That's Sweet! Dessert Truck

Recently, the folks in my area have been treated to what I'll call gourmet food trucks.  I call them that, because they aren't your standard "white truck/greasy food" variety - these folks cook good food.  My personal favorite is the truck from That's Sweet Bakery.

Their selling points on the website are that they bake everything fresh each morning, with ingredients found as locally as possible, with no preservatives, or having things sit on a shelf for who-knows-how-long.  They've also told me that they use recipes that were handed down, or that found as an early American favorite, to try to keep the nostalgia of all the favorites that people grew up with.  In fact, upon tasting their buttercream, I had to tell them that it was exactly like what my mom used to make when she was using my Sicilian grandmother's recipe.  To this day, I still can't get it right.

They provide a nice selection of goodies whenever they're at one of the drive-by eating events.  At this point, they're doing Thursday evenings at Union Landing, alternating Friday evenings between Newpark Mall in Newark and Pacific Commons in Fremont, and other events as they come up.  They also do private events, corporate functions, etc., and will take suggestions if you should have an idea on where they can park their truck to bring their goodies to the masses.

I highly recommend trying these folks out if you get the chance.  They can be found on Facebook and, of course, their website.  This coming Thursday, they're supposed to be at Union Landing, and then Friday at Pacific Commons, as long as nothing changes (be sure to check their Facebook page for updates).  From what I've seen in just the last couple weeks, they seem to be picking up a good amount of followers.  So...  get to it!  Go check these guys out!

Newark's Holy Ghost Festa

Today I went to a festival held regularly in the Portuguese community, called a festa.  I was there for the parade and feast, asking questions as things went along, but the best description comes from an article on the website www.newark.patch.com.  I was fascinated by the amount of detail going into the dresses and capes/wraps the girls were wearing - they were extremely elaborate.  I know that the dresses aren't the subject of the event, but they are a big part of it.  Photos of the procession can be found here.

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Unraveling the Meaning of Newark's Holy Ghost Festa

Community celebrates its 89th festa this weekend.

• By Nika Megino

A festival dedicated to the Holy Ghost begins Thursday night.

But what is a Holy Ghost Festa?

Newark Patch sat down with Melissa Correia, president of Portuguese Fraternal Society of America No. 16, to learn more about the festival that has been held in town for decades. Correia was charged with coordinating this year’s festa.

As part of the celebration, one woman will be presented as Queen Saint Isabel, and three others will be crowned as senior queen, junior queen and little queen. Each queen, with the exception of Queen Saint Isabel, will be accompanied by two sidemaids.

Editor’s Note: This interview is edited to reflect answers from Correia and the event’s program, which details the story of Queen Isabel of Portugal.

Q. How long has the Holy Ghost Festa been going on in Newark?

A. This is the 89th year.

Q. What is a Holy Ghost Festa?

A. It’s the celebration of Queen Isabel of Portugual. The story is she was devoted to giving to the poor. She would hide food in her robe and sneak it out of the castle to give to the poor. This made her husband, the king, upset. When she was stopped by her husband and asked what she was carrying under her robe, she responded “roses,” which were out of season at the time. But when she opened her rope, the bread in her robe had changed into roses. The incident is known as “The Miracle of Roses” and Queen Isabel was deemed the “Queen Saint Isabel of Portugal.”

Q. How is the Holy Ghost Festa celebrated here in Newark?

A. We stick to the basics of the tradition. There will be 12,000 pounds of beef that will be blessed. Part of that will be given to 12 needy families, to give them food to put on their tables and the rest will be used as offerings to the public throughout the event. The number 12 was chosen to represent the 12 disciples of the Catholic faith. On Saturday and Sunday, we will offer sopas – meat, cabbage and bread – to anybody and everybody. Queens will be presented on Saturday and a parade will be held Sunday.

Q. What is the purpose of the celebration?

A. To honor the Holy Spirit. A lot of us who come here have strong faith. We’re here to serve the Holy Spirit and continue to serve Him because that’s what we’re here to do. The thought we have is the more you give, the more you will receive.

