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
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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.”
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622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064
phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881
