Toby and Cocoa are two large Maine Coon cats who were adopted from the shelter 6 months ago, but were returned recently because the adopter’s dog didn’t get along with them.

They are very easy going, friendly cats who might need a little extra space because of their size, but they are great companions for a family, even one with a nice dog. They are about 5 years old, and must go home together – but the previous adopter has paid half of the fees, so the new adopter pays one fee and gets both cats.

Both cats are is neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. They are at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes.

Go online to see photos and description of all pets at the shelter.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

By Kathryn Reed

Looking at what little is left on plates and the fact many want seconds indicates two things – the food is good and the people are hungry.

Each Monday a cadre of volunteers puts together a nutritious, well-balanced meal for more than a 100 people. It’s free – free to eat – not free to produce. Bread & Broth has no requirements when it comes to who dines. It’s called a community meal.

Wendy David chops up melons for the Bread & Broth meal. Photos/Kathryn Reed

Wendy David has been one of the cooks since the program started in 1989. The disadvantage she and other cooks have compared to restaurants is not being able to order what they want. Unlike restaurant chefs, they have to scramble and be creative with whatever is in the pantry and refrigerator or freezer.

It’s a bit like “Chopped” on the Food Network where you don’t know what is in the box, but you have a limited amount of time to create something edible from the mystery ingredients.

The judges in this case are the diners. Their thank yous and smiles are the reward for all the volunteers associated with Bread & Broth.

“We are always able to put something together. It may not be A-plus, but it’s always B-plus,” David said of the quality of meals. “My theory is if I didn’t want to eat it at home, why would I serve it to someone else?”

Linda Malzone has been volunteering at B&B for six years.

The head cooks for each Monday come in the Friday before to see what fresh food has been donated. Then they look in the freezer to see what should be pulled out to thaw.

For David’s August meal a ton of summer squash was in the fridge so she came up with a pasta primavera. It meant cutting squash from 12:30-2:30pm that day.

Recipes aren’t possible because all the ingredients aren’t likely to be on hand. David, like most of the cooks, doesn’t have a culinary background. Her experience comes from raising four children and having a love for being in the kitchen.

Usually four cooks are assigned to each Monday, with other volunteers helping with setup, serving, cleanup, drinks, assembling take-home bags and whatever else is asked of them.

Claire Neville works alongside David in the kitchen. She believes it’s important not to have stress in the kitchen, and to embrace the team approach.

“If we feed everyone and no one leaves hungry, we have accomplished our task,” Neville said.

John Mauriello started as a sub for Bread & Broth and now works the first and fifth Mondays. He will do whatever is asked of him, but cooking is what he likes best.

Linda Malzone is cutting fresh melons on this particular Monday. She’s been volunteering at Bread & Broth for the last six years. She told her husband, Earl Scilingo, how rewarding and fun it is. He’s been working there for the last two years.

Nora Jones is happy to do anything but cook.

The cooks arrive at 12:30pm, the rest of the volunteers at 3pm, and diners at 4pm. Food is served until 5:30pm at Grace Hall at St. Theresa Church (1401 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe). Cleanup is done by 6pm.

Usually it’s Nora Jones, coordinator for the first Monday, who stays until every pot and pan is put in its place.

“Some of the patrons I’ve seen for 17 years. I just love them,” Jones said. “There are a lot of dedicated people,” she says of the volunteers.

In the past 23 years, the need for Bread & Broth has remained strong. The number of people coming this summer parallels that of 2011.

It is through donations that Bread & Broth is able to keep serving the weekly meals. Donations come in the form of money and food.

For $250 people or companies may sponsor an Adopt-a-Day for $250. This feeds more than 100 people. Then the company can bring up to five people to volunteer on that particular day. Tonight, Lake Tahoe News is sponsoring the Adopt-a-Day.

For more information about getting involved with Bread & Broth or to donate, contact Carol Gerard at (530) 542.2876 or carolsgerard@aol.com.

Sierra Nevada College’s Literary Lollapalooza is Sept. 7 at 7pm.

It will feature:

Suzanne Roberts: Award-winning poet, memoirist, and travel/nature writer.

Shaun Griffin: Rosemary McMillan Lifetime Achievement in Art recipient.

Sierra Nevada Review: Celebrating the annual, student-edited review.

Bona Fide Books: A press based in Meyers.

For more information, go online.

Modern space geodesy has recently enabled the direct observation of slow geological processes that move and shape Earth’s surface, including plate tectonics and crustal strain accumulation that leads to earthquakes. More elusive has been the direct observation of active mountain growth because GPS measurements have larger uncertainties in the vertical direction and mountain growth is typically very slow.

