March 2010 Lake Highlands

HOMEGROWN GRUB

FARMERS MARKETS ARE CROPPING UP EVERYWHERE, FASTER THAN CITY REGULATIONS CAN KEEP UP

BLOGS, PODCASTSANDMOREAT

PHOTO BY SEAN McGINTY

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Stalk us, please. If you don’t, you could be missing out on breaking neighborhood news. Get emerging Lake Highlands news from editor Christina Hughes Babb at twitter.com/advocate LH

“ The entire notion of telling the City that we’ve got storm debris that needs collecting is silly.”

—JOHN ON THE CITY’S FALLEN LIMB POLCIES S EA R CH : FALLEN LIMBS ON

MY WIFE HATES SPORTS

Our courtship suggested otherwise, and once I learned the truth, it was too late

We sat in the upper deck at Reunion Arena watching the Mavericks stumble around the court. We checked out a polo match back when there was a field at Willow Bend. We even went to a high school football game to watch two teams neither of us cared about just because watching sports was something fun to do.

But no sporting event offered the sheer enjoyment of professional baseball, where we sat in cheap seats and bought cheap hot dogs. (My wife’s was smeared with so much mustard you couldn’t see the dog or the bun from the top.)

And then something happened that dramatically changed our lives we

were married. And only then, after the wedding gift exchange and the honeymoon and the new house, and once her name was all over my meager but still estimable assets, did I find out the truth: My wife hates sports.

It’s not that she harbors resentment toward sporting events; she absolutely, positively yawns through sports of all kinds and, as it turns out, always has.

Well, I have to say that for a while, I felt duped. This revelation shook our marriage. I considered, privately and without consulting my wife, whether counseling (for her, of course) might help bridge the gap between us. But when I weighed the cost of counseling versus the number of annual sporting event tickets that would then be unaffordable, I glumly accepted my ‘til-death-do-us-part fate.

as we trudged forward with a happy public face.

And then, something happened that completely and dramatically changed our lives again: Our two sons were born, and they loved sports, too!

As the boys became older, and as their interest in sports grew, we did what any self-respecting family does when confronted with life-altering choices.

We voted on which activities to attend, and we agreed that majority ruled.

Rangers game this weekend, who wants to go? 3-1 in favor! Mavs vs. the Thunder? 3-1 in favor! Stars vs. anyone? 3-1 in favor!

Rick Wamre is publisher of Advocate Publishing. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or email to rwamre@advocatemag.com.

DISTRIBUTION PH/214.560.4203

From time to time thereafter, I tried to conjure the old magic, slyly leaving tickets to a particularly enticing sporting event on the kitchen table the Stars versus the Red Wings, or the Mavs against the Pistons, or the ultimate sporting event, a Rangers double-header (two games on the same day!). No dice.

There seemed to be no way back from this deep, dark hole in our lives, even

ADVERTISING PH/214.560.4203 advertising coordinator: JUDY LILES /214.560.4203 jliles@advocatemag.com

Married life is good now, but I’m becoming a little worried since we’re losing our oldest to a college out of state next year; I’m afraid the vote might start looking like 2-1 more often, and that’s a little close for comfort.

But I have an ace up my sleeve for that day when son number two inevitably hits the road and I’ll be looking at a 1-1 standoff again, harkening back to those early, difficult years after we were married.

It turns out, unbeknownst to my wife, that I don’t like shopping. Never have and never will.

advertising sales director: KRISTY GACONNIER /214.560.4213 kgaconnier@advocatemag.com display sales manager: BRIAN BEAVERS /214.560.4201 bbeavers@advocatemag.com

senior advertising consultant: AMY DURANT /214.560.4205 adurant@advocatemag.com advertising consultants: CATHERINE PATE /214.292.0494 cpate@advocatemag.com

NORA JONES /214.292.0962 njones@advocatemag.com

MADELYN RYBCZYK /214.292.0485 mrybczyk@advocatemag.com BRANDI S TRINGER /469.916.7864 bstringer@advocatemag.com

PATTI M ILLER /214.292.0961 pmiller@advocatemag.com classified manager: PRIO BERGER /214.560.4211 pberger@advocatemag.com

classified consultants: SALLY ACKERMAN /214.560.4202 sackerman@advocatemag.com SUSAN C LARK /469.916.7866 sclark@advocatemag.com

EDITORIAL PH/ 214.292.2053 publisher: RICK WAMRE /214.560.4212 rwamre@advocatemag.com managing editor: KERI MITCHELL /214.292.0487 kmitchell@advocatemag.com

editors: MARLENA CHAVIRA-MEDFORD /214.292.2053 mchavira-medford@advocatemag.com CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB /214.560.4204 chughes@advocatemag.com

RACHEL STONE /214.292.0490 rstone@advocatemag.com senior art director: JYNNETTE NEAL /214.560.4206 jneal@advocatemag.com assistant art director: J ULIANNE RICE /214.292.0493 jrice@advocatemag.com

designers: JEANINE MICHNA-BALES, L ARRY OLIVER, contributing

editors: JEFF SIEGEL, SALLY WAMRE

contributors: SEAN CHAFFIN, SANDY GREYSON, BILL KEFFER, GAYLA KOKEL, ERIN MOYER, GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAFF web editor: COLLEEN YANCY /469.916.7860 cyancy@advocatemag.com

photo editor: CAN TÜRKYILMAZ /214.560.4200 cturkyilmaz@advocatemag.com

photographers: ROBERT BUNCH, MARK DAVIS, MOLLY DICKSON interns: ALEX KNESNIK, DAMION SELMON

When my wife-to-be and I were dating, our favorite activity was attending sporting events.

“Knee replacement at Baylor got me moving again.”

“You have no idea how many steps you take until every one is painful,” says Jill Gunnels. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage in both her knees was virtually gone, and she needed total knee replacement. “I wanted to make sure the right person did the procedure,” she says. At Baylor, Jill had bilateral knee replacement, a highly technical orthopaedic procedure. Now, she says, “My life has changed. I’m going places every day. I don’t think you can keep up with me.” As for her choice of hospitals, she says, “I have one word—gratitude.”

For a physician referral or for more information about orthopaedic services at Baylor Dallas, call 1.800.4BAYLOR or visit us online at BaylorHealth.com/DallasOrtho

3500 Gaston Avenue., Dallas, Texas 75246

2009 TOP PRODUCERS

BACK TALK

blog&

HERE’S THE BEEF

Ouch! $9.46 for a cheeseburger, fries and drink. [Back Talk Blog “Restaurant talk: Burger Spot”]

—SMITO, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

Just ate there for lunch today. Great service, food was terrific and if you go, don’t miss the funnel cake fries for dessert — so delicious! My kids loved their corn dog bites and the regular, thin fries are perfectly seasoned. The family who opened this is from a long line of success

Celebrity Bakery fame — so everything is very fresh. So glad to have them in the ‘hood!

—LH MOM OF TWO BOYS, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

We went Sunday. Enjoyed the food, but enjoyed the owners more. Very nice folks and I certainly wish them the best. Definitely a little pricey, but the burger was good (would love a buffalo option).

—CBS, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

Glad to have the Burger Spot open now to replace Coach’s Burgers, which is definitely closed (for lease signs in the window). We’ll have to give it a try soon. Can’t have too many good burger joints around, and I second the buffalo option.

—JASON, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

POWER OUT, UH-HUH!

In the 10000 block of Shadyview, we have been without power since late Thursday night/early Friday morning, but our neighbors across the street have power. It’s now 48 degrees in our house. We have not seen a single Oncor truck in our neighborhood. When I tried to call in last night, I was disconnected by their automated system because I didn’t have my “ESID” number from my electric bill. Hello? I have paperless billing, and no power. How am I supposed to get my ESID number?! So frustrating.

—MEGB, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

EBBY’S NORTHEAST DALLAS OFFICE

We got power at 7 p.m. last night — 71 hours without power [Back Talk Blog “Power, anyone? Record Snow has us in the dark and cold”]. I feel as though my neighbors and I were unwitting participants in a reality TV show like “Survivor”. After too many power outages in this neighborhood we are pricing whole house generators. I am most frustrated with the lack of communication from Oncor. After 24 hours without power there should be a way to be escalated to a live person to get an estimate of when power is to be restored or even just to vent. I guess there will a run on meat at the grocery store today while we all restock our refrigerators and freezers.

—ANON, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

Oncor trucks showed up late last night. Apparently, they spent the night butchering trees and then left. No activity and no power as of this morning.

—ED, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

My street and the street behind me did not have power from Thursday at 9 p.m. until Sunday at 6 p.m. I heard the Oncor truck go down my alley so I followed it. Turns out a neighbor had a few small branches that fell into the power line. The homeowner came out when he heard the power saws and wasn’t very happy about the trimming going on, and couldn’t have cared less about fellow powerless neighbors. And he didn’t have power either! We all have to look after our own trees; we can’t wait for Oncor to do it for us. And yes, there has to be some improvement to the customer service at Oncor. They’re not providing a retail product to the consumer, so they just don’t care. And if you call your energy provider, they just refer you back to Oncor. I smell a problem here.

—LH NEIGHBOR, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

LAUNCH

“Avatar” creator James Cameron couldn’t do what he does without them — the science and technical guys, that is. Lake Highlands’ BRAD WALKER and his team are the brains behind some of cinema’s most impressive new technology, and for that they were last month awarded the Academy Award for science and technology for their design and refinement of a projector that allows directors to immediately and accurately view what they’ve just filmed. The technology saves moviemakers valuable time and contributes to the ever-evolving quality of the images we see on the big screen.

Can you explain in laymen5s terms what you and your team developed that garnered you an Oscar?

I’ll try. I was the systems lead for a team at Texas Instruments that developed a movie projector for digital cinema. The projector basically allows movie production companies to get an accurate look at what the finished film will look like; this cuts out extra days worth of printing and fixing color especially for producers of special effects movies in which the color is very important this way, they can see what they have and fix it right there ... You might compare it to the pre-press stage of magazine production, but for digital film. You end up being able to do it faster, more accurately and with better results.

The 6 Questions to Ask a Remodeler

Considering a design, build, or remodeling project in your home? There are several excellent remodeling firms in our area, and of course we at BellaVista Company would appreciate your consideration. But which firm is right for your project?

Before you pick up the phone to investigate, tear out this page. In our experience, these are the six fundamental questions to ask before you sign a contract. Remember, you have the right to complete, honest answers, so probe a little deeper when necessary. Choosing wisely is all in the details:

Are you the right company for my project?

Probe for(practical and innovative solutions they have provided customers with needs like yours. Even if you’re sure about a particular approach, test the firm’s know-how by asking for a range of options for translating your design dreams into reality. Learn what kinds of products, materials, and techniques could be used, and ask about visiting actual completed or in-process projects.

What is your level of experience and expertise in my neighborhood?

Probe for( years of experience in the community and expertise in local building and conservation standards. Ask about their architectural philosophy for blending modern design features into established neighborhoods. Learn which projects in your neighborhood produce the best return on investment. Request photos showing a variety of styles, with addresses you can visit.

What can I expect once I sign the contract?

Probe for(a project management process with detailed steps, preferably in writing. Find out who will be your liaison and how he/she will communicate. Learn how your vision will be achieved, and your needs for privacy, convenience, and cleanliness respected. Find out how your satisfaction with the end result will be ensured, and whether written guarantees and warranties are offered.

Do you actively participate in trade organizations?

Probe for(organizations that keep members informed of industry issues, new construction techniques, and business practices. Active involvement correlates with professionalism you can trust. Look for affiliations with local and national Home Builders Associations (HBA of Greater Dallas/ NAHB) as well as the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Learn about special designations they have achieved, including Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) and Certified Remodeler (CR).

What you discover in your interviews will not only inform your choice of which remodeler to use; you’ll also be better equipped to understand and contribute to the design process. Good luck, and we hope you’ll begin by calling us at BellaVista Company. We’re here to help.

Do you maintain all of the necessary insurance?

