Saturday, 21 September 2024

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tedkooserbarn

Sylvia Ross is from California's Chukchansi people, and this poem, from the anthology Red Indian Road West (Scarlet Tanager Books), is as moving a description about the lasting warmth of hand-me-downs as I have ever seen. 

Her most recent book is a novel, Ilsa Rohe: Parsing Vengeance, published under the name Stephenson Ross and available from Bentley Avenue Books.

Marge's Shoes

The first few years she wore them
I didn't even notice the leather's soft tan,
and the buckskin laces roughly looped.
By the time I paid attention, her feet
had already curved the shoes inward,
weather had toughened the soft leather,
and one lace had broken short.
Then I asked where she got those shoes
and she said from the Indian store
down in Mountain View.
 
Some other time, another year, I asked
the name of the Indian store
that sold handmade shoes like hers,
but she said it went out of business
and no store sold mocs with vodka
splatters and Yosemite dirt ground in
with a little tamale pie, so I couldn't
buy shoes like hers anyway.
 
Last summer, laughing and crying
together, in the campground
at Lake Mendocino, on the night
before her youngest son's wedding
while the men drank beer and talked
of politics and sports,
I told her how much I really, really liked
those old shoes of hers. So
she took them off and gave them to me.
 
Those beat-up, raggedy Kaibab moccasins
I wear are stained and worn rough
by hard years in my friend's life.
I wear them when I need her courage.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright ©2013 by Sylvia Ross, “Marge's Shoes,” from Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California, (Scarlet Tanager Press, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Sylvia Ross and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2016 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.

erinpowissavingsbank

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Board of Directors of Savings Bank of Mendocino County has appointed Erin Powis, Raymond James financial advisor, to serve on its board.
 
A long-time Potter Valley resident, Powis is the fifth generation of his family to be associated with Savings Bank since its founding in 1903.

He is the son of Mary March, Savings Bank director from 1984 to 2016.

“I’m honored to take over the seat on the board vacated by my mother,” said Powis. “This bank and community have given everything to me and my family throughout my lifetime and I’m just hopeful that I am able to give back in a meaningful way.”

Powis graduated from Potter Valley High School and attended Mendocino College and the University of Colorado Boulder.

He holds a degree in finance. He also holds Series 7,63,65 FINRA Securities licenses as well as being a licensed Full Life Insurance agent in the state of California.

Powis has worked since 2003 as a financial advisor / investment advisor representative for Raymond James Financial Services, located at the Savings Bank Main Office, 200 North School St., Ukiah.

After college, Powis moved with his wife Lindsey to Arizona for three years where he worked for a financial services company.

When the opportunity came available to move home and work at the bank, he took it in order to start a family in this community. Powis and Lindsey are the proud parents of four young children, three sons and a daughter.
 
Savings Bank of Mendocino County provides Mendocino and Lake counties with the dependability of a full service community bank with a strong ability to lend.

The summer season is often the dead zone for the four major television networks.

Maybe not so much for NBC, as Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, recently averred that his network is on track to win its sixth summer in a row.

Chairman Greenblatt bolstered his argument to the nation’s gathering of television critics for its summer press tour by boldly claiming that “we will definitely win the two weeks of the Olympics.”

NBC’s winning streak may continue with another limited series that gets launched on August 23, which by the predetermined calendar should occur two days after the Olympics closing ceremony at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

For better or worse, the new comedy event series “Better Late Than Never,” in an odd sort of way, just might fit the global Olympic spirit, in that its setting of touring four countries in Asia offers an international cultural experience.

It would be more accurate to call this experiment in travel, having assembled four old guys well known in the popular culture for the tour, a matter of a culture clash with the curious customs on the Asian continent.

Based on a popular Korean series with which absolutely no one on this side of the Pacific Ocean is familiar, “Better Late Than Never” has a much better chance than its origin source of “Grandpa Over Flowers” to connect with viewers. 

