Wednesday, April 27
Indygo and I get along sharing space so she invites me to stay longer if I
like. It feels good to have company and I'm still feeling a bit like a
wreck so am grateful and she enjoys company, too.
My first
morning, I borrow a walking stick
(for snakes) and the closest thing I've had to a
cowgirl hat and walk with my camera up the road beyond the buildings. I walk at least a
mile and pass land that is fenced by someone. Then I come to what I later
learn is the old wind power for the land. It no longer works. I've
taken pictures along the way - some of flowers and snow-capped vistas.
I find myself actually hoping to run into a rattler so I can take a
picture. I'm feeling braver after having met Jae the day before and
asking her about snakes. She told me, "They're used to us being out on
the land so just be there in peace." The land is also a nature
preserve. She recounted a time while coming out of a house that she
stepped on one! She felt her foot land on something soft and jumped
straight out and away, realizing she stepped on a snake. She said it just
looked at her as if to say, "Really?"
Just had dinner
w/Indygo and a "lesbian of substance" as Indygo described her, who has MS but remains
as independent as possible. We didn't stay very long because she was
wiped out. I think I was supposed to tell my life story but there was
no time. My stories have been interrupted several times when I was
asked a question and I'm trying not to take it personally. argh
The first time I met Ruby was the day after I arrived. She and her
partner Juana were going to show Indygo around Santa Fe and I was invited to come along. We
picked Juana up from their apartment and headed to the
Plaza area. Walking around, Ruby yells to me. There's a Mountain Man on a leopard Appaloosa, bridled
in silver, who was doing an intricate fancy prance down the Plaza street.
There
were also a few Lowriders and Juana told us how that was a part of her
growing up. She said there used to be an informal show but I think it was banned by the city. When I later spent another day or two in Santa Fe, I went to the
Museum to see the exhibit but parking was virtually non-existent so I
never did see it. Ruby and Juana saw the real-deal show later just before another visit of mine. I was to couch-surf multiple times at their Santa Fe apartment! Who knew?!
Ruby is living in Honey House for a
month having also been here in January. She loves living on the
land. She says she's a "land-dyke" and spent many years at another
womyn's land. Now she's here but is relegated to pretty much staying
inside Honey House because she uses a
wheelchair and the land is not accessible. She blows my mind when I see how independent she makes
herself. Given the people I know who are in wheelchairs and their
accessibility challenges, I keep that in my mind for organizing and
planning.
I'm suppose to work 20 - 25 hours a week to defray my costs. There is
so much to do. I don't know how Indygo keeps going forward. She
arrived here in January a few days before Ruby who, as a land-dyke, passes on her
knowledge. Outland has so many needs since its hey-day of the '70s and
it's much too much for one person to keep going.
Jae, the apparent
founder and director, is indefinitely living in Santa Fe. I don't know
the last time that she was out to the land but she and Indygo are in touch
often. Jae is putting together a group of women to come out to work on
one of the houses in a month or so. A couple other women were here and
rearranged the huge library in the Hearth, the community space. But the
Hearth is in desperate need of cleaning and not a place I want to spend any
time.
Ruby's screen door needs repair so Indygo and I
move from shed, to pile of stuff, to another shed looking for
materials and tools to do the work. We eventually agree to drive into
Las Vegas (NM) to buy a few things rather than continue looking
through potentially useless and infested piles. I realize that though
I'd like
to do some physical labor, my best contribution may be organizing things
-
phone lists, lists of and ideas about volunteers, etc. Indygo jumps at
the idea. I wonder if it will actually be used. I
take videos of the repairman talking about the two ancient copiers that
are
used to print copies of
Maize. I send them multiple times but they
bounce back or Indygo can't open them on her non-smartphone.
 |
| Cowgirl Ruby, me, Indygo |
Ruby makes it her job to cook dinner for us
after we've been working much of the
day. I hear she and Indygo call each other on the walkie-talkies.
"Red calling Blue. Over." It takes a day before it's
clear that Red is for a Ruby and Blue is for the color Indygo. I'm
given
my own walkie-talkie and declare myself Green for the Irish Emerald
Green.
Blue has her own call to let Red know she's arriving at her
house. I knock but Ruby lets me know that's not the way it goes. I
need to come up with my own vocal tag. It's a land-dyke thing. I say,
"Well, I could neigh!"
So that is forever my greeting as I arrive and leave her door. She clearly
enjoys it and says she will always remember me for my "Hi, Neighbor"
neigh. Okay, I'm sliding my way
into the groove.
