MT March 2016 DJP.indd

50¢

Mountain TimesTimberon

Newspaper of the Southern Sacramento Mountains March 2016

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Mountain Times

School superintendent gives update on legislative actions

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By Travis DempseySchool superintendent I’m sure while many of us enjoy the snow it sure has been nice to see the majority of it melt away and experience some warm New Mexico sunshine! The following are items we are working on here at Cloudcroft Municipal Schools:Legislative Update: The following are several bills that made it to Gover-nor Martinez’s desk that impact education:· HB2 - Budget that appropriates an overall 0.2% increase for public education · HB97 - Removal of Some School Readiness Tests (9th & 10th grade) · HB187 - Alternative Level 3-B Licensure · SB1 - First Aid Electives for High School Students (Can be included in Health) · SB137 - Student Athletic Brain Injury Protocols (min. of 10 days) · SB306 - School Funding Flexibility and Waivers (Class size waiv-

ers) A full copy of each bill can be found at: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/billfi nder/bill_fi nder.aspx School Budget: Based on the budget numbers that are established by the state legislature in House Bill 2, once signed by the Governor we will begin the process of creating a budget for the 2016-17 school year. The state legislature sets what is called the “unit value,” which represents the amount of funds each school receives based on their mem-bership numbers. Our student enrollment is an average of the number of students enrolled on the 80th and 120th day of school. This represents our opera-tional budget that will have to cover the majority of all expenses from salary and benefi t packages for our employees to utility costs. One of the most complicated aspects of school budgets are that many funds outside of the operational budget have very strict guidelines

Unseasonably warm tempera-

tures for the past few weeks

are sure to have an effect on

fruit trees in the mountain area.

But will blos-soms, like these

on an apple tree last year, come

too soon, only to be lost to a

late freeze this spring?

Schools await governor signature on bills that will affect education

PAGE 2 MOUNTAIN TIMES - MARCH 2016


P.O. Box 235, Timberon, N.M. 88350 • 575 442 3031 • [email protected]

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The Newspaper of the Southern Sacramento Mountains

Published monthly by:Mountain News LLCEditor/Publisher: Darrell J. Pehr

Contributors:Al and Teri AlvarezAnna Rae BrownLois CadwalladerLyn CanhamTravis DempseyJoyce KomrausSlim RandlesFran TrendlerPatsy WardEd Woten

Our mailing address: P.O. Box 235, Timberon, NM 88350Phone: (575) 442-3031E-mail: [email protected]

Subscriptions: $15 per year (Bulk mail)$35 per year (1st-Class mail)

The Timberon Mountain Times is printed by Signature Offset, Inc., in Las Cruces. We normal-ly print and distribute by the first of each month. Mailed copies go out bulk rate and may take two or three weeks, or more, to get to distant locations.

We will appreciate any submis-sions, and are especially look-ing for nature and mountain-re-lated stories. Pictures are very desirable. Due date is the 15th of the month. We cannot pay for stories, but we will put your name on your contribution and give you our thanks. We also gladly accept Letters to the Editor. Letters must be signed by the author and must include a telephone number. Letters to the Editor also are due by the 15th of the month.

Mountain TimesTimberon Superintendent

(Continued from previous page)on what they can used for. Examples of these are transportation, which can only be used for expenses directly re-lated to daily student transportation to and from school, and SB-9 funds which can only be used to repair or improve facilities. Our overall state budget is generated from taxes associated with oil and natural gas production. Because oil and gas prices are low and projected to remain low we are seeing far fewer additional state dollars available for education, highways, and other state agencies. State Testing: All our staff have been working to help prepare our students for the up-coming state testing known as PARCC. Testing is scheduled to begin the middle of April and will include grades 3-11. You can help us by ensur-ing your child is in attendance at school every day possible as we continue to prepare for the exam. Based on our results from last year on the PARCC I am extremely excited to see even more growth this year. Graduation Requirements: Over the past decade many new requirements have been add-ed in order for a student to graduate from high school. Passing classes and earning specific cred-its are still a major component of the graduation process, however, the requirements associated with passing an exam have increased significant-ly. High school graduation exams from the 1970’s and 80’s were written with the intent of passing scores hovering around a 9th grade read-ing level. Today’s exams, are designed around a college freshman’s reading level. In addition, general math requirements in 70’s and 80’s were based on pre-algebra and consumer math. To-day, the general requirement is Algebra II and pre-calculus. Because of these demands it is more crit-ical than ever for schools to partner with parents to adequately prepare our students for these re-quirements. If you have questions about graduation requirements please contact our Ms. Daugherty or Mr. Lukoski. CLOC: Our local CLOC group will be holding their annual murder mystery on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. in Cloudcroft High School gym. Dinner will be provided. Tickets are $20.00 person and can be

