Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, October 29, 2016

THE GOOD LIFE

9

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 29, 2016 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS

HOW TO FIND AND HIRE A GOOD HANDYMAN 
OR CONTRACTOR


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! ….October Birthdays

Janda Ferris, Darlene Traxler, Margit Johnson, Sole Krieg, George Maurer, Dick 
Anderson, Barbara Cline, Eva Poet, Mary Jane Baker, Dixie Coutant, Cathleen 
Cremins, Alma Mays, Adie Marshall, Darlene Crook, Susan Gallagher, Maggie Ellis, 
Gloria Giersbach, Elva Johnson, Ellen O’Leary, Jenny Piangenti, Gail Ann Skiles, 
Anita Thompson, Linda Boehm and Angela Stella. 

* To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. YEAR of birth 
not required but you must be over 60.

...................................................................

ACTIVITIES: Unless listed differently, all activities are at the 
Hart Park House (Senior Center) 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

 

 

 YWCA San Gabriel Valley - Intervale Senior Cafe 

Seniors 60 years of age and up can participate in the YWCA Intervale daily lunch program held at the 
Hart Park House Senior Center. Meals are served Monday through Friday at 12:00 pm and participants 
are encouraged to arrive by 11:45 am. Meals are a suggested donation of $3.00 for seniors 60 and over 
or $5.00 for non-senior guests. Daily reservations are necessary, space is limited. Please reserve your 
lunch by calling 626-355-0256.

Tech Talk: Will resume in the fall. 

Hawaiian and Polynesian Dance Class: Every Tuesday morning from 10:00 - 11:00am. Join instructor 
Barbara Dempsey as she instructs you in the art of hula. 

Bingo: Every Tuesday beginning at 1:00 pm. Cards are only $0.25 each! Everyone is welcome to join. 
May be cancelled if less than 5 people. 

Free Blood Pressure Testing: 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11:00am - 12:00 pm. No appt. necessary. 

Chair Yoga: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 - 11:45am. A suggested donation of $5 at one of the 
classes is requested, but is not required. 

Case Management: Meets the second Thursday of the month. Case Management services are provided 
by the YWCA and provide assistance in a variety of areas. Appointments are required and can be 
scheduled by calling the HPH Office at 626-355-7394. 

Birthday Celebrations: Every second Thursday of the month at the Hart Park House. The free birthday 
cake is provided by the Sierra Madre Civic Club. 

 Game Day: Every Thursday starting at 12:00 pm. (Please note the time change.) A regular group of 
seniors play poker. Other games available for use. 

 Free Strength Training Class: Every Friday from 12:45 - 1:30 pm with Lisa Brandley. The class utilizes 
light weights for low impact resistance training. All materials for the class are provided. 

Senior Club: Every Saturday at the Hart Park House Senior Center. Brown bag lunch at 11:30am. 

LUNCH AND LEARN

Thurday, October 27th, 11:00am - 1:30pm

Medicare Annual Election Period is here. If you have any questions on your health plans, please 
come to the Medicare Resource Table at the Hart Park House on October 27th from 11:00 a.m. 
to 1:30 p.m. A licensed representative will be available to answer questions as well as gather 
information. No appointment necessary.

SENIOR EXCURSION - 

NOVEMBER EXCURSION

GRABER OLIVE HOUSE (ONTARIO)

Date: Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 
Time: 9:45am - 2:30pm 
Meeting Location: Hart Park House 
Cost: $10.00 (Does not include lunch)

Description: Founded in 1894, the historic Graber Olive House 
is located in a pleasant residential area north of Ontario’s 
Business District. Here in quiet and serene surroundings, 
visitors are welcomed and delighted to discover a bit of early California. Participants will take a guided 
tour of the facility and may browse leisurely in the gift shop which feature Graber Olives, fine goods, 
and gifts. Lunch will be on your own at Molly’s Souper. Please bring money for lunch and souvenirs if 
desired. Level of walking: Medium. Please call the Hart Park House 626-355-7394.


Dear Savvy Senior,

What’s the best way to find a good handyman or 
tradesman to do some work around the house? I’ve 
have had some bad luck lately with unprofessional 
workers who do shoddy work and charge too much.

Frustrated Senior

 

Dear Frustrated,

Hiring a good home repair handyman can be a bit 
of a crapshoot. How do you find someone who will 
return your calls, show up on time, do the job right 
and finish it, all at a fair price? Here are some tips 
that can help. 

 

Who to Call

While it may seem obvious, whom you call on 
for help will depend on what you need done. 
If, for example, you have a small home repair or 
improvement project that doesn’t require a lot of 
technical expertise, a handyman may be all you 
need. But if you have a job that involves electricity, 
plumbing, or heating or cooling systems, you’re 
better off going with a licensed tradesman. Bigger 
jobs like home renovations or remodeling may 
require a general contractor.

 Whatever type of work you need, the best way 
to find it is through referrals from people you 
trust. If your friends or family don’t have any 
recommendations turn to professionals in the field 
like local hardware or home improvement stores, 
or even real estate agents.

