Odds & Ends Around the Valley

Patio Swank

“Outdoor furniture is really becoming like dining-room furniture--costwise, too,” said Daphna Arad, owner of Daphna’s Furniture in Northridge (with another store in Santa Monica).

Among the more popular items at specialty stores this season is the swivel rocker. As one salesman noted, half jokingly, “Some people feel particularly comfortable in it because it reminds them of their office chair.”

The biggest seller at Woodland Casual in Woodland Hills is an oval table with a leaf that is accompanied by adjustable chairs, all made of resin. “People are going for the larger-size tables, especially in an oval shape,” explained owner Michael Simon. “And the chairs fully recline so you can use them as extra chaise lounges around the pool.”

Cushion colors that are strong this year are forest green and marine blue. “Stripes are big too,” Arad said.

Owners of older, high-quality outdoor furniture may want to consider refinishing rather than replacing it. “The average outdoor chair has a suggested retail of $150, whereas we can completely refinish it for $59,” said Tony Hanses, owner of California Patio Furniture, a refinishing company in Sylmar.

Toast Times 5

Their marriages have lasted 50 years--longer than a lot of buildings in Los Angeles. Five couples at the First Presbyterian Church of Sherman Oaks will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversaries this year, and all will be toasted during the church service at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Gordon Parrish of Sherman Oaks explained the success of his marriage: “I think the reason our marriage has lasted so long is that whenever we have a quarrel . . .”

“A discussion, a discussion,” his wife, Dottie, interrupted.

”. . . is that whenever we have a discussion, we always compromise and do it her way,” he said, adding with a laugh, “It’s true!”

“It helps to have a distorted sense of humor,” Dottie Parrish explained.

Among the other couples who will be honored in a sermon by the Rev. Don Maddox are Lucy and Tom Elwood of Van Nuys, Winnie and Lou Juillard of Woodland Hills, and Pat and Paul Glanville and Betty and Al Weaver, all of Sherman Oaks.

Betty Weaver claims not to have had a fight with her husband during their 50 years of marriage.

Not one?

“Absolutely--not that we don’t have disagreements,” she said. “And it isn’t dull either!”

Maddox said his sermon will contemplate “how relationships are centered in giving of yourself rather than the giving of things--of being available for the other person.”

About Face

At a recent breakfast at Bullock’s in Sherman Oaks Fashion Square, women heard a professional beauty expert’s views of common makeup mistakes.

Nina Griscom, national spokeswoman for Alexandra de Markoff Cosmetics, pointed out a few cosmetic blunders that women are prone to committing:

* Clumped eyelashes. Griscom admitted to occasionally separating her eyelashes with a straight pin, after mascara had wadded them together.

* An outline around the lips. While a lip liner helps define the mouth, it shouldn’t be applied as a distinct border that screams “Attention! Here are her lips!”

* Creative eyebrows. You should follow your own natural line rather than invent a new one.

* Raccoon eyes. A concealer that matches the skin tone under your eyes does an infinitely better job than one that is too light.

Cultural Accents

Karen DeMuniz, a speech pathologist who has a private practice in Encino, estimates that there are more than 90 different languages spoken in Los Angeles County. A growing part of her practice involves accent reduction in children and adults for whom English is a second language.

“English is a very difficult language,” DeMuniz said.

As an example, she cited the words “say” and “pay,” in which the “a” sound is the same. “But when you put them in the past tense, they become ‘said’ and ‘paid,’ ” DeMuniz said. “The only real rule in English is that, for every rule you make, there will be a million exceptions.”

Consequently, people interested in reducing their accents cannot rely on the spelling of a word to guide them in their pronunciation. DeMuniz introduces her clients to the phonetic alphabet, which has 43 sounds--one for every variation of English-language letter sounds--and then focuses on the particular sounds that give them trouble.

“It’s a motor skill. You build up lifelong habits of moving your articulatory structure in a certain way, and it’s hard to change that,” she said. “But first people have to learn to hear the correct sound. Often they’re not aware of the refined variations.”

Overheard

“My goal as a mother is to turn my son into a great husband.” --Mother waiting in pediatrician’s office in Tarzana