Q. What do the Queens represent?

A. The girls symbolize Saint Isabel. They will take bread and roses to the church and give the bread to the children who attend the event. Each crown (they wear) is blessed. They will receive the blessing (of the bread). It’s not just about getting dressed up in a beautiful gown on a Sunday…they represent Saint Isabel giving to the needy.

The event is free to the public. Funds from donations and fundraisers held throughout the year make the event possible. For more information about the Newark Holy Ghost 89th Annual Festa, click here. To see when each event is held, see the attached PDF.

Related Topics: Newark Holy Ghost Festa, Queen Isabel of Portugal, and holy ghost festa

The Spoon Theory, by Christine Miserandino

I've seen this several times before, and it's an incredibly well written article about what's it's like to live with a chronic illness.  I'm posting it here so I'll never be without it.  All credit for the information below goes to Christine Miserandino.  Her website, and specifically the link to this article, is here:  http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory-written-by-christine-miserandino/

The Spoon Theory written by Christine Miserandino

 

Please take the time to read Christine Miserandino’s personal story and analogy of what it is like to live with sickness or disability. 

Click HERE to download “The Spoon Theory” in PDF format.

The Spoon Theory

by Christine Miserandino www.butyoudontlooksick.com

My best friend and I were in the diner, talking. As usual, it was very late and we were eating French fries with gravy. Like normal girls our age, we spent a lot of time in the diner while in college, and most of the time we spent talking about boys, music or trivial things, that seemed very important at the time. We never got serious about anything in particular and spent most of our time laughing.

As I went to take some of my medicine with a snack as I usually did, she watched me with an awkward kind of stare, instead of continuing the conversation. She then asked me out of the blue what it felt like to have Lupus and be sick. I was shocked not only because she asked the random question, but also because I assumed she knew all there was to know about Lupus. She came to doctors with me, she saw me walk with a cane, and throw up in the bathroom. She had seen me cry in pain, what else was there to know?

I started to ramble on about pills, and aches and pains, but she kept pursuing, and didn’t seem satisfied with my answers. I was a little surprised as being my roommate in college and friend for years; I thought she already knew the medical definition of Lupus. Then she looked at me with a face every sick person knows well, the face of pure curiosity about something no one healthy can truly understand. She asked what it felt like, not physically, but what it felt like to be me, to be sick.

As I tried to gain my composure, I glanced around the table for help or guidance, or at least stall for time to think. I was trying to find the right words. How do I answer a question I never was able to answer for myself? How do I explain every detail of every day being effected, and give the emotions a sick person goes through with clarity. I could have given up, cracked a joke like I usually do, and changed the subject, but I remember thinking if I don’t try to explain this, how could I ever expect her to understand. If I can’t explain this to my best friend, how could I explain my world to anyone else? I had to at least try.

At that moment, the spoon theory was born. I quickly grabbed every spoon on the table; hell I grabbed spoons off of the other tables. I looked at her in the eyes and said “Here you go, you have Lupus”. She looked at me slightly confused, as anyone would when they are being handed a bouquet of spoons. The cold metal spoons clanked in my hands, as I grouped them together and shoved them into her hands.

I explained that the difference in being sick and being healthy is having to make choices or to consciously think about things when the rest of the world doesn’t have to. The healthy have the luxury of a life without choices, a gift most people take for granted.

Most people start the day with unlimited amount of possibilities, and energy to do whatever they desire, especially young people. For the most part, they do not need to worry about the effects of their actions. So for my explanation, I used spoons to convey this point. I wanted something for her to actually hold, for me to then take away, since most people who get sick feel a “loss” of a life they once knew. If I was in control of taking away the spoons, then she would know what it feels like to have someone or something else, in this case Lupus, being in control.

She grabbed the spoons with excitement. She didn’t understand what I was doing, but she is always up for a good time, so I guess she thought I was cracking a joke of some kind like I usually do when talking about touchy topics. Little did she know how serious I would become?

