SIT LONG, TALK MUCH, LAUGH OFTEN,  reads the small rectangular sign in the area above the back booths in one of the best restaurants you will find anywhere, “Camilla’s Kafe”. It is downtown on Aspen Ave. (the main street in Fruita, Colorado) and is next door to the famous “Over the Edge Sports” bike shop on the corner of Aspen and Mulberry St. This little sign sets the tone of the place, which is comfortable and relaxing, lively and full of fun and laughter. If you want to know what is happening in town, simply ask any of the friendly gals inside. They will know.

Remember Sam Malone’s Boston bar on CHEERS, the TV show that is now in reruns? Camilla’s is like that, “a place where everybody knows your name” and they greet you by name when you come in and take your preferred, usual seat. You, in turn, will learn all the lovely waitresses’ names, each with their own personality and beauty, who work on different schedules on different days. If you become a “regular”, you will eventually get to meet them all.

I don’t really like to talk or write about her place. It’s like giving away your favorite fishing hole. If you praise it too much, everyone flocks there, so you can’t even get in yourself. Like wise, old Yogi Berra said about his favorite New York restaurant, “The place is always so crowded, nobody goes there anymore.”

Camilla’s menu is imaginative, fresh and all the food lives up to your expectations, matching exactly the written descriptions on the menu. The blueberry muffins that pretty Camilla bakes are to die for. The wait staff will offer to warm them up for you and provide a dollop of creamy butter on the side. Her pancakes are puffed and tan, served with her own bottles of luscious syrup, a slice of hot, crisp bacon and an egg cooked exactly as you ordered for a real bargain breakfast on a Fruita morning.

And Aaron, her handsome husband, is also a fantastic chef. They are parents to two beautiful, little girls, whom if you are lucky, you might get to meet sometime on the weekend if and when they join them for an early weekend breakfast in their own family restaurant.

If you’re looking for a quiet, sedate, silent place, you’re in the wrong place. You’ll hear music during the week and sometimes live music from “live” performers on the weekend. (Hey, I’d hate to see a dead performer, wouldn’t you?) Anyway, stop to look at the many photographs in the back area. Read what is written on Mary Nelson’s memorial plate. Ask any local biker about Mary and why she was so special.

Here’s a dining tip: Now that the weather is so nice, you may want to eat on the patio area in the backyard. If you are with a crowd, it is a wonderful place to take pictures of your group. Good food, good drinks, fresh air, clean tables with umbrellas, some shade and classy waitresses. (Darn it. I’ve done it again. Now I’ll never be able to get a table!)

Haven’t we all been to big, chain restaurants when we’ve traveled on the road where the pictures of the food on the plastic menu look large, colorful and delicious, but what the waitress brings doesn’t look anything like the picture? We’ve all been to eating establishments where the cold toast is burned and the cook applied a smidgeon of greasy margarine with a tiny squirt gun. The petrified strawberry jam is contained in little packages that are sealed so tight they can only be opened with your penknife, which you’ve left in your car’s glove compartment.

Bet you all have some restaurant “fun” stories.  We know that we have lots more of them about different places; some in the Grand Valley, some not. We won’t name names, although most of the places are already out of business. Wonder why? You might get a laugh out of them, so we’ll share them with you in future columns.

As one of the freelance writers for the weekly rural magazine, The Fencepost” which covers Colorado and Nebraska, my article written the “Final Roberts Farm Show”, was in their May 7th issue. Many local readers know Chuck Roberts of Mack, his daughter, Julie, his sister-in-law, Debbie, or other family members. Hundreds of you have attended his annual 2-Day Farm Shows in the past 15 years. If you want to read the article, you can go online www.thefencepost.com and put my name or “Final Roberts Farm Show” in the Search box at top right.

So many events coming up this spring and summer. Last weekend, downtown Grand Junction, the talented Jazz Band from FMHS performed. Also, Fruita resident and fabulous musician and friend, Frank Bregar, and his band were one of the musicians for the annual Art & Jazz Festival. We were at Frank and Gerry’s 40th Wedding Anniversary Party celebrated recently at the Fruita Community Center.

