2017-06 5enses

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JUNE 2017 | VOLUME 5, ISSUE 6 | 5ENSESMAG.COM

5enses

June MMXVII • Volume V, Issue VI ~ a posse ad esse ~ Copyright © 2017 5enses Inc. Contact us at 5ensesMag@Gmail.Com & 928-613-2076 Visit 5ensesMag.Com & ISSUU for more

In which: Nichole Trushell

COVER IMAGE: Prescott Film Festival 2017 poster.

Courtesy image. See page 12 for more.

4 18 5 6 7 + 10 8/9 11 20 12 21 14 22 Justin Agrell

presses buttons and pokes holes in surival myths about prickly plants

Russ Chappell

takes a brief detour on the information superhighway and discovers a shortcut

greets a great duck and paints a picture-perfect profile of a dive

Kathleen Yetman

Publisher & Editor: Nicholas DeMarino Copy Editor: Susan Smart Featured Contributors: Alan Dean Foster, Ty Fitzmorris, Reva Sherrard, & Russell Miller Staff Writers: Justin Agrell, Robert Blood, James Dungeon, Mara Trushell, & Kathleen Yetman

Sean Gote´ Gallery 702 West Gurley Prescott, AZ 86305 928 445 2323

takes on the jolly green pod people and finally gives peas a chance

Peregrine Book Co. staff highlights sublime passages and recommends well-to-read books

Alan Dean Foster

Here & (T)here

watches life and death play out and documents less sensational approaches

Reva Sherrard

Discover events in and around Prescott and the surrounding area

Prescott Peeps

observes funeral rights and waxes poetic and pratical about every body

James Dungeon

Celebrate someone who’s making our community an even greater place

Get Involved

takes a tip from adventerous kiddos and finally gets out(doors)

Ty Fitzmorris

Whimsical art for creative minds

Discover ways to make a positive difference in our community

OPEN 11 to 6

Oddly Enough

wades into shallow, troubled waters and notes the marked lack thereof

Smart, quirky comics about the strange-but-true by Russell Miller

Adorn Your Lifestyle Buy | Sell | Trade •

UNIQUE APPAREL & EXOTIC GOODS

928-776-8695

133 N. Cortez, Historic Downtown Prescott

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ea es rs i n busin

y

OPEN DAILY 10AM-5PM •

brating Cele

s

@ Snap Snap

5ENSESMAG.COM • JUNE 2017 • CONTENTS • 3

Plant of the Month

Cacti Cylindropuntia whipplei. Photo by Nichole Trushell.

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By Nichole Trushell h, June. As a child of the Southwest, I love the warm, sunny weather, and yet each year I also brace for this month of extremes. In June, the warmest temperatures and the least precipitation meet, leaving life around us struggling to persevere until the humidity and precipitation of our summer monsoons arrive.

However, one family of plants do not share my concerns — the Cactaceae, or cactus family. Some of their survival stories are well known, some of their stories are misrepresented. In any case, cacti are fascinating. he stems of cacti do indeed store water. However, there is no cactus which you can cut open and find a drink. Water is held within plant tissues, and cacti are packed with bitter alkaloids. These have a value to the plant, the bitterness helps protect them from herbivores.

However, in times of great need, cacti are a survival food for many animals including deer, peccary, packrats and even cattle. The fruits are delicious, but cultures who have used them as food know temperance is a good idea.

Look closely at the stems (the pads or joints) of any cactus. Notice the spots where spines originate. These “areoles” are remarkable. The tiny ephemeral leaves and the flowers are also produced here. Areoles can be thought of as a collapsed stem; minute buds that create leaves, flowers and spines are contracted into this small “spot.”

Stems of cacti are highly evolved, but most cactus flowers follow a seemingly primitive pattern. Large, many petals, showy, open to most any pollinator or pollen robber, it appears that there is limited specialization. But these flowers have some tricks. Extra-floral nectaries (nectar producing structures outside the flower) can be found on many cactus flowers. The sweet nectar these produce is an offering to lure insects like ants who might otherwise consume the flower’s critical pollen rather than distribute it.

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acti range from new world deserts to far north and south latitudes. They also live in tropical rainforests, growing as “epiphytes” clinging to trees and taking in nutrients where rotting organic matter accumulates. Even though their distribution is great, the natural range of cacti is limited to north and south America. Succulent plants elsewhere have found similar adaptations, but only our cacti combine those described here.

Enjoy and marvel at cacti and the blooms of early summer.

4 • FEATURE • JUNE 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

***** Nichole Trushell is a partner of Landscapes for Life and founding director of the Highlands Center for Natural History.

Bird of the Month

Pie-billed Grebe Photos by Russ Chappell.

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By Russ Chappell onsider the Pie-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps). Common across North America, these small brown birds have unusually thick bills which turn silver and black in summer. They’re expert divers, able to reach depths of over 20 feet and can remain submerged for up to 30 seconds, especially if startled or in danger.

They frequent sluggish rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes, and estuaries, using their chunky bills to feed on large crustaceans and a variety of fish, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates. They rarely fly and often hide amid vegetation. Their loud, far-reaching call “whooping kuk-kuk-cow-cowcow-cowp-cowp” is hard to forget once you have heard it.

Two to ten, 1.5” to 2”, bluish white to greenish white eggs are laid in a bowl shaped floating nest, usually situated among tall emergent vegetation and sometimes among lower-growing plants. The young leave the nest shortly after birth, climbing onto the adults back where they brood for their first week of life.

The adults still dive with the young aboard, holding them under their wings.

Pied-billed Grebes can trap water in their feathers, giving them great control over their buoyancy. They can sink deeply or stay just at or below the surface, exposing as much or as little of the body as they wish. The water-trapping ability may also aid in the pursuit of prey by reducing drag in turbulent water.

Like other grebes, the Pied-billed Grebe eats large quantities of its own feathers. The ingested plumage appears to form a sieve-like plug preventing hard, potentially harmful prey parts from passing into the intestine, and helps form indigestible items into pellets to regurgitate.

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he included photos of a juvenile diving and dining at Watson Lake is a common sight and provides a brief glimpse into the life of these remarkable little brown birds. So, if you’re looking for an interesting and unique bird experience, spend some time at Watson Lake and perhaps one of our Grebes will put on a show for you.

PSPRS Presentation June 8, 5:30 p.m.

Jean Wilcox

Prescott City Council member & Prescott Mayor candidate

Ben Roché

r epresentative of the United Firefighters Union

Prescott Adult Center

1280 E. Rosser St., Prescott Meals on Wheels Dining Room Call (928) 541-0413 for details Email Info@yavdem.org

Coming July 30 Watson Lake Picnic, 1-4 p.m.

Food, fun and candidates from across the state!

Check yavdem.org for more information

***** Visit Prescott Audubon Society at PrescottAudubon.Org. Contact them at Contact@PrescottAudubon.Org. Russ Chappell is a member of the Prescott Audubon Society and supports the Chapter as webmaster and as needed. A retired helicopter pilot, he spent most of his life avoiding birds, now he spends time photographing and studying them. He blames Eric Moore for this affliction.

5ENSESMAG.COM • JUNE 2017 • FEATURE • 5

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By Kathleen Yetman eas are the seeds of the pods of Pisum sativum. The pods are botanically the fruit of the plant and, in the case of snow peas and snap peas, are as edible as the peas themselves. Modern pea varieties originated from the wild pea, which can still be found in the Mediterranean. Archeologists have discovered peas dating back to 4,800 B.C.E. in the delta of the Nile.

Pisum sativum is an annual cool season legume grown widely for fresh peas and pods as well as for dried peas. Field peas are varieties grown for their dried seeds, which are commonly used in split pea soup, while “garden peas” are eaten fresh, pod and all. Until the 18th century, peas were primarily grown as field peas for their dried seeds. Years of selective breeding resulted in the modern varieties of sugar snap and snow peas that have a sweet, crunchy pod that is edible. In Yavapai County, peas are planted in early spring and generally harvested through July. Vining varieties send out tendrils that curl and wrap around surrounding objects and are best when trellised with string or branches. Peas thrive in cool to warm weather and fry easily during the

Vegetable of the Month

Photo by Kathleen Yetman.

peak of summer heat, so the window for home gardeners tends to be short. This short season makes the availability of fresh garden peas something to take advantage of.

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utritionally, peas are a great source of vitamins K and B1 and manganese. They contain a good amount of fiber, copper, vitamin C and phosphorous as well. Snow peas are commonly cooked in stir-fries and soups, but can be eaten raw as well. Sugar snap peas are an excellent snack for kids as they are slightly sweet and don’t require any preparation. Both snow and snap peas are a great addition to green salads, adding crunch and flavor. ***** The Prescott Summer Market is 7:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays, May through October in Yavapai College Parking Lot D, 1100 E. Sheldon St. Find out more at PrescottFarmersMarket.

Org.

Peas

Kathleen Yetman is the managing director of the Prescott Farmers Market and a native of Prescott.

ART WALKS 2017 Jan. 27 Feb. 24 March 24 April 28 May 26 June 23 July 28 Aug. 25 Sept. 22 Oct. 27 Nov. 24

Prescott’s finest submarines since before downtown traffic 418 W. Goodwin St., 778-3743 M-F 10:30-2:30, Weekends closed

6 • FEATURE • JUNE 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

See Special Events

www.ArtThe4th.com

Peregrine Book Co.

