OjaiNews.com

...and while it's not quite as early as last year (i swear i saw the first chair a full week before the 4th), we all know that it means that our nation's birthday - and the only I-Day parade in our entire county - is just ahead. More signs of summer: the heat, and the related shift of the every-Friday-evening peace vigil to a cooler 6-7pm under the Pergola in front of Libbey Park.

The Stagecoach Station General Store & Hardware in Upper Ojai got ahead of the game by having its "Freedom Celebration" today, which apparently included the freedoms to make, sell, and buy art, to eat tri-tip, and to enjoy a Jolly Jump. That's followed directly by the Farmer and the Cook's "Brand New Opry", which every Sunday features local musicians paired with organic beer and wine from 6-9pm in Meiners Oaks. Both of these events were only slightly upstaged by the dedication yesterday of the Rotary Community Park, which now features a big white flagpole with a big red-white-and-blue flag. That very park also features this stone:

It reminds me of two things: gravel trucks, and SiCKO.

Citing concerns that happiness connotes childhood frivolity, hippy-hood, or troubled teens, the 61-year-old Happy Valley School changed its name to Besant Hill School with the help of student, parent, and faculty feedback which sought to honor founder Annie Besant and move away from recruiting stigmas associated with the "Happy" reference. Head of School Paul Amadio encourages us to pursue happiness, but not actually use the word. These folks are quick: the former hvalley.org now redirects to the new besanthill.org.

Meanwhile, Food For Thought Ojai - our schools' healthy food program - gears up for its Battle of the Bands on August 4 and 5, where the winners will open for Locally Grown 2, the program's main fund- and awareness-raising event. This year local favorites and legends Perla Batalla and Brett Dennen will grace the Libbey Bowl stage, and it'll only cost you $100 to see it up close (and party with 'em afterward).

In other school news, the budget struggles of the the Ojai Unified School District prompted approval of an $111,000 snack bar trailer at Nordhoff Stadium, which will serve the foods banned from the school's cafeteria by the wellness policy. The decision is an admitted contradiction with the policy in general, and especially with the same-night move to add some new items to the nutritional menu. Still no solar panels though.

On the way up: Sanitary District rates, due to “fiscal requirements for operating and maintaining the systems in compliance with the increasingly rigorous environmental regulatory requirements for treating the water discharged into the Ventura River.” We love our Valley, our water, and our planet...for $50.31-a-month (in Ojai City).

According to BreathingEarth.net, in the time it's taken me to write this Journal, worldwide:
14,000 people have been born,
6,100 people have died, and
256,1000 tonnes of CO2 have been emitted.
Not a very sustainable model, thinks i. (Thanks to Heather for the resource!)

Dear neighbors: be happy, be aware, eat well, and tread lightly. In the words of Lesley Littlefield in the song "Oranginess": Blessings for the derrière, for villagers, and windy air.
(courtesy of Radio Ojai)

Regular Unleaded (87 Octane):
Valero, Ojai - $4.39
Chevron, Ojai - $4.49
Union 76, Ojai - $4.49
Circle K, Mira Monte - $4.22
Shell, Oak View - $4.21
Thrifty, Oak View - $4.19
American Gas, Meiners Oaks - $4.29
updated July 25, 2008

Ojai Versus Big Trucks
Ojai Planners Eye Chain Ordinance
Ojai Residents Speak Out Against Mine Proposal
Ojai Residents Join Nation to Call for Troop Withdrawal and an End to War

The Ojai Valley seems to have its hands full with things to be AGAINST lately, and big things at that. The lineup of Goliaths – Trucks, Chains, Mines, Wars – seems like it’d make any David shake in his boots, but then Ojai’s no David, is SHE?
Ojai the moon – luna, a feminine word and calm energy
and Ojai the nest – motherly, protective imagery

but we’re not all about push-away energy; just look at the things that we’re FOR:

• A complete ordinance that protects the uniqueness and integrity of our City: As the initiative by Ojai City resident Kenley Neufeld has gathered 600 signatures and counting for a strict regulation on formula retail businesses for the entire city, the City comes up with one of their own which protects a tiny strip of the downtown area. The Planning Commission has begun to discuss the matter, with some Commissioners and Citizens urging an overlay of the two plans. Meanwhile, signatures for a City-wide restriction continue to be gathered, and the City Council will likely see this issue in their chambers soon.
• A community of engaged Citizens, and one that values Peace: This past Tuesday, as many as 25 local Citizens gathered at the Y for an hour in a MoveOn.org-sponsored “counter-filibuster”, to bring awareness to the move by Senate Republicans to block a vote on withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in 120 days. Tonight, international interfaith peacemaker Eliyahu McClean was in Ojai share stories of hope and reconciliation from his extensive work in the Middle East. International Peace Day is coming in September, and there are big things in the works locally for the weekend of the 21st...watch for it!
• Conservation of our precious resources: The County declared a drought in May, and although I’ve only seen one recently erected sign proclaiming such, it does ask that we not do any watering outdoors between 12:00 and 5:00pm (another source cites no watering between 9am and 6pm) because during the hottest parts of the day most of the water will just evaporate and not soak into whatever you’re watering.
• Health and safety for the sick among us: Tomorrow (Friday June 20) The Household Gods will put on a benefit concert for Glenn Emmanuel at the Ojai Playhouse at 5:30pm. Glenn has inoperable cancer and no health insurance, and is much loved in our community for his gentle and thoughtful spirit, engaged intellect, and commitment to peace. the concert is free, with donations encouraged toward his medical fund.

...and to think of all the articles i've seen that refer to Ojai as a "sleepy town"!
here
and here
and here
and here
and here...

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The Editor's Journal is cross-posted at the Ojai Post, where you can make comments and generate dialogue!