White Tanks View

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Al Uretsky, Publisher and Sales Executive 623.398.5541 info@EstrellaPublishing.com

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From Me To You...

At this time of year I find myself sorting through things, reorganizing, re-homing, generally tidying up. I think it is the autumn. The thought of cooler weather (finally) puts me in the frame of mind to get things done. I decided to tackle my closet and let me tell you, it has led me on a merry chase. I began by getting rid of things that don’t fit, are worn out or just no longer bring me joy. Do you see where I am going with this? I did it. I tried, pretty unsuccessfully, to ‘KonMarie™’ my clothes. For anyone who has been living under a rock, Marie Kondo stirred the souls of many people with the promise of a streamlined home, and by extension, a way to streamline the rest of your life if you so choose. I stink at it. I started out with the best intentions. Anything that doesnt fit - in the bag for donations. But what if I loose some weight? This was expensive. This has a sentimental attachment. This might fit one day.

After several false starts I managed to remove a couple of bags of clothes and was on to the fun part. Or so I thought. Folding! The recommended folding method reminds me of a laundromat in New York. Way back in time,

before kids and a mortgage and other important money drains, I used to send out my laundry to be washed and folded. In my defense we had no washer and the building’s laundry room was creepy, and I wanted to! The clothes came back in the most perfect, tiny squares. To this day I have no idea how they did it but it is reminiscent of the way Marie Kondo recommends you fold your clothes, before lovingly placing them in your closet.

So off I went on the folding adventure and after several false starts I had a beautiful, color co-ordinated (ahem, way to go the extra mile) drawer full of t-shirts. Then it hit me. I was going to have to do this FOREVER. I mean really, who has the time? My foray into a streamlined life was fun for a day or two, but who has the energy to maintain it?

Next year I think I will satisfy my autumn cravings with a pumpkin spice latte instead.

Catherine UretskyEditor, White Tanks View Magazine info@estrellapublishing.com 623.398.5541

Furry Friends

Kimble’s story started when she found out her neighbor, Nicki, was undergoing medical treatment and was struggling to care for her pets. She did not have family nearby to help her. After speaking with Nicki’s niece on the phone, Kimble offered to walk her dog, feed the cats and clean the litterboxes. This new routine brought her and her neighbor closer and they quickly became friends.

“Animals need care and it would have broken Nicki’s heart to remove them from the home. She still loved her animals, and they loved her. She just needed a little help so they could stay together,” said Kimble.

Research shows human-animal interaction is incredibly powerful. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol (a

stress-related hormone) and lower blood pressure. Other studies have found that animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood.”

#BeAHelper is the first campaign of Pets and People Together - a partnership between the Ad Council, Maddie’s Fund and the Humane Society of the United States - to encourage individuals to directly help people and pets in their communities.

There are many ways you can take action to help keep pets with their people, including:

* Temporarily fostering a pet for a friend, neighbor or family member

* Donating pet food to a pantry

* Returning a lost cat or dog to their home

* Donating to the cost of veterinary care for a pet in your community

For more information on how you can help keep pets and people together in your community, visit PetsAndPeopleTogether.org.

Yum Yum

Hot Cheesy Shrimp Dip

Thanksgiving is a time for relaxing with family & friends around the table. While every family has their traditions, I always include a seafood appetizer or chowder since most of my life was spent by the water.

When I lived on Cape Cod, I used lobster in this recipe since it was readily available ~ but shrimp is far easier to find in the desert in the frozen food section!! I always start with raw shrimp so I can cook it for 3 minutes in a pot of boiling water with 3 T Old Bay Seasoning for added flavor ~ but you an also use fully-cooked shrimp.

Serve this with pita chips or baguette slices. This recipe is a great “What Can I Bring” solution ~

½ tsp dry mustard

½ tsp kosher salt

but don’t plan on having any leftovers to bring home!

