West Valley - June 2024

Beat the Heat

June is finally here. It’s hard to believe we’re almost half-way to 2025. While the temperatures are rising, I’m certainly happy the traffic is decreasing. While driving Bell is definitely less nerving this time of year, I find myself wanting to escape the heat and head to Northern Arizona and explore all of the amazing historical sites.

Now that so many of our friends have headed to their summer homes, now is the time for you to enjoy a little slower pace, and perhaps invest more in those friendships that you may have not had time for. Or, it might be time to finish up home improvement projects that have been placed on the back-burner due to a busy social calendar.

If you have projects to complete, please consider supporting the many local businesses that make The Grand Season possible each month.

Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers and grandfathers reading The Grand Season this month. I hope you have a great June and enjoy the slower days of summer as much as you can!

Remember, staying hydrated is critical for an enjoyable summer.

Melissa Whitton Associate Publisher/Editor

INSPIRE

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. Pope John XXIII

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. Harriet Tubman

Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams. Donovan Bailey

Your dreams are what define your individuality. They have the power to give you wings and make you fly high.

P. V. Sindhu

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements. Napoleon Hill

If you want to have a life that is worth living, a life that expresses your deepest feelings and emotions and cares and dreams, you have to fight for it. Alice Walker

Freedom and democracy are dreams you never give up. Aung San Suu Kyi

You keep dreaming big, never put the limit on your dreams, and believe that everything can come true. Bianca Balti

The dreams and passions stored within hearts are powerful keys which can unlock a wealth of potential. John C. Maxwell

AAA SENIOR PLACEMENT AZ

A Message from Sue Royer

“I was born and raised in inner city Chicago, the sixth of eighteen children with fifteen brothers. Being the oldest daughter, I was always a caregiver which I believe influenced me to pursue work in the healthcare industry. Today, I have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Years ago, I volunteered for hospice and knew immediately that helping seniors was my calling. I was soon employed by hospice but I felt something was missing. I realized it was the limited time I was able to spend with my clients. Having my own business allows me to provide the intimate hands on service needed in our community. I am committed to our seniors throughout their lives and I thank the community for the opportunity to serve.”

Sue RoyerDirector

About Us

Since 2002, AAA Senior Placement AZ has been offering FREE services helping seniors find safe, affordable and loving assisted living.

When it becomes too difficult for you or your loved ones to safely manage daily living and/or manage medical needs, call Sue Royer for help navigating the many options available.

We are specialists in all levels of assisted living care resources with referrals to Arizona’s best:

• Group Homes

• Assisted Living Communities

• In-Home Primary Care Physicians

• Home Health Care Therapy

• Transportation

• Private Duty In-Home Care

• Respite Care

• Alzheimer’s Care

• Memory Care

• Hospice

• Support Groups

Assisted living resources accepting:

• Private pay

• Arizona Long Term Care-ALTCS

• Medicaid

• VA Benefits

6 Reasons You Should Call

AAA Senior Placement AZ

• We are well known and respected in the medical community.

• All clients are given a thorough assessment to determine proper placement needs.

• There is never a fee charged to the senior or their family for our service.

• We are NOT contractually bound to any outside business. This allows us to serve our clients with only their interests in mind.

• Years of knowledge and experience in the field of senior care.

• AAA Senior Placement AZ is family owned, allowing us to give you quality, personalized service.

HERE’S A TIP

Keep frosting looking glossy ... with your hair dryer. Before guests come over, give the whole cake a once over holding the hair dryer about 7-10 inches away from the frosting and set on high. It will soften the frosting, giving the cake a just-made look.

Buff spots off of silver with toothpaste. Rub gently with a soft cloth, rinse and dry. You might not have a blackboard in your home, but keep a clean blackboard eraser around to get streaks off of freshly cleaned windows.

DINING GUIDE

COUCH THEATER

Dark Matter (TV-MA) )

This new sci-fi series starring Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly has hit streaming services. Edgerton plays physicist Jason Dessen, an ordinary family man who suddenly gets abducted while walking home one night. When he wakes up, Jason finds himself in a completely different reality than the one he calls home. Realizing that he was abducted by an alternate version of himself, Jason fights to get himself home before the alternate version of himself harms his family. (Apple TV+)

Wine Country (R)

Starring Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer and Tina Fey (among others), the film follows a group of six friends who go on a trip to Napa Valley for a 50th birthday celebration. Make sure to grab your favorite

Pineapple

Paloma

Ingredients

3 ozs. pineapple juice

1 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice

2 ozs. tequila

1 pinch sea salt

4 ounces Fever-Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit

Fresh lime slice, for garnish

Directions

Add the pineapple juice, lime juice, tequila, and sea salt to an ice-filled highball glass. Top the glass off with the Pink Grapefruit mixer, give it a stir, and garnish with a slice of lime.

Coffee Manhattan

Ingredients

2 parts Maker’s Mark 46® bourbon

1/2 part coffee liqueur

1/2 part full-bodied amaro

2 dashes Angostura® aromatic bitters

Fresh orange peel, for garnish

1 Luxardo® cherry, for garnish

Directions

Add the Maker’s Mark 46®, coffee liquor, amaro, and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Squeeze the orange peel (peel side facing the glass) over the cocktail to release its oils and rub on the rim of the glass. Drop the peel into the glass and add the cherry as a garnish.

Ginger Fever Punch

Ingredients

1 1/2 ozs. blanco tequila

3/4 oz. lime juice, freshly squeezed

3/4 oz. pomegranate juice

1/2 oz. grapefruit juice

1/2 oz. goji ginger syrup*

Fever-Tree ginger beer, to top

Garnish: pomegranate seeds, grapefruit slice, rosemary sprig

Direction

Add the tequila, lime juice, pomegranate juice, grapefruit juice and goji simple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with pomegranate seeds, a grapefruit slice and a rosemary sprig.

