Kendall Stanley: Discombobulated
For years and years, Wednesday has been column day. Have the column in by the end of the workday and it will run Saturday.
Not anymore.
Gannett, in its wisdom and to take a load off their design center, has decided we need to have our column in a week before the day it will run. So this was composed last week before Saturday for your reading pleasure Dec. 10.
Most of the time it isn’t an issue, but there are plenty of occasions where I might want to take note of an issue and at the least it wouldn’t be a week old. Not good by my book.
So if a particular column doesn’t seem too timely, rest assured I tried to make it as relevant as always, time delays notwithstanding.
Holy weather, Batman!
No this isn’t a dive into DC Comics rather the vagaries of the weather in other parts of this wonderful country of ours, in this case southern Arizona versus snow. Snow we can handle, let’s move on.
Most folks around these parts are unaware that Arizona has a monsoon season. Yes, those typically tropical storms that can dump tons of rain occur in the Southwest.
Get really high temperatures that cause the air to rise quickly and be near to the Gulf of California and Pacific Ocean and voila, massive thunderstorms and rain. Weather watchers pay close attention because the storms can be gnarly but also because they bring much needed rain to the desert.
Until the storm gets really nasty.
A storm in July brought large hail to the mix and the roofs on our little villa, one of about 680 units in Villas West and the villas in Villas East, with about 480 units, took a direct hit. The roofs are a composite with a foam layer covered by a coating. The large hailstones zipped right through it and heavily damaged several rooftop air conditioning/furnace units.
Dozens of units were damaged and fortunately we were not among them.
But by the time repairs are done it will cost about $6 million in Villas West and $14 million in East. Ouch, ouch and more ouch.
Fortunately the association has insurance as it is responsible for the outside of the units and some damage inside.
Neighbors fared fairly well but work is continuing on their units.
We need the rain from the monsoons, but hail? Not so much if we can help it.
And if you’re interested just Google monsoon lightning storms over Tucson. Wickedly beautiful photos!
The end
I was reading an obituary the other day for Jean Jardine, a long time resident of Harbor Springs who dove into community activities after she and her husband, Dean, moved to Harbor in 1977. It was a homecoming for Dean after teaching downstate for years.
She served as mayor and on council, along with serving on the board of several other organizations in town. She was a fixture at Bluff Gardens.
The line that caught me in the obit was one that merely said “she was the last of her generation.”
Generations don’t continue forever, of course, there’s always an end.
My parents are both dead, as are most of their contemporaries. As members of the Harbor Springs class of 1944, there are three members left, all residing at Bay Bluffs — Eleanor “Muggs” Jardine (Jean’s sister-in-law), Merlyn Tippett and Norine McBride. The three of them recently celebrated their 78th class reunion at Bay Bluffs — do the math, they are all in their late 90s.
Fifty-six years on from my graduation, we members of my generation are sadly starting to bury our classmates.
Given the advances in medicine most of us will be able to live productive and healthy lives into our 90s. Sooner or later, however, one of us will be the “last of our generation.”
— Kendall P. Stanley is retired editor of the News-Review. He can be contacted at kendallstanley@charter.net. The opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and not necessarily of the Petoskey News-Review or its employees.