Author Archives: mcseniorcenter

Aging Well February 25th 2014

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“Anybody who thinks talk is cheap should get some legal advice.” – Franklin P. Jones American Journalist and Humorist

Don’t you wish the American legal system was simple, understandable, and inexpensive? But doesn’t it seem like the laws are becoming even more complex, and in the name of clarity and fairness more ambiguous and contradictory, to the point where you just want to throw up your hands and scream “I give up!”

But there may be a time when consulting an attorney is your best and wisest choice. You may have been pressured by a door to door salesman to buy a security system you don’t really need. Or you are threatened by a relative who is living with you. Or you just want to make out a will that will treat your heirs fairly.

But as we all know, legal services are not cheap and are often financially out of reach for many older adults. But for those who feel they can’t afford the cost of legal help, there are several resources available to you. 

Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO) serves people with low-incomes and seniors offering assistance in many areas including elder law. They have a staff of 46 attorneys in offices around the state with their regional office in Portland serving Wasco and Sherman Counties. You can call them at (503) 224-4086 or 1-800-228-6958.

Or you can attend the 11:00 Tuesday Lecture at the Center on March 4th, when Andrea Ogston, an attorney for Legal Aid who focuses on legal help for individuals over the age of 60, will discuss the free legal services available through Legal Aid.

There is also Oregon Law Help – a website which provides a guide to legal information and free civil legal services (non-criminal) for low-income persons and seniors in Oregon. On the website you can locate information on a variety of legal issues, as well as information on how to contact programs providing legal assistance in Oregon. This website is a free service and can be found online at OregonLawHelp.org

And finally, there is the Lawyer Referral Service, provided by the Oregon State Bar, which cannot provide any legal advice or answer any legal questions. But they can refer you to a lawyer who may be able to assist you. After describing your legal issue, they will give you the name and telephone number of a lawyer with whom you can make an appointment for an initial consultation of up to 30 minutes for a maximum fee of $35. You can call them at 503-684-3763 or toll-free in Oregon at 800-452-7636.

Even if you are unsure whether you need to speak with a lawyer, you may still want to contact one of these services to help you determine what kind of assistance you may need and what next steps you may want to take.

You won’t find a four piece band with backup singers, but you will find at the Center NW Pacific vocalist Nehemiah Brown performing the hits made famous by the likes of Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, and Ray Charles. Back by popular demand, Nehemiah will be performing at the Center on Friday, February 28th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. And the cost is $3.00 per person.

If country music is more your style, on Tuesday, March 4th at the Center, the always popular Strawberry Mountain Band will be performing from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. All ages are welcome and donations are appreciated.

The answer to last week’s “Remember When” question is the ABC Wide World of Sports, hosted by the unflappable Jim McKay, that broadcasted over 100 different sports including ice barrel jumping which both Don McAllister and Jess Birge particularly remembered. (And who are the winners of a free Saturday Breakfast on March 15th.)

For this week, the category is international political theater. Who was the Russian premier who in the autumn of 1960 allegedly (although no photograph or video has ever been found) angrily banged his shoe on his desk during a UN General Assembly meeting? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a pair of shoes manufactured in Pirmasens, Germany.

Well, it has been another week waiting for the first glimpse of spring to come around the corner. Until we meet again, it’s never too late to savor new and often unexpected adventures.

“I consider conversations with people to be mind exercises, but I don’t want to pull a muscle, so I stretch a lot. That’s why I’m constantly either rolling my eyes or yawning.” Jarod Kintz

