Clear As Mud

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 5, 2017 in children, Hiking and Nature, Service Activities, Social

March 4, 2017, Camp Verde- One of the features of Arizona life, that escapes many visitors, is the seasonal vitality of our rivers. After taking part in a Red Cross service activity, I headed to Clear Creek Day Use Area, which offers access to the West Clear Creek, as it heads southeast, towards its eventual confluence with the Verde River. As you will see, the creek’s name, this time of year, is a misnomer.

There was a party of above 18 people, including two small children, preparing to raft West Clear, as I arrived for a short hike along its west bank. All were well-suited up for the experience, and I wished them safe passage. Below, are several things that awaited them.

Of course, there was plenty of open water, behind this particular tree; but you get the picture.

One of the attractions here, in calmer weather, is the jump-off point.

Some people just figure, in the dryness of September and October, that it’s no big deal to leave a memento of industrialism. More’s the pity.

Once back on drier terrain, I made note of the footbridge, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, way back in 1940.

There was still some energy left in me, so, despite it being the period of the Baha’i Fast, I took in a short segment of Copper Canyon Trail. The last time, I walked the north segment, which leads to I-17. This time, I headed southward and up a small mesa. It is not an especially spectacular trail, but it’s nature and I practically had the place to myself. An old cowboy, passing by, made note of my Red Cross t-shirt and remarked as how such charities are in debt, before going his way. While that may have been true, at one point, I’m not so sure that our donors put up with such, anymore.

Anyway, here are a few scenes, which a couple of herds of cattle and I shared, along the trail. There wasn’t much water in Copper Creek, but it was clear.

It wasn’t long, before I headed up the two switchbacks which led to the mesa top. There are, actually, about five such mesas, rising up out of Copper Canyon. The scene in the near distance, is Clear Creek Village, just south of Camp Verde.

It is possible for the discerning eye to see traffic, headed northbound, on I-17.

Despite the winter’s continued scenes of bareness, the promise of Spring is evident, in these wild dandelions.

So, there goes a very full day, spent with our beautiful eastern neighbour, the Verde Valley.

Sixty-Six for Sixty Six, Part XII: Healing

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 3, 2017 in children, Inspiration, Personal Values, Poetry, Social

March 3, 2017, Prescott-

Some kids asked for Beatles music

In particular, “All You Need Is Love”

Teacher put on Scottish folk tunes,

and bagpipery, instead.

The focus was on painting Tartans,

on sheets of felt.

Emotional healing is the hardest,

because the medicine is so fleeting.

Painting, music and dance

are the remedies she has chosen

for our charges.

Some resist, because the pain

is just too deep.

For me, there is also

the element of fasting.

I kept it simple,

explaining that I simply

don’t eat lunch,

until after Spring Break.

It is a far less onerous

mental task,

now,

then back in the days

when I needed to cast off

my consuming ego.

Most folks, though,

find healing begins

when they are seen and heard.

Sixty-Six for Sixty Six, Part XI: Purification

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on March 2, 2017 in children, Family, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 2, 2017, Prescott-

A handsome, smug man, in his twenties, happens upon a lovely woman, about his age, tries to get a date with her, and is rebuffed. He stalks her, online, and screen-shoots photos she has posted on her social media. He finds that, instead of going on a date with him, she went to a rave, at a converted factory. Incensed, (no pun intended), he goes to the very next rave, finds her, and drops an incendiary device near where she is standing. He has carefully jammed the nearest exit shut, the device goes off, and 39 people die, in the ensuing blaze. The woman he wants survives, but is burned over 30 % of her body, and is blinded.

This was the gist of a three-part episode of Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” quadrilogy, which aired Wednesday evening. It hit hard at me, for several reasons:

I have had a family member, by the grace of God, survive severe burns and go on to live a full life. I could not imagine life without that family member.
There was a time in my life, about seven years, when I was rebuffed by women, primarily because of my own awkwardness and quirky behaviour, not because of any particular flaw on their part. I never harboured any desire for revenge against any of them, figuring we would each find our own special soul. I did, and had thirty good years with her. One of the women, I know for certain, also did and has had nearly 47 wonderful years, with a very good man. I’m willing to bet that a good many others have had fine relationships. I’m glad we’ve all moved on, in peace.
I maintain that the worst human loss is that of a parent losing a child. Thirty nine couples lost a child, in the triptych mentioned above. My in-laws lost their daughter, nearly six years ago. My mother lost a son, many years ago. Some good friends have lost children, over the years.
I know children, still of formative age, who show serious signs of heading in a sociopathic, or at least misanthropic, direction. Good people, professionals, are doing all they can to head such a fate off, at the pass, in a manner of speaking. Yet, we can’t save everyone.

This is the season when we Baha’is conduct a Fast, of nineteen days’ duration. There is a physical component: Able-bodied people, between the ages of 15-70, take no food or drink, between sunrise and sunset, during those nineteen days. The more important spiritual component gives rise to examinations of self. It is all about purification, as the season of Lent, which coincides with our Fast this year, does for Christians, when conducted at its best. The self-examination aspect is what led me to share the above observations.

