Wonder Valley, California, in the heart of the Mojave Desert, is a rural community of artists, musicians, and other desert dwellers. Visit the Palms Restaurant, the Glass Outhouse Gallery, and the Wonder Valley Community Center. Visit the beautiful Pinto and Bullion mountains. Minutes from Joshua Tree National Park and the Gateway to the Mojave Preserve.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Desert Trail Column - November 7, 2019
The Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meeting
will take place on Monday, November 11 at the Joshua Tree Community Center,
6171 Sunburst Road, at 5:30 p.m. Our representative Steve Reyes invites
everyone to attend. You may participate if you like, or just sit back and
listen. Steve presents issues and concerns of Wonder Valley residents to our
San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe. Contact Steve at stevenr26251@outlook.com.
Karen’s Commentary: Well,
the Weed Show has come and gone, but the grin on husband Ted’s face will remain
for many moons! He had nine entries and walked away with six ribbons – three first
place, one second place and two third place! And he came “this close” to
winning the People’s Choice this year, missing it by one single vote – what a
heartbreaker. And Dar had a great entry, too, that I think would’ve won a
ribbon if the story of the items displayed could have been included as part of it.
So the absence of a ribbon doesn’t really matter because we both know it’s a
winner!
Friends of Wonder Valley is a non-profit organization with
the sole purpose of enhancing the lives of people living and working in Wonder
Valley. That’s pretty remarkable! The organization is pretty much the “unsung
hero” that operates behind the scenes – not a lot of people actually know how
much they have done, and continue to do, for our community. We sincerely thank
them for their many hours of work. Donations are always welcome, no matter the
amount. Go to wondervalley.org to learn more and/or to donate.
Until next time . . . remember to take time to enjoy the
WONDERs all around us.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Artist Spotlight : Laura Harmondale
Ronnie : Laura, tell me, what do you absolutely love about music?
Laura: Music is a magnifier for whatever you're feeling, a spiritual balm in an otherwise harsh and mundane world. It can be wonderfully therapeutic to hear your own pain and joy reflected in the art of another human, expressed from that human's own unique perspective. It will burrow inside your soul and build a nest there. It's a familiar old friend that's always there for you and asks for little in return but respect.
It's a form of alchemy that helps us affirm we are not alone in the world. We're alone together! Almost all of my friends came into my life through my love affair with music.
Ronnie: Not everyone can live in the desert. What brought you here and how does the desert color your music/songwriting?
Laura: first moved here in 2005 from Cleveland, OH. Call it a soul journey...I knew I would die if I didn't make a huge life change. (Everyone's seen the infamous Cleveland Tourism youtube videos, right? If not, go have a laugh!) I'm highly sensitive to my environment, and sensory overload can easily depress me and activate my anxiety. The desert was the perfect place to escape, spiritually detox and start over. The quiet, misunderstood and alien landscape of Joshua Tree seemed to understand and offer a solution. Things were a little slower in the desert then. I hung around for 5 years channeling the songs that would become my first album, Spirit of 73. I joined my first band, singing harmonies in a rock & soul group that had its first gigs at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace. During this time I was fortunate enough to be invited to live at a local friend's ranch, which was a vital incubation period for my soul. I did a lot of growing there to evolve into the person I needed to become to fulfill my life's purpose...but I still had a long way to go.
In 2010 I moved to Nashville to work on the production team of the Music City Roots show. I made some great connections, but decided to return to the desert in 2018 after my riverside cabin home flooded. I lost almost everything including a pickup truck and an 27-foot RV, which actually flooded all the way up to the roof! The neighboring Amish community graciously took me in for awhile and nurtured me while I figured out my next move. Where else do you go to dry out after such a wet disaster? I'm happy I came back to the desert. Even if it means I have to endure a few upturned noses and interrogations from the new wave of desert scenesters who think I'm another newbie or LA transplant. High desert dwellers can be very territorial, and understandably so, because we have something rare to protect. It's healthy to remember that there's always someone who was here before you.
Ronnie: Artists sometimes see their music differently than listeners, how would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?
Laura: It's basically folk country with influences across the board of roots & "Americana" music...I love bluegrass & Appalachian sounds, classic 60's & 70's country, 90's "alt-country", classic rock, indie rock and I even had my punk rock phase in my teenage years. I don't try to make my music sound like anything in particular, but I trust the songs that come to me; they're like a crystalized composite of everything I've ever loved. I ask the songs what they want and need and let them just become.
Ronnie: I know we share a lot of friends from different Gram Parsons groups, does his music influence your work in any way?
Laura: Absolutely, in fact he's made more of an impact on me than any other artist. I wouldn't have been aware of Joshua Tree if not for Gram's legendary life story. How can you feel such a close connection with someone who checked out almost decade before you were born? Gram wrote in one of his journals that 100 years from now he would be a magician. And that proved to be true; we now have several generations of musicians that credit him as a catalyst to their art. Obviously he was super aware and understood the everlasting and far-reaching power of music, and that he would be an influencer long after death. He knew what he was doing.
Ronnie: We all have music heros, I'm betting we share a few. Tell me about your music heroes.
Laura: Gram & Emmylou, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, Jay Farrar, Jim Lauderdale, Charlie Louvin (actually got to perform with him at Spaceland, his last show in LA before he passed away), Victoria Williams. There are so many more but I owe a lot to these particular path-pavers.
