VOL 13 NUM 5 • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
INFORMING • ENTERTAINING • EMPOWERING
GIVE HARD WATER FISHING A TRY! See the story on page 22
IDAHOSENIORINDEPENDENT.COM
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
ABOUT THE PAPER
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MAILING ADDRESS PHONE WEB EMAIL
PO Box 3363 • Great Falls, MT 59403 208-318-0310 or 866-360-5683 idahoseniorindependent.com info@idahoseniorindependent.com
Published six times per y ear, our paper exists to serve the our mature readers. We encouraged our readers to contribute interesting material. As such, any views expressed in editorial are not necessarily the views of the publisher. Likewise, this publication does not endorse any particular product or service shown in the advertisements appearing in this paper. All copy appearing in this publication is copyright protected and may be reprinted only with written permission of the publisher.
Robert B. Hunt, Publisher
Contributing Writers
Janet Hunt.......................... Chief Financial O��� Mike Nash Kathleen McGregor........... Advertising Sales Holly Endersbe Sean Bradley...................... Advertising Sales Jack McNeel Carol Blodgett.................... Advertising Sales Sherrie Smith..................... Production Assistant Jonathan Rimmel............... General Manager Graphic Designer Webmaster Nann Parrett...................... Managing Editor Ruth Hunt........................... Digitial Media Manager
Diana Troyer Carrie Stensrud Natalie Barley
© 2017
Contents Letters to the Editor...................... 3
Entertainment............................... 12
Health Care.................................... 28
Brain Games.................................. 4
Puzzle Answers.............................. 17
Fitness & Nutrition........................30
Comics............................................ 6
Recreation...................................... 18
Caregiving...................................... 32
Modern Senior.............................. 7
Senior Discounts........................... 20
Travel.............................................. 34
Lifestyle.......................................... 8
Featured Area................................ 24
Regional Stories............................ 36
������� ................................. 11
Money Matters.............................. 26
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
Letters to the Editor
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QUESTIONS•COMMENTS•PRAISES•SUGGESTIONS
A New Kind of Christmas Letter
BY LESLIE HANDLER (Senior Wire) Facebook is a funny thing. If you’re not on it, you may feel that y ou’re missing something. If y ou are on it, it’s the most amazing time-suck ever. It’s also a great connection to ���� and reconnecting with old friends and staying in touch with current friends and family. The good thing about Facebook is that you can place one post about something and the word will spread without having to make a million separate emails and phone calls. When my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago, we placed one post about our loss on Facebook and were astonished at the number of people who showed up to her funeral whom we hadn’t seen or spoken to in many years. It was a lovely thing to happen at a sad time in our lives.
The bad thing about Facebook is that every one feels that they have to post every little perfect thing that happens in their lives. It’s like a really bad annual Christmas letter than gets sent all year long. Remember the old Christmas letter? It’s the one you received once a year from that friend you haven’t talked to in a decade. Every year y ou’d receive a four-page letter from her telling y ou about all the achievements her children made in the previous y ear. Johnny won the local science fair and his team won the baseball championship. Suzie became class president and is on the honor roll. You never hear about the time Johnny came home drunk or when Suzie got arrested for shoplifting. It seems that Facebook has become the same as that annual Christmas letter. Every one posts about their amazing trip abroad, their new boat, and their perfect grandchildren. Ya never hear about the car accident they caused, the epic fail in the school play, or the mortgage that’s not getting paid. I wonder just how many of those �������������������������������� Then there’s this whole thing about “likes.” It’s one thing if I “like” my friend’s funny post about the dog who drove the car, but it was totally disconcerting when I posted about a recent cancer surgery, and I received “likes” for the post. Really? Folks liked my cancer? I don’t know about you, but I guess I have more enemies than I thought who liked me more when I got cancer. Perhaps I can write ����better than I thought. I think I’ll make my next post about how awesome cancer is. I’m betting I’ll get a bunch of “likes.” What do you think? MSN
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Brain Games
PUZZLES•QUIZZES•GAMES•CONTESTS•BRAIN TEASERS•FUN
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DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
PAGE 5
Florence Paxton Doodle Puzzle
BY FLORENCE PAXTON The holiday season provides a wonderful opportunity to connect with family for some quality time, young and old. And what better way to connect with the little ones than through seek-and-�nd or coloring activities? Thanks to Florence Paxton, y ou have one more trick in y our pocket for entertaining and piquing the interest of the y oung ones around you. Thanks to all who participated in our Doodle Puzzle contest in the October/ November 2017 issue. The winner of the $25
prize for submitting the correct answers is Connie Bird of Sugar City, ID. A $25 cash prize is awarded from each issue of the Montana Senior News to the person who submits the winning answers from the previous issue. Please mail y our entries for all contests to the Idaho Senior Independent, 1985 McMannamy Draw, Kalispell, MT 59901, or email to info@idahoseniorindependent.com by January 15, 2018 for this edition. ISI
Find the 20 items listed below, Then get out the cray ons or markers, and have some fun! 1. Birthday Cake 2. Calendar 3. Candy Cane 4. Christmas Socks 5. ����� 6. Doughnuts 7. Duck 8. Elf
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COMICS
PAGE 6
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
PAGE 7
Modern Senior
TECHNOLOGY•SCIENCE•KNOWLEDGE•COMPUTERS•MOBILE
Shopping Online for the Holidays? CONSUMER REPORTS OFFERS TIPS FOR ENHANCED SECURITY BY TERESA AMBORD Last y ear’s holiday shopping season brought about 57 percent of shoppers to their computers and smartphones to � d deals. The convenience and cost savings of shopping online are enticing to us…and irresistible to the criminals who see this as their hey day . More shoppers looking to avoid the crowds means more opportunity for thieves. That’s why Consumer Reports provided some steps to enhance the security of your online shopping. Here’s what they say, based on advice from Ray mond Pucci, of the Mercator Advisory �����������y FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CREDIT CARD OFFERS IN TERMS OF EXTRA SECURITY. Credit cards offer security features that you can take advantage of, to greatly increase the safety of using your cards online. Before y ou shop, check with y our card issuer to ��y out if you can get a temporary credit card number. The number is linked to y our account, so when y ou log onto a merchant site and provide that temporary number, your transaction goes through. But the merchant and any hackers who may be scouring the merchant’s data can only see the temporary number. And that number wil l be useless to them. Check with y our card issuers to see if this is available. Bank of America, for example, has a program called Bank of America ShopSafe. Citibank’s program is simply called Citi Virtual Account Numbers. You can also disable a card when you’re not using it, with an app on y our smartphone. Ask y our card issuer. Discover and Capital One allow this, and others may too. You can strengthen the security on your card by registering it with American Express
SafeKey, MasterCard SecureCode, or ����y by Visa. After you register it, create a personal ID number that is known only to you. When you go, for example, to Walmart.com to use your card for online shopping, you’ll be asked to enter the code before you can proceed. USE A MOBILE WALLET. A mobile wallet such as Android Pay or Apple Pay is more secure than a card, because they use substitute numbers or tokens, rather than y our real account numbers. Also, y our smartphone adds protections of its own, such ������������y WHAT ABOUT PAYING WITH A BANK DEBIT CARD? Consumer Reports reminds us that if y ou use your debit card to pay for an online purchase and a data breach occurs, y ou may have just handed thieves the keys to the bank account that is tied to your debit card. Even though y our deposits are protected from unauthorized withdrawals, y our funds may be unavailable while the mess is being sorted out. On the other hand, credit cards have better consumer protections, as well as help y ou dispute transactions when merchants don’t come through as promised. Better idea: Buy a prepaid card. That prevents you from running up a credit balance, and if your card number is stolen, the loss is limited to the limit on the card. Be sure to register the card with the issuer, so you get added protection if it is hacked or stolen, and it gives you a list of what you purchased. Depending on the card, there may be a charge of a few dollars to buy it—for example, a MasterCard or American Express or Visa prepaid card—but the protection of using a prepaid card is worth it. Often around holiday times throughout the year, companies will waive the fee. If you shop
online at a merchant such as Walmart, you can purchase a gift card for no fee, and use it for online shopping. USE FAMILIAR WEBSITES. Don’t find shopping sites in a search engine. The results can be rigged to send you where you didn’t intend to go. Instead, stick to familiar sites where you can type the name in. Just beware, if you type in a site, and it looks different from what y ou expected, leave, and try again. Scammers deliberately misspell a name or use a different ending (for example, .net instead of .com). ALLOWING SITES TO KEEP YOUR NUMBER ON FILE: SHOULD YOU? I always believed the answer was de�nitely no. But according to Consumer Reports, doing that lets the merchant site protect you. How? They track y our spending, and if an anomaly occurs, such as a sudden charge of $500 where you generally spend $25 or less, the merchant may be able to detect fraud. With a little extra precaution, y ou can have safe, online holiday shopping, avoid the crowds, and scoop up deals. Plan ahead, so you can take time to shop safely and protect your assets. Happy shopping! ISI
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PAGE 8
Home&Lifestyle
GARDEN•REAL ESTATE•RECIPIES•TECHNOLOGY•DECOR•ANTIQUES
Home Brewer Bob Hubler Samples Boise’s Beer Culture BY DIANNA TROYER As he patiently plucks hops cones from vines on a 14-foot-tall trellis in his backyard in Caldwell, Bob Hubler daydreams about the beer he will brew with them. “It’s not cost effective to grow y our own hops because they need a lot of water, and it takes a long time to pick them,” said Hubler, 67, a retired accountant who has been brewing beer since 1996. “But you have pride of ownership to say you made beer with your own homegrown hops. The whole process is labor-intensive but worthwhile for the ����
BOB HUBLER STANDS NEXT TO A FRESH CROP OF HOPS HARVESTED NEAR WILDER, IDAHO. PHOTO BY DIANA TROYER
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Hubler became a home brewer out of necessity . His favorite beer, Watney ’s Cream Stout, was discontinued. He rose to a challenge like a frothy foam in a freshly poured glass. “What could I do but make a batch for myself?” he said. “I had to work my way up to it, of course. The recipe is complex. When I finished my first batch, it tasted better than what I’d bought bottled. Home brewed always does.” T h e n i t s evolution began. Hubler started using an oak whiskey barrel to age it, so now it has nuances of bourbon. “It’s much better than when I first started,” he said. “I had to rename it, too, so now I call it my Fat Cat Cream Stout.” To get tips about brewing, Hubler researched sites on the Internet and eventually joined the Snake River Brewers (snakeriverbrewers. org), an American Homebrewers Association certi�� organization in the Treasure Valley dedicated to teaching brewing techniques.
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“You learn so much at our monthly meetings, plus it’s a great group of people,” he said. “We have about 60 dues-pay ing members and about 200 who come throughout the year to events.” At meetings the second Thursday of the month, members bring samples of their home brew to share with others. The popularity of craft beer has been growing in the Treasure Valley in the past �ve years, said Hubler. A new brewery, Barbarian Brewing, even offers a subscription service for its Old World sty le, barrel-aged and sour beers. “Every weekend, my wife, Nelda, and I can pick from two or three craft beer events to go to,” said Hubler. Just this past October, beer a�cionados enjoyed the state’s largest fresh-hop festival, the Hoptober Freshtival on S 6th Street in front of Boise Brewing, where 33 breweries offered samples of 66 different beers. With his experiences brewing, growing hops, and visiting local breweries, Hubler wanted to share what he had learned, so he began writing a blog four y ears ago: boisebeerculture.blogspot.com. “Now I have a good reason to visit craft breweries and sample the beer,” he said, grinning. “I have to let people know what’s going on.” When he is not writing or tending to his hops, Hubler is brewing a new batch of beverage. His latest project is fresh hop pale ale. “There’s always something new to make,” he said, grinning. ISI
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
HOME & LIFESTYLE
PAGE 9
Vintage Ornaments Kindle Joyful Memories BY DIANNA TROYER As Dana Jo Cameron unpacks her vintage Christmas decorations in early December, they spark childhood memories of comfort and joy.
“I still picture myself in the ’50s at my grandparents’ house for Christmas,” said Cameron, 64, an estate appraiser and antique collector. “I started collecting antique bulbs and decorations because they reminded me of them.” It takes her about a day to decorate her rural home north of Rupert with a��” cial
Some of her ornaments are fragile glass pine cones, ���clip-on birds, tree toppers, elves, bells, glass bead garland, �����y ici cles, round or oblong bulbs with indentations, and hand-painted spheres. Others were made by the Shiny Brite Company . It was the first business in the U.S. to work with Corning Glass to mass produce and sell delicate glass bulbs, mainly through department stores, like Woolworths, during the ’40s and ’50s. The Shiny Brite name is imprinted on the metal cap at the top of an ornament. Flipping through a collector’s guidebook, she pointed out how ornaments and other decorations have appreciated in value. Some that originally sold for a dime are worth much more, depending on their condition. For example, mercury glass candy canes are worth about $50 each or more. Antique clip-on birds sell for $20 to $25. “Look at this,” she said. “Tinsel in the original cardboard box could be worth $75 to $80.” But some decorations are priceless.
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trees and decorations she has collected over the y ears that were made in Japan, Poland, Czechoslovakia, West Germany , and the United States. One of her oldest trees was made in the 1930s. The white plastic tree stands about 2 feet high and has tiny colorful electrical bulbs that still light up when plugged in. Others are green bottle brush trees. A small green tree is ���������������� “My daughters-in-law go nuts over the silver aluminum trees from the ’50s, so I’ve given some to them,” she said.
