Several statements lately have gotten me to recalling, “the old days’ “It’s still a small town” and “Today in central Bakersfield” in reference to Monterey Street. Both make me laugh and scratch my head. Anyone looked at our current population count? Central Bakersfield?

As a child from my second story bedroom window, I overlooked a quiet sleepy street~24^th. Where Beach Park is ,was riverbed, sprinkled with hobo camps, forbidden to visit. Naturally, we would sneak over to them, discovering the old cooked potatoes in a hole dug under the fire. What would become Rivera Westchester then was a wooden and barb wired fenced cattle ranch, the song of mooing lulling one to sleep summer nights.  Central Bakersfield was defined by 24 th St., California, Union and Oak. Ming avenue was country. My grandparents built one of the first homes on Panorama; I remember rolling hills of dirt until Alta Vista began. No Bakersfield College and certainly nothing beyond that. Areas, where as a teenager we went to do what teens did then, are now someone’s kitchen

The area I live in ~by A St. and Brundage was an orchard, the homes built in the 1940’s. Called Holtby Estates, each yard  enclosed with white picket fences having gates that connected neighbors yards, my home still had them when I moved in. Occasionally someone finds human remains, as the Chinese cemetery was close by. Most days the reality of valley living was readily seen, the Sierras, Costal range, and Grapevine all visible. The night sky held the milky way, somewhat reduced but clearly present.

Each summer we would return to my birthplace Santa Barbara. At the Castaic junction the breeze held the ocean smell~ fishy, salty ,cool~ we children knew we were close! One cannot even smell that ordor at the coast now, I hope in deep ocean it still exists.

Just some random memories of our town and state. The past is just that, today is what is given to us. However, I am curious, what are your memories? Our first McDonalds? The mall? Please share a few.

Watching the Today show as I do most mornings, the news after four years, with too many lives lost, so many more changed beyond recognition, seems bleak and hopeless. Then the familiar chords of breaking news interrupted the mornings flow. My heart sunk to my chest, my body immediately entering what I call “deer in the headlights” response. How changed I am by that September morn. How resentful that that momentous day so many left this earthly coil used by some to promote their agenda. How very tired I am of Fear. Thankfully, it was just a White House “stay the course” speech. Looking at our President, no one can say the office does not take its toll on the occupant. This is just~ balancing somewhat the toll on us, the citizen.

Listing first to the Secretary of State Ms Rice, then to the current President Bush, I was struck by something. I chose not to believe that they are inherently evil, they believe in what they do, that this is the best course. Clearly, they also believe in Peter Pans theory: just keep saying, “I believe”, and like Tinkerbelle, Iraq will be what they wish. We have done what we set out to do, Saddam is gone, no weapons of mass destruction. Now even General Petraeus has said a diplomatic end is the only way to stabilize the region. We must involve the United Nations truly making this a unilateral effort. With 92% of the people of Iraq afraid that violence will strike them personally, no one can say we are helping them.

If only half of the misspent funds had gone into rebuilding their economy, much of the unrest would be diminished. A working person, fed, warm, with water and electricity is less inclined to agitate than one who is not in that condition. Recently I had reason to talk with tech support. The man, with an accent, helping me actually laughed when I had said I could not afford a product. Reflecting after I realized how some in less affluent countries must see us. While in his country I might be affluent, here I am “the working poor”. My point is that while I do participate in our system of government I have no real reason to “take to the streets”, become radicalized. If I lived somewhere else .in dire straights? That question haunts me, unanswerable. It is however likely that I might well assail the powers that I perceived were keeping me down. Especially now as I have not a lot left to lose.

There are many ways to hasten the demise of terror, fundamentalist hate. I am sure that like spanking a child for hitting, we are sending at best a very mixed message.

I want to preference this post by stating: Yeah I know bad choices, yeah no free lunch,” it is what~ I~ my daddy ~etc had to do” comments, while they may relieve your issues, have no pertinent input.

*Smiles * now what is a young Mother supposed to do? A friend is 26, two young children, both under three had to sign up for the current “welfare” program, after she lost her job. Everyone is fine with the requirements, she is talking a class, has a job offer once she has completed it, and the job will enable her to provide well for her sons. The class lasts 6 months, meeting once a week. The problem? That class does not qualify for the work end of the program, she would need to look for work 30 hrs a week.. ok she will do that. She had to bring her boys to the meeting, was told we do not allow kids back here.. ”Didn’t she have family here?” No not the whole clan is on welfare..” No grandmother?” Yes but she works full time..” well we guess they can come back” How nice of them.

Now the children, as youngsters do, got sick. The eldest was diagnosed by the doctor with walking pneumonia that appointment hard to get. Day care will not take him; she could not do the 30 hours of looking for work. She is being removed from the program ,unless she can get a doctors note . I do not really mind rules ,but one plays better when one knows the rules before one starts to play. I do not find the sense in this at all. The attitude of “the powers that be” seems rather rigid and silly. Now if she can not work a miracle ,or get a note ,she the kids will be homeless, and there by ensure more tax money spent on more programs. .hey… could that be the idea?

When I was involved in different programs. most of the folks who worked with me said” You do not know how to work the system” Meaning I could take advantage of it like others did ,and do. Here are two separate cases, opposite ends of the same continuum, women trying to do their best, each suffering (ed) from prejudice’s of the “system”. Now most workers I have know are wonderful, caring people, that made a difference in peoples lives. Some of these folks will have a spot in heaven without a doubt! But clearly ,as I have noted in other areas ,some folks are not ”plugged in” to the work they do ,there only for the check. Had to vent this one people ,sometimes “reform” is another word for the same old stuff. There is a courser word .but I am shooting for “classy”.