Dementia and the workforce TIMES
Over Age 65 Health Plans
ON THE COVER: This photo by the Associated Press shows different variations of brain scans. As the workforce ages, dementia in the workplace is a growing concern. Find the story on Page 8.
Tom Ellis and Edward Johnson on Page 3
EDITOR: Dallas Marshall, (208) 848-2232/ dmarshall@lmtribune.com
SUBMISSION DEADLINE for the April issue is 5 p.m. March 15. GOLDEN TIMES: P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501 goldentimes@lmtribune.com
Rick Woods Trish Brown
> MARCH 6
Tom Ellis, 90
Tom McLean Ellis, of Clarkston, will be honored for his 90th birthday with a celebration from 1:30-3 p.m. March 15 at the Lewiston Eagles Lodge No. 631, 1310 Main St.
He was born March 6, 1935, in Clarkston to Walter and Olive (McLean) Ellis.
While he was growing up, he could be found at the roller skating hangout. He also enjoyed hunting, shing, basketball and football.
While attending high school, he began working in the mailroom (distribution center) of the Lewiston Tribune. In 1956, he became a press operator, and worked at that job at the Tribune for many years, retiring in 1993.
He has lived in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley all his life.
He and Leah Schneider were married in 1955 in Anatone, and they had seven children. The couple later divorced. He and Eleanor (Anderson) Von Tersch were married Aug. 24, 1980, in Sumas, Wash. The couple lived in Lewiston until 2005 when they moved to Clarkston.
In his younger years, he enjoyed gol ng and hunting. He is a longtime member of the Lewiston Eagles, where he served in several elected positions, including many terms as secretary, and he also called bingo games there for many years. At the state Eagles Aerie, he was named Idaho State Father in 200708.
With his wife and family, he enjoys playing cards, bingo and the slot ma-
chines at the casino.
He has two sons, three daughters, two stepsons, ve stepdaughters, 27 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren, 11 great-great-grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild. One son died in infancy in the early 1960s, a daughter died in 1990, and two stepsons have died, one in 1990 and one in 1996. His children will be hosts for the celebration.
> MARCH 10
Edward Johnson, 94
Edward Johnson, of Clarkston, was born in 1931. He worked at Potlatch Corp. in Lewiston for many years, and later worked as the business agent based in Lewiston for the International Woodworkers of America. He was involved in the union until his retirement. He has also served as one of the re commissioners of the Asotin County Fire District in the Clarkston Heights. He loved racing stock cars and had ve children.
To submit birthdays: Birthday announcements starting at age 70 are accepted for free publication in the month of the birthday only. Length limit is 200 words depending on space available. All submissions must include the name and contact information of the person submitting the announcement. Current photos are welcome — please no dated pictures. To have photos returned, please include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Submissions may be sent to goldentimes@lmtribune.com or Golden Times, P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501. Questions may be directed to editor Dallas Marshall at dmarshall@ lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2232. April birthday announcements must be received by 5 p.m. March 15.
A region awarded for rich history
Since 1999, the Idaho State Historical Society has presented prestigious awards to individuals and organizations who have made major significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of Idaho’s history. Many have been awarded in the five north central Idaho counties of Nez Perce, Latah, Lewis, Idaho and Clearwater.
If you want to enjoy learning about local history, read a book or the Lewiston Tribune, attend a lecture, join the historical society, or just visit with one of these Esto Perpetua (state motto “It is perpetual”) winners. In 2006, I was the winner of the award and so was our Nez Perce County Historical Society. Others receiving the award were Marion Shinn in 2008, Carol Simon-Smolinski in 2010, Steve Branting in 2011, John Mock in 2013, Garry Bush in 2014, Lyle Wirtanen and the Lewiston Tribune in 2015, and Dan Miller, Ron Karlberg and Bob Tatko in 2019. When he received the Esto Perpetua Award, the late Marion Shinn was 87 years old, and he was very deserving of it. He has contributed much to his local area, the state of Idaho and to our coun-
try. He served on a submarine in World War II, and wrote a book called “Pacific Patrol” about his experiences. I was a student in his Lewiston High School chemistry class in 1949, just four years after his war experiences, so he slipped in a little about his war experiences. From the mid-1990s to later, I worked with him when he was a Nez Perce County Historical Society board member and I was board president. The back of his 2014 book, “Eyewitness to Idaho History, a Trip Down Memory Lane,” gives a good snapshot of Marion’s life. He was born and raised in rural Idaho near Whitebird. He spent four decades as an Idaho educator, starting as a teacher in a one-room school and ending as dean of Vocational Education at Lewis-Clark State College. During his retirement
years, he served on the Lewiston City Council, including a term as mayor. When I received the Esto Perpetua award in 2006, I felt very humbled. Idaho Gov. Jim Risch presented it to me in Boise, and when he did he leaned over to me and said he hoped I was not going to try to claim that Lewiston should still be the capital. Risch also received an Esto Perpetua award the same year. When I received the award, I had served as president of the Nez Perce County for 10 years, and I served seven more with the title.
