Senior Life - Allen County - April 2023

American Sewing Guild recruiting novices

Area seasoned sewing enthusiasts and neophytes gathered at UAW Local 2209 Union Hall in March to get an introduction to the American Sewing Guild’s Fort Wayne Chapter.

President Marilyn Morgan hosted the event, which was the chapter’s first meeting since the COVID pandemic and the first ever open to the public. Additional sessions are

scheduled from 1-4 p.m. the third Thursday of the mont, at the Union Hall, 5820 E. CR 900 North, Roanoke, west of the General Motors plant. Different topics will be discussed at each meeting.

Last month’s meeting featured a demonstration on making an easy-see pocket organizer for holding thread and fabric. The group also discussed the chapter’s community service projects, information on the organization’s five neighborhood sewing groups

and upcoming road trips.

Chapter member Lydia Young provided attendees directions on how to make an easy-see pocket organizer, which she designed. During her demonstration, she explained what materials would be needed and then walked them through the steps for assembling it. The one she showed had 25 pockets and is 10 inches wide and 23.5 inches tall.

“It’s pretty simple to make,” said Young, “and the beauty

Continued on page 3

Key Positions

Conductors lead area community band

The Fort Wayne Area Community Band’s May 2 concert is expected to have some outlandishly dressed individuals in its audience. The theme for the concert is “Beyond the Stars” and concertgoers are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite sci-fi characters. Members of the band will also be in costume and there will be a parade of the costumed attendees.

Musical selections to be performed include the “Star Wars Trilogy,” “Star Trek,” “Jupiter Hymn,” “Mars from The Planets,” “Legends of the Galaxy: A Cosmic Fanfare” and“Halo Theme” from Video Games Live, topped off with “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

“With all this exciting

space-themed music, people in costume in the audience and on stage and a costume parade, this should be a really fun concert,” said conductor Dr. Scott Humphries. “Principal flutist Kelly Hombarger and principal percussionist

Patrick Kruse actually came up with the space idea after our Superhero concert before the pandemic and assistant conductor Susan Jehl and I were 100 percent for it. We began working on some of it back in January.”

The music chosen is all very challenging.

“Everything we have been performing in concerts leading to this one has been building up to doing the orchestral version of the “Star Wars Original Trilogy,” he said.

The band has been on an upward trajectory since Sep-

tember and has been getting better each week.

“We’ve been working on creating a warm, dark sound fitting for this music. I will probably be in some sort of a costume,” said Humphries, “but it will have to be loose enough so I can direct the band without getting all tangled up.”

Jehl, who will be conducting half of the program, said she listened to hours and hours of music early in the year to find just the right works that would fit the theme and appeal to the audience.

“Our principal percussionist suggested one I had never heard that is from a space colony video game called ‘Halo Theme’ from Video Games Live. It’s pretty cool and should be crowd pleaser,” she said.

“Mars,” composed by Gustav Holst, is a real challenging piece, Jehl said.

Humphries has been principal conductor of the community band for the past eight years. He serves as associate professor of music and director of bands and music education at Manchester University and teaches saxophone and clarinet. He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music education from Boston University.

Jehl, who joined the community band in 1980, has been an assistant conductor nearly 40 years.

“Tuesday has always been a favorite day for me because no matter what’s going on, I have band (Tuesday is rehearsal night) to look forward to,” she said. “Whether I’m playing my clarinet or conducting the band, it’s the highlight of my week.”

She’s retired from teaching music and directing bands in Fort Wayne, getting her master’s at Ball State University in 1988.

The galactic program will be staged at the John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center on the Purdue Fort Wayne campus. Downbeat will be at 7:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $9; seniors, $8; and people under 18 are free. PFW students and faculty are free with valid ID; non-Purdue students are $5.

Emmanuel Lutheran Church rummage and bake sale

The ladies of Emmanuel Lutheran Church (Soest), 9909 Wayne Trace, Fort Wayne, will hold a rummage and bake sale, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday, April 20 and 8 a.m. to noon, Friday, April 21. Friday is a bag sale.

Emmanuel is located southeast of the I-469/Wayne Trace overpass at the corner of Wayne Trace and Emanuel Road.

It was 50 years ago —

‘The Cisco Kid’ based on TV show

War

Inspirations for a hit song can sometimes spring from a most unusual source.

Members of the California septet War hailed from different neighborhoods in and around Long Beach and Compton, both burgs part of the Los Angeles suburban sprawl.

Of disparate backgrounds and different ages, the musicians found a common thread of interest in creating tunes together. “We mixed and mingled everything, even mariachi music,” War’s keyboardist Lonnie Jordan recalled. “We played blues constantly. We were trying to imitate what we heard, but it came out being something else.”

Blues and mariachi weren’t their only musical genres. Influenced by the young musicians’ racial diversity, elements of soul, jazz, reggae and mainstream rock ‘n’ roll were also combined to create an aural stew that defined War’s distinctive sound.

They went by a series of names — the Creators, the Romeos, Nightshift. In 1969, while playing a small Hollywood club, a record producer caught their act and soon introduced them to British superstar Eric Burdon, who had recently split from his hit-making Animals group. The result was Nightshift becoming War and backing Eric on the 1970 reverie-inducing, millionselling MGM Records single “Spill the Wine.”

Burdon left the band and never had another hit. War, though, was just beginning a seven-year run on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts. Switching to United Artists Records, the group saw 11 hit 45s keep the War name burning hot.

Their biggest winner — Number Two on Billboard’s chart — was “The Cisco Kid,” which was based on a favorite children’s TV show of theirs called — surprise! — “The Cisco Kid.”

“Up until that point, the cowboy heroes were people like John Wayne,” Jordan explained. “When the TV series came around, the band discovered their first non-white hero — a Mexican cowboy.”

The Cisco Kid was a popular half-hour Western that ran from 1950 to 1956, with Cisco (Duncan Renaldo) and his partner Pancho (Leo Carillo)

spending 156 episodes chasing down lawbreakers.

Children were the target viewing audience, so gun violence was always downplayed. Cisco often shot a pistol from a villain’s hand, while Pancho’s bullwhip frequently disarmed the bad guy.

Every show ended with a corny joke about the adventure they had just endured. Then both would laugh, Cisco would say, “Oh, Pancho!,” Pancho

would say, “Oh, Cisco,” and the two would ride off as the credits rolled.

Each War member contributed to “The Cisco Kid,” which featured an irresistible, chugging instrumental engine that drove a story line that defied analysis — or logic:

“The Cisco Kid was a friend of mine/He drink whiskey, Pancho drink the wine

“We met down on the fort of Rio Grande/Eat the salted

peanuts out of can

“The outlaws had us pinned down at the fort/Cisco came in blastin’, drinkin’ port.”

The musicians met Duncan Renaldo, TV’s Cisco Kid. War’s guitarist Howard Scott said, “It was an honor to meet that guy. He was this old, elegant Spanish gentleman with white hair, lighthearted and very likable.”

As to their best-selling single ever? “He thought our song was funny.”

