Mature Focus March 2024

MARCH 2024

Rich Bassford Are you thinking of selling your home?

I give sellers options. I can buy your home for CASH at a very fair price with no repairs, no showings, no commission and no stress! If you’re in a hurry, I can close in as little as 5 days or you can take as long as you need.

I have bought and sold over 3000 homes in the Quad Cities and yours could be next. Call, text or email me today for a FAST response.

309-292-3681 www.RichBassford.com

Located in Bettendorf, Davenport and Moline 4555 Utica Ridge Road, Bettendorf, IA, 52722 Licensed in IA and IL

309-292-3681 2 March 2024 • Mature Focus

March • 2024

features 6 10 24 26 42 46

New ‘no comments’ policy Why do you care?

Prayed for a Pete and got a Pepper Anthropo...what?

Still much work to do!

Character reimagined

6

8

favorites 4 12 16 19 20 32 36

From The Desk Tinseltown Talks Humor Hotel The History of Ordinary Things Savvy Senior Midnight Gardener Talking Digital

health 18 34 40

Bacopa’s benefits Color blindness Mayo Clinic: Shockwave therapy

finance 14 38

recipes 8 44

40

Tax-qualified assets and Medicaid Life insurance provide income?

Protein to fuel everyday Red Lentil Dal

38

games 11 22 23

Trivia Test Mind Gym Super Crossword

30

extras 31 33 35 41 45

Moments in Time Strange But True All the News That’s Fit Now Here’s a Tip Mature Focus Volunteer Spotlight

Our Cover: The painting, “Madame Motorist” by John Fernie, first appeared on the cover of American Weekly on March 27, 1955.

19 Mature Focus • March 2024

3

From the Desk of the Publisher ByKevin Ferris

It’s not exactly news to report that prices have gone up.

On everything.

But there is one item in particular that I have noticed has become ridiculously expensive.

Chips.

Potato, corn, tortilla, kettle, sun, blue. It doesn’t matter.

There isn’t a brand of chips that hasn’t gone up in price. The top ten most popular chips. Lays, Funyons, Doritos, Popchips, Pringles, Sunchips, Tostitos, Utz, Miss Vicky’s and Cape Cod Potato Chips. All more expensive.

There seems to be more air in a bag of chips than chips. Maybe it’s the air that’s becoming more expensive.

Which brings me to “shrinkflation.”

“Shrinkflation” is nothing new - the word alone has been around for at least a decade according to MerriamWebster. The word is a portmanteau of the words shrink and inflation. By the way, portmanteau is the blending of two or more words and certainly it’s the first time I’ve ever used it in my column. But then, I’ve never discussed “shrinkflation” either.

I love Doritos, but not at $5.99 per bag and incidentally, $5.49 does not qualify as a sale. Not when they used to be two for $4. That was back in the good old days. Pre you know what.

CELEBRATING

32 YEARS

March 2024 • Vol. 32 • Issue Number 11

P.O. Box 1031 Moline, IL 61266-1031 (309) 277-2000 email: kevin@maturefocus92.com Facebook.com/MatureFocusQC

4 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Now I find out that Frito-Lay has confirmed that they dropped the weight of Doritos from 9.75 ounces to 9.25 ounces. You can expect about five fewer chips per bag. I knew it!

“Inflation is hitting everyone,” a spokesperson told Quartz. “We took just a little bit out of the bag so we can give you the same price and you can keep enjoying your chips.” Just not as many chips. And where is that same price that he’s talking about? I don’t see it reflected at the grocery store.

Same goes for Wheat Thins which has seen their family-size box go from 16 ounces to 14 ounces. That equates to 28 fewer crackers. I’m not a Wheat Thin guy so not as many Thins is a good thing.

This “shrinkflation” epidemic is not limited to just chips. Not by a long shot. There’s even a website called MousePrint.org which tracks product downsizing. Everything from M&M’s to Gatorade.

You remember Gatorade? Those old bottles that were rounder and so difficult to hold on to. Constantly slipping from your grasp. That never happened to you? Me neither.

Nevertheless, Gatorade has rectified the problem.

“Basically we redesigned the bottle, it’s more aerodynamic and it’s easier to grab,” a spokesperson for PepsiCo, maker of Gatorade, was quoted as saying in Quartz. “The redesign generates a new cost and the bottles are a little bit more expensive...this is only a matter of design.” Yeah sure.

The new bottles, while supposedly Publisher Kevin Ferris

Associate Publisher Schary SantAmour

easier to hold have slimmed down.

The once 32-ounce bottle has gone on a diet. He’s now a 28-ounce waist.

Same height, just more aerodynamic and don’t forget, easier to grab. You don’t mind paying more for less do you?

Some companies are more subtle when it comes to “shrinkflation.”

Apple Jacks cereal looks the same from the front as it does on the shelf.

With one slight difference. The box is actually narrower. Not something you’re probably going to notice.

They’re sneaky that way. Companies are never going to announce these type of changes. They only promote the positive changes. “See our new look!”

Probably better than “pay premium, receive pittance - the luxury of getting less for more!” How about something practical. Something that would help the consumer. “Shrinkflation” for organization: Making your cupboard a spacious sanctuary.

I need more space. My M&M bags are smaller? Perfect, cupboard problem solved.

If “shrinkflation” were to infiltrate the content of Mature Focus, it could indeed present a challenge for readers.

But fear not, dear reader, the challenges that “shrinkflation” may bring - for in the face of adversity, my column will continue to shine as a beacon of wisdom and guidance for mature readers seeking to navigate the twists and turns From the Desk of the Publisher.

Layout Design Tonya Ranum

Mature Focus, Inc. is a monthly newspaper, distributed to the greater Quad-City area, Geneseo, Muscatine, Aledo, DeWitt, Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, North Liberty, Solon, and Tipton. It is designed to inform, serve, and entertain mature readers.

Publication of columnists’ views, as well as advertising herein, does not constitute endorsement. Mature Focus reserves the right to reject or edit any advertising.

Letters to the editor must be signed and include the writer’s address and phone number for verification. All letters must be received no later than the 15th of the month preceding publication.

Annual subscription - $25. See page 25 for more information.

Image credits: juicy_fish, vwalakte, pikisuperstar, rawpixel, karlyukav, kstudio on Freepik.com.

© 2024 Mature Focus, Inc.

Mature Focus • March 2024

5

Tuesdays with Mitch: A comment on our new ‘no comments’ policy: It’s correct

By Mitch Albom I once wrote a column previewing the Kentucky Derby and, trying to be creative, wrote it as if I were interviewing one of the horses.

I thought it was clever. But later that week, I received a letter from a reader.

Inside was my column, returned to me, with these magic marker words written over it: A JACKASS TALKS TO A HORSE. I kept that returned column over my desk for several years, a humbling reminder that not everything you try works. Maybe the reader was a bit harsh, or trying to be funny. The thing is, I got the message.

But nobody else saw it.

Which brings us, many years later, to the death of the Detroit Free Press’ comments section. It was halted recently, as explained by our editor in chief, “due to the time investment needed to produce a safe and constructive dialogue.”

The Free Press thus joins numerous organizations over the years, from NPR.org to USA TODAY, in ditching comments, often because it becomes too costly to try and ensure everyone plays nice.

No surprise.

The comments space is a modern invention. It arrived with the digital age.

Once the world became all about clicks — and clicks were how newspapers and other websites made their money — luring viewers in new ways was all the rage.

Which is when reader comments began appearing just below the last line of news articles. It “increased engagement,” we were told (which meant more clicks), and was hailed for giving readers a larger voice in the paper.

6 March 2024 • Mature Focus

and can’t be said under a code of ethics, they were sharing the same space with “writers” who were under no rules whatsoever and called themselves SEXYDUDE313 (The Free Press, in order to combat this, insisted a few years ago that commenters use their Facebook page).

Now. Those of us old enough to remember when newspapers meant rubber bands, bicycles and porch tosses, recall that “Letters to the Editor” have long been part of this business. The practice dates to the 18th century.

But a “Letter to the Editor” was No surprise this was out of hand exactly that. It went to the newspaper For those of you who never read a first, and had to be vetted. In the old comments thread, here is how they days, it had to have a real name and a too often go.

An article can be posted — not even real return address as well.

It wasn’t real time, back and forth an opinion column, let’s say a major lava-spewing. Too many cominvestigative piece that took ments sections become personal months to research — and as venting chambers for people soon as the last line is finwith way too much time and ished, comments from way too much anger. Trolls readers who do not have to dominate. Healthy discourse is identify themselves begin to overrun. appear.

These sections also became a priA typical thread: vate sneering space for readers. I —Excellent article. This is a real know some folks who admit to issue.

—Typical liberal tripe from this lib- reading the first couple paragraphs of a story, then going right to the guilty eral rag. pleasure of nasty comments. Let’s —Better than MAGA garbage! face it. If we don’t like the writer or —Right. I guess you wish the gist of a piece, we might take Trump wrote it.

—Every time you comment, silent glee in reading a nice hot skeyou just show how stupid you wering by dozens of angry respondents. are.

But is that really appealing to the —The writer went to Michigan State. He’s just angry better angels of our nature?

Or, a less lofty question, do we need that Sparty is so pathetic. it?

—Bite me. Go GREEN! —This writer sucks.

Free speech, uninterrupted This can go on for inches and Some people are angry at this deciinches of digital space. Yet for a long sion. They liked leaving comments time, newspapers were happy to host and argue that if the conversation such vitriol, despite pleas from journalists who wondered why, after years devolves, so be it. Eliminating them is suppressing free speech. of study, climbing the ladder, and - Albom, turn to page 15 adhering to the strict rules of what can Still, I remember when the Free Press started displaying comments. I thought it was a bad idea then. I think it’s a bad idea today.

Why? Well, maybe because I spent so many years in sports, or because I also work in talk radio, but I have seen how quickly “civil” discussions on “issues” devolve into little more than name-calling and personal insults.

And, as I feared, many comments threads, including those at the Free Press, did exactly that.

Mature Focus • March 2024

7

Protein to Fuel Everyday Adventures in the Kitchen and Beyond

Achieving your goals each day starts with your own health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

To ensure you've got the energy needed to take on that to-do list and enjoy your favorite activities, turn to familiar ingredients and recipes that pack the protein your body craves.

Seared Salmon with Apple Slaw Servings: 4 4 portions boneless salmon 4 tablespoons Asian-style barbecue sauce 2 apples, cored and sliced into

matchsticks or julienned cup sliced or shredded red cabbage 1 cup sliced or shredded white cabbage 1 celery stick, finely sliced 1/2 red onion, finely sliced 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs such as dill, parsley or cilantro 1 lime, juice and zest only 1 tablespoon toasted white sesame seeds, plus additional for garnish 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds, plus additional for garnish Preheat oven to 375 F using grill or broil setting and line baking tray with cooking paper.

Arrange salmon portions on paper and spread barbecue sauce over each portion.

Bake 5-8 minutes, depending on thickness and size, or until just cooked in center and caramelized on top.

In bowl, combine sliced apple sticks, cabbage, celery and red onion slices; toss lightly.

In separate bowl, whisk mayonnaise, herbs, lime juice and lime zest.

Fold dressing and sesame seeds into slaw and toss together.

Divide apple slaw between serving 1

plates and top with glazed salmon.

Sprinkle with extra sesame seeds.

Lemon Garlic Tuna-Stuffed Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers Total time: 20 minutes Servings: 2-3 1 packet (2 1/2 ounces) Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Light Tuna Lightly Seasoned by McCormick, Lemon Garlic 3 mini sweet peppers, halved, seeds removed

Quad City Coin Club

Annual Spring Coin Show Sunday, April 7, 2024 79 Dealer Tables Camden Center 2701 1st Street E Camden Park and US Route 67 Milan, IL

FREE ADMISSION 9 a.m - 4 p.m.

For more information contact qcboard@qccoinclub.com quadcitycoinclub.org

8 March 2024 • Mature Focus

2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sliced green onions fresh cracked black pepper, to taste Preheat oven to 400 F. Lay parchment or foil over baking pan.

Place halved mini sweet peppers on prepared baking pan and lightly brush both sides of peppers with oil.

Divide lemon garlic tuna evenly between six mini pepper halves.

Top with cheese and bake 8-10 minutes, or until peppers are tender and cheese is melted.

Allow to cool and top with sliced green onions and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste.

Su time in CAPE COD & MAINE JULY 30-AUGUST 11, 2024

Embark on a spectacular journey through Cape Cod and Maine, where adventure awaits at every turn! Indulge in delectable lobster bakes, explore historic landmarks, and immerse yourself in the captivating beauty of the New England coast. From the charming streets of Sandwich, the oldest town on Cape Cod, to the breathtaking vistas of Acadia National Park, this tour promises unforgettable experiences.

Marvel at authentic pirate treasures, cruise alongside majestic whales, and savor mouthwatering seafood delights. With each day brimming with excitement and discovery, let Trailways Travel lead you on an extraordinary summertime escapade filled with cherished memories and newfound friendships.

TOUR PRICING: $3900 per person Double $5475 Single Non-members add $25

Visit Us Online at TrailwaysTravel.com to find a full list of tours & to sign-up for our newsletter!

Everything Bagel Salmon Brown Rice Bowl Total time: 10 minutes Servings: 1 1 packet (2 1/2 ounces) Chicken of the Sea Wild Caught Alaskan Pink Salmon with Everything Bagel Seasoning 1 cup cooked brown rice roasted nori seaweed sheets or pieces, crushed 1 small avocado, sliced 2 tablespoons shredded carrots 2 tablespoons shredded radishes 2 tablespoons minced cilantro 2 teaspoons furikaki seasoning (Japanese rice seasoning) 2 tablespoons Sriracha mayo In bowl, top cooked brown rice with crushed seaweed sheets.

Add sliced avocado and top with salmon.

Add carrots, radishes and cilantro.

Sprinkle with furikaki seasoning and drizzle with Sriracha mayo.

319.753.2864 ext. 162 | 3211 Division St., Suite 1 | Burlington, IA 52601

THE TRUSTED LEADER IN: MEDICAID, VA BENEFITS, SENIOR ADVOCACY AND LONG-TERM CARE PLANNING.

If the time comes that your loved one needs a higher level of care, challenges will happen.

Stress and costs will rise. GolderCare is here to help guide and educate. We advocate for you!

Call GolderCare today! www.goldercare.com (309) 764-2273 Mature Focus • March 2024

9

Why do you care?

By Taprina Milburn I recently had lunch out when a woman and her middle-aged daughter sat down at the table next to me. The restaurant was crowded, and tables were entirely too close to one another, making everyone privy to not only what each person ordered but also to conversations.

