July 2017

  An open letter to Secretary Zinke For five hours I drove from Capitol Hill, in Salt Lake City, through the same famous redrock landscapes you flew over—Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome Basin…. At Grovsenor Arch I met up with monument paleontologist Dr A …

“Ecocide demands a response. That response is too important to be left to politicians, economists, conceptual thinkers, number crunchers; too all-pervasive to be left to activists or campaigners. Artists are needed.” Uncivilisation: The Dark Mountain M …

Many mindfulness meditation centers are studying what seems to have become the great hope of alternative medicine. But here in Salt Lake City, we may now have not only the newest, but one of the most exciting research centers. While mindfulness practic …

Ten important facts you should know (don’t believe the political lies). Ever since the 1800s, when all Indian people residing in the Bears Ears were forcibly removed, we have grieved and suffered great pain over the treatment of these ancestral lands. …

Here’s how to begin: 1. Notice how you are feeling. If you feel a slight breeze, go into the feeling. If you feel achy, notice every nuance of the ache, then notice something else. 2. Be curious. Judging traps us in discomfort. A curious attitude cures …

University of Utah opens new mindfulness clinic Eric looks on as Michael Riquino and Sarah Priddy, UofU social work PhD students,experiment in the lab. Many mindfulness meditation centers are studying what seems to have become the great hope of alterna …

Apocolypse? Your dogs may think so; here are ways to calm their anxiety. If you have a sound-sensitive beast, Fourth of July—heck, pretty much all of July—is a nighttime trial. Salt Lake County Animal Services reports an uptick in runaway pets this mon …

The scene was the annual seed swap at the Sorenson Center about eight years ago. This guy had a large bag of reddish seeds that resembled parsnip seeds, only they weren’t. “They came from Southern Utah. Taste like spinach,” he said. Always on the looko …

Awake and engaged will get you through the month (and beyond). Osho Zen Tarot: Experiencing, Morality, Guidance Medicine Cards: Lynx, Otter Mayan Oracle: Portal of Transcendence, Hologram Ancient Egyptian Tarot: Strength, Queen of Disks, Four of Wands …

Community-sourced art project employs archaeological perspective. Andrea Henkels Heidinger has been creating art with post-consumer waste—or, as she calls it, “post-consumer artifacts” for two de­cades now. Heidinger titled her mid ’90s MFA thesis Mani …

The curious world of Mary Roach. If Mary Roach is the “bottom feeder of non-fiction,” then I am the parasite that feeds on the bottom feeder. The Kudoa septemlineata on her flounder; the Camallanus worm to her plecostomus. She’s a bottom feeder, she sa …

One pound of compost becomes a feast for the whole garden. Wow! I have waaaaaaaay too much high-grade compost!” said no gardener ever. Generating that much rich, dark garden goodness evades the majority of even the highest level soil celebrity. Base-le …

I’ve been chatting up Chris Isaak fans. As much as they love his music or his teeth, his hair, or his overall crooner self, what they really want to talk about is his live shows. I asked him about that. “I love to sing. I love to be onstage, talking to …

Keeping track. Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown. Through them we pass out into adventure and sunshine, to them, alas! we return. — E. M. Forster   The thing about being a worried person is that you learn from early on …

Seven Canyons Trust to daylight hidden water People who lived in Salt Lake City during the 1983 floods still remember that, despite the disaster, there was something magical about water flowing through the streets. There are 21 miles of buried creeks u …

Utah Foundation to coal communities: Diversify President Trump says he will bring back coal, but a series of three reports on Utah’s coal counties from the Utah Foundation says that coal-dependent communities would make a big mistake to pin their futur …

I am never going to be a Foodie. Maybe it is due to a linguistic bias. I have a visceral reaction to words that end that way; hoodie, goodies, veggies, panties and Denny are among them. I like food. I encourage its use and production. I just don’t love …

Bonanza Flat rescued in the nick of time The story of Bonanza Flat might have been grief for another lost place, but it turned out to be an affirming example of community coming together to save a place we love. Local government, businesses, conservati …

Ten important facts you should know (don’t believe the political lies). Ever since the 1800s, when all Indian people residing in the Bears Ears were forcibly removed, we have grieved and suffered great pain over the treatment of these ancestral lands. …

Given the grief caused to Utah by uranium mining in the past, it is surprising that the Utah Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands submitted comments to Trump’s Monument Review asserting that designation of Bears Ears National Monument will bu …

Cleaner cars, cleaner air Have you noticed those PZEV labels on new cars? That stands for “Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle” and it’s a big deal for Utah air quality. After the 2017 model year, the automobile industry is planning to install PZEV technolo …

Apocolypse? Your dogs may think so; here are ways to calm their anxiety. If you have a sound-sensitive beast, Fourth of July—heck, pretty much all of July—is a nighttime trial. Salt Lake County Animal Services reports an uptick in runaway pets this mon …

  An open letter to Secretary Zinke For five hours I drove from Capitol Hill, in Salt Lake City, through the same famous redrock landscapes you flew over—Bryce Canyon, Kodachrome Basin…. At Grovsenor Arch I met up with monument paleontologist Dr A …

“Ecocide demands a response. That response is too important to be left to politicians, economists, conceptual thinkers, number crunchers; too all-pervasive to be left to activists or campaigners. Artists are needed.” Uncivilisation: The Dark Mountain M …

University of Utah opens new mindfulness clinic Eric looks on as Michael Riquino and Sarah Priddy, UofU social work PhD students,experiment in the lab. Many mindfulness meditation centers are studying what seems to have become the great hope of alterna …

Here’s how to begin: 1. Notice how you are feeling. If you feel a slight breeze, go into the feeling. If you feel achy, notice every nuance of the ache, then notice something else. 2. Be curious. Judging traps us in discomfort. A curious attitude cures …

Many mindfulness meditation centers are studying what seems to have become the great hope of alternative medicine. But here in Salt Lake City, we may now have not only the newest, but one of the most exciting research centers. While mindfulness practic …

A monthly compendium of random wisdom for the home, garden & natural world by Diane Olson, Anna Zumwalt and Greta deJong July 1 Dawn breaks at 3:55am. Sun rises at 6:00 A.M., sets at 9:02 P.M. July 2 World UFO Day. The Utah UFO Festival, run by the …