Close your eyes and toss a rock (well, pebble) over your back. You’re bound to hit a transplanted Californian.

Who else would be buying those fabulous homes, such as the one on Scenic Heights Road with the white pillars at the street side? I give a long, slow once-over when I drive by, which the contractors must think is just for them.

Even though he’s not buying a fancy house, BOB DRENNAN said, “I’m tickled to death to be here. I lived in Palm Springs for six years, and it was time for a change.”

Drennan is the new store manager at Albertson’s. I caught up with him just as he finished some baking in the store’s Bakery Department. No button-down shirts or wing tips for him. He’s a hands-on manager and proud of it.

His staff thinks he’ll be good to work for and he likes them, too. “Our associates are terrific,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for a better team.”

Drennan plans to raise their service level and get back in touch with the employee. “We are so sales driven, we forget our employees have lives outside of work. I think I can bring back the human touch.”

What about the rumor that Albertson’s is closing? Drennan laughed it off, saying it’s simply not true and probably grew from an article saying that Costco was looking for retail space and might put Albertson’s out of business.

“We’re here to stay,” Drennan concluded.

I have no doubt he will succeed in making his store the best in Oak Harbor.

Just in case …

I’m not paranoid. I just want to be ready for an emergency, so when RON HANCOCK, GENE and DOROTHY RICE and HERB and JANE JOHNSON razzed me for buying a large, red Ace garbage can on Saturday, I brushed it off. I was on a mission.

CHERYL WIELDRAAYER of Ace Hardware said lots of people are buying them and marking them “Emergency Only.” It made sense to me. When I got home, I dropped in bungee cords, a 9-foot by 12-foot tarp, a first aid kit, flashlight and cat food. I’ll check more items off my list, taped to the lid, as I go along.

Just wait, Mr. and Mrs. Smarty Pants. When Fancy Feast cat food on crackers sounds good after the power has been out for a week, you know where I live.

Don’t cook …

Eat spaghetti instead, prepared and served along with bread and salad at the VFW Post 7392, Oak Harbor, hosted by the Ladies Auxiliary. Cost for dinner is $7 for adults and $3 for children. Dinner is served from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Everyone is invited to enjoy a good meal and see if membership in the VFW is for you.

The Whitehead-Muzzall Post is located at 3037 N. Goldie Road, Oak Harbor. Call 675-4048.

For third graders …

PICKLES stands for Positive Influence Changing Kids’ Lives in Elementary Schools. It’s a new program from the Impaired Driving Impact Panel of Island County, funded by the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and Island Thrift. It was developed under the guidance of K-8 Washington State certified educators who also address DUI.

Children are influenced at an early age and some experiment with alcohol before middle school. PICKLES is not an all-inclusive alcohol education curriculum but another positive layer to protect children.

JoANN HELLMANN has been involved in youth drug prevention research and efforts for over 15 years. Teachers may contact her at 675-8397.

Sunday drivers …

I’d have the occasional treat of going for a Sunday drive with my grandparents when I was a girl. After an early dinner, the three of us would ride in comfort in their 1949 Ford Woodie station wagon. I sat in the back seat, all the better to enjoy the fruity sweetness of grandpa’s pipe tobacco. Sometimes I’d fall asleep under the plaid blanket as a mystery drama crackled on the radio.

Driving for the fun of it seems lost now. We are too busy running errands. I urge you to drive around Coupeville to see the dozens of scarecrows on display. The costumes are ingenious, from ladies in housecoats and hats to one in a Coupeville Wolves football uniform. Don’t miss it.

Time to act …

I’m confused. Why will Americans fight a war in another country and not bother to register to vote? That’s a hot button issue where I come from, so listen up. I want you to walk into the Auditor’s office like a proud American and bring that blue voter registration form and ID with you by Oct. 23. Your failure to comply means you will not be eligible to cast your vote in the Nov. 7 general election. That’s punishment enough.

See you on Oct. 25. Write to me at lifeonwhidbey@yahoo.com or call 675-6611.