Welcome to a potpourri of fun! On this page you’ll find the latest comics by Jari Thymian, a motivational quote, a crossword puzzle contest, and whatever else we decide to throw in here. Be sure to check back for the latest!
- Earth Corner – With Pat Walsh
- Star Stories – by Kelly Ricks
- Riding the Santa Fe Trail – by Laura Brewer
- Every Day Should be Earth Day – Editorial by Laura Brewer
- Frank Mahannah – Gallery
- Exploring Climax Canyon by Mauricio Meneses
- Madi’s Kitchen
- Quotes & Riddles
Quotes & Riddles
Earth Corner – With Pat Walsh
The Best Gift May Be An Experience!
Posted December 1, 2024
I’m ashamed when I remember the first Christmas I shared with my first husband.
He gave me a silly poster with a chimpanzee on it, and a colorful clay wind chime. That was all. He was younger than me and still in college, while I was working as a foreign correspondent. He came from a middle-class family in Costa Rica, where one present per person was the norm.
Meanwhile, I was raised by older parents who enjoyed spoiling me. When I was a kid, Christmas mornings meant ripping open seemingly endless, brightly colored packages. So I was very disappointed that Christmas with my then-husband, and I showed it.
That was about four decades ago. Since then, I’ve become more concerned about our home planet, and I’ve reframed my idea of a good Christmas. While my current husband and I may exchange a couple small gifts, my favorite present to receive is a gift certificate for a full-body massage from a local massage therapist.
Back when we got married, two like-minded friends gave us a great wedding present: a gift certificate to our favorite bed and breakfast in Taos. “You couldn’t have given us anything better!” I told them.
Recently, I was tickled by a neighbor who gave her young daughter tickets to a Billie Eilish concert for her birthday. I thought to myself, Yes, that’s the way to do it!
Gift restaurant meals are another way to go. In other words, an experience rather than a thing.
And if buying things is still on the agenda, consider these ways to be kind to Mother Earth and often save money at the same time.
Books, music, and even cell phones and computers, can often be found used or refurbished at a good price online. Where possible, I tend to favor choices from Goodwill stores across the country. Interested in vinyl albums? Our local Heirloom Shop store on First Street has many vintage options—not to mention yummy treats!
If you’re looking for something new, consider products by local artisans. Carrie’s Honey and More store on Second Street offers beautiful beeswax candles and honey. Several locations in downtown Raton (including a new one!) sell pottery and art from local artists.
Locally made is the way to go when possible. Imported stuff uses fossil fuels to get here.
But say you’re looking for a new kitchen appliance or something similar. I have strange advice: pay for the most expensive version you can afford. Why? Because usually a higher price means better quality, which means the item will last longer.
I wish I had been kinder on that Christmas with my first husband. Because when I think about what really makes me happy and gives me a sense of wellbeing, it boils down to good meals and hikes and conversations with loved ones and friends. And a good massage, of course!
Editor’s note: the author received no payments from businesses mentioned in this column.
Star Stories – by Kelly Ricks
A New Constellation?
Posted December 14, 2024
When days are short and temps are low it’s hard to step away from the fireplace, put down the steaming cup of cocoa, pull on a coat, hat, and gloves, and go outside. It’s even harder to do all that when it’s dark. But as we approach another Winter Solstice it’s worth remembering actress Mae West’s encouraging words, “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it.” So let’s don that winter gear and head out to enjoy the stars…you can even bring that steaming cup of cocoa if you want.
One good thing about winter’s long nights is you don’t have to stay up late to enjoy a beautiful starry sky. With late December sunsets around 4:45 PM, you can even squeeze in some stargazing before dinner. This month we have two bright planets to look for right after sunset: Venus is impossible to miss in the southwest while Jupiter, only slightly dimmer, is rising in the east. If you have a telescope or good pair of binoculars, zoom in on Jupiter to see four of its moons stretched out in a line beside it. As twilight deepens, you’ll notice a reddish star appear to the right of Jupiter. This is Aldebaran, an old red-giant, whose name means “The Follower” in Arabic. What is Aldebaran following? To find out, you’ll have to let it get a bit darker…might be a good time to refresh that cocoa.
