In the Shadows of Mountains

Oh, what a year it was!

2012-01-16T22:06:00.000-08:00

I don't think anyone will disagree that 2011 was a rough year for the world. It was just a tad better for the US, the family, and my friends. It had to end on a rough note in Chicagoland, when I braved yet another road trip there to see my ailing stepfather and then my healthy grandchild the following week.

What was to be a nurturing week with my stepdad turned out to be a week of being berated and insulted. He had had his large intestine removed and was fitted with a J-Pouch, but his diabetes had flared up and he was hospitalized for high potassium. It was a scary week and at times he looked near death. I had never seen him this way. I only stayed because my younger brother had flown in from Germany to tend to him more intimately, and my presence for him was relief. In all the years I have known my stepdad, this was the one time I felt distant to him. I pardoned it off due to his illness, but he had been more cynical in the last few years.

At least I spent some time with my brother, and the following week was better with my daughter and grandchild and stepmom. Weather was the usual cold and blustery and I was in no mood to hike around. I didn't do my usual perimeter trail around the Indiana Dunes State Park, nor a daytrip into Chicago, nor visited friends further south in the stae. Now that I'm back for two weeks, still feel the blues.

I sped across the interstate to get to Chiagoland in 21 hours. My only worthwhile stop was a stop in Hope, AR to see the "Boyhood Home of William Jefferson Clinton," a stop that was more rewarding than expected although only one encassed book is actually a Clinton original.

Returning the same way across Texas was also fast; I should have taken twice as long to get back to unwind. I stopped briefly in Hot Springs and drove some back roads in western Arkansas, then didn't stop again until I hit Dallas. There are some scenic trails off the beaten interstate in Texas, and this time I saw them driving west on USHighway 180 into New Mexico. Oil derricks and wind vanes welcomed me at sunrise on that final day of driving on the 4th.

I have also decided the time spent at the animal shelter was not worth my agony. Although tending to the dogs and cats was rewarding, some of the other volunteers made my time there difficult, and some of the people calling asking to have their dogs shot also nerved me. Apparently shooting unwanted or sick dogs is preferred here over more humande treatment.

I am also not going to school this semester. I got fed up with Cochise College. I needed a break from all that stress.

So, we'll see what is in store this year. I'm already dreaming of taking a few days off during spring break to head down to Big Bend State Park with Sadie. That is some beautiful, remote country.

Gaddafi is dead

2011-10-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

There closes yet another bloodly chapter in the Middle East. Although his final moments were brutal and displayed on the internet, he died the way Saddam Hussein should have died: at the hands of his own people.

That region is far from secure, though. Now western countries are going to vy for some control over Libya's oil economy.

But anyway, I shouldn't let the news of Gaddafi's demise get to me. There are many other concerns, like the lingering dry and mild winter ahead of us, rising gasoline prices, the continued economy and where in the hell my credit card is. It's been lost for over two weeks now. No one's used it so I'm sure it fell into a deep, dark crevice of my SUV. Cleaning that out will be a real chore!

Spending a few days in Chicagoland

2011-10-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am on fall break. I took a cheap flight via Southwest direct from Tucson to Chicago-Midway. Weather here is beautiful, in the 70s with the smell of changing leaves in the air. My daughter thinks it's funny (and annoying) to see me photograph trees in their colorful prime. I was expecting much oolder weather.

I wish I had time to do all the usual things I enjoy doing here: a trip into Chicago, a hike along the dunes, and some country driving. Instead I'm victim to everyone else's schedule. Next time I fly out, I'm reserving a car for myself.

I've seen Erin and Ethan, but Eric is still in hiding. I worry about him. He never answers his email or voice messages.

Bisbee Animal Shelter

2011-10-09T18:20:00.001-07:00

The Bisbee animal shelter is a small shelter in Bisbee-Naco that is run by the police department. Its annual budget is a mere $4500. It has 12 kennels and as many cages for cats. The cats are crowded often two to a small cage that isn't much bigger than a large trap.

A local doctor donated $71,000 to the animal shelter two years ago. A new building was constructed with that money but there are no animals in it. It's strictly an office building that isn't being used for anything but storage. I'm sure the doctor did not expect his money to go to waste.

It has a Facebook page that takes donations but the money goes to the chief volunteer who doesn't bookkeep. People who donate to the Bisbee Animal Shelter are really donating to the Bisbee police department, and those guys really don't need any more donuts.

Frivolous lawsuit?

2011-09-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

I read in the local newspaper today of a lawsuit filed by Desiree and Thomas Apger. They are owners/manager of the Casita Dole Che in Sonoita. They are well-off. Allegedly Desiree was riding her own horse during a volunteer event hosted by the Friends of the San Pedro River in the Las Cienegas Conservation area near Sonoita. Her horse bucked when another rider passed them. She fell off her horse and injured her wrist and knee. Now she and her husband want $250,000.

That somehow does not look right.

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2011/09/20/224911

The blog is up again?

2011-09-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

For most of the summer I could not access this blog. I thought perhaps I had just reached Google's maximum allowed space. I couldn't edit nor add new posts. If I can add posts again, then I have a lot to say!

Testing one two...

Monument Fire getting dire

2011-06-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

The fire that started Sunday afternoon is potentially now at 6500 acres with 24 homes destroyed in Ash Canyon when a massive flare-up occurred early in the afternoon.

Edit 20 Sep 11: This fire ended up burning over 30,000 acres. We were evacuated for four days. The nightmare lasted ten days.

A new fire closer to home

2011-06-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

This fire broke out this afternoon in the Coronado National Memorial. It was first reported at around 80 acres, but grew to 1000 by 6pm. Kevin and I saw the fireline race up Thompson peak, the round top viewable from our neighborhood. Smoke is filling the valley. People in Ash and Stump canyon were asked to prepare for evacuation. Fire trucks from all kinds of districts were racing down Highway 92. I can see fire from our rooftop.

This fire is only eight miles away on the border. Winds are in our favor and we have plenty of road and homes blocking this fire, but the bad air could mean bad news for plenty of people closer to this fire.

This fire looks contained now as I'm not hearing the aircraft fly overhead anymore, but I can still see spot fires from our neighborhood's viewpoint.

This fire is a little too close for comfort and I doubt I'll be resting well tonight. Kevin's already out because he drank too much beer again.

Blazing Arizona

2011-06-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sources: http://wallow.us www.inciweb.org

The wildfires I had predicted in March after damage from the Deep Freeze was evident are now coming to fruition. Unfortunately, the fires are WORSE than predicted. The biggest fire is the Wallow Fire (named after the once-lush Bear Wallow Canyon in the White Mountains). That fire was started by two campers who left their campsite unattended to go for a dayhike, only to come back to see the area ablaze and their two dogs, which they had tied to trees in their absence, burned to death. A friend of mine who's a hydrologist for Fort Huachuca, and who once worked for the forest service, told me that gruesome news this past weekend.

The fire is now over 389,ooo acres big. The daily news and weather forecasts spend most of their attention on these fires. Eagar and Greer are being evacuated.

Sunrises and sunsets continue to be dominated by streaks of brown. Every morning I get on my rooftop to get a better view of the sunrise. The colors I see are pretty accurate at predicting how hazy a day it will be. Yesterday the winds blew most of the smoke northerly; today it looks more like a easterly wind.

As of tomorrow the Coronado National Forest will be closed for all activities. This will be enforced until the monsoon seasons arrive, and they can't arrive fast enough.

The most current fire news now is the following:
The Murphy Complex fire, a combo of two former fires (Murphy-Pajarita) is now at 67,051 acres. That one began 30 May by alleged drug runners.

The Horseshoe2 Fire is at 106,661 acres.

The Wallow Fire is growing fast

2011-06-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

This fire has already surpassed the fire in southern Georgia that has burned since late April. The National Forest Service has decided to close the Coronado National forest effective Thursday at noon due to high fire danger. Anyone caught could face fines of up to $5000. I hope the illegals know this!

The fires have made sunsets and sunrises rather ugly. During the day the haze and heat are unbearable.

From inciweb.org:

The Wallow Fire is burning actively in eastern Arizona near the communities of Nutrioso and Alpine. A COMMUNITY MEETING IS BEING HELD AT THE ROUND VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM TONIGHT (MONDAY) AT 6:00 P.M.

Size:

233,522 acres. The difference in acreage is due to an update from an infrared flyover of the fire from Sunday night.

Current Evacuations

· The evacuation of Blue River residents by Greenlee County officials remains in effect.

· The evacuation order for the communities of Alpine and Nutrioso by Apache County Emergency Management remains in effect.

Evacuations today by the Apache County Sheriff's Office included the following subdivisions along highways 180/191: Escudilla Mountain Estates, Bonita, White Mtn. Acres, and the H-V Ranch. This area includes CR 4000, CR 4001, and CR 4225.
Residents in the communities affected by this fire are asked to remain prepared in the event an order is needed.
Pre-Evacuation Advisories

· The pre-evacuation notice by the Apache County Sheriff's Office to the residents of Greer community and the surrounding areas remains in effect.

· Catron County Sheriff's Office has issued a pre-evacuation notice to the residents of Luna, New Mexico.

Fire Update

· Firefighters continue perimeter control in conjunction with San Carlos and Ft. Apache Indian reservations and continue point protection around values at risk.

· Fire crews will continue efforts to protect structures in the Escudilla Flats area and along Bill Knight Rd.

· Spot fires occurred up to 3 miles ahead of the fire on the northeast flank due to extreme winds.

· A Red Flag warning has been issued today for the hours of 10 am to 8 pm due to low humidity and high winds.

Closures:

Due to extreme fire conditions, the Apache National Forest is closed to all public entry. Property owners and their guests will continue to have access to private lands within the Forest. See website for closure order details. Please see the Forest website for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/

Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests Fire Restrictions: A Temporary Emergency Closure Order for the Apache National Forest was issued effective June 3 at 12:00 p.m. (noon). For more information, please call the Arizona fire restrictions hotline 1-877-864-6985 or visit http://www.wildlandfire.az.gov/.

Arizona is burning.

2011-06-02T17:33:00.000-07:00

We now have wildfires all over the state and the two largest ones are in the White Mountains near Hannigan Meadows and the closer Horseshoe 2 Fire in the Chiricahuas. The Forest Service officially closed the White Mountains a few minutes ago and is busy evacuating all the campers. This doesn't bode too well. The fire there is spreading too fast with today's high winds.

Effective Now: Evacuation orders for everyone in Alpine to leave the area by 8 p.m. tonight
Posted: Thursday, June 2, 2011 5:15 pm

This is an evacuation order: EFFECTIVE NOW, Everyone in the Alpine Area is required to have left the area by 8:00 PM Tonight

Alpine Area Evacuees are requested to go to Blue Ridge High School in Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ, or to call and register with the Wallow Fire Joint Information Center if they go to a different location. Please call 928-333-3412 to register.

The evacuation route is as follows: Take U.S. Highway 180 north to Springerville, then U.S. Highway 60 west to Show Low, then State Route 260 east to Pinetop-Lakeside. It is requested that you DO NOT TAKE State Route 260 west to Pinetop-Lakeside.

The northern evacuation route for residents of Blue, AZ is blocked. Residents of Blue should plan to take Forest Road 232 (Pueblo Park Road) into New Mexico.

An American Red Cross shelter has been established at Blue Ridge High School, 1200 West White Mountain Boulevard.

All evacuees are required to check in with Red Cross personnel after arrival. The shelter that has been established is a no-pet shelter.

For more information call: 928-333-3412 or call 593 from a landline or Cellular One cell phone.

NOTE: A Community Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at the Alpine Community Center. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel and Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team representatives will present information about the Wallow Fire and answer questions.

Stay posted to WMIcentral.com and the White Mountain Independent for additional updates.

Prior Post 06/02/2011, 4:27 p.m. - Pre-evacuation alert for Alpine in effect

This is a 12-24 hour pre-evacuation alert. There is a possibility of an evacuation within 12 hours in the Alpine area. It is recommended that residents within that area prepare for the shelter and care of their animals. It is also recommended that irreplaceable personal property, such as important documents, be gathered and packed. Pack sufficient clothing for a possible extended stay. If possible, arrange for lodging with friends or relatives.

Once again, this is an alert of the possibility of an evacuation within 12 hours in the Alpine area. This is a preliminary notification. This warning notice applies only to residents of Alpine, AZ.

The northern evacuation route for residents of Blue, AZ will be blocked if an evacuation order is issued.

Any evacuation notice will come from the Apache County Sheriff’s Office. Fire and other emergency services personnel will also attempt to notify residents in the event of an evacuation. Notification will be delivered to residents by direct contact or by telephone.

This is only a pre-evacuation alert. In the event of an evacuation order you will be notified about evacuation routes and centers.

A call center has been established. Person calling for information can call the following numbers: Frontier or Cellular One customers can dial 593. All other callers may call 928-333-3412.

“I want to encourage all residents to avoid rumors and hearsay, please use the official information sources. If an evacuation is ordered, residents will be notified by Apache County personnel either in person or by telephone. My deputies and other emergency services personnel will make all the necessary notifications when they become necessary, stated Sheriff Joseph Dedman.

The United States Forest Service has closed the Apache Sitgreaves Forest. The following campgrounds and areas are closed, including Big Lake Recreation area, Hannagan Meadows, KP Campground, Gabaldon and Mt Baldy Wilderness areas. Law enforcement personnel from USFS, Apache County Sheriff’s Office, AZ Game and Fish, AZ DPS and the Greenlee County Sheriff’s Office are currently evacuating remaining visitors from the closure areas.

These closures are due to the continued growth of the Wallow Fire, which was estimated to have consumed over 40,000 acres as of this morning. The Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team continues to direct the fire fighting efforts of over 600 personnel in the effort to bring containment to this fire.

Prior Post 06/02/2011, 9:30 p.m. - Wallow Fire grows to 40,509 acres as of today; more area closures in effect

The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests has announced it is expanding the Closure Area affecting the Alpine Ranger District effective immediately. The new closure area also includes the following:

· Big Lake Recreation Area

· The road to Big Lake will be closed at the scenic overlook

· Gabaldon Campground is closed

· Mt. Baldy Wilderness is closed

· The entire trail system within the wilderness is closed

Permitees who have a legitimate need to access the area must obtain a permit from the District Ranger.

The Wallow Fire has also forced the closure of sections of State Routes 261 and 273 (the main access roads to Big Lake and Crescent Lake), SR 261 is closed starting seven miles south of SR 260 to Crescent Lake and SR 273 is closed between Sunrise Park and Big Lake. US 191 is closed between Alpine and the Strayhorse Campground. There is no estimated time for reopening these highways.

Due to the fire and road closures the following areas should also be avoided: Tonto Lake, Reservation Lake, Pacheta Lake and Drift Fence Lake on the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

NOTE: A Community Meeting will be held at 6 p.m. tonight at the Alpine Community Center. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel and Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team representatives will present information about the Wallow Fire and answer questions.

The Wallow Fire is about 12 miles shy of Alpine having increased in size from 6,700 on Wednesday to its current size of 40,509 acres.

Before yesterday's activity, the fire was moving at an average of a half-mile to a mile every day. Yesterday the fire increased in size by over 5 miles.

The Eastern Arizona Interagency Incident Management Team (one of four Type II teams in the United States) is directing the fire battle under the direction of Incident Commander John Philbin.

Containment is currently estimated at zero percent.

Forest Service public information officer Bob Dyson said given the continued dry windy weather, the forecast is not favorable for firefighters' efforts.

The fire has prompted evacuations of residents in Apache County whose homes are threatened and is threatening Hannagan Meadow Lodge. The lodge is still open, however the area is smoke ridden and there is flying ash in the air. Campgrounds in the area have also been evacuated.

“It’s staying on the west side of Fish Creek. The wind is out of the east this morning and it’s supposed to come out of the southwest later today," Lodge Manager Janice Muldoon said on Wednesday.

As of Thursday morning there were 601 personnel and 16 handcrews assigned to the fire.

Equipment resources include 14 engines, six water tenders, four dozers, three heli-tankers, two air attack planes, one medium and two light helicopters and four airtankers.

Additional crews are on their way to help battle the blaze.

Dyson said the plan Thursday is to conduct defensive operations and try to keep the fire from reaching Big Lake or from moving west onto the White Mountain Apache Reservation.

"What we need now is boots on the ground," he said.

In addition to Hannagan Meadow Lodge there are two guest ranches to the northeast of the fire and directly in the path of the wind driven fire.

Dyson said both were “defensible.” noting that the Forest Service has performed extensive work over the last couple of days to protect Hannagan Meadow Lodge.

On May 31, the Forest Service imposed fire restrictions across the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.

No campfires are allowed except those in fire grills in developed recreation sites. Smoking in the forest is also prohibited except in a closed vehicle or within a building.

Although Highway 191 remains open, the Forest Service has closed two campgrounds, the KP Cienega and Hannagan campgrounds, and some roads on the west side of 191. The main water source for the fire crews is Acre Lake and the road to it has been closed.

Fire Facts

Date started: 5/29/2011

Personnel: 601, including 16 handcrews

Current location: 12 miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Equipment: 14 engines, 6 water tenders, 4 dozers

Cause: under investigation

Aircraft: 3 heli-tankers, 2 Air Attack planes,

Size: 40,509 (infrared flight)

1 med. and 2 light helicopters, 4 Air Tankers

Percent contained: 0

Estimated containment date: Unknown

Injuries to date: 0

Cost to date: $1,768,122

Prior Post 06/01/2011, 7:30 p.m. - Evacuations in effect due to Wallow Fire's progression; up to 15,000 acres burned

After briefing the public at a community meeting held tonight at the Round Valley High School Auditorium in Springerville, officials are estimating the Wallow Fire has consumed up to 15,000 acres.

Smoke today has made it impossible to obtain a clear acreage count. Infrared survalliance is expected to gain more accurate acreage numbers tonight.

Three airial attack helecopters are on scene. According to officials, the fire is actively burning at night and is at zero percent containment.

Hannagan Meadow Lodge has been evacuated in addition to campgrounds and ranches in the area.

The fire is approximately 15 miles from Alpine Arizona and the town and neighboring residences have not been evacuated.

See prior updates for areas under mandatory evacuation at this time.

Prior Post 06/01/2011, 4:15 p.m. - Evacuations in effect due to Wallow Fire's progression

Apache County Sheriff's deputies started evacuating dozens of campers in the Sprucedale area this afternoon, June 1, along Forest Road 26 about 18 miles northeast of the area where the Wallow Fire originated.

It was reported that fire crews were planning back-burns near two guest ranches in the Sprucedale area.

The movement of the fire has prompted the forest to announce the closure of the Alpine Ranger District of the Apache Sitgreaves National Forests effective immediately.

The southern boundary of the Closure Area is the Mogollon Rim and goes north to Forest Roads 249 and 116. The western side of the closure is the boundaries of the San Carlos Apache and White Mountain Apache Indian Reservations and goes east to Highway 191.

Highway 191 is closed from Alpine, AZ on the north, to the Strayhorse Campground on the south.

Portions of both Greenlee County and Apache County are affected by the closure.

A mandatory evacuation of all residents and visitors within the closure area is also in effect immediately. Private property within the closure area includes Sprucedale, Beaver Creek Ranch, Beaverhead, Brentwood and residents along Forest Road 26. Campgrounds include West Fork, and all of the campgrounds along the East Fork of the Black River. There is no access to the Black River.

Big Lake Recreation Area including all of the surrounding campgrounds remain open. Access to the area is from Highway 261 and Highway 273.

EDITOR'S NOTE: William Wiltbank owner of Beaver Creek Guest Ranch in the Sprucedale area signed an evacuation refusal with Apache County Sheriff's deputies late this afternoon. Deputies reported that he was gathering up horses at the ranch.

Prior Post 06/01/2011, 9:00 a.m. - Wallow Fire consumes 6,699 acres; community meeting tonight at 6 p.m.

A Community Meeting will be held beginning at 6 p.m. tonight at the Round Valley High School Auditorium in Springerville. Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests personnel and Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team representatives will present information about the Wallow Fire and answer the public's questions.

The Wallow Fire has grown to 6,699 acres as of Tuesday morning. Single and group tree torching with short sustained crown runs in heavy fuels were observed Tuesday. The fire continues to spot ahead and is actively backing down slopes. The fire remains active during nighttime hours due to poor relative humidity recoveries.

Forest Road (FR) 24 at the junction of FR 26 and Acre Lake Loop, also known as FR 8312, will be closed today. KP Cienega and Hannagan Campgrounds were closed Tuesday. An Emergency Road Closure is in effect at the junction of Forest Roads 24 and 25 off of Highway 191 to the Black River Bridge. Residents who live in Springerville, Eagar, Nutrioso, Alpine, and Luna, NM will continue to see and smell drift smoke from the Wallow Fire. Residents in Reserve, NM and Clifton, AZ have also reported significant smoke. Please see this link for information on proper precautions: http://www.azdhs.gov/phs/oeh/wildfire.htm

The A-S National Forests Fire Restrictions went into effect at midnight on May 31. The restrictions prohibit campfires, except in fire grills provided in developed recreation sites, smoking, except in an enclosed vehicle or building, and welding with an open flame. Please see the Forest website for more information: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/

Fire Facts

Date started: 5/29/2011

Personnel: 418, including 10 handcrews

Current location: 18 miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Equipment: 10 engines, 3 water tenders, 2 dozers

Cause: under investigation

Aircraft: 2 heli-tankers, 2 Air Attack planes,

Size: 6,699

1 med. and 1 light helicopter, 4 Air Tankers on order

Percent contained: 0

Estimated containment date:

Injuries to date: 0

Cost to date: $916,542

Prior Post 05/31/2011, 12:30 p.m. - Wallow Fire grows to 2,616 acres; zero percent containment

The Wallow Fire is actively spreading at a rate of up to a mile in a 24-hour period. Isolated and group torching of trees has been observed with the fire spotting ahead an average of 100 to 150 feet. The fire is currently located both inside and outside of the Bear Wallow Wilderness area and is burning in grass, brush and mixed conifer with a large dead and down component.

Firefighters are scouting for containment opportunities that include roads and terrain features. They are also assessing needs for protection of structures along Forest Road 26 including Hannagan Lodge, Josh Ranch, Beaver Creek, Sprucedale and the Reno lookout.

An Emergency Road Closure is in effect at the junction of Forest Roads 24 and 25 off of Highway 191 to the Black River Bridge. Motorists traveling Highway 191 may have limited visibility due to smoke. Residents who live in Springerville, Eagar, Nutrioso, Alpine, and Luna, NM will continue to see and smell drift smoke from the Wallow Fire.

The Incident Command Post is located at the Alpine Elementary School.

Strong sustained and gusty winds are expected at various times throughout the coming week. Please check for RED FLAG conditions and updates by dialing 593 or 928-333-3412 or on the website 593info.org, the A-S National Forest website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/ or here on WMIcentral.com.

Fire Facts

Date started: 5/29/2011

Number of personnel: 207

Current location: 18 miles SW of Alpine, AZ

Equipment: 10 engines, 3 water tenders, 2 dozers

Cause: under investigation

Aircraft: 2 helit-tankers, 2 Air Attack planes,

Size: 2,616

1 med. and 1 light helicopter, 4 Air Tankers on order

Percent contained: 0

Estimated containment date:

Injuries to date: 0

Cost to date: $50,000

Prior Post 05/30/2011 - 9:45 a.m.

The Wallow Fire burning southwest of Alpine, Arizona is actually two fires burning very close together. One has spread to 850 acres, the other is estimated at 600 acres. They are about a mile apart. A Type II Team will be taking command of the fire today.

Prior Post 05/29/2011 - 10:00 p.m.

A wildfire called the “Wallow Fire” is located about 15 miles southwest of Alpine, Arizona (legal: T3N, 28E, Sec 16) in the Bear Wallow Wilderness area. Currently the fire is at approximately 100 acres and is believed to be human caused. Resources on the scene are two engines, a dozer and a Type II team and additional resouces are enroute. The Type II Team will be briefed and transitioned on Monday at Noon.

The Reno Fire Lookout and some campers have been evacuated, and Hannagan Lodge residents have been notified. The Forest Service is asking recreationists and travelers to avoid the area at this time.

A road closure is in place from Wildcat Point on Forest Service Road 25 to Highway 191. The public is asked to avoid this area as well.

Strong winds are predicted for Monday with gusts as high as 34 mph. Please check for RED FLAG conditions and updates by dialing 593 or 928-333-3412 or on the website 593info.org at the ASNFs website at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/asnf/ or here on WMIcentral.com.

Another wildfire occurred Saturday afternoon called the “Club Fire” and was located in the Pinetop Country Club area. The fire is being called contained at 13.5 acres with a dozer line around the perimeter. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were called on this fire with fuel types of pine and grass.

A reminder, northern Arizona is very dry and we ask you call to inquire about fire restrictions for the Apache-Sitreaves National Forests or any area you plan on camping or recreating.

Here is quick overview of what RED FLAG means to you. The use of campfires and charcoal grills are prohibited on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests during RED FLAG conditions, as is smoking, except within a building, an automobile, a developed recreation site, or within a minimum 3 feet diameter area cleared of burnable material. Pressurized gas stoves are allowed. Private property owners may have to get a permit from their local fire department to do any burning, or may be prohibited from any open burning until red flag conditions subside.

Forest Service offices and local fire departments fly the RED FLAG when severe fire weather conditions are present.

The Forest Service continues to promote safety messages to those visiting any national forest. As dry conditions exists, please use extreme caution if camping on the A-S or any national forest. There are no fire restrictions currently on the A-S, but check prior to heading out to camp to check if there are any restrictions in place or Red Flag Warnings.

Safety tips to follow when visiting public lands or other areas:

When finished with the use of a campfire, completely extinguish your campfire by drowning the fire, stirring it, and drowning it again. Never leave a campfire unattended!

Be careful with gas lanterns, barbeques, gas stoves, and anything that can be a source of ignition for a wildfire.

Park vehicles away from dry grass and avoid driving through tall grass.

Dispose of a lit cigarette or other smoking materials appropriately.

http://www.wmicentral.com/news/pre-evacuation-alert-for-alpine-in-effect-apache-sitgreaves-forest/article_39ab81fe-8a47-11e0-abac-001cc4c002e0.html

"You'd lose your head if it wasn't screwed on you!"

2011-06-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Those were the loving words my mother would always yell at me if I'd misplace something: my school books, my wallet, my important papers. I can't blame her for losing patience with me; I have always been perpetually scatter-brained. Although I have never had to look for my head, it's miy mind I've lost on a few occassions. Decades later I still have the same problem: Keys, wallet, dog leashes, work badge often are misplaced.

"If you'd put your wallet in the same place every day after work you'd always kniow where it is!" Kevin says. That's easy for him to say because I always forget what that same place is!

