going native

I'll have lived in New Mexico for 10 years come July.   This is an entirely different culture than Wisconsin, and in many aspects I think I have gone native.  Here are some examples:

Wrangler butts.  I've always been a Levi's girl, honestly.  The Wranglers were too tight, and then there was that big W on the back.  But as I was admiring a Wrangler butt the other day, I realized I had defected to the other team. 

(And yes, I know I didn't really have to put that photo up there.  But it's a little gift, a little eye-candy for my female readers.  Even the Levi's girls have got to appreciate it.)

The same thing with cowboy hats.  At first I noticed them and thought "how odd."  Like we were at Disneyland or something.  That it was cute or quaint. 

Now I don't even notice them on men who are working.  And I can appreciate that when I invite my (native New Mexican) friends over for a dinner, holiday or party that they will be wearing their "dress" cowboy hat.  And usually a nice belt buckle, too.

And then there's the chile.  Everyone is addicted to the chile.  The only question is "red or green?"   The use of chile has become a part of my life.  Posole on Christmas Eve.  A fresh ristra in the fall.  There are few things that don't benefit from liberal application of chile: eggs, soup, macaroni and cheese, muffins, cornbread, dressing (both salad and the kind some people stuff into poultry).  I actually crave it when I go to visit my family in Wisconsin.

The wind.  When I first came here, I would always hear the natives complain about the wind.  But in 1998, I loved the wind.  I find wind chimes to be one of the most soothing sounds in the world and was happy to have them almost constantly making a gentle tinkling sound.

But now in 2008, my love affair with the wind is over.  The hot, dry winds that are present in spring are now a thing to be avoided.  It kicks up dust and pollen, spreads forest fires and makes take offs and landings harder (okay, that one is kind of specific to my job).  I close my house and car windows to the wind.  It's no longer new and exciting, and the magic is gone. 

I'd like to say that, as a neo-native of New Mexico that my Midwestern accent is gone and that I'm fluent in Spanish.  Sadly, no.  People still ask me "where are you from?"  and I am just getting by with the tiny bit of Spanish that I know.   

I do love this place, though.  The mix of cultures, the beautiful climate, the land that makes me feel grounded and whole.  As a very restless person, this is the only  place I've been where I'm not thinking about where I want to go next.

I'm home.