WINTER RAIN

Miles and seasons ago: backwoods Maine,
the Northeast Kingdom, up into Quebec,
Lac Memphrémagog, the summer thickened

with noseeums, tiny explosions on any exposed skin,
but today’s pinpricks are unexpected ice instead:
crystals lost in gray above and around, the sky

pressing wetly upon the womb of the valley,
while across the inland empire farmers and ranchers
no better than frogs pinging back and forth:

jubilee
oh merciful god
jubilee

- George M. Perreault, Reno NV 04 DEC 14

FIN'LLY R@IN!

Fin'lly!r@in
2+days w/o
complaint: 

"We need it!" 

(02 DEC 14, VV Santa Clara CA)v5

HOMES & LIVES transformed

President's Preface to 25th annual report 

of the Housing Industry Foundation (HIF)
San Mateo (Silicon Valley) CA 94402

September 4, 2014

In stark contrast to the growing wealth and real-estate
prices in Silicon Valley is the growing homelessness
crisis in our community.

The five areas of the United States with the

highest rates of unsheltered homeless people
are all in California. Silicon Valley is third.

Our state is one of six in which over half of all
homeless people were living in locations without

any form of shelter. Nonprofit and public services

are seeing dramatic increases in first-time seekers

of emergency support - such as emergency rental

assistance.

The disparity between the rich and the poor
is getting bigger. Families are one paycheck away
from losing housing. Households are deciding

between repairing a car and paying their rent.

Those who are struggling need a compassionate,

competent solution and the Housing Industry
Foundation is here to provide one. We collaborate

with industry partners and emergency service
agencies to provide a viable solution to critical

housing situations in our community.

It is an honor to lead this organization and to

provide a beacon of hope in our community.

~ Heather Wallace

President, HIF board of directors

Housing Industry Foundation (HIF)

1730 S. El Camino Real, Suite 480

San Mateo CA 94402

HIFinfo.org

info@hifinfo.org

1-(650)-437-2980

Advent poem by my B.C. '63 classmate Geo. M. Perreault

"Our writers' group puts together an Advent calendar; we're supposed to contribute little things -- recipes or poems & such. This is my scribble per this morning's scribbles."  

~George M. Perreault (D.Ed), Univ. of NV Reno, gmp@unr.edu 
(a B.C. '63 classmate of mine.)

 Rain in the Desert, Year Zero

It was the star, of course, which first drew us west,
away from our studies, a brilliant wondering in the night:
curiosity or hope, the little sisters of despair.

Yet, when stars are now beyond the reach of my eyes,
the mountains vague and even the near trees mere rumors,
another memory intrudes, sustains me on this shore:

Clouds swelling into the evening, the path lost in mist,
we found shelter under a rocky overhang; no need for tents
that night, even the camels edging in among us

while down it came, steady, pebbling the sand then working
deep to where the roots of everything sang with relief,
and the air was filled with the sweetness of each blessed plant.

It was, we learned, the same night the Child was born,
outside a little town nearly a fortnight off in the distance,
and we’ve heard it said that the sky filled with angels,

but what are angels except light and water, brushing over
the skin of this earth, easing ever downward, filling reservoirs
deep within us, blessings we too often forget we share?

And the story is told that we brought gifts as if for a king,
but in truth they were baubles, and we were given everything,
for the eyes of the Child were the color of desert rain.

My son Dr. Alex William, Ph.D  
(Medical Anthropology, Columbia University) 
got tenure today in the Health & Physical Ed/Gs Studies dept. of York College div. of CUNY (City University of New York) in Jamaica, Queens. 
  
https://www.york.cuny.edu/portal_college/acostley  

A WONDERFUL LIFE!

To Patricia

“I've had a wonderful life!”
you say 3 times; “I've had
a very (wonderful) life”

you say as you stand & smile
at 3 framed prints of playing
khmer children they gave you.

I've never seen you so contented;
you will turn 74 tomorrow.


(29 OCT 14, V V Santa Clara CA)v5

SEEKING THE FLOWER THIEF

Rev. Tim Cho, (Korea) who lives on the 3rd-floor of Bldg. 5 (I live on the 4th floor of Bldg. 4) has accused me of orchid theft, because I once helped Joan Silva (Sri Lanka) choose a plant from his 3^rd floor balcony after being told all the plants there were being abandoned. Once I was told they weren't, I quickly brought her choice – an orchid belonging to Tim - back to where it was growing...anonymously - to me, but not to the Koreans in Bldg. 5 My previous error is proof, Tim thinks, of my being the current flower thief here in Valley Village, a retirement community (of 251 people) in Santa Clara, bordering San Jose - California.

This retirement community that dates back to 1966, is currently growing increasingly Asian, & recently began to celebrate the Chinese (lunar) New Year in its Social Center. At a recent communal monthly birthday celebration I won a drawing for a California Lottery scratch card which won me USD5$ when redeemed at the nearby 7-11.

In our tiff, remembering the details of my previous flower theft so enraged Tim that he spat out “I forgive you!” But for which theft? The previous one or the current one - as yet unproven. Not wanting to accept forgiveness for something I haven't done, I insisted that I didn't do it! “You are so frustrating!” he spit out, “You did it before!” I restated my claim of present innocence “But I didn't do it this time!” “I forbid you to come to the 3^rd floor!” raged Tim. I agreed, I never will again. We disputed whether my pressing the 2^nd floor elevator button could be overidden by someone pressing the 3rd floor button above. Tim- No; me – Yes. It's happened to me a few times. Others concurr. Suddenly we've found the door opening onto the 3^rd floor to our surprise. A demonstration can be restaged.

But where is Tim's orchid? Who stole it? I stand accused by Tim as the most likely suspect. Ironically, I've been growing jade plants from cuttings for the past 7 years here, giving them away to anyone interested in them, saying “Please, take any plant you want,” So far, only Asian women have taken any. Now a young female gynecologist (Tadjik) has expressed an interest, saying “When I have my own house, I want one!” I assured her she's always welcome to them.

(18 OCT 14, V V, Santa Clara CA)v.7