“My parents still have a Santa Claus given to them when they were married 69 y ears ago. They ’ve never taken it down. It’s right in their front window,” said Cameron, who lives near her parents’ farm. During the past few y ears, Cameron
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
HOME & LIFESTYLE
PAGE 10
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has given away ornaments she no longer displays. “At this point in my life, I want to let someone else enjoy the ornaments I haven’t put out in a few years.” Cameron is not alone in her appreciation for vintage Christmas décor. The Golden Glow of Christmas Past (www. goldenglow.org) is a non-pr�� international organization whose members have conventions and publish a bimonthly magazine about antique holiday decorations. Another company, Old World Christmas, in Spokane, Wash., sells blown glass ornaments including reproductions of popular vintage designs. Although Cameron has many decorations, she is still looking for a ����y decoration—a tree made of feathers, originating in Germany during the late 1800s. It became popular in the US during the early 1900s, when German immigrants brought them into the country. “They’re highly collectible and were made from goose feathers that were dyed green and attached to wires,” she said. “I’ve see a few, but they were really worn. I’ll keep looking.” ISI
Filling Holiday Wish ������������� BY DIANNA TROYER
With painstaking precision, Hymas stirred a steaming, bubbling mixture of sugar, butter, water, and corn syrup in a pressure cooker to make another 8-pound batch of toffee, a twohour labor of love. Every October, he begins ����������������������� “Last y ear, I made 96 pounds for the holidays,” he said, while working at home in Moore. “That’s a lot of toffee. People tell me they like the texture of my toffee. It’s smooth and ���without being too hard, and melts in your mouth.” Southeastern Idaho Hy mas began making holiday toffee Community Action Agency several y ears ago because his wife, Evely n, Helping People. Changing Lives. wanted to give clients at her photography studio a homemade gift. Affordable Independent Living* “When we ��� gave it away, people liked SEICAA is accepting applications for it so much they asked us where we bought St. Anthony Place Apartments** it and started ordering it for holidays,” said • Newer flooring, appliances & paint Evely n. “Other people heard about it by • We pay your utilities word-of-mouth.” • On-site laundry They soon had so many orders that • Pets welcome with deposit they began selling it to cover the costs of • Located on bus route ingredients. For Applications or Information call us at: When people asked Hymas for his recipe, 208-234-0966 or visit us directly at: 641 N 8th Ave • Pocatello he used to share it. “I ��lly quit because the toffee won’t turn out if the steps aren’t *Rent is based on 30% of your adjusted gross income. **Age 62 and Over. followed exactly . The sugar keeps try ing to return to its crystalline structure and can become gritty if it’s ke Memorial Bear Laar M c i d a e r e R a t t S i n e g Fiv not heated properly.” MEMORIAL Evely n said, “It 208.847.1630 www.BLMHospital.com Montpelier, ID takes a lot of effort, • 24/7 Emergency Services • Occupational Therapy and most people • Digital X-Ray • Speech Therapy don’t want to bother. • Lab Services • Skilled Nursing Facility It’s easier just to get • Dialysis • Home Health Services • Chemotherapy a batch from us.” • Weight Loss Clinic • Sleep Clinic The ingredients • New Private Patient Rooms • On-Site CT Scan must be simmered at • Assisted Living Center • Orthopaedics certain temperatures • Physical Therapy • Respiratory Therapy for specific times, with or without a lid on a pressure cooker, depending on different stages in the recipe.
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To control the quality, ��������y pressure cooker. With a welder, he cut openings in the lid, allowing him to monitor the cooking process. He also suspended a motorized paddle from the lid to stir it constantly. “I learned along the way , too,” he said. “After the toffee is spread on a cookie sheet and starts to cool, the melted butter has to be removed, or the melted chocolate won’t stick.” As he worked, he and Evelyn reminisced about how certain Christmas gifts have been life-changing. When Hymas gave her a camera for Christmas in 1985 to take pictures of their seven children, she enrolled in photography classes. She eventually opened successful photography studios in southeastern Idaho and became an award-winning photographer, while Hymas processed her prints. Last year, they sold their studio in Rigby and semi-retired. Based at her studio next to their house, Evely n still takes photos for clients who are ����y with their schedules and the timeframe of delivery. “We’re at a point in our lives where we want to have more control over our time,” said Evelyn, of herself, 67 and her husband, 69. “If we want to take a week off to go see our kids, we can without worrying about work commitments.” Whenever Hy mas needs a break from making toffee, he stirs up ����y popcorn. Sharing a few tips of his most popular ���s, he said, “The caramel corn turns out best with dark brown sugar. The cinnamon is made with an oil, and the root beer with �����y The fruit � vors that kids really like are made with Kool-Aid: green apple, cherry, lime, orange, watermelon, and berry.” After Hymas makes the edible gifts, Evelyn arranges them in decorative baskets or tins. To keep his toffee-making secrets an ongoing family tradition, Hy mas has made several batches with his grandson Chase. Despite the toffee’s popularity, Hymas and Evelyn have no intention of expanding their holiday hobby into a business. “That would take all the fun out of it,” said Evelyn. ISI
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
PAGE 11
Fluffy Critters
DOGGIES•KITTIES•PETS•COMPANIONS•FRIENDS
Assistance Dogs Provide Help and Love
BY JIM MILLER Dear Savvy Senior What can y ou tell me about assistance dogs for people with disabilities? My sister, who’s 58, has multiple sclerosis, and I’m wondering if an assistance dog could help make her life a little easier. Inquiring Sister Dear Inquiring, For people with disabilities and even medical conditions, assistant dogs can be fantastic help, not to mention they provide great companionship and an invaluable sense of security. Here’s what you and your sister should know. While most people are familiar with guide dogs that help people who are blind or visually impaired, a variety of assistance dogs are also trained to help people with physical disabilities, hearing loss, and various medical conditions. Unlike most pets, assistance dogs are highly trained canine specialists—often golden and labrador retrievers, and German shepherds—that know approximately 40 to 50 commands, are amazingly well-behaved and calm, and are permitted to go anywhere the public is allowed. Here’s a breakdown of the different ty pes of assistance dogs and what they can help with. SERVICE DOGS These dogs are specially trained to help people with physical disabilities due to multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, chronic arthritis, and many other disabling conditions. They help by performing tasks their owner cannot do or has trouble
doing, like carrying or retrieving items, picking up dropped items, opening and closing doors, turning lights on and off, assisting with dressing and undressing, helping with balance, household chores, and more. GUIDE DOGS For the blind and visually impaired, guide dogs help their owner get around safely by avoiding obstacles, stopping at curbs and ������������������ HEARING DOGS For those who are deaf or hearing impaired, hearing dogs can alert their owner to ����y sounds, such as ringing telephones, doorbells, alarm clocks, microwave or oven timers, smoke alarms, approaching sirens, cry ing babies, or someone calling out their name. SEIZURE ALERT/RESPONSE DOGS For people with epilepsy or other seizure disorders, these dogs can recognize the signs that their owner is going to have a seizure and provide them with advance warning, so he or she can get to a safe place or take medication to prevent the seizure or lessen its severity. They are also trained to retrieve medications and use a pre-programmed phone to call for help. These dogs can also be trained to help people with diabetes, panic attacks, and various other conditions. FINDING A DOG If your sister is interested in getting a service dog, contact some assistance dog training programs. To find them, Assistance Dogs International provides a listing of around 65 US programs on their website, which you can access at AssistanceDogsInternational.org. After y ou locate a few, y ou’ll need to either visit their website or call them to ��y out the types of training dogs they offer, the
areas they serve, if they have a waiting list, and what upfront costs will be involved. Some groups offer dogs for free, some ask for donations, and some charge thousands of dollars. To get an assistance dog, your sister will need to show proof of her disability , which her physician can provide, and she’ll have to complete an application and go through an interview process. She will also need to go and stay at the training facility for a week or two, so she can get familiar with her dog and get training on how to handle it. It’s also important to understand that assistance dogs are not for everybody. They require time, money, and care that your sister or some other friend or family member must be able and willing to provide. ISI Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book.
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 12
Entertainment
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Love Give Us One Death: Bonnie and Clyde in the Last Days JEFF P. JONES; TEXAS REVIEW PRESS, 2016 BY CONNIE DAUGHERTY Jeff Jones’s award-winning debut novel, Love Give Us One Death, is not just another Bonnie and Cly de story . It is much more. Love Give Us One Death plunges into the depths of the pain, poverty , and desperation of the 1930s—a collage of the US during one of its most confusing periods. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker exemplify the country, and Jones details it all with amazing descriptions. His literary style is at once disconcerting, intriguing, and precisely
what is needed to pull the reader into his story. Using third-person and occasional �����on narrative, he combines prose and poetry, �ction and fact, along with testimonies from contemporary commentators. The breathless, seemingly fragmented, writing re�’ cts Bonnie and Clyde’s personalities better than any traditional prose could. The author’s presentation of an old familiar story takes the two young outlaws off the pages of history and legend and inserts them into the hearts and minds of readers. “When a skulking shadow emerged...it wandered the city like a detached spirit, weaving between crowds and passing stores and
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DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
ENTERTAINMENT
cafes…An icy mantle enveloped its brain. Cold crept its �ngers up his legs, his back, his shoulders. There was purity , an icy clarity , in its touch, and he released himself into its grip. That shadow lurking inside Clyde Barrow drove him, as did Bonnie Parker, whose “mind held an immense storehouse of trivial memories, and she could palaver with a stiff as easily as a high tone lawyer.” Cly de was naturally drawn to Bonnie. “Her presence worked on him...it thawed his �������y it upward where it cracked the icy mantle over his brain.” Something drew these two together—the times, the place, their own needs, love—and bound them in an adventure they both knew would not end well. Love Give Us One Death follows Bonnie Parker and Cly de Barrow through the last months of their ride,
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presented through the perspectives of both main characters, their families, cohorts, and supporters, as well as ��� Frank Hamer, who determined to catch them any way he could. These perspectives, juxtaposed on the page with bits of poetry, make history come alive in a realistic way . The book is not an easy read, but is de�nitely a worthwhile read. Jones is a MacDowell Fellow. His writing has won numerous awards—Pushcart, George Garrett Fiction, Meridian Editors’, A. David Schwartz, and Wabash, as well as an Idaho Authors Award for top ��y ����books. He currently lives and writes in Northern Idaho. Love Give Us One Death is his �st book, and his next book, Bloodshot Stories, will be released by Sunshot Press in 2018. ISI
CLASSIC MOVIE REVIEW: COCOON (DIR. RON HOWARD, 1985) BY AARON PARRETT A few weeks ago, after my seven-year-old daughter and I returned to our hotel room after a soak in Bozeman Hot Springs, I let her talk me into letting her channel-surf with the remote control. After ten minutes of cycling through tedious infomercials and deplorable sit-coms, I told her we had to ��y something decent and stick with it because the cascade of jump-cuts was making me dizzy. As it happened, one of the movie channels was just starting a ��y I vaguely remembered from high school, called Cocoon. Since it was
rated PG, we decided to watch it. Directed by Ron Howard in 1985, it did well at the box o�” ce, making its mark as the 6th highest earner that year. But it received well-deserved critical acclaim, too, and it took home two Oscars—one for best supporting actor (Don Ameche) and one for best special effects. The plot offered an interesting scienc�� tion twist on the “fountain of youth” theme: a group of elderly residents at a Florida nursing home happens to stumble upon a swimming pool in which alien pods (the “cocoons”) are awaiting rescue back to their home planet.
The aliens happen to emit a powerful life force that rejuvenates the old folks and makes them feel young again. But the return to y outh comes with the usual problems of immaturity, such as ��delity and poor judgement, which create much of the dramatic co���y in the ���and which urge the plot toward its climax. Eventually the main characters have to decide whether to leave their families and lives on earth in order to have immortality on another world. The movie shows Howard in his element, directing seasoned actors like Don Ameche,
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PAGE 14
IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
ENTERTAINMENT
Wilford Brimley , Maureen Stapleton, and Jessica Tandy through a screenplay that is energetic and scene-driven. The y ounger foils in the �lm, Steve Guttenburg and Tahnee Welch (daughter of Raquel Welch) perform admirably as the literally star-crossed lovers who discover unconventional way s to consummate their interstellar romance, all while trying to rescue the Antarean cocoons from the ocean and securing them in a swimming pool near the nursing home. Cocoon spins a powerful yarn about aging and explores what makes life worth living as
y outh fades, and the day -to-day quality of our lives offers more challenges than rewards. The ��y gives off a kind of glow, evoking an emotional response in the viewer that would be sentimental, or even maudlin, except that it is tempered by sincere philosophical feeling in the most emotionally tense scenes. Wilford Brimley steals many of these scenes with his down-home pragmatism and grandfatherly wisdom, although Ameche earned a well-deserved Oscar for his animated portrayal of the philandering Art Selwyn. My daughter was fascinated by the premise of benevolent aliens visiting Earth with powers of immortality , but she was also inspired by the ��y to ask many questions about growing old and how both we and the world change with time. If the litmus test of a good ��y is that days later, you’re still
discussing it, then Cocoon was a masterpiece for the two of us. Ron Howard, who was a child star (he played Opie on the Andy Grif��y Show), no doubt had a special reverence for many of the aged stars of his ���who had been in their primes when he was coming up. Reaching middle age himself in 1985 gave him a special insight into that frustrating lesson life thrusts upon us: we are all destined to outlive our parents, and our children to outlive us, and we are compelled to drift through life, separated by generations. And yet the ��y made clear that the feelings we have for those we love probably wouldn’t change much, even if we could live forever. ISI
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WHISK TOGETHER: <1 < C Flour <½ < C Unsweetened cocoa <½ < Tsp Salt <1 < Tsp baking powder <¼ < Tsp baking soda MELT: <4 < Tbs butter <4 < Oz unsweetened chocolate MIX IN LARGE BOWL: <1-½ < C brown sugar <3 < Eggs <4 < Tsp expresso powder (opt) <Add < Melted butter and chocolate (cooled) <Add < dry ingredients and mix well. Let stand on counter for a few minutes. Roll 2 Tbsp dough into balls and ��� coat with white sugar and then with powdered sugar. (The white sugar helps the powdered sugar stick better) BAKE: <12 < minutes on ungreased baking sheets <�������������������������K < ISI
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 15
The Best Song Ever Written?
