C enizo N o t es
by Carolyn Brown Zniewski, publisher and Danielle Gallo, editor
I
’m sitting on my
front porch this
early spring day
watching three turkey
vultures circling their
next meal out over an
empty field. Far off on
the horizon are the Del
Norte Mountains. It is
a little overcast, keep-
ing the day cool and
comfortable and the slight breeze is pleasant
against my face. The wildflowers are starting
to bloom. With all the rain the past few
months the fields and ditches will be filled for
several months to come. This is the kind of
year that makes me aware of the abundant
gifts that Mother Nature provides for us.
There seems to be so much difficulty and
contention in the world right now that some
nights I awaken at 4:00 a.m. with worry and
bad dreams. An afternoon like this one here
in the midst of the glory of Big Bend lets me
contemplate the richness and splendor of the
natural environment, reminding me how
precious it is and how important it is to pro-
tect and enjoy it.
This issue has several articles about adven-
tures that celebrate the interconnectedness of
all of nature, from the mountains to the
waters to the stars and planets in the heavens,
and the art of living well. Folks in the Big
Bend know that true wealth is not grand
houses and dollars in the bank, but rather
good friends and close families, following
your passion and heart’s desire, and a rever-
ence for all life. It is remembering those
things that get us through the rough times. I
hope the stories, art and information in this
issue provides you with a view of our special
world. As my friends who practice yoga say,
“May the god in me greet the god in you.”
T
here’s something
about the first
real morning of
spring that’s unmistak-
able. There’s a heavy
dampness just before
dawn that lacks the bit-
ing chill of our decep-
tively mild winters, and
I can always feel my
skin relaxing with what
I imagine is a sigh of relief. The roof drips. The
soil has that biting alkaline smell of thirsty
caliche. By 10 a.m. I’ve shed my outer layers to
bask in a thicker, more benign sunlight. The
apricots start blooming, even though I tell
them every year to wait until after Easter.
Apricots are flighty, and never listen.
It is somehow a little sad and comforting all
at once to see last year’s hatchlings returning to
build nests. The passage of time is so swift in
adulthood that it’s often jarring to look up one
morning and see the sky full of vultures, and
realize the small creatures will be stopping at
the Post Park on their way north soon. Wasn’t
I just picking tuna the other day, and lament-
ing the passage of summer? But it is a marvel
to know that the cycles continue despite what-
ever havoc we humans might be wreaking on
ourselves.
I hope you enjoy this issue of Cenizo,
whether you’re traveling here, have always
been here, or stopped to visit a moment and
then looked around, only to find a decade had
passed. We mark the passage of time by the
birds, by the weather, by holidays, and also by
each new issue as we put it together for you.
Happy springtime, Big Bend!
W HITE C RANE
A CUPUNCTURE
C LINIC
Acupuncture
•
Herbs
•
Bodywork ST. JONAH
ORTHODOX CHURCH
Shanna Cowell, L.Ac. Come, See & Hear the Services
of Early Christianity
N EW L OCATION :
303 E. Sul Ross • Alpine
432.837.3225
Mon. - Fri. by appointment
Open 7 days
◊
Fr. Nicholas Roth
Sunday 10 am • Wednesday 6:30 pm
405 E. Gallego Avenue • Alpine, TX 79830
432-360-3209 • bigbendorthodox.org
Rocks & fossils, rare,
beautiful & strange;
jewelry & supplies;
great books
OCOTILLO ENTERPRISES
205 N 5th St, Alpine
Published by Cenizo Journal LLC
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www.cenizojournal.com
CE N IZ O JO URN 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
Second Quarter 2017
7