FOR STARTERS-
It is those countless brave souls of this community who selflessly act in preserving and keeping the real value of this valley intact. This action, I believe, agrees with the traditions,vibrations and frequencies which
were present before moderns arrived, that attracts many unusual healers and educators to Ojai.

Tyler, is this contest being announced in other publications or is it exclusive to our lucky Post readers?

I see the deadline for entering is December 1, 2007, 11:59pm.

Hi Suza - this is exclusive to the post, and yes, it will run for another three weeks or so, through Dec. 1. Spread the word!

Thanks--- now that I know it's exclusive to the post, I will spread the word!

Can one person enter more than one haiku?

And can one person enter more than one 100 words or less entry?

Yes on all accounts, enter as many times as you like in both categories.

I just learned that Post authors are not allowed to enter the contest, so here is my non-competitive entry for Ojaiku:

Mornings on Pratt Trail
Afternoons lost at Bart’s Books
Farmer and the Cook

Thanks Dennis for sharing; I hope it will encourage others to submit an entry for the contest. Yeah!

no need to submit

most haikuiest haiku

already sent in

you probably think you're pretty clever, EA.

I think he's pretty clever!

farmer and the cook?

this, the beauty of ojai?

gimme a br-reak!

Ojai would do well to follow a building ordinance adopted by Santa Barbara recently limiting the size of remodels to a certain square footage preventing dimensions that block surrounding views and overshadow modest pre-existing structures.

The big buildout of Ojai deminishes charm and liveability and comes with side effects of unsustainable growth - crime, unhealthy air, traffic congestion and general threats to public safety and the quality of life. Oversized homes and commercial buildings subtract from the charm and diversity bringing tourist revenue to a small town that is not yet another suburb. The downtown arcade area is designed for pedestrians with a central plaza business district, not a gateway to decentralized commercial buildings producing traffic congestion.

Also as important is providing for the culture-youth, arts, music and creative pursuits, as well as acknowledging the many rich and varied spiritual communities we have for a town this size. It is good to see young people walking and relating to a small town they grew up in and still feel a part of.

I like small neighborhood encounters with safe streets for bicycles and walkers and kids and the occasional wayward dog wandering down what it believes is a quiet lane, not a busy thoroughfare. My vision of the quality of life here compliments but not resists a finite valley supporting healthy clean natural resources which have potential for benign clean energies and renewables - solar, wind, and bicycle and electric transportation

I entered the city council race for reasons somewhat a mystery - the job itself being a long and thankless task with few willing participants. I know now going through the elections process that the community has found it’s voice, or one that I never quite heard before here. I’ve seen the old guard of Ojai awaken, and I’ve seen the newer one sing harmony with not the same old song and dance, but a stirring melody of hope and promise that is every bit as rare and beautiful as this valley surrounded by mountains that filter the light of dawn and dusk.

That this place is like no other, that is the essential message and the only one that really matters. Yes it is threatened here, but no It is not too late to change that - it is neither a lost horizon nor a lost cause.

I won’t be singing the melody from a city council seat but will be humming it as I make the rounds on bicycle and on foot to friends I see walking still quiet streets, still healthy small neighborhoods with trees and views and and still open places with pure streams to see and visit. It is still good to live in this place, to know and value it, to be a part of it. To see and hear this song being sung brings feelings of joy and contentment of what remains in this quiet valley of peace.

hey pete,

this thread is for o-haikus......

for example, you could have said:

safe streets for walkers

benign clean renewables

this valley of peace

(now you try it)

small buildings please
let us admire only trees
small towns are for walking
let's quality if life do the talking
an occasional dog or kid
will not mind stopping
to see whose talking
about keeping this place
from too much shopping!