By the time you read this column our sunny February days will be just about over and according to The Weather Channel we should be watching the rain come down. With the roof on our building fixed, we say….let it rain….we need it!!

The unusually bright and sunny days this week got many people, including me, into the garden to do some early spring cleaning and weeding. There is nothing quite like getting some dirt under the fingernails to cure what ails you – I look at it as better than going to a therapist. It even takes on a different light when you have your two year-old grandson in toe. Worms, bugs, rocks and dirt – those were his items of interest in the garden on Saturday. Using a hand shovel and wearing a pair of my gloves, he thought he was pretty hot stuff. Scooping up rocks and putting them into containers can be quite entertaining to a two year-old!  Of course, he ended up with dirt everywhere and went straight to the bathtub when we were done…thank goodness his mother didn’t see him or his clothes!!

Even after the several storms that came our way several days ago, the state is still below normal for precipitation which is not great for the dams and reservoirs – let’s hope that this next series of storms brings more snowpack which is even more important than actual rain.

That being said, farmers are still looking for much- needed water for crops that grace our West side and help to feed our nation and the world. Currently, many farmers will only receive 10 percent of allocated irrigation water. That’s not enough – Senator Diane Feinstein agrees- she wants to boost irrigation water to farmers, allowing them to receive up to 40 percent of their allotment. She would like to see a compromise between environmentalists that support the Endangered Species Act and the people who actually put food on our tables. Now that could be interesting – do you think the farmers can actually win over the environmentalists? In order to make this happen, Feinstein needs to rally the troops (Congressmen Devin Nunes, Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa would be crazy to not jump on this bandwagon) and fight the biological opinion of Fish and Wildlife Service that protects the Delta smelt and a National Marine Fisheries opinion that protects steelhead and salmon. 

If anyone can make it happen, in my opinion, it would be Feinstein – she has the clout and isn’t up for election this time around. This could make for some interesting politics with Senator Barbara Boxer who happens to be up for election this year. Will Boxer rally around the environmentalists who tend to take things to the extreme with the liberals in the densely populated Bay Area and Southern California or will she actually do what’s right for our farmer’s and our state’s economy. Time will tell. In the meantime – go Feinstein!

Many sweethearts celebrated Valentine’s Day this last weekend with warm tokens of affection to one another. From cards, candy, flowers, special dinners, taking in a movie or even a play – there were many ways for Cupid to shoot his arrow and spread the love!

If you have been lucky enough to be married for 65 years, like Newman residents Alfred and Clara Nervino, there is no better way to say “I Love You” than to renew your marriage vows. Surrounded by friends and fellow church goers at St. Joachim’s Catholic Church on Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. Nervino were surprised by Father Hector when he acknowledged their wedding anniversary date of Feb. the 13 and invited them to renew their vows. Clara was presented with a beautiful bouquet of red roses and the two tenderly uttered their “I do’s” with many of those in attendance shedding tears of joy for the special couple.

The Nervino’s are two of the sweetest people that I know and their love for each other is purely evident in their day to day lives. Congratulations on 65 beautiful years and thank you for sharing your love with all of us!

Is it Filhos – or is it Filozes…. that is the question?

We just eat them so I haven’t really ever paid that much attention to the notion until I received an email from Fatima Silveira of Gustine concerning an upcoming sale (more on that a little farther down the column). Coming from Fatima, I thought that I have been incorrect all this time using the “filhos” spelling then I did a little searching on the internet and found it both ways in several publications.  Something tells me that it’s one of those words from my ancestry that depending on the island or the village you’re from dictates the spelling.

The internet search lead me to an interesting site called “rootsweb – finding our roots together.” A lady by the name of Shirley Allegre (we’re probably related somewhere along the line, I remember my mother talking about the Allegres) posted recipes for “Filhozes/Filhos” – smart lady, she just used both names at the same time.  The interesting part was that she posted six different recipes – all very similar but then again, different. How am I ever to find the perfect recipe – the failsafe recipe to use again and again – the one that the dough always rises? Interestingly enough, one of the recipes actually calls for ¾ cup of mashed potates. Now that’s a new one for me.

