Lovin' Life After 50: West - July 2018

July 2018 | West Valley

Pasta Time

Babbo Italian Eatery’s new menu items

Pain Management Is medical cannabis the next frontier?

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JULY 2018 |

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inside THIS ISSUE

8 Boomer Business

Patients over 50 are exploring medical cannabis to treat a range of ailments

Opinion

5

Leibo At Large

5 6

Features

14 Additive Medicine

10 Behind the Badge

For many first responders, the struggle with opioid addiction is personal

Entertainment

Sound Off Ask Gabby Gayle Five basic supplements recommended

by NMDs

16 Pages for the Ages

Scottsdale resident publishes his first children’s book at age 95

17 ‘A Fun Job’

21 Music with a Cause

17 Calendar of Events 20 Tinseltown Talks

22 Puzzles 23 Trivia Contest

Chris Isaak looks both ways on his career

Eric Braeden still king of daytime drama

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap celebrate ‘America’s Finest’

Travel

24 Viva La Mexico City, Part 2 My final days in the capital city of Mexico

Dining Rubicon Deli’s fast-casual concept lands in Scottsdale

Columns

PROVING FREE SERVICES SUCH AS GROCERY SHOPPING, FRIENDLY VISITORS, TRANSPORTATION & MORE.

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Bicycling, birding and ethnic food play important tourism roles

34 Dishes Like Dad’s

33 Sandwich Nirvana

We are here to help.

32 Sierra Vista

36 Aging Today

Babbo Italian Eatery opens new location with hot new menu items

35 What’s Cooking?

Easy Summertime Fruit Tart

37 Hospice Is Hope

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Vice President

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Contributors

Steve T. Strickbine Michael Hiatt

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski Tonya Mildenberg

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Ed Boitano

Lou Lagrave, Gordon Wood

Courtney Oldham

Lin Sue Cooney, Jan D’Atri, Connor Dziawura, Christina Fuoco-Karasinski, Dave Gil de Rubio, Andrea Gross, Kenneth LaFave, Jimmy Magahern, Paul Maryniak, Gayle LagmanCreswick, David Leibowitz, Eric Newman, Bob Roth, Wayne Schutsky, Nick Thomas, Leisah Woldoff

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Opinion

Local Opinions

Leibo At Large

Let’s hope you did a better job naming your kids

BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ This month, let’s start with a stipulation: I have no clue what it’s like to raise a child, having raised precisely zero myself.

Nor have I experienced firsthand the awesome responsibility of naming another human being. The closest I have come is naming two dachshunds, who seemed very willing to sit when their names were called, provided a healthy chunk of jerky was involved.

Having said that, clearly there are hundreds of couples nearly ready to bring a child into this world who are about to make a life-altering error in judgment. Because – please excuse my coarseness – a lot of you really suck at naming your kids.

I say this having spent nearly three hours mesmerized by the latest Social Security Administration list of the top 1,000 names for American newborns.

Yes, I need more hobbies. Yes, I have consulted a therapist. And no, it’s still not OK that newborn girls are named Khaleesi by parents who clearly watch way too much Game of Thrones.

All I can say is, let’s hope little Khal doesn’t eventually fall in love with one of the 303 boys named Anakin by Star Wars geeks, thus leading to the worst mixed-

metaphor theme wedding in recorded history.

Why do I care what other people name their children? Largely because I believe names carry with them an emotional weight and a hint of destiny. My own – the third most popular name in 1965, the year of my birth – always has been a mixed blessing. During my school years, I was always “David L.” because invariably there were two or three other Davids in every classroom. That made my name feel ordinary. However, my parents’ explanation for the name, that in Hebrew it means “beloved,” has always served as a source of strength and contentment.

For little baby boy Stetson, I’m not sure knowing “wow, I was named after a hat,” will have the same effect. The same goes for baby girl Oakley. I’ll grant you a special dispensation if you’re British and this is a reference dating back to Anglo-Saxon tribal times, but if you’re naming your baby girl after a pair of sunglasses? You’re doing it wrong.

The same goes if you’re dooming your child to a lifetime explaining how to spell a name that looks misspelled by parents trying too hard. I’m talking to you, parents of little Paityn and little Xzavier.

The truly tragic overachievers are the new moms and dads who adventure past the top 1,000 names, perhaps striving to get extra credit for cleverness. This explains why, a couple years ago, we christened 10 newborn boys Rambo, 40 baby girls Sephora, 11 little boys Simba, and 32 little girls Katniss.

As for the nine of you who thought it would be terrific to name your son Zepplin (yes, misspelled), I simply have no words.

What’s in a name? Shakespeare argued that, names aside, a rose would still smell as sweet. Of course, old William never met a little girl named Lemon.

Somehow, sadly, there were 26 little Lemons born in 2016.

David Leibowitz has called the Valley home since 1995.

Contact david@leibowitzsolo.com.

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Sound Off For those of you who are so eager to turn the U.S.A. into a secular socialist/communist country with open borders, please feel free to move to Venezuela, Russia or Cuba. In the meantime, stop trying to emasculate our men, shred our Constitution, take away our freedom of speech and religion, disrespect

Your biggest expense for your life will not be houses or cars, but it will be taxes. That includes federal, state, real estate, Social Security, Medicare and sales taxes for the 51 percent of us who pay federal taxes.

Your total payment over your life is in the millions of dollars. Also note that 66 percent of the people who do not pay taxes (49 percent) or work for the government (27 percent) benefit from you paying more taxes.

I live in Sun City and walk early every morning. I often see the lady who delivers my morning paper driving up and down the streets. I usually add a $5 tip when I pay my monthly paper bill. Last week, I received a nice thank you note from the lady. She thanked me and said she appreciated the tip because she gets very few tips anymore because of autopay and the like. Hey, folks, you may not see them, but these people serve you same as a waiter or waitress. They deserve tips too. Don’t you think?

our flag and confiscate our guns.

Furthermore, stop trying to erase history by tearing down statues of figures with whom you disagree, stop indoctrinating instead of educating our children, and stop calling me a racist and a white supremacist because I am a Caucasian. That, like most of your beliefs, is totally illogical.

It’s ironic to read complaints about “vicious” attacks against our president. Are these complainers blinded to the steady stream of Trump tweets filled with childlike name-calling and denigrating statements against those who disagree with him? Our president is the master of viciousness.

Why do Trump apologists think that only they know what’s going on in the world? Do they have information from sources not available to most other Americans? Can’t they recognize “their” president’s contempt for the truth? Are they oblivious to his many lies that are laid bare by verified facts? I, too, am terrified by what is happening to my country. I am terrified about the growing worldwide disdain for America and terrified by the insidious dismantling of our democracy by those supremacists and bigots who, under the guise of patriotism, spread divisiveness and hatred.

We Want to Hear from You!

Your message might be printed in the next issue!

At Lovin’ Life, we believe your opinions should be heard. Give us yours! Space providing, your Sound Off will be printed in the next issue.

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JULY 2018 |

5

Ask Gabby Gayle

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of your guests. There was a day and age Gabby Gayle: Q Dear My wife and I enjoy your column. when a good political discussion was

She has been pushing for us to move into an independent retirement community that has assisted living and all that. I tell her we are too young, and I’m not ready for that. She said, “Let’s see what Gabby says about this.” So here we are. We enjoy your column. Thanks.

Signed, DW Plus One

DW and One: A IDear could tell you tales of the couples

who waited on this decision, and then one of them developed health problems and they no longer qualified. Or I could tell you of the couples who waited too long and one of them died, leaving the other with the decision all to themselves. I would like to ask what it is that you are too young for? Is it the freedom to travel and not worry about your home? Is it the freedom from home and yard cares? The freedom from cooking for your wife? The exercise programs? The freedom to pursue your hobbies or develop new ones? The fun? I could go on. My favorite one is: the ability of each member of the couple to plan for the other upon their demise (very few couples die at the same time). Making a decision like this is a philosophical move from material to meaning. What is really going to matter in the years ahead? Think about it. Good luck.

G.G.

Dear Gabby Gayle: Q We are frequently invited to

another couple’s home and they to ours. When we go to their home, they always discuss politics. We do not share the same politics and that makes me very uncomfortable. When they come to our home, we stay away from politics and religion. They speak as if everyone who has a brain would agree with their politics. I don’t want to go there anymore.

My husband doesn’t like it either, but thinks we should grin and bear it. What do you think? Thank you.

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OK. However, those days are over. In today’s climate, one must be very careful about your opinions, lest you start an uproar. Friendships have been lost over this. I grew up with a dad who was an Iowa Republican and a mom who was a Kentucky Democrat. They had many lively discussions, leaving me to understand there are two sides to every story! I think it would be perfectly OK to say at your next get together, something like: “Could we please not discuss politics?”

If they ask why, tell them it makes you uncomfortable. Good luck.

G.G.

Gabby Gayle: Q Dear I am a 59-year-old guy who has

been dating a 55-year-old woman. We met on a dating site. I really like this gal, but she insists on paying her way to and for everything. I am beginning to feel like a cheapskate. Is this the new dating protocol? Should I ask her why she feels it necessary? I am new at this dating thing.

Signed, Puzzled

Puzzled: A Dear I do not think this is the new

protocol, although it might be more common than it used to be. I think there are three reasons your date might want to pay. Some women who have written to me say that when the man pays for everything, he thinks it gives him “benefits.” Another reason might be that she feels it is only fair. Another might be that she doesn’t think you can afford to be the constant payor. I think you should ask her. Some men might think you are lucky!

G.G.

Gabby Gayle: Q Dear When we lived here several years

ago this column was called “Ask the Old Bag.” We enjoyed that name very much.

Are you the same person, or are you new?

Signed, PW

PW: A Dear I am the same person. I will

A I think it is very rude to talk about explain the change next month!

Dear LL:

your political viewpoint unless asked, or if you do not know for sure the leanings

If you have questions for Gabby Gayle, please send them to “Ask Gabby Gayle” at lagmancreswick@gmail.com.

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Features

The Mint Dispensary resembles a clinic, which puts older patrons at ease. (Photos courtesy The Mint)

Boomer BUSINESS Patients over 50 are exploring medical cannabis to treat a range of ailments

BY JIMMY MAGAHERN As a naturopathic doctor, Sam Schikowitz says his main goal was always to treat chronic pain using natural medicine approaches.

But because N.D.’s (in 16 states, including Arizona) are also authorized to prescribe and refill many controlled substances the same as an M.D., Schikowitz found a big portion of his day was spent refilling pharmaceuticals, including opioids, for patients reluctant to give them up.

“It was an everyday thing,” he says. “But it was also the worst part of every day.”

Schikowitz describes the fairly toxic doctor-patient relationship that can develop when patients, dependent on opioids for pain relief, come to treat their doctor as a dealer.

“These patients would come back every month for their refills,” he says. “And these were just good people, with real pain and real problems. But you could see the opioids change them. Eventually they would be asking for more, asking for early refills, asking for increases in their doses.”

“It’s not their fault; it’s inevitable. It’s what happens with opioids. There isn’t a time when that doesn’t happen,” he adds with a sigh. “But the patients become sort of villains in the system.”

Growing resentful of patients putting him at risk for malpractice suits, license revocation and even criminal liability for over-prescribing painkillers, Schikowitz began moonlighting at a medical marijuana clinic, and he immediately noticed a healthy difference in patients who managed their pain using cannabis instead of opioids.

“It was like night and day. They didn’t exhibit the addict behavior I saw in opioid users, who always showed a kind of emptiness or neediness about them. You

8

don’t see that in the marijuana patients.

They’re typically people who are engaged in their own health management. They’re appreciative of the medicine, but they can do without it. I had some patients remark that when they were feeling good, they’d often forget to take their medicine for a week. That never happens with opiates or benzodiazepine. Never.”

Schikowitz decided to open his own certification centers, becoming one of the first 100 licensees following the 2010 passage of Proposition 203, which legalized the use of medical marijuana in Arizona.

Today he serves as owner and chief medical officer of the Medical Marijuana Card Certification Centers of Arizona, which operates 10 locations around the Phoenix and Tucson areas.

He says he’s happy to no longer be contributing to the national epidemic of opioid addiction, which he contends pain management doctors need to take some responsibility for.

“The seed is sown the moment you prescribe that drug to them,” he says. “You set them on this path. You put something in their life that will make them forever tied to the medical system, tied to a substance and looking for it for the rest of their life.

It’s heartbreaking when you think about it.”

Still, he says much of the medical community has been reluctant to acknowledge medical marijuana as a viable alternative to opioid painkillers.

“There’s been some progress, but there’s also still a lot of dyed-in-the-wool, head-in-the-sand doctors who are really dedicated to their position and refuse to

| JULY 2018

look at the evidence,” he says. “Their job is really to manage people’s opiate regimens.