U.S. history was my favorite high school subject, and I majored in it at the University of Idaho. I also received a master’s degree and most of a doctorate from Idaho. I have received two awards from Lewis-Clark State College for “dedica-
tion and commitment.” I am also a retired hall of fame member of the local chapter. After two years in the U.S. Army, I was a public school educator for 34 years, including 24 as a small school superintendent. I enjoy doing research and have written and published 10 books about local history.
Steven Branting, the 2011 Esto Perpetua winner, is a widely published historian who spent his career as an educator of gifted students in the Lewiston School District. He is a gifted researcher and historian. He graduated from Lewiston High School in 1966 and LCSC in 1970. He has written many books about Lewiston, such as “Historic Firsts of Lewiston,” “Lost Lewiston, Idaho,” “Hidden History of Lewiston, Idaho” and “Wicked Lewiston, Idaho.” My favorite project he led was the placement of more than 20 kiosks around town, each with interesting local information he wrote. He has been honored by many organizations including the History Channel, the American Association for State and Local History, the Association of American Geographers, and the National Society for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Lewiston is very fortunate to have Garry Bush because he moved here from California and has used hard work and enthusiasm to promote local history. His college majors were history, geography and photography. He taught at Lewiston High School for 30 years and was an adjunct instructor at LCSC. He is the owner of Idaho History Tours, and you will see him driving around town in his tour bus. He was co-director of the Chinese
The 2010 Esto Perpetua winner from the Nez Perce County Historical Society is Carole Simon-Smolinski, a native Idahoan. She graduated from Clarkston in 1960, then from UI and Portland State University. She is a former history teacher at LCSC. Carole has written about various topics but she loves to write about the local rivers with topics like “Clearwater Steam, Steel, and Spirit”; and “Hells Canyon and the Middle Snake.” She has been very involved in and directed Idaho’s participation in National History Day.
Idaho State Historical Society
Esto Perpetua awards are pictured.
90 & COUNTING
Dick Riggs
Remembering Project which includes a boat trip to Hells Canyon to the Chinese Massacre Cove. For his work on Chinese area history, he was given an Orchid Award and also an Orchid Award for his e orts on promoting the preservation of downtown Lewiston. He has been trained as a certi ed consultant for the National Park Service, the National Geographic Society and the Lewis-Clark Trail Heritage Foundation.
John Mock was a 2013 Esto Perpetua winner. Before he died, he served on the Lewiston Historic Preservation Commission for more than 15 years. John and his late wife Melva worked very hard to get the replica of the Idaho Territorial capitol building built which was moved from Lewiston to Boise in 1865. He worked hard in getting two historic Idaho license plates made. For his hard work Lewiston gave him an Orchids Award. He was a Marine Corps veteran.
Lyle Wirtanen was awarded the Esto Perpetua Award in 2015 a er serving two years as the director of our Nez Perce County Historical Society Museum and 11 years as the director of the Historical Museum in Cottonwood. He was an outstanding historian for our area before he moved.
The Lewiston Tribune has written the history of our area since 1892 and received the Esto Perpetua Award in 2015 for the 2010 and 2012 books, “Two Rivers, One History, Historic Images of the Lewis-Clark Valley.”
Dan Miller won the award in 2019 for his tireless and outstanding work
as president of the Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum. He has also authored some books and articles. My good friend, the late Ron Karlberg, was awarded the Esto Perpetua in 2019 a er serving for years as the vice president of the Nez Perce County Historical Society and Museum. Only Boise and Lewiston have received more Esto Perpetua Awards than the small town of Craigmont, population 500. Awardees from Craigmont have been my friend Bob Tatko, Josephine Thomason, her daughter Shelley Kuther, Margaret Nell Longteig, Dick Southern, Byron Bovey and Janene Alley.
Lewiston’s Dave Leroy received the Esto Perpetua Award in 2013 as an outstanding Abraham Lincoln scholar. Dave graduated from Lewiston High School in 1965 and from the University of Idaho’s law school, and then served as the state’s attorney general from 1979-83 and Idaho’s lieutenant governor from 1983-87.
Mary Reed and her well-known historian husband Keith Petersen, of Moscow, have both received the Esto Peretua Award for their outstanding work. Ace Barton, of Riggins, received the 2005 award and Moscow’s Joann Jones and Kendrick’s Sharon Harris received the award in 2015. Our north central area is well represented by historians.
