Looking for the Rebirth of a Phoenix

A friend of mine recently asked to buy a painting of this obscure little blip on the horizon, known as Woodruff Butte.

From Holbrook up on the hill, Woodruff Butte can be seen, just barely. This photo looks like my granddaughter is pointing at it.

Located right next to a very small village of Woodruff Arizona, it’s a cinder cone out in the middle of a flat desert no-mans-land, flanked by 2 or 3 much smaller piles of the volcanic pebbled stuff. It has been a favorite hiking spot of residents of Woodruff for generations, kids of all ages hiking the Butte, taking picnics up on top, looking for artifacts of Anasazi civilizations and more.

This is a view from south of the hamlet >

When I knew that an entrepreneur had managed to buy the hill from a descendent of an early Woodruff resident, and that it was going to be dismantled, I decided to paint the mostly unattractive bump, something only its mother would love. Someone asked why I care and I have to say, it feels like a loss of a natural treasure, a lovely traditional excursionary oddity for people with fond memories. I painted over two dozen portrayals of the spot from several angles.

I took a photograph last year and then another one recently. It doesn’t seem to have changed in the last year, but it surely seems flatter every time I look at it.

I didn’t grow up hiking the Butte, but it tugs at my heart strings that the excursion is no longer an option among the current generation of those ambitious enough to climb the heap. The memories are fading as the distinctive profile is shaved and modified; changed before our eyes.

Somewhere in many places the cinders of Woodruff Butte are parts of buildings with no sentimental attachment to an obscure spot in Arizona.

Born of fiery volcanic activity, maybe the Butte will in a "Next Life" rise out of the ashes, like a Phoenix. Stranger things happen in movies. — Wow! A futuristic romance novel about Woodruff Butte — Scintillating!

Wanna Know A Secret?

I am a crazed water fighter. I love to dish it out, but I try to NEVER get wet. I have to confess that I am a manic instigator, but I try to avoid actually receiving H2O hits. I am more interested in a one sided assault. Developing an almost fool-proof system has been important to me and has been finely tuned over the years. It's important to have a strategy and to maintain a formidable barrier. My children will acknowledge that they have been unwary targets and they have tried their best to counter-attack. I call it "Life Skills" --- giving children opportunities for healthy exercise and helping them learn agility and fancy footwork.


Here are some happy targets:

There is a lot of skill which has been developed on my part - determining the temperature of water and the amount of water for best results, calculating for trajectory and distance, aiming for moving targets, ESP sensitivity to aim for targets before they move into view - skills which have to be honed and finely tuned. There has to be consideration for seasonal and wind chill factors. Will wet clothes on victims make them grumpy, cold, whiny, vindictive or even frozen to the sidewalk in temperatures below 28 degrees? Well, that's never happened, but I suppose it could.

There is only one opponent who doesn't play by my rules. When I politely ask through the traditional "Secrets" window, he counters with his own ammo which is never part of my strategy - the hose hooked up to the faucet located outside under the window of my formidable barrier. He cheats and has never submitted to the healthy activities of exercise and fancy footwork. I have never convinced him that he would enjoy playing by my rules.

Come by anytime for a refreshing workout, but check the weather first.

They won't leave me alone!

We have some bushes in our back yard which are Pussy Willow. They are an interesting and unique vegetation. In the summer, the stems of the bushes are covered with some nice greenery and add some attractive cover to the grass area. The "flowers" come out on the long stems quite early in the year, sometimes along with early Spring snows.

It is always a surprise to note that the Pussy Willow is in bloom. It would be nice to say that cutting a "bouquet" of the fuzzy things, sort of an alien looking life form, that the fuzzy things would add to decorative ambiance inside. But the fuzzies not only look a bit alien but they also give off an odd, not entirely pleasant aroma.

The first time I adorned the living room with the fuzzies, it took me a time or two to realize that the odd smell was coming from the organic decor. They are however, a yearly experience to look out and see that the fuzzies are in bloom. This year, they have bloomed later than other years. Surprise! It's been colder this Global Warming Year.