Staff picks

Summer Photography Exhibit

Catered by Reva Sherrard “The Black Prism”

By Brent Weeks I can’t remember ever reading a fantasy novel where I had such a difficult time determining who the good guys and bad guys really were. Brent Weeks completely rejects fantasy tropes like the flawless, handsome, inhumanly talented main hero; instead, we are given Kip, whose total incompetence shines like a fat, stupid beacon in a darkly unforgiving world. ~Sean “The Way of Natural History”

By Thom Fleischner A window into one of the most important and least talked-about scientific fields, this book is an antidote for environmental despair. It reminds us that the natural world is wondrous and ever-present. ~Ty “Cry, Heart, But Never Break”

By Glenn Ringtved & Charlotte Pardi “Some people say Death’s heart is as dead and black as a piece of coal, but that is not true. Beneath his inky cloak, Death’s heart is as red as the most beautiful sunset and beats with a great love of life.” This children’s book by a Danish author and illustrator team is a marvelously wise parable about death’s place in life. ~Reva “The Shining”

By Stephen King Constantly teetering between reality and dream

“ What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time.” John Berger

by Prescott Area Photographers

land, this book will shake how you see the world around you — even with the lights on. ~Bekah “My Favorite Thing Is Monsters”

By Emil Ferris This debut graphic novel about dark secrets and the monsters of the mind, told from the perspective of a precocious wolf-girl in 1960s Chicago trying to solve her neighbor’s murder, is a jaw-dropper, pure and simple. No aficionado of graphic novels or modern illustration can afford to miss this. (I’m neither, and I loved it anyway.) ~Reva “The Berlin Stories”

By Christopher Isherwood A consuming retelling of the brilliance and reprobate nature of pre-WWII Berlin. Equally as devastating as it is inspiring.

(Lacey and Reva love this too! Lose yourself in the seedy, glimmering, dangerous Berlin that inspired the musical “Cabaret” alongside the incomparable Mr. Isherwood.) ~Bekah

June 22—July 25 4th Friday Art Walk Reception June 23rd 5:00—8:00 PM [xob eht edistuo kniht]

In the ‘Tis Art Center Main Gallery 105 S. Cortez St. Prescott www.TisArtGallery.com

TRAX Records 234 S. Montezuma St. 928-830-9042

Turntables & quick special orders Buy/Sell/Trade new & used vinyl & CDs

“What’s Your Favorite Color?”

By Eric Carle & Friends Fifteen legendary children’s book illustrators wax poetic on their favorite colors in lush images and loving words. An innocent, rewarding sensory delight. ~Reva

***** Visit Peregrine Book Company at PeregrineBookCompany.Com and 219A N. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-445-9000.

5ENSESMAG.COM • JUNE 2017 • FEATURE • 7

Here & (T)here

Find out what's happening in and around Prescott Talks & presentations

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“Whispers of Truth” • 2 p.m. Saturday, June 3: Pam Pearsal discusses her hopeful memoir that exposes political cronyism and corruption.

(Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

Folk Arts Fair • June 3 & 4: The 44th annual “village of traditions” including costumed reenactors, traditional musicians, artisans, demonstrators, and activities for young and old. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3122)

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“Living History Adventure” • Saturday, June 10: Take a peek back at territorial Prescott through the activities like period gardening, cooking, handcrafts, blacksmithing, print shop work, and more. A monthly event. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-4453122)

“Story of a Hanged Man” • 2 p.m. Saturday, June 10: Authors Parker Anderson, Elisabeth Ruff ner, and Melissa Ruff ner discuss one of Northern Arizona's most notorious criminals: a daytime cowboy turned nighttime train robber and cattle rustler who exploited Yavapai County residents during the late 1800s. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

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“Getting Naked for Money” • 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 13: Travel author Edie Jarolim reads from her latest book. Her dog, Madeleine, will look cute and accept treats. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

“OSIRIS-REx Gets a Big Boost to Bennu” • 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 15: Dolores Hill, Arizona State University senior research specialist, discusses ASU's Lunar and Planetary Lab home department for the OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return Mission that launched on Sept. 8, 2016. A Third Thursday Talk via Prescott Astronomy Club. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

“Underground Prescott” • 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17: Patricia Ireland-Williams and Bobbi Jane Tucker discuss the hidden spaces under Arizona's first territorial capitol. (Phippen Art Museum, 4701 AZ 89, 928-778-1385, PhippenArtMuseum.Org)

“Starry Night” • 9-11 p.m. Saturday, June 3: See the Moon, Jupiter, clusters, galaxies, nebula, and double stars. Via the Prescott Astronomy Club. (Pronghorn Park, 7931 E. Rusty Spur Trail, Prescott Valley, PrescottAstronomyClub.Org)

“Please Enjoy Your Happiness” • 4 p.m. Saturday, June 24: Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Brinkley-Rogers discusses his book that weaves poetry and effortless prose into a captivating tale of a beautiful, tragic woman who introduced him to Japanese poetry, the reality of post World War II Japan, and the treacherous territory of the human heart. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

Antiques on the Square • Sunday, June 4: Antiques and collectibles. Via the Thumb Butte and Yavapai Questers. (Yavapai County Courthouse Square, 928-443-1862)

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Professional Writers of Prescott • 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 28: A monthly Professional Writers of Prescott meeting. (Prescott Valley Public Library, 7401 E. Civic Circle, 928-864-8642)

Saturday Night Talk Series • 7 p.m. Saturdays: Talks on bringing traditional spiritual ideas and practice into everyday life, via Vigraha and Sukham Seminars. (Vigraha Gallery, The Courtyard Bldg., 115 E. Goodwin St., 928-771-0205, VigrahaSacredArt.Com, $5)

Nature, health, & outdoors

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Prescott Area Boardgamers • 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays June 7 & 21: Play European-style board games. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500, Prescott.Library.Info)

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“Death Cafe” • 5:30 p.m. Thursday, June 8: People gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death with the objective “to increase awareness of death with a view to help people make the most of their (finite) lives.” Hosted by Dani LaVoire. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

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James Family Discovery Gardens grand opening • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, June 3: Grand opening of new discovery garden including a paved path with learning circles illustrating the natural history of the Central Highlands in Arizona, a forest play area for kids, bird sounds in the secret nook, plus shady, comfortable benches. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, HighlandsCenter.Org, PrescottAudubon.Org, $2-$5) Jay's Bird Barn bird walks • 8 a.m. June 3, 9, 15, 22, & 30: Local, guided bird walks. Via Jay's Bird Barn. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, JaysBirdBarn.Com, RSVP)

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Prescott Audubon bird walk • 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 10: Monthly bird walk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-7769550, HighlandsCenter.Org, PrescottAudubon.Org) “Bird Sense” • 9:30-11 a.m. Friday, June 16: Discuss Tim Birkhead's book, “Bird Sense: What It's Like to be a Bird.” A monthly Natural History Book Club meeting. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280, Prescott.Edu/ Natural-History-Institute)

Chino Valley Market • 3-6 p.m. Thursdays, June-October: Weekly farmers market featuring local food and much more. (Olsen's Grain parking lot, 344 Arizona 89, Chino Valley, PrescottFarmersMarket.

Org) Prescott Summer Farmers Market • 7:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays, May through October: Weekly farmers market featuring local food and much more. (Yavapai College Parking Lot D, 1100 E. Sheldon St., PrescottFarmersMarket.Org)

Groups & games

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“The Fire Line” • 6 p.m. Friday, June 16 & 1 p.m. Saturday, June 17: New York Times journalist Fernanda Santos discusses her awardwinning 2016 book about the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

(Prescott Valley Library, 7401 E. Civic Circle, 928-759-3040) “Frontier Arizona Experience” • Saturday, June 17: See a day in a frontier soldier's life from officers to cavalrymen. A monthly event. (Fort Whipple Museum, Arizona 89, north side of Prescott)

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Prescott Indivisible • 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, June 2: Monthly meeting of a non-partisan group which seeks to promote a progressive and inclusive agenda in support of human rights and the environment.

(Granite Peak Unitarian Congregation Education Center, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-443-8854)

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LAN party • 10 a.m. -10 p.m. Saturday, June 3 : Play multiplayer computer games like “Killing Floor,” “Rocket League,” “Counterstrike,” and “Tribes.” A monthly Prescott PC Gamers Group Event. (Step One Coffee House, 6719 E. Second St., Ste. C, Prescott Valley, PPCGG.Com, $10)

8 • EVENTS • JUNE 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Prescott Film Festival • June 9-17: The eighth annual Prescott Film Festival featuring documentaries, narrative films, shorts, special guests and events, workshops and — hey, isn't this the cover story this month? Find out more on pp. 12, 13, & 19. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, PrescottFilmFestival.Com, $10)

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PFLAG Support Night • 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 16: Monthly support night for LGBTQ+ community and those who love and support them or desire to do so. (First Congregational Church, 216 E. Gurley St.)

GYCC LGBTQ Coalition • 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 20: Monthly general meeting open to all LGBTQ and allies in Yavapai County with guest speakers.

(First Congregational Church, 216 E. Gurley St., Facebook.

Com/LGBTQYavapai)

NAZGEM Support 7 p.m Friday, June 23: Monthly support group meeting for members of the transgender and beyond gender binaries community as well as family, friends, and youth. (Granite Peak Unitarian Congregation Education Center, 882 Sunset Ave., Facebook.Com/LGBTQYavapai)

Performing arts

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Visual arts

“Twelfth Night” • 6 p.m. Thursday, June 8: Via satellite, The National Theatre Live production re-broadcast of “Twelfth Night,” one of Shakespeare’s most uproarious comedies and classic stories of mistaken identity. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, YCPAC.Com, $10-$15) “Noises Off ” • 7:30 p.m. June 8-10, & 16 & 17; 2 p.m. June 11 & 17: Presenting a manic menagerie as a cast of itinerant actors rehearse a flop called “Nothing on.” A farce directed by Don Langford.

(Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-4453286, PCA-AZ.Net, $12-$20)

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“Escape the Mansion” • 6 & 8 p.m. June 9; noon, 2, 4, 6, & 8 p.m. June 10, & noon & 2 p.m. June 11: You’re locked in with friends, family, colleagues, and strangers and have one hour to find out how to escape by solving puzzles, finding clues, and cracking codes.

