Visitors to the secluded haven dubbed Hilltop must hang on tight as they bump along a narrow country lane that winds high into the clouds.

Past fields of wildflowers and a rusting 1938 Dodge, the road finally ends amid a pair of towering Peruvian cactus plants that guard an ancient granite house at the end of Castle Court Drive — where the view overlooks much of East County.

Despite its scenic wonders, few people have ventured up here since the 1992 death of Mildred Whitaker. She and her late husband, Hale, settled the hillside 50 years ago.

The few visitors situation will soon change. In what authorities call a rare example of civic generosity, the well-known Lakeside woman with a passion for Siamese cats and the color red has bequeathed her personal Garden of Eden to the public.

“She always thought that the place was just a few steps from heaven and that the best thing that could happen to it would be to share it with others,” said Lester Johnson, the lawyer handling Whitaker’s will.

County officials have agreed to accept the estate and are considering how best to preserve the house and surrounding seven acres for a park and museum, in accordance with her last wishes. The public can get an early look at the grounds, however, every Monday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the gates are open, although the house will remain closed for the time being.

The couple nicknamed their home Hilltop and poured their love into its creation.

Hale, a county heavy-equipment operator for 47 years, and Mildred, a longtime Red Cross volunteer and San Diego Unified Port District employee, camped out in a lean-to for several years during the early 1940s while laboriously carving their house from Granite Fresno boulders just down the slope.

They did much of the work themselves. Hale used a sledgehammer to split the rock. His wife dipped shingles in sticky creosote to protect them from winter torrents and blazing summer sun.

Over the years, Mildred — described as a strong-willed woman who befriended birds, rabbits and even skunks — planted dozens of fruit trees and cactus plants and marveled at the panoramic views of faraway landmarks such as El Capitan and the Cuyamaca Mountains.

“The good Lord made it beautiful; we try to keep it that way,” she once said.

Rick and Mary Stewart, park volunteers looking after the property, agree, saying the solitude is downright inspiring, providing a perfect spot for meditation and relaxation.

“It’s beautiful up here,” said Rick Stewart. “I’m just amazed at the initiative they had to build all this.”

A painter, pianist and member of many community groups, Mildred had outlived her husband by 12 years. She had no surviving relatives except for an elderly cousin. Few people knew her real age, a secret she took to her grave.

“She never disclosed it,” said Johnson, adding only that she was in her 80s when she died.

Much of the sanctuary remains frozen in time, much the way it was back when Hale first bulldozed the private road leading up the hill.

Weathered chicken coops still sit out in back; a massive water tank rests on a knoll. The 1,500-square-foot house is jammed with original appliances, fixtures and furniture from the 1940s

Goat meat, popular with farmers for its profitability and with consumers for its taste, is becoming big business in Pennsylvania, a livestock specialist said last week at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show.

“Farmers can make more profit per dollar invested in goats than in any other form of livestock,” said Dr. Robert D. Herr of Narvon, a Farm Show goat meat judge. “There’s a growing market for goat meat. There never will be enough goats to meet that demand.”

Goat meat, known as chevon, is a very lean and rather light red meat with a taste between veal and rabbit. It can be roasted, barbecued or ground.

Herr, whose family runs a feedlot for 500 goats at their Lancaster County farm, judged the 15 goats in the first Farm Show market goat class, held in conjunction with the dairy goat judging.

“Pennsylvania sends more goat meat to market than any other state in the East,” Herr said. “The Lancaster Stockyards alone sell 25,000 goats a year. Unfortunately, there are very few Pennsylvania farmers who raise more than 30 goats annually for market, so most of the goats we sell come from other states.”

Herr said the market for goat meat is growing, “because each day, 8,000 people who consider goat meat a primary meat come into the United States.”

He said goat meat is popular with ethnic groups such as Italian, Greek, Puerto Rican, Cuban and African.

“Every goat who goes through the auctions has a home,” Herr said. “I’m not sure goat meat ever will go mainstream, but it is a good, low-fat, healthful meat.”

Goat Meat for Sale also is profitable for farmers, Herr said.

“Beef and pork prices have great fluctuations,” he said. “But goat prices over the years have only become stronger even as more goats have moved into the marketplace. It is one segment of the meat industry that has lots of growth.”

