SHARETHE FRUIT
BatonRouge Greenasksfor volunteersahead of City Citrus pick
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
FreshLouisiana citrusisa commongiftoffriendshipbetween
neighbors andloved ones. Sharing the fruit with others is in Baton Rouge Green’s DNA, and the environmentalnonprofitisnow looking for volunteers for the 11th annual City Citruspick event tohelp Louisianians in need.
Theorganizationis callingfor volunteers to gather fresh citrus to deliver to theGreater Baton RougeFoodBank, whichwilldistribute thefruit to the 11 parishes they serve. Theevent will be from 8a.m. to noon Saturday,Dec. 14. Volunteers will meet at the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank to get instructions before theevent begins BatonRouge Green organizes, trains,equipsand sendsout volunteer pickerstocarefully harvest fruitwithoutdamagingthe trees and then transport the fruit back to the Greater Baton Rouge FoodBank. The City Citrus team instructs volunteers to trim off the fruit, not tug the fruit, andto abstainfrom climbing on trees. All volunteersare prepared to do no harm to the trees. Thereare twowaystoget involved:volunteer apersonal tree forpicking and/or volunteer to pick.
Since beginning the effort in 2014, the pick eventhas harvested more than 37,000 pounds of fruit. The group hopestotop the 40,000-pound mark with the 2024 harvest, which meansbringing in
at least 3,000 pounds this year
Christopher Cooper,the directorofoperationsofBaton Rouge Green and the state coordinator for urbancommunity forestry,said the CityCitrus pickevent collected 6,500 pounds last year,and thecity is in dire need of help this year
“Due to the ice storm in 2021 and the drought last year,the weather has really taken atoll on the citrus in our area,” he said. “Thereare some hits happeningtoour local citrus that are really setting the communityback in terms of getting accesstofresh local food.So, we are trying to encourage people to dig deep, because there’salot of citrus still on thebranches out there that’s notfullygetting utilized.”
City Citrus andShare theFruit
Cooper’sarrivalatBaton Rouge Greenin2013coincidedwiththe beginning of the City Citrus project, whichtransformsurban green space intoscalable citrus orchards that provide access to fresh fruit. He leads CityCitrus now and says it’shis “passion project.”
City Citrus has aprogram called Sharethe Fruit, whichisfunded by afederalurbanforestry grant Share theFruit partners with nontraditional partners like Baton RootsCommunity Farmand the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authoritytodevelop sustainable, open-source citrus orchards
ä See CITRUS, page 2G
Food stirs memories, butcan also
Is there aconnectionbetween food and memory?
Food can conjure sentimental connections to ahappy or meaningful timewhen it engages multiple senses, including taste, smell, texture, sight and sound. This is called “flavor nostalgia.”
Foods are deeply ingrained in our memories, especially around Thanksgiving. As children, manyofour happiest moments centered around meals shared with family and friends, especially holiday feasts. The foods eaten during these times are associated with love, care and connection and become cherished childhood memories of shared meals.
Jake Broder,anAtlantic Fellow forEquity in Brain Health and Dr.Virginia Strum, aGreater Brain Health Institute Endowed Professor at the University of California at San Francisco, recently spoke at aUCSF speaker series event. They talked about the relationship between food and memory and their groundbreaking work to investigate how what we eat can enhance the quality of life forindividuals with dementia or cognitive impairment.
“It’swell knownthat art and music help and stimulate dementia patients in someform or other,” said Broder.“We’re also seeing that there’sadeeper tie to the inner workings of memorywhen you taste something. Sharing food is more about making aconnection, as opposed to saying, ‘remember when,’ because sharing food is active, and in the now
“In the making of it, there’s remembering. But in the giving of it to others, there is creating new memories, and that continuum is important. For people living with these conditions, to be at the center like that is very empowering. This is alow-cost, low-risk, high-impact intervention. Everyone is eating anyway, and you don’tneed fancy neurologists to do this. This is implementable by mindful midlevel practitioners.”
