York County Edition
December 2013
Vol. 14 No. 12
A Colorful Marriage On Canvas and Off Couple Blends Artistic and Domestic Living By Alicia Morrissey Something about Barbara Pillette caught Robert Buchanan’s eye at an art show in Mount Gretna in 1981. Maybe it was her beautiful artwork, or perhaps it was her kind smile. Either way, neither of them had any idea what was in store for them at the moment their eyes locked. “She was in one booth and I was in another,” Robert reminisced. “I helped her carry her work out to her car.” After that sweet gesture, Robert and Barbara began dating, despite the two-hour commute it took to see each other. A couple of years later, they tied the knot. After that, the two artists had to figure out how to mesh not only their lives, but also their artistic styles and habits. “I always have to have music on—Barb doesn’t,” Robert said. “I enjoy music, but I do like complete quiet,” Barbara agreed. Laughing, Robert added, “Barb cooperates. She just acquiesces.” Despite their differing preferences for work environment, Robert and Barbara, who live in Mount Wolf, have found they coexist quite well. They both continued to thrive in their artwork, often asking each other advice on please see CANVAS page 18 Robert and Barbara Buchanan in the studio in their home.
Inside:
Salute to a Veteran page 10
Chicago’s Christmas Magic page 14
NurseNews
Mohs Method a Viable Option for Skin-Cancer Surgery Gloria May, M.S., R.N., CHES
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wound, and then sends the whole section necessary and thus he may have been left to a pathologist. with a cosmetically unsatisfying result. That specialist examines it under a Here’s where the Mohs surgical method microscope and then, weeks later, sends comes in. the surgeon a “path This specialized report” that ideally procedure isn’t some This procedure is a shows that the new kid on the “margins are clear.” slower process, but it surgical block. It was Only then can the developed in the leads to a very high surgeon confidently 1930s by Dr. Frederic tell the patient, “I cure rate and a better Mohs, but as its use got it all.” today is limited to cosmetic result. The problem with skin cancers, it isn’t this traditional twowell known among step method is that not only does the the general public. patient have to wait weeks to find out if A Mohs-trained surgeon is also skilled the surgery was successful, but there is in pathology, and he himself is able to also the potential for two unfavorable examine the tissue he has removed. This outcomes: The patient may have to means he can make make sure, right there undergo further surgery because the on the spot, that he took out enough to surgeon didn’t, in fact, remove all the give the patient a very high probability of involved area, or the patient may have a cure, and it also means he can see when had a larger area removed than was really to stop before he takes too much around
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y friend Mike is a working actor, so when a suspiciouslooking growth on his cheek, up near his right eye, was diagnosed as a form of skin cancer, and his doctor told him it had to be removed, Mike was understandably out of his mind with worry. His face, after all, is a big part of his ability to earn a living, and he was “not ready to play monsters or slasher victims,” he said. Mike asked me if I knew anything about what he thought was a “moze.” He said he remembered his doctor said something that sounded like that, but that at the time, Mike was just not listening and now was embarrassed to have to ask the doctor to repeat himself. Whenever a bump or lump or any area of damaged tissue needs to be taken out, the surgeon also removes some of the surrounding area as well, closes the
the target area. This procedure is a slower process (slice by slice, so to speak), but it leads to a very high cure rate and a better cosmetic result. While the same surgeon can do the closing, sew up the area, and even evaluate the area, many times a plastic (reconstructive) surgeon comes in to assist, especially on areas involving the lips or the nose, areas with curves and folds. This often leads to an even better result. Mohs is not for every kind of skin cancer, and that’s something your doctor can explain. However, the Mohs procedure is certainly an approach that is worth discussing, and not just for those for whom “their faces are their fortunes,” as they say. Gloria May is a registered nurse with a master’s degree in adult health education and a Certified Health Education Specialist designation.
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December 2013
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The Green Mountain Gardener
Herbs with a Holiday History Dr. Leonard Perry lthough any aromatic herb is ideal for holiday decorations, wreaths, and table centerpieces, four have biblical links with Christmas. Many crafts shops and florists carry these dried herb plants along with the baskets, bowls, and other trimmings needed for decorating. You may find live, cut sprigs of them at florists and garden stores during the holidays, perhaps even plants in pots. English pennyroyal, a perennial herb, was said to have been placed in the manger on the night of the Christ child’s birth and burst into bloom the moment the child was born.
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English pennyroyal adds a fragrant aroma to wreaths but can be toxic if ingested, so keep out of reach of pets and children. It is often used in potpourri and cosmetics and is native to southern Europe and western Asia. Rosemary is one of the most beautiful and fragrant of the seasonal herbs. According to folklore, rosemary will bring happiness for the coming year to anyone who smells it on Christmas Eve.
