Spark-Southwest Michigan-April 2024

Expert Advice

Hearing

Financial Services

Transitions

Kim Kragt, CCC-A, MA

Q: How Loud is Too Loud?

A: Sounds exceeding 80 decibels, such as power tools or loud concerts, can cause gradual harm to the delicate structures in our ears. It’s important to protect your hearing by using earplugs or noise-canceling headphones in noisy environments. Take regular breaks from loud settings and keep the volume at a safe level when watching TV or using headphones. Taking these small steps can help you avoid noise-induced hearing loss. If you’ve noticed a change in your hearing, talk to your primary doctor to be referred for a hearing test at a Bronson Constance Brown Hearing Center near you. For more information call (269) 343-2601 or visit bronsonhealth.com/hearing

Bronson Constance Brown Hearing Center

bronsonhealth.com/hearing (269) 343-2601

Roofing

Justin Reynolds Manager

Q: I hear that Sherriff Goslin Roofing uses their own unique shingle. Can you tell me more about this shingle?

A: The Art Loc shingle is SherriffGoslin’s original patented shingle. It can be used as a re-roofing shingle over another layer of existing shingles, or as a primary shingle over roof sheathing. It assures a smooth, windproof and watertight job. The Art Loc shingle provides a unique appearance and lends character with distinction to any home.

Today’s Art Loc shingle has been modified to include an ingredient known as an SBS (Styrene-ButadieneStyrene) polymer, which is used to alter the properties of asphalt, making the asphalt tougher and more flexible. This polymer dramatically slows down the aging process of the asphalt, providing superior waterproofing, low temperature flexibility, impact resistance, high wind endurance and extended life expectancy. Call us at (269) 342-0153 or visit us at worryfreeroof. com today to learn more.

Sherriff-Goslin Roofing Co.

Since 1906 342-0153 800-950-1906

Member Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo

Chuck Henrich President & Owner

Q: Should I start contributing to a Roth IRA?

A: Roth IRAs offer versatility and have tax-efficiencies that other financial vehicles don’t. Roth IRAs are funded with after tax money.  The advantages of having a Roth IRA include:

• Tax-free growth

• Your withdrawals will be tax-free (penalties if younger than age 59 ½)

• Withdrawals will not impact your annual earnings for Social Security or Medicare purposes

• There are no Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

If you would like to discuss your options on establishing your own Roth IRA, give us a call.

Southwest Michigan Financial, LLC

The Atriums • 4341 S. Westnedge #1201 269-323-7964

Health Food

Mark Sawall Owner

Q: I am new to the area and was wondering if Sawall Health Foods carries bulk foods?

A: Whether you need a teaspoon of Cinnamon or a 25 lb. bag of organic whole wheat flour, Sawall’s carries over 400 of your favorite all natural and organic bulk selections. You will find West Michigan’s largest selection of bulk products including spices, whole grains, dried fruits, legumes, rice, flours, coffee, tea, soup mixes, fresh roasted or raw nuts, all natural and organic candy and a wide selection of granolas, gluten free granolas and trail mixes.  We receive weekly deliveries to ensure that our bulk is fresh.

Mon-Sat. 8am-9pm, Sun. 10am-6pm

Sawall Health Foods

Oakwood Plaza • 2965 Oakland Dr. at Whites Rd. • 343-3619 • www.sawallhf.com

Diana Duncan Director of Sales and Marketing

Q: How much time should I allow for an appointment with a senior living community Sales Counselor?

A: Allowing up to 90 minutes for a personized appointment will give you a great start in understanding what options work best for your health age and finances as well as timing your move.

Friendship Village

“Where Connections Matter”

1400 North Drake, Kalamazoo 269-381-0560

www.friendshipvillagemi.com

Counseling

Kim Powers, Owner, Licensed Professional Counselor

Q: What should I do to lift the weight of my hidden addiction?

A: It is a brave choice to admit you have developed behavior that has become a stronghold. The next step is to choose a safe space, person, or professional to learn skills to overcome and manage the behaviors and hold yourself accountable to your goals. You can find the victory, strength, and encouragement to overcome! There is freedom in the light.

Heart Soul Mind Strength LLC

Faith. Acceptance. Empowerment. Purpose. Www.HeartSoulMindStrengthLLC.com 510-827-1305

Found Object

A natural or man-made object, or fragment of an object, that is found by an artist and kept because of some intrinsic interest the artist sees in it.

Ever since I was young, I have loved picking up rocks, driftwood, scraps of metal, acorns, sea shells, beach glass and other odds and ends along the way.

There is something about bringing home an object and admiring it later as a reminder of a fun trip or a walk along the beach.

Most of my “found objects” have ended up in a box or a drawer and I no longer have any idea where they came from.

I have seen some great “found object” art pieces over the years at art shows and galleries and have admired the creativity of combining objects into a wonderful piece of art.

If you have been to the Chicago Art Institute, you may recall Joseph Cornell’s magical shadow box and assemblage creations.

