Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 18, 2015

THE WORLD AROUND US

14

Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 11, 2015 


THE WORLD IS “LOOKING UP” ON APRIL 25; WESTCHESTER JOINS THE PARTY


Saturday, April 25 is the night of all nights for you 
to look skyward. That’s when the whole world will 
be celebrating the “Global Star Party”—an evening 
devoted to appreciating the skies that surround our 
fragile planet Earth. The night’s celebration is part 
of Global Astronomy Month (GAM), sponsored by 
the astronomy advocacy organization Astronomers 
Without Borders (AWB).

 Use this link to check out AWB’s worldwide events: 
http://astronomerswithoutborders.org/gam2015-
programs/observing/1558-global-star-party-for-
gam-2015.html

 One April 25 global event of special interest will be 
the “Hangoutathon” a shared program of AWB and 
CosmoQuest:

 http://astronomerswithoutborders.org/gam2015-
programs/online/2607-cosmoquest-hangoutathon.
html

 This online Marathon-length event runs from 8:00 
a.m. April 25 to 8:00 p.m. April 26.

 During the Hangoutathon, CosmoQuest invites 
you to race to map the worlds: Mercury, the Moon, 
Mars (yes, we’ll have Mars!), and cold distant Vesta. 
While you do science, we’ll take you on a tour around 
the world as we follow the terminator to Global Star 
Party events taking place around the world.

 The Hangoutathon runs for 36 hours straight so 
no matter where you are in the world you will be 
able to tune in and see some exciting astronomy 
programming.

 This year, as part of the Hangoutathon, AWB is 
teaming up with CosmoQuest to let you participate 
live online in Global Star Parties being run by clubs 
all over the world! 

 See more at: http://astronomerswithoutborders.
org/gam2015-programs/online/2607-cosmoquest-
hangoutathon.html#sthash.ZJeXiu5O.dpuf

 Another online highlight of Global Astronomy 
Month is “Walking on the Moon: A Virtual Telescope 
Project.” Go online at 12:00 noon on Friday, April 24 
to reach the Moon from home! 

 The Virtual Telescope Project provides a remote, 
online lunar observing session, linked up with plenty 
of friends from all around the planet. Find your own 
crater, mountain or sea while flying over our ancient 
satellite, with live narration. This promises to be an 
unforgettable event.

 See more at: http://astronomerswithoutborders.
org/gam2015-programs/online/1570-walking-on-
the-moon-online-observing-event.html#sthash.
GvBtzqDx.dpuf

*******

AND HERE AT HOME, JUST ABOVE THE BLUFFS 
IN WESTCHESTER, the public is invited to look 
skyward from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. Saturday, April 25, 
at our local version of the Global Star Party. Host Bob 
Eklund welcomes you to join him at the parking lot 
of the Christian Science Church at 7855 Alverstone 
Ave., corner of 79th St.

 Telescopes will be set up for everyone’s enjoyment. 
We’ll be looking at Jupiter with its four moons, our 
own Moon and its craters, and stars and nebulae.

 ALL are welcome—bring the children, learn 
astronomy together, and enjoy the sky! And if it’s 
cloudy or rainy, come anyway—there’ll be an indoor 
learning session on basic astronomy, especially for 
children (of any age).

 There is no charge, and refreshments will be 
served. If you have a telescope of your own, feel free 
to bring it—experienced amateur astronomers will be 
on hand to help you set it up if necessary.

 Questions? Contact star party host Bob Eklund, 
(310) 216-5947, beklund@sprynet.com 

 

You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com.


Bob and Laura Eklund enjoy the skies at 
a Westchester star party. Photo by Aaron 
Dominguez.

Full Moon showing the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility.


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder

 
by Christopher Nyerges

 

[Nyerges is the former editor of Wilderness Way magazine, and the author of 14 books, including 
“Guide to Wild Foods,” “How to Survive Anywhere,” “Foraging California,” and others. He leads 
regular outdoor field trips to identify edible and medicinal wild plants. He can be reached at www.
SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]

