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Thursday, December 31, 2020

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Volume 67 | Number 18

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THE DESERT MOBILE HOME NEWS CELEBRATING THE DESERT COMMUNITIES FOR 65 YEARS

Shop, Dine and Play Local: Supporting our local business community in a time of need

In This Issue

Senior News.........................................2 Veterans Post.......................................6 Paws Corner.........................................4 Good Housekeeping.............................8

By Alison Elsner

ith the right perspective and a positive attitude, we can still look forward to celebrating the new year in the midst of a pandemic. This year, the name of the game is creating a sense of solidarity, and if you look in the right places, you will find a plethora of fun and dynamic ways to support Coachella Valley businesses while enjoying the best in gifts, quality products and dining. Local restaurants have adjusted big time to take-out and delivery, many offering full menus and even to-go cocktail options. The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism has launched a new campaign about locals supporting locals called, “We Are Palm Springs.” The campaign focuses on unity — paying tribute to the connection between our business owners and the community. The underlying message is that Palm Springs is more than just a destination -- it’s the people that hold our community together. From unique restaurants and resorts, we are reminded to shop, dine and play local. For more information on the campaign, go to: VisitPalmSprings.com/we-arepalm-springs.

The Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is encouraging people to order take-out for your next meal. Honestly, what could be better than sampling the best cuisine to be found while getting to enjoy it in your sweats while binge watching shows on one of the many streaming services or catching a favorite flick at home? Visit: greaterpalmsprings. com/stay-in-take-out/ to find restaurants offering take-out, curbside pickup, delivery and deals for to-go orders. Delivery services like Grub Hub, Post Mates, Uber Eats and Door Dash will deliver, but it’s really important that you try to order and pick up from the restaurants directly so that the third-party delivery services aren’t cutting into the fees that should be directed towards the restaurants who are working hard to stay open and keep staffs employed on regular schedules. The CVB also offers a way to support families in the tourism and hospitality industries facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 with a donation to the Hospitality Workforce Relief Fund. More than 50,000 jobs are supported by tourism in the Coachella Valley, and we all know that this industry has been

devastated by the COVID-19 crisis. The Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation is asking for support with a donation of any size. One hundred percent of each donation will provide economic relief to local families. To donate, please go to: visitgreaterpalmsprings.com/ hospitality-workforce-relief-fund. Another option is to take advantage of gift card programs. Businesses across the spectrum and the desert are participating, including stores like Kreem, Tiny Bubbles Salon, Townie Bagels, Panache Optical Gallery, Antique Galleries of Palm Springs, Four Seasons Massage, Crystal Fantasy, Destination PSP, Bouschet Liquor Store, and of course dozens of restaurants like Eight4Nine, TRIO Palm Springs, Haus of Poke, Sherman’s Deli, Mod Café, Pomme Frite, Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, The Grill on Main and so many more. We all have the ability to directly impact the outcomes for many of our local businesses. It’s important that now, more than ever before, we step up and give back to the merchants and business owners who make this Coachella Valley so special as a travel destination and a remarkable place to live. Let’s all look at the martini glass half full as we begin 2021!

1. GEOGRAPHY: What is the capital of the Canadian province British Columbia? 2. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which university or college has sports teams with the nickname “Golden Gophers”? 3. MEASUREMENTS: How many cups equal 1 quart? 4. TELEVISION: What was the name of the mansion in the TV series “Dark Shadows”? 5. ANATOMY: What are the tissues that hold bones together? 6. SCIENCE: What is the study of plants called? 7. MOVIES: What are the main food groups, according to Buddy in the movie “Elf”? 8. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is the scientific adjective used to describe fish? 9. CURRENCY: What is the basic currency of Haiti? 10. INVENTIONS: Who is credited with the invention of vaccines? © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc. ANSWER TO TRIVIA ON PAGE 6

• The average person will grow 590 miles of hair in their lifetime. Nose hairs alone contribute 6.5 feet of that.

• On Earth you need heat to fuse metal, but in space, due to the lack of atmosphere, two pieces of the same kind of metal will fuse together with just a little pressure in a process called cold welding. • Liquids can boil and freeze at the same time.

• Digging a hole to China is possible if you start in Argentina. • While adult giraffes usually sleep standing up, their offspring get more comfortable by hunkering down on the ground and taking advantage of their extraflexible necks, twisting around to plop their heads on their own posteriors.

