The last time we were out hiking, I saw these on a cactus and pointed them out to my kids (who were all complaining about being tired and hungry and thirsty). “Yeah, right Mom. I don’t think so!” So when I saw them on sale at the local grocery, 4 for $1, I couldn’t resist proving my point. They are edible! Butterfly, Jon and Echo loved them and ate theirs up in a matter of seconds. This last one has been waiting on the counter for the big kids but so far, no takers. I guess the need to prove my point is no match for the teenage will. *Although I should mention that when I cut this and took the pictures, Bleu did sneak in for a bite. “Not bad.”

More information on the prickly pear cactus fruit here!

Now that we {finally} have Netflix, I’m watching a lot of movies rather than tv. I’d heard that The Burning Plain was partially filmed in and around Las Cruces so I added it to my queue. The movie was okay, but you should rent it just for the scenery. Seriously, half of the movie is right in my backyard and it shows the area beautifully. The Organ Mountains are in the background as the young actors bond in the desert. You can even see the rocks of La Cueva crouching near the bottom of the screen. There are a lot of views of the desert, creosote adding just a touch of color to the landscape.  It felt like home, maybe because it is!

One scene was shot in the Kmart where I get my medicine. And outside, you could see the Chinese restaurant that Mike and I eat at sometimes. The last time we ate there, I read in the paper that it was shut down for health violations later that afternoon. I didn’t even care. The crab rangoon was that good! Anyway, it was nice to see a little local locale on the screen.  Warning: this is not a kid appropriate movie. There are  some sex scenes, nudity and one instance of self-mutilation (cutting).

It isn’t often that I’m blown away by local photos. Don’t get me wrong… I love Las Cruces. I love New Mexico. But when I’m looking at ‘local photography’ it seems very cliche with lots of purple mountains, big moons and windmills.They are all nice enough and I’ve taken plenty of those sorts of shots myself, but it falls flat. Where is the spirit, the humor, the gritty every day stuff that makes this place so wonderful?

Remember my Goodbye 2008 post where I lamented the loss of local landmarks? My sister gave me a note card with a photo of Balderas Appliances on Picacho before the hand-lettered signs were painted over with an awful purple. I loved the card and took a look at the website on the back: Robert Kaiser Photography.  It’s hard to explain, but each of his photos captures something real.  None of them feel staged or contrived. There is a celebration of the human spirit in his photography that makes the world seem a little smaller. It was inspiring, especially the travel section.

Saturday I stopped at the Farmer’s Market to see some of his work in person. He and his wife were both very kind and took the time to visit with me about the changes Las Cruces has seen over the past year. This card [see photo above] reminded me of another local spot that is no longer. I used to drive past this building every day when I took my daughter to school. Then, without warning, it was gone. How wonderful to find it again in an unexpected way.

Get your own card here.

Gas prices have risen a bit in the last week or so. The Las Cruces Sun News had a front page story on the hike: “About midday Wednesday, motorists could only stand and watch as the price of gas climbed from $1.29 to $1.46 at Sav-O-Mat, on El Paseo. The station typically charges among the lowest prices in Las Cruces.” [More] I won’t pretend to understand everything behind the rise and fall of gas prices. Politics and money make my head hurt. What I do know is that I’m thankful for the gas prices, even if they are a little higher. I’ll gladly pay $1.49 [the price today] rather than the $4.00 of a few months ago!

Perspective is a funny thing. There is a gas station that is closed and the prices read around $2.00. When gas was double that amount, I would drive by and laugh, “It must be closed with that price!” Now that gas is fifty cents less, I do the same thing but for a different reason.

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” Marcus Aurelius

Check the price of gas around New Mexico at NewMexicoGasPrices.com!
Gas on flickr: set | slideshow

Mayfield vs. Las Cruces
Tonight is the night. The two teams will meet in one of the biggest football games of the year. In case you think I am exaggerating, Rivals.com has ranked the match up as one of the top ten in the country. Last year, 27,000 people showed up for the game. That is twenty seven THOUSAND people. For a high school football game.

Mike and I took Mikal Jade to an assembly at the high school yesterday. The coach recognized the cross country teams. The fact that the girls took district for the third year in a row and the boys won for the first time in 25 years didn’t impress the crowd. The skit featuring the football moms dancing to hip hop in the football uniforms brought the house down! One recurring theme of the day was that 9th place is not good enough. Twenty seven thousand people? Not good enough.

We won’t be there to support the Trojans because we’ll be in Albuquerque, cheering on Mia as she tries to break the top ten at state. You can bet that the whole cross country team will be crowded around the computer in the lobby though, watching the game online.

Cross Country Update
Mia is leaving today to compete in the state tournament on Saturday. On Sunday, all three girls were supposed to run in the New Mexico Junior Olympic Cross Country Championships. If they qualify for regionals, they will advance to the Region X meet the following weekend.  If they do well, Nationals will be in Virginia on December 13th. Unfortunately, Mica won’t be able to participate. She was running to a group of friends yesterday when a boy tripped her. On purpose. We spent three hours in the emergency room and now her badly sprained and very swollen ankle is sporting a brace. She also has crutches. Bummer.

Juarez
On a more serious note, the violence in Juarez is escalating. Juarez shares the border with El Paso and is a little less than an hour’s drive from here. There is a drug war going on and the gangs are running wild. On October 24, four men were shot in a crowded amusement park. The same day, a businessman who led a protest against kidnapping and extortion was gunned down. On Tuesday, a man was killed and hung from bars on a window next to a school. He was wearing a pig mask and a sign warning the Aztecas [a local gang] was posted near the body. It was discovered by kids on their way to school. On Wednesday, a man who had been shot drove himself to the hospital. While in the ER, two men came in and shot him to death. There were thirteen rounds found at the scene. Yesterday, a man was beheaded and hung from an overpass. Crazy scary.

The presidential campaigns are focusing on New Mexico this weekend and locals have a lot of options. I would encourage you to attend one of the rallies on Saturday.  New Mexico will hear from Hillary Clinton [Sunland Park], John McCain [Mesilla] and Barack Obama [Albuquerque].  Click on the extended entry for specific details.
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