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Lafayette Today ~ January 2014 - Page 25
October 2014 Sustainable Lafayette’s Vision Benefits All
Serving the Lafayette Community
By Fran Miller
Imagine a community with pollution-free air. Imagine this same community enjoying toxic-free parks and schools, very little garbage, and an abundance of fresh, organic, locally grown foods. A local group is not only imagining such a community, but they are also working diligently towards making this sort of community a reality. Sustainable Lafayette is a grassroots non-profit organization working to transform Lafayette into a highly sustainable community that enhances the quality of life for current and future residents. The group’s mission is to provide the
Troop 204 Scouts—John Shepherd, Jackson Reilly, Jared Steuber, Matt Shepherd, Isaac Evans, Arlo Evans, Quinn Elle and Scoutmaster Tom Steuber recently visited the historic Boy Scout cabin to view the renovation work in progress.
Historic Boy Scout Troop 204 Cabin in Lafayette Undergoes Renovations Sustainable Lafayette's 2014 board, left to right, Tina Goodfriend, John Eaton (front), Steve Richard, Erika Pringsheim- Moore, Linda Riebel (front), Nanette Heffernan, Alison Hill, Kim Overaa, Bart Carr, and Brad Crane.
community with the information, inspiration, tools, and assistance to facilitate the adoption of sustainable practices. As models and mentors, Sustainable Lafayette board members and volunteers work collaboratively and constructively with the community to build on current local environmental successes. “Sustainable” means to live in a way that can be continued indefinitely without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This requires a stable relationship between everyday human activities and the natural world – a relationship which in no way diminishes the prospects for future generations to enjoy a quality of life equal to the current generation’s. This requires that people take no more from the environment than can be replenished, and give no more than it can absorb. In other words, it means adopting lifestyles that respect and work within the earth’s natural limits and maintain the health of the eco-system that all depend upon. Steve Richard and Bart Karr partnered in 2007 to create Sustainable Lafayette. Both were inspired by the film An Inconvenient Truth, which became the impetus for both of them making positive environmental changes in their own homes and in their own lives. The two friends found each other’s stories inspiring, and they sought to create a venue where they might share environmentally inspiring information throughout the entire community. What started as a small website featuring sustainability success stories (i.e. biking instead of driving, reducing blue bin garbage, using aluminum water bottles instead of purchased plastic) has flourished into a wide array of initiatives featuring educational programs, school greening plans, waste diversion, green transportation, sustainable and local foods, inspirational events, and more. Richard
Local Postal Customer
The log cabin at the corner of School Street and First Street in Lafayette has been home to the Lafayette Boy Scout Troop 204 for over 66 years of the Troop’s 84-year-old history. In 1948, funds were donated in memory of Morris Hunt Slater by his sister to the Troop to build a cabin as a place for the Troop to meet, plan, and grow. And that is precisely what Troop 204 has been doing. The rustic cabin has been a symbol and integral part of Troop life.
See Cabin continued on page 8
Chrysanthemums Set to Take Center Stage at the Gardens at Heather Farm By Jody Morgan
Aspiring to upstage the neighboring roses with a performance unlike any previously witnessed by the majority of area garden enthusiasts, chrysanthemums newly installed at the Gardens at Heather Steve Dawkins is committed to replicating this chrysanthemum Farm (GHF) are display in his own garden for the community to enjoy at GHF. getting set to open. (Photo courtesy of Steve Dawkins) Thanks to Walnut Creek resident Steve Dawkins’s generous gift of specimen plants, expertise, time and labor, visitors will see many of the thirteen classifications recognized Volume VIII - Number 10 3000F Danville Blvd #117 See Sustain continued on page 18 by the National Chrysanthemum Alamo, CA 94507 Society blooming side-by-side. Telephone (925) 405-6397 Typically peaking toward the end PRSRT STD Fax (925) 406-0547 U.S. Postage of October, these dramatically editor@yourmonthlypaper.com PAID distinctive mums often take up to Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher Permit 21 30 days to open completely from The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and Lafayette, CA the time their buds begin to dis- do not necessarily reflect that of Lafayette Today. Lafayette Today is not responsible for the content of any of the adECRWSS vertising herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
See GHF cont. on page 20
Page 2 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Boulevard View
By Alisa Corstorphine, Editor You Never Know
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but I think the concept is exciting. The second lesson is to strive to treat every person we interact with as the special and unique individual they are. What if my friend at the non-profit had been indifferent, or was having a bad day when that gentleman came calling and she had been gruff with him? What if he left with a favorable impression of the institution but a sour impression of her? Would he have made the same choices? By her being an amazing person and exuding love and excitement for life, she created the conditions for something wonderful to occur. We can all do that. We simply never know which word we utter will resonate with someone, which touch will leave a lasting impression, or which conversation will be remembered fondly. I think that’s part of the joy of existence. If we treat every person with kindness, love, honesty, and respect, you never know what amazing things can happen.
A few weeks ago I had a glorious weekend planned for myself. It was actually quite simple. The weekend I planned was all about me! I was going to do nothing but stay at home and work on fun things on my “To Do” list. Because of its never-ending nature, in our household the To Do list sometimes has a negative connotation, but this was a fun list of things I enjoy but just needed to make the time so I could dig into them. I was going to harvest and replant the garden. I was going to work on some picture projects. The only planned outing I had was a horseback ride on Mount Diablo. Me, me, me! On Thursday evening prior to the weekend, I went to the grocery store and stocked up with food. Not only was I doing the regular family shopping, but I was making sure there was no reason to leave home for the next several days. I bought an extra gallon of milk and an extra pack of chicken, fruit, etc. Everything was set. I told everyone in the office of my plans for my “all about me” weekend. But, the best made plans must sometimes change. Come Friday night I got a call from a friend needing help. In evaluating the situation, their need was far more important than my plans, and I rushed to help out. The need for my help continued into the weekend, and my To Do list was largely ignored. de! a r a P During the weekend I began laughing at the irony e m ’s Costu of how my designated “Me” weekend had morphed n e r d l i h C into something far beyond my wildest vision. Helping out was something I chose to do. It just hadn’t been Free Trick or Treats! on the To Do list at the time! I ended up learning from my redirected time. Someent m n i a t r times you have to roll with the punches, go with the e t En flow. I met some interesting new people and had some interesting new experiences. They simply hadn’t been Classic Car Show part of my original vision. You never know. A friend was recently telling me a story about his rink d & wife who works for a local non-profit organization. d o o F Seven years ago a man contacted her to talk a little about the organization and to take a tour of the facility. They 200 Artisans! spent a few hours together, had lunch, then said their good-byes. She never saw or heard from the man again. Seven years pass, and the woman received a call from an attorney representing the man’s estate. To • •• & & • •• her great surprise, her non-profit organization was Ave nu inhor icdow d ow nt n Dil anv t zt zAvenu e ehinist ihis s to n tow n anv Da nvil HarH t Har zarAve nu e in ictror dicow nt ow n ow D l e l eil l e listed as the prime beneficiary of the man’s estate. The proceeds from his house, car, stocks, and belongings amounted to well over a million dollars for the Saturday & Sunday childrenʼs childrenʼs childrenʼs non-profit organization. The woman was amazed and classic 200 200200 classicclassic October 25 & 26 fair fairfair ar tisans carcar show ar tisans car show show elated. The simple interaction she had years ago had ar tisans Come See 10am - 5pm obviously made an impression with the man. He had bike bikebikes tainment g la enter tainment ss p enterenter tainment 0 u in m 0 k p never spoken about his intentions, but he knew that ,0 Hartz Avenue in parking 1 parking parking one day he’d leave a legacy of love and generosity that historic downtown Danville would touch many, many people. His gift will have a www.danvillefallcraftsfestival.com local locallocal & drink merchants food & drink merchants food &food drink positive impact for years to come. merchants These incidents reinforced a couple of lessons I wanted to share with you. First, be open to the possibilities presented to us. As in the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey, we never know what opportunity, or what consequence from those opportunities, will follow unless we take the leap of faith and say ‘yes.’ It means being willing to subjugate our agenda long enough to participate in what life offers us. Have you ever imagined where your life would lead you if you www.danville fallcraftsfestival.com www.danville fallcraftsfestival.com www.danville fallcraftsfestival.com said ‘yes’ to everything as the character in that movie did? Of course there are limits and life isn’t a movie, fall-arts-festival poster-sept2014-Final.pdf 1 9/17/14 fall-arts-festival poster-sept2014-Final.pdf 1 9/17/14 2:39 PM fall-arts-festival poster-sept2014-Final.pdf
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Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 3
Hike for Shelter
Homelessness is a growing problem in our community. Contra Costa County estimates there are at any one time approximately 8,250 homeless, which includes over 2,000 children. On Sunday, October 19th the 5th annual Hike for SHELTER at Mt. Diablo State Park will be held to raise funds and awareness of this growing problem. This family-friendly event is open to all ages and abilities, from walkers to seasoned hikers. There will be three trails, including a 2.4-mile family hike, a 5.2-mile moderate hike, and a 6.7-mile summit hike! A post-hike celebration will follow complete with catered lunch, local celebrity speakers, and fundraising prizes. SHELTER Inc. of Contra Costa County is an independent non-profit whose mission is to prevent and end homelessness for low-income families in Contra Costa County. The full service agency gives families a safe place to live - meeting their most basic needs, while offering individualized services such as education, employment development, and counseling in order to give them the tools to be self sufficient. SHELTER Inc. served 5,000 people last year who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. Ninety-five percent of those who were at risk of homelessness were able to stay in their homes, and 76% of those who were homeless were moved back into a permanent home due to the community’s support. SHELTER Inc. also owns or master lease about 200 residences throughout Contra Costa, renting to low-income, vulnerable residents. Please join in on the Hike for SHELTER. While you are enjoying a beautiful day hiking on one of the most beautiful state parks, you are also helping strengthen the community where we live. Please go to www.shelterhike.org to sign up.
Lamorinda Idol Finals Winners
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Feeling Success
A large part of creating healthor anything else, including wealth- is learning how to accept praise, allowing yourself to feel success and completion physically. If you don't practice receiving in this way, you are motivated only by thoughts like "There is so much more to do. I'll never get it all done." This is a health risk. Take praise, accomplishments, and achievements right into your heart regularly.
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After an exhaustive day do you come home, unwind on the couch and tune into the TV? Sometimes watching just a few minutes of TV, can turn into hours long viewing. It is alarming to note that the average person watches 4 hours of TV a day! That’s 4 hours of not using your brain to its full potential.!
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What if after a long days’ work you treated yourself to something different, something new. What if instead of mindlessly sitting in front of the TV, you nurtured your body and mind. Tonight, try a new approach. There are many opportunities in place of television. Some suggestions: take a yoga class, learn to crochet, observe the sunset, cook a new recipe, even write a book…the possibilities are all up to you. If this idea actually sounds interesting, try it for just one night. If that is easy, work up to 2 nights and then 5 nights a week. Before you know it, with all the new time you gain learning and engaging in different activities you will feel more joyful & alive.!
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The ninth annual Lamorinda Idol Finals took place at the Orinda Theatre. Winners were: • K-2 soloists: Natalie Schroeder • 3-5 soloists: Neijla Ackdoe-Pagey • 6-8 soloists: Jennifer McFarlane • 9-12 soloists: Lucy Clearwater • K-5 groups: Rainbow Harmony (Amelia Chen, Kaitlyn Roach) • 6-8 groups: Team Voce (Gianna Capozzi, Isabell Capozzi) • 9-12 groups: Maritza & Tosca (Maritza Grillo, Tosca Maltzman) kid zone • Audience Award: Grace Barmmer In the finals, 34 Soloists and 11 groups performed in gradelevel categories. Winners were selected by a panel of distinguished judges who are musical professionals in the Bay Area combined with audience votes. One winner was selected for the category of overall Audience Award. Cash prizes were awarded to each winner. For questions or further details, please contact Lamorinda Idol Chairman, Steve Harwood at zzz9@comcast.net.
Friday, October 24th 4pm - 6pm
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The Orinda Arts Council is hosting the Art of Mixology competition and tasting on October 25th. The fundraiser will be held from 4:30PM to 7PM in the Orinda Theatre Square plaza which is located off Highway 24 adjacent to the Orinda BART station. It will feature 20 different craft cocktails prepared by some of the Bay Area’s top professional bartenders who will be competing for the Mixologist of the Year Award. A distinguished panel of judges will select the evening’s top winner and award a $500 prize and trophy. Second and third place winners will be awarded $250 and $100, respectively. In addition to the judges’ selections, there will be an Audience Choice winner, selected by those who purchase tasting tickets. Aspiring at-home bartenders are also invited to compete for top amateur mixologist. Serving the community for over 60 years, the Orinda Arts Council 501(c) (3) non-profit ignites and sustains artistic expression and appreciation for all ages throughout Lamorinda. Notable events and programs include the Lamorinda Idol singing competition, high school Visual Arts Competition, Art in Public Places, Orinda Library Gallery, school musical funding, and the Orinda Jazz Festival. More information is available at http://OrindaArts.org.
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Page 4 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Emergency Preparedness Class and Neighborhood Captains’ Training
All classes will be held at the Lafayette Community Center, 500 St. Mary’s Rd., in the Elderberry Room (back parking lot). Classes are presented by the Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commission and are FREE. Register for classes by calling the Lafayette Community Center at 284-2232. The Lafayette Emergency Preparedness Commission can arrange classes specifically for Lafayette Homeowner groups, church or service groups, possibly closer to home. For more information, call the Commission at 2993220 or email csurges@lovelafayette.org.
Emergency Preparedness for Individuals and Families ~ Tuesday, October 28 ~ 7-9PM Don’t put it off any longer! This quick and easy session will help you prepare yourself and your family for the next earthquake, whether you are at home, work, or out and about. Emphasis will be on earthquake preparation, but the information applies to other emergencies as well. Bring pencil and paper. Materials will be provided.
Neighborhood Captains’ Training ~ Tuesday, November 4 ~ 7-8:30PM
Join other Lafayette residents in becoming a neighborhood captain in the Lafayette Emergency Action Response Network (LEARN). This session is designed to help you organize your block or neighborhood in becoming self-sufficient for the first 72 hours following a major disaster. Attendance at a basic preparedness class (as above, CERT, or Red Cross class) is recommended but not required prior to attending this class. Bring paper and pencil. Written materials will be provided.
