2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It is good to be hopeful. It is also good to be realistic.

So many seem to be overly pleased that 2020 is over and done with, and expect 2021 to be so much better. It very well could be. However, there are no guarantees. Fire Season is over, but only until next fire season. After all, it is an annual event. The president that so many here despised will be replaced soon enough, but the nicer replacement is not exactly exemplary either.

The Pandemic, or whatever it is known as, was the major news last year that everyone wants to leave in the past. Unfortunately, the new year means nothing to the virus. Progress has been made, but did not eradicate the virus precisely at the stroke of midnight between 2020 and 2021. No one really knows how much worse the situation will get before it significantly improves.

Furthermore, the associated repercussions continue to evolve. While many are enjoying more outdoor activities and gardening, many more are unable to work to earn revenue to pay for the most basic of necessities. Some have procured other employment, but for less compensation. Those who have managed to continue with their employment may have found business lacking.

The eviction moratorium expires at the end of the month. No one really knows what will happen at that time. Some people who can not afford their rent or mortgage could become homeless. Those who rely on rental income may have been lacking some or all of such income for quite a while and may continue to do so. They may consequently be unable to pay their mortgages too.

The local homelessness rate, which had been decreasing for a while, only recently began increasing, and, sadly, has potential to get significantly worse.

Cost of Living

It is now too late on Sunday night to write something new. This reblogged post is from last year, but is still relevant. Unfortunately, it will become more relevant as the Eviction Moratorium expires at the end of January.

Felton League

While looking at real estate in Oklahoma, it is apparent why homelessness in not so prevalent there. It is probably similar to many other places in America. Perhaps it is more accurate to say that this region and a few others are not so similar to the rest of America. After all, there are more of those places than there are of these. They are what is more normal. This is not normal.

It is easy to imagine that harsh climate would be a deterrent to homelessness. It probably is to transient homeless people who migrate to climates that are more conducive to homelessness. However, there really are not many homeless people who are transient, even here. Almost all homeless people live in their respective Communities, where they were before homelessness.

The cost of living is more relevant to homelessness than climate. There are not as many homeless people in…

View original post 150 more words

Misconceptions – Homelessness Is A Growing Problem

This post from last year is still accurate, but will not likely continue to be so as the eviction moratorium expires at the end of January. These are scary times.
I probably should have written a new article for this week, since I actually had a bit of spare time; but I am not sorry to say that I took some time off. I know I should address some of those topics that I get messages about, including some that I have been neglecting since summer; but things are still rather hectic, and will continue to be that way for a while.

Felton League

Homelessness in America has been increasing very slightly for the past three years. It has been increasing in parts of California for a bit longer, and at a slightly more accelerated rate. More substantial increases are concentrated mostly in urban regions, particularly Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose and San Francisco. Homelessness really is a growing problem, at least for now.

However, for the decade prior to the
the relatively recent increase that began only three years ago,
homelessness had been decreasing at a substantial rate. Furthermore,
the substantially increasing rates of homelessness in urban regions
of California are sufficiently offset by decreasing rates in suburban
and rural areas, to average out to only a minimal increase for the
state.

This is not about homelessness in all
of America though. Nor is it about homelessness in the rest of
California. Here in Felton, the rate of homelessness has decreased
significantly…

View original post 150 more words

Rainy Season

Steven Michael Ralls Memorial Tree appreciates rain.

December 13 is the birthday of our dearly departed friend Steven Ralls. His ‘Steven Michael Ralls Memorial Tree‘ that was planted on May 2, for the third anniversary of his passing, is doing well, and likely appreciates what transpired overnight. Now that it got the opportunity to disperse roots through its first season in the ground, it will receive no more supplemental irrigation.

Such irrigation will no longer be necessary. The tree is a native Monterey cypress, which survives on annual rainfall, within a locally limited season. It was only occasionally irrigated through its first season, while it was busy dispersing roots. It should do well without any such intervention next year. Now that the rainy season started, the soil will not get dry until late next spring.

Yes, it is now the beginning of the rainy season here. The second small storm passed through early this morning and continues as I write this. The first arrived on Friday night. A minor prior storm was something of a lone stray, and did little to disrupt the naturally dry weather pattern that had persisted since late last spring. Now, more rain is expected for Wednesday afternoon.

