Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 7, 2020

5


Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 7, 2020 

A VISIT TO HOMEBOY 

INDUSTRIES by Audrey Swanson

On Friday, February 28th, 20 members of our 
community participated in Sierra MadreL ibrary’s 
One Book One City field trip to Homeboy Industries 
in East LA. One Book One City is a community 
reading program which invites Sierra Madre 
residents to read and discuss the same book. This 
February, those who participated read Barking 
to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship by 
Gregory Boyle. They then got the opportunity to 
take the metro for a free tour of Boyle’s nonprofit, 
Homeboy Industries.

Homeboy Industries was started by Father Greg 
Boyle in 1988 as a way of helping former gang 
members improve their lives. He was inspired 
to create the nonprofit out of his experience pastoring 
a poor catholic parish in an area with the 
highest level of gang activity in Los Angeles. 

Homeboy Industries’ mission is centered around 
5 main goals: to reduce repeat offenses, treat substance 
abuse, improve housing, foster social connectedness, 
and reunify families. One of their 
most significant programs provides an 18 month 
employment and re-entry protocol. Other services 
range from parenting classes to personalized 
therapy and anger management. Since its founding, 
Homeboy Industries has grown into the largest 
gang intervention, rehab, and re-entry program 
in the world.

Homeboy’s services have reached thousands of 
members of the community, with over 7000 people 
passing through their doors in 2018. Their efforts 
have yielded results. Many whom go through 
their 18 month employment program are either 
able to keep working for Homeboy Industries or 
successfully transfer to an outside job. This allows 
individuals to improve their lives and provide for 
their families.

Homeboy places a strong emphasis on community. 
Everyone who enters their doors is welcomed 
as part of the family. The group from Sierra Madre 
immediately felt very welcomed by everyone at 
Homeboy Industries! For more information or to 
make a donation visit www.homeboyindustries.
org and be on the lookout for the next One Book 
One City event in Sierra Madre!

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis

“I’ve watched you grow into the 
amazing woman you are today. 
And with each passing year, you 
continue to blossom even more.”

 “I wish you joy and peace, love 
and laughter, too. 

All the happiness life can bring in 
everything you do.”

 “I didn’t give you the gift of life…
life gave me the gift of you.”

Our daughter, Patti, had 
one of those round number 
birthdays yesterday, March 
1st. Amazingly, her daughter, 
Nicole, had a birthday also 
as Patti gave herself the gift 
of her fantastic daughter, 
born on her birthday an 
undisclosed number of years 
ago. The picture is Patti and 
her dad, on an outing they 
enjoyed together.

Birthdays are one of those 
things that are absolutely 
wonderful to consider when 
you are a young person. 
Young being anyone under 
thirty. I remember my 30th 
birthday vividly, declaring to all those, patient 
enough to listen, that I was now old, being out 
of my twenties, and that it was all downhill from 
there. I was wrong.

I remember my 40th birthday, giving myself a 
splendid party, with great food, wine, friends, 
family and declaring to all those, patient enough 
to listen, that I was never going to do anything 
again that I didn’t want to do. I was wrong.

I remember my 50th birthday, which involved 
a surprise party at dear departed Burger 
Continental when my mother and my father 
were together in the same room for the first 
time in decades. My aunt Helen was also there 
and when my father greeted her and she looked 
confused he said, “I’m Kim!” and she responded, 
“Kim who?” So many wonderful friends and 
family there, too. After that I quit paying much 
attention and now would just as soon not 
mention it at all. 

Patti is one of those people who has about a 
million friends who all adore her and it’s been 
a family joke that no matter where she goes, 
there will be someone there who knows her, i.e., 
Hawaii, Italy, France. She is a generous, giving 
person who married a wonderful man, Dave, 
and has raised three marvelous children, and 
currently is the person who makes sure her 99-
year old mother-in-law, Margie, has all her needs 
met. 

“Age is just a number…an issue of mind over 
matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!”

Mark Twain

“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is 
optional.” Walt Disney

“I love my age. Old enough to know better, young 
enough not to care. 

Experienced enough to do it right.”

Speaking of doing things the right way, recently a 
good friend who, apparently, had nothing better 
to do, sent me an email entitled: “The Right Way 
To Do Things.” Included were gems such as:

 1. “Hold the “Close Door” button in the 
elevator, so it doesn’t stop on the way.” But what 
if an anxious lady with a baby needs to get to the 
pediatrician on the fourth floor?”

 2. “Spread the edges of that little paper 
cup you get ketchup in for easier access.” Can’t 
you just see the mess a six-year old will make of 
that! That cup is rigid and little for a very good 
reason. Damage control!

 3. “Store your peanut butter upside down 
so the oils distribute evenly.” We all know that. 
If you leave your Laura Scudder Old Fashioned 
Peanut Butter right side up, next time you open 
it you will find a grease puddle on top of what 
seems to be peanut flavored concrete. 

 4. “Push in the tabs on either side of 
the aluminum foil box to prevent the roll from 
coming out.” Seriously? I found myself becoming 
annoyed way out of context about all these handy 
hints and my next thought was, “I don’t care!”

 5. “Use the hole in the pot handle to 
hold your spoon.” Well what if your pot doesn’t 
have a hole in the handle! What do you do then? 
Huh! What then. How about put your spoon on 
a paper towel, or put it in the sink. What made 
you want to make marinara sauce anyway!