I've gotten better over the years putting things in common areas but every now and then I still fail at finding stuff. Even at work I always make sure my wallet is in my front pocket, my keys are in my bag, etc. I also do the same thing while hiking; I'd hate to lose my keys somewhere at 9000 feet.

So last weekend I did the usual gear check multiple times while on a hike. Keys? Check. Cell phone? Check. Wallet? Check. This was a slow, social hike where we enjoyed a group picnic afterwards. When I got home I removed my pocket's contents and showered because K and I were going to a high school graduation for his best friend's daughter in Bisbee.

And now I honestly can't remember if I drove off with my wallet with me. I had my cell phone and camera, as usual, but the wallet...I simply don't know.

The next day I needed to drive into town for a quick errand and couldn't find my wallet. I drove into town without it, but was determined to look for the thing when I got home.

I couldn't find it anywhere. All my usual places in the house proved futile. It wasn't in the bathroom, it wasn't on the microwave, it wasn't by the front door, it wasn't around my cluttered computer desk, which, honestly, could be declared an abyss. It also wasn't locked up in my glove compartment, although I looked all over the truck several days and was even forced to clean out my truck in search of my wallet and all I found were gas receipts from Charlestown, WV where gas was $1.74 on August 17, 2004.

I refused to believe I had actually LOST my wallet. It had to be somewhere, ANYWHERE, so I did a thorough cleansing of my truck, which, I must admit, was already a few years past due. I must have removed several pounds of sand and dog fur from the crevices of my truck.

By Day Three of the missing wallet I started panicking. I probably lost it somwhere, perhaps when I stopped my truck on the way home from Bisbee that night to photograph the night scene of the city lights in the distance.

By Day Four I gave up the search and planned on getting all my documents replaced: drivers license, retired military ID card, credit card. I dreaded calling up my credit card because the last time I had to call them to report fraudulent use, the issuer lowered my credit limit by $7000. I was determined to postpone this for as long as possible. But this also meant that any roadtrip anywhere would have to be cancelled or postponed until the essentials were replaced.

By Day Five a critical day had arrived. K was leaving for a few days in Phoenix where his daughter had flown in to visit for a few days. I would be all alone in this house with three goofy dogs, one blood-thirsty cat and a geriatric Siamese with "special needs." Oh joy. And although I love having the house to myself for several days--I can play Italian rock songs or my Germans Tagesschau as loud as possible and not have him yell at me to "TURN THAT SHIT DOWN!"--I also wouldn't have anyone to talk to or eat dinner with. It was back to microwaved Swiss cheese tortillas and green pea soups for a while.

As the final moment came where K was ready to leave, he said out loud from the hallway "Hey Connie, come here, I want to show you something."

Oh uh. The last time he said THAT it turned out to be a turd in the middle of my office.

I hesitantly walked over to where K stood in the hallway, his right arm pointing to something in my office. He was smiling widely.

There is was, my wallet. It was laying on the backside of my little TV, black-on-black, well camouflaged. It was not exactly in one of its regular places, and I don't even rember putting it there, a condition I seem to find myself more in lately anyway. A big relief came over me. YAY! No long line at the DMV, no calling the credit card issuer AGAIN about a new card, no having to replace my military ID card and having to deal with grumpy government workers.

What was it that George Carlin said about looking for lost things? "When you lose something, the longer you look for it, the stranger the places are that you are looking. ...You know why? You've already looked in the easy places. Those are the first places we look, the obvious places. That's why people say to each other, 'Well, I've looked everywhere.' Well, apparently NOT...the...damn thing is still gone, isn't it?!? Let's keep looking in obvious places. I'll look in the furnace, you check the cesspool." Carlin forgot to mention the back of TVs

Countdown to the monsoon

2011-05-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

Late May is when Tucsonans and other southern Arizonans begin the countdown to the monsoon. The first 100F day for the area was on Sunday, and now we just want some water. Whatever we get will not make up for the dryness we've had these last eight months.

Today's sky looked promising first thing this morning. Grey clouds hung low over the Mule Mountains and it felt a bit more humid. In the afternoon the sky over the western mountains looked overcast, but perhaps that was from the new fires burning south of Tucson. It was in the 90s today with a trace of humidity; there was nothing monsoonal about this.

Other common sounds I heard today were USBP helicopters flying low overhead a few times. Those choppers haven't been as often as they used to be, but more apprehensions also don't get reported. A USBP van was parked off one dirt road this evening as I walked the dogs, and it had its lights on facing the highway. Odd.

As for fires, here are the most recent updates.

The Horseshoe2 is now at:72,900 acres and 75% contained.
Arlene: 10,610 acres and fully contained.

There's now a new fire, the Murphy Fire, near Arivaca, that is around 1000 acres. It is also human caused.
The new Wallow fire in the Apache-Sitgreaves forest, which started yesterday, is 2,615 acres.

What a month!

2011-05-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

And it's not even over yet.

It started with the demise of Osama bin Laden on May 1st. Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian Serb who was wanted for war crimes in Bosnia, was captured today, and inbetween my own uncle Leo's death, the brother of one of my friends died yesterday, and a hiking partner of mine is facing charges of second-degree murder. Yeah, I know, just typing that sounds bizarre because this person is a very kind and decent person who just happened to make a very foolish, split-second decision when he felt his life was threatened.

I'm doing 10001 for something very special to me (I'll reveal this in the next few months.)

Last Day of School

2011-05-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

And despite a high rate of absenteeism, those who did show up today were well-mannered. It was a day of socializing, signing yearbooks, taking photos of friends. I recognized many faces but remembered no names, as usual, as I chatted for the last time this school year with a group of 7th graders.

It was a half day for the students, each class no more than 25 minutes long. That's barely time to get a class calmed down at the end of the school year! There were a few rough housers, and two boys in fifth period were borderline agressive toward each other. One accidentally pushed the other boy over a chair, the boy slipped and hurt his back. The boy who slipped just happened to be a child with special needs for his violent outbreaks, and although he was clearly not hurt, he wanted to use the slip as an excuse to get violent with the first boy. That didn't go too well with me because it was obvious the hurt boy was doing it for dramatics, and an entire classroom witnessed it. Luckily separating the two was all I needed to do, and I contined to talk calmly to the offended child.

At 12:13pm the school intercom played Alice Cooper's "School's out!" which was code for "good-bye till this August!" and the entire campus filled with screaming and running middle-school students looking for their school bus or private parent-chauffeur to oick them up. There surely were relieved teachers as well, who now have the rest of the week to finalize grades and clean out their classrooms.

The campus cleared out fast, too, and by the time I got to my truck, there was little evidence that there were students on campus today. There was no formal good-byes, just the usual "thank-you!" and I drove home.

Will I be back next year? I hope so. I've gained much confidence as a teacher, I have overcome the social stigma here of being an "overpaid teacher" (hardly!) and simply enjoy mentoring the students that want and need it. There will be changes for me this fall, that I know, and I have the summer now to prepare.

Current wildfires burning

2011-05-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

The horizon now from all directions shows a whitish haze during the day and a brownish-reddish haze at dusk. Right now the winds are calm, but neither fire has been completely contained yet. These fires are burning in two very popular camping sites and will hamper businesses and family plans over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Even we had planned of camping nearby; guess that isn't going to happen.

1. Horseshoe Two:Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Human, Under Investigation
Date of Origin Sunday May 08th, 2011 approx. 11:00 AM
Location T28S R31e sect 32, Near Portal, AZ; Approx 2 miles west of Rodeo, NM
Incident Commander Dugger Hughes

Current Situation
Total Personnel 838
Size 44,650 acres
Percent Contained 35%
Estimated Containment Date Wednesday June 22nd, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM
Fuels Involved Grasses, shrubs, and trees

Fire Behavior Short upslope runs in brush in the timber fuels. Group tree torching throughout the day.

Significant Events Red Flag Warning existed today from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This is the second day in a row for the Red Flag Warning. Forest Service road closures and evacuation of Paradise residences continues.

Outlook
Planned Actions Continue to hold and mop up burnout along Forest Service Road 42 to secure Paradise. Prep indirect lines in the northwest, south, and west, and burnout if conditionns are favorable.

Growth Potential High

Terrain Difficulty Extreme

Remarks The burnout in the north to protect the townsite of Paradise remains solid with an increased depth of the indirect burn.

Current Weather
Wind Conditions 32 mph W
Temperature 80 degrees
Humidity 3%

2. Arlene Fire

Basic Information
Incident Type Wildfire
Cause Under Investigation
Date of Origin Monday May 23rd, 2011 approx. 12:00 AM
Location 5 miles east of Lochiel, AZ
Incident Commander John Philbin

Current Situation
Total Personnel 260
Size 10,610 acres
Percent Contained 25%
Fuels Involved Grass, brush and decadent oak

Fire Behavior Fire behavior has moderated as strong winds decreased.

Significant Events The Eastern Arizona IMT has assumed command of the fire. The Incident Command Post is located on FR 58 at the Little Outfit Ranch.

Outlook
Planned Actions On Wednesday, firefighters will conduct mop-up about 130 feet in from the fire perimeter.

http://www.inciweb.org/

Our newest fire: the Arlene fire

2011-05-23T19:37:00.001-07:00

This one started this morning around 9:30am just north of Lochiel in Parker Canyon. I saw the first waves of smoke billow over the Huachucas as I was driving home from the high school around 10:30am. It's now already 4000 acres and with the winds we've been having, will grow stronger. This one makes me a little nervous because a few strong hot embers could get the western Huachucas aflame. I may plan an evacuation if the winds continue.

The highlight was around 4pm as dense, dark brown smoke rose over the ridge and into the San Pedro valley over Sierra Vista. We live south of town so we were actually spared the smoke, and I got to see how the strong winds carried the smoke over the ridgeline and into town.

We are being engulfed in fires! The Horseshoe Fire2 is now over 40,000 acres big and still only 20% contained, but that fire has now crested over the ridge and has now started burning in the western slopes of the Chiricahuas.

An F4 tornadp ripped through the southwestern Missouri town of Joplin. It's right off I-44 near the Oklahoma state line. I drove through there at night on my way up to Chicagoland last December. The tornado has now claimed 116 lives with people still missing. The photos on the nightly news are devastating.

Like Kevin said today, "We've had killer tornadoes, extreme floods and lingering storms, all we need now is a massive earthquake along the New Madrid fault" to complete the disasters. If I were a believer I'd say this is the start of that Rapture due by this October.

As for me and my summer plans, I'm still in limbo, but I may have to cancel the trip to Chicagoland not so much because of gas prices (which now are supposed to drop by up to twenty cents in the next week or so; it's down to $3.64 in town), but the constant threat of fires this side of the mountains. I can't leave Kevin alone with all these pets and cars in our driveway.

Blackett's Ridge at moon rise

2011-05-18T00:58:00.000-07:00

Blackett's Ridge is what Bill calls "the toughest little hill in Tucson" and I agree. I had always been wanting to do this six-mile ridgeline walk in Sabino Canyon, and when a hiker led this hike tonight at moon rise, I jumped at the opportunity. Now I wish I could have seen the beauty during the daytime and am determined to come back to this pretty area soon!

I didn't leave the house until 4pm, passing Kevin as he was on his way home from work. I was feeling tired, and there were several construction areas along I-10 that slowed me down. I didn't get to the northeast side of Tucson until 1:45 hours later. It normally takes me 1:20 hours. Temps were in the 80s with mostly clear skies.

prefer getting off Houghton Road when I drive to the east side, drive northbound for ten miles, then turn west on Speedway until that hits Tanque Verde Avenue. This is such a pretty part of Tucson, with stately homes on small hilltops and lots of green trees. I have to say this is the prettiest part of the entire city.

The hike was to start at 7pm with a moonrise at almost 8pm, but I found I was quickly in the back of the pack of 16 taking photos; it had been too long since I was in Sabino Canyon, I had forgotten how pretty it is here, and all the things one can photograph. The saguaros were in bloom and cactus wrens flitted about. Before I could even get my lens focused, the group was ahead and soon I lost them.

I admit, I have gotten out of shape this past semester! I felt it tonight. But dear Bill stayed with me, his headlamp lighting the path. I had my lamp inside the backpack but I never took it out for some reason, wanting to wait until I got to the top. By the time we got there over 1:30 hour later (!) most were already on the descent.

This wasn't a good hike to meet new people by as the individual pace didn't allow for much socializing. This was one of those go-out-and-back-at-your-own-pace type of hike. I will try to make more of these Tucson hikes, though, as there are so many corners of that city I haven't explored yet.

Local teachers to get a one-time bonus

2011-05-16T22:43:00.000-07:00

This article from the Sierra Vista Herald on 11 May 2011 generated a lot of readers' comments. I'll post it all here.

Teachers will get 1-time bonus
By Adam Curtis
Herald/Review

SIERRA VISTA — In an effort to mitigate an ever-tightening pinch to district staff’s pocket books, the Sierra Vista Unified School District Governing Board unanimously approved a one-time signing bonus on Tuesday night for all returning employees.

The bonus carries a total cost of $675,000 and will be split 60/40 between certified and classified staff members who sign contracts for next year. Board members reminded the public during a well-attended regular meeting that this bonus is long overdue considering staff salaries have been frozen for three years while their health care and, more recently, state retirement costs have increased.

The board also passed the first budget revision for the current year, and Director of Financial Services Michelle Quiroz explained how conservative budgeting combined with relatively good news from the state enabled the district to offer the bonus.

While the district knows it faces an estimated mid-year reduction from the state of $647,000, staff had prepared for worse by setting aside about $1.6 million in unallocated funds for this year, Quiroz said. Newly available federal Education Jobs program grant money can essentially be used to absorb the state reduction, freeing up the unallocated money to help enrich employee pay instead of simply protecting it from reductions.

Board member Hal Thomas noted that the three-year salary freeze and a reduction in the district’s contribution to employee health care benefits last year have cost employees much more than the bonus will cover.

“This is an attempt to recoup some of that for them. It’s not nearly enough, I’d like to see it be at least twice that much, but we don’t have it,” Thomas said.

The bonus will equate to about $1,035 for each certified employee and $680 for each classified employee.

“Hopefully, that will answer the question whether we care about our teachers,” board president Don Rothery said. “We always have, we always will. I agree with what Hal said, it’s just a drop in the bucket.”

The budget revision reduced the district’s spending limit for the current year by about $365,630, leaving the budget at about $33.07 million for the current year ending June 30. While the district can spend that amount, the state has continued its recent practice of rolling over many of its actual monetary payments until the following budget year.

Anticipating another rollover in June, Quiroz said the state has deferred five of its 12 equalization payments in order to balance its own budget this year. That means the state owes the district about $8.3 million in actual funds used to support the budget and Quiroz doubts they will pay the full amount.

“Will we ever get that? Probably not,” Quiroz said. “Will we continue to see rollovers? Absolutely.”

While many districts have had to register warrants or request lines of credit from the county treasurers, Sierra Vista has been able to pay its bills without them so far, Quiroz said.

“This is just so not generally accepted accounting principals, it’s not a good thing,” Board member Deb Scott said. Her big fear is also that the state will end up saying it does not have enough money to cover the payments it owes and will simply not pay them.

In that case, property taxes would skyrocket, as the state would essentially shift its share of the burden to fund school district budgets onto the backs of local tax payers, Quiroz said.

STEM Charter School

The district will explore the possibility of sponsoring a seventh-12th-grade Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics focused charter school at the former Apache Middle School campus.

The board unanimously approved a work session with legal council to explore the legal and educational benefits of this idea during Tuesday’s meeting. The board work session is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, June 10 in the district administration building.

“This has certainly been one of my priorities since we made the vote to close Apache Middle School,” board member Deb Scott said. “I think it’s prudent on our part. It’s something we’ve been talking about and certainly the community is talking about STEM schools for seven through 12. … I know for a fact we meet those needs exceptionally well but this may be a way to show the community that we meet it even better than we currently do.”

Board member Hal Thomas is in favor of revising the district’s programs so they can offer a more narrow focus for students who know what they want to do.

Board member Nancy Richardson lamented that art is just as important as the typical STEM subjects and wanted to incorporate it into the discussion regarding a new school.

Superintendent Brett Agenbroad recently attended the 98th Arizona Town Hall and walked away with the understanding that educators need to get away from STEM and move to STEAM, which would include art.

The concept is that the creative minds needed to be engineers or scientists are also fostered and developed through the arts, Agenbroad said. As they work to develop this idea, the board and community will dictate what would be most advantageous to students.

Joyce Clark Middle School promotion

Due to logistical challenges, Joyce Clark Middle School’s promotion ceremony has been retooled to forgo formality in favor of fun.

School Principal Melissa Sadorf formed a committee of parents, students, staff and teachers in March to develop a new set of traditions to celebrate graduation that would be every bit as memorable, but also would be feasible with about 400 students and a small budget. They came up with a week’s worth of events, including a school dance, an open house for parents, and a variety of other fun-focused activities.

Three members of the school student council described each of the events for the board. The changes passed in a 4-1 vote, with Board President Don Rothery weighing in against them, not based on their substance, but on the process used to initiate them.

Rothery agreed 100 percent with what they’re doing for the kids, but thought someone should have contacted the board earlier in the process, he said. “I support what you’re doing, I don’t support how it was done.”

Call to the Public:

• Dorothy Dietz addressed the board with concerns about a lack of applicants for the local Kiwanis Club’s annual scholarships and about the lack of a scholarship fair or “college day” at the high school this year.

Agenbroad and several board members assured her that her concerns were both justified in light of staff cuts to counseling positions and will be addressed, adding a guarantee that there will be a college day next year.

• Pueblo del Sol Elementary School Teacher Jennifer Caputo addressed the board with concerns regarding the addition of 30 minutes of instructional time to the elementary school day.

Board Clerk Connie Johnson later echoed concerns about teachers not having adequate time for even small breaks during the day.

• Town and Country Elementary School Parent Teacher Student Organization Vice President Michele Frias informed the board of a joint meeting all the elementary PTSOs held with Agenbroad and other administrative staff.

With a school closure off the immediate horizon, she hopes to work together to promote the district, facilitate positive change and rebuild trust in the community.

Also …

In other business the board unanimously OK’d:

• Changing the elementary school library position to a media literacy and technology integration specialist. This will enable the district to use grant funding and hire an additional person to do this job.

• Established two new positions to support teachers and students next year, to be entirely funded through grants. The positions are an elementary reading achievement coach and a high school technology integration special development specialist.

• An intergovernmental agreement with Cochise College for dual enrollment courses and another IGA with the college for the Tech Prep Program.

• The award of contracts to certificated employees, school nurses and therapists for next year.

• A five-year contract with Dollar Rent-a-Car for rental vehicles used for district travel.

• A contract with Lifetouch National School Studios for the senior and group photographer at graduation.

• The adoption of next year’s governing board meeting calendar.

• The revision of two course names at Joyce Clark Middle School.

And here are the comments from readers:

cchavez on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 17:18
Title: quality education

I just want to clarify some misinformation. First, teachers are NOT contracted to work 181 days. Our students attend 181 days, but the teachers are required to work a few days before students arrive and a day and a half after school gets out. Of course, I don’t know any elementary teachers who show up to work on our first contracted day. Many of us actually come back to the classroom at least a week earlier. We have not had any type of raise in the past 3 years, while we have been forced to either cut our health insurance benefits or pay extra to keep what we used to have. My own children don’t have health insurance because my husband and I both work for the district and we can’t afford to purchase insurance for them.

Furthermore, there is not a school in Sierra Vista that can outperform any of the SVPS schools. I just compared and double checked my facts on elementary schools in SV. According to the Arizona Department of Education website, the highest scoring charter schools, are outscored by the lowest scoring SVPS school. The lowest scoring charter school only had 50% of their 3rd-8th graders pass the reading portion, 60% pass the writing, and 63% pass the math portion of the AIMS tests. The average percentage of 3rd-8th graders passing the AIMS in the 3 largest charter schools in SV is 63% in reading, 65% in writing, and 72% in math. Compare that to the SVPS elementary schools with 77% in reading and writing and 80% passing in math. Check it out yourself at the Arizona Dept. of Ed. website.

Here are just a couple other ways that charter school education differs from and is often lacking in academic perfomance. Teachers in public schools must be certified and prove that we are highly qualified each year, while teachers in charter schools don’t even have to have a teaching degree. Charter schools are for-profit businesses, while public schools are non-profit. These schools get to chose how they spend their money while public schools don’t have that choice

Knight Rider on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 21:08
Title: Funny comparison...
Your comparison is like a runner in the Boston marathon celebrating for coming in second to last… Hey look, I wasn’t the worst!

Sumtingwong on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 19:26
Title: Wow
What a comparison. Compare it to other places other than SV. In other words, the charter. nor the public schools do worth a darn in SV.

WW2 Marine Veteran on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 11:22
Title: marciensv & SV Guy messages
marciensv & SV Guy: In addition to my comment about private & charter school, there is another altenative (although not an easy one). That is home schooling. There are some good lesson material on the market to help those who want to dedicate their time to home schooling. I have seem good positive results accomplished by those who want to educate their children away from the NEA which I believe has become a failure.

WW2 Marine Veteran on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 11:03
Title: SV Guy & marciensv messages
SV Guy & marciensv: You both try to make valid points. My problem with public education is their union (NEA) for public education. They have done too much for irreparable harm. I tried to get my children educated in Lutheran Schools whenever possible. We now have public education in Charter Schools without the NEA, paid for by tax payers but still with qualified teachers. I endorse that system.
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Knight Rider on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 19:04
Title: 675k
So I hope we won’t see them trying to push another override since they obviously have money stashed somewhere.

Sumtingwong on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 05:23
Title: OPM
They probably have another 100K stashed for expenses, to push for another override.

Phoebe on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:32
Title: A Noble Profession
A final thought…
As a teacher, it bothers me when people judge educators so harshly and belittle what we do with statements related to our salary, the fact that we have healthcare and a retirement plan, that we should be happy that we have a job at all, that what we do isn’t hard, that we get off earlier in the day than other professions, that we have summers. To those people, I say that in my experience I have noticed that no one truly appreciates what teachers do unless they are linked to education in some way as an educator, education employee, a family member of one of the previous two, or a dedicated volunteer and no one can empathize with the art of classroom management unless they have been a first year teacher. My salary of $27,000/year is a reflection of how the state legislators view education. I have healthcare, but my husband and I dread what our finances will become when we have to add children someday (if we can ever afford kids at all). If I am able to stay in this profession for thirty years, you bet I deserve a retirement. Teachers manage 25+ students, create lessons, grade papers, modify strategies based on student data, etc. When the student’s day ends, ours doesn’t. We have faculty meetings, IEP or 504 meetings, set up for the next day, and we HAVE to participate in extra-curricular activities, whether they are clubs, the arts, or athletics. Then, when we are finally done with all of that, then we have time to go to the bathroom. Summer? I’ll be spending mine making lesson plans for the year so that when I get home in the evenings I can spend time with my husband and not in front of the computer. In spite of all this, I truly love my job and the kids. They are the reason I am in this field. It is just too bad that the attitudes of some people demean what I do to make a difference in their lives.

FreeThinker on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 07:43
Title: An arrogant profession
As a tax payer, it bothers us when a teacher fails to properly educate students, blames their teaching negligence on a lack of funding, while looking down their nose at the very people that pay their salary.

The level of arrogance is unbelievably amazing! A teacher, complaining about their salary, doesn’t realize how their negligence of poorly educating students will produce a negative result on their future income.

Better educated students =’s better pay for teachers, it’s that simple. 50 years ago, students had a better education than they do today on a smaller budget so please, spare us the pathetic excuse, "We didn’t fail we are just not funded enough"

Knight Rider on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 21:20
Title: A few questions...
Can you tell us how you and other teachers you work with are evaluated? I ask because in order to get a raise, or keep my job for that matter, I undergo at least 4 formal evaluations of my performance every year. I find it fascinating that a teacher doesn’t have to be good at teaching to keep their jobs. If you have 30 kids and half fail do you get fired? Or are you merely evaluated with someone sitting through a few of your classes to essentially critique and evaluate your teaching style? As for all the other stuff, I really could care the less how much extra time teachers claim to put in. We all decide what we want to do with our lives and you chose to be a teacher so I assume you did some research and knew what you were getting into before you chose that path. There are some very good teachers and hey, you might be one of them, but there are also many bad teachers that just seem to hang around until they can retire.

jmskarhus
on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 10:40
Title: Teacher Evaluation is a Complex Issue
You make an interesting point, regarding teacher evaluation. If you can come up with a truly equitable solution, you’ll be a very rich man. Different systems across the county have tried to varying levels of success, but measuring teacher success is mucy more difficult than simply looking at results on standardized tests. Like districts across the state, SVPS is reassesing our current teacher evaluation system, so that between 33 and 50% of the evaluation will be based directly on student acheivement. Principals and the superintendent will also be evaluated similarly. In theory, this is a great idea. Of course every teacher should contribute to the advancement of their students and, somehow, their performance appraisals should be tied to their ability to teach their students. And if it were that simple, it would have been done a long time. There are many problems with the practical implementation of this kind of evaluation; I’ll hit the highlights:

1) I can’t make my students succeed. I set high standards and give every student the opportunity to learn. I use many strategies to motivate them. Every year, the majority of my students learn a significant amount of Spanish and are ready to move on to Spanish Two, but some choose to fail. Students make choices that I can’t control: deciding to pay attention, to study, todo the work, etc.

2) Most subjects don’t have a standardized appraisal instrument. While imperfect, we could use AIMS scores to evaluate learning in reading, writing, math, and, I believe, science. For about 70% of the courses in Arizona, there is no standard appraisal. This is not insurmountable by any means, but certainly needs to be addressed.

3) Not every student has the same ability. Due to intelligence, motivation, level of support at home, including the value of education, socioeconomic status, language ability, prior learning (we get many students from schools around the country, as well as charter schools, who are unprepared for the rigor offered at Buena) etc., it is inequitable to assess the teacher on their ability to get every student to the same level.

So while I agree with your premise, and we are making strides to move in this direction, evaluating teachers on student ability is a very complex issue.

I do disagree with your assessment that there are "many" bad teachers. Hard numbers would require significant research, but anecdotally, having taught at BHS for over 10 years, I would estimate the number at far less than 10%. There certainly needs to be more done to improve struggling teachers and to remove those who don’t want to improve, but this doesn’t negate the excellence produced at Buena every year.

FreeThinker on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 17:55
Title: The hand you hold is the same hand that holds you down
Unfortunately, some people still refuse to see the light outside of the cave of government. “Good” teachers can earn a more than comfortable living wage if they were able to compete in a free market & not enslaved by unions & government regulations/legislation. Education is a product, not a right of the people to be provided by government, & if this product was sold, instead of taxed in a free market, good teachers would eliminate the bad teachers while producing very well educated students.
Teachers, do you really want a better salary? Then compete for it!
People, do you really want a better education for your children? Then shop for it!
To think, if government wasn’t standing in the way, both parties would benefit tremendously. However, both parties keep turning to government to solve their educational issues & that has always produce the same negative result, poorly compensated teachers & poorly educated students.
The teachers blame the tax payers for their poorly compensated income, the tax payer blames the teachers for their poorly educated children, & the government sits back, gets fat off of our money, laughs at both parties, while creating new legislation that just sustains the problem with no intention to solve.

