Let’s try this
I’d like to turn Jack Polster’s suggestion about COVID-safe hours on its head and suggest that Safeway have special hours (5 -6 a.m.) for those shoppers who don’t want to wear a mask. The rest of us (thoughtful, caring, responsible) mask-wearers can then have the rest of the store’s hours for ourselves.
Jim Lavrakas
Movement is life
Thanks to the Homer Council on the Arts and the American Parkinson’s Disease Association for supporting Body Moves classes. With their support, 16 virtual Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement classes helped folks from Homer to Rhode Island to move with greater ease and comfort. We had the opportunity to virtually explore Flexible Feet, Knowledgeable Knees, Getting Hip, Balancing Act, Turning with Ease and so much more.
Being able to respond to life spontaneously and confidently is a huge gift, and being a part of that progress is truly amazing. Working towards building endurance, strength, balance and stability, and to walk with a “giddy-up” in your step — it’s contagious.
More classes to help you move with ease and comfort will be coming after the New Year. Stay tuned for class offerings at homerart.org and Insightfulbodymoves.com.
Movement is life.
Dotti Harness-Foster, Feldenkrais practitioner and instructor
Thanks for ‘Farmer Bob’ memorial donation
Homer Head Start would like to thank Pat Malone for the generous donations she has made in the memory of “Farmer Bob” Durr. Bob was passionate about supplying nutritious vegetables to the children and made numerous donations to the center throughout the years. The children have loved exploring, with their hands and their mouths, the many different fresh produce items found in their community.
Bob also found that it was important that Christmas was celebrated, so this year Pat donated art supplies and books to the children in his memory. They surely will be enjoyed and we are thankful for community members such as Bob and Pat that share our passion for life-long learning. Homer Head Start wishes Bob’s loved ones well this holiday season.
Tessa Sullivan, Local Program Supervisor/Family Advocate, Homer Head Start / RurAL CAP
Some thoughts
Hello , old friends. It’s been a while since I’ve written in. For a long time I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t, really. It seems everyone just talks over each other anyways. Does anybody really listen? So what’s the point? And there you have it. Apathy. I think a lot of us have been feeling apathetic lately. It’s another disease to worry about.
2020 has been a tough year. It started off wonderfully getting married to my best friend in February, but soon after we arrived to our new reality.
COVID-19.
And no, not the 19th version, Kellyanne.
At this moment in time, 314,000 Americans have been killed by this virus.
How high will it go? How many more close friends will experience this tragedy in their family? Will my mother make it out alive?
I’ve got O+ blood. Personally, I’m at less risk to become infected or to have a bad reaction. I wear a mask in public for you. For your mother. It’s unconscionable not to. If you follow the advice of politicians over doctors you are criminally dumb.
Some of my friends liked to point to Sweden trying to achieve their desired goal of herd immunity by essentially ignoring the virus and not taking recommended precautions.
They just unequivocally admitted their (non) policy was a failure. Meanwhile, New Zealand is a post-COVID nation having taken proper steps to eliminate it.
They are done with it. My brain can’t even comprehend that. Bleach injections y’all.
So we just had a failed coup in our country. So we just had a failed coup in our country! Gov. Mike Dunleavy was part of this failed coup. Rep. Sarah Vance ,too. Sen. Murky-Mouthski playing everyone with no spine somewhere in the middle like always.
There will be boring times in the future when great minds analyze these last few years, this last year in particular. Their criticism will be damning to our nation.
After 2021 gets rolling and we get our head screwed on straight, we’re holding all of you accountable for your casual treason. Make no mistake, we are happy you went down on the record. I’m going to tell you friend to friend this was the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Biden will be sworn in on Jan. 20. Subpoenas on Jan. 21. Let’s go, Georgia.
More to come.
Chris Needham
A warm thank you from the Homer Theatre to the City of Homer
In these difficult times, the Homer Theatre has received a grant from the City of Homer to sustain us through the pandemic.
We want to say “thank you,” certainly for the money to cover shortfall, to sustain our staff and to pay the unstoppable bills, but mostly we want to express our gratitude for the recognition the city extends that the theatre is a vital and well loved community and cultural resource for our town.
We are only open now to one-fourth capacity (50 patrons at a time), but “We’ll be back!” to full capacity when the pandemic is over and when Hollywood provides big movies once again.
