Earlier this month Nonnie and I went to New Mexico and spent three nights at our cabin in Chama, which is in the northern part of the state, almost in Colorado, at about 8,000 feet elevation. It had snowed two weeks earlier, and there was plenty of snow left on the ground, but it was sunny and warm while we were there - warm meaning 20F at night and 45F during the day.
At the cabin we have a rainwater catchment system, and a single solar panel charges four batteries which run a pump to deliver cold water to our kitchen sink - running water! And there is enough power to run a low wattage light bulb, and recharge the hand held vacuum. So after we vacuumed up the dead flies we played Scrabble under a single light bulb, helped by a oil lamp that my relatives had in their home a hundred years ago.
In the morning we heated water for instant coffee (Via - great stuff), which we drank on the deck while we watched the local birds and small animals. We saw lots of elk scat, but no elk. After our breakfast of donuts I read a book left at the cabin by Derek: Short Stories by Anton Chekov. They were mostly written in the 1880s but seem very modern, especially the way the author describes human emotions and motives. Most of the stories that I read lack a beginning or an end, but are brilliant snapshots of people’s lives.
Now we are back in Seattle, getting ready for Christmas - shopping online, sending out email cards, and streaming Christmas movies. We went to an excellent performance of traditional music by the symphony orchestra, and our friend Brianna came from LA and took us to the Nutcracker, by the Pacific NW Ballet, which was also excellent.
I sent out a Christmas card to my friends, but many were returned by the ‘mailer-demon’ as undeliverable. The picture on the card was taken here in Washington near the Cascades on a hike we took with Oran on a very cold, foggy, frosty day. I'll try to post it on my 'work' section.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!