My Little Piece of Sunshine

It's my first full day living in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. So far, it's been really good. I have the Guppy parked at the Artesian Spa. My space gets shade in the morning and evening, and my neighbors helped me figure out how to set up my awning, so I get a little shade in the afternoon, too.

This RV park is very affordable, $130 plus electricity per month. I also get my hot mineral baths for half price ($3 per hour), and there are showers, a bathroom, and a laundromat. I stayed here when I was visiting TorC earlier this year, and I liked it enough to come back.

Today I discovered there's a freezer in the laundromat that I can use, as well, with a sign that says it is only for FOOD. I don't want to imagine what prompted that sign to be posted.

The location is great. I can walk to the grocery store, post office, movie theater, bookstore, etc. I'm thinking I will probably get a bike with baskets. My new next-door neighbor rebuilds old bikes and I can probably get some help from him if I buy a used one.

I was thinking that I'd need to find somewhere else to live soon so I could have someplace to do my mosaic artwork. However, the spa owner said it's fine if I start out doing some mosaics in the little yard area that I have next to the Guppy. He'd rather have someone doing artwork than rebuilding an engine. So, for now, the Artesian will work for me.

Later on I will need more space, probably a store front or similar building, for a business I'd like to start here in TorC. But I'm not in any hurry to do this. I don't need to pay rent on a commercial building until I have all of my plans in place. And who knows? If I am content just making and selling my own artwork and continuing to sell on eBay, I may not need or want to do anything more.

I started out my day with a long walk, about 6:30 a.m., while it was still cool. I enjoyed looking at this mural that was designed by artist Dean Stanton and made with the help of 240 TorC Elementary School students just a few months ago, in April 2011.


The mural includes all sorts of scenes related to Truth or Consequences: farming and ranching, the Rio Grande, Native American and Hispanic history, boating and fishing, the hot springs historic district, and more. Sorry my photos aren't better today! I'm having trouble with my mouse and couldn't crop them as I usually do.

I did some thinking about my own artwork while I walked. I'm not sure whether to fold my art blog into this one, or vice versa, or what. Anyway, it seems to me I need to do some sketching of images that are found in my new environment. It will be like learning to draw as a little kid again--you draw what you see every day. Here in New Mexico I've seen lots of windmills, mourning doves, cacti, adobe and stone buildings, mesas and mountains, and sunrises and sunsets. Eventually I'll work some of these images in mosaic. I'm going to take it slow and easy, and just soak up my environment.

I have already learned the advantages of taking a midday siesta. It gets hot by about 9:30 a.m. and stays that way until the sun goes down. It's not an unpleasant sort of heat by any means. I've taken several more walks today to get groceries, a book, and tent stakes for my awning, and so long as I take it slow, it's fine. Perspiration evaporates quickly. But around high noon, I might as well read for a while and take a little nap. Why not?

I have the air conditioning on low here in the back of the Guppy, and it keeps the house pleasantly cool. My fridge is full of cold water, Jumex juices and fresh fruit and vegetables.

My friend Brian is picking me up for a meeting tonight, and I've been on the phone with a new friend I made the last time I was here who will also be the meeting tonight--I'm thinking of asking her to be my AA sponsor.

A bonus today is that I called the mechanic in Oregon who had my old car and he sold it! So I'll have a little money coming in from that, and I can cancel the insurance I've been paying on it.

I'm gearing up to be ready to start selling on eBay again as soon as tomorrow. I can use my shady little patio area for taking photos in natural light. Besides my usual inventory of vintage silk designer scarves, I plan to expand into the area of funky Western wear. Last time I was here in TorC, I saw some great cowboy and cowgirl shirts in the thrift stores.

Happy Trails!