Column

I consider myself a Patriot (yes, capital P).  I don’t usually cry at movies, I didn’t even cry during Beaches or Terms of Endearment.  Now I know that probably comes off a little hard core, but before you judge me, I want you to know that I always cry during the Star Spangled Banner or when the American Flag in front of a marching band goes by.  I guess I am a Patriot. 

Taking Chance is a truly amazing movie.  It doesn’t scream at you, it quietly gets under your skin.  The films power comes from a simple word – Reverence.  Yeah, I guess that one would have to be capitalized as well.  Taking Chance tells a true story, adapting Marine Colonel Mike Strobl’s personal journal of his assignment escorting the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, killed in Iraq in 2004, to Phelp’ family in Dubois, Wyoming.  Mike, who served in Desert Storm is now sitting behind a desk stateside and feels guilty for not requesting combat duty in Iraq.  Living comfortably at home with his wife and children had been the choice. He often wakes in middle of the night and checks the KIA list.  One night while Mike is perusing the list he sees a name listed from his home town.  He volunteers to be Phelp’ escort home.  It changes his life. 

Director and Screenwriter, Ross Katz has done a brilliant job telling the story of one man’s coming home in death and another’s coming to life.  It’s a delicate balancing act, keeping focus on both the mourning of Phelps and Mike’s personal journey, neither overshadowing the other.

Kevin Bacon who plays Col. Strobl is incredible.  He does so much with just his facial expressions.  Lean and chiseled, Bacon is the consummate Marine.  Slow, deliberate and did I mention Reverent with his actions, Mike’s devotion lends the story great intensity, and his struggles lend it great honesty. This is probably Bacon’s best. 

The film also spends its time showing how we honor our fallen heroes, a chore revealed in great detail.  It is all very informative.  From the time Lance Corporal Chance Phelps leaves the battlefield packed in ice to his arrival at Dover in the States, it’s an amazing journey.  His body is cared for. His belongings are cared for.  A new uniform was created especially for him even though it was a closed casket.  No detail was left undone.  We also see the custom of how the escort salutes the casket every time it is moved from one mode of transportation to another, all working to guarantee that what may look like a giant cardboard box being shipped cross country is truly a “pearl of great price”.

Don’t misunderstand; Taking Chance is no mere documentary about how military remains are transported.  It is a story about grieving.  It is a story about honor. It is a story of America at our finest.  No political agenda, no “support our troops” platitudes, just Reverence with a Capital R from Dover to Dubois.

If you’ve been thinking lately that our world has gone a little crazy, I challenge you to watch Taking Chance.  It will restore your hope in America.  It will make you proud, again.  As our Independence Day draws close, do yourself a favor and find this gem of a movie and watch it, no snack breaks, no bathroom breaks.  It will make your patriotic heart beat again. 

Once again, I invite your comments at carolyn@carolynhastings.com.  I always enjoy hearing from you!   

Summertime has arrived and the weather just keeps getting hotter! Those pesky masks are being dropped and everyone is feeling festive and ready to get out and celebrate. So, what’s in your glass? 

Finding the perfect wine to enjoy over the summer months shouldn’t be difficult.  Simply take your cues from an icy glass of lemonade. The coolness of the drink and the high acid of the lemon juice bring instant enjoyment and refreshment. On a hot day, there’s nothing better. The same is true with wine. The best summer wines are served lightly chilled and have a refreshing zing of acid on the palate. These are wines that were created to be consumed young and fresh. Their cool, zippy flavors will brighten up any summer event and bring a smile to everyone’s face.

If you are seeking out something delicious and easy, you need not look much farther than a classic favorite, chardonnay. Chardonnay is considered a “noble grape” because its fine qualities are discernible and unique in chardonnay wine produced around the world. From France, where the chardonnay grape originated, to California, Australia, South America and beyond, chardonnay is produced in different styles and qualities to suit everyone’s taste and budget.

Chardonnay can be produced both with and without the use of oak. Old oak barrels are neutral and don’t affect the flavors of a wine. New oak barrels deepen the color of a chardonnay and lend to it toasty flavors and aromas of wood, spice, and vanilla. When crafted without the use of oak, in stainless steel tanks or cement vats, a chardonnay might have the aromas and taste of rich, golden apples, or tangy, tropical fruit. Part of the magic of Chardonnay is how it can appeal to many diverse palates.

