NEW MEXICO NEW GARDEN

At my beautiful ranch. As I sat at my desk today writing, I watched the perfect snow storm…big, dry snow flakes coming down like in one of those glass shake ‘em up snow ball things. It didn’t last but so what. The sun came out and I saw a huge bird dive into the river and pull up a trout. At first I though it was a blue heron but then I saw that it was brown with a white breast…huge. Tried to see closer with binoculars but it flew away. Gotta call Ted and ask him what he thinks it was. He’ll know. He knows everything about birds. Wanted to get mad cause it ate my fish but then I reminded myself that I have to accept nature’s violence…the natural law of things. The big bird needed food. Still, with the money I’ve spent over the years making the river healthy, that fish was probably worth a grand! Once, while looking out my office window, I saw a deer swimming down the river, only its head above water. That meant it was escaping something. That’s how deer sometimes get away from cougar. It’s a bit cold for me to hike, but just looking out at the mountains and river makes me feel good.

View out the window at my desk. I was inspired to design this window when I saw the Hobbitt houses in "Lord of the Rings." My office is like a cave with ceiling to floor books and a vaulted ceiling. I call it my 'soul' space and I can see the river from here.

From my cliff, I can see the river coming...

...and going

Here a deep hole right in front of my house. I can see some fish but you probably can't from the photo.

A statue on the portal of the Black Madonna done by the folk artist Missionary Mary Proctor.

Having lost my vegetable garden about every year due to late Spring frosts, I’ve decided to invest in this hooped garden which will provide food even when it’s snowing. If one has even a little bit of land, there’s little that is as exciting as growing, picking, harvesting and cooking your own healthy vegetables and edible flowers. Young people can learn about growing. Older people can get the beds raised up so they don’t have to bend over. And over time, you save money. The manufacturer, Ken Kuhne, mentioned that he makes special fees for non-profits and has set them up in and around Santa Fe at homes for teen moms and seniors.

This is Ken. For more information visit his website: www.growyown.com. The beds can be made to cover a tiny amount of ground or a lot. Either way makes it possible to grow food year round.

This is what the garden area looked like this morning before the guys started work to install the 'hooped' garden.

We'll plant the beds tomorrow with all sorts of vegetables, edible flowers and strawberries.

Here are some pictures from beds Ken has done that are already growing.

A cottonwood tree that I had trucked down from Ted's ranch north of here 5 years ago (The Vermejo Park Ranch) died so I'm having it replaced. Those others are also from his ranch.

Julio has done a lot of tree work for me. I always say, "Julio, I'm too old for saplings. I want trees that are already big. Julio is a very talented tree transplanter!

Here I am with Julio and his sons and son-in-law.

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19 Comments

  1. Thanks for the photos Jane! I love the Pecos area. We lived on Cow Creek above Pecos for four years. It is a beautiful area and the people are wonderful. I miss it!

    • Yes the rowe and pecos area is great being from Rowe NM and having Ms.Fonda as a neighbor. I rember when Geer Garson owned alot of the land we used to fish the stream and swim as a kid but those days are gone. But I am grateful that jane has put alot of effort to keeping it beautiful. I always look forward to visiting my dad in rowe on the weekends,,

  2. Jane this is great, I had a veggie garden last year and planning to start again late February. Also I’m doing your workouts Firm & Burn and Fit & Strong, I feel great!! I never really exercise in my life (because I’m lazy) but your workouts are fun and keep me going the only thing I need is loose weight because I really need it. Do you can give your advice about some diet to help me with this?
    Thanks again for doing this to help people like me, I’m 58 years old. Lety

    • Leticia, don’t diet. They don’t work. A lot of studies have shown that. Just eat fewer calories of fresh nutritious food and workout as you can. Try to walk every day…briskly…that burns calories. But what i’ve just said is NOT dieting. Yes??

    • Leticia, don’t diet. They don’t work. A lot of studies have shown that. Just eat fewer calories of fresh nutritious food and workout as you can. Try to walk every day…briskly…that burns calories. But what i’ve just said is NOT dieting. Yes??

  3. I love having you within a 5hr drive – feeling the vibe. What time is dinner ready?

  4. Looks absolutely beautiful. The only thing I can see from my window is my neighbors, and on really exciting days, some squirrels. 🙂 What made you choose New Mexico for a ranch?

  5. Hi Jane
    I heard you on sirius radio the other day and have always loved you and your father in Golden Pond. It’s funny I’ve wanted to live in a cabin on a Lake like that….however, I love your ranch and garden….very beautiful! This is my very first blog…but wanted to say hi and hope you’re doing well.
    Mary

  6. Jane, It’s good to see you’re here in N.M. Your garden looks great and I’m going to check out the website to find out more. Thank you for sharing that with us. We live in the mountains and can’t grow any vegetables because of the climate and altitude, so we’ll try this out which gives us some hope since we’d love to be able to garden.

  7. Dear Jane,

    I sent you a message a few days ago telling you that I’ve just published a secondary bibliography of the Russell Tribunal, which I’ll be happy to send to you, in which I refer to your captivating memoirs + Hershberger and a few others.

