UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • January 2016 • 21 ELDER WISDOM:


pleted her senior year of high school. Family tragedy struck when her oldest sister died in childbirth due to inadequate medical care, and the experi- ence helped shape Leslee’s future when she became de- termined to continue school to rise above poverty. Work- ing her way through college at the University of Utah, Leslee majored in English but also studied library science, and her first job was to establish a high school library after graduating in 1939. World War II sent Leslee in yet another life direction. Not one to sit on the sidelines, she took a class in riveting and gave up her job in Elsinore to become a riveter in a Califor- nia airplane factory. After only a few weeks, however, Leslee discovered she couldn’t handle the noise so she transferred to another department. She also met her first husband who taught electronics in the Air Force.


After thirteen years of


marriage and a move to south- ern California to be near his family, they parted ways when her daughters were ages 4 and 5. In the same timeframe, she lost her parents ten days apart. Divorced and out of the work- force for seven years, Leslee was told she was not hirable, so she went to business school and was ultimately hired by RCA to open a technical library. Every time Leslie got kicked down- stairs, she just climbed up an extra flight! Leslee’s next opportunity was a higher paying job at an air-


... continued from page 12


craft company, and she bought a nicer home in La Mirada. It was not easy for a single wom- an to purchase a home in those days, but Leslee took the leap and increased her mortgage to $100/month. As life twisted and turned, the company went out of business after losing its government contract.


Ul-


timately, Leslie returned to teaching english and journal- ism. Her career had come full circle!


After her girls finished col-


lege, Leslee married Albert Bond and took early retire- ment to travel in a motor home throughout the U.S. These ex- periences, along with a summer trip around the world, remain highlights of Leslee’s life next to her children. Albert and Leslee ultimately


moved to Sonoma County fif- teen years ago.


Albert died


in 2012 and Leslee moved to Friends House in Santa Rosa in 2014 where she lives today. She cherishes family time, and has always had a special rela- tionship with her grandchil- dren, two of whom now attend SRJC. She has something to look forward to every day, and continues to write. When we spoke, she was finishing up a story about a past Christmas to share for the holidays. Leslee’s essence can be felt in a poem she wrote about three cathedrals: a walk on a beach... through a college campus...in a redwood grove.


Fully alive


and grounded in who she is and where she’s guided in life, wherever that may be!


ART ON THE COVER JANUARY 2016


SANTA ROSA, CA. ~ Maia Kobabe gradu- ated from Dominican University of California in May 2011 with a BFA in Studio Art (Draw- ing Emphasis) and a minor in Art History. In July 2013 she began studying for her MFA in Comics at California College of the Art. Maia Kobabe is a member of the Society of Chil- dren’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and of Iota Press, an old fashioned letterpress


print co-op in Sonoma County. She is the illustrator of the novel “The Jericho River” by David Carthage, which was published in fall 2012 by Winifred Press. She is the author and illustrator of the webcomic “The Thief’s Tale” (which is ongoing and art on cover is part of it!).


Keeping Your Health in Sight ... continued from page 20


eat the broccoli leaves. In our garden, we live off of the de- licious leaves long after we’ve removed the heads of broccoli.


#8 - Garlic Part of the Allium family (a cousin to onions which should also be part of your daily diet), garlic contains powerful sulfur- containing compounds that give it its reputation for promoting health. Garlic has strong anti- inflammatory properties and promotes heart health as well as helps prevent other diseases caused by inflammation. Garlic also has the ability to control infections from bacterial, vi- ruses, fungi and yeast and has properties that can lower the risk of many cancers. Crushing and chopping garlic allows the conversion of alliin into allicin, the compound that provides you with its health benefits. Let the crushed or chopped garlic rest for 5 to 10 minutes before using it to allow it to develop its allicin content. Use it every- day if possible.


#9 - Dark Chocolate Who wasn’t happy to discover that dark chocolate’s rich anti- oxidant flavonols turned it into a health food? But dark choco- lates mixed with fats other than cocoa butter or with too much sugar added aren’t going to be something you’d want to munch on every day. So look for unsweetened baking choc- olate, or chocolate bars that are at least 70% dark and eat a small piece per day. Better yet, add a tablespoon of pure cacao to your smoothies or desserts.


Chocolate’s flavonoids may reduce the risk of heart attack because they have anti-inflam- matory actions, they can lower blood pressure, improve arte- rial blood flow, lower the sus- ceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidative damage while increasing HDL, and prevent blood platelets from clump-


ing. It’s not only good for heart health, but may also improve brain function.


#10 - Mushrooms Throughout history mushrooms have been praised for their health-promoting properties. Growing up I just had access to white button mushrooms but now the markets are filled with exotic mushrooms, each hav- ing their own health-promoting properties. Shiitake, maitake, chanterelles, oyster, portobello, crimini, porcini, and others can be found either fresh or dried. Like all other classes of foods, I encourage you to mix it up and enjoy all kinds of mushrooms. But don’t forage for them your- selves without an expert tour guide as you can easily poison yourselves.


Mushrooms are most known ... continued on page 22


Weird Facts & Fun Trivia - 7


A.T. Burrows defined a heat wave as three or more con- secutive days in which the shade temperature reaches or exceeds 90 degrees Fahr- enheit. The National Weather Service in the United States still uses this formula for most of the country with exceptions for certain areas. The threshold in most of California’s interior is 100 degrees.


In hot weather, the best time of the day to refuel your car to reduce ozone pollution is in the evenings since it is cooler in the evenings, and hence refueling in the eve- nings reduces evaporative emissions. In addition, there is no sunlight available to aid in the formation of ozone.


Britain has the third highest consumption of ice cream in Europe, after Denmark and Sweden. The average Briton consumes eight liters a year. Americans lead the field, eating 21 liters each.


Sky Lounge Steakhouse & Sushi Bar


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Take 10% off Entire Bill with this ad or mention you saw us in the Upbeat Times!


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It is not good enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well. - Rene Descartes UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • January 2016 • 21


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