My Thoughts
by Michele Harvey
EAST
OF
PINE
HILLS by Kiki Skagen Munshi
The Julian News 5
February 24, 2021
continued on page 12
Barbara Lorraine LaChusa
1933 - 2021
On Tuesday, February 10, 2021, Barbara Lorraine LaChusa, loving
wife and mother of three children, passed away at the age of 88.
Barbara was born in Westmorland, CA, to Paul Joseph Cardinal
and Lucy Agnes Cardinal. She graduated from Julian High School in
1951. She married Don Emanuel LaChusa on May 31, 1952. Together
they raised two sons, Don and James, and one daughter Yvonne.
Barbara loved spending time with her family and friends. She was a
skilled seamstress and a member of the Embroiderers Guild. Those
who knew Barbara, knew how generous she was with her time for her
family, friends, and those in need. She was a true animal lover and
cared for her pets, especially her cats, and was faithful about feeding
her hummingbirds. Barbara donated to many local organizations,
including Wounded Warriors and the San Diego Zoo.
Barbara was preceded in death by her father, Paul, her mother,
Lucy, her husband Don, and her eldest son Don. She is survived by
her two children, Yvonne and James, 18 grandchildren, and 30 great-
grandchildren with one on the way.
My Julian Stories
It seems that many of us are longing for days gone by. Reminiscing
is easy when we are staying home with our photos. Several people,
including Charles Lockhart, have been posting historical photos of
Julian and the surrounding areas. Often the people who post the
photos don’t know what or where they are. However, so many local
people stay on facebook, some actually having memories that go
further back than my thirty-seven years here that I really enjoy being
involved in the conversations.
I remember when the then new fire house was built next to the
water district building on Farmer Road. That was a huge event in our
little town and recently on facebook, someone posted photos and
several men wrote about the work they did to build the firehouse.
Dee Henry added her story by telling of the day that the volunteers
were called out and they all left her at the bottom of a foundation
hole. She was seven feet down and yes, she managed to get herself
out. I remember a small fair to raise money and to announce a grand
opening of the firehouse. One of the favorite events was a dunking
machine. You could dunk a Sherriff deputy if you hit the target. After
that day, dunking machines were really popular for a time. You could
dunk coaches too at sporting events.
Another fundraiser for the firehouse was an auction. We donated a
book by Jack Murphy. Remember him? He brought the Chargers to
San Diego and the stadium was originally named for him. The book
was titled Abe And Me because it was about his Labrador retriever
that would stay with him when Jack wrote his sports columns for the
San Diego Union and Tribune. The book was autographed. At that
auction, I outbid Garnette for a dollhouse and someone outbid me
for a bronze sculpture that was created by Ed White. Later Ed told
me that was one of his last sculptures because bronze became too
expensive to work with. Ed switched to painting after that and he is
quite good!
Shana Spice Rudd recently wrote about her childhood in Julian.
Literally in Julian. She grew up in the house that is now the Book
House on the corner of Farmer Road and “A” Street. Her father, Ralph
Spice was a lean man, in charge of the Julian town water district.
Shana talked about how involved her mother was in Julian volunteer
work and how she would take Shana with her to the Wild Flower
Show and The Weed Show, both brought to us by the Julian Women’s
Club. I wrote that I remembered both of Shana’s parents and I could
tell stories, so I did.
Here is a story about your Dad, who I actually got along with really
well most of the time. One day my children and the neighbor children
decided to create a swimming pool in our side yard. They gathered
everything they could find that wasn't nailed down to create the sides
and made a pool about three feet high. They threw a large tarp over
the structure and filled it with water. The pool was nearly full when
it gave way and hundreds of gallons of water rocketed down Third
Street to "B" Street, took a left and headed to Main Street taking
leaves, dirt and gravel with it. Ralph Spice who was in charge of the
water district at the time followed the flood up to my house. He saw
me and asked what the flood was all about. Ralph did not see any
humor in the event and told me not to let it happen again. Needless
to say, my neighborhood kids were the talk of the town for quite some
time. After that day, they made pools in our truck beds and tied the
tarps down very securely.
Here is a story about Shana’s mother. When I first moved to Julian,
we lived in the house at 2020 Third Street. The water coming out of
the kitchen faucet smelled really awful, like rotten eggs, it was so
awful. I called the service district number and your mother answered
the phone. When I explained the problem, she told me that "Ralph
said it was just me!". She was so glad that I could verify what she
knew. Soon the water didn’t smell at all.
We lived in town for a few years when I decided it was getting much
too crowded on weekends for the safety of my children. We moved to
Whispering Pines and that was a great place to raise my boys. They
especially liked playing outside. In dry weather, they got together with
their friends and spray painted a baseball diamond on our street.
