Archive for March, 2009
Moriarty, The Final Frontier
by John Weckerle
It’s time to remind our readers that, among all the Estancia Valley and East West Mountain Communities, Moriarty is unique in having its own satellite viewing schedule. Given that we’ve made the change to Daylight Savings Time, and it might just be a tad darker in the morning, it might be worthwhile for some of the early risers to take a look up and enjoy the sight of the International Space Station as it takes pictures of them gazing skyward.
Avoid Driving Yourself Crazy This Month
by John Weckerle
Today, we would like to salute all the wonderfully astute and proactive folks involved with the westbound lane closures on I-40 between Tijeras and Carnuel. We had to travel to the Albuquerque airport yesterday to meet a flight. Just after we passed the Tijeras exit, we saw a sign that said “Road Work 1 1/2 miles.” Shortly thereafter, traffic slowed to a crawl, and a little later, we saw a sign that said “Left Two Lanes Closed Ahead.” After more than 30 minutes, we passed through and, fortunately, made it in time to pick up our returning resident.
As it turns out, we had to make a trip to the emergency room (everything’s fine) a little later in the afternoon, and only the fact that we had passed through before prevented this from becoming a real mess. As we passed by on Route 66, we couldn’t help noticing all the trucks and cars crawling through, as we had done earlier, pumping unnecessary carbon dioxide and other lovely compounds into the local airshed. So, to our dedicated public servants, we ask: “How about putting a sign BEFORE the Tijeras exit, so that people can seek an alternate route, especially if the trip is urgent?” We hardly consider this unreasonable, and neither do we think it a particularly brilliant or difficult concept.
As for the future state of affairs, NM Roads (which does not work in Firefox; for shame!) advises us:
Saturday 3/7 through Saturday 4/4 from 7:30am to 5:30pm weekends and from 9am to 5am weekdays (Qualcom)– I40 westbound at mile marker 170 (Carnuel) will have various lanes closed for bridge deck repair.
We recommend finding an alternate route during those times; that really was quite the tie-up yesterday. Happy driving!
Summer Jobs at KAFB
by John Weckerle
The Kirtland Air Force Base Summer Hire program is accepting applications and resumes for a variety of summer employment positions. Salary starts at $8.40 to $11.57 per hour. Applicants must be at least 16 years old (18 for some positions) and must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as degree seeking students taking at least half-time (6 credit hours) at an accredited high school, technical, vocational 2 or 4 year college or university, graduate, or professional school. Applications must be received no later than March 20, 2009. For more information, see the program flyer.
Fire Restrictions To Begin In The Mountainair Ranger District Starting Monday
by John Weckerle
Stage 1 Fire restrictions will be in effect beginning Monday, March 9 at 8 a.m. Restrictions include the following:
- Open Campfire Restrictions:
- Campfires, charcoal grills and stove fires are prohibited on national forest lands, except in Forest Service developed camp and picnic grounds where grills are provided.
- Pressurized liquid or gas stoves, lanterns and heaters meeting safety specifications are allowed.
- Smoking Restrictions:
- Smoking is allowed within an enclosed vehicle or building; a developed recreation site; or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter and free of all flammable material.
- Fireworks:
- As always, fireworks are prohibited on all national forest lands.
According to Mountainair District Ranger Karen Lessard, “With the lack of precipitation this winter, we are going into restrictions earlier than ever.” Given the fact that El Nino Southern Oscillation is in a La Nina configuration, this may be the first of an increasingly strict series of restrictions. We ask that everyone please take these and future restrictions very seriously and comply with them completely to help avoid the kind of catastrophic wildfires that have plagued the area in recent years. For more information on where fires are allowed, contact the Cibola National Forest Supervisors Office at 505-346-3900 or the Mountainair Ranger District at 505-847-2990.
East Side, West Side…
by John Weckerle
Greenside!
On the eastern slopes of the East West Mountains, on NM 14 just south of the Triangle Grocery, sits the Greenside Cafe. Needing a change of scenery, we popped over last week to grab a bite and relax a little. It was, as is usually the case, just what the doctor ordered.
I ordered the peanut noodles (with shrimp), and my wife ordered the soup of the day – red lentil – and steak quesadillas. Lucy let me taste the soup, and it was excellent – rich, subtly seasoned, and hearty. She also informed me that the steak quesadillas were very tasty. The peanut noodles – lo mein-style noodles with a Thai peanut sauce – were, as always, excellent; however, judging from the amount of sauce “left over” after the noodles were gone (yes, I finished them; the portions are admittedly huge, but I was hungry and not interested in dessert), the restaurant could save a few cents by putting a little less sauce on the noodles without compromising the experience. We each had a glass of the house Chardonnay, which was very tasty and served chilled, but not too cold. »» East Side, West Side…
A Sun Block Is To Sunburn As A Deer Block Is To…
by John Weckerle
…Preventing deerburn?
Here at NM-Central.com headquarters, we have the good fortune to be visited regularly by all manner of local wildlife, including deer. Depending on the time of year, we provide two or three water sources – a fountain in the fenced area, a watering trough with a pump and some rocks out in the open and, except in winter, a small fountain on the porch (the small birds and hummingbirds love that one). The one in the open is a favorite of the local deer population. Last Tuesday I looked out and noticed that none of the deer were looking particularly fat, and one was looking downright scrawny. By coincidence, I also noted while watering the many trees we’ve planted in the fenced area that at one point during the winter one of the deer apparently jumped the fence and took a few bites out of one of the chokecherries. »» A Sun Block Is To Sunburn As A Deer Block Is To…