2013

Our little Community was absolutely scorching last weekend. I made sure I was over at Kip Fjeld’s house on Winters Road, by 6:30am Saturday morning. He had very kindly offered to do a little welding on our Chevy S-10 pick-up truck: our corrugated dirt roads are murderous on vehicles! He did an awesome job welding pertinent points that had shaken loose. We’re back in business and the ride on our dirt roads is eerily quiet now that the truck bed is no longer hanging onto the frame by a single thread! Many thanks, Kip!
By 8:30 it was already burning hot in the Sun. When 4pm rolled around, it was 114 degrees on our Verandah and I was practically comatose, as our swamp cooler fought a losing battle against the heat and humidity.
I decided not to attend the Potluck Party, but here’s what our very own Bob Deloyd wrote: “I cooked up my usual beans and rice surprise and headed down to the Community Center for Potluck. Twenty folks showed up on this very hot day, with lots of food to go around. Tim Atzei cooked and simmered his fancy Italian spaghetti sauce to perfection. Indy Amos and his gal whipped up salad tabbouleh which mysteriously disappeared soon after. Mary Koval and daughter Chris brought garlic bread, chocolate cookie bars, cowboy casserole, and Wal-Mart cheese chicken. Dorothy Jacobsen and Dyan Carroll performed their magic with Hawaiian rolls, kahlua pork, shaved ice coolers, fruit bowl, and a banana cream pie; I done died and gone off to heaven seeing all this tasty food! Cal Myer’s brought a fruit and vegetable plate for all to enjoy. Kip Fjeld mixed up his wonderful Guacamole. Stephanie Smith and Jay Babcock created a delicious edamame and feta salad. New to Potluck, Nancy Hanson and Corinne Lery carried in an angel food cake with white frosting and pumpkin Muffins. Finally let us not forget the world renowned master chef Chris Jonas and his splendidly supreme macaroni salad!” Wow, thanks Bob: sounds YumE!
Hope you enjoyed your celebration of our Country’s Birthday: Stay well America!

Our little Community has seen overcast skies the last few days, with accompanying mugginess and the occasional droplet of rain. A high pressure system over our area is bringing us high humidity from the Gulf of Mexico. This is always such a difficult time of the year: extreme heat with high humidity thrown in. It’s a cruel joke trying to dry off after a shower and the evaporative cooler is completely ineffectual at 50% humidity or higher. So, we just arise around dawn, do as many chores as we can before the heat sets in and then collapse in fitful, sweaty naps until the sun goes down! Bugs seem grumpier in this muggy heat too! We found the biggest Black Widow Spider we have ever seen: she was spoilin’ for a bite and bulging with eggs! Haven’t seen any snakes in the last few weeks, but ‘roaches are trying to move into the house: looking to cool off, no doubt! I very rarely saw cockroaches out here until about 2006, when suddenly Mesa Neighbors started complaining about them. Of course, everything gets blamed on the Marines out here: they brought in all these rats and roaches from overseas; at least that’s the story! Oh well: just a few more months of Summer and then we get to complain about the Wind and the Winter cold again!

The last Tuesday Night Bingo and Supper party of the Season was held a few weeks ago and will resume on September 3rd: right after Labor Day weekend; when the Community Center reopens. Fourteen People played Bingo and, finally, both big money prizes – u-pik-em and blackout – paid up: they’ve been in play and growing for months! Bingo funds paid for Pizza too, so everyone had a wonderful time, plus free pizza.

Chris Jonas and his Crew of trusty Volunteers will be at the Community Center from 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 15th; handing out USDA Food bags to needy Neighbors. Over a hundred people showed up last month, including Folks from Joshua Tree, whose Food Program has been shut down. Stay cool, Desert Dwellers!

Our little Community is experiencing eerie-orange, overcast skies, due to the prevailing winds pulling smoke into our area from the Mountain Center/Idyllwild Fire. About 60 miles south of us as the crow flies, the Fire continues to burn ferociously, only marginally contained. I am very worried about the Wildlife and was relieved to hear that the Living Free Animal Sanctuary near Garner Valley had been successfully evacuated thanks to helpful Neighbors. We may receive a little rain by the weekend, so hopefully that will help put a stop to this latest SoCal Inferno.

I haven’t seen any activity over at the Firehouse Garden lately. I know Kip Fjeld pumped about 350 gallons of water into the Tank over there and also dropped off 3 trash cans worth of jolly good soil he brought from Orange County. Other than that, nothing much seems to be happening. I do hope some of the Neighbors who appeared so enthusiastic about the Garden last year, will start showing up again, bringing their bright ideas and innovative solutions.

Speaking of bright ideas, I’ve decided to go back to school…Gasp! I’m finding it increasingly difficult to land an enjoyable, well-paying job these days: being ‘overly-mature’ and ‘underly-qualified’! In my younger years, I could bounce into an establishment; bowl everyone over with my world-traveled, energetic Self and roll right into any job I wanted! Nowadays: not so much! Quite honestly, I expected to be a best-selling Author by now, with my “Kenya Cowgirl” book series selling millions of copies; making gazillions of dollars to save Children, Animals and indeed the World! Alas, my Creative endeavors have not bankrolled this lifestyle, so it’s back to school for this Senior Juvenile Delinquent! I have enrolled at Copper Mountain College and, assuming my Kenya High School Graduation information can be located, I hope to start classes in the Fall!

Local WonderBand: The Sibleys, as well as many other talented Musicians, will be performing at The Palms Restaurant in Wonder Valley, starting at 5pm tonight. Our monthly Potluck Party takes place next Saturday, July 27th, at the Community Center. Stay well!