The sun is shining/the grass is green/The orange and palm trees sway/There’s never been such a day/In Beverly Hills, L.A./But it’s December 24th/And I am longing to be up north/I’m dreaming of a white Christmas… Recognize that? When Irving Berlin created “White Christmas,” he did so from the point of view of someone in southern California at Christmastime who was missing the New England holiday weather. Fans of the iconic Bing Crosby tune know the familiar
insomniac’s “White Christmas” came to fruition on January 8, 1940. That Monday morning he hurried to his Manhattan ���y and immediately summoned Helmy, enthusiastically commanding, “I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend…Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it’s the best song anybody ever wrote!” In the 14 y ears that he had worked for Berlin, Helmy had heard similar boasts many times and smiled, but kept silent as his boss seated himself at his ���y piano and began to play and sing. Helmy later remembered thinking that, by the time the tune was ��shed, he was, for the ��� time, in complete agreement with Berlin. Bing Crosby debuted “White Christmas” on Christmas Day of 1941 on his NBC radio show The Kraft Music Hall. He recorded it on May 29, 1942, feeling unenthusiastic about such a work with an unorthodox melody , a melancholy and old-fashioned setting, and simplistic ly ric lines that used a mere 54 words. Crosby spent a mere 18 minutes in the studio that day. “White Christmas” gave Der Bingle his 26th Number-One hit recording and became the most popular holiday song ever, selling over 100 million Decca copies to become his signature song. In 1947 Crosby rerecorded Berlin’s masterpiece, and this is the version best-known now. Why redo a classic? Simple. The original pressing masters had become worn ISI ���������������������y
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chorus but usually not the rarely heard set-up verses that introduce the Christmas classic. Born Israel Beilin in Russia in 1888, Berlin became America’s pop-song poet laureate. Over the course of his 101 y ears he wrote an estimated 1,500 tunes, including the classics “God Bless America,” “Blue Skies,” “Cheek to Cheek,” and “Easter Parade.” He could neither read nor write music, and he composed primarily on the black keys of his piano. When � ished with a piece, Berlin would turn to his musical secretary , Helmy Kresa, to transcribe whatever he had created. Christmas wasn’t something that the Jewish artist grew up celebrating, having been born the son of a cantor whose � st language was Yiddish. Once in America, his family viewed Christmas as more of a cultural holiday than a religious one. The seed of “White Christmas” may have been planted over the holiday season in 1937, when Berlin was separated from his family and living in Beverly Hills while working on the movie Alexander’s Ragtime Band, a �lm based on his 1911 composition. Fueled by his usual all-night regimen of cigarettes and chewing gum, the lifelong
IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 16
Science finds new way to stop a cold New research shows you can “one of the best presents ever. This stop a cold in its tracks if you take little jewel really works.” Many one simple step with a new device users say they have completely when you feel a cold coming on. stopped getting colds. Colds start when cold viruses People often use CopperZap for get in your nose. Viruses multiply prevention, before cold signs apfast. If you don’t stop them early, pear. Karen Gauci, who flies often they spread and cause misery. for her job, used to get colds after But scientists have found a quick way to kill a virus. Touch it with copper. Researchers at labs and universities agree, copper is “antimicrobial.” It kills microbes, such as viruses and bacteria, just by touch. That’s why ancient Greeks and Egyptians New research: Copper stops colds if used early. used copper to purify water and heal wounds. That’s crowded flights. Though skeptical, why Hippocrates used copper to she tried it several times a day on heal skin ulcers, and why Civil War travel days for 2 months. “Sixteen doctors used it to prevent infection flights and not a sniffle!” of battlefield wounds. They didn’t Businesswoman Rosaleen says know about viruses and bacteria, when people are sick around her but now we do. she uses CopperZap morning and Researchers say microbe cells night. “It saved me last holidays,” have a tiny internal electric charge she said. “The kids had colds going across the membrane surrounding round and round, but not me.” the cell. The high conductance of Some users say it also helps copper short-circuits this charge with sinuses. Attorney Donna and pops holes in the membrane. Blight had a 2-day sinus headache. This immediately stops the mi- When her CopperZap arrived, she crobe from reproducing and de- tried it. “I am shocked!” she said. stroys it in seconds. “My head cleared, no more headTests by the Environmental Pro- ache, no more congestion.” tection Agency (EPA) show that One man had suffered seasonal copper surfaces kill germs that sinus problem for years. It was so get on them. That way the next bad it ruined family vacations and person to touch that surface does even dinners out with friends. His not spread the germ. As a result of wife Judy bought CopperZaps for this new knowledge, some hospi- both of them. He was so skeptitals switched to copper for various cal he said, “Oh Judy, you are such “touch surfaces”, like faucets, be- a whack job!” But he finally tried drails, and doorknobs. This cut the it and, to his surprise, the copper spread of MRSA and other illness- cleared up his sinuses right away. es in those hospitals by over half, Judy and their daughter both said, and saved lives. “It has changed our lives!” The strong scientific evidence Some users say copper stops gave inventor Doug Cornell an nighttime stuffiness, too, if they idea. When he felt a cold coming use it just before bed. One man on he fashioned a smooth copper said, “Best sleep I’ve had in years.” probe and rubbed it gently in his Some users have recently tried nose for 60 seconds. it on cold sores at the first tingle in “It worked!” he exclaimed. “The the lip, and report complete succold went away completely.” It cess in preventing ugly outbreaks. worked again every time he felt a One family reports it has worked cold coming on. He reports he has to eliminate warts as well. never had a cold since. The handle is sculptured to fit He asked relatives and friends the hand and finely textured to to try it. They said it worked for improve contact. Tests show it them, too, every time. So he pat- kills germs on fingers to help you ented CopperZap™ and put it on stay well and not spread illness to the market. your family. Rubbing it gently on Soon hundreds of people had wounds, cuts, and abrasions can tried it and given feedback. Nearly reduce or stop infections. 100 percent said the copper stops Copper may even help stop flu their colds if used within 3 hours if used early and for several days. of the first sign. Even up to 2 days, In a lab test, scientists placed 25 if they still get the cold it is milder million live flu viruses on a Copperthan usual and they feel better. Zap. No viruses were found alive Users wrote things like, “It soon after. stopped my cold right away,” and The EPA says the natural color “Is it supposed to work that fast?” change of copper does not reduce “What a wonderful thing,” its ability to kill germs. wrote Physician’s Assistant Julie. CopperZap is made in the U.S. “Now I have this little magic wand, of pure copper. It carries a 90-day no more colds for me!” full money back guarantee and Pat McAllister, age 70, received costs $49.95 at CopperZap.com or one for Christmas and called it toll-free 1-888-411-6114. (paid advertisement)
Bake with A Cookie Elf this Christmas Season BY GAIL JOKERST At our house, the month of December would feel incomplete without a stash of homemade cookies to nibble on and share. For me, the aroma of chocolate, mint, ginger, and cinnamon wafting from room to room signals the season as clearly as the arrival of Santa cards in our mailbox. I especially enjoy making cookies that can be easily frosted, dipped into a glaze, or dotted with colored sprinkles. Since most will be given as gifts, I want them to look as appealing as I expect them to taste. Part of the fun of baking holiday cookies, whatever one’s religion, is having company in the kitchen to lend a hand. While adult-sized help is always appreciated, recruiting grandchildren may be best of all. Kiddos learn that cookies made from scratch taste better than anything wrapped in cellophane and cardboard purchased at a supermarket. Accompanying that euphoria of cookie bliss is the satisfaction of producing beautiful yummy treats they can be proud of. If they learn some basic math skills while precisely measuring ingredients, or learn why you should stay focused as cookies bake so none burn, all the better. The following recipes are among my holiday favorites and include tasks little hands can assist with. Should you not have a grandchild close by to join you—or one to borrow for the afternoon—no worries. You can still whip up batches of these tried-and-trues singlehandedly.
CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES (MAKES 6 DOZEN) Reminiscent of Girl Scout cookies, this goodie evaporates at my house faster than you can say, “more please.” I love the fact that the batter can be made in one saucepan, and that Andes Mint glaze is a snap to add. Kids especially like to put the mints on the warm cookies and swirl them as they melt. The adapted recipe comes from a holiday-cookie pamphlet put together and distributed some 35 years ago by Boston radio host Gene Burns. << 3/4 cup butter << 1-1/2 cups brown sugar << 2 tablespoons water << 2 cups chocolate chips << 2 eggs << �������� << 1/2 teaspoon salt << 1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda << Topping: 2 or 3 packages (28 pieces per package) Andes Mints In a medium-sized saucepan, melt butter, then add brown sugar, water, and chocolate chips. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the batter is smooth. ��the heat, beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the dry ingredients. Roll into small balls, or use a small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop to portion dough. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 350° for about 10 minutes. When done, they won’t be set in the center. Place the pan on a cooling rack. Immediately put a whole or a half mint on top of each while the cookies remain on hot baking sheet. Spread each melted mint with a butter knife, then move cookies to another rack to cool as soon as they’re ��enough to transfer. Since I prefer these on the chewy side, I swirl the mint quickly and move the cookies as fast as I can to the cooling rack, to decorate with colored sprinkles.
SUGAR-N’-CINNAMON COOKIES (MAKES 4 DOZEN) ��������������������������������� state fairs. The recipe is adapted from a 1970s-era book, Blue Ribbon Cookies. An easy way to add the sugar-cinnamon topping is to put it in a small paper �������������������������������������� bag to shake several times and coat them with the mixture. << 1 cup butter, softened << 1/2 cup powdered sugar << 1 teaspoon vanilla << �������� << 1 teaspoon cinnamon COATING: << 1/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with a scant 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon With an electric mixer, cream butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Sift ��� with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, then blend into creamed mixture. Roll into 1-inch balls and ���� them between your palms to 1/4 inch. Bake 8 – 10 minutes at 400° on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Remove the cookies immediately from the pan, and toss them in the sugar-cinnamon mixture while they are until warm. Let them cool CONTINUED ON PAGE 23 on a rack.
