Moving Day

This will be very brief. I must be on my way to collect the belongings of one of our members who is homeless in Felton, put some of it in storage, and relocate some to a new campsite.

This will also lack pictures. I will not show the new site, and will not be going to the former site. I will be collecting what I must nearby, but only as near as I can get the car.

It is always nice when someone who had been homeless moves into a new home. So much of the formerly homeless lifestyle gets discarded and replaced with what goes into a domestic lifestyle.

Moving camp is nothing like that. It involves leaving one bad situation only to move into another. The rush to vacate interferes with the ability to sort and discard what will not be needed at the new site. Everything must be moved collectively, and then sorted later. Organization is very difficult without a home. Bedding is the biggest part of it. Although lightweight, it is bulky. It is not easy to be discrete while schlepping trash bags full of bedding.

Moving into a new site without being pursued by stalking haters is another difficulty. At least they are not as bad as they used to be. Those who merely have issue with homelessness seem to have realized that such behavior does not make homeless people any less homeless. Only those who enjoy the sadistic sport of it continue, even if it involves trespassing onto property that they do not want the homeless trespassing onto.

As unpleasant as homelessness is, the homeless situation here has improved significantly in the past few years. Because more homeless people have found homes than formerly homed people have become homeless, there are fewer homeless people in the Community. The Community is just as generous as it has always been, with the same abundance of resources.

Well, it is nearly 2:30, so I really must be on my way.

Hypocrisy – Reefer Madness

It is a standard component of the culture of modern hate groups that target the homeless, as well as every hate group that has tormented society throughout history. I could make a meme of it – ‘Hypocrisy’.

The first hateful comment ever on my gardening blog reminded me of an essay about hypocrisy that was posted on, and then promptly deleted from, the Facebook page of Felton League more than a year ago. It was deleted because someone found it to be objectionable, even after it had been edited for appropriateness of content at least twice. The hateful comment can be found here, as the seventh of the original reader comments (not including replies).

There is not much original material to the essay. It is merely a collection of seventeen reviews from Yelp, which were written by the same yelper, preceded by the excerpt that is posted below. Only the portion that is posted below was written by the author, not by the yelper who posted the reviews. This portion simply explains the significance of the seventeen reviews on Yelp. It is difficult to follow since it was so severely edited here.

The seventeen reviews from Yelp are not included here because they are not as important as what the original essay is about, which is clarified in the last paragraph.

If, after reading the excerpt of the essay below, you are wondering what was so objectionable about the essay, you are not alone. I should explain that the single person who found it to be objectionable was the same who wrote the reviews on Yelp. Yes, they are on Yelp, for everyone to see, but apparently not to be quoted as seventeen examples of hypocrisy.

This is the excerpt:

This is how haters roll.

ALL SEVENTEEN of these reviews of marijuana dispensaries are from the same Yelp account of (name deleted)! Yeah, that’s a lot of marijuana dispensaries for one person! There could be more that she didn’t leave reviews for. Four were updated, and one was updated twice. Review #8 says, “(deleted)” Review #14 says, “(deleted)” (name deleted) goes through a lot of marijuana! By the way, (name deleted) is (age deleted) now, so so was in her early teens in the early 1980s when (she said) she started going to (business name deleted) that she left review #16 for. She turned (age deleted) in 1980.

This isn’t the first long list of reviews for marijuana dispensaries from (name deleted). She did it on Facebook too, but deleted the reviews when asked about her marijuana and alcohol use. Yeah, she also wrote reviews for some of the bars and clubs that she frequented, and talked jokingly about getting stumbling drunk before driving home. Yeah, so not something to joke about. Anyway, those reviews are gone now, and the Yelp reviews pasted here will probably get deleted too now that she knows that we know who she is. We’ve known since she left a unique review for one of our friends some years back. She went by (name deleted) for a while, and then (name deleted). FFE keeps a fat file on her.

So, why is this important to us? (name deleted) publicly accuses all homeless people of constantly smoking marijuana, and it’s one of many reasons that she and her few hater friends want the homeless exterminated. HYPOCRISY!

Incidentally, the Yelper who left these seventeen reviews for marijuana dispensaries supposedly left reviews for four more marijuna dispensaries just since this essay was posted about a year ago, although I did not bother to confirm this report. Seventeen is already way too many for someone who accuses everyone within a targeted group of excessive use of marijuana.

Luncheon at Felton Presbyterian Church

It is THE place to be, and a few of us will be there in just two hours.

Lunch is served at noon every Tuesday at Felton Presbyterian Church.

Everyone is welcome. There is always more than enough to go around, and some of us take leftovers for later. It is usually nothing fancy, but sometimes it is, and it is always appreciated.

Some might think of it as a weekly luncheon for the homeless who lack adequate food or the ability to cook decently. Some of us receive clothing, toiletries, bedding or even tarps or tents that are donated by parishioners. Some get referrals for employment or housing. However, only a few who attend are homeless. Many attend because so many of our friends are there. It is a great place for social networking and catching up on local news.

