By John Copeland

October is a month of changes in the world around us.  Yes, we still have warm days, but the nights cool off faster, and the hours of daylight are growing shorter and the hours of darkness are increasing. 

On Oct. 31, we celebrate Halloween with its witches, ghost, goblins and scary things that go bump in the night. On Halloween, we also cross into what our ancestors considered to be the dark half of the year.

Besides New Year’s, Halloween is one of the oldest holidays still celebrated today. A night of magic and mystery that originally celebrated the inextricable link between seasonal and life cycles. Halloween has not simply survived, it’scontinued to thrive over its long history.  Here in the United States, it’s one of our most popular holidays, second only to Christmas.  

The origins of Halloween can be traced back directly to the ancient Celtic festival Samhain (sow-in, the first part rhyming with cow). The Romans, the Christian Church, and ultimately, modern society have all had a hand in altering this holiday. Today, even the most contemporary traditions preserve traces of Halloween’s ancient past.

The Celts divided their year into eight major holidays and two seasons of light and dark. The season of light began May 1 on Beltane. The season of darkness began on Samhain, on the eve of Nov. 1, a magically potent time. The word Samhain translates, from ancient Gaelic as “summers end,” and in contemporary Irish Gaelic, Samhain is the name for the month of November. 

For the Celts, Samhain was harvest’s end. It was also the end of the year and the beginning of the new year. It was “in between” the two years and on this night, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its weakest allowing creatures of the night to mingle with the living.  

Many scholars believe that the ancient Celts would disguise themselves with animal skins and masks and make lots of noise in an effort to ward off malevolent spirits. They also left gifts and treats outside their dwellings to pacify spirits on Samhain night. These are the customs at the root of today’s costume parties and trick-or-treating.

On Samhain, all household fires were extinguished. At dawn, brands were taken from the hilltop bonfires and used to rekindle the hearth fires. In relighting their hearth fires, the ancient Celts surely had a sense they were also kindling new dreams, projects, and hopes for the year to come. 

By 43 BCE, the Romans had conquered nearly all of the Celtic lands. As conquerors, the Romans were surprisingly accepting of the beliefs of other cultures. In the course of the 400 years that they ruled “Celtic Europe,” two Roman festivals were combined in the Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, commemorated the passing of the dead. The other was the festival of Pomona, Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona was an apple, which was a special fruit to the Celts: At the heart of the Celtic Otherworld grew an apple tree whose fruit had magical properties. 

When Christian missionaries began converting the Celtic people, Pope Gregory I issued an edict to his missionaries. Rather than obliterate the pagan customs, Pope Gregory instructed his missionaries to use them.

This proved to be a brilliant concept and helped spread Christianity across Celtic territories. The combining of Samhain and All Saints Day into Halloween is an excellent example. All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows, was originallycelebrated in late May. The evening before was All Hallows Eve, which in turn became Hallowe’en. Can you imagine trick or treating among the flowers in May?

Moving the holiday from warm spring-like weather to chilly autumn, however, changed the whole nature of the celebration. The powerful symbolism of wandering dead was too strong for the human psyche to be satisfied with the abstract Catholic feast honoring saints. Common folk continued to celebrate All Hallows Eve, but all the characters of the night were now evil, like witches.

In the melting pot of Colonial America, traditions continued to merge giving birth to a distinctly American version of Halloween. Colonial Halloween festivities featured the telling ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the early 19th century, Halloween was not universally celebrated.

In the mid-19th century, America was flooded with millions of Irish fleeing Ireland’s potato famine. Trick-or-treating came to America from Ireland, where children of tenant farmers would go to the lord’s or landlord’s manor demanding treats or they would play pranks. 

Irish children would carry with them jack-o’lanterns made by hollowing out a turnip or sugar beet and carving them with facial features. These would be illuminated by a candle placed in the inside. The original idea behind this may have been to frighten off any supernatural forces that might be about. 

Pumpkins are America’s contribution to Halloween. Big orange veggies are pretty odd as far as holiday symbols go, but there are actual historical reasons why we carve pumpkins for Halloween. In North America, pumpkins are more readily available and much larger than turnips or sugar beets making them easier to carve.  

By the turn of the century, in America, Halloween parties for both children and adults were the most common way to celebrate the day. Somewhere between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating door-to-door was revived and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend about $7 billion on Halloween.  Halloween has managed to achieve a national status without the holiday standing of say, the 4th of July or Christmas.  

Halloween has endured because it allows its participants to both embrace and defuse their fears. From the ancient Celts seeking to appease the spirits that wandered the countryside on Samhain night to the little vampires and fairies trick-or-treating at your door, Halloween’s adaptability is the reason it remains, for over 2,000 years, the most bewitching night of the year.

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I’ve mentioned in some of my previous articles about the importance of keeping a happy mind. Certainly, the road of life is not free of bumps, but it’s how you take those bumps that can mean the difference between health and disease. What most people fail to realize is that your emotions play a major role in the development of diseases, such as cancer. 

Cancer may rear its ugly head due to numerous reasons, but you may not know that an “emotional shock” can also be the cause. A traumatic emotional experience, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a severe worry, like losing your home, your job, the economy, or any other threat or panic, causes you stress on a physical and emotional level. This then causes very real physical changes in your body. 

If you consider your body as a computer, a power surge can easily blow your system out. It is always recommended to plug your computer into a power strip with a surge protector to stop the additional power supply running to the computer in the event of a surge. Your body works in much the same way. An emotional shock, as in electric shock, sparks a change in the body, yet your body does have natural built-in surge protectors that can be your best indication of an underlying problem. Often, we don’t know just how hard an emotional shock has hit us, or how deeply it is affecting your body.

