Boomers (Oct. 2012)

October 2012

6

Residents round up support

16 Eastern Shore pottery heritage

Gulf Coast Newspapers GulfCoastNewsToday.com

22 Survivors talk breast cancer awareness

2 Boomers October 2012

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During the month of October, mammogram appointments will be available from 7:00 a.m. to Noon on Saturdays.

Appointments A ppointments are are on on a first-come, ffiirst-come, first-served ffiirst-served basis. basis. A physician physician order order is is required requ uiired for for a sscreening creen niing mammogram, mammogram, and and you you must must provide provide your your physician’s physicciian’s name name when when you you m make aakke an an aappointment. ppointment.

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October 2012 Boomers 3>

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4 Boomers October 2012

You Get What You Need... u Rolling

Stockton Amendment

page 6

5u On the Eve of Hollowgivingsmas 8u The Man and the Market 9u calender

of events

Boomers magazine conveys information, activities and features for and about the baby boomers generation.

While revisiting memories from the 1960s era and delving into critical examinations and comparisons thereof, Boomers also strives to pinpoint leisure activities; medical, political and environmental information; and technological options of specific interest to this group. The magazine offers possibilities of the past, present and future for a generation that never stops booming.

An Introduction to Boomers magazine

by Editor Jessica Jones

features@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

Boomers Wants Your Input We're looking for baby boomers who participated in political demonstrations during the 50s and 60s, who helped start a non-profit organization, or who raised grandchildren in the place of parents.

If you are or know someone described above, contact Editor Jessica Jones for a feature article.

Want to advertise in Boomers magazine?

11u Retired 12u Food

Stones, flipping pages

for Thought: Sweet Sensations

15u A Walk of Remembrance

Full page advertisers get one full page for submitted content, per month Half-page advertisers get a half page for submitted content, per month.

Contact the editor to find your local ad representative.

16u Pottery making: a history of art 18u Flashback

50

20u Fair Warning 21u The West Nile Virus: Precautions Advised 22u Survival of the Feistiest 24u Rising above life’s abuses 26u Letters from the past 27u Animal advocates 27u Enjoy the Beauty of Fall 28u Tech Tips: E-readers and you 29u How can senior women improve retirement?

30u 3D Mammography

Jessica Jones, Editor Editorial and Photography Paige Renka Graphic Design & Cover Design Theresa Corbin and Lindsay Mott Contributing writers P. T. Paul and Betty Spence Poems Jane Daugherty Tech Tips series writer Fred Marchman Cartoonist

Gulf Coast Newspapers 217 N. McKenzie St. Foley, AL 36535 251-943-2151 features@gulfcoastnewspapers.com

October 2012 Boomers 5>

On the Eve of Hallowgivingsmas It is upon us, the conjoined holiday – Hallowgivingsmas – with its death, feasting, and rebirth, heralded by a cinnamon-scented pumpkin moon, a tribute to the genius of Martha Stewart, this enfolding and overlapping of celebrations.

The merchants were the first to observe it, but we, the quick and the thick followed in lemming-like fashion – our passion for merchandising apprising us of the logic and wisdom of combined observances.

And we shall gather at the Point of Purchase Display in the Holidaze Spirit store at the Evergreen Mall to hear, once more, the story of Sabrina the Teenaged Witch who took the pumpkin given to her by Virginia Dare, first-born child of the Plymouth Colony, carved and cooked it, then followed the star to Jerusalem on her broom to lay the pie at the foot of the manger, beside the frankincense and myrrh.

And we shall sing the old songs, like “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Hallowgivingsmas,” and “We Wish You a Merry Hallowgivingsmas,” and we shall feast on the candy corn soufflé and we shall give thanks to God and Goddess and Recently Departed Spirit for the bounty that we have been given.

And, yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus – he lives at the Evergreen Mall, summers in the Florida Keys, and makes his triumphant return each fall on a Clydesdale-pulled Budweiser wagon with a turkey mascot and Dracula at his side.

If it were not so, we would have told you.

Instead, we have sold you a bill of stale-dated goods, irredeemable until the last half-priced plastic snowman has melted in the after-inventory clearance aisle.

So, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, to the Evergreen Mall, where it’s always the Eve of Hallowgivingsmas, and the Holidaze Spirit never dies.

By P.T. Paul

6 Boomers October 2012

Stockton residents stand up for State Amendment 3

BY JESSICA JONES

“We want to be able to go in the back yard and shoot a gun, or holler, or just do like we always have.”

While busy streets topped with traffic jams and Elaine Riley moved to Stockton in 1985 and she offices with many, blinking telephone lines have bealso supports Amendment 3 and protecting the comcome the norm for many of us, a few corners of the munity from outside rule, she said. world remain seemingly untouched by time. Live“Stockton is mostly rural people with lots of land,” stock continues to dwell in roadside fields, birds sing, she began, “so it’s hard for us to be ruled by a municflowers stretch toward the sky and people take time ipality.” to wave at each other, or stop and chat. Traffic jams She said she thinks the baby boomers can unite to are unheard-of. As are traffic lights, for that matter. preserve pieces of times gone by.

And the sleepy surroundings include a restaurant, “This generation still has those memories and two gas stations, churches and…residences. Stockton those ties,” she explained. “The further out you get is one of those places. from that 200 year foundation, the more is lost.”

Some of Stockton’s residents have cherished the Historical markers are a familiar sight in Stockslow pace of the peaceful area for many years, and ton, and newer landmarks like the Stagecoach Café are willing to work to keep Stockton just like it is. have become beloved pieces of the community.

Lynn Hastie Bozone is one Bozone said that there are many such person. Her family has lived things worth protecting. in Stockton for many years and “To me, Stockton is considered halshe said that she believes in prolowed ground. It was settled and tecting her way of life from the named by my ancestors. It is not just possible encroachment of sura place where I grew up. It is who I rounding municipalities by votam. It is the home of my family. It ing “yes” to State Landmark encompasses the love and admiraAmendment 3. tion for all of those who have lived “Stockton’s heritage is my herhere before me. It tells their story, itage, just as it is for most of the and provides me with roots that native residents of Stockton,” she ground me in my personal life. We explained. “Most of us are related This home, located on Baldwin are still very much like one big famCounty 21 in Stockton, was built on one side of our family, or the ily. Everyone knows everybody’s other, and some of us, are related by the McMillan family and has business, but everyone also knows been handed down for on both sides.” their neighbors’ needs, and does not “Our ties take us back to Gov. generations. It now belongs to have to be asked to lend a helping John Murphy, the third governor descendent George Edward hand. We all look out for each other. of Alabama; to William Kitchen, Roberson, Jr. You have a feeling of security in who laid out the town of Mobile Stockton, because you know that the community will and the town of Stockton; and to Joshua Kennedy, come together in times of need. who owned much of what is now known as Stock“Some who hear me explain why Stockton is so ton.” special to me, and why it is so important for me to But a more personal, historical account brings try to protect and preserve it, may view my comlight to her passion, she said. ments very lightly, brushing my feelings aside, as “My father and mother, John and Davida Hastie, one who holds dear a place they were raised. But I owned and operated Live Oak Landing for 34 years,” can assure you that Stockton’s uniqueness, and apshe recalled. “The land that Live Oak was carved peal, runs much deeper than that. You can ask anyfrom, was land that had been handed down through one who has visited Stockton, and they will tell you generations from family to family beginning with that there is something special about Stockton. You Joshua Kennedy, to Dr. Hastie, etc.” literally step back in time and life moves at a much “My youth and my best memories are of my days slower, and peaceful, tempo. As one gentleman who spent at Live Oak, swimming, skiing, fishing, and visited Stockton said: ‘You may not know when you many other pleasures that life on the river, surenter Stockton, but you definitely know when you rounded by nature, provides.” have left, and you can’t wait to return.’”

She said that Stockton’s designation as a landVoting on State Amendment 3 will take place Nov. mark district would protect historical elements of 6. For more information, visit stocktonlandmarkdisthe area and ensure less government control. trict.blogspot.com. For a preview of state amend“Even if we had the revenue to incorporate, we ments, see your local Gulf Coast Newspapers Nov. 2 don’t really want to be a municipality,” she divulged. issue.

October 2012 Boomers 7>

Stagecoach Café’s Jamie Paul, Sandy Galloway, Sharon Oglesbee and Kristin Singley pose in front of the restaurant that’s Stockton’s claim to fame.

