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Another Month in the Valley: Health Care Woes and Lots of Rain

August 4th, 2015

Filed under Another Month in the Valley, Community, Featured, News

Bike rack - ira houseweart WEB

Sure, kids ride bikes in Hotchkiss.  The bike rack made by metal artisan Ira Houseweart at the Hotchkiss Library

Another Month in the Valley

By Thomas Wills – Editor and Co-publisher

Hot and humid. And then just hot.  Then wet and hot and humid.  Welcome to an El Nino year overlaid by a touch of climate change.  If the weather theme for June was unseasonably hot the one for July was cooler and wetter than normal due to the return of a Pacific El Nino cycle that brings additional tropical moisture to parts of the U.S. And given that as the world-wide temperature average continues to rise, so does the addition of water vapor to the atmosphere.  Water vapor equal rain (or snow). Thus more rain than even a normal El Nino cycle would bring.  Local farms and gardens and farmers and gardeners are enjoying the extra.

June 24 – The Hotchkiss Planning Commission held their regular meeting and in a rare move recommended the denial of a variance that would have allowed a new two unit trailer park at Second and Main.

June 25-26 – Hot and humid.  It looks to be one of those summers when kids think about digging caves in the cool earth of drainage ditch banks.  The flower planters I’m taking care of in my block of Bridge Street in Hotchkiss can’t go longer than two days without a soaking.  Things dry out fast.

I finally received my Bernie Sanders for President t-shirt and the Supreme Court issued two huge decisions: supporting a key part of the Affordable Care Act, and legalizing state sanctioned gay marriage in all 50 states.  Add in President Obama’s sermon/eulogy on grace in Charleston and you have one heck of a week.  I’m feeling a bit more positive about America.

June 28- I ripped out one bed of snow pea plants and stripped off any remaining peas from them and replanted with peppers and tomatoes.  It looks to be a good year for tomatoes. A second bed is still producing.  Raw snow peas add a nice crunch to salads.  The lettuces are also about done until a second fall crop can be planted.

June 29 – Another scorcher.  I watered the lawn in the evening and harvested some of the last of the lamb’s quarters before they get too tough.

July 1 – I totally forgot that tonight was the Crawford Council meeting.  I blame it on the heat.

July 2 – Hot and still relatively humid for here, with a few teasing clouds in the afternoon.
July 3 – Not a good day.  Jane fell, broke her hip, and had to be ambulanced to the Delta Hospital Emergency Room.  That’s where I spent the day.  Thanks to the person who heard Jane yelling and called the Marshal’s office who called the ambulance. Extra thanks to Marshal Dan Miller.

Then after I got the message at work, and was heading out to Delta, I noted that the Fire Department and police had Bridge Street blocked and something was happening at the Hotchkiss Hotel. It turned out that there was a gas leak in the kitchen at PJ’s Pub.  They got it fixed, the place aired out, and were open as usual that evening.

July 4 – Paonia Cherry Days and the Fourth of July. No, despite a silly rumor passed on via the Paonia Message Board no one attempted to set fire to a flag during the parade and there were a lot of flags. Everyone seemed to have a good time with the only whiff of possible controversy being a bicycle rider in the parade dressed (on top) as an old style, wimpled fun nun. Or the Republicans “Your Gun, Your Right” float, but that’s been around for several years.  No tanks or mobile anti-aircraft guns this year. There were two entries from the young women of Hotchkiss High School, cheerleaders and the dance team, and I heard no partisan objections, only cheers of appreciation.  And I didn’t see anyone else wearing a Bernie for President t-shirt although many people complimented me on mine.

And a great day to once again honor Richard Kinser, this time as the Cherry Days Parade Grand Marshal.  In the small towns in the Valley we actually celebrate people who do real life, important stuff, which in Mr. Kinser’s case is spending the bulk of his life serving the community through the ambulance association and Paonia Fire Department.  And lots of other stuff.

A great day to lay around in the shade and drink cold lemonade and eat barbeque.

The Houseweart clan of Rogers Mesa/Hotchkiss hosted a July 4th celebration at Cynthia and Ira’s Princess Beef, of the family now being in the ranching business as a family for 100 years!   Our newest Centennial Ranch.

July 5 – A teeny sprinkle of rain overnight useful only in keeping the level of humidity elevated.  The sad news came that the Creamery Arts Center will be closing under the current organization as of August 15. I stopped by and talked to Penny Alexander there and she said that they had tried everything they could but the loss of a large ongoing operating grant pretty much put the nail in it.

