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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 2019)
in other words march7 2019 13 The Hobo Corner: This Month It’s All About the Bread! By Jack Kauppila Hey Everyone - It’s Jack here, from the Hobo Bakery in Vernonia, my new hometown. It’s starting to look and feel a bit like spring around here. Yay! Crystal-blue skies are popping through between snow flurries, and All Day is lasting a little longer each day. Good for us! We made it through our harshest winter in Vernonia yet, me and my Sweet Sweet Mary. Okay, yeah, it’s our first winter in V-town, but lemme tell ya something - if the real- ity of this winter was too mild, the anxiety over ‘do we need a generator?’ more than outweighed any ac- tual discomfort the two brief power outages we slept through could have generated. Thank you, Vernonia, for welcoming us to our new hometown with such open and generous hearts. Sure, it might be the maple-spice donuts, but I’m hoping it’s just a little bit more. And thanks for tak- ing the time to read my little column. Quick aside: I’m baking a big ol’ pile of awesome Hobo Bread for a program called ‘Soup to the Streets,’ from Congregation Neveh Shalom (Oasis of Peace - how cool is that name?!?!) in Portland. Each winter Rabbi David Kosak and a group of stalwart volunteers take soup and sandwiches to the homeless in downtown Portland. This makes the second winter that I have been blessed with being able to donate the bread and help provide a warm meal on a cold night for over 200 people. I pause for this aside because the timer just went off on the last 6 boules (from the French for ‘ball’ because of the little round balls of bread) and there’s this magic ‘reveal’ moment when I take the tops off the dutch ovens they’ve been baking in and I get to see how they turned out - it’s a mindfulness moment each time - I pause, breath in, breath out, and pull the top off. Holy Monkeys this bread looks amazing! It’s blos- somed up all big and puffy in the hot oven and the top is torn along hidden fault lines. It’s thick and luscious as the last bit of steam escapes and the bread settles itself for five more minutes in the oven to set the crust. And then it crackles as it cools - seriously, come by some day to hear the bread crackle! It’s a symphony of celebration put on by flour, water, salt, yeast and time. While I can still see my breath on this icy-cold bakery morning, I think how amazing it must be to get a warm cup of soup and a sandwich on bread like this, baked fresh, just for you, and provided by the pure heart of giving that beats in the Rabbi and his team. I am humbled and moved to tears when I realize I get to be a part of this. Okay, back to it - my little column… My hope is to share my experience, inspira- tion, and aspirations with you each month. And prob- ably a rat-out or two - I like to rat myself out for the silly stuff I’ve done; keeps me honest. Like when I scone-shamed a poor sweet customer who just wanted to know when her scone would be done, given that my last three time estimates had been, obviously, grossly inaccurate. I’m so sorry. I own it, and I have a scone for her if ever she’s willing to come back by. Scones with a smile now, that’s my motto! This month it’s all about the bread. Hobo bread is what brought Sweet Sweet Mary and I out here one sunny Sunday in April. Our poor little home oven was being stretched to the limit, (along with SSM’s patience as I kept setting off the fire alarm at all hours of day and night) and we made our sec- ond trip, ever, to Vernonia. I wanted a backyard where I could build a big-ol’ oven and make more and more and more bread! Then Fate intervened when a dear friend, and recent transplant to V-town, flipped a u-ey and pointed out that the bakery right behind us was for sale. The next 10 months have had me stumbling after the glorious Will of the Universe, just trying to keep up with each amazing new thing that unfolds before me. Right now it’s bread. I have 30 boules to bag and deliver (yup! We deliver!) along with some or- ders for the congregation who have caught on to our tasty treats - the Oasis of Peace was slightly strained last month when a delivery of brownies turned the of- fice into a performance by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. I have no apology for that. I’ll just make more brownies. And more bread! Included in this delivery is a boule of Hobo Olive with Feta - I’m not even kidding, this may be the best bread I’ve ever made. Of course I say that about almost every boule, which means that each subsequent boule I make is better than the one before. I wonder what’s next? Let’s check in next month to find out. Peace and Happy Happy Toasting from the Hobo Corner. Bonamici Calls For Oregon Leads National Lawsuit Update to Violence Challenging New Title X “Gag Rule” Oregon Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Attor- ment of Health and Human Services, providers in any Against Women Act ney General Ellen Rosenblum announced they are lead- clinic that receives Title X funding will be barred from re- ing a national lawsuit with New York Attorney General Letitia James challenging the constitutionality of a new rule that will significantly restrict access to reproductive health services and information for women and families. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in Eu- gene, Oregon with 21 State Attorneys General joining the lawsuit. The rule relates to funding for Title X, the only federal grant program that funds family planning pro- grams to help patients access contraception, breast and cervical cancer screenings, well-woman exams, screen- ing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and other related health services. Informally, opponents of the new rule are referring to it as a “gag rule” because it will place unlawful and unethical restrictions on health care professionals by prohibiting them from providing unbi- ased information about and referrals for abortion services even if specifically requested by the patient. “Everyone deserves the ability make their own decisions about their health care,” said Governor Brown. “I’m proud that Oregon is taking the lead in this important lawsuit,” said Attorney General Rosenblum. “Oregonians have voted time and time again to support women’s reproductive health freedoms.” Under the new rule issued by the U.S. Depart- Oil Change • Sharpen Blades Filters • Cables • Pull Ropes We pick up & deliver! Family owned & operated for over 45 years 834 Bridge St., Vernonia (503) 429-6364 DM D Vernonia Dental an Donʻt wait for the sun! Get your MOWERS tuned up now! ferring a patient for an abortion (even if she requests that information), and in many circumstances even discussing an abortion with a patient. By law, Title X funding has never been used to fund abortions, but the new rule goes well beyond what the federal statutes require and is in- consistent with the provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The new rule also mandates a referral for prenatal care for every pregnant patient, regardless of the needs or the wishes of the patient. In 2017 Oregon’s Title X clinics served 37,012 patients, and last fiscal year Oregon received over $3 mil- lion in Title X funds. Oregon has received funding for Title X services in Oregon since 1970, and Title X clinics are located in almost every county in Oregon. The pro- gram is administered by the Oregon Health Authority’s Reproductive Health Program. Two-thirds of the patients served at Oregon’s Title X clinics are at, or below, 100 percent of the federal poverty level and 95 percent were below 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Joining Oregon in the lawsuit are Colorado, Con- necticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wis- consin. e rm Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) met with advocates for survivors of domestic violence and called for Congress to update and expand the Vio- lence Against Women Act (VAWA), which lapsed on Friday, February 15. The landmark legislation that funded domes- tic violence agencies across the country since 1994 expired in September of 2018, but a short-term reau- thorization carried it through until February 15. Con- gress has funded VAWA programs for this year, but a reauthorization of the program is needed. “Domestic violence survivors and the agen- cies that support them should be able to rely on the federal support they need. I am eager to work with my colleagues to update and expand this law. I am com- mitted to making sure that VAWA is reauthorized and expanded to provide stronger protections for all sur- vivors, including LGBTQ and Native women,” said Bonamici. “Without the Violence Against Women Act, many agencies like ours would be in trouble,” said Hilary Levine, Director of Services at The Harbor, a women’s shelter in Clatsop County. “Especially in rural counties where there are few options, survivors need to know these services will always be available, no matter what.” D h . r C r h p o is t M er . h S c eu 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881
