Duh

For literally years now these signs welcoming travelers to our community have annoyed my grammatical nerves. The word "would" is missing you see, and all this time I thought we must be making a hayseed impression on visitors who must think we can't put a decent sentence together.

So now I'm there at the Hi-Lo Cafe making conversation with our waitress over this important issue and suddenly taking note of the cocked head look she and Sally are giving me, a great burst of understanding flashes across my dim mind. "Weed like to welcome you" isn't missing a word at all, it's missing an apostrophe !

Both of these divine women took my faux pas in stride when ruder people would have broken out in hysterical and humiliating laughter being as the cafe is jammed with Sunday morning brunchers and all.

Spoken as "We'd like to welcome you", it finally dawned on me that instead of a sign painter's slip of hand, some great wit went into the phrase. And it took me, practically a native by now, almost three decades to pick up on it. Oh boy.

Private Recycling Company Startup

Many of us drive to Ray's in Weed or even to the recycling places in Mt. Shasta or Yreka to turn in CRV, #1 & #2 plastic, glass, aluminum, and newspaper. It's a chore, not only because of the drive but because you have to sort the plastic in order for it to be accepted.

So when this company comes along offering free, regular pickup we now have a convenient alternative. I spoke with one of the owners Jason Robinson (938-9967 or wayoutrecycling@yahoo.com) who outlined the start-up plan : initially they will service Tony Lema, Palmer, and Hogan (and the courts that come off those streets) between 7am and noon on the first and third Mondays of the month. The "marker" a participating resident would use should be a black trash bag of recyclables at streetside for the driver to see. Jason says they hope to leave fresh bags in their place as a thank you for contributing.

He indicated that if enough of us take part that they eventually will expand to cover other streets as well and, if fund-raising activities and donations are successful, that they might even provide re-usable containers for residents to leave their recyclables in as they do in large cities.

They at present do not accept glass or steel or newspaper but all plastic and aluminum is welcome. He explained we do not need to separate the various kinds of plastic either, they will do that later themselves. That's a nice bonus.

All in all it seems like a very worthwhile effort that would bring environmental responsibility right to our doorstep. One vehicle picking up recyclables as one example, is better on the environment than thirty of them driving to town several times a month.

Comfort Food

Sadly the many tasty dishes my mother used to make are now determined to be not good for us. I grew up back east where cod cakes were a staple (minced codfish fried in batter) and fin and haddie (a cream sauce with smoked haddock and pearl onions) was a Sunday treat. Way too much cholesterol, saturated fats, salt, and other dietary villans too difficult to spell.

But gosh, did it all taste good.

So my adorable daughter in Seattle comes through. She takes after Sally and is a gourmet cook who grabs incredible recipies off the web and sends one for homemade chicken pot pie (http://www.relishmag.com/recipes/view/20383/chicken-pot-pie.html). It is of course full of nutritious stuff and sinfully delicious. I know this because we're having it for dinner tonight and have suffered through an entire day of it's baking aroma.

Sally said it was labor intensive despite the fact that one can now buy ready-made dough for the crust but all fresh ingredients, unlike the 99 cent Swanson variety I used to sneak into the shopping cart back in the day.

Enjoy.

Upgrading

So you've been here, right? The computer is getting slow. You can't do X, Y, or Z which (of course) MUST be done in order to "complete the transaction". In our line of work it is becoming necessary for example to scan documents and email them to clients. So we learned how to do that. Took awhile, but we got there.

But it turns out that some companies don't want you to send each page as a separate attachment. There is a format called PDF which allows the sender to save a bunch of scanned pages into ONE document so that the recipient can just scroll down and see (and print) all pages in one view.

This (of course) requires special software called Adobe Acrobat . . . $399 per at last look.

So since we have 8 year old (and cheap) PC's let's get up to speed, right? We already have perfectly functional flat screens and wireless keyboards so all we needed was new towers. Off we go into the nah-nah land of computer-speak. Fortunately we tied in with a local company which helped us research what model to buy and what software (Microsoft Office 2007) to add.

