2016-10 5enses by 5enses

ALAN DEAN FOSTER rewires tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s robots, today P.10

REVA SHERRARD hunts down fine tales from frozen finials P.20

ROBERT BLOOD strings together new art with the Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists P.16

OCTOBER 2016 | VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 | 5ENSESMAG.COM

YCPAC PRESENTS CABARET SERIES 25 th anniversary Season

YCPAC christens its Cabaret Series with the Australian Jazz pianist who became the toast of the Big Apple. Matt Baker, with bassist Jim Cammack and drummer Darrian Douglas, capture the contemporary spirit of New York jazz.

Desserts, coffee, and cash bar. First-come, first-seated.

Yavapai College Performing Arts Center 1100 E. Sheldon St., Prescott, AZ 86301

Buy tickets at YCPAC.com

BOX OFFICE: 928-776-2000 | Toll-free: 877-928-4253 | Monday-Friday 10am-4pm

5enses October MMXVI Volume IV, Issue X

Mara Trushell

In which:

4 19 5 20 6 7 10 11 14 + 16 8/9 18 22 Markoﬀ Chaney

ﬁnds fronds unlike any others across time and space in her own backyard

Al Lodwick

ﬁnds that ﬁnding found objects makes you lose yourself in thought, and things

Reva Sherrard

gets ready for the winter with a loud bird that inspired a loud cartoon

grounds herself in old stories with new meanings, goddess willing

Peregrine Book Co. staﬀ

reads into the meaning within books instead of judging them by their covers

Kathleen Yetman

COVER IMAGE: The Dynamite Demon of Whiskey Row. Photo by David Cottle.

harvests seasonal squash and squishes sweet and savory culinary customs

Alan Dean Foster

discovers the “8 foot” measurement of his new robot is quite literal

James Dungeon

recalls tales dearly imparted for the ghostly, not ghastly “Week of the Dead”

Ty Fitzmorris

weathers winnowing in the wilds and sees sea changes on the horizon

Robert Blood

Left Brain/Right Brain

strings together a few stories from the Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists

Paolo Chlebecek

Discover events around Greater Prescott via a pop-sci metaphor

Oddly Enough

blows the lid oﬀ of an explosive story about the bomb in your front pocket

Smart, quirky comics about the strange-but-true by Russell Miller

“What’s in store for me in the direction ion I don’t don t take ?” ? ~Jack Kerouac

“Outside the Lines” by the Contemporary Printmakers of Prescott October 27—November 22 Reception Friday October 28th 5 – 7 PM M

Jack Kerouac by Steve Straussner

In the ‘Tis Art Center Main Gallery 105 S. Cortez St. Prescott www.TisArtGallery.com

Adorn Your Lifestyle Buy | Sell | Trade •

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5ENSESMAG.COM • OCTOBER 2016 • CONTENTS • 3

By Mara Trushell he Arizona landscape is ornamented with a wide spectrum of charismatic plants. The bold blossoms of the Saguaro; the magnificent flowers, fruit, and form of prickly pear; and vast Ponderosa Pine forest are all symbolic of Arizona flora. Included within this diverse landscape are the less symbolic, equally magnificent, and possibly unexpected species of ferns. The extant fern families are traceable through the fossil record back around 362 million years, during the late Carboniferous period. For perspective, this would be 117 million years prior to the first dinosaurs. During this Era of Ferns, the landscape was dominated by ferns of all sizes. Impressively, some species even grew up to 26 feet tall with fronds (leaves of a fern) up to 16 feet. Keep in mind that the distribution of flora was significantly different and the atmospheric O2 and water concentration during this time period was much higher in comparison to today. The fossil record shows that ferns continued to dominate the landscape for about 72 million years before Gymnosperms (conifers) began to appear. The landscape was shared between the two for the next 145 million years. As continents continued to shift and climates became more arid, angiosperms (flowering plants) finally began to appear (217 million years after the first ferns). Records also show that it was only after the spread of an-

Plant of the Month

Ferns Spiny Cliffbrake with Claret Cup Cactus. Photo by Mara Trushell. giosperms across the landscapes that ferns were able to successfully progress out of tropical conditions into a wide variety of niches. Ferns are now an extensive and diverse group of plants, second only to angiosperms. Ferns grow in all environments (Antarctica aside), and more than 11,000 living species have been identiﬁed worldwide.

he largest diversity of ferns is still found in tropical environments, but within arid environments, such as Arizona, unique species with specialized adaptations exist. One common

adaptive strategy is a quick response to moisture, where during months of elevated moisture they thrive as delightful fiddlenecks and expansive fronds, enveloping a once-barren forest floor, then die back when moisture is insufficient. Other species have evolved specialized physical adaptations such as thick waxy coatings on leaflets (e.g., Cliffbrake, Pellaea) or leaf reduction (e.g., Lip Fern, Cheilanthes). These physical adaptations reduce water loss thus supporting spores for reproduction and sustaining the plant throughout the year, even during periods of low moisture. Each species, no matter its adaptations, adds delightful variety across an already diverse landscape through delicate details tucked in-between rocks or spreading across the forest floor during rainy seasons. ***** Visit the Highlands Center for Natural History at 1375 Walker Road, 928-776-9550, or Highlands Center.Org. Mara Trushell, education director at the Highlands Center for Natural History, grew up in Prescott surrounded by its natural wonder and now teaches through science and nature to inspire new wonder in current and future generations.

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4 • FEATURE • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

By Al Lodwick s their name implies, Acorn Woodpeckers inhabit the Oak and PinyonJuniper woodlands found in the Prescott area. They make use of dead Ponderosa Pines (called snags) for storing acorns, their winter food. These birds have a complex and variable social structure. Sometimes they will live as a mated pair and raise their young on their own. In other instances, they may have a commune of up to 20 individuals with young of mixed parentage and subordinate adults assisting in feeding the oﬀspring. They are present in the Prescott area year-round. A common description of this bird is “clown-like in appearance.” They have a white ring completely surrounding both eyes on their black face. Both sexes have red caps. Females have a black band separating the red from a white forehead. Males do not have the black band, so the red touches the white forehead. Stiﬀ tail feathers are used to stabilize it when pecking on a vertical tree trunk.

n the late summer and fall, they harvest acorns from the many small oak trees in the Central Arizona Highlands. They drill out holes in Ponderosa snags. These holes are just the right diameter to snugly hold one acorn. Then they ﬂy to nearby oaks and pull the ﬂeshy portion of the acorn away from its cap. Returning to the snag, also called a granary tree,

they pound the acorn into the prepared hole. Up to 50,000 acorns have been reported in a single granary tree. This is a very eﬃcient method of storing food because one sentinel bird can watch over the entire tree. Should an interloper such as an Abert’s Squirrel be spotted near the tree, the sentinel gives an alarm call. The squirrel will soon be surrounded by many ﬂuttering birds that will also use their strong, stout bills to deliver devastating blows to defend their food. During the summer, they eat mostly insects. Legend says that the cartoonist Walter Lantz patterned the call of Woody Woodpecker after one of the varied calls of the Acorn Woodpecker. That’s All Folks.

Bird of the Month

***** Visit Prescott Audubon Society at PrescottAudubon.Org. Contact them at Contact@Prescott Audubon.Org.

Acorn Woodpecker Photo by Al Lodwick.

Bringing Wild Birds To Your Backyard! www.jaysbirdbarn.com

1046 Willow Creek Rd, Suite 105 Prescott

(928) 443-5900

Al Lodwick is a Volunteer Naturalist at the Highlands Center for Natural History. He spends part of nearly every day taking photographs in the Lynx Lake area. He has published 19 books, one of which is “Acorn Woodpeckers: Studies For Wildlife Artists.”

Highlands Center Natural History Highlands Centerforfor Natural History

Nestled in the Lynx Lake Recreation Area, two minutes from Costco, The Highlands Center for Natural History invites you to experience the wonder of the Central Arizona Highlands.

Playing to Learn, Learning to Live (for 1st – 3rd graders) Patterns in Life (for 4th – 6th graders) $150 members; $205 non-members. Registration required.

NATURALIST CITY & FIELD WALKS - FREE!

Thursday, Saturday and Evening walks are both at the Center’s own Lynx Creek Site, and a special Wednesday Walk is every first and third Wednesday at select city trails.

FALL IN ALL ITS GLORY - Colored Pencil Drawing Classes Tuesdays and Thursdays, October 18, 20, 25, 27, 9am - 12pm, $88.

With Diane Iverson. May sign up for one or all classes. 10% discount for members.

STAR PARTY AND NIGHT HIKE - Saturday, Oct 22, 7pm. FREE! HALLOWEEN HAPPENING - Friday, October 28, 5pm - 7pm Activities for all ages include scavenger hunts, mazes, face painting and more! $2 (children under 13) and $5 for adults

928-776-9550  highlandscenter.org

5ENSESMAG.COM • OCTOBER 2016 • FEATURE • 5

Peregrine Book Co.

Staff picks Catered by Reva Sherrard “The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands” By Nick Flynn The subject matter in this particular collection is a lucid encounter with a dreamer. Nick Flynn’s ability to hook you with but a few words is a skill few possess. Sit back and slowly read the beautifully sparse poems and you’ll say to yourself, Well, gosh golly, he may be onto something. ~Jon

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JACY’S AUCTION Reuse, recycle, re-make-money Antiques • Household • Estates • Buy • Sell • Consign • Transport

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6 • FEATURE • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

“Lives in Ruins” By Marilyn Johnson Although archaeologists love Indiana Jones (they really do) their lives couldn’t be more diﬀerent from his. So who are the wild and quirky characters on their hands and knees digging and sifting through the dirt looking for ruins? The ones who live in their cars because being an archeologist doesn’t pay well? Johnson’s curiosity takes her on a journey to answer these questions. Digging alongside experts with her on a sugar plantation, hunting bodies in New Jersey, and drinking ancient beverages, we discover the incredible men and women unearthing the objects of our past. It was hard to ﬁnish this, only because I didn’t want to say goodbye to all the incredible people I had been reading about. ~Lacey

“The Butterﬂies of North America” By Titian Peale This reproduction of Titian Peale’s lost manuscript is exquisite. The paintings are phenomenal. The pages are printed on extremely high quality paper, and the book smells of a dank forest ﬂoor. Smell it. Read it. Gaze into it. ~David

“The Third Policeman” By Flann O’Brien A criminal act spirals into a surreal world of comedic terror and isolation. The unnamed protagonist elucidates his tragic tale with periodic footnotes from the ﬁctional philosopher de Selby. O’Brien weaves humor and alienation that often seem out of the realm of reality, yet connect to the reader on an emotionally abstract level that is often diﬃcult to describe verbally. ~Joe

“Art in the Blood” By Bonnie MacBird Fan ﬁc? Oh, yes — but of the best kind. Dying for Season 4 of “Sherlock”? Can’t wait for the next Downey Jr./Law movie? Still in love with Jeremy Brett after all these years? This, my friend, is your seven-per-cent solution. ~Reva

***** Visit Peregrine Book Company at PeregrineBookCompany.Com and 219A N. Cortez St., Prescott, 928-445-9000.

bita maxima are squash grown for their immense size and can weigh upwards of one ton.