I asked her to count her spoons. She asked why, and I explained that when you are healthy you expect to have a never-ending supply of “spoons”. But when you have to now plan your day, you need to know exactly how many “spoons” you are starting with. It doesn’t guarantee that you might not lose some along the way, but at least it helps to know where you are starting. She counted out 12 spoons. She laughed and said she wanted more. I said no, and I knew right away that this little game would work, when she looked disappointed, and we hadn’t even started yet. I’ve wanted more “spoons” for years and haven’t found a way yet to get more, why should she? I also told her to always be conscious of how many she had, and not to drop them because she can never forget she has Lupus.

I asked her to list off the tasks of her day, including the most simple. As, she rattled off daily chores, or just fun things to do; I explained how each one would cost her a spoon. When she jumped right into getting ready for work as her first task of the morning, I cut her off and took away a spoon. I practically jumped down her throat. I said ” No! You don’t just get up. You have to crack open your eyes, and then realize you are late. You didn’t sleep well the night before. You have to crawl out of bed, and then you have to make your self something to eat before you can do anything else, because if you don’t, you can’t take your medicine, and if you don’t take your medicine you might as well give up all your spoons for today and tomorrow too.” I quickly took away a spoon and she realized she hasn’t even gotten dressed yet. Showering cost her spoon, just for washing her hair and shaving her legs. Reaching high and low that early in the morning could actually cost more than one spoon, but I figured I would give her a break; I didn’t want to scare her right away. Getting dressed was worth another spoon. I stopped her and broke down every task to show her how every little detail needs to be thought about. You cannot simply just throw clothes on when you are sick. I explained that I have to see what clothes I can physically put on, if my hands hurt that day buttons are out of the question. If I have bruises that day, I need to wear long sleeves, and if I have a fever I need a sweater to stay warm and so on. If my hair is falling out I need to spend more time to look presentable, and then you need to factor in another 5 minutes for feeling badly that it took you 2 hours to do all this.

I think she was starting to understand when she theoretically didn’t even get to work, and she was left with 6 spoons. I then explained to her that she needed to choose the rest of her day wisely, since when your “spoons” are gone, they are gone. Sometimes you can borrow against tomorrow’s “spoons”, but just think how hard tomorrow will be with less “spoons”. I also needed to explain that a person who is sick always lives with the looming thought that tomorrow may be the day that a cold comes, or an infection, or any number of things that could be very dangerous. So you do not want to run low on “spoons”, because you never know when you truly will need them. I didn’t want to depress her, but I needed to be realistic, and unfortunately being prepared for the worst is part of a real day for me.

We went through the rest of the day, and she slowly learned that skipping lunch would cost her a spoon, as well as standing on a train, or even typing at her computer too long. She was forced to make choices and think about things differently. Hypothetically, she had to choose not to run errands, so that she could eat dinner that night.

When we got to the end of her pretend day, she said she was hungry. I summarized that she had to eat dinner but she only had one spoon left. If she cooked, she wouldn’t have enough energy to clean the pots. If she went out for dinner, she might be too tired to drive home safely. Then I also explained, that I didn’t even bother to add into this game, that she was so nauseous, that cooking was probably out of the question anyway. So she decided to make soup, it was easy. I then said it is only 7pm, you have the rest of the night but maybe end up with one spoon, so you can do something fun, or clean your apartment, or do chores, but you can’t do it all.

I rarely see her emotional, so when I saw her upset I knew maybe I was getting through to her. I didn’t want my friend to be upset, but at the same time I was happy to think finally maybe someone understood me a little bit. She had tears in her eyes and asked quietly “Christine, How do you do it? Do you really do this everyday?” I explained that some days were worse then others; some days I have more spoons then most. But I can never make it go away and I can’t forget about it, I always have to think about it. I handed her a spoon I had been holding in reserve. I said simply, “I have learned to live life with an extra spoon in my pocket, in reserve. You need to always be prepared.”

