Cutest Pet in the Southwest Entry: Casper

Here is Casper, our munchkin kitty who is ruling our home. We adopted him a year ago and he has a temper which surfaces often. However, he thinks he is royalty.

Optimal Hospice honors volunteer contributions

Optimal Hospice Care is proud to honor the amazing contributions made by their volunteers.

Each April, hospice volunteers are recognized for giving the most valuable gift –– the gift of time and compassion.

Hospice is a special kind of care provided to those facing a life-limiting illness. When medical goals turn from cure to comfort, the specially-trained Optimal Hospice team of physicians, nurses, home health aides, counselors and volunteers work together with caregivers to provide the best quality of life possible for the time remaining.

Hospice volunteers offer support in many ways:

Patient Care Volunteers visit with patients, which allows overwhelmed caregivers a few hours of much needed personal time.
Companionship Volunteers visit with patients in the skilled nursing or assisted living setting.
Administrative Volunteers offer valuable in-office assistance.
Bereavement Care Volunteers support families through the grief process.
Foundation Volunteers donate time toward the fundraising efforts of the Optimal Hospice Non-Profit Foundation.

Optimal is blessed to have the help of a group of loving individuals who have chosen hospice volunteering as their way to support those in need in their community.

Special recognition is being paid to Bakersfield Patient Care Volunteers: Cindy Eggert; Arlene Petty; Evie Isle; Dave Dullum; Pearl Well; Brandy Tate; and Sonia Palacios; as well as Foundation Volunteers Margaret Scarrone and Bonnie Barnett.

Without the assistance from these amazing individuals and those others in the program who share their hearts, Optimal could not provide this amazing care to their patients and their families.

Optimal is always searching for caring individuals who want to make a real difference. If you or someone you know would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer for Optimal Hospice Care, contact Rhonda at 716-4000.

Cutest Pet in the Southwest Entry: Schwag

Schwag is our son Robbie's cat. However, she believes she is a furry child. She is a little beauty to us, but she's actually quite shy around cameras. She agreed to pose for this photo for the contest because she thinks we are entering the "dog!"

You're invited to Summer Fest

You are invited to the Greenfield First Southern Baptist Church Second Annual Summer Fest on Saturday, May 20, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. We are located at 690 McKee Road between South H Street and Union Ave.

The event will feature Duane DeGravel (Power One Ministries); Jesus Shack; Youth for Christ; Audience of One (live band); Regie Rogers (rap); Ezekiel's Disciples (teen drama group); McGruff the Crime Dog; Hometown Bee and others.

We will be offering free food, live entertainment and prizes. Come with your family to hear the emotional story of Duande DeGravel and how drug abuse transformed his life forever.

Bring your blanket or lawn chair and enjoy!

Parallel universe

There was an article published in Time Magazine on March 13 titled "Inside the Pitchfork Rebellion."

A portion of the story is analogous to the current situation with the federal courthouse.

Because of the economic growth in China for the past decade, more land is needed for development. Local farmers joined together to protest government officials' actions to seize land and lease it to foreign investors. Farmers were left with little compensation, and after months of fruitless petitioning at varoius levels of government, local residents decided to stage a protest near their seized land.

I see a strong arm in the GSA's decision to build a federal courthouse in a primarily residential area, disregarding local residents' concerns.

I see no difference in what has happened here from China, which is across the Pacific Ocean.

I thought I lived in the United States of America?

Mom is one in a million

My mom –– pictured here in a family photo –– is one in a million.

Air District mower trade-in programrn

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will be offering Valley residents a $229 discount on an electric lawn mower when they trade in their gasoline-powered lawn mowers during this year’s annual Clean Green Yard Machine program.
Neuton non-polluting, cordless, electric lawn mowers will be available at the event on Saturday, May 20, at CSUB Lot "I."

To be eligible for the promotion, Valley residents must bring their old gas-burning mower, drained of all fluids, for trade-in. They will then be able to purchase one of 1,200 electric mowers for $150 –– a 60 percent discount off the retail price of $379.

Trade-ins will be on a first-come, first-served basis and the offer is good only while supplies last. The event will begin at 9 a.m.

Participants will also be eligible for T-shirt and garden rake giveaways, and drawings will be held at each event for Neuton electric trimmer lawn mower attachments.

