JV OLD NEWS updates:
• Friday, March 4: Just as this e-mail was set up to send to you last Thursday afternoon, our Frontier internet service failed.
By the time you read this, the Lasagna Dinner may only be a fond memory, but the rest of this message should still be topical.
A Frontier technician came to my house this morning and declared everything here is operational; the problem is on their end.
Frontier sent a message that service had resumed, but it was fake news.
Saturday, March 5: Yes, the Lasagna Dinner is now a fond memory: delicious! Some 45 folks arrived at the Community Center despite cold rain, wind, and even snow!
However, the General Meeting had to be canceled. Kim Abramson and I rely on the internet to prepare for meetings. Without internet wireless service, her Treasurer’s Report could not be reconciled with the bank, the agendas could not be printed, and we did not have the slate of nominations for the Board set up. We both had spent hours on hold trying to get info from Frontier to get us back in business.
We thought Covid lockdowns had derailed us, and now…what next?
Sunday, March 6. I did not want to waste more time on hold with Frontier. Kim did speak harshly to someone.
Monday, March 7. Kim has now spoken to a supervisor. No joy. I dread the shedload of e-mails when we ever do get back online.
Tuesday, March 8. Kim has Frontier internet as of this morning. My landline and internet are still non-op. Tech to come here next week.
So-o-o, back to Verizon with two little bars. So far, so good. LOTS of e-mails…
Here’s last Thursday’s JV NEWS:
OOOH LASAGNA! (outdated)
• This Saturday evening, March 5, you are invited to the Lasagna Dinner at the Johnson Valley Community Center.
Luscious lasagna,
Cheesy garlic bread,
Green salad,
plus dessert,
a flavorful feast, only 8.00 per person, kids 12 and younger 4.00.
Cash, check, or credit card ok.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Lasagna at 5:00.
After dinner, you want to stay awhile for latest news and announcements and nominations for the election of officers and directors (all members with dues paid by January 31, please come and VOTE!) (and remember, if you are a resident or property owner, you are eligible to run for office, too! Think about it. Call me if you have questions.)
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17 TONS AND WHADDAYA GET?
• San Bernardino County Code Enforcement has started cleaning up illegal pot farms; hoop houses, the irrigation systems using and wasting precious water, tarp fencing, and filth and trash left behind.
The first County-led clean-up took place last week nearby in Lucerne Valley. More than 17 tons – repeat, 17 TONS of trash, tarps, and plastic sheeting were removed from this single site! See a video of the team’s work: https://youtu.be/34J2I-DYiVo
Over this past week, County Sheriff’s personnel located and arrested 30 suspects.
Investigators seized 46,863 marijuana plants,
5,280 pounds of processed marijuana,
11 guns, and over
$182,000.00 in cash.
They eradicated a total of 185 greenhouses and ten indoor locations. Plus they mitigated two electrical bypasses at these locations stealing power.
Reports on actions against this plague at federal and state levels were heard at the February meeting of the Lucerne Valley Economic Development Association:
Our Congressman Jay Obernolte is working on getting the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency involved in the fight against the flood of marijuana growers in California, some of which are suspected of being operations by the Mexican cartels.
State Assemblyman Smitty Smith is working on an amendment to return illegal cannabis cultivation to the status of a felony. He is also working with the County on penalties for pot farms using illegal pesticides.
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SHARED USE OHV AREA SPRING CLOSURE
• Offroaders reminder: the Marine Corps will conduct training activities in the Johnson Valley Shared Use Area from Tuesday, April 26, through Monday, May 9th.
(They will NOT be closing the Shared Use Area to the public this fall, during the previously scheduled period of October 18-November 1, 2022.)
The announced closure dates for Spring and Fall of 2023 are February 17-27 and August 25-September 4.
Closure periods include time needed to make sure the Johnson Valley Shared Use Area is clear of ANY recreation activity prior to training, and to confirm the land is clear of hazards before reopening for public access.
The adjacent Johnson Valley OHV Recreation Area remains open to the public for recreation and off-roading.
Find information on the Johnson Valley Shared Use Area and scheduled closures, including a downloadable map of the area at: https://www.29palms.marines.mil/Staff-Offices/Government-and-External-Affairs/Johnson-Valley/.
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YOUR STORY FOR THE JOURNAL
• Do you have any photos from earlier days in Johnson Valley? Any stories to tell about your family homesteading? Favorite trails or explorations?
Call or e-mail me. If you don’t feel like writing it up yourself, just dictate it to me. (P.S. Don’t call until I get phone service.)
Stories that are just old stories to you give others a view of JV history. When too few people know the history it fades too easily. Tumbledown cabins and vacant slabs prove there were tales to tell, but we have no one around today to tell them.
Always interesting and sometimes quite surprising – what drew you to Johnson Valley in the first place? Let’s collect the stories.
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JOURNAL CORRECTION
• By the time you ever receive this, folks on the JV Journal mailing list should have received their Journals.
Error found (after printing of course!), the little ad for the Saturday Breakfast has the old prices. Large Breakfasts, the Omelette and the Burrito are actually 8.00 (still a good deal the way things are these days)
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SPRING ZING
• Spring ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 13!
Yes, Spring is on its way, days longer, nights warmer. Despite the limited precip and nights of hard freeze around here, last Friday afternoon we saw a green survivor beside one of the dirt roads. Not only green but blooming yellow midst a landscape of bare brittle sticks. Possibly Desert Senna, but too far away to be sure.
Plus, our small first flotilla of migrating turkey vultures have drifted by, settled on trees for a night then headed north. They know.
We get other migrations, birds and butterflies, but none as dependable or as noticeable as these turkey vultures. Spring and fall they pass overhead, never stopping for lunch, never getting lost, maybe all the way up to Canada and all the way down to South America, el condor pasa and the world turns.
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JVIA ADDRESS & FAQ
The Johnson Valley Community Center mailing address (mail pickup about once a week):
JVIA
50567A Quailbush Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285
The phone number is 760-364-3575, no message recording.
From Hwy 247, between mileposts 21 and 22, turn onto Larrea Rd. at the big red Johnson Valley sign. Go 1-3/4 miles up to the corner of Quailbush Rd, and you arrive at the JV Community Center. Easy to find; pavement all the way.
We are happy to welcome everyone to every event at the Center, non-members included.
County anti-virus mandates have been lifted.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Cooks and servers, folks with some handyman skills, garden helpers – volunteers have kept JVIA going for over 60 years and we need recruits to help keep up the good work.
Write to me at ranchotaj@gmail.com or call for details on what, how, and when. Things go faster and better with more helping hands.
If you have received the Mar-Apr issue of the Journal, lots of info is in there! If you haven’t, just sign up to join JVIA and get the next issue.
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KEEP SMILIN’ 😀
• If you can’t think of a word, just say, “I forgot the English word for it.” That way people will think you’re bilingual instead of an idiot.🤔
• Settled science: A recent study has found women who carry a little extra weight live longer than men who mention it.😳
• We all get heavier as we get older, because there’s a lot more information in our heads. 🙃
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
• Marriage Counselor: Your wife says you never buy her flowers. Is that true?
Her Old Man: To be honest, I never knew she sold flowers.🤑
Betty
Betty Munson
Betty Munson
c/o Ship-It-Shop
51720 Hacienda Rd.
Johnson Valley CA 92285