Tiredness, insomnia, and pain are the most common of your body’s “surge protectors.” All three of them act as a slowing-down mechanism of sorts. Most people turn to, what we can term “bypass medicines”, to mask these surge protectors.Pain medicine, sleeping medicine, or caffeine and energy drinks all serve to temporarily eliminate these bothersome symptoms so that we can more easily get on with our day. However, the more you bypass your body’s surge protectors, the higher the risk of burning out your system and getting cancer.

Disease that develops is not random. Your constitution most often determines your weak points. Knowing your ownemotional proclivities also gives you indications of your weak points. If you have a lot of sadness in your life, this damages your lungs. Those with short tempers who carry a lot of anger are prone to liver damage. People who live with much fear are prone to kidney damage, while those who worry a lot or over-think things suffer damage to their stomach.  

It is so important to pay attention to your body’s built-in surge protectors. Don’t mask their presence, but rather, find their root before it turns to disease. The solution is not to treat the physical symptoms, but instead to get to the bottom of the emotional conflict, and heal yourself emotionally. Healing the emotional situation puts a halt to the growth and festering of disease so that physical healing can occur. 

If you are currently in a place where you know that you have suffered an emotional shock, the very best thing you can do is to be kind to yourself. Get plenty of rest, eat the right foods, exercise, seek out acupuncture, be with friends, take a vacation, do the things that make you happy, and essentially pamper yourself while you work through your emotional problems. Treating yourself kindly in this time serves as a protective and healing mechanism and prevents the shock from turning into disease.

Learning how to live in the moment is also very helpful. Try this simple breathing exercise to help train your mind to concentrate on the here and now: While lying comfortably on your back, place your fingers 2 inches down from your belly button. Close your eyes, and with your mind’s eye, watch the position of your fingers. Watch them rise and fall with each deep inhale and exhale. Train your mind to silence and watch and think only of your breath and the rise and fall of your fingers. Relax and center yourself. Doing this for a little while every day will help to train your mind to live in the present and assist you in working through your past or current emotional situations. 

If you listen to your body and these fundamental laws of nature — to live a conscious life, to eat healthy foods, exercise, deal with your emotional hurdles naturally, and strive for balance in your life — it will go a long way toward keeping you out of the doctor’s office and helping you prevent cancer altogether.

Dr. Lee’s office is now located at 175 McMurray Road, Suite G, Buellton. The clinic is held every Wednesday only. Dr. Lee also has offices in Los Angeles, and Atascadero. To make an appointment in the Buellton office, call 805-693-5162.

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By Pamela Dozois and Linda Johansen

Special to the Santa Ynez Valley Star

NOTE: This is the uncut version of the story of Linda Johansen’s trip to Ireland with her family. A condensed version of the story can be found in the July 16 print version of The Santa Ynez Valley Star.

“There is something to be said about turning 75 that feels a bit like liberation,” said Linda Johansen, world traveler and local philanthropist. “When your children ask you if you want a large birthday extravaganza like you planned for your husband the year before, you can honestly tell them ‘absolutely not’ and not remotely feel bad about it.” 

“My birthday wish was to go on a family vacation with my immediate family of six including my only grandchild Canon, who was 6 months old. I told my children they could pick out any destination they wanted and the stipulation was, that I was not going to make any arrangements for the trip at all, because that has been my career for over 50 years,” said Johansen. “I relayed again to them that I didn’t want to be responsible for one thing except paying the bill and handing over my credit card when the time was right!”

Her sons and daughter-in-law agreed and invested countless hours and months in the planning.

“They decided Ireland was the perfect spot for us because we all love beer, especially Guinness, whiskey, and fresh seafood,” said Johansen. “My youngest son and wife were scheduled to attend a wedding outside of Dublin as well sothat all figured into the choice of venue. So, from Jan. 16, which is my actual birthday, up until the day before we left on our trip, my youngest son Adam and his wife Mariah were attending to trip details along with suggestions from my son Erik.”

“I did answer one question for Adam and Mariah dealing with airline ticket penalties,” admitted Johansen. “Because we were traveling with a baby and due to the fact that my husband Danny and I are aged seniors, I agreed with Adam to buy the more expensive flexible airline tickets which we ended up changing the day before departure. A traveling tip: It is really important to know the rules of your ticket fare as many are nonrefundable and with big penalties.”

The Johansens set out on their journey to Ireland, but not without a minor delay inconvenience.

“Because of the Memorial Day weekend, travel was difficult and unreliable at best,” Linda said. “Our originating flight from Santa Barbara to Dallas had been 1½ hours to over 2 hours late for 10 days in a row, so we opted to leave Santa Barbara Airport at 5:15 a.m. That meant we shuttled to the Santa Barbara Airport at 3 a.m., which was not optimal butit gave us the assurance of not misconnecting with our flight to Dublin. Thank heavens the kids changed the flight as it was over three hours late that day. 

“Welcome to the world of travel and the stress that comes along with that and which I have experienced my entire adult life as a travel agent for our family business, the former Viking Travel Service, and now working exclusively with Collette booking group departures for the last 15 years.”

However, once the trip started, it was a great experience.

“What a wonderful belated 75th birthday celebration! Two weeks in Ireland in May!,” Johansen said. “It was truly magical and wonderful from start to finish and the kids did an amazing job at coordinating all the specific details of the trip. They definitely inherited my organizational skills and the love of travel, enjoying new cultures and meeting new friends along the way. The bonus in all of this was that Prince Canon was absolutely perfect the entire trip!

It went well with Johansen’s kids making the arrangements.

“They organized all the flights from Santa Barbara to Ireland, all hotels or VRBO rentals, two car rentals for the entire trip as it was $2,000 cheaper to have two smaller cars versus one larger vehicle, some reservations at famous restaurants, beer and whiskey tours and tastings and all the notable sightseeing you should see along the way as well as some golf,” said Johansen. “There was even a few ‘surprise reservations’ for the birthday girl!

And the weather mostly cooperated, also.

