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Show constructed in this manner. Pretty much anything else that needs a long, strong pole can be constructed with drilling pipe sections. Yet another category of junk is appliance junk. Every homestead has at least one or two derelict appliances somewhere. Stoves, ranges, washers, dryers, refrigerators, in various states of decay, sit around the homestead. Again, sensible reasons dictate that these seemingly useless bits of debris be retained. ' Appliance parts can be stripped to keep other appliances running. Navajos are pretty POINTBLANK -YARDARKS..HO! The critical importance of junk on the Navajo Nation By Rick Best crafty, and can get years of use out of refrigerators and ranges that in other locales would It was with interest and delight that I read in some previous edition of the Zephyr on the power of junk to preserve. It validated many of my own feelings concerning the power of blight to defend the red rock southwest. I read some of the heated and angry letters that deride the "beloved junk" theory and now Id like to defend junk here on the Navajo Nation... Out here on the Navajo Nation, junk is a pretty common feature of the various homesteads of the people. Europeans and the well-to-do travelers are often offended, but there’s good, sensible reasons for hanging onto all of that stuff. e For one, all of those derelict cars and trucks are an endless supply of parts and raw materials for a variety of uses. Over near Bluff, I saw where some enterprising Navajo had cut apart the chassis of some a stratocruiser, and created a durable and interesting gate. The two chassis rails had rusted to a subdued oxide hue, and no doubt were much cheaper, and probably a lot tougher, than commercially available gates in Cortez or Farmington. Those rails will serve for decades and will make a satisfying and intriguing archaeological find for some energetic students in the 23" century. On US-89 south of Page, there’s another excellent example of auto architecture. The hood of an early seventies Monte Carlo has been converted to a sign for a jewelry stand. Even though the car that once bore this piece of sheetmetal is long gone, its remains have now become an indirect source of income for a family in the desert. This is a probable reversal of roles for the former vehicle, as I’m sure it was previously a source of grief from late car payments, breakdowns, and frequent visits by the repo man. Hulks of nonfunctional autos have also become sheep corrals for young lambs. Tough and rugged, car bodies make excellent protection against marauding coyotes who prowl the outskirts of the homestead during lambing season. Despite their cunning and fangs, they are unable to pop open the door of a 1968 Dodge Coronet which serves admirably in this role a few ranches away from my residence. And so the new lambs are able to survive a difficult and dangerous time in their existence. They issue forth to provide the mutton stew and sandwiches which will bring joy and sustenance to Navajos in the future. Another feature of the average homestead is a goodly pile of fence posts. Fence posts are considered a bit more "rustic" than cars and trucks, and therefore not as offensive to the non-residents of the Navajo Nation. Fence posts are also. a wonderful source of material. They can be used in the building of a hogan. They can be used to prop up the sagging roof ofa trailer. In a pinch, they make fine firewood. And of course, when you need to whip together that new corral, they happily go back to being fence posts. There are also plenty of fence post analogs, including old oil patch drilling pipe which is commonly seen around the Four Corners area. Drilling pipe can be used to make a very tough version of a Navajo shade house. I saw a ‘produce stand in Bluff that was ~ NEW The WEST Melum BLUES ol REN-MAN.. Fighting Good for Manners Taste in & ire Heart of the Canyonlands. PRESENTS. have been consigned to the scrap heap. Just like car parts, appliance parts can be put to work elsewhere. That old refrigerator door now serves as a door to the shed. The sheetmetal panels of appliances can be incorporated into fences, or used for doghouses, henhouses, and other outbuildings. As with all the other stuff considered "junk" by nonlocals, appliance remnants are a fine raw material that contributes to the continued wellbeing of the people. The People are actually doing a great job of making sure that all these devices, manufactured at great cost to our planet. our energy sources, and our labor, get used to the maximum. Is that so bad? Still, without fail, the visitors and travelers complain. Why don’t they get rid of that junk? Why don’t they landscape? Don’t the Navajos have any aesthetic sensibilities? Valid concerns, I’m sure. One poor European asked why Navajos don’t plant grass. I had to think a bit about that one. However, the fact that most families are content to hang onto the remnants of grandpa’s 1962 Chevrolet is actually a great favor to the rest of us. For one, that stuff isn’t going to some already overstressed landfill. I’m not sure if folks have noticed, but landfill space is a problem. Recycling would help that, but so many communities in the interior west still view recycling as a left wing liberal plot meant to drive down the demand for raw materials and thereby bankrupting the mining industry. If only liberals were so organized. The people are actually doing a great job of making sure that all of these devices, manufactured at great cost to our planet, our energy sources, and our labor, get used to the maximum. Is that so bad? On another note, junk is something that offends our taste, but is otherwise harmless. People complain about the visual intrusion of junk all of the time, but a derelict pickup truck is not very likely to shorten your life. However, toxic waste, uranium tailings, and other fun stuff that’s usually invisible just might. In fact, carbon dioxide, a colorless, odorless gas, may assaulting the planet as global warming takes hold. I agree wholeheartedly that junk now looms as the savior of the southwest. In particular, that which I call the low-budget southwest. Savior? Someone contemplating a real estate purchase might choke at the thought. Seriously, it’s what keeps affordable places affordable. If the Hispanics living in Santa Fe had done a better job of piling up rusting car bodies and dead refrigerators, they might still Later...outdoors... All of Canyon Country is in chaos. Young punks reeking of booze. | Neanderthals on the loose. Human Never wear a hat indoors... behavior run amok. WHAT CAN WE DO to stop the madness??? Party hearty dude! ee REN-MAN Renaissance Man returns to Moab after a long absence... and just in the nick of time... More beers, Man! D Inthe name of everything clean & decent... STOP RIGHT NOW! YOU FOOLS! YOU FOOLS! You're disgraceful. You're despicable. Have you no shame??? SWILLING WARM BEER OUT OF A CAN? flavor of beer, you must drink if from a glass, preferably a pilsner... Confining the beer's natural effervescence to acan is shameful... Ailes © Loo q, =. To fruly apprec iat the full-bodied e W7777 a) ijY /; \ = yf From The Zephyr staff & management... HAPPY BIRTHDAY Willie Flocko. And next time... Try an import. Hey! Alright! The dude is hip! Party ON! Peace, teses —s |