Our little Community was well represented at the Palms Bar and Restaurant in Wonder Valley last Saturday evening. A group of Mesa Neighbors car-pooled over and were treated to a truly wonderful Musical Experience with The Sibleys; Tommy Santee Klaws; Burly Temple; Gwendolyn and so many more extremely talented Bands: whose names escape my addled Brain! Sitting outside, loving the Music; we watched one of those isolated Desert Thunderstorms blow in and felt the Humidity rise to unbearable! On our way Home, early Sunday morning, the Mountains all around us were silhouetted against the Lightning-lit Sky.
Later, I fell asleep to the Music of Raindrops on the Roof. Some Mesa Neighbors were not as thrilled by the downpour as, for many, the roof overhead desperately needs repair and there aren’t enough buckets to catch all the leaks. Nature loved the soaking. Our Ocotillo has leaves on it for the first time in months and romance is in the air for a number of Bird varieties. Especially Mourning Doves who seem to be producing an extraordinary number of Babies this year. We also have Turtle Doves; who are fairly new to our little 3-acre eco-system. Tomato Worms are prolific this year too and every morning, Jim is out in our Garden, valiantly picking those huge, green worms off our scrappy tomatoes.
Speaking of scrappy: earlier this week, I coaxed myself out of mortal terror; gathered my self-confidence and enrolled at Copper Mountain College! My High School experience in Kenya left me believing I was worthless and stupid; so - even though I went on to earn numerous diplomas and certificates from various vocational and trade schools - I never thought I’d sign up for years of College Education! I must say, I felt supported by the Staff and encouraged by my fellow Students! I made it through the Application, Assessment, Orientation and Registration steps unscathed and quite proud of myself.

The Potluck Party starts at 4pm this afternoon and more Neighbors have been showing up with delicious culinary creations. Hope to see You there too. Stay well!

Our little Community experienced an amazing Potluck last week. Here’s what our very own Bob Deloyd had to say about it: “I got everything ready for potluck. It was the first time I tried to make a Caesar Salad and I hoped everyone will like it. I arrived at our Community center and there were already 35 folks standing around Chris Jonas’s Grill Master as he barbecued steaks and babyback ribs to go along with Dyan Carroll’s lobster tails her mom Dorothy Jacobsen had flown in yesterday from Maine. For dessert, Mary and Chris Koval brought strawberry shortcake with plenty of homemade whipped cream for topping. Folks were dropping by telling us the aroma from the barbecue brought them. Neighbors Mark and Claudine Morella and their daughter Izzy (you all remember them?) were on their way back from a barbecue that was canceled because of the weather. Mark made a quick call and within fifteen minutes we had a Mariachi band serenading all of us. Other’s from the canceled barbecue showed up bringing all kinds of steaks and jumbo shrimps for the Grill Master to cook up. We must have ended up with 65 folks in all. On my plate I had a whole rack of baby back ribs, salad, lobster with clarified butter. For my dessert I declined the baked Alaska and settled for the yummy strawberry shortcake. There was plenty leftover to take home and everyone had a pleasant time.”
Wow! I was in the Big City, working my bi-monthly, relief-Caregiver weekend and I must admit, when Bob first sent me the above report; I wondered if it was April, because for sure Bob had to be foolin’ me! I mean seriously: steaks, lobster tails flown in from Maine, Mariachi Band, 65 people gathering around Chris Jonas’ Master Grill! How utterly splendid!
What better setting for a wonderful Neighborly Gathering with Yummelicious Food, than our beloved Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center? Which, by the way, is available for Group Gatherings like Weddings; Memorials; Celebrations of all kinds; just contact us at the number below. Stay well Neighbors!

“Our little Community”. The Copper Mountain Mesa Newspaper Column has always begun with those three words. Our very own Bob Deloyd (who succeeded Ruth Tuttle) wrote the Column for eleven-plus years. He asked me to take over in February 2011 and suggested that I carry on the tradition. This “Traditional Beginning” doesn’t always get printed in the Newspaper and other parts may be edited out as well. So, if you want to read the unedited version of every CMM Column submitted - as well as access the ‘Archives’ to see all columns, articles and photographs since last Century - go to our website: www.coppermountainmesa.com. Good entertainment on a hot Summer’s Day and thankfully, we have not been experiencing our usual flurry of power outages this season, so you won’t be interrupted!

I have been horribly remiss with Birthday and other Felicitations: I haven’t mentioned anyone’s Special Day since May. So belated Happy Birthdays, Anniversaries etc. to All: please accept my most humble apologies! Happy August Birthday wishes go out to Ruth Tuttle; Sayoko and Frank McDermott; Patrick Whalen; Joseph Evans; Lauren Villarreal and John Jefferson. We fondly Remember Dolores Jefferson; Betty Catron; Eva Villalun and Bob Seeley.

Monday, August 19th is the next USDA Food Giveaway: at the Community Center from 8:30 a.m. I will not be there as Fall Semester begins the same day at Copper Mountain College: my first class is Algebra…Gulp! Chris Jonas and his Band of Volunteers will be there: working hard, as always, to distribute the Food donated and clean up afterwards. Thanks Neighbors: we really appreciate your hard work and dedication.
Speaking of which: Tim Atzei and Kip Fjeld continue to make strides in the Community Garden. Kip completed his first “critter-proof cage” and Tim helped him move it over behind the Firehouse. Kudos Guys: awesome!

I’ve received several comments from Mesa Neighbors asking if July’s Potluck report was “for real” and even more lamenting the fact that they missed the Event! Saturday, August 31st is the next one, so we’d better mark our Calendars: we don’t want to miss another Party. Stay well!

Our little Community is ready to roll into the Fall Season and the Center will re-open the day after Labor Day weekend, on September 3rd: with the Tuesday Night Bingo and Supper Party. Our first monthly Breakfast will take place on Saturday September 7th, starting at 8a.m.
We like to start things off with a thorough cleaning of the Center, prior to the onset of upcoming events. Despite our best efforts to keep the Building sealed up tight, inevitably there’s a carpet of sand over everything after a few months of disuse. This year, the “all hands on deck” request goes out for Friday, August 30th at 9a.m., to all Copper Mountain Mesa Neighbors who would like to help clean-up our Community Center on Winters Road, please join us.