The primary reason this four-episode romp on foreign soil should resonate with an American audience is that it places four legends into an intercontinental excursion with no limousines, no lattes, and no fawning publicists. Hence, a great fish-out-of-water scenario happens.

The quartet of senior citizen adventurers includes cultural icon William Shatner, Pittsburgh Steelers football legend Terry Bradshaw, boxing Hall of Famer George Foreman and actor and Hollywood insider Henry Winkler.

“Better Late Than Never” has the feel of a reality travel show since the participants play themselves in what looks like unscripted dialogue, or more likely, they are so discreetly prompted in such minimal direction that all the scenes have the sense of spontaneity.

Apart from the four renowned celebrities, the group has a tour guide, loosely speaking, in standup comedian Jeff Dye (maybe best-known for hosting on MTV’s “Money from Strangers”).

As the sidekick, Dye, whose age is roughly a fraction of even the youngest member of the quartet, is tasked with steering the group into unfamiliar turf so as to disrupt everyone’s comfort zone. 

The first stop is Tokyo, Japan, and Dye has secured accommodations at a place fittingly-called Capsule Hotel, where the rooms are the size of a large refrigerator, but with barely enough creature comforts.

Basically, the sleeping quarters are cozy, tight spaces which seem slightly roomier than an MRI chamber.

While Shatner exclaims the cramped hotel “looks like a kennel,” Bradshaw and Foreman, both taller than 6 feet, would have the best reason to complain.

The maiden episode in Japan’s largest city offers frequent educational tidbits about the Japanese culture and life in Tokyo. For instance, Tokyo has more neon signs than any city in the world. Las Vegas simply isn’t big enough to compete.

Japan also has more pets than children, but there are 35 million residents in Tokyo, so one must imagine, given the frequent scenes of mass congestion on the subway system, that the country is overpopulated.

Culture shock is most evident not just in scenes involving the language barrier that turn even the most temperate of individuals into mildly amusing ugly tourists, but in culinary settings where the food options would cause even the most audacious gourmand some trepidation.

I’ll bet that Guy Fieri would never find the Japanese delicacies at any of the diners, drive-ins or dives that he has documented in books and TV shows. The group has to contend with a meal of the cooked private parts of cows, pigs and chickens.

The Louisiana-born Bradshaw gamely plays up his Southern heritage, remarking in a humorous monologue that he’s “been to New York, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and everywhere” but he’s never seen anything like Japan.

NBC only made the first episode available for review, but the series travels to South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand for the one-hour episodes to follow.

The trip to Japan made the type of favorable impression that whets the appetite for the misadventures that are sure to come.

The humor comes from this fun group of travelers navigating their way through each country, communicating with the locals, immersing themselves in local traditions and enjoying, or at least trying, exotic food.

“Better Late Than Never” could be the short-term hit for NBC that keeps the summer programming worth watching right up to the start of the new fall season coming later in September.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – All branches of the Lake County Library system will be closed Sept. 3 to observe Labor Day.

Normal hours at all branches will resume on Sept. 6. Call your local branch if you have any questions.

Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., is normally open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 707-263-8817.

Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake, is normally open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 7 p.m. The phone number is 707-994-5115.

Middletown Library, 21256 Washington St., is normally open Tuesday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is 707-987-3674.

Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St., is normally open Tuesday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is 707-275-2049.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

What’s the best method for catching octopus?

Question: We have a question about catching octopus.

Can octopus caught in crab traps be kept? Can sport fishermen use traps to target octopus for sushi or to use for bait? If not traps, can you recommend a better way?

Also, are there any seasons, bag limits and/or size limits for octopus? (Nick W.)

Answer: No, traps may not be used to take octopus. They can be taken only by hand or hook-and-line fishing gear and no chemicals of any kind may be used to assist in taking octopus by hand.

Octopus may be taken year-round, and up to 35 octopi may be taken per day or possessed at any time. Scuba diving equipment may not be used to take octopus north of Yankee Point, Monterey County (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.05). There are no size limits for octopus.

Legal to hunt with an AK 47?