Riggs, 90, is a lifelong Lewistonian. He’s an avid Warriors fan, a retired educator, coach and school superintendent and volunteers his time at the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He can be reached at
Lies, truths and fashions — how to get the kids talking
“What? You want us to tell lies about ourselves?” The students in the class were not sure they’d heard me right.
Yes, it was an exercise to encourage students to do a lot of speaking. The summer between my junior and senior year at Lewis-Clark State College I had gone to Budapest as an intern
where I assisted a teacher at a large university in summer English courses. However, I was woefully underprepared. I was more comfortable writing essays than teaching fundamentals about dependent clauses, dangling participles or past perfect tenses. In fact, some of the students could have given me a lesson.
In the 35 years that we have been around we have found that people need a little help now and then, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want to have a fun time!
Each of our residents are free to enjoy a worry-free lifestyle, because we provide the necessities. Things like housekeeping, laundry services, group activities, and caregiver support* are all included in the monthly rent! Plus, we’re conveniently located on TriState Health’s campus. So come by and take a look around.
However, I did know that in English as a second language, or ESL, and English as a foreign language, or EFL, the goal is to have the teacher do very little talking and the students to do a lot of talking. Thus the game of Two Lies and a Truth. After the students had time to think up their two lies and decide what truth they would tell, each one reported to the class, and then their fellow students had to decide which of the three statements was the true one. It turned out to be fun and I learned many interesting and true things about those young people. One girl was on the national swim team; several students had swum across the Danube River. It was like folks in this area daring to swim across the Salmon River (which I have done). Some were proficient at fencing and one Muslim student said he liked to wear his traditional robes at home. A student from Transylvania told of a trip home at Christmas where he rode for many of miles in the back of a truck and arrived nearly frozen to death. These were strong kids. My truth was that I have four children, yet few guessed it correctly since
large families were quite rare there.
Those students were wonderful and one evening they took me on a lovely stroll to their favorite parts of Budapest. Our walk ended with us enjoying delicious sour cherry ice cream cones.
After I graduated from LCSC I wanted to become better prepared to teach ESL, so I enrolled at a specialized Cambridge school in San Francisco. It was a very intense course. To be accepted, we needed to have a college degree and to have studied a foreign language ourselves. It was a monthlong program, and they told applicants to not even apply if we had any health problems or emotional problems because we would eat, breathe, sleep and live ESL 24/7. I was accepted and after that month I came out a far better teacher.
Most of my fellow trainees found jobs right away in Asia, but I was intent on working in Europe.
Fortunately I found a position in Holešov, Czech Republic, at a gymnázium, which is a school for university-bound students. I was lucky that I was the sole teacher for several classes so I
became well acquainted with my students. I did something special with the conversation classes of the older students. In those days everyone had a cassette tape recorder, so every weekend I had each of my students record five minutes telling me something about themselves. On Monday, I would listen and give my comments on what they’d said. Of course, one boy wanted to impress me with all the English swear words he knew. I answered him that anyone could say those things, so how about impressing me with something interesting about himself. He became one of my best students. Sometimes there were surprises. One day I arrived in class to find that all the boys had gone on a field trip. Hmmm, a fun alternative lesson would be good, I thought. So we reviewed vocabulary about fashion and clothing styles, as well as adjectives describing them: stunning, elegant, sporty, etc. Pairs of girls wrote descriptions of each other’s clothing. Then we had a fabulous fashion show, with each girl modeling her apparel as her partner gave a glowing narration. That spur-of-the-moment lesson turned out to be one of my very favorite classes, and the girls were absolutely delightful. I wish you could have seen them.
Johnson, of Grangeville, worked in three different European countries — Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovenia — in the 1990s and early 2000s. She can be reached at johnsondixie@hotmail.com.
Dixie Johnson
AARP offers free tax help
AARP Foundation Tax-Aide o ers free, individualized tax preparation for lowincome taxpayers — especially those 50 and older.
Local volunteers are available for tax preparation at the Salvation Army Meal Site, 1220 21st St., Lewiston. The site will be open 8:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday now through April 10.
All taxpayers must make an appointment by calling (208) 717-1096. The volunteers have been trained and tested, and are eager to assist residents with their tax returns.
Scandinavian Breakfast planned for March 22 at Clarkston
The 30th annual Scandinavian Breakfast and Nordic Marketplace is scheduled for March 22 at the Valley Community Center, 549 Fi h St., Clarkston.
The event, sponsored by the local
chapter of the Sons of Norway, is planned for 8-11 a.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children 6 to 12 and free for children 5 and younger.