Aging Well February 18th 2014

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Unless you are a Jeremiah Johnson living in the Rocky Mountains, everyone needs to participate in a network of social supports. When raising a family and working full time, those supports came easily. But when the last paid job is only a memory; friends and family have moved or passed away; and the body? Well, it certainly ain’t what it used to be – all these changes make it harder to get out and stay socially connected.
But the effort is worth it. Staying socially engaged provides many benefits for your overall health and wellbeing: new relationships, feelings of accomplishment from learning new skills, the knowledge and information gained from others, and the mental stimulation. In fact, a 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine study showed that social activity for older adults is just as important as exercise and found that folks who were socially inactive experienced physical decline at a rate 1/3 more rapid than those who were socially active – even if they exercised regularly.
But I imagine most of you reading this column are already socially active and maybe even feel you are busier now than when you were working! (But instead of doing what you had to do, you can now do what you want to do, when you want – which is no small potatoes.) But you may also know someone, a friend or even a parent, who you feel needs to get out more and start doing things. For those folks here are several suggestions.
Enjoy a nutritious lunch at the Center provided by Meals-on-Wheels for a suggested donation of $3.75 for anyone over 60, participate in religious or spiritual activities of your choice, attend community events such as the February 23rd A Taste of Literacy (a benefit for The Dalles SMART Program) at the Sunshine Mill. Or for something smaller and quieter, join an interest group (or start one) such as the third Thursday book group at The Dalles/Wasco County Library or the Quilters and the Needle Nutz at the Center. And then there are many places looking for volunteers of all shapes and sizes.
Often transportation is a barrier and if so, you can call LINK at 541-296-7595 to reserve a ride. You may find it less convenient than owning your own car, but how convenient is it to pay for insurance, gas and change flat tires? The fare is from $1.50 to $5.00 each way and you will need exact change. Reservations must be made by 3:00 PM for a ride on the next business day and you may request a ride one to thirty days in advance. And they will make every effort to fulfill all requests for rides.
By popular demand, Nehemiah Brown, a Pacific NW vocalist in the smooth vocal style of Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett, will be returning to the Center on Friday, February 28th from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. The cost is $3.00 per person.
7h3 5imco3 Boy5 will BE back A7 7HE C3N73R n3x7 7u35day 7h3 25th playing 7h3ir rou5ing 57yl3 of mu5icfor your li573ning and dancing 3njoym3n7. 7h3 door5 op3n a7 6:00, mu5ic 57ar7s a7 7:00 and you’ll b3 hom3 by 9:00 or clo53 7o i7. 3v3ryon3 i5 invi73d  And dona7ion5 ar3 ALWAY5 APPR3CIA73D
I stumped most everyone last week except Alex Currie who is the winner of a free Saturday Breakfast on March 15th. And the two Americans who won Gold in the 1960 men’s and women’s figure skating competition? They were David Jenkins and Carol Heiss, who later starred in the movie “Snow White and the Three Stooges”.
For this week’s “Remember When” question, here’s something a little easier but still sports related. Before Bob Costas and Bryant Gumbel were the prime time hosts for the Olympics on NBC, Jim McKay was the host for six Olympics on ABC. But he was also the host of what weekly sports show that spanned the globe “to bring you … the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat…”? And for the bonus question, what sports event do you remember most vividly from that sports show? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with two season passes to the ESPN Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.   
Well, it has been another week trying to keep my head above water while keeping a smile on my face. Until we meet again, it’s not important what song is playing, just keep dancing.

