The Conejo Valley Guide "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, highlights of local things to do, compilations and other items. Focus is on information relevant to Ventura County and surrounding areas, including Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Newbury Park, Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Malibu, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Moorpark, Somis, Fillmore, Santa Paula, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Barbara and Moorpark.
The Conejo Valley Guide® "Welcome" blog covers a wide range of topics, local information, local things to do, holiday event compilations, announcements and more.
Yes, today is the first day of spring. But who would have known through the torrential downpours and 40 to 50 mile winds today. The storm has taken its toll on trees. In my 10 minute drive through Newbury Park today, I saw probably 20 of them down. Stay dry and safe. Thousand Oaks resident and executive coach Scott Leese of Dynamic Coaching Strategies caught this photo of a fallen cedar at the Thousand Oaks Library today.
Guest writer was homeless and out and about around the Conejo Valley at the time he wrote this. He has since regained his footing and is doing great.
Today after wrestling with the cold all night inside my van, I woke up tired at the crack of light. I grow more and more impatient with my homelessness. My tears again are a simple reminder that I’m still alive. My schedule will first take me to McDonald’s, where I will enjoy a dollar coffee, free Wi-Fi and where I’ll wait until I have to go to work. I have little money, and less gasoline to keep my 4-wheel home moving. My on-going battle with a head-cold has left me congested, and my energy level has yet to return to normal.
Lately the cold, wet weather has interfered with what work I am blessed with, and as a result at times I sometimes feel miserable. In a number of stories that I’ve written recently, I’ve expressed a increasing level of unhappiness with my life, and my homelessness. I’m reminded of Viggo Mortensen from the movie “The Road”, a post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible. Like Viggo, I want a clear course but have no map that will lead me to any island of solace.
An older gentleman sitting a few tables away glances over, and kindly asks me
Photographer John B. Mueller took this great shot of the sunset looking down the Camarillo grade. I've tried capturing this shot while driving down the grade but have never been successful. John did it right by actually getting out of the car at Camarillo Grove Park, climbing the hills and waiting for the right moment. Kudos and thanks to him for sharing it! Visit his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of his work.
Speaking of Camarillo. Here are some upcoming Camarillo events, things to do in Camarillo, fitness and sports activities in Camarillo and kids fun and activities in Camarillo.
We are nearing that transition period between winter and summer, otherwise known as SPRING! Spring begins on March 20th and this latest work of Camarillo artist Chuck Trunks he calls "To My Surprise" captures some of the spirit of that transition. See his other work on Conejo Valley Guide by clicking here.
And with the coming of spring of course we have a lot of fun things to do around Ventura County. Here are some links for you to explore:
EASTER FUN
EARTH DAY (APRIL 22ND) EVENTS
FRESH PRODUCE AT 2 DOZEN LOCAL FARMERS' MARKETS
Guest post by formerly homeless Conejo Valley resident, Lon V.
According to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), at the end of 2010, more than 3,200,000 Californians participated in the federally funded California CalFresh program. The Calfresh program, formerly known as Food Stamps and federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), can add healthy and nutritious food to your table.
The food stamp benefits are given to you in the form on an ATM type debit card that the state CalFresh program funds, typically once per month. You then utilize the card and associated PIN number to pay for your groceries at your favorite grocery stores. You may only purchase unprepared food products; no paper products, pet products, certainly no alcohol or tobacco products. You also cannot purchase deli products that are already prepared or products that you may open and eat immediately.
If you think about it, that does somewhat limit your possible food choices, especially if you’re homeless and you don’t have the means to cook anything. Moreover, the homeless population cannot store many foods; therefore, you will often only buy what you plan to prepare and eat immediately. Fresh foods will not last outdoors without spoiling, and you certainly cannot store any refrigerated products, so those are rarely purchased unless you intend to consume them right away.
The food stamp program, which dates back to the early 1960′s, does have a number of inherent shortcomings. The first is the restriction on buying healthy, ready-to-ea
John B. Mueller is a Camarillo based photographer whose work I have admired for several years. Here he has captured some beautiful images at a local spot he refers to as 42 Step Beach (in reference to the number of stairs it takes to get there). Check out his website at www.johnbmueller.com and his Facebook page to see more of his work.
I'll admit. Out of convenience I've pretty much always pronounced February as Feb-ew-air-ee. Pretty much most people I know pronounce it that way. But technically it should be pronounced Feb-rew-air-ee.
This discrepancy between pronunciation and how the word is spelled has always bothered me, but since everyone else says Feb-ew-air-ee too like me (except for a few really anal retentive friends), I've ignored that nagging feeling.
But today is a new day. We are living and breathing February right now and I am committing to saying it correctly from this day forward, no matter how obnoxious I sound to others and how difficult it is to say.
One of the problems I think people have with pronouncing Feb-rew-air-ee is that they place a 3rd "r" in there, making it sound almost like the Scooby Doo "ruh roh" sound "Feb-ru-rare-ree" which of course is incorrect. It's actually not that hard to pronounce Feb-rew-air-ee if you make a mental note not to sound like Scooby Doo.
According to Charles Harrington Elster in his The Big Book of Beastly Mispronunciations. "The traditional and cultivated pronunciation, FEB-roo-ER-ee, is hard to say, and so most people say FEB-yoo-ER-ee because it is easier and because so many others do, not because it is right." and "As far as this book is concerned, however, the -yoo- variant may now be standard, but it is still beastly."
OUCH! I guess we better pronounce it right so as not be considered beastly! And the following should help us all in our quest for proper pronunciation of our favorite short month, FEBRUARY! (No, this is not me. I still screw it up.)
Conejo Valley Guide covers events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County and surrounding areas.
Conejo Valley Guide® covers thousands of events, activities and things to do throughout Ventura County, California and surrounding areas.
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