Herr said the junior market goat show was fairly quiet, partly because it was new to the the Farm Show and partly because the snow kept people away. The dairy goat show was equally quiet. Show superintendent Carol Schurman of Indiana, Pa., said she expected 210 goats but got only 65.

Today, catering is not just feeding a multitude at a christening or other big occasions. Catering has adjusted to the needs of our contemporary lives.

Home replacement food is usually provided by the takeout deli, a sophisticated bakery that offers nice sandwiches. It is the type of food you will otherwise prepare in your own home.

This type of catering can provide a dinner for as small as six or 12 people. A whole chicken will be roasted, for instance, and the caterer will provide everything from candles to silverware, even the disposable and microwaveable utensils, if it is a formal dinner. It is, in other words, very personalized. A caterer today now takes even small orders like one crab or one steak.

Video stores are connected to home replacement food providers, so before you go home, not only can you buy your dinner but rent a movie to go with it, too. Clearly an expanding trend, even supermarkets are already going into this service. You may, for instance, see pre-packaged salads in separate containers in select upscale supermarkets here.

More Choices in large sit-down dinners, guests now choose from either salmon, steak, chicken, or game, which replaces the traditional one-entree-and-one-appetizer package. This type of set-up is tricky for chefs, who have to guess how many of each viand they have to preparation. That it can be fun as the chefs take bets in terms of how many of each dish will be served.

A caterer should handle everything: music, table favors, printed menus, and flowers, who thinks this type of overall service is making a comeback.

Even the customer saves money, because the caterer gets a discount. A live band, for instance, would welcome the extra business.

This may provide an advantage over the restaurants, more of which are now going into Catering Hire because it is a way of extending revenues without increasing overhead costs.

Healthy Dining: Asian diet is healthier. It used to be that the American diet consisted of meat and potatoes, but as with food trends, caterers now offer a whole array of healthier alternatives. Whole wheat, grains, pastas, and fresh veggies as well as multigrains and rice not only offer a healthier alternative but gives an attractive color combination.

Fusion, a popular term for restaurants today, is getting increasing exposure in catering. Eclectic combinations of Asian linked with French cuisine may please a more select audience spectrum, an exciting alternative for those palates weary of the traditional. The use of salsas, a combination of beans, onions and garlic, and chopped onion is a trend that is a part of both the cultural and culinary fusion among various ethnic groups.

In plate presentations, the skill of the catering chef is important. This is where training comes in handy, although for buffet tables, the trend is that the food is blended rather than separated. A layer of garlic mashed potato is spread on half a layer of chicken, for instance.

Theme buffets are also increasingly popular and are not any different from kiddo parties. The only differences are that there’s alcohol and it’s at night.

Often done for corporate cocktails, an elaborate set-up of a sports bar (which may include a mini-basketball court and videos of games), a Caribbean booth that serves tequila and tortillas, and a western saloon in one room is not unusual. You are creating entertainment venues.

Must Quality service guaranteed is one of the keys to a successful Catering Equipment Hire business. Quality service is the perceived value that a customer will receive.

For instance, you would expect a different level of service at McDonald’s than you would at a swanky resto, and it’s the same with catering.

This is a business and you have to make a profit. There’s a lot more involved aside from food. People often go into the business because they love to cook or all their friends say so, but they sometimes forget that it’s a business they have to study.

Most caterers are not serving the food from the kitchen to the table and considerations as to how long will the food will stay hot/cold, safe to eat, or look attractive should be taken into account.

The most valuable thing you can give is time and quality…If you don’t care about the small stuff, then you don’t care at all.

In the 1700s, Josiah Wedgwood carried on the medallion tradition when he inherited a pottery shop. Wedgwood lived at the same time as British neo-classical architect and interior designer Robert Adam. Wedgwood took advantage of the classical influence that spread over England and produced pottery that harmonized with Adam’s furniture and other interior decorations. Adam sought to transfuse the beautiful spirit of antiquity with novelty and variety.

Wedgwood’s greatest fame rests in medallions on a smaller scale — on his jasperware, a dull white bisque capable of being colored and ornamented, used in a wide variety of collectible tableware, from mugs to plates to cups. The colors of the background were blue, olive green, black, lilac or sage, most often with white ornaments.