The older woman, probably late 80s, handed her daughter her cell phone and described a technology problem she was having - she needed help finding an app.

The daughter looked at her mother’s phone and asked, “Who’s John?”

As the daughter continued to scroll through her mom’s texts, her mother explained that John was just a friend and that he lived in the same retirement community where she lived.

“Why are you saying goodnight honey to each other if you are just friends?”

There was more back and forth with questions and answers, and the level of terseness dialed up with each response. My fellow diners had also tuned in; it was impossible not to. It was like dinner theater - people buttered their rolls and waitresses took orders for chardonnay and fried halibut.

But the conversation went cold after the mother asked her daughter flatly, “Why do you care?”

The other diners and I went back to pretending that we were minding our own business.

As I walked back to my car I thought about the mother’s words, “Why do you care?”

Frankly, I was on the mother’s side (if we were taking sides). I wanted to say to the daughter: What business is your mom’s love life to you? Give her a break. And this column was going to be about how adult children react when a parent begins dating, but I think I see this from a different angle now (maybe later down the road I’ll write that dating piece. Not now.)

Here’s what I think: It is the daughter’s role to ask those questions, just as it was the mother’s role to ask those questions at one point in her daughter’s life years before. She wants to know that her mother is okay and not being taken advantage of by someone. Could she have asked the questions in a more diplomatic way? Sure. (For instance: Tell me a little about John. Is John a good guy?

Let’s invite him to lunch sometime so I can meet him).

This is the time of life when our grown children get a little into our business, don’t they? Roles are reversing in my own life with my adult children even if I think it’s too early for all that attention.

I remember after my husband died, my son and daughter both became concerned about me and climbing ladders. I was 49 years old (49!) and

Medicare Coffee

Chat

March 14, 2 - 4 p.m.

March 16, 10 a.m. - Noon Vibrant Coffee House 6600 44th Ave. #1, Moline ✤✤✤

March 12, 1 - 3 p.m.

Vibrant Coffee House 3230 Ridge Pt., Bettendorf

Medicare Questions? We can help. Join us for a cup of coffee, pick up some free materials and learn how to compare plans and shop for your needs. We look forward to seeing you! Seating is limited.

Coffee is on us! RSVP Mary: 309-292-7900

10 March 2024 • Mature Focus

go on a trip by ourselves, but we can also let our kids in on our thoughts about things and people and most certainly let them help us. (P.S. I don’t want to clean out gutters any longer).

I never want our pride to get in the way of our care for one another, or,

more honestly, my pride to rebuff their care for me.

Taprina Milburn is an essayist who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her golden retriever, Scout. Contact her at writeyourstoriesworkshop@ gmail.com.

Trivia Test

By Fifi Rodriguez

1. What is the capital of Canada?

2. What was the first animal to be cloned?

3. In the children's book series “The Bobbsey Twins,” what are the names of the two sets of twins?

4. What is the symbol for the chemical element platinum?

5. What is the title of Elvis Presley's first commercial single?

6. What is the first U.S. national park?

7. What is a common name for xerosis?

8. What is a sommelier?

9. Who was the first president to visit all 50 states?

10. What were the principal powers of the Axis in WWII? 1. Ottawa; 2. A sheep; 3. Nan, Bert, Flossie and Freddie; 4. Pt.; 5. “That's All Right”; 6. Yellowstone National Park; 7. Dry skin; 8. Wine expert; 9. Richard Nixon; 10. Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan.

all their lives had climbed up and down ladders to clean gutters, trim trees, dust shelves, but was suddenly being admonished for doing so. I remember my feathers being a little ruffled by it. I received talks about driving alone at night, whether they were ready for me to date, and making sure I went to doctor’s appointments. Sometimes it made me feel like a child, but mostly old before my time.

But I’m softening on the issue.

More recently, I attended a circus with my daughter and her family and when we were climbing out of the bleachers, she grabbed my elbow to help me balance. My first thought was to say, “I’ve got this. I’m not 80.” But I felt the care in her touch, and it felt good. I let her guide me over the seats.

This is how our kids move into the role of ‘what’s next’ with us - they are trying it on as well and I think it feels just as awkward to them as it does to us. We do have the right to set some boundaries with them, though. We can ask for support rather than permission if we want to date or

Mature Focus • March 2024

11

Billy Dee Williams - more than a charming space pirate As any devoted Star Wars fan can deduce, the title of Billy Dee Williams' new autobiography, “What Have We Here?” released in February, is a nod to the actor’s most famous character – Lando Calrissian.

The smooth-talking caped space smuggler first greets Princess Leia with that line in 1980’s “The Empire Strikes Back.”

While the feisty cinnamon-bunned princess may not have swooned onscreen when the charming Lando gently kissed her hand before eventually joining forces to save their galaxy (although Leia’s fleeting smirk

suggests her royal knees might have buckled slightly), other screen characters were not so demure when confronted with the suave actor.

For instance, Diana Ross (playing singer Billie Holiday) first glimpses Williams (portraying her future lover, Louis McKay) in 1972’s hit movie “Lady Sings the Blues.” Her character promptly sinks to the floor, emotionally melting – mouth agape – captivated by the dreamy, white-suited Williams gracefully descending a staircase.

“When I saw film of myself walking down those stairs, I fell in love with me!” said Williams, laughing, from his home in Los Angeles. In real

Classic Travels April 28, “Chaps” at the Barn, Goodfield, IL. In 1944, frazzled employees of BBC radio scramble to present an authentic Country show when America’s favorite singing cowboy, Tex Riley, fails to show. Songs by Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and a host of many more. Leave at 9:30 a.m. and back at 6:00 p.m. Price is $119. Payment due Friday, April 12, 2024.

May 2, “Beautiful – The Carole King Musical” at The Fireside Dinner Theatre in Ft. Atkinson, WI. She was Carole Klein, a spunky, young songwriter from Brooklyn. The musical takes you back to where it all began.

Featuring such unforgettable classics such as “You’ve Got A Friend,” “One Fine Day” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” Leave at 7:00 a.m. and back at 8:00 p.m. Price is $154. Payment due Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

Tuesday, June 11-14, Summer Mystery Trip, all three nights at the same hotel. Includes interesting things and has some great places to eat along the way. Price is $929 dbl. and $1,049 sgl. A deposit of $50 holds your space. Brochure is available. Final payment due Monday, May 6.

July 3-17, 2024, Best of Scandinavia. Start out by coach to O’Hare then onto Amsterdam, Netherlands. Upon arrival we have a guided tour of the City including a visit to Anne Frank’s House. We take a canal cruise through the waterways of Amsterdam. Then we set sail on the Celebrity Silhouette.

Includes ports of Gdansk, Poland; Visby, Sweden; Tallin, Estonia; Stockholm, Sweden; Berlin, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark and Rotterdam, Netherlands. Includes round-trip local transfers, round-trip air, pre-cruise package in Amsterdam, 12-night cruise, shipboard gratuities, classic beverage package and unlimited wi-fi. Brochure available.

Concierge Class with balcony $6,705 dbl.; balcony $6,395 dbl.; and inside cabins $5,925 dbl. Balance due March 20, 2024.

Check out our website or call (563) 332-0014 Jill Kirkpatrick • 3371 Eastridge Drive • Bettendorf, IA 52722 email: jill@classictravelsllc.com • www.classictravelsllc.com

12 March 2024 • Mature Focus

life, too, fans were similarly drawn to Williams’ charisma.

“I even had a woman faint right in front of me and it’s all very flattering,” he recalled. “But I don’t take myself too seriously.”

Beyond his Hollywood status as a heartthrob or swashbuckling space pirate, Williams was a solid, compelling actor throughout his long career that began when he stepped onto a Broadway stage, barely eight years old.

Raised in Harlem during the 40s in a moderately well-off household, young Billy’s family supported his interest in the arts which also included painting – a career he originally planned to pursue. But in 1956, on a chilly winter’s day in New York City, he literally bumped into a TV casting director emerging from a clothing store, striking up a conver-sation.

The chance encounter led to an offer of work as an extra in a East Coast television series, reinvigorating his interest in acting. After moving to Hollywood, Williams would amass hundreds of film, television, and theater credits over the next six decades.

“For a young, brown-skinned boy like me growing up in Harlem, getting to Hollywood was a far-fetched dream in those early days,” Williams said.

“I'm not a very competitive person when it comes to something like sports, but I am when it comes to

NEW YEAR MARCH 1-3 QCCA EXPO CENTER

2621 4TH AVENUE

New Insurance Eligibility Schedule exams for your family.

ROCK ISLAND, IL FRI 4-9 • SAT 10-6 • SUN 10-4

antiquespectacular.com

(563) 323-2020 (309) 793-2020 ESAEYECARE.COM

Bring ad for $1 off $10 Adm

acting. I was determined to make it.”

And he did, with lead roles in feature films such as “Mahogany” (1975), “Scott Joplin” (1977), “Nighthawks” (1981), as well as ABC’s “Dynasty” series and the acclaimed TV sports bio-pic “Brian’s Song.”

“I didn’t want people to just see a young black kid from Harlem on the screen, but to appreciate the full spectrum of the characters I was playing,” said Williams.

It’s been almost 45 years since Williams first entered the Star Wars universe as Lando Calrissian. With his broad appeal and extensive acting experience, he was a popular addition to the franchise.

While he acknowledges that sci-fi actors rarely win Oscars or Emmys, Williams remains grateful for the recognition the character afforded.

“In the long run, I think the whole idea of creating a huge fan base gives you much more longevity,” he said.

“I'll be 87 in April, and I've had a lot of interesting experiences throughout my life that are described in the book.

Some were not pleasant, but working on ‘Empire’ (and two other Star Wars movies) was. I’m always observing, learning, and trying to be a sponge, so to speak, to make myself a better actor.”

Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery, in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See getnickt.org.

Retiring, income changes or relocating can create change in your budget and health coverage needs.

Let us help you navigate those changes with a no cost consultation. We are friendly, local, certified with multiple products and love helping people. Contact us!

309-798-7369 rhondakelsbury@gmail.com Visit our website: www.abundantlivinginsurance.com Mature Focus • March 2024

13

problem of tax-qualified assets Elder Law andTheMedicaid (and a potential solution)

By Ben Bekel, Quad City Life Planning

Most clients who come to us to review their life and estate planning have some kind of savings or pension to supplement their Social Security and help support them as they age.

Perhaps the most common type of retirement savings are “tax-qualified” accounts. The term may not be familiar to you, but you’ve almost certainly heard of, if not currently have, an IRA or a 401(k) – special types of retirement accounts that allow you to realize tax savings either on contributions or withdrawals.

Either of these accounts are great options to supplement other sources of retirement income, but there is a dirty little secret to tax-qualified accounts that can make them a burden in life and estate planning, particularly with respect to Medicaid planning. That dirty secret is this: under normal circumstances tax-qualified accounts cannot be transferred to any other person or entity without incurring huge tax consequences. The reason for this is because of the tax benefits these kinds of accounts are permitted, any change in ownership is treated as a full withdrawal of all the money in the account, meaning you have to report the full balance of that account as income and pay taxes on it in the tax year in which you withdraw

it. It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to transfer the tax-qualified account to your spouse, your children, the trustee of a trust (revocable or irrevocable)… any transfer of the tax-qualified account from the original owner’s name means around 30% of your retirement savings has to go back to Uncle Sam. Now, in probate-avoidance life and estate planning, we can resolve this problem through the use of beneficiary designations. As long as our (living or otherwise) trust has only beneficiaries who are living persons and is otherwise drafted properly, the trust may be named as the after-death beneficiary of the IRA; this allows the ability to preserve tax benefits to the greatest extent possible while also making it as simple as possible to modify the plan itself.

The greater problem arises in the Medicaid context. If a married couple finds themselves in a position where one spouse is going into long-term care and the other remains home, the spouse going into care can only keep up to $2,000 of assets, and the spouse remaining at home can only keep up to just over $100,000. (The amount varies from state to state.) There are assets which are considered exempt, like a primary residence, but retirement assets are not exempt. In other words, the healthy spouse may have

Since 1908 MON-SAT 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Downtown Village of East Moline Center Davenport 309-764-1814 563-324-6137

14 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Local Delivery & Shipping Order Online

used these retirement savings not on support, but on the ruinous expenses of long-term care, to say nothing of the potential tax detriment that early withdrawals from retirement accounts may create.

If the tax-qualified account is owned in the name of the spouse at home, that spouse can place funds in a short-term Medicaid compliant annuity as a way to avoid the account being countable for Medicaid purposes. But what if the account is owned by the spouse going into care? The annuity option only works for the spouse staying at home; that spouse may thus be left with two unpalatable choices. Pay a significant percentage of retirement savings to the IRS and transfer the account to the spouse at home, or risk draining it completely to pay for care, destroying a financial safety net.

Yet, that choice may not be a fully binary one any longer. Recently, we in the practice of elder law have discovered that, by taking advantage of a procedure originally established to transfer tax-qualified accounts in divorce proceedings, we can ask our local courts to order the transfer of retirement accounts from one spouse to another, which is permitted by the law without having to go through a divorce. This procedure has found increasing acceptance nationally.

Tax-qualified retirement accounts are a great way to help ensure our well-being in retirement, but as these recent developments show, they need not be a burden either. As always, if you have any questions you’ll want to contact your own life and estate planning attorney for advice and counsel on these matters.

Ben Bekel is the attorney at Quad City Life Planning in Moline, Illinois.

He handles elder law and life planning including probate/trust administration, guardianships and disability/ Medicaid planning. Learn more at quadcitylifeplanning.com.

%5Ζ7= 72856 75$9(/

HYATT REGENCY CONFERENCE CENTER

ARTS & Crafts SHOW

~ş ƤĸĘ ¤Ūîđ ı FŪƐ ǤǢǤǦȟ 'S q~s' c~ ¬Ss~

ØSg' ¤~¬/ ¬Ss~

:HGQHVGD\ $SULO :HGQHVGD\ -XQH :HGQHVGD\ -XO\ :HGQHVGD\ $XJXVW :HGQHVGD\ 6HSWHPEHU S S IUHH SOD\ RQ FDUG

:HGQHVGD\ 0D\

'XEXTXH ΖRZD

&OLQWRQ ΖRZD S S IUHH SOD\ RQ FDUG 3D\PHQW LQ IXOO WR %ULW] 7RXUV 7UDYHO FKHFN RU PRQH\ RUGHU b ZKHQ PDNLQJ UHVHUYDWLRQV IRU FDVLQR WULSV

'HSDUW D P IURP WKH QRUWKHDVW FRUQHU RI 0ROLQH :DOPDUW QHDU WKH JDUGHQ FHQWHU 5HWXUQ EHWZHHQ DQG S P

6DQ $QWRQLR 7H[DV 6DWXUGD\ 2FWREHU WKUX 6XQGD\ 2FWREHU S S GEO RFF GD\V QLJKWV GHSRVLW bΖQFOXGHV PHDOV EUHDNIDVWV GLQQHUV DQG PXFK PRUH &DOO IRU D FRPSOHWH FRORU EURFKXUH b )RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ DQG UHVHUYDWLRQV SOHDVH FDOOb 0DUJLH %ULW] DW RU

Albom - From Page 6 Not quite. Nasty comments may be free speech, but there is no law that demands they appear in the digital pages of a newspaper.

