Pink Petal Pricks and Yellow Faeries

Pink Prick - Bosque del Apache, New Mexico


Desert Faeries - Fabens, Texas


Dagger over Pass - Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso, Texas


Red Ants - Gila Wilderness, New Mexico


Black Hole - Bosque del Apache, New Mexico

Digital photography is wonderfully frustrating
in that we end up with an overabundance of images,
and not enough time to sort through them all.

I shutter shudder to think of the actual number
of unedited images I've got waiting on assorted hard drives
jump drives, storage drives, rewritable discs, and dvds.
Thousands upon thousands?
Probably.

Little by little, I will edit and compile them all,
as they continue to endlessly multiply
like the rat bastards they are.

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

Freddy Fender sang it best.
But his lyrics have nothing to do
with blame for making me blue.

I guess the title reminds me
of all the partying intermingled with
all the kicking back of my youth
after high school here in El Paso.

"Kicking Back" it's what a lot of us do.


Kickin' Back by Tamara Thomas

Little did I know that I'd be wasting away time
well into my adulthood.
I thought I'd be different by now--
responsible,
respectable.
Or did I?
Nope, just some grand delusion
convenient to say, but I'm well aware....
wasting comes from inaction.

Yesterday I asked a friend's 10 year old son
what he had been doing this summer
and he answered "Kicking back."
It's a term I've emulated for years,
but hadn't heard from a young kid's mouth
probably since I myself was a kid.
I guess it struck a chord
I felt like some alter-piñata self
filled with sweet dread and regret,
being clubbed by the innocent.
Admittedly, that could have been the beer
and sun combo and not just some cliché
wreaking havoc with my psyche.



Oh, I really do manage
to get plenty done, but
I pick and choose my goals
though at first blush
they appear to have little meaning....
most falling into routine and drudgery.
All too often
the task of listing books for sale
falls into that description
and I have to step away from it.

I redeem myself by taking time for others
baking something special for them;
a short quick call to say I care,
but don't want or need to talk further.
Thinking about you, Love ya, gotta go!
Short, sweet and simple....
Who knew that a batch of fresh made beef-jerky
could create such joyous smiles
on the faces of 12 and 46 year old boys?
Inviting a friend for dinner or
a trinket I've made or photos I've printed
just to make them blush
does the trick to keep me sound.
It leaves a lasting impression, believe me.



These are my small motivations
such minutiae to keep my mind and heart fresh.
Somehow it works for me
even as I rue my seemingly endless inertia.

I am my own contradiction
happy to wend my way through this life
or idle away the time in reading
or writing, or art and the art of cooking.
These I often consider as "doing nothing"
although they accomplish much.
They get me through the wasted days
and my Brett, yes my Brett
gets me through the wasted nights.

I've been Kicking back
for too many years...
or have I?
Sometimes all one needs
is their own little pep talk
to make the world right again.

Hip, hip, hooray!

Displays of Patriotism?

Where's my Stars n Stripes?




I created that city fireworks scene a few years ago
using ms paint (the most basic version).
I used to enjoy "painting" with paint
(it's so freaking difficult).
I need to get back to it.

Here's some fireworks from last year's Chamizal 4th Extravaganza




oooooooooooh!



yaaaaaaay!



wow!



aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!



huh?



Whoooweeee!



applause!


See you at the KLAQ street fest tonight.
I'll be the one trying to take pictures of Foghat
and watching Brett get silly about Cheap Trick.

Oh, and there will be fireworks.

Yay!

Centennial of the Mexican Revolution

For events scheduled January 2010--May 2010
City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs

Pass of the North (Juarez/El Paso) History
GET A FREE EDUCATION

Ask anyone today about what they know of the Mexican Revolution, and you'll find a lot of misinformation, speculation, and or dumbfounded stares. Seriously, ignorance runs the gamut. Ignorance on the subject runs through my own brain, and I have been fighting to get it out of there. It is too much to take in at once, this Mexican Revolution. I did attempt to read the Katz book on just the subject of Pancho Villa, but I fell at least a thousand pages short. I'll have to get back on that one when I have a year to kill. Sometimes when discussing this Revolution I'll hear comments about how there is a need for another Mexican Revolution. Right now. Others will tell you it is actually going to happen some time in this 100th Anniversary year.