Stagecoach Café lures visitors to Alabama Highway 59 in Stockton with whiffs of fried shrimp and fried chicken, turnip greens, peach cobbler and other Southern fixins.

LEFT: William and Glenda Morris restored an antique home in Stockton that was originally built in 1911— signified by the historic marker hung on the front porch.

ABOVE: Bathroom in the Morris home RIGHT: Dining room in the Morris home

See more photos on page 14

8 Boomers October 2012

The Man and the Market “There comes a time in a man's life when he hears the call of the sea. If the man has a brain in his head, he will hang up the phone immediately.” ― Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning American author

BY THERESA CORBIN It is no wonder Michael Goram loves the southern sea shore; he is like the sea with his endless energy and his capacity to provide.

“The water is my drug. If I’m not under it, I’m at the least in it,” divulges Goram, owner and creator of Montrose Marketplace.

Goram has spent most of his life in South Alabama. A true swashbuckling “southern boy,” he is always ready to jump in and make a splash.

Sheena Mizell, the event and marketing coordinator at Montrose Marketplace says, “He stays very busy with multiple businesses, his family, and play time.” The owner of his family’s air conditioning business, Goram has also owned a gym, and owns several storage facilities.

Under his navigation, Goram took “Inland Montrose (the storage facility) in a new direction and oversaw the start of Montrose Marketplace,” Mizell explained.

Goram said his inspiration for Montrose Marketplace was “the (Fairhope) Arts & Crafts festival and the Shrimp Festival.” Goram wanted to bring out “talents that could only be seen once a year.” He also wanted the marketplace to incorporate the easygoing environment of the festival throughout the year.

With this idea in mind, Goram pushed forward to bring about Montrose Marketplace. And The Marketplace celebrated its grand opening through the weekend of March 30th.

Mizell describes “the Marketplace as an upscale artisan market, featuring local merchants, artists,

jewelry designers, wood and iron craftsmen, personalized gift items, handmade bath and body products, furniture, antiques.”

As a man who keeps himself busy, Goram admits that the Marketplace does take a lot of his time.

“I don’t mind because I enjoy Goram everything about the Market,” Goram says, but he makes sure that “my family comes first no matter what.”

Grateful that he and his family “all work together and play together,” Goram confesses, “They are what make it even more enjoyable.”

Offering a home for the artist, artisan and antique dealer to prosper, Montrose Marketplace is situated among the fertile soil of Montrose between Fairhope and Daphne at Goram’s Inland Montrose Storage.

Goram says, “I am looking forward to growing with more vendors because of the talent I know that is out there that we haven’t showcased yet. We just need to find each other.”

Advice from an old entrepreneurial salt explains Gorum’s attitude: “Patience and hard work. Nothing worth doing comes easy or fast. Don’t be scared of change, you never know what works until you try it.

But, don’t be stupid and lose sight of what does work. The amount of money you make does not stipulate whether you are successful or not.”

Visit them on Facebook, you won’t be let down by all the pictures of the goodies for sale.

Or visit the Marketplace’s website at www.inlandmontrose.com.

Info: e c a l p t e Mark Montrose 28, 26-

er ts: Octobember 2, n e v e g Upcomin 9-11 and 30-Dec er Novemb r 7-9 e Decemb

eekends w t s la d an second e h t n e Op month: y r e v e f o . - 9p.m.

2p.m Friday: 1y: 9a.m. - 5p.m.

Saturda 1p.m. - 4p.m.

Sunday:

October 2012 Boomers 9>

Calendar of events Tribute to Elvis gala Oct. 19, 7 p.m.

Tickets are $25 per person and are tax-deductible.

Ballroom of the downtown Holiday Inn, 301 Government St. The Mobile County Bicentennial event will include Elvis food (cheeseburger sliders et al) and an Elvis impersonator show by Shane Tucker. Festivities will also include a 1950s costume contest. A cash bar and heavy hors d'ouevres will be offered.

For more, visit celebratemobilecounty.org, like us on Facebook, or call 251-574-9064.

Theatre 98 presents “All Because of Agatha” Oct. 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28, 8 p.m. for evenings and 2:30 p.m. for Sunday matinees.

Theatre 98, 350 Morphy Ave., Fairhope It’s a seasonally appropriate comedy about a beautiful ghostly witch and the cute young couple whose house she haunts.

For more, call 251-928-4366.

Discovery Saturday: Cuban Missile Playhouse in the Park’s “The Conclu- Crisis – 50th Anniversary Oct. 20, 10 a.m. sion of Edgar Allan Poe” Free

Public performances are Oct. 19, 20, 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.

4851 Museum Drive, Mobile For more, call 251-602-0630.

National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola Please join historian & author Kenneth V. Jack. His new book, “Blue Moon Over Cuba,” began as the unfinished memoirs of the commander of the naval

Continued on next page

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10 Boomers October 2012

Calendar of events

Continued from previous page squadron that flew the top-secret missions, Capt.

William B. Ecker. Ecker was the lead aviator on the first mission and went on to play a leading role in the reconnaissance flights throughout the crisis. Jack completed the book, and will lead the Discovery Saturday presentation in the Naval Aviation Museum’s F-8 Crusader aircraft located in Hangar Bay One. A book signing of Jack’s book will follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

For more, visit navalaviationmuseum.org or call the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation at (850) 453-2389 or (800) 327-5002.

Vino & Van Gogh Painting Party

Magnolia Springs Community Hall, across from Jesse’s The president would like to invite all non-members from Magnolia Springs and surrounding areas to join us for the first meeting of the 2012-2013 year. We have an exciting year planned with great speakers, trips and fun community events.

For more, call Maggie Stoddard at 251-955-1518.

Elberta German Sausage Festival Oct. 27, 8a.m. – 5 p.m.

Free Admission Elberta Town Park, Highway 98 East For more information, call Seth Fuller, 251-986-5995 or visit sausagefest.elbertafire.com.

Oct. 20, 6-8 p.m. $30 per person Foley Performing Arts Center All participants will paint a masterpiece and enjoy great company, good food, fine wine and door prizes.

This is great fun for beginners as well as, advanced artists.

For more, call 251-943-4381.

2nd Annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk Oct. 21, registration at 1 p.m., with the walk beginning at 2:45.

Walk starts in front of Daphne City Hall The walk benefits the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. There will be music, information, food and a Memory Wall for friends and family to put pictures and poems to honor their loved ones lost to suicide.

To register to walk and donate please go to www.outofthedarkness.org or call 455-6453 for information.

Baldwin Pops Concert 'Pops In The Park' Oct. 21,4:30-6 p.m.

Free Orange Beach Waterfront Park, 26425 Canal Road For more, visit baldwinpopsband.com or call 251-9875757.

Balloon Glow in the Gardens Oct. 27, 5-7:30 .p.m Special admission: adults $6, children 5-12 $3, 4 and under are free.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home, 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road, Theodore Dress up your little goblins and come out to enjoy beautiful hot air balloons glowing on the Great Lawn.

There will be treats and trinkets and The Shed BBQ and Blues Joint will sell barbeque, plus enjoy live music on the Great Lawn.

For more, call 251-973-2217 or visit bellingrath.org.

5th Annual Gulf Coast Oyster Cook-Off Nov. 3, 11 a.m. $300 entry fee The Hangout Restaurant in Gulf Shores The official start time for the event is with Teams be on-site by 9 a.m. and ready to serve at 10 a.m. The Cook-Off is a celebration of the preparation of fresh Gulf oysters. For an entry fee, chefs, restaurants and the public can compete for a chance to win up to $10,000 in cash and prizes. Categories include Rockafeller, Cajun and create your own raw oyster dish. Oyster dishes will be judged by a panel of celebrity judges on a point system based on presentation (15 possible points), flavor (50 possible points) and creativity (35 possible points). Deadline for entry is Oct. 19.

Magnolia Springs Garden Club meeting Oct. 24, 10 a.m.

Free

Continued on next page

Calendar of events

October 2012 Boomers 11>

Continued from previous page

Daphne Senior Travelers will meeting Nov. 7, 10 a.m. $15 annual membership The Blake in Malbis At this meeting you will need to sign up and pay $8 for the Christmas Party for Dec. 5 that will be in the dining room at The Blake. The final payment for the Christmas trip to Nashville is also due on Nov. 7.