Question: Is it legal to hunt with a California legal AK 47? I understand I am supposed to use soft point ammunition, but I was wondering if the rifle itself will pose legal issues when it comes to hunting. (James M.)

Answer: If your rifle is one that is legal to possess in California, it would be legal to use for hunting purposes. However, you must have legal ammunition for the area and species you plan to hunt.

When hunting big game, center-fire ammunition and soft-nosed or expanding bullets are required. Nonlead projectiles are required when taking bighorn sheep or when hunting any wildlife on a state-managed Wildlife Area or Ecological Reserve.

The laws relating to assault rifles and high-capacity magazine are quite complex. The agency with the most expertise in this area is the California Department of Justice, Firearms Division (note the sections that specifically address assault weapons and high capacity magazines). You can either check their Web site or call their general information line at 916-227-7527.

Trapping Eurasian doves for bird dog training?

Question: Is it legal to trap Eurasian doves? I've purchased a bird dog pup and would like to use them for live bird training. If it is legal, do I just need my hunting license or is a trapping license needed? Also, are there any special rules about transporting them live to a field to train with? (Chris R.)

Answer: Eurasian Collared Doves are resident game birds and the allowed “methods of take” can be found in the Waterfowl and Upland Game Hunting Regulations booklet under CCR Title 14, section 311 on page 26. Trapping is not an allowable method of take for game birds.

Sell a moose mount?

Question: Can a person sell a moose mount? I don’t see anything in code or title but thought you may know. (Yvette A. )

Answer: California law does not prohibit the sale of a moose mount because moose are not found in the wild in California. Fish and Game Code, section 3039(a) states, “It is unlawful to sell or purchase a bird or mammal found in the wild in California.”

Can guests fish without a license from my private pond?

Question: I recently purchased a home with a private pond. Is it ok for my guests to fish the pond without a fishing license? (Randy N.)

Answer: A sport fishing license is not required for fishing in waters on private property by the owner or the owner’s invitee IF a number of conditions are met.

First, those waters must be wholly enclosed by that owner’s real property, and the waters not have a hydrological connection to any permanent or intermittent waterway of the State.

Also, an invitee shall not have compensated the owner for such a fishing privilege, nor shall the fish be taken for profit. Otherwise, your guests need fishing licenses. Seasons, bag limits and other California angling regulations apply to all waters on private lands in California, except for the ponds of Registered Aquaculturists.

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport branch of Lake County Library will host a program on energy efficiency on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Austin McCaffrey, an energy efficiency specialist for Mendocino County’s Community Development Commission, or CDC, will present a PowerPoint slideshow about the Mendo-Lake Energy Watch program.

McCaffrey will have free giveaways for the audience members.

The CDC operates the Mendo-Lake Energy Watch (MLEW) as a partnership with PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

MLEW provides resources to the community, including local governments, small and medium sized businesses, school and nonprofit organizations.

It offers energy services and solutions through classes on a range of sustainability topics, an energy efficiency auditing and retrofitting program, benchmarking services for local governments and technical support services for programs like Proposition 39 for Schools.

Learn more about MLEW’s programs at the Web site www.mendoenergy.org .

The applications of the Energy Watch are supplemented by community outreach and networking through events such as this one at Lakeport Library.

The Lake County Library is on the internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

The library is located at 1425 N. High St. in Lakeport. For more information call 707-263-8817.

Upcoming Calendar

21Sep
09.21.2024 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Passion Play fundraiser
21Sep
09.21.2024 4:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Lake County Wine Auction
23Sep
09.23.2024 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Lakeport City Council candidates' forum
24Sep
09.24.2024 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at Library Park
28Sep
09.28.2024 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at the Mercantile
5Oct
10.05.2024 7:00 am - 11:00 am
Sponsoring Survivorship
5Oct
10.05.2024 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at the Mercantile
12Oct
10.12.2024 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Farmers' Market at the Mercantile
14Oct
10.14.2024
Columbus Day
14Oct

Mini Calendar

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