Gallup Journey Magazine - January 2024

Journey gallup

The Free Community Magazine

2024 January #234

Happy New Year!

Let’s Celebrate!

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City of Gallup

Geographic Information Systems Mapping into the Future Geographic Information Systems (GIS) use computers for collecting, examining, and illustrating data in physical locations. GIS can assist individuals and organizations in better comprehending patterns and relationships. GIS can be used as a data and software mechanism for managing, editing, and illustrating geographic information. GIS is able to layer vast amounts of information over a map, such as pipe locations, property ownership, and other data points.

GIS can produce visualizations of geospatial details and reference external data sources for the following: - Imagery using sources like satellite photos - Using database information to populate maps - Analyzing and tracking patterns - Adding custom filters, markers, or other reference points

How GIS aids the world GIS is used in a wide variety of sectors and businesses. It can be used for scientific research, resource development, planning, and safety, among many other uses. City, state, and federal governments use GIS to support their responses to natural disasters like an earthquake or a thunderstorm. Governments also use GIS to help with planning land development and tracking utilities.

Data layered on a basemap.

Scientists and engineers rely on GIS to compare population statistics, evaluate projects, and plan water and land development, among many other areas. GIS technology is used to design and maintain communication networks, such as cell phone coverage or Internet access. There are few limitations to the variety of information that can be evaluated using GIS.

The Gallup trail map displays twenty-two different trails.

aids in E-911 addressing, utility services, maintaining and developing infrastructure, keeping land records, and tracking and preventing power outages.

GIS is also used to aid economic development and identify potential areas for business expansion. The software can allow users to quickly go from an aerial view of the community to identify land, to then view property ownership, and the location of available utilities.

The City also utilizes GIS maps on its website, GallupNM. gov. Users can find detailed maps for trails, roads, and the Mobile map features Downtown Gallup address points, roads, and parcels. community’s mining history.

For more information, contact the GIS Division at 505-863-1307.

Scan codes to view mobile web maps!

How the City uses GIS The City of Gallup GIS Division is charged with identifying, collecting, and maintaining key geographic data within the city. A major benefit of using GIS is providing many views of data at once, which the user can customize to their needs. For instance, satellite imagery, zoning scope, roads, and parcels can all be illustrated, which

Gallup Trail System

Gallup Roads & Addresses

Gallup Mining History

Mayor Louie Bonaguidi Councilor Linda Garcia Councilor Sarah Piano Councilor Michael Schaaf Councilor Ron Molina

Thank You to Our Sponsors and Volunteers

RED ROCK BALLOON RALLY SPONSORS 2023

Gallup Propane Service, Inc.

Amigo Automotive Castle Furniture Cedar & Ivy Real Estate Earl’s Restaurant Ellis Tanner Trading Company Equipment Share Family Medicine Associates Four Corners Welding Gallup Eye Group IHeart Media Jerry’s Cafe Lam Corporation

New Mexico Gas Company Pinnacle Bank Richardsons Trading Rico Auto Complex Rio West Mall Sammy C’s Rockin’ Sports & Grille Pub Sonic Drive-in Supersmith The Rocket Cafe´ Thunderbird Supply

ADOBE STORAGE ANASAZI TRADERS BIG MIKE’S RENTAL BUBANY INSURANCE BUTLER’S OFFICE SUPPLY CHAMPION FORD CHIAVA CLAN & ME CO’YA CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ELECTRIC DEPAULI ENGINEERING FARMERS INSURANCE FIRST AMERICAN TRADERS FIRST FINANCIAL CREDIT UNION GALLUP LUMBER & SUPPLY GALLUP PROPANE GALLUP PUMPING GRANDPA’S GRILL HIGH DESERT QSRs HINKLEY SIGNS HORIZON ENTERPRISES JOHN’S USED CARS LA BARRACA RESTAURANT MASON & ISSACSON MAYNARD BUCKLES MCKINLEY COUNTY MURPHY BUILDERS NEWBERRY & ASSOCIATES PERRY NULL TRADING POINT S TIRE PROFESSIONAL TRUCK & AUTO RED ROCK SECURITY SERVICES RED ROOF INN REMAX ROSEBROUGH, FOWLES & FOUTZ SHA-DA-NE’ CONSULTING THE ELECTRONIC CENTER THE LEBECK FAMILY THOMAS BISCHOFF TONY GONZALES, CPA TURNEY’S INC. US BANK VISIT GALLUP VIRGIE’S RESTAURANT WD MOORE

CONGRATULATIONS FALL GRADUATES

The UNM-Gallup community is proud of your accomplishments.

Now, you’re ready for the next step of your journey.

We look forward to seeing you at Commencement in May 2024.

Congratulations, Lobos!

Thoughts From The West End Hey, “Thoughts from the West End” readers! Today, let’s take a light-hearted stroll down memory lane, back to those days when we thought the world revolved around us. Ah, adolescent egocentrism – the belief that we’re the star of our own movie and everyone else is just a supporting character.

system?” But here’s the cool part: coming out of this self-centered bubble is where we start to really grow. It’s where we learn empathy.

Empathy is understanding that everyone has their own battles and challenges. It’s about realizing that while we’re busy with our lives, there’s a whole world out Remember when you there with people facing were a kid and thought wars, family troubles, everything at home just natural disasters, and paused when you left unimaginable hardships. for school? “Surely, my It’s about recognizing that parents are just waiting for me to get back, right?” the person next to us in line at the grocery store It’s funny to think about or sitting across from us now, but back then, we on the bus has their own were all convinced we complex life, just like we were the center of the do. universe.

So, while this isn’t a deep dive into psychology, it’s a nudge to remember that we’re all part of something bigger.

Learning to step out of our own world and into someone else’s shoes, even for a moment, can make a huge difference.

As we navigate life’s ups and downs, a little empathy can go a long Growing out of this stage way. Let’s not forget, the can be a bit of a bummer. world keeps turning, and You start to realize, “Wait, we’re all in this together!

I’m not that special?

JpaI’m just part of a bigger This takes me back to a college class I had – a general ed requirement filled with students from all sorts of majors. Our professor brought up this very topic, and boy, did it hit home. It’s like realizing for the first time that, hey, maybe there’s more to the world than just me.

6

January 2024

January Classes:

January 13 Valentine’s Wall Hanging 9am to 4pm - $45

January 27 Machine Embroidery Club 10am to 4pm

Vacuum & Sewing Center Quilting, Fabric & Supplies

104 W. Coal Avenue • 505-722-9414 www.gallupservicemart.com Monday-Saturday • 9 am to 5 pm

sudoku When you finish these puzzles, bring them to our office at 210 E. Aztec Ave, оr take a pic with your phone and email it to gallupjourney@gmail.com. Don’t forget to include your name.

December Master Finishers 2Quick4u!

