Sunday Signal May 9, 2021 by Signal

MAY 9, 2021

Celebrating Mother Nature, Too Page 8

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GETTING READY FOR FIRE SEASON

THINKING ABOUT ‘ME TIME’ FOR MOM

FUN & EASY SPRINGTIME RECIPES

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4 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

M AY 9, 2021

One of the First EnvironmentFriendly Resorts

The Sand Canyon Resort will provide a high quality, family-friendly experience enhanced by exceptional and personalized service. Its guests and visitors will also be happy to know that it will be doing its part for the environment by being as sustainable as possible. According to research conducted by Booking.com, more than 80% of global travelers state that sustainability in travel is important to them, confirming that eco-friendly hotels are not just a trend but part of a long-term strategy to reduce the environmental impact of travel. Sustainable hotels and resorts are those that significantly reduce their environmental impact through green best practices in construction, operations, maintenance, and supplies. The core strategies revolve around saving energy, reducing water consumption, and curtailing waste during construction and operation of the facilities. The Sand Canyon Resort will employ a variety of sustainable features and systems to achieve these goals.

Conserving energy & lowering carbon emissions The resort will be 100% solar powered by using a 500 Kilowatt-hour photovoltaic system and two megawatt-hour batteries. This renewable energy source will allow the resort to be independent of the power grid. It will also be used for charging over thirty electric vehicles and e-Bikes during the day. To reduce employee car trips, we will provide group shuttles to and from public transit hubs using hybrid or electric vehicles; incentivize a ride-sharing program; and provide secure bike storage and showering facilities to encourage other methods of commuting. Additionally, we will install energy-saving LED fixtures and smart sensors that automatically turn lights on, off, or dim as needed, and mini-split, smart HVAC systems that condition indoor air only where and when needed.

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 5

Limiting water consumption Studies have shown that a hotel guest can use up to 25 gallons of water in the shower per day. When multiplied by 1000 potential guests, that adds up to 25,000 gallons. We will be adopting a resort-wide Grey Water Filter system which will reuse this shower water to irrigate the 27-hole golf course. Installing smart, water efficient toilet-bidets at all guest and staff bathrooms and encouraging guests to reuse towels and linens during their stay will all contribute to an overall reduction in water usage. Lastly, by planting drought-resistant native trees, plants, and ground cover instead of grass, the resort will be able to minimize the amount of water used for irrigation. It also eliminates the need for pesticides and fertilizers. Reducing waste & preserving natural resources The construction of the resort buildings will include a prefabricated steel structural system that is produced offsite with minimal to zero waste generated. We are planning to specify as much of the building materials as possible to contain recycled content and/ or be able to be recycled in the future. In light of the fact that only about 8% of the 30 million tons of plastic that is discarded every year in the US is recycled, the Sand Canyon Resort plans to be as plastic-free and paper product-free as possible. The resort will provide guest rooms with filtered water dispensers to eliminate bottled water; will eliminate single-use bathroom essential kits; and will incorporate reusable dishes, silverware, glasses and mugs at all food & beverage locations. Smartphone technology will allow us to eliminate the use of plastic key cards as well. The on-site organic garden and orchard will provide the resort’s kitchens with vegetables, herbs, and fruits and we will establish processes to compost food waste which will then support sustainable gardening practices. To help replenish the local aquifer, we are implementing a pervious paver system where possible to minimize the amount of water run-off. Additionally, a new on-site water detention basin will contribute with rain water management. The Sand Canyon Resort will be implementing these and other strategies to differentiate itself as well as to be a leader in sustainable hospitality. Our mission is that our guests will have a memorable experience at our resort knowing that they do so in an environmentally-friendly manner.

Sand Canyon www.sandcanyonresort.com RESORT AND SPA Thank you very much, Steve Kim, CEO

6 · S U N D AYS I G N A L

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M AY 9, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS FEATURES 7 8 9 10

Getting a handle on all your content options Sharing spring with the wildlife Fire season comes early to Santa Clarita COVID-19 ‘long haulers’ face harrowing journey

MOTHERS DAY

FROM THE MAYOR

SENIOR LIVING

11 Sometimes moms need a time-out 12 Adventure awaits at your local library! 13 What to expect from cataract surgery

Helpful advice on life and business

ENTERTAINMENT 14 14 ‘Without Remorse’ action flick is disappointing

FOOD 15 1 5 Easy, satisfying spring recipes Tossed Bean Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Sabich

HEALTH

16 Ways to reach a healthy blood pressure

Selina Thomas SCV’s HR Guru “She makes your business her business.”

GARDENING 17 17 Gardening in the merry month of May

TECHNOLOGY 18 18 Spring cleaning your personal technology

FINANCE 19 19 How to create a realistic budget

HOME 20 20 Outdoor TVs up the ante in outdoor living areas

KIDS & FAMILY

2 1 Donna’s Day: Create abstract art with melted crayons Junior Whirl • Health Fact

Cary Quashen’s The Real Deal Substance abuse stories and advice

PUZZLES 22 OPINION 23

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661-259-1234 The entire content of the Sunday Signal is copyrighted 2021 by Paladin Multi-Media Group, Inc. All submitted letters and columns are strictly the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the publisher. All rights are reserved and no part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. If you would not like this delivered to your home, please call (661) 259-1000.

PHOTO COURTESY DIANNE ERSKINE-HELLRIGEL

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M AY 9, 2021

N E W S F E AT U R E

Getting a handle on all your content options By Perry Smith Sunday Signal Editor

ith a reasonable budget and some technical savvy, the world of digital content one can stream to their home or desktop is essentially a limitless expanse these days. In addition to more than 200 different types of streaming services, there are even (legal) ways to defeat content restrictions that allow you to, for a handful of extra dollars a month, view the streaming options available in Canada, the United Kingdom, Asia and Australia, among other locations. There are also a number of ways you can maximize your content without having to break your bank.

We cut the cable for a reason

Be master of your content universe

If you’re looking for what you can watch and where, the content-review service What’s on Netflix recommends Just Watch, contains an exhaustive list for what movies or TV shows are available on what services, in case you’d like to browse around before you shop for the best service for you. It’s helpful because the content packages for services like Netflix have benefited from enormous investment in content production, in addition to streaming rights.

A snippet of the top of the “Just Watch” home page gives an idea of the range and variety of content available through the hundreds of streaming services you can find online. COURTESY SCREENSHOT JUST WATCH

“On competition, it’s getting much harder to differentiate Netflix and other streamers as they all vie to take the crown and, as such, they’re all making diversified content for all ages and all tastes,” said Kasey Moore, who runs What’s on Netflix, which is specifically devoted to giving information and reviews about the service’s offerings. “Netflix’ international selection is growing at a pace far beyond anyone else and with a couple of exceptions, every week on Netflix has easily between 20 and 100 new additions to watch so there’s rarely any lulls in stuff to watch.” And Moore and Hoosen both mentioned another point of streaming: JustWatch reviews content for different markets, too. And you might have noticed more and more foreign country selections being inserted into suggested viewings, as the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, et al have their own universes of content to peruse — if you’re feeling more of the accents and foreign language vibes. There are legal ways to go around restrictions that content providers try to impose by region, notes Hoosen, with the StreamLocator being his suggestion. Working on a similar idea as a VPN — a device that masks your IP or internet address — StreamLocator is nice because you dont have to be a tech savant to operate one, and they work with most smart devices, Hoosen notes. It allows you to set and change your geolcation to watch more con-

PHOTO COURTESY MC

One of the great options about using streaming content options versus the traditional Spectrum, Uverse, DirecTV or any of the traditional cable television service providers, is that, in those models, the viewer is relying on when the content provider wants us to watch the show or movie. Streaming services not only give greater freedom of what to watch, but they don’t ever require any contracts. This is an important aspect to remember, according to Mo Hoosen, editor-in-chief of Streamr, a content review site that also shares a weekly podcast that shares insights on the universe of options available to watch online. “I’d say that there’s a kind of deception or a presumption that people have to stay billing with, with a certain service. So if you want to watch a show that’s coming on Netflix in two months’ time, there’s a presumption that you or the person kind of in the back of their heads is thinking, ‘Oh, well, I don’t want to get tied into a contract with Netflix, or I’ll just forget to cancel it, or something like that. And I think … that’s a symptom kind of cable and satellite television,’” he said, referring to the culture of longer-term contracts. He even suggested people could set reminders on their calendar. The cancel option also allows you to check out more services to see if maybe the changing content selection might have something you were missing. Check out more content insights from Hoosen at TheStreamr.com.

tent from essentially anywhere. For more information visit, StreamLocator.com. For an explanation on VPN from Norton, visit: nr.tn/3toZ0ay.