I had not noticed before that the bees are interested in the fuzzies but this year there has been a plethora. The bees keep buggin' me. One yellow striped fuzzy followed me from the car to the house and wanted to come in. They just won't leave me alone! Apparently the bees like the aroma of the PW fuzzies, maybe there is some genetic connection. The fuzzy bees have size and fuzz appearance similar to the PW fuzzies. There are 3 bees in this picture of the bees and their fuzzy cuzzins. It's hard to tell them apart.

I had wondered what made the bees buzz around me; I would be somewhat annoyed if I thought that perhaps they think I smell like Pussy Willow. It's not a scent that should be marketed as perfume. I could be offended, indeed.

Stalkers and Icicles

Global warming takes a continual dive. One can either assume that icicles will fall because of Global warming or that the over-abundance of ice debunks the hoax of Global warming. FYI Falling icicles kill people all of the time — especially in Chicago and Russia. In fact, death by icicle goes back to at least 1776.
Boy in Devonshire, England, 1776
The son of a Parish clerk in Devonshire, England, was killed when an icicle fell on him and fractured his skull. His epitaph reads:
"Bless my i,i,i,i,i,i ~~~ Here he lies ~~~ In a Sad Pickle ~~~ Kill’d by an Icicle."
8 Chicagoans in Chicago, Illinois, 2000
At one Chicago hospital, at least 8 people were treated for falling ice-related injuries in 2000.
5 People in Samara, Russia, 2008
In 2008, at least 5 people were killed by falling icicles in the industrial city of Samara, Russia.

Being a procrastinator I tend to avoid anything that requires effort. I have been told that I should spend some time in the sunshine because it helps the immune system. I could claim that I am greatly afraid of falling icicles, but alas, there is not enough evidence of that around here for any precautions to be taken. I did take a great photo of ice falls on a recent trip through snow-entrenched Utah.

It has been cold so the temptation to stay inside of a snuggly warm house overrides my better instincts too often. The other day I determined that taking a book just outside our back door to sit and read for a few minutes wasn't going to be a hardship on my precious time. I pulled out a chair and settled in for a nice sun-soaked time, but before I had been warmed sufficiently, there was a bee buzzing around which wouldn't take a hike or a hint. I am not afraid of bees, but this one was persistent and I am also a little paranoid of angering a bee by shooing it too forcefully. I finally gave up and took my book and chair inside.

The next day I thought, "well, that annoying, too friendly bee had surely gone on its merry way." I dragged out a chair and sat for an anticipated sun-soaking, AND there it was again. I am sure it was the same bee. It didn't take long before I gave up. Icicles and stalking bees are always a threat not to be ignored.

The next day, I peeked out the door, looking around, I hoped the coast was clear and that the beast had found blossoms elsewhere. What could possibly be the aromatic allure around my body???? No comments please. I didn't see any further threat and certainly no icicles, so I took my chair and book out, still being a bit wary of a little hairy buzzing body. I spent a nice warmed, pleasant, immune stiffening time in the fresh air. Very nice. To my horror, however, the little varmint had entered the open door and was buzzing around inside the kitchen window.

I had to use a stiff paper and cup to extract him from MY domain. I shook the cup to disorient the critter and then sent him off in the front yard with a scolding. "Go away and never come back." Maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh. They say the honey bees are being depleted which will upset several factors of our environment, which will probably contribute to Global warming. If my little endangered buddy comes back today, maybe I will be more tolerant. "Stick around, but no stalking!"

Watch out for death by icicle and pesty bees. This could happen to you.

Hmmm... Which one would cause less stress?

