Beautiful and deadly desert (quirky too)

I spent yesterday morning on a Humane Borders water run, which is my third trip into the desert to help check on the water tanks placed in the desert to help "crossers" who are in need of water as they trek through the desert. Each visit has been an incredible, enriching experience. The other volunteers are fascinating, each with stories and experiences that I find illuminating. Getting to see first hand the area where people cross, the stories, the wildlife (hawks, jackrabbits and wildflowers blooming), the border patrol agents, the ranchers....I cannot really capture the entire experience adequately, but as painful as the current border situation is, I really treasure this chance to see what is happening with my own eyes.

Our final water stop was at Cowtown, a piece of contemporary Wild West culture created by Ed Keeylocko, a aging black cowboy and military vet. He has created a very rough and real version of a Western frontier town, with horses in a corral and a real saloon that has a dirt floor and old cowboy boots hanging from the porch. The other Humane Borders volunteer and I peeked in to have a look, and the cowboy eating his breakfast said "come on in, we don't bite." This is way more the real west than Tombstone or Old Tucson. As we stood near the water truck admiring the blooming octotillo, a Border Patrol truck drove by us very slowly...not stopping. Then a nearby rancher stopped by on his ATV to greet us and make sure we were ok. He also has a HB water tank on his property and thanked us for our work maintaining the tanks. He told us that in all his years on his ranch he's never had a problem with migrants crossing his land and has always offered water and assistance, although now he can no longer give them rides...it is illegal to do that now.

Mr. Keeylocko doesn't allow Border Patrol agents on his property without a warrant, and he supposedly welcomes coyotes and "crossers" into the saloon for drinks and food. He definitely allows Humane Borders to keep a water stop on his land and supports the life-giving humanitarian work of Humane Borders. The place was full of his own dedicated volunteers who maintain the property and animals....

Here is a link if you want to see some good pictures and background on Mr. Keeylocko, who I didn't get to meet. Maybe next time.


http://wheniwrite.com/2009/06/14/cowboy-keeylocko/


http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tw/01-30-97/cover.htm

Crazy Arizona

A state that has one of the most racist and backwards legislatures, EVER. It's funny, but oppression can have a surreal quality to it. Like, is this for real? Pinch me, but is this the same country that elected Obama?

Sometimes satire is really the best way to capture the absurdity of it all....so I give you Colbert in all his wit. He is right on the money.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - No Problemo
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Will the real Catholic Church please stand up?

This has been a hard time to be a Catholic. I read the press about what is going down in the Vatican and wince on a weekly basis. However, I have know since I was a girl that the Church hierarachy has it all wrong. Wrong for excluding women from leadership roles, for thinking that the rigid and antidemocratic infallible papacy is a good idea. Being a part of a parish has taught me what the real Catholic Church is...it is about women leading our parishes in big ways (preaching) and small ones like keeping the altars decorated. About all the amazing grassroots justice work done by the Church to help the marginalized and poor. That to me is the real Church, and I gotta hold on to it...come what may.

I love this article which really highlights what the real Church is all about...

Amen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/opinion/18kristof.html?src=me&ref=general

The joy of play

One of the best things about having a kid in your life is getting to play. One thing that we both try to do with Ms. G is play. Play hard, play as long as we can. We grown-ups (most of us) have gotten rusty in this area. We play to win, to lose weight or get toned, to keep off heart disease or follow our doctors' orders. Play for the sheer sake of it? Hmmm.

This weekend we played a lot.

We visited the beautiful Chinese Gardens and played hide and seek (what a fun way to experience the garden...try it). We did a massive amount of water balloons and got totally soaked. We played in the pool (and I didn't do a single lap!)...tea parties, splashing around, diving. We played in the park, and I was able to keep the hula hoop going for a couple of minutes!

Yeah for play!

Life is good

So I've been reading so much about war, that it is good to remind myself and you that life is good. We (by virtue of living in this country) are very blessed. Each day I try to remind myself of that fact.

I am blessed...with so many good things. Remember the gratitude exercise?

I could list them right now:

My family (they are healthy - mainly - and alive - the nuclear members at least)
My health (ok, so the foot is not where I'd like it to be, but hey, I dance, swim and do yoga every week! My body functions beautifully. Thank you!)
My friends (some of whom actually read the blog, bless you)
My job, my home, my garden....so many things that keep me learning, growing and pushing in new directions.

A sweet lie

It's National Poetry Month, and I first read this poem in junior high, where it permanently became burned into my heart. When I think about when and why I became a pacifist, I think maybe this was a seed. By high school I was protesting nuclear weapons, and in college I was committed to that path...so don't discount the power of the word. A poem can change lives.

FYI the poet was an English WWI vet who returned from the horror ardently anti-war. I guess watching teenage friends gassed before your eyes would do that to you.

Dulce et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned out backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame, all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!--An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin,
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs
Bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

Wilfred Owen

Salsa muy verde

I'm reading this fun new book "Mariachi" in preparation for the Tucson International Mariachi Festival next weekend...which is featuring the amazing Lila Downs. Can you tell I'm a little excited? I adore Lila and have seen her in concert three times.

So this book has recipes in it. Kinda quirky, since it is a book about music. It also has lots of pictures and a CD of music. Even though this isn't a cookbook, the recipes are good...here is one that uses cilantro, which is growing like crazy in the garden. I have a whole plot full of it, so I am very attentive to any recipes that will use up the garden bounty.

Cilantro-lime sauce or salsa de lima y cilantro o salsa muy verde (como te quiero verde):

Juice of 2 limes
2 jalapenos (if you like it hot)
salt and olive oil to taste
bunch of cilantro
water
3 cloves of garlic

Throw it in the blender and then eat it up! You can put it on boiled potatoes, meat, fish, veggies....It is fantastic and very green. If you are a chile wimp, leave out the chiles.

Every war has two losers

So there is a theme here. I came across this at the library at just the right moment. Very powerful and in sync with Howard Zinn's take that artists have an obligation to speak out. I'm now reading the book, which is equally wonderful.

Next year in Jerusalem

Holy Week wrapped up with the epic Easter Vigil, which was beautiful, long and full of the rich ritual that we Catholics do so well. During the longg service Ms. G fell asleep at the end on the pew, but I'm so glad we stayed to the end (Jesus Christ has Risen today is my favorite hymn). It has been wonderful to spend so much time at church, after a hiatus, to reconnect with friends and have time for reflection, prayer and community.

As a family we have spent the past few weeks reading books about both Easter and Passover, which has been so interesting to see the areas of intersection in our traditions. We have eaten matzoh and even made some fabulous Passover toffee (chocolate and matzoh are a good combo, who knew?). Gladys loved hearing about the story of Moses and the Exodus, which is as compelling as any scary mystery.

On Saturday we went to the fabulous Concordia Easter Egg hunt, as well as had a delish brunch with friends where we made messy and fun cascarones. That was a huge hit and will be repeated next year.

Ms. G has taken a shine to this fabulous Latino storyteller, Antonio Sacre, whose web site includes videos of his storytelling with his CD of stories that reflect our life experiences with humor and grace. Disfrutalo!

http://www.antoniosacre.com/story.html#