Alamodoso Magazine June 2023 Ruidoso Edition

La Casa Gallina Retreats is the brainchild of owner Cathy Gormley. Cathy moved to the Ruidoso area in late 2020 with the idea of opening a bed and breakfast style facility catering to artists and makers of all kinds. Cathy named the house La Casa Gallina (the hen house) based on a large vintage sign from an old fried chicken franchise that hangs on the side of the barn. “I felt it led to a perfect motto…La Casa Gallina, where Chicks Gather”said Cathy. “We have hosted all kinds of ladies who are quilters, knitters and fiber artists.” The large cabin is nestled in the Lincoln National Forest on 3 acres of land that offers the guests great views, peace and tranquility while being pampered with superb meals and comfortable accommodations. With 3 guests bedrooms and a cozy sewing room, we are able to host up to 6 guests. So what makes Casa Gallina different from other retreat facilities? Perhaps it’s the comfy beds covered in charming quilts or the delicious

home cooked or the well equipped, cozy sewing room. But mainly it’s the opportunity for the guests to create in comfort, enjoy being pampered and to deepen their friendships.

Cathy is native New Mexican, who grew up in Socorro, attended college at NMSU in Las Cruces and finally settled in the Albuquerque area for over 30 years. During her time in Albuquerque, she created and opened a quilt shop in Corrales called Quilts Ole. Having sewn all of her life, she actually fell in love with quilting and fiber art when she had the shop. The shop was featured in 2005 as one of the top 10 shops in the country. Quilts Ole was the first store to be featured in New Mexico.

“I loved being at the shop every day, it was such a happy place filled with creativity and creative people.”

She sold the shop in 2008 to pursue other employment opportunities in the fabric industry but continued to plan how she could retire and stay involved and the idea for a retreat house was born. “I love surrounding myself with creative people. Hosting makers at my home seems to fulfill that desire.”

If you are looking for a retreat that offers rest, refreshment and relaxation then this could be the retreat for you.

Oh where have the years gone! I can remember my Mom and her two little babies (my grand babies) use to go to Victoria to visit me and sit on Alice’s world famous sofa playing and sipping coffee.

The whole time there, Mom would be shopping, looking at everything in the store while the Grand babies sat under Miss Victoria’s desk, listening to the gossip and watching folks wander past…. It was so many years ago, yet still seems like yesterday.

And now, my Grand babies are all so grown up! My Theresa has graduated High

School, going to college and working as the assistant manager at the Adidas Outlet Store. Its is my joy to see her growing and thriving, developing into a beautiful young lady.

CloudcroftLibrary 90SwallowPl, (LowerLevel) Cloudcroft highvalleyweavingschool.com

July1st through July23rd TOURDEFLEECE

As for my grandson, Tye, he is a senior in High School, graduating this year. He has sign a Letter of Commitment to become a U.S. Coast Guard Academy student; let me brag a bit on how he got to this highvalleyweavingschool.com

continues next page

InCloudcroft

point in his life.

When Tye was a little boy, his Mom and Dad put him in soccer. He played for years.

Some days were great and other days not so good, but Mom, Dad and I encouraged him and I tried to be there at as many games as possible for support.

Tye has always been big on computers ever since he was knee high to the keyboard. He loved playing video games, and hated loosing a video game as much as he disliked loosing a soccer match.

I guess it was when Tye was in the eight grade he

decided to quit soccer and with his Dad’s blessing, participate in wrestling.

Little did anyone know what the future held for Tye in wrestling…. To everyone's amazement Tye excelled and in his Freshman year of wrestling, He made it to the State Competition where he felt he fell short; coming in at 2nd place!

We were all so proud of Tye but as I said earlier Tye hates to loose and he was determined that things would be different the following year. With unrelenting determination and work, Tye not only won State Wresting Champion the next year, but also State Champ for the following two years as well!

In addition to Tye’s commitment to wrestling, he also found time to become a member of the Honor Society, coming in the top ten percent of his class and to be crowned King of his classes Prom.

I am one proud Grandma!

Cancer Horoscope June 2023

You might not have high expectations for this month. But you will be glad to know that this month has better plans for you. You will be able to save money for your trip with your friends, and you will also be able to manage permission to go with them. Not only that, but this month will also bless you with intimate moments with your partner after a long time. Overall, it will be a happy month for you.

Do not let your emotions fool you to bow down when your gut feeling is saying otherwise. You cannot afford to miss good things in life to your fright for social awkwardness. Allow yourself to feel the love and warmth people shower on you and also let them help you in your times of need. Towards the middle of the

Many years ago, when I was in my prime, and enjoying a successful career in the food service business, my mother came to visit me.

One day we went exploring in a nice resort town. The variety of shops was amazing, as was their inventory.

In each shop we visited there was always something that would catch our eye.

Mother wanted to buy this piece of jewelry or that trinket for me.

Having my own money, it felt odd for her spend her money on me. Each time, I declined the offer for her to buy me a necklace, a poster, a refrigerator

Then in the last shop I saw the disappointment on her face when I said, " No Ma, I don't need for you to buy me anything."

My heart just about broke seeing the sadness in her eyes. Then I de-cided I HAD to let her buy me something.

The next thing I saw was a pretty gold chain. Mother asked if I'd like that. I said YES.

I've been wearing that lovely gold chain for decades now. My mother passed away over 10 years ago, but that chain adorns my neck often and lightens my heart every day.

Be kind to your mother. Give her the satisfaction of being kind to you. Perhaps one day you will have a treasure gifted to you from your mom like I do now.

Gloria Marie

AKA Globug

White Oaks Miner Days

Hi, my name is Linda Logan and I am the owner of the Local Bodega which I purchased in November of 2022. In my store, you will find many very talented vendors from here in the Tularosa Basin and a few other outlying areas. We are currently carrying about 60 vendors from varying crafts and genres.

So the question I always get is “What is the Bodega” there are a couple of definitions if you look it up in the dictionary but the most popular one is a small owneroperated convenience store serving food with an ethnic

Timberon BBQ Cook-Off

our ad page 107

market influence. Another definition is – in a Spanish speaking country- a wine shop, wine cellar or warehouse, however, this is always my answer- We are

a warehouse of sorts but instead of wine or groceries, we are a warehouse for our vendors and their crafts and creations, with the possibility of selling and promoting their items so to me that fits the definition of a Bodega.

Who am I? Well to try to describe me and my life would take a couple of books but I will try to simplify it a bit. I am a jack of all crafts but an expert at none.

I started in crafts like sewing and crochet when I was a

young girl then expanded into other fiber arts, woodworking and many other crafts.

I was born a few years ago in Maryland. I was raised by a single mom after my father passed away. It wasn’t an easy life but we did it. After leaving Maryland in the mid 90s, I lived in Michigan for 25 years where my beautiful twins were born and I got into homesteading and raising animals. At one time we had chickens, sheep, angora rabbits, goats and quail.

Story continues page 22

Which was awesome and we learned so much because I also Homeschooled.

Then life had a curve ball to throw me and my exhusband and I split up. My 18 years of marriage was over. But as I have always done, I moved forward, rehomed my animals and in 2013, I decided it was time for a life change and along with my daughter, Kat, we moved to New Mexico.

New Mexico has always been a place I wanted to visit. I’ve always been drawn to the beautiful mountains and places like Taos and Santa Fe because of the art and the history. Never did I ever think I would have the opportunity to actually become a resident of this gorgeous state. Yes its hot, yes it is dry and there isn’t much green. But New Mexico has its own beauty and when you hear that voice calling, you need to listen because you never know what surprise, challenge or adventure is waiting around the corner for you.

I chose Alamogordo because I have family here but when I arrived, I fell in love with this little town. Even though it’s small and rural, I didn’t realize it was exactly what I have been missing in my life. Peace sprinkled with quiet.

I met my husband, who was born and raised here, in 2013, when he returned to Alamogordo after living in California for a few years. We started dating in May of 2014 and 6 months later moved in together.