An uprising of the oppressed people right here along our border? Again? What did the first one really accomplish if indeed there is to be a second? The more I've read, the more interested I become in this history of ours, yet it is often felt as a sore which I cannot nurture. What has passed is done, and tomorrow is another day, not meant for me to dwell on. I decide now, in this moment, to cease thinking of that perilous past in relation to the perilous future, instead listing some local history events for your own consideration. Learn something. I hope I can.

These are ongoing free events at El Paso Museum of History, UTEP, El Paso Downtown Public Library Border Heritage Center, with more to come.

Welcome


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Lectures


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LECTURES
The Mexican Revolution in the Greater El Paso Borderlands

The El Paso Museum of History, with funding from Humanities Texas, presents the second in a series of lectures that will highlight events of the Mexican Revolution.

The Significance of the Borderlands in the Mexican Revolution: A General Overview--January 21, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Oscar Martinez, University of Texas at El Paso.

Booker T. Washington in El Paso during the Mexican Revolution--February 18, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. maceo Dailey, University of Texas at El Paso.

The Experiences of Children during the Mexican Revolution--March 25, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Yolanda Leyva, University of Texas at El Paso.

Each lecture is held at the El Paso Museum of History located at: 510 N. Santa Fe, El Paso, TX 79901. An R.S.V.P. is suggested for each event. Cost to attend the series is free. For more information contact Sue Taylor (915) 351-3588, taylorsl@elpasotexas.gov

Exhibits


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EXHIBITS

Pancho Villa and his involvement with the Mexican Revolution--
February 2010. The Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library will display its rare book collections and periodicals from the Cleofas Calleros Collection: Cabalgando con Villa: Illustraciones de Luis Sanchez; Historia Grafica de la revolucion, among other Spanish titles. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The Border Heritage Center is located in the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. For more information contact Marta Estrada at (915) 543-5440.


Children of the Revolution--
March 2010. The Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library will have on exhibit a Soldadera in costume along with photographs from the Mexican Revolution. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The Border Heritage Center is located in the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. For more information contact Marta Estrada at (915) 543-5440.

¡Viva la Revolucion! The Money of the Mexican Revolution--
March 18, 2010. The El Paso Museum of History hosts a traveling exhibition from the American Numismatic Association Money Museum. The bilingual exhibit features actual coins and currency produced across the Mexican States during this tumultuous time period. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe Street. This exhibit is free. Visit the Museum's website at www.elpasotexas.gov/history. For more information contact Barbara Angus, Curator at (915) 351-3588 ext. 7009.

The Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts Presents:

Up Against The Wall: Posters of Social Protest*
April 15--August 7, 2010. Rubin and L Galleries: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP. An invitational exhibition that features a group of international graphic designers who use posters to engage important contemporary and social issues. The exhibition raises awareness about the role of graphic design in spreading the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. This bold and colorful display of 100 posters from a group of 12 high-profile graphic designers highlights the power of design to engage people in creative thinking about world problems.

Solidarity and Struggle: The Politics of Graphic Design in Mexico during and after the Revolution*
April 15--August 7, 2010. Project Space: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP. The exhibit showcases historic posters from Mexico's foremost political workshop, Taller Grafico Popular borrowed from the collection of the University of New Mexico Art Museum. These will be on display alongside several copies from 1911-12 of the illustrated political magazine El Hijo Ahuizote from Special Collections at the Library of The University of Texas at El Paso.

*Opening Reception for Up Against the Wall and Solidarity and Struggle
Thursday, April 15, 2010, 5:00--7:30 p.m.

