Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, August 8, 2020

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Mountain Views-News Saturday, August 8, 2020 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com


“Hello August! The first week of 
August hangs at the very top of 
summer, the top of the live-long 
year, like the highest seat of a Ferris 
wheel when it pauses in its turning. 
The weeks that come before are only 
a climb from balmy spring, and those 
that follow are a drop to the chill of 
autumn. But the first week of August 
is motionless, and hot. It is curiously 
silent, too, with blank white dawns 
and glaring noons and sunsets 
smeared with too much color.” 

Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting

“August in sub-Saharan Los Angeles 
is one of the great and awful tests of 
one’s endurance, sanity and stamina.” 
Henry Rollins

“Loud is the summer’s busy song. 
The smallest breeze can find a tongue, 
while insects of each tiny size grow 
teasing with their melodies, till 
noon burns with its blistering breath 
around, and day lies still as death.” 
John Clare

I’d say that’s a pretty accurate 
description of August. All we can do 
is move slowly, remember that only 
“Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun,” (Noel Coward); clip the burned leaves 
off our plants; water sparingly early in the morning and keep praying for that El Nino thing to 
show up this winter. 

“Hello August...can time slow down, please?”

We’ve all been immersed in the really too hot and miserable days when we could honestly say, 
“These are the times that try men’s (and women’s and children’s and dogs and cat’s) souls.” Of 
course, when Thomas Paine said that in 1776, he wasn’t talking about the weather. Now, the 
beginning of August, incurable optimists such as myself are ready to think a little bit about a 
cooler fall. I, personally, can’t wait for September to decorate for fall – get out all my pumpkins, 
start setting them around and wishing I’d bought that beautiful blown-glass pumpkin I saw at the 
Art Fair a couple of years ago. Can there really be too many pumpkins? And the answer to that is 
No! Sadly, there won’t be pumpkins and the Halloween festivities up on Alegria this year but I’m 
going to put a pumpkin picture up this week because it will be a good memory. 

One outdoor thing that is really working well is the al fresco dining up and down the boulevard. 
Folks are having a great time sitting outside, socially distanced, of course, but patronizing our 
restaurants and keeping them afloat. One of my favorite things has been sitting outside with a 
nice glass of wine and looking up at our own personal mountains. Besides, anything cooked by 
somebody other than one’s self is always delicious.

We continually offer thanksgiving to the fine minds who came up with air conditioning and, 
thanks to Wikipedia, here’s something you might not know about this best invention ever: The 
basic concept behind air conditioning is said to have happened in ancient Egypt, where reeds 
were hung in windows and moistened with trickling water. The evaporation of water cooled the 
air blowing through the window. Brilliant. This process also made the air more humid, which 
was beneficial in that dry desert climate. In ancient Rome, water from aqueducts was circulated 
through the walls of certain houses (think mansions) to cool them. 2nd century Chinese inventor 
Ding Huan of the Han Dynasty invented a rotary fan for air conditioning, with 7 wheels, 10 ft. in 
diameter, manually powered by prisoners of the time. Emperor Xuanzong (712-762) of the Tang 
Dynasty had the “cool hall” built in the imperial palace which used water-powered fan wheels 
for air conditioning, as well as rising jet streams of water from fountains. In the 17th century, 
Cornelis Drebbel “turned summer into winter” for James 1st of England by adding salt to water. 
And we, here in the 21st century just press a button and enjoy instant relief... thank you modern 
technology! We are beyond grateful!

I came across a nice wall hanging at my doctor’s office. It’s so great to see that kindness is being 
promoted these days among the younger set and bullying is simply not tolerated. It’s a shame that 
doesn’t extend to all areas of life...social media, for instance. Anyway, here it is:

K – Keep silent if it’s not kind

I – Interested – be interested in what others are doing

N – Never be mean

D – Demonstrate God’s love to everyone you meet

N – Notice something nice about those around you

E – Express gratitude for life itself

S – Speak encouragingly

S – See if you can help someone who is struggling/

If school ever starts again, if the world ever returns to normal again, if we can ever get closer than 
six feet to people, if we can ever let our faces show again, I hope we can just be kind!

Stay cool, dear friends and neighbors, keep that mask in place, don’t shake hands, wash yours 
frequently and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

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”

Both of these books are stuffed with hope and a good recipe or two.

There’s a new Emma Gainsworth Kindle novelette on the way but you can

Enjoy “Emma’s Etouffee Café” right now! It’s on Amazon.com, too.