“But the users themselves are finally seeking other pathways,” he adds, optimistically. “And for a growing amount of them, that’s medical marijuana.”

Making the connection

The wall in the lobby of the newly opened 12,000-square-foot Mint Dispensary in Tempe is covered floor to ceiling with a giant photorealistic mural of a bank vault door opening up to reveal an endless garden of tall, leafy green cannabis plants. Raul Molina, marketing director for the company, which operates another store in Mesa, has seen plenty of Baby Boomers’ jaws drop in pure comic Cheech and Chong awe at the idyllic vision.

“We get a lot of these guys who were smoking in the ‘60s and ‘70s who can’t believe how things have changed,” says the serial entrepreneur (previous goldmines include the Tio Rico and El Gordo title loan stores), who was born in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico and graduated from Trevor Browne High School in Phoenix. “In the mornings, we set up specials to attract the older demographic. We put our older patient service reps up front, because that’s when the Baby Boomer crowd can feel less rushed. And they’ll reminisce about how they used to have to go to the south side and be hiding and looking over their shoulders whenever they used to buy pot. And the reps behind the counter will talk about going from being the black sheep in the family to actually finding an industry where they’re able to do something they like – and not be criticized and judged for it.”

The biggest change, of course, is that the Baby Boomers who once used recreational pot illegally are now using it legally for all kinds of legitimate ailments faced by older adults, from chronic back pain

and severe nausea to hepatitis C, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Older adults, by and large, are embracing cannabis as a safer and healthier alternative to prescription painkillers. A study presented in May at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Orlando found that up to 65 percent of older adults who use medical marijuana significantly reduced their dependence on opioid painkillers while successfully alleviating their pain. That same study, drawn from a questionnaire of men and women between the ages 61 to 70 suffering from chronic pain who were given medical marijuana, reported 91 percent of those surveyed would recommend marijuana to others as pain medication.

As far as it’s come from the streets, however, buying medical marijuana is still a convoluted process, not covered by insurance and takes place, by design, outside the familiar realm of primary physicians.

That alone limits its acceptance. In a recent National Poll on Healthy Aging, the majority of the respondents, ages 50 to 80, said they believed medical marijuana was effective for pain relief, anxiety and other conditions. But 80 percent of them said they’d be more likely to use it if their doctor consented to a regimen, and a full 60 percent said they wouldn’t use medical marijuana without a doctor’s recommendation.

“It’s not like a traditional prescription world, where a doctor writes a specific prescription, the patient takes it to the

Pain...continued on page 9 www.LovinLife.com

Pain...continued from page 8 pharmacy and a pharmacist who’s very well-versed in the regulations fills it,” says Elaine Burns, an Arizona-licensed and board-certified naturopathic medical doctor (NMD). “There’s a degree of confidence in that process, and it’s simplified to make getting the medication easy.

Well, that doesn’t exist in the medical marijuana world.”

As medical director of Southwest Medical Marijuana Evaluation Center in Phoenix, Burns helps patients navigate the state’s certification process, which involves first being diagnosed with a qualifying medical condition (from severe and chronic pain to PTSD, glaucoma and HIV/ AIDS) and collecting the required medical records, then becoming certified by a doctor qualified under the Arizona Medical Marijuana Program, and finally being issued a medical marijuana ID card – all processes that also require fees.

Even after going through all that, Burns says, older patients can be intimidated by going to the licensed dispensaries in the state, which she says are often not operated with the more mature adult in mind.

“The majority of certification centers just give you a piece of paper,” she says.

Elaine Burns, an Arizona-licensed and board-certified naturopathic medical doctor (NMD), created a line of cannabis oils called ReLeaf. (Photo by Kimberly Carrillo)

“There’s no education, no dosing and treatment guidelines to follow. The centers and the physicians just leave it up to the dispensaries to figure that out for the patient. And there’s often a lot of recreational overtones at those. Patients will complain about the loud music playing, and having to listen to an 18- or 19-yearold ‘budtender’ talk to them about getting stoned. It’s an environment that can feel really disrespectful to the serious medical marijuana patient and devalues the program — which is already regarded by some legislators and senators as a Trojan Horse for recreational use, and those

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Left: Medical marijuana products include a wide range of items, from edibles to tinctures. In a recent National Poll on Healthy Aging, the majority of the respondents, ages 50 to 80, said they believed medical marijuana was effective for pain relief.

(Photos courtesy The Mint)

overtones just feed into their assumptions.”

Fortunately, that old model of the tiedyed dispensary is rapidly disappearing in favor of clean, professional environments more like an Apple Store crossed with a doctor’s lobby, partially to cater to older users seeking serious pain relief.

“When you walk into our dispensary, it looks like a clinic,” says Molina of Mint’s new Tempe location. “There’s no marijuana leaves on the walls, there’s no Bob Marley playing on the speakers — nothing like that.” (Well, except for maybe that mural of the giant vault of weed.)

Molina says the people who snagged the first 100 licenses offered under the medical marijuana program tended to be stoners themselves. “It was the owner and a bunch of his friends getting high in the back and talking about how much money they were making,” he says. “Now it’s moving away from that. They’re all getting bought out, and the new owners are all businesspeople. It’s people who don’t smoke who are taking this on as a regular business and not a hangout.”

Molina’s reasons for catering to an older clientele are pure business, too. “To be honest with you, the kids will come in before the weekend and spend 30 bucks, whereas the older folks will come in and spend $150, $200, because they’re not looking to come in every other day,” he says, with a laugh. “They stock up!”

Will that be CBD or THC? Along with tailoring the buying experience to better suit the older, more serious medicinal-use patients, today’s dispensaries – and their growers – are tinkering with the product to bring the offerings more in line with what that demographic is looking for.

Burns offers her own line of oils infused with cannabidiol, or CBD, the part of the plant that can alleviate inflammation and

acute pain without the psychoactive effects produced by tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the plant’s more renowned property.

“Medical marijuana patients do not want to get high,” Burns insists in the press release for her Dr. Burns’ ReLeaf line, which includes an Opioid Recovery formula, a pain and migraine “ReLeafer” and a “GI Assist” formula for gastrointestinal ailments.

“They just want to get better and feel better.”

Dan Kingston, marketing manager for AZmarijuana.com, a website that serves as an information clearinghouse for the state’s medical marijuana doctors, certifications and dispensaries, advises older users to steer away from the high-THC strains, even if they came of age during weed’s golden era.

“When you think back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, marijuana had well under 10 percent THC content,” he says. “These days it’s hard finding anything under 10 percent.

So some dispensaries do carry lower-THC marijuana, and some of them do have some great high-CBD strains.”

Kingston says older users also are going for alternatives to smoking the flower, which these days can include cannabisinfused gummy bears, weed-vaping pens and cannabis tinctures, an extract made by soaking the dried flowers of the plant in ethanol and applying it to the skin or tongue.

“Consuming edibles or tinctures metabolizes the marijuana differently in the body than when you inhale it,” he explains, in budtender speak. “So it affects you a little bit differently, and takes longer for the effects to kick in. And they last longer as well.”

Former Scottsdale resident Bobbie Friedman, a physical therapist and dry needling acupuncturist now based in Las Vegas, swears by CBD, the wellness weed without the high that even young people

are now using as a soothing remedy for high-stress lives.

“I contend everybody over 55 needs CBD regularly, just as they would take a Centrum multivitamin,” she says, enthusiastically. “Supplements are going to have CBD in them.

CBD is already being used in face creams. There are CBDinfused craft beers, CBD-infused wines. Before Anthony Bourdain died, he did a whole show on infused-food restaurants in Washington State.”

While CBD promises the healing power of cannabis without the psychoactive effects, Molina advises his stores’ aging Baby Boomer shoppers to mix a little THC in there, too — just for good, therapeutic fun.

Former Scottsdale resident Bobbie Friedman, a physical therapist and dry needling acupuncturist now based in Las Vegas, swears by CBD. (Photo courtesy Bobbie Friedman)

“First of all, anyone over 60 should be taking some CBD product just because it reinforces their immune system so they will live longer, and live a more enjoyable life,” he says. “But when you add in some of the THC, some of the psychedelic aspects of the marijuana, that can make them actually want to get out of their chair and go for a walk. All of a sudden they start getting more active. Because there’s still the cool part about it! Yes, they are feeling much better, they’re enjoying the later part of their lives much more. But beyond that, it’s making them feel funky!”

Molina laughs. “They’ll get with their old buddies and tell war stories for four hours!

They’ll go to the park with the grandkids and play ball. It gives you a type of energy.

And if you’ve been slowly deteriorating, closing in on yourself and feeling isolated, that’s healthy medicine in itself.”

JULY 2018 |

9

Behind the Badge

grams for first responders are beginning to appear in many places, including Arizona. Altamirano completed a six-week outpatient program in June at the Recovia clinic in Scottsdale.

For first responders, the risk of damaging their reputation and losing their

BY NIKI D’ANDREA jobs may prevent them from seeking treatment or even admitting they have a Almost every day, Ernesto Altamirano more first responders in recognizing and problem, Altamirano says. saw someone overdose on opioids. responding to suspected opioid use and “When I first went there (to Recovia), I “And when I say overdose, I mean bor- overdoses. didn’t want anybody to know anything,” derline dead. Maybe even sometimes “It’s gotten worse since I first came on he says. “Because one thing you have clinically,” he says. “I’ve been on plenty of the job,” Altamirano, 40, says. “You don’t that’s engrained in you, and you’ve probcalls in my career as a fireman where I’ve see some of the stuff that we see and ably heard this before as you’ve talked to seen opioid and heroin overdoses, plenty you probably wouldn’t want to see as first responders, is reputation. Your repuof them.” everyday citizens. tation. ‘Your reputation is everything’ A Phoenix fireWhen you go on they preach to you, back from when you fighter and paraa heroin overdose Give your family a safer, cleaner, healthier and more efficient home environment! start riding along and you do your EMT medic, Altamirano (call), forremoval example, of vacuum power, this system is connected within Mold, mildew, dust, bacteria, animal dander Industry experts also agree that 5-10 feet of the trunk line. and other harmful contaminants build up on of contaminants from your duct system is best Dr. Laura Stewart is executive director of Recovia, a classes. Reputation, reputation, reputautilize "push and not your there’s duct work month says been a after month, year after accomplished by companies thatyou see them pull" procedures. In this method, each register or Give your family the gift ofclinic cleanin airScottsdale by having that has year, These particles are circulated throughout multidisciplinary detox vent is first sealed off, and then trained technicians your home everyover time your heating and cooling your furnace and air duct system professionally tion is engrained in you.” surge of calls breathing and you treated many first aresponders.

(Photos courtesy Recovia) connect a large diameter hose from a commercial system kicks on. Even new homes can have cleaned.

You'll notice tremendous difference construction dust, drywall, insulation and other vacuum to your main trunk line, which creates in the air quality and the absence of hacking, Altamirano says he’s now determined the past few years see vomit coming – Dr. Laura Stewart ' a scaled vacuum. Then, using a variety of special debris in the duct work. This isn't just a nuisance, sneezing and labored breathing. It will also restore tools, dust, mild and caked-on dirt is loosened and your system's efficiency and lower your utility it's unhealthy! involving opioid out of the mouth. ers battling opioid addiction – they’re an to help other first responders, and that’s bills. pushed down the main trunk line and out to the Simply consider that 50% of all illnesses are vacuum unit. One completed,That’s the registers, heat an overdoses.

Beit.

That’s increasingly high-risk group for opioid why he’s sharing his story. either caused or aggravated by polluted indoor air, exchanger, fan blower and furnace compartments While you're at it, it is also important to have and youJune can understand why the Environmental your dryer vent cleaned. Not lint work build­ hours, areeye-opener also cleaned. As a final step, an antimicrobial Former police captain Bill Reese, 54, tween 15 and December 28, 2017, if you’ve never seen it. ” abuse because of only theirdoes long that retards the growth of mold, mildew, fungi, Protection Agency views indoor air pollution up in the dryer vent result in increased energy consumption, dryer damage and the inconvenience algaeBut and other disease-causing spores is misted as America's number one environmental health also completed the treatment program the Arizona Health Services Department Altamirano’s repeated exposure lack of sleep, exposure to trauma and into the duct system from each vent if indicated. problem. of longer drying time, but can also lead to a worst case scenario of excessive heat build-up and fires. at Recovia and now serves as a mentor tracked more than 4,900 suspected overto the effects of opioid overdoses didn’t physical pain from on-the-job injuries, acOne of the most effective systems in this Health ailments such as allergies, asthma, In fact, clogged dryer vents are one of the leading "push and pull" category is a multi-stage HEPA headaches, nasal congestion, sinus problems and causes of residential fires in the U.S., accounting for other people in recovery. “I would say doses and 716 suspected deaths.

