Desert Laura

Well, things started off really well. Lots of digging, planting, prepping. Mr. C and I spent most of Saturday getting the required items for the chicken coop. The ground in my backyard is a teeny bit harder than we thought...it took quite some time digging a darn hole for posts. But, finally, got them done. I ran around to Home Depot ( which I hate going to) and Ace trying to buy the right equipment to fix my irrigation for the garden. It's really frustrating when you think you bought the right item but the size is just a tad off. Spent the rest of an afternoon at Baker's Nursery ( which I love )...a local nursery that has just about everything you need for a perfect garden. I explored around, looking at the garden gnomes, the trailing mint, the beautiful fountain...in all my gawking and gazing at such pretty things I bought the wrong plants! Instead of Mint: Peppermint! Instead of Oregano: Thyme! This weekend I planted Fava beans, lettuce and spinach so far. More to ...

Happy October! In most parts of the US people are getting ready to slow down, close up shop and recuperate after a busy summer outdoors. Not here. Nope. In Southern Arizona we're opening our doors and windows, shutting off our A/C's, making our Honey-Do list, taking out our shovels, hoes and weeders, planting our seeds, starting our outdoor projects, getting on our roofs, cleaning the gutters, cleaning up the BBQ, hanging our hammocks up in our trees, dusting off the bikes, running shoes, hiking boots and camping gear, filling the bird feeders, throwing the wildflower seeds into the dirt, and sitting back...watching life around us wake up and shake the sleep of the summer from our eyes. Good morning, Autumn. Part of waking up is opening myself up to newness; shedding my old skin and coming anew...old habits, old memories, old tapes that used to run my life, old hurts that I couldn't let go of. Fall is a time for renewal My list is long, but doable, now that I hav...

October is Vegan Month of Food and Vegetarian Appreciation Month. Yup, veggies get a whole month to be appreciated. First off, I'm not a vegan. I'm vegetarian. I tried being vegan for a few weeks...mostly those few weeks when I ran out of money and couldn't afford the $5 eggs from the Farmers Markets or the fancy imported cheeses. Mostly vegetarian, really. Except for fish. Pescatarian really. Technically. If anyone is keeping track of these things. So, it all started 17 years ago, and I was 20. I was sitting in the backseat of a rented Renault station wagon with my sisters, in Sicily, coming back after spending the whole day with a great-great-great aunt who lives on a farm in Catania somewhere. She gave us this little gift to take back to the small town we were staying at...a little chicken. A LIVE little chicken...sitting in a box...next to me. Well, the drive was long and me and the chicken had some time to talk, to chat if you will. I did most of the talking, and she j...

The Arizona desert is one of the most spectacular places on earth. I've grown to love it immensely and cherish every opportunity to just sit or walk and take it all in. Here are some photos from around Arivaca, where No More Deaths' camp is located.

I’ve been away from the desert since November of last year. I haven’t gone on patrol in over 6 months. At first, I just needed a break from the work, and I felt tired and overwhelmed. Back in March, my time away rejuvenated me, gave me back to myself. But I still avoided going back to the desert. I went back 3 weekends ago for the first time all summer. I have to say I was a bit anxious. Why? Because the desert sucks me in, and I am helpless to her demands. She shows me the destruction brought on by our government - the wall, the towers, the migrants’ trails - she makes me a witness to the sorrow and suffering of beautiful people, and to the beauty and miracles, the grandness and greatness of the land. I walk away determined to do something, say something, throw a fit, yell, scream, something. And, this time, I wasn’t sure I was ready yet. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see it anymore. Since I’ve been back from that weekend, I've thought alot about some of the women ...

The one thing that is a "must-do" every summer is to get out of Phoenix and head towards cooler places. Preferably somewhere green. It makes living here a little more tolerable. This summer, I was lucky to be able to take 2 vacations. Italy and Portland. But Portland didn't count. I had to go shopping. To pick berries. And preserve them. Then bring them back to Phoenix. You see, berries don't exist in Phoenix, or anywhere in Arizona for that matter. Really, it's almost bad enough that I'd consider packing my bags and moving to a place with a small berry patch. Everyone needs to live somewhere relatively close to berries. Once you've seen fields and fields of berries, walked along and picked wild blueberries in a city street, bent down to pick and taste the bursting red fruit...once you've seen it and experienced it, you can't go back. You can't settle for the Trader Joe's berries. Even the Whole Foods berries are lacking the s...

As I sit in the airport, waiting for my flight that will bring me back to Sicily , I notice the people around me, waiting…impatiently…and I realize I’m among Sicilians. First, there are the group of incredibly obnoxious boys and men who complain loudly to each other and to anyone that would hear them, that the delay is entirely too long. They’re wearing the trademark Mafia sunglasses - but I highly doubt the Mafia would have anything to do with these loud and incredibly annoying bunch of boys. They go on and on for more than the one hour delay to Catania . Then, I notice the young boy who is accompanying his grandmother home. He makes sure she has a comfortable seat while he stands in the long line, occasionally going back to her to see if she is OK, if she needs anything. And the others, too. Even the strangers seem to be taking care of this elderly woman who is too old to stand and wait. Someone goes to get her espresso from the machine (yes, there are espresso machin...