C enizo N o t es
by Carolyn Brown Zniewski, publisher and Danielle Gallo, editor
I
t is the fall season
and the start of
all the holidays.
Autumn is my favorite
time of year, starting
with Halloween and
Day of the Dead right
on through to January
1st. There are parties,
events, games and
adventures
weekly.
The brisk autumn weather seems to be the
beginning of the most creative and interest-
ing time of the year. I always get busy in the
kitchen.
Now that the weather is cooling, baking
coffee cakes and breads in the morning
warms both the house and the heart. Late
afternoon is a good time to start a venison
roast to serve with garden squash and a pint
of local beer. While that roast is in the oven
on a rainy afternoon, it is the perfect time to
sort out your closet and gather a box of cloth-
ing and oddments to donate to the thrift
store. It can be so satisfying to take the time
to put things back in order after summer’s
fast pace, and to get the house ready for the
influx of people and parties that fill so much
of this season.
As the days get shorter and the evenings
cool, Mother Nature is very apt to bring big
storms, ice, hail and snow. We might find
ourselves without both electricity and the
internet. Lucky for, us the Cenizo is old school
and can keep you cozy and entertained with
an afghan and a flashlight. Enjoy.
E
very few years,
the El Nino cycle
coincides with
whatever mysterious
machinations occur in
the Great Basin to cause
the monsoons to swing
right through the Big
Bend. Some butterfly
somewhere flutters its
wings and it rains…and
rains…and rains. Most folks in the Trans-
Pecos rejoice (especially the gardeners and the
ranchers), but to confess a little secret, I’m not
a fan. I’ve never truly understood why desert
dwellers love the rain so much—I live here
because I don’t!
I love the dry, the hot, the dusty. I love the
crackly brown, the searing blue sky, the tight-
ening skin on my forehead. This constant spat-
ter of afternoon rain, the deafening orgies
of spadefoot toads outside my bedroom
window, the humidity and the DAMN
MOSQUITOES are things I moved here to
avoid. So please forgive me if I’m not out
splashing in the puddles.
That isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy the occa-
sional evening thunderstorm, for the smell of it
and the romanticism. But I’ll take one of those
per month please, and make it apocalyptic.
Wondering if the end is near makes me feel
alive. I have heavy curtains in case the hail
breaks a window.
Since this is one of those years, though, we
might as well curl up inside with the Cenizo and
enjoy a few stories: snakes and hunting dogs
and oases in the desert (for the times when the
desert isn’t flooded), chili and spurs and bud-
ding photographers. Stay dry, and I’ll see you
when the relative humidity is back in the teens.
Christina’s World
Folk Art • Jewelry from Around the World
Local Artisans • Fossils
Large Day of the Dead Collection
“Beauty is Critical”
The Boardwalk, Lajitas
Open daily 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
AYN FOUNDATION
(DAS MAXIMUM)
ANDY WARHOL MARIA ZERRES
“The Last Supper” “September Eleven”
Brite Building 107-109 N Highland, Marfa
Open weekends noon to 5 pm
For hours, please call: 432.729.3315
or visit www.aynfoundation.com
Published by Cenizo Journal LLC
P.O. Box 2025, Alpine, Texas 79831
www.cenizojournal.com
CE N IZ O J OU RN AL S TA F F
PUBLISHER
Carolyn Brown Zniewski
EDITOR
Danielle Gallo
ADVERTISING
Rani Birchfield
publisher@cenizojournal.com editor@cenizojournal.com advertising@cenizojournal.com
BUSINESS MANAGER
Lou Pauls WEB MANAGER
Maya Brown Zniewski DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Wendy Lynn Wright
business@cenizojournal.com
mayamadeapothecary@gmail.com
graphics@cenizojournal.com
Cenizo
Fourth Quarter 2016
7