Senior Life - NorthWest Edition - December 2022

“Christmas Tyme Lights” has returned to Harvest Tyme Family Farm in Lowell for a third season, offering a fun way to add some magic to the season, whether you’re a kid or just a kid at heart. The event began in 2020 during COVID shutdowns as a way for families to enjoy some holiday cheer while social distancing. It was so popular that owners Josh and Melissa Sickinger have kept it going, and it’s already becoming a fun, annual tradition for families in the region. The drive-thru route spans over a mile long and displays an array of one-of-a-kind creations and favorite seasonal characters.

“Our family had many of our favorite holiday traditions canceled in 2020 due to COVID, so we wanted to create a way for families to celebrate safely,” said Melissa Sickinger. “We never imagined

that the drive-thru would be as popular as it was from opening night. It gave families something to do together safely from their own cars, which began a new tradition for many of our guests.”

The Christmas Tyme Lights has extended the season for this farm that has become a great multi-generational attraction where little ones, their parents and grandparents can spend a day together. Harvest Tyme is in its 15th season.

“Harvest Tyme expanded our four-weekend pumpkin patch season,” Sickinger added. “We now offer Dyno Tyme at the Farm during the summer, the Sunflower Festival to transition from the summer to fall season, the Pumpkin Glow Trail of Lights and, of course, the drive-thru Christmas Lights.”

Preparing for the lights display began in early November with the crew decking the halls over several days. While purchasing advance tickets isn’t required, it makes the

process much easier and saves money. Tickets are priced per vehicle and you’ll save $5 when you purchase online. Admission includes a one-time pass through the drive-thru, a Santa sighting and a custom Christmas radio station (104.9 FM). Sickinger said they love helping families create fun memories and celebrate traditions.

This year they’re also offering a way for non-profits, school groups and organizations to raise funds for their groups during their Shine Bright Nights where up to 25% of ticket sales goes back to the organization. Contact bri@ harvesttymefun.com for more info.

The Christmas lights will run select evenings beginning at 5 p.m. through Dec. 30. Santa’s appearance is weather dependent. Hot chocolate and other treats will be available to purchase on weekends, also depending on weather. For more information, visit harvesttymefun.com.

Call Now: (219) 462-0809

57 Franklin Street, Suite 203 , LLC

57 Franklin Street, Suite 203 Valparaiso, Indiana 46383

Phone: (219) 548-0980 Fax: (219) 548-0993

Northwest Edition Reaching Seniors In Illiana: Cook, Lake & Porter Counties

Key Positions

Chamber executive director enjoys highlighting hometown

to me to maintain our building and finances.”

Jay Harrigan hasn’t been in his role as executive director of the Hobart Chamber of Commerce for very long, but he’s had a lifetime of experiencing the best of Hobart to draw from. It’s easy to promote a place that he’s lived in for 55 years and is very fond of.

Harrigan took on the role in June and has been working to oversee the chamber’s events, promote businesses and strengthen ties between the community and the business world.

“I have always been involved in the community in different organizations and when the position became available, I felt it was a good fit for me,” he said. “As the executive director, I oversee all of the events that the Hobart Chamber runs. The objective of the Hobart Chamber is to give the businesses a chance to network with other businesses and to help promote their business within the business world and the community. I am also in charge of getting members to join and get involved with the organization. It’s also up

Harrigan graduated from Hobart High School and earned a degree in business management from Indiana University Northwest. He became a licensed real estate agent in 1982 and has been in the business ever since, first with his family’s business, Harrigan Real Estate, and later with Ginter Realty and Listing Leaders.

“I like meeting new people and the satisfaction of seeing businesses working together to make their businesses more successful and helping our communities,” said Harrigan.

He said the most rewarding part about his new position is “when people acknowledge that I am doing the best job that I can do. I get a lot of people telling me that this position was practically made for me, knowing how I have been involved with the community before taking on this position.”

Harrigan has served in a number of volunteer roles over the years, including as a board member of the Hobart Historical Society, member and president of Hobart Kiwanis, president of Hobart

Jaycees, district and region director and state vice president of the Indiana Jaycees, board member of the Hobart YMCA, committee member at Hobart First United Methodist, committee member of Greater Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors and member of Hobart Moose. He is current president of Maria Reiner Board of Directors.

An avid concert-goer, Harrigan has attended over 200 concerts and continues to add to his list. “I do like to attend concerts and having the Art Theater now having live national acts, makes going to concerts so convenient.”

He says he tries to live his life by the Jaycee Creed: “Service to humanity is the best work of life.”

No immunization for scam season

There seems to be no serum invented yet to shield yourself against crooks and con artists. The best protection is a healthy dose of anti-greed. There are no scientific studies made to prove or disprove

that “if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.” But it’s a good bet that greed leads to more disastrous financial decisions and transactions than any other single cause.

There are some slick schemes you should also be aware of because they never go away.

Ponzi schemes are by far the most notorious. They’ve been around so long, most people think they’d recognize one if it came their way. That’s rubbish.

Gullible — and greedy — investors are pouring their money into these confidence schemes somewhere right now. All on the promise, by someone they trust, admire, respect or like, of above-average returns on their investments.

They learn too late the money they funneled into the fraud was used to pay the crooks and some more sizeable investors to encourage you to pour more money into their pockets.

Offerings of viatical settlements persists. If you don’t know what that is, or what any other investment opportunity you’re offered means, run away from it.

Viatical, oversimplified, means you buy a life insurance policy from a terminally ill patient for less than the policy payout. But these transactions, whether you’re buying or selling, are fraught with perils.

The same applies to promissory notes often sold by independent insurance agents, according to the AARP Bulletin.

These are often offered by little-known or non-existent companies with the promise of returns as high as 15% with supposedly little risk.

It’s much better to turn your back on a can’t-miss sure-fire opportunity than fall flat on your fiscal face when you’ve been fooled out of your money.

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Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

Instructor sees multiple potential in martial art

Some view Tae Kwon Do as a martial art. Others see it as a fitness exercise. Still others see its potential in developing discipline. José Rodea sees it as a combination of all three.

“It’s all of those,” said Rodea, 60, a middle school teacher. “It’s a martial art from Korea.”

According to study.com, Tae Kwon Do is a type of Asian

martial arts that originated in Korea but is now practiced worldwide. It was initially created for self-defense, but many people use it as a form of exercise. The popularity of Tae Kwon Do significantly increased in the 1990s, and in 2000 Tae Kwon Do became an Olympic sport.

The English translation of this phrase means “the method of kicking and punching.” Another way of translat-

ing this phrase is “to put one’s feet on one’s hands.” In other words, a significant part of Tae Kwon Do is controlling one’s desire for attack or fighting to increase peace in the world.

Rodea, a Valparaiso resident, has been teaching Tae Kwon Do at the Valparaiso Family YMCA for 16 years. Teaching twice a week, Rodea has separate youth (7-12 years) and older (13-adult) classes.

Rodea’s youth classes draw nearly 30 youngsters, and their responses during the class mirror the discipline and respect taught in the class. The youth stand at attention, clearly respond when called upon, and address their instructor as “Sir.”

“I love working with kids. That’s my joy,” said Rodea, a Spanish teacher and world language department chair at Ben Franklin Middle School in Valparaiso.

Rodea learned karate in his native Mexico. After coming to the U.S. in 1987, he took Tae Kwon Do classes in Bloomington and has been involved with the activity since 1992.

“I enjoy the people, the challenge,” said Rodea, a thirddegree black belt.

Working with students, Rodea said, “I want to spread the philosophy, the respect, appreciation and, most of all, the humanity.”

Beyond self-defense, Tae Kwon Do is also considered a sport. There are multiple defining characteristics of Tae Kwon Do, including the extensive use of kicks. Punching is also used frequently. As it spread from Korea to Japan and China, it gave rise to different schools of practice.

Many people use Tae Kwon Do as a workout, especially in the U.S., where people use it

as a form of aerobic exercise.

Rodea cautioned, “People confuse Tae Kwon Do with Taebo, which is an aerobic exercise.”

Individuals can burn a high number of calories through Tae Kwon Do. A person weighing 160 pounds can burn around 350 calories by practicing Tae Kwon Do for 30 minutes. This exercise can take many forms, including sparring.