For Valentine's Day, a fun activity could be one or both of these 2 types of Fortune cookies

Topped with sugar and filled with well wishes, these colorful confections make a memorable treat.
Ingredients
Chilled 9-inch piecrust Cornstarch
3-inch-wide round cookie cutter or drinking glass
Rolling pin or glass. Nontoxic marker
Slips of paper Water
Colored sugar Cookie sheet
Lay a chilled 9-inch piecrust on a cornstarch-dusted surface. Cut out 3-inch-wide circles with a round cookie cutter or drinking glass. To use all the dough, roll out the scraps with a pin or a cornstarch-dusted glass.
Use a nontoxic marker to write fortunes on slips of paper and place one in the center of each dough circle. Fold the circle in half, then pinch and fold the ends together, as shown.
Brush the top of each cookie with water, then sprinkle on colored sugar. Place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet about an inch apart, sugar side up. Bake them until lightly browned, about 20 minutes, and let them cool before removing them from the pan. Makes about 16 cookies.

Cupcake Paper Fortune Cookies

To make a batch, first help your child write a host of fortunes on small slips of paper.

For each one, fold a paper cupcake baking liner as shown, slip the note inside, and apply a dot of craft glue to the bottom of the liner to secure it in place.

FYI - UnAlien Lifeforms

A couple of friends have advocated making homemade sauerkraut. The Gardner farms of Woodruff Arizona can brag of a "farmer outstanding in his field" of organically grown food. The farmer’s wife, Gg invited me to make kraut and it was an alien experience, although I have learned many impressive things about sauerkraut in the last several months.

The variety of foods in the cabbage family are said to inhibit the growth of several types of cancer due to phytochemicals called indoles. A study using cabbage juice determined that it is a healing remedy for peptic ulcers since it contains VITAMIN U - whoever heard of that one?!

Studies claim that sauerkraut is even more healthy to consume than its raw predecessor. Sauerkraut JUICE, a limited factor in the production of kraut not only can be used as a gastroregulator for a variety of gastrointestinal conditions, from diarrhea to constipation, ulcers, bronchitis and various other digestive and respiratory diseases and disorders, anemia. Its most popular use in the regions where it's produced has always been as a major remedy against hangover, since it not only drives away the headache, but it also neutralizes the effects of alcoholic intoxication on the stomach and intestinal mucosa and cleans the liver. Drinkers: Stock up on the real juice.

I brought my crock of Gardner cabbage and salt home, set it on the counter and waited..... It was like an alien visitor sitting in its squatty pot, making gurgling noises. Actually, it was quiet, but it was also over-full and it piddled on the counter, bubbling a briny liquid which dehydrated into a more alien looking presence in the kitchen. Amazing also, that it doesn't smell unless mold gets onto the top of the kraut. If one is not careful to keep the kraut in an oxygen-free condition, it will grow a colorful mass of what one kraut-meister calls "bloom" which is scraped off. Yum!

An amazing fact is that the kraut and juice can be added to almost food, sandwich, dessert, soup, salad and more. An important element of homemade sauerkraut is that it is raw and un-pasteurized, vinegar-less and contains naturally occurring digestive enzymes and beneficial probiotic bacteria – very beneficial. I don’t know what probiotics look like, but they may resemble intra-terrestrial alien lifeforms that circulate in your intestine looking for the next healthy party. Woo Hoo!

Comic Profundities

I found some fun insights into life and our perceptions of how we relate to each other, how life should relate to us.

First off, I am about as gullible as they come. For an example, just check anything out on Snopes and I'm usually in the hoax/fake column. So I was probably lots of fun for my kids, never a dull or grumpy moment. I love Calvin and Hobbes. The guy who draws Calvin and pens his thoughts is a genius who manages to play my mind like a Stradivarius.

This other comic, Non Sequitor has been using the Sunday comic for some weird treatise on philosophy or man's quest for the meaning of life. Frankly, the focus of the series has been obscured in convoluted weirdness which has failed to connect to any instrument of my mind. I have tended to skim over it looking for, but not finding a glimpse of humor. Doing so, I caught the end of this one about "the present". I went back and enjoyed the irony of philosophical blathering we frequently hear from motivational speakers about the past being gone, the future isn't here yet, so don't waste your time waiting for it. Live in the present AND by the way according to Non Sequitor, the "present isn't always pleasant".

According to Calvin, I made the present always pleasant for my lucky children. It's a good thing to know. To my children: You're welcome.