War and Peace

Last night I was on a panel of two Quakers and two Buddhists at Fort Lewis College in Durango, addressing the two-headed topic of war and peace. What with confusion about the time and place of the event, and no prior information as to the context in which our panel would take place, it's not surprising that only about 15 people showed up. And there were at least four Friends in the audience who know more about Quaker faith than I do. Nonetheless, it offered an opportunity to do some focused thinking and research on the subject ... that always helps.

Both parts of the panel ... Quaker and Buddhist ... came down on the side of personal leadings and the importance of each individual's orientation toward peace-making.

Our deep snow of only a week or two ago is going FAST! Large areas of the front yard are now bare and, though it's only 20 degrees F outside right now (8:13 a.m.), it's getting well above freezing during the day. Some days that's been offset by a bitterly cold wind, but we're moving toward spring, slowly but surely. If nothing else, the mud proves it! TV

Political comment

President George W. Bush appears to have vetoed a bill outlawing waterboarding and other torturous interrogation methods. A high government official has admitted that agents of the U.S. waterboarded at least three detainees. What have we come to when this does not precipitate widespread cries of outrage?

The President blithely says, "We do not torture." But, he says, we need to use enhanced interrogation techniques ... techniques that knowledgeable observers say are torture ... to squeeze information out of SUSPECTED terrorists. No due process. No "innocent till proven guilty" - just squeeze 'em till they squeal.

And we ... the American public ... accept it.

For all his shortcomings, John McCain knows what torture is, and he has stood against it. He has principles. Bush, Cheney, et al, only believe the end justifies the means. Shameful! Shameful for those who advocate it and shameful for those of us who know better and do nothing about it. TV

Old toys for old boys

At the Ag Expo today, we got there just in time to see the antique tractor pull. I was especially taken with this 1946 McCormick-Deering OC Orchard tractor. The announcer said they are especially rare with all the fenders and shields intact, as this one has. I thought it was interesting that the driver of this tractor actually sits behind the rear wheels!

'Twas fun watching all the old putt-putts come up and give a pull! Not as cold as Thursday, either. TV

Oh, joy!!!!

Late this afternoon I got word that I was accepted as a volunteer at the Museum of the National Park Ranger this summer, reporting May 23 and leaving June 7. We're excited!

Late spring in Yellowstone should be wonderful, even if there's snow still there amongst the spring flowers, wildlife and mountains. The museum is in the NW quadrant of Yellowstone at Norris Geyser Basin, right on the bank of the Gibbon River (flowing to the left through the foreground in the picture above, taken in August 2006). There is housing provided nearby, and it should be a wonderful base from which to explore, enjoy and photograph the first national park in the world. Yippee! TV

Dr. Seuss Day

After several years of covering Dr. Seuss Day (officially, Read Across America Day) when I was with the paper, it was a real joy to get asked to be the Cat in the Hat and read to the preschoolers and all the Mancos elementary classes yesterday! (Did you know the Cat in the Hat is 51 years old? He was introduced in 1957.)

I guess there's enough ham in me that getting to read Dr. Seuss books to dozens of kids at a time was a lot of fun ... and we had green eggs and ham in the cafeteria at lunch, along with a specially decorated sheet cake. 

What a joyful day of reading for the youngsters! The nonsense words and silly rhyming make the Seuss books a joy for the kids, and many of them were able to recite Green Eggs and Ham along with me as I read it aloud. (A teacher pointed out that there are only 50 different words in that book!) I even got to read a couple of Dr. Seuss books I had never read before!

At the other end of the day, at the SWOS Accountability Committee meeting, I got to help record survey forms our SWOS students had filled out (their anonymity is protected through a closely-held numbering system; I had no idea who had completed a given survey).  As I looked at the numbers of kids who had been suspended from school in the past (nearly all, and usually more than once) and the numbers who had personally been busted for alcohol or drug use (and, even more surprising, the numbers who reported their parents had been busted for drug/alcohol infractions or for gang activities [that one really surprised me! Yes, Virginia, there is gang activity in SW Colorado!]), I couldn't help wondering what lies ahead for all those smiling little faces I was surrounded with earlier in the day.

