You have many options, and both of them suck.

By Zach Hively

We have less than a week until Tax Day here in the United States, which means it’s time for our annual set of Tax Preparation Options for our fellow procrastinators, ADHDers, and everyone else who also forgot about filing taxes until reading and/or writing this sentence.
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We have hardly any more time to put this off! So let’s get to it, right after we look at this historic print that is titled “The Moment of Imagination” but that we interpret as a man unable to free himself from his chambers until he finishes his taxes.

Option #1: PANIC and get those taxes finished just under the wire.

What wire? And why are we going under it? If it’s like a trip wire, which seems an apt metaphor for doing our taxes, isn’t it better to go over the wire, or around it, than to try and slip under it?
​
These are the sorts of questions we have spent the last several months researching. Meanwhile, other people we have known have spent weeks doing their taxes. Not in the sense of “spending five minutes a day each day for several weeks to get everything in order in a manageable and unobtrusive way.” No: we mean literal weeks.

​These people we have known might be breathing easier right about now. So what? The rest of us have had the freedom to enjoy ourselves since January. We may not have ACTUALLY enjoyed ourselves since January, because we do things like looking up the origins of “under the wire” instead of having fun. But at least anxiously distracting ourselves into inaction beats doing our taxes.

Until now. Now that we are down to single digits of days, we have little choice but to continue delaying until April 15, or maybe April 14 if we are feeling particularly plucky. Panic is how we get things done. Anything. Ever. At all.

And our taxes will get done in those final minutes, because they have to.

Option #2: PANIC and still don’t get those taxes anywhere near any wires.

Let’s be real. This option might be more attainable for many of us. Especially those of us choosing—magnanimously, if we may say so—to sit here and write option trees for our fellow overwhelmed Americans instead of, say, cleaning the shed or practicing any of our myriad other procrastination techniques.

Of note: You might think this Option #2 is more practical during this year’s tax season than during any other tax season so far. You might argue that, what with the IRS workforce about to be reduced by 20,000 staff members, your odds of getting away with executive dysfunctioning your taxes are higher than ever before.

We cannot endorse such arguments. You see, we are not, legally speaking, qualified to comment with any authority or knowledge on this subject.

So maybe you should not listen to us when we say that forgetting to file your taxes—which may well be a felony, even with a really good excuse—sounds like a perfectly reasonable outcome for you to reach on your own personal tax journey, independently and without any input on the matter from us.

And you should definitely not listen to us when we say that you might reach this result (on your own!) for a number of reasons, among them because you find yourself suddenly, unexpectedly, and vertiginously pro-IRS at the moment, or because you just can’t even manage to do the dishes let alone interpret the entire tax code at this late moment in the tax season.

Your decisions here are between you, your family, and your official tax professional. We cannot inject ourselves in that choice. Besides, we are not quite sure how we got to this point—we certainly didn’t set out to go anywhere we might be held culpable!—so let’s hurry on over to

Option #3: There is no Option #3.

There could be, and if we were a legitimate tax-advice-dispensing entity there would be. But those of us who delay preparing our taxes until we have one final afternoon to decide whether or not we are preparing our taxes this year are not the sort of people who need more options.

Rather, we are the sort of people who need a clear and limited set of simple options for our panic to decide between. Because let’s face it: Once we learn we can file for extensions, nothing is getting done around here no matter what we say.

​The almost annual Bondy yard sale is scheduled for Saturday May 17th and Sunday May 18th.

Vendors donate to Northern Youth Project to participate and we include an area of donated items where proceeds will go to that organization.   So clear out your clutter and set aside for this worthy project. 

Donations of items for NYP may be dropped off the prior weekend (May 10th and 11th) or setting up a time with us by emailing Carol Bondy at c[email protected]
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We are full up for vendors but if you want to participate and space opens up we’ll let you know. 

By Jessica Rath

​One of Abiquiú’s attractive aspects is the Rio Chama. When I still lived in Berkeley/California and I told my friends that I was planning to move to New Mexico, I was met with shocked disbelief: “What? You’re moving to the desert???” When, in fact, I ended up living right by this beautiful river. And a lake not far away. In the summer, people go swimming, kayaking, sailing, motorboating – and there’s one other exciting way to enjoy the Chama: river rafting. Going down the scenic canyon of the lower part of the river, between the Christ In The Desert Monastery and the Big Eddy take-out, people can enjoy a day of easy to moderate whitewater rafting, perfect for the whole family. New Wave Rafting offers trips on the Chama, and the owner, Britt Runyon, just got back from Roatan/Honduras where he spends the winter months as a scuba diver instructor. He kindly took the time to talk to me about his passion for everything related to water. In addition, he’s an accomplished photographer, you can find his work at brittrunyonimages.com and on Flickr.

Britt grew up on  a ranch in Texas and spent as much time as possible outdoors. He was about twelve years old when he took his first river trip: with the Boy Scouts, he explored the National Parks of Arkansas and Missouri, doing canoe trips. In the summers, he taught canoeing and white water techniques as a teenager.

He went to college, got a degree in nursing, and became a trauma nurse specialist which allowed him to work as a trauma nurse in the winter, and in the summers he could do rafting.

