Live and Learn New Mexico!

I thought I'd share more of what I'm learning from my acupuncturist. This week, I haven't touched cashews and other nuts, for the most part -- I slipped up on Halloween candy. Still, I think the doctor was right about them. They contribute to the "dampness" he senses when he takes my pulses. It's been hard to get rid of that dampness completely, and it's been hanging around for a long while. I've been going to him weekly for a while now, and we work on my issues together. I believe that combining his acupuncture with healthy and natural nutritional practices (I'm interested in ayurvedic nutrition) will work in the end, though. I am learning. I have come to value his knowledge immeasurably, and he is willing to learn as well as we look at nutrition combined with acupuncture to promote healing.  I have also started drinking teas that help with mood and digestion, etc. Traditional Medicinals are good, as are Yogi teas. I like Cup of C...

Michelle Worley, blogging for Live and Learn New Mexico, Building a Nonprofit. We moved to Moriarty from Cedar Crest in April and we are still not entirely set up with solar energy. This is because it's learn as we go and also because it's damn expensive! We started out buying two small kits (one at $1300, the other at $700), one for the kids' camper and one for my small mobile home. Each kit, with three solar panels, is not enough to get all the appliances in either place running but we were able to get what was important to us -- internet/television, light, and food -- with the energy these kits provided. It has not been a smooth run the whole way. We have hit some bumps and we're still figuring some things out. The plan was to add solar panels and batteries a little at a time but today we got a propane tank installed and now we have to get the furnace hooked up to electricity in order to pass inspection. We need to add more panels/batteries sooner, and we need ...

Today I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the tragedy of Victoria Martens, who was killed by her mother and two other meth addicts a few weeks ago. More of Victoria's story has come out since and it isn't pretty. In fact, it's so ugly, I can't quit crying for that little girl who deserved so much better.  I know, too, that Victoria isn't the only child out there in desperate need of help, and obviously, agencies like CYFD aren't able to solve all the problems. They never will be, either, as long as we work on a money model. I could go on about money but I'm tired of it. I would rather look at things with some common sense and compassion.  What if we tried tackling this problem as a community? What if it wasn't about money at all but resources?  I listened to the conversation about Victoria on my favorite radio station this morning and the point was made that teachers had reported concerns about her a while back but CYFD's actions w...

I went to the Outside of the Classroom meeting yesterday. Good turnout. There were many young people there, many paid to attend, which is fine. We live in a capitalist society; every effort we make should be rewarded with money, right? We have to play the game for now. I paid my daughter, who helps me with L&LNM, to go with me. I have to say it was nice to talk about what we learned in the car on the way home. I learned a lot. I learned that, in all the years I've worked in education, the conversation hasn't changed one bit. At this meeting, we participated in a world cafe activity,  where you talk with one group about a topic, report out to the group at large, then regroup and talk about a follow-up topic and again, report out. The topics centered around the systemic problems we see in our education system, the mindsets we need to break free from, etc. But the conversation was the same old stuff that had little to do with systemic problems. The same ideas of hel...

L&LNM would like to start a program that converts houses from oil/gas to solar/wind/sustainable energy. We would convert one house at a time, and the people who own the house, their neighbors, etc. will do the work with help from local businesses/schools.  In many towns, there is a Rotary Club or similar organization, and they often award small grants for projects like this. A small grant could be all it takes to convert one house to solar. After one house is converted, those who worked on it and learned can help with the next house.  People are gaining skills that could get them jobs but more importantly, people are helping each other achieve incredible things without going into debt. Communities are pulling together to solve problems. Short post today so use that time you just saved not reading and go out and learn something new!

I have never been more ashamed and embarrassed to be an American, so much so that I feel the need to explain to other ordinary people who don't live in the US that I am not what my government purports me to be. 1. I'm not a capitalist. I've spent my adult life trying to get that good job with benefits. I played the game, competed, job hopped, moved up the career ladder. It took me a long time to realize that basically I was providing cheap slave labor for businesses that gave me NOTHING in return. Why was I working so hard when my employers in no way, shape, or form cared about me, and when I felt no confidence that I would be able to retire EVER? 2. I am not a member of a democracy. The average American has no voice at all. Elections are rigged. Political processes are a joke. Presidential candidates are a joke. Our government shares a bed with big business. It's all about money, and I'm tired of money. The correct term for what we are is Corporatocracy.  ...

This is my first week volunteering for Bethel Storehouse in Moriarty, and I have talked to them about offering a free high school equivalency test preparation seminar. They offer many services like that to residents in the area. They were open to the idea. So I started thinking... We won't offer a regular class unless we see the need. What we will offer is a monthly (or more often if needed), 2-hour session to show people where to register for a GED/HSE (high school equivalency) test, find websites to help them prepare (e.g., Khan Academy, Google), and other helpful information they might need. We can also offer tutoring hours for those who might need some one-on-one help and for those who have no computer at home. This means we need tutors/teachers and computers/internet access. Could we use Bethel Storehouse space to have a tutor be around a few hours a week for walk-in help? I will check on that. I also need to find the closest public library. They usually have computers ...