Yesterday while coming back from an Albuquerque eastside visit I looked far across the horizon to see Mt. Taylor and the San Mateo Mountains covered with snow. It is a distance of about 80 miles but the snow covered peaks really stood out against the beautiful blue sky. Mt. Taylor is about 11,300 feet nowadays. Once, before a volcanic  eruption reduced it’s size, estimates are that is was from 16,000 to 25,000 feet in elevation. The lava and volcanic debris is spread out across a big area south of the mountain and extending south of Interstate 40 for many miles. A lot of folks don’t realize that Mt. Taylor is a scared mountain to the Navajo, the Acoma, the Hopi, the Laguna and the Zuni people. It is a beautiful sight to behold, especially when snow covered….

It has been two years since the passing of our youngest daughter, Phyllis Jo Gregory,  and we still miss her so much. Words cannot express the emptiness inside  of each of us. The words of the Susan Boyle song, “Arms Of The Angel” express some of how we feel.

It may be the Congress of The United States or it may be the President of The United States and it may be both and it may be some other stuff, but what ever it is should immediately be fixed. 800,000 folks not getting a pay check when they have bills to pay and children to feed. I say to both of you or to anyone else involved……GET OFF YOU LAZY ASS AND GET THIS FIXED….It is shameful that Americans have to suffer because of you high paid ass holes sitting on you rear end while so many of your fellow Americans suffer. What is wrong with you people. Your belly is full, your bills are being paid, your bank account is in good shape and I’m thinking that what “goes around, comes around” and I feel like your day is coming…..That’s all I got to say about that…

Did you ever wonder just what a working corral on a New Mexico Ranch looks like. Well, this one is idle today but come round up time it will be pretty busy with a bunch of real cowboys. There is not a lot of water, except for the tank in the center, but there is a wind mill to the right side of the corral.  (Can you imagine anyone walking across this country for miles and miles, especially with a family….No, I can’t either.)

This is a picture of the border crossing facilities at Antelope Wells, NM where little 7 year old Jakalin Caal Maquin and her family came to when turning themselves over to our Border Patrol. There is another building close by that is a little more accommodating and modern than what you see here.  No medical facilities, no doctors, no treatment centers, four (4) agents work this place working 8 day shifts because of the long distance to their homes. Lordsburg, NM is about 90 miles north and has limited medical and about the same to Deming, a little larger that Lordsburg but also with limited medical facilities. There is a small hospital there but serious cases are flown to El Paso or Albuquerque for treatment. There are some small communities on the roads thru there but no treatment for any ailments of any kind. So any families arriving at Antelope Wells from the south walking and turning themselves in would be processed at the above station. This is where the little girl and her family arrived after their march across the barren  desert of Mexico and expecting to get help. I am so sorry there was no  facilities there to help her but I’m not sure if there had been that she could have been saved, since the doctors were at least an hour or better away from there. Putting the blame of her death on the shoulders of the Border Patrol is a terrible thing to do. They had nothing to work with and certainly they were not expecting visitors with a sick little girl to be coming into their station. But, somehow, all the liberals are blaming the present Administration as the culprit in her death…..I don’t have all the facts either, however, I have enough to know that all of us should be very slow to place blame on any American in this tragedy.

UPDATE: The democrats said today after Trump’s speech that the border was sufficiently guarded at the ports of entries where the migrants were seeking asylum and were well able to handle the job. Evidently they missed my postings on hesterbooks.com. Four agents to handle 150 migrants that showed up last week…..The democrats may not even read the newspapers…If Trump would tweet that info they sure see it…

Losing a child is almost unbearable. Those of us that have been there can really understand just how devastating it can be. So, the reports from down along the border, especially at Lordsburg, NM yesterday, I could not help but note that the present adminstation and border patrol agency at taking the full frontal blow from newly elected Congresswoman Torres-Small….She is reported to have said that the “death of Jakelin Caal Maquin is a tragedy. The administration failed to plan for and provide the resources we need on our border to keep children and families safe.” The death of the little 7 year old girl is certainly a tragedy and we all can understand that statement and we hurt for the family. However, is there no culpability for the father of the girl for taking her across the baren waste land deserts of northern Mexico, an area where there is no water for miles and miles, and expect her little body to survive so brutal a journey? I fault the father a lot more than I do any of the Border Patrol agents…..Maybe the Border Patrol could have done more, I don’t know. As far as I know, providing resources to illlegal immigrants trying to cross our southern borders illegally is not in the job description of the Border Patrol.

From Pete Hester’s Facebook Page….12/18/18

I am one of those people who dream every night. Some of those dreams I can remember with clarity of details. Others are so hit and miss I cannot remember any of it or maybe being in a house or situation or job, recalling only bits and pieces of the dream. I don’t know why that is. The ones I do remember I usually come wide awake very fast and recount the dream in my mind and I think that helps me remember it, especially if it was dreamed around my time to get up. Most all of the dreams are in my old work places, with the people that I used to work with or kinfolks. I don’t dream of retirement, pretty girls, life on a south seas island, or other exciting times or interesting stuff….Like, I’m never flying a plane or sailing a ship or driving a race car in a race, deep sea diving, lounging by the pool….none of those things. If I am around something like that I am usually a bystander on the outside looking in…I guess that figures….There must be a reason for all that sideline stuff and you know what…I’m kind of glad that I’m not center stage in a lot of those dreams….I reckon you have to live it to ever dream it. I’m just a dull old retired working guy, no exciting dreams there…..Is there?

The topic of UFO’s have created many movies, books, TV series, etc. and most people have their own ideas about them. I’m thinking they are real although I have never seen one or even something that I wondered about. It just seems to me that with all of the planets, stars and heavenly bodies out there, surely there is another place that can be inhabited by some type life. I would also think they  are ruled by the same God that we are, with the same rules. The other thing that comes to mind is, where is Satan? Is he out there with his angels? Or creatures? I wonder about those creatures talked about in Revelations and wonder if they are real and working for Satan. Well, I don’t know the answer to those questions and I don’t think that you do either. But this is a good time to express yourself for others to contemplate your ideas on the subject…..Let me hear from you.

I missed posting on Thanksgiving this year, 2018, but I would like to say that I hope you all had a very nice Thanksgiving week and that all of you are well. One of the things that we all are thankful for is our health. I’m praying that we will all have good health until the next Thanksgiving Day and beyond.

Next week we will be on to something else but one thing these picks did accomplish was to keep me on my toes and digging into the football clubs around our colleges this year. It was fun, but I’m ready to move on…Here are the last of the picks:

Alabama vs Auburn….It is always a tough battle, but this year I feel like Bama will let them have it pretty good…Bama wins big…They did….W

Arizona vs Arizona State…Another big battle and it will be close, but Arizona State wins….they did   W

Wisconsin vs Minnesota….Could be another big battle and close also, but Wisconsin wins…..They did not….L

Texas Tech vs Baylor…tough year for Tech, but they should win this one…Texas Tech Wins…oops….L

New Mexico vs Wyoming….Seems like the Lobos have nothing left…Wyoming wins…They did….W

NMSU vs Liberty….at Liberty and Liberty wins…and they did   W

I’m choosing the Texas A&M vs LSU game for this slot, usually for an upset….A & M is slightly favored….I’m going with A & M for the win…and they did    W

This week  5 W – 2 L     Season  55 W – 31 L    Not bad, but I had predictable teams to pick from….That helped…ok, on to other topics…