All stories written by John or

Sarah Elliott unless otherwise noted

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Chilly temperatures

equal pristine views

   There is little chance of a shower but there are pristine mornings, hazy sunny afternoons, and clear, starry nights in the 10-day forecast. In fact, right now, with daytime highs around 70 degrees, Kaweah Country has some of the best weather to be found anywhere in the country.
   Just consider the alternatives. Southern California is experiencing those dreaded Santa Ana winds with gusts in excess of 60 mph and a stubborn fire season that just won’t quit. Areas located north of Sacramento will receive rain this weekend. For now, the storm track is deflecting the brunt of the moisture to the Pacific Northwest.
   But local weather watchers are advised to be patient. It is not unusual for a mild El Nino to develop gradually with some significant energy for California in December and January.
   The biggest local weather event of the last century occurred in the days leading up to Christmas 1955. That 100-year event led to historic flooding, riverfront homes being washed away, and left Three Rivers totally cut off for a couple of days.
   But folks in Three Rivers did what they always do in times of emergency. They rolled up their collective sleeves, dug out, pumped out, and then watched the flood waters recede and cleaned up the mess.
   The debris that washed down the Kaweah canyon was of epic proportion. So much so that it collected behind the Dinely Bridge at an alarming rate.
   The bridge soon gave way under the massive weight and sent water cascading down the channel that was so high and powerful that it washed out the North Fork Bridge next.
   If you don’t think that flooding could ever happen again, think again. In the meantime, give thanks for seasonable temperatures and a drying but beautiful Kaweah Country landscape.

Deadlines loom for comments

on two Kings Canyon projects

   In separate statements released this month, National Park Service officials requested that public comments be received on the Cedar Grove bridge replacement by Friday, Dec. 4, and on concessions operations in Kings Canyon National Park by Monday, Dec. 21.

  “All comments received by the deadlines will be incorporated into the final environmental document,” said Adrienne Freeman, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks public information officer. “The public input is a critical part of the process.”
   Bridge replacement— The Cedar Grove Bridge replacement is currently being addressed as an EA (environmental assessment). The bridge that is being proposed to be replaced was built in 1939 and is one of six bridges that span the South Fork of the Kings River in Kings Canyon.
   The existing bridge was designed to have a maximum load of nine tons but due to its loss of structural integrity, its current capacity is seven tons.
   Utilities, including fiberoptic, electrical, and telephone lines, and a sewer connection with the Cedar Grove Lodge are located under the bridge. A pedestrian sidewalk across the bridge also needs repair.
   To minimize the size of the existing bridge, earthen embankments were extended into the river channel and reinforced with riprap. Along with the pier, the embankments are impediments to the free and flood-stage flows of the river.
   The preferred alternative includes replacing the bridge with a 280-foot-long structure (the existing bridge is 142 feet) and removing the embankments that would make for a more ecologically proficient and sustainable bridge. The downside of the project would be the cost, yet to be determined, and the mitigation of environmental impacts of the construction, which are predicted to be less than significant.
   Concessions— An EA is also being developed to evaluate potential impacts of concession operations at Grant Grove and Cedar Grove. Currently, facilities in both these developed areas include a restaurant, gift shop, grocery store, shower and laundry, and housing for concessioner employees.
   The existing concessions contract will expire October 31, 2011. The Sequoia-Kings Canyon Park Services Company is the current concessioner for all the facilities in Grant Grove and Cedar Grove.
   The company employs more than 80 full-time employees with some fluctuations in numbers during the busy summer season from May to October.
   The principal properties of the concessioner that are being evaluated under this contact renewal include John Muir Lodge (36 rooms) and cabins at Grant Grove and the Cedar Grove Lodge (21 rooms). The Cedar Grove facilities are the older property and its aging facilities are in need of upgrades.
   The prospectus for the contract specifies what facilities are commercially viable for an area of limited services. The public input helps park planners determine if existing services are appropriate or if more or less is needed to ensure a high-quality visitor experience while protecting park resources.
   Public meetings will be held in the near future to assess the parameters of the new contract, develop alternatives, and seek more comments.
   The easiest way to review documents or comment on these projects is via email. Learn more at the NPS planning website at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/seki.

