One down . . .

We've been in Australia for one year officially.

It's been a long year.  It's been a good year, but it's been very long.  It was one endless summer.  After two summers in a row, I was anxious for winter.  It never really came.

Last week I was cleaning out my junk drawer and came across a Raddison Hotel pad of paper.  Some time during our packing up, I scribbled a list.  Since I'm feeling a bit home sick (Thanksgiving always does that to me), I'll share it with you.  Here it is:

Things I Will Miss About New Mexico

10.  The sky.  It is really blue.  I wonder if it is all of the orange sandstone - contrasting colors, and all.

9.  The smell.  The high desert smells so good.  When we moved from Houston, the first thing I noticed was the smell when it rained - juniper and cedar, with a touch of pinon.  Really, there needs to be a scented candle called "mesa after rain."  The best smell of all, however, is the roasting chilis in the Wal-mart parking lot.  (You can buy green chilis by the box in New Mexico, and they will roast them for you over a giant propane burner - it smells SO good.)  I'll miss watching sweet Navajo grandmothers at Walmart, with their skirts and tennis shoes, long braid down their back, and turquoise jewelry.

8.  My Garden.  I miss my garden.  I have a thing for oddly colored fruits and veggies.  My philosophy is, why grow something I can buy in the grocery store?!  So, our raspberries were yellow, Potatoes were purple, and tomatoes were yellow, along with the usual varieties, of course.  I miss watching my garden grow.  It never failed to surprise me - I would stick the seeds in the ground, turn on the sprinklers, and two weeks later, there is life!

7.  The drive to Twin Falls.   I can't believe I actually put this in.  In the 3 years that we lived in NM we drove to Idaho at least quarterly.  That's a dozen 12-hour each way trips.  Some times it was the longest 12 hours of my life (think crying toddler and icy roads.)  Once we discovered books on CD, things went a little faster.  (We listened to the entire Harry Potter series, and all of the Eragon books, plus many others.)  I knew the road like the back of my hand.  Southern Utah is full of interesting shapes.  The kids named the rocks we saw on the way:  Birthday Cake Rock, Snowman Rock, Turtle Rock, Foot Rock.  The journey was measured in bathroom breaks:  Monticello, Moab, Price, Salt Lake (the Robinsons!), Tremonton, Snowville, almost there - you can wait . . .  fine we'll stop in Burley.  Finally, Twin Falls.

6. Watching the sun rise.   I love the view from my front porch - especially when the neighbor's RV was gone for the summer!  One advantage of a desert is an un-obstructed view of the sunrise and sunset.

5.  Running Pinon Mesa.  I never thought I would say this, but I really miss running long Saturdays at Pinon Mesa.  It was a trail run through a high desert.  BYO water!

4.  My Piano.  I miss the way the sound would fill up the whole house.   I have a lovely piano here, but it's just not the same as my old one.

3.  Caliente. (That's the name of the community choir.)  I loved singing with these fabulous singers.  It was a ball.  I miss them, and I miss the music.  Music is my drug of choice.  I'm suffering from withdrawal.  I'm feeling particularly left out now that they are planning a musical tour of Greece.  Without me.

2.  My friends.  I miss my book group.  I miss the ladies I ran with.  I miss running and talking at the same time.  I miss birthday lunches at Si Senor.  

1.  Shon.  I miss having my husband come home at 4:30.  Wow.  That was nice.  He's cute.  And he does dishes.  (Sorry ladies, he's mine.)



Things I miss, that I didn't know I would miss:

Crisco
Graham Crackers
Green chilis
Skiing
Reece's Peanut Butter Cups
School lunches
School buses
Walmart
Soccer Practice
Inexpensive piano lessons
Inexpensive anything!
Snow
wider traffic lanes

A few things I don't miss:

My fingers cracking and bleeding because it is so dry.  (Super glue was my only successful solution.)

Crime.  Believe it or not, I think I'm actually safer running in a big city than I was in NM.

School clothes.  We wear uniforms here.  I LOVE it.  We can wear the same clothes twice and no one cares.  No one has to decide what to wear in the morning.

Whew, I feel better now that I have that off my chest.