FELIZ NAVIDAD EN TAJIQUE

        Painting by Pauline Nelson, 1993

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"NO, NO, ES LEÑA, ES LEÑA!"
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"NOCHE DE PAZ, NOCHE DE AMOR, TODO DUERME EN DERREDOR"

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For many years I had a little Spanish gentleman from Tajique, south of Albuquerque in the Manzano Mountains, as my "firewood man." Juan came by the house early every fall, and then later, usually in December, close to Christmas time. His plan, on arriving in town obviously was to see his regular customers first, sell his wood pronto, buy himself a good ten cent cigar, and head for home. It finally got to where it didn't work with me, for I had a backyard full of wood I had bought from him, and still do. I couldn't keep on buying. I even bought a load for my son. Okay, yes, I did like Juan and he talked good Spanish!

I haven't seen him in a couple of years, and I do hope he is okay; he had a bad knee which was always giving him trouble and he had to have his grandson with him to stack the wood he sold. He was past 75 so maybe he has totally retired.

One time when he came I had a couple of packages of venison left over from a deer hunt. (I had eaten a lot of venison in my life, mostly ground into hamburger or chili meat.) However, women just aren't real fond of wild meat; they don't enjoy cooking it, nor do they enjoy eating it.

So, operating under the old dictum "A happy wife means a happy husband," I said that day to my wood man: "Juan, do you ever eat venison down there at Tajique?" (I probably asked the question in Spanish, as we usually talked Spanish.) "Oh yes," he said, "Anytime I can bag a deer, we make tamales, chili, and roasts out of it," So Juan went away that day with a Christmas present from me--- two packages of frozen venison, wrapped in newspapers, riding snugly in the front seat of his pickup!

He'd drive up in front of my house, with that fully loaded pickup, with sideboards, hobble up to the house, ring the bell, and I'd answer the door. I'd say: "¡Oh, buenas dias...Juan! ¡Me gusto verle! Que pasa? Tienes madera para vender?" ("Do you have wood for sale?") I haven't checked my Spanish dictionary lately, but I think "madera" is not the word for firewood. He'd say: "¡No, no, es leña, es leña!" ("It's FIREwood.")

He often would tell me of the troubles he had with his pickup and also with his knee. The truck wouldn't run---thus how could he sell wood to buy groceries?  His leg hurt and he had to keep it elevated and couldn't work. He told me about his little adobe house that stayed cozy and warm in the winter with his woodstove.

When I took an advanced Spanish course at Bear Canyon Senior Center in 1999, I remembered my little woodman and all his problems. I wrote a short story in Spanish about him. Now I can't find it. But it went something like this and was partly fictitious.

There was a Spanish man who lived in a cozy little adobe home down just outside Tajique. He cut and hauled wood, stacking it down by his barn for resale each fall. But one year when it came time to sell his wood, his pickup broke down. While underneath it, trying to replace a part, he twisted his bum knee. He couldn't drive and sell his wood. Christmas was not many weeks away, and it looked like a bleak Christmas, with no money for food or presents.

Somehow, in those weeks, remaining before Christmas, his sons secretly fixed his pickup but used their own trucks to haul wood to town and sell it. His wife knew about it and distracted him from what was going on. They sold all his wood except what he needed for his own home!

On Christmas eve, late afternoon, Juan was sitting by his woodstove, half-dozing. It was cold outside. He heard voices singing, seemingly from afar off, but getting closer. They were singing:

"Noche de Paz, noche de amor,
Todo duerme en derredor;
Entre los astros que esparcen su luz,
Bella anunciando al ninito Jesus,
Brilla la estrella de paz,
Brilla la estrella de paz."

Suddenly the door burst open and the house seemed to be packed all at once with his grown-up kids and grandkids, all singing Christmas songs! They were carrying plates and trays of tamales, enchiladas, a pot of posole, and all manner of Christmas presents, in bright holiday wrappings....and, of all things---a freshly-cut Christmas tree, right out of the forest!

There was a feast that night at Juan's house, with the opening of presents...and much singing...laughter...and happiness!

Juan exclaimed, with tears in his eyes, "¡Esta es la mejor Navidad que he tenido en mi vida! ¡Gracias a Dios!"

And keeping his little mountain home warm, along with all the love that was there---was his woodstove and plenty of...LEÑA!

Noche de Paz:  http://youtu.be/S74_ocW9NhA

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BY MIL
11/26/12




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