It really is the sort of Community that a Church should be, even though only a few of us who attend luncheon are parishioners of Felton Presbyterian Church. The generosity and compassion are astounding. I would mention a few more examples, but do not want to promote exploitation of the realistically limited resources.

Luncheon at Saint John’s Catholic Church is around noon every Thursday, just after Food Distribution at Community Bridges (or Mountain Community Resources [MCR]), but that is a topic for another time.

Well, as I mentioned above, lunch will be in about two hours. Some of us get there as much an hour early for coffee and pastries. I like to get to town about an hour prior to that, shortly after ten or so, just to catch up on the goings on, and to see if anyone is in need of anything that we can track down. Therefore, I should be on my way. Good Day!

Horridculture – Blame

This should be the last reblogged article from my gardening blog for a while. I want to post it today before I forget about it.

Tony Tomeo

P81106 The response to the brief article that I wrote about the smoke from a small and localized wildfire on Sunday is not easy to dismiss. The original article is at https://tonytomeo.com/2018/11/04/smoke/ . It is about the smoke from the small and localized Rincon Fire, and goes on to discuss how the clear cut harvesting of redwood more then a century ago enhanced the combustibility of the forest. It was shared to Facebook, including the Facebook page of Felton League.

The article did not blame anyone for starting the fire. I read it again just to be certain. I said nothing about arsonists, the homeless, homeless arsonists, or anything of the sort! Blame, in regard to the Rincon Fire, is not relevant to horticulture, forestry, arboriculture or anything that I write about.

We all know that there are mentally ill people who are homeless because they do not function well enough…

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Memorial Day Irony

Back in about 2013, it was much more socially acceptable to discriminate against the homeless, anyone who looked homeless, or just about anyone who could be implicated as an affiliate of the homeless, whether or not such implication was accurate. Anyone getting off a bus with a backpack might have learned how quickly sheriff deputies responded to ‘multiple reports’ of someone suspicious. How contrary to our formerly idyllic culture!

The animosity of a mere few for the homeless and their affiliates is what justified the removal of all the barbecues and one of the picnic tables from Felton Covered Bridge Park, and is why barbecuing is now illegal there. Those who do not drink alcohol were often accused of inebriation or worse. There were false accusations that some homeless lived in tents in the riparian zone of the San Lorenzo River within Felton Covered Bridge Park.

2013 was a long time ago. Not many remember the major hostility of a minor group at that time. To the contrary, we remember the remarkable and consistent generosity and civility of our Community. After all, it is our Community that has always provided so much of whatever we need, and for many of us, provided employment and homes. The Community is why homelessness is much less of a problem than it was six years ago in 2013.

Tomorrow will be Memorial Day. Yesterday was the annual Memorial Day celebration; Felton Remembers Parade and Covered Bridge Festival. Not many remember what should be memorialize on Memorial Day, but it was an excellent celebration nonetheless. Beer was sold from that navy blue tent amongst all those other tents. Freshly cooked and grilled food was sold next to the parking lot, out of view to the left of this picture. Beer, tents, grilled food and irony.

Picnic In The Park With Some Homeless Folks – July 30, 2015

This article from the Press Banner is the best ever about this particular topic, which was an issue that concerned Felton League back in the summer of 2015. The main text is pasted below, but without the excellent picture or the interesting comments. The chronology of the comments can be difficult to follow, but each comment is outfitted with the date and time at which it was posted. Of course, some of the comments were deleted.

July 30, 2015 – Press Banner – Suellene Petersen

It would have been nice if a table had been available for the food, but Jonney Hughes explained that the maintenance people from the Santa Cruz County Department of Parks had removed the one that used to be in that spot.

“They said they were going to fix the table and bring it back, but we could not see that anything was wrong with it,” explained Hughes.

The picnic was spread on a cement area under the trees and the hosts sat in canvas folding chairs around a spread of sandwiches, salads, fruit and desserts. “Those of us who can, pool our money and food so we can share with others,” said Hughes.

Asked what it was like to be homeless, Teresa Fitzpatrick said “I am not homeless and not all of us are. Some of us have jobs, but don’t earn much –– not enough for rent and food,” said Fitzpatrick. “We all have different stories. Some of us are retired and get social security but it’s not enough for everything so we get stuck in this wilderness,” she said.

“We are people who have raised families. We are good people who have fallen on hard times. It happens,” said Fitzpatrick. “The picnic table that used to be here was like a social center where we met to eat, sew, and visit,” said Hughes. She said “we have even held memorial services here for friends who have passed away.”

The New Life Church in Santa Cruz provides some help to these folks. Richard Franconi distributes food to people that has been donated by the New Life Church. He walks around the park and hands out burritos. He said “I have been doing this for 15 years. I used to give about 30 and now it is only about 10.” He gives the food to hungry people even if they are not homeless.