Resource Directory
During the flight into Egypt, Mary is said to have spread her child’s garments on a rosemary plant to dry. The flowers, originally white, turned blue and acquired the sweet scent they have today. Another legend claims that at midnight on Jan. 5, the “old Christmas Eve,” rosemary plants will simultaneously burst into flower in celebration of Christmas. Rosemary plants add
attractiveness and fragrance to holiday wreaths and are especially suitable for tussie mussies, which are small bouquets made with dried flowers, doilies, and ribbons for use at individual place settings on the holiday dinner table. Rosemary plants are one of the most common holiday herbs you can find in pots, often trained into various shapes, such as wreaths, hearts, or topiaries. Look for the trailing or pendulous selections, which you can try training on a wire or support into such a shape. Given a cool location with light— please see HERBS page 18
This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being. Active Adult Communities Roth’s Farm Village Roth’s Church Road, Spring Grove (717) 633-7300 Adult Day Centers SeniorLIFE 1500 Memory Lane Ext.,York (814) 535-6000 Animal Hospitals Community Animal Hospital Donald A. Sloat, D.V.M. 400 S. Pine St.,York (717) 845-5669 Automobile Sales/Service Gordon’s Body Shop, Inc. 10 Mill St., Stewartstown (717) 993-2263 Sun Motor Cars 6677 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg (877) 316-3030 Coins & Currency Steinmetz Coins & Currency 2861 E. Prospect Road,York (717) 757-6980
Energy Assistance Low-Income Energy Assistance (717) 787-8750 Entertainment Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre 510 Centerville Road, Lancaster (717) 898-1900 Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020 Alzheimer’s Information Clearinghouse (800) 367-5115 American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (800) 697-7007 or (717) 757-0604 Social Security Information (800) 772-1213 Healthcare Information PA HealthCare Cost Containment (717) 232-6787
Hearing Services Pennsylvania Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (800) 233-3008 V/TTY Home Care Services Senior Helpers Serving Adams and York counties (717) 920-0707 Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services (717) 630-0067 – Hanover (717) 751-2488 – York Housing/Apartments Elm Spring Residence 118 Pleasant Acres Road,York (717) 840-7676 Housing Assistance Housing Authority of York (717) 845-2601 Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937
Pharmacies CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Minnich’s Pharmacy 976 S. George St.,York (717) 848-2312 Salon Services Trimmer’s Hair & Nail Care 112 Brittany Court, Red Lion (717) 246-4844 Senior Move Management Life Transition Solutions (717) 799-0648 Services York County Area Agency on Aging (800) 632-9073 Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center 1700 S. Lincoln Ave., Lebanon (717) 228-6000 or (800) 409-8771
Insurance – Long-Term Care Apprise Insurance Counseling (717) 771-9610 or (800) 632-9073
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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Art and Antiques by Dr. Lori
Silver Cleaning Tips
Corporate Office: 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Phone 717.285.1350 • Fax 717.285.1360 Chester County: 610.675.6240 Cumberland County/Dauphin County: 717.770.0140 Berks County/Lancaster County/ Lebanon County/York County: 717.285.1350 E-mail address: info@onlinepub.com Website address: www.onlinepub.com
PRESIDENT AND PUBLISHER Donna K. Anderson
EDITORIAL VICE-PRESIDENT AND MANAGING EDITOR Christianne Rupp EDITOR, 50PLUS PUBLICATIONS Megan Joyce
ART DEPARTMENT PROJECT COORDINATOR Renee McWilliams PRODUCTION ARTIST Janys Cuffe PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Jessica Johns
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Karla Back Angie McComsey Jacoby Valerie Kissinger Susan Krieger Ranee Shaub Miller Sue Rugh SALES & EVENT COORDINATOR Eileen Culp
CIRCULATION PROJECT COORDINATOR Loren Gochnauer
ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS MANAGER Elizabeth Duvall
Member of
Lori Verderame oliday time means making your antique objects look their best, particularly your silver serving pieces, flatware, and collectibles. You figure that cleaning silver is pretty straightforward—silver polish, cloth, elbow grease. Well, actually, it is not that simple. First of all, do you know if you have a piece of sterling silver or a piece of silver plate? This matters because sterling silver and silver plate have different properties. Silver plate is a piece of metal, usually copper, that has been plated with a thin layer of silver. If you polish too hard, then you may polish away the silver layer and reveal the copper beneath the silver-plated surface.
The Don’ts • Don’t use rubber gloves because rubber can damage silver plating.
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How-to As silver oxidizes, it will tarnish. There is no stopping this process. And, once you notice even the slightest bit of tarnish, it is time to clean your silver. If you don’t want to use commercial polish, you can try this natural method, but go easy on the salt because salt can damage your silver if you are overzealous. 1. Line the bottom of a plastic tub with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• Don’t use steel-wool pads because they may scratch metal surfaces. • Don’t use sponges as they may scratch silver surfaces. • Don’t over-polish silver plate. It is very easy to rub away the thin layer of silver plating and reveal the copper or other base metal underneath. 18th-century sterling-silver chocolate pot and set.
2. Fill the tub with steaming hot water atop the foil. 3. Add 1 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. baking soda to the hot water. Do not use too much salt because salt is corrosive to silver and silver plate. 4. Place silver items into the tub atop the foil. 5. Leave tarnished items in the solution for no more than five minutes. Once you see your silver piece looking clean, remove the piece from the tub. 6. Rinse and gently buff dry using a soft cotton towel.
• Don’t serve certain foods—eggs, mustard, onions—that will wear away silver plating. If you prefer a specialty commercial silver polish, be sure to choose either a sterling-silver or a silver-plating polish. Many commercial polishes do the job well. Read labels and consult the manufacturer’s website if you need more information. Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and award-winning TV personality, Dr. Lori hosts antiques appraisal events worldwide. Dr. Lori is the star appraiser on Discovery channel’s Auction Kings. To learn about your antiques: www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori, @DrLori on Twitter, and (888) 431-1010.
Leaving a Tip? Here’s How Much
Awards
Winner
50plus Senior News is published by On-Line Publishers, Inc. and is distributed monthly among senior centers, retirement communities, banks, grocers, libraries and other outlets serving the senior community. On-Line Publishers, Inc. will not knowingly accept or publish advertising which may be fraudulent or misleading in nature. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. On-Line Publishers, Inc. reserves the right to revise or reject any and all advertising. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without permission of On-Line Publishers, Inc. We will not knowingly publish any advertisement or information not in compliance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, Pennsylvania State laws or other local laws.
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How much to tip can seem as complicated as calculus. You don’t want to seem cheap, but you don’t want to overdo it—especially if money is tight. Here’s a quick, basic look at what’s expected in a variety of everyday situations:
20 percent of the total tab
Waiter/waitress (full service): 1015 percent of the bill, before tax
Car valet: $2-$10 when picking up your car
Bartender: $1-$2 per drink, or 15-
Room service: 15-20 percent
Cleaning service: 15-20 percent per visit Hairstylist/barber: 15-20 percent
Skycap: $2 for the first bag, then $1 for each additional bag Hotel housekeeper: $2-$3 per night (or more for a high-end hotel, or if you’ve got more than two other people staying with you)
Masseuse: 15-20 percent Taxi driver: 15 percent (depending on the city); an extra $1-$2 if the driver helps with any bags
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The Beauty in Nature
Wintering Chickadees and Titmice Clyde McMillan-Gamber n a cloudy, windy afternoon in mid-December, I entered a local bird blind to experience birds coming to feeders. Cold wind sighed through pine needles and rattled deciduous tree limbs. Permanent-resident Carolina chickadees and tufted titmice dominated the feeders that blustery winter afternoon, as they always do in those 2 acres of secondgrowth trees on the edge of maturing woodland. The small, closely related chickadees and titmice have much in common, except their handsome appearances. Both species are mostly gray, allowing them to blend into the color of winter, deciduous woods. But chickadees have jaunty, black caps on their foreheads and black bibs. The slightly larger titmice have peachcolored flanks; large, black eyes; a gray crest on their heads; and a dark “smudge” of feathering above their beaks.