​“That's how it worked for the last  forty-something years,” Britt told me. “Except for my nursing career, which I did for about 20 years in the 80s and 90s, everything I've done in my life has to do with water. I was a lifeguard, belonged to a dive team, joined swim teams –whatever I did always had something to do with water. About 30 years ago, I became a scuba instructor. So, water again. For the past, oh, I don't know how many years, I spent the winter in the tropics, teaching scuba diving,
rescue diving, and things like that.”
​
Britt moved to New Mexico in the 1980s and started taking people rafting on the Rio Grande and the Rio Chama. He joined a company which was started by Steve and Kathy Miller in 1980 and when they eventually wanted to retire Britt bought the company from them and now runs New Wave Rafting which is currently in its 45th
year.

​“You must have been one of the earliest rafting companies in northern New Mexico,” I asked Britt.
​
“Yeah, Los Rios and Far Flung Adventures probably were the first. But we were part of the original three that started in 1980,” Britt told me. What an impressive legacy.

I’ve taken a few whitewater rafting trips, the first one in the early 1990s in northern California. When I looked at some of the pictures on New Wave Rafting’s website, I noticed the many safety features: there are handles on the rafts where people can hold on to when it gets quite rough, people wear helmets, wetsuits, and safety jackets. Except for the jackets this was all new to me. I asked Britt about this – are there any regulations?

“We bring in all the safety items that we can to ensure that people get back to their car safely and have a good time,” Britt explained. “Not all companies provide helmets or handles. It's not necessarily required by the Forest Service or the BLM. We belong to the New Mexico River Outfitters Association, which includes the seven companies that run this river. We have our own safety protocols, and we require the use of helmets at certain river levels for those that are in the association. It’s a really good, workable, cohesive group of outfitters that try and keep the standards here in New Mexico up with the standards that are being set across the nation or in Colorado and California.”

​Listening to Britt brought back memories of my first rafting trip, going down some really wild sections of whitewater. Trying to stay on the raft, not losing balance, and following the instructions that the guide shouted, required so much concentration that everything else fell away. I didn't remember my name anymore or who I was, and that intensity felt incredible. All one had to do was to be really in that one moment, and that was simply  fascinating. I asked Britt about this. His answer wasn’t surprising.

“For me, that's the beauty of the job. It's a cliche to say ‘If you love what you do for a living, you never work a day in your life’, right? Well, when I'm out there on the water the world goes away, and you're just in that moment with your guests, you get to know them and it's just all right there. There's nothing else happening anywhere else in your life. So, yeah, that's very true, especially for people who make a living out of guiding others, either climbing or rafting or whatever.”

“It helps me to be in the moment, to be right here, instead of worrying about some future problem. About 80% of the things we worry about never occur. So it helps free all that energy up and just be right here and dealing with what's happening at the moment.” Britt continued.  “I would say the majority of our people, when they step off the raft at the end, they've had an experience that has taken them out of their reality, and put them into the environment, right? And our commentary, what we talk about, can bring them to that spot as well. If you talk about what's happening with the water, for example. I teach my guides to try and educate people on water use or the problems we have with water these days. We’ve been here for something like forty years,and we  see the difference in the river compared to what it was forty years ago.”

Britt explained: “The snow pack is not as good as it was. So we're getting less snow, we're drying out a little, New Mexico is in a drought. I don't know how bad it is right now. And then there is the pollution of the river from runoff. There's no industry or anything dumping in either of the two rivers, the Chama or the Rio Grande, so they're fairly clean, but there is agricultural runoff. People are spraying pesticides and herbicides, and then when it runs off it goes into the rivers.  And that changes the quality of the water, and so I'm seeing less insects in the water. They're still there, but not in the numbers that we used to see in the 80s. With less aquatic bugs, you have less fish because they live on eating those bugs. There’s a decrease in water volumes and the quality of the water is changing, and that, of course, affects everything, the whole environment, people's health, and other animals. It is just so crucial.”

I never thought that river rafting could be an educational tool where people can learn about water and its effects on the environment. I was impressed.
​
“Every May 1, I teach a guide training program for people who want to just learn how to raft,” Britt continued.  “Some of them do it because they want to buy their own raft, and some of them do it because they want a job as a guide. The education of the public is huge in my program. Not only do you have to get them safely from point A to point B, you need to educate them about the environment, the outdoors, where they are – even geology! What’s that mountain made of? So for me in my group, education of the public is huge, because water, as we all know, water is life, and  so we're stewards for water.”
​
What a great attitude. How many people are working for you, how many guides do you have, I wanted to know.

​“Well, you know, it depends on the season,” Britt answered. “It ranges anywhere from ten guides to up to something like 25. Since the pandemic business has not been as good as it was pre pandemic, for whatever reason. But we are not a large company. We pride ourselves on being a small, boutique-ish kind of company.
​
We don't run big school buses. We run people in air conditioned vans. We try to provide a more personal touch than what they call cattle car companies, where they load up lots of people and ship them down there and then ship them back when they're done. We do smaller, more personal trips. During the pandemic we were even doing private trips where you could just have your own boat. And I've been doing that since then, where people have a family of four and they just want to float by themselves, and that's okay. I'm really focused on small family groups and providing a very personable, almost private, experience.”

