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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE NEWSLETTER #85
November 23, 2001
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Dear Subscriber:

We are about to wade into that netherworld known as "The
Holidays."

The beginning of the season is usually marked in the US by
Thanksgiving. The end comes after New Year's, but the bills
associated with "The Holidays" often keep coming well past The
4th of July.

Peggy has put up her lights. The power company loves Peggy.

I like the holiday TV specials and the eggnog, but all in all,
the holidays often fall short of expectations. That's because
we tend to expect more than is realistically possible in the
way of peace on earth and good will toward men. Maybe we should
set the bar a little lower, like letting the other guy have the
right-of-way at a 4-way stop and dropping that lawsuit against
the vacuum cleaner salesman.

This year even Santa Claus is getting the shaft. The US Postal
Service says due to the anthrax scare, any letters addressed to
Santa with lumpy contents will be "held back". That means no
raisins or peanut brittle or frosted pretzels in the fat guy's
envelope this year.

We've had several calls asking if there will be snow in
Cloudcroft this Christmas. I usually tell them I'm not sure
since the horizontal hold has gone out on my crystal ball. I
try to be philosophical and say Christmas will be Christmas
whether or not there is any precipitation, but that thought is
lost on people that just bought a thousand dollars worth of ski
equipment.

Seriously, I hope your holiday season turns out just like you
hoped it would.

It may not be like the Christmas Jimmy Stewart had in the movie
"It's a Wonderful Life," but who would want that many rowdy
people in their living room anyway?

While we're on the subject...how did Jimmy get such a big tree
in such a small house?

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 -- HIGH MOUNTAIN SIGNS
4. CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NEW MEXICO AGRICULTURE
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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It's wintertime in the Sacramentos. The snow of the past week
is melted, but it was snow while it lasted. Temperatures are
ranging from the low-40s to overnight lows in the 20s.

Judging from the doggy tracks on the living room carpet, there's
still a good amount of moisture on the ground.
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VILLAGE NEWS
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The village holiday lighting contest is on. There will be a
business and residential division. Judging will be on the 15th
of December. If you would like to enter, contact the Chamber of
Commerce (505-682-2733).
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INSIDE THE SHOP -- HIGH MOUNTAIN SIGNS
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High-quality signs. Hand painted to specs dictated by the
Village of Cloudcroft. Small or large. Painted locally.
Delivery in 7 days or less. Cost less than the others. Call
(505) 682-3234 or (888) 543-3600 (toll free) or email
Cloudcroft2000@hotmail.com. Your business sign is the first
impression made by your business.
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CLOUDCROFT ONLINE SPOTLIGHT -- NEW MEXICO AGRICULTURE
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Agriculture is an important feature of the state's economy. For
more information, go to

http://www.nmmnh-abq.mus.nm.us/frm/frm.html

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Q AND A -- BECAUSE CLOUDCROFT ONLINE READERS WANT TO KNOW
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Q - Is the Checkerspot Butterfly really an endangered species?

A - It's a matter of semantics. The Checkerspot Butterfly is a
sub-species of a genus of butterfly called Euphydryas, one of
the largest and most successful butterfly families.

There are also hundreds of sub-species of birds, bees, fish,
etc.

Dozens of sub-species go into extinction yearly and new sub-
species are introduced. It's a part of nature.
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COMING EVENTS
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November 23 -- Santa Town. Zenith Park, 5-7pm. Refreshments,
bonfire, and games.

November 24 -- Late Night Shopping. 5-7pm.

November 30 -- Chamber of Commerce Banquet, Middle School.

December 1 -- Christmas Parade. Alamogordo, 6pm.
For more information, call (505) 437-6120.

December 2 -- First Baptist Church Open House. 5:30pm.

December 8 -- Pet Parade. Burro Avenue. 2pm.
For more information, call (505) 682-2733.

December 9 -- Cantata. Cloudcroft Baptist Church. 11am.
For more information, call (505) 682-2266.

December 12 -- Preschool Christmas Program.
Cloudcroft Methodist Church. 6pm.
For more information, call (505) 682-2266

December 15 -- Santa Town. Zenith Park, 5-7pm.

December 16 -- Community Cantata. "Do you Hear what I Hear"
Cloudcroft Methodist Church. 4pm.
For more information, call (505) 682-2266.

December 21 -- Santa Town. Zenith Park, 5-7pm.

December 21 -- Late Night Shopping. 5-7pm.

December 21, 22 -- Cloudcroft Light Opera Company. Free!
For more information, call (505) 682-3317.

December 22 -- Caroling in the Clouds. First Baptist Church.

December 22 -- Santa Town. Zenith Park, 5-7pm.

December 24 -- Christmas Eve Service.
Cloudcroft Methodist Church. 7pm.
For more information, call (505) 682-2266.

December 28 -- Cloudcroft Museum Open House. 6-9pm.

December 31 -- Torch Lighting Parade. Ski Cloudcroft
For more information, call (505) 682-2733.

Cloudcroft Art Society meets the first Sunday of each month,
2-4pm, in the Old Red Brick School House. There will NOT be a
meeting in December or January. The February 3 meeting subject
is "Perspective." Call (505) 682-2494 for more information.

Community Cantata practice meets at the High School Music
Room from 5:30-6:30pm every Tuesday. For more information
call Bob Myers at the high school.

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

If you have news of public events in the Cloudcroft area, email
us.

