Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, December 17, 2016

5


Mountain View News Saturday, December 17, 2016


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

SMPD AT THEIR BEST...JUST DOING WHAT THEY DO!


Sierra Madre PD’s Detective Henry Amos saw a Madrean in need. This gentleman’s 
electric wheelchair lost power on S. Baldwin and Mariposa Ave. and he could not get back 
home. Det. Amos showing concern, left his patrol vehicle and on foot gave him a push... 
to his home in the middle of the block on Esperanza Ave. A great example of compassion 
for this resident and of leadership to his officers in training. Great job Det. Amos!

“As we struggle with shopping lists, to do lists and 
invitations, plus our own unreal expectations for all 
we expect ourselves to do, it is good to be reminded 
that there are people in our lives who are worth this 
aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the 
same.” Donald E. Westlake

 It’s Tuesday. Time Warner Cable was out all day 
yesterday, we spent the morning, my ever supportive 
best friend, John, and I, dealing with all the stuff one 
has to do when someone runs into your car, i.e., filing 
the claim, getting the estimate, crying. And there are 
twelve days left till Christmas. Ack!

 Cranberry-apple bread is in the freezer and two 
kinds of cookie batter will be finished this morning. 
The apple butter, lemon marmalade and strawberry 
preserves are beautiful, labeled and ready to pack up for 
all the folks on John’s client list and assorted friends and 
family in far away places. 

 Our house looks beautiful. Our carpets have been 
gloriously cleaned. We have two dinner parties all 
planned, ready to prepare and enjoy. Most of the 
shopping is done...a word of gratitude here for Amazon.
com. The only shopping I need to do is a trip to Petunia’s 
here in town for some new earrings for my daughters. 

 Our Huntington Beach son, John, and his wife, 
Michon, who is one of my dearest family members, 
posted a video on Facebook of their two little boys, 
Caleb (3) and Brady (1) admiring their beautifully 
decorated Christmas tree which is totally surrounded 
by baby gates. I watched this several times and it made 
me laugh and quit stressing over all the stuff that isn’t 
done...like Christmas cards. A brief aside: Why do we 
send Christmas cards? Mainly to find out if everybody 
we send them to is still alive and married to the same 
people they were married to last year.

 One of my favorite authors, Michelle Griep, 
publishes a daily blog, Writer Off The Leash, which I 
enjoy tremendously on a daily basis. Here’s what she 
shared today and it’s so good I want to pass it along, 
with many thanks for this good advice, to all of you 
dear friends and neighbors.

Five Ways To Slay Holiday Stress

 

Change Your Perspective

Sometimes all that needs to be slain is your mindset. 
This season take a good, hard look at all that you’re 
doing and then question everything. You could 
be stressing yourself out because of expectations 
and values that aren’t really yours. Examine what 
your core beliefs are and live those out, not some 
goofy-butt Hallmark Christmas movie ideals.
Let Go

Who says you need to do it all? Unless you’re Martha 
Stewart, you don’t have to. Choose 1 item to cut 
from your must-get-done-before-Christmas list 
and just say no. I’m not talking simply crossing it off 
your list. I’m saying cut it out and throw it away for 
good. Maybe you’ll decide not to do cards anymore 
or give up baking 6 different kinds of cookies. 
Whatever. The point is to stop doing 1 activity.
Plan Ahead

Obviously you’re not going to cut everything from 
your holiday season. Decide on what you’ll keep 
(remember, you’re being proactive by choosing 
what you will keep and what you won’t) then whip 
out your calendar and plan those things into your 
schedule. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Putting 
things off until the last minute causes undue anxiety.
Shop Online

Books make great gifts and are just a click away. So is 
just about everything you can imagine. You’ll avoid 
the crowds and save time driving to and from the 
store. Yeah, you might end up paying for shipping but 
in the long run if it saves you time, it’s totally worth it.
Say No

This one is the hardest of all because you want 
to have fun as much as the next guy, right? Or 
your heart is big and you want to help everyone 
who has a need. Or you just plain old don’t want 
others to think badly of you. Well, Bucko, in 
order to lessen your stress you just might need 
to let someone else stress out in your place by 
saying no. And if you do, guess what? You’ll find 
that your “yes’s” have a whole new meaning. 
Life is short. Live intentionally, whether it’s Christmas 
or not.

 There now, don’t you feel better? Take a breath, or 
two or three, drive ‘round town and enjoy everyone’s 
lights and decorations and remember this old saying: 
Jesus is the reason for the season! Go to a Christmas 
concert. Watch one of the Christmas movies on the 
Hallmark channel. Go out to lunch with somebody 
nice. Tell someone you love them. Hug a lot of people. 
Then hug a bunch more! And smile. A lot!

 “Christmas! It’s almost here! My favorite, favorite 
time of year!” 

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter” is 
available from me!

 Kindle readers, give yourself the gift of Star of 
Wonder – A Christmas Story

 It’s on Amazon.com on my book page!

 Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd

Sierra Madre News Briefs

BANK OF AMERICA 
MYSTERY

Earlier this week, several 
residents contacted the 
Mountain Views News 
regarding an incident that 
was in progress at the Bank of 
America on Sierra Madre Blvd. 
According to eyewitnesses, 
employees of the bank were 
escorted outside the building 
which was surrounded by 
police vehicles. However, after 
contact with the SMPD's Watch 
Commander, there was no 
record of a call to the bank. One 
employee of the bank reported 
that a teller had accidently set 
off the alarm. In an effort to 
verify what really happened, the 
Mountain Views News spoke 
with bank employee Stephanie 
Lau who referred the paper 
to the bank's Media Relations 
Deparment. At press time, 
no one from that department 
contacted the reporter.Whether 
or not this was an accidental 
activation of the bank's alarm 
system, a training incident or 
something more serious, the 
community wants answers. 
The Mountain Views News will 
continue to pursue the full story 
of this incident.

From the City Manager's 
Report:

COMMUNITY MEETING 
On Wednesday night, the 
Department hosted a Crime 
Prevention Workshop in the 
City Council chambers, inviting 
residents to learn more about 
successful crime prevention 
measures. Approximately 
45 residents attended the 
meeting including Council 
Member Capoccia, Public 
Safety Committee Members, 
Rosemary Burnett and Bill 
Coburn, along with several 
Neighborhood Watch Block 
Captains, and City Manager 
Aguilar. Attendees gave the 
presentation high marks! 

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE

City Hall, the Hart Park 
Senior Center, and the Sierra 
Madre Public Library will be 
closed from December 26, 
2016 through January 3, 2017. 
Regular business hours will 
resume on Tuesday, January 3, 
2017. All public safety offices 
will remain open during this 
period. Anyone experiencing 
an emergency may call 911 for 
assistance. Any non-emergency 
calls can be made to (626) 
355-1414.

Public Works staff will be 
working normal hours through 
the holiday but employees will 
be off on Christmas Monday 
and the Monday after New 
Year’s Day in observance of 
the holidays. In case of any 
emergency, staff can be reached 
through the Police Department 
Dispatch Center.

ATHLETIC FIELD 
PROJECT UPDATE

A meeting was conducted 
Wednesday, December 14th 
at the Sierra Madre Middle 
School, with field renovation 
professionals and landscape 
contractors who previously 
worked with PUSD; and 
including the community 
youth sports league presidents, 
Principal Garrett Newsom, 
and City staff to begin moving 
forward with the initial phase of 
the Athletic Field Project. The 
scope of work will quickly be 
forthcoming, followed by bids, 
and review by city and district 
representatives.

TOY DONATIONS AT THE 
FIRE STATION

The Sierra Madre Volunteer 
Firefighters' Association will 
continue the tradition of 
their annual toy donation on 
Wednesday, December 21, 
2016. This year members of the 
Association Board will visit 
children at City of Hope as well 
as the children of the Maryvale 
Orphanage.

POWER OUTAGE AT THE 
LIBRARY

The Library experienced 
a power outage on Friday, 
December 16, 2016. Power was 
restored in time to open at its 
regular noon-time but internet 
was not immediately available. 
The City’s Facebook page posted 
updates throughout the day.

BUILDING MINI ROSE 
FLOATS AT THE LIBRARY

Join us for a special story time 
with the Sierra Madre Rose 
Float Association on Monday, 
December 21st at 10:00 am. 
You will hear about this year’s 
rose float and build your own 
miniature version.

PLANNING 
COMMISSION RECAP

Group Living Facilities 
Regulations

The Planning Commission 
directed to staff to schedule a 
Public Hearing for the January 
5, 2017. The Commission will 
consider a resolution and 
forward their recommendation 
to City Council.

The Commission also 
continued their effort to amend 
the Discretionary Demolition 
ordinance and directed staff 
to return to the Commission 
with the revised language as a 
discussion item.

SIERRA MADRE RAIN TOTALS 

Last Fiscal Year Oct.1, 2015 to Sept,30, 2016 12.98” 

5 year Average 10.90” 
Year to Date 3.11” 
Friday's Storm 12/16/16 1.53” 


ANNUAL CANDLELIGHT WALK DECEMBER 18TH

God commanded, “Let there be light,” and what a sweet light we shall see.

 As the season dies in darkness Christmas reminds us of that glorious child who entered the world. 
The Sierra Madre “Candlelight Walk” is wrapped with the wondrous warm that encircles this great 
Season of Celebration. 

 The Candlelight Walk is held each Christmas season to celebrate the journey Joseph and Mary 
made to Bethlehem where Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago. With “Mary and Joseph” leading 
the way, the procession will begin at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Sierra Madre, accompanied by 
participants holding candles and singing traditional Christmas carols. The procession will end at 
Kersting Court in the center of town where the Christmas story will be read from the Scriptures.

 The event begins at St. Rita traveling down Baldwin to Kersting Court. It is recommended to 
arrive at 6:45p.m., as the walk will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.

www.mountainviewsnews.com

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com