Desert Trail, April 14, 2016

On Saturday, April 16, two things will take place at our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road. Fire extinguisher training will be held from 10 to 2. You must RSVP for this training. Contact Teresa Sitz at teresa.sitz@gmail.com or call 760-865-9550. Then the Emergency Medical Responder training information session will be held from 2 to 4. Actual training will take place from June 13 through July 13.

The USDA Food Distribution will take place on Monday, April 18 at our community center from 10:30 to 12:30. The He Provides Ministry will also be there with free clothing and household items for anyone needing them.

We send out Rainbows-of-Diamonds-and-Sweet-Peas to Diane Brooks, Penny Root and Lonnie Casper who celebrate their special days this week. Happy birthday to all of you!

And speaking of special days, this week brings our fourth anniversary of writing this column!  We are two of three daughters of Louise Borquez who wrote this column for 18 years, so we are just following in her footsteps. Our baby sister Donna, who used to be a Wonder Valleyite but now lives in Yucca Valley, gets a special preview of our column every week. We hope all of you enjoy reading our column as much as we enjoy writing it.

Darlene’s Commentary: Have you ever had a vehicle problem, been stuck in the sand or become lost on sandy desert roads? Summer and triple-digits are unforgiving, and being prepared for the unexpected could save your life! Place these seven items in your trunk:  Two gallons of water, a wide-brimmed hat, cellphone with car-charger, a shovel, two pieces of old carpeting, a bright-colored blanket or tarp and a flashlight with extra batteries.

Karen’s Commentary: Many thanks to Jan Peek for stamps, coupons and cards, and to Rebecca Ardelino and Sue Kizer for cards. I just sent coupons to US military bases in Weisbaden, Ansbach, Bamburg, Grafenwaehr and Illesheim, Germany; Okinawa, Yokohama, Yokosuka, Yokota, Atsugi and Ikego, Japan; Alconbury, UK; Brussels, Belgium; and Gaeta, Italy. If you’d like to do this, go to www.ocpnet.org. Postage is the same as sending local.

The Food for Life Ministry is still looking for a home, and we’re hoping it will be our community center! In the meantime, they are serving free hot meals at Luckie Park from noon to 2 every
Saturday, and delivering meals to shut-ins. Call 760-361-1410.

Handy Hint: Use a vegetable peeler to shave long, thin slices of cheese from a block, or to slice cold, hard butter into thin strips.

Thought for Today: Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.

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

Sun as seen through a recent sandstorm in Wonder Valley