From Pets to Phones and Politics

Do you feel a year older yet? I think I felt it years ago! But here we go, starting on a new and hopefully better year. 

A friend of mine lost his two precious “friends,” two Black Labs. Not at the same time, but within a year of each other. He treated them like his babies, and they loved him like children. As they grew weaker and weaker (they were pretty old already) he stayed much closer and even carried them and put them on special pillows, giving them another chance to have a good day. He loved them like his own children. It took him a couple weeks to absorb the loss, but he decided to go to the Domestic Animal Services (DAS) and ask if they could use a volunteer. Of course, they could!! They were delighted, but they had no idea what they were really getting! This man was there whenever they needed him and came in the evening to walk the dogs before they would go to “bed.” He knew them all within a few short days. And with all the people in town, it isn’t easy to find someone who doesn’t want to enjoy friends and/or neighbors, but he manages to do both! He’s like the mayor of his surrounding community. Always there to help his fellow neighbors…and dogs! I’m guessing that once a few months pass, he’ll want to have his own roommates – another couple of dogs - but we’ll see. Right now, he’s content that he can make a few dogs happy and feel loved. He found out quite a bit and learned he had been mistaken about some things. He learned very quickly it was a “No Kill Shelter” which made him so happy. He learned very quickly it was a “live release” and proud of it! He found the animals were clean and sheltered and now even have air conditioning when it is needed. He learned the shelter itself was clean and they have blankets for the animals if needed. He also learned they also have a lot more than just dogs and cats! They even have horses, and birds and many other animals you’d never expect! Like gerbils and turtles. 

* Here’s a crazy question - out of the clear blue, but one I think about so often, or maybe a young person under 30 wouldn’t even understand what I’m talking about. I miss “telephone books!” My little granddaughter picked up my house phone and asked, “what is this Grandma?”   I explained it was a phone, and she said “Ohh nooo,” so I had to show her in front of her mama to confirm that yes indeed it was a phone. Now she wants to pick it up and talk into it every time she comes over. And phone books? Remember the times all we had to do is pick up the book and flip to the page we needed and find another page with replacement parts or answers. Now we have to sign into our phone, have a password (you’ve got the wrong password, try again) and then they can’t figure out where you have to go now that the business is closed. Why, or why can’t we have something easy to use like a phone book? I’ve even had the recording say that’s the wrong birthday when I’m trying to get through to a business! I only have one birthday, but the automation can’t hear you. And OH YES, does any business answer their phone anymore? When I called our major hospital, and all you can do is leave a message, but they will call back? Do I have time or should I take an ambulance??? Ah yes, but they are saving money! Hmm, so I sound a little frustrated? If you can’t get through to a business when you need them or even just when you have a question, it is so frustrating.  

* If you live in East Naples (or even if you don’t) please join them for their East Naples Civic Association’s Annual Dinner Banquet being held at The Players Club and Spa at 8060 Grand Lely Drive on January 20th at 5:30 PM, starting with cocktails & hors d’oeuvres, with dinner being served at 6:30 pm. It is $60 per person and you can reserve and pay on-line at www.ENCivicandCommerce.org. The Annual Citizen of the Year will be announced. There will be a silent auction to benefit the Scholarship Fund. Also, a BIG change will be taking place as the East Naples Civic invites The East Naples Merchants Association and the East Naples Business Association to become ONE with the Civic Association! The new name will become “East Naples Civic and Commerce Association.” Our terrific sponsors for this event are The Players Club and Spa, ENcompass Magazine, The Coastal Breeze News, Tuscany Villas of Naples, and Masquerade and Balloons Galore. We thank these businesses for supporting our efforts, and truly appreciate their support. We will now have stronger support for our community. 

* Having said that - for those who do NOT live in East Naples, there was recently a commission meeting where the commissioners “redistricted” this entire area. There were instructions from Tallahassee that must be followed, and our county staff worked diligently for months to accomplish that goal and did a masterful job. Then the commissioners stepped in and changed everything around! Yes, it squeaked by to follow instructions, but for the FIRST TIME IN HISTORY they split Golden Gate Estates Into TWO pieces, and they split East Naples into THREE PIECES!! I’ve lived in the same house for 48 years in District One!!! They now put the Lakewood community into the City of Naples District Four. So now the East Naples community is split into three pieces - ANOTHER first in history! I’ve lived in District One for all these years, and with one vote they changed all that, for some unknown reason. The presentation from the staff didn’t split up communities and tried to keep areas whole. Rick LoCastro and Bill McDaniel tried to ask questions and support their communities, but the other three had no part of it! Think deeply about what I just said. You can tell who voted for what, and why. They certainly didn’t care about us! It also split up other communities like keeping the Isles of Collier Preserve in two pieces, and not joining Berkshire Community together as it should be, but the county proposal joined them together. I’ve never seen such a piece of trash as this has become, AND WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT FOR 10 YEARS!!! So, I say to all the East Naples residents, we’ve got to start working together as if we were one whole community, supporting each other, learning what the other pieces of our community are doing and support them! There is no other way to win this piece of junk redistricting but to stick together. Think of working together as a team! I wonder how many of you know others in different communities right next door!? Like Countryside, for instance! Do we ever mingle? Well, we should if we want to gather the strength to win some battles! We need them, and they surely need us! And maybe being united, we can elect people who THINK OF THE PEOPLE, not their positions. You always have to dig deeply to try to understand what REALLY is going on! Let’s get together and see what a difference we can make! A good start would be to come to the East Naples banquet on January 20th. Don’t sit home! Nothing will happen if you don’t get out and MAKE it happen.