Christmas decorations, crafts to make, and Victorian tea time too. Come in Victorian costumes if you like (Costumes are admired but not required). Have a picture taken in a Victorian Christmas scene. We supply the costumes, backdrop and photographer –for free. Why send out the same old Santa pictures this year?

Baba the Storyteller weaves a tale at the Pasadena Waldorf School’s Elves’ Faire Saturday.

by Timothy Rutt

The Pasadena Waldorf School (which is in Altadena) held its 26th annual Elves’ Faire at the school campus Friday.  Despite the gloomy weather, spirits were high as music, crafts, food, and fun were enjoyed by people of all ages.  While the faire had a medieval theme, in actuality it was a celebration of different cultures and time periods.  

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. says it's looking for a hiker who's been missing since last night:

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue seeks your help in locating a missing person: 

Matthew Hernandez, 29, Male Hispanic 5'07" 180 pounds 

Last seen: November 19, 2011 6 PM near Chantry Flats located in the Angeles National Forest above Arcadia.

We have dates for a Community Emergency Response Team training for January.  More information will be provided when we have reserved a location.

Here are the dates and times:

Saturday, January 7        8 am to 5 pm

Tuesday, January 10       6:30 to 9:30 pm
Wednesday, January 11   6:30 to 9:30 pm
Thursday, January 12      6:30 to 9:30 pm

Saturday,

Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Works is holding a hazardous waste and e-waste collection at the Rose Bowl on Sat., Dec. 3, from 9 AM-3 PM.

The collection will be at parking lot "K".

Household Hazardous Waste includes Used Oil, Unused Non-Controlled Medicines,

The topic will be discussing social media trends for 2012, including:

Social Media integrated into the business
Social Media used to extract business intelligence
Content marketing –

from the Pasadena Education Network

Parents interested in enrolling their children in a Pasadena Unified School District school that is not their assigned school are encouraged to attend The Pasadena Education Network’s (PEN) “Navigating Open Enrollment in the Pasadena Unified School District” on Tuesday,

by Jason Wells
Pasadena Sun

Another storm is expected to move in Wednesday night, with a 60% chance of rain in the forecast for Thanksgiving Day, according to the National Weather Service.

The fast-moving weather system should roll out early Friday as a warming trend takes over, bringing daytime temperatures back into the 70s under mostly clear skies,

After a nationwide search Five Acres has announced that Chanel Boutakidis will succeed Robert A. Ketch as executive director of Five Acres effective Dec. 1. Boutakidis is the executive director of Pasadena Mental Health Center and previously served as director of permanency programs at Five Acres. The child and family services agency has been led by Robert A. Ketch who has served as Five Acres’ executive director for the last 27 years and is now retiring after 34 years of service at Five Acres.

Brenden Jackson is the twin brother of Brandon Jackson, who was shot to death on Feb. 16 on the 300 block of West Palm St.  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of the killer in that crime.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department reports that Matthew Hernandez, the hiker who went missing at Chantry Flats over the weekend, has emerged safely.

Hernandez walked out of the forest at about 3:30 AM Monday, and walked to a phone and called his father, according to a press release from the sheirff's department.

Sierra Madre Search and Rescue assisted by San Dimas Search and Rescue conducted search operations,

Another timely commentary in verse:

CAVE CANEM:  Beware the Dog!

from gloriana casey

You’ve heard of dog catchers, I bet,
but what of dog CATCHEES?
With Altadena’s clever dogs,
 those robbers find no ease.

For “Book ’em Dano” was once heard
on television show.
So burglars, you’d best listen up
it’s Doggie 2.0

Kathleen Swaydon sends us this note:

Sun., Dec. 4, 10 AM – 4 PM 

3061 Ridgeview Drive,

by Timothy Rutt

Don't worry: your front yard fence is probably OK.

Sussy Nemer, field deputy for County Supv. Michael D. Antonovich, said Monday that the county is not trolling Altadena for fences that violate county codes — even though many of them do.

Last week, the Altadena Town Council shared the contents of a letter from Antonovich requesting that regional planning not enforce a rule limiting the height of front yard fences,

On Sun., Dec. 4, Soroptimist International of Altadena/Pasadena will host its 16th Annual Silent Auction and Social Hour from 1-3 PM at the Frostig Center, 971 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena 91107. Attendees can bid for delightful auction items that include gift certificates to popular local restaurants, unique gift baskets, and artwork by talented local artists.

NASA has updated information about the news conferences and other events for the agency’s Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover launch. Liftoff is scheduled at 7:02 a.m. PST on Saturday, Nov. 26 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NASA Television’s countdown launch commentary begins at 4:30 a.m. PST (7:30 a.m. EST) on Nov. 26. That also is when a NASA blog will begin providing countdown updates at: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/launch/launch_blog.html.

