Matt and I drove east to Hatch, New Mexico on Friday. It was the first time we have gone on a long trip since Covid 19 started.
Hatch is known for its chili peppers. We drove through Hatch and went to look at the Rio Grande, which was flowing with muddy-colored water. We saw one field with colorful peppers.
Pepper field.
Back in Hatch we stopped at the Pepper Pot restaurant.
Matt on a John Deere.
We sat down outside and ate at the restaurant, the first sit-down meal since March 7th. I had the grilled cheese with green chilis and onion rings.
Matt and Homer.
Down the street were a lot of fun statues.
Green and Red Chilis.
We stopped at Grijalva's Farm so that Matt could buy green Hatch chilis. I bought a red chili ristra for the Presidio Museum.
Grijalva's.
You can order a 40 pound box for $35, mild, medium, or hot.
Chili roasting area.
The area smelled so nice.
Burlap bags of green chilis.
The roasters are natural gas fired, and rotate, exposing the outside of the chilis to intense heat. The skin blackens and finally the roasters stop, the chute is washed, and the chilis sent into a large plastic bag in a box.
Roaster.
The truck smelled nice all the way home. Today Matt made me some Hatch chili cornbread. It was delicious.
# posted by Homer : 8:34 PM
Version 57, Blog Post 2900.
This last year has been something else.
# posted by Homer : 12:29 PM
So what's been happening?
I spent two weeks watching a trench being dug under a downtown street. Some of the trench was dug using a giant vacuum that sucked up dirt and water. Found a few things. Downtown is mostly deserted still, although the courthouse was functioning.
Vacuum.
The first day I arrived and no one was there. An artificial foot was lying next to the bus stop. Strange.
Leftie.Sometimes, after the varmints have left the bedroom, I open the French door so it can cool off. One morning after taking a shower something moved on the floor. A little toad was hopping around. So weird.
Toad.
I caught it, put it a bowl, and took over to Mission Garden. I ran into one of the guys running the Garden and he said it was okay to release it there (it is a native species). There was an enormous Colorado River Toad hopping around and the new acequia has many little endangered fishes swimming around.
Toad in the acequia.
Lots of plants and trees doing what they like to do.
Flowers.
I got a 1930s or 1940s puzzle on Ebay.
Tuco Picture Puzzle.
Interesting to put together- the pieces do not interlock and move around easily, especially if Buddy Cat decides to walk over it.
Puzzle.
Clyde Kitty comes inside twice a day for breakfast and supper. He is getting fat. He likes to play and I have to watch because his teeth are sharp.
Clyde.
I'm gathering things for a non-profit auction and went to Habitat Store and found a couple of paintings for a total of $15.
Hanging on my wall.Ruby wants Clyde to play with her, Clyde puts up with her and if not afraid of her.
Clyde and Ruby.
Snowball hates Clyde, mostly. Buddy Cat ignore him.
Snowball says, "I hate you!"On Labor Day Matt and I went down to Bisbee. Nice to walk around. We posed with our masks off but behaved, unlike most visitors, and wore them otherwise.
Bisbee.
When he comes over, Ruby is all over him.
Ruby has a boyfriend.
I bought another 1930s-1940s puzzle at the antique store. It is made from wood. When I finished it last night I discovered one piece was missing.
Wooden puzzle.
# posted by Homer : 12:26 PM
