Las Cruces, New Mexico: Spring Comes

On Sunday, I visited the arts and crafts show in the village of Old Mesilla, which is just outside of Las Cruces. 

I saw my first daffodils of the year. Spring approaches. Blades of joy there. 

First daffodils of  the year. Old Mesilla near Las Cruces, New Mexico. March 2023. Credit: Mzuriana.

In a long-ago March, in my rooted life, stoic daffodils bore a mantle of snow in Missouri: 

Daffodils in snow. Jefferson City, Missouri. March 2007. Credit: Mzuriana.

To reap the joy of daffodils, someone must plant the bulbs the year before, in the faith that beauty will come.

Word of the Year: Joy 9: A Tomato and Onion Sandwich

Tomato and sweet onion sandwich. August 2021.

 

Is there not something joyful about a simple tomato and onion sandwich? 

Especially if the tomato is from a home garden. 

My descendant does not like tomatoes, but she has them in her garden. I was the lucky recipient of a day's harvest. 

When an earthy, red tomato rests momentarily on your tongue, it is the warmth of a summer afternoon sun that rests there. This is mighty fine. 

Add the crunch of a sweet onion, the soothing scratch of toasted bread, and the black pepper kick, well, now you've got some joy. 

 

Related posts

• September 2011: An Evening in Tsalaskuri, Georgia 
• December 2018: Mexico City: My Daily Eats

 

El Paso: An Herbal Experiment

No, not this kind of herbal experiment:

Colorado cannabis, Longmont, Colorado. May 2016.

October 2016. 


It was a rosemary, basil, and oregano kind of experiment.

Herbal garden, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

Herbal garden, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

Herbal garden, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

Note how I ordered the photos from light to dark. This is foreshadowing.

They all died.

El Paso: Segundo Barrio: A Sensory Art Garden

Art garden, Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

October 2016

I did a self-guided walking tour of murals in Segundo Barrio one Sunday. I came upon an older man taking in the sun, sitting in a plastic molded chair in his yard. Right next to him was this art garden. I asked him if I could photograph it and he said yes.

Art garden, Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

October 2016


I love outsider art, especially outside outsider art. There's a line where, on one side, such a garden is just right, and on the other, it explodes into a cacophony of visual noise. The artist of this garden is getting it so right. There are the Christian references, the Native references, utilitarian inspirations by way of pulleys and chains, for example, and a paeon or two to beer. There is movement and there is natural sound. Some colors pop like blooms from statuettes, a set of chimes, a colorful plastic bird.

Art garden, Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

The garden reminded me of one of my favorite outside outsider art spaces, the old Holy Trinity Park in Taos, which housed (and maybe still does) this poignant sign:

Holy Trinity Park, Taos, New Mexico.

It reminds me of the art space by the Mayor of Golden, New Mexico.

Art garden, Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

The shade is blessed in such a hot, sere place such as El Paso. The color, the breeze, the multiple layers of sound call you to pause, look. Consider the arrangement of the pieces. Imagine sitting in one of the chairs in an evening or an early morning.

Art garden, Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas. October 2016.

I like the sounds of the video of this garden - the breeze, the traffic, the wind chimes, the birds.

The pulleys and leaves sway, and with them, the shadows.