Somewhere along the line, newspaper space has come to be viewed as communal, a kibbutz yard, everyone entitled to the same access. It is not, and never has been. It is a place for professional journalists, who hopefully adhere to professional standards, to report, analyze and comment on the news.

It is not open mic night.

Why does no one complain that the local TV news doesn’t allow everybody to enter the studio and walk on camera, shouting their viewpoints after a reported piece? Should political books or business biographies come with extra pages at the back, filled with regular folks’ comments, despite having no credentials? Would those who demand the right to pen in a newspaper “This writer sucks” welcome journalists to come to their workplaces, look over their shoulder,

SATURDAY 13 APRIL

HYATT REGENCY CONFERENCE CENTER CORALVILLE, IOWA JUST OFF I-80 BY EXIT 242

ADM. Just$5.00 $5 ADM. Just

FREE PARKING FREE PARKING SHOW HRS.: SHOW9AM HRS.:- 4PM 9AM - 4PM

Over1 125 Talented Talented Exhibitors Over ExhibitorsSelling Selling

Jewelry, Oak Furniture, Candles, Ornaments, Clothing, Jewelry, Oak Furniture, Candles, Ornaments, Clothing, YardCeramics, & Garden Yard & Garden Art, Baskets, Quilts, Clocks, Bird Houses, Art, Baskets, Quilts, Clocks, BirdSoap, Houses, Ceramics, Doll Clothes, Pottery, Purses, Toys,Doll ArtClothes, Prints, Pottery, Soap, Purses, Toys,Table Art Prints, Piano C$s, Greeting Cards, Table Runners Greeting Cards, Runners & Placements, Floral Wreaths, FoodWreaths, & Many Food More &Original Products. & Placemats, Floral Many More Original Products.

Callahan Promotions, Inc., 563-357-1986

Callahan Promotions, Inc., 563-652-4529

and yell, “Terrible!”

Your opinions are still welcomed Look. No one is limiting free speech. You can wail about any news article — this one included — as freely as you like, in your home, with

...comments sections rank as the second most common place for online harassment, behind only social media. friends at a bar, or, as is most common, on social media.

But SEXYDUDE313 is not entitled, by law or by business, to say anything he wants in a newspaper. I’m not sure where that idea came from. Maybe because sites like X, Instagram and Facebook wouldn’t exist without the ability to give a thumbs-up, a heart emoji, or a comment.

But I’m not surprised to learn that, according to several studies, comments sections rank as the second most common place for online harassment, behind only social media.

In addition, the “free speech” of comments sections can actually have a chilling effect on good journalism. I know many writers who don’t pursue sensitive topics or look behind a popular trend because they don’t want to get hammered by hundreds of nasty posts. And while this business should require bravery on occasion, sharing space with people who just want to call you names isn’t how good journalism is encouraged.

The person who sent me “A JACKASS TALKS TO A HORSE” had the right to say it, and did so. I got it.

But it didn’t happen in front of the whole world. And here’s the thing many people today don’t understand: not everything has to.

Contact Mitch Albom at malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books, and events at MitchAlbom.com Mature Focus • March 2024

15

What’s on top of your refrigerator?

By Greg Schwem In May 2023, while in the early stages of a life change, I made the decision to live a minimalist existence, also defined as, “purge crap from my life.”

Gone were most contents of a 4,400-square-foot house; kept was, well, very little, save clothes, bedding, computer equipment and a juicer. Hey, minimalists need svelte figures. I once stayed in an Airbnb billed as a “tiny house” and realized I could never exist in such quarters without maintaining a gym membership.

After signing a lease on a 650square-foot condominium, unpacking, and utilizing every inch of every cabinet (three), closet (two) and drawer (six) I was left with two moving boxes containing assorted items

16 March 2024 • Mature Focus

of varying shapes, sizes and uses. All had survived the purge. For now, anyway. I have yet to use the electric wine chiller I brought along, but, again, it has only been eight months.

So where to store these remaining … things?

Then I spied it.

The top of my refrigerator.

Oh yes, that oasis of storage for city dwellers, studio apartment renters and people who really need a visit from a professional “organizer” or the production team of “Hoarders.” Over the years, I’ve visited single friends and married couples who’ve used the space for everything from a Dutch oven to a nativity set, to Star Wars figures, still in their original packaging. One friend’s dog spent most of its day gazing upward and barking incessantly, seeing that the fridge top contained its food source, encased in a 20-pound bag.

In my prior dwelling, the refrigerator

top held only a fly swatter. Its whereabouts were invisible to guests but known to my family, which is key when insects invade one’s home.

The top of the fridge is a great storage spot for some people.

Forgetting where you put a fly swatter on a summer day is akin to not remembering where you store your .38 caliber revolver after a burglar has made entry.

Homeowners and kitchen

remodelers, before you design a built-in cabinet for that shiny new refrigerator, remember that doing so eliminates storage space. The fridge top needs nothing but air above it.

Only then can it hold that two-pound jar of protein powder or that cardboard tray containing 32 cans of Diet Coke.

Yes, I shop at Costco. No, I couldn’t shop there without a refrigerator top to hold the items I return with.

Within minutes, I had utilized every centimeter, with items of no similarity or continuity. An enormous jar of peanut butter filled pretzels and a tub of oatmeal served as bookends. In between stood a few barbecue recipe books I’d brought along, even though barbecue grills are forbidden at my condominium high-rise, unless one chooses to use the community rooftop gas grill, 34 stories above my unit.

I positioned them at the refrigerator top’s rear, leaving ample space in front for a mixing bowl set and a toaster oven. Reasoning that my unit contained an oven and I rarely eat

toast, this seemed a no-brainer decirequested, while offering them a sion. Plus, it freed up valuable count- tasty peanut butter snack. Or a slice er space for the juicer, quickly of toast. Paired with a cold chardonbecoming part of my daily nutritional nay. regimen.

And, when they leave, I will clean I hoisted a plastic bucket up there, and disinfect the place. While barbefirst filling it with a bottle of Pinecued ribs sizzle above me.

Sol, a few rags and a mini Greg Schwem is a corporate standbroom/dustpan combo. I surveyed up comedian and author of two the remaining moving container books: “Text Me If You’re Breathing: contents and decided the mobile file Observations, Frustrations and Life box, crammed full of tax statements, Lessons From a Low-Tech Dad” and receipts and other financial docthe recently released “The Road To uments, would round out the fridge Success Goes Through the Salad top space quite nicely. Along with Bar: A Pile of BS From a Corporate the wine chiller.

Comedian,” available at I broke down the now-empty mov- Amazon.com. ing cartons with a satisfied smile. I Independent Senior Living 55+ • 1&2 BRs now felt officially “moved in,” ready to begin my mining k in a malist existence.

T tio s! w If auditors ever No lica come knocking, askp Ap ing to see my business records, I can 3425 60th St. confidently reach Moline, IL 61265 65 above and produce 309-764-7767 67 everything they homewoodmanorqc.com Mature Focus • March 2024

17

Unlocking mental clarity: A comprehensive guide to Bacopa’s benefits

By Suzy Cohen, R.Ph. Bacopa monnieri, known as Brahmi, is a revered herb in Ayurvedic medicine for its cognitiveenhancing and stress-reducing properties. Its adaptogenic and nootropic benefits, supported by scientific research, include improving memory, reducing anxiety and stress, and enhancing brain health.

Studies highlight Bacopa's impact on neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and GABA, which are crucial for mood regulation, cognitive function, and relaxation.

As you will soon learn, Bacopa can reduce stress. It is an adaptogen. We don’t think about stress too much, other than figuring out ways to deal with it, but stress raises cortisol in the body. When that happens, you can lose your hair, or it thins out. This is one common reason people have sudden thinning hair, or hair loss… they went through a tough time several weeks or months prior.

Anyway, Bacopa is adaptogenic, and reduces cortisol and as such, it may indirectly help with hair growth.

It is known to thin the blood, and slow the heart rate down so I should caution you about those side effects.

There are ten main ways that Bacopa can help a person. It mainly improves mood, sleep and brain power. The key benefits include: 1. Memory Enhancement: Research shows Bacopa significantly improves memory in older adults, aiding against age-related cognitive decline.

2. Stress Reduction: Bacopa reduces cortisol levels, mitigating stress's impact on mental clarity and hair health.

3. Neuronal Communication: It boosts synaptic communication,

18 March 2024 • Mature Focus

enhancing the brain's information processing capabilities.

4. Antioxidant Protection: Rich in antioxidants, Bacopa protects against neurodegenerative diseases and supports cellular longevity.

5. Improved Focus: Studies found Bacopa improves attention, learning rate, and memory, beneficial for both students and professionals.

6. Mental Health Support: It offers calming effects on the nervous system, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. One way it does this is by improving thyroid hormone levels.

7. Sleep Quality: By reducing anxiety, Bacopa aids in improving sleep patterns and quality.

8. Neuroprotection: Its compounds protect the brain against cognitive decline and support brain health across ages.

9. Aging Brain Health: Enhances cognitive functions and memory, supporting healthy aging.

10. Stress Adaptability: Improves resilience to stress for better mental balance in today’s fast-paced environment.

Usage typically involves capsules or tablets due to their bitter taste, with liquid extracts also available for those preferring a different form. Integrating Bacopa monnieri into your regimen is great for mental performance and relaxation.

Synapsa® is a brand of this herb, and its proprietary form has been featured in seven different clinical trials over the past 30 years. It’s the best in my opinion because it’s standardized and patented. This is why I sourced it for my Memory Script capsules which you can find online at my shop, or on Amazon. You can buy other types of Bacopa monnieri at any health food store nationwide.

For those people seeking the ultimate in brain focus, recall, and relaxation, I’d also consider taking Magnesium L Threonate which is also widely available. The magnesium and Bacopa would be amazing together.

To summarize this, we all seem to

rely on caffeine for brain power these days, but there’s a more natural botanical herb called Bacopa monnieri and I believe it has powerful adaptogenic effects on the body. I have a longer version of this article, and a free ebook available at my website suzycohen.com.

For more information, visit SuzyCohen.com.

Bad Medicine (Bon Jovi Tribute Band) Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Bon Jovi with a supplement of Non Jovi (80's Classic Rock) Hailing from Chicago, Bad Medicine has established themselves as one of the most sought after tribute shows in the nation. Incredible musicianship and vocal talents blended together with Steve Sage's uncanny resemblance to Bon Jovi allow Bad Medicine to be hailed as the number one Bon Jovi Tribute show in the U.S. Join us for one hour of Bon Jovi and another hour of Non Jovi including hits from Poison, Guns & Roses, Van Halen and many more!

Tickets: $25 (advance), $28 (door) Student Tickets: (18 & under) $15 (advance), $18 (door) Get Tickets Now! All Seating is General Admission

Office Hours: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Monday - Friday 1215 E Platt St., Maquoketa, IA 52060

563-652-9815

Tickets available online at ohnwardfineartscenter.com

Nails - holding things together

By Doris Montag As early as 3000BC, inventive humans designed handmade bronze nails. There is evidence of large-scale nail making from the Roman era, 2,000 years ago. The Romans used iron, which was harder, but the nails have long since rusted away.

The history of the nail has three periods. Hand-wrought (forged) nails were pre-history into the 1800s. Cut nails from 1800 to 1914 and wire nails from 1860 to the present day.

Hand Forged Nails: To make hand forged nails, blacksmiths heated iron ore with carbon to form a dense mass of metal. It was then formed into the shape of square rods and cooled.

After reheating the rod, the blacksmith cut the desired nail length and hammered all four sides to form a sharp point. The hot nail was then inserted into a hole in the anvil and with a few strikes of the hammer, formed the head.

This square shaped design had the benefit of four sharp edges which cut deep into timber. When damp, the wood fibers would swell and bind around the nail, making a strong attachment. Nails in medieval England were valuable and standardized to be used for an informal monetary exchange.

In the 15th century, England created the “penny” size linking the cost and length of 100 nails, such as 2d nails. The “d” is an abbreviation for denarius, a Roman coin similar to a penny. The system was in use into

march ChucklE Fun fact: Mr. Spock has three ears.

His right ear, his left ear, and his final front ear.

the 1900s but is obsolete today.

People often had nail making setups in their homes. Thomas Jefferson wrote in a letter that he was a nail maker.

Cut Nails: As plates of flat steel became available, a simple hardened steel knife was used to “cut” one tapered rectangular nail at a time. During

this time, artisans called “nailers” made nails by hand. Another group of workers called “slitters,” cut iron bars to size suitable for the nailers.

The first successful efforts to mechanize nail making was between 1790 and 1820, thus contributing to the Industrial Revolution. By late 1700s, “slitter mills” opened to cut bars of iron into rods with even cross sections. These “cut” nails continued as the standard until the end of the 1800s.

Wire Nail: Between 1880 and

the1900s, the first coils of steel wire were produced. Machinery could cut pieces of steel wire, sharpen a point at one end, and put a flat round head onto the other end. Wire nails were cheaper to produce and more sizes were available. The thinner nails do not have the holding power of handmade nails, but quickly became the nail of choice for construction projects. By the early 1900s, 90% of manufactured nails were wire. Today commercial machines can produce 500 to 700 nails per minute.

Beyond our historical interest, nails can be a clue to the age and authenticity of antique furniture and old structures. (Note that nails may have been updated during repairs.)

Over time, nails evolved in design and functionality, with specialized nails developed for specific purposes, such as carpentry or masonry. Today, nails continue to be an integral part of our daily lives, connecting and holding together the world around us. The rich history of nails serves as a testament to human ingenuity and the endless possibilities that can be achieved through simple yet essential inventions.

Follow Doris Montag on Facebook at HistoryofOrdinaryThings.

