nature

Sierra Blanca has more “jut” than Wheeler Peak…

I’ve been silently fuming for years about the dumbing down of the elevation of Sierra Blanca, the tallest mountain in southern New Mexico that was once listed as 12,003 feet in elevation. I grew up in Ruidoso, with Sierra Blanca looming to the west and towering over any other mountains south of Interstate 40. It’sContinue reading “Sierra Blanca has more “jut” than Wheeler Peak…”

Human brain 2, squirrel brain 0

Well, maybe I am a bit smarter than the squirrels I’ve been trying to catch in my back yard woodpile. After tormenting our dog Chester and annoying me for almost two months, I finally came up with a way to outfox — oops, I meant outsquirrel — a couple of them. I had about decidedContinue reading “Human brain 2, squirrel brain 0”

Remembering that first fish…

Many years ago, when I had decided it was time to seek a career change, I engaged the services of a company that helped advise people like me how to go about finding new work opportunities. This was long before the time of internet job searches, which now seem to be controlled by Artificial IntelligenceContinue reading “Remembering that first fish…”

A red wall…

The morning was eerily calm, but the sky had an unusual appearance. It wasn’t quite opaque like a high thin cloud cover, but thinner and with a faintly reddish hue. Shortly after about 1 p.m., the western horizon began to take a more menacing appearance, with the reddish color intensifying higher in the atmosphere andContinue reading “A red wall…”

Neglecting things…

Yes, you few and far between readers, I haven’t posted a lot in the last couple of weeks and my anemic statistics on “WordPress” prove it. I write when I’m inspired by something interesting I’ve seen or read and anything with an edge of humor to it. Lately, I haven’t seen a lot of thatContinue reading “Neglecting things…”

Finding good luck and a couple of other random things…

I expressed my worries about declining horny toad numbers in an earlier blog — remembering how plentiful they were when I was growing up in Ruidoso and how much everyone enjoyed finding one. Well, I got some good news this week from my sister Wendy, who lives in Cochiti Lake between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.Continue reading “Finding good luck and a couple of other random things…”

Worrying about horny toads…

I believe the last time I saw (and briefly captured) a horny toad was about 20 or more years ago after I had landed my hot air balloon in the desert on the east side of the Mesilla Valley. I’m not sure why horny toads wandered into my brain this week, but somehow thoughts aboutContinue reading “Worrying about horny toads…”