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Abe Peña's  "From the Past"  newspaper column

All material used with the kind permission of the author, given to me personally.

Published Monday, December 29, 2008 2:17 PM MST

"Ernest Michael Had a Green Thumb

Abe Peña is a local author and historian whose award winning books 'Memories of Cibola' and 'Villages and Villagers' are available at bookstores throughout New Mexico.

"Ponla en Pom Pom! Shift into compound!” yelled Ernest as the overloaded truck started loosing power going up the steep grade. I quickly pumped the clutch and shifted into compound (lowest gear) and the truck kept inching up the steep incline.

We were taking a load of well pipe to the high mesas we called Los Bancos above Ambrosio Lake, and barely made it to the top. Sometimes Ernest had a little trouble pronouncing some words, but I knew exactly what he meant when he hollered “Ponla en Pom, Pom - put it in compound!”

Ernest Michael was our neighbor in the village of San Mateo. He was the youngest son in the family of 12 of Merhage and Tameme Michael, who imigrated to the U.S. from Lebanon. Ernest passed away from heart complications on Feb. 20, 2002 at the age of 71.

His nephew Gabriel Candelaria told me recently, “I sure miss my uncle Ernest. He used to take me to the ranch when I was a boy, and he knew everything, everything,” adding, “he also knew everybody and everybody knew him.”

In a story I wrote in 1995 about his mother Taméme, I said, “Most people knew her as doña Méme. Her life revolved around her family, her vegetable garden, and the store. She was always cooking and washing, both dishes and clothes. Villagers considered her an angel.

"Her son inherited the patience and 'green thumb' of his mother and, for many years, he brought in some of the finest produce to the Farmers Market in Grants. The memory of doña Méme's garden lived on through her son.”

“Ernest married Mary Martinez, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Margarito Martinez, and they lived in the Michael family home where they raised their family of six: Diana, Andy, Colleen, Kathy, Stanley, and Faye. Mary speaks fondly of her children and fourteen grandchildren and adds, “And we have three great-grandchildren.”

Ernest had a sense of the unusual. One time, we were at a pig killing and, when the chicharones were rendering in a large cast iron pot over the fire, he saw a meat chicharone floating on top and reached in and grabbed it sinking his hand in the boiling lard to the wrist. We all let out a holler and were certain he had burned his hand. He calmly turned over the chicharone and ate it, asking, “What's all the fuss about?” His hand looked OK! My oldest daughter Ramona says, “Dad, that was a miracle.”

For many years, he was elected by the San Mateo Irrigation Association as the “Mayordomo - The water boss.” He was in charge of the management of the village water. The village has a “Tabla - Master Board” detailing the ownership and history of water and the number of hours owned by each member. He also recorded and tracked exchanges and sales of water. His wife Mary says, “He learned the Tabla by memory.”

Ernest was one of the last of the serious gardeners in the village. Change has made it easier for consumers to drive and shop in the super markets in Grants and Milan.

He was also a successful 4-H leader for many years and helped train many of the village youth in agricultural pursuits. The Michaels had a ranch and all the children learned ranching. His older brothers Albert and Junior operated a Stockman's Store in Grants for many years. I still have a pair of Tony Lama boots I purchased there in 1972.

Albert served as Mayor of Grants in the 1960s and Junior served as County Commissioner when Cibola County was split from Valencia County in the 1980s.

Ernest was a fireman with the San Mateo Fire Department since 1988. He also assisted the Forest Service fighting forest fires in the west and southwest.

In his youth, Ernest loved to eat, especially hamburgers. He got a little chubby and his brothers started calling him Wimpy after the cartoon character. In time, the chubbiness disappeared and so did the nickname.

The Michael family that came to the United States from Lebanon early in the 20th century with their oldest son Mike came in part seeking religious freedom from a Muslim-dominated Middle East. They were Catholic, and Ernest, like all his brothers before him, served as an altar boy at the San Mateo church. The historic church, regrettably, burned down in December of 2002.

Ernest was a cancer survivor and Mary told me, “They operated on his larynx and he just kept on going. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. All our children miss him a lot... and so do I.”

Yes, Mary, we all miss him. Ernest was a good man, and, like Viola says, “We are all richer for the privilege to have known him.”"