A PLACE TO LIVE

 

Journal

A PLACE TO LIVE

Bill Barksdale, Columnist

As I sit here on a chilly morning, cozy in my writing chair, wrapped in an old wool sweater next to a warm fire in the wood stove with my sweet little dog Rosie snuggled up next to me, I realize how fortunate I am.  I don’t take the good fortune of my comfort for granted.  I’m reminded of the old Shaker song written by Joseph Brackett in 1848 “Tis a gift to be simple, Tis a gift to be free”.  The comfort & freedom I have are truly treasures and I’m deeply grateful for them.

My Grandmother, Mattie, attended a Quaker church across the street from her home.  She raised thirteen children in the Great Depression!  I went to church with her once as a little boy.  All I can recall about that experience is the hard, unpadded pew we sat in as I squirmed and waited for it all to be over.  I loved “Little Grandma” as I called her because she was only 4’10” tall, but very strong and loving.  Her mattress was filled with feathers and I would vault into her bed and feel myself embraced by that mattress as it enveloped me.

Her cellar was filled with jars of all kinds of canned fruits and vegetables.  Even though she lived alone at that point she had been canning for a lifetime to provide for her family.  She died in a hospital bed at a nursing home, alone, just staring at the ceiling, not speaking – the victim of an ill-advised surgery late in her life instead of just letting her die naturally.  Modern medicine is not always a blessing.

But I digress.  Outside on this chilly morning there are people huddled in whatever shelter they can find.  Their stomachs empty as they struggle to keep warm in the winter and cool when it’s scorching hot outside.  I heard recently that being homeless shortens a person’s life by twenty years, even more if one dies from exposure, murder or starvation.

I’m reminded of local affordable housing advocate, Janae Stephen’s exploration of Cohousing.  Janae has a website called Greenleaf Cohousing.  As Janae recently mentioned “Getting old is expensive and presents a whole new set of challenges.” 

Housing has become more and more expensive and those on limited incomes who are elderly, disabled or mentally ill are even more likely to end up homeless.  In the U.S. the “defense budget” dwarfs every other tax-funded expense. People who manufacture unnecessary and useless weapons that even military experts complain are unnecessary are manufactured to “keep jobs in my district” per politicians. Here’s a job idea: builder, plumber, auto repair, caregiver (they deserve better pay), explore better recycling technology, shut down hackers, develop clean and safe energy.

President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law in December 2017. Corporate tax revenues declined by $92 billion or 32% due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This per the Congressional Budget Office.   What about housing, food and water? What’s more important?

A better use of funds would be to develop alternative forms of affordable housing. 

Visit the website www.cohousing.org.  “Cohousing is about community and living where everyone involved wants to be a good neighbor.  It is a place where elders can age gracefully, and young families can feel supported.”  The site goes on to say” Cohousing is an intentional, collaborative neighborhood that combines private homes with shared indoor and outdoor spaces designed to support an active and interdependent community life.  Cohousing is not a financial or legal model, but rather a descriptive term that emphasizes the active participation of residents in everything from design to governance.” 

There's a great book on the subject called Creating a Life Together – Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities by Diana Leafe Christian with a forward by the well-known American physician, activist, diplomat and author Patch Adams.  I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to explore the topic. 

You can explore other types of intentional community living at www.ic.org/Best-of-Communities/.  Best of Communities explores important topics such as leadership and power, agreement, conflict and communication (an essential topic to understand), sustainable food energy and transportation, ecovillage design, challenges and lessons of community, and many other related topics.  Cohousing isn’t for everyone but there are other models for affordable housing to explore.

Recently Helen Falandes, a community treasure, wrote “Mendocino County staff reached out to city entities and non-profits with a request for proposals (for State homeless grant monies)…Sadly, for the North County only one application was submitted, by a non-profit, which was not accepted.  Therefore, there are now no county or state funded services based in Willits to help reduce homelessness in our community this winter.”

In 1964 communications researcher, Marshall McLuhan, wrote his prophetic book The Medium is the Message.  This was long before virtually anyone foresaw the society-changing effect of the internet.  He suggests essentially that how we communicate – get information – changes society.  Certainly the internet has changed society as corporate interests have changed how we think and act.  That has never been clearer than at this critical time in history. 