Ingredients:

T unsalted butter

C tri-color peppers (red/ yellow/orange), finely chopped

C shallots, finely chopped

cloves garlic, minced

T flour

C heavy cream

C whole milk

tsp Old Bay Seasoning

tsp paprika

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 T sherry wine

1 C Gruyere cheese, shredded (or Swiss)

2 lbs cooked shrimp (I use 31-40 count, prepared as noted above)

1 T fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 C kettle cooked potato chips, crumbled

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray medium size casserole dish with nonstick spray ~ set aside.

In a large pan over medium heat, melt butter and saute peppers and shallots about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute; then add flour and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in heavy cream and milk until smooth.

Add Old Bay, paprika, mustard, salt, pepper, cayenne, and sherry. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens. Add cheese, shrimp & parsley and pour into prepared dish.

Sprinkle top with potato chips and bake for 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Submitted by Maureen Woods

Medicare Enrollment

Have your health needs changed over the last year? Medicare plans can change every year, and your health situation can also change. That means your current plan might not meet your current needs. Medicare Annual Enrollment, which runs Oct. 15 - Dec. 7, is the perfect time to review your plan to make sure you have the right plan for your health needs at an affordable cost for the upcoming year. With inflation hitting people’s pocketbooks, reviewing your plan this year is more important than ever.

When researching Medicare plans, it’s important to ask yourself some basic questions. These can help you understand your unique health needs and goals and choose a plan that will best help achieve them. It’s important to consider:

* Does the plan fit your budget? Review all the plan’s out-of-pocket costs. Your out-of-pocket

costs will vary depending on which coverage you pick and your medical needs. Be sure to note the plan premium, but also check out the deductibles, copays and coinsurance you’d have to pay (this is what the plan requires you to pay when you use a particular service).

* Next, think about your current providers. Are your preferred doctors and hospitals in the plan’s network? That’s very important if you want to continue using them. This is a common area of confusion and dissatisfaction for beneficiariesthere are a lot of different Medicare Advantage plans and each have their own network. Does the plan allow you to access a non-network provider, for example?

* And don’t forget your prescription drugs. Find out if the prescription drugs you take are included under the plan and what you will have to pay for them. For example, some Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans offer certain medications with $0 copays (depending on their drug list and drug-tier levels). Drug lists can change every year, so you’ll want to check annually whether your prescription medications are still covered under your plan and what you will have to pay for them.

Medicare Annual Enrollment is your chance to make sure your plan fits your needs and budget. Visit NCOA or Aetna Medicare for more tips and guidance.

NON-STRESS PROBATE WITH A WILL

The Last Will and Testament is the document that allows courts to re-title accounts and assets which are in your name (not a trust) and which do not have a beneficiary designation.

If you are leaving assets to adults (not minors), then you can use beneficiary designations and avoid probate. A Will is still a good idea to have as a backup for any account without a beneficiary; either because a beneficiary was not listed or a financial company lost the beneficiary designation. If your spouse has children which are not also your children, the Will also can assure that your spouse’s half of the community

property goes to you. Otherwise, intestate laws apply and your spouse’s children will be entitled to one-half of the community property and onehalf of your spouse’s sole and separate property.

Be sure to keep your Original Will, because using a copy requires a formal court probate hearing. Evidence proving the Will was not revoked is needed when the original cannot be located. Wills need two witnesses and a specially worded affidavit so the Will can be probated without a hearing. A handwritten Will does not need witnesses or a notary if all of the dispositive provisions are in your handwriting and all pages are originals.

Submitted by Sharon Ravenscroft, Esq.

Sharon Ravenscroft, Esq., The Cavanagh Law Firm, PA, Sun City and Phoenix offices, (623) 815-7451 or Sravenscroft@CavanaghLaw.com

Sharon’s practice focuses on Wills, trusts, probate and trust administration. For more information www.sharonravenscroft.com.

Fall Fitness

Falls have been a fact of life for each of us, ever since we took our first steps as infants. While often embarrassing and sometimes painful, as we get older, they may become more frequent with more serious consequences, including broken bones and hospitalization. More than one in three people aged 65 years or older falls each year, according to the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging. Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide.

Many factors increase fall risk. Some may be obvious such as poor vision, unsupportive footwear and hazards in the home including stairs or surfaces that easily become slippery. But other factors may seem unrelated or change so slowly that we don’t notice the danger. These include difficulty hearing, single or combined medications that cause dizziness, and decreased lower body strength and ankle mobility.

