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Turquoise is the People's Gemstone While popular culture often paints the Wild West in dusty shades of brown and gray, turquoise provided its defining splash of color.  Each person is drawn to a particular piece of turquoise for their own reasons, be it color, story, history, or use and that creates the subjective beauty of it.  Its significance wasn't just aesthetic; it sat at the exact intersection of ancient Indigenous spirituality, a rapidly changing frontier economy, and the birth of American Southwest mythology, long before it was a beloved accessory among free-spirited fashionistas.  It's a rare, natural stone and it's connected to the land, the outdoors, and the wild.   It offers protection, water, life, healing, good fortune and a connection to the creator. The Sacred Root: Indigenous Connection Long before Spanish explorers or American pioneers headed west, turquoise was deeply sacred to the Native nations of the Southwest—particularly the Navajo (Diné), Zuni, Hopi, and Pueblo peoples. For these cultures, turquoise was not a commercial gemstone; it was a living piece of the sky and a symbol of water, creation, health, and protection. The Navajo associated it with the Changing Woman (a principal deity) and believed wearing it offered protection from evil and ensured good health. The Zuni prized it as a ceremonial stone, often carving it into intricate fetishes (small animal carvings) to channel spiritual power and safe passage. The Apache believed that attaching turquoise to a bow or firearm guaranteed dead-eye accuracy. The Frontier Cross-Cultural Boom (Late 1800s) The "Wild West" era saw a dramatic shift in how turquoise was used, driven by cultural exchange—and economic necessity—between Native artisans and Euro-American settlers. Around the 1860s and 1870s, a Mexican blacksmith taught Navajo ironsmiths

Job 39:19-24 “Do you give the horse its strength     or clothe its neck with a flowing mane? 20 Do you make it leap like a locust,     striking terror with its proud snorting? 21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,     and charges into the fray. 22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;     it does not shy away from the sword. 23 The quiver rattles against its side,     along with the flashing spear and lance. 24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;     it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds. 25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’     It catches the scent of battle from afar,     the shout of commanders and the battle cry. The passage you have provided is a powerful and evocative description of a horse, not just any horse, but a warhorse, a magnificent and fearsome creature in the throes of battle frenzy. It is a vivid portrayal of the horse's strength, courage, and excitement for the fight, captured through a series of rhetorical questions and vivid imagery. Here's a breakdown of the passage's key elements: Strength and Majesty: The passage opens by questioning the source of the horse's strength and its flowing mane, attributing them to a higher power. This immediately establishes the horse as a creature of exceptional physical prowess and beauty. Fearlessness and Battle Frenzy: The description of the horse leaping like a locust, snorting with pride, and pawing the ground highlights its fearlessness and eagerness for battle. It laughs at fear and charges into the fray, unfazed by the dangers of the sword and the chaos of war. Sound and Movement: The imagery of the rattling quiver, flashing spear, and the horse eating up the ground in excitement adds to the dynamic and sensory experience of the passage. The

### 99.9% of Species are Extinct It is estimated that about 99.9% of all species that have ever lived are now extinct. Scientists face challenges in confirming the exact number of species that have existed or are currently living due to the sheer abundance and variety of life forms. Despite our understanding of fossil formation and current extinction rates, it remains impossible to determine precisely how many species have gone extinct. However, paleontologists and evolutionary historians estimate that 99.9% of all species are extinct. This figure encompasses all species that have ever lived on Earth, not just those currently existing. Life has endured through five mass extinctions, and scientists have hypothesized the number of species that may have existed based on these events and the periods preceding them. According to these estimates, around 10 million species have lived on Earth, with humans discovering evidence of approximately 1 million. This supports the claim that 99.9% of species are extinct. Nonetheless, some skeptics argue that the total number of species might be closer to 6 million, suggesting a lower extinction percentage overall. #### Are 99.9% of All Species Extinct? Many researchers and scientists believe that less than a tenth of a percent of all species that have ever lived on Earth are still alive today. While some view this as a natural aspect of species evolution, others attribute the rising number of extinctions to human activity. Does this mean that over 99.9% of all species are extinct? Some experts, such as Daniel Simberloff from the University of Tennessee, assert that Earth is currently experiencing its sixth mass extinction. This ongoing event could lead to more than 99.9% of all species becoming extinct. The truth lies in the

You start dying slowly if you do not travel, if you do not read, If you do not listen to the sounds of life, If you do not appreciate yourself. You start dying slowly When you kill your self-esteem; When you do not let others help you. You start dying slowly If you become a slave of your habits, Walking everyday on the same paths… If you do not change your routine, If you do not wear different colours Or you do not speak to those you don’t know. You start dying slowly If you avoid to feel passion And their turbulent emotions; Those which make your eyes glisten And your heart beat fast. You start dying slowly If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love, If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain, If you do not go after a dream, If you do not allow yourself, At least once in your lifetime, To run away from sensible advice… ~Pablo Neruda

After tubing in Jamaica, my daughter is hooked on tubing rivers.  I grew up with this on the Apple River, so I'm down too. https://www.5280.com/5-places-to-tube-in-colorado-this-summer/?utm_campaign=The%20Local&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--fpPgmxnNquF7AM9VkbJsQYvs8Y6vod9SiUt1lXHHlsshfmnwlzwwAn5J-weyHghjTWueqNjikWlAjWCQmcKkBjlTSig&_hsmi=311394301&utm_content=311394301&utm_source=hs_email

From Popsugar If you like pickleball, you're going to love playing padel. We know what you're thinking: first, how do you pronounce it? And second, is padel the same as pickleball? For starters, it's pronounced PAD-el, not to be confused with its homophone paddle, which is a different sport. And no, padel isn't the same as pickleball — but it's just as fun. Padel is the fastest-growing racket sport in the world, while pickleball is "only" the fastest-growing sport in the United States, says Julian Wortelboer, executive VP and chief padel officer of Ultra Club Miami, the largest padel club in the world, and co-host of the Padel Smash Academy podcast with Cesar Caceres. Wortelboer's Ultra Club Miami has 28 courts, and Wortelboer says the club is at capacity for its full operating hours – 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.– more days than not. Padel will be an invitational sport in the Paris Olympics, and a full Olympic sport for the 2028 Olympics held in Los Angeles. In other words, padel is a big deal, and it's only getting bigger. Want to get in on the fun? In addition to Wortelboer, PS tapped padel pros Scott Colebourne, of the United States Padel Association and Victor Perez, one of the top ten padel coaches worldwide, for a padel primer, including how to play padel, tips for beginners, and a break down of padel vs. pickleball. What Is Padel, Exactly? "Padel is a form of tennis that is easy to play, fun and extremely sociable," says Perez. Colebourne describes padel as a blend of tennis and squash that involve lots of strategic, fast-paced play. "Padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court that's roughly 25%