The latest research using high-precision technologies indicates a relatively high vertical uplift rate for the Sierra Nevada, between 1 and 2 mm per year. Thus the modern Sierra Nevada uplift is still very active and consistent with theories that call for a relatively young mountain range.

Bill Hammond, associate professor at UNR who studies active deformation and dynamics of the Earth using space-based geodetic techniques, will talk about all of this on Sept. 11 at 6pm at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village.

For more information, contact Heather Segale at (775) 881.7562 or hmsegale@ucdavis.edu.

The first observance of Labor Day is believed to have been a parade of 10,000 workers on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. It was organized by Peter J. McGuire, a Carpenters and Joiners Union secretary. By 1893, more than half the states were observing “Labor Day” on one day or another.

Congress passed a bill to establish a federal holiday in 1894. President Grover Cleveland signed the bill soon afterward, designating the first Monday in September as Labor Day.

As of June, there were 155.2 million people age 16 or older working in the United States.

The number of employed increased 1.4 percent from December 2010 to December 2011, accord to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment increased in 266 of the 322 largest counties (large counties are defined as having employment levels of 75,000 or more).

The number of people who worked from home in 2010 was 5.9 million.

The 2010 real median earnings for male and female full-time, year-round workers, was $47,715 and $46,931, respectively.

The percentage of workers who drove alone to work in 2010 was 76.6 percent, while 9.7 percent car pooled and 4.9 percent took public transportation (excluding taxis).

Ike Marr and Martin Shears have been making music together for 18 years. From their first musical meeting in Phoenix, their chemistry was undeniable.

Sharing a passion for great songwriting, harmony vocals, humor, and bourbon, they forged a friendship and musical partnership that has wowed audiences all over the world.

The will be playing for free on the lawn at Valhalla on the South Shore on Sept. 2 from noon-2pm.

By Brooks Martin

Traveling is fun, exciting and enriching, but there are risks. While a simple trip to Placerville or Reno doesn’t require a travel medicine consultation, something exotic could. And a three-day-business-trip to Mumbai with a stay in an air conditioned hotel has very different travel risks than a three-week- hiking-trip in northern India.

Travel risks are especially concentrated in less-developed countries. The poorer the place, the less likely it is to have basic sanitation and vector control, which is a method to limit or eradicate the mammals, birds and insects or other arthropods, which transmit disease pathogens.

Brooks Martin

A wise choice is to consult your doctor before you travel. A travel medicine consultation should ideally be completed six to eight-weeks prior to your voyage. Here’s what to bring to your physician visit:

Itinerary. This will help your physician decide on the specific medical risks that might be present.

Contacts. Information from your travel group or local contacts can be invaluable.

Medication list. Maintain a current list of the medications you are taking and the dosage.

Immunization records. Provide as much information as you have.

Your physician will address general immunizations (tetanus, etc.) in addition to vaccines for less common diseases, such as rabies. Federal and state laws restrict yellow fever vaccines to licensed clinics, such as Barton Family Medicine in South Lake Tahoe.

Be sure to consider recommendations and prescriptions for potential problems, such as traveler’s diarrhea. You may not be able to protect against everything. You’ll want to weigh the costs and risk of each vaccine. For example, rabies (the vaccine for which is very expensive) is present around the world, but the risks of contracting it are very different between a vacation to the beaches of Thailand and living there as a Peace Corps volunteer in a rural village. There’s no vaccine for malaria, but depending on where you travel, it can be a big concern. Varying from simple mosquito bite precautions to medications and self-treatment options, the best prevention is education.

Knowledge is key before starting any adventure

Barton Family Medicine provides handouts concerning water, food, insects, sun, high altitude, and heat or cold risks. We can match the information to your itinerary. We also offer basic travel hints and information about travel insurance. Stay educated with up-to-date information by going online. The more you travel, the more you should know about travel health.

Brooks Martin is an active member of the International Society of Travel Medicine and is soon to be certified as an official ISTM physician.

Award-winning production company Backcountry Pictures’ latest project, “California Forever”, will air nationally on PBS stations throughout the fall, beginning in California in September.

“California Forever” is a two-part television special that tells the story of California’s state parks from 1864 until present day. Episode one of “California Forever” highlights the discovery and creation of California’s state parks system, taking viewers on a scenic, cultural and historical tour of California’s state parks. The second episode presents the very real challenges that the state parks are currently facing, including habitat destruction by overuse; protection of native species at the expense of recreation; reclaiming industrial brown fields to create new parks in dense urban areas; and park closures.