The Great California ShakeOut is Coming!
Are You Ready? By Dennis Rein, Lamorinda Emergency Preparedness Coordinator
With over 59,000 people living and working in Lamorinda, a major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. What we do now, before the big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. Earthquakes are an inevitable part of California’s future. To help us get prepared, the 2014 Great California ShakeOut earthquake drill will be held at 10:16AM on October 16. Everyone can join in. The city staff from all three Lamorinda cities will be participating along with schools, businesses, and neighborhoods. The cities will activate their Emergency Operations Centers as if the exercise were a real earthquake. It’s an opportunity for everyone to practice what to do to be safe, to get better prepared, and to learn what plans need to be improved. At the minimum you should practice "drop, cover, and hold on" at the specified time. The 2014 ShakeOut drill will be the largest preparedness event in world history. To participate, go to www.ShakeOut.org/california/register, and pledge your family, school, business, or organization’s participation in the drill. Registered participants will receive information on how to plan your drill and how to create a dialogue with others about earthquake preparedness.
Lost Dog!
$50 REWARD If you find him and your name is drawn!
He is very small, so you will have to look hard if you want to find him.
Lafayette Luther is Missing He has become lost in this paper.
Send a letter telling us where you found him, along with your name and address to:
Lost Dog! Lafayette Today, 3000F Danville Blvd #117, Alamo, CA 94507
Clifford Gambs is our winner! Luther was hiding on page 22 last month.
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Lafayette Chamber Events
By Jay Lifson, Lafayette Chamber Executive Director 22st Annual Lafayette Reservoir Run - October 26th
“The fastest 5K and the toughest 10K in the land” The Lafayette Reservoir Run is the city’s most popular “family affair,” involving kids, parents, grandparents, and hundreds of serious runners from all over the Bay Area. Over 2,500 participants will compete in a 10K, 5K, or 2 mile race through the heart of downtown Lafayette, around the reservoir, and back. Sprinters, walkers, the “stroller brigade,” and many of Lafayette’s top four legged residents will share the streets on October 26. Race times begin at 8AM, and “day of” registration begins at 6:30AM. Enjoy music provided by Stanley Middle School and a pancake breakfast provided by the Lafayette Rotary Club. • Family Bike Ride at 9:30AM, a Bike Safety Rodeo for the kids, and Backyard Carnivals with fun jumps and games will be available for the kids. If your child is entered in one of the races, they will have “total access” to all the Backyard Carnivals’ fun, free of charge. • Come to a Healthy Lifestyles Fair. Lamorinda’s health and wellness providers will assemble to meet and serve the community in a free public information and service health fair which will take place as part of this year’s Reservoir Run. This is a perfect opportunity for community members to talk about their health concerns and meet providers that truly care and can assist them in their quest for a healthier life! The fair is part of this year’s Res Run festivities and is located in the Plaza Center lot between Bank of America and Citi Bank, next to run registration. Parking is available at the BART parking lot. Walk down to Plaza Center (Mt. Diablo Blvd. at Moraga Rd.) where all the fun is taking place. Ride your bike and use our Free Bike Valet Parking. Pre-registration can be done by visiting the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce website, www.lafayettechamber.org, and clicking on the Res Run button on the home page. Beneficiaries of the event are the local schools and the services and programs of the Chamber. There are medals for all top participants in the 5K and 10K. The two mile fun run is a non-timed event.
Trick or Treat Street
Don’t miss Halloween fun on Friday, October 24th. For a fun, safe Halloween event, children and their parents are invited to Trick-or-Treat on Mt. Diablo Blvd. Trick or Treat Street will take place at 4PM in boo-tiful Downtown Lafayette. All participating businesses will display a poster and have balloons at their door. Trick-or-Treating is for children nine years and under.
Lafayette Hiking Group
The Lafayette Hiking Group has two upcoming hikes. Get outdoors and join in the fun!
Tuesday, October 14 ~ Joaquin Miller area, Redwood Park, Oakland
Meet at the Lafayette City parking lot at 9419 Moraga Road at 8:30AM. Carpools to the trailhead will be formed. Hike a different part of this great park, the Dunn and Baccharis trails returning on the West Ridge Trail via the Redwood Bowl. Enjoy trees and views. The hike is moderate with hills and about 5 miles in length. The leader is Joe Azalde.
Sunday, November 2 ~ Embarcadero North Beach area, San Francisco
Meet in the parking lot out from Lafayette BART’s main entrance at 8:30AM. We will take BART to the Embarcadero and walk north along the pedestrian promenade, detouring to walk on a few piers. At Bay Street we will go east to Columbus Avenue, walking back through Little Italy and the Financial District, to downtown and the return BART. Bring BART ticket or money for BART ($9.50) and snacks. The hike is an easy 4 to 5 miles led by Judy Wong. To participate in hikes, meet at the location mentioned for each excursion. Bring snacks, water, layered clothing, good walking shoes, sun protection, and money to contribute toward gas and parking. Email questions to LafayetteHiking@comcast.net.
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Lafayette Community Garden
Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 5
Little Free Library Opens
Little Free Library #18575 officially opened on Saturday, September 13 at the Lafayette Community Garden, located at 3932 Mt. Diablo Blvd. With the motto, “Take a Book, Return a Book,” the Little Free Library’s mission is to promote literacy and love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide. Books of all kinds, appealing to all ages, are welcomed. The members of the garden have initially stocked the LFL with their favorites, but other patrons are encouraged to borrow and to bring books to add to the collection. The Little Free Library is considered a gift to the community. The books are labeled or stamped “Always a gift, never for sale,” to reinforce the idea that these books should circulate freely within the community. The Little Free Library is a movement started by Todd Bol and Rick Brooks in Wisconsin in 2010, and it has grown to include LFLs in most states and dozens of countries. More information can be found at www.littlefreelibrary.org. The library is located beside the entry gate to the garden. It can be accessed from the street through the pedestrian gate to the left of the vehicular entry. For more information, e-mail Jeanie Hill at jeanie.calnini@gmail.com or call (479) 841-9555.
Harvest Festival / Garden Highlights
If you’ve driven by the Garden recently, you’ve noticed that our garden is lush with harvest. A diverse, energetic, positive community of garden members and supporters who have helped bring the garden and learning center together have made this happen. The space certainly has a life of its own and has developed into a reminder of how rich the local ecosystem is and how much potential even a parking lot can embody. Come to the Garden’s annual Open House and Harvest Celebration on Sunday, October 19 from 11 to 3PM. Garden members will be providing delicious snacks and drinks. Come build a scarecrow, make fragrant sachets and cooking herb packets, listen to local musicians, visit with Doc Hale and see his amazing mountain lion photos, take a tour of the garden, and experience much more! Garden Highlights Here are a few of this season’s highlights which you can learn more about at the Open House. • We have reached capacity, with 70 garden member families and twelve families on the waiting list for next season. • Soil has been greatly enhanced by using compost and organic nutrients. Thanks to organic produce waste donated by Open Sesame and donated
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horse, rabbit and chicken manure, we have developed our own thriving compost system. • Ten beautiful new beds have been constructed. • Propagation of our plants has taken place in member homes and at the garden. Planting has occurred with attention paid to what’s grown where. Rotation of crops and bio-intensive methods of planting are part of our planning. • The propagated plants that are not put into beds have been made available to the Lafayette community. • We have opened the garden to the entire community for tours Wednesdays from 2–5, Thursdays from 9 –12, and Saturdays from 9–1. • Member teams have worked hard to help our plants produce hundreds of pounds of vegetables and herbs. Most of our harvest is shared by garden members. Excess has been taken to two local senior housing facilities, Belle Terre and Chateau Lafayette. • We have water! With the City’s help, we accessed and purchased pipedin water, so we no longer depend on it being trucked as in years past. Thanks
See Garden continued on page 14
Page 6 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
The Bookworm By Joan Stevenson
Who could forget November 14, 2009? This was the date of the opening of Lafayette Library and Learning Center! It was the coming together of our community which had shaped a dream, funded it, and built it. The launch was unforgettable… with a parade and bands and activities and all the hoopla that it so richly deserved! And now five incredible years later on Sunday, November 2 from 11AM-3PM, a Literary Festival will take place to celebrate the anniversary with music and food, activities, workshops, and special guests. Those guests will include author, Elizabeth Rosner (known for The Speed of Light, and reading from her new book Electric City, coming out in October), Joe Di Prisco (known for the Field Guide to the American Teenager, reading from his new book Subway to California), Marissa Moss (Mira’s Diary), Denys Cazet (Minnie & Moo) and others. Calling all Book Clubbers! The Friends of the Lafayette Library and Learning Center have just announced the First Annual Book Club Swap! Imagine that: a place where book clubs can bring in a stack of their favorite reads, share ideas, and learn what is going on with other clubs in our community! So gather your book buddies and come to the Library Amphitheater at First Street and Golden Gate Way on Thursday, October 9 from 6PM-7:30PM. Admission is $10 and includes the swap, wine, and a raffle ticket for a chance to win prizes. Proceeds will benefit the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. Please register online at tinyurl.com/ friendsbookswap. October was designated National Reading Group month by the Women’s National Book Association. Check out this website for the 2014 selection of Great Group Reads at www.nationalreadinggroupmonth.org. My boys (now grown men) had a favorite Little Golden Book about Willie Woo Woo, a fire engine. I even remember the line, “Get out of the way. I’m coming through. Get out of the way. I’m Willie Woo Woo!” Clear the way on October 9 from 12-1PM for a special visit from Lafayette’s finest! Station 15 is bringing their fire truck for the kids to explore! There is something very exciting about being up close and personal with a fire truck! The Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation will host two events
www.yourmonthlypaper.com as part of the Distinguished Speaker Series. The first, October 16 at 6:30PM, is An Evening with Piper Kerman author of Orange is the New Black and Joe Loya, author of The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell in conversation. The unlikely pair were pen pals while each was in prison. They will share their personal stories and reflect on the writing of memoir. On Thursday, October 23 at 6:30 we will hear a conversation between Malcolm Margolin, founder of an independent publishing house in Berkeley, and his biographer, Kim Bancroft. Funny and provocative, The Heyday of Malcolm Margolin reveals the workings of a courageously unconventional enterprise run on beauty, passion, friendship, and joy. To reserve your space visit tinyurl.com/HeydayofMargolin. On Monday, October 13 at 6:30PM in the Community Hall the Commonwealth Club will gather a group of experts to address the question uppermost in our minds: “How long will the California drought last?” The panel will include John Coleman, President, Association of California Water Agencies; and Anthony Rendon, California Assemblyman (D-Lakewood); Chair, State Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee. By studying tree rings and lake sediments, scientists have found that droughts were once typical in California and have been known to last for decades. This raises the question: Is this the beginning of a new normal? The cost for the event is $22 non-members, $12 members, and $7 for students with valid ID. Visit www.commonwealthclub.org for reservations. November 6 at 7PM the Friends will welcome a local author, Joe Di Prisco, to Sweet Thursday. He will discuss his new book, Subway to California. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Subway to California recounts Joe’s battles with his personal demons, bargains struck with angels, and truces with his family in this richly colorful tale that reads like great fiction. I asked Ellen Reintjes what we might find on her nightstand and I was awed at her reply. “I’m currently reading The Violin: A Social History of the World’s Most Versatile Instrument, by David Schoenbaum. I inherited my grandfather’s violin a few years ago and am taking lessons at Lamorinda Music. To quote the inside of its jacket, this book combines “… the stories of its makers, dealers, and players into a global history of the past five centuries.” I find it filled with “I didn’t know that” moments, humor, and even intrigue. One last note from Ellen – November 12 WOW will host an Asian Art docent. More on that next month.