For more information contact the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, The University of Texas at El Paso at (915) 747-6151or via email: rubincenter@utep.edu. Visit their website at: http://rubincenter.utep.edu


Educational Events


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EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

The XV Contemporary Mexican Literature Conference (2010): "The Mexican Revolution in Contemporary Literature"
March 4--6, 2010. This annual event will focus on the impact of the Mexican Revolution on diverse literary and cultural manifestations produced in contemporary Mexico. cholars from the U.S., Mexico, and other parts of the world will meet at the University of Texas at El Paso to present papers on these issues. Panel discusiions will take place at the Thomas Rivers Conference and will be open to the public. The XV Contemporary Mexican Literature Conference is sponsored by BorderSenses, the Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, and the Department of Language and Linguistics at UTEP. For additiional information please contact: Willivaldo Delgadillo at wdelgadillo@utep.miners.edu. (915) 747-7043 or visit www.utep.edu/rlmc

5th Annual Teacher Institute--Teaching the Mexican Revolution
June 25--26, 2010. The two-day teacher workshop will feature workshops with experts and tours of local sites significant to the Mexican Revolution. The Center for History Teaching & Learning at The University of Texas at El Paso invites all grade K-12 educators, including teachers, librarians and media specialists, and technology coordinators in public, public charter, private, or religiously affiliated schools, as well as home schooling parents. The Institute will take place at the El Paso Museum of History and is free. For more information contact (915) 747-5878 or visit www.utep.edu/chtl


Films


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FILMS

100th Anniversay of the Mexican Revolution Film Series

The El Paso Public Library presents the special film series. All films begin at 6:00 p.m. and are held at the Main Library located at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. Admission is free. For more information please contact Mike Payan at (915) 543-5446 or Gloria Aguilar at (915) 543-5412.

Old Gringo (1989)
January 13, 2010. A famous aging and dying American writer goes into Mexico to capture some of the anarchy that was revolutionary Mexico. (119 min.)

And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
February 3, 2010. Hollywood makes a deal with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa to film his war and recreate his life, but he is rather shrewd and manipulates the media instead. (112 min.)

Zapata: Amor en Rebeldia (2003; in Spanish; 1st half of mini-series)
March 3, 2010.
Zapata: Amor en Rebeldia (2003; in Spanish; 2nd half of mini-series)
March 4, 2010.
Features the life of Mexico's revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata who works for the son-in-law of the dictator Porfirio Daz. He is in love with the daughter of a wealthy land owner and Zapata realizes that their relationship cannot be a lasting one as they face many problems. (258 mins.)

The Frozen Revolution (1973)
April 7, 2010. Mexico: Documentary presents a comprehensive socio-historical analysis of Mexico, and of the government's failure to live up to the promises of the revolution. (65 min.)

Mexico: Revolution and Rebirth (1999)
May 12, 2010. Tells the story of the Mexican Revolution that was waged by Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and others, and the modern nation that was born plus the problems that face the nation today. (50 min.)

Museum of History screening:

Mexico Revolution Sites in El Paso, Volume 1
Saturday, March 6, 2010, 2:00 p.m. The El Paso Museum of History in cooperation with Jackson Polk will present a free screening of Capstone Production's video Mexico Revolution Sites in El Paso, Volume 1. The video features a walking tour with historians Leon Metz and Fred Morales of sites in El Paso that figured prominently in the Mexican Revolution. This event is free and open to the public. The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe Street. For more information please contact Sue Taylor at (915) 351-3588 or taylorsl@elpasotexas.gov



Stakeholders


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Mexican Revolution: El Paso History in Song

photo stolen from riowang blog

The El Paso region is rich in history and drama.
As an epicenter of the Wild West,
the Mexican Revolution,
a massive military contingency
our Chihuahuan desert;
this Pass of the North--
our international border
is unlike any other place.

I aim to learn more about this city...
a place I have called home for many years...
alas, with both eyes barely open.
I hope to find a little more of myself
as I experience our historic culture....

'Corridos of the Mexican Revolution 1910-1920 and Beyond'

Tonight:
Thursday Sept. 17
Museum of History, 510 N. Santa Fe,
6:30-8 p.m., free, 351-3588

Free lecture on the popular lyric-narrative folkloric music.
The presentation will offer historical recordings of ballads
made between 1904 and 1974 in the United States and Mexico.

Guest speakers include Local Historians:
Elias Bonilla, Leon Metz, and Miguel Juarez.

Part of the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution ongoing events.
Countdown to the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution



image stolen from mexicowoods.com

Do You Have a Story or Memento of the Mexican Revolution?

