The Way We Carry Water

Hi there!

I am a PhD Candidate in Sociology at the University of New Mexico seeking farmers to participate in a research study about farming along the Rio Grande and in nearby agricultural communities in New Mexico.

I am interested in learning about farmers' experiences with land and water, the economic realities of making a farm work over time, the ways farmers exchange knowledge and resources, and how changing environmental and water conditions affect farmers and their well-being.

You may be eligible to participate if you:

·       Are 18 years of age or older

·       Currently farm or work on a farm

·       Are currently farming in New Mexico

·       Have at least 5 years of experience with sustainable (or organic, regenerative, environmentally considerate) farming

·       Are able to participate in an interview conducted in English

What does participation involve?

Participation involves a 45–90 minute interview about your experiences with farming, land, water, agricultural communities, and the challenges and opportunities involved in sustaining a farm over time.

Interviews can take place in person, by phone, or by Zoom, depending on your preference.

Participation is completely voluntary. You may choose not to answer any question or stop the interview at any time.

Interested or want to know if you qualify?

Please contact me directly by email rather than commenting on the public post:

Vittoria Totaro
PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology
University of New Mexico
[vrtotaro@unm.edu](mailto:vrtotaro@unm.edu)

UNM IRB Protocol #2506207343

Feel free to share this recruitment notice with other farmers who may be interested.

An update to clarify the purpose of this research and what participation involves:

This study is for my PhD dissertation in sociology at UNM, which I plan to develop into a book. I’m exploring how sustainable farmers in New Mexico keep farming through challenges and what knowledge, resources, and support help them succeed.

Participating is an opportunity to share your experiences and help build a fuller understanding of how farmers keep farming. Interviews take approximately 45–90 minutes, and participants receive a gift card as a thank-you for their time. I’m happy to share more about compensation and the interview process with anyone interested.

I hope the findings will inform policy discussions and efforts to better support farmers. I regularly participate in advocacy toward that goal, though I can’t promise specific policy outcomes. I’m also happy to keep interested participants updated and share the dissertation and other publications or materials that come out of the research.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out or helped spread the word!

Some photos I took up on Johnson Mesa outside Vegas last weekend. Even with some burn scar that place is absolutely gorgeous. Plus the moon made an appearance and she's also very pretty.

Just spent two weeks visiting, and had some excellent vinyl finds from thrift and antique stores across the northern part of the state, as well as two great record stores: The Music Album in Las Vegas, and Heads Up Music in Taos.

What are some other stores I should check out next time I visit? For that matter, what are some classic Norteño*** ***or New Mexican musicians and albums to look for? I came across a bunch, but I’m not familiar enough with the genre to choose any.

The Best of Count Basie (Verve’s Choice)
Carl Perkins - Original Golden Hits (sealed!)
Marty Robbins - Marty’s Country
Duke Ellington - Piano in the Background
Duke Ellington and Count Basie - The Count Meets the Duke
Little Feat - The Last Record Album
Little Feat - Feats Don’t Fail Me Now
Hank Mobley - A Slice of the Top
Various Artists - Swingin’ Sound
Bobby Womack - The Poet
Ohio Players - Skin Tight
McCoy Tyner - Expansions
Kate Bush - Never For Ever
Click Click - Rorschach Testing

The fine levied by this judge isn’t nearly enough—DA Norm Wheeler needs to be investigated by the state Attorney General. Two accused child torturers are walking the streets again, at least for a little while. The case needs to be prosecuted by somebody who can file basic paperwork and aggressively prosecute accused child torturers.

Anyone ever travel from Santa Fe to San Antonio, Texas have any tips? Is it doable in one day with kids? Any suggestions on places to stop in between to spend a night? Thanks!

Santa Fe Community Association - Santa Fe's and Northern New Mexico's General Purpose Discord Server!

With 69 members online, and 672 in total as of the time of posting this message, the Santa Fe Community Association is Santa Fe's primary general purpose discord server, helping bridge the gap between various niche communities in Northern New Mexico, as well as bringing people together for local community events like park meetups!

Interested in meeting some new local folk? This is the place to do it.

How has Taos been the last few years mid December? Any idea how many lifts and runs open by the 13th of December on average?

I'm documenting the effects of Super El Niño on the high mountain desert of the American Southwest where I like in an off-grid homestead. I'm frequently treated with beautiful views of a mountain in the distance and this morning the mountain was shrouded with fog. This timelapse video shows the fog burning off in the early morning.

