Blog archive
November 2024
Event of Remembrance
11/22/2024
Phishing Scams: What You Need to Know
11/22/2024
Pupusas Family Style: Another Adventurous Dining Winner
11/22/2024
Celebrating the Holidays
11/21/2024
Genealogy Group: Discovering Our Pasts
11/21/2024
Nathan Wolford – From Tragedy to Ministry
11/21/2024
Pasadena Village Board of Directors: A Brief Overview
11/21/2024
President's Message
11/21/2024
The Day of the Dead (Dia de muertos)/ Mexican Culture/Community
11/21/2024
Vintage Celebration: Aging Like a Fine Wine
11/21/2024
Review of Racism in Our Local Past
11/20/2024
Creative Juices Flow in The Village
11/19/2024
Checking In by Ed Rinderle
11/15/2024
Eagle Poem by Joy Harjo
11/15/2024
I Shall Forget You Presently, My Dear (Sonnet IV) by Edna St. Vincent Millay
11/15/2024
Pictures From Brueghel by William Carlos Williams
11/15/2024
October 2024
ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
10/29/2024
Bill Wishner: Visual Hunter
10/29/2024
Can a Village Group Fix Our Healthcare System?
10/29/2024
Community Board Directors Strengthen Village Board
10/29/2024
Connecting with Village Connections: The A, B, C, & D’s of Medicare @ 65+
10/29/2024
Grief is a Journey: Two Paths Taken
10/29/2024
Message from the President
10/29/2024
Promoting Informed & Involved Voters
10/29/2024
What Will Be Your Legacy?
10/29/2024
1619, Approaching the Election...
10/27/2024
Beyond and Within the Village - A Star is Born
10/17/2024
Happiness by Priscilla Leonard
10/11/2024
Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden
10/11/2024
Unpainted Door by Louise Gluck
10/11/2024
In the Evening by Billy Collins
10/10/2024
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
10/10/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
10/01/2024
September 2024
Connecting with Village Connections
09/30/2024
Betty Kilby, A Family History
09/27/2024
Reflection on Life
09/20/2024
Expanding the Possibilities
09/19/2024
Need a Ride? No Problem!
09/17/2024
Security When Aging (Especially If You Are Single)
09/17/2024
The Bridge Begins at Thanksgiving
09/17/2024
The Power of Collective Service: Putting the Village First
09/17/2024
Tino Melchor - A Mentor for Young Teens in the Making
09/17/2024
Village Party Bus Delivers FUN
09/17/2024
We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know: That’s Why We Have Educational Programs
09/17/2024
On Rereading Tolle by Ed Rinderle
09/10/2024
Autumn Leaves
09/09/2024
August 2024
1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024
1619 Wide Ranging Interests
08/19/2024
First Anniversary
08/19/2024
Alexandra Leaving by Leonard Cohen
08/16/2024
Muse des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden
08/16/2024
The God Abandons Antony by Constantinos P. Cavafy
08/16/2024
Ch – Ch – Ch –Changes
08/15/2024
Cultural Activities Team offers an ‘embarrassment of riches’
08/15/2024
Engaging in Pasadena Village
08/15/2024
Future Housing Options
08/15/2024
Message from the President
08/15/2024
There Are Authors Among Us
08/15/2024
Villagers Welcome New Members at the Tournament Park Picnic
08/15/2024
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas
08/14/2024
A narrow Fellow in the Grass by Emily Dickinson
08/13/2024
Haikus
08/13/2024
One Art by Elizabeth Bishop
08/13/2024
Poem 20 by Pablo Neruda
08/13/2024
Still I Rise by Maya Angelou
08/13/2024
Trees by Joyce Kilmer
08/13/2024
July 2024
Alma Stokes, The Struggle in Pasadena
07/25/2024
A Poetry Gathering: Liberating Experiences Available
07/19/2024
Civil Rights Movement Series
07/19/2024
Happy Hours in Pasadena: A Villager’s Perspective
07/19/2024
Pasadena Village and the National Dialogue on Villages and Healthy Aging Research
07/19/2024
President's Message
07/19/2024
The Kern River Rafting Caper
07/19/2024
The Village Artists Group creates creative camaraderie
07/19/2024
An Example of Inherent Racism
07/14/2024
Current, Upcoming Events
07/04/2024
June 2024
No Real Recourse For Discrimination
06/30/2024
A Personal Statement of Strength and Well-Being
06/25/2024
Juneteenth Reflections
06/24/2024
Reflections on 2023-2025
06/21/2024
Reactions and Reflections Re: Juneteenth
06/19/2024
As Our Organization Grows, Villagers Recall Personal Highlights
06/17/2024
From the Outgoing President
06/17/2024
Letter from the Incoming President: Beginning Our ‘Lagniappe’ Year
06/17/2024
The Editorial Team Looks Back: Creating the Voice of the Village
06/17/2024
This Year's Resource Fair was the Most Successful Ever
06/17/2024
Telling the Whole Story
06/12/2024
Nashville
06/10/2024
May 2024
Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready?
