Deported?

(I don't often make political statements in my blog. But I do live in Arizona. And recently this state has become central in the illegal immigration debate. A current event sparked my post today.)

Immigration in the US and other countries is a thorny issue. Recently a touching story made headlines when a 4 year old girl was sent to Guatemala where she has relatives, despite “Emily” being a US citizen. Her parents, who live in Brentwood on Long Island, are not legal immigrants. She and her grandfather were intercepted by authorities in a Washington DC airport on their way back home to NY after a vacation trip to Guatemala. The grandfather’s immigration papers had an irregularity and he was detained.

According to the NY Daily News: “Emily could be held at a juvenile facility in Virginia or return to Guatemala with her grandfather. Worried she would be put up for adoption, (the father) chose the latter option and has been trying to get her back ever since. A Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed Emily was sent back but would not comment on her case further.
He said agents are instructed to tell parents in similar cases they can pick up their child, have the child turned over to child protective services, or have the kid sent back to the country they left. "We take every effort to reunite minors with their parents," said Steve Sapp. "The parents need to make the decision." But he conceded undocumented parents like Emily's risk being detained if they show up. "They do have to face consequences," he said.”

The media has been playing this up with big headlines saying that the child was deported. But you can’t be deported from your own country. It seems obvious that the parents and the grandfather took the responsibility of sending this child to Guatemala. It is perfectly legal for anyone in America to send their child to live outside the US. It happens every day. Usually a parent is with them though.

The two choices here seem to be: find a legal guardian in the US for the child, or one or both parents should move back to Guatemala. One response I received about her legal guardians is that she has two parents who are her legal guardians. Yes, they are. In Guatemala. But they do not have legal permission to live in the US.

An analogy would be to imagine a university in Rock Lick, West Virginia. One day a couple people come and sit in a professor’s class. They listen and take notes. But their names are not on the class roster. At the end of the semester they demand to receive a grade and credit for the class. After all, they had done the work, didn’t they? So the professor explains that they did not apply to be admitted to the university, did not pass the admissions test, did not pay tuition and fees, so they would not be getting credit. The two students protest. It was not fair. Maybe the professor was prejudiced because he was a West Virginian and they were from Pennsylvania. -Huh?

I realize immigration is more complicated than my classroom crasher example. It is full of unequal economic opportunity factors, family tie issues, language barriers, and history. Not to mention the citizen minor child of non-legal entrant parents, or children who have been residents of the US since they were a babe in arms and know no other culture or country. The answer is not going to satisfy all Americans or all immigrants, legal or otherwise. But the answer should not be blanket forgiveness for every person who has broken US law.

I am not an expert at these tangled knots. I am only a citizen who sees increasing lawlessness and inequitable costs infuriating my fellow Arizonans at the same time it unfairly stains the character of Latinos and others.

People who are living in the US without legal documents ought not be demanding. Like those two students who did not follow the rules, they cannot expect credit for their work, no matter how much they insist. If you lay a poor foundation, you only have yourself to blame when your building washes away or your child is sent to Guatemala.

Chiricahua National Monument

The Apache Indian people called the area of Chiricahua National Monument the Land of the Standing Up Rocks. The experts say these pinnacles, spires, and balanced rocks had their origin as volcanic ash spewed from the Turkey Creek Volcano 27 million years ago. The melted ash formed a gray rock called Ryolite. Eventually ice, wind and water have sculpted the formations we see today. Whatever the science is, it is a delight to visit as we three did on January 27. Unfortunately dogs were not allowed on the trails we walked, but Keesha behaved admirably as a guardian at our truck camper.

The dead end road into the Monument begins at the grassland elevation of 5124 feet or 1562 meters. About 2 miles or 3 km beyond the entrance is the Visitor Center where a short film is shown, displays are exhibited and books and t-shirts are sold. This was the Oak-Juniper tree elevation.

We drove up Bonita Canyon and observed the amazing formations which practically grew straight up from the road. The elevation continued to increase until we stopped at Echo Canyon to go on a short hike. A cold wind blew in this exposed spot at 6780 feet or 2066 m, but we bundled up and strolled down the trail to snap photos and eventually reach the Echo Canyon Grotto. The grotto is a large site, a natural jumble of huge Ryolite boulders forming a playful spot for people. We had the place to ourselves on this raw winter weekday. The wind howled through there, a natural air-conditioning which was not needed on a day that had us navigating on packed snow on shady parts of the trail. But it was still a delightful place.

