Archive for Uncategorized
Bird-Watching
by John Weckerle
We love the fact that we live in a place with such a wonderful variety of wildlife, including birds. We sighted one of these in the sky recently; we don’t mind them flying over, but it’s murder on the trees when they try to roost for the night.
Grow Your Own – This Year’s Adventure Begins! Or Continues, At Least…
by John Weckerle
Earlier this week, we decided to pull the top off the “mini-greenhouse” on the south bed, take some inventory, prepare the bed for planting – and, well, plant. As we’ve mentioned previously, some of the salad greens and culinary herbs had made it through the winter. The thyme and sage never went dormant, and early Spring saw the emergence of a new crop of oregano. After tasting the salad greens – which had flowered and become bitter – we determined that we would be best off simply pulling them and planting some of the lettuce we started earlier in the season. As you can see, the herbs are looking fine and are ready for use. »» Grow Your Own – This Year’s Adventure Begins! Or Continues, At Least…
Meteor Sighting
by John Weckerle
Just a few minutes ago, I observed a spectacular meteor moving in a southwest to northeast direction – more or less – and we’re wondering whether anyone else has observed it and has any information. Based on the angle and the apparent velocity, it would appear that the meteor made it relatively deeply into the atmosphere – and it faded out while still in the western portion of the sky. We have not yet found any references to the event online, but would welcome any information from our readers; it was – again – a spectacular sight, and I hope that others in our area enjoyed the show as much as I did.
Up To The Minute Reporting With NM-Central’s Eyewitness Weather…
by John Weckerle
…in which, “eye” go outside and witness the weather (a free case of notoriety to the first person who correctly identifies the reference, which is deliberately altered in the hope that we can get an honest answer with no Googling). Snow has continued to fall – and pile up – and we may be looking at the beginning of a short but sorely needed Mud Season. It is letting up now – but we’re not seeing any stars, either. Depending on where we stick the ruler, we measure 3.5 to 5.5 inches, with 4.5 being a reasonably common measurement. We will bring you more information if and when the situation warrants additional reporting.
Let It WHAT??
by John Weckerle
Breaking news – it’s mid-April, and it’s snowing like the Dickens (incredibly weak pun intended) here at New Mexico Central headquarters. For our international readers, this is a little unusual – though not unheard-of – in our area. We have broken out the Dean Martin, Gene Autry, Manheim Steamroller, and other Christmas musical favorites. Well, at least until the other residents of the compound mutiny. Merry – er…Friday.
When A Barking Dog Really Bites
by John Weckerle
This has been one of those weeks – one minor catastrophe after another, each lending a unique flavor to the next. We’ll spare the details on most, but by way of warning our readers and possibly protecting them from physical harm, we’ll share a cautionary tale.
As my wife pulled into the Presbyterian Urgent Care lot last Tuesday, the brakes on her van made a terrible noise. As it turned out, she ended up riding shotgun on a transport to Presbyterian Hospital, so we had to pick the car up Wednesday. Not wanting to drive it far without knowing what was wrong, we took it to Brake Masters on San Mateo Blvd. in Albuquerque and, given that it was going to take a little time, we popped over to Jackalope to look around. We were, as always, very aware of how the Jackalope franchise has risen above its humble beginnings, but it’s always disappointing to see a source of reasonably-priced merchandise become gentrified. »» When A Barking Dog Really Bites
What’s In A Name?
by John Weckerle
Today, we received the following response from Tom Sievert to Chuck Ring’s December 22, 2009 article about naming the Edgewood public library (we subsequently endorsed Mr. Ring’s position that the library should be named for Mark Jensen and his mother, Alta Mae Jensen in our January 6 article):
“Alta Mae was My mom’s baby sister. Mark was my cousin. Both deserve and should be honored. Please, though, don’t tag my beloved Altamamma with the moniker Ms. She was devoted to her husband Maurice. If you knew Maurydad, you know the nut that was Mark did not fall far from the tree. I do believe Alta Mae would want to be remembered as Mrs. Alta Mae Jensen. Missing Mark, Altamama and Maureydad.
Tom.”
We will postpone discussion of the distinction between the honorifics “Ms” and “Mrs” for the time being, although we understand Mr. Siefert’s point and intend to discuss it further in a future article. We would prefer to address the issue of naming the library, for now. We understand that the Edgewood Town Council has, in the past, wrestled with the issues surrounding naming of public assets, and that there are issues to be resolved on that front.
In this particular situation, however, we think the Town Council can act without risking impropriety. We call on the Town once again to name the library after Mark Jensen and his mother, Alta Mae.
The Soul Of A Dog?
by John Weckerle
In a letter to the editor in April 8 edition of The Independent, area resident Jean Pucket states: “And no, animals are not people. They do not possess a soul.”
By coincidence, I recently received an e-mail message from a theologically minded friend that demonstrates the ongoing nature of the debate over whether animals have souls. As the information below indicates, Catholic and Presbyterian authorities remain sharply divided on the issue, and it does not appear that a conclusive end to the debate is coming any time soon. »» The Soul Of A Dog?
Hawkishness
by John Weckerle
We were delighted by a rare treat this morning when we looked out and saw this hawk stopped for a drink from our backyard fountain, one of the three to four water sources we maintain for local wildlife: this fountain, a trough out front with rocks and a pump, a shallow birdbath and, during the warmer months, a small fountain on the front porch. The backyard fountain is a general bird magnet, with all types visiting. The trough is a favorite of the deer, and all the birds seem to love bathing in it. The shallow birdbath is new, and near the backyard fountain, so it’s hard to know who’s showing up for it, and the front porch fountain is a big hit with the lesser goldfinches, house finches, nuthatches, and other small birds.
