SIER 2019 March enchantment

enchantment The Voice of New Mexico's Rural Electric Cooperatives

Gardens that Look as Good as They Taste

Sierra Electric Cooperative March 2019

2

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

NewMexico - Fonts OUTLINED.indd 1

11/29/18 12:19 PM

enchantment

March 1, 2019 • Vol. 71, No. 03 USPS 175-880 • ISSN 0046-1946 Circulation 89,215 enchantment (ISSN 0046-1946) is published monthly by the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association, 614 Don Gaspar Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87505. enchantment provides reliable, helpful information on rural living and energy use to electric cooperative members and customers.

Over 89,000 families and businesses receive enchantment Magazine as electric cooperative members. Non-member subscriptions are available at $12 per year or $18 for two years, payable to NMRECA. Allow four to eight weeks for delivery.

Periodical Postage paid at Santa Fe, NM 87501-9998 and additional mailing offices.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

CONTENT

23

Postmaster: Send address changes to 614 Don Gaspar Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87505-4428. Readers who receive the publication through their electric cooperative membership should report address changes to their local electric cooperative office.

10 Tips for spring energy savings Tips to help you save money.

10

Co-ops celebrate New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Day Electric cooperatives honored at the state legislature.

12

THE NEW MEXICO RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION

provides legislative and educational services to the cooperatives who are members of the Association that deliver electric power to New Mexico’s rural areas and small communities. The mission of the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association is to strengthen, support, unify, and represent Cooperative member interests at the local, state, and national levels. Each cooperative has a representative on the association’s board of directors, which controls the editorial content and advertising policy of enchantment through its Publications Committee.

OFFICERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Charles Pinson, President, Central Valley Electric Cooperative, Artesia George Biel, Vice President, Sierra Electric Cooperative, Elephant Butte Tim Morrow, Secretary-Treasurer, Springer Electric Cooperative, Springer BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Duane Frost, Central New Mexico Electric Cooperative, Mountainair Chris Martinez, Columbus Electric Cooperative, Deming Grant Clawson, Alternate, Continental Divide Electric Cooperative, Grants Lance R. Adkins, Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, Clovis Robert Caudle, Lea County Electric Cooperative, Lovington Robert Quintana, Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative, Mora Thomas G. Rivas, Northern Río Arriba Electric Cooperative, Chama Preston Stone, Otero County Electric Cooperative, Cloudcroft Antonio Sanchez, Jr., Roosevelt County Electric Cooperative, Portales Joseph Herrera, Socorro Electric Cooperative, Socorro Travis Sullivan, Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Clayton Wayne Connell, Tri-State G&T Association, Westminster, Colorado Charles G. Wagner, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, Oklahoma

09

Gardens that look as good as they taste Fresh ideas for planting vegetables.

15

Readers, share your stories Share a co-op employee story.

15

enchantment photo contest Focus your cameras, its photo time.

17

Fighting to keep the lights on What squirrels, trees, and lightening have in common.

DEPARTMENTS 18

04

Current News

05

View from enchantment

06

Hale to the Stars

06

Enchanted Journeys

08

Energy Sense

14

On the Menu

16

Book Chat

18

Vecinos

20

Market Place

23

Backyard Trails

23

Youth Art

24

Your Electric Co-op

NATIONAL DIRECTOR

David Spradlin, Springer Electric Cooperative, Springer MEMBERS OF THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Thomas G. Rivas, Chair, Northern Río Arriba Electric Cooperative Chris Martinez, Columbus Electric Cooperative Grant Clawson, Alternate, Continental Divide Electric Cooperative Robert Caudle, Lea County Electric Cooperative Joseph Herrera, Socorro Electric Cooperative NEW MEXICO RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATION

614 Don Gaspar Avenue Phone: 505-982-4671 Santa Fe, NM 87505 Fax: 505-982-0153 www.nmelectric.coop www.enchantment.coop Keven J. Groenewold, CEO, kgroenewold@nmelectric.coop Susan M. Espinoza, Editor, sespinoza@nmelectric.coop Tom Condit, Assistant Editor, tcondit@nmelectric.coop

14

DISPLAY ADVERTISING

Rates available upon request. Cooperative members and New Mexico display advertisers email Shaylyn at enchantmentads@nmelectric.coop or call 505-2522540. National representative: American MainStreet Publications, 800-626-1181.

Advertisements in enchantment are paid solicitations and are not endorsed by the publisher or the electric cooperatives that are members of the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association. PRODUCT SATISFACTION AND DELIVERY RESPONSIBILITY LIE SOLELY WITH THE ADVERTISER. Copyright ©2019, New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Inc. Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the publisher.

On the Cover Kale plants add both color and textural interest to flower beds.

Photo by George Weigel.

enchantment.coop • March 2019

3

current news I research • trends • letters Western Farmers Electric Co-op signs PPA for 220 MW solar facility

Tri-State and juwi announce 100 MW solar project

Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), headquartered in Anadarko, Oklahoma, has negotiated a long-term renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) with Invenergy, the world’s leading privately-held developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions, for the purchase of energy, capacity rights, and renewable energy attributes from the Tip Top Solar Energy Center solar facility to be in southeast New Mexico.

“This project will help diversify WFEC’s generation portfolio further and continue to lower costs for our members. With this addition, our renewable portfolio will include generation consisting of 270 megawatts (MW) of solar generation, 955 MW of wind generation, and 260 MW of hydroelectric generation,” says Phil Schaeffer, WFEC’s Principal Resource Planning Engineer.

Tip Top Solar Energy Center is scheduled for commercial operation in December 2022. The agreement consists of 220 MW of nameplate capacity solar photovoltaic modules and inverters on a single axis tracking system, with the estimated annual output projected to exceed 600,000 MWh. Central Valley Electric, Artesia; Farmers' Electric, Clovis; Lea County Electric, Lovington; and Roosevelt County Electric, Portales, are members of Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State), headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, the nation’s leading generation and transmission cooperative for solar energy, will more than double its emissions-free renewable energy from the sun through a new project with Boulder, Colorado-based juwi Inc. The 100-megawatt Spanish Peaks Solar Project is Tri-State’s second utility-scale solar energy project with juwi, the U.S. subsidiary of Germany-based renewable energy company juwi AG. The project is adjacent to the 30-megawatt San Isabel Solar Project in Las Animas County, Colorado, which was developed by juwi and began producing power for Tri-State in 2016.

Tri-State, a wholesale cooperative power supplier owned by 43 member electric cooperatives and public power districts, will purchase the entire output of the project over the 15-year term of Tri-State’s power purchase contract. The 660acre project includes more than 300,000 photovoltaic solar panels on single axis tracking arrays to follow the sun throughout the day and serves the energy needs of 28,000 rural homes.

This is Tri-State’s fourth utility-scale solar project and the first renewable energy purchase agreement announced by Tri-State following the

Congratulations to this month’s photo winner: Bill Nigg, who is a member of Columbus Electric Cooperative.

4

issuance of its request for proposals for renewable energy supply in June 2018.

The Spanish Peaks Solar Project is located about 20 miles north of Trinidad, Colorado, within the service territory of San Isabel Electric Association (SIEA), a Tri-State member system.

Construction of the project is expected to begin in 2022, and is anticipated to be completed in 2023.

In addition to the Spanish Peaks and San Isabel solar projects, Tri-State also purchases the full output of the 30-megawatt Cimarron (Springer Electric in Springer) and 25-megawatt Alta Luna (Columbus Electric, Deming) solar projects in New Mexico. Ten distribution electric cooperatives who are members of the New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association and who receive wholesale power from Tri-State include: Central New Mexico Electric, Mountainair; Columbus Electric, Deming; Continental Divide Electric, Grants; Mora-San Miguel Electric, Mora; Northern Río Arriba Electric, Chama; Otero County Electric, Cloudcroft; Sierra Electric, Elephant Butte; Socorro Electric, Socorro; Southwestern Electric, Clayton; and Springer Electric, Springer.

According to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Tri-State is currently the largest solar generation and transmission cooperative in the nation. Nearly a third of the energy consumed by Tri-State’s members comes from emissions-free renewable energy.

enchantment

monthly photo win ner

NIgg and Jan Farnam of El Paso took the January 2019 enchantment to the seas.

He writes, we "are in the "widows nest" of the S/V Mandalay in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia on a Windjammer Cruise."

Take a photo of you holding YOUR MAGAZINE AND WIN!

He wins $20!

One lucky member will win $20. Deadline is March 9, 2019. Submitting your photo(s) gives us permission to publish the photo(s) in enchantment, Facebook, and other media outlets.

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

Simply take a photo of you or someone with the magazine and email it with a few words about the photo. Include your name, mailing address, and co-op name, send to: enchantment@nmelectric.coop

How to Contact enchantment Phone 505-982-4671 Email enchantment@nmelectric.coop Facebook facebook.com/enchantmentnmreca Mail 614 Don Gaspar Avenue Santa Fe, NM 87505 Community Events events@nmelectric.coop Display Ads enchantmentads@nmelectric.coop Book Chat Inquiries enchantment@nmelectric.coop

view from I enchantment

Vote, visit, and learn at your electric co-op annual meeting

L

ate March signals the beginning of the co-op annual meeting season in New Mexico. It begins in Artesia and ends in Chama in late September. If you were to attend all co-op annual meetings you would have to travel over 5,000 miles. These meetings take you from Lovington to Chama; and Clayton to Animas; as well as many points in between.

Along the way, you would watch members elect trustees to govern their co-ops, listen to reports from the co-op’s manager and board officers. You would meet youth tour delegates and scholarship winners, and maybe even win a door prize if you’re lucky.