Knight Rider on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 13:49
Title: Thanks...
I appreciate the serious response to my questions. It sounds as though even teachers realize that there is no good way to evaluate them, and I agree you can’t base things purely on student performance because we all know some students are not interested in learning. Hopefully a way to properly evaluate teachers will be developed. I would certainly be more comfortable supporting pay raises if I knew good teachers were going to benefit and the freeloaders were being fired.

Phoebe on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:02
Title: Living Wage
As a teacher in a surrounding district, my first reaction if I were an employee of SVPS would be concern about receiving a bonus when district schools are at risk for a shut down. As much as I would deeply appreciate the money, future school closures would mean a loss of a job, in which case $1,035 wouldn’t matter. But my real comment is to all of the people previously commenting about a teacher’s wage. First of all, contrary to a previous comment, there are not as many SVPS teachers that are retired military as you would think, so please erase the double salary from your mind. Also, to the person who keeps bashing what teachers make, because of insurance and healthcare increases my pay check has actually decreased in my years of teaching. Plus, because of pay freezes many teachers still make what a first year teacher does, $27,000 a year. This is my salary that I have had for the past three years. An additional tax, compounded by higher insurance and retirement means that I only my $680 a paycheck. This is not a living wage. I know teachers that are the only breadwinner in their family and I don’t know how they are able to provide for their children. It is, therefore, not surprising that their children receive free or reduced meals. I am so thankful that my husband has a job outside of K-12 education now. He lost his teaching job last year and there was no way we would be able to pay our bills and keep our house on just my salary (and please don’t argue that our 1100 sq. ft. house is to lavish for our income) if he hadn’t have found something within a few months. Thank you for reading my point of view.

FreeThinker on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 11:02
Title: Just be honest...Please!!!
So teaching is really about the money & not the love for teaching. It’s okay, you can say it, "I do this for the money & the expect a steady income for teaching" There’s nothing wrong with that statement especially if you worked very hard to acquire a degree in teaching. You are no different then any "greedy" corporation, you teach in order to create wealth for yourself.

Why is this so hard to admit too? Nobody does anything out of their benevolence, they do it out of their "Greed", self interest to acquire wealth. The problem is Phoebe, you thought a career in public education would always be there for you regardless of what level of educated students your public education system turns out but, unfortunately for you, your chickens have come home to roost. Your public education programs has dumb down the future leaders, innovators, & wealth creators to the point where there is no one that will strive to achieve because they were educated to beleive that "Greed" is immoral. Your public education system has created a society of mind less people that were taught/told to provide for their neighbor & to depend on government to provide for them while never addressing the issue of "Who will provide for government?" Or, "How can I provide for my neighbor when I can’t provide for myself?"

This is the end result of "The hand you hold is the same hand that holds you down" Welcome to the ugly side of Darwinism that everybody ignores & refuses to embrace, the "survival of the fittest, only the strong will survive"

You want a "living Wage?" Welcome to the jungle girl! You better learn to saddle up & ride with the cowboys cause government can’t rescue you no more. They have tossed you overboard to lighten up their load so higher level proletariat’s won’t have to make such sacrifices.

RHH on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 21:28
Title: Do teachers not deserve more
Do teachers not deserve more pay to better the education of the kids that will some day run this nation? Where is the motivation or incentive for teachers to stay strong in the field that their in? Yep, they get into the field knowing the pay but they end up having families who need food on the table and a roof over their heads. Non educators seem to think its so easy to take a classroom of 25 plus kids and give them the education they need and deserve. It’s funny that people can trash talk teachers, where did you get your education from? Where do you stand now, was it not because educators provided the knowledge you have today?

marciensv
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 11:33
Title: teachers and bonus
I see nothing wrong with this one time bonus. I do think there are some good teachers, but like any career/job there are also poor ones. Its a shame that there has to be this blanket coverage. But until teachers here get a better salary we are stuck with teachers that offer little quality. Do you realize teachers have to read and grade assignments, enter into grade books, plan for weekly lessons, mandatory schooling, and meeting with parents. A quality teacher is not able to complete all this by the end of the school day. But I also feel that with better pay comes increased hours/days. We have to keep up with other countries or get passed by.Unfortunately, here the teachers like children are low on the funding list. I asked someone recently with a masters if he would take a job that started at 34,000 a year. He was insulted. So why do people in the private sector feel they deserve $17 hr for AA, $23 for BA and $30 MA for entry level positions? Why do some people charge travel cost plus actual time for service calls? I don’t get paid to get to work. Why do some dealerships charge $75-$125 hr for just labor to fix a car. In some cases I’ve paid more for labor then the cost of the part. Do those mechanics have a BA or MA?

SV Guy
on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:35
Title: teachers and bonus
I absolutely disagree with your comment about teachers offering little quality. Do you visit the schools and the classrooms? I do and what I find is teachers going above and beyond in every way! We do have quality in our schools! I feel that you make blanket calls about schools all the time without actually rolling up your sleeves and finding out for yourself.

marciensv
on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 06:21
Title: sorry to disagree
sorry SV Guy, I disagree with you. Just like any profession….NOT all teachers do a good job. Like I said there are good teachers and there are poor teachers. To say that EVERY teacher goes above what it expected is just not realistic. Again there are slackers in every job and profession. I think its time to opened your eyes.

brian
on Sun, 05/15/2011 - 08:16
Title: define "quality", by what
define "quality", by what standard do you measure quality?

Quality is the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something. So per this defintion- the quality of our schools is in the measurement of comparing us to other schools. Our school district consistently scores in the highest percentage of the state; we have all performing plus and above rated schools in our district which is rare for a district. In addition, PDS just won a Blue Ribbon award for the nation compared to all other schools both public, private, and charter. I do find it interesting that you ask that because in Sierra Vista many businesses are lacking in quality so when I have to compare- Sierra Vista Public Schools offers a quality that is lacking in many businesses in our town.

Sumtingwong on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 09:34
Title: A thank you to the school board
By giving out this bonus you have proven an override wasn’t needed, and won’t be needed next time you try and shove one down our throats. Giving away money is no problem for the board, as board president Don Rothery said, $675,000, is just a drop in the bucket. By giving this bonus you actually save us taxpayer’s money, as the next override sure won’t stand a chance of passing. The voters will remember how big of a bucket you have.

Amazed2
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 19:15
Title: Comprehend Much?
I’ll put the two quotes together to see if they make more sense to you this way. “This is an attempt to recoup some of that for them. It’s not nearly enough, I’d like to see it be at least twice that much, but we don’t have it,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, that will answer the question whether we care about our teachers,” board president Don Rothery said. “We always have, we always will. I agree with what Hal said, it’s just a drop in the bucket.”

Just in case you need a little more explanation, it is a drop in the bucket compared to what they owe the teachers after 3 years of pay freezes. Nice way to try to twist what they said and their intended meaning.

pundit on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 06:31
Title: Most private sector worker
Most private sector worker have seen wages go down in the last 3 years and we feel Lucky to have a job at all, as should the teachers. Its’ outrageous that the board decided to give this bonus.

SV Guy
on Sat, 05/14/2011 - 08:39
Title: Most private sector worker
Oh please; I am so tired of this. Most private sector workers make a lot more than $28,000 a year so name me one. Even the cashiers at the grocery stores make $30,000 a year. Walk a mile in an educators shoes and then complain; I bet you won’t.

sensei
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 05:27
Title: Sumtingwong
Teachers and staff are getting a windfall? Oil companies get windfalls because they are anything but underpaid. Only you would say that any money that goes to teachers and classified staff is a windfall. Do you mind explaining what it is you do that has made you so qualified to insult teachers in every way possible? Honestly, what kind of work do you do that makes you so unappreciative of teachers? What makes your contribution to society so superior? If you feel that paying taxes makes you unique you are in for a surprise, teachers also pay taxes and have children that attend public schools. Again, many teachers are military veterans or are married to soldiers, DA civilians or defense contractors.

marciensv
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 11:54
Title: you forgot to mention
If a teacher is retired military, they are collecting 2 checks. They have no reason to cry to the bank. How much is the monthly retirement check. And how much is the monthly teachers check. I don’t feel sorry for a 3 check family that can not make ends meet. There is a huge difference between a 1 check person trying to pay school loans. And if married to a solider, they can live in military housing, have no water bill, have no electric bill. And what do you think they pay for health insurance. Even if there is a layoff they will have a roof over their head. This is not the case for a 1 check civilian.

sensei
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 21:50
Title: Vote No and Sumtingwong
I explained this before. Teachers didn’t demand a 181-day contract; that is all the number of contracted days this and most other states will fund. Are you willing to pay more taxes to pay the teachers to teach more days? You must think teachers are supposed to work two more months for free and pay out of pocket to attend college classes so that they can stay certified. Our society was once mostly agrarian and kids were out of school during the summer so they could help their families with the farm work. This tradition is part of our culture and, along with our unwillingness to pay more in taxes, is the reason why teachers are only funded to teach for 181 days. By the way, 80 to 85% of school budgets are used to pay salaries and benefits. How do you give children a good education without being willing to pay for good teachers?

JPD on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 21:42
Title: Clarification
When government workers say they haven’t had an increase, they usually mean they got their cost of living increase, but nothing more. I don’t consider that "frozen," since many people in private industry get only very small increases (and no cost of living). Did the teachers get cost of living increases or not in the past 3 years? Just wondering.

Amazed2
on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 07:54
Title: No, JPD
They did not get a cost of living increase. If they had been attending school towards a masters, they did not get that step up. They have received nothing of an increase for any reason in 3 years. But their share of health insurance did go up. So their net has seen a nice drop.

Sumtingwong on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:45
Title: ALL??????
The bonus is for all of the returning employees. Staff? Sounds like more than just the teachers are getting this windfall.

VOTE NO on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 06:12
Title: And
And the school district just keeps on WASTING our tax dollars. Just remember to VOTE NO when they ask for ANOTHER override. Get a clue, put the money towards educating the children.

jmskarhus
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 10:45
Title: Money Well Spent!
Please elaborate on your view that the district is "WASTING our tax dollars," as well as how you believe money is not currently being very well spent "towards educating the children."

SVPS was extremely conservative this year, so we had enough left over to pay our excellent teaching and support staff a small amount of the money that has been cut from their salaries the last few years and which will continue to be cut next year. To elaborate, salaries for every school employee have been frozen for the third year in a row, so my base salary for next year is approximately $4000 less than what district policy mandates for my experience and education. Additionally, the state has mandated that instead employees paying 50% and the employer paying 50% of our retirement benefit, employees will now pay 53%. Teachers have agreed to greatly increased class sizes, which saves the district hundreds of thousands of dollars. These are just a few examples of the sacrifices we have made to maintain a healthy budget in these times of drastic state cuts — so that your taxes will remain low.

Teacher retention is extremely important to maintaining a quality education for our children, and money is one key factor to maintaining the excellent teachers and support staff employed by SVPS.

Proud US Citizen on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:17
Title: VOTE NO is CLUELESS
You do know what the real "waste" of our tax dollars is in school districts not only here, but across the U.S….

The fact that taxpayers have to educate illegal aliens, who shouldn’t even be here in the first place!

Holland for years used to "educate everyone", but then they finally realized enough is enough, and stopped it!

The U.S. I believe is the only country on the face of the earth that gives an education to ALL, whether they are entitled to it or not.

So you should "get a clue", and petition your reps to get the Supreme Court (whose decision it was many years ago to educate those illegally here) to revisit that decision.

VOTE NO on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:54
Title: Obviously
Obviously Proud US Citizen is a school teacher. I do not want to hear how very hard teachers have it. Give me a break. I wish I only had to work 180 days a year. I am not as clueless as you think. Maybe the clueless one is you Proud.

Amazed2
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 14:54
Title: Pointing fingers
I wouldn’t be too quick to point fingers at someone as clueless when you don’t know that the number of instructional days in the district is 181 and teachers work more than that. Also, the average person with 2 weeks vacation works 240 days. Many positions have 3 weeks, so 235 days. An article released in Feb states that the "salaries averaging $50,034 per year" is what is expected for recent 4 year degree grads. On the other hand, you have SV teachers starting at $28,272.70. So you think that a 45-50 day difference warrants a pay $21,762 below the average compared to other 4 year grads? That much might make sense if teachers were making $70 an hour. Straight up per hours worked, if $50K is $25/hr (w/ vacation included) then that equivalent would have teachers starting around $37K. Not to hard to look at the numbers and take an objective view of the situation. Oh, and if the teacher was really lucky and started the year the freezes hit, 4 years into it and they could still be making their same low starting salary.

Biker
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 07:58
Title: Crazy??
Please tell me how giving a teacher a bonus is wrong, when they haven’t been given a pay increase in three years all while inflation and benifits have gone up???? The education of a certified teacher, educated to the federal standard cost that person well in the 70-80 thousand dollar range….Anyone who thinks teachers do it for the money are a joke. Heaven forbid they get a bonus after being neglicted for three years going on four years. Must be nice to sit back and get your raise every year, while others struggle to get by….

Proud US Citizen on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 05:44
Title: 1 time bonus
To those here who feel that the educators of our children are overpaid, I would suggest you speak with a teacher.

Unlike most jobs, where one has set hours of employment, teachers do not fall into that category.

Even though their salaries are based on the actual school day, I don’t know of one teacher who only "works" during that time.

Most teachers come in early, stay after the students have left, and most "work" nights and weekends for the benefit of their students.

I for one am glad to see that the Sierra Vista Unified School District has found this means, although not as much as it should be, but at least something to recognize what these teachers do to educate our children.

Sumtingwong on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:19
Title: Right, Unlike most jobs
Most jobs require a person to work 250 days a year, whereas teachers work about 180.

Playdeebug
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 12:16
Title: And...
Those same teachers are only contracted to be paid for 180 days- thus they may chose to stretch that pay over the summer, but it’s still only a paycheck equal to 9 months of the year. I had to get a summer job to support myself when I worked as a school nurse; not just due to the paycut, but also because of the 9 month contracts.

Proud US Citizen on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 11:03
Title: Another clueless
Your comment tells all that you don’t know any teachers. Sheesh….

Biker
on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:44
Title: Ya don't get it....
What’s your point? I don’t think there is a teacher out there that became a teacher to get rich. I do think though between the education they must have and the work they perform they should be entitled to a 3.5 percent raise every year. How can you expect someone to live on an entry level teacher’s salary when the cost of EVERYTHING keeps going up? Three years not an extra penny, yet they pay more into benefits now. Give them a break, we’re not talking about welfare here, we’re talking about fairly compensating someone for doing their job.

Don Bieber

2011-05-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

I was going through an old email account I no longer use due to excessive spam. Some of my friends never caught on and continued to send me stuff via that account. Don Bieber, a good friend I had while living in California, was one such man. I met him through a running club. He was 25 years older than me and was the only person I kept in email contact with in Monterey. He always wrote me in German, a passion of his.

He was born in NYC and moved to Monterey with his wife Cindy in 1967 after a stint in Vietnam. Cindy died years ago, and Don kept his sanity by running most days around Pacific Grove. He'd run in road races around the area.

I remember telling him about my Iraq deployment and that I wouldn't be writing much while over there. Perhaps I forgot to tell him that I was back in the US in 2008; when I'd occassionally would get on that email account I'd just end up deleting row after row of junk mail.

I checked that account again tonight. Again, row after row of junk email advertisting penis enlargements, lottery winnings out of Nigeria, invites to sex pages, etc filled the bandwidth. I deleted them all without reading any of them.

And then I came across two email from Don dated July 2009. Oh my goodness I thought, I had forgotten about him, and my first thought was that he had died since there weren't any newer email from him.

A quick Google search of his name revealed that exact fear. Don had died in his Monterey home on 2 October 2009 at the age of 74. The online obit didn't say much else about him. The enclosed photo of him revealed his as I remember him to be: tall, thin and forever optimistic.

I wrote Don an email apologizing for not having written much sooner. He never answered back.

This is a stern reminder that I need to try harder to stay in contact with people. I found a few other old email. Had I stayed in Monterey longer I would have hiked and ridden my bike more with Don, but our days together were too short and we were so busy with our own lives.

I'm sorry, Don, for ignoring you these last few years. May you rest in peace.

More wild fires

2011-05-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

A year ago in late May the eastern Chiricahuas were aflame with the Horsehoe fire. A week ago a second fire again broke out there, threatening the homes of people living in Portal. As of today 10,000 acres have burned with a ten percent containment. When the wind comes from the east, our valley burns brown at sunset.

The Tethered Aerostat Radar System failed

2011-05-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

(photos taken from the Sierra Vista Herald and were taken by local witnesses. The paper did not give any name credit to any of the submitters so I can't list the names here. See link at bottom of post.)

Fort Huachuca and Sierra Vista have had this TARS floating over the fort since the mid 1980s. Others just like this one were also over strategic places in Iraq surveilling for bad guys but were vulnerable to high winds and repeated small arms fire. When it's windy or stormy out the aerostat (some call it a "spy balloon" and the city calls it an "anti-drug balloon") the white blimp remains tethered to the ground in a restricted area on the southern part of post and is monitored by the US Air Force.

This white blimp is visible from most corners of the Huachuca mountains. It's a landmark on calm days as one can see it from afar. It allegedly helps track low-flying aircraft flying in from Mexico with drug cargo. But if that's the case why do I still see small aircraft flying low over the desert from Mexico? Apparently the drug runners know where the weakness of this aerostat are and are familiar with its limits.

So it was quite a surprise to read when I got home yesterday that the blimp had been flying in yesterday's 70-90 mph gusts of wind. Not only that, but the blimp got loose and was carried east into a nearby neighborhood before it self-destructed over some powerlines and debris scattered into nearby yards. It broke into many small pieces and now the USAF and Fort Huachuca are frantically scrambling to get all the pieces back due to the operational equipment onboard.

Luckily the tarp landed in a yard of a contracor who works for Fort Huachuca. The Sierra Vista Herald, which is known to write biased articles and half-truths about anything in the area, made this artilce front-page news today. Naturally only premium members can read the entire article on line or buy a hard copy of the newspaper, but other news agencies are picking up the slack for the more local blackout.

Residents were quoted as saying they heard two booms and a thud and the smell of diesel was evident, others who were working nearby said the blimp sounded like a "jet plane taking off" as the gusts swept it eastward.

My question is why this multi-million-dollar surveillance blimp was allowed to fly overhead during forecasted high winds? This is blatant negligence, is very costly, deminishes the anti-drug and other surveillance of the area and naturally the USAF and DoD will expect replacements. Someone will have to pay for this. Luckily no one was injured in this explosion, and damage seems to be contained to a new BMW parked in the driveway of the home and some minor structural damage of the two homes that were hit by the falling, deflated balloon.

This is the second time this has happened over Fort Huachuca, that a blimp was destroyed. Since these blimps are so vulnerable to high winds, I'm surprised that the DoD hasn't found a better alternative to overhead surveillance.

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2011/05/10/aerostat-deflates-falls-sierra-vista-neighborhoods

FIRE!

2011-05-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

It was around 1:30pm when I was in the front yard taking photos of my budding garden when I noticed a fire to my west. It looked like it was at the intersection of Hereford Road and State Road 92. I got up on my roof and saw it was in fact there, and smoke was coming up from the pretty yellow home right off the road.

It was too close for comfort and moving fast.

I drove to the site. Four fire trucks from various agencies were already working the scene, from Forest Service to Palominas Volunteer Fire Dept and the city of Sierra Vista. The lot next to the yellow house on Hereford Road was still on fire, but the main fire seemed to be behind the yellow house.

I then walked around the burning area and saw neighbors trying to wet down their weeds with low-presure garden hoses that seemed rather futile against the gusting winds. "My car's packed and my cat's waiting inside it in case I have to leave!" told me one woman holding a hose. Another man a block away came with a shovel ready to help out.

The main fire was off SR92. What looks like a white brick structure was fully engulfed. This turned out to be a building used for storage and thus was hard to extinguish. Later a woman said her father owned that building that contained $300,000 of stuff she was to inherit. Flames were shooting up from inside, spreading from the west end to the east end of the building, going with the main gusts of wind today.

This area has many smaller trailers and small adobe homes close-by, small lots filled with tall dead weeds and cranky dogs behind chain-link fences or brick walls. The fire fighters took a long time to put the main building fire out. The small lots make this a highly-conjested living area. The fire could have caused so much damage.

One woman who told me she witnessed the fire from the gas station across the street of the fire said she saw a man burning weeds and the next thing she knew she saw a fire take off with the wind. It was that wind that cause the yellow house's yard to catch fire. Nobody in this area keeps their yard trimmed of weeds, and buildings range from single-wide old trailers to nice little adobe homes.

By 4:30pm a KGUN newsvan arrived. A second structure right off Hereford Road was also in ruins. This one was next to the pretty yellow house, whose yard by then had also caught fire. This is a house that the owners built three years ago while they still lived in a dumpy trailer on the lot. By then I was able to walk between the two main burned buildings and could see how much grass caught fire. Easily six homes could have caught fire. The local news said this was 6-7 acres with 11 homes in danger.

The fire is now contained, but this made the Tucson news both KVOA and KGUN. KVOA even used one of my photos for its news section, showing the burned out chassis of a truck parked behind the first structure that burned. KGUN crew were out interviewing witnesses and I overheard one man, whose single trailer is next to the burned lot, tell the reporter somthing about a gas tank. This is sheer ignorance despite our red flag warning AND a burn ban by the fire department. It's too hot, too dry and too windy to be burning trash in back yards!

I never saw an ambulance so I don't know if any lives were lost. but the home off Hereford Road is owned by a woman whose daughter was killed a few years ago crossing the road here. That's what one woman who watched the fire crew told me. Her daughter knew that girl.

Fires like what we had today scare the hell out of me. We live in wildfire country. I can't even trust my redneck neighbors to act safely, but this "Don't tell me what to do!" is typical of the person who lives here.

All is well now, but this fire kept me going all afternoon. Kevin made me a nice dinner for Mother's Day. It was a delicious baked ziti with tossed salad.

http://www.kold.com/story/14595884/brush-fire-burns-home-in-hereford?redirected=true
http://www.kgun9.com/story/14595558/wild?redirected=true
http://www.kvoa.com/videos/wildfires-hit-southern-arizona/

Day one after OBL's death

2011-05-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

The US and Arizona flag were flying at half-mast as I arrived at 8am at the middle school. Why was the flag flying at half-mast I asked the front desk attendant.

"It's for the police memorial" said the clerk, in honor of two cops killed this weekend in Phoenix.

The school's principal was also named Arizona's top principal of middle schools. The students were all assembled outside to honor her. Who said public education stinks in this state? I know that the schools here are pretty good.

I had English today, and the students were a fun but loud bunch. I recognized one gal from this weekend's West End Fair. A few others I have had several times before. So I don't know if it's me feeling more confident or I'm getting better at instructing. I don't remember the last time I ended the school day feeling exhausted.

But one girl today was expecially chatty with me. She was telling me about her boxer-mastiff dog that's pregnant. "My mom wants to call animal control and say get rid of this dog, it had puppies in my garage" to avoid paying the surender fee of $50. She volunteered all kinds of stories of evictions due to lack of rent payments and other legal issues. She also gets to babysit her half brothers whenever her mother insists on it, and in her county home there are few girls her age to socialize with. School is her time to chat and chat she did. This girl is in dire need of parental supervision. I would have enjoyed chatting with her some more but I had to supervise the rest of the class, but her need to feel accepted hung over me like a dark shadow; she's an intelligent girl that isn't thriving in her home environment.

In my hour off I listend to NPR discuss the raid and subsequent killing of Osama bin Laden, the world's most infamous terrorist. The question remains: will photographs of his dead body be released to the world? I don't mind looking at corpses, especially of murderers, but I know in the Arab world that only gives the thugs reason to retaliate. Arabs are storytellers, and as long as they aren't convinced that OBL is dead, they will talk about his resurrection.

At least now we can know for sure that the next time OBL speaks via tape or videorecording, he is talking from the afterlife. I don't normally feel good about the death of anyone, but with OBL I feel a great relief is over our collective shoulders. Those countries that becry the US military action are secretly glad OBL is gone. They just want to further the theory that the US feels it can go anywhere it pleases to take out whomever. Pakistan has some explaining to do.

Obama got Osama!

2011-05-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Granted, our servicemembers are the ones who got him, but it was under Obama's watch. I was at the computer chatting via Facebook when the kitchen TV announced that Osama was either killed or captured. I was elated. Newsfeed exploded with headlines that Osama was killed. Cheers went across Cyberia. The #1 terrorist these last ten years is finally dead. I know a new #1 will pop up, but for now I want to celebrate this man's demise. His death will bring closure to many families who lost a son or daughter thanks to al-Qaeda.

Obama's national speech was short. It came on around 9pm. I must say he looked very presidential, very confident, very relieved. He looked, shall I say, presidential again. He hadn't looked this good since his campaign. Perhaps things will look up for us finally as a nation; we finally have something to be proud of. This has been lacking so far under Obama.

I cried with joy. This ugly chapter in our history is now over. This announcement explains why earlier today we got an email from Pat Call, the county's District 1 supervisor, that the post is on heightened alert indefinitely. With the recent bombings in Libya we have to be extra cautious.

Osama's news certainly added some cheer to an otherwise quiet weekend. This is my last weekend I'll be inside studying. Starting later this week, I'll be free to get back into shape and train for the California backpacking trip. I've put on some weight this semester from lack of any real hiking.

It was almost 20F cooler today than on Friday, when it was 73F at 7am. It stayed in the 60s all day with high winds blowing. The Bull fire near Nogales continues to grow although the wind kept the haze away from us today.

I have one more final and for three months I get to do all the reading I want to do. I have close to 40 books I need to read and review for the book galley.

The end is near for me. Hopefully this is my last semester at Cochise. If I get that full-time position this fall, I will cancel my Intermediate Spanish class and focus on my English and History courses.

I took the dogs on a quick walk up Hunter canyon. I noticed green leaves on the oaks finally. This is also a good sign. Still, K and I will sit down and discuss fire evacuation procedures should we get a fire on this side of the mountains.

http://ht.ly/1crpss

We are now in May. The first part of the year is almost over. I told K at the start of this year that there are many changes due us as a family and as a nation. I feel we still have some sadness and grief as a nation (and as a family) and that there are some big changes coming on that are NOT related to the Mayan calendar and the 2012 conspiracy.

Maybe Obama was right about his "Change is coming."

