I can see clearly now

Looking back on my life in glasses

I was in fourth grade when fate joined me with prescription glasses.

I was sitting in the last row of the classroom, as far from the blackboard and teacher as possible. This wasn’t necessarily my choice; although I tend to be a backbencher by nature, the fact that my last name begins with “W” generally resulted in a spot in the back of every classroom with my bottom-of-the-alphabet compadres.

(I would imagine, what with all of the political correctness these days, the “Ws” are no longer exclusively relegated to the back of the class. But I digress …)

Something new was in the works that day: A class project was on the pull-down screen in front of the blackboard, and the teacher took turns ensuring we were engaged/awake by randomly calling on us to read portions of the assignment.

Reading wasn’t a problem for me, as you can probably imagine from my line of work, and soon it was my turn. Immediately, I began stumbling over one word after another.

First, I was frustrated. Then I was embarrassed. Then I was silent.

Maybe the teacher saw me squinting. Maybe she had a hunch. But in what presumably was an attempt to help, she methodically moved me up one seat in the row, and then another, and then another, as I continued to stumble over the words.

Now, I have to admit that by the time I was temporarily seated in the front row having displaced four or five chuckling classmates along the way — my reading difficulty was more a function of water in my eyes than my inability to see the screen.

Regardless, the teacher sent home a note suggesting my parents have my eyesight checked out.

Soon thereafter, I was selecting my first set of prescription glasses from among the five or so “youth” options available at Duling Optical in Detroit Lakes, Minn. Those black horn-rimmed beauties went through a lot with me — touch football games, Little League baseball, my first (and last) junior high dance, lots of good and some less-than-good grades, and the usual other collection of school-age fun.

I’ve worn glasses every day since, with 12 or so months off for contacts my first year in college — I wanted to make a good impression, I suppose, as if wearing glasses was really a life-changing negative.

It turned out the original “hard” contacts, combined with the wind and cold of Chicago mornings, just weren’t for me.

Every five or so years since, I’ve wound up with either a new set of frames, lenses or — pocketbook willing — both.

And that’s a long-winded way of explaining why my column picture looks different today. Maybe you noticed; maybe you didn’t.

The photo needed to be changed anyway. A few months ago, someone recognized me in a restaurant and suggested I didn’t look like myself.

“Your hair looks a lot whiter in person than it is in the magazine,” she told me, simply stating the obvious.

So now I will gaze out at you with whiter hair, a lighter beard and a new set of glasses.

I can see a lot better with these glasses, too, so it should be easier for me to connect with you now that I’ll be able to see more clearly if you’re wearing glasses or not.

To see The progression of rick Wamre’s frame fashion since elementary, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search: glasses.

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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Gaston-Garland shopping center

After Lincoln Property Co. semirevealed its plans for the GastonGarland shopping center, here’s a sampling of what people had to say.

To read about the plans, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search “Lincoln.”

“It is unfortunate that no one can have a vision for what I consider to be the gateway for all of Lakewood, East Dallas and Forest Hills. It could become a known landmark that houses many amenities and with a second or third story, if zoning permitted, could have one of the most beautiful views of White Rock Lake. I still believe a bridge over to the lake would be an enhancement. I’ll keep hoping that one day that corner gets the credit it deserves instead of always being labeled an eyesore. It deserves more than that.”

–Valengland1

“With the running, biking, walking, kayaking, canoeing, rowing, sailing, and hiking that happens all around our lake and neighborhoods... don’t you think an REI store would be ideal fit? Thisarea is such a great place already & to come in with status quo development just does not fit fabric of our community.”

–Bmw Biker

“‘Once Lincoln updates the site, it won’t change for years, probably decades.’ This is the real problem. At this point I’d rather see them do nothing (maybe kick out the dance club) and let it go to rot. At least then it’d be affordable space for wacky ideas.” – Los_Politico

“So short sighted of Lincoln that it is hard to fathom. So much potential, being squandered. The city should try to intervene here to pressure Lincoln to rethink its plans.”

