Desert Diva

There’s an old adage that goes something like this; “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Some people (pardon my “French”) are a**hats - evil self-serving, and selfish “sorry excuses” for human beings. Apparently, a disgruntled family member decided to write a derogatory obituary about their deceased mother. In addition, a local newspaper ran the obituary. Shame on you both - Karma will certainly “catch up” with you.

Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby.

She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy; grandchildren, Donnelle, Joe, Mitzie, Maria, Mario, Marty, Tynette, Tania, Leta, Alexandria, Tommy, Billy, Mathew, Raymond, Kenny, Javier, Lisa, Ashlie and Michael; great-grandchildren, Brendan, Joseph, Karissa, Jacob, Delaney, Shawn, Cienna, Bailey, Christian, Andre Jr., Andrea, Keith, Saeed, Nujaymah, Salma, Merissa, Emily, Jayci, Isabella, Samantha and Emily. I apologize if I missed anyone.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.

Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself. As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again.

There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.

While it’s hard to believe that a family member could be so caustic and childish, according to Snopes.com the obituary was run on August 16th and 17th in the Vallejo (California) Times Herald. Therefore, I choose to “re-write” her obituary.

Dolores Aguilar was born in 1929 in the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico. She left this earthly life on August 7, 2008. She is preceded in death by Raymond her husband, Paul Jr. her son, and Ruby her daughter.

She is survived by her children (one or more who is apparently an “a**hat”) Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia, Ramona, and Billy. She is also survived by several grandchildren.

Dolores apparently made her family her hobby, and was possibly distraught at having nine children. While not noted when her husband passed, she was quite possibly overwhelmed at having nine children - both emotionally and physically. Not a saint by any means, Dolores did the “best she could” with so many children and no time to nourish her own soul. Dolores’ “hobby” was in essence her family. Unfortunately, with so many children to tend to, one (or more) apparently felt it was “all about me” and have decided to judge you. While it is sad that at least one of the children that you raised is a “whining brat,” I’m sure that her other siblings have more “positive qualities.”

While I didn’t know you personally, I’m sorry that life must have been “difficult” for you and your contributions and life will continue to live on. Yes, even in your a**hat, childish, and rude daughter.

Whatever your life was, I hope that you found moments of happiness and that you now rest in peace. Tonight, I say a prayer for your eternal soul and know that there are people who will miss you.

My blogging, cyber, and Flickr friend Luz has said that she has to have her “daily dose” of Ottmar Liebert. She’s a “fanmenco” in the truest sense of the word. I strolled over this afternoon to a Twitter link that Fleur-de-Lisa had for Foxy Tunes and entered Ottmar Liebert in the search - very cool results (even Flickr photos)! That’s where I found this excellent YouTube video for “Snake Charmer.” It’s apparently from a concert (applause in the background) where the person taking the video was in the front row…

Note: Watching video goes will with a glass of wine!

I’ve lived in Southern New Mexico for approximately ten years now. However, I’ve never heard of so many cases of alleged “animal hoarding.” In fact, until I moved here I didn’t even know it even existed. Why would someone want to keep more animals than they could possibly care for? The short answer is because people who animal hoard are mentally ill.

Here are the latest examples of animal abuse (and it IS animal abuse):