‘Tis the season for slow-cooking

A holiday cookbook review

By Allison Millner

   In my previous life, I was a cooking school director at the Great News! Cooking School in San Diego. My job had many responsibilities, but one of my favorites was preparing the recipes and shopping lists for the classes.
   Pouring over recipes taught me the techniques and skills needed in the kitchen that I didn’t get in formal culinary training, but it taught me something else: recipes are tricky.
   Even the smallest flaw or omission can lead to a failed entrée or dessert. How many times have you prepared something from a cookbook and it looks nothing like the beautiful photo beside the recipe?
   In this aspect, I was lucky enough to meet the culinary creators responsible for the recipes, watch them prepare their food and get to taste the final product. One of my favorites, and a wonderful friend and mentor, is Diane Phillips.
   Diane is a traveling author and popular instructor who has written over 14 cookbooks and can serve up some of the best food you’ve ever eaten. Diane’s approach to food, in her own words, is simple: “Cooking shouldn’t feel like a root canal.”
   It is for this reason that I was so happy to receive a copy of her newest book in the mail last week, Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever.
   Diane’s approach to all her books — and this one is no exception — is to start at the beginning and teach the reader step-by-step how to make fantastic food. Her newest book is an encyclopedia of knowledge that answers all the whys and hows of slow cooking and includes over 400 clear and concise recipes.
   For those of you who may be thinking, “I have a Crock-Pot. Is it the same as a slow cooker?”, Diane explains that the answer is YES!

  “Crock-Pot is a trademark owned by the Rival corporation,” she says, “so a Crock-Pot by any other name is, technically, a slow cooker.”
   Slow Cooker is divided into themed chapters dealing with soups, casseroles, meats, veggies, side dishes, sauces, and even desserts. Now that the weather’s cooler, I’m in full soup-making mode and the chapter entitled “Souper Bowls” caught my eye.
   Diane has created a recipe for French Onion Soup using butter, olive oil, onions, and savory spices to build the base of the soup. These items are cooked on high for the day and when you arrive home you add the beef stock, a little white wine, and top with Gruyere cheese, and you’re done.
   Add a salad and a nice piece of crusty bread and you’ve got dinner. It sounds great and tastes even better!
   Flipping to the veggie section, I found another recipe that piqued my interest: Eggplant Parmesan in a slow cooker? Diane’s version of this usually fried and heavy Italian dish appears to be a little lighter since it skips the frying of the eggplant.
   She salts her eggplant to get rid of the moisture then layers it in the slow cooker with sauce, fresh mozzarella, Asiago, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. She even includes a recipe for Garlic Marinara Sauce if you want to give the dish an extra special touch.
   Now let’s talk dessert! I’m a huge chocolate fan so the recipes for Hot Fudge Upside-Down Cake and Double Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding are right up my alley. But if you are looking for a great way to use the bounty of fall, Diane’s Apple Cranberry Cobbler or the Almond Pear Crumble should satisfy your sweet tooth and leave you time to spend with the family.
   Any way you cook it, Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever is the perfect book to have if you want to start slow cooking, need to brush up on your skills, or just need new recipes to please your appetite. It’s also a great gift for that cook in your life who seems to have everything.
   For me, it’s a wonderful addition to my cookbook collection, although it won’t see the shelf anytime soon!
   For more information or to order Diane’s book, call toll-free 1-888-478-2433 or visit www.dianephillips.com.
   Allison Sherwood Millner and her husband Dane own and operate Sierra Subs & Salads in Three Rivers.

New exhibits unveiled at 3R gallery

   With all the visitors expected in Three Rivers throughout the holiday season, Discoveries West Gallery and Archives is opening two new exhibits: one features a rare example of the folk art of a 19th-century Californio rancho while the other includes a new perspective of the paintings of Rick Gregory, contemporary Three Rivers artist.
   The folk art, the centerpiece of a new exhibit devoted to the California Rancho period, is composed of several redwood panels with Basque graffiti that came from an old barn near Cook’s Corner in Orange County. The barn was among the last vestiges of the former Rancho Canada de Los Alisos, a Spanish-Mexican land grant that was granted in 1842 and 1846 to José Serrano.
   Today, the ranch lands have become the modern cities of El Toro and Lake Forest. A reconstructed version of the original José Serrano Adobe has been preserved at Heritage Hill, a 4.1-acre county park located on El Toro Road.
   The old rancho once included much more land than the 10,688 acres that were patented by the U.S. Land Commission in 1871. The principal industry in those days was the grazing of longhorn cattle where the half-wild herds roamed free on the flanks of the Santa Ana Mountains. The droughts of the 1860s and the next two decades ruined the local cattle industry.
   In the 1880s, much of the old cattle grazing acreage was leased to sheepherders, hence the historic Basque connection. The redwood panels from the barn were recycled by Henry Serrano, grandson of José Serrano, the rancho’s original grantee.

  “The new exhibit with ‘The Door’ as the centerpiece was an idea that we came up with when we first became aware that the piece was here in Three Rivers,” said John McWilliams, the gallery’s curator. “The exhibit is a work in progress that we hope to expand to interpret more of this fascinating period of California history.”
   McWilliams said the story of how the Basque folk art ended up here in Three Rivers is an intriguing tale and will be the focus of tonight’s talk. After being exhibited in Three Rivers, the piece is scheduled to be moved for a run in the county’s new museum at Mooney Grove.
Rick Gregory, a local painting contractor, is a serious student of painting in his free time. His grandiose landscapes portray the Three Rivers environment with imagination and the entire spectrum of color.

  “We wanted to showcase Rick for quite some time and be able to share his work as part of the 1st Saturday event,” McWilliams said.
   Discoveries West Gallery and Archives was opened in October 2007 and houses an extensive private collection of Western Americana. Its archives are available to researchers by appointment; the gallery is located in the ground floor of the Pizza Factory building at 40915 Sierra Drive in Three Rivers.

HEALTHY LIVING

The Nut Case

   Nuts have long had a bad rap for being high in fat and calories, prompting weight-concious snackers to relegate nuts to their lists of forbidden foods. But as researchers take a closer look at walnuts, almonds, and other nuts, they’re discovering these delicious, crunchy foods are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
   And that fat we were so wary of? Turns out it’s good for our hearts.
That was the conclusion of the Food and Drug Administration, which released a qualified health claim in 2003 that states eating 1.5 ounces (about a handful) of nuts a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. That’s because most of the fat in nuts is monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, which have been shown to lower levels of LDL (so-called “bad” cholesterol).
   Nuts also have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. They can help repair tiny muscle injuries that create inflammation.
   Not just any nut will do, however. The FDA includes six nuts in its qualified health claim, but a few others didn’t make the cut, including Brazils, macadamias, and cashews.
   These nuts have relatively high levels of saturated fat, which over time can clog arteries and lead to heart disease.
   It’s also a good idea to steer clear of prepackaged nut mixes, which are often coated in oils and salt. Instead buy the following types of nuts raw and, if you prefer toasted, place them in the oven or on the stove top to bring out their full, rich flavor.
   Walnuts— Walnuts are rich in the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid ALA. This type of fatty acid isn’t as effective as the kind found in fish, but a recent study indicates that ALA decreases inflammation that can damage arteries and may help reduce the breakdown of bone. Studies have also shown that walnuts can increase levels of HDL (known as good cholesterol) while lowering LDL.
   Almonds— A recent study found that the fiber in almonds actually blocks some of the nut fat from being digested and absorbed; participants also reported feeling satisfied after eating almonds, so they naturally compensated for the calories in the nuts by eating less during the day. One serving of almonds provides 35 percent of the Daily Value for vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant that may help protect against diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
   Peanuts— Peanuts are technically not nuts — they’re legumes and belong to the same family as beans and peas. They have a low glycemic index, which means they’re digested slowly and help maintain a balanced blood-sugar level. Peanuts also contain resveratrol, the same phytochemical found in red wine thought to protect against heart disease.
   Pistachios— These tasty, little green nuts are high in lutein, an antioxidant typically found in dark leafy vegetables that’s been shown to protect our eyes from macular degeneration. In one recent study, participants who ate 1.5 ounces of pistachios every day lowered their total cholesterol levels, while participants who ate three ounces a day saw an even more dramatic drop.
   Pecans— A 2004 study ranked the antioxidant capacity of 100 different foods and found that pecans are one of the top 15 sources of antioxidants. In another study, pecan antioxidants were shown to prevent LDL from building up in arteries and lowered total cholesterol levels. Compared with other nuts, pecans have one of the highest levels of phytosterols, a group of plant chemicals that may help protect against cardiovascular disease.
   Hazelnuts— Hazelnuts have the highest nut level of folate, a B vitamin known to reduce the risk of birth defects. Research indicates that it, along with other B vitamins, may also lower the risk of heart disease, cancer, and depression. Hazelnuts contain moderate levels of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, all of which can help lower blood pressure.

