Aging Well in the Gorge January 31st 2017

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The Center was back to normal – open for the whole week without any cancelled classes or delays. And with the three snow storms that I’ve counted so far this winter season, I’m hoping the snow forecasted for later this week never occurs. 
Because this Friday, February 3rd, the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide starts downstairs at the Center. Tax-Aide offers free tax preparation help for low and moderate income taxpayers with a special emphasis on older adults. The cadre of dedicated volunteers have been training for weeks to be ready for all your questions, so they can prepare and file your taxes electronically.
AARP Tax Aide help is available at several locations in the area.
At the Center the hours are from 2:00 – 6:00 on Fridays and 9:00 – 1:00 on Saturdays. It is first come first serve, but you will know when you arrive if one of the volunteers will be able to see you, so you won’t have to wait around for hours and not receive any help.
The Tax-Aide location in southern Wasco County is at the Tygh Valley Community Center on Thursdays from 8:00 – 12:00 pm. There is also no appointment necessary.
In Sherman County, you will need to call (541) 993-1054 to schedule a Saturday appointment at the Rufus Community Center.
To save yourself an extra trip, you will need to bring proof confirming your identification, income, and deductions such as the following documents. (For a full list of the documents you should bring, you can call the Center or go online to www.AARP.org.)
Identification: last year’s tax return(s), Social Security cards or other official documentation for yourself and every individual on your return; photo ID; and your checkbook or a voided check if you want to direct deposit.
Income: W-2(s), SSA-1099 Form showing the total Social Security benefits paid to you for the year, and a 1099-R Form if you received a pension, annuity, or IRA distribution.
Deductions: if you are itemizing your deductions, you’ll need to bring documents for any deductions such as your 1098 Form showing any home mortgage interest; and a summary of contributions to charities.
The first weeks are usually very busy, so if you can wait, it won’t be as crowded. The last day will be Saturday, April 15th, so you do have some time.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 15 – You can take the classes you really want – such as classes at the Center, The Dalles Art Center or CGCC where adults 65 or older are eligible for a 50 percent tuition discount on tuition for many credit and non-credit classes. And there are online courses for little or no cost at Couresa, the Khan Academy and other websites.
Is it a lie if you said what you thought what was going to happen, but it didn’t? Because the last three weeks, I have written that there will be live music at the Center on Tuesday nights, and yet each Tuesday you would have found the doors locked and the lights off.  
But I promise, on my 1966 high school yearbook, that this coming Tuesday, February 7th, there will be live music at the Center with Andre, KC and Joe playing for your dancing and listening pleasure. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are appreciated.
I remember watching the movie African Queenfor the first time and getting shivers when Humphrey Bogart climbed out of the river covered with leeches. So, I can easily remember the quote, “If there’s anything in the world I hate, it’s leeches – filthy little devils!” (The winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Lucille Stephens, Tina Castanares, Marcia Lacock, Sandy Haechrel and Mary Davis.)
I’ll close out the month with one last movie quote from the1967 American comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols. For this week’s “Remember When” question, in what movie did a recent college graduate receive the following career advice “I just want to say one word to you – just one word…. ‘Plastics.’” Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or write it on the back of the movie’s soundtrack that included the song “The Sound of Silence”.
Well, it’s been another week, looking forward to seeing the green grass of spring. Until we meet again, take your time, because really there isn’t a reason to rush.
“To shorten winter, borrow some money due in spring.” W.J. Vogel