The monthly Potluck Party is the following day on Saturday, August 31st, starting at 4p.m. Last month’s Party was Huge: best Potluck ever, although a wee Birdie told me later, that Bob Deloyd’s report on Maine Lobstertails and Mariachi bands may have been slightly exaggerated! Not to be outdone, let us gather Neighbors: bring our finest culinary efforts and see if we can top last month’s grand old shindig! I am not working that weekend, so I also hope to to see you there.

Our monthly USDA Food Giveaway falls on Monday August 19th; this next Monday, to be exact. Chris Jonas will be there, with his trusty Volunteers helping to ensure the event runs smoothly and everyone gets their fair share of Food. Chris is also giving away free bags of Clothes in the Thrift Room, first come-first served.; the Giveaway starts at 8:30.

I will be at Copper Mountain College, attending my first class: Algebra! I am having serious second thoughts about this whole College-thing; I may have bitten off more than I can chew! Oh well; too late now; I may as well give it my best shot and hope all goes well.

Did you catch any Meteor activity in the pre-dawn hours last week? Enjoy this lovely August weather; stay well!

Our little Community has been a distant view from Copper Mountain College for me this last week! I have already run into a number of Mesa Neighbors on Campus: seems I’m not the only one looking to improve myself. I still have one big hoop to jump through, however. Even though my Assessment testing went great and I’m enrolled in and attending all my classes, I have to show that I have a high school diploma or an acceptable equivalent in order to get my degree.
My High School in Nairobi, Kenya, has not been co-operative, so, I get to take my American G.E.D. Up until last year, my college assessment test scores would have been enough, but new year, new rules. On the bright side, this also makes me eligible to receive Federal Aid, although my tuition is already waived because I’m low-income.

Our Community Center is poised to re-open on September 3rd, with Tuesday Night Bingo. I reported last week that we were holding a clean-up morning on August 30th; but this has been moved to September 6th, so we can set up for the Breakfast on Saturday the 7th. Please join Mary Helen Tuttle, Kathy Quinn and I at 9a.m. on Friday the 6th to give the Center a jolly good scrubbing! Also, the Neighborhood Watch Folks will be holding a Community Clean-up Day on Saturday, September 21, from 8am to 3pm. Many hands make light work, so please come and help.

USDA Food Give-away attracted 80 people last Monday. Along with the usual array of canned and dried goods, everyone received frozen catfish. Chris Jonas gave away bags of free clothes from the Thrift Room, which will be Open during all the upcoming events. FYI: the Joshua Tree neighbors are now back in their Community Center for the food give-away; guess someone volunteered to run it.

So, are we entering the dog days of Summer? It’s been a fairly mild season, but I’m ready for some cool! Hope to see you bumping down the dirt road soon; stay well!

Our little Community has received several thorough soakings lately, with more moisture from the south-east headed our way. So far, there’s been minimal flooding and our roads remain accessible. We have learned the hard way that circumstances can change rapidly around here, however. One torrential rainstorm with sustained downpour and our washes and dirt roads run like rivers: either denying us access to our Homes; or holding us prisoner on the Mesa until the Desert absorbs the moisture. Be careful driving out there: better to be late for dinner, than to be swept away by flood waters.

It’s Potluck Saturday today: the chance for Neighbors to create their most splendid cuisine and bring it on by the Community Center around 4pm to share with hungry friends! I’m still bummed about missing last month’s Party, but maybe we can outdo ourselves, again. Let’s try: we only have to top Lobsters flown in from Maine; barbecued steaks; Mariachi bands and Bob Deloyd’s imagination!
When we’re all finished stuffing our faces, we should carpool down to the Joshua Tree Lake RV and Campground; which is at the very end of Sunfair; just before you hit the dirt and Coyote Valley Road. Our very own Mojave Rattleskaters, will be there with fangs bared! Support the team: Honey Badger’s Ball starts at 8pm; hope to see you there, Neighbors!

We really need Volunteers to help us keep the Community Center up and running; as well as to work the regularly scheduled events. We ask Neighbors to gather at the Center on Friday, September 6th at 9am: to give our Community Building a thorough cleaning, in readiness for our grand, post-Summer-break re-opening. Please join us: it’s a lot of good-natured fun and your labor is very much appreciated.

Tuesday Night Bingo and Supper evenings begin again next week, on September 3rd, starting at 5.30pm. We are holding our first monthly Breakfast next Saturday, September 7th, from 8 to 11am. Our Monthly meetings commence Monday, September 9th: with the Neighborhood Watch folks gathering at 6pm, followed by the Community Association’s Board meeting at 7pm. Stay well!

Our little Community cancelled the Tuesday Night Bingo and Supper Party last week, due to lack of Volunteers. Many regular players were informed, but Ruthie Malton was most disconcerted when she arrived at the Community Center last Tuesday Evening and there was a note on the door announcing that Bingo had been cancelled. “What happened? Asked Ruthie; “Why didn’t someone call me?”
Well: there are a few Community Members who do ALL the Volunteering at the Community Center. These trustworthy, dependable and loyal Neighbors show up to work every, single Event. Whether it’s the monthly Breakfast; Tuesday Night Bingo; serving on the Copper Mountain Mesa Community Associations’ Board and attending all the meetings; working the monthly USDA Food Give-away; the monthly Potluck Party, you name it: the same little group shows up. Cooking; calling out Bingo numbers; cashiering; cleaning; bussing; waiting tables, dishwashing: whatever it takes; you will see the same Volunteering faces. In the case of the Jonas Family - Chris, Violet and numerous offspring - not only do they work all the Events: they run the Thrift Store to boot!
People get tired; they get older; life happens; they wish someone else would take over because they’re burned out from being so dedicated. Whatever the reason, the bottom line is: last week there were not enough hands to help with Bingo and we were forced to cancel. I’m sure everyone has their own reasons for not flocking to their Community Center and donating their precious time. Let’s face it: it’s hard, unremunerated labor!
However, the feeling of camaraderie and enthusiasm one goes home with after being of service to Neighbors and Community, is wonderfully uplifting. It makes you feel really good about yourself: wanna try it sometime? You would be welcomed with open arms!