Vegetable of the Month

Pumpkins Photo by Kathleen Yetman.

By Kathleen Yetman ctober means pumpkins in the minds of many Americans, and rightly so. Pumpkins are cultivars (plants selected for speciﬁc characteristics and maintained by propagation) of Cucurbita pepo, and one of many winter squash varieties that are harvested around this time. Pumpkins are indigenous to North America — squash seeds dating back to 7,000 B.C.E. have been unearthed in Mexico. Pumpkins are closely related to other winter squash. The term generally applies to round squash with smooth, slightly ribbed skin and an orange color, however cultivars of other colors, shapes, and sizes are gaining in popularity here in the United States. Pumpkins

are so popular that over 1.5 billion pounds are grown in this country each year. In Yavapai County, pumpkins and other winter squash are planted between April and July to be harvested between September and December, weather permitting. Diﬀerent varieties of pumpkins are grown for ornamental use and food. The pumpkins used for jack-o-lanterns, Connecticut Field pumpkins, are typically grown for that purpose and aren’t the best for eating. The best pumpkins for eating are strains of that same cultivar, but are considered “pie pumpkins” and tend to be much smaller and meatier. Cucur-

umpkin is usually associated with desserts but can be used in a variety of savory dishes as well. In addition to pies, breads, muffins and other sweets, pumpkin is delicious in soups, roasted with other vegetables, mashed like potatoes, and as a ravioli filling. Pumpkin seeds, pepitas, are roasted and eaten as a snack or added to salads. Oil pressed from the seeds is a delicacy. The squash is an excellent source of vitamin A and a decent source of vitamin C. Pumpkin contains more potassium than a banana and is a good source of fiber. One exciting recipe to try this season: making soup right in a pumpkin. Simply cut out the top, remove seeds and placenta, place all soup ingredients inside, place the top back on, and bake in the oven. ***** The Prescott Summer Market is 7:30 a.m.-noon Saturdays at Yavapai College, parking lot D. Find out more at PrescottFarmers Market.Org. Kathleen Yetman is the managing director of the Prescott Farmers Market and a native of Prescott.

Prescott’s finest submarines since before downtown traffic 418 W. Goodwin St., 778-3743 M-F 10:30-2:30, Weekends closed

5ENSESMAG.COM • OCTOBER 2016 • FEATURE • 7

Left Brain: October’s mind-full events Events

“Tropical Rainforests” • 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4: Mark Riegner, Prescott College professor, discuses the diversity and ecology of tropical rainforests. A Prescott Audubon Society Lecture Series event. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

“Exploring the Fantastic” • 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4: Amanda Pekar leads an introductory workshop for writing sci-ﬁ and fantasy. This is the ﬁrst session of an eight-week workshop. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

Goldwater Lake bird walk • 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7: Local, guided bird walk at Goldwater Lake with Eric Moore. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

“Breakfast with the Gray Wolves” • Saturday, Oct. 8: Enjoy a continental breakfast while the keepers feed the featured animal and conclude with a craft. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242, $8-$20, RSVP) Highlands Center bird walk • 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: Monthly Prescott Audubon Society bird walk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) “Regional Water Issues” • 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: Wayne Hood and Chris Hoy talk. (Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation Building, 882 Sunset Ave., 928-445-4218)

“Epics of the American Southwest” •1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: Sharonah Frederick discusses Hopi, Dine, and Hispanic narratives of heroes and heroines. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7) “The Creation of the American Southwest” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: Brian Gratton talk. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928445-1230, $6-$7) “The Dresden Manuscripts” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: David Wilson discusses his book about unearthing an 18th century musical genius. This collaboration includes the Prescott Chorale. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

“The Meaning & Importance of Jewish New Year & Fall Harvest Festivals” • 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9: Rabbi Nina Purlmutter and Tom Brodersen discuss four major holidays. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

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“Penguins to Polar Bears” • 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27: Wildlife photographer Beth Davidow discusses her trips from the Arctic to the Antarctic with natural history, adventure tales, and photography tips. A monthly Prescott Audubon Society talk. (Trinity Presbyterian Church, 630 Park Ave.)

Harrison • 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5: John Harrison, Highlands Center naturalist, discusses the local microcosm of each ecosystem within the greater Central Arizona Highlands. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

“Adventurous Spirits: Arizona Women Artists, 1900-50” • 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6: Betsy Fahlman discusses an important time in Arizona history when the resident art community was mostly comprised of women. An Arizona Humanities Lecture event. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

“Origins of Whiskey Row” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22: Brad Courtney reprises his talk on the origins of Prescott's infamous Whiskey Row. A Museum Lecture Series event. (Sharlot Hall Museum, 415 W. Gurley St., 928-445-2133)

“Stary Party” & “Night Hike” • 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22: Enjoy an exploration of the night sky with the Prescott Astronomy Club with night hikes to follow. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

“Going Outdoors: Re-wilding a Psychotherapist” • 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4: Pablo Deustua Jochamowitz talk. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280)

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“Engineering Eden” • 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 21: Discuss “Engineering Eden,” by Jordan Fisher Smith. A monthly Natural History Book Club meeting. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280)

“Moondance” • 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20: Rik Hill, coordinator of the Arizona Lunar and Planetary Lab, discusses taking and processing high resolution images of the moon with easily available freeware and relatively inexpensive cameras — plus lots of moon puns and song allusions. A Third Thursday Star Talk via the Prescott Astronomy Club. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) PHOTO: A full moon photo taken Oct. 22, 2010 from Madison, Alabama, taken with a Celestron 9.25 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, acquired with a Canon EOS Rebel T1i (EOS 500D), 20 images stacked to reduce noise, 200 ISO 1/640 sec. Photo by Gregory H. Revera, Creative Commons 3.0. “Taste of the Wild” • 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9: Annual fundraiser. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242, $75)

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“Geomorphic Eﬀects of Wildﬁres” • 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11: Ann Youberg, of the Arizona Geologic Survey in Tucson, talk. A monthly Central Arizona Geology Club meeting. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) “The FAC, the Trial, & the Secret War” • 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12: Prof. Ron Carr, former Forward Air Controller, talk. An ERAU Prescott Aviation History event. (ERAU Davis Learning Center, 3700 Willow Creek Road, 928-777-6985)

Granite Dells bird walk • 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 13: Local, guided bird walk at Granite Dells with Ryan Crouse. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

“Death Cafe” • 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13: People gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death with the objective “to increase awareness of death with a view to help people make the most of their (ﬁnite) lives.” Hosted by Dani LaVoire. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928445-9000) “Unusual Heirloom Vegetable & Herbs for the Home Gardener” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13: Cindy and Ste-

8 • EVENTS • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

phen Scott talk. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550)

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“Render Safe” • 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15: Author and Arizona resident Pascal Marco discuses his new thriller. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

“School House Gulch” • 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19: Naturalist Sharon Arnold leads a walk up an abandoned forest road. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) “The Wild, Wild West” •5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20: Humorist, author, illustrator, and director Bob Boze Bell and author, singer, and Arizona's oﬃcial state historian Marshall Trimble entertain. A Third Thursday Dinner and Program event. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928778-1385, $25-$30) “Symphony of the Soil” • 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20: Documentary screening. Co-hosted by GMO-free Prescott in honor of national Non-GMO Month. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280, $5, RSVP)

Watson Woods bird walk • 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 21: Local, guided bird walk at Watson Woods with Bonnie Pranter. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP)

“Monarch Tagging Field Day” • 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 28: Prescott College 50th anniversary event. Co-hosted by the Southwest Monarch Study. (Prescott College Natural History Institute, 312 Grove Ave., 928-350-2280)

Digiscoping workshop • 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29: Digiscoping workshop with Eric Moore. (Jay’s Bird Barn, No. 113, 1046 Willow Creek Road, 928-443-5900, RSVP) “The Billingsley Hopi Dancers” • 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29: Ken Zoll presents background and shows a rare 1957 ﬁlm of Hopi dancers. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385)

“Dead Reckoning” • 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30: True crime author Caitlin Rother discusses the updated, re-released version of her book about the murder case involving former Prescott residents Tom and Jackie Hawks. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

Multi-day Fall Zoo Camp • 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 10-14: “Weird & Wonderful”-themed camp for children 6-12, during fall break. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928778-4242, $150-$175, RSVP) Fall Highlands Nature Camp • 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Oct. 10-14: a pair of camps, “Playing to Learn” and "Patterns in Life" for first to sixth graders, during fall break. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, $150-$205, RSVP) Prescott Area Boardgamers • 5 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 12 & 26: Play European-style board games. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500) Naturalist city & field walks • 9 a.m. Thursdays, Saturdays, and first and third Wednesdays: Naturalist field walks at city trails and the Highlands Center. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550) Prescott Farmers Market • 7:30 a.m. Saturdays: Enjoy local organic produce and goods from local farmers. (Yavapai College Parking Lot D, 1100 E. Sheldon St., PrescottFarmersMarket.Org)

