Madgardener said:

I need to know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is like. Climate. Cost of
living. Cost of houses. Sizes of yards. Restrictions. Crime. What zone it's
considered. A good site that is idiot proof that might take me to these
questions. What groceries average. This is extremely important to me and
before ya'll tell me to go to a website. ..... the ones I've found are
extensive, it takes forever to download these sites of some of them (I have
dial up connection and I need a dead ringer site that would be simple with
answers to these questions) unless there is someone out there in the
newsgroup that can answer me because they live there.................
madgardener serious about these inquiries (don't ask, just help me, please)

A lot of numbers available through Yahoo! Real estate (including crime, income, and
climate information):

http://list.realestate.yahoo.com/re/...buquerque%2CNM

Housing prices look like an incredible bargain compared to where I live...
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 18:51:11 -0400, "Madgardener"
wrote:

I need to know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is like. Climate. Cost of
living. Cost of houses. Sizes of yards. Restrictions. Crime. What zone it's
considered. A good site that is idiot proof that might take me to these
questions. What groceries average. This is extremely important to me and
before ya'll tell me to go to a website. ..... the ones I've found are
extensive, it takes forever to download these sites of some of them (I have
dial up connection and I need a dead ringer site that would be simple with
answers to these questions) unless there is someone out there in the
newsgroup that can answer me because they live there.................
madgardener serious about these inquiries (don't ask, just help me, please)

Don't live in, but grew up in Albuq. Would love to go back. You might
try the Albuq. Tribune web site (http://www.abqtrib.com/) for a
snapshot of local life. The last time I looked at employment
opportunities there, the wages offered indicated a low cost of living
(or teachers would be starving in the streets!)

The climate is high desert (5,000 ft) with minimal rain and very
little humidity. Add Albuq. to your Wonderground.com 'favorites' and
check the weather. While it's hot in summer, temperatures cool 30
degrees at night, which makes it more than bearable. Plus, no humidity
means that perspiration does the job it's designed for and shade
*means* something. It snows occasionally in winter. The mountains are
gorgeous. The sky is bluer there than anywhere. Great Mexican food, as
you can imagine, but Albuq. is a big city, not a rustic backwater.
According to their site (www.unm.edu), the University of New Mexico
entertains close to 25,000 students. There's a lot of Hispanic/Indian
influence on architecture, language, and culture. Gardening will be
*very* different. I remember the main gardening chore being
*watering*. Everything that isn't sprinkled or irrigated dries up and
blows away. (See the film 'The Milagro Beanfield War', which is set
somewhat to the north, and shows a *lot* of that blue sky!)

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 09:32:54 GMT, "Shell91"
wrote:

Albuquerque is a pretty nice place. You can get some snow in the winter and
it can get pretty hot in the summer. Lots of sun. I lived in New Mexico
(Cloudcroft) for a few years. While I lived about 200 miles south of
Albuquerque I was at an elevation just a bit higher so we got more snow.
Albuquerque is sort of in the foothills of the Sandia mountains. The north
side of town is in the hills more than the south side which is more deserty.

Don't forget the Rio Grand -- "too thick to drink; to thin to plow".
Actually, the Sandias are to the east and the river to the west.
Except the city has crept up the foothills and over the river.

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 06:03:50 -0500, (Pat
Kiewicz) wrote:

Housing prices look like an incredible bargain compared to where I live...
--
and NM actually incourages building strawbale houses!!!!!







"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets,
but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how.
To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet;
one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules,
any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree--and there will be one"

Aldo Leopold

Madgardener wrote:

I need to know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is like. Climate. Cost of
living. Cost of houses. Sizes of yards. Restrictions. Crime. What zone it's
considered. A good site that is idiot proof that might take me to these
questions. What groceries average. This is extremely important to me and
before ya'll tell me to go to a website. ..... the ones I've found are
extensive, it takes forever to download these sites of some of them (I have
dial up connection and I need a dead ringer site that would be simple with
answers to these questions) unless there is someone out there in the
newsgroup that can answer me because they live there.................
madgardener serious about these inquiries (don't ask, just help me, please)

