A change in plans

Ladybugs all in the casita garden. So cute!

Susan and I had dinner tonight at the most popular Mexican food restaurant in town: The Shed. We both commented how TexMex isn't the same at Mexican food. I mean, what kind of TexMex restaurant doesn't have chips and queso? Yet The Shed serves garlic toast instead of queso. What? The food was excellent as was noted by the fact that Susan and I both had "happy plates," but we still prefer TexMex.

We also spent a little bit of time walking around The Plaza. There's so little grass in New Mexico, yet The Plaza has grass that is so green and luscious. This is another example of the government telling residents to do one thing (don't plant grass because it takes so much water to keep it alive) yet doing just the opposite.

Today I'm creating an e-blast and proofing some things. Susan and I decided at dinner tonight to change our plans. We were planning to leave on Saturday for Houston, but have switched to leaving sometime tomorrow afternoon. That way we can drive to LaGrange, spend the night, and visit the quilt museum on Saturday. Looking forward to it.

A new friend

Could this little guy be a Maltese?

Yesterday while I was gardening, a man who is renting a home down the road came to the gate. I talked to him for a few minutes and then he brought his little dog over to meet Rose. Since I've been here I've heard barking from a little dog, which I had assumed was across the road from the casita in one of the townhomes. Come to find out, it was the man's little dog, who he puts outside on a leash when he isn't home. Susan and I could hear the dog barking and crying most of yesterday when we were at the casita. So sad!

This morning when we got up and opened the windows, the little dog was barking again. I walked down the road to find him leashed to a window with a bowl of water set out. You can see from the pic-of-the-day that this is a tiny little love bug who isn't meant to be left outside for any length of time. Why doesn't the man have a metal crate where he can put the dog when he isn't home? Anyway, I unleashed the little fellow and he has been spending the day in the casita with Susan, Rose and me. Right now he is asleep in Susan's lap while she plays on her iPad. I just can't leave the little fellow outside. When the man comes home and starts searching for his dog, he'll probably get an ear full from the cousins!

Today I'm creating jewelry. I haven't really made much even though it was my goal. I guess I should mention that I've created several Facebook postings for clients, also.

An afternoon at the Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe

Selfie with Susan inside the Folk Art Museum.

Susan and I spent a couple of hours in the Folk Art Museum this afternoon. It is one of my favorite places to visit in the city. I always take people there and, so far, no one has had anything but wonderful things to say about the exhibits. The book and gift shops are also fun. Today I found some cute postcards.

Last night we dined (?) on our homemade burgers along with baked sweet potato fries while watching The Invisible Woman. It's an indie film about Charles Dickins and his mistress … or at least one of them. Interesting film, if you like period dramas.

Today I'm creating some time in the garden. I bought some small Japanese Indigo plants earlier this week and it was finally dry enough today to put them in the garden. This annual plant has been used for centuries in Japan and Southeast Asia and when the leaves are bruised or frosted, they turn navy blue, revealing the indigo pigment inside. I'm fascinated with indigo fabrics and hope to dye some fabric myself.

A casual Memorial Day

Rose enjoying an afternoon nap.

Cousin Susan and I stayed home all day, just as I promised Rose yesterday. Rose can have separation anxiety so she was glad to have us in the casita all day, especially when it rained again this afternoon.

We've watched television and movies most of the day, which has been terrific. I also found time to clean the bathroom and kitchen, but most of the time I've searched the computer for items and cut up 8-10 tin canisters. My hands show the damage of cutting the tins. Bandaids cover the scratches and punctures that are always the result of cutting up the tins.

Today I'm creating a delicious Memorial Day dinner with homemade burgers and sweet potato fries, which we washed down with Prosecco. Very filling and tasty!

Still with the rain, and fun

Columbine growing in the high desert shade.

This afternoon I took Susan to one of my favorite stores in Santa Fe. It's called Recollections and the merchandise is upscale resale and consignment. When Mr. B and I first started coming to Santa Fe, it was just a small store in the Railroad District. Then it moved. Then it expanded. And now it's doubling in size. Through the transitions, it still has wonderful smalls as well as art, rugs, furniture, etc.

After that we went to the 5th annual Santa Fe Fiber Arts Festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas, which is a Spanish-colonial ranch and living history museum south of Santa Fe. There were demonstrations of sheep shearing, wool washing, spinning, dyeing and more, as well as weavings, clothing, supplies, textiles and much more to buy from more than 20 local wool producers and fiber artisans.

Today I'm creating clean clothes before an evening of movies. I went to Albertson's this afternoon to get supplies for Memorial Day. While there I also got two movies: The Book Thief (great film) and Invisible Woman (for tomorrow). And a bottle of Jose Cuervo margaritas. It's raining and we have all the supplies needed for a perfect evening.

More fun (and rain) in Santa Fe

This roses in the front garden are like nothing I've seen in TX.
The center is yellow and the edges are orange. Lots of thorns.

Susan and I started our day at the Farmer's Market. The man who makes the fabulous flat breads was there so we got a loaf of garlic and spinach. Should have gotten two loaves! Also got a spinach and feta quiche plus a bottle of white wine that's made north of Santa Fe.

Next we went to two estate sales that were so much fun! The first one had tons of everything, but I focused on the cool fabrics and vintage tablecloths. I bought what might be the most gorgeous piece of Indigo I've ever seen. We had to hunt for the next estate sale, but it was so worth it. Besides some very cool, but overpriced, art there were fabrics there as well. And Susan bought an old Sunbeam stand mixer. It's turquoise. And it works.

Today I'm creating a tin necklace. I got inspired this afternoon and am ready to try to make a set. But first, Susan and I are going to enjoy the quiet afternoon, cool breeze coming in through the open windows, sunshine and garlic flat bread. Yum!

Fun in Santa Fe

Here's the photo I couldn't post yesterday of my first Etsy sale.
Thanks to Mr. B, this pillow is now on its way to Vermont.

Susan and I have had a fun-filled Friday afternoon, beginning with lunch at Cafe Pasquale's community table. There's nothing better than food that's fresh, seasonal and organic … unless it's chocolate cake.

We did a little walking and shopping before it started pouring down rain. It's really unusual to have a cloudy, rainy day in the high desert, but with the drought they experience here I won't complain. We would have kept going except downtown lost power. If people can't process sales, there's no reason to stay.

Today I'm creating jewelry. One of the places we went into is a rubber stamp store. They had some interesting cork paper. I bought a couple of different styles ($.10 each) to use as backgrounds for my jewelry photos. Before I can post any photos, I need to create jewelry. I also need to take some time to plan our day tomorrow. There's a ton going on in town because of the three-day holiday and the beginning of "high season" in Santa Fe. Let the festivities begin.