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February 9, 2012
Don't miss out on all the fun in Delray Beach this weekend
Whether you have a valentine or not, there's so much to do in Delray and in the surrounding areas that everyone is sure to have a great time.
Friday, Feb 10
8 - 11 pm Single and Mingle
Mercedes-Benz of Delray Beach
100l Linton Blvd.
Delray Beach 33444
For more info and tickets visit SunSentinel.com/EventsForYou
Cost: $30 person in advance; $40 at the door
Entertainment, auction, cocktails, hor d'oeuvres and maybe meet someone special.
Friday, Feb. 10th - 12th
Friday, 4 - 10 pm; Saturday, 11am - 11 pm; Sunday - 11 - 8 pm Delray BeachGarlic Festival -"The Best Stinkin' Party in Town"
Beginning on the grounds of No. Swinton and on the grounds of Old School Square
Downtown Delray Beach
For more information, check out the web site (above)
Free parking all weekend
Cost $10 each day.
Uncle Kracker is just one of the many great bands that will be here plus food, entertainment, kid friendly and fun galore.
No pets, coolers, chairs, outside food or refunds.
Saturday, Feb. 11
11 - 4, Parade begins at 11:30 Valentine Paws on Parade
Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary & Hospital
661 Maplewood Drive, Suite 21
Jupiter 33468
Cost: Free
For more information call 561.537.5710 or visit Safe Harbor .
Safe Harbor is a no-kill animal shelter. They are hosting a costume parade and all kinds of events for the day. Donations benefit the nonprofit organization.
Looking for a romantic restaurant?
You just can't beat the Sundy House for romance
106 S Swinton Ave.
Delray Beach 33444
For more info call 561.272.5678 or 877.439.9601 or visit their website above.
Dine outside in the magnificent gardens or inside the oh-so charming restaurant. There is also an inn on the premises - equally charming. Don't forget to check out the pool area when you're there.
$$$$
Big Miracle Click to see the trailer
Great PG movie. Story about love for whales - no political overtones, just a wonderful, true story.
Great Reads Shades of Love, Stories of Love by Sunny Lockwood - six short stories about love. "If you've ever longed for romance, walked away from a troubled relationship, struggled with a parent or child, or laughed about a date gone wrong, you'll identify with these stories." On Amazon.
Chances are at least a million or more of your nearest neighbors here in South Florida are Fire Ants.
Over 20 million people are bit every year by these aggressive insects. A bite from one is painful and has been compared to a hornet's sting. But when Fire Ants attack, they attack in hordes. The scar from their bite will last forever...or so experts say.
It is estimated that 10 through 15 percent of these bites cause a serious allergenic reaction,. pets can have an allergy to their bites too - my little dog, Lollipop did. Afterward she she had to spend the night at the vet's and be treated with Benyadryl. Her face swelled up so much, she was unrecognizable and her blood was separating by the time I got her to the Vet ER.
Young children are especially at risk but when the nests are too small to be seen, everyone is, vulnerable. Up to 500,000 biting ants can live in one nest.
They can make nests in electronics - including TV's and computers. Yikes!
There are several ways to kill them. You can use pesticides or environmentally friendly methods - either will do the job. The above web site has all the information you'll need to get rid of these nasty critters.
Just remember, if you don't kill the queen, the nest will come back.
Warn visitors who may be clueless about the danger Fire Ants pose...up North, they're not a problem. And just like we South Floridians, Fire Ants can't survive more than a two or three weeks in a hard freeze.
If you've ever want to look inside a fire ant colony - here's your chance:
Any comments are deeply appreciated. I am working hard to have this published by December.. I am currently in rewrite mode.
Quit and Be Quiet
by Mary Thurman Yuhas
Matthew 17:20 If you have as much faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you.
Chapter One
Tarnished Silver
Mom had just finished polishing the silverware, a job she performed monthly back in the forties. Pouring boiling water over the now shiny utensils was the final step. “Can I help? Can I? Can I?” I begged.
“Pull your chair up to the sink,” she sweetly said as she removed the hissing, black teapot from the stove. Steam roared from its spout.
