Employment Opportunity: Nurse-Family Partnership
by John Weckerle
Checking in on our friends at Mountainair Announcements, we find employment opportunities in the Nurse-Family Partnership, in which Bachelors-prepared nurses work in-home with low-income, first time mothers. For more information, see the Mountainair Announcements article.
It is certainly nice to be able to post an employment opportunity. As a reminder, if you’re hiring, please feel free to send us an announcement and we’ll post it under our Employment category.
Oops, UPS…
by John Weckerle
When Friday morning dawned, your editor was looking forward to a weekend that would involve a certain amount of photography – because a new camera was due to arrive that day. Having paid extra for two day delivery, we anticipated the weekend with a certain excitement. The UPS tracking indicated that the package was “out for delivery” at 6:16 a.m., so it seemed that delivery was a certainty. The package, however, never showed up, and at 7:36 p.m. somebody entered an exception: “emergency conditions beyond UPS’ control.” A new delivery date was “unavailable.”
Now, as it turns out, your editor had Friday off and, with errands and appointments in both Edgewood and Albuquerque, managed to traverse nearly every possible road that the UPS truck could have taken to get to our location (including the one it usually takes). The Albuquerque errands actually took us right past the UPS distribution center on the way home. The sun was shining all day, and the roads were clear. So we called UPS and, on the first round, got a very unhelpful person named “Mike” who indicated that no information regarding the nature of the “emergency conditions” was available, nor was a revised delivery date, but it would be at least Monday before delivery because we had not paid for weekend delivery. I offered to pick the package up Saturday, but apparently UPS in Albuquerque is closed Saturdays. Before I could offer to pick it up Monday, “Mike” hung up on me, or we were disconnected. I then tried the e-mail support, and at least got an apology on that one, but they again could not give me a new delivery date and stated that they didn’t have to refund the two-day shipping charge because “emergency conditions beyond UPS’ control” apparently exempts them from doing so.
I called again yesterday and got a more helpful person, “Susan,” who guaranteed that the package would absolutely, positively be delivered Monday. With a potentially substantial winter storm barreling toward us, we have our doubts, but we’ll take them at their word for now – and hold them to it. But that’s not really the purpose of this article…
La Nina? Really?
by John Weckerle
Update 8:30 a.m. The weather channel “weather in motion” shows precipitation approaching Belen from the southwest, and NMRoads indicates difficult driving conditions in the west-central and southwest portions of the state, mostly “snow packed and icy.”
Well, here we go again: another winter storm is bearing down upon us. We’re providing the current Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service (NWS) below. We’ll note that before the last storm, the winter storm warning indicated 4 to 8 inches above 7,500 feet, which is the weather we usually get at New Mexico Central Headquarters – and we got more than a foot. This time the NWS is projecting 5 to 9 inches. The NWS also has indicated that travel will be impacted, including areas of I-25 and I-40. We suggest that our readers pay close attention to their favorite weather sites and also keep an eye on NMRoads.com. Stay warm, and be careful driving!
...WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM MST MONDAY... A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM MST MONDAY. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...GENERALLY 5 TO 9 INCHES POSSIBLE FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 7500 FEET AND 2 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE BELOW 7500 FEET. LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS CLOSER TO A FOOT ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS INTO EASTERN LINCOLN COUNTY. * TIMING...SNOW WILL INCREASE IN COVERAGE TODAY AND CONTINUE TONIGHT. SNOW WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ON MONDAY...POTENTIALLY EXTENDING INTO MID DAY OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. * WINDS...SIGNIFICANT WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED. * SNOW LEVELS...SOME RAIN MAY MIX WITH SNOW DURING THE AFTERNOON AT ELEVATIONS BELOW 6500 FEET...BUT TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY TURN COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW AT ALL LOCATIONS AS PRECIPITATION INCREASES. * LOCAL IMPACTS...HAZARDOUS WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ALONG WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN SNOW. TRAVEL MAY BECOME DIFFICULT ACROSS THE REGION. THIS INCLUDES PORTIONS OF U.S. HIGHWAYS 60...70...AND 380.
Public Service Announcement: Capulin Snow Play Area
by Karen Takai
Update: Clarification:: The closure of Capulin is due to the dangerous icy conditions on the slope not the roads. Thanks KT
Due to dangerous icy conditions Capulin Snow Play Area on the Sandia Ranger District will be closed this weekend. We will continue to monitor the conditions and keep you updated. Thanks!
Karen Takai
Fire Information & Public Affairs
Sandia Ranger District
11776 Hwy 337
Tijeras, NM 87059
505-281-3304 ex 120
Press Release: Bernalillo County Offices Closed Tomorrow for Holiday Observance
by Tia Bland, Bernalillo County Public Information Department
Bernalillo County – Bernalillo County government offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 2–with the exception of emergency and public safety services.