Aging Senior Citizens Expo May 4 in Bluffton

The Wells County Council on Aging Senior Citizens Expo will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at the Wells County 4-H Community Building, 1240 4-H Road, Bluffton.

Breakfast is provided by River Terrace from 9-10 a.m. and lunch is provided by Heritage Point Communities from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Peyton’s Northern/Kroger will be doing a non-perishable food giveaway starting at 1:30 p.m.

There will be over 50 vendors ranging from home health care, assisted living, elder law specialists, and financial information. Other vendors include an escorted bus tour agent, home improvement, numerous health agencies, and more. The Friends of the Shelter will have a booth in the hallway and from 11 a.m. to noon at the Bluffton Animal Clinic will be doing basic cat and dog vaccinations for $60 at its booth;

pets must be kept on a leash or in a carrier and are not allowed in the food area.

Bluffton Regional Medical Center will be doing free lipid panel blood work for the first 30 attendees desiring the blood work, starting at 9 a.m. This requires a 12-hour fast and medications should be taken as prescribed with water; blood pressure checks will be done all day.

Along with multiple new

American Sewing

Continued from page 1

of the organizer is that it can be any size, it can hang on a wall and because the pockets are made of clear vinyl you can easily find the thread you’re looking for. It can also be made with bigger pockets to hold fabric.”

Young, who has been a member of the ASG for the past 12 years, said she came up with the idea because when she was doing embroidery for businesses, she was working with up to 200 different colors and weights of threads and was always pawing through boxes to find the right one.

Leaders of the five Fort Wayne neighborhood groups showed some of their recent projects and explained an individual could become a participant. Two of the guild’s

community service projects were also explained.

This month’s meeting at Union Hall will be an open sewing session to make small heart-shaped pillows for breast cancer patients to use during treatment and recovery. They are donated to the Parkview Hospital Cancer Institute. Persons interested in participating should bring a sewing machine or they can cut fabric and stuff the pillows.

On the second Friday of each month, sewers are invited to participate in making angel gowns to be donated to local hospitals to dress babies for burial. The tiny gowns are made from donated wedding dresses. Guild members annually make and donate more than 200 gowns. Sewing is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Family

Birthing Center conference room at Parkview Regional Medical Center, Entrance 2B.

A new neighborhood sewing group called Sew Fun is organizing in May to accommodate sewers unable to attend daytime meetings. It will meet from 6-8 p.m. the second Wednesday at JoAnn Fabrics and Crafts, 4516 Coldwater Road.

Guild members will attend a retreat April 27-30 at the Blue Gate Garden Inn, Shipshewana, and will be traveling through Ohio’s Amish Country Sept. 12-14.

Individuals interested in learning more about the guild, the neighborhood groups and activities can contact Debbie Morgan at (260) 710-1379 or email her at d.morgan5609@ comcast.net.

vendors to the expo, Aging and In-Home Services and Wells County Council on Aging are supporting the National Vaccine Initiative. Those 60-plus or people of any age with a disability are eligible.

Wells County residents only

can call Wells on Wheels at (260) 824-4969 to schedule free transportation to and from the expo.

Contact Susie at the Wells County Council on Aging at (260) 824-1070 for more information.

Tri-Lakes Lions Club fish, tenderloin fry April 15

Tri-Lakes Lions Club fish and tenderloin fry will be from 4-7 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Tri-Lakes Lions Hall, 2935 E. Colony Ave., Columbia City.

This is a drive-thru event only. People may choose a meal or meat only for $13 each; a quart of potato salad is $5.

Companionship • Respite Care • Overnight

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Bathing, Grooming & Dressing Assistance

Meal Planning & Preparation

Custom Services To Fit Your Needs

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Householder has long history of helping others

Kelley Householder’s current title may be the volunteer project manager and maintenance man for Community Care of Northeast Indiana (formerly Community Care of Wells County), but he has worn many hats over the years. He also tends to go beyond the duties indicated in his title.

Community Care is the umbrella ministry for Grace and

Mercy Transitional Housing, Community Care Resource Center and Community Thrift. The Grace and Mercy Transitional housing for women and children in Bluffton is a place that is close to Householder’s heart, figuratively and literally.

Householder, who lives in Bluffton, is exceptionally familiar with the work and needs, since he was employed by Community Care. When he retired, he simply transitioned into being

a volunteer.

“There are currently 30-plus churches supporting this ministry in one way or another,” he said. “No matter the theology, everyone can get behind helping women and children have a better life.”

Householder has a varied background, given that he joined the Air Force at age 23 and retired after 27 years. He then carried his experiences into another line of work outside of the military. For two years, he was an associate minister, then went back to school and completed a master’s degree in Christian counseling in 2012.

“I started volunteering in the benevolence ministry back in 2014, using my counseling skills with clients as I found they were all grieving in one way or another — loss of money, job, home, health, spouse, etc. Then I was asked to be executive director in 2016,” Householder said.

He helped steer the ministry until 2021, and then God provided someone better suited to run the ministry, he said.

“I was glad to move into volunteering at Grace and Mercy. Even as executive director, I was doing a lot of volunteer time as this fledgling ministry was running on a shoestring budget,” he noted.

Partly due to the financial constraints, Householder maintains lengthy lists of tasks that he covers, and maintenance is top priority. Some areas are securing the stakes on the play set, making sure the gazebo lights are working, and checking the attic for animals and problems. This is in addition to the regular tasks of maintaining the appliances and keeping the lawn mower in good repair. In the past six years, the 10,000-square-foot building, which was initially unfinished, has had numerous major improvements.

state. It all makes for a wellrounded life he wouldn’t trade in for anything.

With 10 to 14 women and up to 13 children living in this home, lots of things get broken, he said.

“Watching the women and kids turn their lives around is such a blessing,” he said. “I believe eight or nine women have given their lives to Christ and been baptized. I had a 3-year-old little boy that grabbed my hand one

day when I was walking down the hallway. He became my bud always wondering what I was doing and wanting to help.”

He added, “I learned in the military that aircraft and computer systems come and go, but touching a life in a positive way can impact generations… that’s where I want to focus my energies.”

To learn more, visit www.facebook.com/graceandmercytransitionalhouse.

Get ready to ‘Trek the Trails’ May 2

“Trek the Trails” returns Tuesday, May 2, at Salomon Farm Park, 817 W. Dupont Road, Fort Wayne.

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Elkhart/Kosciusko

The 15 to 20 hours a week he volunteers is worked in with his active family life. He and his wife of 33 years, Cathy (Langel) Householder, help out with her mother and siblings in the area, as needed. However, the couple’s two adult daughters live out of

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Join New Haven and Fort Wayne trails on these familyfriendly bike rides. Rides begin at 6 p.m. every Tuesday throughout the summer. Participants are asked to wear helmets and bring water along for the ride. Most rides are eight to nine miles long. The average speed is 10-12 mph. This is a “no one left behind ride” and all skill levels are welcome.

These rides are an awesome way to explore sections of trail

you haven’t seen before or just to get out and see some old favorites. This year there will be no repeating routes, and there’s some new trail sections.

