Lebanon County Edition
August 2014
Vol. 9 No. 8
For the Love of Felines Councilwoman Heads Successful Feral-Cat Program By Rebecca Hanlon Maria Romano Marcinko is severely allergic to cats. The itchy skin and shortened breaths would send most people running from these critters. But Marcinko can’t stay away. The 58-year-old energetic woman founded a community stray cat program in 2010 shortly after being appointed to a seat on the borough council. The first item on the agenda that was handed to her in September 2009 was for a municipal contract with the local Humane Society. Thousands of taxpayer dollars were being spent each year for the care of stray animals. More than 85 percent of those were feral cats. “I’ve always been an animal lover,” Marcinko said. “They hoped that because I had experience in dog rescue services that maybe I could help with the overwhelming cat population.” The challenge was “staying outside of the box,” Marcinko said. She tried to understand the concerns of residents who became attached to the cats, while at the same time relating to the frustrations of neighbors who wanted strays to stay off their lawns. Feisty feral cats can damage plants, outdoor furniture, and flowerbeds, she said. But there was a solution. please see FELINES page 12 Maria Romano Marcinko stands with a couple of feral cats that will be spayed/neutered and then released where they were found.
Inside:
Ergonomic Tools that Can Ease Gardening Pains page 4
The Beach at the End of the Trail page 14
Social Security News
Is a New Social Security Card in Your Cards? By John Johnston o help combat the rising threat of fraud and identity theft, Social Security will no longer issue Social Security number printouts beginning in August 2014. If you need written confirmation of your Social Security number—perhaps your new employer needs verification— and you can’t find your Social Security card, you can apply for a replacement. But do you really need a replacement?
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In most cases, you don’t need your card as long as you know your number. For all intents and purposes, your number is your card. Usually providing your number and identifying information is enough. In the event you really do want or need a replacement card, either for yourself or for a child, you can find all of
the details you need at www.socialsecurity.gov/ ssnumber. The “Social Security Number and Card” page provides information on how to obtain a replacement card and what specific documents you need to provide. Whether you need a Social Security card for yourself or a child, it’s easy—and free—to apply for one.
But consider whether a new Social Security card is really in the cards for you. It may be that your “card” is already with you—in your head. While you’re at the website, open your free “my Social Security” account at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. It can help you plan for retirement, check your earnings history, request your Social Security statement, and more. John Johnston is a Social Security public affairs specialist.
ER vs. Clinic: Which to Choose? Hospital emergency rooms are stretched thin by almost 130 million visits a year. Many of these visits are triggered by complaints that could be handled more efficiently at same-day clinics or pharmacy care centers. How do you know which to choose? Go to the emergency room (or call an ambulance) if you or a friend experience
any of these serious symptoms:
• Sudden, severe headache
• Persistent chest pain
On the other hand, most same-day clinics are able to treat these routine health problems:
• Persistent shortness of breath • Severe pain, especially in the abdomen or the lower back • Loss of balance or fainting
• Fever (except in the case of a newborn infant)
• Difficulty speaking or thinking clearly
• Minor trauma such as cuts and sprains
• Urinary tract infections • Severe sore throat • Nausea and vomiting • Minor eye irritation A clinic will also be able to advise you to go to the emergency room if your condition is more serious than you realize.
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Resource Directory This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being. Emergency Numbers Poison Control Center (800) 222-1222
Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY
Insurance Medicare Hotline (800) 638-6833
Food Resources Food Stamps (800) 692-7462
Hospitals Good Samaritan Hospital 252 S. Fourth St., Lebanon (717) 270-7500
Legal Services Pennsylvania Bar Association (717) 238-6715
Lebanon County Christian Ministries (717) 272-4400
Medical Society of Lebanon County (717) 270-7500
Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging Meals on Wheels (717) 273-9262 Salvation Army (717) 273-2655 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020
Hotlines Energy Assistance (800) 692-7462 Environmental Protection Agency Emergency Hotline (800) 541-2050 IRS Income Tax Assistance (800) 829-1040
American Cancer Society (717) 231-4582
Medicaid (800) 692-7462
American Diabetes Association (717) 657-4310
Medicare (800) 382-1274
American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association (717) 207-4265
PA Crime Stoppers (800) 472-8477
American Lung Association (717) 541-5864 Arthritis Foundation (717) 274-0754 Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (717) 787-7500 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 Kidney Foundation (717) 652-8123 The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (717) 652-6520 Lupus Foundation (888) 215-8787 Hearing Services Melnick, Moffitt, and Mesaros 927 Russell Drive, Lebanon (717) 274-9775 www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
PennDOT (800) 932-4600 Recycling (800) 346-4242
Palmyra Senior Community Center (717) 838-8237 Senior Center of Lebanon Valley (717) 274-3451
Office of Aging Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging (717) 273-9262 Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com
Veterans Services Governor’s Veterans Outreach (717) 234-1681 Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771 Volunteer Opportunities
Retirement Communities StoneRidge Retirement Living 440 East Lincoln Ave., Myerstown (717) 866-3204 Senior Centers Annville Senior Community Center (717) 867-1796
RSVP of Capital Region, Inc. (717) 847-1539 RSVP Lancaster County (717) 847-1539 RSVP Lebanon County (717) 454-8956 RSVP York County (443) 619-3842
Maple Street Senior Community Center (717) 273-1048 Myerstown Senior Community Center (717) 866-6786
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
Northern Lebanon County Senior Community Center (717) 865-0944
Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (800) 827-1000 Housing Assistance Housing Assistance & Resources Program (HARP) (717) 273-9328
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Ergonomic Tools that Can Ease Gardening Pains Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good ergonomic gardening gear for seniors? I am a 72-year-old who loves to work in the garden, but I have been plagued by various gardening injuries this year. – Looking for Solutions Dear Looking, There’s no doubt that gardening can be tough on an aging body. Garden work often requires a lot of repetitive stooping, squatting, kneeling, gripping, and lifting, which can lead to back and knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and various other injuries. To help make your gardening chores a little easier is a slew of new and improved gardening gear that’s lightweight, comfortable to use, and ergonomically designed to help protect your body from the physical strains of gardening. Here are several that can help.
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Foundation’s Ease of Use Commendation because of their patented PowerGear mechanisms that increase leverage to make cutting three times easier than traditional pruners. The Fiskars PowerGear hand pruners, loppers, and hedge shears all run between $25 and $48. Bahco and Corona also make a nice line of ergonomic pruning tools and handsaws that you can see at www.bahcostore.com or www.coronatoolsusa.com.
Watering: To help make your watering chores a little easier, there are lightweight garden hoses, soaker or drip hoses that can be snaked throughout the garden, and hose chests that can automatically rewind themselves. Some good companies that make these products include Water Right Inc. (www.waterrightinc.com), which makes a variety of super lightweight garden and coil hoses; the DIG Corp. (www.digcorp.com), which makes convenient drip-irrigation kits and micro sprinkler kits; and Suncast (www.suncast.com), the A raised garden table is an option for more leading maker of self-winding ergonomic gardening (Your Garden Solution). hose reels and hose carts.
CIRCULATION PROJECT COORDINATOR Loren Gochnauer
cultivator, and trowel) and shovels that run between $10 and $50. And check out Corona tools (www.coronatoolsusa.com), which makes the ComfortGEL and eGrip hand garden tools. Another excellent product is the “Cobrahead Weeder and Cultivator” (www.cobrahead.com), an all-purpose digging and weeding tool, available in a short-handle version for closeup work for $25 and a long handle for standing work for $60.
Gloves: There are a number of specially designed gloves that can improve your grip and protect your hands while you work. Two of the best are the “Atlas Nitrile Touch Garden Gloves” (available at Amazon.com for less than $6), which are coated with a flexible, synthetic rubber. And the “ReliefGrip Gardening” gloves (www.bionicgloves.com, $35) have extra padding in the palm and finger joints, which can improve grip and cause fewer calluses and blisters. Digging tools: There are ergonomic tools that can help protect your wrists by reducing the bending and twisting wrist movement that often comes with digging and weeding. Some good options include Radius Garden tools (www.radius garden.com), which make a variety of curved-handle hand tools (scooper, weeder, transplanter, S
Knee and back aids: Kneepads and garden seats can also protect your knees and save your back when working close to the ground. Some popular products sold today through the Gardener’s Supply Company (www.gardeners. com) are the “GardenEase Kneeler” ($70), which is a kneeling pad with support handles; the “Garden Kneeler” ($35) that’s a kneepad/garden bench combo; and the “Deluxe Tractor Scoot with Bucket Basket,” which is a heightadjustable, swivel garden seat on wheels ($90). Pruning tools: Fiskars (www.fiskars.com) makes some of the finest ergonomic pruning tools that have also earned the Arthritis
Container gardening: Raised garden beds, trellises, and container gardening are also easier ways to grow plants and flowers because it brings the garden to you, eliminating most stooping, squatting, and kneeling. The Gardener’s Supply Company (www.gardeners.com) offers a wide range of raised beds and garden containers at prices ranging anywhere between $10 up to $350. Locally, Your Garden Solution (www.yourgardensolution.org, (717) 919-1010) offers raised beds and garden tables in a similar price range. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org
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Older But Not Wiser
There’s a New Heartthrob in Town Sy Rosen Summer then made a sound, “boeleebboobbaa,” and everyone turned toward her. Finally, Ramon decided it was time to stop fooling around. He had to establish his superiority. He had to squash Summer and once again become the King of Assisted Living. And he tried to do it by playing “Bolero.” That’s right— he was going for the tango! And he didn’t just play “Bolero.” He also grabbed one of the ladies from her seat and somehow danced with her while keeping his accordion at full blast. Everyone was watching. And then Summer did something
miraculous. She yelped, “Whoooo, whooooo” and wiggled her body as though she were dancing. Game. Set. Match. Summer had defeated Ramon. She had clearly become the Queen of Assisted Living. And Ramon had no choice but to acknowledge her superiority and decided, “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” He danced over to Summer while playing “You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby.” All eyes were now on Summer and Ramon. But really, they were just looking at Summer. All hail the queen.
