Aviation Day __ Sat. Aug. 21 Rohrer Field, Montague

Pancake breakfast starts at 8 and if schedules hold together an F-15 from Kingsly will do a low pass shortly after breakfast is over. Cal Fire, CHP, and the Forest Service all plan static displays of their helicopters with a possible rappelling demonstration and other fire fighting tactics.

Every year at this event, sponsored by the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, custom and home-built airplanes from surrounding areas fly in and spend the day too, so there will be some gorgeous aircraft for everybody to see.

Terry Weathers who is the former owner-operator of Rohrer Field will be set up in a hanger with an impressive display of old photographs and historic memorabilia. He does this every year and this time around Terry extended an invitation to our B24 and Hellcat recovery group to display our artifacts and research.

It could not have been at a more opportune moment because the brother of one of the B24 crew is flying out from Florida to visit the crash site and share memories at our table. His name is Stacy Churchwell and it is a rare chance for people to connect with a World War II event that happened exactly 67 years ago this past June 11th.

The warbird recovery group is working on plans to display the B24 artifacts and items from their later discovery of an F6F Hellcat in the Trinity Mountains to honor our veterans. The hope is to build display cases for viewing in the Armory at the fairgrounds so there will be a donation jar on their table, too.

Not a Good Thing to See When You Come Home

That's our driveway on the left just in front of the green Forest Service pumper. We'd been off on a hot air balloon ride with Ed Steele early that morning to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, a gift from our two daughters, and this was the scene when we drove in.

We'd known it was a wildfire drill as had the whole neighborhood but it was a bit of a surprise nonetheless. They were right smack in front of MY HOUSE and well, what would anybody think with such a sight?

They're gone, even moments later as I write this, suffering what is forecast to be in the 90's today in their yellow fire resistant outfits to protect us in case of another wildfire like the Hoy Fire a couple years back. That one was such a close call that we got ordered by our home insurer Allstate to clean up the pine needles. This is what it looks like now:

For a free Cal Fire inspection of your home (before you get a call from your insurance company) call Suzi Brady at 842-3518 or email her at suzanne.brady@fire.ca.gov. I found her to be very knowledgeable and reasonable, too. For instance if needles or bark are less than 2" deep she will allow them to remain (and your insurance company should too).

More on the balloon ride shortly.

People Selling Magazines in Lake Shastina

SUMMER TIME SCAM BEWARE
By Officer Rusty R. Owens
Lake Shastina Police Department

Chief of Police
Rick Alves

“Our organization was founded to give kids like me summer jobs so we can stay off the streets and avoid gangs and drugs. Can you help us by buying our product?”

“I’m selling magazine subscriptions to earn a college scholarship. For each magazine I sell, the group I work for provides scholarship funds for my education, or I win a trip.”

Sound familiar? Every year crews of teenagers and young adults travel to towns across the country peddling magazines, cleaning products or other items. They show up on your doorstep with stories such as how you can help them avoid inner-city troubles by buying their product. The cause sounds admirable, they appear to be hard working, so why not help out?

Before making a decision, The Lake Shastina Police Department and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) advises you to consider the following: The National Consumers League estimates that 50,000 children nationwide are involved in traveling sales crews selling consumer items door-to-door and on city street corners. The youth groups are transported hundreds of miles from their homes, often across state lines. Unfortunately, many of these young people are victims. The League has consistently ranked traveling crews among the worst jobs available for youth and indicates that they can also constitute a dangerous environment

Employing the young plays on your sympathy, it may also violate state wage and employment laws. Various news media have reported abusive treatment of young sales crews. Minors report having been sexually harassed and physically assaulted some have been left stranded with no means of transportation home. In addition, the young people are typically expected to work long hours with little rest and it is not uncommon for them to be exposed to illegal drugs or underage drinking. Parents often discover too late the perils to which their children have been exposed.