The Neighborhood Watch Folks are holding their big Clean-up - sponsored by Burrtec - on Saturday, September 21st. We are having the Potluck Party on the 21st as well, beginning at 4pm: trying to gather as many volunteers as possible and feed them too!
Our Community Breakfast is happening right now: stay well!

Our little Community was the target of some serious thunderstorms last week, with cloudbursts of hail and heavy rain. Storms from the South and West converged over the Mesa, heading East. Chris and Violet Jonas said the storms stalled over their house on the east end of the Mesa! All I know is, just as we thought the worst of it was over, the storms headed back over to our house and dropped another load of thundering rain on us! We haven’t had sustained, hard rains like that in decades: not since Hurricane Linda in ‘98!
Our dirt roads and washes became raging rivers: Winters road had waves breaking up against its south banks. Coming home from my Spanish class, on the Marine Base, at 9p.m., I took Lear Avenue to Winters and darned near got stuck several times. Especially in that huge wash about a half-mile West of Bob Deloyd’s hill. Phew; pedal to the metal, steering like a maniac to keep from bogging down, it took some hard, Kenya-type driving to get through those mounds of sand: which were rapidly drying in some spots and still muddy in others. I was sweating bullets too, because my phone died and it’s pretty dark out there all by your lonesome; trying not to get stuck and dreading having to walk home.
Although some of the sand deposited on the roads by the raging rivers has been cleared, sections of Winters road, east of Copper Moon, remain hazardous; even impassable for many vehicles at this time. I’m taking the long way to Spanish class until the roads have been levelled out a bit!

Despite the rains, a good crowd showed up for the first, post-Summerbreak Saturday Breakfast last week and it was lovely to see all the familiar faces again. Unfortunately, however, Tuesday Night Bingo has been cancelled indefinitely: simply not enough Volunteers to run the show. Ruthie Malton sounded utterly woebegone when I gave her the sad news. Reminder: big Burrtec-sponsored Neighborhood Clean-up is next Saturday from 8am-3pm. Please, no tires, animal excrement or hazardous waste. Stay well!

Our little Community is holding the Potluck Party this afternoon. (Editor's note: the reason potluck was moved to this Saturday was to coincide with the Community Cleanup which has been canceled due to lack of funding I edited Annelies column to reflect this change)
The Mesa has dried out from all that torrential rain we received recently, leaving long sand traps behind: ready to bog down the unsuspecting driver. Even though Winters Road is once again passable to most vehicles, there’s still a few tricky patches here and there. The rest of our dirt roads remain pretty hammered, but usable for the most part. I am very grateful to be able to drive to my Spanish class on Base via Winters and Lear Avenue again: saves me twenty-two miles round-trip!

Great news: Barb Beneville, Claudia Bridges, Chris Jonas and Patrick Whalen have volunteered to run Bingo on the first Tuesday of every month, starting October first at 6:30p.m. I know Ruthie Malton’s excited! The Supper party will not resume at this time. Thank you Volunteers! You are much loved and appreciated.

Fall is here: you know we’re all going to be complaining about the cold before too long. It’s either too hot or too cold; with only a few blessed weeks of temperatures in the sixties and seventies. Enjoy it while it lasts. You know you’re going to be thinking ‘long underwear’ before Halloween!
Isn’t it lovely to have our blue skies and low humidity back? I do not miss those muggy days; although one’s skin and hair certainly appreciate the extra moisture, eh?
Hope to see you later, bumping down the dirt roads. Stay well!

Our little Community has definitely been blessed by fall-like weather this last week. Cool temperatures in the morning have meant sweater-weather as I walk the dogs in the chilly sunrise. That’s been about the only peaceful, calm time in my day recently, as I’ve been attending my regular classes at Copper Mountain College and then rushing down the hill to COD in Palm Desert, to take my GED exams in the afternoons. It’s been very challenging: I’m absolutely exhausted. I have a ton of homework to catch up on, but maybe by next week my life will calm down enough for me to catch my breath!

As usual, I’ve been missing out on all the fun, but fortunately our own Bob Deloyd sent us his report of recent goings-on: “I arrived at the community center to relieve Peggy Kennedy and Linda Sibio, who were there at 8am, to tell everyone who showed up for the Community Cleanup that it was canceled. I found Roger Smith there instead, who arrived half an hour early. We sat around together yapping and I told him he might as well leave at 2pm because I had to stay here until 4pm for potluck, which we had rescheduled for this weekend instead of our usual last Saturday of the month get-together.
At Potluck, about fifteen folks showed up. Dorothy Jacobsen presented us with her broccoli cheese casserole with cornbread. Dyan Carroll made this wonderful Coca Cola cake and tasty Salmon patties. Cal Mayers came by with his fruit tray. Mary and Chris Koval made up a Caesars taco salad, along with Chris’s special pasta cheese casserole, and chocolicious cake. Chris Jonas made his world famous macaroni salad. Tim brought his appetite, and I my rice and chili bean special. We all got mighty stuffed on the food and took a bunch of leftovers home.” Thanks Bob.

Don’t forget, our monthly Bingo Party is this Tuesday, October 1st, with Barb Beneville and Claudia Bridges at the helm. Also, next Saturday is our monthly first Saturday Breakfast: hope to see you there. Stay well!

