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Saratoga Sampler
Saratogans to be honored by Pen Women
By Mary Ann Cook
PEN WOMEN ACHIEVERS: Of the eight women being honored as achievers by the National League of American Pen Women, Santa Clara County branch, two are Saratogans--Mary Lou Taylor and Rosalie Sogolow, both in the category of letters.
Also being celebrated for letters are Edie Matthews and Valerie Lewis. In the arts category are watercolorist Karen Honaker of San Jose and Geraldine Scaife, noted clothing designer based in Oakland.
In music the honorees are Laura Green, organist/pianist/composer and Elena Sharkova, director of the Women's Chorale Group at San Jose State, who is also a vocalist, teacher and judge.
Taylor is a poet whose work has appeared in literary journals and small presses. An English teacher at Monta Vista and Fremont high schools, she has been president of the board of the San Jose Center for Poetry and Literature and chairman of Montalvo's Literary Arts Committee. She edited Playing with Fire, written by Patrick Daly.
Sogolow is a teacher and principal at Jewish Family Services of Santa Clara County. She has taught ESL to Russian immigrants and she writes songs and sings in the vocal group, Arise and Shine. Her books are Memories from a Russian Kitchen and Empty the Ocean with a Spoon, a memoir of growing up with the traditions and superstitions of a Jewish household.
Edie Matthews' humor book is titled You've Been Around Children Too Long When. . . Her two-person comedy show is called Mother and Other Goddesses. She has performed at the Improv in Los Angeles, writes jokes for the Reality Check column in the San Jose Mercury.
Valerie Lewis is co-owner of Hicklebee's, the children's book store in Willow Glen. She reviews children's books for CBS' "This Morning" show several times a year and does a weekly radio show on NPR with Tom Bodett called "Loose Leaf Book Company."
The one-hour show for adults about children's books airs Sunday mornings at 8 a.m. in this area. She is the author of Valerie and Walter's Best Books for Children, a Lively and Opinionated Guide.
The Achievers Luncheon will be held on Feb. 10, at the San Jose Elks Lodge. Tickets are $25. Checks to NLAPW go to ShaRon Haugen at 4156 Snowbank Court, San Jose, 95135. Call her at 408.238.2340.
CHINESE NEW YEAR: AAUW celebrates Chinese New Year at Hong Fu Restaurant in Cupertino on Feb. 15, a benefit for scholarships for re-entry women majoring in math or science and transferring to a four year school. The speaker will be Mark Hylkema, state archeologist.
Hylkema's talk will be on San Jose's Third Chinatown Lost and Rediscovered. The Woolen Mills Chinatown site was found in 1997, during excavation work for Route 87. He'll cover intrigue, politics and life as it was lived more than 100 years ago in the midst of Chinese exclusion laws.
Cost is $33. Checks should be made out to ISPF (Interbranch Special Project Fund) and sent to Margaret Ford, 13444 Beaumont Ave., Saratoga, CA 95070.
NOT WHAT HE'S QUACKED UP TO BE: Patti and Bill Hughes, who live in the hills, have a pet duck that thinks he's human, or at the very least a dog. There is a pond and wild ducks on the Hugheses' holdings and the duck, whose name is Walter, will have none of either.
Instead he follows the humans around, greets visitors with gusto and does tricks, such as mimicking human head bobbing, particularly if this is done by the human bending down to his level. At eventide he taps at the kitchen door for entry, goes directly to his dog kennel for the nightly snooze.
He came via Wildlife Refuge in a dog kennel, so considers that his home. Now the Hugheses are trying to teach him how to survive in the wild, including swimming lessons. A first step was taken when he was tossed into the pond and forced to fend for himself.
He tried to walk on water, then fly. No luck there. The water-phobic duck finally resorted to paddling to reach his owners. He still doesn't like the water or eating standard duck fare. The Hugheses hope he will shed the habit of chasing dogs. He had a close call with a Dalmatian recently.
But that pales compared to what's in store when this handsome mallard reaches puberty. The mind reels.
SHOW & TELL: Assistance League will present an antique Show and Tell on Jan. 31, at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Los Gatos History Club. For $25, antique lovers can bring in their articles and an expert will evaluate them, a format akin to the popular TV show, "Antiques Roadshow." For information, call Cynthia Snelham at 408.354.7583.
UPCOMING HAKONE CLASSES: Hakone offerings coming up: a Dowsing workshop on Feb. 4, 1-5 p.m. with Sam Holland. Dowsing is the art of finding energies through the use of a divining rod. Workshop fee is $40 and the number to call is 408.253.8337.
Travel Sketching with Linda Mitchell is held on Fridays, starting Feb. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To register, call 1.831.462.0785.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
