Grevillea

I thought I was going to get over this cold with a minimum of aspirin and tissues, but it seems to have decided otherwise…I got myself out of bed and survived an 8am Pilates class, so at least I accomplished something before surrendering to the couch. I took this picture of a grevillea blossom, one of the few things that will grow on the steep rocky hillside, because I like its alien form. Not surprising, then, to discover that grevillea is a protea. The only other plant that flourishes there is leucodendron which is also a protea. And I did all that without moving from the couch.

While languishing on the couch I read a story in the local newspaper about a man who lives in Guerneville, an old fashioned resort town on the Russian River, who became concerned about the amount of trash from careless tourists, storms and homeless encampments that washes into the river when it floods in winter and is carried directly into the Pacific Ocean.  Instead of sitting around complaining about the fact that 'somebody' should be doing something about it, he formed a volunteer organization that is going out and getting it done. He has even recruited the homeless, most of whom are just as eager to have a clean, sanitary space as anybody.

I read daily about the dwindling supply of affordable housing and the growing 'problem' of homelessness, It costs $50 a square foot to obtain the permits necessary to build a,1,000 foot house, yet there are empty buildings everywhere, most notably the old hospital that has been standing mostly empty for a year since it moved to new digs on the outskirts of town. If we wait for 'somebody' to do something, we will most likely wait until it falls down trying to convince the neighbors and the bureaucrats to use it for housing for the homeless.

Wouldn't it be better to use a space that isn't 'purpose built' to provide shelter than to have people living in tents under bridges and cardboard boxes along the railroad tracks?