“Many neighbors agree with you and would like to see a better plan. What’s the best way to organize and accomplish this?” – amc

“Raise a bunch of money, buy it, and then put your money where your mouth is.”

Regional chain coming to our corner of Lakewood

In February, Advocate president Rick Wamre posted a blog on advocatemag. com about a regional/ national chain that could soon be built on the longvacant former site of Mustang Auto at the northwest corner of Abrams and Richmond. The guessing game has begun for what it will be. Via the process of elimination, we at Advocate are betting on Chipotle.

For more, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search “Chipotle.”

“Lakewood is in serious danger of losing its character and becoming just another faux, post-yuppie stretch in Dallas. Not happy about this at all.”

Blevy

“I’m not defending a Chipotle moving into LW, but Jack in the Box, Philly Connection, The Dixie House (Black Eyed Pea), Pacuiggo, Cantina Laredo, Radio Shack, etc. have been there for years and they aren’t really what I consider the building blocks of neighborhood character. Even Whole Foods is a yuppie chain grocer from Austin. In the end, it’s a shame that a local business couldn’t make sense enough of the location to have it developed, but I don’t think this marks the beginning of the end. If you think so, then I think you missed the other beginnings of the end that have occurred over the past two decades. Just my opinion.” – Eric Holmes

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It’s a wild world

Wily coyotes, road kill-relishing possums and shifty armadillos explained Coyotes frequently are spotted hanging around populated running/biking trails and neighborhood parks, and if you’ve heard their howls, you know the racket can disturb a quiet evening with the effectiveness of a siren. Urban wildlife is simultaneously fascinating and frightening. If we are to peacefully cohabitate with the local fauna, we need to better understand wildlife habits and characteristics. Master naturalist Bonnie Bradshaw — who founded nonprofit DFW Wildlife as well as 911 Wildlife, a company that partners with the City of Dallas to tackle wildlife dilemmas — explains a few things:

Coyotes aren’t going to hurt you, and coyote cat murder is overstated.

There is a fascinating study going on in Chicago. Today they have tagged and are tracking 360 urban coyotes. The findings in that study reflect what we see around here. Coyotes have adapted to living in residential neighborhoods. Their main food source is rodents. There are more rodents in developed neighborhoods. Therefore, coyotes will live longer, produce more offspring and those offspring will live longer in residential areas. They are not a threat to people. They occasionally will take a cat or small dog, but their danger to pets is greatly exaggerated. Cats make up less than 1 percent of the coyote diet. Cats are far more likely to be killed by a car. They could also become prey to a great horned owl or a bobcat.

Coyotes are out and about right now. A couple of things go on that you might notice. For one, they react to the seasons. Like us, they don’t want to be out during Texas summers, so you won’t see them much then. In the fall, winter and spring, they could be out any time of day. The coyote is extremely intelligent and has learned that humans in the city are no threat.

In a rural area, someone will shoot them if they show themselves. Here, people will just pull out their cameras and shoot photos.

Coyotes are clever.

I would say they are smarter than your typical domestic dog. They have learned traffic patterns and patterns of homeowners and house pets. They find the properties with overflowing birdfeeders and fruit trees. Some people don’t know that a significant part of their diet is fruit. They thrive on a wide variety of food they find in the neighborhood.

That torturous noise is the sound of love.

The Latin name for coyote is canis iatrans, which means singing dog. The coyote has 12 different vocalizations, some of them torturous to our ears, but to them it is a mating call. Two coyotes can sound like a dozen or more. Coyote mating season starts sometime around mid-February. Valentine’s Day. That sound you heard was probably coyote love.

To make a coyote leave, yell and withhold food.

