Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 19, 2011

15

THE 

THE GOOD LIFE

 Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 12, 2011 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

YOUR HEALTH MATTERS

Today’s Subject: 

Recipe of the Week:

Activities: 

Unless listed differently, all activities are at the 
Hart Memorial Park (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra 
Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

Achoo! aka Atchoo, Kerchoo, Ad Nauseum

Quick Chicken Paella 

with Sugar Snap Peas

Lunch Program: Monday- Friday at the 
Intervale Café -12:00 Noon-Call (626) 
355-0256 to make your daily reservation. 
Suggested donation $2.00 for seniors (60+) 
and $3.75 for visitors.

MENU BELOW

Monday: City Hall & Hart Park House/
Senior Center Closed on February 21 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café: Come enjoy 
a hot meal with others. Donation for seniors 
(60+) of $2.00; visitors $3.75. Please call 355-
0256 to make your daily reservation. 

• 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm: Strength training with 
Lisa Brandley. FREE class of stretching with 
light hand weights while you sit. 

Tuesday: 

• 2nd Tuesday of each month FREE blood 
pressure checks by Methodist Hospital; 11 am 
to 12 noon 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

• 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm: BINGO; cards are only 
25 cents each so stop by & play 

• 5:30 pm to 7 pm: Yoga; $7.00 - 50 & over. 
Please call 355-5278 for more information 

Wednesday: 

• 11 –11:45 am: Balance Class with Teryl. 
FREE class designed to improve balance & 
refresh the joints 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

• Free Income Tax assistance - 1 pm to 2 pm. 
For an appointment, please call 355-7394 

• 2nd Wednesday of the month: FREE Legal 
Consultations: 10-11:30 am. Appointments 
call 355-7394 

• Wii Wednesday - 1:00 pm or call the senior 
desk at 355-7394 to arrange another time 
& day to learn how to play. No previous 
experience or skills required and it is great 
exercise. 

Thursday: 

• 12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

• 1:00 to 3:30 pm: Game Day. Join us for Poker 
with Bridge on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays; so 
please call for more information. 

• 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm: Yoga; $7.00 - 50 & over. 
Please call 355-52 

Friday: City Hall Closed on February 11 & 25 

12 noon: Intervale Lunch Café; daily 
reservations needed 355-0256 

Saturday: 

11:30 am: Senior Club brown bag lunch and 
BINGO at 12:30 pm. The Senior Club always 
welcomes new members ($5 membership 
dues per year) so please stop by to learn more.


Achoo! aka Atchoo, Kerchoo, Ad Nauseum

In typical human fashion, we find ourselves 
saying that, while we are “grateful for the pain” 
and that “we need it,” there comes a point rather 
quickly when our patience wears thin and 
complaints about the weather abound. This is 
especially true when we must spend time on 
the freeway surrounded by fellow drivers who 
think it’s best to speed up and make dramatic 
lane changes when the rain is at its worst. One 
thing is sure, though: If you suffer from hay fever, 
you know that an abundance of plants with their 
various pollens, powders and progeny will be a 
certain result of the winter’s abundant rainfall.

Course of Action

You do not want to put the top down on your 
convertible during pollen season! This is just my 
way of pointing out that by reducing exposure, 
you will reduce the intensity of your reaction 
(sorry). Typically, pollen concentration is greater 
in the early morning until about ten a.m. Check 
the air filter in your car and keep the windows 
rolled up. If you have a sensitivity to night 
blooming plants, keep your windows closed 
in the evening hours. If your nose is already 
inflamed, a neti pot or any other type of sinus 
rinse can be useful. A face mask, like house 
painters use, can be helpful during periods of 
acute distress.

Some Foods to Avoid

There is a strong relationship between food 
allergies and hay fever. By eliminating the 
usual suspects, thereby reducing a chronic 
internal state of inflammation, reactions can 
be reduced. The usual suspects include dairy 
products, wheat, corn, eggs, soy, peanuts, 
and sugar. Some or all of the common 
food allergies may be involved, and a little 
experimentation can reveal which foods may 
be bothering you.

Some Supplements to Take

Any way that inflammation can be reduced 
is a positive step. By gradually building up to a 
high dose vitamin C regimen, your system will be 
saturated with a strong anti-inflammatory. Other 
supplements such as CoQ10, quercitin, turmeric, 
and adrenal support in the form of B-complex can 
be helpful. Local bee pollen, taken in very small 
doses (a few grains under the tongue) to start and 
then building up to as much as a teaspoon two 
or three times a day can also help. Local farmers’ 
markets, health food stores, and some pharmacies 
are good sources of local pollen.