Life was great. I had a wonderful partner, beautiful thriving daughter, almost perfect home life but Life then again threw me yet another curve ball. In March of 2016 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I wound up with a complete mastectomy and 6 months of intense chemo, but here I am, 7 years later and still clear, healthy, thriving and living life to the fullest.

During this time, many things happened. My baby girl’s marriage in 2017, and my marriage to my husband 7 months after hers. We had

a very small wedding on the beach in Galveston, TX. It was a beautiful intimate occasion that I will always treasure.

So let me tell you a few more things about me. Along with being a wife, mom, grandma, business owner and all around crazy person, I also run a small homestead where I have chickens, turkeys, Angora rabbits, quail and multiple gardens.

Yes, it definitely keeps me busy but I don’t think I would change one thing.

It is a huge creative outlet for me. I started making soaps when my girls were little. I missed my farm life and I was absolutely blessed with a partner that was willing to put up with all my shenanigans. Eric was never really an animal person but here we are with him not only supporting but encouraging all the farming things. The name of our homestead is Old Hag Homestead.

I am truly blessed and I am looking forward to many more adventures in this thing we call life.

Dang, you know as well as I, that this world has gone crazy. So many changes. But, listen, I’m quickly approaching 79 years running around on this planet! Nope, I ain’t changing. My mom and dad, (mostly mom and a good switch), both gone now, taught me the difference between right and wrong, and, a bunch of addled congressman's votes won’t change that.

As an example, not to change the subject, but, I was raised on country music. The new stuff they’re pushing ain’t the Story continues next page

“I’M NOT AN EXTRA-LARGE”

same. I regularly attend and sometimes participate in monthly karaoke at the lodge. Some of the young kids who participate and try to sing, no, not sing, maybe “recite,” or, “yell,” (seems singing was lost somewhere along the way), will never know the great stories told by song writers of the past. I’ve had to tune into Sirius radio, the 50’s and 60’s. True country music, seems a

“I am definitely not an “extra-large,” that’s right, I’ve been a “large,” most of my life, and clothing manufacturers current habit of producing smaller shirts and pants in the large size hasn’t gone unnoticed. Dang! Someone, somewhere got the size labels mixed up. Checking out my closet, I’ve noticed this deceptive practice has been going on for a few years now.

Believe it or not, I ordered a shirt thru the mail, a large, and had to give it to my smaller brother because it was too tight for me.

Embarrassing, but I didn’t tell him, luckily, it was his birthday. What a disappointment, the shirt was dazzling, in fact, while ordering the shirt, I had told my wife, Vic….

thing of the past. Like old morals, ethics, and integrity, talent seems to be lost. Alan Jackson and George Strait nailed it down with a song called “Murder on Music Row.”

Anyway, I said all that to say this, yes, things have changed, many of you, along with my wife, know, here it is folks……

“That’s right girl,” I told her, “With this shirt on, along with my slim-fit jeans, I’ll be the talk of the town.”

A bit surprised, and perhaps a little worried, my wife replied…..

“Hmm, have you seen my nail clippers?”

I went on, “Don’t know if, at Story continues next page

Tom Charles

White Sands

Tours Car

my age, I can live my life in the “Fast lane,” I probably shouldn’t wear it to the lodge, several single ladies and a few attached ones who had cast their eyes my way might be tempted, hey, I’m a married man!”

But, disappointingly, my planned wardrobe for karaoke, as I quickly noticed in my hallway mirror, was obviously a mislabeled “small,” yes, too dang tight. I had become accustomed to a loose fitting “large.”

Unable to let go of the “dazzling” shirt, I, reluctantly, shamefully, ordered an “extra-large.”

I should have known, even purchasing clothes at Wallyworld, we need to try em on if we can get the key to the dressing room, now, due to pilferage, only opened by a Wallyworld employee with FBI training and a top secret security clearance.

This employee along with the missing checkers is unable to be located. I’ve thought about stripping

down and trying on clothes in the aisles next to my shopping cart, of course, trying to stay away from the women’s underwear section. I can hear em now,

“Security, Security alert, semi-nude older gentleman, somewhat suave and debonair, changing clothes in the ladies bra and panties section!”

But, hey, it’s their fault, I’m definitely not an “extralarge!”

Story courtesy of Junior Thurman Artesia, New Mexico, author of Comanches Don't Drive Trucks

Order from Amazon

Following the surrender of Bataan on April 9, 1942, to the Imperial Japanese Army, prisoners were massed in the towns of Mariveles and Bagac. They were ordered to turn over their possessions. American Lieutenant Kermit Lay recounted how this was done:

“They pulled us off into a rice paddy and began shaking us down. There were about a hundred of us so it took time to get to all of us. Everyone had pulled their pockets wrong side out and laid all their things out in front. They were taking jewelry and doing a lot of slapping. I laid out my New Testament. ... After the

shakedown, the Japs took an officer and two enlisted men behind a rice shack and shot them. The men who had been next to them said they had Japanese souvenirs and money.”

Word quickly spread among the prisoners to conceal or destroy any Japanese money or mementos, as their captors would assume it had been stolen from dead Japanese soldiers.

"One of the POWs had a ring on and the Japanese guard attempted to get the ring off," said one U.S. prisoner.

"He couldn't get it off and he took a machete and cut

the man's wrist off and when he did that, of course the man was bleeding profusely.

I tried to help him but when I looked back I saw a Japanese guard sticking a bayonet through his stomach."

Prisoners started out from Mariveles on April 10, and Bagac on April 11, converging in Pilar, Bataan,

and heading north to the San Fernando railhead. At the beginning, there were rare instances of kindness by Japanese officers and those Japanese soldiers who spoke English, such as the sharing of food and cigarettes and permitting personal possessions to be kept.

This, however, was quickly followed by unrelenting brutality, theft,

and even knocking men's teeth out for gold fillings, as the common Japanese soldier had also suffered in the battle for Bataan and had nothing but disgust and hatred for his "captives" (Japan did not recognize these people as POWs).

The Tea Shed

Japanese officers to summarily execute all American "captives".

Although some Japanese officers ignored the orders, others were receptive to the idea.

The first atrocity— attributed to Colonel Masanobu Tsuji occurred when approximately 350 to 400 Filipino officers and NCOs under his supervision were summarily executed in the Pantingan River massacre after they had surrendered.

Tsuji—acting against General Homma's wishes that the prisoners be transferred peacefully—had issued clandestine orders to

Ourallinclusiveeventvenue isdesignedforthefamilyto haveminimalstress,plentyof guidance,andprayerduring thisbestdayever!

GRADUATIONS

REUNIONS

DINNERPARTY

RECEPTION

WELCOMEHOME

CELEBRATIONOFLIFE

FORMALEVENTS

Baby/BridalShowers

CorporateEvents

HOLIDAYPARTY

LUNCHEONS

SQUADRONPARTY CONFERENCES

During the march, prisoners received little food or water, and many died. They were subjected to severe physical abuse, including beatings and torture. On the march, the "sun treatment" was a common form of torture. Prisoners were forced to sit in sweltering direct sunlight without helmets or other head coverings. Anyone who asked for water was shot dead. Some men were

told to strip naked or sit within sight of fresh, cool water. Trucks drove over some of those who fell or succumbed to fatigue, and "cleanup crews" put to death those too weak to continue, though some trucks picked up some of those too fatigued to go on. Some marchers were randomly stabbed with bayonets or beaten.

Once the surviving prisoners arrived in Balanga, the overcrowded conditions and poor hygiene caused dysentery and other diseases to spread rapidly.

The Japanese did not provide the prisoners with medical care, so U.S. medical personnel tended to the sick and wounded with

few or no supplies. Upon arrival at the San Fernando railhead, prisoners were stuffed into sweltering, brutally hot metal box cars for the one-hour trip to Capas, in 110 ° heat.

At least 100 prisoners were pushed into each of the unventilated boxcars. The trains had no sanitation

facilities, and disease continued to take a heavy toll on the prisoners.