A trail celebration party will be after the ride. There will be snacks from Trubble Brewing, a cash bar, and a trail update from Fort Wayne Trails and the city of Fort Wayne. Tickets and more information are available at https://fwtrails.org.

Routes and starting locations are subject to change. Follow www.facebook.com/FortWayneTrails for updates or cancellations.

Editor’s note: Send listings of events, for nonprofit organizations only, to Senior Life, P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542, or email Editor Phoebe Muthart by April 20 at pmuthart@thepapers.com. With the listing, include the contact person, area code and phone number.

—o—

Woodlands Senior Activity Center

The center is located at 710 N. Opportunity Drive, Columbia City. For more information or to make reservations, call (260) 248-8944 or visit www. whitleycountycouncilonaging. com/senior-citizens-center.

Euchre — 9 a.m. Fridays

Dominoes — Noon to 1 p.m.

Tuesdays

Pixie Bingo — 9:30-10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 5

Yahtzee — 1-2 p.m. Mondays

Afternoon Euchre — 1-2 p.m. Monday, April 3

Bible Study w/Cheryl — 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays

Android Smart Talk w/ Kathy — 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 13

Noodle Making — 12:45 p.m. Monday, April 10

Alzheimer’s Discussion — 10:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 12

Master Gardener Jeannine Nix — 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Thursday, April 20

Pam from the History

Museum — Noon Thursday, April 20

Miller’s Oak Pointe Crafts — 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 26

Move to Music with Kathy 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 28

—o—

“Outer Space” is the theme for the Fort Wayne Area Community Band’s Tuesday, May 2 concert at the John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center at Purdue, Fort Wayne. The band will be performing music from “Star Wars.” Band members will be dressing in space outfits and audience members are urged to come in costume. A parade of the costumed audience members will be held during one of the works. Down beat is 7:30 p.m. Parking is free in the garage across from the Music Center. Adult tickets are $9, seniors $8, children and youths under 18 are free. Purdue Fort Wayne students/faculty are free with valid ID and nonPurdue students are $5.

—o—

A fish fry, combined with a German concert by the Fort Wayne Maennerchor/Damenchor, is Friday, April 14. The fish fry and concert begins at 4:30 p.m. The concert will begin as soon as the fish fry ends, no later than 7 p.m., and will conclude within 60 minutes. The event is at Park Edelweiss, 3355 Elmhurst Drive, Fort

Wayne. The cost for the fish fry is $13 for adults and $6 for children under 12 years old. The concert is no additional cost.

—o—

Summit City Chorus presents “Beyond the Sea” Sunday, April 16. This show is loaded with a cappella music and a buffet lunch. The chorus is joined by quartets Midnight Snack and Coalition along with other surprise quartets. This adventure will take place at Cerutis Catering, 6601 Innovation Blvd., Fort Wayne.

The buffet lunch starts at 1 p.m. with the show to starting shortly after at 1:45 p.m. Lunch and show seats are reserved and must be purchased in advance for $35. Reserved means people can pick their seats online. Show only tickets are also available online and at the door.

For tickets and more information, visit www.summitcitychorus.org, call (260) 418-3239 or purchase from any chorus member.

—o—

At The Table, a free community meal, is at 6 p.m. every Wednesday, at Gethsemane Lutheran Church, 1505 Bethany Lane (off North Clinton, just north of Washington Center Road), Fort Wayne. Everyone is welcome to come

for a free meal. For questions, call (260) 483-1813.

—o— New Haven United Methodist Women will hosting its annual spring rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednes-

day, May 3, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4. The $2 bag sale will be from 3-6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at 630 Lincoln Highway East, New Haven. The proceeds benefit missions at home and globally.

Home is where the hazard is

in the kitchen or living room? Is there a fire extinguisher handy?

As more and more multi-unit senior living facilities are being built, more and more seniors are moving into these apartment buildings.

They no longer have to worry about cleaning furnaces and flues, keeping sidewalks and driveways clear and clearing pathways of children’s toys.

But there still are plenty of chores to be done to make sure they’re prepared for an emergency.

To start with, they need a list of emergency numbers — 911, doctor, family members — right by their phone.

And a flashlight. Better still, they should have night lights plugged all through the residence so they don’t have to fumble and stumble — and fall — in the dark.

They’ve probably been instructed to stay in their apartment if the alarm goes off because the apartment is fireproof, but what about a fire that starts

They should get rid of those scatter rugs that can trip them up and see to it the floor is not slippery. There should be a handrail to hold themselves up when they step out of the bathtub or shower onto a tiled bathroom floor. Do the bathtub and shower have non-skid surfaces?

They should move their toaster away from the coffee maker and keep all appliances away from each other to avoid disastrous sparks and spills. Unplug them when they’re not in use.

They might get some handy electrical outlet covers to shield those outlets when they aren’t being used.

They should always be looking around for possible hazards. Perils are always lurking.

When they light candles for a quiet anniversary dinner, for example, they should make sure there are no curtains nearby to catch fire.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Jeff ‘JJ’ Shaw, Attorney at Law

Axe throwing is an art and a fun sport

Fort Wayne native, Wayne High School graduate and U.S. Army veteran Antione Brewer is probably the only man in the Summit City who throws axes and hatchets for a living. He’s manager, safety officer, instructor and coach at Dead Eye Dick’s Axe Throwing Range and Bull’s Eye Bar, Fort Wayne.

“I had never thrown an axe in my life until my boss, Jennifer Rao, closed the escape room where I was working and opened this place,” said Brewer.

He got a little instruction on how to throw, but pretty much taught himself the proper technique.

“The majority of people who come in are novices so a lot of my time is spent teaching. It’s not terribly difficult to learn, but it does take a few practice throws to get the hang of it. Before anybody picks up an axe, however, I explain all the safety rules because we don’t want anyone getting injured,” he said.

The patrons throw 16-inch axes at a cottonwood board

where targets are projected by computer.

“We use the cottonwood because it is kind of a spongy, self-healing wood that returns to its original form when the axe is pulled out,” explained Brewer. “Patrons throw from a 12- to 15-foot distance. The technique involves putting the throwing arm up and over the shoulder so that the axe is resting on the back of the shoulder. The idea is to step with the opposite leg and release it so the axe gets one-and-a-half revolutions and sticks into the target.”

Rao said, “A lot of people question whether selling beer to people throwing axes is a good idea. Our safety rules are very explicit, we enforce them strictly, and we’re very vigilant when people are on the range. In addition, we sell only beer and wine, no liquor.”

When Rao, a retired nurse with 25 years of experience, heard about axe throwing from Canadian friends, she decided to change her career from operating an escape room to a new venture into the entertainment business.

“Nobody around here had ever heard of axe throwing until we opened. It turned out that we were ahead of the curve so when it became the hottest thing going, our business grew quickly,” Rao said.

“It’s suddenly the fun, different thing to do. Now, we have families, corporate groups and even people from senior citizen residences coming in. Individuals seated in wheelchairs can participate,” Rao said.

For the past few years, axe throwing has become one of the annual Fort Wayne Senior Games favorite venue. On June 27, there will be between 35 and 40 seniors competing.