One other precaution: Take a shower a couple 
of times daily if possible and make sure your 
clothes are washed regularly to eliminate hitch 
hiking pollen pests.

I know, I know. This looks like a lot of work...
why not just take an OTC? If they work, great, 
who could ask for more? However, they may have 
side effects and can become less effective with 
prolonged use. Why not try the healthier route 
and see for yourself?

To your health!

Dr. John

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

1 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika 

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

6 large chicken thighs with skin and bones, excess 
skin and fat trimmed (about 2 1/2 pounds) 

4 ounces 1/4-inch-thick slices fully cooked chorizo 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large) 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice 

2 cups low-salt chicken broth 

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice 

1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers from jar 

2 1/2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 8 
ounces) 

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix white wine and saffron threads 
in small measuring cup; set aside. Combine salt, smoked 
paprika, and black pepper in small bowl; rub spice mixture 
all over chicken thighs. Heat heavy large ovenproof skillet 
over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and sauté until fat 
begins to render and sausage browns, stirring occasionally, 
about 3 minutes. Transfer chorizo to large plate. Add olive 
oil to skillet. Add chicken thighs to skillet and cook until 
browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate 
with chorizo. 

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet. Reduce 
heat to medium. Add chopped onion and cook until 
translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add minced 
garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add long-grain rice and stir to 
coat. Add wine-saffron mixture and bring to boil, scraping 
up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add chicken broth, 
tomatoes with juice, and roasted red peppers. Bring to 
simmer. Stir in browned chorizo. Place chicken thighs, skin 
side up, atop mixture in skillet. Cover skillet tightly with foil, 
then cover skillet with lid. Bake paella until rice is almost 
tender, about 25 minutes. 

Transfer chicken to plate. Stir rice; season to taste with salt 
and pepper. Scatter snap peas over. Return chicken to skillet, 
nestling into rice. Cover with foil and lid. Bake until snap 
peas are crisp-tender, rice is tender, and chicken is cooked 
through, about 10 minutes longer. 

Dr. John Talevich, D.C. has practiced in Sierra Madre 
for thirty years. His clinic, LifeWorks! Chiropractic, 
offers patient-specific approaches to the alleviation of 
pain and individually tailored wellness programs. 


March Birthdays

Ella Guttman, Santos Ruiz, Viky Tchatlian, 
Mary Cooper, Georgina “Snooky” Greger, 
Sun Lui, Helen Wallis

Meals-On-Wheels

John M. Talevich, D.C. 

CHIROPRACTIC: Simple, Elegant, Effective

31 S. Baldwin Avenue Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024

626-355-4710


Meals are delivered to home-bound 
seniors by volunteer drivers through the 
YWCA Intervale Lunch Program M-F 
(with frozen meals for the weekend.) Call the YWCA 
at (626) 214-9460 or Darlene Traxler at (626) 355-
0256 for more information.


Sponsor Bingo Prize

Pasadena Highlands, an independent 
and assisted living 
community, is proud to provide 
a special gift basket on the first 
Tuesday of each month. Accredited 
In-Home nursing care will 
provide a special prize on the 4th 
Tuesday of each month. Bingo 
takes place every Tuesday at 1:30 
pm in the Hart Park House / Senior 
Center in Memorial Park. 
The game begins at 1:30 pm but 
those wishing to play must arrive 
10 minutes before to secure 
your Bingo cards. Join us on 
the 1st & 4th Tuesday of each 
month for your chance to win 
these special prizes. 

MEALS-ON-WHEELS NEEDS VOLUNTEERS 
TO DELIVER MEALS TO OUR HOMEBOUND 
NEIGHBORS 

**ONCE A MONTH OR WEEKLY** 

Please contact Darlene Traxler at 

626.355.6220 or (626) 355-0256.

HOW TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME 

Rev. James L. Snyder

Have you ever had the feeling that you lost 
something but could not quite figure out what?

 This has been bugging me all week long. It is a 
good thing I lost my mind years ago or this might 
cause me to lose it. I remember the day I lost my 
mind but I cannot remember anything after that 
date.

 All week long, I had this nagging feeling in the 
back of my head that I had lost something and 
that it was something rather important. I sat down 
in my easy chair and tried to think about it but 
who can think at times like this?

 I was looking for whatever it was I lost all 
through the house. I finally was going through my 
sock drawer when the Gracious Mistress of the 
Parsonage caught me.

“Did you lose something?”

I was now facing a major dilemma. If I answered 
in the affirmative, she would inquire as to what I 
had lost. If I tell her I do not know what I lost, she 
will immediately respond by saying, how will you 
know when you find it?

 Then I would be treated to one of her sarcastic 
snickers. You would think after all these years 
I would become accustomed to such royal 
treatment.