Is gardening your thing?

Master Gardener training class

nowq accepting applications

   Have you ever thought about becoming a Master Gardener? If you love learning about gardening and would like to share your knowledge with others, the Master Gardeners of Tulare and Kings counties are currently offering the opportunity to use that knowledge to serve the region.
   A new class will be starting in January, so now is the time to submit your application.
   Who are Master Gardeners? A Master Gardener is a formal volunteer of the University of California, trained by UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors.
   Master Gardeners’ mission: To extend to the gardening public the research-based information produced by the University of California through a range of volunteer activities. Master Gardeners are not only gardeners, they are educators.
   Prerequisites: Qualities shared by Master Gardeners include enthusiasm and a willing to learn and help others, experience and background in gardening, and having the time to volunteer.
   Training: This national program offers intensive training in horticulture. To become a certified Master Gardener, one must participate in a 20-week training program and pass an exam.
   In 17 three-hour sessions, participants will learn from UC and horticultural experts about a wide variety of gardening topics, including botany, flowers, houseplants, vegetable gardening, fruit and landscape trees, lawns, diseases, insects, weeds, soils and water, pesticides, and other topics.
   In exchange for the training, Master Gardeners will complete 50-plus hours of volunteer work and 12 additional hours of continuing education within the first year. To remain certified, there are annual educational and volunteer requirements.
   The next training program is scheduled for Wednesdays from January 20 to June 9, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Agricultural Building auditorium in Tulare.
   Services: Master Gardeners have offices in Tulare and Hanford. Office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Master Gardeners answer plant and garden questions in person or by telephone on topics including diagnosing plant problems, integrated pest management, pruning, what to plant, and more. If the answer to an inquiry is not known, the Master Gardener will research the question and call back.
   Master Gardeners conduct plant clinics at local nurseries, libraries, and other accessible locations, which allow the gardening public to get personal answers to their questions. They provide rose and tree-pruning demonstrations, address local gardening clubs, make presentations at trade shows, write a weekly newspaper column, and organize other educational events.
   Application process: Applications are due by Thursday, Dec. 10. Acceptance letters will be mailed December 17. If accepted into the program, a materials fee of approximately $60 will be required.
Download an application from the Master Gardeners’ website: http://cetulare.ucdavis.edu. Return by December 10 to:

Master Gardeners
Volunteer Program
U.C. Cooperative Extension
4437 S. Laspina St. #B
Tulare, CA 93274