Find the free

If you’re already overwhelmed by the content choices and would rather just peruse what’s free as opposed to shopping for more services, the good news is there are a bunch of options. Komando has a list available of free sites and apps that allow you to check out everything from classics to selected recent releases at no charge. Kanopy, Vimeo, YouTube and Internet Archive are just a few of the free options you can check out. If you are thinking about canceling a web service you pay for, there are a few things you might want to consider doing, according to former Sunday Signal contributor Kim Komando. Her site lists a number of special offers you might be eligible for and didn’t even know about, and you should always be aware of your billing cycle dates, and that’s where your computer can also help with setting reminders. Check out more tech tips from Kim’s site at: komando.com/kims-column/10-ways-to-watchmovies-for-free/707720. 

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M AY 9, 2021

N E W S F E AT U R E

Sharing spring with the wildlife

BIRDS

By Emily Alvarenga Signal Staff Writer

he weather is getting warmer and the flowers are blooming — spring is here. It’s the season where everything is growing and coming to life, even the animals, which means you’ll soon be spotting more and more animals here in the Santa Clarita Valley. The typical animal’s breeding season is in the winter, so many will be having babies in the spring and summer months, according to Ranger Frank Hoffman, head ranger at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center.

BEARS

BROWN BEAR

… AND MORE

BOBCAT

Birds

You may have already noticed that there are a ton of birds out and about, said Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel, executive director of the Community Hiking Club. And if you feed them, it’s a good time to put the feeders out, Erskine-Hellrigel said. A lot of birds are either migrating through the area or simply enjoying the sunny weather, according to Hoffman, including tanagers, blackbirds, hummingbirds and orioles, as well as bigger birds like condors and hawks. You’re also going to be seeing lots of owls and owlets, according to both Erskine-Hellrigel and Hoffman. In this area, you can spot, great horned owls, barn owls and even some spotted owls in Placerita Canyon. We are even lucky enough to sometimes be visited by migrating bald eagles in the Angeles National Forest above Sand Canyon, according to Erskine-Hellrigel.

Snakes

Snakes are also beginning to come out in full force as the weather warms, especially rattlesnakes, Hoffman said. Fortunately, we’ll only be seeing one species of rattlesnake, specifically the Southern Pacific rattlesnake, according to Erskine-Hellrigel. If they aren’t provoked or threatened, they will most likely retreat, as they aren’t generally aggressive, Erskine-Hellrigel and Hoffman said.

Bobcats

Although they are often confused

BARN OWL PHOTO COURTESY DIANNE ERSKINE-HELLRIGEL

MULE DEER PHOTOS COURTESY CORINA ROBERTS

with mountain lions, bobcats are smaller and more numerous, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It’s almost time for bobcat kitten season, Erskine-Hellrigel said, which means we will start seeing more out and about. They have to not only feed themselves and find a territory where they can hunt but also protect their young from predators like owls, eagles, foxes and even adult male bobcats, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Deer

There are also plenty of deer in the area, according to Hoffman. In the spring, does leave their young unattended for hours at a time as they forage for food, so it is important to never assume it has been abandoned, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Mountain Lions

The No. 1 food source for a mountain lion is deer, so where there are deer, there are mountain lions, according to Fish and Wildlife. Although mountain lions are seen year-round in this area, there will be more out and about during this time of year because they are also having kittens, according to Erskine-Hellrigel.

Coyotes

Coyotes are another animal that

can be seen year-round, but because they will also be raising their pups in the spring and summer, they will need to find more and more food and may be spotted more often, Hoffman said. Coyotes also play an important role in the ecosystem by helping keep the rodent populations under control, according to Fish and Wildlife. It is important to never feed a coyote and cover garbage cans as to not attract them, and if you are feeding the birds, make sure to put bird feeders away to avoid attracting rodents or other coyote prey.

Bats

Bats will be migrating from high summits and elevations when it starts to get too cold to lower elevations where it’s warmer, Hoffman said. They are doing a lot to rid the area of insects, and we only have insect eating bats here in the U.S., according to Hoffman. There are also a large number of rabid bats in Santa Clarita, so be sure to leave them alone, Hoffman said.

Rabbits

There will also be a significant increase in Santa Clarita’s bunny population, because at the first sign of spring, breeding season begins and doesn’t end until late summer, said

COYOTE

both Hoffman and Erskine-Hellrigel.

Foxes

The grey fox is indigenous to this area, according to Hoffman. They are the only canine that can partially retract their claws, which is why they are known to climb trees, Hoffman said.

Bears

Believe it or not, there are some bears who travel into the area from the nearby mountains, according to Hoffman. Hoffman has seen evidence of bears at the nature center twice in his 25 years there. Just last year, a black bear was spotted in a backyard in Stevenson Ranch and another was captured in Castaic, according to Fish and Wildlife. It’s not the best habitat for them, so sightings are rare, but they are still here.

Bugs

With more flowers come more bugs. Annually, you can see lots of bugs this time of year, according to Erskine-Hellrigel, but that will calm down as they are used for food by other animals. 

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 9

Fire season comes early to Santa Clarita

N E W S F E AT U R E

By Caleb Lunetta Signal Staff Writer

ire experts forecast 2021 to be one of the worst years for brushfires to date. In a normal year, the state’s fire season lasts from mid-May to around early November. However, persistent drought conditions, low reservoir storage and a below-average snowpack have resulted in an early arrival. “This year, we’re already starting to see small fires developing, kind of popping up … we started seeing that probably for the last three weeks or so,” said Tom Rolinski, a fire scientist with Southern California Edison, around the time the 640-acre North Fire broke out in Castaic at the end of April. Smaller fires, such as ones at 4-5 acres, are occurring on days with even benign weather, Rolinski said, when it’s not too hot and there’s not a lot of wind, but they’re still occurring. Scientists noted there’s another factor propagating the blazes: fuel. “(It’s) basically an indication that the vegetation is now becoming more receptive to fire, the grasses are curing, they’re drying out,” said Rolinski. “And once we into the next couple of weeks here, where the grasses are fully dried out, when we get those warmer drier days, particularly in the inland areas like Santa Clarita, we’re going to see larger fires occurring here probably in the next several weeks as we get into the early, to middle part of May.”

How does dry vegetation occur?

Across all of Los Angeles County, a lack of precipitation during the winter and early spring months has contributed to low levels of fuel moisture across all vegetation and brush, according to officials at the National Weather Service. “Unfortunately, without much rainfall this year, it hasn’t been able to really rise to those levels that we want to see, and it’s starting to dry out faster and faster,” said Kristen Stewart, meteorologist at the NWS. “So, this year, we could see an earlier start to the high fire season.” Stewart said that in Los Angeles County, as of April 28, there has been almost six inches of total rainfall on average, about 8.5 inches less than what is considered normal. In order to understand how the dryness caused by low moisture in the fuel will affect fires, scientists have been taking fuel samples in areas, such as Acton, that are deemed to be high risk, in order to learn what the condition of the fuel is. “Are we looking at just grass, are we looking at a mixture of different types of vegetation like you know grass and brush and maybe there’s some timber mixed in?” said Rolinski. “So, it kind of depends on the location, and it depends on how much fuel is on the ground, something we call a fuel loading, which is really the again the amount of vegetation or the the amount of fuel that we have in a particular area.”