For more information please call Judy Jerkins at 251-9245616 or Sandra Black at 251-928-9965.

“Retired” After all these years Pete’s taking up cooking.

Sends me to the mall, won’t be told a thing.

Everybody says, “Let ‘im do it” and though I say “yeah”, there’s a man in my kitchen not doing things my way— a male head cook who no more knows which pot boils fast or slow than I, for the life of me know why a man in my kitchen rattles me so.

By Betty Spence

12 Boomers October 2012

Food for Thought:

Sweet Sensations

BY DR. LINDA MITCHELL How strong is your will power? Can you resist the seductive call of chocolate chip cookies still hot from the oven? Or home-made ice cream topped with strawberries or peaches? Dessert can be the WOW factor in entertaining or the perfect end to a great meal with friends. Desserts can offer a fabulous opportunity to express your creativity.

Even a simple dish can be impressive. Desserts are always a popular dish to carry to a reunion or church social. My sister and her family came to visit over the weekend and since she loves sweets as much as I, it was the perfect opportunity to mix some new recipes in with my old standbys.

Hope you find some you enjoy as much as we did.

about 15 minutes or until pears are tender. Remove pears and drain. Mix together flour and butter until mixture is fine and crumbly. Add juice. Linda Mitchell Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a flat baking tray with parchment paper. Divide dough into 4 equal portions .Roll each portion out to a circle large enough to cover a pear.

Place a pear in the center of each pastry and trim excess dough. Fold one section of pastry up sides of pear, cutting away excess pastry. Press edges together. Cut shapes (leaves work well) from leftover pieces of pastry and attach to pears. Brush with egg. Place pears on prepared baking sheets and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm with fresh fruit or drizzle with chocolate.

Mandarin Orange Pie 2 graham crusts 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 -8 ounce container Cool Whip 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained 15 ounce mandarin oranges, drained 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk

Pear Dumplings

Mix together whipped topping, sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. Stir in drained fruit. Fill crusts and freeze. Remove from freezer approximately ten minutes or so before serving. Garnish with a few mandarin oranges and mint leaves.

(these are so gorgeous they could be classified as art)

Summer Caramel Coconut Pie

6 cups water 1 cup sugar (some recipes call for caster sugar which is finer than our traditional granulated sugar) 2 cinnamon sticks 2 cloves (optional) 5 medium pears 2 cups all purpose flour 2/3 cup butter 2/3 cup sugar 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 egg

Mix water and sugar and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon and cloves and return to a boil. Peel pears, leaving stems in place. Add to pan, cover and simmer gently for

(perfect on a hot summer day or pretty much any other time) 1/4 cup butter 1 (8 ounce) package coconut 1 cup chopped pecan or walnut halves 8 ounces cream cheese 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed 2 deep dish (9-inch) pie shells, baked 1 (12 ounce) jar caramel topping (substitute chocolate for a different taste)

Melt butter in a skillet. Add coconut and pecans.

Cook until brown and set aside. Combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in a mixing bowl. Beat with mixer until smooth. Fold in

October 2012 Boomers 13>

whipped topping. Layer 1/4 cream cheese mixture in each pie shell. Drizzle 1/4 jar of caramel topping on top of cream cheese mixture in each pies.

Sprinkle half coconut mixture on top. Repeat the layer, beginning with the cream-cheese mixture.

Freeze. Serve frozen. Enjoy.

Cappuccino Cake with Buttercream Icing (a fun way to get your coffee fix) 2 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder 3 tablespoons instant coffee granules 1 box Devil's Food cake mix 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup oil 3 eggs 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (not imitation)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease pans with shortening or spray with cooking spray and dust with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Place all cake ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among prepared pans. Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Buttercream Icing 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (not imitation) 5 cups confectioner's sugar

4 Tablespoons instant coffee granules 1/2 cup milk 2 sticks butter, softened

Stir instant coffee granules into milk until dissolved. Place butter in mixing bowl and beat until fluffy. Add all other ingredients and beat until smooth. Ice cake and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with Chocolate covered coffee beans.

Fast Fruit Finishes (Quick and Easy ways to add dessert when you have no time)

Bread Pudding with Peaches Cut 6 thick slices from a loaf of crusty bread and toast one side. Brush untoasted side with butter.

Top with sliced peaches or strawberries. Dust thickly with confectioners sugar. Return to grill or oven 3 minutes or until peaches are warmed.

Serve with you favorite ice cream.

Baked Chocolate Bananas Slit 4 bananas lengthwise, leaving the skins on.

Place each on a piece of foil. Chop up a candy bar (Toblerone is great but any chocolate bar will work.) Press chopped candy over the bananas and close foil. Cook on hot barbeque for 10 minutes or in 350 degree oven for about 20. Open foil and top with ice cream.

14 Boomers October 2012 Continued from page 7

The Morris family has restored the property’s 1881 barn—the oldest working barn in the state of Alabama.

ABOVE: A bedroom in the Morris home; RIGHT: Inside the Morris’ guest house, originally the Vaughn home built in 1881.

Lynn Hastie Bozone, a Stockton resident and historian, explains the circa 1913 dipping vat as a place where livestock was herded to swim through a pesticide solution, then walk up the stairs on the other side.

October 2012 Boomers 15>

A Walk of Remembrance

BY THERESA CORBIN So much has already been lost to suicide. What wonderful and deeply moving works did Sylvia Plath leave unwritten? What songs did Kurt Cobain leave unsung? What masterpieces remained in the heart of Van Gogh when he met his untimely end at his own hand? What could have been done to help these desperate souls? And more importantly, is there something that can be done now to show suicidal souls that help is available, and they are not alone?

The Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention and awareness hopes to find the answers to these questions. The local Out of the Darkness events will take place in Daphne, on Oct. 20-21, in order to commemorate lost loved ones, allow friends and family members to gain support, and will raise awareness and funds for research.

On the morning of Oct. 20, a public forum, “Impact of Suicide on the Community,” will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Daphne. This forum will begin at 8:45 a.m. and will last until noon. The forum will be located, very appropriately, in the Life Center of the church. And, on Oct. 21st, the 2nd Annual Out of the Darkness Community Walk will take place. The net proceeds from the walk will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) for research, awareness and prevention.

Lydia Barber, coordinator of Out of the Darkness Walk in Daphne, welcomes the public to come out to these events in October. She says that at “The forum (we) will discuss different topics of suicide, such as A Message of Hope, Bearing One Another’s Burdens, Responses to Suicide by the Medical/Professional Community, Is Teen Suicide Different?, A Mother’s Words, and Grief and the Response of the Community.”

Barber shares how she was deeply affected by suicide in October of 2010. She remembers when her oldest son, Allen, took his life. He was only 19, with a bright future as a college sophomore. Barber recalls that “Allen was an amazing young man; he was talented, loving, never gave us any real trouble, not the trouble you hear of teenagers giving you.”

Baker stressed that the understanding of suicide needs to be improved. Her son “didn't drink, smoke,

Participants from the 2011 Out of Darkness walk.

A remembrance wall last fall gave families a chance to show their feelings. or do drugs. That is part of the misconception of suicide.”

Many people think that only those with mental illness or addictions commit suicide. And many more myths abound. One grievously false myth claims that people who talk about killing themselves will not actually do it. This is absolutely not true, and, in fact, talking about suicide is one of the signs to look for.

Other myths claim that “normal” people don't think about taking their own life, but the statistical facts show us that this simply isn’t true. We are all susceptible to these kinds of thoughts.

All of this misinformation prevents progress in fighting against suicide. According the National Center for Health Statistics, between 2000 and 2009, death rates caused by suicide rose 15 percent, reaching the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. Suicide is so pervasive in our society that nearly everyone has a story about how it has darkened their life. Manet painted about it, Tolstoy wrote about it, and Pearl Jam sang about it, but with so much attention given to the after effects of suicide, we have yet to figure out how to eradicate it.

The AFSP states that nearly every 15 minutes someone in the United States is successful in committing suicide, while almost one million people per year make a failed attempt at suicide.

The saddest part about the statistics is that a lot of these tragedies can be avoided. Suicide is preventable. The key to prevention is to be aware of the signs, and being proactive in helping loved ones. Prevention can be just a matter of lending an ear or two.