You can follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/@playwrightdd

DRINKING AT HOME 101

The Suffering Bastard is a cocktail developed by a legendary barkeep Joe Scialom—best known 
for his time as head bartender at Shepheard's Long Bar in Cairo, Egypt—as a hangover cure for 
those particularly bad mornings the day after. The drink was made famous by its (potentially 
apocryphal) role in the Second Battle of El Alamein during World War Two.

 

As the story is told, the morning of the battle, the 
Hussar soldiers in Cairo were caught off guard by 
Rommel's forces after a night of particularly heavy 
drinking and debauchery. The army sent a cable 
to Scialom requesting an urgent delivery of several 
gallons of his famous hangover cure, the Suffering 
Bastard. He delivered, the soldiers recovered, and 
the Germans were kept at bay. The Second Battle 
of El Alamein was a turning point in the North 
African campaign. It ended the long fight for the 
Western Desert and was the only great land battle won by the British and Commonwealth 
forces without direct American participation. Go USA! Three cheers for American General 
Paton who took over from here.

 

Ingredients

 

1 ounce gin

1 ounce cognac

4 ounce ginger beer, chilled

1/2 ounce Rose's lime juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters

 

Garnish: Orange slice and mint sprig

Old-Fashioned Glass

 

Directions

 

1. Add the gin, cognac, Rose's lime juice and bitters to a cocktail shaker with ice and 
shake until well mixed and chilled.

2. Stir the ginger beer into shaker.

3. Pour into a double Old-Fashioned glass—Do not strain.

4. Garnish with an orange slice and sprig of clapped mint.

 

ChefSecret: Here is a handy Unit Conversions list in case you missed that class in bartender’s 
school.

 

1 oz = 30 ml

1 cl = 10 ml = 1/3 oz

1 standard jigger = 1.5 oz = 45 ml

1 barspoon = ~1 teaspoon = ~5 ml

1 tablespoon = 0.5 oz = 15 ml

1 cup = 8 oz

1 liter = ~4.25 cups = ~34 oz

1 gallon = ~3.8 liters = 5 750ml bottles

Juice of one lime = ~1 oz = ~30 ml

Juice of one lemon = ~1.5 oz = ~45 ml

 

Tune into Go Country 105 FM this Sunday Morning at 8 AM


SIERRA MADRE POLICE BLOTTER 

July 26 to August 1, 2020

During this period the Sierra Madre Police Department 

responded to 236 calls for service.

Vehicle Tampering

A resident in the 600 block of Fairview Ave. reported that sometime between 
7/26/20 at 3:00PM and 7/27/20 at 9:30AM, unknown person(s) ransacked his vehicle 
that was parked in the driveway. Nothing of value was missing from the vehicle.

Case to Detectives

Stolen Vehicle

On 7/27/20 officers were dispatched to the 2000 block of Liliano Dr. at about 
4:19PM for the report of a stolen vehicle. The resident parked his vehicle in his 
garage at about 1:40PM, when he was about to leave at about 4:10PM he saw that 
his vehicle was missing and notified police. Case to Detectives

Theft from a Vehicle

On 07/29/20 at 3:20PM, officers responded to a theft from vehicle in the 500 block 
of Santa Anita Ct. The resident saw a late model white Dodge Charger stop in front 
of the location and two suspects exit the driver and passenger side doors. The driver 
approached the victim's vehicle and entered the unlocked driver's side door. The 
suspect ransacked the vehicle and took personal items. Case to Detectives

Traffic Collision

Officers responded to the intersection of E. Orange Grove Ave and Rancho Rd. at 
5:19PM on 7/29/20 for the report of a traffic collision. One person was evaluated by 
SM Fire Department personnel and taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Theft from a residence

A resident came in to the station lobby to file a report of a stolen telescope from 
the front porch in the 200 block of W. Montecito Ave. that occurred on 7/30/20 
between 10:00PM and midnight. Case to Detectives


PLANT SALE 
FUNDRAISER!

 Support the Sierra Madre Rose Float 

Association by purchasing flowers, edibles, 
and succulents.

Specialty plants including longevity spinach!

Some fertilizer and tomato cages are available.

9 am to 11 am every Saturday 

until plants run out!

Check the website or updates

YMCA Sierra Madre Recreation 

Center Garden 

611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre

(Enter on the east side at the northeast corner) 

Suggested donations start at $5.00

Proceeds benefit SMRFA and the YMCA

Masks and social distancing required

We hope you’ll come support our non-profits 
and go home with some terrific new plants!

Sierra Madre Rose Float Association

587 E Sierra Madre Bl

Sierra Madre CA 91024

(626) 355-7005


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