Gratitude, despite it all
Thanksgiving Issue - 2021
The weather has been absolutely perfect in Phoenix for a solid month. Cool mornings. Less than hot during the days. At night, we’ve been opening all the windows in our house, which is great until I forget they’re open and start yelling at the ball game on TV.
Due respect to football, but I’m already excited about basketball season. It always brings back a piece of myself to myself. The game of basketball has taken on something of a spiritual connection for me. Present in different ways at different stages of my life. In tough times, there was always solace to be found at a park somewhere, to absorb my mind in the familiar routine of shooting baskets.
The world doesn’t seem too stable, lately, and … well, I guess that’s just the way it goes.
I’m grateful for the real world conversations I’ve had with folks recently. There are plenty of reasonable and thoughtful people out there. More than you would guess from looking at the contrived world of glowing screens.
One of the things I like about teaching is getting to know people. A school is a type of community. To teach is to foster an academic experience while managing a delicate interpersonal ecosystem. When it all clicks, it’s magical. Of course there are ups and downs, and the downs are pretty grim. What can I say — I’m thankful for the experience.
When I walk the dog I like to wave and nod to the neighbors. There’s always someone putting up Christmas lights or teaching their kids how to ride a bike or something like that. On these walks, it’s easy to forget about the world at large. So I’m thankful for my dog for getting me out of the house.
I’m thankful for books and podcasts and Substacks and for all the people putting their time and energy into creative projects. For every troll on the internet, there is a good book to read.
Music. I’m thankful for good music and dedicated musicians.
Last year, Wendy and I made our own Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever due to quarantine. Normally we don’t cook much for Thanksgiving, and nobody in our family minds this fact. The food last year wasn’t nearly as tasty, but it was special in its own way. Still, I’m glad to be back to family gatherings this year.
I could go on, but you catch my drift.
Thanks for being a Cholla Express reader, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Cactus of the Month
The organ pipe cactus is a very cool looking plant. I’ve started to notice more of these in people’s desert landscapes. They’re as tall as trees, with some growing as high as 40 feet.
The one pictured above, via the National Park Service, is especially thick. You’re more likely to see them half this width.
The senita cactus is a similar “columnar” species, and it’s quite possible I’m mistaking the senita (or another species altogether) for the organ pipe I think I’m seeing in people’s yards. If anyone knows better, or if you have also seen these organ-pipe-looking cacti around town, please leave a comment on this post. The senita’s columns are smoother and they grow longer white spines on the top parts.
The iconic saguaro joins the organ pipe and the senita in the columnar cactus family.
Native to southern Arizona and Mexico, the organ pipe cactus is the namesake of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, located 100 miles west of Tucson along the Arizona-Mexico border. The desert preserve was established in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
This is probably too obvious to be mentioned, but the organ pipe cactus takes its name from the musical instrument. To see the musical instrument in person while enjoying a pizza, visit the Organ Stop Pizza restaurant in Mesa. That link will take you to the history of the restaurant, which has operated in the Valley since 1972.
Links and News
The city of Peoria is testing a driverless shuttle called RoboRide Medical, which launches this month. “The vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals. It runs on a preprogrammed route and will always have an attendant,” reports KTAR. As discussed in the transportation issue of this newsletter, I think driverless shuttles are the logical future of public transit.
More than a market: South Central Mercado nurtures entrepreneurs in south Phoenix
This is a fun and quick read: The Phoenix area isn’t exactly known for its Thanksgiving traditions, but we have a few.
Water updates: California, Arizona and Nevada in talks on new plan to save Colorado River water
Life finding a way: Study finds California condors can have ‘virgin births’, from the Associated Press via KJZZ:
“With 10-foot (3-meter) wingspans, California condors are the largest flying birds in North America. They once ranged throughout the West Coast. But only 22 survived in the 1980s when the U.S. government captured them and placed them in zoos for captive breeding. About 160 were bred at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.
There are now more than 500 California condors, including more than 300 that have been released into the wild in California, Arizona, Utah and Mexico.
The asexual reproduction was discovered some years ago during widespread testing of genetic material collected over decades from condors, both living and dead, in breeding programs and in the wild.”
There’s a farmers market in downtown Phoenix every Saturday from 8am - 1pm. This mural is attached to the building that used to be the Phoenix Public Market restaurant before it shut down.