You would also get to see firsthand the difference between cooperatives and all other businesses. Consumers—regular folks with regular jobs, kids, medical bills, and not-sonew cars—will fill high school gyms around the state to provide direction for their electric company. Co-op annual meetings are for everyone interested in the future of their energy needs. It’s an opportunity to get together and share ideas.

These ideas are sometimes hatched out of ordinary, everyday conversations. Sometimes, if you share an idea in your community, it needs time for others to reflect on it. If you champion a cause no one knows about—even something that would help everyone—lack of interest may cause the concept to wilt and die.

How do great ideas thrive? They need grassroots support. And again, that’s what makes annual meetings so important. That’s how we started over 80 years ago.

Electric co-ops began when a previous generation had the courage to dream big. Scattered around New Mexico’s desert plains and snowcapped peaks, they dreamt of electricity in their homes. They survived the Great Depression and won the biggest war in history; stringing electric lines over thousands of miles of New Mexico countryside was just another task that needed to be done.

They built their co-op, elected trustees, hired managers, employed workers, and brought electricity to their homes. They didn’t stop there, however. They got their neighbors to join the co-op and bring power across the state.

As they grew older, they passed the mission on to the next generation of members. Since the 1930s, each generation has built on the successes of the previous one until co-ops today serve 80 percent of the area in New Mexico.

It has not been easy. We are the fifth largest state and one of the poorest. Our predecessors could have said the state was too big and its people too poor to get this enormous job done.

They could have let electricity slip away from them, only to fall further behind our nation.

They didn’t then, and we can’t today. This year when you get your notice of the annual membership meeting—save the date. Get involved and be part of the process. Your co-op needs enough members to show up to form a quorum and conduct business. This sometimes includes changing the organization’s bylaws, which is its governing document.

You can vote for board members and participate in decisions on other issues. Co-op

leadership is dynamic and ever changing. Over 50 percent of the co-op trustees today were not on their respective board 10 years ago. As many of today’s leaders turn the reins over to future trustees, you can play a role. Remember, you may someday be called on to serve your co-op.

See you at the next annual meeting.

By Keven J. Groenewold. P.E. Chief Executive Officer New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association

enchantment.coop • March 2019

5

hale to the stars I by alan hale

The Southern Cross

L

ast month marked the first time in several months that all five bright planets were visible. That same situation holds true for March, although things are a bit touch-and-go for at least part of the month. For example, Mercury, our solar system’s innermost planet, is visible in our western sky during dusk at the beginning of March. It then disappears into twilight after the first week of the month. It reappears in our dawn sky by the end of March but will be difficult to detect.

Mars remains visible in our western sky during the evening hours, setting around 11:00 p.m., although it fades as it lags farther behind Earth.

Jupiter rises one to two hours after midnight and is quite high in our southern sky by the start of dawn.

Saturn rises about an hour and a half after Jupiter and is also fairly high when twilight starts.

After being a brilliant beacon in our pre-dawn sky for the past few months, Venus sinks towards

the eastern horizon as dawn approaches, setting shortly before the start of twilight at the beginning of March but somewhat after dawn starts by month’s end. Venus remains visible low in twilight for the next few months but eventually disappears into the dawn before it passes on the far side of the sun (as seen from Earth) in mid-August and then becomes visible in our evening sky later this year.

This particular article is being written from Adelaide, South Australia, where this author is presently employed on a temporary teaching gig.

Due to Earth’s spherical shape, in addition to the current summertime conditions the nighttime skies here are somewhat different than those visible from New Mexico, with several constellations and star patterns visible in Australia’s nighttime sky that are permanently below the Northern Hemisphere’s southern horizon. Among these are the iconic Southern Cross and the two “pointer” stars Alpha

The Southern Cross. The “Coalsack” dust cloud is at the left. Photograph by Alan Hale.

and Beta Centauri, the first of these being the thirdbrightest star in the entire nighttime sky and the closest star to our solar system.

Two other distinctive objects are the Magellanic Clouds, which appear as detached portions of the Milky Way and which are in actuality two small “satellite” galaxies of our own.

enchanted journeys: Submit your community event to: events@nmelectric.coop March 2 • Cloudcroft Mardi Gras Parade Downtown • 575-682-2733

March 9 • Columbus 103rd Anniversary Memorial Service Depot Museum • 575-313-4908

March 16 • Portal St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Portal Cafe • 520-558-3133

March 25 • Artesia Bad Art Night - Teen Event Artesia Public Library • 575-746-4252

March 2 • Deming Stars N Parks Rockhead State Park • 575-635-0982

March 9 • Hatch Stars N Parks Caballo Lake State Park • 575-635-0982

March 16-17 • Ruidoso Mountain Living Home & Garden Show Ruidoso Convention Center • 575-808-0655

March 28 • Mountainair Saving Historic Places • MMAC Center manzanomountainartcouncil.org

March 2 • Hillsboro Animal Rescue Benefit Dinner • Hillsboro Community Center • 575-895-5551

March 9 • Los Lunas King of the Hill Races • El Cerro de Los Lunas Preserve • 505-352-7662

March 18-21 • Farmington Spring Fling • Farmington Recreation Center • 505-599-1184

March 29-30 • Floyd Floyd Jamboree 2019 Floyd High School • 575-478-2585

March 2-3 • Red River Mardi Gras in the Mountains Downtown • 575-754-2366

March 9 • Truth or Consequences Art Hop Downtown • 575-894-1968

March 22 • Tularosa Documentary: Looting Fort Craig Cemetery Dry Goods Store • 575-430-8854

March 30 • Clovis Teddy Bear Run • High Plains Harley-Davidson • 575-769-1000

March 7 • Roswell U.S. Navy Concert • NMMI Pearson Auditorium • 202-433-4777

March 16 • Alamogordo Sip Into Spring Otero County Fairgrounds • 575-437-6120

March 23 • Gallup Downtown Night Out Coal Avenue • 505-863-1227

Remember to save the date for your electric co-op's annual meeting.

6

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

FDA Listed Hearing Aid ONLY

45-DAYEE RISK-FARL

✔ 100% Digital

$299 EACH!

✔ 100% Risk-FREE 45-day home trial

TRI

We trust you...

SEND NO MONEY NOW!

✔ FREE shipping ✔ Payment plans available

FOR QUALIFIED BUYERS

✔ FREE unlimited professional support SAME HIGH-QUALITY DIGITAL HEARING AIDS OFFERED BY AUDIOLOGISTS AND ENT’S. The Apollo™-6205 is the perfect FDA registered digital hearing aid if you want the BEST technology for the BEST price. American Made electronics give you advanced technology in a durable, easy to maintain hearing aid. Includes four channel compression for crisp, clear sound and feedback cancellation that virtually eliminates squeal.

Discreet slim-tube design gives you the most natural sound with total comfort.

Facility and devices registered with the FDA.

The typical hearing aid costs at least $2,000 but your price is nowhere near that with this special offer! Try the Apollo™-6205 with NO MONEY DOWN completely Risk-FREE for 45 days in the comfort of your own home and see if it’s everything we’ve promised.

High-quality American Made electronics

"They work better than the $4,600 hearing aid that I purchased months ago."

R.F. – Ruidoso Downs, NM

Doctor Designed ● Audiologist Approved

“Compact size. I can hear much better. I enjoy hearing the TV, music and birds singing.”

S.S. – Anthony, TX

Try our Apollo™-6205 hearing aid risk-free for 45 days.

SEND NO MONEY NOW!

If you like it then pay only $299 per aid or simply return it.

By phone (Mon-Fri • 8 am - 5 pm Central Time)

1-866-215-7533

Order online

Trusted Since 1979

• Hearing aids by mail for 39 years • Over 750,000 satisfied customers

Offer expires: 5/31/19

PROMO CODE

90-175

www.HearingHelpExpress.com 45-DAY RISK-FREE HOME TRIAL

A+ Rating Better Business Bureau

100%

Satisfaction

GUARANTEED

enchantment.coop • March 2019

7

energy sense I by patrick keegan and brad thiessen

Photos, clockwise: Unlike models from only a few years ago, many of today’s electric mowers have the power and battery life to keep up with gas mowers. A rotary push mower is an eco-friendly, low-maintenance and easy to store—and great exercise, too! While electric mowers have come a long way, equivalent gas mowers have a lower initial cost and are better-suited for larger lawns.

Weighing your lawncare options Dear Pat: I’m seeing a lot of ads lately for electric lawn mowers. I want to save money and help the environment, but from what I’ve heard, a lot of electric mowers can be underpowered, and the cordless ones lose their battery charge too quickly. Do you think it’s worth making the switch from a gas mower to an electric mower? – Eric Dear Eric: Until recently, corded and cordless electric mowers tended to be underpowered. For cordless mowers, this fact was made worse by their subpar battery life.

But today, with those problems largely solved, the best electric mowers have the power and battery

8

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

life to keep pace with a gas mower, depending on the size of your lawn.

A cordless, electric mower with a large 56-volt battery can run for about one hour. Plug-in electric mowers don’t have this limitation, but using a long electrical cord can be challenging.

Quality electric mowers, especially the cordless, rechargeable ones, tend to cost twice as much as a new equivalent gas model. But you can recoup some of the expense with cheaper operating costs, since electricity is a less expensive fuel than gas, and electric engines generally require less maintenance than gas engines.

Another important cost consid-

eration is that rechargeable batteries typically need to be replaced after three to five years. The cost savings also depend on the size of your lot.