Resources crucial to survival, and certainly politics that dramatically determine how government functions, have been altered, often not for the betterment of society and our planet.  Our own nation is at a tipping point where corporate interests and those of the super-wealthy are literally trying to enslave the masses – that’s you and me, in their own pursuit of wealth and power. 

The leaders of authoritarian nations who have successfully enslaved their own people are now using mass media to deceive and rob our own U.S. citizens of our free will, common sense and critical thinking with misinformation on the internet.  Even the words “critical thinking” have been weaponized as if thinking for yourself is somehow wrong!  That’s profoundly dangerous, and it’s ripping society apart.  This is how societies and nations collapse.  That’s not an overstatement.

What does this have to do with affordable housing?  Well, when you live in fear such as not being able to afford to rent or buy a house, food and the other essentials of life – you may be tempted to give your power away.  Desperation and fear are the tools of fascists.  Neighbor against neighbor i.e. divide and conquer, is one of the most powerful tactics of war.  We don’t need kings.  We need people who can assess and solve real problems. 

If you don’t have a safe place to live you may be tempted to give your personal power away by not voting or speaking up hoping you will somehow survive.  Mass media can be a two-edged sword that can cut your head off, without critical thinking and action on your part.  Believe me when I warn that the “trickle-down economy” theory does not and has never worked. 

The father of that toxic theory, economist Milton Friedman, despite his accolades, was misguided at best and a fascist at worst.  He had a great influence on American economic policy and not for the better.  The economic collapse of 2007 in which millions of people lost their homes can be traced back to his failed “free-market” theories.  His disciple, Alan Greenspan served several presidents of the U.S. and even he admitted after that tragic time in recent history, that it was a wrong path – but his epiphany came too late. 

As a real estate agent in 2007 at the end of the George W. Bush administration, I watched in awe as over the period of a few weeks our economy collapsed due to junk housing loans by corrupt financial institutions.  Real estate – homes - are the foundation of the economy.  Finding ways to develop affordable housing is not a “nice theory”, it’s essential to a stable society.  

We’re at a critical time in the history of the U.S. where authoritarian influences are stirring up fear and anger – divide and conquer, even dividing families.  Technology is changing the world. It’s not ever going to be the way it used to be.   The medium is the message, but the real message is ‘think for yourself’.  Use common sense, and develop new and affordable ways to live and cooperate, vote for leaders who actually offer reasonable solutions to real problems.  If a “leader” isn’t offering workable solutions to real problems they are worthless or worse – and, this is very important – be kind and give a damn. 

The Best Interest

 

JOURNAL

The Best Interest

Bill Barksdale, Columnist

One of the founders of the United States of America was Benjamin Franklin.  He once said “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”  There you have it.  My column is done.  Well, not quite but that’s a good beginning.

As I sit here writing this morning it’s a crisp, sunny Fall morning.  Rosie, my sweet sweet little dog, is stretched out next to me on the fireplace side of my writing chair keeping us both warm and cozy.  Later on I’ll take a long walk to the library.  I have some things to return and I get to breathe in that fresh air and get my body moving.  Perfect day for that. The street is busy with walkers this morning.  I just love that about Willits.  It’s truly a great place to live!

On November 8, 1731, Benjamin Franklin opened the first library in the North American colonies.  Benjamin Franklin briefly served as a librarian.  That’s nearly forty-five years before The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States, approved by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.  We still owe a great debt to indigenous peoples who inhabit the Americas.  Just saying. 

I was chatting with the Willits & Laytonville interim Librarian, Denise Jessie, recently.  I’m hoping Denise will be appointed to the position permanently.  I can’t think of anyone better.  She’s a dynamite woman who’s revitalized our library with lots of new and interesting groups and activities open to all.  You can not only get pretty much any book, but also dvd’s & books on cd’s due to the partnership with all Mendocino and Sonoma County libraries, use a computer or the library’s Wi-Fi, story time for kids, discussion groups and much more.  Our precious library is a hot-spot in town now. 

