A - Z Blogging Challenge 04.15.2026

 

Hi girls!  Remember last week when I was just beginning this challenge adventure and I wrote about the little blessings I find in clouds?  I explained in that post, here, that we very rarely have clouds in El Paso so they are a novelty to me.  Well, guess what?  Every single day has been cloudy since that post published.  So crazy.  No rain - guess I should have added how little rain we have - and I did mention that, here.  But our skies have been gray and the wind has been so bad that the backyard view of our beautiful Franklin Mountains has been almost completely obscured.  With all the dust in the air, our air quality is deteriorating quickly.  And it is miserable to be outside and has been for days. I am ready for the clouds to roll on out of here and for our sunny skies to return.  

Happy to report that I only have 9 more posts to write.  That works out very well because in 10 days we leave for London!!  Have managed to stay a little ahead this week on the challenge.  Hoping that will continue.  Today's post is for letter M. Can you guess what that stands for?

M is for Mountains

In 1988, my then husband, Brennyn, Lauren and I drove into El Paso from east Texas.  The Franklin mountain range came into view about 50 miles outside of town and became increasingly more majestic with each mile we got closer to the city.  I felt at home here from that first day.  

Over the years, the mountains have provided a place for my family to hike, play, picnic and even celebrate holidays.  They are a landmark that makes getting around El Paso easy - places are either on the west side of the Franklins or the east side of the mountain because the mountain range runs north to south right through the middle of the city.  

Place with a View

In the early '90s when I was a single mom hoping to buy my first little house, I thought I wanted to live on the eastside of town.  My real estate agent ran the numbers for the floorplan I wanted on the eastside and the westside of the mountain.  With my third year teacher's income, I didn't qualify to build on either side of the mountains.  The real estate told me about the hidden gem that was the northeast are of El Paso, situated on the east foothills of the Franklins.  He ran the numbers for a house built in the northeast and I qualified.  Hallelujah!! 

From both my back and front yards, I was able to see the mountains, which were within walking distance from home.  Same is true with the house PC and I built together when we married.  We are just a half-mile, if that, from my little house.  And have mountain views from the front and the back.

Solace on Hard Days

The spring that Paul and I first met was a difficult time in both of our lives.  I was having teenage daughter struggles with both my girls and he was having the same of a different variety with his daughter.  On one particularly difficult evening we were commiserating on the phone, both of us dead tired and without answers as to how to help our children.  

I looked out the sunroom windows toward the mountains and they were so magnificent, bathed in the golden light of the sunset.  Paul's house was about 3 miles from mine with a more limited view of the Franklins but in truth, they are visible anywhere you go in El Paso.  He went out into his backyard and agreed they were especially lovely.  And that became our 'go-to' phrase for tough days..."but aren't the mountains beautiful today."

Other Mountains are Pretty, Too

I guess I am drawn to mountains.  All mountains.  Not just the ones in my own  backyard.  My parents took us to the Rocky Mountains for family vacations in Creede, Colorado at Ski High Ranch several summers in my teen years. Now those were some mountains.  

You might remember we sprinkled my parents' ashes in May of 2025 in the Rio Grande River where it runs beside Ski High.

I went to college at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which sits at the base of the Smoky Mountains.  Escaping to the Smokies is every UT college student's dream weekend adventure.

And you know how I love the snow-covered mountains in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, and as of this past winter, Durango, Colorado, too.  

Most at Home

I have always considered myself a 'beach girl.'  But writing this post helped me realize that while the beach is a bit of Heaven on Earth, I am most at home in the mountains in this season of life.

Here are a few parting shots of the mountains I call home.  I give you The Franklins.

And from my backyard this morning...

Thankful that our cloudless, blue skies have returned, the wind is calm and we have a clear view of the mountains this morning.

Your Turn

Where do you feel most at home?  Mountains, meadows, beach, big city?  I think each one has its positives but give me a day in the mountains to restore my soul.  

Off to shower and dress for the day.  PC says we are going to the mountains in Ruidoso on Friday for a day of fishing and renewal.  Sounds good to me.  Maybe the post for letter R will be Ruidoso?  Stay tuned to find out.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees." — John Muir

Hugs and kisses,