Los Angeles County Fire Department trucks seek to protect a neighborhood near where the North Fire broke out in Castaic recently. Fire experts noted that dry conditions, spring heat and the winds could make for an unusually difficult fire season this year. PHOTO BY DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

Both Rolinski and Stewart noted that weather, such as high winds, will be a prominent factor in the dispersal of fire. And this year’s Santa Ana’s are set to bring more wind, more dry air to the SCV.

What is being done?

“I guess the one good thing that I could report out on is that the, the grasses that we normally see spring up in the kind of in late December and January and make the hillsides nice and green during the wintertime, those grasses are a lot less robust than than normal, which means that there’s going to be less fuel on the ground, less lighter fuels on the ground,” said Rolinski. Having less fuel on the ground means fewer roadside ignitions and less fuel connectivity, meaning that the heavier brush and lighter brush are less likely to catch one another on fire, said Rolinski. That being said, the United States Drought Monitor, a project run jointly by the National Drought Mitigation Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has said that in the last seven days much of California has received less than .5 inches of precipitation, and much of the state is suffering from an “extreme drought.” The reality is, according to researchers, that for areas such as the Santa Clarita Valley, climate change, population spread, and a host of other factors, are going to result in a significant year in terms of fire size and quantity. The National Weather Service and Southern Cal-

ifornia Edison have urged people to follow the science, and have the brush cleared from their home and their families trained on what their escape plan would be in the event of a disaster. Additionally, the power company has taken steps in the past year to increase the defenses and toughness of their electrical grid, working to ensure that weather patterns and wildfire conditions are not exacerbated by a downed electrical equipment. Additionally, in response to the increased fire season dangers, Gov Gavin Newsom announced his approval of $80.74 million for 1,399 additional firefighters with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to bolster fuels management and wildfire response efforts. A total of $1 billion had already been allocated in the Jan. 2021 budget to support wildfire and forest management. “In California, climate change is making the hots hotter and the dries drier, leaving us with world record-breaking temperatures and devastating wildfires threatening our communities,” said Newsom. “We aren’t just waiting for the next crisis to hit – this funding will support our heroic firefighters to save lives as they work to prevent and tackle destructive wildfires.” However, with all these preparations in mind, officials say residents should continue to act responsibly. “It’s just about being prepared ahead of time, being proactive and aware of your situation.” 

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M AY 9, 2021

N E W S F E AT U R E

COVID-19 ‘long haulers’ face harrowing journey By Emily Alvarenga Signal Staff Writer

hile most people who contract COVID-19 recover completely within a few weeks, studies have shown anywhere from 10%-30% aren’t as lucky. In fact, millions of Americans are battling lingering symptoms of COVID-19 months after being diagnosed with the disease, individuals often referred to as “COVID long haulers.” A new research letter published February in JAMA Network Open is shedding new light on the condition, called post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or PASC. “PASC is defined as having lingering symptoms that last several weeks after you’ve gotten over an initial COVID infection,” Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, regional chief of infectious diseases for Southern California Permanente Medical Group and chief of infectious diseases for Kaiser Permanente Panorama City, said. The study reported that 30% of respondents reported persistent symptoms, with the most common being fatigue and loss of smell or taste, while more than 30% of respondents reported worse quality of life compared to before getting sick. For Santa Clarita resident Jeff, who asked his last name be omitted for privacy reasons, the long-lasting effects have been “unbearable.” It’s been more than a year since the 51-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 and he spent three weeks in the hospital. “I remember the day I was admitted like it was yesterday,” he said, sighing. “I woke up, and I just couldn’t breathe. I immediately knew it was COVID.” By the end of the day, Jeff was in the intensive care unit receiving oxygen. “It felt like a constant battle with my lungs — never did I feel like they were getting enough air,” he added. While those few weeks were difficult, Jeff said they paled in comparison to the roller coaster he’s been on since, as his health has never truly returned to normal. “It’s honestly turned my life upside down,” Jeff said, with the ups and downs of new doctors, medications and treatments leaving him feeling

COVID-19 patients Jose Miranda (pictured left) and Tim Dugan (pictured right) were greeted by family members when they were each released from Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital last year. PHOTOS BY BOBBY BLOCK AND DAN WATSON / THE SIGNAL

hopeless. “I’m not sure it’ll ever be the same again.” PASC can also present as new symptoms that come up weeks after an initial COVID-19 infection, Hudson added. These symptoms can include: fatigue, “brain fog,” shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste, cough, joint pain, feeling of heart racing, chest pain, trouble sleeping, depression/ anxiety and more. “There are so many unknowns when it comes to PASC,” Hudson said, adding that many people do have resolution of the symptoms, with time, however. “For most patients, these symptoms resolve on their own, within a few months of their initial COVID-19 infection. For some other patients with fatigue and ‘brain fog,’ these symptoms appear to take much longer to resolve.” A much larger study, published in early January in The Lancet, found that of 1,733 coronavirus patients who’d been hospitalized in Wuhan, China, with COVID-19, 76% were still experiencing at least one symptom six months after their symptoms began. “There’s some correlation to how severe your actual infection was,” added Dr. Nilesh Hingarh, an infectious disease specialist at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. “If you were sicker, in the hospital, had severe infection, etc. your chances of having persistent symptoms are higher, and you’ll actually have a longer course of chronic symptoms, even. But if you had a more mild illness with COVID-19

your symptoms, your posts-infectious symptoms may not be as severe and may not last as long, as well.”

Treatment can be a long road

Nearly 13 months after his initial diagnosis and hospital stay, Jeff is getting therapy to relearn the most natural thing in the world — breathing. “They tell me my lung function tests are normal, but that doesn’t make it any easier to breathe,” he said. His current symptoms include constant pain in his chest, trouble breathing, and painful nerve pain in his hands. Since his release from the hospital, Jeff said he has not been able to return to anywhere close to the active life he enjoyed before, which used to include constant hikes and mountain bike rides. At this time, the best treatments are aimed at relieving symptoms associated with PASC, rather than PASC itself, both Hudson and Hingarh acknowledged. For example, those with depression or anxiety are treated as such, while those with fatigue and shortness of breath are treated with physical therapy, Hingarh explained, adding that there are even therapies available for those who lost their sense of smell. While no standardized treatments have been established, the National Institutes of Health is conducting a large national study to try to better understand PASC and come up with guidelines, and hospitals and clinics across the country are also looking

to create PASC treatment centers for these patients, as well. “COVID-19 vaccines are extremely safe and are highly effective at preventing you from ever getting this infection,” Hudson said, adding that she advises those able to get their COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible to do so. COVID-19 vaccines have been proven effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization, meaning that those who are vaccinated are more likely to have a mild illness if they do contract COVID-19, and therefore, have less of a chance of having significant long-term effects, according to Hingarh. Those who have already contracted COVID-19 are also recommended to get the vaccine, Hingarh added. “There’s a chance that the antibodies that you get from your acute infection may not last as long as we would like,” Hingarh said. “So, the vaccine is meant to give you an immune boost to give you, ideally, a longer-term immunity, because there are cases where patients get reinfected after their initial infection.” Hingarh also encouraged everyone to remain vigilant if abiding by public health guidelines, such as mask wearing, physical distancing and hand-washing. “Even though we’re making some headway, COVID is still out there,” he added, “and we still have a little bit of ways to go with the vaccinations.” 

