A nice
group has been gathering at the Center at 11:00 on Fridays to share thoughts
about life from a sixty, seventy, eighty and even 90-year-old perspective.
Called “Let’s Talk” the group has decided to keep meeting and you are welcome
to join us. Next Friday the topic of our conversation will be what do we enjoy
doing with our time. Traveling? Volunteering? Hobbies? Taking naps in the
afternoon?
One
topic we have already discussed is what we worry about. And what do you think
the most common answer was? It was falling - which most everyone has
experienced including myself. One take away from the discussion was the importance
of paying attention - which isn’t easy for me. When I’m moving, I like to let
my mind wonder which I find therapeutic and often helps me remember what I’ve
forgotten. But that isn’t always a good idea if you want to remain vertical.
Paying
attention can help you avoid those painful lessons learned, such as Lesson One:
hold on the handrail when using the stairs, because the stairs is the last
place you want to fall. Or Lesson Two: pick up your feet when walking to avoid
the little stumble which can turn into a nasty fall and black and blue all
over.
Whether
you are driving, walking, climbing down the stairs - pay attention. It is your
insurance plan to avoid any unnecessary unpleasantness. A vacation stay in the nearest
hospital is not the ideal way to spend time away from home.
This
year November 11th falls on a Sunday, so Veterans Day will be
observed on Monday, November 12th. Consequently, on Monday the
Center and Meals-on-Wheels will be closed, and the annual Veterans Parade will
be held starting at 11:00. Also, if you haven’t checked it out already, Columbia
Gorge Veterans Museum will be open on Monday from 10:00 – 3:00 PM.
And
speaking of Veterans Day, I use to include an apostrophe in Veterans Day. But I’ve
learned. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs website, the official
spelling should NOT be possessive case with an apostrophe "because it is
not a day that 'belongs' to veterans, it is a day for honoring all veterans.”
There
is a wealth of information on the Internet – some amusing, some frightening;
some informative and some brain numbing. But one gem I came across on the Next Avenue website was an article explaining
the calming effects of - what do you think? Aromatherapy? Yoga? A nice soak in
a hot tub? No. It’s therapy chickens! I never would have thought - maybe
because I grew up in the city where the closest I came to farm animals was a
yappy family dog. But apparently, if you are stressed out dealing with your
latest ailment or your adult children telling you how to live, you should
consider raising chickens.
And
the Center can get your started. On display at the Center is a beautiful
two-level Chicken Coop for which you can purchase a raffle ticket for $10 or
three for $25. But here’s a better idea. Win the chicken coop for your adult
children - so they can relax and stop bothering you!
The
second-biggest charting artist of the late 1950s with thirty-eight top-40 hits, who hosted a variety
television series from 1957
through 1960; and appeared in more than twelve Hollywood films was Pat Boone. (I
received correct answers from Alice Mattox, Dale Roberts, Sherry Brent, Sandy
Haechrel, Jess Birge, Bobetta Stewart, Carol Earl, Lana Tepfer and this week’s
winner of a quilt raffle ticket, Michael Carrico - living in the Columbia River
GorgeUs.)
I’m going to stick with music, but a decade
later - during the “British Invasion”. For this week’s “Remember When” question,
what was the name of the band with the photogenic lead singer and a simple,
non-threatening, and clean-cut image that in 1965 had four top-three hits
including a recording of a British music hall song which the lead singer’s
Irish grandfather use to sing. Email your answer to
www.mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-296-4788 or send your
answer with a family picture of Mrs. Brown and her lovely daughter.
Well,
it’s been another week wishing that as I grow older there would be at least one
thing getting easier. Until we meet
again, keep moving even though at times it may seem like you’re going backwards.
“The
soldier, above all others, prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must
suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” General Douglas MacArthur
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