"We understand that Valley residents are looking for ways they can personally help clean the air, and this is a great, economical way for them to get involved," said Seyed Sadredin, the District’s Air Pollution Control Officer.

The Clean Green Yard Machine program, now in its sixth year, highlights the negative impact gas-powered lawn equipment has on the Valley’s summertime smog problem. One gas mower can emit as much pollution as 40 late-model cars operating over the same period of time, while electric mowers produce no on-site emissions.

The Air District thanks the following partners and sponsors for making this event possible: Neuton Lawn Mower Company; Operation Clean Air; Valley Clean Air Now; the California Air Resources Board; Golden State Metals; Levi’s Iron; and Metal and Stockton Recycling Center.

The Valley Air District serves San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern counties. For more information, log onto: www.valleyair.org or call 326-6900.

Happy 1st Birthday Savannah Grace McCoy!

It's been an incredible first year. We've loved your addition to our family, and look forward to many more years to come! We love you always! Mom, Dad and Big Sis Alyssa

Concerned citizens meeting tonight!

Dear Residents,

Please attend this week's meeting on Thursday, April 20, at 7 p.m. at the BPD Westside Substation, 1301 Buena Vista Road. Directions are available at www.nocourthouse.com, just below the meeting announcement.

We will be distributing yards signs with our logo: "FEDERAL COURTHOUSE BELONGS DOWNTOWN," as well as window decals for your car or home.

If you can't make it to the concerned citizens meeting tonight at 7 p.m., 1301 Buena Vista Road, go online and sign the PETITION to help downtown Bakersfield get the courthouse moved there as the city council requested in the past.

Mother Mary

Mother’s Day is May 14 and my mom, Mary Bleizeffer, will celebrate her 92nd birthday on June 7.

She has always been a “wonder” in my life. I am the oldest of her three children, so I have spent more time with her than my sister and brother, who were born 8 and 9 years later than me and live in different states.

Mom moved here from Illinois in the mid-’70s, so we have been “together” all the time and do just about everything as a pair.

To describe her, one phrase stands out the most: “A true giver.”

It’s almost impossible to “do” something for her, but she rarely lays her head on her pillow at night without have done something for someone each and every day.

I wrote a cookbook a few years ago, including story bits about each contributor. The following is part of what I wrote about my mother, which will help you know my mom a bit better:

M is for the MILLIONS of times you’ve been there for me, in my very needy life.
O is for the OODLES of hugs and kisses to pull from when I’m not around but are always in my heart for you, Mom.
T is for the THOUGHTFULNESS you have for all people. I know of no more giving person than you.
H is for your HEARTY meals, served with love and pleasure.
E is for all the EXTRAS you do for EACH and EVERY family member, and for EVERYONE you come in contact with.
R is for the RICHNESS I have felt throughout my life in home and family, because you have made us all feel that way.

Mom has been my mentor, my idol, my guidance counselor, my teacher, my therapist, my seamstress, my caregiver, my constant companion, my everything in life. She has been my greatest inspiration.

Mom has made afghans for each of her children, her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, for the “old” folks in homes as lap wraps, and hats for the homeless, so welcomed on cold winter mornings. She has covered hangers she uses to crochet colorful covers until the cows come home. Anyone who comes in contact with her has been blessed with covered hangers.

Mom has volunteered at St. Philip the Apostle Church on Saturday mornings for the past 22 years; cooked at the Guild House; served as secretary of her bowling league for 20-odd years; and comes to the rescue of friends who need alterations done on their newly purchased clothing –– you name it, she has and still is doing it daily.

She still lives on her own; still drives –– very carefully –– mostly only to church and for groceries; entertains her friends and family; and plays cards, backgammon and Scrabble.

What more could she do? You name it and she will probably be there for you.

About three or four years ago, Mom took up oil painting and did splendid work right from the first painting she attempted. It was beautiful, and each of us kids and grandkids have a memento of her artistry.

Mary Bleizeffer is an amazing woman and I feel truly blessed God chose her to be my mom.

Thank you, Mercy Southwest

We took a trip to the Mercy Southwest Urgent Care Center yesterday, not our first and surely not our last.