The PC's came on Thursday and we have been learning Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2007 ever since. Trying to match our existing programs (not to mention email) has been . . . hmmm . . . challenging. Very little is similar and I get the feeling the little uber-nerds who invent this stuff are playing at being clever rather than looking for simple ways to do things.

Now we are faster and capable of more cyber gymnastics than ever. Of course the screen resolution is tiny now so as to accommodate all those new icons and our eyes get worn out sooner. Sigh.

A Landmark Man

Jack Everhart, who was instrumental in so many activities in Lake Shastina over the years that he was named Citizen of the Year in 2008, has passed away.

Ruggedly handsome, Jack wore a smile everywhere he went. He was everybody's friend and did enormous good for our community: Director on the LSPOA and Shastina Community Foundation boards, Habitat for Humanity, Environmental Contol Commitee, Fire Safe Council, and many more civic duties.

Jack was an Army veteran of the Korean War and his name, along with that of his surviving brother Myron of Oroville, CA is listed on the wall at the Living Memorial Sculpture Garden located 13 miles north of Weed on Highway 97.

There will be a memorial service Saturday Feb. 13 at eleven a.m. at the Lake Shastina Community Bible Church on Jackson Ranch Road and burial will be at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills, CA not far from La Crescenta where he grew up.

Pancake Breakfast

Lake Shastina Police Department is doing a pancake breakfast served with sausage and eggs.

They will have a build-and-decorate pancake contest and they will also be raffling off a big basket full of goodies. Feb 13th from 8am to 11am at the Lake Shastina Community Center.

Also on this same day at the Community church on Jackson Ranch Rd. there will be a memorial for Jack Everhart at 11am. It will be following the pancake breakfast.

CHICK MUSIC BENEFITS THE SISKIYOU ARTS COUNCIL

Chick Music kicks off Valentine's Day weekend with an incredible lineup of female talent from Siskyou County, along with our featured folk/rock singer/songwriter Tiina Flank from Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada. Tiina will also be featured on Sunday, February 14th at the Stage Door for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner and music event.

The cast is ever-expanding, at this point including local singers Genny Axtman of the popular local group Rockit, Dana Knight, Kelly Short, Ali Andreas, Paula Reynolds, and Ana Holub. Also featured will be the Mt. Shasta Women's Drum Circle, and the Mountain Gypsies bellydance troupe.

Accompanists and music partners will include Gerry Smida, Ryan Marchand, Chris Prim, Doug York, Jak Anderson, Mike Gregory, and other talented local musicians, including a special guest appearance by the director of the College of the Siskiyous theater department, Tom Murdock - who is also an accomplished drummer.

The goal is to raise funds to purchase a special drum for little ones participating in the Music And Movement For Toddlers program. Enjoying live music by local musicians including our own Gerry Smida (playing accordion), children learn singing on pitch, call and response, and the use of rhythm instruments.

Classes are held Fridays at 10 am at the Mt. Shasta Community Resource Center. The cost is $10 per class. Some scholarships are available. For more information contact Pam Newman 530-859-2309.

Please be sure to become a Facebook Fan of the Siskiyou Arts Council to stay informed of upcoming events. Also visit www.siskiyouartscouncil.org. If you can't make the concert, you can still donate directly to the Siskiyou Arts Council.

Your donation will be much appreciated by the community for years to come as these children grow into great musicians.

$10 donation at the door. Student and group discounts available, and free tickets are available as everyone in the community should be able to attend. For more information on group pricing and tickets call 530-925-2770.

This is a family-friendly event!

Reminder: following the benefit on Saturday the 13th will be a romantic dinner event at the Stage Door on Sunday, February 14th featuring Tiina Flank performing beautiful songs with London based singer, songwriter and guitarist Tobacco Brown.

www.myspace.com/tobaccobrown