West End Party and Street Fair

2011-04-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

I got to this fair around 11:30am and stayed for two hours. It was gusty and hot. My goal was to take photographs of a variety of people, young and old, man and woman, teen and baby, doing and wearing a variety of things. I wanted a composite of the person in town.

My first reaction was that there was much more of a religious theme to this year's street fair. There were many churches with their tents out, several organizations giving out free bibles. I didn't see as much of a western theme as last year with reenactors walking around talking to visitors. There didn't seem to be as much of a crowd, too.

Weather was warm and windy, and vendors had to often stand holding down the tent frame. There were a few food vendors, and the usual military organization with their grizzled veterans (who often make for the best photographs), and a few local musicians providing for free entertainment.

But I didn't see the amount of teenagers this time. Maybe it had something to do with the school's prom being today as well and they were getting ready. I talked with a few people like Suzette, a local ceramic artist who admits she is low income and has neither computer nor internet in her one-room trailer in town. Her art is good enough to sell to a larger audience if only she could get recognition for her work. I told her about the Cochise College computer lab, but she would need to have someone show her how to use basic functions.

I walked up and down the closed-off street to take photos of passers-by. I wanted variety, and sometimes I was scanning through my lens looking at people as I stood off to the side. Some of the vendors started recognizing me. Some school kids recognized me, too. The longer I work in town, the less chances I have of being incognita!

Some things were around from last year: the rock lady who lets kids and adults alike take free rocks off her table, the giant desert tortoise was on display, and so was the Lizard Lady. There were a few vendors for children but overall the excitement this year seemed a little toned down: not as much art, music, food. I didn't even see as many dogs there this year!

I was home by 2pm as the gusts began to strengthen. I drank beer and had a late dinner, chatted with Kevin who was a few beers past buzzed, and left again at 6:30pm to take evening shots of the street fair. But to my surprise the street was empty! The tents had all been broken down and the visitors had all left in the 4.5 hours I was gone. Was this year's fair only scheduled for the day? Or had bad winds cut the fair short? The online calendar listed 10pm as the closing time, with vendors shutting down by 6pm. I wonder why it was cut short this year? Lack of funds?

As I returned home the fires from Mexico were leaving a long brown streak across the sky. I could smell fire.

Another hazy day

2011-04-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

It was hot and dry today, so hot I hated gardening so I stayed inside. By the afternoon the haze got darker. Kevin said it was coming from west of us in Mexico. This must be the new Bull Fire that is burning in Mexico.

We have US Forest Service helping put out this fire.

http://www.nogalesinternational.com/articles/2011/04/28/news/breaking_news/doc4db9fb60dcf83231434249.txt

Counter-surfing canine criminals

2011-04-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

We had a very quiet Easter weekend. I spent most of it, it seems, in front of the computer studying for another Spanish language exam Sunday. I didn't get much else done other than my breaks in the garden. I didn't even go on a hike.

Kevin did his usual Sunday activity: he cooked all day, making meals to last him the rest of the work week. Kevin's a good cook. He made his chicken burrito mix, his famous meatless lasagna ("It could use some spinach!" said I) and all the fixings. With that were also eight Italian sausages, tasty and spicy sausages that go well alone or in a marinara sauce. He usually has three dogs watching him nearby hoping for treats to fall from heaven.

We probably should break the dogs of that habit.

He took a break from cooking to check on his laundry (yes, he does that himself, too). The Italian sausages were cooling off on the stove top. All eight of them.

He couldn't have been gone from his duty position for long, though. While I was going over the Spanish Present Perfect in my little office he came back to the kitchen with one loud expletive. All three dogs simultanously bolted from the kitchen area, with Sadie and Sammy up front with the more guilty looks; Sara wasn't too far behind wobbling fast to keep in step with the other two.

One of them had reached up to the stove top to get to those tasty Italian sausages. All eight of them were gone. All that remained were two soggy paper plates that were now lying on the kitchen floor. There was no other evidence left at the crime scene.

"OUT! ALL OF YOU, OUT!" said Kevin in his command voice. The dogs remained outside for the rest of the day. Later on that afternoon I completed my daily powerwalk by myself, the first time I had done that since early 2005.

None of the dogs dared to bark the rest of the day. They knew they were on Kevin's shitlist. They didn't even come near the back porch window, nor did they dare show themselves until way past sun down when I was alone in my office going over Spanish Past Particles and Kevin was long asleep in bed.

At midnight they finally were allowed back inside, but quickly scammered to the bedroom where "Dad" was because they knew that I'm the more strict of the two. Seriously. When I yell "SCOOT!", even the stray cats outside run away. The dogs weren't a bother the rest of the night, and this morning Sadie didn't even whimper and moan for her 4am food. She still walks around with her ears against her head and her tail between her legs.

All is forgiven now, but for the rest of the week none of the dogs will get any of their beloved chicken jerky strips. That I promised Kevin.

Growing fires, raging storms

2011-04-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

What a strange day it was. This afternoon at lunch I talked to one of my favorite history teachers at the high school. She told me that another favorite teacher of mine's cancer has returned. This time it is liver cancer; a few years ago he was treated for colon cancer. Allegedly the cancer was caught early and doctors are predicting success, but he is retiring after the end of this school year. I hadn't seen him in a while and only today was told he's on sick leave for a month while he goes through chemotherapy.

I had both of them as references for a full-time teaching job at the school.

That news bummbed me out the rest of the day and other news just piled on top of it. After my online biology exam I checked my Facebook page to see several of my Texas friends talking about their wildfires, from raging fires around Fort Davis, Forth Worth, Austin, Houston. Mark even said he may evacuate his east Texas home since he lives in the pigmy pine forest.

A check on a "Texas wild fires" revealed several fires over 100,000 acres with low containment in some of the prettiest parts of the state. Homes are in danger and so is livestock. I don't ever remember the fires in Texas being this bad.

And one of my more local contacts mentioned a road closure off Highway 83, which I learned later was a fire burning in the Ciernegas grasslands northeast of Sonoita which has burned 600 acres and is not contained. I could see that fire's smoke as I turned east on Hereford Road and looked back to my Northwest as the setting sun cast a brownish-red hue over the horizon.

When I got home at 6:40pm Kevin was already asleep so I had no one to talk to. Sometimes he wakes up and we chat a bit, but tonight he was snoring and when he is snoring he is best kept asleep. I did my usuaL: I got something to eat and got online to read the latest news, only to discover that my favorite fast-food restaurant in Tucson, Chuy's, was found falsifying tax returns and knowingly hiring illegals (and paying them off the books), after a tip from its Lake Havasu location. Kevin and I ate at that place a few years ago and the waiter told us then that she didn't know how to write a special request for the cook in Spanish so I ended up not ordering it. That Chuy's hires illegals isn't that much of a surprise. Everytime I've gone to one to eat there the waiters are all perky white college kids, but the hard-working cooks are Spanish-speaking Mexicans who one can see laboring through the open kitchen. All restaurants in town except for the independently-owned one off Kolb Road are closed until the investigation is complete.

I passed my AEPA exam...

2011-04-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

On 19 March I took the Arizona Educator's Proficiency Assessment, or AEPA, for English. Last night the results were published online. I passed. This exam now makes me highly certified to teach English in Arizona. It was not an easy exam and there were parts of that exam that had me baffled.

I am relieved. For a month I wondered if I had passed. Now that the results have been published, though, I'm not as ecstatic as I had hoped. Maybe because I know my test-taking days are far from over. The required classes I need at Cochise College are not offered this fall. I need just one more class in both the history and English department to complete my declared major required courses. I have to take British Literature II and History of Western Civilization III (and a few math classes) to have all my double major courses done.

So what shall I do? Wait it out another year or drop any plans of majoring in both? Even just pursuing a History or just and English degree isn't easy because the classes aren't offered when I can take them. I could take courses at Pima Community College instead, which is my first option. I've given up on Cochise College. I would need to take the courses either online or in the evenings; taking them during the day means I couldn't work during the day.

Now it's time to get my resume together and apply for jobs in the area. There's a teacher's fair in May I will attend. A school nearby is also still announcing an opening for an English teacher. It also needs a history teacher but I'm not taking that exam until the fall.

I wonder at times if my studying days will ever end. Later on today I'm signing up for three courses this fall: American Literature I, History of Mexico I and II (each an eight-week course) and Spanish 201. Cochise College has a habit of cancelling courses if not at least five people apply for a course. They dropped the History of Mexico course last year due to lack of interested students. Maybe this year there are enough wanting to take this course.

I have a lot planned. I intend to study math over the summer, read up on as much Modern History as I can, and to read, read, read.

The future of Arizona public education doesn't look all that promising. Governor Brewer has made drastic slashes in funding for K-12 AND for state universities and colleges. Tuition at the University of Arizona is going up 22% this fall. How can the average family afford a good education for its children?

I am tired. I am tired of always having something to study for. I am tired of having to read subjects or books that are required rather than what are interest-related. I'm tired of always having to draft up papers or do research. I enjoy learning but the stress of doing well sometimes wears thin. Yet I know that always studying for something is what good teachers do. I hope in the end this is not all in vain.

Wild weather

2011-04-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

I have been worried about our drought here but West and North Texas, Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas are suffering much worse. Ranchers in these areas are losing their cattle to fast-moving fires started by lightning across a gated plain that offers little resistance. Homes and livelihoods are vanishing.

Meanwhile, a massive fire in the Mexican state of Coahuila is engulfing that part of Mexico, an area dominated by rugged wooded canons and dry vegetation. Mexican President Calderon, instead of using his own resources, is asking US and Canada for help. (I'm not sure if he is asking or demanding). The US has lent out at least two fire-fighting air tanker C-130s but I think we could use that very thing over parts of burning Texas. A squadron of 30 AirForce reservists from Peterson AFB in Colorado is also aiding Mexican officials. The fires amount to over 245,000 burning acres 60 miles from Texas.

The largest wildfire in Arizona history has been the human-caused June 2002 Rodeo Chediski Fire that ended up burning 730 square miles (467200 acres) and costing the state over $1 billion dollars to fight. Around 500 homes were destroyed and at one point 30,000 people were evacuated in the Apache-Sitgeaves National Forest area.

We are getting the hazy smoke from those fires; our sunsets toward Sonora are browner than usual. And during the day the visibility isn't as good as normal. People closer to these fires, however, must surely be suffering more.

And meanwhile, Texas is asking for federal assistance to help pay for their fires. With our deficit growing by the day, I can't see it shrinking any time soon with all these states asking for help after a natural disaster strikes. Texas is one of those states that will not be too thankful for the help as long as a Democrat is in the White House.

A Supercell of a tornado storm swept across the South on Saturday before ravishing North Carolina. One tornado touched down in Raleigh, NC, not too far from where a half sister of mine lives. Luckily she and her hubby were spared, but her neighborhood is shaken up. The death toll, originally set at 17, is rising. This morning I saw 45 dead across the South, with 22 dead in NC. North Carolina is not used to having 66 tornadoes in one day!

All these fires, earthquakes, tornadoes and floods across the US seem to be stronger, longer and deadlier than ever before. I'm watching the 3- and 4-level earthquakes around the Hawthorne,NV area. Two years ago Reno had a 5-level earthquake and a big one is still predicted to hit there, just like the US Geological Survey is predicting a massive one in the New Madrid fault line along the Mississippi River, with Memphis taking the brunt of the damage because that city has an antiquated infrastructure.

And here I am worried about the potential of raging wildfires, with our increased winds and single-digit humidity. Maybe we don't have it so bad after all.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7524963.html
http://www.ntn24news.com/latinamericanews/41211-battling-wildfires-mexico
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0418/Why-North-Carolina-far-from-Tornado-Alley-took-brunt-of-big-outbreak

Close call

2011-04-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

And it would have been all my fault, due to negligence.

I had been in the office. The dove had been out of its cage since yesterday afternoon, sitting on my closet door staring down at me. Today, though, he looked interested in his black sunflower seeds that I had placed in his food dish with the cage door propped open., to lure him back into his cage.

The cat was in the backyard but he wanted in so I let him in, not realizing that the office door was open. I stepped into the garden, then back inside to shred some papers. I couldn't have been gone for long when I returned to the office to see Pache on the floor with dove feathers in its mouth. The dove was nowhere, and I screamed bloody murder. My legs felt faint and I felt sick and had to leave to calm down, but returned to the murder scene to fess up and locate the dove's lifeless body.

This was not how I imagined it to end. I had even been looking at the dove's grown-in feathers, how even they now looked across his chest except for that repeated wing injury at the bend of his right wing that seems to reopen every few days.

I grabbed Pache and put him in the garage until the murderscene was cleaned up.

But when I returned to the office I realized there was no blood anywhere. The feathers that were on the ground were feathers that the dove had lost over the last few days--stress perhaps--and not new ones. Had the cat attacked the bird there would have been much more feathers.

So I figured he was hiding behind a box and would come out on his own when he felt safe.

An hour later he did waddle out, but quickly flew up and then out of the office. The back porch was open. This was his first flight outside the office.

He had chosen his own flight to freedom. He had had enough of the cat.

But again I was wrong. He was perched up on my Schrank in a corner looking down on me. When I tried to get him down from there, he flew straight toward the porch window, now closed, and hit himself against the glass. Twice. Poor guy was now on the floor and I was able to scoop him up. After gently talking to him, and briefly taking him outside to show him his soon-to-receive freedom, I placed him back in the cage.

I've decided he is ready to fly away now. The life in a dark office is not the life for him. He needs to be in the sun with birds like him. I'll let his wound heal before I let him go, and I'll miss the little guy. I've gotten rather fond of him although he remains aloof toward me.

I see a penis, ohmygod a penis! Eeeuuu!

2011-04-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

This is what my second hour science class sounded like this morning as we watched part of a fascinating BBC documentary about human and animal relationsips, “Lifesense.”

I had no idea that a human penis would sneak in this documentary. The teacher I was filling in for gave me no warning that an otherwise fascinating documentary showing close-ups of blood-sucking bed bugs, ticks, fleas and tapeworms would also show 90-seconds of darkened frontal male nudity in the form of an Indian Jain monk walking naked down an Indian village road. He was walking slowly, while scaring off poisonous centipedes eager to bite his naked, skinny feet with a long whisking broom. He was replicating an ancient Indian tradition that has its beginnings in ancient Indian religions.

I was totally mortified. I had fears of fundamental Christian parents calling the school and complaining about eight graders being exposed to pornography. Funny, how so many parents don’t seem interested in their child’s education unless there’s a penis involved.

And it doesn’t matter that one could hardly see this little—and it was!—penis. Never mind that the photography was from a distant angle. I looked up briefly at the screen and only saw dark-on-dark. There was no detail, no close-up and nothing offensive about it. I could barely discern an outline of a penis-testicles package. With a fleeting glance it looked more like the monk was wearing Speedos made in Thailand.

Except that whatever was possibly dangling as the naked monk walked toward the camera was a human penis.

The girls screamed, the boys laughed and I tried frantically to fast-forward the clip until we got to the part about the meat-eating turtles of India.

The girls and boys quickly calmed down when more exciting parts of the documentary came on the screen: Buddhist monks sitting yoga-style in India with rats crawling all over them. Rats have some of the largest testicles of any living mammal, when one figures in the size of the testicles to the rest of the rat’s body. I mean, we’re talking about a mammal whose testicles drag on the ground, they are so huge.

The rest of the hour went smoothly. Soon the girls forgot about the penis and got grossed out about the blood-sucking ticks, bedbugs and head lice.

By the second hour I knew that it was best to fast-forward through the scene. The only problem was I was a little clumsy with the DVD player's knobs. As the naked monk appeared on the screen my first reaction was to stand in front of the screen to physically block out the nudity, much to the laughter of the more vocal students. A few comedic facial gestures and Chaplinesque movements made for, I'm sure, great entertainment.

Third hour went better. The kids, however, didn’t forget. Word spread across school campus during lunch that “Ms G” was showing a penis in science class. If there are three effective modes of communication in school, it’s telephone, telegram and tell-a-kid. I’m sure kids’ cellphones were busy during lunch calling parents of the shocking news.

“Are we going to see a penis?” asked me one grinning boy after lunch as he entered the classroom. I felt like slapping him.

“No,” I replied curtly. I had perfected my fast-forwarding skills on the player by now.

I had gotten so good at fast-forwarding through the offensive part of the documentary that my sixth hour students didn’t even notice the mild censorship. These kids were more interested flirting with each other in the back of the room than paying attention to naked monks or blood-sucking insects. Threatening to break up the chatty crowd did the trick, although there was one boy who thought it was cool to stand up and show off his low-hanging pants, revealing stripped boxer shorts as he barely could walk back to his assigned seat.

He gave me a mean look letting me know I disrespected him and that I was going to pay for this. He sat down at this seat but for the rest of the hour he glared at me.

He was, shall I say, being a dick.

Bisbee

2011-04-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I spent Saturday morning in Bisbee. We went there for a rainwater harvest demo, but once we got to town we discovered that it was scheduled for the following Saturday. He looked miffed. Now what? We walked around Old Town, up to the Ironman statue and back down until the Used Book store opened at 11am, just to spend some time there and not make the trip a total waste. It was forecasted to be a hot day and the morning temperatures in Bisbee were already very warm. Kevin quietly walked around the Main street; I followed behind him taking photos of posters and other unusual things but we kept to ourselves. He gets quiet when he's annoyed with me.

On the return trip back to the truck I stopped briefly at the old library to look at historic photographs. Bisbee suffered three devastating floods in 1896, 1906 and 1908, a year in which they also had a town fire. The library is in the old post office building. The wooden floors creak and it smells of old books in there, but it's a place I could spend an entire day going over old documents and photographs.

Bisbee is known for its gay bars and in fact the #1 post this blog has is a trip report about Bisbee. It's not surprise that the town has a Gay Pride festival coming this June.

I found a used copy of Paul Johnson's "History of the American People" for $5. It's a book I've had on my to-own list. Kevin bought himself a used paperback.

We were back home by noon, though. Kevin felt the day was wasted since his goal was the rainwater harvesting. He spent the rest of the day washing clothes and dehydrating more meat, but he didn't leave the house the rest of the day.

Severe Drought indicators

2011-03-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I managed to get vet appointments for all three dogs on Fort Huachuca. I hadn't planned on that, but I was off work, had gotten all my other errands done, and knew this was a good idea since Sadie, and, it turns out also Sara, were past-due on their shots. It all resulted in me stopping in at the clinic asking if the old shelter was still open. It's not. And when I inquired about retirees using the reduced-fee services, I discovered that we could. I thus landed a late same-day appointment for all three dogs at 3pm. For all three dogs I only spent $142, which is almost half what I would have paid for a vet office visit in town. Service wasn't bad, either, and all three dogs survived the agony of getting poked, prodded and fondled. Now all three dogs are up-to-date with their rabies, parvo, distemper and kennel cough innoculations.

The plan was to take them on a short walk in the nearby foothills afterwards. The entrance to Huachuca Canyon is nearby and I hadn't been there in a while. But to my surprise the canyon was closed due to "High Fire danger" and trespassers would be punished by the post commander, according to the sign at the trailhead. So instead of a nice walk up Huachuca Canyon Road and back for an hour (where there is water), I took a side trail from the canyon boundary which took me to the old cemetery and back with views of the Bonny Doon housing area and views of the smoky skyline.

The fire danger isn't totally exaggerated as a 6000-acre fire had been burning all week from the Santa Cruz valley 30 miles west of us, and the smoky haze was quite noticable last Friday. Fort Huachuca law enforcement personnel aren't the kindest when it comes to enforcing laws. I didn't want to take any chances.

I spent most of the weekend studying Spanish and Biology but I took another break yesterday and took all three dogs to the Whetstones. Sadie needed her exercise and wasn't going to forgive me if she hadn't gotten her walk in. The drought in the Whetstones was more noticable. There's not much green coming up right now, and the vista in all directions is shades of brown and grey. The oaks, which are normally cold hardy and don't shed their leaves, suffered badly from the early February deep freeze. Brown and dried oak leaves now hang precariously on the trees. The grasses are dead and brittle. Even many succulents are dead and dry. The first lightning strike anywhere around us would surely light up the area, and our typical high winds would wuickly spread any fire. I'm more worried about wildfires than I am about earthquakes, but Kevin is still determined that a massive natural disaster will strike us "soon" and continues to stock up on dried goods and dehydrated foods. He spent another weekend canning and dehydrating meats and vegetables.

The Whetstone mountains are a mystical place but we were there for just 2.5 hours, walking up an abandoned mine road. Sara and Sammy quickly got exhausted in the sun, and there was no water anywhere to cool them off. The gallon jug I carried for them quickly emptied, and I gauged my hike by how much water I had.

California had a harsh storm last week but we didn't get any of that precipitation. Although this warmth is nice for tourists and those late-season snowbirds, I'm concerned about our flora and fauna. If we don't get some serious rain soon, we will be in a lot of hurt come May.

What is our potential for an earthquake?

2011-03-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at the USGS.GOV website since Arkansas starting having earthquakes along the New Madrid line two months ago. Ever since that 9.0 earthquake in Japan, though, people here seem willing to prepare for the "Big One" in the US. Last summer San Diego was predicted to be the "Big One" but that didn't happen, although there certainly were smaller temblors in the area.

Temblors, however, have been registering off the Sea of Cortez in Mexico, near the town of Ahomre, Mexico for about a week now, which is about the same distance from us as San Diego. That is 500 some miles south of us. Most temblors there are registering around 5.0 on the Richter scale. I'm also seeing more activity around Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

We haven't had a massive quake in our region since the 1880s, when the once mightly San Pedro river became a creek when it was swallowed in that quake. Most of the temblors are toward Yuma and Baja California.

If we do ever get a massive earthquake here, there will be extensive damage as so many homes are nestled here in the foothills, on hilltops and slopes. Homes here aren't retrofitted.

The media has been mentioning iodine as a safety precaution for drifting radiation from Japan for West Coast residents. Kevin said he can't find any local stock of iodine and even the online sites are sold out. He wants a two-week supply of them. I personally think the iodine scare for now is exaggerated, but talking about it will help get rid of the aging supply we have now and create a fresh need for new inventory.

Update time = Wed Mar 16 7:20:15 UTC 2011

MAG UTC DATE-TIME
y/m/d h:m:s LAT
deg LON
deg DEPTH
km LOCATION
3.0 2011/03/16 05:20:00 19.082 -66.482 12.5 69 km ( 43 mi) N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, PR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.7 2011/03/15 18:14:40 38.385 -118.727 12.5 18 km ( 11 mi) SSW of Hawthorne, NV
3.2 2011/03/15 18:11:02 38.386 -118.727 12.2 18 km ( 11 mi) SSW of Hawthorne, NV
3.0 2011/03/15 13:49:08 19.127 -66.459 27.0 74 km ( 46 mi) N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, PR
3.0 2011/03/15 13:07:51 18.284 -68.046 105.4 79 km ( 49 mi) ESE of Hig�ey, Dominican Republic
3.3 2011/03/15 07:15:48 31.561 -117.106 7.1 54 km ( 33 mi) WSW of Maneadero, Mexico
3.0 2011/03/15 05:37:47 19.123 -66.485 21.0 74 km ( 46 mi) N of Tierras Nuevas Poniente, PR

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.6 2011/03/14 06:30:03 31.996 -115.048 10.0 33 km ( 21 mi) S of Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico
4.0 2011/03/14 01:43:49 25.440 -109.662 10.0 72 km ( 45 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3.8 2011/03/13 20:16:21 32.954 -100.810 5.0 28 km ( 18 mi) NNE of Snyder, TX
4.6 2011/03/13 16:07:34 25.285 -109.748 10.0 91 km ( 56 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
4.0 2011/03/13 05:54:25 25.276 -110.076 10.1 115 km ( 71 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
4.6 2011/03/13 02:50:11 25.442 -109.763 23.6 79 km ( 49 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
3.3 2011/03/13 01:19:16 51.831 -171.244 26.5 203 km (126 mi) SW of Nikolski, AK

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3.0 2011/03/12 23:12:18 60.150 -150.884 47.2 28 km ( 18 mi) SE of Kasilof, AK
4.5 2011/03/12 21:58:39 25.308 -109.837 10.2 95 km ( 59 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
4.3 2011/03/12 20:16:58 25.423 -109.730 10.0 78 km ( 48 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
4.7 2011/03/12 17:54:18 25.456 -109.690 22.2 73 km ( 45 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
5.1 2011/03/12 17:13:01 25.466 -109.727 10.0 75 km ( 46 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
5.3 2011/03/12 14:11:04 25.396 -109.652 12.1 75 km ( 47 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
5.5 2011/03/12 13:26:02 25.350 -109.930 17.6 98 km ( 61 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
4.3 2011/03/12 12:06:16 51.593 -175.256 25.5 98 km ( 61 mi) SW of Atka, AK
4.4 2011/03/12 12:03:42 25.260 -109.964 10.1 108 km ( 67 mi) SW of Ahome, Mexico
3.0 2011/03/12 03:41:35 41.092 -125.437 27.2 109 km ( 68 mi) W of Trinidad, CA
3.0 2011/03/12 00:04:08 19.337 -154.981 9.3 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI

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3.2 2011/03/11 19:46:26 19.381 -155.011 9.0 14 km ( 9 mi) SW of Leilani Estates, HI
3.5 2011/03/11 12:15:06 51.147 -178.415 5.5 147 km ( 92 mi) WSW of Adak, AK
3.2 2011/03/11 10:56:23 35.496 -97.090 4.7 9 km ( 5 mi) ENE of Harrah, OK
3.0 2011/03/11 09:33:57 19.382 -155.015 7.6 14 km ( 9 mi) SW of Leilani Estates, HI
3.3 2011/03/11 09:03:37 19.349 -154.950 31.4 14 km ( 9 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
4.6 2011/03/11 08:58:25 19.341 -154.993 9.3 17 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
4.6 2011/03/11 07:36:11 51.209 -178.418 20.6 144 km ( 89 mi) WSW of Adak, AK
3.3 2011/03/11 06:18:03 19.344 -154.989 8.5 16 km ( 10 mi) SSW of Leilani Estates, HI
3.4 2011/03/11 04:51:25 35.351 -118.561 5.4 13 km ( 8 mi) N of Keene, CA
4.0 2011/03/11 00:25:28 18.897 -68.855 166.1 24 km ( 15 mi) NE of El Seybo, Dominican Republic

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3.4 2011/03/10 21:31:23 51.116 -178.641 19.9 162 km (101 mi) WSW of Adak, AK
3.4 2011/03/10 20:40:07 51.485 -173.435 14.0 96 km ( 59 mi) SE of Atka, AK
3.4 2011/03/10 18:10:05 19.648 -64.169 8.0 103 km ( 64 mi) N of Settlement, British Virgin Islands
3.2 2011/03/10 15:56:24 36.008 -117.401 4.7 27 km ( 17 mi) N of Trona, CA
3.1 2011/03/10 07:41:30 19.157 -65.424 6.0 92 km ( 57 mi) NNE of Vieques, PR
3.2 2011/03/10 06:19:01 67.700 -152.596 6.4 62 km ( 38 mi) SW of Anaktuvuk Pass, AK
3.0 2011/03/10 05:03:52 55.741 -156.780 15.8 118 km ( 74 mi) ESE of Chignik, AK

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3.5 2011/03/09 20:48:31 35.243 -92.397 5.9 2 km ( 1 mi) NNW of Greenbrier, AR
3.7 2011/03/09 18:25:26 52.418 -174.495 170.6 31 km ( 19 mi) NW of Atka, AK
3.2 2011/03/09 13:55:24 32.191 -115.277 10.0 19 km ( 12 mi) SW of Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico
3.3 2011/03/09 08:37:30 18.066 -68.122 84.1 87 km ( 54 mi) SE of Hig�ey, Dominican Republic

Tucson Festival of Books

2011-03-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

This was the weekend I had been looking forward to since the last festival a year ago, even though there weren't the name-catching authors from last year. I took my time packing and worse of all, I took my time getting ready this morning, so that I made it to the first event 20 minutes late. This festival has something for everyone, young and old, romance and science-fiction and literature and history lovers like myself, but organizing it on paper wasn't easy due to last-minute changes.

