One of Our 50 Is Missing: March 2022

All Over the Map

One evening, Santa Fe resident Loretta Martinez was watching Wheel of Fortune when a contestant won a trip to Arizona. As the winner celebrated her prize, the announcer told the audience about the upcoming itinerary, which would include a visit to Santa Fe. Martinez wondered if the City Different had changed states without telling her.

Failure to Launch

Patty Kearney of Truth or Consequences signed up for a Zoom event organized by a group based in Philadelphia. When it began, she clicked on the link, only to find a list of international phone numbers for dialing in and no video option. She emailed the organizer to explain that she lived in the United States, and was granted domestic access. Our state remained missing on the event’s list, but she missed only 15 minutes of the program.

International Food Aisle

Former New Mexican Sharon Cooper was grocery shopping one day in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Bringing her haul to the checkout counter, she told the clerk that, having been born in New Mexico, she appreciated a good avocado. The employee cheerily replied, “So how long have you lived in the U.S.?”

Just in Case

Last year, Allie-Sue Gottwald of Las Cruces received a Christmas card in the mail. Scrutinizing the envelope before she opened it, she was surprised to see that the sender had covered all the bases: It sported both a Houston postmark and an international U.S. postage stamp.