I remembered  that the water level of the Chama wasn't always the same, because they would sometimes just turn the water off. During weekdays there was much less water in the river. How does that affect the rafting business, I asked Britt.

“Well, water is a commodity. That water in the canyon where we raft is owned by someone downstream. And so they regulate that water coming out of El Vado based on irrigation demands downstream. Twenty  years ago, I forget exactly how long ago it was, we couldn't  rely on water to be there when we were going to do a river trip. But now the Corps of Engineers regulates the dam. On certain weekends during the summer, they guarantee us what they call recreational water, and so they will release enough water for us to raft on Saturday and Sunday. But that's not the case with  the Rio Grande which is flowing all the time,  because there's no dams upstream.”

Next, I asked a silly question, which of the two rivers  is more popular? Where do you have more customers?

Britt answered patiently, and if I would have thought for a moment before asking, I should have known what he pointed out. “Well, the Rio Grande is probably the most popular because so many people are around the Taos area, like Red River and Angel Fire. Those are huge summer destinations. Also, the white water is better on the Rio Grande than it is on the Rio Chama. People want to experience the white water.

​The Chama is a very scenic river and it's got a few rapids on it. They're like class two, class three, which is moderate or easy to moderate. So it's a great family thing, or it’s for those who just want to experience the scenery.”

I remember that they offered two-day trips, and  they would camp somewhere overnight. Do you still do that, I asked Britt.

“We did this for around thirty years, and then we decided not to do overnight trips any more, and just offer half day and full day trips on both rivers," Britt explained.
​
“I find that the bigger you get, the less control you have over the quality of your business. Another reason, I don't like big companies with buses and stuff, and so bringing things down to two rivers just doing half days and full day trips, then you can stay in control of what you're providing. For a few years, back in the 90s, we had a permit in Colorado to go rafting up there, and so we did trips in Colorado as well. We had permits in Arizona to do trips. And so we were all scattered. It just wasn't working. We couldn’t keep our quality up to what we thought we should have. So we didn't. We stopped in Arizona, we stopped in Colorado, and so we just focus right here, so that we can actually stay on top of everything.”

Britt had mentioned  that in the winter when there isn't any rafting business in New Mexico, he is an instructor for scuba diving. I wanted to learn more about this, where does he go and what does he do?

​“There's an island called Roatán. It’s off the coast of Honduras, in Central America. That's where I've gone lately, but I've done scuba diving all over the world, just like I've rafted all over the world,” Britt told me. “For example, I went to Australia, to the Great Barrier Reef for scuba diving. I did most of my training in Australia, for my education for scuba, also around Thailand and Timor. It's called the Timor Sea. I worked on research vessels doing research work on what was happening with the coral, why the reefs were dying, some 20 years ago, that’s when I saw it happen. So now it's here. So I was kind of at the beginning of all the research to figure out why the coral was bleaching out.”

​​Britt told me about ways to help the dying coral reefs:

“Last winter on Roatan, I did a lot of what is called coral gardening, where we harvest it. You plant coral pieces in your little coral garden, and it grows, and then you replant it someplace else, but it's like spitting in the ocean. You wonder – what kind of effect does it have? Maybe I'm a little jaded, but it's just not enough, right?”

That's what I figured too when I read about the decline of tropical coral reefs and the warnings that the Great Barrier Reef near Australia is turning into a graveyard. But I'm sure it's a good thing to do, nevertheless.

Britt agreed. “It helps the person who's actually doing it, they feel good about themselves, doing their part for the environment. And that's so important.”
​
I could have listened much longer to Britt, I’m sure he has an endless supply of adventure stories he could share from his exciting life. What stayed with me most is his love for his work – he enjoys every moment of it. What a satisfying life. Thank you, Britt, for spending some time with me.

Courtesy of Jimmy Santiago Baca

Hi Folks,
 
We're thrilled to announce the latest updates for Jimmy Santiago Baca's 2025 Writers Retreat, promising an enriching and inspiring experience for all attendees. With a schedule packed with captivating workshops and performances, this retreat is an exceptional opportunity to enhance your writing skills and connect with a vibrant community of fellow writers.
 
For the first time, this retreat will be offered both in-person in Albuquerque and online through Zoom, allowing you to choose the format that best fits your needs. Whether you immerse yourself in the stunning landscapes of New Mexico or join us from the comfort of your home, you will have the chance to engage in transformative workshops led by acclaimed instructors.
 
We are excited to introduce our talented faculty:
 
Zach Hively – A poet and author known for his poetry collections, including Owl Poems and Desert Apocrypha, which earned the Reading the West Book Award. Zach has also written a humor column for over a decade and is the founder of Casa Urraca Press, focusing on New Mexican and Southwestern authors. He conducts writing workshops throughout the region and shares new work weekly on his website. Learn more at www.zachhively.com.
 
Hakim Bellamy – An artist and poet with a rich background in poetry slams, Hakim served as the Deputy Director for the City of Albuquerque Department of Arts & Culture. He is a national and regional Poetry Slam Champion and has published several acclaimed works, including the award-winning SWEAR. Hakim is also the co-creator of the multimedia Hip Hop theater production Urban Verbs and facilitates youth writing workshops across New Mexico. Visit his site at www.hakimbellamy.com.
 