(Prescott Valley Performing Arts Family Theater, PV Entertainment District, 2982 Park Ave., 928-583-4684, $30)

“Noises Off ” • 7:30 p.m. June 8-10 & 15-17; 2 p.m. June 11, 17, & 18: Michael Frahn’s funny farce. Directed by Don Langford. (Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, PCAAZ.Net, $12-$20)

Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery • June 1-22: “Sonoran Visions,” featuring copper reliefs by Geln Hinz.

• June 23-July 27: “The Long Way Home,” featuring prismacolor, graphite, and oil pieces by Marko Donnelly, opening reception is June 23, 4th Friday Art Walk. IMAGE: “Souletude.”

(Arts Prescott Cooperative Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717, ArtsPrescott.Com) The Beastro • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (The Beastro, 117 N. McCormick St., 928-778-0284, TheBeastro.Org) 4th Friday Art Walk • 5-7 p.m. Friday, June 23: Monthly art walk including artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations at more than 18 galleries. (ArtThe4th.Com) Hassayampa Inn • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Hassayampa Inn, 122 E. Gurley St., 928-778-9434, HassayampaInn.Com) Huckeba Art Gallery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Huckeba Art Gallery, 227 W. Gurley St., 928-445-3848, Huckeba-Art-Quest.

Com)

“Shakespeare in the Pines: The Taming of the Shrew” • 4 p.m. reception, 5 p.m. performance Saturday, June 17; 6 p.m. reception, 7 p.m. performance June 23 & 24: Annual “Shakespeare in the Pines” production, this year featuring “The Taming of the Shrew,” Shakespeare’s ever-popular tale of unorthodox courtship. A Laark Productions performance with a fresh spin on this class-conscious comedy set in the Edwardian Age. Catered appetizers by El Gato Azul plus local beer, wine, coffee, and desert. Benefits the Highlands Center for Natural History’s science-based programs. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-7769550, HighlandsCenter.Org, $60)

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Contra Dance • 7-7:30 p.m. lesson; 7:30-10 p.m. dance Saturday, June 24: Contra dancing, via Folk Happens. Music by Kari Usher, music by Updraft. (First Congregation Church, 216 E. Gurley St., 928-925-5210, FolkHappens.Org, $4-$8) Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 28: Poet Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com)

‘Tis Art Center & Gallery • May 15-June 14: “F-Stops & Fauxbots: Making Magic with Photography & Found Objects,” featuring work by Melinda Anderson and Debbie Thomas.

• May 18- June 20: “Journeys in Spirit 2017,” featuring traditional & contemporary art by American Indian artists, via ‘Tis and the Smoki Museum with support from the Prescott Area Arts and Humanities Council, with artist discussion May 18-June 20.

• June 15-July 14: “Twisted Roots,” featuring fine art burl wood creations by John Hoyt and poetically powerful paintings of practically perfect people by Thatcher Bohrman, opening reception is June 23, 4th Friday Art Walk.

• June 22-July 15: “The Eyes Have It!,” annual summer photography exhibit, opening reception is June 23, 4th Friday Art Walk. (‘Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223, TisArtGallery.Com) Prescott Winery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Prescott Winery, 216 N. Alarcon St., 928-350-8467, PrescottWinery.Com) Random Art • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Random Art, 214 N. McCormick St., 928-308-7355, RandomArt.Biz) The Raven Café • New Art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009)

Ian Russell Gallery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Ian Russell Gallery, 130 S. Montezuma St., 928-445-7009, IanRussellArt. Com)

Sam Hill Warehouse • TBA: Student, faculty, and alumni exhibitions. (Sam Hill Warehouse, 232 N. Granite St., 928-350-2341, PrescottCollegeArtGallery.Org)

Mountain Artists Guild • May 1-June 23: “Route 66” gallery show.

• June 26-Aug. 25: “America the Beautiful” gallery show.

(Mountain Artists Guild, 228 N. Alarcon St., 928-445-2510, MountainArtistsGuild.Org)

Sean Goté Gallery • New art and décor, plus guest art in the parking lot on weekends. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Sean Goté Gallery, 702 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2323)

Mountain Spirit Co-op • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Mountain Spirit Co-op, 107 N. Cortez St., 928-445-8545, MountainSpiritCoOp.Com) Peregrine Book Co. • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000, PeregrineBookCompany.Com) Prescott Center for the Arts Gallery • May 1-June 10: “Wings,” featuring art depicting things like airplanes, fairies, birds, insects, and mythological creatures that take flight.

• June 12-July 22: “Beauty in the Abstract,” featuring art that builds on abstract and non-representational art of the 20th century.

(Prescott Center for the Arts, 208 N. Marina St., 928-4453286, PCA-AZ.Net)

Thumb Butte Distillery • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Thumb Butte Distillery, 400 N. Washington Ave., 928-443-8498, ThumbButteDistillery.Com) Van Gogh’s Ear • New art. 4th Friday Art Walk participant. (Van Gogh’s Ear, 156 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-1080, VGEGallery.Com) Yavapai College Art Gallery • May 13-June 10: “Seize the Light,” featuring the work of The Alumni Photo Group.

• June 15-July 10: “Flight of Obscurity XI,” featuring sculpture by Nathaniel Foley, with 6 p.m. Thursday, June 15 artist talk and opening reception.

(Yavapai College Art Gallery, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-4457300, YC.Edu)

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Disney vs. the death channels True-Life transmogrifies into true death

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By Alan Dean Foster f there was any doubt how much I love Nature, the debut of a new photo accompanying this column ought to dispel that. I’m hanging out with a Mayotte Brown Lemur on the island of M’bouzi in the French Comoros islands (I’m the one with the sappy smile). M’bouzi has been turned into a sanctuary for the lemurs. They need one, since they have an unfortunate habit on the other islands of eating the farmers’ bananas, mangoes, etc. right off the trees. The chap in the picture developed a serious fondness for the gold earring in my left ear. Lemurs are strong, but they’re not chimps or gorillas, so I still have the ring. And the ear.

In 1951 my family moved from New York to Los Angeles. As I recall the television options at the time there were three major networks, Fox not having erupted yet from its alien egg, plus a handful of independent channels: 5, 9, 11, and 13. None of them were specialty channels. Such innovations lay far in the electronic future. There was nothing like the Discovery Channel or the National Geographic channel, much less further specialized iterations of such channels such as those for kids, those devoted to the sea, and so on. And of course satellite television was still a gleam in a 1946 article by the science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (ever wonder why communications satellites orbit in the “Clarke belt”?), so there was no access to the BBC or the CBC or other non-American television content. There was no PBS. Anyone starved for television dealing with the natural world had to wait for an occasional visit by network anchors to some faraway place that happened to be in the news for some human-centric reason, and hope the reporters on site might occasionally digress into a discussion of the local wildlife. The options available at your local movie theater were little better.

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ut in 1948, Disney had completely revitalized what passed for the theatrical nature documentary with a two-reel short called “Seal Island.”

Between then and 1960, the studio released a total of 14 such film titled “True-Life Adventures.” They won a total of eight Academy Awards. Today’s nature documentarians look at them a bit askance, for everything from their

Alan Dean Foster’s

Perceivings

frequent attempts to anthropomorphosize their subject matter, to the efforts to inject humor into natural situations, to the efforts to cue the audience’s emotions with cinematic music, not so different from “Bambi” had done.

To a kid just discovering his love for the natural world, however, they were a revelation. I couldn’t get enough of the close-up color cinematography, the action, and the fact that so much of what I was seeing actually existed outside books. These were real creatures interacting in the real world. I promised myself that one day I would go and experience them in the wild, no matter the difficulties (see: “Predators I Have Known”).

To Disney’s credit, the True-Life Adventures weren’t completely sanitized. There was death as well as life. But death and dying were shown as a part of the natural cycle of existence. They were not the focal point of any of the films, nor did the footage linger excessively over any individual incident. Certainly the studio had in mind the fact that the films would be seen by children. So a balance was struck between pretending that death did not exist in the natural world and using such sequences to dominate a film. When the Disney TV shows came along, the True-Life Adventures provided hours of footage that Disney was able to cannibalize for various shows in addition to presenting the films in their original format.

Over the past half century, nature documentaries on television as well as in the theater sure have changed.

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s usual, money is at the root of the situation. The sad fact seems to be that killing and death, in whatever form, drives ratings.

Doesn’t matter whether it’s a detective show, doctor show, or the evening news. Killing sells. It’s no different with nature films.

The Discovery Channel started it, and not just with Shark Week.

To compete for viewers, National Geographic had to follow the trend. So did Animal Planet.

Even the venerable BBC nature documentaries found themselves spending more and more time lingering over not just a lion kill, but the details. Today kids can watch as carnivores slowly dismember still-living prey, in extreme closeup and gloriously gory color. The nature documentary death spiral appears never ending.

ou know who really dislike this trend?

The cinematographers who have to shoot the footage. I’ve spoken to some, and for many if not most of them there is subject matter they would rather focus on. But, they tell me, that’s not what their producers want. More hunts, more takedowns, more fights, more blood, blood, blood. An hour documentary on sharks isn’t worth its weight in viewing time anymore unless the sharks are shown killing something. It’s the same no matter the subject, be it fish, insects, birds, or wild pigs.

It’s the same deep-seated emotion, I reckon, that drives people to fascination with car wrecks.

But the need to come up with ever more violent and gruesome footage puts tremendous pressure on the photographers. I’m all for realism in nature cinematography, but there should be a better balance than what we’re seeing today, if only for the sake of family viewing. Maybe we need a ratings system for nature docs akin to the one we have for movies.

Shark Week at one extreme and the Puppy Channel at the other. ***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com.

Myth & Mind: Bring out your dead

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By Reva Sherrard

other in the Scottish folk-song “Twa Corbies.”

