Walmart holds no attraction for me compared to the pleasure of seeing resident deer and other wildlife on their daily rounds of my hilltop yard. Bird song soothes my soul, whereas Silver City traffic makes me jumpy. Unfortunately, this attitude doesn't fill an empty coffee pot or feed a hungry dog. The only time I slow down is on my way home, where seasonal changes are colorfully noticeable along New Mexico 35, particularly during the autumn and spring months. When it's summer, the monsoons look for me and my blue Buick on this road.
Rain pours down onto the mountains and canyons, flooding strategic low spots.
One day last July while homeward bound, I sat almost an hour at one of these crossings until flood waters receded enough to allow our state Dept. of Transportation to clear away the tangled mess of branches and boulders. I was exactly two miles the wrong side of home. There was one slight problem with this quick exit prospect, however. I had a trunk full of groceries, plus one furry passenger, Daisy, my 110 pound dog. Less than two months later, in mid-September, I was on a deadline for my weekly newspaper column, and had to go into Silver City one afternoon to deliver photos to my editor.