Garland Thompson Jr. – A passionate storyteller and poet, Garland brings a unique blend of creativity to his work, drawing from his background in theater, film, and video. As a former Poet Laureate of Pacific Grove, California, he is dedicated to celebrating the power of language and storytelling. Through live performances, podcasts, and various writing mediums, Garland strives to inspire and connect with audiences. Discover more about him at www.garlandthompson.breezi.com.
 
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from Jimmy Santiago Baca and these incredible instructors. Whether you choose the in-person experience or the online retreat, we are eager to welcome you to this transformative journey. For further updates and details regarding the retreat, please visit our website.
 
Secure your spot for the retreat now, stay tuned for more updates, and be ready to embark on a transformative journey!
 
In-Person Registration
Zoom Registration
 
Yours in Poetry,

Jimmy Santiago Baca

Emergency Designation | New Mexico | Release Date April 08, 2025
Courtesy of the USDA Farm Service Agency

​This Secretarial natural disaster designation allows the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters through emergency loans. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance certain debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability. 

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, these counties suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season of 1) D2 Drought-Severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks or 2) D3 Drought-Extreme or D4 Drought-Exceptional.

Triggering Disaster #1

Impacted Area: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: 12/01/2025

Primary Counties Eligible:

• Utah: Beave and San Juan

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible:

• Arizona: Apache, Coconino, and Navajo
• Colorado: Dolores, Mesa, Montezuma, Montrose, and San Miguel
• Nevada: Lincoln
• New Mexico: San Juan
• Utah: Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Kane, Millard, Piute, Sevier, and Wayne

Triggering Disaster #2 

Impacted Area: New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah 

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: 12/01/2025

Primary Counties Eligible:  

• New Mexico: Rio Arriba, San Juan, and Socorro

​Contiguous Counties Also Eligible: 

• Arizona: Apache
• Colorado: Archuleta, Conejos, La Plata, and Montezuma
• New Mexico: Catron, Cibola, Lincoln, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Sandoval, Santa Fe, Sierra, Taos, Torrance, and Valencia
• Utah: San Juan 

Triggering Disaster #3 

Impacted Area: Colorado and New Mexico

Triggering Disaster: Drought (Fast-Track)

Application Deadline: 12/01/2025

Primary Counties Eligible:  

• Colorado: La Plata and Mineral

Contiguous Counties Also Eligible: 

• Colorado: Archuleta, Dolores, Hinsdale, Montezuma, Rio Grande, Saguache, and San Juan
• New Mexico: San Juan

More Resources
On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help you determine program or loan options. To file a Notice of Loss or to ask questions about available programs, contact your local  USDA Service Center.

By Laura Cockerille Giannini

When my husband Pete and I moved from Virginia to Abiquiu ten years ago, we bought a charming fixer-upper that hadn’t been lived in for over two years. So we inherited a bounty of wildlife that had made this sturdy house their home: birds galore; a large bull snake we came to dub ‘Toro’; a hive of native honeybees in our outside entry wall; woodpeckers nesting in the rafters (getting in through air vents along the eaves), waking us up each morn with their rat-a-tat-tat directly over our heads. I laughed aloud with our morning wake-up calls, but Pete growled: “That ain’t gonna’ last!” and out came the hardware cloth to cover the air vents over our eaves.

What we also inherited was what we came to learn was a collected bounty of brittle Russian thistle, along with puncture vines (evil goat heads  - another story, altogether) that grew profusely all the way to our front patio entry. My turn to say “That ain’t gonna’ last!” And, with leather gloves, we pulled the thistle and goat heads out, bagging them, and I vacuumed up the fierce seed that look like a Covid virus turned brown and hardened, making my own rat-a-tat-tat up the nozzle, as I ruined the vacuum cleaner. During our first month learning of desert living, we had hired the Ortega brothers – Paul and Vernon, out of Coyote – to put in a beautiful, rounded stone patio, surrounded by the Seagreen junipers a former owner had generously planted for privacy and as a windbreak. Now we would be able to stand outside our portal and enjoy the impossibly huge starscape above our heads, feet and legs protected.

In the East we are faced with a bounty of verdant hungry vines like honeysuckle and greenbriar, spread by birds, but we had never seen anything so invasive as tumbleweeds!! But Pete and I are workhorses and can envision what a property can be, not what it is at the moment, so we began reclaiming both the inside and outside of our 8-acre property we came to name Casa Paloma – a home of peace – after the mourning doves nesting in the juniper by our back patio.

When our spunky youngest daughter was tiny, she surprised me one day when I requested her to do something.  Chelsea piped up, claiming: “Mom, you are not the boss of me.” I laughed and assured her that until she was old enough to take responsibility for herself, that indeed, I was the ‘boss of her’. That story continues, but the gist of it is that in order to face the invasive species known as Russian thistle in your yard, gardens or fields, one must steel yourself for a steady battle ahead and become the boss of this plant. Your challenge will be mighty, as this weed – like ants, cockroaches, rats and flies – will outlive whatever mankind might do to destroy himself and our earth – but let me assure you, from our decade of experience, it can be done.