purchased in our central office. Board Meeting: Our next regular meeting will be on Tuesday, March 15, at 6 p.m. This will also be our annual meeting in the Weed Commu-nity Center. Facilities: We are still working on the specifics associated with the sandstone and CMU walls at the high school. The goal is to have a contractor begin as soon as school is out in hopes of having the project completed before winter sets in the fall of 2016. The multi-purpose building out at the football field is very close to completion and should be ready to use in the very near future. The elementary building is currently having work completed on the roof just above the elementary library that will address issues we have experi-enced. Extra-Curricular Activities: Basketball is quickly wrapping up with both teams cur-rently playing in the district tournament. Track and field has already started with a good sized group at the both the Jr. High and Varsity level. Our band and choir programs will begin several of their state level competitions over the next couple of months as well as our FFA program. All events are posted on the school web site at: http://www.cmsbears.org/Calendar Attention 12th graders: Hopefully each of you has taken advantage of the scholarship nights and the campus visits arranged by our guidance counselor. If students or parents have questions please about admissions or scholarship opportu-nities Mr. Lukoski will be more than happy to help. Please keep in mind that all scholarships have deadlines associated with them so please give us a call if we can assist you. If you have any questions feel free to stop by my office or give me a call at 575-601-4416.

PARCC testingis scheduled to begin in the middle of April and will include grades 3-11


ASPEN CO. CONSTRUCTIONGeorge Corder PO Box 143 Timberon, NM 88350

Phone 575-987-2372 NM LIC # 30323

On behalf of the Otero County and Greater Ruidoso Working Groups, we would like to invite you to attend the Sacramen-to Mountain Wood Industry Sum-mit scheduled on March 30-31, at the Ruidoso Convention Center. This summit will focus on ways to enhance the forest indus-try in the Sacramento Mountains. There will be presentations and panel discussions on various top-ics including the latest informa-tion on forest prescriptions and watershed restoration practices, emerging markets and demands for forest products, and highlights of successful forestry and wood product business. We are hosting a fi eld trip on March 30 from 11:30-2 p.m. that we think will be of particular interest to you. As part of the fi eld trip, three sites where agency-specifi c prescriptions have been imple-mented (Village of Ruidoso, State Forestry and USFS Forest Service) will be visited. On site visits will include a descrip-tion of the site along with discus-sion about current city ordinances and initiatives that are augmenting forest and watershed restoration efforts, as well as a question and answer period. Because space is limited for this fi eld trip, we are fi lling spaces on a fi rst come fi rst serve basis. In order to confi rm a slot for the fi eld trip (includes lunch), please contact Dick Cooke at [email protected] or call him at tel: 575-937-7707. Of course we hope you will also be able to participate in the summit events and socio gather-ings where you will meet the many

individuals that keep the forest and wood product industries running in New Mexico. The summit is free and open to the public. To register for the summit, call Coda Om-ness, ENMU-Ruidoso at tel: 575-257-3012. We look forward to seeing you in Ruidoso. Rick MerrickChair of the Otero County Work-ing GroupDick CookeChair of the Greater Ruidoso Working Group

Additional Summit Partners In-clude: Village of Ruidoso City of Alamogordo Bureau of Indian AffairsSouth Central Mountain RC&D Village of Cloudcroft National Wild Turkey Federa-tionNew Mexico State Forestry Lincoln County Government USDA Forest Service Little Bear Forest Reform Co-alition Bureau of Land Management (Roswell Field Offi ce)

Wood Industry Summit set for March 30-31 at Ruidoso Convention Center

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By Lois CadwalladerLincoln National Forest Please join us for another great lecture series season. We start off on March 10 with the Sacramento Ranger District fire personnel giving a history of our

local forest service engine crews and the Sacramento Hotshots. On April 14 we wel-come back Mark Cadwallader as a speaker covering “Large and Small game Species of the Sacra-mento Mountains.”

Sacramento Ranger District lecture series returns March 10

Create that rustic lookSnowshoes for the cabin!

Great pair of wooden snowshoes

Just $150

Call 575-442-3031

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Bloodsuckers from another world

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Photo by David Scharf from the book “Magnifications.”This close-up shows a mosquito’s feathery antennae, palps, compound eyes and sheath-covered proboscis.