Aside from physical benefits, Rodea has learned confidence

and it helped him gain acceptance after moving to this country.

He added, “I hope my students gain discipline, confidence and great physical skills. They’re going to make a lot of friends. That human interaction is one of the big things.”

The Valpo YMCA offers Tae Kwon Do classes throughout the year. To learn more, call (219) 462-4185 or visit valpoymca.org.

S.O.S. — Speaking of Seniors A big, bad Medicare policy

Editor’s note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville. He has saved clients of that firm over $3 million by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system. Also, Wilcox wrote the book “Solving Medicare Problem$,” which is available from book stores and online.

On Nov, 11, I met with a client from Griffith. We phoned Medicare together to try to resolve a medical bill problem.

on preparing ads electronically. Graphics for ads can be emailed as PDF files to adcomp@the-papers. com. If you have any questions, give us a call and we’ll walk you through it.

REPRINT RIGHTS

We spoke to four Medicare representatives including a senior Medicare claims representative. After the phone call, I helped the client to file a complaint against Medicare for a really bad policy that could cost many seniors substantial amounts of money. Here is the problem.

When a claim is filed with Medicare, Medicare is supposed to rule on that claim and send a Medicare explanation of benefits to the doctor or hospital and to the Medicare supplement insurance company. The same information is supposed to be sent to the senior citizen patient in a Medicare summary notice.

If Medicare makes a ruling on a claim and then changes that ruling, it will not send an adjusted medicare explanation of benefits to the insurance company. It will send an adjusted medicare summary notice to the senior citizen after 30-90 days.

Medicare representatives told me that Medicare does not send a revised ruling to the Medicare supplement insurance company of the senior because the law does not require Medicare to do that. Instead, Medicare imagines that the senior citizen will somehow know to send a copy

of the revised claim report to the senior’s insurance company. How many seniors do you know that know and understand that? Not many, if any!

This means that Medicare supplement insurance companies don’t get the information so that they can work on fixing the problems caused by Medicare’s revised rulings. That would be easier for seniors.

Instead, the insurance companies never get notified and the senior citizens get hounded to pay medical bills that their insurance companies would pay if only Medicare had notified the insurance companies about the revised rulings. So, seniors get hounded to pay bills that they really don’t owe as a direct and proximate result of this big bad Medicare policy.

I hope you’ll join me in urging Congress to fix this problem that probably costs innocent seniors millions of dollars per year.

As you plan for the holidays

We are soon coming up on the Christmas holiday season. Will you be getting together with your loved ones and family? Will you be seeing your children and grandchildren? This is a wonderful holiday and it is a fun thing to be around the people that we love. Right now, you might want to give some thought to those people, and to your personal situation. Do you have an estate plan in place? A good estate plan should include a Living Trust, which will pass assets probate free to your children someday when you die. That same living trust, if properly prepared, could have language to help you stay in your own home and to avoid unnecessary placement in a nursing home. You may not be aware that nursing home costs went up 20% last year alone, and are now averaging over $10,000 per month in this area.

In addition to avoiding probate, and helping you remain in your own home as long as possible, a good estate plan can also include things like a Living Will, to make sure you’re not forever hooked up to machines when there’s no hope of recovery. It can include a HIPAA waiver, so that it’s not a felony for your doctor, nurse or a health care provider to share your medical information with your spouse or children. It should also include an advanced directive so that the children know, and the doctors know, who is to have the legal authority to make medical decisions on your behalf when you are someday incapacitated.

A good estate plan can also include a funeral planning declaration so that your spouse or children will know how to handle your final arrangements.

This alone could save many thousands of dollars and a great deal of confusion and uncertainty in the future. If you work with an Elder Law attorney, it is very likely that you will receive a Medicaid agency agreement, which can enable your loved ones to help you qualify for Medicaid and potentially save your home, and your life savings, from being spent down for nursing home costs, in the event of a long-term catastrophic illness. Unless you have nursing home insurance, the right kind of elder law planning is critical, right now, so that you don’t lose everything you worked for your entire life simply because you someday have a stroke, break your hip or suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia.

The average person with Alzheimer’s is likely to be in a nursing home an average of

five years, which would burn through nearly $600,000.

One of the wisest and kindest things you could possibly do would be to schedule an appointment with an experienced professional who can help you get your personal and legal affairs in order. For your sake. For your spouse’s sake. For the sake of your children and the ones you love.

At Rice and Rice, estate planning and elder law is all we do. We have been doing it for over 50 years. Call today for a free consultation, or attend one of our dinner workshops: Lighthouse Restaurant, 7501 Constitution Ave., Cedar Lake, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, or Teibel’s, 1775 US 41, Schererville, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14. Reservations are required and seating is limited! Call now, (800) 3037423, or visit riceandrice.com.

Shop locally at Humane Indiana’s PAWS marketplace

This holiday season, you can shop local while supporting pets and people in need at Humane Indiana’s Shop Local specialty shop in Highland.

Located within PAWS Gift Shop & Resale, 8149 Kennedy Ave., Highland, proceeds support Humane Indiana’s shelter, clinic and wildlife re-

habilitation center, assisting more than 15,000 animals and 30,000 people a year.

PAWS features a curated selection of locally made products from the region’s small businesses, like gourmet foods and snacks, local honey, soaps and spa treatments, delicious coffees and teas, pet

treats and seasonal décor. PAWS also has a wide variety of pet supplies and goodies.

Shoppers can also choose beautifully made gift baskets, including baskets of treats and toys for pets.

PAWS Gift and Resale also features a holiday marketplace with Christmas trees

and holiday supplies and decorations.

Local merchants include Albanese Confectionery, Amish Country Popcorn, Anderson House/Frontier Soups, Claeys Candy, Down South Doggies, Earthling Bee Company, Fannie May, Hoosier Daddy, Lady’s

Gourmet Popcorn, Maple City Roasters, Mix Match Gourmet, Robert Rothschild, Scoville Brothers, SNS Dips, South Bend Chocolate Company, Specialty Pet Products, Sprigati, Stone N Pallet, The Dutch Kettle, The Soap Guy, Tell City Pretzel, and Village Fudge and Candy.

New start dates for Medicare Part B coverage coming in 2023

Changes are coming next year for when Medicare Part B coverage starts.

What is not changing:

If you are eligible at age 65, your Initial Enrollment Period:

• Begins three months before your 65th birthday.

• Includes the month of your 65th birthday.

• Ends three months after your 65th birthday.

If you are automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B or if you sign up during the first three months of your IEP, your coverage will start the month you’re first eligible. If you sign up the month you turn 65, your coverage will start the first day of the following month. This won’t change with the new rule.

What is changing:

• Starting Jan. 1, 2023, your Medicare Part B cover-

age starts the first day of the month after you sign up if you sign up during the last three months of your IEP. Before this change, if you signed up during the last three months of your IEP, your Medicare Part B coverage started two to three months after you enrolled.

• If you don’t sign up for Medicare Part B during your IEP, you have another chance each year during the General Enrollment Period (GEP). The GEP lasts from Jan. 1 through Mar. 31. Starting Jan. 1, 2023, your coverage starts the first day of the month after you sign up.

You can learn more about these updates at ssa.gov/medicare and ssa.gov/pubs/EN-0510043.pdf.

Please pass this information along to someone who may need it. Please also share that Social Security imposter scams

are widespread across the United States. Scammers use targeted, sophisticated tactics to deceive you into providing sensitive information or money.

Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General has received reports of scammers creating fake versions of the identification badges most federal employees use to gain access to federal buildings. The scammers may text or email photos of the fake badges to convince potential victims of their legitimacy.

These badges use government symbols, words and even names and photos of real people that are available on government websites or through internet searches.

If you receive a suspicious letter, text, email or call, hang up or do not respond. If you owe money to us, we will mail you a letter with payment options and a notice of

What else does an estate plan do?

You may want to consider creating an estate plan that includes a trust if one or more of the following circumstances or priorities apply to you and your family:

Preserve Family Harmony

By designating an objective third party trustee, you can relieve loved ones of the burden of dealing with legal complexity during a difficult time.

Benefit Loved One With Special Needs A trust can provide an

inheritance to a loved one with special needs while preserving his or her eligibility for government benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income.

