Socorro, NM
December 21-28, 2017
After two uneventful flights, we arrived at the Albuquerque airport at 10:17 pm local time, 12:17 Friday morning Michigan time. My brother-in-law picked us up at the airport and took us to his parents' condo, about a 15 minute drive north of the airport. By the time we chatted a bit and then settled down to bed it was nearly midnight local time. Before that, since we'd be eating breakfast and maybe lunch at the condo, we surveyed what my mother-in-law left for us. While my husband and brother-in-law can eat almost everything, I have quite a few dietary restrictions. Turns out the only thing I could eat for breakfast at the condo was a box of Rice Chex (my preferred cereal). My brother-in-law offered to go out in the morning and get some soy milk so I could at least have milk with my cereal. Turns out the local Walmart had an acceptable brand of soy milk. So, my brother-in-law didn't have to go out of his way too much in order for me to have a good breakfast. What is an acceptable brand of soy milk? Many brands actually have dairy in them and even in minuscule amounts will make me sick. If something says "dairy-free", it's best to check for an official certified vegan symbol or the kosher symbol, without a "D", because usually "dairy-free" means that there is dairy in the product.
Now, what's for lunch? The only thing I could nominally eat was a banana and some peanut butter, but the peanut butter had a list of so many ingredients that I couldn't pronounce or recognize, I didn't want to take any chances. (Besides, what was I going to eat it with? There was no bread that I could eat.) Why so many unpronounceable ingredients in such a simple food as peanut butter? I normally buy Jif Naturals. That only has 5 ingredients and I can recognize every one: peanuts, sugar, palm oil, salt and molasses. And, honestly, peanut butter really only needs 1 ingredient: peanuts. Sometimes I think part of people's health problems in this country is that they eat all of these unnecessary things that the food companies put in the food and that people don't pay attention to. Need peanut butter? Grab it off the shelf at the supermarket, but don't bother reading what's in it and what subsequently goes into your or your kids' bodies. I think if more people would read labels, they might be appalled at what they've been eating all these years. But, I digress...
My brother-in-law planned on showing us around where he worked on Friday. But, I was not interested in scientific things (the lab, radio telescopes) and did not want to travel 2 hours one way to see them. My brother-in-law figured the scenery would be something that I would enjoy, but as I told him, not if it involves driving that far and being out all day. Which is exactly what happened. He and my husband left at around 9:30 am and were supposed to be back around 3 pm, so we could drive down to Socorro, go shopping for the week, and then have dinner with my in-laws. They didn't get back until nearly 6 pm. Luckily my husband and brother-in-law went to Subway that morning to get me a sandwich for lunch and stopped at Whole Foods to get more soy milk for the week. Thankfully, my husband bought me a foot-long sandwich so I had enough for lunch and dinner.
What did I do the entire time they were gone? Napped. Watched TV. Read a bit. Played a game on my iPod. All around relaxed! I don't get to do that very often when I'm home, except when I'm sick and then I don't feel like doing anything except sleep.
By the time we got to Socorro, it was too late so we couldn't go shopping and since my mother-in-law wasn't feeling well, she didn't cook. The guys stopped at a local Subway to get sandwiches for themselves and for their father. We all then ate at my in-laws' house in Socorro.
That night at the casita (my in-laws' guest house) was the first good night's sleep I got in quite a few days. The previous night I slept, maybe, 4 1/2 hours. My brother-in-law slept in the main house, so my husband and I had the casita all to ourselves for the week.
Saturday my in-laws had a doctor's appointment in Albuquerque in the morning, so we didn't get to see them until the afternoon. Late morning my husband, brother-in-law, and I went on a few errands, including the grocery store to pick up food for our lunches for the week and food for dinners. Since my husband's mother needed to rest, we decided we'd do what we normally do when it's just the two of us on vacation: my husband cooks and I wash dishes. Although since my in-laws have a dishwasher, my duties involved clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, and cleaning small pots and pans. My husband cleaned the larger pots and pans.What was on the menu Saturday? Pork chops with fennel seeds and shallots, potatoes, carrots and yellow squash.
Friday evening I discussed with my mother-in-law the possibility of having my husband, his brother, and his father go out somewhere together for the whole afternoon Saturday. That way (a) she could get some much needed rest without having to worry about my father-in-law, who has Alzheimer's, (b) the guys would get to spend some quality time with their father and (c) their father can get in his Saturday hike. He insists on going on multi-hour walks three times per week, in addition to his multiple-time-a-week bike rides, despite his doctor telling him it's not good for him. The three of them decided they wanted to hike in San Lorenzo Canyon and had an enjoyable outing while his mother and I both rested, I at the casita reading a book and my mother-in-law reading and napping at the main house.
