The spring rains, you have just got to love ‘em. It makes a person feel like anything is possible. Even I am beginning to feel optimistic. Of course I am still plotting the "relocation" of a certain ficus tree. But other than that, things look great. I guess all it takes is the sight of California Poppies in bloom to lift my spirits. It's a Druid thing.

Another reason I am feeling on top of the world is because, as a citizen activist I joined with my very cool neighbors in a successful effort to get the Encinitas City Council to require Greystone Homes to submit an Environmental Impact Report. Before wreaking havoc on Northwest Leucadia. It felt so good leaving city hall at midnight with a sense of actual accomplishment. Chalk one up for the residents.

There are some naysayers complaining that the new council majority are just being obstructionists, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Not only did the full council vote in favor of requiring the EIR, they also raised issues of their own. If any one should be labeled obstructionists it is us neighbors who had a problem with a negative declaration statement, from a city staff which was aware of the toxic history of the site in question.

If you ask most residents of coastal North County if they would be concerned with the past dumping of carcinogenic chemicals in their neighborhood, they would probably want to know what was there. I might be wrong, but I think city planners should know enough about the ABC's of toxins to know that DDT is something you don't want residents exposed to. Call it a hunch.

While sitting in the city council chambers I swear I was having a Dan Quayle flashback as the developers were trying to gloss over the fact that the horticultural site currently slated for some cheesy tract homes, was once a site for the dumping of pesticides. Many of which are now banned in the United States. "Knowledge is power." How is that for an obstructionist slogan?

I am also happy that Congressman Ron Packard told the people of Orange County not to entertain thoughts about placing an international airport on Camp Pendleton. When Republicans start to recognize the importance of open space, one can't help but feel a twinge of hope. Now if only we can get Congressman Packard to stop the agents of destruction at Gregory Canyon Limited from destroying it's namesake and the mountain from which it gets it name.

Is it to much to ask that the proponents of this poorly conceived "super dump" to understand how truly limited places like Gregory Canyon are? You would have to be huffing a lot of glue to think that a 1,700 acre landfill can safely be placed on both sides of the San Luis Rey River. You would have to be on even more drugs to think that destroying habitat for the endangered Least Bell's vireo would go unchallenged. Hal Jensen one of the partners, in this foolish endeavor, is the same man who has been trying to place on a rock quarry on Rosemary's Mountain. Seems environmental devastation is his business.

Another reason to be overjoyed is that a new, vegetarian friendly, restaurant has opened in the area. This one is even willing to vary from it's established menu to provide vegan meals to it's more enlightened clientele. For those of you who enjoy jerking around, I suggest that you check out Caribbean Grill in downtown Oceanside. Not only does it feature live reggae music on weekends, it is also only two blocks from the Coaster station. Now if we can just get the California Coastal Commission to tell Doug Manchester and his hired sycophants to take a hike.

Speaking of people taking a hike. You can only imagine my pleasure in receiving the news that Oceanside City Councilman Terry Johnson had been removed from the California Coastal Commission. The bad news? He was replaced by a San Diego Developer. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. I wonder if the new commissioner is a personal friend to Dougie Manchester as well.

In conclusion I would like to respond to the charge that I am "easily irritated." To Katie Beroukin, all I can say is you don't know the half of it. If you were to follow the adventures of Bob and Mike you would realize that my temper tantrums and "the attacks on my page mate,"(that sounds so kinky) are closely related. And as for your request that I contribute "something beneficial to the spirit of the planet, I guess you scan past the editorial section more often than not.

Here's to a glorious spring.