Support Children From A Former Relationship

If you’re married with children from a previous relationship, a trust can help you protect your biological children from potential disinheritance.

Cater To Financially Inexperienced Beneficiaries

By setting up a trust, you can restrict trust distributions, reducing the likelihood that your loved ones will squander their inheritance.

Include Distant Children

If you live far from loved ones, it’s important to plan ahead to ensure a trustee is designated to manage your financial affairs upon your incapacity or death.

This information is not designed as, meant for or constitute the rendering of legal or tax advice. People should consult with their attorney and/ or tax advisor before implementing any strategy discussed here.

Trust services provided by MEMBERS Trust Company are not federally insured, are not obligations of or guaranteed by the credit union or any affiliated entity, and may involve investment risks, including the possible loss of principal.

MEMBERS Trust Company is a federal thrift regulated by the office of the comptroller or currency.

appeal rights.

We encourage you to report suspected Social Security imposter scams — and other Social Security fraud — to the OIG’s website at oig.ssa.

gov/report. You may read our previous Social Security fraud advisories at oig.ssa.gov/newsreleases. Again, please share this information with your friends and family.

Natuzzi sofa set is falling apart

Leslie Azor’s new Natuzzi sofa set is coming apart. The company keeps sending a repairman to her home, but so far, he hasn’t been able to fix the furniture. Can she get a refund?

I bought a Natuzzi recliner sofa set last year from a local retailer. After using the furniture lightly for a few months, it was clear there was something wrong with it.

One recliner was completely defective where you feel the metal bar in the footrest. The leather has wrinkled and pushed up the metal pieces because the foam holding it all together is defective. The sofa warped to one side. The other side is following suit.

The retailer would not replace the damaged recliner and said we had to deal with Natuzzi directly because we didn’t identify the issue the day it was delivered. That was impossible to do.

Natuzzi has twice sent a repairman with stacks of foam to “repair” one of the recliners, and after the second visit, the repairman also requested parts for the other recliner. I have had to wait six months each time for the foam parts and then for the repairman, and he has had to leave both times, unable to fix the recliners because the foam was defective.

Now I have had to wait again for more foam shipped from China, with no guarantee that it will come when promised or that it will work. This is now a year of waiting with no end in sight and accepting at best a patch of what was supposed to be an expensive Italian sofa.

The repairman has told us he practically needs to reconstruct all of the inside parts. I have a copy of the back-and-forth emails with Natuzzi — all communication with them has been in writing. I want to close this chapter with them and stop trying to patch a new sofa as if it were 10 years old.

I want them to either fully replace both recliners, with the assurance they will be checked before they are sent to us to ensure they are not defective, or

return our money. — Leslie Azor, Miami

Natuzzi should have delivered the quality product it promised, and for which you paid $6,000. Also, the retailer should have stood behind the purchase.

Many retailers have warranties, guarantees or policies that ensure if something happens to your purchase, you can get a quick refund. I think the retailer’s demand you say something upon delivery was unreasonable. I mean, you hardly had time to sit on your new leather furniture before its warranty expired. Come on!

Natuzzi’s warranty leaves something to be desired. It contains lots of exclusions and doesn’t specify a time frame for repairs. It also appears to be an awkward translation of the Italian warranty. When I read it, I’m not sure what you are — and aren’t — entitled to. It’s just a promise to repair your furniture if something goes wrong.

You did a great job of keeping a paper trail — all the correspondence between you and the retailer. It’s one of the key components of being able to advocate for yourself.

Unfortunately, your case dragged on for too long. The company was not living up to its promise to “create harmony in spaces.” So I reached out to Natuzzi on your behalf.

A representative from both your retailer and Natuzzi contacted you the next day. They offered you a full replacement of the sofa. “You did in one day what I couldn’t in nine months,” you said.

I’m happy to help.

Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy. Email him at chris@ elliott.org or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at www.elliott.org/ help.

Roses only one Pasadena pastime

facility along the Rose Parade route.

There’s much more to do in Pasadena than smell the roses.

Most of the world becomes aware of this town 15 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles when it unveils months of work on blossom-burgeoned floats in the yearly Rose Parade along Colorado Boulevard.

This is a prelude to the granddaddy of all college bowl games: the annual New Years’ Day football festival in the Rose Bowl, where the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins play their home games.

When visitors consider Los Angeles, they envision a melange of movieland, Malibu, Disneyland and Beverly Hills.

Few folks even consider visiting this quiet community that’s as homey as a ’57 Chevy.

You can please both your palate and your psyche in this town that appears, in spots, like it might have been plucked out of the Poconos rather than sequestered alongside the San Gabriel Mountains.

While teasing your taste buds at one of the 500 local eateries — this number should be no surprise when you learn cooking icon Julia Child was born here — you may stumble upon luminaries of stage and big and small screen who have long found this “city that feels like a village” a livable locale.

But you can get closer to much bigger stars here. Creative minds at Jet Propulsion Laboratories monitor progress of their historymaking space probes. Reservations are required, but tours of this facility are free. Details for a visit are available at jpl.nasa.gov.

To pleasure your psyche, the Norton Simon Museum offers an intimate walk among works by, among others, Monet, Rembrandt, Rubens, Renoir, Raphael and Degas, including his famous depiction of a young ballerina, “Waiting.” All are within touching distance in this visitor-friendly

While you’re in this part of town, skip over to the Pasadena Museum of History for a quick tour of the 18-room Fenyes House. The mansion echoes how Pasadena emerged out of the Spanish outpost established at Mission San Gabriel by Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra back in 1771.

The community grew after the transcontinental railway reached the sleepy little town of Los Angeles in the 1870s and the region was discovered by a handful of wealthy Midwesterners from Indiana, Illinois and Michigan seeking escape from frigid winters.

The Fenyes House is one of 52 grand maisons built in the late 1800s along “the Boulevard,” a Millionaires’ Row that included such renowned families as the Wrigleys.

When domestic help all but disappeared after the Second World War, the Boulevard was transformed into Condo Row. These condos are still sought after, so the neighborhood is still called Millionaires’ Row.

It was a millionaire railroad and real estate magnate who established the Huntingon Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, known simply as The Huntington, in the city of San Marino, a wealthy enclave perched on Pasadena’s southern city limits.

The 207-acre attraction is the legacy of Henry Huntington, who first visited the site in April 1892 and proclaimed it “the prettiest place I’ve ever seen.” He built a railroad spur onto the property to simplify supplying the complex.

The Library, a research center that has been dubbed the Bastille of Books, houses original Shakespeare works as well as Benjamin Franklin’s handwritten autobiography and an original Gutenberg Bible.

On display in the art gallery are several works by Gainsbor-

ough, including his renowned “Blue Boy.” A mausoleum built on the grounds was designed by John Russell Pope and used as a prototype for the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Fifteen gardens exhibit botanical eye candy stretching from Chinese and Japanese landscaping to a patch of desert.

It was near a knoll now supporting a rose-festooned Temple of Love where a neighbor’s young lad used to play his war games. The boy grew up to be Gen. George Patton of World War II fame.

Between tours of these and other attractions, such as the Pacific Asia Museum, where some 50 centuries of Asian ceramics are among its exhibits, there’s a wide choice of palate pleasing moments.

Just an interlude away from the Pasadena Playhouse — such household names as Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman launched careers here — is Maison Akira, where French and Japanese cuisine are fused.

An interesting spot is Café Santorini, which overlooks a small Old Pasadena square that

resembles an Italian piazza with its intimacy and informality. The Mediterranean climate and ambience that permeate Pasadena are matched in the menu.

You mustn’t overlook the nouveau-California cuisine mastered at the Twin Palms, an airy eatery

that is sheltered under a flowing retractable tent. After all this activity, you just might want to take a few moments to smell the roses in Pasadena.

HAPPY HOLIDAY GREETINGS

originally owned by movie star Kevin Costner

Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

Unafraid of elements, runners support, inspire each other

Cold — what cold? Snow — what snow?

Just when you thought only two people were going to run at Sunset Hill Farm County Park in Valparaiso, more runners show up. On a November morning of snow, wind and freezing temperatures, a dozen hearty souls turned out.

Porter County Parks and Recreation sponsors the Sunset Hill Run Club, which is led by Dan Sturgell of Valparaiso.