Mary Allison Oct/Nov Charley Benally Sarah Landavazo Chei-Ann Manygoats A Yazzie D Gonzales Sylvester Noche S. Baldwin Thomas Gomez Pepita Michelle Skeets Shari Priddy Anjelica Mexicano LiDeja Jones Laura J. Libby J. Rob LaRoy Cisco Jaye Smith

Shane A. Pinto Mark Gartner Chei-Ann Manygoats Libby J. L. James Christina Ashley DOMA Mitch Enrique Pieras Steph J Sarah Landavazo N.T.N. Elmer Williams Richard L R Morris Lois Becenti E Skeet DK & Footies MuNcH

Contents 20

UNM-Gallup keeps Holiday in New Mexico tradition alive Richard Reyes

28

Walking in Beauty Daisy Arsenault, RD

34

Event Calendar

38

The Rescue of River City Kenneth Riege

44

Hillside Cemetery Angel Maiorano

47

People Reading

56

Why Think About Growing Tomatoes in November Edith Iwan

Thanks to our Contributors this month

Kenneth Riege Edith Iwan

Thank you for all of your art issue submissions!!

Publishers: Daisy & Jason Arsenault Chuck & Jenny Van Drunen

Richard Reyes Angel Maiorano

Art Director: Christine Carter

Thank you, to the contributors of the 20th Annual Arts Issue!

Do you have a cool local story you want to share with the Journey?

Send your story to gallupjourney@gmail.com

Gallup Journey Magazine 505-722-3399 • 210 E. Aztec Ave. • PO Box 2187 gallupjourney.com • gallupjourney@gmail.com

Don’t want to miss an issue, subscribe to the Gallup Journey - one year $45.

Cover: Artwork courtesy of Jordyn Holtsoi-Henry

January 2024 Issue #234 All Rights Reserved. No articles, photos, illustrations, advertisements, or design elements may be used without expressed written permission from the publisher, Gallup Journey Inc. This publication is distributed with the understanding that the information presented is from many sources, for which there can be no warranty or responsibility by the publisher as to accuracy, originality, or completeness. It is distributed with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in making product endorsements, recommending health care or treatments, providing instruction, or recommending that any reader participate in any activity or behavior described in the publication. The opinions of the contributors to this publication belong to them and do not reflect the opinions of the editors or publishers.

Easy

Hard

January 2024

7

Thank you for sharing your love of art with the Gallup Journey…

Gallup, New Mexico, is an art town. Art is our main attraction and visitors from around the world make the journey here to shop our galleries. These visitors come to find handwoven tapestries, silver adorned with vibrant stones, hand coiled clay pottery, along with several other Native American art traditions. What you will find in our annual Arts Issue is something different. Of course, some of the work has been influenced by our Native American culture, but the majority is something very different than what you find in our local galleries. The artists who fill these pages are moved by words, rhythm, family, landscapes, technology, and the idea of exploration. Art has a way of making us feel better. Art provides one of those rare moments where our minds are freed from the complexities of our daily lives. We get lost in what the artist is saying, and we go to that place where we explore what the art means to us. When you explore this issue, you are going to find poems, short stories, pictures of pets, photos of our area, and places not all of us are familiar with, plus technology that has manipulated something into a new idea. Let the issue move you, and maybe next year you will be ready to share your art with this community.

Kathleen Heisch, Listening to the Rhythm of the (Alley) Rain 8

January 2024

I’m Always Late

By Krystyna Lewis-Lastiyano

Abel Bates

The whirring of alarms fills the quiet of my room.

Vibrations pulsate through my pillow indicating today’s impending doom.

I know I have to be somewhere before this afternoon.

I’m really bad at schedules, I hope I remember soon.

Instead, I begin to wonder: Does fate exist?

Who am I? What is true happiness?

Cy Benally

I can never think of the answers, always stuck staring at the ceiling, then suddenly I remember…

I HAVE A MEETING!!!

Now there’s a toothbrush in my pocket, and my clothes are a wrinkly mess.

There is only one question left to answer…

WHY AM I LIKE THIS?!

Alexandria Patterson January 2024

9

Fading Shadows

By Kristy Lynn Harbour, Acrylic on canvas 12x12, 2023 Study of The Native Americans by CS Bevan

Tiffany Brown

Raymond Holtsoi

10 January 2024

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On This Stone

By Calvin Gleason

Cherille Williams, McGaffey Lake

14 January 2024

BrianWilson

Double Faith

By Gayle Joe As we enter the holiday season, double faith Navajos are taking part in religiousobservances. Traditional Night Way ceremonies encompass faith in the Navajo deities, songs, and prayers for healing and spiritual renewal, meanwhile, Christian services celebrate Jesus’ birth and rejoice the Lord’s glory in faith and prayer for salvation. Double belief Navajos are connecting barriers and building relationships through church.

First, double faith can be integrated. In Navajo Christians Build Relationships Through Scriptures and Culture, according to Pastor Stanley W. Jim, Navajos see the Bible as an untrustworthy product, but he believes that experiencing the Bible as Diyin God Bizaad (God’s Holy word) will help people view the Bible as God’s love letter spoken directly to them. He uses traditional stories in his sermons. This integration of Coyote stories shows that traditional culture can be incorporated with church sermons.

Additionally, double faith shares similar beliefs. In the article, The Whole Universe is My Cathedral: A Contemporary Navajo Spiritual Synthesis, written by David H. Begay and Nancy C. Maryboy, Sister Grace shares that fear is yii yáá and that is what

sin is like in the new theology. If you get out of order, there is yii yáá! Comparing yii yáá to sin demonstrates that there are similarities between Navajo belief and church because there is an order to live by.

Double faith has also built relationships between Navajo traditionalists and western church. For example, Cornelia Eaton, a member of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, shared in the article, Navajo ‘Evangelism’ No Longer Means ‘Assimilation,’ written by G. JeffreyMacDonald, that people would tell her they did not know the Episcopal Church would not judge them for practicing their traditional values and be Christian too. Being able to attend church andstill practice traditional values without judgement describes how relationships between religion and culture is important to double believers.

Last, double faith is important to one’s identity. In Double Belonging, Amy Frykholm says, “They all feel called to integrate two traditions both of which are crucial to their identity.”

Double faith individuals use their two sets of beliefs to navigate their oneness with God.Double faith Navajos have not forgotten their traditional values. Instead, they have found a way to connect barriers and build relationships through church by integrating their traditional culture, finding similarities between both beliefs, establishing connections, and the ability to identify with both beliefs.

Happy New Year to you and yours!