According to Staff Sergeant Alf Larson:

“

The train consisted of six or seven World War I-era boxcars. ... They packed us in the cars like sardines, so tight you couldn't sit down. Then they shut the door. If you passed out, you couldn't fall down.

If someone had to go to the toilet, you went right there where you were. It

Story continues next page

was close to summer and the weather was hot and humid, hotter than Billy Blazes! We were on the train from early morning to late afternoon without getting out. People died in the railroad cars.”

Upon arrival at the Capas train station, they were forced to walk the final 9 miles to Camp O'Donnell.

courtesy of Tyler Florence on Food network

Even after arriving at Camp O'Donnell, the survivors of the march continued to die at rates of up to several hundred per day, which amounted to a death toll of as many as 20,000 Americans and Filipinos.

Most of the dead were buried in mass graves that the Japanese had dug behind the barbed wire surrounding the compound.

Of the estimated 80,000 POWs at the march, only 54,000 made it to Camp O'Donnell.

ALBERT FALL THE FALL GUY

The Teapot Dome scandal unfolded in the 1920s during the presidency of Warren Harding. It remains one of the most shocking stories of government corruption. President Harding died in office before most of the scandal became public.

As the Senate investigated the scandal, the press and the public demanded to know how two of the richest oil barons in the country had bribed government officials to obtain leases to oil fields

Story continues next page

on government land. It took six years, two civil trials, and six criminal trials to track down what one senator called “the slimiest of slimy trails beaten by privilege.”

By the end of World War I, the demand for oil was growing. During the war, the U.S. and British navies converted their ships from coal to oil. Cars were rolling off the assembly lines in huge numbers. By 1920, oil production had soared to 450 million barrels in the U.S., and the oil industry was booming.

One man who made huge profits from the oil boom was Edward Doheny. Doheny struck oil in April 1893 near the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, and within a year had 81 wells pumping in Los Angeles. By

1916, he had expanded his oil empire into Mexico. But President Carranza of Mexico wanted to take back the country’s oil fields. Doheny needed help from the U.S. government to get rid of Carranza, and he began to court people in high places in Washington.

Another man who had accumulated a huge fortune from oil was Harry Sinclair. Sinclair leased oil fields in Kansas and Oklahoma and

by 1920 had amassed one of the largest fortunes in the United States. Like Doheny, Story continues next page

Sinclair was expanding overseas with oil fields in Venezuela and Columbia. He also needed friends in high places to help build his foreign empire and also to help him lease the Teapot Dome oil field in Wyoming.

Doheny, Sinclair, and many other oil barons decided that the best way to get access to more oil was to elect a president who would help them.

Prior to Harding’s election the conservation movement had been going strong. In 1909, President Taft had signed an executive order

designating land known to have rich oil underground into “reserves” for the exclusive use of the navy. Three Naval Petroleum Reserves were created in 1912.

Two were in Kern County, California, and one was at Salt Creek, Wyoming, known as Teapot Dome because of the shape of the land. The oil industry wanted to get leases to the navy reserves. But during the Wilson administration, the navy had refused all their requests for a lease.

Friends in High Places

The oil barons were happy when Wilson left office and Harding—a Republican—was elected in 1920. Many had donated large amounts of money to Harding’s campaign in hope of overturning the conservationist policies of previous administrations. Sinclair himself donated $1 million to Harding’s campaign and became a good friend of the new president.

When Sinclair came to Washington, he joined in the White House poker parties and was often invited to stay over

Story continues page 49

49 night as Harding’s guest. Doheny had not made a huge donation to Harding’s campaign (he had contributed $25,000), but after the election, he sent congratulatory letters to the president and offered Harding the use of his 375foot yacht for a post-election vacation cruise.

The oil barons’ wishes came true when Harding announced that he had appointed Albert Fall, a former senator from New Mexico, as secretary of the interior. Fall was a rancher, mine owner, and former prospector.

Story continues next page

He was an “old pal” of Doheny. Fall had hopes that when he left the Cabinet (he planned to stay for only one year) that Doheny would hire him. Fall knew that Doheny had hired the previous secretary of the interior.

Fall was also a good friend of Harding, whom he played poker with two or three times a week. When he served in the Senate, Fall had strongly opposed the conservation policies put in place under Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. He believed that the government’s land should be placed in the hands of private interests and exploited as soon as

Fall wasted no time in helping the oil barons get leases to public lands. One of the first things he did as secretary of the interior was to persuade Harding to transfer authority over the naval reserves from the secretary of the navy to the Department of the Interior. Two months after being inaugurated, Harding signed an executive order putting the reserves in the hands of Secretary Fall.

That same month, Fall went to the Kentucky Derby as Sinclair’s guest. He also wrote a letter to his friend Doheny, stating that he had everything worked out with the Department of the Navy. He assured Doheny that he will “conduct the matter of the naval leases under direction of the President” without having to consult with the navy.

Many officers in the Navy opposed Harding’s executive order. One admiral complained that if the reserves were turned over to the Interior

Story continues next page

“we might as well say good-bye to our oil.”

Fall Delivers Oil

The naval reserves were a big prize. The two oil-rich California reserves were about 70,000 acres of land. The

Teapot Dome reserve in Wyoming was much smaller but was thought to have more oil. It was estimated to hold about 150 million barrels of oil. Many—indeed most—of the oil companies in the country would have jumped at the opportunity to lease oil from those reserves. But the leases were never put up for public bidding. Instead, Secretary Fall negotiated leases for the naval reserves in secret, on

terms that brought him a lot of personal gain.

The first lease, for the California reserves, was negotiated with Doheny in November 1921. Under the terms of the proposed lease, Doheny’s company, Pan-

American Petroleum and Transport Company, was to build storage tanks in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to store oil for the navy, to put crude oil in the tanks, and to pay royalties on the oil drilled from the reserves at a low price. It was a great deal for Doheny. He estimated it would give him a profit of $1 million.

In return, Doheny made a “loan” of $100,000 to Fall.

On November 28, 1921, three days after Doheny made his offer, his son, Ned Doheny, carried a black satchel containing the Story continues next page

54

$100,000 in cash to Fall’s hotel apartment and watched him count the money.

Negotiations on the Teapot Dome lease took place a month later. Fall was at his New Mexico ranch when he received a telegram saying that Sinclair and his lawyer wanted to see him “on a very urgent and important matter.” Sinclair and his party arrived at the ranch on December 31, 1921, and stayed for three days.

During the day, they went hunting for deer, quail, and wild turkeys. At night, they negotiated a deal for the Teapot Dome reserves. The final lease, which was signed on April 7, 1922, gave Sinclair’s Company, Mammoth Oil, the exclusive right to extract oil and gas from the Teapot Dome

reserve for 20 years.

A month after the lease was signed, Fall sent his son-in-law and business partner, M.T. Everhart, to see Sinclair in his private railroad car in the Washington railroad yard. Sinclair gave Everhart $198,000 in Liberty Bonds to be delivered to Secretary Fall. Soon afterward, Everhart received from Sinclair another $35,000 in bonds and a “loan” of $36,000 in cash. The bonds went to Fall’s bank accounts in New Mexico and Texas.

After receiving them, Fall began to pay back taxes on his land, which he had owed since 1912.

The Scandal Unfolds

Fall intended to keep the leases secret. But an inside source leaked information to the Wall Street Journal, which ran a front-page story about the Teapot Dome lease on April 14, 1922. The news caused an immediate uproar in the oil industry. Complaints poured in demanding to know why there hadn’t been competitive bidding.

Story continues next page

57 Anger also came from Congress, but the president stood by his friend Fall and sent a letter to the Senate endorsing Fall’s plan to lease the naval reserves. He said that he had seen a report from Fall, and the plan had his “entire approval.” And when Fall told the president that was going to resign early in 1923, Harding offered him a seat on the Supreme Court.