Thank you, Homer, for your love and support.
The Homer Theatre, the longest continuously running movie house in Alaska … and you know about the popcorn.
Alexandra H. Sutton, for the Homer Theatre
Dear Editor,
This year 2020 has been a trial for everyone with COVID-19, the elections and the dark winter days. It’s like a dark cloud hanging over us.
I saw a political cartoon in Homer News that I did not like, and because of my dark cloud, I quickly canceled my subscription. To my surprise, I got a call from the publisher of the Homer News, Jeff Hayden. We had a nice conversation about the newspaper and he described his view of the future of the newspaper. He wants fair representation of every side of a political, religious or controversial subject in our town. I’m excited that our publisher cares and will work to make this happen. I may not agree with your opinion, but I want to hear it and be able to voice my opinion or vote. That’s democracy and I’m glad we have it in the U.S.
Also, I’ve been wanting to say my peace on this COVID-19. Yes, it’s a horrible virus and masks, sanitizing and social distancing is a good thing.
I go by our Funeral Home and Crematory on the Sterling Highway, right in the middle of Homer, and almost always there are cars and no people. I checked Hickerson Memorial and nothing is really going on there. l find peace and comfort in knowing that most people are recovering and not dying.
Printing names of people in the editorial section that they see not wearing a mask is wrong in so many ways. They have their rights, too, and that’s all I’ll say on that.
Last, with these difficult days there is great need to support our local charities. The food bank, Share the Spirit with their gift trees and Salvation Army with their bell ringers could sure use our help. Hope you can find it in your heart to support them.
Kathy Johnson
To my fellow ‘Baby Boomers’
Let’s go back 60 years or so. Do you remember watching TV from the late 1950s before kindergarten?
I do. Especially Art Linkletter (“Kids say The Strangest Things”), Amos & Andy, and Howdy Dowdy Hour.
Yet wedged in between the above was a s how named “Queen For A Day.” Remember that One? A bit sad in retrospect … O, OK, so what’s the point?
My point is, is that it was time for a colonoscopy and being on the 5-year plan, I was overdue at 6.5 years.
It’s probably the easiest procedure to ever “put off” (if you know what I mean), and with COVID accelerating …
Regardless, everything made me a bit anxious, as this was my first one in Homer, yet I was very thankful that South Peninsula Hospital was still performing elective surgeries.
So thanks to a couple consults with a very kind Dr. Jeff Larsen, it was decided that Friday, Dec. 5, was The Day. Upon arrival at 7 a.m., I was graciously greeted by Sarah, my Pre-Op/IV Nurse.
Brian, my anesthesiologist came in to explain “The Cocktail” for The Procedure and then a briefing with Dr. Larsen. By 9 a.m., it was all over and everything about this experience was professional, respectful and beyond belief, safe, safe, safe.
Kudos to Dr. Jeff Larsen and his crew for all the TLC and for making this experience as positive as possible, for sure. As Kristi sweetly wheeled me out to the lobby to wait for my ride home, I truly felt like “Queen For A Day” at last. It only took 66.5 years — but who’s counting, right? I guess I am.
Also, thanks to Carol, May and Leah at SPH Clinic and my special neighbors, Trish and Chris, for bringing me home, safe and sound.
Most sincerely,
Trish Mc Neill
P.S. “What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?”
Thanks to angels among us
Angels walk among us, and I have met several. My sister suffered a stroke on Oct. 1 and spent the next three weeks in Providence Hospital in Anchorage. We drove her home on Oct. 22. We arrived late in the day to find that friends were well on their way to building a ramp to make her access to our condo apartment easier.
Over the next several weeks, more than 10 friends, acquaintances, strangers even, volunteered hours, even days, of their valuable time to completing the ramp. A snag and a delay caused by the condo association board’s objection to the project was overcome when we were able to work out a compromise that allowed a dedicated few volunteers to finally complete the ramp before winter set in in earnest, and for that I want to thank the condo owners as well.
My deepest gratitude goes to Cathy Stingley who shepherded the project from start to finish and offered much needed moral support throughout.
I also want to thank the eight wonderful people who moved all our belongings and furnishings from our upstairs condo to our new downstairs abode. Angels they are indeed.
Sincerely,
Jan O’Meara