(575) 987-2553

(575) 987-2372

Riverside CondosTimberon, New Mexico


Mountain Times

Sounds like a great B-movie title from the 1950’s but, as we can all attest to on those muggy summer evenings, those little vampires from the world of insects can prove to be a whole different order of pests. Blood-sucking insects such as deer flies, bed bugs, head lice and fleas can not only be annoying in the extreme, but may, on occasion, create serious health hazards. For many types of insects, blood is the perfect food. It is loaded with protein, which is exactly what the females of the species need to make eggs. No wonder so many bloodsuckers are female. (Yes, that was a joke.) In just a few minutes, one of those little parasites can drink enough blood to last it for several days or, in some cases, for its entire adult life. The males of the species usually feed on nectar and other sugary fluids from plants (usually fermented in the larger species). Insects that feed on blood do so in one of two ways. Mosquitoes, many flies, bugs and even vampire moths are just temporary visitors that will land, feed and go away while others, such as fleas and lice, will live aboard their hosts full-time. Are you starting to feel itchy yet? Read on. Mosquitoes will track down their hosts and feed by using a num-ber of physical adaptations. They can sense body heat with the feathery fibers on their antennae and use their maxillary palps to detect the carbon dioxide that mammals and birds breathe out. Their compound eyes are useful for tracking movement and work very well, even in dim light. Then their proboscis comes into play. The outer sheath of their mouth parts will retract as they begin to bite. The mosquito will gently push its proboscis into the skin until it hits a capillary and the blood begins to flow. As it feeds, it injects a saliva con-taining an anticoagulant which keeps the blood from clotting, allowing the parasite plenty of time to finish its meal. You may have noticed the abdomen distending and turning red as she feeds, or as soon as you squash her and leave a smear of blood on you arm. The mosquito’s abdomen is made of soft membranes between the segments of exoskeleton, allowing it to expand as it engorges with blood. Females can carry up to five times their body weight in blood. We usually don’t feel the bite until afterward because our skin will react to another substance in mosquito saliva which makes the skin around the bite become inflamed. If you have been around horses much, you know that in summer-time they are often surrounded by clouds of buzzing horse flies. The flies are first attracted to the salty sweat and will settle around the horse’s face and eyes. While they can be very irritating to the horse, they do not bite. Bloodsucking horse flies, on the other hand, will land on a horse’s flanks and cut through the skin with bladelike jaws, inflicting a painful bite, and then feed on the blood that oozes out. Compared with two-winged flies such as black flies and midges, very few actual bugs will feed on blood, the bed bug being the most noto-rious. Because of the increase in human travel, bed bugs have managed to spread all around the world. Bed bugs are small, round and coppery colored and do not have wings. They crawl onto their hosts and always bite at night. Assassin bugs have sharp, strong mouth parts which can unfold downwards to pierce the skin of their hosts. While most of them prey on other insects, there are some types that feed on blood. They often home in on a person’s face and lips, and so are sometimes known as kissing bugs. Like bed buds, they spend the day hiding away and will emerge at night to feed. These bloodsuckers are unwelcome visitors because some of them spread disease, usually through their excrement which may be inadver-

tently rubbed into a nearby bite. They are very common in many areas, including New Mexico. Head lice, always found on mammals, even bats and seals, have very strong foreclaws which they use for gripping hairs. They can spend their lives aboard a host, biting with sharp mouth parts and then sucking blood. There are about 250 species of bloodsucking lice. Fleas are more resilient than many other bugs. With their flattened bodies and tough skin, they are well suited for life among feathers and fur. They do not have wings, so use their strong back legs to jump aboard their hosts. Flea larvae do not suck blood. Instead, they scavenge for food in nests and bedding, only jumping onto warm-blooded animals when they become adults. It is fleas, of course, which are responsible for the spread of some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The plague is passed on by fleas that collect the plague bacteria from rats. The fleas then bite humans, transfer-ring the disease to them. Fortunately, antibiotics are now available that can bring the bacteria under control, unlike during the Middle Ages when plague outbreaks decimated entire populations in Europe. Today, malaria is the most dangerous insect-borne disease. It kills millions of people every year, mostly in tropical areas, and is spread by mosquitoes. Most insects can be beautiful and fascinating, but basically, some insects suck.