Since we lived between two turns in the road, the boys could hear
cars coming and they could get out of the way without ever getting
harmed. When we had snow on the ground, the boys would gather
up every drop light they could find. They would light up a sled run,
usually at about 11p.m. at night. When snow was on the ground at
night, we could hear a vehicle making a turn at the four-way-stop in
downtown Julian which was about two miles away, so the boys knew
how to adjust their timing. Those years I learned to buy my trash
cans at Home Depot because I could buy can lids separately. Every
winter my trash can lids disappeared because they made such great
sleds. One February day we woke up to find two or three inches of
ice on everything outside. We could hear the crackling of breaking
tree branches and yet my boys found fun. They figured out that if they
squatted and held tight to their knees, they could slide on their feet,
down our driveway and all across our road, laughing the entire time.
However, they couldn’t get back across the ice. Fortunately the sun
came brightly out and the ice was completely gone by 10a.m. All was
well.
I’m glad that so many people like Sherry Daniel are reminiscing
on facebook these days. They are bringing back some of my good
memories too.
These are my thoughts.
Of Water and MONEY
Years of living in countries where bribery is a polite way of doing
business sometimes leaves one unprepared for the U.S. where graft
isn’t always the default position, and the first thought that came to
mind when we saw a proposal to build a new way to bring water from
the Colorado to San Diego was, “Who…”
But we hastened to put that aside. This is America. Better to do a
bit of exploration first.
There were three options for this proposed new pipeline on a
(somewhat hard to find) map, one of which ran through Borrego
Springs, up through Ranchita and down Pauma Valley, one of which
was through Laguna and parts West, and one of which was further
south.
Up here we don’t care about further south though people further
south probably do. But a new huge water pipeline through the middle
of Borrego Springs? Or Laguna? Does this make sense? Would it
be cost-effective? The old reflex supposition…never mind. Onward.
Learning about Colorado River water was the next order of
business. It isn’t very good (as we all know) but beyond that…it’s
complicated. Everybody wants it, sometimes there is more than
people want, sometimes there isn’t. Mexico gets the short end of the
stick, which is usually muddy. San Diego and Imperial County both
have allocations; San Diego’s comes through a pipeline running from
Lake Havasu toward Los Angeles, then south. Imperial County gets
its water straight from the river via the All American Canal which also
ends in Imperial County. So far.
Recently, Imperial County farmers haven’t been using their full
water allotment. The rationale on the SD Water Authority website
is…well, there actually isn’t a reason given but local gossip is that the
farmers can make more money selling their water rights to San Diego
than growing low dollar crops like alfalfa.
Clearly those who label alfalfa “low dollar” don’t have three hungry
horses.
So now San Diego gets part of Imperial County’s water, but not
FROM Imperial County; it is siphoned off the river along with the rest
of San Diego’s water through the northern route and San Diego pays
a fee for the northern route use under an agreement that will hold until
2047. Hence the idea to build a southern route—one surmises—but
questions still arise about comparative cost, the future of Colorado
River water, and damage to the environment.
On the surface it doesn’t seem either economically advantageous
(to the public, that is) or environmentally friendly but the jury is still out.
Except in the San Diego Water Authority’s 2020 Diversification Plan
which “aims to reduce the County's reliance on the Colorado River”.
Guess they haven’t updated the Plan since the Chair proposed the
new aqueduct.
5. Acacia Reyes 30:00
Julian
6. Rose Johnson 30:42
Mountain Empire
Men’s Results:
1. Zackary Henderson 20:24
Mountain Empire
2. Phoenix Cruz 20:37
Julian
3. Wesley Gratzer 21:06
Julian
4. Corey Lay 21:59
Julian
5. Mac Moretti 23:47
Julian
6. Marcus Smith 25:47
Mountain Empire
7. Gregory Reyes 26:35
Mountain Empire
8. Nathaniel Thompson 26:37
Mountain Empire
9. Geovoni Beasley 35:58
Mountain Empire
11. Tyler Parker no time reported
Julian
High School Sports
continued from page 3
6 Things To Know About GMOs
(Family Features) You may
have heard of "GMO" foods
before, but what you may not
know is the science and purpose
behind them.
"GMO" is a common term
used to describe foods that have
been created through genetic
engineering. A GMO (genetically
modified organism) is a plant,
animal or microorganism that has
had its genetic material (DNA)
changed using technology that
generally involves the transfer of specific DNA from one organism to
another.
Although GMO foods are widely available to consumers, there
is sometimes confusion around what GMOs are and how they are
used in the United States' food supply. As part of the Feed Your
Mind education initiative, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) provides science-based information to help consumers better
understand GMOs:
1. Only a few types of GMO foods are sold in the United States.
Soybeans, cotton, corn, alfalfa, apples, canola, papaya, potatoes,
summer squash, sugar beets, pineapple and AquAdvantage salmon
complete the list of GMO foods currently sold in the U.S. Only a few
of these are available in the produce sections of grocery stores. Most
are instead used to make ingredients that are then used in other food
products like cereals and snack chips.
2. GMOs can help farmers grow crops that are resistant to diseases
and insects. Humans have used traditional ways to modify crops and
animals to suit their needs and tastes for more than 10,000 years.
Genetic engineering lets scientists take a beneficial gene, like insect
resistance, and transfer it into a plant. Results can include higher
crop yields, less crop loss, longer storage life, better appearance,
better nutrition or some combination of these traits.
