Aging Well February 1st

After having been around the block for a few decades, I can’t help seeing different trends and styles disappear, then circle back and become popular again. Look at clothing. In recent years, several styles have found a second life: madras pants, bell bottoms, peddle-pushers and mini-skirts (with all the styles you see today covering just the bare necessities, mini-skirts just don’t illicit the same response as they did in the 60’s). Of course not everything is recycled. I never thought of wearing pajamas outside the house or wearing flip-flops during winter. But I guess each generation has to stretch the boundaries in their own way.

But what about the language of our youth - those words that identified us as being “cool” or ‘hip” in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Do they have a second life? Could we start a national tidal wave resurrecting a few linguistic antiques from the past? Just imagine hearing comments like “Hey, big daddy that cane is “far out”. Or “Man there’s nothing cookin’ around here. Let’s split this nursing home and find some pad where we can crash.” Or, “Hey, baby, if I can find the car keys do you want to go with me to see the submarine races?

So what do you want to bring back to the world stage of slang? Grody? Fuddy –duddy? Or how about ginned-up (which means dressed –up for those who might have had a different idea.) We could bring coolness back to today’s generation and it could all start here. And wouldn’t that be groovy!

The Next Chapter lecture for Tuesday February 8th will be Stephen Jupe - principal of The Dalles Wahtonka High School. He will explain two new initiatives they have started at the High School: Credit Proficiency and S.P.I.R.I.T. And if you have been afraid to enter the halls of “teen spirit”, but still want to know what is happening at the high school, this is your chance.

At the Center, on Tuesday the 8^th, The Cherry Park band will be plucking and grinning – just like Buck Owens and Roy Clark - till the lights go out. And if you like to dance (and want to skip a night of Bingo) high step it over to the Cherry Park Grange on the first and third Saturday nights starting a 7:00 PM. Tonight the Strawberry Band will offer up their country sounds for your dancing and listening pleasure. So come on in from the cold - everybody is welcome. And Betty and Janice want me to remind you that donations are appreciated - to keep the floors clean, the lights on and the music humming.

Two weeks ago I crowed that I had the times correct for the AARP Tax Aide program - which is unusual for me. But it appears that Ronelle Currie, the program’s volunteer coordinator, must have heard and just had to prove me wrong and changed the Friday sessions to start at 2:00 - an hour earlier than usual. But I am a big boy and I can handle it. And it does give the volunteers another hour to help more folks. So I am almost, absolutely, positively sure that the hours for the AARP Tax Aide, in the basement of the Center, are from 2:00 - 6:00 on Fridays and 9:00 - 1:00 on Saturdays starting this Friday the 4th..

Several folks remembered Gene Krupa as the drummer for the Benny Goodman Band and if you go to the Center’s website at midcolumbiaseniorcenter.com you will find a short video of the Benny Goodman Band with Harry James and Gene Krupa performing “Sing, Sing, Sing”. And the winner was Betty Serna who had seen Gene Krupa perform in Denver with the Benny Goodman band.

This week’s “Remember When” question (thanks to Bob Haechral) has to be the Super Bowl - the biggest event on America’s sports calendar. There are only two teams that have lost four - count them - four Super Bowl games without winning one. One of the teams is the Buffalo Bills but the other is the only NFL football team in the state and has brought pain and despair to its 5.2 million residents. What is the name of this NFL football team? E-mail your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or write it on the back of an 8x10 glossy of “The Purple People Eaters”.

Well, it’s another day pitching pennies. Until we meet again, be cool, hang loose and don’t be a drag.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”Andre Gide quotes - French writer,