“I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.”  Maya Angelou

Aging Well February 11th 2014

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I hope you have dug yourself out of the snow by the time you read this. But as I was shoveling the snow – for the third time! – my mind wondered back to the days of my childhood when snow was a gift from the heavens giving children a chance to build snow caves, play capture the flag in the back yard ravines, and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows instead of going to school.
But while you were stuck inside, hopefully warm and secure, you may have thought, “What if this snow storm had been worse. No water, no power and no Winter Olympics! What would I have done?” So this may be a good time to remind everyone how important it is to be prepared for an emergency. Here are some quick reminders from FEMA at www.ready.gov and the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/seniors.
First, prepare a kit of basic supplies including one gallon of water per person per day for up to three days; at least three days of non-perishable food including a can opener (and don’t forget the pets); a battery powered radio with extra batteries; and enough medications and medical supplies to last seven days.
Second, make a plan of whom to contact. And because during emergencies it is more difficult to get through on a local call than long distance, include one or two contacts outside of your area code. And often sending a text is more successful than phone calls.
And third, the American Red Cross recommends that you create a personal support network of friends, neighbors or family with whom you should discuss these seven important points. 1. Make arrangements for your support network to immediately check on you during and after an emergency. 2. Exchange important keys. 3. Show them where you keep emergency supplies. 4. Share copies of your relevant emergency documents, evacuation plans and emergency health information card. 5. Agree on and practice methods for contacting each other in an emergency. Do not count on the telephones working. 6. Notify each other when you are going out of town and when you will return. 7. And learn ways you might be able help them as well during an emergency.
Don’t expect the government or the utility companies to immediately come to your rescue. They will be doing their very best to restore services and assist all of those in need. So be prepared by taking responsibility for your own safety. And you can start by having a kit, a plan and your support network in place.
The weather got the best of us last Tuesday, so we postponed Melissa Howtopat’s presentation. We have rescheduled her for next Tuesday February 18th. And in case you have forgotten she will be explaining the many programs and services that the Area Agency on Aging offers including in-home assistance through the Oregon Project Independence program, Friendly Visitor, AARP Money Management and Senior Health Insurance and Benefits Assistance (SHIBA).
Lyn Dalton emailed me a brain teaser, demonstrating the amazing ability of the brain, where one is asked to read a sentence with several key letters replaced by numbers. Using that idea, see if you can read this week’s music announcement. (Congratulations to Diana Weston who won ten quilt raffle tickets for being the first to email me after reading last week’s music announcement in Euro-English.)
N3x7 7u35d4y 3v3n1ng 47 7h3 C3n73r 7rum4n w1ll b3 pl4ying h15 Coun7ry Gold for your l1573n1ng 4nd d4nc1ng pl345ur3. 7he coff33 15 on 4t 6:00, 7h3 mu5ic 574r75 4t 7:00 4nd you c4n 5l1d3 hom3 by 9:00. 3v3ryon3 15 w3lcom3 1nclud1ng 35k1mo5 and pol4r b34r5. 4nd don471on5 4r3 4lw4y5 4ppr3c1473d.
The Super Bowl Trophy was named after Vince Lombardi – the coach of the Green Bay Packers. (The winners of a free Saturday breakfast in March are Virginia McClain and Cheesehead Karl Vercouteran.)
Being how we are in the midst of the 2014 Winter Olympics from Sochi, this week’s “Remember When” question is about the 1960 Winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, California where the US won its first Olympic Gold in Hockey (the forgotten Miracle on Ice). What Americans won the other two gold medals – in men’s and women’s figure skating? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a copy of the movie “Snow White and the Three Stooges“.  
Well, it has been another week slipping and sliding down the snow packed slopes of life.  Until we meet again, stay safe and warm during this winter wonderland. 
“A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” Carl Reiner

Aging Well February 4th 2014

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Maybe it’s the weeks without seeing the sun, or the chilly days cooped up inside, or the late sunrises and early sunsets, but it is easy to get down during these cold grey days of winter in The Dalles.  
And if you do get the “wintertime” blues, you may try to “just get over it” as your parents use to tell you when you broke up with your first puppy love in junior high. Or you may try writing a gratitude list or start watching comedies to perk yourself up.
And if still all your self-remedies are not working: you have lost interest or pleasure in activities; are irritable, tired and have feelings of worthlessness, guilt, and hopelessness. And you feel you have been stuck in your sadness or grief for too long, you may be suffering from depression.
Andrew Soloman, who wrote the award winning book The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, describes his own depression as the opposite of vitality. In 1994, three years after a series of personal losses things changed for him. He no longer wanted to do the things he regularly did and he didn’t know why. He knew his reactions were ridiculous but he couldn’t do anything about it. And through his emotional horror he saw depression as “… much, much too much sadness, much too much grief at far too slight a cause.”
Depression affects fifteen in every one hundred adults over 65 – of which 70% are women. It is a serious illness that should not be confused with sadness and grief which we all experience at different times of our lives. Depression is nothing to be ashamed of or to hide from. And it is not a natural part of aging! But most importantly it is treatable. If you feel you may have depression, talk to your health care provider to find help so you can climb out of the emotional abyss of depression and live a fuller and happier life.
Walking is an activity most anyone can do, offers a multitude of health benefits and most importantly – it’s cheap! But as we walk to improve our stamina, mobility and balance, we should also be aware of the dangers of falling. On Tuesday February 11th at 11:00, Ann Stanley and Linda Alexander from Columbia Gorge Spine and Sports Medicine will discuss the benefits of walking and how to prevent falls as we get older.
Two reminders: Don’t forget to have your Passport to Happiness passport stamped at the StrongWomen’s table during the Go Red for Women’s Heart Expo at The Civic Auditorium on Friday from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. And if you are one of the millions who own an Apple iPad (or an iPhone) join us at the Center on Wednesday, February 5th from 1:00 – 2:30 PM to learn more about the many ways to use your new device.  .
Now that you are fluent in the new Euro-English spelling, I’ll use it one more time for the Center’s music announcement. Tusday night on February 11th Martin and Friends vil be performing for yur dansing and listning pleasur.  Ze dors opn at 6:00, musik starts at 7:00 and ze fun nds at 9:00. (And to se if yu ar stil reading zis, if yu ar ze first to email me or kal the Senter, you’l reseive ten fre quilt rafle tikets.) And I mustn’t forget …everyon is velkom and donations ar apresiated.
English grammar can be a cruel mistress. You forget one verb, a punctuation mark and confusion breaks out! It was pointed out to me that last week I forgot to include “was” and a question mark. The sentence should have read “… the popular television show “Candid Camera” which ran on NBC from 1960-1967 was hosted by what television personality?” which explains why only Sandy Haechrel emailed the correct answer: Allen Funt.
But this week’s “Remember When” question is inspired by the Seahawks dominant (and boring?) victory in Sunday’s Super Bowl. After their win, the team took home the Super Bowl trophy named after Vince Lombardi who coached what team to the first two Super Bowl victories? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a “cheesehead” hat first worn in 1987.
Well, it has been another week enjoying the rollercoaster of life’s ups and downs. Until we meet again, as Vivian Greene wrote “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass—it’s about learning to dance in the rain!”

“Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me, but deep down I know that’s not true. Some smaller countries are neutral.”—Robert Orben

Aging Well January 28th 2014

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There are many organizations in the Mid-Columbia supporting older adults, but there are very few whose only mission is the health and wellbeing of older adults. One of those organizations is the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) operated under the Mid-Columbia Council of Governments serving a five county region: Wheeler, Gilliam, Sherman, Wasco and Hood River counties.

Through the Older Americans Act (OAA), the AAA receives funds for food and nutrition programs, support services, and planning and coordination of local services. The AAA also receives funds from the state of Oregon to operate the Oregon Project Independence program which pays for in-home services so older adults can stay in their homes and live as independently as possible.

 But the AAA also recruits and trains many volunteers to provide several other important services for older adults including the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program (SHIBA) that offers free counseling to people eligible for Medicare; Friendly Visitor program that helps older adults stay socially connected, and the AARP Money Management program that provides help with simple financial tasks such as paying bills and balancing a check book.

If you would like to learn more for yourself or someone you know, at the Center on Tuesday, February 4th at 11:00, Melissa Howtopat will explain the many important services offered by local Area Agency on Aging.

 Hopefully you have received your Passport to Happiness Calendar in the mail. (If not you can still pick one up at the Center.) To encourage a healthy and active lifestyle, there is a Passport, in addition to the Calendar, that you can pick up to be stamped each month at various community activities promoting healthy aging including the quarterly events held at the Center. Then in December at the last event, you can turn in your passport for prizes and gifts donated by local businesses and individuals.

 The first community event where you can have your Passport stamped is the Go Red for Women’s Heart Expo at The Dalles Civic Auditorium on Friday February 7th from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. Pick up your Passport at the StrongWomen table and have it stamped by Fern Wilcox the volunteer coordinator for the StrongWomen program. And each month another community event will be announced where your “Passport” can be stamped.

 Two quick reminders: The first Creative Drawing class at the Center (led by Debra Jones and based on the Art of Silliness Drawing Workshop created by Carla Sonheim) is next Tuesday from 1:00 – 2:30. Call the Center for the supply list and the cost is only $2.00 per session. And if for Christmas, you bought a new iPad or iPhone for yourself or your children bought one for you, there will be a iPad/iPhone class on Wednesday February 5th from 1:00 – 2:30 pm.

 I hope you have stayed up with me regarding the proposed changes to English spelling called “Euro-English”. For this week’s music announcement, I am adding the last three changes: replacing “th” with a “z”, the “w” with “v”; and dropping the “o” from words containing “ou”.

 Nxt vek starts a vhol new monz and on ze first Tuesday night in February (4th) if yu want to “kut a rug!”, kom on down to ze Cnter and njoy the sunds of ze Stravbery Mountain Band. Ze dors open at 6:00, and althugh it von’t be all night, yu kan dans from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Everyon is velkom and donations are apresiated.

The answer to last week’s “Remember When” question is Wingtips – a style of leather shoe decorated on the toe cap with perforations in the shape of a “W”. (And the winner of a free March 21st Saturday Breakfast is Ted Mahoney.)

 This week’s question was inspired by the funny YouTube video “Smart Dog Drives Smart Car” emailed to me by Diana Weston. It is one of hundreds of pranks found on the “Just for Laugh Gags” channel on YouTube. But the videos reminded me of the popular television show “Candid Camera” which ran on NBC from 1960-1967 hosted by what television personality. E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a picture of Durward Kirby, the co-host of the show for several years. 