In earlier days, his larger sculptural pieces were often used as panel insertions in walls, mantels, door trim and furniture appliqués.

Now the designs are back in style. To keep the foyer connected to the rest of the house, use the same flooring as in the adjacent spaces. For interest, you might add inserts or a contrast border: stone or tile in a wood floor; Tile Medallions, or marble borders in a limestone floor.

Lighting is another consideration. For a softer ambiance, my favorite choice is a beautiful chandelier with shades and a dimmer switch. If possible, add architectural details, such as a dome where the light fixture could fit or moldings that could be faux finished or gold leafed.

A custom area rug using commercial grade carpeting is another solution. Even with a mat outside, people will wipe their feet on the foyer rug. But I’ve found that if the outside mat is sisal, people are more likely to use it. And the inside rug should be professionally sealed to resist dirt and stains.

Beaded curtains, in years gone by a feature of almost every home, are making a colorful comeback.

With the attractive effect they give as they move in the breeze and the many different color variations and combinations now available, they add an interesting and decorative touch to all styles of home.

The first creative choice is to decide what visual impact or atmosphere you are trying to achieve in a particular room: 1. peaceful simplicity; 2. comfortable abundance; 3. discreet subtlety; 4. immense luxury; 5. bold drama.

If curtains are not going to be floor-length, they should be below the sill. Anything less looks as if you’ve run out of fabric.

The current fashion for brilliant blue combined with vivid yellow was perfect for bathroom decor.

Sheers, scrims, draperies, panels and other lush fabrics passing themselves off as curtains, are leaping beyond the windows and shower stalls to produce a woven surround. Cotton, velvet, silk and linen swaths are now room dividers, alcove walls, romantic retreats, outdoor nooks and floating doorways.

Decorating with curtains adds drama, conjures settings and provides stimulus to the imagination. They can also muffle unpleasant sounds, add rhythm and movement to space, produce texture and dimension, and skillfully transmute the harshest light. Curtains are soft sculpture playing at being solid architecture.

Rich and opulent, simple and starched — curtains speak volumes, and with so many wonderful fabrics and materials available today, trend-setters are finding all sorts of ways to charm with curtains.

Please visit Zappobz.com - the largest manufacturer and supplier of Beaded Décor and LED curtains.

Not all kitchens have to be left behind when you buy a new home.

The austerity and simplicity of the Shaker style first came to the attention of both designers and home-owners with Harrison Ford’s 1985 film Witness, set in the Amish community of Pennsylvania, whose lifestyle has hardly changed since the 18th century. But a number of British designers and furniture manufacturers had already begun to revive traditional methods of craftsmanship to produce simple farmhouse-style items.

The simple aesthetics of Shaker design complemented this perfectly and were incorporated into it, producing furniture that has a strong Shaker influence but is still recognizably English. The pretty, busy details traditionally associated with English country-style kitchen furniture have been replaced with a look that is strong, simple and subtle.

“During the Eighties, the market required rather exuberant and ornate details - fretwork friezes, traditional turnings, fluted columns and pilasters,” says Jeremy Pearce of the Newcastle Furniture Company. “While there is still a demand for that type of furniture, more people are drawn towards our simpler designs.”

The demand for this kitchen furniture, as opposed to units, may be due in part to the changing role of the kitchen. Many people now live in their kitchens and entertain there as well. The traditional morning room is being revived in the Nineties in the form of the relaxed, comfortable family kitchen, where wood and stone have replaced plastic and steel as the predominant materials. Kitchen furniture now often stands alongside, or accommodates, desks, bookcases and televisions, as well as sofas on which guests can relax and chat to their hosts while the food is prepared.

There are now several companies producing dressers, cupboards, tables and freestanding work surfaces with butchers’ blocks on top, vegetable baskets underneath and lockable castors. The wood will either be antique pine or oak which has been limed to enrich and emphasize the grain.

Worktops are made from maple, teak, granite or slate. The dragging, rag-rolling and stippling of traditional farmhouse-style furniture has been rejected in favour of plain, pastel shades such as turquoise, ochre and dark green which complement the wood.