Our little Community was all a-buzz with the excitement of Bingo; held on the first Tuesday Night of the month. Ruthie Malton called me at half a second past eight o’clock the next morning to fill me in on all the News! She won! Yay: congratulations Ruthie. I know you’ve been waiting all month to play Bingo. Now go buy something special for yourself with all that big money!
Actually, only 9 people showed up, which was a bit disappointing when you think of all the effort Barb Beneville, Claudia Bridges and Chris Jonas put into holding this event. Supposedly, everyone just loves Bingo and is utterly crushed when we don’t hold our Bingo evenings due to lack of public participation. Well, we were here folks: where were you? Let’s try and get a bigger crowd for next Bingo Night on Tuesday, November 5th, shall we?

Our first Saturday of the month Community Breakfast is on this morning; from 8-11a.m. It’s all-hands-on-deck for the Volunteers, because a few of the regulars were unable to help out this month. So we’re pulling it together and hope to see you there for a yummy breakfast and a jolly good chinwag!

I’ve been stressin’ big time this week; waiting for my GED results to be posted. I believe I passed in all subjects, but it’s been sooooo hard having to wait for the official verification. Hopefully, by the time you read this, I’ll know I’ve passed for sure!
The weather has been all over the place this week. We turned the swamp cooler back on for a few days; braving the accompanying ‘fishy’ smell, in order to cool off our sweltering cabin. It’s been lovely in the early mornings and the Desert is incredibly green after all that rain.
I’ve been so preoccupied lately, I completely forgot to congratulate everyone on their special occasions for September. Happy Birthday wishes go out to Randall Herrera; Kimberly Herrera; Marcie Hines; Ed Drzal and Ruth Dennison. We fondly remember Mike Villareal; James Kern Watson; Donna Myers and Roz Drzal. Stay well!

Our little Community got together last week; for the first Saturday Breakfast from 8-11. Several of the regular Volunteers were unavailable to help out, but, thanks to Patrick Whalen’s phone calls, Neighbors were gathered and stepped up to the plate. We had Ray Foyil working the grill; Indy Amos cooked up the eggs; Daniel Gray washed dishes and Kip Fjeld wore his ‘kitchen wench’ hat, taking care of the juices, toast, biscuits and gravy. Patrick worked the Cashier’s desk and Jay Babcock, Stephanie Smith and I took the orders, served the food and bussed the tables. Thank you all: great job!

So many people asked me whether I passed my GED! I really appreciate your support. Well: I made a boo-boo on one of the demographic sections of the test, so my scores were withheld until I chugged back down to Palm Desert and paid my $15 fine for being a blithering idiot! Fortunately, I only made one mistake, but it meant waiting another four days until my results were posted on the webpage. I was a nervous wreck by last Monday morning, when I checked for the umpteenth time and: there it was: PASS! Actually, I got bloody good grades and I am totally proud of little, old Me! WooHoo!

The Copper Mountain Mesa Neighborhood Watch gathers at 6pm this coming Monday October 14th; followed by the Association Board Meeting at 7. Due to my new scholarly schedule, I can no longer attend the meetings, or accomplish much of the volunteer work I’ve been doing over the years; so I recently resigned from the Board. I know there were a number of Folks who were disappointed they didn’t get voted onto the Board last year, so perhaps you’d like to give it another go? Attending the meetings, volunteering at events and getting your face out there so people can get to know you, is a good way to get yourself elected!

Next Monday, October 21st is the USDA Food Giveaway; with Chris Jonas and his Crew at the helm. Stay well!

Our little Community would like to announce that Copper Mountain Mesa Community Association will be sponsoring a community CLEAN-UP DAY along with co- sponsor: the County of San Bernardino. On Saturday October 26th, we will gather at 65336 Winters Road in North Joshua Tree from 8AM-3PM. Help us beautify our Crime Free Community. For further information call Linda Sibio at 760-362-4071.

Our USDA Food Give-away takes place this Monday morning from 8-11. The Thrift Room will be open, of course and it is always such a joy to wander up and down the aisles seeing what’s new in your size. Lots of household items too and books galore. Take a little extra time on Monday: come pick up some good meal fixin’s and find that little treasure, or new sweater you’ve been looking for.

Tim Atzei called me last week, to ask if I was still interested in being part of the Community Garden Project. My answer is a resounding “Yesss”! Tim and Kip Fjeld have quietly been getting on with it in the Garden. Kip constructed a nifty, critter-free enclosure and Tim has persuaded a whole bunch of veggies to grow in it: go figure! Quite honestly, after all the argumentative unpleasantness caused by certain Garden enthusiasts last year, I’d had quite enough of the whole shebang; but, thanks to Tim and Kip’s enthusiastic perseverance, I’m ready to give it another go! We’ll keep you posted on our progress.

Neighbors gathered at The Palms on Amboy Road in Wonder Valley last Saturday; to celebrate an incredible cross-country Art Display from our Friends at High Desert Test Sites. The Sibleys wowed us with their incredible Music; then turned around and put their Chef/Barkeeper hats back on to serve the crowd of 100+ who attended. Our very own Kip Fjeld was on hand to help out in every which way he could! Check out all the fun at www.highdeserttestsites.com. Also, our beloved Eva Stokes, musicienne extraordinaire, will be performing with her Band tomorrow at the JT Saloon, starting around 11a.m. Stay well!

Our little Community is hoppin’ as the Neighborhood Watch group has organised a Community Clean-up today, Saturday October 26th, from 8am-3pm. Tootle on over to the Community Center on Winters Road and join the goings-on. Bob Deloyd has all the info posted at: www.coppermountainmesa.com. Our monthly Potluck Party is on today as well; so bring your trash, a favorite dish to share and your appetite: should be a splendid get-together.