3. GMO foods are as safe to eat as their non-GMO counterparts. The
FDA, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of
Agriculture work together to make sure GMOs are safe for human,
plant and animal health. GMO foods are carefully studied before being
sold to the public to make sure they are safe. Some GMO plants have
even been modified to improve their nutritional value. For example,
some GMO soybeans contain healthier oils, which can replace oils
containing trans fat.
4. GMO foods are no more likely to cause allergies than non-GMOs.
You will not be allergic to a GMO food unless you're allergic to the
non-GMO version of that food. For example, if you're not allergic to
foods made with non-GMO soy, you won't be allergic to foods made
with GMO soy. When developing GMOs, scientists run tests to make
sure allergens aren't transferred from one food to another.
5. GMOs can reduce farmers' use of pesticides. Some GMO plants
contain plant-incorporated protectants to make them resistant to
insects. This lowers farmers' need for and use of spray pesticides.
6. A "bioengineered" disclosure will be on some of the foods you
eat. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard requires
bioengineered foods to be labeled by 2022 with text on the packages
that reads "bioengineered food," the bioengineered food symbol or
directions for using your phone to find the disclosure. Sometimes the
terms "bioengineered," "GMO" and "genetic engineering" are used
interchangeably, but labels required under the Standard use the term
"bioengineered."
Find more answers to your questions about GMOs at fda.gov/
feedyourmind.
Honoring The Selfless
(NAPSI)—At a time when their efforts were desperately needed,
organizations helping to combat the effects of the coronavirus,
champion equality and diversity, and provide medical care for those
in need headlined this year’s .ORG IMPACT Awards. The awards,
presented by Public Interest Registry, recognize organizations that
are healing, helping, and inspiring others around the world.
Days for Girls International was the recipient of the .ORG of the Year
Award for its efforts to promote health for millions of women and girls
and prevent the spread of COVID-19 through its MasksForMillions
Campaign. “Every day, Days for Girls is empowering women and girls
to achieve their dreams by providing critical education and health
resources to those who need them,” said Jon Nevett, the CEO of
Public Interest Registry, which acts as operator of the 10 million-plus
.ORGs around the world.
Other .ORG of the Year recipients included Kayla Cares 4 Kids—
an organization Kayla Abramowitz founded at age 11—that collects
and donates entertainment and educational items to children’s
hospitals nationwide, and Change Labs, which promotes diversity,
inclusion, and equity by increasing the number of Native-owned small
businesses operating in Native communities. “Their work is a critical
part of providing equity and opportunity to Native Americans seeking
to achieve their dreams by becoming small business owners,” said
Nevett.
Public Interest Registry established the .ORG Impact Awards to
recognize, honor and reward organizations on the .ORG domain that
are making an incredible positive impact in their communities and
the world around them. The company donated a total of $85,000
USD to this year’s recipients. “These organizations embody what
motivates PIR every day. They are filled with selfless people who
throughout even the toughest of years looked beyond themselves to
their communities,” said Nevett.
For a complete list of finalists and winners of the 2020 .ORG of the
Year Awards, please visit https://orgimpactawards.org.
How And Why To Improve
The Fit Of Your Mask
(StatePoint) As more
Americans get vaccinated
against COVID-19, you may find
yourself out and about more.
Whether you’re returning to
the workplace or just getting a
haircut, mask requirements may
be in place in certain venues you
frequent.
New Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
recommendations highlight the
importance of snugly fitting
masks. The good news is that
innovations are helping people
secure the fit of their masks, and,
at the same time, solve some of
the most common complaints
they have when wearing them.
“As we began to wear masks
in 2020, we found ourselves
frustrated by things like fogging
glasses and slipping masks. Our
team has extensive experience
solving health-related challenges
and thought there had to be
a way to address this,” says
Dave Franchino, co-founder at
MaskTite, a company that makes
a medical-grade, double-sided
tape designed to adhere to the
inside of a mask for a more
secure fit.
Franchino, with his background
in medical product design, set
to work with his team to design
a way to give people of all face
sizes and shapes a fast and easy
way to make every mask fit better.
Made of skin-safe, medical-
grade, adhesive tape, MaskTite
strips eliminate common mask
problems like gaps, fogging
glasses and slipping, and are
sized for adults and children.
Here Franchino explains how
to solve some of most common
mask woes, some of which
you’ve likely experienced:
• Loose fit and slipping masks:
Readjusting your mask when
it starts to slip is not always
possible, whether it’s because
you have your hands full of
groceries or work tools or you
simply want to avoid touching
your face. Keeping the mask
affixed to your face with tape
can eliminate slipping when it
matters most, and achieve a
tighter fit, supporting the latest
CDC recommendations.
• Foggy glasses: The warm
air of your breath escaping from
the top of your mask can quickly
make glasses foggy, causing a
new hazard -- an inability to see.
While it can be tough to find a
mask that fits securely enough to
eliminate fog, applying a solution
like MaskTite to the inside of
your mask means you can get a
proper fit and better visibility, no
matter what mask you’re using.
• Irritating straps: A tight-fitting
mask is great in many respects,
but the straps can put a strain
on the backs of one’s ears. Plus,
