CALIF. NEWS - STRAW - WATER - WALL - BROOM HANDLE

We’re edging toward summer here in Southern California, U.S.A.  with temperatures into 90’s F for a day or two, but soon we’ll drop about 20 degrees for another few days.   I enjoy the frequently cloudy mornings, occasional slight, and I do mean slight, moisture that long before noon leaves no traces of having been present during our “May gray” and “June gloom” months. 

California news of interest includes a measure that will appear on our November ballot to divide our state into three states.    Talk of such divisions i.e. to two states has occurred in the past.    I don’t support this separation, but will be interesting to see the voting totals.   Congress might not approve, anyway, since it would allow us more Representatives and Senators.  Given the reputation we wild and crazy Californians have, more of us in government would be risky.     

Network Neutrality may have been scuttled in D.C. but as The Mercury News reports:

“California and other states, including New York, Washington and Montana, have established or are working to establish their own net neutrality rules since the FCC voted to repeal regulations prohibiting traffic discrimination by the companies that control the internet’s pipes.”

Living near California’s San Andreas Fault as I do, this Atlantic magazine report of a recent Nature article has been of interest.   As they note in the article, “The widespread practice of extracting California groundwater to irrigate the state’s agricultural belt could be…the straw that breaks the camel’s back…” causing ‘the big one’ -- massive earthquake we’re purported to be past due for having.  

On a more local level, for several years my city has been trying to wrest back our water rights from a large national commercial corporate entity that has been unwilling to sell them back to us.   Many in our city have been most displeased with the rate schedule, seemingly constant rate increases, and the fact we pay more than those in other communities with whom we’re grouped.   Our California Public Utilities Commission has been of little or no assistance many have thought, so an Eminent Domain law suit was filed, lost and appealed only to lose again.   The final result is we’re in debt up the ying yang along with other bonds already on the books.

When I first wrote here of the water situation, some were amazed to learn water rights were not already owned by the public rather than a profit-making commercial company.   The reality is more than ten years ago I recall print articles, TV documentaries alerting people to the fact water rights all over the world were being quietly bought up by commercial businesses.  The prediction then was we could anticipate water shortages -- subsequent climate changes, droughts many places since haven't helped.  Water was said then to be the next oil market in availability and cost.  Pretty serious matter since water is a life sustaining necessity. 

Recent years we’ve defeated two more bond issues to provide our Police Department badly needed new quarters.   The first proposal was judged by many voters to be excessive in every way, including size and cost.  The most recent proposal required winning by a 2/3 majority of the vote but missed that mark.  I wasn’t surprised, since newer homeowners would be paying much more than long time residents whose assessed property value is considerably lower, partially due to protective legislation passed years ago.   Also, commercial businesses were excluded from paying at all as were our six local colleges consortium -- though the colleges did volunteer what many voters thought was only a token contribution to offset the expense.

We definitely need new headquarters for our law enforcement men and women who have always provided exceptional service in my experience.  We're encouraged to call officers if concerned about any suspicious person or situation for them to investigate rather than ignoring -- better to have a false alarm is the philosophy.  Surely, another bond issue will be forthcoming that will, hopefully, meet with citizens approval.  The interest rate will likely be higher than with the previous two defeated bond issues, but our citizens were aware of that fact.  

Consider the irony -- given the wall U.S./Mexico political issue -- that I’ve been involved with wall issues associated with my property since 2015.    My situation has nothing to do with illegal aliens though.   I won’t go into the details except to note there’s presently no lawsuit, but it does involve a neighbor, possibly one or two commercial entities.   This has been one more matter on which I was focused instead of blogging during my absence discussed in the previous two posts.   The good news is construction replacing a block wall corner at the back of my property was completed the day of this writing.  Whether or not my costs will be shared by any of those others remains to be determined. 

Exercising is on my mind now to build up my leg strength.  The legs usually are the first to go, you know.   For some strange reason this activity came to mind, so thought I’d share it here.   A favored fun exercise I practiced periodically well into my sixties to highlight my limberness we called “Going Through The Broom”.  I quite proudly mastered this feat demonstrated by my then middle-aged mother when I was a young girl.  

Unlike the video below we started out holding the broom behind our back.   Successful completion required we never release our grip on the broom handle with either hand, or allow any part of our body other than our feet to touch the floor.   We might have to balance on one foot and then the other, but we had to keep the rest of our body off the floor.  I’m not sure when or why I stopped performing this gymnastic pretzel, but when I’ve remembered it in recent years I’ve instinctively known I probably would be wise to not undertake it, and certainly shouldn't now.  

