UFOs and Sudoku

Saturday, April 19, 2008 -

Kate has prepared breakfast of fresh strawberries, bananas and hot oatmeal. I feel relieved that we don't say a blessing. I find it hard to pray out loud. I remember the last time I did and I was so humiliated I vowed I'd never be caught praying aloud again.

It is a perfect day weather-wise for a stroll through the neighborhood. The temperature is in the 70s- so the three of us set out for the UFO Museum, where we watch a long documentary on the supposed UFO sightings in 1947. I can't find anything in the gift shop I want to buy. On the way home we stop at a local bakery to load up with freshly baked goodies which we snack on once home before heading out by car to the Bitter Wildlife Refuge Reserve. The word "bitter" in the title of the Reserve reminds us of Barack Obama's recent description of "the locals" as "bitter, clinging on to their guns and religion."

Jim and Kate have packed several binoculars so we each have one. Jim is first to spot a coyote ambling along the side of a nearly dried up riverbed where ducks swim, their white tails sticking straight up in the air as they duck their heads under water to search for food. KB and Jim point out lots of different birds -- most of them KB can name - she and Jim have been studying birds for 4 years. They have the Audobon book of Birds of the Southwest. Jim lets me out of his black Toyota SUV to get a few good shots of the scenery. It's a very windy afternoon at the Reserve. I try to keep his golf hat on my head with my left arm while holding the camera with my right. I like his hat so much that he says I can have it. I am thrilled to have this souvenir of our visit.

Back at home I help Kate fix dinner. I make a green salad of Granny Smith apples, feta cheese, and green onions while she steams fresh broccoli and cooks salmon on her George Foreman grill given to her as a wedding present. Jim brings out another bottle of New Mexico wine- this time a Riesling. It is sweet and delicious. He says there is a winery in Roswell and there are wineries throughout the State.

After dinner Jim gives me a few hints on how to solve Sudoku puzzles. I think I’m hooked. Then I join Kate and Jim in their dining room for a game that uses dice - FARKLE or Five Hundred. Jim keeps score and we play two rounds. Kate beats us both times. Before turning in, we top off the evening with some freshly brewed expresso and a homemade almond cake brought to Jim and Kate by a friend.