Landscape and weather shape each other and us

If you don’t live in the desert southwest, you may not be able to appreciate my sudden sorrow. Days ago, we heard rain was coming in a BIG way for the first time in nearly a month. Yesterday was cloudy, heaving black clouds visible to the east above the mountains.

Oh, but those mountains. You may know that New Mexico is split north to south by the Rio Grande. All along the eastern side of that rift, mountains rise. Weather folk call this the central mountains, but it is the tail end of the Rockies. Sometimes, it is a wall dividing weather. East of the mountains, heavy rain has fallen all up and down the state over the past 2 days. Here … nada. It’s just like anticipating an ice cold drink only to have it snatched from your grasp.