The Art Tours are in full swing again this weekend. Heading home from my 72-hour elderly caregiving shift late last Sunday, I stopped at Tami Woods’ and Snake Jagger’s exhibit off the Highway in Morongo Valley. Absolutely loved their work and spent a relaxing half-hour drinking in their talents with a delicious glass of chilled Chardonnay! I am looking forward to this weekend’s palette and here’s a resounding kudos cheer to all the Volunteers who make this wonderful annual Basin-wide Art Festival a reality!
Musical extravaganzas going on too: especially in Joshua Tree. A plethora of Musicians will be performing all weekend long on the corner of Highway 62 and Park, conveniently close to Joshua Tree Saloon. If you prefer to be far from the crowds: The Sibleys are performing at The Palms Restaurant tonight; way down on Amboy Road in Wonder Valley. For more information on the local music scene, head for local Celebrity radio-host, Teddy Quinn’s Listening Lounge, on the Highway in Josh, where the Red Arrow Gallery used to be.
For the Younger crowd, I know many of my fellow students are excited about “Hellfest” on the Highway in Yucca Valley; which advertises free keychains and stuff; Tattoo specials and the first fifty peeps to arrive are automatically entered to win an electric Ibanez guitar. Pretty cool!

It’s hard to believe it’s almost November and our first Saturday Breakfast is next week, on the 2nd! Please join us at the Community Center, for a delicious Breakfast and an energizing reunion with all your favorite Neighbors. Here’s Happy October Birthday wishes to Larry Catron and Scott Lane. We fondly remember Colleen Schweitzer. Stay well!

Our little Community looks brighter these days; thanks to the huge response to Clean-up Day last Saturday. The Neighborhood Watch folks did a bang-up job getting the word out and many Locals brought their trash to the Center throughout the day. Volunteers also drove their own trucks and trailers over to known dump-spots; loading up all the rubbish left by Desert-desecrating people too lazy and irresponsible to properly dispose of their own waste. Ooh: don’t get me started!
Anyhoo: a Mighty Big Thank You to all who participated in the clean-up. Thanks also to San Bernardino County for co-sponsoring this sanitizing effort. Burrtec hauled away five big dumpsters full of Neighborhood trash, including tons of tires. Linda Sibio, Peggy Lee Kennedy and others from the Neighborhood Watch group supervised this worthy event. A Vegetable and a Meat Lasagna were provided for hungry workers. Phew; what a huge undertaking: jolly good show everyone!
Surprisingly, not many folks stayed for the Potluck which took place right after the end of the clean-up. Naturally, Chris Jonas was there, with his world-famous Macaroni Salad! Dyan Carroll created a delectable Biscuits and Gravy Casserole; whilst Dorothy Jacobsen brought a most scrumptious Pea and Ham Salad. Mary-in-the-Morning (her nickname from our schoolbus-catching days!) Koval and her daughter Chris provided their excellent Chili and Cornbread and two Pies for dessert. Bob Deloyd prepared his Rice and Bean accompaniments, but was unable to stay for the Feast. He was called away to be a good Neighbor and help his dear friend. Hope all’s well, Bob?

Our first Saturday Breakfast is going on right now: from 8-11am, at the Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center, 65-336 Winters Road in north, North Joshua Tree! We’d love to see your smiling face and encourage you to enjoy your journey out here: the Desert is magnificent right now. All that rain has caused great growth and blooming: the landscape looks so green and lush; absolutely gorgeous.

Don’t forget: the clock falls back this weekend; on Sunday morning to be exact. An extra hour of sleep, or, Homework time: stay well!

Our little Community enjoyed awesome weather for our first Saturday of the month Breakfast get-together last week. We had a good turn-out and Folks trickled in continuously, instead of all arriving at once: as is frequently the case! Once again, Patrick Whalen did a marvellous job of rallying the troops, so we had plenty of Volunteers, including our Board President Kathy Quinn. Ray Foyil and Indy Amos (of Joshua Treets Ice Cream fame) manned the burners; with Indy turning out flawless eggs and Ray providing the meat-n-tater end of things, as well as the pancakes. Our beloved Kip Fjeld was once again our kitchen wench: he does such a splendid job keeping up with the toast, biscuits and gravy part of the orders. He is also our A-number-1 Juicer dude, as it has become his habit to arrive at the Breakfast with a full pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice for our delight. Mmmm, so yummy with a wee splash of vodka too...or so I’m told! This time, not only did Kip bring his usual, he also brought a pitcher of fresh Apple juice, which he picked up in Oak Glen on his way home from the OC. Thank you, oh most excellent dude!

Mary-in-the-Morning Koval’s big, blue eyes were indignant as she told me she had read my column the previous week and was astonished to read about all sorts of upcoming events she knew were not happening on our Mesa! “Then I realised your photo had been put next to someone else’s column and vice versa,” she explained. “Someone at the newspaper messed up!” Oops.

Our Copper Mountain Mesa Community Association Annual General Board Meeting will not be taking place this month and has been postponed until further notice. We do not have the required number of Board Members present for a quorum at this time; so any end of the year business can not be voted on; which needs to be done before the “out with the old; in with the new” Annual General Meeting, including voting-in new Board Members, can take place. Stay well!

Our little Community has been basking in this unusually warm November weather. Boardmembers Patrick Whalen and Daniel Gray came by last Saturday, so Daniel and I could tackle my dinosaur computer. I have been frustrated with it for weeks, because I couldn’t get it to go online. I have all my photos, books, stories: everything; stored on that old thing. I have been wanting to send Dorothy Jacobsen the second book in my series: “Stay Well Kenya Cowgirl”, but haven’t been able to e-mail it to her because the dinosaur wouldn’t co-operate! “SWKC” was never published, but I have it as a document as well as a PDF. Dorothy read my first book, “Kenya Cowgirl” and, apparently, thoroughly enjoyed it. Very kindly, she has been after me to send her the sequel, because, as she explains: “I can’t wait to see how the story ends!” We agreed that if I wasn’t able to send it to her soon, we’d get together for a nice cup of tea and I would simply tell her what happened next! However, with many thanks to Daniel: the dinosaur is back in business! By the way, I have thousands of copies of “Kenya Cowgirl” in my garage! Let me know if you’d like a copy: autographed!