If you like chardonnay but long to try something different and unusual, order up a glass of chilled vermentino! Vermentino hails from the island of Sardinia off the coast of Southern Italy.  The most celebrated versions of this wine are Vermentino di Sardegna and Vermentino di Gallura. Vermentino offers a lovely floral nose and a palate of fresh white peaches. The wine has a pleasant minerality with flavors of Mediterranean herbs and a slight tang of sea salt. Nothing beats a crisp white wine on a steamy afternoon. Vermentino is delicious on its own or served with seafood and pasta. Now grown all over the world, vermentino is gaining in popularity and many lovely examples are grown right here in The Golden State.

If you’re a red wine enthusiast looking for a new favorite, try a glass of Barbera d’Asti. This light to medium-bodied red wine is fabulous in the summer months. The barbera grape hails from Northern Italy and is famous for its production in the little mountain town of Asti. Barbera is high in acid with a juicy palate of bright red cherries. This refreshing wine should be served lightly chilled and is a natural companion to meats and sausages as well as pastas and classic Italian fare. Like vermentino, barbera is now produced in many parts of the world and rapidly gaining in popularity.

Summer is an ideal time to travel and explore different regions of the world. But though the quarantine is over, and life is slowly returning to normal, a jaunt to parts unknown may not be in the cards for you this year. So put away your passport and pop open a bottle! Explore the world by way of a wine glass. This summer, allow yourself the pleasure of fine wine from around the globe. Cheers!

Q. Where do tomato worms come from?  I check my plants daily, but so far, I haven’t seen any.

A. The Tomato Hornworm is the larvae stage of the Hawk Moth. It’s also known as the Sphinx or Hummingbird Moth. It over-winters in the soil as dark-brown pupae that emerge as an adult moth in the late spring. The female moth lays smooth, single, green egg(s) on the tomato leaf’s underside, and her life span is about a week. Tomato Hornworms are voracious eaters, munching entire leaves, small stems, and even parts of immature fruits. They do get quite large, and the horn-like structure on their posterior is where the name ‘Hornworm’ originates. After three to four weeks of feeding, they will drop to the ground and enter the soil, where they change into a two-inch long pupa. Depending on the weather, there may be from one to four generations per year. While they’re most commonly associated with tomatoes, hornworms are common pests of eggplants, peppers, and potatoes. You’ll most likely notice the damage before you see the hornworms because their color helps them blend in so well with the plant foliage. You can also look for their black droppings on the foliage and around the base of the plant. Since you haven’t seen any as yet, it suggests that they may not be a problem this year. The Hornworm season runs through September, and checking the plants weekly is sufficient

Q. Something is eating my strawberries, and it’s not snails or slugs. They carve out a hole in the berry just before the berries are ripe. What is it, and is there a safe pesticide that I can use?

A. The primary suspects for this type of problem would be Sowbugs. Snails and slugs feed on the foliage of strawberries and leave the fruit alone. Sowbugs are a grayish-colored bugs that roll up into a ball when you touch them. Sowbugs are usually considered a beneficial insect as they feed and break down decaying organic matter. They are a problem with strawberries, pumpkins and all types of melons as they invade the bottom or sides of the mature fruit where it comes in touch with moist soil. This contact causes the skin to deteriorate or decay and provides an entry point. The easiest way to control Sowbugs is to lift the berry clusters up off the ground with strawberries. The berries dry quickly as moisture evaporates from the air circulation. The dry surface prevents any deterioration so there is no entry point for the Sowbugs. Paper Dixie Cups or irrigation clips are two easy methods of raising the clusters. With melons and pumpkins, straw is used to keep them high and dry. A second pest is Earwigs. Earwigs feed at night and hide during the day. They attack the sides and top of the berry. Sluggo Plus is an organic bait to control a range of edible problems, including Earwigs, Sowbugs, Snails, and Slugs. It’s a granular bait, so it’s easily sprinkled throughout the strawberry patch and reapplied with each crop. With melons and pumpkins, it is reapplied monthly. Another option for controlling Earwigs is trapping. In the evening hours, set out moistened tubes of rolled-up newspaper. Earwigs will use it as a hiding place when daylight arrives. In the morning, dump the contents into a pail of soapy water and set out new traps in the evening.

