Letters in my Outbox

Here are a couple of letters I wrote today:

Dear Faye,
If you are coming in June, I will be there to pick you up. Will you be doing the gardening project in Albuquerque???

If we have from June to get you in shape for the great mountain adventure, then no worries!!! For some reason I thought you were coming in July, then it was going to entirely depend on your fitness upon your arrival. The thing is that we are at 2000 meters above sea level here and the project is at 3000 meters (well almost). You will have to make a lot of red blood cells to get enough oxygen.

I am so glad that you are coming in June also because then I can take you to the big Indian powwow that happens near here in July. It is called the Little Beaver and is on the Jicarilla Apache reservation. I love to take guests to see the dances.

I don't take a sketch book to the field with me, though it would be kind of nice, now that you mention it. I never take the time to sit down long enough though.... it's always vast distances to cover and not enough time. I can see now that this is a mistake on my part..... I will have to think about that.

Send me the details of when and where you want me to pick you up.
Yrs,
Patricia

Dear Richard,
Good to hear from you. I just got back from a rare plant survey at Pueblo Pintado..... long drive!!!! Tomorrow I go again to Chaco because I have someone that
wants to hike the back country. It just isn't safe to go where I am headed by oneself. The Park Service is providing an assistant. Last time I took Chica and a Park Service guy went with Donna and I, Chica found a badger to chase!!!! Donna and I have seen many rattlers out there, but the real danger is that it involves some moving around in the big rock cliffs where it can be tricky to get up or down, or back out. Need my rock jumpin' buddy in that country.

Denise made it back from California with two horses.... one that she plans to have euthanized. John and I planted the corn on the Largo. I haven't swept all the fresh dust out of the building yet and the dining room has been invaded by moths. YIKES!!! I did wash the dishes a couple of times since you left but only a couple.

Donna is having severe problems with her son. It is so traumatic for her.... first time she ever just said "no"!!! Tough love is hard, but I think that there is no hope of anything else working.

When I was out and about, I stopped off at the Counselor Trading Post, which is now owned by the Navajo Tribe. Nothing was different than from when it was owned by the McDonald family. But there was a note on the door written by my neighbor. She is looking for someone to come down Largo Canyon and help take care of her mother a few days a week. I figured that i would stop by the ranch and offer to help until they found someone, but knowing that my neighbor doesn't like us one little bit, hoping she would get over it. Anyway she told me that she has to have someone she trusts and that wouldn't be me. Well, that's a relief because I didn't really want to spend my time doing that, but I wouldn't not help a neighbor in need. If she changes her mind, my offer is to trade her three of my days for one of hers, where she has to help me with Cisco. Three because a mustang is more dangerous than an elderly mother and she will have to provide her own horse for her to ride. We'll see what happens.

Other than that, I am glad to be home... think I'll head out and train a horse.
Yrs,
JRW