I have become involved in the efforts of this committee
to document and archive stories and mementos of the Mexican Revolution.

Do any of you know people who have first-hand knowledge
of the events that occurred during this tumultuous era?
If you do, we would like to hear from you.

This committee has a goal:
To archive a vast collection of interviews, photographs,
bibliographies, writings, films, advertisements, etc.
pertaining to the Mexican Revolution.

Any items or stories you might have to share
In English or Spanish language
in El Paso or in Juarez....
would be captured on hi-def dvd
and entered into the archive or time-capsule
to be revisited at a date some 60 years from today.
The committee will provide all contributors
with their own disc of what they have shared
immediately after it has been documented.
We will come to you, film your story
and or mementos, and give you a dvd copy.

Please consider sharing your knowledge
so that future generations will have access
to the important details of their heritage.

Que Barrio?

So, there I was in San Dimas, California, enjoying a few brews (not with Bill & Ted) and practicing my Spanish with Ricardo Mares (an illegal immigrant dishwasher) from Arizpe, Mexico. We had just finished our shifts (I was the cook and he was the new dishwasher) at the Old West Steakhouse, a stone's throw away from Zendejas' restaurant.

(player card image from insidesocal.com)

We were drinking a 6 pack of Beck's Dark in the parking lot, like all good working-class peons do after an evening of toil.

One of the first questions he asks me is "Que Barrio?" I laugh. "La Loma," I tell him. La Loma? He has no idea...I then tell him about my life in El Paso, and he says El Chuco? Oddly, I had never heard the term outside of El Paso, and here was this young kid, telling me how his uncles had all emigrated to El Chuco, or to Los Angeles via Tijuana and Juarez.

Mares told me how they would struggle to get into the USA and infiltrate the restaurant industry.


(photo from worth 1000)
They'd become cooks, waiters and dishwashers, and skirt La Migra as best they could; constantly saving their money to bring yet another cousin or brother in. They avoided the coyote traders, and did it all themselves to save money and avoid being ripped off. He mentioned that some coyotes would take their money and then turn them in to the officials.

(photo from www.internationalist.org)

After years and years of working in the U.S., and saving what they could after sending money home, they might try to bring in their female family members: wives, girlfriends, mothers, and sisters.

I asked him about his traditional name, which I knew had to include at least 5 surnames, and he delivered a very long and rhythmic identity that I cannot possibly recall with about a dozen surnames attached. He commented on how far his family was from an ocean or sea, to be given the name Mares and living so far from water was too ironic even for him, the bearer of that name.

I liked this kid, and the vibrance in his actions and manner of speaking. There was a spark about him which I found to be very intriguing. He was just there struggling to survive with his on-again, off-again 6th grade education, a huge amount of humorous street-sense, and a determination to make a better life for himself and his extended family. His strongest wish was to bring his girlfriend to California and make her his wife; to settle down and have a family. I was curious as to why he wanted to marry at such a young age. Amor! He missed his girlfriend of 3 years, she was pregnant, and they had been planning their matrimony for a year before his uncles secreted him across the border.

Was he worried about being caught? No. He knew from experience that it was a simple matter to come back. He laughed about this. I felt a bit betrayed, knowing that our lack of enforcing illegal immigrant laws provided this freedom for those who were willing to abuse them. I could not fault the boy for his actions, though I did ask him about going through legal channels. He told me it wasn't needed, all that paperwork and waiting years when he could just pay some guy for his counterfeit papers. He showed me his California Driver's License.


(photo at photobucket)
Okay that is not it, but his id looked legit to my untrained eye, although it showed him to be 5 years older than his 17 years, so he could get into the bars. I admit, I sympathized with him, even as I became angry at his mocking tone. Que onda cabrón?

I have thought often about Ricky Mares over the years. I always wondered if he got married, brought his mother across, or got caught. I worked with Ricky near 17 years ago. Did he bring his girlfriend across quickly enough to have an anchor baby? One more kid to drain our system?