For most of us with roofs, rain will be an asset. It sustains the forests and replenishes the aquifers. This year, it will rinse away the ashy dust deposited by the CZU Lightning Complex Fires. For those without roofs, rain, although appreciated, can cause significant problems. Prior to the CZU Lightning Complex Fires, very few homeless people resided here. It is not as simple now.

Sadly, many local residents lost their homes to the CZU Lightning Complex Fires. Although most are now residing in homes, even if just temporarily, some are not. Many are still cleaning up the mess where their homes had been. Rain will obviously complicate such unpleasant tasks. Furthermore, debris flows, which become more likely as rain continues, are now a major concern.

The end of the fire season at the beginning of the rainy season is no consolation for those who already lost their homes to fire.

Misconceptions – Immigration

MAJOR apologies! Contrary to what I said last week, I actually had sufficient time between other obligations to write a brief post for this week. I was just distracted with something else. Presently, there is plenty to be distracted with, as I am behind schedule with a variety of obligations. Again, I am sorry to say, I will recycle another post from last year.

Felton League

‘Misconceptions’ could become another category for this blog, like ‘Hypocrisy’. There is quite a bit to write about that could be categorized as such. It would be more relevant and interesting than the ‘Hypocrisy’ category, especially if the ‘Hypocrisy’ category is eventually deleted, as has been suggested. Furthermore, ‘Misconceptions’ would be less objectionable than ‘Hypocrisy’.

‘Immigration’, for example, is an
interesting topic that is unobjectionably relevant to homelessness,
but only because of the misconception that most homeless people here
immigrated with the intention of being homeless. This misconception
is obviously perpetuated by those who are not very acquainted with
homeless people, particularly the local homeless residents of Felton.

There are certainly more homeless
people in California than elsewhere. There should be. There are more
people of all sorts in California than elsewhere. California is the
most populous state. Because real estate here is more expensive than
all but only a…

View original post 150 more words

Hypocrisy – A Predictable Pattern

There was a slight bit of spare time last Thursday or so that I should have exploited to write a post for this week. Well, I did not. Now, again, I must reblog an old article from last year. I will be too busy to write again this week, and may need to go down South for a while. Posts for my other blog are recycled as well, and scheduled in advance. Apologies for the redundancies.

Felton League

Haters who stalk us are predictable. Their techniques are so similar. It is as if they all study the same standardized instruction manual for proper techniques of hatred, as well as hypocrisy.

For example, they all engage in
stalking of some sort, in order to find information they can use to
either irrelevantly shame their victims, or modify for the same
effect. If they find nothing of interest, they lie to create scandal
regarding fictitious nefarious behavior. Yet, anyone who questions
them about their own similar but real and observable behavior, they
accuse of stalking.

Some of us, years ago, were pursued by
haters who took photographs of us to post and ridicule online. When a
few of us photographed those photographing us, we were accused of
stalking. The difference with how such photographs were obtained is
that they were pursuing or stalking us, but we were not pursuing
them…

View original post 370 more words

Audience

This blog is quickly exhausting options for reblogging. Yet, because of other obligations, I am still unable to write new articles. I was pleased to be informed that, except for the common news that we can read about elsewhere, there is not much to write about on the Facebook page of Felton League. Yes, less drama is a ‘good thing’.
The illustration of this reblogged article from last year shows where articles have been read. Darker color indicates more readers. I should have mentioned that last year.

Felton League

Why is someone in Ecuador reading
about us? What about France? Did they just come here expecting to
find information about Tom Felton who acted as Draco Malfoy of those
creepy Harry Potter movies? There is certainly no problem with anyone
reading what they want to on the internet. It just seems odd that
there are others outside our Community who take interest in us.

Do any of us know much, or anything at
all, about others like us in the Philippines? What about those in
Nigeria? Do we read about others like us in other regions of
California? How are they like us? How are they different? There are
many variables, such as culture, climate, resources and government.
Some may be in better situations than we are in. It is likely worse
for most.