Talk to a loved one if he or she mentions feeling hopeless, if he or she withdraws from friends and family, starts to give away possessions, and especially if he or she makes suicidal statements. Let your loved one know they are loved, and needed in this world. But, above all let them know that there is help for them. Help is available 24 hours a day, every day at 800-273-TALK(8255).

For more information, visit www.outofthedarkness.org, or call 251-455-6453, or call St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 626-2421 for information about the upcoming events in Daphne.

16 Boomers October 2012

1929 photograph of an unidentified potter and beehive kiln at the Daphne Pottery Company (courtesy of Alabama Museum of Natural History, University of Alabama).

1995 excavation of the LaCoste-McAdam kiln by the Center for Archaeological Studies, University of South Alabama.

Pottery-making, a history of art on the Eastern Shore

BY BONNIE GUMS, Center for Archaeological Studies, University of South Alabama

On the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay is the highest cliff along the Gulf Coast.

Named Ecor Rouge or Red Bluff by the French, it contains extensive clay deposits that were first used

by Native Americans to make pottery. Historical maps, documents, photographs and archaeological discoveries reveal an intricate story of pottery making in Baldwin County.

Beginning in the early 1800s, an enclave of potters labored at their shops from Daphne to Fairhope and along Fish River. The thriving city of Mobile provided the largest market for locally-made stoneware.

The first potters were European immigrants, from France, England, and Scotland, where salt-glazed stoneware tra-

ditions were centuries old. They typically made utilitarian pots such as jugs, jars, and churns, but also face jugs, monkey jugs, pitchers, flowerpots, ant traps, turpentine cups and charcoal braziers.

The archaeological sites of several potteries have been found, including brick kiln remains and piles of discarded broken pots called wasters and kiln “furniture” used to stack pots during firing. The earliest known kiln was located on Fly Creek in Fairhope. Thick lead-glazed fragments of French-style storage jars and a piece of kiln furniture inscribed “AM” found at Fly Creek may be attributed to French potter AuContinued on next page

October 2012 Boomers 17> Continued from previous page

gustine Mareschal (later Americanized to Marshall) in the early 1800s. Four kiln sites and several pottery families have been documented on Red Bluff in Montrose. Potter Francis LaCoste, born 1816 in France, was potting from the 1840s to the 1870s with his sons George and Jerome. In 1850 he employed two men and one woman at his pottery, producing 4,000 gallons of stoneware worth $800 a year.

The LaCoste family lived at their pottery and an 1877 document describes it as “shop buildings and kiln with the tools, machinery and utensils for the manufacture of pottery.”

By the late 1870s John McAdam, a Scottish immigrant, and his sons Peter and James had bought the LaCoste pottery. The archaeological remains of a large twochambered brick kiln used

by LaCoste-McAdam were excavated in 1995 prior to destruction by house construction.

Michael Deady, an Irish immigrant, and Joseph Gabel, born in Alabama, worked together making stoneware from the late 1860s until 1880. The Deady family lived next to the pottery, which was across the street from the LaCoste-McAdam pottery. They sometimes stamped their pots with “Deady and Gabel, Manufacturers, Montrose, Alabama.”

In 1880 James Beasley’s pottery employed one man and had products valued at $300. He marked many of his vessels with “James Beasley Montrose Alabama”. In 1998 during Hurricane Georges, one of Beasley’s pottery kilns was exposed on the shore of Mobile Bay. Potter Peter McAdam married Florence O’ Neal, and they moved to Daphne where he found work at the O’Neal pottery owned by his brother-in-law. Peter McAdam was probably the

most artistic of the Eastern Shore potters, producing face jugs, monkey jugs, ceramic novelties, and art pottery. He also created ceramic cemetery posts for the O’Neal family plot in the Daphne Cemetery. The site of the O’Neal Pottery was destroyed by house construction in 1987.

Potteries and brick manufactories were also located near thick clay deposits along Fish River in the communities of Marlow and Clay City. In the late 1800s German immigrant Jacob Wingender had a pottery in Marlow and Homer Howard of Ohio was making pottery on his land on Cowpen Branch, a tributary of Fish River.

Both typically made brownslipped jugs, jars, and churns.

During the 20th century a brick and tile factory and clay mines were operated by the Gabel pottery family in Clay City, also known as “Potter’s Bend.”

By the early 20th century due to the decline in the stoneware market, many Eastern Shore potteries suffered a fate similar to that of small family potteries across the United States. The last pottery in operation was the Daphne Pottery Company, from around 1907 into the 1950s. To survive, the owners of Daphne Pottery diversified their products to include horticultural items, bird baths and birdhouses, charcoal braziers, and ceramic novelties. The Daphne Pottery Company had two round beehive kilns, a brick chimney, and several wooden workshops.

Made of Alabama Clay: Historic Potteries on Mobile Bay by Bonnie L. Gums is available for sale at the Old Methodist Church Museum of Daphne. This study was conducted by the Center for Archaeological Studies at the University of South Alabama, and was partially funded by the Alabama Historical Commission.

18 Boomers October 2012

Flashback 50: October

uThis

month in 1962

1-Johnny Carson took over as permanent host of NBC's Tonight Show, a post he would hold for 30 years. After being introduced by Groucho Marx, Carson and his sidekick Ed McMahon would share the stage with the first guests, Joan Crawford, Rudy Vallee, Ned Brooks (of Meet the Press), Tony Bennett, the Phoenix Singers, and Tom Pedi. Carson would host his last Tonight show on May 22, 1992. -James Meredith, the first black student to enroll at the all-white University of Mississippi, registered for classes while escorted by U.S. Marshals. Meredith's first class was in Colonial History, and only 12 of the 19 students registered attended.

3-Wally Schirra was launched into space from Cape Canaveral, and returned to Earth after six orbits. Schirra was the fifth American astronaut, and ninth person to travel into outer space. --A steam boiler explosion, at a New York Telephone Company building in Manhattan, killed 21 people and injured 70. The blast happened at 12:07 p.m. while employees were dining in the building's cafeteria, sending the boiler from the basement into the cafeteria, then out through a wall. --The San Francisco Giants beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-4, to win the deciding game of a best-of-three playoff for the National League pennant. The Dodgers had a 4-2 lead going into the final inning, before the Giants tied the game and then went ahead, gaining the trip to the World Series.--Born: Tommy Lee, American musician, in Athens, Greece (as Thomas Lee Bass).

4-The first nuclear missile in Cuba was installed by the Soviet Union, as a warhead was attached to an R-12 rocket.

5-“Dr. No”, the first James Bond film, premiered in UK cinemas. --The Beatles released their first single, “Love Me Do”.

6-The U.S. Committee on Overhead Reconnaissance pointed out that high-altitude photographs of Cuba had not been taken of the western end of the island since Aug. 29, and recommended to the White House that U-2 overflights be made there to determine whether Soviet missiles were being put in place. Flights over west Cuba on Oct. 14 would confirm the presence of offensive missiles. --The U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy suffered their first helicopter fatalities in Vietnam when a Marine Corps UH-34 Seahorse crashed 15 miles (24 km) from Tam Ky, South Vietnam, killing five Marines and two Navy personnel.

7-In an episode of Candid Camera broadcast on this date, veteran comedian Buster Keaton posed as a gas station attendant cleaning customers' windshields.

8-North Korean parliamentary election, 1962:

North Korean voters went to the polls to vote "yes" or "no" on the 383 candidates for the 383 seats parliament in each district. The Pyongyang government announced a 100 percent turnout (breaking the 1957 record of 99.99 percent) and 100 percent approval of the candidates (beating 99.92 percent in 1957); the 100 percent turnout and approval reports would follow the 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982 and 1986 votes, though in 1992, reported turnout was only 99.85 percent, albeit still with the 100 percent approval.

11-The Second Vatican Council opened, under Pope John XXIII. The 2,500 bishops in attendance walked in a procession through St. Peter's Square and into the Basilica as part of the opening ceremonies. Pope John would pass away the following year, and the last session of the Council would be closed by Pope Paul VI on December 8, 1965. --Born: Joan Cusack, American actress, in Evanston, Ill. 12-The Bridge of the Americas was opened in Panama, exactly three years after construction began. With clearance of over 200 feet, it was the first to allow traffic to cross uninterrupted between Central America and South America because the bridge did not need to be moved. October 12 was chosen for the start and finish of construction in honor of the October 12, 1492 landfall of Christopher Columbus. --Jazz bassist/composer Charles Mingus gave a disastrous concert at Town Hall, New York City. Earlier in the day, Mingus had punched Jimmy Knepper in the mouth while the two men were working together at Mingus's apartment, with the result that Knepper was unable to perform.

