BEACON - November 2015

NOVEMBER 2015 Vol. 29

No. 11

Mesa County’s Monthly Newspaper for Adults 50+. Over 28,350 Readers.

FREEE IN S ID

Final Flight B-17 pilot makes one last run

Photo by Melissa Trottier

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NOVEMBER 2015

EDITORIAL

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What is it about war that fascinates us? By Kevin VanGundy

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ince reading the book “A Higher Call” by Adam Makos and Larry Alexander and more recently “A Pilot’s View of World War II” by Winifred Tappan, I have wanted to see the inside of a B-17 bomber, as that plane was such a central point of each book. The Grand Valley as seen through the waist gunner’s door on As part of the recent air a recent flight of the “Sentimental Journey” B-17 bomber. show, the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Arizona to tell the human experience of war. brought its restored and operational In honor of these veterans and in B-17G to town. To walk through it observance of Veterans Day, we have was exciting enough, but when they put our best efforts forward to do offered to fly me over the Grand Valjust that in this special issue of the ley in it I was as giddy as a Cub Scout BEACON Senior Newspaper. in a camping store. But this was no toy. Nicknamed the Happy Holidays insert “Flying Fortress,” the B-17 was the Our area’s finer local retailers have battle tank of the skies and a lot more gathered together to advertise in this deadly. month’s Happy Holidays insert. From Having never been to war, I’m bicycles to bagels, you’ll find an approsure that I romanticize it too much. priate gift idea for the people on your In fact, for the people that I have list. If you’d like to do something nice spoken with who have been there for someone older, might I suggest and done that, there’s no romance you buy some socks and take them to it at all. To those who built that by any of the area nursing homes? B-17 bomber, to those who fired its For some reason, they always seem to weapons and to those who sacrificed need more socks. I think it has somefor my freedom, thank you. thing to do with those industrial-sized By writing and publishing the clothes dryers they use. stories of local veterans, we are able Happy Thanksgiving! ■

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COVER STORY

Blaine honored for service in Korea Jerry was recently honored at an event in South Korea, sponsored by the country in conjunction with the Korean Veteran’s Association. Two former Korean War Marines from Nevada and a Korean guide accompanied him and Joyce on a breathtaking tour of a nation once torn by war, now rebuilt and grateful to American veterans. “The Korean War Museum was huge and packed with people,” Jerry said. Everywhere they went the Korean people stopped to take pictures with them and to say thank you. People they passed flashed them the “V” for victory sign. “What impressed us was the children and the education they are getting about the history of this war that children in the United States don’t get,” Joyce said. “Most of them weren’t even born yet when the war took place, but they have great respect for the veterans.” “Every generation goes through something like the Korean War,” Jerry said. “To go back and see Korea beautiful and rebuilt was incredible. I know our service there was not in vain.” Purchase “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence” online at www.kennedydetail. com or at Barnes and Noble.

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NOVEMBER 2015

The Kennedy Detail: Korea vet and former USSS agent recounts moments surrounding JFK’s death

By Melanie Wiseman

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rand Junction-resident Jerry Blaine’s story of service to his country and to its presidents has been seen, heard and read by many via national television, radio and worldwide press; however, in light of recent events,he assured me “You’re getting a real exclusive here, you know.” Jerry, 83, a Korea veteran and former U.S. Social Service Agent assigned to the White House, is known for his book “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence,” a story documenting critical events leading up to and following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as recounted by Jerry and other former U.S. Secret Service agents charged with protecting the president. Although Jerry served in the Navy during the Korean War, at the White House, and in later security professions in the private sector, he knows he couldn’t have done it without his wife of 61 years, Joyce. “Joyce had a lot to bear and she has always been there for me,” Jerry said. “It was pretty tough on her at times.”

Korea: the forgotten war Though his great-grandparents and grandparents homesteaded in Grand Junction, Jerry was born in a Salvation Army home in Boise, Idaho. “I was the result of my parents’ marriage but it ended early and I never met my father,” he said. He spent his early years living between Oregon and Grand Junction, before moving to Englewood where he met Joyce in high school. The Korean War broke out just weeks after he graduated, so he enlisted in the Navy. “I grew up with World War II and all the events leading up to it, and

had a great respect for our country,” he said. Initially Jerry’s specialty was communications and he was on a destroyer headed for Korea. “Then I was transferred to a small craft in a North Korea harbor for 18 months, followed by another destroyer throughout the Pacific, ending up in Indochina,” he said. Jerry rescued downed pilots, destroyed mines, and fulfilled other “considerably dangerous work.” As far as American officials were concerned, the Korean War was a war against the forces of international communism. The war was relatively short but exceptionally bloody. Nearly 5 million people died. Almost 40,000 Americans died in action and more than 100,000 were wounded. Unlike World War II and Vietnam, it didn’t receive much media attention in the U.S. “Korea has been called the forgotten war,” Jerry said. “The only ones who remember it and talk about it to each other are the ones who were there. We lost a lot of friends who were like brothers. We came home and there were no parades. Nobody even knew what it was about.” Three years of war kept Joyce and Jerry apart with sparse communication. But when the war ended and Jerry came home in September 1954, he asked Joyce to marry him. They moved to California, where he finished his Navy service before relocating back to Colorado.

The Kennedy Detail After the war, Jerry was studying business at University of Northern Colorado in Gree-

A family portrait of Jerry and Joyce with their children Kelly and Scott, taken weeks before Kennedy’s assassination.

ley when he ran into Grand Junction friend Paul Rundle, who worked for the U.S. Secret Service. At the time there were only 250 agents nationwide. After talking to the Denver agent and a year’s worth of background checks, testing and waiting for an opening, Jerry was one of 30 people hired, out of a considerable number of those who had applied. After a brief stint in the Denver office, followed by Treasury School for law enforcement, Jerry was promoted to White House Detail under Eisenhower, then Kennedy and Johnson. For the next five years, Jerry was part of an elite team of 34 men whose mission in life was to protect the president of the United States. “Today there are about 300 agents on the White House Detail, so it’s an army,” Jerry said. “They have all the modern communication techniques. All we had were hand signals to communicate with each other.” Jerry was on the job with Eisenhower while Joyce was pregnant with their first child, leaving her to go through the pregnancy alone. “Jerry was home for Kelly’s birth because of Kennedy’s inauguration, but then gone again for six weeks with Jackie [Kennedy],” Joyce, 81, said. “He missed the birth of our second

NOVEMBER 2015

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child, Scott.” In Jerry’s absence, Joyce bonded with other secret service wives going through the same hardships. “The secret service wives and I were a very close family,” she said. “We were always alone Christmas and New Years. What Jerry did was a mystery to our kids.” For the next three years Jerry traveled with President Kennedy all over the world. He said Kennedy was personable with all the agents, knew their names and families, and enjoyed sharing his latest joke. At age 31, Jerry was with Kennedy from midnight until 8 a.m. in Fort Worth on November 22, 1963. “I hadn’t had sleep for three days and went on to Austin to do the advance work for his next stop,” Jerry said. Jackie Kennedy made her first public appearance with the president since losing their newborn son a few months earlier, which doubled the crowds. Agents were anxious, as they knew well Kennedy’s love of spontaneity and desire to be among the people. Shots rang out on the Dallas motorcade leading to Kennedy’s assassination, which would change the lives of the Kennedy Detail Secret Service agents forever. “There are very few jobs you can be a 100 percent failure at,” Jerry said. “Being an agent on the Kennedy Detail, you were a 100 percent failure. It was a terrible feeling.”

A band of brothers The Kennedy Detail abruptly became the Johnson Detail. As close as the agents were to Kennedy, it was like losing a member of the family. “There was no time to grieve, no time to deal with feelings of anger, frustration and guilt,” Jerry said. “You lose one president and you Joyce and Jerry pose in front of “Brothers,” the Korean War Memorial statue.

COVER STORY

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National & Regional Award-Winning Publication

immediately begin protecting another one.” Although Some of the remaining Secret Service agents assigned to the Kennedy he enjoyed his time Detail at the recent 150th anniversary of the U.S. Secret Service. on the detail, Jerry left the Secret SerService. vice for the private sector in 1964. “We are still like brothers,” Jerry The Kennedy Detail agents have all said. “When we get together now, kept in touch over the years. we don’t talk about it. We’re happy “The agents didn’t talk about the again and I think everyone resolved Kennedy assassination until 2010 that there was nothing we could do when we had a reunion,” he said. about it. It was a long time ago, but it For Jerry, the 47 years of silence was something he couldn’t get out of seems like only yesterday when you are a part of history and still relive his mind. it nearly every single “I wanted my grandchildren to know what happened and I saw what day.” ■ the assassination did to the agents like Clint Hill: alcohol, depression and suicidal thoughts,” he said. In 2010, Jerry and co-author Lisa McCubbin wrote and published “The Kennedy Detail,” which became a New York Times bestseller. In September, the Blaines joined eight of the remaining 12 Kennedy Detail Secret Service agents and their wives in Washington, DC to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Secret

Publisher ..............................Kevin K. VanGundy Founding Publisher....................... Susan Capps Editor............................................. Cloie Sandlin Senior Graphic Designer............ Melissa Trottier Graphic Design/Photography....Katherine Lopez Graphic Design.............................. Karen Jones Office Manager........................... Sherry Harmon Account Representative................... Sue Bowen Account Representative................ Sidney Jayne Account Representative............. Betsy Thatcher Proofreader...................................... Jan Weeks Cheerleader................................... Genevra Shal Delivery ................................. Lauren VanGundy DELTA-MONTROSE BUREAU Assistant Editor........................Liesl Greathouse Account Representative...............Virginia Carlile Delivery...............................................JR Milner Delivery...................................... Brandon Carlile

P.O. Box 3895, Grand Junction, CO 81502 ph: 970.243.8829 fax: 800.536.7516 Website: www.BeaconSeniorNews.com E-mail: Beacon@ PendantPublishing.com The BEACON is published at the beginning of the month. Our goal is to inform and inspire the 50+ community in Mesa, Delta & Montrose counties. Publication of advertising does not necessarily constitute endorsement. Columns are opinions of the writers, not necessarily the opinion of the publisher. Display advertising rates are available upon request. Deadline for advertising and announcements is the 20th of the month preceding publication. © Copyright 2015 • All Rights Reserved

Cover Photo: Robert Boecking poses in front of “Sentimental Journey,” a B-17 bomber just like the one he flew when he served in World War II. The plane visited Grand Junction as part of the recent Air Show.

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FEATURE STORY

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NOVEMBER 2015

A B-17 pilot’s view of World War II By Melanie Wiseman

A Pilot’s View of World War II

ini Tappan has had lunch at the Montrose Senior Center every weekday for the past 13 years. Over the years her interest has grown in the stories of the 30-50 people she meets there daily. A year ago, one meal and one conversation with Bob Boecking, 93, opened the door to her legacy of telling the untold stories of veterans. “[Bob] mentioned his journal, and at my request he brought it for me to read,” Tappan said. “I think I got as far as the fourth page before I thought to myself, ‘This has got to be published.’” The result from a year-long process of interviews and methodical research is the book “A Pilot’s View of World War II: Memoirs of B-17 Pilot Robert Boecking.”

Tappan credits Robert Boecking’s journal, his memory of the past, and the Air Force for providing the material for her book. “Fortunately, the Air Force has marvelous records of the people who were in their service,” Tappan said. “They even had an interview they had done with Robert several years ago that confirmed what he told me.” According to Tappan’s book, Boecking was in his sophomore year at the University of Nebraska, just over a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when he enlisted in the military. He enlisted rather than be drafted so he could choose his branch of service. “I am not going to be a ‘ground pounder,’” Boecking said, referring to his decision to join the Air Force.

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He had received a small plane (Piper Cub) pilot’s license at age 18, and the Air Force proceeded to train him to be a bomber pilot. “I had hopes of becoming a fighter pilot,” Boecking said. “But the Air Force had other ideas.” Boecking spent the next three years serving as a B-17 Pilot with the 8th Air Force, 379th Bomb Group. “The fact that the cockpit in the B-17 is extremely small, and I am small (5 feet 5 inches tall), made me a perfect candidate for the job,” Boecking said. Members of the 379th Bomb Group were trained, assembled and operational at Kimbolton Airfield in England, August 12, 1944. The 379th Bomb Group received several unique honors, including two Presidential Unit Citations for its accomplishment in combat,

best bombing results (percent on target), greatest tonnage of bombs dropped on target, largest number of aircraft attacking, lowest losses of aircraft, and lowest abortive rate of aircraft dispatched. Memories from the war vary for each veteran, but for Boecking they include actor Jimmy Stewart, who was stationed at his base, and a fourday pass to Scotland, which he never saw. Instead he and a friend spent all their time in a hotel sobering up from celebrating their freedom over a bottle of Scotch. “I remember the first time I saw the inside of a B-17 bomber,” Boecking said. “I couldn’t believe how small the spaces were that the gunners had to work in. I never could understand how my 250-pound friend could fold himself into the rear gunner’s position.

ONE LAST FLIGHT On October 5, Boecking had the rare opportunity of flying in a B-17 one last time when “Sentimental Journey,” a restored B-17 World War II bomber, arrived in Grand Junction as part of the recent air show. It was a rare experience indeed, as many B-17 pilots did not return home from the war and only a few B-17s were ever restored. Boecking was given the red carpet treatment from the Sentimental Journey crew and members of the media that had gathered for the event. During the flight, Boecking had the best view on the plane looking out the front gunner’s position in a glass bubble at the nose of the plane. Upon landing, Boecking expressed his gratitude and delight when he said, “I had a great time going back up. I can die a happy man.”

B-17 Cockpit

photo by Nathan Kinney

Front gunner seat

photo by Nathan Kinney

NOVEMBER 2015

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FEATURE STORY

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Below: Mission Target Map. Robert Boecking flew 37 missions (one was aborted) between August 18, 1944 and December 19, 1944.

Each mission lasted eight to 10 hours.” The B-17 was known as the “Flying Fortress,” as each plane carried six gunners. Ten men manned each plane. “The thundering roar of 36-48 mammoth planes each taking off every 15 to 30 seconds is a sound I will never forget,” Boecking said. “Once we were in the air, we had no way of contacting any other plane or home base.” Being part of the B-17 team meant being prepared 24/7.