There was a huge shindig at The Palms on Amboy Road in downtown Wonder Valley, last Saturday night! Four Bands played excellent punk rock and there was even a mini-moshpit. Two of the Bands came from Austria and were really awesome! Someone in the crowd yelled: “Where you from? Australia?” “Ja,” replied the lead singer. “The land of the kangaroo schnitzel!” Everyone roared with laughter!

We were there with the Multi-Media Club from Copper Mountain College. We filmed the whole show and despite a few technical glitches, Professor Downer was pleased with the results. I was even allowed to participate, on two different cameras, which was such a rush! I’m definitely hoping to take Digital Photography next Semester! Our Community Potluck is scheduled for the Saturday Before Thanksgiving, November 23rd, but absolutely no Thanksgiving-type of food, please! Stay well!

Our little Community is enjoying overcast skies. There’s a delicious moisture in the air and it smells like rain, which has been forecast as a definite maybe. Walking the dogs earlier, I heard a horrendous din, as my wonderful Desert Silence was shattered by this huge truck and trailer, with an extra trailer, thundering East on Winters Road. Although I could hear it coming from miles away, it didn’t come into view for a long time, as it was moving slowly. The “cacophonous one” almost came to a complete stop, before turning South on Copper Moon. That’s when I realized it was one of those huge scrap metal trucks. Apparently, an Inland Empire recycling operation drops off empty trailers at one or two residences out here. These are filled with scrap metal “found” in the Desert and when the trailer is full, it is picked up and hauled out. In my opinion, these hideously loud scrap metal trucks have no business out here on our dirt roads. I’m sure folks need to make a living and I hear the scrap metal business can be very lucrative, but still. I don’t like it when the Earth shakes, the Sky is filled with the sound of thundering Metal and all the Desert and her dwellers are seriously disturbed. Begone with you plundering iron beasts; begone I say!

Our monthly Potluck is today, Saturday November 23rd, at 4pm in the Community Center. Everyone will be bringing their favorite culinary creation to share; we hope to see you there.

The “critter-free” cage that Kip Fjeld built for our Garden is overflowing with greenery! It is located inside the fence, behind the Firehouse. Now that the Ambulance company is parking its vehicles in the building, large lights are turned on at night. These give our encaged plants 24-hour sunshine, making them vegetate like the dickens, but I don’t see any produce. Too much light I think.

Thanksgiving is just days away and my son Erick and his lovely Lady Courtney are driving up from San Diego to see us: Yippee! Happy Turkey Day; stay well!

Our little Community was truly a Home to be thankful for this past week. My beloved Son Erick and his wonderful Lady, Courtney stayed with us for 48 hours: what a gift. Erick grew up here on the Mesa: he and I moved up here twenty years ago when he was five and I was broken. They were hard years for him and he learned to do without all the luxuries other kids took for granted. Just getting him the five miles to the school busstop was a challenge every day; not to mention getting him home again. We made it through, however and he has grown into a splendid young Man. He is kind, compassionate, intelligent, super-handsome and very funny! Together, Courtney and Erick are even more incredibly awesome and Jim and I thoroughly enjoyed our Thanksgiving holiday! I sincerely hope all of You had a super-duper Turkey Day too.

Heads up: The Glass Outhouse Art Gallery - on Hwy 62, just East of Utah Trail in 29 - is exhibiting Works by Copper Mountain College Students, from 1 to 5pm today. Definitely worth a visit!

Last week, after my wee grumble about cacophonous scrap trucks, I had a nice chat with one of the Neighbors. He was most dreadfully sorry about the noise; said he was just trying to feed his family after recently losing his job: doing clean-ups at the request of several local property owners. Dude, I’m good with that.

Our very own Bob Deloyd was under the weather but found the strength to update us on Potluck events last Saturday: “The wonderful Potluck folks brought me a care package and put it in my mailbox outside my home: yelling my name so loudly it woke me up! Over ten folks showed up: Chris Jonas brought his macaroni salad, Dorothy Jacobsen made a great macaroni corn and carrot salad, Dyan Carroll whipped up a salmon platter and tasty calico truffle, The Kovals cooked up a tuscan chili, cup cakes and pea salad, Yvonne Frances surprised everyone with two pumpkin pies!” December Breakfast next Saturday: stay well!

Our little Community is cold and getting colder. Jim and I fished out all the old jackets, boxes and buckets with which to cover our hose bibs, stretched the hoses out downhill and left a drippy faucet to discourage any freezing water pipes. So far so good, but the cold snap is far from over: forecasters warn us it’s going to dip into the low twenties before this wee Arctic freeze is over.

Our monthly Breakfast is going on right now; over at the Community Center on Winters Road. Please join us for a jolly good brekkie and a nice chat with some of your favorite people on the Planet: your Neighbors, yay!

So, how was your planned power outage? It only lasted four hours for us and we thought it went better than expected, although driving home from my Spanish class on the Marine Base Monday night was interesting. There I was tootling down Morongo Road at about 8:50pm, getting ready to head West on Pole Line Road to Lear Avenue and the dirt roads, when all the lights went out. It was kind of eerie to be in a world so dark, although it used to be like that every night when I first moved up here. Driving home from Spanish on Wednesday night, it was a different story, however. Multi-colored lights twinkled in the darkness all over the place. Suddenly, everyone has decorated their homes and the Mesa has been propelled into the Christmas Spirit.