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hey say not to tip the man who tends the pyres f there is one single oldest way on the burning ghats of to dispose of human remains, the Ganges, keeping the it is probably burial. Other oxygen roaring through mammalian species, notably the wooden towers and prodding elephants and chimpanzees, the hands and shins back into the have been observed covering corpses, flames when they fall: give him and our cousin-ancestors the Neanwhiskey instead. It’s the only thing derthals practiced ritualized burithat keeps the smell at bay. I was als. Cremation, though more costly brought to Nimtala Burning Ghat and difficult than interment with its as part of a Kolkata-by-motorcycle need for stacks of fuel and skilled tour, which involved holding tight to oversight, is also a custom of indea city native as we chugged through terminate antiquity, with its roots the streets’ sooty pandemonium on in human reverence of fire. Various a green vintage Royal Enfield. I was Pre-Christian European cultures — almost as anxious over my intrusion Greek, Roman, Norse, insular Celtic as tourist at a funeral as compelled — seem generally to have favored by the pyres and taste of woodsmoke funeral pyres when resources were in the oily, Dickensian smog. But the available, though burial was also male relatives chatting around their accepted and the norm at certain shrouded corpse as they awaited its periods. Both ashes and bodies of turn paid me no mind, and as the the socially preeminent could be day’s dead were transmuted to ash I interred in grave mounds raised for watched and thought of our English the purpose: Eadgils, a sixth-cenNimtolla Burning Ghat where Hindus burn the bodword bonfire, which means a blaze tury king featured in Beowulf, was ies of their dead and commit the remains to the hot enough to consume bone. buried whole in a tumulus at Gamla Nimtala is the most famous, and Uppsala, Sweden, while Beowulf Hooghly river. Several funeral pyres still burn while himself is reported to have been reportedly the most haunted burnabandoned baby in foreground awaits burning. cremated before his remains were ing ghat on the Hooghly River, a distributary of the sprawling Ganges laid in a mound along with a hoard of Photo by Clyde Waddell, public domain, circa 1945. and the heart of the city of Kolkata treasure. In the thirteenth century, Icelandic chronicler Snorri Sturluson (Calcutta). A ghat is one of innumermortem peace and spiritual benefits of prescribed asserted that his Viking ancestors considered it able crumbling flights of stairs lining the river burial rituals and to use their bodies as deterrents spiritually mandatory to burn their dead. If that is to make it accessible for the bathing, washing, to those who would step outside the bounds of and prayer that never for a moment cease along true, they held the belief in common with Hindus, law. Until Great Britain outlawed use of the gibbet who are unique in history for maintaining their its banks from its origins in the Himalaya to its in 1834, the executed remains of those convicted mouths in the Indian Ocean. Is the Ganges dirty? basic funeral custom uninterrupted from ancient of especially notorious crimes (such as treason Unspeakably — yet she remains the holy of holies to modern times on a subcontinental scale. and highway robbery) were as much a part of the for a billion Hindus, a mother of life and purifier landscape as hedgerows around the crossroads hey’re unclean,” my guide exof souls, whose waters speed those who touch it where they were left hanging, sometimes for years plained when I questioned him towards reunion with the godhead. As such she is or even decades on end. In the colonies escaped about the thin man working the receptacle for all the human ash of the Indian and recaptured slaves often met the same fate. within the searing aura of three subcontinent’s faithful. At the burning ghats the British surgical knowledge, meanwhile, owes pyres. “If they touch something dead are ritually washed in the river and reduced much to the Murder Act of 1751’s stipulation that from your house, you must throw it away.” Small to ash on open-air wooden pyres — if their famithanks for the members of the Dom caste heredilies can afford it — or by electricity, if they cannot. no murderer receive burial. Their bodies were required instead to rot on gibbets or be delivered tarily responsible for ushering an entire people or all the cultural differences in our to schools of anatomy for dissection. to the afterlife. He stooped to dip a hand in the attitudes towards death, what we do Exposure to the elements is not always an act water. Upriver from where we stood, the fires in with dead bodies is a thing no age or of disrespect to the dead. Cultures as far-flung as Varanasi, India’s cremation capital, are believed to group takes lightly. The mass graves of Tibetan, Australian Aboriginal, Zoroastrian, and have been burning continuously for three thoudisaster, plague, and war are regretted Plains Native American have traditionally pracsand years. Their ash trickled over his scalp in products of exigency; after atrocities they are the ticed forms of “sky burial” in which the deceased timeless benediction. final act of inhumanity towards the murdered. is laid on a platform or stone to be consumed by Disposing of remains in ways counter to accepted carrion birds. Ye’ll sit on his white hause-bane ***** practice was a common form of punishment in [collarbone], and I’ll pike out his bonny blue een; Reva Sherrard works at Peregrine Book ComEurope and beyond from medieval into modern wi’ many a lock o’ his golden hair, we’ll theek our pany, studies Old Norse religion, and is writing nest when it grows bare, says one raven to antimes, intended both to deny the dead the posta novel.

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time

RETURNS FOR EIGHTH RUN

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By James Dungeon as it really been eight years since Helen Stephenson launched the Prescott Film Festival? (Hint: Yes, it has.)

This year’s event is June 9-17 — a longer, leaner week bolstered by two jam-packed weekends, plus an assortment of special events, workshops, and student films. You can find screen times and purchase tickets at PrescottFilmFestival.

Com, but if you’re reading this you’re either looking for more info or want some context. So, here goes. ...

Everyone loves big, dumb blockbusters. They’re fun. And exciting. But small independent films have heart and soul. And, hey, some of them are fun and exciting, too. (Some of them are also big and dumb, but that’s neither here nor there.) Heart-warming or heart-wrenching, cerebral or emotive, an indie film has the power to move you. It can broaden your horizons or provide a refuge of escapism. It can challenge your world view or suggest a new facet of perspective.

See all of those aphorisms? Films are so varied and effective that you can string all those trite expressions in a row and they still retain currency.

That’s the power of film.

But don’t take my word for it. Here, for your consideration, are some musings on the Prescott Film Festival from the reviewers and programmers who watched dozens and dozens of films in anticipation of the annual event to help cull the proverbial herd and provide you with the best viewing experience possible. There’s also an interview with Stephenson over on Page 19, too, if you’re looking for an overview and more details.

And, if you’re just looking for some recommendations, there are some of those littered throughout, too, with descriptions and superlatives from Prescott Film Festival reviewers.

It’s time to go from reel to real. ***** FILM REVIEWER PROFILES Mike Simonyi I’ve been a film reviewer for the Prescott Film Festival for two years. I have a lady friend who has a sister up in Prescott, so I started attending when they invited me up. I actually do this for another film festival, too, so it made sense. When you

think about it, most people come home and sit down and watch TV or movies anyway; the only difference is that I’m doing it for a purpose. It’s an adventure not knowing what you’re getting. Normally, when you see a movie, you at least know what type of movie it is and who’s in it. As a film reviewer, though, you never know what you’re going to see. I normally do narrative films — everything but documentaries.

I’ve always been a film fan since I was a kid. My parents were into foreign films, so I’ve always loved them.

Audrey Mae I’ve been watching films for the Prescott Film Festival for seven or eight years. When you watch so many films, you don’t have instant recall, but if you keep paper notes it helps. I watched all the docs, all the narrative features, and all the shorts. I have a passion for it. Film brings people together and gets them talking. You can get together with friends before a film, you can talk to people while you’re waiting to see a film and see what piqued other people’s interest, and you can get together after a film to talk about what you saw and how it affected you. That’s the joy of film. … Because this is the eighth year of the festival, the submissions are such a very high caliber, which makes for tough decisions when it comes to screenings.

Shelley Bartolomeo I’ve been a big movie buff all my life, actually.

Once I started going to the Prescott Film Festival, I thought it’d be a great way to enjoy films and be involved in films.

I’ve done it for quite a few years now. It’s great because I’m the kind of person who’ll call movie theaters to see if they’re going to get smaller, independent films, and if they’re not, drive to other cities to see them. The films we get have just gotten better and better every year. My strength is documentary features, and I can say it’s harder and harder to narrow down selections. … I’m really excited about spreading things

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out this year, having a big opening weekend, then spreading the films out until a big closing weekend.

Sitting in a movie theater all day for three or four days isn’t for everyone, and I think people will appreciate that change.

Shawn Van Hecke I got started with the Prescott Film Festival in basically it’s first year.

I think I went to their second screening and I signed up to be a film reviewer. I slowly became more involved and now I’m the director of the review team and on the Prescott Film Festival board. I just like film. I found out I like working behind the scenes and being involved with the community. Reviewing films changed the way I watch movies a bit. I notice little things more than I did before — details, little things like cuts and use of light. … I like all different kinds of movies, but especially things that make me think. Recently, I’ve been leaning more toward documentaries, but even narrative films can do that when they shift your perspective or twist the way you think. I know other people have said this, too, but the level of films that are submitted are getting better and better. It’s getting tougher to make selections as we get deeper into this festival. *****

Visit PrescottFilmFestival.Com for the full schedule

FILM SUGGESTIONS “Alive and Kicking” 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 9 It’s this wonderful documentary about swing and Lindy hop. It shows that it’s a craze all over the world right now, and it’s very entertaining. With all these dancing reality shows like “So You Think You Can Dance?” and “Dancing with the Stars” a lot of people will really get a kick out of it. The dance group and live music we have afterword — that’s going to be amazing. ~Shelley Bartolomeo It’s no surprise there’s dancing paired with this one. It’s going to be great. ~Mike Simonyi “That Day We Sang” 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 10 It’s a British musical and it’s an awful lot of fun, another feel-good one. ~Mike Simonyi “Score” 3 p.m. Sunday, June 11 “Score” is a documentary about the scores to films.