Its hard, the hardest thing I ever had to learn is to slow down, and not do everything. I fight this to this day. I hate feeling left out, having to choose to stay home, or to not get things done that I want to. I wanted her to feel that frustration. I wanted her to understand, that everything everyone else does comes so easy, but for me it is one hundred little jobs in one. I need to think about the weather, my temperature that day, and the whole day’s plans before I can attack any one given thing. When other people can simply do things, I have to attack it and make a plan like I am strategizing a war. It is in that lifestyle, the difference between being sick and healthy. It is the beautiful ability to not think and just do. I miss that freedom. I miss never having to count “spoons”.

After we were emotional and talked about this for a little while longer, I sensed she was sad. Maybe she finally understood. Maybe she realized that she never could truly and honestly say she understands. But at least now she might not complain so much when I can’t go out for dinner some nights, or when I never seem to make it to her house and she always has to drive to mine. I gave her a hug when we walked out of the diner. I had the one spoon in my hand and I said “Don’t worry. I see this as a blessing. I have been forced to think about everything I do. Do you know how many spoons people waste everyday? I don’t have room for wasted time, or wasted “spoons” and I chose to spend this time with you.”

Ever since this night, I have used the spoon theory to explain my life to many people. In fact, my family and friends refer to spoons all the time. It has been a code word for what I can and cannot do. Once people understand the spoon theory they seem to understand me better, but I also think they live their life a little differently too. I think it isn’t just good for understanding Lupus, but anyone dealing with any disability or illness. Hopefully, they don’t take so much for granted or their life in general. I give a piece of myself, in every sense of the word when I do anything. It has become an inside joke. I have become famous for saying to people jokingly that they should feel special when I spend time with them, because they have one of my “spoons”.

© Christine Miserandino

Centerville Pioneer Cemetery - Fremont CA

My post about Holy Ghost Cemetery got me wondering about some of the other local history.  We do have other historical cemeteries here in town - there's one at Mission San Jose, the Ohlone cemetery, and Centerville Pioneer Presbyterian Cemetery.

For this post, I visited the latter.  As a bonus, it was gray and rainy out - the perfect setting for my visit.  Of course, the fact that it was gray and rainy at the end of June is another matter entirely.


This quiet little site can be found at the corner of Post St. and Bonde Way in the Centerville district.  While this is a much smaller site than Holy Ghost, its history of those buried there is much more prominent than I would have expected.

The site is surrounded by a tall black fence, but its door is unlocked allowing easy access to wander around.  Not far from the entrance is a beautiful replica of the little while church that used to stand on the corner of the lot.  On its pedestal are some really nicely done murals showing the various districts that came together to become Fremont, along with several tiles presenting not only the background of those buried here, but also those who helped to keep this site as nice as it is today, and the individuals that created this monument.  There are photos of all the tiles in this album (rather than post all of them here since there's quite a few).

In comparison to my visit at Holy Ghost, the grounds here were well kept up.  It was nice to see that even when a head stone had fallen, someone had taken the time to cement the stone back down onto its grave so it couldn't be moved or taken.  There are a lot of familiar names here as well - Blacow, Eggers and Brier, just to name a few.

The Decoto/Riser Family

The Eggers Family

The Blacow Family

There are those who would argue that this site was maintained because it used to be visible from Fremont Blvd., and it would look bad to have it looking unkempt.  Reading the tiles tells a different story.  They actually wanted to preserve the history here.  I, for one, am glad they did.

Going to the Fair

I got a nice surprise today.  I was going out with some good friends, and we ended up going somewhere completely different than where we started out.  We ended up at the Alameda County Fair.

I've always loved going to the fair.  Something about the atmosphere, the food that you could never eat on a regular basis, the various entertainers that are on site, all the critters...  I used to go with my mom when she was still around, so there are good memories too.

At the end of my day there, as I was walking toward the exit, the sound of a lot of banging got my attention.  As I walked toward the clattering, it turned out it was three guys doing a performance.  I got some video - check them out:

Sorry the image is so small, but you can only get so much on your phone.