The prevent him from falling into his own adcording to the Hazelden Betty Ford Founfor 15,000 residential fires in 1990 alone. By having fatigue may come about as a result of poor indoor (High Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum system.

Developed due to the need for a filter that would your dryer vents cleaned once a year, you will be air quality. to first responders, don’t let your pride problem’s reached such proportions that safely diction to prescription painkillers when dation, which has a specialized remove radioactive contaminants, a HEPA protecting the important investment in your treatment life, making your home safer for your family.

Your air ducts are the respiratory system of filter is so efficient that it removes 99.97% of get in the way, because you’ll never ever Arizona a $3.1dirty million grant particulates he was injured on job in a few years ago. program for first responders. as small as 0.3the micron size (smaller your home.received When they become or congested, they should be cleaned so that they can breathe than the human eye can see). the other benefit is For more information and a free estimate, from theandfederal government train that And not alone among first respondaddiction treatment prothishe’s system is completely self-contained and normally efficiently.

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Opioids...continued from page 10 find a police officer that will admit that they’re on opioid medication or an alcoholic or any other pain-relieving avenues because that’s their career,” Reese says.

“That’s their livelihood. That’s their family. That’s their credibility. And as a police officer, that’s all you have is credibility.”

“That’s part of the problem. If they admit to having mental health (issues) or PTSD or opioid addiction, that brands them,” he continues. “And you know, police are tough. ‘I’m strong. I’ve got to be tougher than everybody else. I can deal with it, I can handle it. I don’t have a problem’… I wish there were more officers out there that would talk about it. Say something.”

Altamirano and Reese each have positive outlooks on their futures and postrecovery plans for their lives. Getting to this point has been a harrowing and hopeful journey.

Prescription for disaster

When Bill Reese bent over to pick up a face mask for the softball team he coached back in 2008, he had no idea the moment would ultimately lead to the end of his career in law enforcement, the end of his marriage and the beginning of

a decade-long battle to manage severe pain without pills.

Reese fell and hit the ground hard, resulting in two ruptured discs and a herniated disc in his back. He continued working for a year at his job as a police captain in Ohio, going to physical therapy and trying different treatments including pain medication his doctors prescribed to him. “We just kept getting worse, until the point I couldn’t even hardly get up and move around,” Reese recalls.

A back operation didn’t help, and Reese didn’t like taking prescription painkillers.

So he stopped cold turkey. “At one point, I was just done with it all. I just quit,” he says. “And I was miserable for like, a week and a half going off of it all… I just stopped and it just didn’t work out.”

A year later, he was taking pills for the pain again. “It just progressively got worse again and they (doctors) put me back on stuff and they said I wouldn’t be addicted to it,” Reese says. “Well, at that time we didn’t know how addictive it is. I mean, this started back in 2008.”

“They said I wasn’t addicted to it, but dependent on it and used it for the pain, and they just kept giving me more and more and I was miserable.”

By that point, Reese had retired, earlier

than he’d intended and not entirely of his own accord. His physical injuries made the job too dangerous for him and others around him, department supervisors said. “The state said that there is no way I could do it (continue working),” Reese remembers. “If I got into a scuffle or something, it could be more damaging. I could put other people at risk. So I was done.”

While in Florida in 2016, Reese had a bad fall while preparing for a hurricane. “I went down again and I couldn’t get back up, and we ended up having to do fusion (surgery), which got me back up to walking straight again,” Reese says. “But he (the doctor) said I would always have the pain.”

Reese’s marriage had deteriorated since his injury and over the ensuing years of failed treatments and physical pain. “It cost me my marriage. She just said she couldn’t deal with it and couldn’t handle it no more and moved on,” he says.

His physical condition also continued to deteriorate. Around Thanksgiving of 2017, Reese’s adult children, who live in

Arizona, vowed to get him healthy and found a pain doctor for him in Phoenix. Reese really wanted to get off opioid painkillers. He says in all his years of taking pills, he never took more than he was prescribed – but that he was prescribed an awful lot.

“The doses I was on… I thought, you know, something’s not right, I shouldn’t be on this much of this,” he says. “We shouldn’t be taking more than 90 milligrams a day and I’m taking way more than that. I’m done… I didn’t have much of a life. I never took more than what’s prescribed, but I just couldn’t stand

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Opioids...continued from page 11 The 10,000-square-foot Recovia clinic includes a gym.

Physical therapy is one of several components of the detox program at Recovia.

taking it no more.”

He told his pain doctor his position. “I said, ‘I’ve got to get off. I’m going off or I’m going to quit again. I sat in his office and cried for an hour,” Reese says. “You didn’t know which way to turn or what to do. I said, ‘You can help me or I’m quitting, but not coming back.’ And then he sent me to Dr. Stewart.”

“And he said, ‘absolutely,’” Altamirano recalls. “And the fire department for me has been – I can’t even describe in words how supportive they have been toward me in getting better. The Phoenix Fire Department has really, really taken care of me.”

Brave hearts and bitter pills

Dr. Laura Stewart is executive director of Recovia, a multidisciplinary clinic near Princess Drive and the 101 in Scottsdale.

Recovia’s opioid detox program typically lasts about six weeks and takes an integrated approach that includes behavioral health, physical therapy and medical management in tandem.

“It’s a huge, integrated, 10,000-squarefoot clinic. And it’s got all these different sections, but it’s also kind of like a big pod,” Stewart explains. “All the clinicians work together to help the patients, so it’s not like, ‘OK, you’re going to go here for physical therapy, and then you’re going to go to this department where nobody’s going to know you’re doing three separate things.’ It’s the integration of all three things, and that’s where the evidencebased treatment research is.”

“That’s how the opioid epidemic is going to be treated – if it’s integrated and it includes MAT (medication-assisted treatment),” she continues. “So that’s what we use here in our program.”

Recovia’s outpatient programs are also designed for people who are trying to maintain some sense of normalcy in their lives, especially professionals who may not want a lot of people to know about their situation or undergo an intensive inpatient treatment program.

Stewart says she sees many people in Recovia’s program who work in health care or as first responders, and that the stigma surrounding opioid addiction is a big barrier to treatment for them. “It’s a huge impact for them, because they’re in health care or they’re working around people who are dealing with this on an addiction level, so they know better,” she says. “In their mind, they know better. It’s very difficult for them to sort between ‘I need help,’ but ‘I’m helping people who need help,’ and ‘Wait, no – now it’s me that needs help.’”

That was a conflict for Phoenix firefighter Ernesto Altamirano. When he realized he needed help for his addiction, he had a hard time reaching out to his peers.

“They (first responders) have that men-

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The light at the end of the tunnel

tality that we don’t talk about things,” he piness turned kind of dark and chilly,” says. “We don’t talk about our problems; he continues. “The world didn’t seem as we’re problem solvers. We’re supposed bright as it did when I first started taking to solve the problem, not be part of the the pills and I don’t know if that’s because problem, and I think when it comes to I got so used to them that I had to take opioid addiction, I think a lot of guys are more. I’m not sure where that transition in denial or they think they can handle it.” happened, but it went from enjoying it to Altamirano thought he could handle it. changing my character. And now I’m not He says he was a different person before the gentleman that I had previously dehe started taking scribed to you.” opioids for his Altamirano injury. “I’m usudidn’t like who he ally a very outwas becoming. “I going person. am very involved You can put me in my kids’ lives. in a room with I consider myself 20 people, give to be a good fame an hour, and ther and a good I’ll know everyhusband and I’m body and their good at my job whole life story,” that I love and he says. “I was been very blessed weightlifting to have. And it and very active. got to the point – Phoenix firefighter Ernesto Altamirano I’d go to the gym where I was startand could do ing to suck at all of things with my those things,” he boys. My nickname on the job is ‘The says. “I wasn’t as productive as I used to Closer,’ because I’m the guy that can go in be at work. I would just kind of go into my and de-escalate any situation, no matter bunk and sleep or be by myself.” how bad the call goes. No matter whose One night, Altamirano and his wife had fault it may be, I can go in and talk people a big fight. She told him she thought he down and make everything be OK.’” had a problem. The next day, his fire capThen he got hurt at work and chose tain approached him and said he seemed to do therapy and pain management different and wanted to know if everyrather than have surgery. “That was years thing was OK. “They had no idea what ago and I did fine. It was fine. Then I had was going on at home,” says Altamirano, an incident a couple years ago where I who told his captain he was fine. tweaked my back and I started therapy After a couple conversations with other again and taking pain pills,” Altamirano people and “not really liking who I was besays. “It got to the point where I wasn’t coming as a person on the job and with having the pain anymore, but I was still my kids,” Altamirano says he went back to taking them… you truly do get a high his captain, admitted he was addicted to from it. I got happy.” painkillers, that he needed treatment and “But then as time went on, that hap- asked if his captain could help him.

We’re supposed to solve the problem, not be part of the problem, and I think when it comes to opioid addiction, I think a lot of guys are in denial or they think they can handle it.

Though Altamirano was hesitant and somewhat skeptical about treatment programs at first – “My thought of how a program is supposed to be is, you go into a group and sing ‘Kumbaya’ with a bunch of people,” he says with a laugh – he says Recovia’s integrated approach “has been great.” Instead of singing “Kumbaya,” he found himself doing yoga, HeartMath programs, physical therapy and taking the medication Saboxone to help manage his pain and withdrawal symptoms.

Now opioid-free, Altamirano thanks his wife Bianca “for being incredibly supportive throughout his whole thing… I would not be here without her.” He says he’s going to the gym again, spending more time with his boys, and “excited to get back on the truck again” at the fire department.

Reese, who completed a similar program at Recovia, says he’s looking forward to being healthy again. “I’ve traveled around a little bit and went to Ohio and to California,” says Reese, speaking on the phone during a visit to Florida.

“I’m spending time with my kids and my grandkids and just enjoying life.”

Stewart says Reese and Altamirano are just two of many successful recovery stories. “I want to come from a place of hope, because of our treatment side. I think there’s a lot of media on how devastating this is, and how scary it is – and it is.

People are dying every day,” Stewart says.

“But I also think that, from the treatment side, I don’t hear a lot of hope about us getting through this, getting past this, moving on. This is a treatable epidemic and people do get better.”

“We can get so negative and so spiraled down about the stats that we forget that actually, there are a lot of people doing a lot of things, and they’re working,” she continues. “My favorite saying is ‘This too shall pass.’ And this shall pass. We’re going to get through it... I’d just like to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

JULY 2018 |

13

Additive Medicine

Five basic supplements recommended by NMDs

BY LEISAH WOLDOFF It’s no surprise that as we get older, our body also ages, which sometimes means that it needs a little help performing functions that it used to do by itself. Dr. Alissia “Dr. Zen” Zenhausern, a board-certified naturopathic physician providing integrative health options at her practice, NMD Wellness of Scottsdale, offers some advice on five supplements she often recommends to clients.

She stresses that patients should always consult their physician before taking any supplements to make sure they are safe to take with their current medication or medical condition.

Digestive enzymes: People often reach a point, many times in their 50s, when they find their body reacting to a food they used to not have any problem eating. After experiencing heartburn, indigestion or abdominal pain, they may take Tums or an acid blocker.

Yet those medications won’t help if the pain is caused by an enzyme deficiency,

according to Zenhausern.

“As you age, the enzymes that help break down food normally will decrease,” she says. Therefore, using an enzyme supplement gives “the body the digestive enzymes that your body normally produces.”

She recommends using digestive enzymes that contain betaine-based HCl, which helps with acidity. It’s recommended to take them 20 minutes before or after eating. Her personal favorite is Pure Encapulations, as it is gluten-free and non-GMO. Fish oil: Fish oil offers anti-inflammatory benefits, and because the leading cause of death for women is heart disease, fish oil is especially beneficial for women, Zenhausern says.

The Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil also protect the brain, as well as reduce the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer.

However, the side effects of a high

Naturopathic physician Alissia “Dr. Zen” Zenhausern (Photo courtesy Alissia Zenhausern)

dose of fish oil could be dangerous to some people, such as those on blood thinners, so “always check with your doctor,” she notes. “Safety always, for both supplements and medications.”

Both the liquid and pill forms usually have a fishy aftertaste and fish oil pills are usually huge and hard to swallow.

She recommends keeping both in the

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fridge or freezer to decrease the fishy taste. One liquid fish oil she prefers is OmegAvail made by Designs for Health, which comes in flavors like key lime pie and citrus sorbet.

Probiotics: As you age, your gut bacteria loses its strength, Zenhausern says, so probiotics help the digestive system by adding good bacteria.

Symptoms of an unhealthy gut include bloating, indigestion, skin conditions and allergies. “A lot of time what’s happening on your skin is a reflection of what’s happening in your gut,” Zenhausern says.

Depression can be another symptom and it can be caused by low levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter produced in the gut.