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Both kinds of birds are lively and entertaining all day when searching for food, “deedeeing” cheerfully all the while. And because they aren’t raising young and trees are defoliated, they are most visible in winter. Chickadees and titmice seek dormant insects and insect eggs in trees in woods,
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Tufted titmouse
Chickadees and titmice prefer eating sunflower seeds at feeders. Several birds often dart to the feeder at once. Each bird grabs a sunflower seed with its beak and flies away to open the shell and eat the meat inside. When finished, the bird dashes to the feeder for another sunflower seed. Watching those animated little birds helps take away winter’s cold. Chickadees and titmice spend winter nights in tree hollows and empty bird boxes. They must stay warm and dry all night to be in good condition the next day to look for food. Birds caught in the open overnight in winter die from exposure. There probably are as many of these tiny, gray birds as there are dry cavities. The tiny chickadees and titmice help cheer winter days. Enjoy those at your home.
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Black-capped chickadee
thickets, and older suburbs in all kinds of winter weather. And both come to feeders, often when someone is standing nearby. The seemingly joyful chickadees and titmice seem unconcerned about weather and human activities around feeders.
As On-Line Publishers, Inc. sees the conclusion of yet another year, we are grateful to our dedicated staff, loyal readers, and supportive advertisers who have all enabled us to continue to grow in our mission to serve the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50+ community. We wish to thank each of you for helping to make 50plus Senior News a fun, interesting, and unique source of information and entertainment for our readers in Central Pennsylvania. At this special time of giving thanks and reminiscing, the staff of On-Line Publishers wishes you, our friends, warmest holiday wishes.
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Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Bethany Village — Maplewood
Homeland Center
325 Wesley Drive • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-766-0279 • www.bethanyvillage.org
1901 North Fifth Street • Harrisburg, PA 17102 717-221-7727 • www.homelandcenter.org
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Assisted Living Residence: Yes Private: 100 Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 50 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: 1-bedroom suites; secured memory support neighborhood; skilled nursing – The Oaks.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Exemplary care in a caring, beautiful environment has been provided for more than 140 years. Our continuum includes a hospice program.
Brandywine Senior Living at Longwood
Homewood at Plum Creek
301 Victoria Gardens Drive • Kennett Square, PA 19348 484-734-6200 • www.brandycare.com
425 Westminster Avenue • Hanover, PA 17331 717-637-4166 • www.homewood.com
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 98 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
On-call Medical Service: No Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: At Brandywine Senior Living – life is beautiful!
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Excellent care in a lovely environment. Call to schedule a visit.
Chapel Pointe
Lakeview at Tel Hai Retirement Community
770 South Hanover Street • Carlisle, PA 17013 717-249-1363 • www.chapelpointe.org
1200 Tel Hai Circle • Honey Brook, PA 19344 610-273-4602 • www.telhai.org
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 53 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: No Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 100 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: No Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: No Pets Permitted: No
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Come discover a wonderful, faith-based community that has been voted No. 1 retirement community by readers of the Daily Local newspaper!
Colonial Lodge Community
Mennonite Home Communities
2015 North Reading Road • Denver, PA 17519 717-336-5501 • www.coloniallodgepa.com
1520 Harrisburg Pike • Lancaster, PA 17601 717-393-1301 • www.mennonitehome.org
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 70 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 150 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: Yes Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: No Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: A veteran-approved “home for heroes” facility all in a beautiful, rural setting.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Supportive, encouraging environment. Various room types and suites available. Secure memory care offered.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
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Assisted Living Residences/Personal Care Homes Normandie Ridge Senior Living Community
VibraLife
1700 Normandie Drive • York, PA 17408 717-764-6262 • www.normandieridge.org
707 Shepherdstown Road • Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717-591-2100 • www.vibralife.net
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 55 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: No Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Total AL and/or PC Beds: 46 Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: Yes Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: Yes Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Yes Part/Totally Refundable: Yes Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: No Comments: Private or shared living in spacious rooms with private baths. Friendly staff assist where needed to help maintain your independence.
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: Yes Respite Care: Yes Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Yes Pets Permitted: Yes Comments: Gorgeous new construction. Short-term rehabilitation center and personal care apartments including secured memory care.
St. Anne’s Retirement Community 3952 Columbia Avenue West Hempfield Township, PA 17512 717-285-6112 • www.stannesrc.org Personal Care Home: Yes Private: Yes Semi-private: No Private Pay: Yes SSI Accepted: No Short-term Lease: No Entrance Fee/Security Deposit: Minimal Part/Totally Refundable: No Outdoor Areas/Fitness Center: Yes Medication Management: Yes On-call Medical Service: Yes
Health Fee-for-Service Available: Yes Alzheimer’s Care: No Respite Care: No Social Programs: Yes Housekeeping/Laundry Service: Yes Transportation (Scheduled): Yes Personal Car Permitted: Pending Approval Pets Permitted: Yes
If you would like to be featured on this important page, please contact your account representative or call (717) 285-1350.
This is not an all-inclusive list of agencies and providers. These advertisers are eager to provide additional information about their services.
Such is Life
The Help Was a Source of Love Saralee Perel llen, the woman who raised me, had live-in quarters in our 15room, red-brick house. I do believe that my mother would have enjoyed tending to me, but she conducted herself in ways that Caucasian women in her society were taught to behave. Nonetheless, I don’t think she liked it. Within five minutes of Ellen serving dinner in the formal dining room, I’d become such a whiny irritant that my mother would let me leave the table and eat supper with Ellen in the kitchen. We’d talk and laugh and put together cardboard puzzles while we ate. I bet Mom would have loved to be excused from the table and have had her meals with us instead. In the night, I’d run, frightened, to
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me giggling while having Ellen’s room. I’d be afraid me perform a pirouette. to go back to sleep after Then I’d do a goofy, long, having a bad dream. She’d drawn-out bow to which say, “Baby, God gave us she’d respond by dreams so he’d have a enveloping me in her place to talk to us. When arms. God talks to us, there’s I think Mom would nothing to be scared of.” I would then fall asleep have gotten a big kick out next to her in her bed. of dressing me for parties. Whenever my mother I also bet she would have Saralee and Ellen discovered me there, she wanted to be the one who never made me go back to my bedroom. I put Mercurochrome on my constantly think she not only loved Ellen, but was scratched knees or who’d raid the also happy for me that I received maternal refrigerator with me in the night and eat love from someone so wonderful. the tuna noodle casserole right from the Ellen put up with my fidgeting when baking pan. she’d dress me to go to girlfriends’ My mother’s main undoing was that birthday parties. When done, she’d get she was convinced her lot in life was laid
out for her. And that there was not a damned thing that she thought she could do about it. I married someone who was not like my relatives—not Jewish, not wealthy, not even employed. What did I have that my mother didn’t? Love. Happiness. And society’s support that it was OK to make my own path. I know that Mom would have been just as nurturing as Ellen. I wish for her sake she had known that too. Saralee Perel is an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist. Her new book is Cracked Nuts & Sentimental Journeys: Stories From a Life Out of Balance. To find out more, visit www.saraleeperel.com or email sperel@saraleeperel.com.
