January 23, 2010

Our beautiful sunshine is back for a couple of days. Looks like two days sun, two days rain and snow for the next little while. Right now it's 20 degrees, such crisp air! Reminds me of early December more than late January, which, being from Salt Lake I think of as gray and gloomy even when the sun is out.

It's interesting being surrounded by Park Service people, who all seem to be outdoorsy and health-conscious. I looked out the window Friday to see our across-the-circle neighbor coming home from a bike ride in the middle of the blizzard. She was all bundled up, only her eyes showing. Budd said later that he saw bike tracks when he headed for work at about 7:15. Now that's dedication!

The NPS people really look out for each other's pets, too. A minute or so after she arrived home, here she came across the street, lugging a cinder block, which she used to get to the gate latch and put Blaze back in his backyard. He loves to jump the fence, and has apparently mastered the newly-raised height again. This all happened not too long after I called him over to take his picture running in the snow, that's posted on Facebook.

Sometime last week Budd had a conversation with one of his coworkers that answered a question I've had about property rights on the reservation. Being a real estate investor, I've wondered whether the Navajo own their land or what. Not that I thought I could acquire any, just curious.

Budd's coworker informed him that they have to apply for land grants, which are actually long-term (65 year) leases at $1 per year. It took her about a year to obtain hers. After they obtain the lease, then it's time to apply for a house. Budd didn't question more closely, but from his description I think that the loan is from the Navajo Nation. Payments are according to income, but the individual or couple must qualify in some way. About 5 houses per year are built, not sure whether that's in the entire reservation or just locally. So it took another year for her to get her house. She was able to choose from only 5 floor plans, and there is just one builder. Her choice was to take the biggest square footage. Others choose a plan with the traditional hogan shape as the family area, with bedrooms and baths projecting out one side.

Budd and I are both suffering a bit from the discomfort of the furniture here. Not that we're ungrateful for it--it saved us having to lug ours down here at an expense that would not have been worth it for the time we're here. Fortunately, we brought quite a few decorative pillows, so we tuck them under us to make it a bit more comfortable, but we are both sadly in need of some physical exercise to shake out the kinks. Hope to persuade him to take a walk with me today. I may have to sabotage the tv, as football playoffs will be my competition.

Oh, we've discovered we may have a 'pet' cottontail. Budd went to the grocery store yesterday after the worst of the storm had passed, and noticed the prints coming right up to the car. I've seen them criss-crossing our yard and the next, also. When he came back home, Budd spotted it, and it ran under the shed that's between here and the next building. We're not supposed to feed the wildlife, but what harm could a celery end or some wilty lettuce do now and again? We'll see. Maybe I'll ask the superintendent's wife on our next walk.