A retired construction electrician, Sturgell has been with the group since 2010. Today the group meets Tuesdays and Thursdays at the county park, and on Sunday they run at different sites along the Indiana Dunes. A good day of running may draw 12-15 members.

“It’s a great mix of people,” Sturgell said. “We have as many ladies as we do guys, and sometimes the ladies are faster. But everyone blends in together.”

Sturgell, who played sports in school, has been running for 39 years, starting in 1983. A neighbor, an avid runner, was pushing him to run. One day the neighbor saw Sturgell running and talked him into running in the Valpo Popcorn Panic, a fivemile run.

“After that,” Sturgell recalled, “I just kept running.”

The group’s leader said running has changed his lifestyle.

“It’s nutrition, the great people I’ve met over the years,” he said.

“There’s no age difference. I run with my grandchildren.”

Married 50 years, Dan and Jackie Sturgell, a runner as well, have two daughters, both runners, and five grandchildren.

Lydia Sandoval, a longtime member, has run the Chicago Marathon and now volunteers at the race. “This group itself is fun,” The Chesterton woman said. “We challenge each other. If I run by myself, I might run two miles; with this group I’ll do five miles.“

Steve Sharp of Valparaiso, a member for several years, added, “It’s the camaraderie, the challenge, the fellowship and friendships. These are good friends.”

Running also includes fellowship, Sturgell noted. After a run, club members may go to different restaurants for coffee and more fellowship.

The group’s Facebook page shows 805 people belonging to the club.

Nora Fernandez of Chesterton, a member since 2010, cited the encouragement runners give each other.

“We all have our ups and downs, but someone here always picks you up,” Fernandez said. “Just from running together, we become stronger as we age. We inspire each other. The younger runners get stronger because of the older ones.”

According to WebMD, in ad-

dition to the physical benefits to seniors from running, this cardiovascular event helps them emotionally. These include boosting one’s overall feeling of happiness, reducing stress levels, and boosting one’s learning capacity.

Valparaiso runner Jill Silhavy, in her fifth year with the group, pointed to “the friendships I’ve made here and the motivation to run in other races.”

In some cases, Sturgell noted,

retired teachers join the run. Medical personnel on shift work also run. In summer, working teachers may join the group. The group leader encourages new members. “Be a runner,” Sturgell said. “It’s good for your health.”

For more information on the Sunset Hill Run Club, call Porter County Parks at (219) 4653586 or visit the club’s Facebook page.

Professional Forum

Professional Services

Q. Do I need an estate plan?

A. An estate plan defines who you want to manage or receive your assets in the event of your incapacity or death. If you do not create an estate plan, the state has an estate plan for you. The law of intestate succession is your state’s default estate plan for those who fail to plan ahead. According to the laws of your state, a court will distribute your property after death. State laws vary, but generally, the property will be

Kathy Misukanis Trust Administrator

passed to a surviving spouse and/or other bloodline relatives. By failing to draft an estate plan, you may disinherit an unmarried partner, friends, and charities. Let me help you make sure your plan is in place. DISCLOSURE: This information is not designed, meant, nor does it constitute the rendering of legal or tax advice. You should consult with your attorney and/or tax advisor before implementing any strategy discussed here. Trust services provided by MEMBERS Trust Company are not federally insured, are not obligations of or guaranteed by the credit union or any affiliated entity, involve investment risks, including the possible loss of principle. MEMBERS Trust Company is a federal thrift regulated by the Office of the Comptroller or the Currency.

Professional Forum . . . Your exclusive opportunity to present common questions or concerns “Adults 50 Years And Better” may have relating to your product(s) or service.

Advertising with us is a Breeze Advertising with us is a Breeze

A. According to audit statistics, 80% of our readers are under the age of 75. 65% of our readers have a household income of over $50,000 per year. Nearly 40% of these readers earn more than $75,000 per year. Are households with an income larger than $50,000 your target market? If so, consider advertising in Senior Life! Call or send me an e-mail today!

Kathy

Misukanis Trust Administrator

Wealth Management Center 110 S. Main St. South Bend, Indiana 46601 (574) 245-4735, ext. 5878

Lake & Porter Counties (219) 254-2345 slwest@the-papers.com www.seniorlifenewspapers.com

Q. Isn’t your paper only read by older senior citizens on limited incomes?

Becky Berggren, Account Executive

Send listings of events, hosted by nonprofit organizations, to Senior Life, P.O. Box 188, Milford, IN 46542 by Dec. 21 for January events. With listing, include contact person and a phone number.

Maria Reiner Center

• Monday Stretching class level 1, 9 a.m.; ukulele, 10 a.m.; bocce ball open play, 10 a.m.; walking club, 10 a.m.; smart phone class Androids, 10:30 a.m.; smart phone class I-phone, 11:30 a.m.; oil painting, 12:30 p.m. Pickleball: intermediate,

8-10:30 a.m., advanced, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., open play, 12:30 p.m. to close.

• Tuesday — Breakfast served from 9-11 a.m. for $3.

Walking club, 10 a.m.; dominos, 10 a.m.; pool tournament, 10 a.m.; senior cha cha cha, 11 a.m.

Pickleball: beginner drills, 8:3010:30 a.m., beginner and low intermediate, 10:30-11:30 a.m., open play, 11:30 a.m. to close.

• Wednesday Experienced art class, 9 a.m.; stretch plus level 2, 9 a.m.; bocce ball open play, 10 a.m.; hand and foot,

‘Managing for Today and Tomorrow’ farm transition program

There is no “one size fits all” solution when it comes to farm transitions.

Developing a viable transition and succession plan is a major undertaking and can be challenging. However, it is completely necessary to have these plans in place to ensure the future success of the farm and its productivity.

Women play a vital role in helping their families navigate the transition planning process and making these important decisions. Purdue Extension, in cooperation with Annie’s Project, is offering a five-session course where women can learn and be better equipped to plan and execute a successful farm transition.

The “Managing for Today and Tomorrow: Farm Transition Planning” program, a course designed by Annie’s Project, has been scheduled for this December virtually via Zoom from 10 a.m. to noon December 5, 7, 9, 12 and 14.

Women will learn about business, estate, retirement and succession planning from Purdue Extension specialists and area professionals. In addition to brief presentations, there will be discussions based on participant questions and follow-up activities for family members to complete at home. The cost is $25 per participant, which includes a 300-page workbook with fact sheets, interactive activities and presentations. Course size is limited, so register soon.

“We’re happy to be a partner in bringing this valuable program to Indiana,” said Beth Vansickle, Purdue Extension educator and program chair, “This farm transition course is an opportunity for women to meet with others who share similar issues and concerns. We limit the size of the class to make it comfortable for everyone to speak up and get questions answered.”

Annie’s Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women in agriculture to be successful through education, networking and resources. The organization provides agricultural risk management education programs for women

involved in agriculture.

Annie’s Project courses have successfully reached more than 18,000 women in 38 states

10 a.m.; cardio strength with Janice, 10 a.m.; walking club, 10 a.m.; movie, noon; beginner’s art class, noon; euchre, 12:30 p.m.

Pickleball: intermediate, 8:3010:30 a.m., advanced, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., open play, 12:30 p.m. to close.

• Thursday Lunch served from noon-1 p.m. for $3. Bridge, 10 a.m.; pool tournament, 10 a.m.; dominos, 10 a.m.; Zumba gold, 10 a.m.; choir, 11 a.m.; Bible as literature, 12:45 p.m.; Happy Hookers and Naughty Knitters, 1 p.m.; Scrabble, 1 p.m. Pickleball: beginner and low intermediate, 8:30-11:30 a.m., open play, 11:30 a.m. to close.

• Friday — Yoga, 8:30 a.m. (dates vary; see website calendar for specific dates); cardio strength with Janice, 10 a.m.; bocce ball open play, 10 a.m.; bingo (every second and fourth Friday), 12:30 p.m.; bunco (every first and third Friday), 12:30 p.m. Pickleball: intermediate, 8:30-10:30 a.m., advanced, 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., open play,

12:30 p.m. to close.

Plus many special classes and presentations. Computer “Ask the Doc” technology Zoom classes on the first of each month from 2-4 p.m. Book Club on the third Thursday of every month. Call for more information. Membership $30/year for Hobart residents and $50/year for outside Hobart residents. $3 daily visitation fee for non-members. Call (219) 947-1864 or visit 705 E. Fourth St., Hobart. For more information, visit www. hobartseniors.com.