Early explorers braved ‘Dead Man’s Walk’ After the establishment of the seaport of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico in 1519, the Spanish Empire began the 300-year expansion of their colonial holdings in the New World with a series of expeditions to explore, map and ultimately subjugate the areas they designated as New Spain. The most famous of these, led by the conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, passed through part of the upper Rio Grande Val-ley on his way north in 1540. The first expedition to explore, in depth, what is now the state of New Mexico, was under the command of Don Juan de Oñate in 1598. Crossing the Rio Grande in the area of present-day El Paso, Texas, Oñate followed the river valley northward and established what would become El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or The Royal Road of the Interior, which would connect Mexico City to the new capital of Santa Fe. On the way, he and his fol-lowers would be the first Europeans to experience the area known as the Jornada del Muerto. Variously trans-lated as Dead Man’s Walk, Journey of Death or Route of the Dead Man, the Jornada del Muerto was a formi-dable 90-mile waterless shortcut that bypassed the western bend of the Rio Grade. For those early pioneers using oxen and carettas, 10 to 15 miles per day was a good rate of travel, mak-ing the crossing an excruciating week of drudgery. Some who were able to sustain a forced march at night, could cross the flat, dry desert in as little as 3 days. The less fortunate draft animals more often became vic-tims of the crossing, for want of water, fulfilling the name of Journey of Death. Other hazards along the trail included blistering heat, very little shelter from the elements, lack of firewood, no grazing land for livestock and the occasional attacks by fierce Apache warriors, making the Jor-nada del Muerto one of the deadliest stretches of El Camino Real. The first pueblo that the Spaniards came to after crossing the Jornada was christened Socorro meaning “help” or “assistance.” The Pueblo Indians had a well-developed system of agriculture in place in the Rio Grande river bottom and were of a very peaceable nature. It was during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 that the inhabitants of Socorro Pueblo, in a effort to avoid the conflict, moved south down the Rio Grande and relocated near El Paso del Norte. This is the reason that today there is a Socorro, New Mexico and a Socorro, Texas. El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, one of several Royal Roads, brought the first colonists into the New World in 1598, 22 years before the Mayflower, and continued for 287 years until it was replaced by the railroads, then later by Interstates 10 and 25. Jornada del Muerto Volcano is a large shield cone, over 5,000 feet high, and source of the nearby Malpais Lava Flow, not to be con-fused with the Valley of Fires lava flow, which measures 10 by 15 miles in size, and whose lava tubes provide habitats for one of the largest bat populations in North America. On Feb. 21, 1867, Confederate forces, under the command of Colonel Henry Hopkins Sibley, were marching up El Camino Real in a bid to take control of Santa Fe, Fort Union and the rest of the New Mex-ico Territory, when they encountered Union soldiers from nearby Fort Craig. The ensuing skirmish was later dubbed the Battle of Valverde. A series of forts had been built along the Rio Grande in the mid-1800s to protect settlers and travelers along El Camino Real. Bounded on the eastern side by the San Andreas and Oscuro Mountains, and on the western side by the Fra Cristobal Range and the Caballo Mountains, the Jornada portion of the Chihuahuan Desert re-mains largely uninhabited and undeveloped to the present day. The Jor-nada Basin Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Station, established

in 1915 and managed by New Mexico State University, is located there as a lab for the study of desert ecology, land management, plant physiology and related topics. The original Armendaris Spanish Land Grant is today the almost 400,000-acre Armendaris Ranch owned by television magnate Ted Turner.

The first Europeans to experience the Jornada del Muerto were under the leadership of Don Juan de Oñate. (Photo by Ed Woten)


ASPEN CO. CONSTRUCTIONGeorge Corder PO Box 143 Timberon, NM 88350

Phone 575-987-2372 NM LIC # 30323

By Lyn Canham The High Noon Book Club is a gregarious group of locals and part-timers who meet the fi rst Monday of each month – at noon – in the Cloudcroft United Methodist Church (CUMC) McNeil library to dis-cuss one of a year’s worth of books. After a stimulating discussion of the book of the month, we usually patronize one of Cloudcroft’s restaurants and have more fun. Our March meeting at noon Monday, March 7, will be a discussion of the book SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben. Coben has sold other thriller bestsellers, for example, HOLD TIGHT, CAUGHT, and STAY CLOSE. Each of these explores the pas-sion and secrecy of lost love. In this “page-turner,” Jake Fisher watches Natalie, the love of his life, marry another man, Todd. He spends six years hiding his broken heart in his career, keeping his promise to leave her alone, and suffering persistent, painful images of her life with Todd. Then Jake comes across Todd’s obituary and he can’t prevent him-self from attending his funeral. He spies Todd’s bereaved wife – who is not Natalie, and who had been married to Todd for more than a decade. Jake can no longer look the same way at what he had thought was the best time of his life, with Natalie. As Jake searches for the truth, his carefully constructed concept of his life with Natalie deteriorates. The story evolves into a suspenseful mystery, as mutual friends of the couple can’t be found or don’t remember Jake or no one has seen Natalie in years. Jake’s own life is imperiled, as the man that he has be-come increasingly seems to be based on fi ction. The April meeting of the HNBC will be noon Monday, April 4,

