Jerry and Camilla Lopez raise buffalo and yak here in Truchas. They do this simply for the joy of it and because they look so great on the land. My friend, LaShanda Epp, is part of the Lopez family and she took Kim and me out to visit the animals the other day.

For whatever reason, several of the horses that are usually pastured alongside my road had been taken away, leaving only one gray stallion alone in the field. There had to be good reason for this because my neighbor, Wally, is very kind to his horses.

Of course Bill and Margaret Franke have been back in Truchas for some time now, after a winter away. And their beautiful Hand Artes Gallery is shimmering with new work and energy for this new season.

As most of you know we’ve been getting a lot of rain storms here in the mountains of Northern New Mexico lately. We need the rain so they are always a blessing. Often, I drop whatever I am doing to watch the storms approach.