Lisa G. Sharp, author of the memoir A Slow Trot Home |
Frozen water troughs.
Short days.
Matches handy by wood stoves.
A dead calf half eaten by coyotes and vultures.
Dogs curled up by fire places.
Down comforters and flannel sheets.
Bare trees, dormant rose bushes, red berries.
Stews, soups, Christmas tamales.
Fires burned all day long.
By the end, as she returns to visit her mother's lonely grave, one understands what this is: an elegy for a world that is no more. Now the SUVs rumbling by might more likely carry birdwatchers or Border Patrol officers than ranchers or ranch hands. 9/11 changed everything on the US-Mexico Border. And in what had been velvet nights, electric lights from Mexico glow on the horizon.
Literati will note that this is self-published. I think that says far more about the state of publishing than it does this splendid book. I recommend it for anyone interested in a fine read, and especially for anyone interested in ranching culture and the US-Mexico border region.
From Lisa G. Sharp's blog:
Her visit to Cananea (Mexican history buffs, this is a must-read!)
Cowboys, Cattle and Copper (more about Cananea, with lots of photos)
If you're in Arizona, you can catch Lisa G. Sharp on her book tour this fall and winter.
Your COMMENTS are always welcome.
(The unique adobe teaching house on the US-Mexico Border
in Presidio, TX)
(podcast)