A few year ago, during a spurt of creativity, I made a few items out of some of my found objects. I’m not sure they would be considered works of art, but it was a fun exercise.

The original pieces didn’t turn out as I had conjured them up in my mind, but I continued to plug along and a few pieces turned out okay. I used an old wooden cigar box that I adorned with bark, pine cones and nuts. One acorn cap, functions as a small opening latch.

Another recent creation is a collection of driftwood found on a beach in Harbor Springs on an unseasonably warm day in February. I had fun, moving the pieces around to see how they would best fit together.

FROM THE EDITOR

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time, running on country roads while training for some marathons. I got bored and began searching for small objects along the way including small animal bones and pieces of colorful, broken tail light lenses.

After accumulating a large bag of red and orange taillight lenses fragments, I decided to make a map of the United States, trying to find a piece that resembled each state. It was a fun exercise. I have since seen a few artists make jewelry out of lens fragments and Jackie once bought a tail light lens necklace during a trip to Beaver Island. If you want a fun project to do with your kids or grandkids, search your yard or woods for “found objects” and challenge them to create their own works of art.

I’m sure you’ll all be amazed by your creations.

Steve Ellis, SPARK Publisher steve@swmspark.com

Tracy Mathews running with her Run Camp group.

Photo by Steve Ellis

The agony and ecstasy of a football fan

Lee A. Dean screendoor@sbcglobal.net

Baseball season is about to begin, but football is still on my mind, for a simple reason: I thought last year would be THE year.

I thought it would be the year where I would see the Detroit Lions reach the Super Bowl, an achievement second only to 2016, when my beloved Chicago Cubs won their first World Series title in 108 years.

It was not to be. The Honolulu Blue and Silver came agonizingly close to winning the NFC title game. Close, but in the end, we endured another layer of disappointment.

Nonetheless, my football season was glorious. The Michigan Wolverines won their first undisputed national championship since 1948 on their third straight trip to the playoffs. Two years ago, they knocked on the door. Last year, they pounded on the door. This year, they kicked the door down and claimed the prize.

As for the Lions, this letdown feels different. We are still disappointed, but now we have hope – a precious commodity for a team whose history

is marked with a uniquely diabolical record of failure.

I started following the Lions as a kid in the 1960s, watching games with the older men in the family and learning how to be frustrated. One man was the particular target of their ire, a hapless quarterback named Milt Plum. Week after week, we witnessed Plum get juiced by guys named Butkus and Nitschke.

Hope arrived in the 1970s, when the team enjoyed the fruits of rare good judgment by their scouting honchos. A young core was assembled of guys like Mel Farr, Lem Barney, Greg Landry, Mike Lucci, Ed Flanagan, and others. And yet, this group only got to one playoff game, which they managed to lose by the bizarre score of 5-0.

In 1980, more optimism came in the form of the first of two brilliant running backs who wore #20. Billy Sims and his supporting cast were so good at the start of the season that hey inspired a tribute song based on Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.” That team crashed and burned, failing to make the playoffs.

Fast forward another 10 years or so to the arrival of Barry Sanders, perhaps the greatest running back of all time. This assemblage of talent won exactly one playoff game. A few short years later, Sanders retired early, wishing to be free

of the mediocrity while he still had his health. Another decade or so later, Calvin Johnson, duplicated Sanders’ feat.

The Peter Principle states that people tend to rise to their level of incompetence. We saw that principle with a vengeance in Lions’ general managers and coaches. Russ Thomas, Matt Millen, Martin Mayhew, and Bob Quinn impotently flailed away trying to build competitive teams.

And the coaches…good grief, the coaches. Who would be insane enough to win an overtime coin toss and let the other team have the ball first? Marty Mornhinweg would and did, after which the Bears gleefully marched down the field to win the game. Mornhinweg begat Mariucci who begat Jauron who began Marinelli (0-16!!) who begat Schwartz who begat Caldwell who begat Patricia.

This cascade of gridiron grotesquerie took Lions supporters to the end of the 2020 season. We had hit bottom. Who could have possibly predicted that the key to turning things around would be a widow in her 90s?

God bless Martha Firestone Ford. In 2014, she took the reins of the tam after the death of her husband and declared that the years of mediocrity were through. When she turned the team over to her daughter, Sheila Ford Hamp,

the push for excellence intensified. She put the pedal to the metal and brought in a new coach and a new general manager, the brilliant Brad Holmes, who were smart, intelligent, and driven.

Coach Dan Campbell had me at his introductory press conference, when he proclaimed that his team would consist of the kind of players that would bite the other team’s kneecaps. The team’s top brass had a vision and a plan and stuck with it. They went from 3-13 to 9-8 to this season’s glittering 14-win campaign. And while I still wish Campbell would have taken the points instead of another fourth-down gamble in the NFC title game, the man has his players believing, fighting, scratching, and clawing. In short, they are behaving like lions.

I can say the Lions have won a championship in my lifetime. However, it happened in 1957 and I was only two years old. I had to hear about it second hand from my dad and grandpa’s stories about Bobby Layne and crew.