And what a nice conversation that first event offered. Four authors, including a former governor of Arizona, 95-year-old Raúl Castro, was there. The first panel discussion was about immigration. Four immigrants sat up front describing their immigrant experiences, and the most touching was Ismeiah Beah from Sierra Leone who wrote "Boy Soldier." I quickly regretted being late to this first event. I spent the entire weekend running from one event to to next to make sure I had a good seat, and didn't take much time to relax and enjoy the vendors.

The first surprise was the first panel of authors. The second surprise was the 11:30am event with Douglas Brinkley, who has written more history books than I care to recall. I have his "Wilderness Warrior" copy about TR, a book so thick and detailed I never made it past the first 100 pages. I sat up front (right next to him) and was able to get good portrait shots of him. Next to him sat Andrei Cherny, a young Democratic representative. Brinkley spoke passionately about US conservationism, so much so that I will have to check out his last book.

I spoke to him briefly after the hour, but let him go since he had to get ready for a book signing session and I had to get ready for the third event: Michael Hiltzik, author of last summer's "Colossus" and the making of Hoover Dam. I read part of the book but never bought it, but intended to finishing reading it.

After Hiltzik's presentation I had no one in particular to see for an hour, and mingled among the many vendor tents for a half hour. I listened for 30 minutes to Jonathon Eig, an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune who also wrote a book on Lou Gehrig. He spoke about his work on that book, and his great passion for baseball, before I drifted off. Although Eig was interesting, since I didn't read the book I couldn't connect.

I came across a Gabriel Giffords poster leaning up against a fest tent. But other than her image on that poster, there was no written mention of Giffords at this festival.

I also noticed many palm trees dead or near dead from that last deadly freeze in early February. The few healthy ones are growing near tall buildings and reflecting heat.

I walked around a little bit among the vendors but my time always seemed crunched. However, I met the same dog owner and the same dog as last year: 4-year-old Pepin the Corgie! Pepin posed for me this time. The owner seems to enjoy just walking up and down the mall looking at stuff.

The final event for Saturday was another panel hosted by Scott Simon of NPR. I got to the ballroom 20 minutes before it was to start and seats were already filling up fast. A guard stood outside the door ready to close it on any late showers; no standing room was allowed due to fire safety codes. Simon was at this festival last year and drew a crowd, and he did so again this year. Luis Urrea was again in the audience, as T Jefferson Parker. Both Urrea and Parker write fictional accounts along the border and both took questions from Simon. The topic was basically civility in political debate, especially the debate here in Arizona. Urrea, whose own nephew was burned to death by a narco in Tijuana, knows of the violence on the other side, and of the absolute horror the narcos can affect in a neighborhood.

And then the event was over. Just like that. I walked back to the van, drove it to Euclid on the campus' west side and sat at the Fat Greek restaurant for a gyro meal. For $8.80 it was mostly pita bread and tsasiki sauce. There were many people in nearby bars watching and cheering a UA basketball game, but the shops didn't seem too crowded. I didn't walk around too much this time on campus, either. Everything was too familiar to me. An outdoor showing of "3:10 to Yuma" was showing but that didn't keep me glued for long.

I spent the night at Davis-Monthan AFB's FamCamp site, a large RV area along its perimeter fence that is accessible only from the base's Craycroft entrance on the north side of the base. It was full and perhaps not the most ideal place to stay for the night, but once I bedded down, the area was peaceful. The next morning I was up and out by 7am.

I needn't have rushed much as the events I had slated for Sunday were not nearly as crowded as Saturday's schedule. I came early to sit down in the front row, read a bit of my Kindle until people started coming in at 9:20am. The first panel once again offered three people, all repeats from yesterday: Brinkely, Hiltzik and Castro and again the topic was civility in political discourse. Michael Kerrigan was also supposed to be here, but because of last-minute changes by the festival personnel, he didn't show up. I noticed other blank areas in the daily schedule that I don't remember seeing last year, when ever event was packed. There were also several last-minute cancellations by authors this year that even changed my schedule in the end.

And of course my biggest regret was rushing from home too fast and not taking the books with me I wanted signed. This kept me from talking any further with authors since I had nothing for them to sign.

The rest of Sunday's events fell into place, though. At 11:30 in the student union's Gallagher Theatre another three-man panel was held, "Authors and the Making of the West" in which starred Jeffrey Guinn (who was here last year), Michael Hiltzik and Stephen Fried, author of the very enjoyable social history "Appetite for America" and the Fred Harvey empire of the late 19th century. These three men, all dressed in black, had good chemistry, with Guinn being his happy self again and Fried playing along. I should read Guinn's latest book on Tombstone, although he says his book will debunk a lot of myths that have made Tombstone the Town too Tough to Die.

But again, after the one hour talk, I moved on to the next event, the UA tent hosting Prof Annette Gooden-Reed, author of "The Hemingses of Monticello" and her more recent work on Andrew Johnson. She was my first solo female author during this event, and unfortunately the Arizona Daily Star managing editor who introduced her not only called her "Annette Benning" but also referred to her book as a biography on Thomas Jefferson. How embarrassing! And then later an elderly gentleman asked her at the end how did she become so successful and I could feel the shock from the audience. Gooden-Reed is a Black, educated woman and that apparently still strikes many of the really old generation still. She looked offended, too.

a one-on-one discussion hosted by Paul Hutton and TJ Stiles, Pulitzer Prize winner for his "The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt." Stiles had a lot of respect for Vanderbilt, but he was a man "with a lot of practicality but short on sophistication." It's a book that's on my must-read list, a list that keeps getting longer.

The final event was a last-minute change for me, as I opted to listen to three authors jammed into one full hour: Ben Clevenger, Deni Seymour (an archeology professor I met a few years ago digging near the San Pedro River) and Jacqueline Soule. The topic was Father Kino's influence in this area. (Kino's 300-year-death anniversary will be March 15th). This last hour was jammed packed in a small room and overran its schedule, but with three authors that is likely to happen.

And that is how this year's events went. Perhaps the familiarity of it all lessened the enthusiasm, perhaps the many last-minute changes by the festival staff did it in, too. The staff says this was a record-breaking crowd; I didn't quite feel it was this time. I felt it was a bit less than last year's. And even though the focus is on literacy, authors and books, some of the vendor's missions didn't seem to connect to that theme. What does the group "Muslims for Peace" or "America's love for violence" have to do with literacy, authors and books?

Some of the sponsors for this event were big-dollar corporations: Wells Fargo, Cox Cable, Tucson Medical Center. Some of the hosts had to make sure they mentioned their sponsor at the start of each event. The Vice President for Cox, Laura Lavallo, was dressed as if she was ready for a beach party, while the authors were suited up in their best casual attire.

I ate dinner off Euclid again, this time choosing a Mexican diner, before tanking up for $3.23 (!) on Speedway and driving home. It was a very anti climatic drive back.

I will be back again next year, though. I still enjoyed this event and got to meet some wonderful authors all in their prime, but what I wish
there was more time for was really getting to talk one-on-one with the authors.

Weather again this weekend was beautiful, hitting the 80s during the day and mid 50s during the night.

I got back home around 9pm to three very happy dogs. I didn't walk them, though and stayed in, reading the news of the massive 9. earth quake that rocked Japan Thursday. Three nuclear plants have been damaged by this quake, and three reactors from one plant off Fusimaka have now exploded, releasing radiation. I'm expecting the death toll from this horrific disaster to top the 10,000 mark. Bodies keep coming ashore from the tides and the official death rate is now 2400.

The first coos

2011-03-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

Vogel made her first coos this morning as I sat at the computer. She was perched above me on the ceiling fan looking down at me when she cooed, but I was more alarmed by how loud the coo was and that she even made a noise. But was that her? A few minutes later she coooed again, and her expanded chest was the proof that she can indeed make a noise.

This was newsmaking.

I was so excited about this news that I went to tell Kevin in the kitchen, who was about as excited about that as he is about football. Could this mean that Vogel, though, is a boy and not a girl? In the dove world both sexes coo, although the males coo louder than the females.

Her chest feathers are growing in although there's still an open area around her chest. Her tail feathers are now 1.5" long, which helps her with her flight but still isn't enough to make her fly long. However, she's looking happy and healthy otherwise and should be ready for release in a few months.

It's been a nice spring weekend. After yesterday's hike I did nothing at home, but today I did some gardening. The best stuff will happen later in the month when I prep the garden beds and prune all the dead branches off my shrubs and fruit trees. I noticed today that my aloe vera died from last month's freeze.

The shrubs are blooming, so are the trees, and the birds are coming out to chirp, gawk, caw, whistle and coo outside my window. I had to open my office window to allow Vogel better audio of her feathered friends. Although the East got more winter weather this weekend, we are clearly into spring now.

And although I'm in the middle of my semester (and not doing so well in my Biology class), I'm having plans of spending part of the summer in Indiana before I drive back through Texas, perhaps visit some friends during a high school reunion before arriving back in AZ only to head back up to California to meet up with Mary for another stint on the JMT. Gasoline prices are scaring me, however. They shot up over 20 cents here in ten days. I paid $3.41/gallon on Friday.

A long weekend doing nothing

2011-02-22T06:04:00.000-08:00

I spend the entire President's weekend inside, at the computer working on class assignments. This isn't how I imagined a four-day weekend to be!

These on-line classes are very time consuming and if these weren't required courses I'd never take them on-line again. While Kevin enjoyed family time in Phoenix, I was under self-imposed exile. The cold winds didn't help much. We didn't get any rain, either, and the dogs were outside my office door bored. I didn't even walk them out in this wind.

Arab protests in Libya continue to spiral and gas prices are shooting up even more. I dread to see the latest prices in town. Some people are talking about $5 gasoline. That will spark riots right here in this country. Americans want everything as cheap as possible.

I have a road bike I could fix up and start riding into town...

Protests continue in Madison, WI concerning eliminating collective bargaining rights for unions, cuts in teacher benefits and state-wide cuts in many services. Now I'm reading that cutbacks are proposed in Indiana for teachers as well. Too many states are baffling with their deficits. Teacher pay here in Arizona can't get any lower than it already is, so I don't expect even more cuts for them here should these demands become nationwide. The governor already slashed cuts to education last month. Apparently a lot of Wisconsinites are upset that teachers had such high pay and benefits. According to some of my Facebook contacts, for some teachers the cuts in pay would amount to $10,000 a year as they will now have to pay more into their pension and health plans. That's one-third of the starting salary here for teachers.

And all this has me wondering...why should I become a teacher? Yes, I love the profession and I love mentoring younger people. The pay has never been my #1 reason and the workload can get intense. Having summers off is a big deal for me for travel and recreation but I'm seriously reconsidering a new profession as I enter the Masters Program within this year. I still have required math and science classes to take to fulfill the UA requirement (which never seem to end!)

Suddenly these classes I'm taken seem to mean nothing to me anymore. I know I have to get out of this slump. The classes I am taking right now are by no means useless, though, but there will come a point where I will tire of always having something to study for or research. I don't have much of a life when I'm sequestered behind a computer.

Another thing over this weekend is experiencing my first credit card fraud.
Three days ago I was notified by my credit card issuer that my account had been compromised. I went to check the latest charges on-line and sure enough, there were two charges dated 17 Feb totaling around $500. One was done from Australia and the other from Massachusetts. I spent my Sunday morning on the phone talking to a company rep: I had to close the current account to avoid any further charges. A new card should arrive today.Once the bank analysts confirms that I didn't make either of those charges, I should receive a refund on my account. Both fraudulent charges were still "pending" which will make the refund easier.

It's a sickening feeling to have one's account compromised. What if this had happened with me on the road somewhere? I went to my favorite shopping websites to cancel all accounts temporarily. Luckily I have a full tank of gas in my truck and won't need to gas up this week, but a few other items that I regularly have mailed to me from an on-line site all were canceled indefinitely.

Perhaps there is good news in this, though. I buy a lot of stuff that I DON'T need. I have more coffee stocked up to last me a year. I have coffee syrups to last me six months. Everything else is not "required" stuff and I can learn to live without. Maybe I'll end up like Kevin and become super-frugal...but that also has its downside.

Kevin had an enjoyable weekend i Phoenix. When he arrived yesterday around noon he went straight to bed to read his eBook, only getting up to use the bathroom or smoke. It rained the entire time there.

My little dove continues to recover. She got out of her cage Sunday morning and she's been free in the office now for two days, mostly sitting on my ceiling fan looking down at me. I don't mind her staring at me, but her butt is precariously positioned right above me.

Region's first wildfire and other mullings

2011-02-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

The first fire of the season broke out near Patagonia, AZ on Monday and authorities are saying--surprise, surprise!--that the fire was human started (and most likely started by illegals wandering north through the Santa Cruz valley). Monday afternoon the sky was a sooty brown, but recent winds have dicipated the smoke from the growing fire. The fire has grown to 1800 acres. Hopefully today's winds won't spread it even more. Although the smoke is not as thick as before, the sunrises and sunsets are looking rather brown lately.

Meanwhile, gasoline prices are shooting up fast thanks to the protests in the Middle East. I tanked up for $3.11 two days ago, the highest I've seen gas here since 2008. Bahrain, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya all have protests now. The media is showing a lot of Arab men screaming at the camera and shooting demands. If Saudia Arabia is next (and I'm sure the fat sheiks of that kingdom are worried sick that they will be toppled next) we are going to see gasoline prices as never before. This is going to be one interesting summer. Prices on the army post went from $2.93 to $3.09 overnight. In town it's as high as $3.26.

It's moments like these that I get so angry that business-minded leaders like Reagan disbanded the Department of Energy as soon as he took office. That agency was created under Carter to help research alternative fuels at a time when alternative fuels were still a dream. Carter wanted the country to be foreign fuel independent within 20 years. Instead, our economy continues to be held hostage by Arabs and other nitwits.

Kevin, who's obsessed with long-term survival, bought a food hydrator this week. He seldom buys anything that isn't gun or ammo related, so this is news. Now that he's also canning meats and vegetables he plans on having a six month supply of everything handy. Last weekend he spent Sunday canning and cooking all day; I expect to see more of that now. He's already trying out frozen yellow corn in the hydrator.

Growing hardy vegetables is next and this summer he promises to help out in the garden. I agreed to help him with the garden and bought some seed germinators. A mini coldstorage will be next. The trouble with eary spring garden here in the desert are those hot, dry winds that blow down starting in April.

We have a nice warm spell again. Most of my citrus trees are back outside and they will remain outside until it dips into the 20s again. A potential rain storm and cooler temperatures may be due in from California this weekend. I say bring it on, as we need the rain. Oaks in the foothills are showing early signs of drought. Instead of being a dark green most trees are showing the brown tips of leaves that have suffered due to lack of water.

And my little ringneck dove is doing well. She seems to have acclimated to her confinement lately and is no longer plucking out her feathers. She still hasn't said a peep, but she gladly takes water and seed that I lay out for her. She's low maintenance except for the paper changes and quick fresh water refills.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/02/16/20110216arizona-wildfire-grows-to-1800-acres.html

Nursing an injured ringneck dove

2011-02-14T08:16:00.000-08:00

We have a lot of birds in our neighborhood. Our front yard, thanks to the previous homeowners, is a bird-and-butterfly favorite yard. The owners planted juniper shrubs around the front to provide cover for the Gamble's Quail that come here early in the morning. The quail scavenge for seeds from the feeder. We also have wrens, long-billed thrashers, sparrows and ringneck doves that come down to feed.

I've always worried about the birds' safety having cats in the neighborhood. Our neighbors seem to leave their two cats outside all the time. My cat goes outside only for a few hours at a time--if he even goes outside--because I fear for his safety and the damage he could do to the feeding birds. I've already encountered what looks like battle scenes of feathers strewn in the front yard.

It was therefore not a total surprise to catch my cat Pache trying to kill one of the doves two mornings ago. I was lucky I caught him just in time, holding down a docile dove that seemed resolute with its fate. It had stopped fighting and lay there, waiting for that coup de grace. That coup never came as I was able to extract the injured bird from Pache's determind paws. Other than a severely plucked chest and missing tail feathers, the dove looked intact with no signs of lacerations or broken limbs. I quickly brought it inside and lay it down in a small kitty carrier for him to calm down.

She just lay there, motionless. I had volunteered years ago at a wildlife rehab center in NJ and know that birds can appear healthy one minute and literally drop dead the next. Internal injuries, parasites, viri all play a factor in a bird's recovery. Most injured birds do not survive the stress of the attack and die from heart attacks. I was tired of seeing the majority of the animals that were brought in to the rehab center die. I stopped volunteering at the rehab center because seeing all the birds die kept depressing me. There was a lot of work to be done for so little pay-off.

I kept the cage in a quiet spot in my office, away from the cat, and waited.

Two hours later the bird perked up and wanted to spread its wings. It kept hitting them against the walls of the kitty carrier, so I opted to get it a larger cage, the large-size VariKennel by Petmate that I bought for the cross-country transport of three cats from NJ to AZ back in late 2004. That kennel literally had been collecting spiderwebs in the garage and its volume was used to store other junk. I held on to that kennel for emergencies such as this, albeit with a larger mammal in mind. I had to dig out the kennel and wash it outside to make it habitable.

I found several old sheets to use for the cage floor. An unused kitchen wrack also came in handy. Today I added a small Fancy Feast box and filled it with shredded paper so the dove could use it as a nest. Doves like room to walk and need a perch so she needed a place to exercise.

Kevin may have rolled his eyes at me for wanting to save a life that was easier to kill than nurse back to life, but he was supportive of my endeavors. We looked up the bird's species in the "Audobon Southwest Bird" guide but there were no ringneck doves. Turns out the bird is an import that has been migrating westward over the years. It's originally a hybrid between a European and an African species. They can live up to 20 years in captivity. Twenty years!

Later on the same night the dove, which I now named Vogel-Weh (German for "Bird-Ache/Pain/Grief") or "Vogel" for short, flew around the office. It can still fly as its wings luckily are not broken or plucked bald, but without tail feathers the poor bird can't gather much lift or balance itself well. It flies like a fat bumble bee.

The next day I let it out again for more exercise, but she got caught behind my desk and showed signs of stress from trying to fly out of her trap. Perhaps from trying to free herself from the tight spot she re-injured her butt area as it looked bloody. Until her feathers regrow I won't let her fly out much.

I am feeding her wild bird seed. She has a large baby jar full of water in the corner of the kennel which she uses quite a bit. She's a big drinker. An old twig from a dead mulberry tree acts as additional perch.

I don't know the exact sex of this bird, but since she is showing no inclination to bow-coo I'm assuming she is a female. In fact, she hasn't made a sound at all in the last 48 hours.

She is a delight to watch. During the day--this is only the second day--she watches me intently from behind her cage. I've played a few Youtube videos of doves cooing but the sound of her species mates doesn't seem to excite her too much. She is also losing even more plume feathers than during the initial attack, so that her chest and the area under her wings are completely feather-free. Her frontal area indeed looks bad only because her skin is so thin and the reddish-blue of her veins and arteries show through.

What now? I've read up on all the ringneck dove websites to learn more about this fascinating species. I've always enjoyed watching birds, and now I have one up close to learn from even more. Even though I've always wanted a few pet birds, with a bird-hungry cat in the house a Peaceable Kingdom is not possible. I find the calls and sounds of birds very soothing.

I intend on releasing this bird back to the wild as she probably lives in the palm tree in our backyard, but this may be months down the road when all her feathers have regrown and she can fly like before. Doves mate for life and perhaps she already has a grieving mate outside?

Vogel-Weh is a prime example of why cats should not be roaming outside. She is suffering right now because of ~MY~ cat. It is now my responsibility to make sure she gets all the best care in the next few months. I won't be able to keep my cat indoors 24/7; with dogs in the house he often runs outside with them and then hangs out in the shrubbery, but I will do my best to keep all species satisfied.

Gas prices are rising

2011-02-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

The civil strife that has been brewing in Egypt (and which seems to be getting very, very serious fast) is showing an impact here in southeastern Arizona: gas prices have practically gone up 20 cents in the past month. Today, driving home from work, I saw prices from $2.93 to $3.09 to $3.19 within a ten-mile stretch.

Nothing has worried me more than what is happening there in Egypt. Even Kevin and I talked about it. "That's why I'm stocking up on food" he commented. For the first time I don't mind the closets full of dried goods he has been accumulating in the past two years. He bought a generator last fall and today a gas-burning heater arrived via Amazon.

Kevin started stocking up on dried goods after Obama was elected president. The theory was among his conspiracy-loving friends that Obama would ban all weapons and ammunition and therefore mass riots would ensue. These rumors were most likely started by gunshop owners who wanted a plausible excuse to increase business.

I'm not saying the world will end tomorrow, but the events in Egypt will have repercussions around the world. A peaceful Middle East may not be much longer. Even that nutcase in Iran has quieted his nuclear threats.

The rising costs of crude oil will affect everything, from cheaply-made Chinese goods to the cost of a chemically-enhanced hamburger at McDonald's or fake-meat burrito at Taco Bell. I'm expecting prices higher than they were in 2008. If summer travel prices rise to $4/gallon, even I may reconsider any major roadtrips (except the one to California this July).

Higher prices for basic consumer goods will also mean that those Americans who barely survived the last economic downturn may not survive the next. A true economic disaster was averted these last two years because of the relatively low prices for crude oil. Those days seem to be gone now forever. Now even those who have been cutting back and living within their budget will be severely affected.

The talk today during break was the potential cut of even more teaachers. How many more can the district cut? Even some of my experienced peers are worried. If the district cuts more it may end up shooting itself in the foot because concerned parents would pull their kids out of the high school and send them to a charter school. Pay has been frozen this hear and hours for me have already been cut. If they cut any more it may no longer be feasible for me to work there, despite my overall job satisfaction as I enter my third year.

The cold snap from last week is behind us, yet people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas got whopped again two days ago with as much as 14 more inches. This is certainly one of the snowiest winters across the Midwest and NorthEast. I'm just glad I live here in AZ were winters are rather mild and hot summers are easily remedied with a shady home.

Compound the harsh winter in parts of the country, growing energy prices and the threat of a collapsed Middle East, I predict we are going to be in for one very horrific decade.

Kevin and I may live to see a nuclear war. Pakistan is extremely unstable, I don't trust Russia and now China may have the beginnings of a nuclear bomb. If a nuclear war happens in a few years, our lives may be shortened; if it happens 20 years from now we'll be dead from natural causes anyway.

One "good" thing is that violence seems to have tapered off a little bit in Mexico (excluding Juarez) these last few weeks. Maybe that's because the narcoshitheads are also worried. But if Mexico falls into revolt, holy burrito,the security of this country would be at stake.

But like all global disasters, it's the combination of many factors that could turn what looks like a centralized revolt in Egypt into a global crisis of epic proportions. This could affect all strata of society. The potential for this to get out of hand will make this "Tragedy in Tucson" (which the local media is still exploiting!) seem silly.

Record-breaking temperatures

2011-02-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

What a week it's been! We just survived two days of SINGLE DIGIT mornings. It was so cold the high school closed today. Half the population in town has no gas heat because the gas pipeline is lacking pressure. Apparently the origin of the gas is Texas and people there are also suffering from a cold snap that is draining the gas available.

This lack of heat for a population of residents who live in upscale, spacious homes is quite a surprise. I had always envied gas heat, but now I wonder. This man-made disaster does not look favorably at the town's infrastructure. We are only lucky that these cold snaps never last long in southern Arizona. There are people in the Chicago and Boston area who are suffering much more with cold and snow and ice than we ever will. My friends in Boston are saying that towns there have so much snow, they don't know where to put the plowed stuff now. (I guess dumping mounds of snow into the ocean wouldn't work?)

Kevin and I were lucky this time around. Our only discomfort was lacking water pressure during the early hours. Our electric house kept us warm.

But sadly I read that several people had died from this cold in Tucson. How many more are truly suffering may not be known for sure, as many of the people lacking gas heat may not get their gas turned back on until later tomorrow. Temperatures tomorrow will return to normal and hit the 60s again, great weather for a nice hike down to the border which I plan on leading with the hiking club.

This has proven to be one very harsh winter for most of the country. The Southeast is expecting another whomp this weekend, just in time for the SuperBore.

President Obama in Tucson for Memorial

2011-01-13T06:49:00.000-08:00

I had considered going to Tucson to listen to the president, knowing that I would have to get to the UA campus very early to secure a good spot. KVOA's Facebook page, however, announced that by 9am there was already a mile-long line of people waiting to get into the auditorium, which soon grew to a two-mile line and only grew from there. The station's live feed posted constant updates. By early afternoon streets were blocked off, the McKale auditorium had filled to capacity by 1pm and the traffic nightmare began.

Brian Williams from NBC Nightly News was in town. The news was broadcasted from Tucson tonight.

With Kevin recovering from oral surgery, he stayed home to rest and I stayed home with him. I had KVOA on most of the day for its "live updates", minus the time the station broadcasts chatty talkshows and soaps.

The hate-filled Westboro Church from Topeka, Kansas agreed not to protest the funeral of Christiana Green tomorrow. The Arizona legislature passed and Gov Brewer signed a law making their protests 300 feet from any of this week's six funerals (victims of this horrific rampage) illegal. It seems a lot of extremist groups are coming out of the MidWest.

I ended up watching the live updates on our little black-and-white TV while I went through my office closet to declutter the area, only making a bigger mess and stopping numerous times to look over old high school photos and other memorabilia either my mother or father saved for me and which I merely tucked away in old cardboard boxes. I found other books I had been looking for, and soon the clean-up became another typical messup of mine.