When I say “Superman,” or “Star Wars,” or “Indiana Jones,” or even “Lord of the Rings,” you can hum the music. And when you hear that music, even just three notes, you know exactly what movie it goes to. You get some nostalgia for the films, themselves, but you’re also learning about what goes into those scores, how they do what they do, and how they get tweaked for effect. ~Shawn Van Hecke “Burn Your Maps” 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 12 It’s a fun, quirky one about a kid who decides he’s

from another culture. Everyone’s trying to save this poor kid, if you know what I mean, and it’s a lot of fun. You won’t come out of it saying you’ve seen anything like it before, that’s for sure. ~Mike Simonyi

someone at a butter museum in Cork, Ireland — he used it instead of the word “senior,” and I’m going to keep using it. Anyway, it was one of my favorites. ~Audrey Mae

It’s another coming of age story, full of learning, but what really caught my attention was the way it was shot. There are really amazing vistas, shot onsite. ~Shawn Van Hecke

“Prison Dogs” 12:15 p.m. Friday, June 16 It gives all of us hope. It’s about prisoners who really have to show an effort to get in this program where they’re given a puppy that’s 6-weeks-old and they spend all their time and sleep with it and train it to be a service dog. The woman who’s training all of the prisoners to train the dogs is tough. The movie follows one man and his dog ... well, it’ll bring tears. ~Audrey Mae

“Lost in Paris” 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 14 Another good one. If you like Wes Anderson or that kind of comedy, you’ll love it. ~Mike Simonyi We all need to laugh, especially now when there are so many serious challenges and there’s not a lot to laugh about. “Lost in Paris” will lighten everyone up. I think it’s my favorite of all the films this year. It’s so colorful. It’s about a woman and her escapades in Paris.

I mean, OMG. It will be loved by all. ~Audrey Mae “Big Sonia” 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 15 It’s a film about a woman who survived the Holocaust and uses her creativity and greatness as a tailor at a shopping mall. People used to hold on to clothes, gained and lost weight, and needed adjustments. All the stores left the mall and one of the guards, in the morning, escorts her to her shop and people still come and go. Then … well, I’m not going to reveal the end of the story, but it’s so worth watching. We have a population of retirees here who it’s especially relevant for, but it’s really a family film for all ages. Anyone can appreciate a gifted and talented “seasoned learner.” That’s not my term. That’s from

It’s very moving the way the prisoners are so affected by this program. It’s hard work. It also shows how they match the dogs and veterans up, getting the personalities just right. It’s just really well done and really good. ~Shelley Bartolomeo “The Beautiful Fantastic” 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 16 It’s a British, kind of fantasy story. It’ll have you going home feeling good. ~Mike Simonyi It’s kind of a coming of age story in England about this girl who works in a library but is otherwise kind of a shut in. Her landlord makes her clean up her backyard and she interacts with her neighbor, this old crotchety man who gives her grief, and they kind of become friends. He learns a little. She learns a little. It’s probably my favorite narrative film this year. ~Shawn Van Hecke

CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 >>>

13

News From the Wilds Skyward

White-tailed Deer give birth this month, though their fawns remain hidden for the first month of their lives. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

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By Ty Fitzmorris une can be a pretty tough time in the Mogollon Highlands of central Arizona.

It is reliably the driest month of the year, with nearly 2 out of 5 years receiving no precipitation at all, and most others receiving only the most minute amounts. If there is any rain, it comes at the end of the month with the first of the monsoonal storms. In fact, the drought of June is critical in bringing about the rains of July, because as the hot, dry air in the Sonoran Desert and the Interior West rises it draws the moist, humid air from the Sea of Cortez northward into our region. Whenever these wet air masses enter our area from the south they bring the possibility of rain, but without the heat that accumulates this month the rain will not fall. But it is possible to observe this large-scale, regional climatic pattern evolve by watching the movement and development of the different cloud species as they move across our skies — a pursuit known as cloudspotting.

June mornings tend to dawn clear and bright, but especially toward the end of the month, cumulus clouds appear and begin to build in the hot afternoons. These clouds may start as relatively small Cumulus humulis, wider than they are tall and uniformly white, and then turn to Cumulus

mediocris, as tall as they are wide, and with gray bases, and eventually to towering, 30,000-foottall Cumulus congestus storm clouds. It is only this last species that brings with it the most precious of all resources in the high desert — water. And with those first, massive raindrops the quiescent, drought-stressed landscape begins its exultant reawakening.

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ntil that time, however, the Wilds remain very dry, with most of the creeks of the Prescott area not flowing at all, though the perennial spring-fed streams of the Verde Valley, such as Beaver, Clear, Oak, Fossil, Sycamore, Verde, and Agua Fria, do continue to run during this time. These few wet areas around the Central Highlands are burgeoning with life, and now is the time to see some of our most spectacular migrant birds, including the tanagers and orioles, as they pass through our region heading north, following the fruiting of mulberries and blackberries. Dragonflies and damselflies abound, along with the earliest dobsonflies and a diversity of butterflies. Elk, Mule Deer and Abert’s Squirrels are giving birth now while Otter kits are weaned and Badger kits and Bobcat kittens leave their dens for the first time. The eggs of many species

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• June 3: Venus at Greatest Western Elongation. Venus is at its highest in the morning sky before sunrise.

•June 9: Full Moon at 6:10 a.m.

•June 15: Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet is at its nearest approach to Earth, and is fully illuminated by the light of the Sun, making observations ideal. Look to the east just an hour or so after sunset, before the waning crescent Moon rises, with a mediumsized telescope or powerful binoculars to see the planet’s rings and possibly a few of its 62 moons.

•June 20: Summer Solstice at 9:24 p.m.

The northern hemisphere of the Earth is at its maximum tilt toward the Sun now, and the Sun appears to be at its furthest north in its arc across the sky, which places it directly above the Tropic of Cancer. This is the longest day of the year, and marks the beginning of summer, though it is also the moment after which the days begin growing shorter.

•June 23: New Moon at 7:31 p.m.

•Astronomical Highlight: Venus, the brightest planet in the night sky, makes its return this month to the evening sky, but only barely, setting 45 minutes after sunset at the end of the month. of birds hatch, and adult birds tend their young in anticipation of the coming time of plenty, when the rains finally come.

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une is our single most dangerous month for fires, due to extremely low fuelmoisture (the water content in woody and herbaceous plants), the increase in lightning late in the month, the prevalence of dry grasses, and the number of people in the backcountry that mishandle fire. In fact, fuel moistures of live plants in deserts can sometimes drop below fuel moistures of dead wood, making live plants more flammable than downed deadwood. In the high desert of the Mogollon Highlands, as with most of western North America, it is profoundly important that we use fire with extreme caution, and not complicate the already difficult situation that our firefighters and land management agencies face through our sometimes catastrophic mistakes. While fire is a vital force in the Wilds, it must be treated with extraordinary caution. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and is proprietor of the Peregrine Book Company, Raven Café, and Gray Dog Guitars, all as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. He can be reached at Ty@PeregrineBookCompany.Com.

News From the Wilds, too A very brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ...

By Ty Fitzmorris

and Watson lakes, and the rivers of the Verde Valley.

• Yellow Monkeyflowers (Mimulus guttatus) flower by perennial creeks in the Verde Valley, while Texas Mulberry (Morus microphylla) sets fruit, drawing birds to their delicious berries.* • Chick Lupine (Lupinus microcarpus) flowers in wet streamside seeps in the mountains, such as Butte Creek, Miller Creek, and Aspen Creek.

• Young Botta’s Pocket Gopher (Thomomys bottae) leave their parents’ dens and establish their own.

Visit: Visit: Sycamore Basin Trail in Sycamore Canyon Wilderness, USFS No. 63.

High mountains • Butterflies proliferate in the high altitudes — look for metalmarks, blues, and admirals.

• Silverstem Lupine (Lupinus argenteus), with its tall, lilac flower spikes, blooms, drawing bumblebees, Bombus sonorus, to its flowers.

Visit: Maverick Mountain Trail, No. 65.

Ponderosa Pine forests • Ponderosa Pines release their wind-borne pollen during this conspicuously windy season. Strong winds carry pine pollen for long distances, thereby increasing genetic diversity through outcrossing of pines from different regions.

• Abert’s Squirrel (Sciurus aberti) give birth. These squirrels are important for Ponderosa Pine health, as they consume and disperse truffles and other mushrooms, which pines rely on for nutrient uptake.

• New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana) flowers in the pine understory. This gorgeous leguminous shrub fixes nitrogen in the poor soils of the pine forests, which is critical for the growth of other species.

• Dalmatian Toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), one of our most aggressive non-native invasive plants, flowers. This is one of the few plants in the Central Highlands that can be removed without qualm when encountered. Look for its semi-succulent, rubbery leaves and bright yellow flowers, which give it its other name, Butter and Eggs.

Visit: Schoolhouse Gulch Trail, No. 67.

Pine-Oak woodlands • Arizona Thistle (Cirsium arizonica) flowers. This is one of the few hummingbird-pollinated thistles.

• Bobcat kittens emerge from dens, following their mother as she hunts, and often preventing her from hunting by their playing and clumsiness.

• Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus) young fledge from their nests and begin learning to fly. These lovely wrens form monogamous pairs that last for years, and can be seen exploring granite boulders in areas such as the Dells for spiders and insects.

Visit: Little Granite Mountain Trail, No. 37.

Pinyon-Juniper woodlands • Gophersnakes (Pituophis catenifer), important grassland predators of rodents, lay eggs in large clutches. These very long constrictors (up to 8-9 feet!) will sometimes mimic rattlesnakes when threatened, but have no rattles and are not venomous or dangerous to humans.

• Mule Deer give birth to their spotted fawns, which weigh as little as eight pounds, and will remain hidden for the first month of their life.

Visit: Tin Trough Trail, No. 308.

Two-tailed Swallowtails (Papilio multicaudata), the largest butterfly species in the western U.S., emerge as winged adults after overwintering as pupae.

Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

Grasslands • Evening primroses (Oenothera spp.) flower in profusion.

• Young Badgers emerge from dens for the first time to play, especially in the evenings.

• Ringtails, cat-like relatives of Raccoons, begin giving birth after a seven-week pregnancy.

• Mexican Free-tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) give birth to a single, nearly helpless pup, which remains in its nursery with the young of other bats. When the mother return to the nursery with food she finds her child among the throngs by its unique song. Mexican Free-tails can live up to 10 years, and eat as much as 80 percent of their body weight per night of insects.

Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345.

Riparian areas • Many of the creeks in the Central Highlands, with the exception of spring-fed perennial streams, stay dry until monsoon storms come.

• Western Screech-Owl young fledge this month, and can be heard calling after their parents with a short, descending 3-note trill late in the twilight.

• Black Hawk eggs hatch, and young can be seen perching on nests, watching for their approaching parents.

• Young Great Blue Herons begin fishing alone for the first time, often following other fish-eating species, such as Common Mergansers, to find the best fishing grounds.

• River Otters are weaned now, and begin hunting with their parents for fish and • Common Mergansers can sometimes be seen with their young ducklings riding on their backs. Look for them especially in lower Granite Creek, Willow

Deserts/Chaparral • Ocotillos flower, providing important nectar resources for hummingbirds. As their primary drought adaptation Ocotillos have lost their leaves now, though they can still perform photosynthesis without leaves using their photosynthetic bark.

• Manzanita fruits are nearly ripe, and are edible and delicious even when green. Beware the large seeds, however, which are hard and inedible.* • Preying mantids reach their winged, adult stage, and begin searching for sites to deposit their resinous egg pouches.

• Crucifixion-thorn (Canotia holacantha) “flowers” on hillsides, though strictly speaking this species is related to pines and junipers.

• Saguaros, the second tallest cactus species in the world, continue to flower.

Visit: Aqua Fria National Monument. *Always consult with a trained professional before ingesting any part of a wild plant. This information is not intended to encourage the attempted use of any part of a plant, either for nutritive or medicinal purposes.

Weather Average high temperature: 86 F (+/-3) Average low temperature: 49.5 F (+/-3.8) Record high temperature: 104 F (2013 & 2016) Record low temperature: 25 F (1899) Average precipitation: 0.38” (+/-0.51”) Record high precipitation: 2.46” (1972) Record low precipitation: 0” (36 percent years on record) Max daily precipitation: 1.35” (June 26, 1954) Source: Western Regional Climate Center

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Greet outdoors

Zoo Littles program inspires serious play

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By Robert Blood i. Happy. iPad. Those were my daughter’s first three words. The third was probably my fault. In general, I dislike the outdoors and rarely miss an opportunity to extoll the virtues of electricity and air conditioning. Still, we try to spend as much time as possible with her outdoors — you know, just to offset the screen time with a more tangible reality.

Unfortunately, she’s a hair too young for the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary’s Zoo Littles program. After talking with Alex Schopp, the zoo’s marketing and event coordinator, about it, we’ll certainly be enrolling her next year. And we’re looking forward to it.

You’ve still got time to sign up now, though.

The Zoo Littles program runs 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, May through September, at the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242.

Find out more at HeritageParkZoo.Com.

Here’s Schopp’s pitch. ...

What exactly is the Zoo Littles program?

It’s an outdoor program to help them engage with nature and their surroundings and just get outside, really, and interact with soil and plants and animals and the environment. We started it last year, so this is our second year of the program. It’s for children ages 3-5, and it runs two hours a day on Wednesdays and Saturdays, May through September. Each class costs $10 or it’s $35 per block of four.

What does the program look like in practice?

Well, the program takes place in the zoo garden. There’s working with plants, learning about the soil, planting seeds, helping water them, and those kinds of things. They watch them grow and learn about different phases of growth. Later on, they pick the fruits and vegetables and get to help feed them to some of the animals. They really get to see the whole process. We also have worm composting, so there’s a little station where they can see how that works and how that helps the

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environment. And, of course, there’s feeding and interacting with the animals. This year, we have some chickens up there, so they’ll get to help pull the eggs and feed the chickens and learn about them as they walk around. There’s also just a lot of free kind of play time. There’s a structured course, but it’s also 3- to 5-year-olds, so it’s kept fairly loose. The kids are, overall, encouraged to play outside. There are sand pits and reading areas and activity stations.

Where did the idea for the program originate?

It was a joint effort by a lot of people here, and, in particular one person who I’m not sure if they’d want their name known outside the zoo for doing it. We knew there was a need the community for this kind of a program for younger kids. We have

ABOVE: A scene from Heritage Park Zoo’s 2016 Zoo Littles program. Courtesy photo.

zoo camp for kids who are in grade school through middle school and the zoo teen program for high school, but there’s just not much outdoor programming in our area for preschool kids. We also knew we had the resources for it, too, with help from our volunteers. It really was a collaborative effort.

guess. It’s expensive for a nonprofit that doesn’t have a lot of extra money as it is. So, the garden is a good way to feed some of the animals. We don’t have a huge garden, but it gives us a lot of the green vegetables we need. With the program, the kids get to clean up the vegetables and we’ll either bring some animals to them or take them to the animals. Last year, kids fed the tortoises and threw food over the deck to feed the pronghorn and the deer. We brought some small mammals up to the garden for them to see and feed, as well.

The kids get to learn about what the animals eat as well as see the whole process of a plant growing. Obviously, this is more of a garden, outdoor program than an animal program, but we have the animals, so why not expose the children to them?

This might seem self-evident for some people, but what’s the big deal about kids being outdoors and interacting with their environment?

It’s a big deal. As we’re getting to this era where technology like iPads and the internet and TV are part of kids’ every day experience, they’re tending to stay on their phone. And that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with that, in and of itself, of being connected to the world. But the fear is that this generation is losing touch with nature and the outdoors. We’re hoping to expose children to their natural surroundings at a young age and, hopefully, develop an early interest in the environment and animals and plants. Zoo camp and the zoo teen program are great, but by those ages, most kids have their path.

What’s the parents’ role in all of this?

Well, the party or person in charge of the kid is always nearby. It’s not people dropping off kids at the front gate and coming back after a couple of hours. We encourage the parents to keep a distance. There’s a seating area nearby, though of course they’re welcome to wander the zoo. If the kids need a parent for something, we’ll facilitate that. It’s supposed to feel like the kids are doing things for themselves, not like their parents are doing it for them, though. It’s free time for the kids. Given the age group, a lot of parents aren’t used to not be 100-percent hands on all the time, so it’s hard to let their kids be free and explore on their own. At 3- to 5-years-old, there’s not really a lot of expectations about what they’re able to do.

It’s time for them to roam.

What can you tell us about the instructors?

Most of our instructors are volunteers. There are people from Yavapai College and other educational facilities — people who understand education and early education. … It’s a small group of people who just want to be able to off this program to the community who appreciate the zoo and are involved in one way or another.

You touched on feeding the animals earlier. Could you go into that in more detail?

A big part of the garden, which is something we started before this program, was to help feed the animals. We have so many animals — about 200 on the grounds — and feeding them every single day costs a lot more money than you might

What’s your pitch for kids to attend more than one class? You know, return visitors.

Well, every class is different. At the beginning of the summer is planting and preparing. Later on it’s caring for the plants. Toward the end of the season is the harvesting and feeding. There’s a price break for multiple classes in groups of four. Really, though, a child who came every week would see something different every time because the focus changes with every class. Ideally, if you signed up for four classes and spread them out over four months, you’d get to see more of the process. ***** Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary’s Zoo Littles program is 9:30 a.m.-11:30 am. Wednesdays and Saturdays, May through September. Find out more about the Zoo Littles program and the Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary at 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242, HeritageParkZoo.Com. Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his last book, which, incidentally, will be his first.

Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com.

ABOVE: Alex Schopp.

BELOW: Scenes from 2016’s Zoo Littles program.

Courtesy photos.

17

Taking shortcuts

You “Alt” + “Tab”-ed your way into my heart

Y

By Justin Agrell ou know what’s frustrating? Watching someone slowly use a computer. You know what’s better? Watching another person watching someone slowly use a computer — especially when the watcher is someone younger with short patience.

They’ll gaze on as the mouse cursor slowly ambles to the login page. After the user enters a name, the mouse begins to move again and the watcher’s internal scream becomes a barely audible rush of three syllables. “Just. Hit. Tab.” Next comes the password. It is entered, then the mouse begins to inch toward the “Submit” or “Login” button. “Just. Hit. Enter.”

Okay. Mission accomplished. Everyone moves on.

But wait, please, indulge me a second.

I

am writing this to suggest a better way.

Not just to make casual observers safe from witnessing a slow interaction but to work faster and give you more time in your life. Let’s pretend that the scenario is carried out on a computer running Windows. A new user generally isn’t aware of alternative browsers such as Firefox or Chrome, so they will try and open the blue “e” icon on the desktop. The default mouse settings for Windows call for a quick double-left-click of an icon. Many new users intuitively only single click the icon, and when that does nothing they tend to rapidly click the icon until something shows up. In many cases That’s why several copies of the browser will load.

One trick to avoid this is to use the mouse to single-left-click any icon on the desktop and use the arrow keys on the keyboard to change the highlighted icon to the desired one and then press the Enter key. If you want to be a true hacker try this (in Windows): Hold down the “Windows

• Copy highlighted text: Windows: “Control” + “C”, OS X: “Command” + “C” • Cut highlighted text: Windows: “Control” + “X”, OS X: “Command” + “X” • Paste text: Windows: “Control” + “V”, OS X: “Command” + “V” • Undo last edit: Windows: “Control” + “Z”, OS X: “Command” + “Z”

Two-bit Column Key” and then hit the “R”. This should automatically bring up the Run dialogue. From here type “http://google.com” and hit “Enter” to load Google with the default browser.

Nifty, right?

W

hen the inexperienced user fills out a form, they’ll often use their mouse for all navigation. Experienced users know that hitting the “Tab” key will automatically take your text cursor to the next input box. This can be a huge time saver. You may also hit the “Enter” key to submit the form instead of using the mouse to hit the submit button. This method works on almost any form submission on and offline (!) and on any operating system (!!) (though a Macintosh has a “Return” instead of “Enter”).

