The West University Buzz - January 2021

Gretchen Anderson and Steven Thorpe

Winging It Into 2021 Dry-January Drinks The Running Chicas

A Magical Three-Family Kidney Swap

by Cathy Gordon

Hiking Houston A Tale of Four Canines Travel: Their Happy Places Chef’s Corner: Ethiopian Houston, TX

Healthy Recipes for the New Year

Permit No. 2047 PAID US Postage PRSRT STD

Raising Kids and Dogs

EDITOR’S NOTE

Your smile can last forever Anna Maria Salas, D.D.S., M.S. Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics

713-481-4885 3642 University Blvd.

Suite 102 Houston, TX 77005 www.westuortho.com

This issue motivates me to get outside and be active. No, really. But maybe not as active as the Running Chicas, who bonded over 5 a.m. runs two decades ago. In this issue, meet this fit friend group who have been there for each other on and off the trails ever since. And Houston has plenty of trails to choose from, as you’ll discover in another story this month.

You’ll also find articles about a special friendship between neighbors – who happen to be dogs – and about what it’s like to foster and raise pups with tiny humans in the house. Pups, friends and family are excellent medicine.

Sometimes, this circle can bring us new life – literally. Such is the case with Steven Thorpe. Steven wrote to The Buzz, “Hello, I saw you asking for uplifting stories, and I thought I’d share ours.” And what a story it is. Cathy Gordon captures Steven’s incredible tale of a three-way kidney swap that brought life and hope. Hey, 2021, we are so ready for you – with our circle by our side. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

THE BUZZ MAGAZINES BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS Published by Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401 info@thebuzzmagazines.com • p: 713.668.4157 • f: 713.665.2940 Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter thebuzzmagazines.com Editor Publisher Associate Editors Editorial Assistant Design Manager Staff Writers

Contributing Writers Account Managers

Joni Hoffman Michael Hoffman Cheryl Laird Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld Jenna Mazzoccoli John Duboise Tracy L. Barnett Deborah Lynn Blumberg Sharon Albert Brier Cindy Burnett Andria Frankfort Angie Frederickson Todd Freed Cindy Gabriel Cathy Gordon Michelle Groogan Dai Huynh Annie Blaylock McQueen Jennifer Oakley Pooja Salhotra Cheryl Ursin Russell Weil Erin Faulkner, Meg Scott Andrea Blitzer Leslie Little Jo Rogers

On our cover: As a part of a six-person kidney swap, Gretchen Anderson donated her kidney to Steven Thorpe.

Cover photo by Nikky LaWell, lawellphoto.com The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2021 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed on recycled paper. Please remember to recycle.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 4

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 5

MAILBAG

Your letters, thoughts, opinions A fan of the Jaunty Jalopy As a native Detroiter and antique-car fan, I really enjoyed your October 2020 article [The Jaunty Jalopy, by Cathy Gordon, October 2020]. I think all the teachers should spend a little classroom time discussing that article, as it shows a person with drive and perseverance can do a lot. It also shows the power of imagination combined with technology, as evidenced by how cars have changed over the past years.

Tom Roth Editor’s note: We are so glad you enjoyed the article on the Rice family’s Ford Model T. If you’re a lover of antique cars, you’ll also want to take a look at our December 2020 story on the Cochran family’s 1955 Chevrolet truck. If you can’t find your print magazine, see thebuzzmagazines.com, where you can find all our current and past stories.

An extraordinary man My many thanks to Cathy Gordon for her article in The Buzz October 2020 issue about the incredible Dr. Rex Marco [When Life Has Other Plans,

by Cathy Gordon, October 2020]! He is such an amazing man and doctor, and it is beyond heartbreaking that his biking accident has rendered him a quadriplegic. I can think of few things that are more tragic and unfair!

Cathy did a wonderful job communicating to us readers just how special, caring, and incredible a person Dr. Marco is, and I believe he will continue to find ways to help people even in his current circumstance. Thanks again for writing about him and sharing details about his many kindnesses in his past medical practice. Surely a man as extraordinary as Dr. Marco will continue to thrive and contribute to countless individuals, using his many gifts in ways as yet unknown to all of us.

Gayle K. Randol

Actually, an LPC I have to ask a favor. I misspoke when I said Glenda is a clinical psychologist – she is not [Gifts of the Magi, by Jennifer Oakley, December 2020]. Glenda holds under-grad degrees in psychology and a master’s degree, with honors, in clinical psychology. To be described as a "clinical psychologist," she would have to have a Ph.D. Legally and ethically, she is an LPC – a licensed professional counselor. Could you put a small correction in the next issue of the magazine? It is my error entirely, not yours.

John Rice Editor’s note: Thanks much for the clarification, John. We have updated the online version of the story.

Solicitor of stories May I please commend Andria as a joyful solicitor of stories, as a writer, WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 6

and as an editor [’Tis the Season, by Andria Frankfort, December 2020]. As someone who has done a variety of writing and editing, I appreciate very much how she took my creative and very personal writing (I went to town on the recipe!) and told our story in an engaging and personal way, perfectly suited to an upbeat, community-centered magazine.

Joy Yeager

Not so fast People here in southwest Houston have been leaving and flocking, for example, to out of state into the mountains of Colorado or out of the country to Tulum in Mexico as referenced in your last monthly publication [Travel Buzz: Mexico: To stay or go, by Tracy L. Barnett, December 2020]. They go thinking they are safer, and they can get away from the contagion of Covid-19. Well, not so fast, as [this] article references. [The article on foxnews.com describes a four-day art and music festival in Tulum, Mexico, as a “superspreader event.”] It just states the obvious. The more people gather together, the faster it spreads.

Roman Reed Send letters to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

What’s your story?

We are looking for residents for upcoming articles who: • Have an interesting hobby.

• Have a special story about Mom. • Know a Buzzworthy neighbor.

• Have a unique travel story.

• Play a musical instrument and would like to be part of our “Name That Tune” video series online.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 12.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 7

NEIGHBORS

by Cindy Gabriel, staff writer

Oh Wow! Uh Oh! Winging it into 2021

A

nother beautiful grandson, Faires Lord Weber, was delivered into our fold Sept. 29, 2020. As Covid-19 would have it, grandparents weren’t allowed the usual hospital celebration. We were needed anyway to keep track of his 21-month-old brother, Eli, whose two primary expressions, “Oh Wow!” and “Uh Oh,” seem to cover this unfolding story with amazing efficiency.

First came the text from dad Morgan. Faires arrived, at 7:52 a.m., 8 pounds, 9 ounces, safe and sound. Next, a series of pictures of a perfect baby who looks like a giant compared to Eli, born 3 weeks early. Eli and I celebrated that blissful morning at the McGovern Centennial Gardens, soaking in perfect weather and grateful feelings, not far from The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, where Mom, Dad and baby mostly slept.

On Day 2, Oct. 1, we were barely into discussing his hair color, big feet, dagger fingernails and nursing prowess when Morgan’s next text seemed to arrive from another planet. Word groups like “liver not functioning properly” and “not immediately life-threatening” emerged. Then, something about “one of the most world-renowned doctors” in this disease being at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Who needs a world-renowned doctor? I don’t want a world-renowned doctor or anything the need for one implies.

Grandparents group-text words like “God” and “prayers” and “miracles,” while doctors say words like “biliary atresia” and “don’t Google it.” So, of course, we immediately do. It’s very rare – like 1 in 17,000. Yet, most liver transplants performed on infants are a result of this disease. The ducts that transmit bile from the liver are somehow blocked. Something called the “Kasai procedure” can buy some time, to give the child time to grow, but it isn’t a cure. It may work, or it may not. He may need a liver transplant, or he may not.

Rare as it is, Stan’s sister, Mindy Wertheimer, has a friend, Harriet Spain, whose beautiful college-age daughter, Eleanor, was born with the same condition.

Harriet immediately reached out to me.

Other words, like “support group,” were added to this list of new words, growing hourly. Harriet sounded supremely wise in her ability to handle WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 8

WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE? Welcome, Faires Lord Weber! You have a lot to teach us.

me, careful not to divulge more information than I seemed to want to hear. She sounded like a plugged-in pro inside the small community of this rare disease.

She sent a current picture of Eleanor, her daughter born with biliary atresia, standing next to a George Washington University emblem on her bedroom door, which now doubles as her Covid-related college campus. Another picture shows Eleanor with a cute dude, on the beach looking beautiful, normal and happy. She still has her own liver.

It permitted me to entertain a future in my own mind, of Faires, watching his slightly older brother Eli throwing rocks into the Frio at the family place in Leakey, Texas. “Oh wow,” Eli always says, picking up a rock. “Uh-oh,” he says, as it disappears into uncertain streams.

Harriet asked me the name of his gastrointestinal specialist. Sanjiv Harpavat didn’t exactly flow off the tip of my tongue. I had to look it up. “Ohhh! Sonny! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me,” said Harriet.

I noticed that nothing I Googled on this disease mentioned anything about surgery taking place on someone as young as two weeks, like Faires. The stories always began with the infant going home and developing symptoms, then returning to the doctor for the diagnosis, and

surgery. By then, liver damage has begun.

Dr. Harpavat, a.k.a. Sonny, and his team discovered that children born with biliary atresia always have a high “conjugated” bilirubin number, in research that started around 2010. Now they routinely screen for this, tracking numbers in the Houston area from 14 hospitals.

The hospital where Faires was born is one of those. Normally it would take about three days for Texas Children’s to receive this information. But, thanks to an alert pediatrician at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, Dr. Martha Sissa, Dr. Harpavat got the news 24 hours after Faires was born.

Two weeks later, Faires had his Kasai surgery.

A piece of his own intestine was attached to his liver, hoping that it serves to conduct the bile out of the liver. Now we wait, 4-6 months, to find out if this works.

What’s not to love about a “world-renowned” doctor who partners with mom on poopie-diaper watch? This isn’t the stream we chose to navigate, but the people in it are total class.

“I got my cuddler,” said mom Julia, of this little boy who is willing to fold into any arms that will hold him. He’s starting to make eye contact and smile in direct response to ours. As these first smiles come in, a little pinprick appears on his bottom right cheek. I think he has my dimple.

Prevention versus Intervention

Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in Reading and/or Dyslexia • Phonological Awareness • Sound-symbol Association • Reading Comprehension • Reading Fluency PreK 4 - 2nd Grade Tammy Spencer, Founder • The Code Academy 3642 University Blvd., Suite 101, West University Place, TX 77005 832.767.0915 • www.UnlockLiteracy.com "If they can't learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn" - Ignacio Estrada

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 9

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

The Running Chicas Dylan Aguilar

Friends on the trail and for life

FAST FRIENDS After more than 20 years, the Chicas (pictured here in Memorial Park) are still running together. From left: Karen Cecil, Paula Paine, Maggie Brown, Julie Moorhead, Tana Wood, Marian Langston, Anita Gaylor, Kate Gibson and Dena Prasher. Not shown: Mindy Hildebrand.

Y

ou might think you are about to read another story about a group of women who have been running together for several years. You are. But there’s so much more to this one.

The Chicas, as they call themselves, amount to 10 women: Maggie Brown, Karen Cecil, Anita Gaylor, Kate Gibson, Mindy Hildebrand, Marian Langston, Julie Moorhead, Paula Paine, Dena Prasher and Tana Wood. Between them, they’ve run 92 marathons (and countless halfmarathons), in Houston, California, Canada, New York, Paris and points along the way.

Running, though, was just the beginning for this tight group of friends.

“There was an original group, a few of us,” says Anita Gaylor, who owns Cottage288, a clothing boutique. “I met Mindy through The

Fay School; our kids were 3 or 4. We were in carpool line, and she said, ‘Hey, do you want to run with my friends?’” It was 1998.

“We all loved training,” remembers Karen Cecil, an original Chica.

“So we just all started doing our runs together,” says Julie Moorhead, owner of Curated by Julie. “I want to say it was before cell phones, so we would have to be on the phone scheduling where we were going to meet.”

The group would meet daily in Memorial Park at 5 in the morning. “We would run home at 6:15 to get our kids ready,” Anita says. “We were known in the park as these chatterbox running moms.”

Dena Prasher, an account supervisor at Lewis and Partners Marketing, came to Houston in 2000 knowing no one. She met Julie through their chil-

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dren, who went to preschool at Pooh Corner.

“One morning, she saw me running in the park,” Dena says. “She asked if I ran and told me her group met at 5 every morning. I thought, ‘5?’ But I showed up and started running with Julie’s friends. I had never run more than three miles, which I had done every day in Austin, but they always ran six. So the first morning I met them, in September, I doubled my miles, and then I started running 12 with them on Saturday mornings, and then in January I ran my first marathon.

“I instantly had this social structure,” Dena says. “Every morning at 5, we got an hour to talk without phones, without computers. And on Saturday mornings [when they would run 12 to 18 miles through River Oaks, Tanglewood, downtown], we had four hours. When do you talk to your friends for four (continued on page 12)

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WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 11

(continued from page 10) hours?”

“Our running time became a sounding board,” Karen says. “It was a safe place to share concerns, honest opinions, sometimes spirited political debates (not often), kid issues and more. We have a saying, ‘What is said on the trail stays on the trail.’”

Julie adds, “I think we’ve solved all the world’s problems on the trail. We’ve raised our children on the trail. I think about how many times we’ve run around that track together. It might have taken three loops to solve a problem, but we did.”

From its first days, the group continued to grow. “Everyone would bring a person,” Anita says. “We’d all test them out, and if they stuck, they stuck. We ended up with this 10 who are really solid.”

Over the years, the running “war stories” multiplied. “I’m not sure what year it was,” Karen says, “but a tropical storm blew through during our first lap early one morning in the park.

[There was] thunder, lightning, and as we rounded the corner, a couple of trees crashed down on the path. That was the fastest mile we ever ran, just trying to get back to our cars!”