Well, it has been another week wondering for how long will I have to drive out of town to see the sun? Until we meet again, in conversations when you start digging yourself into a hole, know when to put down the shovel.

 “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” Joseph Addison

Aging Well January 21st 2014

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We all know that as long as we physically can, we should keep moving and regularly engage in some kind of movement/exercise activity. Be we have also learned – if it is all work and no play, it is no fun and we probably won’t continue for very long.
One key I have found for making exercise fun and enjoyable is to exercise with others. By sharing stories, personal foibles and wacky experiences, I make the social connections that keeps me coming back even when I could think of other things to do – like stay in bed.
An example is the Strong Women’s class at the Center. I have often wondered if they were actually exercising or just drinking scotch and sodas and telling lewd stories. Fern Wilcox, who is probably responsible for it all, is still teaching the class which she started before she retired as an OSU Extension faculty member. 
But the class is more than just laughing and telling stories. There are many proven benefits of the Strong Women’s class: increased muscle mass, strength and balance; improved bone density and reduced risk for osteoporosis; reduced risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, depression, and obesity; and improved self-confidence, sleep and vitality. The class is every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 2:00 – 3:00 and the cost is a suggested donation of $2.00 per session.
But if you rather enjoy being alone or with a couple of friends, and enjoy the outdoors where you can really experience the different seasons, walking is an easy, inexpensive and convenient form of exercise to consider.
If you would like to start walking for exercise or even if you are already walking, you will be interested in the Center’s Tuesday Lecture on February 11that 11:00 when Ann Stanley and Linda Alexander, from Gorge Spine and Sports Medicine, will be discussing the importance of walking as we age, offer advice and tips on how to walk safely and then end with a walking test to assess your risks for falling.
There are many ways to keep moving. Strong Women and walking are just a few of the choices offered in the community whether at the Center, the Dalles Fitness and Court Club or Water’s Edge. But what is really the best exercise for your health and wellbeing? Whatever you will do – and keep doing!
And a quick reminder. Next Tuesday at the Center on the 28th at the 11:00, Joyce Powell Morin from MCMC will discuss the “Healing Power of Gratitude and Optimism”.
Last week I introduced the new (tongue-in-cheek) English spelling called “Euro-English”. For this week’s Tuesday Night Music announcement, I am incorporating two more changes: the removal of double letters and the wasteful silent e.
Nxt Tusday at the Senter, the Simco Boys wil kep you steping out on the danse flor with their spesial brand of kountry musik. Dors open at 6:00, the band starts piking and struming at 7:00 and you kan go home by 9:00. And to kep the rom warm and the band hapy, donations larg or smal ar always apresiated.  .
Last week’s “Remember When” question brought back memories for several folks particularly Marilyn Gladwell (the winner of a Saturday Breakfast on March 15th) who remembers wearing “petticoats” as in the “Petticoat Junction” TV show. I learned she and many others called them “crinolines”, short for crinoline petticoats.  Marilyn describes them as often made with net and a very heavy starch, or even plain gelatin to make them stiffer to create the desired fullness. And as she sat down, they would often make loud crackling noises. Ah, the joys of our youth!
Since last week’s question was about women’s fashion, this week’s question should be about men’s. But what can you ask about men’s fashions? Not much. But let’s try this one from my youth.
When I was in high school, my dad made sure I had the proper shoes for church and the formal high school dances that he tried to bribe me to go to! What was the name of this style of leather shoe decorated with perforations on the toe cap in the shape of a “W” and is still worn today but in many more colors? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a pair of Scottish ghillie brogues.

Well, it has been another week trying to be more help than a bother. Until we meet again, as the sign in the Mayflower Coffee Shop in Chicago says “As you wonder on through life, sister/brother, whatever be your goal, keep your eye upon the donut, and not on the hole.” 

