Oct. 2,
2019
Liz Writes
Life
It was a
bit soggy for activities held last weekend. I certainly didn’t expect that much
rain or the temps to cool off so much. Snow levels were down to 4,500 or below
on our mountains. So, it was quite a shock from the high-80 degree days from
mid-week. We needed more than one coat!
Even though
it was cold, the fund-raiser event for the Congressman Doug LaMalfa campaign turned-out
really nice. It was held at the Dowling Ranch barn. Dave Tyler’s barbecue ribs,
grilled chicken and beans were delicious along with his wife, Kathy’s, coleslaw
and muffins.
Doug’s
wife, Jill, was able to drive up too. I hadn’t visited with her for a few years,
so it was nice to chat with her. Later, she took the mic and shared that she
was driving, when they dropped down Forest Mt. into Scott Valley. The scene was
breath-taking. She told us, “You really do live in God’s country! You are our
people and we thank you for your support – from the bottom of our hearts.”
She is such
a great wife. You see, Doug flies back and forth every week to WA. D.C., when
congress is in session. This makes family-life very busy. Jill stays in California
at their rice farm with their two younger daughters, who are still in school.
Jill
believes in our country and the need to stand for our Constitution and
conservative values. She told us about her family attending President Donald
Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. It was bitter cold, but so incredibly
inspiring to see history unfold before their eyes. She even played a calm, but
firm “Mama Bear” part, when some anti-Trump people started to confront her 6’
10” tall college-age son for wearing a MAGA hat.
Doug has met
with Trump on different issues and found him to be very considerate and
engaging. He listens and “does what he says he’ll do.”
Doug was
questioned about the current impeachment threat of President Trump, because of
his phone call with the president of Ukraine. Our congressman explained that
impeachment really is a process, which must be followed. He said House Speaker
Pelosi is caught in the middle of the mess and is doing an inquiry, which is
the first part of the process. But, because the pro-impeachment House members
are so loud, she is trying to make the inquiry look like it is the process.
President
Trump released the transcript of that phone call and Doug said there is nothing
in the call that is illegal or an impeachable offense; and it reads like two
world leaders talking about a variety of issues.
Doug added,
“The stuff they are accusing Trump is what they (his opposition) have done.”
Doug
thanked Siskiyou County citizens for their support. He recalled the first time
he came to Siskiyou on the campaign trail. It was to participate in the Fort
Jones Christmas Parade, in December 2001, when he first ran for state assembly.
That is when I met him, talked with him, liked him and voted for him ever since.
When local
issues were brought to him, Doug always understood and was a champion for us
during his assembly and state senate years. He questioned and argued for us,
when, then, Dept. of Fish and Game, demanded a permit that would have taken
away our legal water rights. A permit, with its resulting fee, would have added
a huge cost for agriculture to do business and confiscated property –
especially when under California law, the water is already owned by the
landowner or water right holder.
Doug said headway
is being made in stopping the removal of the Klamath dams. The “phony-baloney
shell corporation,” of Klamath River Renewal Corp. does not have the $450
million in funding that will pay for the destruction cost. He said the process
is now at the level where it will be the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to
make the big decisions.
Those are
two decisions: The first is if FERC will allow KRRC to obtain the
hydro-electric licenses from PacifiCorp and the second is actually allowing the
destruction of the four Klamath hydro-electric dams.
Once again,
our congressman brought up the environmental issues that are now part of the
federal and state mandates before dam removal can occur. He said the
devastating amount of sediment that will contaminate the Klamath River must and
will be addressed.
Garden
I decided
to pick the last of the tomatoes and the rhubarb on Friday. Several friends
were hoping for some rhubarb and I gave most of the red tomatoes to another
family, who wanted to freeze them.
Finally, I
got the rest of my tomatoes in the freezer. I cut them up, scattered them on
wax paper in a big pan and put in the freezer. Did pretty good this year, cuz I
didn’t forget about them and gathered them into freezer bags. Even put the date
on them!
Think I picked
my last bouquet of the year. The maroon and lavender cosmos are five-feet tall
with lots of blooms, so I picked some to go with a very late-blooming salmon-colored
gladiolus and some Shasta daisies. The sky-blue morning glory never did bloom.
Bummer! But the vines from the one plant took over the ladder and lattice I put
up for it to climb. The purple morning glories are wrapped around old glads and
the big maroon elephant amaranth plants.
Story time
Celeste
McFall, branch manager for libraries in Scott Valley, announced a weekly story
time and play group for children ages 0-5 will begin next week. The Fort Jones
session will start on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019 from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. and the
Etna session will start on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019 at the same time. This is a
parent and children activity, which includes a craft. The theme is “Harvest of
the Month. There will also be a book giveaway courtesy of the Fort Jones Lions
group.
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and
farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County
and lives near Callahan. Columns from the past year can be found at:
lizwriteslife.blogspot.com. Call her at 530-467-3515.
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