Author Archives: Patrick Lamb

I just listened to an interview on our National Public Radio Station with a woman who had created a unique pie recipe for each of the 50 states. The book, “50 Pies for 50 States,” was written by Stacey Mei Yan Fong, an immigrant from Hong Kong who now lives in New York. She setContinue reading “Fifty Pies…”

There is a flock of turkey vultures that live in some very tall trees in our neighborhood. They disappear in the winter, then come back when the weather gets warmer and they can soar on the thermals and spring winds while looking for caron of a squashed frog or squirrel on the road. Most peopleContinue reading “Like the buzzards flying around our neighborhood…”

I wrote last week about our dog’s bout with hematomas in his ears and his “cone of shame” treatment. In addition to the protective cone to keep Chester from scratching or flopping his ears around, he’s been given three medications to take. One is an antibiotic, another is to control any allergies that may haveContinue reading “Projectile medication expulsion…”

Our rambunctious Goldendoodle, Chester, has gotten himself into another fix. Last week, apparently irritated by a bug bite or allergies, he shook his head so violently that he broke blood vessels in the flaps of his ears. He ended up with a hematoma in both ears, leaving them with a squishy mass of blood andContinue reading “We used to just let them limp around…”

Asha, the lonely female Mexican wolf who wandered hundreds of miles from southeastern Arizona into northern New Mexico and was finally captured near Taos, is still without a mate. I wrote earlier about her wanderings and her inability to read a road map and game management rules that said she was not supposed to ventureContinue reading ““Wookin’ pa nub…””

Some years ago, my wife I were in Nebraska visiting her family farm when we decided to take a detour to Nebraska City, where Arbor Day was started in 1872. We visited the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Mansion and got on the mailing list or the Arbor Day Foundation. Every year, we receiveContinue reading “The Forrest Gump of reforestation…”

The most recent issue of my BMW Car Club of America magazine has a brief article about the states with the worst road conditions. And thankfully, New Mexico wasn’t at the top of the list — but we were No. 11. The ranking comes from an organization called “Construction Coverage,” a website “started by aContinue reading “Bad roads and hot dogs…”

I’ve received a few high school graduation announcements in the last few weeks. I always think of how exciting this is for the young people who are getting ready to start a new phase of their life and move closer to independence. Some of the announcements can be a bit humorous. I remember that ourContinue reading “Class mottos…”

Neither my father nor my wife’s father served in the military during World War II. The only person on my side of the family who was in the military was my brother, who served in the U.S. Army Reserves and never had any combat action. He told me that the worst thing that ever happenedContinue reading “A Memorial Day story…”

(As you’ll discover from reading this blog, I had a serious fall while fishing last week, breaking several ribs and hurting my back. Sitting to write at my computer is somewhat painful, so I may not be writing as much in the next few weeks. Some of you may actually enjoy the break from myContinue reading “Sacrificing my body for a fish…”

A couple of years ago, my wife and I were watching an episode of the TV series “Yellowstone.” It focused on the shenanigans of a wealthy and power-hungry rancher in Montana, played by Kevin Costner. The series was full of the traditional cliches — Native Americans being treated badly, lots of horses and spectacular scenery,Continue reading “Fishing for diversity…”

During my almost 35 years of flying hot air balloons, I gave hundreds of rides, many of them to first timers. I periodically meet someone who tells me how thrilled they were with the ride they took with me years ago. And to my embarrassment, I honestly don’t remember a lot of those rides andContinue reading “A dip in the river…”

Notorious American criminal Willie Sutton, who managed to steal more than $2 million in his lifetime, was once asked why he consistently robbed banks. “Because that’s where the money is,” he replied in an obvious statement of fact. So when the banks aren’t open, what do you do if youre in need of a cashContinue reading “A fast food joint was “where the money is…””

Last summer, I wrote about the case of some missing crematorium ashes in Albuquerque. Apparently, a member of the family had been tasked with transporting the ashes to a memorial service where Uncle Vern’s ashes were to be tossed into the Rio Grande on the Central Ave. bridge. However, when Cousin Louie’s 74 Nova wouldn’tContinue reading “First they lost Uncle Vern, now they can’t get rid of him…”