Our brains are hard-wired to associate tastes and smells with memories. This is because the regions of the brain responsible forprocessing these senses —the amygdala and
ä See FOOD, page 1G
WRESTLINGWITHTHE PAST
BY JAKE COYLE AP film writer
The piano on theset of “The Piano Lesson” was notamere prop. It could be played andthe castmembers oftendid. It was adornedwith pictures of theWashingtonfamily and their ancestors. It was, John David Washington jokes, “No. 1on the call sheet.” “Wetried to haunt the piano itself, to charge it withthat kind of spirit,” says Malcolm Washing-
ton, the film’sdirector andJohn David’sbrother In “The Piano Lesson,” August Wilson’s1987 play, thepiano is acentral symbol of heritage, the past and survival.In1930s Pittsburgh,itsits, unplayed, in the home of Berniece Charles
(DanielleDeadwyler), having been passeddownasa family heirloom from thedays of slavery. ButBerenice’svisitingbrother,Boy Willie (John David Washington), wants to sell it to buy the
Adaptation of August Wilson’s ‘The PianoLesson’ is both an impassioned family dramaand profound ghoststory ä See ‘LESSON’, page 1G
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Avolunteer fruit picker reaches for the high satsumas on apast Baton RougeGreen CitrusPick event day.
Ayoung volunteer picker harvests citrus at apast Baton RougeGreen City CitrusPick event.
Danielle Deadwyler
Piano Lesson.’
Treatmentfor rotatorcuffinjuriesdepends
DearDoctors: Itripped on atree root and almost did aface-plant. Ilanded on my hands with my arms stretched out, and now my right shoulder has started aching. My boyfriend thinks it’sa rotator cuff injury.I’ve only heard of that in baseball players.What isthe rotator cuff? What is the treatment?
Dr.Elizabeth Ko
Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS
Dear reader: Your rotator cuff is the group of muscles andtendons that help anchor the bone of the upper arm, known as the humerus, within the shoulder joint. This is aball-and-socket joint,the architecture of whichallows the arm tohave awide range of motion. Working together,the muscles andconnective tissues of the rotator cuffhold the rounded end of the humerus —that’s the ball —inplace as it moves within the shallow cupofthe shoulder blade “socket.”They alsocontributeto the strengthand stabilityneeded to lift androtate your arm. Injuries to therotator cuff can occurinafall onto an outstretched arm, as happened in your case.Thiscan damage not only thetendons, but also may bruise or tear themuscle. The area can also sustain harm due to repetitiveoverhead arm mo-
tions, which is why the injury is often seen in baseball and tennis players, swimmersand golfers. Professions such as house painting or construction work, and improper technique when lifting heavy weights, also put people at increased risk. The mostcommon symptom is adull ache deep within the shoulder joint. This can be accompanied by weakness in themuscles of thearm and areduced range of motion.Lifting aweight or rotating the arm can intensify discomfort. Pressure on theshoulder,as when sleeping on your side, may be painful. In somecases, damage to theconnective tissues in the shoulder jointcan create asensation of friction during motion or cause apopping or crackling sound.
Diagnosis begins with aclose examination of the shoulder joint to assess pain and identifyareas of weakness or impaired motion. Imaging tests, such as an MRI or an ultrasound, may be recommended. Treatment depends on the scope of the damage. In minor injuries, theconnective tissues may be irritated or inflamed but are not tornorsevered. In those cases, theperson will be asked to rest and limit activities that involve theaffected shoulder Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (such as ibuprofen) may be used to manage pain and swelling. Stretching and strengthening exercises can be helpful, as can ultrasound therapy and physical therapy.Insome cases, corticosteroid injections may be used to
manage inflammation. In more serious injuries, the connective tissues becomefrayed or torn or can completely detach from the bone. Depending on the extent and severity of the damage, surgery may be necessary After afall, and with the onset of your symptoms, it’sagood idea to have your shoulder evaluated by your health care provider Treatment can improve arotator cuff injury.But when ignored, it is easy forthese types of injuries to worsen.
Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla edu, or write: Ask theDoctors, c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.
“totackle food insecurity,” Cooper said. Sharing fruit, after all, is the whole idea behind the pick event harvesting day To hold asuccessful harvesting day,Baton Rouge Green needs trees full of fruit.
“If you’ve eaten afew bags of fruit, or if you’ve eaten acouple of weeks worth of satsumas, you
may be alittle full,” Cooper said. “You can identify your own trees and your neighbors thatstill have fruit. Check how much you’re going to use, and then help us utilize more for the community.
The goalofthe City Citrus pick event, Cooper said, is to harvest asmany pounds of fruit on that Saturday to reachasmanypeople as possible.
Forcommunities out of
done hishomework.I’m just hanging around.’”
therange of the event, the process is scalable andcan be carriedout by small groups. Anyonewith accessto citrus trees and a food pantry or community refrigerator can participate in sharing fruit, even if it’snot on Dec. 14.
