The other day when I was fixing a bit of lunch, I heard a knock on the kitchen door. I went to the door and looked out the window to see who was there and didn’t see anybody. I turned back to finish stirring my vegetable soup when I heard the knock again.

I looked through the window again and didn’t see anybody. Then, I heard a yowl. I peeked down at the steps, and there was the culprit — the cat. Somehow, she had figured out how to knock on the door.

She is just an average-sized cat, and not all that smart. About all she wants to do is eat, sleep and watch TV. In that way, she and I have a lot in common. So I was surprised she had learned this new skill.

I peeked through the window, down at the porch again, and she put her paw up on the door and pushed on it. The door moved just enough to knock-knock against the sill. I opened it to see what she wanted, and she ran into the house between my feet and headed for the heat register.

It was a cold day outside, and apparently she was not aware we were undergoing global warming. She snuggled next to the heat register so most of the hot air coming out of it was blowing on her first.

I seem to remember somewhere some stories about 100 monkeys. Supposedly if at least 100 monkeys learn to wash sweet potatoes, pretty soon all the monkeys will learn to do that. Another monkey story is that if you put 100 monkeys into a room with 100 typewriters, eventually one of them will write a newspaper column. (Perhaps this very column is being written by a monkey while I take the day off. Think about that.)

I wonder whether the same is true of 100 cats, and also whether our cat is the 100th cat that learned to knock, or will she teach 99 others to knock on the door as soon as the weather warms up a little. If your cat starts knocking on your door, you will know why.

Although it has been an interesting winter — “snowmageddon” in the East and lots of nice rain and snow hereabouts — don’t expect the global-warming debate to slack off.

The global warming evangelists haven’t lost their fervent belief that the presence of humans on the planet is making the climate warmer — this time. Remember that the geological record, and even the recent printed record, show the earth has warmed and cooled before. But their point of view is that the earth would be warming more slowly if people weren’t putting so much carbon dioxide into the air.

Huge portions of the earth’s population, however, don’t buy it. The government of India, for example, isn’t about to slow the economic progress of more than a billion people to make Al Gore happy.

Some geologists aren’t too worried about global warming, but they nevertheless think we should be conserving energy and the fossil fuels that provide energy. They believe that while the earth may be warming now, it will cool again — and rather quickly — before too many more centuries. They believe the effects of cooling are likely to be harder to deal with than the effects of warming.

They believe that in a time of cooling, any fears about nuclear power would be set aside, because such energy would be needed just to keep people warm and to keep industries operating if fossil fuels were no longer as readily available as they are now.

Places like the San Joaquin Valley might have a growing season, but also might have to melt some glacial ice to provide irrigation water. Heat for that melting could only come from a plentiful and viable energy source.

Many of the world’s people would starve unless a way could be found to grow their food in greenhouses, which, again, would use energy.

It’s an interesting prospect, and likely to be raised as the debate goes on.

My spouse and I are a retired couple now, after both of us having worked at least 45 years.
We are counting on our social security income but with gratitude at reversing our roles of labor. Which means it’s Heaven to get paid while we get to be home or go here and there at our desire day or time. We’re loving it.

Of course our income is pretty much at one of the lowest paid out from Social Security so our monthly income is very important to us to receive our checks on time and without problems.

My husband had to send a signed form on this particular occasion in order for his check to be sent to him. Well, he filled it out and signed it, and uh-oh, we had no postage stamps.

So off we went to the Madera Post Office. It was Saturday so the office was closed. We tried to work the stamp machine located inside the entry of the Post Office, but the machine would not take cash and I was not able to use my debit card for I was not sure I had enough money on the card for this transaction.

So we decided to go across the street to the next corner and buy a stamp at the local pharmacy. We hurried over there and no stamps are sold there so off we walked to the nearest shop that did have a post stamp coin machine. Got change and the stamps. And …

Oh Lord, the letter was not with me. My blood rushed through me as I scrambled all over and over and repeatedly for the letter. My husband and I panicked and I told him I must have set it down when we were trying to work the machine in the Post office! We first stopped at the pharmacy on our way and it too had just closed. I pounded at the door until finally a pharmacist came and unlocked the door and I explained what happened and he was nice to let me come in and check for my letter. No nothing. In distress we hurried as fast as we could back to the post office, I never knew we could cut rug like that.

It had only been about 10 minutes in all. We ran into the building and hurried to where we were fussing before. No letter to be found. We searched every corner on and off the floor.