Author Winifred Tappan finds love in writing

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ini Tappan authored her first book at 87. Now at age 89, she is currently working on her fourth—proof that it’s never too late to follow your dream. Tappan went back to college at age 50 and earned her master’s degree by age 55. She retired from teaching at 75 and said her most rewarding experience was teaching high school-level disabled students. Retirement threw her a curve ball when she was informed she had been overpaid Social Security benefits for 11 years, and the government wanted the $25,000 back. Five appeals later, the ruling was reversed. The result of her stressful experience was her first book, “Grappling with Government Abuse: My Social Security Nightmare.”

bombing missions Boecking’s journal of his 36 Tappan’s book. was a valuable resource for

“We never knew when we would be called to go on a bombing run,” Boecking said. “It could be anytime of the day or night.” During World War II, 754,818 bombing runs were carried out and Boecking flew on 36 of them. “That doesn’t seem like very many, but to me it was a grueling experience that I never want to repeat.” he said. ■ Her second book, a lactose-free cookbook, offers substitutes and recipes for those who are lactose intolerant. Tappan is currently working on a new book “Silent Voices.” “It is a compilation of letters from servicemen and women in World War II to their families back home, newspapers, family albums and of course more research,” she said. “I’m hoping to make people today stop and think, and appreciate what the individual person is doing,” Tappan said. “These are individual voices that have never been listened to.” Purchase Tappan’s books at b17pi lot-wwii-mission-journal.com and ssa-oneteachersnightmare.com. ■

“A few of our missions were relatively easy, with no fighters, not much flak or ground fire, and no damages to speak of. On other missions we paid a heavy price. I’ve recorded all of this on my Mission Journal pages. They are very brief accounts of a lot of action. They also form a kind of memorial for each of the men lost on those missions. I have not forgotten any of them. They each paid the ultimate price. I didn’t have to pay that price. I was so very, very fortunate.” —Robert Boecking

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Ingredients: • 2 sticks butter, softened

• ¼ t ground ginger

• ½ cup brown sugar

• 1 t salt

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ t baking soda

• 1½ t vanilla

• ½ t baking powder

• 2 T milk

• 1 pkg (10 oz.) dark chocolate chips

• 1 egg • 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin • 3 cups flour • 2 t Saigon cinnamon • ½ t nutmeg

Cream Cheese Drizzle (optional) • 2 oz. cream cheese, softened • 2 T butter, soften • 4 T milk • 1 cup powdered sugar

• ¼ t ground cloves

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1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Set aside. 3. Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth. 4. Add the egg, vanilla and milk, once smooth, add the pumpkin. 5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixer, combine until all the spiced flour has been incorporated. 6. Fold in the chocolate chips. 7. On a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, scoop out balls using a cookie scoop, ice cream scoop or two kitchen tablespoons into balls. 8. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Cream Cheese Drizzle 1. Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, and 2 T milk. 2. Slowly add the powdered sugar. If needed, add the remaining milk until the desired consistency has been reached. 3. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before adding icing. 4. Using a spoon, pastry bag or zip-seal baggie with a small hole cut in the corner, drizzle the icing over the cooled cookies.

NOVEMBER 2015

ASK THE OLD BAG

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ASK THE OLD BAG

Retirement living with the emphasis on living

Advice Column for the Over 50 Crowd By Gayle Lagman-Creswick Dear Old Bag: My mother is 88 years old and living in her own home. I have suggested she might do well in assisted living. One day she said to me, “Why would I go to a place like that when my son has a big house and lots of room?” She caught me off guard. I stuttered and said that I would have to speak to the family about that. That’s how we left it. I spoke to my wife about her coming to live with us and she is dead set against it. It’s not because she doesn’t like Mom, but it’s because my wife is very active and is gone a good part of every day. She said it would be just as if Mom was living alone and she would do better in assisted living. What do you think? Signed, Son Dear Son: I tend to agree with your wife. It’s not because you don’t want her, but it’s about what will be best for her. I have seen it work with Mom living with her children, but most often it causes tension within the family. In assisted living Mom would have her meals prepared, friends, an activity program, 24-hour supervision, etc. She would also be able to visit you frequently, and you could join her for occasional meals. I’d be willing to bet that after a few months she will wonder why she didn’t do it sooner. Take her to visit a few places and if she has friends in one, take her there to see them. Let me know how it works out. Good luck. OB Dear Old Bag: Recently you had a letter from a man who asked if you thought it was okay to date a woman for the purpose of sexual activity. His sister thought he was a “dirty old man” and you agreed with her. I am a man who disagrees with you. I am not interested in marriage again, and I do not need a companion muddying up

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my life. I still have fire in my furnace, and I have found that there are plenty of women who feel the same way. I guess you would be surprised, huh? Signed, MM

Dear MM: Yours is not the only letter of objection I received, but it’s probably the most honest. I suppose if two consenting adults want to spend their evening that way, who am I to object? I hope you realize that while you probably don’t have to worry about pregnancy, you do need to be careful of those dread diseases, which are on the rise among older folks. I also hope you are upfront with these women about what you want. I still think that sex without a relationship would be like eating dry toast. OB Dear Old Bag: My mother-in-law, 80, still insists on having the family Thanksgiving dinner. She has a big family and a little house, and she has refused all offers of moving the dinner to one of her four children’s homes. Even though we all bring food, it is so hectic and obviously hard on her. How do we change her mind? Signed, In-Law Dear In-Law: This is a touchy subject for many families. Offer again to take this responsibility off her hands. Let her know that others would like a turn. If she still refuses, make the best of it, and go to her house again for Thanksgiving. She may not be able to do this physically/mentally for much longer and it sounds like it brings her much joy and happiness, so I think it’s well worth the effort. I have been hinting like crazy for one of my kids to take over Thanksgiving dinner, but so far no takers! Tell her the Old Bag would love to give up that task. OB ■

Send your questions to the Old Bag in care of the BEACON, or email lagmancreswick@cox.net

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THE HEALTHY GEEZER

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NOVEMBER 2015

Is a fractured bone less serious than a broken bone? Healthy Geezer, By Fred Cicetti

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his is a common misconception, as a fracture and a break are the same thing. Seniors are especially in danger of breaking a bone for several reasons. As we age, the power of our senses, reflexes and coordination diminishes. Maladies and the medicines we take for them can contribute to balance problems, which can lead to falls. There’s also osteoporosis, a disease that makes bones more likely to snap. You may be in danger of having weak bones and should check with a doctor if you smoke, are in poor health, are over 65, fractured a bone after age 50, have a close relative with osteoporosis, are underweight, started menopause before age 45, never got enough calcium, have more than two drinks of alcohol several times a week or are inactive.

During the Month of November

Hyperthyroidism, chronic lung disease, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic liver or kidney disease, hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D deficiency, Cushing’s disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis are all medical conditions that can weaken your bones. Oral glucocorticoids (steroids), radiation, chemotherapy, thyroid medicine, antiepileptic drugs, gonadal hormone suppression and immunosuppressive agents can also put your bones at risk. THESE ARE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF FRACTURES: Simple: The bone is broken, but the skin is not. Open or compound: The skin is broken and may be pierced by the bone. Transverse: The break is at a right angle to the long axis of the bone. Greenstick: A fracture on one side of the bone with a bend on the other side. The name comes from the appearance of a broken, young tree branch.

Comminuted: A fracture with three or more bone fragments. Undisplaced: A break that leaves the bone pieces aligned. Displaced: A break that leaves the bone pieces out of line. Most broken bones heal successfully. Fractured bones usually need at least four weeks to heal, but casts may be removed before that to prevent stiffness, especially for hand or elbow fractures. Cast immobilization is the most common treatment for fractures. A plaster or fiberglass cast is made to keep the fractured bone in place. Other treatments include a functional cast or brace that permits nearby joints to move, and gentle traction used to get broken bones into position. There’s also open reduction and internal fixation, a type of orthopedic surgery in which bone fragments are repositioned (reduced) and then held together with screws, by metal plates or rods. An orthopedic surgeon can place pins or screws into a bone above and below the fracture. After the bone pieces are positioned correctly, the pins or screws are connected to a metal bar or bars outside the skin. This type of treatment is called external fixation. Eventually, the external fixation device is removed. Because of the way bones are made, they also get stronger with regular exercise. If a person is active, bones will become stronger and denser. The bones of an inactive person are often not as strong and may fracture more easily than those of an active person. For this reason, older people should try to remain physically active. ■ Send your general health questions to the Healthy Geezer in care of the BEACON, or email fred@healthygeezer.com.

NOVEMBER 2015

HEALTH & WELLNESS 11

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Tylenol can ruin your liver. Protect yourself from its side effects By Suzy Cohen

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ylenol is popular. It is known generically as acetaminophen or paracetamol, and is one of the leading pain relievers in the entire world. It’s probably in every medicine cabinet (including mine), right next to the ibuprofen. Most people know ibuprofen can hurt the gut, whereas acetaminophen can hurt the liver. Here’s how to protect yourself if you like to take acetaminophen. Take the supplement NAC to protect your liver and restore glutathione levels if you need to take acetaminophen routinely. NAC can help reduce toxic effects of acetaminophen according to research published in the journal “Drug Development Research” in August 2015. This article provided an outright statement that recommended drug companies add the amino acid NAC, short for N-Acetyl Cysteine, to

the drug acetaminophen, in order to prevent toxic drug side effects. Acetaminophen is what I call a “drug mugger” of the antioxidant glutathione, which can’t be produced in the body without a little help. It needs NAC in order to be made. There are more than 600 medications on the market that contain acetaminophen, which can provoke serious adverse effects. In fact, acetaminophen tops the worldwide list for drugs known to cause acute liver failure, sometimes caused by one single overdose, or by a therapeutic miscalculation. By the time a correct

diagnosis is made, up to 90 percent of the liver may be shut down. The mere ritual of drinking wine with dinner and then taking acetaminophen-containing pain relievers will silently strain your liver to the point of injury. You may get diagnosed with “fatty” liver or diabetes or obesity. The drug toxicity and risk associated with acetaminophen caused researchers to boldly advise that NAC be added to all acetaminophen preparations. Their goal is to have makers replace current over-the-counter acetaminophen products with those that also contain NAC. The rationale

is to prevent accidental (and intentional acetaminophen toxicity) that occurs today and protect your liver with every dose. Several million people use acetaminophen without a second thought. The only time NAC or similar prescription forms are used is if you show up at the emergency room with an overdose. The wheels of medical progress and change spin slowly. So here’s my suggestion, and you can obviously consult with your physician to be 100 percent sure: Every time you take acetaminophen, take an NAC supplement with it. Consider at least 600-1800 mg per day of NAC. Fill your diet with sulfur-rich foods and consider the new glutathione-boosting probiotic now available called Reg’Activ. Other important glutathione supporting nutrients are selenium, zinc, glycine, glutamine, R-lipoic acid, PQQ, silymarin and B complex. ■

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12

HEALTH & WELLNESS

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NOVEMBER 2015

The best solutions for your skin ailments By Suzy Cohen

E

specially as we age, it’s important to keep our skin looking young, healthy and beautiful. Here are some common skin conditions, as well as solutions.

Eczema: Dry, cracked skin and blisters can become painful. Eczema has been associated with sluggish detoxification, autoimmune conditions or reduced intestinal flora. A study just published in “Clinical and Experimental Allergy” found that the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is particularly protective against eczema, so make sure your probiotic contains this strain. Some people have eczema flare-ups in response to nickel or metal sensitivities. The more challenging cases are probably related to breaks in the “tight junctions” of your skin, a reflection of immune dysregulation. “The world is so much brighter since I had cataract surgery. I have total faith in Dr. Hoffman and I wouldn't trust my eyes to anyone else.” Dixie Burmeister

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Rosacea: This is a full-body inflammatory condition in the body that causes redness and pustules mainly around the nose and center of the face. Avoiding alcohol, direct sunlight and spicy foods will help, but stress is a major player. Stress sparks more pro-inflammatory cytokines and those need to be reduced. Conventional doctors often prescribe prednisone or steroid creams. Probiotics, digestive enzymes supplements and antioxidants can help, and do not interfere with medicine. Grape seed extract and Ester C have also been shown to help. Scars: Some people rub raw garlic cloves on their scars (or their pimples), which is thought to reduce bacterial invasion. Taking vitamin E by mouth each day can help as well as vitamin E oil applications. Drink orange juice daily to ramp up vitamin C and keep an aloe vera plant handy. I love aloe. Rubbing it on your skin can work wonders in the beginning stages. Small keloid

scars can be easily frozen off with liquid nitrogen by a dermatologist.

Warts: Common skin warts are viral and salicylic acid remedies are sold at any pharmacy. Immune-building supplements can help. Cat’s claw or reishi mushrooms are options; both have antiviral activity and immune-boosting benefits. Folk remedies include covering it with duct tape or nail polish. With time, these usually go away on their own.

Acne: (Info to pass on to your grandkids.) Kids with chronic acne may be zinc deficient, or low in natural vitamin A but usually the cause is related to hormonal imbalances. It usually doesn’t matter if you avoid chocolate; however, junk food and refined sugar add to the problem. Don’t pop the zits—that only makes it worse. I suggest dabbing tea tree oil on problem areas. Get routine facials to help gently exfoliate your skin and balance pH. An essential fatty acid supplement may help. I also suggest you apply a facial mask with either bentonite clay or charcoal. I love Origin’s Clear Improvement charcoal mask for this purpose. Sunburn: Calendula creams sold at health food stores are fantastic. Another suggestion is to soak three green tea bags in a pitcher of cold water along with half a cucumber. After one hour (or longer), saturate a washcloth with the cucumber-tea infused water and apply it to your skin. You can also directly apply the tea bags. ■

NOVEMBER 2015

The statin experiment By Wendell Fowler

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HEALTH & WELLNESS 13

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

mon. Statins can also cause serious muscle problems, especially in folks with low levels of vitamin D.

e’re all going to die. Although, as life’s shadows grow long, I’ve chosen to tap the power everyone The experiment: a resolve to get possesses to be the sole architect of off statins my health destiny. In no way am I suggesting anyone Feeling good now is important to stop taking statins. This is simply the me. With that being said, I’d always story of my personal journey. considered my heart numbers satisfacMy wife Sandi and I stopped eating tory but I couldn’t raise my good HDL processed sugar. Instead, we ate raiand my triglycerides were a tad high. sins, dates, stevia, applied raw honey Last fall, my writing research took me or maple syrup to tea and granola/oatto this statistic: Only 20 percent of all meal, cut out all dairy, wheat and cofheart attacks are caused by high chofee creamers, and drastically backed lesterol. What? Wait a off on all oils, including minute. Then why are The $100 billion olive. I realized I was statin drugs handed out excessively pouring like crack on a street statin industry cartel it onto everything corner? because it’s an antioxiThe $100 billion statin is under attack, dant. Fat is fat and less industry cartel is under Today I only attack, as thousands of as thousands of isusemore. moderate portions Americans are filing of coconut oil, EVOO, Americans are lawsuits against statins. grass-fed cow butter, Research continues to fish and flax oils. We’re filing lawsuits confirm just how dannot bears preparing for gerous these drugs are. against statins. hibernation. The American DiabeWe committed to not tes Association recentbring temptation home. ly linked increased statin drug use to We switched to coconut milk coffee type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s. creamer, sweet leaf stevia and the According to Dr. Amy Egan, the occasional micro-portion of my one Federal Drug Administration’s depindulgence: 1 tablespoon of Meijer’s uty director of safety in the division brand organic peanut butter with 1 of metabolism drug products, “The tablespoon of Enjoy Life brand, seminew warnings, particularly the one sweet chocolate chips. for memory loss, came as the result After four months, I’d lost 15 of anecdotal reports compiled over the past year. In short, with well over pounds. After a serum cholesterol panel, my triglycerides and bad cho30 million Americans taking statin lesterol levels tumbled while good drugs, we’re witnessing a massive cholesterol levels were above averongoing ‘live’ experiment, and many age. Hitting the gym five days a week are putting their health on the line helped, too. for drugs that offer little in the way Don’t be like a lot of folks and tell of heart protection. In fact, they may yourself, “Well, darn, as long as I’m actually worsen heart health.” on statins, I can cheat and eat Patients with high cardiovascular anything.” ■ risk show statin-induced ED is com-