“Wenever define what sharingis,” Coopersaid. “Everyone has theirown definitionofsharing.We’re nottrying to steal food from people, but we are
getting that food and giving it to some people who don’t have access to afruit tree or fresh produceinstead of letting it go to waste.”
Mike Manning, president and CEO of Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank, credits BatonRouge Greenwiththe successofthe event over theyears.
The coordination of gleaning and donating all in one daymakes abig difference for thefood bank
“Baton Rouge Green does all the heavy lifting, and we just coordinatewith them
so they can donate the productdirectly to us anddrop it off,” Manning said. “The fruit goes right outthrough ourregularagency system, and we just put it into the orders forour agencies
So, we know that the citrus that’scoming in is going right back outtothe people who can take the mostadvantage of it.”
Getinvolved
In additiontovolunteeringtrees or volunteering to pick, there are other ways to help out City Citrus. Posting
on social media andputting up yard signswitha QR code that links to registration can help get the word out. Whenitcomes to hunger, Coopersaid, “Ittakesavillage to solve or help mitigate some of theseissues,”and it’simportant for citizens to “think globally and act locally because that’swhere the big change happens.” To sign up or volunteer, visit batonrougegreen.com/ events/the-pick-event. Email Joy Holdenatjoy holden@theadvocate.com.
Mississippi land upon which their ancestorsonce toiled as slaves.
“The Piano Lesson,” which is currently playing in theaters and debuts Friday on Netflix, is an impassioned family drama butitisalso aprofoundghost story.For the Charles family,wranglingoverthe pianoisa reckoning with their family’spast, and thelegacyof slavery.Atits bone-rattling crescendo, it’sanexorcism.
“It’sanexorcism and a possession,” says Deadwyler.“You’re releasing the thing that never worked and inviting in the thing that was always present but you might not have known.” Adapting “The Piano Lesson,” aplay about ancestors and heritage, was fittingly a work of family.It’sthe third in asterling string of Wilson adaptations produced by Denzel Washington, following “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’sBlack Bottom.” But it’s thefirstWashington mostly left to his family to make.
‘I’mthe manfor thejob’
“Costanza, August’swidow,came to me Idon’tknow how many years agoand asked me to shepherdthese plays. Isaid, ‘I’m the man for the job,’ ”Washington saidaninterview alongside producer Todd Black. “So I’ve been more of an administrator.Ireadthe play a couple times to think about how can we get this made, is this amovie? In this case, aweek or so into shooting, Iwas like, ‘There’snothingfor me to do.Thiskid knows what he’sdoing. He’s
and hippocampus are closely linked to our memory centers. When we’reputting that firstbite of sweet potato casserole or cornbread dressing in our mouth at Thanksgiving, for instance, we are biting intoa food that was part of our childhood. Our brain immediatelytaps into the emotional and sensory experiences tied to that food. This is why asingle taste or smell can evoke vivid recollections of the past, often accompanied by aflood of emotions. The hypothalamus and amygdala’s close connection to memory centers causes tastes and smells to evoke vivid, emotional memories.
The nostalgia tied to these foods can provide asense of stability and continuity inan ever-changing world and be
If Denzel Washington has been moved tocarry on the tradition of Wilson by a sense of legacy,it’ssomething he passes down in “The PianoLesson.” Thefilm marks the directorial debut of Malcolm,33, whoalso cowrote the script with Virgil Williams.
John David Washington, the “BlacKkKlansman”and “Tenet” star,madehis Wilson debut in a2022 Broadwayproductionof“The Piano Lesson,”playing Boy Willie. Thatproductionalso featuredSamuelL.Jackson, who originated the role of Boy Willie in 1987 at the Yale Repertory Theatre, playing Berniece and Boy Willie’s uncle,Doaker Charles, arole he carries over in the film.
“You have allthese great artists playingthese notes –you have theOGs, theWilsonians,playing it,”saysJohn David. “Then you have the newcomers playing it.You start jamming togetherand youfind it together.”
Pain andperseverance
For the actors, finding the musicof“The Piano Lesson” meant channeling generations worth of pain and perseverance in Black American life. Muchofittheyunderstood instinctually.Some of it they foundtogether
“Berniece has amassive amountofweightand puton top of that is griefand loss and longing,” says Deadwyler,the “Till” star.“Those are things that have been with me and in womenI’ve witnessed all my life. You think about the lives these women have lived and you carry it andyou bear it.”
