Carlos Murphy’s was a much-loved Irish Mexican Café chain with great food and drinks in Kalamazoo for many years. They opened in December, 1980. Located at the corner of W. Main St. and U.S. 131.
Carlos Murphy’s embraced the greater Kalamazoo community by providing a gathering space for a variety of events, including meetings, live music (such as Los Bandits & others) and parties for all occasions.
Gus Macker basketball tournaments were held in the parking lot and they were sponsors for many local sports
teams. Kalamazoo’s local owner was Daniel Henry.
If you were lucky enough to experience Carlos Murphy’s hospitality, you may remember the Wild E. Coyote in a glass case at the entrance. In addition to the talented magician, James Sunnock, dressed like Groucho Marx who made visits to diner’s tables, performing card tricks. Sunnock went on to become the head pastor at Victory Life Church in Battle Creek.
Former patrons fondly recall their 21 margarita flavors, including bubble gum, banana split and tangerine, which was one of their most popular. On Sundays, they had a 2 for 1 jumbo margarita special and 99 cent margarita Monday’s. Others recall Tea for 2, a carafe filled with long island iced tea served in a bucket of ice. The drink of the house was their Gold Rush, a mixture of Cuervo Gold tequila, Grand Marnier and lime juice.
Menu favorites included: monster cookies, fried ice cream, French onion soup au Gratin, shark tacos, Iguana eggs, chimichanga’s, potato skins and of course their popular nachos topped with their delicious shredded beef. I loved both the potato skins and the nachos and would trade off ordering between the two. They were large enough to share with a friend as a meal or group of friends as an appetizer.
Carlos Murphy’s began in Northern California in 1972, operating just 2 restaurants until 1974. By 1975, they became the highest grossing, most profitable restaurant in the U.S. By 1977 they had grown to 21 restaurants. Carlos Murphy’s offered a casual dining experience with a 100-item menu with a large bar component. A single restaurant would serve as many as 1000 meals a day, employed 80-100 people and had one of the industries’ highest quality operations, where all of the products were produced in-house. In the early 1980’s they averaged over $2 million annually, equal to today’s dollars to almost 6 million - Creating a halfa-billion dollar a year brand value in North America.
In 1984 the 20 Carlos Murphy’s Restaurants were combined into one company, owned by Paragon Restaurants, with a home office in San Diego.
By 1991 Carlos Murphy’s purchased Garcia’s of Scottsdale, The Famous Fish Company and Casa Lupita’s restaurants, raising the total to 70 restaurants in 17 states with 4200 employees, 240 management and 35 executive staff and support personnel.
Today, the Carlos Murphy’s Restaurants are gone, but the flavor lives on in their signature products, available through grocery and convenience
stores. In addition, some of Carlos Murphy’s menu items are available through ghost kitchens within existing restaurants. Customers can only order Carlos Murphy’s via the app or through major food delivery service apps. For more information visit carlosmurphys.com.
After Carlos Murphy’s closed during the early summer months of 1997 in Kalamazoo, TGI Fridays eventually took over the space. The building has since been raised to make room for Westgate, a $100 million, mixeduse development plan with hotels and restaurants utilizing the 140-acre parcel by the highway, including Holiday Inn & Suites and Holiday Inn Express.
Carlos Murphy’s logo t-shirts are available locally at Kalamazoo Sportswear at 728 W. Michigan Ave. in downtown Kalamazoo. There’s also a local Facebook group: Carlosmurphyskalamazoo.
Jackie MerriamSources: Carlosmurphys.com, Facebook/Vanished Kalamazoo, MLive 5/26/2017.
A. Photo credit: Carlos Murphy’s bar area, September 1986.
(This is a Detroit Free Press file photo by Craig Porter.) B. Photo Credit: Shannon Allen
You’ve probably read the news stories on the “insect apocalypse”: the recent steep decline in insect populations and the potentially dire consequences it holds for animals and ourselves. It’s easy to get discouraged listening to all the doom and gloom, but the good news is that this is an issue we can all play a part in resolving. The solution is so simple: plant something. Plants and their flowers play a crucial role in sustaining insects, and they in turn sustain everything that eats them, and on up the food chain.
The relationship between plants and insects is a vital, even foundational, aspect of our ecosystem, and it’s well past time for us to rid ourselves of an antiquated “bugs are yucky!” mindset. Inviting insects to your garden and observing their behavior, watching them interact with each other and with your plants is truly one of the most fascinating and rewarding parts of being a gardener. Even if you’ve never planted a thing in your life, it’s not too late to get started and take the first step toward a better environment. Here are some tips to help you pick the right plants, plant them in the right places, and grow them with maximum benefit to insects – as well as to you and your community.
When planting to support pollinators, prioritize spots that get at least six hours of sun. Insects need the sun because their body temperature is dependent on their surroundings, and they quickly become sluggish and inactive in cool, shaded conditions. Plus, plants in the sun will bloom more, their flowers will produce more nectar, and will see far more pollinator activity than plants in the shade. Though there are plenty of shade-tolerant plants that can benefit pollinators, a sunny site is key to supporting pollinators.
Host a banquet
To sustain all types of pollinators throughout the garden season, you need plants that attract them from the earliest spring days to the last chilly moments of autumn. To do this well takes planning and research before you buy. Since spring tends to be the biggest garden center shopping time, most people’s gardens tend to favor early-blooming plants that look great during this period and peter out later. Both you and the pollinators will find reward in expanding your garden to include plants that bloom in summer and beyond. Late season blooming plants, like Sweet Autumn Clematis, Asters, and caryopteris are
it’s a way for them to experience owning a business at a young age. The ideas of location, product selection, advertising, customer service, teamwork and profit are learned through owning a lemonade stand. However, unlike a real business, they benefit from free labor and rent, and often lack of expenses.
My grandsons had the idea at bedtime while spending the night one weekend evening last summer. We brainstormed before lights-out and I decided, “What the heck, we can pull this off!” I didn’t want to squelch their enthusiasm.
Once they went to bed, I made a large batch of Rice Krispy Treats for the sale.
especially crucial, since they provide new and rich nectar sources when pollinators need them most – before they go dormant, lay eggs, and/or migrate.
One way to accomplish this is to include all three main types of plants in your garden: annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Annuals bloom all summer, helping to make up for any lulls between the bloom of perennials and shrubs. Combining all of these plants keeps your garden interesting to you and to pollinators.
This is a list to get you started with. Of course, there are many other annual, perennial and shrub choices!
Annuals
• Marigolds
• Lantana
• Geraniums
• Petunia
• Annual Salvia
• Zinnas Perennials
• False Indigo -Baptisia
• Foamy Bells -Heucherella
• Hibiscus
• Lavender
• Monarda
• Catmint - Nepeta
• Beardtongue - Penstemon
• Russian Sage - Perovskia
• Perennial Salvia
about the sale and added ice pops from the freezer to the product mix.
Once we agreed on the pricing, the boys got to work on signage.
For the location, we decided to set up on the main neighborhood street where we set up a folding table and got to work. Word spread like wildfire through the neighborhood Facebook page and word of mouth.
Needless to say, the boy’s first lemonade stand was a huge success, each pocketing $8. The plans are already forming for this year’s epic lemonade stand.
Jackie Merriam
• Sedum
• Veronica Shrubs
• Elderberry
• Potentilla
• Nine Bark
• Butterfly Bush
• Diervilla
• Rose of Sharon
• Oakleaf Hydragea
• Pinky Winky Hydrangea
• Itea
• Clethra
• Spirea
• Bloomerang Lilacs
• Vibumum
When creating a pollinator garden, avoid planting just one of anything. It’s easier to create more naturalistic designs by grouping plants in odd numbers (3, 5, or 7 are all good numbers for residential landscaping), plus creating banks of plants encourages uninterrupted foraging for pollinating insects. It’s kind of the horticultural equivalent of your reaction to seeing a plate heaped with cookies versus a plate with just one. Abundance is simply more enticing!
Article and picture from Proven Winners by Stacey Hirvelaupp
Terrie Schwartz
Wedel’s Nursery, Florist & Garden Center
Lemonade
The next morning they were so excited
Join us at this year’s National Night Out celebration across the city. A national event held annually on the first Tuesday of August, these neighborhood block parties help bring neighbors together and promote positive police-community partnerships. This year, on Tuesday, August 1st, six neighborhoods are hosting National Night Out activities that include games, music, food, and lots of fun. This is also a great opportunity for families to meet & greet with city staff and their elected City Commissioner. Check out if an event is happening near you!
