Secret Gardens

Actually these gardens are not so secret, they are scattered throughout the historical district of Taos, providing shade and respite for weary shoppers - tourists and locals alike. When friends visit for the first time, in Summer, expecting a desert scenario, they are always amazed at how lush and green this valley is. Green in many ways - this litle town is one of six (yes, only six!) Fair Trade cities in the US and sustainable, eco living has been a fact of life here long before Green was the new Black! These gardens all follow the same principle of using native plants that do not require excess water. The Iris' grow like weeds up here and the roses have flourished for over 400 years, since they were brought here by the Spanish Conquistadors, intent on reproducing the Moorish courtyards they had left behind in Iberia. One of the gifts of the conquest are the asequias - the ditches dug off the Rio Pueblo that carry water to the valley and irrigate gardens and crops alike. Water is precious here, and is treated as such. Have a lovely weekend everyone, see you in June!

Long Days, Balmy Nights

I've been very bad - or very busy! So so sorry for my absence here, but there seem to be no time for anything at all once I'm done with gardening and other work related stuff! I've not even had time to pop over and visit any of you lately, which I feel awful about, but promise to remedy that, this weekend! Meanwhile our evenings have been glorious enough to eat dinner outside and revel in the beautiful sunsets, while enjoying the company of friends. Hope your Summer is looking and feeling as good!

A Change In The Weather

Raining and cold outside the last few days - brought the plants back in and got a small cold myself! This has not stopped me from repotting and planting, weeding and mulching however, and today I'm showing you a couple pics of the potting shed, which is a garage that I also use for storage. The two apple trees at either side of the driveway were perfection yesterday, before the rain. Oh well, the early bird gets the worm and this bird waited a day too long!

Decked Out

I've been busy in the garden this past week and it is coming along beautifully. Lots of seedlings popping up now and as it comes along, I'll show you the pictures. Today I took my plants outside. Amazing what a little greenery can do for a deck! My kitty, Misty, who will be sixteen this Summer, is thrilled. She knows that once the geraniums move out, she can too!

High Desert Garden

My garden has a short, but sweet growing season. As with my interior, I keep it simple. A great believer in wild gardens - I am encouraging the front of this property to return to it's original state, with a little help from wild flower and grass seeds. A few Aspens have been planted but I concentrate my growing (with the exception of the aforementioned native seed) in raised beds along the front of the house. When I moved here, there was Russian Sage, a few hardy mountain Iris, a small patch of Poppy's and lots of weeds! I kept it all and added more Iris, Lilies, Roses, Strawberries, Mint, Daisies, Hydrangea, Cinquefoil, Vinca, Dephinium, Larkspur, Columbines and a few succlulents. In June it is lush, colourful and terribly "cottagey", I'm afraid. Here are a few pics of the Strawberry patch (mulched with the needles from the pines above ) with its "garden fairy" and a look over the gate, at the deck and mountains. A few things are budding finally! It is still very cold at night, but soon enough...the High Desert will be in full flower!

After The Rain

Raining here the past two days. The lilacs are about to burst into flower all over town, and my garden is returning to life! Iris are budding, one Poppy appeared this morning, the climbing Rose, I planted outside my bedroom last year, is back with bang! Birds are back and fruit tree blossoms scent the air with deliciousness! So glad it's Spring!

Spring Cleaning

I've been missing in action here on the blog these past few days, because I've been on a mad mission to get this house ready for Summer. Whites to wash, rugs to shake free of dust and to air. Floor mopped and polished. Oven cleaned. Books removed from shelves - dusted and restacked. Plants taken outside, hosed down and cleaned of dead leaves and/or repotted. I'm exhausted but there are still the windows...I'll be back tomorrow w/some fun stuff! Back to the cleaning now!

Finding Kinky

A few months ago, I posted about the documentary I'm producing for a Fall 08 Festival Release. Filmed on location in Texas in 06, on the trail of Kinky Friedman's campaign for Governor Of Texas, Finding Kinky, takes a hard look at the state of Democracy in the US and the current dissatisfaction of the American people with the Two Party System in place. We have a new trailer up on our movie blog - please don't play it around children due to the language content during Mojo Nixon's rant - and I'm putting a link here for you to browse. It features a song by the fabulous Cindy Lee Berryhill, whom I posted about last month. Enjoy and please pass it along! If you have a little time, hit the You Tube link and comment. It pushes the video up for more views! Thanks and Enjoy!

http://findingkinky.blogspot.com/

On My Deck

Deck restored to normal. Borrowed chairs returned to their respective homes. Fresh white paint on my old chairs and table (chairs once belonged to Mabel Dodge and lived in the kitchen of her guesthouse) not quite time to bring out the geraniums, but the days are glorious and who wants to be inside? My deck is shaded by two huge Pondarosa Pines and has a stunning view of Taos Mountain. The inside of the house gets very little use once Summer is here - I use this room for entertaining, relaxing and all round living. The (white) chairs get stored in the shed in Winter and/or used inside for dinner parties, but in Summer I just leave them out. Thunderstorms are brief and we are so dry up here, nothing stays damp, long. The other furniture is funky and weatherproof and gives it a rustic, old Taos vibe. The oilcloth is Mexican.

Ringing In Spring

Sorry for my lack of posts this week - it's been quite hectic around here! We completed the new trailer for our documentary, I had a dear friend in town, visiting from Spain, and with the weather warming up, and another good friend's birthday coinciding, it seemed the perfect excuse for a party! The pics above were taken pre-party, Tuesday afternoon. My daughter Angelica (and her daughters) arrived early to help. That's her with Tatyana pre-nappy change. Angelica is my right hand at parties - perfectly in sync with me; she knows that I'm cool with the first ten people but once the surge happens...she handed me the baby and took over opening champagne bottles and pouring drinks, greeting guests etc. while I recovered from the initial shock! Forty fabulous people, eight kids (pizza delivery, kid movies in the spare room/den) candles lit, fire in the firepit on the deck (enabling me to use the space which is right off my kitchen) orange and pink roses, great music, plenty of wine, champagne and Indian food - samosas with a cilantro dipping sauce as an appetiser, curry made with spices from the Indian Market in Durban (served straight from the pot, ditto rice) assorted chutneys and cucumber and tomato/onion raitas, with lemon cupcakes, bowls of tangerines, almond cookies and giant bars of chocolate for dessert - made for a great evening of conversation, laughs and fun that stretched on into the wee hours. With a crowd this size, keeping it simple is key. My house , none the worse for wear, was back to normal in a day, and after a day of r&r, I'm back on the blog! Finally it is Spring!