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The Times We Lived In—50 Years Ago By Ruth Bailey, Lafayette Historical Society
Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 7
11 Critical Home Inspection Traps to be Aware of Weeks Before Listing Your Home for Sale
Interestingly, The University of California undertook a study of suburban traffic in October 1964. The mail-in survey, taken by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Lafayette - According to industry ex- sale or, worse, turn prospective buyers and Traffic Engineering, sought information on automobile use, the number of and reason for trips taken each day, by a perts, there are over 33 physical prob- away altogether. In most cases, you can single family. The survey was sent to “a carefully selected lems that will come under scrutiny during make a reasonable pre-inspection yourself sample of households in central county, including Concord, a home inspection when your home is if you know what you're looking for, and Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Orinda, and Pleasant Hill. for sale. A new report has been prepared knowing what you're looking for can help Completely confidential treatment of the questionnaires which identifies the 11 most common you prevent little problems from growing is insured [ensured], for the participants are identified by of these problems, and what you should into costly and unmanageable ones. census tract, and only averages and totals of the replies will know about them before you list your home To help home sellers deal with this issue for sale. before their homes are listed, a free report be analyzed.” Whether you own an old home or a brand entitled "11 Things You Need to Know to According to the Institute, “Knowledge of suburban new one, there are a number of things Pass Your Home Inspection" has been traffic problems gained from the survey will be used by local traffic and planning agencies throughout the nation.” that can fall short of requirements during a compiled which explains the issues involved. It sounds like the Bay Area’s un-congested traffic solutions home inspection. If not identified and dealt To hear a brief recorded message about were shared nationwide (in case you’re wondering what with, any of these 11 items could cost you how to order your FREE copy of this report, dearly in terms of repair. That's why it's call toll-free 1-866-265-1682 and enter your aunt in Kentucky is complaining about). Another delightful story from the long-ago Sun addressed critical that you read this report before 2003. You can call any time, 24 hours a day, you list your home. If you wait until the 7 days a week. the absence of Raggedy Ann books in local libraries. “A Walnut Creek mother of an eight-year-old was building inspector flags these issues for Get your free special report NOW to learn shocked to learn that stories about the rag doll with the you, you will almost certainly experience how to ensure a home inspection doesn't candy heart that says ‘I love you’ doesn’t belong on library costly delays in the close of your home cost you the sale of your home. This report is courtesy of J. Rockcliff Realtors #01763819. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract. Copyright © 2013 shelves. A year or so ago, Mrs. Robert Cunningham sought Raggedy Ann books at the library and learned that the county librarian, Bertha Hellum, felt the stories AARP Tax-Aide Call For ‘didn’t meet present literary standards for children.’” Mrs. Cunningham bought two Raggedy Ann books and donated them, which motivated Librarian Volunteers for 2015 Tax Season Hellum to invite “two of the most highly qualified children’s librarians in the U.S. to re-evaluate Do you like working with people? Are you good Raggedy Ann.” They each wrote two-page, single-spaced critiques, which agreed that “today’s with numbers? children are more fortunate than they were 40 years ago: Raggedy Ann couldn’t measure up to Contra Costa County AARP Tax-Aide is looking for today’s literary heights for children.” The donations were refused. volunteers to become members of a team providing free The chief fears, the critics agreed, was that the books “talked down to children. The author was tax preparation for individuals of all ages. Tax-Aide volcriticized for using such terms as ‘dollies’ and ‘dear little kitty.’ These phrases insult the intelligence unteer positions include Tax Counselors who are trained of the reader and deny his right to determine whether, in his opinion, the kitten is really dear or the by Tax-Aide and certified by IRS and Client Facilitators dolls really lovable. They found the characters were flat stereotypes, unconvincing as people.” They who schedule appointment and assist clients at tax sites. also found the author, Johnny Gruelle, guilty of ‘cuteness’ and ‘moralism.’ Orientation is in November 2014, and classes for tax coun“The plot is too tenuous, the moving forces unclear, not even made a subject of mystery… selors start in January 2015. If interested, call LaVerne illustrations poorly drawn and badly printed…”. Gordon at (925) 726-3199 for information and to apply. The local librarian encouraged parents to buy and read any book they wish to their youngsters. Lamorinda Republican Women But “when it comes to the use of public funds, we must use them wisely and cover the broadest field possible.” The library’s stand wouldn’t Federated be reversed no matter how much public Lamorinda Republican Women Federated welcomes pressure was brought to bear, she said. She Dr. Stephen Steinlight, Senior Policy Analyst at the referred to the professional standards and Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), as the groups training of library personnel and the special luncheon speaker on October 16th at the Orinda am courses they take to keep abreast of times in Country Club. Social time begins at 11:15 with lunch literature, adding, “If laymen were allowed to following at noon. The cost is $25 per person. Dr. Steinlight is one of the nation’s most insightful make selections, there would be no need for voices on immigration. He focuses on ascending professionals.” trends in immigration and immigration policy. The Sun also contacted Miss Effie Lee For reservations and information, phone Elsie Morris, San Francisco librarian, to ask about Raggedy Ann’s status in that county. Miss Euing at 925-254-8617 or email reservations@ lamorindarepublicanwomen.org. Morris stated that none of the branch libraries Payment can be made online at www. in San Francisco had ever stocked it. “Raggedy LamorindaRepublicanWomen.org. Ann is considered for home enjoyment rather than for library selection,” she said. Mrs. Cunningham agreed that the library should maintain its excellence. She is no self-styled expert and said her argument isn’t based on the literary merits of the Raggedy Ann or Uncle Wiggly (also verboten) books. As a library patron and mother, what she does believe is that good, bad or indifferent, Raggedy Ann is part of the American heritage. “There just aren’t that many classics around,” she said.
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Page 8 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Waste Audit Finds that 57% of Lafayette Garbage Could Have Been Recycled By Pam King Palitz Sustainable Lafayette Community Outreach Manager
Although we told you that 2014 would provide 12 months of water conservation tips, we are taking a one-month hiatus to return to an old, favorite subject … garbage. This past summer Sustainable Lafayette partnered with Republic Services to hire a summer intern to work on a couple of Recycle Lafayette projects. One of the projects, undertaken by intern Ben Weintraub, was to audit the garbage of 20 typical Lafayette single-family homes. On the night before trash pickup, he went to each house, dumped the trash, recycling (brown), and green bin contents on tarpaulins, and he examined and measured the contents to assess opportunities for increasing residential recycling. He compiled his findings and wrote a report, including conclusions and recommendations that he presented to Republic Services (who sponsored the project) and the Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority. He also shared his report with Sustainable Lafayette and the City of Lafayette. View the report at http://recyclelafayette.org/residents. The bottom line was this: 57% of the material (by weight) found in the trash bins could have been recycled! The surprising part was that roughly three-quarters of what could have been recycled was not traditional recyclables (glass, paper, plastic, etc.) but rather compostable items that could have gone in the green bin. The other 25% could have been put in the brown/burgundy bin. Even though all types of food scraps have been allowed in the green bin since 2007, only three out of 20 families had food items in their green bins and none of the families had non-food compostable items such as napkins, paper towels, and soiled papers or cardboard in those bins. Among the compostable items found in the garbage: • Actual food such as fruits, breads, cheeses, and meats • Food scraps such as cornhusks, banana peels, and vegetable stems • Compostable paper products such as paper towels and napkins This problem is not exclusive to Lafayette; nearly 30% of all landfill is food scraps that could be composted. In his conclusions, Weintraub mentioned that telling people food-soiled pizza boxes could go into their green bins was a tip that really surprised residents and seemed to stick with them. It helped make clear that while paper and cardboard normally go in the brown/burgundy bin, if they are soiled with grease or food, then they can and should go in the green bin. Meanwhile, blue bins also contained every type of recyclable item: newspapers, metal cans, cardboard boxes, firm plastics and glass bottles. Four of the 20 households had hazardous waste in their bins, including paint, electronics, batteries, and light bulbs. None of these are supposed to go in the garbage. To improve Lafayette’s waste diversion rates, Weintraub concluded that the primary goal should be for residents to focus more on putting food scraps and other compostable items in their green bins. From what he saw: • Many people do not know they are supposed to put anything besides yard waste in the green bin • They do not know what is compostable and what is not • They think collecting compostable items in the kitchen is going to be inconvenient, smelly, or dirty … or all three! The Contra Costa County Solid Waste Authority distributes free composting buckets that are amazingly good at locking in odors. For a bucket, contact Valley Waste Management at 935-8900; it will be delivered on your next regular day pickup, or you can retrieve one at the Recycling Center, 480 Lawrence Way, Walnut Creek. There are also many attractive countertop compost buckets that you can buy at kitchen stores and on the internet. Finally, there are plastic bags. Sigh. Weintraub said no one seemed to know what to do with them. Unfortunately, they are not recyclable at home, even the ones that have a recycle number on them. The only option is to take plastic shopping bags and other plastic bags to the receptacles outside of grocery and drug stores or to try your best to re-use them. The goal of Sustainable Lafayette’s Recycle Lafayette campaign is to divert 75 percent of our garbage from the landfill. The current diversion rate is 66 percent. Obviously, we already have picked the low-hanging fruit, so making the next, final push toward the goal will be a challenge. As a result of this summer’s audit, we know that composting is one of the keys. For more tips for home, business or school, check out recyclelafayette.org.
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Cabin continued from front page
Scoutmaster Tom Steuber and Dads’ Club President Scott Newman realized several years ago that the cabin was sinking--time, the soil, and the type of foundation all combined to create this dire situation. The Troop decided it was important to “Save the Cabin” for future generations of Scouts. A search was commissioned to find a contractor willing to take on this unique and urgent project. Ultimately, Ned Clyde Construction was selected for the job along with Leap Frog Plumbing. Both companies were very enthusiastic about the project since they both had Scouts that had been in the troop or were Scouts themselves. Before the construction company could start work, teams of Scouts and their parent volunteers worked to empty the cabin, preserve the Troop’s memorabilia and store equipment. The Troop plans to return at the first of the year to their cabin which will be a much more solid and preserved structure which will last for at least another 66 years. To see more of this story, go to www.204cabin.org.
Walnut Creek Elks Medal of Valor Presentation
Recently Walnut Creek Elks Lodge 1811 was host for the CHP officer Kenyon Youngstorm Memorial Interchange presentation for Interstate 680 and Highway 24, where officer Youngstrom was slain protecting his CHP partner and the public. This is one of the highest honors the State of California can offer one of its public servants. In addition, Lodge 1811 gave the highest award the Elks can give to any individual serving our country: the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Medal of Valor, Certificate of Valor, and an American flag in a shadow box with the inscription “Kenyon Youngstrom: In grateful recognition and appreciation for his supreme sacrifice and service to our community, in the State of California and our Nation.” These items were presented by Walnut Creek Elks Exalted Ruler Nicholas Fleming to the Youngstrom family, shown in the photo.
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Walking the Reservoir By Jim Scala
Reservoir kids. I finished my walk and began my yoga routine at the bandstand. Three little boys watched from the grass and tried doing the same yoga poses. I finished and one boy who said he’s four years old asked if they could start skateboarding. I said, “Of course, there’s room for all of us, why did you wait”? “My Mom said I should respect you, wait until you’re done, and then ask.” They were soon skateboarding and the young boy narrated their every move. With youngsters like that, there’s a good future ahead. Aerobic vs anaerobic. When you exercise consistently, after about 20 minutes your body takes half its energy from stored fat and the rest from carbohydrates. Burning fat requires oxygen, hence the name - aerobic. If you continue for any length of time after that, it improves both mental and physical health. It’s called a training effect because it conditions your entire cardiovascular system. Jogging requires about half the time to produce the same result. By walking the paved trail in about 55 minutes or the Rim Trail in under two hours, you’re getting excellent exercise. Anaerobic exercise is when, from a start, you exercise vigorously and quickly, like when running up stairs or a hill or when rapidly pumping some weights. When done, you’re gasping for breath because your body used carbohydrates for energy in the absence of enough oxygen to burn it completely. Gasping afterwards is your body’s way of paying its oxygen debt while it burns the carbohydrate residue. It doesn’t condition your body, but life often requires anaerobic action. In September’s Lafayette Today, Doctor Brian Hopkins explained how walking helps shape blood vessels in the prostate gland and from his urologist’s point of view, that’s very important. Brian’s words apply broadly because the aerobic exercise produces a training effect and conditions all body parts and functions. I’ll come back to this with blood pressure. Walking the Rez and weight. Controlling our weight is both the simplest and the most difficult thing we can do. It is simple because a physical law states that if you burn more calories than you eat, you’ll lose weight. It’s most difficult because controlling food intake is behavior – that’s never easy. You need a deficit of 3,000 calories to lose one pound. A paved trail walk burns about 250 calories – a Rim over 475 calories. Hence, every 12 times around the paved trail or six times on the Rim burns a pound of body fat. So, weight control is mostly about food intake, and Rez walking can be a big help. Dogs are Chick Magnets. I’ve been told that women take notice if you walk a dog. I borrowed the Wampler boys’ dog, Buster (named after their baseball hero). He’s a four-month old golden lab. As a scientist, I needed to test the saying. Women stopped me and said, “What a beautiful dog.” They’d ask his age and if I enjoyed him, and he often got petted. If the lady was walking a dog, it was even better. One lady, walking two huge great Danes, stopped and congratulated me about Buster. I always say hello to folks when I walk, but they don’t always return the salutation. With Buster everyone said “hello.” Buster proved that saying. He and I are going to do more walking together. Reservoir languages. September 14th was bright and sunny with groups celebrating the 9-11 heroes. After walking or jogging, each group met on the grassy hill by the bandstand. I noticed two Asian groups speaking in different languages, so I asked their origins. One group was Korean and the other Chinese. I expanded my query and found French, Spanish, Serbian, German, and Russian speaking groups recognizing our 9-11 heroes. Most followed up with picnics. Our reservoir – like America – is a melting pot of people. We can all be proud. One in three American adults have high blood pressure; walking can help reduce that. Aerobic exercise conditions your blood vessels, as Dr. Hopkins pointed out, but there’s more. Conditioned blood vessels are flexible, and it follows that the pressure is lower. Consider your blood being pushed through a hard pipe compared one that can flex with the blood surges from each stroke and keep it going. With flexible vessels the pressure between beats and during the beat is lower, proving that your body has become more efficient. Every study that’s been done shows that walking about four times weekly can help reduce high blood pressure. Let me hear from you: jscala2@comcast.net.
Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 9
Diablo Choral Artists Seeks Singers
Love to sing? Come join Diablo Choral Artists as they begin an exciting new season! The group has openings for all voice parts (especially tenors/basses). Rehearsals are held on Mondays at 7PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, located at 1924 Trinity Ave. in Walnut Creek. Call (925) 670-7089, e-mail info@vmschorus.org, or visit www.vmschorus.org for additional information.
Project Second Chance Fundraisers for Adult Literacy An Evening of Mystery
On Thursday, October 9th at the Walnut Creek Library’s Oak View Room, Project Second Chance, Inc. (PSC), the Contra Costa Library program for adult literacy, is sponsoring “An Evening of Mystery.” The event begins at 6pm with light desserts, followed by a panel discussion with authors Cara Black, Laurie R. King, and Terry Shames talking about their acclaimed mystery books. There will also be a raffle for prizes. Tickets are $15, with proceeds benefiting Project Second Chance. For ticket purchase, send checks payable to Project Second Chance, Inc., to 1750 Oak Park Blvd., Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. For payment by credit card, call (510) 918-4768.
Pizza Night
On Tuesday, October 21st, Patxi’s Pizza in Lafayette will donate 10% of all sales, all day, to Project Second Chance. Purchases eligible for donation credit applies to eat-in, carry-out, ready-to-bake, gift cards, and delivery. Purchases can be made from 7am to 10pm. Patxi’s Pizza is located in The Clocktower, located at 3577 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. To learn more about PSC, visit ccclib.org/psc.
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Page 10 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Veterans’ Voices…
...A new way to reach out to those who have served By Supervisor Candace Andersen
Each year, more than a quarter of a million Americans take off their service uniform for the last time, and for many of them, one of the biggest questions upon returning to civilian life is, “What’s next?” That transition can be a very difficult process, and Contra Costa County’s Veterans Service Office is constantly looking for ways to help. Our County is home to more than 65,000 veterans, and we have expanded our outreach efforts considerably over the past couple of years to provide even more resources and assistance to veterans and their families. Outstations in Brentwood and Danville now supplement services delivered at the main office in Martinez and the Richmond branch location as well, but many veterans are reluctant to go to a County office for help. Thanks to a unique partnership within the County, help is now coming to veterans online and on cable TV. Veterans’ Voices is a live, interactive talk show hosted monthly by our County Veterans Service Officer Nathan Johnson. Produced at the Contra Costa TV (CCTV) studios in Martinez, Veterans’ Voices is specifically tar-
Pros and Cons of the November Propositions Get Some Insight!
