New Mexico real estate

Truth and angels

Yesterday a beloved rocking chair in the classroom was defaced by someone. It was an egregious offense, which of course no one could confess to immediately. But integrity stepped forward late in the day when a tiny, tearful voice whispered, "Ms. Colleen, the truth will set me free, right?"

Truth--such an easy, little word for such an big and elusive concept. It's not only about the honest behavior we aspire to, it's also the nugget we long to uncover in every subject we study.

When I was in Hawaii this summer, Clay, my son-in-law, reminded me often that the truth sets us free. He inherited the mantra from his grandma who raised him. She made sure he heard it often. And because I heard it often from him, it was still rattling around in my head when I arrived out here. "The truth will set you free" became the obvious choice when I needed to come up with a classroom slogan.

Angels are said to be creatures who transcend time and space to deliver significant messages. Is this true? Fourth-grade philosophers must now grapple with that question. Did Matilda Leimomi Ma'alea Waikiki, who died many years ago in a place far, far away, deliver a liberating message to a fourth-grade student in Lumberton yesterday?

4th grade talent

(For easier reading, click on one of the poems.)

Lunchtime in Lumberton

Stephen and Snoopy

Snoopy is the newest pet in the neighborhood. Stephen, his owner, grooms him carefully after they go for a ride. Stephen is one of our second-graders.

Veterans Day

We don't get days off school for most U.S. holidays, including Veterans Day. But we recognized veterans today nonetheless with a flag-folding ceremony, dramatic readings from students, and a special lunch to honor our principal who served in Korea. It was fitting, too, that the army came to service our truckful of drinking water.

The badge below says Agiluchas Norteñas, which means Northern (New Mexico) Hawks.

What a muddy mess!

But the slide has taken on a new dimension of fun.

La Llorona

There is an arroyo that cuts behind the teachers’ house and across the street from the school. An arroyo is a gash of a riverbed that fills occasionally. When ours fills it is called Amargo Creek. It has steep sides.

One night, a long time ago, a woman drowned her children in the arroyo. It was at a moment of desperation and she regretted it immediately. Weeping in agony, she tried to rescue them from the creek, but it was too late.

At night you can still hear her crying. Some people think it is just the wind, but if you listen carefully, you can hear the words, "Where are my children? Where are my children?" The kids in my class have heard her and seen her many times. They know better than to go near the arroyo when it is dark. La Llorona, the weeping woman, might snatch them and drown them too. You never know.

Ranchos de Taos

Ranchos de Taos is four miles south of Taos, about 120 miles from Lumberton. It's where Georgia O'Keeffe painted Ranchos Church.

Mountains, dirt roads, and hot springs

I took the top picture a couple of weeks ago from a place just north of Pagosa Springs. The springs are about an hour away, mainly along a dirt road to Colorado. There is nothing more restful than a soak under the stars in hundred-degree mineral pools.

¡Obamanos!