Obama spoke very lovingly about the youngest victim, nine-year-old Christina Green who truly did sound like a remarkably gifted child with great ambitions. It's a tragic shame someone like her had her life cut so short.

"I want to live up to her expectations," he said. "I want our democracy to be as good as Christina imagined it."

More than 13,000 people crowded into McKale Center. When that filled up, a similar number filed into Arizona Stadium and watched from large TVs. Backpacks, laptops and large cameras were not allowed in either facility.

"Gabby opened her eyes for the first time" said Obama. So there is indeed hope that Giffords, too will recover. Only time now will tell how much of a recovery she will endure.

Obama gave a very touching speech. Sometimes it sounded more like a campaign speech with people standing, cheering and applauding than a somber memorial speech. He said all the right words. It was more of a speech akin to his 2004 speech and which made me fall into admiration for him. Just judging from the audience and later the internet comments, Tucsonans were very impressed with both the president and his genuine compassion for the city and the survivors of this tragic event. It's the first time in his two years that I didn't see or hear partisan muckraking. And even I, for the first time since his inauguration, have felt hope rise in me that things will finally get better and Americans will unite as Americans and not supporters of a particular political party who have as their one goal the desire to throw insults at one another.

http://www.c-span.com/Events/Thousands-Attend-Memorial-Service-in-Tucson/10737418883-3/

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_3b96fee6-08ec-5403-95c3-712c99805990.html

Vigil for Congresswoman Giffords in Tucson

2011-01-09T22:44:00.000-08:00

An 18-year-old woman whose first vote was for Giffords organized a get-well vigil tonight in front of Gifford's Tucson office at 6pm. I didn't get there until 6:20pm but was awestruck by how many people showed up holding candles. The candle-holding audience stood out on the dark streets, so my concern about finding the address on time was luckily no worry.

As soon as I walked up John Lennon's song "Imagine" played, then a few other old songs before local musicians took over the microphone. A Tohono O'odham Indian also provided a chant.

I looked around and saw many other teary-eyed people. Even my own tears were at times hard to hold back. I saw people sniffling, wiping their eyes, or hugging their friends in despair.

There were young and old present, white and black, Hispanic and Jew, babies and puppies. Despite the tragic reason for the gathering, it was a non-partisan, non-racial gathering of eclectic people. At times it got too peace-loving as I'm not sure an all love-only policy against violence would be effective, especially in a cowboy state like Arizona.

"Honk if you support Giffords!" said one hand-written sign. A few passing cars did honk. I did as well when I left at 8:20pm, and there were still quite a few people at the street corner.

I drove into Downtown after leaving the vigil. The place was quiet for a Sunday night. A few cafes were open and several people walked the streets, I just walked around taking night shots. Presidio and transit police were out in force. I didn't see any homeless anywhere, although I'm sure under normal circumstances they are visible around the downtown area, especially near the St. Augustine Cathedral.

Driving to Tucson for the vigil helped me emotionally. It was much-needed therapy for me as I ponder the reasons why anyone would resort to such violence just because they do not agree with someone's politics. I have feared for Obama's life since he was elected president, and from comments I overhear at Applebee's (and many of the people I hang out with are retired military) or read on the internet, that fear seems to be substantiated. Violence and hate is obviously not a partisan issue, that comes from all sides, but it does seem to be stronger coming from the right against the current administration or anyone labeled a Democrat.

Arizona has become the nation's hotbed for dissent. It's almost frightening the kinds of people who live here. The state's own liberal gun laws haven't helped much, either. I'm all for the second amendment but there needs to be better enforcement of the laws already out on the books. Funding for mental health issues continue to be cut because of state and local deficits.

"Ohmygod Giffords was shot and killed!"

2011-01-08T19:32:00.001-08:00

I was reading the Yahoo! news at noon when the headlines "Congresswoman Giffords shot and killed in Tucson" came across the screen. I screamed and ran into the kitchen where Kevin was, to tell him the news. Even he was stunned. Who would kill Giffords? She is not a controversial stateswoman like some others in the Tea Party are. I broke down and cried. I haven't cried over political events since 911, and before that when GWB got declared the election winner in 2000. My first suspicions were that the killer was a disgruntled Tea Party member or a Jesse Kelly supporter(her opponent who narrowly lost last November) and an NRA nut. I turned on the TV and for two hours KVOA kept feeding updates.

The news of Giffords death. however, was premature. I had overreacted to what Yahoo! and KVOA had falsely reported. I even cried out about that on my Facebook page.

The news got better, it seemed, every ten minutes when finally a trauma doctor, Dr Rhee, came to tell the press Giffords was alive and in surgery for a "through and through" single gunshot to the head. It was true that one 9-year-old child had died as well as a federal judge. Giffords and her staff were at a Safeway store at 10am in NW Tucson to speak to voters during one of her many open-air meetings.

I was glued to the TV for most of the afternoon, getting nothing done. She is now out of surgery but now we must worry about her brain swelling. I am over the shock of such a heinous crime, but I am not over the shock that the attempted killer is a 22-year-old white community college student, Jared Lee Loughner, who raved about Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. I've had tears swell up in me all afternoon at the thought of this happening. What is Arizona coming to? We are a state full of bigoted gun-toting Tea Party racists.

I never got to meet Giffords whenever she came to town because she always came when I was either at work or in class. She is MY Congresswoman. I voted for her. She is a fighter for southern Arizonans.

There is a get-well vigil tomorrow night in front of her Tucson office. I plan on being there.
______________

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_88b4b436-1b53-11e0-8354-001cc4c002e0.html

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot point-blank in the head on Saturday at a northwest-side grocery store, but surgeons say they are optimistic about her recovery.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jan Brewer's office is confirming federal Judge John Roll was among the dead, as was Gabe Zimmerman, Giffords' director of community outreach.

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik last night said there were six dead, including a child, as well as 19 injured. The girl slain in the attack was later identified as Christina-Taylor Green, 9. Later, Dorwan Stodder, a church volunteer, was identified as being one of the people killed.

Giffords was in critical condition following surgery at University Medical Center, said Dr. Peter Rhee, a UMC surgeon. The bullet passed cleanly out her brain, exiting her head.

Rhee said she was following commands, which is a good sign.

The shooting occurred at a Safeway supermarket where Giffords was holding one of her regular "Congress on Your Corner" events, which allows her to speak directly with constituents in her district.

The gunman has been identified as 22-year-old Jared Loughner, according to The Associated Press, although Dupnik declined to identify the assailant.

New Mexico and back home

2011-01-06T21:31:00.000-08:00

I didn't enter New Mexico until 6:30pm last night, entering the small town of Texico on the border, a dark and cold cowtown that had shut down for the night. I headed toward Clovis ten miles west, where I discovered there's an Air Force Base I could try to get a room at again. But I had no such luck at Cannon AFB, where all rooms were reserved for incoming transfers. Cannon, I learned, was created as part of the Air Force's Special Operations Command during the Iranian hostage crisis under President Carter. Although I was there in the dark, I could tell this base was nowhere near as nice as Tinker AFB.

When I asked for a list of hotels in town, all I got from the clerk were upscale hotels for $99/night. Kevin had mentioned cheaper ones but I never saw them. The town was pretty dark and perhaps I just didn't notice?

I opted instead to drive toward Roswell, but I had to stop once because of fatigue. The lack of any moon (new moon was 4 Jan) made this a dangerously dark drive. It dipped into the 20s and my feet got cold.

When I finally got up the sky was grey and overcast, quite a difference from when I left three weeks ago.

Roswell's streets were empty and the stores still shut. I've yet to make it to this place when there are actually any stores open! It's not a bad little town, and coming down from Amarillo, the first decent town to resupply in.

I continued toward Alamagordo, where I could see the snow-capped mountains of the Lincoln National Forest. It was my first real snow on my return trip. The highway, however, remained dry.

My breakfast was at a McDonald's for sausage biscuit and coffee. Then I crossed the White Sands missile range where two jet fighters came close over the highway while landing nearby. Then on to Las Cruces where I took another break at the Mesilla Valley animal shelter (which looks as nice as the one in Sierra Vista). People were already waiting outside the door to reclaim their lost animals or drop off goods for the critters. I stopped by to see what animals there were. Among the many, many chichuahuas and pitbulls, there was one young female German shepherd dog, one young black lab, one older Golden Retriever getting humped by a frustrated German pointer, and one young golden retriever pup. The 24-hour reprieve for adoption prevented me from taking any of them home right away.

There was still Deming, NM's animal shelter, a rundown shelter on the edge of town off a dirt road that was overstocked with more homeless animals. "I can't believe how many animals get dropped off here!" said the woman I spoke to, Sandy, who only started working there last May.

There were several Rottweilers and shepherd mixes, and in the corner of the outdoor kennels was one German shepherd-Husky mix male dog watching me quietly. His demeanor stole my heart and I ended up driving the rest of the way home with him as he quietly sat in the back of my crowded van. We stopped at every rest break to allow him to pee (which he always did!) and getting him back into the van after each stop got harder and harder.

I crossed into Arizona at 5:30pm to the first beautiful sunset in over two weeks. It felt great to be on the homestreth.

When I got home at 8:30pm Kevin agreed that the new dog's name should be Bruno. He's going to be one big dog.

Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle

2011-01-05T19:43:00.000-08:00

I was slow at getting ready this morning, prefering to stay in bed and drink the hotel-provided coffee while listening to the local new. The new OK govenor got inaugurated today at the State Capitol and an arctic freeze is due by this weekend. Glad I won't be in the area by then!

Soon after I got up I got a mini migraine though, the second one this week. These are starting to worry me. They are always right behind the eyes and give me vision difficulties, and that is not good when I have to drive.

Perhaps it was the worry about my headache that kept me from thinking straight once in the city. I parked at the new federal building (thinking that was the actual Monument!) and started taken pictures of the star sculptures there. A guard came outside asking me what i was doing with my "professional camera." Professional camera? A Canon Rebel takes excellent photographs but it's far from a "professional camera." I was not about to argue with an armed guard, though.

"Isn't this the OKC Monument?" I asked. He informed me that I was at the wrong building and that the real Monument was across the street and one block down. He was able to point at it from inside the security check where he had taken me to get my ID. Unfortunately, since I hadn't expected to get detained (!) I had kept my wallet inside the van. I wrote down my full name and address and that seemed to satisfy the guard. He let me go and I quickly ran to the real Monument, hiding my embarrassment.

I only had 30 minutes in the parking meter and ten minutes were spent being held bu the guard. Everything after my release was fast. How could I have missed the real Monument anyway? Once at the real spot I recognized the chainlink fence that in the summer of 1995 still had stuffed animals and kids' toys tied to the makeshift memorial. Only one side of that chainlink fence now remains; the rest of the perimeter fence is gone and a more eye-appealing park stands in its place.

The monument seemed heavily guarded: more park rangers than usual it seemed walked around, willing to answer any questions for the passers-by. The old brick building that stood behind the bombed-out building now houses a museum where entry is $10 an adult. Why, though, would someone want to pay $10 to be reminded of that tragic event on 19 April 1995 when 169 people, including many children, died?

Missouri-Arkansas-Oklahoma

2011-01-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

I finally left Crown Point yesterday at 2:10pm. I had waited for Carol to come back from the airport. We had a quick lunch at the CP Cafe with Marge where we all ordered soup and gyro. Weather was pleasant with ice and snow-free roads and blue skies. I know I had to get going but I dreaded the boring drive across Illinois. Luckily there were no wind gusts yesterday and I made it to St Louis six hours later where I had my first stop to walk around.

The city's NPR station said the temperature was "41 but feels like 35" but I thought it was colder than that while I walked around for an hour. My hands were cold! Sure enough, back in the van the updated report said "38 feels like 30."

This was my third stop in St ILouis to walk around the arch. I've never actually spent any time in this ugly city, though. The downtown plaza is nice; C'mas lights and music was still playing from loudspeakers. Unfortunately, there are many transients who use the plaza as their home. Their presence is a bit discomforting.

Thirty miles west of St Louis and the hills began to take shape and I was entering the Ozarks. By Lebanon off I-44 I decided to get off the interstate and find a cheap hotel in the Ozarks. I had no luck and spent the first night freezing in the van. This morning I was up early just to get warm. I stopped in Harleyville to order a cappuccino at the Mc D's there and was served by a very friendly elderly woman named Audrey. I ended up seeing many elderly people in Arkansas and the majority were very friendly toward me.

My NatGeo map listed AK7 as a scenic byway and that's the route I took. I am so glad I did, as it cut across some spectacular hill country and pretty Ozark towns. Lots of junk yards and friendly old people. I could have camped out in the Arkansas Ozarks tonight as I've never actually spent time in these hills, but my schedule and my limited daylight kept me from lingering. I stopped in most small towns, walked around and photographed stuff, read historical markers. The Buffalo River flowed right through the Bostom hills. This area deserves a closer look another time. I stopped in towns like Branson, MO, Jasper AK, Ava AK and drove almost 120 miles through the 2100' hills. Although the deciduous trees were barren, I can just imagine how pretty it must be in the spring, summer and fall.

I stayed on Hwy 60 and then Rte 7 until south of I-44 when I turned west on Rte22. This was a curvy two-lane road with little traffic and even few stop signs or lights. The hills were smaller here but the history was just as interesting. I made it to Fort ssmith at 4:20pm, not enough time to enjoy the historical site but with enough daylight to walk about the riverwalk and see the old fort from a distance. I walked briefly along the wide and peaceful Arkansas River, where downhill a huge flock of blackbirds and fish were reported dead of mysterious reasons on New Year's Day.

I crossed into Oklahoma by 5:15pm to sunset and drove the rumbly I-40 into Tinker AFB where I got a lovely room for the night for a mere $34. It was too cold to carcamp another night and I needed a shower and clean clothes. Tinker AFB is a quiet and safe place to stay.

Tomorrow morning I plan on stopping in downtown OKC to see the new memorial where once was a federal office bombing in April 1995. At that time there were still many toys and stuffed animals hung off the fence in memoriam of the chidlren who died in this heinous act of domestic terrosrism.

Heading back home

2011-01-03T08:28:00.000-08:00

Later on today I will be on my drive back to Arizona. I expect to be in my own home sometime Thursday; Friday at the latest depending on the weather. Snow is expected north of Chicago tonight. If I make it to Missouri the coldest weather will be behind me for at least two days.

I am so glad I came this C'mas. It was a real joy spending time with Ethan and Erin. Those two are quite the pair. Erin is a doting and loving mom and Ethan is a happy child who loves to cuddle and listen to you. He's also quite the photo model. He seemed so at ease in front of my camera.

I definitely have the travel bug (especially road trips) from my father, who loved spontaneous weekend road trips to new places whenever he could take the time off.

I saw Ethan for the last time yesterday when Erin came over with Ethan. I took them out to eat at a local restaurant, the Texas Corral. It's modeled after the national chain Texas Roadhouse but it's owned by a Hoosier from Highland, IN. Food and portions are very affordable. We had an early dinner there.

Erin and I got along much better this time. She didn't seem so defensive toward me although I was nervous about Ethan falling or hurting himself when I was around. She's quick to blame me for every boo-boo Ethan gets. If he gets hurt in her presence she's OK, though. Little toddlers always get into trouble and they require constant watch. Ethan's cuts and bruises were all standard little bumps he got from falling on his own. Nothing was long-lasting though.

I didn't do all the things I had hoped to do. I only made it to Chicago once. I only saw Eric twice and we barely spoke. I never got together with Linda. That all will have to wait until this summer, when I'm thinking of coming back again.

I got to spend quality time with Carol, though, who is always so easy to talk to.

Oil prices are predicted to rise to $4 by the end of the year and hit $5 by the end of next year. A barrel has already risen from $88 two weeks ago to $92 today.

Weather driving up here was nice. I hope I have the same good weather going back, driving against the main winds. The school's already called me for a job today but I had to cancel. I will take the rest of the week off so that my drive isn't too hectic. Just making it to St Louis tonight will cut my trip down to 280 miles, making for a 1750-mile trip broken up into three days. This is assuming weather and vehicle give me no issues.

New Year's Eve in Chicago

2011-01-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

I woke up at 8am to a heavy thunderstorm. Weather in Chicagoland was twice as warm as in southern Arizona, which was experiencing mountain blizzards. It rained all morning long, washing away all the snow that fell C'mas Eve.

I was afraid the rain was going to cancel my plans of a day in Chicago for photos and fireworks. The rain was at times intense, and I don't like walking in storms.

My alternate plan then was to drive to East Chicago, town of my birth, and photograph "urban decay,' my theme for the day. After a filling lunch at Mr Gyros off highway 30 in CP, I continued north on Hwy 41, the route I stayed on until I got to Chicago, past the BP refinery, belching stell mills and abandoned lots sprinkled with Spanish graffitti. The rain still kept going, so any photographs were taken from the van while pulled over or at traffic lights. The stares I got from the locals were disconcerting, so I opted to cancel my theme and simply head into Chicago, if only to drive around in the rain. I took the old highway 41 into the Loop, driving along a congested Lake Shore Drive.

It turned out to be a good decision as an hour after getting into Chicago the rains stopped and I was able to get a good workout in, walking over nine miles when I finally drove back to CP.

I parked at Lake and Canal Streets, which turned out to be two miles from Navy Pier. Parking was $2.50 an hour for a two-hour limit, which I knew barely gave me enough time to walk to the lake and back for photos. So I did a powerwalk, starting on Wacker Drive, then south on State and then eastward toward Grant Park. The sun came out then, then the sunset casted beautiful pastel colors across the reflective buildings. It was an awesome time to be in the city. If only I didn't have so short time of daylight left!

I watched ice skaters, listened to street musicians, even walked past several homeless people begging for money. One family from Indiana even asked me where the SouthShore trainstation was. I had no clue, but that would be the mode of transport the next time I hit Chicago at New Year's Eve as the city only charges a penny a ride from midnight to 6am to keep the drunks off the roads.

In fact, I saw no police until I hit Navy Pier. All I saw were taxis everywhere and people dressed in elegant evening wear: the women in short black dresses and heels and the men in tuxedos. And here I was in my white ski jacket and hiking boots!

The fact that I was alone never bothered me. I had nothing else to do since both of my own kids had plans with their own friends, Carol had a card party with her family and I wanted to take advantage of the one nice weather day. I did miss Kevin, though, but even he would have bawlked at the long walk. By the end of the day I was a stranger in a crowd anyway, wishing people around me a Happy New Year!

I made it to Navy Pier in just over an hour. The crowds weren't in full swing and there was open access to the pier. The controlled entry with cops every few feet didn't happen until I got back for a second walk three hours later, after staying in my van to read the story of John Kendrick. Purses and backpacks were checked. Open alcohol containers were authorized (that's standard at Navy Pier even on normal days). I had no bag, just a camera, and my wallet was safely tucked away in an inside jacket pocket.

It drizzled briefly at 10:30am and it was ten degrees colder now, with a predicted cold front hitting the city. Most fireworks gawkers stayed inside Navy Pier, slumped against the cold walls just waiting and idling time. I joined the crowd at 11pm, wanting to take a break from walking, and photographed moving feet.

When I went outside at 11:40pm and finally saw the fireworks at midnight, it was quite clear that whatever pyrotechniques the city had used in the past had been drastically cut back on. The show was short and unspectacular. I came all the way to Chicago for this? No, I came to experience the city and its people and finally left at 1:20am (it took me 55 minutes to walk back to my van) for Indiana. Carol was still sleeping in her recliner when I arrived at 2:30am. I was up until 4am downloading photos.

Indiana Dunes State Park

2010-12-28T06:45:00.000-08:00

"Connie, look, the sun!" said Carol as she got up. I had already noted the sunshine and my mood quickly improved. It had been the first sun since being here. I had a hike planned at Indiana Dunes State Park, a 2000-acre park along Lake Michigan that provides the one natural haven between steel mills and power plants. I hike here everytime I come back to this area. The cold blue skies and calm winds meant my hike would be a good one.

A good, but still very cold one. The winter gear I had bought this past summer on-line proved invaluable: my Kayland mountaineer boots, my OR snowboarding pants and my Mammut men's small ski jacket all kept me comfortably warm. Only my nose was cold.

My hike started shortly after 11am after a short visit to the park's old beach house, built early in the 20th century when this part of Indiana was a playground for the Gilded Age. The building's facade is looking worn, and the paint inside is peeling off, but the building still stands as a memory of what this place was surely like when eastern European immigrants, like my paternal grandfather, were lured to the nearby steel mills for decent jobs.

I walked toward the shoreline but a thick layer of iced slush pervented me from reaching the waterline, where white-capped waves splashed ashore. It was best to keep my distance as I wanted to keep my feet dry.

The park road was slick driving in. It had been plowed but not salted. One large, older-model sedan was already stuck over a side rail, victim of a reckless and very embarrassed male driver. There is no admission here in the winter (otherwise I would have started this hike on the park's far eastern perimeter) and I drove to the trail head near the Nature Center, along a short boardwalk where trail #10 begins.

Other cars were already parked here, and two young women got out ahead of me to start a late morning jog. I didn't see any one else along the trail until I got back to near the trail head again.

I hiked mostly trails 10 and 9. Trail #10 is also the "Indian Portage Trail" which follows eastward along the bogs, then turns toward the lake two miles into the trail. It's a very diverse trail and also the longest one in the park. The lakefront was slushy and further up the beach the sand was even iced over. One lone seagull flew nearby and the few people I saw were a few miles west on the beach, perhaps near the old beach house.

I could see the distant Chicago skyline. I climbed up over a sand dune, rested a bit, then continued downhill on Trail #9 back to the trail head, completing a six-mile loop through the forest. I was back at the van at 2. The thermometer registered 28F.

I drove on to Michigan City, photographed the lighthouse, then drove back to Valparaiso. A quick stop at Target to get new windshield wipers proved to take longer than expected as everyone was at Target. I rested an hour at the Barnes and Noble across the street, downloaded my hike photos, and then Erin called. We had arranged a dinner date and chose the TGI Friday's next door.

That proved to be a disappointment. I had a chicken Parmesan pasta dish that was too oily. We sat at a corner table near the bathrooms and I had to flag down a server for soda refills. The bill was a whopping $34 and most of that was for the sodas we had. I am still tempted to fill out the on-line survey to let the chain know I wasn't happy with the food. With all the great locally-owned restaurants in the Region, there is no excuse to eat at a national chain again.

It had dropped down to 18F once we left the restaurant. I stayed overnight at Erin's place, chatting briefly with Kristin who came over with her white German shepherd dog Buddy. I took lots of photos again before Kristin left and Ethan went to bed. Erin's cat chewed on my watchband all night long.

Christmas with the family

2010-12-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was mellow. I had gone straight to Erin's place in Chesterton once I got to the area, spent the night there, then had a lovely lunch with her and Ethan before heading down to Carol's place in Crown Point , 30 miles west,where I finally spread my stuff out. I really did overdo the packing again, bringing more clothes than I know I will wear.

I had no desire to shop for anything else once I got here. Now that I was back in"The Region" I wanted to enjoy the end-of-tour and simple relax with the family. It was cold out, and that first night here another 3-4 inches of snow fell. The sky remained a dark grey, greyer in the western sky, and cold. We had a White and cold Christmas.

C'mas Eve I was with Carol at her brother John's house, which is always a blast as the company and food are great. I have grown old with John and Ruth (they are only a few years older than me) and they are also new grandparents. This year Ruth's older brothers John and Roger and their wives were also at the party.

I didn't see Eric until late on C'mas Day when he came over with Erin in one car. He dozed off on the couch all day because he had been working eight straight days. He didn't seem all too excited to see me, and he didn't seem all too enthused with the presents I got him (both which bummed me out a bit but I need to be patient with his as he's been working a lot). Erin seemed busy and preoccupied as well, and easy to irritate, but she told me that Eric is reclusive with everyone and not just me. "Don't take it personal, Mom."

But when Carol asked me what my kids got me for Christmas, I found myself on the defensive. They got me the usual: nothing. My children have never been giving people and they don't make enough money to afford being spendthrifts, but I know they are used to me showering them with presents. It's a habit I have to break MYSELF out of to avoid being disappointed every Christmas.

It's not the family that bums me out, it's the area. Northwest Indiana, with its many industries, is such a depressing area with its steel mills, air pollution, trashy streets, brown slushy roads and lack of any scenery. People driving through the state on the Indiana Toll road don't even see the pretty dunes because the belching mills and power plants overwhelm the horizon.

Shopping and eating out are past times here. Every time I come here in the winter I get those depressing flashbacks from my teen years here. Oh, how I hated this place back then, with its bigotry, ignorant working masses smoking and drinking their lives away. I felt out of place then, and I still feel out of place today. I feel no shame for having deserted this place years ago.

And yet so much of my family is here, I have no option but to return to this place every few years.

Driving across the Great Plains

2010-12-25T20:07:00.000-08:00

I finally left the house a few minutes shy of 11am last Tuesday. I drove along the border on USHwy 90, through Douglas and the heavily-surveilled area NE of town where Rancher Bob was killed earlier this year. There were several Sheriff and USBP vehicles all along that stretch, but I never saw any people. It's as if all those who had wanted to be with family over the holiday had already left for the trip. Weather on the first day was ideal: warm, blue sky and little traffic.

There were more USBP along NM9, another eerie but pretty road that hugs the border. I turned north when I got to Columbus, and drove I-10 into Las Cruces.

I had a major blowout on the transition ramp from I-10 and I-25, just as the evening was setting. My saving grace was that I wasn't driving fast when my tire blew, there wasn't much traffic and I was able to pull off the road and call AAA. (The first things the dispatcher asked me was if I was safe and if I was safely off the road; I answered "yes" to both). My van has Chinese-made Hankook tires I was coerced into buying. I will never buy that brand again.

That blowout cost me $188 and three hours of driving. I missed watching the rising Solstice Full Moon over White Sands. Lesson learned. I ate dinner at a Carl's Jr and read more of "Memoirs of Ulysses S Grant Vol I" while eating, so all was not lost.

However, despite a new tire the tire pressure monitor remains lighted. I hope it's just the cold weather.

I only made it 540 miles that first night, pulling over south of Clovis, NM to a cool-to-cold night with the cows. The next morning there was a chilling fog across the valley that followed me well into Armarillo, TX and the Panhandle. I was now no longer in the desert but in the cold Staked Plains that Mark and I had explored a few years before. I will always enjoy that area and its red soil. It was here that I began seeing unique roadside attractions like giant Cowboys, antique cars and plastic cows on top of old slaughter houses. It's a photographer's delight with the variety of things to capture.

I didn't warm up until I neared the Oklahoma border on Day II and stopped at an interstate rest stop designed like a Route 66 museum. The place offered clean rest rooms and free WiFi. The rest stop was also a designated tornado shelter (built on a hill top?!) The rest of the drive from Oklahoma to Springfield, IL followed old Route 66, although the old Route 66 was mostly an old frontage road along the interstate.