Anita remembers marathons in Chicago, New York, Austin: “Karen and I ran Houston, and four weeks later was Austin, so we drove up, ran the marathon, ate at Threadgill’s, and drove home in time to help the kids with homework!” She remembers running from Aspen to Basalt with Mindy – “Mindy was training for Quebec, I was training for Chicago.” But her favorite was Paris. “One of us was celebrating their anniversary, and they were going to Paris.

It happened to be during the Paris marathon, so nine of us went with them. The couple ran, but we ran it too!"

There were a few guest runners. “We had a few guys run with our group at times,” Julie says. “But inevitably we would forget we were running with someone who was not a girl, and the conversation would go into periods or something.”

And there were some mishaps along the way.

“If you run as much as we all ran, you’re gonna fall,” Anita says. “I remember running in the park and all of a sudden, I look next to me, and Marian’s gone. It was always sort of, ‘Who’s gonna fall next?’”

Anita also says they all came to know each other’s running personalities. “I get really hangry and mean. Julie gets really competitive and chatters, and she gets faster as she goes, and you just want to knock her down.”

“Julie would always tell me, ‘The best thing to do is run faster, so you’re not out there as long and you don’t get as tired,’” Dena says. “But I was like, ‘If I could run faster, I would!’”

“Karen utters wise thoughts while she runs,” Anita says.

“Karen is very ‘deep thoughts by Karen,’ for sure,” Dena agrees.

Dena says Mindy always looks pretty, “never sloppy and sweaty like the rest of us.”

“Paula uses the run as a precursor to her real workout,” Anita says.

“Maggie has to go all the way to the marker no matter what, meaning she has to get the full three instead of twopoint-nine miles,” Dena says. “Even if we had just run an 18-mile run.

“We are the quirkiest group,” she adds. “We all laugh about each other. We’re all so different. But if you reach out to the Chicas – my mom is sick, I’m getting divorced, I need help with a birthday party for my new boyfriend, I need stitches this afternoon – someone will have an answer for you within 10 minutes.

When something happens, we are better than the Marines.”

When Anita’s father died in 2006, the Chicas took over and got her house ready for 200 people following the funeral. “I just showed up, and they had it all done,” she says. “That was really special for me.”

When Karen was pregnant with her third baby, she experienced serious complications.

In the midst of bed rest and transfusions, her son was turning 6. “My sweet friends organized and planned a birthday 26.2 MILES Top photo: Original Chicas Julie Moorhead (left, in red cap) and party for him, and they Anita Gaylor (right, in white cap) have run many marathons together. Bottom photo: Mindy Hildebrand, Karen Cecil and Julie Moorhead (from left) ran the showed up to make sure Austin Motorola Marathon together. it all went well. I did not about making it home in time to get kids off to even ask. But this is what they do when one of school. And they celebrate birthdays with quarus is struggling or celebrating. They show up.” terly lunches or dinners.

Between them, the Chicas have 24 children Three of the Chicas have served on the ranging in ages from high school to 30s. When Memorial Park Conservancy Board of Directors each one graduated, the Chicas hosted a party (Kate Gibson is still a board member), conto celebrate. Now, they are planning weddings tributing to the park that staged some of their together. Anita loaned her home for a Chica most cherished friendships. child’s engagement party, and her son Graham “Now it’s that we support each other,” Anita will be married in Julie’s home this month. says. “Julie’s daughter runs a nonprofit, so we all Graham and his fiancée are buying a house; try to support it. And as the kids are getting their realtor is a Chica’s daughter. older, they all feel like cousins. They know they The Chicas still run, but not as often as before, can call one of us if they need something. and marathons, except for half-marathons, are “We all have other close friends,” she says. pretty much over. Whoever is available gets “But at the end of the day, this is who you call. together Wednesday mornings to run and walk, It’s pretty cool.” and weekends they’ll go on long bike rides “It’s really become our little community,” together. Smaller groups of the Chicas meet to Julie says. “It’s a family. Just a beautiful friendrun and walk on other days during the week. ship of women who were brought together by They get together for their annual Christmas the love of running.” breakfast. Only now they don’t need to worry

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Photo courtesy of Eighteen36

FOOD

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Dry January Festive drinks, minus alcohol

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t all started with candy corn. Then came the sweet potatoes, then the ham, then all the cookies, then the peppermint bark. And right there next to it all, in the hands that weren’t popping bourbon balls and cheese straws, were the cocktails.

It’s time. Time for a reset. Because this year, more than ever before, we need a healthy start.

That’s why we are doing a Dry January (Drynuary, if you’re one of those).

Dry January is a phenomenon that has grown in popularity over the past several years. The idea is that, as a way to kick off a new year in a healthy way, you’ll abstain from drinking alcohol for a month. Some choose to take this a step farther, maybe doing a Whole30 (omitting alcohol, dairy, grains, sugar and legumes). But for many, just quitting the booze for a little while feels like enough to recalibrate and reset for the new year.

Dr. Stephanie Coulter is a longtime women’s health advocate and assistant medical director and founding director of the Women’s Center for Heart and Vascular Health at Texas Heart Institute. She says a dry January is a hearthealthy way to begin the new year.

“I’m all in,” she says. “It’ll help people lose weight, improve their sleep, reduce their risk for AFib [atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disturbance], reduce their risk for becoming diabetic.

Brings down blood pressure. Holiday Heart Syndrome goes down.”

[Holiday Heart Syndrome arrhythmia occurs when otherwise healthy people binge drink over the holidays. That’s defined as men under 65 drinking more than five drinks in a day, and men over 65 and women drinking more than three drinks a day. A drink is defined as five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or one and a half ounces of liquor.]

“You’ll see benefits within the first few weeks,” Dr. Coulter says. But what happens when you start drinking again?

“None of that Mardi Gras stuff, and I can say that because my family is from Louisiana,” she advises. “You have to keep everything in perspective and moderation. If you’re somewhere social where everyone is drinking, drink a water or a Coke every other drink.”

ZERO-PROOF Bartender and consultant Josh Saphier prefers the term "zero-proof" to "mocktail" for nonalcoholic drinks.

In the meantime, our Dry January calls for drinks that feel a little more exciting than a glass of water or a Coke. Even during a dry run, we want to sip something festive. Some neighbors in-the-know graciously shared their ideas on how to create a little liquid sparkle in the midst of a Dry January.

M

arcia Smart, proprietor of the website and cooking school Smart in the Kitchen, says she loves a January Whole30, which makes hers a Dry January. “It feels so good to reset,” she says.

“After the string of holidays, starting with Halloween and ending with New Year’s, I am always ready for a reset in January. It clears the cobwebs and makes your thinking sharper, helps you sleep better, decreases cravings and, of course, helps you drop a handful of those extra holiday pounds. As long as I can continue to have my morning shot of espresso, I’m all in!”

Marcia likes a Paloma Mocktail: “Grapefruit is a winter fruit, so it’s seasonal,” she says. “I’ve also done a Kombucha Smash, with ginger kombucha, sparkling water, mint and a splash of pomegranate.” Dry, but not boring. If you are adding a Whole30 to your Dry January, know that both of Marcia’s recipes are compliant.

Marcia Smart’s Paloma Mocktail You can always add a splash of tequila (an ounce or two is perfect) to this cocktail, but it’s refreshing and alcohol-free on its own. ¼ cup fresh grapefruit juice

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1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon agave (omit for Whole30) ¼ cup club soda or sparkling water Ice Optional garnish: A small grapefruit or lime wedge or fresh mint or rosemary Combine the grapefruit juice, lime juice and agave in a glass; stir until the agave is dissolved.

Stir in sparkling water and add ice.

Place the grapefruit wedge, if using, on the rim of the glass and add a sprig of fresh mint or rosemary.

Marcia Smart’s Smash Mocktail

Kombucha

¼ cup ginger kombucha ¼ cup sparkling water 2 Tablespoons pomegranate or cranberry juice (Marcia uses “no sugar added”) Ice Garnish: Lemon wedge and rosemary Add the ingredients to a glass and stir. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon and a rosemary sprig.

J

osh Saphier started bartending when he was at Suffolk University looking for a job to help with tuition. “I never anticipated it to be a career, but when I start a job, I go all into it,” he says. “I fell in love with it. Ten years later, here I am, and it’s become a passion versus a job.”

Josh has been a mixolo- (continued on page 16)

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Leah Wilson/LWW Photography

NEW YEAR RESET At left: Kelli Bunch's Blackberry Sage Mocktail is a fun alcohol-free cocktail. At right: Marcia Smart says a dry January "clears the cobwebs." (continued from page 14) gist

in Boston, Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon, and now Houston, where he is the director of beverages at Eighteen36. Through a lot of what he calls “selfteaching,” he’s developed “cocktail programs” for restaurants and bars in each city, which means he builds their cocktail menus. He also consults, helping make bar buildouts bartenderand guest-friendly, and training staff. That’s how he came to Houston.

“I was flying back and forth from Portland, helping Eighteen36 with their cocktail program and training, and by the third time, they offered me the position to run the bar.”

Josh says that Sobertober (sober October) and Dry January have become a trend. “People pick months without major holidays in them that would incline you to drink,” he says. And after the holidays, kicking off with the Wednesday before Thanksgiving – the day that boasts the largest alcohol consumption of the year – is the perfect time.

Josh prefers the terms “zero-proof cocktails” and “free spirits” to “mocktails.” “The name ‘mocktail’ can be seen to demean or mock the bartender or the drinker,” he says. “Used to be, we would give you orange juice, cranberry juice, pineapple juice in a glass and call it good.” Now, he and others are developing zero-proof cocktails that can be just as exciting as their alcoholic cousins.

Josh Saphier’s Grandma’s House Zero-Proof Cocktail

For Eighteen36 and The Buzz Magazines 2½ ounces orange juice ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice ¾ ounce Honey Spice Syrup (recipe follows) 3 dashes Fee Brothers Aztec Chocolate Bitters Ginger beer Freshly grated nutmeg Pour the orange juice, lime juice, Honey Spice Syrup and bitters into a shaker, and add ice. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into a glass over fresh ice. Top with ginger beer, stir with a straw or spoon, and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Honey Spice Syrup 1⅛ cup honey ½ cup plus 6 Tablespoons water 1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon ground cloves Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Strain.

K

elli Bunch worked as the personal chef to the late President George H.W. Bush and the late First Lady Barbara Bush, and she is the owner of KB Table, a catering and event-planning company. Kelli says she’s always wanted to do a Dry January but has found it difficult in the past. “I have made it 17 days without a drink, and then I caved when I had an event or a tasting,” she says. “It’s hard! My way of winding

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down at the end of the day is having a glass of wine. It’s a stress-reliever, and I look forward to that glass.”

Still, she says, “I do know a lot of people talking about doing [a Dry January].”

Even though Kelli says mocktails never used to make the menus at restaurants or events, “now I have some go-tos for events.

We make them up according to the season.

We have gotten more friendly to the idea, and sometimes they look better than the actual cocktails!”

Kelli Bunch’s Blackberry Mint Mocktail 12 ounces fresh blackberries, rinsed ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lime juice ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice ¼ cup simple syrup ½ cup mint leaves, chiffonade Ice for serving In a glass pitcher, mix together all of the ingredients. Pour into a martini shaker with ice and shake well, about 30 seconds. Pour into a glass over fresh ice and garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

Whatever you’re looking forward to this January, be it a full-on Whole30, a two-week I’ll give this Dry January thing a shot, or an I’ll try these drinks, but I’m adding vodka, we wish you a happy, healthy start to 2021!

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lawellphoto.com

NEIGHBORS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Forever Linked A three-family kidney swap

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teven Thorpe lives with the A team. First off, wife Audrey, the love of his life. His rock. His college sweetheart married him, he jokes, to add a proper “e” to her maiden name, Thorp. Then there are his A-for-apple daughters: Abbey, 7, and twins Avery and Addison, 4. Cornsilk-blonde bundles of joy. The beats to his heart.

A happy bunch, this Memorial family, living the always-in-perpetual-motion existence that comes with work and raising kids. But woven into their reality was an undercurrent of urgency that hovered like a slab of menacing clouds.

Steven needed a kidney.

Born with a condition called Eagle-Barrett syndrome, his kidneys never fully developed. They weren’t sufficient for a child, let alone a grown man. So, at age 7, surgeons plucked them out, replacing them with one adult kidney. Quirky thing about the bean-shaped organs. They come in pairs, but one can get the job done.

Donated kidneys have a shelf life, so to speak.

And that kidney had run its course by the time Steven turned 20, necessitating another transplant. Then bloodwork in the spring of 2017 revealed the second transplanted organ was sputtering toward its last gasp. So, at age 35, he was on the waitlist for yet a third.

“I had a number of hospital visits, with my doctor trying new drugs and things of that nature to try to extend the life of that second transplant,” Steven explains. “He tried to hold me off from starting dialysis as long as possible.”

But start he did by March of 2018: thriceweekly, four-hour sessions that saw him tethered to a machine as it siphoned the blood from his body, purified it, then pumped it back in, mimicking a kidney’s function. The busy financial advisor used the time to get work done. “It was the new normal,” he says. His lifeline.

Steven was a difficult match. Exposure to foreign tissue from previous transplants left him with a high level of antibodies that would reject certain donor organs. Spring tapered into summer, summer into fall. Then winter. Again and again, seasons passed. No kidney.

There had been a potential donor, but not by any means a perfect match. It would have

A MAGICAL MATCH Gretchen Anderson was an excellent donor match for Steven Thorpe, who’d been waiting for a kidney for three and a half years. She kicked off a six-person, three-family kidney swap by donating to Steven.

required him to undergo a month of plasmapheresis, a procedure that filters harmful antibodies from the plasma portion of the blood.

“It wasn’t perfect, some pros and cons,” Steven says. “They hoped that by lowering those antibodies I would be a better match for this potential donor. That was the plan after talking to my doctor last June.”