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Cherille Williams, McGaffey, I am on my way

Kathleen Heisch, Sunrise, Sunset

Jay John

16 January 2024

Brian Wilson

Michelle Sanchez

Marina Gonzales JayLyn Randles, Navajo Dance Group

Orion Roanhorse, Summer Bath R Diane Martinez January 2024

17

Runaway Adventures

By Sandra Geary When I was 13, or so, I ran away from one of several foster homes that took me in that year - 1973. I had a joint already rolled, and it was getting to be evening, the nip of the twilight air promising a freeze. I had nowhere to go and decided to hole up in a Stinker station bathroom for the night. The station, on the 21stt Street Hill in Lewiston, Idaho, was nestled in the parking lot of a strip-mall with a laundromat and a cafe, which were closed for the night. The town pretty much closed up by 8 pm except bars and gas stations, and I wasn’t yet brave enough, or curious enough, to try for a bar. That would come the next year.

Inside the bathroom, I took off my big grey coat, laid it across the short counter next to the dingy sink, and proceeded to get ready for bed in the usual way (pee, brush my teeth). Then I took out the joint, thinking to just take the edge off my nervousness - what if I was caught? Would I go to jail again? This time, would they send me to St. Anthony’s (the notorious children’s prison in Idaho)? Did anybody care? Probably not. Maybe Penny, but I was scared of her mom, Eunice. Eunice cared, too, but she “saw” too much.

By the time I got to the end of these musings I had finished the whole joint. I think that was the first time I’d ever smoked a whole joint by myself. I didn’t really like pot, but it was easier to get than beer, and way more cool.

I tried to get cozy on the counter, but there wasn’t much room between the wall and the sink - three feet of stained and cracked yellow laminate below a worn mirror. I looked at the floor. No way. I mean, this was a gas station bathroom - white tile floors with grayish streaks of…something. Wax? And the day’s greasy footprints still marked the path to the old, smelly toilet just a few feet away.

Pretty soon, I decided to just go out…maybe see if Loretta would hide me out for the night. But when I got everything back in my backpack and went to the door, the lights went out. And I couldn’t get the door open.

“Shit!” They locked the door automatically from the shop or the office, I thought. I pounded on the door, yelling,”Let me out!

Hey! Let me out! LET. ME. OUT!” It seemed like a good twenty minutes I was standing there pounding on the door, yelling and panicking. What if they went home and left me trapped in here, like Daddy did when I was five?

I had to get out of there.

Finally, I heard a male voice outside the door. “Can I help you, ma’am?”

“I can’t open the door! It’s locked.”

“OK. Let me get the key.” A few moments later I heard the scrape of the key, and then the instructions,”pull on the handle.”

I pulled. The door opened, releasing into a cloud of marijuana smoke, and I felt a familiar flush of shame. It was never locked. I had been pushing on the door.

The young guy watched as I left the bathroom, head held high in an attempt to look unconcerned, and older, but fighting the urge to run across the parking lot. I imagine now that he was trying to decide if I needed help, and what sort of help I might need.

Anyway, by the time he made up his mind, I was gone.

Skylar Blackbull

Cy Benally 18 January 2024

Alexandria Patterson

Cynthia Chavez

Bianca Begay January 2024

19

UNM-Gallup keeps Holiday in New Mexico tradition alive Branch campus shares luminarias, biscochitos and mariachi music with community

By Richard Reyes The University of New MexicoGallup continued its successful Holiday in New Mexico tradition with nearly 1,000 luminarias, more than 800 biscochitos, and a musical finale by mariachi entertainer Antonio Reyna on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.

Families and children who visited the campus delighted in the festive decorations and the arrival of Santa Claus atop a Gallup Fire Department firetruck with a Campus Police escort.

UNM mascot Lobo Louie was also thrilled to see Santa, giving him a big hug when he arrived.

Visitors also enjoyed the various activities organized by the branch campus’ departments and student clubs, including coloring, treats, ring toss games, chess, temporary tattoos, a North Pole Experience, and more.

“I loved the event,” UNM-G Student Veterans Association Vice President Rhonda Herbert said. “My family enjoyed the booths, games, Santa, and the hot chocolate with biscochitos. They loved the whole experience, and I did too.”

Herbert and the Student Veterans Association gave out about 150 clay ornaments to visitors at their booth.

Families and kids then got to decorate the ornaments to take home for

Luminarias and string lights decorate the UNM letters and Lobo statute in front of the Student Services and Technology Center during Holiday in New Mexico at The University of New Mexico-Gallup campus Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.

themselves or to gift to their loved ones and even pets.

One of Herbert’s favorite moments of the night was when one boy stopped by to decorate three ornaments.

Spanish adjunct Jean Paul Van Derdys Vidal sings and plays guitar inside the Ingham Chapman Gallery

20 January 2024

“He was so happy with how they came out,” Herbert recalled. “I asked him, ‘Why three?’ He said, ‘Oh, well one for my mom in heaven, one for my foster mom, and the other is so they

don’t forget me.’ He had the biggest and brightest smile and thanked us.

He brought me tears. I had to take a break because I was once in that same situation.”

Gallup-born mariachi entertainer Antonio Human resources tech Wilma Lee, center, shares a laugh with Reyna performs inside Calvin Hall Center Student Success Specialist Andrea Wilson, right.Lee is joined by her daughter Brianna Charley, left, and her granddaughters Kiara Auditorium during the finale of Holiday in New Mexico and Kaylee Kee.

Student Sahara Fiedacan, a member of the Asian Luminarias illuminate the entrance to The University Culture Club, plays a cup pong game of New Mexico-Gallup campus

A campus community effort SkillsUSA students handed out more than 800 biscochitos, which were made

by BombDiggity’s. Earl’s Restaurant donated gallons of hot chocolate for visitors. And The Enchilada Lady made 80 bowls of posole for UNM-G employees and volunteers who helped make Holiday in New Mexico possible.

Home Depot donated several light projectors and string lights along with two pre-lit Christmas trees to create a more festive atmosphere around the campus and inside the Calvin Hall Center Auditorium.

Jean Paul Van Derdys Vidal, a Spanish adjunct at UNM-Gallup, sang and played the guitar inside the Ingham Chapman Gallery, which featured the Fall 2023 Fine Arts Student Show. The exhibit showcased the promising work of UNM-Gallup art students, including Navajo-style rugs, drawings, paintings, sculptures and jewelry.

Officers of the Art Student Collective designed Winter Wishes cards for people to color and write what they wanted for the holidays. Club members also decorated colorful signs to welcome visitors to the campus and to help direct foot traffic to the auditorium.

Dozens of volunteers — including students, staff, faculty and executives — helped build, place and light nearly 1,000 luminarias around the entrance of the UNM-Gallup campus to create a warm welcome for Holiday visitors.

“All I have to say is that it was really fun seeing everyone get together as a community to not only help set up the event but also celebrate it,” UNMGallup student Nickolaus Brown said.

Hometown mariachi hero The evening concluded with

a performance by mariachi entertainer Antonio Reyna, who was born and raised in Gallup. The hometown hero sang a medley of mariachi songs inside the Calvin Hall Center Auditorium and stuck around afterward to meet with fans, take photos and sign autographs.

Prior to the show, Reyna also mingled with fans inside Gurley Hall.

