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Mountain View News Saturday, August 10, 2024


Weather Wise

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side

by Deanne Davis

6-Day Forecast Sierra Madre, Ca.

It’s August! Can you believe it? It’s still way too hot and I want 
more than anything to decorate my house for Fall. Of course, 
it’s nowhere near Fall, but I’m really tired of summer and ready 
for a change. Maybe just a couple of fall things.

Sunday, August 4th was National Sisters Day. It was also my 
sister’s birthday. Happy birthday a few days late, Heidi. It was 
also National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, American Family 
Day, National Friendship Day and National Coast Guard Day.

Other fun days in August include: August 9 – National Cat 
Day; the 10th which is National Garage Sale Day; the 12th 
National Middle Child Day; the 13th National Left-Handers 
Day. And I could go on for pages. So celebrate August, friends 
and neighbors! School starts August 7th and, believe me, there 
will be plenty of celebrating that day!

August is also National Language Month; which means we 
need to pay attention to our words. Harvey Mackay, one of 
my favorite columnists says: “Words are the building blocks of 
relationships. They can build trust, show empathy and create 
bonds. The wrong words can damage relationships, sometimes 
irreparably. Certain words can offend or alienate people. By 
choosing your words wisely, you respect your listeners and 
create a more inclusive environment.” Ain’t that the truth! This 
is why discussing politics and/or religion at Thanksgiving is 
forbidden and all conversation should be about how moist the 
turkey and deliciously tasty the gravy. 

The Apostle, James, addressing this same issue in his book, 
back toward the end of the New Testament said: “Dear 
brothers, don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak 
little, and not become angry (no politics at the table!). (James1:19-20) and then there’s this one also from James, who, 
apparently, was tired of people who talked too much and not very nicely: “The tongue is a small thing but what enormous 
damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark and the tongue is a flame of fire, full of wickedness…
and can turn our whole lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster!” (James 3:2-5-6) As Thumper said to 
Bambi, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all!”

Back to my friend Mr. Mackay, “A rich vocabulary allows you to express yourself clearly and concisely. It shows that you 
can think critically and articulate your thoughts in a way that is both respectful and intelligent.” People who read a lot 
usually have great vocabularies. There’s always a word in whatever you’re reading that you’ve never seen before and you 
can dazzle your friends and family by inserting something like “behoove” into your sentence, i.e., “It would behoove 
everyone to get out their credit cards to help pay for this dinner, as the bill is approaching!”

Having celebrated two birthdays the last couple of weeks by going to P F Chang’s, I want to share my fortune cookie 
fortunes with you as they’re really good:

One who admires you greatly is hidden before your eyes. 

(Enigmatic but who doesn’t want to be admired…especially greatly!)

This week, people in your life will be more cooperative than usual.

(I’m totally up for that!)

You will soon receive an unexpected gift.

(A big check from one of those people in my life who are being more cooperative than usual would be great!)

The picture this week is of prickly pears, ripe and ready to eat. Notice that nice red color. The problem with trying to 
use prickly pears is they are just not as easy to deal with as other fruits like lemons or oranges. To start with, collecting 
your prickly pears should be done with leather gloves and tongs. Then, put the fruit in a paper bag that will prevent the 
glochids (thorns, stickers) from coming through. Then, carefully burn the fruit over an open flame from a blow torch, 
lighter or candle. After being burned, the fruit can be peeled by cutting off both ends, making a slit from top to bottom 
the carefully peeling the skin off the fruit to reveal a dethorned fruit. Seriously? I know people use them, I’ve seen it on 
the Food Network! But I’m just not up for potential pain.

Recipes abound for jam, jelly, margaritas, candy, but I can’t get myself past that first step of needing leather gloves and 
tongs. The rabbits, which also abound, love them and seem to be able devour them without damage to any part of their 
mouths. So, while I think about making prickly pear jelly, I stay on the side of caution and leave them to the bunnies and 
the birds. Bon Appetit!

“Some things to love about August: Sea shells in all shapes and colors, endless hours of sunshine, multicolor sunsets, 
spontaneous summer trips, freshly baked s’mores,

and not getting up early.”

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

So many fun books, great recipes and stories in

A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter, and

Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope

 
Sun Sunny Hi 90s Lows 60s 

 Mon: Sunny Hi 90s Lows 60s 

 Tues: Sunny Hi 90s Lows 60s 

 Wed: Sunny Hi 90s Lows 60s

 Thur: Sunny Hi 90s Lows 60s 

 Fri: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 60s

Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service

SIERRA MADRE CITY MEETINGS

SIERRA MADRE CITY 

COUNCIL MEETING

Sept. 10, 2024 5:30pm

THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD 
IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS!

As part of the City of Sierra Madre’s 

COVID-19 transparency efforts and The 
Brown Act provides the public with an opportunity 
to make public comments at any 
public meeting. Public comment may also be 
made by e-mail to PublicComment@CityofSierraMadre.
com by 3:00 p.m. on the day of 
the meeting. 

Emails will be acknowledged at the Council 
meeting and filed into public record. The 
public may also comment in person at the 
meeting.

The meetings will be streamed live on Foothills 
Media website at foothillsmedia.org/sierramadre 
and broadcast on Government 

Access Channel 3 (Spectrum)..



1630 AM EMERGENCY RADIO & 

Free on-air publicity for local events

 Sierra Madre’s EMERGENCY radio station is now accepting scripts for 
Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about community events. PSAs 
will be broadcast on the air at no charge. The station operates 24/7 and can 
be heard at 1630 on the AM dial.

 Any local non-profit or non-commercial organization can have their 
event information broadcast to the public on Sierra Madre Community 
Information Radio. The station covers the city of Sierra Madre, plus 
surrounding areas of Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia. 

Your event must:

• Benefit a non-commercial or non-profit entity
• Be open to the public
• Be of general interest to local citizens


Just 
write a Public Service Announcement that describes your event and 
e-mail it to radio@cityofsierramadre.com. 


SIERRA MADRE: IT'S STILL HOT!

During extremely hot and humid weather, your body's ability to cool itself is challenged. When the body heats too rapidly to cool itself properly, or 
when too much fluid or salt is lost through dehydration or sweating, body temperature rises and you or someone you care about may experience 
a heat-related illness. It is important to know the symptoms of excessive heat exposure and the appropriate responses. The Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a list of warning signs and symptoms of heat illness, and recommended first aid steps. Some of these 
symptoms and steps are listed below.

Heat Cramps - Heat cramps may be the first sign of heat-related illness, and may lead to heat exhaustion or stroke. Symptoms: Painful muscle 
cramps and spasms usually in legs and abdomen and heavy sweating. Seek immediate medical attention if cramps last longer than 1 hour.

Heat Exhaustion Symptoms: Heavy sweating, Weakness or tiredness, cool, pale, clammy skin; fast, weak pulse, muscle cramps, dizziness, nausea 
or vomiting, headache, fainting.

Seek immediate medical attention if the person vomits, symptoms worsen or last longer than 1 hour.

Heat Stroke Symptoms: Throbbing headache, confusion, nausea, dizziness, body temperature above 103°F, hot, red, dry or damp skin, rapid and 
strong pulse, fainting, loss of consciousness.

First Aid: Call 911 or get the victim to a hospital immediately. Heat stroke is a severe medical emergency. Delay can be fatal. 

For more information on all of these heat related illnesses, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

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