Have you ever heard of, or maybe “gone through the broom handle”?  
Do you know of any other contortionist type exercises none of us should probably engage in now? 
We should be talking about the type exercise we can do!

This YouTube video with people unknown to me is reported to be the videographer’s 72 year old brother-in-law as they describe...climbing through a broom stick.  I have to applaud him  -- so what if his knee touches the floor.  But about that other guy..............
  

DROUGHT, BLOOMS, $$$, ATHLETICS, TAX WOMEN

DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA 

The good news here in So Cal, eastern Los Angeles County, is that El Nino’s rain has found us again and snow is falling in the mountains from two storms coming through.   Northern California had mountain snow melt much of the past month reducing what had been a promising accumulation toward decreasing our drought effects.   We still will need even more rain and snow.   

SUPER BLOOM IN DEATH VALLEY

Death Valley actually received more rain than normal and the previously barren dry cracked earth is now asea with a rare Super Bloom of wild flowers - see outtakes you can view.  

I'm reminded of suddenly seeing just such a glorious colorful sight in the Arizona desert outside Scottsdale one spring in what had always been a barren area we had driven through periodically for several years.

LANDSCAPING $$$ SHOCK

Local city efforts to increase our environmentally green status to the max prompted seeking new bids with the current contract due to expire according to our local weekly newspaper, The Claremont Courier.    They reported our City Council is in a state of shock at the increased cost from $657,068 annually to $3 million. 

Bids from other landscapers were luke warm using the new parameters—no chemicals, no leaf blowers and no weeds and an increase of mulch use in planters.  

The previous contract was based on limited use of chemicals, the use of battery or electric blowers and varying degrees of weed tolerance.  

Moderation of some expectations has temporarily been made with a short term current contract extension to allow city officials to study the matter further.   What kind of increased costs will we individual home owners incur? 

WATER RATE $$$ EXCESSIVE

Our city continues to seek ownership of our water company through eminent domain legal procedures since the current owner refuses to sell.   Golden State Water Company, considered a public utility, is a wholly owned subsidiary of American States Water Company.  City officials and residents have been unhappy since long before the drought with the pricing mechanisms Golden State Water has used and the repetitive rate increases an impotent state Public Utilities Commission keeps approving.  

A concise article with this link to Capitol Weekly notes:  “Claremont had the highest rates of 10 surrounding communities surveyed, and that rates doubled between 2008 and 2013, with another rate hike sought in 2014.”   We reportedly pay $50 more than our next door neighbor city La Verne for the same amount of water. “La Verne is used for comparison because of its similar size, population, and water sources. Claremont has more wells producing less costly water than La Verne but surprisingly La Verne water rates are lower.”   

HEALTH PRODUCT $$$ DISCRIMINATORY TAX ON WOMEN

 California AB 1561 – read the announcement for more facts.  

“Assembly members Garcia and Chang are working to end a longstanding tax on women in California.  Across the world, countries as well as select  states in the U.S. are organizing to repeal the sales tax on feminine hygiene products which are necessary health products for women.  From Canada, to the UK, to Malaysia, political leaders have repealed, reduced, or are under pressure from activists to jettison the “tampon tax.”...  To date, only five states in the United States & Canada have taken this action and eliminated taxation on tampons and sanitary napkins.”   See map.

                   
CNN’S Jackie Wattles reports five New York women have filed a lawsuit against New York’s tax department and its commissioner. “Their demand: Stop imposing a 4% ‘luxury tax’ on feminine hygiene products.”  Legislation has not been making significant gains toward enactment.  "Similar bills have been proposed in states including California, Utah and Virginia.”
                                    
                   
ATHLETICISM FOR OLDSTERS


My city of Claremont, California is a little over 14 square miles in size with a population of approximately 35,000.  The amenities in addition to the universities here include several retirement communities where I've also had the pleasure of providing Speech-Language Pathology services as well as in various other health services settings and hospitals in the surrounding area.   Pilgrim Place, one I have served, is:  “A senior community for those serving in religious or charitable organizations.” 

Our newspaper this week reported a special screening would be held there of Emmy-winning filmmaker Eric Goldfarb’s inspiring documentary on Senior Athleticism entitled “Impossible Dreamers,” featuring legendary golfer Gary Player.   Many other senior athletes appear including the Pilgrim-Pacers.  Their activity is integrated through six short segments beginning at about 19 minutes in and scattered throughout the hour and a quarter of the vimeo.  Pilgrim Place residents are very active in our city, also producing a a renowned annual festival attracting visitors from around Southern California and elsewhere.   