For clarification I should mention that many Windows shortcuts can be converted to Macintosh’s OS X by replacing the “Control” key with “Command” and the “Alt” keys with the “Option” key.

Here are a few quick examples of common keyboard shortcuts:

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18 • COLUMN • JUNE 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Another trick to moving around your desktop is switching applications. You can do this with “Alt” + “Tab” (or for more modern Windows “WindowsKey” + “Tab” and Mac’s “Command” + “Tab”). You may even close a window using Alt + F4 (if your keyboard has function keys) or try “Command” + “W” on Macintosh to close the current tab/ window or “Command” + “Q” to quit the program altogether. The last nifty trick is sadly Linux and Windows only. If you want to quickly snap a window to fill just the right side of the screen select the window, hold down “Windows-Key” and then hit the “Right-Arrow.” Follow the process but replace “Right-Arrow” for “Left-Arrow” to make the window fill the left side of the screen. I can’t tell you how often I use this. It is a wonderful way to help in transferring files and to have applications fully available to you when working with two at the same time.

B

oth Windows and Macintosh systems have long lists of shortcuts. So, too, do your favorite web browser. Between you and me, I use the “Alt” + “Left-Arrow” shortcut to go back to the previous webpage quite often. If you use a computer regularly, it’s worth it to take the time to learn a few keyboard shortcuts. It increases your productivity and, hey, it just may impress your peers. ***** You can find a list of OS X default shortcuts at Support.Apple.Com/en-us/HT201236. You can find Windows default shortcuts at Support.

Microsoft.Com/en-us/help/12445/windows-keyboard-shortcuts.

Justin Agrell has been a certified IT technician since 2005. He loves Linux, adventure motorcycling, and computer gaming. To get in touch just email him at Justin@U4E.US.

... FROM PAGE 13 “High School 9-1-1” 10 a.m. Saturday, June 17 This one lifts everyone’s expectations for youth today. These are some very fine youth who care, who learn, who have empathy, and put their skills to good use. It’s a documentary about a small community that doesn’t have the capabilities for emergency services, so highly tested high school students are trained and on call while they’re in class, responding to emergencies. Bring a gang with you, because you’re all going to love it. ~Audrey Mae “Dyna Does Dressage” 3 p.m. Saturday, June 17 (1/2 of double feature) If you have any knowledge of horses and dressage, you know horses’ necks slope up. Mules’ necks slope down, so the idea of training one for dressage is really amusing to horse people. And that’s what happens in this documentary. ~Audrey Mae “Sonic Sea” 3 p.m. Saturday, June 17 (1/2 of double feature) I’m an environmentalist, and I didn’t even know about this topic — the effect of military, commercial, and industrial noise on marine life. One thing I like is that it ends with positive solutions and hope and what we can do to make a difference for a quieter ocean. It’s a different kind of environmental film about a topic people might not be aware of. ~Shelley Bartolomeo “The Tiger Hunter” 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 17 It’s a cross-cultural kind of film about an Eastern Indian who comes to work in the USA. It’s set in the 1970s before a lot of folks came over to work in the engineering field. It’s very funny and inspirational. ~Mike Simonyi It couldn’t be more wonderful and beautiful. It’s a film with fantastic writing and acting. I can’t say anything else about it, though. You’ll have to see for yourself. ~Audrey Mae ***** An interview with Helen Stephenson, founder and director of the Prescott Film Festival.

What’s new or different at the 2017 Prescott Film Festival?

This year, we’re listening to what our audience has been telling us for the last few years, which is that they didn’t want to have to chose between films and workshops. This year, for the eighth Prescott Film Festival, we’re spreading out the festival from Friday night until the next Saturday, June 9-17. The workshops will be before the films,

Helen Stephenson. Courtesy photo. themselves. The weekend days will include several films in a row, but the other films will be spread out across the week. This year, all the films will be at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center.

People love that space. It’s comfortable and you can get a glass of wine and popcorn and snacks.

It’s a better overall film experience.

The audience we have here in Prescott isn’t, I don’t think, the typical film festival audience. I’m more typical of someone who will sit in the movie theater from 9 a.m. in the morning to 10 p.m. at night, get up the next day, and do that again. But that’s not for everyone. We’re opening up our audience based on the surveys we get back every year. … I also think a lot of our audience is local, which is why we’re really reaching out this year to Phoenix to hopefully get some people to come up out of the heat on either weekend.

In terms of the workshops, we’ve got some really great, gifted people, some flying in from L.A. And those workshops are a highlight for a lot of people.

What kind of special events surround this year’s screenings?

This year we added a gourmet dinner from Senses, a couple of chefs who’ve kind of taken Prescott by storm with their amazing pop-up dinners. We’ve paired their dinner with the screening of “That Day We Song,” a lovely musical from England about a couple who meets as adults after knowing each other in childhood. It’s a lovely film and there’ll be lovely food.

Our opening night film is “Alive and Kicking,”

a documentary about swing dance, and, I tell you, when you watch it, you feel like you need to move your feet by the end. We’ll have live music afterword and swing dance on stage and around the theater from the Northern Arizona University Swing Jacks and someone from Prescott’s Flying Nest Movement Arts, and afterword it’ll be opened up to everyone.

Friday, we have a wine tasting with the movie “Que Syrah, Syrah,” during which Michael Pierce from the Yavapai College wine program will talk about syrah.

I think the word’s getting out that a horse film does really well in Prescott. We had several films about horses that were submitted this year. We’re not the all-horse festival, but we did find a couple to include. There’s “Floating Horses,” which is about Casey Tibbs, who basically founded what we know as rodeo today. I actually found out about that film a couple of years ago and kept bugging the film maker to let us see it. By the time it plays here, it will have only been at four other festivals.

The filmmaker and several people who are interviewed in the film will be here in Prescott.

For “Getting Grace,” we’ll have Daniel Roebuck as a special guest. He’s probably the most famous person whose name you don’t know. He has something like 227 Internet Movie Database credits.

He’s a huge character actor who was on “Lost” and played Jay Leno in “The Late Shift.” He wrote, directed, stared in, and produced this film, so it’s a passion project for him and he’s very excited about it.

Closing night, we have the film “The Tiger Hunter,” a fantastic drama/comedy, and we have two of the actors coming from the film who’ll be at the cabaret party. That party has food furnished by El Gato Azul. ***** The Prescott Film Festival is June 9-17. Screenings are $12 apiece, $6 for students. Specials/ blocks of tickets are available. Workshops and student film screenings are free. Find out more at PrescottFilmFestival.Com. James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@Gmail.Com.

Visit PrescottFilmFestival.Com for the full schedule

5ENSESMAG.COM • JUNE 2017 • FEATURE • 19

Prescott Peeps: Cindy Timmerman & Ann McClain How long have you been cleaning the aquarium and taking care of the fish at the Prescott Public Library?

Timmerman: It’s been, what, 19 years?

McClain: We started out in August of 1998 with a 5 gallon tank upstairs.

Timmerman: Was that before I started? I remember a bigger tank, 15 gallons. Oh, well.

a lot of time I could come in every week, so the fish were something that, once a month, seemed pretty convenient. With Miss Kitty’s, I was going to donate some money to my friend’s favorite charity for her 50th birthday, went down there to do that, filled out an application, then started volunteering once a week.

McClain: Susan Smart, our manager at N.O.A.H., knew me from the Friends of the Library group.

She just asked for help. Once people How did you end up volunknow you’re up for volunteering, you teering to do that? get asked a lot more. Volunteering is McClain: Cindy and I met each very gratifying. It feels really good to other at a fish club in Prescott. help out animals and other people, Timmerman: I think we both just to give your time for that. answered the same ad in the paper Timmerman: You’re giving Ann McClain and Cindy Timmerman. Photo by 5enses. about the club. … It was a way to get back, helping animals and people together and talk about fish, exchange that need help and don’t have the fish and aquariums, and talk about the hobby.

Timmerman: The Lamp Eye Tetras were funds to do things without volunteers and charity.

McClain: We’d meet at someone’s house each interesting. They tend to hang out at the top of the If you believe in something or other, you should month, see their tank, and it’d go from there. tank. Usually there are some at the bottom and stick up for it, not sit back and say, “I hope someTimmerman: John Burton, the director of the some in the middle, so we thought it’d be good body does something about it,” and get out there library, said he didn’t have anybody to take care of to have some at the top, but we thought they’d be and help. the tank properly. Ann suggested someone from too little for the kids to see. Anyway, we bought the club do it each month, and she and I ended up like 20 of them, and the little kids, especially, love What advice have you gleaned over the being the only people that wanted to do it, so we them. They look up and say, “Oh, they’re baby fish.” years that might be useful for people? kept doing it.

McClain: It’s so cool to see them react to them.

McClain: Study the type of fish you’re getting Because we clean the tank after hours, we don’t before you buy them.

I’m sure you’ve gone through a lot of tanks usually get to see how the kids enjoy it. But, when Timmerman: We had a friend who died and and fish since then. we’ve been here during the day, it’s been really neat. had a big fish tank that her husband didn’t know Timmerman: There used to be a 130-gallon Timmerman: You know, when we started out, what to do with. We took some of the Giant Datank upstairs in the children’s area before they did we didn’t really know each other. I used to work full nios and put them in the library tank. At the time the remodel a couple of years ago. time and she was a mother. If it hadn’t have been we had bunch of little fish and, well, big fish will McClain: The tank that’s in front of the chilfor that fish club and cleaning the tank at the library, eat smaller fish. It’s the law of the land. We also dren’s play area today is acrylic, 150-gallon tank, I don’t know if we’d ever have gotten to know each had another fish in there who we called the yellow which is practically unbreakable. other. We’re two very different people. But once devil. Ann actually saw him grab and eat another Timmerman: It’s been where it is for two a month, for 19 years, we’ve cleaned the tank and fish. Constance, one of the librarians, saw him eat years. We told them it wouldn’t work there, that it gone out to dinner afterword. It’s been great. another fish, too. We had to get him out of there. needed to be against a solid wall, but they insisted … and after two years, we’ve adjusted to it. There’s I understand you both volunteer at What can you say about volunteering and a curved railing behind it with a play area above N.O.A.H. Thrift Store, as well. service in general? it and we do our best to keep toys and hands and Timmerman: We do it because of the animals. I McClain: People should donate their time, other things out of it. It’s definitely taken some used to volunteer for Miss Kitty’s Cat House, too, and even if it’s just an hour a month. troubleshooting. There are locks on it now.