Eagerly I pulled it over to the side of the sink and climbed on top of the worn wooden chair, and I clapped with excitement as she drew near. Then, to get a better look, I leaned over and placed both of my hands flat in the sink next to the silverware. When Mom reached me, I took in a deep breath to get more of the sweet smell that always surrounded her. How I loved my mother. I wanted to have her thick, brown hair, have the same long, graceful fingers with neatly, painted red nails and do everything she did from cleaning the house to laughing delightedly at the funny stories my dad told us when he came home from work.
I watched as she tipped the teapot toward the sink. I watched as the scalding water spiraled downward, almost as if it were moving in slow motion. And I watched in horror when suddenly and without warning, the boiling water covered my hands and burned them with a savageness I didn’t know was possible. My hands felt like they were on fire. I stood motionless holding my now beet red hands in the air not knowing what else to do until from somewhere in the blackness that was swallowing me, I heard a little girl screaming and crying hysterically. “Mommy!” It was me. After that everything faded into nothingness.
For years I blocked the incident from my mind. To this day, I can’t recall what happened afterward, although the fact is, I don’t want to remember. I don’t know if Dad was home or if I was taken to the emergency room. I was too young to ask my mother what was she was thinking, and I don’t know if Dad asked her that obvious question. If he did, he never shared the conversation with me. Most of all, I’ll never know if this was just a lapse of judgment on my mother’s part or a preview of the impending madness that would soon consume her as completely as a spider’s silken shroud covers its unsuspecting prey. Up until then and for a couple of more years, Dad and I and perhaps even my mother were happily unaware that there was a monster in our midst. But nonetheless, it was there and it was growing inside her and getting stronger everyday. Soon it would be powerful enough to crush and tear away every thread of reason that up to this time had held it at bay.
Back then we lived in Galesburg, Illinois, a smallish railroad town, in an old, white, two-story clapboard house that despite its somewhat rundown condition retained a sense of elegance that newer homes could never quite achieve. The family who owned it lived on the first floor, a common practice after World War II due to the housing shortage. But Mom and Dad didn’t like living with them and assured me this was temporary although at my young age it didn’t matter a whit to me. “We’re building a house and just our family will live in it,” Mom would repeat several times daily, her blue eyes sparkling whenever she talked about our future home.
Dad was a plumber, and I believed he could do anything. He reinforced that faith as I watched him and his friends turn what started out as a mountain of dirt into a house. Our ranch-style, one-story home was situated in the middle of a yard that seemed endless to me, and it had a front porch so big I could jump rope or skip or play hopscotch on it. And for the first time, I would have my own bedroom. For almost a year as soon as Dad came home from his job, the three of us climbed into our black, Nash Rambler and drove over to the new house so he could work on it. Every night Mom brought a supper she had packed for us, and usually we sat on the floor of our unfinished house eating what she called an indoor picnic. Whenever she could, Mom helped Dad work, and she would scoot me out of the house and tell me that I helped best by going outside and playing with the neighborhood kids. “When we live here, you can run and play outside all day long,” she promised.
But the house meant nothing to the monster. It was growing restless and I suspect the morning she was cleaning the silverware is when it first showed its hideous face. Years later when I was in high school, Mom and I were talking when from out of nowhere she said, “Mary Kay, I felt as bad as you did when you burned your hands.”
Those few words ignited my memory and that terrifying day flashed through my mind as clearly as if it had just occurred. Along with that memory, I have kept most of my other childhood memories buried as if they never happened, and among those my greatest fear. A fear that haunted me relentlessly during my early teen years and filled me with so much terror I dared not give it voice. It was the horror knowing that I could grow up to be exactly like my mother.
After I moved from my parent’s home, I seldom talked about my youth, not even to my late husband, John. I’ve always been very private about this part of my life and sharing it has not been easy for me. My reasoning was that I had lived it once and once was enough. But after my mother died, something inside of me changed, and I knew I didn’t want everything our family lived through to be meaningless. As I opened up, one memory after another clawed its way out and I began writing my story. I also realized that my silence all these years has protected the monster, the one that took everything from my family and I will no longer hide its carnage. It stole my mother’s very being. It robbed my brother and me of our mother and of our childhood. It destroyed my parent’s marriage.
This is my life growing up with the monster whose name I eventually learned…paranoid schizophrenia.