*Goji ginger syrup: Add 4 ounces ginger juice, 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon goji berries into a blender and blend at medium speed. Strain and pour into a sealed container. Will keep, refrigerated, for up to two weeks.

Dinner and a Movie!

LOVE

WORK FOR IT

So, what can you do to make your marriage the relationship of your dreams? The key is becoming a better partner. Improve your relationship by practicing these steps:

1. Practice gratitude.

The key to having more passionate and fun feelings about your spouse is to write down the things your spouse does for you, both short-term and long-term, that make you feel grateful. Happiness stems in large from gratitude.

2. Let go of your resentment.

If you have a chip on your shoulder because your partner isn’t helping in the kitchen often enough or planning social outings, those negative thoughts could be affecting the love and good feelings you’ve created over time. Take a hard look at the expectations you believe your spouse isn’t meeting. To get the excitement back, first you have to get over your resentments and strive for acceptance of your spouse.

3. Get physical.

Reincorporating everyday physical gestures here and there can help stir up those loving feelings again. Start small with a gentle brush of the arm, a pat on the back, holding hands, or just putting your hand on top of his. Every gesture counts.

4. Avoid the negativity bias.

The longer you’re married, the more likely you are to pay attention to the negative aspects of your spouse, rather than the traits you found adorable at first. It’s part of human nature.

To counteract this tendency toward criticism, you have to change your mindset and look for what is good.

5. Learn how to de-escalate.

When those inevitable arguments happen, try this approach. One person gets to call “Stop!” It’s called “de-escalation.” Put the heated discussion on pause and send yourself back to a safe, quiet space in the house to calm down. The pause usually lasts 20-30 minutes, maximum, and it is miraculous how you can solve things in two minutes after a de-escalation.

6. Do new things together.

Experts suggest you can increase happiness by increasing novelty—meaning doing new things and sharing new experiences together! Suggest taking a salsa or ballroom dance class, go on a biking trip together—even trying a new restaurant can help to break up the monotony and build excitement again.

DAD

A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.

Unknown

No man stands taller than when he stoops to help a child.

Abraham Lincoln

My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me. Jim Valvano

I’ve said it before, but it’s absolutely true: My mother gave me my drive, but my father gave me my dreams. Thanks to him, I could see a future. Liza Minnelli

My father didn’t tell me how to live. He lived and let me watch him do it.

Clarence Budington Kelland

By profession I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact, but I am also prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys.

General Douglas MacArthur

•Want to finish “The Look” of your landscaping?

•Want to protect yourself and your pet’s feet from burning cement?

1. Is the book of 2 Thessalonians (KJV) in the Old or New Testament or neither?

2. From Titus 1, Paul wrote that unto the pure all things are ...? Gold, Righteous, Worthy, Pure

3. What archangel is mentioned by name in the book of Jude? Gabriel, Silas, Michael, Melchizedek

4. In 1 Kings 21, who forbid Naboth to give his vineyard to Ahab? The Lord, Jezebel, Absalom, Balaam

5. Jared was the father of Enoch and lived how many years? 110, 450, 600, 962

6. In Psalm 103:5, what bird’s youth is renewable? Dove, Eagle, Raven, Swallow

YOU DARE TO DREAM

Dreams do come true! If you’ve been dreaming about changing your life, the time to start is now—regardless of your age. Change starts by creating a vision of who you want to become. Seeing is believing, so walk by sight and believe that your best days are ahead of you. Practice these steps as you make your dreams come true.

1. Picture your future.

Anyone who has achieved anything in this world started with a vision. Create a picture of who you’re becoming, not who you are today. Think of who you want to be and what you want to do or have. Imagine what it would look, feel, sound, taste and smell like. Snap that photograph of yourself according to your vision.

2. Focus on your potential.

Whatever you focus on expands, so shift your focus on your potential and the upsides of life, not your problems and the downsides. Seeing is believing, so now that you can see it, you can believe in the person you’re becoming. That picture becomes the new point of focus, your target, your measurable destination. Now you know exactly where you’re going.

3. Stick with it.

Keep your eyes on the prize. Never let your environment, other people’s beliefs or the limits of what has been done in the past shape your decisions. Even in the face of doubt or controversy, stick with it no matter what. Do not give up regardless of the difficulties you will face.

4. Walk in the direction of your vision.

Now that you know where you’re going and who you’re becoming, take daily action in the direction of your vision until you pick up momentum. Think of your vision as your destination and take steps in the direction of your vision.

5. Live it.

All the cumulative actions, thoughts and behaviors will lead you in accomplishing your journey to be the person you created in the photographs.

If you’ve seen a trailer online showing Henry Cavill as James Bond (with an American accent, no less), you’re looking at a fake AI video. Cavill had no knowledge or input in the video, but his people believe that his overzealous fans, who’ve been campaigning on his behalf to be cast as 007, took matters into their own capable hands. Frankly, Cavill, at 41, is already too old. James Bond is supposed to be 37 years old, and the next film won’t be out for at least two years.

Academy-Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne received mixed reviews in the Broadway production of “Cabaret” for his portrayal of The Emcee. Unsuspecting audiences are led into an alley, past garbage cans to a dimly lit lounge, where greeters offer free shots of cherry schnapps. This is followed by 75 minutes of nightclub ambiance in various bars en route to the theater that has been transformed into the actual Kit Kat Club, where the show begins.