PREPARATION AND EXECUTION 
OF MY INCOME TAX RETUR

THE WINDS ERASE YOUR FOOTPRINTS

A book by Shiyowin Miller

April 15th is the time of the year when 
Americans can communicate with their 
government. I cannot testify for anyone 
else, but I look forward to this marvelous 
opportunity and I am careful not to waste it. 
This year, for example, so much has happened 
to me since last year it took 15 single-
spaced typed pages to include everything. 
However, to be perfectly honest (and 
who’s perfect), I am a little disappointed. 
All the years I have included a personal 
letter in with my tax returns, I have 
yet to get a personal letter in return. 
I’m beginning to think this is a one-way 
relationship and it wouldn’t take much for me 
to quit this correspondence entirely. Then what 
would my government think? How would 
they know what I’ve been up to all year long? 
I am not one to complain, but filling 
out my income tax return seems to be 
getting more complicated each year. When 
I familiarize myself with the rules for one 
year, someone changes them the next year. 
What could not be deducted last year can 
be this year; and what was not deductible last 
year I must pay twice. Why can’t someone 
in the government make up my mind 
and quit all this unnecessary fluctuation? 
On April 16, each year, our government 
immediately destroys the tax books to 
keep them from falling into the hands of a 
foreign power. By “foreign,” I mean Canada. 
Heaven help us if our neighbor north 
of the border ever got their hands on this 
information. Canadians are not usually 
known for their joviality, but once they see 
these books, the entire country would break 
out into uncontrollable laughter. Who knows 
what this would do to the delicate relationship 
now existing between the two countries. 
Because of this important precaution, 
we need new tax laws each year. 
Right after the New Year’s Eve party, 
someone in the Internal Revenue office asks 
his assistant to “bring me those tax books.” 
When informed there are no books, this 
same person (who shall remain nameless 
for obvious reasons) says to his assistant, 
“Bob, write me a new tax law book for this 
year and have it on my desk by 5 o’clock.” 
This sets the wheels of government to 
whirling and by golly, by 5 o’clock that new 
tax law book is on the desk. The reason 
the tax laws differ from one year to the 
next is the assistant responsible for this 
is fired every year and a new one hired. 
The only requirement for the assistant 
is that his name must be “Bob.” 
I wish one year Bob would call me. It seems 
he has overlooked many legitimate deductions 
every year. I would like to submit some 
recommendations to be considered for next year. 
First, I am not too happy with this April 
15th deadline. I feel it is much too restrictive 
and rigid. What is so special about April 
15 that our government should have 
such an apprehension about me missing 
this deadline? What is wrong with June 
15? Or, September 22, for that matter? 
I believe the IRS should be more 
understanding and practice a nonjudgmental 
attitude. After all, this is a new millennium 
calling for a new attitude on this whole business 
of taxes. They ought to trust me to send in 
my taxes whenever I’m ready, or remember. 
There are some deductions I have never 
seen on the forms I have filled out and I 
have always wondered why. Let me list some: 
Grandchildren — have never been listed as 
a legitimate deduction. Does the IRS know just 
how expensive grandchildren are? My jellybean 
budget alone could finance a small third world 
country and I only have three grandchildren. 
Pets — have never been included as 
deductions. Pets have a marvelous role in 
enhancing our lives and giving us a good excuse 
to get out of the house and walk around the block. 
Pet food is expensive, as any pet owner knows, 
not to mention those exorbitant veterinary 
bills. (Does my doghouse qualify as a home 
office? I spend a lot of time there so it should.) 
Vacation — is another overlooked item. 
Does the IRS think I am taking a vacation 
just for my health? Oh, yea. I am. Well, my 
health is important. Every dollar I spend 
on vacation should be deducted from my 
income and not be taxable, which would 
take a lot of stress off my next vacation. 
Presents — don’t tell me Christmas 
presents are not authentic tax-deductible 
considerations. If it were not for me buying 
all those Christmas presents the general 
economy of our country would go into 
a slump. Buying Christmas presents is 
the one thing I can do for my country 
and I should expect some compensation. 
These are just a few suggestions 
I would make if left up to me. 
There is no way I could get away with 
writing my own ticket for my personal 
income tax return. The government has set 
up rules and regulations to guide everyone. 
The Bible clearly says; “There is a way 
which seemeth right unto a man, but the end 
thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12 
KJV.) And, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the 
way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh 
unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6 KJV.) 
Some people think they can write 
their own ticket when it comes to God, 
forgetting God has established rules 
and regulations that apply to everyone. 
Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family 
of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 
34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver 
Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or 
e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net or website www.
jamessnyderministries.com.

One of the books that came out of my family was “The 
Winds Erase Your Footprints,” written by my wife 
Dolores’ mother, Shiyowin Miller. Shiyowin, who was 
part Osage, was immersed in Native American culture. 
I remember visiting her home in Temple City, which 
seemed like an Indian museum with a full library, 
drums, pots, and artifacts from all over the country. 
Shiyowin had been a music and dance teacher, and was 
a professional dancer. She knew Iron Eyes Cody, and 
worked with Luther Standing Bear, a Lakota Sioux who 
wrote “My People the Sioux” and other books. Luther 
Standing Bear adopted Shiyowin, and let Shiyowin act as 
his agent for his various books and other legal matters. 
It brought the past alive to me when I was able to see 
and feel the pipes, sandals, robe, and other materials that 
Standing Bear had given to Shiyowin. (There is a special 
exhibit of Standing Bear’s robe and other items at the 
Crazy Horse Museum in South Dakota.) 

 Shiyowin also had many friends from the Navajo 
lands. In the 1930’s, Shiyowin’s best friend, Juanita, fell 
in love with a Navajo man, Luciano, who’d been working 
as an extra in Hollywood. Juanita and Luciano got 
married, and moved back to Luciano’s Navajo lands in 
New Mexico. 

 Shiyowin kept in touch with Juanita, and wrote about 
the experiences that Luciano and Juanita underwent on 
the reservation, during the Depression when there was 
so little work. 

 Shiyowin edited and revised and rewrote her book 
many times over the next 30 years, and she died in 
1983 before it was ever published. I married Shiyowin’s 
daughter Dolores in 1986, and when I saw the box with 
hundreds of pages of manuscript, I asked Dolores if I 
could read it. In fact, Shiyowin had hired Dolores to type 
many of the revisions over the years, and so Dolores was 
familiar with the content. 

 Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. I was 
amazed at the quality and depth of the story, and could 
barely believe that it had never been published. Shiyowin 
had actually received an offer from a publisher some 20 
years earlier, but since she kept rewriting and revising, 
it never got published. To me, it was like reading a Tony 
Hillerman novel, except it was true! 

 Everyone said that the book accurately depicted life on 
the Rez during that time, mixed in with some accounts 
of Navajo witchcraft. With some editing, Dolores and I 
got the book published in 2002 by Naturegraph Press, 
which features many Native American titles. If you do 
an internet search with the book’s title, you’ll see some 
of the reviews that have been published about this book. 

 The story was descriptive, compelling, and you feel 
as if you are re-experiencing the harsh winds, the life 
in the Hogan making coffee, the search for work, and 
all the ceremonies and gatherings that were a part of 
the Navajo way of life. The books, which was 335 pages 
when published, also contained hints and clues in the 
backdrop about Navajo witchcraft, and the ma-itso, the 
wolf clan which was feared by most. 

 The freak death of Luciano was generally attributed 
to the work of the ma-itso, and Shiyowin gives the clues 
in bits and pieces, in the way that Tony Hillerman so 
masterfully slowly revealed his mysteries. 

 The line drawings for the book were drawn by Navajo 
artist Chester Kahn. Shiyowin’s daughter Dolores stated 
that the drawings seemed the ideal artistic representation 
of Shiyowin’s work, capturing the feeling and quality of 
the historical account. 

 The books is available from Amazon, or from the 
Store at www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com. 

The following excerpt from THE WINDS ERASE YOUR 
FOOTPRINTS is Copyright and may not be re-printed 
without permission of the publisher. 

From chapter 7: The Sing 

 “Before we came here,” her husband began, “when 
I tried to tell you about everything which might seem 
strange to you, I didn’t tell you about ma-itso--the wolf 
clan. One reason, it no longer seemed as believable to me 
as it once had; perhaps all the years in school did that; 
anyhow, in Hollywood I seldom thought of it. When 
we came here, my mother told me the wolf clan was 
still strong in Cañoncito. I didn’t tell you then because I 
could see no reason why they would try to harm us. But 
to be sure you were safe, my mother and sisters watched 
you every minute. 

 “There were times when I almost told you, those times 
when you were upset about things you didn’t understand. 
And yet I hated to frighten you needlessly. Already there 
was so much for you to worry about. It seemed better 
to wait until I had a job, until we were living in town 
and then tell you. “But now two things have happened 
which make me sure the ma-itso is for some reason after 
us. I found yellow pollen in an X mark on my hat brim, 
and today my mother found pollen on our clothes. That 
is their warning. Lorencito thinks you will be safer if 
you know about this evil thing.” A hundred questions 
sprang to Juanita’s lips, but her husband went on talking, 
interrupted now and then by Lorencito or his mother. 

“The wolf clan is as old as the Navajo tribe. From the 
beginning some men turned certain powers, which 
should have been used for good, toward evil things. 
Corn pollen, used for blessing, is used by the ma-itso as 
a warning to a person marked for death. And death does 
not come in a usual manner; it comes in a round-about 
way which cannot be easily traced. The victim sickens 
suddenly; sometimes his mind leaves him. No Medicine 
Man can cure him. Sometimes the victim meets with a 
mysterious and fatal accident. 

Fom chapter 13: Wolf Tracks 

 Juanita had hung up two diapers when she became 
suddenly aware of something across the arroyo. When 
she looked carefully nothing seemed unusual; in the 
dim light she could see the sharp banks of the arroyo, 
the clumps of juniper in dark patches on the other side. 
Then gradually, two of the dark juniper patches began 
to take on the indistinct forms of dogs sitting on their 
haunches. 

 That was what imagination would do for you. She 
even thought now that she could see the large pointed 
ears. Juanita smiled to herself. This must be what Lu 
had seen, the queer-shaped juniper bushes. They looked 
surprisingly like coyotes, only larger. The likeness 
had even startled her for a moment and her mind had 
certainly not been on wolves or wolf tracks. She pulled 
her eyes away and began resolutely to hang up more 
diapers. 

 A sudden movement, one dark figure detaching itself 
from the other and moving farther down the arroyo, a 
third form appearing almost directly across from her on 
the opposite bank. Juanita stood absolutely still. There 
was no sound except the flapping of the clothes on the 
line. 

 When Juanita reached the kitchen door, she called to 
her husband to bring the shotgun. “Those figures that 
you saw are out there again.” This couldn’t be her voice, 
tight and choked. 

 Two of the dark forms were loping off down the 
arroyo when Luciano reached the bank, but the third sat 
directly across from him like a very large coyote on its 
haunches. Luciano raised his gun and fired directly at it. 
The animal seemed to gather itself into a ball and plunge 
down the bank of the arroyo--across the wide, sandy 
bed. 

 “Lu! Watch out! It’s coming for you.” 

He raised the gun to fire again ...

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