On Sunday my husband and I went to Mass at San Miguel. His parents went to the Episcopal church in town as they do every Sunday. After my in-laws came home from church, we went over to visit a bit before lunch. My brother-in-law had gone out to get parts to fix the kitchen sink. At lunchtime my husband and I went back to the casita to eat while his parents ate at the main house. After lunch, my husband went back over to the main house to look after his dad while his mom napped. I decided to explore the grounds.
Our ride for the week in the foreground. The main house and Socorro Peak (aka M mountain) in the background:
After two uneventful flights, we arrived at the Albuquerque airport at 10:17 pm local time, 12:17 Friday morning Michigan time. My brother-in-law picked us up at the airport and took us to his parents' condo, about a 15 minute drive north of the airport. By the time we chatted a bit and then settled down to bed it was nearly midnight local time. Before that, since we'd be eating breakfast and maybe lunch at the condo, we surveyed what my mother-in-law left for us. While my husband and brother-in-law can eat almost everything, I have quite a few dietary restrictions. Turns out the only thing I could eat for breakfast at the condo was a box of Rice Chex (my preferred cereal). My brother-in-law offered to go out in the morning and get some soy milk so I could at least have milk with my cereal. Turns out the local Walmart had an acceptable brand of soy milk. So, my brother-in-law didn't have to go out of his way too much in order for me to have a good breakfast. What is an acceptable brand of soy milk? Many brands actually have dairy in them and even in minuscule amounts will make me sick. If something says "dairy-free", it's best to check for an official certified vegan symbol or the kosher symbol, without a "D", because usually "dairy-free" means that there is dairy in the product.
Now, what's for lunch? The only thing I could nominally eat was a banana and some peanut butter, but the peanut butter had a list of so many ingredients that I couldn't pronounce or recognize, I didn't want to take any chances. (Besides, what was I going to eat it with? There was no bread that I could eat.) Why so many unpronounceable ingredients in such a simple food as peanut butter? I normally buy Jif Naturals. That only has 5 ingredients and I can recognize every one: peanuts, sugar, palm oil, salt and molasses. And, honestly, peanut butter really only needs 1 ingredient: peanuts. Sometimes I think part of people's health problems in this country is that they eat all of these unnecessary things that the food companies put in the food and that people don't pay attention to. Need peanut butter? Grab it off the shelf at the supermarket, but don't bother reading what's in it and what subsequently goes into your or your kids' bodies. I think if more people would read labels, they might be appalled at what they've been eating all these years. But, I digress...
My brother-in-law planned on showing us around where he worked on Friday. But, I was not interested in scientific things (the lab, radio telescopes) and did not want to travel 2 hours one way to see them. My brother-in-law figured the scenery would be something that I would enjoy, but as I told him, not if it involves driving that far and being out all day. Which is exactly what happened. He and my husband left at around 9:30 am and were supposed to be back around 3 pm, so we could drive down to Socorro, go shopping for the week, and then have dinner with my in-laws. They didn't get back until nearly 6 pm. Luckily my husband and brother-in-law went to Subway that morning to get me a sandwich for lunch and stopped at Whole Foods to get more soy milk for the week. Thankfully, my husband bought me a foot-long sandwich so I had enough for lunch and dinner.
What did I do the entire time they were gone? Napped. Watched TV. Read a bit. Played a game on my iPod. All around relaxed! I don't get to do that very often when I'm home, except when I'm sick and then I don't feel like doing anything except sleep.
By the time we got to Socorro, it was too late so we couldn't go shopping and since my mother-in-law wasn't feeling well, she didn't cook. The guys stopped at a local Subway to get sandwiches for themselves and for their father. We all then ate at my in-laws' house in Socorro.
That night at the casita (my in-laws' guest house) was the first good night's sleep I got in quite a few days. The previous night I slept, maybe, 4 1/2 hours. My brother-in-law slept in the main house, so my husband and I had the casita all to ourselves for the week.
Saturday my in-laws had a doctor's appointment in Albuquerque in the morning, so we didn't get to see them until the afternoon. Late morning my husband, brother-in-law, and I went on a few errands, including the grocery store to pick up food for our lunches for the week and food for dinners. Since my husband's mother needed to rest, we decided we'd do what we normally do when it's just the two of us on vacation: my husband cooks and I wash dishes. Although since my in-laws have a dishwasher, my duties involved clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, and cleaning small pots and pans. My husband cleaned the larger pots and pans.What was on the menu Saturday? Pork chops with fennel seeds and shallots, potatoes, carrots and yellow squash.