Northside Neighborhood: 4-8pm at Northside Association for Community Development (612 N. Park) from 4-8pm
The Northside Neighborhood is known to host one of the most attended National Night Out block parties in Kalamazoo. This year, Northiside’s theme is healthy choices and that evening will feature a DJ, food, games, and prizes. There will also be several community originations there to help connect residents with important resources and services.
Vine Neighborhood: 4-8pm outside of the Vine Neighborhood Association (806 S. Westnedge)
Vine Neighborhood will be host-
ing a special community engagement activity for residents to re-imagine the Vine Central Plaza parking lot as a shared space for neighborhood events and activities leading up to its redesign over the next couple of years.
Arcadia Neighborhood: 4-9pm at Arcadia Elementary (932 Boswell Ln.)
Arcadia Neighborhood welcomes families to stop by and enjoy ice
cream, games, and try out a city fire truck!
Eastside Neighborhood: 4-9pm at Rockwell Park (2606 Mt. Olivet rd.)
Eastside Neighborhood returns to Rockwell Park to celebrate National Night Out this year, and will feature food and games for families.
Douglas Neighborhood: 5-7pm at Adda Dilts Peace Park (508 Denner St.)
This is Douglas Neighborhood’s first National Night Out celebration in several years. The Douglas Neighborhood Association, which formed just last summer, is excited to meet with neighbors over music and food. Stuart Neighborhood residents are also welcomed to join the fun across the street.
Westwood Neighborhood: 6-9pm Frays Park (1007 Stafford rd.)
Westwood Neighborhood will be back at Frays Park again after having a successful turnout of over 250 people last year. There will be food, music, and games for all to enjoy. The Westwood Neighborhood Association is also excited to present the draft of their neighborhood plan this evening. This will be another opportunity for residents to share their feedback on the plan before it is presented to the City’s Planning Commission later this year.
Each neighborhood is looking forward to a wonderful evening with their communities. Mark your calendars and come out to enjoy an eventful evening with your neighbors on the City of Kalamazoo’s Annual National Night Out.
Jae Slabyfor sale.
After much thought, Mack offered to buy the business and it reopened in February of last year. It was risky but in his heart, Mack knew how much Niko’s and its customers and employees meant to him. He says, “It wasn’t the money—it is my passion.”
Mack’s daughter, Macaela Glasheen, who Mack proudly says has always worked hard and saved her money, approached him and said she, too, wanted to become a partner. She and her father are co-owners and now work side by side every day.
Macaela fondly recalls drawing pictures of restaurants as a child to show her dad. She said she would excitedly show them to him and say “This could be our restaurant one day!”
7pm for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Niko’s is famous for its Friday night “all-you-care-to-eat” Fried Perch with soup or salad and choice of potato. On Saturday nights, it’s “all-youcare-to-eat” Tacos along with other Tex-Mex and BBQ selections.
Niko’s offers a Breakfast Club promotion. Card-holders receive a punch for each breakfast and after ten punches, their eleventh breakfast is free. To learn more, go to https:// www.facebook.com/nikosexpressrestaurant
In the mid-80s, Nick Grafos purchased a small, popular restaurant in Comstock called Dotty’s at the corner of River Street and Kings Highway. He changed its name to Niko’s Express but kept many of Dotty’s customers’ favorites on the menu. Gradually, Nick introduced new selections to the menu and they, too, quickly became regulars—Nick’s Meatloaf, homemade Chicken Noodle Soups, Goulash, Hot Beef Sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, London Broil, Liver & Onions, and more.
Around the same time Nick purchased Dotty’s, Mack Rodriquez, then fourteen years old, started working as a dishwasher at Mi Ranchito Restaurant in Kalamazoo. The restaurant was owned by Lucia and José Franco. They introduced Mack to the culinary world. With Lucia and José as mentors, Mack learned far more than cooking; he also acquired a work ethic he embraces to this day.
When Mack graduated from high school, he tried out a few different career choices but nothing compared to the joy and sense of fulfillment he experienced as a restaurant cook. That
realization led him to Texas where Mack worked in the kitchens of country clubs and Texas BBQ joints. He mastered the skills to produce authentic BBQ and Tex-Mex fare.
Mack returned to Kalamazoo and started Monkeyshine’s BBQ & Catering company specializing in BBQ and authentic tamales. That business flourished and it gave Mack a boost in confidence in his cooking abilities.
Once, dining with friends and family at Niko’s, as the waitress read back their orders, they added, “But we want Mack to cook it!” Hearing this unusual request, Nick gave Mack the opportunity to do just that. As Nick observed Mack’s kitchen skills, he offered Mac a job. Mack has worked at Niko’s for the past eleven years.
Mack says his relationship with Nick is reminiscent of his personal experience at Mi Ranchito. He and Nick have become close friends and Nick has become a business mentor as well.
In 2022, Nick Grafos, after a lifelong restaurant career, and sapped by the arduous pressures on the restaurant industry caused by the COVID pandemic, closed Niko’s and put it up
Nick remains involved in Niko’s and stops by every morning and helps where he can. Nick taught Mack all of his closely-held recipes which remain on the menu. Mack points out that everything is (and always will be) homemade. Macaela is an outstanding baker and all of Niko’s desserts are Macaela’s creations.
Niko’s is open Sunday through Thursday from 7am to 3pm and Friday and Saturday from 7am to
Everything about Niko’s embodies the iconic local family restaurant. Mack says the most important ingredient is the way customers and staff are treated and feel like family. Mack knows if his employees are successful and find joy in what they do, everything else follows.
Mack and Macaela share one goal — that Niko’s remains a place where customers come not just for good food but also to enjoy genuine fellowship… to be with down-to-earth people, enjoy a friendly smile, and share a refreshing respite from all the troubles of the world.
James D. CoppingerDead of Winter Darcy Coates (Poisoned Pen Press)
Ten strangers are trapped in a cabin during a blizzard. None will be lucky enough to die of hypothermia, though, since a murderer is methodically decapitating the stranded travelers. Short chapters and constant cliffhangers keep the action moving propulsively in this gore-filled thriller
—Sarah Walker, Indianapolis Public Library
NoveList read-alike: They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzel Hall
A Rul Rulebook f ebook for Restl or Restless Rogues ess Jess Everlee (Carina Adores/Harlequin)
In 1885 London, Noah is a confident, talented tailor
His best friend David runs The Curious Fox, an underground queer club. When the club’s future is threatened, the two team up to save it amid miscommunication, withheld secrets, and mutual pining. This delightful romp is swoony and sweet
—Dabney Kinser, Middle Georgia Regional Library, GA
NoveList read-alike: The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
One Summer in Sav One Savannah annah Terah Shelton Harris (Sourcebooks Landmark)
This story about forgiveness and family is told from the dual perspectives of Sara, who has not been back to Savannah since she discovered she was pregnant with her rapist's child; and Jacob, the twin brother of Sara's rapist who discovers his niece at the Science Center. As the story progresses Sara and Jacob form a bond complicated by their connection.
T The Bl he Block P ock Party arty Jamie Day (St. Martin's Press)
What would happen if the women of Desperate Housewives held a block party that resulted in a murder? The answer would be something like this thriller, a quick read with the gossipy twists and turns of a residential neighborhood full of its fair share of betrayals and suspects
A L Lady's Guide to Scandal ady's Sophie Irwin (Penguin Books)
At 28, widow Eliza Balfour is the dowager Lady Somerset and plans to enjoy her wealth and title. How Eliza relates to the people around her and how she changes are wonderfully nuanced and satisfying. Irwin's story forges its own path with liveliness and an attention to a wider scope of high society. Highly recommended to fans of historical romance
Ho How Can I He w Can Help Y lp You ou Laura Sims (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Margo moved to Carlyle two years ago to get a fresh start as a librarian, her days filled with helping patrons. But when a new employee is hired, Margo feels unsettled by the curious Patricia. When a patron is discovered dead in the library bathroom, Margo's carefully crafted mundane life starts to unravel and may pull Patricia into a tangle of terrifying secrets
William's lies are piling up. An extramarital affair just ended; returning home, he finds his young daughter there instead of at school. Soon after, she goes missing. If he confesses having seen her, he’s caught in his deception. Will the truth come out before it’s too late? Great pick for Gillian Flynn fans
T The L he Libribrarianist arianist Patrick deWitt (Ecco)
Retired librarian Bob lives alone, has no friends, and dwells on the time long ago when he was jilted by his bride. One day at the local market, an encounter with an older woman in the frozen food aisle changes his melancholy existence. This is a quiet and compelling character-focused read.