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Savvy Senior
Simple TV Remotes Designed for Seniors Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some easy-to-use television remote controls for seniors? I got my 74-year-old mother a new HDTV for her birthday, but the remote control is very confusing for her to operate. – Shopping Son Dear Shopping, It seems like most television remote controls today come with dozens of unnecessary buttons that make them very confusing to operate. Add in the fact that many people use two or three remotes to operate their home entertainment equipment (TV, cable box, VCR, DVD player, etc.) and it compounds the problem even further. Fortunately, there are several universal TV remotes available today that are specifically designed for seniors and the technically challenged. These remote controls have bigger buttons and fewer
options that make them much easier to see, program, and operate. Simplified Remotes Two popular senior-friendly products to consider are the Flipper Remote and the Super Remote SR3. The Flipper (www.flipper remote.com) works all major TVs, including cable, satellite, and digital TV receiver boxes with only one remote. Available for $25, it offers a tapered design that makes it easy to hold, and for
Thank You,Columnists! 50plus Senior News continues to bring important information as well as entertaining articles to the 50+ community. We at On-Line Publishers would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the editorial contributors of 50plus Senior News: Mike Clark (The Way I See It) Angelo Coniglio (The Search for Our Ancestry) Wendell Fowler (Preventive Measures) Al Goodman (Beyond the Battlefield ) Andrea Gross (Traveltizers) Dr. Lori (Art and Antiques) Gloria May (NurseNews) Gamber (The Beauty in Nature) Clyde McMillan-G Jim Miller (The Savvy Senior)
Victor Parachin (Fragments of History) Saralee Perel (Such is Life) Dr. Leonard Perry (The Green Mountain Gardener) Ted Rickard (The Squint-Eyed Senior) Sy Rosen (Older But Not Wiser) Pat Sinclair (Recipes for Two) Walt Sonneville (My 22 Cents’ Worth) Robert Wilcox (Salute to a Veteran) Judith Zausner (Creativity Matters)
simplicity it has only six large, color-coded buttons that are exposed (on/off, channel up and down, volume up and down, and mute). All other buttons are accessed by sliding the top panel down, so they won’t get in the way during day-today TV watching. Flipper also has an optional feature that lets you program up to 30 of your mom’s favorite channels for easy access. The Super Remote SR3 from
Universal Remote Control, Inc. (sold through Amazon.com for around $13) is a slightly more sophisticated, userfriendly remote that can control three devices: TVs, cable or satellite boxes, and DVD players. It offers a lightweight, ergonomic design; large, easy-to-see numeric buttons, each in the shape of the number it represents; and a centrally located “my button” that gives your mom the ability turn on the TV and set the tuner to her favorite channel with a single button press. It also provides four “favorite” buttons for one-touch access to her favorite channels and an “all off ” button that lets her shut down the entire homeentertainment system with a single button press. Super-Sized Remotes There are also a number of oversized
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TV remotes that are ideal for seniors with vision problems. The Tek Partner, Big Button, and Tek Pal remotes, all made by the Hy-Tek Manufacturing Company (www.bigbuttonremotes.com, (630) 4667664) in Sugar Grove, Ill., are three solid options to consider. If you’re interested in an extra-large remote control, the $40 Tek Partner—
which is 5.5 inches wide and 8.5 inches long—is their biggest. It offers huge, brightly lit buttons with big, readable characters and a narrowed center (3.5 inches), which makes it easy to handle for a big remote. It also contains only the essential functions, making it easy to use and program, and it operates any combination of TVs, VCRs, DVD
players, cable boxes, and satellite dishes. If you’re looking for something a little smaller (2.5 by 9.5 inches) there’s the $25, rectangular-shaped Big Button remote that offers the same large and illuminating buttons as the Tek Partner and the exact same features. Or, if you only want a basic remote for the TV, there’s the Tek Pal that comes with just six large buttons (on/off, mute,
channel up and down, and volume up and down buttons) that light up when pushed. Available for $19, the Pal will only work with televisions that have cable wired directly into the TV. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org
Famous Books and Their Original Titles “What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asked, possibly when trying to think of titles to the many plays he wrote. Take a look at the original titles of some of the world’s best-known books and imagine how their impact might have been different if someone hadn’t suggested a switch:
• Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell: The Last Man in Europe • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov: The Kingdom by the Sea
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand: Second-Hand Lives
• The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner: Twilight
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Something That Happened
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Gatsby, Among Ash-Heaps and Millionaires; Trimalchio; Trimalchio in West Egg; On the Road to West Egg; Under the Red, White and Blue; Gold-Hatted Gatsby; The High-Bouncing Lover
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: First Impressions
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway: Fiesta
Calendar of Events
York County
York County Department of Parks and Recreation
Senior Center Activities
Pre-registration is required for these programs. To register or find out more about these activities or any additional scheduled activities, call (717) 428-1961.
Delta Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 456-5753
Dec. 1, 1 to 3:30 p.m. – Natural Ornament Workshop, Nixon County Park Dec. 6, 6 to 8 p.m. – Hanging of the Greens, Hanover Junction Train Station Dec. 8, 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Animals in Winter, Nixon County Park
Eastern Area Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 252-1641 Golden Visions Senior Community Center – (717) 633-5072 Heritage Senior Center, Inc. – (717) 292-7471
York County Library Programs Arthur Hufnagel Public Library of Glen Rock, 32 Main St., Glen Rock, (717) 235-1127 Collinsville Community Library, 2632 Delta Road, Brogue, (717) 927-9014 Tuesdays, 6 to 8 p.m. – Purls of Brogue Knitting Club
Northeastern Senior Community Center – (717) 266-1400 Red Land Senior Citizen Center – (717) 938-4649
Glatfelter Memorial Library, 101 Glenview Road, Spring Grove, (717) 225-3220 Mondays, 6 to 8 p.m. – Knitting and Spinning Group
South Central Senior Community Center – (717) 235-6060 First and Third Mondays, 12:30 p.m. – Card-Making Class Wednesdays, 9 a.m. – Ceramics Class Wednesdays, 11 a.m. – Dancersize
Guthrie Memorial Library, 2 Library Place, Hanover, (717) 632-5183
Stewartstown Senior Center – (717) 993-3488
Dillsburg Area Public Library, 17 S. Baltimore St., Dillsburg, (717) 432-5613 Dover Area Community Library, 3700-3 Davidsburg Road, Dover, (717) 292-6814
Programs and Support Groups Dec. 14, 7 p.m. Cumberland Singers Holiday Concert: The 12 Days of Christmas Christ Lutheran Church Fileys 15 S. Fileys Road, Dillsburg (717) 367-8030 www.cumberlandsingers.org www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Free and open to the public Dec. 19, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Alzheimer’s Support Group Senior Commons at Powder Mill 1775 Powder Mill Road, York (717) 741-0961 If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration.
