Coast Chronicles: Buns, books, bake sales and ballots

Published 5:00 pm Monday, August 23, 2010

A couple days ago I discovered that my bunny Mimo has a taste for fine literature – she has been quietly devouring Margeurite Yourcenar’s With Open Eyes, a hifalutin philosophical conversation with Mathieu Galey, translated from the French by Arthur Goldhammer.

Not one to be hurried, Mimo started with the book jacket and made her way, thus far, onto the cloth binding down to the boards. She may have to wait to actually begin the first chapter and on through to the meat of the book, as I have moved it to a slightly higher shelf of learning.

Coasts and Writing Mimo made a great choice. Yourcenar is one of my favorite writers. Though Belgian-French to her bones, she lived for much of her life in the tiny town of Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island, Maine, in a small but charming home called Petit Plaisance (small pleasure).

Years ago, I had the good fortune of touring her home and grounds (where her little dogs are buried), and walking through this beautiful coastal town in many ways similar in feeling to Oysterville or Seaview, albeit with considerably nastier weather.

The thought that such an intellect could be nurtured in so modest a house is humbling. (She even shared an office with her long-time partner – their desks adjoined one another in a tiny southwest-facing study.)

Her given name, however, did match the breadth of her talents – Marguerite Antoinette Jeanne Marie Ghislaine Cleenewerck de Crayencour – though she shortened it, with an anagram, when her father suggested she take a pen name.

So Crayencour became Yourcenar when her father published her first book as a teenager, and she grew that identity into something magnificent; she was the first woman ever to be inducted into l’Académie Française (though she declined to travel from Maine to acknowledge the honor).

Is there something about harsh winter weather that promotes writing, thinking, and dreaming? Or something about the coast – a place where the forces of nature meet – that brings the grit of life to the surface?

Getting Educated Whatever the synchronicity between coastal life, reading and writing, I am struck again by the need for an educated public in these trying times. Democracy requires an informed citizenry to function well – something we may be missing, along with several other critical components, like collegial dialogue.

Appallingly, 18 percent of U.S. citizens believe that President Obama is a Muslim. Why? Because of his name? Because of his skin color? Because of purposefully delivered misinformation?

This misconception seemed such a liability that White House spokesperson Gibbs felt compelled to tell the American public that the president of the United States is a Christian and prays daily – equally appalling in my book (not that Obama prays but the need to exploit this).

I thought we were a country with freedom of religion; a place where one’s relationship with God, Yahweh, Mohammed, Buddha, or whoever is “up there” (or not) is a personal and private matter?

So, even more reason to make sure our kids get into school and stay in school as long as they can. Hence, the prescient effort of the Chinook Observer, for six years running, to provide school supplies for every school-age kid who needs them.

School Supplies Marlene Quillin, Chinook Observer office coordinator, worked with other staff at the Observer to get school supplies to needy children, “We started this program because we want to help kids. We didn’t want our kids to start school unequipped. We wanted to do something and we saw a real need to help parents and help kids start the school year on the right foot. And the school supplies requirement is a lot.”

The Chinook Observer, and its parent company East Oregonian Publishing, provides a backpack filled with crayons, pencils and pens, plastic dividers, book report covers, paper, markers, and all manner of school stuff that some families just can’t afford.

Each backpack costs at least $20 and stuffed with goodies that brings the total to between $40 and $45 per child. Multiply that times the number of kids in your household, or your neighbor’s household, and you begin to see the issue.

“Some of our vendors have been letting us buy supplies at their cost,” Quillin explained, “and many individuals donate to the cause. Curves’ women brought in some supplies and money and many people have brought in a variety of items and made monetary donations. The community has just been wonderful.”

“We give out between 250 and 300 backpacks. Pacific County Fire District No. 1 has been great in helping with distribution.”

The Book Purge “A couple years ago, Matt [Winters, Chinook Observer editor] brought in six big boxes of books – he was purging his library – and we decided to have a book sale to offset some of our costs,” said Jane Webb, Chinook Observer Sales Assistant.

“Bookstores and many individuals donated the first year,” Webb continued, “and this year they came in and bought books, so I guess it’s a cycle.”

Webb took on the monumental task of organizing the chaos that reigned in the Chinook Observer office for several weeks. She sorted all the books for sale by category.

Webb, who was born in the Midwest, grew up on a farm in Newburg, Ore., and is looking forward to retiring later this year.

“I’ve worked since I was six years old,” she said. “My family had a farm and we sold eggs. The minute I could manipulate the egg cleaning machine, I was put to work. I’d come home after school and get busy.”

Her book sorting was nothing new either, as she worked nine years at Barnes and Noble during one part of her life.

So Saturday afternoon, while most folks were stacked nine-deep at the kite festival, a small but steady crowd came into the CO office and wandered through neatly arranged “Bio-Memoir,” “Non-fiction,” or “For the Garden” book boxes.

CO staff writer Amanda Frink, Quillin and Webb were on hand as cashiers.

“Last year we made around $900,” said Quillin, who handles classifieds, the phone, daily banking, community calendar, obituaries, court reports, the police blotter, legal notices, billing, subscriptions, archives, customer service (alright, everything!).

“And she makes the coffee too,” said Frink.

Also featured were bake sale items donated by generous bakers including Kerry Amundson, Maddie Dickerson, Veronica Frink, Marie Maulden, Madeline Kalbach and Marla Johnson.

I came in simply to report on the happenings and walked out with a box of books and a trio of Maddie’s cupcakes. I guess I’ll have to purge next year.

The Ballot Box And, speaking of democracy, we had a voter return rate of nearly 60 percent in our county (one of the highest in the state). The online ballot box was a hot site in the aftermath. As anticipated, it was not a great year for incumbents. See: www.wei.secstate.wa.gov/ pacific/elections/ElectionResults/ Pages/ElectionResults.aspx

Scott Johnson played hardball with incumbent John Didion and came out on top by 289 votes. Didion is going to have to up his game if he wants to keep his sheriff’s badge in November’s general election.

Clay Harwood (365), running to retain his seat as county commissioner position #3, was left in the dust by challengers Lisa Ayers (934) and Cathy Russ (764) who traveled the county talking to folks. At the candidates’ forum, Harwood said, “The top two vote-getters will move forward to the November ballot. I hope that will be me and one of these ladies.”

No such luck, Clay – it’s not a time for complacency.

The school levy squeaked by with an 84-vote margin (at one point it was only up by seven votes) which does not bode well for the regular bond issue next year.

Also interesting is the number of non-votes for some of our long-standing officials. David Burke, running unopposed, received 4,735 votes from a total of 7,778 ballots returned. Several friends admitted, “I just couldn’t check that box.”

It may be time to find a few good men and women to take the places of some of our good ole boys who’ve been riding on their laurels (or simply inert) for years. (Maybe Mimo can teach them a thing or two.)

Which brings us back to education and the importance of making sure our children understand both what is precious and unique about our locale as well as what is happening in the big world out there.

Let’s raise them up strong, so they can come back and serve.