St. John Lions Club

Seeking donations of old eyeglasses, sunglasses, hearing aids. Drop-off sites: Community Outpatient Clinic, 9660 Wicker Ave. (Route 41); St. John Library, 9450 Wicker Ave.; Boric Religious Supply Store, 10951 Thiel St.; St. John Town Hall, 10955 W. 93rd Ave.; VFW Post 717, 10400 W. 93rd Ave.; Clear Vue Eyecare, 9270 Wicker Ave.; Dr. Weisman Ophthalmology, 10220 Wicker Ave. # 3; Kolling

School, 8801 Wicker Ave.; Metropolitan Eye Care, 9488 Wicker Ave.; Moses Eye Care, 7974 Wicker Ave.; Strack & Van Til, 9825 Wicker Ave.; Vision Boutique, 8319 Wicker Ave.; Welch’s Stop and Shop, 11333 W. 95th Ave.

Monthly meetings are held at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month (September to June) at Roma Grill, 9543 Wicker Ave., St. John. Questions, contact Lion Al at (219) 201-9103.

Whiting Lions Club

Seeking donations of old eyeglasses, sunglasses, hearing aids. Drop off in yellow collection box on 119th Street, Whiting.

Highland Lions Club

Seeking donations of old eyeglasses. Drop off sites are: Town Hall, 3333 Ridge Road; Lincoln Center, 2450 Lincoln St.; Centier Bank, 9701 Indianapolis Blvd.; McColly Realty, 2002 45th St.; Dr. Ligget, 2940 Highway Ave.; Family Eye Care, 8417 Kennedy Ave.; and Johnson Opticians, 8128 Kennedy Ave., Highland.

Secret shopper

It’s so exciting these final days before Christmas. You never know who is going to be at the door ringing your bell. Will it be UPS dropping off a package?

Maybe Federal Express with a holiday gift? Possibly the U.S. Mail with something for this past Mother’s or Father’s Day?

Sometimes it’s a grumpy neighbor telling you he’s tired of getting all your stuff by mistake.

’Tis the season.

This story begins about 2 p.m. last Tuesday. The UPS truck pulled up to the curb and we wondered what Brown was going to do for us. We saw the driver struggle with a huge carton the size of a big screen TV. He maneuvered it to the front porch and left it leaning against the door. I went outside to look at it.

“Who’s it for?” asked Mary Ellen.

I checked the label and it was addressed to me, but sometimes that sticker is misleading. Some of our credit cards are in my name, some are in Mary Ellen’s, so when a delivery is made, we are not sure who ordered it and who the gift is ultimately for. If the wrong person opens it, well,

there goes the surprise on Christmas morning.

“It says it’s for me,” I told her, “but I have absolutely no recollection of ordering anything so big. Maybe you ordered it, Mary Ellen.”

My wife thought for a moment and so began the weirdest conversation in our 42-year marriage.

“Dick, I know what it is. It’s that special item I mentioned two months ago that I wanted for Christmas. You said you found it in a catalog. Don’t you remember? I am so excited! Thank you.”

“I have absolutely no idea what it is. Can you give me a hint?”

“No, I can’t give you a hint. That would ruin the surprise.”

“Ruin the surprise? Ruin

the surprise? The gift is for you! It’s supposed to be your surprise. But you already know what it is. I’m the one who doesn’t have a clue.”

“It doesn’t seem right to tell you. That’s not in keeping with the spirit of giving, Dick.”

“Okay, how about if you whisper softly in my ear and I promise I won’t tell you what you said.” It scared me a little that for a brief moment this actually made sense. It was driving me crazy that I had no memory of what I bought her. “Is it a high tech item?” I asked.

“Not really,” said Mary Ellen.

“Do you plug it in?”

“No.”

“Is it artwork?”

“No, not even close. But I don’t want to play anymore. If you guess it, I’ll have nothing to look forward to on Christmas morning. I want to see the expression on your face when I open it.”

Later that morning when Mary Ellen went out grocery shopping, I opened the box. Let me tell you, it was a really neat present. I don’t think I have ever been happier with something I bought my wife.

Before Mary Ellen got home, I resealed it, then gift-wrapped it and placed it under the tree.

Of course, now we both knew what was in the package. It will still be a surprise on Christmas morning, as long as we can both keep a secret.

‘Managing

Continued from page 9

and one U.S. territory. “This Farm Transition program emphasizes the role women play in helping transfer farms from one generation to the next,” said Vansickle. “‘Managing for Today and Tomorrow: Farm Transition Planning’ will empower women to take ownership of the future of their farms. Farm Credit Mid-America is a statewide sponsor of these courses.”

For more information, contact Jennifer Logue at (765) 4585055 or loguej@purdue.edu; Online registration is available at tinyurl.com/M42AT by Monday, Nov. 28. If you require special accommodations, contact Logue by Nov. 28.

More information can be found at anniesproject.org.

Read car rental contract fine print

Often overlooked by people who rent vehicles is whether or not the customer has a grace period.

If you pick up your car, truck, van or camper at 7 a.m., it’s likely that you have to turn it in at that time on the return date. If you’re a few hours late, the cost could be expensive — an extra day’s rental. Have the rental agency make clear what time you have to return the vehicle and see if you have a cushion, in writing, of an hour or so.

Also make sure your spouse, or anyone else going on the trip with you, will be allowed to drive the rental vehicle. If an accident occurs with an unauthorized driver behind the wheel, any collision damage waiver you purchased may be void.

And check to see if there are any mileage limits in the contract.

November winner is Deb Gehres.

16 servings; Active Time: 30 mins; Total: 45

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup fresh or frozen chopped cranberries, thawed

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon orange zest

Dash salt

6 ounces baguette-style French bread, cut diagonally into 16 slices

Cooking spray

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1 (6 ounce) log brie cheese, cut diagonally into 16 slices

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1 Combine pomegranate seeds, cranberries, sugar, orange zest, and salt in a small bowl. Cover and chill up to 3 days.

Step 2 To serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bread slices in a parchment paper-lined 15x10-inch baking pan. Lightly coat both sides of bread with cooking spray; sprinkle with pepper. Bake 8 minutes, turning once. Top with cheese. Bake 4 minutes more or until cheese is softened.

Step 3 Stir basil into pomegranate mixture and spoon on top of bruschetta. Serve warm.

Sprinkle with more basil before serving, if desired.

Faith

Serving through preaching and writing devotionals and poetry

A newfound passion for writing about the gospel has given 73-year-old Bill West a purpose he uses to its fullest.

Introduced to poetry by his mother, he dabbled in it a bit and in 2004 found a website in Scotland that publishes his devotionals in the United Kingdom.

“I wrote these faithfully for

Emergency contact workshop for your phone

Attention, iPhone and Android cell phone users: Do you want to be sure to have your emergency contact information available when needed?

You can have your emergency contact information right on your lock screen. In case of emergency, others will see it without having to have a password to get into your cell phone.

Interested in attending our

workshop to manually design your own lock screen? Register now at tinyurl.com/contactemerg.

The in-person workshop will take place 9:30-11:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 9, at Purdue ExtensionLake County, 2291 N. Main St., Crown Point.

For more information, call Linda Curley at (219) 755-3240, or email lcurley@purdue.edu.

Lottery scam is no winner

taxes and processing fees.

years, but after the deaths of my sons I gave up writing. I am back now writing both once again,” he said.

West has lost three of his children. He now distributes his writings via an email list to Christians through out the country, saying “the feedback I receive gives me joy.”

West said his writings are inspired by his “love for the Lord Jesus Christ who saved me from hell and has given me joy and purpose. My source of inspiration is the Bible. Everything else is secondary, if that.”

He added the words come to him, sometimes over days or weeks and sometimes in less than an hour.

West is involved with two churches, Emmanuel Baptist of South Haven and First Baptist Church in Schererville, where he accompanies Pastor McDonald in street preaching.

It’s been around for years, but the Canadian Lottery scam is still making money for the crooks that operate it.