October’s art-full events :niarB thgiR

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Events

Poetry Discussion Group • 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5: Monthly poetry discussion. (Prescott Public Library, 215 E. Goodwin St., 928-777-1500)

Art “The Playful Hand” • From Oct. 1: Mixed media daily works by Marjorie Clause and Anne Legge. (Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928776-7717)

“Frankenstein” • 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6: Via satellite, The National Theatre of London’s production of “Frankenstein.” (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-7762000, $10-$15)

“Wonders of Winter” • From Oct. 1: Art show featuring winterthemed art. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510)

“Tristan Und Isolde” • 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: Via satellite, The Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Tristan Und Isolde.” (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $12-$24)

Densmore, Gilbert, & Comnick • Through Oct. 7: A range of photography, textiles, charcoal drawings, and video installations by Kristen Densmore, Diane Gilbert, and Julie Comnick. (Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org)

“Sand Painting & Weaving” •1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: Kids learn about Native American creations and try their hands at a project. A free youth art workshop. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385)

Marshall • Through Oct. 8: Art show featuring three recent series by Jan Marhsall. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $20-$30)

“The Rocky Horror Show” • 4 & 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8: The cult classic about a sweet transvestite and his motley crew, plus, you know, “The Time Warp,” again. Directed by Rebecca Bakody. (Elks Theatre, 117 E. Gurley St., 928-777-1370, $18-$25)

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“Swan Lake” • 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12: The Russian Grand Ballet performs the ballet of all ballets, “Swan Lake.” (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $36-$76) “The Golden Age” • 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19: Via satellite, The Bolshoi Ballet’s production of “The Golden Age.” (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-7762000, $10-$15)

“Coloring Book Night” • 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20: Join in a fun, relaxing evening of coloring, materials provided. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000) “Don Giovanni” • 9:55 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22: Via satellite, The Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Don Giovanni.” (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928776-2000, $12-$24) Open mic poetry • 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26: Poet Dan Seaman emcees monthly open mic poetry. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy • 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27: Smile, sway, and snap your ﬁngers to this multi-decade-old band. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $30-$58) 4th Friday Art Walk • 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28: Monthly art walk including artist receptions, openings, and demonstrations at more than 18 galleries. (ArtThe4th.Com)

“Halloween Happening” • 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28: Dress the whole family up for an adventure including scavenger hunts, mazes, face painting, and more. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, $2-$5)

“The People Speak” •From Oct. 8: Native American arwook from the 1900s through today. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928-778-1385, $5-$7)

“Matt Baker & the Trio” • 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21: Australlian pianist Matt Baker, with bassist Jim Cammack and drummer Darrian Douglas, capture the contemporary spirt of New York Jazz. A “Cabaret Series” event on the YCPAC stage with desserts, coﬀee, and cash bar. (Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon St., 928-776-2000, $45) COURTESY PHOTO. YMCA Halloween festival • 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28: 18th annual festivities for kids and families including costume contests, haunted house, face painting, games, concessions, and more. (Prescott YMCA, 750 Whipple St., 928-445-7221, $5)

High Desert Artists • 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29: Annual arts and craft show. (Chino Valley Senior Center, 1021 W. Butterfield Road, 928-636-8955) “Zoofest” • 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 29: A fun filled day of games, special animal ecounters, demonstrations, and more. $1 off admission with a canned food donation. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928-778-4242, $6-$10)

“Veronica’s Room” • 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13-15 & 20; 2 p.m. Oct. 16 & 22: A thriller by Ira Levin, author of “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Deathtrap.” Directed by Frank Malle. (Stage Too, North Cortez Street alley between Willis and Sheldon streets, 928-445-3286, $15) “Fall in All Its Glory” • 9 a.m. Oct. 18, 20, 25, & 27: Diane Iverson brings fall wonders into the classroom. (Highlands Center for Natural History, 1375 S. Walker Road, 928-776-9550, $88, RSVP) “Week of the Dead” • Oct. 20-30: A week of events and workshops promoting the art, culture, history, and folklore of Arizona. (See pp. 11-13 for a feature, schedule, and more details)

“Halloween ComicFest” Noon Saturday, Oct. 29: Fourth annual Halloween ComicFest with giveaways, and 3 p.m. costume contest. (Peregrine Book Co., 219A N. Cortez St., 928-445-9000)

“Spook House: A Creepy Comedy” • 7 p.m. Oct. 21, 22, 28, & 29; 2:30 p.m. Oct. 22, 23, & 29: Meet 10 nice monsters who are just misunderstood. Directed by Randy Smith. (Prescott Valley Performing Arts Center, 2982 N. Park Ave, Suite G1, 928-583-4684, $12)

“Boo at the Zoo!” • 6-9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31: Bring your family and friends, dress in costume for a fun, safe Trick or Treat night. (Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, 1403 Heritage Park Road, 928778-4242, $4-$6)

Social dance classes • Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Sundays: Learn the Argentine tango, West Coast swing, and more. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary)

Multi-day

Performance dance/movement arts classes • Wednesdays & Thursdays: Learn contemporary dance, movement for life, and normative movement. (Flying Nest Movement Arts, 322 W. Gurley St., 928-432-3068, prices vary)

“Nature’s Sources of Color” • 9 a.m. Oct. 7-9: Create a rich palette of beautiful, lightfast, and washfast color from natural dyes. (Milagro Arts Center, 126 N. Marina St., MilagroArtsCenter.Org, $355-$395)

“Saturday Night Talk” series • 7 p.m. Saturdays: Talks on bringing traditional spiritual practice into everyday life. (Vigraha Gallery, The Courtyard Building, 115 E. Goodwin St., 928-771-0205, $5)

“Golden Age of Cowgirls” • Through Oct. 9: An exhibit via Cheri Raftery highlighting a time when the cowgirl was America’s sweetheart, featuring clothing, artwork, memorabilia, and artifacts. (Phippen Museum, 4701 Arizona 89, 928778-1385, $5-$7) “Bringing Together the Elements of Earth & the Heavens” • Through Oct. 15: New art by Corbin Ross. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Adorn Yourself” • From Oct. 15: Wearable art and jewelry by Joan Knight, Susie Straussner, and Barb Willis. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “A New Look” • Through Oct. 16: New art from painters in all media from Yavapai College. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009) Ewing & Kewanyama • From Oct. 17: New art by Maryhelen Ewing and Fil Kewanyama. (The Raven Café, 142 N. Cortez St., 928-717-0009) Arizona Print Group • From Oct. 21: Art show featuring pieces by the Arizona Print Group. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510) “The Eyes Have it” • Through Oct. 25: Annual fall group photography show. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Printmaking & Mixed Media” • From Oct. 27: Art show featuring pieces by members of the Prescott Contemporary Print Makers Group. (’Tis Art Center & Gallery, 105 S. Cortez St., 928-775-0223) “Masks & Impressions” • From Oct. 28: Jewelry by Dan Ryan and photography by Soa. (Arts Prescott Gallery, 134 S. Montezuma St., 928-776-7717) “Fall Festival” • Through Oct. 30: Annual fall art show. (Mountain Artists Guild & Gallery, 228 Alarcon St., 928-445-2510)

Art

The Singularity may be squishy Science truth is stranger than science ﬁction

By Alan Dean Foster verybody has a favorite robot. Even folks who don’t especially like science fiction have seen enough movies and watched enough TV to have fond memories of a particular mechanical person. Probably the most famous robot in film history is Robbie, from the great 1956 MGM film “Forbidden Planet.” Amusingly, and in keeping with the tenor of the cheaper SF films of the time that emphasized horror over science, the principal advertising for the film shows Robbie carrying Anne Francis, the female lead (actually, the only woman in the picture) as if menacing her. In reality, of course, Robbie was her best friend, personal jeweler, and potential savior. But that approach makes for a much less inviting movie poster. On the other hand, I can’t blame Robbie. I would have jumped at the opportunity to carry Anne Francis around, too. Film history is littered with robots: some friendly, some antagonistic (maybe they read their contracts), some indifferent, the great majority poorly made. Few were as intricately fashioned for their cinematic appearances as Robbie. My personal favorite remains the robot Maria from 1927’s ground-breaking film “Metropolis,” even if she was made out of plywood. She certainly doesn’t look wooden in the film, and possesses an unsettling grace and appearance that carries through even to today’s viewers. While nearly all cinematic robots are humanoid, in the 21st century we live with every shape imaginable, from massive single-armed machines that work in factories and can easily pick up an entire car, to cute toys like Furbies and talking dolls that in their innocent efforts to turn a profit for their manufacturers may actually represent the leading edge of artificial intelligence. In between there are machines like Honda’s Asimo and Boston Dynamics’ BigDog and SpotMini, which mimic the movements and abilities of humans and animals with increasing accuracy. All of these inventions, both imaginary and real, have one thing in common: They are constructed of solid materials. Metal, plastic, composites, hard wiring, and glass form their skins and sinews, their synthetic muscles and artificial eyes. So it has been for all robots since the Czech

Alan Dean Foster’s

Perceivings

writer Karel Capek ﬁrst coined the term “robot” in his 1920 play “R.U.R.” (for Rossum’s Universal Robots). Until now.

ay hello to the Octobot. With a body fashioned from silicone rubber, it has no wiring and uses no batteries. It runs on microfluidics, fueled by 50 percent hydrogen peroxide that is used to produce the oxygen (and water) that make its arms move. Yes, the same stuff you used to mess with your hair color now powers a flexible robot. Instead of electrical switches, Octobot utilizes pressure-activated valves. Right now it can’t do much more than twitch its arms. But imagine the possibilities. ... Robots that can refuel themselves as easily as you’d gas up your car. Machines that can squeeze into cracks and crevices to do hard-to-reach repair work. Hospital helpers with soft arms and fingers instead of the potentially dangerous rigid ones currently in use. Robot pets with limbs that feel exactly like those of actual cats and dogs. And eventually, robots with soft bodies that are virtually indistinguishable from our own, that leak hydrogen peroxide if damaged. I await the first humanoid robot to quote Shakespeare and say, “If you cut me, do I not bleed?”

soft-bodied robot will seem far less alien than the mechanical contrivances of movies past, or the steel-framed ones that ﬁll our manufacturing plants. Will hard-bodied robots turn out softbodied ones? Or will they remain, perhaps subversively so, just “cute,” like the Octobot? Which already possesses one very human characteristic. When the oxygen it generates as it powers itself reaches the end of a limb, it is vented from the bot. Welcome our ﬁrst robot that farts.