Happy New Year!
by John Weckerle
It is January 1, and we find ourselves looking eagerly forward to 2012. With some positive life changes having occurred during the latter months of 2011, the denizens of New Mexico Central Headquarters find themselves more optimistic about the coming year’s prospects. We hope that our readers do, also.
Over the last few days, your editor has been giving some thought to how the year is looking and what it may mean for New Mexico Central. A few thoughts:
- Photography may play a more important, or at least a more routine, role in NM-Central’s content. This is in part because your editor is planning an equipment upgrade, and will be feverishly snapping away at everything in sight in order to learn the nuances of the new camera. We may also be introducing some video; in fact, we have the first one put together but need to make a decision on rendering software so we can post it. We used Adobe Premiere Elements to compile it, but the outputs are inadequate and Premiere Elements 9 was widely panned. If any of our readers have suggestions, we could use them.
- Digital art may also start showing up from time to time, possibly a little later in the year. Fractal and 3D art are a couple of your editor’s occasional hobbies, and designing fractal-art Kindle sleeves (these can be seen at your editor’s Cafe Press site under the Digital Worlds collection) as part of this year’s Christmas present inventory has perhaps reinstated the itch. We’ll see.
- We are excited that our gardening experiments have been successful – successful, that is, in demonstrating that 1/2-inch PVC is not sufficient to withstand heavy winter snows if used for a hoop house. The recent barrage of winter storms provided us with a great “test case” and, despite the fact that we didn’t have the plastic on, the snow on the bird netting was still enough to crush the frame. We’ll repair, redesign, and rebuild with thicker pipe when the weather gets a little nicer.
- We’ve given it some thought and we find ourselves even more fed up than in the past with people dressing up intolerance and dishonesty as patriotism. We’re also sick and tired of people in certain quarters constantly tearing down our government. No government is perfect, including ours, and we think the focus should be on making what we have run as effectively as possible as opposed to rather than cripple it or tear it down. We’re tired of intransigent idealogues monopolizing the discussion and gumming up the works. There’s probably not much we can do about it other than continue to “write the wrongs,” as it were, and we’ll continue to try and do so. However, we may be a bit more pointed in some of our critiques, and may also be looking at the backgrounds of those whose writings we are reviewing, as this puts some perspective on the situation and gives an insight into just how much these people actually know about the subjects upon which they are expostulating.
- The recent omission of the Capulin Snow Play hours was a little embarrassing, and we’re going to try to do a better job at posting the public service announcements and press releases the various agencies send us.
With those thoughts in mind, we’ll move forward into the New Year with a sense of adventure and at least a couple of goals. We wish our readers, and everybody else, a happy and prosperous New Year!
We Missed The Boat On The Snow (Play)
Editor’s note: In the holiday hustle and bustle, we neglected to post the holiday hours for the Capulin Snow Play Area, which will be open today and tomorrow from noon to 3:30 p.m. Note that the Saturday AND Sunday openings represent an expansion of hours compared to the pre-holiday season “Saturdays only” schedule.
by Karen Takai, USFWS Sandia Ranger District Information Officer
Tijeras, NM – December 16, 2011. The Sandia Ranger District Capulin Snow Play Area will be open for the following times during the Holiday Season, weather and conditions permitting from 12 noon to 3:30 p.m.
- December 17, 18
- December 22, 23, 24
- December 29, 30, 31
Starting January 7, 2012, the area will be open from noon to 3:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The area will stay open until the area closes for the season in March when the snow melts.
“We’re really pleased that we’ve been able to expand the hours so people can come out and enjoy winter activities on the Sandia Ranger District,” said District Ranger Cid Morgan. In addition to the Capulin Snow Play Area, we have a variety of other winter activities on the District including snowshoeing and cross-country ski trails,” she added. Because conditions on the mountain changes, there may be days that the area will closed because of bad weather or poor snow conditions.
Tips for Enjoying the Snow Play Area
- Visitors need to bring their own inner tubes or soft sliding devices that have no metal or wood components.
- We want you to be safe while you’re at the Capulin Snow Play Area. The following are activities are not allowed. Please do not:
- Use skis, sleds (with wood, metal or other hard materials) or snowboards
- Be careless, reckless sliding , creating jumps or altering any sliding area
- Have more than 2 persons per sliding device or linking sliding devices
- Bring or drink any alcoholic beverages to the area
- Bring any glass or metal containers to the area
For additional information contact the Sandia Ranger District at 505-281-3304
Let It… Well, You Know…
by John Weckerle
Yesterday’s “this shouldn’t be as bad as the last one” storm actually dropped more snow than the previous meteorological event. With the drifting and the prior accumulation, it’s not easy to get a handle on the amount bestowed upon us this time around, but it was certainly more than a foot. Your editor actually went in to mid-thigh in a spot or two while tromping around the property looking for things to photograph. Others took a more scientific approach to measuring the snow depth…
Senior Meteorological Correspondent Wilson employs his signature high-tech snow depth measurement methodology.