The Senate decided to investigate the leases, including whether the president had the authority to transfer the leases to the Department of the Interior. Hearings began in October 1923, after Fall had resigned. When called as the first witness, Fall claimed that he had legal authority to lease

Story continues page 60

navy reserves and had negotiated the leases at good prices to protect national security. In December, both Doheny and Sinclair appeared before the committee. They also testified that the leases were in the best interest of the nation and denied that Fall had received any benefit or profit from the deals. (Sinclair failed to state that only six months earlier, he had paid Fall $25,000 to accompany him on a trip to Russia to explore the possibility of an oil deal with the Russian government.) Fall was asked about whether he had received any compensation from Sinclair for the trip to Russia and responded with the first of many lies: “I have never even suggested any compensation and have received none.”

Gradually evidence began to emerge about Fall’s business dealings with the oil barons. Witnesses from New Mexico testified that during 1922 (after Ned Doheny delivered the black satchel), Fall had bought property next to his ranch (for $91,500) and spent more money on other improvements and purchases.

Story continues page 62

In January 1924, Doheny reappeared before the committee and testified that he had indeed paid $100,000 to Fall as a “loan.” In December, Fall said he was too ill to testify. But he wrote a letter to senators on the committee stating that he had never approached either Doheny or Sinclair, “nor have I received from either of said parties one cent on account of any oil lease or upon any account whatsoever.” When the committee recalled Fall, he declined to testify “on the ground that it may tend to incriminate.”

By now the members of the committee believed that crimes had taken place. After Fall refused to testify, the head of the Senate investigating committee, Senator Walsh, introduced a resolution. It stated that it appeared that the leases were made “under circumstances indicating fraud and corruption.”

It called on President Coolidge (President Harding had died in August 1923) to bring legal action to cancel the leases and “to prosecute

such other proceedings, civil and criminal, as may be warranted by the facts.” While Congress was debating the resolution, President Coolidge announced that he was appointing a special counsel to take whatever action was necessary to make sure that justice was served. Meanwhile, things got nasty in the Senate. The committee called Sinclair. He refused to testify on the grounds that after the special counsel was appointed, the committee had no authority to question him. (Sinclair was indicted and sentenced to three months in jail for contempt of Congress.)

The committee also recalled Doheny, who was asked if he had ever employed Cabinet officers after they retired. Doheny testified—with some pride— to having employed five former members of President Wilson’s Cabinet, including the former Secretary of the Treasury William McAdoo, who was still in his employ. (At that

Story continues next page

time, McAdoo was the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in the upcoming presidential election.) The impression was growing in the press and among the public that both political parties were smeared with corruption.

Six Years in Court

The special prosecutors appointed by President Coolidge spent six years working on the Teapot Dome scandal. Their first goal was to bring civil lawsuits in federal court to cancel the leases and recover the naval reserves. They filed one case in California and one in Wyoming, and both were successful. In California, the trial judge ruled that Doheny’s payment of $100,000 to Fall was tainted with fraud. He ordered that the leases be cancelled. “The injury that has been done to the nation,” the judge wrote, “as well as the distrust of public officers that it caused, cannot be overestimated.” The trial court in Wyoming dismissed the suit, but the government appealed.

The Eighth Circuit Court reversed and held that the leases had been made fraudulently and should be set aside. “The entire transaction,” the court stated, “is tainted with favoritism, collusion, and corruption, defeating the proper and lawful functions of the government.”

The special prosecutors also filed four criminal cases. One charged Fall and Doheny with conspiracy to defraud the United States. Another similar case was against Sinclair and Fall. A third case charged Fall with bribery. And a fourth case charged Doheny and his son Ned with bribery.

These cases, which were tried over a period of six years, were less successful. In the conspiracy cases, defense lawyers managed to convince the juries that Doheny and Sinclair had no intent to defraud the United States.

The juries accepted the argument that the leases were made to help the navy prepare for war and to Story continues page 67

67 protect the country. They found the defendants not guilty.

Doheny and his son were also found not guilty of bribery. Only Fall was convicted, for having accepted a bribe while acting in his official capacity. The prosecutors made a strong argument that the evidence showed “the criminal intent of Fall to make money out of his position of trust and honor,” and the jury agreed. Fall was sentenced to a year in jail and to pay a fine of $100,000. His appeal was denied on June 6, 1931, and he was sent to the New Mexico State Penitentiary.

Fall insisted that he did only one thing wrong. He lied to Congress when he denied receiving “one cent . . . on any account whatsoever” from Doheny and Sinclair. As lies go, it was a whopper. “No cabinet member,” said Fall’s former law partner, W. A. Hawkins, “could be exonerated for accepting so much money from someone, even a friend, seeking a government contract, especially if he had to lie to cover it up.”

Fall believed that Story continues next page

corporate investment was good for everybody, especially in an economic backwater like New Mexico.

He was convinced that government regulations, especially those protecting natural resources, punished the homesteader and the industrialist in equal measure while inhibiting the development of his adopted state:

“The conservation of natural resources in New Mexico means a restriction upon the individual; means that he must not acquire a homestead in the most habitable part of the state; and means that upon such forest reserves and Indian reserves the gentle bear, the mountain lion and the timber wolf are conserved, so that they may attack the settler’s herds. . . . That is conservation in New Mexico.”

Even in disgrace, Fall remained a hero to many people in New Mexico. To them, the old frontier barrister, who once boasted of defending 500 accused cattle rustlers without losing a case, was a kindred soul.

He’d lived as they had, prospecting and punching cattle. As a lawyer, he’d defended the small rancher and the indigent farmer, often refusing to accept payment. He’d gone on to represent their interests and their values in Santa Fe and Washington.

“Many people said A. B. Fall was unscrupulous. Perhaps,” said a neighbor of Fall, who is quoted by Owen. More important was that Fall “was a fighter and a handsome man. Very courageous.”

Fall spent nine months in a New Mexico state prison, 1931-1932; died in El Paso, Tex., November 30, 1944

Fall guy is defined as “a person who is blamed for something done by others; a scapegoat.” It is believed to have originated in the context of horse racing, where a "fall guy" was a jockey who would intentionally lose a race in order to manipulate the odds. The phrase later came to be used more broadly to refer to anyone who is made to take the blame for something,

The mining camp of Organ was officially established as a community back in 1883, though there had been mining activity since the late 1840s. The town's greatest population was around eighteen hundred at the turn of the century.

Organ had seven saloons, a Catholic church, a two-teacher schoolhouse, two smelters, two general stores and a tunnel jail that was originally a powder magazine. In the 1930s the mines in the area became inundated with water and were no longer feasible for use and with the onset of the Great Depression, mining operations ceased.

With the opening of White Sands Missile Range and the testing of the Nuclear Bomb in 1945, Organ began to thrive again as a community providing homes and leisure services to military personnel and government contractors.

Thirty-four miles south of Alamogordo on US 54 Jarilla Junction, once a station on the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, was renamed Oro Grande when a gold nugget the size of a man's finger was discovered in 1905.

Prospecting had started as early as 1879 in the Jarilla Mountains but the 1905 discovery started a gold rush and gave birth to the town of Oro Grande.

For several years thereafter, the town was the hub of intense mining activity and the population grew to several thousand people.

A fifty-five mile long water pipe was laid from the Sacramento River to the townsite. Almost overnight, a hundred homes were built

to house only a fraction of the influx of people. Some were forced to live in hastily erected shacks and tents.

As happened so many times before, there was less gold than had been anticipated and mining activity began to wane.

Today Oro Grande is reduced to a post office, a few businesses and and about fifteen families.

JUNE’S BIRTHSTONE

Alexandrite

If you loved colorchanging mood rings as a kid, get ready for the upscale, sophisticated adult version: alexandrite stone!

Alexandrite is a variety of the gemstone chrysoberyl. Known for its rarity and mesmerizing color-changing ability, this gem might make you wonder if magic really is possible.

Alexandrite is one of the rarest gemstones in the world, even rarer than diamonds. One of the alexandrite’s nicknames is “Emerald by day, ruby by night.” The colors of an

alexandrite gem will transport you to a suave holiday party, where sparkling greens and reds abound. However, the stone’s beauty is sure to captivate year-round.