Fly the Flag Decorate your home with RED, WHITE and BLUE bunting/fan drapes and seasonal banners! Ask about the TELESCOPING Flag pole ✮ rope and pulley free ✮ noise free ✮ maintenance free ✮ durable ✮ optional RV wheel stand available

2018 4th Ave., Rock Island

Ask about our solar flag pole light

Your Flag Store and More!

1-800-798-7471 788-7471

Mature Focus • March 2024

19

SAV VY SENIOR You ask the SENIOR question - We find the SAVVY answer

By Jim Miller Q: What safety tips can you recommend for older drivers? My 86year-old mother, who still drives herself, had a fender bender last month and I worry about her safety.

A: With more and more older Americans driving well into their 70s, 80s and beyond, there are a variety of things your mom can do to help maintain and even improve her

20 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Keeping older drivers safe on the road

driving skills. Here are some recommendations by driving rehabilitation specialists that work with older drivers.

Get an eye exam: Because about 90 percent of the information necessary to drive is received through our eyes, this is a good first step in ensuring your mom’s driving safety.

Have your mom’s eyes checked every year to be sure her vision and eyewear is up to par.

Schedule a physical or wellness

exam: As people age, it’s also very important to monitor changes in overall health as it relates to driving.

Medical conditions like arthritis, dementia, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, sleep apnea and stroke can all affect driving.

In addition, many seniors also take multiple medications or combinations of medications that can make them drowsy or lightheaded, which can impair judgment or affect reflexes or alertness necessary for safe driving. An annual physical or wellness examination and medication review is also a smart way to verify your mom’s driving safety.

Take a refresher course: AARP and the American Automobile Association (AAA) both have older driver improvement courses that can help your mom brush up her driving skills and understand how to adjust for slower reflexes, weaker vision and other age-related physical changes that can affect driving.

Taking a class may also earn her a discount on her auto insurance. To locate a class, contact your local AAA (AAA.com) or AARP (AARPdriversafety.org, 888-2277669). Most courses cost around $20 to $30 and can be taken online.

Make some adjustments: Adjusting when and where your mom drives are another way to help keep her safe and behind the wheel longer. Some simple adjustments include not driving after dark or during rush hour traffic, avoiding major highways or other busy roads, and not driving in poor weather conditions.

Evaluate her driving: To stay on top of your mom’s driving abilities you should take a ride with her from time-to-time watching for problem areas. For example: Does she drive at inappropriate speeds, tailgate or drift between lanes? Does she have difficulty seeing, backing up or changing lanes? Does she react slowly, get confused easily or make poor driving decisions?

For more evaluation tips, AAA offers a senior driver self-rating assessment exercise (Drivers 65 Plus) that you or she can access at Exchange.AAA.com/safety/sen ior-driver-safety-mobility.

If your mom needs a more thorough evaluation, you can turn to a driver rehabilitation specialist who’s trained to evaluate older drivers and offer suggestions and adaptations to help keep her safe. But be aware that this type of assessment can run anywhere between $100 and $500 or

The annual number of worldwide shark bites is ten times less than the number of people bitten by other people in New York.

Every person on Earth is living in the past - a fact of human biology and the trickiness of time.

The human brain doesn't perceive events until about eighty milliseconds after they've happened. This fine line

more. To locate a professional in your area, visit ADED.net or AOTA.org – search “driving practitioner directory.”

When it gets to the point that your mom’s driving isn’t safe anymore and she needs to quit, you may need to help her create a list of names and phone numbers of family, friends and local transportation services that she can call on for a ride.

To find out what transportation services are available in your mom’s area contact the Eldercare Locator (800-677-1116), which will direct you to her area agency on aging for assistance.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is the author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

between the present and the past is part of the reason some physicists have argued that there's no such thing as “now” and that the present moment is no more than an illusion.

The Wizard of Oz's full name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs.

In the early twentieth century, cigars were common prizes for shooting games and other carnival contests. If you just fell short of the target, a carnival barker might shout, "Close, but no cigar!" Eventually, people started using the phrase to refer to any near miss.

WANTED: 20 Retirees Who & Fun! 20 Retirees Who Love Music

1/2 Price-$29.95 for 10 Weeks (Reg. price $59.95 for 10 weeks)

New ClassLove Starts Thursday, August at 2:00 pm Music & 17th Fun Learn to play the EASY WAY for any Piano, Organ or Keyboard! If you’ve always wanted to play music, this is the class for you! No experience necessary!

NEW CLASS Tuesday March 5

Call Lisa 563.888.5650 to Reserve Your Spot Serving The Midwest with Music & Fun Since 1922! critchetts.com 2406 E. 53rd Street, Davenport (Next to Jimmy John’s)

Cooperative, Senior Living 55+ 2592 Middle Rd, Unit 319 Behind NW Bank, Bettendorf, IA 1612 sq ft • 3 Bed • 2 Bath • Maintenance Free Heated Underground Parking • Never Occupied $210,000 - Reduced from $250,430 Glen Hotchkiss Ph 563-355-0037 • Text 563-209-7428 View more pictures at QCFSBO.com Mature Focus • March 2024

21

Answers on Page 47.

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: 

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: 

22 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Answers on page 47 ACROSS 1 Auxiliary professor 8 Nickname for baseball great Ruth 15 Cultural value system 20 High-fashion clothing 21 Knows someone at the company, say 22 Reluctant (to) 23 “Wait, my rant isn't finished ...”

25 Private, as desires 26 Agnus -- (lamb figure) 27 “Cool beans!”

28 Down dinner 30 Look lewdly 31 2018 war documentary directed by Peter Jackson 38 Composer -- Sebastian Bach 40 Hamilton/Burr confrontation 41 Era upon era 42 Turndowns 43 Stati -- (America, in Italian) 44 Stage design 47 La -- Tar Pits 49 Gp. opposed to leather 51 Made a habit of taking risks 54 Actress Cuthbert 57 French for “summers” 58 Bible book after Micah 59 Dwell at 61 --Ops (CIA mind games) 62 Coffee holder 63 In love 67 Big name in candy wafers 68 2011-13 Fran Drescher sitcom 71 Give it -- (try) 74 Paris' Champs- -75 Certain scanning device: Abbr.

76 St. crossers 79 First book section 81 Former U.N. chief Boutros Boutros- -83 Stool or pew 84 Milk container 85 Just a tiny bit 90 Op-ed writer Maureen 91 Art of Erte 92 Once existed 93 Eldritch 94 Links gp.

96 Canon camera brand 98 -- part (role-play) 100 1996-2002 sports sitcom 101 Song phrase following “See you later, alligator” 107 Amazes 108 Daddy's boy 109 Prague citizen 110 Victor's hand gesture 113 Prefix with type or plasm 115 What's spelled out by the starts of six answers in this puzzle 121 Lot units

122 Countering an attack by missile, e.g.

123 Pundit Huffington 124 Hockey feints 125 Fill with more inventory 126 Like soon-to-be-unveiled tech DOWN 1 Mil. school 2 Finished 3 She won a Tony for “Hurlyburly” 4 Stage actress Hagen 5 Pious sister 6 Actor Hume of “Cocoon” 7 Heads, to Henriette 8 Iota preceder 9 Novelist Robbins 10 N.Y. hours 11 Cranky cry 12 Singer DiFranco 13 Stanford- -- test 14 Occupy 15 -- Lilly & Co. 16 Until this time 17 “Just one moment” 18 Verdi opera 19 Tears to bits 24 “Told ya so!”

29 Recurring themes 32 Detests

33 34 35 36 37 38 39 44 45 46 48 50 52 53 55 56 60 62 64 65 66 68 69 70 71 72 73

Author Blyton Oil, informally Dweeb's kin Cassini of 20-Across Quick quip Minty Kentucky Derby drink -- last legs (about to collapse) Biting turtle Ordinal suffix Like so, informally Correo -- (Spanish airmail) -- over (satisfied for the moment) “Movin' --” (sitcom theme song) Tube prizes Brand of fruit drinks Year, in Brazil Signs up Multilevel structure for Fluffy Suffix with chlor- or fluorModel Cheryl “ER” or “CSI” Get a move on Lead-in to “So sue me!”

Caesar's 202 N.C. State's NCAA div.

“-- Na Na” Toiling away

76 Fetching 77 Certain surrealist paintings 78 Eye maladies 80 Funds 82 Sly -- fox 83 Tortoise's top 86 Calf product 87 Caesar's “Behold!”

88 Campus mil. program 89 Singer Halliwell 94 Underside of a dog's foot 95 Liftoff stress 97 Hebrew horn 99 With 106-Down, North Pole surrounder 100 Cling (to) 102 Perfumer Lauder 103 Absurd 104 Missouri's -- Mountains 105 Toon pic 106 See 99-Down 111 Kin of -ette 112 Novelist Jennifer 114 Pre-CIA gp.

116 “-- a girl!”

117 Fabric dye brand 118 Retired NBAer Ming 119 Vote down 120 “True --” (“Indeedy”)

Mature Focus • March 2024

23

Prayed for a Pete and got a Pepper - Part I

By Tonya Ranum Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part story. Part two will appear in the April issue of Mature Focus.

Dogs are the best; God’s gift to humankind. Cats? They’re too independent and unpredictable. One second, it’s a purring extravaganza, the next you’re lunch. With dogs, they always love you no matter how much of an idiot you are. Cats ignore, dismiss, and spurn. Dogs aim to please. Cats care about pleasing you as much as they care about dogs.

And for those reasons, I have never been a cat person.

That was until I met Pete, a slightly rotund, black and white tuxedo cat with green eyes, and an unceasing desire to cuddle who challenged my long-held belief.

Pete trotted out of our bushes the day we moved into our house in August 2022 with a fervent meow as if to say, “Thank goodness you’re finally here!” Unfamiliar with cat behavior, I cautiously reached down to pet him and he eagerly rubbed his

cheek on my hand. Pete didn’t want to dismember me, he wanted to be loved. My daughter Reese scooped him up into her arms and he offered no resistance. All bets were off when Pete rested his adorable fluffy white paws on her shoulder, closed his eyes, and purred with satisfaction.

My daughter, Reese, bonding with Pete shortly after we moved into our house in August, 2022.

Since that day, Pete has had the three females of our household securely wrapped around his thumbs, that is if he had any.

The male of our family, Brian, however, was not smitten with Pete and made it clear where he stood on the matter.

“Do not let him in the house, he could have fleas,” he com-

manded.

“But Pete’s hungry and wants to cuddle!” we wailed.

“He is not our cat. He has a home somewhere and that’s where he belongs,” Brian declared with finality.

After some digging, we discovered Pete was a feline neighborhood wanderer. He wooed treats and beguiled affection from soft-hearted neighbors all the while maintaining a residence in the house behind ours.

For Pete, life was too good on the “streets” - no need to go to his actual home. After all, when we moved in Pete found his honeypot, and boy did he know it: treats, cuddles, and more treats. Pete was hanging out on our deck so much he started measuring for drapes.

In my defense, I was vulnerable.

Only a few months earlier, our beloved dog Hank was put down after suffering a stroke. The heartbreaking sorrow from feeling his heart stop as I hugged him was still fresh; my tears just a memory away from flowing all over again. Hank was my first and only dog and he was gone. I couldn’t hold his adorable face in my hands and give him kisses anymore. No more couch cuddles. No more walks searching for ducks. No more anything with my sweet boy. I was devastated. So when Pete showed up, I was putty in his paws. He was more than happy to be the recipient of the affection I’d missed giving Hank and I was more

• Engraved Rocks • Grave markers • Pet memorials • Benches • Signs

With a deep history of memorialization, we strive to serve our community with compassion and care. Designing the proper memorial for your family is our goal.

Celebrating our 101st year in business

24 March 2024 • Mature Focus

than happy to give it. Cuddling with Pete was a balm for my heart.

But no matter how attached to Pete I became or how I tried to show Brian that Pete should be our cat (“See? Pete walks right inside the house! He wants to be our cat!”), Brian wasn’t budging.

“Pete is never going to be our cat.

He belongs to someone else.” More of that crushing finality, like when

Hank and I, September 20, 2020.

He passed away May 29, 2022 after suffering a stroke. He was 11-yearsold.

long as I have, you learn when God says no, it’s best to let it go and move on; which I did, but not without sadness, disappointment, and an ache in my heart. However, at the same time, I came to understand that Brian was right; Pete wasn’t our cat and it would have been wrong for me to take him away from his rightful owners. I wouldn’t have wanted someone to do that to Hank (although I considered it after the Bedroom Carpet Diarrhea MultiAccident Catastrophe of 2017). So that’s how I landed; accepting that if I wanted to cuddle with Pete, I’d have to sit outside, sometimes bundled up, to do it.

And so it was until on a chilly October afternoon in 2023 it happened...a curled-up, tiny black and brown ball of fur appeared in our driveway.

Much to my surprise, it appeared God’s “no” wasn’t His final answer.

He had something else in mind.

Tonya Ranum is a graphic designer and writer. Read her story,

you were ten and your parents said no to whatever it was you desperately wanted more than anything in the whole wide world.

Not making any headway, I needed some divine intervention. So, I prayed.

I prayed that God would soften Brian’s heart to Pete and allow me to bring him into the house. I admit it felt foolish praying for such a thing, but I desperately wanted Pete to be my cat. However, after numerous “pretty please” invocations it became clear God was on the side of Brian.

His answer: a big fat holy, “nope.”

When you’ve been praying for as

they said it Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day.

- John Grogan

“Greatest Mistake Ever” in “Chicken Soup for The Soul: My Hilarious, Heroic, Human Dog” available at Amazon.com. She welcomes your emails at tonyaranum@ gmail.com.

Anything you need...

I can do it!

“To Do” Lists Assist with some cares Change Bedding • Laundry Minor Hairstyling • Make Meals Light Baking • Reading Checking on loved ones daily Take to doctor appointments Run any errand you can think of and more...

563.249.8518 Marian Bernstorf Illinois/Iowa

• Certified Nurse’s Assistant for 30 Years • CPR Certified • Dependable & Affordable • References Upon Request • Business Liability Insurance

Errands?

Call Marian!

It’s your lucky day!

Our annual subscription continues to be $25 or enjoy extra savings with a 2-year subscription for only $40!

Name: _________________________________________________

Complete the form and mail your payment to:

Address: _______________________________________________ City: _____________________________ State: ___________

Mature Focus P.O. Box 1031 Moline, IL 61266-1031

Zip Code: _______________________

Or call Mature Focus at 309-277-2000 with your credit card payment

Mature Focus • March 2024

25

Anthropo... what?

By Susan Goldfein Anthropomorphism, that’s what.

You may not know the word, but I’ll bet you a month’s worth of Starbuck’s Chocolate Cream Cold Brew that you know what it is. We all grew up with it. Kids still do.

Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Bugs Bunny, Mr. Ed, talking teapots, minions, and the like.

Anthropomorphism, a multi-syllabic word that’s difficult to pronounce on one exhalation, is defined as the attribution of human characteristics or behaviors to a god, animal, or object.

Even as adults, we are constantly exposed to it in TV commercials: talking lizards, bears selling toilet paper, a talking box imploring us to

mail in our poop in order to screen for colon cancer. (Tell me, in what universe should a person of sound mind be taking medical advice from a piece of cardboard?)

Frankly, I’m not a big fan of the “A” word. The personification of an animal or an inanimate object is just a little too adorable for my taste. (Except for the essay I wrote about Alexa.) And I find some of the worst offenders to be the cutesy talking cat and dog memes that flood the internet.

You can imagine how I felt when the editor of a monthly publication for which I write told me they were devoting an entire issue to talking pets. Instead of my usual humor column, would I please have my dog Sam write an article!

After a hearty “Oy!” and a deep sigh, I gave it a try. And since today is Sam’s birthday (he’s 9 years old), and No. 2 Son has

been visiting all week, I’ve decided to repost this essay.

Oh, how I hate to get up in the morning

By Sam Goldfein Overall, I think I have a darn good life. For a dog. I’m adored by my people, walked several times a day, and allowed to run free in the dog park.

I’m fed two squares a day, in addition to the bits of food from their dinner plates. They find my big, brown, pleading eyes simply irresistible.

To be perfectly honest, I’m more than a bit spoiled. I’ve trained them to let me sit on the couch when they watch TV, and sleep in their bed, although I have a perfectly fine bed of my own.

When they can, they take me with them when they go out, and when

“Every life tells a story.

Let us help share yours.”

Offering a full range of Funeral Service options Family Owned & Operated Call Caralee to schedule a pre-planning appointment today.

Alternatives provides professional guidance to maintain independence for older adults, adults with disabilities, and their families

Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home Since 1889

563.322.4438 www.hmdfuneralhome.com

26 March 2024 • Mature Focus

(800) 798-0988 alternativesforyou.org

they can’t I’ve learned to provoke just enough guilt to warrant a cookie before they go.

They regularly purchase my favorite chews from Amazon, and never ever run out of dog food. I am secure in the sense that I’m at the center of their lives!

Annual trips to the vet keep me healthy, and visiting the groomer periodically keeps me gorgeous, although I admit it’s not my favorite destination. I hate being wet.

In between groomings, my female person bathes me in the kitchen sink, but I always forgive her. So, you see, considering the alternate lives I may have had, I think I stepped in poop!

But as good as it is, no one’s life is perfect. And that’s true of mine as well. And since I’ve been given this column, I might as well use it to air my complaint. I don’t think my person will think I’m being ungrateful.

She complains all the time. In fact, she’s written a book about it, “How to Complain When there’s Nothing to Complain About.”

Did I mention that I let my people sleep with me? And that they recently bought a king-size bed? It’s about time they ditched that cramped mattress. Hardly room enough for three!

Now, each night as I’m lifted onto the bed, I feel as if I died and went to dog heaven. I can choose to sleep up high, or down near the foot, with no arms or legs being flung across my back, and no fear of being poked in the middle of the night.

But my favorite spot is to nestle between the extra-large pillows and curl into a ball until I’m practically invisible. And there, each night, I dream sweet dreams about being Snoopy’s co-pilot as he chases the Red Baron. But alas, my dream is interrupted all too soon.

Unfortunately, my female person is an early riser. Every morning, just as we are closing in on the Red Baron, I feel her stirring. I know this means she will leave the bed, shower, dress, and then come for

me!

I dive deeper into the pillows, trying hard to disappear. My eyes tightly shut, pretending to snore, hoping she’ll take pity and let sleeping dogs lie.

But no. I feel the collar snapping around my neck, and hear her say “Sam, it’s time to get up.” I hesitate, but it’s no use. She always wins. Next thing I know the leash is on, and we’re out the door. And the Red Baron escapes once again.

I hate the mornings. I never get to sleep in. Not even on the weekends.

But sometimes I forget that I’m living with retired people for whom TGIF no longer has any meaning. I have no choice but to wake at the crack of dawn. And that, folks, is

the fatal flaw in an almost perfect dog’s life!

Happy birthday, Sam! Born and raised in New York City, Susan currently splits her time between Florida and Connecticut.

Visit Susan’s blog, susansunfilteredwit.com.

they said it Warmth, kindness, and friendship are the most yearned for commodities in the world.

The person who can provide them will never be lonely.

- Ann Landers

Fish for Walleye at Ballard’s September 1-5 An active lifestyle for 55+ It’s time to make plans for the Plus 60 fishing trip at Ballard’s Resort, Lake of the Woods, Baudette, Minnesota. The cost per person for this fishing adventure is $1,015.

This travel package includes roundtrip transportation via motorcoach bus, lodging, all meals, and an experienced fishing guide on a 27-foot sportcraft fishing boat equipped with all your necessary fishing gear and bait, onboard restroom facilities, ice and fish processing. Lunch will be provided on the boat and a group walleye shore lunch is provided on day two.

What’s not included? A Minnesota fishing license is required and can either be obtained in advance by visiting dnr.state.mn.us or can be purchased at Ballard’s Resort upon arrival. Also not included are on-site beverages available for purchase, as well as gratuities for your guide, restaurant staff, and housekeeping.

A $300 per person deposit is due at the time of your reservation and no later than May 30, with a final payment due by August 1. To reserve your spot please call toll-free 1-800-776-2675 and mention you are with the Quad City Plus 60 Club. This trip is limited to 45 people so call to reserve with a credit card payment or arrange mailing your reservation deposit. Please be aware that this trip’s daily activities require you to be able to climb up and down steps, and balance yourself in a sometimes rocking boat.

Like us on Facebook Facebook.com/Plus60

Membership information and all event and trip details are always readily available at qctplus60.com.

Mature Focus • March 2024

27

28 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Mature Focus • March 2024

29

‘Masters of the Air’ does a public service

By Rich Lowry Like “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific” before it, the new series “Masters of the Air” is a profound act of devotion to the memory of the men who won World War II, this time focused on the air war in Europe.

Telling the story of a nation's history will always depend on popularizers more than academic historians (especially when the latter don't like their country's history very much), and Spielberg and Hanks are better popularizers than anyone has cause to expect.

“Masters” tells the story of the 100th Bomber Group of the 8th Air Force, known as the “Bloody 100th,” not for the destruction it wrought, but the punishment it took in some of the most hazardous duty of the war.

No one has ever reproduced the story, the machines, the conditions and the missions of this aspect of the war as accurately and carefully before, and we can assume, no one ever will again.

Ten years in the making with a $250 million budget, this is a production at the very highest level of technical proficiency. The B-17s - the long-range bombers known as Flying Fortresses, or “Forts” for short - steal the show. They are lovingly reproduced and often look like something out of a painting, which doesn't obscure their deadly purpose or the

deadly business of flying one over hostile territory.

If nothing else, “Masters” brings home the experience of flying in a tin can breathing through primitive air

masks in below-zero temperatures, while getting shot at by German antiaircraft guns and trying to fend off ferocious assaults from much faster German fighters.

It is as terrifying as it sounds.

Relying on Air Force records, the show's makers have obsessively reproduced the exact position of each plane and its precise fate during missions. As the screenwriter John Orloff has explained, they felt a factual rendering was mandatory; this wasn't “Star Wars” - a made-up conflict involving fictional people - but real battles in )BQQZ &BTUFS which Americans gave $POUBDU VT GPS ZPVS their last full measure of 1SPGFTTJPOBM -BOE 4VSWFZJOH OFFET BU devotion.

TH !VE 3UITE -OLINE ), Orloff notes that about • FEMA FLOOD SURVEYS three months after its arri• ELEVATION CERTIFICATES val in England, 34 of the • -05 1"3$&- 4637&:4 100th's 36 crews had been shot down. The tour of /08 */ 063 TU :&"3 duty was 25 missions, but -JDFOTFE JO *PXB *MMJOPJT the aviators made it

30 March 2024 • Mature Focus

through just 11 on average.

In contrast to the British who bombed at night, the U.S. engaged in daylight bombing that was supposed to be precision in nature. Without protection from fighter planes, which wasn't available at the beginning, this made the B-17s sitting ducks.

Sometimes the missions involved hitting industrial sites, sometimes they targeted cities themselves and German morale, sometimes they were designed to bait the Luftwaffe into combat so it could be degraded.

With the introduction of the longrange P-51 fighters that could properly defend the B-17s, the balance of the air war shifted decisively in 1944.

There's been a long-running debate about the morality and efficacy of the Allied bombing campaign. There's no doubt that there was a real moral cost to the campaign and its wanton destruction. Unfortunately, though, there was no easy way to take down a totalitarian power that had come to dominate the European continent, and for a long time, strategic bombing was our only serious means to attack the Nazis directly.

As for the efficacy, if nothing else, the campaign diverted massive Nazi resources to air defense. But it achieved more than that.

“By 1945,” military historian Cathal Nolan writes, “the bombers would destroy Germany's transportation systems and demolish most vital war industries, especially oil supply and refining, and effectively end fighter production.”

He continues, “Neither Germany nor Japan could by the end of their respective wars move military supplies, complete production or deploy weapons and divisions as they wanted, even inside their homelands.”

Young American men gave their all in harrowing conditions to make this contribution to victory. “Masters” is their story as it deserves to be told.

Rich Lowry is editor of the National Review.

❖ On March 6, 1475, Michelangelo Buonarroti, the greatest of the Italian Renaissance artists, is born in Caprese. His most important early work was the Pieta (1498), a traditional type of devotional sculpture that showed the body of Christ in the lap of the Virgin Mary. ❖ On March 11, 1861, delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas adopt the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States of America. It provided for six-year terms for the president, who was ineligible for successive terms. ❖ On March 10, 1876, the first discernible speech is transmitted over a telephone system when inventor Alexander Graham Bell summons his assistant in another room by saying, “Mr. Watson, come here; I want you.” Bell had received a telephone

patent three days before, filing just hours before another inventor, Elisha Gray. ❖ On March 12, 1888, agreeing to cooperate with a policy adopted by Congress, China approves a treaty forbidding Chinese laborers to enter the United States for 20 years. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 barred immigrants based on race and nationality for the first time. ❖ On March 7, 1923, The New Republic publishes Robert Frost's poem “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening.” The poem, beginning with the famous line “Whose woods these are, I think I know,” has introduced millions of American students to poetry. ❖ On March 13, 1942, the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army begins training dogs for the new War Dog Program, or K-9 Corps. Tens of thousands of dogs had served during World War I, the most famous being Rin Tin Tin. ❖ On March 8, 1951, the Lonely Hearts Killers, Martha Beck and Raymond Martinez Fernandez, are executed in the electric chair in New York. The couple had schemed to seduce,

rob and murder women who placed personal ads in newspapers. ❖ On March 9, 1981, a nuclear accident at a Japanese power plant dumps 16 tons of radioactive waste into Wakasa Bay. Despite the risk to people eating contaminated fish, the public was not told of the spill for more than a month. Fish in the area displayed mutations for several years afterward.

Affordable and fully renovated studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for seniors aged 62+. We are accepting applications to join our waiting list.

Community Features: •Fitness Center •Elevator •Business Center •Resident Lounge •Community Garden •Air Conditioning •Laundry Room •Centrally located near shopping, grocery stores, pharmacies & public transportation

Highland Manor

Affordable and fully renovated 1, 2, & 3 bedroom townhomes.

We are accepting applications to join our waiting list.

Community Features: •Washer/Dryer included in each townhome •Central heat/air •Playground Rent is 30% of annual income for both communities and maximum income restrictions apply.

Call today for more details!

Leasing Office 4201 22nd Ave., Moline, IL

1-309-764-7780 Mature Focus • March 2024

31

Easy flowers from seed

Midnight Gardener

By Lori Rose It's seed catalog time again. If you've never grown flowering plants from seed, give it a try this year. If you've grown plants from seed, then you already know what a joy it is.

Let the garden centers grow the inexpensive petunias and impatiens.

Use seeds to grow unique varieties that you won't find at the warehouse stores, or even at roadside plant stands.

Choose what to grow based on how much sun your garden gets. For instance: Sun (eight hours of sun per day) Sunflowers are a must for the novice (and experienced) seed starter. They grow so easily, and the heights and colors assure that there's a sunflower for everyone. Italian White has brown centers with creamy petals, and Teddy Bear is a big orange fluff ball. Just watch out for birds that will dig up and eat the seeds.

Zinnias may be inexpensive to purchase, but the different heights, flower sizes and colors available are so mindboggling you'll want to grow them all.

32 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Zinnias are probably the most perfect lily pad leaves and colorful flowers are bouquet flower. They have tall stems, both edible, and are lovely (and tangy) colorful flowers, and will last for a in salads or sandwiches. long time in the vase.

Part Shade (four hours of sun) Part Sun (six hours of sun) Although it will flower better in a Do you like tall, stately flowers? sunnier spot, the perennial Shasta Foxgloves are just that. Flower spikes daisy will grow and flower nicely in up to three feet tall grace the garden. part shade. Hardy and beautiful, Shasta The name comes from the tubular daisies can be tall or short, with single flowers that could glove the paw of a or double, large or small flowers. fox. They grow up the spike in shades from white to purple. Foxgloves are biennial. Biennials do not flower the first year, but will flower and set seed the second year. Foxgloves are very showy, so let ON ALL STANTON PRODUCTS! some flowers go to seed for a lovely display each spring.

Nasturtium is a vine that works equally well hanging out of a basket or trailing along the ground.

Nasturtium leaves make a perfect disguise to cover fading tulip or daffodil leaves in spring. In the shade of sunflowers, nasturtium will flourish to cover the ground with big leaves and bright flowers.

Plant the big seeds with children, either in the garden or in a container. They will marvel at how quickly 1305 Fifth Avenue • Moline, IL they go from seed to seed309-762-9423 ling to plant to flower. The www.griffinsfloorcrafters.com

BIG DISCOUNTS

Some have short, rounded petals, some have long frilly petals; some have tiny eyes, some have eyes as big as egg yolks. This is an all-around fabulous perennial. Plant it with the equally fabulous perennial rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan). It has yellow petals and dark brown eyes.

