FOCUSSATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 www.thesheridanpress.com THE SHERIDAN PRESS C1

Carving art with a chainsaw

Above: Peterson uses a fileto sharpen the teeth on hischainsaw at his garage inpreparation to start his nextproject.

Right: On April 13, afterstripping the bark off TreeNo. 2 the previous day,Peterson uses chalk forblocking out the cut lines.“There is a lot of pacing inthe beginning before youactually commit,” Petersonsaid.

Far right, top:On April 13, a clay model sitsin front of Tree No. 2 asPeterson uses his chainsawto make cuts into the stumpat Kendrick Park. The modelwas crafted from thedesigns submitted by theSheridan Junior High Schoolart students working on theproject.

Far right, below: On April 13,Deb Luckie holds her grand-son Braelyn Luckie, 4, asthey watch Peterson cutaway at Tree No. 2 inKendrick Park.

Left: On May 8, 7-year-oldIsaac Adsit uses a ladder topaint Tree No. 2 at KendrickPark. Peterson used Adsit’shand to hold the model icecream cone during design.Peterson’s nickname for thecarving is “The hand ofIsaac.”

Left: Tree No.2 stands complete after 30hours of work over the last three months inKendrick Park.

Right: On May 9, Peterson works on a claymodel concept in his garage for carving TreeNo. 3.

The Sheridan Press | Justin Sheely

BY JUSTIN SHEELYTHE SHERIDAN PRESS

SHERIDAN — David Peterson is a historyteacher at Sheridan Junior High School and onlystarted chainsaw woodcarving about two yearsago.

Primarily self-taught, Peterson was contactedby the city of Sheridan Parks Division last win-ter to be part of a project that included makingart out of the trees that were cut down inKendrick Park.

Peterson accepted the task and immediately gotto work numbering each of the trees and enlist-ing some creative thinking students from the artclass at SJHS in early March.

After the students developed the concept of anice cream cone for Tree No. 2, Peterson decided

to start it first and have it done before theKendrick Ice Cream Stand opened this year.

The local artist took his time, visiting the parkafter school throughout the week and also on afew weekends. Peterson often had to stop hiswork to answer questions from curious residentsand park visitors who were drawn to the specta-cle of a chainsaw-wielding man with a handlebar moustache chipping away at the eight-foottree stump.

“About a quarter of my time has been talkingto the public,” Peterson said. “People have showna lot of interest in what is happening here.”

It took approximately 30 hours over the last twomonths to complete the ice cream cone carvingand paint it. Peterson is currently working onthe designs for Tree No. 3, which he hopes tostart soon.

YOUTHC2 THE SHERIDAN PRESS www.thesheridanpress.com SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

Clowning around under the big top

FROM STAFF REPORTS

SHERIDAN — Elephants, clowns and trapeze artistsare coming to Sheridan to entertain audiences under thebig top.

The Carson and Barnes Circus will perform two showsin Sheridan May 30 at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds.

“I know that it is a full-blown circus,” said MichelleEdwards, president of the Sheridan Jaycees club. “Theywill have a tent up at the fairgrounds and there is seat-ing under the big top.”

The Jaycees are sponsoring the event. They were con-tacted by Carson and Barnes who had touched basewith the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce. TheChamber directed the circus to contact the Jaycees as apossible sponsor.

“They don’t like to come in, take community moneyand leave,” Edwards said about the Circus.

To that end, the Jaycees will receive a portion of theticket sales. Edwards said the Jaycees are involved inseveral events for youth in the community including theChristmas Shopping Tour and Earth Day events.

Local businesses have also stepped up and purchasedtickets so underprivileged young people can get theexperience of seeing the circus.

“It seems like the kids we ask are really excited aboutit (seeing the circus),” Edwards said.

According to information provided by the circus, oneof Carson and Barnes’ top attractions is Alex theClown. According to a press release, Alex has per-formed all over the world, specializes in physical come-dy, juggling and interacting with the crowd.

Edwards said seating capacity for the shows is 500 andthe first show is at 4:30 p.m. and the second is at 7:30p.m.

Tickets can be purchased from the Sheridan Rec.District, the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce,Holly at Wells Fargo, the Sheridan County Fairgroundsoffice or any member of the Jaycees.

