Eerie. That’s what the weather is. Clear and borderline surreal twinkling-star nights. Cold. Dry. Not a drop in sight. Trees parched. Citrus in my weeping garden has gone to the ghost. Never in my near 30 years here have we had such a stretch of 20-degree nights and near 70-degree December days with zero precipitation. No sprouting green grass for the rabbits or the deer or the cattle or for these Irish eyes to gaze upon. The verdant path leading to spring has been vanquished by our mysterious Mother Nature.
Drought has seemingly descended, so of course that coincides with the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s plan to drain Anderson Dam in order to earthquake proof the structure. Water down the drain proving once again that timing is everything …
Drought stings everywhere, but when there’s no snow in the Sierra there’s no skiing or boarding and when that drys up, so do jobs across the tourist board from bartender to ski instructor to casino pit boss. There go my retirement jobs, so maybe I’ll just …
Put money on the 49ers this week and bet they play better than they did against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. Not sure which game all the giddy TV announcers and fans watched, but this was hardly a surgical victory harkening back to 49er glory days. To beat Carolina, the 49ers will have to: A) Fix the atrocious play calling in the Red Zone; B) Manage to snap the football before the play clock runs down to 1 second and stop having to call a timeout because players aren’t lined up in the right spot. (As an added strategic bonus, if the 49ers snap the ball with, say, 12 seconds left on the clock, the defense will be so surprised they’ll probably all keel over.); C) Step up the passing game. QB Colin Kaepernick has to be able to ID more than the primary receiver. The 49ers can’t keep winning if “Cap” is the leading rusher; and D) Put the ball on the money when a receiver is wide open deep down the field. Niners 31, Panthers 23. A close victory again.
It’s a victory for the whole community when one of the truly good guys is honored. Gilroy’s Man of the Year, Don DeLorenzo, is one of the very best examples of what makes Gilroy great. He’s a man with a rare combination: generous to a fault, common sense in buckets, a pervasive sense of humor and a fierce loyalty to his community. Well done Chamber of Commerce on the selection and well deserved, DeLo.
Well, we needed a new slow cooker, so I got a coupon and a rebate offer from Bed, Bath and Beyond and my Miss Jenny got a Ninja “cooking system” for one of her Christmas gifts. I’ve used it twice now – Miss Jenny hasn’t minded a bit – and I have to say that having one pot that you can brown the short ribs in and then turn the dial to slow cook is darn convenient and pretty cool especially with a busy start to the new year. Silly name, but the Ninja gets the job done. Maybe I’ll make a few Ninja noises while the meat is sizzling … “Hiiiiiiyah!”
Hi ya Mike Wasserman … our District 1 representative is the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors for 2014. Not sure yet what’s on his agenda for South County’s benefit, but we’re hoping for continued refinement of the winery regulations, weekend and night opening of the county medical center to take the ER pressure off Saint Louise Regional Hospital, stepped up maintenance for repaving county roads, beefed up South County Sheriff patrols and continued support for social service organizations down here. Given the economic recovery, particularly with property values, the county, which keeps 18 percent of property tax revenue, should be able to hold on to efficiencies gained during depressed times and expand services in key areas.
Expanding – or perhaps contracting – the mind will be a hypnotist at the Black Box theatre at Christopher High School on Saturday, Jan. 11. Two shows are planned for 5 and 7 p.m. at $10 for students and $15 for others. Email to an***********@ya***.com for tickets. Proceeds go to the Safe and Sober graduation event, which leaves me wondering why not get all the CHS students together in the quad and have the hypnotist cast his graduation spell upon them, “Don’t Drink and Drive.”
Been quite an effort for the city to get residents to fill up all the seats on the various boards and commissions. A month-long extension in early December hasn’t done it. There are a few seats left on three policy boards: Arts and Culture, Public Art and the Housing Advisory Committee. Contact City Clerk Shawna Freels at Sh***********@ci.us if you’re interested in serving your community.
Reach editor Mark Derry at ed****@ga****.com