In general, you need to make sure you have the right balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut, Zenhausern says. “If you don’t have enough good bacteria, that creates space in the body for more bad bacteria to lodge itself.”

She cautions that since probiotics contain bacteria, it may have an adverse effect on those with suppressed immune symptoms or those going through chemotherapy.

She also notes that most probiotics need to be refrigerated. “It’s live bacteria so if it’s not refrigerated, you kill the bacteria and so you’re taking a supplement and it’s not doing anything for you,” she says.

She doesn’t recommend prebiotics, substances that encourage the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut, because they also feed the bad bacteria.

Turmeric (curcuma longa): Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory that is believed to help prevent or reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It’s powerful on its own as an herb, but if it’s eaten as a food source, such as sprinkled over food, it must be eaten with black pepper to offer the same therapeutic benefits.

Vitamin D: “We live in one of the sunniest places in the world and a lot of people think that they would have plenty of vItamin D, but almost about 80 percent of my patients have low vitamin D,” Zenhausern says. More and more research is showing that having elevated vitamin D in your system can help strengthen your immune system and fight fatigue. “Keeping your Vitamin D levels optimal is really important.”

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JULY 2018 |

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Pages for the Ages

At 95, Scottsdale resident Sam Baker publishes his first children’s book

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY At 95, Sam Baker proved that you are never too old to embark on a new career.

The Marine veteran has had a number of jobs in his lifetime – from working at the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey to becoming one of the world’s first GPS salesmen.

Now he can add published author to that list, thanks to the help of his daughter, Gilbert resident Sally Baker.

Sam embarked on his “fifth career” as a children’s book author this year with The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm.

Sally runs her own public relations firm, Great Ideas PR, and has promoted authors and books in the past, though she admits this project holds a special place in her heart because of the personal connection.

She helped her father put the book together and promote it, though that is not the only influence she had on its creation.

Her role in making The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm come to life

16

actually dates back to her childhood.

The book was inspired by the stories the author used to tell Sally and her brother, Michael, over four decades ago and centers on the friendship between a young girl named Petunia and Herman, a mishapprone tomato worm that speaks perfect English.

Due to Herman’s odd traits – he has arms, hands and can talk – he is not readily accepted by everyone who crosses his path. However, he soon develops a close friendship with Petunia and her family, who support him throughout his journey.

Sam Baker, retired and living in Scottsdale, used the story to emphasize the values he learned as a child. “The story shows that people should accept you for who you are and not try to change you,” he says.

The book also reinforces the importance of courtesy and respect for elders.

For many years, the story of Herman the Worm was little more than a family memento, first created by Sam over 40 years ago when his family lived in Florida during

| JULY 2018

Above: The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm is available via Amazon and other retailers. Right: Sam Baker, 95, plans to publish another book, titled What, the Mouse. (Photos special to LLAF)

his time with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.

He came up with the tale after his kids asked their father to make up a unique story. “When the children were small, they asked me to tell them a story instead of reading books, so I created a story around Herman the Worm,” he says.

For inspiration, Baker turned to his own childhood in Mississippi. His father was a farmer and grew dill in the backyard to make pickles in the summer. The dill plants attracted parsley worms, which are actually caterpillars, which caught the young Sam Baker’s attention.

“There were worms the size of your finger that would be on there,” he says. “I would wait until they were full grown and then put them into shoebox, feed them dill until they went into pupa stage and then they became black swallow-tailed butterflies.”

Baker first put the stories down on paper in the early 1990s and even got a copyright in 1994. Still, at the time, he never expected the story would become a published book.

“It was just to give out to people,” he says. “I gave a copy to my dental hygienist who had 6-year-old son, and she said he cried at the end because he didn’t want Herman to go away.”

Baker picked the story back up a few years ago when he got a computer, and he credits his children for encouraging him to create the book. “I just let it linger until the children got me busy and told me to get off my duff and get busy and put it into book form,” he says.

In addition to his children’s role in making the book happen, Sally’s close friend

Ann Hess provided the illustrations. “It really is a family affair,” Sam says.

Fast-forward a few years and the book is now available in digital and physical forms through Amazon and other retailers, and Sally and Sam Baker are in the midst of planning a nationwide book tour to promote it. They also plan to donate some of the proceeds from book sales to a butterfly sanctuary.

Sally Baker helped her father put the book together and promote it.

With The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm complete, Sam is not quite ready to move on from his fifth career, though. He has plans to publish another story titled What, the Mouse. That book is written but does not yet have illustrations.

Sam also is not closing the door on the possibility that he may continue to chronicle the stories of Petunia and Herman the Worm. On Herman’s future, he says, “that depends on whether or not the readers want it.”

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Entertainment ‘A Fun Job’ Chris Isaak looks both ways on his career

BY CONNOR DZIAWURA Chris Isaak isn’t bothered by high temperatures. Upon answering the phone, the Stockton, California, native asks the typical Arizona question.

“Is it hot?”

When he’s told the temperatures are in the 100s in early June, Isaak exclaims, “Whew” and launches into stories of his first tour bus, which lacked air conditioning, and his days of roofing in his hometown. The conversation quickly turns to his new tour, which will bring him and his longtime backing band to Arizona in July.

The rockabilly crooner debuted in 1985 with Silvertone and has produced 11 more albums and several hits since then. Chris Isaak likes the revolving stage at Celebrity Theatre, where he will perform July 20. (Photo by Andrew Macpherson) “The special part of (the tour) is we haven’t played in a little while,” he ‘What song did they come to hear?’” says. “We’ve been off the road for a little He views balancing different moods, bit. I’ve been writing, and I’m dying to get from ballads to upbeat songs, as equally back on stage and play.” important to playing the hits. Sometimes Among his dates are July 20 at the Ce- this involves making impromptu decilebrity Theatre, where he performed last sions and adjusting his set list. summer. For Phoenix fans – and the band “Over the years we’ve found which – the Celebrity Theatre’s famed revolving songs we think work and then we switch stage makes for a positive experience, it up, because the nice thing about havIsaak says. ing played for 33 years with people is “That stage is a great stage because we’re not stuck with a set list when we there’s not a bad seat in that house,” he walk out on stage,” he says. explains.

“Sometimes I’ll walk out on stage and “You do have to remember that people I’ll go, ‘You know, tonight there are a lot can see your back,” he adds with a laugh. of people who are ready to dance, and “If you turn around and you’re talking this place that we’re playing lets people to your drummer, they’re going to hear stand up,’ or ‘Tonight is a great-sounding what you’re saying, and so you have to room. We can do ballads. People are sitbe careful.” ting down and they’re enjoying it, and When Isaak performs, he ensures, fans they can hear really well.’ You can adjust will hear an array of songs spanning his every night a little bit.”

33-year career, including “Wicked Game,” His love of performing is reflected in “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” and “Some- his performances, and he feels that conbody’s Crying.” tributes to his large following.

“I want to make it fun, but I also want to “We have a good time. We put on a make sure I please the audience,” he says. show,” he says. “We dress up. We look like “People come to this show and maybe I stole Liberace’s clothes. I mean, I wear a they’re only going to see me once every 30-pound suit covered in mirrors. We’ll five years. It may be the only time they see go out in the audience and sing. We’ll get me. They might have to drive a long way them up on stage. We talk to the audiand hire a babysitter. And I try to think, ence. We really make an effort – and that

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effort has paid off over the years.”

Though known for his Elvis- and Roy Orbison-inspired tunes, Isaak isn’t a onetrick pony, having had a lengthy resume in television and film. Aside from licensing his songs, he has guest-starred on numerous television series, hosted his own show, The Chris Isaak Hour, and worked with film directors David Lynch and the late Jonathan Demme. “(Demme) was always on my side and always trying to get me to do stuff,” explains Isaak, who had small roles in The Silence of the Lambs and Married to the Mob, and was offered several other roles

by Demme over the years.

Lynch notably used several of Isaak’s songs in 1986’s Blue Velvet and 1990’s Wild at Heart, and directed one of several music videos for “Wicked Game.” He later cast Isaak in a major role alongside Kiefer Sutherland in his 1992 film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. “I’ve worked with David Lynch since early on,” he says. “He called and said, ‘Hey, I love your record. Would you think about doing music for the film?’” he recalls, attempting to impersonate Lynch’s distinctive voice.

Rather than sending ideas back and forth, he says, he welcomed the director into the studio to collaborate.

“It was really fun working with him,” Isaak remembers. “He’s a very creative guy and very fun to work with because he doesn’t have an ego.”

Later this year, Isaak will use his creativity when hosting the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Induction & Celebration. He helmed the ceremony last year.

“It worked out pretty well. I had a good time,” he says. “I always feel like, ‘Well, I’ll just be honest and I’ll say what comes into my head and keep it clean and we’ll see how it goes.’

“I like music, so it’s not a problem for me to get enthused. I don’t have to pretend to be excited when I’m out there on stage and introducing Raul Malo (of The Mavericks) or listening to Elvis Costello or something. I remember playing those things and I go, ‘Man, I used to buy these guys’ records.’” He lets out a laugh. “It’s a fun job.”

MORE INFO

What: Chris Isaak When: 8 p.m. Friday, July 20 Where: Celebrity Theatre, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix Cost: $65-$100 Info: 602-267-1600, celebritytheatre.com

Calendar of Events SUNDAY JULY 1

SilverSneakers Yoga: Restorative/Yin (Level 1), 4 to 5:15 p.m. Sundays in July, AZ Healing Center, 9336 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 130, Scottsdale, must email SilverSneakers, Silver ‘n Fit or other Medicare options’ card number to azhealingcenter@gmail.com.

Participants must be able to get down on the floor and up on their own within 3 minutes.

MONDAY JULY 2

Brain Tumor Support Group, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 685 S. Dobson Road, Chandler, free, 480-3146660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 6:40 p.m., repeats 6:40 p.m. July 3, and 7:10 p.m. July 4, Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, tickets start at $16, 602-514-8400, mlb.com/dbacks.

SilverSneakers Yoga: Hatha (Level 2), 4 to 5:15 p.m. Mondays in July, AZ Healing Center, 9336 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 130, Scottsdale, must email SilverSneakers, Silver ‘n Fit or other Medicare options’ card number to azhealingcenter@gmail.com. Participants need to be able to get down on the floor and up on their own within 1 minute.

TUESDAY JULY 3

Colon Cancer Support Group, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 8880 E. Desert Cove Avenue, Scottsdale, free, 480-314-6660, ironwoodcrc.com.

SilverSneakers Yoga: Chair Yoga, 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays in July, AZ Healing Center, 9336 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 130, Scottsdale, must email SilverSneakers, Silver ‘n Fit or other Medicare options’ card number to azhealingcenter@gmail.com. The class is 50 percent standing and 50 percent seated.

WEDNESDAY JULY 4

SilverSneakers Yoga: Dance/Cardio, 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in July, AZ Healing Center, 9336 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 130, Scottsdale, must email SilverSneakers, Silver ‘n Fit or other Medicare options’ card number to azhealingcenter@gmail.com. Chairs will be available in the room if participants need to sit down and continue to move more gently.

Frontier Town July 4th, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Frontier Town, 6245 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek, free, frontiertownaz.com. Frontier Town, one of Arizona’s only remaining Western town locales, turns into a waterpark for the holiday. It’ll feature a dunk tank, two slip-n-slides, water tag and a kids’ car wash.

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Calendar of Events SUNDAY JULY 8 continued from page 17

THURSDAY JULY 5

SilverSneakers Yoga: Strength and Flex, 10 to 11 a.m. Thursdays in July, AZ Healing Center, 9336 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 130, Scottsdale, must email SilverSneakers, Silver ‘n Fit or other Medicare options’ card number to azhealingcenter@gmail.com. This class uses everyday items to provide strength for arms and legs. Chairs will be available for participants who need them for a gentler approach.

FRIDAY JULY 6

SilverSneakers: Chair Yoga, 10 to 11 a.m.

Fridays in July, AZ Healing Center, 9336 E. Raintree Drive, Suite 130, Scottsdale, must email SilverSneakers, Silver ‘n Fit or other Medicare options’ card number to azhealingcenter@ gmail.com. This class is 50 percent standing and 50 percent seated.

Disney’s Mary Poppins, various times through July 22, Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe Street, Phoenix, $44-$73, 602-252-8497, herbergertheater.org.

SATURDAY JULY 7

Hillcrest Dance and Social Club of Sun City West Dance, 6:15 p.m. (dance lessons), 7 to 9:30 p.m. (dance), RH Johnson Social Hall, 19803 N. RH Johnson Boulevard, Sun City West, $4 members, $6 guests, 605-430-5337, hillcrest.scwclubs. com. Rich Howard and Brad Bauder perform.