A small lot uses less gas, so fuel cost savings are less significant.

You can save a significant amount of money on purchase price with a corded mower, if you don’t mind the hassle of navigating around the cord.

There are additional benefits of electric mowers besides lower fuel and maintenance costs. Electric mowers are much quieter than gas mowers, and they start instantly.

Electric mowers produce less tailpipe emissions, but the overall environmental impact depends on how the electricity you’re using (to charge the mower) is generated. The environmental benefits will be greater if the electricity is generated from renewable energy sources.

Given all these considerations, my advice is to weigh your priorities.

If you are looking to buy new, have a small- to mid-size lot, prioritize

environmental concerns and don’t mind navigating a cord or recharging batteries, an electric mower could be the right choice for you.

If you don’t mind the noise, maintenance and other hassles of a gas mower, have a large lot and prefer not to invest in the upfront purchase price, a gas mower may be a better option.

There’s also a third choice. If your goals are to save money and hassle while protecting the environment, you can minimize your need for a mower, or get rid of the need completely.

If you’re willing to keep your lawn mowed regularly and don’t mind breaking a sweat, consider a manual reel mower. Some models are more effective than you might think, and they’re far less expensive and require little maintenance or storage space.

The most dramatic step you could take is replacing your lawn completely, perhaps with water-efficient landscaping, a rock garden, a vegetable garden or even an artificial lawn. This could dramatically cut your water bill and the environmental impact of a lawn.

Any change you make, whether in mowing or landscaping, will require a little research. But it’s great to know the option of an electric mower is more viable than ever!

SUPER COUPON

10 tips for spring energy savings 1. C LEAR THE AIR: Open windows to allow fresh (free!) air to circulate.

2. C OOK OUTSIDE: Enjoy a few hours of sunshine by using your grill or smoker to add festive flavors to meals.

3. S EARCH AND SEAL: Cracks and spaces let conditioned air outside. Caulk and weather strip to seal leaks.

4. N ATURAL LIGHT: Open blinds and curtains, and turn off the lights to save energy.

5. B E FAN FRIENDLY: Use ceiling fans to circulate airflow.

6. A TMOSPHERIC ADJUSTMENT: Remember to adjust your thermostat settings for the milder months ahead.

7. T UNE UP: Schedule an appointment with your HVAC technician to identify any potential problems with your system.

8. P EAK SAVINGS: Think about supply and demand.

Plan household chores that require electricity during off-peak hours (when energy demand is low).

9. T AKE CHARGE: Consider disconnecting electrical devices you don’t use regularly until you need them.

Plugged-in devices use energy even when not in use.

10. M OVE OUTDOORS: Time spent outdoors offers opportunities to turn off lights, televisions, computers and home appliances. You’ll be more active, have more fun and save more money.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy

BEATS EARTHQUAKE*

Customer Rating

52 CC

• Thumb Lock • Rubber Wrapped Case

43 CC

ENGINE SIZE

NOW

45 FT. LBS

TORQUE

47 FT. LBS

20 LBS.

WEIGHT

22 LBS.

$1 7999

EARTHQUAKE E43 AND EA6F

ITEM 56257/63022 shown

6

MODEL: L4825HV

$

*81707919 * 81707919 SUPER COUPON

Customer Rating

Customer Rating

DRIVE ITEM SAE 69280/69333/69560 METRIC 69279/69332/69561/67904

$1 9

99

SAVE $ 99 63% 24 HUSKY *81708833 * 81708833 COMPARE TO

$

99 $899

YOUR CHOICE

5551

MODEL: H2DSAEI11PCSR

$ $

COMPARE TO

94999

1,432 SAVE $532

LINCOLN ELECTRIC MODEL: K3963-1 ITEM 63621

ITEM 61454/69091/62803/63635/67847 shown

ITEM 62340/62546/63104/96289 shown

14

99

K TOOL $ 68

125

MODEL: KTI63094

$

7999

ITEM 64545/64552/64832 68053/62160/62496/62516/60569 shown

LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

$99

COMPARE TO

$9

SAVE 84%

DEWALT $ 99

64

MODEL: DW1369

ITEM 62281/61637 shown

$

99

17

99

$

Customer Rating

99

139

NOW

99

COMPARE TO

DEWALT

72" x 80" MOVING BLANKET

Customer Rating

29 PIECE 10 AMP DEEP CUT TITANIUM VARIABLE SPEED DRILL BIT SET BAND SAW KIT Customer Rating NOW NOW

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

$

$5 99

COMPARE TO

299 SAVE $199

MODEL: DWM120

Blade sold separately.

ITEM 63763/64194/63444 shown

BLUE HAWK $ 99

SAVE 70%

19

MODEL: 77280

8

$ 99

ITEM 69505/62418/66537 shown

*81719078 * 81719078

*81719196 * 81719196

*81720098 * 81720098

*81720341 * 81720341

LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

SUPER COUPON

MECHANIC'S GLOVES

26" x 22" SINGLE BANK EXTRA DEEP CABINETS • Weighs 174 lbs.

Customer Rating

5

$ 99 COMPARE TO

VALEO $ 02

11

SAVE 67%

SUPER COUPON

99

229 SAVE $ 79 $17499

MODEL: HG1300

$

*81714631 * 81714631

NOW

$

28

9 $599

COMPARE TO

LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

• Air delivery: 5.8 CFM @ 40 PSI 4.7 CFM @ 90 PSI Customer Rating

MODEL: C201H

BLACK & DECKER $ 06

NOW

SAVE $65

*81710927 * 81710927

21 GALLON, 2.5 HP, 125 PSI VERTICAL OIL-LUBE AIR COMPRESSOR

HUSKY

$8

COMPARE TO

99

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

SUPER COUPON

COMPARE TO

NOW

• 3-1/2 pumps lifts most vehicles • Lifts from 3-1/2" to 14-1/8" • Weighs 34 lbs.

*81708901 * 81708901

LIMIT 6 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

$1 49

SUPER Customer Rating COUPON

1500 WATT DUAL RAPID PUMP 1.5 TON TEMPERATURE HEAT GUN LIGHTWEIGHT ALUMINUM (572°/1112°) FLOOR JACK ®

NOW

Item 69560 shown

Limit 1 coupon per customer per day. Save 20% on any 1 item purchased. *Cannot be used with other discount, coupon or any of the following items or brands: Inside Track Club membership, Extended Service Plan, gift card, open box item, 3 day Parking Lot Sale item, compressors, floor jacks, safes, saw mills, storage cabinets, chests or carts, trailers, trencher/backhoe, welders, Admiral, Ames, Bauer, Cobra, CoverPro, Daytona, Diamondback, Earthquake, Fischer, Hercules, Icon, Jupiter, Lynxx, Poulan, Predator, Tailgator, Viking, Vulcan, Zurich. Not valid on prior purchases. Non-transferable. Original coupon must be presented. Valid through 6/22/19.

SUPER COUPON

OMNIPRO™ 220 INDUSTRIAL MULTI-PROCESS WELDER

Customer Rating

*81706971 * 81706971

ITEM 69030/69080/69031 shown

Cannot be used with other discounts or prior purchases. Original coupon must be presented.

Valid through 6/22/19 while supplies last. Limit 1 FREE GIFT per customer per day.

*EARTHQUAKE E43 stated specs **Price includes model #E43 and model #EA6F

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

SUPER COUPON

13 PIECE, 1/2" DRIVE DEEP IMPACT SOCKET SETS

ANY SINGLE ITEM*

COMPARE TO

KOMELON $ 98

33498** 214 *81704722 * 81704722 99 PRICE

$

ANY PURCHASE

1" x 25 FT. TAPE MEASURE

320 RPM DRILLING SPEED 250 RPM

MODEL: 25521

SUPER COUPON

Customer Rating

Item 64431 shown Item 64162 shown

YOUR CHOICE OF COLOR

99

$239 $ 29999

NOW

$499

SAVE 1,425 $

SAVE 54%

$

COMPARE TO

ITEM 62434, 62426, 62433, 62432, 62429, 64178, 64179, 62428 shown

SNAP-ON

1,665

MODEL: KRA4008FPBO

ITEM 64432 64431/64434 64433/64163/64162

Item 64433 shown

SUPER COUPON

16 OZ. HAMMERS WITH FIBERGLASS HANDLE

SAVE 70% COMPARE TO

KOBALT $ 98

9

MODEL: 62742

STANDARD AUTO-DARKENING WELDING HELMET NOW

YOUR CHOICE

Customer Rating

9 $349

99

Item 47873 shown TYPE CLAW RIP

SUPER COUPON

$2

$

4

$ 99

4499

COMPARE TO

ITEM 69006/60715/60714/47872 69005/61262/47873

KOBALT

$

SAVE 56%

7999

Customer Rating

MODEL: SGY-A13

ITEM 67618/61611/56358/46092 shown

*81721851 * 81721851

*81723303 * 81723303

*81724460 * 81724460

*81726184 * 81726184

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

LIMIT 5 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

LIMIT 9 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

LIMIT 3 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

SUPER COUPON

4000 MAX. STARTING/ Customer Rating 3200 RUNNING WATTS 6.5 HP (212 CC) GAS GENERATOR

Customer Rating

$

339

$289

99

• 5400 lb. capacity

ITEM 63080/69729 SAVE 56172/56174/63079 shown $ 1,609 ITEM 56175/56173 63089/63090, CALIFORNIA ONLY

99 NOW

COMPARE TO

HONDA $

1,899

MODEL: EB4000

Wheel kit sold separately.