Probe for(builder’s risk and general liability insurance to protect homeowners from claims arising from property damage or jobsite injuries. Request copies of the insurance certificates and ask about the procedure and coverage in the event of an accident involving a worker, visitor, or resident of the home.

Can you provide references?

Probe for(satisfied customers, peers, and people involved in all aspects of the industry. Talk with customers who have had similar work done. You’ll want to hear the firm is organized, responsible, attentive to detail, and responsive to warranty issues. Make sure they have a strong network of trade contractor affiliates to keep your job running smoothly. For larger projects, you may even request to contact suppliers and lenders to verify financial stability.

Lance Tyler and Darin Breedlove, CR, CGR, CAPS, CGP

more on BRAD WALKER

DID YOU TEST THE TECHNOLOGY ON ACTU A L MO VIES ?

We had a lot of iterations with the Hollywood cinematography community, who gave us a lot of feedback along the way. I am not sure what the first movie it was used in, but I know the technology was used in “The Aviator” and “Spiderman”.

IS YOUR BACKGROUND STRICTLY IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, OR DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN INTEREST IN MOVIEMAKING?

I’ve always been interested in movies. In fact, in college I had to make a decision between becoming a documentary filmmaker or an electronic engineer. I figured that as an electronic engineer I could make enough money to do movies on the side, but that it wouldn’t necessarily work the other way around. I worked 14 years in computer animation, video editing and such. In 1998 I moved to TI to work on digital cinema.

ARE YOU STILL WORKING AT TEXA S INSTRUMENTS?

That’s an interesting story. Actually, only one of us from the team, Greg Pettitt still works for TI; the rest of us moved on following a round of layoffs at the company. Yeah, I basically got fired, but I didn’t have much trouble finding work, and, honestly, I sort of needed a vacation.

HOW DID IT FEEL TO LE ARN YOU’D WON AN AC ADEMY AWARD?

It was cool, but not totally out of the blue. There was a committee that came out and conducted interviews to determine who did what on the project so we knew we were being considered. It is very exciting. The ceremony is next week and I am taking my wife (Linda) and two children (Brian and Eileen, sophomore and senior, respectively, at LHHS Brad also graduated from LHHS, in 1977). The girls are excited about dressing up for the night, and we are going to spend a couple days in LA sightseeing.

—CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

A

GUIDE THROUGH THE MAZE OF CITY-REL ATED QUESTIONS

My street is VERY D A RK . How would I go about getting a STREETLIGHT installed?

1. C all the city’s service request number, 311, and tell the operator that you are requesting a streetlight installed on your street.

2. After you make the request, a work order will be issued to the district engineer within your zip code. T he engineer will send you a petition request; eight signatures are needed from surrounding homeowners for your request to be considered. One stipulation of the installation process is that if you want a streetlight installed between two houses, you need the other homeowner’s consent and signature as well as your own. If you cannot get your neighbor to sign the petition, the streetlight will not be installed.

3. After signatures for the petition are obtained and given to the

Although there is no fee for installing a streetlight in your neighborhood, the installation process can be pretty timeconsuming. Here’s how it works:

city, the petition is then sent to Oncor, the company responsible for the city’s streetlights and electricity. T he approval process may take up to 45 days to finalize, but once it receives an OK , your streetlight will immediately be installed.

4. By the way, to report a streetlight outage, call Oncor at 1.888.313.4747. Because Oncor owns all of the streetlights, the city is not involved in any repairs or maintenance, only in the initial installation request.

5. For more information, visit the Oncor website at oncor.com, or visit dallascityhall.com/services/transportation2.html and click on “ Street L ighting”. —ASHA GWIN

WHAT GIVES?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for neighborhood nonprofits

GIVE YOUR OLD COMPUTER

to the Texas Center for the Visually Challenged, an organization founded by Lake Highlands resident Robert Langford, who refurbishes donations of used computers and computer parts to ship free of charge to visually impaired people. To date, our community has offered up 3,500 computers — about 100 so far this year. For details, visit handicapability.org or call 214.282.2581.

OR DASH ...

down Greenville Avenue to benefit the North Texas Food Bank, which addresses the critical issue of hunger in our neighborhoods. The 5k Dash Down Greenville, which starts at 8:30 a.m. at Central Market, 5750 Greenville, kicks off the famous annual Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day parade, Saturday, March 13. If you need a little pre-race training, attend free social runs at Central Market Wednesdays at 6 p.m. through the week before the event. Registration is $20 at dashdowngreenville.com.

KNOW OF WAYS that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.

THE REALTOR YOU KNOW AND TRUST Mary Poss

Stunning contemporary home in pristine condition. 3880 sq ft, 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, beautiful pool and gorgeous landscaping. Large study area or game room and two large bedrooms upstairs. Oversized master bedroom downstairs. Ample closets, including large cedar closet. Great lighting throughout the home. Two story ceilings in living areas. $399,000

Beautiful Early American in exclusive Forest Hills. Chicago re brick with 4 bedrooms and two living areas. Five minutes from White Rock Lake, hike and bike trails, the Dallas Arboretum, and Doctors Hospital. 15 minutes to downtown, Presbyterian Hospital, and Baylor Hospital. Spacious fenced and landscaped backyard. $329,000

Exceptional horse farm with stately two-story brick home. Fabulous windows, great storage, walk-in closet, large covered patio, tranquil country home setting. Almost 32 acres with rolling terrain, pastures, creek, 100 x 36 barn, loft, tack room, wash room. Bring your horses and enjoy the peace of this incredible location. Can be developed.

$759,000

214.738.0777

mary@dallastex.com

PETPAUSE think inside the box

Ah, it’s the simple things that make life worthwhile when you’re a cat sticking your head in empty boxes, especially tissue boxes, and fetching, for example. That’s what JINX loves to do most, says his owner KRIS ANDERSON, a Lake Highlands resident.

225 S. Houston School Rd. (lancaster)

8231 San Cristobal

16124 Longvista

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR?

Highly educated and experienced in religious ministry, Lowell Martin has worked all over the world, mentoring those seeking to know God. And though some say he’d make a darn good pastor or teacher, Martin figures the best way to serve his maker is to help others in the way that Jesus did. “The people who mentored me when I was young, they served. That’s what the Lord did. To be authentic and not just religious is a big challenge in life. I’m working at it, and I am not perfect. I struggle just like everybody.” In this spirit, 13 years ago he jumped at the opportunity to work on the custodial staff at Scofield School and Church in Lake Highlands, where he had been a member since the early ’90s. Martin has been there for the Scofield community when toilets get clogged or kids hurl up their lunches, when a light goes out or a school-play stage needs props. He also fields some of the complaints from neighbors when balls fly off the playground into yards, for example, and he is always gracious in receiving them, says Wanda Campbell, who works in the school’s administrative office. “You will not find a more selfless, kind and understanding person,” Campbell says. “He is a knowledgeable and educated man who has, remarkably, chosen this life of service.” He could have taken a variety of career paths, says Pastor Jim Cassidy, Martin’s supervisor. “He quietly and humbly does his job and the whole community is better for it.” Campbell says she has never once heard a complaint from Martin. “Just yesterday in the freezing cold, he was out changing letters on the sign. In fact, nothing happens here that Lowell isn’t somehow a part of, or that he isn’t helping with in some way. But it’s not what he does so much as the great care with which he does it. That sense of service and giving is an oddity these days.” —CHRISTINA

HUGHES BABB

SPRINGTIME AT THE ARBORETUM $6-$9.50

For the past four years, ArtScape has been a highlight of the Dallas Arboretum’s annual floral festival, Dallas Blooms. The art show and sale, which takes place the weekend of March 20 and 21, highlights work by more than 80 artists from around the nation. All art in the show is either made of things found in nature or has nature as a theme, and the featured pieces include paintings, photographs, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, mixed media and more. Dallas Blooms, the springtime celebration at the arboretum, features about 500,000 spring-blooming bulbs, as well as a petting zoo, and arts and crafts. Admission to the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, is $6 for children, $8 for seniors, and $9.50 for adults. For more information, call 214.515.6500 or visit dallasarboretum.org.

—TYLER TERRELL

DEJA AND DESSERT FREE

Music ranging from Gershwin to the TV hit “Glee” will be performed by Lake Highlands United Methodist Church adult, youth, children’s and men’s gospel choirs. A gourmet dessert silent auction will benefit the church’s youth choir. Complimentary dessert will be served to those with tickets, available from the Rev. Nicki Lyford; contact her at 214.348.6600, ext. 108, or nlyford@lhumc.com. 9015 Plano, lhumc.com.

HOOPS IN THE HIGHLANDS $64

This three-on-three basketball tournament is open to first- through eighth-grade players. Team entries are $64, due by March 7. The tournament, at Highland Oaks Church of Christ, 10805 Walnut Hill, benefits Lake Highlands, White Rock, Wallace and Northlake elementary schools and Lake Highlands Junior High. It also features food, live music and a “fun zone” for little kids. hoopsinthehighlands.net.

PIANO CONCERT $25 Vickery Meadow Learning Center’s spring fundraiser is a concert from Wendy Chen, a world-renowned pianist who was the youngest winner of the National Chopin Competition in 1990. For more information, contact the center at 214.265.1666 or info@vmlc.org. Horchow Hall at the Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora.

SEAFOOD DONE RIGHT

TUCK ED A W A Y IN A NONDES C RI P T shopping center off Walnut Street is a treasure trove of crawfish, crab legs and shrimp all bathed in finger-licking-good Cajun seasoning, which comes in spiciness levels that range from “plain n’ simple” to “I can’t feel my mouth”. Good eating here is all about getting messy. You’ll need that bib they give you, and your hands will get soiled while cracking those shells, but it’s all so worth it once you taste that sweet, sweet crabmeat. The dining experience is made all the more awesome by the ’80s hair band music playing, and the fact that you’re encouraged to write on the walls with markers. At this come-as-you-are joint, it’s all about “laissez les bons temps rouler”, that is, letting the good times roll.

—MARLENA CHAVIRA-MEDFORD

T HE B OILING CRAB WA LN U T & PL ANO 972.272.7086

THEBOILING C RAB.C O M

Pictured: crawfish, shrimp, blue crabs, Dungeness crab, king crab legs, snow crab legs

VIEW A VIDEO at advocatemag.com/ lake-highlands/dining

Three more spots to reel in a fresh catch

Go for the fried frog legs and fried alligator tail — or, if you’re watching your weight, try the seared ahi tuna salad.

AUDELIA & WALNUT HILL 214.503.1012

OFFSHORESNE X TDOOR.COM

Get your fill of fried catfish at this buffet, always served up with fixin’s like hush puppies, pickled okra, corn fritters and collard greens.

GREENVILLE & LBJ FREE WAY 214.575.8552

Go for an ice-cold beer and oysters on ice, preferably enjoyed on the patio.

MOCK INGBIRD & ABRAMS 214.887.6353 BIGSHUCK S.COM

MARK DAVIS

YOUR GUIDE TO DINING OUT

$ MOST ENTREES UNDER $10 / $$ BETWEEN $10-$20 / $$$ ABOVE $20 /

ANOTHER BROKEN EGG $ FB

Another Broken Egg just celebrated its one year anniversary serving the most unique breakfast, brunch and lunch in Dallas. Come try our updated menu serving oscar benedict, eggs sardou and the first-ever lobster omelette in Dallas. Every Tuesday is Seniors’ Tuesdays, 50 % off your bill. We also do private parties and banquets at night. Enjoy the unique ability to host your private function with the entire restaurant at your disposal. Locally owned by Chris Harwood and Michael Obrien. 1152 N Buckner Blvd (across from Doctors Hospital.) 214.954.7182.

BACK COUNTRY BBQ $ WB Over

30 years of Texas-style BBQ. Family dining –8 different meats, variety of homemade vegetables. Complete catering & custom cooking. Beer, wine, margaritas. 6940 Greenville Ave. 214.696.6940.