Denver jazz singer and friend, Hazel Miller is always the BIG headliner for the Festival. I interviewed Hazel and wrote an article for “The Beacon” about Hazel a few years ago when she was here for the Jazz Fest. Another year, she was the lead performer at a Palisade winery for Partners Benefit Concert. She will be doing that again this August. Who says we have to go to the big city to hear great musicians? Check her website for dates, times and ticket info. Love her.

I do need to tell you more about Hazel in a future column, and I will. Go to her website, www.hazelmiller.com for her tour schedule. She will be singing in various cities in CO., SD., NM. and WY. Check it out.

This coming weekend is “Mike the Headless Chicken Days.” So, go have fun!

Boy meets girl. Woman meets man. You know the scenario. They fall in love. They enjoy each other’s company. They miss one another when they’re apart. They decide to live together or get married. And that’s it! The fairytale ends. What I call, “the reality of the relationship” sets in.

Most of us have no idea of how to create a loving relationship. We usually “let nature take its course” or try to behave the way our parents behaved around each other. Neither of these methods of relating turns out very well, let alone very loving.

Creating a loving relationship is often scary because the mutual sharing of love requires vulnerability on each partner’s part. When we are vulnerable, we fear the possibility of hurt, rejection, criticism, abandonment or negative judgment.

When we allow another person into our heart, the depth of inner emotion can be extremely powerful. A loving relationship involves us at the very depths of being human. It always demands that we grow.

I suggest that you not seek a loving relationship. Rather, determine to create one. Loving relationships are not already existent, waiting for you to discover them. Rather, they evolve and become manifest as you and another create them.

Here are a few guidelines to assist you in creating a successful, long-term and loving relationship.

Your first step is to love and care for yourself. Your well-being is your responsibility. No one else has the power or responsibility for your health, growth or personal development. Only you have it. Take charge of the nature and quality of your personal life. Bring to any loving relationship a person who is maximally well on all levels of being: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal. Begin taking full responsibility for yourself through self-acceptance and self-forgiveness for all perceived imperfections.  Treat yourself as the precious person you truly are.

Next step: In your imagination create a greater purpose for your relationship. Envision the nature and quality of the loving relationship you wish to create. Then dedicate that relationship to a higher purpose such as: service to others; spiritual growth; raising a loving family; creating prosperity and happiness. Mutually choose your higher purpose for creating this loving relationship.

Commit yourself to do whatever it takes by way of personal change, to create the relationship you have envisioned. Learn new skills regarding communication, humor, mutual support, compassion, emotional autonomy, conflict management, power and control issues, and realization of your own potential as a loving human being.

Honor the everlasting process of change. As each person grows, changes in the relationship will occur. The dynamics of the relationship will change to accommodate this growth. In order to keep the relationship alive and nourishing, each person must overcome the tendency to keep things as they are, or have been. If you cling to the status quo, the relationship stagnates and withers. Invite and respect changes. It is the only way to evolve in love.

Have fun. Enjoy exploring the intricacies of joy and delight. Try out new activities and experiences. Every couple needs healthy doses of creative play. Play for your own sake. Play for the sake of the relationship. Your relationship probably began playfully. Renew playfulness and make time to enjoy each other’s company.

Finally, don’t be afraid or ashamed to get help. Most of us never learned the “how to’s” of relationship building. All relationships periodically bog down over some dynamic or issue. Instead of escalating your old habits, seek out help in learning new ones. Seek help from a trusted couple; by attending a marital workshop; or seeking counsel from a marital counselor or qualified therapist.

If we have no loving relationship in which to thrive, we all die sooner than we would if we had at least one.  May all the relationships you create in your life, be loving ones.

Dr. Thomas is a licensed psychologist, author, speaker, and life coach.  He serves on the faculty of the International University of Professional Studies. He recently co-authored (with Patrick Williams) the book: “Total Life Coaching: 50+ Life Lessons, Skills and Techniques for Enhancing Your Practice…and Your Life!” (W.W. Norton 2005) It is available at your local bookstore or on Amazon.com. 

The veterans Medical Foster Home program finds caregivers in the community who are willing to take a veteran into their home and provide each veteran with room and board in a home environment, 24 hour-a-day supervision, and assistance with daily personal and medical care.

