My in-loves are up visiting from New Mexico.  It’s great to have them here for Christmas.  (Their visit is also why my posts have dramatically decreased over the last week… I’m just not on the computer much while they are around.)

I got an e-mail from another family member today, and I thought the timing was perfect.  With my hubby’s parents here, we all got a good laugh at this list.  It definitely reminded me of ‘home’ (at least of where we grew up, because Alberta and Canada really is home now, and we love it here).  I guess you can take the girl out of New Mexico, but you just can’t take the New Mexico out of the girl! 😉

If you are from New Mexico, you will totally understand these, and laugh about them.  If you’re not from New Mexico, you might still laugh at them, but you really might not understand them.  Give it a try anyway! LOL! I’ll also include a few comments of my own for fun.

You know you’re from NM if…  

– You’ve had a school day canceled because there was 2 inches of snow on the ground.  [totally true, but really makes me laugh now since we don’t even ‘flinch’ at 2 feet of snow on the ground around here!]

– You know what an “arroyo” is. [I DO!]

handmade Kachinas

– Your high school’s name was a Spanish name. (i.e. La Cueva, Eldorado, Sandia, Manzano…) [Mine wasn’t, but my hubby’s was!]

– There is a kachina somewhere in your home or yard. [I have a few!]

luminarias in Old Town Square, Albuquerque

– You believe that bags of sand with a candle in them are perfectly acceptable Christmas decorations. [They are actually lining my stairs as we speak – the electric luminarias, not the real paper bag ones.]

– The name of most restaurants you go to begin with “El”, “La”, or “Los”. [El Nopal, La Burrita, La Posta, Los Margaritas…. yup!]

– You price-shop for tortillas. [we actually STILL do… we can usually get them cheaper at Costco. lol!]

– You have an extra freezer just for your red & green chile.  [we don’t anymore – now we have an extra freezer for our moose and venison meat, but we do have chile in our freezer, and it usually gets restocked anytime someone from NM comes up to see us!]

– You know that a red chile ristra is not ornamental and does not mean “welcome”. It’s a way to preserve red chile. [I have an ornamental one, but have used one in the ‘proper’ way before.  we tried to get one to bring up with us on our last trip to NM, but it wouldn’t have survived the trip… we’ll try again next time!]

– You believe driving unarmed is a sign of weakness.  [pick-ups have gun racks and they aren’t afraid to use ’em!]

– You think six tons of crushed rock makes a beautiful front lawn. [we call it xeriscape!]

– Your swamp cooler got knocked off your roof by a dust devil. [even New Mexico has wind that rivals the wind we get here.]

– All your out-of-state friends and relatives visit in October. [and no, it’s not because my birthday is in October!  LOL!  It has something to do with gorgeous clear blue mornings, perfect wind conditions, and lots of color flooding the sky!]

– You know Las Vegas is a town in the northeastern part of New Mexico. [WAY older than Las Vegas, NV.  I’ve been there!]

– Your ‘other vehicle’ is also a pick-up truck. [almost worse than Alberta!]

Red or green?

– You know the response to the question “red or green?” [It’s all about preference, and the specific dish.  My choice is usually green. And it has nothing to do with a man in a plaid shirt who uses duct tape for everything…]

– You also know what, “Throw an egg on it” means. [I DO!]

– You’re relieved when the pavement ends because the dirt roads have fewer pot-holes. [true statement!]

– You can correctly pronounce Tesuque, Cerrillos, and Pojoaque. [I CAN! but you might not believe me if I told you how to say them!]

– You have been told by at least one out-of-state vendor or business that they are going to charge you extra for “international shipping”. [or “Wow, you speak such good English with no Spanish accent at all…”]

– You can order your “Big Mac” with green chile. [AND you can do the same for your pizza!]

– You don’t think it’s odd at all when, in the conversations of the people in line around you at the grocery store, every third word of each sentence alternates between Spanish and English–it’s called Spanglish. [totally normal! I’ve never heard Francophones do this, not like New Mexicans do!]

– You associate bridges with mud or an arroyo, not the passage of water. [RARELY is there water under a bridge, and if there is water there, it’s like LOTS of water, maybe even covering the bridge!]

– You know you will run into at least three hometown neighbors whenever you shop at Wal-Mart, Sam’s or Home Depot. [3 at the VERY least… usually more!]

– Tumbleweeds and various cacti in your yard are not unwanted weeds. They are your landscaping plants. [once again, xeriscape!]

– If you travel anywhere, even if just to drive to the gas station, you must bring along a bottle of water, some moisturizer and sunscreen. [not so much, but the idea is funny!]

– A package of white flour tortillas is the exact same thing as a loaf of bread. You don’t need to write it on your shopping list… it’s a given. [STILL true for us today, here in Alberta.  honestly! Tortillas are a staple!]

green chile stew

– At ANY gathering, regardless of size, green chile stew, tortillas, and huge mounds of shredded cheese are mandatory. [absolutely!]

– A tarantula in your yard is ordinary. [yah, but yuck…]

– A scorpion on your porch is ordinary. [also yah, but, more yuck…]

– A centipede on your ceiling Ordinary. [yah, and not too bad…]

– A black widow ‘setting up shop’ in the corner in the backyard shed is terribly common. [yup, very common, and yuck…]

– A rattlesnake is an occasional hiking hazard. No need to freak out. [um, yah… NO… I still freak out!  The only good rattlesnake is a dead rattlesnake.  We moved to Alberta where rattlesnakes are protected and you’re not supposed to run over them or kill them…. fat chance, buddy!  I’ve been trained to kill on sight – reflexes just take over!]

– You also know where Hatch is…AND it’s significance to the culinary world.  [Hatch, in this case is a very special little town in a beautiful, fertile, hot river valley – not an action occurring to an egg.  Without Hatch, the world would be a less spicy place, and ‘red or green’ would be a much less important question!]

– You can spell Albuquerque. [Crossing the border from Canada into the States one time, the border official looked at our passports and, seeing that we were originally from New Mexico, asked hubby to spell Albuquerque – the largest city in the State, and the place where he grew up.  He spelled it with no issue, and that was all the proof necessary for the border guard – we WERE the real deal! lol]

– You actually understand these statements and share them with other friends from New Mexico. [obviously!]

Curious about the things you didn’t understand?  Leave me a comment and I’ll ‘splain’ it to you!  OR, if you can think of anything to add to the list, leave me a comment too!