High Noon Book Club to discuss bestselling thriller ‘Six Years’

at the CUMC library. On a different note, the book club will have read the nonfi ction history BUNKER HILL: A CITY, A SIEGE, A REVOLU-TION by Nathaniel Philbrick. This sailing expert from New England has authored at least two historic bestsellers in IN THE HEART OF THE SEA and MAYFLOWER and now he tackles the story of the Boston battle that ignited the American Revolution. MAYFLOWER itself was a fi nalist for both the 2007 Pulitzer Prize in History and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. The publisher says Philbrick uses his passion and insight to recon-struct the geographic and ideological revolutionary landscape to reveal the diffi cult and messy origins of America. In the process, the reader learns how Boston, two years after the 1773 Tea Party, undergoes a series of patriot skirmishes and wary maneu-vers among the American and British soldiers, until the Battles of Lexing-ton and Concord on April 19, 1775. Events lead to a British blockade of Boston in June of that year, and fi nally the bloodiest battle of the Revolution to come, the Battle of Bunker Hill. Philbrick is said to bring a fresh perspective to the historic events and characters, such as the central leading fi gure, physician Joseph Warren, Warren’s fi ancé, the poet Mercy Scollay, and the more familiar fi gures of Paul Revere, George Washington, and the British Generals Thomas Gage and his successor William Howe. We experience the cauldron of Boston under siege as both sides teeter at brinkmanship for control. Anyone who loves to read and enjoys talking about what they have read may join us at our monthly meetings on the fi rst Monday. All regu-lars, sometime-attendees, and visitors are welcome.

By Joyce KomrausLibrarianNivison Public Library AMNESTY WEEK Amnesty Week for library books in your posses-sion is April 18-23, 2016. What this means is that if you have any overdue library books in your possession, you may return them during this time and you OWE NO FINES. However, if you have returned any books prior to this time and did not pay a fi ne, you still owe the fi ne. This applies to overdue books you have in your posses-sion. IF you have any questions at all about this, please call 682-1111 and talk to Chuck or me about this. Because we have changed to a new computer sys-tem, we have printed out a list of outstanding books from our OLD system. So we can check out this list plus the current sys-tem. NEW BOOKS: LIVING IN THE AFTERMATH OF TRAGEDY (Sue Klebold)BLACK RABBIT HALL (Eve Chase)GEORGIA: A NOVEL OF GEORGIA O’KEEFE (Dawn Tripp)VIOLENT CRIMES (Phillip Margolin)

Library Corner

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FIND HER (Lisa Garadner)THE ART OF WAR (Stephen Coonts)FRIEND OF MR. LINCOLN (Stephen Harrigan)BREAKDOWN (Jonathan Kellerman)

BLUE (Daniel Steel)RUSTLER’S MOON (Jodi Thomas)ROBERT PARKER’S BLACKJACKBROTHERHOOD IN DEATH (J. D. Robb)


If You’re Lucky Enough to Live in the Mountains, You’re Lucky Enough!

Available online at www.weednm.comP.O. Box 565, Weed, NM [email protected] Ward, editorSympathy J.C. Estes, 91, passed away February 2 in Carlsbad. After a me-morial service, his cremains were laid to rest in Sunset Gardens Me-morial Park Cemetery in Carlsbad. J.C. was born April 4, 1924 in Artesia, NM and moved to Weed, NM as a child. He and his wife, Christine, moved to Carlsbad, NM in 1945 after J.C.’s discharge from the Navy. J.C. was employed as a carpenter at Duval Potash until his retirement in 1979. He loved hunt-ing and his passion was building churches for missions. J.C. is survived by his wife Christine of Carlsbad; son Glen L. Estes of Hawley, TX, daughters: Sharon Stephens and Naomi Smith both of Carlsbad and Linda Estes of Tennessee; sisters, June Fowler of Roswell, NM and Geraldine Roberston of Carlsbad; 12 grand-children, 28 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. Donations may be made in memory of J.C. Estes to the Mexi-co Missions Fund at Carlsbad First Assembly, 1502 W. Mermod St., Carlsbad, NM 88220.

