Category: May 2020

Word of the Month: Obsequious & Sycophant

David Zapatka Friends and readers Randi and Jim Nulty write, “We enjoyed your April WOTM column. Randi once scored a triple word in Scrabble using the word ‘pismire.’ I think it was 70+ points. We have never forgotten the word or its definition.” I suspect many of our readers are Scrabble players. I’ve always enjoyed…

Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries

Curbside Library Service Janet Fabio and Virginia Bynum The SaddleBrooke Community Libraries are very excited to be able to offer curbside library pickup. This service is available only at the SaddleBrooke One Library and you can only reserve cataloged items held in that library. If you are a registered library user at either DesertView or…

This I Have Learned…A Movie for All Time

Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg With the extra time I have on my hands these days, I decided to watch one of my favorite movies, South Pacific, on Turner Classic Movies. Leave it to Rodgers and Hammerstein to write the lyrics for its third and uber-successful panoramic movie. The other two, Oklahoma! (1955) and Carousel (1956), were equally as…

Medicare and Me: COVID-19 and You

Leah Sugar Kari, certified medical representative and licensed insurance agent specializing in Medicare products You’re doing the good stuff—social distancing, vigorous hand washing, and staying at home to do your part in halting the progression of the COVID-19 virus. As partners in your health care, Medicare and your insurance plan are providing important assistance to…

SaddleBrooke Mask Makers

Milka Triebe (left) and Jackie Schochet (Photo by John Triebe)

Allison Lehman SaddleBrooke unit representative, Judy Cummings, sent an email on March 22 to Unit 47 residents for a project started by Milka Triebe and Jackie Schochet. These ladies had a plan to help during the COVID-19 crisis. The request was for anyone who had a sewing machine, fabric, thread, elastic, drivers, and donations. Well, you…

7,000 Pounds of Produce Gone in 29 Minutes

Liese Razzeto of SaddleBrooke Ranch and Linda Leigh of Oracle Learning Garden prepare produce for distribution.

Barbara Barr The day before Easter Sunday was cold and rainy, but that didn’t keep hundreds of families away from the Oracle Community Center to pick up fresh produce for their families. The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke and Rotary District 5500 raised money to provide 7,000 pounds of produce for families in need in the…

An Electric Bike for You? Part 3

Haibike HardSeven 4.0

Roger Fife In my final article on e-bikes, I will present some advice on purchasing an electric bike. While not an expert on e-bikes, I have researched some of the more popular ones and have tried out several that I considered purchasing. Some characteristics that are desirable when purchasing an e-bike are quality, price, power,…

Neighborhood Troubadour

(Photo by Barbara Wilder)

Barbara Wilder Since the high point of my day is my morning walk with a neighborhood friend, I look forward to finding something new every day. We were walking up Desert Bluff in SaddleBrooke TWO and noticed a crowd gathering. “What’s happening?” asked my friend Marjorie Diederichs. As we warily approached the group, keeping our six-foot…

Partner’s Western Dance Club—Why We Dance

Partner's Western Dance 2019 holiday party

Jane Gromelski I am sure you have read articles that inform you of the health benefits gained by dancing. It is good aerobic exercise. It benefits the brain by building synapses. And what other sport allows you to hold your partner in your arms while you participate? But the most important reason to dance is that it…