One thing leads to another ....

This morning I visited old town Albuquerque and found that it is much quieter and easier to enjoy in the springtime than it is in Summer.

I have been fighting the wind all the way from Shreveport, LA and today was the worst so I am seeking "Shelter From The Storm" (wind) here in Gallup, NM.

I am very fortunate to have with me on this trip my XM Satellite Radio so that I can choose the music that fits my mood or just choose a station and find new or old, almost forgotten music. Along the way one of my favorite stations has been "The Village" which focuses on folk music both new and old. This includes a little bluegrass, a little county and music from other countries as well. One song that really touched a chord with me was a song written by Carol Elliott and Wendy Waldman and performed by Michael Martin Murphy . This song is normally played only at Christmas time and is called Corn, Water and Wood. I have been researching the song and it has lead me to visit the Casa Grande National Monument in Arizona. It's just something I need to do, like this road trip. It will be cloudy and rainy tomorrow but then will turn sunny again as I head up through California on my way back to Oregon and the cold, wet, rainy, dull, dreary, gray weather - you know, Oregon springtime.

The concept of Corn, Water and Wood is as simple as it is complex. Corn is food. Water is drink and Wood is fuel. Simple. However, Corn is also seed. And Water is the catalyst to make the seed grow. And Wood is a tool to prepare the ground for planting.

In the desert areas of New Mexico and Arizona, if you eat all the corn, drink all the water and burn all the wood then you are done. However, if you eat some corn and plant some corn, drink some water and use some to water the corn, burn some wood and use some to dig the ground for planting, then you continue to thrive. It's all about the wisdom of conservation, propagation and survival. Basic wisdom that seems so very simple when you give it some thought.