LDV Winery Horizontal Wine Tasting Event, 6 to 8 p.m., LDV Wine Gallery, 6951 E. First Street, Scottsdale, $45 or $35 for LDV Wine Club members, 480-664-4822, ldvwinery.com. LDV Winery offers guests an opportunity to hear from LDV’s winemaker to learn about and taste the evolution of LDV’s award-winning wines.

Stir-Fry Superstars, 2 to 5 p.m., Sweet Basil Cooking School, 10749 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 101, Scottsdale, $60, 480-596-5628, sweetbasilgourmet.com. Learn how to create a variety of stir fry-inspired dishes that are quick and easy to make. Some of the entrees include sesame ginger beef with green beans and brown rice or hoisin chicken fried rice with carrots and peas.

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Discount Tire Free Family Sunday, noon, Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, free, 602-457-5814, phxart.org.

The museum offers general admission and discounted special exhibition admission on the second Sunday of each month, with activities, scavenger hunts, live performances, storytime and free tours.

MONDAY JULY 9

The Garth Guy Show, 7 p.m., IronOaks at Sun Lakes, 24218 S. Oakwood Boulevard, Sun Lakes, $20, 480-317-3600, bit.ly/2sYPq1K. Garth Brooks tribute artist – Dean Simmons or “The Garth Guy” – is set to take the stage with the charisma, talent and charm of the man himself. From “The Thunder Rolls” to “The Dance,” you won’t want to miss an opportunity to sway along with this country crooner.

TUESDAY JULY 10

LDV Winery: Summer Vineyard to Table Supper Club Event, 6 to 8:30 p.m., LDV Wine Gallery, 6951 E. First Street, Scottsdale, $69, 480664-4822, ldvwinery.com. This limited-seating dinner encompasses a wine-inspired-yet-casual experience that celebrates the vineyard-totable journey. Guests will nibble during the reception and three courses will be prepared

by LDV Winery owners and winemakers Curt Dunham and Peggy Fiandaca. Three LDV wines will be paired with each recipe.

W. Paradise Lane, Peoria, $41.20-$91, 623-7768400, azbroadway.org. Based on the hit Steven Spielberg flick, this musical comedy tells the true story of a 1960s conman who scammed the world. Arizona Broadway Theatre hosts the musical’s Arizona regional premiere, promising Pan Am glamour, entertainment and a dinner.

SATURDAY JULY 14

Breast Cancer Support Group, 10 a.m. to noon, Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 8880 E. Desert Cove Avenue, Scottsdale, free, 480-3146660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Caregiver Support Group, 10 a.m. to noon, Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 8880 E. Desert Cove Avenue, Scottsdale, free, 480-3146660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Hillcrest Dance and Social Club of Sun City West Dance, 6:15 p.m. (dance lessons), 7 to 9:30 p.m. (dance), RH Johnson Social Hall, 19803 N. RH Johnson Boulevard, Sun City West, $4 members, $6 guests, 605-430-5337, hillcrest.scwclubs. com. Michael Carollo performs.

Christopher Lloyd Goes Back to the Future, 7 p.m., Orpheum Theater, 203 W. Adams Street, Phoenix, $53-$139, luckymanonline. com, Christopher Lloyd (“Dr. Emmett Brown”) presents an evening of stories, a Q&A, and a screening of the classic film on the big screen.

General Cancer Support Group, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 5810 W. Beverly Lane, Glendale, 480-314-6660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Experience Arizona Music, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., repeats July 15, Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, included with paid admission, free for members, 480478-6000, mim.org. Enjoy the sounds of the Southwest with an impressive range of distinct musical styles.

THURSDAY JULY 12

SUNDAY JULY 15

WEDNESDAY JULY 11

Gold Palette ArtWalk Summer Spectacular, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Downtown Scottsdale, free, scottsdalegalleries.com. Restaurants, museums and trolley and/or horse-drawn carriage rides are available to transport folks from numerous free parking areas throughout the Scottsdale Arts District and downtown.

FRIDAY JULY 13

Catch Me if You Can, various times through August 12, Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701

| JULY 2018

Experience Arizona Music, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Musical Instrument Museum, 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, included with paid admission, free for members, 480-478-6000, mim.org. Enjoy the sounds of the Southwest with an impressive range of distinct musical styles.

MONDAY JULY 16

Head and Neck Support Group, 3 to 4:30 p.m., Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 685

S. Dobson Road, Chandler, free, 480-314-6660, ironwoodcrc.com.

TUESDAY JULY 17

It’s National Peach Ice Cream Day! Sounds refreshing!

WEDNESDAY JULY 18

Kane Brown, Mason Ramsey and Granger Smith, 7 p.m., Marquee Theater, 730 N. Mill Avenue, Tempe, call for ticket prices, 480-8290607, luckymanonline.com.

THURSDAY JULY 19

Breast Cancer Support Group, 6 to 8 p.m., Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 5810 W. Beverly Lane, Glendale, 480-314-6660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Dave and Buster’s Beer Dinner, 7 to 10 p.m., Dave and Buster’s, 3000 E. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, $50 (includes five-course meal with beer pairing and $20 double game play), https:// dnb.ticketbud.com/brews-and-bites. Dave and Buster’s strays from games for an evening to host a beer dinner with Huss Brewery. The adult menu includes mini Chesapeake crab cakes with Orange Blossom Ale; roasted tomato and cucumber salad with Raspberry Wheat; grilled Thai chicken satay tenders with cucumber relish and Scottsdale Blonde; Maker’s Mark glazed short ribs and oven-roasted potatoes with lemon aioli dipping sauce and Copper State Magic; and chocolate fondue with strawberries, graham crackers, marshmallows, brownie bites and pound cake, and Koffee Kolsch.

Manchester United vs. Club America, 7 p.m., University of Phoenix Stadium, 1 Cardinals Drive, Glendale, tickets start at $27, 623-433-7101, universityofphoenixstadium.com. Manchester United stops at University of Phoenix Stadium as part of its 2018 Summer Tour. Highlighted by Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and David De Gea, the team will take on Mexico’s Club America.

FRIDAY JULY 20

Phoenix Rising FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC2, 8 p.m., Phoenix Rising FC Soccer Complex, 751 N. McClintock Drive, Tempe, tickets start at $17, 623-594-9606, phxrisingfc.com. Phoenix Rising

Calendar ...continues on page 19

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Calendar of Events SUNDAY JULY 22 continued from page 18

FC faces the Seattle Sounders for the first time this year in this Group B matchup. This is the only time the teams play in Tempe this season.

SATURDAY JULY 21

Caregiver Support Group, 10 a.m. to noon, Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 685 S. Dobson Road, Chandler, free, 480-314-6660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Cool Summer Nights, Sunday Music and Dancing with The Rhythm Cats, 5:30 p.m. (light dinner buffet), 6:15 to 9 p.m. (music and dancing), Silver Star Theater, 5247 E. Brown Road, Mesa, 480-288-0300, silverstartheater.com.

MONDAY JULY 23

Life in the Theatre: Up Close and Personal, 7 p.m., Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe, Phoenix, $7, 602-252-8497, herbergertheater. org. Learn what goes on behind the curtains when the “stars” aren’t on the stage.

Christmas in July Shopping Event, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kaleidoscope Dance, 2848 S. Carriage Lane, Mesa, free admission, 480-692-0332, kaleidoscope-dance.com. Themed “Health and Happiness,” the event will feature vendors selling healthy products—jewelry, fashion accessories, essential oils, lotions, soaps, candles, fragrances, organic coffees, teas and food.

American Idol: Live!, 7:30 p.m. Mesa Arts Center’s Ikeda Theater, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa, $30-$55, 480-6446500, mesaartscenter.com. The top seven performers of this year’s American Idol perform, with season eight winner Kris Allen making a special appearance. Joining the tour is ABC’s Boy Band winner In Real Life.

Cool Summer Nights, Rhythm Cats featuring Mark Lucas & The Wild Bunch, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Silver Star Theater 5247 E. Brown Road, Mesa, $39, 480-288-0300, silverstartheater.com.

General Cancer Support Group, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, 5810 W. Beverly Lane, Glendale, 480-314-6660, ironwoodcrc.com.

Corks, Crafts and Wine, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., LDV Wine Gallery, 6951 E. First Street, Scottsdale, $15, 480-664-4822, ldvwinery.com. Participants can make wine-related crafts while enjoying a glass of wine and nibbles in a casual, informal setting.

Cost also includes art supplies for the craft.

Paint Your Pet with Tawny, 5 to 7 p.m., LDV Wine Gallery, 6951 E. First Street, Scottsdale, $45, 480-664-4822, artedelamor.com, ldvwinery.com.

Art, wine and pet lovers converge at Wine Down Wednesday at LDV Wine Gallery during “Paint Your Pet with Tawny.” Artist Tawny Gamboa, of Arte Del Amor, instructs participants on how to

TUESDAY JULY 24

WEDNESDAY JULY 25

paint their pet’s likeness on a mini pre-sketched canvas. The cost includes a glass of wine and all painting materials.

THURSDAY JULY 26

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, 8 p.m., Celebrity Theater, 440 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, $35-$85, 602-267-1600, ext. 1, celebritytheater. com.

FRIDAY JULY 27

Can’t go wrong here! It’s National Crème Brulee Day!

SATURDAY JULY 28

Wine Glass Painting Class, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., LDV Wine Gallery, 6951 E. First Street, Scottsdale, $35, 480-664-4822, 509-768-0345, paintandcreateaz. com/book-online, ldvwinery.com. LDV Winery and Alexandria Reilly of Paint and Create AZ come together to offer an afternoon of painting, sipping and nibbling. Class includes a glass of wine, light bites by organic chef Jennifer Johnson with Witnessing Nature in Food, and all painting supplies and instruction.

Arizona’s craft beer while enjoying brews, bites and live music. Tickets include 20 beer sampling tickets and small portions of food from local restaurants and breweries.

SUNDAY JULY 29

Smack those lips: It’s National Lipstick Day!

MONDAY JULY 30

Shania Twain, 7:30 p.m., Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, $25-$195, 602-379-2000, talkingstickresortarena.com.

TUESDAY JULY 31

Phoenix Mercury vs. Seattle Storm, 7 p.m., Talking Stick Resort Arena, 201 E. Jefferson Street, Phoenix, tickets start at $9, 602-252WNBA, phoenixmercury.com.

Real Wild and Woody Beer Festival, 2 to 6 p.m., Phoenix Convention Center, 33 S. Third Street, Phoenix, $57,480-5866711, realwildandwoody.com.

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Tinseltown Talks

Eric Braeden still king of daytime drama

Eric Braeden, front left, and cast of The Young and the Restless. (Photo courtesy CBS Publicity)

BY NICK THOMAS The Young and the Restless star Eric Born in Germany four years before the Braeden has been playing Victor New- end of World War II, Braeden says fate man for 38 years and says handed him some luck. “I it’s been an amazing run. grew up near Kiel, which But he doesn’t believe was 96 percent destroyed daytime drama actors alby over 500,000 bombs ways receive the recognithat hit the city. Part of tion of their nighttime TV our house was blown counterparts. away so I could have very “We shoot 100 to 120 easily not survived.” pages a day,” Braeden says He moved to the U.S. as from Los Angeles. “Imaga teenager on an athletic ine what that means in scholarship to the Univerterms of memorization. sity of Montana, having Actors in a weekly nightwon the German Youth time series would crap Championship in javelin, their pants if they had to Eric Braeden’s autobiography came discus and shot put. out last November. (Photo special to do that! The most I ever LLAF) “Had I stayed in Gerlearned was 62 pages of many, it’s possible I could dialogue in a single day. But the simple have been an Olympian,” he says. A career fact is you do it, or you’re out.” as an actor, however, never really lingered

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long in his mind. “At school, I was always asked to read out loud in class – poetry and the classics – and I was good at it.”

After filming a documentary in college about traveling the Salmon River in Idaho, the acting bug finally bit and Braeden found work in film and television throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, often cast as a villainous German, most notably in the TV series Combat! and The Rat Patrol.

In 1969’s 100 Rifles, Braeden was still playing the Nazi villain, this time in a Western with Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch, Fernando Lamas, and former NFL great Jim Brown.

“As an athlete myself, I respected Jim enormously. He did his own stunts and we would throw the football and work out together – I still work out twice a day,” Braeden says. “Fernando Llamas had a huge sense of humor and then there was Raquel – one of the most beautiful actresses I’ve ever known. Who could concentrate on acting with her on the set?”

Gradually, says Braeden, he steered

away from the villainous German roles.

But since joining the Y&R cast in 1980, opportunities for other TV or film work have been limited. He did accept a role as John Jacob Astor in James Cameron’s Titanic in 1997.