Advance tickets are $12 for adults (which also givesyou one free child’s ticket); other children’s tickets are$6. Tickets are $16 at the gate for adults or $10 for chil-dren. Infants under 2 years old are free.

Pop singers find excitement in stage musicalsNEW YORK (AP) — There was a

time when most of the songs playedon the radio came from Broadway.Now some popular hit makers likeCyndi Lauper and Sting are finding itstill feels like home.

“Look, they don’t break your ballsthat much here,” Lauper said of theexperience of composing “KinkyBoots,” her debut musical. “Knowwhat I’m saying? They don’t friggin’aggravate you as much.”

More and more singer-songwritersfrom the pop world seem to be hearingthat siren song: The trickle of pop androck stars turning to the stage is fastbecoming a flood.

Besides Sting and Lauper, stars suchas Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp,Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, EdieBrickell, David Byrne, Fatboy Slim,Burt Bacharach, Elvis Costello andThe Flaming Lips are making musi-cals.

The reasons are as varied as the dif-ferent sounds those artists create:Broadway represents a new challenge.Or it offers a refuge from poor CDsales. Or they simply got asked.

“The record companies gave me alot of grief for a long, long time,” saysLauper, who teamed up with Tony-winning playwright Harvey Fiersteinand director-choreographer JerryMitchell for “Kinky Boots.” ‘’Thesepeople wanted me to be part of theirteam. I was so flattered.”

Lauper — and Tim Minchin, thesongwriter for “Matilda: The

Musical,” her chief competitor for thebest original score Tony this year —have managed to find success onBroadway by learning the differencebetween writing songs for an albumand penning ones for a show.

Big names in the pop world havesometimes stumbled on Broadway,including Paul Simon, whose 1998show “The Capeman” was the mosthigh-profile failure of his career.“Taboo,” Boy George’s foray into theworld of musicals, went fine inLondon but not in New York.

The gold standard for a successfultransition from the pop world is EltonJohn, whose repurposed music for“The Lion King” film has helpedmake the stage version a global phe-nomenon. He’s also had success with“Billy Elliot” and “Aida.”

U2’s Bono and The Edge seemed tohave initially bungled their Broadwaydebut with “Spider-Man: Turn Off theDark” only to have it become a box-office success. And keyboardist DavidBryan of Bon Jovi scored with theTony-winning “Memphis.”

Duncan Sheik can see it from bothsides — he’s the Grammy-nominatedwriter of the song “Barely Breathing”and the Tony-winning music writer of“Spring Awakening.” His latest is“American Psycho,” which debuts inLondon this winter.

“There’s definitely an art to be ableto write a song that on one level is apop song and one that also has to tell astory and keep an audience engaged

in terms of a larger narrative arc,” hesays.

Of course, taking already existinghits and throwing them onstage — theso-called jukebox musical — is easierthan writing new material and hopingfans will come.

Successful jukebox shows include“The Who’s Tommy,” Green Day’s“American Idiot,” the ABBA-fueled“Mamma Mia!” Billy Joel’s “Movin’Out” and “Jersey Boys” with tunes byFrankie Valli and The Four Seasons.The Tony-winning “Once” used exist-ing music by Glen Hansard andMarketa Irglova.

More jukeboxes are on tap forBroadway, including a musical usinghits by Diane Warren and one withCarole King songs. Some music worldstars who have recently taken theirlicks for offering original stage musicinclude Trey Anastasio, a foundingmember of Phish, who teamed up thisseason with Pulitzer Prize-winningplaywright Doug Wright and veteranmusical songwriter Amanda Green.

Their show, “Hands on a Hardbody,”based on a 1997 documentary about acontest in Texas to win a truck, playedjust 56 total performances and becamethe fastest close of a new musical thisseason. Even so, it earned a Tonynomination for best original score.

“I expected it to be tough,”Anastasio said of his debut transitionto stage songwriter. “I didn’t expect itto be as tough as it has been. It’s very,very tricky.”

Circus to perform at fairgrounds

Willy Moonimpresses

with debutalbum

REETU RUPALASSOCIATED PRESS

Willy Moon will soon begyrating his way into yourmusic collection. Fact.