Getting overwhelmed and confused by the language of all the propositions on this year's election ballot? Are you interested in more in-depth analysis than you can glimpse in a thirty-second ad? If you strive to be an informed voter, you will want to participate in the October 21 program hosted by the Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette branch of American Association of University Women (AAUW). At this meeting, the League of Women Voters will present the pros and cons of the propositions that are on the ballot and provide materials with more specific information about each issue so you can make an informed choice at the polls. You can participate in lively small group discussions and clarify (or change) your opinion. The meeting is open to the public, and all will be warmly welcomed. Free coffee and tea will help you wake up and think clearly! This dynamic and informative program will be held on Tuesday, October 21 from 9:30AM to 11AM at the Holy Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church, 1700 School Street in Moraga. For further information, contact Diane Bell-Rettger at dbellrettger@ gmail.com.
www.yourmonthlypaper.com geting vets with mental health issues, particularly those who haven’t sought care before or aren’t even sure what help is available. Each month, Nathan and co-host Kevin Graves focus on a specific topic, bring in guests and taking calls, emails, and live chat messages from viewers. August’s show featured authors who are using writing to express themselves as they have transitioned back to civilian life. September’s show shined a light on the help caregivers can bring and offered a glimpse into the experiences of those who provide that much needed care. October’s show, to be broadcast on Monday, October 20th at 7pm, will tackle the topic of suicide prevention. “Suicide: It’s Worth Talking About” will feature Martinez Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic’s Suicide Prevention Coordinator Brian Adkinson as well as a veteran whose life has been impacted by the suicide of a close friend and fellow veteran. This episode will not only shed light on the effect suicide has on family and friends but it will also give helpful advice and resources to those who are suffering from suicidal thoughts and offer support information for family and friends affected by the loss of a loved one. Funded by a state mental health grant, a year’s worth of shows are planned with the hopes of hearing directly from veterans along the way regarding what their needs are and how we can best connect with them. If you have questions or want to suggest ideas for the show, you can contact our Veterans Service Office at 925-313-1481. Veterans’ Voices airs at 7pm on the third Monday of each month on CCTV, and it replays on Saturdays at 9am, Mondays at 7pm, and Wednesdays at 11pm. CCTV can be found on Comcast Channel 27, Astound Channel 32, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99. You can also watch any of the previous episodes online at the Veterans' Voices website, www.contracosta.ca.gov/5163/Veterans-Voices. My office is here to serve the residents of Contra Costa County District 2, which includes San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Walnut Creek, Saranap, Parkmead, Lafayette, Moraga, Canyon, and Orinda. Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can provide you with additional information on this topic or on other County issues. I can be reached at SupervisorAndersen@bos. cccounty.us or 925-957-8860.
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AAUW Scholarship Fundraiser, ACT-SAT StartUp
AAUW and the Princeton Review will offer a new two-hour assessment called StartUp. This test combines question types from the ACT and the redesigned SAT. This test is intended for boys and girls graduating in the Class of 2017 and beyond. One of the benefits of the StartUp program is that students receive exposure to both the ACT and the redesigned SAT. The Test will be offered on Saturday, October 25th at Miramonte High School, 750 Moraga Way in Orinda, at 7:45AM. Check in at the College and Career Center. The cost is $25. For more information and to register, go to oml-ca.aauw.net/sat-act. A second session will be held for students and parents on December 11th at 6:30PM in the Miramonte High School Theater. At this time you will receive a personal score report that will highlight the student’s strengths and area of focus for each test and learn about individualized programs that help students prepare for the colleges of their choice. The Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette Branch of the American Association of University Women has been offering scholarships to local young women from the three Lamorinda High Schools and St. Mary’s College for over 45 years. All proceeds from the StartUp program will go towards these scholarships. The Branch’s mission is to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy, and research. For more information about the AAUW-OML Branch, go to http://omlca.aauw.net.
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Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 11
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The Golden Rule
By Evan Corstorphine, Portable CIO
Every day we make choices about how to act in a myriad of situations. Each choice can present many consequences--many we cannot yet see, many that are unintended. Each of us, and everything and everyone around us, is the culmination of our decisions thus far in our lives. Our businesses are the same way. I try to live my life by the adage, “Do unto others as they would do unto you.” The point? We all need to treat each other well, whether at an interpersonal level or at a business level. And why do I write this today? I do so because, I was just treated poorly by a vendor who I have purchased thousands of dollars of product from, and they are completely indifferent, smug in their petty rules which ignore the reality of their product and how it behaves, insulated behind a wall of internet connections, call-centers and voicemail, indifferent because to them I realize I’m a nobody. I often say, “No one in the big corporation hears you scream,” and this is a perfect example. In our business of dealing with technology and especially the internet, we’ve run across many people who have been ripped-off or otherwise mistreated at the hands of both crooks and legitimate companies. It’s easy to stand there and say, “Boy, that’s a tough one,” to someone who’s just had a bad encounter, but the truth is, it takes a lot of self-control not to get ticked off and cynical when it happens. It is true that we cannot change other people, only ourselves. All we can do is set the best example possible and hope that others copy our positive behavior if they find it useful or attractive. I know we’ve not always been perfect at Portable CIO, but we try to do the right thing. That means that not every job is going to be profitable to the business. It means we’re going to have to take the extra time to do something that was unplanned, unpleasant, or unintended just to ensure that the end result is what we ourselves would want if we were in the customer’s shoes. In our management meetings, we
call it “Vitamin P,” and it is the reason people choose us over our competition. People who work with us get a collection of smart people who are focused on making your situation right, who look at your situation through the “Vitamin P” lens. Empathy. Walk a mile in someone’s shoes. That’s something I keep telling my staff to practice. Try to look at all of these strange situations people confront from the standpoint of someone to whom this is completely foreign. Try to imagine what it feels like when we tell a business owner that instead of a little something that needs doing on their laptop, the hard drive has died and taken their data with it. While these situations are not of our creation, we can certainly imagine what it’s like to be in their shoes, and we act with the courtesy and respect appropriate to the situation. So, back to my issue. I bought software for my server. It didn’t work, and it didn’t say why it didn’t work in the error messages; it just didn’t work. It took a long time to figure out what the problem was, and it took longer still to contact the manufacturer when I discovered we needed a different product from them, one twice as expensive ($2,000 not $1,000) and that I’m willing to purchase if I can exchange my earlier purchase. But their policies say they won’t return software older than 30 days. Period. No exceptions, even on appeal. I couldn’t have known the root cause of the problem in time to act within 30 days, because their software’s error messages was so cryptic. So regardless of their product being part of the reason, their response was, “tough beans!” The truth of the matter is that since they are completely insulated from me, they really don’t care. I get it; I just don’t like it. We must never treat people like this. What will I do? I’m undecided. Maybe this is the cost of doing business with big internet companies. A one-man protest against this company will hurt me, not them, as I don’t have a good alternative to their product, and I need the functionality it offers. But on principle, it’s a very bitter pill. If you need assistance from a company that does care, that will empathize with your situation and address your technical problems, perhaps Portable CIO is the right choice. Give us a call at 925-552-7953, or email Advertorial helpdesk@theportablecio.com.
Page 12 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Cornerstone Sonoma By Linda Summers Pirkle
My small backyard is divided into four outdoor rooms. Our talented landscape architect created a very special space; a dining area for a group of 12, a table for two nestled among containers of potted plants on a brick lined patio, a fire pit area, and a pool and spa. I love my backyard. However, I have one project, my “secret garden” which is a 10’ by 6’ area hidden behind a fence and accessible by a pathway behind my house, that sorely needs some love. One of the places that I visit for gardening inspiration is Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma. What a place! Located off Highway 121, Cornerstone Sonoma features three wine tasting venues, some lovely home and garden shops and galleries, a café and nine acres of amazing, ever changing ,walk- through gardens created by landscape architects and designers from around the world. Cornerstone Gardens was inspired by the International Garden Festival at Chaumontsur-Loire in France, and the aim, according to their website, is “to create a cultural and creative haven celebrating the connection between art, architecture, and nature. The gardens contribute to the art, philosophy, and future of garden design; they focus on themes and ideas, establishing or uncovering new directions in garden design and art.” It is amazing. Each artist is given approximately 1,800 square feet to design as they wish. I so enjoy walking through the different gardens; each one is unique and inspiring. One of my favorite gardens is “White Cloud” created by Andy Cao (Los Angeles) and Xavier Perrot (Paris). Bai Yun or White Cloud, as the website describes, is a sculpted cumulus cloud hovering over an undulating surface of compacted granite, crushed glass, and oyster shell. The “clouds” made of swirls of wire mesh and supported by slender posts are enhanced by thousands of clear, cut crystals that catch the light from morning to moonlight. It is just gorgeous. Each time I visit Cornerstone Gardens I get a new idea about a project, or I simply feel relaxed and reinvigorated. I am in good company, I guess, as Robert Redford and Diane Keaton as well as other personalities have been known to wander the grounds, unnoticed, enjoying the tranquility. Winter Circus for the Holidays, an annual family event based on the French tradition-Le Cirque de Boheme features all sorts of entertainment reminiscent of Paris Theater of the 1920’s. The nine holiday performances begin the weekend after Thanksgiving on November 28 thru the end of the year. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cornerstonesonoma.com. The 10th annual Lighting of the Snowmen at Cornerstone takes place at 3PM on Sunday, December 7th. This free event includes live music in the snowflake filled Courtyard, classic holiday films in the Olive Grove Cinema, wine tasting, carolers, and free gift wrapping. Even if you are not a dog lover, you will be charmed by Axel the English Bull dog who toggles around Cornerstone with a huge bucket in his mouth. Stop to pet him and he leans toward you, bucket in mouth, eyes closed in a state of complete relaxation. He is adorable; he even has his own official YouTube video. • Cornerstone is located at 23570 Arnold Drive, Sonoma, CA 95476. Their phone number is 707.933.3010 and their website is cornerstonesonoma.com. Hours are daily from 10AM to 5PM and entrance is free. On weekends the garden may close as early as 3PM for special events. Cornerstone is a beautiful and popular venue for weddings and special occasions. • Pathways are flat with some seating along the way. Tours last about an hour and a half. Linda Summers Pirkle has been arranging and leading tours for for several years. Inspired by the many wonderful places to visit in the Bay Area, she organizes day trips, either for groups or for friends and family.” To share your “Quick Trips” ideas, email Coverthemap@gmail.com.
White Cloud garden at Cornerstone Sonoma
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Celebrate Cheese By Monica Chappell
October is American Cheese Month – who knew? American Cheese Month is a celebration of North America’s delicious and diverse cheeses and the farmers, cheesemakers, retailers, cheesemongers, and chefs who bring them to your table. Wine and cheese are friends from way back. Both are the product of fermentation, and both can express terroir, the taste of the place they come from. In the case of cheese, the taste of terroir emerges from the different milk-giving animals; which can range from cows, goats, sheep, and even water buffaloes – my favorite cheese of all times. Pairing up cheese with wine can work like a charm. Just say “cheese please” and discover a delicious new dimension to your wine-drinking pleasure.
Wine & Cheese Pairings:
• White or bloomy rind cheeses such as Camembert and Brie are the trickiest to match; safe bets include soft, fruity reds such as Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Beaujolais-Villages. • Hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan, and Manchego go with the widest range of wines; safe bets are medium to full bodied reds without too much tannin such as a softer style Bordeaux or good quality Cotes du Rhone-Villages. A buttery, medium bodied Chardonnay is a surprising star as well. • Blue cheeses can be troublesome partners for any wine apart from the classic partnerships of Roquefort and Sauternes or port and Stilton. The salty with sweet principle prevails here. • Strong, pungent cheese offers no safe bets. Sweet or fortified wines are likely to pair well, or try an aromatic white such as the classic combination of Munster and Gewurztraminer. • For goat milk cheeses, Sauvignon Blanc is a good match, especially with young soft cheeses; the more acid in the cheese, the more acid the wine should have. • Sheep milk cheese can handle a robust red made from Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, or Tempranillo grapes. Or try countering the cheese’s saltiness with a little sweetness in the wine. Monica Chappell teaches and writes about wine. To register online for the Wine & Cheese Pairing Workshop on Friday, November 7th, go to www.lafayetterec.org.
Cinema Classics Rudy By Peggy Horn
This month’s Cinema Classic is the inspirational, Rudy, dating back 21 years (1993). The movie stars Sean Astin, the son of actor parents, Patty Duke and John Astin, and it is based on the true story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who had as a child dreamed of playing football at Notre Dame University. It was the first movie since Knute Rockne – All American, (1940) that the administration allowed to be filmed on the Notre Dame University campus. The movie shows Rudy (played by Sean Astin), one of fourteen siblings, to be a young man with a mission. Small of stature and lacking a good grade point average, Rudy nevertheless dedicates himself to gaining admission to Notre Dame. The Ruettiger family is a hardworking middle class family whose history is working at the steel mill, and it is anticipated that Rudy will work there also. But Rudy still has his dream, and as his best friend notes, “Having dreams is what makes life tolerable.” Rudy’s family is unsupportive and, in fact, is cruel about his chances of ever achieving his goal. We see the struggles and the difficulties Rudy faced. But it was those
See Rudy continued on page 13
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Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 13
It’s All About Your Health By Robert J. Silverman, Esq.
