Cathy Clark, 57, of Noe Valley, cradled one of her two 10-year-old Shih Tzus in her arms as she waited to have them blessed. 'They're very sweet, gentle, mellow. Other names that Paula uses includes Paula L Harris. He currently works as an Owner at Noe Valley Pet CO. We have lots of information about Paula: religious views are listed as Christian, ethnicity is Caucasian, and political affiliation is currently a registered Democrat. Currently, Paula is single. The garden surrounding the Noe Valley Sally Brunn Library on Jersey Street is indeed one of the mystery secret places in Noe Valley 'Where to Find a Quiet Spot for Contemplation,' July/August 1999 Voice. Many people who came to the Open Garden Day in May said they never knew the library garden was just beyond the door in the children's.
San Francisco (Oct. 1)--What looked like a pet show was actually a blessing in disguise.
About 100 pet owners brought their dogs, cats, birds, iguanas, and yes, even a cashmere goat, to Saturday's 11th annual animal blessing at St. Boniface Church in the Tenderloin to honor St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of San Francisco and caretaker of the ecology.
Noe Valley Christian Speed Dating Site
'We are all one family under God,' said the Rev. Floyd Lotito, who sprinkled holy water on dozens of animals gathered outside St. Boniface Church with their owners holding on tightly to leashes and cages.
Lotito extended special blessings to those pets too ill to come, wishing them a speedy recovery and good health.
'Every year I'm impressed by the animals,' Lotito told the crowd. 'They really are, like St. Francis said, our brothers and sisters.... The way you treat animals reflects the way you treat others.'
Along with the blessing came a request by church officials for donations to finance a city-ordered seismic retrofit. So far, the church has raised $10 million of the $11.6 million needed.
Mounted police arrived Saturday looking for blessings for their horses. German shepherds arrived with the police K-9 unit.
San Francisco Police Officer Gene Kalinin brought Karlo, a 6-year-old German shepherd who works in the K-9 division and sniffs out bombs and criminals.
'He finds the bad guy,' said Kalinin, who works with the bomb squad, SWAT team, and K-9 divisions.
Karlo is Kalinin's third police dog in 12 years.
'They are the best partners we have,' Kalinin said.
Typically, police reserve Labradors to sniff out bombs and German shepherds for chasing criminals, but Karlo can do both, Kalinin said. The husky German shepherd looks for explosives in executive hotel suites of dignitaries before they check in.
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On Saturday, Karlo wasn't feeling too friendly and growled at a golden retriever passing by.
'He's usually not like this,' Kalinin said apologetically to the owner of the retriever.
San Francisco Police Officer Bruno Pezzulich, who works with the mounted police, was tying up his horse, Shadow, a 12-year-old Tennessee walking horse, who received his second blessing of the day--the first one from St. Paul's Church in Noe Valley, which held its third annual animal blessing.
Kimberly Pirring, 9, of the Tenderloin, brought her hamster in a plastic container to St. Boniface.
'It's just a baby, and I wanted him to get blessed,' said Kimberly, as she looked adoringly at her 4-month-old hamster, named Ham, whose sex seemed to be a matter of doubt within the family.
'I like her because she's nice to us,' said Kimberly. 'Every time we see her, we feel better.'
Her brothers, John, 8, and James, 7, said they chose the name Ham because it seemed logical.
'We couldn't pick 'Ster' because that doesn't make sense,' James rationalized. 'Anyway, he looks like a Ham.'
Cathy Clark, 57, of Noe Valley, cradled one of her two 10-year-old Shih Tzus in her arms as she waited to have them blessed.
'They're very sweet, gentle, mellow. This is the first time they've come for a blessing,' said Clark, who inherited the pair from two elderly ladies who were moving into a senior center and didn't want the brothers separated.
Clark gladly took them in. She said they reminded her of her 15- year-old dog, Freeway, who died last December. Clark said she used to bring Freeway to the blessing every year.
Linda Alston, 50, of Berkeley, has a special fondness for her 7- year-old dog, Murphy. Alston relies on Murphy for her daily routines.
'He's my service dog. He carries things that I need during the day and pulls my wheelchair,' she said.
Susan Imanian, 55, of the Tenderloin, had her cat, Rusty, in a cage, ready to have him splashed with holy water. Rusty was the only one of her three cats to survive a fire that destroyed the Hartland Hotel a year and a half ago.
'The white cat was the one I could save,' Imanian said. 'I wanted a special blessing.' Imanian said she lost everything in the fire, including sentimental items like her child's first tooth and report card. Saving Rusty made the animal all the more precious to her.
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Carol Blaha came to St. Boniface with a 4-month-old alpaca--cousin to the llama--and a 4-year-old cashmere goat, two animals she raises in Sebastopol for their hairs.
'I can't bring the whole herd, so he's representing them,' said Blaha of her alpaca, named Chaucer.
Le-Ellis Brown, a San Francisco animal control officer who attended Saturday's blessing, said he was pleased with the turnout.
For the most part, San Franciscans are kind to their animals, Brown said. 'The majority are responsible, but there are some who don't care about their animals at all,' he said.
Brown said he has seen some dogs left out in the rain, and others tied up in backyards with their fur completely matted.
But none of them were to be found in Saturday's crowd.
'The pet owners we see here are the responsible pet owners,' he said. 'And I think it's amazing that there is this amount of people wanting their pets to be blessed.'
| September 1999 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK |
www.noevalleyvoice.com. There you'll find current stories and Class Ads, and archives of past issues dating from December 1996. Secret Garden at the Library
Editor:
The garden surrounding the Noe Valley Sally Brunn Library on Jersey Street is indeed one of the mystery secret places in Noe Valley ['Where to Find a Quiet Spot for Contemplation,' July/August 1999 Voice]. Many people who came to the Open Garden Day in May said they never knew the library garden was just beyond the door in the children's section.