The Altadena Ale & Wine House, 2329 N. Fair Oaks Ave. (Altadenablog sponsor) will welcome in tomorrow's holiday with a Thanksgiving Eve party tonight, starting at 7:30 PM.  Buy a beverage and receive a raffle ticket for every beer or wine beverage purchased — there will be 18 bottles to give away.

from gloriana casey

Yes, Cranberry, our native fruit,
has such a history!
An ode to it for Thanksgiving
seems only fair to me.

Well first of all–you may wonder,
just what can be a "CRAN?"
Our language moves  so quickly now,
it's hard to understand.

Those Pilgrims— when they saw this fruit,

May you spend the holiday gratefully with those you love.  We will be enjoying family time, so entries will be light through the weekend.

Now that the turkey is but a memory (or leftovers), it’s time to look at the next holiday, and how we can help those who need it.

The Altadena Sheriff Station is still looking for donations of non-perishable canned food items, cash, and/or unwrapped toys for children ages 2-12 for its annual holiday food and toy drive.

Donations can be left at the Altadena Sheriff’s Station,

The boutique, featuring many local artists, will be held at the Miller Studio, 470 W. Mariposa St.   A portion of the sales will be donated to Sierra Madre Elementary School’s Visual and Performing Arts Program.  Click on the graphic for more information.

• For Small Business Saturday (which unfortunately has become an American Express promotion), we're pointing out this Wall Street Journal article about American Express vs. the 3/50 Project (which we have supported from the beginnning).  Lori Webster at Webster's Fine Stationers is also quoted at the end.  We encourage you to shop local first!
• Steve Scauzillo, writing in the Whittier Daily News,

Back in the day, we interned at one of the local churches, which had a lovely garden.  We had a problem of people coming in with shovels — even during the middle of the day — who would then dig up our plants and drive away.  The senior minister wondered one Sunday what must it be like to have a garden of stolen plants.

It’s a question that still comes to mind —

 The Altadena Coalition of Neighborhood Associations (ACONA) has scheduled a special meeting on Wed., Dec. 14, at 7 PM at a new location, the Altadena Community Center, 730 E. Altadena Dr.

The meeting will address issues about sheriff’s responsiveness that came up at the last meeting. Confirmed speakers so far are Chief Neal Tyler, Field Operations Region 1 representing sheriff’s headquarters, and Crescenta Valley station Capt.

NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, sealed inside its payload fairing atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, clears the tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White 

from JPL/NASA

NASA began a historic voyage to Mars with the Nov. 26 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, which carries a car-sized rover named Curiosity.

from gloriana casey

There is a Secret Garden Place,
and Evil is its name.
For planter thieves have come to town,
in human sense—such shame.

Oh yes I know, you  think you’re cool,
a shopping in the dark.
But what you stole has value more
and evil leaves its mark.

A planter insignificant?
I doubt that thought–really!

The Village Playgarden early childhood school his holding its “Winter Market” on Sat., Dec. 10, at 3636 Skyline Dr. from 10 AM-3 PM.  

Handcrafted items from parents, children, and local artists and gardeners will be available in this fundraiser to support the Playgarden.

by Timothy Rutt

Bob Stane at the Coffee Gallery, 2029 N. Lake, tells us that this weekend there will be "the largest food drive Pasadena has ever seen" to benefit Union Station Homeless Services.  Where?  At the Fork in the Road, of course.

The newly re-installed Fork at "Fork Plaza"

Image of Curiosity courtesy NASA.

NASA’s most advanced mobile robotic laboratory, which will examine one of the most intriguing areas on Mars, is in final preparations for a launch from Florida’s Space Coast at 10:25 a.m. EST (7:25 a.m. PST) on Nov. 25.

The Mars Science Laboratory mission will carry Curiosity, a rover with more scientific capability than any ever sent to another planet.

The Bear went over the mountain
to see what he could EAT!
He heard the growl of the Husky
and thought Godzilla he’d meet!

But Husky is a Chihuahua,
small and fragile—he seems.
Alert and bolder than T-Rex!
A nightmare to Bear’s hungry dreams.

Garbage can? It was a fortress,
Bear claws couldn’t break in.

• Ivette Babikian’s fifth grade science class at Sahag-Mesrob Armenian Christian School adopted a caracal — a small wild cat — at the Yerevan Zoo in Armenia, says the Armenian Reporter.
• Nov. 15 is “America Recycles Day,” and it’s a good time to remind you that household batteries can be recycled locally at Webster’s Liquor, 2450 N. Lake Ave.: Altadena Hardware, 849 E. Mariposa St.; and Masters Building Supply, 370 E.

Photo by Amy Jacobs, stock.xchng.com

by Timothy Rutt

The East Altadena Little League has just started signup for spring.  Players get a $25 discount if they sign up before Nov. 20 — all the info is on their website.

By Andrew J. Campa
Pasadena Sun 

For the 13th consecutive year, the bell tolled for Muir High.

Behind an opportunistic defense and just enough offense, the Mustangs football team rallied from a six-point deficit in defeating archrival Pasadena, 14-6, in Thursday evening’s 58th edition of the Turkey Tussle at the