Silly animals ....

... a thought which passes through my mind most evenings here at the Clemens household. But see for yourself.

And now, for something completely pho...

... pronounced more like Phuh... here is a tip from the Washington Post if anyone is ever back up near Clemens' native land, my petit patrie, as the French say, courtesy of the "Going Out Gurus":

Best pho restaurant in Northern Virginia: What is it?

Lavanya Ramanathan: My boyfriend will argue it's Pho 88 in Falls Church. I like it because there's a veggie pho, and the people are nice.

Justin Rude: The popular answer is Pho 75 Arlington, and it's a good choice, too. It features long communal tables and by-the-number ordering. I like No. 1.

As for us here in the mountains we have to make do with a Japanese restaurant called Ichiban run by a Vietnamese guy named Peter down in Winston. And then only on Friday and Saturday. Carmen and I went down there this afternoon looking for a good bowl of Pho. I knew when I did it that I spent too much time in the shower. By the time we got there they had just sold the last of the Pho. Damn. Had to make do with Vietnamese beef salad and Ichiban seafood soup.

Which wasn't bad at all.

Carmen lost a good friend the other day ...

... one who had been quite a force in the community. Helen had once taught at Appstate but retired the year before I got there. My good friend and colleague Dom Lorenzo had worked closely with her on a number of projects trying to promote the social good.

She was, it must be admitted, a crusty, cantankerous forceful woman who wanted things done her way and did not suffer fools at all, much less gladly, but she had a good heart and did much for the education of the people of Wilkes, especially the Hispanics. It was Helen who encouraged Carmen to teach English as a second language to inmates at the state work camp (aka prison) which I think was an important and formative experience for Carmen. Helen, who knew a thing or two about teaching, told me that Carmen was a gifted teacher. Which is true (she has certainly taught me all kinds of things).

For all these reasons I will post the entire obituary which appeared on the front page of the Wilkes Journal Patriot:

Dr. Helen Elizabeth Latour, 85, of Cricket Ivy Lane, North Wilkesboro, died Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011 at Villages of Wilkes Skilled Care.

In 1989, Dr. Latour founded Volunteers for Wilkes Literacy (VWL), an organization to teach, through trained volunteers, reading and writing to those in need. In addition, volunteers worked to raise public awareness of the literacy needs in Wilkes County.

VWL provides one-on-one tutoring for illiterate adults, English as a second language, and citizenship instruction by trained volunteers. VWL also offers instruction for parents of children in the Head Start program.

Dr. Latour helped as a leader, instructor and fundraiser for the organization. One of the events which she organized was a spelling bee for teams from local businesses and organizations.

In 2009, Dr. Latour was presented with the North Carolina Medallion Award, the state's highest volunteer honor. She was nominated for the award by the Wilkes Volunteer Commission, which recognizes volunteer service in Wilkes County. She was the first resident of the county to receive the award.

The Medallion Awards in 2009 were presented to 20 volunteers in the state.