Susquehanna Senior Center – (717) 244-0340 White Rose Senior Center – (717) 843-9704, www.whiteroseseniorcenter.org Windy Hill On the Campus – (717) 225-0733 Yorktown Senior Center – (717) 854-0693 Please call or visit the centers’ websites for additional activities.
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Salute to a Veteran
The Viet Cong Kept Finding New Ways to Kill You Robert D. Wilcox
You may already qualify for free, or reduced-cost, health care services and other benefits from VA. Enrolling for VA health care is easy.
om McInnes served two tours in Vietnam tour in 1963, he was a chaplain Vietnam … and found out that assigned to the 9th Assistance Advisory no one was ever really safe there, Group. One of his main efforts was to not even chaplains. help the Vietnamese Of course, there was people in any way he the everyday reality could—which, as it that the Viet Cong turned out, didn’t help wore no uniforms and him a whole lot. looked like every other One day, he was to Vietnamese person, help in taking food to while their fondest the Vietnamese in a wish was to slit your small, nearby village. He throat if they ever had was to travel by the chance. That was “Jeepster” (an enclosed enough to give you the Jeep that carried people feeling that every day and cargo) with a GI might be your last. driver, a gunner, and a But for McInnes, Green Beret medic something else officer who could speak occurred that was not French and thus could Lieutenant Colonel at all expected. speak to some of the Thomas J. McInnes in 1972, home from Germany On his first Montagnard people
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they intended to help. Four 100-pound sacks of rice were squeezed into the Jeepster and held the quantities of rice that were to be distributed to the ill-fed Montagnard people, who were our allies. McInnes explains that, although the Montagnards were Vietnamese, they were a lot like our Native Americans. “Just as the Apaches were separate from the Cherokees,” he says, “so were the Montagnards from each other, with different tribes having their own language, dress, and culture. But, because of the previous French occupation of their land, a few of them spoke a little French, and that’s where the French-speaking medic came in.” As their loaded Jeepster started down the steep hill from their camp, they suddenly found they had no brakes. During the night, the Viet Cong had apparently severed the lines to the brakes, so they barreled down the hill, continuing to gather speed until they came to a hairpin turn and an even steeper drop at the bottom. There the Jeepster took off, hurtling through the air and coming to a crashing halt on its back, with men and rice bags piled one on top of another. “There were plenty of strains and bruises,” he says, “but, fortunately,
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nobody needed to be hospitalized.” His tour of duty was for only a year, and he was the only Protestant chaplain in the 2nd Corps, which spanned an area about half the size of New Jersey. He routinely flew in helicopters of all kinds to hold services in the field and to work to help the local Vietnamese. He did counseling and also advised the commander on morale. He enjoyed serving as a sort of ombudsman for the troops, hearing their complaints and serving their interests. The year passed rather quickly, and he was returned to Fort Dix, N.J., where he served for two years before his second one-year tour in Vietnam in 1967. Before joining the military, McInnes had graduated from high school in Buffalo and then had two years at Rochester University, where he was working toward a degree in chemistry. And it was there that he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1946 and served for 18 months before being discharged in August 1947. He had remained in the Reserve, however, and after he entered Houghton College for his junior year, he was recalled for 21 months. He was then discharged as a staff sergeant and was please see VIET CONG page 13
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December 2013
11
My 22 Cents’ Worth
Silver Linings on Our Aging Shadow Walt Sonneville o mark the International Day of Older Persons in 2012, several organizations, including some United Nation agencies, collaborated in a report entitled “Ageing in the TwentyFirst Century: A Celebration and a Challenge.” That intriguing title provokes one to question: What is there to celebrate about aging, and what are the challenges? The report limited examination of celebration and challenge to a single perspective: “access to, and enjoyment of, the full range of human rights.” Let us look at a broader spectrum of challenges and the silver linings on the shadow of aging that we care to celebrate. Human rights, which we seniors generally enjoy as Americans, are left aside. From our own personal experiences we can easily identify several physical, mental, and social challenges commonly
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associated with aging, some of which worsen as age increases. What we recognize less easily is that most elderly Americans are self-reliant, leading content and productive lives. The American Psychological Association’s report (April 1998), from its “Working Group on the Older Adult,” states that only 9 percent of those between ages 65 and 69 need personal assistance, while up to 50 percent of those over 85 need assistance with everyday activities. The implication is that fewer than half of those over 85 may not need personal assistance.
The comforting data for those under 85 are supported in detail by the federal government’s Administration on Aging in its report “A Profile of Older Americans – 2011.” The profile shows that for noninstitutionalized elderly ages 6574, 6 percent have difficulty bathing or showering, 5 percent have difficulty dressing, 2 percent eating, 9 percent getting in/out of bed, and 17 percent walking. For those ages 75-84, the respective percentages are 14, 10, 4, 15, and 28 percent. The statistical odds significantly favor the absence of such dependencies for those under the age of 85.
“... emotional happiness improves with age.”
