Soto Law Group - October 2021

Soto Law Group - October 2021

October 2021 Soto’s Chronicles

DeDe Soto

Protecting your most valuable asset — your family

FROM THE DESK OF

DeDe Soto

Halloween is fast approaching, and as you prepare your candy bowl, get the costumes ready, and catch up on your favorite horror movies, don’t forget one of the greatest Halloween traditions of all time: carving pumpkins! I recently learned that this tradition dates back to an old piece of folklore. Apparently, people used to fear a con man named Stingy Jack, who continually made deals with the devil to keep his soul out of hell after tricking the devil into a trap. When Jack died, God thought better of permitting him into heaven, so instead, he walked the Earth in a state of purgatory. In order to scare Jack from their homes, Europeans would carve turnips and place burning coal inside to warn Jack away. When immigrants came to America, they eventually turned this tradition into the jack-o’-lantern we know today! Luckily, we’ve upgraded from turnips to pumpkins and can make our creations more fun. Check out some of these great alternatives to a traditional pumpkin carving! Carve a Cooler Pumpkin 3 Tips the Family Will Love

Happy fall! I hope all is healthy and well with you, your family, and your clients! Make sure to take time for yourself. That could mean eating healthy, working out, reading a book, or watching your favorite movie or Netflix series! We all need down time in this crazy thing we call life. Making sure you are well taken care of also means protecting yourself prior to assisting others. If you are not healthy, it’s impossible for you to assist your loved ones. Part of being healthy and protecting yourself is making sure you have the five essential documents in place and that these documents are current and reflect your wishes. As time moves on, people and things change, and we must keep up with these changes. Make sure you have this conversation with yourself first, then include your spouse, children, grandparents, neighbors, and friends. This conversation could save someone a lot of time, money, and stress.

Get Artistic

Hope to hear from you soon. Stay healthy.

More families are opting to put down the knives in favor of paint. This is the perfect option for creative little kids, but not just any paint will do! Acrylic is the best paint for pumpkins because it dries quickly and is very easy for any user. And because the surface of a pumpkin is rougher than your average canvas, acrylic will be the easiest to use. However, don’t shy

Until next time, many blessings!

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go beyond creepy or goofy faces! (This will also work with a fruit coring tool, but it will require more manual labor.)

away from fun paint options. You can get creative with spray paints or dabble in 3D with puffy paint!

Throw a Party

Be Handy

Halloween is one of the best holidays for party food! Between mummy fingers (pigs in a blanket), spider bites (cucumbers with olives strategically placed on top), and fruit ghosts (bananas with chocolate chip eyes and mouths), there are plenty of options to up the spook and yummy factor. However, you can add another Halloween food to your party list: pumpkin brains! This is one of my favorite new party hacks! Start by once again carving your pumpkin, and then carve a jack-o’-lantern face into it. Make it silly or scary — it’s up to you! Then, place a small tea light in the center of your pumpkin. Next, fill a shallow bowl or cake pan with red- or orange-colored dip, like taco or chipotle, inside the pumpkin. Spread chips around the base for the finishing touch! Don’t forget to watch as your guests realize they are eating braaaains! As you up your jack-o’-lantern game this season, remember that you don’t need to create the perfect pumpkin. Get a little creative, think outside the pumpkin, and have fun!

This will require safety glasses and a trip to the workbench. Start by carving out your pumpkin like you would for any standard jack-o’-lantern. But rather than carve your favorite design with a kitchen or carving knife, grab the drill! Using different sized drill-bits, create shapes and patterns. These will be more precise than any old knife can do, and you can create fun patterns that

Man Sues Woman for Texting During a Movie Date

We’ve probably all found ourselves annoyed with someone who uses their phone during a movie at the theater, but have you ever been so annoyed that you sued them? That’s what Texas resident Brandon Vezmar decided to do back in 2017, following a “first date from hell” (as Vezmar put it) with Crystal Cruz. According to Vezmar, about 15 minutes into “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Cruz was texting on her phone. When Vezmar asked her to stop texting, she refused. Then, Vezmar suggested that she step outside of the theater to text. Cruz took his suggestion and never returned. Most people would chalk the experience up to a bad date and move on, but Vezmar was so indignant that he reached out to Cruz the next day and requested that she compensate him $4 for the pizza and $17 for the movie ticket he’d paid for. If she didn’t pay, he threatened to go after the money in small claims court. When Cruz initially refused, Vezmar made good on his threat and filed a petition in Austin, Texas. Vezmar made the case that Cruz had violated the cinema’s no cellphone policy and had negatively impacted his and other moviegoers’ experiences of watching a raccoon and a talking tree (among other beings) save the day. He claimed that while he sought modest damages, it was the principle of the thing

that really mattered to him. He called Cruz’s behavior “a threat to civilized society.”