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unison and watched my granddaughter with her great-grandmother. Ramon was momentarily forgotten. The heartthrob had been replaced. So what could the accordion player do? Of course he stepped up his game to recapture the audience. Nobody was going to steal his thunder. He started to play faster and louder as he bounced around the room, desperately trying to get everyone’s attention. He played “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and “Great Balls of Fire.” Both songs were crowd pleasers and the seniors turned toward him, but then Summer would giggle and audience turned back to her. It was like the seniors were watching a championship pingpong match, their heads turning right and left. Ramon played his accordion faster and faster. He would crescendo and decrescendo. Everyone stared at him. Summer would answer with a coo and a gurgle, and everyone would then stare at her. Ramon’s fingers were now flying across the accordion. And then he did something he hadn’t done in years: a quadruple bellow shake. In the space of one beat, he hit a note four times. It was breathtaking, and everyone watched him.
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his story begins on a Sunday afternoon in my mom’s assisted living facility. An accordion player, Ramon, comes every week. He is 50, good looking, and Latin and is the heartthrob of the facility—and he definitely knows it. He struts, he prances, he winks, and the ladies all put on an extra dab of rouge when Ramon is there. Lately, however, Ramon seems bored and is just going through the motions, like he would rather be somewhere else. When he played his half-hearted version of “You Send Me,” he was really sending everyone to sleep. I was sitting next to my mom, and I could see that half of the seniors in the lobby were dozing, but Ramon didn’t seem to care. He knew he was the only game in town. And then the game changed! My daughter Ann arrived with her 8-monthold baby, Summer. My granddaughter looked gorgeous. Even at 8 months she was making a real fashion statement with her bow matching her outfit. Ann put my granddaughter in my mom’s lap. And there they sat, both of them smiling away. And then a strange thing happened. All 60 gray heads in the lobby turned in
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CCRCs offer a tiered approach to the aging process, accommodating residents’ unique and often changing needs.
CCRC
Healthy adults entering a CRCC are able to live independently in a home, apartment, or condominium of their own within the community. When assistance with everyday activities becomes necessary, they can move into personal care, assisted living, rehabilitation, or nursing care facilities. Some CCRCs have designated dementia areas within the community. These units address the progressing needs of people who have any form of dementia.
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
With a wealth of available resources, these communities give older adults the option to live in one location for the duration of their lives, with much of their future care already figured out — which equals both comfort and peace of mind.
Bethany Village 325 Wesley Drive Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 Stephanie Lightfoot Director of Sales & Marketing (717) 766-0279 www.bethanyvillage.org
Church of God Home 801 North Hanover Street Carlisle, PA 17013 Sherry Heim Director of Development/PR (717) 866-3204 sherry.heim@ndccs.com www.churchofgodhome.org
Calvary Fellowship Homes
Chapel Pointe at Carlisle
502 Elizabeth Drive Lancaster, PA 17601 Marlene Morris Marketing Director (717) 393-0711 www.calvaryhomes.org
770 South Hanover Street Carlisle, PA 17013 Linda Amsley Director of Marketing/Admissions (717) 713-2201 www.chapelpointe.com
Cross Keys Village The Brethren Home Community
Garden Spot Village
2990 Carlisle Pike New Oxford, PA 17350 Amy Kirkpatrick Senior Retirement Counselor (717) 624-5350 a.kirkpatrick@crosskeysvillage.org www.crosskeysvillage.org
433 South Kinzer Avenue New Holland, PA 17557 Megan Farber Sales and Marketing (717) 355-6290 mfarber@gardenspotvillage.org www.gardenspotvillage.org
The CCRC Communities listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.
Salute to a Veteran
In WWII in the Pacific, There Was a Lot of Water to Fly Over Between Islands Robert D. Wilcox harles Wilson grew up in a small town near Bel Air, Md. Though he didn’t know it then, he was to spend a lot of time over the broad Pacific on the opposite side of the world from his home. In January of 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and entered the aviation cadet program. After basic, he went to classified, where he passed all the requirements to become either a pilot, a navigator, or a bombardier. He chose to become a pilot and started pilot training at Albany, Ga. He soon discovered that there were
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lots of ways to “wash out” of pilot training, and he then went to navigator training at Selma, Ala. There, in December 1943, he won his navigator wings and a commission as second lieutenant. The Air Corps was looking for navigators who had also qualified to be bombardiers, so he volunteered to attend bombardier school at
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2LT Charles A. Wilson in 1943 as he earned his navigator wings and commission.