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 1

M O T H E R ’ S D AY

Sometimes moms need a ‘time-out’

re you still looking for a way to spice up Mother’s Day? How about a timeout? “What?” you say. Time-outs may be torturous for young children eager to get up and go, but alone time may sound like paradise to busy mothers. Moms who need a break during or after a long day (like Mother’s Day), may find such breaks restful and reenergizing.

You don’t need much time

A break doesn’t need to be extensive to be effective. Schedule around 30 minutes for the timeout. That’s just enough time to watch a sitcom, read a chapter in a book or enjoy a nice, steamy bath. Find an enjoyable activity. Select an activity for the timeout that you may not have the opportunity to enjoy when other people or tasks require your attention. Listening to music, taking an exercise class, writing in a journal, engaging in artwork or other crafts, or reading a book make for great timeout activities. What about a quiet, relaxing bath complete with bubbles, and possibly, a good book. Surround the tub with candles and play relaxing music.

Reading time

Speaking of books, if you want to give mom a bit of special time that involves the children, consider taking time out with a favorite book. Many childhood memories include sitting on mom’s lap and reading stories together. This year, you can show your mother how much those memories mean to you by giving her a Mother’s Day gift that harkens back to those special moments spent together. Whether your mom devotes time each week to read the latest best-selling novel or can only find a

few moments every now and then to spend some quality time reading, there are plenty of thoughtful options available for nearly every mother regardless of how often she settles into a comfy chair with a good book. From cookbooks and memoirs to suspenseful non-fiction and coming-of-age stories, options like these can be an excuse for her to dive into a new read and steal a few minutes of uninterrupted metime, which can be a special gift itself. Here are a couple of suggestions.

A tale of coming of age

A funny, wise and tender coming-of-age nov-

el set in suburban Baltimore in the 1970s, “Mary Jane” by Jessica Anya Blau is complete with all the nostalgic trappings of the decade. The novel follows a straight-laced teenage girl whose world opens up after nannying for a progressive family in town and the celebrity couple hiding out there for the summer.

A memorable memoir

A story of unconditional love in the face of difficulty and the grace of perseverance “I Have Been Buried Under Years of Dust” by Valerie Gilpeer and Emily Grodin is a memoir that details the journey a mother and her nonverbal, autistic daughter took to get to a place where they could finally understand and communicate with each other after a breakthrough revealed a young woman who had been trapped inside for more than two decades.

A suspenseful story

In “Mother May I,” “New York Times” best-selling author Joshilyn Jackson delivers a novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves. A tale of power, privilege, lies, revenge and the choices people make — ones that transform lives in unforeseen ways. Find more stories about motherhood, mother-child relationships and other popular topics at Facebook. com/WilliamMorrowBooks. (Family Features and MC) 

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M AY 9, 2021

F R O M T H E M AY O R

Adventure awaits at your local library! By Bill Miranda Santa Clarita City Mayor

here hasn’t been a time in my life where I haven’t enjoyed going to the library. Whether it was growing up in New York, while I was studying for midterms at college in Nebraska or when I took my own daughters to discover the joy of reading while they were in school, I have always found the library to be a place full of inspiration, creativity and motivation. I am so excited that we are now able to invite our residents back through the doors of our library branches and give them a place to learn, relax or just browse our materials. Library opportunities are not confined to the traditional four walls of a building, but have been expanded into local parks, homes, study rooms and more. Offered at all three of our library locations is Sidewalk Stories, a program that welcomes families to come and sit outside, enjoy a book and read-a-long with one of our library staff. Another activity that youth, teens and adults alike can participate in is our “Grab and Go Kits.”

These free kits are filled with a variety of crafts that you can either take home and enjoy or you can sign up to make the craft during one of our outdoor programs. Please remember while you are in any of the libraries or enjoying any of our outdoor programs to wear a mask and continue to social distance. While our doors our now open, I am happy to say that we are still providing services for those who would like to keep their visit to the library completely contactless. Our library lockers are available 24/7, at both the Valencia and Canyon Country branches and curbside services are also still available at all three locations. Just give us a call and one of our friendly staff members will bring your materials out to the curb! For those of you who like traveling just as much as I do, and want to keep their passports up to date, our passport services are also available at any one of our branches. Be sure to book an appointment before your arrival and our staff will be happy to assist you! With summer right around the corner, be on the lookout for the upcoming launch of our annual Summer Reading program. This year’s theme is

“Reading Colors Your World.” We will have weeks of reading challenges, interactive activities, online events and tons of materials for our residents to enjoy! Whether you are you’re a child, teen or adult we will have something for you! I cannot wait to see our residents out at our libraries and getting back to enjoying books, working on the computers and perusing our shelves. As a community that focuses on family and education, our libraries are a home away from home for many. I am delighted to welcome the community back inside the Santa Clarita Public Library branches, and look forward to offering even more programs and events for our residents in the future. For more information on hours, activities or the Summer Reading program, please visit Santa ClaritaLibrary.com. Mayor Bill Miranda is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council and can be reached at bmiranda@santa-clarita.com. The views expressed in his column are those of the City and do not necessarily reflect those of The Signal. 

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 3

SENIORLIVING

What to expect from cataract surgery

ataracts are a clouding of the lens of the eye that can cause blurry vision and increase glare from lights. The Mayo Clinic indicates that cataracts can make it difficult for people to carry out their normal activities or interfere with treatment of other eye problems. In such instances, doctors may recommend cataract surgery. The American Academy of Ophthalmology says cataract surgery involves removing the lens of the eye when it’s cloudy. A cloudy lens can make people feel like they are looking through a foggy or dusty car windshield. That’s because a cataract-plagued lens cannot refract light rays effectively. Many images appear hazy and blurry, or less colorful. Surgery is the only way to effectively treat cataracts. The cloudy lens is replaced with an artificial clear lens called an intraocular lens, or IOL, says the AAO. Cataract surgeries have become routine and most operations are successful. The National Institutes of Health says as many as 95% of people who undergo cataract procedures experience an improvement in the sharpness of their vision. Replacement of the damaged lens is the goal, but there are different types of cataract surgery that vary based on the size of the incision and the technology used to remove the cataract. Phacoemulsification is one popular procedure during which a surgeon will make a two- to three-millimeter-long incision in the front of the eye for an ultrasonic probe. The probe utilizes vibration to break up the cataract and removes the fragments with suction. A foldable lens is then inserted through the incision. Here are some things to expect from cataract surgery. • A week or more before the surgery an ultrasound test will measure the size and shape of the eye. This helps to determine which type of IOL will later be inserted and become a permanent part of the eye.

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• You will be awake for the procedure, but your eye will be numbed and you won’t be able to see what the surgeon is doing. Some doctors provide a sedative to help with relaxation. • Typically the surgery is an out-patient procedure, meaning you’ll be able to return home the same day. However, you will not be able to drive, so arrange for transportation. • Medicated eye drops may be prescribed, and recovery may include limiting activities for a few days. Any eye discomfort should disappear after a couple of days. Eye patches and protective sunglasses also may be recommended. Cataract surgery can give people a new lease on life through improved visual clarity. The procedure is relatively easy and successful for the majority of people who undergo it. (MC) 

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M AY 9, 2021

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

‘Without Remorse’ action flick is ‘disappointing’ By Richard Roeper Signal Contributing Writer

‘Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse’

 (out of four)

Amazon Studios presents a film directed by Stefano Sollima. Rated R (for violence). Amazon Prime Video.

