It Isn’t All Green Chili and Cacti

I love New Mexico. If I had any money or marketable skills I’d even consider trading in my fifty-dollar-a-year “squatter’s” tax and apple orchard for a fixed-rate mortgage and green-chili plantation. However, in order to be fair to those who are planning on visiting us in the next few months (we are currently booked March 1-6, 12-16, 23-26; and April 1-5) I’m listing a few things that are not ideal about life in the Land of Enchantment.

Albuquerque drivers -I have taken taxis in Jerusalem, fought Chicago rush hour, commuted to work in Philly and driven through Europe for 18 days with a missionary who did not remember or care which side of the rode he needed to be on and still I think the worst drivers I’ve ever seen are New Mexicans. New Mexicans are wonderful people unless you are trying to merge or, God forbid, drive the speed limit in the right hand lane. This weekend we hit a patch of snow coming back from Colorado (eight inches, all melted by noon the next day -God bless the South West) and everyone drove like they had an open canister of plutonium in the back seat. Pick-up trucks with their blinkers on going 7 mph, spanning two-lanes of highway in an inch and a half of fallen snow. The last time I passed that many people in one trip I got pulled over for interrupting a funeral procession.

The water -You ever see those “Save the Children” commercials where kids are drinking water from stagnant pools beside bathing cattle. I think of those children every time I’m forced to drink from the tap. As much as I hate the waste, we’ve been stuck buying bottled water.

Bible Study -I like our new Albuquerque church friends, but I miss having some kind of Bible Study. This past weekend in a Sunday School class in Colorado I found myself listening to other people talk, just because I missed hearing an interesting opinion. We are hoping to get a study going with a couple families in the area next month.

That is about the only downside of NM. And now, on a positive note, my updated Green Chili Count:

Bagel, Beer, Breakfast Burrito, Burrito, Calzone, Cheeseburger, Chili-dog, Curry, Enchilada, Fajita, Hamburger, Jelly, Jerky, Hotdog, Muffin, Nachos, Pizza, Salsa, Samosa, Sushi, Stew, Tacos (corn and flour). We’ve also eaten our way through three different jars.