Thank a turkey

An animal story

By Rae Ann Kumelos

   Thanksgiving is not Turkey’s favorite holiday.
   On the one hand, he is honored and feted throughout the country: schoolchildren re-create his image with colorful construction paper cutouts, he enjoys a prominent place in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and he is given a traditional pardon from the President of the United States.
   On the other hand, Turkey is the main feature on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
   In Navajo tradition, Turkey actually enjoys divine status as the representative of agriculture. In the Navajo creation story, as the Navajo people are fleeing from the encroaching flood waters of the fourth world to find refuge and safety in the fifth world, Turkey is the only one to notice that the precious seeds, which have been stored in pottery jars after the harvest season, will be lost to the flood waters.
   Gathering a few seeds from each jar, Turkey manages to hide the seeds among his feathers. As he hurries to catch up with the others racing to beat the flood waters, he gets some help from Wind pushing from behind, as Turkey dare not fly and risk losing the seeds. When everyone finally makes it to the safety of the fifth world, all are humbled by the fact that Turkey was the only one who thought to bring the most precious commodity of all — the people’s very means of survival and insurance against famine — seeds.
   Turkeys can run 20 mph and fly up to 55 mph. When Steven Spielberg was making Jurassic Park, he used film of turkeys running as a model for the velociraptors. Observe the turkeys on the North Fork or at St. Anthony Retreat and you will see an echo of the dinosaurs.
Miss Clara was my elderly turkey pal on our ranch. Whenever I walked outside she came running to see me.
   Miss Clara’s head was all gray and her feathers a bit bedraggled. But she was the matriarch of all the turkeys, and every single one of them — boys and girls alike — would step aside and allow her first dibs on their supper of cracked corn.
   Turkeys are very social and take care of each other. For many months, I watched a group of nine turkeys travel about the ranch. They would wait patiently while one of their party, a small crippled female, followed to catch up.
   If she got too far behind, one of the turkeys would backtrack to accompany her and, often, several would walk slowly to keep her company. Over time, this turkey could no longer walk, and just sat by the feeder, where her friends sat quietly with her; they even stopped traveling about the ranch.
   We were able to catch the crippled turkey and take her to the wildlife vet two hours away, a ride in which she sat huddled and frightened in her carrier. When we arrived, we were told she limped because she had been shot in the leg. Despite excellent care, she did not survive to come back home.
   When I think about this sweet turkey, I wonder, would the person who shot her have any interest in knowing the sacred role of turkey in Navajo culture? Did that person have any concept of the courage and fortitude this turkey exhibited as she limped behind her other turkey friends?
   Could the person understand the compassion her turkey companions displayed in always waiting for her to catch up? And what would the person have to say to the veterinarian and her assistants regarding the hours spent attempting to heal the turkey’s gunshot wound?
   To this day, Turkey’s feathers are marked with the colors of the seeds he carried in the Navajo beginning of time. When the forefathers of the United States were deciding on a national symbol, Benjamin Franklin lobbied on behalf of Turkey. Instead, we all know Eagle was chosen. But maybe, if more people knew the story of Turkey and the role he played in ensuring the survival of agriculture, how honorably turkeys respect their elderly, and how loyal and compassionate turkeys are to each other, they might have chosen Turkey as our national bird, as well as think differently of their Thanksgiving menu.
   During this season of thanksgiving, thank Turkey for his generous role in ensuring the survival of the seeds that bring the bounty of harvest gracing our holiday tables.
   Visit Farm Sanctuary’s website www.adoptaturkey.org where, thanks to donors’ generosity, a turkey will be able to spend time not on a platter atop a table, but with a group of their turkey friends.
   Rae Ann Kumelos, Ph.D., of Three Rivers, currenty hosts Voice of the Animal on XM satellite radio. Visit www.voiceoftheanimal.com to hear podcasts and more. Rae Ann will be telling the story of Reindeer on First Saturday, Dec. 5, 3:30-4 p.m.,at Nadi’s Studio.

Affirmations: Your life in in your hands

By Kay Packard

   In every conversation, both internally and externally, you are affirming the substance of the dialogue. Are you paying attention before, during, and after your discussions?
   What is an affirmation? Synonyms include: Statement, Assertion, Confirmation, Pronouncement, Declaration, Verification, Reinforcement, and Expressing dedication to... In essence, you are “firming” up what you’re thinking.
   Let’s look behind the words to the thoughts, beliefs, intentions, and perceptions. When you hold on to a particular perception, you express dedication to that view whether positive or negative. Affirmations are often considered as positive, but as you can see from the list of synonyms, it’s about what you are “giving power to.”

