Olio - New Music!

Olio - a miscellaneous collection (as of literary or musical selections,) This collection comes from many sources: world music, jazz. house, gospel, Asian, even some funky wah wah clavinet.

Can't get it to embed, but worth a click.  Enjoy.

https://soundcloud.com/christopher-stowens/olio

Say it loud...

My trip into the city yesterday gave me much food for thought.  First, no doubt about it, this is the new normal, loud and clear.  Each of us must adapt in our own ways.  And I'm trying, but I really miss going into the city and even more, not visiting the villages. All of these places are, in part, why Oaxaca is so magical and without them, well, it seems as if a vitality has been drained.  Still, this place is resilient and so must we all be.  Just seeing the street art gives me hope.  The things I miss....

And, just like always, imagining the courtyards behind those gates.

And the streets speak, "The working class moves the economy.  Let the rich pay for the crisis."

And a bit of zen..

Scrawled underneath...."I want, I want."   "I got plenty of nuttin..." already.

Summer in the city....

Hard to believe, but what used to be normal and no big deal, is now an adventure, and not without some stress and trepidation.  I can't remember the last time I was in the city.  I bet it was close to three months ago.  It felt great to walk the streets, restoring a sense of forgotten normalcy.  However just seeing the zocalo empty, drove home the point that things are far from normal.

I'd say maybe 75% of the people had masks on and the streets had people and cars on them, but not in the normal density.  I hit six or seven places to either pay bills or stock up on necessities and then beat a hasty retreat back into the country.  It will probably be weeks or months until the next visit to the city.

The whole adventure was simultaneously surreal and totally normal with less traffic.... and exhausting.

A rose is a rose....

Well, this isn't one, but the colors are right.  I need a little help here, because I don't know what this flowering tree is.  Every year it gets attacked by leaf cutter ants, but I have been extra vigilante this year and it has never looked better.

It has been a good rainy season thus far (knock on wood) and things are tall and lush in the garden.  Recognize this flower?

It's a banana flower with the platanos almost ripe at the top of that stem.

And look at the size of that rosemary or romero plant behind it. 

It's bigly! Yuge!

Buggin' Out....

Well, maybe just a little, but I am referring to the saga of the flowering agave in the garden.  I check every day to see how things are going and there is always one of these insects on the flowering stalk.  Often there are a few and I figure it's either love or war.

Several people said it would soon be covered with blossoms and it looks like they are right.  I will keep everyone posted.  It's gonna be exciting!!

Long time comin'....

It's been over ten years coming, but this flower appeared almost overnight.  It is well over two meters tall.  I'm pretty sure it is some sort of agave, but I really have no idea.  It is really spikey. I've watered it with my blood for many years.

Not really the most spectacular of flowers, but I'm sure Mother Nature knows what she's doing.  When it is done flowering, I imagine the plant will being to fade and die.  Then compost, to return in a different form.

The garden is always such a good teacher.

Tuna!

No, not the fish, silly.  It's the fruit of the nopal cactus, prickly pear, and one of the many flavors of Oaxaca.  There is nothing like the classic Oaxacan ice, leche quemada con tuna, or burnt milk with this sweet fruit.

These perfect fruits were on a large plant growing out in the middle of nowhere. Note those little white specks are indicators of cochineal insects, the brilliant red natural dye for which Oaxaca is so famous. Meanwhile back at the nieveria....

So good...

Just one little flower...

Do you recognize this flowering plant?  I have had it for years and would never dream of dreaming with it, no matter what Carlos says.  It's funny and the story of my life.  I have always been able to grow plants, but have a real problem in harvesting them, mainly because all my plants are my companions and friends.

Cock and bull... and a hog

Life in the country during this pandemic is so quiet.  Where I live is pretty remote, but I do see a few people walking by, and an occasional car or moto-taxi, and that's the new normal.  And almost no one, save the animals, on my afternoon walks.

One of the nice aspects of life now, is that I can hear sounds from all over the valleys, people, animals, dogs and distant music... and of course, cojetes, firecrackers.  They and the afternoon thunder storms roll and echo off the mountains.  And lots of birds and peepers... and the lovely sound of rain.  I'm a John Cage devotee, and in heaven.  Oh, and the hog? Silent music.

Get yer motor runnin'.... It's Groundhog Day!