    Reading Harshberger for the second time has, if possible, only increased my admiration for your courage to Speak Truth to Power.
    However, it has also increased my outrage against the US Governments persecution against you, but most of all convinced me that SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE to give the American People a chance to prove that they DON’T lack Empathy and they do stand by the promises they gave in January 1973 in Paris: TO COMPENSATE THE VICTIMS OF THEIR ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL WARS in INDO-CHINA.

    This could coincide with celebrating the 45th anniversary of the attempt to elevate the Pentagon.

    I’m corresponding with Noam Chomsky and Richard Falk and I brought up my suggestions. Noam said he most likely can’t come and Richard hasn’t answered yet.

    I’ve also sent my idea to Mohammad Ali and Tom Hayden.

    I just saw F.T.A. and laughed and cried. I thought it was impossible to get, but I found it on Google Video.

    NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!

    Best regards,

    Dr Karl Andersson

    PS

    You can check out my homepage:

    http://www.karlaliandeson.com

  8. Jane, Each Tuesday evening as I prepare to teach my Women in 20th Century America history seminar, I relax with your Blog. Tonight in particular was lovely. I earned my M.A. in History from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces in 2002 at the tender age of 48 and with honors! Been teaching ever since on the community college level. By the way have been doing your exercise DVDs for 6 weeks now 6 mornings a week and I love them! Am seeing changes that are so wonderful. Thank you for that and for sharing your home and garden with us. Nancy

  9. Dear Jane,

    Today someone said you had become a Christian and I thought “Please God say it’s not true”. Then I read your piece about your faith, which I found very edifying and moving, since I can identify myself so much with what you say.
    In my own studies, which I performed at Lund University in Sweden, Harvard Divinity School,Berkeley and here at the Bertrand Russell Archives at McMaster Univeristy in Hamilton, Canada, I have come to the conclusion that first we have to separate Jesus of Nazareth from Paul’s “Jesus Christ” who is totally different guy. Then, if you only look at the Gospels, it’s hard to make all stories fit one GUY. I was like you very impressed by the Gnostic Gospels and would say that not only is God sexblind and color blind God is also religion blind: It’s not what you SAY you believe that counts in God’s eyes, but how you treat other people. If you treat them well, you’ll feel well.

    BTW

    I just watched you on TED and you were GREAT 🙂

    Best wishes

    Karl Ali Andersson

  10. Jane (and Lety) I’m with you on NOT dieting. Gets tricky when your activity level dips and turns and eating habits don’t. I’ve been down the road of “balanced diet” meaning rotating amongst fast foods all week. It wasn’t pretty. Planning meals, snacks on the go and keeping bottled water in the car helps a lot. I used to drive kids through to get Sprite (and fries and oh, sure, just give me the Happy Meal) after school. Lousy planning on my part. If avoiding fast food, fried food, heavy cream and big bowls of ice cream = diet, then start swapping them out for better things one by one (and enjoy a magnificent bite once in a while). After a long walk/run/swim/bike ride, fast food is NOT a reward. It’s a disaster. Eat what you need to get through the workout then see how you feel. I still eat too much, but am taking a closer look at liquid calories. Starbucks, sodas, beer, wine are not all needed on the same day. Let them take turns or drop them altogether. If that’s considered dieting, go for it. Mostly common sense, but we need to look at our lives and make adjustments from there. Food is fuel, not a friend.

  11. I just finished watching the Oprah Master Class. It ended too soon. I would stay up all night listening to your thoughts. You have a knack for delivering information in a way that is so inspiring.

    If you have the chance I wish you would do more of those. I’m going to buy your book tomorrow. You look fabulous on the outside and you are fabulous on the inside.

    I love Pecos, NM. I went to an outward bound class there when I worked for Frito-Lay.

  12. Wow! I like the hoop gardens. What a great idea!

    You have a nice blog. Glad I ran across it today. 🙂

  13. I like gardening in pots too, so can bring inside when it is cold or just rearrange the flowers. Tonight, I just saw the best play at the Free Fall Theater in St. Petersburg. It is called Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo and directed by Larry Silverberg, who is a great director. There was a Q&A session with the actors afterwards which added to the intimacy of the experience. It is a contemporary play, 2008, and very well worth seeing for anyone is visiting Florida in the next seven days. I would say it is the most interesting and thought provoking play I have ever seen, like watching a real life movie.

  14. (if you see Tori Amos at the party you can tell her the debate.
    Weve posted at her website http://www.yessaid.com/tori/forum/.
    Tell her the moderator has been censoring the website. The ilitary has been blocking people from posting at you website when you go to log in the website redirects to your home page without logging in.
    We have a question concerning young women who are raped and the non-violent crimes they commit later in life.)

  15. Hi Jane,

    I love this blog entry about your garden in New Mexico! I was wondering if you are familiar with The International Council of the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers?

    http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/

    One of the Grandmothers – Flordemayo is doing very important work with the Sacred Seed Temple project, which is located in New Mexico. This project aims to provide a seed bank for heritage foods and medicinal seeds. Our food source, involving natural, whole and organic production deserves much attention now so that we don’t loose this precious resource, and so that whole, organic sources of nutrition remain available for us now and for our grandchildren and beyond.

    Thought you might be interested.

    Warm Regards,
    Sadge1

    • Wendy, yes, I have met the Grandmothers of the Council. Preserving heritage seeds is such important work.

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