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Saratoga Sampler
Paying tribute to an avid traveler, Olive Stocking
By Mary Ann Cook
TRIBUTE TO OLIVE: Olive Stocking died recently as a result of complications after falling over a suitcase she was preparing for an upcoming trip to Alaska. She was 91 and an avid traveler, with her treks to the base camp at Dinali and to Siberia being among her favorites.
Olive was a retired social worker who had lived in Saratoga for something like the past 10 years with longtime friend and traveling crony Ruth Bauer. The two followed the Olympics and world competitions throughout the globe. Skating and swimming competitions were particular favorites.
Their wont was to travel spontaneously and unconventionally, charting their own course without the aid of packaged tours or travel agent suggestions. Since Olive has a nephew who lives in Alaska, that state was a frequent and popular destination.
The undaunted adventurer managed to recover from a broken leg--in time to check out the Olympics venue in Greece. When at home, the usual pattern for the twosome was to start the day off with breakfast at the Moveable Feast, where a clutch of like-minded colleagues awaited.
The finish of the day would find them hoisting a libation at Britannia Arms--a beer for Ruth and tea for Olive. Her zest for life, her interest in her fellow humans and her abhorrence of racial injustice were all cited by friends as earmarks of her personality. When she lived in Southern California, Olive was the field service supervisor for grad students at USC.
It will seem odd and unsettling to see the peripatetic pair reduced to a single.
HAPPY BRAINS: Susan Arthur extolled the nutritional benefits of olive oil, flax seed and almond milk and warned against ingesting white flour and sugar at a talk at the Saratoga Senior Center recently called Unlocking the Secrets to a Healthy and Happy Brain. Arthur is a certified nutritional consultant.
Eating something sweet may perk you up at first, but will leave you feeling let down ultimately, she says. And consuming too much sugar can lead to anxiety and depression, can even block memory transmitters. The good news is dark chocolate is an antitoxin. The key strategy, of course, is to maintain balance in your diet.
Since the brain is 60 percent fat, it needs to be fed fat--but only the best, which means non-trans fats such as olive oil. Arthur considers eggs the single best source of protein because they are full of HDL, the healthy cholesterol. So don't be afraid to eat eggs daily, if so inclined.
Cilantro, too, is an antitoxin, and beans are an excellent source of protein and minerals. For those leery of eating beans, she recommends buying Beano. Avocado, almonds, olives--all good, healthy fat sources--for that fat brain. Turns out calling someone a fathead isn't an insult at all.
MOUNTAIN STOMP: This is grape harvest time, so naturally grape stomps are the party du jour. One of the merriest around was the one Neal and Wendy Barnett put on recently with some 30 friends of all ages. This is the Barnetts' fourth year of growing grapes and their first big stomp.
Guests picked grapes and then stomped their way through the party, which ended with a classic lasagne dinner. There were five adult stompers, all of whose extremities had been sanitized with disinfectant before descending into the vat.
Four kids, too, tackled the job--all are sixth-graders at Fisher Middle School. They are Sophia Bui, Lindsay Barnett, Juliana Davis and Marissa Rajezi. Neighbor Sue Cristallo set the rhythm for the stompers as she entertained on the accordion. She also supplied bandannas for the girls to wear on their heads so they could imitate Lucille Ball in the famed grape-stomping segment on I Love Lucy.
FOR FOOD BANK: The Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation recently gave a grant of $4,970 to Cupertino Community Services, the food bank for Cupertino, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Los Gatos. CCS also provides counseling and housing for low income clients.
The money will be used to develop a Nutrition Education Center with information available in Russian, Mandarin and Spanish, as well as English. The grant will also purchase another work station for case managers.
CCS has some 500 clients from Saratoga. Its executive director is Naomi Matsumoto and program director is Kim Ferm. Rotary Foundation directors are Bev Tubbs and Diane Stoiber.
SPORTS WRITER: Sport columnist for the Mercury News Ann Killion will lead off the Foothill Club lecture series Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. at the clubhouse. Killion has been a sportswriter for nearly 20 years and has covered seven Olympics.
She's a product of UCLA and Columbia J school, is married and has two children. If the A's win, she'll be off following their exploits, so won't be speaking. However, a mystery speaker is on the alert.
GREAT PUMPKIN: The Great Pumpkin comes to Aegis Gallery Oct. 24-Nov. 19. in the pastels of Saratoga artist Mary Ann Henderson. A reception will be held Oct. 28, 5-7 p.m. Besides art, Henderson is renowned for her aplomb in growing all manner of tomatoes: She's Saratoga's Tomato Queen.
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