The Story of Bohdi

Hello All helpful Hank here

with a special story about a dog named Bohdi.

Recently I received an e-mail from one my friend Actor Thom Bierdz.
You may know him as the Actor who plays Phillip Chancellor III on the
Young and The Restless. He is a gifted actor, painter and speaker. He shared the
story of his dog Bohdi. With his permission I have reprinted it here.

This is Thom and I have a personal
holiday story to share.

My ex, Doug, and I have two dogs that we believe are our
sons. Bodhi, the shepherd/beagle is now 14 (we think) and Deen, the
Chihuahua, is 10. The only reason we figured out their ages is I remember that I
got Deen for Doug on a Valentine's Day in Chinatown (little dog was being sold
out of a box for $200) and Doug wanted to name him Godzilla. This was 10 years
ago when Godzilla was a huge movie in theaters. That same year we came across 5
gay guys walking their Chihuahua named Godzilla so I am glad I talked sense into
Doug and we named him Deen instead.

Bodhi was 4 when we brought Deen home, and, aside from a
rough first week, Bodhi has been the sweetest big brother a little needy dog
could ask for. Doug and I were together 6 years (he says 8) , and when
I moved out, I got a place nearby so I could visit my "boys" everyday. They
live with Doug because I have asthma issues with pets, and also, Doug
really needed them there after our break-up. And I learned what a divorced
father feels like who sees his kid’s everyday. It has worked out
great. Doug is a
great father to our dogs, and I am there at least once a day. Sometimes I take
the boys to my place, where they stay on my patio for hours as I paint,
and when Doug goes out of town, they stay with me in my second bedroom. I
just keep them out of my bedroom so my lungs are not challenged.

We had no idea Bodhi was 14 (15?) and didn't think much of
his extreme thirst for the past year. Then he started losing weight. Eventually
the vet said he has Cushing's disease, common for older dogs. He has an
over-active adrenaline gland and cannot keep weight on. His 70 pounds whittled
to 35. He is skin and bones. About two months ago he suffered a heat-stroke (neither
Doug nor I have air-conditioning and it was a very hot summer in L.A.)
so he was hospitalized for a weekend where he was freezing and being fed by
IV and they tried to raise his temperature by ice enemas. This may have
brought down his temperature but he was so scared after that, and he still didn't
put weight on. Last weekend he was doing so bad we again hospitalized him,
thinking he was going to die. I lay next to him a few days prior telling him it was okay if he
wanted to die, and then I tried to explain what death would be like for him,
not that I knew. But I think Bodhi understood what I was saying. He is the
smart dog, where Deen is not a smart dog at all (but cute). I was ready to let
Bodhi die by his own means if he wanted that, and I figured what does he has to
live for anyway? It must be boring to have the same day for 14 years, as dogs
do. Maybe he was ready to die. Maybe that's why dogs die - they just get so
bored. But Bodhi, even though the vet and strangers looked at him like he was
already dead because he was so skinny, and losing sight, continued to wag his
tail. He apparently was not suffering.

Bodhi went blind last week, and now has diabetes as well.
Diabetes and Cushing’s are treatable, but my first thought was why would Bodhi
want to live if he were blind? It would be a horrible existence.

Boy was I wrong. Bodhi is not sitting in a corner, afraid.
Not at all. He is wagging his tail, trying to follow sounds we make, sounds of
me tapping the glass coffee table so he can avoid bumping into it with his
face, sounds of Doug patting the couch so he can find that and climb atop it,
sounds of me splashing his water dish so he can find it, sounds of our new
guiding words, like "here's a step. Up. Up." Sometimes he walks with
his front legs kicked out like a horse on parade - it is his way to try
to feel what is ahead of him. He also bumps his bone-thin face and nose into
walls, doors, tables, you name it. Ouch. But he doesn't flinch.

Bodhi was never really affectionate. Now he loves to be petted
and coddled. It is like a whole new existence for him. I thought it would be
the end of his life and a tragic end at that. But he has a new life now
without pictures. He is as happy as he ever was. And I have developed a whole
new love for him, seeing what an inspiration he is, what a happy blind dog he is. My
love for him has been the same love for 14 years, and now it is a new love for
him. I am so proud of him. I lay in bed thinking about how much strength
(physically and emotional) it takes to live his day, and I am filled with pride.

Thom Bierdz

I hope you enjoyed the story of Bohdi, I received an e-mail
up-date from Thom and Bohdi is still hanging in there and still happy.

HH

Helpful Hank Has Moved

Helpful Hank Has Moved to read Helpful Hanks newest blog
world AIDS Day Mini Blog as well as other post click Here

Holy Hoax it's Halloween Helpful Hank

Hello all, Helpful Hank here. My Husband brought home the Desert Sun the other day. I forgot how much I miss the tactical feel of a newspaper. Don’t get me wrong I love the desert Sun on line but there is something to be said for that tactical feel of holding the newspaper. I read it differently then I do the on line version. I read stories that I normally wouldn’t. That’s a good thing. I get use to reading the blogs and going directly to this byline or that one and I don’t always take time to read the stuff in between. The little filler stories with the happy conclusions the human-interest stories that provide you with interesting facts you never knew you needed to know. We all heard the news of our President winning the Nobel Prize. What we had to search for was that a record five women won Nobel’s this year and, this year we are seeing the first woman to win a Nobel in Economics.



The Great Hoax?

I watched as many of you did the unfolding story of Falcon Heene and his family as they lead us all on a wild goose chase. I think that it makes a rather sad statement about how fame hungry we are as humans. We have always been a people who seek fame. In addition, there are those who are just crazy enough to do what ever it takes to achieve it. I have never really understood the need for fame myself, I would much rather have the fortune and remain as unknown as possible (Money makes strangers act as if they know you.) fame at all cost though, is beyond me. To use your own child to acquire it is just wrong.

This family goes beyond insane. They did a music video that features their three boys spouting among other things fowl language, homophobia, and more. I am not surprised that this family did what they did. It is sad though that they felt it was perfectly natural to put their children’s lives at risk for their little stunt. However, I’m sure it was a question that never entered their minds.

Holy, Holy Ho….. ly, Holy Mack a Nolie

I love a good find, especially when it is free. I once gave my husband a sticker that said, “If it’s free it’s for me”. Recently we went to our favorite treasure haunt and I found of all things a solid oak church vestibule bench with brown velvet padded seat and back. The trim on the left side was missing completely and fixing that along with a new coat of all in one stain and clear gloss topcoat brought it back to life. My Husband cleaned the cushions, and we put it in the entryway of our home. We also found on this particular excursion a teak patio table that just needed a new coat of teak oil.








What is your favorite Treasure haunt? And what fantastic finds have you acquired. Let me know and I’ll be happy to share your stories of great finds.


All Hollows Eve

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced
Sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1 as it marked the end of summer and the beginning of winter, which, was often associated with death. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth, causing trouble and damaging crops. Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter. To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

In 43 Ad the Roman were in power and combined the Celtic festival with their Feralia Festival that commemorated the passing of the dead and, the day they honor Pomona the Roman Goddess of the Fruit trees. The symbol for Pomona is the apple, which may be why bobbing for apples has been a Halloween staple.

By the 800 Christianity had swept the Celtic land and Pope Boniface the IV designated Nov. 1st as All Saints Eve a day to honor saints and martyrs. This was an attempt to replace the Celtic festival and is also know as All Hollows or all Hollowmas.

Becoming the Adams

Kids love Halloween, I know I sure did. It is a chance to be someone different. One year I was an Indian another a Ghost. It was fun. Oh, and the candy! Of course, our parents always went through it before we got any, though it was very tempting. As a parent of a grown child, I myself was given the candy checking task many times. Here is one way to keep them from being so tempted. Start the night with a Haunted or Spooky themed dinner. It is not to late the new Store on Indian Canyon (Just before it becomes a two way street.) Party Lab has some great stuff and reasonably priced. Get the kids involved.
Start by setting a spooky table. You can get mini Styrofoam Tombstones for a couple of buck each and you put one at each place setting. If you use the blank ones you can right your own message with a marker. The have some cool cups with skulls and hands on them. They also have inexpensive stuff you can use as decorations or how about you create your own. Go over to Wal Mart or JoAnn’s fabric in Palm desert and by a 2 yards of what every white gauzy material is on clearance (there is always some) Get a bag of cotton balls as well. The fabric is usually a 45” with cut it lengthwise. With one-half your fabric cut length wise approximately 4 ½ inches wide giving you for long strips.

Tie the four pieces together at each end and set in center of table. In a vase put some sticks and using a package of Halloween cobwebs ( you can get these most anywhere) drape them amongst the sticks ( you can even paint your sticks black with spray paint.) Place your vase on the fabric (Making sure your fabric stays billow.) and sprinkle some Halloween glitter over it.

You can as well instead of a vase with sticks and cobwebs carve a pumpkin save some of the stringy insides soak them in water with a drop of vinegar in green blue and red food dye let it soak for a couple of hours then dry it a bit and hang them over the side with the top on as if his brains are oozing out put a battery operated candle in it to light it yet keep it safe.


