Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 20, 2020

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 20, 2020 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis


“I believe in loyalty. When a person reaches an age they like, they should stick with it.” 

Eva Gabor


“A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day trip around the sun. 

Enjoy the trip, don’t miss anything!”

 Unknown

“We are only young once. That is all society can stand.” 

Bob Bowen

“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly,

and lie about your age.” 

Lucille Ball

Birthdays seem to be happening just about every day lately and they are all significant. Of 
course, many of them are celebrations of the lives of people who have graduated from here 
to heaven. 

Flag Day, June 14th, for instance, was my father-in-law’s birthday. He would have been 127

He’s been gone quite a long time, but my memories of him and my mother-in-law are so 
good that I wanted to share a little bit of them. He was a life-long member of the Gideon’s 
and must have given out thousands of little New Testaments in his lifetime. During WW2 
he was down at the train station as the young soldiers were taken out of Los Angeles to go to 
war, handing out New Testaments, shaking their hands, encouraging them, and praying for 
them. They lived, Jay and Leila Davis, all their lives together in the home that Leila’s father 
bought on Van Ness Avenue in Los Angeles when she and her family first moved here from 
Idaho when she was 14. She became a school teacher, specializing in adult education, and 
he worked for the County all his life. He took a walk daily in his neighborhood and was one 
of the people who left his world a little better than he found it, picking up trash along the 
way every day. I expect that the line of people who came to know Jesus as their Lord and 
Savior, because Jay Davis gave them the Good News, stretched for miles when he arrived in 
heaven to receive his crown and “well done, good and faithful servant.” They loved me and 
all our family. I had never met people like them before, and have been grateful all my life 
for the day John took me to meet them and they ran out the door to meet and welcome me.

On this date (June 16) in 1933 My best friend and Walking Sierra Madre buddy,

John Davis joyfully arrived on the planet!

John and I were married fifty years and his birthdays became more and more interesting as 
time went on because he made it very clear he didn’t want any more stuff. He let me refresh 
his wardrobe as soon as he realized I could buy all his clothes for him and he’d never have 
to go in another department store again. But as far as the children were concerned, what 
he wanted was for them to arrange something for them to do together. Go someplace, do 
something. He went to air shows with Leah, helped son, John, remodel a house, went on an 
outing to an aircraft carrier with Patti and grandson, Blake. We flew to Texas to celebrate 
birthdays with Crissy and Chris, had innumerable dinners, lunches, breakfasts to celebrate 
and all my memories of his birthdays involve lots of laughter, flocks of family, good times 
and good food.

We went on a hot air balloon ride to celebrate his 40th birthday, had a belly dancer and the 
party of the century at our house on Alegria for his 50th. Yep, friends and neighbors, epic 
good times.

I suspect his birthday in heaven today is the best one yet. Interestingly, when I opened 
Sarah Young’s devotional book, “Jesus Calling” today, the reading was really about him 
and his character, ending with his life verse, Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O man, what is 
good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to have mercy and to walk 
humbly with your God.” That was pretty much how John lived. Happy birthday my one and 
only love! The picture today, is one of us at the July 4th parade a few years ago. 

Another birthday I have to mention is my friend Margie Simon, my son-in-law, Dave’s 
mom. On July 2nd she will be 100 years old. She still maintains her own home, takes care 
of herself and, until Covid 19, volunteered every Monday at Cedars hospital. She is to be 
congratulated! 100 years old! Can you believe it!

One last thing, the cake John liked most for his birthday was apple cake so I’ll pass it along 
to you guys.

EASY APPLE CAKE

2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut in good sized chunks

1 cup sugar - Place apples in a bowl and add sugar. Let stand 30 min. (That part is 
really important!)

Add: 

1/4 cup oil

1 egg beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Blend well. 

Combine:

1 cup unsifted flour

1 generous tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. soda

1/4 tsp. salt 

Stir into apple mixture.

 

Add 1/2 cup or so chopped pecans or walnuts. Spoon into well-greased 8” square pan. 

Bake at 350, 45 to 50 minutes till cake tester inserted in middle comes out clean.

 

Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. Best served warm, and it doubles and 
triples beautifully. 

Take care of yourself this week, dear friends and neighbors. Be kind. Just be kind. 

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

Where you’ll find “Sunrises and Sunflowers Speak Hope”

And “A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon of Laughter”

Take a look at both of these books, stuffed with hope and the

Occasional good recipe, including this Apple Cake.

Blog: www.authordeanne.com

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


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