Check the catalogs or backs of seed packets for the ideal planting time and place for each variety. For instance, some can be started indoors and transplanted into the garden as seedlings.

Some plants resent having their roots disturbed, so plant these seeds right where you want them to grow.

Successful outdoor seed starting requires good soil, the proper amount of sunlight, and consistent moisture.

Garden soil will benefit from the addition of compost. For containers, use good-quality potting soil formulated for outdoor use.

Whether in containers or in a garden, be sure that the location you choose to start seeds outdoors receives the right amount sunlight each day based on the

flower variety you choose. Put plants that like similar amounts of sun together – don't try to grow a sun lover with a shade lover, one plant will be unhappy.

Keep seeds, seedlings and plants evenly moist. A good rule for gardens is to water deeply every other day, via either rain or hose. Containers will need more attention to make sure they don't dry out completely. During the hottest days of the summer, be sure to check your potted plants morning and night.

Wile away a gray day with seed catalogs. Then go ahead and order some seeds to plant this spring. It's easy, inexpensive, and best of all, it's fun.

Lori Rose, the Midnight Gardener, is a Temple University Certified Master Home Gardener and member of the GWA: The Association for Garden Communicators. She has been writing about gardening for over twenty years.

Email Lori at midnightgardener@ hotmail.com.

HISTORY & HAUNTS

Bo on & Salem JULY 8-16, 2024

Come along with Burlington Trailways as we explore history and more in the cities of Boston and Salem Massachusetts. Take in a guided city tour of Boston including many sites along the Freedom Trail, visit the USS Constitution, Paul Revere House and a stop for a tour and a brew at the Sam Adams Brewery. Explore the JFK Presidential Museum, catch a whale watching cruise and so much mored!

TOUR PRICING: $2800 per person Double $3425 Single Non-members add $25

Visit Us Online at TrailwaysTravel.com to find a full list of tours & to sign-up for our newsletter!

319.753.2864 ext. 162 | 3211 Division St., Suite 1 | Burlington, IA 52601

By Lucie Winborne ✐ On their urban forest data site, the city of Melbourne in Australia assigned email addresses to each of the city's trees so it would be easier to catch and rehabilitate damaged ones.

Instead, the trees received love letters. ✐ Giant lily pads in the Amazon River can grow up to 6 feet in diameter and even support up to 100 pounds without breaking. ✐ A study of over 10 million births revealed that children are 4.6% more likely to be born in the same month as their mothers. ✐ When Kentucky Fried Chicken expanded its operations to China in the 1980s, the food chain's iconic slogan - “It's finger-lickin' good!” - was mistakenly, if amusingly, translated in Mandarin to “Eat your fingers off.” ✐ A group calling themselves Sieged Security hacked into the Idaho National Laboratory with a most extraordinary ransom demand - not cash, but for the lab to research the creation of feline-human hybrids! ✐ In the small Japanese town of Kamikatsu, residents are required to sort their solid waste into 45 different recycling categories. ✐ A UCLA study determined that football players with lower jersey numbers are perceived as slimmer and faster than their teammates with higher jersey digits. ✐ Morton's toe is when your second toe is longer than your big toe. It's widespread in art, with the Statue of Liberty being one of the more famous examples. ✐ Jenga blocks have subtle differences in dimensions to make their construction less stable. Each brick is a different size and weight, so no two games will be alike. ✐ Are you a fan of Cheetos? If so, you might want to visit the town of Cheadle in Alberta, Canada, which is the proud possessor of a 20-foot statue of a ... Cheeto. Bonus: It even lights up at night!

Mature Focus • March 2024

33

Healthy Eyes: Color blindness

By Dr. Baldwin, O.D. We can see colors because of color receptors in our eyes called cones. In normal human color vision, there are three different types of color receptors. The long wavelength cone, or L cone, is most sensitive to shades of red. The medium wavelength cone, or M cone, is most sensitive to shades of green. The short wavelength cone, or S cone, is most sensitive to blue.

Whenever we look at a light, the brain will assess how each of the three types of cones responded in order to tell what color it is.

In most cases of color blindness, one of the three types of cones is defective or missing, usually L cone, for red color, or the M cone for green.

It’s rare to have a defective S cone for seeing blue, or to have both the L and M cones be defective.

Because most color blind people still have two types of functioning cones, they are able to see more than just black and white, it’s just fewer

34 March 2024 • Mature Focus

colors and a smaller variety of colors than what is seen with three types of functioning cones.

To demonstrate how color blind people see different colors, look at these buttons. This is an unfiltered picture with many colors.

And this is what it looks like if you are missing the L cone. It would look similar if you were missing the M cone. People who are colorblind are still able to see several different colors of buttons, but some of the colors that look very different with normal color vision look very similar with color blindness.

For example, the green buttons and the orange buttons look like different shades of the same color, and teal buttons and light purple buttons look nearly identical in color. Typically, children are tested for color blindness

at an eye exam. Men are at much higher risk for being born with color blindness than women, who seldom have the problem.

Color blindness doesn’t have a cure, and although it can make some activities more difficult, it doesn’t usually impact quality of life.

In fact, there are some cases where color blindness has even been advantageous. First, animals that are color blind are less likely to be fooled by predators or prey that tries to use camouflage to blend into their surroundings. They rely on subtle changes in textures and outlines instead of color.

Second, in humans, the ability to not be fooled by camouflage has been observed and in World War II it was even considered an advantage to have a couple of color blind soldiers present to help spot the enemy.

Also, because color vision is highly dependent on lighting, people who have normal color vision and rely heavily on color to see the world will also have a harder time seeing at night and low light situations than color blind people.

Dr. Baldwin is an optometrist with Eye Surgeons Associates and practices at our Rock Island, IL clinic.

His clinical interests include specialty contact lenses, ocular surface disease management, managing computer vision syndrome, pediatric eye care, and co-management of medical conditions that frequently affect vision.

Dr. Baldwin speaks fluent Spanish.

The material contained in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Always seek the advice of your physician.

All the news that’s fit

By Scott LaFee Observation “You can't expect to look like a million bucks if you eat from the dollar menu.” - Anonymous Medical History In February of 1931, Alka Seltzer debuted in the U.S. Its origins date to three years earlier when Hub Beardsley, president of Miles Laboratories, was visiting newspaper offices in Elkhart, Indiana, during a severe flu epidemic.

The staff seemed resistant to the flu, and the editor told Beardsley that ailing employees took a remedy combining aspirin and baking soda.

Beardsley asked his chemists to develop an effervescent tablet with aspirin and sodium bicarbonate as the main ingredients. It debuted to much fanfare, though Beardsley himself died in 1929.

Hearts and Minds Suffering a heart attack or other severe cardiac event is a life-threatening and life-changing event. It happens a lot. Every year, roughly 805,000 people in the U.S. have a heart attack - that's about one every 40 seconds.

Physical recovery can be arduous and lengthy, but there's a mental toll as well. One in three heart patients, according to a 2023 meta-analysis of more than 100 studies, live with

anxiety, depression and ongoing stress.

“The technology of cardiology is locked down. People get that. What's not locked down is the patient experience,” Sam Sears, a professor of health psychology at East Carolina University and author of more than 200 research studies on psychological interventions for heart health, told STAT. “The human factors in all this just don't get addressed as a standard of care.”

An improved standard of care, advise Sears and others, is helping patients to not only change lifestyles and habits to become heart-healthier, but also to embrace their new lives.

Sum Body Fourteen diseases you can get from your pets: Plague, Hookworm, Rabies, Toxoplasmosis, Cat-scratch disease, Tapeworm, Ringworm, Salmonella, Psittacosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Campylobacter, Giardia, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Note: The total number of (zoonotic) diseases that can spread between animals and people is surprisingly large, from Aeromonas infections to Tularemia.

Check out the CDC's website for a more comprehensive listing.

Pigeon Forge and Smoky Mountain Show Trip $847 (per person, dbl. occ.)

August 19 - 24, 2024 For Information & Reservations contact: Kim Schaefer @ 309.582.7221

Mercer County Senior Center 50th Birthday Please come join us in celebrating 50 years of serving our county!

Saturday March 9, 2024 9A - 3P 137 West Main Street, Aledo, IL

Epitaphs “Gone but not forgotten.” - Tombstone of notorious robber and murderer Clyde Barrow (1909-1934), who Caregiver Stress-Busting is buried in a family plot in Western Programs Heights Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

Chronic Illness Program Barrow's equally notorious partner-infor Caregivers crime Bonnie Parker (1910-1934), who was killed with Barrow in a Every Tuesday starting police ambush May 23, 1934, is March 5 - April 30 interred at Crown Hill 9A - 10:30A Memorial Park in northwest Dallas.

Mercer County Senior Center Her headstone is a bit more flowery: “As 137 W Main • Tree Trimming • Tree Removal the flowers are all Street, Aledo made sweeter by the Call: 563-396-3894 sunshine and the dew, Call to Register: so this old world is $.*- ')%-,,.10"011#10 -+1& *!//(+/.

309.582.5492 or made brighter by the *%(.,"./-+,/- &,/./ 309.582.7221 likes of folks like *&(+'' -) ,./-+,/-)$.#+!./ you.”

Mature Focus • March 2024

35

Talking Digital: Dating in the digital age navigating love, scams, and social media chaos

By Adam Cochran

month’s column, I decided to research and report on the dynamics of dating Having been married for nearly 30 and evolving relationships in a world years, I can’t imagine what it would where almost everyone you encounter be like to date as a grown-up in the likely has a social curriculum vitae age of social media. But for this published on Facebook or other social media.

While I am far from an expert in online dating or using social media for romantic exploration, my approach will cater to folks like me - outsiders seeking to comprehend UNIQUE GOLD JEWELRY how this interconnected world functions.

AT AFFORDABLE PRICES! Rings, Watches, Chains, TECH-DRIVEN Jewelry Repair, Religious Medals ROMANCE The internet certainly Hours: Thursday, Friday & Saturday 11-6 opened the floodgates for 925 4th Avenue, Moline new ways to interact and 309-762-2999 build relationships, but it Lay-a-way Available was the smartphone that

Is Important.

Pre-planning your arrangements alleviates questions for family members while pre-paying protects you from rising costs and relieves the financial burden on loved ones.

Arrangements can be made in the comfort of your own home. Complete as much or as little as desired online at: www.wheelanpressly.com/ pre-arrangements

#/0+.('1!-*.)./,1&%01"+/01 1$/-0,

3030 - 7th Avenue 801 W. Edgington St. Rock Island, IL 61201 Reynolds, IL 61279 (309) 786-5421 (309) 372-8433 201 E. 4th Avenue Milan, IL 61264 (309) 756-5513

Knox Chapel 2106 - 7th Avenue Rock Island, IL 61201

36 March 2024 • Mature Focus

changed culture, traditions and expectations for using technology for flirting, courting and maintaining romantic relationships.

Dating and matchmaking services have always leveraged the latest technology, but before smartphones, technology didn’t do much more than allow users to see video, read bios and possibly receive matches based on algorithms.

Smartphones gave everyone the ability to instantly capture photos and videos, curate and maintain their online persona and engage with others in various forums.

The creation of dating and matchmaking apps has empowered smartphone users in their quest for love, allowing them to invest as much time, money and dopamine as they desire in the pursuit of romance. However, not all dating apps are created equal, and they aren’t necessarily intended to be the same way.

Rather than exploring all of the popular apps, I feel it’s better to explore how apps and technology are commonly used in finding, dating and courting through the smartphone’s ability to manipulate time and space in social relationships.

Perhaps the most important concept to understand about modern technology-assisted dating is that it’s culturally acceptable to date without intending to commit to anything more than showing up for a date.

Interestingly, there are matchmaking and mingling platforms tailored for individuals who may not even have any intention of meeting in real life.

The diversity in apps and platforms extends beyond various types of social interactions to include those catering to specific demographics, cultures and lifestyles. And each platform has users with different intentions and expectations.

SCAMS, TROLLS & JERKS Should you suddenly find yourself single and ready to mingle, it’s impor-

FRQFHUQV DERXW IDOOLQJ"

ˍ˘ ˢ˘˞ ˑˊ˟ˎ

tant to talk to peers and do some trips or other favors. apps and the challenges posed by texresearch before downloading Tinder, It seems strange that online dating ting (the least effective form of comHinge or Match and filling out your would be so complicated, considering munication) creates a perfect storm of profile. Even platforms targeted at that it’s never been so easy to research chaos in romantic relationships that those ready for long-term relationships a stranger online. Plus, technology isn’t for the faint of heart. have members who are looking to should make it easier to find someone But if you’re seeking your soulmate, scam, score or manipulate others. who is compatible, especially if geog- the internet provides a comprehensive Just like off-line socializing, there raphy isn’t a limiting factor in your and financially feasible way for you to 0DQ\ ROGHU DGXOWV H[SHULHQFH FRQFHUQV DERXW IDOOLQJ DQG are jerks, egotists and abusers on all UHVWULFW WKHLU DFWLYLWLHV $ 0$77(5 2) %$/$1&( LV DQ DZDUG-ZLQQLQJ search. begin that search. dating platforms. Each platform has SURJUDP GHVLJQHG WR PDQDJH IDOOV DQG LQFUHDVH DFWLYLW\ OHYHOV However, humans are more complisome unofficial guidelines or practices cated than machines. Even in real life, Send your technology questions to that can help you steer clear of weirpeople tend to present themselves dif- Adam in care of Mature Focus, or dos and bad guys. Anyone who has ferently in social situations. The com- email him at AdamC@Talking been active on a given platform for a bination of social media, online dating Digital.org. few weeks will know what those red flags are and they will help you identify them. ˍ˘ ˢ˘˞ ˍ˘ ˢ ˘˞ ˑˊ˟ˎ ˟ˎ Essentially, there are three types of people that almost everyone wants to avoid in online dating: bona fide jerks, ˍ˘ ˢ˘˞ ˑˊ˟ˎ catfishers and scammers.

“Bona fide jerks” isn’t a technical term, but it’s the most fitting description. These people may only be looking to “hook up,” seek attention in the forms of favors or 0DQ\ \ ROGH OGHU DG DGXOW OWV V H[SHULHQ LHQFH FR FRQFHUQV V DERXW IDOO IDOOLQJ LQJ DQ DQG praise, or simply lack approUHVW VWULFW LFW W WKHLU LU DF DFWLY LYLW LWLHV LHV $ $ 0 0$77( $77(5 2 2) %$/ %$/$1&( $1&( LV LV DQ DQ DZ DZDUG-ZLQQ LQQLQJ LQJ priate communication and SURJUDP GH P GHVL VLJQHG WR PDQ PDQDJH IDOO IDOOV V DQG L LQFUHDVH DF VH DFWLY LYLW LW\ O OHYHOV YHOV behavior skills.

