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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | JULY 2019 9 By Theresa Rossetti, Resident To quote Paul Simon from his 1973 song used for the title of this rambling, "When I look back on all the crap I learned in high school, it's a wonder I can think at all." Latin made me a better speller but I'm pretty sure I haven't used calculus or physics since graduation. I did take a typing/ steno course in high school. Those skills were very useful in college, not so much after college. Just as I was forgetting everything I knew, the general use of computers struck us in the mid 80s-early 90s. Typing skills were in again! What goes around comes around. Recently, I read a piece about high school graduates complaining that they are not being prepared to live on their own. They don't know how to pay bills or manage credit, or even how to wash their own clothes. Before we all start yelling that this is their parents' job, remember that typing class. Maybe for you it was a Home Ec class, or Woodworking, or Automotive Skills. I'm not advocating for a Laundry class in high schools, but a class on Finances instead of abstract math might be a very good idea. My parents were pretty good with finances (my mom was a bookkeeper) but I've known quite a few parents who I would not want to teach my kids how to be responsible with their money. Some things, and handling your finances is definitely one of them, are better left to the people who know what they're talking about. My dad used to say, "You learn something new every day." He probably said it to keep me from griping about homework, but it stuck. I recently said it to my grandson, and he is delighted whenever he tells me something I didn't know. Sure, it's usually sports related, but still it's something I didn't know before. Keep learning, it keeps our brains sharp! Down on the Farm By Dick Roppe, Resident (Some of the following was extracted from Press Enterprise articles by Craig Shultz appearing in 2015 and 2017) If you haven't noticed, there's a new farm located at the corner of Sanderson and Acacia – a solar farm. From the early 1940s until 2005, the 134 acres were used for breeding horses as well as a school for jockeys. The facility doesn't generate power for Hemet, but it does produce revenues. The contractor, SunEdison, is leasing the land from the "Breliant Irrevocable Trust under a 25-year agreement with an optional five-year extension." Initially, the company will pay an annual solar fee to the city estimated at $94,000 per year. The 95-acre array consists of solar panels ranging in sizes from 6 up to 10 feet in height. The panels are installed on south-facing trackers to maximize sun exposure during the day. There is also a noticeable benefit along Sanderson. New sidewalks and landscaping are being completed and are a welcomed sight. There seems to be a minor blip in the SunEdison story, so some of the figures cited in this story may be inaccurate. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April of 2016. This would seem to be an explanation for all the completion delays experienced by the city. To obtain some up to date information, I contacted the city to see how the bankruptcy filing has affected their contract with the company. According to the city manager's office it was necessary for me to submit questions to their office for distribution to the "appropriate" agencies – which I did. As of our press deadline, I have yet to hear back from city officials. A typical solar array Satellite view of the Hemet solar farm

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