The drive was very scenic, and it remained scenic even across Oklahoma, which was not anywhere near as flat and ugly as I remembered it to be. I was expecting to be inundated with religious messages along the interstate, and although I did see a lot of churches and ministry buildings in OKC (I believe the majority of them are in OKC), I also saw my share of ADULT BOOKSTORE billboards near the churches. Churches and pornography go so well together here

I avoided the Toll Road and existed I-44 outside Oklahoma City, driving eastward on a parallel road north of the city that went straight into Tulsa to the Missouri state line, where I saw another near full moon rise over the flatlands. I made it to Springfield, MO where I got a room at the "Ozark Inn" that offered me a comfortable bed for the night and a decent cable TV selection, but in which the heat never got warm enough to get comfortable in.

My final drive was across Missouri and into Illinois and arriving in Northwest Indiana at 9pm at my daughter's place. By the time I reached Kankakee, IL I could see the darkbrown rusty northern horizon of Chicagoland, I could smell the steelmill sulphur and I knew I didn't have much further to go. It also felt warmer there than it did in central MO where my van thermometer dipped into the upper 20s.

I liked what I saw of Missouri off I-44 but by the time I got to that state I was getting antsy of the drive and wanted to make good time. I hope to enjoy parts of the Ozarks on my return trip; I may even drive the same way as I drove going out as it was scenic, diverse and historic. I didn't even see ground snow until I crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, and that is where I lost the blue sky for the rest of my travel.

Kevin says I made good time on this drive. I only pushed myself on Day II because of the lag I started with on Day I. I only stopped to pee and gas up; most of my food came from eating salted peanuts from a plastic jar. Rather than listening to local PBS stations (I did that only for hourly newscasts a few times a day), I entertained myself splendidly listening to audio books: Laura Bush's "Spoken from the Heart" and "The autobiography of Mark Twain" which was a true delight once I got past the first two introductory discs.

The price for gasoline remained steady across the Plains, $2.79-$3.09. I paid mostly $2.79 and only once paid $3.09 in central Illinois. Prices were higher the closer I got to Chicago ($3.34 was the highest) but dropped to just below $3 when I crossed into Indiana.

It's a 1950-mile drive that can be comfortably driven in 4-5 days and I plan on taking my time going back, perhaps exploring more of "the middle." all that is weather-dependent, as that storm that blew across California on Monday came through here last night with 3-4" of snow. It's the Upper Northeast that is going to get hit hard tomorrow, from DC all the way to Maine. It's been a year since the last blizzard there.

Leaving for Indiana

2010-12-21T06:28:00.000-08:00

Today is my first time in three years that I am driving to Chicagoland for Christmas. Although Chicagoland got hit with more snow today, the drive itself should be eventless for me.

California is getting pounded with heavy rains and that storm is moving over Arizona tonight, but I should be far east by then. A mild temperature surge will follow me eastward. I don't expect to see snow until Missouri.

My van is packed. I plan on leaving soon, but watching the full lunar eclipse last night has delayed my departure by a few hours. The eclipse was beautifully eerie, as it got so cold and windy the darker it got. I lay on the driveway taking photos with my Canon SX210IS point-and-shoot camera, which took amazingly clear photos until the moon lost its radiance and the sensor did not know where to focus. The next full lunar eclipse on a winter solstice will be in 2092. I don't plan on being around for that one.

The house is no where near as clean as I had hoped it would be; the floor needs mopping and some stuff still needs to be put away.

My van is full of stuff for the kids. There won't be much room to get comfy in at all.There's a full moon tonight; I hope the skies are clear enough to see it. It's also winter solstice. I don't want to leave Kevin but I'm looking forward to seeing Ethan again.

Another end of semester

2010-12-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

I had my last final Wednesday night, my Spanish final. I took my time, going over all my answers and finding a few mistakes along the way. By the time I turned in my paper there were only three other people remaining: Sheila, Kristi and Juanita, all who have sat around me all semester long. The instructor had all the other papers stacked on her desk and was already grading them. I took out my new eReader to read while she graded, as I was in no hurry.

"Do you want to know your grade?" she asked.
"Yes, but take your time!"
"You got an A."
"But you haven't even looked at my paper!"
"I know you, Connie. You got an A!"

Oh, if life were only so easy. But in her defense I'd gotten As all semester long on all homework, in-class assignments, quizzes and tests that if I had failed the final I could have still gotten an B. I had reviewed the grammar all day anyway.

I'm glad I finally took that Spanish course. I really should have taken it sooner. Knowing better Spanish would have made my trips along the Rio Grande back in early 2008 even more interesting. I'm already signed up for the next course and I'm considering taken the intermediate course next fall. I enjoy a culture more when I understand the language better. And when one understands the culture and language, one understands the people as well.

There were several native speakers in this course. Besides Juanita (an older, passionate woman in love with her heritage) there were two men who sat in the back of the class. They consistently chatted in Spanish to each other, speaking a lingo Juanita said was typical of the northern Sonoran dialect. Both men had grown up speaking Spanish but both had trouble reading it. They didn't seem to take learning the language seriously, though, and were not the best students. Juanita said she struggled herself with the grammar, but now better understands her mother tongue. I like Juanita. I always enjoyed listening to her experiences in Mexico and her childhood memories.

If only the violence along the border would relent! It's only gotten worse in the last two years. A few days ago a USBP agent was killed in southern Arizona while pursuing a group of drug smugglers in the Rio Rico area, a hilly region known for its drugs and smuggling. The murderer from the March killing of a rancher near Douglas also remains unsolved.

***

We have had an unusual warm winter all month so far. I witnessed a spectacular Monday night meteorite shower while walking the dogs late that night. The Geminids were at their peak and I purposely delayed their nightly walk to watch the meteors. I counted 22 during the brisk 2.2-mile walk around the neighborhood, finishing with a very stiff neck as I kept my head up to the sky. I only tripped once while walking the dogs.

We got some overnight rain though, our first rain since October. The sun's not up yet so there's no telling if we got any snow on the peaks. I'm hiking up Miller Peak with a few others tomorrow and we are hoping for some snow.

I'll be leaving for Indiana on Tuesday. I have a van full of goodies this time, having bought C'mas presents since August. I dread the long drive since there's already so much snow east of Tulsa, and nightly lows into the 20s and 10s. Car camping and hiking won't be as much fun this time. I still have to plan my packing, get my stuff organized, clean out my office and turn recyclables and used clothes over to the respective charities that I'll be busy all weekend long.

I will be studying ahead during this break, learning more Spanish, reading up on Modern History and listening to more downloaded podcasts from the University of California. One can bash California for all its worth, it still has the best overall History podcasts out there. Its professors at San Diego, Berkeley and LA all have great courses to offer for free to the listening public.

I enjoyed my Medieval History and Women in Literature courses as well. Next semester I'm taking on History of Mexico post revolution, English Lit I, Biology I and Spanish 102. The one class that I need for my History concentration, however, is not offered next semester. That's where the UC podcasts will come in handy as I still plan on listening to the USCD courses on Modern History since 1648 because I still plan on taking the state exams in both History and English this coming spring. And who knows? Maybe Spanish will follow in a few years.

Next year is my last year of low-level courses. I will have taken all the courses I've been wanting to take. Unfortunately, the school district continues to cut back its resources and teachers continue to be laid off. I hardly worked this semester because of this. This was great for my studying time but not good for my spending money. Thankfully Kevin's raise went through and we are financially well off. With empty houses still lingering in our neighborhood, that is a good thing.

Thanksgiving in Phoenix

2010-11-30T04:10:00.000-08:00

We spent a lovely 2.5 days in western Phoenix, in a new suburb near the White Tank Mountains. I had never been there before. Kevin's relatives moved there a few months ago fter retirning from Boston and own a huge 3000+ sf home with giant living room, high ceiling and 1.5 acre lot. It's ideal for hosting large parties which they love to do and I got to meet all of Kevin's relatives. Most I didn't know.

Weather was cool but fine.

Another semester coming to an end

2010-11-24T14:03:00.000-08:00

Although we have three weeks left, I feel the end is near. It wasn't so chaotic this time around, but I also only took three courses. So far, so good.

But then I wanted to sign up for more classes today but was denied registration for two of them (both history classes) because I hadn't taken a required reading comprehension test yet! Oh. My. God. A person with my grades and my English abilities has to take a reading test? The counselor would not budge. (Previous ones saw my grades and were more common sensical and signed me up for the courses anyway. Not this woman.). Cochise College is so discouraging when it comes to bright, talented students. I feel like I am treated like a kid. I hope UA is much better.

So next Thursday at 3pm I'm scheduled to take a reading and a math test. I need to see where my math abilities are before I can even sign up for the elementary algebra course next semester. The sooner I take that placement exam, the sooner I can register for it.

My Spanish 102, English 201 and Biology 101 classes are all online. I'm not so sure I'm going to enjoy the online Spanish class. How can one effectively learn a language without regular human interaction?! My counselor wanted to assure me that on-line classes is what the current generation prefers. If that's the case, the current generation is going to have problems at regular jobs if they can not interact normally.

This whole idea of having to take a placement reading exam just urks me. Is this just a Cochise College requirement, to make sure it doesn't allow non-English-comprehending students from taking reading/writing intensive classes or is this a state-wide requirement?

I'll need to remain upbeat.

Although I've enjoyed the classes this semester and the classmates I've had, I've gotten burned out by all the studying. Kevin thinks I overdo it. (He told me when we were in Florida that I take the classes way too seriously). He'd like to take an American History class but doesn't want to have to write papers "After I've seen how you write all the time." He has a point. My office looks like I've got research and scholarly papers all over the place. Part of that is me throwing the papers on the ground, part of it is from the cat knocking stuff off the desk. As soon as this semester is over, I'm cleaning house. I can't stand the mess.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are expecting the coldest holiday in 30 years, with freezing temperatures in the valley tomorrow overnight.

Meanwhile, North Korea blasted artillery toward a South Korean island yesterday morning, killing two South Korean soldiers. My history instructor fears a WWIII will break out in that part of Asia before this week is over. I hope not. We have American troops there along the DMZ risking their lives for another country's people.

Universal Studios

2010-11-18T21:03:00.000-08:00

It was a week ago this morning that K and I flew to Orlando for my sister's wedding. This was my first family wedding I attended!

It was a beautiful wedding. Alex had put her entire heart into organizing the perfect wedding: from a gorgeous wedding dress to location, minister, food menu and vows. About 30 people attented this wedding and everyone flew or drove down from other places to attend.

I even enjoyed Universal Studios, although I'm not a fan of amusement parks. After the wedding ceremony and reception Matt had us all go on a scavenger hunt around the park. Iris and I were teamed up with two other women we had never met before. One of the other women, Linda, had as much fun as Iris and I had looking for the hidden secrets. The hunt was a good way to get familiarized with the park.

We arrived in Orlando Thursday afternoon, rested at the hotel and enjoyed a free meal at the next-door TGI Friday's for Veteran's Day. TGI Friday's went all-out as well and offered their free meals to all Veterans for FOUR DAYS! That means that K and I enjoyed two breakfasts and two dinners there, always getting great service. TGI Friday's meals are much more diverse than Applebee's.

The park itself was crowded. We went on a few rides but spent most of our time walking around and looking at stuff. We rode the Spiderman ride. We tried out the Harry Potter ride (which broke down on us while we were in it!). The Hulk rollercoaster gave me nausea and a headache. We floated through Jurassic Park a few times, always managing to avoid a major soaking.

Saturday we opted to visit the park again and ride some more. The Harry Potter ride broke down on Saturday as well for 20 minutes. We tried Butterbeer and sported frothy white mustaches, although I'm not crazy about the Butterscotch concoction.

Weather was ideal although it got cool after sunset. This, however, was not an easy feat because one of my family members demanded we spend the entire time in Orlando as a family. Since this was as much my vacation as it was K's, I sided with K and refused to play along. Oh well. Most of the other family members supported my decision. K and I ended up having a great time all last weekend. We made Orlando a mini-vacation we both promised to repeat again in another city next year, like Portland or Seattle.

We stayed at the Double Tree Hotel located a block away from the Universal Studio's main entrance on Major Drive. One can't see the entrance as it's covered with foliage but we learned that it's a mere half-mile away. Cabs charge $5 a ride to get there from the hotel. The hotel was rather basic. There is no free continental breakfast. The rooms have refrigerators and coffee makers and decent cable TV, but in-room WiFi costs $9.95 a day. Free WiFi is only in the lobby area. I saw a cockroach hiding behind the hotel room's desk the second night I was there.

We will most likely never go back to Universal Studios. It was a one-time event we enjoyed, though.

In Limbo

2010-11-09T05:11:00.001-08:00

I was up late Sunday night working on an English paper. At 1am local time I got an email from Eric:

...I'm being kicked out of my apartment. Not because I skipped out on rent or was too messy or too loud. But because Derek, my friend and roommate, is moving back with mommy and daddy and I'm being kicked out too because he doesn't want me living with his girlfriend. There's also the amazing part where he told me to make sure I move out at the same time he does so his girlfriend isn't screwed over on the rent.
So, being in a position where my best friend is basically fucking me over without any kind of remorse or respectful consolance, I'm getting the fuck out as soon as possible - and I'm seriously considering Arizona as a viable option. And since I'm wasting my time and money here with two people I thought had class and respect, I think school mY be the best thing. So I would greatly appreciate the following info:
What schools are available out there?
What information or papers would I need to bring?
When would be a good time to make the transfer over there?
That's all I can think of for now. I hope to hear from you soon.

I immediately sent him a reply saying that I was glad he finally got his shit together and decided school is the answer. He's spent the last four years "Finding himself" and working jobs an unskilled illegal immigrant would take. Friends who have all gone on to college are now graduating and he's still at the starting point in his life. I'll do whatever it takes to get him through school but he has to show me he's serious.

I told him he could come as soon as 15 November, but that the house would be a mess since I'm busy with college and Kevin doesn't do a damn thing around the house unless it's his personal stuff he's cleaning up.

So I wrote him back with the Cochise college spring schedule (which came out yesterday), and even showed him UA's schedule. I called him soon thereafter and only got his voice message.

Three more attempts to call him during the day also proved fruitless. All I got was his annoying voice message.

Finally, yesterday afternoon I got another email from him that sounded less desperate:

I think writing would be my best option for classes. Also, I need to talk to dad to see what he's able to do. I need to weigh all my options before I make a move.

That tells me he's back to Ground Zero again. Which means he most likely has decided to stay in Indiana. I'll help him as much as I helped out Erin with her dental classes but I will not go into debt for it at this point. Even when I compared tuition between Cochise College, UA and IU, Cochise's non-resident rates are cheaper than IU for the first two classes. Eric would have to take the standard Liberal Arts courses to get a degree in Creative Writing.

I have opted not to expect Eric here in January. I'll drive home for C'mas and hear from him then what his decision is and I'll honor it. It will also be the last time I stand by for him as I'm tired of his constant indecisions. There will always be a room for him here but the next time he asks to come in he may find the house empty.

Two years later...

2010-11-03T17:48:00.000-07:00

I remember the glee I felt when Obama was elected our new president. I also remember the hope I had for change.

The change never came and hope faded. I can't point my finger on just one issue that made me lose hope. It was a number of issues that piled up and got out of hand: the troop increase in Afghanistan. The continued bail-out of big corporations. Pushing his "Obamacare" to everyone despite that requiring even more tax increases for many who are barely scraping by. I'm sure there are more issues that waned hope for me.

So, it was no surprise then that Democrats lost six seats in the Senate. They deserved to lose the majority they had. They hadn't deserved to continue at the helm. Now Republicans are the majority in the House which hopefully means better checks and balances when it comes to appropriations. Not that the Republicans have been fiscally responsible, either these last ten years, but at least there is bi-partisan control in Congress.

I'm not expecting the GOP guys to get along with the Dems or vice versa. But I do want to see more focus on the wants and needs of Americans instead of lobbyists.

Governor Brewer won re-election hands-down. So did Senator McCain for his 5th term. Tom Horne is the state's new Attorney General and John Hoppenthal the new Chief of Public Instruction. The county race is still being tabulated, and it's a very close call between incumbent Gabriele Giffords and GOP Jesse Kelly.

Medical marijuana use was voted down. So was making hunting a constitutional state right.

A very active weekend

2010-10-18T18:10:00.000-07:00

Despite an English paper due Sunday night, I took time out Friday, Saturday and Sunday to exercise my body. Friday I hiked Lutz canyon with Brenda. Saturday I completed the Bisbee 1000 Stairclimb. Sunday I hiked with Kevin and the dogs down Bear Creek. Now I'm exhausted because I was up every night getting homework done.

The Bisbee Stairclimb was much better organized this year than last. Staggered starts prevented bottlenecks at the stairs. The roads weren't as congested. There were no major lines anywhere.

However, there also didn't seem to be as many participants as last year. Perhaps the higher registration fee of $40-$70 scared people away. (I paid $50 in August and that that was ridiculous!) There is no longer any day-of registration, so there were less people at the last minute wanting to join.

I ran a better time this year, although I still need work up the stairs.\

TBC

When fathers aren't fathers

2010-09-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got called in to take over at an elementary school. I reluctantly agreed.

When I arrived at the school the principal greeted me, told me of the troubles at that school since another substitute had taken over for an ailing teacher, and gave me the details of what had transpired since Monday. He walked with me to the classroom and read the students the riot act. While he spoke I wondered if I had gotten myself in deep waters for taking over this job. I stood by his side and smiled coyly. Surely all those obedient children who listened to the man would behave for me...

Well, not exactly but it also wasn't a repeat of Bisbee's 6th grade. Although I had to stay on my toes the entire time and never give the kids stagnant free time, by the end of the day I had several kids come up to me and hug me. "You did good!" said one boy, Michael, who gave me advice all day long about classroom procedures. Several girls also acted as aides and helped me pass out papers, assignments, student folders. The teacher's aide, a woman my age who is also working on her teaching certification through UA, helped me maintain my tempo. Without her I surely would have failed.

One girl, Claire, told me she suffers from depression and easily gets upset when classmates don't talk to her. Another boy told me he doesn't like being called by his real name and prefers to be called "Zay" so that is what I called him, much to his approval. One Mexican boy sat quietly at his desk and followed all instructions without fail. I smiled at him several times and gave him the thumbs up for doing such a good job on his class work.

There were also little battles among the students to gain my approval. Several boys fought over computer time to get their English assignments typed out.

"Steve has been on that computer for over ten minutes!" cried one boy.
"No, I haven't!"
"I got here first!" said another boy, also working on his English assignment.
There were times I just wanted to bang the heads of these three boys together to make them stop fighting. Enough fighting, already!

Then there was a little curly-topped boy, also named Michael, whose father was recently arrested on child pornography charges and who, according to him, could be "sent to prison for at least ten years." The boy, who by now was clearly hurting as he volunteered this information, hadn't seen his father since late August when the city cops stormed the house and ransacked the house looking for evidence. "I haven't been able to sleep since then" he continued, and has been restless and more disruptive in class. "I may never see him again!"

Michael was a sweet boy to me and although he was hyperactive (what boy isn't?) he did listen to me overall.

I wanted to hug this boy and let him know that everything will be OK, but how honest is that when the boy knows that he will lose his father for the next ten years, the most formative years of his life?

I left the school saddened for Michael's future, but I also left the school relieved that the day did not go as badly as I had feared. Although my voice was hoarse and my feet were tired, I left the school with even greater admiration for elementary school teachers who have to take care of little boys like Michael, little girls like Claire and all the other children whose parents failed them as primary caretakers. It's moments like today, despite all the screams and hollers and my warnings to cease and desist, that I drive away with a smidgen of satisfaction for a job well done.

Our Borderlands

2010-09-20T21:02:00.000-07:00

Has it been almost a month since I last wrote on this blog? Where has the time gone? Although I am only enrolled in three courses, I have been working practically full-time at the high school and loving it. My teaching skills have improved so much in the past year and my continued studies have made me more knowledgeable in the subjects I enjoy the most: History and English.

Today I taught 7th-grade English. The kids, as usual, were tough and I had to play tough, too. During my first hour planning period I had hoped to get some Spanish homework done but instead kept getting interrupted by visitors: two students who asked for money for the Student Council, another teacher who came in to unlog myself from the computer so she could log on to upload a document, another student who came by to give the teacher a bouquet of chocolates and yet another student who dropped off a "confidential" document. I didn't get much work done.

But then Mike came by, my friend Mike who almost two years ago led a hike up San Jose Peak in Sonora. He is fluent in Spanish, loves the outdoors and gets out as much as possible. The last time we really talked was almost a year ago (!) when he talked about how he was held up by Mexican police at a gas station in a border town under the suspicions for being a drug runner. A drug runner! Mike is far from such a thing. He is an active member of the "Friends of the San Pedro River" and videotapes wildlife along the San Pedro river that originates in far northern Sonora. I have seen some of his videos and they are quite informative.

What made him suspicious to the cops, at best, was that he was seen videotaping the countryside along the San Pedro River. What Mike didn't know was that in the same spot he was seen was also the same spot in which a few hours earlier an SUV was ambushed and shot up with over 80 bullets. The driver of that SUV was killed.

The police had surrounded him with automatic rifles. It was the first time Mike ever felt cold fear run through him. It's been a year since this incident and he hasn't been back to Mexico since.

"I am not going back down there until that situation clears up" he told me today. For Mike to say that means that the situation has indeed become intolerable. Mike and I are people who don't just visit cheap touristy places. We explore back roads, talk to locals, and look for the real stuff. There are a lot of beautiful places in Mexico that I wish I could see but I don't feel comfortable traveling the back roads that are slowly getting taken over by well-armed narcotraficos.

It's a crying shame, too. There is so much history south of me. Every time I see the lights of Naco, Sonora on my way home I long to be able to visit Mexico without the fear of being held under suspicions of being a narco. Those who terrorize the Mexican people are a small percentage of the total population, but that small population have the arms, ammunition, money and the power to control an entire country through fear.

Some people say that that's all because Americans are heavy drug users, that it's all about supply and demand. If we weren't such heavy users, they wouldn't be so determined to smuggle the stuff across the border.

But maybe "we" are such heavy drug users because "they" for years had the advantage of a near-open border. Mexico admits that it has 400 million drug users within its own borders.

It wasn't even two weeks ago when I witnessed an SUV race up Hunter Canyon Road where I was walking the dogs when the vehicle stopped behind some trees. The dogs froze, I stopped and stood silently while I heard peoples' voices as the SUV was loaded with human cargo. A few minutes later the SUV sped back down Hunter Canyon Road to Highway 92.

I am angered, frustrated and tired of all the illegal activity along the border. I want normalcy. The few who are caught are given light sentences: deportation to Mexico where the shitheads come right back over the border. I want to be able to travel south of the border to explore the rugged canyons and meet real Mexicans. But as long as the drugs and human cargo are slipping across our borders I have to wonder why we spent billions of dollars on a more secure border fence when illegal border crossers are still coming across in such high numbers.

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2010/09/21/officials-believe-arrested-suspect-same-person-who-led-police-chase-through-

Classes back in session

2010-08-23T07:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight starts the fall semester for me. Unlike the other semesters, this time I lack enthusiasm. I'm only enrolled in three classes (Spanish 101, Women in Lit, Medievel History) so that I can focus on the subjects.

I also started subbing at the high school. That was fun, seeing old students again. I wasn't expecting to be called in to work for another month.

I hope I can get my MoJo back to studies, though. Cochise College in Sierra Vista, however, has annoyed me with its green grass. Why did those in charge agree to have GREEN GRASS planted in our desert environment? In comparison the University of Arizona has a more native desert look, planting only the flora that grows here. It seems such a waste to provide scarce water to the campus green grass. The only thing I can see why the officials opted for grass is to provide jobs to the Mexicans who were working on this project this past spring.

Still, green grass that resembles a golf course in this area seems so idiotic. The next time tuition goes up, I'll know it will be to keep the grass green.

Meanwhile, our neighbors across the street have moved out over a week ago. Annie and Dennis now live in their custom-built home in town. The house remains vacant but this morning there are gardeners trimming the landscape. Several other homes have been up for rent for several months. Houses around here are slow to fill because most people want to stay in the city.

Hiking the John Muir trail

2010-08-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

If it hadn't been for a cyber friend of mine who invited me to join her on this 170-mile trek, I would have gone off to Oregon this summer. Instead, what I experienced was part "Biggest Loser" (without Jillian screaming at me as she wouldn't be up those 13,000' peaks), US Army SERE training (without the obligatory rape for female contestants) and part spiritual awakening. I got to discover my own physical limitations (which were greater than expected) and what I do and do not like.

I started a blog on the JMT but it's still a work in progress.

Finally! I'm taking off for California

2010-07-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

I can't possibly think of anything else that could delay my departure now. Notebook and iPods are charged up and the van's packed. I won't return until August; three weeks in the High Sierras...

I'm in love

2010-06-28T05:43:00.000-07:00

Having Erin and Ethan this past week was a real joy. That little boy stole my heart. Erin is a great mom, a devoted and loving mom.

I had all these plans to take them across the state but in the end all Erin wanted was to stay local and get a tan. After a short hike up Coronado Peak on Monday to show her the Mexican border I realized she's not into "landscapes" like I am. She was miserable walking up the half-mile to the overlook (in her flip-flops). She prefers shopping in large malls, amusement parks and movie theatres. That made it easy for me as we stayed local once we spent a day with my mother. We rented movies, stayed up late and walked around the neighborhood. We saw Toy Story 3 together at the mall theatre and ate out a few times, trying new restaurants in town that we hadn't yet eaten at. It's no wonder I've gained weight this week: no hiking and all eating makes one fat!

Ethan is a wonderful child. He laughs easily, so getting him to smile was easy. All I had to do was yell out "Bing!" and he'd break out into a giggle. He was fascinated by Pache the cat and Sadie the dog, although it was Sara who snapped at him and gave the boy a toothmark on his upper forehead; luckily it wasn't serious but after that we all made sure Sara was outside whenever Ethan was in the living room.

"Hi ditty!" Ethan would say to Pache. By the end of the week Pache was comfortable around the boy. Sadie loved playing ball with him and the older dogs were content watching from a distance, although all of them were fascinated with Ethan's diaper.

Ethan really took to me. He wanted to be held by me and would stare at my face. Sometimes at night I'd lay in bed with him while Erin stayed up late on the internet.

I got to see Erin in a new light. She's no longer just my child. She is now a young woman and mother and has grown emotionally since having Ethan. I give her credit. She is not an active, outdoorsy woman like I always was, but I can respect her differences.

"You are the most active woman I know" she told me. She also told me I was "the least paranoid person I know." That is good to know! She cried horribly when we were driving up to Coronado Peak. The winding dirt road to the summit parking lot was traumatic for her; she is not used to driving on unpaved roads through mountain passes. That is when I learned that a road trip across Arizona's backroads was not a good idea for our sanity.