Dead Eye Dick’s is divided into two sides with eight throwing lanes each. The first is the bar side and no one under 21 can participate there as stipulated by Indiana law. The other side is open to families and youths accompanied by adults. All of the lanes are in black light with all kinds of bright images on the walls. In addition to the traditional bull’s eye target, patrons can choose from an array of eight different games that include zombies,

ducks, blackjack, Candy Crush, tic tac toe, Connect 4 and a Christmas tree with ornaments and gifts.

Rao hopes to start league play this fall. For more information, visit www.deadeyedicksfw.com.

Medicare Insurance

Q. How can I get all the “extra” stuff in my Medicare plan that I see on TV?

Tim McCulloch, Owner

A. The first piece of advice that I can offer any Medicare Beneficiary is to be certain that you work with a local agent/broker that you can visit with face-to-face, and one that you know will be around when you have questions.

As for the “extras” - most of the Medicare Advantage (MA/MAPD) plans include additional benefits that Original Medicare does not cover. Things like: Dental, Vision, Hearing Aids, Transportation, etc.

There are also special plans that also include things like: debit card to buy groceries, a give-back on a portion of Medicare Part B premium, and zero ($0) copays for covered services. But not all Medicare Ben-

Michelle Walters Executive Vice President

eficiaries will qualify for these plans.

To learn more, join us for an upcoming Medicare Education session or schedule a personal appointment to get answers to your Medicare Insurance questions.

Our consultation and education services are FREE!

The amazing popular

Vitamin K: 57% of the DV

Magnesium: 9% of the DV

Potassium: 12% of the DV

Manganese: 9% of the DV

Being 95% water, cucumber are a good source of hydration and replacing of electrolytes, especially for people who have trouble drinking enough water.

Producers put synthetic wax on cucumbers, and though it is harmless, it is best to peel the skin, buy organic or use a vegetable wash before consuming.

Cucumbers are popular long, lean and green garden vegetables. Technically, they’re fruits from the same family as watermelons and pumpkins, but most people consider them veggies.

The three most used varieties of cucumbers are:

Common slicing — smooth skin, 8-12” long.

English — seedless and referred to as burpless, 12-14” long.

Pickling — thicker and has bumpy skin, 3-7” long.

Nutritional value of a medium

cucumber:

Calories: 30

Total fat: 0 grams

Carbs: 6 grams

Protein: 3 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Vitamin C: 10% of the recommended daily value

Cucumbers are a non-starchy vegetable, which is one of the best categories of food for managing diabetes. The American Diabetes Association recommends three to five servings of non-starchy vegetables per day, but that’s just a minimum.

When hunger strikes, having more non-starchy vegetables can help satisfy appetite without raising blood sugar levels. The fiber and water content of fresh cucumbers makes them an ideal choice for glycemic control.

Cucumbers are a refreshing, nutritious and incredibly versatile addition to any diet. They are low in calories but contain many important vitamins and minerals, as well as a high water content. Dare I say they are crunchy — like a cookie, only oh so much better for you.

ADVANCE CARE PLANNING

Q.

How can I make sure my wishes are honored in the event I can no longer speak for myself?

A. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is the process by which you determine your wishes in regard to medical care and treatment including designation of a health care representative should you be unable to communicate your wishes for yourself. ACP includes a series of conversations you can have with your family, friends or a trusted advisor about those wishes.

ACP is always evolving, both personally and legislatively. It is encouraged that you update your wishes throughout your life, especially as your personal and health situations change. For example, if your marital status changes or if you experience a significant change in health, you may want to adjust your ACP plans accordingly.

According to the University of California San Francisco, more than one in four older adults have not engaged in planning for end-of-life care or directives . Failing to plan ahead can lead to a disconnect between the care you want and the care you receive.

Cucumbers are always soothing to place slices on your eyes to reduce puffiness and delicious to add to water for a cool flavor.

Simple Cucumber Salad www.acouplebooks.com

Ingredients:

2 large, thin cucumbers (English if possible)

1 small yellow or white onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)

½ cup white vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible, using a mandoline if desired. Peel, cut in half top to bottom and thinly slice the onion. Layer the cucumbers and onions in a large shallow bowl; add the dill

Elder Law

Q. Should I purchase long-term care insurance?

Katie Hougham Vice President, PACE Operations 260-469-4148

AIHS has resources available to help you walk through this process with your loved ones. We know these conversations aren’t always easy to have, but they are essential for maintaining the integrity of your wishes.

Anyone can create an Advance Care Plan. If you need help with your own ACP planning, or don’t know where to start, Just Call Us!

A. There are many things to consider when trying to determine if you should purchase long-term care insurance because of the number of different products that are available these days.

Here are some questions to consider when determining if you should purchase a policy.

Can I qualify? A number of preexisting conditions may make you uninsurable.

At what age should I purchase a policy? Generally speaking it is most cost-effective between the ages of 50 and 65. However, you will be paying premiums for a longer period of time.

Along those lines, how long of a policy should I purchase? The longer the benefit period the policy offers, gen-

(if using).

2. In a small bowl, mix the white vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the cucumbers and onions, mixing everything together to ensure even coverage. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

3. Stir again to evenly mix the dressing. Then serve with a slotted spoon. Store refrigerated for up to seven days.

Jesica L. Thorson Attorney At Law

erally the higher cost of the policy. The average policy length can between two and four years.

Will I really need a policy? Perhaps you have the funds to self-insure and do not need the additional cost of the policy.

The decision to purchase a long-term care insurance policy is so individualized that it is a good idea to discuss your options with a financial broker and an elder law attorney.

Actress Jane Seymour to speak at Aging and In-Home Services’ awards ceremony

Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana Inc. has announced that the featured speaker for its 48th annual meeting and awards ceremony will be actress, artist and philanthropist Jane Seymour. The event is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 6, at Parkview Mirro Center, Fort Wayne.

A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner, and recipient of the Officer of the British Empire bestowed upon her by the late Queen Elizabeth II at

Buckingham Palace, Seymour has proven her talents in virtually all media, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television.

Behind the camera, Seymour served as an executive producer on the documentary film, “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” which told the touching story of musician Glen Campbell’s farewell tour while dealing with the effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

At the meeting and awards

ceremony, Seymour will share her experiences with family and friends impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. Seymour believes support of caregivers needs to be a priority, as with Alzheimer’s the caregiver responsibility is 24 hours, seven days a week, which in many cases is detrimental to the health of the caregiver.

Each year, AIHS welcomes aging professionals, community change agents and fam-

ily caregivers for an afternoon of reflection and hope as they celebrate the progress in making programming and resources more accessible to family caregivers throughout northeast Indiana.

This year’s event will be held at noon. Doors will open at 11 a.m.

For more information about sponsorship, table or ticket purchases, contact Sam Bostater at sbostater@ agingihs.org.

Orland native serves aboard U.S. Navy floating airport

Prairie Heights in 2014 and joined the Navy four years ago.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Wheaton, a native of Orland, is one of more than 5,000 sailors serving aboard the selfcontained mobile airport, USS Carl Vinson.