Those born in the month of June are graced with analexandrite birthstone

Alexandrite is also the zodiac stone for Gemini and is the traditional gift for someone’s 55th wedding anniversary

The story behind the discovery and naming of alexandrite is filled with controversy. The origin story takes place in Russia, and

Story continues next page

the central characters include a Finnish mineralogist, a Russian mineralogist, and the Russian Ural Mine manager.

The name. Alexandrite gets its name from Czar Alexander II of Russia.

When the stone was discovered in Russia's Ural Mountains in 1834, Alexander II wasn’t czar yet, but he was coming up on his 16th birthday. He wasn’t Czar yet, but he would be of age by 16. Alexandrite matched the two military colors of Russia at the time, so the name made perfect sense.

Often called the “Chameleon Stone,” alexandrite’s symbolism is as diverse as

its hues. Alexandrite most commonly represents wisdom and good luck.

In Russia, alexandrite represents personal pride and prestige. The spiritual meaning was taken very seriously, with Czar Alexander II (the stone’s namesake) allegedly wearing an alexandrite ring daily as a talisman.

Various cultures purport that alexandrite changes colors to warn its wearer of danger. Chinese interpretations connect alexandrite to blood, believing the stone could make the circulatory system work better. Taking a cue from the Greek’s view on amethyst, Hindus saw alexandrite as a cure for drunkenness. .

Why shouldn't you trust stairs?

They're always up to something.

I had a taser once. It was stunning.

Why do coffee cups avoid the city?

They're afraid to get mugged.

I tried to take a photo of a wheat field. It turned out grainy.

I'm afraid of speed bumps, but I'm slowly getting over it.

Why should you wear glasses when doing math? They improve division.

I'm happy Ford didn't invent the airplane. It wouldn't have been Wright.

Who invented King Arthur's round table?

Sir Cumference.

Why was six nervous?

Because seven eight nine.

I want to be a doctor, but I don't have enough patience.

I used to hate facial hair, but then it grew on me.

I don't trust trees. They're shady.

Why should you stay away from artists? They're sketchy.

I wrote a song about burritos. It's a rap.

How did the barber win the race? He knew a shortcut.

I lost my mood ring I don't know how to feel about it!

I wondered why the ball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Never discuss infinity with a mathematician, they can go on about it forever.

My friend’s bakery burned down last night. Now his business is toast.

What do you call the wife of a hippie? A Mississippi.

Why should you never eat a clock? Because it's too time-consuming.

Did you hear about the claustrophobic astronaut? Poor guy really needed space.

What do you call Samsung's security team? The Guardians of the Galaxy!

150th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Mescalero Apache Reservation

The Mescalero were nomadic hunters and gathers who roamed the Southwest. They were experts in guerrilla warfare and highly skilled horsemen.

The women were known for their ability to find and prepare food from many different plant sources.

The people were given the name "Mescalero" because they gathered and ate the mescal plant. It was the staple of their diets and could sustain them in good times and bad.

The Mescalero Apache Reservation was formally established by Executive Order of President Ulysses S. Grant on May 29, 1873.

Mescalero’s numbered about 400 when the reservation was established 140 years ago.

Survivors of the Lipan Apache’s, a tribe which suffered heavily in the Texas wars, were brought from northern Chihuahua, Mexico about 1903.

In 1913, approximately 200 members of the Chiricahua band of Apache’s came to the reservation. They had been held prisoner at Fort Sill, Oklahoma since the capture of the famed Apache Geronimo in 1886.

All became members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe when it was reorganized under the provisions of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act.

Today’s Mescalero Apache Tribe is governed by a Tribal Council of eight members with an elected President and Story continues page 88

Vice-President. Each official is chosen for a two-year term by secret ballot. Authority and responsibilities of the Tribal Government are defined in the Constitution of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, as revised January 12, 1965.

May 29 marked the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Mescalero Apache Reservation by executive order of President Ulysses S. Grant. The sprawling reservation came to be home to three bands/subtribes of the Apache – the Mescalero, Lipan and Chiricahua, each with its distinct histories and struggles, strengths and outlooks.

The Legend of THE ORIGIN OF CORN AND DEER

Once there was a man who went around with a little turkey. The man lost all he had in gambling. His people brought together more things for him and again he gambled them all away. Then they agreed they would kill him if he lost again. They tied some things to his tipi poles for him. He came back and looked at them.

"Now I will play the hoop and pole game again," he said. His turkey went around in front of

him and said, "My father, why is it that you have such a poor mind? If you lose all this again, they are going to kill you."

He started away and came to the side of a river. A pretty tree was standing there. He commenced to chop it with a stone ax.

At sunset, only a little part of it remained to be chopped. He went home and came again in the morning. The tree stood as it had when he first saw it. He commenced chopping at it again.

At sunset there was only a little more to be chopped. He went home. He came back the next morning and commenced chopping. When only a little more remained to

be chopped it was night and he went home. He came back the next day and the tree stood as if it had never been cut.

Right by the tree there was a cliff. TcactcîyaLkîdn, the talking god, stood there and spoke to him, "My friend," he said, "why are you always bothering my tree?" "I have use for this, my friend," the other replied, "that is why I bother it." "What will you do with it?" asked the god. am going down the river by means of it," he said. The god made motions four times and felled it. He cut off a length just long enough for a man to lie in. He put back the remainder of the tree on the stump and it came together again as if it had never been cut.

"My friend, get all the birds that peck trees to hollow it out for you." Then all the birds came together and pecked at the inside of it, going through the tree. The man tried to get inside but it was not yet big enough. The birds went through it four times again in each direction. The hole was now large enough to receive his body. Then he distributed the beads among the birds that Story con�nues page 124

Steve Mabry, a native New Mexican, spent most of his career working in the Dallas, Fort Worth area. Steve spent the first part of his career as an engineer for Union Pacific Railroad.

After more than 15 years

and feeling unfilled in his career, Steve returned to school and became a mental health Therapist. Steve worked in various psychiatric hospitals and treatment facilities in addition to maintaining a successful private practice for over 20 years. As a therapist, Steve has helped numerous individuals and families find fulfillment, embrace their authentic selves, and develop the ability to live happier, healthier and more

Story continues page 98

productive lives.

After working in the mental health field for 40 years, Steve Mabry understood that retirement can be pleasant or difficult. Helping guide clients toward self-discovery and awareness brought extreme pleasure. He wondered If he would find a hobby that would provide similar pleasure.

Steve spent the first several years of retirement resting, traveling and enjoying the freedom-oftime that was elusive during the working years.

Realizing that too much rest and relaxation can become unhealthy, three years ago, Steve spent a year exploring the Sonoran Desert with a naturalist in southern Arizona. Steve learned much about desert flora and fauna that intrigued his natural since of wonder. After a short visit to a more rural part of New Mexico Steve found the slower pace of life, nurtured a calmness within.

Enjoying a cooler climate along with the natural beauty of the Chihuahuan Desert, Steve returned to settle in his native state of New Mexico and began searching for something to

One of North America’s oldest and highest golf courses, The Lodge Golf Course is a scenic golf course at 9,000 feet

Established in 1899. Governed by the Scottish tradition of playing different tees and separate flags on each hole, this dramatic 9 hole golf course, when played twice, becomes a challenging 18 hole round.

The golf course is open seven days a week, April through October. Please call ahead for tee times!

575-682-2098

fill his time. He wandered into the woodturning studio of a master turner Don Powell and the spark of creativity was ignited and has become a passion.

“I believe everybody has creativity within their soul; those of us who are lucky enough to recognize and embrace that creativity have been given a gift.”

In his workshop in Alamogordo, you can find Steve most days working at turning bowls, pens, salt & pepper shakers, platters and making tables from both local New Mexico Story continues page 109

woods as well as his favorite, Sissoo Rosewood.