Plain English, a cupboard-making firm based in Suffolk, came about in 1992 when Katie Fontana and Tony Niblock began to search East Anglia for kitchen furniture which would look right in the Suffolk Long House they had built for themselves. They wanted cupboards with painted facades and solid wooden worktops containing proper dovetailed drawers that ran on wooden drawer slips, not what they describe as “boxes with screw-on fronts on modern runners”. They soon discovered that they were not alone in their quest, and Plain English was created.

They now produce a wide range of cupboards with glazed, screened or slotted doors, as well as a variety of freestanding furniture such as dressers, larders, farmhouse tables and country chairs. Again, colours are naturalistic, pastoral shades, but strong because of their simplicity. Interiors are often painted in contrasting colours which add variety and depth. Knobs come either in chrome, flame-blackened tourmaline or brass which is cast from worn Jacobean originals. Doors are hung on traditional brass hinges and fastened with a brass catch. Drawers slide on runners lubricated with bees’ wax.

Sinks in this English Shaker style are substantial and functional. Newcastle Furniture offers a traditional deep white butler’s sink and unit with chrome taps while Plain English has a double French farmhouse sink with nickel taps.

As this is kitchen furniture, rather than a complete kitchen installation, appliances such as cookers, fridges and freezers sometimes have to be bought separately. But the simplicity of the designs means that most items - be they heavyweight, professional looking stoves or modern white dish-washers - fit in well. Newcastle Furniture does, however, produce a fridge and freezer cabinet with two high-level cupboards above and a cooker cabinet with granite worktop and splashback.

Most of the established running shoe manufacturers make footwear that helps prolong endurance and prevent injuries. More than 90 percent of running shoes are now bought by people who are not serious runners but want to look fit. Taking advantage of the potential market, many new shoe makers have entered the field although they don’t have the foggiest idea how to produce shoes that are good for runners. They simply make good-looking junk.

When you run, your heels hits the ground with tremendous force. Your foot strikes the ground on the outside bottom and rolls inward, twisting the lower leg inward, too. The combined force and inward rolling can cause a wide range of injuries, from shin splints to runner’s knee. Therefore the best running shoes are made with features that reduce the force of the foot strike and inward rolling motion. Bad running shoes don’t have these safeguards.

Training tubes (also called resistance bands) are a great way to strengthen and tone the major muscle groups in arms, legs and back. The elastic tubing can be used at home or easily packed for trips. The bands come in different widths and tension levels. Rubbery and resilient, they come in enough styles and strengths to challenge anybody from the beginner to the strength-savvy veteran. But unless you combine them with anatomy-altering chemicals, forget those Mr. and Ms. Universe contests.

If you don’t have a carpeted area in your home, spring for an exercise mat. A roll-up mat, especially a nice padded one with a nonskid side, is a must if you have vinyl, tile or hardwood floors.

If you plan to combine several sports or activities in your fat-burning workouts, choose a multipurpose athletic shoe, such as a cross-trainer. You can easily buy running shoes and resistance bands online.

Sure, they’re tacky, but fake nails - particularly those adorned with faux jewels or airbrushed designs - are hot, and their sales are rising, according to Women’s Wear Daily.

Fake nails come in three basic forms: acrylic, gel, and silk or fiberglass-wrap.

Acrylic nails, the most popular, involve a four-step process of cleanser, primer, then liquid and powder acrylic. Dental research led to the chemistry behind acrylic nails, which revolutionized the artificial-nail industry when they came onto the scene 25 years ago.

The cleanser removes all oils from the nail so the chemicals will stick, according to Annie Trecker, supervisor of Nails Now! in Dallas. The primer is most often an etching substance that removes some of the nail surface to make it rough and porous, which also helps the chemicals adhere.

To get the right shape, the nail technician may apply a nail tip and then combine the acrylic liquid and powder on top.

The other option is a sculpture, in which the tech will place a sticker around the fingernail being set. The sticker allows the nail to show through and provides a surface on which the acrylic can set. It also lets the tech shape a rounder or flatter fake nail and adjust a nail that’s too wide or too narrow for the standard-sized tips.

