Lucky Dog Day at the WVCC

The Friends of Wonder Valley is sponsoring the Lucky Dog Event staring at 9 a.m., Saturday, October 3, 2020.

We'll have some free vaccinations and low-cost micro-chipping as well as free dog and cat food, leashes, collars, bedding and other pet supplies. First come, first served, and limited to Wonder Valley residents only.

All dogs are required to be on leashes and people attending must wear masks, practice strict social distancing, and follow instructions from the volunteers so the event can successful and repeated in the future.

Financial donations can be made to the Wonder Valley Lucky Dog fund via the Facebook fundraiser at https://www.facebook.com/donate/2731475913761358/ or to the sponsor, The Friends of Wonder Valley (please note that your donation is earmarked for the Lucky Dog Fund. If you provide a mailing or email address, a receipt will be sent to you.)

If you desire to directly donate pet food or supplies, they can be dropped off at the Wonder Valley Community Center on Saturday 9/19 and/or Saturday 9/26 from 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. You can also call 760- 865-9669 to arrange a pick-up or drop-off of pet donations.

Wonder Valley is a small unincorporated community of about 900 people. The city of Twentynine Palms is 15 miles west. Many of the residents of Wonder Valley are retirees, are disabled, or chose to live where their fixed income stretches further.

Nearly everyone we know has at least one rescue dog. Most of these dogs were abandoned in the desert of Wonder Valley. These dogs mean a lot to the people who rescued them, who are often very isolated, living at least 15 miles from the nearest store or gas station. Most people live on 5 acres, at least a quarter mile from their nearest neighbor. Their dogs are their dearest friends.

With Covid increasing their isolation, and adding financial strain, many residents find themselves having to choose between feeding their pets or themselves.

Contributions from other dog lovers would go a long way toward keeping pets and owners together, and both properly fed.

The Friends of Wonder Valley is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit in charge of the "Lucky Dog" dog food drive 

Event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1646688678826462

Fundraising:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/2731475913761358/

Wonder Valley Drive-Through Grocery Distribution

 

The Friends of Wonder Valley, in partnership with the 29 Palms Community Food Pantry and Outreach Ministries INC., will be distributing bags of groceries at 10:00 a.m. on WEDNESDAY, October 7, at the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526-½ Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277. The Community Center is next to the Fire Station. The event continues until 11 a.m., or until we’ve given out all the bags.

This food distribution is for Wonder Valley residents only. Please wear a mask and stay in your car.

We will need you to fill out a form for the 29 Palms Community Food Pantry and Outreach Ministries INC.

You may pick up ONE (1) bag for a neighbor, or they may pick up ONE (1) bag for you.

Please enter the access road at the WVCC sign and continue driving around the building until you stop behind the car in front of you. Stay to the inside of the curve (left) in case someone has to leave. Do NOT get out of your car. We will come around, take your name(s), and as you drive up to the loading zone, we’ll bring your bag(s) to your car. Please be patient and follow all instructions from the volunteers. This is to insure your safety and the safety of our volunteers and staff. Thank you.

The WVCC is CLOSED. The park is closed.

Desert Trail Column - September 16, 2020

Godwin Christian Fellowship, 6389 Godwin Road at 29 Palms Highway, will hold drive-in style church services this Sunday, September 20 beginning at 7:30 a.m. Everyone is asked to wear face coverings and to remain in their vehicles at all times. Please contact Pastor Max Rossi at Mrossi121@yahoo.com or 831-234-6848 or Brother Wally Currie at 760-449-8683 for further information.

The Drive-thru USDA Food Distribution will be held on Tuesday, September 22 outside our Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526 ½ Amboy Road at Blower Road, at 10 a.m. Enter the dirt access road just east of the community center and follow it around the building, exiting to the south. Everyone is required to wear a face covering and to remain in their vehicles at all times. Boxes will be loaded into your vehicle by volunteers – just let them know where to put them. The community center building remains closed.

Darlene’s Commentary: While rummaging through Shoebox #6 that was filled on June 6, 2020, I came across a Salty Senior Column by Jim Miller entitled “How to Make the Most of Your Telehealth Appointment.” I wondered “What is a telehealth?” I called my doctor’s office and asked. I was told that I needed a laptop, tablet, smartphone, computer, or any other remote communication device – such as a phone? Now you’re talking! I spoke to a sweet nurse with a tender-smile voice, with every question and answer clearly spoken and not rushed. And all without a single tablet, smartphone or other digital gadget in sight!

One good thing that is continuing during this pandemic is our road maintenance. Thank goodness for that! If you have any comments, requests, complaints, compliments, suggestions or inquiries about our road maintenance, leave a message for Dylan at 760-367-9880, 909-387-5940 or https://tinyurl.com/fixmyroad.

Handy Hint: Here is a lesser-known time saving secret about texting: Double-tapping the space bar on the keyboard when you finish a sentence adds a period and a space, and automatically capitalizes the next letter you type to start your next sentence.

Today’s Thought: Are you old enough to remember 1942? Millions of men were off fighting in World War II while women kept the defense economy going as welders, electricians and riveters; many items including sugar, coffee, cars, bicycles and stoves were rationed; Glenn Miller’s “Chattanooga Choo Choo” became the world’s first gold record; and Karen was born! Also, the following words and phrases appeared for the first time in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary: atomic reactor, bebop, blockbuster, bloodmobile, catbird seat, gizmo, knucklehead, maître d’, napalm, niacin, seat-of-the-pants, stacked, take-home pay, tommy-gun, tourist trap, tunnel vision, whiz kid and young adult.

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

Rainbow near the Valley Mountains, 2019

USDA Food Distribution - September.