Ann helped me part time with that. With N.O.A.H., Timmerman: You meet new people and learn McClain: It’s been a lot of fun. We clean the some of the money they make goes there, too. new things. It gets you out of the house. tank once a month after hours, add new fish, and McClain: I’m in charge of clothing there. I go McClain: And it makes you feel really good. change things around. in and pick out what can be sold. There are two Timmerman: It’s a social thing, too. I’d met Timmerman: Little kids love to go up to the stores — one with better quality brands — so I go some of the library staff through checking out tank — there are those stairs there — and they through donations and sort those items. books, but not like when I started cleaning the love to put their hands on the tank. We’ve slowly Timmerman: I usually run stuff out to the fish tank. And, one of the really good things about adjusted to see what fish can handle that stress. floor, just find a place for it. And I’m the big volunteering at the library is that people really Some have died and some have been taken out, but cleaner there, too. appreciate you. They do a lot of things for their the mix we have now is doing well. … It’s ultimatevolunteers here, including parties and even just ly the disposition of the individual fish, but some So why volunteer, at large? saying thank you. breeds are more gregarious than others. The Red Timmerman: I’ve always gone to the library.

McClain: They take good care of us.

Line Torpedo Barbs, in particular, seem to do well. Some of my first memories are of being in a liMcClain: The Green Cory Cats, Yoyo Loachs, brary, and I’ve always wanted to give back in some ***** and the Lamp Eye Tetra are hardy, too. way. When I was working full time, I didn’t have

20 • FEATURE • JUNE 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

Get Involved Arizona‘s Children Association Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Daniel Leavitt, and I’m the development director for Arizona’s Children Association. ... Our agency has been around for over 100 years inside Arizona and we’ve been active in Yavapai County for over 25 years. We have a really wide range of services related to child welfare and foster care placement. There’s a vetting process for that, naturally.

A lot of times people’s hearts are in the right place but it may not be the best time for them, personally, to do it. We’re here to help them with the process and figure out what’s best for their situation. It’s about quality and not about quantity.

We also have programs related to behavioral health educational development. One program we have, called Parents as Teachers, is where we have people go into family’s homes that might be at risk or have been targeted or have simply expressed interest in helping their child’s brain development or helping their child get ready to enter the school system without being behind. We have literacy programs and we try to help the parents be involved in their child’s development and educational well being from the beginning. ... We also have the New Direction Institute, which is all about early childhood brain development — not just plopping kids in front of the TV, but engaging them. ... There’s a program that helps kids that are currently teenagers in foster care that are phasing out to help them address what life is going to be like outside of the system.

There’s also the Thrive mentorship program. We educate the Thrive mentors to help them better understand what the children they’re mentoring are going through in foster care.

How can we get involved?

We’re always looking for potential Thrive mentors. Volunteering is tough, but I wouldn’t want to discourage it. We have some events, like our annual fundraiser at the Raven to help prevent child abuse. That’s one thing. There’s something called the Gifts of Hope Program. We take donations so families in need can have a quality holiday family time.

We really try to filter what their needs are versus their wants. That one’s been really successful and is a good way for people to get involved.

We’re a 501(c)3, and with the Arizona tax credit, that means you can get up to $400 a person state tax credits by donating to the Arizona’s Children Association. We get a lot of questions about what kind of commitment the mentorship program entails. We’re looking at two or three times a month to get together at some designated time. It’s very minimal and a lot of people who’ve done it say they didn’t feel like they did enough. What they may not realize, though, is that having that consistency in that child’s life is a big deal.

For someone who’s been in and out of foster care, that consistency is a big deal. Some people go hiking or to the movies or any number of things.

It’s another person in their life who shows them what life might be possible. … The best thing, though, is to call the office or look at our website and get an idea about what specific program you’re interested in. ***** Find out more about Arizona’s Children Association online at ArizonasChildren.Org or visit their office at 440 N. Washington Ave., 928-443-1991.

Prescott Indivisible Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Maria Lynam, and I’m on the communications and events committee and the steering committee of Prescott Indivisible. We’re a non-partisan group, a community, that seeks to promote a progressive and inclusive agenda in support of human rights and the environment.

The group formed after the Women’s march in January. We held our first meeting in the library in one of the Founders rooms and couldn’t believe that we reached capacity and still had people lined up outside the door waiting to get in. Right now, we’ve arranged to meet at the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation building at 882 Sunset Ave. Our meetings are always 6-7:30 p.m. the first Friday of the month. For the June meeting, for instance, we’ve invited our representative Paul Gosar to attend, so that one will be a town hall format.

Right now we have 600 people on our mailing list and average between 100 and 150 people at our meetings.

By progressive and inclusive, I should probably give a few examples. For instance our fight is for health care that everyone can participate in, not something that’s exclusively for the middle class and above. The group is also very concerned about the environment and recently participated in the Earth Day celebration downtown. We’ve also participated in the climate change march and the march for science. … During the May meeting we had the members split into focus groups and answer two main questions. One, where do you want the group to go? And two, should we get involved in local politics and if so, how? The answers to those questions will give us a direction to proceed.

How can we get involved?

Show up and volunteer. We’re an advocacy-based group. We have four active subcommittees: immigration, education, human rights, and the environment. As an example, our immigration subcommittee just published a card that has the rights of immigrants printed in English on one side and Spanish on the other.

That way, if an ICE agent is harassing them, they can pull out the card and just read the script from that.

On the education front, we’re very concerned about public education.

Our human rights committee, right now, is very focused on women’s rights and health care. And for the environment, we’re very concerned about the current review of federally protected lands and how they might be privatized for business. …

If you’ve got an idea, you can present it to the group and we’ll see if we can work on it. We don’t stifle any suggestions. Because we have a progressive agenda, that obviously attracts people of one party more than another, but we’re open to anyone with a progressive approach. … In the future, we’d like to have the city council candidates come speak about issues and debate, not just for us, but to the entire community. We care about the community and we care about the environment, and the only way to know what these candidates stand for and the issues they’re willing to fight for is to talk to them. ***** Find out more about Prescott Indivisible via their Facebook page or attend a meeting 6-7:30 p.m. the firs Friday of the month at Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation building at 882 Sunset Ave.

***** In these features, 5enses highlights individuals and organizations in the community that are making a difference. They were inspired by Alert Reader Aarti Pani and community leaders Sadira DeMarino and John Duncan. Thank you, Aarti, Sadira, and John.

Want to nominate a do-gooder or a doing-gooder group? Email tips to 5ensesMag@Gmail.Com with “Get Involved” in the subject line. Don’t like who we feature? Do some good deeds or start your own group and tell us about it. Remember, our community is whatever we make it.

5ENSESMAG.COM • JUNE 2017 • FEATURE • 21

T

he Cockatoo Squid is nearly clear and has a variety of quirky behavioral traits. It contains a sack of ammonium chloride in its body that it uses to maintain buoyancy. Whereas the Cockatoo Squid is capable of ejecting ink into the water when disturbed, it can also release the ink into its own body cavity, making it appear darker.

Not-asholy days

W

ithout a major holiday in sight — but, hey, make sure to call your dad — you could just get up, get out, and enjoy the wilds. Or you could scare up a few reasons to stay on the porch this month. Consider celebrating ...

ODDLY ENOUGH … The Cockatoo Squid has bioluminescent organs on the underside of its eyes. It’s believed that these light organs combined with its lack of pigment and the strange way the squid holds its arms, helps break up its silhouette as it is viewed from below. This makes it easier to hide from potential predators. *****

June 2: National Go Barefoot Day. (Cody Lundin, eat your heart out.)

June 5: World Environment Day. (More contentious than National Chocolate Ice Cream Day.) June 7: National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. (Less contentious than World Environment Day.) June 9: Donald Duck Day. (The No. 1 second banana.)

June 10: Iced Tea Day. (Home brew is the way to go.)

June 18: National Splurge Day. (Indulgences are for sale.)

June 19: World Sauntering Day. (Take it easy.)

June 21: Go Skating/ Skateboarding Day. (Take to the streets.)

T

he humble seahorse is actually a member of the pipe-fish family and can range in size from less than an inch to nearly a foot in length. Masters of camouflage, some seahorses can actually speckle themselves to resemble bubble patterns. Seahorses have no teeth and no stomach and must feed constantly to stay alive. They can consume as many as 3000 brine shrimp a day. Each eye moves independently, so this fish can look for prey and threats at the same time while remaining immobile. Females deposit their eggs into a frontal pouch on the male. When the eggs hatch, it’s the male that actually gives birth, releasing as few as five, or as many as 1,500 live baby seahorses into the ocean. The primary predator of seahorses are penguins, followed by crabs, tuna, and rays.

ODDLY ENOUGH … Each seahorse has a distinctive crown as individual as a human fingerprint. Researchers can identify individual animals in the wild with no other identifying marks then their heads. ***** Russell Miller is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, bagpiper, motorcycle enthusiast, and reference librarian. Currently, he illustrates books for Cody Lundin and Bart King.

22 • FEATURE • JUNE 2017 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

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Moonlight Join us for a howling good time!

Bring your flashlight and see some of the sanctuary’s nocturnal residents out and about under the full moon.

June 9 • July 8 • August 7• September 6 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm Special admission prices: Members $4, non-members $6, under 3 FREE

1403 Heritage Park Rd.; Prescott, AZ 86301 • www.HeritageParkZoo.org Phone: 928.778.4242 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by the community.