My wife, the Viking Goddess, grew up in Illinois. I tell her that if the Lions ever win the Super Bowl, this state will come completely unglued. The following Monday, all her banking customers will be stumbling, bleary-eyed, and idiotically grinning.

Maybe. Just maybe.

Kick that door down boys (you too, Sheila) and make it happen.

Historic Flood of 1904

by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library

Heavy spring rains and runoff from melting snow have wreaked havoc along rivers and in low lying areas since the beginning of time. Early accounts of rising floodwaters in Kalamazoo date back to the 1850s, when unusually heavy rains in May 1858 washed out railroad tracks west of Kalamazoo. Rapidly rising waters in Arcadia Creek that year swept away sidewalks, damaged a foundry building west of town, and forced several families from their homes.

In January 1880, unexpected heavy rain took out several bridges north of Kalamazoo along the Grand Rapids & Indiana and Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad lines. Flash floods from heavy summer rains in July 1896 covered many of the celery fields on the south side of Kalamazoo and ruined crops for dozens of growers. In March 1897, floodwaters from the Kalamazoo River and Portage Creek covered the lowlands along River Street, Mill Street, and Ampersee Avenue, one of the many times that high water devastated the eastern portion of the city.

One of the worst floods ever recorded in Kalamazoo occurred during the early months of 1904. Torrential rain and melting snow in early March caused the Kalamazoo River to rise some two feet in 36 hours. The Kalamazoo Gazette declared it

the “worst flood ever known in the history of the city” as workmen dynamited ice dams near the Gull Street, East Main, and Michigan Central Railroad bridges to prevent them from being swept away by the raging river. Water levels continued to rise, swelling to several feet above flood stage. Railroads and electric interurban trains were forced to stop service as tracks became submerged by the rising floodwaters.

a Grand Rapids & Indiana freight train had been derailed by the flood waters, while most railroad traffic in and out of Kalamazoo was either delayed or had stopped completely. Many major manufacturers were forced to close, leaving some 1,300 souls out of work. At its peak, the river crested some 9 feet above its normal level, 11 inches above the previous record established in 1887.

Days later, the floodwaters had begun to recede as Mayor Sam Folz met with the city council to plan relief efforts. Hundreds of homes had been damaged and nearly 250 families were left homeless. Boats were brought in to help reach those who were stranded by the rising waters. Some of the local paper mills were able to resume operation, while more than a dozen other factories remained underwater.

By Saturday, March 26, the water level in the Kalamazoo River was rising at a rate of 5 inches per hour. Portage Creek, Axtell Creek, and Arcadia Creek had overflowed their banks, filling the Van Bochove & Brothers’ greenhouse on East Vine Street with more than a foot of water. Portions of

After an 8-day closure, most of the remaining businesses were able to resume work by April 3rd. Repair work on damaged railroad lines was underway by then, and rail traffic was beginning to see normal service. Keeping in mind that Kalamazoo’s population in the year 1900 was just over 24,000, conservative estimates placed the damage within the city at more than $50,000, roughly $1.7 million in today’s dollars. Photos courtesy, Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

More at kpl.gov

by Laura Kurella

Pasta Palooza!

One of life’s greatest pleasures is a plate of perfectly prepared, piping-hot pasta – thank you, Lord! However, what comes in a box these days tastes more like the box it’s in than freshly-made pasta, so most either don’t indulge unless at an Italian restaurant, or we settle for yuck, but there is no good reason to.

To demonstrate just how simple fresh pasta is to make. I enlisted my eight-year-old granddaughter, Sophia. I discovered through her that home-made pasta is not only super easy to make, but it’s also so much fun for kids that she thought it was child’s play!

Easily made by hand or by mixer, pasta dough can be easily rolled thin using a pasta roller or by hand using a rolling pin. It can then be cut just as easily with either a fancy pasta cutting gadget or any knife or pizza cutting tool.

Creating noodles using both ways, Sophia and I discovered that the end results tasted absolutely no different.

Pasta planning is a good idea because while fresh raw pasta (dough or noodles) may be placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking, it will begin to turn gray in appearance. While the gray color does not affect taste it does make it appear less appetizing.

Luckily, fresh, uncooked pasta can be frozen - directly on a baking sheet in a single layer - then transferred to a zipper-lock freezer bag, and stored in the freezer for up to three weeks before cooking. The best long-term storage option is to simply dry out your fresh pasta, which is done by simply spreading the noodles out in a single layer on well-floured baking sheets, or hanging on racks for a few days, depending on humidity.

Fans help circulate the air and help pasta dry evenly, as does not attempting to dry noodles on humid days.

Making pasta at home is fun, especially when you have little hands to help. Here’s an easy-to-follow recipe to help you roll out your own pasta palooza, too - ENJOY!

Fresh ‘n’ Easy Egg Pasta

A delicate, rich, noodle with a classic Italian flavor that is wellsuited for both sliced noodles or stuffed pastas.

ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 5 minutes

YIELD:4 to 6 servings

10 ounces (280g; about 2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra 2 extra-large, whole eggs (110g; about 4 ounces)

4 extra-large egg yolks (70g; about 2.5 ounces)

1 teaspoon natural fine sea salt, plus more for salting water

In a mixing bowl, or on a flat surface, combine flour and salt then make a well in the center. Add eggs and yolks to the center well and mix with hands or fork, or mixer paddle until a dough comes together. If dough seems dry or crumbly, add a tiny bit of cold water. If too wet, sprinkle in flour. Turn dough out onto a board and knead to form a ball that resembles play-doh. Flatten dough ball to a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour (or several hours). Divide dough into 4 pieces. Knead each piece until smooth. Roll with a rolling pin or pasta machine until thin then cut into desired shapes and lengths using a knife or other tools. Repeat steps on remaining dough. Gently fluff finished noodles with flour then spread out on a flour-dusted baking sheet to refrigerate or freeze, uncovered, until ready to cook.

Laura Kurella is an award-winning home cook who loves sharing recipes from her Great Lakes region kitchen. She welcomes comments at laurakurella@yahoo.com, and she invites you to check out her new (free) cooking series that can be viewed on YouTube. Look for direct links to it on Laura’s FB page and website.

Summertime (1955)

British director David Lean perfectly captures romantic longing in the film Summertime (1955). Starring screen legend Katherine Hepburn as a lonely American tourist vacationing in picturesque Venice, Lean’s technicolor romance depicts the emotional conflict Hepburn’s character struggles with when she falls for a charming local shopkeeper. Grappling with both the unknown, and feelings of self-doubt, Summertime’s plaintive tenor expresses both the intense thrill and the frustration of unplanned amor. – Submitted by Ryan G.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

Originally airing on South Korea’s ENA channel and distributed globally on Netflix, Extraordinary Attorney Woo debuted in the US in early June 2022 and quickly became one of the top 10 most watched Netflix shows of 2022 as well as one of the year’s top 10 highest rated shows on IMDB.com. Starring Park Eun-bin as Woo Young-woo, a brilliant young woman with Asperger’s syndrome as she begins her career at a prestigious Korean law firm, the show is a masterclass in balancing humor with heavy subject matter while its pragmatic and humane depiction of individuals on the autism spectrum has been the subject of international praise. As a newly minted attorney working her first real job, Young-woo must

Movie Reviews

learn to navigate everyday struggles such as revolving doors, social norms, and her frequent desire to discuss dolphins and whales while bringing her 164 IQ and eidetic memory to bear in the court room for the benefit of her firm and clients. Endlessly charming and heartfelt, Extraordinary Attorney Woo has a second season in the works right now, so it’s a good time for the uninitiated to catch up! –

Submitted by Patrick J.

Lynch/Oz (2022)

Director David Lynch’s works are known for their dreamlike (and sometimes nightmareinducing) narratives.

Picking up on Lynch’s comment during a Mulholland Dr Q&A session that “(t) here’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about The Wizard of Oz, Alexandre O. Philippe’s 2022 documentary Lynch/Oz explores the influence of the 1939 film classic on the auteur’s oeuvre. The series of six film essays, narrated by a variety of filmmakers, features an abundant sampling of all of Lynch’s film and TV creations, juxtaposed with a wealth of Oz clips. Among the narrators, John Waters considers Oz’s early influence on Lynch (and himself) through its early television showings (where its classic status was earned after originally bombing in theaters); elsewhere, Karyn Kusama and the team of Benson and Moorehead ponder the recurrences of Oz-related names and images throughout the Lynch canon. A film fanatic’s delight, Lynch/Oz captures the essence of movies as dream visions reflecting life’s illusory qualities. – Submitted by Karl K.

Reviews submitted by Ryan Gage. These great titles and others are available at the Kalamazoo Public Library.

“2023 RSVP Volunteer of the Year”– Sister Grace Scola, SSJ

By Jim Coppinger, Milestone Senior Services Volunteer

Sister Grace Scola, SSJ was born in Detroit, Michigan ninety-nine years ago and celebrates her 100th birthday this summer. Sister Grace is the 2023 RSVP Volunteer of the Year—with more than 400 hours of service. She was surprised to earn this distinction and demurely acknowledges she doesn’t always report all of her volunteer hours.

When Sister Grace was in fifth grade, she was inspired by her teacher who was a nun. She set her goal to also become both a nun and a teacher. She did; and she never regretted that decision.

She went on to Nazareth College, a private Catholic college founded in Kalamazoo in early 1900’s and closed about ninety years later. There she earned a teaching degree. She continued her education at St. Louis University with a degree in French.

Sister Grace taught French (and a few other subjects) for more than twenty years. She loved teaching. She says living among religious sisters who were also teachers, provided a unique opportunity to exchange insights about teaching methods and classroom techniques—to mentor one another. This self-sustained collaboration polished their skills and was a continual source of inspiration.