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
PAGE 17
Puzzle Answers
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 18
Recreation
LOCAL PEOPLE•LOCAL STORIES•LOCAL FUN•LOCAL BUSINESSES
Plan A Park N’ Ski Adventure
IDAHO OFFERS 180 MILES OF SCENIC, GROOMED AND UNGROOMED TRAILS FOR NORDIC AND SNOWSHOE ENTHUSIASTS is reciprocal with select areas in Oregon. In east Idaho, four areas near Ashton, Island When users hit the trails, they encounPark, and Pocatello (with additional parking ter three ty pes of opportunities. Groomed lots in the Mink Creek area) serve skiers and Winter in Idaho means outdoor adventures. trails offer a smooth, wide lane for skate snowshoers alike. Southern Idaho offers Yearly, Nordic skiers and snowshoes traverse skiing. On the side the Idaho City trail 180 miles of groomed trails and numerous of the groomed trails sy stem, containing un-groomed trails originating from Park N’ are parallel tracks four trailheads and a Ski trail systems in four regions. The Idaho for classic skiers. popular backcountry Department of Park and Recreation (IDPR) Marked, un-groomed yurts rental program. provides plowed parking lots and trailheads snowshoe trails wind “Park N’ Ski trails with information kiosks and vault toilets. through the forests. are an excellent place These backcountry trail sy stems are the Snowshoers may to introduce people to result of a partnership between the IDPR, vartravel on the edges the outdoors without ious national forests in the US Forest Service’s of the groomed trail, beginners getting in system, the Idaho Department of Lands, and stay ing clear of the over their heads,” the Idaho Department of Transportation. Fees skate skiers’ lane in said Boise-based from the $7.50-per-vehicle, 3-day pass and the middle and the Madonna Lengerich. the $25-per-vehicle annual pass go toward STARGAZE BACKCOUNTRY YURT IS LOCATED IN THE IDAHO classic ski tracks on She served on the CITY PARK N’ SKI SYSTEM. THIS YURT SURVIVED THE 2016 trail improvements and removing mounds of the edge. Park N’ Ski board in PIONEER FOREST FIRE. snow from the parking lots. The annual pass PHOTO BY NATALIE BARTLEY Skate skiing and the early stages of classic skiing are two trail system developdistinct types of groomed-trail skiing. ment and currently volunteers on trail and Skate skiing resembles an ice-skating or yurt maintenance projects. Lengerich said the roller blading motion on the smooth, wide backcountry trails are well-maintained and portion of the groomed trail. This high-enprovide directions, making it easy for visitors ergy ski technique leaves a V-pattern in the to use the trails. snow. Classic skiers use the pre-set parallel IDAHO CITY PARK N’ SKI TRAILHEADS tracks at the side of the trails. AND BACKCOUNTRY YURTS Classic skiing feels more stable to skiers Deep in the mountains of the Boise National than skating because the technique resembles Forest, there’s an alpine setting with lots of walking or running, snow and a long season for snow sports. Four and the grooves Idaho City Park N’ Ski trailheads are located stabilize the skis. along Idaho Highway 21, between 17 and 24 Telemark touring miles north of Idaho City. IDPR manages the skiers on wide skis trails and backcountry yurts, which are open may use the trails to year-round. During December 1 through April access off-trail ter15, dogs are not allowed on the groomed trails rain and will travel on out of the Banner Ridge Park N’ Ski trailhead, the edge of the skatnor at the Elkhorn and Banner Ridge y urts. 2017 ers’ lane when their Dog owners are expected to collect dog poop, FIVE-STAR CENTER RATED BY skis are wider than pack it out, and keep their pets in control. CMS each parallel track. This trail system is a popular winter dayNorth Idaho featrip destination from Boise. You can extend tures ��y Park N’ Ski your visit into an overnight trip by renting one The government awarded TWIN FALLS DIALYSIS CENTER top marks in its Five-Star Quality Rating trailheads, primarily System for providing quality dialysis care to patients.* of the backcountry yurts in the system. Each in the Priest Lake TWIN FALLS DIALYSIS CENTER yurt site allows for a maximum of 12 users, 582 Pole Line Rd., Twin Falls, ID 83301 area, while central with beds for six users and room for three Call 208-733-2006 to schedule a tour and see why our DaVita center Idaho provides two more people sleeping on the �oor. Three more exceeds quality standards. Learn more at DaVita.com/FiveStar. in the Moscow and people can sleep outside. the Grangeville area. The Idaho City Park N’ Ski sy stem grew BY NATALIE BARTLEY
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into 55 miles of marked trails, 26 miles of groomed ski trails and 15 miles of designated snowshoe trails. Unfortunately in 2016, the largest forest ��y in the nation that summer occurred in the Boise National Forest. Pioneer �e completely destroyed the Whispering Pine yurt and caused substantial damage to three more yurts. The ��y impacted several miles of trails, and IDPR is currently in the process of rebuilding the system. Dozens of volunteers helped IDPR staff to clear trails, replace burned trail signs, and work on yurt construction during 2017, but salvage loggers clearing downed logs are complicating which and when ����y trails are open. “It’s one of these years when things are very convoluted,” said Leo Hennessy , the IDPR’s Idaho Park N’ Ski coordinator. For this
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
RECREATION
SNOWSHOERS RETURN FROM THE STARGAZE BACKCOUNTRY YURT, LOCATED IN IDAHO CITY PARK N’ SKI TRAIL SYSTEM OPERATED BY IDAHO DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION. THE SNOWSHOERS ACCESSED THE STARGAZE BACKCOUNTRY YURT FROM THE BEAVER CREEK SUMMIT PARK N’ SKI AREA. PHOTO BY NATALIE BARTLEY
winter, the four trailhead lots are open and plowed, about 12-miles of trails are groomed out of the Gold Fork Park N’ Ski trailhead, and an assortment of un-groomed trails are available. Volunteers and IDPR staff replaced burned trail signs. As logging efforts shift, the usable trails frequently change. “The trails that are available are very �����y Hennessy said. Trail users should go to the IDPR website for printable, updated maps. Accurate geo-referenced maps for users to load on their cell phones are available and do not require cell phone coverage to access. IDPR plans on opening all trails and yurts later in 2018. Yurts available to rent for the 2017-2018 winter season include Rocky Ridge (accessed from Whoop-Um-Up trailhead), Sky line (accessed from Gold Fork trailhead), and Stargaze (accessed from Beaver Creek Summit trailhead on an ungroomed trail). Winter
PAGE 19
weekends are popular, so book early. Yurt camping is fun and comfortable. Originally used in Asia by Mongolians as portable living facilities, modern yurts consist of insulated canvas materials. They resemble circular tents, 16 to 30 feet in diameter, and set on a wooden platform. Often a plastic ceiling dome permits day light into the y urt. IDPR stocks the rental y urts with a wood burning stove, propane gas cooking stove, cooking utensils, and cleaning supplies. Renters chop logs from a woodshed, to stoke the heating stove and melt snow for cooking, drinking, and dishwashing. Designated areas away from the yurt are available for disposing dirty dishwater, and there’s an outdoor latrine. Etiquette requires that you leave �����clean dishes, and a swept ���for the next group and that you pack out your trash. Sleeping and eating in Idaho’s winter wonderland is always worth the effort. RELAX AND REFRESH IN HOT SPRINGS After a ski or snowshoe outing, soak in warmth at The Springs, a hot springs resort in Idaho City. First established in 1889, miners and settlers refreshed themselves in the springs. In later years, locals learned to swim in the springs-fed pool. Currently, outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the springs at the modernized resort. Steam rises off the water and mingles with the scent of nearby ponderosa pine trees. Visitors immerse in the 16-foot circular hot tub and the 40-foot by 80-foot pool. Reserve a soak by calling (208) 392-9500 or registering online at thespringsid.com. The $17 adult daily entrance fee allows for multiple entries for the date of purchase. While in the area, explore the historic side streets of Idaho City. Find The Springs at 3742 Idaho Highway 21 (north of mile marker 37, about 1.5 miles southwest of Idaho City). Every year, Nordic areas across the nation celebrate Winter Trails Day on the ��� Saturday in January. The IDPR waives the Park N’ Ski day-pass fee that day at all participating locations in the IDPR system, so it’s a great way to try a new trail system. Get going on your next winter adventure by purchasing your Park N’ Ski season pass from IDPR headquarters on Warm Springs Avenue, in Boise, online at the IDPR website, or from local outdoor retailers listed on the IDPR website at parksandrecreation.idaho.gov. View the season pass vendor list, and download trail maps from the IDPR website. For questions call IDPR headquarters at (208) 334-4199. ISI
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 20
R U O Y T GE
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Save on Mobile Devices (StatePoint) Holiday spending is expected to rise this year over last, according to the National Retail Federation. While you may be budgeting for a more expensive season in some ways, keep in mind that when upgrading mobile devices for yourself or loved ones, you don’t necessarily need to go brand new and pay a premium. Lingering misconceptions persist that refurbished devices were necessarily broken or had problems. However, many such mobile phones, tablets, and accessories that come from trade-in and upgrade programs were perfectly good devices that owners sent in for newer models. Luckily, for bargain hunters, such trade-ins and sales are becoming more popular, making it easier to navigate the market for a previously owned device. Just be sure you stick to reputable sources where you can trust the device to be in fully functional condition. For example, those from MyWit on eBay undergo an extensive 65-point inspection of cosmetic, functional, and radio frequency (RF) performance to ensure 100 percent functionality. Tests verify that every function that a customer can use (camera, audio, SIM, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc.) is in excellent working order and RF tests ensure wireless devices deliver a consistent quality of connection and do not drop available signals. “These days, refurbished devices can provide an affordable, high-quality alternative to a new device,” said David Conti, director of eCommerce at MyWit. “It’s also a thoughtful option for the eco-conscious, extending the life of devices and reducing electronic waste.” This holiday season, stretch your holiday budget without sa�����on quality. Consider a great cost-saving secret on mobile upgrades, replacements, and tech gifts. ISI
Save Time and Money This Season (StatePoint) From decking the halls to hosting the perfect party , holiday -time expenses can add up quickly. This holiday season, don’t let the fun break the bank. To enjoy the festivities on a budget, consider these tips from the discount experts at Dollar General. Multi-Purpose Decorations: Try repurposing Thanksgiving decorations for the rest of the holiday season, simply by changing certain decorative elements. Candle holders, for example, are a great way to add some color and fun to any space and they can easily be changed with the seasons. Fill them with candy corn during the fall and then substitute mini-ornaments when the holidays arrive. Changing colored ribbons and small decorating items on wreaths, center pieces, and trees can make a dramatic, and inexpensive, difference.
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DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
NIOR
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Host the Perfect Party: Hosting a great holiday party doesn’t have to be a daunting and expensive task. To save both time and money, consider co-hosting a party with friends, to share the responsibilities and the cost. There’s also the option of hosting a party at a restaurant. Sometimes the cost of renting a small space is less expensive than preparing food at home for everyone; and it is certainly less time consuming! Cook Like a Chef: If you’re hosting a party at home, cooking an elaborate meal for family and friends can become overwhelming. One way to handle the chaos in the kitchen is to use the crockpot. Slow-cooked meals are a great way to save time and energy when preparing to entertain for the holidays. For quick and easy crockpot meal recipes, check out Dollar General Easy Meals at dollargeneral.com/easymeals. One of the most expensive and exhausting parts of the holidays is shopping for the perfect gifts for family and friends. Not only is shopping online easier than contending with busy store parking lots and crowded aisles during the holiday season, it can also be less expensive. Research top online deals by scouting out your favorite stores, looking for coupons and discount codes along the way. For example, Dollar General is offering a $1 off coupon when you sign up for their digital coupons. To enroll or upload these coupons, create an account at dollargeneral.com/coupons or through the DG mobile app. Don’t cut out the fun this holiday season. Just apply a few tips and tricks to make your time and money go further, all season long. ISI
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Last issue we ran a story about � ordable downhill skiing options for senior snow enthusiasts to check out this winter season. Sometimes when we try to share important info, we miss a few nuggets. The Historic Wallace Chamber of Commerce brought to our attention a couple resorts in the far northern region of the state that we missed, and we thought it worthwhile to share. Wallace, Idaho, has the good fortune to be 15 minutes away from two accessible, affordable, and senior-friendly ski resorts. Lookout Pass (skilookout.com) is located 12 miles east and straddles the Idaho/ Montana border at Interstate 90. With over 400 inches of snow and some of the region’s best powder, the resort boasts 540 acres with 35 named runs and prime powder glades. The area will soon be expanding to Eagle Peak, which will double the acreage and increase their vertical drop to 1,650 feet. In addition to Boomer Fridays, with reduced rates for those 40 and over, Lookout also has a Prime Timers Club and Senior Clinic program for individuals 55 years and over. Ten Miles west of Wallace is Silver Mountain (silvermt.com). Home to North America’s longest gondola, the resort offers 73 trails, 1,600 acres of terrain, 2,200 vertical feet, and more than 300 inches of snow annually. The diverse terrain spreads snow riders across two mountains, so snow enthusiasts can spend more time riding and less time waiting in lift lines. Extensive gladed areas and hidden gems make it ��������������������������������y ISI
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
RECREATION
Give Hard Water Fishing A Try! ��������������������� Long also recommended a plastic sled with In the Midwest, where ice ����is hugely sides to haul all y our gear, including warm popular, anglers set up elaborate portable drinks and food—as well as something to put My dad’s ice auger hangs in our barn, ������������������������shelters, often on wheels, complete with a reminder of day s gone by and time well heaters and comfortable chairs over spent ��� in the winter as a kid. But their holes. In Idaho and Montana, for some reason, that time-honored you might see some tent-like portable pastime fell by the way side over the shelters, but you will also see plenty of y ears. This winter, however, I intend folks hunkered around holes, sitting to return to my roots and spend time on upturned buckets or folding chairs ����������� and wrapped in bulky outerwear to To refresh my memory, I contacted keep warm. Tom McGlashen of Tackle Tom’s in Stay ing warm is important, as is Cascade, Idaho, and asked for an update safety on the ice. Long wears ice cleats on ice ����y Tom reminded me why I to keep from slipping, which they ������������� are available at most outdoor stores “It can be very simple,” he stated. and on-line. “As easy as holding a line with a worm “Wind is your real enemy out on the on it and dropping it through the hole. ice,” McGlashen said. “If you don’t have But,” he added, “most people use the a shelter or some way to block the wind, smaller ice ����rods that are about you’re going to have either a short or two feet long, so y ou can stand closer uncomfortable day ��” ng. Die-hard ice to the hole and watch for subtle signs a ����� often use portable shelters.” ������ Long said the extended Montana Ah, yes, you need holes for ice �hing! winters really make ice ����an easy Today, power augers exist to drill holes way to spend time outdoors with family in ice, but a good hand auger will make and friends. “It’s something to get you short work of relatively thin ice—say outside, is way more fun than watching anything under 8 inches. A power auger TV, and sometimes you end up with a is nice when ice thickens over the winter ������������ or when you want to ��y more than one Long also cited how close to hole at a time. In Idaho, you can ��y �� town many lakes and reservoirs are holes simultaneously. in Montana, making spur-of-thePHOTO COURTESY OF THE IDAHO DEPT. OF FISH & GAME Ben Long of Whi���JMont., said moment outings a snap. he started hard water ����simply by Both Long and McGlashen said perch McGlashen said some sporting goods stopping in at the local tackle shop. “I think ����is the species most commonly found stores rent hand augers, so folks can try the my son, Aidan, and I left the store with under in winter, although some ice ���� spots sport before spending money. $50 in purchases to get us started,” he said. are more known for having trout. Bait can be as simple as worms, night “And at ���y I simply used a hachet to whack “Basically, I like catching ��J ” explained crawlers, maggots, wax worms, or commercial holes in the ice, although we use a hand Long. “Perch are easy to catch, plentiful jigging lures. Basically, you simply jig or bob auger now.” in most Montana lakes and reservoirs, and the line gently up and down, hoping to attract BY HOLLY ENDERSBY
Happy Holidays from all of us at the
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT are great to eat.” He and his son often visit White�sh Lake and Flathead Lake for hard ������� In Idaho, Cascade Lake is the numberone draw for y ellow perch. McGlashen said In-Fisherman magazine touts this Idaho reservoir as one of the top ice ����spots in the country. “We get a lot of people from the Midwest and Canada here to ��y Cascade Lake,” he said. “We ty pically get big fish, 14 to 16 inches, and in solid numbers, too.” Cascade Lake has no daily limit on perch, but checking fishing regulations but is essential for every lake and reservoir in Idaho and Montana as there are no standard limits for perch or trout. Idaho boasts several other popular places for hard water ����y Horsethief Reservoir is easily accessible on the western side of the state and is known for good trout �shing. Depending on the winter, ice fishermen typically love C. J. Strike Reservoir near Boise, especially the Bruneau Arm of the lake. Little Camas Reservoir is popular for perch ����y while Mackay Reservoir and Ririe Reservoir both offer kokanee trout ice ����y Check in with the nearest Fish and Game ���y about what lakes and reservoirs are “hot” during winter, and visit stores, like Tackle Tom’s, for the local low-down. In Montana, Georgetown Lake near Anaconda at 6,000 feet has a long and
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said good things about Whi���y Lake, and the bays along the shoreline of Flathead Lake, which both produce good perch ����y Be aware that some lakes, like Flathead, may not freeze completely across their entire expanse, so be safe. While fun, hard water ��” ng can be deadly if you misjudge the thickness of the ice. If it is at all questionable, stay off! Check the internet for tables on current ice thickness, or call a local sporting goods store. Be alert to areas that may look mushy after a thaw, especially in shallow, marshy areas. Don’t �sh alone, and don’t take chances. Other than that, just ������������������y ISI
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE IDAHO DEPT. OF FISH & GAME
productive season; Hy alite Reservoir south of Bozeman has Yellowstone cutthroat and brook trout; Fort Peck Lake in the eastern part of the state is famous for good walleye �shing; Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena draws folks who enjoy ����for both walleye and trout; and Hebgen Lake west of Yellowstone National Park has an exceptionally long season and 15 miles of lake, to provide plenty of serenity as well as good ����y And of course, Ben Long
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
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MONTANA SUGAR COOKIES (MAKES 2 DOZEN) My friend Kimmi Bouma, a third generation Montanan and wonderful baker, learned to make these vanilla-scented confections from her grandma Margie. It’s her signature cookie. Kimmi has one bit of advice to add: “Remove them from the baking sheets PDQ.” << 1 cup butter, softened << 1 cup powdered sugar << 1 egg << 1/2 teaspoon vanilla << ������ << 1 teaspoon baking soda << 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar << granulated sugar Cream butter with powdered sugar. Blend in egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining dry ingredients except the granulated sugar. Do not overbeat the dough. Roll into teaspoon-sized balls, place on ungreased cookie sheets, and ���� with the bottom of a glass dipped in a plate of granulated sugar, a fun task for kids to help with. Bake 8 minutes at 350° or until the edges just start to lightly brown. As soon as possible, remove the cookies from the pan, and sprinkle them with additional granulated sugar. For a more festive look, use colored sugar instead.
