The White Mountain 13 have been freed!!!

Imagine you come to self awareness and realize you are a rainbow trout in a 55-gallon glass prison cell. You constantly bump up against the clear walls that surround you and you endure the endless sound of buzzing machines pumping water. Each day, at least 100 scary animals, mostly small humans, peer at you quizzicallyContinue reading “The White Mountain 13 have been freed!!!”

Would you like a doobie with those overalls?

Imagine that you’re cruising down Interstate 10 in southern New Mexico. It’s getting close to lunchtime and your Tesla’s charge is getting low. On your car’s navigation screen, a Tesla charging location pops up on the next exit in Las Cruces. You take the exit and there it is — “The Roasted Rooster” with aboutContinue reading “Would you like a doobie with those overalls?”

I’m ready for plant parenthood…

One of the cool things that happens in our neighborhood every spring is the annual plant sale at the New Mexico State University’s Fabian Garcia botanical garden and research center. It’s just a short walk from our house through a nearby pecan orchard. Garcia was a visionary horticulturist at NMSU in the 1900s, noted especiallyContinue reading “I’m ready for plant parenthood…”

Would you like some special sauce with that burger?

You may recall my earlier high-level journalistic investigations into the smuggling of Mexican bologna into the state. This was prompted by stories that the processed meat from Mexico was being transported across the state’s southern border inside spare tires, beneath car seats and intermingled with underwear in suitcases. Well now the smuggling game has takenContinue reading “Would you like some special sauce with that burger?”

“Black Death” in New Mexico

While the Coronavirus has claimed an estimated 7 million lives around the world since it first appeared in early 2020, it was nothing compared to the plague epidemic which gripped Europe and northern Africa from 1346 to 1353. Estimates are that between 25 and 50 million people died during the plague, also known as theContinue reading ““Black Death” in New Mexico”

Emilio Naranjo is turning over in his grave…

The headline below appeared in the 1966 Albuquerque Journal following the November general election. For years, New Mexico’s Rio Arriba County has been tagged as the election irregularity poster child, most notably during the tenure of long-time political boss Emilio Naranjo. Naranjo, who died in 2008 at the age of 92, was a true politicalContinue reading “Emilio Naranjo is turning over in his grave…”

Embracing the history…

I read with amusement a story about the Roswell, NM, Police Department’s new logo which incorporates the town’s identity with a famous UFO incident and aliens. If you’ll recall, U.S. Army Air Force officials at then Walker Air Force Base in Roswell reported that an alien spacecraft had crash landed on a ranch northwest ofContinue reading “Embracing the history…”

The lonely wheel cover and other musings…

A single wheel cover from a 2000s vintage Ford van or Super Duty truck has been languishing on our street for the last two weeks with no takers. It seems to be in decent shape and I suspect a new one would cost more than $200. With the number of Ford vans and big pickupsContinue reading “The lonely wheel cover and other musings…”

It wasn’t the U.S. Cavalry to the rescue, it was the Apaches…

Okay, I know you’re getting tired reading about my Trout In the Classroom project at White Mountain Elementary in Ruidoso, but I have a really great story about my checkup on the school last week. My wife and I were planning to drive up to Ruidoso for the day last Friday to see if weContinue reading “It wasn’t the U.S. Cavalry to the rescue, it was the Apaches…”