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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #201
February 13, 2004
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Dear Subscriber:

I had a brain aneurysm in 1999.

Outstanding emergency care and a genius of a brain surgeon not
only saved my life, they were instrumental in helping me retain
enough intellect to know which end of the fork to hold.

That was almost 5 years ago. During that time Peggy has been
my champion. Putting up with my bad moods and prodding me to
stay active both physically and mentally and not allowing me to
use my malady as an excuse for not doing anything.

We never talk about "The Big A" but since Alzheimer's disease
gets a lot of press lately I think it's a subject that is never
far from American consciousness.

Doctors didn't tell me after my brain attack that I was any more
or less susceptible to Alzheimer's than anyone else, but it WAS
a brain attack and Alzheimer's has become front and center as
one of the scariest brain malfunctions we know of.

For that reason, I think my memory is an issue lurking just
below the surface of my family's thoughts. It's probably talked
about among them when I'm not around, but paranoia is said to
be a bi-product of Alzheimer's so disregard what I just said.

I know Peggy is concerned about my memory because she uses the
word "remember" a lot.

"Peg, have you seen my reading glasses?"

"Remember? You were wearing them last night while reading in
bed."

"They're not on the night stand."

"Remember? You usually put them in the nick nack basket on
the bureau when you're through reading."

"They're not in the nick nack basket."

"Remember? When you get up in the morning you usually take
your reading glasses out of the nick nack basket and take
them into the bathroom with you. Which reminds me, the hot
water handle on the bathroom sink is loose. Can you fix that?"

"Have you seen the screwdriver lately?"

"Remember? I moved all the household tools from the upper right
hand kitchen drawer right of the dishwasher to the lower left
hand drawer right of the stove. Did you find it?"

"No, but I found my reading glasses."

The experts say your short-term memory is the first to go when
Alzheimer's creeps into your life. It's that fact that has the
over-50s crowd a little shook up.

Fact is, EVERYBODY forgets things, no matter what their age,
but when you're over 50, forgetting where you put your car keys
is not considered a natural lapse of memory but an indictment.
Today, the keys. Tomorrow, your address.

I've had first hand experience with memory loss. My uncle and
aunt had it. My dad had it. They say it runs in families which
doesn't put Peggy any more at ease when I can't remember where
my glasses are.

Memory loss is no laughing matter but I wonder if forgetfulness
can't be at least impeded by keeping physically and mentally
active.

Engage in discussions of topics of interest with friends and
family...especially topics you may disagree on. Debate of
viewpoints stimulates the ole gray matter. Read about things
that interest you and if your retention of that information
escapes you, take notes and study them. That's not a sign of
feeble mindedness. College students do it all the time. Get
into the habit of making lists of things you want to remember.
Don't be afraid to say "I don't remember". It happens to
everybody, young and old.

That's not just MY advice. It's the advice of experts who have
written books on the subject whose names escape me at the
moment.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE NEWS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- CASA MANANA
4. CLOUDCROFT ON LINE SPOTLIGHT -- MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
5. Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
6. COMING EVENTS
7. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
8. CONTACT INFORMATION
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LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
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Cold temperatures have served to maintain a good snow base
around the village but no new snow in the past week.

Highs near 40. Lows in the teens.
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VILLAGE NEWS
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A lack of snow has led to the problem of frozen water lines and
water meters in the village and in private water systems in
other parts of the Sacramentos.

Snow acts as an insulator from cold weather for water systems
in the winter. Snows have been light this year. The snows of
the last two weeks have helped the problem.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- CASA MANANA
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Enjoy the beauty of Cloudcroft in this cozy rental. Located 4
miles from Cloudcroft next to Spring Mountain Restaurant and
Trading Post, it features a queen bed in the loft and a double
fulton in the living room below. There is a fully equipped
kitchen, wood burning stove and picnic area. Two night minimum
($90 for two, $125 for four), pets welcome, adults only. Stay 7
nights and get one night free!

For more information call (505) 682-4550.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT --NM MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
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http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/nmmnh/nmmnh.html

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - What television channels can be received "off the air" in
Cloudcroft?

A - The answer to that depends literally on where you live.
While some residents are able to receive weak signals from El
Paso and Albuquerque stations, others are unable to receive
signals with any consistency unless they're hooked up to cable
or satellite service. It has to do with topography or something.
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COMING EVENTS
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February 20-22 -- Cloudcroft Mardi Gras.