White Oaks Miner Days See our ad page 129

Steve finds much joy highlighting the beauty of each piece of wood by slowly uncovering the unique qualities that is inherent in each work of art. He uses crushed stones, especially turquoise as well as copper to embellish the natural cracks in the wood, creating patterns that enhance the beauty in the pieces he creates.

A custom Kiln dries and conditions the wood ensuring that it won’t crack further; multiple coats of natural oil brings out the

Story continues page 120

Timberon BBQ Cook-Off See our ad page 107

Mexicans who settled in the Tularosa Basin in the mid-1880s obtained water rights to graze cattle in the fertile canyons of the Sacramento Mountains. By the 1880s, homesteaders discovered the area, bought the water rights and began establishing farms.

They built and maintained ditches to divert the Fresnal water to their crops and built the first dirt road from Fresnal to La Luz..

Fresnal, later known as Wooten, had the first post office in the area, established in 1894. The coming of the railroad in 1898 opened up the area for the shipment of goods to market and development of Story continues page 112

the tourist trade.

By 1899, trains went as far as Toboggan Canyon, where passengers were transferred to stagecoaches for the final miles to Cloudcroft. Freight depots and Wells Fargo offices were built in both High Rolls and Mountain Park.

The railroad operated on a regular basis until World War II. It finally ceased operation in 1948.

The first official use of the High Rolls name was in 1901, when the post office was moved from Fresnal (Wooten) to High Rolls.

The name, which was sometimes spelled as one word, Highrolls, supposedly came from the shape and elevation of the area as compared to the sharper peaks higher up.

Mountain Park received its name from Edgar Cadwallader, who came there in 1903 with the intent to grow fruit and vegetables. Others settled in the area and the resulting orchards produced apples, cherries, peaches, pears, cauliflower, and cabbage. It became so successful that the post office was moved there from High Rolls in 1904.

Other activities in the High Rolls/Mountain Park area included a poultry farm, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop and a shingle mill run by water from the Fresnal. The Courtney Mine shipped copper ore from its location 4 miles south of High Rolls.

Story continues page 116

The first store was the High Rolls Mercantile Store, built in 1905; it is still standing on Railroad Drive in High Rolls. The original area school was a log cabin built in 1889.

A school in Haynes Canyon was built in 1908 and the rock school in Karr Canyon was built in 1922 using some of the lumber from the old Haynes Canyon school. Although designed for indoor plumbing none was installed until 1944, because some school board members believed it was unnecessary.

The first church building was constructed of logs in 1888. In 1906, the Fresnal Baptist Church was built in Haynes Canyon. It is the present High Rolls/Mountain Park United Methodist

Church, now a state historical site.

The High Rolls Development Company was formed in 1909 and built a threestory hotel with 25 rooms, which opened in 1912. The company also constructed about 50 guest cottages for summer visitors. Over the years, the hotel served as a tuberculosis sanitarium and later as a retreat for Jesuit priests. Finally, the hotel was dismantled, with part staying and becoming a private residence while other parts became homes in Alamogordo.

We're so excited for all the renovations happening both to the exterior and the interior of The Lodge!

We're currently in the process of refurbishing the roof with new shingles and copper accents, and repainting some of our Gazebo area.

18th See our ad page 61

Be sure to come visit us and see all these exciting changes for yourself this summer!

We are also pleased to announce that renovations on the Governor's Suite have finally been completed!

White Oaks Miner Days See our ad page 129

Timberon BBQ Cook-Off See our ad page 107

The Lodge at Cloudcroft

Continued from page 109

color and growth patterns on the walnut, juniper, mulberry, mesquite, cottonwood and rosewood. While each work of art is a beautiful display piece, Steve, also uses non-toxic materials to ensure that each piece is also food safe.

When asked about the differences between his career before retirement and his woodworking, Steve realizes that there are similarities. As a mental health Therapist, he helped clients find the joy that comes in discovering their beauty and worth within. As a woodworker, Steve works with each unique piece of wood to find its internal beauty as well.

“I am grateful that I have been able to serve others in a career I loved, as well as, in my new endeavor of creating art for others to enjoy.” Steve delights in the bright eyes and smiles of customers who find joy in obtaining art made from nature, and enhanced with

an artist’s vision and touch. A perfect New Mexican gift to take home or to present to a favored friend. You can find Steve’s work at Horse Feathers Gallery in Tularosa’s Art District, at local art shows and on Facebook under the name of Artworkx.

Paul Haughey, of Irish decent, lived near an open pit copper mine about four miles south of High Rolls, off West Side Road. It is not recorded how he came to be there, but he left three mining claims with all improve-ments when he passed away due to heart trouble on Jan. 18, 1931, at the age of 77.

He also left tools, machinery, his cabin and all material in a hand written will to someone with the initials J.E.C., and to Mr. Charles Bell. He had no known relatives at that time.

Bell paid Leadinhouse Funeral Home $50 for a coffin and friends pulled the coffin on a sled, towed by a horse, four miles up West Side Road. The trip took all

day since the road did not look like it does today and was probably covered with ice and snow. Haughey was buried where he asked to be laid to rest. After expenses there was no money left, and his will was filed at the Otero County Courthouse.

The grave was dug just east of his home at the foot of a pinon tree on a knoll. From there one can look across the Fresnal Canyon at the mountains and see "Old Baldy" with its snow capped peak. What a beautiful spot!

Friends had put a fence around the grave, but it was lying on the ground and the posts had either fallen over or rotted away.

had worked for him.

Then the god came again to help him. He used the foam on the water to smooth the log. Spider closed both ends of the log for him.

"It's ready, my child," said the god. "There are four bad places in succession," he told him. Making motions four times the god put the log with the man inside of it into the water.

It floated down stream with him. It came down to the place where the whirlpool is and the log began to spin around. It went on down stream from there with him until it came to the waterfall where it stuck.

The god got it loose for him and it floated down to a place where the Pueblo Indians were pulling out driftwood. They pulled the log out but the god put it back. It went on down until it came where there was much driftwood floating. It floated down with him from there. When it landed he tried in vain to get out. After a while, he succeeded.

As he walked along beside the river he began to wish he had something to plant. He caught a lot of ducks, and pulled out their feathers which he used for a bed. He ate the birds but saved the sinew from their legs and used it for making arrows. When he had been there four days and the sun was setting he saw his turkey silhouetted against the sky. He came toward him. They walked together along the river. As they walked along he said he wished he had seeds to plant.

"My father," said the turkey, "clear a piece of ground." He cleared it. Then the turkey stood with his

wings outstretched, facing in each direction. When he walked from the east, black corn lay in a row; he walked from the south, blue corn lay in a row; he walked from the west, yellow corn lay in a row; he walked from the north, and corn of different colors lay in a row. "Now plant this," he said.

He planted all the different kinds of corn. When it had been planted one day, it commenced to come up. After the second day, the corn had two leaves. On the third day, it was quite high. On the fourth day, it had brown tassels. The turkey went around gobbling.

The man lay down in the feathers and slept. On the other side, to the east, stood a rocky ridge. He saw a fire over there. In the morning he went where the fire had been but there was no fire nor any tracks. That evening there was a fire there again. He stood up a forked stick and placed himself sitting on his heels so that the fire appeared In a line with the fork of the stick. The next day, getting his bearings in this way, he

went again to the place where he had seen the fire. There were no tracks there.

He went home again. When the sun went down he sat in the same place and saw the

fire again. The next morning he went where the fire had been. There were no tracks there. He went back home.

The corn and the tobacco were now ripe. He rolled a cigarette and tied it to his belt. The third day, at sunset, there was a fire there again.

When he went to the place a girl was sitting where the stream flowed out from the mountains. She was rubbing a deerskin. The man stood by her but she could not see him. The cicada had loaned him its flute. He stood there

The Art of Cynthia Johnson

My abstract work is about layers, texture and context … unrestrained by time and judgment, painting can become my voice when what I hope for reaches beyond what my vocabulary can articulate.

For me, great art communicates feelings and helps to shape thoughts … it has the power to bring to the surface and articulate deep, unformed stirrings and spark conscious expression.