Ironically, we become less interesting
as our situations improve. Those coming here for insight into…

View original post 151 more words

Too Much Of A Good Thing

This topic is less of a concern now than it was when this article posted about a year ago. Although almost outdated, it is a reminder of minor social improvements. Those who share resources are more aware of how to do so with less potential for minor problems. Resources are more efficiently distributed and, if necessary, stored for those who can eventually benefit from them.

Felton League

Generosity is a good thing. There happens to be an abundance of it here. In conjunction with the many other good things about our Community, the abundant generosity is what keeps a few of us from going hungry. Those who might happen to get into a bad situation several days before food distribution can easily find other meal and food programs nearby to stay well fed.

Sometimes, food even gets left for us
at the picnic table near the parking lot at Felton Covered Bridge
Park. Some of it is surplus from earlier events in the park, such as
a birthday party or a picnic. On rare occasion, surplus food is
delivered from events somewhere else, such as a wedding reception or
a staff meeting. People actually go ‘that’ out of their way to share
surplus food!

Generosity is certainly nothing new here. I wrote about it not too long…

View original post 305 more words

9%

MAJOR apologies for not posting anything for Sunday as I typically do. As overworked as I am, I actually had a slight bit of time to write something new, but instead forgot about my obligation, and took some time off. Now, two days later, all that I can do is recycle another article. It would have been more relevant earlier, when the first rain of the season arrived.

Felton League

Wasn’t that what the forecast was? There was a 9% chance of precipitation over night? I know it is difficult to say. With all the modern technology available for such predictions, such figures change constantly. Regardless, most of us don’ t take a 9% chance of precipitation seriously. It rarely means anything, and even when it does, it is rarely more than a few drops off the eaves.

Realistically, what came through early
this morning was not much more than a few drops off the eaves, but it
was enough to remind us of what time of year this is. Pleasantly warm
and dry weather is predicted through the week. In October though, the
weather can be expected to slowly get cooler and wetter. It is
impossible to say when it will rain next, but we know that it will.

Fortunately, there are very few of us
who presently lack…

View original post 150 more words

November 1, 2020 -Memorial Tree Update

The Memorial Tree is remarkably healthy!

The Memorial Tree in Felton Covered Bridge Park was not expected to survive damage inflicted by a vandal last June. However, it recovered with unexpected efficiency and vigor, at a time of year when growth should have been decelerating prior to autumn. It is as if the vandalism never happened.

The worst of the damage is nearly healed.

After unsuccessfully attempting to poison the Memorial Tree with salt, the vandal sliced more than half way through the trunk in three places. The worst of these three slices is nearly healed. Another has already healed over. The third is so efficiently healed that the scar is barely visible.

A gardener who maintains Felton Covered Bridge Park installed a cage of chicken wire around the lower portion of the trunk to hopefully dissuade the vandal from attacking the Memorial Tree again. The trunk is sturdier and would be more resilient to such vandalism than it was last June.

This damage healed over so efficiently that it is difficult to find. The scar is barely visible near the top of the picture.

Prior to the vandalism, the Memorial Tree had grown vigorously through spring, and was already decelerating its growth for summer, as is normal for the species within a natural habitat. By late summer, it would have been expected to concentrate resources into dormant terminal buds prior to defoliation through autumn and dormancy through winter.

Instead, the Memorial Tree responded to the vascular distress associated with the vandalism by suddenly and unexpectedly accelerating vigorous vegetative growth until it was compelled to decelerate by cooling autumn weather. Instead of producing such growth below the damage, as is typical, the determined little Memorial Tree expanded its developing upper canopy.

More than half of this vigorous growth developed after the Memorial Tree was vandalized.

The Memorial Tree has recovered so efficiently that it will likely require only minor grooming while dormant through winter, to remove a few overly vigorous stems from the lower canopy. Minor stubble remains to promote trunk caliper development. The trunk may no longer need binding. The stabilizing lodgepole should remain for at least next year, even if it is unnecessary.

All this new growth will be groomed while dormant through winter.

Members of the Community offered to replace the Memorial Tree after it was vandalized and not expected to survive. Fortunately, replacement will not be necessary. This little Memorial Tree has survived other forms of damage, and is determined to continue to survive and flourish.