The Mirabella Monthly - Resident Interactive

Mirabella SeattleThe Mirabella Monthlywww.mirabellaseattle.orgVolume 5 | Issue 5What’s on Tap3 An Innocent Abroad:Part 1 Visas and Vistas5 Rocky Raccoon | Dining Out6 Who Does What at Mirabella6 Postings from the President7 May Programs8 May Outings9 Classes: Sports – Sharks – WritingAutobiographies – ShortStories – Bible Studies –Music – Macs10 What’s an Intranet?11 Drop, Cover, and Hold12 Library | Line Dancing | Opera13 Books | Lung Talk14 Walk with Kerry | Pilates14 Locked IN not OUT15 On Making Chocolate: Part 117 Chef Tamas Ronyai18 Book Review: Mysteries of theMiddle Ages19 Birthdays | Remembering20 SIFF 2013 | Eye Institute Talks21 Meet the Mirabella Seattle Board22 The Cascade Heart Beat23 Snappy Shots24 Guide to Mirabella PublicationsSubmissions deadline for the Juneissue is May 15. Don’t forget!The Mirabella MonthlyMirabella Seattle116 Fairview Avenue NorthSeattle, WA, USA 98109206.254.1400Remombering MotherMy mom, Mildred, was bornand raised in St. Louis, MO, inthe post-Victorian era. She wasvery stuck up about being afifth generation American. Howmany other Jewish-moms-to-besomeday,could say the same?Most Jews in the U.S. wereimmigrants, sharing tenementswith rats on the lower East side ofManhattan. But not my mom. Shelived on Cook Avenue in St. Louiein a brick house complete withKatie, an Irish maid, who cookedand served dinner.Mom had two sisters, Flossie andNorma. Flossie, the oldest was thepretty one. She eventually fell inlove with John, a devout Catholic.It didn’t work out. Meanwhile,Norma, the middle sister, took onthe job of basic family caretaker.Mildred was the baby of the family.When I first met Mildred as hernewborn in Ravenswood Hospitalin Chicago, IL, she was still busybeing a fifth generation YankeeDoodle Dandy.Mom’s dad, Samuel, my grandpa,was a handsome dude in themail order business, with fatcatalogs full of ladies corsetsand gentlemen’s spats. He was arespected, beautifully whiskered St.Louie businessman.After Samuel died of pneumoniaMay | 2013he caught in a Midwest twister,Mom’s mom, my Grandma Rose,married Morris, an Alabamagambler, also Jewish. Morris lostall Rose’s money at poker, thendied shortly after of apoplexy.Mildred thought of him foryears as a romantic Southerngentleman. ‣My mom, Mildew (Mildred),at a costume party

Mirabella SeattleHappy M-Day, Mirabella Moms2 May | 2013Impoverished by Morris, Rosehad to fire Katie, and so thingswent, rather downward, untilNorma married Heinie (Henry)a naturalized American fromLiverpool, England, and the wholefamily moved to Chicago whereHeinie had a job.By this time, Mildred was sixteenand a student at Bryant & StrattonBusiness School to learn typingand shorthand, which she adored.At seventeen, she was working forSears Roebuck in a newfangledtyping pool and bringing home $11every week!At eighteen she was a passionatedevotee of the Windy City, anda card-carrying member of thePhilanthropic and Social Club ofthe South Side (aka The PhilanSoClub). The philanthropic partremains a mystery to me still, butthe social part was clearly lively.One of Mildred’s favorite clubhappenings was a costume party,where she dressed as a young manin a cap, puffing on a behemothcigar. A fellow PhilanSo member,Maurice, a South Side wise guy,decided to evolve her name fromMildred to Mildew and the newmoniker stubbornly persisted foryears.Mildred met Harry, my dad, ather family mailbox. Harry was anative Chicagoan, a gentle mailcarrier, with ambitions to becomea commercial photographer, whichhe did. He bought a tiny studioon Ohio Street and specialized inshooting suites of furniture, whichhe called “suits” in his flat, nasalMidwest drawl.During WW II Mildred wentback to work, this time for theU.S. Signal Corps, never happierthan when she could set off inthe morning for an office ratherthan sit down in the morning towait for Irving, the milkman whoused to chat with her through thelittle “milk door” in our furnishedapartment. We were now livingtwo blocks from Lake Michigan,near the Edgewater Beach Hotel.I was a latchkey kid; but noproblem—there was a war on, afterall.When the war ended, Mildred losther job at the Signal Corps andwent to work for Marshall Field &Company, Chicago’s most elegantdepartment store. From thatmoment on, I was mothered andsmothered in all sorts of goodies,thanks to Mildred’s generosityand the liberal discounts for Fieldemployees.When my dad died, Mildredfollowed me to midtownManhattan, where I now had ahusband, a baby, a dedicatedcareer, and an apartmentwith three bedrooms and twobathrooms the size of phonebooths.Mildred settled in a midtownstudio and went to work for Macy’sin the Complaints Department,where she stayed for twenty-fiveyears, answering letters froma spectrum of customers fromdisgruntled to angry to crazy.My momories of Mildred aremixed. She was generous andfunny, perceptive, loving in herown way, and had plenty of gutsand chutzpa. At one point, she andI traded roles; I became the mom,and she dug deeper into being thebaby of the family.Anyway, wherever you are/aren’t,Mildew, have a Happy Mother’sDay.Carole Anne Fine“COME TO THECABARET”FeaturingYVE EVANSJAZZ PIANISTand VOCALISTMAY 10, 4:30 pmEMERALD HALLMirabella Residentsonly

Mirabella SeattleAssignment in AfricaMay | 2013 3Part 1Visas and VistasThe April Mirabella Monthlyarticle describing our residents’exciting trip to Africa, ledby Charles Sleicher, stirredrecollections of my own 1976adventure on that “DarkContinent.”It began when I was chatting witha colleague in her office, and thephone rang. She answered, and Iheard her say, “I can’t ask DrakeUniversity for another leave ofabsence; I just got back fromAfghanistan.” A pause while shelistened, then, “Can you hold for aminute?” She covered the receiverand said to me, “The Peace Corpsneeds a psychologist in Swazilandin two weeks. All expenses paid.Are you interested?”My jaw dropped; I stared at herand heard myself say, “Where’sSwaziland?” And then, “Well . . . Iguess so.” Fourteen frantic dayslater I landed at the Johannesburgairport, my knowledge of Africalimited to hazy remembranceof geography class, Edgar RiceBurroughs’s Tarzan of the Apes,and Alan Paton’s Cry the BelovedCountry.Three glum-looking Peace Corpsstaff members from D.C. met myflight. “We’ve got problems,” theytold me. “One is that all flightsto Swaziland are canceled untilfurther notice, and the other isthat South African Immigrationwon’t give us back our visas. Soeither way we’ll be late for theconference.”“They didn’t keep my visa; whydid they confiscate yours?”“Intimidation and harassment;they hate America because wewon’t send them any armaments.You are traveling on a personalvisa, but ours are U.S. governmentvisas. So they tweak the lion’s tailwhen they get a chance.”We slept that night and the nexton the hard, wooden church-pewbenches in Johannesburg airport.Peace Corps staff membersinquired every few hours if theycould please have their visas andwere told, “The visas are beingprocessed.”The third night, around 9 pm, thestaff visas were returned withoutexplanation. We rented a car thatnight to drive to Swaziland. Butbecause one of the D.C. PeaceCorps staff was a black man andit was illegal for blacks and whitesto travel in the same car, we facedour second challenge. We hastilypawed through our bags andhauled out our bulkiest garments,which we piled under and over thepoor victim who crouched on thefloorboards of the back seat.After dark and in a blindingrainstorm, we began driving—onthe left side of the road, a first forour sleep-deprived driver. It was atense, three-hour trip to the borderof Swaziland, which closed atmidnight. We arrived at the gatedcheckpoint at 11:50.“How many passengers?” thewhite, uniformed customs officialinquired.“Three,” responded our driver,handing over three visas.The still pouring rain may havediscouraged the officer fromactually getting out of his guardstation to check, and he waved ‣Swazi Warriors taking part in an annual Reed Dance. © Retlaw Snellac

