Who Passed This Way?

This is a sign at the Poste Homestead that clarifies various acts protecting things (including old tin cans) you might find in the desert. It reads:

Who Passed This Way?

Archaeological resources are fragile and irreplaceable. The Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 protect them for the benefit of all Americans.

Please Don't Erase The Traces of America's Past
Any person who, without authorization, excavates, removes, damages, or otherwise alters or defaces any historic or prehistoric site, artifact or object of antiquity on the public lands of the Unites States is subject to arrest and penalty of law.

United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management

Wonder Valley Community Cleanup

This event will be held:

Saturday, February 20, 2016
8 a.m. to Noon, at:
The Wonder Valley Community Center
80526-1/2 Amboy Road, Wonder Valley

Download and print the FLYER: 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ej96hfu5ilf7ev/WONDER%20VALLEY%20COMMUNITY%20CLEANUP_approved.docx?dl=0

Third District Supervisor James Ramos, together with San Bernardino County Code Enforcement will be providing free tire and trash collection bins for members of the Wonder Valley community. Please bring your trash and tires to the designated containers at the Wonder Valley Community Center.
   
This program is limited to the residents of Wonder Valley. We cannot accept commercial or industrial waste from any business/residence. If you have over-sized or hard to handle loads, you may be diverted directly to the landfill. Please remember to safely secure and properly cover your loads prior to traveling to the event.
   
Tires with rims or exceeding the maximum size is 11" x 25.5" will not be accepted.

Please note, it is unlawful to transport more than 9 tires at a time.  If you have more than 9 tires to dispose of, please contact Joana at (909) 884-4056 prior to the event.

Please bring your trash, debris, old appliances, yard waste, furniture, and any other items that would be accepted at the landfill.

Please DO NOT PLACE the following hazardous materials in these designated containers:
Motor oil, oil filters, antifreeze, gasoline, clothes irons, space heaters, drain cleaners, pesticides/fertilizers, florescent lights, wood preservatives, pool & hobby supplies, auto & furniture polish, paint, paint products, and paint thinners.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
Safely dispose of toxic chemicals in your home on the third Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Hazardous Household Waste Disposal, 62499 Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua Tree. For more information call (800) 645-9228.

E-WASTE DISPOSAL
An electronic waste recycler will also be available on site to accept household electronics from 8 am-4pm.

Please call Code Enforcement at 909-884-4056 and ask for Tina or Joana if you have any additional questions.

Desert sign post

I found this sign on Amboy going west, between Allen and Gammell. It was flapping in the wind so I stuck a stick in the frame to hold the paper up. It looks like it's been there for some time.

This is Volume 3 - No. 1, the FINAL and EXTRA issue. Weather: Unsettled.

THE ELEMENTS SHALL MELT WITH FERVENT HEAT

This underwater atomic blast is one of many that have been conducted by the U.S. and Russia. Intense heat melts the elements - an amazing sign emphasizing Bible predictions:

"The heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (2 Peter 3:10).

Lupine

We went on a walk through a wash near Highway 62 today. We found lots and lots of wildflowers growing, and lots of desert LUPINE! I've never seen it here before. This specimen was as big as my hand. Wildflowers will be amazing this spring.

Desert Trail Column, January 7, 2016

The WEMO Letter-Writing Drop-In is being held from 9 to noon on Saturday, January 9 at our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road. If you are concerned about ORV routes on our roads, stop in for information and assistance. The deadline for public comments is January 25.

The USDA Food Distribution will take place on Monday, January 11 at our community center from 11 to noon. The He Provides Ministry will also be there with free clothing and household items for anyone needing them. For information about the food, call 760-367-9880. For information about the clothing, call 763-213-3852.

The Basinwide MAC meeting will be held at the Joshua Tree Community Center on (6171) Sunburst Road on Monday, January 11 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Our Wonder Valley Representative Teresa Sitz will be there, and everyone is invited to attend.

We send out belated wishes to Kip Fjeld who celebrated his special day last week. Happy belated birthday, Kip!

Karen’s Commentary: Now that El Niño time is upon us, be aware that the following roads will be the first to be cleared following bad storms:  Blower, Gammel, Godwin, Naborly, Parker, Pipeline, Shadow Mountain, Shelton, Steeg, Two Mile, Valle Vista and Wilson. The remaining roads will be cleared as time and weather permits.

Darlene’s Commentary: It seems like almost everyone caught a respiratory bug of some kind this Christmas. My son, Ian Taylor Parris, formerly known as “Dr Beeper” in his very early years, shared with me a homemade inexpensive remedy that works better than over-the-counter cough syrup. It tastes yummy, too. It’s called pineapple juice! When a coughing fit starts, drink about eight ounces of pure pineapple juice and it calms the cough, adds mega-vitamin C, soothes the throat and has antioxidants and a natural ingredient that reduces inflammation in the throat and chest. And little kids as well as big adult kids find pineapple juice as a sweet refreshing treat. Give it a try!

If you own a computer or have access to one, check out http://wondervalleycsa.blogspot.com. It is loaded with a wealth of information about Wonder Valley, along with some fun stuff to read. Ken and Teresa Sitz do a terrific job keeping it interesting.

Handy Hint: To remove a too-tight ring, slip an 8” length of floss under the ring and snugly wind it around the lower part of your finger (including the knuckle) to temporarily bind it. Quickly slide the ring off your tightened finger, then unwind the floss. This really works!

Thought for Today: What do you call it when a cowboy marries a cowgirl? A Western Union.

Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the WONDERs all around us.

Wonder Valley sunrise

Promising wildflower season

I don't know about you, but we're seeing all kinds of new growth on the property, plants we've never seen before, in places we've never seen anything grow before. We're hoping the heavy rains in the summer, and the promised rains this winter, will bring a bumper crop of wildflowers. We even have a desert lily on our property for the first time ever!
-TSS

MAC Meeting - Monday, January 11, 2016

The Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), representing nine unincorporated communities in the Morongo Basin including Wonder Valley, meets Monday evening, January 11, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. at The Joshua Tree Community Center, 6171 Sunburst Avenue in Joshua Tree. Everyone is welcome and invited to attend and participate.

Pat Flanagan will be presenting on the BLM's WEst MOjave (WEMO) plan.

Agenda for the January 11, 2016 meeting
Minutes for the November 9, 2015 meeting