Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, April 15, 2023

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Mountain View News Saturday, April 15, 2023 


WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side

by Deanne Davis


“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we 
borrow it from our children.”

Native American Proverb

“He that plants trees loves others beside himself.” 
Thomas Fuller

“The earth has music for those who listen.” 

William Shakespeare

“The earth does not belong to us; we belong to the 
earth.” Chief Seattle

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find 
reserves of strength that will endure as long as life 
lasts.” Rachel Carson

The 22nd annual World Earth Day is coming right 
up, Saturday, April 22nd. It’s finally getting warmer, 
friends and neighbors. Spring is actually going to 
happen. My orange and lemon trees are still covered 
with blossoms and the bees are so happy, buzzing 
around out there. Today’s picture features one happy bee feasting on an orange blossom. 
Look closely and you can see him.

Roses are blooming, daffodils are still around and my little hummingbird baby is sticking 
his beak out over the edge of the nest a little more each day. 

I came across a statement by photographer, Joel Sartore, founder of the National Geographic 
Photo Ark Project. He is determined to document every animal species in zoos and wildlife 
sanctuaries. As of now, he has photographed 13,907! He has spent 25 years with National 
Geographic and as Joel says, “I’ve got the scars and stories to prove it!” He’s been chased by 
Grizzlies four times, found 2 spitting cobras in his camera gear and he cares deeply about all 
God’s creatures, great and small. “The goal with each shot is to have another chance to get 
the public to care about what happens to nature; because what happens to everything else is 
what is going to happen to people, too.”

Joel Sartore’s advice to all of us resonates with me as I take delight every day with what is 
going on in my backyard where bees and hummingbirds feast on the nectar from cactus 
blossoms, golden bells and orange and lemon blossoms. Here’s what he said: “You can’t go 
wrong by planting native plants. Plant milkweed to help save the monarch butterfly and 
nectar-bearing plants to bring back bees. That’s something we can do right now. By putting 
more native plants in your landscaping you are creating a space that is appropriate.” I don’t 
know if you remember the monarch butterflies my daughter, Leah, was nurturing last summer. 
She planted milkweed.

Speaking of bees, here are a few more fun facts about those amazing and necessary little 
guys:

• A bee produces a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime.

• To produce a kilogram of honey, bees fly the equivalent of three times around the

 world in air miles.

• Bees really don’t want to sting you because they die.

• There are more than 20,000 different species of bees, found on every continent

 except Antarctica.

The greatest contribution of bees and other pollinators is the pollination of nearly three 
quarters of the plants that produce 90% of the world’s food. A third of the world’s food 
production depends on bees. Think of it this way: every third spoonful of food depends on 
pollination!

For some reason, looking at Joel Sartore’s animal pictures and the bees buzzing ‘round my 
lemon and orange trees, I got to thinking about Noah, putting the finishing touches on the 
Ark, this enormous boat the likes of which no one has ever seen or imagined before.

Noah is sweating in the sun, hammering in the last few nails, bringing aboard bales of hay 
and everything it’s going to take to provide gourmet feasts for two of every kind of bird, beast 
and bug. His neighbors are sitting in the shade on their porches with pitchers of margaritas 
and bowls

of chips and guacamole laughing at him.

“Look at that guy! Rain? He keeps talking about rain and floods and doom and gloom.”

“Guy’s really a bummer, dude!”

Tiny clouds are forming in the sky but Noah’s neighbors don’t notice at all. What they do 
notice is there seem to be more bees buzzing around than usual. The bees take a look at the 
people, smell the margaritas and move on quickly. Nothing there to eat. Noah notices them, 
too, and has a brief consultation with The Lord as to how to bring the bees onboard. Then 
he sees a tree branch that is hanging heavy with ripe plums that are attracting the bees. Slipping 
his hammer back into his tool belt, Noah follows the bees, who seem to be inviting him 
to come see what they are doing. Taking a moment to stretch his aching back and sip a little 
water, Noah steps off the Ark and follows the bees, noticing as he goes that they are flying 
in and out of the fragrant flowers along the pathway to the tree. The air is fragrant, there’s a 
cool breeze, and Noah appreciates a moment away from his labor.

One bee larger than all the others flies to Noah and perches on his hand. She seems to nestle

there, knowing she is safe. God opens Noah’s ears and he can hear what she is asking,

entreating. “Please, Noah, bring us all. Bring our family.” She lifts her heavy body off his

hand and leads him forward. As Noah walks toward her home, more bees begin to cluster

around the queen and link to each other’s bodies, hanging onto their legs and arms to

create a form that keeps the family together.

“Yes!” God says. “Bring them all and they will give you honey to bake your bread and

comfort at the end of the day to sweeten your tea.” Noah sees that the branch can easily be 
broken off and he gently does exactly that. With bees dancing happily around him, he takes 
the hive back to the Ark. Nailing a crosspiece across two beams, he secures the hive and goes 
back to work. “We will need these when we reach land,” he says, and thanks God for providing 
bees which will bring new life in a new land. 

“Bees will cover one thousand miles of land that I do not own in their foraging flights,

flying from flower to flower for which I pay no rent, stealing nectar but pollinating plants in 
return.” Sue Hubbell

If you’re looking at seed packets at Home Depot, why not bring home some sunflowers, 
dahlias,

rosemary, zinnias. They look fabulous, smell wonderful and bees like them.

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Where you’ll find a delightful story: “Noah and The Unicorns.”

58TH SIERRA MADRE PUBLIC LIBRARY 

ANNUAL ART FAIR 

The Friends of the Sierra Madre Public Library are proud to announce the Featured Artist for the 
58th Annual Sierra Madre Art Fair is Suzanne Kustner.

Suzanne holds a BA degree in Education with a minor in Art from California State University, Los 
Angeles, and has taught enameling at Creative Arts Group in Sierra Madre since 1979. She also was 
an art consultant for the Duarte School District for 10 years.

 

She began her enameling career in 1970 and has taken classes and studied with many internationally 
known enamelists. Suzanne is a member of the National Enamelist Society and several 
regional guilds. She has won numerous awards for her work, including exhibiting in the prestigious 
National Silver Competition sponsored by the major silver companies in the United States. She participated 
in the celebrated 1993 ‘Year of the American Craftsman.’ Her enamels were displayed in 
the Fine Arts Building of the L.A. County Fair and she was chosen to be one of the demonstrating 
artists in the main hall.

 

Her enamels have been chosen to be included 5 times in the National Enameling Society's biannual 
Juried Exhibitions.

 

Two of her enamels were included in the 2009 Lark Book '500 Enameled Objects' and her gold beads 
were also included in the 2014 Lark Book '1000 Beads.’

 

Suzanne participates in several Art Festivals during the year – The Friends of the Sierra Madre 
Library’s Annual Sierra Madre Art Fair and Creative Arts Group Annual Art Festival.

 

Her work can presently be seen on display and for sale at: The Freehand Gallery in Los Angeles; the 
ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, CA., and The Jamison Gallery at Creative Arts Group in Sierra Madre, 
CA and she now has pieces in the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and the Crocker Art Museum in 
Sacramento.

 

Suzanne continues to teach enameling at Creative Arts Group.

This year’s Art Fair is being held in Memorial Park on Saturday, May 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., 
and Sunday, May 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Be sure to stop by Suzanne’s booth (#9) to admire 
and purchase her inspiring creations.

For more information, please visit us on Instagram, Facebook, on our web site at www.sierramadrelibraryfriends.
org, or call 626-355-7186.


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