My 16-month-old daughter, Holly, tumbled awkwardly down the slide at church and ended up with a dislocation at her elbow, a somewhat common injury in toddlers called "nursemaid's elbow."

Nothing compares to the helplessness you feel when your toddler looks at you through tears, wanting you to fix her pain, and you can't.

I rushed to Mercy Southwest, obeying ALL traffic laws and speed limits (one of my goals is to invent the punctuation for sarcasm).

The staff at the emergency/urgent care facility was wonderful.

We did have a wait and spent most of the evening there, but they made Holly smile through her tears and filled out all of the paperwork for me so that I could continue comforting her.

Everyone was sympathetic, gentle, efficient and genuinely concerned for her comfort and healing.

Unfortunately, you don't get that everywhere.

Thank you to all the people at Mercy Southwest, from the registration desk to the X-ray technician to the doctors and the woman who put Holly's sling on. I have no immediate plans on coming back, but when the need arises, I know where to go.

Jawbone Canyon

Whether you’re heading to the desert for a weekend of camping and riding dirt bikes, quads or 4x4s, or simply looking for a great day trip in the family car or mini van, the Jawbone Station Visitor Center is a great resource of information.
Located on Highway 14, about 15 miles north of Highway 58, it is an oasis in an otherwise desolate area. Some have only driven by the building on their way to Bishop or Mammoth, and others have known it for years as the go-to spot for maps and timely information on fun things to do and see in the Eastern Kern desert.
On a recent trip there, we also paid a visit to the historic Jawbone Canyon Store, rebuilt about five years ago after the original building was destroyed by fire.
The old store was featured on the cover of a 1990s Yamaha motorcycle product brochure and featured an array of broken motorcycle and 4x4 parts from vehicles that had encountered the unforgiving nature of the desert over the years.
Bent handlebars, wheels and other parts use to adorn the outside walls. That’s gone now, but the tradition lives on.
The store is about a half mile or so south of the Visitor Center on Highway 14. The new owners are doing a great job and have added a snack bar, souvenir shop and a log carvings shop to the gasoline and mini-mart fare offered to travelers.
The changing demographics of a once male-dominated sport were apparent as we walked up the steps to the store. Almost all of the dozen or so patrons sitting on benches in from of the store were ladies. They were sipping sodas, eating snacks and having a grand old time, laughing and recounting stories of riding adventures.
All decked out in riding gear with their quads and dirt bikes parked in the dirt lot, I found myself staring for a moment.
“What are you looking at?” Cheryl asked of me. It wasn’t an inappropriate stare from me, simply taking in the fact that women are flocking to off-roading at a pretty good clip. At least I think she believed the explanation of my gander.
So, back to the Visitor Center. Mr. Bob, the desert tortoise, was nowhere to be seen, didn’t get a chance to ask about him during our visit that day.
There have been new taxidermy displays added depicting rodents, reptiles and birds in various spooky poses. Lots of photos of nearby points of interest line the walls.
The Friends of Jawbone runs the center and sells books and videos about places to ride and also books about the history of the area.
There’s a good selection of children’s books with desert themes that have been the labor of volunteer Robin Mallow, who has done a bang-up job in her selections. Titles like “The Three Little Javelinas” (a take off on the Three Little Pigs); and “Kissing Coyotes” are just a few.
Robin and others also dish out directions and advice on various nearby and some not-so-nearby points of interest. I’ve mentioned before the Friends of Jawbone map, which is available for purchase at a nominal fee. It’s packed full of cool destinations and is considered THE map to have, if you’re plying the trails and roads of the eastern Kern desert area.
The Jawbone Canyon Off Highway Vehicle area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and offers a wide range of off-road opportunities and adventures and receives funding from the California OHV Trust Fund, paid in part by OHV registrations.
Happy Trails!
E-mail Dick at: rdtusmc@msn.com

Mother's Day photos and tributes

May 14 is a time of commemoration and celebration of Mom. It is a time of breakfast in bed, family gatherings and crayon-scribbled "I Love You's." Suprise your mother by putting her photo and a few lines about what makes her so special in the May 3 edition of The Southwest Voice for FREE! Submit your tributes here by April 26. Questions? Call editor Lauren Ward at 716-8630.

