Seriously, no time like the present for a rousing rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Nights and nights in the 20s. The garden is a mess and when I left the cut Christmas tree outside for one night and filled the red bucket with water, it froze solid as a hockey rink. Good thing we didn’t shell out for any front-porch poinsettias. Always hiccup on the poinsettia pronunciation … poins easy, it’s the setia or setta part that’s the stumble.
No stumbling for vehicle sales tax revenue in town. With the fabulous Ford Store of Morgan Hill leading the way with new vehicle sales up 37 percent in 2013 over the same period last year, according to owner Tim Paulus, the category continues to be a sales tax revenue machine for the city bolstered by truck sales at NorCal Kenworth, recreational vehicle sales at Pan Pacific RV Center and Honda car sales. The city has done a nice job encouraging business in this important category.
Didn’t think there would be room for another TV show in the singing category, but I made the mistake of watching one performance on the all a capella “Sing-Off” show which comes on after “The Voice” and I was hooked. One group of teens competing called “Vocal Rush” came from Oakland and they really knocked my socks off as did “Home Free” a unique group singing country songs a capella. Y’all have a good time with that.
You can have a good time at the Morgan Hill library on Mondays beginning Jan. 6. A tweek to the hours opened the doors, literally, for the addition of Monday service beginning at 1 p.m. It will be interesting to see if the community is fine with the extra day but later opening hours on Monday and Tuesday. While it’s great that the library will open on Monday now, Sunday I think would have been a better choice. Maybe the city should put preferred library hours on the recreation survey. Often what the people want doesn’t match what the staff wants, and the libraries are, after all, for the people. Punctuate that please.
Punctuating the drive home after work on Tuesday is the never-ever-boring Jeff Garcia radio show on KNBR hosted by Tom Tolbert. South County’s favorite son NFL Pro Bowl QB who led Gilroy High, Gavilan College, San Jose State, the Calgary Stampeders and the San Francisco 49ers, gets fired up for each show and starts rolling with a steady stream of astute gridiron observations. I particularly liked his recent comments about Colin Kaepernick and his persnickety post-game chip-on-the-shoulder press conferences. Garcia gave good advice, essentially that Kaepernick should “raise his game” for the good of the club and that he really has a responsibility to do so for the fans and the kids who look up to him. It’s part of the $1 million-plus-a-year QB position. If Kaepernick matures into that role, he’ll be better on the field, too. And Garcia’s right, too, about instant replay. The NFL should do what the NHL does. There should be a central video review command station. It would speed up the process and help make sure the call is right.
Right call if you’re looking for a bigger ticket item like a pellet or gas stove or a hot tub for the back porch is to go see Jason Adair at California Home Resort on Tenant Avenue in Morgan Hill. He’s a straight shooter, who knows his product line and and can fill you in a relaxed manner. Plus, he’s local so it’s not San Jose pricing, it’s homegrown – best price and service with a smile.
Owls make me smile. Much to the chagrin of my canine buddy, Rocco, I hoot back and forth with them in the backyard whenever they’re hanging out in the trees. Anyway, Wildlife Education and Rehab Center Director Sue Howell has a young female saw-whet owl rescued in July after suffering a fractured left wing and nerve damage that makes her permanently unable to fly. So, the unnamed owl will join the WERC educational team and soon there will be an email contest to name her. Stay tuned, it should be a … yep … a hoot.
Hootenanny. Now there’s a word not often heard. Wonder if that came from the owls in the barn yakking and translated to humans having a party in the barn?
“Might as well be a farm road to the barn” complains one caller who asked about the slow lane, the far right lane, on U.S. 101 between Masten and Tennant avenues. “Everytime I drive through there, I have to scoot over because it feels like my transmission is going to drop out of my car. They’ve filled in some of the pot holes, but it needs re-paving because the filler does absolutely nothing. Please help.” I’m in total agreement. This is really a corroded stretch, so much so that it’s unsafe. The California Highway Patrol field office located right off U.S. 101 in South County should rally behind this cause. Having drivers lurch out of a lane to avoid the ridiculously bumpy conditions isn’t safe. Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman should get on board here, too. After all, we pay very high gas taxes in this state and serious highway road issues like this should not be ignored for months and months. Get it paved.
Reach Editor Mark Derry at
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