Image components public domain. Illustration by 5enses.

10 • COLUMN • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

***** Alan Dean Foster is author of more than 120 books, visitor to more than 100 countries, and still frustrated by the human species. Follow him at AlanDeanFoster.Com.

Old Haunts Celebrate a Week of the Dead with ‘Ghost Talk’ & much more

By James Dungeon [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Karen Murphy, director and playwright of Prescott Ghost Talk. See schedule for event details.] What exactly is Ghost Talk? Ghost Talk is basically the reenactment of historic ghostly folklore. A lot of them are based on true stories; some of them are based on legends; and others are based on urban legends. About 80 percent of it’s covered in newspapers or historically factual in some way. Each vignette is different. One might be done like a musical, one might include movement or dance, and there’s some traditional storytelling like a Shakespearian play or melodrama or cowboy poetry. We want to stress that we have a new and different show every year. There are people who like to come every year, so we try new approaches to old stories and add brand new ones, as well. What’s the history of the event in Prescott? This is our ninth year. Ghost Talk originally started as Ghost Walk at Sharlot Hall Museum but was still a fundraiser for West Yavapai Guidance Clinic. You walked to different houses on the museum grounds and saw the performances that way. Groups of people were lead around and heard ghosts tell their stories at bushes or buildings. So, anyway, nine years ago Sharlot Hall couldn’t be the venue any more, and West Yavapai Guidance Clinic teamed up with the Prescott Center for the Arts to keep it going. Because of the different venue, it became a more theatrical event that uses lighting and sound in different ways. That’s quite a transition, in terms of specs for the show. The hardest thing was figuring out how to take an outside event and turn it into an inside event. I remember at the time, debating about how we’d do it. We decided on a haunted theater, you know, like a haunted house, where ushers brought people to different places. You’re seated, not walking around, but it’s a similar idea. We bumped up the special effects, which is something you can do indoors, and that helps prop up the ghouls and ghosts.

The grim reaper of “Ghost Talk” collects his summons. Photo by David Cottle. You took on playwriting duties, as well. What was that like? At the time, several different people had written up stories, but there were no real scripts. Different people had done different things, and nobody could track down all of it. One of the gals from West Yavapai had a list of the different ghosts that had been done through the years, so we had a list of about 10 stories to start with. I just started researching. It was a combination of books and old newspaper articles. I was just looking for something interesting, something that struck me would make a good vignette. For example, there’s “The Deep Freeze Phantasm of Iron Springs Road.” That’s Joseph Condron. It was a story in the newspaper that struck me as being kind of Shakespearian as a kind of a cautionary tale. This guy had been on Whiskey Row drinking and drove his team of horses to Walnut Grove down Iron Springs Road in the 1800s. They found him dead, frozen in a snow storm the next day. He knew the storm was coming and made bad decision after bad decision along the way. I wondered if he were able to really look back and regret his decisions, what he’d say. That’s kind of how the story took form. It has a Shakespearian, dramatic flare. That’s one we’ve done before. How many of these performances have you written and directed? I have probably about 35 of these vignettes at this point. They all run three or four minutes, max, and each year we do about eight to 10. We like to mix and match and include ones we haven’t done for a few years. This year we have four brand new ones. I’d like to stress again that every year it’s a completely different show. Sometimes there

are different actors taking different roles, and everyone adds their own flair to the roles. What’s the impetus for you to write more with a stable that large? And would you share a bit about the new pieces? It’s fun for me. I’m a history buff, and I like researching things. When I see something in a newspaper that strikes my interest, it becomes something fun to follow up on. I also like tweaking and redoing stories, too. It’s fun for the actors and the crew. … One of the new ones this year is about the territorial prison down in Yuma. It was in operation for about 33 years from 1876 to 1909. That’s where all the prisoners would end up at, down in Yuma. One of the prisoners is, of course, the famous, or, rather, infamous Pearl Hart. She was a female stagecoach robber, which was quite uncommon. Out of the 3,069 prisoners housed at the prison during its operation, they only had 29 women, and she was one of them. So she kind of tells her story and there’s a “Stomp”-like rhythm piece with the prisoners. … One of the other new ones is “The Killer Call Girls of Cortez Street.” That’s fun for me, all that alliteration. There are lots of literary things that go into some of these stories. Some are in verse and some are more traditional storytelling. Anyway, this one is a rhythm piece that’s about the old saloon called The Exchange Saloon, which used to be where Gurley Street Grill is, now. It’s kind of a movement piece that tells the story of this cowboy that was abusive and wouldn’t pay up, so the girls that work at the saloon kill him. … Another one is “The Legend

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5ENSESMAG.COM • OCTOBER 2016 • FEATURE • 11

... FROM PAGE 11 of the Chupacabra.” There’s the original story and then there’s the current way it’s depicted as a mangy coyote or a similar mutated creature. When you look back to the ﬁrst time that name was coined, the story in Puerto Rico, it sounds like she’s describing something more alien. We take people through the whole thing, including how it’s described today, and common denominator of the name, “goat sucker,” because it supposedly attacks animals. As a skeptic, it’s hard to take that one so seriously once you know the context of that ﬁrst sighting — that she’d just seen “Species” and description is almost identical to the alien in that movie. Right? While researching back in Native American folklore, there are some groups of people that had creatures similar to el chupacabra, too. Not that they called it that, but they had something that would shape shift then look like a dog, then look like something else. People have always had elements of it in legends and stories. And we talk about that, too, about how these stories are passed on and how they’re in cultures all around the world. They’ve since had chupacabra sightings in Russia, which is kind of funny.

And, in that way, you’re not just a storyteller but also a folklorist. That’s got to be curious seeing how these symbols and ideas pop up again and again within and across cultures. That’s been the most interesting thing. When you go back and do research, you see how these people lived, the ways they died, and the ways they killed each other. Human nature hasn’t changed very much. Everything we think is so shocking — that the world seems so crazy now — has been going on a very long time. People did very similar things and died very similar deaths. One vignette is about someone shot in a saloon over 25 cents. Yeah, that was a lot of money back then, but it’s not enough, you’d think, to kill someone over. One of the stories we already discussed is about someone who got drunk, made a bunch of bad decisions, drove, and died. People lived and died in the same ways. It just shows you human nature. There are certain things that are part of being human and the human experience that we all share in common. That’s one of the biggest things I get out of doing “Ghost Talk.” I love that it goes with Week of the Dead and Día de los Muertos. There are a lot of ways to honor the dead, and death is part of the natural cycle of life. That idea goes so well with “Ghost Talk.”

How did all of these events get tied together? When we got the committee together this year, we talked about how to promote this bigger and better. Several years ago we realized there were other nonprofits doing fundraisers in October, so we finally pulled our resources and marketing together and, first, it was Weekend of the Dead, but, as more things started coming together, we realized it was a whole week of events. We’ve got the Ghost Talk, a gallery show and workshops at the PCA, the event at the Smoki Museum, and the tours via the Cemetery Association. Next year it will probably have to be a Month of the Dead. We’ve joked that Prescott may be known as Arizona’s Christmas City, but there’s so much happening in the fall, and especially October, it’s Arizona’s Ghostly City, too. ***** The “Week of the Dead,” Oct. 20-30, is a week of events and workshops promoting the art, culture, history, and folklore of Arizona. It benefits five nonprofits: Prescott Center for the Arts Theatre, PCA Gallery, West Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation, Yavapai Cemetery Association, and the Smoki Museum. Find out more on their respective websites. James Dungeon is a figment of his own imagination. And he likes cats. Contact him at JamesDungeonCats@Gmail.Com.

5 things about the ...

‘Historic Cemetery Walk’ [Quotes from Julie Holst, chairperson of the Yavapai Cemetery Association.] • This is the ninth year of the “Historic Cemetery Walk.” “We started it as a way to raise funds for different things. We’re trying to raise money at this point to complete the fence around the cemetery. The part that’s already on the east part of the cemetery was funded through donations, membership dues, and other fundraisers. … There are six reenactors this year. We tried to get new people this year but a lot of times we have the same people who want to do it, so we try and find new stories that represent the population that Prescott had.” • Citizen’s Cemetery was founded the same year that Prescott became the Territorial Capital. “It was founded in 1864 and, at that time, became the very first public cemetery in the state and was the first official post-settlement cemetery in Arizona. … The PCA covers the legends and folklore of the area, as well as some the history, but these reenactments we do here are a real history lesson on the area.” • The cemetery is owned by Yavapai County. “Even though it’s in the city limits of Prescott, it’s owned by Yavapai County under the jurisdiction of the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors. … That’s

why we’re called the Yavapai Cemetery Association. We were born in 1995 and, at the time, the cemetery was in a pretty dilapidated condition. Today the group has 100 people and a seven member council that oversees everything.”

Another similar plot is for the Miller family, whom Miller Valley Road is named for, who have four children in one plot in a three or four year span. It’s a typical kind of story.”

• One of this year’s reenactors, Patrick McDougal, tells his side of his character’s murder. “One story that’s particularly interesting and new this year is about Sheriff John M. Murphy, a deputy sheriff who died in 1885, shot by Dennis Dilda, a Walnut Creek ranch caretaker who was pretty infamous for his life and hanging on the courthouse square. Dilda was buried in an unmarked grave in the potters field. And, it’ s a little ironic because Sheriff Murphy is buried in Citizen’s Cemetery, too. I believe the whole story is in Parker Anderson’s new book, ‘Wicked Prescott.’” • Another reenactor, Lynn McDougal, talks about family graves. “It’s the Jones children. It’s fairly typical to find a gravestite with the names and ages of two to four children who all died fairly close together. Often it’s because of circumstances like the Spanish flu or malaria. ... Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Jones lost four children over the period of nine years — three of them taken in just one month, two of those from diphtheria. …

12 • FEATURE • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

The Jones family grave. Courtesy photo.

