Aging Well in the Gorge November 21st 2017

We all face our own struggles and challenges as we get older – and it can be tough. But what can give us strength is to take time to appreciate the many ways we have been blessed: the grandkids - or great grandkids, the conversations with friends at lunch or bible study; or just the fact that we are still moving.  Helen Lynch recently told me, “I may take twice as many steps, but I still get there!”

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. By appreciating what we do have, we discover what is truly important - which aren’t the “things” that are constantly pitched to us this time of year. I hope you have found the joy in these “bonus” years of your life and the strength to overcome any challenges you may face. Have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving!

The “Power of Nine” are nine lessons from the Blue Zones – places in the world where the inhabitants have lived much longer, healthier, and happier lives than the average American. This fourth Blue Zone lesson is timely because during Thanksgiving there is a tendency, or even an expectation, to overindulge at the dinner table.

This week’s lesson is to eat less by following the 80% Rule: when you feel you are 80% full, stop eating. (But we can make an exception during Thanksgiving, right? I don’t want to offend the cook!)

The Center’s 2018 membership drive has begun. If you are 2017 member, you should have received your membership renewal letter in the mail.  But if you have never been a member of the Center and have been thinking that it’s about time to support the work of the Center, there is no better time than now. The membership fee is $35 person or $60 per couple or if you want to be a Super-Duper Member, $50 per person. Mail you check to the Center at 1112 W 9^th Street with your name, address, phone number and email address. Or you can go to the Center’s website at www.midcolumbiseniorcenter.com. And to all our members, thank-you for supporting the Center’s mission of providing older adults opportunities “to explore, connect and contribute”.

This is my last chance to shout from mountain high, THERE ARE STILL TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THE SINGING CHRISTMAS TREE at the Keller Auditorium in Portland on Sunday November 26^th. The cost is $75 which includes transportation. You have your choice of seats in the balcony or row D on the main floor. Call the Center by Wednesday or if you are a procrastinator, you can text or call me on my cell at 541-980-4645.

The medical equipment loan closet is one of the Center’s most popular services.  Whether it is because you can’t afford the equipment, you need something until Medicare authorizes it, or you just need a wheelchair for a weekend trip, give the Center a call first before you go buy something. The Center may have what you need, and the only cost is a suggested donation of $5.

The person who taught the young man to say “Ooo eee, ooo ah ah, ting tang, walla walla bang bang” to persuade a woman to return his love for her was the Witch Doctor, the title of the 1958 novelty hit. (I received correct answers from Jerry Phillips, Betsy Ayers, Don McAllister and this week’s winner of a free quilt raffle ticket Jess Birge.)

This week’s “Remember When” question is a challenging one - about a 1965 special Thanksgiving television episode to honor the first appearance of this Saturday cartoon canine hero in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Let’s see if anyone in the audience can remember the hero in this popular Saturday morning cartoon series.

What was the name of the canine hero in the episode “Simon Says, No Thanksgiving” which also included Shoeshine Boy and his love interest Sweet Polly Purebread and the villain Simon Bar Sinister? (They sure had great character names back then!) Email your answer to www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send it with a recording of Wally Cox shouting "There's no need to fear, … is here!"

Well, it’s been another week, keeping the home fires burning. Until we meet again, the more you worry, the more you forget.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” Melody Beattie