Hi Mad - I'm in an area similar to yours (Central VA, zone 7). My
brother and cousin have both moved to Albuquerque recently, one for
school and the other for career reasons. They both liked it, were able
to find real estate cheaper than around here (but where isn't it cheaper
than Albemarle County!!!!), but they did find the landscape hard to get
used to. As you know, we have the Blue Ridge mountains and abundant
greenery, and it's a little dry and shrubby for their liking. But the
culture is great, the artists' communities are great, the skiing is
phenomenal, my cousin's kids love it, etc, etc etc. You will find it
quite different from Tennessee, though, so if you can't imagine living
anywhere else....

On the other hand, it would be another reason for me to get my *ss in
gear and get down to Albuquerque for a visit. g

Callen in VA

Madgardener wrote:
I need to know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is like. Climate. Cost of
living. Cost of houses. Sizes of yards. Restrictions. Crime. What
zone it's considered. A good site that is idiot proof that might take
me to these questions. What groceries average. This is extremely
important to me and before ya'll tell me to go to a website. .....
the ones I've found are extensive, it takes forever to download these
sites of some of them (I have dial up connection and I need a dead
ringer site that would be simple with answers to these questions)
unless there is someone out there in the newsgroup that can answer me
because they live there................. madgardener serious about
these inquiries (don't ask, just help me, please)

Since you know all about the four-year drought that finally broke in the
Mid-Atlantic region, I'll tell you a little story.

We had a friend who moved from Central Va. to Sante Fe last year. Not far
from Albuquerque, not sure of the distance. She moved from one bad drought
to an even worse one, according to her. Water restrictions and all.

Since you are the 'Madgardener', you might want to really consider that part
of the equation.

Whatever you decide, I wish you the best.

I have 13 cousins living there. Went there for conference and met them then came
back with my mother and DH to visit the cousins ... in July. Yes, it was hot.
BUT....
they got enough water unlike Santa Fe.
I dont think I have ever seen a more beautiful campus than the U of NM. The
buildings and the landscaping.
Since they do have winter, I think almost anything you have could grow there. The
key is having water features in adobe walled gardens. Ups the humidity. But I would
want to live up in the Sandias if I had a choice.
Consider that it might not be forever either. I dont think I could move from
Milwaukee area. Mostly cause most of my family and friends are here.
I know you are considering Squire's feelings, but consider how happy he is going to
be if you are really miserable. So make a deal for two years and if you cant take
it, then maybe move back to the woodlands. Ingrid


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

I've never been there, but one thing I know about the whole state of N.M., they
now have one of the best anti-light pollution laws on the books now. State is
very PRO Astronomy.



--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
Freelance Writers Shop
http://www.freelancewrittersshop.netfirms.com
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
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http://adworld.netfirms.com

"Madgardener" wrote in message
...
thank you Cereoid. I also called Zhan and she gave me a huge imput
concerning this subject. (I filled in way more details with her and she's my
beloved Zennie and I treasure her opinions) I will have to deal with all
this and give Squire an answer in the next 24 hours..............yes, 24
hours. I might not be living in the foothills of the Smokies for much
longer despite my having felt as if I'd found my other home. ahhh well, I
will keep ya'll posted if yer interested. I won't bother people with the
details, only if and when this happens. If it does, it was meant to be. If
it doesn't, I won't bother ya'll with it further. Thanks for your kindness
as well.

madgardener slipping back into the bushes now to quell the rising panic of a
50 year old woman possibly facing yet another cross country move with six
cats, two dogs, and various houseplants and whatnot and whatever bulbs can
take the climate if this happens. (we won't talk about all the woodland
plants I have around here. They'd go to whomeverI see fit to pass on to if
it happens. I would never leave it behind for someone to destroy.)
"Cereoid-UR12-" wrote in message
om...
I have been to Albuquerque only once and loved the place. Its a college
town
and a very friendly place. It does get cold there in winter but its much
dryer that its equivalent zone further east.

I would suggest you do a google search to find out all you want to know
about Albuquerque. There is no way you are going to find all the answers
to
the kind of questions you are asking on a single website.


