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
- Find the Differences
- Frank Mahannah – Gallery
- Exploring Climax Canyon by Mauricio Meneses
- Madi’s Kitchen
- Quotes & Riddles
Quotes & Riddles
Earth Corner – With Pat Walsh
Ice Free and Dog Friendly!
January 2025
As I and others can testify, slipping and falling on ice is no fun. One second you’re on your feet, and the next you’re flat on your back wondering what happened.
Here in Raton, winter ice often appears on sidewalks, roads and trails, especially after it snows. The snow melts under the daytime sun, only to freeze overnight. Then, the question for businesses and public places becomes how to prevent dangerous falls.
Recently, Laura Brewer – editor of The Ratonian – noticed piles of rock salt and ice melt on the sidewalk in front of our post office. The ice was long gone, but the rock salt and ice melt remained. She called my guy to see if we could help. We swept up the residue, later returning it to the post office for more careful re-use.
So why did we bother?
Rock salt and ice melt have many downsides. At the post office, we could already see how these products were staining and pitting the sidewalk. But we also knew that the stuff would eventually wash into nearby soil, threatening the trees and shrubs planted there.
In addition, “these chemicals can also go down storm drains and seep into the water supply,” according to earthfriendlytips.com. “Not only can this pollute the water, but it can also harm aquatic life.”
As if that weren’t enough, earthfriendlytips.com adds, “Unfortunately, conventional ice melts not only have a terrible environmental impact, but they can also make our pets sick,” Best Eco-Friendly Ice Melt (Pet Friendly, Too!) – Earth Friendly Tips
The Humane Society of the United States says, “Rock salt and other chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate the pads of your pet’s feet. Wipe all paws with a damp towel before your pet licks them and irritates their mouth.” Five ways to protect pets in winter | The Humane Society of the United States
This is also a problem if a small child tries to eat the rock salt or snow melt.
Fortunately, I discovered there are more earth-friendly choices out there. One uses sugar beets! They may be more expensive than regular ice melt and rock salt, but I’m hoping your conscience will be your guide.
Here are some options listed by Earthfriendlytips.com: Organic Melt Granular Ice Melt (made with sugar beets), and two products made with magnesium chloride from the Dead Sea: Sunday Pet Safe Ice Melt and Green Gobbler Pet Safe Ice Melt. Others listed include Safe Paw Salt-Free Ice Melt; Ecos Ice Melt; Natural Rapport Pet Friendly Ice Melt; and Northern Salt North Pro Nature Sub Zero Deicer.
So go forth and keep your sidewalks ice-free and planet friendly!
Star Stories – by Kelly Ricks
Playing Peekaboo with Mars
Posted January 3, 2025
Day after day we watch the sun rise and set: east to west…east to west…east to west. We watch the stars, planets, and moon rise and set: east to west…east to west…east to west. We see the sky this way because the Earth spins on its axis once per day in the opposite direction: west to east. Imagine driving from Raton to Clayton: when you come up over 19-mile hill you see Capulin Volcano appear on the eastern horizon. Then as you drive past it, the volcano recedes to the west—east to west—because you are driving west to east.
But over the course of a month, season, or year, the planets, our Moon, and our Sun actually appear to cross the sky from west to east: the opposite of what we see in a single day and night. From above, objects in our solar system orbit the sun in a counter-clockwise motion, and over long periods of time the steps of that cosmic dance come into focus.
This is easiest to notice with the moon. In the first week of this new year you may have seen the crescent moon and bright planet Venus close together right after sunset. Every night after that the moon moves further and further to the east of Venus, rising about 50 minutes later every day. On January 13th the full moon will rise at the same time the sun sets, and then 50 minutes later the next day, and the next…moving further east until it rises just before the morning sun as New Moon approaches on January 29th.
But there is a special event in this first month of 2025. The west-to-east motion of the moon will be on full display as it appears to go right over the top of Mars. This visibly red planet will disappear behind one side of the moon and then reemerge on the other exactly one hour later…peek-a-boo!