Schedule of the (Week of the) Dead more adorns a series of vignettes in this multi-genre ode to Arizona history and folklore. Directed by playwright Karen Murphy. (PCA Theatre, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, $12-$15) “Historic Cemetery Walk” • 10 a.m-1 p.m. Oct. 22: Dearly departed spirits from Arizona’s past tell their stories on this hour-long guided tour through the gravesites of Yavapai County pioneers. (Citizens Cemetery, 815 E. Sheldon St., 928-713-8807, $5-$15) The “Week of the Dead,” Oct. 20-30, is a week of events and workshops promoting the art, culture, history, and folklore of Arizona. Events benefit five nonprofits: Prescott Center for the Arts Theatre, PCA Gallery, West Yavapai Guidance Clinic Foundation, Yavapai Cemetery Association, and the Smoki Museum. “Day of the Dead” art exhibit • Sept. 26-Oct. 30: Art show featuring Día de los Muertos-themed pieces. Artists reception is 5-7 p.m. Oct. 7 with special recognition of artists from Prescott’s Sister City of Caborca, Mexico. Exhibit open late during Oct. 21 & 22 “Ghost Talk.” (PCA Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, free admission) “Ghost Feast” • Oct. 11 & 12: A dinner-theatre-inspired evening of tapas and “Ghost Talk” teasers on the El Gato Azul patio. (El Gato Azul World Bistro, 316 W. Goodwin St., 928-445-1070, $30, RSVP) “Tech Talk ” • 6 p.m. Oct. 20: A technical theater workshop for local scout troops and students featuring a full dress tech rehearsal for “Ghost Talk,” a Power Point presentation, and a panel discussion. (PCA Theatre, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, $5) “Ghost Talk” • 6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21; 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m., & 9 p.m. Oct. 22: Period costumes, creepy props, mood lighting, eerie sound effects, spooky sets, special effects, and

“Sugar Skull Decorating” workshop • Noon-3 p.m. Oct. 23: Decorate a sugar skull, fun for all ages, familyfriendly event, supplies provided. (PCA Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-445-3286, $3 per skull) “Glass Skull Pendant/Earrings” workshop • 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., & 3 p.m. Oct. 29: Four sessions with Tucson artist Laurie Schock crafting glass skull pendants and earrings. (PCA Gallery, 208 N. Marina St., 928-759-8869, $15 pendant, $25 earrings, RSVP required) “Día de los Muertos Celebration” • 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Oct. 30: Experience Arizona’s Southwest and Spanish influences with mariachis, ballet folklorico, authentic foods, children’s craft booths, art, music, drinks, and a rousing cemetery procession. (Smoki Museum, 147 N. Arizona Ave., 928-445-1230, free admission)

5 things about the ...

‘Day of the Dead’ art exhibit [Quotes from Sukey Jones, exhibit lead curator at PCA Art Gallery.] • This is the fourth year of the annual “Day of the Dead” PCA art gallery show. “It started out because we wanted to support ‘Ghost Talk.’ … Some of the Prescott artists really get it and some are still learning. They interpret the iconography in their own way in a wide range of mediums. One wonderful mixed-media piece last year was the artist’s interpretation of Mictecacihuatl, the goddess, so to speak, of the Aztec’s Day of the Dead. … We even had a curator at the gallery, when we started, who didn’t want anything to do with it. She’s since read up about it and really embraced the feeling and sentiment behind it.” • The skulls aren’t supposed to be morbid or grotesque. “Skulls and skeletons have a become a big part of it, but they’re more whimsical than scary like with Halloween. It’s a celebration of death as part of the cycle of life and a celebration of the people who’ve gone before us. … It (the imagery) draws on a pre-historic Aztec ritual. When the Spaniards came and tried to convert the people to Catholicism, they introduced All Souls’ Day, and the locals incorporated their own traditions and icons.” • The ﬂoral imagery isn’t just because it’s pretty. “On the actual holiday, in Mexico,

there are ﬂower vendors outside the cemetery marigolds. The strong odor of the ﬂowers is supposed to bring the spirits of the loved ones back. The follow the odor the same as they follow the light from traditional candles or papel picados (decorated tissue paper) blowing in the wind.” • Art from Caborca, Prescott’s Sister City in Mexico, is part of the show and, for some Mexican artists, this is an education in culture, too. “It’s been delightful, the past three years, to have our Sister City involved in the show. … Northern Mexico didn’t get into Day of the Dead as much as the central and southern regions of the country. When a city was closer to the border, people were usually more into Halloween. So, in parts of Mexico, some people have been introduced to part of their own cultural heritage as Mexicans through this celebration in more recent years as the holiday’s grown in popularity. The same is also true for some Mexican-Americans in Arizona.” • The “Sugar Skull Decorating” workshop is an all-ages event suited to several temperaments. “We thought of it as a something for families to do, which it is, but I have to say that last year there were some adults who spent a lot of time decorating really ornate sugar skulls. … Some people give them as gifts or dedicate them to loved ones and put them on altars.”

Sugar skulls made last year at the Prescott Center for the Arts Art Gallery. Courtesy photo.

News From the Wilds Skyward

Young Gophersnakes (Pituophis catenifer) are dispersing now, looking for winter hibernacula. Gophersnakes are important predators of gophers, among other things, and are not venomous or dangerous in any way to humans. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris.

By Ty Fitzmorris ctober in the Mogollon Highlands is one of the great turning points of the year — the warmth and activity of summer drops into the lower deserts and valleys as the cold of the coming winter (borne by heavy, cold air) slithers down the creek beds from the uplands. The evening air carries a sliver of ice, and brings smells of woodsmoke and high mountains, while the days are filled with dried grasses and the last of the year’s butterflies, native bees and flowers. The monsoon showers have finally passed, leaving a wave of activity in their wake — insects laying eggs, plants setting seed, birds migrating, and mammals preparing winter stores and putting on fat for the coming time of scarcity. In October, the second dry season of the year typically begins, as the heat-driven summer monsoon pattern — which draws moist air masses north from the Gulf of California — shifts to the storm-driven winter pattern based in the Pacific Ocean, where massive storm-systems catapult smaller moist low-pressure troughs across our region, bringing snow and rain. During this change-over, the skies over the Mogollon Highlands tend to stay clear, though it is also during

this time that the Paciﬁc hurricane season is at its peak, and some of these hurricanes move through our region, dropping sometimes large amounts of precipitation.

ctober reliably brings our first frosts, and temperatures become increasingly intolerable for many of our insects and spiders, who utilize a range of winter adaptations in response. The tarantulas create dens in which to hibernate, ants gather provisions into large underground storerooms, and Monarch butterflies migrate south to the frost-free Mexican forest, though most simply conclude their egg laying and die, leaving their eggs, which are specifically adapted to extreme temperatures and drought, to bear their next generation in the spring. As insects diminish, so do the creatures that rely on them as food. Many of the birds, most notably warblers and swallows, have already migrated south to areas with more prey, as have some of our bat species. Hawks, predators of insect predators, migrate through our region now in increasing numbers, mostly following broad valleys and grasslands as they look for rodents, who are, in turn, busy now gathering seeds and catching the last insects.

14 • FEATURE • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

• Oct. 7: Draconid Meteor Shower. The best viewing of this moderate shower is after midnight, with meteors appearing to radiate from the constellation Draco to the north, though two other meteor showers are also nearing their peak now — the Southern Taurids and the Delta Aurigids. • Oct. 15: Full Moon at 9:23 p.m. This is the ﬁrst of three so-called supermoons this year, the other two being in the following two months. During a supermoon, the Moon is slightly closer to the Earth, and may appear slightly larger and brighter than other lunar cycles, and also exert a stronger gravitational pull on the Earth, causing greater tidal swings. • Oct. 21: The Orionid Meteor Shower peak. This is one of the year’s brighter meteor showers, with up to 20 bright meteors per hour (including some bright ﬁreballs), though the waning gibbous Moon will wash out some of the fainter meteors. This peak is not on only one night, however, but is a broad period during which the Earth passes through the tail of the Comet Halley. The meteors are at their best after midnight, as our point on the Earth rotates into its path of orbit around the Sun. • Oct. 30: New Moon at 12:38 p.m.

For many animal species, this is the time when nearly grown offspring are leaving their parents to establish new territories. Young Bobcats, Badgers, River Otters, Gray Foxes, Abert’s Squirrels, Porcupines, and several species of skunk will all be looking for territories now, and finding food for the first time by themselves. Among the birds, young Great Horned Owls, Roadrunners, Lesser Nighthawks, and Mountain Chickadees are all dispersing into new ranges. Encounters between humans and many species are more common during this time, since young are relatively unpracticed at avoiding humans. Of course, as with virtually all of our wild species in the Central Highlands of the Southwest, the only risk to humans in these encounters results from animals being harassed or aggravated. Generally a quiet and respectful approach will be rewarded by some degree of trust, and can lead to extraordinary observations. ***** Ty Fitzmorris is an itinerant and often distractible naturalist who lives in Prescott and is proprietor of the Peregrine Book Company, Raven Café, Gray Dog Guitars, and is co-founder of Milagro Arts, a community arts nexus, all as a sideline to his natural history pursuits. He can be reached at Ty@PeregrineBookCompany.Com.