Currently the program is limited to within 60-miles of the Grand Junction VA Medical Center.

Medical Foster Homes are available to all qualified veterans enrolled with the  VA Medical Center as an alternative to traditional long term care options such as a nursing home.  Caregivers receive financial compensation based on the care required for each veteran.

Medical Foster Homes receive support and oversight from the Home Based Primary Care team at the VA which is made up of a Physician, Nurse Practitioners, Nurses, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, Dietitian, Psychologist, and Recreational Therapist.

In cases where veterans refuse to live in an institutional setting, despite safety or ethical concerns, the Medical Foster Home offers a home-like setting which still provides supervision and care to the veteran. This program reflects the VA’s goals to provide care to veterans in the least restrictive setting possible and honor veteran’s preferences for venue of care.

Medical Foster Homes are privately owned or rented by community caregivers.  These caregivers reside in the home and provide care for up to two veterans in the home.  The expectation is of a long-term arrangement between the veteran and the caregiver.   Each potential home will be inspected by a VA interdisciplinary inspection team prior to being admitted to the program.  At this time, applications will be accepted from homes within 60 miles of the Grand Junction VA Medical Center.

Caregivers who qualify may be able to receive financial reimbursement at the rate of $1,500-$3,000 a month per veteran.

If you are interested in becoming a caregiver for our veterans, contact the VA’s Medical Foster Home Program Coordinator at (970) 263-2854.

Mothers are the very best teachers

Mother’s Day has passed and we all can be very thankful that we had a mother; it would be a rare individual on this planet who didn’t have one.

TIME magazine created quite a stir with the photo of the young mother nursing her rather large 3-year-old standing on a stool enjoying lunch. Breastfeeding has now entered the growing number of social issues that we seem to be facing in this election year.

I think women who can nurse their children certainly should do so, because not every mother can. From my experience in that field, while limited, I remember nursing could be painful and really difficult for working mothers who can’t spend months at home with their newborn.

The real social issue seems to be about working mothers versus stay-at-home moms. This controversy stemmed from some remarks about Mrs. Romney just being a mother of six boys and not working, but raising her family.

Anyone with six boys is overworked and she was fortunate to have a type A husband who went out and became successful and became a successful breadwinner.  Maybe our next president?

Many women have to work and don’t have a choice in this tough economy; it takes a dual income to pay the bills.   Kids have to fend for themselves and the older children have to take care of their little brothers and sisters while parents hold down jobs.

In today’s world, we have many divorced parents or single mothers. Kids do have mothers, some don’t have participating fathers. The cities are full of single mothers on welfare who have multiple children creating havoc with the welfare agencies, law enforcement and schools.

We have homes for crack cocaine babies that have been abandoned by their mothers who are drug addicts.   If you dig into the social fabric of America, what you find is shocking for babies and children without loving, caring mothers.

Several years ago I attended the First Clinton World Forum in New York City hosted by President Clinton and Hillary along with 3,000 attendees about solving U.S. and world challenges.

Former President Clinton had Laura Bush, as the opening speaker, and a bevy of political people from both sides of the spectrum left politics at the door and worked with this group to find solutions for some pressing world problems.

At the conference’s end, President and Mrs. Clinton had raised $6 billion with much of that going to Africa to help refugees and starving and dying children.

I remember Mrs. Clinton speaking about how assisting mothers, not fathers in Africa, was the key.  The mothers raising the children while the fathers were gone hunting, fighting, disappearing, drinking, whatever they do in Africa, but the mothers were the caregivers, the educators, the life givers of the child and the family.

The projects have moved forward and while I haven’t been to Africa to see the success, hopefully this concept has been partially successful in some areas.

The mission of assisting mothers is strong, not only in Africa, but here in the Untied States. We should be doing more for women of all ages both employed and at home.  Helping women out of poverty is a major challenge for our nation.

This leads to another social issue: the high price of a college education and paying back the student loans. This is a huge challenge for students and the price and debts have become far too many and too much.  Without scholarships and financial aid, many poor students cannot attend college leading to the controversial growing wealth gap in the United States. Certainly college graduates make more money in their lifetime.

If you have, or have had a loving, caring mother, give a thankful prayer today for your mom and give her a loving hug.  I had a great mother, now deceased, but a great positive influence on my life. She was a schoolteacher and educator for 45 years working with students.