His distinct features, tallframe, fancy footwork, dap-per suits and infectious1960s pop grooves make thisNew Zealander hard to miss.The 23-year-old’s self-pro-duced debut album, “Here’sWilly Moon,” is sharp andslick, much like Moon him-self.

His album packs a punch,from his unique tone andstring section on “Get Up”to surf guitars on “I WannaBe Your Man.” This is highenergy rock ‘n’ roll with amodern twist.

The real star here is thepop friendly “Yeah Yeah,”which was used in ads forthe iPod last year. If you’restill sitting down after hear-ing this one, you need to seea doctor.

There’s also the hip-hop-inspired “She Loves Me,”and the David Lynch-esque“Murder Ballad” closes theshow. At just under 30 min-utes long, you’ll want tosavor each beat on this ener-getic debut.

Microsoft touts Xbox One at unveilingREDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft thinks it has

the one.The company unveiled the Xbox One, an entertain-

ment console that wants to be the one system house-holds will need for games, television, movies, sportsand other entertainment. It will go on sale later thisyear, for an undisclosed price.

For the past two years, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 hasoutsold its rivals. But it’s been eight years since thatmachine came out, and Microsoft is the last of thethree major console makers to unveil a new system.In those eight years, Apple launched the iPhone andthe iPad, “FarmVille” rose and fell and tablets beganto threaten desktop computers, changing how peopleinteract with games and beyond.

Now, the stakes are high as Microsoft, Sony andNintendo are all using their latest machines not onlyto draw gamers but also to command the livingroom. The goal is to extend their reach beyond loyallegions of hardcore gamers and to become as impor-tant to our lives at home as smartphones havebecome to our lives on the go.

Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s president of interactiveentertainment business, said the company has spentthe past four years working on an “all-in-one homeentertainment system.”

At an hour-long unveiling at the company’sRedmond, Wash., headquarters on Tuesday,Microsoft executives used voice controls to switchback and forth seamlessly between watching live TV,listening to music, playing a movie and browsing theInternet — all while running apps for stuff like fan-tasy football and Skype chats on the side of thescreen.

Alex the Clown will entertain crowds at the Carson and Barnes Circus, coming to SheridanMay 30. The performer has made audiences laugh all over the world.

COURTESY PHOTO |

May is HypertensionAwareness Month.Did you know theAmerican Heart

Association reports one inthree Americans over theage of 20 has hypertension,also known as high bloodpressure?

By the time we reach our50s the odds are 50/50 thatwe will have high bloodpressure. There is no othercondition as prevalent inthe United States.

After reading this, youmay be asking how youwould know if you havehypertension. It is notunusual to have hyperten-sion and experience nosymptoms at all.

Hypertension is known asthe “Silent Killer.” That iswhy it is so important tohave your blood pressurechecked regularly by ahealth care provider.Checks on blood pressureshould be done while a per-son is calm and rested fromactivity.

Health care professionalsoften talk about risk fac-tors. A risk factor is some-thing that makes a personmore likely to have a partic-ular health condition.Hypertension has severalknown risk factors.

There are risk factors thatcannot be controlled. Agingis one of these risk factors.The older one is, the more

likely theyare todevelophigh bloodpressure.Thoseindividu-als with afamily his-tory ofhyperten-sion andof AfricanAmerican

or Hispanic descent are alsomore likely to develophypertension than those ofCaucasian or Asiandescent.

There are lifestyle habitsthat also have an impact onyour blood pressure. Theseare habits you have controlover. These controllablerisk factors are smoking,drinking more than one totwo servings of alcohol aday, being physically inac-tive, eating foods that aresalty or heavily preservedas well as living a stressful,pressured life.

It is also recognized thatcaffeine will raise bloodpressure significantly.Americans love their coffeeand energy drinks, but areseeing the effects in theirblood pressure readings.Many of the over the count-er cold preparations raiseblood pressure readingswhile taking the medicine.Care should be used whenusing these medications.

Being overweight or obesealso increases the likeli-hood of high blood pres-sure. Maintaining a healthyweight will help controlblood pressure readings.