The cast and filmmakers were also mindful of
acrucialpartofhow people with dementia navigate their lives.Flavornostalgia connects our past and helps us navigate the present. This Thanksgiving, especially,think abouthow these nostalgic foods can remindusofwho we are andwhere we camefrom. More than just ameal or feast, foodsserveaslinks to ourhistory,culture identity andemotions, and for the individual withdementia, ameansofsocial engagementthat evokes aspecial connection with others, promoting joy and comfort.
Dana Territoisan Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease. She hosts “The Memory Whisperer.”Email herat thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.
a legacy of performance they were working in. When Harry Belafonte diedduring theshoot,Malcolm played a song of his on set. The day before “The Piano Lesson” played at theToronto International Film Festival, James Earl Jones, who starredinthe original pro-
duction of “Fences,”died. Thebestroles around ForWashington, August Wilson became alifeblood. “These are thebest roles around,”hesays. “Everybody wants ’em. Iwant ’em. In the film’sdramatic third act,when the super-
natural enters, Deadwyler could feel presences in the room.This is when “The Piano Lesson” quakes open with all of the pain and tragedy it has been building toward. The walls —hung with photos of the actors’ own relatives— shake. Deadwyler, Malcolm says wasgone. She wassomewhere else “I do recallwhenthe ancestors were coming into the room,” Deadwylersays. “My eyes are closed alot, but people carry energy And Iknew when they came in. The breath shifts.”
Manning
Checkout theseholiday titles foryourgiftlistthisyear
AsAsheville, North Carolina, continues to rebound from adevastating storm this year,Malaprop’s Bookstore hasserved as a source of respite, reflection and community while the area rebuilds.I’m alongtime Malaprop’s fan after my frequent visits to Asheville, so I’ve been heartened to see how the store is helping NorthCarolina heal. It reminded me of the vital rolethat Louisiana’sbookstores play in sustaining our own civic health.
Dan an AT RANDOM n Heitm DannyHeitman
One good way to help keep them open is to include these shops in your holiday shopping plans. That’swhy Istart the Yuletide season here each year with afew suggestions for gift books. This isn’tmeant to be a definitive books-of-the-year list. I’ll just mention afew books I’ve enjoyed in 2024 —titles that you might like as gifts for others or asapresent for yourself. When things seem topsy-turvy, Ioften turnto E.B. White, whose prose has the kind of quietly assuring sanityweall seem to need right now.The good folks at McNally Editions have brought to-
JOHNSON
gether some of White’sbest writing about Gotham in anew book, “New York Sketches.” Whether he’s writing about pet shops, florists or pigeons, White has such an appreciation for place that he nudges you to savor your own neighborhood, too. Like White, who died in 1985, Roger Rosenblatt has had along andsuccessfulcareer as amagazine essayist.In“ASteinway on theBeach,” Rosenblattreflects on theidea that the wounds we experience, physical or otherwise, can also turn out to be our greatest blessings. It’sathoughtful and sometimes playful book that left me feeling lighter
Ifelt the same way about “Time of theChild,” Niall Wil-
liams’new novel about how the unexpected arrival of ababyin asmall Irish village changes the residents. The story’scelebration of community is atonic for our times. It wouldn’tbeChristmas, it seems, without aholiday book from novelist Richard Paul Evans,and he’sback this season with “ChristmasinBethel,” which is about atroubled woman who’sbent on ending it allbut is saved after reading abook Unlikely? In “Sharing Too Much,” anew collection of his autobiographical essays, Evans recounts his ownserious struggles and how he wasultimately redeemed by his gifts as astoryteller.It’sa casestudy in truth
being stranger than fiction. JaneBroxisthe author of three memoirs abouther family’sNew England farm. They’ve been gathered into abeautiful new volume,“In the Merrimack Valley,” thatclocksinatmore than 500 pages—just the kind of reading forlongwinterafternoons. Broxexploresthe complications in staying or leaving where we grewup, aquestionwith particularresonance as many of us navigate holidayhomecomings. StopbyyourLouisiana neighborhood bookstore for these titlesand many others this season They’ll be thrilled to seeyou Email Danny Heitman at danny@ dannyheitman.com
Fecit Antiques and Estatesowner KarenKhonsari stands with atable of items at an estatesale on Nov. 9inBaton Rouge. Turning65 or newtoMedicare?