I think she had a good time. She left with a nice tan which is what she wanted. She got to see a part of AZ and liked it more than I thought she would. We talked about future road trips, most notably to coastal California in a few years when Ethan is older and appreciates visits to museums and water parks. This is why I enjoy having my summers off.

Erin and Ethan in Arizona

2010-06-21T04:58:00.000-07:00

The big week has finally arrived: on Saturday I picked up Erin and Ethan from the airport in Tucson. They will be spending a week in Arizona. It's Erin's first time here since 1997. It's also the hottest week here all year and yet she's loving the dry heat. I can tell she's not from here because the locals hide from the heat as much as possible and stand in the shade. She, however, stands in the open sun.

"I want to get a tan."

We have taken her to Tombstone and Bisbee this weekend. Other plans are the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Mount Lemmon and perhaps Prescott. Wednesday we have a day trip to my mother's place in Sahuarita.

I'm just loving being a hostess. Ethan is a real prince and loves playing with Sadie and Sammy. Sara is a bit more reluctant and keeps her distance from the boy. Pache is curious but a bit hesitant to come up to Ethan, although he sniffed him in bed last night. I'm surprised he's afraid of Erin so far as he's very affectionate with Kevin and me.

I have no toys for him here other than a stuffed bear I got him. He, however, makes simple things play things. Ethan's big joy is walking around the dining room area carrying big cans of green beans. We take those cans from Ethan and replace them with smaller cans like sliced mushrooms or tomato paste in case he drops a can on his toes. A wooden rod that's part of a book shelf I'm putting together has become his walking stick around the house. It's his future trekking pole.

SB 1070

2010-06-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

Governor Janet Brewer signed SB 1070 on 24 April of this year. This bill requires all immigrants to carry their legal immigration paperwork with them should law enforcement officials request them during a traffic stop. This bill also makes it illegal for an illegal immigrant to solicit work or accept work without proper documentation. It is now also illegal for employers to knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

The 17-page bill is pretty clear about what is expected of illegal immigrants. The underlying focus is to permit law enforcement officials to have more leeway in apprehending illegals in this state, to crack down on the growing human and drug smuggling along the border and to stem the flow of illegals coming here.

I support the Governor on SB1070. She's had more balls to push this one through legislation than any other recent Arizona politician.

And yet she and the state are now seen as the bad guys. People who don't live here near the border don't realize why so many Arizonans are in favor of this bill. It is not about Mexicans, it's about ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

All laws are subject to abuse. My history instructor, a self-proclaimed Radical, claims this SB1070 violates the 4th Amendment (search and seizures). So asking people for proper identification is now against the constitution? When I get pulled over for a traffic violation I'm expected to hand over my driver's license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance. Those three pieces of paper are not an inconvenience for me to carry (They are only an inconvenience for me to FIND in the cars!)

Illegals are arrested here in this border county on a daily basis. People die in the desert crossing illegally, especially now that we're in a heatwave. Drugs and weapons are always getting found, felons and fugitives and prior sex offenders are picked up every day crossing into the United States. They are coming here illegally with illegal intentions.

Yet the entire county is rising up against Arizona.

Here is why I support SB1070. In just a few days the following events have occurred within 100 miles from my town:

A speeding pick-up north of Benson overturns, killing one pregnant illegal immigrant. Most of the 12 passengers of that pick-up fled from the scene and have not been found yet.
http://www.kvoa.com/news/update-deadly-accident-north-of-benson-involving-suspected-illegal-immigrants/

A Pakistani was picked up earlier today trying to enter the US from Mexico.
http://www.kvoa.com/news/pakistani-citizen-caught-crossing-border-into-arizona/

Interstate 19 north of Nogales, a major bordertown, is currently closed because of a major bomb scare.

http://www.kvoa.com/news/part-of-interstate-19-closed-is-closed-indefinitely-bomb-technicians-called/

Opponents to SB1070 say this bill will cause racial profiling, meaning that all Hispanics will be suspect illegal immigrants. As in any law, there is always a possibility of abuse, but with the many Hispanic law enforcement officials we have in this state, how likely is that? There are also laws that profile criminal behavior, and that is for a reason. A person, not just an Hispanic, who comes here with the intent of doing harm, will act suspiciously if s/he knows s/he's being watched.

California businesses are now boycotting this state. Other businesses are pulling out of contracts. Los Lobos, a Chicano rock-blues group from East Los Angeles, cancelled their performance in Phoenix over the SB1070 passage. Everyone is saying SB1070 is against immigrants. It's not. It's against ILLEGAL immigrants. The heated debates just go to show how ingrained illegal workers are (and have been) in this country.

Most of the agricultural workers, hotel workers and restaurant workers are Mexicans who are illegally here. They are here illegally because the current laws to get legal working status is cumbersome, expensive and slow. Corporate farms, hotels and restaurants want these illegal workers because they can be easily manipulated and many feel don't need to be paid as much as a legal resident. When they get injured at work they often don't have decent health treatment and pay expensive (or none at all) medical bills. The tab for all this then gets passed down to those who are here legally. Businesses want illegals because they are cheaper.

President Obama and Governor Brewer met briefly yesterday to discuss border security and SB1070. Not much has been revealed in the media about any resolution. Both are on opposite ends of the bill.

Arizonans need answers. They need solutions. The constitution guarantees the security of our borders and to "repel invasions." Arizona is being invaded. It's being invaded by drug runners, human smugglers and people meaning to do harm. SB1070 will hopefully stem this tied of violence. Hopefully not too many innocent people will be harrassed by this law. It doesn't even go into effect until July.

End of the school year

2010-05-22T06:29:00.000-07:00

I really lucked out this spring and took on a long-term substitute teaching job at the high school. I really liked the kids and the subject was OK. But what won me over is that the kids never made me feel like a "sub." I enjoyed going to work. And now that we are approaching "Finals Week" I'm sad to see them go. I won't be returning to them in the fall as two new instructors have been hired, but I promised them that I would visit as often as possible. And besides, I will still be working for the school district as I finish my final year as an "undergrad" in my new BAs and will see my old students all year long.

I have truly improved as an educator over last year. I had few "bad days" this year. Feedback from teachers was also much better this time around. I will continue to take classes on methodology; Pima Community College has a few good courses I can't get via Cochise College.

If it weren't for the backpacking trip in July and Erin's visit in June, I would have continued with summer school this year, attempting what for me are the hard subjects: math and physical science. I also know, however, that I need a break from the stress and pressure to do well. It's been a week since my finals and I've already finished reviewing two more books for Amazon, played around with CS4 and done other personal readings without a deadline.

Apache Middle School in town is closing. A ceremony was held yesterday. Many of the teachers will move to the high school, teach elsewhere or take on "sub" jobs during the year. I liked the staff there.

And although I love reading about history, I also enjoy English and literature. The high school is looking for three English teachers this fall. Argh! I'm a year behind of being accredited so I missed my mark there, but the old principal was right: if I wanted to stay in the school district, I should pursue a degree in English (as opposed to social studies). My least favorite subject in English is studying Shakespeare, and "British Literature" is a requirement for all English majors.

I can handle one more year of being in school as I've enjoyed learning. I wish now I had this kind of time when I was younger, but small kids and definitely the military were two major barriers. (The army pushes its soldiers to get a college education but it doesn't push its soldiers to study so hard to earn all As and take the time off to do well.) Thank goodness Kevin is supportive of me and my studies. Together we earn enough to be comfortable.

Regardless, this will be a fun-packed summer with lots to do! Erin is flying here in three weeks and major housecleaning is in order. I must also find time to do a few practice backpacking trips, which is excuse enough for me to backpack the Rincons in June sometime as I've never been up Mica Mountain. That peak is part of the Saguaro National Park and dogs aren't allowed. Afterall, the dogs would make the horses nervous...

School's out for summer

2010-05-12T23:17:00.000-07:00

And it hasn't come soon enough. These last three weeks have been torture on me mentally and physically. My body's craving for some good sleep.

I enjoyed all my courses but as usual some were more fun than others. My favorite course this time around was ENG225, American Literature which was taught by Mr. Norman Bates, an enthusiastic and compassionate instructor and lover of American literature. He made the class fun. The classmates were all very interesting to listen to (many had great imput to add) and the reading level was about right. I plan on reading more American literature in the next few months. The choices we had were all great.

My most disappointing course, oddly enough, was the Digital Photography. The instructor was quite knowledgeable in the field but he wasn't very personable and seemed more interested in chatting with the young women in class than helping everyone individually. This wasn't his fault because there were too many people signed up for the class. We had close to 30 students in the class and every computer was taken. He liked the professional students the most. He seldom came to my corner of the classroom, and I will admit my corner seat was not conducive to stopping by to look at my work.

He did like my portraits and micro photography. I'd like to hone in on both, but I never got the encouragement from him he gave others. In fact, he seemed rather kurt with me when I came into class that last day early for some assistance on how to convert images to web and he replied "You act like you never opened CS4 Bridge" when in fact I've been working on it for the past two months at the computer library and taught myself how to do initial work in that program. I don't pay an instructor a lot of money so that he can degrade me like that. I watched him mingle with other students who clearly had no idea what they were doing and he never used that kind of tone with them. He did apologize for being short with me, but I have to admit I never got talked to like that from any instructor, EVER.

All this means is that I'm not flocking to his next class, as much as I'd love to learn some more advanced techniques. I may be better off teaching myself CS4 over the summer, one lesson a week, or following an on-line free tutorial.

Both of my history courses were good, too. I enjoyed both instructors. And my Biology 114J class was more time consuming than I expected for a one-credit class. I got an email from the instructor tonight saying I made "Best Student" of the class. I was not expecting that, not with those low As I was getting on those frustrating multiple-choice exams. I did like the course and I did learn some interesting things about Arizona critters, but for a one-credit course I sure was putting in a lot of time into it. The on-line course always met Fridays at 6:30pm, which was a very inconvenient time for me.

But I pulled through. I don't have all my grades in but I hope I did as well as last time. I will never again take more than four classes per semester as long as I'm also working.

I'm already signed up for three courses this fall: Spanish 101, English 273 (Women in Literature) and History 241 Medieval era. UA-S is offering some wonderful US History courses this fall, but I need a historiography course first before I attempt upper-level classes.

Earth Day 2010

2010-04-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

My big mission today was to take photographs for my DMA266 class. That ended up taking me most of the day.

We started out visiting the Swap Meet but there were few people there worth photographing. I was focusing on children and there weren't many there. There were plenty of other interesting folks I got to meet, though, including an old co-worker of mine who filled me in on the old office gossip since I left. Some co-workers have left, one died of a heart attack last year, and a few were fired. And one former Marine was hired as a GS-15.

But I wasn't interested in office gossip. I never could get into that stuff.

Our next move was the commissary and PX, where I did some comparison shopping of cameras. The PX sells the Sony SD970 for $199. The same model on Amazon goes for $359.

I had planned from here to go back home and get ready to drive over to Bisbee for its well-known Earth Day festival, but instead we came across the Earth Day celebration right off Fry Boulevard in town, known as the West End Block Party. I didn't even know the town was holding it today! I met a few more people there, including the wonderful bunch from the Tombstone Vigilantes, an all-volunteer group that collects donations to the city's animal shelter. They were dressed in 1880s regalia and gladly posed for photos.

We ate a quick lunch at the nearby Chinese restaurant and drove home. I drove back to the festivities for a few more hours, photographing singles, couple, groups and children. I was nervous at first (especially around children) but soon learned that after asking permission to photograph someone's children you normally get a smiling face. Young girls were always willing to pose. Less so the boys. And when I started meeting people with dogs, they all willingly posed. So did the aging veterans and grandparents of children. No one told me "No!" I met a cross-section of Americana right here in my town.

The fun part was meeting students from the high school. They all smiled and waved at me. It's been admittedly a great semester at the school and I enjoy my job. I've improved on my technique so much this second year. I smile more, I love going to work and I feel fulfilled when I get to help young people. Some came up to me to chat. One student's father was the drummer for the local band "Solstice" which played sets all afternoon.

There was plenty for the entire family. The kids could try to throw someone in a dunk tank. One lady from Elfrida, Cindy, brought her entire petrified rock collection to give away to kids, who loved picking up the rocks and placing them in plastic bags to take home.

"I collect them every year from around my house" said Cindy, "And I give them all away every year." Her booth attracted a lot of kids and parents--a perfect place to hang out and meet parents--and watch the glee begin.

Another kiddie attraction was a 15-year-old desert tortoise that refused to sit still for me.

My camera, however, gives people the impression I am a professional photographer. Or they think I work for the local newspaper. I told everyone the truth: I was simply out to take photos for a class assignment.

I got to met such a variety of people today, from the working poor to the comfortably rich and they were all courteous to me. I met such a variety of backgrounds that it made me proud to be here. This town is starting to feel like home.

Summer plans

2010-04-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

I've had to change my plans for Oregon this summer. Instead, I took up an invitation from a long-time hiking friend of mine to join her on the John Muir Trail (JMT) in California. She's hiked this trail before and I told her years ago that I would love to do that trail with her if she ever decided to do it again.

So, here are my tentative summer plans:

1. After school is done in mid-May, take a week to clean up the garage and my office. I've been promising Kevin for almost six years that I'll clean up the garage "soon." This will probably be the most boring part of the summer, but perhaps I'll find things I've lost like my two sets of car keys...

2. 21-24 May: Join Donna and ten others for a group hike in Arches National Park.

3. Early June: Do a backpacking weekend with Kevin in the White Mountains. I need to get my back strong again for July.

4. 19-25 June: Erin's flying in for the week with Ethan. We may go to San Diego four of these days.

5. 3-5 July: Spend the holiday in Flagstaff and hike Humphrey's Peak, to get ready for the next two weeks in July...

6. 14-31 July Hike the JMT with Darlene, starting in Yosemite National Park and heading south.

7. 4-6 August (last free weekend before school starts up again) Tentative trip to Dallas to meet old high school friends.

Somewhere in there I have about ten history books to read and a few American classic novels as well.

Southeastern Arizona rancher shot dead

2010-03-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

This news has been shaking up the borderlands since Saturday (Sunday via the media). Updates are coming in slowly as the sheriff's department is still investigating the case. A suspect(s) has not been identified yet.

This is the first murder of a US citizen in Arizona by an illegal since I have been here. We get car jackings, hold-ups, break-ins, but Mexican criminals are normallyrespectful of Americans in the United States.

At any case I'm sure "La Raza" (or "La Racistas") will defend the Mexican(s) at any cost. Here in this country an illegal has more rights than a US citizen-landowner-homeowner.

We were out hiking in an area known for drug smuggling yesterday and Kevin carried his rifle with him even before this news broke out locally. Now I'm sure he's never going to set foot into the mountains without a rifle again.

I hope Krentz's death was not in vain.

___

Douglas rancher reported encountering illegal immigrant before he was shot

By Brian J. Pedersen and Tim Steller Arizona Daily Star Posted: Monday, March 29, 2010 10:50 am

Related: Well-known Douglas-area rancher is found slain -->

A longtime rancher killed Saturday on his property northeast of Douglas was shot while sitting in his all-terrain vehicle, authorities said.

Robert Krentz, 58, and his dog were found shot to death just before midnight Saturday, several hours after Krentz’s brother called the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department to report Krentz missing, according to a department news release.

No suspects have been identified in the shooting, department spokeswoman Carol Capas said.

Krentz and his dog were spotted by an Arizona Department of Public Safety helicopter following a search of the Krentz Ranch, a 35,000-acre property along Arizona 80 between Douglas and Apache, about 20 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, the release said.

Investigators determined Krentz and his dog were shot then Krentz drove about 1,000 feet before passing out, the release said.

Search crews from the Sheriff’s Department, DPS, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Arizona Department of Corrections found foot tracks at the scene and followed them 20 miles south to the U.S.-Mexico border, the release said.

Phil Krentz told authorities he and his brother were working the ranch in separate vehicles between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Saturday when Robert called him on a hand-held radio phone, according to the release.

Phil Krentz said his brother mentioned the words “illegal alien” and “hurt” and assumed Robert was assisting someone in need but couldn’t reach Robert on the phone again, the release said.

After Robert failed to meet up at noon family members searched the area before contacting the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department at 6:20 p.m., the release said.

Krentz was out checking the water on his ranch when he spotted somebody, said Wendy Glenn, who lives on the neighboring Malpai Ranch.

Glenn said she heard Krentz radio to his brother Sunday morning on a radio network used by area residents.

“He said ‘There’s an illegal here that needs help’ and ‘I’m out at such and such windmill’ and ‘Please call the Border Patrol,’” Glenn said. “His brother said ‘I can’t hear you.’ ”

In that area, most ranchers use All Terrain Vehicles to check water supplies, fences, cattle and do other jobs on the ranch, Glenn said.

When Krentz’s body was discovered that night, Glenn’s husband and daughter helped officials track a person’s footprints from the crime scene south to the Mexican border.

The Krentz brothers’ conversation was routine for the area between the New Mexico border and the Chiricahua Mountains, which has been an active corridor for border crossers, she said.

Agents from the Border Patrol’s El Paso sector have helped in the area, but they have difficulty communicating with the agents from the Douglas station because of differences in their radio systems, Glenn said.

Krentz was a member of the board of the directors of the Malpai Borderlands Group, an organization of conservation-minded ranchers. The Krentzes also had a conservation easement on the family’s land, meaning the land can’t be subdivided.

“They really believe that if you take care of what’s out here, it will take care of you,” Glenn said.

Krentz’s family had been ranching their property since 1907, and in 2008 the Krentz Ranch was inducted into the Arizona Farming and Ranching Hall of Fame.

Officials have scheduled a news conference in Bisbee this afternoon.
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/db544bc6-3b5b-11df-843b-001cc4c03286.html

http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/article_db544bc6-3b5b11df-043b-001cc4c03286.html

Empire Ranch

2010-03-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

I spent most of yesterday with my digital photography class out at Empire Ranch, north of Sonoitaoff Highway 83 in beautiful wine country. We had to do landscapes, portraits and still lives as a project and were divided into three teams. I dreaded the portraits because I don't like photographing people I don't know. I want to capture their personality whereas the guys in the group were looking for provocative poses. It was an interesting observations of what both genders think is attractive.

It turns out the work with all three models was quite nice. Two of them are in my class and one is the daughter of a former student. I got to chat with some of my classmates and strike a few interesting conversations. The gals made the assignment easy for me.

It was a long day out at Empire Ranch, a former ranch now tended to by BLM. I had been in the area last spring but never walked around the ranch per se. There were many interesting angles to photograph from. The ranch is not in very good shape: the adobe structure in all areas is cracking. The foundation is uneven. Paint is peeling off the window sills. Rusted abandoned farm equipment lies carelessly across the property. Signs warn of rattlers. Yet it's the "rustic" part that adds charm.

My biggest learning experience was working with light diffusers and reflectors. I enjoyed working with them so much, that as soon as I got home I ordered one from Amazon.

It was a mild day with a cool breeze. I never took off my wind breaker. Cottonwoods were already in bloom but I didn't find too many birds around the dry creek bed. The only wildlife I saw were various ant species and a few raptors flying overhead. The surrounding mountains were brown-dry, except for the tallest peaks of the Santa Ritas and Mount Wrightson.

I stopped in Patagonia on my way home at 3pm to drop off recyclables. Then I drove around Sonoita and Elgin and discovered a few more interesting corners of this beautiful state. Highways 82 and 83 are designated "Scenic Byways." I can see why.

I was quite tired when I got home around 5pm. I guess standing around in the sun all day and walking around looking for things to "shoot" is more exhausting than it looks.

Agua Caliente

2010-03-20T23:39:00.001-07:00

Today was supposed to be a six-mile hike up and around Picacho Peak, a two-hour drive and five-hour hike up an old Confederate look-out. I really was in no mood after a week of suffering from what we think is the H1N1 virus. The virus knocked me out shortly after coming home from the book festival, and which kept me in bed for three days, listless and lacking any appetite. My energy is slowly coming back but I'm still not up to par.

So, when Rod suggested that we try a different hike in Tucson, I agreed. There were only four of us: Rod, Casi, Steve and I, so we didn't care. This place was closer and that meant less time on the highway. I could always try Picacho Peak again next Sunday, when I'm surely feeling better again.

Rod took us to Agua Caliente, a trail I quickly recognized from five years ago. This was one of the first hikes I had done with the club and he had led it then with many more people. I was in awe of the desert beauty because I didn't know Tucson had such beautiful creeks and canyons so close to town. It was like hiking a mini-rim to a mini-grand-canyon. Poppies and other purple wildflowers were also in bloom, but this time we were in the Sonoran desert with ocotillo, chollas, prickly pears, saguaros, mesquites, palo verdes and various yellow and orange sages in bloom. The desert was alive with fresh scent.

Steve's car registered 58F at 9am with a cool breeze. That breeze lasted all day and was quite refreshing come noon. It was a perfect day for a perfect hike.

We started this seven-mile hike from the north end, parking the cars at the Horsehead/Suzenu Roads intersections and heading in a NE direction along the canyon paralleling the creek. It was a 3.29 mile hike to the creek bed where we rested by a deep but not-too-tall waterfall. Oh, if only Sadie had been with us, she would have enjoyed this water. I must come back! Even Steve said this was a beautiful place and worth repeating again in the fall or spring.

None of the trails were marked, though, so I am taking Rod's word that the creeks were called Agua Caliente and Millo Grosa (?). We started this hike at 9:05am and Steve and I, walking back in a loop, made it back to the car by 1pm. I did pretty good for still being under the bug.

The canyon vistas and the many saguaros were absolutely beautiful. What a gorgeous day to welcome home spring!

Tucson Festival of Books

2010-03-15T07:09:00.000-07:00

I spent the entire weekend in Tucson at the Festival of Books. It was the city's second annual affair with twice as many attendees. I can't wait for next year's event!

I love books. My home office shows that. I have books everywhere. I may even have too many books, as many haven't been read yet. But I love the feel of real books, I love the smell of old yellow pages and I love the sensation of flipping through the pages and smelling history whaff up toward me. So it wasn't hard for me to leave my hiking books and dogs behind with Kevin and head out to Tucson for the weekend. I had a full schedule planned both days.

I took off early Saturday and arrived at the UA campus shortly after 8am. I wanted time to get oriented to the campus, as I've never really walked around the place. Giant white fest tents were already up and vendors were getting their places ready. The authors didn't start until 10am and that gave me some time.

My first hour was nondescript, listening to a website designer talk about making one's website more marketable, but after that first hour the fun began. Luis Alberto Urrea was my first author. He talked in the Student Union's Gallagher Theatre. It was sitting room only. Any one not in a designated seat had to leave. I sat up front to the far left, a few seats from another author, Tom Miller, and got to chat with Luis' wife Nancy. I had heard good things about Urrea's books but had never read any of his stuff. His vivacious personality and good sense of humor, however, is tempting me to try his fiction out. All I have his is Pulitzer "Devil's Highway" from a few years ago. He writes almost exclusively about the Mexican-American borderlands, Mexican immigrants and people torn between either country.

"The paradigm has changed" he said about Mexicans' view on immigration. They want the northern border wide open but they close their southern border to Guatemalans, Salvadorans, etc." He was able to switch back and forth from English to Mexican Spanish and make people from either side of the border laugh out loud.

"Mexicans love my books and admire me for fighting for their rights, but when they see me they almost step back in shock because I look like a Gringo!"

His presentation was so entertaining that it was hard to dash off to the next writer, Bonnie Henry and Nancy Turner, at 1pm.

I had to dash across the UA Mall, pass crowds of people, dogs and performers in odd costumes. Aromas from all kinds of foods tempted me, but neither day did I stop to eat or drink from any of the vendors. I was more concerned about getting to the front of the line for the writers so I could get good photographs.

Bonnie and Nancy presented their forum in an exchange format. Bonnie would speak about something historical about Tucson and then Nancy would give us her story. Both are regional writers about Arizona and Tucson and both have lived most of their lives in the Old Pueblo. Both were entertaining again, but this time it was Nancy's animated facial features that stole the show. She reminded me of a white-haired Linda Ronstadt. Turner, I've learned, is quite a prolific writer.

"You must see Janis Ian!" told me one older woman sitting next to me. "She gives on quite a show!" I hadn't planned on listening to her, but remember her from a long time ago. Had she done anything recently?

But the highlight for me on Saturday was meeting Timothy Egan. He appeared at 4pm in the Gallagher theatre, but the audience wasn't nearly as full as with Luis Urrea. Both times, though, the audience was older and greyer. Where were the younger people? Outside in the UA Mall?

Egan described the 1910 Big Burn of western Montana (the premise of his last book) and spoke the way he wrote. C-Span was filming this presentation and I might be seen in the front row. When I got outside for the autographs I somehow managed to land in the front again (I guess it pays to be a "youngin!"). When he asked me how I managed to get a soft copy of his "Big Burn" I explained that I get free books to review from Amazon. I told him I was the first reviewer of his book to which he interrupted me graciously and replied "I remember that review! You're the one who helped sell my book!" He liked the review and thanked me for it. He was genuine. So, I will carry Egan's praise with me. It's nice to know authors actually read reviews from laymen like me.

Sunday was just as much fun although the crowd didn't seem as intense all day anywhere, even from the start. I walked silently around the small historical campus for an hour, admired the flora, and returned to the Student Union where the first two of my choices were scheduled. Even the Gallagher theatre wasn't nearly as crowded at 11:30am for Hampton Sides/James Donovan and Jeff Guinn. I came to see Sides but enjoyed listening to all three, although Donovan acted like he wasn't enjoying himself and wanted to be elsewhere. Sides and Guinn, though, were gentlemen.

When asked who inspired them to become writers, Sides answered "Shelby Foote. I was best friends with his son Huggy. We were in a rock band together and would often practice in the garage. One day Shelby comes running in screaming "You boys turn down that racket! I'm trying to finish the chapter on Appomattox!" to which he then feigned inhaling a joint. He (and Guinn) had the audiences laughing over this and other remarks.

Afterwards the autograph line for Sides was long and for the other two barely existent. (Guinn's next book will be on Wyatt Earp, somebody I may be interested in).

The rest of the writers for the day were lesser-known or regional writers, but all gave good performances. I was ready to leave at 3:30pm when I noticed I had no one else scheduled, but then I walked past the Janis Ian tent and ended up listening to her and her mystery-book writing partner Jane Januck banter back and forth. They went from funny to sad to funny, until Janis ended the session with her old 1970s song "At Seventeen" and had the audience captivated again. When the song was over so was her hour-long show and the two women broke down for autographs. The festival was now officially over and people headed home.

For someone who hadn't originally planned on listening to Janis Ian, I must admit her performance was awesome. The old woman was right: she gave her audience quite a show!

http://tucsonfestivalofbooks.org