 

PLEASE read below carefully.

The USDA Food Distribution will begin at 10:00 a.m. on TUESDAY, September 22, at the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526-½ Amboy Road, Wonder Valley CA 92277. The Community Center is next to the Fire Station. The event continues until noon, or until the food runs out, which has been happening lately, about 11:00 a.m.

This food distribution is for Wonder Valley residents only. Please wear a mask and stay in your car.

We will be taking PRECAUTIONS to protect YOUR and OUR health.

Please enter the access road at the WVCC sign and continue driving around the building until you stop behind the car in front of you. Stay to the inside of the curve (left) in case someone has to leave. Do NOT get out of your car. We will come around, take your name, give you a ticket(s), and then bring your box(es) to your car. Please be patient and follow all instructions from the volunteers. This is to insure your safety and the safety of our volunteers and staff. Thank you.

The WVCC is CLOSED. The park is closed.

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.

Desert Trail Column - September 9, 2020

If you are a senior or disabled adult, Reach Out Morongo Basin can help with free rides from your residence to non-emergency medical appointments, grocery stores or social services appointments. They also provide rides for medical appointments in the San Bernardino or Palm Springs areas. Their vans are COVID-19 compliant and safe and can accommodate wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Call 760-361-1410 for information or to schedule a ride.

 If you would like to help Wonder Valley residents feed and care for their pets in this financial crisis, please donate to the Lucky Dog Fund. Donations of pet food, leashes, collars, beds and/or money would be greatly appreciated. Please go to wondervalley.org to read about this special appeal. You may send checks to PO Box 1704, Twentynine Palms CA 92277.

 Godwin Christian Fellowship, 6389 Godwin Road at Highway 62, will hold drive-in style church services this Sunday, September 13 beginning at 7:30 a.m. Everyone is asked to wear a face covering and to remain in their vehicles at all times. Please contact Pastor Max Rossi at Mrossi121@yahoo.com or 831-234-6848 or Brother Wally Currie at 760-449-8683 for further information.

 We send out Rainbows-of-Sapphires-and-Asters to Sherry Hague who celebrates her special day this week. Happy birthday, Sherry!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Karen’s Commentary:  Are you tired of wearing a mask? ME, TOO! But it’s a small price to pay if it keeps everyone safer. If your glasses tend to steam up with each breath, slide them down your nose slightly.

Darlene’s Commentary:  I’m so happy that the thermometer will be dropping toward double-digits! This summer was a doozy and I sure look forward to cooler days. Thanks, Mother Nature! By next summer I plan on owning a new igloo somewhere.

 Friends of Wonder Valley is a local non-profit with the primary goal of improving the lives of Wonder Valley residents. They have done many things of a very helpful nature, constantly coming up with new and unique ideas for our little corner of the world. We thank them for all they’ve done and all they plan to do. Please donate to this fantastic organization by going to wondervalley.org or www.friendsofwondervalley.org, or by mailing donations to PO Box 1704, Twentynine Palms CA 92277.

 Handy Hint:  If someone in your house loves milk and loves it VERY cold, here is a great solution. Make ice cubes out of milk, then add a few to each freshly-poured glass. And of course this will never water down the milk like regular ice cubes would.

Today’s Thought:  “If dogs could talk, it would take a lot of fun out of owning one.” – Andrew A. Rooney

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

Desert Trail Column - September 2, 2020

Godwin Christian Fellowship, 6389 Godwin Road at Highway 62, will hold drive-in style church services this Sunday, September 6 at 7:30 a.m. Everyone is asked to wear a face covering and to remain in their vehicles at all times. Please contact Pastor Max Rossi at Mrossi121@yahoo.com or 831-234-6848 or Brother Wally Currie at 760-449-8683 for further information.

 Since the birthstone for September is the sapphire and the flower is the aster, we send out Rainbows-of-Sapphires-and-Asters to Scott Kelso and Cheryl Davies who celebrate their special days this week. Happy birthday, Cheryl and Scott!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Karen’s Commentary:  I had the pleasure of meeting two very nice gentlemen last week. They are Mitch and Phil from the musical group Wayland. My son Jerry had met them when they first visited the Morongo Basin and fell in love with our desert. They then moved from L.A. to Joshua Tree and are having  a great time “seeing the sights” while settling in. During this time, Jerry directed me to some youtube videos of them and I discovered just how talented they are. I suspect that I am the world’s oldest living heavy metal/hard rock fan, and their music is right up my alley! I got their CD “Rinse and Repeat” and I love it – in fact, it is playing right now. I’m telling you, they’re good! And here’s the surprise:  In person, they’re very sociable, mannerly, fun to talk to – the kind of people it is a joy to meet. You’d never dream they are celebrities of any kind – no arrogance or fancy airs whatsoever. My new favorite rock band!

 We believe the MBTA Ready Ride is still operating in Wonder Valley, transporting you to any business in Twentynine Palms, but not on the Base. Pickup at your home is at 7 a.m. and drop off back at your home is at noon on Tuesdays and Fridays. On the first Wednesday of each month pickup is at the same time, but dropoff is at 1 p.m. Cost per ride for adults is $5; for seniors (60+) or disabled adults it’s $2. Call 760-366-2395 for further information or to schedule a ride.

 Handy Hint:  Plain old baking soda has a lot of uses. Two of the lesser-known ones are:  Brush into pet beds and mattresses to zap odors, wait 15 minutes, then vacuum. And -- One pinch of baking soda will mellow any harsh flavors, like in bitter tea, and you’ll never taste it.

 Today’s Thought:  A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep its eyes on the spot where the crack was.

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