Snow on a section of the Echo canyon trail:

After lunch in the camper and hot coffee to warm up, we continued to the end of the road at Massai Point. Not named after an African tribe - those are the Maasai- Massai was an Apache Scout who worked for the US Cavalry in the days of the Indian Wars.

A short but scenic and educational nature trail at this highest elevation point (6870 ft, 2094 m) explains more details about this wild land. The vast majority of the Monument since 1976 is designated as Wilderness Area, which is protected by federal law for non-motorized recreation such as backpacking and horseback riding. The law prohibits logging, roads, and mechanized vehicles including bicycles.

The only place to spend the night in the Monument is in the Bonita Canyon campground. So hikers on the Heart of the Rocks trail, which is 9.5 miles or 15.4 km long, are expected to be out by the end of the day, but it is really the best and most scenic trip among the rocks. I’d love to do it someday.

We backtracked down to the Visitors Center where I bought a bunch of postcards for my postcard swapping hobby.

Then our last stop in the Park before heading home was the 1888 homestead of the Swedish immigrant Erickson family. It was a working cattle ranch, then a Guest Ranch. It is named The Faraway Ranch:

Finally it was sold per the family’s wishes to the National Park Service in 1979. The home itself has many original antique furnishings and the tour by a helpful volunteer gave us a real taste of what such a frontier life must have been like.

Sadly we packed up and headed for home, a mere 75 miles or 120 km distant, believing we’d arrive before nightfall. Unfortunately an old front right tire decided to come apart and we had to pull over and change it. Things were progressing as well as could be expected until we had to hoist the tire onto the lugs. Fortunately a young man stopped right at the crucial time and he helped us finish the dirty job. At least it was still light out. But the road, Arizona 186, was practically deserted. In the 30 to 45 minutes we were there, only 4 vehicles passed by us. That’s life in the boonies! Yet we still had help. Contrast that to a more populated area where 100 vehicles might go by and nobody stops to aid a motorist.

So we hit the road again, hoping that was the only and the last hiccup. As we drove through the tiny, mostly abandoned town of Dos Cabezas, a herd of mule deer doe crossed the road. Four passed in front of us, and four waited for their turn to cross after we passed. Dos Cabezas isn’t a ghost town - it has resident deer!

We got home later than expected, but in one piece and with a lot of fond memories.

Me in The Grotto:

Trip to Pinery Canyon

On sunny but cool January 26th, my husband, our dog Keesha, and I drove south for a couple days of recreation in the Chiricahua Mountains. We traveled Interstate 10 east for 27 miles (43 km) and exited at San Simon. This small farm community of less than 1000 is the last population center before reaching the New Mexico state line. Then we headed south on the Paradise Road, which crosses fairly barren terrain held by the state and the federal BLM (Bureau of Land Management.) It is scrubland with some Mesquite trees.

Eventually the land rises in elevation. Evidences remote residences are seen: mailboxes. About 24 miles (38 km) from San Simon, Paradise is reached. The most remarkable thing about this lovely village was the two doe deer we saw laying in a side yard. In plain view. Just resting in the speckled shade. Maybe they thought we couldn’t see them?

A deer in Paradise - Beyond Paradise, we drove up higher and higher into the forested mountains. The road turned snow covered in the shaded northern exposures. We passed a large road grader machine plowing snow. After we crossed the Onion Saddle at 7600 feet (2300 meters) above sea level, the road headed downhill in Pinery Canyon. Pinery Canyon Road: From the truck I glimpsed a Coues Whitetail buck deer with a trophy rack of antlers. He was still carrying this obvious symbol of his sex even though the mating season has passed.

When we got down to 5740 ft (1750 meters) there were several primitive campsites on each side of the road, so we picked a scenic spot under Oak and Juniper trees to spend the night. After setting up, we went for a hike uphill to enjoy the warm sunshine. See photo. Later I got out my handgun and shot a few rounds to practice. Then we gathered firewood and I cooked supper, a venison stew over rice.

The campfire was delightful, both for its warmth and the unmistakable sweet scent of Juniper wood. We sat in the night and enjoyed the dancing flames. Keesha charmingly dragged sticks of firewood aside to make a pile of “her” sticks. The stars showed ferociously intense. We were so very far from any artificial light. It was beautiful.