So you see — you canhave an impact on thedevelopment of blood pres-sure by the way you chose

to live your life. Hypertension, once recog-

nized, is typically easy tomanage and control withdiet, exercise and/or med-ication. A diet low in sodi-um and a daily moderateexercise routine will reaprewards in controllingblood pressure.

If you have medicine pre-scribed, it is important totake it daily without excep-tion. Medicines for lower-ing blood pressures typical-ly have few, if any, sideeffects. Most people feel bet-ter taking their medicationand controlling their bloodpressure. These measureswill help to keep your bloodpressure at a healthy level.

Uncontrolled high bloodpressure leads to seriousand debilitating illnesses.Hypertension precedes suchconditions as stroke andkidney failure.

Most individuals whohave suffered a heart attackhave had either known orunknown hypertension.High blood pressure willdamage the smallest ofblood vessels in your body.These vessels are found inheart, kidneys and eyes.These vessel changes in theeyes will cause a loss ofvision.

So, have your blood pres-sure checked regularly, con-trol your risk factors andstay healthy.

More information is avail-able online at the AmericanHeart Association website-www.heart.org

BRENDA MOSHER is a family nurse practi-tioner working in primary care with an interest indisease prevention and wellness. Center Stage iswritten by friends of the Senior Center for theSheridan Community. It is a collection of insightsand stories related to living well at every age.

SENIORSSATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013 www.thesheridanpress.com THE SHERIDAN PRESS C3

From the military to county magistrateBY LOIS BELL

SHERIDAN SENIOR CENTER

SHERIDAN — Many students work dur-ing the summer or part-time jobs duringthe school year but few can match the expe-riences of Duane Buchholz.

In 1943, the Buchholz family came toSheridan where his father worked for PeterKiewit.

“I did the usual things as a youngster,"Buchholz said. "(I) had a paper route,worked in a couple of gas stations … as Iwent through high school for the most partI worked construction in the summers andone winter I set pins (by hand in thosedays) at the local bowling alley.”

He also milked 17 or 18 cows by hand onesummer.

“I did not regret seeing the end of thatsummer,” Buchholz said.

Buchholz finished high school in 1948with a GED diploma. In February 1949, heentered the U.S. Navy. After training at SanDiego, Buchholz served aboard a seaplanetender until the end of his one-year activeduty obligation. He returned home toSheridan and worked in construction untilthe Korean conflict started. Buchholz re-enlisted and spent the next four yearsaboard a small destroyer, logging threeKorean cruises under his belt.

On leave in Sheridan following his firstKorean cruise, Buchholz met his futurewife, Agnes.

“She was a blue-eyed blonde in a blacknylon dress with a white apron working atthe Lotus Café next to the WYO Theatre.I’d never seen anything cuter.”

They married in January 1952 andBuchholz returned to his ship, taking hisNavy bride with him.

Buchholz left the Navy in 1954 andreturned to construction mostly as awelder in the oil field. It was during thistime that he ran into an acquaintance whowent to law school after World War II serv-ice.

"I had thought about college and becom-ing an attorney back in school, but sort offorgot about it," Buchholz said. "But if hecould do it, I could do it.”

In 1956, at age 26, Buchholz entered

Sheridan College then located at Sixth andSaberton. He tended bar at the AmericanLegion in Sheridan while attending class-es. The Buchholz's transferred to theUniversity of Wyoming in 1957. Hereceived his law degree from UW in 1963and was admitted to practice.

He and Agnes had two children when hestarted college and four when they fin-ished.

“I should have graduated a year earlier,but ran out of money and went to work forthe Wyoming Legislative Council and fin-ished a year late,” said Buchholz. “Turnedout it was one of the best decisions I’veever made.”

While a law student at UW, Buchholz heldthe graduate assistantship with the PublicAdministration Service at the University.This led to the Legislative Council and to

becoming assistant Senate attorney for the1963 session of the Legislature. His experi-ence was good groundwork for becominglaw clerk to 10th Circuit Court Judge JohnC. Pickett when the position became open.

“He was always a gentleman,” Buchholzsaid of Pickett. “Well-read, quiet, a schol-ar. He didn’t smoke or drink.”