Equipped with a full flight deck and more than 60 aircraft including attack fighter jets and helicopters, aircraft carriers are one of the largest warships in the world. Wheaton graduated from

“I joined the Navy because I needed to turn my life around and wanted to carry on a family tradition,” said Wheaton. “My best friend, who is like a brother to me, was in the Army at the time, and my family told me that my great-grandfather was in the Navy.”

Skills and values learned in the Navy are similar to those found in Orland.

“I learned at a very young age that hard work and respect will get you where you want to

go faster than anything else,” said Wheaton. “Also, my dad showed me growing up that the true measure of a man is someone who shows up to work and does a good job.”

Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s Naval forces. For more than 100 years, they have projected power, sustained sea control, bolstered deterrence, provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and maintained enduring commitments worldwide.

According to Navy officials,

Calls to make after a loss or a theft

A recent internet post included some free advice to company employees from a sender who purported to be an attorney.

Much of it sounds sound but, as with anything you read or hear, check with a professional you know and trust. In this case, check these thoughts with your attorney.

To begin, the next time you order checks have only your initials (instead of first name) and last name put on them. If you lose your checkbook or someone takes it, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name. Your bank knows how you sign your checks.

If you wish, you can put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a Post Office Box, use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a P.O. Box, use your work address.

Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks.

When you are writing checks to pay for your credit card accounts, don’t put the complete account number on the “For” line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number.

Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put “Photo Id Required.”

Photocopy both sides of all the contents of your wallet. That way, if your wallet is lost or stolen, you’ll know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call to cancel. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.

Also carry a photocopy of your passport when you’re traveling either here or abroad.

When you check out of a hotel that uses cards for keys, as is the practice more and more now, do not turn these keys in. Take them with you

and destroy them. Those little cards contain all the information you gave the hotel, including address and credit card numbers with their expiration dates. Someone with a card reader, or employee of the hotel, can access all that information.

The attorney pointed out his wallet was stolen the previous month and, within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell-phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer and received a PIN number from DMV to change his driving record information online.

He offered some information to limit the damage in case this happens to you. Cancel your credit cards immediately. The key is those copies of your credit cards with

the toll-free numbers. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where the theft occurred. Get a copy and make more to prove to credit providers you were diligent.

An important step to take is to call the three national credit-reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number.

This alerts any company checking your credit that your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit. Here are the numbers you need to contact:

Equifax: (800) 525-6285; Experian (formerly TRW): (888) 397-3742; TransUnion: (800) 680-7289, and Social Security Administration (fraud line): (800) 269-0271.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

IIt’s easy! Simply find the raindrop on another page in this edition. Go online to www.SeniorLifeNewspapers.com and enter your information, the edition, date and page number you found it on. This will enter you for a chance to win a gift of $25.

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aircraft carriers are versatile and have unique mission capabilities that make them a more strategic asset for the Navy than fixed-site bases. They are often the first response in a global cruise because of their ability to operate freely in

international waters anywhere on the world’s oceans. In addition, no other weapon system can deploy and operate forward with a full-sized, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier’s speed, endurance, agility and the combat capability of its air wing.

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I Spy March winner is James Stone. The chick was located on page 12 in Senior Elko, page 1 in Senior St. Joseph, page 8 in Senior Allen and page 13 in Senior Northwest.

Hockerman assists with Grace Lutheran Food Pantry

our clients, we try to research and offer recipes on how to use those food items.”

In 2015, Dave Hockerman began working with the Grace Lutheran Food Pantry in Columbia City. These days, as volunteer coordinator, he and his helpers try to go beyond simply distributing the food, when a person’s situation may call for it.

Hockerman began what would become a long-term volunteer project slowly. He had been retired for a short time when he began filling in at the pantry on an as-needed basis. Over the years, he became more involved and learned of deeper needs.

“I guess it was kind of a ‘bloom where you are planted’ kind of mentality,” Hockerman said. “Everyone needs to eat and since I’ve been doing it for 74 years, I figured I’ve had enough experience I could help out. A large part of our pantry clientele are elderly and may have many other issues other than just securing food. So, often our support needs to extend beyond simply handing them a box of food. If we have some unusual food items, which may be unfamiliar to

Hockerman spends about 10 to 12 hours per week on his duties. He’s in charge of maintaining health and cleanliness standards, ensuring regulatory compliance, reporting, and inventory and financial management. He also has about a dozen volunteers to coordinate, depending on who is in town and who might be away for the winter.

He characterizes the volunteers he works with as “capable and dedicated.”

“One of our volunteers has even prepared those recipes which incorporate unfamiliar foods for the clients to taste,” he said. “In coordination with the Purdue extension, we have offered on-site nutrition and cooking classes to our clients. Sometimes our clients are unable to come to us, so we can deliver to them when needed. Although our resources are limited, we do our best to help them find other resources in our community that can provide them additional assistance with non-food issues.”

In his leisure time, Hockerman spends time with his wife

and their adult children and their families, most of whom live in northeast Indiana. The couple has lived in the Churubusco and Columbia City areas for more than 30 years.

Helping out at a faith-based charity is something that aligns with his beliefs.

“It seems to me that a church must be relevant to its community, and since food is relevant to everyone, providing it to those in need is one of the best ways to accomplish that,” he said. “A great many of Christ’s teachings were about how we are to treat one another. Matthew 25 states: ‘I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink...Whatever you did for one of these... you did for me.’ So, we are specifically directed to provide for each other, but looking at today’s headlines, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

Scams spell disaster for everyone

Old fashioned fishing is a relaxing pastime that rewards you with tasty tidbits for dinner.

Current phishing is an attractive lure designed to pick your pocket and bank account as well as any and all finances you might have stashed away.

Despite all the cautions, warnings and exposes of phishing results, it’s still a well-used and effective method used by crooks and scammers to remain lucrative.

Many of you already are prepared to trash the daily promotional messages, reader letters, PR content, and obvious phishing attempts in your inbox. But you might become alarmed if you receive a warn-

ing that hackers were threatening your cyberworld but not to worry because the sender is offering antivirus software in exchange for a review.

That antivirus usually is, in fact, malware designed to steal passwords and browser cookies that can also hold login credentials.

Identifying legitimate contact is difficult in the age of frequent phishing attempts. If you want to verify that an email came from someone you know and contains safe links, the Federal Trade Commission offers a few steps you can take to stay safe.

If you don’t recognize the sender of the address, think twice about opening any links contained in the email.

A generic greeting is also a giveaway. A business email nor-

mally won’t begin with a casual greeting such as, “Hi Dear.” And an email from a friend won’t spell your name wrong or address you with an honorific like “Mr., Mrs., or Miss.”

Be suspicious of any emails that invite you to click on a link to update your payment details, update your account information, receive a coupon for free stuff, or include an invoice you aren’t expecting.

Even the most vigilant email user can be caught unaware by a malicious link in an email. Adding extra layers of protection to your online life can mitigate the damage done by scammers.

A simple and easy way is to back up your data, then copy all important documents and information regularly and store that on an external hard drive or thumb drive.

Be aware that there are different types of phishing attacks.

