Embrace the Joyfulness of the Season
By J. Daniel Geddis, President, Mission Hills BID
Realtor, Team D&B, One Mission Realty
April is a busy month filled with meaningful holidays and longstanding events including April Fools’ Day, which always falls on the first day of this month. But did you know that this internationally celebrated holiday of hoaxes and pranks, pulled on someone who is then anointed the fool with a grand “April Fools” shout out, has been around since the 14th century? When I was a little boy, my grandpa gifted me with several realistic looking toy spiders. While not the most elegant April Fool’s prank, I experienced an inordinate amount of enjoyment hiding them in places then watching as they were discovered by my arachnoid-averse friends and family. Here’s to wishing you great fun with your prank.
Are you a Passover celebrant? Passover begins at sundown on April 5, and continues through nightfall on Thursday, April 13. This Jewish holiday is internationally celebrated to commemorate the historic exodus from slavery in Egypt. A “movable feast”, the dates for Passover vary from year to year. Traditionally, the Passover meal known as Seder, is held on the first two nights of Passover; this year on Wednesday and Thursday, April 5 and 6. A Seder requires a formal structure, with songs and readings and the presence of the Seder plate. I have a fond high school memory from when I was invited to learn more by participating in a Passover meal. The Seder plate contains six different foods: matzo, a green vegetable, a lamb shank bone and haroset, which is a mixture of apples and cinnamon, bitter herbs and an egg. If you are hosting a Seder meal please remember preparations are available in Mission Hills at Vons and Lazy Acres with table setting extras at Lewis+Fay Collective, Mission Gallery and likely a few more places. Take a stroll and see.
Do you celebrate Easter? Easter is also an internationally celebrated holiday and a “movable feast” whose date is the first Sunday following the full moon, or spring equinox. So, Easter doesn’t happen on the same date from year to year. For many, this holiday provides opportunities for religious and non-religious joyful family celebrations and is a perfect excuse for gathering over a Sunday meal and hunting for hidden eggs. In advance of Easter, browsing shops in the Mission Hills neighborhood for eggs, bunnies, and creative chocolate flowers and animals is a great way to also salute spring on the ninth of this month. Vons, Lazy Acres, Ibis Market and Lewis+Fay Collective have many Easter items; and remember Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe for an assortment of British made chocolate Easter goodies.
Certainly, floral arrangements make a celebration table setting more beautiful and a floral bouquet is always a welcome host gift. Where better to find florals than at Mission Hills’ own Backbone Floral? For wine and spirits, Falcon Liquor, Ibis Market, Mission Hills Liquor, and Hills Wine & Spirits offer a cultivated collection.
Toward the end of the month is Earth Day. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States on April 22, 1970 and was established to demonstrate support for environmental protection. This annual event now boasts 1 billion celebrants in more than 193 countries and includes a wide range of events coordinated by EarthDay.org. Invest in Our Planet is this year’s theme. At home and at work there are many small acts of environmental conservation that each of us can do to lessen our impact on the environment and make the world a better place for generations to come. Do you reuse your shopping bags? Live near your worksite? Use public transit, carpool, bicycle or walk to work and errands? I’m thankful the concept of trying to be environmentally friendly was ingrained in me from a young age when, prior to the City of San Diego offering blue recycling bins, I helped my dad paint his “paper box.” The paper box sat in the alley behind our house and was a place for neighbors to drop off old newspapers, which he then took to a recycling facility in his pick-up truck. This likely influenced my decision to earn the Green Designation through the National Association of Realtors® nearly ten years ago.
Speaking of small things we can all do, new green bins for organic waste recycling have been delivered throughout Mission Hills. Have you received your new green bin? California State Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383), requires the reduction of organic waste disposed of in landfills. Organic waste is food scraps and food-soiled paper from kitchens and food operations and yard waste such as garden and landscape waste, organic textiles and carpets and wood waste. In order to comply with SB 1383, throughout California all commercial and residential facilities are required to participate in organic waste recycling unless the business entity qualifies for a de minimis waiver (i.e., doesn’t produce organic waste in the course of operating the business; think hazardous disposal from a dental practice). Organic waste collection services for households serviced by the City of San Diego’s Environmental Services Department began in January 2023 and will continue as a phased rollout, with completion expected by mid-2023. The city, however, does not provide collection services to businesses. Businesses are receiving their new green bins from private recycling, waste and environmental services providers with whom they have contracted. Did you know materials collected in the green bins get converted into marketable recycled products, including compost, renewable natural gas, electricity, and paper? Please be sure to reach out to the city or your private waste hauler if you have not received your new green bin.
Let’s plan ahead and mark your calendars for two more environmentally friendly annual events in Mission Hills taking place in April and in May.
Maureen and Antoinette at COMPASS are continuing the twenty-four-year tradition of the Mission Hills Community Garage Sale. They will host the 2023 sale on Saturday, April 29. Stop in at 1621 West Washington for a sign-up card. And, the One Mission Realty’s Annual Shredding Event will be taking place on Saturday, May 20 from 9 until 11 a.m. on Hawk Street and Fort Stockton Drive. Visit OneMissionRealty.com/shred for more information.
As always, thanks for reading the Mission Hills BID column. Like what you read? Please share with a friend. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please feel free to send a note to MissionHillsBID@gmail.com.
Category: Business, Events, Life Style, Local News, Nonprofit