Roswell, N.M. He there earned his bombardier wings before being assigned to a B-25 crew at Greenville, S.C. The standard B-25 crew was made up of eight men: pilot, copilot, navigator, bombardier, radio man, two waist gunners, and a tail gunner. In his case, however, it was only seven men, since he served as both navigator
and bombardier. Their route to combat took them to California, Hawaii, and New Guinea. How did they find their way across those great expanses of the Pacific? “That’s where I came in,” he grins. “By looking down through the Norden bombsight, I could see the waves, and that helped me estimate the direction and force of the wind.” And where did he learn to do that? “In Selma,” he says, “right out of the textbook.” But without any real waves to see? “Yeah,” he says airily, “but it worked www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Homestead Village
Homeland Center
CCRC
1901 North Fifth Street Harrisburg, PA 17102-1598 Barry S. Ramper II, N.H.A. President/CEO (717) 221-7902 www.homelandcenter.org
Enhanced Senior Living 1800 Marietta Avenue P.O. Box 3227 Lancaster, PA 17604-3227 Susan L. Doyle Director of Marketing (717) 397-4831 ext. 158 www.homesteadvillage.org
The Middletown Home
Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community
St. Anne’s Retirement Community
1700 Normandie Drive York, PA 17408 Joyce Singer Director of Sales & Marketing (717) 718-0937 www.normandieridge.org
3952 Columbia Avenue West Hempfield Township, PA 17512 Christina Gallagher Director of Marketing (717) 285-5443 cgallagher@stannesrc.org www.stannesretirementcommunity.com
Serving from the 999 West Harrisburg Pike Heart in the Spirit of Friendship, Love, Middletown, PA 17057 and Truth Andrea Henney Director of Residential Services (717) 944-3351 www.MiddletownHome.org
Willow Valley Communities 600 Willow Valley Square Lancaster, PA 17602 Kristin Hambleton Director of Sales (717) 464-6800 (800) 770-5445 www.willowvalleycommunities.org
Woodcrest Villa Mennonite Home Communities 2001 Harrisburg Pike Lancaster, PA 17601 Connie Buckwalter Director of Marketing (717) 390-4126 www.woodcrestvilla.org
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
If you would like to be featured on this important page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.
The CCRC Communities listed are sponsoring this message. This is not an all-inclusive list.
out just fine when you had real waves to look at. And,” he adds, “I was able to ‘shoot the sun’ to judge our speed over the water.” With a smile, he says, “It had to work, because I didn’t even know how to swim.” After bombing the Japanese on New Guinea and nearby islands, he and his crew were relocated to Morotai Island, where it rained for a solid month. Everything—their clothing, their bedding, everything they had—was continually soaked. Although they flew missions through the weather, everybody got “jungle rot.” Their hands swelled up with the tropical infection so that they couldn’t even write. Fortunately, the medics had an ointment to treat it, but it was an experience that Wilson would prefer to forget. The crew moved again, this time to Palawan Island in the Philippines, where www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
they bombed Luzon and nearby islands. Wilson says all the island settlements were on the edge of islands, close to the water. So they would circle over the land, then, at treetop height, drop bombs on the facilities on their way toward the water so that, if they were hit, they’d be able to ditch in the water rather than crash on the land in Japanese hands. Not all missions involved bombs, though. The Japanese planted crops on some of the islands they captured. The food they produced was needed, because re-supply from Japan was so precarious. Wilson remembers flying missions to spray those crops with oil and destroy them. On another kind of mission entirely, their B-25s were fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks, and they flew a 16-hour mission, leading P-38s to a rendezvous with B-24s off the coast of China,
aircraft that went on to bomb Japanese bases in China. On one other key mission, they were to fly to Leyte Island to cover General MacArthur’s return to the Philippines. They ran into a huge monsoon they tried to climb over, but every time they neared the top of the clouds, they found that the clouds were climbing faster than they were. So they had to abort their shot at history being made. Did he ever get shot up in combat? “No,” he says. “The closest we came was when we were supporting the invasion of Borneo. I saw the B-25 to the left of us go down in flames. Then the same thing happened to the plane to the right of us. But we came through it without a scratch. “Then, after I had flown 53 missions, my tour was over, and I returned to the U.S. on a converted ocean liner. Just before we reached California, we got
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news that the A-bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima. And the news that the Japanese had surrendered reached us on the day that I mustered out of the Air Corps at Fort Meade.” Wilson then entered the University of Maryland on the G.I. Bill and in 1950 graduated with a B.A. in mathematics. He taught high school mathematics for a couple of years, and then worked for three years at Aberdeen Proving Grounds using wind tunnels to study the effect of wind on missiles. For many years thereafter, he wrote computer programs for a major finance company. He often thinks of—but rarely discusses—all those hours he flew in the Pacific with nothing below him but water. Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II. S
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Deal Me In By Mark Pilarski
The Casino Returning Lost Loot is a No-Brainer Dear Mark: Your recent column about someone who found credits in a slot machine brought to mind an incident that happened to me a few weeks ago at the MGM Grand in Detroit. I accidentally left my $97 voucher on the bar. When I came back from the restroom, it was gone. I reported my loss to security. Within an hour, they caught someone on “the eye in the sky” cashing the ticket in. This is one time that I lost my money at a casino and they gave me my money back. – James B. Contrary to some mailbag response that didn’t quite believe what a casino does with the left-behind credits or vouchers, I must reiterate, it really isn’t smart customer service for a casino to pocket lost loot.