“What an amazing time last night at UNM-Gallup’s Holiday in New Mexico event,” Reyna stated via his Facebook page.

“Met so many wonderful people, saw some old friends and had so much fun performing for you.

Thank you for including me in your event.”

Tina Griego, administrative assistant to the dean, helped hand out tickets for Reyna’s free show. She also worked behind the scenes to purchase all of the supplies needed for the entire event. She said her favorite moment of the night was visiting and reminiscing with Reyna.

“It was so great,” she said of Reyna’s performance. “He is truly a fabulous entertainer.”

Ron Petranovich, manager of the Physical Plant at UNM-G, was also a big fan of Reyna and his performance.

“It was very enjoyable,” Petranovich said. “We need to have more of these cultural events on campus.”

The show was also streamed live on the UNM-Gallup Facebook page. A recording of the performance can still be viewed there.

‘A lot of meaningful memories’ Both Griego and Petranovich reflected on the tradition of celebrating the holidays at UNM-Gallup and what it means for the community.

“I have been attending Holiday in NM for approximately 30 years (it used to be called Holiday Magic) and it is something that all of

my children have performed at throughout the years,” Griego said. “It holds a lot of meaningful memories.”

UNM-Gallup has been celebrating the holidays for decades, but the event has gone through several iterations, including being known as Holiday Magic, Illumination Celebration, Holiday Lightfest, and Lights On. In 2013, the event was re-born as Holiday in New Mexico thanks to the work of the late Merilee Petranovich.

Holiday in New Mexico has continued ever since — except for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic when it was put on hold.

“No doubt for three decades now, this is what the event has been about,” Ron Petranovich said. “It’s nice to see folks that normally would come up to the college here for this event, plus family and kids.”

The following UNM-Gallup departments and clubs organized booths and participated in Holiday in New Mexico: Advisement, Accessibility Resource Center, Art Student Collective, Asian Culture Club, Bookstore, Business Operations, Chancellor’s and Dean’s Office, Division Chairs, Financial Aid, Fine Arts, Human Resources, Information Technology, Lobos Chess Club, Medical Laboratory Technology, Multimedia Club, SkillsUSA, Student Veterans Association, TRIO Student Support Services, TRIO Upward Bound, and Zollinger Library.

The event was organized by the Holiday Planning Committee, which is made up of UNM-Gallup staff, faculty and students.

For more information about UNM-Gallup, please visit gallup.unm.edu. For more UNM-Gallup news and events, please visit gallup.unm.edu/ news.

Santa Claus, aka Patrick Moore, hugs a child while another looks on in awe

Asti and Jonah Calderon color on Winter Wishes cards

Hiro Hoover, 3, center, pulls a lollipop during a game while her sister Taro Hoover, 6, and mother Connie Liu look on

Orrin and Lochlan Hunt pick designs while financial aid officer Angelia Hood applies a temporary tattoo to Kaylee Kee inside the Bookstore

Students Kayliegh Begay and Aiyana Chavez write and color on Winter Wishes cards

January 2024

21

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Krystyna Lewis-Lastiyano 26 January 2024

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Alexandria Patterson

Orion Roanhorse, Big Dreams January 2024

27

Walking in Beauty

Building Muscle When it comes to muscle: If you do not use it, you will lose it!

Muscle plays a crucial role in human health; it allows us to stand, walk, balance, lift and breathe. Building and maintaining muscle is important for both men and women, because strong muscles help reduce back pain, By just including some type of reprevent falls and more. All of us can sistance training in your daily workagree, muscle mass is important to burn calories, maintain healthy bones outs, you can help prevent this muscle loss. Eating a variety of foods that and have increased energy.

are high in calcium and vitamin D will also help prevent the loss of bone and muscle mass.

Get yourself set up with some type of exercise routine that includes weights. Reach out to your local gym and work with a trainer on how to get started with weights. If you are not the type of person to go to the gym, you can start by using your own body weight instead. Try push-ups, squats, planks, sit-ups or dips. Just make a plan and get to using those muscles to stay strong and healthy.

As the new year approaches, your overall health is the best investment you can make. Set a few goals and as you reach those, add a few more.

Building muscle and retaining muscle is a good first goal that will increase energy levels and prevent injuries in the future.

28 January 2024

Supported by CDC Award NU58DP006594 and the Navajo Nation Vaccine team.

The vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect family members six months and older, as well as our community.

Just one shot can reduce risk of severe symptoms and hospitalization.

The current vaccine fights new strains of COVID-19, which means faster recovery and milder symptoms.

Contact your healthcare provider for more information and to schedule your shot.

The vaccine is recommended through winter 2024.

Remember, we’re stronger together!

The Gallup McKinley County School district is an enormous organization. Our group consists of 33 individual school sites, and around seven additional support sites spread throughout the district.

There are several points of contact with the public on any given day at these locations, and we want the opportunity to make a good impression. Part of our Elevate 2025 Strategic Plan set the goal of improving customer service. Dr. Ryan stated that the goal for her department is to completely reimagine the customer

service experience. In the past, much of our training has been conducted online. This seemed to serve a purpose at the time, but since then we have moved away from covid era restrictions, and now we are trying a different approach. Dr. Ryan stated, “I think customer service post the pandemic has really shifted. Our customers expect a lot of us, and we expect a lot of our customers.”

She continued, “I think a lot of that has to do with our customers really needing to be supported and really needing to have a wholistic “really good” experience.”

In response to this need, we are phasing in our customer service action plans. Since last school year, GMCS has partnered with internationally renowned customer service consultants, the DiJulius Group, to help with new customer service initiatives. Prior to establishing an action plan, the DiJulius Group conducted a study within the GMCS organization to establish customer service needs. Dr. Ryan noted that whether the customers are internal or external, they all need to be adequately supported. Regardless of whether their issue can be resolved right then, the customer’s needs are to be acknowledged, validated and to know that they are getting the full attention of the person that is there to help them.

The DiJulius Group has set forth a framework of action plans that are helping to guide GMCS in rolling out our customer service initiatives. The 10-step plan, known as the “10 Commandments”, allows for a structured but simplified method of phasing every component needed to not only deliver an excellent

customer experience, but to also create accountability and deliver progress.

The first action plan was to create a customer service action statement:

GMCS’ customer service action statement is to EMPOWER STUDENTS THROUGH PRODUCTIVE AND PROFESSIONAL INTERACTIONS. INTERACTIONS.

In addition, every GMCS staff member received a customer card to serve as a visual display on their desk and a reminder to them to practice the customer service skills they are being taught in trainings. These cards display thefollowing action statements:

• Connect with Respect and Empathy • Cultivate with Service by being Proactive • Impact by Inspiration and Ownership These pillars and action statements serve as a foundation. The inside of the folded card contains an “Always” and “Never” statement. These cards serve to help everyone to make the shift to customer service. Dr. Ryan stated, “We can’t ask anyone in the organization to make changes if they don’t know what they’re being asked to focus on, so we created focus areas.”