Anniversaries, Birthdays, Get Well Wishes, & More Belated Happy Birthday to:Elaine Hicks, 2/21Happy Anniversary to:11th - Chuck & Nancy Sutherland

17th - Jeff Duncan & Ellen Kazor19th - Wade & Tanya Maberry (1982)23rd - Russ & Elaine Wright (1968)29th - Gilbert & Penny Evans (1958) (Continued next page)

30th - Tom & Patsy Ward

Happy Birthday to:

www.ocec-inc.com

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FEATURING A “PET VAC”INSTALLED IN THE REAR DOG WASH

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APARTMENTS$45 to $80 per Night

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Kevin & Shantel Keune,Managers

Effi e Christine (Roberts) Murtishaw was born at home in Coke County, Texas, on Sept. 7, 1923, to Powel Aubrey Roberts and Effi e (Modgling) Roberts. She died Jan. 26, 2016. Visitation with family was Jan. 28 at Johnson’s Funeral Home in San Angelo, Texas. Funeral service celebrat-ing Effi e’s life was Jan. 29 at Quail Valley Baptist Church, corner of Hwy 208 and Briston Rd., with burial in Valley View Cemetery, fi ve miles south of Robert Lee on Hwy 208. Chris and H.C. (Murt) Murtishaw married Feb. 26, 1939 and had 72 years together before his death in 2010. They had three children: Aletha Jean (Babe/Lea) Beyerlein, born in San Angelo, Claude Barry in Artesia, New Mexico, and Mark Alan in Bronte, Texas. They lost Barry at a few months of age. Chris, Murt, and Babe spent the WWII years at the Army Air Force Base in Pecos, Texas. When they returned to Coke County, they settled in Bronte, there having Mark (their second ‘only child’). Their last years in the area were at Oak Creek Lake. After the war, Chris turned to a medical career. She became an LVN and later a Lab and X-Ray Technician.

Thirty years later they “retired” to the mountains in Timberon, New Mexico. Seeing the lack of medical help there, she talked a few people into tak-ing EMT classes with her. An Emergency Medical Service was formed in the Volunteer Fire De-partment. She won area and state awards while running the service and the EMS Room at the fi re de-partment. The department carries her name. Murt and Chris came back to live the last years of their lives with Babe and her brother-in-law, Keith. After Murt’s death, Chris, Babe, and Keith became the “Three Musketeers.” Along with her parents, husband, and son, Chris was pre-ceded in death by brothers Oral, Aubrey, and Jack Roberts, and nephew Gary Featherston. Left to miss her are chil-dren: Lea Beyerlein (and third Muskateer Keith Beyerlein) of San Angelo, and Mark Murtishaw of Timberon, New Mexico; grand-children: Julie Takach (Tom) of

Indian Land, South Carolina, and Eric Murtishaw of Niceville, Flor-ida; and great-grandchildren: Nich-ole Johnston (Dean) of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Kyle Takach of Skiatook, Oklahoma; great-great grandchildren Aaron and Layla; siblings Jean Gillit of Big Spring, Texas, Wayne Roberts (Nettie Bob) of San Angelo, and sister-in-law Mary Sharp of Coppell, Texas; and many nieces, nephews, and friends from coast to coast. Family and friends may sign an online guestbook at www.john-sons-funeralhome.com

Effi e Christine (Roberts) Murtishaw


(Continued from previous page)

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P.O. Box 235, Timberon, N.M. 88350 • 575 442 3031 • [email protected]

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1st - Maddie Forkner 2nd - Abigail Alvarez (2011)7th - Sandra Hunt8th - Becky Waldrop12th - Chuck Komraus:19th - Katie Walker, Hannah Walter24th - Doreen Teel26th - Janson Ham30th - Gari Ann Gage

Congratulations! to: Amanda Camille Schuhen graduated from the United States Air Force Basic Military Training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas on February 5.

Her accomplishments included several leadership responsibil-ities along with earning an honor ribbon for excellent marksmanship. Airman Schuhen began Technical Training in Health Services Man-agement at Sam Houston Air Force Base in San Antonio on February 15.