Then came a phone call just days later. Nix the previous plan.

“We have found a great match for you,” said his nephrologist from Houston Methodist Hospital, explaining why this particular kidney was the one. The doctor’s voice peaked with excitement. The transplant would take place on June 16.

“I was thinking, ‘Wow, is this really going to happen?’ Am I going to get this kidney?’ You

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 18

have a thousand thoughts,” recalls Steven.

“Well, turns out it did happen, in the most exponentially wonderful, unexpected way.”

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hrow a pebble into a still pond and ripples splay outward in concentric circles, extending wider and wider. Gretchen Anderson would be that pebble, setting off a ripple effect that resulted in a six-person, three-family kidney swap. She just didn’t know it yet.

She’d gone to Houston Methodist Hospital last June to undergo pre-op bloodwork.

Her older brother, Jimmy Stewart, 72, of Tanglewood, was to be the recipient of her kidney in just a few days. At least that was the plan, until her nephrologist came to her with an intriguing alternative.

“He said, ‘I have a young (continued on page 20)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 19

(continued from page 18) man who has been on

dialysis for a long time, and he’s been needing a kidney for three and a half years, and no one has been a match for him until you came along. Your kidney lit up like a jewel,” recalls Gretchen, a West University resident. “He told me the man was very ill and had three small girls.”

Gretchen’s brother Jimmy, the doctor explained, would still get a kidney. He was an easy match, better served with a large male kidney than petite Gretchen’s. The potential donor had been a match for his wife but was happy to donate to a stranger because his spouse, too, would receive an excellent match from someone else.

A win-win, the doctor said.

It’s called a kidney swap: A person donates a kidney to someone who is a compatible match.

Then that recipient provides someone willing to repeat the favor on their behalf, someone who will give their kidney to another in need.

“With that assurance, it was a no-brainer,” says Gretchen. Yes, she’d be happy to donate a kidney to the young man with three girls.

Surgery would take place on June 16.

Gretchen, 67, an affable sort, cherishes friendships she’s forged since college days. Over the years, she’s kept up with former University of Texas sorority sisters Lynn Russell and Leslie Thorp (now last name Kappler), among others.

As she settled in for coffee after completing bloodwork, she received a text from Lynn.

If you’re still at the hospital, watch for Leslie, Lynn wrote, explaining that an anonymous kidney donor had been found for Leslie’s son-inlaw, Steven. Leslie was at Houston Methodist with her daughter Adrienne Thorp. Adrienne was undergoing tests to determine if she’d qualify as a kidney donor on Steven’s behalf.

Gretchen hadn’t been aware that her friend Leslie’s son-in-law was in need of a kidney. She pondered the kidney-swap conversation with her nephrologist that morning. Hmm. She texted Lynn back: “Is Steven in his 30s?”

“Yes.” “Does he have three small girls?”

“Yes.” “Has he needed a kidney for three and a half years?”

“Yes.” “Lynn, I think it’s me!”

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ow, it’s not the norm that a donor and recipient know each other’s identities before transplant surgery, unless it’s a family member or friend-to-friend match, something of that sort. There are privacy and confidentiality protocols in the transplant world.

But these dots had been connected. Cell phones were burning up with texts. Phone calls were flying.

“Leslie called me,” recalls Gretchen. “She said, ‘You know what’s happening, right?’ I said, ‘Yes, I do.’ We both kind of cried. She told me, ‘You don’t know how long they’ve been looking for a kidney for Steven and what this means to

THE SWEET LIFE Life’s been transformed for Steven Thorpe and wife Audrey since he received a kidney in June. No longer tethered to a dialysis chair three days a week, he has more family time with (from left) daughters Abbey, 7, and twins Addison and Avery, 4.

the family.’ I told her I completely understand because I know what a donor means to Jimmy.”

The day before surgery, Gretchen went for a Covid-19 test, the last in a spate of such tests before the transplant procedure. She spied a face at Houston Methodist that looked remarkably like Leslie’s. That of Adrienne (Leslie’s daughter) who had, indeed, qualified as a kidney donor on behalf of her brother-in-law Steven.

Her organ was destined for the wife of the man who was donating to Gretchen’s brother. Circle complete. Recipients and donors paired up.

The two chatted. Then Adrienne introduced Gretchen to Steven, who was in the hospital waiting room.

“What do you say to someone who is about to change your life in the most amazing way possible?” says Steven, who struggled for words.

Adrienne snapped a picture of the two. Steven texted Gretchen the evening before surgery, thanking her for the gift that would transform his life, his family’s world.

The next day, surgeons at the Houston Methodist J.C. Walter Jr. Transplant Center delicately extracted Gretchen’s kidney, stitching

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it into Steven where it joined with blood vessels, plumping to a rosy pink.

“It’s the most beautiful story in the world,” Adrienne says of the way things played out.

“Steven is my very best friend, one of the best people in the whole world, so the fact that he could be healthier and feel better and be with the girls and my sister Audrey and have more energy… well, that means the world to me.”

Adrienne, who had surgery the following week, would love to meet the recipient of her kidney one day. “I wish I would’ve had the opportunity to meet her because I’ve seen the special relationship between Gretchen and Steven. A bonus is, I’ve really gotten to know Gretchen, too, as a friend. I just love her. We share a lot, coming from the same donor side of surgery.”

A chart of some kind would be helpful in explaining the kidney swap to others, quips Adrienne, godparent to Steven and Audrey’s children.

“I don’t know where my sister gets her strength from, but she’s been everyone’s rock,” she says of Audrey. “She powers through. It’s nice that they can get off of that roller coaster now.”

For a while, Gretchen’s brother Jimmy didn’t

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ONE FOR EVERYONE At left: A healthy Jimmy Stewart gets a hug from sister Gretchen Anderson after receiving a kidney in October from a kind stranger. Gretchen, who initially planned to donate her kidney to Jimmy, gave instead to the son-in-law of a friend as part of a kidney swap. At right: Adrienne Thorp donated her kidney to an anonymous recipient on behalf of brother-in-law and best friend Steven Thorpe so he could also receive a much-needed kidney.

see an end to his roller coaster ride. Jimmy was the last in the chain to receive his kidney after surgery was delayed – twice – due to positive tests for Covid-19. He was supposed to receive his kidney in June, the same day as Steven.

“The day before my first scheduled surgery the doctor told me I’d tested positive,” says Jimmy, who was totally befuddled. He had no symptoms and remained asymptomatic during the weeks he remained positive. “I’d had several tests in the days leading up to the initial surgery date. All had been negative,” says the grandfather of five.

He needed two negative results at least a week apart before surgery could be rescheduled.

He got those two negatives, and surgery was slated for Sept. 18. Then, boom, canceled again just before the big day. Another positive Covid test.

“That really floored everybody, that I got shut out twice. But even if it was a false positive, they had to follow procedure,” says Jimmy, who was on dialysis for nearly 14 months before receiving his kidney on Oct. 9.

Worth the wait, he says. His donor expressed a desire to meet him after surgery, and the kidney coordinators made it happen. Before leaving the hospital, Jimmy and wife Marti got to meet the man who so patiently waited in the wings till surgery could take place. That man and his wife (the recipient of Adrienne’s kidney) prefer to remain anonymous to the outside world.

“I feel great! Day and night difference! And, wow, what a wonderful man,” Jimmy says. “He told his doctor, ‘Just tell me when the surgery’s going to be, and I’ll be there.’ His kidney did fit

me better than Gretchen’s would have. My sister is probably 105 pounds dripping weight, a small girl. I’m a 6-foot big boy. I think the doctor thought, ‘We’re going to be stretching it to get her kidney to take care of that big ol’ boy body.

“You’ve got to give Gretchen credit,” he adds.

“If not for her, this thing wouldn’t have taken off in a three-way kidney swap. She took that ball and ran with it.”

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n the Thorpe household these days, there’s a new normal. One that sees three little girls buzzing around a dad who is home instead of spending chunks of time in a dialysis chair.

Seven months out from surgery, life’s found a blissful cadence.

“I feel phenomenal,” exudes Steven, who has more energy than he’s had in years. “I have significantly more energy. I sleep better. Feel better. I have more time for family. And I have excitement for the future.”

Wife Audrey puts it this way: “Steven is back!

We’ve gotten our life back! He’s home with us, and it’s just the most wonderful feeling in the world.” The excitement is reflected in the face of their 7-year-old daughter Abbey, who remembers all too well long hours without dad at home.

Audrey recalls Abbey’s surprised reaction one day, post- surgery, at her dad being in the next room.

“It was like, ‘What? Dad’s here and not at dialysis?’”

“We were always straight with Abbey about what dialysis meant for me and why I had to do it,” Steven explains. “The twins were too young to understand.”

It’s true, Steven says, that you don’t realize how bad you feel until you feel so much better.

His skin looks healthier. More vibrant. There’s a spark in his eyes.

“It was about a week after surgery, and I was looking at him, and he just looked amazing!” says Audrey. “His eyes were whiter. It was jarring to me because I didn’t realize that he had looked so sick before. It’s as if his skin color had pinked up.”

Audrey recalls meeting Gretchen’s husband, David, while the transplant surgery was underway. She approached, a bit nervous, to thank him for his wife’s selfless gift.

“He was so sweet and laid back and just so thrilled for us,” she says. “He conveyed to me how happy he and Gretchen were for our family.

They are amazing, selfless people. Just like my sister Adrienne. She didn’t think twice about being a donor on behalf of Steven. She loves him. She’d do anything for him.”

Steven feels a responsibility to be the best steward possible of his new kidney. He’s looking forward to a momentous celebration with friends and family and all who made it happen, once the pandemic passes.

“I’m so grateful. I feel an obligation to a lot of people to make this kidney last a very long time, not only for my wife and kids, but for Gretchen, Jimmy and my sister-in-law,” he says. “Such wonderful people who did this wonderful thing.”

Editor’s note: For information about how to become a donor, visit the National Kidney Foundation at kidney.org.

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NEIGHBORS

by Meg Scott, contributing writer

Hiking Houston Exploring our city on foot

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new year can bring fresh motivation to explore our city. In the cool winter, it feels great to bundle up and take easy hikes on tucked-away trails in the Houston area.

Here are some of my favorites.

Ravine Trail at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center 4501 Woodway Drive or 120 West Loop North, Memorial Park Hours: 7 a.m. to dusk Parking: Hourly fee to park, free on Thursdays Restrooms: Available with exterior access at the Nature Center building Distance: Half-mile loop, includes stairs and uneven terrain Dog-friendly: Yes, on leash only Use: Walking, but no running or cycling Access this trailhead from the 120 West Loop North parking lot at the Arboretum, and step onto a trail featuring a stunning blend of architecture and nature, with a broad staircase winding down into the ravine.

Standing on the newly refurbished bridge over the waterway, I have watched snakes swimming in their natural habitat and looked up to observe birds nesting in the treetops.

While not stroller- or wheelchair-friendly, this path is comfortable for a gentle hike for all ages with its deep and wide steps between tiered decks. The grand finale of the trail is a breathtaking mural, bringing you face to face with a great horned owl, a native species, by Houstonbased artist Anat Ronen.

Couch Birding Trail at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center 4501 Woodway Drive or 120 West Loop North, Memorial Park Hours: 7 a.m. to dusk Parking: Hourly fee to park, free on Thursdays Restrooms: Available with exterior access at the Nature Center building Distance: In conjunction with the Outer Loop trail, 2-mile loop with uneven terrain in some places; minimal elevation gain Dog-friendly: Yes, on leash only Use: Walking, but no running or cycling

OUT AND ABOUT Frank Kelly, a longtime Tanglewood resident, visits the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary. Frank and his wife Lynda enjoy walking daily, whether to the grocery store, around their neighborhood or at local trails.

Following the broad Outer Loop Trail (accessible from either parking lot) around the outskirts of the Arboretum leads to a small side trail called the Couch Birding Trail. This detour from the main path offers benches to take a deep breath and observe the migratory birds traveling through Houston at this time of year as they take a respite over the Buffalo Bayou.

Along the route, take a minute to stop at the field stations scattered throughout the Arboretum, offering informative photos and descriptions of the animal and plant life you might find on your journey.

This route is enjoyable year-round. The day after Thanksgiving last year, we brought my outof-town family to this location to enjoy the leaves changing. In summer, the otherworldly mushrooms growing on fallen tree trunks on either side of the path are a sight to behold.

As you journey back to the Nature Center and parking lots, be sure to stop by the Meadow Pond to scout for the resident young alligator, often found sunbathing on a log.

Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary 440 Wilchester Blvd., near I-10 and Beltway 8 Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; currently opens at 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays for maintenance

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Parking: As a Covid-19 precaution, the only entrance is at the east gate in the Memorial Drive United Methodist Church parking lot, where parking is available.

Restrooms: Not open due to Covid-19 Distance: 1-mile loop; some uneven terrain with minimal elevation gain Dog-friendly: Dogs not permitted Use: Walking, but no running or cycling The Edith L. Moore Sanctuary and its trails through the woods are quietly tucked away in a neighborhood off Memorial Drive. The trails have been restored in recent years with new decking, and the path follows along the high banks of Rummel Creek, offering multiple overlooks. Watch out if visiting with young children, though; the overlooks are not all well-fenced.

Doubling as the home base for the Houston Audubon Society, the sanctuary also features an active scene with bird feeders for all varieties of Houston birds. Sit a while and watch for hummingbirds in spring and fall.

This trail is a favorite destination for taking my young boys out for an easy brush with nature.

The parking lot is near the trailheads, and you are immediately rewarded with a pond for watching tadpoles and turtles in the shallow water. The historic log home of the land donor,

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A WALK IN THE WOODS Left: The refurbished Ravine Trail at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center features new decking and overlooks, perfect for little feet to explore. Top right: Shallow marshes at the entrance to the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary are home to bullfrogs, turtles and tadpoles, as well as a wide deck to stroll through the trees. Bottom right: Field stations scattered around the Houston Arboretum offer educational signage, a place to rest, and a spyglass to hone your birdwatching skills.