“I didn’t want to do it since it was such a small part, but my wife and son convinced me because they had so much respect for Cameron,” Braeden says. “James expanded the role a little for me, but there were a number of scenes I couldn’t be in because I had to be available to go back for the Young and the Restless if I was needed.”

Even though his commitment to the show limited other opportunities, Braeden has few regrets. “Had I done nighttime TV or film, I would be directing them by now,” says Braeden, who published his autobiography last November (ericbraeden.com). “But I get to work every day at something I enjoy doing.”

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Eric Braeden, left, as John Jacob Astor in Titanic. (Photo courtesy Twentieth Century Fox)

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Music with a Cause

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap celebrate ‘America’s Finest’

BY DAVE GIL de RUBIO

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap perform as part of the Happy Together Tour on July 13. (Photo special to LLAF)

Gary Puckett and the Union Gap may have enjoyed their heyday from 1967 to 1969, but it hasn’t kept these pop legends from continuing to tour and entertain their legion of fans.

But beyond merely being your standard oldies act, Puckett and his crew regularly donate a portion of proceeds from their shows to various charities throughout the country. The Minnesota-born frontman has an affinity for military veterans and first responders. The Wounded Warrior project is a favorite, as it provides free programs and services for veterans and fills gaps in government care.

“I’m always pleased to see that we’re doing something for those who are ‘America’s Finest,’ as I like to call them,” Puckett says. “I also do a tribute to veterans that’s been part of my set since way back in 1984 on the very first Happy Together Tour.”

The tour – which also features The Turtles, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), The Association, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & The Raiders and The Cowsills – comes to Talking Stick Resort on Friday, July 13.

Founded in 1967 by Puckett, the Union Gap enjoyed a string of five Top 10 hits for the next two years. Like any other oldies act, Puckett promises to keep the nostalgia flame burning bright with those much-loved songs serving as the creative kindling for anyone coming out to catch his band’s set.

“The people want to hear the music

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of their youth and the music that they expect from me,” Puckett says.

“I play all the hits and we play a lot of the songs that were on the first three albums for the Union Gap. So it’s built around music that they may recognize, but not necessarily were our hits – though I do all the hits – ‘Woman, Woman,’ ‘Young Girl,’ ‘Lady Willpower,’‘Over You’ and ‘This Girl Is a Woman Now.’ But we also do some songs like The Bee Gees’ ‘To Love Somebody’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Mighty Quinn,’ because it’s so much fun and I think it was on our second album. We do Petula Clark’s ‘Kiss Me Goodbye’ – stuff like that. Songs that everybody knows and loves.”

As the son of two musicians who got their start playing in Dick Halverson’s Big Band straight out of high school, Puckett was introduced to music at a young age, when he started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and learning about the three B’s – Beethoven, Bach and Brahms.

Born in Hibbings, Minnesota, Puckett moved to Yakima, Washington with his family while still a teenager. A chance discovery of a guitar in his grandparents’ attic – plus an affinity for an array of 1950s rock ‘n’ rollers including Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis – had the aspiring musician looking to this as a viable career choice by the time the Puckett clan relocated to Southern California in the early 1960s.

While balancing college and working a day job at a car parts store called Foreign

Auto Supply, the Minnesota native pulled together a portfolio with lyrics, band pictures and a demo and started shopping it around to record labels. A chance encounter with Jerry Fuller, an A&R man who’d written Rick Nelson’s “Traveling Man” and was starting a new gig at Columbia Records, led to Puckett’s music industry break. It also was around the time this ambitious young musician came up with the Civil War motif for his new group.

“I knew it was a very competitive business. I knew that everybody wanted to be on that Top 40 and everybody wanted to get on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,” he recalls.

“I thought that was competition beyond compare, so I thought we might want to go for a visual image along with a record that we might be able to make.

(The idea was that) maybe somebody would look at it, be curious and wonder what the record sounded like and that’s exactly what happened actually. I always thought the Civil War-era period of history for the U.S. was so interesting (and the uniforms) were spectacular to look at.”

Hits started rolling in over the next couple of years. The band shared bills

with The Buckinghams, Grass Roots, The Association and The Beach Boys. By then, Fuller’s controlling ways in the studio led to creative chafing that came to a head when Puckett and the band refused to take part in a 1969 recording session for which the producer had arranged for a 40-piece orchestra to play on a song. The date was canceled and Fuller never again worked with the group, whose days as a hit-making act soon came to an end.

And while Puckett admits he might not have been ready to take the lead with his group, he also pointed out that tastes and times were changing.

“I made some poor decisions at a very bad time when things were changing,” he says. “The ’60s were becoming the ’70s.

People were changing their attitudes, their minds, their music, their drugs – they were just changing and moving on.”

MORE INFO

What: Gary Puckett and the Union Gap (part of the Happy Together Tour) When: 8 p.m. Friday, July 13 Where: Talking Stick Resort, 9800 E. Talking Stick Way, Scottsdale Cost: $45 Info: 480-850-7777, talkingstickresort. com

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Are Medicare I CAN HELP! Choices FREE No Obligation Consultation Confusing? Dalia Harris 480.600.3382 Email: daliaharris@yahoo.com

Puzzles

EVEN EXCHANGE

by Donna Pettman

ANSWERS ON PAGE 37

ACROSS 1 Hamstrings 6 Poorly lit 9 Moreover 12 Take as one’s own 13 Elizabethan, e.g.

14 Luau side dish 15 Suitor 16 Sponge 18 Logic 20 Clue 21 Sapporo sash 23 Drench 24 Papa 25 File’s partner 27 Women’s home, said John Gray 29 Power source 31 “The -- Cometh” 35 Because 37 Portrayal 38 Pop 41 Expert

43 Feedbag tidbit 44 Reed instrument 45 Askew 47 In a temperamental way 49 Archipelago component 52 Emeril’s interjection 53 Lennon’s lady 54 African capital city 55 Pigpen 56 A Bobbsey twin 57 Private student DOWN 1 Legislation 2 Commotion 3 Dock doings 4 Duel tool 5 First Little Pig’s material 6 Remove a stripe 7 Press 8 Chinese chairman 9 Garden pest 10 Incessantly 11 Filthy

17 Second drink?

19 Lucky roll 21 Raw rock 22 Prohibit 24 French noble title 26 Showed affection 28 Sis’ kid 30 Little louse 32 Having a romantic glow, maybe 33 Carte lead-in 34 Profit 36 Big gorge 38 Gets zero stars 39 WWII vessel 40 Spacious 42 Oust 45 Radius neighbor 46 Birthright barterer 48 Charged bit 50 Before 51 Pirouette pivot

Each numbered row contains two clues and two answers. The two answers differ from each other by only one letter, which has already been inserted. For example, if you exchange the A from MASTER for an I, you get MISTER. Do not change the order of the letters.

SUDOKU TIME

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

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The idea of Go Figure is to arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right-hand columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.

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SCRAMBLERS Unscramble the letters within each rectangle to form four ordinary words.

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Trivia Contest Time to put on your thinking caps

BY KENNETH LAFAVE

There must be something about July that stirs the revolutionary blood. July 14 is Bastille Day, when Parisians stormed the infamous prison and released the sun-starved prisoners inside. That was in 1789. Thirteen years earlier, on July 4, the 13 British colonies of North America declared their independence and formed what we now call the good ol’ U.S.A. And in July of 1830, the French were at it once more, this time forging a revolution against the kings who had somehow managed to make a comeback after the 1789 revolution. On July 20, 1944, some German officers tried a revolution of their

own, setting off a bomb intended to kill Adolf Hitler. They failed, and paid for their failure with their lives.

July is National Hot Dog Month and National Ice Cream Month. Continuing the devil-may-care attitude contained in those two are International Kissing Day (July 6), Video Games Day (July 8), National French Fries Day (July 13) and National Nude Day (July 14). It should be possible to combine the last two by eating French fries in the nude at precisely midnight between July 13 and July 14.

What do you know about the July revolutions?

July Questions:

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1 2

A certain musical revolves around events in 1832 that brought to a close the 1830 “July revolution” in France. What is it?

How many prisoners were actually in the Bastille when it was stormed on July 14, 1789?

Contest Prizes:

For July, two readers in Tucson and two readers in Phoenix will win a one-night stay at InnSuites.

4 5

The 1810 revolution in France ended the rule of the Bourbon family. What family ended up in power when the smoke cleared?

What country gained independence from the United States – on July 4? And in what year?

Most founders signed the Declaration of Independence after its adoption on July 4. Only one person actually signed on July 4. Who?

June Winners:

The winners each received a one-night stay at InnSuites.

PHOENIX Mary Lou Johnston Gerry Gillespie

TUCSON Richard States Kevin Giddens

To Enter:

On a sheet of paper, list the correct answers in order 1 through 5. Include your full name, mailing address, phone number and email address if available.

June Answers:

1

2

Mail your trivia contest entry to: Lovin’ Life After 50 Attn: Trivia Contest 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., #219 Tempe, AZ 85282

Or email your entry to: trivia@lovinlife.com

The deadline for entry is the 15th of each month.

Please be sure to have your entry postmarked by that date. If you’re a winner in our drawing, we’ll contact you via telephone.

GOOD LUCK! www.LovinLife.com

3 4 5

What poet wrote of June, “Mine are the longest days, the loveliest nights”? LONGFELLOW Which British Invasion rock group made its American TV debut in June 1964? THE ROLLING STONES What kind of whiskey was first distilled in June 1789? BOURBON What device, now everywhere, was first released to the public in June 2007? THE iPHONE Who famously took a “leap to freedom” from the Soviet Union in June 1961? RUDOLF NUREYEV

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Travel Viva Mexico City, Part 2 My final days in the capital of Mexico

BY ED BOITANO

Photos by Deb Roskamp

It’s hard to believe that it’s been well over a month since my return from what can only be called magical Mexico City. My daily thoughts are still colored by memories of the city’s history, culture and the warmth of its people. I would go back in a heartbeat, but for now I will have to make do with Part 2 of my exploration.

Games. In 1994, Mexico joined the U.S. and Canada in signing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Vicente Fox was elected president and focused on reducing corruption, crime and drug trafficking. In the July 2016 presidential election, Felipe Calderón won by one percentage point.

house and art museum and celebrating her life and work. The house was Kahlo’s birthplace, and it contains her artwork, her workspace, Mexican folk art and memorabilia, along with paintings by Diego Rivera.

Frida spiritedly overcame the adversarial conditions of her life, which included childhood polio, a tragic streetcar accident, lack of acceptance as an artist because of her gender, and two marriages with the womanizing Rivera. It is essential that you purchase your tickets the day before, or you will face a long and time-consuming line.

The Leon Trotsky Museum is located a few blocks away from the Kahlo Museum.

The centerpiece of the pre-Columbian city of Teotihuacan is the Temple of the Sun, the second tallest pyramid in the world.

Mexico City’s turbulent history continues

Mexico became a republic after achieving independence from Spain in 1821. But post-independent Mexico’s turbulent history continued, plagued by political dysfunction, along with violent and nonviolent coups. In 1833, General Antonio López de Santa Anna served 11 non-consecutive presidential terms before leading the nation into chaos. Mexico was defeated by U.S. forces during the expansionistic and dubious Mexican-American War in 1846, losing one-third of its northern territory, including nearly all of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.

The Liberal Reform War, headed by Mexico’s most beloved president, Benito Juarez (1806-1872), curtailed the power of the Catholic Church and created a democratic process for all citizens. Next followed the brief French intervention, with Maximilian I as emperor (think Cinco de Mayo) and finally, the Mexican Revolution in 1910, when the autocratic president, Porfirio Díaz, stripped the populace of its democratic rights, which were taken back by Francisco I. Madero (president until assassination) with the help of folk bandit-turnedrevolutionary Francisco “Pancho” Villa and peasant-turned-politician Emiliano Zapata.

In 1928, President Lázaro Cárdenas, a former revolutionary general, revived the revolutionary-era social revolution and carried out a series of agrarian reforms, distributing twice as much land to peasants than all of his predecessors combined. The Mexican Cultural Revolution began, in which works by artists like Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, photographer Tina Modotti, composer Carlos Chávez and writer Martín Luis Guzmán were introduced to the world stage. Mexico’s international status continued with Mexico City hosting the 1968 Olympic

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Touring Mexico City

The Museo Nacional de Antropologia is located in the Bosque de Chapultepec, Mexico City’s sprawling 1,695-acre main park. The museum is a must-see experience, containing the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican art and ethnographic exhibits about Mexico’s indigenous civilizations. There are 12 ground-floor halls, each dedicated to the cultural regions of pre-Hispanic Mexico, while an upper level explains how Mexico’s indigenous descendants live today. The museum’s scope and vast richness easily can fill the day, so come early because it can get extremely crowded.

