SWM Spark-August 2023

Expert Advice

Health Food

Q: What type of produce does Sawall’s carry?

Counseling

Q: When is the best time to participate in therapy?

Healthcare

Q: How do I know if I have skin cancer?

Mark Sawall Owner

A: Sawall’s has always carried local and certified organic produce.  Its the very best quality that can be found.  We receive produce orders

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

Sawall Health Foods

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

Financial Services

Q: Is there a certain amount of money I need for retirement in my retirement nest egg?

Kim Powers, Owner, Licensed Professional Counselor

A: Right now is the best time to engage in mental health counseling. Each day is an opportunity to pursue your best life. When you improve your mental health, other aspects of your life start to improve as well. Physical, financial, emotional, spiritual, and environmental health encompass holistic wellbeing. As we begin this new year, are you ready to challenge yourself to grow?

Heart Soul Mind Strength LLC

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

Transitions

Q: When should I join a life plan senior community waiting list?

Timothy Cox, MD

A: Check your skin often. Be on the lookout for skin spots or moles that are changing in size, shape or color. Don’t forget the areas of your skin that are exposed to the sun the most like your scalp, face, lips and ears. Follow the ABCDE rule to know what signs to watch for.

• Asymmetry: Irregular shape

• Border: Blurry or irregularly shaped edges

• Color: More than one color

• Diameter: Larger than a pencil eraser (6 millimeters)

• Evolution: Enlarging or changes in shape, color or size

If you notice any unusual changes to your skin or have wounds that won’t heal, make an appointment with your Bronson primary care provider. They can help guide you through necessary testing and refer you, if needed, to a specialist. Don’t have a primary care provider? Visit bronsonhealth.com/find-a-doc.

Bronson Oncology & Hematology Specialists –Battle Creek

bronsonhealth.com/cancer

(269) 245-8660

Roofing

Q: With all the recent stormy weather, should I have my roof repaired?

Chuck

Henrich

President & Owner

A: Everybody has different lifestyles that have different income requirements.  To put a black and white number out there doesn’t cover all the potential volatility one can expect over their lifetime. Retirement planning should emphasize Income Planning.  Income planning is how best to combine your income from social security and/or pensions with an additional monthly stream of income created from your nest egg.  There are many financial tools and options to consider when creating this stream of income. If you would like to discuss these options, give us a call.

Southwest Michigan Financial, LLC

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

Diana Duncan Director of Sales and Marketing

A: Waiting lists assure you preferred access to the specific floor plans you desire, as they becomes available. Timing depends on the list program structure. You rise faster through the list when the community limits “strikes,” or opportunities to reject a unit, before you drop back to the bottom. Progression through an “open ended” list is slow, but you may maintain your positon at the top indefinitely, until you are ready to move in. Most lists require a deposit and some provide access to community amenities while you wait. Proactive planning increases your options, so sooner is generally better than later.

Friendship Village

“Where Connections Matter”

1400 North Drake, Kalamazoo 269-381-0560

www.friendshipvillagemi.com

Justin Reynolds Manager

A: We recommend that roofs be inspected about once every five years if the roof is under 15 years old and then once every other year for roofs older than 15 years. These inspections can and should be done after the kind of stormy spring weather we have had this year. We have seen a little of everything since the first of the year including wind related damages and even hail damage on roofs that have been inspected so far this year. Inspecting a roof in this manner can often lead to minor repairs that can prolong the normal life expectancy of your existing shingles that are still in relatively good condition as this is confirmed more times than not during our inspections. For a free roof inspection, please give us a call at (269) 342-0153 or visit us at worryfreeroof.com

Sherriff-Goslin Roofing Co.

Since 1906

342-0153 800-950-1906

Member Home Builders Association of Greater Kalamazoo

almost every day!  We also carry as much local produce that we can find seasonally.  We are always looking for quality produce from local farmers.  Come in soon and enjoy the areas largest selection of fresh CERTIFIED ORGANIC PRODUCE!!

One of life’s most frustrating irritants has to be the endless “User Names” and “Passwords” needed for the simplest tasks on a computer.

Things were much simpler when I was a child. The only things I had to remember were my bike lock and school locker combinations.

However, even remembering a simple bike lock combination can be challenging. Several years ago, while camping with my kids in Manistee, I chained all of our bikes to a tree with a combination bike lock. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the password. An hour later, with the help of a crowbar, hammer and small saw, our bikes were freed. I saved that bike lock as a fun memory of the trip. Bolt cutters were the solution for forgotten locker combinations in school. Modern forgetfulness is much easier to solve, by simply clicking the box that says “Forgot Password?” Texts or email messages are sent with codes to enter to confirm it’s really you and voila you are assigned a new password and can resume life as usual.

However, something as simple as paying a garbage bill (who would want to steal my garbage account password or ID) involves setting up and answering several personal questions to verify it’s me.

In what city was your mother born?

I recently found out from my aunt that I had been wrong all along on the city my mom was born. it wasn’t even in the right state. However, the computer doesn’t really verify where my mother was born, just that my answer is consistent and the garbage company doesn’t know the difference.

Who was you best friend as a child?

It changed after Jeff started having some issues in third grade.

What was your school nickname?

I can never remember if is Corsair or Corsairs.

Most passwords require so many letters, at least one cap, a number or two and another symbol. This is not only challenging for hackers, but for myself as well. Often a site will generate a password for you like: Nq3$@rt6^7Lp% which is impossible to type correctly.

We are told not to use easy passwords like: spouse’s maiden names, kid’s middle names, anniversary dates, car license plates, etc. I have a hard enough time remembering passwords as it is without all of these guidelines.

The new thing now even after you type in user name and password and what was your first car is a set of 9 blurry squares,

INDEX AUGUST 2023

whereby you are asked to click on all the ones with parking meters, bridges or traffic lights. Most are hard to see and what if its only a small section of one or way off in distance. Does this count!