“We were very lucky in that we seemed to bring the California weather with us most days,” Johansen said. “There was very little rain which is very uncommon, and only a few light showers mostly at night. This certainly made the drivingon the opposite side of the road much less of a challenge. I think that was the most stressing part of the trip, trying to teach my 76-year-old husband to consistently stay on the left side of the road and out of the bushes. Other than some scratches from trees and bushes, it was a miracle that his car was returned intact.

“Adam and Mariah definitely planned that perfectly, putting Mariah in the front seat with Dan to help navigate and putting me in the car with Adam and the baby. When I occasionally sat in the car Dan was driving, I was promptly toldI needed to be quiet and not add any stress to the driving by making backseat driving comments. I much preferred staying in the car with Canon, so Erik and Mariah had to deal with Dan’s driving. All I can say is that my beautiful daughter-in-law is a saint and the perfect addition to our family.”

Johansen described her stay in Dublin with enthusiasm.

“We stayed in the lovely Leonardo Hotel in Dublin where we bunked for two nights in three separate rooms,” she said.”We enjoyed a few pubs that the kids had researched for having awesome Guinness, Irish beer, and whiskey. We enjoyed amazing Irish stew at the Brazen Head restaurant in the Temple Bar neighborhood close to our hotel and loved delicious coddle at Hairy Lemons as well as visiting the Christchurch Abbey, which was directly across the street from our hotel, and was the beautiful view from my room. We toured Trinity College and their library with over 300,000 books which was incredible and of course did the Guinness Beer Brewery Factory tour which was amazing.”

Their next stop was Galway about a 2½ hour drive from Dublin. 

“Once we navigated out of Dublin, the roads were easier and the scenery was so beautiful,” said Johansen. “We stopped at Sean’s Bar in Athlone, which is the oldest bar in Ireland and possibly the world’s oldest operating bar recorded for 1,000 years. We tossed back a few pints enjoying all the staff, other guests, and the amazing memorabilia. What a historic venue with an ancient castle remnant across the street. 

“After a short drive from Athlone, we stopped for lunch at Moran’s Oyster Cottage, outside of Galway, established in the 1760s. Moran’s Oyster Cottage was a charming home with a thatched roof where the residents lived upstairs and thedownstairs was always a restaurant. They specialize in seafood and we practically ordered one of everything. It was the most incredible meal and we had our own little room to ourselves which was wonderful.”

Each of these stops were a chance to show the family’s gratitude.

“There was never a meal, or a pub that we didn’t raise our glasses in toast to our family and give thanks for each other and our many blessings,” said Johansen. “The whole trip was truly so special in so many ways, and we have vowed to now do a yearly family trip with everyone getting to choose a destination.”

After that Johansen got a special treat.

“In Galway we had our first spacious and lovely VRBO rental for two nights. We visited the Spanish Arch and a few castles and got to experience my first birthday surprise that the kids arranged and paid for themselves. We had a 15-minute drive on the outskirts of Galway to Glenlo Abbey for my surprise high noon champagne and tea luncheon that was absolutely incredible,” said Johansen. “We all enjoyed it so much and it was such a lovely surprise and something I really enjoy experiencing when I’m traveling. It was a stunning former castle converted into a five-star property in the Leading Hotels in the World Chain. Canon joined us in his highchair for his first five-star high noon tea celebration and was a perfect gentleman. I was a very proud Grammie over his big boy behavior.

“We enjoyed another amazing meal for dinner that night at the famous Kings Head restaurant,” she said. “If you hadn’tguessed it by now my sons and daughter-in-law are total foodies!  I fear Canon will be one too as there isn’t anything he doesn’t enjoy eating and he is a total carnivore!”

En route to Killarney from Galway, they had lunch at The Ivy Cottage and then visited the imposing Cliffs of Moher. 

“I don’t care how many times I have seen them, they are absolutely stunning and again our day was bright blue skies but windy as always hiking to the cliffs. You simply can’t come to Ireland without visiting the Cliffs of Moher,” she advised. “We enjoyed another VRBO rental for three nights in Killarney which is one of my favorite charming smaller areas in Ireland.”

A good time was had by all in Killarney.  

“The boys went golfing at the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club, and Mariah, Canon, and I experienced the carriage ride through the stunning Killarney National Park to the Castle,” Johansen said. “It was so beautiful and our guide was fantastic and had competed in the U.S. recently in a world class mountain bike event in Santa Cruz. In typical Irish politeness he told us we could borrow his fly-fishing equipment to go fishing in the lake if we’d like. That is the bonus of travel I always say, meeting such lovely people along the way.”

She said that they had brought cards for evening play, but they were all so exhausted after each day of exploration, that the cards never made it out of the case. 

“I think that says a great deal about my children and their expert planning of all the details for our trip,” said Johansen.“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as they say!

“The boys had a distillery tour at Dingle, an hour or so from Killarney so Mariah, Canon and I walked the very charming seaport village and went to the quaint local aquarium at the edge of the town. Dingle was one of the most picturesque villages, so charming and one I hadn’t visited before. It was definitely worth the visit and we enjoyed some amazing fish and chips in Dingle with a pint or two of local beers,” continued Johansen.

Leaving Killarney en route to Cork, the group stopped off at Blarney Castle, where the famous Blarney Stone is located.

“The Blarney Castle and grounds are so lovely. This is another point of interest in Ireland that you shouldn’t miss. The history behind Blarney Castle is fascinating, and the lore of kissing the Blarney Stone which has been done for over 200 years, is powerful,” said Johansen. “However, once your trek the inside of the dark, steep stairwells, to get to the Blarney Stone, and see what you have to do to kiss it, you are good with doing it just once. You have to get down on your back and lean back over the wall to kiss the stone upside down to receive the powers of the gift of eloquence. They now have a grill netting one floor down so hopefully there are no more victims. Maybe that is why I’m so talkative as I did kiss that Blarney Stone many years ago but there is no way I could even begin to crawl down to do it again at my age, so I was happy I didn’t have to go through all of that again.”

