Christmas came and went in a flash and all I can say is WOW! Miss Trixie in her usual manner made a huge splash with presents for the grandkids and I doubt that we will be able to do better than that in any following gift giving. For those of you that know her it's not a surprise but if you do not, let's just say the best decision you will ever make is to invite her to any potluck or other event where she can share her bounty. You will not be sorry.

The Ursid meteor shower runs from Dec. 17 to 26, and peaks on the night of Dec. 22. It's a ‘Welcome to Winter Meteor Shower’ with the longest night of the year on the 21st as winter begins. This will be a good shower with the New Moon on Dec. 23. We just need good weather.

Winter has certainly arrived across our Nation. This week Colorful Colorado and the West is getting some much-needed snow on our mountains, which means there will be rain events further east and south. All much appreciated after last summer's drought.

The holidays are magical during this time of year but thanks to our Public Works crew and a crew from San Luis Valley Rural Electric, they have made it extra special.

We would like to say thank you to all who have shown overwhelming personal and financial support for the Monte Vista Fire Protection District.

I just learned that local artist, John Patterson, fourth generation San Luis Valley farmer and junk sculptor, was badly injured in an accident on Nov. 12. He was flown to a hospital in Colorado Springs where he underwent several surgeries to repair bones and internal organs. Patterson is going to make it, but it was touch-and-go.

Hopefully by this time you have all either eaten the big bird and its Thanksgiving leftovers or thrown it out fearing food poisoning. At which point you probably gave it to the dog to throw up all over the rug later in the day. At least it's gone for another year, and we can move on to fresh food at least until Christmas when another round of “don't waste food” runs rampant through our houses.

In Greek mythology Andromeda was the Princess of Ethiopia, daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus.

The two stars that I seem to mention the most are Arcturus and Spica. Since I wrote about Spica last month, I thought it was time to tell you about Arcturus. You know the drill: find the Big Dipper and follow the arc of its handle to Arcturus.

By the time most of you read this you will have already found yourself elbow deep inside a cavernous turkey carcass trying to stuff it with old bread. At least that is how it used to be before people found out you could make dressing in a casserole dish much easier.

That is right. After lots of hard work and support the trip to Europe in March of 2023 is fully paid off! We can’t thank all of you enough for your help and support! Since we all know the importance of hands-on learning, we have decided to do another trip to see all of America’s great history in person.

SLV Fast Friends, in conjunction with the OptiMystics Citizens Action Network, the City of Monte Vista, Rio Grande County, and the Best Western Movie Manor entertainment complex, will bring dirt drag racing back to the San Luis Valley on June 2-4, 2023. After a three-year hiatus, traditional hot rods and race cars will once again roar down the one-eighth-mile course on the site of a historic dirt airfield to the west of US Highway 160, near the foothills of the San Juan Mountain range.

This is the year of the comet, so far, we’ve had Lemmon and Pan STARRS. Soon you’ll be able to see ISON, but for now you’ll have to settle for our “old faithful” comet Encke. It’s “old faithful” because it has the shortest orbit of any known periodic comet and appears every 3.3 years. Periodic means that it orbits the Sun in a reliable pattern like a planet.

I know some of you readers out there who are probably too young to remember the days before Al Gore invented the Internet or even the time he claimed to have done so. But believe it or not, prior to the www-everything, U.S. Mail was the primary carrier of outrageous claims and promises to your mailbox.

The holiday season is almost upon us, reminding us of the needs of all the food banks in the San Luis Valley. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, our local food banks all experience increased demand as families strive to provide their families with holiday fare.

Our Oct. 22, 2022, Make A Difference Day event was a success thanks to San Luis Valley residents, business and community support. This day is about compassion. Once again individuals came together to support two worthy causes, love for the planet and for people.

As the holiday season draws near, the needs of the Monte Vista Emergency Food Bank grow bigger. On average the food bank provides meals to 500-700 people for Thanksgiving. Christmas usually brings between 200-500 more people looking to feed their families for the holidays.

By the time you read this, the votes should have all been counted and tallied and we can, at least, watch a little bit of television without a political ad being blasted into our homes.

This time it's the Leonid Meteor Shower that runs from Nov. 6-30 and peaks on the 18th. Since the full moon was on the 8th, and the new moon will be on the 23, they should be fine.

The Monte Vista Fire Department would first and foremost like to send our sincere condolences to those who were affected by the fire that struck our community this spring. While this tragedy rocked our district to its core, our town once again came together and faced adversity head on. With the continued support of the district, community and surrounding emergency agencies, the Monte Vista Fire Protection District continues to be committed to offering the public the best service possible.