In her February 16^th opinion piece in the Washington Post titled “Gen Z might not want to drive. Gen Old shouldn’t”, 84-year-old Elaine Soloway, urges her generation to “Please STOP driving!”

That may be a little extreme and stereotyping older adults – although she lives in Chicago and who would want to drive in any large city? But even around here, we’ve probably known someone we think should stay off the roads, hang up the keys, and sell the car.

But when to stop driving is one of the most agonizing decisions we make as we get older. Driving is a sign of independence. It allows us to visit friends, attend our favorite activities, and buy groceries on our own and when we want.

There are excellent door-to-door transportation options in the Gorge if you decide not to drive. I’m not there yet. But if I’m going to continue driving, I need to learn how to drive smarter. My automatic pilot isn’t as dependable as it once was. And the best way to learn to drive smarter is to complete the AARP Smart Driver Course.

Over 16 million drivers have completed the course and ninety-two percent of the participants say they’d recommend the AARP Smart Driver course to a friend. The course teaches proven driving techniques to help keep you and your loved ones safe on the road. You’ll learn about the effects of medication on driving; how to maintain the proper following distance; handling left turns, right-of-way, and roundabouts; and the proper use of safety belts, airbags, and new technology found in cars today.

You’ll also learn techniques for how to adjust your driving to compensate for the age-related physical and cognitive changes many of us experience such as how to reduce driver distractions. And after completing the course, when one of your children is driving, you’ll have the confidence to gently scream, “YOU’RE DRIVING TOO CLOSE!”

The AARP Smart Driver course will be held at the Mid-Columbia Senior Center on April 26^th from 1:00 – 4:30 and April 27^th from 11:30 – 3:00. You’ll need to attend both sessions to receive your certificate. The cost is $25 per person or $20 for AARP members and you should bring your driver’s license and a pen. Call the Center at 541-296-4788 to sign up. It is open to all Oregon residents.

For those of you who are unable to attend the course, you can take it online by logging on to the AARP Smart Driver Course website. You don’t experience the interaction you find in an in-person class, but it’s convenient and self-paced with sixty days to complete the course.

Brain Tease: This week see if you can solve this ‘series teaser’ where you try to complete the following sequence of numbers. Ready, set, go!

What number comes next? 35, 79, 1113, 1517, ?

The name of the frightening 1968 psychological horror film about a story of Satanism and a young wife’s pregnancy was Rosemary’s Baby. I received correct answers from Lana Tepfer, Bruce Johnson, Rhonda Spies, Dave Lutgens, Deborah Medina, Steven Woolpert, Maria Kollas, who pointed out Rosemary’s Baby is pretty tame compared to horror films nowadays, and Sharon Mounsey this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I missed Linda Frizzell.

Henry Mancini, one of the greatest film composers of all time, wrote the scores for the Peter Gunn television series, the Pink Panther films, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s which included this song described as a “romantic song in which the romantic partner is the idea of romance.”

For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the song Henry Mancini composed with lyrics by Johnny Mercer for Breakfast at Tiffany’s and became Andy Williams’ theme song? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788, or send it with the iconic black Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the film. (It’s for my wife!)

Well, it’s been another week, trying to keep my mind on the road. Until we meet again, as Robert J. Sawyer once said  “Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace.”

“Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?” Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through

Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Mondays and Wednesdays; Hood River

Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center

(541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333)

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services – Goldendale office

(509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068); Skamania County Senior

Services (509-427-3990).

Answer: 1921…just keep adding two, 3…5…7…9…11…13…15…17…19…21

When you listen to a favorite old song, smell a certain perfume, or browse through a picture album, does it trigger images and emotions long forgotten? This nostalgia, the emotions caused by remembering something from the past, has been described by Angela Carter as the vice of the aged. “We watch so many old movies our memories come in monochrome”. And John Thorn uses the Greek description to define nostalgia as the pain of not being able to return to one’s home and family.

Nostalgia is often considered detrimental to your emotional well-being. If you are constantly comparing your current situation to the past and wishing you could return to the “good old days”, it can create a sense of loss, isolation and a corresponding disconnect from the present.

But according to the 2013 New York Times article written by John Tierney “What is Nostalgia Good For? Quite a Bit Research Shows”, nostalgia has many positive benefits. It can provide psychological comfort and support – counteracting feelings of boredom, loneliness, and anxiety. It can raise self-esteem, increase optimism, and bring couples closer together when sharing common nostalgic experiences. And it can bring back memories that remind us that our lives do have meaning.