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hen the first settlers sailed west on the Atlantic Ocean they not only found new land but also a new diet. Part of this new diet was the pumpkin. The traditional, native way to prepare this new meal was to pop the golden globe into the ashes of a fire and bake it until it was super tender. There is no historical record of the Indians carving faces on these bright orange balls but I have always thought their brightness required a smile. It was not only tasty but life preserving, as it kept them from starvation as they prepared pumpkin stew, mashed pumpkin and pumpkin beer. They even ate the pumpkin flowers. A favorite saying often went like this: “We have pumpkin in morning and pumpkin at noon. If it were not for pumpkin, we would soon be undone.” The well-known pumpkin pie began in the 17th century. It consisted of milk, eggs and molasses. It has maintained its reputation of exceeding tasteiness for 300 years. It was not to be ignored as it made its way into America’s first cookbook. Pumpkin even doubled its value as a medicine, believed that steeping it in hot water healed problems from tapeworms and other diseases. It was also used to shape haircuts. A pumpkin shell was placed on the head of hair that would otherwise go astray. Used to guide the cutting, these “pumpkin heads” produced a distinct shaping. It was an easy crop for lazy farmers to raise. All that was required for a flourishing crop was sun, water and space. If you wonder

whether a pumpkin is a vegetable or fruit, rest assured it falls in the fruit category. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They can fit in the palm of your hand or grow to weigh over 1000 pounds. They are even used in competitions. How far can one catapult a pumpkin? There really is a world-famous pumpkin chucking contest. It is not unusual for them to travel over half a mile. The mess they make at the end of such a journey is obvious. My favorite pumpkin poem was written by Aileen Fisher, who wrote: “We bought a pumpkin big and round that lived the summer through without an eye to look at things...and now it looks through two. It used to be all dark inside when growing on the vine, but now it has a toothy smile and face that’s full of shine.” What would Thanksgiving be like without the pumpkin? It would be like the sun with all its brightness was missing. Its taste is definitely distinct. And though it’s appropriate and almost necessary for a Thanksgiving meal, it can be eaten and enjoyed anytime. ■

NOVEMBER 2015

Colorado Gives Day:

24 hours of charitable giving By Anita Castro

O

15

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

ver 2,000 Colorado nonprofits are participating in the sixth annual Colorado Gives Day on December 8. Colorado Gives Day is an annual statewide movement created by Community First Foundation and First Bank to celebrate and increase philanthropy in Colorado through online giving. The 24-hour initiative encourages community members to raise funds for or donate to any of the participating Colorado nonprofits online through www.coloradogives.org. This year, 56 local nonprofits are participating in Colorado Gives Day, giving Mesa County residents the opportunity to give back to those local nonprofits. Each organization is featured on the website with a brief overview, including contact information, the organization’s mission statement, financial graphs, impact and

needs statements, and testimonials so community members can learn more about nonprofits in their area. HopeWest is participating in Colorado Gives Day this year, aiming to raise funds for programs helping community members who are dealing with serious illness and grief. “Colorado Gives Day is just another way to inspire giving,” HopeWest Community Relations Coordinator Alyssa Hampson said. While some organizations will host other fundraising and awareness events on Colorado Gives Day and the days leading up to it, HopeWest focuses its energy on interacting digitally with the community about how giving to HopeWest benefits its programs and patrons. “It’s kind of a big electronic push, so we inspire people to go online and give back,” Hampson said. “We make it

a virtual event where we are communicating with the community about giving and how it supports our program.” Aside from posting information on its website, HopeWest also promotes the cause via emails, newsletters and social media. “It’s a huge thing for us and we really appreciate the generosity of our community and our employees,” Hampson said. “In turn, all the funds that we’ll get from Colorado Gives Day will go to our Palliative Care Program and our Grief Support Program.” Last year, HopeWest raised $18,298 through Colorado Gives Day. “We are hoping to raise $20,000 this year,” Hampson said. “We’re really looking forward to this year and seeing what the community does.” CASA of Mesa County is participating in Colorado Gives Day for its fifth year. “Colorado Gives Day really gives the platform to give back to local agencies and nonprofits,” said Julie Thompson with CASA. “It allows us to spread the word and create urgency.” CASA helps abused children by

providing and training volunteers to be their voice in the courtroom. CASA hopes to raise $2,500 this year. This year CASA has partnered with 22 other local nonprofits to form a coalition for Colorado Gives Day. Together, these organizations are hosting a pre-event on Monday, December 7 at Kannah Creek Brewing Company during their monthly Firkin Fundraiser. A firkin keg will be tapped at 5 p.m. and proceeds from firkin sales will benefit the local organizations. There will also be prizes and a chance for community members to meet representatives of local agencies. Though giving through the website is available year-round, Colorado Gives Day provides special incentives for nonprofits who reach certain goals. According to the website, if a nonprofit receives 10 percent of the total amount of money raised on Colorado Gives Day, that same nonprofit receives 10 percent of a $1 million incentive fund. For more information on Colorado Gives Day and participating organizations, visit www.coloradogives.org. ■

16

LAUGHING MATTERS

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

LAUGHING MATTERS Lovely dog Submitted by Bob Breazeale

A man driving through a small rural town pulls into the only gas station in town. He notices a boy sitting on a chair whittling on a stick and a dog asleep by the soda machine. He rolls down the window of his car and says, “Hey kid, does your dog bite?” Without looking up the kid replies, “Nope.” The man gets out of his car and starts walking toward the soda machine when the dog wakes up and makes a beeline toward him. The man runs for his car but the dog rips out the seat of his pants just as he gets inside. The man yells, “Hey, you punk kid! I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite!” The kid stops whittling, looks at the

man and says, “He doesn’t.” Then he looks over at the dog and says, “But that’s not my dog.”

Small brown bottle Submitted by Del Owens

The other day I went to my nearby pharmacy. When I got there, I went straight to the back of the store to where the pharmacist’s counter is located. I took out my little brown bottle along with a teaspoon and laid them both on the counter. The pharmacist came over, smiled and asked if he could help me. “Yes,” I said. “Could you please taste this for me?” Being that I’m a senior citizen, I guess the pharmacist decided it was safe to go along with me. He picked up the spoon and put a tiny bit of the liquid on his tongue and swilled it around.

Then with a stomach-churning look on his face, he spit it out on the floor and began coughing. When he finally finished, I looked him right in the eye and asked, “Now does that taste sweet to you?” The pharmacist, shaking his head back and forth, said, “Hell no.” So I said, “Oh, thank God! That’s a real relief. My doctor told me to get a pharmacist to test my urine for sugar!”

Lemonade

NOVEMBER 2015

The old man says, “It might be lemonade, but I wouldn’t light any matches near it if I were you.”

Country-western song Submitted by Bob Breazeale

Being retired sure is great. Now I can do some of the things I’ve always wanted to do. Like write a country-western song. I haven’t written any music or lyrics, but I do have a theme. My girlfriend is leaving me for another guy. What else? I’ve also got a title. I’m going to call it “I kissed her sweet lips and left her bee-hind for you.”

Submitted by Bob Breazeale

A real old timer who grew up in Tennessee during the Great Depression is about to take his first plane ride. Now this old timer lives in moonshine country and always carries a flask of it in his back pocket.

Growing business

When the TSA agent discovers it, he holds it up and asks, “What might this be?”

He replied, “Business is so good in this town that I decided to open a branch office.”

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Submitted by Bob Breazeale

The other day I noticed a panhandler on one of the corners with a hat in each hand asking for money. “Why two hats?” I asked.

NOVEMBER 2015

www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

A klutz’s first day of hunting season Submitted by Ralph Bickel

2 a.m. Alarm clock rings. I hit the snooze button. 3 a.m. Hunting partners arrive and drag me out of bed. We throw everything in pickup. 3:30 a.m. Leave for the deep woods, and beautiful backcountry and mountains. 5 a.m. Furiously drive back home alone to pick up my gun and license. Drive like mad to get back before daylight. 6:30 a.m. Set up my camp. 7 a.m. Head into the deep woods. Spot eight elk moving toward me. Now within range. 7:37 a.m. Take careful aim at lead bull, hold breath and gently squeeze trigger. Click! 7:38 a.m. Frantically load gun while watching trophy bull and seven elk go over the hill. 9 a.m. Head back to camp for coffee break. 10 a.m. Still looking for camp. Realize I don’t know where camp is. 11:58 a.m. Fire three shots, the signal for help. Notice wild berries. Eat wild berries. 12:05 p.m. Fire three more shots. Run out of shells. Eight elk come back. 12:45 p.m. Strange feeling in stomach. Realize I must have eaten poisonous berries. 1:35 p.m. Rescued! They rush me to nearest hospital to get stomach pumped. 3:30 p.m. Arrive back in camp. Leave camp to go after elk again.

3:50 p.m. Return back to camp for shells. Load gun. Leave camp again. 4:30 p.m. Empty gun on squirrel that is bugging me. Miss every shot. 5 p.m. Arrive back in camp. See eight elk grazing right near camp. 5:01 p.m. Load gun. Fire gun. One dead pickup. 5:35 p.m. Hunting partners arrive back in camp, both dragging elk. 5:36 p.m. Repress desire to shoot hunting partners. Stumble and fall into campfire. 6 p.m. Change clothes. Throw burned ones into campfire. 6:05 p.m. Take pickup, leave hunting partners and elk in camp. Pickup boils over because of the hole in the radiator. 6:16 p.m. Start walking. Stumble and fall and drop gun in mud. 6:25 p.m. Meet bear! Take aim. Fire gun. Blow up barrel plugged with mud. 6:26 p.m. Run fast, run very fast! Climb nearest tree, bear climbs…bear climbs higher…and returns to the ground. 6:29 p.m. Bear circles the bottom of the tree. 7:30 p.m. Holler loudly for hunting partners. 9:38 p.m. Bear leaves. 9:46 p.m. Cautiously climb down tree. 10:18 p.m. Hitchhike a ride with farmer into town. 11:49 p.m. Home at last. Noon the next day. Watch football game on TV, slowly tearing up hunting license into small pieces. Place pieces in envelope and mail it to local fish and wildlife department with detailed instructions on what to do with it. ■

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Uss e U ke ak Ma M

! h g u a L

Send your JOKES to

Beacon@pendantpublishing.com or

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LAUGHING MATTERS 17

’s

for Fighting Medicare Scams

You’re the first line of defense 1. Record – Record the dates of doctors’ visits on a calendar. Note your tests and services. 2. Review – Read your “Medicare Summary Notices” (MSNs) to make sure the details are correct. 3. Report – If you identify errors or suspect fraud, call the Senior Medical Patrol. 4. Remember – Protect your Medicare number. Only give it to your doctor or other health care provider.

Contact your local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program if you have questions or need any assistance

1-800-503-5190

18

TRAVEL

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NOVEMBER 2015

Blood of Heroes: Visit the World War II Museum in New Orleans Story and photos by Callie Corley, Prime Montgomery

W

alking up Andrew Higgins Drive to the corner of Magazine Street, the National World War II Museum rises against the New Orleans skyline like a giant stone vault, holding the history, and perhaps some secrets, of what’s been termed America’s “Greatest Generation.” It’s a history touching every facet of American life. Sixteen million men and women served in the armed forces during World War II. Inside the museum’s five (soon to be six) buildings are the stories of those lives. For many, those stories are also passed down from generation to generation. The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion is the place to start your journey through the museum. There you can buy tickets and talk to museum volunteers. With a little luck, you’ll hear a first-hand account from one of the approximately 20 World War II veterans who volunteer with the museum. The Memorial Pavilion is also where you start your “Dog Tag Experience.” With a general admission ticket to

the museum, you receive a dog tag allowing you to follow the life of a World War II participant. The Train Car Experience is your first stop with your dog tag, recreating the first leg of a journey that carried millions of Americans away from their families and into service. Throughout the museum you check-in at different stations, collecting the stories for your dog tag and learing more about the person whose life you’re following. If your museum trip starts early, Jeri Nims Soda Shop is a great place to grab a snack or a quick break-

fast, while The American Sector is a full-service restaurant serving lunch and dinner. You can add a little flair to your visit with a live show at Stage Door Canteen, where music of the war years comes to life. Find the show lineup and ticket information online before your visit at www. stagedoorcanteen.org. Once you leave the Memorial Pavilion, cross the street to the main portion of the museum. The newest addition, added in 2014, is Campaigns of Courage, considered the heart of the museum experience. The Road to Berlin exhibit showcases the grueling challenges servicemen faced in the European theater, from the deserts of North Africa to Germany’s doorstep. The interactive experience brings together the entire campaign from battle to battle, and reveals the strategy and sacrifices that helped win the war. The exhibit presents a personal perspective on the cost of war, with personal items, such as family photographs strewn across a beach of real sand from Normandy. The Road to Tokyo exhibit is scheduled to open later this year. Continue your journey through history with a stop at the U.S. Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center.

Replicas of six World War II-era aircraft, including B-17 My Gal Sal, are suspended in air. The four-story viewing deck provides a 360-degree view of the aircraft. The Vehicles of War exhibit offers a glimpse of what it was like on the ground, facing an attack from different war machines, or being rushed from the battlefield with an injury. There’ll you’ll also find the Medal of Honor Wall and the interactive “Final Mission: The U.S.S. Tang Experience.” Set aside enough time to see everything at the museum, including the “Beyond All Boundaries” movie (produced and narrated by Tom Hanks). Each requires an additional ticket and happens at pre-set times throughout the day. Be sure to check times and prices online before you go at www. nationalww2museum.org. “Beyond All Boundaries” is a 4D experience that puts you on the front lines. Archival footage and narrations of real life stories bring to life a growing threat in Europe and news of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie affects every one of your senses, enabling you to better understand the magnitude and weight of the war

NOVEMBER 2015

TRAVEL 19

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Having the chance to talk to and learn from a World War II veteran is something we won’t able to do much longer. With a little luck, you’ll hear a first-hand account from one of the approximately 20 World War II veterans who volunteer with the museum, such as Arthur Arceneax, left, and Bert Stolier, right. that changed the world. You feel the rumble of tanks as America enters the war, and see and hear steam rising from the jungles as American troops fight for freedom. The production also highlights the courage of Americans at home, as every citizen– male, female, black, white, immigrant–answered the call and lived up to the demands of wartime. One of the most emotional stories in the museum is that of the U.S.S. Tang. The interactive experience puts you inside America’s most decorated World War II submarine on its last patrol. The commander gives orders as visitors man battle stations. The experience combines actual tasks with an overhead projection of the submarine’s final, fatal fight. Standing at a duty station, the makeshift compartment rings with the sounds of firing torpedoes and mechanics. There’s a sense of pride as the crew takes down more enemy vessels, followed by panic with the realization your efforts aren’t enough to save the ship. If you’ve already been to the museum, the new additions should bring you back on your next trip to New Orleans. You’ll leave feeling more proud than ever to be an American, knowing your cultural heritage runs in the blood of these heroes.

Meet a History Maker Having the chance to talk to and learn from a World War II veteran is something we won’t be able to do much longer. I met two extraordinary men on my visit. Arthur Arceneax, 92, was a Marine pilot who’ll tell you from the start he’s lived the very best life. And he’s got the heart and spirit to prove it. A career military man, Arceneax saw fighting in Okinawa, Korea and Vietnam, finally retiring after 22 years of service at the rank of Lt. Colonel. Along the way, Arceneax married the girl of his dreams and says that without the uniform, he’d never have been able to catch such a wonderful woman. He tries to be at the museum every Saturday sharing his story. Bert Stolier, 96, joined the Marine Corps at 17 and was a warrant officer on the U.S.S. Northampton. He survived the attack on Pearl Harbor and an attack at sea. Stolier spent three days in the waters of the Pacific Ocean before being picked up by a Navy ship. If you’ve got a World War II veteran in the family, don’t miss the opportunity to take them to see the museum. They’ll get free admission and a special veteran’s ID. ■

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20 HOME & HEARTH

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6 tips to protect your family from fire and carbon monoxide

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You want your home to be a safe retreat from danger. While there are numerous ways to improve home safety, fires are a common threat that you have the power to prevent with preparation. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and Energizer team up each fall to educate the public about how to improve inhome safety. The Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery program reminds everyone to replace the batteries in their home’s smoke detectors when they change their clocks for daylight savings so they have functioning smoke alarms. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half by providing an early warning. Having a fresh battery in your smoke detector plays a critical role in giving families the time needed to safely escape a home fire. “Fire safety education and proactive prevention can minimize fire tragedies,” Energizer Chief Consumer Officer Michelle Atkinson said. “We encourage families to discuss this important issue because we all have the power to reduce our risk.” As part of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery initiative, the two organizations created this handy home safety checklist:

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NOVEMBER 2015

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Increase your fire safety efforts by ensuring there’s at least one smoke alarm less than 10 years old installed on every level of your home, including one in every bedroom and outside each sleeping area. Take inventory of how many batteries are required to power these smoke alarms so that you can be prepared to keep them operational. • Change your batteries. Seventy-one percent of smoke alarms that failed to operate had missing, disconnected or dead batteries, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Change smoke alarm and

carbon monoxide detector batteries annually. Stay on schedule by making it a family tradition to change your batteries on the same day you change your clocks back to standard time. It’s a great way to use the extra hour “gained” from daylight savings time.

• Check alarms and detectors.

After inserting a fresh battery in each smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector, push the safety test button to ensure they work. Conduct this test monthly. Never disconnect smoke alarm batteries no matter how annoying the sound. Remember that a “chirping” alarm signals a need for a fresh battery. • Replace smoke alarms. The IAFC recommends replacing smoke alarms every 10 years and having a combination of both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms to keep you alert to all types of home fires. • Change flashlight batteries. Keep flashlights with fresh batteries at your bedside. In the event of a fire, they can provide much needed assistance for finding the way out and signaling for help.

• Get the grandchildren involved.

Less than a quarter of U.S. families have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. Make sure family members, in particular children, know what the alarms and detectors sound like and what they should do if they go off. In addition to sponsoring this educational campaign, Energizer has donated more than five million batteries to fire departments over the years. To learn more about the Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery program, visit www.energizer.com/responsibility. Take action for the safety of your family and make sure you have working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s the first step to a safer home. Article provided by www.statepoint. net. ■

NOVEMBER 2015

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SALUTE TO VETERANS 21

Regardless of whether or not he or she saw war, a veteran is someone who at one time wrote a check to the United States of America in the amount of “up to, and including my life.” It’s hard to give more than that. Indeed, some veterans gave all, but all veterans have given some of themselves to protect our freedom. By writing and publishing the stories of local veterans, we are able to tell the human experience of war. In honor of these veterans and in observance of Veterans Day, we have put our best efforts forward to do just that in this special issue of the BEACON Senior Newspaper.

22 SALUTE TO VETERANS

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An unintentional hero By Jan Weeks

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rowing up near Farmington, New Mexico, Bob Hicks was, as he says, “a real hell raiser.” He was also pretty darned bright, skipping three grades and ending up as a high school senior at age 15. His buddies were all 18 and 19 years old, so when they decided to join the military, he figured he might as well go along and put the consequences of some of his pranks behind him. But he ran into a couple of problems. Even though he was a high school senior, he wasn’t old enough to enlist. So the recruiter told him that if he could get his school records, which showed that he was a senior (and indicated that he was old enough), he’d let him enlist. Hicks talked to the high school principal, who gave him his records, on the condition

that he finish his classwork. So he arranged to have classwork sent to him so he could graduate, which he did a few years later. Off he went to the Marine Corps. During a night on the town, he and some buddies went to a fortuneteller who said Hicks would die before he turned 20, which made him reckless during his training at Camp Lejeune and Twentynine Palms and in his posting to Korea in 1950. “If I was going to die anyway,” Hicks said, “there was no point in being scared.” He was assigned to the field band, since he’d played trumpet in high school, and his job was to blow Morning Colors and Taps. After a hard night on the tiles, Hicks showed up back at camp with a hangover and a fat lip from a minor disagreement, unable to bugle the men out of bed. So he got on the intercom and in less than polite terms told the other Marines it was time to rise and shine. The brass, of course, frowned on that and gave him a permanent posting to underwater demolitions. “It was better than being court martialed or shot,” Hicks said. He also took jump training, which got him into even more trouble. “Since my name’s in the middle of the alphabet,” he recalled, “I figured I always had a pretty good chance of not having to

jump, because if any guy in front of you doesn’t jump, the rest of the men don’t have to. So I was messing around one day, trying to scare the guys early in the lineup so I wouldn’t have to leave a perfectly good plane. The jumpmaster realized what was going on and made sure I was the last one loaded. First on, first off. I really screwed up.” Not only that, but his main chute didn’t open, becoming a Roman candle in paratrooper parlance, fluttering straight above him as he plunged toward earth. He managed to deploy his emergency chute, which clipped him on the face as it blew past and opened, slowing him enough so that his regular chute also opened. Now he had two open chutes to contend with when he hit the ground. “I figured the guys would razz me when we all got down, but they acted like I was some kind of hero, congratulating me all over the place,” he said. Sheer terror turned Hicks into a hero, again unintentionally. “I’d been in Shanghai on R & R,” he said. “On the way back to Korea we stopped in Japan to pick up some soldiers who were new to the operations. The seats on the plane were just webbing between metal frames and mine really sagged. So I took my chute and used it as a cushion.” He promptly fell asleep. Cries of “We’re on fire! We’re going down!” startled him out of his nap. The others were scrambling into their chutes as flames shot out of the wing engine. Hicks looked around for his parachute but his rude awakening fogged his memory. He laughed and said, “I was just picking out

NOVEMBER 2015

the smallest guy, ready to fight him for his chute.” A crewman barreled out of the cockpit, hooked a thumb at Hicks and shouted, “It’s just the damned exhaust. Sit down and shut up and be a man like this guy.’” Jet planes were almost unheard of in the early ’50s and Hicks had never seen one. When he was dropped into enemy territory to act as forward observer, reporting on enemy troop movements, he radioed information to headquarters, which then sent an American plane out. As the plane approached, Hicks stood up and waved, getting a wing waggle in acknowledgement. The plane streaked away. Then the sonic boom caught up with Hicks. “I thought for sure somebody was dropping bombs. I just knew I was dead,” he said. After three years, he was due for discharge, but a “Truman’s year” added six months to his tour. That happened several times, until he was finally discharged in 1955. Like many vets, Hicks refused to talk about the horrors of war. Shadows lurked in his eyes when he mentioned only one incident of many in his combat service. He and thousands of other men, most who died before they hit the ground, parachuted into North Vietnam to aid the French Foreign Legion troops who were under siege by the Vietnamese in pulling out. Then a grin returned as he sipped his beer. “I wasn’t quite 21 when I was discharged, and when I got home, Dad and a bunch of his cronies took me to a bar to celebrate,” he said. “Nobody much cared that I was still underage. It was a night to remember.” When asked if he had any regrets about his service or life in general, Hicks said, “I’d do it all again, every bit of my life. I’m like a cat. I always land on my feet.” ■

Photos of Bob Hicks taken during his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. Middle photo: Hicks, left, next to his friend, Bentsen.

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SALUTE TO VETERANS 23

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Born aviator makes career of the skies By Anita Castro

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our first impression upon meeting Bob Kimble is that he is a true Air Force man. From the Air Force shirts he wears to the large Air Force blanket on his couch and the other Air Force memorabilia that decorate his home, there’s no question of what branch of military he served in. Born in 1925 in New Jersey, Kimble grew up in southern New York, where his love for aviation began at a young age. “I was always interested in flying and my dad was an aviation enthusiast,” Kimble said. “In New York state, in World War II, they even had an aviation course for seniors in high school.” Once he turned 18 in 1943, Kimble enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. “I wasn’t even there for my graduation,” Kimble said. “My mother went up and got my diploma, and I was already in the service.” Kimble graduated from pilot school in 1944, which was nearing the end of the war. Although he never saw combat, Kimble trained on both the B-24 and B-32 bombers. “I was in combat crew training and we were on our way overseas and our crew was selected to train on a new bomber—a B-32,” he said. “We had just finished training on the B-32 when the war ended, but I flew in Vietnam.” During his 31 years in the Air Force, Kimble was stationed all over the world, including Newfoundland, Italy and all across the U.S. In 1953 he was assigned to what one would guess was the best assignment of his career—the Pentagon. However, it wasn’t the job itself that made it his best assignment, it was what it led him to, which was Dottie, the love of his life and his wife of 53 years, who worked in the Secre-

LEFT: Kimble about to fly. TOP: Kimble and his wife Dottie at his retirement party from the Air Force in 1974. RIGHT: Bob Kimble’s Air Force memorabilia decorates the wall of his home at The Commons of Hilltop.

tary of the Air Force’s Office. Kimble will tell you that his favorite place he was stationed was the Air Force Academy, but when you see the look in his eyes and the smile on his face when he talks about Dottie, you know that his time stationed in Washington, DC brought him more joy than he could have ever expected. From 1958 to 1961 Kimble was assigned to the Air Force Academy and Dottie worked in Cadet Personnel. “I was there when the first class graduated,” he said. “We graduated the first three classes with Navigator Wings because they wanted them to have a pair of wings at graduation. I think I flew about 1,000 hours when I was stationed at the Academy, and 900 were at nighttime.” Kimble said the cadets would go to classes all day and get briefed by the navigation instructors. Then they would be bused to Lowry Air Force Base and would fly 5-hour night cross-country missions. They’d get back to the Academy at 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. and get up and go to class again first thing in the morning. Kimble fell in love with the Academy during his three years there and is now a diehard Falcons fan.

“It was enjoyable flying the cadets,” Kimble said. After retiring from the Air Force in 1974, Kimble and Dottie went on many cruises around the Caribbean, where they were able to travel comfortably, since Dottie didn’t like to fly. “I wanted to retire in Colorado Springs but [Dottie] was from Iowa so she was a flatlander,” Kimble said. So they retired to a community in Iowa where they lived until Dottie died from Alzheimer’s. Kimble then moved to Grand Junction, and currently lives at The Commons at Hilltop, where he’s closer to his daughter, son, four grandchildren

and eight great-grandchildren. During his 90 years, Kimble has seen and done more than most could only dream of. If you ever get the chance to see him at Village Inn one morning, make sure to say hello and honor him for his service. ■

24 SALUTE TO VETERANS

Vet honored at HopeWest

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children. ilitary photos George suffered a grace the main stroke in 2007 and wall of George and Joy he has had several Arnold’s living room. heart-related health It’s there that you can problems in the years see all the generations since. Joy said support who’ve protected our from HopeWest has country. In fact, four helped them stay in generations of the their home, which Arnolds’ family have allows George to enjoy served our county in his favorite pastimes, all branches of the such as working on armed forces. Their various projects in his three daughters even hobby shed. married servicemen. George Arnold as a young “Much of what George enlisted in man in the Air Force. HopeWest does is for the Air Force in 1968 folthe caregiver,” Joy said. lowed by an Army Guard “They just do so much. We don’t feel Post in 1975. While in the Air Force he was trained in explosive ordnance alone anymore because I always have someone to call day or night when disposal and completed three tours I need help. Our nurse can even do in Vietnam. After his time in the Air blood draws right here at our house.” Force, George worked as a machinToday, the Arnolds live at home ist and relocated from Mississippi to with George’s mother and Joy’s Grand Junction, where he met his mother and father, and their two wife Joy and raised a family of six dogs, who can regularly be found cuddled up next to George. This summer, George was honored by HopeWest at a veteran pinning ceremony. With his wife and mother by his side, George’s HopeWest care team presented him with a patriotic pin and beautiful lap quilt to honor him and his service to our country. The quilt held special meaning for George, as it brought back fond memories of his childhood. “George chose the quilt with a rail fence pattern because it reminded him of the quilts his grandmother used to make and one he used to sleep under as a child,” said Cindy Webb, his social worker at HopeWest. “The way these patriotic quilts touch veterans’ lives is just incredible. It’s so rewarding to give back to them after what they’ve done for our country.” The feeling is mutual. “We feel blessed by HopeWest,” Joy said. “The care is unbelievably wonderful and what they did for George was so meaningful for our entire family.” ■

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Veterans Day Events November 7 Veterans Day Parade Honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, service and sacrifice at the annual Veterans Day Parade at 2 p.m. in downtown Grand Junction, sponsored by the Veteran’s Committee of the Western Slope. To enter into the parade, call 245-4156. November 7 All Services Ball The All Services Ball, sponsored by Student Veterans Association at Colorado Mesa University, takes place at 6 p.m. at La Puerta Dance Studio, 421 Colorado Ave. This is a formal affair, but veterans aren’t required to wear uniforms. Enjoy dinner and a cash bar, silent auction, live music, dancing and more. Limited tickets available. Tickets are $35 in advance and can be purchased at the Veterans Art Center, 307 S. 12th St. To sponsor a vet and for details, call 361-6725 or 208-5620. November 11 Free entrance to National Parks In honor of Veterans Day, the National Park Service waives fees for the public to enter National Parks, including the Colorado National Monument. November 11 Free entrance to Colorado State Parks Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers all military men and women free admission to Colorado’s State Parks on Veterans Day. To obtain free admission, veterans, active duty military personnel and their families must show a valid active, discharge papers, DD214, reserve or retired military ID card, or an ID card from a Veterans Administration, Veterans of Foreign Wars or the American Legion. The ID should be presented at the parking gate. All other passengers in the vehicle will be admitted for free. November 11 Help Hospitalized Veterans’ activities Help Hospitalized Veterans (HHV) Community-based Craft Center will be open from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on Veterans Day and will host special door prizes and an unveiling

NOVEMB

VETER

RESOU

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American Legion, Post 200 and Auxiliary....... Combined Honor Guard, Grand Valley............. Commemorative Air Force, Rocky Mountain W Fleet Reserve Association, Colorado West Bra Grand Valley Veterans, American Legion Post Help Hospitalized Veterans............................. Medical Foster Care (VA Hospital).................. Mesa County Veterans Affairs......................... Military Officers Association of America......... Operation Interdependence............................ VA Benefits..................................................... VA Caregiver Support...................................... VA Medical Center.......................................... Vet Center....................................................... Veterans Art Center, Operation Revamp, Inc... Veterans Committee of the Western Slope..... Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1247.............. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 3981.............. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 4663.............. Western Slope Patriot Guard Riders ..............

of new model cars. Favorite crafting opportunities will be available as well. Veterans new to signing up will get an additional craft kit, as will the veteran who refers them to HHV. For details, call 424-0499. November 11 Art & Music Extravaganza The Art & Music Extravaganza is free and takes place from 1 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Avalon Theater. The Veterans Art Center has prepared a day of live music, featuring seven bands, a handful of storytellers and poets, live and silent auctions, and raffles. The Mesa County Public Library will be showing videos of local veterans telling their stories from the Veterans Remember Project. There will also be an art show with art from local talent. For more information, call 424-2312.