Friday evening I discussed with my mother-in-law the possibility of having my husband, his brother, and his father go out somewhere together for the whole afternoon Saturday. That way (a) she could get some much needed rest without having to worry about my father-in-law, who has Alzheimer's, (b) the guys would get to spend some quality time with their father and (c) their father can get in his Saturday hike. He insists on going on multi-hour walks three times per week, in addition to his multiple-time-a-week bike rides, despite his doctor telling him it's not good for him. The three of them decided they wanted to hike in San Lorenzo Canyon and had an enjoyable outing while his mother and I both rested, I at the casita reading a book and my mother-in-law reading and napping at the main house.
On Sunday my husband and I went to Mass at San Miguel. His parents went to the Episcopal church in town as they do every Sunday. After my in-laws came home from church, we went over to visit a bit before lunch. My brother-in-law had gone out to get parts to fix the kitchen sink. At lunchtime my husband and I went back to the casita to eat while his parents ate at the main house. After lunch, my husband went back over to the main house to look after his dad while his mom napped. I decided to explore the grounds.
Our ride for the week in the foreground. The main house and Socorro Peak (aka M mountain) in the background:
They all seemed to fly away to the same spot somewhere in the brush near the neighbor's house.
The same type of bird as on the power lines, but this one seemed to prefer the peak of the house. This wasn't the first time he (or she) came here to survey the property.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this bunny.
Some native New Mexico flora.
Solar panels on the casita. They generate an excess amount of electricity so the power company actually pays my in-laws instead of the other way around. Dan inquired about that here in Michigan at the Home and Garden show this year. Turns out in Michigan, there is no such deal. If by some fluke your solar installation supplies more than enough power for your needs, the extra is credited toward your future bill. So, choose wisely when installing solar power in Michigan and only install the capacity you need he was advised.
My brother-in-law's (abandoned?) project. He wanted to try and convert this VW bug into an electric car.
More native flora.
At some point my husband and his dad decided to sit out on the back porch and when they saw me, they decided to join me in my explorations.
After we were done exploring the grounds, we decided to walk down the road to the site of a new housing development, although at the moment only one house was built. We couldn't go too far, we needed to get back before 3:30 pm because my in-laws were expecting company. The man who goes biking with my father-in-law and his wife were stopping by to drop off presents for my in-laws, including a mango dessert that my in-laws love. It was also a hit with my husband and his brother. It had dairy products and eggs, so I couldn't have any but it looked quite appetizing. My mother-in-law offered them some fruitcake that my husband baked for his parents for Christmas.
After the company left, my husband and his brother worked on the kitchen sink, my mother-in-law checked things on her computer, and I kept an eye on my father-in-law. After the sink was done, there was some discussion about who was going to go to the posole party at the house of a friend of my in-laws. Saturday night, everyone but me was going (I can't eat posole). By Sunday evening, my brother-in-law was too tired after fixing the sink (turns out he was coming down with an illness that had been going around) and didn't want to go. My mother-in-law wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't going. That left my husband and his dad. After they left, I went back to the casita to have some dinner and to wash my hair. I also watched a British TV show on PBS called Last Tango in Halifax. Before that I caught about the last 45 minutes of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Special.
Monday morning it was back to church at San Miguel for the Christmas Mass. During Mass a very beautiful song was sung that I've never heard before: Violet in the Snow. If you've never heard it before I encourage you to look it up on YouTube or check out the lyrics online. This is one version I particularly like:
After the company left, my husband and his brother worked on the kitchen sink, my mother-in-law checked things on her computer, and I kept an eye on my father-in-law. After the sink was done, there was some discussion about who was going to go to the posole party at the house of a friend of my in-laws. Saturday night, everyone but me was going (I can't eat posole). By Sunday evening, my brother-in-law was too tired after fixing the sink (turns out he was coming down with an illness that had been going around) and didn't want to go. My mother-in-law wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't going. That left my husband and his dad. After they left, I went back to the casita to have some dinner and to wash my hair. I also watched a British TV show on PBS called Last Tango in Halifax. Before that I caught about the last 45 minutes of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Special.
Monday morning it was back to church at San Miguel for the Christmas Mass. During Mass a very beautiful song was sung that I've never heard before: Violet in the Snow. If you've never heard it before I encourage you to look it up on YouTube or check out the lyrics online. This is one version I particularly like:
My mother-in-law decided that she and my father-in-law would not be going to church for Christmas. Once a week was enough, she said. I'm Catholic so it seemed odd to me. Sunday we celebrated the 4th Sunday of Advent and Monday we celebrated Christmas, the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ. Those are two different celebrations and I can't just see missing out on one or the other because "going to church once a week is enough." But, that's just my opinion...
After church we went over to the main house to unwrap presents and visit. My husband made ribs with homemade Korean BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts and I made salad for Christmas dinner.