Aging Well in the Gorge January 24th 2017

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This is a time when I wish I was spry enough to do cartwheels! Because thirty years after the Center was built; and eight years since funds were first raised to remodel the Center, it’s celebration time. Why? Because with the Building Permit taped to the front window, Jeff Cochenour and his team will start construction to install the elevator this week. And that’s exciting!
The first stage is to frame in the new addition to the front of the building, north of the entrance. This will be the new space for the NU-2-U Shop which is being displaced by the elevator.
This will include removing the snow in front of the Center – which should be completed by the time you read this; laying the concrete for the foundation of the new addition – which should start on Wednesday; and leveling the exterior walkway that borders the front of the Center and goes to the stairs – which could occur as early as February 1st.
But to accommodate this construction, we will need to make several adjustments. There will be the temporary loss of three parking spaces to the north of the entrance; and the exterior stairway to the downstairs will be blocked off forcing anyone who wants to enter the downstairs to use the lower parking area and entrances at the back of the Center.
I will post signs showing how to navigate around the construction and the best way to get downstairs. But please watch out for the workers and equipment.
Joan Silver, who has done an outstanding job as chairperson of the project, will be providing updates which I will email out to everyone on the Center’s email list. If you want to receive the updates electronically, email me and I will make sure you are on the list.
I know these changes are inconvenient for all of us – I’ll be getting in more steps during this time.  But we ask for your patience as we do our very best to keep the inconveniences to a minimum.
And hopefully by May, we will be able to celebrate again when the elevator is operational and the downstairs is then easily accessible to everyone.
I imagine many of you watched or listened to the Presidential Inauguration with either excitement or despair. But there is no argument, big changes were promised. And I suggest we all keep a watchful eye on the legislative proposals that emerge to make sure there will be adequate funding for services to protect and support older adults, particularly the most vulnerable, as well as our children when they reach their retirement age.
Last Tuesday, the weather was better, but wasn’t good enough to ask the Simcoe Boys to drive all the way from Goldendale. But the long-range forecast doesn’t show any precipitation, although it still won’t get much above freezing. So, the weather shouldn’t be your excuse for missing the Center’s Tuesday Night Music on January 31st. But there is a problem. I’m not sure who’s playing. But there will be somebody, so you and your partner can warm yourselves up on the dance floor. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are appreciated.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 14 – You’ve mellowed like a fine wine. Or as Rose Kennedy once said, “I’m like old wine. They don’t bring me out very often – but I’m well preserved.”
It was in the 1942 movie Casablanca that Humphrey Bogart said “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.” (The winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Caroline Wood, Lucille Stephens and Sandy Haechrel.)
For this second week of movie quotes, it’s another Humphrey Bogart quote, but I hope more challenging than last week’s. (We’ll see how many answers I receive this time.) So, for this week’s “Remember When” question, in what movie did Humphrey Bogart say “If there’s anything in the world I hate, it’s leeches – filthy little devils!”? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or have two Methodist missionaries deliver it.
Well, it’s been another week, feeling like a bear looking for a cave to hibernate. Until we meet again, don’t let one bad day ruin your whole week.
“When I was young, I loved summer and hated winter. When I got older I loved winter and hated summer. Now that I’m even older, and wiser, I hate both summer and winter.”

Jarod Kintz

Aging Well in the Gorge January 17th 2017

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All I’ve been thinking about these last couple of weeks is the weather with all the cancellations and delays. And what’s distressing is even when we get past this way-too-long snow and cold spell, there are still sixty-two days till the start of spring. Can you believe that? I think there should be some meteorological law that states the harder the winter, the quicker spring arrives! And February 1st would not be soon enough.

Even though I’m an eternal optimist, I don’t think that will happen, so a few winter safety tips could still be helpful. But what don’t you already know about staying safe during the winter? I mean you have made it this far – and you have probably seen much worse. So, what more do you really need to know?

I’m not sure there’s much, but maybe a few reminders found at HealthinAging.org might help you be prepared for some of the more common winter conditions.

Hyperthermia: This is one situation most of us won’t have to worry about unless you are cross country skiing the Tilly Jane trail. But if you are the adventurous type, be aware of the warning signs for hyperthermia such as cold pale or ashy skin; feeling very tired or confused; and slowed breathing or heart rate. But don’t depend on shivering as a reliable sign. Older people tend to shiver less or not at all when their body temperature drops.

Fires and carbon monoxide: If you use a wood or gas stove, make sure it is properly used, vented and cleaned. You can even install carbon monoxide detectors in your house. If you use space heaters for extra heat during these very cold days, make sure the they are at least three feet away from anything that might catch fire.

