By Ashley Lodato
I recently came across a list called “What Every Kid Should Be Able to Do by Age 16.” Written by author and adventurer Audrey Sutherland, who died in 2015, the list recommends mastery of 31 practical life skills by the time one reaches driving age.
One night last week we were reviewing the list — which contains skills like “change a tire,” “write a business letter,” and “swim 400 yards easily” — and my daughters and their friend (ages 11 – 13) were noting which things they could do and which they couldn’t.
We got to “clean a fish and dress a chicken,” which provided for an interesting discussion. My husband, Jon, noted that he hadn’t dressed a chicken in a year or two, and I said that I had only dressed a chicken a handful of times, since Jon always does that task in our household. After a few minutes we saw a figurative light bulb above the girls’ friend’s head, as she realized that “dress a chicken” did not involve American Girl Doll clothes and a wrestling match with a hen.
A few days later, I was complaining that our exterior stair lights (a flimsy jury-rigged system of a bunch of Christmas lights strung together) were, once again, broken due to a severed wire. My younger daughter fixed me with a meaningful gaze, walked to the refrigerator, and tapped her finger deliberately at one item on the “What Every Kid Should Be Able to Do by Age 16” list. If she had been able to raise a single eyebrow, she probably would have. I looked closer. The list read “splice a wire.” Touché, youngster.
Sometimes around the Methow Valley you only have to say one word to speak volumes. Around Christmas, for example, you could just say “poodles,” and everyone knew what you meant.
Lately, that word is “solar.” Right? You know what I’m talking about — the heated discussions regarding the proposed change to Winthrop’s Westernization code that would allow solar panels to be placed on the gable roofs of businesses in the W-3 district.
Some believe such panels would be detrimental to Winthrop’s old-west tourist appeal, as they would be a dead giveaway to visitors that they had not actually time traveled back to 1879. Winthrop put itself on the map as a tourist destination with the Westernization theme and many are concerned that modern contraptions like solar panels will dilute this image.
Others maintain that the presence of solar panels would indicate that Winthrop is a place where people care about issues like climate change and greenhouse gases, where minds are open to ideas like pursuing alternative energy sources.
Supporters of the code change say that those tourists and community members who even notice the panels would view them positively, and that it would be beneficial to Winthrop’s business development. Not to mention what a precedent-setting excellent experience it would be for 100 toddlers and pre-schoolers to get their early childhood education in Winthrop’s first net-zero commercial building.
You may have an opinion about this issue, in which case you should attend the public hearing by the Winthrop Planning Commission on Tuesday (April 10), at 6 p.m. at the Winthrop Barn. Written comments can be submitted to the Town Planner, Town of Winthrop, P.O. Box 459, Winthrop, WA 98862 or by email to planner@townofwinthrop.com.