Eventually, they got to their next destination and had a good time.

“We enjoyed exploring Cork and the surrounding areas for a few days as well, especially the English market place,” she said. “So many amazing food vendors that we all had something to eat. We ate our way through that area as well asmuch of the trip it seems.”

It was back to Dublin for their last two nights in Ireland and Johansen’s final birthday surprise. 

“Our last two nights were spent in Dublin, and my last surprise was a tour of Bru Na Boinne, Newgrange, and Knowth, which are UNESCO-recognized prehistoric monuments in the Boyne Valley,” she said. “They were constructed before Stonehenge and the Giza pyramids and are the largest ancient worship and burial sites in Ireland. It was incredible and we were able to enter a passageway to a chamber where the light would shine in to illuminate it during winter solstice for the Neolithic people in Ireland. That was a fascinating tour.” 

“Our last night was spent getting delicious take-a-way pizza to our respective hotel rooms and trying to figure how to get everything in our suitcases,” she said. “Since Adam was staying for the wedding, we had one less person to schlep luggage, and when you take a baby, you have a lot of bags!

 “As families go, I guess ours isn’t any different in trying to organize everyone’s various needs. Adam stayed for four extra nights for a wedding, Danny, Erik, and I flew to Dallas and then onto Santa Barbara, and Mariah and Canon flew with us to Dallas and then into San Francisco for a wedding that she was a bridesmaid for. We all made it home to our various locations with no hiccups and all luggage accounted for which was a minor miracle in itself.”

Looking back, Johansen considered it a pretty smooth trip.

“Travel isn’t for the faint at heart I will say, when it goes well it is just amazing, but when it falls apart, you are definitely on your own, so you’d better know how navigate it all and what your rights are as a passenger for the airline on which you are traveling,” warned Johansen.

“I was so grateful that on this trip, I did nothing at all except to present my credit card,” she added, laughing. “I was just a fellow passenger and it was so nice, instead of being responsible for a large group. That was by far the best birthday gift and present I have ever had, enjoying my family in the most loving and adventurous way in Ireland. I’m already looking forward to next year’s family travels and adventures and again just being a passenger and the banker!”

“Also, I would like to point out in my new role as a first-time grandmother at 75, it isn’t easy, but by far the most important thing in my life compared to having my own boys,” said Johansen. “Realistically, we will miss many important things in Canon’s life because we will be gone, so I have let it be known that I need to make my impression now and let Canon know how much his crazy, fun-loving Grammie loves him. There will be few boundaries except discipline and foundation rules set by Adam and Mariah that I will totally respect, but I see Canon globetrotting with his Grammie and on many outrageous trips for years to come. He already has a Masai name and gifts from the Masai tribe that I have been supporting for years, so if I’m not too old and he is old enough, Kenya might be in the picture again before I croak.

“I look so forward to sharing my love of travel with my precious grandson” said Johansen in conclusion. “He is off to Mexico with us in November so he will have another country and culture under his belt.  He is one lucky, beautiful little boy with so much joy and an adventurous spirit. I’m so proud to be his Grammie and to share the world with him.”

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By John Copeland

Sunday, May 12, is Mother’s Day here in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Mothers’ Day is also observed in several other countries around the world, but on different days of the year. 

In the U.S., Mother’s Day is a pretty young holiday, it is a little over 100 years old. But, the tradition of honoring mothers and motherhood is deeply rooted in antiquity.  In ancient times, it was expressed in honoring a “mother” goddess. It is only in the past few centuries that the celebration of motherhood has shifted its focus to our human mothers.  

Cybele was venerated as the Mother of the Gods throughout the entire Mediterranean region. Babylonia and Syria knew her as Astarte or Ishtar. The Egyptians honored Isis, as the mother goddess, commonly regarded as the mother of the pharaohs.

Early Christians celebrated a Mother’s Day of sorts. On the fourth Sunday of Lent, they paid homage to the Virgin Mary and to the church in which they were baptized. Most of us are familiar with the term “Mother Church.” 

In 16th century England, the church decreed honoring all mothers on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Called Mothering Sunday, it was a day for visiting one’s mother. Mothering Day grew into an important holiday in England. 

The precursor to our American Mother’s Day, like many of our holidays, has it roots in the Civil War.  After the war, Julia Ward Howe, author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” felt the United States should have a day in honor of mothers. Her idea of a day honoring mothers was actually framed as a day for mothers to come together and protest war and the futility of sons killing the sons of other mothers.  

In 1873, women’s groups in 18 American cities gathered and observed Howe’s mothers holiday. Initially, Howe, personally funded many of these celebrations. They died out once Howe stopped footing the bill. The celebration of Mother’s Day as we know it today did not come about until early in the 20th century thanks to Anna Jarvis.

As a child, Anna Jarvis’ mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, was a woman’s club organizer in West Virginia who had high hopes to bring women together to lower infant mortality and improve sanitary conditions. 

Ann founded a West Virginia women’s group that, in order to reunite families and neighbors that had been divided between the Union and Confederate sides of the Civil War, held a Mother’s Friendship Day.

When her mother died in 1905, Anna Jarvis began a campaign to create an official Mother’s Day. Anna petitioned the superintendent of the church where her mother had taught Sunday School for over 20 years and on May 10, 1908, the first official Mother’s Day celebration took place at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Anna Jarvis arranged for white carnations, her mother’s favorite flower, for parishioners to pin to their clothes, and two carnations were given to every mother in attendance. Today, white carnations are used to honor deceased mothers, while pink or red carnations pay tribute to mothers still living. Andrew’s Methodist Church is still there, but renamed the International Mothers Shrine.