Castillo de Chapultepec was once a Spanish summer palace, later repurposed as the Mexico National Military Academy, the site of the last-ditch effort of Mexican resistance in the Mexican-American War. Approximately 5,000 defenders, including cadets from the academy, gallantly faced fierce hand-to hand combat with U.S. forces. After their defeat, six cadets known as Los Niños Héroes jumped to their deaths holding the Mexican flag. The palace later became the residence of Emperor Maximilian I, then a presidential residence. The castle today hosts the National Museum of Mexico with objects from various stages of Mexican history.

The Frida Kahlo Museum is Coyoacán’s most popular destination, featuring her

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One of the original Russian Bolsheviks, Trotsky was exiled and then hunted by the tyrannical Josef Stalin regime. Trotsky was given political asylum, sponsored by Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and moved to a fortress-like home with watchtowers, where he was killed with an ice ax by one of Stalin’s agents, who had posed as a family friend. My tour was conducted by Trotsky’s grandson, Esteban Volkov, a remarkably spry and dashing man in his early 90s. At age 13, Volkov was living with his grandparents at the time of his grandfather’s death, and he himself was wounded as a result of an earlier Stalin operative’s failed machine gun assault. The bullet holes are still on the walls. Volkov ultimately raised his own family in the house, and then turned it into a museum on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Trotsky.

Monumento a la Revolución commemorates the heroes of the decade-long Mexican Revolution of 1910, when up to 2 million lives were lost. Located in Plaza de la República, the conflict began when Francisco I. Madero sought the overthrow of the hated dictator Porfirio Díaz, with the help of Francisco “Pancho” Villa and Emiliano Zapata. An elevator and staircase lead to the monument’s copper dome for impressive 360-degree views of the skyline. In the basement, there’s a museum and mausoleum for the heroes of the Mexican Revolution. For a Villa experience, check out La

Opera Bar, where he once rode his horse inside and put a bullet hole in the ceiling, still visible today.

Outside Mexico City

Teotihuacan is located 25 miles northeast of Mexico City, covering an area of 32 square miles and believed to be founded around 100 B.C. Teotihuacan is best defined by the epic size of its monuments, Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, which are laid out on geometric and symbolic principles. To this day, no one is sure which ancient civilization built it and why they abandoned the city. Teotihuacan already was in ruins by the time of the Aztecs’ arrival almost 1,000 years later. As I stood at the top of the Temple of the Sun, the second tallest pyramid in the world, I basked in wonder at the panorama of the entire complex.

Xochimilco Floating Gardens stretch out about 17 miles south of Centro Historico, and is yet another of Mexico’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Originally a large lake bed, the Aztecs designed a series of canals using an agricultural technique called chinampas (raised agricultural fields between canals) to extend arable land into wetland areas for intensive farming.

Today, you can rent a brightly colored flatbottomed boat called a trajinera (similar to a gondola) for your own exploration of the canals. It can be a bit of a traffic jam with vendors gliding by on smaller trajineras, selling everything from hot food items and crafts to mariachi bands willing to play a tune for a price. If time is no consideration, you can float further down the canals in relative peace to enjoy commercial areas and pristine wilderness.

WHERE TO STAY: Barceló México Reforma

The Barceló México Reforma is a five-star hotel nestled in Central Mexico City on the iconic Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, making it the ideal location for exploring the city’s attractions. The creature comforts are endless, with 505 luxury rooms, commanding views of the city, swimming pool, wellness area, fitness center and a buffet breakfast and happy hour included in the price. The staff at the hotel offered a sense of warmth and intimacy and sincerely cared about my well-being. In many respects, the kindness and hospitality that I received at Barceló México Reforma were like a metaphor for the very character of the people of Mexico City. As internationally known travel writer Richard Carroll once said to me, the people of Mexico have hospitality in their DNA. For further information, contact Visit Mexico City (visitmexico.com) and Barceló México Reforma (barcelo.com).

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All Cigna products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna HealthCare of Arizona, Inc. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. This plan is available to anyone with Medicare and a clinical diagnosis of diabetes. Calling the toll-free number will direct you to a licensed sales agent. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copays, and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums, and/or copays/ coinsurance may change January 1 of each year. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. Cigna complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Cigna cumple con las leyes federales de derechos civiles aplicables y no discrimina por motivos de raza, color, nacionalidad, edad, discapacidad o sexo. English: ATTENTION: If you speak English, language assistance services, free of charge are available to you. Call 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711).

Spanish: ATENCIÓN: Si habla espanol, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711). Navajo: Díí baa akó nínízin: Díí saad bee yániłti’go Diné Bizaad, saad bee áká’ánída’áwo’dę̌ę̌’, t’áá jiik’eh, éí ná hóló˛, kojį’ hódíílnih 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711). Cigna is contracted with Medicare for PDP plans, HMO and PPO plans in select states, and with select State Medicaid programs. Enrollment in Cigna depends on contract renewal.

917876 04/18 © 2018 Cigna. Some content provided under license.

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Sierra Vista

Bicycling, birding and ethnic food play important tourism roles

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

education opportunities, access to bicycle amenities like its 30-mile network of multiJudy Hector saw an ad for a Sierra Vista use paths and community events. There public affairs manager and instantly fell in are 450 recognized Bicycle Friendly Comlove with the idea – even before seeing the munities and more than 100 honorable southern Arizona city. mention communities around the U.S. “I flew into “There are 12 Tucson and bike-friendly rented a car,” communities in she says. “The Arizona,” Hector closer I got to says. “We’re perSierra Vista, the fect for people more I loved it. who enjoy disI loved it here tance bicycling. and I wanted to U.S. Bicycle be here.”

Route 90 comes Needless to through Sierra say, Hector got Vista and across the job. Hector – the state. It dips who also serves Bratwurst burger at The German Café. (Photos courtesy City of down through as marketing Sierra Vista) Sierra Vista and and tourism manager – is championing for over to New Mexico. It’s a really nice ride. others to consider Sierra Vista. In Cochise “Within the city of Sierra Vista, there are County, Sierra Vista is best known for its va- 30 miles of paved, dedicated and assigned riety of birds, thanks to the high elevation bicycle paths. We take our bicycling paths and moist climate. seriously.”

Southeastern Arizona is an eco-crossAbout 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix, road with five life zones within five miles. Sierra Vista boasts Ramsey Canyon PreHabitats and species from the Sierra serve, an interplay of geology, biology, Madres of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, topography and climate that provides a and the Sonora and Chihuahuan deserts diverse habitat for plants and animals. can all be found in these “Sky Islands.”

The 280-acre preserve provides a ha“Sierra Vista is one of the top birding ven for more than 170 varieties of birds, places in the world,” Hector says. “A lot of including 14 species of hummingbirds. birds are coming north in the summer Inside the visitor center at Ramsey Canyon from Mexico. Birders from all over the Unit- Preserve is the kid-friendly “Please Touch ed States come here to bird-watch. The va- Room” with bird nests, snake skins and riety of birds is really incredible.” other wildlife bits.

The League of American Bicyclists Another of Hector’s favorites is the named Sierra Vista a Bicycle Friendly Com- 56,000-acre San Pedro Riparian National munity for its support of bicycle safety Conservation Area, which offers more than 40 miles of riparian vegetation. It’s popular with bird watchers and docentled tours are available. For a little creepiness, visit Fairbank, a ghost town along the San Pedro River in the conservation area.

Sierra Vista’s hidden attracThe League of American Bicyclists named Sierra Vista a Bicycle Friendly Community.

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Hikers love to conquer the Hamburg Overlook trail.

tions are the ethnic restaurants in town, Sierra Vista isn’t without special events, many of which are courtesy Fort Huachuca like Art in the Park on Saturday, October soldiers.

6, and Sunday, October 7, at Veterans Me“It has been a military and Army post morial Park. The nearly 40-year-old festival since 1877, and soldiers there have been features about 200 vendors from across through every war and conflict around the the Southwest. world,” she says. “So when they return, they “It’s one of the state’s oldest and most bring tastes and hankerings from other varied markets,” Hector says. “I love to go. countries. We have food here from everywhere the soldiers have been in the world.

“Fifty percent of our restaurants are ethnic restaurants. We have one of the best German restaurants, The German Café, in the state. We have three German places here. There is Italian, of course, as well as Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese and Mexican. We’ve had some really great authentic-style Mexican restaurants here – not Tex Mex.” Vista’s hidden attractions are the ethnic restaurants in town, Fort Huachuca is Arizona’s last Sierra many of which are courtesy Fort Huachuca soldiers. active Army post and the U.S. Army’s center for electronic weaponry, U.S. It’s all juried and you can find anything Army communications and military intelli- from fine art to doilies. There’s something gence training. U.S. citizens without a valid for everybody.”

Department of Defense credential will be The most important thing to know subject to a background check before re- about Sierra Vista is the pleasant nature of ceiving a photo ID pass, valid for up to 30 the city, Hector says. days. Allow 30 minutes to complete the “A lot of people say this, but what really entrance requirements. Current vehicle struck me was the people are so friendly,” registration and proof of vehicle insurance she says. “I know a lot of people say that, may be requested. but I think it’s that way because it’s such Fort Huachuca is also home to the Mili- a transient population. They don’t fool tary Intelligence Soldier Heritage Learning around with getting-to-know-you games Center. It displays surveillance and espio- because of Fort Huachuca. They’re really nage tools from the Civil War, the Enigma friendly and helpful.

Machine, a Cold War-era U.S. espionage “I think we just need to get the word out Jeep, and a section of the Berlin Wall. about Sierra Vista. They haven’t been tellGuests to the Brown Canyon Ranch can ing anybody about themselves. I’m trying see a windmill that still pumps water, and a to change that.” tree-surrounded pond that provides a cool For more information, visit sierravistaaz. view and home to wildlife. gov.

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Dining Sandwich Nirvana

Rubicon Deli’s fast-casual concept lands in Scottsdale

BY ERIC NEWMAN

Mario, a grilled garlic and herb chicken sandwich with prosciutto, asiago From the outside, Rubicon Deli looks cheese, an incredible roasted red pepmuch like your run-of-the-mill sand- per tapenade, wild arugula and balsamic wich shop, but one step inside the new glaze; and The Hot Mess with charred location in the Scottsdale Airpark, and shiitake mushrooms, cheddar, Jack and customers can see why the concept has Swiss cheeses, sun-dried tomato, tempucontinued to expand since its inception ra onion, wild arugula and chipotle mayo. in California in 1994.

Diners can order either a half or fullRubicon, a San Diego-based fast-casu- size sandwich, priced at around $7 to $9 al restaurant, serves a variety of American and $11 to $14, respectively, but do not comfort foods: soups, sandwiches, sal- let the labels distract you – even the half ads, pasta and more. Hungry customers sandwich, paired with a bag of chips and can walk into the stylish and clean restau- a small cookie, is the size of most meals rant, sit at the plentiful indoor or outdoor and can leave customers with enough to tables, and enjoy a fairly-priced meal in a roll up at the pack-your-own-sandwich pleasant atmosphere. station and take home to put in the reRubicon focuses primarily on its sand- frigerator. wiches, putting their six different bread For a small extra charge, diners can options front-and-center, each with its substitute the potato chips, cooked inown charm and level of heartiness or house, for pesto pasta, potato salad, kale crunch. The company proclaims on its chips, a large dill pickle or small green website: “We’ve put our signature loaves salad. of freshly baked and uniquely flavored Though the deli focuses on its sandbreads at the forefront, in which they’ve wiches, there are plenty of delicious salultimately become the defining image of ad options, such as The Cowboy – chipoour brand.” tle chicken, cotija, avocado, black beans, hominy, cherry tomato, tortilla strips, baby romaine, cilantro lime dressing and chipotle crème, and the Borderline Cobb with crispy Buffalo chicken, thick-cut bacon crumbles, Danish blue cheese, avocado, pico de gallo, baby romaine and cilantro jalapeño ranch.

Each salad is massive as well, and for no more than $12 dollars, could easily be split between two hungry customers.

The Achin’ for Bacon turkey sandwich with jalapeño corn chowder Though there are merely two soup With traditional sandwiches like a options – tomato basil bisque and jalapeFrench dip with tempura onions and au ño corn chowder – both are served with jus – called The Dipper Dapper – and a a hearty cheese roll, and each has its own classic salami and ham sandwich with charm. The bowls are a perfect size to eiall the fixings (The Stallion), a sandwich ther have as a quick snack on their own or lover can feel right at home with well- as an appetizer in a large, fully satisfying executed standard bites. meal.

However, unlike some traditional sandwich shops, there are plenty of uncomRubicon Deli mon blends to try, each with its own par14601 N. Scottsdale Road ticular charm.