We can’t go back – time moves in only one direction, and we shouldn’t live in the past. But we can benefit from looking back and recalling the many fond and often embarrassing memories: listening to the Indianapolis 500 in the backyard with all the aunts and uncles; making a basket for the opposing team in a grade school basketball game (But I did get the sportsmanship award that year!); and driving my high school steady home in my grandmother’s ’63 Buick Skylark convertible.

Cherish the memories, but don’t get stuck. The comforting memories of the “good old days” can provide the confidence and strength to look forward to new adventures – and future memories.

Several weeks ago, I mentioned the Klickitat County Newsletter but I don’t want to ignore the folks in Skamania County. The Skamania Senior Services in Stevenson offers a variety of community-based services including their Swiftwater Senior Newsletter. The March/April newsletter is posted online and includes information about the Medicare Savings Program; calendars with activities and menus for March and April; and a Nutrition Tip by Sally Munoz, Nutrition Manager. You can also check out the Skamania County Senior Services Facebook page for the latest.

Brain Tease: Last week’s puzzler was a Dr. Seuss quote which was relatively simple to decipher if you knew that all the letters in the words were strung together and then separated into indistinguishable words. For those who didn’t figure it out, here is the Dr. Seuss quote from last week.

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” – Dr. Seuss

The name of the game show where a panel tried to guess contestants’ occupations and also featured a “mystery guest” where the panelists while blindfolded would attempt to determine a celebrity guest’s identity was What’s My Line. I received correct answers from Steven Woolpert, Mary Pierce, Chuck Rice, Rebecca Abrams, Bruce Johnson, Dave Lutgens, Kim Birge, Lana Tepfer, Donna Mollet, Keith Clymer, and Marny Weting this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I didn’t miss anyone – at least that I know of.

In January I asked a question about the 1954 movie Godzilla which scared me out of my childhood pajamas. But years later I saw another movie that I found even more terrifying.

For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the frightening 1968 psychological horror film about a story of Satanism and a young wife’s pregnancy starring Mia Farrow, Ruth Gordon, and John Cassavetes and written and directed by Roman Polanski? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788, or send it with a copy of the book of the same title written by Ira Levin

Well, it’s been another week, looking under the couch for that word I’ve forgotten. Until we meet again, only a real friend will tell you when your zipper is unzipped.

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.” – Sheryl Crow

Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through

Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Mondays and Wednesdays; Hood River

Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center

(541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333)

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services – Goldendale office

(509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068); Skamania County Senior

Services (509-427-3990).

Have you fallen in the last year? If so, you are not alone. More than one in four people aged 65 years or older fall each year – and the risk of falling increases with age.

But why? Are they unavoidable, unfortunate accidents? Sometimes. But even if we can’t totally eliminate the risk of falling, there are common sense ways we all know to reduce the risk, but we often just don’t do them.

As a reminder some of those ways are:

1. Remove clutter in your home, and walk carefully when there are potential hazards, such as throw rugs. Pets are wonderful companions, but they can also get under your feet and cause a fall.
2. Never stand on chairs to get to something you can’t reach – which may not be your first reaction when the kitchen fire alarm starts blaring. (Yes dear, I know I need to clean the oven!)
3. Make sure whatever you use for support such as a shower grab bar is secure and stable.
4. Immediately wipe spills off the floor and use a rubber-backed bathmat to prevent the bathroom floor from getting wet. Even a small amount of water can lead to a slip.
5. Wear sensible shoes such as properly fitting, sturdy, flat shoes with nonskid soles Avoid floppy slippers, shoes with slick soles, and high heels. (And tell me, why do women wear high heels?)

Besides fall-proofing your home, fall prevention is also a matter of attitude. Consider the following.

Keep moving. Consider activities that improve your strength, balance, coordination, and flexibility such as tai chi or a StrongPeople class. And don’t let an unnecessary fear of falling keep you from being active!

Talk with your primary care provider about any of your medications or health conditions that could increase your risk of falling. And if you fall make sure you tell her.

Use assistive devices if necessary. Many won’t use devices such as a cane or walker because they don’t want to be seen as frail or dependent. But assistive devices allow us to continue the many activities we care about.

Know your limitations. We aren’t the same physically as we were years ago – maybe even last year, but we are wiser. So, if there’s a task you can’t easily complete, don’t do it! Wait and ask for help.