BER 2015

SALUTE TO VETERANS 25

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.......................................................462-3623 .......................................................234-0980 Wing................................................256-0693 anch 244.........................................434-0868 t 2009..............................................216-0127 .......................................................424-0499 .......................................................263-2854 .......................................................248-2733 .......................................................245-6454 .......................................................523-4217 ............................................... 800-827-1000 ............................................... 855-260-3274 .......................................................242-0731 .......................................................245-4156 .......................................................462-3126 .......................................................245-6454 .......................................................242-9940 .......................................................255-9037 .......................................................434-9470 .......................................................250-1174

Veterans Day freebies and discounts

Check with your local store or restaurant for exclusions and details. Offers valid only for Veterans Day, unless otherwise specified. Please bring a form of military ID with you. Firestone Complete Auto Care - Between November 8 and 15, veterans and active duty personnel receive an additional 10% off the lowest advertised price of any automotive service. Great Clips - Veterans can receive a free haircut or get a free haircut card. Home Depot - Home Depot offers a 10% discount to all veterans. Lowe’s - All veterans receive a 10% discount in store only.

Murdoch’s - 15% off your regularly priced purchase when you show cashier a valid form of military ID on Veterans Day (some exclusions apply).

Bart Allen: from sea to air

Applebee’s - Veterans and active duty military receive a free meal from a limited menu.

t age 13, Bart Allen and his brother, who was 17 at the time, witnessed the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The news inspired his brother to serve his country and enlist in the U.S. Navy. “He was on a destroyer and I didn’t know if I had a brother sometimes,” Allen, now 86, said. “I watched my folks and it was hard for me when he left.” In 1948, Allen also joined the Navy, so he wouldn’t be drafted. He served for two and a half years. While he was in boot camp, he also happened to be dating his soon-to-be wife, Mary, who was studying to be a nurse. “If we feel the same, then we better do it and get married,” he told Mary. “So we did it,” he said. “At that age you don’t know what you’re doing anyways.” During an allotted three-minute, one-time only call during boot camp, the couple decided to get married once he was released from boot camp. They set a date for August 6, but Allen was released early and was to be sent to Great Lakes, Illinois for training. Therefore, they moved the date up and married July 26, 1948. “She started my whole military career with me,” Allen said. Allen signed a contract to be part of the submarine crew. He explained that submarines were much smaller back then, compared to today’s subs. He explained that the crew was only allowed a small seabag, which was to fit within a small locker. A typical seabag held a few pairs of pants, undergarments and shirts, plus dress blues. “My wife asked when I would be

Chili’s - Veterans and active military service members get a free entrée from a limited menu. Denny’s - Active, inactive and retired military personnel get a free Build Your Own Grand Slam from 5 a.m. to noon. Golden Corral - Golden Corral Restaurants’ Military Appreciation Night will be from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Military retirees, veterans, active duty, National Guard and Reserves receive free buffet. Olive Garden - All veterans and current service members get a free meal from a limited menu. Outback Steakhouse - All active and former service members receive a free Bloomin’ Onion and a beverage, along with 15% off their meal. The 15% discount extends through December 31. Red Lobster - Veterans, retired and active-duty military personnel receive a complimentary appetizer or dessert from a limited menu. Red Robin – Veterans and active duty military can stop into Red Robin to get a free Red’s Tavern Double Burger and Bottomless Fries. Starbucks - Veterans, active duty service members and spouses get a free tall coffee. Texas Roadhouse – Texas Roadhouse locations nationwide will offer veterans a free lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Offer good for active duty, retired or former U.S. military. Village Inn – Veterans and active military personnel receive a free breakfast from a select menu. Wreaths Across America The Western Slope Patriot Guard Riders and Wreaths Across America are looking wreath sponsors so they can place 2,000 wreaths on graves at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Grand Junction. The Wreath Ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. December 12. If you have a loved one buried at the cemetery or would like to sponsor a wreath(s) for $15 each this Christmas, call Art Edwards at 250-1174.

By Brittany Markert

A

back and I didn’t have an answer,” Allen said. “I asked another sailor when we would be back and he said, ‘Hell, we don’t even know where we are going.’” After his stint with the Navy, he went to college. He was recruited to join the ROTC, which eventually landed him in the Air Force. He obtained his wings and moved up the ranks over the years as a performance engineer. He worked on B-50s and B-36s for 10 years. He also worked with the new computers as a data processor. Allen received orders to head to Vietnam during his early years with the Air Force. He recalled how numerous bodies lay in the streets, as they had run out of room at the morgues. He made it back to the U.S. with an assignment to go back to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. His Air Force career moved him and his growing family all across the U.S., from California to Virginia. He ended his Air Force career in 1973 at the rank of colonel. After some time working at Central Bank of Denver, Allen and Mary decided to build a cabin in Salida to enjoy the mountain life. He and Mary eventually moved to Grand Junction in 1991 because two of their children lived here. “This has been one of our greatest moves,” Allen said. “The last 20 years have been ideal for us.” Allen and Mary volunteered at Hospice for more than 15 years. They have four children, 14 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, with four more that will be here by February. “It’s been a great life,” Allen said. ■

“I asked another sailor when we would be back and he said, ‘Hell, we don’t even know where we are going.’”

26 SALUTE TO VETERANS

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Life was cheap there By Kevin K. VanGundy

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any refer to the Korean conflict as the “forgotten war,” which is certainly a misnomer. From the U.S. point of view, we never declared war on North Korea—instead we declared it a “policing action” in support of the United Nations. But it was one hell of a police action leading to the deaths of over 33,000 U.S. soldiers in just three short bloody

years. How do you forget that? “Life was cheap there. It didn’t amount to anything,” said Dean Van Gundy. At 17 years young, Van Gundy enlisted with the Unites States Marine Corp. After basic training and his 18th birthday Van Gundy was sent to fight at the 38th Parallel. “Our lieutenant instructed us to make contact with the enemy,” he recalled, “and we did. His throat was ripped out by a piece of shrapnel. He died right there.” Van Gundy earned his first Pur-

ple Heart in early October of 1951. Mostly recovered from his flesh wound, he was reassigned the slightly less risky job of guarding a base. His new job proved much safer until the base came under fire in a surprise attack. Hit by shrapnel from a grenade, he awoke from a concussion to find the man next to him dead and himself paralyzed from his lower back down. He chuckled to lighten the mood. “They didn’t like me over there. I lucked out,” he said. “I got wounded twice and got out of there.” From the front lines, he was sent to recover at a hospital in Japan. There, he was pinned with his second Purple Heart. More impressive was his near

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full recovery. His paralysis faded and he regained full use of his legs. Eventually shipped home, Van Gundy finished his time in the military as a supply sergeant. Given an honorable discharge in 1954, he returned to his hometown of Grand Junction. He briefly attended Mesa College, married, raised a family and worked at the family’s salvage yard. Today he spends most of his time at the VA Hospital in Grand Junction. Speaking of which, he has nothing but praise for the staff of the local facility. “It’s the best,” he said. “It’s better than either of the VA’s hospitals in Denver or Salt Lake City.” One more thing he added: “I’m proud of defending my country.” ■

Van Gundy, second from left, spends time at the VA Hospital with his daughters Jana and Cindy and his brother, Eldon

In a note home to his mother Veta, Van Gundy wrote, “Arrived just in time to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”

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SALUTE TO VETERANS 27

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Navy man serves country Don Eng: Air Force radio operator and hometown of Rifle By Brittany Markert

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t was be drafted or join the service on his own. So in 1948, when Jack Sours was 18, he decided to enlist in the Navy. He was a radar watchman on a destroyer for 18 months. “I had to sit and watch to make sure we weren’t going to hit another ship,” Sours said. He traveled to many countries and areas of the world, including the South Pacific, Guam, Japan, and China. He recalled a time when the ship he was on was caught in a typhoon storm for 18 hours. “Even the captain got seasick,” he said. He eventually became third-class seaman. He came back to the U.S. and got shore duty. He was eventually stationed in Japan for another 18 months. Sours, now 85, was born and raised in Rifle, Colorado. After serving in the Navy for four

years, he was able to head back to his hometown of Rifle. His parents owned a ranch, but they sold it and opened a feed store. They opened a second store, which Sours operated for 19 years. During that time, he also met his future wife, Dorthy, and they were married in 1954. They had three kids: two boys and a girl. He eventually sold the business and became a fireman in Rifle for 25 years. After being a fireman, he decided to get into real estate. He was a real estate agent for 27 years. Sours helped build the new airport and served on the airport board. Sours enjoys watching “America’s Funniest Videos” and roots for the Denver Broncos while he watches football. Also an avid golfer, Sours also helped build the golf course in Rifle. Dorthy died in 2001 and in June, Sours decided to move to Grand Junction to live in The Fountains of Hilltop. His six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren visit often. ■

By Jan Weeks

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orld War II was in midstrife when Don Eng, just 18, left his hometown of Gary, South Dakota to serve his country. “I lived just two blocks from the Minnesota state line,” he said. Knowing that if he waited to be drafted, he would have had no say in which branch he served in, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, as the US Air Force was then called. “I wanted to be a pilot,” he said, “but they thought I wasn’t mature enough or something and turned me down. So I signed up to be a radio operator.” After training in Sioux Falls for the radio job, he was sent to England. From the base there, bombers took off for Europe. Eng huddled over his radio in a B-24, receiving and conveying messages regarding air strike targets to the pilot and crew as they flew missions over Germany. “We flew 15 to 20 missions,” former Staff Sergeant Eng said. “All of them were over Germany.” Manning the radio wasn’t his

only job on the B-24. “When we were in combat, I operated a machine gun,” he said. Many planes never came back, but Eng was lucky. “We may have sustained some small holes,” he said, “but we never were so damaged that we had to turn back or go down.” The best thing about a terrible situation was being able to come back from a mission with no casualties and no major damage. “We had to protect ourselves, and since we were flying, we didn’t have any direct contact with enemy soldiers, except the planes that sometimes came too close for comfort,” he said. When he returned to the States, he enrolled in South Dakota State College, now a university, and received his engineering degree. He and wife Jewyll had four children while he worked for a power company that served both South Dakota and Minnesota and retired from that job. He and his wife then moved to Grand Junction. They now live at The Fountains at Hilltop. ■

28 SALUTE TO VETERANS

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Fingerprints on the wall By Marti Healy

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n the corner of my desk sits a small, round, glass paperweight. Occasionally, it fulfills its purpose of holding down wayward papers. But most of the time it sits alone, often forgotten, I’m afraid. Yet it has a remarkable history. It’s one of those clear glass domes that magnifies an item placed under it; a patch of black felt glued to the bottom keeps the item enclosed. I found it empty in the cheap section of an antiques store. But it suited my purpose perfectly. I tucked within it a small piece of the Berlin Wall, a relic brought to me by family friends. They had picked it up off the ground at the site where the wall had stood, shortly after it had been torn down. In appearance this piece of the wall is a jagged chunk of cement mixed with chipped brown stones, perhaps an inch in width. But whenever I look at it, I see fingerprints; from the hands that built it, the hands that tried to escape over it and the hands that tore it down. In my mind, the hands that built this wall were hesitant. They loved their country, their beautiful city, yet they were being forced to divide it—splitting families, closing in futures and shutting out freedom. They were human hands. They must have hesitated. In my mind, the hands that tried to escape over this wall were trembling. They were the hands of men, women and even children. They were the hands of people who would leave everything and risk punishment, imprisonment and death for an ideal. Though they trembled, these hands must also have been courageous. In my mind, the hands that tore this wall down were strong and sure and came from both sides. These hands belonged to people who had to be proud of one another. So this piece of the Berlin Wall

itself isn’t really important. It’s the fingerprints on it that matter and the unnamed lives it represents. And as I look at this small fragment of history, it now makes me think of another wall—one in the Veterans Memorial Park in my small hometown in South Carolina. I recently visited this park, walking gently over the bricks underfoot, reading the names etched on the black granite wall of all the lives from the county also given in defense of an ideal. At the top of the wall are the words: “In honor of all veterans— past, present, future.” The names engraved are those who have been killed in action. The first name is from World War I: Walter Bell. The most recent is the name of Jason Lyle Moski, who gave his life fighting in Operation Iraq Freedom. What wrenches my heart the most, however, is the amount of blank surface on this wall awaiting names, as if we are somehow compelled to fulfill the prophecy of that title at the top “...past, present, future.” It was raining when I visited. A slow, quiet drizzle of tear-like drops slid down the surface of the wall, softly curving along the letters of each name. But in my mind I saw fingerprints again. They were fingerprints from the hands of those left behind—those who loved these souls whose names are etched here. I left my fingerprints there, too. In silent thanks, I respectfully reached out and touched Jason’s name—and Walter’s. Names that must never be forgotten. And then, I touched the blank spaces on the wall and I prayed with all my heart that this part of the wall would someday be torn down—unused, unneeded. I prayed that one day, scraps of this un-etched portion of the wall would be relics captured under a glassdomed paperweight on the far corner of someone else’s desk. I prayed that only fingerprints would be there. ■

NOVEMBER 2015

FUN AFTER 50 29

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FUN AFTER 50

Senior Recreation Center 550 Ouray Avenue - 970 243-7408

Activities offered by GJ Parks and Recreation To register for these programs, call the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Department at 254-3866 or visit www.gjparksandrec.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

HEALTH

DECEMBER 2 Design a Holiday Centerpiece Transform your table with a holiday centerpiece to last the whole season. Container and greens will be provided, but if you want to personalize your centerpiece, bring accessories. Class is 1 p.m.-2 p.m. at Johnson’s House of Flowers. Register by November 24. Cost is $30.

NOVEMBER 13 Facts and Tracks: Healthy Holiday Eating Learn how to make healthy dishes loaded with nutrition and taste for you and your loved ones this holiday season. Then spend the next 30 minutes outside walking on the Riverfront Trail. Class is from noon to 1 p.m. at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens. Cost is $5.

DECEMBER 8 Holiday Light Tour for 50+ Get in the holiday spirit while you relax and enjoy the hidden gems of the city’s best light displays. Enjoy hot chocolate and goodies before you go. Space is limited, so register early. This event always fills up. Meet at Lincoln Park Barn at 6 p.m. Cost is $5.

GARDENING NOVEMBER 18 Garden Talk: Landscape design for your yard Overwhelmed with the idea of landscaping your yard? Let landscape designer Kathy Kimbrough, owner of Garden Scentsations, guide you through the ABCs of landscaping yards in Western Colorado in this class from noon to 1 p.m. at the Western Colorado Botanical Gardens. Cost is $5.

TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS Gentle Active Yoga This class is designed for an active beginner and above. Students must be able to get up and down from the floor unassisted. Class is 8 a.m.-9 a.m. at Lincoln Park Barn. Cost is $7 to drop in or $50 for a 10-punch pass. AQUA AEROBICS These aerobic classes are for novice to intermediate individuals. Class is 8:15 a.m.-9:15 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at Orchard Mesa Pool. Cost is $4.25 to drop in or $44 for a 12-punch pass.

DANCE THURSDAYS Senior dances with live music Dance from 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m. at the Senior Recreation Center. Cost is $3.

The Guide

MONDAYS (NOV. 2-DEC. 4) Beginning Line Dance Learn fun dances that will improve your balance and coordination, strengthen your heart and stimulate your mind. No partner or previous dance skills needed. Class takes place from 12:15 p.m.-1 p.m. at Lincoln Park Barn. Cost is $18. MONDAYS Intermediate Line Dance Enjoy the benefits of dance and improve your skills by learning new dances with a little more difficulty. Class is from 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m. at Lincoln Park Barn. Cost is $32 for a 10-punch pass or $4 to drop in.