Returning player winnings to its rightful owner is one of many ways a casino builds on customer loyalty. Heck, handing a player $97 that justly belongs to him can keep him yanking handles in their casino for life. From the casino’s perspective, customer loyalty comes through having a strong relationship with its players. When a player sees them as a friend and ally, they are reluctant to jump ship to another casino, even if it means they can get a sweeter deal elsewhere. Given the competitive nature of the gambling business, casinos protect their
customers as a mother bear does her cubs. Customers will decide whether to trust a casino based upon their day-today behavior. Handing you back your $97 builds on that trust. Make that type of behavior consistent over time— and here is where many casinos fall short—and the management knows you can be counted on as “their” patron. If their behavior becomes unpredictable, you, the consumer, will find another joint to which you take your money. James, getting your $97 back was a no-brainer for the casino. Dear Mark: Are you aware of a good video poker program that will run on a Macintosh laptop? I had Bob Dancer’s program on my old PC, which I liked a lot, but it is not available in a Mac version. I would like to find a similar product, but I am not having any luck. – Charlie P. Unfortunately, Charlie, though I have been in the Mac world since its infancy, I too have yet to find software comparable to Dancer’s Video Poker for Winners! It is
specifically for that reason that I keep an old PC laptop lying around, as you should too. Besides using VP for Winners! as a video poker game that replicates the IGT machines you see in a casino, you can also use it as a tutorial, create strategies, focus on problem areas, check unusual hands, figure slot club paybacks, and a whole lot more. One of my favorite features of this software program is the ability to print out game-specific strategy charts that you can take to the casino with you. The money you save by never having to pay for another strategy chart alone will more than pay for the cost of the $50 program. In addition, I like that VPW allows you to change pay tables and then analyze that game’s overall expected return. Finally, I like the ability to determine what your bankroll needs are to avoid going broke. There is no better way to master video poker than with this software program. I recommend, Charlie, that you stick with it. Gambling Wisdom of the Week: “To be a winner, you have to really want to be a winner.” – Avery Cardoza, How to Play Winning Poker (1987) Mark Pilarski is a recognized authority on casino gambling, having survived 18 years in the casino trenches. Pilarski is the creator of the bestselling, award-winning audio book series on casino gambling, Hooked on Winning. www.markpilarski.com
Howard B. Melnick, MD • John J. Moffitt, MD Glen J. Mesaros, MD • Donald Short, M.A., FAAA • Sharon K. Hughes, M.S., CCC-A 8
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Does Your Marketing Reach Active, Affluent Boomers & Seniors?
Such is Life
Finding a Family Again Saralee Perel
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November 5, 2014 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Spooky Nook Sports 2913 Spooky Nook Road, Manheim (Just off Rt. 283 at the Salunga exit)
Exhibitors • Health Screenings • Seminars Entertainment • Door Prizes
Why Participate? It’s the premier event for baby boomers, caregivers, and seniors in Lancaster County • Face-to-face interaction with 3,000+ attendees • Strengthen brand recognition/launch new products
For sponsorship and exhibitor information:
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he letter began: “Dear Saralee, the love she so deeply longed for. When I’ll get right to it. We are I told Robin that Mom ended her own cousins.” life, she was not surprised. When I first read Robin’s words, I And so, Aunt Rebecca and her didn’t believe her. How could I have a husband, my uncle Jack, were included first cousin I knew nothing about? in the sad picture of estranged relatives. She found me by Googling my name. Therefore, I had no idea Robin “I would love to speak with you and existed—until now. share family memories,” she wrote. So I Sadly, everyone, other than my called her at her home in Pennsylvania. brother, stopped talking with me when Sure enough, her mother was my they gave up on my mom. Although I’ve Aunt Rebecca. I never even knew my tried to reconnect, no one has aunt had a child. responded. But now, I’ve been accepted When Robin and I spoke, it was like into a new family, with all the richness talking to a sister. We used that goes along with feeling the same expressions, welcomed by loved ones laughed and cried alike, with a shared past. related like we’d never In her first email, Robin been apart, and even wrote, “I was awake all last described ourselves in the night thinking of us. I find same goofy way: as it unbelievable but lunatics. wonderful and astounding! Her children’s careers If you tried to write it, they are in writing and would call it fiction.” psychology, just like my I said, “I’m so happy professions. We both sign you found me.” our emails: “Love, me.” “So am I.” Saralee and her mother And we each include our My mother would have in 1977. dogs in the family photos treasured being a part of we send. this extraordinary reunion. Together, we figured out why we After all, the love I found is all she ever never knew each other