Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
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It's a trending item on the Internet, the wealthy New Mexican who reportedly hid several million dollars worth of gold somewhere in the wilds of our fair state. Suffering from cancer at the time, the elderly gent is now happily cancer free, but has no plans to recoup the gold, nor to tell anyone where it is. The mystery remains to be solved, and the prize claimed, by the person or persons who unravel the clues. It seems like a child's fantasy game, but this is the real thing, and it branches into the subject of buried and... Full story
Sometimes it pays to listen to the radio in the car. Being a serious Sirius aficionado, I usually do not tune in to regular broadcasts. Perhaps, as I discovered while using my wife's car to move items, I should listen more often. Had I not done so, I would not have heard the NPR story about 1,200 cars being set on fire in France on New Year's Eve. Apparently this is kind of an annual frolic which some French have adopted in recent years; welcome a new year, burn a car. I wonder how they celebrated the millennium?? It's appare... Full story
T he season between Thanksgiving and Epiphany, which roughly defines the holiday season, seems to bring out both the best and the worst. Needless to say, I'm not writing of the shopping mall in Oregon or the Newtown school shootings; those are too horrific and macabre to fit into any pattern of sanity. What I refer to are acts which fit into the spectrum of normalcy, yet seem to reflect both the highest and the lowest in human behavior. On the lower end of the spectrum are people who do, as someone actually did to us, and...
It's almost impossible to wrap one's mind around the tragedy that took place in Connecticut several weeks ago, or the mall shooting which preceded that event by only a few days. It seems doubly impossible because, in our mythological Christmas context, events like that are not supposed to intrude on this particular season. The reality is that they do. In numerous times and numerous places, reality has intruded an ugly self into our celebratory atmosphere. In truth, the original Nativity ushered in the Slaughter of the...
For those of you seeking a really radical approach to the Christmas holiday season this year, you might want to check out " The Advent Conspiracy." No, this is not an expose' of some plot by the Church to freeze life for four weeks while we await the celebration of the Lord's birth. Nor is it a conspiracy theory reframing the events of the first Advent (meaning: awaiting) as if there were some plot hatched by shepherds and carpenters in first century Judea. "Worship fully. Spend less. Give more. Love all." So goes one of the...
The gift that keeps on giving ... every gift begins with Kaye's ... the store for all your holiday needs....the slogans just keep on hitting us at this time of year, don't they? Sure, I've altered some of the words used, but you get the idea. For the good news in this week's column, we want to focus on the truth behind your gift giving. Why do you give, and how do you select the appropriate gift? Small business Saturday may have been a good place to start. Though the day itself is past, the businesses which are featured...
This time of year, being both fall and the prelude to Thanksgiving, reminds me of what that season is like back in my home state. This remembrance is enhanced by the chance to go deer hunting last weekend; in Pennsylvania, the day after Thanksgiving was the opening day for whitetails. The story moves from that opening into my real point today, which concerns a legendary buck I encountered while living in northeast Ohio. That event happened more than 20 years ago, but given the fact that legends never die, he could still be...
There are moments when one wonders exactly what goes through the mind of another person, or more accurately group of persons, to cause them to act in the way that they do. Such a moment is almost bound to occur, when we as a nation have a presidential election, which of course happens once in four years, conjoined with Veterans Day. As a lifestyles columnist, it isn't my place or forte to address political issues; such addressing is only tangential to my focus. This column, however, concerns being a military veteran; it is... Full story
The purpose of this column is, on occasion, to call attention to local events and happenings. For a few years, recently, Pintores Art League held an annual fall auction for the purpose of fundraising, scholarship building and just plain community pride. It is a joy to say that the auction and social event has returned. Without further comment, at this point, I will borrow from the thorough explanation given by the president, the Rev. Scott Blazek: "After a hiatus, the Pintores Art League would like to host once again their...
October is domestic violence prevention month, and brings to awareness possibly the most heart wrenching aspect of reality that we can ever encounter. Regular readers of this column, over the years, know that it's no secret what this columnist thinks of domestic abusers, or how they should be dealt with, so I won't go into that again. The stark truth is, domestic abuse will not disappear until we start calling it out into the open and dealing with it instead of turning a blind eye to its existence. Pretending it doesn't... Full story
The season of football homecomings is upon us. Most of us have some misty watercolor memories of events which revolve around homecomings past. It's a good time to share some memories and remind ourselves that the magic, though it dims, never really fades away. Whether that's good or bad, remains to be seen. Memory Lane opens up, as we approach Homecoming Week at the school where I teach. Senior year was the year we should not have played Monongahela. We should have gotten a clue when Coach Kasimankas moved Bechtold and I up...