The Senior Recreation Center offers activities for seniors age 50 and older. The center is open Monday–Saturday from 8:00 am–4:00 pm Annual membership is $10.

Senior Recreation Center Monthly Calendar of Events MONDAY 9:00 am 9:30 am 10:30 am 12:00 pm 1:00 pm 5:30 pm

Cribbage Cards Computer Classes Gray Gourmet Lunch Card Bingo & Dominoes Singles Pinochle (1st & 3rd Monday)

TUESDAY 9:00 am Cribbage & Pool Tourney 12:00 pm Gray Gourmet Lunch 1:30 pm Bingo WEDNESDAY

the Grand Junction Commission

9:00 am 9:30 am 10:00 am 12:00 pm 1:00 pm

on Arts and Culture

THURSDAY

CITY HALL: Featuring the young artists from Independence Academy and the City of Grand Junction employees

9:00 am Cribbage & Dominoes 10:00 am Dance w/Music (1st Thursday) 10:30 am Membership Meeting 12:00 pm Pokeno (Starts at 1 p.m. on 1st Thursday) 7:30 pm Dance

ART Free public exhibits hosted by

TIARA RADO: Featuring “The Need for Speed” exhibit by local artists at The Rock Clubhouse TWO RIVERS CONVENTION CENTER: Aerospace and history exhibit featuring local artists

LAST CHANCE Reserve your space in the 2016 Resource Directory

Call 243-8829

Ladies Pool & Cribbage Jack & Jill Pool Tourney Free Blood Pressure Clinic (3rd Wed) Gray Gourmet Lunch Pinochle & Canasta

FRIDAY 9:00 am 12:00 pm 12:30 pm 12:45 pm 1:00 pm

Painting Class & Pool Tourney Gray Gourmet Lunch Bible Study Bridge Canasta

SATURDAY 9:00 am Bridge 1:00 pm Bingo

To make Gray Gourmet lunch reservations, call 243-9844. $3.50

30 FINANCE

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Home Care Beyond the Expected

7 tips for planning that affordable holiday trip By Nathaniel Sillin

A

Hilltop - the name you trust At Hilltop Home Care we know remaining safe, secure and independent in your own home can be a primary worry as you age. Aging well in your home may require a wide-range of personalized services to help you achieve your optimal independence. At Hilltop Home Care we offer: n Post-hospitalization and surgery care n IV therapy, medication management and injections n Physical, occupational and speech therapists

n Chronic disease management n Personal care n Companionship n Housekeeping, pet care and handyman services

n Transportation and errands n Meal preparation n Emergency Response Monitors n All caregivers screened and insured

Ask about our Geriatric Care Managers and how they can help you navigate the complex issues of aging at home

(970) 208-1345 • HilltopHomeCareGJ.org

NOVEMBER 2015

re you an advance planner or an improviser? Your travel planning style might save you money during the busy winter holiday travel season. Generally, families with children and a need for specific seating and direct flights may need to plan earlier to secure such reservations. More flexible travelers can roll the dice on last-minute deals.

Here are some ideas to explore: Be open-minded about scheduling. Red-eye and dawn flights are typically cheaper. However, holiday travel presents its own set of opportunities for pricing and availability if you don’t follow the crowd. For example, with Thanksgiving always on a Thursday, most travelers choose Tuesday or Wednesday for arrival and Sunday for departure. Choosing a different scheduling window, including travel on the actual holiday, may not only save money but considerable stress getting to and from clogged airports, trains and bus stations. Drive smart or leave the keys at home. If you’re using your own automobile, make sure your collision and liability coverage are adequate to cover potential medical and repair costs for other motorists if you’re in an accident. If you’re planning to rent a vehicle, speak with your auto insurance agent before you go. Many personal policies extend domestic collision and liability coverage to rentals, but it’s particularly important to confirm coverage if you’re traveling outside the U.S. An affordable bike rental or multi-day city or regional bus and rail pass might eliminate the need for a car altogether. Sleep cheap. Saving money on accommodations is another area where you can save significant dollars by either planning significantly ahead or trolling for last-minute bar-

gains. Top family destinations generally require reservations months in advance, but see how full they are closest to the actual holiday dates. Many family members may travel a week before or a week after the actual holiday but won’t stay over the holiday. That leaves more rooms and activities available. Put your membership dollars to work. If you belong to an auto club or have credit cards with particular travel benefits, see whether any of those benefits, from actual mileage points to coupon discounts, can be used to save money. Check your home, health and business insurance. See if your personal health insurance extends to your destination. The same goes for home/rental and business insurance. Many people don’t realize that some or all of their personal insurance coverage may cover medical, theft, liability, injury and other risks at their destination. Read your policy and confirm your assumptions with your agent. Consider travel insurance. Once you’ve confirmed the limits of your personal coverage, research travel insurance policy sites and recent articles on travel insurance so you can make sure common risks like trip cancellation and lost luggage are covered as well as specialized risks like advanced medical care and medical transportation at your destination. Watch those bags. Many airlines charge ascending fees for every checked bag, so packing light has never made more sense. However, major air and ground shipping companies are now offering luggage-shipping services for domestic and overseas travelers with pickup options at their ground facilities. Make a call and see if this option makes sense, particularly if you take extra clothes or gifts with you. ■

NOVEMBER 2015

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The four Rs for protecting yourself against Medicare scams By Kim Lata, Colorado Division of Insurance

I

t’s open enrollment season for Medicare, which means that along with getting important information from legitimate health insurance companies, seniors may be targeted by identity thieves and other scams. The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), part of the Colorado Division of Insurance, wants seniors to be ready to protect themselves against Medicare fraud and abuse. Colorado SMP officials are reminding seniors that they are the first line of defense against Medicare fraud. The best way to foil fraudsters is to remember the four Rs.

Record Record all medical appointments, tests or other services on a calendar and save all your receipts and statements. Ask a friend or family member for help if you need it. That way you will know exactly what you got and when you got it.

Review When you get your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN), check it against your calendar. Make sure that every detail is correct and all the items you are billed for were really deliv-

ered. You can also check your claims online at MyMedicare.gov.

Report Be skeptical of advertisements or phone calls offering free gifts or early bird discounts. Medicare will never contact you for your Medicare number or personal information. If you don’t recognize a claim on your MSN, or if you suspect fraud, call the Colorado SMP at 1-800-503-5190.

Remember Always guard your Medicare number. Never let anyone else use your Medicare card. Never share it with anyone who contacts you by phone or email offering a special offer deal. Medicare will never contact you for your number or other personal information. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember to remind friends and neighbors to protect their Medicare cards, too. If everyone does their part we can cut down on fraud. If you have questions or would like to learn more about Medicare fraud and how to protect yourself, contact the Colorado Senior Medicare Patrol at 1-800-503-5190. ■

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SENIOR SCAMS 31

The Hands that Tell Life’s Stories in Stone

32 ANTIQUES

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5 tips for selling collectibles Antiques, By Terri Benson

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ast month’s article covered what to keep in mind when buying collectibles. Now you’ve decided it’s time to sell all those items you’ve been collecting. Similar principles apply to buying and selling, but what now?

1) Decide how much time and effort you want to put into selling. If you’re good with a computer and camera, you can sell online through websites like eBay and Craigslist. Be prepared to work through the process of posting items and dealing with packing/shipping, but most of all be prepared for scam artists. Consider setting up a separate email account dedicated to selling your collectibles, which will help keep the inevitable spam out of your regular email inbox.

We believe that a memorial should be a reflection of a life lived. This is why Dan Carlson, artist and owner, has been customizing memorials since 1976. Every memorial is designed, engraved and installed by our craftsmen to insure the highest quality from start to completion.

2) Place a newspaper ad. Newspaper ads for yard sales attract local buyers. Thursdays and Fridays are good days to attract dealers, and Sundays can be slow. Mornings are best, but expect early birds who show up well before your posted start time.

It is our commitment to assist you and your family during this difficult time and hope to ease the experience with kind, compassionate professionalism. We are honored to help you select the appropriate memorialization that will last through the ages for someone special. Your memorial will serve as a source of historical record for future generations.

3) If you have a large collection, consider renting space at an antique mall. Many antique malls charge rent instead of commission. Treasures from the Past, 2923 North Ave., leases a 6’ x 10’ space for $84 and requires 30 days’ notice to move out. Vendors are issued unique ID codes and provide their own display cases. Owner Rita London occasionally buys items that are brought in, but like many people in the antique business, will generally only offer 25 to 50 percent of an item’s actual value.

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4) If you’re downsizing, or must bear the task of selling your parents’ stuff, consider an auction company, such as Great American Estate Sales. Owner Becky Brown has been conducting on-site estate auctions since 1995, and has taught the trade to her partner, daughter Amy Carlton. While Great American Estate

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NOVEMBER 2015

Sales does not perform online auctions, they post photos of items for sale on their website. Although it might be a sad time, Brown sees the experience as a way to repurpose items someone once loved by allowing someone else to love them and give them new life.

When choosing an auction company, Brown advised: • Make sure staff isn’t allowed to bid and they don’t allow early sales. • Check their references and get referrals from your attorney, Realtor, bank or senior services. • Get a written contract with full details, including the commission. • Don’t let them bring their own items to sell at your auction. • Ask lots of questions. • Beware of anyone who constantly tells you your items aren’t worth anything. • Most of all, don’t sell anything that you might regret later.

5) Research the value. No matter which direction you decide to take, make sure to research the value of your items ahead of time. You can do that via the Internet, library or looking through local antique and collectibles stores. Books such as “A to Z Antique Values” and price guides such as “Kovels” cover many different types of items; others are topic specific. Check websites such as Crawforddirect.com and antiques. lovetoknow.com for pricing, and if you’re not sure how to value or sell online on your own, visit www.buyin gandsellingantiques.org. But no matter what your research says, the bottom line is your items are only worth what someone will pay. You’ll have to decide if your intent is to simply dispose of the collectibles or to obtain the maximum price possible. ■

NOVEMBER 2015

Superstitious? Not me By Arnold Bornstein

A

33

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re you superstitious? I’m not, but when I look back on certain events, it makes me wonder. For the past several years, my wife and I and some family members have taken regular summer vacations in a resort area along the New Jersey shore. The hotel faces the Atlantic Ocean, with sandy beaches and the waves rolling in like clockwork. During our first visit, our daughter, who is diabetic, had a diabetes episode and went home feeling ill. The next year, I came home with bronchitis and had to see a doctor. The following year, my wife passed out on the beach and was flown by helicopter to a Philadelphia hospital, where she had a pacemaker implanted. The subsequent summer, we decided to stay home, after thinking about the things that had

happened. The next summer, we joined family there to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. A hurricane came our way, so we had to leave after one night to avoid the storm. And the following year, we thought we had lost our medications so we went to the nearest pharmacy and had them call our doctors and we obtained new ones. Then our daughter found our missing ones. Last summer, we tried a new location along the Jersey Shore and guess what? Nothing happened. We haven’t decided yet about this coming summer. Don’t get me wrong, regarding circumstances and cause and effect, I take a rational approach rather than superstition. And some events may be simply unexplainable. There is a big list of superstitions that includes Friday the 13th, cracks

in the pavement, broken mirrors, knocking wood and black cats. I think comedian Groucho Marx pretty much said it all: “If a black cat crosses your path, it signifies that the animal is going somewhere.” Some office and apartment buildings in Manhattan don’t have a 13th floor and call it 12A instead. We may joke about superstition, particularly in a highly developed country, but world history reflects a heritage that goes back to the dawn of humanity. On the flip side of superstition (although it has many sides) is luck, chance, fate, destiny or predetermination. In Colorado, we don’t live too far from Las Vegas and its casinos, which adds another layer of mystique to the thoughts. What about luck—good and bad? Novelist Kurt Vonnegut said, “The only thing I ever learned was that some people are lucky and other people aren’t, and not even a graduate of the Harvard Business School

can say why.” In accidents, wars, diseases and natural disasters, who knows why some died and others lived? My oldest brother, George, who served in the Army during World War II, told me, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” There is an ongoing controversy about the degree to which luck may or may not play a role in many aspects of our lives. Are hard work and ability enough to succeed in your career, school, business or whatever, or do you also need luck? And what is meant by the old cliché, lucky in love? Does falling in love involve luck? I recall years ago that some people used to carry so-called good luck charms, such as a rabbit’s foot, but as humorist R.E. Shay noted, “It didn’t work for the rabbit.” Who truly knows the answers? I prefer optimism and positive thinking in making decisions. In any event, good luck! ■

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Question

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What are you most thankful for? ➤ Nanci Cooley “My faith. No matter what life hands me, or doesn’t, my faith is constant. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

Jeri Doran

EYES

It’s perfectly clear why you should get your eyes looked at regularly.

TEETH You know the drill when it comes to getting routine teeth cleanings.

Month

“I’m most thankful that I know who the Lord is—and my family knows him, so I’m comforted by that. I’m getting to that age where you need to be thankful for what you have. I’m also thankful for my daughter because she runs me around.”

➤

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NOVEMBER 2015

What are you doing for your

HEARING?

Ensure you’re hearing your best with your annual hearing test.

➤ Dean Van Gundy “I’m thankful for my family and friends... and that I’m still alive.”

Your hearing is an important part of your overall health.

SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY HEARING SCREENING OR HEARING AID CHECKUP Dr. Ryan Crawford Audiologist

970.464.3062

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Debbie Wilson “My family. I am so fortunate to have the love and support of my wonderful husband and daughters. My family is so special to me because they are the one thing on this earth that I could never replace.”

NOVEMBER 2015

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FAITH MOVES 35

Pope Francis’ 5-finger  prayer 

Your thumb is the closest finger to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a “sweet duty.”

 The next finger is the pointing

finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

 Pray for those closest to you  Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal  Pray for leaders and authority  Pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.  Pray for yourself



The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God’s guidance.

 The fourth finger is our ring

finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

 And lastly comes our



little finger, the smallest finger of all, which is where we should  place ourselves in to God  relation and others. As the Bible says, “The least shall be the greatest among  you.” Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. ■

Experience God's love in a traditional setting.