Our immigration laws need to be enforced. I have written to President Obama. I will continue to write to him and I will continue to write to Silvestre Reyes. Our country is dying in the most agonizing way, and allowing illegal immigration to continue in the manner it has does not behoove us. Putting up that atrocious fence is not the solution. Amnesty is not the solution. Enforcing the law is the only viable way towards reformation, and harsh penalties for those who hire illegals is a must.

Please write to your President and to your State Representatives.
They are your voice, and they need to hear you, loud and clear.

(presidential seal found at idea champions)

Get a Rope?

I admit it. I'm very late to the party, and not fashionably so.

photo: www.rampantscotland.com

No way could I have foreseen that I'd be jumping into the fray where local politics are concerned. I find others really have an aversion to discussing politics in mixed company. They are always trying to change the subject, or avoid looking me in the eye. Once I dig in I can be just like a pit bull who thinks she's just a little old lap dog. You didn't see that one coming, did you? Oh, the multitude of things I could say about how stupid people are about their so-called knowledge of "menacing" pit bulls. Alas, this is not my intent today.

photo: haynespitbulls.com

No doubt, I've got my ass-backwards opinions and self-righteous 'tude just like anybody else, but I mainly disturb my immediate friends and family with them. Why I ever decided to begin blogging about my idiosyncratic life, I'll never quite be able to fathom. This no doubt says a lot about me, and my troubled *pysche. I've spent a long time doing things I thought were important. Listening to and respecting the voices of children who grace me with their wonderful presence has always seemed so important to me. Those kids have taught me so much about life; yet I realize there is still something missing. That something was "civic involvement" and actually striving to leave something better for those children I hold in such high regard.


(*furtive glancing, to-and-fro, for the men in white coats)

Many moons ago, at an El Paso high school far, far away (about a mile from my house which I walked to every day) I was granted the


Rona Barrett critic of the year award during my Junior year. My Senior friends found this an apt title (those bitches!). I had no idea what they were talking about. Probably had my head stuck so far up my ass, I was simply oblivious to my own BIG MOUTH.

The next year, I was told by "Skeets" Aguilar that I talk a lot of shit. My jaw dropped. I gave him a good hard slug in the arm, but I knew he was right. Then he called me a Candy Ass, and the game was on. I rather enjoy talking a lot of shit. It's good for the soul, to let out what ails you. I enjoy forcing debate, even when I know I am dead wrong. It is amazing how some folks can be easily swayed by words. It is also amazing how some folks can see right through the bullshit.

How dare they?

Anyway, there's actually another party that I will not be late to, and that's Mayor John Cook's so-called lynching party. "I never mind going to a lynching as long as I'm the guy holding the rope, not wearing it," --El Paso Mayor John Cook.

I'll be sure to drink a few Margaritas to numb the pain, and maybe some refritos while I'm at it (you never know when backup power may be called for). I'll be sure to wear a steel collar around my neck, just in case. I do expect Cook to bring his now infamous rope, and I expect to keep my own neck out of his line of sight by any means possible. If this meeting actually does take place, I'll try to keep my feet moving...float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, and all that. I'm hoping we won't have to resort to the rope-a-dope tactics. I swear, vigilantes get no respect, whether they're giving or receiving injustice.

Convoluted logic: The best kind!


www.motifake.com/demotivational-poster

The fiasco of Johnnie Washington forcing her will upon Cook to kowtow to some perceived racial slur or politically incorrect slight just absolutely amazes me. Mayor Cook, you never should have apologized to her. You should have apologized to those you directed your statement to, if you actually thought there was anything wrong with your joke. I smirked when you directed your comment to us, because it was slightly amusing...but you fail to see that you already hold that rope, and you're trying to lynch your citizenry with many of these "progressively divisive" tactics of late.

What a bunch of hoo-haw over Cook's comments, which were fairly straightforward and most decidedly directed towards the few individuals who deigned to darken the city council meeting last week, trying to talk about bridge locales. Another overblown cry of racism for nothing. NOTHING? I'm no fan of politically correct humor. Political correctness is the worst oxymoron of our times. I'm no fan of Mayor Cook, but his remarks were nothing about race, and everything about desperation. While most would see lynching as no laughing matter, the impetus for Cook's use of the phrase is decidedly humorous.