Shoveling snow: This can put added stress on your old ticker when it is already working double time to keep warm in the cold weather. So, don’t push it or hire someone. Slipping and falling: Every winter I hear of someone breaking a leg, arm or hip. Be particularly careful of icy steps and pavement that appears just wet but is iced over. Have your walkways cleared of snow and salted; wear boots with non-skid soles; and use a cane or ski pole when walking.

But you knew most of that, right?

So maybe the best advice is just to be alert and take your time. We may not be as quick or flexible, but our years of experience should make us smarter and wiser so we can be safe during these winter months.

The average high temperature in The Dalles for January is 43 and the average low is 29. So who knows, the temperature just might meander above freezing sometime soon. We can only hope. Which means it will be safer to come to the Center’s Tuesday night music and hear Country Road perform on the 24th. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are always appreciated. 

Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 14 – Big photo albums. Although they may soon be a thing of the past, as society moves to storing digital pictures somewhere in the “cloud”.

In the1965 epic romantic drama Dr. Zhivago, Lara was the woman Doctor Yuri Zhivago fell in love with while married to Tanya. (The winner of a quilt raffle ticket is Marcia Lacock, who loved to play on her piano the theme song Somewhere my Love, which was also called Lara’s Theme.)

If you are stuck inside, you might be watching old classic movies on TCM or Netflix, so for the next several weeks of “Remember When” questions, I’m going to give you a movie quote and see if you can remember what movie it came from. To start off, in what 1940’s movie did Humphrey Bogart say “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it on the back of a picture of “Rick’s Café Américain”.

Well, it’s been another week, STILL waiting for the snow to melt – but please not too fast. Until we meet again, as the writer Hal Borland once wrote “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” 

The problem with winter sports is that–follow me closely here–they generally take place in winter.” Dave Barry

Aging Well in the Gorge January 10th 2017

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“Uncle!” I give up! I’ve had enough snow with all the cancellations and disruptions. I’m beginning to wonder, is it something I did? But maybe this will be the end of the wintry mix because, really, how long can this keep going on? At least we don’t live in Minnesota where they have four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.
But if the weather has kept you inside and you haven’t had a chance to regularly exercise, there are exercises where you don’t even have to leave the house. And all you need are a tennis ball, chair with arms, weights, and a towel.
In a well-rounded exercise program, the exercises should address three areas of your fitness: strength, balance and flexibility. I’ll describe a couple of examples for each area to give you an idea of how simple they are. But if you want to find more exercises, plus tips on how to stay motivated and tools to track your exercise, go to the website Go4Life.
But before you start, a few safety tips: breathe regularly during exercise, use smooth steady movements when lifting weights, keep your arm and leg joints slightly bent, always bend forward from your hips – not your waist; and most importantly: repeat the exercises, but stop if you feel pain.
Okay, here we go.
Strength exercises: Hand grip – slowly squeeze a tennis ball. Wall Push-Ups – pushing yourself off the wall (that’s the wall – not the floor!).
Balance exercises: Stand on One Foot – stand behind a sturdy chair holding on for balance and lift one foot and hold; and then repeat with other foot. Heal-to-Toe Walk – walk heel-to-toe while focusing on a spot ahead with arms raised to your side.
Flexibility exercises: Thighs – stand behind a sturdy chair and hold on for balance. Bend your leg back and grab your foot and gently pull your leg until you feel a stretch in your thigh. Shoulder and upper arm – stand straight and grab a towel in your right hand, raise hand and hang towel behind back. Reach behind lower back with other hand and grab end of towel. Pull the towel down with your left hand.
Now that you know how simple it is to exercise in your own home, you can start anytime. But if you want something more structured, there are many opportunities including CURVES, The Dalles Fitness and Court Club, Water’s Edge or any of the many affordable classes at the Center.
Even with ten inches of snow outside, there are many ways to be physically active -.you can even make up your own exercises. The point is to find something you enjoy and keep doing it.
For the Center’s Tuesday Night Music on January 17h, if the weather cooperates, the Simcoe Boys from Goldendale will be performing. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are always appreciated.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 13 – Time to finally write that great novel. Or how about your life story for your children and grandchildren? How I wish I knew more about my father’s life which he seldom shared thinking it wasn’t important.
The 6’9” basketball forward who played for University of Oregon from 1968-1971, led the Pac-8 in scoring for two straight seasons, and whose son now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers is Stan Love. (The winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Jerry Phillips and Lee Kaseberg, a true Duck fan from Wasco, who pointed out that Stan’s son, Kevin Love, spurned his father’s alma mater and instead played for UCLA.)
All this snow reminds me of the film Doctor Zhivago – the 1965 epic romantic drama set in Russia prior to World War I and during the Russian Revolution of 1917–1922. It won five Oscars, but lost best picture to The Sound of Music. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the woman who Doctor Yuri Zhivago fell in love with while he was married to his wife Tanya? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a recording of Somewhere My Loveperformed by the Ray Coniff Singers. 
Well, it’s been another week, waiting for the snow to melt so the garbage can be picked up. Until we meet again, remember, this too shall pass.