Edith L. Moore, stands near the pond, so this path has earned the nickname “the cabin trail” among my youngsters. Learn more about this beautifully restored cabin and Edith L. Moore at the Houston Audubon website.

Cullen Park North Trail from the Bear Creek Methodist Cemetery Texas Highway 6 at Patterson Road, near I-10 Hours: Dawn to dusk Parking: Free parking in lot adjacent to Bear Creek Methodist Cemetery Restrooms: None Distance: 7.9 miles out and back, paved asphalt, minimal elevation gain Dog-friendly: Yes, on leash only Use: Walking, running, cycling Slightly farther afield but providing a deeper sense of escape, the Cullen Park North Trail is accessible from Highway 6 at Patterson on the north edge of the Addicks Reservoir. This paved asphalt trail permits cyclists – and in my case, kids on scooters – but it is far less populated than other cycling trails in Houston.

Within steps from the road, you immediately feel like you've crossed into another world as the forest stretches as far as the eye can see. Be aware

the path can flood, so plan your visit accordingly. After some recent heavy rains, the path was laden with large puddles, but my boys had no problem racing through the water on their scooters. (I, however, wished I’d worn my rainboots, as I chased after them in sandals.)

The path continues for nearly 8 miles to Cullen Park, passing the West Houston Airport.

While walking the path, you will be treated to the sight of small, and sometimes historic, planes as they take off and land. Parking is simple at the lot adjacent to the Bear Creek Methodist Cemetery, a Texas Historical Commission site dating back to the late 1800s.

Buffalo Bayou Park Trail at Spotts Park 401 S Heights Blvd., Memorial at Waugh Hours: Lighted areas 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; all other areas dawn to dusk Parking: Free parking in lot adjacent to Spotts Park Restrooms: At Lost Lake, on south side of bayou, 3422 Allen Pkwy.; Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark, Eleanor Tinsley Park, 103 Sabine St. Distance: 20 miles of trails with various routes Dog-friendly: Yes, on leash only Use: Walking, running, cycling

If you seek a view of the Houston skyline while you stretch your legs, look no farther than the Buffalo Bayou Park trail system. There are many ways to access the trail, but my favorite is at Spotts Park on Heights Boulevard. Here you can wander down the hill from the parking lot and walk toward the towering skyscrapers with the bayou on your right. Pedestrian bridges cross the water at several points, or you can walk all the way into downtown to turn around and head west again from the foot of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

This trail is paved throughout, so it’s great for scooters, strollers and bicycles. However, it is a popular trail system in a densely populated area of the city, so try to come outside of peak exercise times for easier social distancing.

If you want to bring your puppy companion, the beautiful Johnny Steele Dog Park is found along the south side of Buffalo Bayou Park at 2929 Allen Parkway.

MORE ONLINE You can find trail maps at park websites or the AllTrails phone app (alltrails.com). Or, for direct links to the trails listed here, see this story at thebuzzmagazines.com.

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PETS

by Pooja Salhotra, staff writer

A Tale of Four Canines When dogs and Covid foster friendship

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f there’s one conspiracy theory that Carol Winograd were to advocate for, it’s this one: The coronavirus was invented by dogs.

“So they could have their owners home all the time,” Carol explains with a laugh. “They’re the ones who have benefitted the most from this.”

Harry and Penny, two mutts from the same litter, would likely agree with Carol’s assessment. From the corner of Teas Street and Avenue B, Harry and Penny spot – or smell – their best friends Sadie and Gabby, who are sniffing the ground on the opposite end of the block in Bellaire. As soon as the dogs sense their friends’ presence, their owners swivel their heads right and left. If no cars are around, they let the leashes go, and the four dogs are off.

The mutts sprint toward each other like they are racing to meet their long-lost lovers. It’s like a cheesy scene from a romance movie, only much better because the protagonists are endearing dogs instead of us flawed humans.

Within seconds, the pups have each covered nearly 500 feet of ground and are united, tails wagging vigorously. They scurry around each other in circles, sniffing each other’s behinds and playfully tugging on each other’s legs.

This exuberant encounter is not a one-time occurrence. During the pandemic, it has been happening nearly every other day, offering a welcome distraction and sense of joy to onlookers. It happens so frequently, in fact, that residents on Teas Street all seem to know that Harry and Penny are inseparable from Sadie and Gabby.

“We’ll be walking down Teas Street, and the neighbors will see we have a bottle of wine,” says Gigi White, dog mom to Gabby and Sadie.

“They’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re going to see the puppies.’”

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his dog family – Sadie and Gabby, plus Harry and Penny – is a motley crew. All four dogs were adopted from the Houston SPCA, and none look alike. Harry and Penny are siblings, but even they are dissimilar in both personality and appearance. Harry, who Sandy Twyman describes as “more chill and independent,” looks like a Shih Tzu – white and furry with floppy ears. His sister Penny, meanwhile,

has short brown hair like a dachshund and ears like a chihuahua.

Sadie and Gabby are each a blend of at least three different breeds, including terrier, Dalmatian, border collie and chihuahua.

This mixed-breed SAFE Carol Winograd has fostered dogs from the Houston SPCA since 2018, family started to form and she has no plans to stop. Here, she's with foster puppy Jackson. before Covid-19 even barks and heads in that direction, and then all existed. It can be traced back to December of them will have to go in that direction.”

2018, when a 6-pound pregnant poodle mix Once the puppies finally hit 4 pounds, they named Calli arrived at the Houston SPCA, were ready for adoption. Gigi’s friend Sandy the city’s largest animal-protection agency.

Twyman had already claimed two of the pups, Calli, who has fluffy, apricot-colored fur, was which her daughter almost immediately named seized because her owner was not providing Harry and Penny, and the third, Teddy, went to proper housing and medical care. She gave another Bellaire family. birth to three puppies on Jan. 11, 2019, and a week later, Carol Winograd brought the newhe dogs quickly settled in with their new born puppies and mom Calli to her home for owners, discovering where the treats were foster care. kept and learning to lure their owners into givOver the next five weeks, Carol watched in ing them extra pats on the head. While the dogs awe as Calli cared for her puppies’ needs, feeding occasionally ran into friends Gabby and Sadie them, cleaning them and providing them with on walks, they mostly stayed in the comfort of care and comfort. “It’s like, you watch one of their own homes. But as with everything else, those nature shows on TV, but it was happening all of this changed when Covid-19 forced everyright in my house,” says Carol, a retired dentist one to restructure their lives. All of a sudden, in Bellaire. “I learned a lot and had a lot more people were walking their dogs more than ever, respect for what these dogs go through because and at all hours of the day. it’s a lot of work.”

“We’d be walking in the middle of the day As a foster pet parent, Carol’s role is to tembecause you couldn’t do anything else,” said porarily care for animals who are not yet ready Sandy. “You were stuck at home.” for adoption. In this case, Calli would be adoptAs the pandemic wore on and weeks of quarable after the puppies weaned off of her, and the antine turned to months of quarantine with no puppies had to reach a specified weight to be end in sight, Sandy and Gigi found themselves spayed or neutered prior to adoption. After five running into each other on walks more often than weeks, Calli was adopted by a family in West U, not. Sometimes they’d run into Teddy’s family, while the puppies continued to grow. too. The dogs were always thrilled to reunite with When Carol went out of town, the three puptheir old friends, playing out that scene of longpies moved over to a new foster pet parent, Gigi lost lovers meeting each other. In the middle of White. That’s where the dog family began to the street, Penny would plop down and roll over form. For the next several weeks, the three puppies on her back, trying to get Sadie’s attention. Gabby stayed at Gigi’s house, all the while enjoying the would take Harry’s leg and start to tug. company of Gigi’s own dogs, Sadie and Gabby.

Sandy and Gigi eventually decided to start “They’re kind of funny in how they’ll play coordinating their walks. “We finally said, well, together,” Gigi says. “One hears something and

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 24

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PUPPY LOVE Left: Sandy Twyman adopted sibling pups Harry and Penny a year before the pandemic hit. Middle, top: Sandy Twyman and Gigi White live down the street from each other. They – and their dogs – have grown closer during the pandemic, when the families formed a "germ circle" together. Middle, bottom: Calli, who was rescued by the HSPCA and fostered by Carol Winograd, gave birth to three puppies in February of 2018 who were all adopted by Bellaire families. Calli was adopted by a family in West University. Right: Gigi White fostered Sadie and Gabby and eventually decided to adopt them.

we’re always together. We might as well play cards and have the dogs come over and play together,” Sandy said. “So we’d just sit in the backyard and play cards and drink wine. We did that a lot.”

Sandy and Gigi’s husbands, Jerel Twyman and Brad White, would join in, too, playing guys vs. gals in games of bocce ball, dominoes, spades and hearts, while the dogs played together in the yard. Eventually, the couples formed what they call a “germ bubble,” choosing to not wear masks around each other. Even now, the Twymans and the Whites continue to see each other about four times a week, sometimes binging a Netflix series, other times eating dinner together –

always with their dogs in tow.

“You can’t take your dog to other people’s house usually, but we can,” Gigi says.

Both families credit their dogs and their friendship with making a mentally exhausting year a bit more bearable.

“I can’t imagine if it was just my husband and I sitting here looking at each other,” says Gigi.

“I know there are so many people who are so isolated, and there are older people in homes who can’t see their kids and families and it’s so lonely. I feel very blessed that I don’t have that.”

Perhaps because of this very loneliness, pet fosters and adoptions have soared nationwide over the past few months. According to BARC

Animal Shelter, the city shelter in Houston that coordinates with a variety of rescue groups, the number of fosters has increased by 18 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic. Carol Winograd might use this fact as fodder for her conspiracy theory that the canines started the virus. They are, after all, benefitting from fosters who help find them new forever homes. But even if the pets are the winners in a practical sense, the humans receive the joy of their company. Carol will be the first to admit this.

“It’s very time consuming, but they just bring so much joy to the house,” Carol says. “Dogs give you all of this unconditional love. And who doesn’t need more of that in their lives?”

So you want to help pets?

Here’s a list of local non-profit organizations with pet-foster programs. Foster-pet parents typically provide a temporary, loving home to pets who are not yet adoption-ready.

ADORE (All Dogs Official Rescue Enterprise) Houston: info@adorehouston.org BARC Animal Shelter: barcfoster@houstontx.gov, 713-229-7300 Friends for Life Animal Shelter: info@friends4life.org, 713-863-9835 Harris County Animal Shelter: foster@phs.hctx.net, 281-999-3191 Homeless and Orphaned Pets and Endeavor: hope@homelesspets.net, 713-622-4673

Houston Humane Society: foster@houstonhumane.org, 713-341-3318 Houston Pets Alive: catfoster@houstonpetsalive.org or dogfoster@houstonpetsalive.org, 832-786-9310 Houston SPCA: foster@houstonspca.org, 713-869-7222 ext. 121 K-9 Angels Rescue: foster@k-9angelsrescue.org Pup Squad Animal Rescue: pupsquadwebmaster@gmail.com Rescued Pets Movement: info@rescuedpetmovement.org

MORE ONLINE See this story at thebuzzmagazines.com for links to sites.

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KIDS

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by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Raising kids and dogs

Buzz Baby is a column about life with babies.

Writer Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 6.

I

have watched my tagline for this column grow over the years.

“Annie McQueen is a mother of twins.”

“Annie McQueen is a mother of three children under 2.”

“Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 6.”

I want to petition for one last addition: “… and three dogs and two foster puppies.”

Being a dog mom while also a mom of young children can present challenges, but it is a worthy adventure. We adopted our newest dog, Ollie, a Great Pyrenees from the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society, back in March 2018. (We already had two smaller poodle mixes, Toby, and Birdie.) I was a little worried about bringing home an extra-large dog when we already spent so much time caring for our kids, but it worked out beautifully.

I find his presence in our family helps me.

The kids play with him all day, and they tire each other out. He is their comfort after a sad moment. He is their pillow while watching Peppa Pig. He is their show-and-tell (well, my daughter brought a picture of him to school).

A neighbor, Ashleigh Davis, who runs the nonprofit Little Lights Houston, has three girls, Ella, 6; Emily, 4; and Evelyn, 2. They have a 15-weekold Bernedoodle, a Bernese Mountain Dog and poodle mix. They named him Winston P. Davis, and the middle initial just perfectly captures his little man-looking face. (P stands for Pickles.)

Ashleigh has shoulder-length blonde hair and a kind smile. She epitomizes a patient parent.

She often takes her girls out on their bikes with Winston, and even though it is hectic walking a puppy with children, you can tell she enjoys it.

Ashleigh says her favorite part of getting a cute puppy has been stopping to talk to neighbors who want to meet adorable Winston. With his little brown and black badger face, he draws people in she had not met before.

But it is not always easy. “One minute you think to yourself, ‘This was a good idea. We

should have done this sooner,’” she said, laughing.

“But before you know, everything falls apart.”

On one recent day, Winston was dragging Ella around by the tail of her shirt while Ella was having a meltdown after an exhausting day at school, and Evelyn, who was potty trained one week before the puppy arrived, had a potty accident.

I am inspired by Ashleigh and other Buzz moms, like Rosie Murphy (who has fostered more than 30 dogs NEW FUR BROTHER The Davis sisters, (from left) Emily, Ella and Evelyn, recently over the years, welcomed Bernedoodle puppy Winston P. Davis to their home. including some a dollop of wet food to the left of her dry food on from the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society), white paper plates only. So many little creatures mother-daughter duo Natalie and Emily Baker who cannot feed themselves. I feel I am (who fostered for K-9 Angels), and Patty anchored from leaving town until I come up Bowen (who fosters for Mile High Labrador with a serious boarding or dog-sitter plan. But Retriever Mission). I met them for a Buzz artilet’s get real. We have four kids. It is not like I cle a year ago. am hopping a flight to Paris tomorrow.

