Its the Law: Avoiding Probate
By Ray O. Sage, Attorney at Law, For Southwest Senior

Secretary: Mr. Sage, Mrs. Jones is here for her appointment.

Sage: Send her in. Hello, Mrs. Jones. How are you?

Jones: Well, not so good, Mr. Sage.

Sage: Nothing serious, I hope. How can I help you?

Jones: I've heard so many bad things about probate. How can I avoid it?

Sage: Is your husband still living?

Jones: We're divorced.

Sage: Do you own your home?

Jones: Yes, I do and it's paid for, thank goodness.

Sage: Do you have children?

Jones: Yes, I have a grown daughter and a grown son.

Sage: Who do you want to have your property after you die?

Jones: Just my daughter and my son. I don't have anyone else.

Sage: No grandchildren?

Jones: No, not yet. Read more...

Help! Something has bored a hole into our agave plant and leaves are stopping to drop off. Can our plant be saved?
- Pat

Oh, no – sounds like a question for local gardening expect Jackye Meinecke of Enchanted Gardens. Here’s what Jackye has to say about this dire situation:

There is a beetle that bores into agaves and yuccas and lays its eggs. The larvae then hatch and dine on the agave as they progress in their lives to becoming beetles. This often kills the host plant. If the plant has been attacked, there is little that can be done. Prevention is possible. In the past, we used diazinon (the insecticide for grubs). Diazinon has been taken off the market. There are new products for exterminating grubs, but I don't know if they also work on the beetles and larvae that attack our agaves.

Sorry, Pat. It doesn’t sound like good news for your agave.

Do I need to worry about rattlesnakes being around this time of year? I thought all the reptiles would be hibernating, but the other day I saw a lizard scurrying away and started wondering if the snakes would be out on a nice day, too.
- Cheryl

Yes, this is my own question! My dogs and I walk in the desert almost every day and I’ve let my guard down about rattlesnakes lately. I’ve only seen one rattlesnake while on a walk, and he was sadly deceased after a heavy rain, but should I be looking for snakes now?

I asked Chris Newsom, the naturalist at the Las Cruces Museum of Natural History to give us some guidance about snakes. Chris says that this time of year snakes have gone over to their den sites, where they are not actually hibernating but in a state called “brumation.” The difference is that with brumation the sleep is not as deep and that if it is warm enough, they will come out to bask on the rocks near their den. Since brumation is a torpor induced by cool temperatures, a warm day will rouse them. Chris shared a personal winter snake encounter, saying “In February of 2005, I was out at a den site north of town and encountered 17 individual animals – Western Diamondback rattlesnakes. The high of the day, as I remember, was about 56 degrees. They were coiled up and basking within about five feet of their den site.” 

So the answer is, the warmer the winter day, the higher the chance of finding a snake enjoying the weather just like you.