Author Archives: Melinda Green Harvey
dial tone
Just next to this pay phone there was a sign that said BEWARE OF DOG. The sign was wired to a chain-link fence that had sheet metal panels part of the way up. There was also a dog who was not the least bit happy to see me: he barked and snarled and hurled himself into the sheet metal with such force that I thought for a minute he was going to break right through them. He didn’t do that, but he was able to look over the top of them glare/snarl at me.
Anyway, if I’d gotten in trouble* the pay phone would not have helped me one bit: there was no dial tone, possibly because the dog had gnawed through the cable as part of his dental hygiene process for keeping his teeth nice and sharp.
Fabens, Texas
photographed 12.16.2025
*When I see dogs that I don’t know, I will always assume their Short Range Plan(s) include eating one or more of my legs for a snack. Not that I’m overly dramatic or anything…
joel died at the border wall
My friend Don and I went to see the border wall. It was emotional and difficult, more so than we’d expected.
So today, on Christmas, I would ask that you spend some time with this image, some time thinking Joel Gonzales and his family, some time thinking about how those of Christian faith are specifically called to feed the hungry, to give water to the thirsty, to provide shelter to the homeless, to give clothes to the unclothed. And then reflect on this powerful sentence from the book of Matthew: “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
San Elizario, Texas
photographed 12.15.2025
PS: You might want to read this post.




