Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, December 22, 2018

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Mountain View News Saturday, December 22, 2018 

KATIE Tse..........This and That


WALKING SIERRA MADRE.. The Social Side By Deanne Davis


UNSEASONAL

Did you like the rain we 
just had? Winter’s finally 
here, at long last. I’ve been 
pretty good recently about 
not recycling old articles, 
but this was a busy week. 
Besides that, I barely even remember this article, it’s 
so old! And like I always say, if I hardly remember 
it, that means for sure you won’t! It’s unseasonal, 
though. The topic is summer, but in the dead of 
winter we need to remind ourselves that there’s a 
light at the end of the tunnel, as far as the calendar’s 
concerned. But before I launch into my lightly used 
article, let me apologize for my photo of Fibs, my 
parrot, not making it into the paper last week. My 
last story referenced it, and I asked you to use your 
imagination to envision rabbit ears 
on his head. Looks like you had to 
imagine not only the rabbit ears, but 
the whole parrot! Anyway, sorry 
about that. So here goes. I promise 
I’ll try harder next week. Thank you 
for your patience!

 Ah, summer! Three mellow, 
sunny months that make the other 
nine tolerable. There are a myriad 
of ways to celebrate summer. 
People enjoy the beach, gardening, 
barbeques, floating in a pool, or just 
chilling on the deck appreciating 
being alive in Southern California in 
the summer. One of summer’s many 
advantages over the rest of the year 
is there are not gift-giving holidays 
you feel obligated to attend (Fourth 
of July doesn’t count). But on that 
same note, summer has one pitfall 
--it’s wedding season.

 Have you been to a wedding this 
summer? I haven’t... yet. Possibly 
you got by without having to go to 
any, but most likely you’ll have to do face time at at 
least one. Is it just me, or have a lot of weddings (like 
the rest of the culture) become totally overblown 
spectacles of excess? I must confess a couple 
elements of my wedding (not my idea) were more 
elaborate than they needed to be, but that’s a whole 
other article.

 In the olden days, being a bridesmaid only 
required that you wear an ugly dress and show up 
for the rehearsal and wedding. But these days I’ve 
heard of brides asking their bridesmaids to change 
their hair color or get Botox in preparation for the 
big day. And bachelor/bachelorette parties have 
grown into week-long affairs such as golf excursions 
in Arizona and cruises to Mexico. Resorts spas are 
also popular. I understand that some girls like to 
bond while getting peeled and exfoliated together, 
but I ain’t one of them. 

 Of course probably the most annoying new 
wedding trend is the “surprise” first dance. This has 
been so overused it hardly warrants the terms “new” 
and “trend.” If you’re unaware of this gimmick, it 
starts off with the bride and groom slow dancing 
to a tame wedding classic. Then SUDDENLY the 
music turns to static. The happy couple is “shocked.” 
When the sound comes back, it’s a rock or rap song, 
to which the bride and groom start break dancing 
and doing other gown-threatening stunts. Some 
even go as far as having their bridal party join the 
action, and put on a highly choreographed show. 
It’s hard enough coordinating ten or more people 
for the wedding and one regular 
rehearsal; I can’t imagine the 
planning necessary for a group that 
size to learn something worthy of 
“The Lion King.”

 While the whole 
surprise first dance idea is 
ridiculous in and of itself, it reveals a 
larger concept now widely accepted 
regarding weddings. They must be 
unique and entertaining. Those 
aren’t evil desires, but they have 
become the driving force among 
many weddings. I’ve quoted the 
book, “The Narcissism Epidemic: 
Living in the Age of Entitlement” 
before, and this seems like a good 
opportunity to put another plug in 
for it. I agree that no one should 
purposely bore their guests, but 
when everyone is trying to have a 
unique wedding, that means no one 
really is. And frankly, if I remember 
someone’s wedding because the 
groom arrived by helicopter or they 
had Justin Timberlake MC-ing, I’m just going to 
remember that they overdid it. 

 I can only speak for myself, but I would wager 
that most guests don’t come to be entertained. 
If that’s what they wanted, they’d go to a Lakers’ 
game. They come because they like you or they’re 
related to you --sometimes even both. At the end 
of the day, guests have only a few requests: don’t 
make them sweat (literally), don’t ask for audience 
participation (If uncle Bob didn’t plan a speech, 
don’t have your MC stick a microphone in his 
face), the food need not be gourmet, but shouldn’t 
bounce if it falls off the plate. Finally, and most 
universally agreed upon: make it brief. That’s all! 
No helicopters necessary!


“Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your 
heart be light.

From now on, our troubles will be out of sight.” 

Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin

Remember that? Judy Garland singing to Margaret 
O’Brien in the 1944 movie, “Meet Me In St. Louis.” 
You probably do as this is a perennial favorite 
Christmas movie, along with “Miracle on 34th 
Street,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and about 17 different 
versions of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” My least 
favorite version: Bill Murray in “Scrooged.” Of 
course, we love “Charlie Brown’s Christmas” and 
the new version of Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole 
Christmas is great, featuring the voice of Benedict 
Cumberbatch – who is also a terrific Sherlock 
Holmes and was a really splendid villain in “Star Trek 
Into Darkness” a couple of years ago. This Grinch 
was such fun and the gadgets and effects were really 
neat. If you haven’t seen it, see it!

Of course, there’s “Frosty” and “Rudolph,” and the 
Hallmark Channel has shown a whole bunch of 
really nice Christmas movies. 