*81726685 * 81726685

COMPARE TO $

64 99 SAVE

$1 9

99

69% $3999 ITEM 60658/97711 shown *81727181 * 81727181 MIBRO

LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

AUTOMATIC BATTERY FLOAT CHARGER

3/8" x 14 FT., GRADE 43 17 FT. TYPE IA TOWING CHAIN MULTI-TASK LADDER

• 10 hour run time

NOW

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

MODEL: 426920

LIMIT 7 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

*Original coupon only. No use on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase or without original receipt. Valid through 6/22/19.

hft_nmenchantment_0319_M-REG161781.indd 1

WITH

GAS POWERED EARTH AUGER

SAVE $ 154

20% OFF

FREE

1,000+ Stores Nationwide • HarborFreight.com SUPER COUPON

SUPER COUPON

• • • •

Versatile - 24 configurations Safe + Secure + Stable Super Strong - Holds 300 lbs.

Weighs 34 lbs.

$

13999

COMPARE TO

LITTLE GIANT $ 99

298

MODEL: XE M17

Customer Rating

NOW

NOW

$1 09

$499

99

SAVE $189

Customer Rating Cu

ITEM 67646/63418/63419/63417 shown

*81727252 * 81727252 LIMIT 4 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

$ 99 SAVE 9 50% ITEM 69955/64284/42292 shown *81729450 * 81729450 LIMIT 8 - Coupon valid through 6/22/19*

At Harbor Freight Tools, the “Compare to” price means that the specified comparison, which is an item with the same or similar function, was advertised for sale at or above the “Compare to” price by another national retailer in the U.S. within the past 90 days. Prices advertised by others may vary by location. No other meaning of “Compare to” should be implied. For more information, go to HarborFreight.com or see store associate.

1/23/19 10:47 AM

enchantment.coop • March 2019

9

Co-ops Celebrate New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Day

New Mexico rural electric cooperatives celebrated New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Day on January 31, 2019, at the state legislature for the second time.

10

O

ver 40 electric cooperative officials from 14 electric cooperatives gathered at the state legislature in Santa Fe on January 31, 2019, as Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham declared the Thirty-First Day of January 2019 as “New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Day.”

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

Lt. Gov. Howie Morales read the governor’s proclamation and presented it to New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative Association President Charles T. Pinson, Jr., in the State Capitol rotunda.

State legislators from both chambers read the senate and house memorials respec-

tively, and recognized the efforts the electric cooperatives have done and continue to do in order to keep the lights on in rural New Mexico in an affordable and reliable manner.

Electric cooperative directors, managers, and employees were acknowledged on the senate and house chamber floors.

enchantment.coop • March 2019

11

Gardens that Look as Good as They Taste

By George Weigel

Purple basil and a few marigolds add color to this edible garden.

Edibles have ornamental traits that can be paired nicely just as with flowers, such as this blend of spiky onions, frilly parsley and a backdrop of wide-leafed potatoes. All photos by George Weigel.

S

omewhere along the path to modern American landscapes, gardeners got the idea that flowers are pretty and edible plants are not, so no respectable gardener should ever mix the two.

“Ugly” vegetable plants not only got segregated to the vegetable garden but relegated to back corners, as far away from view as possible. Then, when busy generations found it easier to just buy produce at the grocery store, vegetable gardens often disappeared altogether.

Lately, though, edible gardening is making a comeback. Fueled by new interest in fresh, nonsprayed produce, home-grown vegetables are chic again. And they’re being grown in pots, fabric bags, and even straw bales as well as in the ground.

12

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

A new twist is rethinking the whole concept of a “vegetable garden” and instead tucking edibles into the existing landscape.

Better-looking veggie gardens Option one is keeping the edibles together but dressing them up in a more ornamental way. Think “kitchen garden,” a style that includes all sorts of usable plants—herbs, cut flowers, edible flowers, and berries as well as vegetables.

Rather than plant in long, singular rows that harken back to farming, an alternative is planting in mix-and-match blocks in wider rows and raised beds. This style makes better use of space, is easier to tend, and ensures that soil is loose and well drained.

It also gives better ability to arrange plants by how they look together—just as in flower gardening. For example, rather planting a row of cabbage next to a row of lettuce, why not interplant the two? The ruffled form of leaf lettuce pairs nicely with the rounded form of cabbage. And if you use colorful versions of those plants, such as red lettuce and purple cabbage, the combination is even more striking.

When you think about it, edible plants have ornamental characteristics, too. Carrots have frilly foliage.

Kale has corrugated, colorful leaves. Hot peppers have fruits that ripen in all sorts of bright colors and shapes. And rhubarb has both red stems and huge, tropical-looking foliage that’s impressive enough to make a garden centerpiece. Pairing small combos by looks also makes it harder for pest bugs and animals to beat you to the harvest, since it’s easier for them to zero in on masses planted in one spot.

A down side to “landscaping” with edibles is that you’ll have regular holes in the design as you pick crops to eat. The solution is “succession planting,” meaning that as soon as one crop is harvested, another one is planted to take its place.

Even in colder climates, it’s possible to change out a space with two or three different edibles in one season. Radishes, for example, could lead off an area in early spring, then beans could take their place in summer, then lettuce could follow the beans for a fall harvest.

Tuck a few annual flowers into edible plantings to give extra color and season-long interest.

10

plants that look as good as they taste

Vegetable gardens can be planted in a variety of patterns, not just rectangular. This design is a traditional German four-square layout.

Some of the best are ones that can be direct-seeded into the garden, such as marigolds, dwarf zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers.

Three more ways to dress up an edible garden Go with a geometric pattern. Vegetable gardens don’t have to be rectangles. They can be built in more interesting circles, or in picket-fenced collections of blocks of varying sizes, or as early German settlers liked to do, in four-square layouts with a centerpiece bed in the middle.

Add hardscaping. Define the garden with permanent features, such as stone paths between the beds, walls or fencing around the perimeter, and maybe a vine-covered arbor at the entrance.

Add accessories and focal points. Instead of plain wooden tomato stakes and utilitarian vine netting, switch to more ornamental trellises or build attractive bamboo teepees. Finish the garden with an eye-grabbing object or two, such as a statue, bird feeder, or favorite antique.

Edible landscaping If you can’t or don’t want to dig up space for a dedicated edible garden, look for places in existing

beds to sneak in a few favorite herbs and vegetables.

There’s no law (other than in some communities with homeowners associations) that says you can’t grow sage in the front yard or strawberries along a sunny property line.

Edibles with the most ornamental value make sense in landscape settings. Select edibles based on how their ornamental traits match existing neighbors or the neighborhood.

Chives, for example, make a good edging plant in front of evergreens with their short, spiky leaves and pink, ball-shaped spring flowers. Purple basil pairs nicely with pink shrub roses. And pepper plants fit seamlessly into a hot-colored perennial garden of black-eyed susans, mums, and daylilies.

The same design principles that apply to flowers and shrubs apply to edibles…except you get to eat that basil and those peppers in the end.

Breeders have been developing more colorful, more durable, and better tasting edibles in recent years, so your choices are better than ever. A side benefit is that the pigments that add more color to edible plants are generally ones with higher levels of antioxidants and nutrition.

It’s all good reason to give new meaning to the term “tasteful garden.”

1. Blueberries make an excellent border hedge and turn brilliant shades of red, orange, or burgundy in fall.

2. Underplant a bed of red daylilies with a groundcover of golden oregano.

3. Silver thyme is a salt- and droughttough creeper that makes a nice edging plant along a sunny driveway.

4. Hot peppers produce all summer and mature brightly enough for use in sunny foundation beds.

5. Red or purple kale adds colorful upright contrast when interplanted with rounded shrubs, such as boxwoods.

6. Eggplant makes a good centerpiece in a sunny pot surrounded by pink petunias.

7. Interplant frilly-leafed parsley with rounded perennials, such as coralbells.

8. Grow cherry tomatoes up a trellis between shrubs in a south- or westfacing foundation bed.

9. Flank pink shrub roses with purple or tricolor sage.

10. Grow sweet potato vines out of hanging baskets or window boxes.

Blueberry leaves turn brilliant shades in fall.

enchantment.coop • March 2019

13

on the menu I by evelyn siegmann

H

o c mfort fo e d a m e od om Special thanks to Evelyn Siegmann,

a member of Continental Divide Electric Cooperative, for sharing her homemade recipes with enchantment readers.

Pasty Pie This is my version of pasties that my husband’s family used to make when they lived in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Vegetables can be substituted to your taste.

One of my daughter’s uses sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.

1 3 3 3 ¼ 1 ½ ¼ 2

lb. lean ground beef med. potatoes, diced small lg. carrots, diced small celery stalks, diced small cup onion, chopped tsp. salt tsp. pepper tsp. garlic 9" pie crusts

Great Grandma Pita’s Biscochitos 1. Mix all ingredients in bowl, thoroughly

break apart ground beef.

You can enjoy biscochitos, our favorite cookie, anytime with a simple variation of adding food coloring to dough. Just like these shamrocks.

2. Place one crust on bottom of pie pan,

spoon in filling, cover with top crust, and seal edges. Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour.

3. Serve with a few pats of butter and ketchup.

3

cups flour

¾ cup sugar 3

tsps. baking powder

3

tsps. anise seed

Dash of salt ¾ cup shortening 1 egg ½ tsp. vanilla extract ½ cup milk

Tuna Casserole 3 cups elbow macaroni, cooked 1 can tuna, drained 1 can cream of mushroom soup ½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded 1 Tb. onion, diced Black pepper to taste 1. Mix all ingredients in a 9x9 casserole

dish or baking pan, bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

2. Serve with your favorite vegetable as your side dish to complete meal.

14

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

Green food coloring Sugar and cinnamon 1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, anise

seed, and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening with fork or pastry cutter.