 The Internet can also help. Websites like 
HomeAdvisor.com can put you in touch with 
prescreened, customer-rated service professionals 
in your area for free. Or try AngiesList.com, a 
membership service that will connect you with 
contractors and service companies with various 
types of expertise for free. They provide ratings and 
reviews of local professionals who’ve done work for 
other members in your area, plus details about the 
type of work they’ve done, prices, professionalism 
and timeliness. They also offer an upgraded silver 
or gold membership for $25 or $100 per year, which 
offers discounts, a magazine, complaint resolutions 
and more.

 Another option for finding handyman services 
is through a local or national service company 
like MrHandyman.com, HouseDoctors.com or 
HandymanConnection.com. You’ll probably pay 
more going through a company than you would 
with an independent handyman, but service 
companies typically promise professional workers 
who are screened, licensed, bonded and insured. 

 To find local handyman services in your 
community check your yellow pages or go to any 
Internet search engine and type in “handyman” 
plus your city and state.

 

Things to Know 

Once you’ve located a few candidates, your next 
step is to get written estimates that list the materials, 
costs and details of the project. It’s a good idea to 
get at least three estimates from different sources 
to be sure you’re getting a fair deal. 

 Before hiring someone, check out his or her 
work history with your state consumer protection 
agency (go to usa.gov/state-consumer for a list) 
and the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org/council). 
You can also search the Web using the company or 
individual’s name and such words as “reviews” and 
“complaints.”

 You also need to find out if your candidates 
have an approved contractor or tradesman license. 
Using an unlicensed worker in a state that requires 
a license is dangerous – you’ll have little legal 
recourse if the job goes bad. (To see which states 
license contractors, visit contractors-license.org.) 
Contractorcheck.com is another good resource for 
researching local contractors.

 Also, ask to see their proof of insurance, which 
covers any damages they may cause while working 
on your home, and ask for several references from 
past jobs and check them.

 Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.


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


SPIKED!

Pets are kind of like 
grandchildren, in that you 
never think those belonging to 
other people are as cute as your 
own. That being said, please indulge me just this 
once, with an article about the CUTEST pet, my 
parent’s four month old bulbul!

 What on earth is a bulbul? I’m glad you asked! 
A bulblul is a songbird native to Asia, particularly 
India and the Philippines. A number of years ago 
bulbuls were introduced to this area and have 
thrived here ever since. They have a distinctive 
call that you can listen to on the Internet. Red 
Whiskered bulbuls have a crest on the top of their 
heads which resembles a spike, hence my parents’ 
pet’s name “Spike.”

 Despite his diminutive 
stature at 27 grams (that’s 
less than one ounce, and yes, 
they actually managed to 
weigh him), Spike lives up 
to all the spunk and defiance 
his name implies. One of his 
favorite past times is stealing 
food. We’ve come to realize 
his fascination with our food 
has nothing to do with taste 
--it’s all about the forbidden 
aspect of it. Case in point, 
when we have salads with 
tomatoes, Spike is all over 
them. But when my Dad 
puts the exact same tomato 
slices in his food bowl, he 
couldn’t care less.

 Over time, Spike has 
become more and more 
audacious when it comes 
to his food theft escapades. At first he just 
sneaked a crumb or two that were left from my 
Dad’s sandwich, but now he’s perched on his 
wrist, wrangling bits of cheese from between the 
bread! Not to mention the fact that he can be very 
territorial, bordering on violent. Sometimes if 
I’m eating something he wants he’ll peck my arm 
repeatedly. Good thing he’s as small as he is. If he 
were a wood pecker I’d think we’d be in trouble!

 It’s hard to get mad at Spike though, because 
he’s so tiny and somewhat feather-challenged. 
Although we still think he’s adorable, his tail is 
hideous, and he’s a little bald around his face. 
For the last three months we never saw a hint of 
red whiskers, but now the slightest bits of red are 
protruding under his eyes. It makes him look like 
he’s been out drinking all night.

 We first got Spike back in June around the 
insanely hot day when the big fire broke out. 
My parents’ neighbor found him and brought 
him over because he knows my parents are “bird 
people” (which is also code for “nuts.”). Like 
most new birds, Spike wouldn’t open his beak 
for liquid food from an eye dropper. But after 
we pried his lips apart and he tried it he lustily 
chirped for it all the time. One of the problems 
with keeping wild birds is the transition 
from baby to adult food, 
especially is adult food is 
live. You pretty much have 
to be retired to care for 
baby birds or bring them to 
work with you (Which I’ve 
actually done before! The 
kids at school got a big kick 
out of it.). Feeding birds 
live worms can be done, 
but it’s the sort of thing that 
requires some supervision 
if you don’t want escaped 
worms crawling around 
your house. Luckily for 
us we found dehydrated 
insects online! They even 
have a wide variety of dried 
bugs available for human 
consumption, which we’re 
not going to try in the near 
future, but it was interesting 
to see. Bulbuls can be prone to scurvy, since 
their bodies don’t manufacture vitamin C on 
their own. That’s why it’s important to make 
sure bulbuls have their diet supplemented with 
fruits that contain vitamin C. Good thing for us 
that Spike’s not a picky eater.

 Well, I could say more about my parents’ most 
recent addition, but I see that I’ve written more 
than two pages already, and I know how it is 
hearing about other people’s pets... So have a 
wonderful week and keep an eye out for bulbuls! 


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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