Of all of the core estate planning documents I draft for clients, the Advance Health Care Directive (AHD) is arguably the most important. After all, nothing is more essential than our health. Yet, the other three core estate planning documents - Trust, Will, and Durable Power of Attorney - all tend to get more attention. 3 ½” Classic Paring Knife Simply put, if you are a legal adult (at least 18 years $70.00 Sale $39.99 old), you should have an AHD. Why? What does an AHD accomplish? First and foremost, it enables you to appoint someone you trust to communicate with health care providers about your health care needs if 8” Classic Cook’s Knife you are ever unable to do so yourself. $129.99 Sale $89.99 Additionally, your preferences about many health care issues are inserted into the document as “directives” that can be carried out by your agent. These 5” Classic Santoku Hollow Edge may include, among others, decisions about whether or not you would want with Bamboo Cutting Board your agent to have the discretion, under certain circumstances, to withhold or $150.00 Sale $49.99 withdraw “heroic measures” to keep you alive; organ donations; autopsy; dis2 pc. Classic Carving Set position of remains. $159.99 Sale $99.99 It is awkward for many people to discuss the above-referenced kinds of directives with family and/or friends. But, if your agent ever needs to invoke these AHD provisions, it can be a huge source of comfort and relief to your family and friends that your agent knows that your wishes are being honored. Some people fear they are ceding valuable control by doing an AHD. The fact is that you can revoke the AHD and establish a new one, with a different agent, any time and as many times as you wish. Furthermore, the law in California is crystal clear that as long as you are capable of articulating your health Free Knife Guard with every Knife purchase. care needs to physicians and other providers, your decisions control and your Prices good through October 31, 2014 agent has absolutely no authority. The real danger is if you become incapacitated, and you do not have an Alamo Ace Hardware |3211 Danville Blvd., Alamo | 925.837.2420 AHD in place. In that instant, court proceedings could be initiated, resulting in www.AlamoHardware.com someone being appointed to make your health care decisions whom you would never have chosen and don’t want. In many states, different (and sometimes multiple) documents are legislated and/or used commonly, including Living Wills; Medical Directives; Health Care Powers of Attorney; Health Care Proxies; and others. For many years, California law provided for the use of a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care Power (DPAHC), but there were also other documents in use with various titles, including Natural Death Act and Directive to Physicians. Then, in 2000, California’s AHD law was enacted to consolidate the various forms that indicated health preferences. Generally, validity requires that the principal’s signature on an AHD be notarized or witnessed by two individuals. If you have an older DPAHC, it is not, per se, invalid; however, you should be on alert about a few things. One is that for many years, a DPAHC was effective for only seven years after executing it. So, some people believe they still have an effective document but it may, in fact, be expired. Another word of caution is that in 2003, HIPAA, a federal privacy law, became effective, under which strict rules govern when and to whom a health care provider may disclose “protected health information.” All properly drafted AHDs should have a HIPAA release provision (or alternatively, an applicable HIPPA release form attached to the AHD), specifically authorizing health care providers to turn over your medical records to your appointed AHD agent. NOTE: Shockingly, some of the most common forms (pre-printed by large organizations) still do not contain a HIPAA release. A word to the wise – if you have a valid AHD, and you only appointed one agent, consider establishing a new one in which you designate a primary agent and at least one alternative agent. Without an alternate agent listed, if you and your agent (e.g. spouse or child) are in a common accident or your agent is for some reason unable or unwilling to serve upon your incapacity, nobody you trust will have legal authority to make your medical decisions on your behalf. Upon your request, I would be happy to provide you with any or all of the following, free: i) a tri-fold brochure on the pros/cons of alternative methods of holding title to property, ii) an “Estate Planning Primer,” iii) a complimentary introductory meeting. Mr. Silverman is an attorney with R. Silverman Law Group, 1855 Olympic Blvd., Suite 240, Walnut Creek, CA 94596; (925) 7054474; rsilverman@rsilvermanlaw.com.
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This article is intended to provide information of a general nature, and should not be relied upon as legal, tax and/ or business advice. Readers should obtain specific advice from their own, qualified professional advisors. Advertorial
Rudy continued from page 12
same difficulties that generated the grit, the perseverance, and the faith required to accomplish this seemingly impossible goal and the surprising amplification of the end result. Although Rudy does not get support from home, he does find it elsewhere. One of his real life supporters was Notre Dame Coach Ara Parseghian, considered one of the finest coaches in the history of Notre Dame football. Coach Parseghian (played by the coach’s real life friend, Jason Miller) appears in the movie and recognizes that Ruettiger’s tremendous spirit is a powerful asset. And this spirit makes all the difference. What a wonderful movie this is! The American Film Institute has rated it the 54th most inspirational movie of all time. The movie is so enjoyable that it can be viewed again and again with gusto.
Musical Notes
When it comes to inspiration in the music realm, I can think of nothing more beautiful and uplifting than Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, especially “The Chorale.” The official designation is “Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op, 125,” by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). The lyrics of “The Chorale” are taken from a poem by Friedrich Schiller entitled, “Ode To Joy.” Beethoven’s Ninth is considered by some to be one of the greatest musical compositions ever written. Enjoy!
Do you have a story idea, photo, or sporting news to share? Call us at 925.405.6397, or email us at Editor@ YourMonthlyPaper.com.
Page 14 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Assistance League of Diablo Valley Seeks Corporate Partners ®
Assistance League® of Diablo Valley is a nonprofit, member-volunteer organization which is dedicated to improving lives in our community through hands-on programs. Established in 1967, with eight philanthropic programs and two auxiliaries today, the organization continually puts “Caring and Commitment into Action” by reaching out to people of all age groups in the Contra Costa community who are vulnerable. The chapter’s primary fundraiser, Assistance League Way Side Inn Thrift Shop, is located in Lafayette. Another funding source comes from its Corporate Partners Program which enlists hands-on and financial help from the business and corporate communities. Corporate Partners Committee Chairman Lesley Salo reported that since 2006, more than 21 companies, as well as various community and elected officials, have participated, with many repeating each year. Consequently, the Corporate Partners Program has benefited from the efforts of 484 employee volunteers who have amassed 1,450 service hours and have donated $110,000 in grants and donations. Due to a challenging economy and a growing client base, Assistance League of Diablo Valley is seeking additional businesses and corporations to join the list of corporate partners. While employee volunteers have helped primarily with Operation School Bell® in the past, thrift shop opportunities and food box assemblage provide additional hands-on activities. Assistance League of Diablo Valley takes pride in its 76% return to the community in 2013-2014. With your help, we hope to match, if not exceed, that amount. To learn more about the Corporate Partners Program, please visit www.diablovalley.assistanceleague.org, or call (925) 934-0901 and ask for Lesley Salo or Linda Mercer, Corporate Partners Committee Co-Chairs.
Garden continued from page 5
to a grant from the Lafayette Community Foundation and private donors, we installed a very efficient drip irrigation system, and we’re cautious in what and how we planted in order to save water. • We held 15 educational classes and workshops for adults and families that were attended by over 150 community members. With the Lafayette Children’s Librarians we co-hosted five very popular programs attended by over 150 children and families. And this summer we held a camp for children and eight educational events for preschoolers. In preparation for our fourth season, we are rebuilding our greenhouse and some old beds to meet city and county codes, thanks to grants from the Happy Valley and Lafayette Garden Clubs. We are also ready to update our website (lafayettecommunitygarden.org) to serve as a better resource for gardening and sustainable living resources as well as a place to stay abreast of our activities so please visit it often. Our growth and learning will continue and, as they do, we encourage you to stop on by!
Some of the members of the Lafayette Community Garden.
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What Does the Fall Season Hold?
By Art Lehman, Village Associates Real Estate
There are currently only 39 homes in Lafayette to sell! It has been a rather strange time these past few months – some homes under $1 million received 17 offers and other homes that are “nothing to write home about” are just waiting for someone who plain and simply needs a home! There are still plenty of buyers out there looking for homes, but unless the home is “the one,” the “price is right,” or if there is “buyer desperation,” there is more reflection on the buyer’s part than there was in the beginning of the year. So, you’re a seller – what do you do? I believe you should put your home on the market whenever you need to. Sure, you can wait for next year, but maybe next year there will be an oversupply of homes for sale as the patient observers might decide that then is the time to sell. I’m a big believer in not trying to overanalyze the timing of the market, especially this year. I think if you have the kind of house that may not attract the masses, then it probably won’t bode well to wait until there is an oversupply and your home gets lost in the market. On the other hand, with such little inventory available in the area, you may have a good chance of selling your home. Who knows--you may have the best deal in town in spite of buyer’s reflections. In any event, you can start the process of selling your home now. Find out what your home is worth and what improvements you can make so that you will be prepared to sell it later. If you have any questions on selling or buying a home in the area, please contact me at 925 200-2591 or by email at art@artlehman.com. Please feel free to email a topic for the next article, too. If you’d like a free automatic email update of current listings and sales, visit my website to sign up at www. artlehman.com or call! Advertorial
Sons in Retirement
Sons in Retirement - Las Trampas Branch 116 will hold a luncheon meeting on October 15th at 11:30AM. The guest speaker for this meeting is Mrs. Barbara Casados, a Tri-Valley native, mother of three young boys, and the founder of Capes4Heroes. Guest are welcome to attend. Lunch is $15. Reservations can be made by calling (925) 322-1160. The meeting will be held at the Walnut Creek Elks Lodge, located at 1475 Creekside Dr. In 2010, Mrs. Casados’ son Maddox was diagnosed with autism and refused to wear anything but a superhero cape. Barbara bought a sewing machine, taught herself how to sew, and made several different capes for him. Other parents saw the impact that the superhero capes had on Maddox and
See SiR continued on page 20
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Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 15
Upgrading your Exterior: It Begins and Ends with Color
By Maya Modacure, MB Jessee Painting
If you are considering an exterior home remodeling project, fall in the San Francisco Bay Area is the perfect time to move ahead. Beautiful green shrubbery and planters will give your exterior a natural burst of color. Your front door shutters and trim add warmth and character with color. A beautiful exterior can make a house seem more inviting, and it will give guests and potential buyers a sense of fondness towards it. Whether subtle or dramatic, color plays a major role when creating curb appeal. We’ve composed a few tips to help you make your home exterior more beautiful. One of the easiest ways to update the curb appeal of your home is to replace your front door. Older entry doors are typically not energy efficient. Old doors tend to warp, crack, and have areas of rot. Settling of the door frame can cause visible gaps. These issues can lead to air leakage, make your heating and air conditioning systems work harder to maintain the inside temperature, and result in higher energy bills. Offer expires 11/30/14 Offer expires 11/30/14 Replacing your entry door not only saves energy. Offer expires 11/30/14 New doors are more durable, improving the security against would-be burglars. You can complement your current architecture by installing a similarstyle replacement door, or you change the look of the exterior by choosing a different style with multiple panels, glass panes, or by incorporating side lights. It’s important to remember a change of paint color renders the most impact for the investment. Soft paint shades in neutrals, blue, and green provide a calming feeling, while brighter shades of red, orange, or yellow add energy and excitement to your entryway. Outdoor areas are often the last to receive design attention, but they shouldn’t be. What surrounds your home is just as important as what is inside. Whether it’s a manicured front lawn, stone paver pathway, or intricate garden design, these spaces benefit from the same attention to detail as any bathroom or kitchen. Well-designed landscaping ideas can complement your home’s architecture and design, and the right plants, flowers, and shrubbery can greatly enhance your curb appeal by adding color, texture, and even fragrance to your yard. Consider including plants that maintain their look during the fall and winter as well so that your property can be beautiful all year around. Painting the exterior of your home, while more of an investment in terms of time and possibly money, will spectacularly change the look and value of your home. As a rule of thumb, most homes in the Bay Area require a new exterior painting job every five to ten years. Owners of traditional homes in the Bay Area often choose to honor and reflect the history of their home by choosing colors of the era in which the home was built. Benjamin Moore has a Historical Colors line that is geared towards traditional homes and color schemes. However, a traditional home needn’t always be painted in a traditional color palette. Many homeowners choose to spice it up a bit and use brighter, more vivid colors to highlight the decorative and architectural details of older homes. Using darker colors adds drama to your home and draws attention to details, while lighter colors make a home seem larger. Select colors that flatter your home and bring out its best elements. Paint color can also be used to camouflage imperfections. Keep in mind that high-quality paint results require professional application. Upgrade your old, drafty front door to a new energy efficient one. Plant an herb garden, add a flower box, or redesign your entire landscape. Update the color of your home; whether the trim color or the complete exterior. Increasing the curb appeal and value of your home can be accomplished with clever use of color. Call for details MB Jessee Painting has experience with painting the finest homes 925.939.8300 in the Bay Area over the last 20 years. MB Jessee solartechnologies.com Baycolor Area’s premier painting Painting alsoThe offers consultations at no adLic. #932914 company. It’s all in the details. ditional cost. Please contact us at 510-655-7000, email us at info@mbjessee.com, or visit our website Call us for a complimentary consultation 510.655.7000 | www.mbjessee.com Advertorial at www.mbjessee.com.
