And other odds and ends…
First, a couple of updates.
The woman in Albuquerque who lost her pet cockatiel is still advertising periodically in the Albuquerque Journal for the bird’s return. As mentioned in a previous blog, she used an “animal communicator” to determine that the bird is still alive and was rescued by someone else after it flew away from her house several months ago. She apparently remains hopeful that the “someone else” will eventually feel guilty and return the bird.
And on another note, the Village of Chama continues to receive a minimum .01 precipitation every day, according to records furnished by the National Weather Service and published daily in the Albuquerque Journal. That’s even on days when there is not a cloud in the sky anywhere in New Mexico. I called the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque about a year ago to ask whether the .01 daily precipitation recording was the result of some equipment malfunction at the local weather data collection point in Chama. I was assured that it probably was a problem with the equipment and that it would be corrected soon. But the daily report still doesn’t change, unless the northern New Mexico town actually picks up some real precipitation like it did today at .15 of an inch (likely .14 of an inch but with a gratuitous .01 added.) Yes, I know, no one else but me cares about this.
Moving on to steam, an advertisement in the Journal last week said Laguna Pueblo schools were seeking applicants for a “Steam Teacher.” I’m pretty sure they meant STEAM (All caps for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) but at first glance I thought maybe they were looking for someone to teach plumbing or pipefitting.
Regarding Cheetos, a recent article by the Associated Press said that an accidentally dropped a bag of Cheetos in Carlsbad Caverns was a source of great concern for Park Rangers. Rangers said that the the unique moist and cool environment triggered a growth of mold on the cavern floor and on nearby cave formations.
“To the ecosystem of the cave, it had a huge impact,” the Park noted on its social media post. It said cave crickets, mites spiders and flies organized to eat and disperse the powdered orange snack and spread the contamination away from where the opened bag was dropped.
Park officials say they regularly check for items left or dropped by the more than 2,000 people who trek through the cavern on its busiest days. Many times, some of the items can fall into dark crevasses inside the cave and not be immediately discovered.
Park Officials say the best defense against allowing litter to contaminate the cave is to constantly remind visitors not to bring any food items with them and to be careful not to leave any other non-food items.
And finally, a recent obituary in the Las Cruces Sun-News lamented the passing of someone who appeared to be a true New Mexico cowboy.
“He died in his sleep of a heart attack — his dog, his horse and his cowboy hat nearby,” the obituary read.
For a cowboy, it was probably the best way to go.
aero-cordero.com 