Take the other half of the fabric and cut into equal pieces (Four to Six inch squares works well) in the center of your square place several cotton balls gather up your corners together and type off the fabric at the bottom of the cotton balls to create your ghost. Let the kids draw their own faces on the ghost and use them as place markers.


Set your Halloween table with, Halloween themed paper napkins. Get cheep plastic clear cups and, with colored permanent markers of Puff, paints make your own scary cup.

Serve up Chicken fingers or Fried Mozzarella Sticks in French fry type containers dripping ketchup over the tops. Make a fruit salad and take some whipped topping and ad some red and yellow food dye into it to make it orange and mix your fruit in with the whipped topping for a cool fruit salad. Add a drop or two of red food coloring to a pitcher of lemonade to make it spookier. For desert, take a can or two of sweet canned cherries. A sponge cake or angel food cake. Drain the juice from the cherries into a saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch. For each of the two cans of cherries. Mix juice and cornstarch while bringing to a boil. Once it boils for a minute or two (While you continue to stir.) turn of the heat still stirring. Your mixture should be thickening up you want it slightly runny set in refrigerator as it will thicken up. Mix in a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar with the cherries and set in refrigerator. When it is time to serve slice cake, pour cherries over the top add the thickened cherry sauce as blood top with a little whipped cream. Here is your chance to have some fun with your kids and share in the evening with them. Your kid will leave the house fed and fueled for trick or treating with out felling the craving for what is in their candy bag.

Using battery operated candles is a safe alternative to using real candles, Always make sure the a child’s costume is not restricting their movement and any props they may carry have no sharp edges that they can hurt themselves or others with. Michaels Art Supply sells glow stick for a 1.39 or so a pack these are good to have the kids can wrap them around their legs arms and necks so they are more visible if walking down streets not well lit. No child should go out without adult supervision (Someone responsible and over 21 is best.) Every child should know never to go into a stranger’s house or car. Pick up some cheap whistles at party lab for kids to wear around their neck and take them so that they can use them if they find themselves in trouble. Halloween is a time to dress up and have fun but we also have to keep it safe.

The Faux Costco Enchilada

Like many people, I enjoy Mexican food. Most of the time it is dinner for one so I really don’t want to ground up a whole package of ground beef to make Enchiladas (which are one of my favorites. Here is an easy recipe for making Enchiladas for one. What you will need is two pre cooked Chicken Flautas, Tomato paste one package of Taco seasoning, ½ cup of water and ½ cup of 3 cheese’s shredded cheese. Mix together two Tablespoons of Tomato paste with ½ cup of water and one package of Taco Seasoning pour ½ of mixture over Chicken Flautas the ½ the shredded cheese then repeat. Microwave for 2 minutes


I want to share one more recipe with you and that’s my recipe for a recipe I created

Cherry Bomb

What you will need:
½ cup of softened Butter
5 Egg Yolks
Filo Dough
1 ¼ Cup of Milk
1 ½ Heavy Whipping Cream
½ teaspoon Salt
¾ cups of Sugar
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
Coco Powder for sprinkling
Powdered Sugar for sprinkling
1 can cherries in sweet syrup.
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Roll out your Filo dough and cut in half. Working with one-half cut the Filo in half again this time lengthwise then cut in three equal squares. On a foil lined cookie sheet lay out one layer of each square and brush with butter then sprinkle with powdered then add another layer of Filo and repeat process until you have five layers. Bake in oven at 375 for eight minutes then set aside put together three more sets of these so that you will have four deserts with six layers each.

Cream together Sugar and egg yolks and set aside. In a heavy bottom sauce pan combine 1 cup milk, 1 cup Heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup cherry juice (from cherry can) vanilla salt, Bring to a boil and add sugar and yolk along with remaining ¼ cup milk and ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream. whisk in 1/3 cup flour until mixture is smooth pour back into bowl and let cool at room temperature .Once mixture has thickened chop up the cherries into small pieces and in a double boiler melt down 1/3 cup chocolate then add ½ of your remaining cherry juice cherry juice and chopped cherries Stir until thickened.
Take one layer of your Filo, spread your cream mixture on then, place another layer of Filo on top and spread chocolate cherry mixture on top of that. Continue to alternate mixtures putting the final layer of Filo on top and place in refrigerator and chill for desert

Before you serve, take your remaining half of cherry juice you set aside place in a double broiler and whisk in cornstarch. Bring to a boil continuously stirring. Once it starts to thicken remove from heat and transfer to a small pitcher and set aside in a double boiler mix together ¼ heavy whipping cream and 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips till smooth. With a spoon drizzle chocolate of desert and then thickened cherry juice and serve.

Well folks that about all for now. Have a Happy Halloween and Keep yourself safe. Until next time, take Care and God Bless
-Helpful Hank

Oh one last thing, many of us love to put our pets in Halloween costumes. They can often be hot and cumbersome. Why not put a Halloween scarf around their needs with some glow sticks when taking them out. They will be easier to see and they won’t over heat. Find these and other tips for keeping your pets safe on Halloween at Desert Pet Sittings Helpful Hanks Guide to a happy pet

You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, and Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009

All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Helpful Hanks Advice 17

Hello all, Helpful Hank Here, It’s been a few weeks since I have last posted a blog spot. Been kind of busy working on various projects. Hummie and Harvey Among many of the projects I have been working on one was the re-finishing of a secretary cabinet. Seen below

We had picked it up at Revivals thrift shop in the Sun Center, as we needed a piece for our guest bedroom, which we had recently put a new face on it with a coat of paint. We put up new drapes and then reconfigured the room. Once done we found that the room was in need of another piece of furniture to balance it out. We picked up this vintage secretary for $10.00 at Revival and with a little work, it fit the room perfectly. I always try to use recycled product as much as possible. I love to re-purpose old and used furniture and give it new life.


Memory Lane

Recently, I had the chance to put a video together for Bloom in the Desert’s seventh anniversary. It was interesting to go through the photos with Rev Kev and hear about some of the history of how Bloom got started in there home moving to Palapas’ outside area before finding a home at the YMCA. I had a wonderful time working on this video and learning some of the history of Bloom. Here is that result Memories In Bloom .

Lock it up Marie

I want to share an obvious safety tip with everyone. That tip is to keep your outer doors and gates locked. Many of us have gates to our back yards and Garage doors that we don’t tend to keep closed and locked in addition to locking the front door. So many people tend to leave their garage doors slightly up. This allows a potential thief the opportunity to shimmy under it and gaining access to your home. Unlocked gates do the same thing.

With the economic times as bad as they are right no, (Even though they say we are on the way to recovery.) home invasion robberies are on the rise. A neighbor of mine filled me in on what thieves look for. He said they will find a quit street (set back cul-de sacs I would imagine work well.) they drive down it looking for points of entry that make for quick escapes. I kid you not the very next day I was out in my front yard and a pick up came down our cul-de-sac very slowly and when the came to circle around in front of my place the sped out of the cul-de-sac. I can’t say that they where casing the neighborhood but it was the vibe I was getting. It is important to keep doors locked for the safety of your home, pets and family.

A Summer Salad

I want to share a salad recipe and dressing recipe with everyone’ It is one of my favorite meals for a hot day. Salads are easy to make and are quit refreshing on a hot day with a glass of Ice Tea or and Arnold Palmer.

Take 2 chicken breast marinate with Honey Garlic powder and Olive oil. Once marinated, grill until cooked making sure to baste with the left over marinade.
Once you have grilled your chicken set aside and let it cool as you put together your salad. (One of my favorite things to put in a salad is cut up nectarine.) Once you have, your salad made cut up your grilled chicken into chunks and add.

To make the dressing combine 1 cup of mango blended till liquid, ¾ cup Olive Oil, ½ cup Balsamic Vinegar, 1 and ½ tablespoons garlic powder and 2 tablespoons of Honey. Whisk your dressing till blended completely the pour over salad and serve. This makes for a nice summer/fall meal. The dressing also works well as a dipping sauce.

American Art Awards

Recently I received notice on a couple of pieces that I submitted to the American Art Awards. This is a national competition. Galleries from across the US judge the works from several different categories. I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity presented to me from Mr. Thom Bierdz (you may know him as Philip Chancellor on the Young and the Restless a popular daytime drama.) My Piece Cherry Bomb was one of the finalists in the Abstract Modern category and my piece Freedom to Marry was given top honors in the Political Art category.



Going to the dogs

I want to share a bit of other news with you. I have recently taken over Ownership and Operation of Desert Pet Sitting. We are a local operation that provides in home services for dogs and cats, as well as dog walks and off site doggie day care. We offer reasonable rate and excellent care of your pet while you’re away. You can read our Bio on our site http://www.desertpetsitting.com/. I have also started a second blog at http://desertpetsitting.blogspot.com/ and find out five things you can do to put a smile on your dogs face. And 10 things you should feed your dogs or cats.