The most common form is an email from senders masquerading as a colleague or co-worker or a large account provider, such as Microsoft or Google.

Malware phishing involves planting malware disguised as a trustworthy attachment, such as a resume or bank statement, in an email. Opening such an attachment can paralyze entire IT systems.

Spear phishing targets specific individuals by exploiting information gathered through research into their jobs and social lives. These attacks are highly customized, making them particularly effective at bypassing basic cybersecurity.

Whaling is when bad actors target a “big fish” like a business executive or celebrity. If you have a lot to lose, whaling attackers have a lot to gain.

Smishing involves sending text messages disguised as trustworthy communications

from businesses like Amazon or FedEx. People are particularly vulnerable as text messages are delivered in plain text and come across as more personal.

In vishing campaigns, attackers in fraudulent call centers try to trick people into providing sensitive information over the phone. In many cases, these scamsters try to dupe victims into installing malware onto their devices in the form of an app.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Tax breaks

Long-term-care insurance premium costs are deductible as a medical expense but vary for difference age groups. Taxpayers 71 and older can claim up to $5,640, seniors 61 to 70 can claim up to $4,510, and folks 51 to 60 can deduct up to $1,690.

You can also get a tax break if you pay extra for a vehicle license plate that advocates a charitable cause.

Check with you tax preparer to see how much you qualify for in any of these instances.

Cruise and flight travel test patience

Calm down, take it easy and enjoy life are maxims that make daily living a joy.

They are musts to take along on your next trip, especially during these times of crammed and crawly airports, overbooked and cancelled flights and cruising miscues.

The first two, airports and airplanes, are often the cause of the last — missing the departure of your cruise. But you may also have arrived at your port of departure to learn the vessel is, or was, berthed at another port you weren’t told about. Or you may have arrived on time but can’t figure out which white multi-storied complex is your ship.

While operators of today’s cruise ships that carry more than 7,000 passengers consider one or two missing ticket holders as a minor hiccup, those one or two left on land suffer through the situation with major head and stomach aches. Any joy and optimism related to the prospect of a rewarding and relaxing sail at sea has curdled to apoplexy.

The first thing to do when

your ship has sailed without you is call the cruise line. Their number will be in the travel documents you carried with you.

You’ll find out if you can board at the ship’s next stop.

If it’s a Caribbean cruise, you’ll likely be told you can board at its next port of call, but you’ll have to pay for the plane flight. There is no assurance you’ll receive a refund for the part of the ocean trip you missed.

River cruises make it a bit easier because you might be able to rent a car or take public transportation to the boat’s next stop.

If you’ve had to cancel your cruise a few days before departure or if you missed it at the pier and can’t make it to the next stop, it’s unlikely you’ll get any refund.

In some cases, you might get back the money you paid for food-and-beverage packages and shore excursions. Regardless of the circumstances, you have to ask for refunds. Travel insurance can cover some of the loss, but you have to make sure you get proper coverage.

Working with a travel agent also helps you work through

the many problems.

To minimize the risk of missing a cruise, travel experts recommend arriving at the ship’s departure point a full day before it leaves the pier. Another danger is failing to get back to the vessel on time when you’re on a shore excur-

sion. If you’re told you have four hours shore time, give yourself three hours and then get back to the ship. When it leaves without you, you may be stranded in a foreign country while all your belongings have sailed away. Your first and immediate step

is to head for the embassy representing your country. Staff there can contact the cruise line and find out what you have to do next.

And it’s about this time those travel experts tell you to calm down and take it easy.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

Tea: Nature’s healthy tonic

We’ve heard a lot about the health and hazards of drinking coffee but little has been promulgated about the benefits of that healthy worldwide tonic — tea.

So easy to make. A cup of hot water and a tea bag. It can be quaffed hot, cold or iced. This simple brew made from black, white, oolong or green tea leaves contains more than 2,000 beneficial chemicals.

More than 2 million cupfuls of this natural health food are sipped every day around the globe.

The natural compounds boost metabolic systems ranging from burning body fat to reducing the risk of such

chronic diseases as diabetes and dementia.

According to Bottom Line Health, a decade-long National Institutes of Health study revealed people who drink two to three cups of tea a day have a 13% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who do not drink tea. The tea drinkers also face a lower risk of dying from heart disease and stroke.

Researchers found data from more than 350,000 seniors between the ages of 50 and 74 that indicated those who drank three to five cups of tea a day had a 28% lower risk of becoming victims of dementia.

Tea also helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in several ways. Besides lower-

ing your blood pressure, it also protects your heart and brain by improving your blood flow. The brew also lowers LDL cholesterol and helps repair the lining of blood vessels.

Research has also revealed green tea helps kill cancer cells. A Harvard Medical School report indicates tea reduces the risk of oral cancer by almost 40% as well as reducing the risk of other cancers, including that of the breast and liver.

Besides being a quality beverage to enjoy socially or all by yourself, what else can it do?

It can also lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by more than 15%, according to a European report.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

‘Who’s buried in Grant’s tomb?’

I voted in six of the elections that resulted in their presidencies.

It began in the early 1940s on the “You Bet Your Life” radio comedy quiz show starring the late great Groucho Marx.

If the participants hadn’t won any money by the end of the program, Groucho would ask, “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” Surprisingly a good many contestants didn’t know the answer, losing out on $50.

Visiting the various presidential gravesites is an interesting, educational and fun thing to do. Not only are the trips rewarding but when you take your children and grandchildren it gives them a peek into our nation’s history along with the realization each grave represents someone who rose to our highest political position in the land from being an ordinary citizen like the rest of us.

I’ve had the honor of visiting and paying homage at seven presidential gravesites, those of Ronald Reagan, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald Ford, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, and John F. Kennedy.

All of these men lived, served and died during my lifetime.

All the gravesites are impressive, but President Reagan’s in Simi Valley, Calif., is at the top of my list in that category.

The simplest site is President Kennedy’s, which is an eternal flame at Arlington National Cemetery just a few feet from the remains of his brother, Robert F. Kennedy. Up a gentle sloping hill from the Kennedys is the mansion of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, whose plantation became Arlington Cemetery. (That’s a story for another time).

There are libraries at the Reagan, Eisenhower, Ford and Truman sites filled with historic papers and artifacts, all open to the public.

In the year 2000, historians Richard Norton Smith and Douglas Brinkley compiled a book, “Who’s Buried in Grant’s Tomb?” With the help of Brian Lamb and his C-Span staff, the book lists the locations of each presidential gravesite. Among their notes are the “final words” of many presidents before they passed. Here are some of the more interesting comments:

Thomas Jefferson asked “Is it

the fourth?” as he lay dying.

On the same day, July 4, 1826, John Adams uttered on his deathbed, “Thomas Jefferson still survives.”

The ironic point of history is their deaths occurred hours apart on the day that was the 50th anniversary of our nation’s birth. Both men were key figures who pushed through the Declaration of Independence. Despite some bitter conflicts, they ended their lives as good friends. Adams was 90 years old and Jefferson was 83.

As James Madison lay dying, he said, “’Tis nothing more than a change of mind.”

