I'm partial to the fiction of Alexander McCall Smith, in which the dramatic tension over whether a neighbor stole a teacup can carry a scene. It is in that spirit that I'm sharing a coupla news stories came to my attention this week. One's about a guy in jail for mining on public land without a permit. He won't promise to stop, so they won't let him out of jail:
At some point, Tracy posted a hand-written sign near the entrance to the site:
Warning. Placer mining. For those who may be offended take heed and proceed no further. For if you violate the sanctity of my sanity, know everything you say can and will be held against you personally in a competent court of law.
It's worth reading the whole story. What a piece of work!
The other story, I've not got any links to. And I'm probably off on some of the facts. I have a neighbor from Texas who does all manner of unseemly things. (Like throw a big party the night of Dubya's Republican Convention speech in 2004.) I often find myself saying about him: "He's a Texan. He doesn't know any better." There's plenty of decent Texans, I know. But there are ones like this neighbor.
One of 'em bought a hotel in town earlier this year. Ramada Inn, but then renamed it something else. He then decided he didn't like how "Mexican" the state of New Mexico is. Ya gotta wonder. There's a dialect of Spanish spoken continuously here since the 1600s. But at the former Ramada Inn, employees are now forbidden to speak Spanish to each other. That's kind of obnoxious, but I guess one could make a case for it.
But then he also decided he wanted to Anglicize his employees' names. Someone named Marcos was declared henceforth to be "Mark", and Martin had to change the pronunciation of his name from mar-TEEN to MAR-tin. Taos, New Mexico, where everyone's always feuding with everyone else, got itself united. LULAC started picketing the place. Who knew we even had a local chapter? They've been turning customers away. And so, it appears that Mr. Texas - who also owns hotels in Texas and South Carolina and who knows where else? - is in the midst of a business failure at his Taos franchise.
Closing pictures
I've been away from home all the way since Pittsburgh. Just got back. Took this along the fabulous but little known scenic NM Hwy 104. Runs between Tucumcari and Las Vegas.
Plains above, plains below, a buncha fine canyons in between. There's snow in the mountains, or so I hear tell. No frost yet, but it'll be here soon. I have several apple trees with fruit on 'em for the first time. I'm really liking the Goldrush variety. Recommended (via mail) by an Amish nurseryman in Pennsylvania.
There's a big rest area on I-40 near Amarillo, Texas. It's a grand, massive edifice - and a designated tornado shelter. It's got picnic structures, too.
There's that old saying: There'll always be an England. Probably fair to say that could apply to Texas, too.