My beloved Joe Bell died on Thanksgiving Night. He was 92 and I was his respite caregiver. He was a Journalist, College Professor, had six non-fiction books to his credit and wrote a weekly Column for Orange County’s “The Daily Pilot” newspaper. Joe was also a fighter Pilot during WWII and I always felt that taking good care of him was my way of thanking the American and Allied forces for liberating my People from Nazi-occupied Holland. You were the kindest man I ever met and now you’re flying with Angels. Joe, I will never forget you. Bon Voyage.

Our little Community was under a white blanket of...hail, last Thursday morning! Walking the dogs around sunrise, I noticed lightning to the East of us. Later, just before I had to leave for Art class, it began to hail: hard. All around, the Desert was covered in a thick, white carpet. My old truck skidded out a few times and going down the Coyote Valley grade was challenging to say the least! The hail blanketed the Desert until the rock house on Sunfair road and then it turned to rainy slush. The College was obviously part of the same storm system as the Mesa, because the entire Campus was blanketed white. Absolutely beautiful to see, but highly inconvenient, because Professor Downer’s Drawing and Composition class was moving Art pieces over to the Cafeteria for an exhibition. We scuttled around like bedraggled cats, getting the dozen or so masterpieces moved from the Art room to hang on the walls of Bruce’s Cafeteria.
I have two drawings hanging: one of the world-famous Kenyan Elephant, Ahmed, whose tusks weighed 75 kilos a side. He died in 1975 and I was fortunate enough to spend a week following him around the previous year. My other drawing is of the statue of an African princess: carved entirely out of a huge Elephant’s tusk.
I want to draw attention to the fact that if African Elephants continue to be slaughtered/poached at the same rate as today, in twelve years there will be no more wild African Elephants in East Africa. That is utterly appalling! Even more appalling, is that our beloved United States of America, is only a smidge behind China: the world-leader in the annihilation of the Earth’s Wilderness. Apparently, certain hard-hearted Americans still purchase tons of poached African Wildlife. I can’t imagine who would do that these days? Makes me sick.

Anyhooo: on a lighter note. The Sibleys, Outpost, Blackwater Jukebox and other amazing Bands are playing at The Palms in Wonder Valley tonight. Show starts at 7pm.

The USDA Food giveaway at our Community Center on Monday from 8-11am. Stay well.

Our little Community underwent a bit of a gut-wrencher last week. I wonder how many Mesa Neighbors drove by the body on the West side of the uphill curve on Coyote Valley road? I first noticed it at sunset on Thursday of last week. A man looked like he was passed out; laying on the berm, in the dirt. I decided not to stop and hoped someone else would call the authorities. I was in a hurry, heading into Joshua Tree to be a part of the College Multimedia Club at the Blakbox Theater, filming the dress rehearsal of the “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Concert”, under direction of the very brilliant Jared Radnich.
Hours later, I decided to drive home via Border Avenue and Winters Road, thereby avoiding the possibility the man was still there: all alone on a cold, wet night. Honestly? I didn’t want to be the one to discover a dead body; a bludgeoned, bloody victim; or even a drunk, drugged, belligerent a-hole. I felt awfully mean though; especially when I admitted to myself that if it had been a child, a woman or an animal lying out there, I would have stopped to help without hesitation.
At 7:30 the next morning, Jim and I were driving to Loma Linda for his bi-annual Hep C check-up. Rattling towards Sunfair road on the downhill curve; my heart sank. “He’s still there,” I quavered. “He must be dead now; it was so cold last night.” Slowly, we neared the body, preparing to stop. Jim rolled down his window: “It looks like a dummy,” he shouted. “It’s legs are sewn up at the knees!” Enormously relieved yet outraged, I realized Jim was right. I released choice expletives and stepped on the gas. I hope the pranking leg-pullers enjoyed their little hoax: fooled me that’s for sure.
Faculty, Staff and Fellow Students at Copper Mountain College; thank you for an eye-opening, mind-blowing semester. May we all enjoy heartwarming weeks ahead. Merry Christmas; Happy Ho-Ho-Ho; Love to You and Yours; may Life be sweet; bless us everyone and Stay well!

Our little Community was bathed in Sunshine during the Winter Solstice and Christmas celebrations. I hope everyone had a loving, heartwarming get-together with Family and Friends. Now on to the joyous festival of Kwanzaa! I love this time of year: we are all united, however briefly, in our recognition that everyday is a reason to celebrate. Ooh and Happy New Year! May 2014 be blessed; purposeful and wiggly-giggly for you and all those around you. It’s hard to believe the year 2013 is almost over. For me, it was like a swiftly moving river: propelling me forward at such a fast clip all I could do was keep my head above water and go with the flow! From playing Julius Caesar at Joshua Tree’s Blakbox Theater in March, to making the agonizing decision to go back to school at 57 years young: it’s been an exciting year and I’ve barely been able to keep up with myself! I feel very hopeful and positive about the New Year: I’m excited about the future, for the first time in years. Am I gushing? So sorry!

Next Saturday morning, January 4th 2014, is the monthly Breakfast at the Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center. Let’s get together and celebrate new beginnings over a plate of delicious nosh! Hope to see you there.

One face we will not see is Bob Rodgers’: he died a week before Christmas. He had been ill for a long time and is definitely in a better place, but for those left behind, it’s a bit sad. Bob was a dear fellow and usually wore a gentle smile on his face. His hair, eyebrows and mustache always meticulously groomed, Bob was an immaculate dresser too. With shiny shoes: an incredibly difficult accomplishment in these sandy Desert parts. Our special love and condolences go out to his Mesa family: Daniel Gray, Patrick Whalen and the Quinns. We will miss you and your incense, Bob.

Writing this weekly Column about our beloved Copper Mountain Mesa Community gives me great joy: thank you for reading it. See you next year: stay well!