Anna Jarvis endlessly petitioned the government, business leaders, women groups, and churches to create a Mother’s Day. Her efforts paid off; in 1912, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day and other states quickly followed suit. Congressman J. Thomas Heflin of Alabama and Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas presented a joint resolution to Congress for Mother’s Day be observed nationwide. The resolution was passed by both houses.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the bill designating the second Sunday in May as a legal holiday dedicated “to the best mother in the world, your mother.” 

But what about Anna M. Jarvis? Mother’s Day quickly became a commercial gold mine, centering on the buying and giving of flowers, candies, and greeting cards; a development that deeply disturbed Jarvis. 

Anna Jarvis died in 1948, blind and poor in a sanatorium, a lonely, forgotten woman. Ironically, Jarvis never knew that the Florist’s Exchange had anonymously paid for her care. She spent half her life fighting for a special “day” for mothers, the other half fighting against it!

There are around 85 million mothers in the U.S. Americans will spend about $671 million on cards for Mother’s Day. We will spend another $1.9 billion on flowers for moms. When you throw in other gifts, brunches, and dinners, it is estimated that it will total $20.7 billion this year. Anna Jarvis, maybe, had a point about the commercialization. 

A couple years ago, I expressed ideas of celebrating mother’s day while still dealing with COVID-19 pandemic. Things are relatively back to normal now, but my idea about making sure the moms, grandmothers and women in the lives who are deserving of the honor feel appreciated on the special day still hold true: If you really want to give Mom something meaningful, give her your time.  

If your mom is at home, give her a day off from any family chores. Someone else can take the responsibility on Mothers’ Day for making or serving the food, clearing and cleaning the dishes, and doing the laundry. Most moms simply wish to connect with their children and spend time with family in any way possible — if not in person, then with a phone call or video chat! Gifts are great, but a chunk of your time is the best and most comforting gift of all.

I am pretty sure that Anna Jarvis and her mother would be approve. 

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The beginning of October can signal one thing in Santa Ynez Valley and beyond — the fall season has begun and coming up fast will be Halloween and all the trimmings that come with it, like pumpkins.

And that was the idea a lot of people had on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Solvang Farmer Pumpkin Patch on Alamo Pintado Road. The patch, owned and operated by Steve Jacobsen and his family, is one of the most popular in the Valley, and that showed as a good crowd showed up on a warm Saturday to get an early pick of the gourds.

“It’s an OK crowd, but I think the heat this weekend has kept a few away,” Steve Jacobsen said. “But I think the crowds will pick up as it gets cooler and also as Halloween gets closer.”

Jacobsen has operated the seasonal pumpkin patch along with family members like his daughter, Tayler, whom Steve calls the “brains of the operation,” and son Wesley, who was manning the popcorn stand at the patch on this Saturday.

In addition to the pumpkins, the Jacobsens also have a corn maze on the site that is a popular draw, as well as a number of old vehicles and farm equipment with pumpkins loaded on them, which makes for a great photo op.

The patch not only has a lot of Valley residents coming by, but also folks from further away.

Mario Pavlovic came up from Los Angeles with his sons Luka and Matteo to pick out a few pumpkins, and it was a return trip for them.

“We come to this place often, and they wanted to come up and pick pumpkins,” Mario said. “We used to come when it was at another location, and we’ve always been happy about what we found.”

Dylan Jones of Santa Maria, who was there with his family, was also becoming a loyal customer of the Jacobsens’ patch

“We came here last year and it was really great,” Jones said as his 2-year-old son Diego was pulling along a cart with pumpkins in it. “We decided to come back and try to make a tradition out of it.”

The Solvang Farmer patch isn’t the only one selling the Halloween gourds: The Summerset Farm and Pumpkin Patch, located at 3450 Baseline Ave. in Santa Ynez, just north of Edison Street and next to Highway 154, also has some available. The patch is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Summerset Farm calls itself “a hidden gem” in the Santa Ynez Valley and states on its website “our mission is to grow high quality produce to be enjoyed by all.” in addition to the pumpkin patch, the farm also offers a produce stand, pick-your-own berries, local honey, homemade jams, free range eggs, and more!

While pumpkins are popular this time of year, so is seeking out eerie and unsettling, but mostly fun, activities such as the haunted house put on by the Solvang Parks and Recreation Department. This year’s 29th edition of the Halloween Haunt is themed “Tainted Souls: Even Clowns Have Feelings” and will be open on Friday, Oct. 27, and Saturday, Oct. 28, at 411 2nd St. in Solvang. Each night will kick off with a more kid-friendly version from 6 to 6:30 p.m., and the more “grown-up” version will continue from that point until 9:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.

Parks and Recreation Director Jenny McClurg made a general presentation to the Solvang City Council and remarked that they just got started on the attraction.

“We started this week, and it should be quite a production,” she said. “We should be busy with it for the next four weeks.”

The department is still seeking volunteers to help out with and participate in the Haunted House. You can register to help out, either as a guide or as one of the “monsters,” by going to cityofsolvang.com/310/Haunted-House. 

Meanwhile, The Haunt, billed as “Solvang’s premier ghost tour,” promises to “whisk you away into the ghostly past of this unique Danish village. Embark on a thrilling adventure through the town’s haunted architecture, steeped in eerie tales of their phantom residents at the most haunted sites.”

Having started back up last month in time for Danish Days, the tour is perfect for families, couples, and children. The Haunt combines authentic ghost hunting with engrossing storytelling, making it an unforgettable journey into Solvang’s haunted past.

The tour runs Thursday through Sunday through October and will also offer extra days on Oct. 30 and 31 for Halloween. The tour departs near the Visitor Information Center. Spots fill up fast, so book online now to secure your place in this otherworldly experience. To get tickets and learn more go to thehauntghosttours.com/tours/solvang/.