Q. I recently purchased a red leaf, Bloodgood Japanese Maple. My daughter says it should be planted in a shady area and will grow to twenty feet unless kept in a container. I want to plant it in a sunny location. Where should it be planted?                                                                                 

A. Your daughter is correct about the size of a Bloodgood Japanese Maple as they grow to twenty-plus feet with a ten to twelve-foot spread. A container does limit the ultimate height, but so does an annual pruning for those planted in the landscape. However, she’s incorrect about the exposure. In the Bay Area, Japanese Maples are grown in full sun or part shade. It is typical for the red leaf maples, particularly Bloodgood, to lose their red color and turn green during the summer months. A sunny location extends the red coloring. In the fall, the Bloodgood foliage reverts to a reddish-green color, but they defoliate before they turn completely red. Red-leaved varieties get their color from a pigment called anthocyanin. Anthocyanin is often displayed in the fall and winter months in other plants as the green pigment, chlorophyll, breaks down. The red pigment in maples disappears with warm temperatures and long days. The initial site selection is key in maintaining the long-term foliage color. They shouldn’t be crowded into a corner and factor in how much more the landscape around it will mature in the next ten years. The location should provide some protection from hot, dry winds or salt carried by the afternoon marine influence. The hot, dry conditions cause the leaves to burn along the margins and tips, particularly in the lace-leaf varieties. Another cause of tip burn is synthetic type fertilizers. A slow-release organic fertilizer or one specifically for Japanese Maples is desirable. Also, you can protect the foliage from the hot conditions with Bonide Wilt Stop. Wilt Stop will protect the leaf from the hot conditions just as it protects plants from freezing temperatures.

Buy now you may have heard of the “sustainable investing” or “socially responsible investing” approach known as ESG investing.  ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) has grown exponentially.  From an often-dismissed investment style only appealing to social conscious investors, ESG investing has become a much-respected investment strategy and market force.  Now one-third of U.S. assets are managed with sustainable principles as investment screens. Expect this trend to continue and increase further. Under the Biden administration, steps have been taken to combat global warming and appears friendly to ESG.  Essentially, this is what ESG is:  Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of the planet (nature). Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates (people). And governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights (how profits are earned and allocated).

Popularity of ESG

The number of ESG mutual funds available to U.S. investors grew to almost 400 last year — up 30% from 2019 and a nearly fourfold increase over a decade, according to Morningstar.  Also, according to Morningstar, money flowing into U.S. funds categorized as sustainable hit a record $51.1 billion in 2020, more than double the 2019 record of $21.4 billion.  For perspective, the annual flows into sustainable funds had been around $5 billion six years ago.  Over half of institutional investors and 45% more fund selectors engaged in active ownership of ESG investments in 2020, compared to 2019, while 35% of institutional investors say corporate behavior as a major criterion in their investment selection. It is estimated that by 2025 ESG assets will reach $53 trillion.  That would be one-third of world’s projected managed assets then.  The transfer of wealth from baby boomers to millennials is considered a catalyst for the growing popularity of ESG investing.  The thinking is because millennials expect more from companies and the products and services they offer in the marketplace.  Another factor is the increase of women investors.  One analyst specializing in sustainable finance said, “Women are largely focused on investing in high-quality portfolios of companies whose products and services provide solutions to environmental and social challenges.”  

Is ESG investing for you? 

Aside from the benefits of creating a more ethical portfolio, there is evidence that ESG investments deliver similar returns as traditional investments — and potentially carry less risk.  And the numbers show you don’t have to sacrifice returns for lower risk. Recent analysis shows the performance of sustainable funds compared with traditional funds and found that from 2004 to 2018, the total returns of sustainable mutual and exchange-traded funds were similar to those of traditional funds. Regarding risk, there is evidence that ESG investments consistently showed a lower downside risk than traditional funds.  A recent study found that during highly volatile markets, such as in 2008, 2009, 2015 and 2018, traditional funds had significantly larger downside deviation than sustainable funds, meaning traditional funds had a higher potential for loss.  So, if your investment objectives include positive social impacts in addition to positive profits, ESG investments may be for you. 

DIY or get help?

As noted, ESG investments are popular and you have hundreds of choices if you want to own them.   Whether evaluating individual stocks, ETF’s, or mutual funds, there are a lot of ESG investment vehicles.  Besides the “what”, there’s the “how”.  You may choose to create and manage your own ESG portfolio or seek professional guidance.  If you do-it-yourself, keep in mind diligent investment analysis is always wise.  A thorough analysis of an investment’s fundamentals, risk, and expenses is a prudent approach.  Also, be sure your investment considerations are consistent with your unique investment parameters and constraints.  Should you want help, expect an investment advisor to focus on your risk tolerance and goals.

Here’s to a positive ROI from your investments along with a positive impact on people and our planet.