COCONUT DREAMS (MAKES 4 DOZEN) These cookies remind me of the commercial Danish butter cookies packed in tins; however, I think Coconut Dreams have them beat. It’s hard to believe that just four ingredients can make such a splendid cookie. This recipe proves ��������������������������������� << 1 cup butter, softened << 1/2 cup sugar << ������ << ����������������������� << Optional: Chocolate Glaze With a mixer, cream butter and sugar until �u�. Add �our gradually, beating well after each addition until the dough comes together. Stir in coconut by hand. Roll into 2 logs about 6 inches long and 2-1/2 inches thick. Press the dough tightly while rolling to eliminate air pockets. Wrap the logs in wax paper and chill them overnight in the refrigerator. Slice cookies 1/4-inch thick (no thicker, thinner is ��F and bake on parchment-lined pans at 300° for 20 – 30 minutes. The specks of coconut should start to look slightly toasted when done. Towards the end of the baking time, watch the cookies carefully, so the coconut doesn’t get too brown. Transfer cookies to racks to cool. You can then glaze the cookies to dress them up for the holidays, and let your helper do the dipping. It may be messy, but it will be memorable.
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 24
Central Idaho
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Legendary Coach Cared More About Wrestlers than Trophies BY DIANNA TROYER When Brad “Coop” Cooper retired last spring from his alma mater as Minico High School’s legendary wrestling coach, he left ��������������������� During 30 years of coaching, his wrestlers won the Idaho 4A Wrestling Championship in 2017 and 2006, nearly 20 district titles, and more than two dozen individual state titles. He also was lauded with prestigious national coaching awards. The trophies and accolades never motivated him, though. “It was about the kids,” he said, “watching them grow up and seeing them light up from their accomplishments, whether on the mat or in the classroom.” He also taught a variety of subjects, most recently U.S. History and physical education, at the high school near Rupert, Idaho. He said
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“One of the biggest lessons I learned from Coop was to teach every one to compete as a team,” said Rushton. “We won state this past y ear because every one of our wrestlers got at least one point. Even though it’s an individual sport, they did their best for the team as a whole.” Cooper scheduled workouts to help wrestlers peak at state. “There’s a �ne line between pushing them enough and not pushing them too hard,” he said. “We never encouraged them to lose weight, just to not drink unhealthy carbonated beverages.” One of his favorite sayings is, “A hungry tiger is a lot tougher than one that just ate.” Another is “never give up.” “I alway s told them if there’s time on the clock, there’s time to win.” Cooper coached from personal BRAD “COOP” COOPER RELAXES NEAR A DISPLAY CASE AT MINICO HIGH experience. A 1978 Minico alum, he SCHOOL, WHERE TWO STATE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TROPHIES was known for his aggressive wresSTAND ON THE SECOND SHELF. HE RETIRED AT THE END OF THE LAST tling sty le in the 167-pound class SCHOOL YEAR. PHOTO BY DIANNA TROYER and earned a wrestling scholarship to Idaho State University. he hoped his lessons about self-discipline, Returning to Minico as a coach, he often motivation, and persistence would carry over got on the mat to demonstrate techniques. “I to his students’ and wrestlers’ lives long after felt I needed to show the moves, but it took a graduation. toll on my knees and neck.” Due to his coaching success, Cooper, 57, Season after season, he relied on his wife, was inducted into the Idaho chapter of the Janet, who helped him after her workday National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016, and ended as a teacher at East Minico Middle he received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling School. “I don’t know what I would have Award. He is also permanently enshrined at done without her,” he said. “She paired up the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum the bouts and matches, ran the concessions, in Oklahoma. and did whatever needed to be done.” “It was a pleasant surprise for me,” said When Cooper ponders the future, he said Cooper, who has a reputation for shunning he is unconcerned about whether his celethe spotlight and instead allowing his record brated coaching record will be broken, but to speak for itself. hopes Rushton’s teams will give it a shot. Cooper spent the past two seasons As the wrestling season unfolds this wintraining his assistant coach, Boe Rushton, ter, he plans to come to the meets as a fan to replace him. instead of a coach. “I’ll come back to cheer.” ISI
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
FEATURED AREA
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Remembering A Part of History Lost Forever VISITING ANCIENT ARCHEOLOGICAL SITES THE MIDDLE EAST, BEFORE EXTREMISTS DESTROYED THEM They planted grain in January and harvested in May. He eventually left that job for some contract work for Valley Irrigation Iraq. In hindsight, Kossman said a series of unpredictable events led him to the Middle East. He had worked 10 years in southeastern Idaho as an electrician for Golden West Irrigation, wiring and servicing pumps and pivots. During a downturn in the ag economy, he was looking for a new job and happened to read a Boise newspaper that listed a pivot technician job with Zimmatic in Lindsey, Neb. “What if I hadn’t read the paper that day? I called, and they told me the job was in Saudi Arabia. I like to investigate new things, and the pay was good, so I thought I’d give it a try.” After his contract in Iraq ended, Kossman returned home to Idaho. He and his wife, Nancy, relocated to Tacoma, where she enrolled in a court reporting school. Kossman found a job working as an electrician at a company that made plastic bottles. “We thought we’d be there two years, and it ended up being 16 years,” he said. After he retired in 2009, the couple bought a home north of Malta from one of Kossman’s former co-workers. “We can look across the ��� and see the house where I was born. It’s great to be back home. I love to ��� and there are so many places to go within 100 miles of here,” he said. Whenever he watches TV, he is reminded of his Middle Eastern adventures. “It’s a fascinating part of the world and �����y a place I wouldn’t want to be right now.” ISI 208-733-5723 800-788-2843
RICHARD KOSSMAN BREWS UP DELICIOUS TEA FROM THE MIDDLE EAST. PHOTO BY DIANNA TROYER
BY DIANNA TROYER
Retired electrician Richard Kossman said he was fortunate to have worked in northern Iraq, touring cultural sites there before they were destroyed by millitants. In 1990, the Malta, Idaho, native was based in a Syrian border town, Rabia, about 70 miles northwest of Mosul. He and 10 other US residents were hired as supervisors for the North Jazira Irrigation Project, where they helped local employ ees assemble a linear irrigation system to water ba������ “I was lucky my six-month contract ended when it did because I left on June 29, and Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2,” recalled Koffman, 72. “It was an experience of a lifetime.” He added he wouldn’t have missed for the world, but said he would never go back. “I’m glad I was able to see some amazing archaeological sites before ISIS took control and destroyed them,” he said. The extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) overran Mosul in June 2014 and destroyed many archaeological sites, claiming them to be examples of idolatry. Kossman’s unpredictable workday s often gave him and other supervisors time to tour the country. He visited Nineveh on the banks of the Tigris River near the outskirts of Mosul. Nineveh, one of the oldest cities in the world, settled as early as 6000 BC, is where the Biblical prophet Jonah is said to have preached. In February 2015, ISIS militants blew up part of a 2,700-year-old wall surrounding Nineveh. Another time Kossman toured the ruins of another of the most famous cities of antiquity, Babylon, 52 miles south of Baghdad. While learning about historical sites was fascinating, Kossman said his workdays were often frustrating. “We assembled irrigation lines, but none of them ever ran. During my last month there, we’d put one together, and overnight someone would steal parts, like the pipe bracing and the drive shafts.” He adjusted to the Muslim philosophy of “Bukra Inshallah” about getting things done. “It means ‘Tomorrow, God willing’ and is just part of their culture.” In 1988-89, he supervised the installation and maintenance of irrigation pivots in wheat �elds near Hail in north central Saudi Arabia.
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
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Money Matters
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third of 1 percent: to be exact, y ou saw a COLA of .3 percent in 2017. So if your SS check in 2017 is $1,500 for 2018, your ��������������� Other �gures also adjust, related to Social Security for 2018. For people who are still working, the maximum earnings subject to Social Security taxes will rise from the current level of $127,200 to a new high of $128,700. That increase means that among the estimated 175 million people still working in this country, an additional 12 million will pay more. HOW WORK AFFECTS YOUR SS BENEFITS IN 2018 For income that you earn before you reach the year of full retirement age while you are collecting SS ��� ts, you will lose $1 of ����y for every $2 you earn above $17,040. In 2017 it was $16,920. In the year you reach your full retirement age (for the months prior to reaching that age, you can earn $45,360 per year before losing any ����LAfter that maximum, you will lose $1 of ����y for every $3 earned in 2018. In 2017, the amount you could earn was $44,880. Once you reach your full retirement age, you can earn an unlimited a��������������� HOW DOES THIS RAISE IN BENEFITS MEASURE UP TO BUYING POWER? According to a report by the Senior Citizens League (TSCL), entitled the 2017 Social Security Loss of Buying Power Study, the answer is not good. Since 2000, SS �������have lost roughly 30 percent of buy ing power (7 percent of which is attributable to projections for 2017 based on the ��� eight months of the year). Rising prices affect seniors differently than the general population, as housing, medical costs, and prescription drugs represent such a large part of their spending. And the miniscule COLA received for 2017 of .03 percent only exacerbated the problem. “When costs climb more rapidly than ��� ts, retirees must spend down retirement savings more quickly than expected, and those without savings or other retirement income are either going into debt, or going without,” said Mary Johnson, TSCL’s Social Security policy analyst and author of the study. The study noted that the loss of buying power projected for 2017 (of 7 percent) will be the biggest since 2011, when there was no COLA at all, and seniors lost a whopping 8 percent of buying power. In 2016, there was, again, no COLA, and, as mentioned, only .03 percent for this year, adding to the overall loss. Included in the study was an analysis of the cost of 39 key items between the y ear 2000 and January 2017. The items were chosen because they are ty pical of costs that SS recipients must bear, similar to the analy sis the government does when determining the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (as opposed to the general Consumer Price Index). Johnson added, “This study illustrates why Congress should enact legislation to provide a more fair and adequate COLA. To put it in perspective, for every $100 worth of expenses seniors could afford in 2000, they can afford just $70 today. “With the majority of 57 million seniors and disabled Americans depending on SS for at least half of their total income (and one third of them depending on SS for 90 percent of their income), it seems reasonable that seniors and those who love them should ask Congress to pass more realistic COLAs going forward.” ISI
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
MONEY MATTERS
PAGE 27
Choosing and Using Your 2018 Medicare Health Plan
PHOTO SOURCE: (C) VIACHESLAV IAKOBCHUK/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
(StatePoint) It’s that time of year again: The Medicare Annual Election Period (AEP) began Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7. Medicare is a critical source of health care for millions of Americans who are age 65 and older and for younger people with certain qualify ing disabilities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets this time for people eligible for Medicare to select or make changes to their plans for the following year. For people with Medicare, there is nothing more important than maintaining phy sical and financial independence. The right health care plan can help. It can ensure you have access to fitness programs, preventive services, engaged doctors, maintenance medications and transportation, all at an affordable price. That’s why it’s so crucial for Medicare consumers to consider their health and budget needs as they evaluate their health care options for 2018. “Choosing a plan isn’t as simple as just keeping the one you had last year or looking only at the monthly premium costs,” say s Brian Evanko, who leads Cigna’s government programs, which include Cigna-HealthSpring. “The goal should be to choose a plan that best meets your individual needs. It’s important to ��y the right balance for you between ���� and affordability.” To help you choose a plan and get the most ����������������� 1. Make a list of your priorities and health care needs. Focusing on prevention? Keeping out-of-pocket costs low? Stay ing active? Needing dental, vision or hearing coverage? Seeking comprehensive prescription drug coverage? Take time to evaluate plan options ����������������������L 2. Know your network. Many plans offer choices with a network of doctors. Navigating the health care sy stem can be complex, time-consuming and costly. Without the right support, you can feel very alone. That’s why it’s critical to surround yourself with a team of providers who are committed to getting to know y our needs and to meeting them through open communication and care coordination. The primary care phy sician serves as y our quarterback, directing your care through a network of likeminded specialists.