Origins of the dastardly tumbleweed in America:

“Salsola tragus”, the Latin name for Russian thistle, native to Eurasia, is believed to have been introduced in the 1870s in South Dakota by a shipment of contaminated flaxseed out of Russia. Being the extremely prolific invader that it is, it took hold and quickly spread throughout the Central and Western United States, including California, via railroads and waterways – and, of course, it’s infamous spreading of its wicked seeds, as it is tumbled by the winds. And, as we know only too well here in northern New Mexico, these opportunistic seeds can happily blow handily from one county to the next! I cannot stress this enough: The key to becoming the boss of this stubborn plant is to “Eat the elephant” (I would so much prefer another analogy), but start somewhere, anywhere, and keep working away until your thistle-load becomes smaller and smaller.

Thistle facts:

Russian thistle has several other monikers: It is also known, of course, as the iconic tumbleweed of many a western movie. Common saltwort is another name. One of my descriptive favorites is ‘wind witch’. I have also personally come to call it the ‘Putin plant’, from both its origins and its invasive habit of usurping everything around it and absolutely taking over, with no conscience, whatsoever. It is in the Amaranth family. A native North American species, Amaranthus albus, is not considered the ultra-invasive species that is Salsola tragus (as in tragedy, I do believe). One medium-sized mature thistle ball can develop a quarter-million seeds (!!!), as it matures into a large, dry plant in the fall, ready to loosen its moorings and rock and roll across the landscape, joyously spreading its progeny as she flies on by. Combine this ability to propagate with our exuberant winds of winter and spring, and well, you get the picture…

Seeds sprout in the spring, anytime as daytime temps reach 68 degrees consistently, with night-time temps around 40 degrees – as in right about now. I plucked our first just a day ago. The seeds (I happen to firmly believe) have a 110% germination rate and thrive in our arid, alkaline desert sands. Young tumbleweed seedlings looks quite a bit like a young aster plant. I am a gardener and have a hard time telling them apart, but am careful at this stage because I’m trying to naturalize the beautiful lavender and purple flowering asters on our property again. ***One telltale difference is that the young thistle has a purple or maroon stem. This plant is an annual, meaning each year seeds are its main means for replenishing itself. That said, I understand that it can also return from its roots, which would then make it a perennial (returning, unseeded, from the original plant). Our experience, however, is that pulling the weeds or ground-burning the plants will greatly reduce their reappearance.

Controlling the dastardly weed:

Plan A – Early growth. Once the Putin plant does germinate and grow it is a lacy-looking deep green seedling that quickly fills out. At this point, with the maroon stalk, it is easy to differentiate it from an aster and is easy to pluck out by its tender roots. Hint: After a rain is a good time to weed these (and goat heads), as the ground is much more forgiving. One might also wet the ground before weeding. When the plant is young, it may actually be grazed by livestock, as long as large quantities aren’t consumed. They flower in the early summer – a tiny lavender bloom – and if the larger plants are pulled by late June this will prevent the seeds from maturing later in the fall. But, note to the wise, the older the plant, the more prickly it becomes, so wear gloves! Pete and I are in Virginia during the summer and so hire a gardener to continue grooming/weeding our grounds. We return in the fall. (I could write yet another article on our adventures of finding a capable summer gardener, who actually recognizes Russian thistle, goat heads, pig amaranth and horse nettle – the big four weeds we try to eradicate each year. Last summer we had a terrific housekeeper who also wanted to garden and weed, but had not a clue how and later a high-testosterone young man with a large weedeater who crew-cut our field of beautiful mixed desert grasses we had nurtured, but left thistles and goat heads alive and well beneath the weedeater, to happily continue to grow laterally and seed themselves. His cluelessness and enthusiasm reminds me very much of Elon Musk’s wild-eyed chainsaw madness at CPAC.) Anyway… Because of the wonderful monsoon rains last summer allowing everything to grow and thrive, Pete and I had to make two ‘emergency weeding trips’ – I kid you not – to Casa Paloma from Virginia in 2024, to roll up our work sleeves and tame the land. This is how dedicated we are.

If one has not been diligent with hand-pulling young plants, or later getting a trowel or spading shovel under more mature ones of late summer, then the seeds will ripen and the tumbleweed will start to turn rigid and become browner, as it matures. At this point, usually by the time Pete and I return to Abiquiu in the fall to stay on, we resort to Plan B. That is to pull out the big guns and resort to fire.

Plan B. Basics on how to burn tumbleweed safely:

First of all, I want to emphasize safety. To properly burn in Rio Arriba County (or any other county you happen to live in), one must apply for a burn permit with the Fire Marshall. In Rio Arriba, the number is: 505-747-6367. Call to can get an application for open burns. Burns are allowed only on weekends (when the fire stations are staffed with more personnel) and are banned on holiday weekends, or when the Fire Marshall deems conditions unsafe for an open burn. Once you have a burn permit, you must call the designated number a half hour before you begin your burn, giving your name, address and the burn number on your permit. There are hefty penalties for those who do not comply. Still, even working with the Fire Marshall’s rules, common sense is required. Have a working hose active when burning; use any winds to your advantage; wet-down highly flammable plants (like chamisas, snakeweeds and tall grasses) you want to keep from scorching before the fire gets close. This way, you can burn right up to one of these plants and not hurt that which you value.