The 12 gardeners work hard to make it a place of peace and relaxation for all library patrons and residents of Noe Valley. Thanks for the mention and for the reminder to visitors to remove their trash. But first, stop and 'smell the roses.'
Eleanore Gerhardt
24th Street
Noe Valley Christian Speed Dating Service
Stores Show In-scents-ativity
Editor:
I wonder about the insensitivity of those stores on 24th Street that exude strong scents (incense? soap?) out their front doors.
Do they realize -- or care -- that some people may find it offensive? The store Glad Rags comes first to mind.
Chuck Carroll
30th Street
Buy Your Breast Cancer Stamps Here
Editor:
We would like to thank our Noe Valley Post Office customers for their generous breast cancer stamp purchases for the past year ['Breast Cancer Stamp a Best Seller in Noe Valley,' April 1999].
The Noe Valley Post Office has been number one in sales for most of the past year. We are very proud of the community. It has been fun to be tops in the San Francisco Post Office District, from Eureka to Sunnyvale.
The breast cancer stamp will be on sale through July 2000, but our current fiscal year ends Sept. 10, 1999. It would be nice to end this year still number one. So we hope to see you at the post office by Sept. 10! Thanks again.
Nora, Rich, Adele, Vivian, Lillie, Bill, Ken, and Yvonne
The 'window clerks'
Noe Valley Post Office
Should the City Check Roommates' Credentials?
Editor:
At a recent supervisors' meeting on 'roommate' legislation, the question arose as to what grounds a homeowner could use to deny occupancy to a replacement roommate in his or her home.
Supervisor Mark Leno brought up the case of an anti-gay Christian who wanted to move into a home occupied by gay men. The San Francisco Rent Board representative said that a hearing would be required and that the board would be 'sensitive' to homophobia issues. Everyone seemed pleased with that answer.
I assume they would discriminate against the Christian? As a gay man, I wonder how the rent board would rule if I attempted to move into the home of a fundamentalist Christian? Would they discriminate against me, too?
Or do we reserve this discrimination only for those who are not politically, religiously, or otherwise to our liking?
At the hearing, Supervisor Michael Yaki suggested that perhaps the rent board should not be making such decisions within owner-occupied homes. But he was soundly defeated.
Bill Trumbo
Church Street
Looking for Gentle Brothers and Sisters
Editor:
I am working on my dissertation of research on Piña Palmera, a community-based rehabilitation project in Oaxaca, Mexico, begun by Frank Douglas and his associates. I am searching for more background information on him, his life and studies with Sri Aurobindo, and his experiences with the Gentle Brothers and Sisters. I'd appreciate hearing from any San Francisco residents who would like to share their memories. Thanks.
David Kendall Grant, M.S.Ed.
13843 N. 19th Way
Phoenix, AZ 85022
602-971-2899
sschoenhals@fhi.net
dgrant@scf.usc.edu
dgrant@rni.net
We'll Shoot for 90 Percent
Editor:
I'm not very experienced with neighborhood newspapers, but it seems to me you do an extremely good job. I don't have time to read 100 percent of any publication, but I'm always surprised to find myself engrossed in about 80 percent of your content in every edition.
I regret that, due to a long commute (an hour and a half each way on Muni, BART, and A.C. Transit) to my job as a 'Senior Graphic Arts Specialist' at Hayward Schools, I can't indulge much in local doings, but your publication helps me to feel a part of the community.
Thanks for all your good work.
Jim Elfers
Diamond Street
[Letter removed at request ofauthor.]
Window Etching Has to Stop
Editor:
As a new shop owner in the neighborhood, I am concerned about an epidemic of storefront window vandalism in Noe Valley. Twenty-fourth Street is heavily afflicted, and where I am on the corner of Church and 27th streets has recently been tagged as well.
In August, a youth responsible for doing damage to the Church Street windows was apprehended while etching graffiti in one of the windows of Mia's Flower Shop. A worker cleaning after hours at Eric's Restaurant next door saw him and called the police, and the youth was taken into custody.
However, it is my understanding that he has since been released. And because he is a minor (17), the city may let him walk away with a slap on the wrist.
Now I would like to know what is being done to prevent these gang taggers from continuing this type of behavior, and if they are not being fully punished and prosecuted, then why not?
This is an act of vandalism that goes way beyond spray paint. I have my new business in a building that has a 5-foot-by-9-foot picture window. When you sit and look out the window, your view is obscured by these flagrantly senseless etchings, which are essentially permanent. To get rid of them, the window needs to be replaced -- in other words, a window that has stood the test of time, weather, and earthquakes has been ruined by some punk with an attitude.
This window can never be replaced in its original state because it is not up to code. To replace it would require a permit, since it would now need to be a divided window, which changes the facade of the building. Who will pay for that?
Yes, the kid's parents are responsible. I wish I had time to take them to court. I wish they, in turn, would make their kid pay for the window and then perform hours of community service. I am happy to give them some suggestions:
* Let's start by having him clean and Windex the windows of the businesses he afflicted -- for a year.
* Then let's have him clean and scrape the gum off the sidewalk.
* Next, let's have him pick up the garbage on the street with his bare hands.
Let's keep his hands so busy he won't have time to think about getting into trouble.
Kathy O'Neill
Fountain of Youth Ice Cream Cafe