The Nosy Neighbor: Campus Park

Campus Park, developed in the early 1980s in Southwest Bakersfield, is home to many families. The boundaries are White Lane to the north; railroad tracks to the south; Gosford Road to the east and Old River Road to the west.

House Sales:
According to sales data from January 2005 to now, 188 homes have sold in Campus Park. On the high end, 9412 Hemingway Place — 2,000 square feet with two bathrooms and three bedrooms –– sold for $366,000 on Oct. 13, 2005.
Population: 4,928
Households: 1,657
Average Household Income: $70,826
Average Disposable Income: $54,595
Median Years In Residence: 3.16
Education: The majority of residents — 27.81 percent — hold a bachelor’s degree; 23.44 percent attended some college, but did not receive a diploma.
Marital Status:
Divorced — 10.03 percent
Never Married — 23.52 percent
Currently Married — 59.65 percent
Separated — 1.85 percent
Widowed — 2.98 percent
Race and Ethnicity:
Campus Park is 86.99 percent white; 25.06 percent of the residents are Hispanic.
Occupation and Employment:
The majority of residents — 12.50 percent — work in educational services. Health care and social assistance are the occupation of 11.97 percent. And 10.86 percent are in retail trade.
Retail Potential by Store Type Average Per Household Unit:
New car dealers — $5,732.18
Grocery stores — $4,212.77
Limited Service Restaurants — $1.316.41
Total merchandise potential — $27,604.20

The Nosy Neighbor will regularly spotlight a neighborhood in the Southwest. Is there a neighborhood you’re interested in getting the facts on? Submit a nomination to: lward@swvoice.com

New in the Neighborhood

Businesses and community organizations answered Cal State Bakersfield President Horace Mitchell’s call for public-private partnership ideas with six proposals for Southwest Bakersfield, including a baseball stadium, two towers of hotels and condominiums and a children’s learning center. The idea behind the proposals is that CSUB would allow private, public or nonprofit organizations to build and run facilities on the southern part of campus, along Camino Media, on the condition the facilities benefit the university’s academic mission. Mitchell said he had been in discussions with officials of the Bakersfield Blaze and the city, who agreed that a new city baseball stadium should be located in the Southwest. Mitchell said he and City Manager Alan Tandy had conferred with representatives of the Los Angeles Dodgers and were told the baseball team would be interested in an affiliation with a minor league team, if a new stadium were built at Cal State. The ballpark could help the CSUB athletics program move from Division II to Division I. The university administration will evaluate the six proposals over the next weeks before deciding how to proceed.

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Milton Woolsey, professor of education at CSUB, has been named “Professor of Education of the Year” for 2006 by the Association of California School Administrators.

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Raffle tickets for the local St. Jude Dream Home are on sale now and available at Wells Fargo branches, Hancock Fabrics and Green Frog Markets. The raffle will raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which treats children with cancer. One of the $100 tickets will earn the buyer a 2,400-square-foot Lenox home in Shafter’s Brookside Estates worth about $492,200. Anyone who buys a ticket before May 19 will also be entered in an early bird raffle for a year’s worth of free groceries from Green Frog Markets. The drawing for the house and other prizes will be held Aug. 5.

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Kern County Superintendent of Schools Larry Reider has promised new hiring rules for bus drivers after Tara Lea Cook, 35, was arrested in March after passing out behind the wheel of a KCOS’ bus, according to the California Highway Patrol. The current screening process includes driving records, criminal background checks and pre-employment drug testing.
Currently, following federal requirements, 50 percent of the district’s bus drivers are subject to random drug tests each year, and 10 percent are subject to random alcohol tests. Both those numbers will be increased, Reider said. The district is looking at adding pre-employment alcohol testing to its screening process. The district also may increase the number of employees who are trained in spotting signs that would be considered reasonably suspicious.

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Vincent Rojas, president and chief executive officer of Kern Schools Federal Credit Union, has been honored as the 2006 recipient of the CSUB President’s Medal. Rojas was presented his medal Wednesday at CSUB’s annual President’s Associates Dinner at Seven Oaks Country Club.

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Julio R. Blanco has been appointed dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at CSUB. Blanco, who is currently chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at California State University, Northridge, will assume his new position on Aug. 14.

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