Well that about wraps it up for now. As always, I welcome your tips comments and thoughts. Take Care and GBY

-Helpful Hank



You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, and Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Helpful Hank Hummie and Harvey

Howdy all, Helpful Hank Here. I wanted to take a moment and share a nice little Video by TheImperfectArtist and 2 Minute Tales

Helpful Hank: The Seeds We Sew

The Seeds We Sew


Hello all, Helpful Hank Here,

Well another year has come and gone for me. A year that has been filled with many challenges but with much hope. Friendships hanging by a shoestring now on the mind and friendships stronger then every.

Life is about change and believe me my life has changed plenty. For me this has been a time of growth. However, as the year came to a close I realized how much that I have gained and will gain as a result from this year of change.

I have a birthday tradition that I started back in 1986 after a particularly bad year (1985) and bad beginning to 1986. I decided to send out a birthday letter to my friends and family Thanking them for being a part of my life. Whether they were supportive or the catalyst that set about change, they all affected my life and got me through another year.

Sometimes the only way we will walk through a door is by being shoved through it with a good push on the back. So it’s important to remember and give that’s for those pushes on the back. As, used right, move you to a better place.

Life is always in motion. It is not about living it is about living well. Living well has nothing to do with how much you make. It is about how well you treat others, how strong your faith is in yourself and, in your higher power

Living well means letting go of those things that way you down and holding on to those things that lift you up. It is about not only remembering those lessons learned but using that information to make your life better. It is about taking time to celebrate share and enjoy. Whether you are celebrating a little moment or a grand moment in life or just a life. Whether you are sharing a tear, some laughter or a blue berry poppy seed muffin at Koffee with one of your best friends Share it whole-heartedly. If you are no enjoying your life despite its difficulties or tough times. If you cannot see its bright moments and use them to shine the light on the darkest moments so that you can find you back to those bright moments, then you are not living well. So live well and enjoy life.

I want to share a little project I just finished. I recently found the top of a large ceramic vase jar (The kind you put large bamboo poles in for display.) I’m guessing the rest was broken. There was enough there to use for my project. I took three Bamboo Poles to create my supports. I wrapped them with wire so they stood in a tripod fashion I lined the inside of the vase top covering the opening on the neck with some screen and then some small palm leaves and banana leaves. I filled with dirt mixing in some miracle grow and then gave it a good watering. The next day I planted some Celosia/Cockscomb, and around that, I planted Morning Glory seeds. My hope is that the Morning Glory Seeds having nothing to climb up will climb down the legs and through the wire wrap creating the feeling of cascading water as the flowers fill the planter and trail down the supports, while the celosia, which is flame like in its blooms, will create the feel of fire. Thus giving me the floral equivalent to fire on water. We shall see how it turns out.


The Celosia is a good plant for this climate as it can tolerate the dry hot heat. In addition, The Morning Glories ng Glories like full sun. This is a fairly easy project to do as all you need is some sort of container (preferably one with a v shape to it as those work well in a tripod type stand) 3 good sized pieces of bamboo, some wire, some screen (optional) a few palm or banana leaves, some dirt with a bit of fertilizer mixed in and, your plantings. The trickiest part is getting the wire wrapped so that the stand is stable.

I wanted to mention to All that we are indeed starting to get closer to new local election. You may have already been to a few campaign rallies maybe not. In any event, take a look at candidate for city Council Michael Gallardo. In his current position, he is the Editor of Talk Magazine as well as many other endeavors that he is involved in. He will be on the campaign trail here in Palm Springs and you can probably get a list of his appearances or at least where his next campaign stop is on his face book page. Michael I believe is a hard working individual who feels he can bring about and be a part of change for the better here in Palm Springs. If you catch one of his speeches let him know what you think. This way they know what we as citizens of Palm Springs can make an impact on how our town is run. He’s a good guy he’ll listen. He’s a voice of change.

Well soon I’ll be back to working on my kitchen cabinets again I’ll be glad to get those upper done and this project wrapped up and put to bed. My project after this will be to redo the awnings on the front of the house.

Well that about wraps it up for now. Remember keep the sunscreen on. While we have experienced a little cool down the sun is still out always is. So whether it is sunny, hazy, or cloudy, the sun still comes through with those harmful UV rays so keep the block on. If you get to hot why not go to the movies? It’s air conditioned, your not using your air at home and there are plenty of great movies out right now. I just saw Ice Age dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D with my best friend and her daughter. We stayed cool and enjoyed a fun movie. It was a nice little break from the heat. Don’t forget to use the valley’s cooling centers.

Oh folks, If you can help out making Sandwiches at Well in the Desert Mondays at 9 we sure could use the help. As, Rev Kev says Many Hands Make for light work or word similar to that.

One last thing, check out nh8wear New Items have been added and you can help Support Marriage equality with each purchase as 10% of the profits go to those charities. You’ll also be supporting that entrepreneurial spirit as this is one of the ways we make our living.

Well till next time folks, Keep cool and enjoy the rest of the summer

Thank you to my readers for all your comments and support on and of my blog.

Helpful Hank
Here’s a tip for you can find out what’s going on in the Coachella Valley at The Desert411. You can desert. With a Comprehensive restaurant guide as well. You can join free and keep abreast of what’s happening here in the desert - HH

You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Auntie Mame, Mangos and Marketing

Auntie Mame Mangos and Marketing

Hello all, Helpful Hank Here.

Well we all seem to be getting through this heat. With no real cool down in sight Recently, I took care of one of my friends dogs. She stayed with me will my friend was out of town on an over night trip. We had gotten together before hand so that our dogs could me and greet. We got to talking about movies and which ones we enjoyed. I had mention in passing that someday I was going to get my hands on a copy of Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell. To my surprise, it showed up in my mailbox, a gift from my friend for watching her dog.

It had been a while since I had seen this movie so I was eager to put it in and watch it.

As I watched the movie, I was pleasantly surprised to find it just as witty and entertaining as the first time I watched it. (If you have never seen it and enjoy witty old movies, this one is right up there with the best of them.)
One of the running gags in the movie was about a drink made with honey and how awful it was. To that means, I thought I would share my favorite Summer time drink that I drink to stay cool. Don’t worry theirs no honey in these drinks I reserve the honey for my cornbread. It is a very tasty drink and without the alcohol, it has nutritional value.

The Fruity Cowboy (aka a Redneck): Take a tall glass Fill it with equal parts cranberry juice and lemonade garnish with a wedge of Lime, Lemon or a maraschino cherry. That simple, you can also add Orange juice into this mixture. You can blend it as well for a smoothie or icee. To turn it into a Hi-Octane drink add two shots Vodka In my last blog,

I shared with you how to make Mango cream. I promised my Recipe for Mango Truffels.Here is a recipe for Raspberry Mango Ice cream truffles that is simple and tasty as well.

Raspberry Mango Ice cream Truffles What you will need :

1 ripe Mango
1 cup Karo or corn syrup
1 pint of heavy whipping cream
2 cups dark chocolate chips
3 cups Milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup sweet condensed milk
2 caps full ( apx 2 teaspoons) of cooking oil
3 caps full (apx 1 ½ teaspoon)of raspberry extract.

In a blender blend ½ pint heavy whipping cream, cut up Mango and karo or corn syrup until it starts to form small peaks.

In a double boiler, place two cups of dark chocolate chips and one cup of milk chocolate chips. Mix until mixture becomes liquid. Add in the mango cream mixture and ½ sweet condensed milk, mix untilsmooth.
Pour mixture into a deep plastic storage container Put the lid on and place in freezer for about ½ hour. (It should be set up firm but not hard.)

Taking a spoon or mini Ice cream scoop. Scoop into small balls placing on a tray or dish lined with wax paper. Once you have all you truffle scooped out, cover with wax paper and place back in freezer to firm them up.
While they are in the freezer in the double boiler ( after you have washed it out) combine the rest of your milk chocolate chip with the sweet and condensed milk raspberry extract and cooking oil and melt stirring until mixture is smooth ( melt the chips completely before adding oil milk and raspberry extract) once you have your melted mixture your working time is limited.

Take your truffles out of the freezer and with a candy spoon or a pair of tongs dip each truffle in chocolate swirling till completely covered. Place truffle back on dish. Once you have coated all, cover dish back up and place it back in the freezer for 15 minutes.

The best way to keep these is in a covered container frozen or refrigerated. (They will melt when left out for periods greater then a couple of hours unless it is hot then they will melt much sooner.).

Recently, I have been spending a lot of time between marketing nh8wear and helping out at Bloom In The Deserts office, filling in while someone was on vacation.

I haven’t been able to get back to my cabinets as my thumb is still healing but soon.

My best friend here in the desert Terah has been teaching me about banner rotation and the wonderful world of Banner exchanges. It’s interesting and a good marketing tool. You just have to be careful as, Some of these sites have real limits to size (KB’s )of banner. Some sites only allow 15KB, which basically means a static banner (not animated).