March 3 -- High Noon Book Discussion Club, Cloudcroft Library.
Noon. The book being discussed is Atonement by Ian McEwan.

April 10 -- Easter Egg Hunt and Easter Bonnet Parade

May 8 -- Old Timer's Reunion

May 29, 30 -- Mayfest

June 18, 19, 20 -- Western Roundup

July 10, 11 -- July Jamboree

October 2, 3 -- Oktoberfest

Cloudcroft Art Society meets the second Sunday of each month,
2-4pm, in the Old Red Brick School House. Call (505) 682-3004
for more information and details on the Cloudcroft Summer Art
Workshops. The Cloudcroft Art Society will not be meeting in
December or January. The next meeting will be the first Sunday
at 2pm in February.

Cox Canyon Volunteer Fire and Rescue is organizing an
auxiliary unit. If you would like to help support this group
of dedicated men and women, call 682-3084, 682-4664, 682-3719
or 682-3234.

Would you like to help deliver meals to the homebound around
Cloudcroft? Monday through Friday deliveries. Call the
Cloudcroft Senior Center at (505)-682-3022. For information on
other Senior Center services, see their web site, listed on the
Cloudcroft.com Links button.

http://www.cloudcroft.com/links.htm

Mountain Garden Club meets every third Monday of each month.
Call (505) 682-2910 for more information.

Senior Van from Timberon to Alamogordo leaves the Timberon
Lodge promptly at 8:30 every Tuesday morning.

Free Vitals Clinic. Cloudcroft Senior Citizens Center, every
Wednesday. High Rolls Senior Citizens Center, first Thursday
of each month.

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For an online calendar of area events, click the Events Calendar
link in the left column of our home page:

http://www.cloudcroft.com/index.html

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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Dear Newsletter:

Don, well, congratulations on writing 200 newsletters. That's
a great fete. I enjoy your articles and hope you are enjoying
good health. 

Thanks,
Cheryl Steinle
Morton, Texas 

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Dear Newsletter:

I am going to be brief with this. If all you have to write
about is the dog you have that licks you in the face each
morning, I request that you remove my name from your mailing
list as I am sure I can find better things to read.

Boatie Boatenhamer

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Dear Newsletter:

One more vote for keeping Cloudcroft as much "as is" as
possible -- certainly with no chains! I've been coming there
since 1958 and I stay where there is no phone, no TV, no
newspaper unless I want to go out and get one. I want to see the
stars, hear the silence, and smell the pines/firs/woodsmoke. 
 
If I want lights, noise, pollution, traffic, Walmarts, and
chain restaurants out the kazoo, I'll stay home! Which is not
to say I'd live anywhere but Austin, because in addition to
the above, there's also incredible music of all kinds, the
university, good live theatre, great people, and of course, the
wonderful hill country. 
 
Sandy Woods
Austin, Texas

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Dear Newsletter:

I read all the letters and comments about the village and how
important it is to keep it small and quaint.

I guess one never really realizes how important it is until
one is at an age where "the way things used to be" becomes
important. Growing up in Carlsbad, my family often visited
Cloudcroft in the 50's. We enjoyed picnicking in the woods,
shopping a little, and visiting the historic Lodge.

It is a really good feeling to go there today and realize
everything is pretty much the same as it was back then! When
we bought our 1st property in Cox Canyon, we never considered
Ruidoso, or any other mountain community that was over-run
with commercial ventures. We are happy that our "little piece
of heaven" is the way it was.

Sarah Keith,
Carlsbad 

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Dear Newsletter:

Thank you Don, for your time spent writing the newsletter. We
look forward to your news and short stories. We have property
in the area and have been enjoying Cloudcroft for 16 years.
 
Yes, we know that the town needs growth to survive, but please
let us not spoil what drew us to Cloudcroft in the first place.
Chains like Blockbuster, IHOP, Waffle house are not synonymous
with small, quaint, family friendly village. A village should
have family owned businesses who sincerely care about their
patrons.
 
No skating rink? Unthinkable!
 
We have wondered why the ski area has not had development. Rooms,
cafe, handcrafted items for shops are great ideas. Hopefully,
the structures would continue the theme of Cloudcroft proper.
 
We also live in S.A., Tx, but I visit Cloudcroft to get away
from traffic, fast food and strip shopping on every corner. I
want small town atmosphere, friendly shopkeepers, black skies
filled with a million stars, mountain views without houses.
Everyone loved the Hill Country north of San Antonio so much
that it is no longer recognizable. Few trees are left to
provide cool summer breezes. There is only houses, businesses
and concrete. Shame on urban developers. 
 