After retiring from teaching, her focus shifted to bereavement counseling—which she continued for another twenty-five years. But the term “retirement” is a mismatch considering Sister Grace’s endless drive and energy.

Her volunteer work now centers on caring for

her fellow sisters at the Nazareth Center. The Center stated, at the time of her RSVP award, “…at 99 years old, there is no stopping her from caring for the Sisters here at the Nazareth Center…She plants flowers and then offers beautiful vases of flowers to the staff to thank them for all they do. During the fall, she purchases apples, peels them, and makes apple pies and apple sauce for everyone. For the different holidays she prepares little bags of candy for all the residents. Each and every day Sr. Grace is doing something to help others. Sr. Gracie is one of the greatest gifts we have here at the Nazareth Center.”

And as for being 99, Sister Grace shirks it off as no big deal. She says her mother lived to 101 and her mother’s sister– to 104.

Sister Grace plans occasional “get-togethers” in her “Neighborhood” (the term they use to describe each wing of the facility) to acquaint the new residents with one another. and bakes some of her home-made pies, desserts to serves as refreshments. She says, “These occasions bring camaraderie among us–in getting to know each other. In addition to the Sisters, we have close to twenty other new residents. The Sisters have met some wonderful new friends.”

No doubt Sister Grace’s life is a living example of not only how to live a long life, but to live life well.

Yes, that little ten-year-old girl from Detroit had a desire to grow up to be just like her teacher, has definitely accomplished her goal—and no doubt, inspired so many others along the way.

Milestone Senior Services (previously known as Senior Services of Southwest Michigan) is an AmeriCorps Seniors grantee. AmeriCorps Seniors empowers people age 55 and older to serve their communities. RSVP helps people find a volunteer opportunity that fits their passion. There are currently opportunities in Kalamazoo County and a few in Calhoun County. Volunteers are needed with Meals on Wheels, Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, Telephone Reassurance for Seniors, Milestone Home Repair, and more. Regular, flexible schedules available. Contact RSVP at 269-382-0515 or apply to volunteer at www.milestoneseniorservices.org.

TRACY MATTHEWS KNOWS THAT WHEN FRIENDS RUN, FUN IS THE OUTCOME.

By Dave Person david.r.person@gmail.com

If Tracy Matthews created her own dictionary, the word “fun” would be listed as a portmanteau for “friends who run.”

Matthews, 54, is taking part this year in her 13th Run Kalamazoo (formerly Borgess) Run Camp, and her 12th as a leader. To hear her tell it, she’s nowhere near ready to hang up her running shoes.

“To give it up now, I’d lose a big part of myself; I don’t know what I’d do without my run friends,” she says. “If it wasn’t for my run friends, I wouldn’t go out and run as much as I do.”

Matthews, who works in human resources at Western Michigan University, is one of the leaders of the Transformers, a 28-member run group within distance camp — a part of run camp — that is known as much for its unusual-themed training runs as for pounding the pavement three times a week.

For Febru-hairy, for instance, members of the group wore wigs or false mustaches. One even showed up in a gorilla suit. “He ran eight miles in that,” Matthews says incredulously.

They also have crazy hat and silly socks days, and FunderWear Day, in which they run with their underwear on the outside of their running apparel.

They are “fun people,” Matthews says of her group. “That’s what run camp is all about. It’s the people you meet along the way.”

“Some of them are like family,” Matthews says. They not only run together, but their families know each other and get together outside of run camp.

Many Transformers have been part of the group for years, like Matthews, but every year sees new runners join the group, giving the old-timers an opportunity to celebrate the newcomers’ milestones along the way, she says.

The Transformers and other distance camp groups train for the Zeigler Kalamazoo Marathon and Half Marathon, which will take place May 5 this year.

The 20-week distance camp started in December and the 13-week run camp, which trains for the Run Kalamazoo 10k run and 5k run & walk, also to be held May 5, began in February. Runners from both camps get together to train on

PHOTO BY DEREK KETCHUM

Saturday mornings and each team does additional training together during the week, Matthews says.

There are 258 runners involved this year, with 131 in distance camp and 127 in run camp, according to Tom Comes, director of marketing for Zeigler Kalamazoo Marathon events.

Being in community with other runners is particularly important to Matthews, who is from England and came to the United States 20 years ago when her husband, Alan’s, job took them to Cincinnati.

It was during that time, while working at the front desk of the Cincinnati YMCA, that Matthews learned of a 5k challenge that was open to the Y’s employees.

“I thought, ‘If I can get up to 30 minutes on the treadmill, I’ll sign up,” she says.

She was successful, and a life of running began.

When Alan Matthews’ work brought them to the Kalamazoo area 18 years ago, they and their two children, who are now adults in their 20s, settled in Portage, where Matthews met another running enthusiast while working as a substitute school lunch lady.

The two trained together to run halfmarathons, then increased their distance.

