Mountain View

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From Me To You...

I have an issue with quantities, I order too much food at restaurants and my online assessment of sizes leaves much to be desired. There was one amazing deal I found for 100 red solo cups on the internet. Turns out they were red solo cup shot glasses. That incident was over 10 years ago and we still have at least 50 knocking around in the kitchen cabinets somewhere. Then there was the TV console that I bought 3 times before I got the one that was the right size.

My spatial awareness in person, however, is phenomenal. I can buy exactly the right amount of food to fit in our freezer and I can pack anything into a suitcase or car trunk. One time I went on a cruise to Alaska with only a carry on bag, including evening wear, a winter coat and boots. In hindsight though I would not recommend that one, if you are cruising you should not have to limit your clothing options, it takes all the fun out of travelling in style.

As some of you know we have been travelling since January, living out of a small RV and visiting our children who decided that Tennessee and Washington State would be ideal places to live. I planned on bringing a capsule wardrobe and managing with less. Let me tell you, packing 4 months of clothes in

a medium sized suitcase has put even my skills to the test. We have suffered through frozen nights (and pipes - but that is a story for another day), spring showers, hot, humid days, snow (thanks Montana) and even dodged a few tornadoes.

By the time you read this we will be home, (complaining about the heat, I am sure) having travelled across the country and back - and it has been amazing. We have stayed by mountain lakes, in river valleys, on snow capped mountains and checked out a few nice hotels along the way (sometimes you just need to stretch out!). I crossed off a bucket list item and visited Mount Rushmore, well worth the trek, and most importantly got to spend time with our children who moved away. We may not have always been able to get the quantity of time with them that we wanted, but we certainly made up for it in quality; and that my friends, is priceless.

Catherine Uretsky

Editor, Mountain View Magazine info@estrellapublishing.com

623.398.5541

Trilogy at Vistancia Veterans

“Ready, Reliable, and Relevant” is the motto of the Trilogy at Vistancia Veterans Club. The club, founded in 2014 with only 4 members, has a membership of over 275 veterans, canvassing all the branches of service, including military allied forces from Canada. The club is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports a wide variety of veteran-related charities to include: Toys for Tots, U.S. Vets of Phoenix, Veterans First LTD, MANA House, St. Mary’s Food Bank, Packages from Home, Operation Wake Surf, Honor Flight Arizona, Towers to Tunnels, and the Brandon Castera Foundation To be a member of the club, the military veteran must have honorably served and reside in Trilogy at Vistancia.

Heading up the club as President is Scott Duke. A 42-year veteran of the Air Force and a member of the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, he became the club’s fourth President in January 2018. Scott speaks with such passion about the club, because of its members. “When you stop and think about these military veterans, many highly decorated and all served their country with honor and distinction, who still want to serve those fellow military veterans who may be less fortunate than themselves, well you just have to be impressed and I am honored to be associated with them.

The club goes out on what they call “missions.” These missions are to support military veterans in need. One such mission is Veterans First, LTD.

Scott notes,“Jo Hoffman is our mission leader and bi-monthly, she participates, along with other female veterans of the club in what is called, Muster and Mingle.” This program is a social and supportive venue in which to gather and create camaraderie with an intimate supportive network and various support groups that will enhance and stabilize their lives. It’s a sense of pride for the Veterans Club to take part in this program and knowing they are doing something that benefits our military veterans.

Another mission is the “Totes for Troops” program that was started four years ago. Mission Leader, Ron

Gabaldon is responsible for working with MANA (Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force) House to bring them, twice a year, totes full of personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies for residents to use in keeping the House clean. Again, club members will donate these cleaning items to the program and they will reach up to 50 at-risk military veterans staying at the MANA House.

In June, the club will host a “Pack Party” in support of the Packages from Home organization. The club purchased 150 care packages. The pack party will have members packing items and preparing them for shipment to military members serving overseas.

Scott cannot say enough about the residents of Trilogy at Vistancia. “Every year, residents of our community show their support to veterans with their generosity. Our “Trilogy Turkey Transfer” mission is a prime example. We collect frozen turkeys at Thanksgiving and donate them to St. Mary’s Food Bank. Over the past five years, we have donated over 1,250 turkeys. Our Toys for Tots mission resulted in residents donating nearly 8,000 toys over the past five years. And the last three charity Golf Tournaments brought in over $82,000.00 for the club’s charities.” The wonderful thing is all the money we collect

goes directly to veteran-related organizations to support veterans in need. The support our community displays to our veterans is a model that other communities should emulate.”

Ready, Reliable, and Relevant means the club is ready to support military veterans in need or at risk; Reliable in that you can count on the Trilogy Veterans Club, and Relevant because the community will know who the Trilogy Veterans Club is, what they stand for, and their commitment to service before self.

Submitted by Scott Duke

Father’s Day

This year Father’s Day falls on Sunday June 16th. A day dedicated to honoring fathers or the father figure in your life and celebrating fatherhood. The history of Father’s Day dates back to the early 20th century when a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd wanted to honor her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who raised his six children as a single parent.

In 1909, Sonora proposed the idea of Father’s Day as a way to show appreciation for all that fathers do for their families. Her idea was embraced by many, and the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. Since then, Father’s Day has become a tradition in many countries around the world.

Father’s Day is a time to acknowledge the important role that fathers play in the lives of their children. Fathers are not only providers and protectors but also mentors, role models, and sources of love and support. They teach their children valuable lessons, instill

important values, and offer guidance and encouragement throughout their lives.