I was toast the minute I laid eyes on cute Ollie To add some propane to the fire, we picked up on the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society website foster puppies last month after my husband relucunder adoptable dogs. tantly agreed to foster not one but two puppies Ollie was a giant fluff when we picked him up for two weeks. They look like baby polar bears from his foster home. He would lay across my kids, waddling around the house. They are so cute. in their tousled hair and pajamas, in the mornings Having two cute puppies felt like a reward to watch cartoons. He was around 13 weeks old at after a doozy of a year with the pandemic. When the time, but he was already huge. He had these I went outside that evening to let them have giant round paws. He is now 110 pounds. potty breaks, I saw a large full moon peering Raising small children with dogs is time-conthrough broken clouds. A global pandemic, a suming but worth it. It is rewarding to see our full moon and quarantining with kids. A dog children playing with the dogs, but everyone lover could totally be forgiven to saying yes, for must be fed – everyone has to potty. Do not feed two weeks at least, to adorable giant fluffs. those dogs together... oh wait, the little one only likes

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 26

NEIGHBORS

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by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for January

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. This month, Cindy recommends five recently released titles.

B

lack Buck by Mateo Askaripour – Darren, 22, was the valedictorian at Bronx Science and has been content to live with his mother and work as a barista at a Starbucks ever since. One day he impresses the CEO of Sumwum, a start-up officing in the same building as his Starbucks, and suddenly finds himself thrown into the crazy, frenetic world of Sumwum as its only black employee.

Reinventing himself as “Buck” after a brutal week of training and indoctrination, Darren becomes a cold-hearted salesman willing to make sales for the company at any cost, including putting up with the blatant racism he experiences at work. When his home life takes a tragic turn, Darren realizes that he must jettison Buck and find his way back to the Darren he once was.

Askaripour targets startup culture, workplace hazing, systemic racism and more in this unique, quick-witted, often hilarious debut novel that is unlike anything that I have read before.

The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little – This gorgeously written book by Houstonian Judithe Little chronicles the lives of Antoinette and Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel from their early years at the convent orphanage in Aubazine, France.

Their time at the orphanage left a lasting impression on both girls and forged a determination in Coco to create a better life for herself and to seek entrée into the upper-crust society who refused to accept her. From the days of their hat shop on Rue Cambon in Paris to the years after the war, Little tells the women’s stories through the eyes of Antoinette, detailing their friendships, romances and success in the fashion business. In her author’s note, Little includes engaging tidbits about Coco Chanel’s inspiration for her CC symbol, which recreated the interlocking loops in Aubazine’s stained glass, and for her jewelry, which copied the patterns found on the orphanage’s stone floors.

Readers will be captivated by this stunning tale.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly – Centered around the fictional Highbury House gardens, Julia Kelly takes the reader on a fascinat-

WHAT TO READ This month's picks include three historical fiction titles, a satire about the American workplace, and a story about long-held secrets.

ing journey through these elaborate gardens across the span of over a century. Set in a triple timeline format, 1907, 1944 and 2021, The Last Garden in England follows five women whose lives are interwoven with the house and particularly the gardens. Kelly brings the gardens to life, and I often felt that I was right there with the characters among the plants and flowers due to her creative and beautiful descriptions. She uses just the right amount of detail, and it is easily apparent how much research Kelly conducted. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict – Agatha Christie disappeared in December 1926 and returned 11 days later claiming amnesia and providing no information on where she had been. Her abandoned car was found with her fur coat still in the car, even though it was winter, and her husband and daughter had no idea where she was. The mystery surrounding these 11 days exists still today, and Marie Benedict puts her own spin, using a creative format, on where Agatha Christie went and why in this intriguing and clever take on what might have happened.

Waiting for the Night Song by Julie Carrick

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 28

Dalton – Dalton’s poignant and beautiful debut novel captivated me from the start. Alternating between the past and the present, Waiting for the Night Song follows Cadie Kessler, an entomologist and forestry researcher focused on studying the pine bark beetle in New Hampshire. Her goal is to prove that the beetle is present in the state and destroying pines similar to the devastation it wrought in California and Colorado. As the book opens, Cadie is drawn home to help a childhood friend confront the long-held secret that the duo covered up several decades ago.

Dalton creates a magnificent sense of place, bringing the New Hampshire forest to life while tackling tough and highly relevant issues such as the pine bark beetle, climate change and racism.

Waiting for the Night Song is a fabulous addition to the growing genre of climate-focused fiction.

Editor’s note: Southside Place resident Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts the Thoughts from a Page Podcast, is co-creator of the Houston literary event series Conversations from the Page, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfrompage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 29

TRAVEL

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by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Their happy places

F

or Terrie Hogan Turner, it’s Villa Ercolano in a tiny village in Italy with the big name of “Città di Castello,” or City of the Castle.

For Ruth Peters and daughter Gayle Christie, it’s the family farm in rural Kansas. For the Fisher family, it’s Walt Disney World. For Carol Simon, it’s Rosemary Beach, Fla. – and her own studio. For Virginia Mampre, it changes day by day. And for Stephen Fadem, it’s no further than the balcony of his own River Oaks home.

Most of us have a place we like to go for peace and tranquility, to reflect and do what we most like to do, or to just get away from it all.

Especially in these trying times, that Happy Place can mean more than ever. So we reached out to readers to ask them to share with us a little bit about their Happy Places, so that you can enjoy a little virtual travel with them.

T

errie worked for years in the retail fashion business, so Italy has always been a mecca for her. When she married Mike Turner in 2004, the couple honeymooned in Umbria, a region in Central Italy known for its deep green forests, truffles, wine, hilltop villages and classic cuisine.

“Something about it awakens all my senses,” Terrie says. “It’s beautiful – you can smell the lavender and jasmine, hear the birds singing and the bees buzzing, and then you’re cooking … every sense is just highlighted when you’re there.”

That’s when she first started thinking of buying a place there.

“We got to know a lot of the people in the area,” she explained. “Oh my gosh – they are just so friendly! We were there for three weeks, and when it came time to go, they invited us to a restaurant and all the people we had met, they all came to say goodbye to us – they turned it into a little party.”

Thirteen years ago Terrie found Villa Ercolano, an 800-year-old home at the top of a hill with a 360-degree view that took her breath away. It had some olive trees, wisteria and an amazing view, everything she had dreamed of.

She loved it instantly, and she and Mike have been going ever since.

“There’s a serenity that’s automatic; even though I’ve been coming to Villa Ercolano for

13 years, every time I come, I’m still astounded at the view – it’s not like I’m ever tired of it.

Sunsets are incredible, none are ever the same; I’m taking what is the same picture over and over again, but it always looks different – there’s a different glow, a differVILLA IN THE SKY No two sunsets are alike, as seen from the balcony of Villa ent color, a different Ercolano, Terrie Hogan Turner's happy place on a hill above Città di Castello, in the magnificence or magic.” Umbria region of Italy.

What especially terflies and hummingbirds in season,” wrote Gayle appeals to her is the Italian respect for nature. from her Kansas refuge. “Our rescue animals – three Instead of using pesticides to protect their prehorses, 18 cats and three dogs – are happy and concious olive groves from a destructive pest, they tent from love, hugs and lots of yummy treats!” use a solution of water, sugar and wine in homemade plastic bottle dispensers. The fly drinks the achel Fisher and her family’s Happy Place solution, gets drunk, falls in and drowns. is at the opposite end of the spectrum. You “That’s their solution,” said Terrie. “One year might think that Walt Disney World in it was a very serious problem, and they thought Orlando, Fla., is not the place to be during a all of the olives would be ruined. And so I was pandemic. The Fishers, annual passholders who laughing and saying, ‘Isn’t there some kind of recently returned for the first time since the crichemical you can use?’ and they would say, ‘Oh, sis began, would beg to differ. no, that would hurt the Earth, and it’s not good “It was definitely different, but still magical,” for the people, either.’” wrote Rachel, who works as a communications specialist at St. Luke's United Methodist Church. ayle Christie and her amazing 101-year-old “Disney is doing LOTS of things to keep people mother, Ruth Peters, say their Happy Place safe… I always say, Disney is the most controlled is much closer to home – the home of Gayle’s environment in the free world … haha.” childhood, that is, in Ellinwood, Kansas. The For one thing, proper face masks are required Peters family farm has been in the family since to be worn properly at all times, Rachel reported 1882, when it was homesteaded by Gayle’s – even on rides – except while eating or drinking great-great grandfather. Gayle’s grandfather in a stationary, socially distanced spot. The other went on to discover oil on their land, which major protocol is that every ride queue has markshifted the family’s destiny on many levels – but ers spaced six feet apart. Each party is supposed there’s still no place like home. to stand on the markers throughout the line, so The house and barn were built in 1920 by you're always a safe distance away from the people Gayle’s talented grandfather, while she and her in front of and behind you. Once on the attracmother completely remodeled the elegant, tion, ride vehicles have plexiglass separating seats, stone, ranch-style house and landscaped the or Disney keeps rows in between parties empty. grounds with a peaceful lily pond and a relaxing Cast members (Disney employees) were very waterfall. They also had a pond constructed and good about enforcing these protocols, according to surrounded by graceful willow trees and stately Rachel, specifically in asking people to pull up their pines. It includes a gazebo on an island connectmasks if they saw them below their noses. There ed by a Monet-style bridge. are also frequent announcements made in the “We have several gardens, complete with but-

R

G

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 30

HAPPY TO BE HERE From upper left: Gayle Christie and mother Ruth Peters enjoy a respite last summer on their family farm in Kansas; Stephanie Rogers, Ken and Carol Simon, and Lauren Simon catch a sunset on Rosemary Beach during their family Spring Break; Liz and Rachel Fisher strike a pose in front of Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World; and Stephen Fadem had this balcony view of the Halloween Blue Moon over Houston.

parks about the safety procedures and that guests will be asked to leave if they do not comply.

There were no nighttime fireworks, few options for live entertainment, and no parades at the time of the Fishers’ visit. Instead, Disney has "Character Cavalcades," which are unscheduled appearances by characters and entertainers that basically follow the parade route with much less hoopla (and no guest interaction other than waving) in order to discourage crowds.

“I would say, personally, we felt safe the majority of the time,” said Rachel. “The only times we were made uneasy were due to other guests not observing the rules, in which case we usually asked them to please pull up their masks or give us more space in line.”

M

ixed-media artist Carol Simon heads for Florida as well when she wants a break from her downtown studio, her Houston Happy Place – but she goes straight for the coast, to Rosemary Beach. There, in an idyllic seaside planned community, she paints to her heart’s content, swirling mixed media paintings like a seagull’s-eye view of the beach. Along the Florida Panhandle on scenic State Road 30A, the village boasts sugar-white sand and green-

blue, crystalline waters like no other.

“The colors of the water speak to me a lot,” said Carol.

Carol and husband Ken went to Rosemary Beach about six years ago for Thanksgiving and fell in love with the place. They ended up buying a second home there, and usually go six to eight times a year.

“It’s like a community of people, a planned community, like the New Urbanism… Not like a beachfront property, where you have to walk to the beach. There’s a whole town square where you can eat fabulous foods; there are boutique shops, coffee shops – everyone rides bicycles that you either rent or, if you own a house, you have your own. Everyone’s out with their dogs – it’s just like Mayberry R.F.D.”

S

tephen Fadem, a physician and photographer who takes his camera on the road with him everywhere he goes, had many plans for travel last year – Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Italy and some national parks around the United States. Like many people, he put them all on the shelf for the pandemic. Thankfully, his home is blessed with a balcony that has an unobstructed view of the Houston skyline, and it’s been one

of his biggest consolations.

“The only place I had to take pictures of was Houston,” he said. “The beauty of that is that it’s always changing.

“Some people keep a loaded gun around; I keep a loaded camera around, and when I see something cool, I take a picture.”

On Halloween night, as he prepared to leave with his wife Joyce, she said, “Wow! Look at the moon!”

He grabbed his camera, and the result was stunning: a gorgeous blue moon coming up behind the skyscrapers. “That’s going to be one of my treasures,” he said.

“It’s really interesting to see how the personality of a city changes hour to hour,” he said.

“One minute you can have this gorgeous red sunrise, the next minute you can have storm clouds, and it’s really angry. And then the next minute it’s a dark innocent sky with a full moon, and then the next time you look it’s trucks starting to go to work and another brilliant sunrise.”

Editor’s note: Buzz travel columnist Tracy L. Barnett is a Lowell Thomas travel journalism award winner and longtime travel and environmental writer. Email her at info@thebuzzmagazines.com to share your own travel tales.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 31

DINING

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner E

January is for Ethiopian

very January, Eshetu Hailemarial feels homesick. Like many Ethiopian Orthodox Christians worldwide, he celebrates Christmas on January 7 in accordance with the old Julian calendar. There is no Santa Claus or gifts. Instead, he recalls magnificent processions and Masses with celebrants dressed in white garb while being led by church leaders holding elaborate, colorful umbrellas and wearing red-and-gold robes.

Frankincense, myrrh and merriment waft across the crowd. “I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful and beautiful Christmas is back home, or Ganna, as it is called in Ethiopia,” says the 33-year-old father of two.

Living in Houston, the restaurant owner and his family enjoy the benefits of celebrating Christmas in December and January.

Hailemarial and brother-in-law Aman Awefa operate the cozy Bahel Ethiopian Mart & Dining in a nondescript shopping-strip mall on Chimney Rock near Bellaire Boulevard. Here, small groups of friends gather for fresh coffee in the main dining areas while homemakers scoop up bags of green coffee beans on the market side.