About a dozen years ago, Matthews ran the first of the half-dozen marathons (a marathon is about 42 kilometers, or 26.2 miles) she now has under her belt. She has even run the Dances with the Dirt 50k (about 31 miles) through dirt, mud and streams and over rocks in Hell, Mich.

The Transformers, in the beginning,

had as its goal to train campers to run marathons.

“We were transforming people from runners to marathon runners,” Matthews says.

But over time, she and the Transformers have been training for 13.1-mile halfmarathons.

“My marathon days are over,” she says. “I’m good running half-marathons.”

Well, almost.

Matthews says it has been a dream of

hers to run the London Marathon in her native England.

Runners in that event are chosen by lottery, and although she puts her name in the hat year after year, it hasn’t been drawn yet.

In addition to the camaraderie it fosters, Matthews says she runs to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.

“It helps with stress,” she says. “I’ve never had a problem I couldn’t outrun.”

HEALTHY LIVING

You know how sometimes you don’t get other people’s excitement about this, that, or the other thing – until “this, that, or other thing’ happens to you?! Take becoming a grandparent, for example: I always saw and heard my older friends enjoying the grandparent thing, but not until my own kids started to have families of their own did I truly and totally get it. Suddenly, with three little girls out on the west side of the country and a little one-year-old boy right here across town, the potential opportunities to connect, nurture, and play an important role in their growing up unfolds before me with all the feels.

And there are so many! (Feelings, that is!)

Having grown up, myself, with very little access to my own grandparents who lived across the Atlantic in the old country, I was lucky to have been brought up in the States in a tight ethnic community where the older generation took my parents in, and consequently, served as my surrogate grandparents.

I am grateful for the inspirational role they played as mentors, confidants, and cheerleaders.

And now, fast forward 50 years, in my own expanding familial unit, the opportunity to support the third genera-

tion just hits me like the proverbial ton of bricks – joyfully, lovingly, and with a great sense of opportunity – to provide a new level of support and care and fun!

I know that this is not everyone’s experience. But there’s something to be said about multigenerational relationships, the role that “the elders” have played across the eons, to help nurture and care for the littles, and conversely (and no less important!) the way new babies can bring a new energy to an aging person. It can be, as cliché as it sounds, a new lease on life, to have an opportunity to be connected and a part of their support system.

A quick GOOGLE search tells us that intergenerational relationships provide many benefits:

• Children who spend time with older adults growing up are less ageist as they get older

• It can prevent isolation and loneliness in older adults

• It provides a perfect opportunity for young and old to learn from one another

• It gives older adults a sense of purpose and helps younger generations have a great respect for and value of older adults

• It builds a stronger community

• It helps keep stories and history alive within families and the greater community

Here are some other interesting findings:

• Studies show kids who grow up with close bonds with their grandparents are less likely to be depressed as adults. The kids also have a greater understanding of who they are and who their parents are.

• In another study, grandparents who babysit grandkids regularly had a 37% lower mortality risk than adults who did not. Researchers suspect this has something to do with staying mentally active and having a purpose.

There’s a lot on the internet to dive into about intergenerational relationships and how to nurture them. Here in our own community, the opportunities to “do” things with grandchildren are too many to mention. Outside of the

comforts of our homes are our libraries, museums, trails, visits to the mall and parks, just to name a few. How exciting it can be to explore new places or introduce them to our favorite haunts? (Personally, I can’t wait to take my grandson Decker Theofanis to the Old Dog Tavern for an evening of Karaoke! But for now, it’s swim lessons at the Y where I get to watch and cheer him on!)

And that’s what it’s all about, right? Cheering them on? Being there for them.

So many, many feels!

Vicky Kettner is the Association Director of Marketing, Community Relations, and Member Engagement

WARRIORS Wednesday

Kristi Chapman, volunteer, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy

Lifespan

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy (SWMLC) was started by a bunch of inspired local folks in 1991. Over time, staff was added and more land got protected. The individuals who think of themselves more as owners than volunteers have stayed active, recruited others, maintained the preserves, evaluated potential new preserves, written Spark articles. We include ourselves as core members of this nine-county organization, caring deeply about the habitats in this corner of the state.

Over time, the monthly Saturday

workdays morphed into several volunteer groups - the Wednesday Warriors, Monday Privateers, and seedy Pluggers. We have a front-row seat to all the different preserves and take passionate ownership of some. SWMLC’s terrific Stewardship Director Mitch points us in the right direction and turns us loose. We specialize in the places that need us. We have gotten to know the ins and outs of the different preserves, and really get down and dirty with some of them with our very long-term projects.

I kick myself routinely for not taking more before and after photos of our long-term projects. At Myers Nature

Preserve, we now stand on the slope and look out over the open wetland. Where there used to be a solid wall of buckthorn in the low wetland, good native plants now bloom their heads off. At other preserves, we’ve cleared savannas, picked lupine pods, and painted thickets of tree-of-heaven with herbicide.

And, just by being at one of ‘our’ places, we learn its history, get to know the good plants that are already there, clear out the invader plants, and turn the clock back.