News From the Wilds, too A very brief survey of what’s happening in the wilds ... By Ty Fitzmorris High mountains • Elk continue their rut, or breeding season, and the bugling of males can sometimes be heard in more remote areas, such as Woodchute Wilderness. • Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum), which stay near to Aspen trees in our area, continue mating, while their adolescent young establish their own territories. • Pregnant female Black Bears search out winter dens, which are often in old mine shafts. In our area, only the pregnant females hibernate, during which time they will give birth, usually in January. • Gambel Oak and Aspen leaves change color and begin to fall. Visit: Dandrea Trail, No. 285. Ponderosa Pine forests • Young Abert’s Squirrels (Sciurus aberti) leave their parents and establish their own territories. These squirrels have a fascinating relationship with Ponderosas, eating the tips of the growing branches, but also eating, and thereby distributing, the truﬄes and mushrooms that grow on their roots. These fungi help their host pines to gain nutrients that they otherwise could not extract from soil. • Ponderosas continue to shed needles as they do every year around this time, losing 40 percent of their needles over these several months. • The leaves of New Mexico Locust (Robinia neomexicana), a pretty understory tree, change to a beautiful yellow, as do those of Arizona Walnut (Juglans major). Visit: Aspen Creek Trail, No. 48. Pine-Oak woodlands • Young tarantulas disperse into new areas, and can sometimes be seen in large numbers. These large spiders are harmless unless harassed, in which case they release mildly irritating hairs from their abdomen, which can cause slight stinging. Their bite is non-venomous and not painful. • Acorn Woodpeckers, one of the very few social woodpecker species, gather acorns with alacrity, stor-

and some will migrate south through our rivers. These gangly ﬁshing birds will sometimes migrate in large groups, occasionally up to 50 or 100 individuals, and are thought to travel as far as Venezuela. • Golden Columbines (Aquilegia chrysantha) bear their seeds. Visit: Bell Trail, No. 13

Western Screech-owls are leaving their parents now, and looking for suitable habitat in which to establish territories. Photo by Ty Fitzmorris. ing them in characteristic granaries — trees (and sometimes telephone poles) into which the woodpeckers have carved holes for acorn storage. Acorn Woodpecker colonies are composed of up to a dozen individuals, and usually have two granary trees, each containing as many as 50,000 acorns. Visit: Miller Creek Trail, No. 367. Pinyon-Juniper woodlands • Four-O-Clocks (genus Mirabilis), the most conspicuous of our postmonsoon plants, continue to flower on rocky slopes. • Feathered Fingergrass (Chloris virgata), a distinctive, hand-like native grass, appears now in many habitats, bearing its seeds, though many have been eaten by finches. • Junipers still bear some of their blue-white seed-cones, which grow increasingly important in the diets of birds, rodents, and sometimes Coyotes as the weather turns colder. • Goldfinches, House Finches, and many species of sparrows forage in mixedspecies flocks, grazing grass seeds. Visit: Juniper Springs Trail No. 2 Grasslands • Young Short-horned Lizards (Phrynosoma hernandezi) leave their parents and disperse in the early part

of the month. This is the best time for encountering the small young of this ant-eating species, though they should be handled with care, as they are capable of spraying a defensive toxin from their eyes. This defense is most often used on dogs and Coyotes, however, and the defense humans usually see is simply a flattening of the lizard’s body, which appears to be an attempt to look larger. • Several species of hawks migrate through grasslands, riding thermals (large rising columns of warm air) during the afternoons. Look for Rough-legged, Ferruginous, Swainson’s and Red-tailed Hawks, as well as Turkey Vultures, with several species sometimes in the same thermal. Visit: Mint Wash Trail, No. 345. Riparian areas • During fall evenings, river drainages are often colder than surrounding uplands, as cold air from higher ground flows down them. This is especially noticeable in the evening. For this reason some rivers that drain off of high mountains will be the first areas to freeze, and leaves change here first, as well, beginning with Black Walnut and Velvet Ash trees, which drop their last leaves this month. • Young Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) disperse into new areas,

Deserts/Chaparral • Paloverdes, Velvet Mesquites (Prosopis velutina) and Wright’s Silktassel (Garrya wrightii) all bear their seeds now, as do Southwestern Coral Beans (Erythrina flabelliformis), the poisonous seeds of which are sometimes used for jewelry. • Ocotillo leaves change color and fall for the second time this year. These strange plants have photosynthetic bark, so they will continue to photosynthesize through the winter. • The queens of our one species of bumblebee, Bombus sonorus, fly now in their nuptial mating flight, and shortly afterward will look for overwintering refuges where they will remained buried singly through the freezes of the winter. Bumblebees can produce propylene glycol, a natural antifreeze, within their blood, which prevents them from being killed by freezing. In the spring, these queen bumblebees will emerge and begin new colonies. Visit: Algonquin Trail, No. 225.

Weather Average high temperature: 72.1 F (+/-3.8) Average low temperature: 37.3 F (+/-3.5) Record high temperature: 92 F (1980) Record low temperature: 13 F (1935) Average precipitation: 1.07” (+/-1.23”) Record high precipitation: 7.82” (1972) Record low precipitation: 0” (10.4 percent of years on record) Max daily precipitation: 2.4” (Oct. 6, 1916)

Accents, accessories, & accouterments

Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists return to Hassayampa Inn

By Robert Blood [Editor’s note: The following interview was culled from conversations between the reporter and Johanna Shipley, program director of the Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists, whose second annual jewelry showcase, sponsored by the Prescott Center for the Arts, is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Hassayampa Inn, 122 E. Gurley St., 928778-9434. Find out more at GraniteMountain JewelryArtists.Weebly.Com.] So, who are the Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists and how did the group get started? It started out as a group of friends, most whom had taken the jewelry classes at Yavapai College. We started getting together once a month to support each other’s work. We’d have brief meetings then some type of workshop or discussion. That’s pretty much the format we’re still following. Now, the group has expanded to include a lot of jewelry artists in the area, many of whom never took those initial classes. … I think it’s been so successful because there was no other group quite like it in the area. There’s a group for people who work primarily with beads, but not for all the other types of jewelry. The people who started the group were very interested in keeping it going, and so it’s kept going and kept growing. We all come from very diﬀerent traditions and represent a pretty wide group of techniques. There are traditional silversmiths, people who work with found objects,

hot and cold glassworkers, and people who work ceramics, enamel, metal, and everything in between. There are bead people in the group, too. What’s been your involvement in the group and how has the group changed as its grown? I was one of the early members. It was just a handful of us who got together to support each other’s art. I’ve been involved since before we had a name. I think it’s been about four years now. We get together once a month on a Sunday morning. It’s the only time that everyone could ﬁnd a break to meet. Because we’re more formalized now, there’s a business meeting at the beginning of the meeting. We have a charter now and membership dues, which is something we didn’t have to deal with in the beginning. We have outside people come to have workshops now, as well as people in the group. … We have about 25 people, but we’re in a continual ﬂux of people dropping out and joining. We probably average 20 people at every meeting. This show is in its second year. How did it get started? A lot of the members of the group sell their jewelry at shows and are represented in various galleries around Prescott, but we wanted to try our own show. Early on we, tried a small show with a few of us here at my house, which is at the foot of Granite Mountain. We needed a name, so that’s

16 • FEATURE • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

FROM TOP LEFT: Johana Shipley, photo by Schuyler Shipley. Red Garnett set in Precious metal Clay by Johanna Shipley; “Raven on a Rock” necklace by Susie Straussner; Necklace by Beverly Chesterby in polymer clay; Courtesy photos. when we came up with Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists. Anyway, last year we did our ﬁrst more formalized jewelry showcase at the Hassayampa Inn. It was deﬁnitely a learning experience. None of us had put on a show like that before. This year it was much easier. Last year we had 13 artists and this year we’ll have 20.

What are some of the things you learned that first year? The ins and outs of sales tax in Prescott. Also, we’re keeping abreast of signage regulations downtown. This year we got the new permit to put up signboards and we learned that we need more publicity. We printed more postcards, and we adjusted the hours from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. to 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. based on how much traffic we had in the latter part of the day.

are definitely unique works of art.

Whom does the show benefit? Obviously, the artists themselves. … The artists are a big part of it. Because we’re not a 501(c)3 and city of Prescott requires us to have a sponsor, this year we partnered with the Prescott Center for the Arts. Each of the artists will be making a donation to the PCA. The missions definitely overlap. A lot of our members have pieces in the PCA Gallery and are otherwise active in the PCA. One of our members is very active with them, and she’s the one who set it up.

What’s been your own process as a jewelry artist and how’s it evolved? Well, I started out with letter press, printing on an antique printing press. I was working on something for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary and I happened to find a jewelry display with a charm with marks from a printing press. I decided I could do that for mom as her anniversary present. So I starting moving from printing to jewelry. I kept using my letter press type, that antique typography, as inspiration for designs in my pieces. I use the type itself to do things like texture metal clay. You won’t find the textures I use on other people’s jewelry. … I still do enamel work and use metal type something like a rubber stamp to transfer liquid enamels to my work. It’s kind of fun to figure out how to use typography in my work. I have a grounding in copper and silver and have taken lapidary classes, too, at Yavapai College. All of it comes into play.

Obviously your jewelry speaks for itself, but what about jewelry in Prescott at large? Multiple artists have described it as a … saturated market for jewelry. ... And it is. It’s a challenging market. A lot of people make jewelry here. I think one of the strengths we have as a group is that our members use so many different techniques in their own art. This showcase isn’t run-of-the-mill jewelry. There

How has being in the Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists affected your work? I wouldn’t have started working in glass if it weren’t for the group, for one thing. I was inspired by one of the other members in the group who works in glass, Linda Miller. She showed me how to do something, and I started exploring it. I think all of us in the group get inspiration from what other people are doing. If someone has a techni-

cal or design challenge, they’ll often ask the group and get three or four possible approaches to solve their problem. Bringing it back to the show, what can people expect from the showcase? Everything there is one-of-a-kind jewelry shown by the artist who made it. You’re not going to find something you’ve seen before. Price-wise, it ranges from a $5 pair of earrings to several hundred dollars for a complicated piece with precious metals. … As an artist there, it’s a challenge not to immediately spend your profits at your friends booth. ***** The second annual Granite Mountain Jewelry Artists, sponsored by the Prescott Center for the Arts, is 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Hassayampa Inn, 122 E. Gurley St., 928-7789434. Find out more at GraniteMountainJewelryArtists.Weebly.Com. Robert Blood is a Mayer-ish-based freelance writer and ne’er-do-well who’s working on his last book, which, incidentally, will be his first. Contact him at BloodyBobby5@Gmail.Com.