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Page 16 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Fall Pruning
By Blaine Brende & Joe Lamb
Now is a great time to prune your trees to protect them against winter storms. There are three kinds of tree failure: branch, column, and entire tree. Judicious pruning reduces the likelihood of all three kinds of failure. Selective removal of weight from leggy branches makes it much less likely that a branch would fall, causing injury or damage to property. It takes a lot of “in tree” experience to identify branches with weak crotches and/or with unsafe weight distribution. Thinning the canopy to reduce friction from the wind greatly reduces the odds of a column breaking, or of the entire tree falling over. When done correctly, a tree pruned for safety should still look natural, even after 30% of its foliage is removed. Many evergreens, such as cedars, cypresses, and redwoods, and many species of deciduous trees, such as valley oaks, can be pruned in this time of year. Monterey Pines should only be pruned between October 15th and February 15th unless compelling safety reasons dictate otherwise.. The timing for pruning is restricted because sap from pruning cuts attracts bark beetles that are destructive to pines. These beetles become dormant during the fall and winter months. Some species of beetles carry pine pitch canker, an increasingly common fungal disease that disfigures pine trees, sometimes killing them. If your tree has dead tips scattered throughout the canopy it probably suffers from pine pitch canker. To prolong the aesthetic life of a diseased tree, prune out the infected tips before February 15th. October is also a good time, if you haven’t already, to make your landscape more fire safe. It is not uncommon for the East Bay to experience hot, dry, and gusty winds in the fall due to sinking air from the bay combining with inland high-pressure systems. The Oakland Hills fire of 1991 occurred on October 20th, its precursor, the 1923 Berkeley Fire, started on September 27th. Removing dead wood, breaking up fire ladders, and limbing vegetation back from your home can greatly improve the chances of your home surviving a wildfire. Brende & Lamb knows how to fire prune your landscape in a way that improves fire safety, without sacrificing the natural aesthetic. Clearing some under-story trees and removing dead wood usually enhances the natural feel of a landscape by making it look more like
Gardening with Kate By Kate Guillaume
The first rains used to come in October, and it always seemed to be two days before school children headed toward the Pumpkin Patch, generally the first school field trip of the year. The October outing ensured that you would accompany kids running up and down rows of pumpkins in the mud. We lucked out this year, and a substantial lateSeptember rain brought our drought distressed gardens a much appreciated dousing gentle enough not to wash away our topsoil. Right now you are probably enjoying a bumper crop of weeds and grasses which germinated from the rain and are now filling every bare spot in your garden. I spent the last week of September getting a professional irrigation tune-up and estimate to get a new watering system for my front garden. It is really worth doing. Most landscape irrigation specialist charge around $75 an hour and are worth every penny. I had an excellent system installed 15 years ago, and since then there have been so many discoveries and new watering heads developed that I am able to get more water to where it needs to go. I hired Seth Wright who went over the entire system with me. He readjusted the existing heads to eliminate any over-spray on my house, deck, and fences, and he reprogrammed my timing system to watering cycles an hour apart on the same day and only three days a week. I discovered that my back garden could use upgraded sprinkler heads and found out that the front garden watering was hopeless enough that in the long-run it was decided it is best to redo that system. In the end it will save both money and water. It is far more advantageous to water twice on the same day, such as two eight minute cycles rather than one 16 minute cycle, as this allows the water to penetrate and reduces any potential run-off. Under most water jurisdictions, anyone can file a complaint if you have excessive run-off from over-watering, which can cost you up to $500 per citation, depending on who your water supplier is. The small consult fee I paid has already worked as an insurance policy against neighbors, who have suffered by cutting down their water usage
a mature forest. Pruning trees for safety is a craft requiring study and experience. A well-pruned tree should not only be safer, but it should look beautiful. At Brende & Lamb we take great pride in both the science and the art of pruning. Each plant has a natural growth pattern, and our trimmers are expert at accentuating the shape given the plant by nature. Our trimmers are well practiced in aesthetic pruning and are attuned to the artistic flow inherent in tree forms. One form is weeping, as with Willows and Chinese Elms. In some species, such as the Monterey Cypress, branches ascend at acute angles to the trunk, giving the tree an upswept look. Branches in the Coast Live Oak bend and twist, forming complex arcs. Each tree species has a unique form and flow. When necessary, trees and shrubs can be reduced in size, but crown reduction requires a good eye: a poorly reduced tree looks like a thicket of stubs. Topping is almost always a bad idea. However, the crown of many trees can be reduced by cutting back long branches to the crotches formed by shorter branches growing in the same direction. If the branch doesn’t fork, we cut back to the lowest growth point that will neither create a thick stub nor undermine the arching quality of the branch. When a tree or shrub has been reduced in this way, it’s difficult to detect the cuts or tell that the branches have been shortened. If your trees need a little TLC to protect them against winter winds, or if your property could use a little fire protection, please call 510-486-TREE (8733) or email us at bl@brendelamb.com for a free estimate. Additionally, go to our website www.brendelamb.com to see before and after pictures, client testimonials, and work in your neighborhood. Advertorial
Montelindo Garden Club
The Montelindo Garden Club holds meetings on the third Friday of each month, September thru May. The next club meeting will be held on Friday, October 17 at 9AM at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, located at 66 St. Stephens Drive in Orinda. Visitors are welcome. The topic for October’s meeting is Sobralias and the Orchid Whisperer. The speaker will be Bruce Rogers. For additional information, visit www.brucerogersorchids.com or www. montelindogarden.com. and don’t have a lot of patience with those who waste. Besides, I feel a lot better knowing that I have done my best to control my water usage. Now that everything is tweaked and my irrigation is running at top efficiency, I can get back down to my garden re-design. I have some garden beds which I am going to completely gut: remove everything and totally re-purpose. I have a section that was mostly roses and ground covering, and because it has wonderful sun, I used to squeeze my tomatoes in that bed each spring, as they liked the same amount of water. I will keep one of my favorite roses, a small shrub rose with lemon chiffon blooms, and the remainder will become a tomato bed. A bed close to my deck is going to get another blueberry plant or two, probably ‘Sunshine,’ as I like its compact habit. I love blueberries and like to plant them in mounds with clear space around them so I can place a small chair in the bed to make harvesting easier. This year I harvested four quarts, and off season they have great fall foliage. This winter I will add some succulents along the side of my house, which I plan to plant in groups with some overhead protection from frost. I will use a gravel mulch along this section, much like what is used at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. This will liven up that walkway, and I can intersperse that area with black mondo grass, which will create great contrasts. I am looking forward to all of my fall planting, and I love going to nurseries to check out the perennials they have in 4” pots. Fall is the perfect planting season as it is finally cool enough to plant without the new additions getting stressed. Happy gardening.
Meals on Wheels
Seniors in our community need your support! Meals on Wheels and Senior Outreach Services have been supporting seniors in YOUR neighborhood since 1968. Two of the programs, Meals on Wheels and Friendly Visitors, rely on the support of volunteers, and we need your help now more than ever. Meals on Wheels volunteer drivers deliver meals to local homebound seniors through regular two hour shifts once per week or as substitute drivers. Friendly Visitors volunteers provide weekly one-hour companionship visits to isolated seniors. To volunteer for either program, please call (925)937-8311.
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Life in the Lafayette Garden
Oddballs in my Garden! By John Montgomery,ASLA, LandscapeArchitect
Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 17
Lafayette Motors Independent service and repair for Mercedes Benz
Are there any “oddballs” in your garden? Oddballs are those plants that just show up at their own will. They are eccentric enough that you may want JERRY FIGUEROA to keep a permanent place for them in your garden. If they get too eccentric, Shop (925) 284-4852 they may find their stay a little more temporary. Some people may think they Cell (510) 754-1942 lafayettemotors@gmail.com are weeds, but as you know weeds are only “unwanted” plants. So, if you let them grow you might be stunned by the results of letting the oddball grow. 3470 Golden Gate Way , Lafayette, CA 94549 Some of the oddballs that showed up in a few of my Lafayette gardens this year ended up being exciting additions to the usual palette of plants. Now, to be clear about the definition of oddball versus weed, here is the dictionary version: oddball - one whose behavior is eccentric; weed - is a plant of no value and usually of rank growth and one that Independent service and repair for Jaguar tends to overgrow and choke out more desirable plants. As you can clearly see, there is a huge deference between the two. Don’t get the idea that Bermuda (witch) grass, crab grass, purslane (although a nice addition to salad), spurge, dandelions (also a nice addition to salad), puncture vine, poison oak, CARLOS “KIKO” CAICEDO or prickly lettuce (that nasty stuff with the prickly stalk) are the kind of oddballs you want in your Shop (925) 284-4852 garden. These and many more like them are definitely weeds Cell (925) 285-0783 lafayettemotors@gmail.com and they need to go. Now, go look in your garden. What looks eccentric to you? 3470 Golden Gate Way , Lafayette, CA 94549 Some of the oddballs I’ve seen this year have those eccentric qualities such as exotic leaves, unbelievable flowers, brilliant colors, strange fruit, and interesting odors. Artichokes are one of those eccentric oddballs that have exotic leaves with silver foliage, strange fruit, and if you let the fruit bloom, hold on to your hat, the colors are absolutely vibrant. Don’t confuse artichokes with thistles. Thistles are definitely weeds! Recently, I had what looked like a zucchini sprout up in my planter bed, so I let it grow. What I found is that I really enjoyed the huge green leaves that soon grew to over twelve inches across. The plant started blooming huge yellow flowers that eventually (in a week!) turned into big yellow squash of unknown variety. It looked exotic so I let it grow. I thought, “I can always yank it out later.” I have another oddball that I didn’t even know what the heck it was. It sprouted up early this spring in my veggie box, so I let it grow. I thought maybe it was a sunflower at first. (By the way, sunflowers are one of those “oddballs.”) As it grew the leaves got bigger, like eight inches across, and it grew to over six feet tall with very odd flowers that looked like alien pods. Later I discovered it was Okra, definitely an oddball! It is a surprising treat when these oddballs show up by themselves. But, when your landscape architect starts specifying them in your planting plan, then you may have to begin to worry. Not really! Some of these exotic introductions are an exciting addition to a normal planting palette. Plants such as Brugmansia (angel’s trumpet), Cynara cardunculus (artichoke), Rheum palmatum (ornamental rhubarb), Melianthus major (honey bush), Agave Americana (century plant), Eryngium giganteum (Miss Wilmot’s ghost), Sedum ‘Autumn Joy,’ Echeveria (Hens & Chicks), Aloe, Ricinus communis ‘Carmencita’ (castor bean) and the king of the oddballs, Gunnera. Some of these oddballs are poisonous, so be careful to properly identify yours! Oddballs are fun and exciting. They bring a touch of whimsy and variety to a garden. They provide opportunity for eccentricity when intentionally designed into the planting plan. When you are in your garden and you see what appears to be an oddball sprouting, give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised! A hot tip from your local Landscape Architect: Check out www.google.com images and type in the names listed above to see photos of some of these oddballs. Gardening Quote of the Month: Gardening without fear means taking risks that saner heads would never contemplate. – Thomas Hobbs If you would like me to write on any particular subject, email your ideas to jmontgomery@jm-la.com. For design ideas, visit www.jm-la.com. Advertorial
Lafayette Motors
Lafayette Garden Club
The Lafayette Garden Club will hold its next meeting and program on Thursday October 9th. The October meeting will feature Janet Miller speaking on the subject of “Winter Gardening.” Janet has been a Master Gardener since 2008 and has an extensive background in the Biointensive method of smallscale farming and backyard gardening. Janet also manages the “Our Garden” program, a joint project of the Bay Area News Group and the Contra Costa Master Gardeners. In addition to Our Garden gardening classes, all produce grown in the garden is donated to the Monument Crisis Center in Concord. The event, which will be held at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial hall at 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd, will begin at 9:30AM with coffee and be followed by the meeting from 10AM to noon. The Lafayette Garden Club welcomes guests. Email questions to cpoetzsch@gmail.com.
Page 18 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Sustain continued from front page
and Karr then added a board of directors to provide leadership for the various initiatives. Besides a common passion for sustainability, the board has valuable expertise in energy efficiency, transportation, waste reduction, environmental science, sustainable and local food, sustainable landscaping, and education. They localize information and tools to be the most relevant and useful for the Lafayette community and attempt to partner with organizations inside and outside of Lafayette to best achieve their mission. “We are not interested in policing people or the community,” stresses Richard. “We are simply trying to make Lafayette an even better place to live. We have an opportunity to create an amazing community, and in working with the city and other local groups, Sustainable Lafayette is helping to create a long term strategic view of what we could be.” Recent and current initiatives include: * 2013’s Recycle Lafayette campaign aimed at helping the city reach a 75 percent waste diversion rate – an achievable goal, as the city had in 2012 already reached a 66 percent waste diversion rate. * Sponsorship of the Lafayette Community Garden, providing gardening classes, workshops and help in creating walkways, a chicken coop, raised beds, and other features. * The Green Schools Initiative, helping local elementary schools to reduce waste and recycle food scraps and food soiled paper. * The Summer Film Series, offering critically acclaimed environmental films in conjunction with the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. * Sponsorship of Earth Day, held annually at the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. While volunteers have led all of these programs, the organization acknowledges that in order to extend its reach, it might be time to raise some funds. Sustainable Lafayette will host its first-ever fundraiser, Sustainable Sunday, on Sunday, October 26th at Metro Lafayette. From 2 – 5pm, guests can enjoy live jazz while dining on seasonal appetizers prepared by Metro’s award-winning chef. A variety of beverages will be offered, including organically farmed wines from ZD. Inspiring speakers include Al Courchesne of Frog Hollow Farm and Judi Shils, founder of Teens Turning Green and Conscious Kitchen. A silent auction of environmentally friendly items will also be featured. Tickets are $49 per person or $400 for a reserved table of eight. “Our efforts to reduce waste, green our schools, promote sustainable foods, and support green transportation all seem like standalone projects, but they are part of a unified vision of the community that Lafayette can become,” says Richard. “These efforts don’t just protect the environment; they help make Lafayette an amazing place to live and raise a family.” For more information on Sustainable Lafayette and their upcoming fundraiser Sustainable Sunday, visit www.sustainablelafayette.org. To register directly for the fundraiser, visit https://sustainable-sunday.eventbrite.com, or call (925) 284-5069.
Friday Morning Breakfast Meetings, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary
October 10, Meredith Meade, Lafayette Partners in Education
Meredith Meade is the President of Lafayette Partners in Education, the education foundation for Lafayette’s six public schools. Since 1981, LPIE has provided more than $23 million to our schools to support and enrich the education of every child in Lafayette. In August, LPIE began it’s 34th year with its most ambitious fundraising goal to date: $2.5 million for this school year. Meredith will talk about LPIE’s ever expanding role in our schools and community.
October 17 Hans Florine, Athlete and Adveturer, “Climbing the Nose of El Capitan”
For the past 25 years Hans Florine has been competing, climbing, speaking, presenting, teaching, guiding, and adventuring around the world. Hans is an international rock climbing champion, a three-time ESPN X Games Champion and nine-time National Champion, and holds numerous speed climbing records. Come join us and hear Hans regale us with feats many of us can only admire from a distance. All presentations take place at 7AM at the Lafayette Park Hotel located at 3287 Mt. Diablo Blvd in Lafayette. Go to www.lamorindasunrise.org for more information about the Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Group and its initiatives.
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Chromatica to Perform October Concerts
Cherubini “Requiem in C Minor,” Brahms’ “Liebeslieder,” and more!