Over the past 250 years, man has tried various means — hunting, trapping, killing, moving — to rid urban areas of wolves and coyotes, but for coyotes it has had the opposite effect. The more we do to try to eliminate them or force them into hiding, the more they breed. The best way to eliminate them is to eliminate food. Don’t leave pet food outside. Don’t leave overflowing bird feeders. Eradicate any den sites. Often they will build a den under a shack or a porch. And finally, we can use aversion conditioning. When one is following you, or sitting on your lawn, yell at it. Throw something at it. Teach it to flee from hu- mans. If someone has fed them, they will follow people, hoping to be fed.

That sound in your attic is …

If you hear scampering in your attic, it is a squirrel. If it sounds like a person running around up there, it is a raccoon. They are large and clumsy.

That cacophony in your chimney is …

Probably chimney swifts. They are very loud but very tiny. They are one of four birds totally dependent on human structures. Their little feet are incapable of perching, so they do everything in flight. They construct nests from tiny twigs. They will leave for winter. If they take up in your chimney, I suggest putting an old blanket in the damper to quiet the noise.

Possums can’t get rabies. And they eat poop.

Most common concerned calls we get are about coyotes, bobcats and possums. Especially possums. People are terrified that they are carrying rabies. But possums don’t carry rabies. In fact they are nice to have around. They are like a little neighborhood sanitation crew. They eat road kill and other nasty stuff such as dog excrement. They eat roaches and other things we don’t necessarily want to see.

Possum: “I was set up!”

A lot of people call and say a possum is digging up their yard. I tell them the possum was framed. The armadillo did it.

Relax. That giant snake is harmless. The most common snake is a rat snake. It’s 99 percent of what we see in this area. And they can be as big as six feet long, which can be pretty intimidating. But they are not aggressive toward people. Again, keeping the snakes away is a matter of keeping the food sources away. Snakes eat rodents. Rodents eat trash, pet food and birdseed.

—Christina Hughes Babb

Explanations have been edited for brevity.

IF YOU HAVE A WILDLIFEISSUE, contact 911 Wildlife through 911wildlife.com or at 214.368.5911.

TO READ ABOUT RACCOONS and the distemper epidemic in Dallas, visit advocatemag.com search distemper.

Not just a job, a lifestyle

Virginia Chandler Dykes, who lived more than 30 years in Lakewood, was a child when her parents died in a car accident, and her grandparents ultimately raised her. “My grandmother always told me, ‘Get a good education and no one can take that away from you,’” she says. Dykes received her bachelor’s degree in art and psychology from Southern Methodist University in 1952. “There wasn’t much you could do with those degrees,” she laughs. Out of curiosity she met with Fanny Vanderkoi, Texas Women’s University’s first head of occupational therapy. “I talked with her in her office, and she said that I was going to be an occupational therapist. It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Dykes says. She completed the program in two years and went on to be director of Baylor University Medical Center’s occupational and recreational therapy department for the next 25 years. “That was at a time when they were really building up Baylor,” she says. Dykes led several departments and clinics ranging from psychiatry to hand splinting. After noticing all the women gathering together to chat after dropping off their husbands, who were stroke patients, Dykes decided to form the first support group, called Boomerang. “The patients and wives really got behind it. We even had a crest made,” she says with pride. Dykes didn’t stop there, she also went on to create the Virginia Chandler Dykes endowed scholarship fund for TWU therapy students at her alma matter, with the help of her husband. The scholarship was a hit, and a friend suggested adding a program to honor outstanding clinicians. “Then I thought, why don’t we just expand this to involve all leaders in the community?” she says. After getting the OK from Ann Stuart, TWU chancellor and president, in 2002 she started the Virginia Dykes Leadership Award. Dykes has so far honored people such as Susan and Charles Cooper, Marnie and Kern Wildenthal, Myrna D. Schlegel and Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, and T. Boone Pickens. What started off with a collection of about 100 people in a medium-sized room at the inaugural award ceremony has turned into a group of 400 in celebration of the event. Recently Dykes’ husband died, and she’s looking for yet another goal to keep her busy. “To enable young people to achieve their dreams has been a joy to me and my beloved husband,” she says.

—Monica S. Nagy