• The U.S. government gave Indiana University $1 million to study memes. • Caffeine, which is found in tea leaves, guarana berries, kola nuts and, of course, coffee beans, acts as a natural pesticide. It overloads the nervous systems of insects that try to eat the plants containing it, paralyzing and even killing them before they can do too much damage. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

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WORD SEARCH The Best You Can Do

ANSWER TO WORD SEARCH ON PAGE 6

BAG

GIFT

RECIPIENT

BOX

GREETING

RETAIL

BUDGET

HOLIDAYS

RIBBONS

CONSIDERATE

IDEA

SHOPPING

COWORKER

LIST

STORE

DECORATE

PRIZE

TISSUE

FAMILY

PURCHASE

UNWRAP

FRIENDS

RECEIPT

WRAPPING PAPER

ANSWER ON PAGE 6

Staff Cindy Melland Publisher Kimberly Brucks Advertising Manager KBrucks@desertentertainer.com

Jose De La Cruz Senior Graphic Designer news@desertmobilehomenews.com

Serving 110 Mobile Manufactured Home and RV Parks in the Coachella, Morongo and Yucca Valley for 65 years. The Mobile Home News is a household tradition for the 55+ manufactured home park and RV Park population. Available at clubhouses and racks in manufactured home parks. Also available in many area businesses and senior centers. Businesses or private parties interested in advertising to the 55+ community please call 760-365-3315. Published Thursdays by Hi-Desert Publishing Company. News, photos or editorial submissions or story ideas should be sent to news@desertmobilehomenews.com All delivery issues should be directed to Ahkto Distribution at distribution@ahkto.com or call 760-459-4204

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A show of hands, please. Is anybody else getting worn out by the current state of our lives? Is there anything we can do about it? All I wanted was a package of socks. That shouldn’t be hard. In the past, once a year or so, I’d stroll into the local big-box store, grab a package off the shelf (especially happy when I found a bonus pack with 2 extra pairs in it), pay for it and walk out. And now? Now I can’t find them anywhere. I don’t dare walk into stores just to wander around, so I’m left to do my hunt on the internet. These particular socks are nowhere to be found ... except for the ones at three times the price on Amazon. Then there was the phone call from a neighbor, in the middle of

December 31, 2020

my hunt, describing a new family panic. A family member is undergoing serious medical treatment. They just learned that his nurse tested positive for COVID. Is anyone else tired of the need for constant vigilance because of COVID? The inability to acquire basic goods and sometimes food? The constant sad stories of seniors who are in rehab centers who haven’t had visitors in months? That’s probably what breaks my heart the most, all those lonely seniors in nursing homes or retirement centers. I can’t do anything about the state of the world, but I can do this: Over the next week I’m going to send individual notes and cards to the residents of a local nursing home. I got all their first names and last initials from the facility director, and I’ve ordered a big box of miscellaneous greeting cards. Each one will get a note and a cheery card from me. Maybe it will help brighten their day for a few minutes. It’s the best I can do. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc

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December 31, 2020

• On Jan. 12, 1838, after his Mormon bank fails in the Panic of 1837, Joseph Smith flees Kirtland, Ohio, to avoid potential criminal prosecution by angry and disillusioned former believers. Smith claimed the angel Moroni had visited him in 1823 and told him he was destined to become a modern prophet of God.

ANSWER ON PAGE 6

• On Jan. 16, 1938, Benny Goodman brings jazz to Carnegie Hall, a notion so outlandish at the time that Goodman himself initially laughed off the idea. The concert at the citadel of American high culture sold out weeks in advance. • On Jan. 14, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issues Presidential Proclamation No. 2537, requiring aliens from World War II-enemy countries -- Italy, Germany and Japan -- to register with the Department of Justice.

• On Jan. 13, 1968, in the midst of a plummeting music career, legendary country singer Johnny Cash arrives to play for inmates at California’s Folsom Prison. The concert and the subsequent live album launched him back onto the charts.

• On Jan. 17, 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million ($22 million today) from the Brink’s Armored Car depot in Boston. It was the perfect crime --almost -- as the culprits weren’t caught until January 1956, just days before the statute of limitations for the theft expired.

• On Jan. 15, 1870, the first recorded use of a donkey to represent the Democratic Party appears in Harper’s Weekly, drawn by political illustrator Thomas Nast. Four years later, Nash originated the use of an elephant to symbolize the Republican Party in a Harper’s Weekly cartoon.