Chromatica, the San Ramon Valley based classical and contemporary music chorus, will perform four concerts in October: a concert reserved for Rossmoor residents and public concerts on October 18, 19 and 25 in Orinda, Danville and Clayton Valley. Locations and addresses are Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church, 433 Moraga Way, Orinda; Peace Lutheran Church, 3301 Camino Tassajara, Danville; and Clayton Valley Presbyterian Church, 1578 Kirker Pass Road, Clayton. Titled “The (Mostly) A.B.C’s of Music,” the concerts will include works from Thomas Arne, Leonard Bernstein, Johannes Brahms, Luigi Cherubini, Cecilia McDowall, and Frank Ticheli. Cherubini’s “Requiem in C Minor,” written for King Louis XVIII of France for a memorial service for his grandfather Louis XVI, guillotined in the French Revolution, was described by Schumann as “being without equal in the world.” It was performed at Beethoven’s funeral at his request. By a strange twist, Brahm’s “Liebeslieder,” a series of 18 love songs, is believed to have been inspired by his frustrated love for Clara Schumann’s daughter. First performed in January 1870, they have continued to be much loved by audiences across the classical music world and are often seen as Brahms’ homage to Schubert. Adding to these two extraordinary works are a short piece by Thomas Arne titled “Which is the Properest Day to Sing?”, a moving setting of “There Will Be Rest,” by Frank Ticheli, and a chorus from Leonard Bernstein’s musical Candide as well as a hauntingly beautiful setting of “A Red, Red Rose,” by contemporary English composer Cecilia McDowall. Chromatica was founded in 2011 and now includes 26 men and women singers. It has performed two prior series of ticketed concerts, attracting large and enthusiastic audiences. Directed by San Francisco Opera tenor David Huff, Chromatica’s repertoire includes music by Brahms, Cherubini, Elgar, Fauré, Mozart, Schubert, Strauss, Verdi, Britten, and Vaughan Williams among others. Tickets for each concert are $20 for adults, $10 for students, and free to children 5 to 10. Tickets may be purchased online or at each location the evening of the performance (cash or check only, please). To purchase online tickets or to learn more about Chromatica and opportunities to audition, visit www.chromaticachorale.org.
Brainwaves by Betsy Streeter
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New Procedure for Detecting Prostate Cancer
Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 19
By Stephen Taylor, MD
For patients with elevated PSA’s and enlarged prostates, urologists often recommend a prostate biopsy. The urologist typically uses the standard 12-core ultrasound biopsy technique – a technology that has had relatively no change since the 1980’s. This procedure obtained samples from the lower portion of the prostate and often resulted in normal or negative biopsies. The dilemma we face is that approximately 30% of prostate cancers are discovered outside of this biopsied zone. A new procedure has come along that is practice changing! The medical community has great hope for a new technique that uses MRI with ultrasound imaging to more accurately reach and biopsy suspicious lesions. In a recent Phase 3 study, researchers showed that using a specialized MRI technique along with transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) in men with an elevated PSA resulted in a prostate cancer detection rate that was twice as high compared to men undergoing the standard 12-core biopsy. After evaluating 105 men using the MR/ultrasound biopsy approach, prostate cancer was detected in 62 percent of men compared to approximately 30 percent using ultrasound alone for the biopsy method. At Pacific Urology, providing the highest level of medical care to our patients has always been our goal. My colleagues and I believe the benefits of this new MRI guided biopsy procedure are significant for patients, which is why we implementing this cutting-edge technology into our practice. We will be the first practice in Contra Costa County to have this procedure available. Dr. Stephen Taylor is a Urologist with Pacific Urology. He specializes in robotic urologic surgeries and prostate, kidney, and bladder cancers. To reach Dr. Taylor, call 925-937-7740 or visit www.pacific-urology.com.
Dreams Come True for Adults, Too! By Michelle Frankland, NP
Advertorial
Imagine if you will, being 58 years old and never having experienced “The Happiest Place on Earth.” When the Dream Foundation learned about a pancreatic cancer patient’s long time dream of going to Disneyland, they made his dream come true. Thanks to this organization, he and his family spent several fun filled days in the theme park making special memories together. Then there was the 93 year old Army Veteran who was battling terminal lung cancer. One of his favorite sports was sailing, and his dream was to be on a boat feeling the salt air on his skin. The Dream Foundation made it possible for this wheelchair bound sailor to set sail again by taking him on a delightful day cruise on the bay. Dreams like these come true every day and are made possible by the Dream Foundation. It is the first and largest national wish-granting foundation for adults with a terminal illness. “The mission of the Dream Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families facing a life-threatening illness by fulfilling a heart’s final wish.” Headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, the Dream Foundation has hundreds of volunteers who partner with over 600 Hospice and Healthcare Organizations nationwide to fulfill thousands of dreams each year. There are three simple requirements in order to be considered. Patients need to be 18 years or older, have received a life expectancy diagnosis of one year or less, and lack the resources to achieve dreams on their own. Learn more about the Dream Foundation on October 15th at the Lafayette Park Hotel as a group of Genentech employees create awareness by hosting an ‘Evening of Dreams.’ Enjoy tasty bites, wine, and philanthropy. Donations are suggested at the door. To register, call Laura at (201) 248-6455. Or visit www.dreamfoundation.org to learn more about how you can volunteer or donate time, money, airline miles, or hotel points. Michelle Frankland is an oncology trained nurse practitioner with Diablo Valley Oncology & Hematology Medical Group. Located at the California Cancer and Research Institute in Pleasant Hill, the group provides comprehensive cancer care to patients by bringing together medical oncology, hematology, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, diagnostic imaging, clinical trials, oncology rehabilitation and supportive care all in one convenient location. For more information call (925) 677-5041. Advertorial
Page 20 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
GHF continued from front page
play color. Once fully costumed for starring roles, however, they keep their show running for weeks. Dawkins began cultivating chrysanthemums 30 years ago when a friend, whose father was a grower, invited him to join their small independent local club. The members were looking for younger folks to carry on their work. For many years the club held an annual show at Orchard Nursery in Lafayette during the first week of November. As the final club member able to share his passion and extensive experience, Dawkins affirms: “I am committed to making this happen for the community. There’s a ‘wow’ factor when they bloom. Most people have never seen anything like it.” Raised on his own property in Walnut Creek, the chrysanthemums Dawkins has donated to GHF are fully hardy. But keeping them going as exhibition-worthy specimens takes far more than popping plants in the ground and watching them bloom. Dawkins explains, “I’m a chrysanthemum enthusiast, not a scholar. I grow plants that want to grow for me. I let nature take me where it wants to go.” After overwintering the mums in their garden beds, Steve takes cuttings in the spring, roots them in sand, pots them up in 4-inch pots, and finally installs the vigorous new specimens in-ground in early-mid June. Have you ever wondered how florists manage to get huge blossoms to market? The bedding varieties typically offered by nurseries, supermarkets and discount retailers are pinched to produce a profusion of flowers all relatively uniform and diminutive in size. In order to generate a few immense blooms on species bred for centuries for their spectacular flowers, growers disbud the plants, carefully choosing the buds and branches that should remain. Staking the plants before they become too tall is important. Plants in Dawkins’s home garden routinely reach six feet in height. Because nitrogen is essential to growing these heavy-feeders, GHF Garden Manager Brian Larsen is accenting the beds with nitrogen fixing bean plants. A drip irrigation system provides adequate water without waste. Both Larsen and Dawkins are concerned that the GHF garden got a late start this year. Plants were not set into the beds until July. While the debut of the GHF chrysanthemums promises to be exciting, they are confident that next year’s show will be even more breathtaking. Cast members are nonetheless an impressive collection. Spiders, Spoons, Pompons, Quills, Reflexes, Regular Incurves, Decorative, and Anemone Classifications are all represented in the 150 plants on display. You don’t have to know their names to appreciate that these blossoms burst open like a silent presentation of fireworks and linger like the best-preserved floral bouquet. Speaking of bouquets, these mums make excellent cut flowers. Dawkins finds they last for weeks. He doesn’t use floral food or conditioning solutions, but he does re-cut the stems under water to ensure they hydrate. Sometimes he also hardens them by submerging the cut blooms up to their necks in water. For additional information about the Gardens visit www.gardenshf. org or phone 925-947-1678. GHF is an independent 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. The Gardens at 1540 Marchbanks Drive, Walnut Creek are open free to the public daily during daylight hours.
SiR continued from page 14
asked Barbara to make capes for their children with special needs. Over time, friends wanted to start buying capes for children who were chronically ill and could use some support and encouragement. Barbara recruited additional volunteers to help sew capes, and the idea of a non-profit organization that could spread strength and empowerment to children across the country was born. To date, Barbara and Capes4Heroes has distributed superhero capes to over 4,000 brave children at hospitals, camps, Ronald McDonald Houses, and similar organizations in the Bay Area and beyond. If you are retired or semi-retired and want to make new friends, participate in fun activities and better enjoy your leisure time, we welcome you to join with us. Our group activities include book discussions, bridge, computers, fishing, golf, walking, investments, poker, travel, and more fun things. For information about our activities for retired men, please visit www.Branch116.org.
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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month By Dr. Barbara Persons
On the three to four days a week that I am in the operating room, my attire is comfortably predictable - scrubs and my favorite pair of clogs. The clogs happen to be pink, and I am often asked, “Why the pink shoes?” I usually respond by simply tugging up my pant leg a bit to reveal the familiar pink ribbon logo used by so many worthy causes that support breast cancer research and education. I don’t think about breast cancer for one month out of the year--I think about it every day. As I have mentioned in previous articles, my breast cancer patients hold a very special place in my heart and in my practice. Like most cancers, early detection is key to a successful outcome in breast cancer patients, and I urge everyone to become educated on breast selfexamination and regular mammogram screening. All too often breast cancer is discovered in advanced stages, requiring surgery and breast reconstruction along with radiation and chemotherapy. The physical toll of breast cancer is costly enough, but the emotional toll of losing our breasts can be devastating. Unlike earlier courses of breast cancer treatment in which tissue removal and reconstruction were done in separate surgeries, sometimes months or years apart, breast reconstruction can often be performed in conjunction with a mastectomy. Breast reconstruction surgery can drastically improve a patient’s emotional and mental recovery. In fact, many national studies support immediate reconstruction to preserve the patient’s sense of womanhood. Women who opt for immediate reconstruction can keep their physical form closer to what it was, never wake up without any breast form, and can feel more whole during their recovery. In addition, many patients find that it is easier to face additional cancer treatments including chemotherapy or radiation with their breasts more intact. While not every patient is a candidate for reconstruction at the time of a mastectomy, my personal experience and recent studies agree that first stage reconstruction at the time of mastectomy should be the standard of care in treating this cancer. The patient’s breast cancer team can provide her with the information she needs to make the decision that’s right for her. After an initial breast cancer diagnosis, there is usually an initial consultation with a general surgeon, who will perform the lumpectomy or mastectomy. This surgeon then assembles and coordinates the team of other doctors needed to treat the cancer, including the oncologist, the radiation oncologist, the genetic counselor, the radiologist, and the plastic surgeon. We are very fortunate in the greater East Bay and Bay Areas to have several very talented and caring general surgeons who I regularly team-up with to provide exceptional and leading-edge results for our patients. While the breast reconstruction process is just that, a process that can take three to twelve months and three surgeries to complete (including one major and two minor procedures for implant placement and nipple reconstruction), the patient can should consider this process as early as the timing of the mastectomy. I am so fortunate to be part of the team of people to make a positive impact in my breast cancer patients’ lives by giving back to them something they thought was lost. Through advances and innovations in technique as well as new surgical materials, artful reconstruction of the breast post-mastectomy has become a reality. The theme behind the Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign is education and awareness. Realize that breast cancer affects us all. I encourage you to support the efforts of wonderful organizations like Susan G. Komen or the Avon Foundation. Join me in wearing your pink shoes proudly every day and feel free to contact my office any time with questions or if you have the need for a consultation. Barbara L. Persons, MD is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and owns Persons Plastic Surgery, Inc. located at 911 Moraga Rd, Suite 205 in Lafayette. She may be reached at 925.283.4012 or Advertorial drbarb@personsplasticsurgery.com.
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Your Personal Nutritionist Let’s Feed Our Kids Right By Linda Michaelis, RD, MS
As parents we need to realize that eating right in childhood is the most powerful weapon against the growing epidemic of adult diabetes and cancer. Early adoption of sound eating habits is the best bet for having healthy teens and adults of tomorrow. Michelle Obama tells how she was criticized by her pediatrician about her family’s poor diet and thought as a Princeton and Harvard educated woman, “If I don't know how to adequately feed my family, then how do other parents do this?” Our job as adults is to make sure our kids eat what they need and not what they want. If we asked kids what they want for dinner it would be pizza, pasta, french fries, and rarely any veggies. Below are healthy guidelines for meals and snacks.
Breakfast
I often see kids being fed waffles, Poptarts, bagels, sugary cereals, and juice for breakfast. There is no nutrition in these foods. They are laced with sugar and are what I call, “paste and glue, sleepy foods.” The key to breakfast is to make sure your child starts their day with a source of protein and fiber. Some good ideas are oatmeal topped with brown sugar or honey and raisins, Oatmeal Squares cold cereal, eggs with veggies and a sprinkle of cheese, Greek yogurt with berries and a little low sugar granola, cereal, or 100% whole wheat toast with peanut butter. It is fine to have some sugar in the meal as long as it is balanced with protein and fiber.
Snacks
Snack time also needs to include protein and fiber. This will help improve your child’s attention span and focus at school or during their afternoon studying period. For school snacks, kids enjoy apples or celery with peanut or almond butter, beef or turkey jerky with a tangerine, hard boiled eggs with some grapes, Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares or Kashi Go Lean cereals with dried fruit, or even a half meat sandwich. After school at home, serve bean soup, low fat chili, baked potato with broccoli and cheese, or a sandwich. Always have cut up vegetables on the counter or in eyesight when your child opens the refrigerator.
Beverages
Being hydrated is very important for brain function. Look closely at what your child is drinking, and make sure you are reading the food label for sugar content. Water is always a good choice.
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Lunch
Large amounts of protein and fiber are important for lunch. Many kids are very busy at lunch and may like to play more than eat. Good lunch choices include leftover chicken, steak, or other meat with some raw or cooked veggies. Try adding salsa or other low fat dipping sauce. Another option that holds up better in the warm weather is a cup of grains such as quinoa, farro, or whole wheat pasta with meat and veggies. Sandwiches often get soggy and are not eaten. Lunch is not the time for a lot of chips, crackers, dried fruits, or granola bars which often lack much nutrition.
Dinner
If your child eats well during the day, they should not have a huge appetite for dinner. If dinner is too “heavy” your child will tend to fall asleep and not study well. Evening is the time that protein should be consumed in small amounts because we are more sedentary. As protein is more difficult to digest, it does not burn off as quickly. A good dinner consists of 50% veggies, 25% meat and 25% grains. Try stir-frying veggies with garlic and olive oil, or roasting them. Dinner suggestions include a potato topped with chili, broccoli and cheese, cottage cheese and veggies, or Greek yogurt and chives. Also, try a cup of whole wheat pasta with two cups of sauteed broccoli, spinach, or fresh tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
Desserts
Many parents do not “believe” in desserts, which often results in excessive consumption of too many starches and too little veggies. Children like desserts. Puddings, Fudgesicles, and Skinny Cows are quite acceptable and often reduce after-dinner snacking.