Other events on and around Halloween include:

A Not So Scary Movie; Saturday, Oct. 21, from 2 to 4 p.m.; 202 Dairyland Road, Buellton (future site of SYV Children’s Museum)

The Santa Ynez Valley Children’s Museum will be screening what is billed as a “Not So Scary Movie” for ages 10 and under and their families at the future site of the museum. Tickets are $8 per person or $30 per family, which includes the movie screening on the patio and access to the “Mud Kitchen” and “Dirt Zone” play area. Snacks and drinks are available for purchase and attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. For more information, go to syvchildrensmuseum.com. 

Day of the Dead: Haunted Ball at Sunstone, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m., Sunstone Winery, 125 Refugio Road, Santa Ynez

This Halloween, Sunstone Winery transforms into a haunting haven inspired by Dia De Los Muertos.

Enjoy Day of the Dead inspired cocktails, delicious bites, and dance the night away in the wine cave with DJ Fess on Deck.

Honor those who have passed and come dressed up in your best costume. Prizes will be given to the best dressed in three categories: Best Group, Most Original, and Best Couple. Tickets: $129 ($99 for Sunstone Members). For more info go to exploretock.com/sunstonewinery/event/439075/day-of-the-dead-haunted-ball-at-sunstone

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By Sue Manning

Versatility equals value, so while traditional items may cost a bit more, they also work hard. With creative layering, pieces you may have dismissed as too trendy or too summery can actually become your newest wardrobe staples.

To add versatility to your neutral latte colors, add toast, blue, dusty rose, sage green, or black. For gray, add shocking pink, vibrant orange, lemon, or royal blue. For ivory, add eggplant, espresso, pine, or ruby.

When it comes to expanding your wardrobe, building from pieces you have and adding something new gives you extra wearing capabilities and who doesn’t want to expand their wardrobe while saving money at the same time.

Remember, wardrobe building is a free service at Elna’s Dress Shop. Our expert staff specializes in this area.

With fall just around the corner, fashion can seem intimidating and inaccessible. We think we need the “total” look, but not all things belong together. Some do, some don’t. Fall gives us the option of being free spirited, so feel free to mix and match! This fall, look for earth tones, plush textures, tapestries, florals, and plaids. Floral textiles have a history in fashion design. From bold statements to muted prints, they give fashionistas a chance to express their personality. One thing is for sure — floral prints are always in style.

Known for its “quiet authority,” nude and beige textiles provide a background for bold statements. The popular trend is suitable for everyday as well as on the runway.

Major denim trends for fall and winter from key silhouettes to surface finishes. This season’s denim is all about elevating this closet staple. No longer just a casual classic, contemporary denim pieces are being put together with sharp tailoring, surface textures, and eastern aesthetics for a fresh, fashion-forward take on utility wear.

Stop by Elna’s during the month of August for our special sale featuring 50 percent off selected summer merchandise.

You’ll find the quality name brands we are known for, but hurry, because when they are gone, they are gone.

Elna’s is open: Wednesdays thru Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located in the heart of Solvang at 1673 Copenhagen Drive

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By Sheila Benedict

Summer is here and what better time to turn on the computer and the air conditioner and check out digitized records. NO, not everything is digitized and probably never will be but YES, they are working on adding more and more daily. What records are needed to complete a family research project? 

The list of records is very long but some suggestions include bibles/church records, census, state and federal (population and non-population), city directories, county histories, court documents, vital records (birth, marriages, deaths for every county and some cities statewide). Check online for county of interest web addresses and information about how to obtain copies of their records. Others include school yearbooks, diaries, land and taxes, military records/pension files, naturalizations/passenger lists, newspapers/queries, DNA results, and the list goes on. 

The following URLs are listed, but it is important to check and make sure they are current. Do not forget to use PERSI for your periodical sources. It has a huge selection: genealogycenter.info/persi. Of course, as is stated in the column every month regarding the law, all the laws in California do not match laws in other states and countries. Each needs to be reviewed to make sure privacy policies and other restrictions are followed. In California, here are some of the major record repositories: Federal, National Archives (NARA) Regional Centers are in two locations: 23123 Cajalco Road, Perris, CA 92570 (www.archives.gov/frc/riverside; email: riverside.archives@nara.gov) and the Leo J Ryan Building, San Bruno, CA 94066 (www.archives.gov/frc/san-francisco; email: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov). 

Available services

• Archival Research Room, Microfilm Research Room. California State Library at three locations; website: (www.library.ca.gov). For additional information on their holdings at the branches in Sacramento and San Francisco, email cslinfo@library.ca.gov and sutro@library.ca.gov.
• California State Archives, 1020 O Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 653-2246, https://www.sos.ca.gov/archives; email: archivesweb@sos.ca.gov. 
• California Historical Society, 678 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94105. Website: www.californiahistoricalsociety.org
• Bureau of Indian Affairs, regional office in Sacramento with branches in Redding and Riverside. Website: www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/RegionalOffices/Pacific/index.htm
• LDS Family History Library Branch Centers: statewide, every county and some cities. 
• Online archive of California, California Digital Library (www.oac.edlib.org; click “browse collections”).
• Some individual societies include Native Daughters of the Golden West, Native Sons of the Golden West, Los Californianos, Society of California Pioneers, Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Revolution, Museum of Forgotten Warriors (military), California African-American Genealogical Society, and in other parts of California, Jewish genealogical societies in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, and other areas. 

Finally, there are genealogical and historical societies all across California, other states, and other countries. There are also both subscription and free sites available as well. Remember, to do the research effectively, one record source is NEVER enough. One other source that seems to get little attention because of all the latest technology are books. Most genealogy libraries still have their collections, but many offer the use of their computer services. Enjoy your August and “see” you in September.

Copyright ©2023, Sheila Benedict; All Rights Reserved

Email: benedictresearchservices@gmail.com

No reproductions without prior written permission

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By Pamela Dozois

Contributing Writer

Jen Curtis, a resident of Los Alamos, has had a heart for animals in need since childhood. As a child growing up in Maine, she said she used to pick up neighborhood cats that she thought were homeless and bring them home.