It is always nice to learn something new. Right now I am looking at different banner exchanges and doing a lot of researching for glbt banner exchanges,.( If anyone knows of any glbt banner exchanges for e-commerce fell free to share .) which brings me to my next topic. Learning to do things in a new way.

Many of use are coming to the end or have already come to the end of our unemployment insurance benefits. The smart ones divide their time looking for employment and learning a new skill or craft. Even taking a hobby and trying to turn it into a marketable product or career.

We are not necessarily giving up on the nine to five. However, as the job market gets tougher we are exploring more options. The entrepreneurial spirit is having a great resurgence. That’s a good thing.

Along with that is a more tempered view of the road to success coupled with people willing to put in the time.

We aren’t looking for a get rich scheme or some fast cash. What we are looking to do though is build something that will be a sustainable source of income that can ultimately replace the nine to five giving them a lot more freedom. Some of us have opened on line shops, while others are more into text add exchanges or building blogs and web site or blogging. Some sell their graphics on line. There are a variety of sites to assist you.

We are beginning to look at ourselves in new ways, which, is, and old way of thinking, that got lost along the way. These tough economic times we live if are worse financial and are having a greater impact then the great depression did financially. But, it is all relative to the times. The good news is people are taking more risk on themselves and their abilities and stretching their capabilities. The even better news is that as this recession winds down, (and it is slowly but surely.) we will start to see larger fruit from our labor. We will have created a sustainable income that has great growth potential.

More and more people are exploring different options as far as making an income goes. We have learned to be patience with our process and progress. We don’t expect it to take off over night. We have faith in our ideas. We know we are on the right path even if we make a few missteps. We pick ourselves up and move forward.

Many of us market multiple products and services at first until we fine-tune what are niche is. For some of us it is marketing a few products and services, for other we focus on one product. We spend our time branding our name, service or product. We Tweet and Facebook and so on. We have so many ways we can market and that is a great thing. So to all of you who are like me, trying to create a sustainable income. I say cheers keep that euntrepuneral sprite alive.

Well that about wraps it up folks. Try and stay cool and if you need to use the cooling centers in and around the valley here then do so, as that is what they are there for. If you want to do something great for others Join us down at Well in the Desert Mondays at nine and help make sandwiches for those in need of a good lunch. We have a great time, the people are friendly and you end up feeling good at the end. And in these tough times when it is easy to feel like nothing is going right. Feeling good is a great way to boost you happy quota. They are right down there on Barristo Rd in palm springs. . Till next time this is Helpful Hank signing off. Remember to keep hydrated and to wear sunscreen even if your skin tone is darker. The UV’s can still harm you. Even black people can get sunburned. My son’s mother burns real easy.

You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Helpful Hank of Remembrance and Celebration

Hello Folks, Helpful Hank here. I trust Everyone had a happy 4th of July. We spent the day working on projects and then had friends over for a BBQ and capped the night off with a dog walk downtown Palm Springs.


Well we finally finished the lower set of cabinets I’m happy to say. Now We just have the uppers. It has been a project so far. Getting the lowers done has allowed me to work on some other projects while my spouse was home.

One of the projects we worked on were curtain rods. We had wooden curtain rods and because of the weight of the curtains they had begun to bow. So we decided to look for new ones.

Last time he was here we had gone out and priced them and they can get pricey. We found some end caps that we like so I suggested that I make the curtain rods ourselves with steel poles. What we ended up doing is buying steel pipe for plumbing. We cut it down to size and using black spray paint and a hammered bronze spray paint I was able to create the look we wanted for a fraction of the cost (Each ten-foot section was $6.49.) and all we needed was a hacksaw and some spray paint. They are much sturdier then the wood poles and fit in to our décor nicely.



Recently I had the opportunity to bake a carrot cake ( I use my Grandmothers recipe with a few minor changes as it she made the best I had ever had, I was getting ready to make the cream cheese frosting when I realized I didn’t have powdered sugar. My solution is one that I have used before. I took granular sugar and two cups at a time placed it in my blender and on the pulse setting, I ran the blender on liquefy and blended it until it became powdered sugar. It needs a bit of blending and the reason for using the pulse setting is that the sugar can settle and not move. Using the pulse setting helps to prevent that.


As we celebrate our Independence from British rule, we also celebrate those ordinary people who 40 years ago stood up to be counted at the Stonewall Inn. Just as our fore fathers and fore mothers stood up to tyranny in the 1700’s so did the Ordinary people at the Stonewall Inn. They were just the fringes of humanity who where morning the loss of someone they felt a connection to. (Judy Garland) on the day she was laid to rest. They were not the popular people but they were the ones who had nothing left to lose. To paraphrase what Divine said in Hair Spray. I’ve had it up to here and my diet pills have worn off. I know the feeling.

These folks said enough is enough and How dare you on this day. Pushed to the edge they snapped like a branch in a hard wind, much like our ancestors did when they through the tea in the harbor.

On June 28th at apx 1:03 A.M. the Street Queens, Dykes, Radical Fairies and others decide to fight back. Though this wasn’t the first gay bar to have its patrons fight back this was the one that changed history. When all was said and done we as a community started to see that we did not have to live our lives apologizing for who we are. They fought for our independence as a people. Much like our solders who fought for America’s freedom.


So As we celebrate the 4th of July let us also not forget that Sunday 40 years ago, Street Queens, Dykes and Radical Fairies fought for freedom even if they didn’t realize the magnitude of their battle at the time. With this freedom (independence) comes responsibility. That is never to forget what they fought for and, to continue to fight for freedom.

As a country we continue to fight for freedom as a community we must as well.
So three cheers to the colonist who fought for independence from British Tyranny and three more for those ordinary people who did so as well at the Stonewall Inn 40 years ago. For without ordinary people who put themselves in extraordinary situations for the betterment of others, knowingly or unknowingly, they changed history and gave us the modern gay movement. It is up to us to keep their momentum going until total equality is reached. Freedom isn’t Freedom and less the least of us has it.

We I recently joined a church down in the desert here. Bloom In The Desert Ministries is a warm and welcoming congregation whose modo is “We Welcome All Who Welcome All. For any member of the glbt community it can be a struggle to reconcile who we are with faith. We learn from an early age in many cases that the two cannot exist in harmony. That they are at odds with one another. It can take a great deal of time and some of us are never able to reach the place where who we are enhances our faith as it should.




Well that about wraps it up until next time keep safe and sound. And folks, if you can come on down to Well In The Desert Monday Mornings at 9:00 A.M. and help with "Sandwich Mondays". that would be super. nh8wear has introduce their new signature t-shirt I support Marriage Equality as well as their new Hartland Hearts T and American Pride T-Shirt

One last thing, I’d be remiss If I didn’t say something about MJ (50) and Farrah. Fawcett (62) Two great talents gone to soon as one sang.

Michael’s influence and impact on music and his charitable ways, (Regardless of what personal demons real or imagined that he may or may not have battled.) will never cease. He was a phenomenal talent. He was as much the people’s prince as Dear Diana was the people’s princess. My whish is that he is at peace watching over his children. I watched a bit of his Memorial Today and thought it to be a very fitting touching tribute to the man. My heart broke for his kids. No child should have to be that young and lose a parent. It’s hard enough at 46.

Farrah was a Pop Icon who actually had some acting chops. I liked her in Charlies Angels (though Sabrina was my favorite.) and was amazed at her ability in Extremities and the Burning Bed. It was sad to see this sweet woman suffer as she did. I hope her son Redmond can get his life together for his own sake.

May they along with Fred Travalena ( 66-Comedian/Impressionist), Gail Storm (87-Actress) Karl Malden (97-actor), Steve McNair(36-Form NFL Quarterback), Robert McNamara ( 93-Former Secretary of Defense), Billy Mays (50-Pitchman of products and half of the show The Pitch Men) may they all rest in peace.

Folks we have Heated up here in the desert with our typical summer weather pattern.
Please remember to keep yourself hydrated, use sunscreen and wear hats.

Helpful Hank

You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals : Here
Bloom In The Desert Ministries
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.

Volunteers with Bee stings and Power Tools that bite

Helpful Hank

Hello All Helpful Hank Here, I would like to talk about a few things today. Tool use safety, The Well in the Desert and, Bee Stings.

Well this past weekend my partner and I framed in Mishaps that led to one trip to the Emergency room and thankfully not two trips. Friday night I was making a hat rack. I had finished cutting my pieces turned off the saw and as it slowed down, I moved a piece of scrap off the platform of the table saw. The blade met my thumb as it was slowing down and took a chunk. No stitches but a lot of pain. Then on Monday My partner who is allergic to bees was stung not once but 3 times all at once. Luckily he is not as allergic as he once was (three strikes and you are out heck one strike and you are out.) he ended up with a bad case of hives and feeling like shite.

So here we go. Rule number one: When using power tools such as saws and other cutters. Use the guard. That is what it is there for. Rule number two: Don’t move items away from saw when it is still moving. Rule number three: Don’t rush or be impatient.

