The Mindfulness Meeting now meets at a new day and time from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday evenings at 3691 Ben Walters Lane, Suite 3, Conference Room. The meeting is a group for cultivating wisdom, gratitude and serenity through skills and practice. Sponsored by South Peninsula Haven House, the meeting is free and open to the public. For more information, call Haven House at 235-7712.
SPARC, the South Peninsula Amateur Radio Club, is reforming. Current ham radio operators or those interested in getting amateur radio licenses are invited to attend meetings. Meetings are held the first and third Saturday of the month, from 10 a.m.-noon in the Homer Public Library Conference Room. Classes will be held for people wanting to learn more about amateur radio operation. Amateur radio (also called ham radio) is the use of designated radio frequency spectra for purposes of private recreation, noncommercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training and emergency communication. Class participants will be eligible to be tested for their amateur radio license at the end of the class, likely the end of May.
South Peninsula Haven House seeks nominations for its eighth annual Women of Distinction awards. Nominations are sought for the categories of woman of distinction, young woman of distinction and elder woman of distinction. To nominate, contact Haven House at 235-7712 or visit its offices at 3776 Lake St. The deadline is Monday. The Women of Distinction awards celebration is at 5:30 p.m. March 21.
The public is invited to the kick-off for Relay for Life of Homer 2014 from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at K-Bay Caffe on Pioneer Avenue. This free event is a chance to learn about Relay, sign up your team, register for the event and connect with others in the battle against cancer. No commitment is required to attend this fun, informational gathering. Door prizes and tasty treats will be provided. For more information, contact Michelle Geagel at 399-1359 or Michelle Drake at 399-5262 or visit relayforlifeofhomer.org.
A legislative teleconference with Kenai Peninsula senators and representatives is from 6 to 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Homer Legislative Information Office. This is an open discussion with legislators. Attending are Sen. Peter Micciche, R-Soldotna; Sen. Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage; Speaker of the House Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski; Rep. Paul Seaton, R-Homer; and Rep. Kurt Olson, R-Soldotna.
As part of One Billion Rising, an international celebration of female survivors of violence and those who love them, Homer Rising, a group of local youth and adults, holds events on Valentines Day. At 3:30 p.m. at WKFL Park. Homer Rising meets with spoken word readings, drumming and dancing. Participants are encouraged to show their support by wearing red and black. A community meditation session is 4-5:15 p.m. at Many Rivers on East End Road followed by a free community meal at the Art Barn. One Billion Rising takes its name from United Nations estimates that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime — 1 billion women. Homer Rising is sponsored by the R.E.C. Room. For more information, visiting onebillionrising.org.
Homer Animal Friends holds Trivia Night, a fundraiser with a silent auction, from 6-8 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Homer Elks Lodge. Doors open at 5 p.m. Teams enter for five rounds of 10 questions on topics like music, movies, Homer, general knowledge and animals. Tickets are $20 a person for teams of six or $10 for people not playing the trivia game. Food is included. To reserve a table, call 907-756-1760 or email homeranimals@gmail.com.
Cooperative Extension Service
A southern tradition to bring luck and prosperity in the upcoming year is to serve black eyed peas on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. Whether or not you’ve recently eaten black eyed peas to honor this tradition consider serving legumes throughout the year for a healthful option at any meal. Legumes, dried beans and peas are inexpensive, tasty and good sources of protein, iron, zinc, potassium and fiber.
The Cooperative Extension Service has a free publication that includes information on cooking, combining bean with other ingredients to make a complete protein, and recipes. Find “Cooking Dried Beans, Peas and Lentils” at www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/kenai. Your local Cooperative Extension Service is your year-round resource for a variety of topics. Visit it at www.uaf.edu/ces/districts/kenai/ to find these publications and more, or stop by in person at the Doors and Windows Building, 43961 Kalifornksy Beach Road, Soldotna, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Friendship Center
Friendship Center Adult Day Services is open 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Friday with extended hours for special situations. Special programs are offered daily, including story time, crafts and musical performances. For more information, call 235-4556.
Homer Senior Citizens
Homer Senior Citizens lunch is open to seniors and guests and is served 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday-Friday. The lunch menu for this week is: today, roast turkey; Friday, rockfish Milanese; Monday, baked chicken teriyaki; Tuesday, lasagna; Wednesday, curried chicken.
Strong Women classes are 2-3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Homer Senior Center. The cost is $3 for members and $6 for nonmembers per class.
Zumba Gold classes with Maria are 11 a.m.-noon Tuesdays and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Homer Senior Center. The cost per class is $4 members, $6 nonmembers.