As entertaining as it might have been to see that case fully make its way through the legal system, the lawsuit was eventually dropped after the TV show “Inside Edition” reunited Cruz and Vezmar and filmed her paying him back for the date. As the camera rolled, he counted his cash and considered them square. Unlike “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” there were no good guys in this story — but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining to read about after the fact!

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Ghosts Across America 3 Haunted Spots Every Ghost Believer Will Love

October is one of the best months for travel in the U.S. With mild temperatures and gorgeous, colorful leaves everywhere, there’s no better time for a cross-country road trip. Add some Halloween flair to your October vacation with these three ghostly attractions. Visit the most haunted town in the U.S. — Waynesville, Ohio. Sure, New Orleans may have a spooky past, but it doesn’t compare to Waynesville. Many residents and visitors think this Ohio town is rife with ghosts. You may hear cries to “hurry up” at The Hammel House Inn, where many tunnels for the underground railroad came through, or you could see the apparition of a businessman from the 1800s who “never checked out.” Other sources report hauntings at the town’s historical society, Museum at the Friends Home, including a little girl who moves toys and sits on the porch. The society leans into the local fascination and hosts regular walking ghost tours and ghost hunting classes. Stay a while at Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, Arizona. Guests at Hotel Monte Vista have often enjoyed long stays at the downtown Flagstaff, Arizona, hotel, but not everyone leaves. Constructed in 1927, the hotel is host to a number of reported ghosts. The most well-known is an elderly woman who would spend hours rocking in the chair in her room. Today, her chair can

be found moving on its own. Another popular visitor is the ghost of a bellboy who knocks on doors and announces that room service has arrived — only, no one’s there. Is there a monster in Pine Barrens, New Jersey? This one’s for those who love mysterious creatures. Pine Barrens is a mass of forested land that spreads across seven counties in New Jersey — and its most famous resident isn’t human. The Jersey Devil has a long, storied history and is said to be a combination of many animals: Its body is shaped like a kangaroo with wings. It has the head of a dog but the face of a horse. The creature is believed to have had a sickly start to life in 1735 and has stayed to haunt the forest’s inhabitants and even those who visit the area today.

Take a Break!

Breakfast Sweet Potatoes

Inspired by AmbitiousKitchen.com

Ingredients

• 2 medium sweet potatoes • 2 tbsp of your preferred nut butter

• 1 banana, sliced • 2 tsp chia seeds • Cinnamon and salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and cover a medium baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. 2. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes and bake on the prepared sheet for 45–60 minutes. 3. Once cooled, split the sweet potatoes down the middle and top with nut butter, banana, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt.

Party Pumpkin Shadows Spooky

Haunted Moon Mystery Orange

Black Costume Ghost Halloween

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of DeDe PAGE 1 3 Ways to Make Your Pumpkins Better PAGE 1 Man Sues Woman for Texting During a Movie Date PAGE 2 3 Haunted Destinations to Visit This October PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Breakfast Sweet Potatoes PAGE 3 A Story of Unbreakable Friendship PAGE 4

The Dog Who Rescued Another

THE STORY OF WHOOBIE, JUAN, AND THE FAMILY THEY CREATED

As Patricia explains to Reader’s Digest, “From then on, he always followed Whoobie.”

When we hear about animals being rescued and adopted, we often picture a family finding their perfect furry companion.

In the case of Whoobie and Juan, it’s a little different.

After no one claimed the dog, Patricia adopted him and named him Juan. Still uncertain

Whoobie was his owner, Patricia Lane’s, loyal mutt for many years. He mastered all the standard dog commands — sit, stay, and lay down — and he danced when asked and could find his favorite toys by name. Patricia always knew when her guests arrived based on Whoobie’s howl, and his loud-mouth attitude often saw him as the “sheriff” of the local dog park, policing any and all dog fights. For years, Whoobie and Patricia were perfect companions, but one day, their family grew by chance. After waking from a nap on their couch, Patricia and Whoobie heard a dog barking outside. A small Chihuahua mix was standing in their backyard, despite the high fence. (Later, Patricia surmised that someone dropped the Chihuahua into her yard.) For an hour, Patricia tried to establish a rapport, pleading with the little dog to eat or come inside so she could find his owners. He wouldn’t move. Giving up, Patricia left her door open and went back inside. Whoobie followed — and so did the little dog.

about people, Juan latched onto Whoobie, and the pair became an inseparable duo. The new brothers shared a bed, and occasionally, Whoobie placed his arm around Juan. At the dog park, every canine knew not to mess with Juan, lest they had Whoobie to contend with. The pair remained that way for years. Sadly, the worst part about dogs is that they leave us too soon. On the day Whoobie died, Patricia and Juan said their goodbyes together in the veterinarian clinic. “As Whoobie took his last breath,” Patricia recalls,” Juan laid down next to Whoobie. He seemed to know his friend was gone.” Today, Patricia and Juan have bonded, but they still miss their friend — a dog who saved them both and helped create their family.

You can read more pet stories in Reader’s Digest’s “America’s Best Pet Pals” series.

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