Traversing borders can often be uneventful for someone like me. For many others however, it’s an occurrence that fretfully haunts them. For the last year I have borne witness to the political game of immigration stakeouts while commuting anywhere near the dotted line that separates the United States from Mexico. I can’t imagine the feeling of someone who has been toiling away day and night for our beautiful life with the glimmering hope that they will be able to pass on a better future for their children as my parents have and many other naturalized citizens of this fine country have done for hundreds of years. I suppose not to think about the robust old-boys’ network on their tails or even worse the blood-thirsty coyotes that hunt and pillage them would be one way to keep the anxiety under control. While never knowing how the outcome of their future will unfold, a riveting buzz as I imagined how my parents felt as they approached Ellis Island, somehow must be embraced in order to forge ahead. This visceral approach is how I have confronted things lately whether they are concerns inside my nest or in my community. If your mindset is full of good intention then somehow this will be whittled into the universe and your path will be speckled with fortunes as a result of your noble thoughts.
On one of my recent runs southbound, not quite the official border but pretty darn close, I went on my business to find someone to help me with my latest project. It was a single-minded mission I had planned and while I was not able to complete it then, I knew there would be another way to get things done. So back up north I drove and walked into my local hardware store when a young, spry lad informed me of my other options. Here is my latest completed project. Since I was told that copper could not be welded (I didn’t get upset with my wasted time or miles as I had scored with a $15 gargantuan copper tray from a second hand store.) Look at the size of this beauty!  I had the following choices to make: Solder the tray onto the rusty pot stand that I had also found at another second hand store for $15, or glue it. I chose the latter since I didn’t want to purchase a soldering device. I don’t have a spot for the once wall décor and occasional tray, but once we acquire some kind of lounging furniture, it will rest at arm’s length.  Meanwhile I used my mortar and pestle to help the metal glue adhere to the copper and the metal ring of the pot stand.  I also introduced a new food combination into our nest care of the renowned American chef Mario Batali, the great-great-grandson of an olive-skin man who left Italy to settle in America. Grazi chef for a molto bene combination of a fava bean guacamole.