CHUBBY2S $ When looking for a restaurant to have breakfast, lunch or dinner, we all want a place that serves up variety, hearty helpings and even bigger portions of friendliness. The Touris family has developed a recipe that delivers all of the above at a good price. With four locations in the Metroplex, Chubby’s Family Restaurant provides a rustic setting with down home-cooking. Catering available. Locations: 11331 E. NW Hwy. 214-3486065 and 7474 S. Cockrell Hill Rd. 972-298-1270.

SZECHWAN PAVILION $$ FB

Szechwan and Mandarin cuisine. Close to 100 items in this reasonably priced menu and buffet. Wonderful selection of grilled steak, shrimp, crab ragoon, sesame chicken, chow-mein, fried rice, egg roll and desserts. Established 1980. Clean and spacious dining room. 1152 N. Buckner Blvd. 75218. 214.321.7599. www.szechwanpavilion.com.

PUT YOURRESTAURANTINTHEMINDS OF 100,000+ HOMESMONTHAFTERMONTH

a

rigorous

GLEN ELLEN OLD VINE ZINFANDEL ($5) CALIFORNIA>

Cheap wine is all the rage in the wine business, because of the recession. National and regional retailers, the biggest wine producers in the country, have been wine that costs $5 or less a bottle for almost a decade, duplicate the success of Two Buck Chuck.

Two Buck Chuck is the nickname for the Charles that sell at California-based Trader Joe:s for $1.99 depending on store location. Trader Joe:s has sold million cases of Two Buck Chuck, which accounts petition it:s facing these days.

There are no Trader Joe:s here, but there are plenty the industry calls Oextreme valueQ or Osuper valueQ wines. And there will be more, when discount grocer Aldi, well-known for its $5 wines, opens stores in the neighborhoods where we publish magazines.

Do these wines offer value? Or are they just cheap? To that end, I did a tasting panel of six ordinary wine-drinking consumers W no wine geeks here, but people who actually taste wine before they judge it W to decide if wine that costs less than $5 a bottle is worth it. The results? Mostly yes, though two wines scored perfect zeros with the panels. The best-liked wines were: sold at Walgreen:s ($2.99). This California chardonnay was the surprise of the tasting. The panel gave it high marks (OI:m a red wine drinker, but I like this,Q said one), and I thought it approached the quality of some of my favorite $10 chardonnays, like Bogle.

sold at Target ($9.99 for a 1.5-liter box/about $5 a bottle). The panel liked this wine better than I did, noting its lemony flavor. And, as one noted, OYou shouldn:t discount this just because it comes in a box.Q I thought it was a little thin, though acceptable.

($9.99 for a 1.5-liter bottle/about $5 bottle). This was the best-rated red wine, Ogood aroma and wellrounded flavors.Q I liked it, too, even if it was a little softer than most zinfandels.

—JEFF SIEGEL

JEFF SIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on the Advocate Back Talk blog, advocatemag.com/lake-highlands/blog.

food&wineLAUNCH

Cordon Bleu stuffed chicken

This recipe was created by Dallas Cordon Bleu chef Nikki Boddamer for a recent cookoff at the culinary school (where I was lucky enough to be on BoddamerEs team). We didnEt win the competition, but we should have. Serve this with a chardonnay, which you can also use to cook with.

Serves four, about 30 minutes

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on

4 ounces best-quality goat cheese

1/3 c chopped, toasted pecans

2 Tbsp chopped shallots

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

¼ c white wine

olive oil

salt pepper

1. Use a knife and carefully make a pouch in the breast, starting at the big end. You donEt want to cut through the breast, but to make a hole to stuff with the cheese mixture.

2. Sauté the garlic and shallots in the olive oil for a couple of minutes, until the shallots are soft. Add the white wine, bring to a boil and reduce the wine until itEs almost gone.

3. In a bowl, crumble the goat cheese and add the pecans, shallot mixture and salt and pepper. Mix well. Carefully, stuff the cheese filling into the chicken breasts.

4. In an overproof skillet, brown the breasts in olive oil on each side until theyEre golden, which should take a couple of minutes on each side. Then put the breasts in a preheated 400-degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until theyEre cooked.

ask the

WINE GUY?

WHAT IS A BOXED WINE?

There are two kinds of wine in a box. The first comes in the same packaging as juice boxes; once you open the wine, it’s just like opening a bottle and the wine will oxidize. The second comes in larger sizes — the equivalent of two and four bottles. It has a spigot, and the wine is stored in a plastic bladder inside the box. These wines can stay fresh for as long as a month.

SIEGEL

Growing waistlines and shrinking budgets have many Americans rethinking their food sources, looking now to local farmers instead of mega-grocers. That national trend is sprouting roots here, which explains why in our neighborhood

IT’S A

R S E M R F A

Three years ago in Dallas, if you wanted to buy local produce direct from the grower, the downtown farmers market was just about the only option. Last summer, however, at least half a dozen independent farmers markets mushroomed all over the city.

In our urban context, however, the increased number of neighborhood markets has come with its share of hiccups. Some markets have bumped up against Dallas regulations, which havenJt changed quickly enough to keep up with the new demands.

The popularity of planting gardens and raising chickens is also increasing, with some neighbors heading straight to their backyards to find local food. >>

Story by Marlena Chavira-Medford and Rachel Stone

Photos by Sean McGinty, Robert Bunch and Can Türkyilmaz

E T K R M A

OUT THERE

)People are becoming conscious of what they eat, and if you become a student of local food, you learn that itAs not riddled with hormones and preservatives like the processed stuff you get at grocery stores,D says Brian Cummings, founder of eatgreendfw. com, an online resource for Dallasites who want to buy from North Texas farmers and ranchers.

)People are changing the way they think about food, and thatAs changing the way they shop.D

In other words, if theyAre not growing it themselves, consumers often want to buy it from local people who are. Thus the recent popularity of neighborhood markets, often dubbed )farmers marketsD. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers markets throughout the country have grown from just 1,755 in 1994 to 5,274

in 2009. Most of that growth has been very recent: From 2008 to 2009, the increase was 13 percent. ThatAs significant because the last time the USDA charted farmers market growth, it was for the two-year period between 2006 and 2008, when the number grew by only 6.8 percent.

Cummings has tracked this trend locally, helping organize several farmers markets, including the White Rock Local Market, near Buckner and Northcliff.

)In addition to the food, people also like the social aspect of local markets,D Cummings says. )ThereAs a carnival-like aspect with all these things to take in. You get to know the people behind the food youAre buying. You get to know that great Mennonite family known for its great bread. That kind of connection means something to people.D

Ed Lowe, owner of Celebration Restaurant, instituted a weekly farmers market last summer in his parking lot on Lovers near Inwood. Lowe says his eatery serves food made mostly with local ingredients, so the weekly market was )a natural progressionD.

It was a hit, Lowe says, until the city

SHOP LOCAL

These farmers markets cropped up last spring and summer, and plan to open up shop again this year, if the city changes its regulations.

Bolsa

614 Davis at Llewellyn

First Sunday of the month

Five vendors who sell produce, meat and locally made gourmet items

Celebration Market

4503 W. Lovers at Elsby

Every Saturday

12 vendors who sell produce, meat, locally made gourmet items and crafts

Milestone Culinary Arts Center

4531 McKinney at Knox

Third Sunday of the month, May through November

16 vendors who sell produce, meat, specialty food items and crafts

Mockingbird Station

5300 E. Mockingbird at Central Expressway

Every Thursday evening, April through May

Eight vendors who sell produce, meat, specialty food items and crafts

North Haven Gardens

7700 Northaven west of Central Expressway

First Sunday of the month April through August

Seven vendors who sell produce, meat and specialty foods

White Rock Local Market

702 N. Buckner at Northcliff

Second Saturday of the month, March through December

40-50 vendors who sell produce, honey, meat, specialty foods, crafts, bicycles/repairs, plants and apparel

Source: City of Dallas memo to Transportation and Environment Committee, December 2009

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caught wind of what he was doing.

9A customer had complained that we had a dog on a patio, and I was not aware that we needed to have a permit to have a dog on a patio. So [city officials] came out to notify us of the complaint on a Saturday. They came here on a Saturday, something thatHs never happened in my 38 years of being in business.L

And because it was a Saturday, Celebration was holding its farmers market.

9At first, we didnHt think it would be a big deal because weHd contacted the city twice to tell them what we were doing, and they said we didnHt need any special permits because weHre already running a restaurant here.L

But it turned out to be a big deal. Officials told them they would have to start paying permit fees or shut down the entire operation.

9First off, they said we could only have a farmers market quarterly, and we were having them weekly. Then they said that they wanted us to start paying about $150, and we had just been charging the vendors $10. So that was the end of the market for us.L

Cummings says this is precisely the problem facing budding farmers markets throughout Dallas.

9One of the issues around farmers markets is that municipals really donHt know how to deal with them V Dallas, for example, doesnHt have a permitting process specifically for them,L he says.

Right now, the city offers temporary food vendor permits, which are valid for only two weeks and can be used only once every three months. The permits cost $190, plus $5 for every additional booth.

9Sure, that kind of permit is great if youHre working at a food festival or the State Fair because youHre making a killing,L Cummings says. 9But itHs different for someone at a small farmers market. On a good day, these vendors make $200, maybe $300. If youHre asking them to pay that much, you do the math: ItHs not proportional, and it doesnHt make sense.L

Sarah Perry, who runs the White Rock Local Market, says her vendors are happy if they can make $100 in a day.

And Bruce Bagelman, who owns Green Spot Market & Fuels, which sponsors the White Rock Local Market,

It promises to be a pretty relaxing environment for you, too.

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says city officials should consider that local markets bolster budding entrepreneurs.

Pastry chef Katherine Clapner is one such success story. She started selling her unusual handmade chocolates at markets such as the White Rock Local, and her business gained enough steam that she opened a retail space, Dude, Sweet Chocolate, in the Bishop Arts District last year.

IIt gives family-owned and small farms an outlet,L Perry says. IMost of them donMt grow enough to sell to a wholesaler.L

White Rock Local Market has its first meet of the season March 13, and Perry says itMs operating under the same guidelines as last year. The market applies for a special event permit and makes sure that all the vendors have the appropriate permits, such as certificates of inspection and state licenses.

Perry is planning to hold two local markets a month this year, as opposed to just once a month last year, because the market was so popular.

IThe idea is to bring fresh and nutritious and locally grown food to our community and thereby strengthen our community,L she says. IA lot of people walk to our market and push strollers or ride their bikes. It creates a town-square type of feel.L

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A.L. Nickerson spearheaded multiple Lake Highlands garden projects, including the Lake Highlands Community Garden.

BACKYARD VEGGIE GARDEN BASICS

If the thought of picking your own vine-ripened tomatoes makes you salivate, but your thumbs are brown, take some advice from the Dallas Arboretum’s senior horticulture manager, Susan Morgan. Her tips will help neighbors who are ready to turn their backyards into fertile ground for vegetables.

Soil is the foundation

Morgan was emphatic about potential vegetable growers using only the quality stuff. “Soil is probably the key ingredient to any garden. It’s often the most overlooked as well.” She suggests adding compost, which can be purchased at any garden center, or made in your backyard. (For a how-to, Morgan suggests turning to local experts Neil Sperry, neilsperry.com, or the “Dirt Doctor” Howard Garrett, dirtdoctor.com.)

Morgan also strongly recommends taking soil from various spots in your yard, bagging up the samples, and sending them to the Texas A&M extension center (urbansolutionscenter.tamu.edu or 972.231.5362). For a small fee, the center will analyze the soil and make recommendations based on the results.

Location, location, location

Choose an area of your yard that receives “full sun” (six to eight hours a day). Morning sun is best, Morgan says, because the “Texas afternoon sun can be brutal.” Less than six hours, she says, and “you’re going to be strapped for any kind of vegetable production.” Rent a tiller from your neighborhood garden center, or break up the soil “the old-fashioned way — a pitchfork and shovel,” Morgan says.

Start small

“It’s easy to have grand, lofty ideas about a half-acre garden, but it’s best to start small and experiment,” Morgan says. “Once you get that first year under your belt, you’ll have learned what you can and cannot do. Maybe you just want to experiment with tomatoes and get that under your belt, and next year experiment with pep-

pers.” The process will also provide time for more research and some Q&A with garden center professionals.