Rushing and being impatient is what nearly cost my thumb and got me a trip to the emergency room. It also put my Kitchen Cabinet project back a week or two, as without use of my left opposable thumb I’m stuck in neutral. (That’ll learn me.) It is Ironic as I tend to be the person who always follows these rules whether it is out of fear of accidents happening (case in point) or out of respect for the power of the tool. (A bit off both) T he one time I let my guard down or up as the case was. Bam. So be careful folks and learn from my mistake.

It seems at least at my hose we are having a bit of a problem with aggressive bees. They like to hang around the grape arbor and citrus trees. I often will see to bee’s rolling around on the ground one on top of the other looking like they are fighting. I thought maybe that there is a queen near by and they are fighting to be her mate. As it turns out it is the female workers who sting and leave there stinger behind in the skin after which; they die. Now while my husband didn’t need an epi pen this time (which he should have and we will get) it is a must have Item for those with sever allergic reactions to things like bee stings and nut allergies or any other sever allergies. Sever allergic reactions can send you into anaphylactic shock. This can quickly become game over.

Here is what to do if you are allergic to bee’s and, get stung. If stung, try to look for the barbed stinger in the case of a bee sting and carefully remove it by flicking it or scratching it out of the skin from the stinger sack. Using a business card or credit card works well. You don’t want to pull it out with tweezers if at all possible as it squeezes more bee venom into the blood stream and can make things worse.


Volunteering

I know I harp on getting involved. Especially when it comes to the marriage Equality issue. There are other volunteer opportunities as well. My Husband I participated in one such volunteer opportunity for the first time this last Monday. (and we plan to continue to volunteer) at Well in the Desert here in Palm Springs. It is called “Sandwich Monday’s”. What is “Sandwich Mondays”? well it is making Sandwiches for those who have less than. It is a piece of cake to do and a lot of fun. Bloom In The Desert Ministries (An all-inclusive Ministries.) organizes this. They need volunteers. It is every Monday from about 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. You will walk away wanting to do it again and feeling good about things. I will provide all the information you need to participate at the bottom of this column.

I am always looking for people to share volunteer opportunities with me as it is a great way for anyone to give a bit back. If you have a roof over your head, food in the refrigerator, a mode of transportation, (We took our bikes.) clothes on your back, you should get involved. There are people with much less, getting involved in volunteering opportunities. Isn’t time you got involved? You’ll be amazed at how good you end up feeling.

The vegetable Garden experiment.

Ever since we moved to the desert, I have been attempting to grow a vegetable garden. My big problem is that the area I am using is a crab grass field. So I built raised planters put down my weed cloth and planted my seed. The problem is this the crab grass grows up through the same hole as the vegetables as they sprout, leaving me to wonder what good is weed cloth. So while some of my plants do o.k. others don’t. I decided to experiment a bit and planted some of those plants that were not doing so hot in the raised planter directly in the ground.

Making sure to pull as much of the crab grass as possible (as best I could roots and all) up and removing from my planting area. I then plant my seeds, in this case sunflowers, corn, beans and, some flowers. So far, they seem to be doing O.K. My corn stocks are getting larger then the ones planted in the raised planter, and my sunflowers and bean plants are looking healthy. We shall see. I will keep everyone posted. I also made sure to put down small bark as mulch after planting my seeds. This not only helps hold the water in but it also helps keep the crab grass as at bay as you can.

My vegetable garden is for the most part full sun. I have some plants in there that like partial sun and some plants that are in wire baskets ( notorious for drying out) What I have done to provide some shade and to keep the baskets from too much direct sun light (which will dry them out quicker) is to use umbrellas to shade them. I have some of the colorful umbrellas that hook on to chairs via clamps and then I picked a few up at thrift shops. Not only does it give a bit of whimsy to your vegetable garden. It shades the plants that need it. They are easily moved around as well.
There are vegetables and fruits that can do well in hanging baskets as long as you keep them watered properly. Vegetables such as peas, beans and, Strawberries. Two key factors to keep in mind are making sure you have a large enough hanging basket and making sure that you’re not losing dirt. It is important that you use a good base for your baskets that will line the basket solidly while allowing enough dirt to plant in. I like to use a good Spanish Moss. Other Mosses work as well. Avoid plastic encased by moss as I find that it doesn’t allow the soil to breathe as it needs and in turn can cause root rot. It is always best to plant hanging baskets in part shade or create part shade like I did with umbrellas. Depending on where you hang them at and the climate they can be watered as little as every two days. Planting them in good soil is key. I start with a good gardening soil, and if I am recycling soil from last year, I always use Miracle Grow. I mix it in with the dirt in a large bucket. I water the soil for two days before I transfer it to my hanging baskets. I feel it helps to work the fertilizer into the soil. (another good all-purpose fertilizer is VF-11.) I then take my conditioned soil add in some vermiculite to it and I’m ready to go.

After my soil is prepped and ready I line my baskets with the moss. I then fill with the dirt and water letting stand for a day. By doing this I get an indication of how long the dirt in the basket stays damp. If it dries out real fast, you might want to find a different place to hang it.

Trees are a great place to hang a hanging basket. They provide filtered sunlight in spring summer and early fall which helps to keep the water in the soil. I also like to fertilize lightly a few weeks after I have planted my seeds as a little boost. Keep your baskets watered properly and soon it could be flowing over with peas, beans and Strawberries.

Other edibles that work well in a basket are herbs of all kind. From Sage to Parsley, Oregano, Basil and, Thyme.

Another option for lining your baskets is to use live moss. You can pick up a flat for under twenty dollars at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Face the plants outward so that the dirt faces in fill with soil and plant seeds. Using live moss makes it easier to plant some seeds in the sides of your basket so that you have them sprout outward from the basket. There are many ways to plant your baskets even incorporating edible flowers such as Nasturtiums. All it takes is just a little imagination.


Dogs and Palm Seeds

This is the time of year that the Palm Seeds tend to drop from the palms. I don’t know if any other pet owners have this problem but my dogs love to eat them. They chew and chew on them like they would a bone then swallow them. (it is not for lack of raw hide and dog bones as they get plenty of them.) I am unable to find anything that says Queen palm tree seeds are poison to dogs but, in my research I did find out that Sego palms are highly toxic not only to dogs but to little children as well. There toxicity is fatal in most cases from what I could ascertain. Good to know as we tried to grow some segos when we first moved down here. They are pretty but to finicky for my taste. They were always turning yellow.

I would like to take a minute to mention my Friend Jonathan Taylor’s newest web site TheDesert411. Get the skinny on all you need to k now at http://www.thedesert411.ning.com join today and ask about his advertising promotions for your business


Well that about sundown on this column

Regards,

HH


Hints and helpful tips; don’t over water plants there is a tendency to feel that because we are in a hotter climate that we have to water more. This isn’t always the case. If your soil seems damp then leave it in most cases. Conversely, as well don’t over water. This can cause root rot.

You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Bloom In The Desert Ministries Web Site is: www.bloominthedesert.org


Hey all This weekend Joshua Tree is having it’s Gay pride celebration at Studio Godot in the Art Queen Complex 61855 29 Palms Highway 3233565922
Saturday, June 27, 2009 6:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. Phone # 323-356-5922
e-mail jsmsyd@yahoo.com
Also, if you get a chance see the movie Outrage it is well worth it.
Don’t forget to check out nh8wear Express your need for Equality they now have the signature shirt that says I support Marriage Equality. Check it out at http://www.printperfection.com/nh8wear


Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Summertime Projects

Summertime Projects

Hello all Helpful Hank here, today I would like to talk about summer projects. We all have them. Some of us will do them before we go on Vacation some after and for some like me. They happen all summer long.

Kitchen, Kitchen
We own a home built in the late 70’s early 80’s. I face a lot of updating repairs and renovation. Sometimes starting one project can lead to another project. Case in point, when we had our Inn in South Lake Tahoe and I was renovating rooms we discover a leek in one of the bathroom shower. This led to us having to replace not only the floor for that unit but the sub floor as well. (Time to call the professionals.)

In any event, we all have our summer projects. My project currently is refinishing our kitchen cabinets. This is a great way to give your kitchen an easy up date.

Use the dust and grim to your advantage.
There is a lot of sanding involved when refinishing cabinets. One thing that I found in this process is that if I gave my cabinets a good first sanding then when back and wiped each area with a damp sponge before I went back with my second sanding the sawdust worked for me as an abrasive to help take the top clear coat off. There was also less dust in the air from sanding. For my purposes, it made the sanding portion quicker as I did not have to sand down to bear wood. (I am staining the cabinets darker.)

Enhancing your stains color.
I’m sure that the paint store would not make it as a recommendation but I often add a little latex paint to my stain to enhance its color. Since my partner wanted a strong cherry hue to the cabinets, I added some red paint to my red mahogany stain. Just about a half a cup. I mix it up with my brush lightly as I want the it to sit on the bottom of the can. Using the stain this way it is better to brush it on as you can pick up some of that red in your first coat pulling stain from the bottom of the can then with your second coat just lightly dip your brush in the can so your not pulling the red. I tend to put on four coats of stain alternating the red and the dark stain. Working my brush until I have it just the right shade. You can see some of the project pics here. http://twitpic.com/photos/helpfulhank

Summer time can be a good time to get this type of project done as with the heat comes much faster drying time. The one thing I would note is not to run your swamp cooler while trying to dry the stain on the cabinets it puts to much moisture in the air.