2. Combine wet ingredients and add to flour mixture to form dough for rolling out.

Dough should be easy to handle; slowly add a little more milk or flour if needed.

3. Roll out, cut with cookie cutters, and dip one side of cookie in sugar cinnamon mixture.

4. Bake at 375 F for nearly 12-13 minutes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Attention Readers, Share Your Stories

Lineworker Appreciation Day is April 8, 2019 Do you have any stories to share about lineworkers helping you, your family, or a friend?

Or, do you have stories to share with us about other cooperative employees who have or are helpful to you. Maybe a co-op employee rescued a kitty from a tree, an employee stopped to help you change a tire. Any story, send our way so we can print in future enchantment issues, and/or in the April issue. Perhaps you have a photo of you and an employee. Email your stories and photos to:

enchantment@nmelectric.coop enchantment Photo Contest 2019

Icons of the West Now accepting photos for this year's photo contest.

Ristras to cacti Spurs to sunsets Rodeos to wagons More details to follow in the April enchantment and on enchantment's Facebook page:

Brighter together We prepare for the future while you plan for theirs.

Together, Tri-State and our family of electric cooperatives are working together to power your tomorrows.

We are brighter, stronger and better together. www.tristate.coop/together

facebook.com/enchantmentnmreca

0219_Together_Campaign_Brighter_NM.indd 1

enchantment.coop • March 2019 2:08 PM 15 2/13/19

book chat I by phaedra greenwood

40 days and more…: Praying God's Word

Badge of Honor

By Kenneth W. Tidmore • Tate Publishing • pastorkwt@gmail.com • www.amazon.com

By Karen Glinski • Terra Nova Books www.terranovabooks.com

“Prayer ain't for wimps!” Pastor Tidmore says. “It's the hardest thing to do; it's the easiest thing to do.” He hopes this daily devotional book of prayers will help motivate your own conversation with God and “be used by God to help you to draw closer to Him in your spiritual walk…” A blurb on the back cover says Tidmore was healed of alcoholism by Christ in 1990 and has preached and taught prayer for more than 13 years as pastor of First Methodist Church in Springer. This handy book includes 365 short prayers with observations such as: “Father, too often our elected leaders—when they take those first breaths of power—lose all common sense.” Or nuggets of wisdom such as: “The devil didn't make us do it.” And, “If we would only stay in constant conversation with You, instead of only in emergencies, our ship would sail stronger and truer.”

Tidmore is also a cattle rancher and former award-winning sports journalist. Bravo!

Ernest Haycox and the Western

By Richard W. Etulain • University of Oklahoma Press • 800-627-7377 • www.oupress.com

Etulain tracks Haycox’s literary career from writing pulps and serials for western magazines to becoming a regular contributor to Collier’s and the Saturday Evening Post. His efforts to improve his techniques, develop his characters and broaden his themes to include historical realism paid off with his best-selling Custer novel, Bugles in the Afternoon, and The Earthbreakers, which was published posthumously. In his detailed prologue, Etulain discusses four overlapping stages of western cultural-literary development beginning with the Spanish and English explorers, then the influence of writers from James Fenimore Cooper to Owen Wister, Max Brand, and Zane Grey, whom he calls “Father of the American Western”. He deplores Grey’s “overflow of lurid prose” and “cumbersome descriptions of scenery” written to “transform an eastern weakling into a western giant.” An intelligent literary critique. Well done.

Nuclear New Mexico: A Historical, Natural, and Virtual Tour

By M. Jimmie Killingsworth and Jacqueline S. Palmer • Texas A&M University Press College Station 800-826-8911 • www.tamupress.com

This book offers an informed juxtaposition of “terror and beauty” on a virtual tour of the former Land of Enchantment, now poisoned by nuclear energy. It delves into a variety of subjects from boomer nostalgia for the Cold War 1950s, the psychological and environmental consequences of atomic development and nuclear waste, to public presentations of nuclear history at Los Alamos and the question of whether or not we are now “safe.” The tour touches on the legendary Roswell crash, cattle mutilations, and a secret alien base at Dulce. Visit the Trinity Site where the first nuclear bomb exploded, which Oppenheimer declared “destroyer of worlds,” but also spawned droves of nature lovers determined to save the world, once considered a job for the Gods. Photos are poignant; commentary is intelligent and soul-searching. Five stars.

16

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

This coming-of-age book is riddled with car chases, fist-acuffs, kidnappings, and narrow escapes as Emerson, an 11-year-old Navajo city boy, learns to “walk in beauty” and make better choices in life. Grandpa Charlie is bitten by a rattlesnake in sheep camp and Emerson, who can barely reach the pedals, has to drive Grandpa’s truck to the hospital in Shiprock.

While Grandpa is recovering, Emerson finds a bag of stolen jewelry and a rare gold medal awarded to a Navajo Code Talker from World War II. The boy is soon tangled up with thieves who might let him join one moment or slit his throat the next. The pacing is fast and the characters crackle and pop on the pages, even his heroic little dachshund, Lucky. Emerson fights to restore the stolen Badge of Honor to the old Code Talker.

When the Code Talker relays the painful details of the battle at Guadalcanal, Emerson feels proud to be a Navajo. A fine adventure.

Mail your book with contact information and where to order to: enchantment Book Chat, 614 Don Gaspar Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87505.

Fighting to keep the lights on Electric co-ops are winning the reliability battles against squirrels, storms, and hackers.

By Paul Wesslund, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

D

id you know squirrels, lightning and trees have something in common?

They can knock out your electricity.

Electric cooperatives work hard to keep your lights on all the time, but “you’re going to have power outages, and that’s just the way it is,” says Tony Thomas, senior principal engineer with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

An electric utility’s basic job of keeping the power flowing 24/7 calls for maintaining a complex network of power plants, poles and wires. But it also means battling the unpredictable. Thomas cites the top three troublemakers to electric reliability as trees falling on power lines and other interferences from vegetation, lightning strikes and animals going about their daily routines, especially squirrels chewing on electrical equipment.

“Utilities do an awfully good job,” says Thomas. “But Mother Nature gets in the way sometimes.”

Humans contribute to power outages as well, with vandals deliberately damaging electrical equipment and drivers accidentally crashing into utility poles.

Statistics say the lights are almost always on Numbers collected from electric utilities show that power in the United States is incredibly reliable. According to these figures, the percentage of time that the average American has electricity at the flip of a switch is 99.97…oh forget it, you get the idea. Thomas says what’s most important to know about those numbers is that they don’t change much.

“I don’t see big swings from year to year,” says Thomas. “If things are fairly consistent, that means the utility is operating about as efficiently as it can.”

But utilities still try to improve on that reliability. Among the techniques being used to foil critter catastrophes are snake barriers around substations, buzzard shields on transmission towers and mesh coverings on wood poles to protect them from woodpeckers.

For some of the other causes of outages like trees and lightning, there’s now an app for that. Utilities operate extensive right-of-way programs to keep vegetation away from power lines, from clearing underbrush to publicity campaigns asking people not to plant trees where they can fall on power lines. These days, those efforts can be aided by digital software that forecasts the growth of trees and other plants so that utilities can prune branches before they cause a problem.

Other software tries to manage lightning by analyzing the age and wear on the utility’s equipment that minimizes the damage from lightning strikes so it

Electric cooperatives’ top priority of keeping power flowing 24/7 calls for maintaining a complex network of power plants, poles and wires. But it also requires preparing for the unpredictable. Electric co-ops are winning the reliability battles against the top three troublemakers: storms, squirrels and hackers.

can be replaced before it fails.

Fighting storms and squirrels are two ways to keep the power on, but by far the biggest part of reliability comes from the decades of building, maintaining and updating the massive machinery of the nation’s electric grid. More than 8,500 power plants generate electricity that is shipped through 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. Banks of substations and transformers stepdown that voltage to send it to homes and businesses through 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines.

Keeping that network up and running calls for a lot of planning among utilities to anticipate how electricity will be used in the future. Part of that reliability planning has focused on protecting the electricity system from computer-based digital attacks.

The never-ending job of cyber security Bridgette Bourge is among those overseeing how digital technology affects reliability for electric co-ops and their consumer-members. As director of government affairs for NRECA, she sees both the positives and the negatives to the latest internet-based, or cyber, technology.

“Cyber helps a lot on reliability because it gives us the ability to monitor and know everything right away,” she says. “But whenever you increase reliability through a technology, you do potentially open up vulnerabilities as well from the security angle.”

For any organization, including electric utilities, the benefits of the internet come infested with mischief makers. Bourge says it’s routine for a company to receive tens of thousands of attempts each day to break into its computer network. Those “knocks” at the cyber door can come from individuals, countries and organizations, or from the army of automated “bots” roaming the internet …continued on page 19 enchantment.coop • March 2019

17

vecinos I by sharon niederman

Voice of the muse

W

hen the “Muse” first called Nara Visa ranch woman Connie Perez, it was in a harsh voice, a voice no one would want to hear. She’d been retired from teaching about five years, and during that time received a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

‘I’d gotten complacent,” she says. “I was bored and I needed something to do. I’d just retreated to my chair and let my Parkinson’s get the better of me.”

That voice of the muse led Perez up to her attic.

There, she found her mother’s “pretty well dried up old acrylic paints.” “That’s all I had in the house,” she recalls. “And it gave me some way to get started.”