Breakfast will include Oslo egg and sausage casserole; pannkakor (pancakes); risengrynsgrot (rice pudding) with raspberry sauce; rosettes; kramkaka; kransekake; kringle; lefse; epple juice (apple); and other drinks like co ee, tea and hot chocolate. All are welcome.
TO SUBMIT BRIEFS:
Groups and organizations may submit event information pertaining to seniors in the region for free publication in the monthly Golden Times magazine. All submissions are subject to editing and space restraints and must include the name and phone number of the person submitting the information. Questions may be directed to editor Dallas Marshall at dmarshall@lmtribune. com or (208) 848-2232. Submissions may be sent to goldentimes@lmtribune.com or Golden Times, P.O. Box 957, Lewiston, ID 83501. Information for the April issue must be received by 5 p.m. March 15.
Royal Plaza Health and Rehabilitation of Cascadia, is a leading healthcare provider in rehabilitation and long term skilled nursing care. Our mission is to provide personalized care for each of our patients that enhances their well-being and quality of life.
Focusing on patient centered rehabilitation with 24- hour skilled nursing care, Royal Plaza team creates custom treatment plans for each patient and resident, focusing on individual needs and goals.
Royal Plaza has been serving the L.C. Valley and surrounding areas for over 30 years. We would like to thank the Community for their continued support in allowing us to provide care for your loved one in a homelike and comfortable environment.
Dementia a growing concern
What to look for and ways to help
By JEREMY OLSON MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE
Families often discover during the holidays that loved ones are struggling with dementia and memory loss, and these cognitive issues are becoming yearlong concerns for employers, too, as they encounter an aging U.S. workforce.
The Alzheimer’s Association collaborated this year on its first report on dementia in the workforce, calling it a “hidden but growing concern” now that seniors make up 19% of U.S. employees. That rate has doubled through four decades.
“As our population and workforce ages, the possibility of having employees who experience cognitive impairment is real,” said Katie Evans, the association’s chief programs and mission engagement officer.
Some workers conceal cognitive declines because they fear their employers demoting or firing them. Or they might adjust their workplace routines on their own to compensate. Others, such as surgeons and pilots, are obliged to disclose serious changes in cognition for safety reasons.
Senior citizens now make up 19% of the U.S. workforce, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Bank of America collaborated with the Alzheimer’s Association on the report to encourage “dementiafriendly workplaces,” where conversations about changes in
workers’ cognition levels are nonthreatening. Companies that overlook this challenge risk costly mistakes and lawsuits, the report stated.
“An empathetic company culture
increases the chances that a worker will disclose cognitive concerns, allowing critical conversations to occur and employees to get support earlier,” said Cynthia Hutchins,
a director of financial gerontology at Bank of America. Here is some expert advice for workers, employers and caregivers on how to manage an aging workforce: Occasional forgetfulness confusion are signs of aging, dementia is not, according to Alzheimer’s Association.
concern in aging workforce
The condition typically emerges after injuries, infections or brain diseases — such as Alzheimer’s — and causes cognitive problems that significantly impair daily living.
and are normal aging, but not, the Association.
Someone who forgets words or names but recalls them later doesn’t necessarily have dementia.
More concerning is someone who loses
track of conversation midsentence, asks the same questions again and again or loses something and then can’t retrace steps to find it.
People can gauge their level of impairment with the association’s list of 10 early signs and symptoms but should also bring their concerns to their doctors, partly to rule out other reversible causes of cognitive
impairment before diagnosing dementia.
Depression also can produce symptoms that mimic dementia, such as withdrawal from normal activities and mood changes.
Healthy sleep, diet, exercise, social contact and daily cognitive challenges can slow the onset of dementia. Berries have offered the strongest dietary links in research so far
to better brain health, but clinicians also encourage whole grains, nuts and fish. They discourage red meat, cheese, sweets and fried food.
Dementia can hasten if early symptoms push people out of the workplace, and they don’t find other pursuits to stimulate their brains, said Jenna Fink, associate director of community services for
the Minnesota chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
”The workplace absolutely challenges the brain,” she said. “So it would be important for someone who is exiting the workplace that has a diagnosis of dementia to continue with social activities, continue to challenge your brain, continue to do things that you enjoy
Continued on Page 10
Jeremy Olson/Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., addressed Pillars of Prospect Park, an elder-care facility in November in Minneapolis. She, along with Joseph Gaugler (standing left), the director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, discussed new options to support dementia patients and their caregivers through the reauthorization of the federal BOLD program.
to keep the brain and the body active.”
before her termination.