The sculpture is more durable, which may not be a good thing. “(With a nail tip), if you hit the nail, the tip will come off easier,” says Rita Lewis of Spud’s Network Hair Salon in Dallas. “With the sculpt, your whole nail could be in trouble if you hit it too hard.”

You could spend 20 minutes to two hours having artificial nails acrylic or any other type applied. It depends on how leisurely the client wants her appointment to be and how experienced the nail tech is, says Trecker of Nails Now!

“One of the setbacks is that some people may have an allergic reaction,” Trecker says. She emphasizes that acrylic nails do not cause allergies, nor do they cause the fungus and mold that sometimes develops under a fake nail.

“You can’t blame it on the acrylic because it has to do with the person’s neglect of the nail,” she says. Mold occurs when water seeps into cracks in the nail, and fungus may spring up if you hit or otherwise traumatize your nail. If a fungus goes untreated, it can cause you to lose your entire nail.

Gel nails, the rarest of the fakes, are made from a pre-mixed chemical that is painted on the way polish is and then hardened under an ultraviolet lamp. The price range is about the same as for acrylics, as is the maintenance.

“There are less chemicals being applied on the nail, so gel works better for someone who might have allergies,” Trecker says. Some nail techs chemically etch the nail first, but others just cleanse it with alcohol before applying the gel.

Technicians are likely to be very meticulous in applying gel nails because the gel is so runny, Trecker says. The process involves application of three layers and hardening each one under the UV lamp.

The hookah or shisha, which is part and parcel of Eastern culture, has been used for pleasure throughout the ages. A hose called a “marpuc” is used to inhale the smoke of the tobacco, on which there is a small fire, and the smoke is filtered through a reservoir of water. It is believed that the sight and sound produced as water bubbles up is rehabilitating. This is the easiest way for people who like metaphysics to embark on a trip to the stars. The journey of the spirit away from the body and the eventual union of spirit and body is only one of the pleasures of the hookah.

Though it originated in the Middle East 400 years ago, the hookah is a tobacco pipe with a long tube that cools smoke by drawing it through water. First, the tobacco is put on a small, ventilated plate on the narghile, then burning pieces of charcoal are placed on top. Sucking on the shisha pipe then draws smoke down into the water-filled bowl and out again into the mouth.

Connoisseurs describe it as a “sweet” smoking sensation because the nicotine is taken out by the water. Traditionally, flavored tobacco - consisting of dried fruit pulp mixed with tobacco leaves - is used.

With the shisha, you can choose from an oriental orchard of flavors. Shisha smokers can choose from a variety of flavors, including apple, apricot, strawberry, mixed fruit and mint. There is, it has to be stressed, no outlawed substance inside the hookah tobacco. Shisha adepts consider the elaborate preparation and total attention required part of its relaxing effect. Shisha, they say, is for contemplation, not stimulation. Decor notes for your hookah smoking area: go with big pillows, oriental rugs and lots of couches to create that Night at the Casbah motif.

There’s no flashing neon, no floor show, no musically clinking coins when you pull the handle on a slot machine in cyberspace.

Instead, the computer mouse in the quiet room goes clickety-click. And the lemon, the grapes and the banana blink onto the screen, with a message that says, “You win!”

You need not travel all the way to Las Vegas or even Goa. Play poker, online black jack, roulette, craps or online slots and even sports games and horse racing on your PC from anywhere in the world. Online gambling takes care of everything, right from betting and playing to collecting money. Typically, the Net offers two types of gambling and wagering opportunities: casino games and sports bets. Millions of people could boot up, log on and gamble from their homes.

Online gambling works like this: users log onto the Net and go to a particular site that offers online gambling or any other wagering opportunity. While some online casino usa sites are ‘ready-made’ for playing with special Java applets or HTML format, other sites have special software that must be downloaded before playing. Users can register themselves as members and set up an account with an initial deposit. There are different ways to make deposits into your account: credit cards, American Express Money Gram, Western Union, moneybookers and other. Credit card deposits are processed online-within a minute-so one does not have to wait to start playing! As you gamble, money is credited or debited depending on whether you win or lose. And if you have had enough of wagering and want to close your account, all you have to do is fill out a withdrawal request form which is available online, and the funds are transferred to you. The mode of transaction entirely depends on your preferences.