“H

e is more dangerous and effective than any man we have in the field.” — Typical action-movie cliche line from “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.” The Amazon Prime original movie “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse” has to be considered one of the more disappointing films of 2021, given the long and rich history of entertaining adaptations of Clancy’s work and the vibrant star power of its leading man. Michael B. Jordan has plenty of opportunities to fire off weapons and flex his muscles here, but delivers a surprisingly flat and underwhelming performance playing the kind of action antihero perfected by the likes of Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, Scarlett Johansson … and we could go on forever. You know, the kind of guy or gal who often starts out as a cop or a soldier but becomes disillusioned with the system after a betrayal and goes ROGUE. That’s exactly the kind of cliche, er, character, Jordan portrays here. We have seen John Kelly as a supporting player in previous film adaptations of Clancy books (Willem Dafoe played him in “Clear and Present Danger” in 1994, and Liev Schreiber in “The Sum of All Fears” in 2002), but now he is front and center in an origins story as the senior chief of an elite team of Navy SEALs sent into Syria to extract a CIA agent ostensibly being held captive by the Syrian army. The ensuing rescue mission/ shootout is indicative of many of the impressively choreographed but murky action sequences that permeate “Without Remorse,” where there’s lots of shouting and shooting and explosions and carnage, but it’s often difficult to keep up as we squint through the dust and darkness. One assumes the intention was to replicate the true chaos inherent in such situations, but that doesn’t necessarily

PHOTO COURTESY IMDB

make for clearly defined cinema. We know there’s a problem with this mission from the get-go because it’s telegraphed via the duplicitous and smarmy CIA operative Robert Ritter (the chameleonic Jamie Bell, excellent as always), who smirks and calls John “sweetheart” and brushes off his concerns, even after it’s determined the bad guys aren’t soldiers, they’re ex-Russian military turned mercenaries, and they don’t play by any established rules of war. Nevertheless, the mission is a qualified success, with John and his colleagues gunning down numerous anonymous henchmen. Cut to a few months later, with John and his eight-months-pregnant wife, Pam (Lauren London), hosting a cookout at their Washington, D.C., area home, which is a REALLY nice spread and looks more like something a wealthy senator might own. All is well and peaceful; in fact, John is retiring from the SEALs to take a lucrative and relatively safe gig doing private security. What could possibly go wrong? Well, John could be chilling on the sofa later that night, listening to his favorite jams on his noise-canceling headphones, so he’s late to spring into action when a team of Russian assassins get their revenge for that Syrian mission by gunning down his wife and unborn child and seriously wounding John before he kills most of them. (One gets away.) As John puts it later, in one of the any lines that will ring familiar with fans of this genre: “They took everything from me!” And off we go on our path of vengeance. After a brief period of mourning, John sets out on a mission to find

out what’s really going on and to gain his revenge on anyone connected with the massacre in his home. For a time, “Without Remorse” becomes a prison picture, and not a very good one, as John fends off a myriad of corrupt guards with orders to kill him. And then he’s recruited by his longtime friend and former SEAL supervisor Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith) and the aforementioned CIA operative Ritter to lead ANOTHER dangerous mission, this time to Russia. Based on the 1993 novel of the same name (with many updates and revisions) and directed by Stefano Sollima (“Sicario: Day of the Soldado”), “Without Remorse” was filmed largely in the legendary Babelsberg Film Studios just outside Berlin, and while you can see ample evidence of the preparation and the attention to detail and the large-scale ambition onscreen, it never quite jells into an involving character study or a fresh action tale. Halfway through the end credits, there’s a scene setting up further adventures. Even this Easter egg is overwrought, as two characters stand side-by-side in the night, gazing at the Washington Monument and setting up the sequel. Here’s hoping when that happens, John is given a better vehicle to drive.

‘Percy Vs. Goliath’



Saban Films and Paramount Pictures present a film directed by Clark Johnson. Written by Garfield Lindsay Miller and Hilary Pryor. Rated PG-13 In theaters and on demand.

n a couple of occasions in the low-key charmer “Percy vs. Goliath,” it sounds like someone is calling Christopher Walken a “scene stealer,” which could hardly be considered inaccurate given Walken’s fantastically colorful career and his penchant for putting classic Walken spins on many a line. “We’re watching you, scene stealer!” says a creepy guy in a van that rolls past Walken and then speeds off. Oh wait. It’s not “scene stealer,” it’s SEED stealer. They’re calling Walken’s Percy Schmeiser a “seed stealer,” which is about the worst thing you can say about a farmer and can lead to

lawsuits and financial ruin and shame and scandal. Based on a true story and firmly in “Erin Brockovich” territory, “Percy vs. Goliath” is the fictionalized story of an old-fashioned Canadian farmer who has been working the family land for 50 years — like his father and his father’s father and his father’s father’s father did before him — but he sees his life turned upside down when he’s sued by the giant Monsanto Co. for allegedly using its patented, pesticide-resistant seeds without remuneration. Percy says those seeds must have blown onto his land from nearby farms, as seeds have done for millennia; Monsanto says it doesn’t matter HOW the seeds got there, and off to court (after court after court) we go. With only an inexperienced local lawyer named Jackson Weaver (Zach Braff) on his side against a battery of high-priced attorneys led by the smug Rick Aarons (Martin Donovan, the excellent character actor who often plays the rigid bad guy), Percy is facing a huge uphill struggle, which we kinda figured out already given the title of this movie. But at the persistent urging of the ambitious and idealistic anti-GMO activist Rebecca Salcau (Christina Ricci), Percy becomes a reluctant but effectively sincere representative of small farmers everywhere. Still, Monsanto wins time and again, as Percy racks up huge legal expenses and is forced to turn over all of his beloved seeds, which he has cultivated with care and innovation from year to year and crop to crop. His attorney and his grown son (Luke Kirby) and even Rebecca eventually urge Percy to give up and cut his losses, but it wouldn’t be much of a movie if Percy just surrendered to Goliath, right? “Percy vs. Goliath” doesn’t have the visceral impact of the aforementioned “Erin Brokovich” or the more recent (and equally good) “Dark Waters.” In those films, corporate hubris and neglect resulted in shocking illnesses and gruesome deaths. Still, this is an involving and inspirational tale, highlighted by a Christopher Walken performance that is remarkably free of any showy tics or mannerisms and is a reminder Walken is a great actor first, a lovable caricature second. 

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 5

FOOD

Easy, Satisfying Spring Recipes

hether you enjoy your spring meals al fresco or simply turn to warm-weather dishes at the comfort of your own dining table, the season brings with it a perfect excuse to shake up your menu. Lighter fare is often the way to go as temperatures climb, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a regular sandwich or a boring salad. Instead, enhance these springtime classics by rethinking tradition in tasty (yet easy) ways. This Sabich recipe calls for a multitude of fresh flavors including Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Beets and Onions and hard-boiled eggs plus a variety of veggies, hummus and ethnic seasonings. Or, if a quick and easy salad calls your name for an outdoor meal, this Tossed Bean Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette requires only READ Bean Salad, mixed greens and a handful of other ingredients. Find more easy springtime dishes at readsalads.com and auntnellies.com. (Family Features) 

Tossed Bean Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Servings: 4 1 can (15 ounces) READ 3 or 4 Bean Salad 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons olive oil coarsely ground black pepper, to taste 1 package (about 10 ounces) mixed salad greens with carrots 4 slices bacon (about 1/4 cup), cooked crisp and crumbled (optional) shaved Parmesan or Asiago cheese (optional)

Sabich

Recipe courtesy of eazypeazymealz.com Prep time: 20 minutes Servings: 4 1 jar (16 ounces) Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Beets and Onions 1 medium eggplant 2 teaspoons salt, plus additional, to taste, divided 1 cup vegetable oil 4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced pepper, to taste 1 1/2 teaspoons za’atar, plus additional for serving, divided (optional)

1/2 teaspoon sumac, plus additional for serving, divided (optional) 1 cucumber, diced 3 Roma tomatoes, diced 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 1/2 lemon, juice only 4 whole-grain pita breads with pockets 1/2 cup hummus 2 cups shredded red cabbage 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced 1/4 cup Amba pickled mango sauce (optional) 1/4 cup tahini Drain beets and onions; set aside. Wash eggplant. Slice into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Place slices on cooling rack. Add 2 teaspoons salt to slices to draw out extra moisture. Let sit 10 minutes. Pat extra moisture off. In large 14-inch skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, place eggplant slices in