“A snowflake is one of God’s most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!” Author Unknown

Aging Well in the Gorge January 3rd 2017

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The Center had to cancel its New Year’s Eve Bingo Bonanza – and guess why? It wasn’t because of the snow – which thankfully was beginning to melt off. It wasn’t because I had plans to stay up all night partying – I’m lucky to stay awake past 10:00. It was because our only available Bingo caller was sick with the flu.
But she wasn’t the only one with the flu. Last week, the North Central Health District reported there has been a sharp increase in cases of influenza, both state wide and locally, as compared to last year.
Unfortunately, most reported cases are of Influenza A/ H3 which this year’s flu vaccine doesn’t cover. It is still recommended to get a flu shot since Influenza A/ H3 isn’t the only flu strain going around this season. But to reduce your risks this year, you may want to particularly practice good health habits: avoiding close contact: staying home when you are sick; covering your mouth and nose; washing your hands with soap and water; and avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
If you do exhibit mild symptoms of the flu, just stay home, rest and avoid others (unless you are at a high risk or are concerned about your condition, then you should call your healthcare provider). But if you have difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, sudden dizziness, confusion, severe or persistent nausea, purple or blue discoloration of the lips, or seizures, you should seek medical advice promptly.
Thank-you to all of you who were 2016 Center Member’s. With less than 1% of the Center’s funding coming from government sources, your memberships are critical – providing over 15% of the Center’s operating budget.
But it is a new year, and the 2017 Membership Drive has started – with an added twist. To show our appreciation, this year all 2017 members will receive a sheet of discount coupons to ten local businesses. If you use just half of the discounts in 2017, you will save the cost of the $35 basic membership.
We couldn’t do this without the support of the local businesses that are offering the discounts: Casa El Mirador Fine Mexican Dining, Sawyer’s True Value and Just Ask Rental, Cannon Packer Gift Shop, Griffy’s Quick Lube, Klindt’s Booksellers, Allen’s Food Center, Beachwood Eatery and Lounge, Ere’s Beauty Salon, Subway, and Montira’s Asian Market.
There is not an age limit to be a member, although to be a voting member at the Center’s annual membership meeting you must be fifty or older. The cost is $35 per person, $60 for a couple or $50 to be a Super-Duper member. You can pay your dues at the Center, by mail or online at www.midcolumbiaseniorcenter.com.
For the Center’s Tuesday Night Music on January 10th, Martin and Friends will be performing. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are always appreciated.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 12 – More time to read to your heart’s content – especially if these cold snowy days has kept you under house arrest and you’re tired of watching television.
The two-time All-American OSU defensive lineman (and two-time NCAA wrestling champion and 1968 Summer Olympian) who caught USC tailback O.J. Simpson from behind to preserve the Beavers’ 3-0 win over USC in 1967 was Jess Lewis. (Both Mary Davis and Harold Stephens were close, but the only correct answer was from Al Wynn. And to celebrate the new year, all three win a quilt raffle ticket.)
After asking an OSU sports question, I am obliged to ask a University of Oregon question – particularly since as a U of O graduate, I felt left out last week. So, for this week’s “Remember When” question, who was the 6’9” basketball forward who played for University of Oregon from 1968-1971, led the Pac-8 in scoring for two straight seasons, and his son now plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers?   Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or write it on the back of a Beach Boys album.  
Well, it’s been another week, keeping an eye on the ice. Until we meet again, it’s okay for an embarrassing mistake to spoil your dinner, but don’t let it ruin a good night’s sleep.