“So, when I brought the cats home, my mother would say that they probably had homes of their own and that I needed to find out where they lived,” said Curtis. “From childhood, I was always wanting to help sick cats in need. Turns out I’m allergic to cats, so I went without any animal in my life until a friend of mine gifted me with a dachshund named Greta.” 

In 2014, Curtis said she recognized the plight of homeless dogs in need of rescuing. So, she started fostering rescues. At first she focused on dachshunds and dachshund mixes.

“Shortly after bringing in a friend for Greta, I began fostering dachshunds who were looking for forever homes,” she said. “I began with dachshunds and it slowly developed into fostering all breeds of dogs.

“I fostered and then adopted Hudson who was going to be euthanized because he had kennel cough. Then I started doing more. I adopted a cocker spaniel who a delivery guy in Bakersfield had seen someone throw out of a truck and it just went on from there.” 

At present Curtis is an independent dog rescuer, but she is in the process of filing for a 501(c)3 nonprofit status. The name of her rescue will be LE WOOF, but for now she is doing this work as an independent dog lover. 

“The word got out that I am interested in rescuing dogs, so people started calling me about animals in trouble,” said Curtis. “My journey is to find every dog a forever home.”

A board member from the Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society and Dog Adoption Welfare Group (DAWG) asked Curtis to help with some fundraising and shortly after that, she was asked to join the Board of Directors and she said that she pretty much spearheaded fundraising for them.

“After two years of helping raise funds for the Humane Society I realized that I preferred to focus on things I could control and make a bigger impact,” she said.

When COVID hit, Curtis started doing more fostering and pulling dogs out of high-kill shelters in Los Angeles County and helping Santa Barbara County find homes for their dogs in need while at the same time continuing to foster. 

“I formed a relationship with a rescue group in Oregon who agreed to take 12-15 dogs a month from overcrowded shelters in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties. On a monthly basis I have to raise $2,500 to pay for their transport to Oregon alone,” she explained. “Between pulling dogs for the Oregon transport, raising funds for their transport, pulling dogs that I foster myself along with finding them homes and networking with a team of fosters who help with this work, well, I have to say, it is more than a handful. I host fundraisers, GoFundMes, adoption events to get dogs adopted, and continue to pay for spay and neutering, vaccines, and medical care. I also drive to wherever a dog needs rescuing. This weekend I am off to Ventura to rescue a dog in need. This is a lot to handle on top of having a full-time job in software sales, but it’s worth it.”

Although Curtis began by focusing on a particular breed, she has widened here efforts considerably.

“Currently I focus on all dogs in need, not breed or age specific, but I have a soft spot for senior dogs and medical dogs including hospice dogs,” she said. “I have pulled a few end-of-life dogs from shelters and gave them love and medical support until they passed including my very social boy Ziggy who I had for 7 months before he passed away. 

“In my opinion, shelters are no place for a dog long-term, let alone for a senior dog. Currently we have small, medium, and large dogs of all ages available for adoption.”

Curtis said that shelters are overflowing with adoptable dogs, some of them even pure breed.

“People are dumping their dogs in record numbers in shelters, in deserts, in fields, wherever,” she said. “The number of homeless dogs is the worst it has ever been due to backyard breeders and not spaying or neutering animals or people who find their animals inconvenient and dump them because they don’t want them anymore.

“I will continue to do foster care and rescue and ask people to foster, raise money and find loving homes for as many of these deserving dogs that I can. The community of Los Alamos and the Valley and Santa Barbara County residences have been so supportive of the work I do along with help from friends, volunteers, and fosters. I am grateful to the businesses that have allowed me to host adoption events such as Forage Floral, Full of Life Flat Bread, The Well, Priedite Barbecue, and Bell’s, to name a few.”

Curtis is always looking for fosters, volunteers to walk dogs, weekend puppy or dog foster flings, puppy socializers and people willing to transport. 

“Fostering is easier than you think, long-term or short term,” she said. “Volunteering to walk a dog daily helps the primary caregiver take a break and is a big help or raising money to care for these animals; truly, every little bit helps. I know fostering can be a little heart-breaking when you have to say goodbye to an animal you’ve cared for, but you just have to overcome that feeling and be happy that this animal has found a new forever home and you’ve helped make that happen. I will have over 12 puppies available for adoption by the time this article goes to press, so, if you are looking for a puppy to adopt or want to foster one or more of them, give me a call.”

To enquire about helping in any way including fostering and volunteering, email beaheroforadog@gmail.com or call (781) 640-2926.

If you can’t adopt them by the bunch, how about taking this little fellow home.

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By Dr. Hyun K. Lee

Some of the patients that come to my clinic suffer from emotional problems. While acupuncture and herbs work very well to balance emotional problems, you can do much for yourself on your own journey to emotional health and happiness.

Happiness, as simple as it sounds, is the most important thing one can do for one’s health. Not only does happiness improve our daily life, but it also cures diseases and brings about emotional balance and overall health. Health is both physical and emotional. Often times Western medicine segregates the two.

In Korean Traditional Medicine, disease is divided into three causes: external, internal, and genetic/unknown reason. External reasons would be things like accident, or bad weather (the extreme temperature changes ushering in disease). Internal reasons are emotional. 

There are seven different emotions: excitement, anger, sorrow, pleasure, fear, contemplation, and worry/anxiety. It is the “up and down” of these emotions that cause imbalance. Too much or too little of any emotions causes disease, affecting a certain organ. Too much excitement or pleasure affects the heart; sorrow, the lungs; anger, the liver; fear, the kidney; too pensive, the spleen; and worry/anxiety, the stomach. 

How you feel emotionally even influences others around you. Your family, friends, coworkers, and even random people you meet in a day are all affected. Bad moods are toxic not only to yourself, but to everyone around you. It acts as a virus of sorts, passing on from one person to the next, only to be broken by someone making a positive difference in that person’s day. People can actually be either a living “virus” or “cure”. 

