mature times may 2010 edition

Published by E.P. MASS MEDIA ADVERTISING INC.

VOL.III No. 21 MAY 2010

One railroad man carveshis love for locomotives

into woodSEE PAGE 2

MATURE TIMES # 21.MAY 2010:Layout 1 5/3/10 8:42 AM

MATURETIMES MAY 2010 PAGE 2

By Chris Dumond

MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

LYNCHBURG, Va.

The wood taketh awayFred Reburn fromthe railroad and thewood giveth him

back to it. On Sept. 12, 1979, Reburn,a brakeman and conductorfor Norfolk & Western since1948, was riding on a locomo-tive on Percival’s Island

when a tree fell. He dodgedmost of the tree, avoidingbeing crushed, but a branchcaught him under his rightarm, impaling him.

The near-fatal injury leftReburn without some of theuse of his arm for years. Andthough he didn’t know itthen, it would end his careerwith the railroad two yearslater. But, being a railroad man,as scores of songs and storieswill attest, isn’t just some-thing you stop being one day.Reburn keeps his connectionto “the road” through hand-crafted wooden models of thesteam locomotives that stillleave him awestruck 62 yearslater, and lately, of the ca-booses that were his home onthe job.

Reburn, 83, talks aboutworking on a steam locomo-tive as if it was a livingbeing, describing how theyhad to be kept fired, and howpressure and water levelshad to be watched at alltimes to make sure the en-gine was generating enoughpower, or that it wasn’t goingto run dry on an incline andexplode. “I started when I was 23,”he said. “Some engineerswere in their 70s. Theywould talk to [the locomo-tives] like they were their

wives or lovers,and then we’d getdown the road andthey would breakdown and theywould curse themlike a dog.”

Reburn hashandcrafted 39models, includingfour cabooses,since 1985. Themodel locomotivesrange in size fromabout three feet

long to seven feet. He mostlyuses free scrap wood fromwoodworking shops, and

every type of wood imagina-ble.

He is careful about makingthings to scale when possi-ble, although some partswould be so small they could-n’t be easily fabricated fromwood, he said. He’s neverkept track of how long an en-tire model took to build; heestimates that just the six

wheels on one side of onemodel took between 12 and16 hours to make. He’s only sold one over theyears, although he has got-ten many offers. He hasgiven many away to familymembers, and several hekeeps are spoken for, he said.Others may one day go to amuseum.

His favorite models, includ-ing a large Norfolk & West-ern Y6-class, are on displayin his basement in his homein the Fort Hill neighbor-hood of Lynchburg. His woodshop is in an adjoining room. Reburn said he and afriend from work startedlearning about woodworkingand furniture building be-fore he was injured. His wifeErnestine proudly points outseveral pieces of furniture intheir living room that herhusband has built or re-stored over the years. Hestill works on furniture, andbuilds what he calls “mem-ory houses.”

The yard-high houses areused for displaying knick-knacks.Continues on p.6Continued from page 2

MGNS PHOTO

Fred Reburn has handcrafted 39 wooden model trail replicas in his base-ment workshop since 1985.

TRAINS

MGNS PHOTO

Fred Reburn holds a woodenreplica of a Norfolk and Westerncaboose from 1948–49 that hebuilt.

“Some engineerswere in their 70s.They would talk to

[the locomotives] likethey were their wivesor lovers, and thenwe’d get down theroad and they wouldbreak down and theywould curse them

like a dog.”

Fred Reburn



By Judy Stark

SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

Most Americans struggle toconsume the five to sevenfruits and veggies nutritionistssay we need daily for goodhealth.Arnell Burghorn has thatpaltry amount down the hatchfirst thing in the morning.Burghorn teaches cookingclasses based on the popular“Eat to Live” plan. She and herfamily start every day with oneof the plan’s green smoothies:kale, carrots, flaxseeds, a ba-nana, blueberries, strawber-ries, pomegranate juice, water.She drinks about a quart ofthis brew and says she’s goodfor four hours. “It’s got a lot ofstaying power,” she said.So does “Eat to Live” creatorJoel Fuhrman. His principlesare simple, but not easy formeat-loving, sweets-gobblingAmericans: Eat a diet that isalmost exclusively fruits, veg-etables and legumes, and you’lllose weight, keep it off andlower your risk of heart attack,stroke, cancer, diabetes andhigh blood pressure.“Food is really and truly themost effective medicine,” saysFuhrman, 56, a former world-class ice skater whose athleticcareer piqued his interest innutrition

and led him to become a physi-cian and author of severalbooks, including his longtimebest seller, Eat to Live, and histwo-volume Eat for Health. So what’s involved in the“Eat to Live” diet? Vegetables,and lots of ’em. A pound a dayof raw vegetables; a pound aday of cooked green vegetables;a cup of beans; four freshfruits; and as much as youwant of mushrooms, eggplantand tomatoes. Limitedamounts of starchy vegetablesand whole grains (squash, po-tatoes, cereal, bread), raw nutsand seeds, avocado and groundflaxseed.What won’t you be eating onhis plan? Animal products, in-cluding dairy, at least duringthe initial weeks. Between-meal snacks. Fruit juice (ex-cept for small quantities indressings and cooking) anddried fruit.

You’ll be eating 1,000 to2,000 calories a day, and feel-ing satisfied, Fuhrman says.The trick is to eat “nutrition-ally dense, low-calorie foods”that fill you up and pack a nu-tritional wallop.Fuhrman acknowledges thatit takes perseverance and focusto stick to his plan, even after

the first six weeks, whenpatients move into the“life plan” and canadd a little animalprotein, sweets anddairy.

Linda Sellers, a regis-tered dietitian and certi-fied diabetes educator atSt. Anthony’s Hospital inSt. Petersburg, Fla., saysvegetarian or vegan (noanimal products, includingeggs and dairy) diets simi-lar to Fuhrman’s “are gen-erally nutritional, ...Continues on page 6

The ‘Eat to Live’ diet focuses onvegetables



Social Security Column

PATTY DUKE SHOWFAMILY REUNITES TO

PROMOTE SOCIALSECURITY’S ONLINE

SERVICESBy Ray Vigil

Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in El Paso, Texas

Patty Duke is back — and this time she’s brought the entire

family. The cast of The Patty Duke Show reunited to create a series

of public service announcements to promote Social Security’s new

online Medicare application and other services.

You can view the new spots at

www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

Patty Duke and her television family entertained American house-

holds on The Patty Duke Show in the 1960s. Now, they’re telling

families just how fast and easy it is to apply online for Medicare.

It takes less than 10 minutes.

Even if you decide to wait until after you’re age 65 to apply for re-

tirement benefits; most people should start getting Medicare cover-

age at age 65. If you’d like to begin your Medicare coverage, you

should apply within four months of reaching age 65.

It’s important to note that people who already receive Social Secu-

rity retirement or disability benefits do not need to apply; they will

be automatically enrolled in Medicare.

Why apply online? Because it’s fast, easy, and convenient. You

don’t need an appointment and you can avoid waiting in traffic or

in line.

If you’re within four months of turning age 65 or older, what are

you waiting for? As Patty Duke and her television family will tell

you, it takes less than 10 minutes! Visit www.socialsecurity.gov

and select the “Retirement/Medicare” link in the middle of the

page.

And be sure to catch TV’s most famous identical cousins and the

whole family at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicareonly.

Improving the odds againstprostate cancer

By Dr. Jerrold Sharkey


Actor Louis Gossett Jr. re-cently announced that he hasbeen diagnosed with prostatecancer. He went public, he said,“to set an example for the largenumber of African-Americanmen who are victims of this dis-ease because of the compara-tively low emphasis in ourcommunity on preventive ex-aminations and early treat-ment.”African-American men arestatistically more likely to getprostate cancer than men inother ethnic groups. And it’s adisease that is more commonwith age; Gossett is 74.Obviously, you can’t controlyour age or genetics. But thereis still a lot you can do to im-prove your odds. This doesn’tmean you should scrimp on reg-ular screening, of course. Lastyear, anesti-mated27,360mendied ofthe dis-ease intheUnitedStates, mak-ing it the sec-ond-leadingcause of can-cer-relateddeath in men.Here are thequestions Ihear mostoften onstoppingcancer be-fore it starts:

Q:What can I do to

prevent cancer?