“The nice thing about being a gardener is everybody has some experience, whether killing their plants or having a flourishing garden,” Morgan says. “Talk to people and gather information. That said, everybody has their own opinion on what they think works best.” When researching online, Morgan always adds “Texas” to her search engine phrase. “Texas tends to be a whole different ball o’ wax,” she explains. “I like to have [advice] tailored to the Texas growing conditions.”

Pick your plants

Don’t let temptation get the best of you, Morgan says. “It’s easy to buy everything because everything just looks so beautiful at the store or on the seed packets,” she says. Find a garden center with a good plant selection because that will lead you to knowledgeable people who can help you. Ask them what they recommend, and whether you should start with seed packets or transplants, or live plants that are past the seeding stage and have fairly developed root systems. What you plant will depend on what season it is, the cool season (fall/winter) or the warm season (spring/summer). When starting out, good bets in the cool season are mustard greens, collard greens and lettuce, and radishes are one of the quickest seed starts, Morgan says. In the warm season, “tomatoes and peppers are the good standbys,” she says, and squash is another fairly easy vegetable to grow. The North Haven Gardens website (nhg.com) has a great resource on what to grow when, Morgan says. CONTINUEDON PAG3E 32 >>

WILL SMALL FARMERS MARKETS BE ABLE TO SPROUT ROOTS IN DALLAS?

City officials are now reconsidering the way the city treats farmers markets. Assistant city manager Jack Ireland is heading a committee of farmers market stakeholders who are brainstorming possible ordinance changes, specifically to help out small vendors who want to sell regularly in our city.

That committee has its work cut out for it. City spokesman Frank Librio says the city must iron out a host of wrinkles before moving forward H zoning, enforcement of health codes and payment of sales tax, just to name a few.

LSome [of the markets] are not allowed based on the current zoning,P he says.

For example, sometimes zoning prohibits the outdoor sale of food.

LThe group thatQs charged to work on this is trying to come up with a permit process that allows them to override the zoning temporarily,P Librio says.

And the city wants to make sure that the markets are safe from a health standpoint. But by and large, Lthe city isnQt trying to control what happens at local markets,P Librio says. LThe city fully supports the neighborhood farmers markets.P

Part of the regulatory initiative comes from a fear that the local markets could compete with the Downtown Farmers Market. The city owns and operates the nearly seven-decades-old market, and city officials set aside $6.6 million in 2006 bond dollars for infrastructure and improvements to the market.

It doesnQt appear that city will see a payback on its investment in the near future: The 2010 budget for the market includes $1.7 million in revenue, but

$1.8 million in expenses.

Cummings says even though the Dallasarea grocery business is an extremely competitive industry, neighborhood markets donEt negatively impact the main Dallas market.

FSure, we will have to spread those markets out so thereEs not an oversaturation I after all, we have got to protect the granddaddy [downtown farmers market]. But given our cultural shift toward shopping local, I think thereEs now room for multiple farmers markets to survive.O

According to a memo from city staff to the Transportation and Environment Committee, drafted guidelines on the table allow for no more than 10 neighborhood market locations per year, and they would have to be at least three miles apart from each other. The markets would be allowed to open up shop weekly for a six-hour period, with a limit of 24 occurrences per year. It would also be required that all of the produce sold be grown within 150 miles of the downtown farmers market.

Of course, all of these are just ideas at this point. After reviewing input from city staff and stakeholders, the cityEs Transportation and Environment Committee will create a proposal to submit to city council. The hope is to have a policy in place by late spring.

Ultimately, neighbors having more options for local produce will be a winwin situation for both neighborhood markets and the downtown market, Cummings says, because it creates healthy competition.

FLike they say, rising tides lift all ships: The more farmers markets we have out there competing,O he says, Fthe better theyEll all get, which will ultimately improve the quality of life for all of us in Dallas.O

5 DO’S

1. Use compost. (it adds life and energy to your soil)

2. Pull weeds. (it aerates the soil, burns calories and some go great in salads)

3. Disinfect and sharpen all landscape tools. (grass is supposed to be cut not beaten to death)

4. Mow higher. (the roots will grow deeper and you will water less)

5. Plant at least one edible plant in your garden and release beneficial insects. (it helps connect you to the earth)

5 DONT’S

1. Don’t use salt based chemical fertilizer. (it burns the life and energy out of your soil)

2.Don’t use herbicides. (they kill trees and pollute our water)

3.Don’t use pesticides. (if you touch or smell it, it starts causing metabolic mayhem)

4.Don’t over-water. (you are wasting money and stressing your plants)

5.Don’t scalp your lawn. (sun’s ultraviolet light destroys the microbes in your soil)

<< CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30

Let them drink

Ample watering of your veggies is “crucial” the first few weeks, Morgan says. They need a “good, deep watering” once a day and perhaps twice in the heat of summer. If you’re a lazy gardener, as Morgan professes to be, drip irrigation can help. Buy a soaker hose, which has a porous lining and slowly oozes water. Hook it up to your water spigot, and situate it along the base of your plants for an hour or two. This method is “slightly better than overhead watering,” Morgan says, because too much water on plants’ leaves makes them more susceptible to rotting, mildew and disease. Mulch also helps plants retain their moisture. It can be made of anything, Morgan says —straw, hardwood, newspapers, compost, etc. — but with a vegetable garden, it’s especially important to make sure that the mulch doesn’t contain any compounds. “Think about it — whatever you put into your soil, whatever you’re feeding your plants, you’re eating that later,” she says. “These are veggies, not just beautiful flowers you’re looking at.”

Have fun

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the details of gardening, Morgan says, but it’s most important to simply enjoy the process without worrying too much about the results. “I’m a horticulturist, and if you came to my house, you would not be able to tell that somebody who works at the Arboretum lives here,” Morgan quips. “I have some dead plants in my backyard.” It’s all about what you’re able to accomplish in your yard with the time that you have, she says. “The actual act of doing it and talking to people and seeing what happens is part of understanding how your garden

work for you.”

is going to

GRABBINGGROCERIES FROM THE BACKYARD

Shopping for local produce isn:t the only back-to-basics trend on the rise. Some neighbors may be just as likely to grow their produce as they are to buy it.

When A.L. Nickerson was a kid, almost every backyard had a vegetable garden, and nearly everyone kept chickens for eggs and poultry. His mother canned peaches from their peach tree, and they traded fruit with neighbors who had apple and fig trees.

IWe had all kinds of vegetables all summer long,J says the Lake Highlands resident. IEvery square inch had something edible. We:d have things coming up from early spring until the first freeze.J

That was life in the 1940s. With our nation in the midst of World War II, these backyard Ivictory gardensJ were encouraged by the government as a way to make sure civilians and troops had enough to eat. First lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted her own

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APPLES TO TOMATOES?

Here’s a look at how we stack up compared to other Texas cities also dealing with neighborhood farmers markets:

Fort Worth

Houston

victory garden on the White House lawn. Fast forward six decades, and vegetable gardening has returned the White House, courtesy of first lady Michelle Obama.

Nickerson now nurtures garden culture in Dallas as the founder of Lake Highlands Community Gardens and even teaches a class called IThe Modern Victory GardenL.

White Rock-area resident Leslie Halleck tends a garden in her backyard, and since she has a chain-link fence, it offers her the chance to get to know her neighbors well. Farmers markets arenNt the only places where people should see their neighbors, Halleck says.

Austin -

After all, thereNs something about fellowship with oneNs neighbors and certainty about oneNs food that fosters a feeling of community and independence that many find comforting.

IWhen you start a garden, youNre outside all the time,L Halleck says. IIt helps bring neighbors back together. It brings people back in touch with the earth, with their food and with their neighbors. And it feels good.L

KEEPING CRITTERS THATAREN’T PETS

Raising backyard hens for fresh eggs is also becoming more common. For proof, simply pick up a copy of Backyard Poultry magazine or drop in at the next Dallas Backyard Poultry Meetup Group, which includes more than 120 members and meets monthly at North Haven Gardens.

II totally take blame for the chicken thing here T that was all my doing,L jokes Halleck, the general manager at North Haven Gardens.

She began a push to sell backyard hens at the garden center last year, but much like the farmers markets, the plan hit a roadblock in terms of city regulations.

IIt all came down to a zoning issue,L Halleck says. IWhen North Haven Gardens first opened, it was out in the country. But as the city expanded, it annexed this area, and we were zoned as residential.

)You can go sell live chickens in front of Walmart because it?s zoned for retail, but we weren?t.E

The city ultimately agreed to change North Haven Gardens? certificate of occupancy, recognizing hens as gardenrelated accessories. And the law for homeowners remains the same: We can keep hens, but roosters are outlawed due to cockfighting.

Interest in backyard hens remains high, Halleck says, with 50 to 100 people showing up every time North Haven Gardens offers a workshop on how to care for the birds. Whether you?re growing your own veggies or buying them locally, whether you?re keeping your own hens or getting fresh eggs at a nearby farmers market, it all boils down to a better quality of life, Halleck says.

)It?s really about controlling your own food. There?s really no reason why us urban dwellers can?t do that. Just because we live in the city, that doesn?t mean we don?t have a right to that.E

The only issue she takes with the back-to-basics trend is the fact that anyone is calling it a )trendE.

)I?m always amused when people call this a trend, like it?s some new concept. People have always grown their own food, and there used to be chickens all over Dallas. It was a very common thing. It was only in recent decades as Dallas became more urban that the practice stopped. It?s certainly not a new thing for Dallas.

)I mean, after all, we are in Texas for Pete?s sake. This lifestyle is our roots.E

Many of us have strolled through the Dallas Farmers Market, at the corner of Harwood and Marilla downtown. But did you know that its attendance is estimated to 2 million per year, according to data released by the City of Dallas?

its local farmers roster has grown from 50 in 2008 to 150 in 2009?

... its non-farmer vendors include 47 produce (38 retail and 9 wholesale), 20 food, 7 non-food and 2 floral/plant?

For more information, visit dallasfarmersmarket.org.

Nothing tastes better than warm-from-the-sun, ripe tomatoes from the garden. Salsa, sauces, sliced & sautéed, recipes always taste better with garden fresh ingredients!

APARTMENT TURNOVER

A new breed of ‘socially responsible’ real estate investors could help solve our crime problem

On a Tuesday at dusk, foot traffic around the Forest-Audelia area of Lake Highlands is heavy. A police cruiser, lights flashing, idles in the EZ Food Store parking lot as its cop — flashlight in hand — searches a vehicle. From the looks of it, his partner is cuffing the driver. By now a dozen reports of burglaries, thefts or assaults, and at least one carjacking have been reported in the area, Dallas police beat 252, and the night is still young.

The following morning at the same intersection, dozens of children, backpacks bobbing, wave at crossing guards and parents as they hurry along to class at Forest Lane Academy, an exemplary RISD school.

Our district’s councilman Jerry Allen explains that there are two types of apartment tenants — the lawabiding folks, many whose children comprise the neighborhood schools’ populations (100 percent of

Forest Lane Academy, in fact), and the “punks”.

At a recent “Imagination Session” held at Lake Highlands High School to discuss the needs of the multifamily communities both in District 10 and other parts of the city, Allen tells a group of community representatives and state and city officials that he intends to “send the punks back to Punksville”.

Allen calls on the help of Dallas Mayor Tom Leppart and City Manager Mary Suhm, multiple elementary school principals, and police, among others, and he promises that with their support, and the cooperation of apartment managers, he can turn the problem area into a shining example for the rest of the city.

Forest-Audelia’s crime problems are rooted within the 6,197 apartment homes located within a halfmile radius of the intersection, so weeding out the punks, while it will take a united front, begins with

Children get after-school tutoring and supervision at the Learning Links Center inside Lake Highands’ The Madeline apartment community.

PHOTO BY CAN TÜRKYILMAZ

multifamily property management, police say.

