Borrego Midnight
Borrego midnight! Mention that to any resident and he will know exactly what you mean. I will wager that midnight in Borrego differs greatly from midnight in most other places.
It's a mystery as to who first used the phrase, but it certainly caught on quickly - and, it sure suits us! It might even be why Borrego was chosen to be the only town in California to be certified as an International Dark Sky Community- probably not - but you never know!
You've probably guessed by now...Borrego midnight occurs at nine o'clock each evening. This little village absolutely closes down at nine! See for yourself! Travel down Palm Canyon Drive at 10 p.m. and you may see no other headlights, people or signs of any activity. Now, drive through residential areas and notice the few lighted windows. I would venture a guess that most Borregans rise with the sun!
But, what about New Year's Eve, you may ask...De Anza Country Club has certainly solved that problem! They party until midnight but with a caveat...they enjoy dinner and dancing, but celebrate the first New Year's toast when the ball drops in New York - 9 p.m. Borrego time! Some go home, others wait for the Central time zone celebration, followed by Mountain and finally, Pacific time.
Happy New Year, regardless of your time zone!
Desert Gardening
Desert gardening...what a pastime. Natives anxious to attack with thorns, stickers or burrs - earth always thirsty - critters always a step ahead of you - dainty moths turn into hungry caterpillars - coyote eats up part of the irrigation system - birds sample one fruit at a time - gopher pops up unexpected . Yet the first carrot, pea or tender piece of lettuce, the first lime or lemon of the season, the first cactus bloom , the first bright green mesquite sprig, the first bud on a plant...all give such a feeling of delight and satisfaction. Not to be traded for anything else! (JGP)
Super Addiction
When I started the blog, I thought a few words now and then would suffice...WRONG!
A strange pattern is emerging. Seems that guilt has stepped up to bat. Now, if I don't post every few days I FEEL THAT I HAVEN'T HAD MY FIX! I wonder if other bloggers have noticed this same phenomenom.
The Borrego Dragon Fable
IN THE EARLY DAYS, coyote walked many paths. One day, as he was pursuing his travels, he came to a very wide valley. Others warned him as he approached the valley, " You must not enter this place...NO ONE who has entered has ever returned. It is a bad place, guarded by a giant dragon, who kills all who try to pass through. To continue your journey safely, we strongly advise you to go the long way...around this evil place." Well, coyote listened, for he was very smart and often heeded good advice. However, coyote was also lazy and was often prone to use shortcuts. He figured the valley would save him a lot of time on this particular journey. He looked carefully and saw nothing much to alarm him. He decided to enter and pass through the valley. At first, he noticed nothing amiss. However, as he traveled deeper into that still, quiet place, he thought to himself, "This IS an unusual valley, for sure...I see no movement of any type and I am getting to feel a bit strange about this place." He did notice, however, some tall straight trees which had lost all their leaves and made the place look barren, indeed. OH,NO...he also noticed, under the trees, piles of old BONES... and the more he looked, the more bones he saw. He said, " I sure see a lot of bones, but I don't see any dragon...I'll bet he no longer lives here." And, with that, he heard a thunderous voice which echoed over the valley..." HAH, COYOTE! You should have listened to the advice...You are in my mouth, which IS the entrance to the valley!" Oh,oh, caught in a trap. But coyote is smart and moves quickly...as he heard Dragon's first words, he raced to one of the dead trees and, with a mighty yank, pulled it from the earth. He wedged the tree between the Dragon's jaws and as he did this, many animals of all kinds came running forth...pumas, bears, mountain sheep and more...even the smallest animals, gnats, flies, tics, bees and more...lizards, snakes, toads, salamanders and more...all ran from the Dragon's depths to freedom. Coyote watched as Dragon's jaws closed upon the sharp tree stake. He soon died and from that time to this, many of those same animals live here, in this place...and from time to time, many of the old bones and pieces of the dead trees are found here, in this very valley!
1 comment:
I'm most distressed by this Dark Nights Designation as Zealots at my Borrego Springs Sun and Shadows HOA have effected removal of all the early evening upward lighting of our 15 home Luxurious Landscape that once was so beautiful lighted each early evening and enjoyed by me for the past 20 years. Now we have a relatively pitch black inner courtyard with glaring path lights that hurt my eyes and starlight doesn't illuminate the pool or palms nor allow one sufficient illumination for visiting close neighbors for fear of stumbling off the path and falling onto landscape cactus and rock scattered about. Views of other well lighted venues are visible on our horizons.
Bob Heyer 435 Sun and Shadows Drive
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