March events chase away winter blues

Since Old Man Winter has not yet relinquished his title of "king of the season," Alpine residents are scheduling activities to chase away any lingering winter blues.

Frank Jacobelli, from Alpine County Behavioral Health Services, in the March-April edition of "Alpine Threads," advises, "Take a lesson from our northern neighbors: Bundle up, grab a thermos filled with a hot drink, get out and soak up some winter sun. And remember, spring will be here before you know it."

In the same issue, Dr. Richard Harvey suggests walking the family dog to achieve fitness.

"I believe that being happy and relaxed is an essential part of staying healthy," he said. "And of course there is all that exercise that comes with walking a dog. And so, I put on my boots and out the door we go, my dog leading the way. More exercise, more fresh air. He won't take no for an answer. Another dog is leading his human to better health."

For more strenuous outdoor exercise than walking the family dog, there are several options scheduled at Kirkwood on Saturday.

The first one is a cross-country skiing day trip across 13 miles of stunning Sierra scenery on a well-marked backcountry route. The trail begins at Echo Summit and crosses the Sierra crest to finish at the Kirkwood Cross-Country and Snowshoe Center. Starting time is at 10 a.m. at the Echo Summit SnoPark. For more information, log onto www.ednsp.org

The other event is a full moon snowshoe trek with the group meeting at 6 p.m. at the Cross-Country and Snowshoe Center. Call (209) 258-7248 for further information.

Traveling on the Alpine Mountain Transit bus on Wednesday, the Fifty Plus Club will enjoy a group outing to South Lake Tahoe. For more information, phone Sherri Dennis at (530) 694- 2235.

Yoga instructor Jill Mustacchio will show gentle exercises for "mature" members of the Fifty Plus Club at the special lunch sponsored by Alpine County Health and Human Services, Thursday, March 30 at noon at the Early Learning Center.

To exercise the brain and for a "novel" experience, aficionados of science fiction books are invited to participate in the fantasy forum presented by science fiction anthologist Milton Wolf at the Alpine County Library in Markleeville on March 17, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Wolf has taught courses in science fiction at the University of Nevada, Reno, Truckee Meadows Community College, Western Nevada Community College and Chadron State College in Nebraska. He has recently written his 93rd publication.

In preparation for the lecture, library book club members have been reading Isaac Asimov's classic science fiction book, "I, Robot," but everyone is welcome. Extra copies of Asimov's book are available for check-out at the library.

Attendees of this memorable St. Patrick's Day event may wish to stay for the follow-up potluck lunch. A basic green salad will be provided by the Friends of the Library, with guests encouraged to bring condiments; for example, favorite salad ingredients, dressing, breads or cheeses.

Parents and Tots Story-time will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The St. Patrick's program is funded by the Friends of the Library and will feature read-aloud leprechaun stories with crafts and snacks for the children.

Winter blues are bound to be dispatched by a judicious sampling of this menu of Alpine activities.

n Gina Gigli is a resident of Markleeville. Reach her at (530) 694-2253.