<In the old days it was easy to get rid of the punks. We drove them to Oklahoma and dropped them off,E deadpans Officer Steve Shaw of the Dallas Northeast Police subdivision.

<Today we canLt do that. Here, it starts with the apartment managers M they are either part of our solution or part of our problem.E

Enter part of the solution two guys from California, Joe Killinger and George Pino, have become key to the effort to clean up the Forest-Audelia area, and other problematic high-density areas of the city, from inside the apartments out.

In Los Angeles, the two investors acquired some of the cityLs grittier apartment buildings and turned them into nice, comfortable communities by expelling criminals and incorporating after-school learning centers known as Learning Links Centers for students. In 2006, they set their sights on Dallas and, in 2009, purchased The Madeline apartments at Audelia and Shadow Way, about a half-mile from ForestAudelia.

When Killenger and Pino stepped in, The Madeline, formerly known as AshleyCreek, was rough.

<It was a bad property with just about any type of crime you could imagine M drug running, prostitution, gunshots. We had a police escort during the middle of the day the first time we walked through,E Pino says.

Woodbridge Homeowner Association president Steve Wakefield, who lives in the neighborhood adjacent to The Madeline, calls The Madeline makeover <a vast improvement from what was there before.E He says he admires the new ownersL availability.

<One of the things we have been working to get mandated is that names and faces of human beings be put with these apartment buildings, so that there is some accountability placed on the owners of the problem properties,E Wakefield says. <The Madeline owners have made themselves available.E

Just before selling, AshleyCreek owners evicted all tenants who didnLt have a proper lease, or who had defaulted on their rent, leaving the property at more than 70 percent vacant when Killinger and Pino took over. That made

for a slightly cleaner start, the men say. Today they are at a little more than 50 percent occupancy.

@Going forward we run background checks and are very particular about residents we take,F Pino says.

That can mean filling up slower than less discriminating apartment communities, but itIs worth it.

As you build a population of good tenants, they begin to police themselves, Killinger says.

@They will call and let us know about suspicious activity as soon as they see it,F he says.

Tim Raemhild, a veteran Marine, manages the property and is on site when kids arrive from Audelia Creek Elementary School to use the learning center.

Soon, he says, he would also like to make resources available in the learning center to adult tenants who would like to earn a GED.

Tadasia, 9, a fifth-grader at Audelia Creek Elementary School, says she likes living at The Madeline, where she walks after school. When she arrives, she goes straight to the after-school center adjacent to the management offices where she gets busy on homework, so that she can move on to the @fun things, like computer games and books.F Every Monday through Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m., teachers are on hand to help her with her work. Learning Links Centers teachers and tutors receive discounted rent.

The vigilance with which the owners have weeded out bad tenants, combined with their focus on caring for and educating the communityIs young people, have made it possible to keep crime low on the formerly crimeinfested property, Raemhild says.

@When something happens, we respond,F he says. @We see drugs or prostitution, and youIre out. Plus, we have incredible support from the police.F

Killinger and Pino also are developing a new website to track apartment @skipsF, people who jump from apartment to apartment, defaulting on leases.

@It will start as a skip database for apartment managers and police, but we hope it will evolve into a onestop-shop for background checks and other tools that will allow apartment

A DAPTED FOR THE STAGE BY JOSEPHROBINETTE

managers to track these people who really offer nothing to the community,” Pino says.

Officer Shaw adds that using this new media to identify bad tenants will help us rid our neighborhood of them.

The database should go online within the next month, Pino says.

Councilman Allen can’t say enough good things about Kilinger and Pino’s Learning Links Centers and what they are doing for his district.

“They have brought a village mentality into these apartment homes — this is the right thing to do,” he says.

When he met with the men and toured The Madeline, he says, it impressed him so much that he immediately wanted to see the idea spread.

“One of the first things he said to us was, ‘This is great. What else can you do?’,” Killinger says with a smile.

Kilinger and Pino have plans to acquire more properties in the Lake Highlands area, and they also operate a property in North Dallas. They hope their success in California and in Dallas will prove to be a model for other investors.

“We want to show that you can do good by doing good,” Pino says.

—CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

Jerry Allen asks community leaders for help weeding out the bad seeds. PHOTO BY C AN TÜRKYILMAZ

4325 BELMONT AVE., DALLAS, TX 75204, 214.824.7036

aTE

TURNING OVER NEW LEAVES?

CITY OFFICIALS ARE CONSIDERING CHANGES TO THE TREE ORDINANCE

For three years, the Urban Forestry Advisory Committee, with members appointed by mayors Miller and Leppert, has been meeting regularly to discuss updates to the Dallas Tree “Preservation” Ordinance. Recently, the committee presented its proposed revisions.

A number of recommendations would significantly improve the ordinance. One of the most important is that control over tree decisions would change from the city’s building official to its chief arborist. That makes a great deal of sense because the arborist’s role is to protect the city’s tree canopy, but the building official is part of the Development Services Department, which promotesdevelopment in Dallas. An official whose role is to both make development easier and also protect trees has a major conflict in job responsibilities.

Another recommendation is to establish a Department of Urban Forestry, with arborists assigned to this department rather than to Development Services, as is currently the case. Although city officials have discussed creating an Urban Forestry Department, budget considerations have always prevented it. With a grim budget outlook for next year, too, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

The proposal contains two new categories of trees: heritage and historic. Heritage trees include protected trees with calipers of 24 inches or more, large post oaks, or groves of trees that have reached unusually large sizes for their species. A historic tree would be one that has a “significant cultural connection with the citizens of Dallas, past and present, and those cultures living in the area prior to the mid-1800s, and would include trees that are the only living witnesses to historic events.” Removing heritage or historic trees would be much more difficult,

and replacing them much more costly.

When new homes are built in established neighborhoods, the root zones of existing large trees are sometimes covered by concrete for foundations and driveways, or have heavy construction equipment or supplies placed on them. These practices compact the soil and cause the trees to slowly die. Proposed regulations would require that root zones be protected by galvanized chain link fencing rather than the flimsy orange plastic fencing currently allowed. Other proposals include protecting the critical root zones of trees on neighboring properties, and adequately watering new and existing trees on the development site.

An intriguing new idea contained in the proposed revisions is the creation of neighborhood tree conservation districts. These districts would be requested by neighborhood residents to help preserve the existing tree canopy and significant single trees.

The committee is still working on incentives that could encourage developers to preserve more trees on their sites.Up next is a Development Services Department review of the proposed revisions.

Some major problems are still not addressed, however. One of the worst is clear-cutting of trees, or what some people call “weekend massacres”. Others include weak enforcement of the ordinance, too many exceptions to the regulations, exemptions of parcels less than two acres from any tree controls, and no provisions to control the spread of tree diseases. Look for next month’s column, which will elaborate on these problems.

State

LIVE LOCAL THE

LOWDOWN ON WHAT’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

Call

Reginald W. Johnson 6333 E Mockingbird,Ste. 275 214-821-4242 reginald.johnson.coqr@statefarm.com

Jennifer Wilcox 10233 E. NW Hwy, Ste. 516 214-348-0480 www.jenniferwilcox.com

Lake Highlands resident Samantha Phillips is the owner and instructor for My Smart Hands™ (mysmarthandsdfw.com), a company teaching baby/caregiver sign language classes. Phillips and her husband have been Lake Highlands residents for more than 10 years, and started the company last fall. “I started using ASL signs with my oldest daughter Lauren, who was born with Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome typically have difficulty with muscle control and strength, making speech, walking, writing and many more activities very difficult to learn, therefore teaching Lauren signs became an invaluable communication tool,” Phillips says. She continued to sign with her two younger children and has seen the benefits of signing firsthand. Phillips offers several different types of classes, depending on the child’s age and the caregiver’s availability. Advocate readers can receive 20 percent off their class fees; contact Phillips at samantha@mysmarthands.com or 214.587.7292 for the specifics.

for bikes, ranging from hardcore mountain bikes to strolling-leisurely-around-the-lake bikes, plus, of course, bike repair bays. Visit dallasbikeworks. com for store hours.

Peanut Feet 3 is the brainchild of Lake Highlands mom Jill Gindy Schuler, who was underwhelmed by the selection of cute socks and such (that actually stay on) for her newborn daughter’s “tiny, peanut feet”. So, about a year ago, “being a creative person and so excited I had a girl that I could ‘play dress-up with’, I got out my craft box and some beads from my son’s art desk and went to work and Peanut Feet grew from there ...”. Schuler’s newest addition is coordinating hair accessories (a presh line of felt hair clippies), which were a huge hit at the recent LHAECPTA Shopping Soiree. Schuler will also customize socks and accessories through her Etsy shop; just let her know what you’re looking for. Visit peanutfeet.etsy.com to check out her goods.

Rob Braun 9601White Rock Trail, Suite 214 214-343-1515 www.robbraun.net

John Hamman, CPCU 8330 Abrams Rd., Suite 104 214-341-3050 john.hamman.lcjs@statefarm.com

For the men out there who hate to get out to shop, retailer J Hilburn 1 (jhilburn.com) came up with the novel idea of bringing the shop to you. Since launching in 2007, J Hilburn has been offering discerning male shoppers custom-made shirts at about half the price of retail by cutting out the overhead of inventory and a storefront. Lake Highlands resident Mavis Stewart is a J Hilburn style advisor. So what’s the process? Stewart meets customers in their homes or offices, takes some measurements, shows some swatches, reviews their preferences, yada, yada, yada, you’ve got polos, dress shirts or sweaters to go. Plus, Advocate readers receive $20 off their first shirt. In the market? Contact Stewart at mavis.stewart@jhilburnpartner.com or 972.898.5408.

Lake Highlands resident Pat Hicks was inspired to start New Life Hardwood Floors after a friend provided reclaimed flooring for his own home. Loving the idea of rescuing pine, oak, walnut, chestnut and other “species” from deconstructed buildings and homes, he knew he was on to something lots of other folks could get behind. The often 60- to 100-year-old lumber that would have otherwise been thrown away is conserved, and from it new tongue and groove hardwood flooring is created. Hicks’ flooring is competitive to new flooring, and has a much cooler story. Visit newlifehardwoodfloors.com or call Hicks at 214.342.3800 for more information.

Jim Collins, CLU 11807 Preston Rd. 214-349-7455 jim.collins.bts5@statefarm.com

Boyd Wallace, owner of Dallas Bike Works, 2 has been racing bikes for more than 14 years, and his bike retail and repair shop has been located off of Skillman and Abrams for more than 20 years. This month Wallace is opening his second store near White Rock Lake in what was formerly PT’s Gentleman’s Club (Lawther Drive). Renovations have been underway for the past several months, and the interior has been reconfigured to include lots of retail space

Erin Moyer is a Lake Highlands entrepreneur (progenyinc.com) and marketing consultant whose monthly :Live Local< column features the latest scoop on neighborhood businesses. Send Moyer ideas and feedback at livelocal@advocatemag.com.

money-saving discounts and award-winning service will make you feel like you’re in the winner’s circle.

Speaking of trees, if you need some trimmed, Lindsey’s Tree Service 4 (lindseytreeservice.com) is still the go-to biz for many Lake Highlands residents. Tom and Lourie Lindsey have been Lake Highlands residents for more than 30 years. The Lindseys opened their first retail shop at the corner of Plano and Northwest Highway, and then moved it across the street in 2006 to a location about four or five times larger that provides more room for retail space. Recently, they expanded their merchandise to include more specialty cooking woods including pecan, hickory, apple and peach, to name a few. The Lindseys encourage you to pop in and pick some up, and would like to offer $5 off any bag of cooking wood to Advocate readers. Let it be known that the Lindsey’s do their part to reduce, reuse and recycle as well: They make mulch of their clients’ trimmings and make it available free of charge to customers. Just pull up your truck and shovel, and it’s yours for the taking. 1 4 2 3 >

BAPTIST

FOREST MEADOW / 9150 Church Rd. / Welcoming the mosaic of cultures living in our neighborhoods / www.fmbcdallas.org

Worship 10:50 / Bible Study 9:30 / Tim Ahlen, Pastor / 214.341.9555

GASTON OAKS BAPTIST / Greenville Ave & Royal Lane

Sunday Worship 10:45 am / Bible Study 9:30 am www.gastonoaks.org / 214.348.0958

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

BIBLE CHUR CHE S

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net

Sunday: Lifequest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Wed: Student Ministry 7:00 pm / 9626 Church Road / 214.348.9697

CHUR CH OF CHRIST

SKILLMAN CHURCH OF CHRIST / 3014 Skillman St.