Certainly, there are legitimate youth fundraisers. In addition, yes, they may come knocking. However, the next time a youth sales crew appears on your doorstep, it may be wise not to assume that it represents a local school or youth group. Ask for the name of the organization and other details. You may also want to inquire about the welfare of the young worker. Siskiyou County requires licensing for door-to-door sales, so do inquire and verify that aspect of any door-to-door sales presentation.
Sunday, June 21, 2010: The Lake Shastina Police in an ongoing investigation of door-to-door salespersons complaints, charged one man for selling items without permits and obtaining money by false pretenses. He had extensive criminal backgrounds; there were also active warrants out California for him, one for $25, 000.00 and another for $10,000.00. for soliciting with no permits or business license. During the on going investigation, officers contacted several Lake Shastina and Weed residents who said that the man gave different names, and stories to why he was selling the magazines.
Some included 1) Helping the military soldiers in Iraq
2) Just graduated from Mt. Shasta High School
Options: If you have been contacted by one of these sales person by federal law you have 3 business days to cancel the order with the company. You can cancel your check or credit card transaction by calling your bank or credit card company.
If you have any questions or concerns please call or e-mail investigating Officer Rusty Owens at the Lake Shastina Police Department, 530-938-2226, rusty@lakeshastina.com.
Information contained in this bulletin has been taken from Lake Shastina Police Department, Better Business Bureau, California Attorneys Generals Office and the Federal Trade Commission websites and news articles.

Lost and Found ___ Collins the cat

I'm having some trouble with the classified section this week so until I figure out how to enable (or disable, I'm not sure) cookies and find out what a cache is and how to empty it I'll put here what I started there under Pets__Lost, Found, Adoption.

This is Collins and he belongs to Larry Hood on Indian Island. He was last seen June 3 outside their home at 5085 Indian Island Road. If you see this animal please call him day or night at 938-1772 or Lake Shastina Animal Control 938-2226 and report.

If you have a lost, found, or pet for adoption just email me and if I can't get the classified section to work, I'll run a story like this for you. Please enclose a photo if you have one.

Recycling Pickup, Monday June 7

25 May 2010

Your support is appreciated. Thanks to all of you this company can grow. We now have better hauling capacity, and since this service has grown, I made the goal to expand by purchasing a trailer. Thanks to your support that goal has been achieved! So now we can grow bigger! The support has been wonderful, but we need more to get this really working. I will be in the community in the next week (weather permitting) handing out flyers. So if I come knocking it will just be to shake your hand and say thank you personally.

We have grown from the first pick-up of 2 houses to having 45 houses recycling on the sixth pick-up WOW! We need as many people as possible to participate and I encourage you to tell your neighbors. We can make this a true curbside recycling program that all can use.

I have to report all recycled material to the state which goes on the yearly report of GREEN communities to live in. So let’s show the country how green we can be. Soon with your support I will be able to accept more types of reusable items, like the paper, cardboard, etc. So once again thank you all for your support. Also remember that we pick-up the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month so there won’t be any pick-up this coming Monday. The next pick-up will be June 7th, 2010. We accept all aluminum, plastic, and glass. Please rinse food from containers.

Thank you,
Jason Robinson
530-938-9967
wayoutrecycling@yahoo.com
wayoutrecycling@att.net

May Events in Lake Shastina

(Sent in by Julie Pontoni at LSPOA)

May is on the way! Here is your calendar of events for May, as well as some information about future events.

"Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'" ~ Robin Williams

LAKE SHASTINA COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
LAKE SHASTINA PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION

MAY 2010

Calendar of Events


May 1 - Burn Site Open – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
May 4 - Fire Safe Council Meeting – 6:00 p.m. (Administration Building)
May 5 - ECC Meeting – 9:30 a.m. (Administration Building)
May 9 - Happy Mother’s Day!
May 12 - Property Owners Association Meeting – 5:00 p.m. (Administration Building)
May 15 - Burn Site Open – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
May 19 - ECC Meeting – 9:30 a.m. (Administration Building)
May 19 - Community Services District Meeting – 5:00 p.m. (Administration Building)
May 31 - Memorial Day – Administration Office Closed



Scheduled Events at the Community Center Building

May 22 – Hot Rods by the Lake Car Show, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