On Father’s Day, many people show their appreciation for their fathers by giving them gifts, cards, or spending quality time together. It is a day to celebrate the unique bond between fathers and their children and to recognize the impact that fathers have on their families.

So this Father’s Day, take the time to honor and thank the special fathers in your life. Whether it’s your own father, stepfather, grandfather, or another father figure, let them know how much they mean to you and how grateful you are for all that they do. Happy Father’s Day!

Control Yourself!

Welcome to the series on getting ahold of yourself! We’re here to talk about controlling emotional reactivity. When we think about big emotional reactions that are problematic, we’re generally talking about things like anger and defensiveness, so those will be the basis of our discussion here.

As I’ve said before, anger is the fake news you see or feel that covers up the true story of what’s really going on beneath the surface. I’m not saying you should never be angry. Anger is a normal human emotion, and completely suppressing it is actually a bad idea. The key is to work through your anger, process it, understand it and express it appropriately vs. blindly and recklessly expressing it all over unsuspecting victims. Taking your anger out on others is not fair to them.

When someone has a big reaction to something that another person says or does, it’s because they’re being triggered. That is, something about what that person

is saying or doing sets into motion the split-second thought of a past memory, which then sets into motion intense feelings and reactions. Often, the reaction seems to come out of nowhere, but this is just not true. Instead, that trigger has the person responding as though they’re reliving a past situation or event.

So what flips the switch? Deep inside the brain is a tiny structure known as the amygdala. It’s responsible for constant scanning of the environment to detect threats. The problem is that it can’t really tell the difference between a psychological threat and a physical one, so we respond the same to both. Thus, we become defensive in the face of criticism because we don’t feel safe. That lack of safety and security triggers our fight or flight response, which means we need to protect or defend ourselves. Defensiveness comes out of fear and is an attempt to avoid pain and protect the psyche.

You CAN learn to control your reactions once you figure out where they’re coming from and why. You can work on not taking things personally and shifting your perspective to consider alternative interpretations and responses. Stay tuned for Part II next month…

Submitted by Jennifer Paweleck-Bellingrodt, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist

DISCLAIMER: Material is for informational purposes and not intended to be a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed professional. Material is copyrighted and may only be reproduced with written permission of Dr. Bellingrodt.

Cook With Zona

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Do you ever have one of those weeks where you decide you’re going to eat really healthy so you buy a bunch of zucchini, and tell yourself you’re going to eat zoodles all week, and then you just eat take out instead because it’s easier? I don’t know, maybe that’s just me, but if that’s you too, take that zucchini and turn it into double chocolate zucchini bread. Chocolate lovers will appreciate the double dose of chocolate from the cocoa in the batter and the generous helping of chocolate chips. The zucchini makes this bread so moist, and has a ridiculously fudge-like texture. In my opinion, I would much rather get my veggies from chocolate bread, than any other way! If you have any recipes you’d like to share with me I would love to try them out! Email me at ArizonaCooks71@gmail.com.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups zucchini, shredded and pressed

¼ cup Greek yogurt

⅓ cup vegetable oil

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 cup semisweet

chocolate chips, divided

Steps

Preheat your oven to 350°

Using a cheese grater, finely grate zucchini over a paper towel. Wrap the zucchini in the paper towel and press it to release some of the moisture. Don’t completely dry it out because this is what makes the bread so moist. Firmly press the zucchini into a measuring cup to measure out 1½ packed cups.

In a large mixing bowl combine the Greek yogurt, oil, and brown sugar. Beat until combined. Add vanilla and eggs. Stir in the zucchini and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the wet ingredients. Fold in ⅔ cup of chocolate chips, setting the other ⅓ aside for the top of the bread. Pour the batter into your loaf pan and sprinkle the top with remaining chocolate chips.

Bake for 45 mins, or until the bread springs back when you touch it and when a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

ENJOY!

We love to see our neighbors’ delicious creations, so send us a picture of your gorgeous double chocolate zucchini bread or tag us on social media @ EstrellaPublishing.

This samurai sudoku puzzle is a great way to engage the brain and help develop logic skills. To solve this Samurai puzzle use standard sudoku rules for every 9x9 grid: each digit from 1 to 9 can only appear once in every row, column and 3x3 box. Solutions are on our website www.EstrellaPublishing.com

Legal Advice

What A Legal Will Needs

The Last Will and Testatement is the document that allows courts to re-title accounts and assets which are in your name (not a trust) and which do not have a beneficiary designation.

If you are leaving assets to adults (not minors), then you can use beneficiary designations and avoid probate. A Will is still a good idea to have as a backup for any account without a beneficiary; either because a beneficiary was not listed or a financial company lost the beneficiary designation.

If your spouse has children which are not also your children, the Will also can assure that your spouse’s half of the community property goes to you. Otherwise, intestate laws apply and your spouse’s children will be entitled to one-half of the community property and one-half of your spouse’s sole and separate property.

Be sure to keep your Original Will because a copy of the Will requires a formal court probate hearing to present evidence that the Original Will was not revoked.

Wills need two witnesses and a specially worded affidavit so the Will can be probated without a hearing. A handwritten Will does not need witnesses or a notary if all of the dispositive provisions are in your handwriting and all pages are originals.

Sharon Ravenscroft, M. Scott Rowan, Attorneys, The Cavanagh Law Firm, PA, Sun City and Phoenix offices, (623) 815-7451 or Sravenscroft@ CavanaghLaw.com; legal practice focused on Wills, trusts, probate and trust administration. For more information www.sharonravenscroft.com

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