Time To Take A Deep Breath
by John Weckerle
It is a rare thing here at New Mexico Central that we discuss issues currently on the national radar, but there is an issue that has come home to roost, at least for your editor, and probably for a lot of people. This is the issue of health insurance reform.
We have all seen the coverage of the angry exchanges over this issue, with substantial volatility being displayed by those opposed to one or the other supposed provisions of the draft legislation. A certain degree of emotion is, of course, to be expected in these situations, but we find it a little disappointing to see so many people proceeding directly to angry words, shouting, and other displays of less-than-civil behavior. While it may be personally satisfying, it seems quite possible that this will produce the opposite of their desired results; rarely does angry shouting change minds or garner support for a position – except perhaps among those who already support it. In the end, it’s really just preaching to the choir. »» Time To Take A Deep Breath
Passing on Pep Boys
by John Weckerle
This seems to be our week for panning businesses – perhaps because the experience of a car accident and subsequent flat tire on the remaining family car at an inopportune time can push one to do business with enterprises whose services are not part of the everyday need. As previously mentioned, we ended up with a flat tire at the Wildlife West Music Festival late afternoon Saturday. It was too late to bring the tire anywhere local, and most places are closed on Sunday. Given that we had to go car-almost-shopping Sunday, and we didn’t want to wait until Monday to get the tire fixed, we decided to take the tire along and drop it off at Pep Boys to see if it could be repaired or, if necessary, replaced.
A little background: We’ve been having our work done locally since we moved here, but when we lived in Albuquerque, we at one point took our cars to the Firestone on Juan Tabo for pretty much everything. After a while, under the leadership of a manager named Al, things went downhill. Typically, we would drop a car off, get an estimated time that it would be ready, come back somewhat later than the estimated time, and find that the car had not even been looked at yet. This got to the point where we decided never to do business with the Juan Tabo Firestone again. »» Passing on Pep Boys
Fire Update From Bernalillo County Commissioner Brasher
We received the following press release from Larry Gallegos of the Bernalillo County Public Affairs Department yeterday:
County Commissioner Michael Brasher wants everyone in the East Mountains to know that Bernalillo County is aware of the flare up in the ongoing East Mountain fire. State and U.S. Forestry personnel are fighting the fire at this time and have air support and additional resources on route.
“Bernalillo County is proactively reinforcing wild land fire crews and patrols in the area and will assist when needed,” says Commissioner Brasher.
Bernalillo County Fire Chief John Garcia adds, “The Bernalillo Fire Department is staging additional staff and equipment at Fire Station 11 to be ready to assist if the need arises.” (Fire Station 11 is located at 10838 Highway 337 in Tijeras.)
As in the case of any fire or emergency, residents should take precautions by gathering important papers, photos, etc. Always make arrangements for people with disabilities, pets and animals and always communicate your plans with other family members.
I Break For Animals
by John Weckerle
After braking to avoid hitting an animal last Wednesday, I was surprised by a loud “bang!” and the immediate experience of looking up at the ceiling in the back floor of my Jeep. I had been hit from behind hard enough to snap the back of my seat. We will forego discussion of the particulars pending resolution of the issue, except to say that, at this point, there is no cause for much alarm on the part of our readers. One hopes that the aches and pains, etc. will disappear completely, and sooner than later.
I will say, however, that I have been very unimpressed by the other party’s insurance agents, Berger Briggs of Albuquerque, and the carrier, Union Standard Insurance Company. Again, we will defer discussion of the particulars until after the matter has been concluded; however, in our opinion, we found neither the agent nor the provider to be particularly stellar with respect to the way the case has been handled thus far. »» I Break For Animals
Bypassing The Buford
by John Weckerle
Last Friday, our intrepid band of restaurant-testers decided, on a whim, to give the “reinvented” Buford Restaurant a try. The Buford, located on Highway 41 just north of I-40 in Moriarty, closed for a number of months for remodeling, and opened amidst fanfare regarding a new look and new menu earlier this year.