In the kitchen, Hailemarial’s wife, Uhana Asefa, busily prepares injera, a bread as thick as a Swedish pancake and as wide as a medium-size pizza. Injera is the heart and soul of every Ethiopian meal.

Uhana works nonstop to make injera and braised doro wot with chicken for families to feast on Christmas Day. With the delights of the holidays still in the air, exploring Ethiopian food in January is fun. While the Ethiopian population in Houston is small, from 3,000 to 10,000 depending on whom you ask, the Ethiopian restaurant scene is vibrant.

Several Ethiopian options have sprouted near the Gulfton area west of Bellaire and West University Place. Less than a half mile south of Bahel Ethiopian Mart & Dining are Nazareth Café and Sheger Ethiopian Restaurant. Go about four miles west, and you’ll find Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge, which is less than seven minutes from Horn of Africa.

However, the grande dame of them all has to be Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant.

A perennial favorite, the 26-year-old Blue Nile has elicited heaps of praise for chef-owner Tina Ameblue, whose warmth, along with her dishes’ flavorful depth, keep the wood beamceilinged space intimate. Here, surrounded by apricot-colored walls and colorful wide-bottomed woven baskets, guests can partake in a CHEF ASEFA Chef Uhana Asefa shares traditions and recipes from her hometreasured tradition. land at Bahel Ethiopian Mart & Dining.

The coffee ceremony, bles up, signaling that it is almost ready. or jebena buna, starts with the roasting of green The piping-hot coffee pot then is placed on beans. On the far-left corner near the faux firethe kofmobelee jebana, or a chair of sorts that tilts place at Blue Nile, a young woman is roasting the vessel at an angle to allow the coffee grounds green coffee beans over a propane fire. Typically, to sink to the bottom. The Blue Nile waitress the beans are roasted in the kitchen, but for parserves the coffee in diminutive cups and asks ties of 10 or more, it is demonstrated in the dinguests whether or not they would like sugar. A ing room. teaspoon of sugar is typical, she says.

The woman shifts a small pan back and forth Owner Ameblue hands me a sprig of rue. to ensure even roasting. She eyes the beans Seeing my confused look, she instructs me to closely to avoid burning them. As is customary “first, smell it and then put it into the coffee.” in Ethiopian style, she roasts the beans to an This was something new. The herb smelled espresso hue. Once the beans glisten with natustrong and aromatic, almost like perfume. ral oil, the coffee is ready to be removed from Ameblue says tena adam helps soothe upset stomthe open fire and poured onto a mat to cool. achs and also removes bitterness from the coffee.

Ethiopia calls itself the birthplace of coffee.

Back at Bahel Ethiopian Mart & Dining, I According to legend, a ninth-century goat saw a trio drinking coffee while snacking on herder, Kaldi, noticed how lively his flock popcorn and roasted barley, or kolo. “They will became after grazing on some round, red berries. be here for hours,” says the waitress, adding that He took the fruit to the local monastery, where the dreamy smell of burning frankincense, the the monks eyed the berries suspiciously until lively conversation, and the buzz of high-octane they ate a few and realized they helped them stay caffeine make everyone more likely to linger. awake during prayers. Of course, this is one of In the kitchen, a stew, known as wat or wot, many versions of the story. In the 15th century, simmers on the stove. Wot is made with lamb, coffee made its way to the Arabian Peninsula but can be made with chicken, beef or a variety and Turkey, thanks to Arab traders, then to of vegetables. If an Ethiopian stew arrives brickEurope in the 17th century. red in color, it likely was seasoned with berbere, Several Ethiopian restaurants around town a spice blend that includes medium-hot red offer the coffee ceremony, but few are as elegant chilies, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. as Blue Nile’s. After the beans are ground up, Berbere provides the zest and tang to a dish, they are placed in a long-necked black-clay and each family has its own secret recipe. The ceramic pot called jebana. As the coffee steeps, mixture is spicy, but not blisteringly hot, like its steam rises from the top until black liquid bub-

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 32

orange-colored cousin, mitmita, flavored with dried oregano and thyme.

Bahel’s chef, Uhana Asefa, started cooking at age 8 and recalls her mother teaching her the all-important lesson of portioning the chicken into 12 pieces. Doro wot made with berbere and long-simmering onions is referred to as the “queen of the festive table.” Ethiopians eat lamb, goat and beef on a daily basis, but chicken stew is reserved for special occasions, like Christmas.

The chicken is carved into exactly 12 pieces to represent Christ’s 12 disciples. The national dish also comes with 12 hard-boiled eggs, which symbolize eternity.

Another celebratory dish is kitfo, often described as Ethiopian-style steak tartare, topped with spicy butter and warm spices, such as cardamom. But honestly, its texture and taste are closer to delicate cheese than steak tartare.

It is a favored dish, but one that most Ethiopians haven’t been allowed to eat for the past month.

The 40 days prior to Christmas on January 7 are observed with a vegan fast, which usually means one meal per day, in the afternoon or evening. The Nativity Fast prohibits meats, dairy and eggs, but it isn’t the only time Ethiopians fast. Most of the population comprises Orthodox Christians, followed by Muslims.

This translates to numerous days of fasting, and Ethiopians have mastered the art of flavorful vegetarian cooking out of necessity.

Injera is a staple served at every meal.

Typically, restaurants drape this spongy, mildly tart bread over a large platter, then pile vegetables and meat dishes on top. To eat, you tear off a bite-size piece of injera, then use it to scoop up the food. It’s fun, but I always ask for a fork to help shovel my food onto the injera.

Injera is considered an art form. Properly mixing the batter, made from teff flour, takes cooks many years to master. These days in the United States, most families are short on time and prefer to buy their injera, says Suzani Asmelash Grant, who owns the popular, upscale Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge. To meet the growing demand for injera bread, she opened the Horn of Africa on Renwick. The quick-bite restaurant bakery sells about 150 bags of injera daily.

During Christmastime in December and January, that number triples.

Here are a few places to kick off your Ethiopian food adventure, including some suggestions on what to order. You’ll rarely go wrong

trying out the sampler vegetable plates available at almost all Ethiopian joints: Blue Nile E t h i o p i a n Restaurant (3030 Audley St.); bluenilerestaurant.com.

Open since 1994, Blue Nile moved to its new location in River Oaks about two years ago. What to order: doro wot (chicken stew); yebeg alicha wot and yebeg key wot (lamb stews); and fish tibs, or No. 43 (cubes of fish simmered in a tomato sauce).

B a h e l Ethiopian Food Mart & Dining (6509 Chimney Rock Road); bahelmart.com.

Opened about three years ago, this tiny nook quickly expanded to include a cozy and colorful dining room that is right “Out of Africa.” ETHIOPIAN DELIGHTS The coffee ceremony at Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant What to order: shows how green coffee beans are roasted and brewed in Ethiopia. Injera bread serves as the plate, fork and knife for Ethiopians. Here are dollops of various stews atop an The veggie combo injera, which guests tear off and use to scoop their food.

No. 2, with six before moving to Houston and opening Lucy, kinds of vegetable dishes, or the veggie combo named in honor of the 3.2 million-year-old fossil No. 3, which has 12. Bahel also serves a breakskeleton found in Ethiopia and believed to be the fast combo that allows you to sample traditional ancestor of modern-day humans. What to order: Ethiopian morning fare. fish cotelelt (deep-fried whole fish with awaze Lucy Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge sauce); fish dullet (fried and shredded tilapia with (6800 Southwest Freeway); lucyhouston.com. spicy tomatoey sauce); and girgiro tibs (cubed The dining room glows invitingly under round lamb sauteed with onions and jalapeño). crystal chandeliers. A friend described this attractive dining room as Ethiopian with a dash Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh of Las Vegas. After 11 years cooking in a popular is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and Amsterdam restaurant, owner Suzani Asmelash longtime Houston-based restaurant writer.

Grant worked as a blackjack dealer in Vegas

Ethiopian-food glossary Ayip – Homemade fresh cheese Awaze – A spicy dipping sauce made with berbere and a honey wine, called tej Berbere – A red chili-based spice blend Gomen – Collard greens Injera – A savory Ethiopian bread made from teff flour Kifto – Raw, minced meat

Mekelesha – A spice blend of cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and cardamom Mitmita – A fiery spice blend that includes oregano and thyme Niter kibbeh – Spiced, clarified butter Shiro – Chickpeas Tibs – Either beef, chicken or lamb, cubed and sauteed Wat/wot/wet – Stews or curries

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 33

Photo courtesy of The Junior League of Houston

FOOD

by Erin Faulkner, contributing writer

Cooking Buzz Healthy recipes for the new year Cooking Buzz is produced in partnership with the Junior League of Houston, a women’s charitable and education organization founded in 1925.

J

anuary has arrived, and so have the resolutions. It seems like most are related to health and fitness, the byproduct of holiday feasts and cookie platters.

According to studies, the vast majority fail, with most efforts abandoned by mid-January.

For those who do stay the course, success often means making small changes.

When selecting an entrée, your healthiest choices are going to be lean protein, such as chicken breasts in Stop and Smell the Rosemary’s Champagne Chicken and pork tenderloin in Peace Meals’ Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin and Rice Noodle Salad.

You also don’t have to cut out red meat, as there are several lean cuts such as flank steak.

Use it in Peace Meals’ Beef and Broccoli StirFry recipe, which is loaded with nutrient-rich vegetables like bell peppers. Serve with cauliflower to add even more veggies.

An amazing recipe is your best friend when it comes to increasing vegetable intake. You will want seconds if you make Stop and Smell the Rosemary’s Herb Garden Green Beans and Peace Meals’ Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Truffle Oil. Circling back to the idea of small changes, you can modify your fats to make recipes healthier. For example, the Herb Garden Green Beans call for 4 tablespoons of butter. You can use 1-2 tablespoons and still deliver an excellent dish.

Butter can also be replaced by a healthier cooking fat such as olive oil.

NUTRITION TASTES GOOD Eating clean doesn’t mean you have to cut out the red meat. Pair this Beef and Broccoli with cauliflower rice for a nutrient-dense meal.

Combine champagne, thyme, lime juice, garlic, and rosemary in a large bowl. Add chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and place in a small roasting pan. Reserve marinade. Roast chicken 20 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with marinade.

Place chicken on a platter and cover to keep warm. Pour pan juices into a saucepan. Add remaining marinade. Cook mixture over medium-high heat until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs. Serves 2.

Herb Garden Green Beans From Stop and Smell the Rosemary 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ⁄3 cup minced onion ¼ cup minced celery ¼ cup fresh parsley ¼ cup fresh basil chiffonade 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 pound green beans, snapped and blanched

Champagne Chicken From Stop and Smell the Rosemary 1 cup champagne or sparkling wine 12 sprigs fresh thyme, minced 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 cloves garlic, chopped 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary, minced 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper Fresh rosemary sprigs

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion and celery. Sauté until soft. Add parsley, basil, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Gently stir in beans. Cook uncovered until beans are thoroughly heated.

Serves 4 to 6.

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Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Truffle Oil From Peace Meals 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed 2 teaspoons pressed garlic (about 2 large cloves) ½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus additional 1 Tablespoon butter ¼ cup vermouth (or water) Freshly ground pepper 2 teaspoons white truffle oil ¼ cup almond slivers, toasted Fit a food processor with a slicing blade.

With the motor running, drop the Brussels sprouts down the feed tube, using the hopper to push the sprouts through to ensure better slices. In a small bowl, mash the garlic and salt together. Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until warm. Add the garlic paste and butter; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sliced sprouts to the skillet and toss gently until coated with the butter. Sauté for 1 minute until the sprouts are crisp-tender, but still bright green, about 1 to 2 more minutes.

Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the truffle oil, add the almonds, and toss. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin and Rice Noodle Salad From Peace Meals Vinaigrette:

Photo courtesy of The Junior League of Houston

A DASH OF TRUFFLE OIL Add complex flavors to veggies with truffle oil and a quick sauté in this Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Truffle Oil.

2 cloves garlic, minced ½ teaspoon ground chili paste or Asian chili pepper sauce 3 Tablespoons sugar ½ cup hot water 2 Tablespoons fish sauce 1½ Tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar ½ teaspoon coarse salt Pork: 1 Tablespoon brown sugar ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon coarse salt Freshly ground pepper 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed Salad: 8 ounces thin rice vermicelli 1 English cucumber, cut into matchsticks 2 carrots, cut into matchsticks 1 cup fresh bean sprouts 2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn 2 Tablespoons each chopped mint, cilantro, and basil, for garnish (use Thai basil if available) 3 Tablespoons chopped peanuts, for garnish Puree the garlic, chili paste, sugar and water in a small food processor. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar and salt, stirring over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.

Let cool.

Combine the brown sugar, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and

stir with a fork. On a large piece of foil, sprinkle the spice rub over the pork tenderloin, and cover tightly with the foil and seal; chill for at least 30 minutes or as long as overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the foil and place the tenderloin on a lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 145 degrees. When done, place the tenderloin on a cutting board and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Cut into ½-inch slices and then cut into ¼inch strips.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the vermicelli. Boil the noodles for about 3 minutes until soft or according to package directions.

Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside to cool. If the noodles start to stick together as they cool, toss them in a bowl with a small amount of the vinaigrette. In a large bowl, toss together the cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, noodles and desired amount of the vinaigrette.