Sunday School 9:30 am / Sunday Worship 10:30 am

Grace Café & Bible Study Wed. 6:00 pm / 214.823.2179

DIS CIPLE S OF CHRIST

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am

214.824.8185 / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org

EPIS COPAL

CHURCH OF THE INCARNATION / 3966 McKinney Ave / 214.521.5101

Sunday: Traditional 7:30, 9:00, 11:15 am and 5:00 pm

Contemporary 9:00, 11:15 am and 6:00 pm / incarnation.org

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / 848 Harter Road, 75218

Sunday Worship: 8:00 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed. 9:00 am 214.321.6451 / www.stjohnsepiscopal.org

INTER-DENOMIN ATION AL

GRACEHILL COMMUNIT Y / www.gracehill.cc

10:00 am @ Dallas Children’s Theater / Skillman & NW Hwy.

Awesome Kid’s Ministry / Use Entrance Facing Home Depot

LUTHERAN

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule.

214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL / 6121 E Lovers Ln.

Sunday: Sunday School 9:15 am, Worship 8:00 am, 10:30 am, & 6:00 pm / 214.363.1639 / www.ziondallas.org

METHODIST

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. (at McCree)

214.348.6600 / www.lhumc.com / Sun. School 9:45 am

Sun. Worship 8:30 & 11:00 Traditional / 11:00 Contemporary

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. George Fisk

NON-DENOMIN ATION AL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree

Sun. Classes 9:30 am, Assembly 11:00 am / 214.348.0460

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

WHITE ROCK COMMUNIT Y CHURCH / 9353 Garland Road

Sun. Bible Study 9:00 am, Worship 10:45 am / 214.320.0043

Wed. Bible Studies 10:00 am & 7:30 pm / www.whiterockchurch.org

PRE SBY TERIAN

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBY TERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

Christian Ed. 9:45 am, 9:00 am Contemporary, 11:00 am Traditional

NEW ST. PETER’S PRESBY TERIAN CHURCH / 214.438.0120

Meet at Dallas Children’s Theater – Skillman at NW Hwy

Worship: 9:30 am / www.newstpeters.org

NORTHPARK PRESBY TERIAN CHURCH / 214.363.5457

9555 N. Central Expwy. / www.northparkpres.org

New Pastor: Rev. Brent Barry / 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday Services

WONDER LAND

ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE ASTONISHED BY THE EVERYDAY

Poet Mary Oliver is fond of three things.

She is actually fond of many more than three things, if you read her poetry. Nature, for one. Grasshoppers, for another. This grasshopper more than any other.

Poets move from the particular to the universal, from this to all. They understand that you don’t love marriage, you love being married (if you are and if you do) to your husband and not just any husband (we hope), but yours, the one named Joe who wrinkles his nose just so when he looks at you over the morning paper, at which point you notice the hairs growing out of that same nose that need clipping before the rest of the world outside your house will notice it, too, and wonder if he has a wife.

Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. These three things are part of her instructions for living from the multi-part poem “Sometimes”. They are good reminders to preachers and writers that we should get out of our heads and look at the world as it is before we speak of it or write about it.

They are good cues for all of us who live in the world. God tends to speak to us through things rather than going around things and avoiding them in order to get straight to the brain or the heart of people. We don’t live on the world; we live in it. Nature and people are living things, all of them capable of surprising us and astonishing us if we are paying attention.

We won’t ever be astonished by something if we think we already know that thing. Friendships grow stale when one friend knows the other so well, he thinks, that his friend is a hardened conservative or liberal and always must act from that label. Why should he have to speak or think anymore? He’s a category now.

The same is true with adult children and their parents. Will your mother always and only be that woman who nagged you about cleaning up your room when you were 9, or might she be a person who could teach you about listening to your own daughter if you took time now to listen to her? She is not

just mother, in other words, she is a woman named Trudy who has a thing to tell you because she herself has paid attention and been astonished by life.

In her poem “In Blackwater Woods”, Oliver has three more things to share after, and only after, she has looked at trees turning their bodies into pillars of light and smelling the fragrance of cinnamon coming from them, and being astonished at the long tapers of

cattails on the blue shoulders of the pond.

“To live in this world/ you must be able/ to do three things:/ to love what is mortal;/ to hold it/ against your bones knowing/ your own life depends on it;/ and, when the time comes to let it go,/ to let it go.”

Nature teaches us these things if we are paying attention. God teaches us these things through nature, to be more exact. And when we learn these things, we ought to step back and sigh, rejoicing that we ourselves are alive and can see it all and get just this part of it.

Then we must tell about it, which I am doing now after paying attention to these words and being astonished by them. I have held them close to my bones, because I do think that somehow my life depends upon it. And now I am letting them go to you, and to God, for safekeeping.

Tell someone today about what you have seen and been astonished by.

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

GETTING THEIR KICKS

Three Lady Wildcats soccer players recently won championships at the Disney Soccer Showcase tournament held each year in Orlando, Fla. Brinkley Field , Glory Williams and Kelsey Munoz , each playing for their highly nationally ranked select club teams — Solar Red 94, Sting 95 and Solar 95, respectively — won against the best-of-the-best in U.S. youth club soccer to earn first-place honors.

Dallas Lutheran School recently hosted the Lutheran district spelling bee, in which sixth-grader Sigrid Torres (left) and fifth-grader Gray D avis (right) took home, respectively, first place and runner up awards.

EVENTS

BOOK CLUB Needs New Members. Meets 1st Tues, 11:30am, at Lkwood Cntry Club. Enjoy Lunch & Conversation. 214-328-3631

TUTORING & LESSONS

A+ PIANO TEACHER WADE COTTINGHAM Super Refs. LWood Res. wadewademusic.com 214-564-6456

ART: Draw or Paint. All Levels. L. Highlands North Rec. Ctr. Jane Cross. 214-534-6829, Linda 214-808-4919.

DALLAS COLLEGE & TEST PREP Tutoring: SAT, ACT, THEA, TExES, Math, English. www.dallastestprep.com, 214-341-0076

DRUM & PIANO LESSONS All Ages/All Styles. Your location. UNT Grads. Betty & Bill 972-203-1573

GUITAR, PIANO, YOUR HOME Fun/Easy. 9-Adult. UNT Music Degree. Larry 469-358-8784

MATH TUTOR Certified. 5th-12th Grades. 10 Years Experience. Kenny. 214-535-6707. kennygoldman@sbcglobal.net

Spanish Immersion Classes in East Dallas

Spanish & English Language

Private and Small Group Classes for Adults & Children Spanish Immersion Preschool Mon. - Fri.

5740 Prospect Ave. #1000

DallasSpanishHouse.com 214-826-4410

Where every child is special!

Accredited private school with small classes, certified experienced teachers and outstanding academic curriculum. Indoor pool, gym, computer lab and large outdoor playground.

Call White Rock North School to schedule a tour 214-348-7410

CHILDCARE

EXPERIENCED OVERNIGHT CAREGIVER FOR INFANTS, including multiples. References. Kendell 214-346-9220

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982

Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center

Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

BU LL ETIN B OA R D B

CHILDCARE EMPLOYMENT

ALL CASH VENDING Do you earn $800/day? Local Vending Routes. 25 machines+candy. $9,995 800-807-6485

MYSTERY SHOPPERS! Earn up to $150 daily. Get paid to shop pt/ft. 800-690-1272

SALES & MARKETING PROFESSIONAL needed for growing promotional marketing business. Applicant must be a self starter and have sales or sales related experience. Job is commission only and work hours are flexible for the right candidate. Located in Lakewood. Email resumes to resumes@gizmogroup.com

TEACHER - East Dallas Developmental Center (eddc.net) now hiring for two’s class. eddcad@gmail.com or 214-821-7766

AD SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Advocate Magazines is hiring! Full Time Magazine Sales Rep — experience in print sales is required.

Please email your resume to kgaconnier@advocatemag.com subject line: Resume

SERVICES FOR YOU

AFFORDABLE INSURANCE SOLUTIONS Life, Health, Dental, Vision. For individuals & Families. 214-628-0605. InsphereIS.com/damon.kearns. The Solutions you Need. The Service You Deserve. Insphere Insurance Solutions, Inc. 11s000024

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills.Services Include Digital Photo Help.Sharon 214-679-9688

BUSINESS BOOKKEEPING Yearly Tax Prep, Monthly Service or Quickbooks Set-Up Robyn Young, CFP 214-564-8171

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 or stykidan@sbcglobal.net

SERVICES FOR YOU

CUPID WITH A CUISINART www.romancefortwo.com Personal Chef Service 214-212-3188

NEED A VACATION? Great Customer Service For Cruises, Family vacations, Honeymoons & More. Worldwide Cruises and Tours mariannewoody.wwtravel@yahoo.com 214-929-2069

YOUR COMPUTER GEEK Let me Solve Your Computer Problems. 25 Yrs. Exp. Hardware/Software Issues/Install. Network Setup, Home & Small Business. $50 per Hr. Mike. 214-552-1323. mikecomputergeek@gmail.com

Pearl... A “Precious” find in Quality Dry cleaning! Now Offering FREE Dry Cleaning Pick-Up & Delivery in Your Area! p y

PEARL

DRY CLEANING & LAUNDRY

Mon-Fri 7a-6p Sat 8a-3p 1332 S. Plano Road Suite 100, Richardson,TX, 75081 972.690.1171 pearldrycleaning@sbcglobal.net

RENT-A-DAUGHTER

Expanding Elder choicesTM

We help families with choices and plans for aging. For adult children, elders or anyone who hopes to become one.

469-774-3291 www.TheNewElder.com

(214) 342-bone www.tigerbonepc.com tame your computer We Make House Calls!

New Systems Repairs & Upgrades Wireless Networks Data Recovery KNOW MORE THAN THE NEWS

(FUTURE) MAVS MEN

Second graders from both Merriman Park Elementary and Moss Haven elementary — Archer Fuqua , H arrison C row , Tyler Etri , Ryan H ocker , M atteo Gisellu — recently painted up to celebrate Etri’s b-day and support their favorite NBA team.

SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO Go to

ORGANIZING

A DESIGNERS TOUCH FOR ORGANIZATION

Declutter & Organize. Sue Benson 214-349-9064

making your spaces successful!

Home Organization Declutter Rooms Filing Home O ce Set-up Unpack For rates, photos and testimonials, visit www.neatnellie.com or call 214.499.4387

Organize and Rejuvenate

Linda Strobel, Professional Organizer 972 816-8004

Residential Organizing Solutions

Enhancing your Living Spaces to Work for YOU!

Home Offices All Rooms & Living Spaces Feng Shui

For rates or more info., call or email: organizerejuvenate@att.net

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals, Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances?

No Job Too Small or Big. Call C.A.S Accounting Solutions. Cindy 214-821-6903

CUSTOM RESUMES Any Level or Field. Invest in your career. Katie. 214-499-4289, katie_shahan@yahoo.com

Licensed Insurance Provider PROTECT YOUR FAMILY

Flexible major medical, HSA’s, dental, life, critical care. Specializing in individuals, families and small businesses.