The people at the picnic were all wearing neat, clean clothes. Lise Lafontaine said that she was one of the homeless. She is a licensed hair stylist who cannot find work. “I cut hair for these people for free,” she said as she gestured at the circled of people. “I never thought that I would become homeless because I am a professional haircutter,” said Lafontaine. “Sometimes we get to shower at the Presbyterian Church,” she said. Otherwise, they have no access to water in order to stay clean.

They told their stories and when it was time for lunch, the circle of people bowed their heads while Hughes led the group in a thank you prayer. Lunch was good. It would have been nicer if the picnic table had been there.

The good news is that Alan Galran from Santa Cruz County Department of Parks said that the table will be replaced within two weeks.

May 2

There are quite a few articles about this little Memorial Tree that need not be reblogged here from my gardening blog. They are a bit too horticulturally oriented. This one happens to explain the significance of the Memorial Tree in Felton Covered Bridge Park. It is from May 2 of last year.

Tony Tomeo

P80502 When I started writing this blog eight months ago, I reserved the right to occasionally write about topics that were irrelevant to horticulture and gardening. I designated the category of ‘elaborations’ for posts that were not from my weekly gardening column; but so far, I have tried to post articles within this category that were at least remotely relevant to horticulture, even if only to discuss a single tree, or merely a single ginkgo leaf that somehow appeared in Felton Covered Bridge Park.

Today is May 2. My post for today is only relevant to horticulture in that it explains the importance of the ‘Memorial Tree’ in Felton Covered Bridge Park.

Steven Michael Ralls passed away a year ago, on May 2, 2017

Jeffrey Dale Scofield passed away two years prior to that, on May 2, 2015

They were two of my most intimate friends. I wrote both obituaries. The…

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Memorial Day

Seriously, I DO intend to actually write new material for this blog. I am very sorry that I have not done so yet. Facebook was so much easier because I did not feel so obligated to write anything if there was no news. There were often weeks between postings. For now, I will again reblog another article from my gardening blog, and again, this one is probably just as relevant here as it is there. It is about the Felton Remembers Parade and Covered Bridge Festival of last year, and very briefly mentions our little Memorial Tree in Felton Covered Bridge Park. Today happens to be the day for the Felton Remembers Parade and Covered Bridge Festival for this year.

I will probably share a few more relevant article from the gardening blog over the next few days or weeks.

Tony Tomeo

P80527

Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Yesterday was the Felton Remembers Parade and Covered Bridge Festival, which is how Memorial Day is celebrated in Felton. It was a celebration worthy of Memorial Day, with plenty of music, crafts and expensive but unhealthful food to go with it. All that was lacking was that which is ‘memorial’. It seems that we have forgotten about that which we should never forget.

There were plenty of classic cars to provide memories of how stylish cars had been. There was a Boy Scout Troop to conduct the Flag Raising Ceremony at the main interchange of Highway 9 and Empire Grade Road to provide memories of when we still respected the American Flag and traditions associated with it. We were reminded of who our local politician are, and that we are still procuring funds for a new library, and that there are too many clubs for hateful…

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Metallic Roses

Again, I have another article to repost from the gardening column. This one is not much about gardening anyway.

Tony Tomeo

P90203 ‘Sterling Silver’ and ‘Stainless Steel’ are two hybrid tea roses that were quite popular decades ago. ‘Copper’ and ‘Aluminum’ are not. However, I did happen to write a bit about the aluminum roses in the picture above on the Facebook page of Felton League on January 28, and included a link to an older article that featured a picture of copper roses. They are not at all relevant to horticulture, but are interesting nonetheless.

Felton League is an informational forum for the distinguished small group of displaced or socially outcast people and their friends in Felton, California. That is how it is described on Facebook. Those who are more directly familiar with us know us as a community group that not only advocates for the local homeless, but also provides compelling insight into homeless culture, and confronts the trend of animosity and hostility for anyone perceived to be homeless.

This…

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Anti-Community Garden

Again, I am reblogging a post from my gardening blog. This one happens to be from December 9, 2017. There are actually a few more articles of the gardening blog that would be relevant here (which is partly why I established a second blog).

Tony Tomeo

P71217 Isn’t this a delightful meadow? It is located right across from the historic Felton Covered Bridge (https://tonytomeo.wordpress.com/2017/12/02/felton-covered-bridge/). The trail to the left goes up the embankment into the parking lot of the old County Bank Building, right downtown. On a warm day, it is a nice cool short cut to the Felton Covered Bridge Park, just over the San Lorenzo River.

You should have seen it a few years ago. It was not such a nicely inviting meadow, but was instead an excellent collection of small garden plots within a fenced Community Garden that deer could not get into. There were about nine small olive trees behind the fenced area. The stumps in the foreground and to the left were two small curly willows. People living in apartments or where the shade of the surrounding mountains and redwood forests prevented gardening could rent parcels here to grow vegetables, flowers or…

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