Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

Love comes in many shapes and sizes.  Whether you have a sweetheart or not, embrace the wonders of nature and share your love and compassion this Valentine’s Day with a lonely neighbor, a retired veteran, a homeless person, or a shelter pet. 

Volunteer your time at an old-age home, wash someone’s car or bring their trash cans in, deliver some cookies, write a letter to a service man or woman, give a hug, share a good cry, smile at a stranger … but most of all, take a deep breath and breathe in life!!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Many in the United States take today off of work in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Had he lived, yesterday, January 15, 2012, would have been the U.S. civil rights leader’s 83rd birthday – and thus, today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Dr. King has become one of the most respected figures of the 20th Century — if not of all time.  He is credited with bringing equal rights to African Americans, and tangentially, many other minority groups.  Even after his assassination in 1968, his legacy as well as his moving speeches have inspired people to follow in Dr. King’s path.

“If you can’t fly, run.  If you can’t run, walk.  If you can’t walk, crawl.  But by all means, keep moving!”  — MLK Jr.

3rd Annual “Cookies With Santa”

SANTA will be making a special appearance at 3943 Chapman Place (the house with the train) this Saturday, December 10th from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.  Santa’s helpers will be serving hot chocolate, cookies and cupcakes for children and adults!  If you forget your camera, we’ll take photos for you.

The train will be
spouting off real smoke, and the wheels actually turn ’round and ’round, with real train sounds too!   Kids, young and old, can sit inside the train for photo opportunities. 

Many people are
curious as to when
the Chapman Place Christmas decoration tradition began.  One
of our neighbors did some research and found a 1966 Press-Enterprise newspaper article.  The
tradition of decorating the street was proposed in 1950 by Chapman Place resident Charles M. Wilson. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In 1950, the west end of the street was still an orange grove, yet the homeowners gathered in Charlie’s garage to make 8-foot tall Christmas trees out of aluminum foil.  The 1966 newspaper photo showcased
life-sized lit candlesticks that lined the street, which the current residents reproduced and put in place this year for the whole neighborhood to enjoy! 

Take a stroll down Chapman Place tonight….

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

“The Last Heart Attack”

 

Please tune in tonight at 8 pm ET, as CNN will air “The Last Heart Attack”, Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s one-hour special on former President Bill Clinton’s gastronomic journey from omnivore to vegan. 

The interview and report will discuss Clinton’s health while in office, which included struggles with a poor diet and weight gain. Under the guidance of doctors Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., Clinton decided to adopt a vegan diet to regain his health after undergoing two heart surgeries, and has since lost more than 20 pounds.  Clinton consumes no meat, no dairy, no eggs, almost no oil, in an effort to avoid damaging his blood vessels. 

Bet your LIFE on eating better!  Some surgeons believe that once you start eating this way, you make yourself heart attack proof.  Heart disease is completely preventable, simply by eating right.  Heart disease is a food-bourne illness and we won’t end the epidemic with stints, bypasses and drugs, because those don’t treat the causation of this illness.

Please consider eating healthier in an attempt to squash heart disease once and for all!

Going Green in Honor of St. Patrick’s Day

Nowadays, the world is all about ‘going green’ in our actions by recycling, using less water, etc. With a million messages coming at us from all areas (news, politics, fashion, and even technology), it’s easy to get caught up in the big picture without realizing how your actions stack up.

The truth is, that everything we do every day has an impact on the planet — good or bad.  The good news is that as an individual you have the power to control most of your choices and, therefore, the impact you create.  By embracing a greener lifestyle, you can also improve your health, pad your bank account, and ultimately, improve your overall quality of life.

We always make an effort to go green whenever possible: our newsletters that we distribute to our neighborhood (the historic “Wood Streets” in Riverside, California) are printed on recycled and recyclable paper, we ride our bicycles whenever possible, we use CFL (compact fluorescent) light bulbs, use off-peak electricity, wash laundry in cold water, pay bills online, shop with reusable bags, drink from stainless steel reusable water bottles, and shop at farmer’s markets.

We wish everyone a HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY – whether you swig a green drink, wear a green shirt, or perform a green deed like recycling plastic bottles!

Daylight Saving Time

It’s that time again!  Time to set your clocks ahead one hour at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, 2011 (before you go to sleep Saturday night).

This is usually the time of year most people change the batteries in their smoke detectors.  It may be a good idea to buy a carbon monoxide detector this year, if you don’t already have one.

Remember, “fall back” and “spring forward.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Whether you are in a relationship or not this Valentine’s Day, you can still give the wonderful gift of a blood donation.  Giving something truly special of yourself today or any other day of the year is the ultimate act of kindness.

Today, February 14, 2011, is also National Organ Donor Day.  Celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving the ultimate gift of love by signing up to become an organ and tissue donor.  In the time it takes you to order flowers or buy a box of chocolates, you can register and become an organ donor. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has designated Valentine’s Day as National Organ Donor Day since 1998 to raise awareness of the lives than can be touched — potentially more than 50 at a time — through one person becoming an organ and tissue donor.

You can find a local blood donation center in the United States here, and become an organ donor by clicking here.   Over a year ago, I signed up with Life Stream which is the new name for the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and just minutes ago registered as an organ donor with Donate Life California. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~April Glatzel

2nd Annual “Cookies with Santa”

SANTA will be making a special appearance at 3943 Chapman Place (the house with the train) this Sunday, December 12th from 4:00to 6:00 p.m.  Santa’s helpers will be serving hot chocolate and cookies.  At our first annual “Cookies with Santa”, quite a few families took photos that they used for their family Christmas cards!  If you forget your camera, we’ll take photos for you.

The train will be spouting off real smoke, and the wheels actually turn ’round and ’round, with real train sounds too!   Kids, young and old, can sit inside the train for photo opportunities. 

Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Riverside Festival of Lights

Tonight, come join us for the 18th annual Festival of Lights experience in downtown Riverside.  With more than three and a half million twinkling lights, the Riverside Festival of Lights presented by the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa is the most dazzling outdoor holiday light spectacle south of the North Pole.  It all begins with the flip of a switch tonight, Friday November 26th, 2010, during the “Switch-On Ceremony” presented by Duane and Kelly Roberts, owners of the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa.

At 6:15 p.m., in one swift move, Riverside’s downtown is instantly illuminated with millions of lights and spectacular fireworks!  After eating Thanksgiving leftovers, a large group of us will bundle up and walk about a mile from our houses to the Mission Inn, as we’ve done for many years.  We’ll be contributing not only to pollution-free transportation, but we’ll be exercising off the pumpkin and apple pies!  Hope to see you at the Festival of Lights!

Happy Holidays!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am thankful for so much.  Most of all, my family.  In particular, my sister.  I would not be where I am in life without her.  Sure, we fought when we were young, and we occasionally cross words as adults, but never would I have thought in my wildest dreams that I would have such a wonderful relationship with my sister as an adult.  And to work side-by-side together?  A true blessing!  So many say to us “Ah, I don’t think I could work so closely with a relative”…..but I wouldn’t have it any other way!!  I am blessed in so many ways!

My wish to everyone on this day of thanks is to hope that you all find the love and happiness that I have been so fortunate to find with my family, be it in the form of your family, a loved one, a pet, a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, a checker at the grocery store, or even a stranger.  

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

~April Glatzel

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