Tools required by the Fire Marshall and you will need for burning:

A working nozzle and hose long enough to reach the area(s) you want to burn. A propane ground-burning torch and propane tank, as well as a lighter of some sort, like a clicker or torch with built-in clicker (you might find this at Lowes or Harbor Freight). A shovel, heavy-duty rake and pitch fork are required, as well as heavy gloves to protect your hands, both from the fire and from the mature thistle’s nasty prickly seeds.

Pete and I are hardcore and very serious about our thistle management. Years ago we put up a permanent burn pen or corral, open to our predominant WSW winds off of Pedernal. We used 50’ of 2” x 4” dog-fencing wire, 4’ tall (5’ would be even better) with six steel stakes to anchor it. This way, we can gather tumbleweeds during the week and hold them here until we’re able to burn. Part of the 50’ of wire is a gate we can open or close as needed to contain the weeds (of any kind, actually). We use heavy juniper latillas or 2 x 4’s to secure the thistle from blowing over the fence, until we can burn. For smaller quantities of thistle, a burn barrel is great to torch them. Remember that hose!

When we first moved here and were tumbleweed greenhorns – and had so much thistle over our 8 acres – I made a large map of areas designated for reduction. Still have it. We would choose an area, starting close to our home, then working our way further out, eventually coming to know areas to pinpoint for a weekend burn. Because of our diligence, and replanting native grasses and wildflowers to fill in areas we had cleared (more on this upcoming), each year our burns are reduced. We can encompass a larger area now each weekend, because there is more grassland and less tumbleweed. I promise you, it is a very rewarding feeling of knowing that, gradually, you are overpowering this wicked weed.

Note:  Russian thistle seeds, like goat head and other nasties, can also arrive on tires, shoes, hiking boots and paws, so eradicating it will be a continued battle, but a war with smaller and smaller skirmishes as time goes by, if one stays with and on top of your game.

Reclaiming your property:

You may have, as we had, large open areas thick with thistle that need to be gradually whittled down. If this is your situation, burning – carefully, please – is recommended. One can set up a burn pen and also use it to haul loads of collected tumbleweed TO the pen. We have another 8 acres of land across the road from us where our hose does not reach. Only occasionally, after fall or winter snow or rainfall adding moisture to the ground, do we burn in place on this land. Instead, we take a wheelbarrow up there with a tarp inside of it. Over the course of a couple of hours, we carefully open the tarp and collect large and small Putin plants, opening the tarp evermore as we go, gradually filling it until it looks like a huge loaf of leavened bread. Over our decade here, we have collected well over a hundred wheelbarrow loads of thistle, gradually, too, reclaiming this large, open field and reseeding it with desert grasses, chamisas, snakeweed and the like. It is important to know that as the cold weather progresses, these nasty plants become ever more brittle, snapping and popping off the mother plant, trying to jump over the edges of the tarp. I cannot stress enough the importance of becoming absolutely anal, at this point, if you are truly serious about long-term eradication. Capture ALL of the seed to bring back to your burn pen.  One tiny broken-off seed will become a monster next year, if left unchecked. So Pete and I actually, literally, get on our knees, scooping up loose seeds and sand to collect inside our trusty tarp. It pays off. We have now ‘harvested’ well over 120 wheelbarrow loads off this land, in these ten years, 8 alone since January of ‘25.  Another pointer, while working, is that this is a good time to harvest the seedheads (using gloves, please) from grasses, snakeweed and chamisa around you to spread the natural desert vegetation you DO want. This way, you won’t have to pay for these expensive seeds. Nature loves to help.

Once you have a full load of Russian thistle, wrap the tarp and carefully close it so there are no sneaky leaks. Haul it to your burn fencing. Once unloaded, it is important to weight down your harvest with latillas or boards – something heavy and convincing – to keep your tumbleweeds from doing what they do best – the ‘wind witches’ that catch the breeze and free themselves, laughing at your futile human effort. So anchor them well! ( A tarp over your fencing isn’t a bad idea…)

When a burn weekend arrives, you will have a fine collection to light up. Believe me, this gives one great satisfaction that I cannot describe until you experience for yourself the joy of torching a gazillion million thistle seeds, hearing them snap, crackle and pop straight to hell, where they truly belong. ***A precaution before you burn your load is to wet down the land outside your burn fence to prevent the heat/fire from spreading beyond it. Start your fire from the lee side and let it burn back into the fire; it is not quite as intense, this way. Be sure you have your shovel, rake and pitchfork on hand, of course. (Another trick we learned from experience is to be sure to close the windows to your home, if you are burning anywhere close to it. An unfortunate live and learn!)

Reasons, other than aesthetics, to reduce your thistle-load:

Russian thistle can be a potent allergen to some people, much like ragweed, chamisa and juniper pollen, causing hay fever &/or breathing issues in the spring and early summer as it pollenates.

Russian thistle can be poisonous to dogs, when ingested. Get immediate vet care.
Russian thistle can also be a host to curly top viruses that stunt the growth of plants it infects, deforming leaves and fruit.

When mature, dried tumbleweeds blow and collect in an area, becoming an extreme fire danger. With our intense spring winds of late, it has collected along roads and lies awaiting a flame. After our monsoon season last summer, the Putin plant ballooned. Now we have masses of them blown deep into our junipers in Prado Valley Ranch, where we live. As these mountains of thistle dry, they become Roman candles if a wildfire ever starts, to be the fuel to burn hot and heavy and deeply into the junipers that have stopped its path, potentially taking them out, as well, carrying the fire closer to homes.