The first reader to identify this hawk will receive a free case of notoriety.
I-40 Closures
by John Weckerle
Beginning tomorrow morning at 6:30 and continuing through noon Wednesday, 1-40 eastbound will be reduced to one lane for just over a mile east of Tijeras. Tuesday night from 9:30 p.m. through 5:30 a.m., I-40 westbound will be closed. NMDOT’s detour instructions are to exit at Zuzax and take Route 66 to I-40 at Carnuel.
Town Hall Meeting With Congressman Martin Heinrich Tomorrow
by John Weckerle
The Estancia Valley Economic Development Association has informed us that Congressman Martin Heinrich will hold a town hall meeting tomorrow – Tuesday, April 9, 2009 – at the Moriarty Civic Center from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Mr. Heinrich will report on his first 100 days in Congress and hear the public’s ideas on hoow more can be accomplished. Those who wish to RSVP or require any other information or assistance from the Congressman can contact his office at (505) 346-6781.
100 Days of Solitude – Well, Slow-itude, Anyway
by John Weckerle
According to the latest information received from the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT), we can expect the lane closures/repositioning on I-40 to remain as it is (one lane westbound, two eastbound) for the next 100 days. The next phase will also have two lanes eastbound and one lane westbound. The reason for this is that the bridges are only wide enough for three lanes. The lane width restriction through the construction zone is 11 feet.
This is, I suppose, the price we have to pay for the great highway we’ll have when it’s all done. As I sailed by on Route 66 most days this week, the shortest backup I saw was about three miles. I’ve been jumping onto I-40 at Tijeras, and note that the westbound lane includes the shoulder rumble strip, right where the passenger side tires go. We applaud this development on behalf of people who will be getting paid to tighten up all the little rattles that will be developing in people’s dashboards over the next 2/3 of a year.
The Long, Thin Parking Lot
by John Weckerle
Once again, we’d like to heap a little kudos – or perhaps something else – onto the traffic management whizzes at the New Mexico Department of Transportation. I’ve had the pleasure of driving to Albuquerque mid-morning twice this week. Tuesday, we hopped on I-40 at the Sedillo on-ramp, and within about a quarter mile – just far enough so it couldn’t be seen from the bridge at Sedillo Hill – traffic slowed to a stop, and proceeded to move slowly; I think we topped out at about 20 mph before eventually reaching the end of the tie-up just west of Tijeras. That’s about a six-mile backup, and it wasn’t even rush hour. We were nearly half an hour late for our meeting as a result. The problem? I-40 westbound through the construction is limited to one lane, and – once again – NMDOT has created a major traffic flow problem and has not posted a sign at the Sedillo entrance.
I took Route 66 eastbound mid-morning yesterday and, except for some traffic approaching Tijeras, found it to be the better way to go. Eastbound at rush hour, the difference between taking Route 66 and I-40 seemed less pronounced; traffic was slow on both roads approaching Tijeras, but evened out on I-40 after that. Of course, NMRoads.com is malfunctioning at present, so we can’t get updated information for you this morning. For now, we’re recommending taking Route 66 going west, which at least allows the option of turning around and heading back to an I-40 on-ramp if it’s really backed up. We’d also like to suggest that the NMDOT consider placing signs at entrance ramps BEFORE traffic tie-ups so that drivers can seek alternative routes.
Oh, What A Tangled Web
by John Weckerle
It was about a month ago that we noticed that the Moriarty Chamber of Commerce web site was missing. Shortly thereafter (on or about March 2), the beginnings of a new site appeared, with most pages simply stating “New site coming soon.” The site has remained essentially unchanged since. It has come to our attention that the Edgewood Chamber of Commerce web site went dark this past Sunday, and remains so as of this morning. Given the history of outages in the past, perhaps a gentle admonition is appropriate. »» Oh, What A Tangled Web
Get It In Gear, Walmart!
by John Weckerle
We’ve been very favorably impressed by Walmart’s corporate citizenship in the Edgewood area, and hope they’ll continue. However, we’ve recently had a few experiences that we would prefer not to repeat.
One class of experiences involves the purchase of alcoholic beverages – specifically, in our case, wine – and the checkout experience. We seem to repeatedly find ourselves in situations where we have to wait at the checkout line because a) the cashier does not have the required State certification; and b) there is no manager nearby to complete the sale as required. This problem reached the ridiculous stage yesterday. After waiting nearly ten minutes, I went over to the customer service counter and asked them to send someone to the the register. The person on duty said she would “send somebody right over.” I returned to Register 5 and resumed my wait, along with my wife, mother-in-law, and the people behind us. Finally, a rather unapologetic manager-on-duty named Phyllis arrived and told us that she had been “busy in the office.” I told her that I thought the wait was unreasonable – we were standing there with people lined up behind us for at least seventeen minutes after everything else had been rung up – and she replied that “someone decided that she should be doing something else.” I told her that, if they were going to have uncertified people working the register, there should be a manager nearby. She responded curtly that “he’s at lunch.” This was at 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday.
This didn’t just affect us, it affected the people behind us who had already loaded their items onto the conveyer. Walmart should either stop using uncertified cashiers or make sure that managers are available to assist. In fact, they should do the latter regardless of the former; nobody dissatisfied enough to ask for a manager should have to wait a long time to see one.