I lost my first wife of 47 years in 2018.
Married again 6 years ago, during the Covid madness. My wife and I are both good cooks, I took her on trip to NM to get the experience of Hatch Valley chili food. She came back a convert. Smile.
NM is totally in control by the insane left in Albuquerque. East NM is longing to annex itself to Texas (oil field). 1/2 of the revenue at state gov level comes from East NM Oil Industry. Western New Mexico (Silver City mines) also draws large portions of state revenue from Mining.
Sorry to hear about your first wife, but glad you found another to share your life with. My wife and I are only in our 26th year of marriage so far (come to think of it, we got married in Silver City).
I like NM-style Mexican food best too. One of these days I have to make a bunch of red enchiladas again, even if it does make the kitchen look like the aftermath of a chainsaw massacre.
I only miss New Mexico in the fall, when I used to buy a sack of green chiles and get them roasted out in front of the store.