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Cloudcroft Online Newsletter #33
November 10, 2000
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Dear Subscriber:

It was three or four days after my cerebral hemorrhage in May
of 1999 before I was capable of putting together any organized
thought. Because of the trauma and the drugs, I wasn't very
functional.

Then Easy came along.

Peggy bought Easy in the hospital gift shop. He's a little
stuffed puppy that Peg brought to my ICU bed soon after my
emergency surgery. That dog and I became inseparable. During
the long, lonely times between family visits in those early
days of my recovery, Easy and I would talk. I did most of the
talking, but Easy was a good listener. The nurses (God Bless
'em) treated Easy like a living, breathing Man's Best Friend
and respected our relationship. Even at the age of 50 a person
needs something to hang on to in times of adversity. Peggy
knew that right off. Everybody else figured it out in a hurry.

I wish I could take credit for naming the little guy, but in
fact his name was sewn to the back of his head.

Easy lifted my spirits. He did his part in bringing me back
from the haze of semiconsciousness and, eventually, back to
lucidity and a stabilized control of my faculties again.

Easy sits atop the towel chest in my bathroom now. I look at
him and wink every morning when I reach for the hot water
handle in preparation for my shave. On not-so-great mornings
I'll pick him up and hold him.

What a dog. Doesn't eat much. He never wakes me up in the
middle of the night wanting to go outside.

I was talking to Andy Hospidar last week. Andy is a neighbor,
a friend and a volunteer paramedic. He's one of the guys that
saved my chili in May of '99 when I had my hemorrhage.

He told me he had attended a meeting in Alamogordo earlier this
week and a lady approached him. She thanked him for his
professionalism and true sense of caring when he was a part of
a team that worked an accident she was involved in near the
tunnel on Highway 82 near Alamo.

There were six children involved in the accident. All six
made it through OK, but she wanted to thank Andy and the rest
of the crew also for the stuffed animals they gave the kids at
the scene of the accident. Andy told me it was a custom of
theirs. It gave scared children something to hold on to.

I thought at the time that we're all children when we're
scared.

Andy told me he noticed their supply of stuffed animals was
running low at the ambulance station and he asked if I would
mention to Cloudcroft Online readers that they could really use
their help in re-stocking the toys. They'll take any stuffed
animals you might have laying around the house that are in
reasonably good shape.

Easy and I hope you can help. Andy would appreciate it too.

You can contact Andy at andyj@zianet.com.

Don Vanlandingham
Cloudcroft.com

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER
2. VILLAGE POLITICS
3. INSIDE THE SHOP -- EAGLE RANCH
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- MUSEUM OF THE HORSE
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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The Cloudcroft area was plunged into a winter wonderland early
in the week. Brief power outages and hazardous driving
conditions accompanied the sudden visit by the Snow Guy. On
election day it was an act of bravery and patriotism that record
numbers of locals got out in the snow, ice and wind to cast their
ballot. The wooden floor of the community building was almost
water-logged from all the melted snow from voters' rubber boots.
That old floor has seen a lot of melted snow before.

Since there has been a severe lack of sunshine, highs have been
reaching only into the 30s. Over night lows are in the upper
teens lately.
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VILLAGE POLITICS
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Who you gonna call?

In a village council meeting last month the discussion turned to
the serious problem of municipal water loss through breaks and
leaks in the water pipes.

The council was told there's a company that will come into town
and for a thousand dollars a day, gas money and a place to sleep
they'll seek out the leaks.

Village staff is looking into the feasibility of hiring the leak
busters.
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- EAGLE RANCH PESTACHIO GROVES
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Located on Highway 54/70 between Alamogordo and Tularosa. Daily
tours of the facility's fields, processing plant and shipping
packaging center. Walking tours. Wheelchair accessible.
1-800-432-0999.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- MUSEUM OF THE HORSE
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One of the country's most complete exhibits of old west horse-
related equipment, including a large display of all kinds of
horse-drawn conveyances. Near Ruidoso Downs about 45 minutes
from Cloudcroft.
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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - Can you access the Internet from Cloudcroft without paying
a long distance phone charge?

A - When we first moved to the village area 5 years ago, there
was no local net service. Now there's plenty. There is a local
ISP (Internet Service Provider) and several available in
Alamogordo (which is also a local call). It has resulted in a
mini-boom of net related home-based businesses in these
mountains.
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COMING EVENTS
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November 24, 25 -- CLOC Melodrama. Thanksgiving performance.
Zenith Park Pavilion.

December 2, 3 and 9, 10 -- Town of Bethlehem reenactment.
Sacramento Methodist Assembly.

December 12 -- Cloudcroft School District bond election.