Another security annoyance is verifying that I’m “not a robot” by being given the sideways blurry combination of letters and numbers 6$2dz#4 and being asked to retype it in the box.

I probably have 25 usernames and passwords and often the computer will alert me that my password is “weak.” This is because it’s not advised to use the same password several times. In addition, you’re not supposed to write them down and leave them near your computer. These rules have long been broken and I can’t imagine if I can’t remember them or find them, that anyone else could either.

We are now advised to save them all online in a special Google password folder. What if I forget the password to access my passwords???

Steve Ellis, SPARK Publisher steve@swmspark.com

FROM THE EDITOR

ON THE COVER:

Editor and Publisher: Steve Ellis

Graphic & Page Development: CRE8 Design, Kalamazoo

Content/Photography: Lauren Ellis

Writers and Contributors Include: Area Agency on Aging, Steve Ellis, Lee Dean, Laura Kurella, Richard Martinovich Dave Person, Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo Public Library, Kalamazoo Valley Museum, Portage Public Library, Senior Services of Southwest Michigan, YMCA

SPARK accepts advertising to defray the cost of production and distribution, and appreciates the support of its advertisers. The publication does not specifically endorse advertisers or their products or services. Spark is a publication of Ellis Strategies, LLC. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

Adam Kirby just before touching down on Long Lake.

Photo by Adam Kirby

A curious collection of odd little prejudices

Lee A. Dean screendoor@sbcglobal.net

“Really? You don’t like that??”

This is a sentence often heard by the contrarians among of us, including me. If you put a Latin taxonomic name under my picture, such as the ones found underneath the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, the name is likely to say something like “Contrarius Perplexicus.”

But I’m not alone. We all have our odd little prejudices and dislikes that make our friends and family members scratch their heads and roll their eyes. Some of these little biases are unique in the real sense of the word, meaning “one of a kind.”

Have you ever known someone to have a strong dislike for popcorn? I didn’t think it was possible until a co-worker expressed that opinion one day at work. He couldn’t stand the texture of it while eating it and especially hated the aroma. “I can’t go to movies because of how awful that smells,” he explained. The rest of us looked at him as if he had revealed his impending decision to join the Communist Party.

Even stranger is my neighbor growing up, who hired me and a bunch of the other neighborhood kids to bale hay. His custom was to feed us after a hard day’s work. At one of these meals, a friend asked if we could have pizza for one of these hearty repasts in the future. The farmer looked at my friend as if he were a rat floating in a septic tank.

“Pizza? PIZZA!? That’s nothing but a piece of cardboard with a bunch of (crap) on top of it!” he thundered. My buddies and I were gobsmacked. Explorers have searched in vain for unicorns and Bigfoot but we had apparently found the only person in the world who hated pizza.

My father had a fairly large collection of odd little dislikes, but he could provide an explanation for them. He had an easy answer for the “should pineapple be on pizza?” debate. He didn’t think pineapple should be on anything. His reasoning had nothing to do with pineapple and everything to do with the state it is associated with.

In 1945, Dad’s troop ship laid over at Pearl Harbor for three days on the way to the Philippines. All the men on board had visions of some R and R in paradise. The powers-that-be had another plan. “They never let us off the ship,” Dad

groused. I realized he didn’t have a problem with pineapple, but with Hawaii itself. This might explain why there were no Don Ho LPs in his album collection. Dad had equal disdain for oatmeal, which he called “sheep snot.” We would be eating a hearty cold weather breakfast of oatmeal with brown sugar and raising and he would be digging into half a pineapple. One day I asked him about the origins of his oatmeal-phobia.

“You’d hate it too if your mother served it to you every day for breakfast,” he said. “I remember one day I stayed overnight with Aunt Bea and Uncle Bill and thought at least I’d get a break from the oatmeal. Guess what I had for breakfast every day I was there?”

Sports is another area where people develop curious little hatreds. In 1987, Andre Dawson hit 49 homers and knocked in 137 runs for my beloved Chicago Cubs. No one else on that team was a threat to hit a loud out. And yet, my father-in-law would mutter, “That guy’s no good. They oughta trade him.”

I have odd little prejudices of my own that go decidedly against the grain. A conversation between me and Everybody Else (EE) about these topics would go something like this:

EE: Want a donut (or a bagel)?

ME: I do not eat disgusting lumps of dough.

EE: I have a spare ticket to “Mamma Mia!” It’s a musical based on the music of ABBA, and everybody loves ABBA!

ME: I’d rather watch and hear a dispute between two angry tomcats.

EE: Have you seen an episode of (name 98 percent of television series of the last 40 years)?

ME: No. I’m weird. I read books.

EE: Which fireworks display are you going to?

ME: None of them. Seen one, seen them all. I’ll go only if the fireworks spell the words, “OOPS…YOUR CAR IS ON FIRE.”

My bias against the kind of fireworks that annoy neighbors and scare animals is even deeper. I watched in fascination one July 4 as my neighbor stood in his back yard with a brick of firecrackers, lit each one individually, and tossed it a few feet to the side. The only thing lacking from the scene was a soundtrack of the stoned laughter that punctuated every episode of “Beavis and Butt-Head.” I still regret passing up the opportunity to warn him about activities that indicated he had the intelligence level of broccoli. We’ve covered quite a collection of dislikes. But have you ever heard someone say they hated chocolate? Neither have I. Some things are beyond comprehension or imagination.

WARRIORS

The Good Guys

When I describe my volunteer work for the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, my short and sassy answer is, “I weed the woods.” When I want to be more dramatic, I say, “I kill aliens.” Although we also mark trails and collect seeds, the majority of our work is to turn back the clock at our preserves. We undo what happened before, to restore a woodland, prairie, savannah. We clip and chop and saw down all the invasive species that are crowding out the good plants. I have gotten very good at finding autumn olive, oriental bittersweet, non-native honeysuckle, etc.

Luckily, my colleagues have wideangle vision that they use to spot the good plants that are already in place. It keeps us going to see the native species that belong there, just waiting for us to give them more room to spread out. It helps me stop focusing on the weeds

and appreciate what we do have. Sometimes we need a little help on the ID. When a flower, shrub, or tree is spotted, out comes a phone app. A photo is snapped, possible names are suggested, and a lively discussion follows. Everyone has their favorite approach, some preferring the formal name, others staying on more personal terms with common names. I can go either way. Some common names are just so perfect. Spring beauty! Turtlehead! Sneezeweed!

I’m just so glad we are such a diverse group of nature lovers willing to come out and weed the woods, and revel in what nature has to offer with each season. If this sounds like your idea of good clean fun, come out any Wednesday your schedule permits. There is also a spin-off group on Mondays. Just check the website www. swmlc.org for details on each week’s workdays. Hope to see you there!

Kristi Chapman, volunteer, Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy

Celery Secrets

by Laura Kurella

It was a dish served at a luncheon in honor of a departed friend of my husband’s and my husband was so fond of it that he insisted I not only taste it and make note of its ingredients, but also see if I could get my hands on its recipe.

Informed that it was an oldie that was so simple it almost didn’t need to be written down, I of course scrambled for a pen and a scrap of paper.

Consisting of what could be considered basic ingredients, their combination magically created a spectacular flavor that my husband recalled his own mother making him in childhood.

Once home, I looked online to see how many different variations of this recipe existed, and low and behold, I found just a small handful with differences that barely varied.

“Have I found a unicorn in the recipe world?” I sighed.

Revealing my remarkable discovery to my husband, he looked at me and sighed, “It’s the celery. The celery makes all the other ingredients come together and give it a great taste that needs no improving. That’s why nobody has.”

Though totally unscientific, the “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it,” rule may be what applied because perhaps my hubby is right, there is a secret to celery we don’t fully realize. Here now is that time-tested treasure that lets celery spill its secrets. Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Kidney Bean Salad

Prep time: 15 minutes; Rest time: 4 hours; Total active time: 15 minutes. Yield: 6 servings

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1 cup (or more) favorite style mayonnaise

1 sweet onion, minced

6 inner, celery heart stalks, diced or minced

30 ounces canned red kidney beans,

rinsed, and drained

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, and chopped unrefined mineral sea salt and pepper, to taste

In a serving bowl, bowl, combine relish and mayonnaise with onion and celery, mixing well. Add kidney beans then salt and pepper, and stir well, then fold in chopped boiled egg and gently blend in. Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator then taste to adjust seasoning, if desired, before serving.

Laura Kurella is an award-winning food columnist, recipe developer, and home cook who loves life in Michigan. She welcomes your comments at laurakurella@yahoo.com.

Nicholas Baumann

by Keith Howard, Kalamazoo Public Library

Nicholas Baumann was a local brewer, capitalist, and developer, who built more than a dozen stores in Kalamazoo during the 1800s. He served several terms as a city official and was an active member of Kalamazoo’s vibrant early German community.

Born in Schifferstadt, Germany, in 1828, Nicholas attended school in his hometown until the age of twelve, after which he apprenticed for three years as a silk weaver, and another three years as a machinist.

In 1849, Baumann joined thousands of other “FortyEighters” who fled Germany, hoping for a better life in America. After arriving at the Port of New York, Baumann traveled directly to Rochester, where he met and married his wife, Catherine, and found work with a lumbering firm.

The Baumanns spent some time in New York and Pennsylvania before making their way to Kalamazoo, where Nicholas found work in a local boarding house. In 1856, Baumann purchased two lots on Winsted Street, where he built a small neighborhood brewery. Baumann managed his Portage Brewery for three years while continuing to buy and

sell residential and commercial property.

Around 1862, Baumann partnered with French master brewer George Foegele and assumed ownership of a significantly larger brewing operation on the west side of the village. Foegele & Baumann’s Kalamazoo Spring Brewery soon became the largest of the four local breweries.

Baumann rebuilt the facility after an 1867 fire and formed a new company called the Kalamazoo Steam Brewery.

After some fifteen years in the brewing business, Baumann sold his share of the Kalamazoo Steam Brewery in 1871. During the years that followed, he continued to pursue his interest in the loan business and real estate development. Baumann built several noteworthy commercial buildings in Kalamazoo, including the “Baumann Block” on the southwest corner of Water Street and North Burdick, and the “Shakespeare Block” on the northeast corner of Rose and Water streets.

In 1875, Baumann built a new building on East Main Street called “The Peninsular” (not to be confused with the Peninsula Building at the corner of Michigan and Portage (a.k.a. “Humphrey Block”), which is incorrectly identified as Baumann’s building). Baumann’s new three-story “Peninsular” featured a lavishly appointed saloon and billiard hall, a restaurant, sample rooms, dining rooms, kitchen, public reception hall, and ballroom. Although extensively remodeled since, the recently restored building still stands at 113 East Michigan Avenue. Look closely and you’ll see his name on the door.

In addition to his business dealings, Nicholas

Baumann was an active politician, both locally and nationally. He was a member of the Odd Fellows fraternal organization and belonged to the local German Workingmen’s Benevolent Association (AUV). He was a village trustee who served on the Roads

and Bridges committee. He also served one term as Alderman of Kalamazoo, eight years as Kalamazoo’s Chief Engineer, and two years as Street Commissioner. His sons Frank and James later became prominent business leaders and developers, as well.