Went to sleep in the camper to the sound of absolutely nothing. Incredible quiet. Even the heater made no noise.

That little fan-less heater kept the camper quite warm. Morning temperature was 25°F (-4°C) when I took the dog for a walk at dawn. Not one vehicle had passed our campsite for nearly 16 hours. Did the world end and nobody told us? Soon we packed up and headed down the road for the Chiricahua National Monument. That is the subject of my next post.

It's a Prop

There are probably a hundred more important subjects to write about today, but I am compelled to share these thoughts.

I am an unabashed believer in representative democracy. It is not perfect. No system run by mere men will ever be without blemish. There are aspects to other forms of government that are attractive. Perhaps they work well in other countries. But the US is a unique culture. Socialism has admirers but I can’t see it being viable in the land of Washington and Jefferson and Lincoln.

On a vastly different note, there is an erectile dysfunction drug called Cialis. In case you had not noticed, the word “cialis” is buried within the word “socialism.”

Thanks to a man named Chip I now have this thought -

“Cialis and Socialism: both propping up a good time by artificial means.”

I warned you this posting was not going to be very important!

Bowhunting Success

Despite nearly taking a bullet to his head courtesy of a December rifle hunter (see previous post: Close Call Coues Caper), the husband unit returned to Mt Graham to archery hunt in 2011. 99% of the time, he does not see another hunter in the woods.
Now in January he had a glimpse of a Coues deer with a large antler rack. Quite thrilling to see and an accomplishment to harvest. But as the saying goes: “you can’t eat antlers.”
So when a spike buck came walking straight at him last Friday, while he was eating lunch, there was no hesitation. He put his plate in his lap, lifted his bow, and when the deer turned to present a perfect broadside view, he killed it with one arrow at 32 yards (29 meters.) Needless to say, he has never killed a deer with a plate of food in his lap. Very bizarre.
He phoned me and I zipped up to his location in about 15 minutes. We spoke words of thanksgiving for the food the deer will provide us. I helped with the field dressing. Then I took pictures. This young animal was living at about the 6000 foot (1828 meter) elevation in the oak-juniper woodland. His fatal mistake was thinking the hunting season was finished, as well as recklessly strolling near highway 366 late on a sunny morning within range of old dead-eye!

That night I prepared the heart for dinner as the organ meats are the fastest to spoil. And I love venison heart. It was excellent.
Over the following days I wrapped and froze the rest of the animal. And every night since we ate more venison, until tonight. I finally wearied of it and grilled chicken instead.
Archery hunter success rates in Unit 31 are in the single digit percentile. My husband hasn’t taken a buck here since 2005. Mt Graham is extraordinarily rough hunting. Everything is either straight up or straight down. The air is thin. He was hunting in a “low” elevation at 6000 feet (1828 m) and under. But if a person is willing to test their mettle, Mt Graham will reward. Maybe not with meat every year, but with beauty and freedom.

Dried Out Days

What has been happening at the Double Barrel Ranch for the last couple months? Darned if I know.

Actually, the weather grew cooler, days grew shorter. Horses grew their hair longer. African Aloe and Cassia bushes began to bloom about 10 weeks too early. (Due to unseasonable warmth.) Palo Verde trees got pruned because visitors had to duck to reach the front door. Even now visitors over 6 feet (1.82 meters) must watch their scalps. I like the “bower” or arboreal shelter effect.

A pack rat nest located along the driveway was dismantled and burned. The residents having been foreclosed on, or moved away for greener pastures. The summer overgrowth of vegetation totally dried out and since no rain fell for 11 weeks, it stood in brown skeletons, shin high. See photo above.

An impressive new 4 line clothesline was built beyond the pool fence. It is a longer walk to hang the laundry; however, the wood-burning stove smoke won’t be able to “scent” the clothes.

The vegetable garden was inoculated with manure. Wonder where that came from?

Deer hunting, as well as the Black Bear pursuit came up empty. It looks like the spare freezer will be empty soon and can be decommissioned. Although the husband unit has returned to the mountain for the January archery deer hunt, so there is still hope for fresh venison. The Double Barrel Ranch prefers wild game due to the purity and leanness of the meat.