Aging Well January 14 2014

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Life can be so serious. When we were younger we were focused on pursuing a career, raising a family, and for many putting their lives at risk serving our nation in Germany, Korea or Vietnam. And now there are doctor visits, all those pills, and children who we once told when they had to go to bed, now trying to telling us what we should and shouldn’t do. (Ironic isn’t it.)
But now that you are retired or maybe still working, but only part time, there is time (maybe too much time?) that you didn’t have before to try something new – that is light and fun and stretches your perception of what you can do.  
I don’t mean riding Portland’s MAX in your underwear for No Pants Day. I mean taking the Art of Silliness Drawing Workshop – a creative drawing class led by Debra Jones that involves drawing exercises that makes drawing fun.
As you can imagine, this is not your traditional drawing class. It is based on the work of Carla Sonheim and her “Art of Silliness Drawing Classes”. (www.carlasonheim.com.) As Debra explains, it is all about the creative process being fun. And is perfect for the person who feels they can’t draw or aren’t creative. The workshop will offer you a chance to draw without any expectations, without comparisons, without fear, but with the freedom to follow you own instincts and add a little whimsy in your life.
And there is no limit on class size! The cost is only $2.00 for each session and the sessions will be held at the Center from 1:00 – 2:30 on four consecutive Tuesdays starting February 4th.  You will receive a supply list when you sign up at the Center.
So when everything can seem so serious, and when the grey winter skies never seem to lift, why not add a little silliness by signing up for the Art of Silliness Drawing Workshop – and you won’t have to take your pants off!.
At the 11:00 Tuesday Lecture on the 21st, you will experience an example where art, history and technology intersect with a discussion of the online Cultural Institute. Google has partnered with hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures – online and accessible to everyone. And then on the 28th Joyce Powell Morin from MCMC will discuss the “Healing Power of Gratitude and Optimism” which was postponed in December.
Jerry Phillips forwarded me a statement by the European Commission announcing the new official language of the European Union. It was agreed that English would be best, but because English spelling had room for improvement, they negotiated a 5- year phase-in plan to what would become known as “Euro-English”. (But don’t believe everything you read!)
So I thought I would write the music announcement incorporating the new spelling – starting with the changes for the first two years: replacing the soft “c” with an “s”, and the hard “c” with a “k”; and replacing the confusing “ph” with “f”.
Next Tuesday at the Senter, Truman will be playing his Kountry Gold for your dansing and listening pleasure. The doors open at 6:00, the musik starts at 7:00 and the doors klose at 9:00. Everyone is invited inkluding nieces, nefews, aunts and unkles. And donations are appresiatively aksepted.
Several readers remembered singer, composer and pianist Neil Sedaka and his 1961 hit single Calendar Girl. And as Joann Scott pointed out, a time when you could understand the words, and I might add, were not embarrassed by them. (And the winner of a Saturday Breakfast on March 15th is Marilyn Gladwell.)
Shifting gears once again, this week’s two part “Remember When” question is about fashion. If you asked teenagers today, they probably wouldn’t have a clue, but what was the name of the piece of clothing commonly worn under a woman’s skirt in the 50’s and 60’s?  And to be more specific, this article of clothing was used in the title of what television comedy (1963-1970) that took place in the Shady Rest Hotel? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a picture of the Hooterville Cannonball.
Well, it has been another week trying to keep the light on without the bulb burning out. Until we meet again, as Hector in his search for Happiness, once said “There’s no point in looking before crossing the road if you don’t look in the right direction.”
“What did you do as a child that made the hours pass like minutes? Here is the key to your earthly pursuits.” — Carl Jung

