Kay Wanner had worked as a legal secretary for lawyers for many years. “I was 21 and worked for a probate attorney in Simi Valley and became intrigued by wills and probates,” she said. “At that time we didn’t yet have trusts.” Wanner said she told attorneys she worked for that she would do the research and the prep work in this area of the law she found fascinating. “If you don’t do it, let me do it,” she recalled telling them.

When she was 31, the death of her husband in an accident changed everything. With children to raise, Wanner began preparing to attend law school. “If I don’t do it, where will I be in five years?” she remembered thinking. Then, at the age of 39, she entered Western State College of Law night school, eventually graduating from Southwestern Law School in 1985. “I worked for attorneys during the day and went to law school at night,” said Wanner.

Wanner, featured presenter for the Idyllwild Community Center’s Speaker Series, will talk about “The Black and White in Estate Planning.” She noted it is an area of the law with which people are increasingly concerned. Wanner said she would discuss the pitfalls of dying without a will or trust and the hardships and expense to beneficiaries of the protracted court procedure called probate.

“Through estate planning, you protect yourself and your assets while you’re alive and protect your beneficiaries from probate after your death,” she said. Wanner said probates that once might have been concluded in months can now take years to resolve. By creating living trusts, in which one’s assets are placed in trusts while the individual is still alive, probate is avoided and transfer of those assets to beneficiaries is a simple process.

Wanner opened her own law office in Palm Desert after graduation, an office she still maintains. She currently is training two people to take over her practice once she retires. From this early fascination with protecting and bequeathing assets, Wanner noted she has built a career and practice that has always afforded her work and the gratitude of her clients.

Wanner’s presentation is at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, in the Silver Pines Lodge great room. A wine and cheese reception is at 5:30 p.m. Both are free to the public.

Wanner is married to Charlie Wix of Idyllwild.

Gary Kuscher, nine-year member of the Art Alliance of Idyllwild and current vice president, will be honored as the first recipient of AAI’s Volunteer of the Year award. In recognition of his years of dedicated service, the award will be named after its first recipient.

Kuscher, with longstanding commitment to expanding the profile of the organization, and leader of the very successful Art Walk and Wine Tasting event, has demonstrated what makes art in Idyllwild so important — talent, heart, commitment and long hours of hard work.

By Rick Barker
Special to the Town Crier

The idyllic wilderness we call Idyllwild has long been a magnet for healers, whether of body, mind or soul. Several Native American tribes considered our mountaintop a place of healing, and even a sacred space. Our town’s first building, built in 1901, was a sanatorium. Seeking a home base for his Trailfinders, in 1941 Harry James chose our mountaintop, at what is now the James Reserve. The “Father of Holistic Medicine,” Dr. Evarts Loomis, was adamant that the first holistic hospital be built “in the shadow of Tahquitz Peak” (1952).

These four examples are but the tip of the iceberg, and today Idyllwild is recognized as one of the premier hubs for holistic healing. Joining this venerable lineage is a donation-funded nonprofit named Present and Positive whose website describes as being dedicated to self-awareness, personal development and positive change in the world.

Present and Positive is the brainchild of Colin Parker and Janel Ruehl. They bought a house on Double View in late 2013, and after completing several projects, including a 30-foot diameter yurt, they held a grand opening on Oct. 18, 2014. Since then, the yurt has been a favorite gathering place for locals, and today they offer a full schedule of classes, workshops and artistic events.

Trine Bietz moved her yoga classes from Town Hall to the yurt. Every morning from 7 to 8:30 a.m., the yurt is reserved for open meditation. Other regular events include a drum circle, Tai Chi, Shaolin Qi Gong, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Ecstatic dance, “gentle” yoga and an open-mic night for sharing poetry, songwriting, storytelling, dance, etc. The latest addition is “Meditation for Children and Teens,” which Dr. Susan Foster will facilitate every Tuesday.

Present and Positive also regularly hosts a wide variety of concerts, film screenings and other artistic events. To celebrate Martin Luther King Day, four local musical acts performed. The yurt is equipped with a first-class film projector and screen; the debut film in the series was “The Highest Pass,” after which the director Adam Schomer answered questions from the audience.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Colin (Janel recently enrolled in a holistic healing program at the Institute of Psycho-Structural Balancing in San Diego but still is heavily involved in the administration of the project). When asked about the vision underlying Present and Positive, he replied, “We don’t have a particular ideology or process. Our approach is more about service and listening. We’re not trying to force something that we believe in on the community. We’re listening to the community, we’re experiencing the community, we’re trying to understand what is most needed here, and we’ll put our resources toward that. It’s a very receptive approach. We believe in creating space — with the house, the yurt and the 40 acres in Garner Valley — for the beautiful energy here in Idyllwild. We’re just facilitators for what already exists here.”

This inclusive attitude has been well-received by the community, and they are already expanding operations. They recently joined forces with Maryna Allan, whose White Feather Retreat (five minutes north of Pine Cove) provides a nice symmetry (the Double View house and yurt are at the southernmost end of Idyllwild). They are currently looking to rent another house near Double View, and their long-term vision for the Garner Valley property includes permaculture, community gardens, organic farming, low-cost overnight guest facilities and artistic venues.

One thing that particularly impressed this reporter is their ability to emphasize connectedness and unity in tandem with individual expression in a way that doesn’t seem contradictory: “We recognize the power of connection, but we also believe strongly in free expression and equality. Present and Positive is absolutely horizontal in every aspect. The original vision came from Janel and I, but now no one person has the final say. We trust each other and we have different strengths, and we believe all people have something to offer. We believe in achieving balance through simultaneous self-reliance and interdependence.”

In closing, I would like to quote a passage from their mission statement: “We believe that all people intuitively know what they need to thrive. When free of distractions and surrounded by nature and a supportive community, most people will naturally gravitate towards greater happiness, harmony and peace.” Since our mountain offers all the necessary ingredients in such abundance, it is easy to see why it continues to attract spiritual visionaries.

Whether you are seeking holistic healing, connection or just looking to raise your spirits and have fun, check out their schedule of events at presentandpositive.com.

A very special fundraising event for Idyllwild’s Animal Rescue Friends is scheduled for June 6. ARF has announced a beer festival and home brewers’ competition to be held at the Riverside County’s Idyllwild Nature Center.

Attendees will purchase admission, which will give them tastings offered by some of the finest craft brewers in Southern California, such as Stone Brewery, Coachella Valley Brewing Company, La Quinta Brewing Company and others, dancing to a live blues band, and delicious food, said Janice Murasko, ARF secretary.

The Super 300, who perform dynamic arrangements of Chicago and traditional blues, as well as their own high-energy boogie and swing-inspired original material, will play during the event.

The home brewers competition will take place prior to the event. The Coachella Home Brewers Club is sponsoring the competition and winners will be announced at the fundraiser.

The Art Alliance of Idyllwild has had a very successful Art Walk and Wine Tasting each October for years. Beer lovers have asked about a similar event. This year, ARF decided to satisfy their taste. Holding the beer tasting early is not in competition with the Art Walk, Murasko said.

Add to this the hundreds of home brewers found in the Inland Empire, and the San Diego and Riverside counties, ARF could see that including a competition for them was a natural.

All proceeds will allow ARF to continue to provide medical care, food, shelter, training and forever families for homeless pets.  All funds raised will aid ARF (a 501(c)(3) organization) in its mission to care for and find forever families for homeless dogs and cats of the mountain communities.