New Mexico

By Maellen Blodgett

Summer is filled with hot, sweltering days and cool, breezy evenings. The scent of flowers and evergreens fill my nostrils as I watch the white, puffy clouds turn dark and foreboding in just a matter of minutes. In an instant, I have gone from feeling the sun scorching my skin, to being drenched in the life-giving water of a typical New Mexico downpour. I love to watch the lizards scamper away, as the roadrunner looks high and low for her food.

Autumn is when you will find me hiking in the Jemez Mountains, or camping in the Pecos. The golden, almost sparkling leaves, dance on the aspen trees. The familiar crunch underfoot, of fallen, dry leaves, melds with the soft tinkling of the stream nearby. The musky, sultry smell of chili wafts through the air, as I drive down the street toward home. Brown adobe walls surrounding casitas with red chili ristras hanging on the bright blue, wooden doors call out a welcome to all. I love to watch the multi-colored balloons float gracefully and silently through the air, and hear the soft blowing of the propane tanks filling the envelopes and helping them to travel higher into the heavens. This is the season with the best smells of all - making me feel warm, cozy and like there is nothing wrong with the world.

Winter brings the cold crisp air, with the smell of pinon burning in fireplaces. The desert covered with a sprinkling of powdered sugar across its vast expanse, makes everything feel fresh and clean. The cool, blue skies are a peaceful backdrop for the purple, majestic Sandia Mountains that I am sure the song, America the Beautiful was written about. The birds that decided to stay, flutter around, hunting for berries and foraging for insects. The icy chill in the air in the early mornings stings my cheeks and wakes me up, as I scrape the thin layer of frost off of my windshield.

Spring carries the hope of new life, as daffodils shoot up and crab apple trees sprout their sweet, pink blossoms making clouds of profuse, pink haze around each branch. The pungent smell of the brilliant yellow forsythia fills the air, as well as the puffs of cotton floating gently down to earth, from the giant cottonwood trees along the Bosque.

When I think of New Mexico, I think of bright, fiery sunsets! Hot, sweltering days! Cool, breezy evenings. Cultures and colors galore! I love New Mexico! The mountains stand guard as they watch over the many different peoples of this desert land. It is indeed, enchanting!

Skirt Pattern Giveaway

Feminine Farmgirl is giving away a pattern for a Route 66 skirt that you can make in three different lengths. Go HERE to enter.

Are Gay Rights Civil Rights?

All human beings deserve equal rights. All human beings HAVE equal rights! We need to define marriage as between one man and one woman, (as it is already understood), and not give extra privileges to the fringe.

Homosexual rights are not the same thing as civil rights. Gay rights are special rights for the minority. Civil rights affect those who are educationally hurt, (gays get the same education as heterosexuals), who are financially hurt, (homosexuals on average make more than the average heterosexual), or who have no political power, (everyone knows they have incredible political influence and can vote just like the rest of us). A person deserves civil rights for something they are born with that cannot be changed. You cannot change the color of your skin, for instance, but there are many people who have left the homosexual lifestyle. They can change. They HAVE changed! For those who would argue that the gay person is born with those tendencies, think about the fact that we are all born with certain tendencies. Some might have addictive personalities. So then, should we give the alcoholic special rights to drink and drive because they are born with that tendency or that desire, and therefore they couldn’t help it? How absurd! Of course not! They have a CHOICE to act on that desire or not. We are all born with the predisposition to sin. Could we argue that Hitler couldn’t help himself because he was born with this mental illness or this predisposition to control or kill? So then, what he did was okay? That is ridiculous! He had a choice to ACT on his desires or NOT to act! Domestic Partnership is nothing to do with civil rights. We should not be making laws that cater to mans’ desires, whims or tendencies. We are not ruled by our desires. We are not defined by our desires. We choose to follow them or not – that is our choice. And then we reap whatever consequences naturally follow those choices. If you choose to live with someone without marrying him or her, you are free to do so. But don’t ask for special provisions for yourself, because you don’t choose to follow the norm.

Marriage is between one man and one woman. How do we procreate? It takes one man and one woman. We should not be making special legislation based on who people choose to make their bed with. That is a private matter. Everyone has the same right to marry as everyone else. You can choose to marry someone of the opposite sex or not. That is what marriage is. If we start making laws for those who want to marry a same-sex partner, why not make laws for those who want to marry their own children? Why not make laws for those who want to marry their dog? Why not make laws for those who want to marry two or three people? Because someone is bi-sexual, do we say you can marry both a man and a woman and then give all the healthcare rights to the spouses as well? We would go bankrupt as well as being morally corrupt! I have heard it said that we never lose when we give more people more rights. Where do we draw the line? Where does this end?