Mirabella SeattleHelping the Peace Corps Help Swazis4 May | 2013us through. When we were safelyover the border we let out whoopsof joy and relief as we freed ourpatient stowaway.We checked into charming littlecabins in Swaziland and sleptbriefly. I was awakened at dawnby a rhythmical sound drawingnearer to my open window. Liftingthe blind, I watched as a troupeof about a dozen tall black menholding long spears marchedin file down the dusty road tothe beat of their own chanting. Icould see that they were barefoot,with close shaven heads, necksadorned with ropes of white beads,and some with wide braceletson their arms. They wore shortskirted breechclouts patternedin brown,white, and red designs,and some had bright featheredornaments around their heads. Iwas, indeed, in Africa.The purpose of the meeting inSwaziland was to reconnect PeaceCorps staffers from headquartersin D.C. with their country directorsin Africa, gather updates on whatwas going on, and learn ways thatthe home office in the U.S. couldsupport and be of service to theAfrican program.The job description of thecountry directors (all men) wasto establish friendly, cooperativerelationships with host countrycommunity leaders, to helpidentify projects that could usePeace Corps skills and expertise,and to supervise their assistantdirectors. My assignment was tomeet with the assistant directors(all women) to help them counselAmerican volunteers who mightbe experiencing “culture shock.”Many of the volunteers wereteaching English as a foreignlanguage to local communityleaders, chiefly teachers, andothers. The assistant directorsarranged and facilitated thisactivity, supported the volunteers,and made sure that the interactionbetween them and their Africanhosts was mutually satisfactory.The assistant directors werecapable, enthusiastic, and enjoyedtheir work with the communitiesand volunteers. They had noproblems in that regard. It turnedout that their main concern wasdealing with their directors. Thedirectors’ style of leadership wasauthoritarian, their listeningskills nil, and their approach tolocal leadership one of avoidancewhenever possible. The problemappeared to be rooted in theprocess of selecting directorsunder the U.S. government in themid 1970s. Peace Corps founder,Sargent Shriver, being long gone,the Nixon administration, withthe goal in mind of organizingthe Peace Corps “in a businesslikefashion,” had reached out toAmerican Corporations to “lendtheir best executive minds” tothis worthy cause for two years.Some corporations may well havebeen patriotic enough to do this.However, it appeared that othersseized the opportunity to unloadvictims of the Peter Principle:men—always men—who had risenabove their usefulness to thecompany.At any rate, some of the maledirectors in Swaziland appearedto be suffering culture shockthemselves. One was too nervousto step out of his house. Manywere unable to perform as eitherambassadors of good will to theirAfrican communities or empathicsupervisors to their female“underlings.”The “let-down-your-hair/tell-itlike-it-is”group conversations Ihad with the assistant directorsshowed them they were not alonein this difficult challenge and thattheir individual problems wereneither imaginary nor their fault.We brainstormed coping strategiesthey might use: chiefly ways ofaiding and communicating withthe directors in an empathic waywhile standing up for themselvesand the value of the jobs they do.We role-played real situations thathad occurred to better preparethem, and I began to hope theassistant directors could return towork with renewed confidence andgreater effectiveness.It was a delight to get to knowthese inspiring women. I recallbeing impressed with an assistantdirector from Liberia whosebright mind and sense of humorwere reflected in her iridescent,chocolate brown complexion, hergorgeous, brightly colored nativesilk dress, and her beautifulturban.Jo Robertsz

Mirabella SeattleRaccoon Mafia Strikes AgainMay | 2013 5La Procioni (Raccoon)Famiglia CriminaleNo, these raccoons are not Italian,but they have a mafioso mentality.They take from the rich and giveto themselves. It all started severalyears ago. We have a cabin onHood Canal. One evening I lookedup to see two little raccoon facesstaring at me through the livingroom window. Checking them outfrom the porch, I discovered they’dclimbed a sturdy Pyracantha bushand headed for a suet bird feederthat would be out of their reachanyway. “Shoo,” ”scat,” and “beatit” were not in their vocabulary.Maybe some Italian: “andarsene!”may have worked, but while thismonologue was going on, BigMama made her presence knownby snarling at me from the ground.I translated it as “Stop harassingmy kids.”Recently, I was startled bysomething that went “bump” inthe night. Actually it was a BANGin the night. I decided whatever itwas hadn’t put a hole in the roofand went back to my reading. Inthe morning I discovered thatsomething (guess ‘who’ or ‘what’)had lifted the five-pound birdfeeder full of sunflower seeds offits chain that suspended it fromthe eaves and dropped it on theporch. Subsequently, after someduct tape surgery, we beganbringing the feeder in at night.Some weeks later we returned tofind a second feeder lying on theground, severed from the cord thatpassed over a pulley. The damageto the expensive battery-powered“squirrelflinger”wassevereand fatal.At first Ithoughttheraccoon had merely jumpedaboard the feeder and rupturedthe cotton cord. But on closerexamination, it seemed more likelythe critter had bitten through thecord.We replaced the feeder with asimpler, passive “squirrel-flinger,”exchanged the cotton cord for aheavier polypropylene one, addeda dome, and sprayed the cord andpart of the dome with “CritterRidder,” a pepper-based mammaldeterrent. But, afraid to leave thefeeder up while in Seattle, I tookit indoors before leaving. We’llreturn soon to see just how cleverwe are. Cleverer than the ProcioniFamiglia? We’ll see.Herb CurlRestaurant ReviewCedars on Brooklyn4759 Brooklyn Avenue NE, SeattleWA 98105 (206) 527-4000In past years, when Mr. Bhatty, acharming Pakistani host, ownedit, we have often eaten at theCedars. Whatever we ordered wasgood and hearty. We heard thatMr. Bhatty had sold the place toa relative. When a few years hadlapsed and our grandson movedto Seattle, he asked to take us toour favorite Indian restaurant. Wedidn’t have any alternative to theCedars, but were a little concernedthat it wouldn’t be the same underthe new owners.On a Tuesday, we climbed up theold wooden steps to the secondfloordining area. The host showedus to a table in the main room,overlooking Brooklyn Avenue, butit was jammed with young people.We asked for a spot where hearingmight be better and got a table inthe back room.We had a couple of big bottles ofTaj Mahal beer and ordered twomain dishes, butter chicken androgan josh with lamb, each orderserved with a mountain of rice. Weexpected tandoori chicken tikka(pieces) but got an entrée withrice. We also ordered two naans,(Indian bread), one garlic and oneplain. The butter chicken was asgood as ever, and the rogan joshwas something new for me anddelicious.It was probably the first timewe ever left the Cedars withoutleftovers—perhaps due to ourgrandson’s young appetite or thesmaller portions. Either way, theprices were very little more thanthey were ten years ago, whichmay explain the crowd of youngpeople.Parking spaces are marked forCedars customers along the northedge of the Safeway lot acrossBrooklyn Avenue. The restaurantis ramp accessible from the NWcorner of the lot next door. Metrobuses serve this area. Check the online schedules for #66, 72, and 73.Or go on a nice day for lunch!Art Butler

