Snow on the Organ Mountains January 26, 2021

Time has gotten away from us, so there has been quite a gap in posting. The holidays in Las Cruces, even during COVID times, are full and busy and wonderful.

But now we are in full winter. Here, that doesn't mean the bleak misery of many other climates, or the soggy drab days of the Gulf Coast. It means crisp days and a snowfall now and then, followed by sun and gorgeous skies.

The mountains are the backdrop for Las Cruces, of course. We all look at them and love them every single day. And when they are frosted with snow, they are even more stunning than usual. 

These photos were taken at Dripping Springs Recreational Area, 7.5 miles from downtown. Very popular, very lovely area with a lot of history.

Fun Despite COVID

Well, the governor has locked down the state again, which is very sad, I feel. But there is still some spirit and levity to be found.

This is a funny little billboard on Highway 28, which runs through the gorgeous Stahmann Farms pecan groves I've shown and mentioned before. I love the little pecan mascot!

Come visit or retire to Las Cruces and get in on the fun!

Gorgeous Fall Color in Las Cruces

The wonderful changing of the leaves continues, with this flame-leaf example on the NMSU campus.

Retire in Las Cruces for a true four-season climate! Yes, the summers are blazing hot and long, but we also have the other three seasons well-represented. It's a mild climate, overall. The low humidity and the plentiful sunshine helps many people's arthritis, and it certainly helps keep "SAD," Seasonal Affective Disorder, at bay, speaking from personal experience.

Join the other retirees in Las Cruces and experience four wonderful seasons!

We have several large and beautiful Catholic Churches in town, and a Basilica, as well, in the old village of Mesilla nestled against Las Cruces (The Basilica of San Albino on the square in Mesilla). I think the prettiest, after San Albino, is the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

At night, the windows are especially lovely, glowing out into the night. 

No matter your religion or lack of it, you will feel at home in Las Cruces!

Beautiful Salopek Farms in the Mesilla Valley

The two major pecan growers in the west are Stahmann Farms and Salopek Farms, two fine old families of great important to our economy and our community. It's always wonderful to drive through their groves, but especially so during autumn.

These photos are from Salopek Drive. It's a calm, windy road that spans between Highway 28 and Highway 85. In town, Highway 28 is known as Avenida de Mesilla and is the main road of Old Mesilla. Highway 85 is Main Street.

There's always a beautiful drive nearby when you retire to Las Cruces!

"Desert Rose"

In New Mexico, the color "Desert Rose" is a strong, vivid pink-orange. Many homes and businesses sport this color, and it's quite beloved, especially when paired with a bright turquoise.

The trees of NMSU have decided to get in on celebrating this hue! Here and there on campus, the ash trees have turned a neon version of Desert Rose. It's beautiful, especially to desert dwellers. Out here, we don't have much in the way of trees, except in yards, parks, and the campus. There are no "woods" such as in some regions. So, we treasure our rare trees!

Las Cruces Memories

Las Cruces has quite a bit of unusual architecture to enjoy. Here is a snapshot of what used to be a very popular dancehall connected to an early drive-through liquor store, Lamar's. 

The round structure is falling to ruin, unfortunately. Behind it, just literally perhaps an inch separating them, is the venerable hardware store, Hayden's, in business since 1960. Hayden's was established by Hayden and Elnora Wiley. Over the years, the family business was expanded and continues to grow with Las Cruces and the surrounding neighborhoods. It's a small store where you can find almost any piece of hardware you could ever need, no matter how obscure.

That's handy to know, if you are considering retiring to Las Cruces! And I hope you will!

Guardian of the East Mesa

In the very beautiful, very new residential/commercial area centered around Sonoma Springs Road and Northrise Boulevard, the medians and sidewalk areas are very beautifully landscaped. A light version of xeriscaping is used, with many plantings of Palo Verdes trees, mesquites, Texas Mountain Laurels, lantana, and other desert-y plants.

One of the developers near Sonoma Springs Elementary School placed a beautiful bronze mountain lion statue at the beginning of their particular stretch of homes. I love traditional public art, and the lion looks quite at home with the Organ Mountains to his back. 

We have actual mountain lions here, as well as many other desert denizens, such as roadrunners, gray foxes, coyotes, cottontails and jackrabbits, and the occassional coatimundi passing through. We also have elk, deer, and amazingly,  the African Oryx, settled here decades ago on the White Sands Missle Range by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and now residing up in the Organs in sizable numbers.