Here are a few more photos taken this afternoon; once again, nature has provided us with great material!
Baby, It’s Cold Outside…
by John Weckerle
Update 12/23/11 – In this article, we erroneously referred to our tire chains as Euro-Chains. This is apparently a colloquialism; they are in fact Alpine Premier chains made by Laclede Chain Manufacturing.
The denizens of New Mexico Central headquarters wish it to be know that we are collectively fed up with tropical weather. It’s warm, and elicits a response of laziness – and perhaps most significantly, it is decidedly elsewhere.
Now into our fourth major, pre-Christmas winter storm, we have a few things to bring forward. First, a few images depicting the aftermath of Storm #3…
One of these made the evening news on KOAT yesterday. Who knows what images tomorrow may bring?
Second, after having been stuck in snow and ice no less than three times so far this year, we finally took some friends’ advice and purchased a set of Euro-Chains yesterday in preparation for today’s storm. Predictably, your editor got stuck driving his Hyundai Sonata up the usual hill, at the usual spot. After popping the chains on – perhaps a couple of minutes or so for each of two wheels – the previously snow-challenged vehicle crunched its way right on up the hill, through the probably-8-inch-drifts on the road, and safely into the garage. Cedar Crest Tire carries the chains, and we gave them a call to let them know that we heartily recommend them – and now you know, too.
Third, we received an e-mail from Bernalillo County announcing that they were out salting the roads in advance of the storm. We saw no evidence of any such activity on either Mountain Valley Road or County Line Road, and neither did we observe any police, fire, or other emergency response assets during our drive along the thoroughfare at about 5:30 p.m. today. Mountain Valley Road is of greater importance, given the preponderance of north-facing slopes and the fact that it is the only through road from Route 66 to Frost Road between Tijeras and Edgewood. Then again, the worst of the storm is still just ahead of us and it’s not clear that a little salt in advance would help these roads given the nature of the meteorological event in question – that having been said, it’s probably all the more important that the roads be patrolled to ensure that assistance is rendered to any stranded motorists. We’ll drop a line to State Representative and local road condition hawk Jim Smith, who has been instrumental in working with Bernalillo County Commissioner Wayne Johnson to remedy the relatively frequent oversights associated with keeping Mountain Valley Road clear. To our readers, we wish a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Blessed Yule, and wonderful holidays to any who we may have forgotten to mention.
Whatever Happened To New Mexico Central?
by John Weckerle
Well, we’re not sure.
It’s been well over a month since our last article, during which we’ve encountered some life changes that should prove to be both significant and positive – but which have taken away from the time we’ve had to put into New Mexico Central. During this hiatus, we’ve been reflecting on the original purpose of the site and how it’s evolved. The original intent was to provide a centralized venue in which local folks without access to web authoring capabilities could provide news and express reasonably-supported commentary on Estancia Valley and East Mountain issues. People seemed very enthusiastic about the concept initially, but except for a very small number of notable exceptions, that enthusiasm did not extend to actually providing articles – especially after we decided that we were not interested in having NM-Central.com become a soapbox for neoconservative politics. As venues such as Facebook surged, and blog hosting became readily available, the likelihood of receiving contributions appeared to diminish, and for some time now we have relied heavily on a) press releases, b) original articles written primarily by one person, and c) taking the local Tea Party chapters to task for consistently publishing false information and a certain tendency toward intolerance.
Let’s take a look at some of this. From a purely selfish standpoint, cutting and pasting press releases gets tedious – and since we don’t have time to post every single day and the releases tend to come out a relatively short time before the events in question, they’re often out of date by the time we get to them. Writing original articles can be fun for us and informative for the reader, but doing it right and properly researching the topics in question represents a time-consuming effort that is difficult to perform frequently when one is employed full-time. When the person doing the writing also spends a lot of time researching and writing at work, it’s that much tougher to crank the articles out on a regular basis. Perhaps most importantly, the original concept was not for one person to put out articles for others to read, and even the comments have been fewer than we expected.
Rapping the Tea Party’s knuckles (and those of their sources) occasionally has probably been worth doing and, at least to some, worth reading. However, we have to think that it’s getting tedious to read because it’s getting tedious to write. There is a limit to the number of times one needs to point out that this blog or that blithely publishes false or misleading information, or that it makes what appear to be prejudiced statements, before readers have enough information to come to their own conclusions on whether the progenitors of said content retain any credibility, moral standing or, for that matter, sanity. We’re not saying that we’re going to leave them alone forever – these are, after all, our most commented-on articles – but to be blunt what we see when we check in on their web sites is essentially “more of the same” and there seems limited value in continuing to comment, frequently, on the same thing over and over. It’s been well over a month since our last Tea Party article, and even though our reaction to the content on their sites is the same, we find ourselves disinclined to start tapping the keys just yet.