As the graduate assistant at UW,Buchholz prepared the first detailed studyof home rule and a proposed constitutionalamendment to implement it. It was offeredto the 1963 session, but they took no action.

Following his clerkship with Pickett,Buchholz re-entered the Navy in 1965 as acommissioned officer in the JudgeAdvocate General’s Corps.

Through the years, his Naval JAG careerincluded serving as trial counsel for the11th Naval District General Courts, teach-ing at the Newport, R.I., Naval JusticeSchool, JAG for the Naval Air Station,Whidbey Island Washington and counsel atthe Naval Training Center at Great Lakes.

Buchholz retired from the Navy inDecember 1980 and returned to Sheridan.An acquaintance, Harry Schwartz, thencity attorney, approached Buchholz aboutan opportunity in Sheridan.

“A few weeks later, I was assistant cityattorney,” Buchholz said.

Two years later, in 1982, Gov. EdHerschler named Buchholz to be the firstcounty court judge for Sheridan County.

“I was county judge for nine years untila cancer problem arose,” Buchholz said.Following surgery and some recovery, hewent back to work part time as a magis-trate for the County Court.

Buchholz retired in 2000 at the age of 70.Today, he enjoys reading from his privatelibrary containing about 2,000 volumes thatinclude philosophy, religion and govern-ment.

He is also caregiver to Agnes to whom hehas been married 61 years.

What is one lesson Buchholz learnedfrom his experience as a judge?

“Always verify your witnesses,”Buchholz said.

Buchholz has recorded some of his storythrough the Fulmer Library’s WyomingRoom Tellus oral history project.

SENIOR CENTER HAPPENINGS |• Big Horn Canyon National Recreation

Area Boat Tour, June 18. A day outing with aboat tour through Big Horn Canyon. The eventincludes round-trip transportation from theSheridan Senior Center, a barbecue and a two-hour boat tour. Cost is $55 per person. Deadline tosign up is June 11. Register at the Sheridan SeniorCenter at 211 Smith St. or call 672-2240.

• Black Hills Annual Buffalo Round-Up andYellowstone National Park trips informationsession at the Senior Center Conference Room,May 29, 3:30-4:30 p.m., June 13 and June 27 at 5:30p.m. Space is still available for both trips. TheBlack Hills trip is Sept. 26-28. The YellowstoneNational Park with lodging at Old Faithful Inn isSept. 29 - Oct. 1. Contact Lois Bell at the SeniorCenter with questions at 672-2240.

• Saturday Respite Care for Caregivers, June8. Advance registration required. Contact StellaMontano, Director of Family Caregiver Services,at 672-2240 for more information or to register.

• Saturday Breakfast at the Senior Center, June8. 7:30-10 a.m. featuring eggs benedict. Open to thepublic. The cost is $6 per person for unregistereddiners. There is a suggested contribution of $4.50for registered diners. Registered diners may usemeal tickets.

• Intergenerational Travel Opportunitiesthrough the Senior Center: Discover the Region(September 2013), Discover the Nation:Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City(June 2014) and Discover the World: Italy, Spain,France (June 2015). Call Lois Bell at the SeniorCenter, 672-2240.

• Memorial Day Picnic at Poulson-GriffithYouth Camp, May 30. Suggested contributionper person for lunch: $4. For those who need aride? The suggested contribution per person is $6for ride and lunch. The Sheridan Mini-Bus willpick up participants from Heritage Towers at 10:30a.m. and from the Sheridan Senior Center at 10:45a.m. Advance sign-up required by calling theSheridan Senior Center at 672-2240 or the TongueRiver Valley Community Center at 655-9419. Theregistration deadline is May 27.

• Interested in a non-competitive, ”back-yard” softball league? The Sheridan RecreationDistrict and the Sheridan Senior Center are seek-ing individuals who are interested in a leisurelysoftball experience during summer 2013.

The focus is on keeping the game simple and funwith plenty of warm-up. No experience necessary.Looking for the mature player.

For more information, call the SheridanRecreation District at 674-6421 or the SeniorCenter at 672-2240.