Catfishers are people who 0DQ\ ROGHU DGXOWV H[SHULHQFH FRQFHUQV DERXW IDOOLQJ DQG $ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH pretend to be someone they’re 7KLV )5(( SURJUDP UHVWULFW WKHLU DFWLYLWLHV $ 0$77(5 2) %$/$1&( LV DQ DZDUG-ZLQQLQJ )5(( IRU $GXOWV RYHU OLYLQJ LQ ,OOLQRLV not. Some catfishers have a HPSKDVL]HV SUDFWLFDO SURJUDP GHVLJQHG WR PDQDJH IDOOV DQG LQFUHDVH DFWLYLW\ OHYHOV 3UH-UHJLVWUDWLRQ LV UHTXLUHG motive, such as a scams or VWUDWHJLHV WR PDQDJH IDOOV blackmail, while others are $ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH 0DQDJLQJ &RQFHUQV $ERXW )DOOV 9ROXQWHHU /D\ /HDGHU 0RGHO $ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH just trolls who get their kicks <28 :,// /($51 72 $ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH /D\ /HDGHU 0RGHO :HGQHVGD\V DQG )ULGD\V )5(( IRU $GXOWV RYHU OLYLQJ LQ ,OOLQRLV from psychologically messing - DP x YLHZ IDOOV DV FRQWUROODEOH 3UH-UHJLVWUDWLRQ LV UHTXLUHG with people. $SULO UG ±$SULO WK x VHW JRDOV IRU LQFUHDVLQJ DFWLYLW\ Scammers are the same Mercer County Western Illinois Area &ODVVHV 7RWDO wherever you go. There are Senior Center Agency on Aging x PDNH FKDQJHV WR UHGXFH IDOO ULVNV DW KRPH numerous romance scams out 137 W Main St. 729 34th Ave. there, but they all have the 0HUFHU &RXQW\ 6HQLRU &HQWHU Aledo, IL Rock Island, IL x H[HUFLVH WR LQFUHDVH VWUHQJWK same motive - they want to DQG EDODQFH :HVW 0DLQ 6WUHHW trick you into sending them Wed. & Fridays $OHGR ,/ Mon. & Wednesdays :+2 6+28/' $77(1'" money.

9-11am 10am-12pm Romance scams often x $GXOWV \HDUV RI DJH DQG ROGHU April)RU PRUH LQIRUPDWLRQ RU WR UHJLVWHU 3-April 26 March 25-April 17 involve individuals portraying 8 Classes Total O 8 Classes FDOO Total x DQ\RQH LQWHUHVWHG LQ LPSURYLQJ themselves in specific scenar EDODQFH IOH[LELOLW\ DQG VWUHQJWK .LP 6FKDHIHU ios, such as women claiming For more For more x DQ\RQH ZKR KDV IDOOHQ LQ WKH SDVW to be single parents with sick information information - - RU LV FRQFHUQHG DERXW IDOOV children, or rich handsome or to register, or to register, x DQ\RQH ZKR KDV UHVWULFWHG men looking to escape from please call: please call: DFWLYLWLHV GXH WR IDOOLQJ FRQFHUQV something they’ve been Kim Schaefer Debbie Elliott wrongly accused of, or some309-582-5492 309-793-6800 one playing the long game to $ 0DWWHU RI %D %DODQFH 0DQDJLQJ &R &RQFHUQV $E $ERXW )DOOV 9R 9ROXQWHHU /D\ /HDGHU 0RGHO scam a person out of as much %DVHG RQ )HDU RI )DOOLQJ $ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH &RS\ULJKW $OO ULJKWV UHVHUYHG 8VHG DQG DGDSWHG E\ SHUPLVVLRQ RI %RVWRQ 8QLYHUVLW\ $ $ 0DWWHU RI %D %DODQFH /D\ /HDGHU 0RGHO as they can in gifts, money, FRJQL]HG IRU ,QQRYDWLRQ 4XDOLW\ LQ +HDOWKFDUH DQG $JLQJ $PHULFDQ 6RFLHW\ RQ $JLQJ GHYHORSHG E\ D JUDQW IURP WKH $GPLQLVWUDWLRQ RQ $JLQJ $0

FRQFHU QV FRQFHUQV DERXW I ERXW IDOOL DOOLQJ" QJ" FRQFHUQV DERXW IDOOLQJ"

Mature Focus • March 2024

$ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH 0DQDJLQJ &RQFHUQV $ERXW )DOOV 9ROXQWHHU /D\ /HDGHU 0RGHO $ 0DWWHU RI %DODQFH /D\ /HDGHU 0RGHO

37

FINANCIAL FOCUS

Can life insurance provide retirement income?

®

By Edward Jones If your children are grown and your mortgage is paid off, do you still need to carry life insurance? It depends on your situation, but for many people, a cash-value life insurance policy, such as whole life or universal life, can be a valuable, taxefficient source of retirement income.

And by drawing on the cash value of your policy, you might be able to temporarily reduce the amount you take out from your retirement accounts, such as your IRA and 401(k). This ability could be especially important when the financial markets are down — you’d probably like to avoid liquidating your assets when their prices have dropped.

Basically, you can use the cash in your policy in these ways: • Withdrawals – You can typically withdraw part of the cash value of your life insurance without losing coverage. You generally won’t incur income taxes on these withdrawals, up to the amount you’ve put into the policy — that is, the premiums you’ve paid. Once your withdrawals exceed this amount, you would gen-

erally owe taxes. Also, keep in mind that any withdrawals will reduce your policy’s death benefit and the available cash surrender value.

• Policy loans – Rather than taking a withdrawal from your policy, you could take out a loan. You won’t have to go through an approval process or income verification, and policy loans typically have lower interest rates than bank loans and don’t assess closing costs.

Plus, because your insurer will be lending you the money and using the cash in your policy as collateral, your policy’s cash value can remain intact and still potentially grow. However, policy loans do carry some issues of which you should be aware. For one thing, while a loan usually isn’t taxable, you could end up owing taxes on any unpaid loan balance, including interest. And if this balance exceeds the policy’s cash value, it could cause your policy to lapse. Also, outstanding loans can reduce your death benefit.

• Cashing out – If you cash out, or “surrender,” your policy, you can

%076759189);5,5.73:97;+43:6;1:68)9:1;*4.;7+46:;$# ";&:97;'56:1;49;89/43:-;522;0782878:6;89/201:1*09;5/78(878:6-;.:6,4968(:;35897:959/:-; 40.;63522;,:7;86;!:2/43:;591;64;30/+;34.:

In Bettendorf Luther Heights: Just steps from shopping & banking!

Luther Knoll: Located right next to grocery store!

3116 Devils Glen Rd., 332-9250

3264 Palmer Hills Ct., 449-8318

Luther Manor: Property by city bus line!

3118 Devils Glen Rd., 332-9250

In Davenport Luther Towers: Quiet cul-de-sac location!

Luther Crest: Beautiful Grounds!

1810 East 38th St. Ct., 359-1850

5454 N. Gaines St., 388-8543

Young Management Corp • Licensed Broker in Iowa

38 March 2024 • Mature Focus

receive the entire cash value, plus any accrued interest. You will have to subtract any money needed to pay policy loans, along with unpaid premiums and surrender fees, which can be significant. Also, any amount you receive over the policy’s cash basis — the total of premiums you’ve paid — will be taxed as regular income.

• 1035 Exchange – Through what’s known as a Section 1035 Exchange, you can transfer your life insurance policy to an annuity, which can be structured to pay you a lifetime income stream.

The exchange won’t be taxable but surrender charges may still apply.

Given the potential tax implications of the above options, you may want to consult with your tax advisor before making any moves. Also, be sure you are comfortable with a reduced or eliminated death benefit.

Specifically, you’ll want to be confident that your spouse or other family members don’t need the proceeds of your policy. This may require some discussions about your loved ones’ plans and needs. And don’t forget that life insurance can help your family pay for final expenses, such as funeral costs and unpaid medical bills.

Whether it’s providing you with needed retirement income or helping your family meet future needs, your cash value life insurance policy is a valuable asset — so try to put it to the best use possible.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones is a leading financial services firm in the U.S. with nearly 19,000 financial advisors serving more than eight million clients. Edward Jones, Member SIPC.

Mature Focus • March 2024

39

Mayo Clinic: Shockwave therapy may relieve foot problem

By Elizabeth Bondi, D.P.M., Podiatry, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota Q: I’ve had some foot issues, and I heard that shockwave therapy might be appropriate. How does it work? And how can it help?

A: This noninvasive treatment uses sound waves to transmit energy to tissues to help with the healing process.

You may hear it referred to as extracorporeal shockwave treatment.

Extracorporeal means the treatment occurs outside the body, through the skin, rather than a treatment provided internally. Originally used to treat kidney stones, shockwave therapy also is used to treat some orthopedic conditions.

The sound waves jump-start the healing process, reduce pain and inflammation, break up scar tissue and adhesions, stimulate bone healing, release growth factors and improve blood flow to damaged tissue.

Additionally, shockwave treatment

40 March 2024 • Mature Focus

A radial shockwave device generates pressure waves when in contact with the skin and transmits energy into the targeted tissue.

can aid in muscle relaxation and activation of connective tissue.

This treatment is administered through a small, hand-held apparatus.

There are two different types of shockwave devices: radial and focused. They can be used separately or combined, depending on the condition being treated.

A radial shockwave device generates pressure waves when in contact with the skin and transmits energy into the targeted

tissue. Focused shockwave treatment works through the principle of electromagnetic induction, similar to how loudspeakers work.

Differences between these two devices include the depth of energy penetration and location of their maximum effects. Radial pressure waves can cover a broader area, but their effects occur within the tissue, closer to the surface of the body. Focused shockwaves pinpoint their energy toward a smaller area. Additionally, focused shockwaves have a greater treatment depth, and their effects are more at the cellular level.

Shockwave therapy can be used to treat orthopedic conditions such as tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow or a pulled hamstring. As a podiatrist, I use shockwave therapy for foot and ankle conditions, including but not limited to: * Plantar fasciitis: inflammation of the thick band of tissue known as the plantar fascia that runs across the

bottom of each foot and connects the heel bone to the toes. * Tendinitis: inflammation of the thick fibrous cords that attach muscle to bone. * Ligament sprain: a stretching or tearing of fibrous tissue that connects two bones together in your joints. * Stress fractures: tiny bone cracks caused by repetitive force, often related to overuse. * Acute fractures: a crack or a break of a bone. * Shin splints: pain along the shin bone (tibia), the bone in the front of the lower leg.

Some of the benefits of shockwave therapy include: * No surgery. * No anesthesia. * No downtime or activity/sport restrictions after treatment.

Shockwave therapy is performed as an outpatient procedure and is usually done in a series of three to six treatments spaced three to seven days apart. The treatment has minimal risks or side effects, including slight bruising or mild swelling at the treatment site. Sometimes, maintenance treatment is performed four to six weeks after the last treatment. While receiv-

ing treatment, anti-inflammatory medications may need to be discontinued.

The full effects of shockwave therapy can be seen up to 10 to 15 weeks after the final treatment.

If you sustained a new foot injury or are suffering from a chronic foot condition that is not responding to other nonoperative care, shockwave might be another alternative treatment to help alleviate your symptoms.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinic Q&A@mayo.edu.

For more information, visit mayo clinic.org.

here’s a tip

By JoAnn Derson

☞ When putting in new plants, you can tear strips of tin foil, then use toothpicks or small stakes to pin them to the ground in your new garden. It will keep the cats out, and can even discourage birds. ☞ To remove the fat from your pot roast or other slow-cooked meat dish, make then refrigerate.

The fat will float to the top of the juices and coagulate. Remove this layer of fat and then reheat. ☞ When thickening soup, don't overlook instant potato mix. It's perfect for making a thin broth into a nice, thick stew sauce, and it's pretty cheap. It only takes a couple of tablespoons. ☞ Try auto polish on tough bathtub stains. There is a little more grit in it than usual bathroom cleaners. Be sure to rinse well, and don't rub too hard, as it may scratch the tub surface. ☞ Tissue boxes can be used to hold plastic baggies under the sink in the bathroom. I use grocery-store bags to line my bathroom trash can. I choose a colorcoordinated tissue box that has been emptied, and I fill it with the plastic liners, then set it under the toilet tank. It's still nice-looking, even though it's out of the way, and I have baggies at the ready.

Mature Focus • March 2024

41

Still much work to do!

By Lynn Walker Gendusa

back, “It's all lovely, but what does “relaxation” mean?

Today, our friends sent a picture of I was born without the ability to themselves relaxing on a boat in the unwind. Today, my friends and Mediterranean. Their feet propped on family shake their heads in dismay, a railing, resting in the sun while gaz- and when my mother was still here, ing at the azure blue sea. It's a fantas- she often exclaimed, “Sit down and tic picture, and once I saw it, I texted be quiet!” Something within my soul searches for things to do even when they don't need doing.

Honestly, if it weren’t for a few shows I enjoy and the nightly news on television, I prob3320 Spring St., In Davenport 563-359-6505 ably would never Designed for those 62+ use a sofa.

However, it's not all my fault since I've discerned it's perhaps an inherited 2380 Tech Dr., In Bettendorf trait.

563-332-7700 Dad would watch Designed for those 62+ a western on tv and Utilities are Included eat ice cream to Rent Based on Income relax, but that's all.

Small Pet Welcome He couldn't sit still Large Community during the day if Rooms Fun Social you paid him to do Activities Professional so. He was always On-site Staff Great trying to fix someLocations thing or someone.

AND MUCH MORE! My grandmother, aka Grandpa, Online application at believed idle hands CardinalCapital.us

42 March 2024 • Mature Focus

were the devil’s workshop. She could accomplish more in a day than most of us can in a year.

Even though I sincerely know I should learn to relax, I doubt it will ever happen because there is so much to do! I certainly don’t want to entertain the devil with idle hands. I get a

Grandma toiled for us and many others because she believed God’s words, “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise up and call her blessed.”

Proverbs 31: 27-28 little nutty with folks who waste hours doing nothing when one can do something to create delight.

Perhaps, rampant crime in the world could be lessened by fewer idle hands. Work that could be done to aid others instead of harming folks. Replacing guns with pens, paintbrushes, pots, pans, and plans could bring peace. Of course, one must desire to work, but isn't it better than jail or death?