A: It has been estimated that40 percent of all cancers couldbe prevented by a healthylifestyle. Smoking and obesityare the biggest culprits, shownin numerous studies. Here aresome tips:

� Don’t smoke.� Maintain a healthy weight,and get at least a half-hour ofexercise every day.

� Eat more fruits and vegeta-bles, and choose whole grainsover refined grains.

� Limit alcohol consumption tono more than two drinks a dayfor men (one for women).

� Use sunscreen.� See your doctor for regularcheckups and screenings.

Q:What about preventingprostate cancer specifically?

A: In addition to all the tipsabove, make sure you are fol-lowing a heart-healthy diet.Keep red meat to a minimumand choose low-fat dairy prod-ucts. Reduce saturated fats; in-crease fruits and vegetables.Statin drugs used to lower cho-lesterol may have a preventivebenefit to those already takingthem. This is being studied.

If you’ve already hadprostate cancer, it isimperative to fol-low all these dietand lifestyle tipsto help prevent arecurrence.

Q: I’m alwayshearing about men gettingprostate cancer. Is it more com-mon in the United States thanin other places?

Continues on page 8



FORMER DEALERSHIP MECHANICOPENED A SHOP TO WORK ON VWS IN

1973 AND NEVER LOOKED BACK

TheBUGDoctor

By Tim Clodfelter


In his cluttered garage onHighway 150 in Arcadia, N.C.,Robert Craver brings bugsback to life. Not the six-legged variety,the four-wheeled kind. Since 1973, Craver has run agarage, Craver Motors, whichspecializes in Volkswagen Bee-tles, that durable, inexpensive

little car that flitted acrossAmerica’s highways in the1960s and ’70s. “People just love the oldbugs,” Craver said. On his walls hang vintage

Beetle posters, signs, ads andan appropriate “Bless ThisMess” sign that his sister-in-law gave him years ago. And, at first glance, thegarage appears to be a mess,cluttered with piles of parts. Anarrow pathway snakesthrough the garage to the baywhere Craver works on ablack 1974 Beetle. But there’s a method to his

madness. Each stack is madeup of the same parts. Craverpoints to one pile, identifyingit as windshield wiper motors. Most of the parts are cov-ered in grease, as are Craver’s

hands. Craver, who turned 61 inMarch, is an enthusiast aswell as a mechanic. He drivesa baby blue 1974 Super Bee-tle — a variation on the clas-sic Beetle design with moretrunk space and a redesignedfront end — to church every

Sunday. The rest of the week, hedrives a tow truck. Back in1991, when demand for Beetlework was waning, he added awrecker service. “I still had house payments,”he said. Continues on page 8

MGNS PHOTOS

TOP: Robert Craver poses for a portrait in his his garage, Craver Motors.ABOVE: Old Volkswagen Beetles are all over the property at CraverMotors.



How to avoid dehydrationAccording to the Old

Farmer’s Almanac, this summer in

El Paso will be drier than normal,

with the hottest temperatures in

July and early August.

Seniors—and those who care or

live near some elderly—please

take heed. Heat stroke is a true

medical emergency that can

cause death or permanent dis-

ability if emergency treatment is

not provided promptly.

And seniors are more at risk of ex-

periencing heat-related illnesses

because they have a decreased

ability to sweat; medical issues

that upset normal responses to

heat; medicines that impair the

body's ability to regulate its tem-

perature; hot living quarters; and

lack of transportation.

In El Paso, heat-related deaths

could increase in 2010 because of

high utility costs. When money is

short, many elderly will turn off

their air conditioners and neglect

their pets – two things that provide

protection and comfort.

And when actual heat stroke oc-

curs, the body is unable to control

its temperature and it can rise to

106°F within 10 minutes, causing

death or permanent disability.

To prevent heat-related stress:

•Drink cool nonalcoholic, decaf-

feinated beverages. (Check with

doctor if he/she limits your fluid

intake or if you take water pills.)

•Take a cool shower or bath.

•Seek air-conditioned environ-

ments like shopping mall or public

library.

•Wear lightweight/light-colored

clothing.

•Remain indoors in the heat of the

day, especially if air pollution alert

is in effect.

•When it’s between 90°- 105°, ab-

solutely avoid prolonged exposure

and/or physical activity (we all

know that El Paso hit 98º or

higher 13 days in the first three

weeks of July in 2009)

If you suspect someone has heat-

related stress (nausea, fatigue,

headache, muscle cramps, vomit-

ing, high body temperature, ab-

sence of sweating, hot red or

flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, dis-

orientation):

•Have them rest in cool place.

•Cool them rapidly (immerse in

cool water; spray with cool water

from garden hose; wrap in cool,

wet sheet and fan to promote

sweating/evaporation; apply a cold

cloth to the wrists and/or neck).

•Offer water and juices (NOT al-

cohol or caffeinated beverages).

•Most importantly, call 911 im-

mediately.

•And please, visit any friends or

neighbors that might be suscepti-

ble to heat stress at least twice a

day.

Sylvia Coulehan, MSN, RN, FNP-C

Family Nurse Practitioner

Physicians Health Choice;

7878 Gateway East, Ste. 203;

(915) 594-4423;

www.PHCcares.com

Sylvia Coulehan, MSN, RN, FNP-C

He uses his to hang railroad memora-bilia. Reburn said he is in his workshopmost days, maybe for 15 minutes workingon a part, maybe for two hours. “If something doesn’t look right to him,or he doesn’t like it, he just throws it outand starts over,” said his daughter, DianeTempleton, who was visiting. His next projects, he said, are likely tobe Southern and Chesapeake & Ohio ca-booses. Reburn’s models are on display at TheDepot in Lynchburg and at Liberty Sta-tion in Bedford.

Chris Dumond is a staff writer for TheNews & Advance in Lynchburg, Va.

TRAINSContinued from page 3....and may provide health benefits inthe prevention and treatment of certaindiseases.” That includes lowering bloodpressure and reducing the risk of dia-betes and cancer. (Fuhrman has coinedthe term “nutritarian,” since his “lifeplan” does allow some animal products.)She echoes Fuhrman’s enthusiasm fornon-starchy veggies in generousamounts. “With high-nutrition, low-calo-rie foods, you feel fuller overall and eatless calories,” she said.But she doesn’t think it’s necessary tofollow such a strict plan as “Eat to Live’’to make big improvements in weightand health conditions like diabetes andheart disease. Plus, Sellers said, ahighly structured eating program that

cuts out entire food groups is tough tolive with.“In the long term, the extremes don’twork. Long-term weight loss is madethrough simple and practical dietchanges.”Fuhrman, however, insists that if it’s abig change you’re after, you have tomake big changes.He cites patients who have lost 50, 75,100 pounds or more, “the hardest casesand those who have failed to lose the de-sired weight on other plans.”Burghorn, 56, lost a less-dramatic 15pounds, but says the regime changedher life.“I don’t get colds, I don’t get sick, andif I do, it’s so short-lived, I hardly evenknow it happens.”

Vegetables....



7812 Gateway Blvd East,

Ste 120. 915-598-3888�

Cancer Radiation and Specialty Clinics of El Paso

(CRSC) is a premier multispecialty medical practice

which includes diagnostic radiology, radiation oncol-

ogy, medical oncology, pulmonology and sleep lab

services. CRSC diagnostic radiology (formerly

known as EPMIT) provides exceptional customer

service and the highest quality interpretive services to

our patients, referring clinicians and hospital partners.

