I'm taking a break for a few weeks at our cabin in New Mexico. We're on the east side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains about halfway between Taos and Las Vegas (NM), near Rociada. The valley below our cabin is a large ranch, first established in the mid-1800s, when the 25-mile trip by horse and wagon from the village of Las Vegas must have taken at least two days. Las Vegas itself was established in the 1830s, with a Mexican land grant. It became a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, the site of a battle in the Mexican-American War (1847), and an important station on the railroad (1879). If you've been watching "Longmire," you've seen many scenes filmed in the town and in the mountains and valleys not far from our cabin.
Book report. I've approved the files for the printing of The Darling Dahlias and the Unlucky Clover, coming in hardcover and ebook in March, 2018--so it's beginning to seem real! Also in the works, Queen Anne's Lace, due out in April from Berkley/Penguin/RandomHouse. I'm currently working on a novella featuring Ruby (a character in the China Bayles series); it'll be published next summer in an ebook-only format.
I've also been working (with Susan Schoch and Sherry Wachter on Inside and Out: Women's Truths, Women's Stories, an exciting collection of essays by members of the Story Circle Network. SCN is publishing it as a Kindle ebook and CreateSpace print book--it'll be available sometime this month. I'm president of SCN this year; we're gearing up for our July 2018 conference (more later about that).
Homestead report. Bill is holding the fort back in Texas, where we're having an unseasonably warm November/December. It's a La Nina winter, which means (sadly) hot/dry for us, both in Texas and New Mexico. In Texas, we're in early-stage drought. Here in New Mexico, the day after I arrived, there was a lovely snowfall--a welcome greeting from the Universe. I love snow (as long as I don't have to drive in it.)
I'll be here until 12/22, working and enjoying the solitude. No television, but I get enough news on the Internet to stay current. In the evenings, I'm watching season 1 of "The Crown" and reading the companion volume--a good, strong dose of modern British history. Eager for season 2 to be available on disk--we're on satellite, so we don't stream. IMO, this is the best series since West Wing. (I'm not a fan of "House of Cards" or "Game of Thrones."
Hope your holiday preparations aren't too exhausting and that you're able to take a little time to just be with yourself.
Reading note. In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'--Dave Barry