Drain bean salad well; in small bowl, reserve 1/2 cup liquid. To make dressing: Whisk reserved bean liquid and lemon juice then whisk in oil. Add pepper, to taste. Place salad greens in bowl. Add bean salad and bacon. Add dressing, as desired. Toss gently to coat. Arrange on platter; top with shaved cheese, if desired. Variation Top salad with sliced grilled chicken then top with cheese.  oil; fry until browned, about 3 minutes per side, in batches of four pieces. Place on paper towel-lined plate to absorb additional oil. Season hard-boiled egg slices with salt and pepper, to taste. Season with 1/2 teaspoon za’atar and sumac, if desired. Set aside. To make salad: In medium bowl, combine cucumber, tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice and remaining za’atar. Set aside. Gently slice one end of each pita and open pocket. In microwave on high, heat pitas 10 seconds. Place equal amounts fried eggplant in each pita. Spread 2 tablespoons hummus in each pita. Gently layer one-fourth of egg slices, beets and onions, cabbage, Israeli salad and green peppers in each pita. Drizzle each sabich with about 1 tablespoon amba sauce, if desired, and 1 tablespoon tahini. Season with additional salt and pepper or sumac and Za’atar, if desired. 

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M AY 9, 2021

H E A LT H

Ways to reach a healthy blood pressure

o take care of your heart, it’s important to know and track your blood pressure. Millions of Americans have high blood pressure, also called hypertension, but many don’t realize it or aren’t keeping it at a healthy level. For most adults, healthy blood pressure is 120/80 millimeters of mercury or less. Blood pressure consistently above 130/80 millimeters of mercury increases your risk for heart disease, kidney disease, eye damage, dementia and stroke. Your doctor might recommend lowering your blood pressure if it’s between 120/80 and 130/80 and you have other risk factors for heart or blood vessel disease. High blood pressure is often “silent,” meaning it doesn’t usually cause symptoms but can damage your body, especially your heart over time. While you can’t control everything that increases your risk for high blood pressure — it runs in families, often increases with age and varies by race and ethnicity —

there are things you can do. Consider these tips from experts with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s The Heart Truth program: 1. Know your numbers Everyone ages 3 and older should get their blood pressure checked by a health care provider at least once a year. Expert advice: 30 minutes before your test, don’t exercise, drink caffeine or smoke cigarettes. Right before, go to the bathroom. Relax and don’t talk. 2. Eat healthy Follow a heart-healthy eating plan, such as NHLBI’s Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, known as DASH. For example, use herbs for flavor instead of salt and add one fruit or vegetable to every meal. 3. Move more Get at least 2 1/2 hours of physical activity each week to help lower and control blood pressure. To ensure you’re reducing your sitting throughout the day and getting ac-

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tive, try breaking your activity up. Do 10 minutes of exercise, three times a day or one 30-minute session on five separate days each week. Any amount of physical activity is better than none and all activity counts. 4. Aim for a healthy weight If you’re overweight, losing just 3-5% of your weight can improve blood pressure. If you weigh 200 pounds, that’s a loss of 6-10 pounds. To lose weight, ask a friend or family

member for help or to join a weight loss program with you. 5. Manage stress Stress can increase your blood pressure and make your body store more fat. Reduce stress with meditation, relaxing activities or support from a counselor or online group. 6. Stop smoking The chemicals in tobacco smoke can harm your heart and blood vessels. Seek out resources, such as smoke free hotlines and text message programs, that offer free support and information. 7. Work with your doctor Get help setting your target blood pressure. Write down your numbers every time you get your blood pressure checked. Ask if you should monitor your blood pressure from home. To find more information about high blood pressure as well as resources for tracking your numbers, visit nhlbi. nih.gov/hypertension. (Family Features) 

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 7

GARDENING

Gardening By Jane Gates Signal Staff Writer

in the merry month of May

It’s time to finish planting your seeds and take a trip to the garden centers. Flowers, shrubs, even potted trees can go into your landscape in May. If temperatures soar after planting, make sure everything remains well watered. Drape protective shade cloth or light burlap over new plantings to help protect vulnerable newcomers from sunburn damage for the first few days, then slowly expose them to full sun a little at a time. There’s nothing that can’t be planted at this time of year except maybe some of the cool season vegetables. Artichokes are starting to crop and early strawberries are fruiting. Get those peppers, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, corn, squash, eggplant and other warm-season plants into the ground now so you can start harvesting in a month or two. You can plant pumpkin seeds starting now and during the next month. They should be the last seeds to go in the garden if you want to harvest them closer to Halloween rather than in August or September. This is the end of the best season

for planting California native plants. However, you will have to give even the tough natives plenty of water over the summer until they can establish drought-resistant root systems. If you have compost from your own pile, this is a good time to dig it into the soil. You can also top dress your soil with compost as a moisture-holding barrier that will help roots stay cooler in heat. If you are buying it in bags, you might want to consider buying or building a compost bin so you can make your own for free. Locate it far enough from the house that you won’t be attracting rodents to any structures, but close enough that you’ll still be willing to walk the distance to use it. If you have fruit setting on your trees, you may want to cover the tree with bird netting before the wildlife steals everything. Some trees will be fruiting in June but plenty of critters won’t even wait for fruit to ripen before decimating your crops. And with so many previous years of drought, the critters out there are well trained to feed off of our landscapes. So they will be back and be looking for all the

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s we move into the dry, hot weather of summer, we only have a little while left to take advantage of cooler days for doing outdoor spring cleaning and landscape projects. Although we can possibly experience more cloud cover and maybe even a surprise shower, it’s likely we are done with the measurable rainfall so it’s time to start conserving water and getting the most out of every drop. Sunshine will be growing stronger, so now is also the best time to get swimming pools and water features into top shape for the coming heat. Check on your watering systems, replace faulty sprinkler heads, fix drip lines and mend leaks and cracks so you don’t end up with geysers and floods when your systems are on. Consider replacing old sprinkler heads with low-water heads that should deliver water to your lawn and garden much more efficiently than conventional heads. The lower volume of water will penetrate slowly without washing off, making your plant roots happier and your water bills lower. Set your sprinklers to water slow and early. Sprinklers don’t need to be as active as they will in a month or two, so check your timers and adjust them as the weather changes. Then, rather than leaving water times on longer, add more short-watering periods following a rest of at least 15 to 20 minutes between so the first watering has time to penetrate into the soil. The idea is to allow water to sink down. And getting projects built now before the summer means you will be ready for the heat to the bottom of plant root systems, not just wet the surface of the soil. Enjoy the remaining sub-hundred degree weather for doing labor-intensive projects outdoors. Big repairs and improvements will be more comfortable and safer for you to do while it is still relatively cool.

easy pickings they can find! Clean garden areas and gutters of dead stuff that can ignite in a wildfire. Start protecting your home from potential flying cinders now! Keep a careful eye out for insect infestations and animal pests. Unwanted bugs may be overwintering in larger-than-normal numbers. Rodents may have bigger litters with the increased rainfall and plant growth. If that happens, critters could be very destructive in the garden this year. Catch infestations at the first sign and they will be a lot easier to control. Try natural pest controls, such as hosing off aphids with a stream of water and setting up physical barriers such as rabbit and chicken wire fencing … before resorting to dangerous poisons. Don’t forget about adding something special such as a pool or hot tub, a sport court, a barbecue or an outdoor room, a flower-cutting or raised vegetable garden to your yard. I know I am always suggesting expanding outdoor uses into your landscape. But why not get the most out of the land you own? Design it yourself or call in some professional help. Either way, planning ahead will make the job easier and avoid expensive mistakes down the road. May is a busy time in the garden. And it’s a good time to get out and get some exercise, sunshine and fresh air. There are plenty of jobs to do in the landscape. For more information about gardening in the Santa Clarita Valley, visit Jane Gates on YouTube at https://you tube.com/user/Janieg8s. 