Mirabella SeattleWho Does What at Mirabella6 May | 2013Residents’ CouncilHellmut Golde,President – 2013Box 428, x 1633Hellmut.Mirabella@gmail.comTed Taylor,Vice President – 2014Box 814, x 1763tedrody@msn.comOlga Butler,Secretary – 2013Box 614, x 1691henryandolga@gmail.comAlice Arrington,Treasurer – 2014Box 800, x 1749alicebelle6@gmail.comCarolyn Blount,Member at Large – 2013Box 503, x 1644cblount@vendor.netJack Blume,Member at Large – 2014Box 1226, x 1878mjb1948@clearwire.netLouise Miller,Member at Large – 2013Box 348, x 1604drstaffmiller@gmail.comMarty Kushmerick,Past President – 2013Non-voting MemberBox 402, x 1607kushmeri@u.washington.eduCouncil MeetingsSecond and fourth Tuesday of eachmonth, 9 am, Conference Room A.Residents may attend unless themeeting is held in camera.Committees & ChairsCommittee Chair Meeting TimeArt Jean Frankland 4 th Thursday, 9:30 amCommunications Diana Holland 1 st Wednesday, 3 pmDining Jo Pope 4 th Tuesday, 3 pmEmergency Preparedness Art Hurd 2 nd Wednesday, 1:30 pmEmployee Appreciation Margaret Herb no regular meetingEnvironment & Facilities Dan Dow 1 st Thursday, 3 pmFinanceMidge Chadsey 2 nd Wednesday, 1:30 pm& Jim OhtaGovernance Advisory Tom O’Brien 2 nd & 4 th Monday, 2 pmHealth & Wellness Ellie Fife 2 nd Tuesday, 3 pmLibrary Martha Oman 1 st Monday, 3 pmLifelong Learning Terry Cochrane 3 rd Monday, 11 amMarketing Phil Braden 3 rd Tuesday, 10 amNominations Martin Kushmerick no regular meetingOutside Activities Judith Peterick 1 st Tuesday, 1 pmProgram Gloria Burch 2 nd Tuesday, 1 pmTransportation & Parking Ken Hopkins 4 th Monday, 3:30 pmWelcomeMary AnnNapravnikApril 1, June 3, 10 amResidents’ AssociationPostings from thePresidentOn Saturday, April 6, Ted Taylorand I took the train to Portlandto attend a meeting of residentrepresentatives from several PRScommunities: Mirabella Portland,Holladay Park Plaza in Portland,Cascade Manor in Eugene, RogueValley Manor in Medford, andUniversity Retirement Communityin Davis, CA. We met for aboutthree hours at Mirabella Portland,getting to know one anotherand understanding similaritiesand differences among thecommunities. It became quiteclear that each community isunique, with different histories,experiences, and expectations.We talked about our boardstructures, refinancing activitiesin some communities, and theimpact of the PRS-Rogue ValleyManor dispute and settlement mayhave on the other communities.It became clear to me that oneof the key ingredients of a wellrunfacility is an active Boardof Directors that maintainsa keen awareness of residentconcerns and suggestions. Boardgovernance and oversight of thecommunity is greatly ‣

Mirabella SeattleGrand Birds and a Grand PianoMay | 2013 7strengthened not only by givingresidents voting membership ontheir board but also inviting activeresident participation in boardcommittees. At present, onlyHolladay Park Plaza has one votingresident board member, andRogue Valley Manor should gettheir two promised members soon.Other communities, includingMirabella Seattle, are still awaitingpositive action by PRS.To me, the number of residentvoting members on a governingboard is less important than thewillingness of the board to interactwith residents and listen to whatthey have to say. Our board isclearly doing this; Ted Taylor and Iare active participants in our boarddiscussions.Four of our current boardmembers attended the AprilAssociation meeting and spoketo their roles and responsibilities.They also made it clear that ourboard is still in its infancy. Itneeds to add more members fromthe Greater Seattle community,members with interest andexpertise in aging, in medicine, infinance, in law. Please let us knowif you have any suggestions.The participants in the Portlandmeeting agreed to continue theircommunication in the future,principally by email, to exchangerelevant documents, and to keepone another informed aboutimportant developments in theircommunities.By the way, a trip to Portlandvia Amtrak is a wonderfulexperience. You can relax, view thecountryside, and even take a nap!Hellmut GoldeTwo Gentle RemindersIf you place a message in Residents’mailboxes, please sign and dateit. It is important for recipientsto know where a message comesfrom. This reminder is forresidents and staff members alike.Also, please read the weeklybulletin, Mirabella This Week,which is distributed to yourmailboxes. It contains informationabout events and meetings in thecoming week as well as a previewof later attractions.Hellmut GoldeProgram CommitteeGloria Burch, Chair“A Place for the Senses: AnArtist’s Response in Line andStone”Thursday, May 2 at 4 pm inEmerald HallTony Angell, renowned naturephotographer and artist, willpresent a program celebratinglocal birds. For nearly a halfa century, Tony Angell hasexplored the natural world of thePacific Northwest in his books,illustrations, and sculptures inbronze and stone. Several of hisnonfiction books have received theGovernor’s Writers Award. Mostrecently, the 2006 WashingtonState Book Award went to hisIn the Company of Crows andRavens, which he illustratedand coauthored with Universityof Washington Professor JohnMarzluff. His most recent book,The Gifts of the Crow (2012), isnow in paperback.Angell lives with his wife, LeeRolfe, and two daughters in Seattle,maintaining studios there andon Lopez Island. He is currentlyfinishing his new book celebratingWashington’s western screechowls, to be titled The House ofOwls. His numerous sculpturesare on display in both public andprivate collections in the northwestand southwestern United States.Jean RolfeGrand Welcome for GrandPianoTuesday, May 14 at 4 pm in theNorthwest Dining RoomThe grand piano in the NW DiningRoom is the gift of Mirabellaresident Miriam Jelinek and herfamily. To commemorate theirgenerous donation, a musicalprogram in the NW dining roomwill include a Mozart trio byKitty and Dan Dow, piano andclarinet, and Stafford Miller,string bass; a song by CarolynBurton; a piano/clarinet duoby D. Milhaud, the Dows; and afinal ensemble featuring Carolynsinging a festive song by GustaveMahler accompanied by theinstrumentalists. Refreshments willbe served. It will be a grand time tosay “thank you” to the Jelineks.Stafford MillerThe Ladies Musical Club (LMC)Sunday, May 19 at 3 pm inEmerald HallLMC will present their last concertof the season. Rebecca Peterson,soprano, with Glenda Williams,piano, will perform operatic ariasby Puccini, Charpentier, and ‣

Mirabella SeattleThe Bulbs, Balls, & Malls of May8 May | 2013Verdi. In the second half, AnnRackl, violin, and Selina Chu,piano, will play gorgeous music byDvorak and Debussy.The women of LMC generouslyshare their talents with us everythird Sunday of the month for noremuneration. A good turnoutfor this last concert before thesummer break will be a fine wayto thank them. The concerts willresume on October 20th.Carolyn BurtonUW Husky Stadium Project:Countdown to KickoffThursday, May 23 at 4 pm inEmerald HallChip Lydum, University ofWashington Associate AthleticDirector for Operations andCapital Projects, will present aspecial program on the soon-tobe-completedHusky Stadium.Much of the major constructionwork is now finished, with themany detailing projects currentlyunderway before the stadiumopens August 31. Chip will take uson a colorful audio/visual tour ofthe new facility that will highlightthis exciting project’s many uniquefeatures. Go Huskies!Bob CapelotoOutside ActivitiesJudith Peterick, ChairDomke LecturesMay 2, 6:10 pm to approximately8:30 pm, Kane Hall, UWTickets may be purchased atthe door the night of the lectureor some residents may have anunused ticket available. This isthe final lecture in a series offive lectures titled Winning theWhite House in 2016: Five Rulesfor the Road. Pauline Saxon iscoordinating this lecture, x 1850.Dining Out–LuncheonThursday, May 9, 12:45–3 pm,FareStart RestaurantThis restaurant is a special jobtraining and placement programfor homeless and disadvantagedindividuals and provides apleasant luncheon. Over the pastseventeen years it has helped morethan 3,000 people to transformtheir lives by achieving selfsufficiencythrough life skills, jobtraining, and employment in thefood service industry. We have hadlunch here before and have foundit very good food. We will be sittingat different tables and will getseparate checks. Bill Ellis, x 1721,is coordinating this luncheon.Lakewold GardensFriday, May 10, 9:30 am–2 pmLocated in Lakewood, Washington,Lakewold offers landscapearchitecture by Thomas Churchsurrounded by rare and nativeplants, State Champion trees,over 900 rhododendrons, 30Japanese maples and stunningstatuary. Much of the gardens arewheelchair accessible, includingrestroom facilities. Many of thepath/walk ways are finished withbrick pavers, hardened earth orsmall pea-gravel. We will have adocent-led tour, which will cost us$8 each including our admission.There will be a $5 Mirabella busfee. These charges will be billedto you on your monthly Mirabellabilling. After touring the gardens,we will stop at Lakewood Mall forlunch: among many eateries arePanera Bread, The Ram, LaPalma,and Applebee’s.Swanson’s NurseryFriday, May 17, 9:30 am–12:30 pmWe are substituting one of our malltrips for a Spring shopping tripto Swanson’s Nursery. For thoseof you who like to plant on yourbalconies, this is your opportunityto purchase plants and get themplanted before balcony cleaning.Also Swanson’s will deliver yourpurchases to Mirabella if you wish.Theatres/OperaSeattle Repertory Theater –Boeing, BoeingWednesday, May 1, 1–4 pmJudith Peterick, Coordinator, x 1683.Excursions/Malls/OthersFridays 9:30 am–12:30 pm unlessotherwise noted5/01 SRT – Boeing, Boeing,Wednesday, 1 pm5/02 Domke Lecture, Thursday,6:10–8:30 pm5/03 Northgate, Target, Best Buy5/09 FareStart Restaurant,Thursday, 12:45–3 pm5/10 Lakewold Gardens, Friday,9:30 am–2 pm5/17 Swanson’s Nursery5/24 University Village and QFC5/31 Southcenter and adjacentmallsGrocery ShoppingFridays 1:30–3:30 pm unlessotherwise noted5/03 Trader Joe’s – Ballard5/17 Fred Meyer – Ballard5/24 Metropolitan Market –Mercer Street5/31 Trader Joe’s – Ballard ‣