Tuesday afternoon my brother-in-law drove me, my husband and their dad to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Preserve (my favorite place to visit when I'm in Socorro). Unfortunately, I didn't pack my binoculars this time but I still enjoyed the trip. My brother-in-law, however, did not. As time passed, he felt worse and worse. Seems as though he was not over the bug that he caught a couple of days before even though he was feeling better that morning.
After church we went over to the main house to unwrap presents and visit. My husband made ribs with homemade Korean BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts and I made salad for Christmas dinner.
Tuesday afternoon my brother-in-law drove me, my husband and their dad to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Preserve (my favorite place to visit when I'm in Socorro). Unfortunately, I didn't pack my binoculars this time but I still enjoyed the trip. My brother-in-law, however, did not. As time passed, he felt worse and worse. Seems as though he was not over the bug that he caught a couple of days before even though he was feeling better that morning.
Those white birds are geese.
Our first glimpse of sandhill cranes in the distance.
Along this road we got quite a bit closer to another group of sandhills.
I believe that tree you see in the middle of the following photo is the same tree you saw in the fourth Bosque picture above.
After we got back, my brother-in-law went straight to bed and didn't have any appetite for dinner. After dinner, I came down with what my brother-in-law had (and what my father-in-law and mother-in-law had before we got there). I took two Immodium and then went back to the casita and went straight to bed.
We were leaving in less than two days. I wanted to make sure I got enough rest so I was well enough to travel! I was quite worried that would not be the case, however.
Wednesday I spent most of my time in bed, although I did get up to eat breakfast and lunch, take a shower and read a bit. My husband went biking with his dad and then drove up to Albuquerque to have lunch with an old friend from college.
Thursday was the day we were going back to Michigan. I was feeling a bit better from Tuesday evening, but I still had my usual travel day health troubles. My in-laws had to drive up to Albuquerque for a last minute doctor's appointment in the morning so we only said a quick good-bye to them. Dan spent most of the time before we had to leave for the airport at the main house with his brother. I stayed at the casita and tried to rest and relax. Then I get a phone call from the vet. Could I come in tomorrow to discuss my cat's x-ray results? Ominous. Now, not only am I worried (as I always am) about traveling, but now I'm worried about my cat! Ugh!
The flight out of Albuquerque was OK. The flight out of Minneapolis was delayed due to ice. It took about an hour to de-ice the plane! In Minneapolis? It seemed as though there were only two de-icing trucks for a long line of planes ready to take off. In Minneapolis! I would've thought they'd have a fleet of these things! We didn't get in until after midnight Friday morning. By then, I was feeling horrible and in excruciating pain (in my gut). Luckily my husband was OK, so he could pick up the cat and shovel the snow later that morning. Our appointment with the vet wasn't until late afternoon, so I was able to rest some by then and was feeling a bit better. But, the news about my cat did not make me feel emotionally better. She either has cancer or IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). She was put on prednisone and a prescription diet. As of the time I'm writing this, she's doing better, although attempts to ween her off prednisone were not successful. She may have to stay on that for the rest of her life. She tolerates it well, so I'm not worried. I just want to give her the best life I can for as long as she has left.
We were leaving in less than two days. I wanted to make sure I got enough rest so I was well enough to travel! I was quite worried that would not be the case, however.
Wednesday I spent most of my time in bed, although I did get up to eat breakfast and lunch, take a shower and read a bit. My husband went biking with his dad and then drove up to Albuquerque to have lunch with an old friend from college.
Thursday was the day we were going back to Michigan. I was feeling a bit better from Tuesday evening, but I still had my usual travel day health troubles. My in-laws had to drive up to Albuquerque for a last minute doctor's appointment in the morning so we only said a quick good-bye to them. Dan spent most of the time before we had to leave for the airport at the main house with his brother. I stayed at the casita and tried to rest and relax. Then I get a phone call from the vet. Could I come in tomorrow to discuss my cat's x-ray results? Ominous. Now, not only am I worried (as I always am) about traveling, but now I'm worried about my cat! Ugh!
The flight out of Albuquerque was OK. The flight out of Minneapolis was delayed due to ice. It took about an hour to de-ice the plane! In Minneapolis? It seemed as though there were only two de-icing trucks for a long line of planes ready to take off. In Minneapolis! I would've thought they'd have a fleet of these things! We didn't get in until after midnight Friday morning. By then, I was feeling horrible and in excruciating pain (in my gut). Luckily my husband was OK, so he could pick up the cat and shovel the snow later that morning. Our appointment with the vet wasn't until late afternoon, so I was able to rest some by then and was feeling a bit better. But, the news about my cat did not make me feel emotionally better. She either has cancer or IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). She was put on prednisone and a prescription diet. As of the time I'm writing this, she's doing better, although attempts to ween her off prednisone were not successful. She may have to stay on that for the rest of her life. She tolerates it well, so I'm not worried. I just want to give her the best life I can for as long as she has left.