We were a little concerned when we pulled into the parking lot at lunch time on a Friday and saw only one car parked there. It was perhaps even more ominous that, when we entered the establishment, there appeared to be nobody eating. We waited patiently for our server to finish some paperwork at the front desk before taking our drink order, reviewing the menu. Then we left and drove to the East Mountain Grill in Edgewood. »» Bypassing The Buford
Ready…Set…Wait For It
by John Weckerle
It’s almost here – the Annual Music Festival at Wildlife West Nature Park, this Friday through Sunday. Featuring a Barn Dance Friday night and 22 shows on two stages over two days, this is the East West Mountains/Estancia Valley’s biggest music event of the year. This year’s headliner – internationally renowned folk musician John McCutcheon – is joined by nationally recognized bands The Badly Bent and Dave Firestine & Round The House, as well as the cowboy and Western stylings of Syd Masters and other bands of statewide renown. More information can be found on the Wildlife West music festival page, and of course tickets can be purchased online. The lucky winner of Sunday’s fiddle contest will receive a violin donated by Encore Music. »» Ready…Set…Wait For It
Ride For The Blind – A Dream Come True For Kids
by John Weckerle
Yesterday saw a new event in Edgewood – the first annual Ride for the Blind fundraiser at the Equestrian Park subdivision on NM-344. This year’s fundraiser, organized by Russ and Phyllis Hayes of Prudential Sandia InterMountain Real Estate of Edgewood, provided an opportunity for young blind people to ride horses and take carriage rides throughout the subdivision. This year’s event benefitted Walkin N Circles Ranch, an Edgewood horse rescue charity.
Having watched the young people riding that day, Mr. Hayes commented on how rewarding it was to watch the participants ride: “The kids are excited and a little scared when they mount up, but by the time they make the first trip around the corral, they’re grinning from ear to ear.”
Yesterday’s event included music by Jimbo, who did a great job performing songs that lent a festive air to the activities. Shorty’s Barbecue of Moriarty was on hand with its traditional offerings; Walkin N Circles was selling ice cream; and Prudential Sandia InterMountain Real Estate had water and cookies on hand. The program started at about 10 a.m., and riding opportunities continued to about 2 p.m. »» Ride For The Blind – A Dream Come True For Kids
New Addition to NM-Central.com
by John Weckerle
As requested, we are providing some photos of the newest resident at NM-Central.com headquarters. Meet Wilson, who is now nine weeks old and has written his first symphony. More pictures behind the cut.
Forest Service Closures: Capilla, New Canyon, and Tajique Campgrounds
Announcement from Arlene Perea at the Mountainair Ranger District:
The Mountainair Ranger District would like to remind all visitors that although many roads have been reopened throughout the district, Forest Road #245 from New Canyon Campground to Capilla Peak continues to be closed. This is due to the high volume of burned hazard trees remaining along the road. Crews have been and continue to work on cutting these trees; however they pose a serious threat to any traffic on the road. This includes foot traffic. Along with the continued closure of Forest Road #245, New Canyon and Capilla Campgrounds are also closed due to the hazard trees as well as the possibility of flash flooding through the New Canyon Campground. Tajique Campground on the North end of the district also continues to be closed due to the possibility of flash flooding. With the forest reopening, we are seeing many hikers within these areas. Hikers are asked to use the adjacent trail (New Canyon Trail) to access this portion of the forest, but no camping is allowed in Capilla or New Canyon campgrounds. District Ranger Karen Lessard said “These areas continue to be post-fire work zones so we ask that visitors stay away from these areas for your own safety as well as the safety of our crews.”
The Mountainair Ranger District has also received a high volume of calls regarding the availability of fire wood cutting areas. We currently have 3 wood cutting areas open, however all permits have been sold for these areas. Our crews are working diligently to open another area soon. To find out the availability of permits, please call the Mountainair Ranger District at 505-847-2990 before visiting to buy a permit.