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”  Hal Borland

Living Well in the Gorge December 27th 2016

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In a few days, it will be a new year: the traditional time to make New Year’s resolutions, full of optimism and hope.
But do any of us make New Year’s resolutions anymore? They just seem like a young person’s thing: resolutions to stay fit for the dating game; resolutions to follow some new self-improvement practice.
And then do we really need to? I mean at our age, we’ve experienced enough that we should we have it all figured out, right? And what do we really need to change?  
But resolutions are not just about personal fitness or self-improvement. They are also an opportunity to imagine what new experiences we would like to encounter in the upcoming year: walking unfamiliar trails in the Gorge, finishing that book you’ve been meaning to read, or finding more time to spend with family and friends.
There is much we can’t control: medical emergencies, the size of our social security check, or whether it is going to rain or snow. But there are many aspects of our lives we can influence, if not control.
So here we are, about to start a new year. We can keep doing the same old same old – and there is nothing wrong with that. Or we can branch out; take this opportunity to contemplate the new year and what makes life worth living – so we won’t miss what is truly important.
What is important to you this coming year? What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Saturday Night Bingo will be celebrating New Year’s Eve with free pizza and a chance to win $1000. Over $1200 will be paid out during the evening plus if there is a blackout in 58 numbers or less on the last game, the payout will be $1000. Doors open at 4:00, pizza served starting at 4:30, and bingo starts at 6:00 PM. If you are a new player, try to arrive by 5:30. Minimum buy-in is $10.00. Ages 12 and over are welcome (children between 12 and 18 must be accompanied by legal guardian).
It’s a new year for the Center’s Tuesday Night Music with Andre, KC and Joe performing on January 3rd. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are always appreciated.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 11 – Your clothes are in style again – although this time around you’re smart enough to keep them in the closet. (I’m not wearing skinny jeans anymore! – or pegged pants as they were called when I was in High School.)
The toy that consisted of 3-D pictures on a circular disk which could be viewed in a plastic device is called a View-Master. (This week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Maxine Parker, Lana Tepfer, Sandy Haechrel, who was offered a job at View-Master when she first moved to Oregon, and Jerry Phillips who lived about a mile west of the old View-Master site. But the winner of one and a half tickets is Jim Ayers who didn’t send me a Virtual Reality View-Master, but left me the next best thing – a Fred Meyer discount coupon for one.)
The college football bowl season is here again, and although neither OSU or U of O are traveling to a bowl game this year, there have been many highlights over the past 50 years including the 1967 OSU football team known as the “Giant Killers”. That season OSU went undefeated against three #2 ranked teams which included a victory over USC and OJ Simpson at what was then called Parker Stadium in Corvallis. So for this week, here is a “Remember When” question suggested by Ron Sutherland, to see who is really a true orange-and-black OSU football fan. Who was the two-time All-American defensive lineman who caught USC tailback O.J. Simpson from behind to prevent a touchdown and preserve the Beavers’ 3-0 win over the top-ranked Trojans? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a big pumpkin.
Well, it’s been another week, trying to keep the icicles from hanging off my nose. Until we meet again, don’t expect hot water if you only turn on the cold-water tap.
“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.” Ellen Goodman

Living Well in the Gorge December 20th 2016

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Tis the Christmas Season: a time for memories that stir our senses: cookies baking in the oven, houses sparkling with Christmas lights, and bells ringing at local grocery stores. It’s also a time to remember how we have been blessed at our chronologically advantaged age.

But sometimes it is hard, particularly this time of the year when we would give everything to share again memories of Christmas’s pasts with friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. It’s not always easy to stay upbeat and positive, but Shawn Achor, who researches and teaches positive psychology, describes three steps that can help us recognize the positive instead of mindlessly absorbing the negative.

First, for twenty-one days in a row, take two minutes a day and write down three things you are grateful for.

Second, start a journal and each day write about one positive experience you encountered.