In a large serving bowl, layer the lettuce, noodle mixture and pork. Garnish with the chopped herbs and peanuts. Serve at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry From Peace Meals 1 flank steak, about 1 pound ½ cup oyster sauce ¼ cup chicken broth 2 Tablespoons sherry 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2 Tablespoons cornstarch Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 head broccoli (about 1½ pounds), cut into bite-sized florets 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 green onions, thinly sliced 1 Tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger Place flank steak in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the oyster sauce, broth, sherry, brown sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch in a bowl; set aside. Remove the steak from the freezer. Slice the meat along the grain into three long pieces; slice again thinly against the grain into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Stir-fry the beef until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the meat and accumulated juices to a clean bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the same skillet and add the broccoli, bell pepper and 1⁄3 cup of water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook until the liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, garlic, green onions and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the reserved oyster sauce mixture and beef, and toss until the beef and vegetables are well coated with the sauce. Service over a bed of rice or cauliflower rice. Serves 4.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 35

Terrhan Dial

SPORTS

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by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz I

f going against the region’s top Class 6A runners weren’t challenging enough, Stratford Spartans junior Emanuel Galdino faced an unimaginable hurdle en route to winning the UIL 6A Region III cross-country championship.

He ran most of the race with only one shoe.

The other shoe was clipped off by another runner about 400 yards into the 3.1-mile race.

“He stepped on the back of my right foot, and it just came off. I really had no option but to keep going,” said Galdino. “Before we started, Coach said that when you’re hurting, you’re hurting for other people, so I kept that in mind.”

Stratford coach Shawn Siemers first spotted his shoeless runner at the 1-mile mark of the race. “Emanuel’s pretty tough, and his stride is really good. I asked him if he’s going to be all right. He gave me a thumbs-up, so I said let’s go finish the race.”

But finishing the race was certainly easier said than done, especially considering the terrain runners must navigate through in cross-country.

“It was not a soft course,” said Siemers. “There was a gravel road you had to run across, and there were rocks all over. I’m sure it was not a pleasant experience for Emanuel.”

Galdino’s Stratford teammates couldn’t believe what they were seeing. “I thought it was crazy,” said Spartans sophomore Quinn Otermat. “There were rocks all over the course.

It just seemed super painful, and I was worried he was going to drop out. I couldn’t imagine myself in that position.”

Rather than drop out, Galdino ultimately ran the best and most courageous race of his high school career while winning the 5k race in a scorching time of 15 minutes and seven seconds.

“It was incredibly special. I never thought I would win the race, much less do so with one shoe. By the end of the race, I had a huge blister under my toe that we had to pop out. It was pretty nasty,” said Galdino.

“It just shows his toughness and his dedication to win,” said Siemers. “It is an incredible feat.”

I

t wasn’t an official championship game, but there was no shortage of championship celebrations for the Kinkaid Falcons football team,

which capped off an undefeated season with a 27-14 victory over rival Episcopal Knights.

With the Southwest Preparatory Conference opting not to hold its fall championships in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the season finale between Episcopal and Kinkaid became an unofficial title game for two teams that had combined for 10 of the last 11 SPC football championships.

“It definitely gave us that chamBAREFOOT BLAZE Despite having his right shoe clipped off shortly into the race, pionship feel,” said Stratford Spartans junior Emanuel Galdino still raced to victory at the UIL 6A Region Falcons head III cross-country championship in a winning time of 15:07 over the 5k course. coach Nathan with a perfect 7-0 record, having pulled out sevLarned. “That was a big reason Episcopal coach eral improbable victories along the way. “We Steve Leisz and I decided to move the matchup had some incredible comebacks for sure,” said back to the last week of the season. It was defiLarned. “We were down 20-0 in our season nitely a special way to end the season. It’s a opener against Little Cypress-Mauriceville and memorable way for our seniors to go out and also rallied from a 27-0 deficit to defeat Legacy gives our underclassmen a great win to build on School of Sports Sciences. We scored with three for next season.” seconds left for that victory.

As for the game itself, the Falcons were again “Our first few games were just insane, but our led by another sensational effort from junior guys just met every challenge. We didn’t even Dillon Bell, who, along with rushing for 187 know if we’d have a season at all due to the panyards and three touchdowns, also threw a 22demic, and I couldn’t be any prouder of how our yard touchdown pass to Charlie Kugle in the guys handled adversity both on and off the field.” victory. “Dillon is just a special player who took over the game. He’s an amazing kid who works Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and execuhard and sets an example for the rest of the tive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which team,” said Larned. “He could also be our best airs Monday through Thursday on AT&T defensive player, but he kind of does it all on SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news offense as a running back, receiver and somefor possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email times even at quarterback.” todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

With the win, Kinkaid closed out the season

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 36

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 37

SPORTS

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by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr. W

elcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

A no-hitter for the win The Stix 11U Hitmen (top photo) brought home the trophy from the 2020 Perfect Game Texas All State Championship at Baseball USA. Each of the five tournament games was competitive, but the Hitmen sealed the win with an 8-0 shutout in the championship game. Jackson Lindsey pitched a no-hitter to wrap up the series. The players, who attend Condit Elementary School, Horn Elementary School and St. Thomas’ Episcopal School, have been together for a few years, and look forward to more tournaments in the future. The Hitmen are (bottom row, from left) Collin Steinberg, Tate Cunningham, Luke Lenhart, Jackson Lindsey, Rubaine Singh, Nate Promubol, Zach Cowles, Vance Bourg, Joaquin England, Ben Chapin and (top row, from left) coaches Abe Garcia and Juan Garcia.

SFL Longhorn victory Southwest Football League’s (SFL) junior Longhorns (middle photo) defeated the Cougars to win the division championship. The Longhorns came out strong on defense after winning the coin toss and deferring to the second half. When they took possession, the Longhorns quickly scored with a touchdown run by Jayden Chargois. Later in the second half, after a 40yard touchdown by Chargois, Preston Gorski made the 2-point conversion to bring the final score to 20-8. The Longhorns ran out the clock and ended with the victory formation. The Longhorn champs are (bottom row, from left) Barrett Bedortha, Luke Stewart, Case Lindsay, Preston Gorski, Kolbe Keeler, Jack Lawrence, Jovany Serrano, (middle row from left) Miles Harper, Willem Stoett, Jayden Chargois, Hunter Hazen, Alexander Fefer, Brooks Parker, Nick Starling, Merrick Frye and Mario Cerros; (top row, from left) head coach Christian Bedortha and defensive coordinator Sam Stewart; not pictured: assistant coaches Tony Hazen and Jeff Gorksi.

Baseball for a cause Westbury Little League's 8U select team, the Young Guns (bottom photo), won a baseball tournament and raised $1,677 for breast-cancer awareness and research at the same time. The team played in the Strike Out Breast Cancer Tournament in Richmond, benefitting the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Players’ families pledged money on a per-run or per-hit basis to support the cause. At the end of the tournament, the Young Guns had 58 hits and 44 runs. They surprised coach Warren Carter, whose mother lost her battle with breast cancer, with a poster documenting their fundraising success. The Young Guns are (from left) Jack Frawner, Easton Dean, Phoenix Garza, Ethan Wood, Tommy Carter, Aaron Jacobs, Calvin Lear, Liam Sprinkle, Milo Mendoza, Leo Santillana, Thomas Nicholson and Teddy Martin.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 38

at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.

A WRITING GIRL Noor Hannah Khan, a kindergartener at Mark Twain Elementary, writes poetry and stories about her family and friends.

KIDS

by Noor Hannah Khan, age 5

Buzz Kidz

Finding my voice

M

y name is Noor. I am 5 years old, and I have a baby sister who is 5 months old. I love her. I like reading to her, playing with her, and being in kindergarten at home with her. When I am not playing with my sister, I like to play with my dollhouse. I also like to have pretend tea parties and birthday parties with my dolls. I like to color and to paint. I like to watch Elena of Avalor. I like to have movie nights with my daddy. And I like to do my lessons with my mommy (who also helps me write things down).

During this coronavirus, I am learning from home. Most days I like it, but I sometimes miss my friends and playing on the playground. I am in kindergarten in Ms. Rota’s class at Mark Twain. We write in our journal every day. I like

to write, and I like to draw. I like writing about my sister, about my family, my friends. Here are two poems I have written.

“My Sister” My sister is a cutie pie; She loves to look at the sky She has the biggest smile; That goes on for a mile She likes to eat, poop, and play; The whole day My sister loves to look at me; And she loves me “I am me” Dear Mommy, I am not you; Dear Daddy, I am not you; Hello sister, I am not you; Hello brother, I am not you; …because I am me.

I know you are looking out for me; And you want good things for me; But can I tell you a

secret? I am a strong, kind, brave, and independent little kid because you have shown me how to be a strong, kind, brave, and independent; So I may do things differently; But just trust me; …

And I will not let you down!

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

Licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years’ experience • Specializes in working with males from 10 years old through adulthood • Struggling couples that “just don’t get each other” Dr. Trent Everett, PhD Clinical Psychologist

4130 Bellaire Boulevard #208 Houston, TX 77025 713.993.7030 • theconativegroup.com

“Babies are such a nice way to start people.” - Don Herrold Photographing new beginnings for over 20 years A Portrait Remembers 713.523.4916 nikky@lawellphoto.com www.lawellphoto.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 40

Get Your Morning Buzz Every weekday morning, enjoy your coffee + the buzz in your inbox. Our e-newsletter, Morning Buzz, features buzzworthy stories about neighbors every day, Monday-Friday.

Sign up to find out what we’re buzzing about at thebuzzmagazines.com/morning-buzz.

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Beneficiary designations and creditor claims in probate Once upon a time, more assets than not went through probate on the owner’s death. No one could retitle the house, sell the car, or collect a bank account without an administration of the decedent’s estate.

Probate began on qualification of the executor named in the will or the administrator appointed by the court. These personal representatives were (and still are) responsible for collecting the probate assets, preparing an inventory, and paying taxes and debts before distributing the remainder to the beneficiaries named in the will or the heirs declared by the judge.

If there were more debts than assets, claims were prioritized, creditors paid, and beneficiaries and heirs left empty-handed. The process was transparent, at least from the probate inventory through the claims process, when the money ran out.

And then along came beneficiary designations, transfer on death deeds, and survivorship agreements, not to mention living trusts, enabling most if not all assets to skip probate. Absent a living trust, a house with a mortgage typically still goes through probate, but assets with designated beneficiaries don’t, e.g., retirement and pension accounts, life insurance, annuities, brokerage accounts, and bank accounts. Nonprobate assets are not listed on the inventory, obscuring these transfers from all but the most diligent creditors.

To muddy the waters further, if there are no unsecured debts except for taxes and expenses of administration, the inventory is prepared but not published.

Depending on which lawyer you ask, creditors have always had the right to sue beneficiaries of nonprobate assets to contribute their pro rata share towards unpaid debts. All informed lawyers agree that creditors may initiate

probate and seek appointment as executor or administrator. Less known is the right of the surviving spouse, any creditor, and a minor child’s representative to require the executor or administrator to claw back nonprobate bank and brokerage accounts paid to a designated beneficiary.

As ever more assets pass outside probate and ever fewer remain available to pay creditor claims, designated beneficiaries of nonprobate assets are at increasing risk of having to return money or else share liability. The personal representative’s deadline to sue a beneficiary to compel an accounting and contribution of a multi-party account is two years from the decedent’s date of death.

Savers can always set the money aside until the second anniversary.

Spenders spend at their own risk. Both may suffer heartburn waiting on the 2-year deadline.

We write wills and go to probate court. We offer no-obligation initial interviews for estate planning and administration, so it costs nothing to hear specific recommendations that suit your needs. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.

Russell W. Hall, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Board Certified – Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 6750 West Loop South, Suite 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com/blog

Watch Their Smiles Grow

Oral healthcare for the growing & developing child Joel J. Vela, D.D.S. Bellaire Pediatric Dentistry, P.A. 6750 West Loop South, Suite 795 713.661.1100 • www.bellairesmiles.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 41

sponsored by

PETS

Neighborhood Tails Ruby, age 3, Netherland Dwarf Rabbit, North Blvd.

Did you know that house bunnies can be trained to use a litter box just like cats? It’s true!

That is how I – Ruby, a 3year-old Netherland Dwarf – get to live cagefree in my humans’ house.

I spend my evenings sleeping on a hand-me-down doll bed and my days hopping from room to room to bunny loaf. (Bunny loaf is my chill position. I tuck my legs under myself, droop my head, and relax my ears.) When my human sister gets home from school, she takes me for a ride in her doll’s pink convertible, and then I provide company for her while she does her homework. My favorite time of day is right before the humans’ bedtime. The humans gather in the family room to watch TV, and then I jump into someone’s laps for snuggles and head rubs.

Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

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Diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that affects eyes. It's caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina). At first, diabetic retinopathy may cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems.

Eventually, it can cause blindness.

Symptoms: Spots or dark strings. Floating in your vision (floaters). Blurred vision. Fluctuating vision. Impaired color vision. Dark or empty areas in your vision. Vision loss.

Risk factors: Duration of diabetes – the longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Poor control of your blood sugar level. High blood pressure. High cholesterol. Pregnancy.

Tobacco use. Being African-American, Hispanic or Native American.

Complications can lead to serious vision problems, including vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, glaucoma or blindness.

You can't always prevent diabetic retinopathy. However, regular eye exams, good control of your blood sugar and blood pressure, and early intervention for vision problems can help prevent severe vision loss.

See your Bellaire Retina Specialist for a yearly eye exam with dilation, even if your vision seems fine. If you're pregnant, you may need additional eye exams throughout your pregnancy, or right away if your vision changes suddenly or becomes blurry, spotty or hazy.

Annan Retina Eye Center, Dr. Jaafar F El-Annan, 6550 Mapleridge St., Suite 125, Houston, Texas, 77081, 346-22ANNAN, www.jaafarelannanmd.com

Create a buzz for your biz.

BELLAIRE MEMORIAL RIVER OAKS TANGLEWOOD WEST UNIVERSITY Mailed to 58,000 homes monthly.

To advertise in The Buzz Magazines, contact us at 713.668.4157, ext. 11 or advertising@thebuzzmagazines.com

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 42

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Allergies in older adults In April 2017, the AARP Bulletin wrote about allergies, and since it’s an AARP publication, it focused on adults age 50 and over. Before the 1990s (like when Drs. Engler and Malick were training), it was taught that allergy was an ailment of the young and usually got better as one became older. Further, it was thought that older individuals didn’t suddenly “become allergic.” Since the 1980s, though, the prevalence of allergy has increased in all age groups. It is now known that one can develop allergies at any age.