Nicholas suffered from ill health and passed away in 1895 at the age of 67. His funeral ceremony was officiated by The Reverend Caroline J. Bartlett (Crane), but his indelible imprint on the Kalamazoo community remains

More at kpl.gov

House of the Dragon (2022)

When Game of Thrones aired its final episode in mid-May 2019, there was already a good deal of speculation concerning the eventual production of additional series based on the works of George R.R. Martin. Skepticism, however, swirled in the wake of what was widely considered a visibly awkward conclusion to the monumental HBO production. While fans generally laid the blame for the debacle at the feet of showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, there remained some doubt as to whether a return to the world of Westeros would be worth the wait or the price of admission. Later that year, House of the Dragon was officially announced as a prequel series based on Martin’s Fire and Blood, a history of House Targaryen with a focus on the ruling family of Westeros at the height of their power and the onset of the civil war which would come to be known as “The Dance of the Dragons”. House of the Dragon debuted on HBO to a cautiously optimistic audience in August of 2022 and reminded viewers of exactly why they tuned into Game of Thrones for eight years straight to begin with: medieval violence, courtly intrigue, and of course, dragons capable of easily reducing men and horses to ash kept as pets. A good deal of credit for this return to form goes to the cast. Patty Considine brings a good deal of humanity to the role of King Viserys, one of the least severe Targaryens we’ve met to date, as he labors to ensure his succession and keep his family members from each other’s throats. Matt Smith (Dr. Who) is clearly enjoying himself in the role of Viserys’s fiery younger brother Daemon, while Milly Alcock and Emma D’Arcy deftly portray the embattled heir ap-

Movie Reviews

parent Rhaenyra Targaryen as a teen and young adult respectively. With a second season currently filming and set to air in 2024, now is a good time to catch up if you, like me, were left with a distinct sense of unfinished business in the wake of its predecessor. – Submitted byRyan

Gage Swan Song

Poignant with a humorous bite, Swan Song celebrates the moments of fleeting joy in a life overcome by loss and resignation. In a career-best performance, Udo Kier plays Pat Pitsenbarger, a man out of time who has reluctantly settled into a nursing home in his adopted hometown of Sandusky, OH. Losing his partner to AIDS decades before, “Mr. Pat” also lost the home and life they had built. His salon, where he reigned as stylist for the city’s wealthiest residents, has long shuttered its doors. Approached by the family of a deceased client (Linda Evans), whose friendship with Pat ended in betrayal, to style her one last time for her funeral, he escapes his residence with meager possessions (and less money) to return to his calling. Hustling across town on foot to get the supplies he needs, his encounters with strangers and old acquaintances help him reclaim his repressed spirit. Sandusky’s modest trappings provide the perfect backdrop - like Pat, they may appear run down and neglected, but they hold powerful memories and hidden charms that come alive when revisited. Swan Song’s moving refrains will echo among viewers long after its final coda plays. – Submitted by Ryan

Gage

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

“Thanks for taking care of Bella, too” – Diana Avery

By Jim Coppinger, Milestone Senior Services Volunteer

Diana Avery retired after a thirty-six year career at the Federal Center in Battle Creek for the Cataloging & Standardization Center as a Telecommunications Specialist. Diana handled computer operation issues for the Air Force and its bases across the country and overseas.

In 2015, Diana’s husband, Rob, passed away. Diana has one daughter, an RN, who along with her husband, a detective, lives in New Jersey. Diana has five grandchildren—two of whom are now living on their own and starting careers.

Sensing Diana’s despair over losing her husband, a neighbor (and good friend), approached Diana to suggest it would be good for her to get out and interact with people to assuage her pain. That friend was a volunteer delivery driver for Battle Creek’s Meals on Wheels and her “hopper” (the person who goes to the door) was going to be away for a few weeks. She asked if Diana would like to ride along and help. Diana agreed and she’s been a Meals on Wheels volunteer ever since. Diana volunteers twice a week and sometimes three. She has logged more than 2,000 volunteer hours.

Diana says her favorite part of volunteering is the interaction with people on her delivery route. Having personal contact is rewarding not only for Diana and her clients but also their pets. Diana has a dog and two cats. She always carries healthy treats with

her and says it’s often the dogs who first greet her at the door. Diana recently received a thank you note from a woman which read, “Thank you for taking care of Bella, too!” Bella is the woman’s dog and companion.

Diana’s communication isn’t limited to spoken conversation; she is well known for her humorous t-shirts with messages printed across them. Diana shops online for witty shirts with funny or clever sayings. She says her collection is large enough to wear a different shirt every day. So, in addition to

delivering food, Diana delivers a good, and often appreciated, laugh.

Diana also enjoys nature – especially trees. She has several favorite trees on her lot and is particularly fond of a beautiful Gingko and a newly planted Chinese Blue Wisteria. She has also installed solar panels to help save the environment and those solar panels are saving her money in return. Diana’s electric bill averages about $20 per month!

Diana says her friend’s caring advice eight years ago, has meant so much to her. It indeed helped her overcome her anguish and replaced a feeling of emptiness with marvelous friends and purpose. Volunteering has been life-fulfilling and enriching. Diana now shares her friend’s advice to everyone – volunteer to help others and you are helping yourself as well.

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.

FOR ADAM KIRBY, IT’S UP, UP AND AWAY IN HIS BEAUTIFUL BALLOON!

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

For Adam Kirby, there’s nothing like floating over treetops at the speed of wind.

“It’s an adrenaline rush for me,” the Scotts resident says of piloting his hot-air balloon. “Once I get above the trees, (cares and concerns) just go away. …. I love it.” Kirby, 34, says his passion for hot-air balloons began several years ago.

“When I was a young boy my parents’ neighbors had a hot-air balloon and they would ask us to crew,” he says.

Crewing involves setting up the balloon, inflating the envelope, then chasing it in a ground vehicle and seeking permission for it to land if it is descending onto private property.

“As I got older, I helped the neighbors more and more and started going to more and more balloon events.,” he says. “In 2016 or 17 I was at an event and decided I was going to buy a hot-air balloon.”

Hot-air balloons can be costly, all the way up to $100,000 or so for a new one, but Kirby found a small, used balloon in Pennsylvania for five grand. The 77,000 cubic-foot envelope — the colorful fabric that is inflated by hot air — hoists a basket that holds two or

three people.

