A little bit of peace on earth

 The sun comes up on another day during the pandemic.

 It's peaceful and calm and the gang is all here, if only in spirit 

(that's Smooch's resting place under the rocks in the background).

 Look closely and you'll see Alex way back there at the gate.

We're getting a bit desperate for rain, but the yucca is in bloom...

...and the yard is looking pretty good.

This is the first visitor we've had in months. 

He was on his way to steal swallow eggs from a nest

but met the snake pole instead and was relocated far, far away.

Alex and I ran into this guy yesterday on our morning walk. 

Aren't you glad I started blogging again?

I'll end this on a better note. 

My bedroom has inadvertently turned into the Rug Room.

A girl can never have too many Navajo rugs, and I recently acquired my third.

The Navajo nation is being hit extraordinarily hard by the coronavirus.

In looking for ways to help, I came across a non-profit organization called 

Adopt A Native Elder.

There are many ways to donate to their efforts, but I went straight to the rug catalog.

100% of the proceeds from a rug purchase go directly to the weaver.

I could think of no better way to use my stimulus check.

Indoor and outdoor grievances

 Alex likes the new couch. She has more room to stretch out, as do I, 

which was the whole point of buying a new one.

 The challenge now is to keep her dirt and dog hair on the covered side.

 This is Alex's "I reject the premise of the discussion" face,

 followed by her "I can't get close enough to you with this damned pillow in the way" face.

If it's looking extra bright outside the windows in these pictures,

blame it on the April showers...

 ...which brought snow.

 We all had some choice words to say about that.

When social distancing does not apply

George and Alan have not grasped the concept of social distancing.

George thinks it means Alan has to keep his distance from me.

Alan thinks that's bullshit...

...and is not shy about expressing his feelings.

If distancing ourselves from our animals is ever recommended...

...just shoot me.

A few minutes with Alan and a lizard

Today's music is "Lizards Dancing on the Fence" by Gary Bowman.

Some things never change

There comes a point when I have to stop screaming into the void and do it here instead, because these daily press conferences? The excerpts I'm seeing leave me speechless. Why can't anybody stop him? How can we help fix this? There are no easy answers until November, I know, but I feel a little better having asked the questions.
Thanks for listening to me vent. You might want to hit replay on the video now.

Here, this will help, too.
Maggie Mae, Lisa G's 10-week-old Cavapoo:

A pep talk to myself

 I've lived here for 14 winters. I know how to deal with inclement weather.

There's plenty of food, firewood, hay, wine.

I've got this.

I keep repeating these thoughts to myself so I won't fret about the next storm,

which is on schedule for later today.

 Then my mind wanders 10 years forward, when I'm 74

and shoveling paths on a 7-degree morning. Will I be able to handle it then?

I have no idea, and getting anxious about it serves no useful purpose.

 So I circle back to the beginning and remind myself, "I've got this."

Alex: Yes, you do.

Alex: Now put some more wood in the stove so I can warm up my butt.

Hibernating

December is not our favorite month. 

It's cold, we have to spend too much time indoors, and

there's simply not enough daylight. 

I suppose I could use the extra inside time to keep this blog updated, but no.

Our current default state is hibernation.

 Alex has found a temporary solution to our couch-is-too-small problem

by claiming the upholstered coffee table as her own.

The few toys you see in the above picture are about all that remain 

relatively in tact out of the three dozen or so she grew up with.

She has decimated the others, with a little help from Smooch.

The upside is she doesn't chew on any of my stuff. Yet.

 

Hockey has been our saving grace this winter. 

I splurged on a season TV pass so I can follow my Washington Capitals,

which means it's hockey night in New Mexico two or three times a week.

Alex finds herself in the penalty box whenever she gets too rough with Smooch.

You may have noticed an absence of all things Christmas in my house.

These geraniums are as red and green as it will get around here.

I don't do Christmas any more. I've never been a big fan of the holiday, 

and Christmas music sends me right over the edge. 

If you're thinking along the lines of "she must be so lonely and depressed," please stop.

I'm not! I just don't like all the hoopla, and out here in nowheresville, it's really easy to ignore.

I might add that nowheresville doesn't seem as remote since my phone 

can pinpoint my location right down to the room I'm standing in. How creepy is that?

All the animals are healthy and happy, which is the best gift of all

any time of the year.

When Alex isn't chewing up her toys, she's fixated on the feral beast.

Have your social media feeds been overflowing with ads from ruggable? 

Mine have, and I was powerless against their marketing tactics, which basically involve 

a lot of dogs. Check out their instagram feed. You'll see what I mean.

But you know what? Their rug system is effin' awesome and we are madly in love,
and they're not paying me to say that.

You: Is this post ever going to end? She goes silent for a couple of weeks 
and now she won't shut up.
Me: One last thing.

I received this gift from someone who knows me too well. Thanks, Ethel!
If the text on the video is too small to read, here's what it says:
Whenever things don't go so well,
and you want to hit the wall and yell,
here's a little dammit doll
that you can't do without. 
Just grasp it firmly by the legs
and find a place to slam it.
And as you whack the stuffing out
yell "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" 

(view with the sound on, but not too loud if you're at work)

Photographs and memories

When Danni was here last week, I foolishly mentioned

that I have very few pictures of my animals and me together.

 That is no longer true.

Like most folks these days, 

Danni carries her phone/camera at all times.

And stinker that she is, she turned off the shutter sound

so I wouldn't know just how many pictures she was taking

of me with my animals.

 

 Be careful what you wish for.

But I'm not complaining.

 

There's nothing like a photograph

to reinforce the memories of a great week spent with a great friend.

Just like old times

Justina and Don from Morning Bray Farm were vacationing in New Mexico this week...

 

...and we got their undivided attention for 24 hours.

This was Alex's first experience with houseguests
and she was on her best behavior, much to my surprise.

We sat around and never stopped talking.

She sat around and never stopped looking cute.

Justina was missing her own donkeys

so George filled in for Bernard and pretty much didn't leave her side

during happy hour at the barn, 

except to have a meaningful conversation with Don.

There's something about Don's head that my animals find irresistable.

Flashback:

Sitting at the barn, in the dirt, in the heat, with the flies 

may not be everyone's favorite pastime, but it's ours. 

(The margaritas ease all environmental discomforts.)

Alan: Why does George get to be in all the pictures and not me?

Me: Because you're polite enough not to stick your head into every shot.

You would think I would have taken a group shot of the humans

to commemorate this very special visit, but no.

Luckily Danni took a screenshot of our facetime call:

Thanks, Danni!

The chickens joined us for morning coffee.

Turns out the new girls are very sociable.

Then just like that, Justina and Don were gone,

but the memories of their visit will be treasured forever.