3. Take advantage of preventive care �����Medicare plans offer many preventive health b��”ts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 100,000 lives could be saved each y ear if every one received recommended preventive care, which often starts with seeing a doctor for an annual check-up. So go to y our doctor, know the health screenings y ou need for y our age and get them to take control of your health. For more information about preventive care, visit www.cigna.com/ takecontrol. 4. Stay active with fitness benefits. Exercise is essential to healthy aging. Original Medicare doesn’t cover gym memberships or fitness programs, but some Medicare Advantage plans offer such ����y as part of their coverage at no extra cost. 5. Use no-cost resources to help pick the right plan. CMS’ Plan Finder helps y ou compare costs, covered medications and other items. Many insurance plans offer seminars at no cost and with no obligation to sign up. You can also check health plans’ websites or call customer service for more information. Local and state agencies on aging also connect older adults and caregivers with community resources.
As you weigh the options, Evanko offers this advice: “It’s worth it to take the time to set your priorities and see how plan ����y stack up. Only then can you choose a plan that really helps you get the most from it and reach your goals.” ISI
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PAGE 28
Health Care
MEDICINE•HOLISTIC•PREVENTION•DIAGNOSIS • TREATMENT
Embracing “Less Is More” For Better Health
CONFRONT ISSUES OF ATTACHMENT TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF DISORGANIZATION in���� on, and even lead to chronic illness. In addition to physical safety, clearing the clutter is �����y to mental health. Clutter Minimalism is a style of extreme spareness contributes to higher levels of stress and and simplicity . Originally demonstrated in anxiety . Being surexpressions of music rounded by piles of or art, minimalism has papers, trinkets, and gained momentum as mementos provides a lifesty le, inspiring a lot of informafolks to keep only a tion for the ey es to minimum amount of process, creating a belongings and sell visual reminder of or donate the rest. unfinished work. Some have taken the This constant, lowidea so far as to leave grade stress results their homes and move in mental fatigue into “tiny homes,” over time, ultidownsizing from a mately reinforcing traditional house to procrastination habits and weakening decia cluttered home can contribute to falling. spaces as small as 400 square feet. sion-making skills. According to the Journal of Injury of Violence, Despite vary ing degrees along the minThe cy cle of disorganization is real. In most falls for individuals 65 and older occur imalist spectrum, the bottom line remains: order to break it, we must confront issues at home, and many are complicated by envi“Less is more” is better for your physical and of attachment. We hold on to things because ronmental hazards, such as throw rugs, curled mental health. they have sentimental value or represent a carpet edges and transitions between rooms. fond memory . According to Marie Kondo, To compound the problem, general disorganization results in not being able to ��y author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, those memories and moments have served things when you need them. The risk of falling their purpose. They have already provided increases with rushing, worrying, and losing nternal moments of joy, and it is perfectly acceptable focus. to let them go. Clutter around the home also creates The book holds steady as a best-seller places for bacteria, dust, and mold to collect. edicine 208.263.6876 because it represents a level of freedom that Exposure to increased levels of environmental 202 S Euclid St resonates. hazards can aggravate allergies and other Ste 202 People want clarity and purpose. Kondo’s respiratory conditions, cause generalized ssociates Sandpoint strategy has become known as the KonMari method. She presents a systematic approach to sorting through categories of belongings and only keeping those things that “spark joy.” It requires a level of honesty in looking CASSIA ORTHOPEDIC CLINIC at those items that might be weighing us State-of-the-art medical techniques and down for the wrong reasons. Upon ����� technology, including joint replacement the process, people often report feeling their computer navigation. true authenticity shining through. Winter brings with it an acute awareness of being ����yto indoor spaces for longer periods of time, making it a perfect time to Bryce Millar, MD begin the process of paring down, clearing Devin Tracy, PA-C Cassia Orthopedic Clinic out, sorting through, and letting go. 208.677.6080 BURLEY, IDAHO Modify ing the home to become safer, BY CARRIE STENSRUD
This philosophy is not just a trend. Embracing minimalism can help keep you safe in your home. Falls are a common source of injury among senior populations, and having
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DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT simpler, and more �����is a wonderful opportunity to connect with family members as well. If y ou have storage boxes full of childhood mementos for your children, hand them off, so they can decide what they would like to save or toss. If you have vintage items y ou’d like to sell, connect with someone who can help investigate their value in the online market.
Start small, one room or one category at a time, and give yourself a set time to work. Tackling too much at once can keep y ou in the messy loop of messes, feeling helpless and overwhelmed. If y ou experience limited phy sical ability , request a consult with an Occupational Therapist. These health professionals can
HEALTH CARE
PAGE 29
assess your environment for safety risks and fall hazards, offering suggestions and tools to make you less vulnerable and more in control of the space around you. Keep in mind that “out with the old” does not always mean “in with the new.” Once you have created a space that ����y the best, most simpli��y expression of yourself, it’s even more empowering to keep it that way. ISI
5 Surprising Facts About Pneumonia
(StatePoint) Pneumonia can strike any or a suppressed immune sy stem, increase where and any time, the American Lung y our risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. In Association reminds us. A serious, potentially fact, for adults 65 and older living with COPD, life-threatening lung infection, pneumonia is primarily caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi that are transmitted from one person to another. The most common ty pe of bacterial pneumonia is pneumococcal pneumonia. 1. Pneumococcal pneumonia can be serious. If you are 65 or older, your risk of being hospitalized after getting pneumococcal pneumonia is 13 times greater than for y ounger adults aged 18-49, and for those requiring hospitalization, they have an average hospital stay of six days. In severe cases, pneumococcal pneumonia can lead to death. PHOTO (C) FATCAMERA - ISTOCK Sy mptoms ty pically have an abrupt onset and may include coughing, difficulty breathing, shortness the risk for contracting pneumococcal pneuof breath, chest pain, high fever, excessive monia is 7.7 times higher than their healthy sweating and shaking chills. counterparts, and those with asthma are at 5.9 2. It doesn’t happen only during winter. times greater risk. Pneumococcal pneumonia is not a cold or 5. The good news: the ��y you can get it any time of the year. You may be able to Although rates of pneumococcal pneumonia reduce your personal tend to increase in the fall and winter months, risk. As a preventive cold air does not cause pneumonia, including healthcare measure, pneumococcal pneumonia. Pneumococcal vaccines work by pneumonia can be spread by coughing or close teaching the body ’s contact with an infected person, no matter immune sy stem the season. to recognize and 3. Even healthy adults are at increased risk. One of the most important things to know is that for adults, risk increases with age as our immune sy stem weakens and can’t respond as effectively to infection. Which means that otherwise healthy and active adults are at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. 4. Chronic health conditions can also lead to increased risk. Other factors, like your lifestyle and certain chronic health conditions, can also increase y our risk. Smoking, alcoholism and certain chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
defend against harmful viruses or bacteria before getting an infection, and reduce the chance of getting certain infectious diseases. But rates of vaccination among U.S. adults remain low, lagging well behind expert recommendations and federal goals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that all adults 65 y ears or older receive pneumococcal vaccination. If you are 65 or older, talk to your doctor to see if you are up to date on your CDC-recommended adult vaccinations, and take a personal risk assessment at Lung. org/pneumococcal, developed by the American Lung Association in ������������ This y ear, brush up on the signs and risk factors of pneumococcal pneumonia, as well as strategies for prevention, particularly as you age. ISI
IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 30
Fitness&Nutrition
STRENGTH • MOBILITY • WELLNESS • LONGEVITY • EXERCISE
Green for Bones BY CARRIE LUGER SLAYBACK (SENIOR WIRE) At 3:30 p.m., my 4th grade classroom quieted. Students, parents, staff cleared out, and I collapsed behind my desk, confronting the next day’s plans and pile of student papers. Shattering the �st moments of silence, Ernie the custodian blasted in with his turbo-charged vacuum cleaner. Once �nished with his nerve-jangling vacuum chores, Ernie took a break to chat. He liked casinos, horse races, and cards. He found out I drank green tea and brought me a bag of genuine Japanese Green. I miss Ernie’s rakish grin, not his clanging roaring vacuum. And he had a lasting �����on my tastes—all these years later, and I’m hooked on green tea’s grassy taste, hearty vege/fresh hay aroma. Yet, indulging in my hobby, reading health research, I gave zero credibility to the line — “tea builds bones.” No reason for disbelief, except I’m naturally skeptical. So, I expected a disclaimer when asking Google, “Does tea build bones?” Instead I ran into CL Shen’s 9000-word National Institutes of Health abstract with 185 footnotes: “Green Tea and Bone Metabolism.” The article says “Ingestion of green tea and green tea bioactive compounds may be ��� cial in mitigating bone loss…In general, tea…might decrease the risk of fracture by improving bone mineral density (BMD) and supporting osteoblastic activities while suppressing osteoclastic activities. [Osteoclasts build bone while osteoblasts are involved in the breakdown of bone.] My reading regarding bone mineral density suggests the superiority of dietary solutions to osteoporosis, over calcium supplementation. So, I was happy to read that green
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tea’s antioxidant effects comes in part from ascorbic acid naturally present in the drink. Bone loss is caused by an “imbalance between bone formation and bone resorption.” Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, kidney malfunction and age-related estrogen loss contribute to bone loss. Yikes. Shen’s article states that “Over half of postmenopausal women will experience a bone fracture as the result of osteoporosis. Similarly , one out of four osteoporosis patients is male and 30% of hip fractures occur in men.” So it is signi���y that, in many studies, tea drinkers had higher bone mass than non-tea drinkers. Authors quote a UK study by Hegarty in which tea drinkers showed “a decline in fracture risk of approximately 10 percent to 20 percent.” A positive relation between tea drinking, regardless of the ty pe of tea, and BMD has also been reported among postmenopausal women in the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Japan. However due to some ������human results, perhaps from problems in study design, the “Green Tea…” article authors resorted to heavily controlled animal studies. In these studies, “Green tea polyphenols have been found to counteract ������� duced bone loss.” Specific compounds in green tea have been found to mitigate bone loss through anti-oxidative stress action and enhancing bone growth, and suppressing bone loss probably due to [the interface between the skeletal system and the immune
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sy stem.]” The article goes on, in technical detail explain the “mounting evidence that green tea contains many bioactive ingredients that support some protection against osteoporosis.” The NIH article describes more �����y details than I can include, supporting the interaction of green tea’s particular chemical composition with mammals’ various bone building pathways. Interested? Read it. After Shen’s dense technical discussion, I retreated to Web Md’s Jeanie Lerche Davis’ easy-to-read There’s Something to be Said for Having Tea Bones. She begins, “Ladies, start y our teapots,” selecting an English study also described by Shen. “Tea drinkers had signi� antly greater bone mineral density measurements. Hegarty suggests that tea has components that weakly mimic the effect of the female hormone, estrogen—documented by other researchers—and may be important in maintaining bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.” Thanks, Ernie. Your gift of pungent loose tea leaves may have helped me stave off osteoporosis for a few years. Your love of the races, casinos, and poker? I never caught on to that, which is probably explained by the fact that I’m the kind of person who reads health research for fun. ISI Carrie Luger Slayback an award winning teacher and champion marathoner, shares personal experience and careful research. Contact her at carriemisc@icloud.com
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PAGE 31
Easy Ways to Cut Back on Sugar applesauce. For a delicious no-sugar added applesauce recipe, visit leaf.nutrisystem.com/ recipes. • Eat Right and Often. When you’re hungry, you crave calories and that too often leads to sugary snacking. Reduce between-meal munching by eating healthy, �lling foods four to six times a day. Programs like Nutrisystem provide portion-controlled meals and snacks throughout the day, giving you the structure you need to eat right. This y ear, make small swaps to reduce y our sugar intake and more easily manage your weight. ISI
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(StatePoint) Nationwide, 30 million children and adults have diabetes, and 86 million are prediabetic, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Take steps to decrease your risk of developing Ty pe 2 diabetes. A leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes is being overweight. But the good news is, according to the ADA, losing just seven percent of y our body weight can decrease that risk by 58 percent. One way to manage your weight is to cut back on sugar, which can often be a sneaky source of weight gain. Before getting started, it’s important to remember that many healthy foods naturally contain sugar, a carbohy drate y our body burns for energy . Processed sugars are different, adding calories that provide no other nutritional ���� and at excessive levels, disrupting your metabolism, and potentially posing serious health risks. The USDA’s dietary guidelines recommend that added sugar account for less than ten percent of y our daily calories—that’s a maximum of 50 grams a day for average women and 62.5 grams for men. To keep your sugar consumption in the healthy range, Courtney McCormick, Corporate Dietitian at Nutrisystem offers the following tips: • Hold the Ketchup. You know baked goods and candy are loaded with added sugar, but so are many foods y ou may not think of as especially sweet. A tablespoon of ketchup, for instance, has four grams of sugar. Salsa, barbecue sauce, spaghetti sauce and even bread are hidden sources of sugar. ph