Great weather and lots to do in Delray this weekend.
Thursday, January 26
8 - 9 p.m. Fashion on the Avenue
The runway will line the center of Atlantic Avenue from Swinton to East Fifth Avenue
Delray Beach 33444
Free, VIP seating at the edge of the runway $25 (Ticket sales go toward St. Jude's Hospital and the Guild for the Blind)
Over 70 shops and boutiques will be showcasing their apparel
Entertainment - South Florida's own, Michaela Paige will be singing
For more information call 561.827.2075
Saturday, January 28
8 - 10:30 p.m. Jazz at the Arts Garage
180 N.E. 1st St.
Delray Beach 33444
Wendy Penderson sings with Mad Romance
Tickets in advance $20 - $30, at the door $25 - $35
For more information, call 561.450.6357
January 28 - 29, Saturday and Sunday
9 - 5 p.m. The Deerfield Beach Festival of the Arts
On South Ocean Blvd. (A1A)
Deerfield Beach
Art, Entertainment, Food
Free admission
Free parking and free shuttle from The Cove Shopping Center
For more information email Committee@DeerfieldBeachFestivals or call 954.480.4429
4 - 8 p.m., seven days a week
Half off all beverages Blue Martini Lounge
Town Center Mall
6000 Glades Road
Boca Raton 33431
Free parking in shopping center
Great martinis
For more information call 561.910.2583
Red Tails Click to see movie trailer
True story. Tuckegee Airmen (black pilots) fight in Europe against the Nazis while also fighting discrimination both as citizens and soldiers. PG-13. Starring Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Bryan Cranston. Ratings are all over the place but it looks good to me.
Powerful adult stem cell treatment works and is available
Do you or a family member or close friend have a significant illness or disability? Through adult stem cell treatment, there is hope for diseases and injuries that were once considered hopeless. But stem cell treatment is not available in the U.S., and those seeking it must make costly trips outside of the U.S. for it. Equally distressing is lately I've recently heard physicians on TV stating that stem cell treatment doesn't work. Here are the facts. You decide.
About three years ago, National Geographic filmed a documentary, SuperCell. In it, they followed five people to China where they documented and filmed this diverse groups' experiences before, during and after the time they received adult stem cell treatment. Three out of the five, all of whom were dying or seriously injured, improved dramatically.
Oddly, SuperCell was released all over the world but not in the U.S. I have a link to it at the end of this blog.
One of the people National Geo followed is my neighbor, David Aldrich. Seven years ago David became a quadriplegic and blind as the result of a tragic swimming accident. After his stem cell treatment, David regained his vision and while he remains a quad, his physical condition has improved significantly. I have video of him on this blog both before and after treatment.
I have researched and written about David's experience, and my articles on him have appeared in the Sun-Sentinel and in China Daily USA. Rutgers University picked up one of my stories about David.
I don't understand why physicians aren't lobbying to have adult stem cell treatment performed in the U.S. instead of saying it doesn't work. David is only one of many who has benefited from it.
There are no ethics issues with adult stem cells because the stem cells are taken from another person including newborns. Or they are taken from the patients own tissue, which is even better because then then there is no chance of rejection.
The following is my neighbor's horrific journey as he went from being a healthy 40ish man to a blind,quadriplegic and then a sighted quad w after receiving adult stem cell treatment. If you have the time, I encourage you to watch SuperCell. It is as interesting as it is informative about this brave new world of medicine.
David Aldrich of Delray Beach nearly drown in a tragic swimming accident in 2002. Months later when the then 44-year-old fully awoke from a coma, he found himself blind and paralyzed from the top of his chest down - a quadriplegic.
"I cried like a baby," David said.
In 2006, David traveled to a hospital in China for stem cell treatments accompanied by a family member, an aide and a crew from National Geographic. The crew filmed David's experience and those of four other seriously ill individuals - including a young child.
Almost miraculously, three weeks and several treatments later, David regained his vision. "It was a pretty tearful and emotional event," he said.
The stem cells used to treat him were harvested from the cord blood (blood that remains in the placenta and attached umbilical cord after birth) of a Chinese baby. This treatment is not being performed in the U.S.