At our center, on-site radiologists review each exam

in order to notify the patient and referring clinician of

any acute illnesses which require hospitaliza-

tion or immediate care. We utilize state-of-

the-art picture archiving and communication

systems (PACS) to allow us to offer our inter-

pretations in less than 24 hours. We con-

stantly invest in the latest software and

hardware to ensure we provide the best serv-

ice we possibly can.

Cancer Radiation & Specialty Clinics of El Paso

By Holly Ramsey


Patricia Arrowood has a fetish fordollhouses. Her interest beganwhen she was just a little girl andhad one of her own to covet. Ar-

rowood, who is an avid traveler, has been tomany countries and U.S. states, where shehas viewed these miniature homes from allmakes and models, including Queen Eliza-beth’s childhood dollhouse in England. Continues on page 12

MGNS PHOTO

Patricia Arrowood shows off her 1776 New England-style dollhouse that she and her husbandmade from scratch.

‘My Dream Home’Building adollhouse isminuscule

work



Continued from page 5Over time, towing has be-come his main business. He has a Rolodex with morethan 250 Beetle customers init, but that part of his busi-ness has declined in recentyears, as fewer Beetles are onthe road. These days, he sometimesonly fixes a few Beetles eachmonth. He doesn’t work on VW“New Beetles,” which beganproduction in 1998. Despitethe name and similar body design, thosecars “are basically a Jetta,” he said. He occasionally fixes up and sells Beetles,but he does not paint them or do significantbody work. “I just keep ’em running,” he said. He first started working on Beetles in thelate 1960s and early ’70s, first as a me-chanic at Flow Volkswagen. He opened hisown shop behind his father’s home in 1973,something he told his wife about when theywere on their honey-moon in Myrtle Beach,S.C. “This is what he sur-prised me with,” hiswife, Cheryl, said with alaugh. “I said, ‘I just gotmarried and you don’teven have a job?’ ” She does the bookkeeping for the garageand occasionally helps out at the shop. Craver moved his shop to its current loca-

tion in 1975. He doesn’twork on any other cars, justthe Beetle and the SuperBeetle, which have air-cooled engines in the rear. “That’s what I had my ex-perience on, that’s what Iwas trained on,” he said. Most of the cars he seesare models from 1969 to1974, the heyday of the clas-sic Beetle. More than 21million of them were pro-duced between 1945 and2003, according to Volkswa-

gen. The black Beetle belongs to Keith Tanner,25, who has been driving the car since hewas 16. He inherited it from his brother andhis father. The car has been in his family for16 years and has been serviced by Craverthe whole time. “I love the way they look,” Tanner said,“and also they’re pretty easy to keep upwith. I get pretty good gas mileage.” Behind the garage, Craver has a sort of

elephant’s graveyard ofBeetles, more than 20 ofthem in various states ofdisrepair that he stripsfor parts. He used to buyold Beetles for parts, butthat market has alsodwindled. “Most everybody that’s

got one is keeping it,” he said. He has no plans to retire his Beetle-fixingways anytime soon.

“I’ll work as long asthe Lord lets me,”Craver said. “Butthat’s one day at atime.”

Tim Clodfelterwrites for the Win-ston-Salem Journal inNorth Carolina.

BUGDoctorContinued from page 4

A: In Asia there is a lower inci-dence than in the U.S., but whenAsians migrate here, their cancerrate goes up dramatically, presum-ably due to dietary and lifestyle fac-tors.

Q:What other dietary measurescan I take?

A: Vitamin D looks promising forcancer prevention, but it is stillbeing studied. I would advise in-creasing fish consumption, or tak-ing omega-3 in supplement form.

Q:What have studies shownabout prevention?

A: Several major randomizedstudies have been done, involvingmore than 50,000 men. One lookedat the possible role of selenium andvitamin E, but found no advantageto taking those supplements. An-other found a significant reductionof incidence among higher-risk menwho took the generic drug dutas-teride (brand name, Avodart). Yetanother found a similar reduction ofprostate cancer in high-risk menwho took the generic drug finas-teride (Proscar). However, suchdrugs carry their own risks, sophysicians must consider whetherthey are worthwhile for each pa-tient.

Q:What can I do if I have a familyhistory of prostate cancer?

A: You should consider genetictesting not only if you have a first-degree male relative who hadprostate cancer, but also if yourmother had breast cancer. The pres-ence of the BRCA1 and BRCA2gene mutations in men are associ-ated with prostate cancer as well asmale breast cancer and pancreaticcancer.

PROSTATE CANCER



It’s been a windy March and April so far.We’ve recorded 26 days of wind gusts over30 mph with a peak gust of 84 mph March 26and 68 mph April 1st.

Blowing dust and sand is a common phe-nomenon in El Paso this time of year. Mete-orologist David Novlan and MichaelHardiman at the National Weather Service inSanta Teresa noted that during the months of

March, April and May there is a 42% chance of encountering blow-ing dust on any single day. This had been the case since recordswere kept in El Paso. It was noted from a news article reporting ona storm in 1895 (Cox, 2005): “A Big Blow hit El Paso late on thenight of April 4, 1895…by the midnight the anemometer (windmeasuring device) at the Weather Bureau registered 50 mph andcontinue to gain strength…The wind took down many of the city’sscare trees and ripped away telegraph, telephone and power lines,leaving the city without electric lights.”

Did you know that El Paso averages 14.5 significant dust eventsper year? This is, in my opinion, the most unpleasant feature of ourweather. The wind does not have to be considered excessive but be-cause this is our driest time of the year it doesn’t take a lot of realstrong winds to elevate our dust and sand. This blowing dust causesmany hazards. We typically must endure reduced visibility; thedusty conditions cause respiratory problems and the blowing dustcan get in to moving parts and reduce the mechanical life of equip-ment. There are often more accidents associated with dust stormsresulting in fatalities and roads being closed due to the poor visibil-ity.

It should be noted that strong winds by themselves are not suffi-cient for a significant dust event. David Novlan says “the wind mustbe sufficiently turbulent to loft dust and it must occur in a reason-ably unstable environment.”

By: “Doppler” Dave Speelman

WEATHER 101

Wheater Trivia:

What has been the highest recorded

wind gust in El Paso not associated

with a thunderstorm?

Answer: B– 84 mph. Recorded March 10, 1977 and March

26, 2010

“Doppler" Dave Speelman is the chief meteorologist at KVIA-TV in

El Paso. You can watch his forecasts at 4, 5, 6 and 10 pm on ABC-7

(channel 6 cable). If you would like Doppler Dave to address

(explain) any weather issues you can email him at

[email protected].

A. 75 mphB. 84 mphC. 92 mphD. 98 mph

One More Month ofWind

(Picture Above was taken in Chaparral, NM April 1, 2010Wind destroyed part of a patio.)



An energy expert can help a homeowner cut costsBy Laura Giovanelli


Danny Gough was huntingfor leaks. He aimed his infrared cameraup and down walls, movingfrom a downstairs dining roomto upstairs bedrooms. Chillyareas stopped him in histracks. “That’s just a cold, coldspot there,” he said, pointing tothe screen on his camera in thesunroom. A corner glowed darkblue on the camera’s display, asign that the wall was cooleven though the thermostatwas set at around 60 degrees.“That’s 36 degrees.” Gough is an energy auditor.His family-run business, En-ergy Solutions, examines localhouses.

Just as a tax auditor goesover financial documents, anenergy auditor goes over yourhouse, looking for places whereheat, cooling and power isbeing wasted.

The U.S. Department of En-ergy recommends home-energyaudits, and its Web site offerstips for conducting simple oneson your own. And then there are the pro-fessionals, like Gough, whohave such gadgets as moisturemeters, thermal-imaging cam-eras and blower doors. Ablower door is a high-power fanattached to a tarp. Positioned

over a house’s front doorway, itsucks out all the air inside.Then pinpointing incomingdrafts is easy.