Andrew Jackson, who is buried at his beloved Hermitage plantation near Nashville, Tenn., promised, “We shall all meet in heaven.”

Martin Van Buren’s parting words were, “There is but one reliance.”

While he was only president for 30 days, William Henry Harrison caught pneumonia from giving a long-winded inaugural speech during a rainstorm. As a result, our ninth president had

the most to say at his end. Harrison uttered, “I wish you to understand the true principles of government. I wish them carried out. I ask for nothing more.” You could say President Harrison died from talking too much.

John Tyler sighed from his death bed, “Perhaps it is best.”

James K. Polk proclaimed, “I love you, Sarah, for all eternity, I love you.”

“Old Rough and Ready” Zachary Taylor bemoaned, “I’m sorry I’m about to leave my friends.”

Millard Filmore sounded pleased by saying, “The nourishment is palatable.”

Rutherford B. Hayes was pleased because “I know I’m going where Lucy is.”

James Buchanan went willingly because his farewell was, “Oh, Lord God Almighty, thou wilt.”

James A. Garfield, who was shot in a Washington railroad station, called to David Swaim, his chief of staff, “Oh Swaim, there is a pain here. Oh, Swaim!”

Grover Cleveland apologized, “I’ve tried so hard to do right.”

Benjamin Harrison wondered, “Are the doctors here? Doctor, my lungs.”

William McKinley was prayerful with “It is God’s way. His will be done, not ours. We are all going … oh, dear.”

Theodore Roosevelt, as always, was pragmatic: “James, would you please put out the light.”

Woodrow Wilson went easily, because “The machinery is worn out … I am ready ... Edith.”

Warren G. Harding wasn’t quite ready because “That’s good. Go on, read some more …”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in pain: “I have a terrific headache.”

Dwight David Eisenhower made an easy transition, “I am ready. God take me.”

John F. Kennedy must have been surprised because “My God, I’ve been hit!”

For those presidents not listed here, their final words were not known, except for the Army general laid to rest in Grant’s Tomb. His last word was “Water.”

Mature Life Features Copyright 2023

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1910s — Grandma and the Easter Day postcards

Other than Christmas Day and her birthday, Grandma looked forward to Easter Sunday more than any other holiday throughout the year, even in her youth and adult years.

Grandma was born in August 1898, so she would have been about 12 years old when the story begins. Her Zentz sisters, Grace, Ada, Hazel, Della, Dora, Chloe, along with brothers, Claude and Harvey, sent her dozens of various holiday postcards throughout the 1910s decade, of which Grandma Eva

kept in a large postcard album. Several years before she died in May 1974, Grandma gave me her precious postcard album containing some 300 colorful postcards, which I now own for guarded family archives and a treasured memory of our grandma.

I take great pleasure now of

sharing and showing with you, my dear readers, some of those postcards that are now over 110 years old from Grandma’s youth in the 1910s decade.

In Grandma’s adult years, she never lost her special love for Easter Sunday and the special family dinners she made for all of us. Further, she reminded

the family it was the day in which he has risen and Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. Happy Easter, my friends! Any information welcome to: Dr. Greg Lawson, 1801 E. 3rd St., Mishawaka, IN 46544. Lawson is a longtime writer laureate of area history and human interest stories.

Positive attitude negates arthritis pain

There seems to be as many ways of coping with arthritis as there are the different types of this often painful and occasionally debilitating degenerative joint disorder. Millions of Americans live

with arthritis, which occurs in more than 100 forms and at varying levels of severity, say experts.

But not everyone copes in the same way, even among those with similar signs and symptoms.

People with a positive, proactive attitude are likely to

experience less pain and fewer limitations from their arthritis than those who are more negative.

When people feel in control, they’re more likely to use medical treatment options effectively.

The following are some healthy lifestyle measures

that can help people cope with arthritis. Reduce stress. Stress increases muscle tension, which can worsen arthritis pain. This can set off a cycle of increased pain, decreased ability to function and more stress.

Take time to relax. Meditation, prayer and guided

Simple. Affordable. Caring.

imagery are some ways people calm their minds. Massage, slow and deep breathing, or simply tightening and releasing different muscle groups may help relax muscles. Certain forms of exercise, such as yoga or tai chi, often enhance relaxation.

Understand your pain. Learn the difference between pain associated with general joint discomfort and that caused by joint overuse. When pain with a particular activity is excessive, or comes on quickly and lasts for more than an hour or two afterward, chances are you’re overdoing it or doing an inappropriate activity.

Know when to rest. The feeling of fatigued joints may be a signal to back off or change activities.

Painful, inflamed joints may require total rest temporarily or even an immobilizing splint. Whole body rest also is important. If you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, talk to your doctor about strategies to improve sleep. During the day, rest before you become too tired. Plan 10 minutes of rest for every hour of physical exertion.

Use “assistive” devices. Many products, such as jar openers, specially designed kitchen knives, devices to extend your reach, and aids to help you dress can make common daily tasks less harmful to your joints.

Enjoy fabulous tulip time without leaving the country

Does your bucket list include traveling to Holland to see the tulips at their peak, watch windmill sails turn slowly in the breeze and be entertained by cloggers in wooden shoes?

You can see all that without leaving the country. Really. No expensive airline tickets, no getting to the airport two hours before flight time, no hanging around for the flight to depart, no nine-hour flight crammed into a small seat next to someone you don’t know and no long bus ride to your destination.

It’s all right here in southwestern Michigan at Holland. The tulips are just as colorful as those in the Netherlands, and they’ve got windmills, dancers and wooden shoes. You can get there in your own car, stay as long as you want and leave when you want.

But, if you want to see tulips, the time to be there is between late April and midMay. That’s when Holland’s only tulip farm, Velderheer Tulip Garden, will be ablaze with color. There are acres and acres of tulips with winding paths that take you up close to the many varieties. They’re all marked so you can jot down the number of the ones you’d like to purchase for your garden back home.

It all began in 1950 as a hobby farm with 400 tulips. Now, it’s an awe-inspiring display of more than a million tulips of all colors for visitors to enjoy. In addition, thousands and thousands of daffodils, crocus and hyacinths add to the colorful springtime landscape.

Of course, if you went to the

Netherlands, you’d want to see a windmill. So, the place to go is Windmill Island Gardens. Granted, they only have one, but it is authentic. In fact, the 200-year-old, De Zwaan (Swan) windmill arrived in Holland in pieces and was reconstructed on site.

The view of the surrounding tulip fields from the fourth-story deck is awesome. Be sure to check out the 10-foot-tall grove of wooden tulips.

Take a step back in time at Nellis’ Dutch Village. Wander along canals to old-world Dutch shops to watch artisans at work making wooden shoes and traditional cheese.

Costumed dancers in wooden shoes will “welkom” visitors into their “klompen” folkdance.

Sample old-world culinary specialties like saudijebroodjes (homemade sausage rolls), banket (Dutch almond pastry), the village’s famous pea soup and 20 varieties of cheese. You can even find Grolsch lager at the Thirsty Dutchman Pub.