existed. wanted. I haven’t thought about my mother’s The truth is—my mother loved me melancholia in a while. Oh, how I as intensely as I loved her. blame myself for waiting until it was too If only I had said, “I love you, Mom. late to make things better. I didn’t mean to hurt you so much, Mom’s history was one of neglect and especially when I left for college. You abuse. She wanted so desperately to be never meant to hurt me. You just loved, but her fury at her parents was wanted me to always be with you unrelenting. So she took it out on the because you loved me in the purest most important people in her world— sense. I should have known this.” the ones she held closest to her heart. I wish I had told her that even Most of her family wouldn’t speak to though we didn’t shop, talk on the her. She didn’t understand that by phone, or share secrets and laughter the constantly hanging up on relatives after way many mothers and daughters do, shouting at them, they’d stop calling. we still loved each other profoundly—as She didn’t understand that being strongly as rivers can flow and birds can mean didn’t solve problems; it just soar. alienated people. Maybe, oh maybe, somewhere in her And I didn’t understand that when tender, aching heart, she knew. Mom slammed her door each time I’d leave, it was because she wanted me Saralee Perel is an award-winning, nationally nearby, in her home and in her heart. syndicated columnist. Her new book is My poor mother crippled her own Cracked Nuts & Sentimental Journeys: Stories life when all she truly wanted was the From a Life Out of Balance. To find out closeness she never had. How immature more, visit www.saraleeperel.com or email and selfish of me, as an adult, not to see sperel@saraleeperel.com. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Nostalgia Road
When I Was Your Age Dick Dedrick ll I have to do to get my grandkids’ eyes rolling is talk about the good old days. No, I don’t tell ’em how far I walked to school (school was only a block away). But I might say I remember when, if you wanted to change channels on the TV, you had to get up, walk over, and turn a knob. Then I’ll tell them how you had to adjust the rabbit ears to get a better picture. They’re not curious enough to
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ask me what rabbit ears were, or how great The Colgate Comedy Hour was. They don’t care. They don’t care if I never had a telephone that took pictures. Or how we’d send film into Kodak and get prints back in a week. They’re too busy texting. And they never heard of Kodak. I remember when
text was not a verb and texting was not a word. Yes, I have a cell phone. I’m not a Luddite. “Does it have a crank on it?” you’re probably asking. No, it doesn’t. It’s a TracFone. No, it’s not smart, but it only costs me $7 a month. When you’re on a fixed income (a euphemism for being broke), things like that matter.
I have given up on getting my grandkids to join me in a game of checkers, dominos, or pickup sticks. But I’ve learned to get their attention by asking them to show me their latest video game—a game that interests me about as much as my games interest them. We do have that in common. Visit www.nostalgiaroad.com
Calendar of Events
Lebanon County
Programs and Support Groups
Free and open to the public
Aug. 27, 6 to 7 p.m. – Personal Care Family Support Group Linden Village 100 Tuck Court, Lebanon (717) 274-7400
Annville Senior Community Center – (717) 867-1796 200 S. White Oak St., Annville Aug. 13, 12:30 p.m. – Applause Summer Music Revue at the Timbers Aug. 18, 10:30 a.m. – Planning Committee Meeting Aug. 20, 11:30 a.m. – Calendar Mailing List, Stromboli and Salad Lunch
Lebanon County Department of Parks and Recreation All events held at the Park at Governor Dick unless noted. Aug. 3, 1 to 4 p.m. – Music on the Porch: Bluegrass and Country Music Jam Aug. 10, 2 p.m. – A Whisper Walk Aug. 24, 1:30 p.m. – The Art of Coal Making
What’s Happening? Give Us the Scoop! Please send us your press releases so we can let our readers know about free events occurring in Lebanon County! Email preferred to: mjoyce@onlinepub.com
Let
Senior Center Activities
help you get the word out! (717) 285-1350
Maple Street Community Center – (717) 273-1048 710 Maple St., Lebanon Aug. 8, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Bus Trip: New Freedom Train Ride Lunch at Brown’s Orchard Aug. 22, 10:30 a.m. – Crochet Necklace for Craft Aug. 27, 10:30 a.m. – Summer Fling Covered Dish Myerstown Senior Community Center – (717) 866-6786 Myerstown Baptist Church, 59 Ramona Road, Myerstown Aug. 5, 11:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Bus Trip: American Music Theatre Aug. 20, noon – Everybody’s Birthday Party Aug. 27, 27, 7:45 a.m. – Breakfast Club at Kold Duck Café Northern Lebanon Senior Community Center – (717) 865-0944 335 N. Lancaster St., Jonestown – www.jonestownpa.org/senior.html Aug. 11, 12:15 p.m. – Farm Market Bingo Aug. 12, 10:45 a.m. – Art History Presentation: Paul Cezanne Aug. 22, 9:30 a.m. – Computer Class: Lesson One, “The Very Basics” Palmyra Senior Community Center – (717) 838-8237 101 S. Railroad St., Palmyra Aug. 7, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – Bus Trip: Middletown Train Ride and Hobo Lunch Aug. 15, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Bus Trip: “Spirit of Philadelphia” Lunch Cruise Aug. 20, 10:30 a.m. – Left-Handers Information and Discussion Please contact your local center for scheduled activities.
