The Changing Borrego Scene

Change is inevitable...we all realize the fact. In geologic time, what is going on in Borrego doesn't even amount to the bat of a gnat's eyelid ( if gnats even have eyelids ). At one time, the valley was an oasis of green grape vines...acres and acres of them as evidenced by the sere fields of dark old wooden crosses in the nearby acres.
Those fields seemed , to us, like solemn reminders of how fleeting life is...in fact , the many " crosses " reminded us of a cemetery...which it really was, at least for grapes.

Now, another change is taking place...and it is HUGE! How long it will remain in place is anybody's guess. That, one day, it will also be replaced, is certain. In the meantime, a cleaner source of energy will be produced here. What surprises us is the vast size of the project. It seems HUGE!

On the other hand, I guess the earlier Borregans viewed the grape fields in the same way.

And Speaking of Rocks...

I mentioned in the last post that we had collected rocks from here, there and everywhere, many of them finding an unusual home in the low desert. What a surprise if, four hundred years from now, a passing geologist should happen to notice one of our rocks and quickly ascertain that it originated far from Borrego Springs. He would never be able to uncover the whole truth about how it came to be in this vicinity!

Rocks do tell stories. Archaeologists can trace movements of early people by many methods...one of them being rock arrowheads and tools. Rock amulets have been found far from the source of origin, again, telling a story of trade between early people. Rock paintings tell the story in a different way. Our rocks, too, have many tales to spin...

Rose quartz chunks from South Dakota were taken from a defunct mine. Bright white quartzite was given to us from the manager of a quartzite mine near here. Lava rocks from Long Valley outline a garden bed. A small circle of white rocks of descending sizes represents a full day of collecting in the warm waters of Lake Mohave and stands out starkley against our granitic soil. Dark green rocks came from beaches near San Simeon, as did a group of banded gray rocks containing letters which spelled out our name. ( THOSE took a long time to collect! ) We have obsidian from Nevada and the Salton Sea. We have "lucky rocks". We have rocks from outer space. We have rocks from almost every state plus Canada and Mexico. Not what you would call a collection. What you would call a recollection. How we love them all!

Garden Pathways

Who doesn't like to lead someone down the garden path?

Many happy hours have been spent guiding friends, visitors, children, all kinds of people along our garden pathways. They were started some time ago. Rocks always held a fascination for us. We had collected them from far and near and had weighed down our boat and RV with them. Who knew they would finally settle down in Borrego Springs and become part of a desert path through a desert garden!

It started small and just grew, grew, GREW! Now, there is a well defined walkway leading around the back acre. It began with a short rock lined path leading to the palapa. It ended up as a meandering tenth of a mile walk around the garden. Recently, we filled it in with gravel, which has proven fairly easy to maintain and does inhibit weed growth, or, at least gives an outline for grooming.

Now, we hula hoe along the outer sides of the path, which keeps the yard looking fairly tidy and offers a cholla-free means of walking through the garden, while still enabling observation of all the natural plants and animals that call this place their own.

If your back is still healthy, you want some exercise and live in the desert...this might be the very project you were seeking!

The Heat's On!

WOW! These first few days of triple digit temperatures , as always, come as a surprise. How easy it is to forget all the beautiful mild weather during most of the year and start to complain about the heat! AND... we all know better...it happens every year, sometimes earlier, sometimes later.

If you watch the morning news on the San Diego channels, you will see that fog hovers over the coast, day after day...May gray, June gloom. We didn't appreciate that either, when we lived on the coast! We had weeks and weeks go by without a glimpse of sunlight. Life was viewed through a misty veil of moisture.

Here, in sunny Borrego, we view life through dark glasses, from under a wide brimmed hat with a bottle of water close at hand. Our daily life begins early and seeks refuge in shade or inside the house, usually before ten o'clock in the morning!

Such a contrast...and within such a short distance... but, we have certainly adapted to desert living. Unlike the early settlers, we find summer in Borrego not a challenge, but a blessing, thanks to the numerous items created to make life easier in "hot spots"... swamp coolers, central air conditioning, swimming pool sprinklers, UPS, Kindle, on-line shopping, air conditioned vehicles, drip irrigation and more.

The nights are still cool and will probably remain comfortable through June. The snow birds have left, stores are adopting new summer hours, blankets have been removed from the beds, water timers have been adjusted, the remaining vegetables are being harvested and we are settling in for a very restful summer!

Beets

Beets are one very maligned vegetable. I've never especially liked parsnips, turnips or okra but, to me, beets are a delicacy...the sweet new varieties definitely deserve a place in any vegetable garden. There is a person in our house who absolutely despises beets, but there IS a way of getting around that fact! Beet tops are a tasty substitute for spinach and don't seem to mind being called by another name. They look like spinach and taste even better, with a dash of butter and lemon. No one is the wiser. I plant Detroit reds and Golden globes every year.

It is a bit more difficult to disguise the rich maroon root color of Detroit reds. I prepare them by wrapping in foil with rosemary and shallots and roasting them at 350 degrees until tender. They may also be prepared by steaming or boiling - then peeled and sliced. OR, you can pickle them for use in salads. For the finicky eater who absolutely refuses to eat them, here's an old recipe for pickled eggs which will captivate any reluctant beet eater!

Red Pickled Eggs: ( A colorful gift for any occasion )

1 bottle hot peppers and juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar. Cook, peel and slice aout six medium cooked beets. Hard boil and peel a dozen eggs.( leave whole ) Chop an onion. 2 whole cloves garlic. Put all ingredients into a large jar to pickle and color. Refrigerate.

Watch That Bump!

Members of the WETS ( the Walking, Eating and Talking Society ) met for lunch yesterday at the Airport. As you might guess, myriad subjects arose and were thoroughly discussed, one of which arose from my question, " Have any of you noticed the last few miles of S-22, the Salton Seaway, are becoming worse...and how much do you slow down when approaching it? "

I'm sure every Borregan knows what I mean... the east most terminus of S-22 has a history of being bumpy. It is a good indicator of seismic ground movement and uplifting in this area of the desert. We have always slowed down for this section of the road, but have NEVER seen it as pitted, lumpy, bumpy, dippy as it is now...especially the dip just before the corner gas station!

Those of us " in the know " slow down and have to smile when others pass us at 45 or 50 MPH, only to quickly hit the brakes when encountering the first bump. It will eventually be repaired. In the meanwhile, BE ADVISED!

One Very Important Item

If there is one item every Borregan has and uses often, it is an ice chest. When Trader Joe's, Costo, Albertson's, Staters and other large stores are, at least, an hour's drive away, an ice chest is not only a convenience but a necessity!

What a different life we lead, here, in Borrego Springs! I used to jump into the car, drive a few miles to get vacuum bags, tennis balls, get a car wash, go to a movie, buy a Frostee Freeze or have a Big Mac. NOT HERE...and we like it that way!

There have probably been no scientific studies on the Borrego population at large, but I'll bet that any study would show, in general, that Borrego folk are much more organized and creative than those who live in cities. We schedule up to six or more critical stops each time we venture out of the valley...and keep a running list anticipating our next "out of Borrego" experience.

A typical list of ours would include stops at physicians or ophthalmologists, Trader Joe's, Bank ( ATM ), Home Depot or Lowe's, Petco, Costco, Albertson's, Wallgreens, Staples, William's Nursery, In and Out and, sometimes Westwood Mall. We leave home around 8 am and return around 5 PM. Quite a day...I'm sure glad we only schedule it about once a month!