Madgardener wrote in message
...
I need to know what Albuquerque, New Mexico is like. Climate. Cost of
living. Cost of houses. Sizes of yards. Restrictions. Crime. What zone
it's
considered. A good site that is idiot proof that might take me to these
questions. What groceries average. This is extremely important to me
and
before ya'll tell me to go to a website. ..... the ones I've found are
extensive, it takes forever to download these sites of some of them (I
have
dial up connection and I need a dead ringer site that would be simple
with
answers to these questions) unless there is someone out there in the
newsgroup that can answer me because they live there.................
madgardener serious about these inquiries (don't ask, just help me,
please)








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thanks Bill for the supportive words. I will keep my gardening friends
abreast of the situations when they become clearer. madgardener

"Bill" wrote in message
...
Your reluctance is easy to understand Maddie. You've been there eleven
years and you've sunk deep roots. Uprooting them is going to hurt. On
the other hand, if you go, you get to put down new roots when pot
bound, root prune and get a bigger pot , try out xeriscaping and put
that Western Sunset Garden Book to use.

Good Luck in either case,

Bill

Mad: I've never liked moving & now that I own a house it's nice to believe
I'll never again have to, & yet I do sometimes fantasize moving to a
property big enough for me to start a collection of beech trees, beech
trees all over the place, a whole forest of fancy-ass cultivars in all
colors, a garden of TREES, ooo, ooo, let's sell our place right now & move
to the middle of nowhere!

My partner sometimes talks about moving us to Idaho because she has family
there, & we go there a lot. I find it is a lot less horrible to imagine
having to leave here if I think about the sorts of things I could grow.
There's much that grows here that I love that I'd have to give up because
they'd be doomed in Idaho winters, but I would greatly look forward to
collecting ladyslipper terrestrial orchids that I can't grow here because
our winters are too mild for them to have their cold period, but would do
great in an Idaho garden. I wonder if making a list of stuff ideal for
southwest climates & picturing a future garden in your mind wouldn't take
the awful edge off the upset of having to make such a major change.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

awww honey. You're too sweet! So you live in the beautiful Blue Ridge
Mountain area. I love that section of the country too. Went thru it when
going up to DC to pick up Squire one year a few times and the drive thru the
"Ridge" was breath taking. The valleys that lay between those ridges was
inspiring to me........this is one of the hardest things I've had to decide
since having to come to terms with moving HERE believe it or not. Everyone
is supportative of whatever I decide. There are huge obstacles in the way,
of which selling this house is one......we're having serious problems with
the IRS again and I'm almost on the edge of sheer panic attacks regarding
THAT, and just leaving a place where I've more than put roots down is hard.
I finally got both my son's in the same area.........something that some
would question. I am a very family type person and when my youngest was in
Louisiana for those 7 years, and unable to visit like he wanted to and we
were denied visits by his wife to see our grand daughters, it was hard on me
then. I finally got him up here when he settled his marriage problems and
divorced. He's now back in Tennessee, we moved the oldest son back from
Iowa, and despite that he's currently living with us temporarily until he
gets on his feet, just having both my son's closer is a comfort to me.

Not to mention that I've settled here comfortably despite that I "garden on
a steep slope" and may never clear the woods adequately.

On the UP side. I have in pots all over the place and have had for years,
cactus and succulents that I've always adored. I have one Cereus cactus
that resides in a pot that it and the pot weigh close to 200 pounds. It
would finally be "home" were we to relocate, as the other prickly babies I
have would love as well. Leaving the massive amounts of plants would be
hard, but hardest of all would be having to leave the plants that I am
endeared to. The dragon lilies. (The blue Enigma might make it there, not
sure) The Frakartii asters I adore and love. The various assorted shrubs
that bloom for me, and my hellebores. If I were to make a list of things I
just COULDN'T leave behind it would have about 25 or 40 plants on the list,
within reason. But if Squire did apply for the job and got it, it would be
a no brainer.

Another pull at my heart is WNCW that I listen to 24-7. But it's online so
that wouldn't be a problem g my music is as much a part of me as my blood
and mind.

