An important part of healthy aging is to keep moving and staying as active as possible– both physically and mentally. And if you can make it fun, it is a whole lot easier. One way to stay active while having fun is geocaching – a sport that has attracted thousands of international players. It is like a worldwide scavenger hunt that is good clean fun for everyone: parents, kids and grandkids. You use GPS devices (you can even download Geocaching applications to GPS enabled smartphones) to search for hidden containers called geocaches. And it is inexpensive – although you can travel to over 200 countries looking for geocaches!
If you are intrigued, the Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation is offering a Geocaching 101 Workshop at 10:00 on Friday October 12th. Just meet at the Parks and Recreation office at 414 Washington Street. Daniel Kittelson, the new Activities Coordinator, will show you how to operate a GPS receiver (which is provided) and find treasures hidden all over The Dalles! (And with a school in-service day, you can bring your grandkids!) The cost is only $10 per family. For more information call 541-296-9533. And you can also visit The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site website at geocaching.com and learn more about geocaching and the Great 2013 Geocaching Block Party Travel Bug Race.
Thanks to everyone who attended the Baby Back Rib Dinner at the Center last Friday evening to support The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels and the Senior Center (and to enjoy some finger licking good Baby Back Ribs). It was made possible by all the hardworking volunteers – from cooks to greeters, the lively bluegrass music performed by Hardshell Harmony, Meadow Outdoor advertising, and the local businesses who contributed to the silent auction. And a BIG THANK-YOU to the evening’s sponsor: Mill Creek Point Senior Living. Their sponsorship covered the cost of the food and music so every dollar from ticket sales and the silent auction went directly to Meals-on-Wheels and the Senior Center. Mill Creek Point is being acquired by Springs Living, LLC and it was a pleasure to introduce the President and Founder of Springs Living, LLC, Fee Stubblefield, to the dinner crowd. (He also pitched in and helped serve dinner). It was a successful evening with wonderful friends. And we hope to see everyone back next year on the first Friday in October.
When you receive your Annual Notice of Change letter from your Medicare plan, you may have questions as you decide if it is still the right plan for you. If you do have Medicare questions, sign up for free help at the Center from 1:00 – 4:00 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays starting October 17th. It is provided by trained SHIBA, (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) volunteers coordinated by Shirley Ludlow at the local Area Agency on Aging. Shirley is also scheduling appointments at other meal sites. If you want to find out if there will be a SHIBA volunteer in your area, call her at 541-298-4101.
If it is hard and makes you think – that is not a bad thing. So get out your decoder ring and see if you can read this week’s Tuesday Night music announcement. Snmhfgs, Martin and Friends vhkk ad cqhmjhmf bneedd zmc okzxhmf bzqcr. Zmc mdws Stdrczx nm sgd 16th, Truman vhkk ad btsshmf gzhq. Sgd ltrhb rszqsr zs 7:00, dudqxnmd hq vdkbnld zmc cnmzsjnmr zqd zooqdbhzsdc.
Snoopy was the Red Barron’s flying nemesis and whose heroics were put to song and recorded in 1966 by the American rock band “The Royal Guardsman”. (And the winner of a free Saturday Breakfast on October 20th is Don McAllister.)
For this week’s “Remember When” questions, let’s go back to TV trivia, but with a different flavor. This dog was found in a bombed-out dog kennel during WWI and was named after the finger puppets given to American soldiers by French children. He starred in twenty three movies and his kin were featured in film, radio and television including a television series named after him that ran on ABC from 1954 through 1959. What was this famous dog’s name? Email your answer to the mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or mail it with a case of Ken-L Ration.
Well, it has been another week, trying to stay out of trouble and in the good graces of my wife. Until we meet again, don’t blame someone for not doing what you kept them from doing in the first place.
“When you’re getting run out of town on a rail, get to the front of the line and call it a parade”
