Ryan Thomas Ford was born September 8 at the Juneau Family Birth Center to Jennifer and Simon Ford. Ryan was eight pounds, 12 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Ryan joins eight brothers and sisters, six of whom were there to greet their brother on his arrival. Siblings Michael, Amber, Naomi, Bethany, Noah and Caleb were in Juneau as well as family friend Kathy Holt. Brothers Dawson and Jack stayed in Haines, but greeted their brother on the family’s arrival home.
Charlie Steven DeWitt was born September 14 at 3:26 pm in Sitka to Lexie and Stuart DeWitt. Charlie was eight pounds, six ounces and 22 inches long. Stuart’s parents, Toni and Charlie DeWitt, attended the birth. While in Sitka, Lexie and Stuart stayed with Andrew and Becky Friske and visited with friends Carl and Amber Blackhurst. At Lexie’s last prenatal appointment in Haines, doctor Julia Heinz was right on the money when she predicted baby Charlie’s birth weight. Lexie’s parents, Carrie and Steve Conley, and her brother Kyle Conley, met the family in Juneau and traveled home to Haines to spend two weeks getting to know the newest member of the family.
Ron and Jacque Horn have a new granddaughter. Livia Grace Paar was born September 13 to Heather and Joe Paar. Livia was eight pounds, eight ounces and 20 inches long. Ron and Jacque both traveled to Seattle to be with their daughter and her family before the birth, but when Livia’s arrival was overdue, Ron had to head back to Haines. Ron offered his support from afar, and was able to witness the homebirth when the family called him on Skype. Big sister Pearle was ready to greet Livia on her arrival. Jacque is home in Haines and will happily show you pictures of their beautiful granddaughters.
Patty
Friends and family of longtime Haines librarian Ellen Borders gathered Friday for the unveiling of a tile memorial piece crafted by artist Kerry Cohen. Hung near the library’s collection, which Ellen carefully guided for decades, the piece reads, “Ellen brought joy to many lives by sharing her love of books, her wit, her humor, and her caring ways.”
A luncheon sponsored by SEARHC focused on diabetes prevention and management Friday. SEARHC Dietician Kari Natwick came up from Juneau to make a presentation and share recipes. Diabetes case manager Lisa Schwartz organized the gathering in coordination with health promotion specialist Mandy Ramsey. The free meal, which was enjoyed by 27 attendees, demonstrated the “My Plate” dietary recommendations introduced by the USDA this summer. The new guidelines replace the food pyramid, and illustrate a well-balanced meal as divided into four segments on a plate: vegetables, fruit, grains and protein.
So far, the Starvin Marvin school composting and garden project has harvested 52 pounds of food this year. Planted by last year’s sixth graders in coordination with Pam Randles and Julia Scott at Takshanuk Watershed Council, the raised beds and greenhouse are producing carrots, onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Now seventh graders, the students are watching their potato beds and expect to harvest their spuds within a few weeks. Last year’s harvest of 80 pounds of Tlingit potatoes came from just one pound of seed potatoes from Henriette Arenson. Middle-school science teacher Tennie Bentz is able to integrate the project into her class curriculum. This year’s sixth-grade students are doing a cost-benefit analysis in math class to determine whether they can make the project self-supporting with vegetable sales next year.
Campbell survived temperatures above 105 degrees in the Dallas area when she attended the Radio Shack franchise store convention recently. She also visited her sister Linda Tarwater and father Dorsey Durfee in Kansas City, Mo. where the family celebrated Dorsey’s 87th birthday and helped him move into an Assisted Living Facility. Patty attended a Kansas City Chiefs preseason football game against St. Louis with her sister and brother-in-law, who managed to get them seats on the 50-yard line. From her up-close vantage point, Patty was amazed at the size of the players. Says Patty, “They are huge dudes, lots bigger in person than they look like on TV.”