I am also passionate about spoken and written words. We all “paint” with words everyday

... creating a verbal landscape of beauty or destruction. I sometimes find it easier to express a feeling with paint and canvas … other times, I find the perfect words.

I paint from a very personal place … and the physical process of completion grants a sort of satisfaction … after which I love how each viewer sees the work from their own perspective and interprets it from their individual space.

I most often paint with acrylics and enjoy creating using various mediums. I am inspired by nature, science, mystery, feelings, internal experiences, human relationships and how they all relate and connect.

THE ART OF Nathan J. Chavez

Nathan J. Chavez is an artist from Lincoln County New Mexico. Born in Albuquerque and raised in Lincoln County, Nathan has a deep understanding and respect for New Mexican culture and heritage.

He specializes in vivid, colorful and artistic cartoon inspired art. His work has popped up all over the state of New Mexico, in various ways. He has created murals, logos, flyers and t-shirts that can be seen all over the state. One work of art being featured on the 2021 Zozobra General admission ticket.

Nathan is inspired by cartoons, music, street art,

comic books, movies, imagination, cultures, religion and folklore. Behind artwork from Nathan J. Chavez is a lot of meaning.

Hidden in the details is a story and the subjects have weight. Nathan goes as far as hiding his signature in every drawing. A game that many who know him like to play is spotting where the signature is hidden next.

Nathan J. Chavez is creating a vivid storytelling world, one drawing at a time.

needs, like food and sex.

When you experience virtual reality, read poetry or fiction, see a film or listen to a piece of music, or move your body to dance, to name a few of the many arts, you are biologically changed

What Art Does for our brains and bodies

It may seem a mystery that we make or enjoy art at all. But art has been part of every culture on the planet, for tens of thousands of years. This means art is central to our survival somehow, perhaps helping us to make new intuitive leaps and innovate and to help bind us to one another.

Appreciating or making art involves using many parts of our brain—from those that process our senses to those involved in emotion, memory, and cognition. We are drawn to experiencing art, because doing so lights up the pleasure centers of our brains, creating a warm feeling that encourages us to want more of the same— much the way our brains respond to fulfilling basic

There is a neurochemical exchange that can lead to what Aristotle called catharsis, or a release of emotion that leaves you feeling more connected to yourself and others.

One study involving more than 23,000 British participants found that those who either made art at least once a week or attended cultural events at least once Story continues next page

or twice a year were happier and had better mental health than those who didn’t. This was independent of their age, marital status, income, health behaviors, social support, and more.

A study in Japan also showed that people who engaged in artistic activities, like crafts or painting, at one point in time had less cognitive impairment later than those who didn’t, which again supports a direct effect of art on well-being.

Not only can art improve general well-being, it can also be used to prevent or heal us from physical and mental illness. Art therapy is a growing field, useful for many ailments and situations, including when therapists work with people who may have difficulties communicating directly about their inner experience, like

children suffering from trauma or people with autism.

The arts are being used in at least six distinct ways to heal the body: as preventative medicine; as symptom relief for everyday health issues; as treatment or intervention for illness, developmental issues, and accidents; as psychological support; as a tool for successfully living with chronic issues; and at the end of life to provide solace and meaning

Listening to music or playing or singing music has been tied to things like reduced stress and pain and a better immune function. Singing has also been shown to help women

Story continues page 141

overcome postpartum depression more quickly, while listening to music can reduce symptoms in people suffering from migraines. A 2020 National Endowment for the Arts report that reviewed 116 studies on music therapy for opioid users found that listening to music helped soothe their pain, reduce their need for medication, and encourage them to seek treatment for addiction.

One study found that coloring and drawing reduced people’s heart rate and increased their respiratory sinus arrhythmia (a marker of good cardiovascular health) while making them feel less anxious. Sculpting with clay has been found to change wave patterns in our brains

Story continues page 146

How Dirt Makes You Happy

scientists have unraveled the why of many medicinal plants and practices, but only recently are they finding remedies that were previously unknown and yet, still a part of the natural life cycle. Soil microbes and human health now have a positive link that has been studied and found to be verifiable.

By: Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist

Prozac may not be the only way to get rid of your serious blues. Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain and are without side effects and chemical dependency potential. Learn how to harness the natural antidepressant in soil and make yourself happier and healthier. Read on to see how dirt makes you happy.

Natural remedies have been around for centuries, including cures for almost any physical ailment as well as mental and emotional afflictions. Ancient healers may not have known why something worked, but simply that it did. Modern

Did you know that there’s a natural antidepressant in soil? It’s true. Mycobacterium vaccae is the substance under study and has indeed been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The bacterium is found in soil and may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed and happier. Studies were conducted on cancer patients and they reported a better quality of life and less stress.

Lack of serotonin has Story continues next page

been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and bipolar disorders. The bacterium appears to be a natural antidepressant in soil and has no adverse health effects. These antidepressant microbes in soil may be as easy to use as just playing in the dirt.

Most avid gardeners will tell you that their landscape is their “happy place” and the actual physical act of gardening is a stress reducer and mood lifter.

The fact that there is some science behind it adds additional credibility to these garden enthusiasts’ claims.

The presence of a soil bacteria antidepressant is not a surprise to many of us who have experienced the phenomenon ourselves.

Mycobacterium antidepressant microbes in the soil are also being investigated for improving cognitive function, Crohn’s disease, and even rheumatoid arthritis.

Antidepressant microbes in soil cause cytokine levels to rise, which results in the

production of higher levels of serotonin. The bacterium was tested both by injection and ingestion on rats, and the results were increased cognitive ability, lower stress, and better concentration on tasks than a control group.

Gardeners inhale the bacteria, have topical contact with it, and get it into their bloodstream when there is a cut or other pathway for infection.

The natural effects of the soil bacteria antidepressant can be felt for up to 3 weeks if the experiments with rats are any indication. So get out and play in the dirt and improve your mood and your life.

Continued from page 141

in ways that reflect a relaxed, meditative state. There is evidence that listening to poetry can have similar effects on the brain as listening to music can, giving us peak emotional experiences.

People turn to art when they need to heal from acute or chronic trauma—for example, first responders, war veterans suffering posttraumatic stress disorder, or people of color facing ongoing discrimination. Programs using art therapy to help folks in their recovery and research labs studying healing through art, such as the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Forces program for vets and the Drama Therapy Theater and Health Lab at New York University.

Some of the connections between art and healing seem a bit wild.. For example, the work of Dr. John Beaulieu an innovator in the area of sound healing therapies, who has used various sound patterns to aid people suffering from trauma or other mental health disorders.

Though evidence for the effectiveness of this treatment may be thin, it’s intriguing to consider the possibilities for sound healing, given that some experiments have found sound waves can cause heart cells to move and form new tissue and protect us from the harmful effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

Story continues page 151

Continued from page 147

Though the research may be relatively young, there’s enough to say that we should all consider making time for art and aesthetic experiences in our everyday life.

Enjoying art seems to contribute to our flourishing, helping us to stay healthier and happier.

Edith Sorey

As Billy the Kid

The arts belong in schools, where they help augment both learning and well-being in children. And they encourage adults to engage in art, whether that means painting, composing, cooking, or dancing, or it means listening to music, walking in nature, watching a play, or sitting inside a cathedral.

That’s because art does so much good for our minds and bodies, helping us to cultivate our curiosity, stay open to our emotions, experience surprise or novelty, think differently about life, embrace ambiguity, engage the senses, feel awe, and more. It may even help heal your soul.

Con�nued from page 127 and blew upon it.

As the girl was working at the buckskin she pushed her hand down and turned her head to listen. She looked under the grass but could not find the cicada. She sat down again and began to rub the buckskin. The man blew again upon the flute. Again, she looked for it without finding it. He stood on this side of her and blew on the flute again. She got up and started toward her home. He followed behind her and then she saw him. Causing the solid rock to open she went in. He went in behind her but left his arrows lying by the door. When he got inside a very old woman who was sitting there jumped up and ran out. (She was afraid of her son-in-law).