And so a new year begins. And with a very fun numerical date: 1-1-11.

Close Call Coues Caper

In late December there is a simultaneous archery and rifle Coues Deer buck hunt in Unit 31 in Arizona. This area is commonly known as Mt Graham, my neighboring mountain range. (Photo above is an example of a Coues buck deer.) Yesterday my husband unit had a close call.

After many days of angling around to get a good clean killing shot with an arrow, my bow hunting spouse finally crept within 50 yards (45 meters) of the small but beautiful buck. He vaguely heard a pick-up truck slow and stop behind him. Suddenly a bullet whizzed by his head, and he saw his buck fall. The shooter, who could clearly see my hunter and his prey, very recklessly, illegally and ungentlemanly had fired from the road. My husband unit was terribly shook up but the unsporting and rude young man basically said: “Tough Luck!” He picked up the deer, tossed it in his truck and sped away without even tagging it. (Attaching the permit to the dead animal to prove a legal taking.) Due to disability (my man often bow hunts with one crutch), he was not able to make his way down the snow covered slope to the road to record the rude offenders vehicle license number.

To add insult to injury, the Sheriff arrived a short time later to inform him that the mountain was being evacuated due to the snow storm. Swift Trail, US 366, is a steep, narrow road of extreme twists and turns. The 6 or 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) of snow at this elevation was becoming dangerous, not to mention what might have been accumulating 2000 to 3000 feet (600 to 900 meters) above.

So his December hunt was over.

The boorish road hunter who could have easily put his bullet into my husband unit was undoubtedly boasting about his great stalking skill to his goon friends. We hope he chokes on the venison

Nostagic Foal Photo

Double Barrel Storm
Purebred Arabian filly born 1991.
(The only foal I have raised.)
She's an elegant girl.
She's my Stormy!

Rabbit Brush

Rabbit Brush in bloom.
In black soil of the San Francisco volcanic field.
Taken at entrance to Wupatki National Monument,
28 September 2010.
Rabbit Brush is an important food for rabbits, deer, and antelope.
One can extract yellow dye from the flowers and green dye from the inner bark.
Also known as Chamisa. Very common throughout Arizona.

Walnut Canyon National Monument, Arizona

Cliff dwelling.
A south-facing shelter built into a shallow cave, dating between 1125-1250 AD.
Limestone rocks were roughly shaped and mortared with clay to form walls.
This photo shows a doorway and above it a smoke hole.
Reflecting sunlight causes the blue to orange colors.
29 September 2010.

Big Horn Sheep

Here is a well-fed specimen of our local eastern Arizona wild mountain sheep.
I'm uncertain if it is a ram or ewe because both sexes grow horns.
Taken 30 September 2010, near Morenci, Arizona.

Morning at the Grand Canyon

28 September 2010 on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
This is The Canyon by which all other canyons on earth are judged.
UNESCO World Heritage Site.

My Birthday Camping Trip, 2010

Trip to Northern & Central Arizona, 26 - 30 September 2010

On Sunday afternoon, 26 September 2010, I left in my SUV and headed to the mountains. About an hour from home I realized my cell phone battery was low. I attempted to charge it and the charging cord fell apart. I made a brief call to my husband to tell him I would not be able to call him very often during my trip. He was originally going to go with me but his health forced him to remain at home.

I decided after 5 hours to stop for the night at Clint’s Well and slept under the stars among Ponderosa Pines in a Coconino National Forest campground. All night I heard elk bugle, or call. It is the rut, or mating season for the Wapiti, large relatives of deer. Large male specimens can reach 500 kg or 1100 pounds, and 1.5 m or 6 feet at the shoulder.

I got up before dawn and as I ate breakfast I watched the temperature drop from +1° to -1°C or 33°F to 31°F. Hmmm! Elevation 2133 meters or 7000 feet above sea level.

Soon I was on the road to the Grand Canyon and in 2 hours arrived there and set up my tent in site 226 in Mather Campground. Junipers, oaks and Pinyon pine surrounded me. Noisy ravens flew overhead and a pretty blue jay flitted by. Daytime temperatures during the trip averaged 33° or 91°F.