Many fall through the cracks in life because they give up on hope.

Working to improve one's life returns dreams and aspirations. When we are busy concentrating on something other than personal circumstances, we ease depression. Isn't hope for a happier life better than giving up on it?

Retired folks who wish they could fill their days with usefulness should find something constructive to do other than grumble. Ease those ailments with a determination to make a difference for struggling others. Talk is cheap, but action is priceless. If we become active movers of kindness instead of bemoaning the country’s condition, we might just heal our condition. Of course, one must desire to be happier, but aren't helpful hands

better than useless, old ones?

Whenever I see a beautiful garden, I appreciate those who toiled in the dirt to provide food for others or splendor for us to enjoy. My grandmother’s hands were always covered with flour or dirt as she walked through her day in an old housedress protected by her apron. I will never forget the aroma of her pies in the oven or her delicious green beans from her garden. Grandma toiled for us and many others because she believed God’s words, “She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise up and call her blessed.” Proverbs 31: 27-28 I believe that God intends for us always to use our hands for His work. We show love when we take the time to create something special from our hearts. There is magic in giving from our soul that money cannot buy. When making donations to our places of worship or favorite charity, many of us feel that is enough. And Lord knows, generosity is sorely needed and wonderful.

However, could each of us do a bit

more?

We should ask ourselves, “What can I do today to make a difference in my world?” How can I use my hands to build peace, create happiness, or provide care for another?

Our world will be immeasurably blessed when we answer these questions with actions.

We are concerned today with casting our votes for those who will lead us. Those who will put money back into our bank accounts, stop crime, and keep our democracy safe. I doubt anyone can until we use our hands to deliver hope for others, allow God to

lead us, and ultimately be the one who saves us.

So, relax, enjoy a vacation, retire, and prop your feet up. But only for a while because there is still much work to do until our days are done, and God hands us a hammock.

Lynn Walker Gendusa is a newspaper columnist in Georgia and a contributor to the USA Today Network. She is the author of “It’s all WRITE with Me: Essay’s from My Heart” and her newest, “Southern Comfort.” She can be reached at lynngendusa.com.

Interested in Reaching Mature Focus Readers?

Over 60,000* people in more than 20 cities read Mature Focus every month!

For advertising information, call Mature Focus

309-277-2000

* CVC audit

Mature Focus • March 2024

43

Are you ready to tantalize your taste buds with a culinary adventure? While we might not be jetting off to distant lands anytime soon, we can certainly embark on a delicious journey right from our own kitchens. So, let's fasten our apron strings and take a flavorful trip to India with a classic dish: Red Lentil Dal. Dal (also spelled “dahl,” “daal” or “dhal” ) is the Indian name for dried, split pulses (like lentils, peas and beans) that don't require pre-soaking.

Dal, in its various forms, is a global nutritional powerhouse, transcending cultural boundaries and culinary preferences. Whether it's the comforting Indian dal, hearty Middle Eastern mujadara or savory Ethiopian misir wat, these dishes showcase lentils' versatility across diverse cuisines.

Embraced by vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike, dal stands as a testament to the universal appeal of plantbased foods, addressing food security challenges and promoting healthier diets globally.

If you can't find red lentils, use any color of lentils you may have. If you don't often cook with fresh ginger, I urge you to try it. You just need a little knob, enough to fill a tablespoon. Peel it with a spoon and mince as you would garlic. The difference is amazing for mere pennies.

EASY RED LENTIL DAL Yield: 4 servings Total Time: 45 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 heaping tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 1 tablespoon curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 3 cups water or vegetable stock 1 1/2 cups red lentils 1/2 teaspoon salt

44 March 2024 • Mature Focus

Photo: JasonCoblentz.com

Savor the spice: Red Lentil Dal

No matter how you spell it, this classic Indian dish is delicious and nutritious.

1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained Cilantro and cooked rice, to serve Optional add ins: 1 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, minced, or to taste 1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained 2 cups cauliflower, chopped 1 cup carrot, diced In a medium-size pot over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, and cook until soft, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger and a bit of extra oil, if needed. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add curry and cumin, stirring to coat the onions with spices, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until everything is spectacu-

larly fragrant. Isn't that wonderful?

Add around 1 cup of water or stock, using a spatula to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the water or stock, the lentils and any optional vegetables, if using, and stir.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a bare simmer, cooking covered for 30 minutes. Stir this occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. After 30 minutes, add the diced tomatoes and salt, stir and heat through. Serve with rice, garnished with cilantro. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days or freeze for up to four months.

So, whether you spell it “dal,” “dahl,” “daal” or “dhal,” one thing's for sure: This dish is a testament to the incredible versatility and flavor of lentils. Join the millions of dal enthusiasts around the world and treat yourself to a bowl of this savory delight.

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.

Mature Focus Volunteer Spotlight

By Ken Ferris Davenport resident, Robin Sade, 71, and widowed for 16 years, is the highlighted volunteer this month. Robin is a retired administrator at Midwest Association of

Robin Sade has been a volunteer for the Scott County Jail ministry program for over ten years.

Health and Welfare in Davenport.

Although no longer employed, she returns part time for approximately 15 hours a week.

Over ten years ago, Robin became one of more than 70 volunteers serving the Scott County Jail ministry program.

The program is extensive and

The classroom where women inmates meet with Robin every Sunday for two hours.

space doesn’t permit details, but an item noted in the Department Philosophy states: “Our philosophy works from a viewpoint of habilitation vs. rehabilitation. While rehabilitation refers to restoring something back to its original state; Habilitation works on helping individuals attain or improve on skills

that might not have been initially instilled.”

Robin’s preparation included a background check and orientation.

She has been meeting with a maximum of ten women inmates for two hours, with a few exceptions, every Sunday evening. Originally, it was for an hour, but Robin requested an additional hour and it was granted.

Asked how she felt when meeting with inmates the first time, she said,

“Robin Sade teaches the female population the word of God and how the word of God can develop their lives. Robin is compassionate, understanding, and patient. She cares about the women with no judgment.”

– Jennifer Rice, Program Coordinator

pared full church service with the ladies participating, complete with

Entrance to the Scott County, Iowa courthouse and jail.

communion (juice and wafer in sealed vessels) and homily, followed by a bible study. There are prayer requests that each one takes, writes first name only and any prayer they would like me to send to our intercessors who will pray for them by name every day. I walk back through the ‘sally’ doors. Sometimes in awe of what I experienced, sometimes in tears of their grace they extend to me and one another, always thanking God that I can be free to leave those big, clangy doors behind me.”

If you are interested in participating as a volunteer with the male or female inmate population, please contact Jennifer Rice at jennifer.rice@scottcountyiowa.gov.

“I felt anxious. Not fearful, but anxious if anyone would show up.”

Adding, “All the women volunteer to participate in the program.”

Robin noted, “At no time have I ever been physically or verbally abused.”

Robin began attending St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in 1987 and has assumed various positions in the Ken Ferris is the founder and church, from reader to chalice to former publisher of Mature Focus. being on the Vestry, choir, and one of three preachers. She continues to be involved with church activities.

A year ago, with a substantial time M O N U M E N T commitment already devoted to the Designing beautiful memorial jail program, Robin began volunmonuments for over 116 years teering at the Fairmount Food Pantry located at Scott Community 1800 11th Street College.

Rock Island Robin was asked to share a typi309-786-8134 cal, abbreviated session conducted with inmates on a Sunday evening: “The evening begins as I walk through the ‘sally’ doors, those big, clangy, permanent sounding ones.

1406 W Locust St. I check out the keys and sign in, go Davenport up to the second floor to the volun563-323-8807 teer office. Attendance is from 5-10 inmates. We begin with the preMature Focus • March 2024

45

Another beloved character has been reimagined, and I have some thoughts the horror of many fans, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” was made possible because the famous bear became a free agent once its copyright had expired.

Now, to no one’s surprise, the

By Ana Veciana-Suarez early version of Mickey Mouse — the one in white shorts at a steering Here I am again, in a place I’d wheel — appears to be facing the rather not be. same future. Its copyright expired Ten months ago, I wrote about a the first of the year and the most slasher movie that featured the lovable Winnie the Pooh as a machete- beloved mouse in history, or at least wielding, blood-thirsty murderer. To the first iteration, is free to do as he (or others) see fit. He seems to be playing Making Friends the field because creWelcome Service, Inc. ators of all kinds WELCOME have lost no time in • Newcomers • Newlyweds • New Babies reimagining who he Area Businesses is.

REACH New Customers In just a few days, the icon has starred Call Bonnie - - www.makingfriendsqca.com in memes and social

46 March 2024 • Mature Focus

media posts, been recycled and remixed, even promised a leading role in video games. Walt Disney, who conceived of the first two movies featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse (Steamboat Willie” and “Plane Crazy”), must be turning in his grave.

Just a few examples of how the liberation of one little mouse can spawn a revolution of suspicious creativity: Film directors have announced at least two horror movies featuring Mickey. Director Steven LaMorte, known for his parodies, announced a yet-untitled “Steamboat Willie” horror movie.

Production on a “pure, unhinged terror” flick is scheduled to start in the spring. Another movie, by director Jamie Bailey, also promises chills and thrills. Set to debut in March, the indie slasher “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” is about a masked killer who stalks amusement park guests and employees.

In the video game arena, several studios announced Mickey in the leading role of some questionable productions. Within hours of the 2024 New Year, Nightmare Forge Games announced Infestation 88, a horror game. The company eventually changed the name to Infestation: Origins, because of controversy, though it was not specifically about the mouse.

In addition to these blatant money grabs, plenty of smaller-scale riffs have flooded social media channels.

For example, one post shows Mickey’s steamboat crashing into the World Trade Center. Another

uses Mickey as part of the OceanGate submersible that broke apart underwater in 2023, killing five people. And a third has Mickey posing with an automatic rifle. The mouse taunts, “Come get me, bitches.” Obviously, he’s fair game for sarcasm, ridicule and double entendre.

There are plenty of other instances of Mickey starring in questionable circumstances; too many to include here without feeling totally bummed.

If you’re so inclined, however, you can waste a lot of time on YouTube.

I did, and it left me out of sorts. I staggered from laugh-out-loud amusement to roll-the-eyes disgust.

Unfortunately, I settled on the latter.

The entrance of an iconic character into the public domain should, and often does, prompt a free-flow of ideas. Think of the many retellings of famous fictional characters that populate our modern literary canon.

I, for one, did just that, writing a novel about the most famous female figure in Spanish literature, Dulcinea from Miguel Cervantes’ “Don Quixote.”

So, why am I bothered by the macabre reimaginings of cherished childhood personalities?

The answer is complicated. Part of me treasures sweet memories: the whistling Mickey, the toe-tapping Mickey, the high-pitched voice Mickey.

Watching a new Mickey as a serial killer is unsettling. Some characters should remain unsullied, bubblewrapped in fleeting innocence.

But there’s more to my discomfort. On the surface, these reimagined Mickeys appear so uninspired,

so unoriginal, Mind Gym Answers nothing more Puzzles on page 22 & 23. than a knee-jerk reaction to opportunity.

Mickey has such an illustrious history and he has brought so much joy to little ones that I wish someone somewhere would pay homage by being more creative.

Why don’t we have Mickey as a space explorer? A missionary? A scientist in search of a cure? In other words, something, anything uplifting.

Ana Veciana-Suarez writes about family and social issues. Email her at avecianasuarez@gmail.com or visit her website anavecianasuarez.com.

Coming in April Gratitude TV viewing has become an unexpected way to brush up on history I don't need a good therapist, just an available one Prayed for a Pete and Got a Pepper Part II How to get 'Extra Help' paying for prescriptions

THANK YOU!

Springtime perfection: Easy and colorful meringue cookies with a secret twist Mature Focus • March 2024

47

Compare our CD Rates Bank-issued, FDIC-insured 3-months

6-months

1-year BETTENDORF Garrett M Beirne 1805 State Street - Suite 102 563-823-5560 Benjamin R Coon, AAMS ™ 2870 Devils Glen Road 563-332-0517 Tom Fitzpatrick 3477 Utica Ridge Rd 563-386-9732 Bill Muehlbauer, AAMS ™ 2328 Spruce Hills Dr 563-424-7900 DAVENPORT

% 5.30

APY*

Minimum deposit $25,000

% 5.23

APY*

Minimum deposit $25,000

% 5.10

APY*

Minimum deposit $25,000

Dan Laubenthal, AAMS ™ 126 Kirkwood Blvd 563-322-9700

Mitch Ryan, CFP ® 808 16th Avenue 309-755-4227

Matt Sharer, CFP ® 1507 River Dr 309-797-6488

Paul A Schnell, CFP ® 2107 East 11th Street 563-323-8868

ELDRIDGE

Christopher T Zimmerman, CIMA ® AAMS™ 5115 22nd Avenue 309-736-7703

Tina Stubbs 1151 E Kimberly Rd 563-386-2211 Jake Timm 5515 Jersey Ridge Road Suite C 563-441-5655 Daniel M Timmons 5515 Jersey Ridge Road Suite C 563-441-5655

Justin J Brimmer, CFP ® AAMS ™ John J Timmons, AAMS ™ 5701 Utica Ridge Road 2422 E Kimberly Rd Suite 100 563-355-4297 563-386-1275 EAST MOLINE Danielle Hines, CFP ® AAMS ™ Casey J Fry, AAMS ™ 2720 W Locust St Ste 12b 4500 Kennedy Dr #1 563-391-2094 309-751-4720

David L Schnorrenberg, AAMS ™ 130 South 9th Avenue 563-285-5572 Jake M Adrian, AAMS™ 130 South 9th Avenue 563-285-5572

PORT BYRON Jacob D Hines, CFP ® AAMS ™ 219 North Main Street 309-523-3093

LECLAIRE Tim Lane 1103 Canal Shore Dr SW 563-359-9660 MOLINE Jon Crockett, AAMS ™ 1629 5th Ave 309-797-3339 Tyler J Richards, CFP ® AAMS ™ CRPC ™ 3928 38th Ave 309-524-3286

ROCK ISLAND Chris Caspers 4026 46th Avenue Suite 1 309-788-8484 Kimberly S Grage, AAMS ™ 4026 46th Avenue Suite 1 309-788-8484 Mark E Mayeski, CRPC ™ 2524 18th Avenue Suite 2 309-788-0399

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) effective 2/23/24. CDs offered by Edward Jones are bank-issued and FDIC-insured up to $250,000 (principal and interest accrued but not yet paid) per depositor, per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).