Clean the swamp.
We are coming up on the official start of summer and the temps here in the valley are going to go up. Swamp coolers are an effective way to cool down the house here in the desert. Though humidity is a factor in their use, (No go above 50%.) for the most part it isn’t an issue. Here is what the issue is. Making sure that the filters are clean and or replacing filters that have out lived their usefulness. You can pick up new filters at Lowe’s or Home Depot for around 7 bucks a pieces depending on size and type. Cleaning your filters and replacing them when necessary helps your swamp cooler to run a lot more efficiently.
One of the things I like to do ( because we have three dogs) is take a couple of incense sticks placing the stem in the filter and lighting the incense thus drawing the scent into the home. Make sure, once the incense has completely burned to take the stick end out of the filter.

One-year anniversary
As you may or may not know, June 16th is the one-year anniversary of the passage of marriage equality in California. Though the law didn’t stand long, (We intend to have it passed again.) those who were able to get married are still married. It is important that we press forward to over turn the band on same gender marriage.

To that end on Saturday June 13, 2009 nh8wear and Bad Baby Attitudes wear were launched. http://www.printfection.com/nh8wear . nh8wear Bad Baby Attitudes features message shirts and sweatshirts for Adults and children alike. Right now it’s focus is on marriage equality and 10% of the profits will go to the M.E. campaign.(Such as the CVMEC, and others.) I am the graphic artist for the designs on the shirts so I thought I would give it a little plug. Take a look and I’m sure you’ll find a shirt you can’t live without.

Some may wonder why I do not use the term “same sex marriage”. Marriage isn’t really about sex it’s about two people committing to a life together whether they are of different genders or of the same gender. I hear and read comments all the time equality being gay with nothing more then sex. I read just yesterday a comment by Gene Simmons of Kiss, in which he states that gay couples on average tend to have multiple partners inside their main relationships. Although he says he could careless one way or the other, he clearly making a point.

I find his point not only to be inaccurate but hypocritical. He is inferring that our relationships our beings are just about sex. Our relationships are no different then anyone else’s. As a matter of fact we tend to be, overall more committed then straight couples married or unmarried stone for stone. I myself have known a great many same gender couples that have been together more than 35 years. I cant’s say the same for my straight counter parts. We have been denied the right to marry and still our relationships endure committed and faithful.

Statistics show us that median duration of first marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.8 years, Females: 7.9 years and, the median duration of second marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.3 years Females: 6.8 years. Less then half of those who marry make it beyond 15 years. Cleary our heterosexual counter parts do not hold marriage as sacredly as the profess to.


All the time you hear, heterosexual males talk about how many partners they have had with pride. Case in point Wilt Chamberlain. Now if Richard Chamberlain had written a book and bragged about having sex with over 2,000 men he would be called disgusting by a great many people and especially men. On the other hand, Wilt Chamberlain was greeted with an “Atta Boy” and “He is such a Stud.

As I say, it is rather hypocritical and inaccurate to make such statements. Perhaps we should put no ignore what these celebrities have to say. The only problem with doing so is that there are a great many that take words like Gene Simmons as being accurate and turn around and use these inaccuracies against us. Once words are spoken, written, spoken, they are out there whether they are true or not. I know I keep harping on this but we as glbt citizens have to be out, aware, engaged and, involved. Not doing so makes us invisible. Silence = Complacency.

As we celebrate the anniversary of the decision to allow same gender couples to marry. We must keep in mind that it was short lived and we still have a battle ahead of us. We cannot let someone fight this battle for us. Each of us has got to get involved. Whether your glbtq or straight If you believe in equality for all you have to get involved. Whether you were one of those 18,000 who were able to get married, or are part the rest of use who felt we had time to plan the perfect wedding or felt when we found the perfect partner we would get married. I suspect a few of my Same gendered married friends have become even more complacent since the ruling to up hold prop 8 and let those who’s marriage took place before the ban stand. They probably feel it is not their battle anymore. They are wrong! It is their battle and they need to get involved. They are making their marriages invisible, dismissible, forgettable by the majority of the population. After all, it is only 18,000. But, 18,00 is a large number and it shows that we are committed to the sanctity of marriage. Think about it, 18,000 same gender couple were married in a five-month period and more would have been married given the time.
Now is not the time to rest on your laurels, GET INVOLVED! This is the only way to protect your marriage from being dissolved.

As we celebrate this year anniversary, we know we still have a lot of work ahead of us. I for one would like to see next election get us our right to marry back but we all have to become visible. Whether we desire marriage or not we have to fight for those who do. That poem that ends “ and when they came for me there was no one to stand up for me” Starts with not standing for others. Enough said. Get Involved.

Helpful Hank Tips and Hints: Always check to see if there are mistake paints and stains at the paint counter. A dented can of stain still works just as well and can be a fraction of the cost same with mistake paint. Take your doors and drawers off and out before sanding


You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Today I want to talk about two different things, The Day of Decision rally and some fun summer time crafts.

Hello all, Helpful Hank here,

Today I want to talk about two different things, The Day of Decision rally and some fun summer time crafts.

Day of Decision Rally

A week ago Tuesday I went to the day of decision rally. You can catch my video of it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np3C0eGFOHM there were about 200 some people at this rally and it struck me how the continued message was do not give up hope.

Forty years after Stone Wall we as a glbt community still struggle for complete acceptance and equality. While we may never gain total acceptance we can gain total equality. As I listened to the last of the speakers a young woman got up to talk about how she woke up that Tuesday went to school and found out around second period that she would not be allowed to marry the person she loved when one day she found that person because she was a lesbian. I thought about the message that this ruling was sending our youth. Our glbt youth, our straight youth, our questioning youth. We are telling them that some of them are less than. No one should have to grow up feeling less than. We are teaching these kids that they do not matter. Is this the message we want to send our youth?

It doesn’t matter what ones religious view or affiliations are when it comes to civil rights, marriage is a civil matter and whatever religious aspects we bring to a marriage ceremony are our own by choice.

Summer craft fun
I like those vintage t’s that are so popular right now and I got to thinking to my self I could make one of these. So I went over to Michaels Art supply and picked up a Blank template for stenciling (they come in packs of three and run about 3 or 4 bucks) a package of Iron on transfer for transferring images on to cloth.

I bought the blank stencils to create original designs and the iron on transfer pack (They run 8 dollars or more depending how many are in the package.) to find images I could use from the internet.

I headed home with my items and set out to take some old gray t-shirts and give them new life. I washed and dried the t’s. I got on-line, did an image search for vintage tee-shirt slogans, and didn’t find a whole lot. So I did a regular old web search and I found many sites that sell them. Most of these site have pictures of the slogans so I choose the ones I wanted to use, I saved the pictures to a file I then opened the picture up in a picture editing program and reversed the image so it could be viewed correctly once transferred. Then I printed them out on the photo transfer paper. I laid out my t-shirt on my ironing board placed the transfer on top of my t-shirt. I then placed an old towel over that. (This helps prevent you from any burning.) Set your Iron on its highest setting without being on a steam setting. Iron over the transfer pressing down firmly. Once you have ironed over entire stencil let cool. After things have cooled peel one corner slightly back to check and see if the transfer has set, if not then go over it again with the iron. Once your transfer is set starting at one of the corners and peel off the backing and you have a vintage t-shirt and you have saved yourself a bit of money.

Creating a stencil, to stencil a shirt is not as difficult as it sounds. The tools you will need is a blank stencil sheet an exacta knife (Folks, please be careful when using any knife but exacta knifes can cut your fingers real easy so be safe and remember this is not to be used by children.) Spray adhesive a cutting surface and, your image. For my image, I chose an ornate cross I found on line by doing an image search. I save the picture to my files then printed it out. Once I had it printed, (Making sure it is the right size for my blank stencil.) I sprayed my adhesive on the back then placed my image on the blank stencil making sure that there are no bumps bubbles or creases. (It will dry quickly.) Once my image has set on the blank I take my cutting surface place it under the blank and using the exacta knife I cut around my image about a ¼ inch from the lines of the image. I leave four uncut areas at the points of the cross so it is still attached to the stencil sheet. I then go back and cut around the image again still leaving the four uncut areas. This time I cut on the actual out line of the image. Once your image is cut out, you can peel your paper image away from your stencil

Once I have done all my cutting, I simply pop out the pieces that I have cut away and I have my stencil. Now that your stencil is done, you can use it for a variety of applications, whether you want to use it on a wall Muriel or on a piece of clothing. Note that when stenciling less is always more. What I mean by that is to keep your stencil brush on the dry side. Once you have paint on your brush tap it down on a surface to take off the excess paint. Too much paint and it bleeds through. Lightly spray the back of your stencil to adhere it to the surface you want to stencil.