While they don’t prevent symptoms, compensatory strategies in the o ce can help manage them, Fink said, including Post-it notes to o er visible reminders of appointments and deadlines. The report encouraged employers to involve trusted family members or physicians in discussions about workplace modi cations for employees experiencing dementia or to enlist “buddy” employees to help and monitor them.
The Americans with Disabilities Act is not a list of conditions included or excluded from federal protection against discrimination. ADA protections apply whenever a medical condition signi cantly limits major life activities, which can o en be the case for people with Alzheimer’s and other causes of dementia.
Nor does the ADA only apply to disabled people. Spouses or other caregivers also have protection from discrimination, such as bosses who think their employee’s caregiving role will result in too many absences.
Employers under the ADA must make reasonable accommodations for workers when their disabilities a ect their performance. Examples o en involve specialized equipment, which in the case of someone with dementia could involve tools that increase organization or aid memory. But they can also involve changes to the daily work schedules or modi ed assignments.
“There is always a point where someone can’t do a job that requires a certain level of cognitive skill. That’s understood,” said Joseph Gaugler, director of the Center for Healthy Aging and Innovation at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. “But how can we accommodate people so that they can remain productive and, from a social perspective, people can live as high a quality of life as possible with necessary support?”
Workers might need to press for their accommodations or o er suggestions. The Connecticut Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit in December 2023 because a worker declined opportunities to suggest accommodations for her Alzheimer’s disease before her employer red her. The woman had been an account manager for Sinclair Insurance Group for 26 years but lost accounts and had negative performance reviews
Employers can’t o er accommodations unless they know about worker disabilities, and yet many people with dementia don’t disclose their conditions for fear of retaliation. Gaugler said he is sympathetic but stressed workers in their silence need to plan on their own for the day when they can’t do their jobs anymore, at least not without support.
“Dementia is a dirty word. People don’t want to use it. Its highly stigmatizing, and that certainly carries over to the workplace,” he said.
The Alzheimer’s Association is trying to change that perception and make employers more responsive. Fink said the organization has conducted trainings at numerous workplaces across the Twin Cities to make them dementia-friendly. Workers should explore whether their employers have participated in this training.
“The workplace is becoming more understanding and more accommodating,” she said, “but of course, there is still a fear, a worry.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, appeared publicly at a Minneapolis senior-living complex in November to celebrate the federal reauthorization of the BOLD program, which funds opportunities to prevent, detect, diagnose and care for dementia in addition to providing support for caregivers.
Gaugler said he is excited about a new option under the federal program called GUIDE, which will pay participating clinics to coordinate medical care and nonmedical services for people with dementia and their unpaid caregivers. Under the program, caregivers can also nd help so they take breaks and receive training on how to provide dementia care.
Minnesota has one GUIDE clinic in Alexandria, but a locator map shows four more opening in July in Golden Valley, St. Louis Park, Stillwater and Moorhead.
Gaugler’s center is one of three the BOLD program funds and works to spread awareness about the needs of caregivers and services available to them.
Some companies o er more support than others, he said, and o en it varies by whether executives have experienced Alzheimer’s or dementia among family.
“We see that with policy, too, quite frankly,” Gaugler said.
WA-ID Volunteer Center, in the Lewiston Community Center at 1424 Main St., strives to provide individualized volunteer opportunities for those wishing to serve in Lewiston, Clarkston, Asotin, Pomeroy, Moscow and the Orofino area. Information and other volunteer openings can be found at waidvolunteercenter.org or by calling (208) 7467787.
Volunteer needs include:
Thrift Store — Volunteers are needed to help clean merchandise and shelves and price tag items.
Food bank help — Volunteers are needed to repack frozen and dry foods for distribution. Front counter volunteers and drivers for morning food pickups also are needed.
Tutors — Help students to be proficient readers by the third grade. One-on-one reading tutoring in schools for students below reading grade level. Volunteers need to be able to commit to at least an hour a week for the school year. Background check required.
AARP tax preparer
— Do you feel comfortable with computers? Can you spare a couple of mornings a week?
AARP Tax Aide Program needs volunteers to help
prepare free basic tax returns for seniors and low-income individuals. No experience necessary. Training and materials are provided.
Project Warmup —
Crafters are needed to make hats, scarves, mittens and lap blankets (yarn is provided). Completed items are donated to local nonprofit agencies. If you have yarn to donate, our volunteers will put it to good use.
Companions — The Senior Companion program provides companionship and respite care to the elderly and disabled. It allows low-income senior volunteers an opportunity to assist those who need minor help to continue living independently. Senior Companions visit clients in their homes, but it is not an in-home care program.
