Quitting my TV news career has come with many benefits but perhaps none as important as how it has affected my ability to parent. My relationship with the Producer would have consisted of about an hour in the morning (stressed about what I’d cover that day) and an hour at night (still stressed about what went wrong with my report that day). I’ve started “Hold On to Your Kids” by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté and I highly recommend it. They describe the era since World War II as one where peers have taken over the role of parenting, calling it “peer orientation”. They write, “Orientation, the drive to get one’s bearings and become acquainted with one’s surroundings, is a fundamental human instinct and need. Disorientation is one of the least bearable of all psychological experiences. Attachment and orientation are inextricably intertwined. Humans and other creatures automatically orient themselves by seeking cues from those to whom they are attached.” This has also got me thinking about my pressing question about why so many journalists prefer group think over curiosity. Are we adults also suffering from “peer orientation”?
The kids and I just finished a weekend of door knocking to get the word out about the proposed cell tower in our neighborhood. I know I have a background in talking to strangers professionally but I have to tell you, it’s exhausting. On the plus side, I’m getting to know a lot of my neighbors which has been very cool.
Don’t forget you can help by sending an email to our county telling them you oppose the tower. Just reference Blue Sky Towers Application # CU-2026-00003. Email [email protected] by 9/10.
What would you tell your neighbors if you were door knocking like me? I’d love some ideas!
Mommy Cow, our Angus, is back from the Love Palace where she had a bull-friend for 3 months. We are hoping she is pregnant and we will have a healthy calf come Spring. She evaded capture for a month so her return here is a little late but I guess she wanted to stay at summer camp a little longer.
One product I faithfully took during my pregnancies is the fermented cod liver/concentrated butter oil from @greenpastureproducts which is packed with nutrients like vitamins A, D & K. Now my kids take it daily. I credit it with saving my teeth from chronic cavities. You get 10% off with promo code “ALISON” at check out. https://greenpasture.org/
Blue Sky Towers has reactivated their application to put a cell tower on our neighbor’s property. The Planning & Development Commission will hear the case on October 1 and we are busy preparing for that meeting. Yours truly is leading the effort - learning to be a lawyer, an engineer, a petition writer, an organizer, and a land use manager. Oh, and a journalist! Well, at least I have some experience there.
We would appreciate your help, if you feel inclined, writing our county to let them know you oppose this tower too. If you’re interested, please send an email to Joanna Coutu by September 10. Her email is [email protected] - reference Blue Sky Towers Application No. CU-2026-00003 in Crystal River, Florida. Ms. Coutu will forward emails to the PDC members. Feel free to keep it short, but I do have some ideas below.
Because cell towers have federal protections, it does us no good to argue that they have a health or environmental impact. Governjng bodies cannot vote them ...