HIGH DESERT GARDENERS: meets on the last Thursday of each month 3:00 p.m.
QUILTERS BY THE LAKE: meets each Monday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
TAI CHI: meets each Wednesday 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
YOGA GROUP: meets each Monday 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Scheduled Events at Hoy Park

May 8 – LSCFI-sponsored Vendor’s Day

Lake Shastina residents are welcome to come join in the festivities at the Community Center. It is a beautiful location for any activity and keep in mind that the Community Center is available to individuals that may wish to rent the building for a family function, wedding, party, etc. Check for availability at the front counter at the Administration Office, 938-3281.

FUTURE EVENTS:


Scott Valley Bank Summer Concert Series at Hoy Park
On Friday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. there will be a concert at Hoy Park, featuring The Cheeseburgers. This concert is sponsored by Lake Shastina Property Owner's Association; Lake Shastina Community Services District; Meyer Irrigation Specialists; Lake Shastina Family Medicine; Golden West Realty; and Scott Valley Bank. There is no admission fee for this event. Lake Shastina is just hoping for a fantastic turnout to kick off the summer with a bang and show off the fabulous improvements happening at Hoy Park. If you have any questions regarding this event, please call 938-3281


This information can also be found at www.lakeshastina.com

Lake Shastina's New Website

Congratulations to the LSPOA staff and webmaster for the new website design (go to www.lakeshastina.com to view the entire page). Not only more concise but more inviting, with such new features as Announcements, current weather, and even a spot (underneath Announcements) to sign up for email notifications of upcoming events.

Nice job folks!

ANNUAL CHILI DUMP - April 24, 2010

The eighth annual Chili Dump will be held at 6:00 p.m. on April 24 at the Lake Shastina Community Center. The event will feature samples of award-winning chili, door prizes and drawings, musical entertainement by Al Sosa, and time to visit with friends and neighbors.

This event is open to the general public, but the chili contest is limited to the first 12 who apply. For more information about this event, or to make a reservation, please contact Marvin Zeman at 938-1612.

Volunteer helpers for this event are welcome and needed.

Free Yoga Class

A free beginners' yoga class is offered at the Lake Shastina Community Center, 15244 Driftwood Lane, on Mondays from 10 am - 11.15 am. The class is designed so that anybody can safely participate at their level of comfort, no prior experience is needed.



What can yoga do for you? The short answer is that yoga makes you feel better. Practicing the postures and breathing exercises makes you healthier in body, mind and spirit. Regardless of an individual's level of experience, each class is an opportunity to leave stress and worry behind while giving each student a chance to restore mental and physical well-being.

Yoga removes the stiffness and inertia from the body. It promotes balance between strength and flexibility, building endurance, and developing self-awareness through precise movement, posture and breath. It improves posture, stimulates the immune system, creates a sense of well-being and calm and has the ability to slow down and reverse the aging process.

Annie, the instructor, has been living in Lake Shastina for the last ten years. She is a long-time yoga practitioner and completed her yoga teacher training last year. For more information call her at 938-3599.

Recycling Service Expands in Lake Shastina

Last month I wrote about this start-up company and they have just now provided this map of their expanded pickup route. The starting date for the added roads (Muskrat, Fisher, Jackrabbit, & Elk Trail) is next Monday, April 5 and to participate just put any plastics and aluminum into a black trash bag by the side of the street. Plastic beverage bottles with "CRV" on the label are not only accepted but desirable to Way Out for recycling value.(They cannot take glass or newspapers yet but if enough of us begin using this service this might change.)

If you live on any one of the several courts that branch off the yellowed roadways shown above you might call the LSPOA office at 938-3281 to ask if it is okay to leave your bag(s) on the side of the main road.

One of the (several) nice things about this service is that you don't have to separate the different plastics nor drive them to town. Time is money as they say and it's great now to NOT have six or seven boxes in your garage for the different numbers. If you look on each plastic container there will be the recycling triangle icon with a number in it and WayOut takes them all.