Another site was “chowhound” that has a post from a couple who last year ventured through Gustine and happened to stop at Wolfson’s Meats and found many wonderful “goodies” as they put it but what really caught there eye was a flyer about the Fat Tuesday Filozes Sale (this was last years) and they wanted to know about the mystery treat. Several people commented on their board and one referred to Filozes as being like Malasadas – here we go another name.

Trying to get to the bottom of it – I searched Wikipedia (the free encyclopedia on the internet) and found this: In 1878, Portuguese laborers from the Madeira and Azores came to Hawaii to work in the plantations. These immigrants brought their traditional foods with them, including a fried dough pastry called the “malasada.” Today there are numerous bakeries in the Hawaiian islands specializing in malasadas.

Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”), the day before Lent, is also known as Malasada Day in Hawaii. Being predominantly Catholic, Portuguese immigrants would need to use up all of their butter and sugar prior to Lent. They did so by making large batches of malasadas, which they would subsequently share with friends from all the other ethnic groups in the plantation camps. This led to the popularity of the malasada in Hawaii.

In the United States, malasadas are cooked in many Portuguese or Portuguese descendant homes on Fat Tuesday. It is a tradition where the older children take the warm doughnuts and roll them in the sugar while the eldest woman—mother or grandmother—cooks them. Many people prefer to eat them hot. They can be reheated in the microwave, but then they will have absorbed the sugar, providing a slightly different flavor and texture.

Whatever you want to call them – now is the time to get them. Lent is right around the corner and they won’t be available again until after Easter.

The Newman F.D.E.S. is have a “Superbowl Sunday Filhos Sale” – of course it is this Sunday, February 7. You can get your fresh filhos at the Newman F.D.E.S. Hall from 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. or at the end of the mass at St. Joachim’s Church. Ed Faria tells me that you may be able to even drive up the back door of the hall and get your hot and fresh filhos without getting out of your car – which makes it easy to stay in your bathrobe and slippers and get home to enjoy the tasty treats with a hot cup of fresh coffee.

The Fat Tuesday Filozes Sale is being sponsored by the Gustine Pentecost Society Committee – of course, on Fat Tuesday, February 16. Available at the GPS Hall starting at 9 a.m, they will be first come, first served and they will have the tasty treats until 3 p.m. for those wanting an afternoon snack.

Guess that I will be there in the morning and back again in the afternoon to keep up the sugar rush on production day.

As popular as the wonderful Portuguese delicacies are – I know that both organizations will do very well with their sales.

For all of you “Facebook” people, become a fan of the Newman Police Department! Yes, Newman PD has gone to the socializing network to keep citizens aware of activities within the community.

According to Chief Adam McGill, the site has over 170 fans – not bad for only two weeks – and is quickly growing. What I found to be interesting is the fan base is pretty evenly spread with 53 percent of the fans being male and 47 percent being female.  The most popular age group of fans is 55 and over – the retired fans are keeping a watch over the home front.

Photos of arrested individuals and suspects are being posted online, which is a great feature I think. One of the suspects who had a photo posted was apprehended with the help of a fan who recognized him. So with Facebook, in addition to keeping up with friends and family, you can keep up with the bad guys too!

Congrats to Newman PD for recognizing that Facebook can be a useful tool when it comes to the safety of the community and it’s citizens!

It’s raining, it’s pouring and we don’t know about the old man snoring…but, our roof is leaking! We’re so used to not having any rain around here that we forget to make the roof repairs before we get the storm!

All I can say is that it’s a good thing that we have a lot of newsprint paper around this office to soak up all of the water. We got water coming down the sides of the walls in the front, coming down the corner of the darkroom in the back and in the corner of the break room and we are at the start of the storm front – what will it be like next week??

When it comes to Portuguese delicacies, filhos are one of the most well-known treats enjoyed by many people of many different nationalities. So a filhos sale is a PERFECT fundraiser and even more perfect is the recipient – Dylan Spinelli.

“Dough for Dylan” Filhos sale is being spearheaded by Kathy Rocha, mom of darling Bailey Rocha. Kathy and her entire family have been very supportive of the Spinelli family while Dylan has undergone treatment for leukemia. Kathy and Jeannie, Dylan’s mom, correspond via email regularly and Kathy is there to help Jeannie cope with the day to day issues of battling this horrible disease – cancer – it is just an ugly word.