Saratoga News There's just one problem for No Problem Mover Mary Ann Cook NO PROBLEM MOVER?: Marcia and Earl Adams found their dream house in the Pasatiempo area and will be moved in by the time you read this--maybe they'll be moved in, that is. They are set to vacate their 6th Street house on the 15th of the month so the new owners can move in, and then the Adamses will move into the new place. The seller, though, is having seller's remorse, which is an affliction that can probably strike without warning, even though the plight that gets the publicity is buyer's remorse. The Pasatiempo seller is now saying she's not budging, so even though the papers are all signed, there's no telling if the Adams' furniture will find a home awaiting at the appropriate time or not. The moving company they lined up is No Problem Mover of San Jose. If the seller's threat holds, the moving company may have to change its name, notes Marcia wryly. It's a small company and the operation isn't big enough to tie up a full truckload of furniture for any length of time, she adds. Still undaunted, the Adamses headed up to the Hyatt at Incline on a mid-week package special to deliver Santa packages to their offspring and do some skiing. Too bad they don't have a sleigh. The mountain of paperwork associated with home buying and selling is unbelievably monstrous, Marcia relates. And she's someone who is at home with paperwork, having been marketing director for Harker Academy, and is now heading her own public relations business, Marcia Adams Consulting Services. SARATOGANS=PHILANTHROPY: Lots of local philanthropists were honored recently by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives Silicon Valley Chapter. The ceremony was held at the San Jose Fairmont on National Philanthropy Day Nov. 19. Honored as Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser was Florence Barker, and the John Sobrato family were named Outstanding Philanthropists. Valle Monte League received the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization Award, and The Valley Foundation won the Outstanding Foundation Award. Jill Muller is president of Valle Monte League, and Phil Boyce is founder and president of the Valley Foundation. Honored as Distinguished Philanthropists were Mike Fox and Glen and Bobbe George. Florence Barker was singled out as volunteer fundraiser of the year for her longtime service in organizing and motivating volunteers. She is one of the founders and still one of the most active members of Valle Monte League, which raises money for the Adult and Child Guidance Center. Last year the league donated more than $200,000 to the center. When you mention "fundraising volunteer" in this valley the first name that springs to mind is Florence Barker. That was true 35 years ago and it is true today. BILINGUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY: When Bill Brown of Bill Brown Construction Company and his wife Diane Tuley-Brown throw a Christmas party, they pull out all the stops. They included friends, neighbors, clients and employees and their families and rented the Foothill Club, which was packed with 150 attendees. Since many in the construction crew are Hispanic, the proceedings were conducted on a multicultural basis. The DJ played Mexican and American holiday favorites, and the speeches were given in both English and Spanish. Project manager Javier Garcia did the translating. Santa was on board, presumably understood in any language, and handed out hefty presents to all the young 'uns. Children dancing, children laughing, a roomful of warmth, reports one of the appreciative guests. All in all, an event that promises to be annual. PET, ANYONE?: At the Vineyards on a recent weekend appeared a mysterious box with breathing holes in it. A box that apparently housed a pet. The date and the fact that this was a pet hamster, now ownerless, appeared thereon. It was a dark and stormy night. Various Vineyard residents, including Jane Dennis, thought she should befriend the pet, bring it indoors. But she didn't. The next day, however, George and Livia Dietre did take pity on the beast and opened the box. There it was, all wet and furry. The Dietres supplied a fresh towel and called the SPCA to see if they housed hamsters. "Yes, we do," said the SPCA. So the Dietres hied themselves to Santa Clara and relinquished the box. "This is no hamster," said the keen-eyed animal expert at the desk. "This is a gopher. We don't take gophers." Watch out. This gopher must be good at disguises. Fooled the person who put it in the box in the first place, plus the soft-hearted Dietres. If you've already heard this story you're probably keen for good government. Jane Dennis told this story at the Good Government Group's holiday party at the Vineyards. CHINESE BRUSH DEMO: Anne King Leong will give a free demonstration, open to the public, in Chinese brush painting at 2 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Los Gatos Museum of Fine Art, 4 Tait Ave. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 16, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.