Saturday, February 13, 2010
Hello again,
I know it’s been a few months scene the last post. As you see I have added a few things to the side bar and at the bottom of the blog, this are just a few things I am still learning about and working on.
I been busy with school this last month, my graduate courses this semester require more reading then in the past. Not only reading text book and other literary works, but as one of my professor would say reading the world. This semester I have been challenged to read and try an understand Paulo Freire’s philosophy on Pedagogy. If anyone of you have read Freire’s work you would understand my struggles. But I will not boar you with details, just understand if you do not see me around I am at the library trying to make sense of my reading.
This month I am just posting a few updates on other matters and my work at home while I did have a winter break. Well the weather in the last few months has been wet, some snow and rain, and this has put a delay on some work. For those of you whodo not know, this year the Family Soto, that’s my maternal family, is planning a family reunion. This will be the first reunion for the family and things are looking good. My dad and I offered the family to have the reunion in our back yard. Yes we have a big yard and we have been planning to build a pavilion with an outdoor kitchen for some years.
This past Dec and January I worked on an old wood burning stove. It has some family history from a distant relative on my Grandfathers’ Manuel R. Soto. The stoves belong to the Rivera Family down the street, where they got it and how long it’s been in the family is unknown. A good research project I think some day I will ask questions. I build a platform for the stove. As you can see I still need the smoke stack and tile on the floor and walls, but it’s a start.
This year we set a goal to have the pavilion ready for the reunion. But the weather is not helping us and my studies are also require more of my spare time. This means less time to work on our projects. Now it’s February and its time to start preparing the garden for planting and cleaning up the irrigation canals for the first irrigation day in March. This means I must find a way to get this all done and still have time for other activities such as tennis and just plain having fun. Although working in the yard, building, and gardening are fun things to do in themselves.
As you can see in order to build something new, some things had to be removed. First we had to trim down some trees that had too many dead branches. The two trees on the upper right are right where we plan to build the pavilion, you can see we have some poles there ready. Before we start it's better to remove the tree's otherwise they could fall with age and destroy our work. Trimming trees equals fire wood so nothing goes to waist and is recycled.
Ok you know that old storage building in the pictures above well that’s coming down or should I say it's already down, (gone), and all the stuff inside had to be sorted out for either storage or as junk for recycling for cash. But a lot of stuff was too far gone damaged by water and age so it went to the land field. This footing on the left will become a wall to help keep water and dirt outside. This new storage area is on the side of the garage. 
This is the new tool shed storage for lawnmowers and yard working tools and equipment only. This was build with old garage doors and used center blocks and 2x4s we had laying around. This is what I do recycles what I can to build things we need, most of my little house is build with recycled items.
In January I returned to Silver City for the red paint powwow. I got to see some old friends and meet new people. I did go there to gourd dance again. I will post more information on the red paint powwow in the coming days. http://www.redpaintpowwow.net/about.html
I had a blast is Silver City NM, I have been blessed and Honored to have had a chance to spend some time talking with good people, decedents of the Chiefs Mangas Coloradas and Victorio. Silver City had snow that week and then again over the weekend I was there, but that did not stop the powwow. I did not take many photos because I respect the regalia and indigenous people. I only took a few from a distance.
.Photo on the right is a Hoop Dancer; He was snowed-in in Arizona and got to Silver City a day late he showed up late, but the powwow committee made time for him to dance. The photo on the right is a Lady Fancy Dancer; she was so fast that I had a hard time trying to capture her while dancing
Until next time , may you all continue to walk in peace.
David
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