T The W he Woman in the Caste oman in the Castellllo o Kelsey James (Kensington Books)
1960s Italy: a horror movie filmed in a crumbling, possibly haunted, castle owned by the estranged aunt of the starlet. What could be better? As the lines between reality and the movie plot begin to blur in this tautly written novel, family secrets begin to emerge that if revealed, might lead to unforeseen (and possibly deadly) consequences for everyone
read-alike:
T Thief L hief Liar L iar Lady: A No ady: A Novveel l D. L. Soria (Del Rey)
A reimagined Cinderella tale with the political intrigue and violence of Game of Thrones Lady Aislinn is a revolutionary hiding behind the cover of the meek beautiful girl the prince fell in love with at the ball. Her plan might work except for the bandit that is now on the loose, the captive prince who gets under her skin, and her conniving stepmother
T The P he Parrarrot and the I ot Iglgloo: oo: Cl Climate and the Science of imate the Denial Denial David Lipsky (W.W. Norton)
ranging from peridot to emerald.
Three companies manufactured the bulk of Jadeite collected today. In the early 1930s, McKee Glass Company began mixing green glass scraps into
companies to hide free promotional pieces in other products, such as a bag of flour or a box of soap flakes. These freebees encouraged people to by more items to complete sets. Low glass prices made purchases affordable, even during the Great Depression.
Production slowed or halted altogether during WWII. After the war,
The 1930s through 1970s is the era of vintage jadeite. Collectors can find it at antique malls, Estate Sales, and on-line auction sites. When hunting collectable jadeite, start with checking for manufacturers marks. McKee used “McK”, Jeanette used a “J” in a triangle and Anchor Hocking Fire-King used some form of the word “Fire-King” or an anchor with an “H” in the center. Since not all pieces were marked, particularly the promo pieces, it is also helpful to observe vintage pieces tend to weigh more.
Additionally, McKee and Jeannette jadeite contains uranium and will glow under black light. Prior to World War II uranium was a common ingredient in colored glass. When weapons manufacturers needed uranium for production, glass manufacturers ceased to use it. As a result, vintage Anchor Hocking products will not glow.
Collectors will also encounter faux and fantasy jadeite. Faux jadeite is reproduction, made by companies such as Martha (Stewart) by Mail, Cracker Barrel, and Anchor Hocking’s repo line. Fantasy jadeite is newer as well. It may be cast using old molds, but made into pieces not found in vintage jadeite. For example, any jadeite cake stands you may encounter are newer, as cake stands weren’t made between 1930 and 1979. Another type of glass collectors might encounter
Clambroth came in a a variety of colors. While the green very closely resembles jadeite, Clambroth is translucent, not opaque.
Still, if you like a piece of faux, fantasy, or Clambroth, and the price is fair, why not buy it? All three will blend well with your vintage jadeite collection.
Like most glassware collectables, jadeite prices range from a few dollars to hundreds. Small bowls, plates, reamers, cups, and salt and pepper shakers can be found for under twenty dollars. The much soughtafter Fire-King Jadeite ball jug, first debuted in the 1940s, runs about four- to five-hundred. A complete set of teardrop mixing bowls by Fire-King will set you back eight- or nine-hundred, while a McKee flour or sugar canister can fetch a thousand dollars or more.
Jadeite’s lovely, soothing shades work well with many decorating styles, from country kitchen to sleek modern. It is heatproof, durable and resistant to stains. A jadeite collection will provide a fresh, pleasing look to any home for years to come.
Bridget Klusman Owner, Retro Estate Sales https://retroestatesales.wixsite.com/retroestatesalesA. Fire-King Teardrop Mixing Bowls
B. Fire-King Ball Jug
C. Jeanette Canisters And Butter Dish
sparked public interest in the conflict. For the last volume, Catton won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1954.
Catton’s Civil War knowledge didn’t come only from libraries: Born in Petoskey in 1899, he was raised in the village of Benzonia, about 30 miles west-southwest of Traverse City, where he heard real stories from old men who, in their youth, were engaged in the great civil war.
about the Civil War, Bruce Catton made it real. Catton not only told us how and why it happened; he made us feel it. He brought to his writing an extraordinary combination of scholarship, literary skill and intimate concern.”
“Here in Michigan, perhaps more clearly than in most places, can be seen the enormous increase in the speed of society’s movement.”
Bruce Catton, Waiting for the Morning Train, 1972
August 28, 2023 marks the 45th anniversary of the passing of Michigan’s noted writer Bruce Catton. An acclaimed artist with the English language, Catton wrote with simplicity and color, especially in histories of the Civil War and Michigan.
In the early 1950s, Catton wrote his first commercially successful effort, the Army of the Potomac trilogy. Its three volumes remain his most recognized work and a standard among Civil War histories. The trilogy, Mr. Lincoln’s Army (1951), Glory Road (1952), and A Stillness at Appomattox (1953) detailed the war from beginning to end and
Catton shared the story of his youth in Waiting for the Morning Train (1972). More than 50 years after its publishing, it still beautifully depicts the wonder of a boy growing up in rural western Michigan, including long days of chores, swimming, fishing, baseball, and trips with his brother and father to nearby lumbering operations and sawmills.
Before his career as a historian, Catton was a newspaper editor and reporter for over 30 years. In 1954, he became the founding editor of American Heritage magazine. Oliver Jensen, Catton’s successor in the role, said “No one ever wrote American history with more easy grace, beauty and emotional power, or greater understanding of its meaning than Bruce Catton.” New York Times writer Webster Schott added “As much as anyone who has ever written
Catton knitted together seemingly unrelated ideas until the connections became evident to the reader. His knowledge of history was intertwined with his knowledge of science and the Bible. Frequently prescient in his writing, his description in the 1960s about the decline of Detroit’s auto industry remains true today. His description of the two-mile-thick layer of glacial ice receding from prehistoric Michigan with its “tamarack bogs and barren tundra” foresaw the 2008 discovery of concentrated artifacts from Clovis people found in St. Joseph County who camped at the site 13,000 years ago.
Catton characterized Michigan as a “harvested” state in which the fur trading and trapping industry of the 17th and 18th centuries yielded
to lumbering that cleared millions of acres of forest, which in turn was replaced by mining of massive copper and iron reserves which in turn were also exhausted.
In the Bicentennial year of 1976, each of the 50 states was allowed to select an author to write its history. Michigan selected Bruce Catton. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Gerald Ford in 1977 and received 26 honorary degrees from colleges and universities. Catton wrote at least 40 books. Since 1984, the Bruce Catton Prize has been awarded for lifetime achievement in writing history.
Tony Ettwein
My daughters and I have been day tripping to Chicago for about 20 years now. Each time we go, we experience the energy surrounding us and can’t help but to get caught up with the excitement of everything this city has to offer its visitors.
One of my preferred day trips always includes a preliminary morning stop at the Art Institute. After all, I did spend 4 years frolicking inside that historic and monumental building while going to art school. Confession…as a student, I will admit that I didn’t value the museum as much as I do now; ahhh young adulthood! The 2+ hours by car is an easy drive and parking at the Grant Park underground Millennium garage is very accessible and convenient. I still get giddy when revisiting some of my most-loved works of art. Over the years, my daughters have come to appreciate this special place just as much as I do. My favorites became some of their favorites, like “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper, “American Gothic” by Grant Wood, “Water Lilies” by Claude Monet, “At the Moulin Rouge” by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and anything by Vincent van Gogh; which is why we
specifically went to the Art Institute on this very recent day trip. Housed inside is an exhibition currently on view featuring van Gogh and the Avant-Garde: The Modern Landscape. One of the noteworthy perks of having a membership is being able to take advantage of early admission before the museum opens its doors to the general public. We may only have an hour to ourselves, but it is so worth it, especially if you want alone time with some of the most coveted and famous works of art. Exploring galleries that are less populated during each visit has also brought us to some of the most interesting and beautiful artwork that may have otherwise been a missed opportunity. Our car remained nestled in the parking garage while we walked from the Art Institute to the river, where our next excursion for the day would be taking place. We have never done an architectural tour on a boat cruise so I booked advance reservations. Timing it so we could have lunch on the lower river walk first, which was an ideal place to just sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. The First Lady of the Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise was an-
chored only a few steps away where we would board her for our one and a half hour tour. Our expertly trained docent volunteer shared captivating stories and gave enriching historical facts of more than 50 buildings during this scenic and delightful boat cruise.