I asked Denise about herself.  She married young and had two kids.  She graduated with her first master’s degree when her son graduated from high school.  She told me she had the best of both worlds, getting to teach her kids to study and be on time.  She began to teach right away.  For fifteen years she taught at a Community College and Fresno State.

She trained in on-line teaching before the pandemic.  Still teaches at the college level and is still learning.  She told me she has purpose in life – family, teaching, the world of knowledge and curiosity.  Library Science opened her eyes to learning.  She’s currently working on a second master’s degree.  Old Ben Franklin would have appreciated this woman.

I asked her how she stays so motivated and productive.  “I have a drive” she responded.  “I had to learn how to learn because I didn’t think I could.”  She’s become good at helping others do their best and helping people figure out what they’re good at as a result. 

I asked Denise who was an important role model, someone who had a big influence on her.  “My Mom” she didn’t even have to think about it.  “She taught our family how to stick up for each other.  She demonstrated that by how she cared for her elderly Mother.  Family’s important. “

“My Mother taught me to be creative even with limited means.  She taught me how to sew.  For a period of time we sewed every day till I got it.  I made a lot of my own clothes.  She taught me how to arrange flowers and how to make a scrapbook.  She loved color and design.  She was a widow for forty years.  Most importantly, she believed in me.  She’s the president of my fan club.  You can do it!”  Wow!  Now that’s a role model.

“My Mother worked part-time.”  After her husband died she went back to school and eventually became the Director of Programs at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business.  “She did not allow adversity to rule her life.”   She earned an MBA in Business.  

I asked her about her role as a librarian.  “We have to keep the collection diverse on a limited budget and space.  Librarians have to do something called ‘weeding’ the collection of materials not used, to make room for books and materials that are demanded by the Community.”

“I talk to people to see what they want.  I look at what’s newly released.  It’s a challenge because it’s important to keep the collection diverse.  I read reviews and research authors.”

I asked what brought her and her husband to Willits.  “We wanted a small town with services.  A hospital was important.  We could afford Willits.  Utilities in Fresno averaged $800.00 a month.  We needed to downsize.  We wanted to be near a coast.”

“We made Coverdale our starting point.  We like Northern California.  Sonoma County was way too expensive.  Even Ukiah.  Willits is not overcrowded.  It’s green, lots of trees.  We found a piece of land we could afford and there was room for two houses so our son could build his own house too.  We built a house to our likes.” 

I’ve come to respect and really like Denise.  She welcomes everyone to the library, building on the work of Donna Kerr.   It’s become much more than a book repository with her guidance and seemingly tireless energy and enthusiasm.  Her Mother taught her well.  She’s a very special person.  A rare jewel who has learned to inspire others to be their best.  Such a gift.  Our community is fortunate to have her here, passing along the inspiration she learned to others. 

I don’t have to wonder why I love Willits when I meet someone like Denise. I get the feeling that she’s a person of nearly infinite interest.  Willits isn’t for everyone.  No place is.  I’ve lived in big cities like New York City and San Francisco, small towns like The Dalles Oregon next to the magnificent Columbia River and Lake Oswego Oregon – which was a small town when I lived there.  Even Florida for six months – not for me.

I learned a lot in each place.  Each place has its own special things to share and teach, but I’ve lived in Willits for nearly half of my long life.  Still going strong.  The people I count as friends here is a long list.  I know old-time ranchers, artists of all kinds (Willits is a treasure-trove of talented artists), professionals of all stripes, those on their spiritual journeys, all kinds who find the best that this place has to offer.  Some stay.  Some move on.

As Paul McCartney wrote many years ago, life is “the long and winding road”.  It’s a never ending journey, as interesting as you want it to be.  To be sure there are lots of bumps, even tragedy – but also joy and always learning.  What door that road leads to is the great adventure I guess. 

My special thanks to Denise Jessie and the great and dedicated staffs of the Willits and Laytonville Branch Libraries, and to all library workers.  Thank you Dear Ones for your investment in knowledge and sharing it with all of us. Now that’s a great interest rate. 

P.S.  She got the job!