Pause in NM
From Sunday to today, I've been in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, visiting friends, doing administrative tasks, and driving down a number of memory lanes -- sites of old homes and haunts. Today I drive to Steamboat, Colorado to join family and friends for a raft trip on the Green river, so this is my last entry for about a week. A few highlights of the last few days:
Apparently apache plume, Indian blanket and Spanish broom like drought. They are all in magnificent bloom.
The drought was broken a bit by a decent amount of rain in Santa Fe yesterday. I take credit, as I had washed my car that morning.
More birds: Spotted towhee, black-capped grosbeak, a very noisy Western scrub jay. There has been a constant concert from the white-winged doves. Some birders say their call is "Who cooks for you?", but I thought it was more of a report on a wild party: "Wah-hah! Woo-hoo!" On Sunday, I was in the doorway to the garden, and a mountain chickadee flew onto the doorjamb and hung there, inches from my face. It then flew into the house. As my mind raced on how to get it out, it flew to the top of the doorjamb (i.e., hanging upside down), then flew away. But a while later, it or a friend was back and flew in again. It clung to the mullion of a window and rubbed its beak on the glass -- I think it was trying to get an insect that was in the space between the storm window and regular window. Then it flew to a window sill. I thought if I put my hand on the side away from the door, it would fly to the door, but instead it tried to fly straight ahead through the window glass. So then I started to try and catch it, and it hopped onto my hand and stayed there while I carried it outside. Very special.
One morning Pam found a bird with a broken leg in the garage. She put it in a crate, and I took it up to the wildlife center outside Espanola. They said it was an English Sparrow, and could probably survive fine with one leg. I felt a little silly bringing in a sparrow, but a woman right after me brought in a pigeon. Pam says people bring in mice. All are treated seriously. When I got home I looked for English Sparrow in the bird books, but none was listed. So I googled and learned that it is what the books call a house sparrow. A data sheet from the state of Florida explained that 6 pairs had been introduced to the U.S. in 1850, and they have done so well here that they can become pests. So it went on to provide methods to kill them. And here I was bringing one to the wildlife center to have its broken leg cured. Well, it's God's little creature, too. [It's been suggested to me that the sparrow would make a good breakfast for the raptors at the wildlife center.]
After the wildlife center, I drove to Santa Cruz, which is right above Española, and found the old plaza I had looked for on Monday. Santa Cruz de la Cañada church was built in 1730!
Lots of delicious chile dinners. Hard to pick, but I think La Choza is my favorite for now. Tia Sophia's buys local honey and the current crop is unbelievably flavorful and good.
Visited St. Mark's on the Mesa in Albuquerque, which is where my grandmother's ashes reside. It was her parents whose grave I visited in Fostoria, Ohio. I'm feeling very connected with the lines of genetics and history.
Hasta luego.
Apparently apache plume, Indian blanket and Spanish broom like drought. They are all in magnificent bloom.
The drought was broken a bit by a decent amount of rain in Santa Fe yesterday. I take credit, as I had washed my car that morning.
More birds: Spotted towhee, black-capped grosbeak, a very noisy Western scrub jay. There has been a constant concert from the white-winged doves. Some birders say their call is "Who cooks for you?", but I thought it was more of a report on a wild party: "Wah-hah! Woo-hoo!" On Sunday, I was in the doorway to the garden, and a mountain chickadee flew onto the doorjamb and hung there, inches from my face. It then flew into the house. As my mind raced on how to get it out, it flew to the top of the doorjamb (i.e., hanging upside down), then flew away. But a while later, it or a friend was back and flew in again. It clung to the mullion of a window and rubbed its beak on the glass -- I think it was trying to get an insect that was in the space between the storm window and regular window. Then it flew to a window sill. I thought if I put my hand on the side away from the door, it would fly to the door, but instead it tried to fly straight ahead through the window glass. So then I started to try and catch it, and it hopped onto my hand and stayed there while I carried it outside. Very special.
One morning Pam found a bird with a broken leg in the garage. She put it in a crate, and I took it up to the wildlife center outside Espanola. They said it was an English Sparrow, and could probably survive fine with one leg. I felt a little silly bringing in a sparrow, but a woman right after me brought in a pigeon. Pam says people bring in mice. All are treated seriously. When I got home I looked for English Sparrow in the bird books, but none was listed. So I googled and learned that it is what the books call a house sparrow. A data sheet from the state of Florida explained that 6 pairs had been introduced to the U.S. in 1850, and they have done so well here that they can become pests. So it went on to provide methods to kill them. And here I was bringing one to the wildlife center to have its broken leg cured. Well, it's God's little creature, too. [It's been suggested to me that the sparrow would make a good breakfast for the raptors at the wildlife center.]
After the wildlife center, I drove to Santa Cruz, which is right above Española, and found the old plaza I had looked for on Monday. Santa Cruz de la Cañada church was built in 1730!
Lots of delicious chile dinners. Hard to pick, but I think La Choza is my favorite for now. Tia Sophia's buys local honey and the current crop is unbelievably flavorful and good.
Visited St. Mark's on the Mesa in Albuquerque, which is where my grandmother's ashes reside. It was her parents whose grave I visited in Fostoria, Ohio. I'm feeling very connected with the lines of genetics and history.
Hasta luego.
posted by Annventurer | 11:38 AM
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