Cedar, the first of four sacred substances we use in traditional ceremonial smudging

Sorry for the lack of posts.  I’ve been OTR again - and still battling health issues.  My travel schedule lately isn’t helping, obviously.  If I could spend a week or two at a time in each place, it’d help, but NM’s a big state, and my commitments tend to be close in time but far-flung in miles.  In February alone (yeah, the shortest frickin’ month of the year), I put 3,000 miles on my jalopy.

It’s midnight.  Since pain tends to prevent sleep, I’m back up, trying to do several of the things I wanted to do earlier today but couldn’t.  So I’ve finished another chapter in my current book (and found a new idea for one of my own swirling around the back of my brain).  I did a smudging for myself, and three for friends facing medical crises.  And as the residual scents of cedar and sweetgrass wrap around me in soft tendrils, I’m finally able, for the first time in days, to concentrate on blogging.

I’ve been planning a major post on the prosecutors’ purge for weeks now; in fact, I’ve had a draft in the works for days.  But it’s become abundantly clear that there’s too much to the scandal to cover it in one post.  So over the next few days (health and travel permitting), I’ll be throwing up a series of discrete posts on different aspects of the scandal.  Because make no mistake:  This is not just about pique at specific prosecutors.  It’s not even really about Carol Lam (as I’ll explain in a future post).  This goes much, much deeper, to the very heart of our system of government - or, rather, to a concerted and strategic attempt to destroy it.

In between purge posts, I’ll try to add a few on other issues:  Richardson, tribal affairs, Broderella’s pearl-clutching venality, etc., etc.  And at least one purge post will introduce you to a great new artist - well, not new to the art world, presumably, but new to me, I mean.  Maybe I’ll begin with hers; reverse order might make sense.

Anyway, as always, thanks to those of you who keep checking on me.  I love you all.  And before I go, please:  Send a little love to Steve and Jen, too.  Steve’s fighting a real battle right now, one that makes my health issues seem like nothing - and Jen’s right there with him in spirit.  If anyone needs thoughts, prayers, karma, blessings, spare change right now, it’s these two.