“California Forever” was produced over two years, and comprised 70-plus days of shooting at more than 45 state parks, including complex indoor settings such as Hearst Castle and the California Railroad Museum, as well as vast outdoor spaces like Yosemite and the California Coast. From the majesty of Lake Tahoe to the arid inspiration of the Anza Borrego Desert, the filmmakers bring the vibrant California State Parks to life.

By Mandy Kendall

Well, we have been home for a week now following our amazing trip and not only have I had to pay attention to holding onto that relaxed feeling, I have also noticed how much I sit all day. While we were away there things to go and do, lots of walking and very little sitting. Now back at home I’ve realized how much I sit.

Writing emails, eating, typing articles, reading … lots of sitting. Don’t get me wrong, sitting can be very relaxing, but like most everything else, too much can be a bad thing.

Recent studies have shown that just the act of sitting can have far reaching health implications; an increase in the risk of stroke, metabolic disorders, cholesterol, heart issues and, dare I say it, an increase in the size of our behinds too.

Mandy Kendall

Unfortunately, making trips to the gym or exercising when we are not at work doesn’t totally counterbalance the consistent hours of sitting we do during the day. Conversely, overly long periods of standing aren’t the answer either as they can lead to back, leg and knee issues. (Things are never simple, are they?)

Men’s Health magazine reported that we could burn up to 40 percent more calories when standing rather than sitting. Experts recommendations are that we should stand as long as we feel comfortable (and this may increase over time) but we should generally aim for a 50:50 ratio of standing to sitting. A lot of us have to sit for work, and that can’t be avoided, but there are ways of making sure that we minimize the length of time we are seated. This may require a little modification of our work place, but the results could be well worth the initial inconvenience.

Olivia Hudson reported in the New York Times, “A study of people who sit for many hours found that those who took frequent small breaks — standing up to stretch or walk down the corridor — had smaller waists and better profiles for sugar and fat metabolism than those who did their sitting in long, uninterrupted chunks.”

The following Qwik-e tips will give you some ideas on how to stand up and give your system (and your behind) some respite.

In the office

Get in the habit — Set a reminder on your computer to pop up every 30 minutes or so to remind you to do something that gets you moving.

Stand when on the phone — Ideally on a cordless device so you can walk around. If that’s not possible, just stand in one place, but transfer weight back and forth from one foot to the other and then rise up and down on your toes too.

Stand when reading – As above, just be mindful of where you are walking if you’ve got your nose buried in a document.

Work station treadmill — Although a bit extreme, a treadmill in the office will offer a confined space in which to walk while talking on the phone or reading a document without the risk of tripping over things, or colleagues. Setting the speed to low (one to two miles an hour) is enough to keep you moving without the risk of falling off.

Active sitting — Huffington Post offers some great ways to keep yourself moving, even if you aren’t able to get out of your chair.

Gym ball chair — A great way to keep your core muscles engaged when you are sitting. Just make sure you get advice on the right size of ball for your height.

Standing workstation — Whether using a specially designed table, or just raising your laptop and monitor to a height where you can use it standing will give you the option work standing or sitting.

Standing/walking meetings — Depending on the number of people present, a meeting could be held with everyone standing or even going for a walk if the numbers aren’t too large.

Away from the office

Meeting friends — Try going for a walk instead of sitting (again) in a bar or restaurant

Watching TV — Try standing for some of the program (or definitely during commercials at least) or sitting on a gym ball instead of the couch.

Chatting on the phone — Plug a pair of headphones into the phone, pop it in your pocket and do something while you’re chatting. It’s a great way to multitask and stay moving at the same time.

Until next time.

Mandy Kendall operates Health Connective in South Lake Tahoe, which aligns wellness seekers with their ideal wellness provider. If you have questions, would like some advice, or would like to request some Qwik-e tips on any health and well-being topic, drop her an email at connect@healthconnective.com or keep an eye out on Lake Tahoe News for regular Qwik-e tips on how to make healthy changes one Quick and Easy step at a time.

Two special “Soiree” events will take place in private homes as fundraisers for TOCCATA’s summer season finale concert series and for the Tahoe Symphony Youth Orchestra.

The first is Sept. 7 at 5pm in Glenshire-Truckee and the other Sept. 9 at 3pm in Incline Village.

Wine and hors d’oeuvres are included with the special entertainment.

Singers Joy Strotz, Anna Helwing, Liudmila Mullin, and Stuart Duke will perform, accompanied by Donna Axton on piano. Elizabeth Pitcairn will perform selections from Brahms’ Violin Concerto and several encore favorites on the famous Red Stradivarius.

For “Soiree” information or reservations, call (787) 602.2121.