Weathering The Storm

Like most civic-minded people, I haven’t left my house in weeks. Occasional forays to the supermarket, to pick up bottles of water and to fetch locally-owned restaurant carry-out, are handled by my wonderful, and much younger husband, Donny. His immune system is in much better shape than mine. As a result, he’s become my Knight……

Waters Of Life And Luxury

“I will do water – beautiful, blue water.” ~Claude Monet Having been born and raised a desert rat in the beautiful Land of Enchantment, I have a great appreciation for water. Any kind of water. Swimming pools are a treat. Rain is galvanizing, of course. Springs, rivers, lakes, oceans – I try to experience them……

No Going Home

Sitting outside recently – enjoying the gentle spring breezes wimpling the leaves, while snacking on green chili pistachios (I know, how very New Mexican) – I realized that if anybody had told me 40 years ago I would be eating gourmet pistachios grown right outside my home town, I would have told them they were……

Baked Goods

I’m finding the older I get the more “anniversaries” clutter up the memory banks. Seriously, I have anniversaries for everything. Or maybe it’s just a way for me to keep track of things. A mental filing system, if you will. With that in mind, this year is a big one. Apparently threes and eights are……

Numbers Game

I’m really amazed at the difference a year can make. This past weekend was my birthday, which has never been a big deal in my book, but this year was different. I believe it has a lot to do with the fact that last year at this time I was undergoing biopsies, tests and other……

Art Of The Con

Everything moves slowly here in the Southwest. It’s one of the demons I battle on an almost daily basis. Having been born and bred right here in New Mexico, I’m very familiar with the “land of mañana” mentality. Being away for 25 years, however, eating dogs and swimming with sharks in San Francisco, Los Angeles……

Gettin’ ‘er Done!

Editor’s note: I wrote this on Monday, August 22, but because of a lack of wifi, wasn’t able to upload it until today. Small price to pay. Now where was I? Oh, yes! I have a confession to make. I am besotted with the Mimbres Valley of Southeastern New Mexico. Oh, we’d flirted before and……

The Devil In The Detail

There’s a kind of magic that happens when putting together a feature film project. Sure, everybody says that, but having been on the inside, both now and years ago when I worked for Paramount Pictures, I can tell you, watching a project like Lady Belladonna’s Night Shades take shape is truly marvelous. To go from……

The Sacred And The Profane

I’ve seen a few plays this season, staged at the venerable, time-honored locations, but none have had the visceral punch that The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot, staged by the little troupe that could, Dona Ana Repertory Theater, leveled at its audience last night. A well-deserved standing ovation capped what had to be the most……

The Dark Lady Rises

Lady Belladonna’s Night Shades is quickly becoming a reality. After an extensive month-long search, involving some of the most talented actresses from all across the state, our dark lady has been cast in the form of local performer and provocateur Tawnya Bass. Our supporting roles have also been cast in the form of trusted and……