Then the old man came home. He immediately took up his tobacco and filled his pipe. When he was ready he blew some smoke and said to the young man, "Will you smoke with me?" "No," he said.

"Where do you come from, I have looked everywhere in this country. Where have people come into existence?" He took up another sack of tobacco and filled another pipe. He smoked

and blew the smoke. "Do you want to smoke?" he asked.

"No," replied the man. Then he took up another pipe and another sack of tobacco, filled the pipe again, and blew smoke. "Do you want to smoke?" he asked. "No," he answered.

Then the man began to smoke the cigarette he had tied to his belt. The old man smelled the smoke and said, "I wish it was my turn to smoke." He gave him the cigarette and the old man inhaled the smoke. His legs straightened cut.

The voting man blew smoke against the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands. He commenced to get up. "That was something good," he was saving as he stood up. "I wish you would bring me much of it from the place where you got it." "That is all there is,," the young man said.

They placed a dish of food before him and he swallowed it at one mouthful.

He took up his arrows and started home. Outside, only one footprint was to be seen.

He came where his turkey Story con�nues next page

was. Then they tracked him to the place where the corn was growing. When he came to the turkey, it was afraid of him. When it was evening he made two cigarettes and tied them to his clothes. He went again where the others were living. He gave the old man the cigarettes to smoke again and

then went home the next morning. This time, there were two tracks outside. "I do not think, he is a human being," the old man said. The next evening he went there again. He carried with him a cigarette which he had made. When the old man had smoked it, he said, "That is good." He went into the tipi.

The turkey was going around a little way off, he was afraid of him. That evening the

man went back again carrying four cigarettes. The old man smoked them, saying they were good. The next morning the woman went back with him. They both walked across the river on top of the water. They gathered much corn and tobacco. The woman started home. When she came to the river, she took off her moccasins and waded through. She brought the corn to her people. "It is good," he said, "to eat with deer meat." He gave his father-in-law the corn. The father-in-law, in return, gave him the deer which he possessed.

The old man's name was DînîdeyînîLt'anne, "Game he raised". The other man who came to him was named AtdiLdeyeseLdlî, "He floated down". Then the deer all ran out. The man and woman moved their camp away.

The woman made a brush house but the deer came and ate off all the leaves. She made another brush shelter. The deer ate it again. The woman took up

Story con�nues next page

the fire poker and hitting the deer with it, said, "Deer will have a sense of smell."

Then they went off a little way from her. The next day they went farther away where they could not be seen.

"Turkeys shall live in the mountains and people will live upon them," she said. Then the woman was hungry and she went to the east saving "What has become of my children, all having the same kind of horns?" Then she went to the south and shouted, "Where have you gone, you that have bodies alike? Come back here." Then she went west. "My children, where have you gone, you that have tails alike, come back here." Then she went to the north, "My children, where have you gone, you that have ears alike, come back here."

From that direction, from the north, they came running back. They ran and surrounded her. From the west also they came and surrounded her. She killed a large number of them. "Now you may go and live in the mountains. People will live upon you. You shall have a sense of smell. People will live upon you." Then the corn was all that belonged to them.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE POOL

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

8:00 PM 10:00 PM

Ruidoso Municipal Swimming Pool

Parents deserve a Night Out! Bring your children to enjoy some family time. The movie Strange World (2022 Adventure/Comedy 1h 42m) at the Municipal Swimming Pool at 515 Sudderth. Come out and join this event. Tickets will be sold at the door. Concessions will be open. An adult must accompany kids under 11 years old. For more information, call 575-257-5030

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE POOL

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

8:00 PM 10:00 PM

Ruidoso Municipal Swimming Pool

Parents deserve a Night Out! Bring your children to enjoy some family time. The movie Lightyear (2022 Family/Adventure 1h 45m ) at the Municipal Swimming Pool at 515 Sudderth. Come out and join this event. Tickets will be sold at the door. Concessions will be open. An adult must accompany kids under 11 years old. For more information, call 575-257-5030

There are many styles and materials to choose from regarding cowboy hats. One type of cowboy hat often overlooked is the palm leaf cowboy hat. Palm leaf cowboy hats are made from, you guessed it, palm leaves!

They are a popular choice for cowboys in the American Southwest because they are lightweight and breathable, making them ideal for hot weather.

A palm leaf cowboy hat is simply a cowboy hat made from palm leaves. It is often a part of a cowboy’s uniform, especially in the American Southwest.

Palm leaf cowboy hats are made from palm leaves gathered from the young palm

trees.

These palm leaves are then turned into narrow strips and then braided together. The hat makers take the braid to their homes and sew it into the cowboy hat.

They begin with the top of the crown. If you examine your palm leaf hat, you’ll notice a small strip of the braid inside the center of the crown, which is about an inch long. This is because they overlap the braid into a spiral that begins just above the crown.

When the braid gets about three layers thick, they turn the crown inside-out. Then the hat makers blocked the crown on a wooden block to sewn the brim. They use a wider strip of braid which is then folded double and stitched around the edge of the brim

A four-inch brim palm-leaf cowboy hat would require 150 feet long braids. A hat maker needs 250 to 300 feet long braids to make a palm leaf cowboy hat.

Palm-leaf cowboy hats are typically worn in the summer months and are lightweight Story continues next page

164 and provide good ventilation, making them ideal for hot weather. Palm leaf cowboy hats can also be dipped in water and worn as cooling headgear.

These cowboy hats are entirely waterproof and won’t get damaged even during heavy rains. So, a palm-leaf cowboy hat is an excellent option if you’re looking for a cowboy hat to keep you cool during summer.

Another good time to wear a palm leaf cowboy hat is during rodeo season. Rodeos often take place in the summer, and again, the lightweight and

165 ventilated nature of palm leaf cowboy hats make them ideal for this hot weather activity.

A palm leaf cowboy hat is a type of straw cowboy hat. The palm leaf cowboy hats are straw cowboy hats, but they still have some differences. A palm-leaf cowboy hat will have more texture and depth than a straw cowboy hat.

It is also significantly easier to reshape a palmleaf cowboy hat after getting wet than a straw cowboy hat. Palm leaf cowboy hats are hand woven, whereas straw cowboy hats are primarily machine-made.

One of the main benefits of palm leaf cowboy hats is their excellent sun protection, and the wide brim helps to shade your face, neck, and shoulders from harmful UV rays. Palm leaf cowboy hats are durable and can last for years with proper care.

Lincoln Historic Site is unique in that it manages most of the historical buildings in the community of Lincoln. This most widely visited state monument in New Mexico is part of a community frozen in time—the 1870's and 1880's. The historic site includes 17 structures and outbuildings, 7 of which are open year round and 2 more seasonally as museums. Most of the buildings in the community are representative of the Territorial Style of adobe architecture in the American Southwest.

Lincoln is a town made famous by one of the most violent periods in New Mexico history. Visitors can see the Old Lincoln County Courthouse with exhibits that recount the details of the Lincoln County War and the historic use of the "House" as store, residence, Masonic Lodge,

courthouse, and jail. Walk in the footsteps of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and other famous and infamous characters of the Wild West.

The Tunstall Store contains displays of the original 19thcentury merchandise in the original shelving and cases. Walk through history by visiting El Torreón (a defensive tower built by New Mexican settlers in the 1850s), the San Juan Mission Church, Dr. Woods' House, the Montaño store and other historic structures .

TheAnderson-Freeman Visitor's Center & Museum features historical exhibits starting withAmerican Indian prehistory and ending with the Lincoln County War.A22 minute video about the Lincoln County War and the community is shown every half hour.

The 17 structures that comprise Lincoln Historic Site. These historic adobe and stone buildings are preserved as they were in the late 1800s and represent the factions involved in the Lincoln County War, 1878-1881.

Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; closed Tuesday and Wednesday

$7 for adults. Free for children 16 years and younger. NM residents with ID admitted free the first Sunday of every month.