Third, do one positive random act of kindness each day – whether it’s complimenting the salesperson during a hectic Christmas shopping day or buying a bottle of Martinelli’s sparkling juice for your local senior center director (and he prefers a red grape to a white apple cider!)

But I would also suggest two more steps.

Fourth, each day give at least one person a big hug – the human touch is an essential nutritional requirement for the spirit.

And last, if there has been something you have been meaning to tell someone, tell them. Don’t wait and regret missing the opportunity.

Whether your glasses are rose colored, broken or you can’t find them, during this season of hope, love and possibilities, consider these five steps to better appreciate all that is good and right – and the bountiful banquet spread before us.

The Christmas season often brings snow and frigid weather – and we saw both these over last two weeks. With the inclement weather, it is often a tough call whether to keep the Center open or to close. I guess I’m just a little more cautious since I broke my hip several years ago. (Although the cause wasn’t snow or ice, but not being bright enough to find the bottom step.).

Consequently, last weekend we played it safe instead of sorry, and postponed the Holiday Breakfast – even though Mary Davis was bringing the Mistletoe! We’ll try again in March when there’s less chance for snowflakes and Santa shouldn’t be as busy.

Also, Saturday night bingo was cancelled, but will return on New Year’s Eve when we’ll welcome in the New Year (east coast time) and there will be a $1000 payout for a blackout in 58 numbers or less on the last game.

If you are making your end-of-the-year donations, and are donating to any of the twenty-two qualifying cultural non-profits in Wasco County, don’t forget to also donate the same amount to the Oregon Cultural Trust for which you’ll receive a 100% state tax credit and help the cultural arts in Wasco County and the state. You can find more information and a list of the cultural non-profits at www.culturaltrust.org.

Tuesday night music is back at the Center on December 27th with Country Road performing. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are appreciated to feed the band and keep the lights on.

Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 10 – Grandchildren are great. And great grandchildren are a bonus.

The Christmas classic, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, was first sung by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis. (This week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Betsy Ayers, Sandy Haechrel and Jerry Phillips.)

This season you may see ads for VR (virtual reality) glasses, which I have tried and admit are pretty cool. But in 1939 there was a Portland company that introduced another cutting-edge technology consisting of stereoscopic 3-D pictures on a circular disk which could be inserted into a plastic device and viewed.

For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of this classic toy? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with the latest virtual reality edition of this viewer.

Well, it’s been another week, waiting for Santa to poke his beard around the corner. Until we meet again, let the spirit of Christmas light up the new year.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” Norman Vincent Peale

Aging Well in the Gorge December 13th 2016

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Winter is the season when all schoolchildren become weathermen, trying to predict whether there will be enough snow to close school so they can sleep in before going outside to build snow men. (Do kids still play in the snow anymore – or do they just assemble snowmen on their computer screens?)

Well, last Friday was one of those days kids dream about. But at my age, snow days just don’t quite have the same excitement. Certainly, there is still the anticipation, but now it is: How much snow am I going to have to shovel? Will the car make it out of the parking spot? Will I fall flat on my face walking across the parking lot?

But snow is no surprise and we do adjust – often just staying inside and out of trouble. So while snuggled up on the Lazyboy recliner, why not catch up on the best Christmas movies from the 40’s and 50’s. We use to have to check TV Guide to see if our favorite movies were showing on TV – if at all. But now you can watch them anytime over the Internet using streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, iTunes, or Amazon (although you usually have to pay).

So where do you start? Here are nine movies from the 40’s and 50’s, including their leading actors, ranked in the top 25 best Christmas movies by the movie review website “Rotten Tomatoes”.

#24 – The Bishop’s Wife, 1948 – Cary Grant, David Niven, and Loretta Young.
#18 – A Christmas Carol, 1951 – Alastair Sim and Kathleen Harrison.
#13 – The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, 1944, -Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, and William Demarest. #6 – The Apartment, 1960 – Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.
#5 – Stalag 17, 1953 – William Holden, Peter Graves, and Robert Strauss.
#4 – Holiday Inn, 1941 – Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.
#3 – The Shop Around the Corner, 1940 – Margaret Sullavan and Jimmy Stewart.
#2 – Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 – Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, and Natalie Wood.
#1 – It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946 – Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, and Lionel Barrymore.