It starts with a letter, phone call or email message congratulating you for winning a big prize in a national lottery. To receive this unexpected fortune, you have to send money to pay

Now, this should be the clue that this is an obvious scam, because the people notifying you should be able to deduct all charges and fees from the winnings, right?

Greed must be blinding, though, because victims continue to send thousands of dollars to qualify for the prize money. In fact, there is no prize.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

“I was a member there for over eight years and was very active in teaching Sunday school and preaching in nursery homes, and was licensed to preach there,” he explained. “In total, about 25 years between them both.”

The retired railcar repairman said he lives a normal life with his wife, “like most families, with blessings and woes.” His faith takes highest priority in his life.

“If it was not for my Lord I would die a drunkard burning in hell,” he said. “My relationship with my savior is multiplied the more Bible I read, which I try to read through three times a year. My faith in his words gives me an honest assessment of myself.”

When asked what he hopes others will take away from his writings, he responded. “That they fall head over heels in love with Him and the book of all books.”

To be added to his email list, you can contact West at westbates1949@gmail.com.

“The Ills Of Life”

I do not know why sorrows fall And tears and anguish are felt by all That flowers bud that never bloom On this temporal world gloom And by man’s hand no help in sight To quench the darts and leave this plight So let it come oh come what will The ills of life will not prevail

Oh a special grace he gives to me To face the onslaughts of misery The Rock of Ages my faithful friend Who’s lasting love has no end

For this world’s placebos cannot comfort me And physicians of no value can never see So let it come oh come what will The ills of life will not prevail

And when despair is all around And in myself no strength is found I lament and cry above For my Father’s unchanging love

I do not know why things take place Till I see his wondrous face So let it come oh come what will The ills of life will not prevail

I’ll fear not judgment I’ll fear not Hell The prince of accusers oh let him tell I’ll see my Lord in a robe so white For by God’s blood I have this right

I’ll wear no guilt I’ll wear no shame Cause I’ve trusted the name of names So let it come oh come what will The ills of life will not prevail

For when death and corruption meet And my flesh lies at their feet I’ll soar northward to that place To streets of gold paved with grace

There with the saints I’ll safely sing The ills of life were such minor things So let it come oh come what will The ills of life will not prevail The ills of life will not prevail So let it come oh come what will The ills of life did not prevail

Thanks-Christmas is not a holiday —

Tips to stay on track through the holidays

we need to add on the entire Thanksgiving weekend because of the leftovers, plus, Christmas party upon Christmas party throughout December, and then New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day …

Don’t let it happen. You can enjoy the holidays without going completely off the healthy eating rails.

time — not overnight.

The trifecta of holidays is upon us: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Three days, but, in reality

Eating for health starts as a mindset, day ... after day ... after day. Declare your plan, write it down and work on it every single day. If it helps you to write down what you eat each day, then do that. As you know, results happen over

Foods that fight for health

headaches and viruses.

No matter how often you say, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” it doesn’t diminish the importance of the message.

Nutritionists generally agree that the fruit that caused the downfall of Adam and Eve is not to be discarded, because it contains, among other beneficial ingredients, fiber and antioxidants. And eat them with the peel, where most of the antioxidants are concentrated.

The apple is among the weapons available to help in the body’s ongoing battle against certain types of cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis, as well as battling

No food does everything, but each is pretty good when combined with your daily diet.

Garlic gets a bad rap because of its aromatic behavior after being eaten, but it offers antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, as do onions.

Dark chocolate also is an anti-inflammatory and helps lower blood pressure, as does olive oil, which also helps maintain your cardiovascular system.

Avocados boost the ability to absorb nutrients from other foods and are excellent sources of potassium, as are pomegranates, which lower blood pressure and promote good circulation.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

Eating a holiday meal with friends and family is good for your soul and you can make it good for your heart too by making it one meal, not meal after meal until all the pies are gone. If you say, “No, I shouldn’t,” then leave it there, don’t put that “but” after it. “No, I shouldn’t” is a complete sentence and it can keep you on your path.

Here are some tips from past columns that may be of help to you:

• Go one day a week without an ingredient list. That means whole foods only; nothing prepared from a box or a frozen dinner.

• Reduce or stop eating

cheese. Cheese is addictive and it’s 70% fat.

• At the most, eat meat at only one meal per day.

• Eat a pound of cooked vegetables per day.

• Eat a pound of raw cruciferous and greens per day.

• Eat more fruit, especially berries.

• If you dine out, choose wisely — salad, vegetable wrap, soup or vegetables and brown rice.

• Make healthy soup and always keep it on hand.

• Meal prep or at a minimum make sure when you open the refrigerator there are vegetables, fruit, salad fixings and healthy leftovers.

• If you dine out — be the

first one to order so you don’t change your mind. You know it happens.

• Watch the labels for added sugar. Females should have no more than 25 grams of added sugar and males 36 grams.

• If you bake for the holiday, take it all with you to wherever you go, or if you are hosting, make sure you put it all out and package it up for your guests to take with them. You will be so glad you did.

However you spend your holidays, keep your health goals in mind. It’s really about the holiday and sharing it with friends and family. Cheers!

Dementia by any name is still debilitating

Everybody wants to live forever, but few folks look forward to getting old.

A lot of time and talent has been devoted to eliminating or finding cures for disease, developing drugs that diminish debilitation and producing prosthetics that help make coping comfortable.

Despite all the intelligence applied to the science of lengthy living, little is known about enhancing our brain’s power, particularly as it ages.

Dementia — its causes and

cures — is still a mystery to the best medical minds. Experienced experts even disagree on the best ways to avoid or alleviate its ravages.

Play mental agility games, such as crossword puzzles, some say. Learn a language to foster the brain’s flexibility. Travel. Join social groups. Stay active. Exercise to maintain a healthy blood flow to the brain. Eat foods containing chemicals that stimulate brain activity and cells.

All of these are safe and sane advice for anyone wishing to stay healthy.

But there’s still no cure

Some prostate cancer risks identified

Age, diet, race and nationality all play a role in prostate cancer risk, according to the American Cancer Society. So does family history.

While the causes for this disease that no one likes to talk about are still unknown, statistics reveal that 60% of the cases are diagnosed in men over 60.

Asian men are the least likely to contract this disease, while African-Americans are 70% more at risk than white males. It’s also more common in ethnic groups from northwestern Europe and North America than it is among those from Central and South America and Africa.

A sibling or parent with prostate cancer doubles your chances of contracting the disease. Men with a female relative who has contracted or has a high risk of contracting breast cancer also have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

It’s been revealed in some surveys that men who have undergone vasectomies face increased risk also.

Diet can lower the risk. Reducing consumption of red meat and high-fat dairy products is a good first step. And eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, such as tomatoes, watermelon and pink grapefruit, is also believed to lower the risk.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

for such degenerative brain diseases as Alzheimer’s. The inexorably inevitable result is loss of memory, identity and mobility if death does not intervene.

Alzheimer’s disease ambushes a new victim every minute.

More than 5 million people in this country reportedly suffer from it. That number is expected to triple over the next three decades as the population ages.

Anecdotes and stories by friends, families and caregivers dealing with victims of this and other debilitating neurological diseases hurt the heart. Helplessly, they watch the frustration and falling away of their loved one, all the while trying to rationalize what is happening.

The recurring theme is that these caregivers cannot realize, accept, come to grips with or face the fact that the person they once knew is fading away. The once-witty wife becomes a slug. The once-creative dad gathers dust in the corner. This also victimizes the caregivers.

Much has been learned about brain functions and malfunctions over recent years from work with war veterans and athletes in such violent sports as hockey and football.

Researchers hope that, with pressure applied by the aging phalanx of some 75 million baby boomers, more attention will be devoted to exploring the brain.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

Chicago, Ill. — A Norman Rockwell Christmas

Norman Rockwell was one of the most well-known artists of his day. Even today, he remains one of the most valued artists of our time and his original works are highly coveted.

Rockwell is especially noted for his artwork that has appeared for many years on the cover of the magazine The Saturday Evening Post. Especially loved was his yearly art depicting Christmas scenes each year.

For this story, we journey back to Dec. 23, 1944, where Rockwell “gives a glimpse into a moment in time at Union Station during the hustle and bustle of Christmas.” This Saturday Evening Post cover was

titled “Union Station Chicago.” Because of the constant movement of the people at the train station, Rockwell painted this Christmas scene from a photograph. The scene shows people there arriving to pick up friends, relatives and loved ones. Note that there are three servicemen being greeted by their sweethearts. Also shown is a couple locked in embrace as well as Santa Claus almost hidden in the sea of people.