Mirabella SeattleSpring Training at MirabellaMay | 2013 9Cancellation PolicyFor trips that require advancepayment for admission fees,other charges, or a rented bus,prepayment will be requestedonce total charges are determined.There can be no refunds forcancellations. If you are unable togo, you can recover your costs onlyby finding someone else to takeyour place.Lifelong LearningTerry Cochrane, ChairSports in AmericaTuesdays, May 7, 14, 21, 28 at1–3 pm in Conference Room AThis interesting Spring Quartercourse will be given by JamesRigali, who was a sports writercovering the Seattle Marinersand the SuperSonics. He laterearned his PhD in History atthe University of Washingtonand teaches there and at otheruniversities. His specialty is19th century American History.Rigali will consider the historicaldevelopment of sports in theU.S. and its impact on Americanhistory.The course is sponsored byOLLI-UW (Osher LifelongLearning Institute at Universityof Washington), which haschosen Mirabella as a venue tohold courses and Lunch & Learnpresentations. All Osher membersin the Seattle area are eligible toattend these classes and events.To become a member, you maysign up online ($85 for a year’smembership; $35 for each course.Lunch & Learn is free for membersand their guests. Membershipinformation is available in theBusiness Office or you may callTerry Cochrane at x 1689.Lunch & Learn: The Return ofGray WolvesTuesday, May 14, noon–1:30 pmin the West Dining RoomWe will be welcoming AaronWirsing at our next Lunch & Learn.He is an Assistant Professor in theSchool of Environmental & ForestSciences, where he studies thebehavior of sharks and wolves.I urge all Mirabella Oshermembers to attend, with a guest,to insure that we will be able tocontinue to host these interestingspeakers. For instance, in Aprilour speaker, Dr. Anu Taranath,gave an engaging presentationon multicultural literature herein our state. And, in March weheard from Dr. Ursula Valdez,who wowed us with her historyof the birds of Peru’s Rainforest.So come; and bring a guest, yourlunch, and questions.Guided AutobiographyWorkshopPlanned for the FallSign up at the Concierge desk ifyou would like to be included inthis 8 session/20 hour Workshop.It is designed to provide thestructure and support to helpyou recall and appreciate yourlife stories. Joanne Horn, thevery able, engaging instructor, isan experienced human relationsconsultant with an extensivebackground in writing, mentalhealth, and conflict resolution.Joanne will be contacting eachprospective workshop member byemail to ascertain an agreementon the dates and time of theworkshop in conjunction with ourCommittee. Fee for the Workshopis $135.Great Short StoriesTuesdays, May 7 and 21, 2:45–3:45 pm in the Vineyard RoomWarren Anderson continues hispenetrating question and answerformula as we analyze one ofthese classic stories each session.Purchase of the book is required.Bible StudyWednesdays, 9:30–10:30 am inConference Room AKing Jones is our expert guidethrough the Acts of the Apostlesas we follow the spread of theearly Christian Church across theRoman Empire. All welcome.SketchingTuesdays, May 14, 21, 28, 10–11:30 am in the Craft RoomPat Carlin inspires our residents totry their hand at Art while havingfun. Fee $4 per class.The Great ComposersMondays, May 6, 13, 20, at 9:30–11 am in Emerald HallStafford Miller’s class continueswith interesting videos on the livesof well–known composers andsamples of their music. Fee $25per 8 classes.MAC/iPad ClassesFridays, May 3 and 10, 10–11:30am in Conference Room ATim Hannon has two moreclasses in May. On May 3, hewill show how to create slides forPowerPoint, and similar slide ‣

Mirabella SeattleIt’s a Wired, Wired World10 May | 2013show applications. On May 10,he will have a Potpourri Class ofquestions and answers. Bring yourcomputers and questions. Sign upat the Concierge desk. Fee $10 perclass.CommunicationsDiana Holland, ChairInternet, Intranet, andGoogle Groups: ElectronicCommunication at MirabellaIntroductionMany residents are familiar withthe intranet, operated by Mirabella,and many use the email groupcalled MSresidents@googlegroups.com, operated by Hellmut Golde.Both are extremely useful, buttheir use is not quite as great as itcould be. For the beginners, hereare a couple of descriptions.Mirabella IntranetThe Intranet is a web site operatedby Mirabella Seattle. It is used bythe management and by residentsengaged in committee work andother common activities. Pleaserecognize: Internet is a greatworldwide system; intranet is ourinternal Mirabella system. Theintranet uses the Internet. If youare new to the intranet, see theinstructions at the end of thissection.To access the intranet from yourcomputer, use your browser to goto http://mirabellaseattle.org. Thetop left corner contains a sectionfor login and password. Uponlogin, the home screen appears.Right on the home screen you’llfind many current announcements.(At the moment you may findsome that are not current. We’reworking on that.) You’d bestexplore it at your own speed andwith your own interests in mind.Don’t worry about mistakes. Youcan’t make any changes, unlessyou are authorized to do so byDarren Mowry (Mirabella ITcoordinator).We have to remember that weare all different, with differentinterests. You will need to find outyour own favorite places.When you are on any page in theintranet, the left side contains alist of organizations and functions,both administrative and residentbased. You can explore these toyour heart’s content. Many of ususe the “Clubs and Committees”section, where all meeting minutesare posted. “Publications” is a gem,containing most of the currentand past copies of the MirabellaMonthly and the Mirabella Weekly.All Monthly issues are archivedthere, some Weekly. Message boardis a section that few people use,as it seems less flexible than theGoogle groups. Each departmenthas a section for notices. Someare kept up better than others. Adirectory section has one for staffand another for residents. Residentenrollment is voluntary. You enterby filling out the “profile” section.If you are new to the intranet,here’s the procedure:• Use your browser and go tohttp://mirabellaseattle.org• Click on the button called“register”• Follow the instructions,providing the data requested• Click on “submit”• Await an email from Darren.After he approves and sets upyour account, he will notifyyou and then you may use it asdescribed above.Residents’ Own GooglegroupThe other form of masscommunication available toall residents is MSresidents@googlegroups.com. This is a“bulletin board” using email. Itis operated by Hellmut Goldein his position as a resident (notas Association President). Whenyou send an email to this address,all who are enrolled will receiveit. To become a member, contactHellmut, giving him your emailaddress. You can reach him athellmut.mirabella@gmail.com,or by phone at x 1633. This isa residents-only service. Theadministration can ask Hellmutor others to post information, butthey have no direct access.Why do we have such a system?I’ll just tell you what has appearedin the last few days. A couple ofnotices offering tickets to events,a notice about the MirabellaMonthly availability on line,messages about lifelong learningclasses and outside activities, acouple of uplifting humorousarticles, a notice about the Mercerredevelopment project, and aquery from a resident needinginformation. In the past, peoplehave offered items for sale andmore than once a ride to an eventof interest. I find it a very usefultool for mass communication inMirabella Seattle. ‣

Mirabella SeattleLand Lines, Log Ons, & Line Dances12 May | 2013hold onto and swingingdoors can cause injury. A safealternative location is a hallwaybecause it has many inside walls.• Pets are stressed, too, and mightbehave erratically. Get them toa quiet closed area with water,food, and favorite toys and ablanket, and let them adjust ontheir own.When the shaking stops UNLOCKyour apartment door—• ONLY if you are injured orin danger should you phonesecurity or concierge by dialing“0” [zero] on your landlinephone (preferred method). Ifcalling from your cell phone, dial206-856-2093 to reach security.Program that number into yourcell phone ASAP. Response willcome as available; triage mightbe necessary.• If you are uninjured and safe,albeit shaken up both literallyand figuratively, do the following:check your apartment for hazards;make sure your emergency water,food, and supplies are accessible;and wait patiently for instructionseither via the intercom, staff,or floor captains (in EP-speak,“Shelter in Place”).• After reading this article, pleaseidentify the safe places in yourapartment, practice DCH, putthose sturdy shoes under yourbed with a flashlight, andprogram into your cell phoneboth the security cell phonenumber and the conciergenumber. Now feel satisfied thatyou have prepared yourself tomake it through that first hour.Library CommitteeMartha Oman, ChairEx LibrisThe Mirabella Library Catalog isnow available on-line. Followingare the steps to use the catalog:• Open the Mirabella Intranet atwww.mirabellaseattle.org. (Ifyou have not logged on to theIntranet, contact Darren Mowryat x 1426 and he will give you alog-in and password.)• From the blue tabs on the left,click on “Clubs & Committees.”• From the next screen, click on“Library Committee.”• Click on “Library NonfictionCatalog.” Notice at the bottom ofthe screen “Sort by Author,” “Sortby Title,” “Sort by Dewey #,” and“Mirabella Authors.” The catalogwill immediately sort on the termyou choose and your selectedcolumn will be on the left.If you need assistance using thecatalog, please call me at x 1642,and I will be happy to help you.Once you have used it, I think youwill find if very easy and userfriendly.Happy Reading!Line Dancing ClubThursdays, May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at1–2:30 pm in the Craft Room“Tra la! It’s May,The lusty month of May,That lovely month when everyone goesBlissfully astrayTra la! It’s Here!”Whether you celebrate dancing onCinco de Mayo or dancing aroundthe Maypole, you are welcome tojoin us in the line dancing classesat Mirabella.In a recent class my mindwandered during a dance. I wasthinking about how amazing it is(at this time in my life) that I amenjoying music other than classicalmusic. Of course, when my mindwent astray, my feet did not followthe dance. I have mentioned inprevious articles, that this class isexcellent mental exercise. Whilewe are not always perfectly in stepwith one another in the class, wedo make a valiant attempt.Some of the dances we enjoyand work on are Senorita Sway,Jazzy Joe, Locomotion, ElectricSlide, Stroll Along Cha Cha, EasyJive, Rainy Night (beautiful andso appropriate for the PacificNorthwest), New York New York,Waltz Across Texas, Rita’s Waltz,and Mambo Shuffle.You will have to come to class tohear the music we listen to as wedance the Mambo Shuffle! Howmad and gay it is.Elizabeth DruryOpera Club NewsMonday, May 6, at 4 pm,resuming at 7:30 pm, inEmerald HallTosca, a tuneful but gripping opera,takes place in a single day in Romeruled by Napoleon. It is a love/hate triangle of the famous divaFloria Tosca, her artist lover andRepublican sympathizer MarioCavaradossi, and the dreadedChief of Police Baron Scarpia whodesires Tosca. This production is ‣

Take a Deep BreathMirabella SeattleMay | 2013 13a classic, with Renata Tebaldi inas Tosca.The June 3 opera will be Gilbertand Sullivan’s The Mikado; or theTown of Titipu. The Opera Clubwill take a summer break andresume in October.Anita HendricksonBook ClubMonday, May 20 at 4 pm in theNorth or the West Dining RoomThe May meeting falls later in themonth than usual, giving us extratime to read the lengthy but multiawardwinning novel Wolf Hall byHilary Mantel. Some critics havesaid, “It is history as it should bewritten.”The book chosen for June 17 isTales from the Yucatan Jungle:Life in a Mayan Village byKristine Ellingson.For July 22 the club will readDorothy Stimson Bullitt byDelphine Haley, a biography of aSeattle woman who created one ofthe first privately owned broadcastempires.Natalie DelordHealth and WellnessEllie Fife, Chair“Have You Thanked YourLungs Today?”Tuesday, May 21 at 4 pm inEmerald HallRenee Klein will speak on howthe lungs, our hardworking yetunder-appreciated organs, willbreathe in and out for you nearly20,000 times in one day. The onlyinternal organs constantly exposedto the external environment, ourlungs are very susceptible to whatwe breathe in. Learn tips on howto breathe healthier indoor air(where we spend 90% of our time),how to advocate for healthieroutdoor air, and what you can doto keep those lungs chugging awayfor many years to come.Renee Klein is President and CEOof the American Lung Associationof the Mountain Pacific region, aseven-state area that includesMontana, Wyoming, Idaho,Oregon, Washington, Alaska, andHawaii. In this role she worksto advance the ALA mission ofimproving health and savinglives by preventing lung disease.She leads a staff of thirty, whichdelivers programs and effectsimprovements in public policyaround air quality, tobacco control,and lung health.Dee DickinsonWellness and FitnessKerry Moore, DirectorExercise and Lung DiseaseWith medical approval, physicalexercise can be very beneficialfor persons with chronic lungdisease. In fact, it has been shownto improve their endurance,decrease symptoms, and reducehospital stays, according to thebook, Living a Healthy Life withChronic Conditions. 1 The authors13 rd edition (Bull Publishing, 2006), KateLorig, RN, DrPH; Halsted Holman, MD;David Sobel, MD; Diana Laurent, MPH;Virginia Gonzalez, MPH; and MarianMinor, RPT, PhD; with contributor PegHarrison, MA, MSW, LCSW.recommend working with one’sdoctor to develop a personalizedexercise plan, to start out at avery low intensity level, and toprogress very gradually. Overtime, one’s shortness of breath ata given exertion level should beginto decrease. Following are someadditional training tips specific tolung disease from the authors:• Using your medicine—especiallyan inhaler—before exercising canhelp you to exercise for longerperiods of time and to do so withless shortness of breath.• If you become severely short ofbreath upon minimal exertion,your physician may wish toadjust your medicines. For somepatients, the doctor may orderthe use of supplemental oxygenbefore beginning an exercisesession.• Perform lengthy, thorough warmups and cool downs. Whilewarming up and cooling down,breathe in through the nose,allowing your belly to expandoutward, then exhale slowlythrough pursed lips. Establisha daily low-intensity routine onwhich you can build gradually.• During exercise, mild shortnessof breath is to be expected.Also, prior to exercise, you mayexperience an “anticipatory”increase in heart rate andbreathing rate. Although this isnormal, it can be intimidatingor tiring for some persons withchronic lung disease. A gradualwarm up period includingpursed lip breathing can help.Also, avoid your personal ‣

