That's Life

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is now 100 years old.  Noted historian and retired Archivist in Yolo County, Mel Russell has created an exhibition detailing how that monument was created and also telling the story of "our boys" (soldiers from Yolo County) in World War One.  The exhibit will have an opening on Friday, 7 October 2022, with a brief outdoor ceremony honoring ALL veterans and then a tour of the exhibit, which is inside the County Admin (Erwin Meier) Building next to the old Courthouse.  The next day, 8 October, is Woodland's "Stroll Through History" and the exhibit will be open with Mel leading tours at 10, 11, 12, and 1.  There will be docents there on Veteran's Day, Friday, 11/11/22, from 10:00am thru 2:00pm.

On weekdays, everyone may view this exhibit -- "Honoring the Dead of WWI: A Photographic Exhibition Commemorating the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Yolo County Fallen" anytime the building is open -- Monday (10/10/22) through Tuesday, (11/29/22) from 9am - 3pm.  

But MOST of this episode is about WW1 -- how it started, who was on which side, how it ended, who fought where/when -- and about the changes WW1 caused in America and the world.  Today we are still dealing with issues which started back then.  The war started in 1914, the US entered in 1917, and we were bringing home soldiers in 1920-1922.  This is a fascinating hour, ending with some of the music of the time.

Find out about Mosquitoes, how our regional district helps keep us safe, and what you can do to aid the cause.  HINT: It's not having standing water on your property without also having mosquito fish to gobble down the mosquito larva.

More info at --  www.FightTheBite.net

Dierdre Wolownick, author of  "The Sharp End of Life", shares her stories and introduces us to her son, Alex Honnold, who not only taught her to climb but is also the central figure in the award-winnig movie "Free Solo".  This show will give you a feel for what modern climbing is like and help you know more about this fascinating woman.  Dierdre climbed Yosemite's El Capitan when she was over 60; and is still going strong.

The phrase "the sharp end of the rope" is used in climbing to describe when a person is climbing up ahead of their safety gear -- that is, the lead climber has to GET THERE before s/he can set in the next carabiner and hook the line into it. During that part, a fall could be more serious.  Doerdre describes a time of leaving safety and GETTING to the next safe place as the "sharp end of life" -- a place she knows firsthand and has been in many times. 

According to her, you can accomplish very large movements by making small incremental changes.  Like when she came back from walking their dog (who always goes faster than 'walk') and told her son -- in some amazement -- that she had just run a mile!  His response of "If you can go a mile, you could do a mile and a half," got her inspired to run more and go longer. Eventually she was running marathons.

Then Alex got her involved in his passion, climbing.  Dierdre now hold the record as the oldest woman to climb El Capitan! 

I hope you enjoy listening to these stories of expansion and overcoming hard times. -- Lois

Local author Shelley Tan talks about her first book "Better Late Than Forever", about becoming an author, and how she promotes her work. 

In addition, Shelley and Lois chat about websites, finding (or making) a community focused on writing, and other thoughts.

Details about her book (and the others coming in that series) are at:  ShelleyTan.com