Remember a fall can happen to you – and it can happen again. But by fall-proofing your home, staying active, using assistive devices if necessary, talking with your doctor, and knowing your limitations, you can reduce the risk of falling and avoid serious and costly consequences.

Brain Tease: From last week, do you still remember the three items I used as an example of creating visual images to remember things? If you’ve forgotten, they’re listed at the end.

In the 1968 epic science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey the name of the 9000 supercomputer with a human personality was HAL. I received correct answers from Bruce Johnson, Patrick Cadwell, Steve Woolpert, Linda Frizzell, Dave Lutgens, Mike Nagle, Rebecca Abrams, Lana Tepfer, Donna Mollet, and Mary Pierce who is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week I must have been asleep because I missed Lana Tepfer, Linda Frizzell, Donna Mollet, and Rebecca Abrams.

There were many game shows during TV’s first golden age including I’ve Got a Secret (1952–1967), To Tell the Truth (1956–1968), You Bet Your Life (1950–1961), and a game show that ran on CBS from 1950-1967. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this game show where a panel tried to guess contestants’ occupations, and also featured a “mystery guest” round, where the panelists while blindfolded attempted to determine a celebrity guest’s identity? (You can find many of the classic episodes on YouTube featuring such stars as Julie Andrews and Alfred Hitchcock) Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788, or send it with a group picture of Dorothy Kilgallen, Bennett Cerf, Arlene Francis, Hal Block, and host John Daly.

Well, it’s been another week, waiting for the birds to return from their winter vacations. Until we meet again, never walk with your hands in your pockets.

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!'” — Robin Williams

Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through

Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Mondays and Wednesdays; Hood River

Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center

(541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333)

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services – Goldendale office

(509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068); Skamania County Senior

Services (509-427-3990).

Answer: Potato, Piano, Umbrella. Mr. Potato Head dancing on the top of a piano waving an umbrella over his head.

In high school did you have to memorize the Gettysburg Address or Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll? Today we can rely on gadgets outside our brains, so why memorize a poem or practically anything when we can look it up at our fingertips?

But I’ve found there is one thing I do need to memorize: my grocery list. And that has become my weekly memory test.

How? I usually start by writing the list of grocery items on the back of the closest piece of paper. Then at the store, when I check my pockets, I realize I left the list on the kitchen table! And the test begins. How many of the items can I remember? I don’t usually do too bad – around a B-, although I do get an F for forgetting the list!

But I’ve learned I can improve my grade by using a memory palace. In a 2011 New York Times article adapted from Joshua Foer’s “Moonwalking With Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything,” Foerexplains “…just about anything could be imprinted upon our memories, and kept in good order, simply by constructing a building in the imagination and filling it with imagery of what needed to be recalled. This imagined edifice could then be walked through at any time in the future. Such a building would later come to be called a memory palace.”

Another tip. When creating your memory palace, use images that are bizarre, unbelievable, or even lewd, because we don’t generally remember the ordinary.

So, let’s say at your Medicare Wellness Exam, your doctor tests your memory by asking you to remember three items: potato, umbrella, piano. You don’t want the doctor to know how bad your memory really is, so you create a mental picture of Mr. Potato Head waving an open umbrella while dancing on the top of a piano in the corner of the living room. Pretty ridiculous, right? But memorable! (Next week I’ll ask if you still remember the three items.)

Creating a memory palace is one way that can help us remember things. But as we worry about our forgetfulness, Joshua Foer reminds us that “our biggest failing may be that we forget how rarely we forget.”

The Klickitat County Senior Newsletter is an informative resource for those of you living in Klickitat County. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll learn about the Volunteer Connection Program seeking volunteers, (call 509-493-3068 or 509-773-3757), Veterans Service Office, the monthly Grief Group, AARP Tax-Aide, utility senior discounts, and more. You can view the newsletter online by searching for Klickitat County Senior Newsletter. To be added to their mailing list call 509-493-3068 or 1-800-447-7858.

Brain Tease: A man is asked what his daughters look like. He answers, “They are all blondes but two, all brunettes but two, and all redheads but two.” How many daughters did he have?

The name of the innovative and supportive bed that was invented in the late 1960s and was a rage in the 70s and 80s was a waterbed. I received correct answers from Diana Weston, Doug Nelson, Melissa Hayes, Dave Lutgens, Marlene and Keith Clymer, Jeannie Pesicka, Rhonda Spies, Rose Schulz, Mary Pierce – who I missed last week, and this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket Bruce Johnson who shared his story of his cat thinking the new waterbed was a scratching pad. It did not end well, but the cat won!

