by Rain Trueax
We took down the last of Christmas-- the tree-- on Epiphany, which seemed an appropriate time given the story of the Wise Men. Who knew it'd all prove such an upsetting time in the US. Because I wasn't watching TV, I didn't see the actual footage of the mob. Later I got clips and read about it. I am attempting to stay informed but have no interest in writing about something when the facts often change depending on the source.
At first our home seemed incredibly sparse without all the greens, but I've settled back into it. I love this simple little house and feel grateful many times just walking into a room that is so us. It is full of art and furniture collected over many years with no idea it'd end up here when it was purchased. It's not finished as in changes may come, but that's the beauty of life. We can change.
Earlier this week, I got curious regarding how many books we had together read in 2020, our way to escape into other worlds. We began reading aloud, taking turns, last January and it has proven a good experience. Previously, Ranch Boss (need a new name for him that relates to the desert since our son is running the ranch) had done very little reading aloud; so it was a new experience for him, which he came to like. We often talk over what we read when we are finished with the snippets. People did this for many centuries, once books were available (before that maybe they related myths), but then other entertainments became more appealing. I think this is one that bears a new look as a way to share.
Our choices were all nonfiction, some originally published as articles in literary or nature magazines. Many were kind of memoirs-- sharing a small part of the authors' lives. They are set in the Southwest with a couple of exceptions. Most we had already owned. A few led us to buy a book that carried on a theme. A couple I had to buy that I knew I owned in Oregon, but a used version was cheaper than asking our son to find them and mail them down here. I didn't think to write titles down as we finished them last year but we searched them out. They are not in order. Two of them we mailed to our son for him to read (the first two below).
The Happiness Equation
The Dude and the Zen Master
The Desert Year
The Hidden West
Chulo
Taos Memory
Home is the Desert
One Life at a time, Please
Book of the Hopi
Pumpkin Seed Point
The Desert Smells like Rain
The Dancing Healers
The Theft of the Spirit
Kindling Spirit.
I was surprised to find we had read 14 with one more that we started in December but didn't finish until the new year. I might write more about it-- unless something else comes up for next Saturday.