Creating transfers is easier then making a stencil. Stencils can be used for a variety of projects; transfers are a little more limited. You can however use decal paper instead of transfer paper and create your own stickers, which can be fun for the kids.

While make stencils can be fun, adult supervision is needed if kids are going to be making and using them.


Well thank you for reading my column. Any ideas comments or questions can be sent to askhelpfulhank@gmail.com.

One Final not here, incase you haven’t heard, the State of New Hampshire has now passed into law Marriage Equality for same gender couples. That now makes six (6) states. We only have 44 more states to go.

Today’s tips and hints: don’t immediately through out your junk mail. Find the usable coupons and use them. If you have a fire pit or a chimney type burning pit, you can burn the discards. (Avoid burning on windy days as sparks can fly.

Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.

Helpful Hanks Handy Hints Summertime Memorial Day Column 08052209

Honoring our Vets


Hello All Helpful Hank here,

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. A chance for every citizen to honor our veterans. My father was a vet of the Korean War. (The pre cursor to the Vietnam War.) Though I myself am not an advocate of war, I will always support our troops. People do what they feel they have to do. As a teenager just out of High School I tried to enlist in the Army but my father was having none of it. I was eighteen and I thought that was that what could he do? Plenty…. Because I have some disabilities, he was able to go down to the recruiting office and get me un-recruited. He explained me later what he had seen in Korea. He told me he did not want me to be left with such images. I am grateful to my father. It wasn’t that he was against the war; He just didn’t want his son to have to fight in one if he could avoid it. (Later one of my foster brothers would fight in Desert Storm and my Nephew has served four or for terms in Iraq.)
The men and women join with good intentions; they are fighting for our freedom. For that, they should be commended as their hearts are in the right place. Personally, I believe that there can be justified wars. (WWI WWII) Even though war is tragic it can and the toll can be high, it can prevent a much worse fate. World War II is a prime example of this. I must also say I feel wars are becoming a rather archaic way of settling disputes between nations and countries. This in no means should negate the fact that women and men, our children, sons and daughters are fighting battles for what they believe is the betterment of all people. So this Memorial day Say a prayer or keep a thought of safe return for a solider and a veteran. Remember, until there are no more wars and the last Veteran has passed away there will always be a need to remember what veterans of war fought for Our Freedom is.

Summertime, Summertime

Summertime is just around the corner, kids get out of school, families have reunions, picnics and trips to the park. Here are some fun ways to enjoy your gatherings that are inexpensive or free to do during your summer whether you are a kid or a grown-up.
Some of these activities I remember from when I was a child others I have just discovered.
Suitcase Game
A new game I just learned about (On Good Morning America of all places.) The Object of the game is for each member of the team to put all the clothes in the suitcase on. How it works is you have teams of two. They line up on a field or grass area. (If anyone should fall the won’t get hurt.) Each team has two suitcases. One team member sprints over to where the other team member is, opens the suitcase up that the other team member has puts on the clothes in the suitcase over their own clothes and races back with the suitcase. Once back, the other teammate does the same. The first team, with each team member back in his or her original place wins the race. This can be adapted to a kids version, Adults only version or mixed adults and kids. The beauty of this game is you can make it as difficult or easy as possible. You can also substitute a suitcase for a bag as well.

It’s A Cakewalk

When I was a kid in elementary school, we would have a cakewalk at the annual school fair. How it works is you have your guest bring a one layer or two-layer cake any kind (Ice Cream cakes not recommended.) each cake should be on some sort of dish. Then your participants form a circle. Each participant holds the cake and platter on top of his or her head. They all have a mark that they are on. (If it is not windy paper plates work well for the mark.)As the music starts they walk around the circle. One mark is removed. When the music stops anyone not on a mark or who drops their cake is out. (If someone has dropped their cake their mark is removed as well) The last person standing is the winner. The surviving cakes become dessert for your guest. (Livelier music makes for a better game. You can also substitute bowls of water for cakes, which can be lots of fun watching the water spill and participants getting wet, as well as a nice way to cool down in the summer heat.)

Treasure Hunt

This is an easy thing to set up and again is a good game for all ages. It takes a little more prep time then some other games though. Here’s how it works. You work either as an individual or in teams. Each team or individual is given their first clue and once they find the object in their first clue it leads them to the second clue. They must find all the clues and return them to whom ever you have collecting them. The first person or team to collect all the clues and turn them in wins. (You can also have them collect they objects that their clue is attached to. Who says Easter egg hunts are just for Easter.

If you have any summer time games you would like to suggest drop me an e-mail at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Day Of Decision" coming soon
One last thing I would like to mention is the up coming Supreme Court decision on same gender marriage. We are looking at the decision being handed down on Tuesday May 26th. If you would like to participate in the celebration or the re-doubling of our efforts to make same gender marriage a reality in the state of California then here is a site that you can check out to see what is happening in your town. http://dayofdecision.wetpaint.com/page/Locations Any financial support you can give these folks is greatly appreciated. Though financial support is needed what is needed as well are volunteers and people to show up at these rallies.

Well that’s all for now folks. Helpful Hank signing off until next time. And remember we can’t have true equality until we all have true equality. After all isn’t that what our soldier’s fight for and what our veterans fought for Freedom and Equality for all.

Keep cool wear sunscreen and have fun after all that’s what summer time is for having fun.

Helpful Hank.

Helpful Hanks Hints:

Summertime doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Hot dogs Hamburgers and corn on the cob are simple fare that are sure to please. I like to put out my Cherry tomatoes that grow in my garden as a snack. Water Mellon is inexpensive and easy to prepare. Instead of Soda How about Ice tea and lemonade mix in a little food coloring with your batch of lemonade to create colorful looking lemonade.

Unusable pieces of fabric can be good for writing your treasure hunt clues on just cut into wide strips and write on the side that your writing is most visible. You can also give your treasure hunt a theme. How about “The Amazing Race" as a theme? If you want to get real elaborate you could set it up so that each team has a decoder (A chart that matches a number symbol or letter to each letter of the alphabet.) and they have to decode the symbols numbers or letters to figure out what clue says.

Helpful Hank can be reached at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.

Next Stop Iowa

Next Stop Iowa


Hello All Helpful Hank Here,

I would like to talk about a subject that I feel personally connected to. That is the decision just handed down in Iowa and Vermont to allow same gender marriage. The decision to allow same gender marriage in Iowa and Vermont is a victory for all. For me personally it is validating.

I have to say I was a bit surprised at the out come. No offense to Iowa but I have never really thought of it as a progressive state. If Americas heartland can come to terms with the separation of church and state creating equality for all then there is hope. Iowa and Vermont clearly see that discrimination is not acceptable on any level.

Marriage Equality transcends just the right to marry whom you want, it legitimized our very being, our families that we have, and our community. Once we have marriage equality across the United States, bans on adoption to Same Gender couples like the one in Arkansas won’t matter. Same gender couple will be able to marry and adopt. Laws like Arkansas’ prop 11 will go by the way side, as they were specifically put into place to stop adoption by same gender couples with the guise of making it seem that they are not discriminating.

Studies show that there are markedly no real differences in the development of children who are raised in a household with same gender parent verses opposite gender parents. The only real difference that was discovered was that children of same gendered parents do not feel as confined to typical gender specific roles when it comes to life and careers. This vastly opens up options for these children, as they become adults. I also think that another benefit is that this children go up to not just tolerate different types of people but rather accept the differences in people and celebrate those difference as well as to see that our differences are one of the things take make us the same.

What was particularly profound for me in the Iowa decision was the passage near the end.

The court said: "that while many oppose marriage for religious reasons, religion cannot justify a law excluding gay people from marriage. State government can have no religious views, the opinion says, either directly or indirectly expressed through its legislation. This proposition, the Court goes on to say, is the essence of the separation of church and state."




Finally two more states that get it. Sure, we have had to push and shove to get equality and we will continue to have to do so. However, we should let this strengthen our resolve; we all need to do what we can to move forward towards total equality. Whether we are stuffing envelopes, participating in local really and marches for marriage equality and adoption rights, or we are able to participate nationally. We all need to be a part of it. We must never forget that when one American looses their rights because of who they are, or who they love, all American’s are at risk of loosing their rights. One final thought. Marriage can only be de-valued by the two people in it.