If I missed your favorite Christmas movie, email me and I will mention it next week.

Everyone’s invited to the Center’s annual Holiday Breakfast from 8:00 – 9:30 AM on Saturday, December 17th, sponsored by Dennis Morgan – Copper West Realtors and Dean Dollarhide – State Farm Insurance. And this year we’re trying something new: offering all-you-can-eat pancakes. In addition, the menu includes scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit and coffee or juice all for $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for children 12 and under.

Meals-on-Wheels is serving a special Christmas Dinner on December 20th instead of their usual birthday dinner. And to have time to prepare, the dinner will be served at 2:00 instead of noon – so you still have time to drive home before dark. But because there is only room to seat 125 people, you will need to sign up ahead of time. There is a signup sheet at the Center or you can call Meals-on-Wheel at 541-298-8333.

Because of the Meals-on-Wheels Christmas party, there will not be music at the Center Tuesday night, December 20th. But if you can wait til after Christmas, you’ll find Country Road playing on the 27th.

Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 9 – Telling stories about the “good old days”. Although it is sobering to think that these may be the “good old days” for a future generation.

The name of the television show that featured a boy with a propeller beanie and a Sea-Sick Sea Serpent was Beany and Cecil. (This week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Jerry Phillips and Tina Castanares.)

The Christmas classic, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, is the third most performed Christmas song of this century. For this week’s “Remember When” question, who sang the song when it was introduced in the 1944 MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with the 2014 hit version sung by the English singer-songwriter Sam Smith.

Well, it’s been another week, tangled up in all my loose ends. Until we meet again, snow is nature’s reminder to slowdown.

“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” Carl Reiner

Aging Well in the Gorge December 6th 2016

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“Baby, it’s getting cold outside” may be crossing your mind this week as the temperatures drop below freezing for the first time this season. But it also means those winter goblins may be trolling your neighborhood: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. These are common symptoms for the flu and the common cold – although the cold symptoms are usually milder and more likely to include a runny or stuffy nose, while the flu symptoms are more intense and can lead to serious health problems.
But how do you keep these annoying neighbors from dropping in and ruining your day?
The most effective way, besides getting your flu vaccine or hiding in the closet all winter, is to practice these six tips.
1. Avoid close contact. No more making out in front of the fireplace on those romantic winter evenings! Okay, maybe you can if she doesn’t have a runny nose or cough.
2. Stay home when you are sick. As I use to tell my students, it’s good to share everything, except your germs.
3. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow – not your hands. You can also wear a facemask to protect others. How about a left-over Halloween mask? That would get people’s attention.
4. Wash your hands often. If soap and water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand soap. Just washing my hands every time I use the bathroom, I’ll be washing my hands often enough.
5. Avoid spreading germs by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after touching something contaminated. My fingernails grow a lot longer during the winter months.
6. Take care of yourself as you should all year long: get plenty of sleep, stay physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
There are over one hundred viruses that can cause the common cold. By following these suggestions, you can help make this winter “the most wonderful time of the year”.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 8 – Sleep late or get up early.  As you get older, you start to enter that third chapter of life when instead having to do what you’re told to do, or what you feel you should do, you can now do what you want to do.   
Because the AARP Smart Driver class has been moved ahead a week to December 12th and 13th, (You still can sign up by calling the Center) there will not be a 11:00 Lecture next Tuesday. 
It’s been a while since I’ve challenged your grey cells by mixing up the Center’s music announcement. So let’s again have a little fun. But I’ll keep it easy – well, as easy as walking backwards.
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It wasn’t Clarabell, the clown who appeared on the Howdy Doody Show, but Bozo the clown that was pictured on the front of a 46-inch-high inflatable punching bag. (This week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket each are Maxine Parker, Tina Castanares, Jerry Phillips, and Sandy and Bob Haechrel.) 
Now that it’s colder, I’ve started wearing a knitted cap to keep my hair depleted head warm. It looks like a stocking cap but doesn’t cover my ears, and several folks commented about my “beanie”. I hadn’t thought of it as a beanie, but it reminded me of a Saturday morning animated cartoon series on ABC. So for this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name of the television show that featured a boy with a propeller beanie and a Sea-Sick Sea Serpent? Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with the original “Captain Huffenpuff’s Hiding Box”.
Well, it’s been another week, when I knew I should have written it down. Until we meet again, there are numerous fancy definitions of successful aging, but it can be as simple as just waking up in the morning and touching your feet to the floor.