You can determine for yourself whether or not you might want to engage in any of these athletic activities and just how competitive you feel with some of these 60+ to 90+ years oldsters.   As for me, I need to walk more – just regular walking.    

 
                                   

Preparation for Next 50 Years -- Again

Almost twenty-five years have passed since I sought a fifty-year medical check up to prepare for my next fifty years. I recall telling my doctor, in part seriously and partly in jest, I was planning to live to 100 years of age, so needed to ready myself. Of course, I explained, my intent was to optimize my physical health. I also emphasized quality of life was an important issue, so my mental and spiritual health were also vital components to aid in reaching my goal.

My then general practitioner medical doctor and I had established an ideal patient-doctor relationship by my standards. His approach epitomized to me the mutually interactive collaboration most effective for a doctor to provide optimal patient care, at least with me. When there were serious matters we could be serious, but we laughed a lot other times. His examination’s result confirmed that considering the wear and tear of the first fifty years of life to which my person had been subjected, I was in pretty good condition. My body was probably carrying about twenty pounds more weight than needed but I was confident I could drop that when I made the effort to do so. After all, at forty years I had started bike riding, successfully ridding myself of extra pounds I had kept those years following my childrens birth.

Earlier years when in graduate school I unintentionally caused myself a potentially serious spinal disc problem that with effort I had effectively overcome. During that time there were family stresses with the vagaries of young children becoming teenagers, a dedicated husband coping with professional issues along with the beginnings of his own medical problems, and my additional struggles intertwined with my dear mother’s care, especially after her stroke. In those ensuing years for myself I had regrettably been less attentive to or successful in avoiding the body effects from constant long term distresses that cause unhealthy chemical releases into the system.

Still, I had a naturally positive attitude. I knew relaxation and imaging techniques, but may not have utilized them as much as I needed. I neglected to maintain some sort of exercise regimen, was careless with my eating habits and may have reaped the consequences of too many years of minimal erratic sleep patterns that were continuing even then. Eventually parent caregiving following my mother’s death evolved into increasingly complex spousal coping complicated by my husband’s declining health.

I did take care of myself as much as possible but probably not in as beneficial a way as I might have. When some pressures released I tended to think I deserved to reward myself with periods of unstructured time for having survived years of what seemed like 24/7/365 scheduled routines. So exercise, eating, sleep habits remained unaltered. My doctor of many years died and though my new younger doctor was simultaneously admonishing and supportive as he could be, the relationship was not the same. There was too much history in dealing with me, the whole person, that the new physician would never know, nor given what health care had become would there be time to delve into such factors had I been so inclined, which I was not.

My husband’s unexpected sudden death seemed premature despite his increasing health problems. A few years spent adjusting to that major life change had to pass before I finally began to focus on core life planning for my future. The past year or two I gradually reached the conclusion I needed to get myself into the best condition possible. Coincidentally, at that time various medical issues periodically developed as deterrents. I persisted in viewing these problems as only temporary as I became determined I would eventually initiate my plan.

Just as I concluded I could safely start I experienced what at first seemed another medical delay, but one I was able to turn into a motivating factor. That impetus came from some of my body parts sending me strong, sometimes painful messages. Not only have I been neglectful but the question arose in my mind as to whether I might have waited too long to begin re-invigorating my system physically and just what would be my limits.

Well, I’m convinced now that it’s never too late to begin some sort of physical exercise program. Intellectually, I knew this and had someone asked me I would have told them so. Now I know it in quite a different way from the first hand experience of what I’m learning through a regimen of physical therapy I’m receiving. I have been able to integrate my own plan with those exercises that I’ve been able to implement over the past three months.

Meanwhile, I’ve been hearing media references to increasing belief that future life expectancy may well be extended beyond the current 70+ and 80+ years, especially since more people now are living into the 100’s. Speculation is that future generations may well experience 120 year plus life spans. Such news has given me cause to re-examine my whole life plan. I’ll be sharing here more on what I’m doing on this topic in the future.

So it is that I have concluded I may well have another fifty years ahead of me. I’m not going to fool around when it comes to rectifying some of my shortcomings caring for my mind, body and spirit this next fifty years. I’ve already started with major emphasis on the body, so maybe I’ll make it to 121 years because I’m getting a years head start.