“Inebriate of air am I”

     As my friend Emily Dickinson would say, “Inebriate of air am I.” This week the aroma of choice was Locust and Russian Olive trees and purple sage. For such a “bland” village, morning walks are filled with amazing colors, scents, and beauty. As Spring arrived, first came “drams” of lilacs, and peonies and soon the morning “chaser” will be honeysuckle and roses. What a joy to be a “tippler” of the morning air.

     April’s AARP magazine lists “exercise” as significantly ahead of antioxidants as the current “star” in brain science. So if your memory is fading and you haven’t added walking to your morning ritual, I encourage to you join other local walkers and runners as we go, “Reeling, through endless summer days, From inns of molten blue.”

      Moab writer, Jim Stiles,confirms nature’s restorative value in his column in the SJR this week, referring readers to the book: “Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.” I, too, question technology’s excessive impact on our children, and the lack of outdoor recreation in their lives.

“Don’t count every hour in the day, make every hour in the day count.”

     Time: The Greeks had a word for it—actually two. If your life revolves around clocks, schedules, and chronology, time is “chronos” and quantitative. If, however, you count time by memorable events, it becomes qualitative and is referred to as “kairos.” Educated people are those “who manage well the circumstances which they encounter day by day, and enjoy time and make occasions to remember. Such a person was Steve Burtenshaw who seemed to always have time for others. Tributes given by his children last week, described him as selfless, a builder, helpful, open and having a huge heart. It became clear that he was not driven by clocks and personal agendas, but by Kairos, as he found ways to make each moment with others genuine and memorable.

“Water, Water everywhere and not a drop to drink”

     Whether it was the smell in the shower, or the taste from the tap, general consensus during May was that Blanding water stunk. For this reason, I resorted to a proven “healer” of unhealthy water – Sunshine!

Sun is a natural purifier and will do wonders in minutes. Jenice Palmer, the expert in this technique, uses it extensively to dissipate the strong chlorine concentration found in water by households living at the top of Blanding’s water line. Chlorine is one of those elements with a dual nature. It can purify, but it can also pollute and harm the body.

     Sunshine, however, can remove harmful elements, smells, and tastes that offend.  Jenice says, “Any water whether from the tap, a well, pipe, or plastic bottle is basically “dead” water, until sun restores its living elements.’ All you need are glass bottles, the larger the opening the better and water. Leave filled containers in the sun, or in a sunny window at least 2-4 hours before using. I promise, this significantly improved the taste of Blanding’s water. I also used this technique while on the Navajo reservation. Sun is a great ally in provident living.

Hat’s off to the king and queen of “Graduates’ Grandparents”
     Calvin and Diane Balch, attended the graduation of 12 grandchildren this spring. Can anyone beat that? Three from 5^th grade, three from 8^th grade, three from SJHS, and three with Associates from CEU/SJC. That’s a lot of seat time, but certainly reinforced to those grandchildren that education is important in a provident life.

“The Counsels of the Wicked are Deceit.”

I’m still trying to decide which was worse, the fraud or the gullibility? On May 29 I had my organized computer files compromised by a chaotic fraud which stole all my e-mail addresses, and finagled a fraud upon my unsuspecting friends. No, I was not stranded in the UK, and I hope you didn’t send money to help me get back, though I do appreciate all the phone calls checking up on my whereabouts.

Although my son, Anthony, led some to believe I was playing Dragons and Dungeons into all hours of the night, and had given my password away in order to reach the 12^th level of wizardry, the deceit wasn’t quite that fantastical. I was simply tricked into believing that my e-mail account would be suspended if I didn’t reveal account, password, birthday, and country. The contact e-mail looked legitimate, with the same logo, fonts and colors as my provider. After two requests I responded on May 15; and two weeks later I had lost nearly 400 e-mail addresses. Fraud is alive and well in the land and it feeds on the gullible.

A word to the wise and unwise, don’t send that kind of information via e-mail. It isn’t prudent.