*** Taking care of the thistle load on individual properties lessons the entire thistle load in a community – and again, it can be done.

Overplant with natural desert grasses and wildflowers:
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Once you’ve cleared areas of thistle, it is very important to reclaim your open land(s) with vegetation. The more densely-rooted your ground is with desirables, the harder it is for the Putin plant to overrun it. (Pretend you’re NATO and these good guys are the enforcers…) Thus the harder it is for tumbleweed to take its hold. We bought our original grass and wildflower seeds from Plants of the Southwest, where one can buy various natural desert grasses such as Blue Grama, Buffalo grass and Indian Ricegrass that used to nourish the Natives who lived before us. Visit their well-stocked nursery at 3095 Agua Fria, in Santa Fe.  Gail, who has owned this wonderful nursery for fifty years, next year, is a fountain of information. Their number is: 505-438-8888.

​All told, I do want to emphasize that after I’ve written this article to help you learn about – and control – the Russian thistle on and around your property, I do want to say what an absolute joy it is when you witness your results. After each of our fall/winter ‘touch-ups’ we now see fields of native grasses like Blue Grama, with its delicate crescent moon seed heads, shimmering golden and backlit against the setting sun, or lovely Indian Ricegrass covered in tiny, pale seeds all adrift atop the tall grass, or Little Bluestem, the grasses turning colors of orange and maroon in the fall, with their fluffy seed tops… I cannot tell you the huge satisfaction it is to enjoy this natural desert bounty, instead of the mounding, prickly brown rounds of tumbleweed. And I smile: Yes, we have finally become the boss of that evil, invasive plant – even if temporarily and at least on our land – and it is a fine feeling, a rewarding accomplishment, indeed.

​Laura Cockerille Giannini is a local resident and author of The Kokopelli Journals, “A Southwest (mis)adventure of discovery, compassion, empowerment… and mischief”, of which a screen adaptation has been written but is not yet in the works. Laura is currently working on another book capturing their ten-year adventures of life here in Abiquiu. She is also a poet, gardener, animal portrait/landscape artist and photographer.

By Karima Diane Alavi

​When I worked as a university professor in Isfahan, Iran, the thundering sound of canons startled me each morning at the beginning of Ramadan. Eventually, I got used to the daily signal that the fast had just begun, a new day had dawned, and it was time to stop eating and drinking until the evening when the fast would end.

​That sound was nothing compared to the blasting of even more canons to announce that, with the sighting of the new moon rising above the mountains, the month of Ramadan was over. That’s when the real noise began. My friends and I walked along the wide, busy sidewalks, and watched vendors selling sweets, toys, and holiday clothing, enjoying a brisk and cheerful business until at least midnight. Everyone who was in their car rather than walking, apparently found it necessary to honk their horns as they inched through the street crowd. Tired babies were bounced in their father’s arms. Old ladies seemed to have cast off a couple decades of their lives, as they locked arms and maneuvered between crowds to get the freshest most fragrant flowers, knowing they’d cast their sweet scent through homes for days. It was official: the holiday had begun.

Eid al Fitr, or the Festival of Breaking the Fast, has several elements that are shared around the world, no matter where you join the celebration. The day begins with a special prayer. Depending upon the size of the crowd this prayer can take place within a mosque, or outdoors at places such as parks, or even grassy soccer fields. Muslims in Houston fill the downtown convention center on this day. The prayer service includes a khutbah, or “sermon” offered by an Imam. This prayer often encourages attendees to continue their heightened focus on religious practices such as extra prayers, generosity, and words and acts of kindness, those things that were heightened during the month of fasting. At some ceremonies, prayers are preceded by donations called Zakat al-Fitr. These donations are distributed to help those in need.

​Traditions around the world may differ from that point on, with many mosques, or even cities, hosting festive activities like games and rides for children. Many Muslim organizations hand out toys that were collected through an annual Eid Toy Drive. The Eid celebration sometimes continues for two or three days, depending upon the country where it’s being celebrated. No matter where the Eid is enjoyed, it’s a time to visit friends and family, to rejoice in the completion of another month of fasting, and the beginning of a new month.

The Many Foods of Eid al-Fitr:

​With the completion of the Ramadan fast people celebrate around the world. Of course, these events involve enjoying a wide variety of foods, depending upon the location of the festivities. Sweets, including dates, are usually accompanied by tea. If you were to celebrate in Syria or Lebanon, chances are, you’d be served a shortbread cookie called Maamoul, often stuffed with dates, pistachios and walnuts before being sprinkled in powdered sugar. Variations of this recipe are found in Iraq, Egypt, and Sudan, among other places.

Somalis often break the fast with a bread that’s similar to a crepe, but with a variety of spices added. Also dotted with powdered sugar, this is dipped into yogurt before eaten. Breaking the fast in India, Pakistan or Afghanistan? Be ready to enjoy Sheer Khorma, a mix of dates, milk, sugar, pistachios and almonds. You can also assume that baklava and halva, popular sweets in the United States, will appear around the world as part of the Eid celebration. Are you catching the focus on sweets here? That’s no coincidence. The Prophet Muhammad always broke his daily Ramadan fast by eating an uneven number of dates, accompanied by water. This tradition of enjoying the sweetness of dates, along with the “sweetness” and joy of life, faith, and family, continues to be celebrated around the world during each day of Ramadan and on the morning of the Eid celebration.