Mirabella SeattleWhat Every Chocoholic Should KnowMay | 2013 15phoned-in message, “Residentlocked out of apartment 7##,”brings someone to the rescue ina few minutes. That is what is sonice about living in a retirementcommunity. You forget your fob oryour key, and there is no need for alocksmith or a 911 call.Enter, butNO ExitDo notkick downthe doorBut what if you arelocked in? Beforeyou say, “Ha, ha,tell me anotherone,” let me assureyou this verything happenedto Margaret Herband me. While theRe-Store is beingremodeled, we arranged to use anempty apartment to store somefragile items. Having just takena few things to these temporaryquarters, we tried to leave, but thedoor wouldn’t budge. Althoughwe noticed on entering that partof the lock had been removed, wedidn’t think anything of it, becausethe door opened going in. It justwouldn’t let us go out.To be sure, we weren’t in anydanger. The apartment has heat,light, water, and toilet facilities.But not being able to get outmakes you want that very thing.There was no phone. And when Ilooked at the balcony situation, itwasn’t encouraging. I mentionedto Margaret that I could probablyreach the concrete ledge of thethird floor, but I would have toclimb over a balustrade; and ifI missed the ledge it would bea four-story drop. Imagininghanging from a windowsill did notinstill confidence in either one ofus, and Margaret nixed the idea.Fortunately, Margaret wasbetter prepared than I, as shehad brought her cell phone. Shecalled Fred. And Fred didn’t say,“Yeah, sure. April Fool’s Day wasyesterday, you know.” I don’t knowif he really believed our story, buthe did come to the rescue. Thatdidn’t entail much. All he had todo was open the door from theoutside, and there we were.Fred pointed out that we couldhave pressed the panic button inthe bathroom. I never thought ofthat, but it may have worked, if itwas functional. Nevertheless, I amgrateful for that cell phone. I amno good at tapping out messageson heating pipes.Ingrid SteppicMaking Chocolate TrufflesPart 1 TemperingA gratifying use of chocolate isas a dip for fruit, cookies, andespecially ganache, which is thesoft center of chocolate truffles.To dip or to make solid chocolatefrom molds, the chocolate mustfirst be properly tempered.Temper refers to the appearanceand physical characteristicsof chocolate. When it is welltempered,chocolate has a smooth,glossy finish, and pieces of it arefirm and will break with a snap.The chocolate bars that you buyare tempered. If you melt suchchocolate and let it cool, it willlose its temper. Chocolate that isnot tempered has a dull surfaceand may have a whitish bloom ofswirling patterns or spots. It willusually be brittle and crumbly.Chocolate is made from roastedcocoa beans by a rather complexprocess. The result is “purechocolate,” which is mixed withvarying amounts of sugar to formdark, semi-sweet, or bittersweetchocolate. Milk is added to makemilk chocolate.Chocolate consists of extremelyfine particles from the cocoa beansimbedded in a matrix of solidifiedcocoa butter. Like water, it canundergo phase changes. While waterhas three phases—steam, liquidwater, and ice—chocolate can haveseveral different solid crystallinephases at room temperature. Theone called beta is the stable, desiredform, and the goal of tempering isto transform all of the cocoa butterinto its beta form.There are many ways of makingmolten chocolate that is tempered.All methods require precise controlof temperature, so a thermometerwith one-degree increments inthe range 80° to 130° F is needed.A particularly useful type is aninfrared thermometer that readsin increments of ½ degree F andcosts about $90.It is important to temper highqualitychocolate, usually boughtin bulk, which may or may notbe already tempered. Chocolatecomes in small pieces like chips,drops, coins, or buttons or inten-pound blocks. Blocks must bebroken up into small pieces, forwhich a special fork-like tool is‣

Mirabella SeattleMaking Chocolate Truffles16 May | 2013available. The chocolate chipsthat you find in a grocery store arenot suitable as they have addedingredients to keep them frommelting at tempering temperatures.The simplest method is to heattempered chocolate so slowly thatit does not lose its temper. Put apound or more of small pieces ofchocolate in a glass bowl, insert asturdy stainless steel spoon, andheat for about twenty secondsin a microwave oven (safe aslong as the spoon does not gettoo close to an inner wall of theappliance). Then remove it andstir well to assure uniformity oftemperature. Repeat until somemelting occurs around the edgesof pieces and the mix becomes stiff.At that point reduce the time tofifteen seconds, then ten seconds.When the chocolate is almost fullymelted, reduce the time to aboutfive seconds. At no time shouldthe temperature in any part ofthe chocolate exceed 90° F. Ifdone properly, the fully meltedchocolate will be in temper.Another way to temper chocolateis to melt it gently but completelyin a double boiler or a microwaveoven to 115° to 120° F. Thismethod can be used with chocolatethat is not in temper. Care mustbe taken to get no water in thechocolate; a drop or two of watercan cause a batch of moltenchocolate to seize, after whichthe only recourse is to use it forganache or syrup. If a microwaveis used, the heating can be fasterthan the previous method butmust not be so fast as to burn thechocolate. It should be heatedseveral times with stirring in theintervals until the temperaturereaches about 115° to 120° degrees.It should then be held at thistemperature for at least twentyminutes to assure that all of thebutter crystals are gone.Next the chocolate is poured ontoa slab of marble or granite so cleanthat it will not impart any flavor tothe chocolate. Once used, the slabshould never be used for anythingelse. With the chocolate now onthe slab, it must be rapidly foldedand scraped with a large plasticspatula. The shearing actionwill cause beta crystals to formwhen the temperature falls belowabout 90°. When the temperaturereaches 84° to 86 F, scrape thechocolate into a bowl and carefullyreheat to 90° F. If properlydone, the chocolate will be fullytempered and ready for use. Thephotograph on p. 17 shows ourExecutive Chef, Tamas Ronyai,tempering chocolate on a graniteslab.To test the chocolate for temper,pour a spoonful onto a pieceof parchment paper and let itthoroughly cool and set. If itssurface is glassy with no bloomand it snaps nicely when broken,it is fully tempered. If it fails, thechocolate must continue to bevigorously sheared at 84–90° F.The shearing can be done in thebowl with a scraper or spoon.The third method is called apartial melt or seeding method,and has many variations. About¼ of the chocolate is broken intosmall pieces, and the remainderis melted to 100° F. The piecesare then added to the moltenchocolate with constant stirringuntil all pieces are melted. If thetemperature falls below 84° Fbefore complete melting, themix is reheated to 90° F and thestirring continued until all of thechocolate is melted.Chef Tamas’s Chocolate EasterEgg Display for Easter BrunchNote that all of the temperingmethods are labor intensive andtime-consuming. A wonderfulalternative is to use a temperingmachine. Chef Tamas hopes oneday to purchase one for Mirabella.‣In the June Mirabella Monthly,part 2 will give information onmaking ganache and advice ondipping and making truffles.Charles Sleicher