“That’s considered a small sports balloon,” he says. “I can take myself and two others, depending on their body size. When it’s hot out I usually take myself and one other person. It’s more comfortable in my basket.”

Kirby keeps the balloon at his home in a 6-by-12 enclosed trailer that is ready to be hooked up to his truck.

“The truck is usually gassed up and the balloon has (propane) fuel in it,” he says,

He takes the balloon up once or twice a month when the weather cooperates and he’s not busy at his job painting airplanes at Duncan Aviation in Battle Creek. “The only thing I have to do to fly is call (Federal Aviation Administration) Flight Service and tell them where I’m going to fly,” he says.

Then after assembling a ground crew, he heads for Flesher Field in Oshtemo Township, a popular launching spot for balloonists.

“We’ve had balloons flying from there for 45-plus years,” he says.

Once the envelope is inflated and he heads toward the sky, Kirby is at the mercy of the wind for the next 45 minutes to an hour.

PHOTO BY DEREK KETCHUM

“We have a typical idea of where we’re going to stop or where we’re going to fly to,” he says.

“(But) it all depends on how fast the wind is blowing. Sometimes you can go a couple of miles; sometimes you go a mile.” When he sees a good place to land — a field or someone’s yard — Kirby will radio the location to his ground crew who will attempt to contact the property owner for permission to land.

‘It’s very exciting to see the countryside and the world, and you meet people who are very excited that you decided to land in their yard,” he says.

Sometimes neighbors will stream over and it becomes almost like a welcome-home party.

“A lot of times when you come in at the treetops, people feel you are crashing,” he says. “We’re not crashing, we’re just having fun. The trees kind of grab it and (slow it down).”

Kirby says it took several years to get his private balloon pilot’s license. He had to study for and pass an FAA written test, fly for a minimum of 10 hours with a commercial pilot and then fly with a designated pilot examiner.

gers up but not charge them. A commercial license is required in order to fly for pay.

In addition to flying his own balloon, Kirby helps crew for the Michigan Balloon Corp., one of a handful of companies that takes paying customers for rides. That allows him to experience larger balloons.

“I fly a balloon with a 180,000 cubic-foot envelope that carries up to eight passengers,” he says.

In those cases he flies under the command of commercial pilots. “I am flying the balloon as instruction time (toward a commercial pilot’s license), but I am not receiving any pay at all,” he says.

One of the best parts of working with the commercial balloon flights is observing the reactions of those who are flying in a balloon for the first time.

“We’ve had people so terrified … (before they go up but) by the time they land they’re laughing, they’re smiling, they say they’re coming back and bringing their girlfriend or family with them.”

Kirby says he enjoys flying his balloon at events around Michigan, with the annual Kalamazoo Balloon Fest, at Gull Meadow Farms on Gull Road between Kalamazoo and Richland, one of his favorites.

His balloon also gets tested routinely. “I am required to get an inspection every year or every 100 hours that it is in the air,” he says.

His private pilot’s license allows Kirby to take passen-

This year’s festival, the 10th annual, is Aug. 11-13. It is free but parking on-site is $5.

“That’s a terrific event, very family friendly,” Kirby says. “The friendly, fun type of events is what I grew up around so that’s what I like to stick to.”

Enjoy Free Music and Fun Times this August!

Friday at the Flats

Celery Flats, Portage

4th Friday of Every month, 4;30-8:30pm

Live Music and Food Trucks

Overlander Bandshell Summer

Concert Series

Portage , 2nd Thursday of every month, 7pm

Live Music, Aug 10, Rhythm Society Orchestra

Sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo

Wagging Through the Summer

Kalamazoo Humane Society, 2272 River St, Wednesdays, 6-8:30pm

8/2-The Brothers

8/9 -Spur9

Aug 16-Schlitz Creek

Aug 23-Dylan Tolbert (right)

Live Music, Food truck, drinks

Oshtemo Music in the Park

Flesher Field

Sunday, August 6, 6-7:30pm

Live Music -Kalamazoo Avenue Band

Concerts in the Corners

Texas Drive Park

Sun, August 20, 4-6pm Live Music-Schlitz Creek

State on the Street

Downtown Kalamazoo

Friday, August 4, 5pm Live Music-Fake Baseball

Burg Days of Summer

Vicksburg

Wednesdays, 5:30-8:30pm

Live music and Food Trucks

8/2-Hurricane Reggae Band & The Skelotones

8/9-Tom Askey & Rusty and the Nails

8/16-Greg Cordes & 3 of a Kind

Maple Lake Concert Series

Paw Paw, Sundays 6:30-8pm - Live Music

8/6 Kennedy Affair

Wednesday Night Cruise-In

Gilmore Car Museum, Wednesdays, 5-8pm

Live Music, Cars, Food

Lunchtime Live - Bronson Park

Fridays, 11:30am-1:30pm

Live Music, Food Trucks

Beats on Bates

Bates Alley-Kalamazoo, Wednesdays, at 5:30

Live Music: 8/7-Out of Favor Boys (Above) 8/14-Schlitz Creek, 8/21-Zion Lion, 8/28-The Gilmore

Music Mornings

Kalamazoo Nature Center

Sat, August 26 11am-Noon

Live Music, Free with Reg admission

Richland Area Community Center

Wednesday, Aug 2, 16, 3-6pm

Live Music during the Farmer’s Market

Kindleberger Arts-Concert Series

Sun, Aug 6, 6:30pm-Bronk Bros

Sun, Aug 13, 6:30pm-Kaitlin Rose & The Band of Thorns

Sun, Aug 20, 6:30pm- Gizzae

Sun, Aug 26, 6:30pm-An Evening of Celtic Music , Dance and Culture

HEALTHYLIVING:

Kayaking for Health & Wellness

If you’re looking for an exercise experience that will simultaneously work-out your body and provide opportunity for mental relaxation, too, look no further than what a kayak and a soft current of water can do for you.