Ohhh, how we just love you Chicago! This city provides everyone with something to do no matter what your
interests may be or what time of the year you travel. I know we are already looking forward to this months day trip. Cheers to all our fellow day trip believers everywhere! xo - Bridget
Email: bridgetfoxkzoo@gmail.com
Social: https://www.instagram.com/ bridgetfoxkzoo
Hope greeted me on the horizon with a warm gleaming smile – Angie Weiland-Crosby
The power of sunrises. Their risings the promise of another day.
A sunrise cannot occur without a sunset. Such is a universal truth of life. Our breaths are taken away from the awe and beauty of the yellow, orange, and red hues as they rise to greet us, and as they slowly descend, preparing to depart.
In May’s Good News Issue, I had written about Carolyn, the “villager” who had helped raise me the child. Like hearing Carolyn’s voice in my mind – and heart – calling me Chrissy Pooh. I was surrounded by motherhood love at home and at “home away from home”.
I sent the article to Carolyn, not
knowing that she was nearing the last sunset of her time on Earth and that time had also brought confusion to her state of mind. Her oldest daughter encouraged I come visit. May I never lose the warmth that ran through my body when I knelt next to Carolyn as her daughter asked “mom, do you know who this is?” and a few seconds later, a quizzical expression turned to a radiant glow of love as she whispered “Chrissy. Chrissy Pooh.”
Affirmation once again, it is the heart that retains the important things.
I learned of Carolyn’s passing at the end of a mountain hiking weekend out of state. I learned Carolyn had taken her last breaths the day we had summited to a peak before sunrise.
I looked at the sunrise pictures, so many with hues of purple, Carolyn’s favorite color.
I was reminded of a sunrise that greeted me as I ran across the Mackinac Bridge one October weekend. My grandparents had walked the bridge every Labor Day weekend for years. I had never joined them. On this particular fall weekend, I was running a race across the bridge, starting before daylight, observing the sunrise part way across the fivemile stretch. Hours later I would learn my grandma had passed away earlier that morning. On a day one of her two granddaughters would be at one of grandma’s favorite places to be.
Maybe it is the sunrises themselves that fill me with peace and gratitude
that I received the gifts of two amazing “villagers” in my life instead of being filled with sadness that I will not hear a sweet voice saying Chrissy Pooh nor bite into the best homemade cinnamon roll courtesy of a grandma who I am certain never met a baked dessert recipe she couldn’t make to perfection. Maybe I am not filled with sorrow because of my belief that they were each sending me the sunrises letting me know all was well.
Maybe it is simply because a sunrise is the assurance that after a sun sets, a new day begins.
And the heart always retains the important things.
Christine Hassing https://christinehassing.com
Well, not quite. This is about headaches, but neck pain is close and may contribute to headaches. There’s no shortage of events and circumstances now that can cause headaches. The National Headache Foundation (I didn’t even know there was a headache foundation) estimates that about 40 million Americans live with headaches. However, there’s a significant difference in the type of headache, ranging from the “brain freeze” from eating something cold to serious migraine headaches.
The most common headaches are tension, cluster, and migraine. Tension headaches are often associated with stress or muscular-skeletal problems in the neck. The pain is usually dull and aching, and occurs in the forehead or around the back or sides of the head.
Cluster headaches typically come on as intense pain on one side of the head with searing pain around or behind the eye. These headaches come and go and can last for weeks or months. They are difficult to treat and are more common in men than women.
Migraines typically occur in women and involve pulsating pain.
Symptoms can include nausea, loss of appetite, or heightened sensitivity to light, smell, or sound. Migraines can last from four to 72 hours.
Aside from getting a notice from the IRS for an income tax audit, what are some common triggers that bring on headaches? Among the common triggers are dehydration, sleep deprivation, medications, changes in hormones, as well as underlying medical conditions.
Exertion may also bring on a headache. During a workout the blood vessels in the head dilate for increased blood circulation, thereby causing an exertion headache. Similarly, exercising in extreme weather and at high altitude can bring a headache on.
Poor posture can sometimes be a culprit. Similarly, prolonged sitting with your head forward, particularly at a computer, can cause the neck and shoulder muscles to spasm. This can lead to tension headaches.
Certain foods and/or ingredients may trigger headaches or migraine attacks. Aged cheese, chocolates, some wines, salty foods, and even caffeine are among foods that can trigger attacks.
Tension ranks high on the trig-
ger list. When the body experiences stress, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the release of stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, causing the muscles in the neck and scalp to tense up.
Lack of regular sleep is associated with painful headaches during the day. Lack of sleep may increase the creation of specific proteins in the body that contribute to intense headaches.
Aside from popping pills to relieve headaches, there are some natural therapies that have proven an effective alternative to OTC medications. They include aroma therapy, rhythmic and deep breathing, massage and self-massage, meditation, yoga, and eliminating loud noises and bright lights.
Cold packs and warm compresses on the back of the neck may help to relieve headaches. Warm compresses promote blood flow while cold packs have a numbing effect which may decrease pain.
Unfortunately, headaches are likely to be a fact of life. But being aware of what triggers a headache can help you avoid those triggers. As to the posture trigger, just remember what your mother told you: “sit up straight.”
Please remember to MAKE it a good day and be kind to others. Till next time,
Ken Dettloff ACECertified Personal and Brain Health Trainer
Source: The Costco Connection June 2023
Meat & Eggs!
1 egg, choice of bacon or sausage, hashbrowns, and 1/2 order of toast 4.99
Pancake & Eggs
2 pancakes and 2 egg any style 4.99
111 Breakfast
1 egg, 1 meat choice of bacon or sausage and 1 pancake 4.99
Ham & Cheese Omelet
2 egg omelete with hash browns and 1/2 order of toast 6.99
1/2 Hot Roast Beef Sandwich
Served with potatoes and gravy 6.99
Burger & Fries
Topped
Engaging in sports activities can have a transformative impact on children’s lives. Beyond the thrill of competition and the joy of playing, sports offer a myriad of physical, mental, and social benefits that contribute to the development of young individuals. Let us explore why kids benefit immensely from participating in sports.
Physical Fitness and Health: Regular participation in sports ensures that kids remain physically active, promoting overall fitness and wellbeing. Sports help children develop strong bones and muscles, improve cardiovascular health, and enhance coordination and motor skills. By instilling healthy habits from an early age, such as exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate rest, sports contribute to reducing the risk of obesityrelated health issues and cultivating a lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
Motor Skills and Cognitive Devel-
opment: Sports activities demand the use and refinement of a wide range of motor skills, including running, jumping, throwing, and catching. Through practice and engagement, children improve their hand-eye coordination, balance, agility, and flexibility. Moreover, participating in sports enhances cognitive function, concentration, and memory. The strategic thinking, problem-solving, and quick decision-making involved in sports not only develops mental acuity but also transfer to other areas of life, benefiting academic performance and daily tasks.
Self-Confidence and Personal Growth: Sports provide children with opportunities to set goals, overcome challenges, and witness their progress, leading to increased selfconfidence and self-esteem. As they acquire new skills and experience success, they develop a positive selfimage. Being part of a team fosters a sense of belonging and nurtures
essential values such as discipline, perseverance, and goal setting. Sports teach children to cope with success and failure, cultivating resilience and a growth mindset that extends beyond the playing field.
Social Skills and Teamwork: Participating in team sports enhances social skills, communication, and teamwork. Children learn to collaborate, support their teammates, and respect the decisions of their coaches. Through shared experiences, they forge friendships, broaden their social circle, and develop a sense of empathy and cooperation. Sports foster a spirit of sportsmanship, fair play, and respect for opponents, nurturing positive relationships that extend beyond the boundaries of the game.
Emotional Well-being and Character Development: Sports play a significant role in promoting emotional well-being among children. Physical activity releases endorphins, improving mood, reducing stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression. Sports provide a constructive outlet for children to channel their emotions and learn to cope with success, failure, and the various emotions that arise during competition. Moreover, engagement in sports helps shape character by instilling values such as integrity, discipline, perseverance, and respect for rules and opponents.
