Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 24, 2015

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 24, 2015 


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis

“Dear Great Pumpkin, I am looking forward to 
your arrival on Halloween night.

I hope you will bring me lots of presents.” Linus 
van Pelt

Even though Charles Schulz, creator of the 
immortal Peanuts has changed his residency to 
the heaven-side, his kids: Charlie Brown, Lucy, 
Peppermint Patty, Sally and Linus still show up in 
our newspapers, which is a delight. What would 
Fall be like without Lucy holding the football for 
Charlie Brown, promising that this time she won’t 
yank it away at the last minute, leaving him flat on 
his back with all the air punched out of him. Or 
Linus sitting out in the pumpkin patch with Sally, 
Charlie Brown or Snoopy, convinced that if his 
pumpkin patch is the most sincere pumpkin patch 
that the Great Pumpkin will rise up with his bag 
of toys and bestow gifts upon him. His friends are 
scornful and skeptical. We would be, too.

 We have the sincerest pumpkin patch in Sierra 
Madre every year on our street. Talented neighbors 
grow the most astonishingly huge pumpkins then 
carve them into fantastical creations. These aren’t 
those thousand pound babies you see on TV that 
need a forklift to move, but they’re pretty big. In 
just a few days when Halloween rolls around we 
might see Cinderella’s coach, the body and head 
of a black widow spider...yes, they add twenty foot 
long legs, a lamp for a skeleton to read by, and just 
plain scary jack-o-lanterns. 

 In days of yore, when our kids, and probably 
your kids, too, were young, they’d rummage 
through the house and create costumes for 
themselves, one of the best being our son when 
he was about twelve, dressed in one of my old 
maternity dresses – well, the baby was only six 
by then and, who knew, I might have needed it 
again - a cascade wig of curls, all the makeup in 
the world and a pillow stuffed up inside to create 
the baby on the way. He wore heels, too, and 
staggered off returning minutes later to change 
into tennis. They were hobos, clowns, hippies 
and sometimes, just, “I’m not sure, mom said 
it was the fifties!” They’d hit the streets of our 
neighborhood where everybody knew them and 
gave them cookies, pennies, apple cider, a few 
Hershey’s kisses and the occasional Snickers bar. 
A massively good time was had by all, they came 
home covered with sweat and chocolate, sat down, 
compared the take, did a lot of trading, and ate all 
they wanted that night. Every year I assured them 
that I’d put it in the freezer and they could have 
a couple of pieces every day. They forgot about it 
almost immediately and after John and I picked 
out all the good stuff, we threw the rest away. 
It was fun, they were safe and it was no big deal. 
Now we love seeing the littlest kids, out with their 
mommy and a brother or sister in a stroller early in 
the evening. They are adorable, say thank you with 
just a little prompting...or a lot of prompting...and 
are happy with a Tootsie Roll. Later we turn out the 
porch light and see what’s left. Tootsie Rolls, by the 
way, go really well with a nice glass of Chardonnay. 
My favorite is Dots. Little boxes of Dots. I have a 
hard time letting go of them and end up hoarding 
a whole bunch of these little boxes. I have no 
idea what Dots are made of, but when one comes 
across a box of them sometime in March, they are 
just as good. When the world ends, cockroaches, 
Twinkies and Dots will survive.

 The scarecrow competition this year was so 
neat. So many folks all over town participated and 
there were lots of awards. The list was published in 
last week’s Mountain Views News, and we intend 
to go hunt up all the ones we haven’t seen. You 
should, too. The guy in the picture spends weeks 
every Halloween trying to get out of this jail cell. 
See if you can find him.

 Halloween is just a few days away. Have you got 
your costume yet? Bought your candy? Planned 
your pumpkin carving? Don’t forget the Playhouse 
is featuring Abbott and Consuelo Meet The 
Zombies every 20 minutes from 6:30 to 9:30 on 
Saturday the 31st. 

“An’ all us other children, when the supper things 
is done,

We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest 
fun

A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales at Annie tells about,

An the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you, Ef you don’t watch 
out!” 

 Little Orphant Annie (1883)

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “Tablespoon of Love, Tablespoon of Laughter” is 
available there…

Christmas is coming! You’ll need gifts!

JANE P. CLOUGH

OCTOBER 23, 1922 – OCTOBER 4, 2015


Jane P. Clough (AKA Wilson) was 
born in Berlin, Wisconsin on Oct. 
23, 1922 and passed peacefully at 
her home on Oct. 4. 2015. Survived 
by her daughter, Jaymi K. Wilson of 
Sierra Madre, CA, younger brother, 
William Posorske of Arizona, and 
countless nieces and nephews. 

 Jane had a passion for many things: 
gardening, entertaining, football; 
most of all were family and friends. 
She was known for her unfailing 
thoughtfulness in remembering 
birthdays and special occasions. Jane 
touched people’s lives and was a true 
friend to so many regardless of their station. She 
was a leader, working for So. Pasadena School 
District for 40 years. As with her own 
children, she worked with the Scouts 
Program and volunteering at, or 
wherever needed. 

 Jane was loved by all who knew her 
for her wonderful qualities, smile and 
deep love of children. We will miss 
her deeply and are so very blessed 
that she touched our lives in so many 
special ways. 

 The greatest generation has lost one 
of its finest! LADY JANE, My Mom. 

 

Celebration Service will be held in the 
Spring of 2016. In lieu of flowers, please 
make donations to an educational fund for children 
in her name.

FAMILY FUN! OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
SUNDAYNOVEMBER 82-5 PMPhoto courtesy of David Nickoloff
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