I also heard last night that we anticipate 16 young men and women graduating from SWOS this spring, up from about 10 last year. Six have been accepted to enter Fort Lewis College; don't know about other schools. All of them, we hope, have learned enough about the Three Rs ... and about personal Responsibility ... to be functioning, productive, contributing members of their communities after they leave SWOS. 

One day at a time; one kid at a time. TV

Denver Fun!

Downtown Denver turned out to be a delightful place with lots to see and do and a bright  welcoming atmosphere. Watching the city come awake in the canyon of skyscrapers is so different than watching the sun rise over Mancos Valley!  I loved the pedestrian shopping mall that ran a mile in front of the hotel.  Half the fun was finding the shops as many were hidden away in the multistory buildings without much on the street signage.   Starbucks reigned supreme with at least one on every corner!    Highlight of the week was spending time with three great people. . my sweetheart  , his son and meeting Tom's sister-in-law for the first time (the smiling group shown in the  picture).  I had to have a picture of the giant blue bear that peers in the window at the convention center  and the last picture is of the mile of shops that I enjoyed.   I had visions of a dark and scary inner city and the visit to Denver was certainly not that and such a nice surprise! sf

I never know in what order the pictures will appear when I upload them to the blog, so will have to deal with them the way the computer wants to.

After the APPL conference ended Wednesday evening, we spent two enjoyable days traveling back to Mancos. Thursday morning we visited the Colorado State Capitol and watched legislative sausage being made, along with hordes of school kids, lobbyists, aides and other citizens. It's a busy place!

Our state representative, Ellen Roberts, was unavailable on the floor during a voting session (accompanied by VERY fast reading of items by the clerk); she's in the third row from the right (the front of the chamber), seated at the second desk from the far end.  We did find her office and met two of her aides ... the office is a portion of a room about twice the size of our living room, which Ellen and her staff share with three other representatives and their staffs! Cozy to the max!

We saw and listened to the Senate for a while, didn't get to see or meet with our senator, Jim Isgar. He also shares his office with several other senators. One thing that surprised me was how young many of the senators appeared to be.

On our way out of town, we made a brief stop at the office of the Colorado League of Charter Schools ... they don't occupy palatial digs, either. Then on to Colorado Springs, where we spent the night.

We arrived early enough to do a little photo jaunt toward the hills, where we enjoyed the setting sun on the tops of the cliffs, with small trees clinging stubbornly to little ledges and crevices. 

On the way home Friday, a lot had changed since we left for Denver the previous Saturday. The temperature was in the 30s and sometimes 40s and a lot of the snow was gone. Thoughts of spring were definitely in our heads, and places we want to come back to and camp.

We enjoyed a good lunch in the little restaurant at the back of the wildly eclectic Organic Peddler at the west end of Del Norte, and then enjoyed the views as we crossed Wolf Creek Pass, which was shrouded in clouds on the way up. The third picture is the cliff above the highway just above Treasure Falls, on the west side of the pass. That beautiful blue sky was nice to see above the cliffs and peaks.

Arriving home, many bare spots were in the front yard and the temperature was in the 50s. This morning, it's snowing out ... started sometime during the night. Spring is not far away, but some of our heaviest snows may still lie ahead. 

It's been a week that's reminded me of age, though not in a bad way. Friday morning, in the Comfort Inn breakfast area, I saw a couple of teenage boys in suits, with an adult woman. She confirmed what I had guessed ... the boys were there for the state finals in forensics and debate; they would find out that day if they would be in the finals. Memories of debate and speech trips 50 years ago! And then the realization that that may have been influential in my choosing to be an interpreter ... telling the stories of the parks ... or maybe it's just that I've always been talkative!

A lot of memories came back to me this week: Visiting Great Sand Dunes 42 years ago; talking to a man from Hawaii and remembering people and places from 40 years ago; being at a national meeting of an organization that is the outgrowth of a committee I served on 35 years ago; seeing friends I worked with in National Association for Interpretation regional activities in the last 20+ years.

They've been good memories, but they do remind one that a lot of years have passed, more than will lie ahead. It adds richness to each day, and reminds me to take each day as it comes, live it fully and enjoy the loving relationships I've been blessed with.

And eat better and exercise more so that there will be more of those days to enjoy! TV