Mirabella SeattleA Master of Culinary ArtsMay | 2013 17Chef Tamas RonyaiMirabella’s Executive Chef, TamasRonyai, held the same positionat the Vancouver Club in BritishColumbia, where he serveddelicious meals to Vancouveritesonly a mile or so from whereIda and I lived. By a happycoincidence, after moving toSeattle shortly after we did, he isnow serving delicious meals to us.When I visited him in the 9 th floorkitchen, I found him working, aschefs do, to a deadline. He askedfor a few moments to finish writinga recipe for buttermilk carrotcupcakes for the pastry cook tobegin preparing a batch for theoven. In his office, a small roomoverlooking the courtyard, availablewall space is covered in diplomas,certificates, commendations, andphotographs marking milestonesin his long and distinguishedcareer as a specialist in the culinaryarts. When the recipe was done,we spoke first about the personalhistory represented by the items onthe walls.In Budapest, Hungary, hecompleted his internationalchef’s papers and apprenticedat the famous Hotel Gellert. Insubsequent work with foreignembassies he learned toappreciate the cuisines of manydifferent nations. Building onthe international flavour of hisprofessional experience, hemoved to the Hilton Hotel chain,bringing him to Rome, London,Bangkok, Jakarta, Bali, Singapore,and Kuala Lumpur. In 1989,intending only a one-year stintat the Fairmont Chateau Laurierin Ottawa, Canada, he stayedon in a wide variety of diningvenues in Ottawa, Toronto, andVancouver. While in Vancouverhe served as Vice President ofthe BC Chefs’ Association and, inthat role, initiated Vancouver’sfirst and now perennially popularchocolate competition, “Salondu Chocolat.” In 2007 he cameto Seattle to accept the challengeof providing high quality andhealthy food options to the fansof the Seattle Mariners at SafecoField. After a stop at a country clubon Bainbridge Island, he came toMirabella in October 2012.In just six short months, ChefTamas has worked to transformour dining services to comparewith the highest standards of mealdelivery. He has redesigned menus,reorganized both the physicalspace and the training anddeployment of his work force, andprovided outstanding meals at allvenues in the building, includingthe recently transformed courtyardcafé. His mantra is “make it fresh,make it here, and make it good.”More of the baked goods, includingbreads and pastries, and more ofall desserts are now made in housethan ever before.But most remarkable to me is hisdeep commitment not only toserving us excellent meals everyday but also to training youngpeople to attain his own high levelof skill and passion. Everywherehe’s been, at Paul Bocuse Institutein Lyon, France, George BrownCollege in Toronto, the ArtsInstitute in Vancouver, he hasinvolved himself in teaching “thenew generation of culinarians.” AtFareStart in Seattle he currentlyserves as Chef Instructor andDepartment Head of Restaurantand Catering; for his work withthis well run and successfultraining program for young peoplein the food service trades, he wasawarded the 2011 of the JamesBeard Humanitarian Award.On a wider scale he has helpedto restart a culinary artsapprenticeship program inWashington State and currentlyhas three apprentices workingunder him. Each has signed on fora three-year program involving aweekly class at one of the technicalcolleges nearby and employmentand close supervision under ChefTamas at Mirabella. He explained,“I apprenticed to a master chef forthree years and stayed on to workfor him for another two years. Iwould not be where I am todaywithout that kind of intensivetraining with someone whosepassion for culinary perfection ‣

Mirabella SeattleThe Culinary Arts Apprentice Program18 May | 2013was so high. I feel it is the bestway to learn, and I want to giveback to the younger generationwhat I received from my teachers.”The photo below shows two ofChef Tamas’s apprentices, ShalbeWelsh and Charity Chappell, atthe Washington State Chefs’Association competition at RentonTechnical College, where Shalbe,with Charity’s help, won firstprize for her “bite-size” tray ofhors d’oeuvres and an impressive“stack” of desserts. They competedagainst six culinary schoolapprentices with their instructorsand fourteen restaurant and hotelapprentices with their chefs.On my tour through the variousstages and stations involved inpreparing meals for the diningrooms, Tamas introduced me tothe prep kitchen on the 9 th floor,where fresh, frozen, and dryingredients are drawn from wellorganizedrefrigerators, freezers,and pantries. At spotless steelcounters stretching the length ofthe room these foods are cleaned,chopped, sliced, and otherwiseprepped for transport to the “hot”kitchen on floor 10 above. Here,there is a site for each segmentof the menu offerings: a saladand dessert assembly point, thevegetable and soup areas, and theentrée ovens, grills, and stove tops.The patisserie has its own corner ofthe kitchen for storage of the finestraw ingredients (no preparedmixes allowed!) and preparationof the seriously delightful treatsthat make their way to our tables.He casually pulled open a drawerin one cabinet to reveal shards ofchocolate, which were the remainsof the spectacular chocolate Easteregg he created for the Easter buffetand are now slowly being used tomake ganache, mousse, and otherchocolate desserts.Among the many challenges anexecutive chef faces is the smoothflow of the preparation of mealsand their journey to the residentswho ordered them. With limitedspace in which to operate, cooksand servers must work efficiently,swiftly, and accurately together toensure that the correct hot mealarrives where and when it should.With his eye on the future as wellas the here and now, Tamas wantsto add staff to the à la carte line tomake it faster and more efficientand to improve the appearanceand offerings on the buffet. Hissplendid Easter buffet spread, forexample, while not possible on afrequent basis, is something he’dlike to do more often.Jared CurtisBook ReviewMysteries of the Middle Agesby Thomas CahillC. S. Lewis said of books that youshould read at least “one old one toevery three new ones.” 1 We seldomgo out and buy new books reviewedin The Mirabella Monthly or thecurrent press, and I don’t alwaysenjoy recent best sellers. Thewonderful Seattle Public Librarygives us access to all the oldbooks and even delivers them toMirabella. It has six beautifullyillustrated hardback copies ofThomas Cahill’s Mysteries of theMiddle Ages (2006), the fifth andlatest in his “Hinges of History”series. Others in the series wereabout the Greeks, the Jews, theearly Christians, and the Irish—allmajor influences on the world thatwe have inherited. Is he only apopularizer? You can tell he’s nota dry academic by his use of B.C.and A.D., and his books are easy,enjoyable reading. Cahill wouldsay that he writes not about eventsbut about significant persons (“giftgivers”)who changed the world,telling us how each one fits into histheory of what developed from thepart played.The Christian Church was thecentral fact of European historysince 313 A.D., when the emperorConstantine’s Edict of Milanended persecution and proclaimedfreedom of religion. Cahill makes afascinating story of how quickly, ina mere three centuries after Christ,the Greek and Roman gods of ‣1From his introduction to an editionof St. Athanius’ On the Incarnation (StVladimir’s Seminary Press, 1998).

Mirabella SeattleWhat was “The Cult of the Virgin Mary”?May | 2013 19thousands of years wereoverthrown.He dates the Dark Ages from thefourth through eleventh centuries,which witnessed the crumblingof the western empire and thecoming of the barbarians. With theinstitutions of civil governmentfailing to govern, the popes andChristian bishops were often leftto provide the only stability. Atsome points, the Church assumedauthority over the crowning ofkings, as with the “Holy RomanEmpire,” though such actions werenot the best thing for the Church!The High Middle Ages beganwith the twelfth century and wasenergized by what Cahill calls thecult of the Virgin Mary. The peopleprayed for her to intercede for themwith her Son, as she did at Canawhen Christ turned water intowine to serve the wedding guests.Countless Notre Dame de ___cathedrals and Santa Maria di ___churches were built over severalcenturies, and artists were movedto paint pictures of the Madonna,which further inspired devotion toMary as a mystical ideal.While the “cult” may not be asource of modern feminism, asCahill indicates, the first humancharacter in the book was avirgin model of feminine power.Hildegard of Bingen, who startedas an enclosed anchorite, or villagehermit, was a German writer,composer, philosopher, Christianmystic, Benedictine abbess,visionary, and polymath. Her mostinfluential ability was writingpersuasively in Latin—lobbyingin church and civil politics forher various projects by means ofcountless letters to bishops, kings,and popes. Unprecedented at hertime, she actually preached inchurches.Another character, not a virgin,was Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine,later queen of France and then ofEngland. She finagled from theChurch an annulment of her firstmarriage, and married Henry,who became king of France andEngland. Cahill emphasizes theprevailing ethos of submission toreligious discipline at the time:everyone, from kings to peasants,really believed (except for John,King of England, who routinelyignored church rules and wasreported by chroniclers to havejoked about the plausibility of theResurrection).To learn about interesting peoplein history, one can look themup on the Internet and get a fewparagraphs or read a whole bookabout them. But Cahill gives ussomething in between: a dozen ormore pages per person and placethat reveal people in their timesand in relation to each other.Chapters are organized by citiesand by people who made historyin the universities of Paris(Abelard, Aquinas) and Oxford(Roger Bacon); in Padua (Giotto),Florence, and Ravenna (Danteand his Divine Comedy). Thelater chapters pay homage to thework of Dante, among the greatestwriters in a modern language.After reading all five of Cahill’s“Hinges of History” books, I feellike going back and reading someof them again. Maybe How theIrish Saved Civilization or TheGifts of the Jews. The SeattleLibrary has copies of these bookson their shelves, too.Art ButlerHappy BirthdayMirabella Residents5/2 – Yvonne Losh5/6 – Arrol Thieme5/7 – Dolly Gerstenberger5/8 – Katie Mahoney5/9 – Sally Thomson5/10 – Les LeRoss5/10 – Janet Sorensen5/13 – John Rolfe5/13 – Alan Suver5/14 – Mary Ann Knowles5/14 – Jean Rolfe5/17 – Pat Mahoney5/21 – Liz Bret5/21 – Martin Kushmerick5/21 – Joan Potter5/21 – Dolores Ryan5/23 – Bob Scarff5/24 – Janet Stanton5/28 – Byron Baxter5/28 – John Rasmussen5/28 – Pauline Saxon5/30 – Ann FrothinghamRemembering . . . .Helen Gurvich . . . . 4/18/2013