Participating in sports activities equips children with a multitude of
physical, mental, and social benefits. From physical fitness, motor skill development, and cognitive growth, to building self-confidence, social skills, and character, sports provide a platform for children to flourish. Encouraging kids to embrace sports from an early age lays the foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment, wellbeing, and personal growth.
In essence, as a parent myself, I firmly believe that athletics plays a pivotal role in shaping our children’s lives. It has become more than just a hobby or extracurricular activity—it has become a transformative experience. Through sports, my children have not only become physically fit but have also grown into resilient, disciplined, and compassionate individuals.
As parents, let us continue to encourage and support our children’s participation in athletics. By doing so, we provide them with a powerful platform for personal growth, lifelong lessons, and invaluable memories. So, let us cheer them on, stand by their side, and witness the remarkable impact that athletics has on their journey to becoming the best versions of themselves.
Nikki Hackworth Director of Marketing – The Dome Sports Center / Next Level Performance www.DomeSportsCenter.com
face to form a megaphone.
God surrounds us with many precious gifts, like good friends, and peaches!
Life, if we let it, will lead us down paths we wouldn’t normally traverse. What’s interesting is that when we do let life lead us, it often opens our eyes (and hearts) to joys we may have missed otherwise.
Whether it’s serendipity or perhaps kismet we may never know, but when we experience moments such as these, they stick with us for life, as was the case when I happened to cross paths with an old, ugly peach tree.
Growing crookedly on a property I had just purchased in Michigan, my initial reaction to it was to see it as nothing more than an old eyesore that drew stinging insects in addition to obscuring some of my lake view, so it had to go! However, a neighbor was quick to solicit a completely different point of view.
“Do you know what kind of tree that is,” an old man yelled out to me from next door.
“An, old ugly one!” I yelled back while cupping my hands around my
“Well,” he said walking toward me, brandishing a huge grin, “it may be old and ugly, but that’s a Cal Red, and it produces the sweetest and juiciest peaches I’ve ever tasted!”
Looking at how his face lit up just talking about them, I paid great heed to his remarks, and decided it wise to spare this lumbering misfit from the axe, at least until I could get a good taste of its fruit and judge for myself.
A few months later, right around the time that its peaches began to swell to be so heavy you could hear them hit the ground, that old peach tree caused another “new” neighbor came along.
Noticing me picking up peaches off the ground, she said she had an easy preserve recipe she’d be happy to share.
Deciding it was fate sending her my way, making sure that I would test out those old Cal Reds, I threw caution to the wind and used this total stranger’s recipe to take them for a spin. Boy was I ever so glad that I did because that batch of preservers was indeed the best peach preserves there ever was!
Thrilled with how delightful the
recipe had turned out, especially since it was made using something I was about to turn into firewood, I gifted jars of the precious preserves to both these new neighbors because without them that jam would not exist. Together they taught me that an old peach tree may be ugly, but it still had lots of mouthwatering magic coursing through its boughs. Magic that not only made marvelous jam, but also melding strangers into friends. Sadly, that old Cal Red got struck by lightning and died the following year. Then, a few short years later, both neighbors passed as well, but thanks to that old peach tree, I will have sweet memories of them to savor until we meet up under that big peach tree in the sky!
Here now are the precious recipes
that these neighbors were kind enough to share with me. May they fill your heart with the same peachy keen joy they exude in mine. Enjoy!
Laura Kurella is an award-winning recipe developer, food columnist, and the author of the new culinary memoir, «MIDWEST MORSELS,» which celebrates life and the old-fashioned flavors found in the Great Lakes Region. She welcomes your comments at laurakurella@yahoo.com.
Photographer: Laura Kurella
9 peaches, fully ripened
1 package low sugar pectin
1 lemon, juiced
1teaspoon unrefined mineral sea salt
4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup high quality bourbon
8 half-pint sterilized jars with canning lids or freezer containers* Bring a pot of water to boil then place peaches in boiling water, rolling them around, for 30 seconds, then remove and slip off their skins. Chop the peaches into 1/4-inch dice and remove pits. In a heavy bottom pot, place peaches, pectin, salt, and lemon juice and bring to a boil, stir-
ring constantly. Add sugar then bring back to a boil, stirring constantly for 7 minutes. Remove from heat then add vanilla and bourbon, stirring in well, then ladle the hot preserves into clean, hot jars, and place new seal lids on each jar and secure with threaded bands or wait until preserves are cooled and store in refrigerator or freezer instead.
*=NOTE: If using jars, place clean jars in a 200-degree oven for one hour prior to filling them so they are sterile and ready to use.
Recipe yields approximately 56-64 ounces of peach preserves, depending on size of the peaches.
6 cups ripe, fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon lemon juice
prepared peach slices into a greased, shallow 11x7 baking dish. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, peel and cinnamon then sprinkle over the peaches.
2 large fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine peach slices
with 3/4 cup sugar then set aside. Pour melted butter into an 8-inch square baking dish and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and remaining sugar then stir in milk until just combined. Pour flour mixture over butter in pan then top with peaches. Bake for 45 minutes or until center is bubbling.
Approximate servings per recipe: 12.
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
1 teaspoon cinnamon
TOPPING
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place
FOR TOPPING: In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in beaten egg until mixture becomes coarse crumbs then sprinkle over peaches in pan. Drizzle melted butter evenly over the topping then place in preheated oven and bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until bubbling in center of pan.
Approximate servings per recipe: 16.
Learning to understand your emotional intelligence is an important skill to have. So much emphasis in our society is based on reading, math, science, social studies, and the arts. While these subjects are essential, emotional intelligence is often forgotten. Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to self-regulate your emotions and use them to conjure thoughts and actions. Emotional intelligence or emotional quotient (EQ) refers to the IQ of emotions. How to Recognize and Enhance Your Emotional Intelligence. Improving and recognizing your emotional and social intelligence can be challenging. Emotional competencies are a set of skills that allow you to have effective communication, social behaviors within social situations, and manage and regulate emotions. Look at them as skills that can be altered or tweaked depending on your state of being or environment. According to Riggio, 2021, there are controversies among psychologists debating if emotional intelligence is actual intelligence. The ability to think and process information is attached to our IQ or core intelligence. Core intelligence is the capacity to reason, plan, make decisions, be a problem solver, and learn from personal experiences. Our intelligence is hoped to retain and take that knowledge to progress our thinking (Riggio, 2021).
It can take work and dedication to grow your emotional intelligence. Here are a few things you can do to improve your skills.
• Know your strengths and enhance them.
• Practice gratitude. Write things you are grateful for in a jar or journal to look at later and write a letter to a friend discussing your appreciation for them.
• Practice meditation
• Be kind to yourself, write a letter related to your strengths, and self-reflect on things you are grateful for.
• Be in the here and now and savor the moment.
• Make time for yourself.
• Schedule time for things or people that make you happy.
• Be more present in your social interactions.
• Take care of your body with a healthy lifestyle.
Familiarity with emotions for effective communication can be crucial in all relationships. Learning how to develop your skills in reading others’ feelings accurately while conveying thoughts to others and regulating your own emotions offers some obstacles but is not an impossible feat. It takes dedication on your part to zone in on your emotional intelligence.
Recognizing what people why can prove high social intelligence.
Understanding emotions comes naturally for some people, while others struggle to understand feelings. It is vital in all facets of your life to be more in tune with emotional intelligence. It can lead to healthier communication, boundaries, and inner peace. People with a more effortless recognition of others’ emotions and emotional competencies often are skilled in social and emotional intelligence.
How To Become More Skilled in Emotional Intelligence? Watch how people speak and interact in the world surrounding you. What emotional messages do you notice? Learn how to become better at communicating and expressing your emotions. It is okay to express feelings, and not necessary to push them down. Active listening is attached to emotional intelligence. Practice your listening skills, and paraphrase what is being said to ensure you are on the same page with the other person. Recognize social interactions and your failures and successes within your social encounters.
Intelligence
You are evolving daily, which is no different when trying to grow your emotional intelligence. An excellent reference to skills people has if they are zoned into emotional intelligence is as follows. What are common traits someone has if their emotional intel-
ligence is high?
• Positivity
• Resilience
• Empathetic
• Grateful
• Self -regulation
• Assertive
• Emotionally in tune.
