New Horizon

July 20, 2015 by Dawn Wink 54 Comments

New horizon – view from our new home.

So, we moved. 

We are still in Santa Fe. We moved into the home that Noé built with his own two hands years ago. Upon entering the home, dear friends from Mexico said, “Es como estar en un rancho en México,” (It’s like being on a ranch in México), which of course makes my heart shine.

Our new home.

The Moving Crew

When Noé and I married, we each already had a home. For lots of reasons, we decided that the home that came with the kids and me would be our home after the wedding and we rented Noé’s in the intervening years.  Four years have come and gone, with one child already in college and two more kids hot on his heels, we wanted to streamline our lives and finances. For lots of other reasons, Noé’s home makes the most sense for us to move into. 

We moved in May. Dear friends helped and for a weekend, we all resembled pack mules edging the trails of the Grand Canyon – back and forth, back and forth. Wyatt came home from college, just in time to join the festivities.

Moving the trampoline.

Sky in the mirror.

The first few weeks held the usual surprises of moves –our well appeared to go dry and we had no water, discovery of a snake in our home (still haven’t found again, something very present in my mind when I walk through the dark to coffee in the morning), the septic tank backed up, the car quit working and needed an overhaul, and no internet at home for other a month. It was just like life on the ranch! All we needed were for the bulls to get out on the highway to make the week complete.

The skies blessed our home one late afternoon when the sun shone and rain fell. On our ranch in Arizona, we learned from ranch foreman Armando that when these two things happened together, somewhere in the desert, “Los coyotes se están casando.” (The coyotes are getting married.)

Los coyotes se están casando.

Wynn painting.

This home has been rented from much of its 20-year life. We hurled ourselves into painting with a flurry and Wyatt, Luke, and Wynn were absolute champs. Noé and I left for work in the mornings, leaving lists that usually started with “1. Paint” and we returned in the evening to find another section gleaming. After a week of this, the kids really didn’t think there was a need to paint and after the first couple of weeks, mutiny boiled beneath the surface of the crew of our ship. How to prevent a full-out rebellion…

For years, I’ve wanted to buy a pool table for the kids. We grew up with one on the ranch in Arizona, and like a tinaja (natural pool of water) in the desert, it was the gathering place of family and friends. After searching online for months, I’d found exactly what I wanted, a pool/ping pong table with felt the color of desert sand, on super sale – in Farmington, New Mexico, three hours away. We arrived to discover this hulking behemoth would’ve crushed our car. What to do? One rented pick-up (not easy to find on Fourth of July weekend) and several new 2X4s later thanks to Noé’s thinking, four huge young men loaded the table, we lashed it down, we headed back to Santa Fe – eyes on the horizon at the storm clouds. Untold pool tournaments and ping pong games later, it was worth every second and every penny. So far, this seems to have quelled the simmering rebellion.

Getting the pool table home.

Road from Farmington.

In the midst of all, I taught two courses of Orientation to the Teaching Profession with students that made me smile, muse, laugh, explore ideas at a deeper level, and I felt my heart well with tenderness at these valiant souls now entering teaching. Little did they know how their stories and energy inspired me.

Due to its rental nature, this home had no landscaping. Loads of soil to turn and holes to dig. We’ve started the perennial bed, climbing heirloom roses, and lilacs for Cascabel and Grandma Grace on the ranch. 

Perennial bed.

Hollyhocks and lilacs.

One of the gifts of a garden in summer and fall is that of giving bouquets from one’s own garden. The bouquet from this year’s garden.

Summer bouquet.

I mused on the different chapters of life and how all compose the book of our life.

Luke off to Shanghai.

Luke is off to Shanghai, flown on the wings of homemade apple pies.

My apologies for being out if touch. The rhythms of life exploded like the grand finale of a fireworks show and have not quite yet settled back into place.

I’ll plant more flowers. This helps everything.

This morning, I sat out under the piñon tree and a hummingbird flew to the feeder. In many traditions, hummingbirds represent beauty and joy.  The scarlet back of the bird glistened in the sun, the whirl of its wings pulsated through the air when it lifted to flight. Beauty and joy.

On to the next chapter of life.

Early morning hummingbird.

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