Norman Rockwell’s Christmas scenes no doubt will be appreciated for many years to come.

Any information welcome to: Dr. Greg Lawson, 1801 E. 3rd St., Mishawaka, IN 46544. Lawson is a long-time writer laureate of area history and human interest stories.

It was 50 years ago —

‘You’re So Vain” refers to three famous, arrogant individuals

Carly Simon

“You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht.

“Your hat strategically dipped below one eye, your scarf it was apricot.

“You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte.

“And all the girls dreamed that they’d be your partner, they’d be your partner.

“And you’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you.

“Don’t you, don’t you?”

Some lyrics of Carly Simon’s No. 1 hit often left many music fans scratching their heads in wonder. Let’s start with the little-known word gavotte. “A gavotte is a French dance,” Simon explained. “I thought I would use a word that was slightly presumptuous … He’s gavotting because that’s what a pretentious, vain man would do.”

Then there is that mysterious line, “There were clouds in my coffee.” That statement came about during a flight Simon took with her piano player, Billy Merritt. She explained, “As I got my coffee, Billy said to me, ‘Look at the clouds in your coffee.’ There were clouds outside the window of the airplane, and you could see the reflection in a cup of coffee.” And we were supposed to figure this out?

But the question that most fans asked was: Who was Carly ridiculing in “You’re So Vain,” an Elektra Records tune that topped the Billboard singles chart for three weeks in the waning days of 1972? That hit, whose creation consumed nearly a year of Simon’s time, came from her third LP, “No Secrets,” a No. 1 Billboard album for more than a month.

Simon claims that “You’re So Vain” actually refers to a total of three famous, arrogant individuals. She has stated that ex-husband James Taylor and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger are definitely not the men she had in mind when she put pen to paper many years ago.

Other possible candidates — deep breath here — have included David Bowie, Cat Ste-

vens, Kris Kristofferson, David Cassidy and Jack Nicholson.

“I was brought up by a mother who was adamant you didn’t even kiss a man until you were in love with him,” Simon has admitted. “So I was in love with a lot of men. I was besotted by the lads. I was definitely a romantic.”

Recently, Simon admitted the second verse was about actor Warren Beatty — but only the second verse.

“You had me several years ago, when I was still quite naïve.

“Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair and that you would never leave.

“But you gave away the things you loved, and one of them was me.

“I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee.”

In August 2003, she agreed to reveal the unknown names to the highest bidder of a Martha’s Vineyard charity auction. Dick Ebersole, the head of NBC Sports, won with a bid of $50,000, but he had to agree to never reveal what she told him.

And so, to this day, Carly Simon’s mystery men have remained a mystery.

Follow the doctor’s orders

Taking medications correctly at the right time and in the right way as prescribed by your doctor can help control any medical issues you may have.

While not doing so can have some grim consequences, not everyone sticks to those rules because they’re too busy, feel good without the medications, have pills too big to swallow or have any number of other excuses.

About 30% of medication prescriptions are never filled, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 50% of cases studied, patients don’t continue medication as prescribed.

This non-adherence to doctor’s orders causes as much as 50% of chronic disease treatment failures and 125,000 deaths per year.

There are countless reasons medications aren’t being used as prescribed, and not all of them are intentional.

One of the two most common reasons is, “I’m feeling better. I can stop taking medication.”

Sticking to medication may seem like a chore, especially if you’re feeling better. But not taking medications as prescribed by your doctor can result in several negative outcomes.

If, for example, you’ve started on a new blood pressure medication but you’re not taking it regularly, it may not properly control your blood pressure. If your doctor thinks you’re taking the medication as pre-

scribed, they may look at high blood-pressure readings as a sign that you need additional medication.

The other most common reason for not following the prescribed medical course is, “My medication is too expensive. Missing one dose or taking a half-dose here and there to save a little shouldn’t be a big deal.”

Your doctor may not notice you’ve missed a few doses here and there. But medications like those for your thyroid or blood thinners may have a huge impact if only one dose is missed.

Some medications, like those for depression, can have serious withdrawal symptoms when even a few doses are missed.

If cost is a hindrance to getting the proper treatment you need, tell your doctor and they can help you find an alternative.

Taking your medication as prescribed is important for controlling chronic conditions, treating temporary ones and your overall health and wellbeing.

To help you stick to a required regimen, don’t skip doses or take half doses to save money. If money is a problem, tell your doctor so the problem can be addressed and solved.

However, don’t double up on a dose if you’ve missed a prescribed time or prescribed amount.

Keep taking the prescribed medicine until it’s completed or until your doctor tells you no longer need it. The reason you may be feeling good is because the medication is working, so

keep on taking it.

Don’t take someone else’s medication because you think it can help you since you have similar aches, pains and ailments.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist how a new medication will interact with those you’re already taking or the foods you’re eating.

If you have questions about the medication you are taking, talk to your doctor and pharmacist.

Mature Life Features Copyright 2022

— MARU adopted 01-10-10

AT FIRST I WAS EMBARRASSED. ME, A CAT, LIVING WITH A SINGLE GUY. BUT WHEN I WATCH HIM PICK SOMETHING UP WITH HIS HANDS AND EAT IT, I CAN’T HELP BUT LOVE HIM.

Brentwood at Hobart

1420 St. Mary Circle, Hobart, IN 46342 (219) 945-1968

www.BrentwoodHobartSeniorLiving.com

Assisted Living, Alzheimer’s Unit, Therapies: Speech-OccupationalPhysical, Temporary Care, Private/Semi-Private Rooms, Pets Allowed, Private Dining Room, Enclosed Courtyard, 14 Passenger Van

Dyer Nursing & Rehab Center

601 Sheffield Avenue, Dyer, IN 46311 (219) 322-2273 • www.dyernursingandrehab.com

Assisted Living, Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Semi-Skilled Nursing, Therapies: Speech-Occupational-RespiratoryPhysical, Long Term Care, Private/Semi-Private Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Medicare and/or Medicaid

Hammond-Whiting Care Center

1000-114th Street, Whiting, IN 46394 (219) 659-2770 www.hammondwhitingconvalescentcenter.com

Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Semi-Skilled Nursing, Therapies: Speech-Occupational-Physical, Long Term Care, Temporary Care, Respite Care, Hospice Care, JCAHO Accredited, Private/SemiPrivate Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Medicare and/or Medicaid

Lake County Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

5025 McCook Ave., East Chicago, IN 46312 (219) 397-0380 • www.lakecountynursingandrehab.com

Skilled Licensed Nursing, Semi-Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitation Unit; Therapies: Speech, Occupational and Physical; Long Term Care, Respite/Temporary Care, Hospice Care, Trach/Respiratory Care, Private/Semi-Private Rooms, Certified Medicare and Medicaid Provider

Life Care Center of Valparaiso

3405 N. Campbell, Valparaiso, IN 46385 (219) 462-1023 • www.lcca.com/Valparaiso

Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing, Ready Set Go Rehab Program, Inpatient/Outpatient Physical, Occupational, Speech, Respiratory, Therapy, Wound Care, Respite And Hospice Care, Private/SemiPrivate Rooms, Pet Visitation Allowed, Facility Van, JCAHO Accredited, Medicare, Insurance, Medicaid Accepted

8380 Virginia St., Merrillville, IN 46410 (219) 769-9009 • www.lincolnshirehrc.com

7935 Calumet Ave., Munster, IN 46321 (219) 836-8300 • www.munstermed-inn.com

Life Care Center of The Willows

1000 Elizabeth Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46385 (219) 464-4858 • www.lcca.com

The Willows ®

Rehabilitation Unit, Skilled Licensed Nursing 24/7, Ready Set Go Program for Rehab to Home; Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies; Exceptional Wound Care; Respite Care; Pallitative and Hospice Care; Long-term Care; Private/Semi-Private Rooms; Pet Visitation Allowed; Medicare, Medicaid, Most Insurances, Private Pay Accepted

®

221 W. Division Road, Demotte, IN 46310 (219) 987-7005 • www.oakgrovecrv.org

Saint Anthony

E

Experience Our Unique Approach

To Senior Living & Memory Support 2300 Village Point, Chesterton, IN 46304 (219) 921-5200 • www.ResidencesAtCoffeeCreek.com

Experience Our Unique Approach

To Senior Living & Memory Support 401 E. U.S. 30, Schererville, IN 46375 (219) 864-0700 • www.ResidencesAtDeerCreek.com

203 Franciscan Drive. Crown Point, IN 46307 (219) 661-5100

MajesticCare.com

Assisted Living, Private Rooms, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing, Long Term Care, Respite Care, Rehabilitation Services (including Physical, Occupational, Speech and Respiratory Therapy), Pet Visitation, Accepts Most Payer Sources. *Saint Anthony is no longer affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the Diocese of Gary or the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago.