When I was a kid, we were driving to see my grandparents in North Dakota. It was a late night in Montana’s Big Sky Country and I was mesmerized by the uncountable number of stars I could see out my window. A fuzzy patch of light caught my eye. When I looked right at it, the fuzziness instantly resolved into a cluster of 6 tiny stars. Fascinating! The only patterns of stars I knew at that time were the Big Dipper, and Orion’s Belt. This new bunch of stars reminded me a lot of the Dipper, but much, MUCH smaller. Certain that I had discovered a new constellation, I named it the “Itsy-bitsy-teeny-weenie-yellow-polka-dot-bikini Dipper.” Cheer if you still remember that song!
Years later, I learned that “my constellation” was in fact a group of stars that has been much admired all over the world and carries many names. Have you ever wondered about Subaru’s starry logo? Subaru means “unity” in Japanese and is what my Itsy-Bitsy Dipper is called in Japan. In Hawaii the stars are Makaliʻi (Little Eyes). In Wales: Tŵr Tewdws (Heap of Stars). The Berbers in the northern Sahara call them Cat iheḍ (Daughters of the Night). Many indigenous cultures around the world tell stories of women turned to stars after being chased by animals or dishonorable men, and in Greek mythology, these “Seven Sisters” are still fleeing from Orion the hunter.
In astronomical nomenclature this little group of stars is called the “Pleiades Cluster.” They are young: barely toddlers at about 100-million years old. Born together in a vast cloud of gas and dust, they drift through the galaxy and slowly separate over time as gravity and orbital dynamics lure them apart. In deep-sky photos you’ll see them surrounded by whisps of nebulosity that reflect and scatter their light in alluring shades of blue. This month (around 6:00 pm) you’ll see them hovering in the east above Jupiter and Aldebaran: the “Follower” star. If you’ve still got your binoculars handy, zoom in on that Itsy-bitsy “Dipper” and you’ll see that Aldebaran is following not “Seven Sisters,” but several dozen!
Stay warm fellow stargazers!
Other cool late-December stuff:
- Winter Solstice (longest night): December 21st
- Saturn: visible high in the south about an hour after sunset
- Mars: from Raton, look for it in the east above Johnson Mesa around 8:30 pm—very red/orange
- Milky Way: arcing high overhead from west to east (brightest in the west)
- Quadrantid Meteor Shower: start watching during the last week of December. Peak = January 2 – 3. Meteors appear to radiate from an area near the handle of the Big Dipper, but can be seen anywhere in the sky. Rate: about 120 per hour.
Included photo file: “Pleiades Star Cluster.” Public Domain. Credit: NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory
Help our Earth – Editorial by Laura Brewer
Every day should be Earth Day, but officially we celebrate in the U.S. on Monday, April 22, 2024. Below is a graphic of some of the things one can do to help our Earth.
Posted December 15, 2024 – Provided by Laura Brewer
Madi’s Kitchen
Ambrosia Salad and Fruit Turkey
Two of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving are a fruit turkey and ambrosia salad, both of which are delicious and full to the brim the with fruit! And not much is better than fresh fruit—other than fresh fruit, and whipped cream! You can make ambrosia salad with canned pineapples and mandarin oranges, but it’s way better with fresh, plus then the fruit isn’t slimy (I can’t stand slimy fruit!)
In Greek mythology, ambrosia was the name for the food of the gods, believed to grant immortality. While the ambrosia salad of today won’t make you immortal, it does feel a bit divine with its dreamy blend of fruit and cream. Called many things, including Waltenberg Salad, this dish first appeared in print in 1867 in the cookbook Dixie Cookery: The Practical Cookbook for Southern Housekeepers. The original recipe was simple, just three lines long, and had only a few ingredients: pulped oranges, grated coconut, and sugar.