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M AY 9, 2021

TECHNOLOGY

Spring cleaning your personal technology

eople typically think of spring cleaning as a time to polish up their homes. However, spring is also a great time to evaluate if your technology is working for you and make smart choices to set you up for a successful year. Creating a smart home with Alexa and Ring can help make your life simpler, more convenient and give you peace of mind. Here a few tips. 1. Adopt the latest smart home tech Taking care of your home can be a lot of work, as all of the little chores tend to pile up. Plus, everything from finding the remote to searching for your favorite recipe can add up over time. But with smart technology, you can cut down these tedious tasks and put more focus into things you enjoy. With a built-in smart home hub, the new Echo Show 10 is a great first step to building your dream smart home. The device moves with you, so whether you’re making a video call, following a recipe or watching Netflix, multitasking will be a breeze. 2. Ring & Key By Amazon If you’re working from home, running to answer the doorbell can be a distraction and throw a wrench in your productivity. With the new Ring Video Doorbell Wired, you can feel at ease with all of its essential features like 1080p HD video, two-way talk, Advanced Motion Detection and real-time alerts. No matter where you are in your home, you’ll be able to see, hear and talk with visitors through your phone or Alexa-enabled device. Plus, with Key by Amazon In-Garage Delivery, you can ensure that all your packages are safe from bad weather, damage and theft. Available in Santa Clarita, Key In-Garage Delivery provides secure, convenient and contactless package delivery inside your garage and you can track everything within their app. 3. Spring clean your privacy settings Smart devices can make your life easier while protecting your privacy, and Amazon makes understanding and personalizing your privacy settings easy.

Give your privacy settings a refresh by saying, “Alexa, review my privacy settings,” and you’ll receive a link via the Alexa app directing you to helpful privacy resources. You can also visit the Alexa Privacy Hub to find how-to guides and more information about your Alexa experience. 4. Prepare to keep your home and family safe Smart devices provide convenience, but did you know they can also provide peace of mind? Alexa Guard Plus offers 24/7 access to an Emergency Helpline you can call with just your voice. With Guard Plus, simply say, “Alexa, call for help” to speak with trained agents who can request the dispatch of emergency responders. 5. Cut the cord and declutter Spring cleaning is a great time to declutter the area where you watch TV, especially if you have multiple wires laying around. If you’re looking to create space and cut down on wires, you can start by getting rid of the cable and clutter by cutting the cord. With a Fire TV Stick 4K, you can kiss clutter goodbye, as the device easily plugs into the back of your TV. With access to countless TV shows, movies and streaming services, the Fire TV Stick 4K gives you wider access to entertainment without taking up much space. Plus, the all new UI has been redesigned to make it easier to sift through the endless list of content choices to deliver personalized recommendations on what to watch. Now your TV is organized from the inside and out. Discover more of what Alexa and Amazon Devices can do for you at amazon.com/top-alexa-picks. (BPT) 

M AY 9, 2021

S U N D AYS I G N A L · 1 9

Saving & Spending

FINANCE

How to Create a Realistic Budget Choose a budgeting tool

budget is one of the most important financial tools in your arsenal, but budgeting isn’t one size fits all. In order to be successful, your budget should reflect your income and spending, but also your desires and need to live a balanced life. Learn to build a realistic budget with these tips from the financial experts at First Boulevard, a Blackowned digital bank with a mission to close wealth gaps and build generational wealth:

Know your numbers

Start by gathering all income you receive on a monthly basis. This should include regular income like paychecks, as well as variable income like money from babysitting or driving for a ride-share company. Next, outline your expenses, or the things you spend your money on each month. To get a more accurate idea, look at your bank or credit card statements. This includes recurring expenses like your rent or mortgage, utilities, car payments and subscriptions, as well as variable expenses that may change from month to month like entertainment and dining out. Look for trends in your variable expenses. Be sure to include everything in your outline, including trips to the hair salon, shopping and other treats.

Determine essential vs. non-essential

Break down your expenses by categorizing them as essential or non-essential. Here, you’re differentiating your needs from your wants. Essentials include things you need to survive, like your mortgage or rent, utilities, groceries and medical needs. Non-essentials include the things you don’t necessarily need to survive, but provide you with comforts like cable, gym memberships, dry cleaning or trips to the spa. Non-essentials also include savings and any debts you may have. Create your budget by listing your essential expenses first. Your debts, like student loans or car loan payments, may not be essential for you

to survive, but they are high-priority expenses that need to be paid. Put these at the top of your non-essential expenses list. Then list other non-essential expenses based on their level of importance to you. For example, if health and wellness are important to you, your gym membership may be higher on your list of non-essential expenses than buying new clothes. Keep listing your expenses until the total equals all of your income for the month. Using all of your income is called zero-based budgeting, and helps make sure every dollar of your income is accounted for in your budget. If you get to a point where you don’t have enough income to cover all your expenses, review your list of essential and non-essential expenses to look for ways to reduce or eliminate costs.

Be realistic

When creating a monthly budget, it may be tempting to try and restructure everything to meet your financial goals faster. While this can fast-track your way toward a goal, it can cause you to lose sight of the person who has to do the work to stick with the budget. Instead of creating a bare bones budget where you limit yourself,

plan to allow yourself at least a couple of times per week to indulge in small treats.

Once you’ve gathered all of your financial information, it’s time to choose a way to manage and track your budget. If you’re old school, you may want to use the pencil and paper approach. Or you can start with pen and paper then transfer that information to a budgeting app. By writing it out first, you’re more likely to catch mistakes or omissions. If you’re a little more tech savvy, there are some convenient and affordable apps and websites available to help. The key to creating a realistic budget is balancing the needs of your finances with your personal needs. Find more practical advice and tools for managing your money at bankblvd.com. (Family Features) 

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M AY 9, 2021

HOME

Outdoor TVs up the ante in outdoor living areas

Avoid electrical missteps

utdoor living areas provide a great way for homeowners to spend more time outdoors doing the things they love. That includes watching their favorite

shows. Many homeowners take televisions designed for indoors outside when hosting game watches or movie nights under the stars. While such televisions can function outdoors, unless they’re specifically designed for outdoor use, chances are they are not protected against the elements. Special enclosures built to protect indoor televisions can do just that, but homeowners also can consider televisions designed for outdoor use. Outdoor televisions have become more popular as more and more homeowners look to extend their living spaces outdoors, and these uniquely designed televisions can often withstand elements like rain without losing their functionality. Many outdoor televisions also are designed to handle reflection from the sun, ensuring that homeowners won’t have to limit their outdoor viewing experiences to evenings or late nights when the sun has set. When shopping for outdoor televisions, consumers should do their homework and pay attention to

features they may not consider when shopping for indoor televisions. For example, outdoor televisions should offer wide viewing angles, as backyards tend to be bigger than living rooms. That means more people can make it over for backyard game watches and movie nights, which underscores the importance of wide viewing angles that make it easy for people seated all over the yard to make out what’s on the screen.

Electrical equipment is necessary to run home appliances. Some people may find they have a shortage of electrical outlets to power their devices, and as a result they may turn to extension cords or power strips. While that may seem like an easy fix, it is easy to inadvertently overload outlets and circuits by connecting more than one power strip or extension cord together in a practice known as “daisy chaining.” According to the U.S. Office of Compliance, using a daisy chain in the workplace violates the National Electrical Code as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s rules. While it may not break code at home, overloading any outlets increases risk for fire. The National Fire Protection Association indicates that more than 45,000 residential fires are started each year due to electrical failure and malfunction. Overload causes products to overheat, and that can spark fires in the power cords themselves or inside the wall where electrical lines are hidden. 