It still galls me that no proper plans are forthcoming before the bridge feasibility can be determined. Is this a 2 lane proposal, a 15 lane monstrosity? A commuter footbridge?

Where's the meat of the matter? Where's the public disclosure? My own witnessing and realization that half of city council has no idea how their MPO works, or how they conduct their business is appalling. I assume they are too busy taking time off to get to the real nitty-gritty and boring paperwork involved in deciphering that mess. I lost a good part of my life these past few weeks doing just that, only to be greeted by city council with stone-cold stares, and a few suspiciously over-anxious remarks from Steve Ortega. I'm no public speaker, but I said my piece for what that's worth. City council could give a rat's ass about what any of their constituents have to say. (apologies to Eddie Holguin, who actually seems to be hearing something). It creates more work for them if they actually have to pay attention to any of it.


Before anyone gets their panties further bunched up, I'll preface this next part by saying that I wish no harm to come to any person of any race, creed or political affiliation. It's merely my summation of the absurdity of what compels us to act and react to life as it assails us. (my own absurdity included!) My husband has warned against posting this, but I don't listen to him most of the time. Why does he put up with me? Cuz I'm special? Yes. That's it, exactly.

Here is a little politically imbued ditty that sums up fairly well what I think of all this bollocks:


Cock Sparrer: Get a Rope

Get a Rope

From the streets of Aberdeen to the Brighton scene
There's something going wrong
From the Woolacomb shore to the tots dance floor
They all shout what's going on?

You promised us a country fit for a queen
But the queen doesn't have to pay
You promised us a future bright and clean
For a vote on election day

Is there no-one left to shout?
There's some people round here need sorting out
'Coz for you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope

Sitting warm and snug in your council seat
In comfy shoes and tweed
With your rules and regs wrapped nice and neat
Deciding what my kids can't read

We're sick and tired of your liberal views
What's politically correct?
Come judgement day, I'll be tying the noose
And slipping it around your neck

Can't you hear us shout?
There are a lot of people like me about
But for you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope

We want to make life one big joyride
But the roadblocks get in our way
We want to fly off to the Spanish seaside
But the plane's always delayed

We want to sing songs on radio 1
but the BBC says no!
And we want to do deals on a mobile phone
and have something left to show

Can I stand up and say
There's some people round here need blowing away
'Coz for you there's just no hope

Get a rope, get a rope
Get a rope, get a rope
Get a rope, get a rope


So, I have posted this with full expectations that I will now be called a racist, card carrying member of the KKK, a Commie asshole, skinhead, or an Oi! idiot.

Alt Press review on Cock Sparrer's Here We Stand

Idiot may not be entirely stretching the truth, but I'm willing to be your scapegoat on this one. Go for it. I welcome the discourse and I have no regrets.

Pancho Villa

A couple of weeks ago I was helping out my friend Rich at the book table for the El Paso Women's Club Antique Appraisal Fair. I met some very interesting people there, and really enjoyed my day. One of the people I met was Elias Bonilla, and he began talking about Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution. I know so little about both these subjects, and have felt remiss in my lackadaisical approach to learning all about my city and the rich history here. I seek knowledge, yet am very poor about retaining that knowledge, or even finding a way to approach certain subjects. I may love to learn, but I'm awfully lazy about just getting off my ass and DOING something about it.

After speaking with Elias, I went home and began reading a book I had on my shelf:The Paradox of Pancho Villa by Haldeen Braddy. Though the book was interesting, it was also rather dry, and not very in-depth. Elias suggested I read The Life and Times of Pancho Villa by Friedrich Katz, so I called up my Judge Marquez Lower Valley Library to see if there was a copy available. Things sure have changed for the Lower Valley branch since I used to visit the tiny library by my grandma's house over on San Jose. I was in luck, they had the book on the shelf, and I also had them pull David Dorado Romo's Ringside Seat to a Revolution: An Underground Cultural History of El Paso and Juarez, 1893-1923 and hold them for me.

