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The Zuniga-Odom Family Altar for Dia de los Muertos – 2015

Zuniga-Odom altar 2015

My altars this year were very similar to last year. As I mentioned in a previous post, I wanted to change things up a bit but I didn’t plan very well. So, I’ll hold those ideas until next year…

Meanwhile, I did add more to my dining room table altar! I always use a pair of two-tiered plate stands for different events and gatherings at my house. Since I bought the cute male and female sugar skulls at Target, I used those on the top place and scattered marigolds on the bottom plate. It really made the table explode in color!

Something new on my altar/table this year is the two tiered stand – a great place to put my new Sugar Skull in top hat decoration (from Target) – just add marigolds!

I have to admit, it’s hard to take everything down. I’ll be doing that this weekend but the candles – the battery operated flicker kind – make the dining room and living room so beautiful at night.

Until next year…Feliz Día de los Muertos!

One of my favorite photos with my dad…

The Zuniga siblings my grandfather (far right) Apolonio Guerrero (Polo)and his siblings.

My dad, Praxedis Sotelo Zuniga, in his T-bird. Photo taken in Bangkok, Thailand. His handkerchief, rosary and Air Force pin.

My dad’s Leica camera…next to a tequila shot set I bough in Mexico many years ago.

Zuniga family crest on a cloth bag – these were given out at a recent Zuniga family reunion.

My coffee table altar with pictures of my mother’s family – her parents, sister, grandparents… My pup, Lucy helped by watching.

A favorite photo of my grandparents and aunt – Onnie and Louise Stone and Gail Stone Thomas.

Zuniga family photos – my dad, his siblings and parents (front photo) and my grandparents Zuniga on their wedding day (photo on left).

Zuniga-Odom altar at night

Day of the Dead 2015

Thank you Scott Dinsmore…

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Scott Dinsmore’s goal setting workbook that I used in July 2014 that lead me to start my blog…

One year ago on September 15th, I launched Southern Senora blog. It’s exciting to think back on when it started. I pinch myself that I finally went ahead and started this blog after much hesitation, a little fear and soon discovered how much fun this has been. Then something happened right around my blog anniversary date that really made me grateful that I took this step…

A few years ago I considered getting into the photography business. I had a few moments when I would get real encouraged and then…blah…the feeling would escape me. The reality is that I enjoy photography so much I just didn’t really want to get into the true business side of it at that point. I love taking photos – something I believe I inherited from my father. I have his Leica camera in a place of honor in my house – loved seeing him with that camera and his leather pouch with all his equipment most of my young life. He was a civil engineer so you know everything he photographed had to be precise!

I put the photography business idea back on a shelf after doing a self-assessment at the beginning of July 2014. Let me back up a bit. In June, I was searching the internet for a goal setting exercise for my son when I landed on Scott Dinsmore’s site called “Live Your Legend” – Change the world by doing the work you love. On his site I was able to download a goal setting and action plan workbook. This sounded perfect for my son. Heck, it sounded perfect for my whole family! So I downloaded it, made copies for everyone and discussed it with the family. They all thought it was nice but I don’t think they took it too seriously. Me, on the otherhand…I got serious about this workbook!

I took a few days off to extend the Fourth of July holiday and decided to do some soul-searching. My little sister, Kanista and I have always shared our New Year’s resolutions with one another to hold each other accountable. We didn’t get around to it in 2014 – at least not in any detail. So, I was floundering a little bit and remembering driving to work one day thinking – “what am I doing?” I mean, I was driving to work, doing my work, but what was I accomplishing? I think that was the question that really got to me. What was I accomplishing? And, in what direction was I going?

I woke up on July 2, 2014 and headed to IHOP for breakfast alone. I had my notebook and Scott Dinsmore’s workbook and I got to work. Several hours later, it was all clear. I wanted to start a blog. Better yet, I wanted to start a Hispanic Lifestyle blog! I even had a name for the blog that popped into my head as I worked through this process. I kept thinking how fortunate I was to have found this website, how much detail and thought was put into it and how I was benefitting from it!

One of the goals and a few action items I wrote out July 2014 that lead me to Southern Senora blog.

Then…on the morning of September 16th, I checked my Twitter account – mind you, this is something I don’t do on a regular basis. The first post that popped up was someone saying “RIP Scott Dinsmore.” WHAT? Was I seeing things??? I thought it was a sick joke! I started searching more #ripscottdinsmore posts and they were so many. WHAT had happened? At that point, all I could find out was that Scott and his wife were hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro and he was killed during the climb by a boulder that had fallen on him. He was 33 years old and he was in the middle of a year-long world tour as part of his Live Your Legend work. I was beyond sad hearing this. As I was celebrating my one year blog-anniversary with my family that evening, I shared this with my husband and children and they couldn’t believe it. They have been so supportive of my blog and knew this was weighing on me as we celebrated.