I toured the Rim at various look-out points. I bought postcards. I attended a talk on the colorful Art of the National Parks. I took over 100 photos. Elevation along the rim averages 2210 to 2280 meters, 7160 to 7460 feet. The Colorado River at Phantom Ranch (the goal of hikers down into the canyon) is at 777 meters 2550 feet which is 1400 meters, 4600 feet below the south rim starting point. Access to Phantom Ranch is by foot or mule or rafting in from up-river. There is a long wait for reservations for the rustic experience. Hiking down and up is for only the very fit and well-prepared. The Park Service is mightily tired of removing human remains from the Canyon of overly optimistic and ignorant hikers. Warnings are everywhere and permits are required for back-country hiking. (So they know who your next-of-kin are.) The Grand Canyon is in a very arid and unforgiving climate. I used up my small 500 mL bottle of water on a 3 hour shuttle tour (that was twice as long as expected) and even though I was only briefly walking around at viewpoints and riding a bus, I got powerfully thirsty.

I cooked a light supper at my campsite and as I reached for a water bottle, a bee stung my thumb. It swelled, but thank goodness I am not allergic. The presence of annoying bees made me decide to spend only a single night at the campground. I was much safer in remote areas!

Campers next to me invited me over to their campfire for the evening. Dimitry and his girlfriend were from Toronto but were Russian (or Ukrainian - I’m unsure) immigrants. We discussed the differences in camping in the US, Canada and the Ukraine. They shared food and a bedtime cup of tea. Nice folks!

Next morning found me at the Rim taking sunrise photos. I left the Park driving east and then south again. I visited the Wupatki Ruins which were inhabited by Pueblo people for a few generations after the year 1100 AD. It is at 2030 m or 5500 feet above sea level in arid grassland but in those olden days it was better watered.

29 km or 18 miles south I drove past the elegant Sunset Crater, a volcano that erupted around 1080 AD. The name comes from the reddish cinders left at the cone. A grotesque lava flow field parallels the road for awhile, looking like it just froze in chaos last week. Pine trees and wildflowers sprout in the fertile volcanic soil. It is at 2450 m or 8240 feet above sea level.

I continued on toward another National Park but got there near closing. So I back-tracked to camp out in the Coconino National Forest again. I chose a level site off a 4 wheel drive “path.” Built a fire, ate supper, read a book and fell asleep under the stars again. A good night’s rest at 2040 m or 6690 ft above sea level.

At 8 AM I was again at the gate of Walnut Canyon National Monument to tour the cliff dwellings there. People lived there about 150 years starting about 1100 AD. Very steep, narrow canyon but safe, dry homes.

From there I headed toward home again. I stopped in Payson and Show Low, AZ shopping for a new wood-burning stove. The basic stove costs twice what we paid in 1988 for our current stove. This did not please me.

My slow progress found me still 4 hours from home near nightfall, so I found a pay phone and called my husband to let him know I would spend another night out camping. I traveled far out Augur Canyon Road, west of Nutrioso in the Apache National Forest. I had driven past 3325 meter, 10912 ft high Escudilla Mountain (means “bowl” in Spanish) which already had fall leaves turned yellow on its slopes. I camped at 2590 m or 8500 feet elevation in a mature spruce-pine forest on a dead end trail/road. After supper I sat to read my murder mystery by my campfire and began to feel a little spooked. After all, the fictional serial killer murdered his victims in rural Arizona! Not the smartest novel to be reading alone in rural Arizona! (Rattlesnake Crossing, by J.A. Jance) Next time I’ll bring lighter reading.

At 7:00 next morning as I drank my coffee I heard a diesel engine growing steadily louder. To my utter surprise, since I was tucked away in such a “remote” spot, a bulldozer arrived! A National Forest employee was building a new road to connect to another minor forest road below us. I guess to allow easier access in case of wildfire. So he passed above me and began to knock down trees while I broke camp. How bizarre! I thought I was so remote.

I resumed my leisurely travel through magnificent forest scenery. I stopped to wash in the pristine and icy cold East Fork of the Black River. I went for a short hike (photo above) among the aspens and spruce at the nosebleed elevation of 2773 m or 9100 ft near Hannagan’s Meadow.

After slowly driving 4 hours down the famed twisting Coronado Trail, I arrived home at 3 PM after a 1490 km or 926 mile trip. Spending only about $100 on gasoline and one campsite fee (the other 3 nights under the stars were free.) I did get my husband a Grand Canyon souvenir coffee cup and I did buy a pile of postcards. How could I resist?