 I finally broke down and confessed, “I don’t know 
what I lost but I just feel like I’ve lost something 
this week. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

 “Do you remember,” she said thoughtfully, “where 
you were when you lost whatever you lost?”

I reflected for a moment and then confessed to her 
that it was last Sunday right after I got up that I 
sensed I had lost something.

 My wife was about ready to leave the room and 
then she stopped and looked at me and said, “You 
do remember we lost an hour this week?”

 “So,” I said sheepishly as I closed my sock drawer, 
“I won’t find it among my socks.”

 With that mystery solved, I had another one to 
contemplate. This one probably is bigger than 
anything else I could ever think of. How can I 
make up for lost time?

 Every year I go through the same rigmarole. 
No sooner am I adjusted to the time then the 
government changes that time for me. It is now 
six o’clock, but no, it’s really five o’clock. Or, is it 
seven o’clock? How in the world can I ever know 
what time it actually is?

 Thinking along these lines I have come up with 
several ways in which to make up for lost time.

The first has to do with eating vegetables. In 
my book, most vegetables are a waste of time. I 
could make up some time each day by not eating 
my vegetables, especially broccoli. At the end of 
the year, I could use that time to eat some Apple 
fritters.

 Another way I could save time is to cut down on 
my daily exercise. I am not sure who came up with 
the idea of exercising every day. Just think about 
what 15 minutes a day would add up to. In one 
week that would be 105 minutes, in a month it 
would be up to 455 minutes and in a year it comes 
to 5460 minutes, which amounts to 91 hours.

 In addition, taking a shower everyday may be 
considered a waste of time by some. Think of the 
time I could save by cutting down on my shower 
time. If I would shower, say three times a week, it 
could save me a lot of time, not to mention soap 
and towels. 

This also has another benefit to it. By only 
showering three times a week, it will drastically 
cut down on personal conversations with people. 
Who wants to talk to someone who has not 
showered in two days?

 As I was contemplating this last one, I came to a 
brick wall. That brick wall being, my wife. She has 
this insidious idea of bathing regularly. If it were 
up to her, I would take three or four showers a day. 
But my argument is, a person can only be so clean 
for so long. If God meant us to be clean all the 
time, why did he make so much dirt?

 I remember when my wife was away for two weeks 
I saved an enormous amount of time by recycling 
my dishes. After all, I don’t mind eating after me. 
Those two weeks I used the same silverware, dish 
and coffee mug for the entire time. And, contrary 
to my wife’s theories, I lived.

 When my good wife found out what I was thinking 
about, she made a very good point. According to 
her, I could save an enormous amount of time by 
not trying to think up ways to save time.

 The truth of the matter is, time cannot be saved. 
It can only be used wisely. The Bible makes this 
point clear on a number of occasions. “To every 
thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose 
under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV).

And, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is 
high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our 
salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 
13:11 KJV).

 It is how I used time and what I use it for that is 
important. I have two choices. Waste time or use 
my time wisely. The choice is mine.

You can contact Rev. Snyder via e-mail:

 jamessnyder2@att.net. 

INCOME TAX TIME

Don Brunner will be volunteering his time once again 
to assist seniors with filing their 2010 tax return. The 
service is free but appointments are necessary. 

 Every Wednesday - February 9th to April 6th 1 pm 
to 2 pm Hart Park House / Senior Center, 222 W. 
Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre (in Memorial Park). 
Please call the Senior Desk at (626) 355-7394 to make 
an appointment. 


MORE ACTIVITIES

 The Sierra Madre Library is offering a 
new program to homebound persons 
in Sierra Madre called “Titles To Go” - 
Where volunteers bring the library to 
you! For more information, please call 
Ana Valencia at (626) 355-7186. 

• Sierra Madre Aquatic Center, 611 E. 
Sierra Madre Blvd., will be open for 
spring lap swimmers & walkers starting 
March 14 through June 12. Hours: 
12 noon to 2 pm (Sunday, Monday, 
Wednesday, Friday & Saturday) 
and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (Tuesday & 
Wednesday). Cost is $100 per person 
for a spring pass (no daily admission). 
This is a great opportunity for low 
impact exercise in a heated pool. For 
more information, please call 
(626) 355-5278. 

LUNCH & LEARN 

Join the Senior Community Commission at the Sierra 
Madre Hart Park House / Senior Center for a 
FREE presentation. Lunch is available for a $2 donation 
by calling (626) 355-0256 by 12 noon the 
day before. 


DIAL - A - RIDE 
TICKETS

Tickets can now be 
purchased at:

Sierra Madre City 
Hall

Hart Park House / 

Senior Center

Sierra Madre Library

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