Beyond the sweets, there’s a broad range of foods enjoyed in different parts of the world. These include dumplings stuffed with lamb or beef, a variety of kabobs served over jasmine or basmati rice, and traditional salads and soups.

If you’re interested in trying holiday recipes, this is a good place to begin: https://www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/photos/ramadan-recipes

2025 Eid al-Fitr at the Dar al Islam Mosque and Education Center, Abiquiu, New Mexico:
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This year, Dar al Islam hosted its largest ‘Eid celebration of its four-decade history. The opening prayer was attended by approximately 150 people. The crowd swelled as the day moved on, with many local visitors taking advantage of the open invitation to join the festivities. By the end of the Eid celebration the number of visitors had grown to 300, including non-Muslims who stopped by to chat, tour the site, and enjoy refreshments. There were children kicking soccer balls between them, enjoying the playground, and assuring that the bouncy house was busy.

By Danielle Prokop, Source NM

​New Mexico now allows residents to carry and use virtual driver’s licenses. But for now, they’re mostly just taking up memory on your phone.
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A digital version of your ID won’t let you swan through local airport security for weeks — or maybe even longer, and it’s unclear how many businesses will let you use it to prove you’re old enough to buy alcohol or cannabis.

Earlier this year, lawmakers passed Senate Bill 88 to allow New Mexico to join a handful of other states in developing digital identification for smartphones. Arizona and Georgia first launched their efforts in 2021, and Colorado, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland and Ohio followed, while California is still piloting their program.

The process for getting a digital ID includes taking photos of the physical card –  front and back –  and then submitting images and video of the ID-holder’s face to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department.

But while it only takes a few hours to get the digital ID, actually using it somewhere may take a few more months.

New Mexico currently doesn’t have airport security checkpoints that allow for digital ID, it’s illegal to drive without a physical license in the state,  and restaurants, liquor stores and cannabis shops may take a while to adopt the technology to use it.
Restaurants and other venues that sell liquor are going to need training, said Carol Wight, the chief executive officer at the New Mexico Restaurant Association.

“We’ve got to start educating folks, the general public and the people who are taking these IDs,” Wight said. “So it will probably take a couple of years before this becomes what everybody’s using.”

Wight said top officials at the Department of Taxation and Revenue alerted her to the program’s start in a call last week, and that the New Mexico Restaurant Association will plan a webinar on the program in coming weeks.

State licensing officials sent emails to businesses on Thursday, notifying them that digital IDs can now be used for purchasing age-restricted items such as alcohol, cannabis and tobacco.

The state released a verification app the state created called NM Verifier, which businesses can use to read the digital IDs in order to sell age-restricted items.

A spokesperson at the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department did not provide answers Friday to questions about how many digital IDs have been issued, and how many businesses have downloaded NM Verifier.

The federal Transportation Security Administration allows digital IDs to pass through airport security checkpoints in places around the country, but hasn’t installed the technology yet in New Mexico airports.

The state’s announcement said that digital IDs will be able to be used at Albuquerque’s Sunport and Hobbs-based Lea County Regional Airport “in coming weeks,” but no other details were available.

A spokesperson for the Sunport deferred comment to the regional TSA office in Albuquerque, who did not respond to Source NM calls or emails for comment.
Lea County officials said they were surprised by the announcement, and said they would seek additional information from TSA officials before making a comment.

​By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
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National fire weather forecasters warn that most of New Mexico will face above-normal fire potential this month, and those conditions will worsen until at least until the monsoon season begins in July.

The National Interagency Fire Center issued its April wildfire outlook Tuesday, presenting a series of maps showing New Mexico with snow pack far below normal, along with severe drought and above normal average temperatures expected throughout the summer. 

Those factors combine to make the state, particularly the western two-thirds, at high risk of wildfires beginning in May, according to forecasters. 

‘It’s bad’: How drought, lack of snowpack and federal cuts could spell wildfire disaster in NM

So far in New Mexico this year, 222 wildfires have started, affecting 31,675 acres. Humans caused the vast majority of those fires, according to the Southwest Coordination Center. The Mogote Hill Fire near Wagon Mound, which burned an estimated 15,000 acres, ranks as the biggest New Mexico fire so far this year. 

Last week, New Mexico State Forestry released daily wildfire awareness tips, including how and when to safely burn debris. 

The above-normal wildfire potential occurs amid federal cuts to the United States Forest Service, including probationary employees who often had wildfire suppression training.

Proposed federal lease terminations also include two New Mexico wildfire dispatch centers covering one-third of the state, though U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich’s office recently told Source New Mexico that he had received “assurances” that the dispatch centers would stay open. 

A Heinrich spokesperson noted, however, that his office was still awaiting  official confirmation about the dispatch centers from the General Services Administration. The Heinrich spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday as to whether that official confirmation had yet arrived. 

Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Goldberg for questions: [email protected].