And start she did, bringing her love of color and a joyous sense of play she’d cultivated with the 30 plus years she’d spent teaching and making art with kindergartners and first graders, looking for her themes from ranch life and familiar New Mexican scenes.

She began by painting on the backs of canvases her mother had done. To her surprise, a neighbor asked if she could buy one of her paintings, and that affirmation was all she needed to get going.

“I decided to open a little gallery in Logan to get me out of the house; after all, there’s only so many paintings you can pile up in your closet.” Her gallery, Colors by Connie, is not only a gallery but a working studio she tries to paint in several times a week. “I started in March, 2018,” she says. “In five weeks, I had a gallery going.”

She has also fixed up her back porch as a painting studio, and she especially enjoys when friends come over and they paint together.

18

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

Painting became her therapy. While she often found it too painful to write, if she held a paintbrush in her hand, her tremors calmed and she was able to create the detail she was after in her paintings. “My Parkinson’s doctor has bought my paintings and displays them in her office to show people there is life after Parkinson’s,” she says. Her subject matter, in addition to flowers, includes her Herefords, windmills, old adobes, and children.

She has had her paintings reproduced as notecards and is now working on the third selfpublished children’s book in a series of “Rosie and Rusty,” characters she developed based on people she knows. “I patterned Rosie after Mary Davis, a close family friend who lives and works on the historic CS Ranch in Cimarron. She is a true living example of a cowgirl living and working on a real ranch. She was named one of Western Horseman Magazine’s “Women of the West.”

Rusty is patterned after my husband, Michael.

Many of Michael’s true adventures are (or will be) in some of my books.

Raspberry is a combination of all the ranch dogs that I have loved, which have come and gone on the ranch through the years.”

She both writes and illustrates her books, which feature ranch life. First, she paints all the pictures, then she writes the story. The creation is a healing process because, as she says, “It has gotten me up out of my chair, eased my symptoms of Parkinson’s, and brought me back to enjoying life again.”

She and her husband, Michael Perez, raise Hereford, Black Bully, and Angus cattle, and have done so for at least the past 40 years on the Perez Cattle Company.

Painting has opened doors for her. She goes into classrooms and reads from her books at events sponsored by Ag in the Classroom, speaks at cattle and ranching events, paints commissions, and celebrates her triumphs at La Fonda in Santa Fe. She has a team with her that includes her daughterin-law, who takes pictures for her to paint from, a publicist, a graphic designer and editor, and friends and family to support her efforts.

She and her husband have two sons; one lives on the ranch with his family, and the other lives in Amarillo and is expecting a new grandbaby.

Considering the success Perez has found with her use of bright colors, a simple, almost naïve style, and subject matter that includes the beauty of New Mexico: Indian pueblos, old churches, and windmills; and her bright, upbeat style appeals to a large audience of country people and people who just love New Mexico. She is just having fun and following her muse. And she only started painting a year ago!

Her books can be purchased, to name a few locations, through: Yippy Yi Yo, Collected Works, Op Cit, Beehive, Terry’s Marketplace in Logan, also at Pear Tree in Dalhart, and ML Leddy’s in Fort Worth, TX. Soon to be on Amazon. Or, call or text 575-403-7987.

Fighting to keep the lights on …continued from page 17 worldwide, testing for weaknesses where a hacker could enter.

For a utility, a troublemaker inside the computer network could affect electric service, and that’s why NRECA has organized a variety of cyber reliability programs.

Bourge says those cyber reliability programs aim to help protect against a range of threats, from broad attempts to shut down parts of the electric grid, to more focused efforts to corrupt pieces of software used by electric cooperatives.

NRECA’s cyber protection efforts include a national program of working closely with the nation’s electric co-ops to share the techniques for protecting utility systems from internet invaders. NRECA also works closely with federal government cybersecurity groups in the Department of Energy and the Department of Homeland Security.

NRECA is also part of a national program to create a cyber mutual assistance agreement. Much like how groups of lineworkers from an electric co-op travel to help restore power after a hurricane, these cyber agreements would be able to utilize teams of information technology experts in the case of a cyber incident.

“You can’t solve cybersecurity,” says Bourge. “No matter what you do today, the bad guys are going to figure out a way around it tomorrow. You have to keep thinking about the next step.”

Bourge sees electric co-ops as wellplaced to pay attention to cybersecurity. She says as community-based, member-led businesses, electric co-ops have a unique interest in protecting the reliability of the local community’s energy supply.

“Electric cooperatives take cybersecurity very seriously,” says Bourge.

“It’s built into their DNA.”

WHERE DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT

YOUR SOURCE OF POWER. AND INFORMATION. We’re not your typical electric company. We don’t have customers, we have members. People aren’t just our number one priority, they’re the reason we’re here. We empower our communities and help our members soar.

To learn more about the cooperative difference, visit TouchstoneEnergy.com

WhereDreamsTakeFlight_NM.indd 1

2/12/19 11:50 AM

enchantment.coop • March 2019

19

THE MARKET PLACE FOR SALE: GERMAN Shepherd puppies.

Solid black and black tan. Call 575-868-2243.

Animals NEW MEXICO DRINKING Water Storage

Tanks, Heavy Duty Black Poly. Fittings customized to your needs NRCS and EQUIP approved. High Specific Gravity, Heavy Weight, Long Warranty, Algae Resistant, Black NRCS Water Tanks. Call 1-800-603-8272 or 575-682-2308.

GRASSFED BEEF: NEW Mexico 100%

Grassfed beef. No Hormones, No growth stimulants. Processed to your specifications. From $2.85 per pound plus processing. Mention this ad for a discount. Edgewood/Cedar Grove, NM, 505286-0286. www.moonbeamranch.com YOUNG BLACK FACE Ewes, good frame

and size. From multi-birth ewes, sire Sulfolk/ Hamshire cross. Taos County. Call 575-770-2881 or 575-586-1323.

ELK TAGS. LOOKING to buy Unit 15 Bull Elk

Tags open or possibly closed. Please call Andre at 716-866-9795.

LIVESTOCK GUARDIAN DOGS.

Purebred Anatolian Shepherd puppies. Great protection for yourself and your animals. They have wonderful dispositions and grow up to be big wonderful dogs. $450 each. Call 575-637-4767 in Roswell.

LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT: AFFORDABLE cattle loading chute, 14

NOT ALL WATER Tanks Are Created Equal!

Is Quality, Value and Longevity important to you?

Buy High Specific Gravity, Heavy Weight, Long Warranty, Superior Black NRCS tanks. Lowest prices only provide minimum standards, lower weights, and shorter warranties. Find out more!

575-430-1010.

CLOUDCROFT ART WORKSHOPS! Plan now, attend this summer! Enjoy our cool, alpine climate and the encouraging camaraderie of working among other artists while refining your artistic skills under the nurturing instruction of some of the nation’s premiere artists! Visit www.cloudcroftart.com

NEED TO RAISE $$$ for personal, family, or business use? With us, you can raise $100’s or $1,000’s each month. Simple, cooperative, unique and honest. No selling ever, no experience needed...not a business. Call 505-685-0966 for interview. www.raisefundsnow.org

Equipment GREAT OFFER ON Solar Submersible Shallow/Deep well pumps! ‘NRCS’ approved with 2-year warranty on selected pumps with affordable, easy installation! For a custom quote, email us at: sales@solarsubmersiblewellpumps.com or call 505-429-3093. 24/7 service. Order online at: www.solarsubmersiblewellpumps.com DRINKING WATER STORAGE Tanks, Heavy Duty Black Poly, proven algae resistant. 125 to 11,000 gallons, NRCS and EQUIP approved. Please give us a chance to serve you!

MasterCard or Visa accepted. Call 575-682-2308 or 1-800-603-8272.

DORPER HAIR SHEEP for sale. Registered and commercial; lambs born Fall ‘18, weaned, UTD on vaccinations, tails docked. Some mature Ewes available. Proven productive in the pasture, winning in the Show Ring. Quarter Circle T Farms, Ft. Sumner, NM, 575-512-5516, 575-512-5517.

60” DR POWER Grader. Tows behind your

great working, family dogs. Various ages. Call for application form so we can pick the perfect dog for you, 505-615-6455.

20

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

700 square feet. Outside Corners-4 pieces, Inside Corners-13 pieces. J-Channel, 10 pieces. Vented soffit, 16 pieces, 12-6. Undersill, 18 pieces. New/ old stock stored inside. $300 Cash Only. Call 575838-7241, email: budmull@gmail.com LOOKING FOR A 12-foot, self propelled Swather in working condition. Would like to own one before I won’t be able to farm any longer.

Call 505-290-3541.

Great Finds

ATV to remove ruts, potholes and wash board in your dirt and gravel driveway. $400. All proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Quemado Senior Center. Call 575-773-4722.

IRRIGATION PIPE. USED and half price of new. 6”, 8” and 10” PVC and aluminum pipe.

Also have T’s, elbows, plugs, valves & bonnets.

Quantities vary, call today to order. Delivery available. Contact Sierra at 575-770-8441.

RAILROAD ITEMS WANTED: KEROSENE

LANTERNS, BRASS locks, keys, badges, uniforms, bells, whistles, and pre-1950 employee timetables. Always seeking items from any early New Mexico railroad, especially D&RG, C&S, EP&NE, EP&SW, AT&SF, SP or Rock Island. Call Randy Dunson at 575-356-6919 or 575-760-3341.

COFFINS, CASKETS & URNS. Individually handcrafted of solid wood. SIMPLE. Natural.