Bless mothers who indeed are the best teachers in our lives.

As we approach summer and warmer temperatures in Colorado, the risk of fire danger throughout the state increases. We all know many areas of the state have been devastated by wildfires in recent years and many fellow Coloradoans have lost their homes and belongings. In fact, over 140,000 wildfires occur on average each year throughout the country, burning nearly 14.5 million acres. In the past decade, more than 900 homes have been destroyed each year by wildfires.

So, what can you do to protect yourself, your home and property from wildfires? Here are some tips for preparing your home and yard to survive a wildfire.

Before you start

If you’re handy with a hammer and saw, you can do much of the work yourself. However, there may be times when you’ll need to call in a building contractor, local building official, or a registered design professional such as an architect or engineer—especially if you’re altering the structure of your home.

Use smart landscaping

Create a zone around your house that will slow down the wildfire and possibly direct it around your home. Think of your yard as a fuel source. Fire will only burn if fuel is present. Fuel can be your landscaping, woodpiles, decks, etc. To create your defensible space, take the following steps within 30 feet of your home, 50 feet if you live in a heavily treed area or 100 feet if your home is on a hillside:

Introduce more native vegetation.
Space trees at least 10 feet apart. Remove dead or dying trees and shrubs.
Keep trees and shrubs pruned.

Branches should be a minimum of six  feet from the ground and shrubs under trees should be no more than 18 inches high. Mow your lawn regularly and dispose promptly of cuttings and debris.
Maintain your sprinkler system.
Clear your roof, gutters and eaves of debris. Trim branches so they do not extend over roof or near the chimney.
Move firewood and propane tanks 50 feet away from home and clear areas at least 10 feet around them.

Use fire resistance

Do not connect wooden fencing directly to your home. Use non-flammable materials
If the wildfire gets to your house, another line of defense is the type of materials used on your home’s exterior. Follow these guidelines to best protect your home:

Use only non-combustible roofing materials.

Box in the eaves, fascias, soffits and subfloors with fire resistant materials like treated wood, reducing the vent sizes.

Install spark arresters in chimneys.

Enclose the undersides of decks with fire-resistant materials.

Cover exterior walls with fire resistant materials like stucco, stone, or brick. (Vinyl siding can melt and is not recommended).

Use double paned or tempered glass for all exterior windows.

Make sure your street address is visible from the street.

Be prepared

Become familiar with your community’s disaster preparedness plans and create a family plan. Identify escape routes from your home and neighborhood and designate an emergency meeting place for your family to reunite if you become separated.
Put together an emergency kit that includes a three-day supply of drinking water and food you don’t have to refrigerate or cook; first aid supplies; a portable NOAA weather radio; a wrench and other basic tools; a flashlight; work gloves; emergency cooking equipment; portable lanterns; fresh batteries for each piece of equipment; clothing: blankets; baby items; prescription medications; extra car and house keys; extra eyeglasses; credit cards and cash; important documents, including insurance policies.
Review your homeowners’ insurance policy periodically with your insurance agent to make sure you have sufficient coverage to rebuild your life and home after a wildfire. Report any property damage to your insurance company immediately after a natural disaster and make temporary repairs to prevent further damage.
A well prepared home has the greatest chance of surviving a wildfire.

City Councilman Joel Kincaid was sworn into office Tuesday, April 17 during the regularly scheduled Fruita City council meeting. He originally hails from Michigan where he grew up the son of a pastor. In 1990, Kincaid received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Spring Arbor University in Graphic Design. Joel and his wife Tammy came to Grand Junction in 2000 and ultimately to Fruita in 2003. Joel and Tammy have a son, Kyle age 15 and twin daughters, Arianna and Taylor age 10. Joel has been an active Fruita soccer coach for his daughter’s soccer league.

Kincaid owns two businesses,  Merge2Media and Brick4Brick, as well as serving as the marketing director for Your Hoa Team, a business he started with Barbara Lucks.

He is very active in the Fruita community, serving as the Fruita Chamber president in 2011 and vice president in 2009 and 2010. He also served for five years on the chamber marketing committee and three years on the tourism council.

