We love our annual tree hunt and it’s been going on for a long time. I have 35 mm slides of hunts from 30 years ago…kids and dogs and Christmas trees.
I learned “Away in a Manger” when I was a little boy and even then I loved the image of a baby sleeping in hay. After I recorded this show I found myself still thinking of babies sleeping in hay or bundled in a blanket on the ground somewhere…maybe in the desert not too far from the border or a mom and baby in a shelter…anyway, that’s what this song does for me and I was happy to steal the wonderful melody for my own purposes and hope you liked it.
The photo is of me and Ms. Mesquitey with this year’s tree. If you’d like to know more about the border pinyon (Pinus discolor), Buster and I recommend The Piñon Pine, A Natural and Cultural History by Ronald Lanner. It was published in 1981 by University of Nevada Press. Maybe you could find it in a used book store or for sure check your local library.
The botanical name for Arizona rosewood is Vauquelinia californica. The species name californica means of California, but it’s not found…
The scientific name of the black swallowtail is Papilio polyxenes. Papilio is from the Latin for butterfly and the specific epithet polyxenes is from...
I spent so much time jabbering about my conversion to a desert rat and monsoon believer that I left out some fun stuff. Native...