  “Consider this: Affirmations are among the most powerful tools we can use for personal transformation. They are highly reliable, easy to use and are based on impeccable logic.” –Gary Craig
   Affirmations condition new thoughts and therefore reality.
For example, most of us affirmed we’d get through the eighth grade. Friends, parents, society, and ourselves all pronounced we’d graduate from eighth grade. There really was no other option. Some continue on and reinforce plans for high school, college and, in some cases, graduate school. The beliefs and declarations are personal to each individual.
   Let me say: You deserve and have the power to create and own your best and most magnificent life! Repeat with me: I deserve and have the power to create and own my very best and most magnificent life.
   It’s one thing to say it, another to believe it. Think for a moment how powerful you are. Look at what you have accomplished in your life so far and what stimulated those accomplishments.
   Take a moment now and imagine holding onto a lemon. In your mind, cut it in half.
   Take one half and put it up to your nose and smell it. Rest your tongue on the wet citrus and lick it. Can you taste it? Is your mouth watering yet?
   It’s unwise to underestimate the power of your imagination.
Self-sabotage adds an interesting twist. Social conditioning and response can disrupt access to your internal guidance system.
The first step to constructive change is noticing. Any time you say “but” after a positive affirmation, you are denying the possibility of that desired condition.

  “I want to go to college but I don’t have the money.”
   The tail end of the statement negates the desire to go to college.

  “My perfect and ideal weight is… but I might fail if I try to lose the weight”; or “I want to weigh… but I don’t want the special attention I might receive”; or “…then I’ll have to spend money on new clothes.”
The possibility of failing extinguishes the aspiration to achieve your best weight.
   Just notice when and how often you use the word “but.” How does it serve you?
   Another saboteur is the word “try,” which means to make an attempt. Does “try” strengthen or weaken your affirmation?
   Watch your intention around the word “try.” Empower yourself through your decision to either do or not do.
   Consider affirming: “I am an amazing, creative, and worthy person.”
How does it feel to say that? Say it again, out loud.
   What do you notice? What’s going on around you, energetically, when you believe in the best possible outcome? You give life to what you accept as true.
   If you feel peaceful and free, all is well. If you feel discomfort, heaviness, a lump in your throat, having difficulty breathing, or you hear a “but,” you have work to do.
   But it’s not the end of the world. You get life-credit by paying attention, noticing, and being open to the unlimited possibilities.
   In part two of this four-part series will be three steps for improvement and getting started. In the meantime, observe the thoughts, words, and attitude you employ during your internal and external conversations.
   Remember, you are worthy of living a magnificent life – now!

  Kay Packard of Three Rivers is a Guide for Positive Change. Visit www.kaypackard.com to learn more about her coaching services and techniques.

OBITUARIES

Robert Zapoli
1948 ~ 2009
   Robert W. “Zap” Zapoli of Three Rivers celebrated his 61st birthday on Veteran’s Day with friends before losing his valiant fight against cancer the next week, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009.
   On Nov. 11, 1948, Zap was born in Detroit, Mich., to Elsie and Bill Zapoli, where he was raised and educated. Immediately after graduating from Redford High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served in the Vietnam War as a petty officer from 1966 to 1970.
   After his discharge from military service, Zap settled in Three Rivers. He attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia and California State University, Fresno.
   He was formerly employed as a maintenance worker at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. He was a state-certified water treatment operator and a journeyman electrician with IBEW Local 100 (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers-Fresno).
   He recently retired as an electrician from the City of Fresno. He was a director on the Three Rivers Memorial District board and a member of VFW Post 3939.
   Zap is survived by his mother, Elsie Zapoli; sister Linda Stevens and brother-in-law Rick; niece Amy Rasegan and husband Scott; grand-nieces Daphne Rasegan and Gracie and Josie Hayes; and grand-nephew Avery Hayes. Zap will be especially missed by his close friend, Patricia Valentine of Three Rivers.
   A celebration of life service was held Wednesday, Nov. 25, at his Three Rivers home.

Larry Son
1942 ~ 2008
   A one-year memorial service for Larry Wayne Son will be held Saturday, Dec. 12, at 1 p.m., at Woodland Drive Baptist Church in Visalia.
   Larry, a former resident of Three Rivers and Visalia, died December 12, 2008, on his 66th birthday after a two-year battle with melanoma. At his request, no service was held at that time.
   Larry was born December 12, 1942, in McCloud, Okla, to Clyde and Marie Son. His family settled in Visalia when he was four years old.
   He lived in Visalia for most of his life, but also resided in Three Rivers. He owned Our Gym at the Lions Arena from 1987 to 1989.