I stopped to fuel up in Carrizozo and the wind was already so bad it blew my glasses off.  Not a great start to the day.   As I drove north to the first property near Corona, my mood brightened.  I purposely played some 70’s rock, which always makes me feel good.  You can’t help but sing along with Stevie Nicks, or tap the steering wheel along with Bob Seger’s Night Moves.  I marveled at the antelope with their new babies, surviving through such harsh conditions.  

Pauline Thomas was born in Torrance County, NM- two years after statehood.  The family still owns portions of the land her father homesteaded in 1909.  They grew dry land pinto beans and ran cattle.  In the 50’s during the drought, they sold the Hereford cattle and bought Holsteins for a dairy farm. Grandma Thomas lived through wars, years of drought and was widowed at 59.  She continued to ranch and take care of the land well into her 80’s.