Desert Messenger

32 www.DesertMessenger.com November 18, 2015 Thanksgiving 8000 Calorie Poem: May your stuffing be tasty. May your turkey be plump. May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump. May your yams be delicious and your pies take the prize, and may your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs! ~Unknown Jane's book is WANDERINGS: Living the Ordinary Extraordinarily (Stories from the Road). This column consists of stories from the book. (email: janefinley@yahoo.com, website: janefinley.com) All persons included in this report submitted by QPD are innocent of crimes until proven guilty in a court of law. 10/30: Kevin Cooke, 31 , a tran- sient was arrested and booked into La Paz County Detention Facility for Resisting Arrest, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Disor- derly Conduct. 10/30: Ricky Duckworth, 54, of Quartzsite was arrested and booked into the La Paz County Detention Facility for Aggravated Assault. 11/2: Daniel Boyd, 35, of Los Ba- nos, CA was arrested and booked into the La Paz County Detention Facility for Possession of Danger- ous Drugs. 11/4: John S. Lane, 34, of Quartzsite was cited and released for Criminal Trespass for an inci- dent that occurred on 11/2. 11/4: Kennith Weiderhold, 42, a transient was arrested and booked into the La Paz County Detention Facility for Disorderly Conduct and Criminal Trespass. 11/11: Jonathan Nash, 21, of Quartzsite was cited and released for Attempted Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. QPD Arrest Report The following arrests were made by Quartzsite Police Department OCTOBER 28 - NOVEMBER 12, 2015 Food Handler Classes Food Handler cards are required for every person who handles or pre- pares food, and/or handles the eating utensils and food preparation equipment, including dishwashing. The cost is $15.00 per year and the card must be posted inside the food unit. Cards must be obtained prior to opening. Quartzsite, AZ: The Food Handler class and test will be given at: Quartzsite Senior Center, 40 Moon Mountain Road, on the following WEDNESDAYS: November 18th • 10am and 2pm NOTE: Time changes in December and January December classes Dec. 2nd, 9th and 16th 9am and 1030am January classes Jan. 6th,13th and 20th 9am and 1030am Note: If you need a Spanish video and test, please contact the Health Department at 928-669-1100. Spanish classes are available in Parker at the Health Department, 1112 Joshua Ave., #206, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:00 am - 4:00 pm. By Lyle Browning U of A Extension Connection Program Coordinator Parker- AZ -The winter visitors to La Paz County are aware of the fine winter weather here. Those of you who are new will be able to enjoy our desert all winter long. You will see that just will not survive in colder climates. The plant that most recognize is the saguaro. It is the Arizona state flower. What you may not know, but will, is that every saguaro you see has to have a nurse tree to protect it when it is young. Notice that almost every saguaro you see, unless it is very large, will have a tree next to it. The tree may be dead, but it gave the saguaro life. Some of the tree varieties you will see on the desert grow only in a pretty small area of the southwest. The Desert Ironwood {Olneya tesota] is only found in the So- noran Desert and a small area in extreme northwest Mexico. This tree can live beyond 1000 years and is one of the hardest woods in the entire world. Some of these trees serve as nurse trees. It is a member of the pea family of plants. Another desert native tree is the Mesquite [Prosopis]. There are a couple varieties of this tree in the desert but they look alike, Mes- quite also is a very popular land- scape tree. They have a very fast rate of growth when provided with water. It is another member of the pea family. The Palo Verde [Parkinsonia] is native to our area. The name means green stick. You will notice the trunk and branches are green. They are able to live without leaves by breathing thru the bark. It is another member of the very large pea family. While the Ironwood can live more than 1000 years, it is not the oldest plant in the desert. The most plentiful plant in the desert is the [Larrea] the lowly creosote bush. The creosote bush is the most efficient and drought tol- erant plant in our desert. It also is the oldest. Plants have been dated to more than ten thousand years old. This plant is a South American native that followed the warming earth north at the end of the ice age. True story. Another thing you will notice in the desert are rocks that ap- pear varnished. The shine is called "rock varnish". When in the desert the watch word is "look but don't touch", it is illegal to remove almost everything that ex- ists in the desert. If you have questions about plant identification or plant care, desert or landscape, feel free to contact me. Our office is located in Parker and our telephone number is 928-669-9843. Enjoy the desert this winter Read Desert MESSENGER ONLINE @ www.MyQuartzsite.com

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