Many thanks to everyone for your support Thank you! How can I ever express how thankful I am for the beautiful prayer lap quilt that was sent to me. How very blessed I am that so many prayed for me as they tied the quilt. What a beautiful expression of Christ’s love. Each night I lay the quilt over me and ask the Lord to remem-ber all the prayers that were prayed for me and that He would pour out His blessings on each one who prayed for me. The love you have shown has stirred my heart to want to bless others as much as you have blessed me. Thank you for glorifying the Lord in this beautiful expression

VISIT THE WEBSITE OF THE SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO MOUNTAINS

WWW.MOUNTAINTIMES.NET


(Continued from previous page)

of love. God is blessing me in so many ways, and showing His love continually. He really does answer our prayers. I’m missing all you wonder-ful mountain people. May the love you have shown to me be poured back into your lives by our loving ever faithful God. Anna Rae Brown

Community helped fi nd dog Everyone needs to know how terrifi c the people of our area are!! I can’t begin to tell you how blessed we feel to be a part of this commu-nity. We are surrounded by giving, caring, lov-ing, and praying friends and neighbors. We are deeply grateful for all those who gave their time to search in some of this season’s coldest weather for our wayward pup. Thanks to a sighting by MaryAnn Schul-tz, Tootsie is safely at home! She was fi nally ap-prehended this morning (February 7), uninjured although tired. She didn’t seem to be very hungry so she must have been sneaking snacks somewhere along the way. :) Rest assured she will be under constant supervision or adequately confi ned until her owner is able to care for her again. Again, our sincere thanks to all!! Al and Teri Alvarez

Dates to RememberMarch 1 – VFD meeting, 6 p.m.March 13 – Daylight Saving Time begins; set clocks forward 1 hourMarch 17 – St. Patrick’s Day (the wearin’ of the green)March 20 – Spring beginsMarch 27 – Easter

A Child’s View of Thunderstorms When you read this, you will never think of thunderstorms the same way again. This should make you smile!!!


Mountain Times

Phot

o by

Dar

rell

J. P

ehr

A little girl walked to and from school daily. Though the weather that morning was questionable and clouds were forming, she made her daily trek to school. As the afternoon progressed, the winds whipped up, along with lightning. The mother of the little girl felt con-cerned that her daughter would be frightened as she walked home from school. She also feared the electrical storm might harm her child. Full of concern, the mother got into her car and quickly drove along the route to her

child’s school. As she did, she saw her little girl walk-ing along. At each fl ash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. More lightning followed quickly and with each, the little girl would look at the streak of light and smile. When the mother drew up beside the child, she lowered the window and called, “What are you doing?” The child answered, “I am trying to look pretty because God keeps taking my picture.”

A young bull elk keeps watch as the herd grazes.

TIMBERON HOMES


Timberon Unit 3, Block 59, Replat of Lot 6, Lot 4A and Lot 5A$195,900.00This Manufactured Home was built in 1999, 1,440 sqft +/-, metal roof, located on 2 acres +/- with beautiful Pines and nicely groomed property! The manufactured home title has been deactivated. Three Bedrooms and Two Bathrooms, spacious Kitchen with Is-land and service counter over looks the Family room that has a very pretty wood burning stove, ceiling fan, large windows that of-fer a very nice view of the grounds. All Bedrooms have ceiling fans and nice roomy closets. The laundry room is off of the Kitchen and opens out on to the back deck. The Bedrooms and Family room are carpeted, laminate wood fl ooring covers the remainder of the home. This home has a lot of extra special features! Central heat-ing. Large covered deck on the front of the home. There is a 16’ x 16’ building which is lovingly called “The Bear House” and provides extra sleeping quarters, ceiling fan, coffee counter and refrigerator. 10’ x 12’ metal storage building with wood fl oor and electricity. 30’ x 40’ garage with cement fl ooring and electricity.

Timberon Golf Course Unit 7, Block 18, Lot 12/home, Lot 13, Lot 14 (1.597ac) and Timberon Unit 10, Block 105, Lot 15 (.510ac) across the street.$89,900.00This beautiful landscaped property has a 2007 Spirit Mobile Home, 756 sq.ft. +/- with metal roof. 2 bedrooms and 1 full bathroom. This home is completely furnished with a stack washer and dryer that is two years old, refrigerator and cook stove that is one year old. Electric hot water heater, space wall heater and two window air conditioners. Nice fenced back yard. Front and back covered decks. There is an RV shelter with hook ups, car-port, 30’ x 24’ Garage and three storage buildings. There are two 250 gallon pro-pane tanks one to service the home and one for the generator.

Timberon Airfi eld Unit 1-001-004 $60,000.001200 sq.ft. metal on steel frame hanger with cement access off the Timberon Air Strip. You can taxi your airplane from the near by apron up this cement slab right to your front door

Timberon Unit 5, Block 72, Lot 39 with improvements $99,999.002000 Manufactured home, title has been deactivated, taxed as real property and located on a one acre +/- wooded lot. Home is 1568 sq.ft. +/- with three bedrooms and two baths. Large open living area and dining area that fl ows through the kitchen. Living area has a nice corner fi replace and lots of natural light. The guest bed-rooms and guest bathroom open off the hall to the left of the living area. The master bedroom and bathroom opens off the right side of the living area. The nice kitchen has lots of cabinet area and snack counter. One side of the kitchen has an open counter top to pass food through to the little secluded breakfast dining area which looks out over the back deck and yard with a door that opens out onto the back deck. Ceiling fans and large closets throughout the home. The home has a nice covered deck with a large covered container for storing fi rewood. The side deck has a built in bench. There is a 12 x 24 metal building and 8 x 12 frame built building with all utility hookups and septic connection. There is also RV hookup on this property.