• 12/16/06: Animal control officers removed fourteen cats and the frozen carcasses of twenty-five more from a moble home in Las Cruces. The alleged animal hoarder living in the trailer, checked himself voluntarily nto a hospital for a mental evaluation. The ammonia level was so strong, because of the urine and feces, tht animal control officers had to wear masks. Inside a freezer, officers found the frozen carcasses of twenty-five cats, each accompanied with a metal cross.
• 05/12/07: A Las Cruces woman was charged with seventy-three counts of failing to provide proper care and maintenance and one count of violating her kennel license. An electrical fire in a van parked outside of her home killed seventy-three cats. Two weeks later, animal control officers executed a search warrant in her downtown office and found twenty-one more cats.
• 05/15/07: The director of the Dona Ana County Humane Society said that one hundred twenty-eight cats removed from a Las Cruces home had to be euthanized. Animal control officers found the one hundred twenty-nine cats, four horses, four dogs, and three rabbits on Tuesday. All the other animals are believed to be living and healthy. As for the humans that lived in the house, a seventy-two year old woman was admitted to the hospital for evaluation when the animals were taken, the alleged animal hoarder was arrested while trying to sneak a cat out the back door in a suitcase, and a fifteen year old boy was reportedly taken into protective custody. The woman’s was a community development coordinator for the town of Mesilla.
• 06/29/07: A Speech Language Pathologist at a Las Cruces middle school could be facing animal cruelty charges after a sheriff’s deputies and animal control officers found a total of one hundred twenty-five animals at his home just west of the city. Investigators removed fifty-nine cats, thirty-three dogs, twenty-six chickens, five ducks, two goats, and a rooster from the alleged animal hoarder’s home. One kitten died enroute to a shelter. The lead investigator opened the front door and then asked for a respirator before going any further.
• 08/23/08: Charges were pending Friday against a pair of New Mexico State University employees suspected of hoarding one hundred eighteen animals, mostly cats, at their Mesilla home. The NMSU directory lists the wife as the department head for library systems. The husband is in the agronomy and horticulture department. Deputies were called to the home Thursday afternoon on a report of a dead horse. Deputies reportedly discovered one hundred two cats, some of which were dead and stored in a freezer, along with five horses - two of which were dead - and an undetermined number of pot-bellied pigs, goats, pigeons and a peacock. The surviving animals were taken to the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley for evaluation. The horses were taken to Albuquerque where a necropsy was to be performed.

Source: http://www.pet-abuse.com

I have to admit I’m more than a “little concerned” that a city that hovers at a population approximating 90,000 individuals has so many cases of alleged animal hoarding. I know that these people are mentally ill, but I think that laws and fines need to be “a little stiffer” in regards to this problem. A message needs to be sent that this type of behavior will not be tolerated. Period.

are hosted by Janet

1. When I’m sick I’m prone to lying on the sofa with the TV droning in the background .
2. When I take a walk, I think about what I see and how it would photograph.
3. Money can’t buy happiness but it can sure make life easier.
4. Cotton makes me think of the one-inch pleated skirt I had to make in the 8th grade (and got sent to the Dean of Girls after arguing with the home economics teacher) and leather makes me wish for a new sofa in my living room.
5. The strangest person/character I’ve had lewd thoughts about was nonexistent - I can’t ever remember having lewd thoughts. 
6. My favorite color these days is purple because it’s always been my favorite color.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to doing a little shopping, tomorrow my plans include going to the Farmer’s Market and maybe going to the Hatch Chile Festival, and Sunday, I want to am going to dinner with some girlfriends in Old Mesilla at the Double Eagle!  On Monday, I’m going to the Harvest Wine Festival!  (It’s festival weekend here in Southern New Mexico!)

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know it’s supposed to be “booby hatch,” but the title didn’t quite fit the description.  In the never ending flow of household chores at Casa La “Desert Diva,” I had a little episode with my dryer this morning.

I had a few “not so nice” pieces of underwear - you know, the kind your mother told you never to wear in case you were in a car accident and had to go to the emergency room?  Well, I do those “on the way out” pieces of unmentionables with socks, etc…  As I was trying to multi-task while getting ready for work, I was going to empty the dryer.  However, low and behold, one of my upper body unmentionables was STUCK in the lip of the drum by the fasteners.  It was “booby latched.”  Attempting unsuccessfully to “unlatch” it, I finally gave up and went to work - not an easy feat when one is a “tiny bit” OCD and likes to have “things in place” before leaving the homestead.  That however, is another story for another time…

Late this afternoon I came home and tried once again to remove the offending piece of underwear from my dryer drum.  Nada, nothing, zip…  I finally gave it a “good yank” (the unspoken “fixer” for a myriad of maladies) and it “unlatched.”

Now, completely ruined, my “Jockey for Her” “less than brand new” undergarment was going to have an earlier than expected demise.  However, another “chick” in the household thought it might have possibilities as a bonnet for next Easter.  (Shh - I had to tell her “no” and put the “bonnet” in the trash.)

And just to make things “crystal clear,” the yellowish sheen in the dryer photo is from the lamp (which DOES go off when you close the door - right?) and not from any inability in my laundry “technique.”  Oh yes, and no dogs were harmed in posing for this photo - since there were several treats involved for the model.   OK, where is that three-day weekend?