Since January 2023, GMCS has conducted several different customer service trainings with members of our front-line staff, administrators, and other support staff. One such training included a session on “negative cues”. As time progresses, there will be more trainings focused on different aspects of the customer experience with the goal of creating a new internal culture of prioritizing customer service.

Dr. Ryan concluded, “The goal this year is to start getting customer service at the center of conversations and not as an afterthought.” There are plans in the works to make this an on-going and continually evolving process, as our customer

service needs change, so shall we.

As a way of keeping up with customer satisfaction, tackling ongoing issues and measuring our progress, we have placed Customer Satisfaction kiosks at nearly all of our schools and in the Student Support Center. These kiosks allow customers to rate their experience while visiting that location. Those with unsatisfactory experiences are given the opportunity to answer more questions and elaborate on their experience and if necessary, get additional support. The kiosks are monitored by each site and can also be monitored through the SSC. Since September of this year, we’ve been tracking survey data at these kiosks, and we are happy to report that at present we are operating with 75% of our surveyed visitors saying they are “very happy” with the resolution of their matter. We encourage our visitors to use these kiosks when you exit one of our sites and please let us know how we did, or how we can improve.

As a public entity, the Gallup McKinley County School District is always looking for ways to improve our relationship with our community. We will be growing our customer service experience endeavor to include everyone in the organization. We would like our students, parents, teachers, and staff to know that we care. We strive to give everyone a satisfying experience with GMCS. Our pledge is to make the effort, to give you our full attention, and to do our best to make your experience with Gallup McKinley County Schools pleasant.

Trees of Mystery

By Sarah Menapace-Walker We joined the SMART RV Group on an adventure to the “Trees of Mystery” during a rainstorm down pour just outside of Klamath, California. Upon our arrival our group approached the park entrance there was a giant-sized Paul Bunyan who spoke welcoming us. I was so startled as he spoke to us directly in a non-recorded voice in a conversational manner that was lifelike and real. Paul Bunyan suggested our group gather around his giant boots and take some group photos which we did with many different phones and cameras.

Trees of Mystery was a “fun” tourist trap where we hiked the Canopy Trail on bridges and platforms in the Redwood treetops and took the Sky Trail Gondola thru the treetops to Ted’s Ridge. We saw many unusual Redwood trees given strange

names as objects they represented such as octopus, elephant and candelabra, but my favorite was the giant carved squirrel scampering down the tree. At the end of the trail was a huge tourist trap gift shop where you could buy anything you could imagine from fudge to Bigfoot Socks. Part of the gift shop included the “End of the Trail Collection Museum” with various Native Tribes artifacts from all over our country, which was extraordinary! It was quite an adventure, but Paul Bunyan let me down when he did not wave and say goodbye to us or say “y’all come back now!” as we left.

January 2024

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J A N U A RY

CHILDREN & YOUTH LIBRARY WEEKLY EVENTS Eureka!

Join OFPL at the Children & Youth Library every Monday at 4:00 PM for STREAM workshops and activities for kids and tweens (ages 6-12). Eureka!

STREAM workshops explore topics in Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, and Making. In celebration of International Creativity

Month, our STREAM activities will encourage kids to invent and create things using everyday materials. Email pneilson@ gallupnm.gov or call (505) 863-1291 for more information.

January 8th: Spaghetti Soapbox Derby - Design, build, and test your own race car out of nothing but pasta and adhesive. Then go head to head with other cars in speed and distance challenges! (Where are you planning to race these?

We could do it in El Morro Theatre.)

at OFPL using the Supply Request Form at ofpl.online.

January 22nd: Keva Plank Engineering Challenges - Keva Planks are simple wooden building blocks that can be used to build elaborate structures. Try st your hand at solving January 1 - Slime in a Bag [Virtual] - Invent your five difficult engineering own winter-themed version challenges using nothing but th of this popular toy using just January 15 : Rubber Keva planks, and participate Band Helicopters [Virtual] in a large collaborative a few common ingredients.

Supply kits are available - Design, build, and test an build. at OFPL using the Supply aircraft that uses energy Request Form at ofpl.online. stored in a rubber band to January 29th: Build a fly. Supply kits are available Super Stadium - The Big

gallup

Jo u r n e y The Free Community Magazine

We wish all of our readers and friends a Safe and Healthy New Year!

34 January 2024

Game is right around the corner! Kick off your inspiration before The Big Game by creating your very own football stadium!

Chess Club (ages 8-18) Join the chess club at OFPL every Tuesday and Friday at 4:30 PM at the Children & Youth Library! Through the game of chess, members of the club are able to bond and improve their chess skills! Tuesday we will learn and practice chess theory and strategy together, and Friday participants will build their skills through play.

All ages are welcome, although this is targeted at the age 8-18 range.

Participants do not need to attend every event. Email pneilson@gallupnm.gov or call (505) 863-1291 for more information.

Family Storytime (Ages 0-5) Join OFPL at the Children & Youth Library every Monday and Wednesday at 11:00 AM for storytime activities, songs, rhymes, fingerplays, and read-aloud stories! This January, our story times will celebrate the theme of invention, imagination, and creativity.

Email pneilson@gallupnm. gov or call (505) 863-1291 for more information.

Open MakerSpace Time Join OFPL at the Children & Youth Library every Wednesday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM for open MakerSpace time!

OFPL’s MakerSpace is a collaborative workspace for making, learning, and exploring. Participants ages 6 and up can come in to create their own designs for our 3D printers or explore our many engineering activities and equipment! Email pneilson@gallupnm.gov or call (505) 863-1291 for more information

YES I DO!

I want a copy of God's message of strenth, hope and love. (Psalms and Proverbs).

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The Rescue of River City The story of How Drew Dix earned his Medal of Honor

By Kenneth Riege USAF Veteran Drew was born 14 Dec 1944 in West Point, NY but was raised in Pueblo, CO which is known as “The Home of Heroes” as there are 4 Medal of Honor Recipients from there.

Drew enlisted in the They are, Army in 1962 at the age William J. Crawford, US of 18. He was hoping to join the Special Forces but Army, WW2, Carl L. Sitter, was turned down because of his young age. He US Marines, would go on to spend the Korea, Raymond next 3 years with the 82nd G. Murphy, US Marines, Korea Airborne Division before and Drew Dix, US finally being accepted into Army, Vietnam. the Special Forces.

As a matter By 1968, Drew, now of fact, after Staff Sergeant Dix was presenting assigned as a military Murphy his advisor to the Army of Medal of Honor the Republic of Vietnam on Oct. 27, 1953 (ARVN) in Chau Phu, (the same medal South Vietnam near the presentation Cambodian border. On 31 Here is a photo of Drew Dix while in that our very January 1968, Viet Cong Vietnam. Not sure of the exact date, but either own Hershey forces attacked Chau Phu 1967 or 1968.