13-Born: Jerry Rice, American NFL wide receiver, Pro Football Hall of Famer, in Starkville, Miss.

17-The Soviet Union increased its spying capability with the launch of the Kosmos-10 satellite. For the first time, satellites had four cameras that were capable of being moved in order to obtain three-dimensional images.

18-U.S. President Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk met at the White House with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and Soviet Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Dobrynin. Gromyko told Kennedy that Soviet operations in Cuba were purely defensive, and Kennedy did not tell Gromyko that the U.S. had discovered that the Soviets had nuclear missiles in Cuba.

19-President Kennedy met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the military options for responding to the missiles in Cuba. USAF Chief of Staff General Curtis LeMay advocated bombing of the missile sites in Cuba, while Defense Secretary Continued on next page

October 2012 Boomers 19> Continued from previous page

Robert McNamara recommended a blockade of ships approaching the island. Ultimately, Kennedy, who would spend the day at scheduled speeches in Ohio and Illinois, would opt to blockade Cuba rather than to start a war.

--Anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida founded the company Tatsunoko Production in Tokyo. --Born: Evander Holyfield, American boxer, undisputed World Heavyweight champion 1990-92, WBA champion 1993-94, 1996-99, 2000-01; in Atmore, Ala. 20-Both the United States and the Soviet Union conducted high-altitude nuclear tests, already scheduled, even as U.S. President Kennedy was deciding on a confrontation between the two nations over the missiles in Cuba. The U.S. exploded a weapon 91 miles over the Pacific Ocean, and the USSR followed two days later with a blast 93 miles over Kazakhstan. The Joint Chiefs of Staff raised the nuclear alert status to DEFCON 3.

21-Ranger 5, a spacecraft designed to transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of 10 minutes of flight prior to impacting on the Moon, malfunctions, ran out of power and ceased operation, having passed within 725 km of the Moon. --The 1962 World's Fair in Seattle closed after a six month run.

22-At 7 p.m. Washington time, U.S. President Kennedy announced in a nationally broadcast address that "unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites" had been established in Cuba by the Soviet Union "to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere". He announced "a strict quarantine on offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba" and warned that any launch of a nuclear missile from Cuba would require "a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union." Kennedy implored, "I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this clandestine, reckless and provocative threat to world peace and to stable relations between our nations." --Colonel Oleg Penkovsky, who had secretly been passing Soviet secrets to the United Kingdom, was arrested by the KGB. He would be convicted of treason and executed on May 16, 1963.

23-As the American blockade of Cuba from Soviet ships was set, the 450 ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and 200,000 personnel prepared for a confrontation, including defense if the Soviets tried an airlift over the blockade. The Soviet freighter Polotavia was identified as the first ship that would reach the quarantine line.

26-At a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, American Ambassador Adlai Stevenson confronted Soviet Ambassador Valerian Zorin with photographs of missile sites in Cuba and angrily asked, "Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the USSR has placed and is placing medium and intermediate range missiles and sites in Cuba? Yes or no? Don't wait for the translation. Yes or no?" Zorin laughed and then said, "I am not in an American courtroom, sir, and therefore I do not wish to answer a question that is put to me in the fashion in which a prosecu-

tor puts questions. In due course, you will have your reply."

27-At 11:19 a.m. Washington time, USAF Major Rudolf Anderson became the only fatality of the Cuban Missile Crisis when his U-2 airplane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile while he was flying over Cuba. Soviet Army Major Ivan Gerchenov had been ordered to fire missiles, from a station near the city of Banes, at "Target Number 33". The U.S. Joint Chiefs recommended to President John F. Kennedy that the USA should attack Cuba within 36 hours to destroy the Soviet missiles. At Washington, General Taylor recommended an air attack on the Banes site, but immediate action was not taken. --Hours later, the Soviet submarine B-59 was detected by U.S. Navy destroyers in the Atlantic Ocean, and one of the ships began dropping explosive depth charges to force the sub to surface. Thirty years later, a communications intelligence officer on the B-59, would report that the Captain Valentin Savitsky ordered a nuclear-armed torpedo to be armed for firing at the U.S. ships, and that the second-in-command, Vasili Arkhipov, persuaded Savitsky to surface instead.

28-Cuban Missile Crisis: At 5 p.m. Moscow time (10 a.m. in Washington), Moscow Radio broadcast the text of the message from Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev to U.S. President John F. Kennedy. "Dear Mr. President," Khrushchev's letter began, "I have received your message of Oct.27. I exContinued on page 23

Fred Marchman, “Motel Nabovol II Cosmic Confed� (1 of 2)

20 Boomers October 2012

Fair Warning Diana cracks her mercurial whip and howling wolves whirl through vermilion glades, seeking refugees in fallow fields where dead soldier tallow husks whicker their betrayal and delirious, flapping scarecrows slap their shaggy flanks.

Crops laid by, maddened wolves fly to bulging barns and silent squares snapping at ill-suited suitors who seek loves flames where only ashes linger.

Look there – an open window guarded by a single candle wick which flickers and dies at the cry of an innocent ripped from the flesh – warmth snatched away as the day smolders in ochre embers to the west.

Best gather your loved ones close and light a bonfire against the ghosts who whirl through vermilion glades and make the faint-hearted swoon, for Diana cracks her mercurial whip, Jack-O-Lantern calls the demons of night – you, who would save yourselves, be warned; it is a hunting moon.

By P.T. Paul

October 2012 Boomers 21>

The West Nile Virus: Precautions Advised

BY STEVEN P. WITTMER, M.D. News of the West Nile virus’ rampant spread across the U.S. has dominated the media in recent weeks. During 2012, 48 states have reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds or mosquitoes and 1,118 cases of West Nile virus disease in people – including 41 Wittmer deaths – have been reported to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC officials have announced that the United States is on track for the worst outbreak of West Nile in the 13 years that the virus has been present in the country. In Alabama alone, 31 total cases have been reported.

The West Nile virus (WNV) belongs to a group of viruses known as flaviviruses, commonly found in Africa, West Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Flaviviruses are spread by insects, most often mosquitoes. The virus can infect humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses, and other mammals. Since its first appearance in the Western Hemisphere in 1999, WNV has been classified as an emerging infectious disease in the U.S., as it has spread down the East Coast and to many Southern and Common symptoms of West Midwestern states.

NIle virus include: WNV occurs in late - Fever summer and early - Headache fall in temperate - Body aches zones, but can occur - Skin rash on trunk of year-round in southern climates. body SYMPTOMS

-Swollen lymph glands

According to the CDC, WNV infection in humans is rare. Approximately 20 percent of the people who become infected will develop symptoms of WNV. The onset is characterized by mild, flu-like symptoms that usually appear within 3 to 14 days of infection. Common symptoms of WNV include fever, headache, body aches, skin rash on trunk of body, and swollen lymph glands.

A more severe form of the WNV (West Nile encephalitis, West Nile meningitis, or West Nile meningoencephalitis), occurs when the virus crosses the blood-brain barrier. This condition develops in 1 out of every 150 cases. Symptoms may include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, extreme lethargy, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.

Because the symptoms of WNV may resemble other conditions or medical problems, always consult your doctor for a diagnosis.

THE SPREAD

WNV is transmitted to humans through the bite

of an infected female mosquito. The mosquitoes acquire the virus through biting infected birds. According to the CDC, WNV is not directly transmitted between humans.

TREATMENT

Specific treatment is determined by an individual’s doctor based on age, health history, extent of the disease, and tolerance for specific medications or therapies. People who develop the more severe form of the disease (West Nile encephalitis or meningitis), may require more aggressive treatment: hospitalization, intravenous fluids, respiratory support (ventilator), prevention of secondary infections (such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, etc.), and nursing care.

PREVENTION

No vaccine currently exists to prevent West Nile virus in humans. The CDC recommends taking the following steps to avoid mosquito bites and WNV: • Apply insect repellent containing DEET when you’re outdoors. According to the CDC, repellents containing a higher concentration of active ingredient (such as DEET) provide longer-lasting protection. (If you spray your clothing, there’s no need to spray repellent containing DEET on the skin under your clothing.)