The regular readers of this column will, I think, attest to the fact that I am anything but pessimistic, or its close relative, cynical. That being said, the recent flap over the missed call by substitute referees during the past Monday's football game, and the resultant furor which arose, point to several things which are greatly amiss in our society, at least in my opinion. The referee's strike, in the first place, is a root problem, or a sign of a root problem, in our society. Apparently the dispute over retirement... Full story
T his is one of those columns that will, ever so blatantly, encourage you to go out and make a difference-this time, in the life of an animal. Shuster the dog is about to celebrate his first birthday. Shuster is the inseparable companion of my granddaughter who lives with us, Mikayla, age 8. Shuster is small, and obviously bright (having learned, in addition to his basics, tricks such as "fetch, roll over, speak," and working on "shake hands.") The key to his training success lies in the fact that he loves being part of a... Full story
It may seem unimportant, in an election year with political rallies going on for several weeks, but last weekend, this writer was able to cross another line on his bucket list. A bucket list, for those who did not see the movie, is a list of things you would like to do before you turn in your keys, kick the bucket, or, in plain terms, die. In this case, the desired activity was to hike up Pike's Peak all the way to the summit. All 14,100 plus feet. All 13 miles, which would not be so far except for the 14,100 feet aspect. Fro...
As we've plunged headlong into another football season, I can't help but wonder at my own tendency to find it hard to get interested in any sport, even those I enjoy watching, until we are approaching the time when the games seem to matter more. Even in July, when everyone from my native area knew that the Pittsburgh Pirates were in a battle for first place, I was unaware of it until someone got us some tickets during our trip home. Conjunctively, I can't tell you whether they are still in that running. Perhaps it's a...
Walking along the new walking trail, off of Prince Street, we heard an odd, high pitched call, repeated several times. The time was twilight, and the shadows were deepening. Looking up into the wooded area, we saw a form which seemed to be the reason for the yapping sound, which was being repeated. Janice thought that it might be a peacock, perhaps owned by one of the families whose land borders the Goodwin Trail. Personally, I thought it had a little too much personality for a peacock, whose mechanical mewing you can hear at...
Walking along the new walking trail, off of Prince Street, we heard an odd, high pitched call, repeated several times. The time was twilight, and the shadows were deepening. Looking up into the wooded area, we saw a form which seemed to be the reason for the yapping sound, which was being repeated. Janice thought that it might be a peacock, perhaps owned by one of the families whose land borders the Goodwin Trail. Personally, I thought it had a little too much personality for a peacock, whose mechanical mewing you can hear at...
Last week, this column broached the idea of silent children, the children who, emotionally, disappear or become invisible in a number of ways. They are physically present, but are discounted to the point where they are, for all intents and purposes, "gone." This week leads me to deal with another serious subject, also in the realm of child abuse, related to one of my least understandable aspects of modern life, the question of why so many people are fascinated with reality TV. Somewhere in the rural areas of Georgia, a very l...
Last week, this column broached the idea of silent children, the children who, emotionally, disappear or become invisible in a number of ways. They are physically present, but are discounted to the point where they are, for all intents and purposes, "gone." This week leads me to deal with another serious subject, also in the realm of child abuse, related to one of my least understandable aspects of modern life, the question of why so many people are fascinated with reality TV. Somewhere in the rural areas of Georgia, a very l... Full story
I cannot remember the title of the video. It is, however, a video which our superintendent mentioned the other day during our in service preparation for a new school year. Perhaps I cannot remember it because the concept sounded both intriguing and horrific. I will warn you, and re-warn myself, that she also said this video did not have a happy ending. I am placing that warning before all of us — myself and you who are reading — because I am fairly sure that I will end up finding a copy of the video. I told you it was int...
I cannot remember the title of the video. It is, however, a video which our superintendent mentioned the other day during our in service preparation for a new school year. Perhaps I cannot remember it because the concept sounded both intriguing and horrific. I will warn you, and re-warn myself, that she also said this video did not have a happy ending. I am placing that warning before all of us — myself and you who are reading — because I am fairly sure that I will end up finding a copy of the video. I told you it was int...
Among the fall weekend attractions which occur yearly, there are some which we enjoy doing when we can, meaning every several years. Maybe given unlimited budget, it would be every year, but that doesn't exist. I'm not including hunting season, because only one of us in the Davis family cares much about that. All events are, as a disclaimer, kid-friendly. How long has it been since you... Went to the Balloon Fiesta? It's a photographer's dream — or nightmare, if you are OCD and try to take in every great photo opportunity t...
Among the fall weekend attractions which occur yearly, there are some which we enjoy doing when we can, meaning every several years. Maybe given unlimited budget, it would be every year, but that doesn't exist. I'm not including hunting season, because only one of us in the Davis family cares much about that. All events are, as a disclaimer, kid-friendly. How long has it been since you... Went to the Balloon Fiesta? It's a photographer's dream — or nightmare, if you are OCD and try to take in every great photo opportunity t...
So the late and sorely missed Chris Ledoux extolled the virtues of one of the highlights of many small town and rural areas — the county fair. From Montana to the Florida grasslands, from northern California to rural Maine, small towns everywhere can appreciate the primacy in late summer/ early fall of the county fair. Speaking of making you fall in love, this year's Curry County Fair, being held the week of Aug. 13, will bring back a singer who was a guest at the old Clovis Country Music Festival in 1998: Rick Trevino w... Full story
So the late and sorely missed Chris Ledoux extolled the virtues of one of the highlights of many small town and rural areas — the county fair. From Montana to the Florida grasslands, from northern California to rural Maine, small towns everywhere can appreciate the primacy in late summer/ early fall of the county fair. Speaking of making you fall in love, this year's Curry County Fair, being held the week of Aug. 13, will bring back a singer who was a guest at the old Clovis Country Music Festival in 1998: Rick Trevino w...
