Category Archives: Health and Lifestyle

From Wayside Waifs to Beloved Pet

Posted on by annandmeg

Meet “Casey Stengel,” aka “Casey,” our family pet. Named for the baseball legend who managed the New York Yankees when I was growing up and Mickey Mantle was a star, the name perfectly suits the dog. Both dog and man are very charming, even charismatic, but not willing to follow anyone’s rules other than their own!

We adopted Casey from Wayside Waifs, a no kill shelter that places over 5000 animals a year in Kansas City homes. It is a wonderful place to visit and the staff and volunteers are very helpful and enthusiastic.

When we adopted Casey in May of 2008, the shelter had just completed a huge adoption event that seemed to have nearly emptied the building. Casey was one of the first animals to be brought into the shelter and I met him in the shelter’s clinic shortly after he had been neutered, vaccinated and treated for heartworm. Needless to say, Casey probably wasn’t feeling his best. Two days later our family came to meet him and took him to our “forever” home.

Casey was scared of everything. He was afraid of the car, the garage, the kitchen, the back yard. He had no idea how to climb stairs. He seemed afraid of grass and was certainly afraid to cross the street. But from the beginning he was gracious and accepting of love and attention.

That was nearly two years ago. He now goes with us everywhere we can take him. He loves our Sunday drives and willingly visits the nursing home where dad lives. He receives lots of attention, which he accepts with grace. I am often asked his breed, because he is a beauty. I’ve also been asked if he is a designer dog, since he obviously has the characteristics of a Tibetan breed. I have finally decided to think of him that way, as a designer dog. Like other mutts, he has unique physical and personality traits that are particularly endearing to me. In that way, at least, he seems to have been designed for us.

If you are looking for a pet, before you go to a pet store, or the classified ads in the paper, how about considering a shelter pet, or a retired greyhound. They need homes; most are wonderful pets and almost without exception will dedicate their lives to giving you unconditional love.

Hiking Muir Woods

Posted on by annandmeg

Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

To kick off the new year, I suggested to everyone visiting CA for the holiday weekend that we get out and do something outdoors. I thought a hike through Muir Woods would be the perfect way to get some exercise and do some family bonding. We packed up two carloads of people and drove the windy road through Mill Valley to get to the ocean side of the hills, and in we went to the redwood forest. I do have to give a shout out to Jake and Tio for generously dropping the rest of us at the park entrance. They apparently had to park a mile away, hoof it back and forth for the rest of us, and they didn’t complain once…at least not to “management” (aka, me and Auntie). Thank you gentlemen!

So, for those of you who have never been to Muir Woods, it will be difficult to explain how magical and humbling this forest is. Even with all the other visitors walking through and taking pictures, you almost feel as if you’re stuck in a different time, perhaps even walking through a real life “Lord of the Rings” forest. The forest is filled with redwood trees, which according to the brochure, can grow up to over 300 feet tall. How amazing! The land was donated by the Kent family in the early 1900s as an effort to protect the forest from the booming logging industry. President Roosevelt declared it a national monument in 1908.

Muir Woods was very busy on Sunday, with nearly 50,000 visitors according to the park rangers. Nearby attractions were also very crowded, likely due to the beautiful weather we had in the bay area on New Year’s Day. Even the Alcatraz tours were sold out! Of course, that will be something we do when our little brother comes out to visit us in a few months. Oh, the things to see in California!

When I walk through these amazing places, I am reminded that humans are a fairly new species in the history of the world. Redwood trees, for example, live to be hundreds or even several thousand years old. It is a humbling experience to walk among them, and to realize how close we came to wiping them out in the logging of the early 1900s. It is a reminder that people need to be careful of the resources they abuse and to be cautious of our growing impact on the balance of nature.

The hike was indeed a wonderful way to begin the new year.

Ring in the New Year: Happy 2012!

Posted on by annandmeg

Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

What an amazing year! A lot of things happened this past year, and 2011 definitely did not disappoint. We adopted a new handsome greyhound, my husband got a new job, I graduated from law school and passed the bar exam, and we moved to sunny California! All in all, I’d say it was a pretty good year. So naturally, we had to say goodbye to 2011 in style.

Last year we went to a fabulous black tie party in downtown KC with even more fabulous friends. This year, we celebrated in CA with a yummy dinner party at Auntie and Tio’s. After a delicious five-course meal, with each course prepared by a different couple (I made chocolate pots de creme!), we all stayed up until midnight drinking champagne and swapping proposal stories at the table. What a wonderful group of people! Auntie and Tio (the hosts of the evening), Robert and Kathleen (from Roswell, NM), Lina Jane and Bruce (from KC), Janet and Michael (from Manteca, CA), and me and my cute hubby (Petaluma of course!). It was a wonderful evening, and hopefully we can do it again next year.

As we look to the future and what we have planned, it is good to reflect on where we’ve been and what we’ve experienced. This last year was very busy and exhausting, but also very rewarding. I hope 2012 is not quite as stressful, but I look forward to discovering what the new year has in store for me.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope you have a wonderful 2012!