It is important to understand that happiness is a direct result of how we think. Our viewpoint and mind frame determines every experience that we have. 

There is a story I’d like to share that illustrates this point. There were two Korean High Buddhist priests, Won Hou and Hui Sang, who were traveling abroad in China to study Buddhism. One night, during their journey, they happened upon a cave with which to sleep in for the night. Later on, they became thirsty and went searching around the cave for water. A bowl of water was found and they drank from it. They remarked to each other how cool, refreshing, and delicious the water was before returning to sleep. In the morning, the two went back to look for the water once again in the daylight. When they found it, they were repulsed. The vessel from which they drank was a skull. They began retching and vomiting. As they continued on their way, Won Hou began to wonder why the water was so delicious the night before, and had suddenly become so vile in the morning. The water was the same and had not changed throughout the night, so what happened? He then realized that the only thing that changed was his viewpoint — the way he thought determined his experience. Won Hou was so taken with this new idea, he went back to town, gave up his studies, and began studying how his own mind worked in relation to this theory. He wrote many books and eventually became a teacher, teaching his students about his findings. 

We will always find ourselves in bad situations throughout life, but if you succumb to the virtual “forest” of negativity, then there’s no way out of the situation. If you stay above the situation, you can see the pathway out. 

Happiness means that the seven emotions are in a balanced state. There is one method that you can use to help control and maintain your emotions when they’re getting out of control. Most people have one happiest moment in their life. (If you cannot think of one, invent one.) Choose your happiest moment. Use your five senses to return to that moment and really feel that you’re there again. Take a snapshot of this moment and frame it. This is your new “Mind Frame.” Give this framed picture a simple name, one that you can say anytime to call the frame to mind. When you begin to feel emotionally imbalanced, whether you become sad or angry, call on that name and allow the picture to come to mind and let it balance you. 

Make yourself a goal to practice this technique many times over the period of 100 days and you will see results. This is usually the amount of time it takes for you to retrain your brain. 

Remember, happiness is not a gift. It is created yourself through practice and perseverance. We’ve all heard the axiom, “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” and in this case, neither does happiness. You have to work to achieve both.

Dr. Lee’s office is located at 175 McMurray Road, Suite G, Buellton. Dr. Lee also has an office in Los Angeles. To make an appointment in the Buellton office, call 805-693-5162.

The post The Importance of Having a Happy Mind appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

By Pamela Dozois

Contributing Writer

Chloe Redmond, a Chopra certified instructor, and owner of Vino Vaquera Consulting, has partnered with Kovena “Kay” Avila, founder of Yo Soy Retreats LLC, to create an immersive one-day workshop, “Enlightenment — Santa Ynez Valley.” 

The workshop will focus on mental health awareness and self-love in honor of Mental Health Awareness month. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at a private estate in Santa Ynez. The workshop will feature healers from Santa Barbara County who will focus on providing a variety of tools to implement on your own personal journey to enlightenment.

“In 2019 a colleague of mine had recommended my marketing consulting services to Chopra Global,” said Redmond. “I was hired in February 2020 and worked as the social community manager and marketing coordinator until April 2022. With the birth of my third child, I felt I needed to slow down and focus on my consulting business. I wanted to integrate one of the practices I had learned, Primordial Sound Meditation, into my work with my marketing clients.”

Redmond explained that the Primordial Sound Meditation technique comes from the ancient Vedic tradition of India and has been used for thousands of years. The mantra (which attendees will receive) is the vibration the universe was creating at the very time and place of your birth, and is calculated following Vedic mathematic formulas. When you silently repeat your mantra in meditation, it creates a vibration that helps you slip into the space between your thoughts, into the complete silence that is sometimes referred to as “the gap.” It is in this silence where creativity and pure potentiality thrive.

In December 2022, Redmond and Avila began putting together this full-day workshop which will feature a number of healers from Santa Barbara County. Their goal together is to create wellness workshops and retreats on the Central Coast.

“There is an individual healing process that takes place while on the road to reaching a state of enlightenment,” said Redmond. “Every roadmap is unique, and often times we reach out to our community of professional healers for additional guidance on our path.”

The enlightenment event will include yoga, reiki, meditation, breathwork, and dance with instructors such as Redmond, a Chopra Certified Meditation instructor and Ayurvedic practitioner; Avila will guide attendees to navigate healing and enlightenment through trauma-informed yoga, reiki, and sound healing; Darci Brown, creator of Soul Boost Meditation, will provide techniques and tips on how to receive messages from the universe while strengthening personal intuition; Kiki E, the keynote speaker, is a mindset and beauty curator, influencer, blogger and author; and Christi Belle, the founder of Art Spot on Wheels, will teach others to continue to grow and creatively thrive through art. 

A farm-to-table lunch and local wine will be provided, along with mindful vendors, swag bags, and a fire ceremony by Yo Soy. DJ Peetey will demonstrate how to heal with dance.

“I want people to leave with a new set of tools, that they didn’t know existed, to incorporate into their journey of getting to know their authentic self,” concluded Redmond.

A portion of the workshop proceeds will be directly donated to the Move with Kindness Foundation in honor of the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the dancer, choreographer, actor, and television producer and personality who passed away in December 2022.

If you are you not able to attend but would like to participate, every individual who donates to the Move with Kindness Foundation during the months of April and May will receive a Enlightenment E-book, providing personalized tools, tips, and messaging from healing professionals. 

“There is no amount too small as every dollar is incredibly impactful to help strengthen the platforms for mental health awareness,” said Redmond.

To donate, visit https://www.every.org/move-with-kindness/f/enlightenment-santa-ynez

General admission for the workshop is $250 per person. Tickets are limited as their intent is to keep this a “truly intimate” experience for attendees. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com/e/enlightenment-santa-ynez-valley-tickets-572049765247.

For more information, email thevinovaquera@yahoo.com

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