Gough and some co-workers,including Dana Myers, hisdaughter, spent a recent after-noon at Don Lendle’s house, along, wood-sided ranch on ashady, tree-filled lot near Clem-mons, N.C. Tax records showthat it was built in 1971. It’sabout 1,800-square feet.Lendle, a family physician, andhis wife, Margaret, have ownedthe house for 23 years. It only takes a hard winter toremind us how important awell-insulated house can be. Lendle suspected some of thehouse’s problems. He knewthat his 20-year-old gas fur-nace was on its last legs. Butbefore he replaced it — or evenconsidered a new, environmen-tally-friendly system, such as ageothermal unit — he wantedto be sure he had an idea ofwhat he was facing.

That’s smart, said SarahOlson, a Winston-Salem, N.C.,Realtor who specializes in en-ergy-efficient and green real es-tate. Before you start piling onthe insulation and ripping outold windows, you need to knowwhere you’re losing energy, shesaid. “It’s like a putting aBand-Aid on before you knowwhere the cut is. It would po-

tentially save you awhole lot of moneyand a whole lot ofheadaches.”

Gough auditedOlson’s house lastyear. “In many caseswindows are the lastthing,” she said. “An

energy audit will show you ifyour windows are leaking or ifthe air is coming in elsewhere.He showed us areas in ourhouse with no insulation at all.

“Really, what we found is thatour attic was just a sieve andthat’s where we needed tospend our dollars. Doing proj-ects on your own is fine, butyou’ve got to know where yourproblems are.”

Gough discovered plenty tofix at Lendle’s house. In twohours, he poked and proddedthe house from top to bottom,taking photos and makingmeasurements. He grabbed aflashlight and put on a pair ofwhite coveralls, then got on hishands and knees and wiggledthrough the crawl space, intothe house’s belly, where hefound four snake skins, a dis-carded hot water heater and in-sulation installed upside down.

And then there were theuninsulated hot-water pipes.Cold spots near the ceiling. Ablower-door test revealed a

brisk draft in the stairwell. The sum total of these cracksand cold spots? Imagine if youleft a window open about a footall the time, day and night —that’s about how much chillyair was getting into Lendle’shouse. “That’s pretty substan-tial leakage,” Gough said.

That’s on top of a problematicduct system. As Gough movedaround the house, he held a de-vice called a pressure pan overthe registers to measure theirefficiency. The news wasn’tgood. Gough estimated about30 percent of any heat and air-conditioning was headed rightback into the crawl space be-cause of leaks. “You’re payingto heat the house and not thecrawl space, I assume,” hequipped. “A lot of the holes don’t neces-sarily bring in healthy air. Sothe ideal is to seal as airtightas you can ... and ventilateright with a controlled ventila-tion system.”

Lendle didn’t seem surprisedby much of this. But all thisbad news is not somethingthat’s easy for some homeown-ers to hear, Myers said. “It’s our job to go in and tellpeople they have ugly babies.You go out to someone’s house,and they put in a bathroom, anew kitchen. But most home-owners don’t crawl around intheir crawl space, and it’s thisugly baby dressed up in rib-bons and curls. We take awaythe ribbons and curls and actu-ally look at what makes ahouse function.”

Laura Giovanelli is a writerfor the Winston-Salem Journalin North Carolina.

Just as a tax auditor goes

over financial documents, anenergy auditorgoes over yourhouse, looking

for places whereheat, cooling and

power is beingwasted.



Continued from page 7

“That house took up awhole entire room,” saidArrowood. “I’ve neverseen one so big. It was amini-model of where shelived and had so manyrooms.” Arrowood got into thehobby of dollhouse con-struction back in the late’80s, when she and herhusband, Ray, cameacross blueprints for a1776 New England, colo-nial-style make. The couple began con-struction in Ray’s “fix-it”shop, which was fullyequipped with the righttools for cutting, carving,sanding and more. Shin-gles, hardwood oakfloors, windows (34total), eachand everyitem, had to behandcraftedfor the 30-inchby 38-inch by36-inchwooden house. “Some hard-ware itemscould be pur-chased at woodshops andminiaturestores, butthey were justtoo expensive, so we de-cided to make everythingourselves,” said Ar-rowood. Decor, however, was anexception and the Ar-rowood’s used a shop outof Concord, N.C., for afew of their in-house pur-chases. But other thanthat, furniture, fireplaces(seven total), wall treat-ments, even food crafted

from Play-Doh, were alldesigned by hand. Patri-cia gathered ideas fordecorating from her trav-

els through historicsights in Pennsylvania,Virginia and North Car-olina. Due to life’s busy de-mands (both had full-

time jobs and a family toraise), the project wasput on hold for severalyears and picked back upafter Ray’s retirement in2006. Committed to thetask that lay in front ofthem, the couple buckleddown and completed theproject two gruelingyears later. “This is definitely ourlast project,” said Ar-

rowood. “But this wasmy dream home, so weset out to do it and had agreat time along theway.” They’ve still got a fewfinishing touches to puton their project. Vene-tian blinds for all win-dows (which weresurprisingly commonback in the 1700s) arecurrently being crafted,and a few other minordetails need tweaking.Some repairs had to bemade along the way,where the Arrowood’syoung nieces, who visitand play with the doll-house often, had a mis-step or two. But for themost part, the task isnearly complete. “The girls have such a

great timeplaying withthis and arevery, verycareful,” Ar-rowood men-tioned. “Thisis what it’shere for.” An interestwas expressedby Patricia inpossibly enter-ing the housein a show pro-vided by

Southern Living maga-zine, but as of yet, noplans have been made.They hope to eventuallypass it down to familymembers, but Ray men-tioned “if the right pricecomes along, you neverknow.”

Holly Ramsey is a re-porter for the McDowellNews in Marion, N.C.

“This is definitely our lastproject. But this was my

dream home, so we set outto do it and had a great time

along the way.”

Patricia Arrowood

Food Network Kitchens SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE

There is nothing wrong with a littlesugar once in a while. After all, it makesfood taste delicious. What would a bowlof oatmeal be without a swirl of brownsugar? The problem is, most people go sofar overboard with sweeteners that theyare drowning in their sugar bowls. Theaverage American eats the equivalent of20 teaspoons (40 grams) of added sugar aday. That’s twice the recommendedamount.Keep in mind that we are not talkingabout the sugar that’s naturally occur-ring in foods like fruit and milk products— even vegetables contain some sugar.That is not the problem. It’s refinedsugar that is added to foods and bever-ages to sweeten them up.When you consider that one 12-ouncecan of regular soda has the equivalent of10 teaspoons of sugar, the amount thatshould be your daily limit, you can seehow quickly the numbers add up. Trythese simple steps to keep your sweettooth in balance:

� Switch to sugar-free, calorie-freedrinks like water. For a splash of flavor,add lemon or orange slices, or trysparkling water with a little fruit juice.

� Buy unsweetened cereals and yogurtsand add your own sugar for flavor.Chances are, you will use much less thanthe food manufacturers do.

� Go ahead, have dessert. Just keep por-tions small and keep it to a few times aweek.

� Read food labels. Grams of sugar arelisted on the food label, but the label does-n’t distinguish between naturally occur-ring sugars and added sugar. So even onecup of plain milk will show 12 grams. Bet-ter yet, read the ingredients list and lookfor added sugar in all its guises. Fructose,cane sugar, corn syrup and maltodextrinare all added sugars.

� Opt for honey, maple syrup and mo-lasses. They still count as added sugar,but at least these less-refined sweetenersgive you some minerals and antioxi-dants.

The lowdown on sugar‘My Dream Home’



By Sandi Genovese


Last year, I made a resolutionto personalize my gifts. By far,the most popular gift I madewas a personalized scrapbook.Turns out, it’s easy to do andcost-effective as well. Plus, I’vediscovered a formula thatworks for any birthday, wed-ding or other special occasion.Whether you need a baby gift,a birthday present or a wed-ding offering, a personalizedscrapbook provides a super so-lution.

Everyone takes photos, butit’s rare to find someone whohas the time or inclination tocreate scrapbooks to displaythem. You can help friends andfamily remember a special oc-casion by creating a scrapbook

that is ready to accept theirphotos and any personal com-ments they may want to add.Album selection is key. I limitmyself to those with a ring orpost binding because it is soeasy to add the pages I want tocreate. I also prefer albumsthat have photo sleeves be-cause they present the mostuser-friendly option for the po-tential gift recipient. Whatcould be easier than slidingphotos into sleeves?

I divide the album into sec-tions that pertain to the specialevent. This is a wedding scrap-book that has 25 double-photosleeves inside. The cover fea-tures a window that I’ve deco-rated with a marbleized papermat and a sticker of a bridalbouquet. I divided the insideinto five sections, plus a titlepage. The divisions representThe Engagement, The BridalShower, The Wedding Day,The Gifts and The Honey-moon.To create the divider pages,I trimmed cream-colored cardstock to match the size of thephoto sleeves and punchedthree holes with a standard

hole punch, using the photosleeves as a guide. It’s easiestto make all of the divider pagesthe same. Mine are coveredwith textured, caramel-coloredpaper with a marbleized stripeand a cream-colored pocket,edged in black. Each pocketholds a tag, embellished withcoordinating ribbon ties.Each pocket is attached tothe page with a narrow strip offoam adhesive, placed aroundthe sides and bottom of thepocket. The pocket front is dec-orated to match its theme, withstickers, punches and die cuts.If you can’t find an embellish-ment to match your theme, try

making a color copy from amagazine or take a photograph— like of a champagne bottle— and cut it out to make yourown embellishments.I like to leave the back ofeach divider page blank so thenew owners have somewhereto write their thoughts. The tagthat sits inside each pocketalso provides a place for per-sonal comments.Whether you’re celebrating awedding, a birthday, a newbaby or any other specialevent, a personalized scrap-book is truly a handmade giftfrom the heart that is sure tobe appreciated.

Say toscrapbooks

SHNS PHOTO

You can help your friends and family remember a special occasion bycreating a scrapbook that is ready to accept their photos and any per-sonal comments they may want to add.



Calendar of upcoming events for El Paso/ Southern New Mexico for May 2010If you want your upcoming event listed in SPOTLIGHT’S Out & About section, please send all your relevant data by e-mail to: [email protected]

NoRTHEAST/

CENTRAl EPCC Musical Extrava-

ganza — 7:30 p.m. Friday, May

7, at the Transmountain Campus

Forum, 9570 Gateway North, fea-

turing the El Paso Civic Orchestra,

EPCC Chorus and EPCC Mariachi

directed. Admission is free. Infor-

mation: 831-2454 or epcc.edu.

‘The Brothers Grimm Spec-

taculathon’ – Kids-N-Co. pres-

ents a tribute to the world’s

best-known storytellers May 15-

June 6 at Kids-N-Co. Performance

Space. 1301 Texas. Performances

are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Satur-

days and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Addi-

tional May performances planned

at the Chamizal National Memo-

rial. Tickets: $5-$7 at the door. In-

formation: 351-1455.

Dolly Dingle’s Tea Party —

El Paso County Historical Society

will host its 6th annual tea party

for girls 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May

16, Burges House and Gardens,

603 W. Yandell. Tickets: $15. In-

formation/reservations: 533-3603.

Armed Forces Day — 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 15, at

Noel Field, Fort Bliss, featuring

military equipment and emergency

services static displays, military

police dog team demonstration,

rappelling demonstrations, music

by 62nd Army Band, special enter-

tainment by Fort Bliss MWR, food

and drink concessions, historical

tours, chili cook-off and car show.

Admission is free. Information:

568-4505.

Bridges for Wounded War-

riors Run — The 2nd annual

benefit non-competitive 5K run

and 1-mile fun walk is Saturday,

May 8, at Mitchell W. Stout Track

on Fort Bliss. Run begins at 8:30

a.m. and walk at 8:45 a.m. for both

kids and adults. Registration: $25.

Information: 549.4404 or

[email protected].

Jazz on the Rocks — The

monthly live jazz music series is 8

p.m. the second Thursday of every

month May through September, at

McKelligon Canyon. The May 13

concert features Billy Townes and

Modern Sessions and vocalist

Tony Mac. Tickets: $9 in advance;

$10 day of show (Ticketmaster).

Season ticket packages: $40. Infor-

mation: jazzelpaso.org.

El Paso Diablos Baseball —

The American Association minor

league team opens its 2010 season

with a Heroes of the

Mound Red White

and Blue Tour exhi-

bition game at 6:05

p.m. Saturday, May

8, at Cohen Stadium

in Northeast El Paso.

Regular home game time is 7:05

p.m. (Sundays at 6:05 p.m.). Tick-

ets: $7 box seats; $6 general ad-

mission (free for age 4 and

younger). Information: 755-2000

or diablos.com.

Special Olympics Spring

Games — The Area 19 2010

Spring Games’ opening cere-

monies are Saturday, May 7, at

Irvin High School, 9465 Roanoke.

Events usually include basketball,

track and field, tennis and motor

activities. The “Athlete Village”

will feature different games, music

and entertainment. Admission is

free. Information: 533-8229 or

sotx.org.

loWER vAllEyEl Paso Patriots — The profes-

sional soccer team’s home games

are 8 p.m. at Patriot Stadium, 6941

Industrial. Tickets:

$4 ($3 military;

$1 ages 12 ad

younger). All

seats general

admission. In-

formation/tickets:

771-6620 or elpaso-

patriots.com. May games: • Satur-

day, May 22 — Houston Leones.

‘Gotta Tango!’ — Shundo

Dance Studio presents the stage

show highlighting the passion and

fire of the tango at 2 and 6 p.m.

Sunday, May 9, at Chamizal Na-

tional Memorial. Admission: $12

and $15. Information: 532-2043 or

shundodance.com.



March for Babies — The an-

nual March of Dimes fundraiser is

9 a.m. Saturday, May 15. The 4-

mile walk around Ascarate Park

and Lake, 6900 Delta Drive, raises

money for prevention of birth de-

fects. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

Information: 590-9499 or mar-

chofdimes.com.

Chamizal Blues & Jazz Fes-

tival — May 15-16, at Chamizal

National Memorial Amphitheatre,

featuring a night of blues Saturday

and jazz music Sunday. Informa-

tion: 526-0719 or jazzelpaso.org.

EASTSIdETejanos baseball — The Te-

janos of El Paso Community Col-

lege’s final home games of the

season are doubleheaders at noon

Friday and Saturday, May 7-8,

against Western Texas College the

Valle Verde Campus Baseball

Field. Admission is free. Informa-

tion: 831-2275.

WESTSIdE/

doWNToWN UTEP Softball — The final

home games of the regular season

are 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday (double-

header) and noon Sunday, May 8-9

against UCF, at the Helen of Troy

Complex. Ticket information: 747-

5347 or utepathletics.com.

Borderland Ball Gala —

American Cancer Society’s first

benefit gala is 6 p.m. Saturday,

May 8, at Grace Gardens, 6709

Westside Drive, featuring a casual

evening of denim and diamonds

with live music by Fungi Mungle,

dinner, midway games, and a silent

and live auction. Cost: $100

($1,000 table; $1,500 VIP table).

Information: 544-4427 or

[email protected].

‘Mariachis for Mom’ —

Maestro Phillip G Garcia and

EPYSO presents an afternoon of

mariachi music in the 3rd annual

celebration of Mother’s Day 2 to 4

p.m. Saturday, May 8, in the Plaza

Theatre. Information: 820-2952 or

myspace.com/epyso.

ESPN2 Friday Night Fights— The fighting event is 7 p.m. Fri-

day, May 7, at UTEP’s Don Hask-

ins Center. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Fights to be announced. Tickets:

$20 to $100, plus service charges.

(Ticketmaster).