• When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants treated with repellents containing permethrin or DEET since mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing. (Don't directly apply permethrin-containing repellents to exposed skin.)

• Consider staying indoors at dawn, dusk, and in the early evening – peak hours for mosquito bites.

• Limit the number of places available for mosquitoes to lay their eggs by eliminating standing water sources around your home, such as bird baths.

To maximize your protection from insect repellent, remember: • Sweating, perspiration, or water may require product reapplication.

• Use enough repellent to cover exposed skin or clothing; heavy application isn't necessary to achieve protection.

• Don’t apply repellent to cuts, wounds, or irritated skin.

• After returning indoors, wash treated skin with soap and water.

• Don’t spray aerosol or pump products in enclosed areas or directly to your face. Spray your hands and then rub them carefully over the face, avoiding your eyes and mouth.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends using caution when applying insect repellent on children. Use products with a low concentration of Continued on page 23

22 Boomers October 2012

Survival of the Feistiest

BY THERESA CORBIN October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, but for those who know all too well the effects of this invasive form of cancer, every month is a month of awareness. For those who have been diagnosed, fought, and survived breast cancer, awareness is just the beginning. Women like Kim Rachel are proud to call themselves survivors.

Kim Rachel found out too young how scary breast cancer can be. She recalls, “in 1998, I was diagnosed the first time. I was recently divorced, 28 years old, noticed a lump in my right breast, went for a needle biopsy and found out it was cancer.” When her doctor informed her that the lump was cancer, Rachel says, “I truly thought I was in a really bad dream.”

Without knowing what would happen, Rachel admits that “this was obviously the scariest times of my life.” However, in spite of her fear, Rachel fought for her life. After a new procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy, pioneered by Dr. Urist at University of Alabama at Birmingham to help determine the stage of cancer, Rachel began radiation and chemotherapy until she was in the clear. Rachel fought hard and won her battle with cancer. And for nearly a decade, Rachel celebrated her cancer free life.

Not wanting to be caught off guard again, Rachel remained vigilant and had herself tested for cancer markers.

After the results came back that she had the BRCA1 gene—breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein, which shows an increased risk for breast cancer—she didn’t want to waste any time before the cancer inevitably came back.

“I was talking to reconstruction doctors because I was getting ready to have bilateral mastectomies and reconstruct at the same time, so I wouldn’t take a chance of it recurring.” However, unknown to Rachel at the time, she says, “It was too late; it was already there!”

“Then came the second diagnosis,” Rachel says.

She began to have swelling in her left breast, which her doctor brushed off as nothing, only to find out after having a mammogram that it was stage three breast cancer. Rachel says about the experience, “I will tell anyone today that you know your body better than anyone and I knew something wasn’t right.”

Rachel’s friend and fellow cancer fighter, Sarah Kuzma— a non-smoker and lung cancer survivor— said about her diagnosis, “not only did I know I would survive this devastating disease of cancer, but

I clearly see myself dancing in my 90s.”

Diagnosed in 2011, Kuzma had an instant friend and support in Rachel.

Mel Rush, a local host of Party in Pink: Moving to End Breast Cancer, says that Sarah’s “inspiration in her fight was Kim Rachel.” Rachel’s positive attitude and strength were clearly infectious, and Kuzma caught both.

Rachel’s unbeatable outlook and fortitude are evident when she urges cancer patients “to develop an attitude that you are going to kick this cancer thing in the butt. Never give up, it will get better.”

Similarly, Kuzma found her own strength and positive stance that shines through when speaks inspiringly about her situation. “The diagnosis of cancer, in the instant that it happens, forever changes your life and some of the changes are absolutely wonderful because you never look at little aggravations the same, and every single aspect of life is more rewarding, more beautiful and definitely more precious.” Kuzma explains.

As someone who has kicked a deadly form of cancer, Sarah Kuzma says, “I think all cancers are devastating no matter the location or prognosis.” And without diminishing the suffering caused by all forms of cancer, Sarah Kuzma goes on to say that “I honestly can't imagine the added pain of losing one or more breasts and the blow to your self-esteem.”

Too often women with breast cancer never seek treatment, or seek treatment too late, because of the fear of the social consequences of life saving breast cancer treatments like a mastectomy. But the more women, like Rachel, talk about their experiences with breast cancer, the less likely women will suffer and die in silence because of fear or embarrassment.

One in eight women will develop breast cancer, according the breastcancer.org, but we can all learn from these survivors’ amazing journeys if ever faced with a diagnosis of cancer: know your risk; trust that you know your body better than anyone; be vigilant; never stop fighting; and always stay positive and keep positive people around you.

Visit Susan G. Koman for the Cure website at http://ww5.komen.org/ for a wealth of information on how to donate to research, how to spot signs, or to share your story.

October 2012 Boomers 23>

Flashback 50

West Nile

Continued from page 19

Continued from page 21

press my satisfaction and thank you for the sense of proportion you have displayed and for realization of the responsibility which now devolves on you for the preservation of the peace of the world."

Khrushchev went on to say, "I regard with great understanding your concern and the concern of the United States people in connection with the fact that the weapons you describe as offensive are formidable weapons indeed. Both you and we understand what kind of weapons these are. In order to eliminate as rapidly as possible the conflict which endangers the cause of peace, to give an assurance to all people who crave peace,

and to reassure the American people, who, I am certain, also want peace, as do the people of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Government, in addition to earlier instructions on the discontinuation of further work on weapons construction sites, has given a new order to dismantle the arms which you described as offensive, and to crate and return them to the Soviet Union." In an agreement worked out by Khrushchev and Kennedy with the assistance of U.N. SecretaryGeneral U Thant, the U.S. pledged not to invade Cuba, and to remove Jupiter missiles that had been placed in Turkey near its border with the U.S.S.R.

DEET (30 percent or less) on children between ages 2 and 12.

For children younger than age 2, only one application per day of repellent containing DEET is recommended.

Also, when using repellent on a child, apply it to your own hands first, then rub onto your child. Avoid children’s eyes and mouth and use the repellent sparingly around their ears.

Steven P. Wittmer, M.D. specializes in Internal Medicine for Robertsdale Medical Specialists. For more information or to schedule an appointment call (251) 424-1160.

Remember that this information is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor, but rather to increase awareness and help equip patients with information to facilitate conversations with their physician.

To read more about WNV, visit SouthBaldwinRMC.com and click on the West Nile Virus banner. If you or a loved one displays any of the symptoms of WNV, see your doctor immediately.

About the Author:

Š COPYRIGHT 2012 COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEMS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION. THESE ARTICLES ARE FOR USE

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24 Boomers October 2012

Rising above life’s abuses: ‘The Clara Ann Burns Story’ brings can-do spirit to pages

BY LINDSAY MOTT

the tumultuousness of her life. Because of this, her main reason for writing the story is to reach someone in a similar situation, show them they’re not alone and help them find strength.

“Writing and reading the works of other authors came across as something that resonated with me,” Smith said. “I needed something like that. My book would have been helpful for me to read.”

She always dreamed of becoming a writer and followed the steps to get where she is today. She said it took her a little longer to get started because of her past, but she now has two Master’s degrees and is working on her PhD in creative writing from Middlesex University in London.

Smith writes other things as well but felt that this was the “most urgent” of her stories that she needed to convey. Clara’s story is her first novel, and she is currently working on two more. Her other books are very different in content, but she still wants to use her stories to affect her readers. That’s always her goal.

“I’m affected by the story every time I go back and read it; I hope other people are,” she said.

“The Clara Ann Burns Story” is now available on amazon.com.

Life is filled with experiences, lessons, relationships and adventures.

While we often remember with a smile the happy moments and high notes, the other pieces hold just as much value in shaping us into the person we become.

Smith Especially during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, stories of strength during struggle seem especially poignant. Readers are reminded that while others transcend difficult situations, they can too.

“Sometimes things that are dark are also beautiful.”

These words were spoken by Heidi Smith about all art, but they are also directly related to her recently released book, “The Clara Ann Burns Story.” The book explores childhood trauma, including abuse of all forms, family secrets and struggles.