Trees Getting Ready for Thanksgiving in Las Cruces

The NMSU campus is an especially good place to find trees that are changing color in autumn. This photo was taken on the main campus in Las Cruces. Once COVID is in the past, the campus will again be a wonderful resource for retirees. Retire to Las Cruces and enjoy all the learning opportunities and beauty it has to offer!

Las Cruces Begins Holiday Decorating for Christmas 2020!

Yes, it's true: Perhaps it's due to COVID-19, but Las Cruces has caught something else, too: Holiday Fever. 

It seems everyone is starting early for the winter holidays.

One of the favorite light sets to use is the lighted Christmas Chiles strings! We love our chiles here (not chilies or chilis -- we spell it C-H-I-L-E-S!) and it shows.

It's also time for new ristras. I have one on order through Ristramnn's in Old Mesilla, right next to Las Cruces. For the long, long ristras, early in the season you have to order them, as they are bought within minutes otherwise. Later in the season, you might be able to get a long one without pre-ordering. 

The smell of the red chiles drying in the ristras is heavenly! You may not know it, but the green chiles will ripen to red. That's the chiles you see in the ristras. Some smaller chiles called serranos are also used in ristras.

Thank you for dropping by, and see you Wednesday!

 

 

All Four Seasons in Las Cruces: Autumn Leaves Now Changing

 Las Cruces, despite being in the desert, is not just a 2-season place, "Hot" and "Not Quite As Hot," as some may think. No, it has all four seasons, which is delightful.

All the markers of each season arrive each year. Our leaves turn beautiful colors during autumn, especially on the NMSU campus, in Mesilla Park neighborhood, and in most neighborhoods with established trees, such as Telshor.

This tree is in our back yard, and is a wonderful Mountain Ash, with golden leaves and vivid red berries during fall. 

Come experience a temperate, wonderful climate in Las Cruces! It's a wonderful place to retire, with reminders of "home," and great new experiences as your NEW home!

Our Amazing Cold Snap in Enchanted Las Cruces

So much more snow fell after the first night of our cold snap. My little courtyard burro, bought from a roadside vendor up from Juarez, Mexico, stood patiently in the cold, decorated for Halloween, which is tomorrow.

We are still under the governor's lockdown here in New Mexico, so I doubt there will be any trick-or-treaters. We are prepared, just in case! Our neighborhood, Telshor, can get quite a few trick-or-treaters. 

Early Snowfall in Las Cruces

We had a very surprisingly early snowfall today, and it is still snowing almost 24 hours later! In fact, it's a record for earliest snowfall since recordkeeping began. 

The desert looks lovely in snow, and so do our yards. Unlike many areas of the country, our snow usually is gone quickly and dry conditions reign again, making travel and errand-running easy. And snow shoveling is not something we do here.

Consider retiring to enchanted Las Cruces if you love temperate weather with a few surprises thrown in to spice it up!

Autumn Beauty Continues: City Hall

Strangely, this year autumn is seeing a flush of growth far beyond the usual amount. We also have snow flurries predicted for today and tomorrow! Most unusual.

This prickly pear in against a walkway wall at City Hall, on Main Street just north of the Farmers Market area. I think you'll agree it has beautiful, delicate colors. When nature combines them, the hues harmonize perfectly.

Thank you for dropping by.

Cholla Cactus of All Sorts

We have many cholla cactuses growing out here, some in the wild landscape, some in medians, and some in the home yards. One of the most popular chollas to grow is the "Teddy Bear Cholla," which is a very deceiving name. While the stickers give the look of thick fur, the painful reality is that it is studded with thousands of these spines.

The Jumping Cholla doesn't jump, of course, but you might think the segments of the cactus actually do, because it's so easy to get stuck by them. They seems to be everywhere, even where you looked just a moment earlier.

Our photo shows the beautiful red fruits of a totally wild cholla growing near the Dripping Springs area, the Christmas Cholla. These are tiny fruits; less than the size of a grape. 

Be careful when picking up cholla fruits: They have many invisible spines. You won't see them, but you will feel them.

Come enjoy the wild landscape of Las Cruces, New Mexico.

First Glimmers of True Autumn

We had a cool snap about three weeks ago, but now true fall is arriving. It's a relief not to have scorching hot days. Many love the warmth here, but by October, I think even the most ardent summer fans are ready for a change.

