Columns

Classical Music World: The Show Must Go On

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Cuarteto Latinoamericano. Courtesy photo
 
Classical Music World
By ANN MCLAUGHLIN
 
The Show Must Go On

Most working people have occasionally called in sick. Or arrived at the office late after car trouble. No big deal. But for performing artists, the deal is very big indeed. That the show must go on is their mantra, their creed. 

Considering our nearly 70-year history, the Los Alamos Concert Association has dealt with remarkably few situations where an artist could not appear as advertised. We are dealing with one of those rare occasions right now.

Daniel Binelli, the bandoneón Read More

Smart Design With Suzette: Universal Design

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Courtesy/Suzette Fox
 
Smart Design with Suzette
By SUZETTE FOX
 
Universal Design
 
A few days ago my uncle died. My cousin was telling me how my uncle was restricted to a hospital bed in his home for years before he died. This got me thinking about the need for Universal Design. If you haven’t heard of it yet, you will in the future.

Universal design, originally aimed at creating easily accessible spaces for individuals with physical disabilities, has evolved into the design of functional, stylish spaces that make life easier for anyone, regardless of age, size or ability. Read More

Pastor Granillo: Finding Virtue

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By Pastor RAUL GRANILLO
Los Alamos

I sat down at my desk one day and was startled when I felt something grab my legs. My daughter Hannah was curled up underneath hiding from her brother Kyle. I know this because she told me. I was confused because I had just seen Kyle watching TV in the other room with no concern of the world around him. After some investigative work I found out that he couldn’t find her so he gave up and started watching T.V. She had been hiding for about a half-hour. If hide-and-seek were an Olympic sport, Hannah would surely be a gold medalist.

In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus Read More

Column: Home Matters With Sarah

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Home Matters With Sarah
By SARAH HOSFORD-CAMPBELL

“Home is where the heart is.” We hear so much about taking care of our heart; eating right, exercise, reduce stress, Omega 3 vitamins and the list goes on. But, if home is where the heart is, why don’t we hear about taking care of our home? After all, homes are the heart of family.

Taking care of our homes is more than housekeeping, maintenance and decorating. It is also making sure you have knowledge of “how” to own a home. Do you have the best financing available to you, do you understand your homeowner’s insurance policy, do you know how your property Read More

PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Elk And Forest Fires

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Elk in Bandelier National Monument. Photo by Sally King/NPS
 
PEEC Amateur Naturalist
By ROBERT DRYJA
 
Elk and Forest Fires

We tend to think of elk as always having been present and abundant in the Jemez Mountains. It is therefore surprising to learn that elk were not common in preceding centuries and had been extirpated by about 1910. 

Forty-seven elk were introduced in 1947 into the Valles Caldera. Another 58 elk were introduced in 1964-1965. The elk that can be seen so commonly today come from that small number and from not so long ago. What made this possible? The answer is another Read More

Chief Stone: Precautions To Prevent Fall Injuries Part 2

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By BENJAMIN S. STONE
Division Chief, Emergency Medical Services
Los Alamos County Fire Department

Slips, trips, and falls outside can be caused by several identifiable elements. Being able to identify these issues and avoid them could be as easy as remembering “SCAN”.

One of our wonderful citizens in Los Alamos shared his way of preventing a fall injury, and asked that I share it with you readers. He took a few moments and created a memory device to remind him to look out for objects that could cause him to fall. He is a past fall patient that has had to have work done on his hip because of his fall. Read More

How The Hen House Turns: Early Years Make A Difference

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How the Hen House Turns
Early Years Make a Difference
By CAROLYN A. (CARY) NEEPER, Ph.D.

Offhand, I can think of six living beings whose lives were shaped—even defined—by their early years.

Before Lucy goose came to the Hen House “for safe keeping,” she was raised by 4-H girls in Wyoming. As a result, she hissed at husband Don but was friendly to all my female friends. She felt quite comfortable standing around with them as they gathered at the chicken pen to visit the latest occupants.

She also enjoyed choosing music for the recorder players sitting in a circle on Joy Drake’s patio. (She didn’t like Read More

Solo Traveler: A Dog’s Life

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Lucky dog. Photo by Sherry Hardage
 
Solo Traveler
A Dog’s Life
By SHERRY HARDAGE

In February 2010, I lived in San Miguel de Allende, in central Mexico. One Sunday afternoon I went to Centro to sit on a bench and people-watch in the shade of dense trees trimmed into umbrella shapes.

Sundays are family day in Mexico. All over town, men strode around with children riding on their shoulders; the wives had babies tucked into rebozos with bigger kids in tow.

Two American women had a couple of darling puppies they’d rescued from a sick street-dog. Both looked like they had some Labrador retriever in Read More

Food on the Hill: Spinach Salad With Strawberries

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Food on the Hill
By FELICIA ORTH

Skiers had cause to celebrate this past week in Los Alamos, as did those of us patrolling the produce section for the very earliest signs of spring: the light green asparagus with tightly closed tips, and an abundance of fresh berries from California. (Contrary indicators remain, of course—whoever is pressing “Ripe Now” stickers on the rock-hard avocados appears mistaken either about the meaning of the word “ripe” or the concept of “now.”)

But the strawberries! Enough to brighten a late-winter salad, and I was delighted to enjoy such a salad prepared by Robyn Schultz Read More

Yang: Kicking Habits, Forming Habits…

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By Elena Yang
Los Alamos

Kicking Habits, Forming Habits…good habits or bad habits, it all depends

I get irate whenever people try to tell me what to do; it’s a childhood reaction I’ve never learned to outgrow. Is it bad? I could have missed good advice. Is it good? It has taught me self-reliance. Of course, ultimately, it depends on how I manage my irritations.

So, when my dental hygienist tried to convince me that it would take only about 21 days to form the habit of flossing everyday, I smiled and demurred. Silently, I said, “That 21 days is a bunk.” 

First of all, averages or statistics don’t really Read More