Book description
How can a lone female of “a certain age” take her last stand on a stony
wedge of land in the mountains of Northern New Mexico? Will she find a
job, learn to chop wood, be eaten by a bear or give it up and fall in
love again? “Beside the Rio Hondo” is a memoir that explores in depth
Phaedra Greenwood's connection with the natural world and simultaneous
need for community. Her ex-husband gives her a year to live in the old
adobe where they raised their children; then he plans to sell it so they
can split the proceeds. But she wants to stay in the house forever. She
has a year to come up with her own financing to buy out his half of the
property or negotiate a deal with the neighbors. The house is falling
apart, her money is running out and she has never applied for a loan in
her life. It's a hell of a time to decide to have an epiphany. “For over
three decades I have made my home in the Taos area of Northern New
Mexico,” the author says, “not just because I love the spare and
dramatic landscape, but also because I am intrigued by the complex
layers of history and culture. I admire the devotion of the artists and
craftsmen to their work, the loving care New Mexicans bestow on their
churches and the close family ties that bond them in community. As I
struggle with my garden, my orchard and old adobe casa, I absorb with
gratitude my neighbors' rural savvy and the skills these tenacious
hunters, fishermen, and ranchers have developed over the centuries to
survive and thrive in the high mountain desert. Life here is hard, but
often delicious. The energy, exotic flavors and bright colors of Taos
are unique.” PHAEDRA GREENWOOD Greenwood is a freelance
writer/photographer whose poems, essays and stories have appeared in
many local newspapers, magazines and anthologies. She has won numerous
literary prizes including the Katherine Anne Porter Award. As a
journalist and columnist for “The Taos News,” she received two first
place awards in 2000 from the New Mexico Press Association for Best
Review and Columns. In 1995 she won the PEN New Mexico Award for a short
story included in this book: “Dogs and Sheep.”