Armed with knowledge: Fight the silent killer

Sunday — Lasagna, Italian vegetables, mixed green salad, garlicroll, strawberry-rhubarb crispMonday — French dip with au jus and horseradish, tri-color pota-toes, Broccoli craisin salad, patriotic parfaitTuesday —Chicken pot pie, marinated cucumbers, Mandarinoranges, almond bark cookie.Wednesday — Hot turkey sandwich, country vegetables, gardenbounty salad, California fruit, chocolate chip cookieThursday — Beef barley soup, egg salad sandwich, broccoli slaw,strawberries and bananasFriday — Taco salad with Mexican beef, cheese ships and salsa,roasted corn, peppers and onions, mixed fruit cup, brownie. Saturday — Hawaiian chicken,Pacific blend vegetables, cinnamonraisin bread, pineapple chunks, ice cream.

CENTERSTAGE|Brenda Mosher

Following a distinguished career with the U.S. Navy JAG, Duane Buchholz was appointed the firstSheridan County Court judge in 1982 by Gov. Ed Herschler.

COURTESY PHOTO |

C4 THE SHERIDAN PRESS www.thesheridanpress.com SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2013

WD-40W

D-40 was created in1953 by three tech-nicians at the SanDiego Rocket

Chemical Company. Theproduct began from a searchfor a rust preventative sol-vent and de-greaser to pro-tect missile parts. It’s namecomes from the project thatwas to find a “water dis-placement” compound. Theywere successful with the40th formulation, thus WD-

40.The

Convaircompanybought itin bulk toprotecttheir AtlasMissileparts. Theworkerswere sopleasedwith the

product, they began smug-gling (also known as shrink-age or stealing) it out to useat home. The executivesdecided there might be aconsumer market for it andput it in aerosol cans. Therest is history.

It is a carefully guardedrecipe known only to fourpeople. Only one of them isthe “brew master.” Thereare 2.5 million-plus gallonsof the stuff manufacturedeach year. It gets it’s distinc-tive smell from a fragrancethat is added to the brew.There is nothing in the for-mula that would hurt you.

Here are some uses:• Protects silver from tar-

nishing.• Gets oil spots off con-

crete driveways.• Keeps flies off cows.• Removes lipstick stains.• Removes stains from

stainless steel sinks.• Removes dirt and grime

from the barbecue grill.• Keeps glass shower doors

free from water spots.• Camouflages scratches

in ceramic and marblefloors.

• Gives a children’s playgym slide a shine for asuper fast slide.

• Spraying an umbrellasstem makes it easier to openand close.

• Restores and cleans roofracks on vehicles.

• Keeps rust from formingon saws and saw blades, andother tools.

• Removes splatteredgrease on stoves.

• Keeps bathroom mirrorsfrom fogging.

• Keeps pigeons off thebalcony (they hate thesmell).

• Removes all traces ofduct tape.

Susan Woody has been a home and garden writerfor more than 20 years and is an advanced MasterGardener.

SUSANWOODY|

Small + Smart = a great houseHome designs and strategies for square footage at the lower end of the scale

BY BILL LAHAYUNIVERSAL UCLICK

Terence Conran is aBritish designer, author,developer and entrepre-neur who already has plen-ty of professional titles tofill a business card, but hecould probably add "ama-teur philosopher" to thelist. This sideline talentemerges in the introduc-tion of his latest book,"How to Live in SmallSpaces." As the title sug-gests, the book deals withhome designs and strate-gies for square footage atthe lower end of the scale.No mega-mansions onthese pages, which insteadfeature homes modest insize but rich in livability.

For British or Europeanaudiences, this is familiarterritory. High populationdensities, centuries-olddwellings and cities builtbefore the automobile agehave all combined to createpatterns of home differentfrom those that emergedbetween American shores.The United States has hadrelative affluence and roomto sprawl and always seemsto push the bigger-is-betterenvelope, so we have gottenused to homes that aresuper-sized, at least relativeto those found elsewherearound the globe.