36

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The mystery of the Morse Lodge fire

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ibrarian Kim Sutherland has spent nearly every summer of his life on Eggleston Lake on Grand Mesa. While he was growing up, his grandmother delighted him with stories of a “casino” on the south end of the lake that caught traveled west from Nebraska in fire sometime in the 1930s while search of a new home. They went she and her husband were fishing as far west as Idaho and Yellowon Grand Mesa. stone, and in 1909, they settled in “My grandparents, George and Cedaredge, Colorado. Helen Sutherland of Delta, loved According to the book spending time on Grand “Nellie’s Prairie” by Inas Mesa,” Sutherland said. Sutherland recalled his Ziegler, the colonel found grandmother saying that Cedaredge to be “closer when the Morse Lodge on to heaven than anywhere Grand Mesa caught fire, he’d ever been before.” the firefighters decided to By 1912, Morse and his dynamite the lodge to put daughter Nellie had nearthe fire out so it wouldn’t ly completed the Morse spread to the surrounding Lodge, a rustic structure Col. Frank Morse with a store adjoining the forest. “My grandfather, a firelodge on the west end. man from Delta, ran into There were 36 beds in the lodge the burning building to rescue itself, not including the many tent the slot machine inside, and my houses they’d set up around the grandmother had run down the hill lodge, which raised the total bed below the dam of Barron Lake to count to 60. The lodge sat on the escape the explosion, spraining her south end of Eggleston Lake, on a ankle in the process,” he said. “She knoll overlooking what is now the said until she died in 2004 at age 97 intersection of Lake Shore Drive that was the cause of her swollen and the old Grand Mesa Road. The ankle.” roads up to the Mesa were beSo what exactly happened to the ing improved and the lakes were Morse Lodge on Grand Mesa? How stocked with rainbow and native did it catch fire and when did it trout from the Grand Mesa Fish burn to the ground? Although some Hatchery. The only remnant of area residents recall the fire, many the lodge is a set of cement stairs, details about this event are absent barely visible in the lush grass and from newspapers and other historwildflowers. ical archives, making it quite the The second Barren Lake Boatmystery. house, built by Art Williams at the request of the U.S. Forest Service, Who were the Morses? Recently widowed, Colonel Frank was built on the site of the old Morse Lodge. A. Morse and his two daughters

NOVEMBER 2015

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The Morse Lodge closed for the winter every October. But one year the lodge proprietors received a letter from a group of skiers from Grand Junction asking the Morses to open the lodge for them during an upcoming excursion. With her father’s health failing, Nellie married long-time family friend Merrill A. Wright, who helped her open the lodge and take advantage of this opportunity for extra income. According to “Nellie’s Prairie,” there was a 20-year age difference between them and Merrill seemed more like a brother to Nellie than a matrimonial prospect. But the Wrights spent their honeymoon shoveling snow and preparing food for their anticipated weekend guests. Unfortunately, because of a severe snowstorm, the skiers never came. Nellie worked hard at the lodge, hauling coal down into town and taking groceries back up the 12 miles from Cedaredge on horseback. Nellie often hired local girls to assist in the kitchen and to work as chambermaids during the summer. When her sister Bessie died in childbirth, Nellie and her father raised the twins that cost Bessie her life, Mabel and Evelyn. The Morses also adopted three motherless children: John, Barbara and Bobbie Worth. They all spent their summers at the lodge and were often seen traveling the Old Grand Mesa Road on horseback, loaded with provisions for the lodge.

Recollections of the fire Merrill and Nellie ran the lodge every summer until it burned to the ground. It’s unknown extactly what year it burned down or how the fire started, but Marilyn Williams Boyd of Olathe, who grew up at the Barren Lake Boathouse near the Morse Lodge, said it burned down in 1939. Her older sister, Merita Williams Capeloto of Westminster, California, recalled that she was about 6 years old when her mother let her stand in the big picture window of the boathouse as she watched the

dramatic conflagration and the chaos of extinguishing the blaze. An investigation of all editions of the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel during the summer of 1939 brought forth no accounts of the fire, but surfaced evidence that 1939 was a particularly dry summer. No accounts of the fire were found in the 1938 and 1937 editions either. The Cedaredge Library has some old “Surface Creek Champion” newspaper editions on microfiche that made no reference of the fire, but one edition from the spring of 1939 made mention in the “Short Stories of Local Interest” section that “Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Wright are leaving today for the Fruita District where they own land and will farm this summer.” Information listed in special telephone directory inserts in the “Surface Creek Champion” leads to the belief that the lodge was destroyed in the summer of 1938 and the Wrights left the Surface Creek Valley for the Fruita farm the following spring, as neither the Wrights nor the Morse Lodge are listed in 1939, but the lodge is listed in 1937 and 1938. Colonel Morse died in 1929. Nellie spent many years caring for Merrill after a series of strokes until his death in 1947. A Seventh Day Adventist most of her life, Nellie spent her widow years caring for the Indian children at the Adventist Navajo Mission School in Holbrook, Arizona, according to Hazel Baker Austin’s 1988 book, “Surface Creek Country by a Native Daughter.” Nellie died in 1959. She, her father and husband are all buried in Cedaredge. Do you have stories to share about the Morse Lodge? Call me at 2605226 or email Priscilla.Mangnall@ gmail.com. I am also interested in information about Squirrel’s Camp and the original Spruce Lodge. ■

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Mesa County Calendar NOVEMBER 3, 10 AND 17 Creative Writing Workshop Learn about setting, character, plot, how to use point of view effectively, how to create realistic dialogue, and more. There will be plenty of hands-on exercises and lots of examples to illustrate. The workshops take place from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at Western Colorado Community College, 2508 Blichmann Ave. in Grand Junction. Cost is $89. For more information, call Jan Weeks at 255-6679. To register visit wccc.coloradomesa.edu/cec or call 255-2800. NOVEMBER 6-7 Culture Fest 2015 Culture Fest, Mesa County Libraries’ annual celebration of western Colorado’s cultural diversity, takes place from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Central Library, 443 N. Sixth St. in Grand Junction. The Central Library will be filled with displays representing countries from

all over the world, accompanied by representatives who are happy to discuss and answer questions about their native lands. For details, call 243-4442.

NOVEMBER 7 Church Bazaar The First Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, will host a church bazaar from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at 1326 N. First St. in Grand Junction. For details, call 242-7204. NOVEMBER 7 Central High School Craft Fair Over 35 crafters will showcase their creations from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at Central High School’s sixth annual Holiday Craft Fair, 550 Warrior Way. Come shop! NOVEMBER 7 MountainFilm on Tour Festival Enjoy selected films from the 2015 Telluride MountainFilm Festival that

educate, inspire and motivate. Doors open at the Avalon Theater at 6 p.m. for a silent auction and happy hour, including one free drink for the first 100 attendees. Films start at 7 p.m. Door prizes include a Westwater River trip for two, a Loki jacket and REI tent. Advance tickets are $10 at Summit Canyon or at www.wccongress.org. Tickets are $15 at the door, and children 10 and under free. For more information, call 256-7650.

NOVEMBER 13 “Trumbo” special screening See the special screening of “Trumbo,” the biographical drama about Dalton Trumbo brought to you by Legends of the Grand Valley, at 7 p.m. at the Avalon Theater. Cost is $15 and tickets are limited. To enhance your experience, attend the reception at 5:30 p.m. ($35 includes the movie ticket) and speak to Trumbo’s daughter-in-law Nancy Escher and new “Trumbo” book author Larry Ceplair. Free hors d’oeuvres and cash bar at the reception. Autographed books will be available for sale. Pur-

NOVEMBER 2015

chase tickets at www.monumental events.com or call 812-1292. For more information, call 260-8130.

NOVEMBER 14 Embroider for a Cause Busy Bea Quilters are looking for people to donate their time and talent to embroider colorful cause ribbons (for breast cancer and type-1 diabetes) to be sold as ornaments and bookmarks. Their Embroider for a Cause event takes place from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. at 527 Bogart Lane, You can also participate by pledging a donation to an embroiderer. To participate and for more information, call 241-5700. NOVEMBER 14 & 15 “Unbranded” the movie The local Friends of the Mustangs organization will present the movie “Unbranded” at the Avalon Theater, 645 Main St. in Grand Junction. The film is a documentary featuring four young men and 16 mustangs trekking 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada, proving the mettle of both. There will be show-

NOVEMBER 2015

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ings at 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. on November 14, and one showing at 4 p.m. on November 15. Tickets are $12, and tickets may be purchased at City Markets, at www.friendsof themustangs.org, or at the door.

NOVEMBER 16 Senior Theatre auditions begin Auditions for Senior Theatre’s 2016 production of “The Biz” will begin at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 3940 27 ½ Road in Grand Junction. Rehearsals will take place Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Occasionally, rehearsals take place on Saturdays. Performances will be on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 at Grand Junction High School. For more information, call 234-1828. NOVEMBER 19 Oral History program Join Family Health West’s Director of Community Relations and Development Angelina Salazar for this free event from noon to 1 p.m. at the Whitman Educational Center, 248 S. Fourth St. in Grand Junction. Learn about how a group of farmers in the Lower Valley drove beet trucks to Utah to gather supplies to build their own community-owned hospital. Today, that hospital has grown to provide a host of health care services, employing

River City Singles

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over 500 employees. Bring a lunch. For more information, call 260-5226.

NOVEMBER 21 “Pack the Shack” food and coat drive Major Mortgage will host this food and coat drive starting at 11 a.m. in the Major Mortgage parking lot, 2474 Patterson Road, Suite 200. Materials gathered will benefit the Western Slope Food Bank of the Rockies, Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley and Grand Junction’s teen homeless shelter, The House. Bring canned goods, winter coats and other pre-loved winter garments. The company will use its backyard bar shed, a custom-built, mobile bar amenity that the company will give away in December, as the “shack.” The drive will serve as an enter-to-win event for the bar shed, and all who donate one or more items to Pack the Shack will receive an additional entry in the giveaway. For details, call 241-6100. NOVEMBER 21 Community Contra Dance Come with or without a partner to Grand Junction DanceSport, 421 Colorado Ave. in Grand Junction. Cost is $8 per adult. All ages are welcome. A beginner’s walk through begins at 7 p.m. and the dance takes place from 7:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Adults are $8. Music by Fifth Reel. For details, call 260-5852. ■

NOVEMBER 2015 Activity Schedule

“Young-at-heart adults getting together for fun and friendship!” Calling all singles over 50! Come meet new friends and join us at 5 p.m. Fridays at the Travelodge on Horizon Drive. You’re sure to find people who are young at heart with like interests.

Want to improve your smile? Is your denture, crown, bridge, or implant not fitting correctly? During November and December, all new patient consultations are FREE! Call today for an appointment.

Tuesdays at 9 a.m. - Early Start Breakfast at Denny’s on Horizon Drive. Visitors welcome. Call Debbie at 245-4995 for details. Sundays at 12:30 p.m. - Bowling Sunday and card games at Orchard Mesa Lanes, 295 27 Road. RSVP to Bob at 263-8462. Thursday, November 5 - The Fun Lunch Bunch meets for lunch at The Coyote Café at the Career Center. RSVP to Penny at 712-2588. Thursday, November 5 – Enjoy a hayride. RSVP to Janet at 201-3090. Saturday, November 7 at noon - Enjoy billiards, games of pool and lunch at Bank 8 Billiards, 2460 Patterson Road. Call Mary at 255-7370. Thursday, November 19 - Restaurant Rove to Sergio’s. RSVP to John at 241-3171.

Dr. Atwood is the only Prosthodontist in the Western Slope of Colorado.

40 MESA COUNTY

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NOVEMBER 2015

Mesa County Beacon Bits Save money on Medicare! With Medicare open enrollment approaching October 15 through December 7, now is your chance to review your Medicare plan. Free help is available. Trained SHIP navigators from Mesa County RSVP are available to help with free, unbiased assistance. Call Mesa County RSVP SHIP at 2439839 to make an appointment or attend one of the free Annual Open Enrollment Events from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on November 2, 13 or 19. Write your novel during National Novel Writing Month Think you have what it takes to write a novel? Get started at Mesa County Libraries during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November. Bring your laptop and your ideas to the Central Library’s Monument Community Room, 443 N. Sixth St., from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, November 1 for how-to resources from library staff. More sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays, November 14, 21, and 28. The NaNoWriMo sessions are open to all interested writers at no charge. National Novel Writing Month is a nationwide event that encourages creative writing. The idea is for participants to write a 50,000-word novel by 11:59 p.m. November 30. For more information, call 243-4442. Free estate planning workshops These free workshops will take place at the Law Offices of Brown & Brown, PC, 1250 E. Sherwood Drive in Grand Junction. Registration is required. For more information and to register, call 243-8250 or visit www.brownand brownpc.com. • November 4, 4 p.m.-5 p.m. “Pulling it together when you feel like falling apart.” Steadfast Steeds co-owner Blaine Scott provides caregiver strategies to overcome and build resiliency to compassion fatigue through the use of horses. He will touch on endof-life issues and share his experiences and guidance with attendees.

• November 17, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. “Understanding long-term care planning.” Learn about payment sources including private pay, long-term care insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and more. Rosetta Stone available at Mesa County Libraries Rosetta Stone, a leading language-learning software product, is now available for online use by Mesa County Libraries cardholders. Rosetta Stone offers self-paced, interactive instruction in 30 languages. It is available to library patrons at no charge via Internet-connected computers as well as mobile web devices using iPhone/iPad and Android operating systems. Users interested in Rosetta Stone may find it by visiting mesacountylibraries.org, clicking “eResources A-Z,” then scrolling down to “Rosetta Stone.” Users may sign in with an active email address and their library card number. HopeWest honored as top health care company HopeWest ranked number 40 among more than 400 organizations who participate in Modern Healthcare’s Top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare for 2015 nationwide. Modern Healthcare, a national trade publication, honors workplaces throughout the health care industry that empower employees to provide patients and customers with the best possible care, products and services. HopeWest, the only organization of its kind on the Western Slope, offers hospice services, palliative care and grief support to Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Ouray and Rio Blanco counties. HopeWest was also ranked number 15 in the category of health care providers and was the highest ranking hospice of the hospice organizations represented. For more information about HopeWest, call 241-2212. See world-class entertainment at Regal Cinemas See renowned operas and ballets in HD right here at Regal Cinemas, 648

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Market St. in Grand Junction. For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com. • November 11 - “Ballet Hispanico: CARMEN.maquia and Club Havana from Great American Dance” at 7 p.m. Cost is $18 for adults and $15 for seniors. • November 15 - “Jewels” ballet at 12:55 p.m. Cost is $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and children. • November 21 - “Lulu” opera from the Metropolitan Opera at 10:30 a.m., encore on December 2 at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $24 for adults and $22 for seniors. Support groups • Mending Hearts Support Group is for any adult who has experienced the death of a loved one. Grand Junction group meets from 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Thursdays at the Miller Homestead at HopeWest. Fruita group meets at the Fruita Civic Center. Call 248-8844. • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers support groups

for family members of adults who have a serious mental illness and for adults who have a mental illness diagnosis. Groups meet at various times in Mesa County. Call 462-3989. The Fruita Group is for family members and meets monthly from 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesdays at Family Health West Nursing Home, 228 N. Cherry St. • Western Slope Visionaries, a low-vision support group, meets from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 241-0315. • Compassionate Friends offers friendship and understanding to bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents. The group meets monthly at 7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on the first Tuesdays at Unity Church, 3205 N. 12th St. Call 434-3822. • MS and Men, a support group for men living with MS, meets monthly on the third Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon at the Artful Cup. Call 241-8975. • MS Breakfast Group meets monthly at 9 a.m. on the first Wednesdays at The Egg & I. Call 241-8975.

Volunteer opportunities • RSVP connects individuals 55 and older to volunteer positions in any of our member agencies. For a list of volunteer opportunities and to register, call 243-9839. • HopeWest seeks volunteers for a variety of positions. Volunteering can be as simple as one hour a month. Call 623-8816 for details. • Operation Interdependence invites you to write notes for deployed troops around the world. They are also in need of Slim Jims, beef jerky, gum, snack bars, Chapstick, toothbrushes, etc. Call 523-4217 for dropoff location. • Grand Valley Pets Alive works to reduce pet overpopulation by funding spay/neuter of pet cats and dogs, and community cats. They are always looking for new volunteers. They meet monthly at 4:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday at Church of the Nativity, 2175 Broadway. For details, call 256-1851. ■

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Mesa County Club Activities Compiled by Liesl Greathouse • Friendship Force meets monthly at 6:15 p.m. on the second Thursday at Community Hospital’s lower conference room. Call 260-4653 or visit www.thefriendshipforce.org. • Western Slope Coin Club meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. the second Wednesday at the VFW Post #1247. Get a free coin/currency evaluation at 5:30 p.m. Call 241-1770 or visit www. gjcoinshow.com. • Two River Sams, Good Sam RV Club, meets at noon on November 14. For location, call 523-5625. • Mesa Fiber Arts Guild meets monthly at 6 p.m. the first Thursdays at Color Creek Fiber Art, 1150 N. 25th St. Unit B in Grand Junction. Call 2433598 or visit www.mesafiberartsguild. org.