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K I D S & FA M I LY

Donna’s Day: Creative Family Fun

Create abstract art with melted crayons By Donna Erickson Signal Contributing Writer

efore you toss out the crayon stubs your school-age kids have hoarded in shoeboxes and drawers around the house this past winter, make these brilliant note cards and postcards or a colorful abstract picture. Great rainy day fun! In this activity, pointillism gives way to 20th-century abstract. Ask your kids: “Wanna just slab some melted crayons all over some paper?” They’re bound to say yes. After all, it sounds like it’s going to be a mess. How could they possibly resist that?

Here’s the stuff you’ll need:

Electric frying pan or warming tray Heavy-duty aluminum foil Crayon stubs with paper removed (fluorescent colors work beautifully) Heavy construction paper or blank stationery cards

Here’s the fun: 1. With adult supervision, cover the bottom of an electric frying pan or warming tray with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Set the pan on LOW heat. Drop the little bits of crayon right on the foil and watch them melt, forming small puddles. 2. To make the note cards, fold a piece of heavy paper in half. While hold-

ing one half of the paper in one hand, gently lay the outside surface of the other half in several puddles of wax for a second or two. Use a Popsicle stick to press the paper into the wax if necessary. Lift the paper out of the wax. The colors should be brilliant and spread everywhere in a fascinating abstract design. If the melted crayon adheres in clumps, let it drip down the card a bit for a “lava lamp” effect. Lay aside to harden. 3. Stack several folded cards and tie them together with a ribbon and bow or bead for a lovely present to give someone special. Or, write a note or postcard to a friend and mail it. Quick tip Why not add your own personal stamp to the back of your designer note cards? Take a stamp with the first letter of your name, add a little poster paint to an ink pad, and give the back of your cards a unique signature.

Donna Erickson’s award-winning series “Donna’s Day” is airing on public television nationwide. To find more of her creative family recipes and activities, visit www.donnasday.com and link

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SOLUTIONS

PUZZLES

M AY 9, 2021

CROSSWORD TIME

MAY 9, 2021

Opinion

S U N D AY S I G N A L · 2 3

Unless otherwise stated, the views and opinions expressed are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of The Signal.

READERLETTERS

Gaze Into the Abyss I don’t know Gary Horton, but when I read the title of his column this morning (“Vaccination, Do Your Duty for All of Us,” May 5) I thought to myself, a man who has the audacity to dictate moral obligations on the masses needs a closer examination. And what an article! Wow! By the way, that was not meant as a compliment. After reading the article to the end I wondered what Mr. Horton had against what he called “wideeyed crazy guys.” I think if he had looked in the mirror right after writing this article he might have found that he closely resembled one of them. Horton speaks as if we are in the fight of our lives and that beating COVID, whatever that means, is the demarcation between the success or failure of our species. He also wasted a lot of words attacking irrational or “magical” thinking by branding those who aren’t getting vaccinated as being anti-science. Being a licensed mechanical engineer, I can calmly tell Horton to his face that it is not my lack of faith in science that is holding me back from the clinic, as science is the basis of my profession. No, Mr. Horton, it is in fact the failure of science to convince me that getting this particular vaccination is going to solves the world’s problems. I’m not ignoring the science. Quite the contrary, I am hyper-focused on it and highly critical of it, and as such I find it wanting. In short, it’s simply not good enough for me to “go get the jab.” I can understand Mr. Horton’s impassioned plea, especially in light of the loss of those close to him, but his reaction in what amounts to a diatribe, a near-tirade, is as irrational as the reasoning he claims is behind those he condemns for not getting vaccinated, which is very presumptuous of him. Gaze long into an abyss, Mr. Horton, and the abyss also gazes into you. Or, more precisely, he who fights with monsters should be careful, lest he thereby become a monster. That’s Nietzsche. Arthur G. Saginian Santa Clarita Submit a Letter to the Editor

Include name, address & phone; Anonymous letters aren’t printed; email: letters@signalscv. com. Mail to: Letters, The Signal, 26330 Diamond Place, Ste. 100, Santa Clarita, CA 91350.

E T H I C A L LY S P E A K I N G

Honoring Bold and Beautiful Moms By David Hegg

y father-in-law was a hero, although he never thought so himself. During World War II, he was part of a flight crew that flew several very dangerous sorties and accomplished some missions that had cost crews on previous attempts their lives. He was awarded some high honors whose emblems found their way to a little jewelry box his kids never saw. Only after I married his daughter and pried some stories out of him did the heroic nature of his service come to light for his family. But he never thought of himself as anything other than an ordinary guy who was asked to do his duty. Today we celebrate the many ordinary women who have dedicated their lives to a kind of heroism that is seldom noticed, and seldom celebrated. While the news will highlight the corporate gains, athletic achievements and political successes of women, you won’t see any front-page space dedicated to the women who decided to forgo other opportunities to birth, nurture, train, guide, instruct, discipline and love their children while planning, maintaining, managing and organizing a home for them in which those children found the provision, protection, affection and acceptance necessary to their physical, social, spiritual and emotional maturity. Yes, that’s a long, run-on sentence, but it aptly illustrates the magnitude of being a mother. You just can’t explain motherhood succinctly. Nor can you dismiss it easily, though many today are trying. But here’s what I’ve noticed. Women are taking center stage, playing title roles, and being highlighted as tough, fierce and certainly no pushovers. The entertainment industry is writing scripts for the new breed of female actors to show that a woman can be just as tough, just as nasty, just as mean, and just as kick-butt as any man. So here’s my question: Why, in their desire to show women as fierce, bold and accomplished, do the vast majority of these roles have the woman taking on male characteristics? Is the point that, in order to be taken seriously as a woman who is tough, bold and accomplished, a woman has to act like a man? If so, we’re really missing the point. Show me a woman who is under control, delightful, kind, compassionate, smart as a whip, and I’ll tell you that is a strong woman, a successful woman, and a woman who not only gets things done but also does them in a way that fosters relationship and respect. Come to think of it, that woman would be a great mom. Motherhood isn’t a job. It’s more an identity that overtakes a woman when she brings a child into this world. It is an identity many scoff at and belittle, as

though growing a business is more honorable than growing a person. So, here’s to the mothers of our day. Thank you. For all the times your love and care go unmentioned, and seemingly unnoticed, thank you. For all the good things you’ve done only to be punished for them by ungrateful children and an arrogant society, thank you. For the countless times you’ve found joy in the ordinary, behindthe-scenes tasks that are necessary to keeping a home happy and healthy, thank you. And for the tears, and the prayers that persevere when those you love walk the road of disappointment, thank you. And here’s a special thank you to those mothers who, due to the unexpected torrent of circumstance, are both mother and father to their kids. Thank you and press on. Press on knowing your efforts are not in vain. Press on because you can change the trajectory of your kids’ lives and change the future the past is heading for. Press on knowing that your kindness, love and discipline are what they need to become the healthy, loving and productive members of society we all want them to be. And press on because you will find nothing more satisfying that watching your kids graduate from college, marry well, and understand their place in this world. And believe me, one day you will hear their adult sentiments of gratitude. One day they’ll get it, and you’ll be thankful you gave it your all. Every time the political season rolls around we start to hear once again about a “war on women.” Unfortunately, the war most talk about is nothing compared to the societal disdain too often aimed at women who decide to stay home and raise their children. Here’s my question: How come those who champion a woman’s right to choose to kill her baby don’t cheer equally for those women who choose to not only have their babies, but also dedicate a prime season of their lives to raise them well? Today on Mother’s Day I am the grateful husband of the best mother I’ve ever known. Though extremely talented and well-educated, she counted it a privilege to stay home, manage that home, and fill it with happy, well-mannered, creative and energetic children. And now that the kids are grown and gone, my wife is enjoying the manifold returns on her years of investing in them. Here’s to you honey. There’s only one thing left to say. To all you Moms… Happy Mother’s Day! We’re all better because of you! Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays. 

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