Just as treatment is different in children than it is in adults, a great deal of caution goes into considering therapeutic options in older adults. For instance, oral decongestants, such as Sudafed, are more likely to cause side effects in older adults (e.g., high blood pressure, insomnia, irritability, and/or rapid heart rate). Sudafed PE is much safer. It doesn’t contain any “Sudafed” (pseudoephedrine) at all; rather, it contains phenylephrine, a much milder decongestant. Antihistamines, such as Zyrtec, Benadryl and Xyzal, can make you sleepy. Claritin and Allegra are less likely to cause sedation. Of further concern about sedating antihistamines is that long-term use increases the risk of dementia. The only antihistamine NOT on that list is Allegra (even Claritin is sedating and with anti-cholinergic effects at higher doses).

Generic Allegra (fexofenadine) is much less expensive and works just as well for about 95 percent of our patients. Costco sells it as “Aller-Fex,” and Walgreens as “Wal-Fex”.

Nasal steroids are usually tolerated better than any of the oral medications because a much smaller dose of medicine is required to be effective since the medicine is applied directly to the nose. But some nasal steroids cause

nosebleeds; original Flonase is most likely to cause a bloody nose. Two other over-the-counter nasal steroids, Flonase Sensimist and Rhinocort Allergy, are less likely to cause a bloody nose.

One treatment that works well in younger and older patients is allergy shots. Once we identify what you are allergic to, we can use allergy shots, or immunotherapy (IT), to make you less allergic.

As opposed to medications listed above, which just treat your symptoms, IT is disease modifying.

IT teaches your body’s immune system to ignore the dust mites, cat dander or tree pollen that can cause “false alarms” in the allergic. A word of caution about IT, though: many so-called allergists are not board certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, and don’t use optimal doses of allergens in their recipes. All three allergists at The Allergy Clinic and Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic are not only board certified by ABAI, but maintain that certification on an annual basis.

No one nose allergies like we do.™ Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.

David B. Engler, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 180, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 43

NEIGHBORS

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by Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld, staff writer

Buzz About Town Under the stars The annual Fathers & Flashlights tradition, which welcomes West U and Southside neighbors to camp out under the stars each fall, looked different this year due to Covid-19.

Rather than camping together on the baseball fields, residents were encouraged to camp at home to honor the spirit of the popular commuwinner of each category. Pictured is Kennede Earle, who won most bedazzled, wearing her decorated jeans.

Eric Forsythe

Wine not

nity event. Host families were Sami and Jud Morrison, Michelle and Doug Huth, and Christine and Owen Parker. Fathers & Flashlights “Camp at Home” 2020 helped raise more than $24,000 for West U parks. Plans are already in the works to bring back Fathers & Flashlights in 2021. Pictured (from left) are Jack, Ellie, Liam and Stephen Jacobson camping out in their yard.

Women’s health education The Women’s Fund for Health Education and Resiliency was celebrated virtually by nearly 250 supporters at its 10th annual Rockin’ Resiliency Luncheon. Guests danced from home along with Houston’s Vincent Powell, Season 12 finalist of American Idol. Emma Fulton, Emilia Haymon and Bridget Gray joined Powell to perform “Count on Me.” Luncheon chairs were Christine and Steve Johnson, and emcee was KTRK-ABC 13’s Gina Gaston Elie. The event raised close to

$180,000. Edna Meyer-Nelson was the recipient of the Sue Trammel Whitfield Award for Resiliency, and The John P. McGovern Foundation Champion in Women's Health and Wellness Award went to Dr. Kathleen Schmeler. HEB’s Scott McClelland discussed the importance of resilience with luncheon cochair Steve Johnson of the Walton and Johnson Syndicated Radio Show. Houston City Council Member Sallie Alcorn arrived with a proclamation from Mayor Sylvester Turner. An hour before the event, The Women’s Fund hosted over 90 participants for an educational panel led

by Drs. Wanda Mott and Frene’ LacourChestnut, Denise Bates, Chau Nguyen and Centrell Reed. Pictured are Ana Zelaya and Elliott Keymolen toasting to an exciting event.

Senior spirit Lamar Senior Jeans Day took place on campus and virtually this year. Seniors painted and decorated a pair of jeans or khakis as a fun spirit event. Lamar students then voted for the best jeans in the following categories: most senior spirit; most creative; most Texan and most bedazzled. There were prizes awarded for the

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 44

Houston sommeliers were put to the test for the title of Iron Sommelier at The Periwinkle Foundation fundraising event. Each competitor selected two wines, which focused on a particular wine region, grape or style. Judges Craig Collins, Antonio Gianola and June Rodil rated wine choice, presentation, creativity and knowledge of competitors’ wine selections. Ticket holders were provided a tasting flight of 12 wines to enjoy at home while virtually watching the judging presentation. Some underwriters enjoyed live presentations with sommeliers in small private venues.

Evan Turner, Krasi Meze & Wine, took home the title of Iron Sommelier 2020 with his “Meet and Greek: Rare Grapes of Greece” theme. He also won Best Presentation and People’s Choice.

Funds support Periwinkle Camps, Art and Survivor Programs that serve children, teens and families challenged by cancer and other lifethreatening illnesses and (continued on page 46)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 45

(continued from page 44) cared

for at Texas Children’s Hospital. Pictured, enjoying the festivities, are Mary, Brooke and Lance Schuler.

Bayou Preservation Association

Bayou bash

The Bayou Preservation Association’s virtual gala, 20 Reasons to Celebrate Our Bayous in 2020, raised nearly $65,000 to support stream restoration, trash-free bayous, citizen science and bayou appreciation. Host was CW39-TV co-anchor Sharron Melton. As guests logged on to Zoom from home, they were met with photo flashbacks of galas from the past 20 years. Guests also enjoyed a few rounds of trivia about bayous and the Bayou City in addition to a silent auction – prizes all had a nature component – and a craft-cocktail demonstration for Apple Cider Rum Punch by A Fare Extraordinaire. Pictured are Ty and Lynn Kelly.

Clays for a cause

Aby Cisneros

Chinquapin Preparatory School’s eighth annual sporting-clays tournament brought together near-

ly 250 shooters for a day of shooting, music, BBQ and an auction. Event co-chairs were Freddie Barela, Sam Bowen Jr., Andrew Kollaer and Will McDaniel. This year, first-place winners were Team Simmons Energy, led by James Baker, Mark Adamson, David Elder and Brian Roche. Pictured (from left) are second-place winners Team HighTower Texas, including Stephen Jones, Peter Kaldis, Matthew Moncrief and Travis Cassin. Locke Lord’s team – Mike Peters, Larry Lee, Robert Lee and Martin Rubio – took the Top Flurry Spot. Many teams vied for the coveted “Dead Ass Last” trophy, and the lucky team included John Athon, Bryan Athon and Joe Solis. Proceeds support Chinquapin's mission, including providing a rigorous college-prep edu-

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cation for sixth-12th graders from underserved communities.

Planting seeds James Palke, an Eagle Scout candidate from Bellaire Troop 222, completed his Eagle Scout project at Avondale House. James designed, obtained materials, and recruited a team of 12 volunteers. He and other Scout volunteers built a raised garden bed and filled it with soil and gravel. Participants in school and adult programs will plant, grow and care for vegetables. James, a senior at Challenge Early College High School, said he chose an organization that supports people with autism because his family is impacted by autism. (continued on page 48)

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 47

Scouts Joe Beasly, Sam Lack, Nicholas Varner, Joshua Hernandez, Alex Lin and James Palke.

Cheers to 40 years

Supporters of the nonprofit Christian Community Service Center toasted to 40 years with a virtual birthday bash. KHOU-11’s Shern-Min Chow was emcee, and Houston leaders, including Mayor Sylvester Turner, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, and Anna Babin, former CEO of United Way of Greater Houston, thanked CCSC for its 40 years of service. “While the pandemic disrupted our original 40th anniversary plans, it crystallized the importance of our mission and work,” said Michelle Shonbeck, executive director. The celebration included a virtual tour of the new J. Dean Robinson Building on the W.T. & Louise J. Moran Campus. CCSC is a coalition of 39 churches dedicated to serving those in need while respecting religious, ethnic and cultural differences. Member-church leaders also participated, including pastor Clint Reiff of Rice Temple Baptist Church; the Rev. Dr. Tom Pace of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church; the Rev. Dr. Russ Levenson, of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church; and the Rev. Patrick Miller of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Pictured are Mary and Mark Goodman enjoying the festivities – and the handdelivered Crave cupcakes – from home.

Harvest luncheon at home

profit Kids’ Meals. Emcee and “spokeskid” Jojo Regina conducted a lively tour showing guests the Kids’ Meal process, starting in the kitchen.

While watching, table hosts and lead underwriters were treated to chef-prepared meals by Click Virtual Food Hall. Kids’ Meals recognized volunteers John Day, Randee Rothmann, Betsy Torn, Kari Krause and Kent Keith. During the pandemic, volunteers made it possible to feed more than 7,500 children a day. Luncheon chair was Melissa DeAyala. The event helped raise $200,000, which will go toward making and

Kids’ Meals

More than 500 gathered virtually for the 12th Annual Harvest Luncheon in support of the non-

Lauren Slusher

(continued from page 46) Pictured are (from left)

delivering meals to kids under 6 who don’t have access to school-based meal programs. Kids’ Meals delivers five weekly meals to children across 43 Houston-area zip codes and offers resources, books, holiday gifts and connections to services.

Pictured are (from left) Wendi Orlando, Sunny Harowitz, Randee Rothmann and Pat Chanon enjoying lunch and the event together.

Outdoor wedding Loren Siegel and David Mosser first met via the Bumble app in September 2016, and the rest is history. The day after closing on a new home together, David told Loren he wanted to go over to the house to start working on it and surprised her with a proposal and champagne to toast their new adventures. They married this fall, with the ceremony and outdoor dinner reception at Vuka Bouldin in Austin; the weather was perfect for al fresco dining. Parents are Bryan and Suzanne Siegel and Barbara Mosser. The newlyweds enjoyed a “mini moon” in San Antonio with a stay at Hotel Havana and time spent at the Botanical Gardens, Mission Trails and local restaurants.

Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com.

Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 48

WEST UNIVERSITY BUZZ JANUARY 2021 49

NEIGHBORS

by Andria Frankfort, staff writer

Back Porch I

Resolving to see the signs

t’s no revelation that the start of a new year prompts many of us to review the past and consider the future. For a whole lot of us, New Year’s goals are a thing.

But this year is different. The past year – the year that from here on out will be known as “the year that changed everything” – has left us in limbo.

2020 shook up our lives like a game of 52 Pickup. Every one of us had our cards scattered on the floor, and then we each got to figure out how to make a new order of them. All that rearranging was and is a challenge: Do I return to work in my office, or should I work from home?

Can we go out to restaurants, or should we only cook at home and get takeout? Should we send the kids to school in person, or is it safer for them to Zoom from home? When can I go to the gym again?

As with any shake-up, though, the opportunities to reset, in a good way, are all around us.

That is, if we choose to see them.

The actor Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, The Lincoln Lawyer, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Dazed and Confused) is an unlikely philosophic guide who is more wellknown for his inimitable free spirit. But in his new New York Times bestselling memoir Greenlights, the famous Texan shares a unique life perspective that is especially compelling on the heels of this year.

He writes: “The problems we face today eventually turn into blessings in the rearview mirror of life.” Will we ever think of Covid as a blessing? Absolutely not. But can we look at all the changes we have made in the past year and be guided by McConaughey when he writes that everything is “a matter of how we see the challenge in front of us and how we engage with it?”

Maybe so.

Maybe the upheaval exposed some possibilities that would have otherwise been hidden in the busyness of our routines, most of which collapsed in March. Can we spend more time out of town, working remotely? Did the absence of parties and events and dinners out result in more time to spend at home, catching up on reading, or Netflix, or projects? Are there dreams we

have for our lives, things we’ve always wanted to do, that we now have time to reflect on – and pursue?

The “greenlights” that McConaughey writes about are the easy things, the days when we’re in the flow, the opportunities we simply say “yes” to without much thought.

“Greenlights mean go – advance, carry on, continue,” he writes. “They say yes and give us what we want.

Catching greenlights is also about timing. The world’s timing, and ours.”

It’s the yellow HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES What signs will you pay attention to in 2021? and red lights, sively popular health podcast, McConaughey McConaughey writes, that we need to pay spesays, “The truth is, we sometimes miss the greencial attention to. These are, in his words, “a lights around us. They’re there. Are we in a detour, a thoughtful pause, an interruption.” place to receive them? Are we in a place to be Hello, 2020. “We don’t like yellow and red patient enough to … see why they came to us? lights,” he says. “They slow us down.” The key, Then, are we courageous enough to act on them McConaughey says, is in recognizing that yellow … and make them part of our daily habits? and red lights are often greenlights in disguise.

“They come around all the time,” Or, the yellows and reds might be leading us to McConaughey says. “You can’t listen to every our greenlights. sign … at the same time, you don’t want to be How do we recognize the reds that are leading so closed up that you’re missing them, and you us to our greens? Trying to figure that out is like let them pass.” taking a leap into the unknown, and it requires 2020 was no typical year. Maybe with some introspection: What opportunities are we McConaughey’s inspiration, our typical New going to focus on in the coming year? How are Year’s resolutions will shift to something deeper: we going to choose them? How are we going to slowing down, identifying the signs, taking stock recover from the crisis of the past year, and view and recalibrating. our challenges as opportunities?

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2021, and to In a podcast interview with Jay Shetty, a fornoticing the signs. mer monk who hosts “On Purpose,” the mas-

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