Possible Mobile Meth Lab Discovered In East Mountains
by John Weckerle
Hikers in the Manzano Mountains were surprised to discover two unattended backpacks at about 1:30 yesterday afternoon, near mile marker 26 on NM 337. One of the backpacks was smoking, and the hikers flagged down a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s deputy, who called in the APD bomb team and hazmat (hazardous materials) personnel. Examination of the backpacks revealed the presence of “chemicals and other items consistent with a meth lab,” according to Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department representative Erin Kinnard Thompson. Ms. Thompson indicated that the investigation is ongoing.
It’s A Dog’s Life – Mine, At Least For Now
by John Weckerle
Our readers may have noticed a brief hiatus since last Saturday. On that sunny and hot day, we chose to visit what we thought was a food festival at the Triangle Grocery – but which turned out to be a small arts and crafts fair. We understand that there was some food inside – but we never really got the chance to sample the food or look over the arts and crafts. My wife spotted the Animal Humane folks at the east edge of the parking lot, and suggested that we stop there first. We’ve been talking about getting a dog for about a year, and nearly adopted one a couple of months ago (at the last minute, the current owners decided to keep her). We looked over the occupants of the big RV in which they transport the dogs, and visited with one or two outside before hunger overcame the other folks in the group, and we needed to pop over to the Greenside Cafe for lunch (I had the Funky, a vegetarian sandwich that changes periodically – this time, an excellent portabella mushroom sandwich). As we started in that direction, my wife noticed a puppy that we hadn’t seen. He was an eight-week-old Chihuahua/heeler cross and very friendly, so we discussed it over lunch, went back, and adopted him.
We hadn’t really been planning on adopting a puppy, but we are having a great deal of fun. Even the house training is kind of an adventure – each success is pretty rewarding for everybody involved. It is, however, time consuming, and has taken up a little of the time I usually set aside for writing. He’ll be house trained soon, and the articles will increase in frequency.
One disappointment – I called the Town of Edgewood, and found that they have discontinued their dog training classes. We’ll be checking with Animal Humane to see what they have available; alternatively, I suppose we could enroll in Petsmart’s classes. If any of our readers know of something of good quality available locally, we’d love to hear about it.
Grow Your Own – All Quiet On The Squirrel Front – Sort Of…
by John Weckerle
We have finally begun harvesting zucchini and yellow squash, and it looks as if it will be a bountiful summer at least as far as that goes. There are more that are within a day or two and, depending on how fast they grow, we may be looking at calabacitas, zucchini parmigiana, or both – or something else entirely. Several small eggplants are in the early stages of development, and small tomatoes are everywhere. The empty sections of Bed 1 have been replanted with lettuce, spinach, string beans, and green onions (all from seed) and chard seeds have been added to the existing sections to bring us a continuing yield. While it may seem a little late to be planting seed, remember that we experimented pretty successfully with covering Bed 1 last year (see article). »» Grow Your Own – All Quiet On The Squirrel Front – Sort Of…
Return To Gordon’s
by John Weckerle
On May 29, we reviewed the newly opened Gordon’s Italian Restaurant on North 14, at the former location of Kokopelli’s Restaurant. We returned to Gordon’s last night, and are pleased to report that things now seem to be running smoothly, and the service issues we discussed in our first review appear to have been resolved. »» Return To Gordon’s
Look – It’s Bird! It’s A Plane! No, It’s A Nebula!
by John Weckerle
A reminder: The last of this year’s series of Oak Flats Star Party and Astrophotography Boot Camp events, presented by the Albuquerque Astronomical Society is scheduled for this Saturday, July 25 th – weather permitting, of course. For more information, see our May 27, 2009 article.
Nine Individuals Detained At Sedillo Hill Exit
by John Weckerle
Undocumented immigrants at I-40 Sedillo Hill exit
This photo, taken a little after 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 11 at the I-40 Sedillo Hill exit, depicts eight men and one woman (not clearly visible in this photo) in the custody of the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department. Other than the two law enforcement vehicles, no other vehicles were present.
According to Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department representative Erin Kinnard Thompson, the people shown here were detained during a traffic stop for a routine violation. Ms. Thompson indicated that “they were apparently undocumented immigrants and were turned over to immigration officials.”