• Mesa County Genealogical Society meets monthly at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday at The Commons of Hilltop and at noon on the fourth Wednesday at the Museum of Western Colorado. Help sessions are at 1 p.m. on the first Friday at a library branch. Call 640-2388. • Two Rivers Cribbage Club meets from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays at the Masonic Center. Call 261-1670. • Blue Lodge Masons meets monthly at 10 a.m. the first Saturday at the Masonic Center. Call 245-5312. • Bookcliff Duplicate Bridge Club plays at 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at 2923 North Ave. Call 243-7874. • Western Colorado Decorative Artists meets monthly at 9 a.m. on the second Saturday at First Congregational Church. Call 640-2751.

• Fleet Reserve Association (FRA) Branch 244 meets monthly at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesdays at the VFW Post #3981. All former, retired and active sea service, U.S. Navy, Marines or Coast Guard welcome. Call 434-0868. • Grand Junction Toastmasters meets at 7:10 a.m. Tuesdays at St. Mary’s Life Center. Call 242-4863. • Talk of the Town Toastmasters meets at noon Thursdays at the Business Incubator Center. Call 250-3969. • Western Slope Rovers RV Club meets monthly at Otto’s Restaurant for breakfast on the first Thursdays. Call 858-3907 for time and details. • High Desert Diamonds is a plus-level square dance club that dances from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of the month at the Masonic Center. Call 241-7457.

• Cribbage Lite meets at 6 p.m. every Tuesday at IHOP. Call 270-2433. • Vestafjell Lodge, Sons of Norway will celebrate Thanksgiving at 2 p.m. November 8 at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 3133 F Road. Officer elections and a special program honoring veterans will take place. Charles Barth will also talk about his recent fishing trip to Iceland and Norway. Bring a canned food item and a generous side dish, salad or dessert to accompany meal. Call 245-5649 or visit www.vestafjelllodge.org. • Art Quilt Association meets monthly at 9:30 a.m. on the third Saturday in Grand Junction. Locations vary, but are posted at www. theartquiltassociation.com. • Colorado Archaeological Society will hold a free presentation on prehistoric bison hunting at 7 p.m. November 17 at the KAFM Radio Room. For details, email CASGJinfo@ gmail.com. • Knitting Club meets monthly at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesdays at the central library branch. Yarn, needles, hooks and looms are available if needed. All ages and skill levels welcome. Call 623-1455. • Grand Valley Pets Alive reduces pet overpopulation by funding spay/ neuter of cats and dogs. Members meet monthly at 4:30 p.m. on the third Wednesdays at Church of the Nativity, 2175 Broadway. Volunteers welcome. Call 256-1851. ■

FREE Screening:

Mimi and Dona

For 64 years, 92-year-old Mimi has cared for her daughter Dona, who has an intellectual disability, and now faces the inevitable: to find Dona a home.

Wednesday, November 18 at 6pm Mesa County Central Library 5th and Grand, Grand Junction, CO 81501 Free food and wine provided by Talon Wine Brands and No Coast Sushi

NMLS #2996

NOVEMBER 2015

NOVEMBER 2015

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Crossword Puzzle

Across  1 Clock radio switch  5 Fingerprint features 11 Something to shoot for 14 “Doctor Zhivago” role 15 Feudal ­tribute 16 Season 17 Detonator 19 Ball of fire 20 Group of royals ending with Queen Anne 21 Israeli ­parliament 23 Conk out 24 Coup d’___ 25 Portable grill 29 Nativity tableaux 32 Honest politician 33 Seoul food place 35 Butler of fiction 36 Stupid ___ stupid does 38 Namely 40 1995 Cage co-star 41 Mortise mate 43 Babes of Baja 45 Fleet VIP 46 Fettered 48 Homes of the rich and famous 50 “Do I dare to ___ peach?” (Eliot) 51 Capote, on Broadway 52 Divides up 55 Typically 59 Eureka! 60 Pipe down 62 Place for ale 63 Place to park an ark 64 Falling-out 65 Wallflowery 66 Cheapen 67 “_____ girl!” Down  1 They’re in a clergyman’s closet  2 Fountain favorite  3 “Haus” wife  4 Zealots’ last stand site  5 More than sizzling  6 Coop group  7 E-mail address ending  8 One of Ozzie’s boys  9 Temporary vehicle 10 Heavenly gatekeeper 11 Raise funds 12 Flu ­symptom 13 Give ­quarters to 18 Halloween option 22 German Meister­singer

25 Columbus landed here in 1492 26 “Ghosts” playwright 27 Stuffed favorite 28 Oscar ­winner for “Reversal of Fortune” 29 “Educating Rita” star 30 Pianist’s exercise 31 Arrests 34 Woolly mama 37 Bashful birds of the marsh 39 Lab 42 Memo writer’s need 44 Precious instrument, for short 47 Earth ­mother 49 Night light show 52 Duped group 53 Nope 54 Guesstimate 55 Sad to say 56 College credit 57 Jack-up 58 James or Kett 61 First name in college football coaching

CROSSWORD PUZZLE 43

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Free Meditation Class Introduction to KRIYA Meditation – Ancient teaching from KRIYA traditions. Tuesday nights, 7 p.m. Yoga West, 1025 Main St. Call 523-5685.

HELP WANTED WENDY’S NOW HIRING! Shift supervisors and crew members. We are looking for smiling faces and positive attitudes. We offer competitive pay, discounts and a great working environment. Full-time and part-time employment available. Please apply at your nearest location in Grand Junction.

BEACON, PO Box 3895, Grand Junction, CO 81502 fax: 1 800 536-7516 email: beacon@pendantpublishing.com

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QUESTIONS? Call us M-TH, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • FRI, 9 a.m.-Noon 970 243-8829 • www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

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Skilled and unskilled homemaking and/or personal care. Skilled nursing, specialize in wound care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, CNA, social work, pre-op, post-op services. PASCO/SW carriers certification for Mi, children’s hospice and Tbi waivers. Please call for courtesy evaluation of your home care needs. Serving: Archuleta, Delta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel Cortez (970)565-6833; Durango (970) 247-1211; Montrose (970) 240-1771; Toll Free (877) 685-6833

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HOME SERVICES COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL CLEANING By KayDee the Cleaning Lady. Dependable, efficient and insured. Please call for references! KayDee at 623-4722 (cell) or 241-1270 (office). PO Box 394, Grand Junction, CO 81502.

RETIRED/NEED EXTRA INCOME? Part-time medical delivery position available. Shift starts at 2:45 a.m. Good driving record and ability to drive manual transmission. Flexibility and dependability essential. Call for details 254-2897.

TARA’S PRISTINE CLEANING SERVICES If you are looking for a fair, reliable and cheerful cleaning service, I’m the cleaning person for you! Many years of experience and references upon request. 216-8507.

sales person wanted The Beacon Senior newspaper is growing and we’re looking for a mature, loving sales person to grow with us. Send your letter and resume to beacon@pendantpublishing.com

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HOME CARE

DENTAL ASSISTANT Chairside assistant, instrument sterilization and tray setup. Part-time position Fruita, CO. Private practice dentist. Mature, caring individual to work with senior citizens. Email resume to dentalhome2@gmail.com or FAX to 970-256-9467.

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ASSISTED LIVING Monument Assisted Living, 2194 McKinley Drive, Beautiful 8-bed home in the Redlands currently accepting private pay client. Call Valerie at 970-618-0636.

SCENE CLEARLY, LLC Window cleaners specializing in making your day a little brighter! Grand Junction area. Call Frank Cordova at 242-1264. RELIABLE ESTATE SALES Are you in the midst of a stressful relocation or passing of a loved one? Let us handle the burden of personal property liquidation from start to finish. Contact Mark Bluhm at 260-2327, cash4@bresnan.net or www.reliableestatesales.net.

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ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES Up to two FREE grab bars with purchase of walk-in tub or showers. Licensed plumber/handyman. Serving Western Colorado since 1989. Free estimates. Compare and save! 985-1403.

2009 Jazzy Select GT Power Chair Weight Capacity 300 lbs. Full fold flat highback seat with headrest. Drive range per charge up to 15 miles. Gently used (less than 30 miles). Bright Red base. Asking $1,500 OBO. 623-2938.

ANTIQUES, APPRAISALS, ESTATE SALES With over 40 years in the antique, appraisal and estate sale business, Great American Estate Sales is the valley’s leader in appraisals and estate liquidation. Settling an estate, moving into a smaller home or just simplifying your lifestyle? Great American Estate Sales can provide a worry-free and quick solution. Free consultation. 216-0048

Gently used Rally Mobility Scooter New batteries. Detailed and in excellent condition. $1,150 OBO; also lift is available for $150. Call 249-8802.

TREE SERVICE Get ready for winter. Tree trimming, tree removal, stump grinding. FREE hauling, boom truck to 85 feet, FREE estimates. Licensed and insured. Chris 260-0222. PERSONAL ASSISTANT Personal assistant to do light housecleaning, run errands, cook, and assist with bathing, personal care and laundry. References available. Contact Shona at 208-5890. HOUSE CLEANING & MORE! Safe and secure small animal pet sitting. Your home – Grand Junction/Clifton area. Call for current openings. References available. Discounts for seniors. Call Benni at 241-2611.

FOR SALE GODIVA’S SECRET WIGS Your #1 choice for wash and wear wigs. Over 30 modern and classic styles and color blends to choose from. Call today to schedule a private, in-home consultation or to book a wig party with your friends. 250-0997.

CRAFT FAIR ANNUAL CRAFT FAIR Orchard Mesa Baptist Church annual CRAFT FAIR! FREE ENTRY! Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Non-perishable food donation encouraged. 2748 B 1/2 Road.

WANTED TO BUY CASH Paid for Old Stuff Weight Capacity 300 lbs. Full fold flat highback seat with headrest. Drive range per charge up to 15 miles. Gently used (less than 30 miles). Bright Red base. Asking $1,500 OBO. 623-2938. USED BOOKS BUY, SELL OR TRADE Gently used books on hundreds of subjects. Westerns, romance, mysteries, suspense, kids, young adult, inspirational, and many others. Large print. Special orders. 242-3911. Twice Upon a Time Bookshop, 2885 North Ave., Ste. B. Located in front of North Ave. Walmart and next to Subway. 10-6 Mon-Sat, 11-4 Sunday. **Bring this ad in for $10 Trade Credit** ISO ROAD TREK CAMPER 190 SERIES or comparable rig. Good condition. Low mileage. 901-9576.

HUNTING PHEASANT HUNTING! OPEN NOW! www.BrokenSpokeGameRanch. com. 241-3949.

NATIONAL CLASSIFIEDS NOVEMBER 2015 AUTO SALES OR AUTO DONATIONS Donate Your Car to Veterans Today! Help and Support our Veterans. Fast - FREE pick up. 100% tax deductible. Call 1-800656-1632

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46 REAL ESTATE

NOVEMBER 2015

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Ground level 2.5 bedrooms. Washer/dryer in kitchen. Available November 1. Palisade views. $710 per month. 462-1115.

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FRUITA

Call 243-8829. Beacon@pendantpublishing.com www.BeaconSeniorNews.com

516 Quebec Court Recently spruced up, 3 bed 2 bath home Large fenced back yard, quiet neighborhood • A pleasant house with good floor plan • Ready for quick close • •

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We Cater To Cowards

NOVEMBER 2015

KUDOS & KVETCH 47

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kudos \ ku·dos

 “I love the ‘Artists Are Ageless’ (July cover) right above the advertisement for varicose veins! Very cool work, David! You haven’t lost your touch…still crazy after all these years!” –Pamela H., Grand Junction  “Thank you. We love your paper! –Patricia W., Billings, MT  “The ad worked! I do not want to run it next month. If I need more customers, I will run it at a later date. Thank you.” –Donna R., Grand Junction Kevin: Wonderful. I’m happy to hear that your ad with the BEACON brought you customers. Remember, the best time to dig a well is when you’re not thirsty.

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 “I’m not saying let’s kill all the stupid people. I’m just saying let’s remove all the warning labels and let the problem sort itself out.” - Tammy L., Grand Junction

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Waste causes want By Jerry L. Ginther

P

ain and poverty are always products of war. Daily necessities are in short supply or nonexistent. Hunger and disease are often constant companions during and in the aftermath. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is sometimes unseen for years. These were the realities often reflected in the stories we hear and read about in the accounts of our ancestors. My grandparents on both sides of the family were born 20 to 30 years after the Civil War. They lived through two world wars, the Great Depression and the Korean War, but what they talked about the most was surviving the Depression years. My parents were both born shortly after the turn of the century, my dad in 1904 and mother in 1910. They, too, remembered the struggles of those infamous years. Their accounts of those hard times helped me appreciate how those struggles affected their lives going forward. The lessons they learned about thrift and survival were so arduous that they continued to practice and teach them to their children and grandchildren even when times were much improved. Today, I’m thankful for the lessons that my grandmother, and others of that era, tried to impart to my generation. After World War II, improvements in the infrastructure started to appear in our little town. As a second grader, I remember watching as city crews cut deep trenches in the intersecting streets in front of my grandparents’ home to lay gas mains. Another trench was dug from the new gas main to the west side of Grandma’s house where a gas meter was installed. Then new appliances began to appear in the old house. About that same time water was hooked up to the house and indoor plumbing became a reality. Prior to

gas and water being piped to the house, water had to be heated on a coal-fired, cook stove in the kitchen. In summer or winter a fire had to be built in that stove for cooking meals, making coffee or heating water to do laundry. On Monday morning, a big brass boiler was placed on the stove and filled with water for the old Maytag wringer washer. Other new appliances were quickly added. However, the Maytag and the cook stove remained, as well as the coal stove in the living room. Their thinking was that you just never know when the gas would go off like the electricity did and you would need to build a fire. Finally, they removed the heating stove from the living room after installing a gas furnace in the basement. Then a funny thing happened. The first time the electricity went off, the thermostat for the furnace ceased to work and Grandma was quick to say, “I knew it would happen. I told you we should never have gotten rid of the stove.” Of course, she didn’t realize that the gas supply had not failed, and that it was the electricity that had failed again. Earlier I mentioned the lessons learned by the folks who went through the years of the Depression and how it affected the rest of their lives philosophically. Waste, no matter how small was not tolerated. Grandma was still boiling her coffee grounds twice in the ’50s and scolding her grandchildren for not drinking all of their milk. “Waste causes want,” she told us. She, and many others of her day, never fully recovered from those harsh years and continued to live as though they were near penniless even when times were much better. I suspect that no matter where the children of pre-World War II parents lived, they, likewise, heard the same stories and were taught the consequences of being wasteful. ■

PARTING

SHOTS

Sherry Harmon poses with flight attendants from her recent flight home from Nashville.

Clive Washkowiak savors a juicy red plum at Field to Fork’s CSA pickup.

Media tour of back stage before Colorado Mesa University’s Theatre Department’s debut of “Nine.”

Katherine Lopez compares herself to a Redwood Tree on her recent 17-day trek to the Pacific Northwest. If you would like to see your photos in the BEACON email them to Beacon@PendantPublishing.com

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