Heard over the back fence: Try a little magic

BLUEBIRD ADVICE:
 John Chapman forwarded the following T-shirt “Advice from a Bluebird” statement: “Rise early * Spread a little happiness * Keep a song in your heart * Think spring * Be colorful * Feather your nest with friendships * The sky’s the limit!”

DISCOVER YOUR MAGIC:
A new class titled “Abracadabra – Magic and Sleight of Hand – for Beginners” is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 4, from 3 to 4 p.m., at the El Dorado Hills Senior Center, 990 Lassen Lane. The class fee is $40. Leroy Goodenough is the instructor. Please bring a $15 supply fee to the first class. Call 916-358-3575 to reserve your spot. I have seen Leroy do his magic. He is very good and fun to be around.

LEGAL HELP FOR SENIORS:
 The Senior Legal Seminar Program will present a class titled “You Have the Power: Power of Attorney and Advanced Health Care Directives” on Oct. 10 at the Placerville Senior Center dining hall, 937 Spring St., from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. You will learn about the importance of these documents and how to prepare them.

ADVICE FROM CHILD MOLESTERS:
A program titled “Protecting Your Children: Advice from Child Molesters” is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Marshall Building, El Dorado County Fairgrounds. Community professionals are invited to attend at no cost. Videotaped interviews with sex offenders will be used to identify strategies used by sex offenders. You must register for this presentation by calling Laura Jensen at 530-295-2321 by Oct. 4.

WE BECOME WHAT WE THINK:
 The “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” calendar noted the following thought: “What we think about plays a significant role in how we feel and how we live our lives. By becoming aware of that which we practice, we empower ourselves to be happier and more fulfilled. Instead of practicing various forms of negativity, we can transform our practice into a more perfect practice.”

HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
 Jean Yaws reminds us that the next volunteer class for Marshall Medical Auxiliary will take place on Oct. 10. For more information, call 530-622-4823.

GOLD PANNING WINNERS:
 Joyce Mason and Uncle Fuzzy (Richard Mason) have won several gold-panning contests in America and other countries. Joyce currently holds the gold medal in the California State Veterans Event, the silver medal in the U.S. National Veterans Event, and the bronze medal in the California Open Event. Richard currently holds the bronze medal in the U.S. National Open Event. In the near future, both will be participating in the world Gold Panning Championship in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Good luck to both of you!

DEFEAT TOUGH STEAKS:
 Checking out the “Who Knew?” calendar, I discovered the following food preparation hint: “To tenderize a tough steak, salt it generously for an hour before cooking, which will break up tough proteins. Then just wipe off the salt before cooking.”

SHOWING OF MOVIE “GAS LAND”:
 The Maidu Group of the Sierra Club will meet on Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., at the Board Meeting Room, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, Placerville. The Oscar-nominated movie “Gas Land” will be shown. The movie will examine the negative effects of natural gas drilling. For more information, call John or Jan Le Pouvoir at 530-644-7295.

HEALTH BOOKS SALE: 
The Community Health Library is having a health book sale, Oct. 15 through Oct. 18, at the Community Health Library, 681 Main St., Suite 103, Placerville, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They will also be selling “green scrubs” for $18.

TRIP TO YOSEMITE:
 There are five openings left for an overnight trip to Yosemite on Oct. 15. The trip includes All West Bus transportation, lunch at the Cheese Factory, visit to Classic Wine Factory, overnight stay at Chukchansi Gold Resort, breakfast buffet, lunch at Ahwahnee Hotel and Glacier Point tour. For more information, call 530-621-6251 today.

NOT SO SPECIAL AFTERALL:
 Richard Lederer’s “Anguished English” calendar contains the following “Lost in Translation:” “In a Swiss mountain inn: Special today — no ice cream.”

OKTOBERFEST AND DANCE:
 The Knights of Columbus group is presenting an Oktoberfest and dance on Saturday, Oct. 20, at Gurnell Hall, St. Patrick’s Church, Sacramento and Fiske St., Placerville. Social hour is from 5 to 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. and includes pork, red cabbage, potatoes, gravy, salad and bread. You can dance to the music of DJ Sonny Wells from 7:30 p.m. until ? Tickets are $15 each. Tickets can be purchased at Gurnell Hall office or at the door. Also, you may call 530-647-1344 to purchase or reserve tickets.

SEARCH AND RESCUE FUNDRAISER: 
For those who enjoy planning ahead, the 28th annual crab feed for the Search and Rescue Council is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013, at the Main Hall, El Dorado County Fairgrounds, Placerville. Tickets are $40 through Dec. 31 or $45 after Dec. 31. Tickets are available at the following locations: Raley’s, Placerville and Bel Air, Cameron Park; or call Neldine at 530-677-6383 (7 a.m.-8 p.m.) or Shirley at 530-622-3794.

A DALAI DILLY: 
Page through the “Insight from the Dalai Lama” calendar, and you will find the following thought: “Whatever forms of meditation you practice, the most important point is to apply mindfulness continuously, and make a sustained effort. It is unrealistic to expect results from meditation within a short period of time. What is required is continuous sustained effort.”

Send your jokes and event items for Heard Over the Back Fence column to Bob Billingsley at the Mountain Democrat, PO Box 1088, Placerville 95667, or drop them off at 1360 Broadway. First and last name of contact person are required. Phone 530-344-5036. Follow @BBillingsleyMtDemo on Twitter.

Bob Billingsley

Bob Billingsley writes Heard Over the Back Fence three times a week, keeping his pen on the pulse of the community. He also writes a biweekly column called Billingsley's Bullets, in which he uses “sideways” thinking to make your day a little easier to handle.

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