• On Jan. 11, 1973, the owners of America’s 24 major league baseball teams vote to allow teams in the American League to use a “designated pinch-hitter” that could bat for the pitcher, while still allowing the pitcher to stay in the game. (c) 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1. Adequate yearly progress (abbr.) 4. Silicon Valley’s specialty 8. Gather a harvest 10. Famed mathematician 11. No (slang) 12. Students use one 13. Type of molecule 15. Play make-believe 16. Large barrel-like containers

7. Kept 9. Chinese city 10. The most direct route 12. Type of tooth 14. __ kosh, near Lake Winnebago 15. Popular veggie 17. Supervises interstate commerce 19. Foolish behaviors 20. Witness 23. Gives 24. Expression of creative skill ANSWER TO PUZZLE ON PAGE 6 25. A way to 17. Touching 41. Transgresprop up 18. Treats sions 26. Midway allergies 42. One-time between 21. Calendar emperor of northeast month Russia and east 22. Single 43. Time zone 27. Winter 23. Cease to live 1. Used in melon 24. Brew 28. Supernatural DOWN 25. What power ghosts say 29. Target 26. Geological treating 30. Threes time bruises 31. A type of 27. Focus 2. One who poetic verse 34. Discomfort cultivates a 32. They make 35. A citizen small estate some of Iran 3. One who people cry 36. Trip supports the 33. Kindest 37. Imitate Pope 34. Forman and 38. Makes 4. Annuity Ventimiglia happy 5. Geological are two 39. Double-reed period 36. A way to instrument 6. Grab onto liquefy 40. Body parts tightly

SUDOKU

// December 31, 2020

2. Get pets the best care possible. Schedule that routine veterinary visit, and get your pets caught up on their vaccinations. A physical can head off serious illnesses. 3. Include your pets in your will. We don’t like to think about it, but end-of-life planning is important, and our pets need to be part of that planning.

New Year’s Resolutions for Happy, Healthy Pets Dear Readers: As we close out one of the most tumultuous and stressful years of our lives, let’s look back and remember how much peace and joy our pets gave to us. When nothing else in the world seemed certain, we could count on our pets to offer unconditional love. That’s why, as we look forward to a new year and new hopes, we must honor and protect our best friends. Let’s resolve to: 1. Spend more time with our pets. Dogs and cats need regular attention and love. While we’re spending more time at home, it’s a perfect time to play with our pets, to add an extra training session and more walks into the routine.

4. Build lasting memories. Take as many photos with your pets as you can. Make scrapbooks that you can look through years from now to remember when your puppy was young, or to memorialize a beloved turtle, hamster, cat or dog. 5. Help other pet owners. So many people are silently struggling right now: either from job loss, ill health, grief or depression. They may not be able to take care of their pets as well as they can. Look out for your neighbors and offer to help if they ask for it. Donate money or supplies to local pet charities that offer assistance to pets and their owners. I wish you and your pets a happy, healthy 2021.

A goldfish story The Website largest.com, which reports on “the Largest Things in the World,” will need to update its goldfish page that lists a 5-pound 4-ounce goldfish caught in the U.K. in 2017 by a 10-year-old girl as the world’s largest. The one found recently in Greenville, S.C. by researchers surveying the fish population in Oak Grove Lake weighed in at a whopping

Photo: 6 Largest Goldfish in the World /www.largest.org

nine pounds, according to the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC].

ANSWER TO SUDOKU ON PAGE6

Brain Teaser You live in a one story house made entirely of redwood. What color would the stairs be? See Answer on page 6

ANSWER ON PAGE 6

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December 31, 2020

or a casual weeknight supper. Here’s my easy “best” recipe. Stir it up for your family and make it your own with a little of this ... maple syrup on top? Or that. How about some freshly sliced strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream?

Flip Into New Year With Swedish Pancakes

--As traditional recipes poured out of family cookbooks over the holidays, I went on a quest for the “best” Swedish pancake recipe from my friends and their Swedish-American friends. I soon discovered that there are probably as many recipes as there are Swedish grandmothers -- and grandfathers. Growing up, I recall that my Grandma Ruth, a second-generation Swede, actually didn’t work from a formal recipe. “A little bit of this, a lot of that,” she’d say to me as I stood on a footstool by her side, carefully pouring milk into a wide bowl. A lot of “that” usually meant the melted butter that would blend smooth as silk into the batter. I later learned the basic techniques for flipping the pancakes from my dad. (Unlike the thicker American flapjack, a Swedish pancake is more like a French crepe, so flipping can be unwieldy at first.) Happily, my family and I have continued the tradition of making Swedish pancakes topped with bright-red lingonberry preserves and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. A satisfying, easy meal for a lazy Saturday morning breakfast,