Aging Well January 7th

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The free 2014 Passport to Happiness Calendar is now available and if you don’t receive one in the mail in the next week, you can stop by the Center or OSU Extension office at CGCC and pick one up. And thanks to the suggestions from many folks, the 2014 calendar has a few changes to make it even better than 2013.
This year there will be quarterly Passport to Happiness events instead of monthly – focusing on three components of health: social, physical and cognitive health. The events will start at 1:00 at the Center, so you can have lunch provided by Meals-on-Wheels and then stay for the presentation. The first event will be on January 15th from 1:00 – 2:30 at the Center – once again featuring guest speakers, useful tips, informative handouts and more healthy recipes.
At this first event you can also pick up your 2014 Passport which can be stamped at each of the quarterly events as well as other sponsored events offered by Parks and Recreation, OSU Extension, the Center and other organizations promoting healthy aging. And then at the end of the year Celebration in December, you can redeem your Passport stamps for special prizes and gifts.
This year the calendar is smaller: 8 ½ by 11, so it will be easier to hang on your wall. But it does not include a resource guide, so don’t throw away the resource guide in your 2013 calendar. And the many activities in the area are now listed in the back of calendar, so there will be room on each month to add your appointments and other important events you don’t want to forget.
But still included are the monthly seasonal recipes from OSU’s www.FoodHero.org website. And outstanding photographs of local folks engaged in healthy activities from quilting at the Center to volunteering at the Chamber of Commerce and the Habitat ReStore Store (who are always looking for volunteers), once again taken by Ray Perkins at Ray Perkins Photography.
But the calendar would not be possible without the generous financial support of the following sponsors who are committed to supporting older adults: OSU Extension, Hearts of Gold Caregiving, Rebecca Street Physical Therapy, Mid-Columbia Medical Center, Flagstone, PacificSource, Regence and BiCoastal Media. As well as several monthly sponsors including Area Agency on Aging, LINK Transportation Network, Mid-Columbia Community Action, Columbia Basin Care Facility, Mid-Columbia Senior Center, and Jim Bishop at Westcorp Mortgage.
And finally, the Calendar was a collaborative effort of the Wasco County Network on Aging whose members are working together to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults. The Network ‘s key partners are OSU Extension, Mid-Columbia Community Action, MCMC, Area Agency on Aging, Oregon Department on Aging and People with Disabilities, Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation and the Mid-Columbia Senior Center.
It’s time again to challenge that three pound organ taking up space between your ears by seeing if you can decipher the scrambled letters in the Center’s music announcement. (Researchers have found we don’t read letter by letter but by the whole word, so it isn’t usually that difficult – if the first and last letters are the same.)
On Jaunray 14th Matrin and Feidnrs will be pckniig and sumimnrtg your old time corutny fivaroets. Doros oepn at 6:00, dcannig sattrs at 7:00 and the band starts pakincg at 9:00. Eovyrnee is welmoce and datonnois are ataerpciepd. 

For fifty years at the stroke of midnight (if yoiu were still awake) you could listen to Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadials playing Auld Lang Syne from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. (And the winner of a Saturday Breakfast on March 15th (write that down on your new calendar) is Bill Van Nice.)  But since the 2014 Passport to Happiness Calendar is now available, it only seems appropriate to ask a “Remember When” question related to calendars, right? So this week who was the Americal pop singer, pianist and composer who sang and co-wrote the hit single “Calendar Girl” that reached #4 in 1961? (He also recorded “Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen” and “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.) Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a picture of this performer “laughing in the rain” im 1975.


Well, it has been another week trying once again to recalibrate my brain so I will start writing 2014 instead of 2013.  Until we meet again, be well, be kind and be amazing.

”To be seventy years young is sometimes far more cheerful and hopeful than to be forty years old.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Aging Well December 31st

Aging Well in the Gorge No Comments

The new year is knocking, anxious to get started with a six pack of football games on New Year’s Day – unashamedly named after the highest corporate bidder. (Ah, the days when the bowl games were named after things that were simple and basic: Cotton, Oranges, Sugar, and Roses.) But this is also the time of the year for new beginnings and the tradition of making resolutions for a new year. (But hold on now. Don’t turn the page! You might believe resolutions are just a waste of time, because you’ve lived this long, so why should you change?

But think about it. There might be some new habits you want to make or some old ones you want to change. What was the doctor telling you? Maybe you should start an exercise class – that yoga or Tai Chi class to work on your balance? Or eat better – by reducing your salt and fat intake? Things you never worried about, but now realize how important they are. And those changes just might improve your health and help you live a little longer.

So if you decide that New Year’s resolutions might not be such a bad idea, here are nine tips from the Happiness Project website www.happiness-project.com that were distributed at the last Passport to Happiness Event on the 18th.

 1. Write your resolution down and be specific. Instead of “make new friends” describe how – such as “start a movie group” or “join an exercise class”.
 2. Review your resolution constantly so you won’t forget.
 3. Hold yourself accountable. Don’t make excuses.
 4. Think big. Make your resolution inspiring and exciting.
 5. Or think small. Something simple and doable.
 6. Separate your resolution, no matter how small, into manageable tasks.
 7. Work on your resolution every day. It is easier to do something consistently than to skip days
8. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The best exercise it the one you will actually do.
 9. As mentioned before, don’t make excuses, BUT if you keep breaking your resolution, no use constantly beating yourself up. Try a different approach that will get you to the same goal.

 These are some suggestions to help you set and achieve your goals for a new year. Because as Carl Bard once said, “Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new beginning.”

 After two weeks off, it is time again for the Center’s Tuesday Night music announcement. And I will keep it simple for one more week. On December 7th the Strawberry Mountain Band will be starting off the new year of music with three chord country favorites. Doors open at 6:00, dancing starts at 7:00 and it’ll be time to go home by 9:00. Everyone is welcome and donations are appreciated.