I saw elk (3 cows, 2 calves and one magnificent bull with a huge antler rack), 2 deer (one doe and one buck with a great set of polished antlers), and a flock of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep (several young rams and ewes and a couple half-grown lambs.)

Overnight lows rose from -1°, to +7°, 8°, and finally 9°C. Or 31°, 45°. 45° to 46° Fahrenheit. I was never cold. In fact record daytime high temperatures were set during my entire trip.

It was a quick but nice little adventure. Happy Birthday to me.

from: Deutschland Ein Wintermärchen

Ich bin kein Schaf, ich bin kein Hund,
Kein Hofrat und kein Schellfisch --
Ich bin ein Wolf geblieben, mein Herz
Und meine Zähne sind wölfisch.

I do love poetry. Even in other languages. This fragment is courtesy of Heinrich Heine, from 1844.

I am 50% German heritage and 50% Polish (Only know bits of each language, unfortunately.)

My Mother, Child Criminal

Zealous Americans who hoped to see a more sober nation passed the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution. Popularly known as “Prohibition,” it banned the sale or manufacture of alcohol in the United States beginning in 1920. It was repealed in 1933 after it became obvious that it did more harm than good.

Sometimes I ponder events in recent decades relating to the sale, and use of Marijuana. I see many similarities. But that is whole other subject.

The word bootleg refers to the part of the boot above the instep. Presumably this was a handy place to carry illicit alcohol in days gone by. From this we get the colorful American slang term: bootlegger, one who smuggles that booze. (Today the term is also applied to bootleg music recordings, video, etc.)

From my family stories it seems that alcohol was easily obtainable if you knew the right people. And apparently most people who wanted to know, knew the right people. Spirits, wine, and beer were flooding across the border from Canada and Mexico without any customs tariff or duty being paid. Law enforcement had to be vigorous to try to stem this tide of imports.

My (long-deceased) family members lived on a major route coming into the US from Canada. For some reason (!) they were carrying a case of bootleg booze in their car. My dear sweet mother, at that time a small child, was told not to tell about the box she was sitting on in the back of the old Ford Model-T. If interrogated she was to tell the police that “I’m just playing with my doll.” Oh my! Innocence lost! She became a de facto criminal! Those were the days.
　
　

Mt Graham Red Squirrel

The Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988 was signed by President Ronald Reagan. Forgive him: he knew not what he did.

Actually the law had many facets but the one that impacted me the most was Title VI that authorized the construction of telescopes on Mt Graham and created the Mt Graham Red Squirrel refuge. You say you have never heard of the Mt Graham Red Squirrel? Well, that seems to be the crux of the problem for many longtime residents who don't believe the rascally resident of the highest reaches of this southeastern Arizona mountain are any different from any other other red squirrel in the Rocky Mountain West of the US.

Regardless, we have acres and acres of the loveliest high elevation terrain totally off-limits to human use, any use, even walking, due to the need to preserve the estimated 200 or so Tamiasciurus. They are listed as an Endangered Species, which is a legal term, not just descriptive.

So now the years pass. The relentless drought takes its toll on the forests of the West, and a trio of bugdom: the Spruce Aphid, Spruce Beetle and Western Balsam Bark Beetle, do their worst. Trees are dying by the acre. The prime foodstuff of the Mt Graham Red Squirrel is in rapid decline.

I am as much an animal lover as the next person. I prefer to see abundant numbers of animals and species in places I visit. If the Mt Graham Red Squirrel goes extinct, it will be a loss. But at what cost has it been to try to delay the inevitable?

Millions of dollars.

For a fraction of that, wouldn't it be reasonable to re-stock the mountain with other red squirrels someday? I guess I am not a biologist who understands these things. I am just a lover of the thin air, the mountain cienegas, the peak of 10,720 foot Mt Graham that I cannot visit ... so that a dubious red squirrel species can survive another year or two.

Faces of the Wild Horse and Burro Issue

On May 14, 2010 I went to see the (formerly wild or feral) animals brought here to be auctioned by the Bureau Of Land Management. This is a group of Jacks, or male burros. This was a group of Jennies, or female burros.