I didn’t know Scott Dinsmore but his workbook, his website and his TedX video had been (and continue to be) so encouraging to me. His mission was to help everyone to “find and do work you love.” I just know that last July 2014, this young man named played a pivotal role in helping me get my blog started. #RIPScottDinsmore and #thankyou.

A Trip to At Home…

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A new store called At Home opened near my house recently. I had no idea what this store was about but curiosity was piqued after my daughter went by and loved it and then my mother said she went by and bought a few things.

So today, after spending several hours with my daughter and our wedding planners (my daughter is getting married in April next year – more on that in a later post), we decided to check it out together. There are still a number of empty spaces in the store – some shelves are empty and waiting to be filled – but their Christmas items are out in full force and everything is color coordinated and presented by theme.

Since we were in wedding mode, we found a number of items in burlap in the Christmas section that will work nicely for my daughter’s wedding. We made a note of those items and continued our exploration. Then suddenly…I spotted an entire shelf unit of Mexican pottery! YES!!! Score!!! So beautiful!!!! And now I must have them…

These pottery items are rather large but I can see them gracing my deck next spring with lovely plants. I can also see them on my front doorstep on either side of my front door. So many possibilities… Of course, this store now has my full attention since they carry Mexican pottery. I’m just hoping they will continue to get a nice selection and a variety as the seasons change. Time will tell, and I’ll be checking on them!

Of course, when I’m with my daughter (or any of my kids), we have a great time cutting up and today was no exception. Down one aisle, we spotted some New York storage boxes that looked like suitcases. This immediately bought the musical “Singing in the Rain” to our minds and the song “Broadway Melody” where Gene Kelly struts across a stage swinging his suitcases and singing “gotta dance!” My daughter decided to recreate the scene and of course, I got a photo of it! Oh…and I think I forgot to mention that it’s not unusual for me and my girls to break into song at the drop of a hat. It gets especially crazy when I’m with my sisters! I love that this has carried over to my kids!

On our way out of the store, we passed the colorful Christmas trees again. I remember our family having an aluminum Christmas tree when I was growing up in Puerto Rico. My mother would put it on the marble coffee table and then place a four color wheel light next to it. Well, now you can apparently get these trees in multiple colors! My daughter found one in purple, her favorite color, and of course now she wants one. The trick will be to convince her future husband that this is the tree for them! This should be interesting…

Did I mention it was a fun day??!!!

What Exactly Is Day of the Dead?

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Several years ago, I was co-teaching an 8 week Spanish language and culture class. For the first 15 minutes of each class, I would give the students a look into various aspects of Mexican culture. This one particular class was right before the local Bare Hands Gallery Day of the Dead festival. So, I thought the timing was perfect to share the information and invite the class to come out and experience Day of the Dead, Birmingham style!

A few heads in the room nodded as I began to explain Day of the Dead – Día de los Muertos – but for the most part, I saw confused faces…clearly more explanation was needed. That’s when it hit me and I said.. “How many of you have ever been to decoration day at your church?” Light bulbs started to go off around the room… “well, Day of the Dead is like the Mexican version of this!” And suddenly…everyone was nodding and smiling!

One of the questions I got that day was about how similar Day of the Dead (DOD) seemed to be to Halloween – how maybe it was the Mexican version of Halloween. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. DOD is a celebration of life. It has nothing to do with witches, goblins, spiders and spider webs. It is a time to remember our loved one who have passed on. It doesn’t celebrate death, but it DOES celebrate the lives of our ancestors.

So what are all the sugar skull skeletons about then? If you look at the traditional Halloween skull vs. the Day of the Dead sugar skull, you’ll notice a definite difference in their expressions – one is a bit menacing while the other has a pleasant expression and is very colorful. Sugar skulls or “Calaveras,” represent a departed soul and back in the 18th century, the names of the departed were written on the forehead of the skull and placed on the home altar or the gravestone to honor the return of that person’s spirit.

Offerings, or “ofrendas,” are also a part of the celebration. These are items that were important to the deceased loved one and could be food, drink, a special artifact. During the class, I asked if they had ever seen tokens or items at local cemeteries and several people said yes. For instance, teddy bears or special floral arrangements. So explaining “ofrendas” made more sense when put in those terms.

Speaking of flowers, the flower used for Day of the Dead is the orange marigold, the cempasúchil flower. It was the flower that the Aztecs used to remember their dead by. The color is so vibrant and the belief is that it would guide the souls to their homes and altars on this special day.

DOD takes place over two days and coincides with the Catholic All Saints’ Day and all Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2. November 1 is the day for honoring children and infants or “angelitos,” while November 2 is the day for honoring deceased adults. If you are in Mexico during the first two days of November, there is no mistaking the power of this holiday. In Birmingham, Alabama…it is growing in recognition and in the number of people who want to take part in remembrance.