Around town, leaves are changing and berries are ripening. These Mountain Ash berries are on the grounds of the Immaculate Heart of Mary cathedral. Beautiful! So much nature to enjoy in Las Cruces. Make southern New Mexico your retirement home!

Hidden Gem of A Neighborhood: The Area Around the New Hospital

There are now three hospitals in Las Cruces: Memorial Medical Center, which is the oldest one by far; Mountain View, and now Three Crosses.

Memorial Medical Center is at the corner of the Telshor neighborhood and University Avenue. Mountain View is newer, located up Lohman on the way to the Sonoma Ranch neighborhood.

Three Crosses is brand new. Its opening was delayed due to COVID, but they had their grand opening a week ago in October 2020. Its location is on an old, defunct golf course that is the bottom of the hilly Triviz/Arlington area -- our hidden gem of a neighborhood.

With the opening of Three Crosses Hospital, I would hazard a guess that property values will rise sharply in the area. Some of the houses are nice enough for medical professionals to consider, with most being solidly middle-class homes. They have a nice view of the valley. The neighborhood is near the much older Madrid area, which is not as desirable a place to live, in my opinion. The neighborhood features mature landscaping, wide streets, and good construction. 

If you're considering moving to Las Cruces, take a look at this neighborhood! 

Our blog will be on a Monday - Wednesday - Friday schedule for a bit, due to the busy autumn season. Always so much to do in Enchanted Las Cruces!

It's Ristra Time!

 Finally, after the scorching hot summer and the roasting of the green chiles, ristras are for sale!

Ristras are strings of ripe chiles. They are made when the chile changes color. The chiles dry as they hang.

But ristras are not just for decoration! They are used in most Las Cruces homes, pulled off as needed to season beans, salsa, pizza, or what have you. Anything, everything could use a nice bit of red chile! 

The most common chile used in a ristra is the green chile, a large "pepper" that ranges from mild to hot in taste. Smaller serranos and other petite chiles are also grown and strung into ristras.

One good-sized ristra will perfume your entire kitchen and den or even patio or porch! It's delightful. With our weather and low humidity, they dry well. Dry outside first, then bring them in. Or leave them outside!

The best price in town is at a shop in Old Mesilla, called Ristramnn. I think everyone pronouces it "Ristra Man" although that isn't plain from the spelling. They have excellent prices. Make sure you get one of THIS year's ristras, though, and not a crispy old one from last year. They have ristras hanging from years ago, so have your eyes open and ask for a "new" one if you aren't sure.

Splurge and get one of the longest ones, if you can! Get several, so that you can have them inside and out!

Come retire to Las Cruces and get in on the fun. Would you hang up a ristra at your new home here?

Heart of the Neighborhood in Mesquite: Our Lady of Health

Catholicism plays a big role in the lives on many in New Mexico and in Las Cruces. There is a vibrant and large Catholic community here, and during non-COVID times, there are many fairs and weekly bingo for those of all faiths or no faith.

In the Mesquite Historic District stands Our Lady of Health, a lovely church building that often features fluttering bright flags and balloons to enliven all who view it. The parish it serves is relatively poor, but rich in spirit. It offers Mass in both Spanish and English.

No matter your faith, you will find a church home in Las Cruces. From Baptists to Buddhists, we have it all, and they are very welcoming to those who relocate here. With a large state university, there are also many esoteric faith offerings you'd usually only find in a much larger city. Truly, something for everyone, religious or not.

Come retire to Enchanted Las Cruces and see for yourself!

Beautiful Profusion of Blooms in Autumn in Enchanted Las Cruces

 While other locales are seeing blooms wither and fade, Las Cruces sees an explosion of beautiful blossoms. The plants seem to catch their breath after the scorching summer, and celebrate by putting on an autumn show.

Other areas may have the beauty of leaves turning colors -- and we do too, by the way, as will be shown in an upcoming post -- but we have the flowers of fall.

Here, clamboring over a wall on a deserted adobe home, is Coral Vine. The beauty of this vine when seen in person is just indescribable. It has such grace of habit, and the vivid pink color is striking.

Also making a good show is Texas Yellow Bells, a plant native to the U.S. It has an airy, upright growth pattern and holds its bright yellow bells out into the sun. 

Texas Yellow Bells have a cousin, Orange Bells, just as lovely and with a rich, golden yellow/mahogany shade.

If you love gardening, you will enjoy retiring to Las Cruces, where it's easy to grow so many beautiful and rare plants that bloom almost year around!