Three hours a week doesn’t sound like much, but it builds up over time. If you want to add your elbow grease to the SWMLC legacy, come join us as your schedule permits. No experience necessary, just bring your enthusiasm. We meet each Monday and Wednesday, with weekly details posted on the website swmlc.org/ weekly-outdoor-stewardship. Hope to see you out there.

Watch Works

By Richard Martinovich

“A pretty lady looked at me and said her diamond watch had stopped cold dead,” goes the song by Chicago, but the truth is people do “really care about time.” We invest big money in our watches, and if they stop cold dead, we look for someone to bring them back to life!

The Watch Works restores and repairs watches from any era! Whether a simple battery replacement or a quartz watch overhaul, Watch Works has the expertise to work on any mechanism.

Owner Duane Hampsten’s father operated a gun and coin shop, and rented space to a watch repairman. As a young boy, Duane would sit on a stool, laser-focused on the watch repairman plying his craft.

Duane worked as a service technician for twenty years, but never lost his love for watches. He completed a watch repair apprenticeship, and has been in the watch repair business for over fifteen years. His son Dan has joined him as a partner.

The bulk of Watch Works’ business is refurbished wrist watches. “We sell two or three Rolex watches a month,” says Duane. Watch Works has a treasure trove of quality timepieces: Omega and Breitling watches, women’s vintage watches from the 1920’s, Civil War era pocket watches, watch band replacements, watch boxes and watch winders. Many Watch Works customers want their family heirloom timepieces cleaned, restored, and in working order.

Watch Works sells new watches, specifically Hamilton. Founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1892, Hamilton supplied US servicemen with watches during WWI and WWII.

Elvis Presley wore a Hamilton Ventura, a triangular style featured in the movie, Blue Hawaii. Elvis would sometimes give away a Ventura, which is why it was known the “Elvis Watch”

Watch repair can be complex and time intensive, so customers are encouraged to exhibit some patience!

The Watch Works is located on Portage Road, next to the airport, in the Air View Plaza.

Book Reviews

Book Reviews by the Portage District Library staff

The Lost Bookshop

Evie Woods

In 1921, Opaline flees from her brother’s attempt to marry her off and finds herself in Dublin. During the present day in Dublin, Martha is also fleeing, this time from an abusive boyfriend. Henry is in Dublin as well, searching for a lost manuscript. When he meets Martha, he is instantly drawn to her. The Lost Bookshop follows these three characters, bound by invisible threads they are unaware of. As the story unfolds, the character’s lives intertwine together, past and present, as they try to solve the mystery of the missing book while discovering their own destiny along the way. This gentle story sprinkles magical realism on top of a story about overcoming loss and learning to love again.

Yellowface

R. F. Kuang

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang was chosen to be the 2024 Reading Together title and the choice was a good one.

June Hayward and Athena Liu are both authors who should have risen to fame together. Instead, Athena rises to popularity while June doesn’t even receive the smallest of literary deals. After June witnesses Athena’s accidental death, she impulsively steals Athena’s newest manuscript, not yet submitted, and sends it to her agent as

her own work. Even after June rebrands herself, she cannot escape from under Athena’s shadow as she attempts to guard her secret, continually pushing the limits to avoid being uncovered. Full of commentary on diversity, cultural appropriation, the publishing industry, and the impacts of social media, this novel will appeal to anyone who loves books, writers, and even fans of thrillers and mysteries.

Starter Villain

John Scalz

Charlie’s a substitute teacher, divorced, struggling emotionally, socially, and financially, and living in a house his half-siblings want to sell. Then he inherits his long-lost uncle’s parking garage empire. Which turns out to be a cover for a vast supervillain business-complete with an evil lair in an island volcano. Could this be an unexpected new start that will point Charlie in a productive new direction? The recently deceased Uncle Jake, an old-fashioned villain, made a lot of enemies--and they’re ruthless, well-funded, and out for revenge. Charlie will have to quickly get up to speed and figure out a friend from foe in order to stay alive. This villain business is more complicated than it seems. There’s crossing, doublecrossing, a wonderfully savvy and knowledgeable second-in-command, nefarious plots, sentient cats, and more. This was playful, smart, funny, and weird.

Earth Day: From Cultural Moment to Every Day Reality

By Tom Springer, Vice President of Development, Kalamazoo Nature Center

How big of a deal was the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970? Suffice to say that America had never seen a holiday like it. It didn’t commemorate military sacrifice, national independence or religious observance. Instead, it honored something more abstract, but no less necessary: the very Earth which makes all life possible. Some 20 million Americans – about 10 percent of the nation’s population at the time – gathered for Earth Day rallies and marches coast to coast.

The first Earth Day was both a celebration and call to action. It was an overdue reckoning for the environmental destruction that America had long accepted as normal. By the late 1960s, public outrage had come to a head over disasters such as the Santa Barbara oil spill, the much-reported “death” of Lake Erie and the infamous fire that set the Cuyahoga River ablaze in Cleveland. Earth Day was a rebuke to the unregulated automobiles and factories that fouled the air and water, and the unbridled use of pesticides such as DDT that indiscriminately killed insects and song birds alike.