The Star Shower adds magic to just about any sort 
of outdoor lighting. I’ve got two of them, one inside 
shining on my tree and another one outside that lights 
up the whole front of the house and shines nicely on 
my reindeer. All the neighbors have spectacular light 
displays and it’s nice to just stand outside and admire 
them. However, once again this year, I’m giving 
the Walking Sierra Madre...The Social Side Most 
Amazing Christmas Decorations award to Jeff and 
Laurie Bohn who live on Highland and have every 
conceivable inflated Christmas decoration possible, 
as you can see. It makes me smile to drive past their 
house. Also, being a huge fan of Minions, and there 
being two of those on display had a lot to do with my 
decision.

We hope yours is being ‘a merry little Christmas’ this 
year, and that your heart has been light. As we were 
out walking Sierra Madre a couple of years ago, my 
Christmas decorations admiring walking buddy, 
John, and I, found a piece of paper on the sidewalk 
and this is what it said:

A Child’s Prayer of Thanks

Dear God,

I’m thankful for all You give,

For food,

For love,

A place to live,

I thank You for my family too,

And I want You to know

That I love You.

Amen.

I have kept this out in the kitchen ever since and think 
it expresses pretty much everything for which we can 
be thankful. Sierra Madre is such a beautiful place, 
with our own personal mountains available for good 
long ‘look’ moments. We have friendly people who 
smile and say Hello! when you pass them in front of 
Beantown or Starbucks. We have beautiful homes on 
every street, so many trees - which are doing fairly 
well in spite of the drought, and a splendid Christmas 
tree, crèche, menorah and dreidel in Kersting Court.

I haven’t made nearly as much stuff this year as I 
have before. I did make apple butter today and I’ll 
be doing cranberry bread for Jessie and Emily to give 
their teachers, but no lemon marmalade.

 “Star of Wonder – A Christmas Musical” is doing 
well on TuneCore and I’m beyond happy about that. 
If you’d like a Christmas story that will make you 
rejoice, try “Star of Wonder – A Christmas Story” by 
me. 

Merry Christmas, dear friends and neighbors. My 
prayer for us all for this coming New Year is for 
happy times, much laughter, peace, joy, good health, 
and no sorrow at all!

“Christmas! It’s finally here! My favorite...favorite 
time of year!

Think mistletoe and holly...children’s faces jolly!

Carols on the radio...happy smiles each place you go,

Presents piled beneath the tree...some for you and 
some for me!”

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

HOLIDAY TRASH SCHEDULE AND CHRISTMAS TREE 
RECYCLING

There will be a one-day delay in collection of 
residential and commercial refuse, green waste, 
and recyclables after both Christmas Day and 
New Year’s Day. 

 Also, please note that Christmas trees are 100% 
recyclable! Athens Services collects Christmas 
trees each year, from the day after Christmas 
through the second week of January, on your 
normal pickup day. Trees are delivered to various 
landfills to be used as mulch or cover material, or 
to Athens’ American Organics compost facility in 
Victorville.

 Tips to ensure your tree is properly collected:

· Remove stands, ornaments, lights and tinsel.

· Place holiday trees next to your regular trash 
containers.

· Trees over 6 feet in length must be cut in half.

· Trees with flocking or fire retardants ARE 
acceptable.

· If you miss the date for recycling, please 
cut up your tree and place it in your yard waste 
container(s).

 Please help keep our parks clean and safe 
during holidays. If you see anyone illegally 
dumping holiday trees, please call your city’s 
Police Department.

REMEMBRANCE


ELIZABETH J. RASMUSSEN
April 3, 1927 - Dec. 15, 2018

Elizabeth J. Rasmussen, a 42 year resident of Sierra 
Madre, passed away early Saturday morning, Dec. 15, 
2018 in her Sierra Madre residence. She was 91 years 
old. Elizabeth had been in ill health for a number of 
years but was able to stay in her beloved home in the 
canyon, with the help of caregivers, up until the end. 
Elizabeth Jean Lyon was born in Los Angeles to Genevieve 
& Orville Lyon in 1927. She married Anton Hugo Rasmussen 
in 1944, soon after meeting him at the Monterey Park 
USO, where her mother, Genevieve, was the house mother. 
He was playing the piano and she came up behind him to 
turn the pages of the sheet music. He turned his pale blue eyes up to her to say he didn’t read music, 
and it was instant love for both of them. Tony, as he was known, preceded her in death in 2003. 
Elizabeth worked her entire life until retirement. She worked at the Los Angeles 
College of Medicine and Osteopathy, after which she worked for one of the students, 
Steve Seyarto, M.D., in his office. She also owned a plant shop in Arcadia for a few years. 
In retirement she excelled at her creative and artistic talents ..... writing 2 
books and several articles. She was a gifted painter, ceramicist, crafts Person..... 
She had a natural sense of beauty. In addition she could make anything grow. 
She loved her family deeply and she will be missed beyond expression. She is survived by her son 
Anthon James Rasmussen, her daughter Janet Elizabeth Kincaid, two granddaughters Jennifer Cari 
Wein & Ashley Brianna Rasmussen and her daughter in law Cinda Elizabeth Rasmussen. In addition 
she has 3 great granddaughter’s, Taylor, Riley & Emerson Wein and numerous nieces & nephews. 
Elizabeth will be interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park next to her much loved husband on Saturday, 
Dec. 22, 2018. 


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