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The Newcomer
(by Della Bacon - October 05, 2009)
This is my very favorite time of the year: The goblins are out and about, in colorful costumes. Trick or Treaters, young and old, come knocking at the door. The weather cools off, and hopefully the rains freshen the air, feeding the lakes, rivers, and crops. Thus some of neighbors decorate in fall colors, in preparation for the next holiday months. I love celebrating the holidays with family and friends. However, my fondness for Halloween did not begin in my youth. It happened some years later, when I brought my firstborn home from the hospital. She saw her first goblin when she was barely five days old.
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I just returned from a quick trip to the Central Valley where I once lived and worked. Driving down the highway I kept reading the signs posted, “Adopt A Highway” and then the names of the people, businesses and organizations, who actually volunteer to “adopt” (clean the trash from the roadsides) of a portion of Interstate I-5 and Highway 99. It amused me. I thought: “That’s one way to keep your name in front of the public. I wonder if it actually costs money? I suspect I can check this out, but I am not going to bother about that, as I have no intention of adopting a highway. If I am going to adopt something or someone, it won’t be a highway.
In our community and others, adopting a dog or a cat is fashionable. I already have a dog (The Duchess), and I don’t need a cat. I raised my children, and am not particularly interested in raising someone else’s. Maybe I should investigate adopting a horse! I love horses. I don’t horseback ride any more. My grandchildren don’t come around anymore. How could I adopt a horse? I don’t have acreage for an animal to graze. Still, if I had a choice of adopting a highway or a horse, I would adopt the horse. Why? Because I have made a new friend in Yankee Hill, (a few short miles from Oroville) who cares for more than 50 horses who have been abused, abandoned, or taken to Home At Last Sanctuary, to live out the rest of his or her life. I gotta tell you, I cry, I laugh, and I enjoy seeing the horses, hearing their own personal stories, and having the opportunity to feed, pet, and even groom them on days I can get away for a few hours. It is amazing how many wonderful people there are in this world, who truly are devoted to helping animals. Check it out! If you are in the least bit interested in doing something worthwhile, contact Donna and/or Jim Kyle at homeatlastsanctuary@gmail.com. (Or telephone 530-514-1439.) _______________________
Talking about adoptions and non-profit organizations, I recently discovered a group who “Feed The People”every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. What an awesome group of dedicated Christians, who have opened their hearts and the front door of the Blue Church on Myers Street in Southside Oroville. Where do they come from? They come from all walks of life and the food is terrific!.
“Dancing with the Stars” has energized many a senior citizen who learned to dance, in the 6th and 7th grades. Learning to dance, with “a-guy-leading” was more than difficult in middle school. I mean guys just didn’t lead in the 6th and 7th grades. They “hung out” on the side-lines, acted limp if an instructor happened to catch a wannabe. Most of all they watched and gossiped with their buddies on the side-lines. (I never did figure out what they said, why they looked pale, or refused to participate.) Now that I am older, I am supposed to understand, but I just don’t get it!
This brings me to my real topic. There is dancing, and there is dancing. Dancing with or without a partner has returned. It is a form of exercise. It is a form of socialization. It is no longer a come-on for a life-time commitment. (“That war is over.”) I watch the dancers at the Casino. I watch the dancers at Southside Community Center. I am in awe. Was dancing this much fun when you went to school? Check it out! When you find the right partner, let me know; so I can tell the world.
That’s all for today folks! Hope to see you downtown this month. We can go as witches or goblins! Tell me when & where. I will be there. Drop me a line on Email: della@diggernews.com
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