Mirabella SeattleSeattle International Film Festival20 May | 2013SIFF 2013Seattle is fortunate to host thelargest film festival in the UnitedStates. SIFF’s goal is to bringpeople together to discoverextraordinary films from aroundthe world. The Movie Club isencouraging you to be one of thosepeople. Individual tickets go onsale May 2 nd and the festival beginsMay 16 th and runs for 25 days.How will you benefit? You willhave an opportunity to see filmsthat will never make it to Netflix.In the past two years I have seena dozen such films. Lest you thinkthey were probably not worthseeing, let me just say that one ofthem was “Old Goats,” a moviemade on Bainbridge Island anda great favorite here at Mirabella.We were only able to show itbecause we borrowed a personalDVD from a member of the cast. Ihappen to love short films, whichis a category you don’t get to seevery often. SIFF offers 150 of them.You could be among the first tosee a particular movie. The listof African films selected for thefestival includes five that arehaving their North AmericanPremiere and two that are WorldPremieres. The Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences awardedSIFF a grant to seek out and showfilms from Africa. One is called TheKampala Story, about a fourteenyear-oldgirl who travels alone tothe big city in search of her fatherwhen the money transfers fromhim stop.As soon as the SeattleScene from Much Ado AboutNothing, SIFF’s opening night showInternational Film Festival Guideis available, the Movie Club willget copies to leave in the BusinessCenter. The Guide describes allthe movies and tells you whereand when they will be shown.Organizers group the films invarious ways but also provide aTopic Index and a Country Index.The centerfold is a schedulearranged by theater and then byday and time.Two venues convenient forMirabella residents are theEgyptian and SIFF Cinema Uptown,because they have very few stepsto navigate. At the Egyptian theaisles are ramped (no steps) andat the Uptown all three areas havehandicapped seating at the top soyou don’t have to navigate steps.The Harvard Exit has a good theaterdownstairs, but the one upstairs isup two flights—no elevator.Another advantage of the Uptownis that it has an overhang aroundthe front and side of the buildingto keep you dry while waiting inline. Those of you with walkers tosit on while waiting to enter arelucky. There will be two lines: onefor pass holders and one for ticketholders. It is generally a good ideato be in line 30 minutes before thefilm is to start.You can get your tickets ahead oftime online at SIFF.net or in personat Pacific Place, second level. I liketo get the senior-six-pack. You canalso just show up at the venue andbuy a ticket if they are not soldout. All of this is explained in theGuide. At the Movie DiscussionGroup on May 13 th we will betalking about what looks good. Joinus, especially if you find the SIFFGuide overwhelming.Karen SmithEmerald Hall MoviesMovies are shown each Wednesdayand Saturday evenings at 7:30 pmin Emerald Hall. New releasesfrom the past two years are shownon Wednesday and old favoriteson Saturdays. See the MovieClub’s monthly flyer for furtherinformation.Modern Medicine of the EyeThe brown bag lunch lectures inthis series are given by membersof the UW Medicine Eye Institute.They are free and open to the public.Feel free to bring your own lunchOn May 16, 2013, 12–1 pm,Courtney Francis, MD, AssistantProfessor Ophthalmology, UWMedicine will speak on “Vision andMultiple Sclerosis.”Lectures take place in the 7 th FloorConference Room across fromthe UW Medicine Eye Institute,Ninth & Jefferson Building, at 908Jefferson Street, Seattle, 98104.Dan Hunter

SnappyShotsMirabella SeattleMay | 2013 23Children eager for an Easter egg hunt with DavidRensvold acting as the Easter Bunny’s agentMarcus Cullen, Facilities Services Manager, togetherwith residents, Marty and Pat Kushmerick, withother Cascade area residents on a neighborhood walksponsored by the Cascade Neighborhood AssociationHelping the little tots track those eggsStan & Barrie Gustin enjoying “Dining Out”Adeline McTaggart (rt.) with niece Lori Bloom atPalisade Restaurant for Mirabella’s monthly “Dining Out”MOHAI docent speaking to Mirabella residents on arecent tour of the museum’s new home in SLU

Mirabella SeattleThe Mirabella MonthlyVolume 5 | Issue 5The Mirabella MonthlyPublisher and General Editor:Jared CurtisLead Editor: May – Ida CurtisCopy Editors: Art Butler, IdaCurtis, Pat ThenellSpecial Editing: Carole Anne FineProofreaders: Editorial Staff;Iris Barnett, Ginnie Chappelle,Diana LeRossProduction Team: Jeanne andVernon Smith, Phil and LoisBraden, Darlene HalversonPhotography: Pat Chinn, JaredCurtis, Hellmut Golde, KerryMoore, Sandy Rensvold, CharlesSleicherArt Work: Kelly FrohHow to Submit Your Article,Story, or News Report to TheMirabella MonthlyBefore submitting, please proofcarefully for typos, spelling errors,and possible copy cuts or changes.Only original writing will beaccepted: no internet captures orwidely distributed emails, please.Please note: Deadline for allsubmissions is the 15 th of eachmonth. Any piece submitted afterthis date will risk being held over.The length of your submission isnegotiable, but the editorial teamGuide to Mirabella Publicationsmust work within the MM formatand style. All written submissionswill be proofed, edited, andformatted by Mirabella Monthlystaff.Please email your submission toBecky Kasper at the conciergedesk. E-mail: bkasper@retirement.org. MS Word documents arepreferred. You can also deliver it tothe concierge desk on a flash driveor on paper.Tips for a successful submission:• Use only the Enter or Return keyat the end of each paragraph.• Keep the font choice simple: useonly one font in one size for theentire article.• Avoid elaborate text formatting,like columns, boxes, or effects.• Show emphasis by italics orunderline. Do not use ALL CAPS.How to Submit Your Photosand Illustrations to TheMirabella MonthlyAdjust your camera to makephotographs of the highest quality(or the highest resolution). Anyformat will do, but JPEG is usuallythe most convenient. Focus theimage on that part of the scenethat is most important. Useauto exposure, but if there is aMay | 2013bright light in the frame, eitherin the room or from an outdoorlight shining through a window,increase the exposure by onestop or more. You should submiteach image at full size. Avoidemail attachment if the image isautomatically reduced. The mostconvenient method is to submit theimages on a flash drive or cameracard to Becky, who will returnthem to you.How to Submit Events forMirabella This WeekIf you would like informationadded to the Mirabella ThisWeek, please email Becky Kasperat bkasper@retirement.org andMarcus Cullen at mcullen@retirement.org by 5 pm Wednesdayof the prior week. Room bookingsare made through Kerry Cullen atkcullen@retirement.org.The Mirabella MonthlyMirabella Seattle116 Fairview Avenue NorthSeattle, WA, USA 98109206.254.1400Website: www.mirabellaretirement.orgIntranet: www.mirabellaseattle.orgAn affiliate of Pacific RetirementServices