Medicare counselor — The State Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program trains volunteers to assist local seniors with Medicare questions for Asotin, Garfield and Whitman counties.
Local hospital auxiliary — Volunteers are needed to greet people, deliver flowers, staff the courtesy cart, deliver mail, assist in the gift shop, create baby and child items, do clerical work, provide hospital tours and more.
Lewiston City Library — Volunteer needs include circulation support, tech tutors and programming support.
Museum docents — Skills include meet-andgreet abilities, friendly personality and the ability to answer questions about the displays at the center. Training is provided.
Meal sites — Volunteers are needed regular and substitute meal delivery drivers. A valid driver’s license and auto insurance are required.
Garden and parks — General lawn main-
tenance, weeding, sweeping, etc. Training provided. Community service approved.
Habitat for Humanity — Help with home construction/renovation, remote grant writing/ research, and helping at the Habitat store.
Interlink Inc. is a nonprofit organization in Clarkston that matches community volunteers to people needing assistance to remain independent in their own homes. For information about becoming a volunteer and volunteer opportunities, call (509)
751-9143. Volunteer applications and additional information also can be found online at interlinkvolunteers.org. Volunteer needs include:
l Drivers to transport senior citizens to appointments. Drivers are paid a mileage stipend.
l People who can do small home safety repairs for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
l Volunteers interested in serving as volunteer helpers in the Interlink office.
l Volunteers willing to help compile a senior social directory.
Travel made easy
Ioften find myself on road trips to meetings, events, concerts or visiting relatives. I love my little economical Honda Fit. I’m filled with wonder of how I got to this place of comfortable and quick transportation.
Mom and Dad lived in the days of travel by horse and buggy. The Rosenkrans boys in Reubens embraced a new way. They would come roaring down the dirt road. My grandma would panic and screamed for her kids to get in the house. “You never know when those crazy
boys will lose control of that thing they call a car and run right over ya,” she would sob. The same thing happened later when those boys bought an airplane. But how do you safely hide from something in the sky? It was pure terror. Mom never learned to drive. I don’t know if it was the trauma of Grandma’s fear or if she didn’t trust herself. Dad drove wherever we went.
He was into power. When he was looking for a new car, he would test it by driving up the 16th Street steep grade going to the Orchards. If he could get halfway up without shifting to second gear, it was OK, but if it nearly reached the top of the hill, it was a powerful engine.
Gas rationing limited travel during World War II. Dad used the car to go to work at
the railroad. A neighbor worked the same shift. They traded off driving every other week, so we had enough gas to get to town once a month.
When we needed groceries, Mama and I often walked the mile to Walker’s store. It was easy to go down, but hard to trudge back up the hill with a bag of purchases. Sometimes we caught the bus to go to town or to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Elmer Lutes was our bus driver. He always greeted us by name and had a smile. He was a nice old man. I was so embarrassed when I threw up one day because I insisted on riding in the back of the bus.
I had a neighbor I called “Grandpa” who didn’t have a car. He got around with a horse and wagon. I loved going in the field to gather hay with him, but my favorite trips were taking his cream cans from his house along Grelle Avenue to Huggins Dairy along Lewiston’s Main Street. Yes, it was by horse and wagon. When I was around 9, we made our last trek. Cars honked, whizzed by, the horse startled and was hard to control. When we got back to his house, Grandpa had tears in his eyes. “Guess that’s the last trip with old Nellie,” he admitted. “Traffic’s getting too bad. Have to find another way to get the cream to town.” My dad took it for him along with our can. Traveling by train was
convenient and dependable. Mama and I took the bus to town, then caught the train to Reubens to visit her aunts and uncles. There was so much to see from those windows — except when the wind was blowing the wrong way and we were shrouded in smoke from the engine. A passenger train ran up the Clearwater River, up to Moscow and Pullman and all the way to Spokane. When I was 7 years old, we traveled by train to Portland to visit Dad’s sister. The clickety-clack rhythm was like a lullaby. In college I traveled alone by train to Green Water Lake in Canada to help build a dining hall at a youth camp. I wish we still had trains. It wasn’t until my mid30s that I flew for the first time. On a cold January day, I flew over the Cascade Mountains. My feet were freezing. There was a hole in the floor the size of a silver dollar. I could see the mountains below us. The stewardess was shocked when I told her she needed to put a patch over that hole. In spite of that, flying is still one of my favorite ways to travel. The world is only hours away. It calls “Come — come and see.” Travel is easy and quick now.
Chase Hoseley is a freelance writer and retired kindergarten teacher who lives in Clarkston. She can be reached at shoseley8@gmail.com.