Tai Chi classes are Thursday at 3 p.m. The cost per class is $3 members and $6 nonmembers. Call Daniel at 235-7655.
Caregiver Support Group meets 2-3:30 p.m. every other Thursday in the senior center dining room. For this week, Seldovia Village Tribe presents “Programs available for Elder Care.” Call Pam Hooker at 299-7198 or Mary Jo Gates at 235-7655.
The AARP Foundation offers free tax assistance and preparation for taxpayers with low to moderate income through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program. Tax assistance is offered 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment only at the Homer Senior Center. For an appointment, call 235-7655. Individuals also can visit www.aarp.org/findtaxhelp or call 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888-227-7669).
Kachemak Bay Campus
The winter/spring semester has started. Registration is now going on for these upcoming five-week classes: Scuba Diving, Yoga, Bears of the Kenai Peninsula and Film Studies. Register as soon as possible as space may be limited. Call 234-7743 for more information.
At 11 a.m. Sunday is a “College Goal” Sunday with a public workshop on filing the federal financial assistance form for college.
Brian Partridge, KBC associate professor of psychology, presents “The Science of Marijuana” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. He explores what the national and international scientific community’s most current research describes as to the physiological and psychological effects of marijuana.
At 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18, anthropology professor Cathy Knott presents “Reporting from the Ends of the Earth: Trading GNP for Gross National Happiness….or How to Find Sustainability in the Anthropocene.”
From Feb. 21 to 23, visiting poet Sean Hill holds a poetry workshop. Registration is now open. He also does a public reading on Feb. 22.
Pratt Museum
The museum galleries are open noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Business offices are open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
A First Friday opening reception is 5-7 p.m. for a new special exhibit, “The Living Tertiary.” Curated by Homer geophysicist Geoff Coble, “The Living Tertiary” compares fossil remains beneath our feet to very similar contemporary plants nearby and around the world. This comparison of the present to 7 million years ago examines geologic processes, paleontology, and climate change.
R.E.C. Room
The R.E.C. Room (a Youth Resource and Enrichment Co-Op) offers activities for this school year. Free programs include instruction on software installation and customization, digital music production, fresh and organic cooking, gardening and slam poetry. The R.E.C. Room provides teens ages 12-18 with a safe space to hang out after school and connect with positive resources, activities and programs available in our community. It offers computers and Wi-Fi for homework, guitars, XBox Kinect, games, darts, rave gloves, movies, art supplies and more.
A program of Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic, the R.E.C. Room is always staffed by a program manager. Homer Middle School students can now ride Bus 65 for drop off at the R.E.C. Room. Call for details. Hours are 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 3957 Nielsen Circle, off Ben Walters Lane. For more information, call 235-6736, e-mail recroom@kbfpc.org or visit facebook.com/rec.room7 or HomerRECroom.org.
Seldovia Village Tribe Health & Wellness Center
The next SVT Health & Wellness Center class is at 6 p.m. Thursday, “Handmade Valentine Gifts,” with Hillery Daily, naturopathic doctor. Learn how to make healthy, homemade gifts such as a whipped body butter, aromatherapy scented massage oil and a brown-sugar face and body scrub. A donation of $5 for supplies is appreciated.
South Peninsula Hospital
Heart disease is the number-two cause of death for Alaskans. In recognition of February as Hearth Health Month, South Peninsula Hospital offers discounts on heart health screenings in February. The Cardiac Scoring CT is being offered for $99, regularly a $343 exam. A noninvasive, 15-minute CT procedure to score the calcium buildup in the arteries, the test is for individuals at high risk for developing heart disease, including men over 45 and women over 55, tobacco users, those with a family history of heart disease, high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, inactive lifestyle, being overweight and having diabetes. A physician referral is required, and appointment is necessary. For more information, call the hospital imaging department at 235-0363 or talk with a healthcare provider.
A Heart Health Blood Test is being offered for $99, regularly a $363 test. This is a complete blood panel that focuses on heart health, including cholesterol, cardiac risk, anemia and diabetes. No appointment or referral is necessary, but registration and payment is required at time of procedure. More information on the test can be found by calling 235-0338.
Diabetes and cholesterol clinics have been expanded to three times monthly by Dr. Ross Tanner of the Diabetes and Lipid Clinic of Alaska. Dr. Tanner treats adult patients with diabetes, obesity, elevated blood pressure and complex cholesterol problems in order to prevent heart attacks and stroke. For information and appointments, call 235-0310.