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• Sweeten with Spices. Replace sugar from coffee, hot cereal and other foods with spices that have a naturally sweet taste, such as vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom, instead. • Flavor Your Water. A 12-ounce can of soda has as much as 40 grams of added sugar. Skip the soda and drink water sweetened with fresh fruit and herbs, like strawberries and basil or lime and mint. • Start with Plain. The fruit in the bottom of y our y ogurt can come with 25 or more grams of added sugar. Buy plain yogurt and add your own fresh or dried fruit. • Snack on Fruit. One cup of blueberries, for example, has seven grams of natural sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth, but the fruit also comes with �ber to help you feel full and slow the breakdown of the sugars, so y ou don’t crave more calories soon after eating it. • Bake with Applesauce. Eating fewer baked goods is sure to reduce y our sugar intake, but when the occasion calls for y ou to make a cake, replace a third of the sugar in the recipe with an equal amount of unsweetened
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Caregiving
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or mentally able of the pair, living independently may pose special challenges. If you have a parent or other close relative who is new to living alone, read on for some areas of potential concern and how to help. HELPING TIPS Medication management—Request a medication review by your relative’s primary physician, to determine if all prescription medications are necessary. Ask their pharmacist about available aids for remembering to take medications. Nutrition—Set up a schedule to take y our relative grocery shopping, arrange for a grocery delivery service, stock their freezer with heat-and-serve foods, or arrange for “meals on wheels.” If they ��y it hard to eat alone, look into communal dining programs, and have them over for dinner. Household maintenance—Arrange for regular housecleaning service and, if applicable, yard maintenance service. If your relative has limited income, they may qualify for a subsidized community program. Consult the local ���y on aging, an excellent source of information on community services. Transportation—If they don’t drive (or shouldn’t), provide your relative with a bus pass or taxi gift vouchers, or investigate volunteer driver programs for seniors. If necessary , find out about local accessible transportation services. Vision—Ask y our relative’s doctor for a referral to an ophthalmologist. If nothing can be done to improve their vision, get them a ����� for reading small print and other adaptive items, such as a large keypad, programmable telephone and clock with oversized numbers. Falls—Perform a safety assessment of y our relative’s home to identify potential hazards, and do what you can to rectify them. Visit a medical supply store, and check out the many products that might make daily activities easier and safer. Sign up y our relative
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with a personal emergency response service, whereby they wear a lightweight, waterproof pendant or bracelet that has a button to press for crisis assistance. Finances—If money management is an issue, arrange for direct deposit of pension checks and automatic bill pay ment from y our relative’s bank account. Assist them with contacting a lawyer to assign power of attorney for property to someone they trust. If they ’re experiencing �����hardship living solo, ensure they apply for all possible government and private b��”ts, such as survivor’s pensions and income supplements. If necessary , assist them with taking in a boarder or moving to a less costly type of housing. If your relative has cognitive impairment and their partner was compensating, de�cits may now be more pronounced or apparent for the ��� time. If so, arrange through their primary physician for a geriatric assessment. Research home supports, such as telephone reassurance services, therapeutic day care programs, and home health services that offer personal care, homemaking, nursing, dietary consultation, phy sical and occupational therapy , and social work. A live-in caregiver is another option if �nances permit. If y our relative needs more help than community programs can provide and can’t afford private-pay services, options include moving them in with you or another family member and � ding a residential care setting that meets their needs. If feelings of isolation and loneliness are the main concern, y our relative may wish to consider sharing accommodations with a friend, relocating to an active adult community or, if their health is frail, moving to a retirement home. ISI Lisa M. Petsche is a social worker and a freelance writer specializing in family life. She has personal experience with elder care and with helping widowed loved ones.
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When Will Medicaid Pay for Nursing Home Care? SAVVY SENIOR WITH JIM MILLER home, all the furniture and household goods and one automobile. The healthy spouse is also entitled to keep a portion of the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monthly incomeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;between $2,030 and $3,022. Any income above that goes toward the cost of the nursing home recipientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s care. WHAT ABOUT MEDICARE? Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors 65 and older, and some younger people with disabilities, does not pay for long-term care. It only helps pay up to 100 days of rehabilitative nursing home care, which must occur after a hospital stay. FIND HELP For more detailed information, contact your state Medicaid ���y (see Medicaid.gov for contact information). You can also get help from your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (see ShiptaCenter.org), which provides free counseling on all Medicare and Medicaid issues. EDITORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NOTE: For more info, Montana residence may contact the Montana Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) at 1 (800) 551-3191, or may visit the DPHHS SHIP web page (http://dphhs.mt.gov/ sltc/services/aging/ SHIP/ship). Montana Medicaid members with questions may contact the Montana DPHHS Medicaid help line at 1 (800) 362-8312. ISI Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior.
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Dear Savvy Senior, What are the eligibility requirements to get Medicaid coverage for nursing home care? Caregiving Daughter Dear Caregiving, The rules and requirements for Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care are complicated and will vary according to the state where your parent lives. With that said, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a general, simpli��y rundown of what it takes to qualify. MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY Medicaid, the joint federal and state program that covers health care for the poor, is also the largest single payer of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nursing home bills for seniors who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the resources to pay for their own care. Most people who enter nursing homes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t qualify for Medicaid at ���y but pay for care either through long-term care insurance or out-of-pocket until they deplete their savings and become eligible for Medicaid. To qualify for Medicaid, y our parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s income and assets will need to be under a certain level thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s determined by their state. Most states require that a person have no more than about $2,000 in countable assets, which include cash, savings, investments or other �����resources that can be turned into cash. Assets that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t counted for eligibility include their home if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s valued under $560,000 (this limit is higherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;up to $840,000â&#x20AC;&#x201D;in some states), their personal possessions and household goods, one vehicle, prepaid funeral plans, and a small amount of life insurance. But be aware that while y our parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home is not considered a countable asset to determine their eligibility, if he or she canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t return home, Medicaid can go after the proceeds of their house to help reimburse their nursing home costs, unless a spouse or other dependent relative lives there. (Some other exceptions apply to this rule.) After qualify ing, all sources of y our parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s income, such as Social Security and pension checks must be turned over to Medicaid to pay for their care, except for a small personal needs allowanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;usually between $30 and $90. You also need to be aware that your parent canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give away their assets to qualify for Medicaid faster. Medicaid ���ls will look at their financial records going back five years to root out suspicious asset transfers. If they ��y one, their Medicaid coverage will be delayed a certain length of time, according to a formula that divides the transfer amount by the average monthly cost of nursing home care in their state. So if, for example, y our parent lives in a state where the average monthly nursing home cost is $5,000 and they gave away cash or other assets worth $50,000, they would be ineligible for beneďż˝ts for 10 months ($50,000 divided by $5,000 = 10). SPOUSAL PROTECTION Medicaid also has special rules for married couples when one spouse enters a nursing home and the other spouse remains at home. In these cases, the healthy spouse can keep one half of the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assets up to $120,900 (this amount varies by state), the family
IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 34
Travel
CRUISE•LEARN•RELAX•FLY•WONDER•NEW HORIZONS•CULTURE
Experience the Past of the Nimi’ipuu AT THE NEZ PERCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITOR CENTER
BY JACK MCNEEL The exhibits on display at the Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center are spectacular, dealing with the culture and history of the Nimi’ipuu, or Nez Perce, people. Anyone with an interest in Native American history and particularly this tribe should plan a visit to the visitor center, with free
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THE NEZ PERCE VISITOR CENTER MUSEUM HAS EXAMPLES OF BEADED ITEMS, CORNHUSK BAGS, CLOTHING, BASKETRY, HEADDRESSES, AND WOODEN HORSES ADORNED WITH A VARIETY OF TRIBAL ITEMS, ALL OF WHICH TRANSPORT VISITORS BACK TO THE 1800S. PLANNING IS UNDERWAY, HOWEVER, FOR A NEW MUSEUM COMBINING THE OLD WITH THE NEW, FOLLOWING NEZ PERCE HISTORY UP THROUGH TO THE PRESENT. PHOTO BY: JACK MCNEEL
www.bestofbanff.com admission. It’s located about 11 miles east of Lewiston, Idaho, alongside Highway 95 and adjacent to the Clearwater River. The tribe historically used the name Nimi’ipuu, which translates to “real people” or “we the people.” The Lewis and Clark Expedition gave the name Nez Perce through an interpreter, which translates in French as “pierced nose.” The tribe is increasingly returning to the Nimi’ipuu name in preference to Nez Perce. The visitor center sits atop a low r i dg e o v e r lo o k i n g the Clearwater River and adjacent to the old community of
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Spalding, with a church dating to 1876, a cemetery of that same era, and a few other buildings. Upon entering the visitor center, you have an opportunity to view the One Heart movie. Brett Spaulding, Supervisory Park Ranger, explained this is a relatively new version, about 23 minutes in length, and a good overview of the Nez Perce people. The visitor center museum has numerous exhibits, showcasing beaded items, cornhusk bags, clothing, basketry , headdresses, and wooden horses adorned with a variety of tribal items. “When y ou walk into the museum portion, you’re going to walk into a time warp where you’re transported back to the 1800s,” explained Spaulding. “What y ou don’t get is a sense that the Nez Perce are still here and still thriving.” Planning is underway for a new museum that will intermix the new with the old, sharing Nez Perce history up to the present time. “That’s the most exciting change planned for the visitor center in the future,” he added. No precise time has been set for the new museum, but most likely it will occur sometime in 2019. Indigenous people have lived in this area for at least 11,000 years. The overall National Historical Park actually covers portions of four states with 38 different sites. The creation STUBBY LAKE SMOKE SHOP Story and the role of Coy ote lives on, and 396610 HWY 95, PLUMMER, ID the “Heart of the (208) 686-9313 Monster” is visible Call Ahead for Special Orders eastward along the All Customers are Important! Clearwater River. Spaulding also Mon–Sat 8AM–5PM and Sun 10AM–3PM stubbylake1@frontier.com recommended that
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
TRAVEL
PAGE 35
visitors get out to the many sites throughout the park. “In the summer, usually starting about Memorial Day and ending around Labor day , rangers here will give programs about different events that occurred in this area.” Hopefully that will get people to visit these sites, which include such places as Buffalo Eddy, the Whitebird ������ site, Heart of the Monster, Canoe Camp, and others. If y ou’re going to be in the vicinity of Lewiston and have interest in native history, the Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center should be on your “to do” list. ISI
PHOTO BY: JACK MCNEEL
Banish Winter Woes with Festivals! BY HOLLY ENDERSBY I love the crazy, busy time of all the holidays in December and look forward to them every y ear. But January and February loom bleakly in the future, just when days are dark and spring seems a long way off. Solution to the deep winter doldrums? Why festivals, of course! Here’s a short list of some to sample this winter. Fire and Ice Winterfest, alway s held the ��� full weekend of February, shows that the Idaho town of Lava Hot Springs knows how to throw a party! Beginning this year on Friday, Feb. 2 with wine tasting, and moving on to a family friendly movie at the indoor pool (bring y our flotation toy s), bingo and a comedy night show, the event is off to a great start. Saturday brings the Superhero Endurance Swim at the indoor pool; a children’s water carnival; a polar ���parade, requiring daring entrants to ���down the bone-chilling Portneuf River, in costume preferably; a chili contest and tasting; a torch light parade with skiers from Lava Flow Fire zipping down the mountain with glowing torches, followed by performances of dance, acrobatics, and music with ��� Saturday’s last event is the ever-popular Casino Night for Twenty -one and Texas Hold ‘Em. Sunday wraps up with the not-to-be-missed Running of the Bulls, showcasing the daring, and just plain crazy, running down Main Street in swimsuits and ��y ���as they head to the ���y line and a long hot springs soak. ����� Winter Carnival has something for everyone. Two days before the main festival, the town of ���”sh, Mont., hosts the world Skijoring Championships. This event involves horses or mules pulling skiers behind them on a course, including launching them over jumps. It’s great fun to watch, so come early, and enjoy this unique competition. The festival begins in earnest February 2, and a hockey tournament will be in full swing throughout the weekend as will the annual ski races. Ice sculpting is an ever-popular event as is the notorious Penguin Plunge, where normally sane people jump into freezing ����� Lake. Food is not to be ignored this weekend, either. The Carnival starts with a Gala Friday night at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant, and the following day features a delicious pie social. Try eating just one slice… bet you can’t!