August is a perfect time of year to take to the rivers in Southwest Michigan: The temperatures are starting to fall. If you time it right, the lighting can be magnificent. There’s beauty to be seen in nature on the banks, flying above, and swimming below. And the leaves are on the brink of their own special metamorphic journey. These are the things outside the vessel that can be delightful and inspiring.

The things that can transpire inside the kayak are pretty remarkable, too. Consider all the aspects of getting from one place to the other on a riverway propelled by nature and your own exertions and

stillnesses! The experience, in terms of health and wellness, is pretty multi-faceted. Consider these necessary components and their benefits:

STRETCHING Before we even get into the kayak, it’s important, just as with any exercise, (whether we are swinging a golf club, running, or riding a bicycle) that we stretch our muscles gently so as to ready them for the main event. Loosening them up before we commit to a multi-hour river excursion is highly recommended. Stretching your lower back, neck, legs and arms will help to minimize cramping during, soreness afterwards, and can also help to prevent injuries.

BALANCE and COORDINATION Water is a trickster. It is in constant movement. And keeping your body’s weight balance to avoid tipping is a constant calibration of weight and focus. Not only does the act of balancing work out your inner core, but it forces your limbs and torso to coordinate in such a way that requires full-body attention: Your toes, where they point; your knees that need to be repositioned frequently to prevent stiffness; how you bring back your elbow when pulling your paddle towards you to move through the water; the way you position your shoulders squarely; these are acts of constant physical balance. Setting yourself in motion then also becomes a task of coordination with the water, your paddle, your eyes. Your mind is alert. And you are sharp to your environment.

BUILDING STRENGTH Whether you take the water at a quick pace, or meander just sitting there keeping your balance is building strength! It’s a great opportunity to work your arms. Your

upper torso. This is where we can tone these upper body muscles. Our core, especially, is getting toned, with the shifting of weight and the continued balancing act – we are working all sorts of muscles, some of which we may find we never knew existed!

CARDIO SPURTS AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES

For those who want to challenge the ticker and get your heart rates up, kayaking offers excellent opportunities to execute sets of vigorous exertion with periods of rest. These recovery periods, as they are called, are said to help improve the rate of which we recover so it takes less time to catch our breath and keep going! This “on and off again” approach to exercise can also help us work on the mechanics of our breathing. In through the nose, exhaling through our mouths. When we do this methodically, we can regulate our heartbeat.

MENTAL HEALTH AND ZEN And then there are the moments of the getaway interlude itself – the chance to leave behind the streets and sidewalks, the worries, concerns, the stresses of the days. In your vessel, you can release them all. The opportunities that kayaking lends to finding your bliss – that space that lets you “be” – where you can commune with the elements around you, and connect quietly and peacefully in meditation – can transport you to your very best self.

Energized and Refreshed.

Vicky Kettner is the Association Director of Marketing, Community Relations, and Member Engagement for the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo.

Book Reviews

Liar, Dreamer, Thief

Maria Dong

Liar, Dreamer, Thief is a mystery with a twist.

Katrina Kim witnesses a co-worker, seemingly enraged with her, jump off a bridge. It is her OCD that drives her to find out what secrets he is hiding. Katrina is a bit of an unreliable narrator because she is dealing with mental health issues. Although most unreliable narrators tend towards the unlikeable, Katrina’s voice is so engaging that you can’t help but love her despite her flaws. Her co-worker’s mystery is entwined with another, the reason that she fled college, her home, and her parents. Katrina needs answers as much as the reader does, and the hairpin twists in her mysteries carry you along to a forceful, yet still heartwarming, conclusion.

The City Under One Roof

Iris Yamashita

The City Under One Roof is a fastpaced noir thriller set in an unusual location. Near an isolated Alaskan tourist spot, where all of the town’s winter inhabitants live in one building, body parts are washing up. Detective Cara Kennedy comes to investigate and find connections to another mystery in her own past. She finds a community of eccentrics, many running from something else, who do not want to open up about these mysterious crimes. Plot twists come fast and furious, and if you like police procedurals, this will scratch the summer reading itch.

Thistlefoot GennRose Nethercott

Thistlefoot is a fantasy adventure that follows the Yaga siblings, Bellatine and Isaac. When they learn they are receiving an inheritance, they put old resentments aside, only to find that their inheritance is a house on legs called Thistlefoot. The siblings cross the country on Thistlefoot for a theatre show while a dark figure called the Longshadow Man follows them. This debut novel is enchanted with Jewish myth and rich prose, following the tradition of modern fairytales (think Neil Gaiman’s American Gods). This will delight long-time fantasy lovers and fans of mythology, but readers who enjoy family relationships and historical fiction will also find this intensely readable.

The House Is on Fire

Rachel Beanland

The Richmond Theatre fire of 1811 was, at the time, the deadliest disaster in U.S. history. This historical novel examines the event and its aftermath through four figures: the stagehand who accidentally starts the fire; a well-to-do widow in a box seat; an enslaved young woman, attending with her mistress but confined to the colored gallery; and a blacksmith who rushes to the scene and rescues patrons jumping from windows. The bad behavior of the powerful becomes a theme: the theatre company attempts to pin the blame on a fabricated slave revolt, and men in the audience trample their wives in making their escape. Wildly entertaining.

Book Reviews by the Portage District Library staff

Zen Dens

By Richard Martinovich

“Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream,” sang the Beatles. At Zen Dens, you can do that, and more! Lay back in one of their “float tanks,” filled with soothing, warm water…as stars twinkle on the ceiling! Your body is buoyantly supported by over 1,100 pounds of Epsom salt!

Relax to music, as the floating, and salt, magically relieve pressure on muscles, joints and bones!