I pray the Council find solutions we all can embrace.
 
Lonesome dove

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Dear Newsletter:

My husband & I just returned from a very quick trip to
Cloudcroft. We arrived Saturday afternoon and departed Monday
afternoon. No matter the length of the visit - it was simply
wonderful because it was Cloudcroft and because we were
celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary! The snow was
beautiful, and the site of the village nestled in white
splendor was absolutely delightful!

We hiked from our rental cabin down to the Chamber of Commerce
and tromped through knee-deep snow. Along the way, we perched
our digital camera and took timed photos so we could both be
in the picture. It was a glorious, albeit short, time for us
as we reflected on our 30 years together so far. We have been
soooo blessed!

While in Cloudcroft, we again set about the business of house
hunting in anticipation of a possible retirement move in the
future. Whether or not we actually realize that dream is in
God's hands, of course, but we trust He will allow this desire
of our hearts to become reality in the near future. If not,
that's okay, too - even short visits to Cloudcroft are respites
from busy lives in our hurry-burly world. Whether or not we
actually get to make a permanent move or simply continue to
enjoy long vacations and short getaways, we treasure each and
every moment we're in Cloudcroft!

Thanks for the weekly newsletters - they keep us entertained
and informed! We've also subscribed to the monthly newsletter
that is published in Cloudcroft, so we're keeping up with as
much as we can from a distance.

As mentioned in the local Cloudcroft news reports, there is
much talk about "growing" Cloudcroft. We trust that all the
leaders in the Village will truly seek what is best for the
overall welfare of Cloudcroft and all the heritage of past
generations - both residents and visitors alike. We pray that
those who have the decision-making power will use wisdom in all
things relevant to Cloudcroft.

God bless you!

J&J Dalton
Fort Worth, TX

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Dear Newsletter:

I was born in New Mexico and spent much of my “growing up”
years in Ruidoso and Cloudcroft. My grandparents traveled
around those mountains in a Conestoga wagon with 11 children
and settled in Hope and finally in Carlsbad.

My family holds our reunions near Cloudcroft every year. I was
married to an Army helicopter pilot, and raised my children
all over the world, but my heart always knew where my roots
were – the Sacramento Mountains.

I settled in Ruidoso some years back and opened a shop, I
struggled with trying to keep the doors open when the race
track was closed and ski season was over, like everyone else.
I worked other jobs on the side to keep my shop going. I loved
every moment of it.

Then the West Coasters started moving in and buying up the
property – because property is so expensive where they come
from, they could get a lot more “bang for the buck” and
therefore the prices were driven up so high that the normal
person could no longer hold on.

Then the franchises followed – the need to have city amenities
available to those that moved to the small quiet village to
get away from all of the same amenities that closed in on them
in the first place. Now, does that make any sense? 

At any rate, I had to sell out and move away from my mountain –
like so many other struggling shop owners. I have been left
with a huge hole in my heart and an ache in my sole for the
peaceful little village that it once was.

Don’t let that happen to Cloudcroft, my two tiny little lots in
Cloud Country West and the knowledge that my family’s reunion
will bring me back each summer, is my saving grace – a place
that one can come to wash their souls in natures true gifts and
get reacquainted once again with our God and my maker.

Patricia Baxter
Austin, Tx

PS: I work for The University of Texas in Austin, surrounded
by the golden arches, waffle houses, drive-thru diners, etc.
and I drove 19 miles last night to have dinner with friends at
a little family owned café – I drive at least that distance
every day to work then back home - which by the way, is not an
unusual distance to drive in a larger city – for any daily
routine. So...Cloudcroft to Alamogordo is how far...?

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Dear Newsletter:

Regarding the question about auto safety inspections:

For many years we had brake and light inspections with a
sticker on the inside of the windshield, drivers side. These
inspections were good for 3 months and the stickers were
different colors so patrolmen could spot them.

It turned out to be a rip off as most of the inspection stations
were auto dealers and service stations, and all they cared about
was collecting the $1 fee, very few autos were really inspected.

I don't remember just when they were stopped, I think sometime
in the 1970's. As Don said, you can be ticketed for safety
equipment in need of repair. However in most cases, a tail light
or turn signal not working will get you stopped, and a verbal
warning issued. 
 
Dick Trone 
Carlsbad, NM

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