Before our celebration carries us too far, one should acknowledge the commonly reported challenges of aging. They include diminished hearing and vision, higher blood pressure, diabetes, a decrease in muscle mass, and, on average by the age of 80, a loss of 2 inches in height and almost half of our sense of smell. For most of us, these are limitations with which we can function adequately, thanks to prescribed health products and services and to an increased capacity to cope with routine adversities. Seniors 65 years of age and older apparently are more satisfied with their lives than those in the 50-64 age group. This is the conclusion of a survey asked of respondents, aged 50 years or older, in all 50 states, conducted in 2006 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its study “The State of Mental Health and Aging in America:
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Life Satisfaction” (2006). Nationally, 5.8 percent of respondents in the 50-64 age group said they were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their life. Only 3.5 percent of respondents among those 65 years or older said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. The two states having the highest percentages of dissatisfied or very dissatisfied respondents, among those 65 years or older, were California (4.7 percent) and New Jersey (4.6 percent). Hawaii (1.8 percent) and Iowa (2.1 percent) had the lowest percentages for this age group. In every state, the 50-64 age group had higher percentages of those dissatisfied than the 65 or older group. The elderly may have more health issues than those younger, but they find
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more satisfaction with life. A United Kingdom publication, The Telegraph, cited research that “the elderly brain has the ability to let negative memories fade more quickly than the young.” Other studies, reported by the same source, found that “older adults report less distress than other age groups … and emotional happiness improves with age.” It seems true, as John Webster wrote (Westward Ho) in 1607, “Old wood does burn brighter.” Walt Sonneville, a retired market-research analyst, is the author of My 22 Cents’ Worth: The Higher-Valued Opinion of a Senior Citizen and A Musing Moment: Meditative Essays on Life and Learning, books of personal-opinion essays, free of partisan and sectarian viewpoints. Contact him at waltsonneville@earthlink.net.
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able to return to Houghton to finish his senior year. It was then that he felt the call to the ministry. So, in 1953 he entered Eastern Baptist Seminary in Philadelphia, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. There he also became an Army second lieutenant before his graduation as a chaplain in 1957. After serving as a first lieutenant in the Reserve, he was recalled to active duty in 1962 as a captain and served as a chaplain at Fort Belvoir before going to Vietnam. He smiles as he recalls that they noted that on his “dream list,” he had said that he would like to serve in exotic places like Hawaii or Thailand. “The interviewing officer said, ‘I see you said you’d like to serve in Thailand. Well, you’re getting your wish. We’re sending you to Vietnam, just a little east of Thailand, where you picked to be.’” So he was off to Vietnam, where he was assigned to the 9th Assistance Advisory Group … and where his career almost ended in the sabotage to his Jeepster. After his one-year tour there, he was
glad to be back in the U.S., where he spent two years at Fort Dix before being returned to Vietnam for his second oneyear tour. After returning to the U.S., he then shipped to Germany for duty during the occupation. Returning to the U.S. in 1972, he entered the chaplain’s school at Fort Hamilton, N.Y., to earn his master’s degree. And after service at other bases, he was assigned to Aberdeen Proving Grounds for two years and retired as a colonel in 1979, having served his country for 33 years. McInnes now lives in a retirement community in Central Pennsylvania, after a man he taught in a Bible class gave McInnes a ton of material extolling the wonders of the area. “My wife, Ruth, and I came to look it over and couldn’t imagine a more wonderful place to live,” McInnes grins. “So, we came here, and we wouldn’t trade it for any other place in the world.” Colonel Wilcox flew a B-17 bomber in Europe in World War II.
Vets Honored at Windy Hill
Congressman Scott Perry, far left, and Phil Palandro, director of the York County Office of Veterans Affairs, far right, with member veterans of Windy Hill on the Campus.
Windy Hill on the Campus senior center held a special ceremony recently to honor its member veterans. More than 100 people were in attendance for the special event. Congressman Scott Perry provided the keynote address. Members of the Spring Grove High School Key Club and Spring Grove Chorus were in attendance to present each veteran with a pin and corsage. Also in attendance were York County Commissioners Steve Chronister, Doug Hoke, and Chris Reilly and Phil Palandro, director of the York County Office of Veterans Affairs.
Windy Hill Holds Grand-Opening Celebration
Back row, from left, Marlet Rohrbaugh, Windy Hill board; Don Reichard, Windy Hill board; Dr. David Renaut, Spring Grove School District assistant superintendent; Phil Keener, Windy Hill board president; Doug Stein, school board president; Donna Hake, Judy Benton, and Dr. Terry Lehr, Windy Hill board members; and Brent Hoschar, school board member. Front row, from left, Nancy Wagner, Brenda Flory, and Wendy Leahy, Windy Hill board members; Sarah Moul, Spring Grove student; Andrew Moul, Spring Grove student council president; Tom Uffelman, Windy Hill board; Cindy Huber, Spring Grove school board; Dr. Robert Lombardo, Spring Grove superintendent; and Tammy Miller, Windy Hill executive director.
Windy Hill on the Campus held its grand-opening celebration and ribbon cutting recently at 1472 Roth’s Church Road, Spring Grove, site of the former Spring Grove Area Middle School. More than 250 members of the community attended the event throughout the day. Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Secretary Bev Mackereth provided remarks. The evening ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Windy Hill on the Campus is an activity center for older adults who live in the Spring Grove area community. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and provides a variety of health, fitness, educational, and social activities. The center also serves a hot meal each day at noon for a donation to residents over the age of 60. For more information, visit www.windyhillonthecampus.org or call (717) 2250733. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
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Traveltizers
Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel
Chicago’s Christmas Magic department stores in the world. It offered the first bridal registry, he day is frosty cold, and I the first personal shopping say a silent thanks to the assistants, the first department-store unknown goose that restaurants, and the first escalators donated his feathers to fill my and was the first store to create parka. holiday window displays for the My husband hands me a mug sole purpose of spreading joy. filled with Glühwein. The hot, This holiday tradition, which spicy drink burns my throat in a began in the early 1870s, holds true nice, cinnamonny way and, as the today. There are no windows filled name implies, makes me glow with with glitzy clothes, new appliances, holiday cheer. or tempting foods, no attempt to We, along with several hundred lure folks to the cash register. The other folks, are braving the weather displays are meant to bring smiles, Bugles herald the holiday Diners at Macy’s historic The mall at Water Tower Place at Christkindlmarket, Chicago’s not to extract cash. Now how nice season on State Street. Walnut Room sit under a draws crowds with a largest open-air Christmas festival. is that? 45-foot-tall tree. combination of festive decorations and popular stores. The atmosphere is distinctly When, in 2005, after a series of European, with chalet-style stalls corporate changes, the iconic store offering a mind-boggling selection was acquired by May Company, the of the Christkindlmarket crowd, I’m theaters, public art, parks, restaurants, of Alpine delicacies and crafts. skyscrapers, and, yes, retail establishments terms included the requirement that more interested in having fun than in We taste-test a variety of wursts, many Marshall Field’s traditions be seriously shopping. both big and small. schnitzels, strudels, and chocolates and continued. Afterward, well fortified with another But again, we’re not here to shop. gaze longingly at the imported cuckoo So although the Chicago store, which We’re here to see the former Marshall mug of Glühwein, we move on to “The clocks and nutcrackers. I buy a small is the third largest department store in Field’s, which was once one of the most Loop,” where we walk along streets lined ornament for my brother, but, like most the world, now goes by the name of renowned and most innovative with government buildings, museums,
By Andrea Gross
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Macy’s on State Street, their Christmas windows continue to delight hundreds of onlookers. We walk slowly, carefully admiring each animated scene, and then enter the store to view the celebrated domed ceiling that’s made of more than 1.6 million pieces of iridescent glass. Designed by Louis Tiffany in 1907 and hand-set over a two-year period, it’s a glorious mosaic of serpentine swirls and graceful ovals in tones of amber, blue, and gold with touches of red. I stare in awe until my neck begins to hurt, after which we take the escalator up to the fifth floor, where I can see the details more clearly. Eventually we make our way to the historic Walnut Room, known for the classic chicken potpie that was first served in 1907. As always during the Christmas season, a 45-foot tree festooned with more than 1,000 ornaments brightens the room. We try to get a table, but no luck. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, and the wait, according to the very nice hostess, will be more than an hour. Instead we satisfy our hunger by purchasing—and devouring—some Frango chocolates. The minty truffles have been associated with the store since Marshall Field’s acquired the original candy company in the late 1920s.