SWEDISH PANCAKES 1 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups milk, or 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup half and half (optional) 3 eggs 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled, plus butter for cooking. 1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients with a whisk until smooth. Do not overbeat. 2. For each pancake, lightly butter griddle or large skillet; heat over medium-high heat. When quite hot, pour 1/3 cup of the batter into skillet. Swirl it around so that it forms a thin 8- to 9-inch layer on the bottom of the pan. 3. Cook until the pancake is golden brown on the bottom (lift up a corner to check the color) and small bubbles are visible on the top. This happens quickly. Flip with a narrow spatula and lightly brown on the other side. 4. Set on a plate, and fold in half or quarters, if you wish. Serve hot with traditional lingonberry, strawberry or raspberry preserves. Top with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Makes 12 pancakes. *** Find more family fun in Donna’s book “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” (c) 2020 Donna Erickson Distributed by King Features Syndicate

ANSWER ON PAGE 6

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WordSearch Answer

CryptoQuote Answer

December 31, 2020

Crossword Answer

If you work as a window washer, I guess you’d find yourself on the outsie looking in.

Stickelers Answer The basket has nine white and nine brown eggs. When the sum, 18, is inverted, it becomes 81, the product of the two numbers.

Inspirational Quote

Sudoku Answer

“Sometimes a year has been so disastrous and so terrible that entering a new year will automatically mean entering a wonderful year!” Mehmet Murat ildan

Go Figure Answer

Trivia Answers 1. Victoria 2. University of Minnesota 3. Four 4. Collinwood 5. Ligaments 6. Botany

7. Candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup 8. Piscine 9. Gourde 10. Edward Jenner

Hitori Answer

Brain Teaser Answer What stairs? You live in a one-story house.

At Ease: Sarge and the Coffee Shop Vets There wasn’t a single veteran on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop. I was saddened by this, believing they couldn’t continue their morning meetings because of the cold weather. Still, I approached the carry-out window to order a hot drink -- and saw that the whole bunch of them were inside, all seated 6 feet apart in their lawn chairs. I poked my head through the door and was waved in.

“I have an announcement,” Sarge said from his perch on a stool at the counter. He rapped his COVID measuring stick on the floor. “We can’t stay out in the cold all winter,” he said. “So, I bought this place. VA small-business loan. Welcome to our new clubhouse.” The group exploded with questions, of course. He explained, “I bought it, but we’re the only ones who will be allowed in here. To keep to all the virus rules, we’ll sell coffee through the window, maybe make hot meals for homeless vets if anybody knows how to cook. But you all have to sign up as employees.” That naturally got a huge reaction about government regulations, phony COVID stats and privacy. “We’re limited in how many

we can have in here,” he countered, “unless you’re employees. In case somebody rats us out and sends the authorities around.” Sarge was serious, and he had the paperwork to prove it. He waved a sheaf of documents and handed out a stack of W-4 forms. They all got busy writing in their names and Social Security numbers on documents that would never be sent to the IRS. “You up for it, son?” He waved a form at me. What the heck, right? I know how to cook, courtesy of the Army. So I took the form and filled it out. I knew I was officially admitted to the group, after all this time, when Sarge told me to bring a lawn chair. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

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// December 31, 2020

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Honey Mustard-Glazed Chicken Bake --Make the entire family happy (and stuffed!) with this simple chicken and potatoes sheet pan dinner.

1 pound parsnips, sliced on an angle 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 1/2 pound carrots, quartered lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges 2 tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper 5 sprigs fresh thyme 4 small chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pound) 4 small chicken drumsticks (about 1 pound) 3 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard 2 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1. Preheat oven to 425 F. In large roasting pan, toss parsnips, potatoes, carrots, onion, oil, thyme

DesertMobileHomeNews.com and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast 15 minutes. 2. Place chicken parts in single layer over vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast 15 minutes. 3. In medium bowl, whisk Dijon mustard, whole-grain mustard, honey and brown sugar. Drizzle all over chicken and vegetables. Roast 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked (165 F) and vegetables are tender. Serve chicken with vegetables. Make-ahead tip: Vegetables can be prepared for roasting up to 1 day before, covered and refrigerated. (Place cut potatoes in bowl. Fill with enough cold water to cover plus the juice of 1/2 lemon to prevent browning. Drain and pat dry before roasting.) Glaze can be made up to 1 day ahead. * Each serving: About 760 calories, 38g fat (9g saturated), 42g protein, 995mg sodium, 60g carb, 8g fiber. For thousands of triple-tested recipes, visit our website at www. goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/. (c) 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved

December 31, 2020