Cottonwood Community Hall
506 King St., basement, Cottonwood, (208) 7922465, meals at noon Tuesdays.
Craig Mountain Senior Center
413 Nezperce St., Winchester, (208) 9246581, meals at noon Wednesdays.
Daley Senior Care
30302 Harley Lane, Culdesac, (208) 791-7438, meals at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. daily.
Friendly Senior Citizens of Troy
100 S. Main St., Troy, (208) 835-6092, dinein or pick-up; noon Wednesdays.
REGIONAL SENIOR MEAL SITES
Grangeville Senior Center
108 Truck Route, Grangeville, (208) 9832033, meals are at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Juliaetta-Kendrick Senior Citizens Center
104 S. Sixth St., Kendrick, (208) 289-5031, meals from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays.
Kamiah Senior Center
125 N. Maple St., Kamiah, (208) 935-0244, meals at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Lewiston Community Center 1424 Main St., Lewiston, (208) 743-6983, meals at
noon Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Moscow Senior Center
412 E. Third St., Moscow, (208) 882-1562, noon Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Nezperce Senior Citizens
501 Cedar St., Nezperce, (208) 937-2465, noon Mondays and Thursdays.
Orofino Senior Center
930 Michigan Ave., Orofino, (208) 476-4238, noon Tuesdays and Fridays.
Palouse Senior Meals
220 E. Main St., Palouse, (509) 878-2301, meals at noon Wednesdays.
Pomeroy Senior Center
695 Main St., Pomeroy, (509) 843-3308, noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Potlatch Senior Citizens
Potlatch Senior Citizens Meal Site, 645 Pine St., Potlatch, (208) 875-1071, meals at noon Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Pullman Senior Center
190 SE Crestview St., Building B, Northside Entrance, Pullman, (509) 338-3307, meals at noon Tuesdays and Fridays.
Riggins Odd Fellows Building
121 S. Lodge St., Riggins,
(208) 628-4147, meals at noon Tuesdays.
Spud Hill Seniors
401 Line St., Deary, (208) 877-1717, meals at noon Tuesdays.
Senior Round Table
549 Fifth St., Clarkston, (509) 295-8685, noon Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays.
Weippe Hilltop Senior Citizens Center
115 First St. W., Weippe, (208) 435-4553, meals noon Mondays and Thursdays.
Pullman Meals on Wheels (509) 397-4305.
Valley Meals on Wheels (208) 799-5767.
A check mark on the bucket list
Since childhood, I have been smitten with turtles. I loved watching from the edge of a pond as turtles would poke their head above the surface, swim to a log, climb aboard and sun themselves. Their slow-moving persistence always paid off.
Those who know me are not surprised to learn that my most happy retold stories revolve around these beautiful creatures. While on a cruise, we visited Bequia where the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary was established to protect endangered hawksbill sea turtles. I got to hold a smaller 3-year-old turtle who was destined for release. It was about the size of a dinner plate. I was delighted. The weight of a mature sea turtle can vary from 50 pounds to more than 500 pounds depending on age and species.
when my bucket list check-off occurred. I had always dreamed of seeing the sea turtles hatch and make their way to the ocean. Getting to be a participant in the beginning of such a journey was above and beyond any of my expectations.
It was on a recent trip to Costa Rica, however,
GALLIVANTING GRANNY
Led by an employee of Hotel Vista Bonita, who was local to Costa Rica, we arrived at a private beach, where for years the leatherback turtles had been coming ashore to lay their golfballsized eggs in sandy nests. His friends, the operators of this conservation project, had constructed a fenced area near the beach where turtle eggs are safely collected and counted inside the large enclosure. Each nest is then topped with something that resembled an oldfashioned wire milk crate. A marker notes the total number of eggs in each nest and a date. Thus, the eggs are protected from
roaming dogs, humans or birds until they hatch and are ready for release. Each nest contained about a hundred eggs. About two months after the eggs were deposited the hatchlings would appear.
Beneath a crimson sunset, I was given a basket containing 93 tiny hatchlings each smaller than a half-dollar. Using thin gloves and a gentle pinch grip, one finger above the shell and the thumb below, I lifted the tiny turtles one by one onto the warm sand. Their tiny flippers were already
flailing before I could set them down. There was little hesitation before they headed to the sea and disappeared beneath the waves. I was told they need to be released on the beach and not the water because the turtle needs to experience the smell and feel of the sand to help them know where to return when ready to nest. Further research termed it geomagnetic imprinting.
Male turtles have a longer tail. The temperature of the sand controls the ratio of males
to females hatched. When it’s warmer there are more females. Leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish. Plastic bags are sometimes ingested by mistake which can be fatal. Birds, large fish, fishing gear, pollution and coastal development cause serious mortality rates for sea turtles as they migrate. The eggs are also eaten or sold on the black market, even when illegal. Global warming is also a concern. Conservation and protection of sea beds, mangroves and coastal reefs is necessary for healthy turtle populations.