Unique. Quality Craftsmanship. Go to www. theoldpinebox.com or call 505-286-9410 for FREE funeral information. Proudly serving New Mexico since 2004.

NEED A TABLE or two for the ranch? Rough Rider Antiques in Las Vegas has several kitchensize tables with a colorful past. Other beauties are large enough for Sunday dinner at grandma’s, some with chairs. Bring the truck and we’ll help you load. Open 7 days. Across from the Castañeda Hotel. 501 Railroad and Lincoln. 505-454-8063.

Business

feet long, adjustable to load up to a cattle pot, excellent condition, $2,675. Small branding calf chute, up to 250 lb. calf, lay down table, brands left or right side, excellent condition, $675.

Leave message for Archie Velarde, Velarde, NM, 505-852-2581.

AUSTRALIAN CATTLE DOGS, bred to be

88-PIECE SIDING, 12-6 approximately

BUYING OLD STUFF: Gas Pumps and parts 1960’s or earlier, advertising signs, neon clocks, old car parts in original boxes, motor oil cans, license plate collections, Route 66 items, old metal road signs, odd and weird stuff. Fair prices paid. Have pickup, will travel. Gas Guy in Embudo, 505-852-2995.

CLASSIFIED AD DEADLINE for the April issue is March 11 • . Do some spring cleaning and sell that "no more needed something" in enchantment!

To Place a Classified Ad 1. Visit www.enchantment.coop/classifieds and complete form. You will be contacted with price and to pay by credit card (5% processing fee).

2. Or, complete form and select category.

3. Write ad on another sheet of paper.

4. Price: $20 up to first 40 words per ad, per category, per month. After 40 words, each word is 50 cents. Add $5 for small graphics such as cattle brands. Phone numbers, emails and websites count as one word.

To Send and Pay Your Classified Ad 1. Mail ad and payment (Payable to NMRECA) NMRECA • 614 Don Gaspar Avenue Santa Fe, NM 87505 Deadline 1. Due the 9th, one month prior.

Ex: Ads due February 9 for the March issue.

Good to Know 1. Only members of New Mexico electric co-ops may place ads.

2. We reserve the right to reject any ad.

PROPANELS FOR ARTIST booth. 7’ tall: (3) 38” wide & (3) 30” wide. Buff color. Like new, always boxed. 1/2 retail. $350. Contact: wlb48@outlook.com WANTED: NEW MEXICO Motorcycle License Plates, 1912-1959. Paying $100-$500 each.

Also buying some New Mexico car plates 19001923. Visit NMplates.com for history and 3,500 photographs of NM plates. Bill Johnston, Box 1, Organ, NM 88052-0001. Telephone 575-382-7804 or email: Bill@NMplates.com

3. Questions: Call 505-982-4671.

4. Advertisements in enchantment are paid solicitations and are not endorsed by the publisher or the electric cooperatives of New Mexico. PRODUCT SATISFACTION AND DELIVERY RESPONSIBILITY LIE SOLELY WITH THE ADVERTISER. Name:________________________ ___________________________ Address:_______________________ ___________________________ City:_________________________ State:_________ ZIP:_____________ Phone:________________________ Cooperative:____________________ Select Category Below

Animals

Great Finds

Business

Real Estate

Equipment

Vehicles

HEADSTONES (i.e. CEMETERY MONUMENTS) IS OUR BUSINESS. Over 1,000 designs. An eternal memory of a loved one. TAOS MOUNTAIN HERITAGE. Call 575-770-2507 or email: taos_mt_heritage@msn.com Website: www.taosmountainheritage.com 2019 WAGON MOUND Art Fest. CALL for artists,

entrepreneurs, adventurers and food vendors.

Memorial Day weekend, May 25th and 26th. No charge to enter the art fest. Hosted by “A Veteran Affair” art center in Wagon Mound. Call 575-6682057 or visit www.awagonmoundveteranaffair.org OLD CAST IRON Bell with yoke, 20” base, 15” high, $600. 1913 brass cash register, good condition, $850. 2016 electric wheel chair, Jazzy-Elite, excellent condition, paid $3,600 asking $900.

Cash and Albuquerque pick up only. Call Paul at 505-269-5175.

WANTED: VW VOLKSWAGEN Bus but will

consider any VW 1967 or older. Any condition, to restore or for parts, including seats, glass, etc. Call 575-544-5999.

Real Estate MOUNTAIN CABINS. 1800+ and 700+ square foot cabins on 25+ acres. At 8,000 feet in the Wildhorse Ranch Subdivision, Pie Town, adjacent to the community property with pond. Excellent well, 5000 gallon storage. $400,000. Contact Dave at: hannemans@cox.net LOG HOME KITS Custom Packages based in

New Mexico. Check us out on Facebook @JLDees. enterprises or call 575-202-0180.

SOCORRO: CHOICE OF 2, 5-6 acre irrigated

organic farms with homes. Located in city limits with direct access to Rio Grande. Mountain views, all water rights, mature fruit trees. New 30 million dollar levy with miles of trails and parks.

Call for pictures or details. $190,000 OBO. Owner, 505-550-3123.

32X64 DOUBLEWIDE (1994 model) for sale to

be moved. 3 bedroom, 2 bath. 1,948 square feet living space. Good shape, fixer upper. No water damage. $20,000 firm! Located in House, New Mexico. For more information call 575-760-5655.

IN TAOS, 2 bedroom home, private well on 1.193 acres. Call 505-238-8675 3 BEDROOM 1 bath house, 1 bedroom 1 bath

trailer house, large building with Post Office, several out-buildings, 4 water wells, recently remodeled on 320 acres for sale. Call or text: 505573-0661, 505-450-8428.

TURN KEY HIGH and Windy Hill. Cabin with a majestic view of valley. Newly painted and decorated. 2,000 square feet, 1.5 acres, 900 square foot den, three decks. 120 miles from El Paso, 6 miles from Cloudcroft. $190,000. 915-777-1195.

J&J AUCTIONEERS ANNUAL Z­4 CONSIGNMENT AUCTION

HISTORIC HOME IN ghost town of White Oaks, NM. Short drive to Carrizozo. 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 2-story. Kitchen remodeled, wrap around porch, beautiful views, well. Email: pat205c@gmail.com CONCHAS, 000 BOAT Dock Drive. Vacant land just over 1/2 acre. Water access at high mark. $40,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com CONCHAS, 0000 BOAT Dock Drive. Vacant land just over 1/2 acre. Water access at high mark. $40,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com CONCHAS, 141 GREEN Place. 3 vacant lots at

1.02 acres. Has new septic system with RV hookups installed February 2018. Community water. $37,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com CONCHAS, 107 CAMP Circle. 2 bedroom, 1 bath mobile home on .68 acres. Community water. $39,500. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www. bigmesarealty.com CONCHAS, TBD 1, 2 and 3 Big Mesa Avenue.

Waterfront accessible lots. TBD 1 is 4.4206 acres, $75,000. TBD 2 is 1.231 acres, $25,000. And TBD 3 is 0.908 acres, $25,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com WEST OF CONCHAS/GARITA, 134 Paisano. 1

bedroom, 1 bath home with 1 bath guesthouse.

Just over 7 acres. $34,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com FENCE LAKE, 295 Pine Hill Road. PRICE REDUCED. 2 bedroom, 3 bath log home on just over 60 acres, well, outbuildings, corrals, hunting opportunities. $295,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com SAN ANTONIO, NM. Zanja Road. PRICE REDUCED. 4.66 acres irrigated farmland in Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District. Has produced alfalfa and grass hay crops. Utilities nearby. $69,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com

Saturday, March 2nd @ 8:30 am Espanola, NM F eaturing construction & rental equipment, trucks, trailers & farm equipment.

Online Auction For The Village Of Cimarron

Thursday, March 7th 1 2:00pm(NOON) - Cimarron, NM

Canyon Colorado Ranch Auction Spring 201 9 - Wagon Mound NM www. jandjauction.com 575-485-2508

THE TRUSTED CHOICE SINCE 1976!

We stock the area’s largest supply of all things pertaining to water!

• Solar well systems • Plumbing fittings • Water storage tanks • Pressure tanks

• Full septic systems • Poly pipe • PVC pipe • Fencing supplies

We are proud to serve our local community and provide cost-effective solutions for any water or well project.

On behalf of everyone at Williams Windmill, we want to thank all our customers for their patronage and look forward to serving the Southwest for many more years to come!

Exit 156 • Frontage Rd • Lemitar NM (575) 835-1630 williamswindmill.com

enchantment.coop • March 2019

21

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR: WATER WELL • WINDMILL SOLAR • ELECTRICAL 575.895.3306 10849 HWY 152, HILLSBORO, NM 88042

Installations • Repairs and Supplies

GRADY, 300 MARSHALL. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, two-story home, corrals and outbuildings, Village water. $59,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000.

Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com TULAROSA, 509 RIATA Road. 4 bedroom, 2

bath log home on 70+/- acres with office room and detached garage. 13 acres have pistachio orchard, barn. $640,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com MORA/EL CARMEN, TBD County Road A012.

10.5 fenced acres, electricity, beautiful mountain views. $59,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000.

Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com PORTALES, 1715 WEST 17th Lane. 2 bedroom,

1 bath home with small studio in back. Recent paint and carpet. $79,500. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com WEST OF PORTALES, 41392 US 70. SALE PENDING. 3 bedroom, 2 bath home, 1.5 stories on just over 3 acres. Outbuildings, small corral. $175,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker, NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com

Spring Into Action Order an enchantment gift subscription for a family member or friend.