SoUTHERN

NEW MExICoWet-N-Wild Waterworld —The water park in Anthony, Texas

will open for its 32nd season

weekends beginning Saturday,

May 1. May events include the

Power Jam Saturday, May 15, and

a Norteño Fest Sunday, May 23.

Information: 886-2222 or

wetwild.com.

Railroad Days — 10 a.m. to 4

p.m. Thursday through Saturday,

May 6-8, at the New Mexico Rail-

road and Transportation Museum,

Las Cruces. Admission is free. In-

formation: (575) 647-4480 or mu-

seums.las-cruces.org//rrmuseum.sh

tm.

Inn of the Mountain Gods

Resort and Casino —

Mescalero, N.M. Age 21 and older

admitted. (Ticketmaster) Informa-

tion: 1-877-277-5677 or innofthe-

mountaingods.com. •

Gabriel Iglesias — One of the

area’s favorite comics performs at

8 p.m. Thursday, May 6. Tickets:

$25-$75. • Heart performs at 8

p.m. Sunday, May 9. Tickets: $40-

$125. • King of the Cage fighting

event is 7 p.m. Friday, May 14,

Tickets: $65-$100.

Smokey Bear Days — Satur-

day, May 7-8, at Smokey Bear

Historical Park and throughout

Capitan, N.M. Information: (575)

354-2748 or smokeybeardays.org

‘POPS 4 Kids’ — The Las

Cruces Symphony’s annual family

concert is 3 p.m. Saturday, May 8,

at NMSU’s Atkinson Recital Hall

in Las Cruces. Tickets: $5. Infor-

mation: (575) 646-3709.

Silver City Blues Festival —

The 15th annual event is May 28-

30 at Gough Park, Silver City.

Sponsored by the Mimbres Region

Art Council. Live blues music, stu-

dio tours, street dances and more.

Continues on next page



Continues from page 13

Silver City Blues Festival...Information: (575) 538-2505 or

(888) 758-7289 or

mimbresarts.org.

WWE Smackdown — The

WWE Superstars return after a

sold-out El Paso performance in

March for the professional

wrestling event 7:30 p.m. Satur-

day, May 29, at NMSU’s Pan

American Center in Las Cruces.

Tickets: $15, $25, $30, $40 and

$60, plus service charges. (Ticket-

master).

Ruidoso Sprint Triathlon —

The 4th annual 400-yard indoor

swim, 10-mile bike ride and 3.5-

mile trail run is 8 a.m. Saturday,

May 29, at Ruidoso Athletic Club,

at Wingfield Park in Ruidoso,

N.M. Information/registration:

(575) 257-4900. Online registra-

tion: ruidosoathleticclub.com.

Mayfair — Cloudcroft’s 33rd

annual juried arts & crafts show is

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and

Sunday, May 29-30, at Zenith

Park. Admission is free. Informa-

tion:(575) 682-2733 or cloud-

croft.net.

By Richard Mullins MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

The word “haggling” seemsso unfortunate. It brings to mind visions of aused car lot, and that perfunc-tory back-and-forth with thesalesman. “Let me check withmy sales manager,” they saywith a minor-league thespiansigh. Sure, go check. I’ll still askfor another $1,000 off whenyou get back. But haggling seems to be allthe rage in retail circles now.Now, everyone seems to have astory about how they whee-dled a great price for some-thing through sheerwillpower. The recession hasgranted every shopper a li-cense to consider the stickerprice on even an Old Navysweater as merely a startingpoint. So how should shy or merelypolite shoppers haggle? Whatare the most effective tactics?How does one haggle for re-sults? Because even discountretailers like Wal-Mart or Tar-get are soft targets for theright kind of approach. It doesn’t require takingsome kind of jerky attitude, orsaying “Hey, can’t you give me

a better price?!” Recently, I managed to cutthe price of a Martha StewartDutch oven at Macy’s from itsoriginal price of $200 to just$48. Not bad.

“Culturally, we’re all beingasked to do more with less,”said Michael Kamis, a mar-keting professor at StonyBrook University’s College ofBusiness. “So people think, ‘IfI’m being asked to workharder with no increase, I’mgoing to ask for a break onwhat I buy.’ ” One of the best questions is“Are there any sales comingup?” Most retail staff know allabout the sale calendar, andare willing to fudge thestart/end times.

At Stein Mart, I found staffwho would go online, print outa coupon for an upcoming sale,then tell me when it will start,and put a product to the sidefor me to pick up later. All justfrom me asking “Wasn’t therea coupon in the paper lastweekend?”

Even at big stores like Wal-Mart or Target, it’s worth ask-ing, “Hey, is this ever going onsale?”

At Macy’s, I’ve found staffwho will let you “pre-buy” anitem at a lower price if it’sgoing on sale soon. (Note,many grocery stores will dothis too if you miss a sale, orgive you a rain check if theysell out.) Retailers like moving vol-

ume. So it’s worth asking“What if I buy two?” Kamis found Blockbusterstaff would make a deal onDVDs. Instead of selling oneat $14.99, they would sell 5 for$20. “They didn’t really carehow many videos they sold,”Kamis said. “They just wantedthe $20. So both sides won.” Stores like BestBuy willoften close a deal by offering adiscount if you bundle a TVwith a Blu-ray player and TVstand. Other stores like h.h.gregg have sales staff thatwork 100-percent on commis-sion. If you’re not buying,they’re not earning. So don’tbe afraid to ask what willclose a deal at a lower price.So here’s how I saved so muchon that $200 Martha StewartDutch oven.

The pot was just put on aclearance table at 60-percentoff. (Down to $80.) I chattedup the sales lady about howvery, very cool it was. Shehinted it would go on sale byanother 20 percent in a coupledays, and could give me thatprice now. ($64) She rang up the pot, and Imentioned I had a coupon for25-percent off anything in thestore. Could I pretty pleaseuse that too, I asked? “Sure,bring it over,” she said. Bingo,$48. And she never had to go“talk with her sales manager.”

Richard Mullins is a re-porter for The Tampa Tribunein Florida.

The shy guy’s guide tohaggling



No matter what the actual me-

chanics of your stroke are, you must

commit them to “unconscious

coampetence.” This leaves your

mind clear to image — to see in

your mind’s eye the putt and how it

will turn out.

You learn the mechanics of your

stoke by using conscious compe-

tence, that is, you learn the various

putt mechanics one by one. Then the

trick is to no longer think of them as

separate or individual, but as a

whole movement.

This mental segue from parts to

whole is a prime-time skill that must

be developed. This is what Arnold

Palmer calls the “blessed state in

which you perform without knowing

or giving the slightest thought to

how you’re performing.” It sounds

easy, but under pressure the urge to

revert to mechanics is very strong.

Merging the parts of your stroke

into a unified whole requires prac-

tice, but not just any kind of prac-

tice. You must use drills that “put

Humpty-Dumpty back together

again.”

Below is one of my favorite drills

to ingrain all of the basic putting

skills.

Choose a breaking putt and place a

ball at each 3-foot (one-pace) interval

on the arc. Place one ball in “gimme

range” just to start your progression

off on the right foot. CONT/NEXT P.

state



In this drill, I’m

not thinking about

mechanics. I want to

visualize the arc and

get the feel of the slope.

I’ll start with a tap-in,

then make ’em all.

Chris DiMarco doesn’t care whathis grip looks like as long as the puttgoes in.


.... Starting with the ball nearest the

hole, try to make each putt.

Repeat this drill, placing balls at

5-foot in-tervals, then 8-foot

intervals, etc., always starting with

the ball nearest the hole. Make sure

you start the drill by positioning

yourself on the arc.

Remember, when you can consis-

tently achieve what you intended in

practice, you acquire confidence. And

confidence is a cornerstone of good

putting.

Note:

1. To be an average putter, avoid

three-putts.

2. To be a good putter, learn to

make birdie and par putts when you

have the chance.