Miyamura during the first days of it...something in the water out received his the Tet Offensive. Heavy there in Pueblo, all you guys medal) President Dwight D. fighting took place throughout turn out to be heroes.

Eisenhower stated, “What is that day and the next as Staff

Here are the 4 statues in Pueblo of these 4 great American Heroes.

38 January 2024

Sgt. Dix led groups of local fighters rescuing endangered civilians while driving the VC Force out of the building in the city.

For these actions, Staff Sgt. Drew Dix was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon Johnson on 19 January 1969 making him the first enlisted Special Forces soldier to receive the Medal of Honor.

For more information about Drew Dix this is an amazing read and can be found on Amazon.

Staff Sgt. Dix later would receive a commission to first lieutenant and after 20 years retired as a Major. His last duty assignment was as the Executive Officer of the 4th

Here I am with Drew and Hershey at Sky Ball in 2017 in Dallas, TX.

Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade in Ft. Wainwright Alaska from 1981 – 1982.

Drew, like most Medal of Honor Recipients, has kept himself busy with public appearances and speaking engagements. In 2010, Drew cofounded (and still sits as the Board Chairman) for the Center for American Values in Pueblo, CO. This is a non-profit organization where Drew’s vision is to be a source for future generations to learn and explore how doing the right thing for your family, community and country will keep America great.

The Center for American Values also published the Medal of Honor Quote Book that I use in my stories.

Retha and I have been truly blessed to have met Major Drew Dix and are also honored to call him a friend. Here are a few pictures with Drew at different events.

For a time, Drew lived in Southern New Mexico near Silver City, but recently moved back to Pueblo to assist with the Center for American Values and to run his family ranch.

Here is Drew’s quote from the Medal of Honor Quote book that can be found by visiting: www.americanvaluescenter.org

“Nothing is ever as bad as you think it might be.”

Here is Retha and Drew at Miyamura High School as we honored the life of Hershey.

January 2024

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Hillside Cemetery The word ‘research’ comes from the French language meaning to express intensive force to search.

That is a good description of my last few months finding out what I could about the Hillside cemetery, a.k.a, the “Chinese” cemetery, on Gallup’s Northside, at the end of 5th Street and Victoria.

I had heard about this cemetery for years but hadn’t seen it until the end of 2020, when, as all of us were, I was cooped up at home and needed to get out of the house for some air. My husband and I took our four-wheeler out to the northside desert and were driving along an old dirt road when we came upon the cemetery. It was obvious that it was a cemetery by the headstones that were and, are, still standing and the grave fences that surround many family plots.

It seemed ancient and abandoned and it was very intriguing. One of the stones was completely inscribed in Italian. Some were names I recognized from Gallup businesses and families. One is for Anton Kuzma- born Jan 14, 1873, died July 31, 19** (illegible).

One had a paper picture, sealed in plastic, and a short description of the man laid to rest there in 1895, John B. Campbell-Struck by Lightning at age 24 years and 10 months old.

A stone near the entrance, by the road, for Ben Thomas reads, BORN OCT 5, 44 January 2024

1878, KILLED IN THE WRECK OF THE LIMITED JUNE 28, 1908. This was the first stone I researched because it had great information on it. According to The TribuneHolbrook-Snowflake-Taylor-Winslow, in an article from Feb 20, 2015; “On the night of June 28, 1908, three men lost their lives in the wreck of Engine 1419, also known as the California Limited. The

accident occurred between Winslow and Joseph City and was caused by the burning of a bridge over a small arroyo. Engineer Clarence Currin and his fireman, Ben Thomas, .. were two of the men killed.”

This article set in motion an eagerness to find out more about this fascinating cemetery.

What was it originally called? Who was buried there? Why was it abandoned? Was this the site commonly referred to as the “Chinese Graveyard”?

I found that the cemetery was on private property, so, I set up an appointment to talk with the property owner. He told me everything he knew about the property, for instance, it was called the Bubany Estates Property or the “Chinese Cemetery”. His family came to own it in the 1980’s, the cemetery was part of the land purchased.

He gave me many ideas as to where to go to research next and who may have answers to my questions. I asked him if I could have permission to semi-restore the cemetery so it’s easier to see the marked gravestones and ruins that I noticed there, and he said yes!

The first places I went to research were the City of Gallup and the Library. The Library Director, Tammy Mo, found a short list of headstones for the Hillside Cemetery at the location of 5th and Victoria that had been documented at some point, with the last dates

of burials being 1913. She was aware of this cemetery and had some leads she could follow up with to get more information.

But, as for documents, there weren’t any on hand. She said there may be news articles on microfiche, but that I would have to sit and read each news article, year by year. She said that she knew Hillcrest cemetery (on West Aztec) was established in 1914 and that bodies were alleged to have been moved from Hillside to Hillcrest that year. So, I did look through the microfiche. I found the 1914 City of Gallup Ordinance #142 which proclaimed the end of the use of Hillside or Catholic Cemeteries because the city had opened Hill Crest [sic] Cemetery. They asked that no more burials take place at the old grounds and if families or friends wanted, they could have the remains of their loved ones moved to Hill Crest [sic] for $5, Board of Health permitting.

I also found the obituaries for Anton Kusma, who died after he escaped the hospital, where he was being treated for acute “mania” only to die in a ditch, and an obituary for Mrs. Blanchetti, who had been sick for some time and who was preceded in death by her two children. Both were laid to rest at Hillside where both of their headstones still remain.

So, why would the headstones remain at Hillside on the Northside if all the bodies had allegedly been moved to Hillcrest on Aztec?

Why did someone who knew of John B. Campbell-struck by lightning, still put photos of him on his gravesite if he was moved to Hillcrest? And why would plots still be surrounded by rod-iron fences but remains be moved? I would think these things would be taken to the new gravesite, as they would have been expensive graveside accessories as they still are to this day. It could be the family couldn’t afford the re-burial at Hillcrest on

Aztec or there may have been no family left to move them. It also could be the family did not want to move their loved one, it was not required that the deceased be moved in the City of Gallup Ordinance from 1914.

Next, I went to the City Clerk’s Office and the County Assessor’s Office. I didn’t find any answers, initially. So, I reached out to people I had been directed toward, made calls, and got to talking.

In my previous interview with the Hillside land owner, he made an interesting point that at the time Gallup was founded in 1881, NM was still a territory of the U.S. The Catholic Church considered it to be a mission field and a Bishop was sent from Santa Fe, to cover an area of 236 thousand square miles. According to the web page History of the Diocese of Gallup, “The only religious resource available to them (Catholic immigrants) was the priest at Seboyeta, (east of Grants), Father Juan B. Brun, who served the entire area from the Rio Puerco of the East to the Grand Canyon…His first visit to Gallup was in 1884 when Gallup had only 12 (Catholic) families.” “In 1893, Father George Julliard arrived (in Gallup) to serve as Pastor and remained until 1910”.