Sixty-Six for Sixty Six, Part VII: Sudden and Sodden

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 20, 2017 in children, Hiking and Nature, Social

February 20, 2017, Anthem- The sight that greeted me, as I headed towards the spot where I heard a small child screaming, was not an alien arachnid, but the upended root system of a dead mesquite.

The child, likewise, was fine. He was just being willful and demanding- and mom had everything under control. This mini-outburst was off to the side of the Anthem segment of the Maricopa Trail.

I was driving back from a lengthy, and rather testy, medical appointment this morning . (I am fine, and the less said, the better), when I happened upon the Anthem Trailhead. This was another confirmation of the dictum that one creates one’s own reality. I had been curious, as to the condition of the Sonoran Desert, after this weekend’s copious rain. I was also curious, as to the terrain on the Maricopa Trail, between I-17 and Anthem. The gooey, but flat, hike I took, early this afternoon, answered both questions.

As you can see above, there are a fair number of boulders strewn along this alluvial landscape, and it is entirely within settled horse country.

There are episodic pools, along the way, one of which gave me a smile. The main water body here, Skunk Creek, was bone dry. There were no little white and black critters, either, but the tracks and scent of javelina were much in evidence.

I came to this underpass, at the off-ramp from I-17, and spotted the continuation of Maricopa Trail, which would have taken me to its junction with Black Canyon Trail, another 1/8 mile to the west.. So, in essence, I have hiked, in segments, from Mayer to Anthem, over the past 1 1/2 years. My main interest in the Maricopa Trail lies in its mountains and canyons, but I will certainly take the sense of continuity, along with them.

Now, back to the title of this post. I was treated to a sudden, brief visit from a friend who lives in Oklahoma, and his little chihuahua. It seems my Okie friends love their ankle biters, but this little guy gave me a sniff-over and jumped up on my lap. It was a fast friendship. They left, ahead of me, this morning, having enjoyed an evening of warmth and stabilization, following their sodden ride through eastern and central Arizona. At least now, the Sun will temper their return home.

So, the ground will need a few days to dry out, my lower left molar has a temporary crown-with its permanent replacement in three weeks, and I have a new little friend.

Game Plans, and Other Inspirations

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on February 19, 2017 in children, Community, Inspiration, Personal goals, Social, Spiritual

February 19, 2017, Prescott-

It’s sunny/overcast, this morning, as is often the case in Prescott, after a day and night of heavy rain. My phone tells me how things are, weather-wise, in Phoenix, and in Busan, as well as here. It’s a fine thing to keep tabs on my son’s environment, with the aid of the second frame. Korea is a bit milder than Arizona, at the moment.

We old vets talked of earning one’s keep, and of game plans for our years ahead, at this morning’s breakfast. I am optimistic, as to my own situation- for the simple reason that I don’t plan on sponging off anyone. What this means, in practical terms, is that I will, as I’ve said a few times, work full-time until either December, 2020 or May, 2021, then take a couple of years for personal pursuits, helping my son with his efforts and traveling- in a mix of discovery and service. After that, if health allows, I would be glad to return to service-related work, such as I am now doing. TIME Magazine, in this week’s edition, posits that elders will need to consider several “retirements”, interspersed with work, unless/until infirmity sets in. I am pretty much covered, thanks to my late wife’s foresight and our son’s personal vow, in the event of my own infirmity.

Children inspire me, first and foremost. Besides those with whom I work, day to day, there are little souls, incidental to my life, the thought of whom lifts my spirits. There are my grandnieces and grandnephews, looking out at me from the side of my refrigerator, and whose exploits are regularly relayed by their proud grandparents, my siblings. The little neighbour kids, brother and sister, bring me to my picture window, whenever I hear their voices and the wheels of their mini-vehicles, from the alley across the way. There are 5-year-old “Boo”, my surrogate granddaughter, in Nevada; her age mate, “B”, in Juneau; the now 11 and 12-year- old sisters from Belgium, who were just full of mischief, three years ago, when we were in a dining car restaurant, in Bastogne; the spirited middle schoolers from Koln, Germany, who enlisted my help in a “take home” exam, in Brussels’ Grande Place, during that same cross-Atlantic jaunt; my nearly 13-year-old sponsoree, “I”, working diligently at his studies, in the Philippines; countless youngsters who have weighed in on matters great and small, in chance encounters during my travels.

The other main source of inspiration is human resilience, which I see every day, in people of all ages and backgrounds. My cross-town friend, “M”, toughed out some very lean years, as a single parent, before finally arriving at a place of stability. My cross-country friend, “K”, slept many nights, God-knows-where, before getting her own apartment, finding an honest means of living and a man who loves her. A once-homeless man, whom some of you may remember from my posts of 2014-15, now has a steady income and reason to get up every morning and smile.

I believe in the Law of Attraction, and its eleven related laws, as surely as I believe that the Arizona sun will dispel any clouds, no matter how thick they may seem.