3. To be a great putter, you must

make birdie and par putts when you

don’t have a chance.

Develop a mind-set that you can

make putts at the least likely of

times and at just the right moment

when your round is hanging in the

balance. Like a world-class diamond

cutter with just one stroke to get it

right, you need to be able to make

the stroke under pressure.

Dr. T.J. Tomasi is ateachingprofessional in PortSt. Lucie, Fla. VisithisWeb site attjtomasi.com.

ABOUT THE WRITER

THE BLESSED STATE

GOLF SPOKEN HERE

Draw-biasadj.: Describes

a driver that is weighted more inthe heel of the club head to help curve the ball from

right to left if you’re right-handed. It’sthe opposite for

the fade — the weight is adjusted toward the toe.

So I’m watching the first

round of the Zurich Open on one

TV and a replay of a classic col-

lege football game on the other

while I work out. Ben Crane is

about to hit. The announcer says

that Crane — not a very good ball

striker in the past — has really im-

proved his move.

“Keep an eye on his swing

plane; it’s perfect,” he says, and

since this is news to me, I watch

— and I watch and

I watch some more, and still the

guy doesn’t hit it. In fact, he hasn’t

moved a muscle. It passed through

my mind

that he might be dead.

Crane has a short iron in his hand

and there is no water to negotiate,

plus there is no wind. Meanwhile, I

had watched two offensive plays

and a

punt on the other TV.

Finally Slow Lane Crane steps

to the ball, takes his stance, looks

back and forth twice at the target

and then … he backs off, goes

back behind

the ball, throws some grass in the

air that falls straight down (did I

mention there was no wind?),

takes two more practice swings,

asks his caddie something (proba-

bly for more Ambien) and that’s

when I screamed

“Hit it!” and changed the channel.

And if you can believe it, Crane

slows down even more when he

gets to the green. If you are a fast

player, you must train yourself not

to be upset when playing with a

slowpoke. Self-control is not a

gift; it’s a skill, and you must learn

it just like any other golf skill.

If aim and alignment are prob-

lems for you, Don’t Miss the Cross

Sight — a stance alignment tool

that is simple, effective and

expensive. Designed by legendary

surfboard maker Hobie Alter, the

Cross Sight weighs only 5 ounces,

yet easily pins down on driving

range grass with golf tees or on a

mat with its own mat stakes. A tap

of the clubhead adjusts the device

to accommodate divot patterns or a

club change without bending over.

Check out the video on

www.crosssightgolf.com. The

Cross Sight costs about $70.

DON’T MISS IT

Set your sights



Q&A

Q: I have an older cat who was a

young feral when I adopted her.

This past year, she has begun to

miss the litter box. I have taken

her to the veterinarian, which is an

extremely hard thing to do be-

cause I am the only one whose

handling she tolerates. She doesn’t

have an infection.

After some research, I thought I

would try isolating her in the bath-

room to see if she will start using

the litter box. Is this a good idea?

— A.B., via e-mail

A: Assuming your veterinarian

did assure you of your cat’s com-

plete good health, then yes, re-

training is definitely worth trying.

The idea behind putting a cat in

a small area such as a bathroom,

with the rugs removed, is that

potty options are pretty much lim-

ited to the box. Because some cats

develop negative associations with

their boxes, this technique may

help them to get back on track. A

scrupulously clean box is essen-

tial, and any outside-the-box mis-

takes must also be cleaned

promptly and thoroughly.


Once illness has been ruledout, temporarily restrictinga cat to a small area suchas a bathroom can helpwith retraining.

For many people, a good night’s

sleep is hard to come by, for reasons

as varied as stress, caffeinated bever-

ages, snoring spouses and one that

recently took researchers at the

Mayo Sleep Clinic by surprise: pets.

More than half of the people com-

ing to the famous Rochester, Minn.,

medical center for help sleeping re-

ported sharing their bedrooms — and

often their beds — with their pets.

The physicians started recommend-

ing tossing the pets out, but pet lovers

don’t usually like doing so.

Top veterinarians say there are

other options. Their advice can be

summed up succinctly: Keep your

pets clean, keep them lean and get

them on your sleep cycle. With help

from your pets’ veterinarian, chances

are you’ll soon be enjoying sleep in-

stead of counting sheep.

Getting pets on the same sleep

cycle can actually be fun, says Dr.

Gary Landsberg, a veterinary behav-

iorist in Thornhill, Ontario. When a

pet sleeps all day, it’s no surprise the

animal may want to play all night. Dr.

Landsberg says exercising pets, both

physically and mentally, will help

them to settle down when you do.

Dr. Landsberg says pet owners can

enjoy keeping their pets active. That

means shared physical activity —

play, in other words — but it also

should include keeping cats and

dogs busy when you’re not home.

“That can be as simple as giving

pets their meals out of feeding toys,”

he says. “You want something that

will give them food rewards as they

chew on it, or roll a ball and food

falls out. These can keep their brains

and bodies quite occupied.”

And when they nudge you in the

night? Dr. Landsberg says if their

medical, physical and mental needs

have been addressed, you should ig-

nore them, so pets don’t get the idea

that you’ll play with them whenever

they want. — Dr. Marty Becker

Getting a pet on the same sleep cycle can help everyone get a

good night’s sleep.

THE SCooP

Q: I just got a rabbit from a friend,

and I was wondering what fresh

foods are OK to give him. — J.S.,

via e-mail

A: A rabbit’s diet should consist of

a nonstop supply of grass hays (tim-

othy, alfalfa or oat hay, brome or or-

chard grass), plus daily servings of

fresh, dark-green leafy vegetables.

Your rabbit also needs at-will access

Perfect rabbit diet is easy, economicalto clean, fresh water. Fruits such as

bananas, apples or raisins can be

used as treats. Like many longtime bunny fans, I

don’t feed commercial rabbit pelletsat all. I feed “greens” — collard,mustard, chard, kale, dandelion, etc.— along with parsley, broccoli andthe leafy tops of root vegetables suchas carrots, parsnips or beets.




While veterinary behaviorists

aren’t sure why dogs like to roll in

stinky stuff and eat rotten things,

many believe these pets are mark-

ing themselves with their most

prized possessions to show them

off to all of their two-legged and

four-legged friends.

For a dog, wearing stinky stuff is

like wearing the best

of all designer-label scents.

Not only do dogs have millions

more scent receptors than we have,

they are also polar opposites when

it comes to putting stuff on their

skin. While people like smells that

are fresh, floral and fragrant, dogs

prefer dirty, dead and (to us)

disgusting.

Forget trying to prevent your

dog from rolling in the stinkiest

things imaginable. For you it’s

disgusting; for them it’s divine.

With thousands of years of

practice behind them, dogs will

continue to go boldly where no

man, or woman, would ever

choose to go.

The only way to stop the

stinky search-and-roll is to keep

your dog on the leash — or

teach a foolproof come-hither

when called. — Dr. Marty

Becker Dogs love nasty smells so much they want to share them.

THE SCooP

When it comes to gettinginformation on setting up, stockingand maintaining saltwater fishtanks, specialty stores remainpopular. Fish keepers withsaltwater tanks reported gettingadvice from multiple sources,including:

Advice that’s fishyby THE NUMbERS

Keeping fish healthy can be a

challenge.

Fish/aquarium store 71%General pet store 53%Internet 39%Books 34%Friend/relative 31%Magazines 28%Aquarium club 8%

Source: American Pet Products Association

Continued from page 19If you have room for a vegetable

garden, greens are ridiculously easyto grow. I also give my rabbits theparings from all the vegetables I pre-pare for myself.

I buy hay at the feed mill (even

most urban areas have them). If you

have a dry, cool spot to store hay, it’s

most economical to buy by the bale.

If not, buy a “flake” or two at a time,

and you’ll still save money over the

tiny packages sold in pet stores. If

you keep it covered and dry, a hay

bale will last for

months.

(And if you check around, you may

be able to split a bale with other rab-

bit owners.)