Call your local agent Lori Hu at 214-738-4783

Website Design Flash Demos

Graphic Design

RibbitMultimedia .com

214.560.4207

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

FOR WOMEN ONLY In Home Fitness Training. Cooper Certified Personal Trainer. 214-802-8932

MIND, BODY & SPIRIT

HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS Motivational, Compassionate & Confidential Sessions Offered To Those Wanting To Lose Weight & Gain A Healthier Lifestyle. Dr. Nicole Mangum, Health Psychologist. 214-692-6666 ext. 311

LASER THERAPY Stop smoking, lose weight, reduce stress Anne Penman 214-503-7955 www.annepenman.com

WWW.TRAINWITHJEAN.COM Train On Line Using Your Web Camera. $15 Per Session. 214-886-1459

PETS

BIRDDOGCATFISH Caring For Pets In Their Own Home With Familiar Sights, Smells & Routines. Dog Walks, Vet Trips, Overnights. Beth. 469-235-3374

JONATHANS FRIENDS Complete Pet Services. Your House Or Mine. 17 Yrs Experience. CPR Trained. 214-660-8993

K9 POOP PICK UP Love your dog, but hate the mess? Let us pick it up for you. You’ll love it. Call 214-341-1557 today!

POOP SCOOP PROFESSIONALS Trust The Experts. 214-826-5009

THEPETNANNYDALLAS.COM In-home TLC for cats, dogs & birds. Bonded & insured. Ask for The Pet Nanny. 214-244-4330

PETS

In-Home Professional Care

Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine

Serving the Dallas area since 1994

Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

BUY/SELL/TRADE

A NEW COMPUTER NOW. Brand Name. Bad or No Credit, No Problem. Smallest Weekly Payments Available. 1-800-838-7127

TEXAS RANGERS SUITE Share this prime suite with other neighborhood small businesses. We lease Suite 218-B behind home plate (check out the location online at texasrangers.com) overlooking the entire field. We’re looking for partners to buy 10game shares in for the 2010 & 2011 seasons. The suite includes three parking passes, 12 tickets for each game and a $300 credit per game (first year only) for food and beverage service in the suite. Games will be allocated in a lottery process prior to each season, with each shareholder selecting games and receiving an equal chance for Yankees, Red Sox, weekend and other premium games. Email rwamre@advocatemag.com or call 214-686-3595 with questions.

WEIMARANER PUPPIES Available. March 2010. dallasweimaranerpuppies.com

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece Or A Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com

REAL ESTATE

DUPLEX FOR RENT Charming 1914 Prairie Style Home. 5426 Alton Avenue. 1 bedroom/1 Bath + Study. Newly Remodeled. 828sf. $765 + Utilities. Call 214-460-1667

FOR RENT 2/2/2 + Guest House. Updated. Unique Property. 1 Block from White Rock Lake. $1,600pm. 214-328-3631

LOOKING TO BUY/SELL A HOME Call A Professional. Tax Credit & Knowing The Market Makes a Difference. Century 21. Tommy Kirk. 972-533-2872

SAVE THOUSANDS $$ Selling Your Home With 1% Listing Fee. Locally Owned Full Service Residential Brokerage At Reduced Rates. One Real Estate Group. www.onerealestategroup.com. For A Free Consultation Contact Jeff Mauser. 214-642-3856

APRIL DEADLINE MARCH 10

& Repairs. Baths,

Doors, Cabinets, Etc. Plenty of Refs. Paul, 214-893-3648

BO HANDYMAN Kitchens, baths, doors, cabinets, custom carpentry, drywall & painting 214-437-9730

FENN CONSTRUCTION CO Complete Remodels. www.dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/ Exterior. 214-808-8925

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right! www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

PREVIEW CONSTRUCTION INC.

HardiPlank 50 Yr. Cement Siding, Energy Star Windows. Kitchens-Baths-Additions & More. 214-348-3836. See Photo Gallery at: www.previewconstruction.com

REMODEL FOR LESS 972-822-7501 www.CuttingEdgeRenovationsLLC.com

SOUTHERN CROSS CONSTRUCTION

Residential & Light Commercial Renovation. Kitchens, Baths, Studios & Additions. Call Ben at 469-360-8886

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

TK COMPLETE REMODELING Carpentry, Doors, Drywall, Paint. 972-533-2872

469-951-2948 214-938-4284

$20 OFF - MAID 4 YOU Bonded & Insured. Park Cities/M Street Refs. Joyce. 214-232-9629

CLEAN FREAKS Since 2005. Free Estimates. Bonded & Insured. Call Today! 214-821-8888

JANITORIAL SERVICES Commercial/Residential

Cleaning. Home/ Office. Hector. 214-489-0635

KDR SERVICES Residential and Vacant Property Cleaning. 214-349-0914

Service & Luxury Auto Detail.

Cleaning

MENAGE CLEANING Since 1981. Also Pet Sitting*References 214-226-6439

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

THE MAIDS 4 Person Teams. Bonded & Insured. www.maids.com Free Estimates. 800-843-6243

WANTED Houses To Clean & Windows to Wash 20 Years Exp. Reliable, Efficient, Excellent Refs., Sunni 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTER S

& E LE C TRO N I CS

A+ CERTIFIED COMPUTER SERVICE

Business/Home. Repair, Data & Networks Call a PC Pro: Rusty 214-912-0885

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home /Biz. Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction, No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training, $60/hr. 1 Hr. Min. Dan 214-660-3733 Or stykidan@sbcglobal.net

HOUSE PAINTING

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work.

Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928

#1 GET MORE PAY LES

85% Referrals/Estimates 214-348-5070

A TEXTURE & FINISH SPECIALIST

Since 1977. Int/Ext. Kirk’s Works 972-672-4681

A TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Interior & Exterior 972-234-0770 mobile 214-755-2700

ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

MANNY’S HOME PAINTING & REPAIR Int./ Ext. Sheetrock , Manny 214-554-1327

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 972-613-2585

BRIAN GREAM PAINTING & RENOVATIONS LLC

PayPal ®

214.542.6214

WWW.BGRONTHEWEB.COM BRIANGREAM@YAHOO.COM

Residential. Interior. Exterior. Call today for a FREE estimate 214-346-0900

www.certapro.com

INSULATION/ RADIANT BARRIER

EFFICIENT INSULATION Radiant Barrier Foil. Energy Efficient Pro. Free quotes. 214-577-0534

ENERGYSMARTIMPROVEMENTS.COM

Radiant Barrier Insulation. 469-358-8137

INTERIOR DESIGN

A CLEAN SLATE Bring Life Into Your Home

This New Year. Interior & Event Design Services. Tablescapes, Artful Details. Don Moore Interiors and Event Design. For A Free Consultation. dpm0202@mac.com 270-993-0782

A LADY’S TOUCH WALLPAPERING

Texture, Paint & Repair. 27 yrs. exp. Free Call Martha 972-712-2465; 972-832-3396

INTERIOR DESIGN

CIELA DESIGN 832-428-3857 Residential/Commercial Interior Design Services. cieladesign.com

HOME DECORATIONS Spice Up Your Home For Spring. Home Shopping.Redecorate. Home Stylist. Lupe. 214-801-3542

INTERIOR DESIGN / CONSULTING

Carolyn Contreras ASID

Licensed/Exp. 214-363-0747

KIM ARMSTRONG INTERIOR DESIGN www.interiorsbykim.com

Licensed/CID/ASID 214-500-0600

LILLI DESIGN Residential, Commercial. NCIDQ Cert.10 Yrs Exp. www.lilli-design.com

Katie Reynolds 214-370-8221

WINDOWWORKS BY REBECCA Shop At Home For Custom Window Treatments. 214-215- 2981

Specializing in Custom Blended Colors and Decorative Applications

Italian Plaster

L’oeil

Amy Christensen 214.693.8556

www.fauxgetaboutit.com

Time to refresh your nest?

Cheryl Stephens Interiors Complete decorating, redesign and organizing services.

Cheryl Stephens, CID 214.351.6676

H /

T I L E / G R O U T

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere www dallastileman com 214-343-4645

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” Remodel’s Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

METRO CUSTOM CABINETS Kitchens, Offices, Entertainment Centers. 214-538-5600

STONE AGE Granite, Marble, Tile. Kitchens & Baths. Counter Tops. Jody “The Granite Girl” 469-328-8440

TOM HOLT TILE Expert In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

Tubs,

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacefinishing.com

WHY

L AWNS, G A R DENS & TR EES

GREENSKEEPER Fall Clean Up & Fall Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLISTIC TREE CARE

A Full-Service Tree Care Company

Chuck Ranson, Certified Arborist c.ranson@sbcglobal.net 214-537-2008

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

LAKEWOOD TREE SERVICES

Total Tree Care - feeding, trimming, removals Free Estimates. Insured. 214-442-3165

MULTI-SURFACE RESTORATION

TUBS/TILE/COUNTERTOPS

972.323.8375

L AWNS, G A R DENS & TR EES

25% OFF TREE WORK IN MARCH Roberts Tree Svc Insd.10 yrs exp. 214-808-8925

Complete tree services including Tree & Landscape Lighting! Call Mark 214-332-3444

A&B LANDSCAPING Full Lawn Care, Landscaping, Tree Trimming, Fireplaces & Stonework. Lic #0283917- Degreed Horticulturist 214-221-4421 - 214-534-3816

ALTON MARTIN LANDSCAPING Spectacular Curbside Appeal! Excellent refs. 214-893-2420

ARTHUR’S SPRINKLER REPAIR Serving E. Dallas for 20 yrs. LI 3449. 214-660-4860

AYALA’S Landscaping & Tree Service

Call Land & Tree Expert Today! 214-773-4781

B.J.’S LANDSCAPING Complete Lawn & Garden Maintenance. Seasonal Color/Perennials. Certified. 16 Yrs. Exp. Res/Com. 214-336-4673

BARTON SPRINKLER REPAIR & INSTALL

3 Yr Warranty. Free Rain & Freeze With New Installation. Lic 6158. 214-878-8123

BEACHSCAPE Lawn Maintenance & Landscaping. Stonework. Seasonal Color and Perennials. Free Ests. 214-287-3571

BLOUNTS TREE SERVICE Winter Tree Service Special. 1st Tree Regular Price, 2nd Tree 1/2 Price. 44 Yrs Exp. Insured. Grady. 214-275-5727

BUSSEYS LAWN CARE $30 Weekly. Hedges. Clean ups. 214-725-9678

CASTRO TREE SERVICE Quality Work at Great Rates. Free est. Insured. 214-337-7097

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

COMPLETE LANDSCAPE & DESIGN

Drainage, Stone Work, Sprinklers, Design. Free Estimates. 972-898-6197

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

DALLAS TREE SURGEONS Tree Trimming, Removal & Sales. Free Estimates. 972-633-5462 www.dallastreesurgeons.com

DAVID’S COMPLETE LAWN CARE And Tree Service. 214-459-7404

MOW YOUR YARD $27 White Rock Landscaping 214-415-8434

ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

PARADISE LANDSCAPES www.ParadiseLandscapes.net 214-328-9955

SPRINKLER REPAIR SPECIALIST $20 Off. 972-226-1925 www.rainmakertx.com LI#7732

SPRINKLERS, LANDSCAPING, Stone Work, Drainage. Installed and Repair. Call Kevin at 214-535-3352,Lic#7840. www.bigdirrigation.com

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION

Repairs, service, drains. 27 yrs exp. Ll 6295. Backflow Testing Cell-469-853-2326. John

THE POND MAN Water Gardens

Designed & Installed. Drained & Cleaned. Weekly Service. Jim Tillman 214-769-0324

TREE WIZARDS Trim Surgery Removal. 15 Yrs Exp. Insured. Free Est. 214-680-5885

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Your Personal Yard Service by Uwe Reisch uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

www.TexasXeriscapes.com 469-586-9054

A Better Tree Company

JUST TREES

Your Trees Could Look Like a Work of Ar t, I Guarantee It. Free Estimates Work Guaranteed Best Prices on Tree Removal Insured Commercial & Residential Tree & Landscape Lighting Call Mark Wittlich 214-332-3444

Colorful Impressions, Ltd.

Dan Coletti’s

JUST NATURAL DESIGN

Landscape Design Installation Maintenance 214-654-0202 http://colorfulimpressions.com

Xeriscape Native Plants & Grasses Perennial & Annual Color Butterfly and Herb Gardens

Dan Coletti 214-213-2147

www.JustNaturalDesign.com

PEST

972-564-2495

PLUMBING

M-36580

Astro Plumbing 20 Years in the Plumbing Business Full Service Plumbing Company

Call Michael 214.566.9737

Lorenzo and Son’s Plumbing Remodels, Additions, New Construction, Service & Repairs NO JOB TOO SMALL 972-804-7348 M38042

PLUMBING SERVICES

MPL36677 214-808-9262

POOLS

LEAFCHASERS POOLS

Service & Repairs. Insured. APSP Cert. Local Resident Jonathan. 214-729-3311

ROOFING &

Building

Lakewood Resident

PLUMBING

A2Z PLUMBING 214-727-4040

All Plumbing Repairs. Slab Leak Specialists. Licensed & Insured. ML# M36843.

# M37740 Insured. All your plumbing needs.

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: Repairs, Remodels, Water Heaters, Stopages. Ins’d. Lic 20754 214-321-0589 214-738-7116

ATCHISON PLUMBING

Running Toilets / Lack of Hot Water Driving You Crazy? Call Bruce!

972-726-9323 Lic. # M-23486

BLOUNTS PLUMBING REPAIR Rebuild or Replace. 43 yrs exp. Insured. 214-275-5727

MICHAEL’S POOL SERVICE

Maintenance & Repair 214-727-7650

PLAYMORE POOLS CO. Design, Construction, Consulting & Renovations. 214-823-0169. www.playmorepools.com

THE POOL LADY Personal/Affordable/Quality Pool Care since 1982. Marsha 214-553-1974

WHITE ROCK POOL CLEANING Friendly Service & Repairs. 20 yrs experience whiterockpools.com David 214-769-8012

ROOFING & GUTTERS

Clean Out, Repair/Replace. Leaf Guard. Free Estimates. Lifetime Warranty

Roof Replacement / Insurance Claims

ROOF LEAKS? LATHAM ROOFING

Roof Repair Specialist

L Full Jeff Godsey 214-502-7287

JUSTIN’S PLUMBING SERVICE

For All Your Plumbing Needs. ml#M38121 972-523-1336. www.justinsplumbing.com

M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

REPAIRS, Fixtures,General Plumbing. Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

SHEFFIELD PLUMBING We do it right the 1st time. Repairs, Rmdls. Insd. 214-941-8600

SPECK PLUMBING Licensed & Insured

All Types of Re-Roofing and Repairs. Res.& Com. Since 1973. 214-340-3500

WHITE ROCK ROOFING AND REPAIRS

Allstate

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/ or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-560-4203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

COMPREHENSIVE DENTISTRY

AshlyR.Cothern, DDS, PA

DrCothern is one of a small distinguished percentage of dentists who have invested in postgraduate training at one of the world>s premiere continuing education institutes, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. We care about you as a unique individual and examine you in a way that together we can understand every aspect of your oral health. In our office we love what we do. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO SMILEABOUT!

WWW.DRCOTHERN.COM

9669 N.CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY #220 DALLAS 75231 214.696.9966

OPTOMETRIST

Dr. Clint Meyer

www.dallaseyeworks.com

Kick off the new year looking great and seeing great! Try the latest in BIFOCAL CONTACT LENSES by Ciba Vision. Dr. Meyer>s office was one of the first to have this new technology for patients to try. Call our office today for an evaluation and free demonstration pair.

DALLASEYEWORKS

9225 GARLAND ROAD SUITE 2120, DALLAS, TX 75218 214.660.9830

Dalia G. Galicia, MD www.texasallergyonline.com

If you are one of the 50 million Americans affected by allergies, stop suffering! We specialize in the treatment of nasal allergies, asthma, eye allergy, sinus disease and allergic skin disorders. Early, late and Saturday appointments available. We accept most insurance plans, and complete testing and evaluation only takes about 2 hours.

NORTH TEXAS ALLERGY AND ASTHMA ASSOCIATES

8220 WALNUT HILL LN., SUITE 101, DALLAS, TX. 75206 214-369-1901

4708 ALLIANCE BLVD. , SUITE 610, PLANO, TX. 75093 972-596-4383

COSMETIC AND FAMILY DENTISTRY

Dena T.Robinson, DDS, FAGD

Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry

TIt>s not just about the teeth, but the whole person. Seeing someone>s oral health improve means their total health has improved as well. The focus at our White Rock Lake cosmetic dentistry practice is on comprehensive dental care.V Let us help you make a difference in your life!

WWW.DRDENAROBINSON.COM

8940 GARLAND RD., SUITE 200, DALLAS, TX 75218 214.321.6441

INTERNAL MEDICINE

James R.Ampil, M.D.

Dr. Ampil and the other board-certified physicians at Wade-Huebner Clinic are committed to providing advanced medical care while adhering to traditional doctor-patient values. We treat most acute and chronic illnesses and focus on prevention by offering wellness and preventive examinations. We are on the medical staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and we strive to make our patients> experience a rewarding one that leads to better health and well-being.

WADE-HUEBNER CLINIC 9301 N. CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY, SUITE 670, DALLAS, TX 75231 214.345.8250

TETER’S

F AUCET P ARTS

Seats in genuine colors & special shapes to match your toilet.

THE FIF TH ANNUAL RUN THE HIGHLANDS 5k and 1-mile family walk is April 24 at Lake Highlands High School, 9449 Church. Registration is $15 before April 12 and $20 after. Proceeds go toward the Lake Highlands North Recreation Center renovation project. Registration will start in midMarch at lhjwl.com.

MARK CROTT Y is the new head of school for St. John’s Episcopal School, beginning July 1. Crotty served for 20 years at Greenhill School and for seven years at the Episcopal School of Acadiana before that. He chaired the Board of St. Christopher’s Montessori School in Dallas, where his daughter and son attended. He and his family are members of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, where his wife, Sallie, is a vestry member, and he has taught in the Christian education program.

THE LAKE HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL honored their senior class favorites at a dance last month. Here are the winners: Ricky Zorn and Elly Collett, Shea Snider and Nathan Hogg, Rachel Peters and Colman Vigil, Maurie Smith and Chris Nieto, Sarie Morrison and Ricky Zorn, Elly Collett and Brent Bono, Caroline Keffer and Wil Matthews, Katie York and Jordan Brooks, Sarah Holmes and Stephen Holmes

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag. com or online at advocate.com/submit_lh_news. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

The Victim: Lauren Abeyta

The Crime: Burglary of a motor vehicle

Date : Friday, Jan. 15

Time: 4:11 p.m.

Location: 8500 block of Bacardi

TH E WO R KO UT BA G WA S GON E , A N D SO WA S T H E YOG A MAT.

Lauren Abeyta loves attending her regular yoga class. The soothing art form offers a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere of stretching and exercise in a serene environment.

“You feel like you’re a better person when you come out of a class,” she says. “It’s an incredible workout.”

Also an avid runner, Abeyta was heading out for her regular class on the afternoon of Jan. 15. She had parked behind her home that Friday and hopped in her car, ready to go.

“I was headed to a yoga class. I got in the car and thought, ‘There’s a breeze in here,’” she says. “Then I saw the rear window smashed.

“I have a guard dog too, but I guess he was asleep that day.”

A thief had broken into the car and grabbed an empty retail bag and her Nike gym bag. Glass covered the backseat of the car. Her husband’s car was parked next to hers, unharmed. Abeyta says it was a scary notion that she was so close to the scene of a crime.

“I work at home and was literally 20 feet from it,” she says.

The two bags were later found down the alley and returned, but her yoga mat did not survive the burglary.

“They took my water bottle and yoga mat. I am now calling him ‘The Yoga Mat Bandit’,” she says with a chuckle.

A.J. Serratos of the Dallas Police Northeast Patrol Division says parking behind a home is OK if there is adequate lighting and a vehicle alarm. However, he says it is always best to keep a car in a garage if at all possible, and never leave items you care about in the car.

“You should never leave anything inside the vehicle that might attract attention,” Serratos says. “You should remember three words: take, lock and hide.”

Since Abeyta often works at home, Serratos also offers some tips for those in a similar situation.

“First of all, never try to confront a thief it can be very dangerous. The best thing to do is call the police and get a good description of the suspect and what vehicle the thief is driving,”

says. “Consider once

while going out to your car or looking out a window to make sure

PSYCHIC IMPACT

GETTING A FEEL FOR TENANT S AT THE R O YAL-GREEN P LA Z A

I’m no psychic, but I dabble in reading signs around Lake Highlands. When a real psychic moves out of a strip mall, I jump to the conclusion that better times are ahead for the neighborhood.

To get a clearer reading, I decided to visit the Royal-Green Plaza on the southwest corner of Royal and Greenville, and talk to some of the tenants.

First I stopped into the Woman’s Health Boutique, which opened in October 2009. Cindy Brungart welcomed me, and told me that the store is owned by Vicki Jones, who created the business in Longview after her mother’s cancer diagnosis in 1986. At that time it was difficult to locate products and services to comfort her mother, or buoy her spirits. This difficulty inspired Jones to create a boutique catering to women’s dignity and femininity, along with their health needs. Think hair, hats, swimwear, foundation garments and custom fitting.

The suite boasts three large, private fitting rooms, and a bright room for trying on wigs. Custom orders for many of the products are available, including at least three types of prostheses for women who have had mastectomies but do not want reconstructive surgery. The shop also

carries some specialty items for pregnant and nursing women.

During my visit, Brungart allowed me to peek into the future (if I should decide to let my hair grow out gray). After one look at me in a gray wig, we both decided my future can wait. This may explain why I never visited the psychic, when I had the chance.

I asked Brungart what she thought of the psychic’s disappearance.

“We asked about that when we were looking at the lease,” she said. “The owner told us he thought the psychic would be leaving soon.”

That prediction came true, although past forecasts hadn’t been as accurate, according to the delightful Dr. T. Bob Davis, neighborhood dentist.

Davis was one of the original tenants to lease at the property, although his initial impression of the property 22 years ago was that “it was ideal, except there’s no street.” When he saw clear progress on the construction of an intersection at Royal and Greenville, he signed the lease.

For years, Davis did not have a sign. A well-known participant and pianist at First Baptist Church in Dallas, his practice was already established to the point that referrals and return business kept him busy.

About five years ago, the psychic appeared without warning.

“I went to the owner and asked, ‘What do you mean putting a psychic in here? It’s not a good mix,’” Davis recalls. The

owner predicted, wrongly, that the psychic would be gone in a month.

Davis’s son and office manager, Creth, says, “The psychic was one of the few that put a sign out. That’s one of the reasons he stood out most.” The psychic’s sign was small, but neon, and it always seemed to be glaring “OPEN” well after dark, every day of the week.

Dr. Davis developed a sense of humor about the situation. In the past, his clients sometimes had difficulty finding his location, but the psychic turned the building into a memorable landmark. Finally, Davis got his own sign.

“The psychic left when he realized he was in T. Bob’s building,” Davis jokes. His sign is bigger than the psychic’s used to be.

After speaking to these good neighbors at Royal-Green Plaza, I called the owner of the property, Mr. Khan, to get his comments. When I mentioned the psychic, his immediate response was, “The psychic doesn’t live there.”

That was an answer to a question I hadn’t asked.

He made it clear he would not comment on a former tenant who was already gone. Of course, it doesn’t take a mind reader to know that commercial property needs paying tenants. As a homeowner and stakeholder in Lake Highlands, I wish Mr. Khan continued success in finding more tenants like those gracious people who spoke to me.

Submit your baby photos to advocatebaby@quigleyac.com.

Applicants must be between 6-18 months.

Meet our newest generation Quigley customer!

Elliott, our Lake Highlands winner, will receive a free year of planned service on one heating and air conditioning system valued at $300 for his family.

DID YOU KNOW: The average household spends more than $2200 a year on energy bills, with nearly half of this going to heating and cooling costs! Is your money being spent wisely? An annual maintenance program with us can ensure that every bit of your heating and cooling costs are efficient—not leaking air out of your system or money out of your wallet.