We’re going to continue the reflection, and with that in mind, we could use a little input from our readers. What, in the past, have you most enjoyed? On what types of topics would you be most inclined to comment? Is there something you’d like to see more of, or something new you’d like to see added? Let us know, and we’ll keep your thoughts in mind as we decide what path to take.
An Ornithological Curiosity
by John Weckerle
Dozens of doves!
It’s been an interesting autumn bird-wise this year, primarily due to an unanticipated and unexplained shift in the bird population. In all our previous years at this location, Fall has brought numerous robins with a healthy mix of flickers and other migrants to our neighborhood. At any given time, the number of white-winged doves topped out at three or four. For several weeks this year, however, we were visited by much greater numbers of doves, but have no idea why. These doves are clearly travelling together as a flock; they do not break up and fly off into pairs or smaller groups. We counted at least fifty of them in the photo above, taken October 11, 2011.
PSA: Vista Grande Community Center and East Mountain High School Weight Room Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
by Larry Gallegos, Bernalillo County Public Information Department
WHO: Commissioner Wayne Johnson and the Bernalillo County Parks and Recreation Department
WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 30, 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Vista Grande Community Center, #15 La Madera Road, Sandia Park
The 5000 square foot facility contains a large assortment of weight machines, free weights, dumbbells, barbells and kettle bells.
There are also elliptical machines, treadmills, upright bikes and recumbent bikes.
This is the second Phase of the Fisher Smith Gymnasium – a joint partnership of Bernalillo County and the East Mountain High School. Students from East Mountain High will use these facilities as part of their physical education classes and sports programs.
Total construction cost: $841,000.
Total exercise equipment cost: $204,856.
Funding sources came from State Legislative Funds, General Obligation Bonds (Parks & Recreation) and Impact Fees.
Larry Gallegos
Public Information Specialist-Bernalillo County Public Information
Bernalillo County Fire Dept., Animal Care Services, Youth Services Center, Emergency Communications
Office: (505) 468-1273 Cell: (505) 228-6668
lagallegos@bernco.gov
Bernalillo County Fire Department
6840 2nd St., NW, 3rd Floor, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87107
PSA: Mountainair Ranger District Offering Fuelwood Permits
by Arlene Perea, U.S. Forest Service Mountainair Ranger District
Mountainair, NM – October 26, 2011: The Mountainair Ranger District will resume selling personal fuelwood permits beginning on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 8am. Permits will be a maximum/minimum of 4 cords for $20 and will be sold on a first come first serve basis. Citizens who bought permits during our first round of fuelwood sales will not be eligible to buy permits for the first 3 days as the demand for first time purchasers is too high. Permits will only be sold at the Mountainair Ranger District. A photo ID will be necessary and the public will not be allowed to buy permits for others. The permits will be for dead/down Ponderosa Pine within the Thunderbird Ecosystem Management Area.
If you have questions regarding personal fuelwood or any other Mountainair Ranger District questions please call 505-847-2990 or email D’Ana Riley at dlriley@fs.fed.us. You may also check the website at www.fs.usda.gov/cibola/mountainair.
PSA: Junge Prescribed Burn Planned for Early November
by Adrian Padilla, U.S. Forest Service Mountainair Ranger District
Mountainair, NM – October 26, 2011: Mountainair Ranger District Fire Officials are planning on continuing there Prescribed burn program. Fire Officials have been monitoring weather conditions and fuel moisture conditions. With the current moisture levels they plan to complete the Jungle Prescribed Burn in the Manzano Mountains within the next few weeks, possibly as early as next week.
The burn will be on National Forest lands located East of Forest Road #422, North of Forest Road #275 and west of the Forest Road #522. District Fire personnel are watching weather patterns closely and hope to accomplish burning approximately 186 acres sometime during the next week to two weeks. The purpose of the burn is to improve watershed and wildlife biodiversity as well as to reduce current fuel loadings and lessen the threat of wildfire to private property. The burn will be conducted only if fire personnel are available and weather patterns are conducive to burning.
If you have questions regarding the planned prescribed burn or any other Mountainair Ranger District questions, please call 505-847-2990 or email Adrian Padilla at adrianpadilla@fs.fed.us or Arlene Perea at atperea@fs.fed.us.
PSA: Mountainair Community Garden Clean-Up and Planning Day
by John Weckerle
Checking in again on our friends at Mountainair Announcements, we find that there will be a clean-up and planning event for the Mountainair Community Garden on Saturday, October 29 beginning at 10:00 a.m. For more information, see the Mountainair Announcements article and, while you’re at it, check out the Mountainair Farm & Garden Market Facebook page.