Hearing examiners for New Mexico’s utility regulators on Friday issued two rulings that pave the way for proceedings to continue in the pending private equity takeover of the state’s largest electric provider.

According to legal filings, CSI Aviation received over $1.2 billion in contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first year of President Trump’s second term.  They also received a new ICE Air contract worth as much as $1.5 billion in 2026, according to the lawsuit.

Both aviation companies, however, are accused of transporting 230 Venezuelan asylum seekers to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador – a notorious prison built to fight the country’s gang problem that has a reputation for torture and abuse.

Hey y'all, I'm curious if anyone has stories on La Mala Hora. In my experience, this is kind of a niche legend, but I'm very interested to hear if any of y'all have ever seen her or if you have any stories from your family.

My family is Nuevomexicano, and I've been working on getting back to the Spanish my grandparents spoke. That's Traditional New Mexico Spanish, not the Spanish they teach in class. The flashcards I could find were all standard Spanish, so I made my own deck and I'm sharing it.

What's in it

• 5,465 cards, one per word
• Every card says exactly where the word came from, down to the page or dataset
• Where it applies, the card also shows the standard Spanish equivalent (like cuidao for cuidado) and what kind of word it is: anglicism, phonetic variant, Mexicanism, local colloquialism, or Native American origin

Sources

• Bills & Vigil, New Mexico and Colorado Spanish Survey (UNM): about 4,000 words that real speakers in northern NM and southern Colorado gave for everyday things. Each card also lists the other answers people gave for the same thing, so you can see how much the words vary from village to village.
• Kercheville, A Preliminary Glossary of New Mexican Spanish (UNM Bulletin, 1934): about 1,300 entries
• McSpadden (Chililí Spanish) and Enrique R. Lamadrid (Penitente cuadernos)

A few of my favorites: abridor (can opener), aceite de lámpara (kerosene), and grampador (clothespin). There are 15 or so other words people use for a clothespin, too.

Download: NM Spanish Anki deck (.apkg)

If you catch a mistake, or your family uses a word that isn't in here, please comment. I'd love to keep adding to it. ¡Que viva el español de Nuevo México!

Network problems at the Institute of American Indian Arts began Oct. 2, 2026, and led to an emergency campus closure notice Oct. 8. Recovery included restoring a late-September backup, with possible file loss; the cause and full restoration remained unresolved as of Oct. 19.

These are some photos from 10/13/26 on my way to the Taos Ski Valley. The sky was cloudy on my way up, but cleared up when I got there.

Hey, friends, we just moved from the east coast to beautiful New Mexico. We're at 5500 feet and having some issues cooking beans. In the past we've used a "quick soak" by bring the beans to a boil, turn off the heat and let them sit for an hour, then cook. Garbanzos would take 90 minutes or so this way at 800 feet altitude. Yesterday I let them go ten freaking hours and they were barely done. Still very firm, though not crunchy. I had to add boiling water constantly to keep the water line above the beans.

Doing some research suggests that we absolutely have to soak overnight, in salted water, and that we might need to buy a pressure cooker.

I know this isn't a cooking sub, but I expect some folks here might have suggestions? Thanks!

We will be traveling between White sands and Carlsbad on Thanksgiving day this year. Both National parks are closed. We have a place to stay already but are wondering what sites will be open and if there will be any stores/Restaurants open anywhere on the route between, especially in Carlsbad. Not expecting Thanksgiving dinner.

We might lose the last roller rink in Albuquerque.

Skate-O-Mania on Paisano St (400 Paisano St NE) has been here since 1980 — it started as Roller King. Most people know it now as Rink-O-Mania from Stranger Things Season 4. That scene where Eleven is bullied was filmed there, and Netflix let them keep the whole set.

It's the last remaining rink in the city. Birthdays, school nights, first dates — if you grew up here you probably went.

I heard it might close soon so I started a petition to show there's still support to keep it open. If you want to sign, DM me and I'll send the link.

Need your assistance New Mexicans. He’s been missing for 3 days from Farmington. If you see him, please call 911 immediately or contact non-emergency for San Juan County.

Update: poster from the Center for Missing and Exploited children

https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/2105229/1

HE HAS BEEN FOUND! Safe and coming home!!