Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, January 6, 2018

Mountain View News Saturday, January 6, 2018 
3 
Mountain View News Saturday, January 6, 2018 
3 
Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis 


Walking Sierra Madre……The Social SideDeanne Davis 
January 3, 2018 

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day inthe year.” Ralph Waldo Emerson 

“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: We will be there 
for one another as 
fellow members of humanity in the finest sense of theword.” Goran Persson 

Dave Forrester and one of his buddies drive up to thesnow every year and bring back huge quantities of thaticy stuff and then build the Sierra Madre Frosty. Thisyear I got there right after he was fully decked out inhis scarf and got him to smile for me before he startedmelting. The best part was watching all the peoplegetting pictures with him, laughing and having the besttime ever. 

Didn’t you love the parade? “Making A Difference”

– what a great theme and then having Gary Sinise asGrand Marshall was perfect. Looked up his foundationon FaceBook and here’s what it said: “Dedicated to 
honoring and serving our defenders.” I was on my wayhome from Arizona where I’d spent a few days withmy Texas family who are contemplating a move therewhen the parade was actually happening. However, Ihad planned ahead and recorded it so I didn’t miss amoment. The B2 Spirit flyover was awesome with thetwo F35 Lightning fighter jets. Those two F35s were inhonor of Air Force pilot, Major Benjamin Jack Meyerwhose donated organs gave new life and hope to fivepeople. They signified giving and receiving life. Youprobably already knew that, but it touched me deeplyand I thought I’d share, just in case you missed it.
Of course you already know that Sierra Madre’s float,
“Chivalry,” won the Fantasy Award and, being totallybiased, I thought it was the best float in the parade.

Here we are already into 2018. The first thing Inoticed coming back into town is that Petunia’s onBaldwin, which was a really nifty shop with clothes,
antiques and other eclectic stuff was gone! DaughtersLeah and Patti both got Christmas earrings from there.
Hoping somebody fabulous is already eyeing that spaceand the empty spot where Charlotte’s Jewelry was andgearing up to bring us new businesses.

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to 
keep happy, and your joy and youshall form an invincible host against difficulties.” HelenKeller 

Many people like to start their New Year’s with black-
eyed peas, a Southern tradition for good luck andprosperity, but my family likes to kick off the New Yearwith Split Pea Soup. Easy to make, do it ahead of time,
and if you’ve planned ahead, you can make enough tokeep hungry teen-agers happy all day long. You candouble and triple this recipe with great success, if yourpot is big enough. 

Split Pea Soup 

1 package split peas (these are found in the market aislewhere rice, noodles, beans, etc. are located)
4 ham hocks (usually packaged 2 to a package in themeat section) or a ham shank, or the ham bone left overfrom Christmas. 
3 medium-size onions – actually there’s no such thingas too much onion! 
6-7 good size carrots (or a package of baby carrots)
1 good size bunch of celerySalt, Pepper 

Split pea soup is an opportunity to creatively expressyourself. There are few rules, just a few suggestions: 

Get out your really large pot and put the ham hocksor the ham bone in the bottom. Throw the peas ontop of that, followed by the onions, carrots and celerywhich you’ve washed and cut into big chunks. Cover allthis with water, or a combination of water and chicken 
broth. Say about 8-12 cups of water. Season with saltand pepper and whatever else you like. If you’re partialto thyme, put some in there. Or Mrs. Dash.

Cover your pot and put in the oven at about 300degrees. Leave it in there for about four to six hours, ortill the peas have become very tender. Take it out andlet the mixture cool to where you can handle it withoutburning yourself. Remove the ham hocks or ham boneand set them (it) aside.

Assemble your blender and blend your lukewarmsoup/veggie mixture into a smooth puree. Put thisinto a large container with a cover, like your crock pot.
When all your soup is pureed, remove whatever meat ison your ham hocks or ham bone, tossing out all fat andother non-meaty parts and put the meat back into yoursoup. Refrigerate. Let it sit for a day or so to developflavor, reheat it and stand back so the hungry relativesdon’t run over you as they rush to grab a bowl of thebest split pea soup anywhere. You could make somecornbread or corn muffins to go with your soup andeveryone who has some will love you forever, gettingyour New Year off to a great start! 

Happy New Year, dear Walking Sierra Madre friends.
Hope to see you out and about in 2018.

Christmas is over.... sort of! My neighbors’ wonderfullight displays are still up and brightening the night so Ifigure I can tell you right below here, that you can stilllisten to Christmas music or give yourself a delightfulChristmas story to let that glow linger on a little longer.

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 
“Star of Wonder – A Christmas Story”
Is available there. This is a wonderful Christmas Love 
Story...trust me!

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! 
Featuring this song! Take a look!
Blog: www.authordeanne.com 

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

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