• Active listening
• Sympathetic
• Nonjudgmental
Reasons Why Emotional Intelligence Matters
Emotional intelligence can be learned if it doesn’t come naturally to you, even as an adult. Using your emotional intelligence can improve your quality of life and relationships. A few benefits of emotional intelligence are as follows.
• Improved mental health.
• Improved relationships
• Improved success at work and home
Contact a local therapist if you struggle with zoning in on your emotional intelligence skills. They are here to help you and walk along your journey to allow growth in your life. If you want to learn more about where you are with your emotional intelligence take time to take a Emotional Intelligence test. Some of them are free but other’s cost a few dollars. When looking for a test make sure it is from a reputable site and is evidence based.
Author: Dr. Julie Sorenson, DMFT, MA, LPC
Ever get that gut feeling that something isn’t quite as it seems? You are heading to your car in a parking lot, someone is acting odd, following a bit too close and bam, he is at your window talking to you. That gut feeling comes quickly without thinking or logic. This example is one form of intuition: a mental shortcut with little cognitive effort. Developing and using intuition is a subtle “extra sense” that can prove beneficial in decision-making and social interactions. For these reasons, it is important to develop intuition in ourselves as parents and in our children.
Imagine your teen goes to South Haven and doesn’t feel quite safe with the driver’s speed and skill, wouldn’t it be great if they call you and say, “Please pick me up, I don’t feel very safe with this driver.” That’s a gut feeling that you want to nurture and
praise in your child. How about the middle schooler who comes home to tell you that everyone was cheating off one another on a math test at school. Ask her whether that felt like the right thing for her to do. Listen to her response, restricting your need to tell her what she should do. We cannot develop intuition without the time and space to hear it. We can send a message as parents through our behavior to reward that gut response, or help our children develop it. There are times not to trust your gut, too. Sometimes the immediate intuition to inform our children about the best choice is not always the best choice for us as parents. It will not produce the growth or learning that we want. Intuition can come from experience in observing patterns. Suppose your air conditioner stops working. You may think your intuition
will suffice to repair it. But in the past, you learned how someone HVAC trained fixed it quickly. Intuition is not always employed in a straightforward fashion. If you do not have expertise in a particular area, ask yourself if you are qualified to make this decision and “do I need more information?” Often, a gut feeling can motivate us to find more information before making a decision.
Intuition as a gut reaction may be quick like a snap judgement. They are not always accurate or even fair. “I just did not get along with her, I’m not sure why.” This is likely based on personal factors, sameness or differentness of people involved, and their ability to navigate new situations. These snap thoughts may need logic to override a negative feeling. For example, does she remind you of someone you don’t like? What behaviors or features of the person make you feel that you don’t like her?
Developing intuition involves practice:
Observe, or as one parent says to his daughter, “read the room.” What do you see in the environment, people’s expressions, words, gestures?
Notice reinforced or repeated behavior that was successful in the past Spot patterns in the environment or in people
The following questions are recommended to develop intuition in yourself and in your children:
Does it feel like the right thing?
What does your gut tell you?
Do you have a feeling about the situation?
Do you feel anything in your body? Where?
If you had to choose now, what
would you choose?
The reason it is important to develop intuition is, first, because modern societies primarily emphasize rational thought and second, the best decisions are likely a combination of intuition and logic.
For more reading on intuition check out:
Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink: The power of thinking without thinking, (2005).
https://positivepsychology.com/ intuition/#intuition
https://www.socialpsychology.info/ types-of-intuition/
Sheryl Lozowski-Sullivan, MPH, PhD Licensed Psychologist Integrated Behavioral Health Psychological Services
A growing and popular restaurant trend is “farm-to-table” cuisine where restaurants use locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients to create dishes that emphasize the freshness and unique qualities of locally-grown produce. Farm-to-table cuisine provides a unique culinary experience that not only offers fresh and flavorful dishes, but also supports area farms and orchards and promotes sustainable food practices.
But, there is one local chef and restaurateur who has taken farm-to-table a step further to include “forest-totable.” He is Keith Langdon, chef and owner of Full City Café in Portage. Keith and his wife, Lisa, opened their first Full City Café in 1993 where they specialized in from-scratch selections and were regulars at the Bank Street Farmers Market.
In addition to being a trained and experienced chef who has worked in kitchens from coast to coast, Keith is also a mycophile—a person who loves hunting edible wild mushrooms. That interest began as a kid spending summers in northern Michigan. Keith says his interest in mushrooms piqued when he moved to a new home in Lawton in 2000 and discovered Amanita muscaria var guessowii mushrooms growing not far from his home. Not knowing exactly what they were, he took one home and purchased a mushroom guide book to help identify it. Amanita
muscaria var guessowii is the classic bright red with white flecks fairytaleimage mushroom that has become iconic. Keith says that experience propelled his interest in finding and identifying fungus and mushrooms.
It is interesting to note those mushrooms have never grown in that spot after that first encounter.
Wild mushrooms are flavorful ingredients that can add a unique twist to entrees. From the earthy, nutty, flavor of Bolete (Porcini) mushrooms to the delicate, buttery taste of chanterelles, or the prized Maitake (Hen-of-the-Woods), and the popular morels, there are more than 2,500 edible wild mushrooms to choose from in Michigan. Of those, sixty to one hundred species are highly prized by mushroom connoisseurs.
However, some wild mushrooms are poisonous and therefore must be properly identified before they are eaten. To ensure safety, the State of Michigan offers a Wild-Foraged Mushroom Certification program to qualify mushroom hunters as experts and to legally sell wild mushrooms to the public. Keith participated in the state’s first mushroom identification program and has twice been certified as an expert. Keith is quick to point out that one does not need certification to gather wild mushrooms for personal use.
Incorporating mushrooms into dishes like risottos, pastas, and soups,
elevates the flavor profile and adds depth to any dish — something the Japanese call “umami” – a rich, savory flavor.
Keith says for the last ten years, when he has access to a decent quantity of wild mushrooms, he creates “specials” to offer customers as a daily feature until it’s sold out. Given that Full City Café is a morning and lunch restaurant, most of those specials involve breakfast fare such as omelets and other egg dishes.
Both Keith’s culinary skills and mushroom expertise combine in a truly unique way to create amazing dishes one just doesn’t often have the opportunity to enjoy. His command of the extensive pallet of flavors and textures of wild mushrooms, orchestrated by his refined abilities as a chef, transform those woodsy elements into highly creative epicurean experiences.
In springtime, the highly sought-after, and legendary, Morel mushrooms with their distinctive honeycomb-like cap and earthy flavor, push up from the forest floor and find their way into gourmet dishes from omelets and sauces to soups and stews. Morels are particularly delicious simply sautéed in butter.
Keith says the prime mushrooming season is fall—when many of Michigan’s prime gourmet mushrooms fill woods and fields. When they do, the best of the pick find their way into special breakfast or lunch creations at
Full City Café.
To enjoy savoring one of Keith’s limited edition wild mushroom specials, follow Full City Café on either Facebook or Instagram to watch for announcements. Or, visit Full City Café’s website and join their email list.
Once you’ve experienced the amazing flavors of truly wild mushrooms, you’ll surely return to Full City Café to sample Keith’s creations and, perhaps, head off on your own into Michigan’s woods to explore forest floors that become a canvas of delicious possibilities and gather these culinary gems for your own table.
Enjoy!
James D. Coppinger
Sweltering in the hot August sun, Christmas card scenes may be the farthest thing from your mind. Indulge me. It may even give you a cooling feeling as you bring up the winter scene in your mind, at least for a moment. Chill on the skin but warmth in the heart.
What does the house on the card look like? Windows glowing golden across the snow, a welcoming porch up front, arched doorways beckoning you to come in and settle in by the fire. Ok, back to summer. Let the image of the house linger, however. It brought a pleasant sense of homecoming to your mind, didn’t it? The farmhouse style has been a growing trend in house design, exterior as well as interior. You felt the reason—the farmhouse, even for city folk, speaks of home.
We saw home design trends in recent years of white, white, white. White kitchens with white cabinets and white marbled counters. We saw great rooms with soaring white walls and windows. Bathrooms have been sparkling white.
Nothing against white—it is very clean and hygienic—but homeowners have started to long for a palette of warmer and earthier colors. Mild, soothing, dusky colors. Modern rustic has been pushing out the almost industrial sterility of contemporary
room or bedroom. Earthy tones soften the view.