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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, each year Cloudcroft EMS does a program at Thanksgiving
and Christmas called "Home for the Holidays". On those days,
we offer to pick up and return relatives who live in nursing
homes in Alamogordo and take them to a relatives home near
Cloudcroft, for the day.

The service is for persons who can come home for the day, but
need to be transported by ambulance with EMS on board. A
Doctor's release is required and arrangements with CCEMS needs
to be made a few days in advance of the holiday for scheduling.

The service is free. You can contact Julie Winkles at the
Village Office for more info and to get copies of the Medical
Release for the doctor to sign.

I am back east in Washington DC for the month, but should be
home by 3 December.

As always,
Andy Hospodar

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Dear Newsletter:

Don, the reason your comments are so enjoyed is because you
write about personal happenings that nearly everyone can relate
to.

I pulled up the website on the Biodiversity Activist #287. Scary
what these people are doing. Hope they don't find out the
farmers of Texas are trying to eradicate the boll weevil. They
would probably declare the boll weevil an endangered species.
There goes the cotton crop.

Raining today and heavy overcast. You are right on! It is a
"six pack day"!

Archie Scott
Levelland, TX.

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Dear Newsletter:

I just read this week's issue of the newsletter. Go ahead and
rub it in why don’t ya? I long for a whole string of “six pack
days”; I think that is called a vacation. But then again it has
been so long since I had one, I am not sure.

I, too, am sitting by my window in Lubbock, Texas watching the
much-needed rain, that is unless you are a farmer, and freezing
trying to figure out how to start the fire. So Peg should
consider herself lucky that she has a fireplace monitor.

We hope to visit Cloudcroft soon so hold on to the snow! Happy
Holidays!!

Paulia Treadwell
Lubbock, Texas

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Dear Newsletter:

Went up today and it was a six sweatshirt day. I loved it,
though, for I come from Maine, and Cloudcroft has all the
beauty but none of the bugs; well at least the winged kind.

Great letter as always.

Dedrianne

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Dear Newsletter:

I greatly enjoy your newsletter, and every new issue I read
makes me want to be in the hills....

Just a quick question; years ago, I visited that area with my
parents and they were friends with a local Parks and Wildlife
Warden. Over the years, those contacts were lost. I was just
wondering if this gentlemen was still in that area? His name
was Mr. Roy Owens. Any information, would be appreciated.

Thank you.
Dolores Ball
Junction, Tx.

[We will pass on any information we receive on Mr. Owens.]

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Dear Newsletter:

Way to go Amy! Congrads on the diploma, and now on to your
future.

I have a 10-year-old daughter also interested in radiology.
She has been announcing for more than 2 years to anyone that 
will listen she will be a "Radiologist" when she grows up.
Then she goes on to tell you that means she will be a x-ray
doctor.

She is so interested in this profession that I truly believe
she will be a x-ray doctor, however, she has a few years to
possibly change her mind.

MissyLee
Central Texas 

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Dear Newsletter:

Never really thought I would be writing again so soon, but
reading the email about David Sanchez and his lovely wife, I
could not help but want to say we have had similar experiences
and we find them both to be totally fantastic people.

Beth and Andy Richey

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Dear Newsletter:

Hello again, I found something real disturbing the other day
in the Cloudcroft Monthly web site under the news section which
I am not sure quite everyone who needs to know, knows.

I believe it was titled, Locals Address State Game Commission.
Yes, that's right. Then there is the deal with saving the
Checkerspot Butterfly, and hey that's fine. But what are you
going to do: Shut down all traffic, lawn maintenance, breathing
and living; etc? The area needed is only 3% of the public lands
according to the Center for Biological Diversity and there's no
evidence that the planned activities will have much of an effect
on the butterfly, as Jerry from Alpine, TX stated. Then he said
doesn't anyone have any common sense any more, I totally agree
with you Jerry, just listen to this.

Now let's get started, about the common sense part of the
article in the Cloudcroft Monthly I started on in the beginning.
Hum as with the Center for Biological Diversity they must be part
of the same organization that made the so called Survey of the
Sacramento ELK population, let's see, weren't they the Range
Improvement Task Force. 

What common sense can come out of doubling the elk tags for
this year's season and taking the heard down to 1000 animals or
to none? I'll tell you for one, less or no Elk as that's what
these people are shooting for, that means more cattle grazing
areas on public lands.

If you read the article it's plain and simple to see, that way
you can make up your own decisions. But what it really amounts
to is the fact that you have a couple of people in two different
organizations that don't have the guts too tell the cattle
ranchers to build a fence if you don't like the Elk on your
land and that the easiest way to not have to deal with them is
to not have any Elk period, makes their job that much easier. 
Heck one man had to build fences around his land just to keep
the unwanted cows off of his land.

Another thing is if there were such good cattle ranchers in
this area then they would know not to run more cattle than
their land would support. The whole thing in a nut shell here
is that the public land should not be allowed to be used to
graze cattle. But in New Mexico it is and that is the main
problem and what needs to be eliminated. In other states with
an Elk population there are cattle ranchers but you don't hear
them whining about the elk and not enough grazing areas do you?
Cows, just an over sized goat that stays in one area at a time
and eats everything that's worth eating.

Read the article in the Cloudcroft Monthly and get fired up
over this maybe just maybe this slaughter can be stopped before
it's too late. Ask yourself what would you rather here the
pathetic moo of a cow or the Bugle of the Bull of the forest,
the ELK.

Enough for now, and oh yea I will be back with more opinions on
this one.

Ken

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