This book was a “healing experience” for Smith, who based the book on her own life experiences. She went through many of the events that Clara goes through in the book, but the book is a creative reflection of these events and their emotional and sensory aspects.

“The Clara Ann Burns Story” is fiction. She used the freedom of creative writing to express the feeling of what happened instead of just writing a historical account, she said.

“I felt it was a story that needed to be told,” Smith said. She said that people know abuse occurs, but she wanted to use the story so that readers could see it in all its lights and all the ways and places it can happen. “Being able to take a look at it is a healing experience,” she said.

Smith was born in 1958 and started writing when she was seven years old. Writing and reading became “escapes” for her from The cover art for Smith’s book ‘The Clara Ann Burns Story’.

October 2012 Boomers 25>

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26 Boomers October 2012

Letters from the past COURTESY OF RALPH VELLER, Baldwin County Heritage Museum

On Sunday, Aug. 5, a local newspaper ran an article that was submitted by the Baldwin County Heritage Museum. It, in essence, provided historical background, current challenges and asked the public to assist our non-profit museum by various meansfinancially being the most important one at this time—to help preserve the heritage of the family and early farm culture of Baldwin County.

The response was surprising in some respect, because several generous donations were received by the museum from Baldwin citizens who believe, as I do, that BCHM is a special place. And that it is worthy of its citizen’s support and should be allowed to continue, not only as a forum for the education and entertainment of our citizens and visitors, young and old, but also as a repository for our County’s significant artifacts and documents from early community life long into the future. One such document is a letter which was written to the museum in August 1989, by a then 80 year old, gracious lady, recalling some fond and humorous episodes of her youth in Elberta, which I would like to share with our public.

The following is the text of her letter (last names omitted to protect family privacy) which, in its simplicity and the images that it evokes, I believe you will find it simply and extremely enjoyable and entertaining.

“Dear …,

August, 1989

Last May my friend Edith and I, while visiting in Alabama, stopped to see your Museum and found her father’s tailor iron on display there.

My family and Edith’s family, along with three other families, migrated to Elberta, Ala. in 1919 and our farm and their farm were side by side. My family consisted of my father Leonhardt, my mother Kathi, a brother Frank, me (Anna), now Anne of Glenolden, Penn., and a sister Elizabeth who died of pneumonia while still a baby.

I would like to tell you a little history of our stay in Elberta, Ala. Perhaps it would be of interest to someone visiting your Museum.

There was little to do but work, so on Saturday night the desks in the one room schoolhouse were moved to the side and my father would play the accordion and everyone danced. The ladies baked cakes and made coffee and the men hid their bottles behind different fence posts so they could take a nip now and then.

When I was about ten years old (I am now 80) the family would go into the fields and burn out tree stumps while I sat in a little shack watching drips from the still. I was always frightened the Revenooers would come and arrest me. The people only made whiskey for their own use (medicinal and a little

pleasure) because they were miles away from any doctor. For instance, when someone had a toothache we held a mouthful of whiskey on the side where the tooth hurt and the toothache went away.

We raised vegetables, but our main crop was sweet potatoes which we sold in Florida. My father took me along on one of the trips (by mule and wagon) to huckster the sweet potatoes, and we had to spend the night in a shack shared by everyone on their way to Florida to sell their crop. When Pop and I reached Florida the next day it began to rain and we each ran to different porches for shelter. The one I ran to had a little girl my age sitting there. We began to talk as children would and her mother immediately came out and ordered her to come in. I really didn’t understand why, but I must have looked like a ragamuffin and her mother didn’t want her to associate with me. We were just two little girls from two different worlds-talking!

There was a large swimming hole nearby our farm with water as clear as crystal and just as cold.

On Saturday, entire families would take soap and towels down to the old swimming hole and have a bath there (while the weather was warm). Even with people taking baths and using soap the water was always clean and clear. On the way home we would take turns stopping at different houses for watermelon, which was kept in a well and was ice cold.

After our refreshments we went home clean and happy.

I am enclosing a pair of scissors that my father (Leonhardt) used to cut hair while we were living in Elberta. Also enclosed is a picture that I had enlarged of the Bartel School (the one room schoolhouse) and the entire six classes being taught there at the time.

My nephew, Frank Jr. of Philadelphia, and I still own the 40 acres in Elberta.

P.S. We sent to Montgomery Ward for our shoes.

We would wear them, and before we got where we were going, we hid them under a bush and picked them up on our way home.

Sincerely, Anne It’s these special stories from the past, be they about family, friends or things, which people remember and convey, that will hopefully provide our and future generations an understanding of the extraordinary effort these pioneers made to make Baldwin County the special place it is today. And to ensure that our history endures, I take the liberty to close with BCHM’s motto: “Join today, to remember yesterday, and to be a part of tomorrow.”

Ralph Veller Chairman, BCHM

October 2012 Boomers 27>

Animal advocates: don’t let illness interrupt your passion Submitted by The Haven In preparation for National Estate Planning Week, Oct. 15-21, Michael Graham, Executive Director of The Haven No-Kill Animal Shelter, met with Elder Law attorney Kyla Kelim to discuss planned giving. Kyla operates Aging in Alabama, a law firm in Fairhope dedicated to protecting seniors.

Planned giving provides a number of advantages for the donor, from tax deductions and avoidance of capital gains to creating a lasting legacy that will benefit the advocate’s passion for generations to come. Those plans evaporate in the wake of a health care crisis.

“Many of my clients are passionate about their cause and intend to make a lasting gift, but so many don’t realize that the cost of long term care can wreck their plans.” Mrs. Kelim provides consultation and advocacy to seniors in an effort to avoid the loss

of their life’s work to those costs. “The average cost of nursing home care for a single person is $200 per day nationally. That translates to more than $ 70,000.00 per year, and the cost of in-home care locally is nearly twice that.”

Current laws mandate a five year “look-back” period for all gifts, so the gift set up in a simple will or revocable living trust may be lost forever in the midst of rising health care costs. Early planning, including the use of irrevocable gifts, can avoid the loss of that legacy.

The Haven encourages all animal advocates to review their estate plans as well as their end-of-year tax planning for their benefit and that of the animals in our community. Remember, your legacy can ensure their future.

For more information, visit www.havenforanimals.org

Enjoy the Beauty of Fall: Join in October to receive five free crape myrtle trees Submitted by The Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation will brighten up your fall by offering five free crape myrtle trees when you join the Foundation in October.

The free trees are part of the nonprofit Arbor Day Foundation’s Trees for America campaign, a program dedicated to environmental stewardship through tree planting.

“Crape myrtles are especially beautiful in the fall and were selected for this campaign because of their elegant color and form,” said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Crape myrtles make an attractive addition to the home landscape.”

The trees will be shipped postpaid between Nov. 1 and Dec. 10, at the right time for planting. The 6- to 12-inch trees are guaranteed to grow or they will be replaced free of charge. Planting instructions are enclosed with each shipment

of trees.

New members of the Arbor Day Foundation also receive The Tree Book, which includes information about tree planting and care.

To receive the free crape myrtle trees, send a $10 membership contribution to Five crape myrtles, Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410, by Oct. 31, 2012, or join online at arborday.org/october.

28 Boomers October 2012

Tech Tips

E-Readers and You (and your local public library, too!)

BY JANE C. DAUGHERTY

you’ll just end up not using it, and/or buying something else that’s better, when you could have just By some twist of planning (or lack thereof), I have spent that money to start with and not gotten a totally neglected to share insights into e-readers non-functioning piece. So decide what you want out with this audience, despite this being the primary of the e-reader, and then look up prices on that kind focus of my library technology instruction and exof device, and brace yourself for sticker shock (and pertise since 2010. Let’s remedy that. sometimes even sticker delight).

The landscape of e-readers and surrounding eNow that you've decided you definitely want a book reading technologies is daunting and vast, but Kindle with keyboard and e-ink (my personal fainteresting to most people who read things (this vorite screen-escape), you want to know how to bormeans you). When thinking about buying row library books. To find out, visit your an e-reader, there are a few things to do, local public library and ask them if they and to keep in mind. have e-books available. The good news?

What do you want out of an e-reader?