Sacramento Mountain Ranches Unit 4, Block 21, Lot 6 $94,900.00This 2000 Manufactured Home is approximately 1,232 sq.ft. lo-cated on beautiful wooded 4.433 acres. 3 Bedrooms and 1-3/4 Bathrooms, Living room with ceiling fan. Dining area is in Kitchen. Laundry room is off Kitchen. Back screened in Deck to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and wild life. Front deck is covered. Home has central heat. Refrigerator, stove, freezer and most furniture will stay with home. 10’ x 10’ Small shed has power to it.

FOR PHOTOS AND A COMPLETE LIST OF OUR HOMES,PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.timberonnm.com

ROBERTS REALTYPO Box 1, Timberon NM 88350

575-987-2440

Home Countryby Slim Randles

I was one of the half-dozen guys holding Isaac Okleasik’s sled down while his dozen-plus sled dogs were screaming and lunging. It was the fi rst Saturday in March back in 1973, and Isaac was one of the fi rst mushers to leave on the fi rst Iditarod Sled Dog Race. I was wearing bib number 37, and since we let a team go every two minutes, I had plenty of time to help others before it was my turn. The announcer was counting down the seconds for Isaac, hundreds of cold people were standing around in Anchorage’s semi-pro baseball stadium, cheering and clapping. And then Isaac, a legendary dog driver as well as a legendary member of the elite Eskimo Scouts during World War II, looked at me and said, “Where we go?” “Nome, Isaac.” “Hokay.” Then while the world was going insane, Isaac walked up the long string of dogs and knelt down and talked to his lead dog. Then he started back toward the sled. “30 seconds,” said the p.a. system. Isaac got back to the sled and stood on the runners. He was ready. I had to ask. “Why did you go up to the lead dog, Isaac?” “He don’t know where we go, so I tell him.” “Zero!” said the announcer. Dog and sled holders pulled away from the team just like a gantry releases a rocket, and Isaac Okleasik shot out of sight down the trail. He must have given his leader good directions, because 1,100 miles later, Isaac was in Nome. And on the fi rst Saturday of every March since then, I say a little prayer for the dogs and the men and women on trail on that long, cold camping trip. It’s lonely and quiet out there … and it’s a very long way to Nome.

Brought to you by Dogsled, A True Tale of the North. Now a Kindle ebook.

Janice Thomas came in the Mule Barn for breakfast the other day, and sat at the counter for the fi rst time. She usually gets one of the tables, or a booth against the wall. We were kinda fl attered that she’d come sit with us, but wondered why. After all, this high school art teacher never has been one to sit down and solve the world’s problems, the way we do. She didn’t keep us waiting long, though. “Boys,” she said, “I have a deer pointer.” She let the silence pounce heavily on our sweet rolls while we pondered this. “A what?” Doc said. “A deer pointer. You want deer, you just let ol’ Woof out and you’ll fi nd ‘em.” “Woof, eh?” “Yes. He’s that new dog I got after that Lab of mine died. I’ve had Woof for about six months now. He’s half bird dog and half heeler and he points deer.” We looked at each other and grinned. When it comes to telling stories at this particular lunch counter, the fi rst liar doesn’t stand a chance. “Points ‘em you say?” “Locks right up. Steady to wing and shot.” “This I have to see,” Dud said. So after coffee we all went out to Janice’s place while she turned this little dog out into the wood lot. He ran here and there and then froze into a perfect fi eld-trial point. We walked up quietly and sure enough, there was a doe standing about 40 yards away. We’d never seen anything like it. “When I got him,” Janice explained, “he thought he’d herd deer, with that sheep dog blood he has in him. Well, the fi rst time he tried that, some doe just kicked the puddin’ out of him. His tail didn’t work right for a week. “So now he’s switched over to the other half of his heritage and points ‘em. He’s found that works out a lot better for him.” She grinned. “And no … you can’t borrow him this fall.”

Brought to you by A Cowboy’s Guide to Packing the Backyard Horse. Now a Kindle ebook.


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