“We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for, I don’t know.” John Foster Hall

Aging Well in the Gorge November 29th 2016

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Have you ever looked forward to a holiday vacation with high expectations and a to-do list a mile long – and then it turns out nothing like you expected? That was my Thanksgiving this year and even though everything turned out fine, all those things I wanted to do were replaced by what I had to do. So this week, I’ll just keep it simple and share a few thoughts for this busy first week of December.
Several months ago, Fire Chief Bob Palmer spoke at the Center and explained how the Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue can help install smoke alarms in your home. But I have also learned from Marc Berry, there is another source: the American Red Cross. They have launched a national “Home Fire Preparedness Campaign” to reduce the number of fire deaths and injuries by 25% over the next five years for three sobering reasons.
1. Fire related deaths and injuries are highest in homes without smoke alarms. 
2. Last year the Red Cross responded to nearly two home fires each day in Oregon and SW Washington. 
3. More than 60% of fire deaths occur in homes without a working smoke alarm.
To have a free smoke alarm installed by a trained Red Cross volunteer, call 503-528-5783, send an email to preparedness@redcross.org or complete an online form at www.redcross.org/cascadeshfpc.
It is life-or-death important to have working smoke alarms in your home, but it’s not always easy to install them. But now there are two places you can find help: Mid-Columbia Fire and Rescue and the American Red Cross.
There is plenty to do this Saturday besides Christmas shopping, and here are two events I would recommend.
Habitat for Humanity’s annual Holiday Bazaar is Saturday, December 3rd from 10:00 – 2:00 in the UCC Church basement at the corner of 5th and Court Street. There will be vendors, and most important, at least for me, are the delicious baked goods and the soup and pie lunch.
Also, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center is hosting their Holiday Open House and Community Appreciation Day on Saturday, from 12 to 5 p.m. There is free admission from 9:00 – 5:00 with music from 12:00 – 5:00 plus much more.
If you missed the Center’s Holiday Bazaar, you still have a chance to purchase a one-of-a-kind lap blanket for only $25 to $35. You can find them in the Nu-2-U Shop which is open from 10:00 – 3:00 Monday through Friday.
The AARP Smart Driver Class is an easy way to catch up on the current rules-of-the-road and save a few bucks on your car insurance. The class is usually held on the third Monday and Tuesday of every month, but for December the class is on the 12thand 13th. The cost for the class is $20 and $15 for AARP members. Call the Center to sign up.
Continuing the countdown of “40 Great Things about Growing Older”. # 7 – No more kids’ tuition to pay. (Unless you had to take out parent loans – which is a monthly reminder of your wonderful children even if they live thousands of miles away.)
The Center’s 11:00 Tuesday Lecture on December 3rd, will be on Healthy Aging – the subject of the second in a series of videotaped panel presentations from the 2016 Oregon Conference on Aging.
At the Center on Tuesday, December 6th, Andre, KC and Joe will be performing for your listening and dancing enjoyment. Doors open at 6:00, music starts at 6:30 and donations are always appreciated.
The anchorman who ended the CBS Evening News with the words “And that’s the way it is.” was Walter Cronkite. (This week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket each are Maxine Parker and Ed Anghilante.) 
Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday have jump started the Christmas buying frenzy, this week’s “Remember When” question is about a toy many of us received for Christmas when we were just a kid in knickers. What is the name of the clown pictured on the front of a 46-inch-high inflatable punching bag with a sand filled base?  Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a picture of Willard Scott when he played the part of this famous clown from 1959–1962 on WRC-TV in Washington D.C.
Well, it’s been another week, adding two and two and still coming up with twenty-two. Until we meet again, everyone looks better wearing a smile.

“Little by little one travels far.” A Spanish saying