Zen Dens on Stadium Road is a one-of-a-kind therapeutic experience! After floating in the tank, rest your feet in a luxurious bed of salt in the Salt Cave, where micro salt particles help promote healthier skin, better breathing and more sound sleep!

To stimulate cellular repair and reduce inflammation, rejuvenate in the Red Light Bed, and let red, blue and infrared light revive aging tissue!

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The origins of Zen trace back to the fifth century BC! In modern times, Zen has been associated with mindfulness, and achieving a healthy physical and mental state.

Zen Dens is an oasis within the city: a chance to detach yourself from the outside world, escape hectic life for a while, slow down and eliminate stress affecting your body and mind.

The Zen Dens lobby store has an amazing array of cool items like shower bursts, crystals, high-quality salt lamps -and lighted pelican and cat lamps that once you see, you’ll want!

Zen Dens is the perfect gift for a friend or family member who needs to unwind. There are packages for two, so husband and wife can enjoy floating together!

“I enjoyed the quietness while floating in warm salt water with every muscle relaxed,” said Jan. “Listening to soothing music and occasionally, when I opened my eyes, watching the twinkling lights overhead!”

For rates and to schedule an appointment, call 365-0766.

35th Annual Mendon Riverfest

Thur-Sat, Aug 17-19

Mendon Riverfest brings activities for children and family, amusements, arts & crafts, exhibitors, food & drinks, and fun for all ages. Reed Riverside Park features a beautiful strolling boardwalk, a large gazebo overlooking the river, and large pavilion. Don’t miss the parade on Saturday at noon.

Be sure to bring your swim suit because the Canoe Swamp will allow you to enjoy the river first hand. If you don’t think you are up for being swamped, you might want to just a grab a bite to eat from one of our food vendors and sit on the hill and listen to live music being played in the main gazebo.

Fun events include a Sidewalk Chalk Coloring Contest, Lip Sync, Fishing Tournament, Rooted 5k, Canoe Race, Toy Boat Race, Duck Race, Trivia Contest and Corn Hole Tournament. There is large variety of food vendors and live entertainment and a spectacular fireworks display over the beautiful St. Joseph River as a grand finale for the weekend.

Go to mendonriverfest.com for a complete listing of events and times.

Friends of the Forest Make New Sugar Bush a Sweet Reality

By Tom Springer, Kalamazoo Nature Center

When Michiganders hear “sugarbush,” they think of sunny, late winter days when sweet sap flows in crystalline trickles from the trunks of tapped sugar maples. They picture a “sugar shack” where evaporators boil untold gallons of fresh sap into maple syrup, the perfect natural sweetener for pancakes. (Or waffles, scrambled eggs, sausage, rice, grits, quinoa, you name it.)

While we focus on the final mouthwatering product, it’s easy to overlook the healthy forest that’s required to produce it. Maple trees are only one of the keystone species that comprise the majestic beech maple forest found at places like the Kalamazoo Nature Center. In a natural forest, maples grow alongside companion trees such as basswood, hackberry, hickory, red oak, paw paw and black ash. And when one species falls prey to a new insect pest, or the effects of climate change, the whole forest can suffer with it.

KNC has launched its Friends of the Forest program to combat these emergent threats. Donations to FoF help KNC staff as they remove dead and diseased trees, along with fast-growing invasive species such as honeysuckle vines that can smother new growth. Once the excess woody debris and undergrowth has been removed, donations help with annual replanting efforts that will eventually span 15 acres.

“Our attachment to this beautiful beech maple forest is one of the reasons why KNC was founded in the first place,” said Jessica Simons, vice president for conservation and stewardship. “For 60+ years these forests have meant a lot to us. But in the last 20 years, they’ve faced the double whammy of climate change and the onslaught of the emerald ash borer.”

The woods behind the Alice Batts Apkarian and Ara Apkarian Maple Sugar Shack bear evidence of KNC’s new ap-

proach. The emerald ash borer killed dozens of trees here. Their bleached trunks lay akimbo on the forest floor like an upturned box of giant wooden matches. With the dense shade gone,

which require extensive watering. “We plant more than 16 species and have chosen those that will be more resilient in a changing climate,” Simons said. KNC acquired its maple trees from Ohio and central Indiana. Trees from these southerly regions are better acclimated to the warmer winters that climate change will increasingly bring to Michigan.

“The trees are the least expensive part of our restoration program,” Simons said. “What donations cover most is the extensive preparation and maintenance that’s required to prepare ground for a new forest.”

KNC has restored 2.5 acres since 2020. Along with planting new trees in fall, they replace trees that didn’t survive in the areas planted earlier. On average, Simons said, about two-thirds of planted trees survive – a far higher percentage than with most re-reforestation efforts.

invasive plants thrived in the abundant sunlight. Here, KNC uses a powerful chipping machine to turn the clutter into mulch. In fall, they plant around 200 trees in the 3-5 feet range to reestablish the forest. Plastic tubes protect the saplings from predators and act as a mini-greenhouse to encourage faster growth. The smaller trees take root faster than larger transplant trees,

This fall, KNC will install a new display on the sugar shack that uses “tree cookies” to honor Friends of the Forest donors. To donate, visit https://naturecenter.org/support/friendsoftheforest/ Or call Tom Springer in the KNC Development office at 269.381.1574

Tom Springer is vice president for development at the Kalamazoo Nature Center.

By Steve Ellis

Howe is just a few miles south of the Michigan border. It was settled in 1834 and originally named “Mongoquinong”, a Potawatomi name for the prairies. It was later renamed “Lima” and eventually “Howe” after John B. Howe, a local attorney.

In June, I took a leisurely backroads drive through Vicksburg, Mendon, Nottawa and Sturgis, before heading about 6 miles south on M66 which turns into State Road 9 once you cross the Indiana border. I turned east on State Road 120, admiring the stately old homes as I headed into the picturesque downtown Howe.