 The 11:00 Tuesday Lecture on the 7th will feature another taped video presentation from the National Forum on Brain Health at the 2013 Aging in America Conference held in Washington D.C. last April. The topic is “Meditation, Mindfulness, Aging, and the Brain”.

 And just before I enter the home stretch, I just have to ask, am I the only one who starts reading a book and half way through realizes I have already read it? Or while watching a TV mystery I have already watched, and the detectives are closing in on identifying the murder, I still can’t recall who it was! Just wondering.

 The New York department store that hired Kris Kringle in the movie Miracle on 34th Street was Macy’s – and its archrival was Gimbels. (And the winner of a free breakfast – but who will have to wait till the next Saturday breakfast in March – is Helen Lynch.)

 But this week’s “Remember When” question is about New Years celebrations before the days of Dick Clark. Between 1928 and 1976, America welcomed the New Year listening to Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians playing from what New York hotel? And for bonus points what song did he make popular playing at midnight every year? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or send it with a book of poems by Robert Burns.

 Well, it has been another week making the best of what comes my way. Until we meet again, it is amazing how you always find what you’re looking for at the very last place you look.

 “One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.” John Burroughs

Aging Well December 24th

Aging Well in the Gorge No Comments

During this season of peace and good will, it is often a good time to reflect on how we are all far from perfect and complete and to paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt “in need of both love and charity”.

 And neither are we totally independent – nor should we want to be. The African word Ubuntu which means “I am what I am because of who we all are” describes this relationship we have with others: the natural interconnectedness where we both give and receive, as we help others while others help us. This interconnectedness makes us more complete human beings and stronger communities as we share our strengths and talents to offset our weaknesses.

 But as we age we tend to move more towards dependency on others – whether it is opening doors, needing a ride or help with daily bathing. But as we learn to accept more help, we can still continue to find our own ways to give back, to stay interconnected in the give and take of life.

 For example, if you enjoy children, read to them through the SMART or READ OUT LOUD programs. If you enjoy building, pick up a hammer and volunteer with Habitat. If you like to listen, visit the home bound through your church. And if you are home bound, make phone calls for local organizations. Or you can give back in more subtle ways: offering a word of encouragement to someone struggling emotionally, a friendly smile to a haggard cashier – or being an example of how to live with dignity and grace during difficult times.

As Joni Mitchell once sang, we have seen life “from both sides, now”. We know the ups and downs; the success and failures; the loves and losses. And with that perspective, we all have much to offer.

 So here at the end of the year, I want to thank all of you who are giving back in your own personal ways – both large and small. Those of you who offer a helping hand and a friendly smile, who are quick to forgive and slow to anger, and especially you who spread laughter and good cheer – by telling some really bad jokes.

 And at the Center there are so many to thank starting with all the volunteers and members who support the Center in their own and many ways. They are the backbone of the Center – and most of the time the brains too. And all the folks at Meals-on-Wheel. It is not easy to share a space (Have you ever tried to share an apartment?) It takes a tremendous amount of respect and trust – and laughter – to make such a close relationship work.

 I also want to thank all the fine folks who work at the many community organizations who are there to support older adults: the Area Agency on Aging, Aging and People with Disabilities, OSU Extension, Mid-Columbia Community Action Program, Columbia Cascade Housing, MCMC, Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation to name a few.

 With all of us working together: individuals, non-profits, churches, public agencies and businesses, we can create the interconnected web of social supports that improve the health and wellbeing of not only older adults but the whole community. And although we are far from perfect, we can make a better place for all of us to live. 

The cap made famous by Fess Parker in the Disney mini-series Davy Crockett (which many of us young boys of the 50’s had to have) was the coonskin cap. And the doll that could both “drink-and-wet” was the Betsy Wetsy doll.

 And for the last Christmas related “Remember When” question, the Academy Award winning Miracle on 34th Street was filmed in 1947 and starred Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn who played Kris Kringle.. What was the name of the department store that hired Kris Kringle and – to make it a little more challenging – the name of its competitive rival? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or mail it with 21 bags of letters addressed to Santa.

 Well, it has been another week of Christmas lights and Christmas carols, cookies and hot chocolate, while waiting for what Santa brings. Until we meet again, as the Irish would toast “May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, the angels protect you, and heaven accept you”.

 “What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace.” ~Agnes M. Pahro