The Move….

I will start off with a few relevant facts: Texas has a population of 39.5 million people.  We have probably made it to 40 million by now.  The population of Fort Worth is 875,000 people.  The total population of the state of New Mexico?  2 million people in the entire state.  Population of Ruidoso?  7,800 people.  Tiny. Minuscule.  Completely unknown.  And so terrifying for a city girl who cannot sleep at night when the entire city shuts down at 7 pm or is just closed because of Covid.  Terrifying.  No 24 hour food.  No fancy restaurants.  No shopping places that I know of besides Walmart and Albertsons?  What will I do all day, every day? It is a nightmare.

I am about 7000 feet above sea level.  It is very, very dry especially considering that I am still used to the humidity in Texas.  Honestly, it takes a couple of weeks to adjust to the elevation and dryness.  That is why we bought a humidifier, to help our home environment.  Hopefully my nose will stop bleeding now and my lips can manage to stay lubricated.  Even the dogs and cats are desperate for water and it is a challenge to keep their bowls filled with water.

We are currently staying at the family cabin in Cedar Creek, Ruidoso. To get to our cabin you go a couple of miles up the canyon road until it turns to gravel and then take a crazy right to our cabin and our uncle’s cabin.  The trees and nature are beautiful and there is a creek running through the property.  We have a fire pit and, since we have a creative cousin, we also have some sculptures and pictures by him littering the property.

I was unsure about moving to the “mountains” but so far I have been comfortable here.  One of the first things I learned is that everyone and every business here runs on “mountain time.”  “Mountain time” basically means when they feel like it.   For someone who is used to immediate gratification this is quite frustrating.  Even trying to get a plumber up here or trying to get an address sign for the rural road has been dramatic.  I have called the New Mexico Rural Addressing Department at least 15 times.  Nobody is in a hurry, we will just take care of it tomorrow.  When we finally got the sign (which we need to receive packages) they have mounted it incorrectly and so, it continues.  If their website says they are open I have learned to call because the website is wrong.  All of the dog groomers in town are not accepting new clients.  I finally found one and her next available appointment is June 7th.  Sigh, it is April 23rd.☹

I am city spoiled.  In Fort Worth you could order pretty much whatever you wanted for dinner or drink.  There is no Doordash here and most restaurants close at 7pm and are closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.  I find this to be very inconvenient.  We lived near the freeway in Fort Worth so we are used to continuous background noise while the silence here is rarely broken by the jets taking off in White Sands,  The dogs are all about the wildlife, they have seen elk, deer, turkeys, raccoons and wild horses.  We have bird feeders all around the cabin and a couple of birdbaths the birds seem to like.  In New Mexico you can buy alcohol any time and they sell it everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations so you don’t have to make a separate stop or worry about the day of the week.  There is a casino (not a big gambler) and horse track where we will attend as many horse races as possible. I love horse racing!

One of the biggest draws to moving to New Mexico?  Medical cannabis is legal.  For someone suffering from severe arthritis this is a big deal.  I have had my issues with prescription drugs and already take quite a few.  I don’t want to take pain pills everyday.  I suffer greatly in the mornings after sleeping for some time and waking to intense pain from lack of movement.  Edibles are amazing for pain but can take 45 minutes to 2 hours to take effect.  A vape is probably the best way to go because it is immediate relief and has, hopefully, less effect than the smoke on your lungs.  All I can say is that I function quite well stoned and it is the most effective drug I have used for pain management with little to no side effects.  Vicodin and Oxycontin will destroy you in the end.  If you are suffering, visit a legal state and see if cannabis will work for you.  Let go of the prejudice of the past few decades and realize that this is a medicine to help with pain and many other ailments. 

So we have been in Ruidoso for 17 days and I am happy and healthy as well as Brett, who is very relaxed and content, and our dogs have decided they are wolves and the kitties love the bird feeders and many windows.  6 of us in a 2 bedroom cabin bas been a challenge but now that we are organized we are starting to have a “routine.”  I am “going to town” at least 5 days a week and Brett takes trips for fresh water and trash.  Of course, the dogs must go on all these car rides so they can “protect” us from scary animals and sometimes we just drive around for hours looking for our next home.  Life is good and slowing down has been a blessing.  How I wish I could pack my parents up and move them out here!  I have never been a huge nature lover but I cannot deny the fact that the mountains seem to calm me.  I really appreciate that and I am slowly learning to let go and just relax, there is always tomorrow.

XOXOXOXO ASH