Petaluma City of Lights – Driving Tour 2011

Posted on by annandmeg

Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

The holidays are fast approaching, and one thing I have missed about Kansas City is the cold weather and snow reminding you it is almost time for Christmas. Well, Petaluma may be in the mid-50s this time of year, but the nights are still very chilly, and this town sure does know how to put on a holiday display! One of the local papers puts out a driving map every year of the entrants for the holiday decorating contest. This year there are 16 resident entrants and 47 business entrants.

On Monday evening, Jake and I packed the kids (our greyhounds) up in the jeep, grabbed the 2011 driving tour map and some hot chocolate, and headed out the door. We spent almost 2 hours driving around looking at all the houses, and we didn’t even get to the business entrants! For every official resident entrant, there must have been 3-4 houses that did not enter the contest. They were all amazing. Some yards had nativity scenes, some had entire towns of snow people. One yard down the street had a whole ensemble of Acme characters dressed up for the holidays, and they were 4-5 feet tall!

The last place we visited was by far the most impressive. Courtesy of the Barnacle family, this house was filled with moving reindeer, a christmas tree, hundreds of lights, a full nativity scene, an entire mini Christmas town, and a flying Santa. Unbelievable! The mini town they built in their window was amazing. It even appears they secured a radio frequency to play a particular Christmas song to go along with their theme.

It was a wonderful way to get in the holiday spirit. Even the kids were having fun sticking their heads out the window and saying hello to all the people doing the same tour. We may not have snow in California, but we still manage to have amazing holiday spirit!

Searching for a Cause

Posted on by annandmeg

Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

I am absolutely amazed at the different ways you can “give” to charities nowadays. Many people think the only way to be charitable is to donate money to a cause. While this is clearly an important piece of giving to charity, it is not the only way to help support your favorite cause or organization. My family has always been a giving family. My mother helps advise organizations, my uncle helps organizations create strategies, and my grandfather often writes a check to organizations he believes are in great need of financial support. I choose to donate my time. As a recent graduate, it’s certainly more affordable, but it also makes me feel like I’m an active part of supporting my favorite cause.

A few years ago, my husband and I adopted a “retired” greyhound. Our Lily has become such a joy, and she inspired us to volunteer with the local greyhound rescue group in Kansas City, called “REGAP” (Retired Greyhounds As Pets). After volunteering for a few Meet & Greets on the weekends, we then started fostering. Finally, with our 4th foster, we “foster failed,” which means we couldn’t let the little spaz go. Now Cousteau has been with our family for almost a year.

So this all brings me to the point of my title today, “Searching for a Cause.” KC REGAP found this great website where you can do web searches (sort of like Google), shop online, and locate restaurants. Meanwhile, every time you search or shop, you earn money for your designated cause! For example, if I want to search “restaurants in Petaluma,” I simply type it into the search box, click search, and I immediately earn a penny for REGAP just for clicking the search button! I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but imagine how many times you do a web search in a day. Well, if you search 20 times a day, then you can earn $.20 every day for your cause. The shopping section also links you to stores who will donate a certain percent of your total purchase. Such stores include Apple, Amazon, Banana Republic, Nordstrom, and many more. Plus, they have a whole bunch of coupons. It’s really such a great idea for raising money! Here is a link to their site, so you can take a look at it and see if your favorite charity is signed up.


GoodSearch: You Search...We Give!

Happy searching!

Congratulations, Kansas City

Posted on by annandmeg

Frommer’s, publisher of travel guides, lists Kansas City as one of the top ten travel destinations for 2012.  Others selected include such exotic locations as Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Ghana and Chongqoing, China.

While neither exotic nor remote, Kansas City was selected based primarily on its ever expanding emphasis on arts and culture.  Frommers focuses on the recent completion of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (described as one of the most technically advanced performance halls in the U.S.), the new
contemporary wing of the Nelson-Adkins Art Gallery; and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.  It also identifies the College Basketball Experience interactive facility adjacent to the Sprint Center, the Negro League Baseball Museum and the Kansas City Jazz Museum that share space at 18th and Vine.  In addition to raving about these and other attractions, the article raves about Kansas City barbecue.

Those of us who live here, love Kansas City already and easily brag about our attractions.  It is nice to know that now a world-class expert on travel recognizes our city as a world-class destination.

Handel’s Messiah “Hallelujah”

Posted on by annandmeg

Listening to the Messiah is like being in church. It is, as it should be, a celebration of a religious faith, but also it is a celebration of life, the beauty of life, and the power of the human spirit.

The Independence Messiah Choir has performed for nearly 100 years. Recently it became associated with the Kansas City Symphony. This year they move to Kauffman Center for Performing Arts. The combination of the music and the beauty of Kauffman are near perfection.