To save those flimsy vegetable bags and white plastic grocery bags (both #2) try this: cut a 2" hole in the side of a plastic milk jug (also #2) and push the bags inside. You can jam a great number of bags in there and since it's all #2, you just leave of the milk jug in the black trash bag instead of 3 cubic feet of uncompressed plastic bags. You will be able to get a lot more in this way.

If you have questions call Jason Robinson at 938-9967 or email him at wayoutrecycling@yahoo.com.

Late development: Jason reports that response has been so strong that he is willing to come to any address to make a pick up. So if you do not live on the map route above don't dispair, just call or email him with your address and they will come right to your home.

Due to so many calls they are even considering a glass pickup once a month but they do not yet have a trailer to haul with (although he said that is coming soon) and if anyone here in Lake Shastina who owns a trailer is willing to let them use theirs for a month or two they will add glass to the program.

Again, call Jason at 938-9967. Let's all get on board with this neat program!

Medical Care Disaster in Mt. Shasta

We learned Thursday in a phone call that Mercy Care Center, one of the finest nursing care facilities in Northern California, is closing its doors. Sally's mother has resided there for some time and was the reason we got the call, the announcement will appear for the general public in next week's papers.

The Care Center is a unit of Mercy Medical Center, the hospital in Mt. Shasta which has been subsidizing the Care Center to the tune of nearly a million dollars each year for the past several years according to Morris Eagleman, Vice President of Patient Care Services whom we met with yesterday for guidance. He explained that it had come down to a choice of closing the Care Center or the hospital itself and there was broad agreement in higher management that the hospital served a wider and more immediate need in the community.

Nonetheless it was a wrenchingly painful decision he said. There are 46 patients in the Care Center each of whom requires round-the-clock professional care unobtainable in a home setting. But the unforgiving realities of our depressed economy had finally reached the point where the facility was unsustainable ___ expenses were outstripping income at the rate of a million dollars a year and it was weakening the hospital next door.

The care center employs around 60 people and their departure will be a severe blow as well and to the entire county because many live and shop in other towns besides Mt. Shasta. Then there will be a major impact on the local businesses which provide services and supplies to the Care Center, jobs may be lost in that area as well. The overall economic impact of this closure is staggering.

But for all concerned the very hardest part of the entire tragedy are the effects of the closure on the 46 patients and this was painfully evident to each of the staff whom we have come to know over the years. There were hugs and tears everywhere when we went there after our visit with Eagleman. None of the patients will be thrown out onto the street Eagleman made quite clear, nor dumped on their families. Rather the facility will strive over the coming months to place them in other care centers.

The unfortunate part however is that nursing homes are closing all over California for the same exact reasons and the task of placing a resident will be a challenge. Since there are so few in this rural end of the state the likelihood is that the patients will end up in urban areas far away from their families and loved ones.

While moving to a new rest home will be hard enough for these residents (Sally's mom is 100 and practically bedridden for example) many depend on family visits to keep up their spirits and reason for living at all. We heard one heart-breaking story where the husband lives on his own but the wife in the Care Center because she has so many medical problems the man was simply physically unable to care for her. But the real twist is that she absolutely will not eat anything unless he is there with her at each meal. Right now he is next door in an apartment but what will happen when his wife is hundreds of miles away?

This entire scenario is sad beyond words and there is little I can do here to fully describe it's impact on people. I encourage you all to write your elected officials and try to head off this closure which will cause so much misery to those least able to defend themselves . . . the 46 elderly patients of Mercy Care Center.

Jim Nielsen, our state assemblyman; 530-223-6300 (Redding office) or email: assemblymember.nielsen@assembly.ca.gov

Sam Aanestad, state senator; 530-225-3142 (Redding office) or email: senator.aanestad@sen.ca.gov

Arnold Schwarzenegger, our governor; 916-445-2841 or email: governor@governor.ca.gov

Wally Herger, our congressional representative; 530-223-5898 (Redding office), no email shown.

