Community
We had a lot of big trees on the bank of the river, and we would just sit there sometimes and see the big waves of the water and naturally the water was pretty fast sometimes. We would swing from one bank to the other bank and then swing back to the other side. This irrigation ran from the Mission San Xavier all the way downtown, down St. Mary’s, down Anita.
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Along the River.
From the scrapbook of Mrs. Irma Henkel.
Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. John Henkel.
The [Santa Cruz] River was a very intimate part of my childhood. I remember it from playing in the river and wading in it when the water was down. I would take our goats down to the river after school. I have seen a lot of changes in the river. I remember ducks coming to rest for a week on puddles in the river. I remember when they bladed all the trees down. There were big trees there at that time. I remember them sawing them down—it broke my heart. They gutted the whole river and it changed it completely from a dirt bank with trees to a concrete embankment. But now they are talking about taking out the concrete. There is a lot of hope for the Santa Cruz.
[There were] Cottonwoods, all up and down the riverbank, huge, great big cottonwoods—beautiful, I loved them. And they were all down the riverbank, and some mesquites.
Spring Sensations
It was spring and I was walking home from school. I was almost home. I was walking past my tia’s house and smelled the sweet smell of oranges. I saw new flowers blossoming on the tree and heard birds chirping. I can feel the wind whipping past my face. Whenever this happens it makes me feel happy ’cause it means I am almost home. Yes, home, that warm place in my heart.
Detail of drawing by Magda Markel
§ My nana uses some plant that tastes like mint. She makes it into tea. At first I didn’t know what she was doing trying to cook a plant but when she was done she said, “I made tea.” I told her, “I don’t want none my stomach hurts.” Then she said, “It’s a medicine.” I took a sip of it. Mmmmm, it was good. I drank the whole thing and two days later my stomach felt better. All the time when my stomach hurts my nana makes that tea.
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