Natural materials make an appearance in every room—hardwood floors of yesteryear, whether natural wood or luxury vinyl, are the general preference over carpeting; stonework outlines a fireplace or a kitchen column; a brick wall gives the room texture. The kitchen has the oversized farmhouse sink with patina brass fixtures and a colorful ceramic tile backsplash. The dining room table may well be wood with dramatic swirls of grain, perhaps even with a live edge. Fuzzy afghans drape across the sofa arm, inviting you to curl up with a good book. A bedroom dresser may be a handcrafted antique piece in stunning contrast to more modern design throughout the rest of the room.
It’s a mix.
Even the artwork may have taken a more traditional turn. Rather than Rothko squares and Pollock drips, the artwork may reflect more realistic scenes that tempt daydreams of childhood memories and summer reveries.
homes. That means more brick, more stone, more wood.
The modern farmhouse from the curbside that you see today tends to be white board-and-batten or vertical siding with black details—dark
window trim or shutters, garage doors and entry doors. Inside, more traditional touches hint at country life. The soft and plump accent chair might be upholstered in plaid. Floral prints may appear on wallpaper in the dining
Finally, you can pull out those family photos that make you smile. Home is all about the heart, and the heart is where your family lives. Show them off. And let your roots go deep. Even as trends and fashions vary, the home hearth will always bring us comfort.
Zinta AistarsTechnophobe ~ Noun: a person who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology*
My husband claims I can cause any technology to fail with just a touch of my hands. Alexa conks out when I walk into a room. In my hands, the TV remote goes dead. Just by picking up a cellphone, it will start dialing random numbers. Apps don’t work like they should. I caused my e-mail
to send a private message, intended just for my medical clinic, to go out to many people on my contacts list. I got some funny responses, as you can imagine. Just by looking at a bag of truffles online, they somehow wind up being delivered the next day. (Was this really from my electric hands, or was it an accidentally-on-purpose «buy now» action?). The energy in my hands can cause a smartwatch to
tell me it›s 3:00 pm in London, time for tea. Even though I turn off my devices at night, they listen to me while I›m counting sheep to get to sleep. The next day I get ads for sheep farming, wool socks, and raising pet sheep. When I walk past the ice maker, it shoots an ice cube out at me just for kicks. See what I mean? My hub is right; my energy destroys technology.
If it weren’t for my husband being a techie, I’d have a rotary telephone and a dial TV with rabbit ears on top complete with my version of tinfoil “mesh extenders.” Since computers run cars now, I intend to keep my prehistoric Chevy forever. No new technology allowed in my car! What if I could get my electric hands to do something more useful than conking out tech? Instead of using the remote, maybe I can point a finger at the TV to turn it on. I might try rotating a finger to change channels, especially since I lost the remote. I think I took it outside to take pictures of flowers, thinking it was my cellphone camera. Unfortunately, the remote is still out in the yard somewhere. Oh, well. I don’t mind; I kind of like me that way - steeped in analog. I can tell people I›m eccentric. Or that I want to get back to the land and homesteading, maybe give up electricity too. Oh, wait, not electricity, thank you very much. I›d miss watching old black-and-white
reruns of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. I love thrillers. Doesn›t sound like too bad a life, does it?
Seriously, have you ever thought about how much time we all spend fixing technology, installing new technology and updates, or mindlessly scrolling through Facebook? Oh, wait, Facebook sounds old school. I meant Instagram. (Whew, I almost gave away my age on that one.)
Eventually, with my hub’s help, the apps get loaded and seem to work; the dreaded “update” doesn’t delete too many of my favorite tools; and if I’m honest, the camera in my cellphone is better than my fussy old camera. And I’ll admit it. I like being able to set up a medical clinic appointment on the clinic’s website. If I can do that, I won’t be in danger of sending out what was a very private e-mail to so many peeps on my contacts list again. :oO
Now, log off your computer, turn off your phone, take off your smartwatch, and pull off your shoes. Go outside, time’s a’ wasting. Enjoy the rest of summer device free. You might enjoy dwelling in the analog world again. I’ll meet you there - provided we can find each other without our GPS. :)
Ann Murray is an award-winning commercial illustrator and author. She has illustrated 8 children›s books and her stories have been in three published anthology books.
Some years ago, I was given a refrigerator magnet with the quote, “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” I was reminded of Miles Kington’s quote last weekend when I enjoyed one of what I hope will be many bowls of fruit salad: cherries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and (my favorite) home-grown peaches. Peaches are my summer passion! Last evening, I enjoyed a peach caprese salad at a local restaurant, and the combination of sweet and savory was heaven on Earth!
Isn’t this the best time of year to be a Michigander? Farmers’ markets, and our gardens, if we’re lucky, are a bounty of local produce. The long wait for a decent tomato, fresh corn, and just-picked salad fixins’ is over! Hooray! But, of course, it got me thinking. I’ve written recently about fruits. Botanically, fruits are defined as the ripened ovaries of plants, derived from flower structures, and contain one or more seeds. Think – apples. Culturally, we think of fruits as being sweet; they are usually, but not always, eaten raw and are frequently incorporated into the best part of a meal – dessert. According to my grandson Nolan, vegetables are none of those things, except sometimes eaten raw. Using the scientific definition, many foods we consider vegetables are actually fruits. Tomatoes (of course), peppers, cucumbers, squash, avocados – all fruits! Vegetables, according to plant folks, are other parts of edible plants. Common, “true” vegetables include potatoes, carrots, celery, broccoli, and many others. We don’t commonly think that vegetables are sweet - but savory, sometimes cooked, and rarely associated with dessert.
All this thinking about fruits and vegetables got me wondering about a special class of fruits – seedless. What kind of horticultural magic is necessary to make a fruit that can’t reproduce? Isn’t that against “nature”? Are they classified as GMOs (genetically modified organisms?) Rest easy. The science behind seedless fruits is varied and fascinating.
First things first. Seedless fruits are not genetically modified in the way that is defined as GMO. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), genetic modification involves a specific change in an organism’s DNA, including the transfer of DNA from one type of organism to another. Seedless fruits are selectively bred, to be sure, but do not involve the genetic material of any other species. In other words, seedless grapes contain only DNA from grapes. Depending on the kind of fruit, seedless varieties arise from several different breeding strategies: grafting, cuttings (both of which produce clones), and selective crossbreeding. Although uncommon, plants that produce fruits with non-viable seeds are a rare, but naturally occurring event, sometimes arising from random mutation. Rarity makes sense since the purpose of a fruit is to house and help distribute the seed. A sterile fruit is useless to the plant; hence, they are not valuable in nature. But they do exist, for example, as discovered by primitive humans millennia ago, as the result of accidental crossbreeding of two different species of wild banana that produced a sterile fruit. That fruit was seedless compared to wild bananas, which have large, numerous seeds. Banana plants, fortunately, are easily grown, not from seeds, but
by splitting off and planting small offshoots called pups, which grow at the base. These are genetically identical to the parent; clones that will also produce seedless fruit. Whether the new plant and its sterile offspring is propagated by shoots or sometimes by grafting a desired plant stock onto an existing plant, the result is a cloned fruit identical to others of its type. Another way to produce sterile, seedless fruit is by manipulating the number of sets of chromosomes in a plant. A hybrid variety of this type cannot make viable eggs and sperm that can be fertilized, and sets fruit with poorly developed seeds. This is how farmers grow seedless watermelons.
We all learned in basic biology that an individual - plant, or animal - contains one set of genetic material from each parent. Each cell, except for eggs and sperm, includes two copies of genetic material. That is true, mostly… Long ago, however, scientists discovered that it was possible, and even desirable, to produce plants with more than two complete copies of genetic material, and that breeding those plants together yielded commercially valuable offspring. Many of the beautiful flower varieties we purchase from the nursery and food crops we grow, including watermelons, result from these processes.
Seedless watermelons are grown in a farmer›s field where two different parent seeds were planted. One kind produces flowers containing ova (or egg cells) with not one but two complete sets of genetic material. The other parent seeds produce pollen,
which generates sperm cells with only one DNA set. The flower cannot be successfully fertilized and the resulting fruit contains three sets of genes. It is sterile, and as the fruit develops into a mature melon, the seeds abort and stop development, resulting in a few tiny, soft, white, infertile remnants called traces. Voila, a seedless watermelon!