July 6 – Cooler with a little more rain.  Jane was moved from the hospital to rehab.

July 7 – Having missed the July 4th party I finally made it out to Cynthia and Ira Houseweart’s Princess Beef ranch on Rogers Mesa for a VOGA Know Your Farmer Tour. An inspirational operation that blends the best of old and new ways of doing things in producing humanely grown, grass finished beef that are sold directly to the consumer.

Scattered light showers over the Valley.

July 8 – A little rain overnight with a good soaking rain in the evening with cooler temperatures continuing.

July 9 – The Hotchkiss Town Council in the evening. Overcast and unseasonably cool.  The Hotchkiss Municipal Court was rescheduled until next Thursday afternoon at the request of Judge French.

 July 11 – A few sprinkles of rain.  I picked up some nice salad makings from the Hotchkiss Creamery Saturday Market including produce from the K-8 Kid’s Garden.  Stop by every Saturday from 9 am to 2 p.m.

July 12 – Sunny and humid.  I very much enjoyed Pastor Amos Kariuki’s first service at the Hotchkiss United Methodist Church.  “Have you had breakfast?” he asked the congregation when we sang the first verse of a hymn rather haltingly as Methodists usually do, being close kin to Garrison Keillor’s Lutherans  of Lake Woebegon.  We tried to sing a little louder.

July 14 – A good rain the late afternoon. The Paonia Town Council meeting was a return of the culture clash between new and old, progressive and conservative with Trustee Suzanne Watson stirring the pot briskly by throwing in some massive overthinking.

July 15 – More heavy rain in the afternoon and evening.   In Crawford the Council chose interim clerk Toby Stephenson as the permanent replacement for Town Clerk Jackie Savage.

July 16 – The delayed Hotchkiss Municipal Court was held at mid-afternoon.

July 18 – Afternoon rains again.

July 19 – Some moderate rain.

July 20 – Heavy evening rain. I think I have watered the lawn at the house only twice all summer.

July 23 – I brought Jane home to Hotchkiss.

July 24 – I did get a few boxes of very nice books for the store from the annual Hotchkiss Library book sale.  Jane is doing pretty well as well settle into yet another recuperation routine.  About a half inch of rain fell in the evening.

July 25 – I’m scrambling to get the August paper together and made the decision to add four pages bring the Herald back up to 20 pages.  There is a lot of stuff happening.

Business News and Other Rumours

The most unfortunate news from the Valley arts community in July was the planned closing of the Creamery Arts Center in Hotchkiss, on August 15, under its management of the last few years by an independent non-profit organization and board. Then came the good news from co-owner of the property and Creamery founder, Linda Tullis, that the arts center will rise again, hopefully by next spring, incorporating multiple artists’ groups and an afternoon/evening coffeehouse.  Long live the Creamery!

Other big news was that Delta County Memorial Hospital District was turning the North Fork Clinics back to the private operation by Doctors Tim Meilner and Michelle Hundley. This may  not a good thing as far as sustainability goes.  According to Dr. Hundley in a Facebook post she is leaving to take a job with the VA Hospital due to their not being funds for both doctor’s salaries.  The Hotchkiss Clinic will apparently be idled while Dr. Tim holds down the fort at the Paonia Clinic.  At the base of everything is the economics of running a practice with two offices and the too sudden change of heart by the DCMH District.  Thus they have apparently damaged the viability of local primary care rather than aided it.  (Note: the DCMH board reportedly disagrees with the “sudden” characterization” and will be opening their own primary  care clinic in Hotchkiss  in the late fall.)

Add in the struggling North Fork Ambulance District and it appears that the community needs to step forward and make sure adequate medical services remain available in the Valley.

Business must be pretty good since Sol Margarita’s restaurant in Paonia is adding an expanded patio on the north side of the building.  A place to sip a cool one and watch the passing parade of life at Third and Grand.  Just across the alley from the Elsewhere art wall.

Hooray and congratulations to the whole Houseweart clan of Rogers Mesa/Hotchkiss on their July 4th celebration of now being in the ranching business as a family for 100 years!   Our newest Centennial Ranch.

The Hotchkiss and Crawford United Methodist Churches welcomed their new pastor.  In the Hotchkiss and Crawford churches on July 12, Kenyan native, Pastor Amos Kariuki, was welcomed as he presided over the monthly Communion Sunday and thoroughly charmed both congregations.

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7.15 Paonia Farm and Home-Canning.indd

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