Diane Feinstein, our senator in Congress; 202-224-3841 or email senator@feinstein.senate.gov

Barbara Boxer, our other senator in Congress; 202-456-1111 or email webform: boxer.senate.gov/contact (not sure about this)

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.

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

Boy, Am I Glad I Live in Lake Shastina

This was about how deep it was wading into Abrams Lake Mobile Home Park today. My son and I were trying to reach his mother-in-law who had been without heat and water for two days. No one had plowed and blow-downs blocked the roads anyway so we had to hike. Management was nowhere to be seen and we both wondered how many seniors were stuck in cold mobile homes with nothing to eat or drink.

Sally and I had driven to his home on North Old Stage Road near Black Butte where the snow accumulation was severe. Since he had a backup generator to provide heat and other essentials the main problem was getting out. He had been snowbound until we arrived to help free his 4WD pickup and while we drove north to Weed where you could still buy gas and groceries (nothing was available in Mt. Shasta) Pete plowed into the park in his jacked-up Dodge Ram and carried her to safety.

We returned with jugs of water, food, and a can of gasoline for the generator and snowblower and we invited all three of them to come over tomorrow (here in Lake Shastina) for showers and warmth.

Frank Christina explained it well: the moist storms rush up the Sacramento River Canyon and the water vapor condenses into rain and snow the higher it gets. By the time it reaches Mt. Shasta most of the precip has dropped out and Shastina is in the rain shadow.

I think I have shared these numbers before but from memory: precip in annual inches for Dunsmuir = 56, Mt. Shasta 36, Weed 28, and Shastina 16. I'm probably off and interested parties should call Frank but the picture is clear; we may have wind and lose power now and then but thank god we don't have what Mt. Shasta and Weed get.

The Medicare Paperwork Avalanche

Those of us fortunate enough to be in Medicare have for the last several months been assaulted with reams and pounds of paperwork all of which is intended to explain our choices for the open enrollment period that happens each year. This is the time when the health care companies can change their plans, moving drugs here and there on the price ladder, adding deductibles, increasing premiums, and so forth.

They get to do this only once a year and they have to stick with the changes for the next 12 months. So we get the same window to review what changes there are and if we need to move to a different plan.

Frankly, you would have to be an idiot savant who specializes in bureaucratic double-speak in order to plow through all the mailings and come up with any clear idea of what the heck it is all about. I mean it's almost impossible. It is so overwhelming that I cannot escape the suspicion that it is almost intentional. Yes, I know, dark isn't it? But don't you also suspect they want us to just give up and stay in the plan you're already in? You know, the one that doubled the cost of your most expensive (and necessary) brand med and hiked the premium at the same time the revealing of which is buried on page 1,985 of the material you just tossed into the garbage?

But there is hope. HICAP, the independent volunteer agency that counsels seniors (it stands for Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program), has experts trained to understand all the gobblegook in most towns here and what's more, you can get this valuable advice free.

Sally and I did that today, with a remarkable advisor named Marcia Smith in Mt. Shasta. I learned that my drug plan was okay as is, I'm going to cap out at the $2,800 "donut" hole come October of next year but if I can get my doctor to switch my Lipitor to a generic I might avoid the limit. I hope I can ___ if you hit the donut you pay full price for your drugs and Lipitor is around $400 a month.

But Sally hit the jackpot; Marcia found her a better plan with Humana that will save us almost $700 a year and she will never even get close to the donut.

Worth a call, people. Deadline for open enrollment is Dec. 31 so there are only a few days left. Marcia's phone is 926-148 and tell her we sent you.

Holiday Homecoming Concert

Celebrate the season with a mid-winter musical interlude with the “Holiday Homecoming” concert on Sunday, December 27th at 3:00 pm, at the Yreka Community Theater, presented by the Red Scarf Society for the Performing Arts. Three talented musicians are returning to Yreka to perform a varied repertory of wonderful selections. A champagne reception to follow.

Performing will be two favorite sons, Yreka born Kevin McKee on the trumpet and honorary Yrekan, Jacek Mysinski on the piano. Former Yrekan and talented soprano, Karen Berryhill Barrett, will be lending her voice to the occasion.