05/28/2024
Farewell from the 2023/24 Social Work Interns
05/28/2024
Gina on the Horizon
05/28/2024
Mark Your Calendars for the Healthy Aging Research California Virtual Summit
05/28/2024
Meet Our New Development Associate
05/28/2024
Putting the Strategic Plan into Practice
05/28/2024
Washington Park: Pasadena’s Rediscovered Gem
05/28/2024
Introducing Civil Rights Discussions
05/22/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2417
05/14/2024
Rumor of Humor #2418
05/14/2024
Springtime Visitors
05/07/2024
Freezing for a Good Cause – Credit, That Is
05/02/2024
No Discussion Meeting on May 3rd
05/02/2024
An Apparently Normal Person Author Presentation and Book-signing
05/01/2024
Flintridge Center: Pasadena Village’s Neighbor That Changes Lives
05/01/2024
Pasadena Celebrates Older Americans Month 2024
05/01/2024
The 2024 Pasadena Village Volunteer Appreciation Lunch
05/01/2024
Woman of the Year: Katy Townsend
05/01/2024
April 2024
Rumor of Humor #2410
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2411
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2412
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2413
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2414
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2415
04/28/2024
Rumor of Humor #2416
04/28/2024
Stimulated by "Caste"
04/22/2024
Tulsa reparations, Religion and Politics
04/09/2024
March 2024
Trumps War with Black Women
03/31/2024
Addressing The Needs of Older Adults Through Pasadena Village
03/25/2024
Coming Soon: More Resources for Older Americans, Online and in Person
03/25/2024
Community Building Locally and Nationally
03/25/2024
Preparing for the Future with Ready or Not
03/25/2024
Volunteering is at The Heart of the Village
03/25/2024
Women's Liberation: Then and Now
03/25/2024
Writing Memoirs Together
03/25/2024
Current Views on Current Events
03/20/2024
Unchained
03/18/2024
Rumr of Humor issue # 2409
03/10/2024
Blacks Portrayed by European Artists
03/03/2024
Rumor of Humor #2408
03/03/2024
February 2024
Caring for Ourselves and Each Other
02/27/2024
Doug Colliflower Honored
02/27/2024
Great Decisions Connects Us to the Worldwide Community
02/27/2024
Letter from the President
02/27/2024
Pasadena Village's Impact
02/27/2024
The Power of Touch
02/27/2024
Villages as a New Approach to Aging
02/27/2024
Addressing Gang Violence in Pasadena-Altadena
02/21/2024
Rumor of Humor Issue 2407
02/19/2024
Thank You For Caring.
02/12/2024
Rumor of Humor 2405
02/11/2024
Curve Balls
02/10/2024
Sylvan Lane
02/10/2024
Rumor of Humor 2404
02/09/2024
Larry Duplechan, Blacks in Film
02/03/2024
January 2024
Pasadena Village Joins Community Partners in Vaccination Campaign
01/29/2024
Rumor of Humor #2403
01/28/2024
Pasadena Village Joins Two Healthy Aging Resource Projects
01/25/2024
Decluttering: Do It Now
01/24/2024
Village Volunteers Contribute to the Huntington Magic
01/24/2024
Villagers Creating Community
01/24/2024
Villagers Reflect on Black History Month
01/24/2024
Walk With Ease, 2024
01/24/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Wide Ranging Discussion on Current Issues
01/22/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2402
01/21/2024
Rumor of Humor # 2401
01/15/2024
Re- Entry Programs, a Personal Experience
01/08/2024
ARBORIST WALK: NOT FOR TREE HUGGERS ONLY!