This was a lovely yearling buckskin filly. All the mustangs were very skiddish though. Not to be handled by the harsh hand, nor slow of foot.
The horses were all rounded up from Federal Lands in California and Nevada and all the burros were from northwestern Arizona.
I am a fool about equines but I managed to control my impulses so I did not adopt a wild horse or burro. Not because of a harsh hand, but slow feet.

My Ideas About LOST

On May 23, 2010 on US TV, the final episode of LOST airs.

Starting in September 2004, I have been more or less following the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 after they crashed on this mysterious island (it is filmed in Hawai’i: fabulous scenery.) For casual viewers, the show could have been an impossible tangle but to fans it has been a fascinating journey.

Part philosophy and part entertainment, this most expensive prime time drama has followed Jack and Kate, Locke and Sawyer, Hurley and Ben and a host of others through one amazing situation after another. A hydrogen bomb? Disappearing island? A man who never ages? The smoke monster? And all along the fans keep guessing what could that mean? What will happen next?

Many TV show finales have been disappointments. I was not happy with the end of the long-running medical drama “ER”. I hope with the big budget and the talented creators, that LOST will live up to the hype, deliver a great end and a few resolutions.

My guess is that we will see the characters realize that they can change themselves, become better people. The plane crash was a baptism by fire, the last 6 years a period of judgment, and the final episode should end with a water baptism when all things will be new again. After all, once you have survived a polar bear attack on a tropical island, one should see that life is full of possibilities.

8 Most Influential People in the World

Time magazine has published a list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. I would like to tell you about my Top 8 People.

They are divided into 4 categories: Leaders, Thinkers, Artists and Heroes. So here goes my list off the top of my head (this is not rocket science here…)

Leaders:
Sarah Palin. She has come out of nowhere (Alaska is not exactly mainstream America) to remind us of our more traditional values. Yet she is a strong woman who has a family, and works outside the home. This 46 year author and speaker is wildly popular and newsworthy despite having no political office or even a TV show!
Hillary Clinton. As Secretary of State, Mrs. Clinton is the face of America to other countries. Although I do not always agree with her, I think her power certainly puts this 62 year old woman at the top.

Thinkers:
Mark Zuckerberg. As founder of Facebook where nearly 400 million people bare their lives on often a daily basis, I think he thought up a great idea. This 26 year old has more hate mail when he tweaks his site than any man on the planet.
Jonas Salk and other medical researchers. In 1952 he found a vaccine for Polio. Before Salk parents worried about their child suffering many levels of paralysis or ending up in an Iron Lung. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt suffered from this disease and who knows how it affected his judgment in those critical years of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Today many safe vaccines and other life saving methods extend the life of our loved ones, giving us the gift of time.

Artists:
James Cameron. This 55 year old film producer is the genius behind Avatar. Need I say more?
Steve Jobs. You may love Apple products or find their closed corporate culture distasteful, but you cannot deny the impact this 54 year old man has had around the world. I want an iPad!

Heroes:
Robin Hood. Who could be more of a folk hero than one who robs from the rich and gives to the poor? Unless you are extraordinarily wealthy and never donate to the needy. Besides, my heart throb Russell Crowe is starring in the up-coming movie as Robin Hood. Do any women object?
Annie Oakley. She was an American sharpshooter who lived from 1860 to 1926. Her feats are unmatched even with today’s fine rifles. She helped her family pay their home mortgage while she was still a teen, by shooting game which was then sold. She advocated for women’s rights. Who was going to argue with an accurate rifle-toting lady? Her example has inspired many women to see themselves as equals to men when society was less enlightened. All the wealth she accumulated in her lifetime was given away to the less fortunate. A true hero.

So that is my quick list. Nothing earth shattering. Just doodling here.

Three Spring Garden Flowers

These three flowering plants are all hardy, desert dwellers. It would be nice to have roses and tulips and begonias, but these are more practical on the Double Barrel Ranch.

There are many varieties and shades of color in the Verbena family, wild and domesticated. Last fall I bought this plant on a close-out special and it has delighted me with these vibrant deep purple blossoms.

African Aloe have interesting coral colored trumpet flowers that hummingbirds enjoy. But the plants spread fast and their rosettes of leaves intertwine to form mats that are rather unattractive.

Goldeneye is a wildflower I planted in my garden a few years ago. It has formed into a small bush. Every Spring it delights me with it's sunny disposition.