Bloom in the Desert

 It's another sleepy, dusty, desert day here in the lovely state of New Mexico. As I sip my coffee, the sun is slowly rising and the birds are chirping. I'm hoping a road runner scurries through our backyard. They seem to be most active in the morning.  The road runner has been my favorite little creature we've encountered down here.  The Greater Roadrunner spotted while walking Remy (yes, Remy tried chasing it like Wile E. Coyote) Although these fruits look like ground cherries or cherry tomatoes, don't be deceived. They are the fruit of the Silverleaf Nightshade — a toxic, thorny plant that pops up all over Albuquerque and New Mexico. There's been lots of little creatures this week. Not all of them I have appreciated like the roadrunner. Many of them have been pests, and some have been thorny (see the nightshade above)! I had my first fumble as a gardener down here. One morning, I walked out to check on my plants, and my beans were covered in these gnarly, little ...

The desert is a new place for Lily and I. The prickly pear and pinyon pine enchant us with their beauty. The cute little lizards scurrying along in the sand make us giggle. The sunset never ceases to amaze us.  The New Mexico sunset as seen from our backyard A lovely patch of prickly pear down the block from our home Alongside all the outdoor exploring of our new home state, we've been working hard to make our new apartment a cozy, comfortable place. Between our love of food and the growing desire to be more self-reliant, we've started working with the soil. Much of this blog will be documenting our gardening, cooking, and foraging for our family and friends. Not long after moving in, I went off to Home Depot to get supplies for raised beds. I used a few cedar boards, some wooden posts, and nails to create two beds, and then I filled them with a cocktail of topsoil, compost, and potting soil — all while listening to Margo Price and sipping some local brews (Santa Fe Brewing Com...