Savor the Shade

Went this afternoon up FR181 from West Jemez Road to intersection at meadow. There's now a fuelwood cutting area in that section called Valles 2. I passed a "roped" off area (using plain wire at chest level marked with red flags) on the west side of the road before FR2997 that has "Caution, Do Not Enter" signs posted - just a small area but have no idea why it's posted.

Pink flowers of NM locust were abundant. Such a pretty shrub but hard to walk through without bleeding a lot.

I did savor the wind and small spots of shade over the trail.

On yesterday's explore, I ate a violet flower and part of a violet leaf. The plant tastes good but I don't want to tear up violet patches to snack on them as they look much prettier growing on the ground. I also ate a dandelion flower because I heard they're edible. Ed, VCNP hiking buddy, says his mother loves to eat dandelion greens. He was hoping to gather some but the high altitude dandelions are very stingy with their greens. I told him that Whole Foods sells them and they are delicious in smoothies. I would like to find some dandelion blossoms that are unsprayed and use them in smoothies as they must be full of lutein and zeaxanthin. They tasted fine but I think they'd be best ground up in smoothies. NM locust flowers are edible also but I doubt they have as much carotenoids as the brightly colored dandelion flowers so I left all the locust flowers on the shrubs.

I am concluding that this was a very good year for people who hate ticks. I haven't seen a one so far. Nasty critters!!

Thankfully the dendroglyph meeting tonight was over before 8:30pm. I was getting dizzy from all the forms Colleen was handing out!! She is very sincere and sweet but I will reserve my opinion if I'm suited for this volunteer project until I've actually done it several times. I suspect that Archie, another of the team members, is a smoker as he went outside briefly and then came back inside. He grew up in the San Antonio cabin so he could be interesting to talk to.

Hi Daughter,

I made my journal blog public if you'd like to get really bored:

Don't share it with anyone. I just wanted you to know the web address. For now, I'm much more consistent at keeping an online journal than I ever was at the composition book journals although you will find that there is a lot of those to read too (in a box in my bedroom closet)!

: )

Love,

Mom

I Need an Early to Rise Hiking Partner

OK, so it would help if I were early to rise too. I went to bed at 1:30am last night trying to catch up after being gone on the north rim all day and woke up naturally at 8am.

Anyhow...here's a few more hikes and explores I'd like to do one day. Other people want to travel the world but I'll be happy getting to know some local terrain.

Water Canyon Mesa loop and explores of all trails between Pajarito Acres and Water Canyon

Pajarito Mountain to explore top of destroyed Pajarito Canyon Trail

Knife-edge to Pajarito Mountain

Cerro Grande's meadows beneath it's eastern arm

I called a few roofers this morning. Los Alamos Roofing could have come out today but I didn't want to be tied down so I said that Thursday would be good. LP roofing, the one who reroofed the house 13 years ago, will call me about looking at the problem. They tried to fix the leak after it was reroofed but weren't successful. I called Tower.com and they emailed me a label to return the defective yoga DVD. I called Don's Windows and Doors and they'll call back about the cost for a service call to replace one of our double pane windows that has moisture inside and that's still under warranty. OK, so I drop off the DVD at the post office, after I package it up, drop in at the library, and drop off at daughter's workplace some Envirokidz peanut butter bars I bought for grandson, and then finally I get to do my daily 4 miles and test the Asics Gel Nimbus some more. The New Balance 908's are OK but even with the Hapad Comf Orthotic, my heel spur hurts afterwards.

I have to email daughter that this is now an open blog and she's free to read it and get bored to death!! : )

Even though I'm tired I'm happy to be alive. The dendroglyph project meeting should be interesting this evening but, if I'm lucky, I may get to play hooky from the first session next Tuesday as Dorothy may get me invited on a field trip to see the Leese cabin on the VCNP!!