walking

Cheryl Wheeler wrote a song called "I Know this Town." She recorded it, and so did Bette Middler. I couldn't find a video of either of them singing it, but I linked the lyrics for you.

As I was exercising today, walking through my neighborhood, that song popped into my head. I pass the houses I was walking past every day in my car, and here I was walking past them, noticing more than I could ever have time for in while driving. I enjoyed my walk very much. The exercise, greeting a neighbor here and there, and noticing stuff.

We had a cold snap a few weeks ago, with temperatures at 17 degrees for a couple of days. I know that doesn't seem like much for many people who live in colder climes, but for southern NM, it was pretty much a record. As we've been going here and there, we've noticed the cactus, especially the flat ones, are - well - even flatter. Flat on the ground. Dead. Big stands that took years, probably decades to grow, just laid out. I've looked over my rosebushes, and our little pomegranate bush, hoping that they've survived, and I'm not sure they have. Guess we'll see when they decide to leaf out, soon. Or not.

There were several yards, ours included, that had the sprinklers going, hoping to see that very same thing with other plants. The oleanders were hit hard in many yards. Ours looks better than many. Soon will be time for fertilizer and grass seeds, and watering for spring.