Some of these issues are best addressed by a medical professional, but exercise can dramatically reduce the risk of falls and the

consequences. By engaging in activities that improve balance and build strength, you can become less vulnerable to falls. Fortunately, senior fitness programs prioritize those very things.

While anyone can begin exercising at any time, it can be difficult to know where or how to start. Which activities are best? How do you know if you’re performing them correctly?

Fitness programs are a great solution because they offer a variety of ways to get active, but senior fitness programs offer the guidance that you need - the right activities at the right pace to maintain interest and prevent injury, where, when and how you want. As seniors, you have a unique set of physical and emotional needs, making activities that are offered in convenient community locations or from the comfort of home especially appealing. For older adults, the social component is often just as important and beneficial as the physical. With the right Medicare Advantage plan, joining a senior fitness program is easy. SilverSneakers is offered at no additional cost to members and serves members in all 50 states from more than 70 health plans. Medicare Advantage members can visit silversneakers.com to determine eligibility.

S A L I G

C

G

V A L L A S

Eye Eye

As you age, you’ll notice several parts of your body change. One area of your health you may not think about changing as you age is your eyesight.

“Vision changes are a natural part of aging,” said optometrist Dr. Inna Lazar. “But so many Americans don’t get their eyes regularly examined and aren’t proactive about their eye health.”

If you want to take care of your sight but don’t know where to start, check out these tips for protecting your eyes as you age.

1. Review your family eye health history

Just like you inherit your eye color from your parents, they may pass down eye diseases and conditions that develop as you age. Talk with your family about their eye health history to determine if you’re at higher risk for developing an eye disease or condition.

2. Notice changes to your vision

Our eyes change slowly as we age, so you might

not notice eye issues immediately. One common eye condition you’ll likely develop as you age is presbyopia, the gradual loss of your ability to focus on nearby objects. A telling sign of this condition is holding books, newspapers and other reading materials farther away so you can read them.

3. Protect your sight by eating right

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nutrition can help protect your eyesight. Focus on eating eye-healthy foods like orange-colored vegetables and fruits like carrots, cold-water fish with omega-3 fatty acids and leafy green vegetables.

4. Get examined

An eye exam can identify potential eye issues in their early stages when they’re easiest to treat.

5. Protect your eyes

When you think of eye protection, you probably imagine safety goggles, eye shields and sports glasses. But one piece of eye protection you should use regularly is a pair of sunglasses.

According to the American Optometric Association, overexposure to solar radiation over time can increase your risk of cataracts, eye cancer and macular degeneration.

6. Rest your eyes

f you spend most of your day looking at screens, you may experience eyestrain. To give your eyes a break, look away from your screen every 20 minutes at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Be proactive and protect your eyes. Using these tips, you can give your sight the best chance of staying healthy as you age.

Diabetes

November is American Diabetes Month. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that occurs when excess glucose (sugar) builds up in the blood. It can cause numerous health problems if not properly managed. Some symptoms of diabetes may seem so insignificant that you may not even notice them for months or years – but being diagnosed early is key to a lifetime of better health. If left untreated, long-term diabetes complications include cardiovascular disease, such as heart attack, stroke and narrowing of the arteries, according to dietitian Katy Stemple, MDA, RDN, manager of the Abrazo Health Medical and Surgical Weight Loss Program.

“The increase in diabetes in adults worldwide has quadrupled over the last few decades. The connection with heart and blood vessel damage is undeniable,” said Stemple. While there isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, the CDC says that losing weight, eating healthy food, and being active can really help.

“Type 2 diabetes, which typically is diagnosed in adults and accounts for between 90-95% of all diagnosed cases, can increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease and kidney disease,” she explained. “In the last 20 years, the number of adults with diabetes has more than doubled as the American population has become more overweight or obese.”

According to the American Diabetes Association, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people living with diabetes, resulting in two-thirds of deaths in people with type 2 diabetes.

“The good news is that with proper exercise, diet and diabetes management, you can reduce your risk of getting cardiovascular disease and the complications that come with it,” noted Stemple.