We dug through the trash cans, took everything out and looked one by one of every piece of paper and tossed mail. No letter anywhere. We looked twice, three, four times in the same places. We knocked on the door till an employee came out. We explained what happened, and asked whether they could look to see if someone threw our letter in the bin slot. The employee looked and saw nothing without a stamp. We came home so upset we were sick to our stomachs.

We were too distraught, so we went back again and again retracing our steps. Even looked on the road thinking I may have dropped the letter. No nothing.

I knew what lay ahead now. We’d have to wait until Tuesday because Monday was President’s Day. Then we’d have to try to get through to the Social Security for another form to be sent, which takes a good three to four days to get to talk to a person. Another week for a second form to be sent and another week for them to receive our letter and another week for a check to be cut.

Oh my, we were so worried sick over this. My husband said maybe someone saw it and put a stamp on it for us. In this day and age I replied, “no.” I told him, “someone probably saw it and thought there was money or a check inside and took it, then opened it in their car and to their surprise — no money, so they threw it.” No one does a good gesture anymore. He said “you and I would,” but I just told him the odds are too far fetched.

We called to report the lost form on Tuesday and didn’t get through to talk to a person until Thursday. They said a new form will be sent out but will take 10 working days.

We accepted our horrible mistake and learned by it.

Well, Friday, the mailman came, and I went to get our mail. To my shock, my husband’s check was there. Someone had seen the letter lying there without a stamp ready to go and had the compassion and kindness to put a stamp on the letter and toss it into the mail slot.

I just want that person to know how we are both so very grateful. I can’t express how elated I am. You have changed our fate from dark to light. You don’t know how much that meant to us and prevented a long hardship of a wait to us.

Thank you with every ounce of gratitude we hold. It has made me see Maderans reach out.
I was so wrong in thinking people don’t care for one another.

I hope Madera community will feel inspired by the acts in us that can have an overwhelming outcome for others. We just never know how we can touch someone with kindness.

Joyce Echavarrea,
Madera

It turns out the State of California missed its chance to be eligible for Race to the Top funds that President Obama was ready to hand out and that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was ready to accept.

Not enough of the state’s school districts signed up to improve their schools. Madera Unified School District did sign on, however, well aware that it has some schools that need the kind of help a fat federal grant could provide.

The Obama Administration, in announcing the Race to the Top program last summer, said it would reward only those states that raise their academic standards, improve teacher quality and expand the reach of charter schools. Obama said politics would not be part of the mix, only “whether a state is ready to do what works. We will use the best data available to determine whether a state can meet a few key benchmarks for reform.”

While not enough school districts in California would sign on, Kentucky and some other states already have shown their eligibility by signing on to improve the jobs they do in education.

We mention Kentucky because that state often lags behind California in some basic educational measurements.

Now, what? Will California change its mind and reapply?

A lot of teacher unions hate the idea of Race to the Top because it recognizes the contributions charter schools have made to improving education for some students. They also realize that federal money, once accepted, might bring with it an obligation to perform, and that the money could be withdrawn if performance was not evident.

Madera Unified was willing to rise to that challenge, even with the knowledge that most or all of its programs might be affected by budget cuts. MUSD can teach some districts in the rest of the state a thing or two on that matter.

The current director, Sam Armentrout, has established his abilities to cut costs, generate income for the district, and purchase new equipment, (currently 24 buses fueled by compressed natural gas) with grant funding at minimal cost to the district. Mr. Armentrout came to the district with the qualifications to direct the transportation department, and he has done an exceptional job. If the School Board chooses to eliminate his position, I assure you any cost savings realized by eliminating his salary and benefits will soon be lost.

Due to Mr. Armentrout’s diligence, overtime has been virtually eliminated and all employees have been made accountable for their time. Charter bus costs have been drastically cut and routes monitored, all at a tremendous savings to MUSD.
I do not feel that eliminating Mr. Armentrout’s position would save any money in the short or long term.

I feel the transportation department has taken a tremendous hit with the budget cuts. I also realize that transportation is probably a large drain on a school district’s General Fund. But eliminating high school transportation is a mistake.

Many families have children in high school and elementary school, so a bus will stop for only the elementary students? Are the parents in the district that live 15 to 20 miles from town prepared to drive 30 to 80 miles per day to transport their children to school? Adjust bell times at the schools. The transportation department is located within a half mile of both high schools. Each and every bus returns to the transportation yard after its route. Is it more cost-effective to return to town with an empty bus? After years of calculating cost per mile on school buses, I know any savings would be minimal. This plan may work for cities with public transportation, but it would only jeopardize the safety of the students in our district.

These recommended cuts by the district administration and the School Board would be a grave injustice to the community, the taxpayers, and the children of Madera Unified.

Luann Owen,
Madera