Father Julliard built the first Catholic Church in Gallup in 1899 and part of it collapsed in 1916, a year later another building replaced it but it wasn’t until 22 years later, that Sacred Heart Cathedral was re-built, in 1939, when the Diocese of Gallup was established.

Is it possible the Catholic Church was burying the deceased in the Hillside Cemetery prior to 1913 since the City of Gallup Ordinance #142 refers to it as the Hillside or Catholic Cemetery. Many of the headstone names suggest Italian, Croatian, and Hispanic origins. Names like Bianchetti,

Caviggia, Grenko, Hernandez, Miklos, Pomljan, and Starcevic can all be found at the Hillside cemetery. Although a name is not definitive of religion or ethnicity, it was a practical place to start a search for records.

If they were Catholic, a Priest must have overseen the burial. If a Priest oversaw it, it should be recorded with The Church. I am not a Catholic myself, but I wondered if The Church may have kept records of death, birth, and marriages. Even if this was a long shot, I searched there next.

I emailed the Archdiocese of Gallup, the Archdiocese of Santa Fe- Archives, and the Franciscans of Albuquerque. I got two replies, both said no information was available. I thought, “That’s ok! No information means look elsewhere.”

Then two fortunate things happened. I got an email from the City Clerk’s Office with a study from the ASNM Field School (The Archeological Society of New Mexico), undated, that plotted graves of Hillside, graves that still hold bodies. The papers are a grid search analysis of the cemetery.

I immediately emailed the ASNM to ask questions about how to read the information I had and when the archeological team was there doing this search. I got an email back saying it must have been a local chapter that plotted this cemetery because they had no information.

I contacted Martin Link, a Gallup local, whom I had heard was a historian and anthropologist. He said he and a group from Gallup had plotted this study and I will follow up with him to read it together, and hopefully, he will have more field notes on this project.

The second fortunate, perhaps the most exciting thing, was a collaboration for a team of 12 men to remove weeds and trash January 2024

45

from the cemetery. They removed over 10,000 pounds of weeds and a dozen full bags of trash. The iron fence around Mr. John B. Campbell’s grave was broken when we started the clean-up, it was set back up and repaired with rebar. It had previously, allegedly, been destroyed by a drunk driver who drove through the cemetery quite a long time ago and damaged several plots, headstones, and history there. I am convinced this was not the only vehicle damage to the property. Many headstones no longer sit on their original sites, and many no longer sit on the base of their marble footings.

Of Mr. Thomas, his headstone was at the entrance of the cemetery by a dirt road, where it had been dumped some time ago. Many people say that the headstone, which weighed about 200 pounds, had been stolen at some point and returned, at least to the graveyard, although several yards from where it possibly came from. The base for it lay up the hill from the headstone bearing the inscribed name THOMAS. The men who worked on the weeds and trash couldn’t abide leaving his stone by the road and carrying it, set it up against the marble base. They did the same for two sweet little girls, of the last name Show. The girls shared a single headstone and the final words from their loving parents.

This stone had laid on its back for too long and the sandstone was weathered and hard to read. These men put the stone right. They also set Mr. Anton Kuzma’s stone back on its base and Mr. Charles A. Harding’s stone which had been knocked off its base and was almost completely buried in the dirt.

At the end of two months, I believe the men who worked on the cemetery were very moved by the history they uncovered all along the way and the stories I could tell about those deceased that I found information about. These graves are, to some extent, the people who made Gallup. The People who died on the railroad, in mines, and died in 46 January 2024

early childhood. The mothers and fathers and children of Gallup, hidden for a hundred years, right in our midst. They had hard lives and stories of their own, and love, which can be seen in the elaborate decorations of their death, in sandstone and marble and iron. We should not forget these Gallup citizens.

I know some people will be discouraged because this cemetery should never have come to this. Many people over the years have cleared weeds in gravesites there. If that wasn’t so I believe the graveyard would have been completely grown over and hidden after 110 years. But there is too much land to keep up for the few remaining families and caretakers. This graveyard is far older than anyone alive today and it is still able to reach the hearts of those of us who see it and are compelled to work on it. When I set out to find information about Hillside, I found people who cared and helped me. This is a huge project and I want the end result to be respectful of the past, to bear the stories of those still there, and to bring pride to us, as fellow Gallupians who care to memorialize

our history, for our posterity. We are all here now because someone made this town. Our forebearers may not have done things the way we would have, but they strove where we were not, at costs we would not have paid, often with their lives. And often with the prosperity of their children in mind, hoping for a town and a day where those children would have it better than they. It can be stated without argument, they built this town, and it is now our responsibility to remember that and them, and hundreds more who either immigrated here or were born here and changed the face of these hills.

My purpose for this article is to ask you for your help. If you have family or know a family in the Hillside cemetery, I want to tell their story. If you have photos, documents, or stories about those buried at the Hillside Cemetery I would like to talk to you about them.

Angel Maiorano blueyeat911@gmail.com

People Reading

Meet and Greet with the 2024 Thunderbird Models: Maddie S., Aubrey O., Nalanie M., Myah R., Tiana S., and Karrington R. The promotional models autographed and handed out complimentary calendars during Thunderbird Supply Co. annual Super Sale on Saturday, December 2 from 1pm - 4pm.

Send in your travel adventures to us, while reading the Journey! gallupjourney@gmail.com WIN A JOURNEY T-SHIRT! Kevin and Roxy Marsh in Bangor Maine in October, Reading the Gallup Journey.

January 2024

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Jay John

Marina Gonzales

Orion Roanhorse, Niños de the rings

Cy Benally

Cynthia Chavez 48 January 2024

Raymond Holtsoi

Michelle Sanchez

Tiffany Brown

Anna Torres January 2024

49

RELAY FOR LIFE 2024 Twenty-five And still alive!

More to go To stop our foe.

Raising funds is what we do Hope that we can count on you!

We’ll fight on against cancerYour help leads to the answer.

Make a team! It helps a lot!

That may sound hard—but it’s not!

Gather friends and family Or co-workers you will see.

choice?

Then join a team. Just call Joyce!

She’ll find a team that fits your needs…

A great way to plant some “new friends” seeds!

This year to celebrate all we’ve done, We invite teams of years past to come.

Kimberly Torres

Twenty-five teams would be so awesome And might convince the whole town to come!

Talk it up and take the lead!

We will help with all you need. Linda Shelton Leading folks is not your Joyce Graves

Brian Wilson

Cherille Willimas, McGaffey Lake Views Valencia Chapito-Smith 50 January 2024

Cynthia Chavez

Thank you and we look forward to working with you throughout the year..