 6. “Use a paper clip to pop the reset 
button on the ink cartridge when the computer 
says you’re out of ink. It’s like an extra amount 
for emergency printing.” Seriously?? Who on 
earth would think of that when the cartridge 
quits printing in black and starts doing a rainbow 
sort of design on your document, featuring a lot 
of sepia and printing nine useless pages before 
you notice the fool thing is doing it wrong! What 
reset button?

 7. “Place the toilet seat cover flap in 
the front, not in the back of the toilet seat.” Of 
course, the likelihood of getting one out of the 
seat cover holder on the wall is poor and none, 
and right after you place it on the seat, the cover 
falls in the toilet anyway, leaving you wanting to 
curse loudly. And then there’s no toilet paper. 

 There were more handy hints involving toilet 
plungers, putting a straw in a Coke can, and how 
to use your Chinese food take out box for a plate. 
It took me an hour to think of a gracious way to 
say thank you and that my life has been changed 
for the better by all of them.

 If its your birthday anytime soon, past or 
present, Happy Birthday to you and may God 
richly bless you in the coming year of your life. 
Happy Birthday to you, too, Patti, and thank you 
for all the many times you made me laugh.

 My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis – 
check out

“The Crown” -a great Easter story.

“Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope” 

Is available on Amazon.com as are all the

Emma Gainsworth adventures, including:

“Emma’s Etouffee Café” a new Kindle story by 
me!

Here’s the link so you can take a look:

https://fave.co/2PItO4d 


4TH OF JULY GRAND MARSHAL 
NOMINATIONS

The Volunteer Sierra Madre 4th of July Committee is seeking 
nominations for the 2020 4th of July Parade Grand Marshal. The 
Parade will be held as always the morning of July 4th. 

Parade Grand Marshal Nominees should embody the spirit of 
Sierra Madre, be an active volunteer in any of the local nonprofit 
organizations or in some way contributed to the betterment of 
Sierra Madre. Nominees may be an individual or volunteers or 
an organization. 

Nominations must be submitted in writing by Thursday, April 
30th and should be sent to the 4th of July Committee, PO Box 1073 Sierra Madre CA 91025 or emailed to 
4thofjulysierramadre@gmail.com. Nominations should be no more than 1 page but at least a paragraph 
explaining why the honor should be given including contributions to the Sierra Madre community. 

Previous Grand Marshals have included 2019 Bud Switzer, 2018 Steve Heydorff, 2017 Derek 
Podrebarac, 2016 Pete Siberell and Hometown Hero Kris Lowe, 2015 Clem and Nina Bartolai, 2014 
Pat & DeAlcorn & Hometown Heroes Sierra Madre Search and Rescue, 2013 VFW Post 3208 & 
Hometown Hero Mama Pete; 2012 Nel and Bob Soltz (Wistaria Vine owners); 2011 Gayle Bluemel 
& Hometown Hero John Shear; 2010 Lew Wantanabe; 2009 Midge Morash; 2008 Sierra Madre Fire 
Department; 2007 Ward Family (E. Waldo Ward & Sons); 2006 Judy Webb Martin & Toni Buckner 
& Hometown Hero Barbara Wamboldt; 2005 Police Chief Wayne Bailey; 2004 Doug Berkshire; 2003 
John Grijalva; 2002 Bob Quamstrom; 2001 Ty Gaffney; 2000 Dr. Bill White; and 1999 Jim & Barbara 
Heasley. 

This All-American friends and family event is made possible through the wonderful contribution of 
donors and sponsors. If you’d like to help please visit http://www.sierramadrefourthofjuly.com/ or 
follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/4thofJulyInfo 


TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

ONE OF MY FAVORITE ARTICLES I’VE WRITTEN THOUGHT 
I’D UPDATE IT AND SHARE IT WITH YOU AGAIN !!

“Come quickly, I think I am drinking stars” was Monk Dom Perignon’s line when he 
first invented Dom Periginon Champagne. For years I have been drinking “stars” -- 
it’s just not from the region of Champagne, but it certainly is a wonderful California 
alternative. J Vineyards Cuvee 20 Brut sparkling wine is my go-to sparkler when I am 
looking for something in the mid $20 range. With Spring approaching I can recommend 
this Brut whole-heartedly, and for the price you might as well get two bottles. My first 
introduction to J Cuvee 20 was at 
Taylor’s Steakhouse in La Canada and 
again at Nikki C’s near the Santa Anita 
Race Track. If you see it on a wine list 
for under $50 snap it up. It’s the green 
bottle with the yellow “J” brushstroke. 
The sparkler was first introduced in 
1991 with 4000 cases and sold out in 
six months. 

Queen Elizabeth sipped J at the White 
House, Mikhail Gorbachev spoke of world peace with a glass of J in hand, and the 
distinctive sparkling wines were the official celebratory beverage of the Academy 
Awards Governors Ball for four consecutive years. J makes its home in Sonoma County 
Russian River. The taste is crisp and the bubbles will tantalize your tongue, and the 
finish has a mellow asian apple feel. The Brut will go great with shellfish, but how about 
lobster bisque? You will be truly seeing stars with that combination.

J Vineyard Cuvee 20 Brut retails for $30, and can be found on sale at many fine retailers 
for $28 Like Vons and Pavilions.

Dills Score: 90

 

Each week I will give you my Dills Score. I have added points for value. I’m starting 
with a base of 50 points; I added 8 points for color, 8 points for aroma or “nose”, 8 points 
for taste, 8 points for finish, and 8 points for my overall impression, which includes my 
value rating.

 

Join me this Sunday at 8 AM On Go Country 105 


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