Tickets are $20 each for adults and $5 each for students. They can be purchased at Nature’s Kitchen, Yreka Chamber of Commerce, Surroundings, Village Books in Mt. Shasta and Scott Valley Drug. For further information call 842-4656.

Trader Joe's Grocery Now in Redding

Some of you know about this grocery chain from other cities and it is now within driving range. Founded by Joe Coulombe in 1958 according to Wikipedia, Joe called his first one in Los Angeles "Pronto Market", a small convenience store but he soon realized that the 7-Eleven competition was too strong and morphed his concept into specialty foods and emphasized fresh goods, even at one point serving fresh deli sandwiches and freshly squeezed orange juice.

He reportedly thought up the idea after a Carribbean vacation and the first Trader Joe's with the South Seas motif opened in Pasadena in 1979. The chain has since grown to 528 branches in 24 states and Consumer Reports ranks it as the second best grocery store in America behind Wegman's. From 1990 to 2001 it increased the number of branches fivefold and profits tenfold. Pretty good performance for an industry with traditionally marginal profits.

Theo Albrecht, a German billionaire who owns the German supermarket chain Aldi, bought the company in 1979 and Joe retired in 1989.

So ! You can now get stuff like Two Buck Chuck's wine, the really decent California wine varieties for $1.99 a bottle. My friend Ted says when Charles Shaw divorced his wife she won all the profits from their vineyard so that's why he sells all his wines at cost.

And besides great choice one thing I noticed was each pricing as opposed to by the pound on much of their produce . . . bananas for example were 19 cents each, artichokes 49 cents, and so forth. Lots of organic and imported goods, too.

The Redding store is north of Sears off Hilltop before it crosses eye 5, next to the new Kohl's.

Animal Volunteer(s) Needed

Many of us are pet owners and sometimes we need medical care for our charges. As they age the need for care increases, sometimes just to end their suffering. This of course is very hard on human owners but it can be even harder when treatment cannot be found in time.

I'm referring to what one has to do when a pet has a serious medical condition after normal working hours. The only solution if you can call it that is Redding or Medford where veterinary service is on call 24 hours a day. That's an hour and a half away, not enough time to treat a serious injury or a poisoning. Most animals would suffer and perhaps die before ever reaching either city.

At some time in the past there was a cooperative effort among vets here to provide after hours care. Evidently it was a rotating on-call schedule split between north and south county. It must have worked for a time since people in animal care remember it, but something went awry. Perhaps someone did not pay a bill. Maybe somebody complained. Some vet got upset at another vet perhaps. Egos may have gotten bruised. Who knows. But today we are back to the Redding - Medford choice. Again.

Some of us are taking another look at this, though. People who work in shelters, animal control, and other pet environments share a growing concern with this lack of care. Too often they see injured or diseased animals suffer in their arms and sometimes perish before an office opens the following day.

So we have been meeting and gathering ideas. This week we wrote every veterinary office in the county to solicit their input. We also invited them to our next breakfast meeting at the Black Bear Diner in Mt. Shasta on April 15. (We also welcome any concerned pet owner to the gathering, it is not a closed setting.)

The title for this article is one idea being tossed around. Some people with veterinary experience in different areas of our huge county who would agree to be on call for emergencies. And there are other ideas that could be layered on top of this one to not only make coverage better but make it easy on those who provide it.

Please call or write me with your suggestions. April 15 is not that far away and I would very much like to have new ideas to put on the table. You can email me at batchelder@gotsky.com, call me at 938-0385, or just write to 5225 Muskrat Rd., Weed, CA 96094.

This situation has "humane" written all over it and while veterinary care is a business like any other it's inconceivable to me that they don't care or don't see the suffering that can go on after hours. Surely that's why the vets organized themselves to try and address it in the past. Perhaps with our help and volunteers we can urge them to try again. Even though pet owners spend good money at the local vet offices this really isn't about money. It's about compassion, and the dedicated will to prevent suffering in helpless animals.

We need all the help we can get. There has to be an answer.