I parked my car and headed into The Gathering Place for breakfast. The restaurant was busy. They served large, tasty portions of food at a great price! The western omelet that I ordered, came with American fries - it was delicious. I asked a couple sitting at the next table a few questions about Howe and a lady on the other side of me overheard me and said, “I can help you!” She introduced herself as Margaret Malone and her friend sitting with her, as Sandy Fanning. They had lived most of their lives in Howe and gave me quite the rundown on the town’s history. Margaret runs an animal rescue and adoption organization and told me to make sure to stop into the used bookstore, Ark Paws and Claws Bookstore, that raises money for the organization and “buy some books!”

I asked Margaret about the large brick buildings I noticed heading into town and she told me that this was once the Howe Military Academy. I did a little research and read that the school began in 1884 as Howe Grammar School with two boys. The school became a military school in 1895 and was renamed Howe Military Academy, becoming the town’s most famous attraction. As of September 2008, Howe was one of 28 military schools in the United States, down from a high of 125. On March 18, 2019, Howe announced it would be closing its doors due to fiscal challenges and in June 2020, the school property and its buildings were sold for $3 million to Olivet, a New Yorkbased religious organization. The Academy’s most famous alumni was actor John Cromwell. The Military Academy yearbooks are online and I found that one of Kalamazoo’s

Tales road FROM THE ~ howe, indiana ~

skunk and could often be seen with her favorite, “Old Rover,” perched on her shoulder. Crissy’s eccentricities started to draw attention and word eventually spread to Ripley’s Believe it or Not , which published a blurb about Crissy proclaiming her “The World’s Filthiest Woman.” She became famous and tourists drove from across the country to meet her. When cars would pull up, Crissy would come out of her shack with a skunk and do a little dance, while holding out a hat, asking for donations.

Shakespeare family members was a graduate. When I headed out of town, I drove through the grounds, past dozens of large abandoned buildings, imagining all of the activities that took place there over the years.

When I asked Margaret who was Howe’s most famous citizen, she paused for a moment and said, I guess it would have to be “Chrissy the Skunk Woman.” This certainly got my attention and after she filled me in on what she knew, mentioned that The

Skunk Woman was buried just down the road at the Riverside Cemetery. I drove to the cemetery and after wandering around a bit, found a large boulder with a plaque and a cement skunk to the right of the grave. The plaque said Christina Irene Hahn D’ Sullivan, 1845-1925. “Crissy the Skunk Woman” A True Child of Nature. Crissy I was told, lived in a shack filled with animals. She wore the same clothes everyday and had no running water. Her favorite animal was the

By the time she was 70, living on her own and juggling the hundreds of visitors and the menagerie of animals became too difficult. After a state housing inspector took a look at her shack, he immediately condemned it. Howe citizens sat down with Crissy and she agreed to leave behind her persona as the Skunk Lady. They collected funds to build her a small, modern home. Crissy moved into the house and eventually began donning clean clothes and, in an event categorized as apocalyptic, forced Crissy to bathe. Sadly, less than a year in her new home, Crissy died of unknown causes. Stories online note that she had at least two husbands. After leaving the cemetery, I stopped into the Ark Paws and Claws Bookstore and was pleasantly surprised at how large and well organized the bookstore was. Thousands of used hard and soft cover books were all shelved by specific categories. I did as I was told and purchased a few local travel books. I wanted to stop into Happiness Ice Cream next door, but was still too full from breakfast. In leaving town and heading west on 120, I crossed the Pigeon River, a tributary of the St Joseph River. Just to the south of 120 is the old “Phantom Bridge,” the last remaining steel trestle bridge in LaGrange County. It has not been used in many years and leads into thick woods. I was able to find a path to the bridge and after walking across it, I was met by a friendly Amish gentleman who pulled his boat to shore nearby and was fishing for walleye. This encounter made my day.

I plan to head back to Howe to continue exploring the area again soon!

Susan Teague Art

As I was walking through the Portage District Library, a colorful art series really caught my eye. After taking a few pictures, I read the “About the Artist and Author” bio on the wall which explained that Teague’s, “Goddess, You and Me Sister” series began in 2010 and are actually colored tissue paper and glue. No paint or other medium is used. The thin pieces of tissue were meticulously cut and placed in position with a toothpick.

Teague’s creations “celebrate the contemporary Woman, while validating her spectacular humanness as a champion in her own everyday story while recognizing her core askance as a universaL GODDESS.”

She had now published a companion Goddess Galore, You and Me Sister book to go along with her art.

Kalamazoo, area artist Susan Teague received her A.S. in Liberal Arts from Kalamazoo Valley Community College and B.S. in Fine Art from Western Michigan University in the early 1970s. She continued her post graduate studies and studied with several well-known artists.

Southwest Michigan knows her best for the 9,000 sq. ft. of painted murals at the New Bronson Children’s Hospital. Susan was selected as one of the top three inspirational stories of 2001, 2002 and 2012 by Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids television news stations for her journey through end stages of cancer while painting the murals.

Stop by the Portage District Library through the end of August to see Susan Teague’s great art. You can also see and read more at susanteagueart.com

The Kalamazoo Film Society

The Kalamazoo Film Society is a volunteer, registered non-profit organization which was formed in 1988 to enhance the Greater Kalamazoo area’s film-viewing opportunities.

They provide the community with first-run, world-class cinema which includes both independent and foreign films that would otherwise not be offered locally.

They provide a diverse selection of films, ranging from the most recent winners at Cannes, Sundance and other film festivals to the best that the American Independent film movement has to offer. From a humble, almost underground, beginning, they continue to grow into the most cutting-edge, alternative film experience in town.

Movies are shown on a regular basis at Celebration Cinema in Portage and admission is only $7.75 with a membership card.

Membership is $10 per year.

Information on membership, past movies shown and upcoming movies, reviews, dates and times can be found at kalfilmsociety.net