“It’s horrible! I don’t appreciate it at all. I grew up here, and it’s just not fun to me anymore. It’s cold, wet and I’m done! Am I prepared for all this? Yeah, I grew up here. You have to be prepared for it; but, it still sucks. I like the spring, when it’s not too hot, not too cold.” – Daniel Ballowe, Twain Harte, (cook)
“I think it’s wonderful; spectacular, even! I like having seasons, and this is one of my favorites! I’ve been living up here for 30 years. I prepare every winter, for this potential. Just make sure you have plenty of extra water at your house. Some good, dried beans or rice would be handy, too. It isn’t often like this, but I’m really enjoying the beautiful, white, clean snow! My favorite season? Spring, truly, when you see all of the blessings that come from this kind of weather: the beautiful flowers, green bushes. I’m just really glad we’re getting a lot of snow and rain. It’ll make next summer safer. We might not have so much in the way of fire.” – Suzi Crise, Twain Harte, (administrative support)
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It All Sounds Good
Dear C.J.,
I read your article about your daughter, and I like what you say. You have a sense of humor I can relate to, but I still have no idea how to talk to my daughter about some of the “embarrassing” things you mentioned at the end of your article, so how do I do this? I have noticed commercials on the T.V. saying talk to your kids about sex, drugs, bullying… etc. There are websites you can go to and numbers to call, but do you think they can help? I also want to be able to be a help for my daughter during this “transition” time, but I am truly at a loss. I’m going to try the embarrassment approach the next time I get a door slammed in my face. I think it may be effective. I am just scared I’ll have to follow-through at some point. Do you ever have to follow-through? It all sounds good, but I’m hoping you can give more advice on what exactly I should talk to her about and how I could go about it.
Thank you, Not Sure
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Groveland’s New Dog Park in the Works
A few years ago I remember signing some sort of petition in support of building a dog park (or maybe showing an interest in it, I can’t remember now). Nonetheless, I did not hear about it again until last November. As I was doing my final SMT delivery of the 2009 (I was going to spend December out of the country), Lynn at the Hotel Charlotte mentioned the dog park and said it was really coming along. She put me on the mailing list, and I tucked the idea in the back of my head to use for a future column.
Upon my return to Groveland, I decided to check out the dog park myself. I had no clue where it was and ended up calling The Hotel Charlotte to get directions. As I turned off of Ferretti Road onto a little road I’d never heard of, I came upon a parking lot full of cars, and behind it, a baseball diamond. I had only found out a few days prior that a baseball diamond existed in Groveland. There were even bathrooms and a small playground. Off to the right was just what I was looking for.
So there I was on Saturday morning at the site of the new dog park. As I looked around, I saw twenty or so volunteers busy clearing space for the proposed park. Some were picking up logs and sticks, while others were using pickaxes trying to extrude big rocks from the ground. Elsewhere a group of people worked on removing low hanging tree limbs. There was even a monster weed-wacker (that’s what I like to call it). It was the combination of weed-wacker and lawnmower, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.
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I hope you’re keeping your New Year’s resolution(s). One of mine is to learn guitar before I turn 55, May 1st. I’ve never had any success with music lessons. Mom put me into piano lessons when I was eight, and I lasted only three weeks. But through the decades I’ve admired guitarists like Jeff Beck, Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Clapton, Jimi Page, Hendrix…In fact, I’ve been inspired by several local guitarists: Keno Rojas (of Plan B), Greg Noll (Crazy Ivan), Guy Dossi (Dossi on the Rocks), Patrick Karnahan (Black Irish Band), Tim McCaffrey and Thomas Atkins! (The latter two are the SMT publisher and editor, respectively). Every day Tim and Tom take turns strolling about the newsroom, strumming an acoustic guitar. They’re both pretty good. Tim REALLY gets into it, and I’ve encouraged him to develop a stage act for the local pubs/coffee houses. I can see it now: Appearing Live! One night only! Tim McCaffrey performs the songs of Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Pink Floyd – Live and unplugged – on his “little acoustic guitar” (You’d have to see it to believe it!) His guitar’s about 2/3’s the size of a normal acoustic guitar, and has groovy-looking flames on it. It’s totally out-of-sight! Anyway, both Tim and Thomas have inspired me, and I’m determined to learn guitar this year!!
Happy Birthday to one of my all-time favorite guitar minstrels, Neil Diamond! Born in Brooklyn, NY on January 24, 1941, Neil debuted with his album, “The Feel of Neil Diamond” (Bang Records) in 1966. He’s sold more than 92 million records worldwide, including over 35 Top 40 singles and 18 platinum albums! The single “Cherry Cherry” reached #6 in 1966. “Thank the Lord for the Night Time” hit #13 in ’67. He’s had many other big hits including “Sweet Caroline” (#4, 1969), “Cracklin’ Rosie” (#1, 1970) and “Song Sung Blue” (#1, 1972). Remember his 1980 soundtrack LP “The Jazz Singer”, with its Top 10 hits “Love on the Rocks”, “America” and “Hello Again”? Neil has continued to write songs, release albums (Check out his 2008 CD “Home Before Dark”) and perform in concert! On January 24, he turns 69 – but he keeps right on rockin’!
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Lovely Films
Lovely Bones (Rated PG-13) 149 mins.
Gladiator (Rated R) 158 mins.
It only took three years and about a million setbacks, but this week Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones finally graced the big screen, and boy, is it nice to see the master director back in action.
Based upon the bestselling novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones is the story of Susie Salmon, a 12-year-old girl who is murdered and subsequently goes to the afterlife, where she experiences a visual whirlwind of images which are interpretations of many of her memories. Caught between Heaven and Hell, Susie attempts to send clues to her family about her murder and the man who killed her so that they may avenge her. Knowing Peter Jackson’s previous works (most notably King Kong and The Lord of the Rings) we can expect breathtaking cinematic moments, and The Lovely Bones does not disappoint. Susie’s trek through the afterlife is absolutely stunning, a place that could only be realized by the most vibrant of imaginations. But it is not the only aspect to catch our attention here.
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