This year marks the 53rd Winter Carnival in McCall, Idaho, and organizers are keeping their ����crossed that everything will be in place for an Iditarod qualifying race. The route and ���plans are being ���yup, so keep an eye on their website for updates. Twelve dog teams are expected to run over approximately 150 miles, depending on the � al route. The festival runs from the last weekend of January through the �st weekend of February and is wildly popular, so make hotel bookings as soon as possible. The ��� Friday features the opening ceremony, a kid’s torchlight parade, and spectacular ����� over beautiful Payette Lake. The Mardi Gras Parade is Saturday as are the snowbike races. Both weekends feature live music at various venues. Sunday’s ben��y for McPaw’s, the local dog and cat shelter, has a hilarious monster-dog pull contest, featuring every weight class imaginable. Dogs of various sizes pull weighted sleds on marked lanes on the lake with all the registration money going to McPaw’s. Yearly favorites like the Polar Plunge ����for the local ��y depart ment and the popular Monte Carlo night are big draws. The Idaho State Snow Sculpting Competition brings thousands of visitors to see the fantastic frozen art. In addition, the snow sculptures scattered around businesses shadow.indd 1 in town are a special treat every year. There are many other activities and events during the two weeks of the carnival, so be sure to check their website for more information. Moving away from snow-centric events, Lewistown, MT., hosts the 73rd Montana Winter Fair, where all things agricultural are on display. The third weekend in January brings those who love the agricultural life to enjoy a host of activities, from the popular ���y contest, a hotly contested chili cook-off, a Dutch-oven cooking competition, a snowmobile “shootout,” and a homebrew tasting. Every year kids compete in the Youth Feeder Steer and All Breed Heifer Show while events like Team Sorting focus on skills ranchers need. Dogs are put through their paces in the Canine Good Citizen Dog Show. Equestrians will be happy to know a Natural Horsemanship Clinic will be at this y ear’s fair. Annual events include the quilt show, photography show, ���arts show, and pinewood derby. The Lewistown Bow Hunters are hosting a fun shoot. Be sure to mark January 25-28 on your calendar. CONTINUED ON PAGE 39
To learn more about our community, call (208) 882-6560.
All faiths or beliefs are welcome.
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
PAGE 36
All About Idaho
LOCAL PEOPLE•LOCAL STORIES•LOCAL FUN•LOCAL BUSINESSES
The Last of Idaho’s Original Back-Country Volunteers 42 YEARS OF SERVING ON SEARCH AND RESCUE, DIVING, AND BACK COUNTRY MEDICAL RESCUE TEAMS
ROGER BURNHAM OF OROFINO, IDAHO, VOLUNTEERS TO RESCUE LIVES AND RETRIEVE THOSE LOST IN THE BACK COUNTRY. MUCH OF THE WORK INVOLVES HELICOPTERS, RATHER THAN AMBULANCES, SO HELICOPTER SAFETY TRAINING IS VITAL. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROGER BURNHAM
BY JACK MCNEEL
Roger Burnham has an amazing 42-year history of volunteering his time, knowledge, and energy with the Sheriff’s Department in such programs as Search and Rescue, the Dive Team, and Back Country Medical Rescue. The hours he has spent helping people in Idaho’s back country are astronomical, and all are performed without pay. “I want to give back to the community, and this is one of the ways I can do it,” he commented. It’s difficult to imagine any one having volunteered more time to back country rescue. Burnham lives in O���y and has since he arrived with his parents in 1963. He owns a small construction company in ����y but his work through the Sheriff’s Department is 100 percent voluntary. “It costs me to be a volunteer,” he laughed, and explained that volunteers pay for their own gas and use their own tools in addition to being away from their regular jobs. He began volunteering in search and rescue work “as a young pup” because other friends were doing the same thing, calling themselves “ground pounders.” In more recent years, the teams have become more specialized, with dog teams, snowmobile teams, ATV teams, a dive team, back country
teams, and a horse team. “Every body has their own specialty.” Among other things, Burnham is the dive master in charge of all the diving for Clearwater County. “The sheriff’s of� e paid for my training, and basically all my work has been for the sheriff’s ���y during the past 34 years.” This form of diving certainly isn’t for every one. He estimated 90 percent is to recover bodies. “It’s not a fun job, but it’s a necessary job. You get satisfaction if you help the fa���������” Burnham is presently the only member of the dive team, but they’re working on getting others �����“Over the years we’ve had some really wonderful people involved with this team. Whitewater work is our specialty and requires a lot of training,” he said. “Our diving is primarily in the Salmon, Lochsa, Selway, and Clearwater rivers.” He estimated that over the y ears he’s been involved in recovering between 24 and 30 bodies. One of the ���of those water recoveries was in 1987 when a DC-3 crashed in the Selway. “The Forest Service was ��ng into Moose Creek. Apparently the left motor fell off the plane, and the DC-3 went down into Moose Creek,” he said. One person survived, but the other 25 died. I was involved in that recovery.”
Back-country search and rescue is fairly frequent many months of the year. It might be hikers or huckleberry pickers getting lost, or possibly hunters losing their way in the fall. Loggers also get hurt, and they have phone numbers to call for help. “With the helicopter we can basically be anywhere within 30 minutes,” Burnham explained, so medical help can arrive quickly, even in the back country. He spends much of his time now in the helicopter or on an ATV during these back-country searches. Some turn out to be rather exciting. He told of one involving a fellow having an accident with a mule. “We ��y in a helicopter and used Idaho County Sheriff’s and Grangeville Mountain Rescue units. There were probably four different entities involved in that one rescue,” he said. The Back Country Medical Rescue team was formed in 1978, one of four in the state: Pocatello, Boise, Or��o, and Coeur d’Alene. At that time, ���� was the only team without paramedics, but they did have advanced EMTs. “We actually had more medical rescues than all three of the other teams combined,” said Burnham. “We’re also the only team still in existence. I was a charter member and the only original member from 41 years ago who is still active on a back-country team.”
DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018 • IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT
During those early y ears, the teams all trained together. That included rope training, rock climbing, and rappelling, and each group had at least training in emergency medical work. Much of the work involves helicopters rather than ambulances, so helicopter safety training was also vital. “It’s an ongoing training program,” Burnham explained. “We have a high rescue rope team right now and medics that ��with the helicopters. I’ve been up three times in just the last month on searches.” There is always at least one medic and someone good with ropes in these helicopter rescues.
Asked about rescues that stand out in his memory , Burnham mentioned two cases. “One involved a young lady who was injured with her husband and kids in the back country. It was too late in the day to use a helicopter, so we hiked in after dark. It took us six hours to get there,” he said. “We had a helicopter arrive in the morning after the fog lifted and ��y her to a hospital in Missoula. There was a TV show called Wild Survival back then. They sent a production crew out and did a recreation for the TV show, so we all got to be on TV.” “The other was a family : father, son, brother, and dad. The four were in a plane and crashed off Smith Ridge,” continued
ALL ABOUT IDAHO
PAGE 37
Burnham. He detailed how the grandpa and grandson survived the crash initially , crawled out of the plane, and curled up together. The mad died overnight, but the boy survived. “We ��yin the next morning and had a search team looking. We found him about a quarter mile away,” he said. According to the boy ’s account, he had heard a logging operation and was crawling toward that operation when Burnham’s team found him, and they ��y a physician in to help. “He had been there for a day and had some ungodly, unfortunate injuries,” said Burnham. Despite the injuries, the boy survived. “I’ll never forget those two!” ISI
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BY DIANNA TROYER With seemingly ����y patience, Carol Joy ce coiled pine needles in plaits and secured them around the rim of a gourd she had grown and dried. When ��shed, the gourd was transformed into a sturdy , decorative basket. “I’ve always been drawn to the natural beauty of gourds and pine needles,” said Joyce, treasurer of the Idaho Gourd Society. A resident of Meridian, she is not alone in transforming gourds into works of art or objects with a practical purpose, like bowls
or vases. The society, founded in 1998, has 5541 Overland Road ID 83705 about 100 members throughout the Treasure WhenBoise, you want simple, dignified, inexpensive servic (208) 322-3590 Call the Treasure Valley’s First Cremation Society Valley . They meet monthly , while local Saveyou hundreds on services and merchandise. When want simple, inexpensive services... chapters of the society, called “patches,” get together more frequently in Boise, Caldwell, CALL 322-3590 no-obligation details Save hundredsfor on Free, services and merchandise. Nampa, Meridian, and Kuna. send this coupon: Call (208) 322-3590 for details or The society offers classes and compemail this coupon for your FREE, no-obligation information. Please send me FREE information at no obligatio titions for gourd artists of all abilities and interests, from beginners to experts, and is AME Name: dedicated to the education and instruction H#Address: of those interested in gourd history, cultiCity: State: Zip: DDRESS vation, painting, crafts, and ��y gourd art. Phone: Email: “Gourd artistry is growing in popularity ITY STATE ZIP because y ou can do so much with them, Print Clearly
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IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT • DECEMBER 2017 // JANUARY 2018
ALL ABOUT IDAHO
GOURD ARTIST CAROL JOYCE HAS REFINED HER TECHNIQUES, WINNING AN AWARD FOR HER MOREL MUSHROOM SCULPTURE AT A SHOW DURING THE RECENT IDAHO GOURD SOCIETY FESTIVAL. TO MAKE THE CAPS, SHE USED SMALL BOTTLE GOURDS AND A DREMEL TOOL TO CARVE THEIR INDENTATIONS. PHOTO BY DIANNA TROYER
from craft to ��y art,” said Joyce. “Gourds can be a canvas to paint on or a medium for sculpture. You can decorate them with any thing from beads or gems to feathers. Plus, they grow in so many different sizes and shapes.” For centuries, gourds have been decorated worldwide and used for utilitarian purposes or cherished as art. They can be
carved, painted, sanded, burned, dyed, and polished. Modern gourd artists have made them into vases, lamps, baskets, birdhouses, bowls, and masks. “When I was working, I promised myself I’d learn to carve and decorate gourds when I retired and had more time,” said Joyce, who worked in �nancial administrative positions
at Boise State University for 26 years. When she retired in 2012, she kept her promise to herself. “I joined the society and have learned so much and made wonderful friendships,” she said. Since she began decorating gourds, Joyce has refined her techniques and won an award for her morel mushroom sculpture at a show during the recent Idaho Gourd Society Festival. “I used small bottle gourds for the caps and other pieces for the stems, then used a Dremel tool to carve indentations in the caps.” She recently returned from a festival where she learned how to do fancy ����L “There were also classes about mixing different compounds to add texture to the gourd. Or y ou can spray a gourd with metal paint to give the piece an aged patina appearance,” she said. Joyce began growing gourds in her garden several years ago. “If y ou don’t want to grow y our own gourds, our members usually have a few for sale, or you can order them on the Internet,” she added. She encourages people with an interest in gourd art to come to a meeting. “We have something for everyone,” she said. “There’s always some new technique to learn. I’m working on improving my carving, especially the chip carving. I’ll see where that leads me.” ISI
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ALL ABOUT IDAHO
PAGE 39
SNOW SCULPTURE. PHOTO BY HOLLY ENDERSBY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35
The Sandpoint Winter Carnival in northern Idaho has a unique focus on music of all types and runs February 16-25. Although people ���to the various outdoor events—like the ever-popular K-9 Keg Pull, and Schweitzer Ski Resort’s kid’s parade, fireworks, and snowshoeing hikes—the amazing music options are the main draw. Every day of the festival offers at least one music venue, often paired with wine, beer, and good food. Some activities are for those 21 and older, such as the Valentine’s Day Singles Speed Dating event in the Beer Hall, followed by a rousing and hilarious Cards Against Humanity tournament. At last count, 27 musical offerings are on the agenda, ranging from jazz to rock to reggae to classical. A vaudeville production,
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complete with dinner, is an event supporting the Bonner County History Museum and requires reservations, so don’t delay: it will sell out. A Parade of Lights is held on the 17th, complete with outrageous ��ts, marching groups, and, of course, snow shovel brigades. MickDuff’s Brewing Company hosts the annual Cornhole Tournament on the 18th, and the 25th features the Winter Beerfest and Pub Crawl. Pair that with wine tasting at the Pend O’Reille Winery, and you have the makings of �������������L SnoFlinga, January 18-21 in Butte, Mont., is this city’s answer to the winter blues. The town’s 400-meter outdoor skating oval, the High Altitude Skating Center, features free skating for all on Friday evening. Rental skates are available for a small fee. The next day features Elementary Kids Skate Races. The
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Homestake Lodge in nearby Whitehall is the site of free Nordic ski lessons on Saturday as well as open skiing from all day, with an afternoon snowshoe tour that meets at the lodge. The Homestake Lodge features 35 kilometers of groomed tracks, including 15 kilometers of dog-friendly skiing. The Mountain Con Mine features a 5k fun run and 1k kids run on Saturday as well. Sunday brings festival goers back to Whitehall in the morning for adult and youth Nordic racing. Skyline Park in Butte is the place to go for the Fat Bike Races and demos: if y ou haven’t tried bike riding in the snow, then be sure to check out this event. Butte’s youth hockey team, the Copper City Kings, offers hockey demonstrations and lessons throughout the weekend as well as an exhibition of curling. So, for all things snow, head to Butte and SnoFlinga! ISI
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Medicare evaluates plans based on a 5-star rating system. Star Ratings are calculated each year and may change from one year to the next. Blue Cross of Idaho Care Plus, Inc. is a Medicare Advantage health plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Blue Cross of Idaho Care Plus, Inc. depends on contract renewal. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premium and/or copayments/coinsurance may change on January 1 of each year. The formulary, pharmacy network, and/or provider network, may change at any time. You will receive notice when necessary. Not all plans are available in all areas. Blue Cross of Idaho Care Plus, Inc. complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-888-494-2583 (TTY: 1-800-377-1363).Llame al 1-888-494-2583 (TTY: 1-800-377-1363). 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言 援助服務。請致電 1-888-494-2583 (TTY: 1-800-377-1363). ©2017 Blue Cross of Idaho Care Plus, Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, with services provided by Blue Cross of Idaho.
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