For a double-Dutch treat, visit the Deklompen Shoe and Delftware Factory; imported machines from the Netherlands carve the shoes. View craftsmen paint them.

Inside the Delft facility, the only one in the United States, you’ll see liquid clay pouring into molds and fired at 2,000

degrees. When they’re cool, artists apply the authentic blue designs on white backgrounds. More than 400 varieties of Delft pieces are produced here.

Holland also has a mill where hardwood bowls are turned the way they were more than 150 years ago.

Standing at the head of the channel connecting Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan stands the most photographed lighthouse in Michigan. The history of the tower, affectionately known as Big Red, dates back to 1870. The first lighthouse on the site was built of wood. A number of evolutions over the years included a steel structure, a fog signal building and today’s bright red electric lighthouse.

S & S TRAVEL

Motorcoach Tours 1404 E. Lake Bluff Dr. Kendallville, IN 46755

June 20-21, 2023 .........Get Your Motor Running in Detroit

June 26-29, 2023 .......Waitlisted ..............Mississippi Riverboat

July 27-28, 2023 .... 3 Seats Left ... Ark and Creation Museum

August 7-11, 2023 ...............Mackinac Island, Thunder Bay and Lighthouses Galore!

August 21-25, 2023 ..........Sights & Sounds of Pennsylvania

“Moses”, Strasburg Railroad, Gettysburg & More

Sponsored by Garrett First Church of Christ

Pick Up Locations for this one ... Garrett & Ft. Wayne

Sept. 6, 2023 ..................................................“Forever Plaid”

Sept. 11-15, 2023 ..................... Get Your Kicks on Route 66 Illinois and Missouri

October 11, 2023..... “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, Beef and Boards

Oct. 24-27, 2023 ................... Gilded Age of the Smoky Mts.

Bucket List Tours with Pam

New England and Canada Autumn Cruising

2023 - The Year of Cruises g 023

September 23-October 1, 2023

Fly to New York City, tour before boarding the NCL Escape featuring Portland, Bar Harbor & Canada’s Maritime. Includes air from Ft. Wayne, all port charges & government taxes and fees.

Inside cabin $3,047, Balcony $3,547

Western Caribbean Cruising

November 9-19, 2023

Two Tours in One!

Fly to New Orleans, spend 3 nights & 4 days touring before boarding a 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise the Carnival Glory!

Great price, includes air from Ft. Wayne.

Inside cabin $2,549, Outside $2,699

Balcony $2,999

Pam Crone 260-224-2339

Email pamkaycrone@aol.com

Tour Details: www.s-stravel.com

Tour Calendar: Call 888-262-4423

Featuring the Biltmore Estate and the Unsinkable Molly Brown

First Week Is Sold Out ... We Are Adding This 2nd Week

Nov. 9-11, 2023 ......................... Timeless Holiday Treasures

3 Big Shows and More ... Check This Out!

Dec. 5-9, 2023 ............... Waitlisted .............. Christmas in NYC

Broadway Show, Rockettes, 9/11 Museum, NBC Studios and More

April 6-9, 2024 ....... An Eclipse of the Heart, Moon & Sun!

July 13-24, 2024 ........................ Highlights of the Columbia and Snake Rivers

Steve and Sheila Magsamen, Tour Managers

Decatur & Fort Wayne Departures 260-432-8488

www.memoriesinmotion.net

Sixties Flashback —

When Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ became real

It was a scene of pure pandemonium, a flock of birds crashing into houses in a quiet California beach town, the crazed creatures smashing windows and attacking the residents whose frantic screams matched the agonizing shrieks of the interlopers themselves.

A scene from the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock horror movie “The Birds,” right? Actually, no. This event occurred for real two years before the great director’s now-classic release.

Following the 1960 success of “Psycho,” Hitchcock set about

making a film meant to outdo what many critics have dubbed Hollywood’s first true horrorfest. “The Birds” would be loosely based on a 1952 story of the same name by English writer Daphne du Maurier. In her novella, a British farmhand comes under an unexplained kamikaze-style attack by seagulls.

Hitchcock’s project was well underway when he heard about a bizarre phenomenon in the central California coastal town of Capitola. An article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel described hordes of disoriented birds dive-bombing the town in the early morning hours of Aug. 18, 1961, crashing into homes and cars and spewing half-digested fish onto lawns and streets.

During the melee, some residents had stepped outside, flashlights in hand, only to find

Senior Relocation Program

the birds rushing toward the light. One woman said half a dozen birds had tried to infiltrate her home. Eight residents reported being bitten. When dawn broke, the dead and dying creatures littered the town.

Understandably, the question nobody could answer at the time was “Why did this happen?”

Hitchcock phoned the Sentinel’s editor and asked for a copy of the front page story. The Hollywood icon would later utilize portions of that account when he had his scriptwriter alter some scenes for the upcoming feature.

Nobody understood the reason for that night’s attack in Capitola until three decades

later, when it was decided that brown pelicans and cormorants along the central California coast were falling ill due to being poisoned from domonic acid, the result of a toxin produced by a sporadically recurring red algae.

It appears this toxin had also been the culprit behind the 1961 disaster. In that situation, the avian victims were sooty shearwaters, large brown and gray seagull-like birds that annually migrate from the Southern Hemisphere. The tainted food chain along the shore had moved from algae to fish to birds, the tragic results for the sooty shearwaters being brain damage, disorientation, seizures and, eventually, death.

The hapless birds in Capitola hadn’t been evil or angry or murderous that morning, they had simply been sick and confused.

Alfred Hitchcock once said, “‘The Birds’ could be the most terrifying motion picture I have ever made.” His 1963 apocalyptic movie focused on sudden and unexplained vicious bird attacks on the people of the small coastal town of Bodega Bay, Calif. (Capitola lies 145 miles to the south).

An urban legend once claimed that the Capitola incident had been the basis for Hitchcock’s classic. That was untrue; in a textbook case of art imitating life, it had all been a matter of coincidence.

What I should have done yesterday

one is birth through teen years; chapter two is young adulthood … up to the chapter in life where retirement becomes a reality.

When I talk to people about our road map to downsizing, I start by saying that life is like a book with chapters. Chapter

Some people get serious about trying to make their life less complicated a little less stressful. Trying to “walk the

talk,” Carolyn and I started the process of, as we say, getting our ducks in order. We bought a 2,000-square-foot villa and spent weeks going through our stuff determining what to keep, give away, throw away and eventually sell, all the while working diligently getting our house ready to sell.

I must admit I did not plan things well during this process, since I also had double-knee replacement. I totally underestimated the knee replacement’s effect on my stamina, or should I say lack of stamina. It can take up to a year to get totally back to normal.

This got me thinking how many other people wait until a health issue forces them to decide. I can say from experience that in less than 12 months my knee and stamina changed drastically. The moral of my story is this — don’t put off until tomorrow what you should have done yesterday.

Start now planning and working on your downsizing strategy and getting things in order. Our senior relocation team is here to help in any way we can by answering questions or assisting you with our road map. Just give us a call at our Fort Wayne office at (260) 4593911 or our Huntington office at (260) 356-3911.