Diagnosis: Technology

By Paolo Chlebecek H NO! My phone just exploded! Let’s hope you never have to say that. But it seems, from all the news coverage, amid the other disasters, that exploding phones, laptops and “hoverboards” and even cars, are indeed a hot topic. (Pun intended.) Why? How can something seemingly harmless become so dangerous quite spontaneously? First, you need to understand what’s in a typical cellphone or modern battery-operated device. Most rechargeable devices use a lithiumion or li-ion, or even ‘ion battery. (Is it a coincidence that “lion” is used for these roaring exploding batteries? I think not. …)

BOOM

An explosive conversation about batteries

here are literally hundreds of millions of these types of batteries produced every year, so, of course, issues are bound to arise. These batteries were proposed by M. S. Whittingham while he was working for Exxon back in the 1970s. But it wasn’t until 1991 that the ﬁrst commercial lithium-ion battery was produced by Sony. There are several types of lithium-ion batteries with diﬀerent chemical compounds and construction to reach their desired voltage, size, recharge ability, and longevity. As you probably know, all batteries have a positive (+) and negative (-) connection. The negative electrode of a typical lithium-ion cell is made

18 • COLUMN • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

from carbon. The positive electrode is a metal oxide, and the electrolyte, or capacity for holding a charge, is a lithium salt in a solvent. Guess what? Under the right — or wrong — conditions those chemicals can be very dangerous, obviously. How does it happen? There’s a chain reaction that can occur in just a few milliseconds that produces a domino effect. That thermal runaway condition produces tremendous heat very quickly, then ... boom! Your pants are on fire! Uh oh, did you lie? Maybe you’re fond of keeping your phone shoved in your back pocket? If an improperly manufactured phone has a short circuit, or failed insulation barrier, it can cause this terrible, terrifying situation. Researchers regularly test batteries of all kinds to determine their safety. They usually artificially heat them up or short circuit them, which is to force the positive and negative connections to touch. For reference and examination, researches record what happens with a high speed camera. Simply said, all of these failures occur because one portion of the battery gets too hot for various reasons and can’t cool down. This creates a chain reaction that generates more and more heat that leads to an eventual explosion or meltdown. How can you keep your precious devices from exploding? Sadly, if there is a defect in a battery you won’t know until it’s too late. As often recommended, quality certified cables and chargers — preferably the charger and cable that came with your device — are always recommended. And a little common sense helps, too. If a device gets really hot, safely unplug it from the charger. Turn it off if possible, let it cool, and call an expert

to help determine if there’s a real danger.

o all of this information begs the question: Can safer batteries be made? The answer is yes, they already are safer to some degree. In my massive flashlight collection, most of the higher end units require there to be a protection circuit built in to the battery or cell, itself, to prevent overcharge, undercharge, and short circuit. If not, the “smart” flashlight will not operate because the tiny computer inside cannot detect the battery’s protection circuitry. So why don’t all lithium-ion batteries have this? Many do, but like most things, it comes down to cost. The requirement and implementation of a protection circuit probably won’t even add up to more than $1 or $2 to the overall cost of a battery, but that could be the entire profit margin in some cases.

ut the Samsung batteries have a protection circuit built in like most current cell phones, don’t they? Yes, but again shoddy manufacturing processes and poor handling procedures can add up to make this exploding debacle a reality. Of the 2.5 million phones produced and now recalled by Samsung, only 100 or so are reported as being defective and actually exploding as of the time this was written. Still, if I had one, I wouldn’t wait a moment longer to return it. Sorry Samsung, a swing and a miss, then ... boom!

***** Paolo Chlebecek is founder and owner of PaoloTek, which he started in 2003. He loves to be helpful to people and our animal friends. Feel free to contact him at Paolo@PaoloTek.Com.

En route

Amusing ﬁnds from an unamusing profession

• Shopping lists They’re ubiquitous, and not just near grocery stores. Most of them were jotted in pen on paper. (Editor’s Note: Cooking is an art, so is a grocery list considered an artistic creation? That would mean it should be “is” not “were” in the second sentence of this bullet per the rules about the literary present tense.) A trio of memorable items: “funeral card for mom,” “bear,” and “one package ﬂower [sic].” • A miniature American ﬂag These are quite common in July, but this one was found in December or January last year. • Plywood with a tiger print Special thanks to artist Dana Cohn, a true friend and longtime ally of 5enses. We’re talking

• Animals copulating Skunks, apparently, are quite frisky animals. Ditto for rabbits, but you already knew that. Coyotes, on the other hand, are almost always solitary. Given the preponderance of stray cats around, it’s safe to say that’s happening, too. Bob Barker would be rolling over in his grave if he were dead.

• Drugs Broken paraphernalia, mostly glass. A small nugget or two of pot in tiny plastic bags or, in one case, in cigarette cellophane, isn’t unheard of. A small baggy of white powder cropped up once. Not sure what it was, but it didn’t tingle on the gums.

• A notebook with ATM codes Before la policía come knocking, I left it where ***** I found it and, quite honestly, wasn’t sure what I Markoﬀ Chaney is an Earth-based whodunit was looking at. Plus it was three years ago. The pundit and (Fnord) Discordian Pope. He has ﬁrst few pages of the notebook — lined paper in a lotsa bills and no sense. Contact him at Noisy spiral notebook, like for school — had the names NoiseIsNoisome@Gmail.Com. of banks and credit unions along with long Prescott’s 4th Friday strings of numbers. All of it was handwritten in pencil.

4 ART WALKS

4FRIDAY ’S

***** • Thor’s hammer An accessory for a kid’s toy, only really heavy and detailed. OK, so an accessory for an adult’s toy.

• A $2,000 wrapper You know those bands they have on money at the bank? This was one of those with purple writing and bands on white paper for $2,000. I’m guessing is for $50 or $100 bills.

• Loud intoxicated people Most of these people are in front of bars, obviously, but that doesn’t make them any less sad and/or amusing. Two favorite quotes: “Turtle, turtle, turtle. … Why do I keep saying turtle?” and “Yeah, I was addicted to crack for a week. I stayed in my car and just smoked crack for, like, a week. It was easy to quit, but it was a lot of fun.” Incidentally, if you’re going to drop oﬀ a junkie who’s coming down in front of a business, please, please leave them a blanket. I’ve gone through two coats and a sleeping bag in just the past two years.

• Plastic grandpa combs Remember those pocket-sized combs for men they used to sell at drug stores? Despite the fact that you haven’t seen anyone use one of them in public in two decades, these miniature groomers are everywhere.

$5 off any service ≥$30!

COT T

It’s happened 46 times. Usually at night. Once a month, for the last 46 months, I’ve trolled Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and Dewey-Humboldt delivering newspapers. Even went out Mayer-way twice. Newspaper delivery is boring. Absolutely necessary, but absolutely boring. And — despite some amusing podcasts and rambling conversations with friends brave/bored enough to tag along — most of those nights blur together. Some things stick out, though. Especially when you step on them. And I mean things. For your consideration, here are a few of the things I’ve found while out and about the enigmatic Quad Cities. ...

about half a dozen or so pieces of broken plywood with tiger print paper glue to them. Kinda like a giant jigsaw puzzle, but no text, advertisement, or context to speak of.

PRE S

By Markoff Chaney

EVERY

2016 January 22 February 26 March 25 April 22 Beginning at 5 PM May 27 June 24 July 22 August 26 September 23 October 28 November 25

See Special Events

515 E. Sheldon St., Prescott, www.erasalonandspa.com

www.ArtThe4th.com

5ENSESMAG.COM • OCTOBER 2016 • FEATURE • 19

A part of the hol(l)e

Considering life, death, & land via Skađi & Holle

By Reva Sherrard After the gods slew the mighty giant Thjazi, his daughter Skađi stormed the gates of Asgard to take revenge. She was the deity of ski travel and hunting, and she descended on the fortress of the gods with all the awful power and majesty of the snowy mountain reaches where she made her home. Anxious to placate her, the gods offered to give what compensation she demanded. “Very well,” she said, “since you took my father from me, I’ll take one of you for my husband.” The gods consulted, and agreed that the unwed men among them would offer themselves to be chosen — but only by the sight of their feet. Skađi had her eye on Baldr, the handsomest of the gods. So when they lined up behind a curtain with only their bare white feet peeping out below, she strode immediately to the smoothest, bestgroomed, and freshest-looking pair and announced her choice. Imagine her shock when the curtain dropped to reveal that she had chosen Njorđ, the weatherbeaten sea god, whose seaweed-hung beard and driftwood skin were a far cry from Baldr’s golden comeliness. But Skađi was a goddess of her word, and accepted Njorđ as her husband. “One thing more,” she said, casting a regretful glance at Baldr’s ill-clipped toenails. “I can see I’ll get little mirth from the man you’ve given me. Before I go, you must make me laugh.” With this she sat down at the feasting-table, called for a bowl of ale, and stared about her with a brow like black clouds curdling on a mountain peak. Again the gods consulted. Freyja told her best dirty jokes. Thor juggled his hammer. Bragi, god of poetry, composed humorous verses about the rest of the Æsir. Skađi sat unmoved, as dour as late-winter famine in spite of all the gods’ antics, consuming an alarming quantity of the best ale with her elbows planted on the table. While this was going on Loki sat in a corner with an ale of his own, enjoying the spectacle. Thor and Bragi, worn out, dropped onto the bench on either side of him. “Your turn, Loki,” said Thor. “You got us into this mess-” “And now I’ll get you out again,” the god of tricks sighed. “I suffered to get old Thjazi what he wanted; I suffered to get our Iđunn back; and now it’s time to suffer again. Well, if Njorđ can’t make his bride smile on her wedding night, let’s see what Loki can do.” With a wink he bounded into the center of the hall and bowed deep to the scowling hunter goddess. “Dazzling Skađi, pure as snow and dark as the

“Skadi Hunting in the Mountains,” by H.L.M., public domain. midwinter sky, forgive and forget these crude jests, this vulgar juggling, and let the nimblest and most sophisticated wit in Ásgard entertain you!” In an instant, Loki had whipped one end of a cord to the beard of a billy-goat and the other end round his own balls. The offended goat bleated and bucked and bolted, and Loki yelped and scrambled after it from side to side of the hall before freeing himself and flopping half-naked and gasping straight into Skađi’s lap. The goddess gaped. At first like the tinkle of icicles breaking, then with an avalanche roar, she laughed and laughed till no one in the hall could resist joining her and her sides ached with merriment. So Skađi smiled on her wedding night after all — it was later rumored that Loki, having won her favor, did more than make her laugh that evening — and the next morning she departed in good spirits for her mountain home with Njorđ at her side.