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FELINES
Help 50plus Senior News spread your local news! Everyone likes to read good news, so tell us what’s happening in your part of the world so we can share it with others! Here are some ideas of what we hope you will contribute:
• a birthday or anniversary milestone • a volunteer who should be recognized • a photo of a smile that begs to be shared • a groundbreaking event • community activities • support programs • local news
We would love to consider your submission for an upcoming issue of 50plus Senior News*. Please note: submissions must be received by the 10th of the month prior to insertion. * Submissions will be included as space permits.
For more information or to submit your happenings, email Megan Joyce at mjoyce@onlinepub.com or mail to: 50plus Senior News Megan Joyce 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512
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from page 1
In just months, Marcinko would has been a big supporter, allowing them become closer to the felines that caused to renovate an old bank for the surgeries. her to sniffle. In about four years, the town saved To solve the problem of wasted tax enough money to hire two police dollars and control the growing cat officers. Marcinko, who retired from colonies, Marcinko adopted a popular county parole and probation, is able to track, spay/neuter, and return program. get 200 community service hours a Marcinko and a crew of volunteers took month from people going through the a personal approach. They develop system for non-violent crimes. relationships with those who feed and Some of them have been doctors, come to love the stray cats. lawyers, and even veterinarians who Their first case was a woman pleading return to help even after completing for help with the 50 cats who had their required community service hours. congregated in And even her yard. It though the started when program her little boy primarily didn’t like the caters to crust on his controlling the peanut butter population, and jelly Marcinko can’t sandwiches. resist helping a Tossing the hurt cat. scraps out in Sometimes the yard for the cats come the birds to the clinic In a single midsummer day, more than ended up with broken 70 feral cats await care from volunteer attracting a tails or missing veterinarians inside the program’s facility. stray cat. The eyes from family fights within continued to feed it but soon found they the colonies. Pregnant cats might also be had attracted an entire colony of hungry sent to the Humane Society, so the felines. kittens have a chance at avoiding the What seemed like a cute way to help feral life. one feral cat turned into an More than 3,300 cats have been overwhelming population of hungry spayed or neutered since 2010, causing felines. the local population to drop by about 75 While they want the problem fixed, percent in that time. the last thing on their minds was hurting “I feel really alive when I do this,” she the animals. said. “None of us is getting younger, but “Most of these people are older and I hope I can continue to do this, they don’t have anything else,” she said. continue to help the community, even as “I used to take my business card and I age.” throw it in a mailbox and run, hoping While the program avoids adopting that they would call me. It’s a program the cats (most wouldn’t be happy in a that requires a lot of patience and home anyway, Marcinko said), the love understanding.” for these animals is evident. Marcinko learned to pour out “The reason why this program keeps compassion for the people who longed to going is because people love it,” help the animals but didn’t want to lose Marcinko said. “Even when I’m in there them. with my mask on, trying not to handle Entire colonies are taken to the them, there is love.” designated clinic at the caretaker’s Not the type to sit at home in her permission. retirement, Marcinko hopes she can “You can’t just take one or two at a continue to keep busy with the cat time,” Marcinko said. “It doesn’t work to program and maybe watch it be adopted let everyone else stay behind to have fun by other municipalities. and make more cats.” “My mother is 94 years old and lives They are then spayed or neutered by a by herself, and we travel together,” volunteer veterinarian, kept for several Marcinko said. “I’m just hoping I have days to recover, and released where they her blood and can keep doing this as were found. long as she keeps running circles around Grant money and donations pay for me.” the medical care, while volunteers shell For more information about out hundreds of hours a month to keep Marcinko’s stray cat program, please call the program running. PetSmart Charities (717) 877-4146. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 14
WORD SEARCH
Across
SUDOKU
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Traveltizers
Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel
The Beach at the End of the Trail well as pedal the Promenade, a 1.5-mile concrete path that runs parallel to the sea. ewis and Clark traveled There, at the point where the more than 4,000 miles Prom intersects Broadway, is the searching for a water bronze statue of the two route that would span the explorers. It’s larger than life, as American West. Where did they befits the men it depicts, and is end up? On a small stretch of backed with a sign that reads, sand near Seaside, Ore., 80 “the END of the LEWIS & miles west of Portland. CLARK trail, 1805-1806.” Today Seaside is a popular The next morning we set out recreational community, to learn why and how Seaside attracting visitors who want A bronze statue of Lewis and People relax on the bench near the Men from the Lewis and Clark surf-perfect waves, abundant Clark stands near the beach in Promenade, the 1.5-mile concrete