Exercise
Your child needs at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Be a role model for your kids, and make sure there are different forms of exercise that they can enjoy on their own or with the family. I would be thrilled to meet with your family at your home or in my office and evaluate each member’s present eating habits and strive to create a healthy plan that includes their favorite foods. I am glad to inform you that I am contracted with Aetna, ABMG, Hill Physicians, Sutter Health and other established companies. Please feel free to call me at (925) 855-0150 or email me at Lifeweight1@gmail.com and tell me your nutrition concerns. Refer to my website www.LindaRD.com for past articles, Advertorial recipes and nutrition tips in my blog section.
Ask Dr. Happy Dear Dr. Happy,
By Bob Nozik, MD
I am a 66-year-old woman who, after divorcing my first husband, Fred, three years ago, married my current husband, Sam, two years ago. Sam works at his own business all day, and I’m home alone all week. About six months ago, Fred e-mailed me, and we’ve been writing back and forth ever since. It started out mainly newsy, but it’s becoming a little flirty more recently. I do enjoy our exchanges but have no interest in leaving Sam and getting back with Fred. Now I’m beginning to worry that if Sam discovered Fred and I are writing, he might consider it cheating. ~Should I break it off?
Dear “Break it off,”
This sounds to me a little like: “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.” But, seriously, I do consider what you and Fred are doing as at least an early case of cheating. First of all, if it were innocent, why haven’t you told Sam? Also, you admit that it is becoming flirty. So I would ask you how would you feel if you discovered Sam was e-mailing flirty comments back and forth with another woman and not telling you about it? The basis of a solid marriage is honesty. Either commit to letting Sam know what you and Fred are doing, or break it off. Consider instead getting a hobby or spending more time during the day with a girlfriend. What you are doing now is likely to work against your marriage.
Happiness Tip
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Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 21
One major key to a happy marriage is trust. Trust doesn’t just happen; it must be earned. The route to earning trust is honesty. While the e-mail exchange between ‘Break it off’ and Fred hasn’t crossed the line into physical cheating, the fact that she has not told her husband about it suggests that honesty and trust with her husband is being violated. In marriage and other intimate relationships, it is important to understand that dishonesty between the partners always weakens the trust between them. And trust is a key to keeping marriage strong and vital. For questions for Dr. Happy email pollyannan@aol.com.
Page 22 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
Events for Lafayette Seniors
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Our mission is to provide personalized care, help All classes are held at the Lafayette Senior maintain independence and enhance our Center (LSC) located at 500 Saint Mary’s Rd in client’s quality of life on a daily basis. Lafayette unless otherwise noted. Space is limited. • Free in-home assessments • Regular home visits Please call 925-284-5050 to reserve a spot. ensure the right care plan • Hourly care Heartfelt & Document Your Life Story If you have for you • Live-in care Supportive • Fully bonded and insured • Geriatric care mgmt. wanted to write the stories, memories and • Elder referral and placement experiences of your life but haven’t known At All Times... where to start, wait no longer. You will be guided 3645 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite D Lafayette, CA 94549 through the process of leaving a living history (beside Trader Joe’s) www.excellentcareathome.com 925-284-1213 for future generations-what a gift! These are not drop-in classes, but are meant to be taken as a complete course. Dates, times, some great new dance moves. On the first Wednesday monthly, professional and meeting rooms to be determined. Please call Lafayette Senior Services for dancers Karen and Michael will provide a dance lesson and live DJ services, details: (925) 284-5050. Unless otherwise stated, classes are free for members playing your favorites and taking requests. and $5 for non-members. Lafayette Senior Services Commission 4th Thursday of the month Therabands: Physical Therapy Presentation Wednesday, 10/22• from 3:30 – 5:30PM at the LSC - View agendas at the City of Lafayette of11:30AM – 12:30PM • Elderberry Room, LSC - Anne Randolph, RPT, has been fice or at www.ci.lafayette.ca.us. practicing physical therapy for over 35 years. She provides outpatient therapy Lamorinda Nature Walk and Bird-Watching Every Wednesday in Lafayette and specializes in the care of those 55 and over. You’ve probably • 9AM - Noon • Alder Room, LSC - Experience nature at its finest along our seen people using those stretchy, multi-colored exercise bands. Come learn how local trails. Delight in the beauty that unfolds around each bend, all the while to use them yourself to easily maintain and increase strength and feel your best! learning to identify a variety of birds. Bring a water bottle; binoculars will Apple Basics Thursday 10/16 • 10:30AM – noon • Elderberry Room, be helpful if you have them. Join us every Wednesday or whenever you are LCC - This series will start at the very beginning: the technology needed able. For more information or to place your name on the route email/phone for wireless communication, your Apple ID, iTunes, iCloud, and the basics list, call Lafayette Seniors Services. No charge. of iPad and iPhone usage. Topics for future sessions will be determined by Come Play Mahjong! Every Tuesday • Noon–3PM • Sequoia Room, participants’ input and needs. There will be time for Q&A at the end of each LSC - Come join us on Tuesdays for a drop-in game of mahjong. Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and certain degree of chance. All levels welcome. Bring class. Please note: this series deals with Apple devices only. RSVP not required. Jazz Bistro Friday, 10/17 • 11:30AM – Noon • Lafayette Library Community your card, a mahjong set, and a snack to share (optional).AM Creative Writing Workshop Tuesdays, 10/14 • 11:00 - 12:30PM • Toyon Hall - We “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” but we do plan to kick it up a bit with the ‘dinner show’ at lunchtime. Enjoy lunch while listening to the sounds of the Room, LSC - Examine the possibilities of self-expression through writing. This Contra Costa Performing Arts Society’s jazz piano group. You’ll hear jazz friendly drop-in group, with an ever-changing membership but lots of returning standards and modern tunes featuring compositions by Hoagy Carmichael, participants, will welcome you and any of your writing efforts. As there is no Jerome Kern, Miles Davis and Bill Evans, to name a few. Reservations by teaching instructor, you will find encouragement and feedback from your fellow October 14th are required. Call Senior Services at (925) 284-5050 to sign up. participants who will help bring out the writer in you. If you can speak, you can Digital Camera 101- The Basics Wednesday, 10/15 • 10:30AM – Noon write! Beginners to established writers welcome. AM • Cedar Room, LCC - You’ve got your digital camera. You’ve taken some Positive Living Forum (“Happiness Club”) Thursdays • 10:30 – the photographs. Now what? Learn the basics of how to take photos efficiently, noon • 10/9 Elderberry Room, LSC - Brighten your day with Dr. Bob Nozik, MD, Prof. Emeritus UCSF and author of Happy 4 Life: Here’s How to Do It. download them to your computer, organize, view, and print them. PM PM ‘As The Page Turns’ Book Club Tuesday, 10/21 • 1:00 – 2:30 • Brighten your day and take part in this interactive gathering which features Cedar Room, LSC - Looking for a good book to discuss with others? Join speakers on a wide range of topics that guide participants toward a more ideal this informal group of booklovers and enjoy enrichment, lively discussion, and positive life experience. Drop-ins welcome! fellowship and refreshments. Please call Lafayette Senior Services for the book Free Peer Counseling 2nd Tuesday monthly • 10AM - noon • Alder title and to add your name to the email notification list: 284-5050. Room, LCC - Contra Costa Health Services offers free one-on-one counseling PM PM Caregiver Support Group Mondays, 10/6, 10/20 • 1:30 – 2:30 • with senior (55+) counselors who use their life experiences to help other older Elderberry Room, LSC - If you are a family member helping to care for an adults cope with life changes, problems, crises, and challenges. Confidentiality older adult, join our support group to find balance and joy as you manage your is strictly observed. Appointment required. Please call Lafayette Senior Services responsibilities. Drop-ins are welcome. at 284-5050 to sign up for one of the 60-minute appointments. Men’s Slow Pitch Softball League, 68 years and up This new Local Church Provides Community Care Lamorinda team for players with varying levels of experience focuses on fun, Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian’s Stephen Ministry has 25 trained lay people camaraderie and safety. Games in this recreational league will be Wednesdays, who provide ongoing, one-on-one Christian care to those in our congregation and 9-10:30AM. Teams played will be Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, and Concord. First-year start-up fees are estimated at $50-$55/player; fees in subsequent in the community who are experiencing transitions in their lives. LOPC Stephen years will be lower. For more information, please email Alan at alkanije@ Ministry is confidential and is provided at no cost. A Stephen Minister is... aol.com and use “softball” in the subject line. • A congregation member with a gift for listening, Words of Wisdom...From the Philosophical to the Lighthearted • A lay person who has received 50 hours training in providing emotional Third Tuesday Monthly, 10/21 • 10:30AM–noon • Cedar Room, LSC - Take and spiritual care, part in this free-wheeling exchange of inspiration, information, and humor. Topics • A committed caregiver who listens, cares, prays, supports, and encourages – from soup to nuts - will be explored, examined, and discussed by participants. those who are hurting, and Stories and photographs will stimulate humorous discoveries regarding the benefits • Someone who will “be there” for his or her care receiver, meeting of becoming the ‘elders of our tribe. faithfully for about an hour each week, for as long as there’s a need. Lafayette Oral History Project Do you have stories about Lafayette in the Stephen Ministers are available for those who are dealing with illness or days of yore? Allow Ryan to document that history which will then be included hospitalization, loneliness, aging, being shut-in, separation due to military in the Lafayette Historical Societies’ archives, preserved for generations to come. deployment, death or serious loss, separation or divorce, disabilities, or grief All you have to do is tell those stories to Ryan; he’ll do the writing. You’ll receive and anxiety. a copy of the final document at the time of completion. Call Lafayette Senior If you know of someone who would benefit from the ongoing confidential, Services for details and to be a part of this project. No charge. Lamorinda Dance Social Wednesdays (skip 10/22) • 12:30 – 3PM • Live no cost, spiritual, and emotional support of a Stephen Minister, contact Jean Lee at (925) 943-2237, or visit www.lopc.org/care_stephen_ministry.asp. Oak Room, LCC - Enjoy afternoon dancing every Wednesday, and learn
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Senior Mobility Action Council News By Mary Bruns, Lamorinda Senior Transportation
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. ~Napolean Hill The Senior Mobility Action Council (SMAC), the transportation workgroup of the Advisory Council on Aging (ACOA), revised its mission statement: “To address transportation barriers and gaps in service experienced by Contra Costa older adults through education, advocacy, and the promotion of effective coordination of services and mobility management that enhances the autonomy and independence of older adults in Contra Costa County.” In 2014, SMAC has been working in three major areas: developing communication statements to assist SMAC members in effectively advocating for seniors’ needs including senior transportation; creating a newsletter that will be posted on the SMAC page of the ACOA website with articles that educate; and updating “Way to Go Contra Costa,” a comprehensive publication of transportation options available to older adults and people with disabilities in Contra Costa County. One article in the upcoming newsletter: “The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research” states: “Over the past two decades, a growing body of research indicates that volunteering provides not just social benefits, but individual health benefits as well. This research has established a strong relationship between volunteering and health: those who volunteer have lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression later in life than those who do not volunteer….A more comprehensive review of this research can be found in the full report (by the same name), which can be downloaded at www.nationalservice.org.” In the article “Invisible,” Ray Zenoni writes: “You might not know Susan, but she lives down the street from you. She is elderly now; but there was a time when she was young, had a family, had friends, and was very active in the community. As the years passed, her children pursued lives of their own and moved away. Her family and friends from the old neighborhood slowly disappeared. Then her spouse passed away, leaving her totally alone. Finally, she had to give up her car, her mobility, and her connection to the outside world….If you can spare a little time, even occasionally to help someone like Susan, contact: John Muir Caring hands (952-2999), Lamorinda Spirit Van (283-3534), or Senior Helpline Services Rides for Seniors (284-6161).” Research has proven that loneliness and isolation often lead to illness and a shortened life. For a future newsletter edition, Edi Birsan writes: “Our older adults represent one of the more polarized economic groups in our society. This is often forgotten when older adults are sometimes called upon to make sacrifices for the greater monetary good of a city or community. As older adults, we must not forget that what may not be an economic burden for most will be an extreme burden for some. A good example is a nearby city’s pool service, where the city asked the seniors to give up their substantial discount. The polling showed that 70% of the seniors were willing to give up the discount. The result: the city raised the prices, but the 30% who did not vote for it or simply could not afford it were decimated with half of them quickly leaving that avenue for good health behind. Consequently,
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Lafayette Today ~ October 2014 - Page 23 the increase in revenues expected by the city was offset somewhat by the decline in use. The decline in use brings on a downward cycle when people look at the pool’s low utilization and then say, ‘Why do we have this?’ Older adults must be cognizant of the less affluent members of their greater senior family and be careful when asked to make across-the-board sacrifices that do not take into account the great disparity in the economic ability of their group.”
Lamorinda Senior Transportation An Alliance of Transportation Providers
Lamorinda Spirit Van
283-3534
Takes Lamorinda Seniors to errands, appointments, grocery shopping, special events, and to lunch at the C.C. Café. Reserve your ride at least two business days in advance – sooner or when you make your appointment if possible. WE LOVE TO SAY “YES”! Help us update our records by letting us know your email address, cell phone, and birthday.
Contra Costa Yellow Cab and DeSoto Company 284-1234 20% discount for Lamorinda seniors.
Orinda Seniors Around Town
402-4506
Senior Helpline Services Rides for Seniors
284-6161
Volunteer drivers serving Orinda seniors with free rides to appointments and errands.
Volunteer drivers serving Contra Costa seniors with free rides to doctors’ appointments during the week. Grocery shopping on Saturdays.
Hearing Loss Association
Come to meetings of the Diablo Valley Chapter of Hearing Loss Association of America at 7pm on the first Wednesday of the month at the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church located at 1543 Sunnyvale Ave., Walnut Creek Education Bldg., Wesley Room. Meeting room and parking are at the back of the church. All are welcome. Donations are accepted. Assistive listening system are available for T-coils, and most meetings are captioned. Contact HLAADV@hearinglossdv.org or (925) 264-1199 or www.hearinglossdv.org.
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Page 24 - October 2014 ~ Lafayette Today
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