Their instruments were:

• a wooden stool with a piece of plexiglass on top
• an upturned 5-gallon water bottle
• upturned pots

Written on the ground in front of these guys was www.gotdrummers.com, so I can only assume (yeah, I know) it was these guys.  They were a lot of fun to watch!  Unfortunately, they didn't have much of a crowd, being it was the middle of Monday afternoon, but they still looked like they were having a lot of fun.  I'd love to see a full show sometime.

The website says they're available for hire, if you're so inclined.

Holy Ghost Cemetery - Fremont CA

Wandering through an old cemetery can be an interesting venture. Regardless of where you are, there's usually a tremendous amount of history behind those who are buried there. I find myself wondering about the lives of the people who's names I'm seeing. What kind of families did they have? What kind of conditions did they live in? What was the cause of death? Sure, the last one falls into the "morbid curiosity" category, but you know you're going to wonder. I'm especially saddened when I see the grave of a child, or on the odd occasion, a site that shows mother and child, where you're pretty sure neither of them made it through childbirth.

Holy Ghost Cemetery is one of Fremont's oldest, having opened in May 1889 by the Holy Spirit Catholic Church (also in Fremont). In all the years I've lived in this city, and even working across the street from this site for many years, I never took the time to go wandering through the grounds. A few weeks ago, I decided to go take a look. I have to say, I was really bothered by what I saw. Let me preface this by saying that the photos below reflect my visit today, not the one a few weeks ago. The grounds looked considerably better today, comparatively.

Upon my arrival, I found:

The grounds were covered in over-growth, sometimes to the point of not even being able to get to the graves.

There's a walkway in there somewhere.

That's a head stone back there.

Lots of brush in the way here.

Large clippings had been cut from the trees in the area and left to rot in a pile. Isn't that a fire hazard? I know... who would start a fire in a cemetery?

Last time I was here, they were left in the aisles by the trees.

Trash was piled up around the trash can not far from several headstones. The stones in this photo are all grave markers for children. Some of the markers were quite beautiful, and others very simple and engraved by hand while the cement was still wet.

Many of the monuments were broken (either from age or vandalism).

You can see the large cross in the back,
on its side.

Tree roots. Can't be helped...

I was bothered because I was always taught to show respect for the dead, and to me, the condition of this site was disrespectful. Now, I'm a reasonable person, and I know there's a few things are going on:

• this site is very old
• the owners may not have/be willing to spend the money for constant upkeep
• not many people go and visit
• you can't control a lot of the damage by vandals, but there should be some effort to repair
• you especially can't control damage when it's caused by weather or tree roots growing up though the grave site - again, some effort could be put into repair

It was clear that some maintenance had been done since my last visit, but there were still piles in various places. I have to wonder if those who visit loved ones in this cemetery are bothered by the state of the grounds. There's no reason this cemetery should look like this when there are other historic cemeteries in much better condition.

Beyond the physical appearance of the cemetery grounds, the site has many beautiful head stones. I found that there were a couple of folks that had been buried there as late as November 2010. They aren't accepting any new burials, in case you were wondering.

One of the facts I found while googling the site is this: Buried at the center of this cemetery are the first pastors of the church, Father Domingos Governo, and the Right Reverend Monsignor Alfredo M. de Souza. There are a couple of other names that will be familiar to Fremont residents: Stevenson and Dusterberry. If you're interested in searching names of those who are interred here, this website will have a full list and even some photos. There aren't a lot of back stories, but some of them have a few details I found rather interesting.

I'm sure this cemetery will never become a "place of beauty", and it's very likely that the loved ones of those buried here are either out of range to see it anywhere but online or passed away themselves. Even so, it would really be nice to see the site cleaned up. I know that if this were someone's yard, there'd be a fuss about it and someone in authority would be making sure something got done. After all, it's a matter of pride and respect, really. Isn't it?