tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63040751841109142722011-11-27T17:25:53.091-07:00Musings on life in Barelas, Albuquerque and beyond.Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-10653195873820711622011-07-23T21:01:00.004-06:002011-07-23T21:32:34.512-06:00

I'm back in the summer groove, after a herky jerky start. Or I should say, almost back in the summer groove, since the bosque trails are still closed to fire danger and for me, being back in the groove means my days start off with a Barelas bosque walk to the Rio Grande.I fell into the groove of the Saturday morning routine I've been honing for more than ten years. I woke up, fed the hungry cats,

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-43224383075581944332010-06-22T09:14:00.002-06:002010-06-22T10:13:29.253-06:00

Broken bones hurt. I now have an experiential understanding of this. But the worst of the broken bones shtick is not the pain, but the shrinking of my world. I now have an experiential understanding of the relationship between mobility and access to the world out there. And I know that this is different for someone who has a temporary mobility disability than for someone who has lived with this

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-74093108845600929342010-01-23T07:11:00.003-07:002010-01-23T08:20:33.147-07:00

I'm sitting at my dining table with the wide expanse of weekend before me and a mug of coffee beside me. The Scarlatti sonata (D major) only adds to this good Saturday morning feeling of anticipation. What shall I do this weekend? How will I spend my time? The answer is always a lot of writing and errands, with a little bit of fun thrown in.I have yet to figure out this weekend's "little bit of

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-5912332275259351452010-01-14T06:54:00.003-07:002010-01-14T07:09:36.944-07:00

After spending more than a few days in my beloved Barelas, it always takes me a few days to get into the rhythms of Washington. This time is no different. If anything, it is more bumpy than usual.(There I go again, trying to put the sentence on my hands into my fingers...)I've been carless in DC for 18 months now - most times this is just fine, though when it is bitter cold and I'm just getting

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-72895447932661026722010-01-10T09:13:00.005-07:002010-01-10T09:26:34.768-07:00

It has been a whopping 24 days since I've seen the inside of an airport (whoo-hoo!) and a few things have changed at the Sunport since I've been gone.1. La Hacienda Express has started using styrofoam containers for their to go orders. I guess this means I won't not be picking up my last chance breakfast burrito with green there any more. So much for "Green Albuquerque".2. They've rearranged the

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-89022056557712862542010-01-09T13:49:00.003-07:002010-01-09T14:39:00.257-07:00

If home is where the heart is, then I must have a bipolar heart.Most of what matters most to me is right here in Albuquerque, but there are a few things that are at my other home in DC. And days like today - days before I make that physical and psychological transition of moving home base are often topsy turvy.The biggest challenge is always figuring out what books to bring with me. (Perhaps home

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-10403055859494261332010-01-08T23:07:00.007-07:002010-01-08T23:53:18.146-07:00

I've been bopping around town more than usual - my energy level is creeping back up, though the temperature sure hasn't been. Yesterday afternoon I ended up at the Sheet Metal Workers Union/training facility in SE Albuquerque near the airport. They've received federal stimulus money to train workers in this field - it seems that there is more demand for this kind of work given the turn to

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-10246661426033847952010-01-06T11:15:00.004-07:002010-01-06T11:39:43.430-07:00

I think that it is a bit funny that I see more politicians and politicos in and around Barelas than DC, but I'm sure this is because I'm out and about more here than there. Best places to spot them on a weekday morning? Downtown Flying Star, Nob Hill Satellite, Red Ball Cafe, and of course, Barelas Coffee shop. Three of these are within walking distance of mi casa, which makes it easy.Monday I

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-86049434316368834422010-01-04T11:50:00.001-07:002010-01-04T11:51:52.498-07:00

Today's Duke City Fix post is about my Albuquerque-related New Year's resolutions. Stay tuned tomorrow for the DC version!

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-69219143707429332522010-01-03T12:57:00.012-07:002010-01-04T11:53:15.539-07:00

Several people have sent me this article from the New York Times Career U: Making College Relevant. It is an old discussion gussied up in a new guise - should college be aimed at preparing graduates for jobs or should college be about acquiring an education? (I call false dilemma on this, BTW).I'm struck by a few things here. First, the quantified data about what employers want - good writing

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-32132456356560529392010-01-02T17:21:00.004-07:002010-01-03T14:20:55.603-07:00

I decided that my kitchen needed a 2010 calendar and joined the hordes at Uptown Borders to pick one up. Picking were slim: puppies, kittens, food porn, and Princess Protection calendars. I didn't get too close to the latter, but I think these are for girls who believe that they are really princesses stashed away in another family - a witness protection fantasy for preteen girls. I was lucky

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-26967735361131106692010-01-01T23:29:00.005-07:002010-01-01T23:57:06.203-07:00

So today is the last day of Kwanzaa and the first day of 2010. I have made a resolution to blog every day in 2010 - at least every day when I am in a place with electricity and an internet connection. We'll see how it goes.Today's Kwanzaa principle is imani, or faith. This seems like a pretty good principle on which to start a new year. Faith in oneself, faith in the workings of the universe, and

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-34914516628791766172009-12-27T21:53:00.004-07:002009-12-27T22:30:26.796-07:00

Somehow we moved from Franz Fanon and Edward Said and self-determination last night to Blackjack. I'm still trying to figure out how that happened, but I think my mistake was in retelling Tracy Kidder's story of Deogratias the Burundian medical student.As soon as I said Deogratias, "Deo" for short, my two offspring sang in unison "Day-O" and then ran to the laptop to pull up Harry Belafonte on

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-57794862385549810302009-12-27T11:38:00.004-07:002009-12-27T14:52:08.940-07:00

I spend so much time living out of suitcases that in both my homes I store them within easy reach and within eyesight. Today's chore is to put the suitcase out of sight for the rest of my winter break - just so I can fool myself into thinking that I live in one place year round. (I would have done this earlier, but unwrapped Christmas presents needed to be hidden where the suitcase goes).Today's

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-67633692840265074202009-12-26T12:48:00.004-07:002009-12-26T14:21:55.650-07:00

Today is the first day of Kwanzaa, and I am doing what I do every year: wondering where in Albuquerque I might buy a black candle for the center of the kinara. Red and green candles are plentiful this time of year; I have finally figured out that the best time to buy muhindi (ears of corn) is just before Thanksgiving - one ear for each child in the family is tradition. The mkeka (straw mat),

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-48058935018321266472009-12-24T11:28:00.003-07:002010-01-01T23:59:41.205-07:00

I've just put a pot of posole on the stove and it is beginning to smell like Christmas. In another hour or so we will have tamales from El Modelo, and the gingerbread cookies will be in the oven. I've got a few more gifts to wrap, and I've come up with a few errands to get different people out of the house for a short while so that I can wrap their gifts.Yesterday it snowed briefly. The dogs were

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-74470215074221499732009-12-23T09:35:00.004-07:002009-12-23T10:13:56.157-07:00

Now that grades are turned in and grade grubbing has slowed to a trickle, I've been looking at my days before Christmas with anticipation. Which friend will I connect with today? Where will I walk the dogs? What cookies shall I bake this afternoon?Yesterday I headed to the South Valley to see one of my oldest friends in Albuquerque. We met at the South Broadway Library when my children were very

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-60873680473326655342009-12-21T20:16:00.004-07:002009-12-21T20:21:01.917-07:00

It has been a while since I've blogged here. First - muchas gracias to the readers of Albuquerque the Magazine, who voted my blog as one of the top 5 in Albuquerque for 2009. I'm humbled by this honor.Second - I'm back in the blogging saddle again. Check out today's post Toiling Over Tamales at Christmastide about El Modelo on Duke City Fix and let me know what you think!

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-39831328549939926922009-10-03T14:46:00.006-06:002009-10-14T21:57:57.014-06:00

Even though I live in two cities, I'm still pretty much a creature of habit. If I'm in Albuquerque, I walk over to the Downtown Grower's Market; if I'm in DC, I go south to Eastern Market. Mostly, I like to walk the 20 minutes or so to Eastern Market, but I prefer to catch the 90-series bus home after I've bought my groceries. Just as the 66 series buses that run down Central define most of my

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-6472411902025674872009-08-17T17:54:00.002-06:002009-08-17T17:55:36.465-06:00

This week's Duke City Fix post is about the dogs. Check it out here.

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-74484156429293673392009-08-15T10:34:00.005-06:002009-08-15T11:18:08.799-06:00

Even though I've been walking the bosque for years, recently I've been seeing with fresh eyes. Having two young curious dogs will do that, especially when they've missed their daily bosque walk for two days in a row (rain two nights ago and birthday party festivities last night).This morning we changed up our routine and walked on a different path (south instead of north) and later than usual.

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-63568735988237920472009-08-13T10:55:00.003-06:002009-08-15T11:17:08.816-06:00

We've been wrangling and wrestling in this family over the naming of dogs, which may not be as difficult as the naming of cats, but we're still having trouble making decisions. Over the course of a day to two, we dubbed our Chesapeake Bay Retriever "Dunbar" as a way of paying homage to Paul Lawrence Dunbar, favorite poet of some in our house. This was met with disdain by one Teenager Who Shall

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-65013676881472096352009-08-10T18:09:00.004-06:002009-11-11T23:08:09.350-07:00

My Duke City Fix blog post today is about high school dropouts. Check it out here.

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-40012471038706418892009-08-10T00:52:00.008-06:002009-08-10T18:26:24.383-06:00

There's a stretch of the bosque that I know as well as I do the faded keys on my laptop. I've been walking it for more than 13 years, and what I love about this transect is that the seasonal changes are never the same, especially as you get close to the river.Tonight's walk with the dogs led us through the bosque past a few trees with burn marks on the base of their trunks, to a narrow opening

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-77901800631313488312009-08-08T00:04:00.003-06:002009-08-08T00:11:40.526-06:00

It has been simply forever since I've blogged here, and to tell the truth, I'd forgotten it until I saw my blog listed on the Duke City Fix blogroll. DCF and DeafDC have been getting my posts, but I'm back on track. My goal is to post short snippets of my life in Barelas - no long essay posts on this blog! We've had our new dogs for exactly a week now, and we've been taking them for walks in

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-4876228202195764712007-12-23T11:57:00.000-07:002007-12-23T12:09:32.303-07:00

I don’t know if Barelas has ever been without roosters. In my imagination, chickens arrived here shortly after Don Pedro de Varela put roots into this soil in 1662 and have maintained a presence in Barelas ever since.When we moved here 11 years ago, members of my family mentioned hearing roosters crowing every morning. (Even with my hearing aids, this is a sound I miss out on – for better or

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-43990575268920823482007-12-20T11:46:00.000-07:002007-12-20T12:09:28.179-07:00

One of my favorite Albuquerque memories is walking through the luminaria-lined streets of Barelas in a light snow, following the Las Posadas de Barelas nativity and enjoying the sounds of Christmas carols sung in Spanish and English. My two children, dressed up as an angel and a shepherd, were old enough to carry their candles without setting themselves on fire, and young enough to take heed of

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-82467277073951991712007-11-01T19:31:00.000-06:002007-11-01T19:34:15.877-06:00

Most of the time I try to keep my DC blogging separate from my musings about Barelas. This time they've come together in a blog I posted on DeafDC at http://www.deafdc.com/blog/category/teresa-blankmeyer-burke/Enjoy.

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304075184110914272.post-45229665750734564772007-07-04T11:29:00.000-06:002007-11-03T21:27:22.509-06:00

Said in 1996, in and around UNM…“You live where?”“In Barelas.”“Where’s that?”“You live where?”“In Barelas.”“Why?”“You live where?”“In Barelas.”“In the barrio? Is that safe?”Eleven years ago last summer, I purchased an old adobe fixer-upper in Barelas. It had crumbling pavement in place of a front lawn, a sagging porch, and a parkway filled with bindweed and goatheads. A collection of used tea

Teresa Blankmeyer Burkenoreply@blogger.com0