Happy Halloween

My brother Terry, Uncle T, sent the giant Hershey bars.

Mom comes to Lumberton

The ultimate in exotic vacations. Here she is at the head of the class, at the school Halloween party, and with a bevy of teachers.

More benevolence

It must be contagious. Now we have obtained a large and rich collection of Native-friendly books from alumni of the University of Washington Library School, thanks to the efforts of another friend and colleague in Seattle.

These books are so good that a certain student found it necessary to sneak under the teacher's desk to snatch a few more pages.

Benevolence (bə-nĕv'ə-ləns)

n. An inclination to perform kind, charitable acts.

We have acquired some cool equipment in our classroom thanks to the benevolence of a friend and colleague in Eugene, OR.

After three months, I've come to learn that there is really only one effective teaching strategy--bribery. Thus, the use of our new video camera and laptop computer is granted only when students demonstrate excellent behavior.

Space Indian

Other space people

Piñon nuts, also known as Indian nuts

Piñon nuts grown in the southwest United States are scarce and difficult to harvest. My kids have been picking piñons for a few weeks now. (You can't pick on reservation land unless you are a Jicarilla Apache.) Availability of piñons is generally scarce, but by all accounts this year's is a bumper crop. The kids bring them in by the pocketfuls after the nuts have been roasted in their shells.

Some additional FAQs on piñons are here. New Mexican piñons should not be confused with their Italian cousins, the pignoli.

Yeah, cowboys are my weakness

"You’ll never hear me knockin’ an old pair of boots
or a man who wears his Wranglers for his Sunday suit,
the kind who ain’t afraid to get some dirt on his hands
or bring you fresh daisies in a coffee can.

Yeah, cowboys are my weakness.
Give me some down-home rugged sweetness
with a little bit of outlaw, and a little bit of Jesus."

Saying goodbye to Spike

For a short time, Spike was the 4th-grade pet. Charlie, a trapper who works for the Jicarillas, caught him and brought him in for the kids to observe. Spike lived in a jar in the classroom where he ate worms and grasshoppers.

Last Friday, Charlie came to class to teach more about desert tarantulas. The students decided after all they learned from Charlie that it was better to release Spike into the wild so he could do what he needs to do -- find a mate, curl up, and begin a long winter hibernation. (Spike's needs are not unlike my own.) The kids let him go in the arroyo behind the playground. "We'll miss you, old Spike. You are a fine spider. You were a fine pet."

Fry bread

Apache Fry Bread
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups water
5 pounds lard
Chili powder, honey or powdered sugar, for garnish

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Slowly add in the water, a little at a time, using a fork to blend until the mixture forms into dough. Knead the dough until all the lumps are gone about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, melt the lard in a Dutch oven over high heat. When it just begins to smoke, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. If it quickly rises to the top, the oil is hot enough to begin frying.

Take a piece of dough and roll it into a golf ball-sized ball. Stretch the dough into a disk-like shape as you would a pizza dough. When you have a piece ready to go, carefully place the dough into the oil and let it brown on 1 side about 1 1/2 minutes and then turn it over to brown the other side for another 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the fry bread from the oil and let it drain on paper towels until cool. Enjoy fry bread by sprinkling it with chili, honey, or powdered sugar.

Grouchiness

It's 23.6 degrees Fehrenheit in Lumberton this morning. And at the teacher house there is no heat and no water.

I hereby vow not to take such luxuries for granted again.

Bizcochitos

Most states don't bother with official state cookies, but in 1989 New Mexico declared theirs. The state cookie of New Mexico is the bizcochito (bees-ko-CHEE-toh,) Spanish for little biscuit. Like the other exceptional breads and pastries I've fallen in love with out here, bizcochitos are made with one pound of pure lard. "Lard is a must even if the health conscious cringe," says one web site. "The lard is what makes them light. You can’t make bizcochitos without lard.”

Bizcochitos
1 pound pure lard
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
6 cups flour
1/4 cup red wine
2 tsp. anise seed (slightly crushed)
1 cup sugar mixed with 2-3 tsp. cinnamon

Cream lard until fluffy. Add sugar slowly gradually, beating well. Add eggs one at a time beating well. Add anise seed. Mix in flour by hand, using enough wine to make dough soft. Let stand about 10 minutes. Use cookie press or roll out dough on lightly floured board and cut into squares. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on ungreased cookie sheets. Remove from sheets while hot and dip top side in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Legend has it that the NM legislature decided easily to adopt the bizcochito as its state cookie, but argued long and fiercely on the House floor about how to spell it. Lawmakers had strong feelings for the classic "z" or the modern "s". The law was ultimately enacted with the classic spelling, but don't think the disagreement ends there. New Mexicans can become furioso if you don't spell it their way.

Fiesta

It should not be much of a surprise that the feast of St. Francis of Assisi—la fiesta de san Francisco—is celebrated heartily in Lumberton New Mexico. This year’s fiesta began on Friday and lasted through Sunday. The lineup of events included a pancake breakfast on Saturday, dinner on Sunday, a softball tournament, a dance, a 3k run, vespers and benediction, a painfully long movie about the life of the good saint, a procession of his statue through the streets (street) of Lumberton, a blessing of animals, games, and of course bingo.

"Nick, you didn’t do your math homework?!"

(with great indignation ...) "I did and I got my answers all right and I erased them so I could do them again."