National Geographic produced a documentary, Supercell, featuring David and the other four people who had treatments. The film was shown in most other countries, but not in the U.S. It can be seen at the bottom of this blog in it's entirety.
It is fabulous.
According to David’s opthomologist, Dr. Adriana Saker of the Jaffe Eye Institute, David’s vision in both eyes was 2100 before his treatment, and he could see only dark and light. Normal vision is 20/20.
Today, David's vision is 20/30 in his right eye and 20/50 in his left eye. Saker has no explanation.
David’s limbs, speech, core body strength and breathing have also dramatically improved, and while still legally blind, he sees well enough to read. David requires aides 24/7, but now he frequently rides around his neighborhood unassisted in his motorized wheelchair - his dog, Skipper, running along side him. "That's huge," David said.
David's story in his words
Before his treatment, David could not operate his wheel chair - not even from room to room in the house.
"I would like more treatments," he said. "It's a shame you have to go half way around the world to get them."
He has gone to China twice for treatments - family members paid for part of the first trip and his church donated money towards the second one. Lack of funds prevent him from returning.
David's stem cells came from Beike Biotech based in Shenzhen, China.
Dr. Sean Hu, an MD and PhD in Molecular Biology, is the founder and CEO of Beike. Hu says adult stem cells are used to treat dozens of ailments - heart, cancer multiple sclerosis and diabetic foot to name a few. Hu said the cells hold promise to eventually cure nearly every disease.
Children and adults suffering from both new and old afflictions can be treated with adult stem cells.
The good news, according to Hu, is everyone has stem cells in their nose – after a couple of weeks of coaxing in a laboratory - they become miracle workers.
The bad news is there are many fraudulent companies out there and only a few reliable ones, so Hu says for those in need - do a lot of research before selecting a stem cell company.
Below is National Geographic's documentary, Supercell.
Lots going on in Delray....don't miss out on all the fun.
Thursday, January 19
6 - 10:30 p.m. New York City "On the Ave"
Atlantic Ave is transformed into New York - food, entertainment
Atlantic Avenue
Delray Beach
Free
For more information, call 561-279-1380 ext. 17
Thursday - Sunday, January 19 - 22
See Website for hours 30th Boca Greek Festival
Traditional Greek food, dancing, tour the beautiful church
St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church
2100 NW 51st Street
Boca Raton, 33431
For more information, call 561.994. 4822
Admission: Adults $5, Children under 12 free (Click on Website for coupon for festival)
Friday, January 20
7 - 11 p.m. Delray Beach Art District Gallery Walk
Stroll the avenue and visit a local art galleries
Atlantic Avenue
Delray Beach
Free
Saturday and Sunday, January 21 and 22
10 - 5 p.m. 23rd Annual Downtown Delray Beach Festival of the Arts
Atlantic Ave from US1 to A1A
Delray Beach
For more information visit www.ArtFestival.com
Free Admission
Good Reads Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Subtitle: “A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption”.
Great Deal
Buy a $50 gas card for $40 at Publix after you purchase $25 worth of groceries or more. Good through Wednesday, January 24
Here's what's happening in Delray and nearby this weekend...
The weather will be a little cooler on this long holiday weekend but that just adds to the fun in South Florida.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Janurary 13 - 15
8 p.m. - midnight The Colony Hotel & Cabana Bar Porch Bar - Live Entertainment
595 E. Atlantic Ave.
Delray Beach 334 83
Free admission. Drinks available to purchase but not food.
561.275.4123
Saturday and Sunday, January 14 and 15
10 - 5 p.m. Boca Fest The Shops of Boca Center
5150 Town Center Circle
Boca Raton 33486
Free admission
For more information visit www.ArtFestival.com
Monday through Jan. 21
Readings and workshops Palm Beach Poetry Festival
(see website for reading times - workshops sold out)
Old School Square
51 No. Swinton Ave.
Delray Beach 33444
Cost $12; Seniors, $10 and students, $8.
For more information call 561.243.7922 or visit Palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.
Casual, beach side dining Burgerfi
6 Ocean Blvd.
Delray Beach 33483 Menu
561.278.9590
$$
Good Reads
If you are a hopeless romantic like me, you're already familiar with author Nicholas Sparks. He has a new bestseller, The Best of Me. A man and woman return to their No Carolina hometown twenty-five years after their high school romance ended. You can guess the rest.
He should know...for years this is how he made his living and kindly posted it on the internet.
1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.
2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.
3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste ... and taste means there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.
4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flier in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.
5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.
6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy.
7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather...
9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)
10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.
11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.
12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.
13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. Find it at faketv.com.
14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake.. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
15. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.
16. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing. It's human nature.
17. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?
18. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.
19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.
20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.
21. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.
22. This is one I added. When you go to bed at night, even if you have an alarm or when in a hotel, put your keys by your bed. If there is a problem, hit the panic button and the noise will attract someone's attention.
23. Also from me. If possible landscape with plants that have thorns below your windows...check with your local nursery what grows best in your area.
Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com ; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis , who interviewed 105 burglars for his book, Burglars on the Job.
Check out all the fun things going on in and around Delray
The holidays may be over but not the fun...
Thursday, January 5
8 p.m. Dada's Bazaar
Local artists sell arts and crafts and live music.
Dada's Restaurant (a local artist's hangout)
52 No. Swinton Ave.
Delray Beach 33444
For more information call 561.330.3232
Saturday, January 7
9 - 2 p.m. Delray GreenMarket
20 No. Swinton Ave.
Delray Beach 33444
For more information call 561. 276.8640 or visit the GreenMarket blog
Saturday & Sunday, January 7 & 8
10 - 5 p.m. Las Olas Art Fair
Los Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale
For more information, call 561.746.6615 or visit www.ArtFestival.com
Free Outdoor Event
Have you always wanted to experience scuba diving but aren't comfortable with actually doing it? Now you can walk the bottom of the ocean floor at the Miami Seaquarium. This is a don't miss experience. Miami Seaquarium
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway
Key Biscayne 33149
For more information call 305-361-5705 or visit Sea Trek Reef Encounter Ticket Prices/Hours/Reservations
*Not necessary to know how to scuba dive.
*Children must be 10 or older.
*Wet suit (required) and dive helmet both provided.
War Horse Click to see trailer
Too bad this lovely, British film, which is about kove, loyalty and tenacity is rated R (due to war violence) because otherwise this **** rated movie would be perfect for the family. Set in rural England and in Europe during WWI, it stars Jeremy Irvine and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Great Reads Down the Darkest Roadby Tami Hoag
This NYT bestselling author and part-time Wellington resident has added another dark tale to her long list of credits. It is a fictional story about a kidnapping and how it changes everyone's life. Hoag is known for getting into her character's heads. To read the overview of the book, click on the title above.
Plenty going on in Delray with enough variety to satisfy everyone. Happy New Year All!
Saturday, Dec. 31
4 - Midnight. Parade at 6 p.m. (Veteran's Park) and fireworks at Old School Square when the clock strikes twelve. First Night
Celebrate New Year's at Delray's family friendly party. Everyone is invited.
Atlantic Ave. and Swinton Blvd.
Delray Beach 33483
Entertainment, games, food, ice-skating.
Fee: $15 Cut 432
Great food but don't forget your pocketbook - you'll need it.
432 E. Atlantic Ave.
Delray Beach 33483
561.272.9898 Menu
$$$$
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
Not your traditional Sherlock Holmes as you'll see in the trailer. More like Sherlock Holmes goes Kong Foo when he meets his deadly foe, Moriarity. Nonetheless if you enjoyed the last Sherlock movie, you'll enjoy this one starring Robert Downey jr, Jude Law, Jared Harris and Noomi Rapace, chances are great this one will also be your cup of tea.
Good Reads A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer.
It starts out a little slow but stick with it because it is a compelling book. If you have read, The Count of Monte Cristo, you realize this 2006 release is an updated version of that classic tale.
If you haven't already noticed it, check out the huge gorgeous moon. Enjoying a glass of champagne beneath it while watching the fireworks from a lounge chair in my yard sounds like a great way to ring in the New Year to me.
The Get Local community blogs are written by residents of the community. The Sun-Sentinel does not edit the blogs, nor take responsibility for the contents.
MARY KAY
Kay has lived in Florida for the past seven years. Writing has always been her passion...
