September 15, 2016, Prescott-
How affirming it was, today
to have a know-it-all admit
to being clueless,
and to ask my help.
We solved a knotty issue
as a team.
Remember that word, which has no “I”.
Monthly Archives: September 2016
Guardian
September 14, 2016, Prescott-
Practicing defensive stances
guaranteed to put a raging child
in a place safe from harm to self and others.
Use these techniques properly,
I am told, and the child will
feel stability.
I will guard their precious souls
with my own life, if necessary.
There is a fine line, though,
between security and retaliation.
Let no one cross that line,
lest they deal with me.
“No child thrown under the bus”
has been my oath,
for years upon years.
Thanks, “Handle With Care, Inc.”
for the training today.
Different Strokes
September 13, 2016, Prescott-
Today,I heard that someone who takes issue with my facilitating style will absent herself from the Wednesday group. At work, I find it best to treat a couple of colleagues with kid gloves- and to keep my distance from one, in particular, unless it’s absolutely necessary to consult.
Not everyone is going to respond positively, to any one of us, at any given time. The best course of action, for me, has always been to keep an open mind and heart, while giving hateful people a wide berth. By “hateful”, I do NOT mean critical. God knows, I have learned much from those with differing perspectives. Those who don’t have my well-being at heart, though, are best avoided.
Sooner or later, though, the human race will learn that every person has some value. I will have more to say, on other subjects, tomorrow. Now, though, I’m tired of the struggle and will say “Goodnight, all.”
Ongoing
September 12, 2016, Prescott-
Meetings tire me,
more than the antics of children.
So, as I sat through the proceedings
in a stuffy second-floor room,
I took in all I needed,
through careful listening.
Then came afternoon.
Cool outside,
stale and debilitating, within.
My thoughts wandered
to the school district clerks,
who will occupy these rooms,
after a renovation next year.
The process is ongoing.
I had a nice time,
at a birthday party last night.
It was a good transition,
from the dark memories of
that day, fifteen years ago.
New friends, and old,
drummed, sang and ate
delectable barbecued meats
and all manner of side dishes.
Friendship and camaraderie are ongoing.
Today is my brother’s birthday.
Far off, in Atlanta, or
somewhere else on business,
he keeps setting the bar high
and setting his employees straight.
Communication is ongoing.
Souls Passed Through Him
September 11, 2016, Yarnell- I read, in this morning’s paper, about a Port Authority policeman, his experiences on September 11, 2001 and his wrenching aftermath- a life no one should have to live. He spoke of being knocked to the ground, after the second plane hit, the tower fell, and “souls passed through me.”
I believe the last part, having experienced my wife’s soul filling our bedroom, as she prepared to leave for the next life, 5 1/2 years ago. I know much of the rest: The buildings were physically hit by two airplanes; implosion devices, already in place since the towers were repaired after 1993, were triggered and brought the towers straight down; dozens of people jumped to their deaths, to avoid being immolated; there are over a thousand for whom there has never been any identification or accounting, as to their fates.
Fifteen years does not erase the horror anyone felt that day. Most, like me, watched incredulously, on television, as the engineers’ devices went off, automatically, saving tens of thousands more people from dying- as would have happened, had the buildings EXPLODED outward. Just as those who were alive during the attack on Pearl Harbor still have nightmares, on occasion; just as walking through Gettysburg, Auschwitz, Valley Forge in winter, can still give the average soul and eerie feeling, so I was off to a shaky start, just from reading a post by a friend who was in the first (1993) World Trade Center bombing.
My resolution was to go to this serene town, 25 miles southwest of Prescott, and itself the scene of one of our state’s worst nightmares, on June 30, 2013, when 19 wildland firefighters died in the Yarnell Hill Fire. I went to St. Joseph’s Mission and Retreat, and walked up the Stations of the Cross trail, revisiting another of history’s greatest horrors- the Martyrdom of Jesus the Christ. This place brings peace, because the love I feel for Christ, and for His Father, is primally soothing. As always, the walk brought me to a centered place, as I recited some Baha’i prayers, words which Jesus Himself would have given His followers, had they been ready to receive.
Terrible things will ever plague humanity, in a harsh world. Nonetheless, the Sacred Teachers are with us, and having felt Their presence, along this replica of Via Dolorosa, I am able to return to Prescott, and later, to Chino Valley- observing the birthday of a good friend.
Passages and Markers
September 10, 2016, Prescott- This was a day of gatherings and of paying attention to “urgent” messages. I have learned that the latter is usually a matter of perception. The former is how we survive and thrive, as a species.
I made my usual visit to the Prescott Farmer’s Market, buying a bit more than usual, so as to bolster the contents of my evening healthy shake. A trip over to a yard sale, organized by Baha’i friends, gave me a chance to pick up some books and other items that should capture the interest of the children in my care.
Then it was off to a memorial service for John A. Mortimer, about whom I wrote, two weeks ago. The chapel service was solemn and done with military honours. I found it touching and lovely. The gathering at our American Legion Post, afterwards, was packed, as befits his memory. One who fully lives, until the age of 96, is unlikely to be bid farewell, without fanfare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viHa7jzOUjM
John had the full send-off, and 87 or so people gave him all the love and respect he had earned.
The above was part of the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day Landing, June 6, 2014.
Today is my mother’s birthday. No one has been, and is, more of an influence as to how I have turned out as an adult than Lila Mae Kusch Boivin. She it was, who kept after me to pay attention to my surroundings, to be proactive, to not use my affliction as a crutch, to not wait for an invitation to be of help to those around me. She it was, who did everything on my behalf- from getting after a hard-edged teacher and a know-it-all school counselor, when she felt they were failing to meet my needs, to seeing that I didn’t wallow in self-pity, on any one of a dozen occasions in my adult life, not the least, when my beloved wife passed to the next plane. On all the occasions when she thought I was tuning her out, it turns out that I was actually storing all that instruction, and have put it to full use, ever since. She it is, who is behind my survival and relative success.
She wants to live on, fully, and no one is more behind her on this, than yours truly. Happy 88th, dearest Mother. (My nephew is conveying our collective sentiments, in this photo of three years ago.)
Crash Course or Coarse Crash?
September 8, 2016, Prescott- I have been contributing heavily to the classroom’s instructional day- basically running the Social Studies lesson, in a pinch. Next week, I will be in training for two days, so hopefully the others will not run out of their own ideas.
Random thoughts- Has anyone read Jerzy Kosinski’s “Being There”? It is a tale of a novice running for President, and being elected. Sound familiar? My preferred candidate asked a news analyst, “What’s Aleppo?” I am disappointed. I knew what Aleppo was, and where it was, when I was 11. This candidate needs a crash course in geography. We must not be content to “all go into the garden.”
The people who thought that another candidate would be the poster child for the resurgence of ignorance, are finding out that he senses an actual chance of winning the Presidency, and is thus refining his efforts. Whether this will work for him is anyone’s guess. Many feel that a leopard does not change its spots.
I am opposed to people acting out of ignorance. When I have so lapsed, the reaction has been swift and brutal. Take the time to enlighten yourself, before, as Abraham Lincoln once said, “opening your mouth, and removing all doubt” ,(about being thought a fool).
Once Upon A Time, In St. Cloud
September 6, 2016, Prescott-
Once upon a time, in St. Cloud, a trio of boys went on an errand.
An unsettled, angry man went on an errand of his own.
Two boys made it home that night.
So did the man,
but not before he had made sure that the third boy
would only go home to his Lord.
Once upon a time, in Boulder, a little girl looked forward
to her seventh Christmas.
Someone, still unknown to us,
had other ideas.
She now spends her Christmases, and all her days,
at the right hand of her Lord.
Once upon a time, in Salt Lake City,
a young woman was imprisoned,
in plain sight.
Sharp-eyed people noted her burden,
and freed her.
Now, she has a husband who loves her dearly.
In these days, how many remain in “prison”,
or are interred, with no clue in the public mind,
as to “whodunnit”?
RIP, Jacob Wetterling.
RIP, JonBenet Ramsey.
Elizabeth, glad you’re still among us.
On Juniper Mesa
Juniper Mesa, from George Wood Canyon
September 4, 2016, Walnut Creek, AZ- This settlement is only intermittently populated, when researchers from Arizona’s public universities, and Prescott College, show up to conduct their monitoring of the high desert’s overall health, in an area far from any permanent, sizable human community. A few ranches break the landscape and, indeed, one of those ranches, just west of Juniper Mesa’s main trailhead, is sealed off from anyone not associated with its operation.
I came out here, in mid-afternoon, to explore the sky island known as Juniper Mesa. The place was, in the 1870’s and 80’s, a military encampment, an extension of Prescott’s Fort Whipple. It was, to the cavalrymen of the time, the perfect spot for a railway station, with the route commencing in Prescott, going through Del Rio (now Chino Valley) and pushing clear to the Colorado River, at Hardyville (now Bullhead City) and, from there, to San Pedro, one of the ports serving Los Angeles. The railroad was built, but it went north, to Ash Fork, then to Seligman and Kingman, connecting with a much larger, transcontinental track, the Santa Fe.
So, Juniper Mesa has reverted to a lonesomeness. I was the only person on the trail today. Fortunately, I have come to expect that, even in areas closer to Prescott. The large pack, with an ample water supply, a first aid kit, two knives, a detailed topographic map and a sturdy flashlight, along with one of my trusty walking sticks, has been an integral part of my communes with nature. What has occasionally caused chuckles, from the smug hipsters doing lakeside botanical and entomological research in Prescott’s city parks, is, to me, a must on any hike lasting more than an hour. Besides, it wasn’t too long ago, that one of those individuals had to be rescued from Watson Lake Park, a ten-minute walk from a North Prescott business district, because she was dehydrated and delirious.
I saw fairly fresh horse-hoof prints, along the way and smelled fresh bobcat urine, trail side, closer to evening, but it was the insects and I who had the place to ourselves, from all outward seeming. Juniper Mesa could be for lovers, but so far, it is for the soloists.
I used three trails, in the course of my loop hike: Oaks and Willows; Juniper Mesa (rim) and the steep Bull Spring Trail. Oaks and Willows meets Walnut Creek Road (County Road 125), proceeds through the lush George Wood Canyon to the top of Juniper Mesa, then branches off to the northeast.
Here are some scenes of Oaks and Willows.
Broad trail, along the Oaks and Willows, Juniper Mesa
Thick scrub, George Wood Canyon, Juniper Mesa Wilderness
View across George Wood Canyon
Sign, gnawed by black bears, over several years
Heart of George Wood Canyon, Juniper Mesa Wilderness
Once atop the mesa, I basically followed Juniper Mesa Rim Trail, though finding it rather sparse, in several places. Horse trails, though, are easy to identify by their indentation into the ground.
Alligator Juniper, top of Juniper Mesa. I almost see a parrot’s face, in the branch stump.
Bear image, small sandstone, Juniper Mesa Rim Trail
Bears are reported to be common here, but I saw no sign of them- not even old scat. They are probably further north, or in areas more sheltered from the lightning that hits Juniper Mesa frequently, during the monsoon season, that is in hiatus for several days.
Lightning-struck tree, Juniper Mesa Rim Trail
Lightning-struck piece of limestone, and heart rock, Juniper Mesa Rim Trail
The rock above was given a fierce countenance, by a recent lightning strike.
Cairn, Juniper Mesa Rim Trail
Large cairns mark Juniper Mesa Rim Trail, at several points, especially after Oaks and Willows Trail branches off to the north. A half-mile further east, I bid farewell to the benign rout along the rim, and began the descent, on steep Bull Springs Trail.
View of Walnut Creek settlement and the Santa Maria Range, from Bull Spring Trail
Hazy view of Walnut Creek settlement, from Bull Spring Trail
Limestone cliff, east end of Juniper Mesa
The cliffs seen above, and in the next photo, were redoubts for Yavapai and Hualapai warriors, who resisted the U.S. Cavalry in the 1870’s.
Limestone cliffs, east end of Juniper Mesa
After climbing down from the mesa top, I followed Bull Spring Trail, into the darkness. Although it was along this trail, that I smelled the bobcat’s markings, the animal itself stayed out of sight, and only small insects, attracted by the flashlight’s beam, showed me any interest. It took careful attention for me to find the last trail sign, returning to the nub of Oaks and Willows Trail that led me to the car, but I enjoyed a very deep sleep tonight- far from Juniper Mesa.
This is one of several places, in the middle of Arizona’s “nowhere”, that have been on my hiker’s list, in the wake of having completed Prescott Circle. Stay tuned for others.
Labour Day Saturday
September 3, 2016, Prescott- How does one go about a fine day, with a cash shortage until Wednesday? Well, I made sure there was plenty of food in the house, with a brief visit to the wonderful Prescott Farmers’ Market. A long-standing pile of recycling was divvied-up, among its various recipients. A large pile of laundry found cleanliness. I also paid off overdue bills from summer, the last period I will ever be without a steady flow of cash. Of course, there will be a short few days of adjustment, as different ones present their charges, between now and the 7th. That means one more windfall for the bank, but no matter- it’ll be the last such one. I will tell them not to spend it all in one place. After the 7th of September, all’s well again.
My word is the most important thing. I will go to the greatest of lengths to keep a promise. That has meant other forms of deprivation, (social and with regard to time). It all pays off in the end, when others keep their word to me. I have, in any case, resolved to never again repeat the reneging on a promise, such as we had to execute in March, 2010. Six months from this coming Saturday, my atonement from that broken promise will be complete.
Tonight found me at Planet Fitness, with a nearly empty exercise area. It’s helping greatly; the belly that was getting ample over the summer is again shrinking steadily. Of course, my return to regular hiking will also keep things in check, as will a renewed sense of portion control and no longer giving in to others pushing desserts on me, so that they themselves don’t feel guilty about indulging. We could all do better, in that regard.
Tomorrow, I will enjoy two gatherings with friends, but then will come a climb up Juniper Mesa, and my first night hike in a couple of years.
A Sagittarian Seeker 