For a number of reasons,though, the push for plus-size housing has taken aturn toward moderation.The economic aftermath ofthe burst housing bubble isa big factor, but it's not theonly one. And whatever thereasons we might have toembrace the trend, Conransees smaller homes as noless worthy of our affec-tion. Speaking like a prag-matic philosopher, he saysit's all in the attitude.Rather than seeing limitsas an unwelcome sacrifice,better to understand thesmaller home as a compro-mise with the usual score-board of things both won

and lost. Then, he advises,focus on the gains:

— Better location poten-tial: Almost any home-buy-ing decision involves trade-offs, and paying the extracost for more squarefootage diverts buyingpower that could be direct-ed toward a more desirablelocation. You might "settle"for a smaller home but gaina better neighborhood,enjoy more convenientaccess to workplace or com-mercial areas, or get great

views you otherwise could-n't afford.

-- Better quality: Whetheryou're buying or building ahome, keeping the size rea-sonable translates intomore budget available forquality materials and work-manship, or custom fea-tures that you would haveto forgo if you overspent onsquare footage.

— Lower upkeep costs:For a given amount ofenergy efficiency and levelof materials quality, a

smaller home will alwaysreduce costs for energyusage and for maintenance.

— Limits on personalbelongings: Anyone withhoarding tendencies mightfind this a touchy subject,but less space translatesinto less storage room foryour stuff. Given that mostof us could cull a percent-age of our idle clothing,books and other itemswithout undue harm, thiscreates a built-in incentivefor a simpler life with

fewer extraneous posses-sions.

— Efficiency: Whether itinvolves taking fewer stepsacross a kitchen whilecooking or getting throughcleaning chores morequickly, smaller spaceshave a built-in efficiencythat translates into moreoptions for their owners'time.

So there's the "why" ofsmall houses, according toConran's philosophy. Forthose intrigued enough toread further, he fittinglydedicates the remainder ofthe book to the "how."These strategies are thesecret to making the transi-tion to smaller homeswork.

For starters, take a per-sonal inventory thatincludes not only what youown but also how you live,how your home functionswith guests, and whatkinds of changes you mightenvision for better aligningyour living space with yourneeds and habits. Do youhost get-togethers often? Doyou work from home? Doyou pick up groceries dailyor buy in bulk and storethe spares? Answers tothese questions will helpset plan priorities.

From there the bookturns to specific solutions,such as how to build stor-age features into wall nich-es, overhead space andother "idle" pockets. Thenthere are the visual tricksfor making small spacesseem larger — pass-thruopenings and new door-ways to extend sightlinesthrough multiples spaces,skylights and end-of-hallwindows to brighten darkareas, lighting fixture typeand placement, and choos-ing paint colors and sur-face finishes that can makea small room seem larger.

Conran does a good jobpairing the overall philoso-phy of smaller spaces withstrategies that make themeasier to live with.

COURTESY PHOTO | UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Wall-mounted fixtures, a full-length wall mirror and a recessed wall cabinet combine to give thissmall bathroom much more visual space than its modest square footage would suggest.

Will we ever see a better supermarket strawberry?BY SUSAN WOODY

THE SHERIDAN PRESS

SHERIDAN — Big, bright red strawberriescan break your heart. For durability they areoften picked on the firmer, green side, meaningthey will redden, but not ripen, after picking.So they fall short on taste. This is the strawber-ry version of the tomato problem: pretty fruit,underflavored.

The tomato problem was solved in part by thegrape tomato, which delivers concentrated fla-

vor in a durable little package. The goal is simi-lar for strawberries: Breeders are working on aberry that’s both fit for supermarket shippingand succulently sweet. Vance Whitaker, PhD, astrawberry breeder at the University ofFlorida, has consumers taste-testing varietiesto identify the genetic recipe for a better berry.They have made a lot of progress on the shipa-bility side and are focusing now on flavor.

Meanwhile, The North Carolina StrawberryProject, in a partnership with N.C. StateUniversity researchers and chefs at Johnson

and Wales University are working to pinpointthe best qualities in the top 20 strawberrybreeds in order to find the “perfect” breed.

For now we must reconcile ourselves to thefleeting nature of the local strawberry seasonand dive in while they are at their peak.

One last thought: it is probably a good idea tochoose organic berries when possible.Strawberries rank high on “The Dirty Dozen,”The Environmental Working Group’s list offruits and vegetables with the most pesticideresidues. (Source: Cooking Light)