Over time, it evolved, adding in ingredients considered exciting and new that came along with the newly built railroads connecting to Florida—the orange growing capital of the United States! The Iron Horses also brought coconuts all across the US, giant fruits that originally came from South America. While these ingredients aren’t as unique or adventurous nowadays—we can find them at Super Save–in post-Civil War America these were exotic foods. And in the 1880s, the introduction of pineapple to the dish made the dish even more exotic and interesting. This was around the same time that cream was added to the recipe, probably to balance out the tanginess of the pineapple! By the early 20th century, ambrosia had become a hit, boosted further by the invention of marshmallow whip in the 1920s. Not long after perfecting it, Philadelphia-based confectionery Stephen F. Whitman & Son paid food columnists to subtly advertise their new marshmallow whip! The company received rave reviews from trusted sources and soon, recipes that included this new marshmallow whip ingredient started appearing in the newspapers.
Home cooks enthusiastically added this fluffy sweetener to their recipes, and later innovations like Cool Whip in 1966 cemented ambrosia salad, almost 100 years after its origin, as the quintessential American sweet salad. Cool Whip, an alternative to homemade whipped cream, had a flavor all of its own and quickly became a foundation for the super sweet “salads” of the time. It was the perfect ingredient for ambrosia salad, and through the 1980s and 1990s could be found as a staple in many southern and midwestern households. Despite its heyday in the mid-20th century, ambrosia salad has since fallen out of favor—perhaps because its once-exotic ingredients now seem every-day ordinary, and its humble, creamy appearance doesn’t shine in the Instagram age.
Honestly, it’s not the best for photos; it’s a blobby little bowl of fruit and whip cream. Very yummy, but not an up-vote-worthy photograph. However, I truly believe ambrosia will get its own comeback story one day—considering, after all, that it is a VERY delicious bowl of fruit and cream. And for those of us who cherish traditional tastes over trends, this 150 year old living recipe for ambrosia salad is a delicious way to connect with culinary history.
If you like to buck trends, however—this recipe is also perfect! You can use it to fill the base of a “fruit turkey,” a vegetarian-friendly turkey-themed centerpiece complete with fruit skewer “tail feathers” that I make every year for Thanksgiving. It’s charming for kids and adults alike, and a good way to lighten up a table that can otherwise get sort of heavy!
Ambrosia Salad Recipe Ingredients
1 cup frozen whipped topping (thawed) or freshly made whipped cream
½ cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/3 cups (11 oz can) mandarin orange segments, drained
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained
1 ½ cups mini marshmallows
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the whipped topping and yogurt until smooth.
- Gently fold in the coconut, oranges, pineapple, cherries, marshmallows, and pecans, if using.
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Fruit Turkey Recipe
This edible centerpiece is as fun to make as it is to eat! Use the suggested fruits or customize the recipe with your favorites.
Ingredients
•1 honeydew melon
•1 apple
•1 large strawberry
•2 blueberries
•Assorted fruits for skewers (e.g., strawberries, pineapple chunks, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Instructions
- Prepare the Base: Slice a small piece off the bottom of the honeydew so it sits flat. Cut a circle at the top, as you would for a pumpkin, and set the “lid” aside. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller, reserving the fruit for later.
- Make the Tail Feathers: Thread assorted fruits onto skewers, alternating colors for a festive look.
- Assemble the Head: Use a toothpick to attach the strawberry (as the turkey’s beak) and two blueberries (as eyes) to the apple. Secure the apple to the front of the honeydew with another toothpick.
- Fill and Decorate: Fill the hollow honeydew with the reserved fruit and any extra fruits—or the ambrosia salad recipe, above! Replace the lid and insert the fruit skewers into the back to form the turkey’s tail feathers.
- Serve: Scoop fruit salad from the center or grab a skewer for easy snacking.
Exploring Climax Canyon by Mauricio Meneses
Artist Mauricio Meneses (D’MAU) is creating videos highlighting sights in and around New Mexico. Visit his YouTube channel to see more. Click on the image below to go to the YouTube video.