If it’s a clear sky on Monday, January 13th, go outside at 6:45 pm. You’ll see Mars (bright and noticeably orange) extremely close below the full moon. You can easily watch with your eyes alone, or pull out some binoculars or a small telescope for an even better view. The moon will get closer and closer to Mars until it “gobbles up” the planet at 6:54 pm. Mars will peek into view again on the moon’s opposite side at 7:54 pm. Watch for a while longer and you’ll see the moon continue its eastward orbit as it moves further and further past Mars.
This event—one celestial object appearing to move in front of another—is called an “occultation.” It’s relatively uncommon for the moon to occult another planet, and this time will be extra spectacular because Mars will also be as close to Earth as it gets. If you do have a telescope, you may even be able to see Mars’ icy north pole: a bright white cap against its rusty orange landscape. What a sight! Let’s hope for good clear skies!
Other things to watch for this month:
- Close pairing (conjunction) of Venus and Saturn January 16 – 19.
- Though the shower’s peak is between January 2 – 3, we’ll continue to see Quadrantid Meteors through January 16th.
- The sun will be at peak activity through 2025 and more aroura (northern lights) events are possible in our area. Up to the minute aurora forecasts can be found at www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/aurora-30-minute-forecast and many Aurora Forecast apps are available for smart phones.
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
See additional recipes on Madi’s Kitchen page
BOBA DRINKS
Posted January 12, 2025
Boba is one of my favorite drinks! It is nice and refreshing to drink and can be made in a variety of flavors from tea to smoothies. The Boba pearls can also be purchased in a variety of sizes and flavors. There are small Boba pearls, big Boba pearls, popping Boba, jelly Boba, clear Boba, and many other varieties.
One can use any type of drink for the recipe, Boba tastes delicious with a wide variety of drinks. Try different flavors and figure out which one you like best!
Over the years, Boba has become extremely popular from its Instagram-worthy photos and delicious taste. It’s become a booming business. The flavors were previously made with cheap powders that could quickly be put together for a customer. The business is now more expensive with tons of different flavors and freshly grown tea leaves and flavor combinations one might see only in dreams. It has become a competitive business just trying to keep shops running. Even places like Starbucks sell Boba.
When we still lived in Arizona, there was a place that sold Boba close to our house. We sometimes went there to get some Boba or something to eat. The walls had beautiful paintings on them. People could even put up a painting or a sticker or something on them. It was always so pretty, and I loved going there. I have a lot of fun memories from there. The shop was called The Street, and it was just a cozy and nice spot to get a Boba or some Ramen before we went back home.
It’s still open to this day. It was also pretty close to the International Market, which has all sorts of amazing stuff, like mochi or sugarcane. I also loved going there and getting to see all the different kinds of fruits and vegetables. Some I’ve never seen before!
When it was close to the Lunar New Year, they’d have all of those decorations in the store, which was super cool, all the lanterns with the animal on them and every Lunar New Year theywould have a dragon dance with a big dragon, which was so cool to see.
I hope you enjoy this week’s recipe, and I hope I can keep doing this for a long time. Enjoy!
Boba Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups Boba pearls
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- water
Instructions
- Fill a large pot (the Boba needs to be able to move around so they don’t stick together) about 1/2 to 2/3 full of water. Bring the water to a boil. Give it a stir and pour the Boba pearls in.
- They should float to the surface within the first 30-45 seconds. If they don’t float you may have a bad batch or you may not have allowed the water to boil all the way before adding the Boba pearls.
- Allow the Boba to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Remove the pot from the heat and place a lid on top. Allow the Boba to cook covered for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Strain the Boba from the water and pour it into a bowl or other container. Add just enough cold water to cover the pearls. Stir in 1/4 cup brown sugar to sweeten the Boba. Allow it to cool before adding to drinks.
Find the Differences
Find the five differences in the two images above.
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.