Hot spiced wine helps people stay warm as they enjoy Christkindlmart.
The display at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry features trees that represent Chicago’s—and the world’s— various cultures. Macy’s window displays capture the magic of Christmas.
Although they are no longer made instore, in my mind there’s no doubt about it: Chocolate beats chicken potpie any season of the year! Our final stop is at the Museum of Science and Industry, which hosts
Christmas Around the World, an annual exhibit that celebrates the world’s—and Chicago’s—cultures and traditions. The first such display took place in 1942 when Chicagoans of all ethnicities wanted to show that they supported
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America’s World War II allies. The museum placed a single pine tree in the rotunda, and volunteers representing various nationalities changed the decorations on a daily basis. The result: a rotating display that honored diversity as well as community. In the 70-plus years since then, that single pine has morphed into a 50-tree exhibit that lasts from mid-November until the end of December. We walk slowly, admiring the ornaments on each tree. The tree representing Kenya is adorned with wood animal carvings. The one from Denmark is laden with woven hearts, while the one from Bosnia-Herzegovina has miniature dolls and skis. And on it goes … Russian matryoshkas (nested dolls), Romanian snowmen … an international display for an international city. As we head back to our hotel, a gentleman who is sitting behind me on the train begins humming an old Frank Sinatra lyric, “Chicago is my kind of town.” My sentiments exactly. For the latest information on Chicago’s 2013 Christmas activities, go to www.choosechicago.com Photos © Irv Green unless otherwise noted; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).
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Older But Not Wiser
I Have a Granddaughter Sy Rosen y daughter, Ann, gave birth last week to a beautiful baby girl. Ann was in labor for 29 hours, which is longer than I held my first job. In the middle of the night (while Ann was still in labor), my wife, Wanda, and Ann’s husband, Edward, fell asleep. Just my daughter and I were up. So in the semi-darkness of the room, where the only light was coming from the hospital monitors in the background, we talked. We talked about important matters: “So you’re having a baby,” I said. “You figured that out, huh, Dad?” OK, it wasn’t a great start, but this was my time to pass on some knowledge to my daughter, to share my years of wisdom. However, for some reason I went into this rambling monologue about just one event: “I remember when you were growing up, we always tried to make you feel very
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special. We treated you like you were the center of the universe, but we couldn’t stop the world from sometimes changing that. “When you were about 5 years old, I took you to this children’s show where this guy, who was playing a guitar, was taking requests from the kids in the audience. And you kept yelling that you wanted to hear ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider,’ but he didn’t pay any attention to you and you started to cry. I mean cry so loudly they could hear you in outer space. “So I took you into the lobby and hugged you tightly. And Ann, I wanted to maturely explain to you that even though you were very special, there are people who won’t treat you that way and that maybe they’ll even ignore you, but
that’s OK; it’s not a big deal and it’s their loss. “Instead, I told you that the guy playing the guitar was a stupid, doo-dooheaded jerk. OK, that probably wasn’t the most mature thing to say, but I would do it again. “Anyway, Ann, the point is—and I do have a point; it just takes me a while to get to it—is that there will be times when you unfortunately can’t protect your daughter from the insensitivity of the outside world, but if you raise her right and love her enormously, she’ll be able to handle it. And your backup position is to call those insensitive people doo-doo heads.” It was a long-winded story, and it didn’t really make that much sense, but it
seemed to take Ann’s mind off of the labor. The next day, Ann gave birth. I, of course, wasn’t in the delivery room. Edward, the father, had that honor. Also, I was afraid I would faint. The next day, Ann and Edward officially named their daughter. After much debate, they decided to name her Summer. And it has become the season of Summer. Two days later, I held Summer for the first time. I was a little afraid because she is so small and fragile. She weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces, which we rounded up to 7 pounds. I guess in a few years we’ll round up her IQ to genius level. I whispered in Summer’s ear that I’ll take her to the movies and the park, and I’ll feed her ice cream even though her parents tell me not to. And then I started singing to her. Of course I sang “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
Christmas Traditions: The Real Story The December holidays are a time to honor traditions handed down over the centuries. You might be surprised to learn that many Christmas customs actually originated in older traditions and pagan celebrations. Here’s a quick look: Christmas Day. Dec. 25 was designated as Christmas Day by Pope Saint Julius I in the fourth century,
reflecting a decision to combine several pagan festivities into one Christian celebration. Dec. 25 previously marked the Roman Saturnalia, as well as the purported birth date of Mithra, the Persian sun god, and the mythical first appearance of the Norse god Odin to the world. Food and drink. Parties, overeating, and general mayhem are also related to
A Fine Winter’s Morn As sunlight unites with daybreak upon a winter’s sky—daylight passionately emerges forth. The sun and the night’s before moon aglaze the sky in blessed course. Stars had all faded—to slumber as a rose. A gift of love—from God’s hand—an eternal abode. Written and submitted by Angelar Wallace
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the Saturnalia. This Roman festival was named for Saturn, an agriculture god, and was celebrated with feasting and general revelry. Christmas pudding. The Celts celebrated their god of the harvest by making a pot of porridge and stirring it for him. Later, plum pudding was made by adding prunes to the porridge, which evolved into what we now know as Christmas pudding. Tradition says that each member of the family should stir the pot in an eastwest manner (as the sun moves across the sky). Flaming brandy poured onto the pudding is also a symbol of the sun’s energy.