I spent some time looking at the offerings by Cormac_McCarthy, but there seems to be a dearth of his titles at the El Paso libraries. Knowing I may become overwhelmed with the historical tomes I had in hand, I chose some fiction by Aaron Latham entitled The Cowboy with the Tiffany Gun. He's got a great way with words, and I rather enjoyed his Code of the West a few years back. Latham may single-handedly be responsible for the Cowboy attire craze that swept the nation in the early 1980's, since he wrote the screenplay for Urban Cowboy. I recall our dismay at the time, since we wore boots and pearl-buttoned shirts when they were not some trendy new fashion statement. Oh dear, now I'm referencing John Travolta and clothing fads in a post about Pancho Villa. Speaking of which, just how much did Travolta contribute to the platform shoe craze? pimpinshoes.com!

Well, as you can see, that's just how my scatological brain works. You read that right; scatological. Hahaha. I'll spare you the imagery.

I guess Pancho Villa started his own fashion trend when Frito-Lay decided to mimic him with their Frito Bandito. Which begs the question: Why does society demand to take everything in our cultures and create political incorrectness out of the simplest of things? Backlash over silly trivialities. Humor has become humorless with these racial special interest groups railing at injustices foisted upon them by clever and sanctimonious marketing ploys. WHATEVER! I loved my Frito Bandito eraser, and Speedy Gonzales, Pepé Le Pew, and the little leprechaun on my box of Lucky Charms. I'm not so sure about Ralph Bakshi's take on giving Mighty Mouse a boost of energy from sniffing some magic dust, but I digress.

Word is, Pancho Villa and the Mexican Revolution will be feted in 2010. It should be an interesting ride, and I'm going to try and get a first-class especial ticket to the festivities after I get edumacated on the history. I'll be sure to keep you posted.

But it’s a dry heat…

How many times have you heard this? “You live in El Paso ? Isn’t it hot there?” Of course it is hot here. It is the desert, after all! We reside in the midst of the Chihuahuan Desert to be more precise. A unique ecosystem within itself, my desert home explodes with flora and fauna as seen nowhere else on this earth. I hear many other interesting comments when people learn I’m from El Chuco, but for now I want to focus on an aspect near and dear to me: The stark beauty of my surroundings.

Our desert climate poses a direct threat to those of us attempting to wear our green thumbs proudly upon our sleeves. Drought-tolerant landscaping and water rationing are old–hat to most of us by now. Still, I manage to choose a few unsuspectingly perky little plants that eventually wither and die under my passive-aggressive care. Both tender and indifferent, I’ve been known to kill cacti, many times. I save their brittle carcasses: a testament to my neglect. Someday I hope to apply what I have learned from my gardening mistakes, and spare the innocents this undue trauma.

Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus coccineus), Anthony Gap. Photograph by Gertrud Konings, 7 April 2003.

Thankfully, I am not a complete failure, and have managed to get past caliche as well as the brutal force of direct sun with some robust specimens now flourishing in my yard. I delight in the visiting assortment of hummingbirds, and Monarch butterflies attracted by the fragrant pink of desert honeysuckle, to the Desert Willow or Chilopsis linearis, with its purple flowers.
Photograph by A.H. Harris.

I am joyously witnessing the arrival of yellow sprays atop my Spanish broom for the first time since I planted them. I had feared they would never bloom. When the pecan begins to fruit in 2 more years, I will be beside myself with joy. I do hope I have treated her well, and that she will bear fruit beyond my desire. My grandmother always had an apricot tree, and this is my next choice for planting. Somehow, I am inclined to believe that she will help me have success with that choice, from beyond the grave. I know, I’m a bit weirdo.

One of my favorite things about El Paso is found at the heart of it’s people. There is such warmth here, friendliness, a je ne sais quois about that connection to the earth and an even greater connection to the familia. Not unlike the simmering of a pot on the back burner of your O’Keefe & Merritt, handed down from abuelita’s kitchen, there remains a promise of something wonderful if you’ll only take the time to let things brew. The time to stop and enjoy what you have, the people that you have in your life, the surroundings which implicate you in their dastardly plot to make you feel and to care about something wonderful. El Paso is very brown, warm and rich with the beauty of the shifting sands and light sienna skin of the masses. A dry heat indeed…