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Kathleen Heisch, When Life Gives You Wings on a Walk

Located at 1632 South Second Street in Cedar Hills Plaza Gallup, New Mexico January 2024

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Raymond Holtsoi

Tiffany Brown

Bianca Begay

Anna Torres 52 January 2024

Kathleen Heisch, Through the Eyes of an Angel Kimberly Torres

JayLyn Randles, Full Ramah Lake

January 2024

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Skylar Blackbull

Marina Gonzales

Orion Roanhorse, Brothers

Christine Carter 54 January 2024

Cynthia Chavez

Christine Carter

Michelle Sanchez January 2024

55

Chili Peppers in the Home Garden 56 January 2024

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in home gardens.

In New Mexico, we have a love affair with the chili pepper that competes with tomatoes for prominence. If you make salsa, growing tomatoes and chilies are a natural combination because they mature at the same time. Also, both are in the same plant family, Solanaceae. This is important to know when you rotate your plants in the garden. Select other families like legumes or squash as alternate years.

Growing in the “High West Desert” of New Mexico is not the same as growing in Hatch, NM. Hatch has a much longer growing season, two months (60 days) longer. But the thing I notice most is the warm evenings decrease as the altitude increases. Chili can be grown but we have to alter our growing strategy. Chilies and all peppers need a long growing season, warm days and nights, and lots of sun. We can get around this by buying varieties with a shorter growing time to harvest and then starting them inside two months before our last frost-free day or buying plants. The seeds have to be grown in warm soil. Inside, use a germination mat or very warm location (86 degrees F.). This allows them to sprout in one week instead of three weeks. Every week is important in growing chili.

When the soil has warmed up in June, move the plants outside and place them in a sunny location about 12 inches apart. If we have another year with cool weather lasting until mid-June, the use

of row covers, black plastic mulch, or “wall of water” will help them survive until weather warms. The plants need soil with good drainage and nutrients so add compost or aged manure before planting. Phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium are nutrients the chili plants need to produce fruits. When plants start flowering cut down on nitrogen in your fertilizer.

If you have trouble getting enough chilies to set on your plants, several things could be the cause. (1) Temperature could be too cold or too hot.

Plants will not produce flowers or set fruit until the temperature moderates. We certainly saw this last year. (2) Peppers are self-fertilizing like their cousins, the tomatoes. Movement from wind or insects to get the pollen to the pistil(stigma) helps as does tapping the plant or vibrating it with an electric toothbrush. (3) Grow your plants on the dry side.

I am used to watering daily in my sandy soil. Allowing the plants to dry to the point of light droop before watering stimulates more flowering. (4) I found only one source that suggested crowding the pepper plants as a way to increase fruiting. It may be something to try.

I have lived in New Mexico for 30 years and hate to admit I have rarely grown chili peppers. First there are so many kinds. How do you choose a couple of chilies to grow from the twenty plus kinds and hundreds of names? I needed to demystify the world of chilies.

and landscaping but are edible as well.

The rest of the chilies are the ones we plant in our gardens and see at farmer’s markets and grocery stores: The Hot Chilies!

It is helpful to compare types by the heat scale.

The heat scale was developed

by Wilbur Scoville and it is used to determine how hot a chili is.

An interesting fact is that one plant can produce chili pods with different SKUs. A Bell Pepper is 0 SKUs on the Scoville Heat Unit scale and the hottest chili, Carolina Reaper, is 2,000,000 SKUs!

• Anaheim/Numex – The one associated with chili roasting, and versatility of use = 1,000 to 5,000 SKU.

• Ancho/Poblano – Used for

stuffing or in stew = 1,000 to 2,000 SKU

• Jalapeno – Used on a daily basis in almost anything cooked or raw = 2,000 to 5,000 SKUs

• Serrano – Good for salsa and sauces = 10,000 to 25,000 SKUs

• Cayenne/Tai/Tabasco – Thin walled, used powdered = 30,000 to 50,000 SKUs

• Habanero – Used in Caribbean jerk and other foods = 150,000 to 350,000 SKUs

• Carolina Reaper / Ghost Pepper = For those who like extreme heat, used powered or experiment = 1,000,000 to 2,000,000 SKUs

What ever your heat tolerance is for a chili, there is a type for your need, and growing your own chili can bring you the satisfaction of producing something great to eat.

Edith Iwan is a CibolaMcKinley County Master Gardener who lives and works in Thoreau. As a Master Gardener she assists the County Cooperative Extension Service in providing accurate, researchbased gardening information to county residents. If you have any gardening questions, please call the NMSU Cibola County Extension at 505-287-9266 or NMSU McKinley County Extension at 505-863-3432

Chili categories: Capsicum annuum is the main group grown in NM but there are subgroups.

There is a large category of “Sweet” chilies. Most of them are 0 to 50 SKUs in heat. They are Bell Peppers, Carmen Sweets, Banana Peppers, Pepperoncini, Shishito, and Pimento. They have many culinary uses: fresh, grilled, stuffed, pickled, & others. A second category is Ornamental chilies. They are not only beautiful in flower gardens January 2024

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Back-to-School

Student/Beginning Welder's Kit

A carry-bag packed with the things you need to start!

FourCornersWelding.com

FOUR LOCATIONS! Gallup, NM • 606 E Hwy 66 • 505.722.3845 Milan, NM • 305 Airport Road • 505.287.9454 Cortez, CO • 101 N Broadway • 970.565.6547 Durango, CO • 187 Bodo Drive • 970.247.1854

Maddie A 58 January 2024

Skylar Blackbull

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It is Spelling Bee Season once again! Our Elementary Schools have been busy hosting Spelling Bees. We would like to congratulate all our participants for a job well done! Our Spelling Bee Winners so far are: Catherine A Miller Elementary Ramah Elementary 1st Place - Kyler Sam 1st Place - Paisley River 2nd Place - Abrianastarr Lee 2nd Place - Lavonna DeHiya 3rd Place - Jace Kercheva 3rd Place - Bryson Grassie David Skeet Elementary 1st Place - Lania Duboise 2nd Place - Taliyah Willie 3rd Place - Susieann Brown Del Norte Elementary 1st Place -Carissa Gantar 2nd Place -Brandi Lee

Red Rock Elementary 1st Place -Ahmad Soufan 2nd Place - Jonnie Sanchez 3rd Place - Emma Connell Stagecoach Elementary 1st Place - Roberto Rendon IV 2nd Place - Jacob Stewart 3rd Place - Anika Tom

Indian Hills Elementary 1st Place - Karyssa Celestine Tan Thoreau Elementary 2nd place - Matthew Maynerich 1st Place - Madison Morgan 3rd place - Ryjen Hernandez 2nd Place -Allissa Chee Lincoln Elementary 1st Place - Laurence Pimentel 2nd place - Genesis Robles 3rd place -Khloe Torres

Tobe Turpen Elementary 1st Place - Bryden Hudson 2nd Place - Finnegan Foley 3rd Place - Ruqayyah Ayesh

Gallup McKinley County Schools will be hosting the District Spelling Bee on January 10th 2023 at The Kenneth Holloway Auditorium on Gallup High School Campus at 9:00 am. am