Note as I was writing this blog post Maine ended up enacting laws granting same Gender couple the right to marry. Another victory for equality. Another state that gets it

Site to find out more about the recent court decisions in Iowa, Vermont and Maine

Vermont: http://www.vermont.gov/portal/search.php?q=Same+Sex+Marriage

Iowa; http://iowa.google.cdc.nicusa.com/search?q=Same+Sex+Marriage&btnG=Search&output=xml_no_dtd&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&ie=UTF-8&client=iowa&oe=UTF-8&proxystylesheet=iowa&site=iowa

Maine at the writing of this had no official information on Same Gender Marriage

Travel Time

We are coming up on that time of year for many, travel time. Summer comes around kids get out of school and as it was with my family growing up; it is time for a vacation. Travel restrictions for the airlines have relaxed a bit but, the alert level seems to stay around Orange. Recently it seem that more and more people are planning vacations and flights through on-line sites such as Travelocity, Price Line and other discount sites. One of my friends used Price line to plan her trip home to Canada with her daughter. She was able to secure her flight and a car through Price Line. Her total cost for airfare and car rental was less $800.00 for the two of them. Now they didn’t have to take a hotel as they are staying with family. Right now, they airlines are trying to get our business so it is the ideal time to plan a getaway. Price Line has a feature that allows you to negotiate your price for everything from flight to car and hotel stays. Travelocity has a site dedicated to gay travel

There are many different sites that you can use for planning a vacation some charge a fee some don’t but overall it they are a good way to book travel. Just remember discount travel will give you more bang for your buck while on vacation as the money you save you can use to make your vacation even better then you thought it could be.

Where ever go on vacation Travel safely and remember to check with the airlines to make sure that your flight is not delayed. You can also go to the Transportation Security Administration site (TSA) at http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/index.shtm to find out the latest travel restrictions.

Sites to Check Out for travel
Gay Travelocity http://leisure.travelocity.com/Promotions/0,,TRAVELOCITY%7C935%7Cgaytravel,00.html you can also book travel through Travelocity on my site PS Community Networking at http://www.pscnetworking.com/

Price Line http://www.priceline.com/ you can also click on the Price Line link at my site PS Community Networking at http://www.pscnetworking.com/

Fun Maps http://www.funmaps.com/

Gay.com http://www.gay.com/

As always thanks for reading what I have to say. I welcome your letters and questions

Regards and safe travel,

Helpful Hank

Helpful Hanks Tips:
Make a list of what you are taking on your trip so you don’t forget anything

When using Price Lines Negotiator feature give yourself enough time to use it effectively and get your best deal.

Keep your bags with in the weight restrictions going over can cost you over a hundred dollars as it did my younger brother on his recent trip.

If you plan to get married in any of the five states that allow Same Gender marriage find out what if any restrictions or requirements there may be for out of state couples wishing to get married.


Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow

Helpful Hanks Advice and Handy Hints, Deals and Bargians: Re-thinking our jobs Bolg Post #6

Hello all, Helpful Hank Here, Today I want to talk about Reinventing how we make our income. Here in the valley the unemployment rate has jumped to 10.3%. I understand it’s the highest it has ever been or the highest it has been in years. If you are unemployed it can seem like you will never find another job.

In this economy companies are just not bringing in new staff and are reluctant to fill needed vacant position choosing rather to train and teach employees that they have to be able to handle the jobs of the laid off, filling only positions that are necessary.

Unemployment rates seem to be cyclical. I find they change about every 4 to 8 years based on my experience. We have just come out of an eight year cycle that started us off on top, companies were hiring the economy was good. ( the pervious eight year cycle put us there) As we progressed through this last eight year cycle jobs became more and more scares, The unemployment rate jumped and continued to grow to it’s highest rate ever.
This particular eight year cycle was particularly nasty. Some people ride it out as best as they can others take the reins and decide to chart their own course. Both can be equally difficult.

Riding it out is not easy. Sure our economy is starting to pick up ( slowly) but, what have you done to make your own economic situation improve? Things will get a bit worse before the get better. That old adage that it is always darkest before the clouds lift is true.
What id those clouds could have a silver lining? They can it is up to you. You can do things to improve and make your income better. It won’t happen overnight but they seeds you sew today can grow into something wonderful.

Right now we see an increase of Work from home opportunities and it is difficult to find one that is legit or that you can actually make an income from without 1. laying out a good amount of money to start. 2. Actually make enough money to survive on.


Growing a small business is tough enough. Growing a small business in this economy is even tougher. Here are some thoughts and Ideas on how to get started based on my experiences.

When starting your own business I feel it is best to use all avenues available to you and there are many. Take a look on the internet to see who else is providing the type of services that you are looking at providing. Figure out what you can do to set yourself apart from the heard. Look at what types of social networks might be the best to use. Google search networks (Example graphic design networking.) to see if there is a networking site that pertains to what you want to do. Use all networking sites you can to market yourself.

It is important to look at what your natural abilities are. For instance if you are an office worker who has lost their job think about freelancing your services. If you are a techie do the same, freelance. You can freelance most services. You can buy a domain name for as little as 0.79 cents these days and you can even buy simple software that will allow you to set up a page for your domain name. If you can’t afford such software then use social networking sites to set up a web presence to offer your services. Right now I have a client who is using My space as a starting point. We have set up a business profile for them and they have already had several people check out their page as well as friend them. Doing this yourself will cost you nothing but time. In conjunction with this make sure that you are taking advantage of the many temporary placement agencies to help support your endeavors. Always make sure that any assignment that you choose to go out on will in someway help you to further your own goals. (I have actually turned down assignments because the pay and time involved was such that I would be losing money. I have also taken assignments that even though I might lose a bit of money the company that I performed the services for might be of some benefit to me as far as a reference for my own business. The benefit of working temp jobs is that it can help keep your skill level up. When signing up for a temp agency take every test you can that will show what your skill level is. Use this as a base line for your skill set. If your test scores are high then use that to your advantage by marketing it on the social networking sites. If like me you are in the expert range of excel then say so on these site. Leave a business card with the person(s) on the job site so the remember who you are and the work you did while there.

In this economy we have to look outside the box but, this is nothing new. Great mind have always approached life this way. We have to combine our efforts and open our options.

The one. Key thing in all of this is marketing ourselves. It is not as difficult as it seems. We have many free marketing opportunities that are available to us. Social network marketing is one of the best ways to market yourself. You can get your name out there along with the services you provide at no cost except for time, and it can be time well spent. With sites like Twitter, Face Book and others you can leave short little notes promoting your business, posting them several times a day.

It is going to take time but anything worth working for ( a stable income and career) is worth having. Cross promotion of yourself is important. Why would you color with one color in a crayon box when there are 64 colors? Use all the social networking sites you can to promote yourself. You will not use them all the same way, but use them. Again, Sites like twitter and face Book are good for short blurbs about you, what you are trying to establish and, where you want to go with it. Twitter is especially good for this. Google search the phrase Twitter Getter. This is an online source for generating a following. A bigger following means more people seeing what you have to offer. Sites like My space or The Private Membership are good sites to set up your virtual storefront. Use these sites to set up your business profile. Join or start groups on these sites that are related to what you are doing. If you are a freelance electrician then join some of the groups that are for the electrical contracting community (My Space has a few.)Then, use sites like face Book and twitter to market it and yourself.

Gone are the days of walking up and down Main Street and handing out your resume. Time is more wisely spent marketing yourself on line.

Educate yourself, learn new things. A year ago, I knew nothing about creating web graphics, today I sell my creations on sites set up for exactly that. Again, think outside of the box. Learning new things and be patient with yourself while you do this can vastly increase your potential for making an income. It might take you in a direction you never thought possible. As you learn new skills, you will find the skill that you excel at and in turn offer those services as well.
Do not be afraid to offer your services at no cost to charitable organizations. Not only can you claim the time (and any expense you cover) as a donation on your taxes but word of mouth is powerful. If you do this, ask for a letter of recommendation from the organization or even just a one or two line sentence that you can post on your different social networking profiles or web site for your business if you have one.

They key to moving forward and getting to where you want to be is in how you look at each day. For me I approach each day as if I were working a 9-5. I take time to map out and make a list of what I want to accomplish every day. I check those Items off once the task is completed for that day. My workweek though doesn’t always end at five or stop on the weekends. I know it takes more then that. Starting with a 9-5 base is just that a start. The more you but into it the more you can get from it.

Taking regular breaks helps to keep you focused. After you have been on line, on the phone calling agencies for three, four hours your eyes can get fuzzy so step away and take a break come back with clearer eyes.

Make sure that your day included some exercise even if it is just short walks a few times a day. Sitting behind a computer all day can be hard on your body so Stretching is a great way to help with that.

One Final Thought, I’m a work in progress as are we all. What works for one person may not work for another. Don’t be afraid to try different things. The fact that we keep trying to find a better way on this journey is good. If the Idea excites you, figure out how you can make it work for you


To my readers, any tips you have on this subject that you would like to share send them in I will happily pass them on and try them out myself.


Well that’s all for now

Helpful Hank.


Hank’s Helpful Hint:

Make a list of agencies you are listed with and call them each Monday letting them know you are available for assignments that week this keeps you fresh in their minds. When going to agencies for your first appointment always present yourself as a professional whether you’re a dish washer or accountant dress for success (as you would for a job interview). In addition, when ever you have to stop by the agencies dress in Business casual. (As you would on a job.)

Stretch Stretch, Stretch. At the end of the day your body will thank you.

Some site to market yourself on.

http://twitter.com/

http://offto.net/twittergetter/

http://www.myspace.com/

http://www.facebook.com/

Write Helpful Hank at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com

Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow