Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, September 14, 2019

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, September 14, 2019 


WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side by Deanne Davis

“Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I 
like it.”

“Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more 
elegant, every day more civilized.”

“Wine...is sunlight held together by water.” Galileo

 “There comes a time in every woman’s life when the 
only thing that helps

is a glass of champagne.” Bette Davis

“The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the 
largest global provider of wine qualifications, launched 
the first ever global “Wine Education Week” from 
September 9-15, 2019 as part of their 50th anniversary. 
Wine Education Week aims to engage with the 
growing population of wine consumers worldwide, 
encouraging them to learn more about wine.”

To quote myself from “Deanne’s Philosophy of Life, 
#11, A nice cup of tea makes you feel better....so does a 
nice glass of champagne.” Bette Davis and I completely 
agree but I’ll never understand what possessed her to 
make that really awful 1962 movie with Joan Crawford, 
“Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?” Here’s what 
Roger Ebert, the movie reviewer, said: “Davis was 
nothing if not courageous, as she abandoned all shreds 
of vanity and overacted her heart out. Crawford plays 
the quieter, kinder, more reasonable sister -- and, it 
must be said, the less interesting.” 

But that’s not what we’re talking about today, we’re 
talking about Wine Education Week. I have found 
that the wine guy at Trader Joe’s is really helpful when 
you’re standing there in front of 7,000 bottles of wine 
and your best indicators to yourself are that you don’t 
want to pay more than about $8.00 or $9.00 for a bottle 
and you like Merlot. I suspect that the WSET folks 
would be horrified to hear that I put ice cubes and 
occasionally sparkling water in my Merlot. Of course, 
Merlot from Trader Joe’s is a big step up from Spanada, 
which was a really cheap sort of fizzy red wine popular 
among people with no money back in the ‘70’s, which 
would certainly describe John and me at that time. 
Amazingly, those green glass Spanada wine bottles 
are now collector’s items! A little Merlot with ice 
and a bowl of popcorn is a nice way to finish off the 
day when the groceries are put away, the laundry is 
chugging away in the washer, and you don’t have to go 
anywhere else. 

Now that I’ve looked at that Philosophy of Life again 
for the first time in a while, I think I’ll share it with you 
friends and neighbors. It should make you smile!

I Learned It All The Hard Way, and It’s All Subject to 
Change Without Notice Philosophy of Life

1. God is good and loves us in spite of ourselves.

2. Life is wonderful...and certainly beats the heck out 
of the alternative.

3. Keeping your teeth tightly clenched today will 
probably save you from having to do a big bunch of 
apologizing tomorrow.

4. The smell of cinnamon lifts the spirits.

5. A little onion helps most recipes and, speaking of 
recipes, never start one that lists as a first ingredient 
any of the following: 2 cups of heavy cream, any 
amount of leftover mashed potatoes, kohlrabi, beets 
or pig’s feet, pickled or otherwise.

6. Marriage is a lot of fun, especially if you don’t insist 
on having your way all the time.

7. Having your own way is a lot of fun!

8. Children do eventually grow up and some of them 
even move out!

9. Worrying doesn’t change anything except it makes 
you cranky and gives you wrinkles.

10. E-mail is fabulous, you can keep up with everyone 
you know, no matter where in the world they are, 
without having to locate a stamp.

11. A nice cup of tea makes you feel better....so does a 
nice glass of champagne.

12. One tomato plant in a big pot, in a sunny spot on 
your front porch will give you enough satisfaction, and 
tomatoes, to last you all summer and fall.

13. Dieting makes you almost as cranky as worrying 
and is usually just about as effective.

14. It is not possible to eat one peanut, one tortilla 
chip, one chocolate chip cookie. It is possible to eat 
one carrot, one piece of broccoli or one brussel sprout. 
Actually, it’s possible never to eat a brussel sprout.

15. “Please,” “thank you,” “I’m sorry,” and “you were 
right” are always very sweet to hear, and a real plus in 
getting along with others.

16. Telling the complete and total truth in all situations 
makes other people want you to stay home by 
yourself....Honest!

17. Learning to enjoy football is far more rewarding 
than complaining about it.

18. Early morning walks, complimenting the Creator 
on His handiwork, are a great way to start the day.

19. Exercise feels wonderful...when it’s over.

20. A good steak once in a while is fabulous, so let 
my arteries fend for themselves, and pass me that A-1 
sauce while I still have my teeth!

21. It is possible to learn to program whatever recording 
device you’ve got, or just ask a kid.

22. Praying does wonders for your attitude about any 
situation, whether it changes the situation or not.

23. If you floss your teeth and rotate your tires they’ll 
both last longer. Smiling makes your face last 
longer.

24. If discouraged, disappointed, disgusted or 
dismayed, go back to #1: God is good and loves us in 
spite of ourselves.

Have a wonderful week, dear friends!

“SUNRISES & SUNFLOWERS SPEAK HOPE” 

is a great gift for yourself or someone you love! 

Look for it on my book page: 
Amazon.com: Deanne Davis 

Star of Wonder the CD is now on TuneCore! Take a 
look! Blog: www.authordeanne.com

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

49TH ANNUAL LIBRARY WINE AND CUISINE 
TASTING BENEFIT AT ALVERNO

Don’t’ miss the 49th Annual Wine and Cuisine Tasting benefit on Friday, September 27, 2019 
at the historic Villa del Oro at Alverno High School, located at 200 N. Michillinda Avenue, 
Sierra Madre. Tickets are now on sale at: the Sierra Madre Library, The Bottle Shop, Savor 
the Flavor, and Arnold’s Hardware or online at sierramadrelibraryfriends.org and eventbrite.
com.

The benefit will include the Premier Event from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., which is limited to 100 
guests. Guests at the Premier Event will be served premium wines from Riboli Family Wine 
Estates/San Antonio Winery. Appetizers will be provided by Sierra Fusion and Poppy Cake 
Baking Company. Well-known magician Richard Freeman plans to entertain. All premiere 
participants will have access to Main Event.

The Main Event is from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. and is limited to 400 guests. It will offer domestic 
and international wines and beers, food from fine local restaurants, door prizes, live music, 
Magic Castle magicians and a Silent Auction. 

The proceeds of this event help support the Library’s programs for children and adults 
throughout the year. For more information about the event or Friends of the Sierra Madre 
Library visit our website at www.sierramadrelibraryfriends.org.

Join us for our tasting, auction, music, magicians and just plain fun! 

KATIE Tse....This and That

PODS IN THE PARK

 
Few experiences compare 
with the thrill of watching iconic 
Sierra Madre cinematic classic, 
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” 
But if one could gild the lily, 
watching it in the park amongst 
similar-minded Sierra Madreans 
fits the bill. Unfortunately for 
you, if you’re reading this now 
it’s too late. They showed it in 
the park last Friday. But with any 
luck, the city will do it again next 
year, and we can all relive the magic together!

 “Body Snatchers” is one of those things in the “You 
know you’re a Sierra Madrean if...” category. Along 
with Mary’s Market, the Mount 
Wilson Trail race, and memories 
of Bean Town before it expanded 
to its current size (Bonus points for 
shopping at Robert’s Market and 
Little Stuga. Extra bonus points 
for recalling the Texaco station and 
lumber yard). 

 This 1956 gem stars Kevin 
McCarthy as protagonist Dr. Miles 
Bennel, with Dana Wynter as love 
interest, Becky Driscoll. It’s your 
typical sci-fi mystery thriller with 
all the corny effects you’d expect. Here’s the plot in a 
nutshell, or should I say --a pod! 

 Aliens are invading Earth by pollinating the planet 
with pods containing blank prototype human bodies. 
These bodies assume your features until they resemble 
you completely, at which point they “take you over” 
when you fall asleep. 

 The “pods” are sleeping bag-sized leafy shells that 
start foaming as they mature. (I think they used dish 
soap.) When ripe, they burst open and the body inside 
flops out like a blow-up doll.

 The movie opens to Miles frantically trying to 
convince the police that the world is ending. But that’s 
not how the story starts. It all began a week ago, when 
Miles met Becky in his office in Santa Mira. There’d be 
nothing noteworthy about this encounter, except that 
it’s about nine in the morning, and Becky is wearing a 
low (I mean LOW) cut dress with what appear to be 
tissue wads barely containing her assets. She sports 
this outfit for the next half-hour of the film, the men 
making a conscious effort to look her straight in the 
eye.

 Miles’ friends, Jack and Teddy (that’s a woman) 
Belicec, call him up after Jack discovers a seemingly 
dead body that starts to bear a striking resemblance to 
himself. Miles inspects the body laid out on Jack’s pool 
table while they all smoke and get a couple rounds of 
bourbon. 

 Becky’s distraught, so Miles gives her a couple pills 
to go with her drink. He is a doctor, after all. Nearly 
every scene has someone lighting up, tipping back a 
nightcap, and/or popping pills. The 50’s sure must’ve 
been something... 

 Other highlights include a great scene where Miles, 
Becky, Jack, and Teddy discover bursting pods in the 
Belicec greenhouse. Jack wastes little time stabbing the 
sudsy pod-people with a pitchfork.

 While “Invasion of the Body 
Snatchers” is a must-see in it’s own 
right, it’s unique because many 
scenes were filmed in Sierra Madre! 
(Prominent footage of Kersting 
Court, Sierra Madre Blvd., and Hotel 
Shirley.) When my parents saw it last 
Friday, they said everyone cheered 
when Kersting Court came on. 

 My parents had a great time, of 
course. However, they got there at 7, 
when it was advertized to start. But 
it was still light out. While waiting for it to get dark 
enough to show the movie, they noticed a table where 
people were painting pods. 

 My parents kept waiting to see what purpose these 
pods would serve. Would people dance with them? 
Had someone composed a “If You’re a Sierra Madrean 
and You Know it, Slap a Pod” song or something? 
Nope. At least, nothing my parents could tell from 
casual observation. Maybe the pod-painters took 
them home for Halloween decorations. Whatever 
their purpose, I think it’s a charming idea. Because 
you know, what better way to express your Sierra 
Madre-ness than painting a pod for no other reason 
than the pure joy of it!

 *Wanna’ know what else was created in Sierra 
Madre? My novel, “A Year at Apex!” While not as 
thrilling as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “Apex” 
still has humor, romance, the human condition, public 
education, and enough sarcasm to keep you chuckling 
through the last page. Check out the paperback and 
ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble! 

 
Walter Cailleteau, DVM Free Exam!
927 N. Michillinda Ave. For New Clients 
Pasadena, CA 91107 Bring this coupon to save! 
(626) 351-8863
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