By Margarite OlmosPosted: 10/29/2024
Early on a September morning, a group of 17 Villagers met LA consulting arborist, Alison Lancaster, to take a brief “walk-and-talk” along the Gabrielino Trail near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Altadena, an event organized by Villager Jim Hendrick. We walkers are grateful to him for this memorable experience.
For those of us who are not native to this area, the event was an introduction to a beautiful trail and the important plant life surrounding us, exploring such topics as tree identification (a topic reminding me of my Girl Scout days many, many years ago), native versus non-native trees, the protection of native trees in our area and best practices for tree maintenance for those of us fortunate enough to have trees to preserve and enjoy. We were asked to leave our pens and notebooks behind to relax and immerse ourselves in the experience. Happily, phones were excluded from the list, which I needed to keep a record of the fabulous trees we would encounter and their identification (I strongly recommend the App “Seek” by iNaturalist which is free and created by inaturalist.org).
I was initially curious about the arborist profession and what had led Lancaster to it. She explains on her website (https://www.alca-llc.com) that she was born and raised in Crescenta Valley with Angeles National Foret (ANF) as her backyard. An office job with no windows made her miserable and a course in the Wildland Resources and Forestry program at Citrus College offered the opportunity for a new environment: “Those classes changed how I observed the world around me – I revisited my old ANF spots and for the first time I noticed the incredible variation in trees and plants, the diversity of wildlife and insects they support, and the resilience that allows them to withstand fire and extreme drought. I decided then that there was no place I’d rather be than at home in Los Angeles; nothing I want to do more than protect LA’s urban and wildland trees; and no better way to do it than as a consulting arborist. Now I work each day with one goal: helping my fellow Angelenos act as stewards of their trees.”
Our first stop was to hear an introduction of the goals of the day as we observed her favorite tree, the “coast live oak,” which is also her native-tree recommendation for those who wish to plant (a tree she so admires that she has a tattoo of the same!).
Alison made a point of indicating which were the native and non-native trees in this area which is like an open-air botanical garden arboretum. One of the more surprising things we encountered was the amount of water available at the elevated level and the riparian trees that exist due to their proximity to the same. The white alder, for example, is a riparian species native to California which helps to stabilize river banks, or the tall and beautiful Western Sycamore, also native and riparian.
While walking, Villagers were reflecting on the beauty and even a few fond memories. Later, Dan Guerrero commented, “The Gabrielino Trail was my daily walking path for 20 years. The arborist was able to open my eyes to a variety of native trees and plants that went unnoticed for all those years. I still take the trail several times a month and now I find myself looking at the landscape instead of focusing on the trail. It made the walk even more enjoyable.”
We were instructed regarding the differences between types of leaves and the reasons for the arrival of non-native varieties as well as ideas about the placement of trees, their planting and pruning, disease and management. We saw and heard about the non-native Chinese elm, native and non-native willows, the native black walnut, an incense cedar, and for “dessert” we tasted a wild cherry!
Alison took her time to explain all of this in a way that demonstrates her passion for the topic and her generosity in sharing the same with others with patience and kindness. Suzi Hoge noted her appreciation, “I enjoyed exploring a trail I had not been on before. I really enjoyed Allison's enthusiasm for her topic, trees. It was fun to learn about native trees, leaf formations, and even what poison oak looks like locally.” Adding to this, Tamanika Ivey said, “What most impressed me on the arborist walk was the way Alison showed the inner life of the trees. She really made them come alive which made me appreciate how much the trees want to live and thrive - the way they find the sun and figure out how to reach it; the way they balance their roots to stay upright or lean as needed; the way they negotiate objects in their path.”
At the conclusion, I was reminded of a long-ago verse, I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree…