I was a little girl when I came in before supper, spotted a glass of apple juice on the table, and quickly took a big gulp while Gram wasn’t looking.

Unfortunately, the apple juice turned out to be apple cider vinegar, which led to choking, gagging, gasping and getting busted. The rest of the family enjoyed it, and the incident became part of the family folklore.

I thought of that incident just the other day while making up a batch of all-purpose cleaner by pouring half a cup of vinegar into an old dish soap container and adding a quart of water. That quart of cleaning solution can be used full strength to wipe down doorways and appliances that you’re likely to tackle now that the weather is driving us in. You might want to dilute it a bit when you put it in a spray bottle to use on windows.

What is a hero?

It is an American trait to have heroes. Sports heroes, movie heroes, natural disaster heroes, military heroes and personal heroes.

Unfortunately, some heroes fade away and new heroes rise to take their place.

Since we are so close to Veterans Day, our thoughts turn to our military heroes. The definition of hero is often given only to those who have a chest full of medals for outstanding bravery. However, heroes come in many other sizes and shapes.

Perhaps homeowners should get more aggressive with burglars

Recently there has been a rash of burglaries in the Fort Dick, Hiouchi and Washington Park areas.

As usual, the suspects in these crimes cause a large amount of damage to the homeowner, steal their hard earned valuables, and invade their privacy, not to mention that the items are usually pawned for pennies on the dollar or traded for drugs.

I wonder how many of these crimes would occur if the front page of the Triplicate read, “Burglary suspects shot by homeowner while attempting burglary.”

Rick Barry

Crescent City

Editor's note: Rick Barry is a California Highway Patrol officer.

Editor’s note: Del Norte Students appears every four weeks.

The overall experience of being in high school is hard to describe.

To the outside world, high school life might seem like repetition: wake up, get ready, go to school, go to practice, go home, do homework, eat, sleep, wake up and do it all again the next day.

I’m sorry, but this is far from an accurate itinerary. Our lives are not the equivalent to the directions on the back of a shampoo bottle, (lather, rinse, repeat). High school in general is far too diverse to be explained in a single definition; no one has identical fingerprints, so why would we have identical lives?

If it had been anyone else, the police would have jailed Riese

The Nov. 1 article “Riese faces criminal complaint”  by Anthony Skeens opens up a number of questions that were not answered in the article.

First, I believe District Attorney Jon Alexander did the right thing by turning this case over to the state Attorney General’s Office. But I believe Mr. Alexander should be asking a number of questions of Chief Douglas Plack and of the Crescent City Police Department.

My first question: Why wasn’t Mike Riese booked into County Jail on the evening of Aug. 22?

During the years that I have been associated with Del Norte athletics since returning to Crescent City in 1980, I have been really impressed with the quality of the young people who have been a part of the Warrior athletic programs.

Not just with their ability to compete, but with the great character that they show over and over. This goes for both the boys and girls programs.

This is why I enjoy the privilege I have to write about so many of these individuals. Dylan Ridgley, a 1992 graduate, is one of those special people. When Dylan entered Del Norte in the fall of 1988 he immediately made his presence known as a running back on the freshman team. As a sophomore he continued to show great improvement.

House Calls runs every two weeks. Today’s column is written by Aleen Huston, respiratory care practitioner and certified respiratory therapist at Sutter Coast Hospital.

During the cold-weather months, hospital facilities are on high alert, especially Sutter Coast Hospital, for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

RSV is a childhood infection as common as influenza. It’s responsible for one of every 13 visits to a pediatrician and one of every 38 emergency room trips. It infects most children sooner or later (usually before the age of 2). It often starts out with cold symptoms. For many babies and young children, the virus is no more troublesome than a cold. RSV infections usually occur during the winter months, with its peak in January and February in the Del Norte County.

From the pages of the Del Norte Triplicate, November 1941.

Modoc County has joined with Siskiyou and Del Norte counties in California and Curry County in Oregon, in a move to form a new Pacific Coast state, according to word received from Chairman J. J. McNamara of the Del Norte committee yesterday.

The action came following presentation of the case to the Modoc County board of supervisors by a Yreka delegation Saturday.

Kudos to state Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro for continuing to criticize the plan to close 70 state parks.

Del Norters may be paying less attention to this issue after an agreement was achieved with the National Park Service to keep much of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park open. After all, that was the only local park on the list of 70.

But remember that the state-federal pact to preserve public access to 21 miles of trails and 2,514 acres of old-growth redwoods is a one-year arrangement, with the possibility of an extension.

Eating well isn’t only about what you eat; it’s also about where you live.

Whether you live in fast food central or around the corner from a farmers’ market, near two grocery stores or two liquor stores, your social environment helps dictate your food options.

Over the past year, I have helped coordinate the Community Food Council for Del Norte and Adjacent Tribal Lands. It’s our local version of a food policy council and its mission is to create a vibrant, sustainable local food system for all.