Commodore – Page 3 – Desert Breezes News

Cheryl & Paul

This is a story everyone is going to enjoy from how they met to how they ended up in Desert Breezes and all that happened in between. Cheryl Lauridsen and Paul Stoddard met over 40 years ago. Cheryl was the youngest Assistant Vice President for a bank and Paul was the attorney. Her boss told her she should meet “this guy”. She went to Paul’s office, they met; and the adventure began. They resided in Rancho Cucamonga and Paul became House Council for the bank. Early in the relationship Paul bought a 25 foot Catalina sailboat which they still keep in Dana Point. Without any knowledge of sailing Paul took Cheryl out into the open ocean off Dana Point. They soon realized that more education was needed so they took a course with Annapolis Sailing School in Marathon Florida, and obtained their “Bareboat Charter Certificate”. They sailed this boat to Catalina many times as well as to Dana Point, to Newport, Long Beach and as far south as Oceanside. Then the bank they worked for closed in 1955. Paul grew up in Palm Springs so they moved and opened a law practice and maintained a satellite virtual office in Ontario. He specializes in Real Estate, Corporate and Civil Litigation and Cheryl is his legal secretary and paralegal, and both still work at the practice. When Paul turned 50 he was overweight (350#) and things began to ache. He was told to exercise and riding a bike was all he was able to do. He started a diet and bought his first bike: a heavy “comfort bike”; and from Dec. 2006 to Oct. 2007 he lost 125 lbs. The bike became his “miracle drug”. On his birthday in October 2006 he bought his first carbon fiber bike; and in February 2007 he did his first “Century ride” (a one day event where you ride 100 miles).

Cheryl was not left out. She began riding and now owns her carbon fiber Specialized Ruby. To keep the “miracle drug” interesting both would attend bike events. Their favorite is the Tour de Tucson, a 100 mile ride around Tuscon. Their events are fun and provide them a goal to reach. They bought a tandem bike that they rode across the State of New York from Buffalo to Albany. In 2013 they decided to downsize and relocate closer to work in Pam Desert. Also, Palm Desert has better bicycle paths. Paul walked in to see the first listing and said we would take it as Desert Breezes felt safe and comfortable and the neighbors have proven to be exceptional and friendly and kind. They said they plan to live here with their dog “Lulu” as long as God will allow. Paul and Cheryl are on the middle left in yellow breakers.

DESERT MOCKINGBIRDS

In late spring our desert Northern Mockingbirds start to defend their nests again, harassing just about every living thing that comes near. Their absolutely fearless defense probably puts it in the running for bravest animal in the desert. It certainly makes it a contender for most annoying, at least to some people. Mockingbirds are one of those wild animals that do much better in cities than they do in the wild; they have a tendency to build nests near houses. Residents of such houses may find themselves being strafed by a tiny, two-ounce bit of feathers and beak in April & May. The single thing mockers seem to hate most is cats. The parents can even solicit help from outsiders as unrelated Mocker often defends other’s nests. A persistent alarm call from a besieged mocker can recruit several other adults to the area to harass the stubborn cat, or whatever.

The babies fledge in summer and the adults blood pressure declines slightly, though mockers never really become unaggressive. Mated couples may part, or they may start the process over again. A pair can raise two or three broods in a breeding season, and go on monogamously to do the same thing next year.

Both sexes sing, though it’s usually unmated males who are the loudest, and who keep on going after last call. Skilled mimics, a mocker can sing another bird’s song well enough to fool an accomplished birder, though actual birds seldom seem to be taken in. A male mocker can learn as many as 200 distinct songs in its decade-long typical life span, including not just other birds’ songs but even car alarms:

In the Bay Area, a neighbor inadvertently trained a generation of local mockers to imitate his overactive car alarm and for the next few years you could hear the mockingbirds’ imitation persist, slowly gaining improvised passages and becoming modified here and there with other bird’s songs being folded into the auto security mix. A mockingbird’s song is an echo of the chorus of sounds that surround it. Whether by singing us awake at 3:40 or dive bombing us on our way out of the house too few hours afterward, they remind us that there’s a natural world just outside our door.

Sawyer, Smokey and Shaggy Maggie

Featured Pets 2022

Meet Sawyer, Smokey and Shaggy Maggie, the Kitties on The Corner.

Sawyer was born on March 6, 2009 and he was a surprise gift from Vie Giordano’s late husband Pat for their anniversary in 2009. Sawyer is a pure breed “Apple Head” Siamese cat due to his round head as opposed to the more commonly found triangular shaped heads. On May 5, 2009 he joined the Giordano family and has been a loving part of the family ever since.

In 2016 Pat and Vie moved into Desert Breezes and met their neighbors Wayne Temple and Gary Smith that lived across the corner on St. Augustine at Lisbon Way. Wayne was a true animal lover and one day a feral female cat delivered 3 kittens in his backyard and he decided to keep them all and had them neutered and spayed. One day Wayne asked Vie if she would take care of his kittens if anything ever happened to him and being the kind hearted woman that she is, she said yes. Sadly both men passed away sometime later and Vie inherited the group of cats.

Some of those cats have since moved on but today Vie still takes care of 2 of them. Smokey who you may see perched on top of her gate on Via Lisbon is a beautiful Russian Blue cat and is very shy. If you approach her, she will run into her back yard and climb a tree, not to be seen until you leave. Shaggy Maggie many neighbors know as she is very kind and gentle and she easily wins the hearts of all passerby. She can also be seen either on the front lawn or on the side wall watching all the activity. The 2 feral cats primarily eat and sleep outside and remain safe at night from Coyotes because they sleep up in a tree in Vie’s back yard.

Feral cats are often misunderstood but if we humans take the time to have them neutered or spayed and provide them with some food, the love we all seek, and outdoor shelter from the elements, they can really be beneficial to our community. They are natural predators of the local fruit rats that live in some of our trees (eating bits and pieces of our grapefruits and lemons), helping to keep that rat population at bay. Sawyer is a curious cat and often seen exploring on Via Lisbon but he comes home every night to sleep safely inside his home.