Estate salescan reveal generational wealth forsomeareafamilies
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
The challenge of liquidating an estate can be daunting. Most estate sale companies handle all aspects of the sale like pricing, planning, marketing and cleaning out ahouse —which can be helpfulwhensurvivors are divesting of property
In Baton Rouge, Fecit Estate Sales founderand owner Karen Khonsari says she has spent the last five years streamliningthe process of making clients’ experiences less stressful and more effective. She uses abarcode system that makes the inventory and sales simple to organize. When it comes to the larger pieces, Pam Rabb, owner of Southern CharmsinSt. Francisville, said pre-sales are effective.
Generational wealth
Khonsari said that people are not often aware of the worthinside theirfamily’s homes This realizationcame from aphone call from awoman in Chicagowho couldnot find an estate sale company for her mother’shouse in north Baton Rouge. Khonsari went to the property and saw large value in the items, and Fecit Estate Salestook the opportunity
“I realized many families had generational wealth in their family’shouses and didn’tknow it,” Khonsari said. Khonsari reached out to Tara Wicker,formercity council member and now founder of WConsulting Group, which specializesin community investment and engagement, for assistance in north Baton Rouge. Khonsari wanted to commit aportion of the proceeds to support the area.
“Wedidn’twant to go in anddosomething that was aneighborhoodclean up which wouldbesmaller impact,” Wicker said. “So,we tied it into what (Khonsari) was already doing. She’san expert in antiques and estate sales, and so we hosted an event at the Scotlandville library called Hidden Treasures.”
At this event, Khonsari gave apresentation on how to identify antiques in homes —things that may have gotten passed down.
“It was literally standing room only,and people were very excited,” Wicker said Khonsari and Wicker have done this presentation twice, titled “Leaving aLegacy.”
Wicker says the program is an educational campaign that they’ll grow to reach more people.After working in community development
for many years and being apartofthe city council, Wicker hopes thesepresentationscan help families with planning
“I lost my mom two years ago,” saidWicker.“It’sdifficultwhenyou’retrying to deal with all the legal aspects of property exchange and cleaning out ahome while you’re in the middle of the emotions of losinga loved one.”
Hiddenvalue
When preparing for an estate sale, both Khonsari and Rabb advise not to underestimate what is in the house —orwhat people in the community will wanttobuy.The estate sale company uses a varietyofresources to decidethe value of items.
“I tellmyclients, ‘Get what you wantout and just walk away,’”Rabb said. “Clientsdon’trealizethatthe oldadage, ‘One man’sjunk is another man’streasure’ is true.” Khonsari agrees andsaid families rarely know what value is in their homes. She hasevenexperienced items being used to decorate afilm or television show set TimCohn,aNew Orleansbased setdecorator,frequents estate sales when he’sworkingona project He saysthatestatesales offer the best selection when he’slooking for period items to give aset acertaintime frame or look. The affordability of estate sales also fitswithinhis tight decoratingbudget.
When working on theZac Efron film, “The Iron Claw,” Cohn found Fecit Estate Sales online and spotted a home full of 1989 furniture and decor,which was what he needed to outfitone of thecharacter’sapartments for the film. Before thepresale, Khonsari opened the doors to the home by an appointment. His production designer looked at the house with him, and they bought the home’s entire inventory before theestate sale ever opened
“I have to spendmoney wisely andcreatively,” Cohnsaid. “I need tomake setslook likea million bucks forabout $50 and aham sandwich, which is why I keep coming back to estate sales. It’s tough for families to liquidate assets. Iwent through that with my mom, but there’svaluethere.” Khonsari andRabbshare two tipswhen preparing for an estate sale: n Don’tthrow anything away n Old clothes are money
EmailJoy Holden atjoy holden@theadvocate.com
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The GIVING SEASON ishere!
Whyaresomanyofour fellowcitizenswearing “red”eye-blacktoday? Let’sfindout!
DONATE!
WHATISGIVINGTUESDAY?
GivingTuesdayisaglobalgenerosity movementunleashingthepowerof radicalgenerosity.GivingTuesdaywas createdin2012asasimpleidea:aday thatencouragespeopletodogood.Since then,ithasgrownintoayear-roundglobal movementthatinspireshundredsof millionsofpeopletogive,collaborate, andcelebrategenerosity. haspartneredwiththeCapital AreaUnitedWayonanannual givinginitiativecalledthe
Footballisabout teamworkandunity andsoisourBaton Rougecommunity. That’swhyourRedStick Rallypartners have putonsome“red” eye-blackthisgiving seasontotelltheworld whytheworkthey’re doingissoimportant andhowyoucanhelp.