With all the talk about the advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it will save or destroy civilization, it reminds me of the 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey which follows the voyage by astronauts and scientists on a spacecraft whose operations are controlled by a 9000 supercomputer with a human personality. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this supercomputer? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788, or send it with a recording of Richard Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra.

Well, it’s been another week, trying to pay attention to what I’m doing and not to what I’m not. Until we meet again, just because you’re slower doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enter the race.

“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” Kurt Vonnegut

Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through

Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Mondays and Wednesdays; Hood River

Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center

(541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333)

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services – Goldendale office

(509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068); Skamania County Senior

Services (509-427-3990).

Answer: He has 3 daughters. One blonde, one brunette, and one redhead.

When March arrives, I expect winter to be over. Okay, as my wife reminded me, winter doesn’t officially end until March 18th, but I’m talking unofficially or maybe more accurately wishfully. But it looks like this year my wish has not come true – with the ten-day forecast predicting daytime highs not getting above the mid-forties.

But soon, maybe not around the corner but at least not far down the road, spring will arrive, and the once dormant yard and garden will burst out of their hibernation waiting for some tender loving care. But that’s my wife’s love.

For myself, it’s time to start taking walks again: to get out of the house and explore the town I’ve lived in for over forty years and rediscover the hidden and not-so-hidden treasures I’ve ignored because I was just too busy or in a rush.

And this spring, I’ve found some help! Several weeks ago, Scott Stephenson, director of The Dalles Art Center, spoke at The Dalles Rotary, and during his presentation, he demonstrated a fascinating app you can use on your smartphone. It’s called OtoCast. The beauty of the app is it shows the location, photos, and a brief description of various sites in The Dalles or Hood River. It’s like a walking tour guide in your pocket – and it doesn’t cost a thing! On the app, you can find different historical sites featured in “Altogether The Dalles” a city-wide art collaboration. In Hood River, you can find twenty-five pieces of public art from the “Art of Community” artistic collaboration which turns ordinary spaces into community landmarks.

You can download OtoCast at Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Then while taking a walk and enjoying the fresh spring air, you can also enjoy the unique treasures in The Dalles and Hood River.

I’ve written about how the Powerful Tools for Caregivers class can help caregivers take care of themselves by reducing stress, improving self-confidence, better communicating their feelings, making tough decisions, and locating helpful resources so they can care for others.

But there can’t be any Powerful Tools for Caregivers without class leaders.

If you are a Washington resident and want to lead a Powerful Tools for Caregivers class, there is a virtual training over Zoom on April 3rd through the 7th from 1pm to 4pm. There’s no cost but space is limited so you need to register soon by emailing AgePrideCenter@uw.edu. And you’ll find it also beneficial because as John C. Maxwell said, “You never really know something until you teach it to someone else.”

This month’s “Through the Eyes of an Elder” is beautifully written by Susan Hess sharing her conversations with five women living in two cultures; working to preserve their traditional culture and language for future generations.

Brain Tease: Farmer Smith owns three pink pigs, four brown pigs, and one black pig. How many of Smith’s pigs can say that it is the same color as another pig on Smith’s farm?

The one-time teen idol who performed at the Shamrock in The Dalles five months before his tragic death was Ricky Nelson. I received correct answers from Emmitt Sampson, Sandy Haechrel, Diana Weston, Anna O’Donnell, Steve Woolpert – who I missed last week, Donna Mollet, Doug Nelson, Rhonda Spies, Lana Tepfer, Dave Lutgens, Deborah Medina, Katherine Schlick Noe, Bruce Johnson, Jess Birge, Pat Evenson-Brady who will send you a copy of the “Travelin Man” if you ask nicely, and Nancy Higgins who saw him at the Oregon State Fair in 1978 and is this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket.

This type of bed was invented in the late 1960s, was a rage in the 1970s, and in the mid-1980s was 22% of all bedding purchases. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this innovative and supportive bed that was supposed to offer a sound night’s sleep, but for some it just made them seasick? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788, or send your answer with your favorite story of owning this type of bed.

Well, it’s been another week, thinking too much about this and not enough about that. Until we meet again, if you are going to leap before you look be prepared for a wild ride down.

“Spring is when you feel like whistling, even with a shoe full of slush.” — Doug Larson

Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through

Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Mondays and Wednesdays; Hood River

Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center

(541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333)

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services – Goldendale office

(509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068); Skamania County Senior

Services (509-427-3990).

Answer: None. Pigs don’t talk.