1 Year: $12 • 2 Years: $18 Mail a check or money order payable to NMRECA along with the name and mailing address of the person you would like to send a gift subscription.

Special Spring Ad Rate Advertise your business, service or products in the enchantment which is circulated directly to over 89,000 homes and businesses statewide!

Special rate and size $200 for a 4.83’’(w) x 2.50’’(h) color ad. (no other discounts apply)

garage. $35,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000.

Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com CLOVIS, 209 PLAZA. 3 bedroom, 1 bath, refurbished with new appliances. $136,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com

Call 210-649-0939.

For details, contact Shaylyn 505-252-2540 enchantmentads@nmelectric.coop

March 2019 • enchantment.coop

CLOVIS, 915 ASH. 2 bedroom, 1 bath, detached

1.5 ACRES IN Taos/Los Cordovas. $25,000 FIRM.

Mail to: enchantment 614 Don Gaspar Avenue Santa Fe, NM 87505

22

ELEPHANT BUTTE, 208 Pinto Trail. 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on permanent foundation with large front porch, shop, carport, pine trees, just over 1 acre. $198,000. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000.

Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com

We Accept Credit Card Payments Pay your classified ad or display ad by credit card.

Call 505-982-4671.

INVESTOR’S DREAM. LARGE 4 bedroom on 1.9 acres, shop, garage and 2 apartments! Call 505-238-8675, leave message. Won’t last!

WANTED! YOUR FARMS and ranches. Let us list and sell your rural property today. Broker has over 40 years of experience working in production agriculture in New Mexico and is currently a farm owner and operator since 1988. Big Mesa Realty, 575-456-2000. Paul Stout, Broker NMREL 17843, 575-760-5461. www.bigmesarealty.com WAGON MOUND, 613-615 Stonewood, on 3

lots. 1 bedroom, 1 bath on permanent foundation with nice view of the village from deck. $21,000 cash or partial trade for vintage 4-wheel vehicle in running condition. Call Lou, 505-715-8924.

CLOUDCROFT ART WORKSHOPS! Plan now, attend this summer! Enjoy our cool, alpine climate and the encouraging camaraderie of working among other artists while refining your artistic skills under the nurturing instruction of some of the nation’s premiere artists! Visit www.cloudcroftart.com THANK YOU FOR advertising in enchantment.

HOME FOR SALE in Las Cruces on 1.25 acres, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2-car garage, detached workshop, finished basement, ref air, central heat, sunroom, gazebo, city water, swimming pool, EBID irrigation, $319,000. And/or 21 acre Pecan Farm for sale, Las Cruces, 2 wells, Elephant Butte irrigation water rights, owner financing available on the land, $589,000. Call Sam at 575-647-0320.

Vehicles 1981 CADILLAC DEVILLE (Classic) 2-door,

low mileage, nice paint job (gold & brown). Body Type CP, 8 cylinder, original hubcaps. $6,000 or best offer. Call 505-901-0779 or 505-852-2740.

Ask for Eric.

2001 JEEP CHEROKEE, 171,000 miles. In

great running condition. Very clean. Has had regular maintenance. Good clearance chassis for off road use. A/C not working. Text for pictures.

575-200-5064.

How to Contact enchantment Phone 505-982-4671 Email enchantment@nmelectric.coop Follow Us on Facebook facebook.com/enchantmentnmreca

backyard trails I by craig springer

Of Eagles and Trout

youth art Chloe Aaron • Age 11 Ramah

Amerika Rougemont • Age 10 Grants

Annalise Carrasco • Age 8 Belen

Sahara San Juro-Trujillo • Age 5 Albuquerque

Kezia Unger • Age 9 Seminole, TX

Abigaile Vinson • Age 6 Ruidoso

F

loating the San Juan River below Navajo Dam is a reminder that the planet is held together by stone.

Layers of sandstone the color of wheat show the fullness of time, stacked up along the river, rising precipitously toward a cloudless cobalt blue sky. I counted as many as 12 distinct rock layers on these riverside mesas.

I also counted three bald eagles over the course of a fourhour float from near the dam toward Soaring Eagle Lodge which is appropriately named, it seems. The eagles and I have something in common—a desire to catch trout.

While the eagles rely on keen eyesight, I rely on flies that mimic natural insects and worms that pass before the discerning eyes of wary trout. The flies prescribed by guide Cooper O’Connor are impressively small, so tiny you could loose one under your fingernail.

The San Juan River is renowned trout water that draws folks far and wide, and it is right here in our back yard. I’ve fished it in the warmest time of the year and hoped to prove to myself that wintertime is a good time to fish.

O’Connor’s fly recipe works. We caught more fish than we could count. We landed rainbow trout and brown trout. Some fish were small—others were not.

The rainbow trout shimmered silver like freshly minted fiftycent pieces, shining back sunshine so bright they were almost painful to look at. A few of the bigger fish sported a rosy-red stripe on their sides that looked like trailing smudges of acrylic paint on canvas laid down by an artist’s thumb. Those big fish, some 18-inches long, were profusely flecked with black spots akin to pepper flakes.

The brown trout were few in number, but bigger in size and we came to know we had one on the line by the tussle transmuted through the rod to our forearm. They are pugnacious and pretty to look at, too, dressed in shades from olive to warm honey with punctuating scarlet spots on their flanks.

In late winter and early spring, the San Juan River near Navajo Dam might be warmer than the air. You might have to clear ice off a fishing rod, but the the action will not disappoint. While winter hangs on through March, you should consider a visit. Learn more at soaringeaglelodge.net

Bouquet of Flowers

Deadline

Thanks for the bright and colorful bouquet of flowers. Nicely done!

Submit your drawing by the 9th, one month prior to publication.

April's Topic: Umbrella and Rain Showers

Hooray! You Get Paid!

Draw a decorative and colorful umbrella and include rain showers.

May's Topic: Graduation Graduation is near. Draw someone or yourself wearing a cap and gown. Or, how about a pup or kitty wearing a graduation cap.

Each published artist receives $15.

Have a Youth Art Topic?

Mail or email your suggestion to us at enchantment@nmelectric.coop or with your current entry. Or, call us at 505-982-4671.

Include on the back of your drawing: Send Your Drawing by Mail or Email Mail: Youth Editor 614 Don Gaspar Avenue Santa Fe, NM 87505 Email: enchantment@nmelectric.coop

Name:________________________ Address:_______________________ ___________________________ City:_________________________ State:_______ ZIP:_______________ Phone:__________________ Age:___ Cooperative:____________________ Accept artwork up to age 13.

enchantment.coop • March 2019

23

Employee News

Mona Aguirre, customer service and billing representative, joins the front office team consisting of Lena Mena, customer service and billing representative, and Jenny Stuckmeyer, member services supervisor. Mona previously worked at Sierra Electric and we are happy to have her electric cooperative knowledge and skills benefiting our office and members again!

Mike Gomez, apprentice lineman, is working with our line crew to learn all the skills that it takes to keep our power on 24/7.

We would also like to congratulate Luz Gonzales on her transfer to the bookkeeper position.

Luz has over 17 years of cooperative experience with Sierra Electric!

We have a great team of employees at Sierra Electric and always welcome our members to come by the office and say hello!

Sierra Electric Cooperative Board Appoints Committee on Nominations In accordance with the By-Laws, and to provide candidates for consideration for the position of Board Trustee at SEC’s Annual Meeting, the Board of Trustees appointed certain individuals to serve on the Committee on Nominations as follows: Committee on Nominations Phone Beth Hayes 575-740-7231 or 744-5131 Debby Bell (District 2) 575-740-0641 Johnny Weisenhunt (District 3) 575-743-1629 The 2019 Annual Meeting of the Members will be held on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at the Hot Springs High School Gymnasium located on New School Road off Date Street.

At this meeting, elections will be held for three positions on the Board of Trustees for Sierra Electric Cooperative, Inc. Registration for this meeting begins at 11:00 a.m.

The following are the incumbents that are up for re-election: District 2: John Bokich District 2: Lee Wood District 3: Darryl Sullivan If you are interested in serving on the Board of Trustees and would like your name placed in consideration for nomination, please contact a member on the Committee on Nominations no later than Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

Please refer to Sierra Electric Cooperative, Inc. By-Laws, Section 4.06: Nominations regarding the procedures for nominations.

The Board of Trustees has also appointed the Credentials & Election Committee to oversee the election process that will be conducted at the Annual Meeting: Credentials & Election Committee Sharon Frye (District 2) Chris Auge (District 2) Dolores Ortega (District 3)

College Scholarships Available Sierra Electric Cooperative Education Foundation college scholarship applications are available at the Sierra Electric office or on our website, www.sierraelectric.org.

Applications are due delivered to the Sierra Electric office by 5:00 p.m. on April 12, 2019. Eligibility requirements are listed on the back page of the application.

Since 1991, the Foundation has awarded $110,400 in scholarships!

Don’t forget to “Spring Forward” on March 10 as it is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.

Board of Trustees John Bokich Thomas Stroup Charles McMath George Biel Dennis Franklin Tami Garrett Judy Smith Darryl Sullivan Oscar Lee Wood

President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee

Elephant Butte Elephant Butte Elephant Butte Monticello Williamsburg Las Palomas Caballo Monticello Elephant Butte

District 2 District 2 District 2 District 3 District 1 District 3 District 1 District 3 District 2

Board Meeting

A

SIERR

RIC CT LE

COOP

ER

, INC. IVE AT

E

The board of trustees meets the third Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. in the cooperative boardroom.