I guess with this huge windfall blowing in, the crap with the IRS lately and
this morning, the possibility of the mortgage lender embezzling the $13,000
that was supposed to go to the IRS for the Offer in Compromise........well
that's enough for now. I have a huge plateful of problems that need
resolving. Thanks for your kindness and comforting words. I will keep you
abreast of the situation as it resolves itself.
madgardener up on the ridge, back in fairy holler, where the fall rains have
moved in and the air smells like damp leaves overlooking English Mountain in
Eastern Tennessee, zone 7, Sunset zone 36
"Callen Molenda" wrote in message
...
Hi Mad - I'm in an area similar to yours (Central VA, zone 7). My
brother and cousin have both moved to Albuquerque recently, one for
school and the other for career reasons. They both liked it, were able
to find real estate cheaper than around here (but where isn't it cheaper
than Albemarle County!!!!), but they did find the landscape hard to get
used to. As you know, we have the Blue Ridge mountains and abundant
greenery, and it's a little dry and shrubby for their liking. But the
culture is great, the artists' communities are great, the skiing is
phenomenal, my cousin's kids love it, etc, etc etc. You will find it
quite different from Tennessee, though, so if you can't imagine living
anywhere else....

On the other hand, it would be another reason for me to get my *ss in
gear and get down to Albuquerque for a visit. g

Callen in VA

The message
from "Madgardener" contains these words:

no, I didn't think anyone would ask, it's kinda a shock to me at the moment.
Squire came home from the trucking school today and handed me this print out
from TVI that read as if it were his resume. If I give him the word, he'll
apply for this position

Okay, well stop there and calm down a bit; you've got MUCH MORE than
24 hours to make a decision.

Is it likely he's the *only* well qualified applicant?. I don't know
how jobs are going in the USA, but in the UK adverts often attract
hundreds of applicants. They won't all be suitable but they all have to
be looked at. Sorting the wheat from the chaff, arranging interviews,
shortlisting and final decision, takes several weeks minimum. Even when
a verbal offer goes out to the chosen applicant, sorting out the details
of the contract can take another week or two. Even then, nothing is cut
and dried till both sides sign the contract. Sometimes, after taking a
look round, meeting the people, or whatever, successful applicants
withdraw.

All you need say now is "Go ahead and apply, but let's not make the
final decision yet".You've got plenty of time to talk to him, think it
over, research it, buy a sub to local newspapers, go look at the place
together (if he goes for interview) etc. Then trust that your long close
bond will almost certainly help you both make the same choice.

HTH

Janet

I believe it's the home of SETI as well as being a very underpopulated state.
There are vast regions in NM with not a soul. The whole state has one area code
for the phone system.

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 09:12:25 -0700, "Starlord" opined:

I've never been there, but one thing I know about the whole state of N.M., they
now have one of the best anti-light pollution laws on the books now. State is
very PRO Astronomy.

Perhaps it would be better to say that New Mexico is a state with a lot of
soul and wide open spaces. There just are not that many people there to
screw things up.

Now if you want a state that is soulless.....try New Jersey, especially
Atlantic City!!! HeHe!


animaux wrote in message
news
I believe it's the home of SETI as well as being a very underpopulated
state.
There are vast regions in NM with not a soul. The whole state has one
area code
for the phone system.

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 09:12:25 -0700, "Starlord"
opined:

I've never been there, but one thing I know about the whole state of
N.M., they
now have one of the best anti-light pollution laws on the books now.
State is
very PRO Astronomy.

On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 22:51:01 GMT, "Cereoid-UR12-"
wrote:

Perhaps it would be better to say that New Mexico is a state with a lot of
soul and wide open spaces.

Sure you're not talking about "The Dixie Chicks" from Texas and their
major debut album?

There just are not that many people there to
screw things up.

Now if you want a state that is soulless.....try New Jersey, especially
Atlantic City!!! HeHe!

Good luck with the decision about NM Marilyn. What do Rose, Sugar and
the cat(s) (can't remember names) think about the possible move?? You
gotta talk to all the interested parties ...........

(;-))

Very best wishes
Geoff