Yes, they can close an entire forest (and other news & updates)

I didn’t actually intend to post those camping photos with no commentary at all. I apparently confused the “save draft” button with the “publish” button. And no point going back to remedy it now, because most of you just look at the auto-email you signed up for, and that goes out the minute I hit “publish”. Any changes I make now you will never see, unless you log onto my blog (not happening, I know).

But actually, I didn’t have a lot to say. We had a very nice time camping. And it turns out, good thing we went (despite always being too busy for that sort of thing), because now the forest is closed 🙁 🙁

Yes, they are closing the entire Santa Fe National Forest, which includes several large areas across northern New Mexico, including the wilderness area where we went over the weekend. It’s closed starting the day after tomorrow, until further notice, due to drought and fire hazard. (And also, apparently, due to non-compliance with previous campfire restrictions)

“SANTA FE, NM – May 30, 2018 – For Immediate Release. The Santa Fe National Forest (SFNF) will implement a forest-wide closure order at 8:00 a.m. this Friday, June 1, 2018, prohibiting public access to the 1.6 million-acre forest. Fire danger on the SFNF remains very high to extreme due to acute drought conditions. The closure order will remain in effect until the forest receives significant moisture and conditions have improved. The closure order prohibits all recreational activities on the SFNF. Campgrounds, trails and trailheads, and National Forest System roads will be closed to the general public…The SFNF implemented Stage 2 fire restrictions on May 7 which prohibited campfires and other activities. In spite of the Stage 2 restrictions, forest law enforcement and fire prevention personnel have counted more than 120 abandoned campfires across the forest, including at least 84 over the Memorial Day weekend.”

They will probably close the Sandia’s soon as well. At which point, I’m going to be like, why am I here? I truly love New Mexico in the fall and through the winter holidays. But I was downright depressed during January and February, and then came the spring dust storms, and now the forests are closed. Ugh!

In the space of about a week earlier this month, the weather went from insanely cold (below freezing) and ridiculously windy, to completely hot (80) and still windy.

At least I am enjoying the lovely evening out on my back patio, which is quite sheltered from the wind. There’s nothing better than bread and cheese on the patio. (No, Sam is not done with the brick yet!)

At least I still like my job – sort of, mostly. It’s getting kind of tricky. There’s recently been personnel and hiring drama that I can’t write about on a public blog. I’m trying not to get involved, but sometimes I’m caught in the middle because of the role I’m in.

In other news, my Mini Cooper had to go back to the shop again, to fix a second oil leak, but it is now definitely fixed – I hope. And no snake or other living thing ever dropped out of the dashboard onto my feet. I had mentioned to John (back when there was strange knocking noises coming from approximately the dashboard area when the car was turned off and parked in Placitas), that if some critter dropped on my feet while I was driving, I wasn’t going to be able to keep the car on the road. John looked at me with a concerned expression and said, “Maybe you should practice?” Yeah right. Let’s all practice driving with snakes dropping out of nowhere onto us. Anyway, that didn’t happen! But knowing Placitas, it could have. Because it happened once before. (Not in my car, luckily, just at my front door, where I could more safely freak out.)

Speaking of Placitas wildlife, in addition to the coyotes and bobcats I was talking about last week, there is now a bear wandering around, causing havoc. It’s been photographed by people’s night cams several times, and people are also posting pics of it’s tracks. Apparently it’s taken a couple of lambs, as well as destroyed bird feeders and garbage cans. We’re in a drought, and the bears are hungry and thirsty.

Someday we’re going to have a wildlife watering hole in Placitas, and then we’ll get some good night cam shots. Right now, however, it doesn’t look like much.

Someday that yard will be beautiful – or at least better!