It was a cultural sea change and Earth Day’s nascent popularity wasn’t lost on Congress, whose members quickly tacked to the new political winds. Both the House and Senate went into recess so that they could celebrate the new holiday in their home districts. For that golden moment, Earth Day and the environmental movement had bipartisan support at the federal and state level.

Earth Day was the brainchild of Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin. Yet the Republican administration of President Richard Nixon not only endorsed Earth Day, but helped pass landmark policies such as the Clean

Air Act and Clean Water Act. And, create the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.

Today, Earth Day has become a familiar harbinger of spring. A day to buy tree seedlings or recycle appliances. It’s no longer the news story it was in those heady early years. But if we consider the first Earth Day as a Big Bang event that set in motion a chain reaction of new policies, green commerce and public awareness, then we can see how its impact still reverberates. The nation’s air and waterways are far cleaner than they were in 1970, when the Kalamazoo River ran fetid and turgid with paper mill sludge. Technologies that support large-scale wind and solar energy, electric vehicles, sustainable agriculture, and power plants that burn natural gas instead of coal have all gone mainstream.

There is, of course, the looming problem of climate change, which only a relative few scientists understood in 1970. The next challenges, as we decrease the use of fossil fuels to reduce greenhouse gases, are still before us. Moving to a carbon neutral economy will require high-level policy change at the global level. Still, we can do much to make our world more resilient to climate extremes at the community and even backyard level.

In the city, suburbs or country, we can plant more native trees such as oak, maple, redbud, dogwood and white pine. We can replace turf grass with beds of native pollinators such as butterfly weed, purple coneflowers and black-eyed Susans. Or grow edible fruits such as native serviceberry trees and blueberry bushes. All these can conserve water, keep yards cooler and feed wildife. While we hope you’ll visit the Kalamazoo Nature Center for Earth Day on Saturday, April 20, it’s even more important that each of us nurture whatever small corner of the Earth we call our own.

Tales road FROM THE

By Steve Ellis

The small town of Albion is located about 47 minutes east of Kalamazoo with a population of approximately 7,700.

The earliest settlers called the area The Forks because it is where the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River meet. The first European-American settlers arrived in 1833 and quickly established Albion College in 1835.

Albion College is still an important part of the Albion area, with an enrollment of 1500. The campus has the look and feel of east coast colleges.

Albion became a city in 1885 and continued to grow until the Great Flood of 1908 almost wiped out the town.

The Malleable Iron Company became a major employer, building farm equipment and later auto parts. The very good brewery in town-the Albion Malleable Brewing Company is named after the former company. I had several locals

tell me about the great beer and food at the brewery. I didn’t have time for lunch but stopped into the brewery on Main St., across from the library, and was very impressed. I am looking forward to gong back soon.

In the 1970’s, most of major factories closed and the town started to see a slow decline in population.

I hadn’t been through downtown Albion in several years and was very impressed to find several interesting downtown businesses.

Dickerson Music has been in Albion since 1955. Kelly Kidder has worked at Dickerson for over 30 years and purchased the business along with his wife Ramona in 2015. Kelly and I had a great talk as he showed me his large selection of

guitars and other instruments. He is great advocate for downtown Albion.

In passing through Albion about 25 years ago, I stopped into a bookstore and met owner Mary Hunt, author of Hunts Highlights of Michigan, my go-to guidebook for traveling in Michigan. She took me to Charlie’s Tavern for a delicious burger. Charlie’s is still there and has not changed a bit. It could could be a setting for a 1950’s movie.

The bookstore evolved into Stirling Books and Brew and has a wonderful selection of new and used books, coffee, teas and baked goods. Owner Jim Stuart gave me a tour of the store and pointed out other local attractions.

My love of donuts led me to Foundry Bakehouse and Deli that offered a wide selection of donuts. I had a hard time choosing and finally decided on a yummy sweet roll.

Downtown Albion’s most famous landmark is a giant Coke mural that was originally painted in 1912. The large wall

mural is called a “spectacular,” because Coca-Cola’s advertising original strategy was to create the same look as the “circus coming to town,” posters that appeared all over the country. The community raised $100,000 to restore the mural and it was dedicated in a large ceremony in 2021.

The Bohm Theatre opened in1929. It was a grand theater with a Barton Theme organ to accompany the silent films of the time. There are stories of Detroit’s infamous “Purple Gang” using the theater as a meeting place for negotiations between Detroit and Chicago mobsters. The theater gradually fell into disrepair and closed in 2008. A local organization took over the theater and funds were raised to restore it to its original slender in 2014.

I love history and enjoyed my time in Albion, walking Main Street and driving through the old Albion neighborhoods and admiring the gorgeous houses. The Kalamazoo River, winding through town with its stone and cement walls, adds an interesting back drop to this classic Michigan town.