Posted: Friday, December 5, 2008 12:00 am
ROSE (roz) n. One of the most beautiful of all flowers, a symbol of fragrance and loveliness. Often given as a sign of appreciation.
RASPBERRY (raz'ber'e) n. A sharp, scornful comment, criticism or rebuke; a derisive, splatting noise, often called the Bronx cheer.
We hereby deliver:
• ROSES to the gorgeous Corvallis Christmas Parade a week ago.
What an unseasonably warm and wonderful evening of community connection. Even the frightening fall from her horse by a member of the Benton County Search and Rescue mounted posse was met with the kind of community support that defines us: People were concerned, but nobody mobbed the woman as she lay dazed on Fourth Street, and people waited patiently during the 10-minute delay.
What's more, concerned parade watchers offered the woman a chair - away from the parade hubbub - where medics could check her over to ensure she had not suffered serious injury.
Thanks for all of the hot chocolate, peppermint sticks and the show of Corvallis innovation: Everything from the one-of-a-kind kinetic sculpture bicycles that looked like something out of Dr. Seuss to the roller derby gals, light displays (we've never seen such a pretty back-hoe or a corgi look so fancy in blue lights) and all the wonderful walking/driving/bicycle "floats"; it was a fine way to kick off the holiday season.
• RASPBERRIES to two examples of short-sighted thinking: Two bank robbers struck Corvallis banks in three days. Tuesday a young woman who appeared to be from 18 to 30 years of age entered Key Bank at 1817 N.W. Ninth St. shortly before 5 p.m., displayed a note to a teller and walked out with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, a man described as in his 50s entered the Washington Federal Savings Bank at 1111 A. N.W. Ninth St. and also robbed that bank via a note to a teller. He escaped on a bicycle, and as of Thursday night, both robbers remained at large.
The thing is, almost all bank robbers get caught. It's the whole "Your face caught on camera" thing. And people talk.
Perhaps we're looking at a rash of desperation. In West Salem, the FBI is seeking a middle-aged white man about 45 years old who robbed the US Bank at 1110 Wallace Road N.W. a week ago.
But given that bank robbery is a federal crime with serious hard time associated with it and seldom produces more than a few hundred to a thousand dollars or so (bank tellers routinely make deposits to the vault), it isn't worth it.
• ROSE-RASPBERRIES to Chris McFarland, who wrote us a letter to describe Monday's harrowing experience: While riding a bicycle equipped with lights and reflectors in the dark and rain, McFarland was struck from behind on the Harrison Street bridge by a motorist who did not stop.
We could debate the merits of riding on that bridge at night, and our readers have.
But McFarland still gets the roses for sharing the experience as a warning to others. Not having seen the car, McFarland didn't report the incident to police and fortunately suffered only scrapes and bruises after flying over the handlebars, landing on the sidewalk and sliding down an embankment. We suspect a more lingering injury is knowing that no one stopped to help.
Although it's true that bicyclists should not push the issue of who has the right of way, the law requires motorists involved in an accident - regardless of who is at fault - to stop and render aid and call for help if it's needed.
Those who simply drove from the reality of a twisted bicycle in the road have to live with what that implies about them.
• RASPBERRIES to Gov. Ted Kulongoski's proposal to entirely end field burning in the mid-
valley by 2011.
Grass seed farmers have done a great job of phasing out this practice ahead of all past schedules imposed on them, but they still employ a relatively benign, short-lived, low-cost method of sanitizing their fields and ridding them of the straw left after harvest. They've also found commercial uses for that straw.
However, with economic times hard for everyone, forcing farmers to spend more money to export the straw and buy pesticides as a substitute for burning serves no one - including those people who have sensitive respiratory systems.
That's because it's more likely that development on former grass seed fields would produce far more exhaust year-round than does the few days a year when we see a column of field smoke above the valley.
The rest of the year, we have a vital industry that preserves acres of green pasture.
• ROSES to the arrival of more signs of the season, including Tuesday's lighting of Philomath's new and growing Christmas tree on the grounds of the Benton County Historical Museum.
In addition to signaling the start of Philomath's holiday season, we hope it marked the end of the bad feelings over cutting down the old giant sequoia that for many decades was the city's tree until it was cut down to make room for the Philomath couplet construction.
We're glad that the tradition it exemplified is alive, well - and glowing to light these long December nights.