Christmas stockings. The first Christmas stocking was supposedly derived from the charity of a kindly Turkish bishop, who slipped a bag of gold into the stocking of a girl in need of a dowry. Christmas trees. Decorating Christmas trees has its origins in Germany. During the winter, the populace wanted to encourage tree spirits to return to the trees and reawaken them in the spring. The practice originally focused on oak trees but later came to be associated with fir trees by Christians, who associated the triangle outline of the firs with the Holy Trinity. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 18
WORD SEARCH
SUDOKU
Across 1. Sibling 4. Peeled 9. Garden man 13. Landing craft (abbr.) 14. Classical music 15. Martini additive 16. Employ 17. Mr. (Sp.) 18. Precipitation 19. After wedding or house 21. Shrewd 23. Pick out 25. Tap 28. Cloud Down 1. Univalves 2. Supply 3. Alloy 4. Greeting 5. Copy 6. Rockfish 7. God of love 8. Projectiles 9. Asserting 10. Expire 11. Prayer bead 12. Connected 15. Ancient Italian city 20. Congeal 22. Increases
31. Navy man 33. Girl (Sp.) 36. Brings up 38. Banned 39. Like some floors 41. Dab 42. Pelted, sloppily 43. On the ocean 44. Oak fruit 46. Distances (abbr.) 47. Writing styles 50. Pitchers 52. It. city 54. Fin type 24. Bind 26. Branch of knowledge (suffix) 27. Strengthened 29. Calif. wine country 30. Follow 32. Fishing gear 33. Hart 34. Lifted up 35. Actress Verdugo 37. Pack 40. Listening device 42. Entered 45. Bolshevik 48. Circumvent
58. Most immense 61. Climbing vine 62. Remained upright 65. Coral reef 67. Succeed 68. Saltwater 69. Comedian Anderson 70. Cervid 71. Wing (Fr.) 72. Filled 73. Law enforcement group (abbr.)
49. Part (abbr.) 51. With 57 Down, island republic 53. Marine mammals 55. Cut 56. Feeble 57. See 51 Down 59. Portico 60. Tipster 62. Biz inits. 63. Angle type 64. Lube 66. Fib
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CANVAS
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how to improve a piece. Occasionally, Robert and Barbara combine their distinctive skills and create a work of art together. When they do this, Robert does the basic painting before letting Barbara take over with the details. Robert prefers to work in watercolor and oil; Barbara prefers to work in pastel and oil. They both do a lot of realism and frequently paint general scenes, such as farmhouses or nature scenes. They have found people have a connection with those pieces because the scene reminds them of their childhood home or a place they used to vacation. Even though Robert and Barbara are both successful painters now, their journeys to their success were quite divergent. In his undergraduate years, Robert studied illustration at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Later in 1990, he got his master’s degree in illustration from Syracuse University. Robert has truly been making a name for himself through his work. He has received numerous awards, has been published countless times, and is included in many collections, such as his pieces in the corporate collection at The Eastman-Kodak Corporation and in The Harley-Davidson Museum. In addition to creating pieces for others to enjoy, Robert has also been
HERBS
them acclimate. Keep watered but not too wet. Wild thyme, a pungent herb and member of the mint family, was collected from the fields outside of Bethlehem to make a soft bed for Mary during the birth of her child. It is thought to have antiseptic properties and was burned as incense later in history by the Greeks. Today thyme is a popular culinary
seasoning but can be used in dried-flower arrangements, bouquets, and potpourri during the holiday season. Plant thyme next spring in raised beds or rock gardens. It is said the Virgin Mary dyed her newborn’s swaddling clothes by spreading them on a bed of wild lavender. This herb, also of the mint family, grows as a small evergreen shrub (but isn’t hardy
outdoors in much of the cold North). It has gray-green leaves, light-purple flowers, and a sweet, floral scent. When dried, it can be used whole for wreaths and centerpieces or crushed to use in sachets for closets or drawers or to scent a bath. Dr. Leonard P. Perry is an extension professor at the University of Vermont.
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Puzzle Solutions
interest in painting has increased, so has her knowledge of the field. “You have to keep growing and learn new things,” Barbara said. “There’s always going to be more to learn, and I’m never going to learn it all. “Every time I do a painting, I try to do it better than I did before. Doing the artwork has made me very content and happy in my life.” Robert has found that aging has given him a new drive to produce artwork. When he was younger, he was impatient; he always wanted to be doing something and going somewhere. He was not as motivated to paint as he is now. “You know you don’t have forever,” Robert explained. “[Age] drives you a little harder to realize you want to make a statement.” When they got married, Barbara and Robert combined not only their love for each other, but also their love for art. And through their marriage, they saved each other emotionally. “My greatest satisfaction,” Robert said, “is I’ve changed and helped one life on this earth, which is my wife.” Barbara and Robert will be showing their work in December and January at the Blue Moon Restaurant at 361 W. Market St., York. For more information, email Robert at rbuchanan@aii.edu, call at (717) 2240973, or visit www.robertebuchanan.com.
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such as a minimally heated hallway with windows or an unheated room or garage (but not freezing, around 50 to 60 degrees F is ideal)—they can be kept indoors over winter. You’ll be rewarded with their light-blue flowers through much of fall. Put your potted rosemary outside in summer, gradually increasing the amount of light over a period of weeks to help
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sharing his design, and before knowledge that, she took a through two-year course in teaching. For fashion illustration more than 30 at the Art Institute years, he has of Pittsburgh. taught courses in It wasn’t until fine art, 2000, when the illustration, York Art painting, and Association A view of the couple’s home studio and some contacted her to life drawing at of their works in progress. the Art Institute teach drawing of York. classes, that she His teachings began doing art and work have on a regular basis. not gone Once she started, unappreciated; she didn’t rest. She the school’s art stopped doing studio was graphic design and recently named began teaching the Robert E. and painting full Buchanan time. Various examples of Robert’s sketches. Illustration Barbara taught Studio. at the Lancaster It is his work Museum of Art as a teacher, out of all the honors and for a few years and has done a great recognitions, that Robert deems his amount of commission work for a variety greatest accomplishment. He feels pride of clients, including Pfaltzgraff and the in knowing he helped students get a start Hope Lodge in Hershey. to a successful career by increasing their “Art is the focus of my life now,” knowledge of the field and honing their Barbara said. “The older I get, the skills. stronger my desire to create in the form Barbara’s background, on the other of painting becomes.” hand, hasn’t always included painting. Aging seems to have had a great effect For 24 years she worked in graphic on Barbara’s confidence as well. As her
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