Scottsdale, 480-795-2369 Unique selections with interesting rubicondeli.com blends of ingredients include The Super

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Rubicon Deli’s new Scottsdale location is the first in Arizona. (Photos by Niki D’Andrea)

There are a variety of different interesting drink options on the menu: San Pellegrino sparkling water, a full lemonade and tea bar with different flavors, and a Stubborn Soda machine filled with drinks containing cane sugar and fewer processed ingredients than normal soda. The deli also serves bottles of local beer, including Arizona classics like SanTan Brew-

ing Company’s Devil’s Ale and Huss Brewing Company’s Scottsdale Blonde.

Though each sandwich comes with a small chocolate chip cookie, eaters with a sweet tooth can buy more small cookies filled with different frostings, or choose from a selection of larger cookies.

For more information or to view a menu and order online, visit rubicondeli.com.

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Dishes Like Dad’s

Babbo Italian Eatery opens new location with hot new menu items

BY NIKI D’ANDREA “Babbo” means “dad” in Italian, and the food at this locally owned chain is a lot like what an Italian father might cook if all the aunts in the family ever let him in the kitchen – and if he made protein bowls.

That’s right – protein bowls are the newest addition to the entrees on Babbo’s

The new chicken protein bowl.

menu. With various pick-your-protein options (chicken, flat iron steak, shrimp, salmon) on a bed of brown rice, red quinoa, broccoli, yellow squash, zucchini and carrots, they don’t exactly scream “authentic Italian!” but they are really, really good.

Served in perfectly manageable portions, the protein bowls burst with earthy and wholesome flavors and immaculately cooked meats (the grilled chicken is especially tasty).

The protein bowls aren’t the only thing that’s new with Babbo. There’s a brand new Babbo location near Talking Stick Resort (the eighth Babbo in the Valley since the company’s founding in 2002). There’s also a new cocktail called Electric Lemonade, which makes a sweet pairing with the Lem-

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The new flat iron steak protein bowl. (Photos by Erica & John Photography)

on Cooler Cookie. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We’ll get to dessert later. But first, bruschetta.

Bruschetta (which Italians pronounce brusk-etta, but which everyone else seems insistent on pronouncing brush-etta) isn’t new to the Babbo menu, but they take a lot of pride in it, and it’s some of the better bruschetta around town. The bruschetta comes in trios and options for the pickthree are: roasted red bell pepper and goat cheese; salami and fig with arugula and blue cheese; mozzarella, basil and tomato; pear and walnut with goat cheese, blue cheese and honey; fig and prosciutto with arugula; spicy fig jam with jalapeño and cream cheese; and balsamic marinated tomatoes and goat cheese. There’s not a bad choice among them, but the roasted red bell pepper and goat cheese is one of the best, with the creamy and slightly bitter cheese offsetting the subtle spicy-sweet tango of the peppers.

Babbo’s pastas are also noteworthy.

Cooked al dente and served with an ideal ratio of sauce-to-pasta, these dishes stand out among the entrees. There are a whopping 29 pasta options on the menu, including stellar spaghetti and meatballs and a worth-the-wait lasagna. Four new pastas top the menu: Zoodles Arrabbiatta (zucchini noodles in a spicy marinara sauce that includes pomodoro tomato, anchovy paste, onion and fresh basil); Pasta Francaise (fettucine pasta with caramelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and Parmesan in a garlic butter wine sauce); Super Food Pasta (fettucine noodles with pesto, Tuscan kale, spinach, green onions, red chili and garlic in a white wine sauce); and What the Kale? (penne pasta with artichoke, garlic, kale and Roma tomatoes in a creamy three-cheese sauce).

Any of the pastas on the menu can be substituted with zucchini noodles for $1.50.

Babbo’s menu is rounded out with salads, sandwiches, calzones, and of course, pizzas. New to the salad selections are the Super Chopped Mediterranean and theBBQ Crispy Chicken Salad. There are three new sammies: a prosciutto and fig variety that’s reminiscent of the bruschetta, a crispy chicken Parmesan sandwich, and a “remodeled” Buffalo chicken Caesar sandwich (served with blue cheese and topped with a Caesar salad). Five 12-inch Neopolitan-style pizzas have been added to the menu, as well, including a flavor explosion called the Greek Garden topped with artichoke, kalamata olives, red bell pepper, pepperoncini, red onion and feta.

Also notable: the meaty Farmhouse pizza, studded with sausage, bacon and capicola and topped with a sunny side-up egg. And keeping with the restaurant’s thing for fusing fig and prosciutto, there’s a new fig and prosciutto pizza (the Italian sausage and Gouda cheese make this perhaps the tastiest fig-and-prosciutto iteration on Babbo’s menu).

If you manage to make it through appetizers and entrees and still have room for dessert, the Lemon Cooler Cookie is a must-try. This massive cookie (be prepared to share!) is filled with gooey, lemony goodness and topped with white chocolate and coconut ice cream and big, fragrant mint leaves. It’s downright dreamy. If you imbibe in alcohol, the new Electric Lemonade cocktail (a blend of passion fruit vodka, lemon juice, lime and mint) pairs perfectly with this sweet treat.

It’s the kind of dinner denouement any dad would dig, Italian or not.

Babbo Italian Eatery

8840 E. Talking Stick Way Scottsdale, 480-291-5050 babboitalian.com www.LovinLifeAfter50.com

What’s Cooking?

Easy Summertime Fruit Tart

BY JAN D’ATRI For what you’ll pay a gourmet grocery store or bakery for a couple of slices of fruit tart, you can buy yourself a tart pan and make this incredibly simple fresh Photo courtesy Jan D’Atri fruit tart anytime you want!

It’s going to really surprise you how easy it is to make a cookie crust, whip up some pudding and top with a few pieces of colorful seasonal fruit. In fact, I’m about to bust the myth that it’s a dessert to admire and buy, but never attempt. You will need a pan with a removable bottom, but it’s a pretty inexpensive purchase. I bought the traditional rectangular 14-by4-inch tart pan, but you can buy an 8-inch square or even mini tart pans. The base is made from the cookie of your choice. I

Easy Summertime Fruit Tart Ingredients: - 8 oz. (about 24) cookies (shortbread, cream-filled, chocolate, lemon, etc.)

- 4 cups whole milk - 2 packages (3.5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding (or other flavors of your choice) - 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted - Fresh fruits including mango, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, pomegranate - Mint for garnish - 1/2 cup jelly (apricot, strawberry or red raspberry) optional for fruit glaze Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grind cookies in food processor to fine consistency. If you don’t have a food processor or grinder, you can put the cookies in a zippered bag and smack it with a rolling pin to get fine cookie crumbs. Place ground cookies in a bowl.

Melt butter and pour over cookies. Mix until consistency is like wet sand and

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love the shortbread flavor with pudding and fruit so I opted for Pepperidge Farm Chessmen. You can also use vanilla, chocolate or lemon cream sandwich cookies (like Oreos). It just depends on what pudding and fruit you are using. For this recipe, I stayed with the traditional vanilla base. Want to know how bake shops get that shiny glaze on the fruit? I’ve included the directions for that, too. Want a “wow” dessert? You’ve got it!

presses together. Press into base and halfway up the sides of tart pan (mine is a 14-inch by 4-inch tart pan).

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Add milk to large bowl. Sprinkle both packages of instant pudding over milk and whisk continually until pudding thickens. (You can also use a mixer.)

Spread pudding over baked crust, filling to top of tart tin. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so pudding thickens.

(Note: Depending on the size of the tart tin or tins, you may have extra pudding left over.) Clean and slice your desired fruit. Arrange over top of pudding. Add a few whole mint leaves for garnish.

For a glazed finish, microwave jelly for about 7-8 seconds or until liquefied.

With a pastry brush, coat fruit lightly with liquefied jelly glaze. (This will prevent the fruit from wilting if the tart is prepared in advance.) Slice and serve.

Watch my how-to video here: https:// jandatri.com/recipe/easy-fruit-tart/

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Columns

Aging Today

This Is Mental Illness

BY BOB ROTH

Managing Partner of Cypress Homecare Solutions

TBT (turn back time) to the days when we had three television networks with far fewer choices and infinitely less confusion over what to watch when you just wanted to zone out. On most given days, the amount of time I channel surf is about equal to the time I actually view anything. Longing for the good old days of L.A. Law and Seinfeld, I discovered NBC’s top-rated hit of the past two years.

This Is Us has been has been a standout television series that portrays a family (the Pearsons) whose characters suffer with various behavioral health challenges.

The characters are flawed but lovable nonetheless. The writers have addressed Randall’s panic disorder and anxiety, Kate’s overeating addiction and Kevin, Jack, and William’s substance abuse. The show is a case study in the stigma of mental health seen through the lens of society as scripted by the writers.

As a viewer, do you scream at Kevin to snap out of it? Do you think Randall is faking it? Did these characters do something wrong to cause these circumstances? The lesson this show teaches is that people with mental illness need our love and support and don’t deserve our judgment.

There are so many misconceptions about what mental illness is and what it means to live with a mental health condition. For example, mental illness is not the result of personal weakness, poor upbringing or lack of character. Likewise, it isn’t about “getting over it” through willpower. Without meaning to, we may send those stigmatizing messages to someone struggling with a condition.

Stigma is a big problem for people with mental health conditions. It affects people’s well-being and damages their self-esteem and often prevents them from seeking treatment. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry at Columbia University and past President of the American Psychiatric Association,

offers an excellent analogy. If we thought of mental illness as we do heart disease, symptoms like depression would be compared to chest pain. Anxiety would be like shortness of breath. Psychosis would be like an arrhythmia. In other words, mental illness would be seen correctly, as an organic illness which originates in the structures of the brain.

The truth is, words really matter. Think about the words that are commonly used to describe people with mental health disorders, such as “deranged” or “psychotic.” Compare that to the image of the warrior for someone who is fighting cancer.

Being respectful includes not using mental illness terms when not appropriate. How often have you heard “I am so OCD,” “I am addicted to…” or “I am paranoid.” These are real disorders that cause suffering to millions and are tossed around in our vernacular casually and with little regard for those who suffer, usually in shame and in silence.

As our population ages at unprecedented rates, chronic illness, isolation and bereavement lead to behavioral health changes and challenges. Our aging seniors of the “Greatest Generation” are not used to asking for help and talking about their problems. Offer support if you think someone is having trouble. Challenge misconceptions when you see or hear them.

As art imitates life, we have a bird’seye view of the very real mental health illnesses woven into the fabric of the Pearson family. We the viewers helplessly fall in love with the characters as we peel back their layers without casting judgment or assigning stigma. With love and deep understanding, life can imitate art, and we can work to destigmatize mental illness by really seeing the person and not the condition.

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Hospice Is Hope

Patients praise new Medicare program

BY LIN SUE COONEY It’s no secret that people fighting a serious chronic illness are often right on the edge of hospitalization. One fever or one late night fall results in a call to 911. That often leads to an ER visit, a stay in the hospital, and a rehab stint that can last weeks.

Then the cycle starts all over again.

That’s exactly what Harold Delano was experiencing. It was exhausting, expensive and frustrating. His wife Glennis believed they could prevent these trips to the hospital if someone was checking in on Harold and heading off trouble. She knew there had to be a better way.

Well, now there is. Since January, Medicare has been allowing some patients to continue treatments like dialysis, radiation, chemo, immunotherapy, etc. – and at the same time, have a hospice team come to their home to provide medical, emotional, social and spiritual support.

Up until now, Medicare required patients to forego such treatments in order to elect hospice care. Hospice of the Valley is the only agency in Arizona chosen to participate in the program – and so far, patients are singing its praises.

The hospice team not only keeps close watch over the patient; it provides support

Ed and Kay Routh have had a positive experience with MediCaring.

to the caregiver who is often overwhelmed and lonely. “She cares about how I’m doing,” Glennis says. “I don’t get a lot of sleep and sometimes it feels like a losing battle, but I want to keep him at home. We’ve been married 62 years and we’re not about to be separated. “ The Rouths have also had a positive experience with MediCaring. Kay claims that two weeks after they signed up, the program prevented a trip to the hospital.

Her husband Ed had a fever that was rapidly getting worse. Within two hours, their hospice nurse contacted his doctor for an antibiotic and by morning, he was much better.

Prior to MediCaring, Ed had been in and out of the ER nonstop. “I can’t even begin to describe the peace of mind this program brings,” Kay says. “Having a nurse I can call at 2 in the morning takes a lot of the worry and responsibility off me.”

Medicare hopes to determine if this new model of care increases quality, lowers cost and decreases hospital stays. But Kay doesn’t have to wait for the study to conclude in 2020 – she’s already convinced it’s a good idea.

“They should have done this a long time ago and saved taxpayers a lot of money.”

To find out more about MediCaring, Glennis Delano and her husband Harold are able to contact Hospice of the Valley at 602continue living together with the help of MediCaring.

530-6900.

(Photos courtesy Hospice of the Valley)

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