Horse Mountain Roundup

By Ann Boulden

   It is that time of year again when lovely Christmas decorations appear on many homes and businesses. The Walraven ranch is no exception! They always decorate their place so beautifully. Their ranch sits alongside Highway 12, just south of Datil, and their house is lit up with gorgeous red Christmas lights. There are red bows on their yard fence, and have your noticed their tall, tall Christmas tree? Of course, in other seasons it is known as a windmill! It is much prettier right now than at other times, though.

   Datil itself is also brightly lit with a lovely house, just to the west of the junction, sporting Christmas lights while the Presbyterian Church, just to the south of the junction, is brightly lit with their own display of lights.

   The junction itself at Highways 60 and 12 also has a really nice display. Thank you, Socorro Electric! It is so nice to see our little village sporting a display just like the big cities do!

   The Christmas parties are in full swing now. The Datil Extension Club women met at the Eagle Guest on Dec. 10 to have lunch, exchange gifts, sing carols, and enjoy great fellowship. There was a lot of food and lots of presents. Officers were elected for the coming year during the meeting. Beverly Laude is the newly elected President; Anne Sullivan remains the Treasurer, and Lynette, from Mojave Academy, was appointed Secretary.

     We had our first snow of the season on Dec. 9. There wasn't enough snow to cause any traffic problems to those who had to get out on the road but, hopefully, it is a precursor to more moisture for this winter, as we sure need it to alleviate the drought situation.

   Oops! I forgot to mention the time when I invited women to the craft and Bible study night at the Datil Baptist Church. It was at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10, and the ladies enjoyed a devotional, snacks, and an evening of crafting. Ruth Ann Harriot demonstrated how to make some lovely angel ornaments for the Christmas tree from ribbons and small golden Christmas balls, following which the women spent some time cutting and gluing to take home one or two pretty ornaments. The next meeting was set for Wednesday, January 14th. Plans are to paint glass and all women of the community are invited! And, it will be at 6 p.m., unless it is bad weather.

   This is my last chance to remind you that the Datil School will host its annual Christmas dinner and a play on Wednesday, Dec. 17. They plan to serve a combination turkey and roast beef dinner this year with all the usual trimmings. Dinner will be served from 5-6:30 p.m. The tickets for adults will be $4 and $2 for children. Following the meal, at 7 p.m., there will be a Christmas play (at no charge) titled "This is Your Life, Santa Claus!" Come early and enjoy, not only a delicious dinner, but also entertainment afterwards.

   Hooray, hooray! Our flashing light at the junction of Highways 60 and 12 is finally fixed after being out for about a year. There were so many "fingers in the pie" to get that thing fixed - the State Highway Dept., Socorro Electric, Catron County Commissioners, and many local people who kept talking to them to get it fixed, that it would be impossible to list everyone involved. However, our thanks go to each and every person, or government entity, involved in repairing and installing a meter, and just plain getting it working again. It has been difficult to find the turn at night for those with poor vision and we are so glad to have it flashing once more. It helps in giving directions to people who don't know our area, and it also helps to just let strangers know that Datil is there as they pass through!

   Did you know we have a King, a Queen, a Dragon, two Bears, and a Giraffe in our heavens this month? No partridge in a pear tree, though!

   There are six constellations performing their seasonal parade around the North Celestial Pole during December. They are Cassiopeia, The Queen; Cepheus, The King; Draco, the Dragon; Ursa Minor, the Little Bear (also known as the Little Dipper); Ursa Major, the Big Bear (also known as the Big Dipper); and Camelopardalis, the Giraffe. Polaris (also known as the North Star) is the star located at the end of the "handle" of the Little Dipper and it shines its bright stellar light almost directly over Santa's busy workshop!

   (From the Horse Mountain Fire Dept...)

   The annual meeting on Tuesday evening, Dec. 9, was very interesting. There were actually two programs presented that evening.

   During the first program, Nick Smokovich, State Forestry, presented a program on seedlings that are available for purchase through the State Forestry Division.

   He gave pertinent information on how to plant these seedlings, on where to plant them, and the care of the plants.

   During the second part of the evening, Robert Miller, Forestry Service Law Enforcement officer from Truth or Consequences, talked on fire investigation for the State of New Mexico. He was a very personable speaker and gave fire department members quite a bit of information on how the source of a fire was determined and how the evidence from that site was preserved.

   In other news, several members had attended fire training schools in Urban Interface Wildland Fire Suppression during November in Pie Town, Datil, and Quemado Lake.

   These schools have helped prepare them to be even better fire fighters.

   The EMS grant money has come in and all equipment needed has now been purchased to bring everyone and everything up to State standards, including the registered Medical Rescue Vehicle used for transport in case of emergency.

   LAUGH FOR THE DAY*

   Don't get your child play dough for Christmas! The person who invented it probably did not have carpet!