Mountain Views News, Sierra Madre Edition [Pasadena] Saturday, March 11, 2017

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Mountain View News Saturday, March 11, 2017 


Walking Sierra Madre…The Social Side 

by Deanne Davis


“I don’t mind going back to daylight savings time. 
With inflation, that hour will be the only thing I’ve 
saved all year.” 

Victor Borge

“An extra yawn one morning in the springtime, an 
extra snooze one night in the autumn is all that we 
ask in return for dazzling gifts. We borrow an hour 
one night in April (or this year, March); we pay it 
back with golden interest five months later.” 

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill had a much better attitude about 
daylight savings, or daylight shifting as my walking 
buddy and official clock setter, John, would say. We 
wonder, year after year, if this is really necessary, 
and wish somebody somewhere would do away 
with it. Anyway, remember to set your clocks ahead 
an hour tonight as daylight savings is upon us again. 

 Walked down to Ascension Church last Tuesday 
to vote and were dazzled with the tiny green leaves 
on every barren tree. Spring is definitely coming, 
friends and neighbors. We put in some pansies 
and snapdragons yesterday and I’m pulling weeds 
everywhere I walk around our yard. I’m afraid we 
lost two avocado trees due to drought, one in the 
front and one in the back. Even after having been 
gloriously rained on, there’s no sign of leaves on 
them. Hate when this happens! My new Barbra 
Streisand rose has produced a bud and we can’t wait 
to see the flower when it blooms. The asparagus fern 
is wrapping it’s nasty greedy thorny stems around 
everything and one needs a haz-mat suit to get it off 
the mock orange, azaleas and gardenia bushes. Not 
a single daffodil yet and the Dutch Iris have created 
a forest of greenery but no signs of flowers to come. 
However, the camellia my Dad bought me about 15 
years ago, which I planted in the totally wrong spot, 
has bloomed for the second time in its life! My Dad 
would be so pleased.

 Did you see the little piece on Page 2 of last week’s 
Mountain Views News? About a new Craft Brewery 
coming to town? Went down to Montecito to check 
out where this is going to be and found the signs for 
RT Rogers Brewing Company in the first two units 
of that nice center on the south side of the street 
(38 Montecito) where Susan Wallis has her Stained 
Glass studio. What a delightful artist Susan is. She 
takes orders and does exquisite custom stained and 
leaded glass. If you haven’t met Susan and you’re 
thinking a stained glass panel in one of your doors 
would be a great idea, go see her. A craft brewery 
in there would be really neat and there’s the public 
parking lot right across the street. I’ll be talking to 
the RT Rogers Brewery guys soon, I hope!

 The Wistaria Festival is tomorrow and all I can say 
is I hope all our local wistaria, and most especially 
our world famous historic wistaria vine, work really 
hard to put out some flowers. I took a look at all my 
favorite wistaria spots: The one up on Grandview 
where this week’s picture was taken. It’s from last 
year and I know you can’t see the color, but trust me, 
it’s deliciously purple. It looks pretty good in front 
of city hall but the fence where it grows in front of 
Gooden School and in front of the Kensington are 
still thinking about blooming, not actually doing it. 
It’s going to be a beautiful day tomorrow so plan to 
spend the day around town for the car show, live 
music, a little shopping, shuttle trips up the hill to 
see the vine, and there will be food! Oh my yes! So 
many great places to dine ‘round town.

 I’ve got my Kindle copy of Rise of the Rocket 
Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From 
Missiles to the moon to Mars and I’ll be starting 
it today. Rocket Girls, of course, is our “One Book 
One City” book, the true story of the women of JPL 
who helped launch America into space. Quoting 
from our Library Newsletter, “In the 1940s and 
1950s, when then new JPL needed mathematicians, 
they recruited a group of young women who 
transformed rocket design, helped bring about the 
first American satellites, and made the exploration 
of the solar system possible.” I’m looking forward to 
starting this. Some of the Rocket girls lived and still 
live in Sierra Madre. You might even know one of 
them. 

 “The Waiting Room of Hope.” Don’t you love 
that! Friend Sue Nikas is finishing her new CD and 
that’s one of her titles. Here’s another nifty thought 
I got from a comic in the Times, “One regret that I 
am determined not to have is that I did not kiss you 
enough.” That’s by Daniel Ladinsky from “Darling, I 
love you.” 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

 “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter” 
is now available at 

Sunrise Books + Coffee at Pasadena First Church of 
the Nazarene – 

just down the road on Sierra Madre Blvd.

Kindle readers, give yourself the gift of: 

The Crown – An Easter Story It’s on Amazon.com 
on my book page!

Follow me on Twitter, too! https://twitter.com/@
playwrightdd

CITY OF SIERRA MADRE ANNOUNCES NEW CITY 
MANAGER, GABRIEL ENGELAND 

Sierra Madre, CA – After an extensive recruitment 
and interviewing many excellent candidates, 
the City of Sierra Madre has selected its top 
candidate—Gabriel Engeland--to serve the 
community as its new City Manager; The City 
Council unanimously selected Mr. Engeland, 
who will assume the post effective March 13, 2017. 
Gabriel has been on a City Manager “track” in his 
professional career for the past six years, and most 
recently has been serving the City of Trinidad, 
Colorado as its City Manager since 2015, where 
he oversaw a staff of 178 employees and a budget 
of $38.9 million dollars. Trinidad is a full-service 
city, including police, fire/paramedic, electric 
utility, water utility, waste water, gas, library, golf 
course, and landfill, in addition to the general 
fund services of public works, human resources, 
finance and budget, development and economic 
services; Trinidad has a population of 10,000 and 
a service area of approximately 15,000. Gabriel has 
a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from 
the University of Kansas (ranked #1 in US New s 
and World Report for city management and urban 
policy). 

 Mr. Engeland intends to fully engage with 
the community and make Sierra Made home 
with his wife and daughter. “I am excited to be 
part of team Sierra Madre and my wife and I are 
looking forward to our move to this wonderful 
community.” 

 Mr. Engeland will be taking over for the recently 
retired City Manager Elaine Aguilar who retired in 
December 2016 after serving as Sierra Madre’s City 
Manager for the past 9 years. Ms. Aguilar agreed 
to stay on as Interim City Manager until March 13, 
2017. 

2017 BOOKMARK CONTEST: 

WHY IS SIERRA MADRE SUPER? 

Local students are invited to enter the City 
Bookmark Contest and win cash prizes this 
month; March 1 – 31, 2017. 

 “Why is Sierra Madre Super?” is the theme. 
Children are asked to draw and write about what 
makes Sierra Madre unique and special to them. 
Artwork may be designed with any tools but must 
be completely original work. Entries should depict 
and describe specific places, events or people in 
Sierra Madre and express a love of the City. 

 Children in grades TK through 8th that attend 
school in Sierra Madre, live in Sierra Madre, or who 
have a Sierra Madre Public Library card are eligible 
to enter. Winning entries will be displayed in the 
Library and winners will receive a certificate and 
cash prize at a ceremony in their honor. Selected 
winning entries will be professionally printed. 

 Entry forms are available at the Sierra Madre 
Library, in the Library page of the City’s website, 
and at schools in Sierra Madre. Entries are due by 
March 31, 2017 at the Library. 

 For more information, contact Youth 
Services Librarian Christine Smart csmart@
cityofsierramadre.com 

 Read, Discover, Connect @ Sierra Madre Public 
Library, 440 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre, 
CA 91024, (626) 355-7186, www.cityofsierramadre.
com/departments/library 

We’d like to hear from you! 

What’s on YOUR Mind?

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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