Certainly, these agricultural processes are the result of many years of scientific research and refinement. Market studies have concluded that, as consumers, we desire our fruit to be sweeter, have fewer seeds, and have longer shelf lives. These preferences are met through selective breeding and the manipulation of parent stock. Are seedless fruits «Frankenfoods?» No, but make no mistake. The days of simply finding a seed, planting it, and patiently waiting for a delicious treat are rare.
Dear readers, I haven›t even considered nuts and berries! Perhaps another month. In the meantime, enjoy the bountiful harvest of our hard-working farmers!
Cheryl Hach Retired Science Teacher Kalamazoo Area Math and Science CenterReference:
Goldy, R. (2019, January 3).
Seedless fruit is not something new. MSU Extension. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.canr.msu.edu/ news/seedless-fruit-is-not-somethingnew
Through October 15
Exhibit: Explore Your World Explore land, sea & space
Kalamazoo Valley Museum
Through December, 2023
Exhibit: Wonder Media: Ask The Questions, KVCC Museum
Through January 7
Exhibit: Splat! The Buzz About Fly Swatters, KVCC Museum
Tuesdays, Aug. 1,8,15,22,29
Kalamazoo Farmer’s Market
8am-1pm, 1204 Bank St.
Tuesday, August 1
Drummunity @ Maple Lake Amphitheater, 10-11am Sponsored by Paw Paw Library
Tuesday, August 1
Food Truck on the Road, 5-7pm, Water St., Kalamazoo
Tuesdays, Aug. 1,8,15,22,29
Theme Trivia Tuesdays, 7-9pm Revel and Roll West, Register: (269) 488-3800
Wednesdays, Aug. 2, 16
Mugs & Hugs – stories rhymes, peer interaction (ages 4 & under) 10-10:45am, Vicksburg Library
Wednesdays, Aug. 2,9,16,23,30
Richland Farmers Market, 3-6pm, Richland Community Center
Wednesdays, Aug. 2,9,16,23,30
Cruise-In, 5-8pm, Gilmore Car Museum
Wednesday, August 2
Live Music: The Kalamazoo Kittens, 5:30-8:30pm Bates Alley, Kalamazoo
Wednesday, August 2
Live Music: The Brothers, 6-8:30pm Kalamazoo Humane Society 2272 River St., Kalamazoo
Wednesday, Aug. 2,9,16,23,30
Final Goofery Comedy Night 8-10pm, Final Gravity Kal.
Thursdays, Aug. 3,10,17,24,31
Kalamazoo Farmers Market 1204 Bank St., 8am-1pm
Thursdays, Aug. 3, Sept. 7
Book Club for Adults – Read & Discuss a book. Check with library For August’s book, 9:30-10:30am Vicksburg District Library
Thursdays, Aug. 3,10,17,24,31
Plainwell Farmers’ Market
3-6:30pm @ Sweetwater Donuts
Thursdays, Aug. 3,10,17,24,31
Trivia Night, 7pm, Gull Lake Distilling Company, Galesburg
Friday, August 4
Kalamazoo Historic Walk: DownTown Historical Markers, 8am Meet at Gazelle Sports, Kalamazoo
Friday, August 4 Memory Café for people w/mild Dementia & their care partners 10:30am-Noon, Paw Paw Library
Fridays, August 4,11,18,25 Vicksburg Farmers Market, 2-6, 300 N. Richardson St.
Friday, August 4
State on the Street Live Music: Delilah Dewylde & Fake Baseball, 5:30-8:30pm Kalamazoo State Theatre
Fridays, August 4,11,18,25
Trivia Fridays, 7-8:30pm Valhalla Horse Nectar Meadery
Saturdays, Aug. 5,12,19,26
Kalamazoo Farmers Market 7am-2pm, 1204 Bank St.
Saturday, August 5
Hike K’zoo County & earn Hike The County & K’zoo badges, 13 mi. fast paced hike, 8am Park at Kellogg Robotic Dairy 10461 N. 40th St., Hickory Corners
Sundays, Aug. 6,13,20,27
Portage Farmers Market 9am-1pm, 7900 S. Westnedge
Sunday, August 6 Bizarre Bazaar – handmade Local Art, Crafts, 12-5pm Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo
Sunday, August 6 Music in the Park – Oshtemo Township: Kalamazoo Avenue Band, 6-7:30pm
Mondays, August 7,14,21,28
Parchment Update Interviews Parchmentlibrary.org
Monday, August 7 Vicksburg End of Summer Reading Program: Toddler 1011am, Elementary11:30am-12:30 pm, Teen 1-2pm, Clark Park, Vicksburg
Mondays, August, 7,14,21,28 Cruz in at Dean’s Ice Cream, Plainwell, 4-8pm
Mondays, Aug. 7,14,21,28
Run this Town, 6-7:30pm Mayors’ River Front Park, Kal.,, meet at pavilion
Monday, August 7,24,21,28
Team Trivia at Old Burdick’s Wings West, Kalamazoo, 7-9pm
Tuesday, August 8
Adult craft: Create a cherry Blossom branch from cardboard tubes, 1-3pm, Vicksburg Library
Tuesday, August 8
Paw Paw Library Summer Reading Picnic @ Farlan Field, 3-5pm
Tuesday, August 8
Food Truck on the Road: The Mill in Vicksburg, 5-7:30pm
Wednesday, August 9 Bird & Coffee Chat: Woodpeckers 10am on Zoom, Register: kbs.msu.edu, Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
Wednesday, August 9
Live Music: Spur 9, 6-8:30pm Kalamazoo Humane Society 2272 River St., Kalamazoo
Thursday, August 10
Teen Games/Social Time w/snacks Noon-2pm, Vicksburg Library
Thursday, August 10 Kalamazoo Historic Walks: Vine Historic District, 6:30pm, Meet at Pearl & W. Dutton Streets
Thursday, August 10 Live Music: Rhythm Society Orchestra, 7pm, Overlander Bandshell, Ptg.
Thursday, August 10 Comedy Open Mic Night 9-11pm Valalla Norse Nectar Meadery
Friday, August 11 Adult Trivia event, 2-4pm Vicksburg District Library
Saturday, August 12 Moms in the Zoo, 10am-4pm Downtown Kalamazoo Mall
Saturday, August 12
Internet Users Group, 10amNoon, Paw Paw Library
Saturday, August 12 Your Story! Public Media Network, 10am-Noon, Make a Video, Epic Center, Kalamazoo
Saturday, August 12
Observing the Sun, 11:30am 12:30pm, Parchment Library
Saturday, August 12
Mallmart + Zoo Flea - Vintage & Handmade Marketplace, Water St., Kalamazoo, 12-7pm
Monday, August 14
Parchment Book Group: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Dubois, 6pm, Parchment Library
Tuesday, August 15
Food Trucks on the Road: Fannie Pell Park, Plainwell, 5-7:30pm
Tuesday, August 15
Mystery Book club – Agatha Christie Series: Murder in Retrospect, 6:30pm Parchment Library
Wednesday, August 16
Live Music: Schlitz Creek 6-8:30pm, Kalamazoo Humane Society, 2272 River St., Kal.
Thursday, August 17
Kalamazoo Night Market, 5-10pm, 1204 Bank St., Kal.
Thursday, August 17
Heartbreak Book Club: The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, 6:30-7:30pm Paw Paw District Library
Friday, August 18 Food Truck Festival – Blues Fest, 5-10pm, Arcadia Creek Festival Place, Kalamazoo
Saturday, August 19 Aviation STEAM Day, 10am 2pm, Kalamazoo Air Zoo
Saturday, August 19
All-Ages Talent Show – show off your talent! Register ahead Vicksburg Library, 2-4pm
Sunday, August 20
Live Music: Schlitz Creek Texas Drive Park, 4-6pm 6603 Texas Dr., Kalamazoo
Monday, August 21
STEAM – engage in hands-on Activities (ages 5-11+), 11am-Noon, Vicksburg Library
Tuesday, August 22
Lego Free Design Club (ages 511+), 1-2pm, Vicksburg Library
Thursday, August 24
Elementary Games & snacks, 12-2pm, Vicksburg Library
Saturday August 26
Kalamazoo Black Business Expo, 1-5pm, Kalamazoo County Expo Center
Monday, August 28
Adult Movie Club: Me Before You, with coffee/tea & treats 1-3pm, Vicksburg Library