At the end of the class, many of the students stayed to talk more and ask more questions. I loved being able to share more about DOD and show photos I had taken of the local festival. Several remarked about how beautiful the altars were and how artistic some people were in their presentations. One lady remarked how heartfelt it all seemed and thought about trying to create an altar of her own the following year.

I know I saw several of the students at the festival a few weeks later and that made me smile…

Feliz Cumpleaños Dad…(Part Three)

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The Zuniga cousins – right before heading to the airport – at the end of our New Mexico journey.

This is Part Three of my pilgrimage to New Mexico after losing my dad in 2001.

Sunday morning, Oct 28, had us at the 8:30 Spanish Mass at San Jose Catholic Church. It had been awhile since I had heard mass said in Spanish and it’s so beautiful. We grabbed breakfast at Pete’s – again great green chile to top our eggs and tortillas! On to Wal-Mart to pick up a birthday cake for Uncle Mando, flowers, and film for my camera. (This was before I got into digital!)

Running into Rachel Fernandez at the cemetery – here with Lisa.

We made another trip by the cemetery for more photos and a little more exploration. And who do we run into? Rachel Fernandez! She invited us over for drinks that evening along with her two brothers, Jerry and Dan.

Aunt Yoya singing Las Mañanitas to Uncle Mando as their son Orlando looks on…

We enjoyed spending more time visiting with Aunt Yoya and Uncle Mando and listening to more family stories. She looked really good that day. We brought out the cake for Uncle Mando, lit the candles, and Yoya held Uncle Mando’s hand and sang “Las Mañanitas” to him – a traditional Mexican birthday song – and as she sang to him, she began to cry….which made us all cry. So touching and so beautiful. Later, Yoya showed us the “Our Town” newspaper with a picture of my dad and his brother Lorenzo (“Lencho”) as altar boys. Such a treasure! We left after sharing cake and promised to come by again before returning to Albuquerque. Then it was on to Vone and Raymond’s house for a feast of carne asado, tortillas de maiz (corn tortillas), beans, rice, potatoes and a great salsa. And always the conversation turned to food and family! Then it was on to Olivia’s for a short visit with her and her girls.

A quick visit and good-bye to Olivia and her girls…

Lisa posing with Rachel in her chili pepper kitchen!

The last stop on our whirlwind day was to Rachel’s apartment for drinks where we met her brothers Jerry and Dan. More cousins! We talked a LOT about food, especially tamales and Rachel remarked about how she was late in getting the tamale making started for the holidays. Her entire apartment was decorated in red and black, thanks to her brother Bobby. He definitely had an eye for décor and celebrating and would always help her with her Christmas decorating every year. Upon leaving, Dan and Jerry invited us to their house for breakfast. An offer we couldn’t refuse!

Tia Maria’s house – now the home of her grandsons – Dan and Jerry Fernandez.

Monday morning, Oct 29, Kanista and I went to Argus to pick up some Carlsbad historic papers – one of the papers included the altar boy photo of my dad and his brother. Then we headed to Dan and Jerry’s house. We later learned it had been their grandmother Maria’s house. Maria was my grandfather, Tata Polo’s sister. Rachel came by too and we got to hear about their family reunions. Maria had 10 children so you can imagine the number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren she had! I love hearing family stories and all the connections. We were able to really fill in the gaps of our Zuniga family tree during this trip! Before heading back to Albuquerque, we went by to say good-bye to Aunt Yoya and Uncle Mando. More crying…

One last visit with Aunt Yoya and Cousin Rosie in Carlsbad.

Back in Albuquerque, we had to go by Old Town for a little shopping before heading back to Danda’s house for yet another fabulous meal – tortilla soup and stir fry vegetables! More stories and we especially loved hearing about how Danda learned to cook from our grandfather, Tata Polo! She learned by watching him and so many of her incredible recipes are from our grandfather. At the end of the evening, Danda gave us each a recipe book from Albuquerque with a sweet inscription. We finished out the evening looking through a box of old photos with Danda promising to make copies and send to us.

Danda in her kitchen.

Tuesday, Oct 30, was our last day. Danda prepared a breakfast of scrambled eggs mixed with tortilla chips. I haven’t tried this at home but my sister has and cannot get the same result! She also prepared caldio – a mixture of ground beef, onion and chiles. What a treat!We were also thrilled to have a little more time to visit with Bobby Fernandez…he stopped by to say good-bye and we took the opportunity to get a few photos with him. On our way to the airport, we stopped by Danda’s school to visit and see her in action.

So glad we got to see Bobby one last time before we left…

We ended our trip together – cousins – at the airport – chatting and enjoying food – a cup of posole…and then heading to our separate planes and back to our lives. This trip gave us the opportunity to walk where our father’s had actually walked, visit the places they had known as children growing up and reconnect with family we hadn’t seen in years or didn’t know at all. I know we all felt closer to our dads as we boarded our planes.