Most of us do! Many Baldwin County LiDo you simply want to read, or do you braries are part of the Camellia Net conthink that your e-reading device will be sortium that makes up Alabama's Digital capable of replacing some of your other Library. That's where you'll probably be computer use? Your answer will go a long able to borrow e-books. The slightly conway in determining what you should buy. fusing news? To borrow e-books on everyYes, things like the Kindle Fire are email thing except Android Tablets, Android and internet capable, but they are difficult Smartphones, and the family of touch-cato navigate and slow as molasses at propable i-Products (iPad, iPod, iPhone), cessing information. If you really want a Daugherty you’re going to need a personal computer. multi-function, business-ready device that So, haul your laptop down to the liwill read e-books, you should get a tablet (and be brary and see if one of the reference librarians can prepared to pay upwards of $300 for it at least). show you how checking out e-books from the library What kind of screen do you want? If you primaworks. There are also several nifty sets of instrucrily want to read and escape the glowing screens tions online-- I recommend Googling “Camellia Net that surround us (televisions, computer monitors, Overdrive” and finding your device in the extensive smartphones), I highly suggest going with an e“Compatible Devices” list that can be found in the reader that utilizes e-ink. There are several good “Getting Started” section on the left side of the ones out there. Again, these CAN get online someCamellia Net home page, and at least attempting to times, and some are email capable, but they’re refollow those directions for your e-reader. For most ally bad at those tasks. (Note: when I say that a things that have apps, there's an app for that. For device is “bad at” something, I mean that the fruseverything else, it's a process-- one that has evolved tration involved with using these devices for these significantly over the past few years, and will conpurposes, or using them at all, far outweighs the tinue to do so, so please be patient with us, too. convenience.) E-ink is great if you just want to read We're all learning as we go along. books, because it’s more like reading a book-- and Finally, I need to let y’all know something. Please, far easier on the eyes. continue to write me with questions, but please, put How much do you want to pay? I know I talk “Tech Tips” in the subject line. I’ll get back to you if about money in this column a lot. It’s because it’s you tag the email. I know that I’ve received several necessary, and because it makes me really sad to see emails from people who have gotten lost in the truly people spend too much on something they don’t ridiculous amount of mail that I get every day, and need, or to not budget enough for a device and I’d like to apologize to all of you. From here on out, thereby make their lives harder. I also get frusthough, write me at library.lady.jane@gmail.com trated just as much as you do when you bring in with “Tech Tips” in the subject line, and I promise your bargain basement device that you did no I’ll work really hard to make you a priority! homework on and ask me to make it work. Usually

October 2012 Boomers 29>

How Can Senior Women Improve Retirement Outlook?

If you are a senior woman, you need to be diligent in managing your financial resources to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. Fortunately, by planning ahead and making the right moves, you can help alleviate any inequalities that may exist between you and the men of the world.

What are some of these disparities? Here are a couple to consider: Longer life expectancy - Both women and men are living longer these days. But you've still got the edge: A woman reaching age 65 can expect to live 19.8 years, while a 65-yearold man can anticipate 16.8 years, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And more years of life mean more expenses.

Lower earnings - The â&#x20AC;&#x153;wage gapâ&#x20AC;? between men and women has narrowed - but it hasn't disappeared. Women who work full time still earn, on average, only about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And women drop out of the work force for an average of 12 years to care for young children or aging parents, according to the Older Women's League, a research and advocacy group. And this time away from the workforce results in more than $500,000 in lost wages.

Furthermore, there may be lifestyle issues that put greater financial pressure on senior women. For example, when it comes to giving money to their adult children, women may be more generous than men. Of course, that's hard to prove, but according to annual surveys conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles, there has been one major, consistent disparity between the sexes over the past four decades: Approximately two-thirds of women say "helping others who are in difficulty" is an essential or very important life objective, compared to only half of the men. Thus, it seems plausible that retired women may be more committed to providing assistance to their grown children - which, of course, could lead to additional financial strains.

Taking all these factors together, it's clear that, as retirement approaches, you need to take action.

Here are a few suggestions: Take advantage of your retirement plan. Put in as much as you can possibly afford to your IRA and

your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored plan.

Every time you get a raise, try to increase the amount you contribute to your retirement plan.

Know how much to expect from Social Security.

Contact Social Security (www.ssa.gov) to make sure your earnings records are right and to find out the size of your benefits checks.

Be aware of wills, trusts and beneficiary designations. If you are married, make sure you know what legal arrangements have been made for you to receive financial assets from your husband should you outlive him - which, statistically speaking, is likely.

Get professional help. To identify and quantify your retirement planning goals, and to choose the mix of investments that can help you make progress toward those goals, you may well want to work with a financial professional.

And here's one final tip: Stay informed. Whether you're single or married, divorced or widowed, know where you stand in regard to your savings, investments and retirement plans. Your financial future is in your hands - so get a good grip on it.

Steve Ellison, Financial Advisor 1745 Main St. Suite A Daphne, AL 36526 251-626-7701 www.edwardjones.com/taxtalk

30 Boomers October 2012

3-D mammography now at Precision Imaging Submitted by Precision Imaging First there was film screen mammography.

Then digital mammography became the breast screening of choice. And, now there is 3D Digital Mammography, or tomosynthesis, and it’s now available at Precision Imaging, right here on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Precision Imaging, in its desire to offer the most state-of-the-art procedures available, is the first facility in Alabama to acquire a 3D unit.

With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it was most timely for Precision to begin offering 3D screenings now. Patients scheduled for mammograms at Precision Imaging’s Womens’ Center in Gulf Shores will receive both 2D and 3D mammograms at no extra cost.

Early diagnosis of breast cancer is the key to improving clinical outcomes. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. women. But, if found in its earliest stages, survival rates of breast cancer are excellent.

“Prior to the development of tomosynthesis, digital mammography was our best means of detecting breast cancer,” said Dr. JasonWilliams, board certified radiologist and founder of Precision Imaging. “It is still one of the most advanced technologies available, but it presents only a two-dimensional picture of the breast. With the addition of 3-D mammography, breast tissue can be examined layer by layer. Details are more clearly visible; no longer hidden by tissue above and below.”

“The 3-D mammograms can detect smaller tumors than are found in 2-D Digital Mammograms,” said Dr. Williams. “Therefore it is particularly effective in assisting with the evaluation of women with dense breasts, but it has also proven effective in detecting cancers in women who do not have dense breast tissue.

“Another significant advantage in utilizing 3-D mammography is the reduction in the callback rate—that is the percentage of patients who have to return for further screening. Early findings show a decrease of almost 50 percent in callback rates.”

“Also, with conventional screening, when there is a callback, typically, additional mammography is required and then followed by

Ultrasound. With tomosynthesis, the patient usually proceeds directly to ultrasound and biopsy, if needed. This translates to quicker diagnosis and thus less anxiety for the patient.”

“But,” Dr Williams added, “2-D is still an important element of the screening process.

There are certain cancers that are more easily identified with the conventional 2-D image…and I can utilize it to compare patients’ prior examinations.”

The Women’s Center at Precision Imaging offers a full spectrum of radiological screenings and procedures including bone density, ultrasound, breast MRI and breast biopsies.

Precision Imaging holds the prestigious Gold Seal accreditation of the American College of Radiology in Mammography, Ultrasound and MRI. They are also designated as a Pink Ribbon Facility for their efforts in the fight against breast cancer and promotion of early detection.

Just this past July, Precision Imaging sponsored a tennis tournament in Gulf Shores in memory of a breast cancer victim.

And, on Oct. 13, Precision sponsored a Zumbathon at Orange Beach Recreation Center to support Breast Cancer Awareness.

With all the emphasis on state-of-the-art technology, Precision Imaging has not lost sight of the “softer” side of life. Their newly expanded facility offers a spa-like atmosphere with soothing seaglass colors, bubbly light fixtures and plush robes to wrap around their guests.

Now is a really good time to visit the Women’s Center at Precision Imaging. During the month of October, you can attend a Mammogram Party at Precision. From 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdasy, Oct. 23rd and 30th there will be Girl’s Night Out Parties with mammograms, massages, manicures and refreshments. Space is limited, so call ahead at 251-948-3420.

Mammography remains the primary screening exam for breast cancer…and scheduling that exam is the responsibility of each individual woman. Precision Imaging urges you to “Grab some friends, get out of the house and get screened at their new Women’s Center in downtown Gulf Shores.

It’s a healthy way to celebrate October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.”

October 2012 Boomers 31>

32 Boomers October 2012