Final note: “Wild” greens are fine

to feed rabbits — as long as you’re

sure the area where you’re picking

them is free of herbicides and pesti-

cides.

— Gina Spadafori

Do you have a pet question?

Send it to petconnection@

gmail.com.

rabbit

PET TIP

Hairball fix? Try canned pumpkinHairballs are normal for cats, as is

watching where you walk to avoid thedisgusting “gifts” that always seem to beleft on the most expensive rugs in thehouse. If the problem is severe, yourveterinarian may suggest the use of amild laxative to help the hairballs passthrough your cat’s system.You should also try combing your cat

more frequently to remove excess hair.And you might increase the fiber in yourcat’s diet — adding a little cannedpumpkin daily is a great way that manycats enjoy.Don’t let your cat become a laxative

junkie, as daily use decreases theabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

Commercial hairball remedies should notbe used more than twice weekly excepton the advice of your veterinarian. — Dr. Marty Becker


Before you do that,

though, do check in with the vet-

erinarian. Medical issues that

cause older cats to miss the box

reach beyond urinary-tract infec-

tions, and may include arthritis or

diabetes. All these problems must

be ruled out or treated for retrain-

ing to work.

If your cat still will not use the

box, go back to your veterinarian

and ask for a referral to a veteri-

nary behaviorist, who can develop

a program for you to follow in re-

training your cat and can prescribe

medications that will ease your cat

through the transition back to

good behavior.

— Marty Becker

Do you have a pet question?

Send it to petconnection@

gmail.com.

fINdINg THEbATHRooM



By Gretchen McKay


SEDONA, Ariz.You needn’t be a desert ratto fall instantly in love withthe rugged, red-rock mono-liths that define this en-chanting city of artists innorthern Arizona’s UpperSonoran Desert. Nor do youhave to be a New Ager, al-though if you believe in themystical power of vortexes —there are 15 of these swirlingcenters of energy within 10miles of downtown — you’llfit right into this hot spot forevery imaginable spiritual

and metaphysical activity.Thankfully, you don’t evenneed good weather for a visityou’ll never forget. Even in afreezing rain, with its fa-mous peaks obscured by graystorm clouds and with nor-mally bustling streets void ofpeople, Sedona is a stunner.We would have preferredthe brilliant sunshine andazure skies one associateswith the desert. Especiallysince neither my husbandnor I had thought to packwinter coats or warm shoesfor our quick trip to Phoenix.

(To a Pittsburgher, at leastdumb ones like me, Arizonain January = balmy tempera-tures = another round ofmargaritas by the pool.)Even the most ferventprayers, though, can’t changethe weather or extend a va-cation. If we wanted to seethis geological wonder, it wasnow or never. Grabbing oursweaters, we got into ourcheap rental Chevy andmade the 120-mile drivenorth to the mouth of OakCreek Canyon.Continues on page 23

May a force be with you in thisNew Age hot spot

SHNS PHOTO

Rock formations in Sedona, Ariz., offer picturesque views.



ACROSS1 El ___, Texas5 Snare9 With 23 Across, Armstrong’s“One ___ ...”14 Actor Rachins15 Sharpen16 Cap: prefix17 Sort of stationery18 Little bit

19 “A Bell for ___”20 Roger Bannister’s four- ___23 See 9 Across24 Hebrew letter25 100th anniv.26 Hardy heroine27 “... two ___ ...”31 Ms. Bonheur33 French reflexive34 Nicholas, for one: var.36 Nanny

40 Trunks42 Goal44 Kind of sur-geon45 Nine ___47 Cold wind49 Dir.50 Ages52 Three sisters,of “Macbeth”54 Cinderella’sdelight57 DDE59 ___ FilippoLippi60 Landed61 “... ___ five” 66 Math func-tions68 Doc Simon69 Grape orcream70 Tennis player71 Joint72 Author Leon 73 Thick74 AKA Dupin75 Prepare for atrip

DOWN1 Areca2 Jai ___3 Pitching great4 Working5 Ali Baba’s forty6 Area7 Caper8 Bell ringer9 Resort10 Where Augusta is, in

Maine11 Winged12 Certain consonants13 Nooses21 More sapid22 Eve’s grandson27 Ratio words28 Dupe29 Charlie Parker30 Drivers’ org.32 Old Blue Eyes35 Eve, to Adam37 Big tooth38 Gaelic39 Deer41 Bessemer factories43 Place for hay46 Innocent, in Nice48 Flipped cards51 Polecats53 Burger addition54 Located55 Alert56 Napery58 Greek girl62 Legal claim63 Israeli dance64 Like a lyric poem65 Hallowe’en deceiver67 ___ Jeanne d’Arc



Continued from page 21You can look at all the pic-tures you want of Sedona’s fa-mous rock formations — andlook we did in our officialguide on the two-hour drivethrough some of the scrubbi-est, and occasionally uninhab-itable, terrain I’ve ever seen.(Bet there’s an interestingstory behind names such asHorse Thief Basin and BigBug Creek!) Yet until you ac-tually lay eyes on the peaks,worn by water and wind overmillions of years, you simplycan’t appreciate the majesticbeauty. With their multicol-ored layers and wild buttesjutting into the sky, they looklike a prehistoric form of mod-ern art.

Locals take this fantasticscenery pretty seriously. So se-riously, the McDonald’s onRoute 89A is the only one inthe world to wear turquoisearches; officials thought thetraditional yellow would clashwith the surrounding red

rocks.In comparison to Scotts-dale’s cosmopolitan glamourand Phoenix’s breathtakingsprawl, Sedona feels down-right sleepy; it takes all of 10minutes to drive through town— and that’s if you dawdle.Still, 3 million tourists makethe trek each year to drink inthe view and commune withnature.Thanks tothe lousyweather anda tightbudget, myhusband andI weren’table to takeone of thepopular hot-air balloonrides across Sedona’s red-rockarea (prices start at about$200 per person). We alsopassed on horseback ridingalong the banks of the VerdeRiver and what probablywould have been an excitingjeep tour up a historic dirtroad toward the sandstonecliffs of Mogollon Rim. Theresimply wasn’t enough time.

Nor was there time (or, onmy husband’s part, an open-mindedness) for a personalvortex tour — though I brieflyconsidered getting my palm oraura read by one of Sedona’s20 certified psychic readers.Ever since the late ’80s, whenpsychic Dick Sutphen de-clared the vortex energy in Se-dona was greater thananywhere else in the country,

New Age pil-grims havehad a presencein town.The forcewas still withus. While shop-ping for danglyturquoise ear-rings for ourtwin daugh-

ters, a shop owner informedus that rainy winter dayswere the perfect time to enjoythe fireplace at Enchantment,a luxury resort/spa in theheart of nearby BoyntonCanyon. Purchases in hand,off we went on Highway 89Athrough West Sedona with ourphotocopied map and great ex-pectations.

Maybe it was the unex-pected arrival of snowflakes,or the fact the clouds had fi-nally dissipated, revealing twoof the city’s most famous rockformations — the aptly namedCoffee Pot Rock and CapitolButte — the drive couldn’thave been prettier. As we ne-gotiated the narrow mountainroads, driving farther and far-ther into the woods (had webeen pranked?), one spectacu-lar formation after anotherexploded into view. I made myhusband stop several times soI could take pictures.Enchantment itself, which issurrounded by the Red RockSecret Mountain Wildernessin Coconino National Forest,was, well, enchanting. Andthat was before the pricklypear margaritas and deep-fried “beaver tail” cactus at itscafe overlooking the rocks, TiiGavo.“Do you ever get tired oflooking at this?” I asked theguard who stopped us at theentrance to the resort so hecould copy our license-platenumber.

SEDONA


mature times may 2010 edition

Documents

trainsmgns photofred

locomotivesinto woodsee

railroad man carveshis

favorite models

steam locomotive

outseveral pieces of

entire model

wooden model trail replicas