by and large, the adults were still in a reverential space.

It occurred to me what a truly remarkable event this was:

not only did millions of people believe what scientists predicted,

they took time out of their lives 

and traveled to get to the best spot to see something so extraordinary.

Nobody was arguing that it wasn't going to happen, 

nobody falling down a rabbit hole 

that the moon would collide with the sun and destroy the earth;

no one postulating that this was a hoax of the deep state

or "put on" for the benefit of one political party or the other.

In the heart of rural America,

millions of people demonstrated a faith in science

and wanted to experience something with their friends or families

 that was beyond their control; 

something that was a reminder that human beings 

are an extremely small part of something infinitely larger

than ourselves.

The lake before, during, at totality and as the light was returning.

Many of my thoughts from that day have stayed with me.

I'm SO grateful to have had the chance to experience it 

in the manner and place I did.