Desert Messenger

February 15, 2017 www.DesertMessenger.com 15 Corner of Moon Mt. & Cowell • Quartzsite • 928-927-5400 QUARTZSITE'S ONLY YEAR ROUND SALON Cheyanne, Debbi, Sandy, Sheryl, Linda, Janna, Beth, Sherrie, Gayle, Gypsee, Rina ARE HERE FOR ALL YOUR OPEN YEAR ROUND! Hair, Nails, and Pedicure Services SEE GYPSY PAGE 26 Traveling with Gypsy Jane I felt at home right away, the minute I walked in the door of Crazy John Coy- ote's bookstore in Alamosa, Colorado and saw the section labeled "Banned Books" in big letters. But let me start at the beginning; every story has one. The fi rst title of this story was "One Never Knows," as in: I never know what will happen to me during the day, but I always expect the unexpected and try to keep my eyes open to any possibilities; I don't pass any open windows. One thing I know for sure: It's going to be a great adventure! This was one of those days... I had just come out of Milagros Coffee House and was walking toward my car. I really don't drink coffee anymore, but it was Labor Day, and all my old haunts were closed: the college, the library, and even the senior center. No comput- ers for writing. What would I do with myself all day? (Heaven forbid I should have to start on my long list of chores.) I noticed Milagros the fi rst day I was in town and wanted to go there, but what do you do in a coffee house if you don't drink coffee? So I drank some. It was very good, but I was happy to realize I could live without it. I spent a long time at the coffee house, visiting with the employees and the guy at the next table, part of the time searching my camper for my chai recipe and giving it to everyone. I like Milagros: its warm and friendly atmosphere and the fact that all profi ts go to the homeless shel- ter in town, La Puente. As I was walking toward my car, a very interesting-looking man appeared at the door of the nearby bookstore -- defi nitely a hippie type -- a throw back to the sixties: head scarf, hair in a pony tail, longggggg gray beard, overalls, no shoes, granny glasses, skinny. I was fascinated; normal has never appealed to me. I am always intrigued by some- one who bucks the system and stays true to his/her self. After I had taken him all in, I asked my knee-jerk ques- tion: Do you buy books? I entered The Roost and Coyote's Den with two bags of books in hand. I checked out the surroundings while John (aka Crazy John Coyote), the owner, checked out my books. He took about half of them. It was the most or- ganized bookstore I've ever seen, every section labeled and the books neatly on the shelves. John sez he bought "a mu- sic store that sells books," but he owns "a book store that sells music." If he doesn't have what you want, he'll order it for you. I was immediately fascinated by the new and used books, cassette tapes, CDs, videos, vinyl records, and posters, not to mention the bowl of free condoms in assorted fl avors (chocolate, mint, banana, etc.) He said that mint was the best.....hmmmmmm. I passed right by the "invisible room." John says everybody does that. He has to invite customers to enter the room because they just don't see it: hence the name. That's where he keeps the videos and the clothing for sale. The cement fl oor is covered with customers' art- work. Anyone can choose a square and use the buckets of paint and brushes he provides to let their imaginations soar. One of the biggest attractions in the room is a computer with free access to the internet. by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) The Last of the Red-Hot Hippies (Crazy John Coyote) Alamosa, Colorado There was a children's book section (next to the banned books) with a comfy, bean- bag chair. I delighted in seeing a child sprawled on the chair, fully engrossed in a book. (I did, after all, teach Children's Lit- erature and am still turned on by it.) The walls were covered with posters of famous men and famous quotes: John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and more contempo- rary ones like the infamous Eminem. There was art too, including one of my favorites: "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt (1962-1918). ("The Kiss is a fascinating icon of the loss of self that lovers experience. Only the faces and hands of this couple are visible; all the rest is a great swirl of gold, stud- ded with colored rectangles as if to express visually the emotional and physical explo- sion of erotic love".....Nicolas Pioch). Just inside the door was a table with at least 20 kinds of incense, claiming to have both mystical and spiritual values attached to them by holy men: empower your sexuality and creativity; focus your mental energy; enhance in- spiration, relaxation, meditation, and whatever you do to make life more ful- fi lling; and provide relief in one form or another. Some are from "the foothills of the Himalayas," or are "found in re- mote areas." One is "a rare fragrance extracted from the rare Kewda fl ower." I read every name and smelled most of them (not recommended for sinus sufferers). The categories are: Fruits & Florals (jasmine, violets, rose); Mystical (om, worth); Spiritual (freedom, spiri- tual guide); Exotic (poem, my favorite); Enchanting (lyrics, fantasy); Celestial (which "unlock the power of your zo- diac sign" and are "based upon centu- ries old recipes handed down through generations of wise men from India"); Therapeutic (frankincense which, of course, has been used since Biblical times.); and ones that were just fun to say like patchouli, ylang ylang, and pa- keezah (which was sold out). There is another category called Hot n' Spicy with names I hesitate to mention here, but trust me; they WERE hot n' spicy. Needless to say, I feel a whole incense story coming on. (Need incense? www. incensemania.com, but please don't burn it around me!) The store owner introduced himself as Crazy John Coyote, but he is far from crazy -- maybe a little/a lot eccentric tho -- besides being friendly, gentle, lit- erate, concerned, involved, and able to speak his truth. In a word: fascinating! He describes himself as a "barefooted ol' Hippy from the middle star of the belt of Orion," and said I was swept into his "vortex." I know that because three hours later, I was still there discussing books, philosophy of life, his vegan life- style, simple living, health, causes, the environment, and listening to Alabama on cassette tape. (I had collected three hugs before I left.) We have very similar beliefs and interests, and very similar lifestyles: cheap. John (his given name) can talk about anything, and as he said, "You get two Geminis together, and they never stop talking." Well, I'm not quite a Gemini, but close, on the cusp between Gemini and Cancer, and I have a lot of Gemini traits, like my best friend being someone I'll meet in the next ten minutes and being able to change jobs or place of residence overnight. Yeah... Crazy John Coyote has lived in Alamo- sa most of his life, and he is somewhat of a legendary folk fi gure. I describe myself as a screaming radical (well Call Don 928-927-3080 208-255-6955 Don's Rocks Decorative Landscaping Hauling, Dumptruck & Backhoe Services WE'RE BACK! Looking forward to seeing our Friends!

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