My friend, a couple of miles away, telephones, "isn't this downpour wonderful?" Downpour? No, just lots of thunder and some light sprinkles here. So many ecosystems in these mountain regions. We would like the rain, right here and now. Apparently the Farm Services Administration designated Taos County as a natural disaster area in January due to the drought. This continuing dry weather is causing concern for small ranchers in Taos County as there is simply not enough grass or water for the cattle. And the high cost of feed to supplement the sparse hay is costing them lots of money. The newspaper predicts that it could be the end of small ranching. I heard that the monsoon season is building up though, so we'll keep our fingers crossed - and hope for those downpours and wild winds that can seem like the end of the world, but are actually what saves our world here in the high desert.
"drink at your own risk"
It's written on the labels. My son makes wine at his home in Connecticut in what I call his "wine cave". It's in the basement in a clean temperature-controlled alcove. I persuaded him to take me down there and explain the process. He did and I can't quite remember it now, but I loved seeing those huge decanters where the vino russo is quietly fermenting.
wild things
We don't have a cat. We used to, when we lived in the east. But since moving here, with dogs who didn't like cats, and coyotes that tend to eat them, we won't risk it. But when I travel it seems that whoever I visit has cats. My daughter has three and this one, who wouldn't give me a tumble when I tried to touch it, spent an extended time staring at me from under a chair as I worked at the dining room table one afternoon. I don't know its name or gender (we never got to be on intimate terms), but it sure is cute. And it didn't blink once!
a startling watchfulness
but never speaking
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