601 Sheffield, Dyer, IN 46311 (219) 865-5200 • www.assistedlivingdyer.com

606 Wall Street, Valparaiso, IN 46383 (219) 464-4976

VNA MEALS ON WHEELS OF PORTER COUNTY

501 Marquette St. Valparaiso, IN 46385

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Additional Office In: Crown Point, IN (219) 462-5195 (219) 531-8181 Fax https://www.vnanwi.org/services/vna-mealson-wheels.php

A not-for-profit organization for over 50 years. Providing nutritional meals for individuals in Porter County delivered to your home. Meals are available both on a long-term basis and temporarily, meals are available for ages 3 years and up.

Making Best Days Possible

HOSPICE

HEART TO HEART HOSPICE OF NORTHERN INDIANA

402 Wall Street, Suite 22 Valparaiso, IN 46383

Phone: (219) 462-6529 Fax: (219) 462-9017

CHAP Accredited www.HTOHH.com

Compassionate care from our heart to yours. Volunteers needed.

MEALS ON WHEELS OF NORTHWEST INDIANA

8446 Virginia St. Merrillville, IN (219) 756-3663 www.mownnwi.org

A not-for-profit nutrition provider serving Lake, Porter, Newton & Jasper Counties. Offering hot lunches delivered daily Mon.-Fri., or 5 or 7-pack frozen meals once a week. All meals are heart healthy & low sodium. Specialized diets are available, homemade & prepared in our kitchen. For ages 3 & up.

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Fax www.vnanwi.org

A not-for-profit organization for over 50 years. Accepts all hospice eligible patients, regardless of ability to pay. Veteran specialty hospice program. Serving Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, Newton and Starke Counties.

Making Best Days Possible

Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo is worth visiting during the holidays

This holiday season, consider a road trip to Kokomo to visit the elegant Seiberling Mansion.

The 11,000square-foot Neo-Jacobean/Romanesque Revival mansion, which is beautifully lit for the season, is a testament to the great Indiana Gas Boom of the late 1800s, which brought an era of prosperity to Hoosiers and laid the foundation for a new industrial economy.

Monroe Seiberling, lured to Kokomo with the offer of free land and free gas, was already a wealthy man in Akron, Ohio, before founding Diamond Plate Glass Company, Kokomo Strawboard and other firms in Jonesboro and Elwood.

Construction on the mansion began in late 1889. It was completed in 1891 because a wooden structure was built over the site for year-round work. After completion, the cover was dismantled and the materials given to anyone who could haul them away.

The initial estimate to build was $40,000 (a lot at that time), but ended up costing $50,000. The local gentry weren’t necessarily concerned by that figure, but when they learned that Seiberling had spent another $6,000 to build a carriage house they were shocked. Both, of course, were heated by natural gas.

The Seiberlings lived in the Continued on page 19

Seiberling Mansion

mansion until mid-1895 when the gas fields dried up and the boom fizzled. They moved out — lock, stock and barrel —to Peoria, Ill., where he established new factories and continued to make tons of money. There were a couple of owners after Seiberling and before George Kingston, inventor of the carburetor used in Ford’s Model T automobiles, moved into it in 1914. He also founded Kingston Products, a major Kokomo manufacturer for years.

In 1946, Indiana University took over the property and established headquarters for IU Kokomo until 1965. It must have been special to attend classes in such historic surroundings. After IU, the mansion was empty until 1972. During that time it was vandalized and suffered from weather

and neglect.

It was close to feeling the power of the wrecking ball before the county stepped in and turned it over to the Howard County Historical Society, which carried out renovations and restored it to its original opulence.

Neither the furniture nor the light fixtures are original. They are, however, from the Victorian era. Brass door fixtures and window lifts are of Moorish design, while the woodwork is oak, walnut, maple, cherry, mahogany and tulip poplar.

Seiberling Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The mansion includes a Miami Indian display, cooking ranges made by Globe America Company and a World War I exhibit of six-inch trench mortar shells produced in Kokomo. The company made 17,460 mortars,

but none of them made it to the battlefield. The ballroom on the third floor features photos of Howard County war heroes, uniforms, paintings and photos of the city through the years.

Seiberling Mansion is located

at 1200 Sycamore St. Drive past the mansion and turn right at the next street. Go another block, turn right again and come into the parking lot from the rear. It’s open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday,

February through December. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students (K-12) and free for children under 5.

For more information, visit howardcountymuseum.org or call (765) 452-4314.

‘No more mister nice guy’

In the early days of television, talk show hosts were always seen as being really, really nice folks.

In a 2000 video, Regis Philbin said, “When you get right down to it, the personality of the person who is conducting that show is the chief selling factor in making it a success.”

But what if he or she is not so pleasant? In fact, just the opposite?

Case in point: Joseph Edward Pyne. He was born in 1924 in Chester, Pa., the son of a bricklayer and a homemaker. As a child, he stuttered

and was often mocked by his classmates. He finished high school in 1942 and immediately escaped Chester by enlisting in the Marine Corps.

After the service, Pyne enrolled in a drama school and successfully overcame his handicap. He found work in radio, drifting through a series of announcing jobs. By 1949, he was in Kenosha, Wis., taking song requests from people who called in. Back then, listeners could hear only the announcer’s part of a conversation. One night, Joe held his phone receiver up to his microphone — and two-way call-in radio was born.

As a strongly opinionated loose cannon, the chain-smoking Pyne grew increasingly conservative and outspoken over the years. He began arguing with — and eventually insult-

ing — callers who disagreed with him, sometimes ending a debate with, “Go gargle with razor blades!”

As his ratings soared, Pyne moved inexorably from smaller radio markets to larger ones. When his show became syndicated, he was eventually heard on 254 stations around the country.

In time, Pyne landed a bigger venue — television. He was lured to Los Angeles to independent station KTLA, who offered him $1,000 a week — more than the Yankees paid Mickey Mantle. “The Joe Pyne Show” then went into syndication, and he became a household name in 240 national markets.

The eternally skeptical Pyne invited guests from society’s fringe — astrologers, psychics, faith healers, UFO witnesses,

hippies, “pinkos,” women’s libbers, Manson followers, KKK members and American Nazis, sparring with them all through a fog of cigarette smoke as he sat at his desk. “The subject must be visceral,” Pyne said. “We want emotion, not mental involvement.”

Media historian Donna Halpin enthused, “Pyne was one of broadcasting’s truly unique figures — the original angry talker. He rose from the lowest ranks of radio and founded the modern TV shoutfest.”

The money flowed in like a tsunami. In 1965, the 40-yearold celebrity married a 21-yearold Norwegian model. Together they shared a Hollywood Hills mansion complete with a swimming pool and high-end foreign cars in the driveway.

But the good times weren’t to last. In the late 1960s, Pyne was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he died at age 45 in 1970. He quickly disappeared from the public consciousness. Later TV producers often recorded over his videotapes.

However, Joe’s spirit lives on through such abrasive wouldbe Pynes as Howard Stern, Bill Maher and Bill O’Reilly.

Does he deserve our thanks, or do we blame him for what he has brought to our TV screens today?

One way to lower your heating costs is to set your thermostat at 74 degrees Fahrenheit (about 20 degrees Celsius) during the day and 55 F (about 12 C) at night.

If that’s too cool at night, lower it to a level you can handle.

Keep heat sources, such as lamps, away from the thermostat.

Clean or replace your furnace filters every three months, or more if necessary. Keep heating vents and chimneys clear of any blockage.