Hot tamales

That song Suhani likes so much is playing on my iPod now - Live This Life by Big n' Rich. It's really pretty and something about the landscape really makes for a good fit with country music. The photo here is one I took maybe my first or second night here - the sunsets are amazing.

What is the state question in New Mexico? I learned this the other day. The question is “Red or green chili?” (or something along those lines). I haven't had chili yet but I did eat a really spicy tamale sold out of a woman's car in front of the hospital. It was 9:30 am and I was working in urgent care - seeing patients rapidly, one after the other, dishing out benedryl, cough syrup, albuterol inhalers like candy on Halloween. A nurse came rushing in out of breath and announced “the woman is out selling her burritos”. There was a flurry of activity as people started digging in their wallets, pockets. I pushed the observation away quickly as Dr. N was approaching and I had to present a patient. Dr. N came up to me and, with a conspiratorial air, said “if there's one thing you take home from your visit here…” and I assumed a lecture was to follow on diabetes management or some such patient-related issue. No, he told me how important it was that before I left Zuni, I eat one of these woman's burritos. He took the chart from my hands, ordered me to take a break and go buy one (and gave me $2 to buy one for him while I was at it). By the time I got out there, about 9:45 in the morning, all the burritos were gone. I was a bit disappointed, but she had a huge pot of tamales as big as loafers so I bought four - two for me and two for Dr. N. And she had donuts the size of salad plates covered in thick glaze. I got two of those as well, having to dig deep in my change purse to pay for it all (a whopping $5 for the lot). She was also selling banana nut bread. The tamale was gorgeous. And filling. And really, really spicy. But I ate the whole thing and one of the donuts. Dr. N declined the second donut so I kept that one to eat after work. But see, after that giant sweet donut after work I craved salty things and ate an entire tin of sardines with triscuits. My belly is soooo huge! I am really full and while I had some heartburn for a bit, a few ounces of milk and some rest cured that. God that was yummy. The other tamale is in my fridge. I am debating taking a picture of it next to my sandal because it is so big and yummy!

Here's a photo from my drive out to Zuni. Today was a long day. I planned on going to that ceremony with Mudheads tonight. I really wanted to go but after getting back from all morning in urgent care and all afternoon in clinic - and after two late nights in a row, one on call and the other in Gallup - I was just so tired. I lay on the bed, esophagus rebelling, and read most of a small book about a Zuni creation myth called “the boy who made dragonfly”. For a while there I was so tired I just lay there wondering if I would ever have enough energy to lift my arms up to bring the blankets up around me should I have to remain there the rest of the night. But eventually my tenure as a beached whale came to an end and I got up to make some phone calls and wash some dishes (and drink that bit of milk).

Tomorrow I promised one of the nurses I would drive to a place called Sky City (about an hour and a half from here) and partake in some sort of feast. I liked the sound of a feast so I agreed. He has to work so I told him I'd call from there and tell him all about it and make him jealous. There should be dancing and vendors there along with copious amounts of delicious food. Now, however, after my tamale-donut-sardine feast today I wonder if I can roll out this trailer and eat more.

I'm sure I can!