Symptoms of diabetes will vary to some extent depending on the type. Classic symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes include excessive thirst and increased urination. This occurs because your kidneys have to work overtime to filter and absorb surplus sugar that has built up in the blood.

Other common signs of diabetes include fatigue, unexplained weight loss and blurred vision. Fatigue may be caused by increased urination resulting in dehydration and the body’s inability to properly use sugar for energy.

People with diabetes also may have slow-healing sores, tingling or numbness in the hands and feet and tender gums. Nerve damage caused by high sugar levels can make your hands and feet tingle, or you might experience burning pain in your arms, hands, legs and feet.

The good news is diabetes can be successfully treated. Talk with your doctor if have questions or suspect any symptoms. For more information about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org.

Submitted by Keith Jones, of Abrazo Health

Energy Bills

Soaring energy prices equate to rising energy bills for households nationwide. This is a burden in particular for low-income people on a tight budget. No one should have to go without the energy necessary to heat and power their home, and now, thanks to numerous programs and incentives, there are more options to keep costs down for those that need it most. Consider these opportunities to make energy efficiency upgrades and help lower your energy bills and save money. Learn about these and other ways to save energy and money at energystar.gov/ SaveForGood.

Rebates and tax incentives

Through rebates and tax incentives, ENERGY STAR certified products are becoming more affordable while enabling customers to save on their monthly energy bills. For example, ENERGY STAR certified heat pumps are eligible for a $300 federal income tax credit for residential energy efficiency.

Ultra-efficient upgrades

When upgrading heating and cooling elements of the home, look for options with superior efficiency.

Support from local utilities

Local utilities may offer energy efficiency upgrade support for low-income customers.

When available, these programs typically include a home energy assessment accompanied by direct install of energy-saving devices including ENERGY STAR certified smart thermostats.

Weatherization assistance programs

Each U.S. state offers a Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) available for households that qualify (such as those that already qualify for Supplemental Security Income, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and other income eligibility criteria). This program includes a home energy assessment and help with weatherization upgrades, like attic insultation, and fixing or replacing old water heaters.

Low-income assistance programs

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offers help with home repairs and upgrades based on household size and income. For example, a four-person household with an annual income of $39,750 would qualify for LIHEAP and could get a replacement for a broken heating and cooling system through this program.

The typical household spends nearly $1,900 a year on energy bills. With ENERGY STAR appliances, you can save 24% or about $450 in household energy costs while helping prevent climate change. Those savings are on top of assistance programs, rebates and tax incentives that help keep every home comfortable while staying on budget. Learn more at energystar. gov/SaveForGood.

Dependence, Codependence & Interdependence

What’s the difference between dependence, codependence and interdependence?

Dependence is a state in which one person relies on another for support in some area(s). For some, their very existence seems contingent on someone else’s. In other cases, the dependent may be subordinate to the other party in the dynamic. Sense of self is absent.

Codependence is a term for a pattern of relating in which a person puts the needs of others before his own. In other words, he gives others power over his feelings and well-being. He allows them to be in charge, to have control. His self-worth is based on what he can do for or

be to others. It can seem like a mutually beneficial relationship, but in the end, neither the “getter” nor the “giver” learns to take care of himself and develop appropriate, internally-based self-esteem. Sense of self is distorted.

Interdependence involves a true mutually beneficial relationship or partnership wherein both parties influence each other in healthy ways. Thus, one party can influence the other’s emotions, actions, thoughts and well-being. The difference from codependence is a matter of degree: some power over vs. nearly complete power over, influence vs. control. Healthy couples are interdependent in that they allow themselves to be influenced by each other. This is a sign of mutual respect and understanding. Sense of self is present.

DISCLAIMER: Material is for informational purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for evaluation or treatment by a licensed professional.

Submitted by Jennifer Bellingrodt, Psy.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist. For the full article and more, visit www.doctorbellingrodt.com.

Samurai

samurai sudoku puzzle is a great way to engage

solve this

from 1

use standard sudoku

and help develop logic skills.

9 can only appear once in every row,

for every 9x9

and 3x3