Messiah is important to our family. Dad emceed the 50th performance, my brother, Bob and his wife became engaged during the Hallelujah Chorus, and Meg sang with the Choir for 4 years before moving to California. This year dad and I watched and listened to the music of the Messiah and were awed, one more time, by the performance and the brilliance of Handel.

Kansas City Lights–Light up the Holiday Season

Posted on by annandmeg


Every city celebrates the holidays differently. For Kansas City, the Christmas season “officially” begins when the Plaza lights are turned on Thanksgiving night. The crowds pack the Plaza for the ceremony to switch on the lights. Traffic backs up for blocks around waiting for their chance to see the lights. I do not remember a time when my family did not make at least one trip to see the lights. Now I live only blocks away and can see them every night as I drive home from work.

There are other lovely holiday displays. Nativity scenes remind us of the religious focus of Christmas, houses and neighborhood shopping areas decorated with lights, wreaths, community Christmas trees and other holiday displays remind us that the season is also shared with other religious and non-religious groups who celebrate their own religious traditions and simply celebrate the joy of the season.

Have a happy holiday, wherever you are.

Petaluma’s Lighted Boats

Posted on by annandmeg

Meg has a J.D. in Urban, Land Use and Environmental Law. She focuses on maintaining the balance of community and environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and encouraging sustainable living.

As new locals to Petaluma, my husband and I have been trying to explore as much of our new surroundings as possible. It is truly an amazing experience to move from Kansas City to California, and every weekend we find something new and fun to “research.” Sometimes it’s a vineyard in the wine country, or a beach in Point Reyes National Park. This past weekend we decided to explore Petaluma’s “old town” (downtown), where we watched to annual Petaluma Lighted Boats on the river.

The boats were supposed to come up the river and into the turning basin (which is basically located in the middle of downtown) around 6:00 or 6:30pm on Saturday. We thought we would go downtown around 5:00pm, walk around a little bit, visit my new favorite furniture store, Roe & Co., and then wander over to the river walk to see the boats. Little did we know, it was going to be packed! We barely found a parking spot, and when we made our way to the river walk, we were fighting for a space to actually see the river. There must have been several thousand people wandering around. It was amazing!

Our next adventure will be to take the driving tour of Petaluma’s Lighted Houses and Businesses. I have to say, for a community without snow, Petaluma sure knows how to reign in the holiday spirit. It’s a wonderful place to be for our first Christmas season away from our hometown.

The Challenge of Illegal Drugs

Posted on by annandmeg

Meeting the Challenge of Illegal Drugs

Planes, trains and automobiles. What about submarines, buses and cargo ships? Drugs enter the United States through all these forms of transportation. Revenues from illegal drugs worldwide are estimated at $300 billion dollars. In the United States alone, estimated revenues totally $60 billion dollars. This is 13 billion dollars more than the budget of Michigan and 23 billion dollars more than the combined budgets of Kansas and Missouri. The wealth attributed to individual dealers is staggering; one Britain convicted of multiple drug related crimes, is reported to be worth $300 million dollars. He started life as a bouncer!

When my generation thinks of drugs, too many remember the comparatively easy summers of the 60’s and 70’s. If PCP, methamphetamine and cocaine were around, I never heard about it. Marijuana, the drug of choice on many college campuses, could be found in a farmer’s field or purchased from a college classmate. The hippie generation joked about twinkies, grew up, found jobs, raised families and seemed to leave drugs behind.

Fast forward 40 years. The issue of illegal drugs is serious business and we need to be serious about how we respond. The economics of dealing drugs at the local level are discussed by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, in their book, Freakonomics, chapter 3, Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live with their Moms?The authorsstudiedstreet dealers, ie. “foot soldiers” and concluded that most live at home because their average earnings are below minimum wage for jobs in which the chances of being killed are 1 in 4 . Contrast that to vast sums of money are controlled by international cartels that receive the real profits from drugs. Where does that money go and how is it spent?

A very rough estimate is that annually $10 billion to $30 billion dollars is smuggled South of the border. That money is used to pay those who harvest and/or manufacture drugs; to pay those who transport and sell drugs; to bribes government officials, lavish lifestyles for the drug lords, and terrorism. Terrorism in narrower sense involves funding drug traffickers/terrorists in Afghanistan and throughout that region; terrorism in the broader sense includes the destruction of whole communities in the border towns of Mexico, as well as the violence in the drug communities of our cities.

Drug sales and use sap the life out of our communities, primarily in some neighborhoods within our inner cities. The slogan “an unarmed drug dealer is a dead drug dealer” is more than a slogan. Those engaged in the drug trade too often protect themselves, their drugs and their money with violence, placing themselves, their neighbors and their families at risk of injury or death. The fear of violence and the risk that children will become involved in the drug trade further traumatizes some communities. Inner city street dealers are, in this and all regards, both victims and perpetrators.

So, the question is, what do we do about it? I haven’t a clue. But in the next months I hope to focus my research on various related issues in the hope that I will at least gain a better understanding. I will let you know what I learn.