expedition first spotted the Pacific became the last stop of the tide pools, good hiking, and the Seaside, Ore. walkway that parallels the beach. Ocean near Cape Disappointment. Lewis and Clark expedition. We begin at Cape chance to follow the Lewis and Disappointment, 30 miles Clark Corps of Discovery dubbed “one of America’s top 10 soups” stores, many of which are arranged northwest of Seaside. during the last days of their journey to at Norma’s. around an old-fashioned merry-go“Since this is one of the foggiest the Pacific. To work off the calories, we go to round in the aptly named Carousel My husband and I walk through places in the country, it’s almost certain Wheel Fun Rentals, where we debate Mall. town, heading toward a bronze statue that you’re having the same weather as Of course, we intersperse our whether to rent a surrey (elegant), a that immortalizes the area’s flirt with did the Lewis and Clark team,” says a meanderings with food—a fish taco at tandem bike (easy, especially for me), or fame. The streets are filled with people. ranger. “But they were too elated to Firehouse Grill, homemade root beer a regular bicycle (exercise for both of us). Some are simply strolling, enjoying worry about the weather; they had and ice cream at Flashback’s, and a cup We finally opt for bikes so we can the sea-fresh air, while others are finally reached the Pacific Ocean.” of the clam chowder that Bon Appétit explore areas on the outskirts of town as shopping in an eclectic assortment of We forego the beachcombing for By Andrea Gross
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which the 1,900-acre park is famous, Tillamook Head “the steepest, worst & instead spending our time at the highest mountain I ever ascended.” interpretive center and hiking a trail that Figuring that he was undoubtedly in was used by the corpsmen as they better shape than we are, we hop in the explored the area. car for a 15Although the minute drive to men were eager to Ecola. From there return home after it’s a achieving their comparatively goal, many a easy trek to the snow-covered beached whale mountain stood site. between the But the men Pacific Ocean and not only had to their starting get food, they also point in St. Louis. had to preserve it; They needed a and to do that, An old-fashioned merry-go-round replete hunkering place they had to with 24 fanciful animals dominates the for the winter, extract salt from Carousel Mall. and they found a the ocean. suitable spot on Therefore, five the Oregon side corpsmen of the Columbia established a small River, midway outpost on a between the Cape nearby beach. and Seaside. They made ovens Today that from rocks, found spot, Fort branches for fuel, Clatsop, is a and boiled National seawater for two Historical Park months, that features a collecting enough Fort Clatsop consisted of two rows of huts full-size replica of preservative to separated by a central gathering spot. the original fort, safeguard their ranger-led food for the rest programs, an of their trip. exhibit area, and a A month later bookstore that the corps headed will please even east, and the the most devoted abandoned salt Lewis and Clark works thus fans. became the As we walk expedition’s through the fort, westernmost a costumed campsite. Today Broadway Street is a perfect place to shop, interpreter the reconstructed snack, or just have a relaxing stroll. explains what life site is just a few was like during blocks from the the winter of statue that 1805-06. In short, proclaims Seaside it was hard. The as the end of the men were almost Lewis and Clark out of food, and trail. they spent much We sit on the of their time Prom, the ocean hunting elk, deer, in front of us, the and small game. statue behind us. On one While I suspect occasion, hearing Lewis and Clark Tillamook Head is at the southern end of Seaside Beach. that a whale had were happy to washed ashore, return home, they they hiked over couldn’t have Tillamook Head to the beach in what is found a more beautiful place to end their now Ecola State Park. To their dismay, by journey. the time they arrived, the American As for us, we’d like to stay forever. Indians had picked the whale clean. www.seasideor.com We consider following the explorers’ Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; footsteps until we read that Clark called story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com). www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
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Veterans’ expo and Job Fair H November 14, 2014 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Eden Resort 222 Eden Road, Lancaster
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Good Samaritan endoscopy services.
Recognized for quality and safety. The GSH Outpatient Surgery Center has been recognized by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) for promoting quality in endoscopy. Endoscopy allows specially-trained physicians to view and treat the gastrointestinal system using flexible, thin tubes called endoscopes. There are many types of endoscopy including colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, gastroscopy, enteroscopy and esophogogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). To receive this recognition, Good Samaritan demonstrated our commitment to patient safety and quality in endoscopy by meeting the ASGE’s rigorous criteria regarding infection control principles, staff competency assessments and patient satisfaction. When your doctor recommends endoscopy or colonoscopy, trust the nationally-recognized GSH Outpatient Surgery Center staff for quality and safety in endoscopy. That’s powerful medicine and comforting care. Only at Good Samaritan.
830 Tuck Street, Lebanon | 717.228.1620 | comfortingcare.org 16
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