Ronnie: We live in crazy times. Do you feel music can be a force for change?
Laura; Yes, a change of heart, social change... it's an excellent vehicle for propagating a message. It's too bad it is rarely utilized that way. The pop music dominating the airwaves currently feels very low-vibrational to me, like they're trying to hypnotize the masses with oversexualized and violent programming. There's definitely a dark agenda there. The other side is that we now have tools literally at our fingertips which bring production and distribution straight into the hands of the creators. The outreach potential of your message is limitless. So it's more vital than ever that we take special care with the messages we are propagating!
Ronnie: You stay so busy, what are you working on now?
Laura: I've been tracking a new album, Old Cardinal Gem Mine, at Red Barn Recorders in Morongo Valley. It will be my first full length release since 2011. These are songs mainly composed in two different cabins; my former TN home before it flooded, and a primitively off-grid tinyhome on the Appalachian trail, which triggered an abundant flow of ideas, since I was so off-grid I had to drive 5 miles to send a text or phone call. The rest of my time was spent collecting and filtering creek water to drink, and gathering fallen firewood for the woodburning stove, my only heat source (besides the 7 feral cats hanging out there). One of the tracks, Better Way to Fall, was composed in another off-grid home in the Amish community, where I was allowed to live for almost a year, housesitting for a traveling family. That was an incredible experience!
Ronnie: What is your favorite song you've written and why?
Laura: My favorite song is usually the one I'm currently working on. A favorite from my upcoming album is the title track, Old Cardinal Gem Mine. It's a sweet and simple reflection on a precious afternoon spent with my mom in the Blue Ridge mountains at a little roadside gemstone mine operated by two children and their grandmother. I was touched by the way they make their living in the isolated North Carolina mountains. Sometimes you want to change the whole world but it's only within your power to affect the person sitting next to you. What would the world be like if we all did that? I'm anxious for the album to come out...I hope people will hear the song and flock to the gem mine!
Ronnie: Thanks for the conversation Laura, I look forward to hearing the new songs!
Follow Laura on Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Ronnie Ruff
Wonder Valley California
Friday, November 1, 2019
MBHD Mobile Medical Van
The Morongo Basin Healthcare District Mobile Medical Unit will be at the Wonder Valley Community Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on TUESDAY, November 19 , 2019. The WVCC is at 80526-1/2 Amboy Road, in Wonder Valley -- next to the old fire station.
This coincides with the Salvation Army Food Distribution.
A Nurse Practitioner will be on board, providing primary medical care and screenings, and if necessary, prescribing lab tests and refilling prescriptions. Some immunizations are available.
Medi-Cal, IEHP and most insurances are accepted. A discounted fee-for-service is available for those without insurance. Care is provided regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
Appointments are encouraged. To schedule an appointment, call 760-365-9305.
Walk-ins will be accepted as time permits.
Morongo Basin Healthcare District seeks to improve the health and wellness of residents who live within its designated boundaries. Services of the healthcare district include the Morongo Basin Community Health Center with offices in Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley; and LIFT Transportation Services, providing free, non-emergency transportation to medical appointments. Business offices of the Morongo Basin Healthcare District are located at 6530 La Contenta Road, Suite 100 Yucca Valley | 760.820.9229 | http://www.MBHDistrict.org
Salvation Army Food Distribution, Wednesday, November 20
The distribution is first come first served, and ends when there is no more food. The distribution is open to Wonder Valley residents, who self-certify on site. No documentation is required, though you will need to fill out a form the first time you attend.
The distribution will be “shopping style.” You will take what you like from a selection of food from Trader Joe’s. Please be mindful that people behind you need food, as well, and only take what you need. There may also be a selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.
USDA Food Distribution, November 19, 2019
The USDA Food Distribution will begin at 9:00 a.m. and ends at noon on TUESDAY, November 19, at the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526-½ Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277. The Community Center is next to the Fire Station.
Low income Wonder Valley residents self-certify on site. No ID or other documentation is required. You may pick up ONE (1) box for a neighbor, or they may pick up ONE (1) box for you, IF a signed pick up form is presented. One pick up per person. Pick up forms are available online at http://tinyurl.com/wv-pickup-form. They are also available at the WVCC on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., and at the kiosk outside the WVCC the week before the event.
For more information, call Teresa Sitz at (760) 367-9880.
The text below is required.
Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Well Owners Association this coming Sunday, 11/2
Dear fellow well owners,
Our fall meeting will take place at 4:00 p.m., this coming Sunday, November 3, 2019 at the Godwin Christian Fellowship hall, 6389 Godwin Road, in Wonder Valley.
I attempted to call some of you but my reception has been so bad the last few days it was not possible to communicate.
I do hope you will be able to attend and bring a well owning neighbor.
Your reply by email if you will be attending [or not,]will be appreciated.
We expect to discuss SB 307 among other things.
President Max Rossi asked that if anyone has any issues they'd like to be put on the agenda to let us know.
As has been the custom we will be collecting $5 dues for the coming year. If you are unable to attend, you may mail your dues to:
Dale Basin Well Owners Association
7446 Bonnie Dunes Road
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
If you need to know your dues status, you may email me. Calling has been difficult this week, but you are welcome to try.
Olympia Rossi
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