December 16 -- Cloudcroft Pet Parade. 2 pm, Burro Avenue

December 16 -- Santa Town. Zenith Park.

December 23 -- Caroling in the Clouds. Lantern-lit caroling
from Burro Avenue to the Museum beginning at 4 pm.

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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:

With all the politics going on this year, my wife and I were
wondering if some of the--how can I say this politically
correct--people with more life experiences than others--feel
about this year's snowfall? I know with the election coming up,
and the school issue coming up, probably haven't heard one way
or the other. But at this time of year if you ask a Democrat,
they would respond, "Well, if George Bush gets elected, there
won't be any snow." A Republican response would be similar.
So maybe you should wait and let us know after the election.

I can almost guarantee this, though, whoever wins, we won't
see any appreciable amount of snow in El Paso. So thanks for
the newsletter. Take care and be safe.

Your friends from El Paso,
David and Deane Burks

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Dear Newsletter:

Don, regarding your comment about beans taking 22 hours to
cook. A couple of years ago we ran into the same problem. A
friend of ours told us about the Nordicware "tender cooker".
This is a pressure cooker for the microwave that only builds
10 lbs of pressure (hence the name TENder cooker, I guess). At
any rate, my wife and I thought she was kidding. After calling
several stores I was about to call it a hoax, but decided to
call Nordicware direct. They sell this item through the factory
only.

We couldn't wait to get to CC to try it out. It really does
work, we had pintos in about 45 minutes. True you may have to
finish them off stovetop, but we're talking about an hour and
fifteen minutes tops. We liked it so much that we gave several
to our friends in CC. By the way I have no interest in
Nordicware, I'm in the health insurance business, but this
appliance is great. 

Bob Hemperley

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Dear Newsletter:

You can count me among the many others who joyously read your
newsletter. I also find it refreshing that there is nothing more
controversial in it than which way the toilet paper should roll.
Cloudcroft is the place to get back in touch with nature, the
place to find peace and relaxation, the place to meet nice
people and make good friends. Controversy can easily be found
on TV, radio, newspapers, computers, etc., and that's enough
for me.

I recently bought land in Waterfall, and am looking forward to
the day I start building a home on it. I would like to hear
from others who have done the same and would like to share
their experiences, good and/or bad, and who could give me some
tips on what pitfalls to avoid.

My email address is ********.

Thank you.
M. Watson
Plano, TX

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Dear Newsletter:

I love your newsletter...it keeps me in touch with that country 
I love until I can return to our place on Maverick. But I must
poke fun at your gremlins in the type: surely you meant to
write "...Kiwanis President Joe Halbig (among others!) who
pointed out my mistake" rather than "...Kiwanis President Joe
Halbig (among others!) that pointed out my mistake." These darn
gremlins; they always want to have the last word!!!

Smiles,
J. Hungerford
Houston, Texas (when I'm not on Maverick in Cloudcroft!) 

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Dear Newsletter:

To begin, I simply love receiving my newsletter from Cloudcroft
each week. It has been 20 years since I have been able to come
to Cloudcroft, but I visit there often via computer and memories.

When my family visited there all those years ago, the bears
would come out of the mountains and forage to the dumpground.
People could go there and watch. I'm sure the old dump is gone
by now...what about the bears? I spent many enjoyable hours and
days in your village, and hope to return this next summer.

Thank you for the newsletter. 

Sincerely,
L. Woerner
Brady, Texas

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Dear Newsletter:

My husband and I are from Belen, NM and have bought a
retirement/summer home in Robin Hood Estates. This past Sunday
evening when we left Robin Hood it was drizzling. By the time
we got to James Canyon Fire Station it was sleeting, by the
time we past the ski area it was snowing, and soon after that,
we were in a blizzard.

Being Valley people, we are not use to driving in snow, plus
the visibility was very bad. So to our horror, we began to
slide back and forth and finally ended up off on the other
side of the road in a ditch against a sign post. We thought,
"Oh no, we are stuck here for the night."

But no; 1, 2, and then 3 people stopped to see if they could
help. One got chains from his truck and planned to pull us
out of the ditch with his 4-wheel drive, when out from the
blizzard came a Village snow plow. I was figuring that he
would go by covering us with more wet snow. But no, the snow
plow stopped and then pulled up in front of us and motioned
the other fellas to put the chains on the plow and proceeded
to pull us out.

When we were righted on the road, they all drove off before we
could say "Thank You." So here it is: thanks to the guy with
the 4-wheel drive and his brother, and the guy with the chains
and, of course, Big Dog.

Thank you from Forrest and Irene Hobbs (and no I don't think
Cloudcroft people are snobs or stuck up).

Irene Hobbs

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