When asked why he ran for the City Council seat he said, “I want to be a voice for the business community.”

Now that he is officially part of the council he says his first order of business is is to catch up with the rest of the members who have already served for several years. One of his many ambitions is to work toward continued unity among the other council members and help enhance the communications. He also feels it is important to keep the bond going between the city and the Chamber of Commerce, as well.

Kincaid noted one of the biggest challenges ahead is to “get the local business’s to come together and work to improving the success of all the local merchants collectively.”

He is in favor of a downtown authority similar to that of other cities. He believes it would unify and bring the merchants together resulting in strength in numbers helping improve their success rate.

He is very supportive of keeping the small town feel in Fruita while working to entice large box stores to join our community. He stated he would like to see some “anchor” stores that would not directly compete with our current merchants. He believes this would help keep local residents shopping in Fruita and bring in adjoining community shoppers as well. For example, he feels a business like a movie theater would go a long way in helping to bring more business traffic to the Kokopelli Shopping Center.

Kincaid was asked his aspirations for running for mayor in the future and he smiled and said “I am focused on the task at-hand and want to devote all my energy in becoming a successful city councilman and help our community grow and prosper.”

By Margaret Melloy Guziak

Saturday, April 28, was a special day at the Mack Mesa Airport in Mack, Colorado for the airport and for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 800. After weeks of planning for a “Young Eagles Day” by the EAA members at their regular monthly hangar meetings for this special day, it was finally here.

And the weather was fantastic. No wind, warm sunshine and Colorado blue skies. It was perfection itself. A growing crowd of smiling kids and their parents, all excited about the idea of flying kids free that morning, waited their turn outside the open hangar door to register. Many had pre-registered; others held the waiver and registration forms needed to get their chance in the air. Some brought along their younger brothers and sisters who jealously watched, counting how many years until they, too, would be able to fly free at this family event. For most of the children, it would be their first airplane ride.

This was the local Chapter 800s second time to host a “Young Eagles Day” at the Mack Mesa Airport. They had hosted the same event many times in the past at GJCT Regional Airport (Walker Field). The Chapter 800 has permanently moved their meetings and events to Mack Mesa Airport. This April “Young Eagles Day” promised to be bigger and better than ever before. Chuck Pearson, photographer, was there to take pictures for “The Fruita Times”. (Chuck told us he’s a pilot, too, like my husband).

One of the reasons it did turn out BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER was that Syndi Jochums and husband, Lane, had researched, both online and in person, what other Chapters around the country offered the public on their Young Eagles Day. She brought those ideas and suggestions to the monthly meetings for the membership to discuss and vote if any would be feasible for our chapter. She ordered T-shirts printed in two different colors with various sizes. They were all lined up for sale on a table where Nancy Hurst, her assistant, stood helping and waiting on customers…

Sterling Hurst helped out at the table set up offering a $2 lunch of fresh boiled hotdogs, buns, chips and bottle of water, or can or soda. A heaping platter of chocolate chip cookies, next to containers of cold lemonade and punch sat on a nearby table.

Another member assistant was Margie Stolle, who talked to the eager kids, showing them how to construct a model airplane. At the other end of her table sat Steve, who interacted with the younger kids waiting to cut out pre-marked, foam dinner plates, before shaping them into little airplanes to fly and take home later.

Syndi Jochums sat at her laptop and printer at the first table, taking in and reviewing each completed registration form and waiver from each parent before assigning them to a flight. A new member’s wife, Barbara, helped out with the paperwork. At the completion of each flight, she printed out a Young Eagles Certificate with their name inscribed, and their pilot signed the certificate. Each child also got a Young Eagles Logbook to keep which shows his/her air hours and their pilot’s signature. They will be formally registered and counted on the international EAA website www.EAA.org.

Syndi was the Young Eagles Coordinator. Her name, phone number and address were used in the newspaper and announcements for anyone to contact her if they needed more information. Wow! What a job you did, Syndi! We salute you and all the many EAA members who helped out in many ways, on the road leading to the airport, on the runway, taking pictures, and sharing their knowledge and love of aviation. We especially thank the seven EAA certified pilots who volunteered to take 44 local children up flying for a joyful experience that will last a lifetime, and perhaps to an aviation career.

