CONDITIONING FOR RETURN TO REAL LIFE

Sadly, today begins my last week in Taos. To get ready for reentry to the real world, Jonathan and I bought the Sunday New York Times and we read our way through the horrible news of the last weeks.

Before this morning, I have not read a national newspaper for seven weeks -- nor have I worn make-up or a bra or a skirt, and only wear shoes when I have to.

The sounds outside my door are the magpies, the crows and the constant hum of crickets. The prairie dogs chatter like old women gossiping in late afternoon. During the increasingly frequent storms, hail pelts against my skylights like a drum concert from heaven, punctuated by dramatic booms of thunder which turn a quiet afternoon at home into the likes of a Wagnerian opera. Then there is the wind, and when it blows, it blows strong and constant up the valley, and stops as suddenly as it begins.

I will miss all of this very, very much. I love being so close to the out of doors, I love my casita, and more than anything else, I love the freedom to schedule my own time. I guess summers like this are to reflect and refresh, and to return to real life with vigor and a new perspective. Well, I'm definitely refreshed and my new perspecitve is nothing I'd post on this blog. But real life beckons and back to Oakland we head ....