Tell-tale “hand season” in Palmer

Our human Hands tell the honest story and this is the big reveal time of year. If you are a builder, it shows. If you are a gardener, it shows. If you are a painter, it shows. If you are a farmer, it shows. If you are a fisher, it shows. If you are a biker, it shows. You only have to glance at a person’s hands right now to tell the real life account. Working hands do not conceal their efforts and working hands tell the truth.

Multi-use Tools—Hands wave and greet. Hands point and instruct. They are directional tools. Hands celebrate with clapping or raising a fist in the air. Hands hold the sad ones and hang on to the weak ones. They rescue and reach and save; they knock on the doors and carry our groceries. Human hands extend out to achieve equality and trust. They walk our dogs and pet our cats. Our hands feed us and put the baby to bed. Our fingers are our counters. Our hands are the tools of compassion and war. Our hands pray and exalt. Our hands join in union. Our hands bless and heal. Our hands are symbols in marriage and justice. Our hands shoot guns, save the wounded or give medicine. Our hands on our hips announce emotion. It really is true what Aristotle said, “The hand is the tool of tools.”

Palmer Hands—So true to form, Palmer hands are a special breed. Farming, yard work, construction, gardening all takes its toll on our hands. We wear bandaids from blisters of hard work and hard play. You will see wrist guards and gloves as part of our normal getup. Palmer merchants offer a variety of hand creams which sooth aches and arthritis. Local massage professionals and medical healers offer therapeutic or complex hand treatments and procedures to heal and sustain our upper appendages.

Hands Are So Undervalued—It’s only when an injury or accident occurs that we really learn to appreciate the value and necessity of our human hands. Surgery makes you rethink everything. There are some in our community that have lost their physical hands or the ability to use their hands. We need to recognize and support these people with great respect and care.

Amazing Mechanics—Typically we have two opposable thumbs and eight clever fingers for grasping and releasing. Most every sport requires hands as a part of the play. Baseball, football, tennis, basketball, are performed in conjunction with hand dexterity. Skiing, swimming, and biking might be possible without the use of hands but the difficulty would increase dramatically.

This Week In Palmer—This weekend we Friday Fling, and lots of live music at the bars. There are some large community garage sales in the Palmer area. We have the first ever KidstockAK at the Alaska State Fair Grounds in Palmer. This is a Saturday family event with many activities including face painting, movies, crazy hair, pancake breakfast,and lots of music, including six great bands, food vendors, motorcycle raffle, and beer garden. The great thing is that this fundraiser will benefit Kids Kupboard! Children under 10 are free! Sunday is Recycle Revival all day in Hatcher Pass at the Skeetawk Ski Area. There will be live music, food trucks, beer garden and silent auction. This is sponsored by our own Valley Community for Recycling Solutions and benefits this important effort in our area. H2 Hawaii Reggae Band, Denali Cooks, Carhartt Brothers, and Feral Katz will be playing. Don’t forget it is First Friday this week!

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff on the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222