There were 44 boys and girls, all between the ages of 8 and 17, who flew that day. For many of them, it was their first time in an airplane and this was their introduction to the world of aviation. There were a total of seven volunteer pilots: six from the local Chapter 800, and one from the Montrose Chapter 1373. Some EAA members attend both Chapters’ meetings and share in each others’ presentations or air events. Tip: Another “Young Eagles Day” is scheduled for September in Mack. Watch for it.

Next week: We’ll tell you about the “Final Roberts Farm Show.” Always a fun show for 15 years, we went out there Sunday, April 29. Chuck Roberts, the owner, told us they had 80 tractors for the Tractor Pull on Saturday and 84 on Sunday, “the biggest number we’ve ever had.” My article and Ray’s pictures will be in “The Fencepost,” but we’ll also tell you about it here. (Thanks, guys. So many people have come up to me to say, “I read you every week in “The Fruita Times.” Love to get that feedback).

Coming up: May 12 and 13, Carson & Barnes Circus will be at Rimrock Adventures Rodeo Arena, 927 Hwy 340, across the river from downtown Fruita. So if you see an elephant wandering through the McDonald’s drive-thru, or in the double roundabout, head him in the right direction.

I’ve attended Warren Buffett’s annual meeting before, arriving at 6 a.m., stood in line until the doors opened at 8 a.m. and 30,000 people raced to get seats with a good view of the stage and Warren and Charlie seated at a table adorned with See’s Candy and Coca Cola, both huge Buffett stock holdings.   Berkshire owns over 12 percent of the Coca Cola Company (Stock symbol:KO).

The center seats were all filled with Buffett’s store managers, there were at least 300 seated together with coat and ties.

Buffett just got into the newspaper business purchasing the Omaha World Herald, a massive newspaper concern with a huge printing plant in Omaha and various daily newspapers.  He is also a stockholder of the Washington Post Co. in the nation’s capital.

As a newspaper publisher it is interesting to welcome Buffett as publisher of World Herald.  This newspaper is a powerhouse in Nebraska.

A few years back Denver Post Publisher Dean Singleton and myself were inducted into the Nebraska Press Association’s Admiral organization.  We were hosted at the Nebraska Press Association offices and then attended a Big Red football game.

Howard Buffet’s son Howard recently donated $1 million dollars to the Nebraska School of Journalism in Lincoln at the University.

The fact that Buffet still likes and reads newspaper is a powerful endorsement for print and newspapers.

Newspapers still do the heavy lifting when it comes to reporting and covering local community news. We’re also hosting web pages and providing readers faster access to breaking news. However, breaking news is much more suited for radio and TV, always has been their forte.

The changes in the newspaper business basically come down to how the product is delivered, this doesn’t impact the reporting, or the production, but how we send the paper to subscribers. The Internet is quick and cheap.

It is much less expensive to put the paper on a website and let those with iPods and mobile devices read the paper saving newsprint and postage. The challenge for both large and small newspapers is to figure out how to charge for the on-line service.   The free model helped lead to the demise of many papers in lost subscription revenues.   The loss of real estate and auto advertising teamed with 2008 Wall Street debacles in newspaper stocks added to the drama.   Newspapers are coming back today.

Not everyone wants to read more emails or news on a small glass screen.   There is still great demand for those inky pages where the paper can be read or put on the coffee table for future reading.

Buffet now owns the Burlington railroad, all of it rolls through Omaha. He wisely believes that trains are the most efficient means of hauling freight and people.   The railroads have been a great part of the success of the American economy being able to move massive amounts of freight, cars, commodities, coal, chemicals to consumers and markets. Railroads provide massive jobs for employees as seen in Palisade this week with a massive crew working on track maintenance.  For example, Union Pacific has 44,860 employees and Berkshire Hathaway has 270,858 employees in various industries including Burlington.

The railroads were instrumental in the development of the Colorado mining industry, shipping livestock, and hauling timber and coal.

Railroads and newspapers have been around for decades and we expect to be around for a long, long, time.

Buffet is called the “Oracle of Omaha” and sees the value of printed information.

Let’s have a Coke, some candy and read the newspaper in our favorite chair tonight.