20 • FEATURE • OCTOBER 2016 • 5ENSESMAG.COM

*****

e hear little else of Skađi in the surviving texts of Norse myth until Loki is bound with his own son’s guts to sharp rocks in a cave — not for his role in Baldr’s death, as is popularly assumed, but for his sauciness — when it is she who fastens a great snake over his head so that its venom will drip down onto his face and burn him until he breaks free at Ragnarok. Compelling linguistic evidence also indicates that she either gave her name to Scandinavia — originally Scadi-navia — or vice versa. So who is this goddess of skis, hunting, and the mountain wilderness who shares a name with an entire region yet receives relatively scant notice in the mythic stories available to us today? By the early 13th century when Snorri Sturluson wrote his interpretations in story form of what he saw as key elements of his ancestors’ traditional paradigm (which today serves as a main source for Norse mythology), the Viking Age was long over and the northern lands had been more or less Christianized. So we must look to linguistics and folklore for clues to the even more distant era before Northern Germanic worship shifted its focus to Odin and Thor from a group of goddesses of whom little obvious trace remains today. There are several theories about the etymology and meaning of Skađi’s name; her role in the myths as hunter-goddess, sometime antagonist, and causer of pain tells us that the correct one links her to the modern English word “scathe” and the Scandinavian “skadedyr”/”skadedjur”, which nowadays means any vermin, predator or pest but was originally applied to those animals that caused harm toscathed- humans by preying on their ﬂocks and crops. (The word literally means “harm-animal.”) Indeed, “Skađi” is the personal name form of the Old Norse verb “skađa,” to hurt, harm, injure, or damage. Another interesting fact about Skađi is that her marriage to Njorđ quickly fell apart because neither could live happily even half of the time in the other’s domain: Njorđ was miserable in the high mountains, and Skađi couldn’t bear the seashore. Before long, she returned to her previous life as a solitary huntress. Those familiar with Greek myths may notice the similarity to Artemis, the ruthless goddess of the hunt who had known love but was devoted to her life of unmarried independence. She, like Skađi, was apparently far more important in prehistoric times than when classical

Greek myth immortalized her to modern readers as the virgin daughter of Zeus. As historian Carlo Ginzburg and archaeologist Marija Gimbutas have attested, Artemis, together with her chiefest sacred animal, the bear (“Artemis,” “árktos,” Greek for bear), received widespread and fervent worship throughout Europe and Asia Minor into historical times as protectress of women and keeper of beasts and wild places. In this context, I am compelled to note the old Norwegian folk belief that if a woman met a bear in the woods she could protect herself by lifting her skirt to prove her sex, for a bear would not harm a woman. It is tempting to extrapolate a deep-seated faith in the protecting power of a goddess of the wilds and wild animals, for is not a bear the ultimate “skadedyr”?

rotection’s other half is harm. It is possible that Skađi represents the fearsome, avenging aspect of the female godhead, responsible for defending sacred mysteries (see maenads and Artemis’ treatment of Acteon for Greek examples of this aspect). “Mystery” in this sense denotes the transferable spirito-religious experience that for the ancients imbued their symbols with meaning: the reason that myths exist. Returning to Loki’s hideous punishment under the earth, we see that here Skađi plays a curiously instrumental role in the ordeal, by fixing the venomous serpent over his head. I will explore, at a later date, why this famous episode is not the morality tale its interpreters have taken it for. Suffice it to say now that it is not in fact a case of the wicked trickster getting his comeuppance (when crimes by other gods go unpunished), but something much deeper and more symbolic, with a clear shamanic underpinning. Odin gained his transcendent wisdom and godhood after piercing himself with a spear and hanging himself from the world tree in a mirror of an ancient sacrificial practice. After nine days and nights he received the runic mysteries and was transformed via shamanic initiation. Loki’s ordeal, though quite different, also has as its basic elements ritual suffering and endurance over a long period of time. Its specifics are the cave and the snake, which, fascinatingly, are emblems of mother goddess worship as old as humanity itself. That Skađi brings and places the snake makes her Loki’s initiator into its (excruciatingly painful) mystery, and therefore an important and powerful figure. And the cave? That is the domain of a deity whose widespread traces throughout Germanic Europe identify her as the mother goddess herself, the Teutonic version of the first deity ever worshipped. Her name is Holde, Holle or Hulda; the first syllable is a cognate with our word “hole,” as in a hollow in the ground, and the Scandinavian “hule,” meaning “cave.” In continental, Europe she is best known as Mother Holle from the Grimms’

fairy tale of the same name. Sometimes she is old, gnarled, and hideous, and sometimes she is lovely, of a shining whiteness. She presides over a great many things — in some regions, she leads the Wild Hunt — but particularly spinning, an activity fraught with mythic signiﬁcance.

he spinning of thread and weaving of cloth were to the ancient Germanic peoples, A) a strictly female activity, and B) a metaphor for and means of inﬂuencing fate. Patterns of threads laid down in the past made a partial fabric in the present from which the whole of the future cloth could be deduced. Changes made in the warp and weft changed the fabric of fate. The Norns, very like the Greek Fates, were three sisters named Was, Becoming, and Shall (Urđr, Verđandi, and Skuld) who spun, wove, and cut all the threads of all the lives and happenings there were, and who

“Frau Holle,” 1903, public domain. therefore knew all that ever had been, was in the process of being, or would come to pass. They were intimately linked with the feminine sorcery called “seiđr,” which allowed its practitioners to perceive and manipulate the threads of fate, of being. Men could and did practice this art — Odin chief among them — although a gender taboo labeled those who did so as unmanly, at least in latter days. The distaﬀ, the tool for spinning, was the tool of witchcraft and divination; the profoundly revered “völva,” Norse seeress, was she who wielded it. Linguistically, the term “völva” is related not only to the Old Norse word for “wand/magic staﬀ ”, but to the Latin “volvare”, as in “revolve”, and yes, “vulva”, from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning to turn inwards, roll, or spin. Völvas were

highly sought-after experts in their magic craft, but noble women practiced it too in order to inﬂuence the outcomes of their husbands’ battles. So Mother Holle, as the tutelary deity of spinning, is the mother of everything that makes up life and death. In Scandinavia a vague memory of her exists in the “huldra” (singular: “hulder”), a race of enchanting women who dwell inside the hills (in “holes”) and may be encountered in the wild lands outside of civilization’s reach. Possessed of cows’ or foxes’ tails, they lure men with their beauty, bed them, reward them for courtesy, and punish them terribly for sexual insuﬃciency or lack of respect. They were irresistibly attractive — until the breaking of the spell revealed them to be wrinkled and grey. Then, too, they would reward or punish a man for the way he reacted to this shock.

he Norse concept of Hel, keeper of the dead, may be a refraction of Mother Holle as well. “Hel”, where the dead go, is generally in the most literal sense a hole in the earth, after all. (It must be noted that the Christian concept of Hell, though it took its name from the Norse, could not be more different. Hel welcomed and cared for all the dead who were not divided between Odin and Freyja after falling in battle. (Oh, yes — Freyja got half.)) Like Holle, Hel was half graceful and attractive, half terrifying and repulsive. Which half you saw depended on how afraid you were of death. She, too, had her domain under the ground. And like Holle and Skađi, she is associated with Loki, though much more closely: he is her father or brother, by varying accounts, and at the coming of Ragnarok- — when he has emerged from his transformative ordeal under the earth — he will appear on the final battlefield with all Hel’s people, the numberless dead from their subterranean realm, behind him. But that’s a story for another day. Whatever your ancestry and wherever you go, the ground you walk on belongs to female powers as old as your species. Life and death are frightening by their very nature. To those willing to embrace that frightfulness, they offer all the wisdom, sustenance and support the earth’s surface and womb can give — as they did in times beyond memory, as they will always do. ***** While I aim for themes of general interest, my focus in this article is on the myths of Northwestern Europe because they are what I study. The world is full of other rich, complex, and sometimes contradictory traditions I omit because of my lack of sufficient knowledge, not through a lack of appreciation and respect. Reva Sherrard works at Peregrine Book Company, studies Old Norse religion, and is writing a novel.

Not-asholy days

s an adult, you could wear a costume every day of your life if you really wanted to. As such, there’s no reason to limit regalia to one holiday this month. Consider celebrating ... Oct. 1: Frugal Fun Day • Note how you spend your day. Oct. 3: Virus Appreciation Day • They’re more than meets the eye. Oct. 6: Mad Hatter Day • A mercurial celebration.

his odd looking vessel is called a “cigar ship” and was the brain child of an American named Ross Winans, an inventor and railroad engineer. At least four of these ships were built, the ﬁrst one completed in 1858. Putting the paddle wheel in the center of this ship produced so much spray that the decks were decorative at best, and it was necessary to go outside in order to move from one half of the ship to the other. Though 16 feet in diameter, and over 180 feet long, there was little usable space inside. ODDLY ENOUGH ... Although it was intended for sea travel, it was discovered that one heavy wave could roll it over.

Oct. 9: Curious Events Day • Killin’ cats, solving mysteries. Oct. 13: Skeptics Day • Wasn’t this in January? Oct. 16: Dictionary Day • Look it up. Oct. 18: No Beard Day • Take that, hipsters. Oct. 19: Evaluate Your Life Day • Optional assistance from Albert Hofmann. Oct. 23: Mole Day • Take 6.0221415×1023 of them. Oct. 27: Tell a Story Day • In the beginning ...

*****

oles, which feed on earthworms, can transmit a paralyzing drug into the worm and thus prevent it from escaping.

ODDLY ENOUGH … Moles often tie the worms into knots, forming balls. These knots of worms are then stacked and stored as fresh, living meat. As many as 470 such stored worms have been found in just one mole larder. ***** Russell Miller is an illustrator, cartoonist, writer, bagpiper, motorcycle enthusiast, and reference librarian. Currently, he illustrates books for Cody Lundin and Bart King.

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