It will be about 15 years before the hatchlings we released will be ready to nest. Because this the sanctuary has only operated for seven years, they don’t yet know their rate of return. The employee in Bequia boasted a 40% rate but I just recently read that the Old Hegg site is permanently closed. One estimate I saw said that only one in a thousand hatchlings reaches maturity.
Numerous conservation groups are dedicated to research and welfare of the seven sea turtle species. If you love turtles, I hope you will choose one such worthy organization to give financial support. Donate so they can keep their head above water and keep on swimming.
Christiansen lives in Lewiston. She can be reached at petpal535@gmail.com.
Hazel Christiansen
Sea turtle hatchlings.
For the LewistonClarkston Valley
> Monday-Friday
Co ee, 9:30-11:30 a.m. to noon, Valley Community Center, 549 Fi h St., Clarkston.
> Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Co ee, 10 a.m. to noon, $1 donation, Sixth Street Senior Center, 832 Sixth St., Clarkston. Fit and Fall Proof, 9-9:45 a.m., Congregational Presbyterian Church, 709 Sixth St., Lewiston. Fit and Fall Proof, 10:45-11:30 a.m., Orchards United Methodist Church, 1213 Burrell Ave., Lewiston.
> Mondays and Wednesdays
Yoga/low-impact exercise, 9-10 a.m., Valley Community Center.
> Mondays and Thursdays
S.A.I.L. (Fit & Fall Prevention) class,
10:30-11:30 a.m., Valley Community Center.
> Mondays and Fridays
Fit and Fall Proof, 10-11 a.m., Emmanuel Baptist Church, 2200 11th Ave., Lewiston.
> Mondays
Painting group, noon to 4 p.m., Valley Community Center.
Dance practice, 6-7:30 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Tuesdays
Blood pressure checks, 11 a.m.12:30 p.m., Valley Community Center. Bingo, 2-4 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> Tuesdays and Thursdays
Fit and Fall Proof, 8:15-9:15 a.m., Elks Lodge, 3444 Country Club Drive, Lewiston.
> Wednesdays
Bingo 10-10:45 a.m., 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center. Bridge, 12:30-4 p.m.,
Valley Community Center.
Line dancing, 2 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., Valley Community Center. Zumba, 5:30 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Thursdays Footcare, Valley Community Center. By appointment only: (253) 218-7091.
Line dancing, 10:30 a.m., Valley Community Center.
Card games, 1-3 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> Fridays
Country jam, 10 a.m. to noon, Sixth Street Senior Center.
> Sundays
Dance lessons, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> March 4
Karaoke, 6:30-9 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> March 5
Card/board games, 3-4:30 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> March 6 and 20
Dance and covereddish dinner, 6 p.m., Sixth Street Senior Center.
> March. 11 and 25 Foot care, Valley Community Center. By appointment only: (253) 218-7091. Karaoke, 6:30-
9 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> March 15
Sons of Norway, 12:30-3 p.m., Valley Community Center.
> March 22
Scandinavian Breakfast and Nordic Marketplace, 8-11 a.m., Valley Community Center.
> March 24
Seaport Quilters, 6-9 p.m., Valley Community Center.
To submit your event for the senior calendar, email goldentimes@lmtribune.com. For more information about events at the Sixth Street Senior Center, see the calendar at sixthstreetsrcenter.com.
3 Chicken fried steak
10 Tater Tots casserole
LEWISTON SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM —
When: Noon, Mon./Tues. and 11:30 a.m. Wed.
5 Beef enchiladas
11 Chicken lasagna
17 Spaghetti 18 Meatloaf
24 Beef stroganoff 25 Chicken alfredo
4 Sloppy joes W
12 Swedish meatballs
19 Corned beef
26 Biscuits and gravy
All meals served with: hot veggies, salad, fruit and bread.
M
• Where: Lewiston Community Center, 1424 Main St., or call for delivery at (208) 743-6983. On-site meals are every Monday through Wednesday. • Cost: $4 suggested for seniors 60 and older; $5 for nonseniors • Note: Menu is subject to change.
SENIOR MENUS FOR MARCH
SENIOR ROUND TABLE NUTRITION PROGRAM — When: Noon, Tues./Thurs./Fri. • Where: Valley Community and Senior Center, 549 Fifth St., No. F, Clarkston, or call (509) 758-3816 for delivery. • Cost: Donations appreciated for seniors 60 and older; $8 for nonseniors • Note: Menu is subject to change.
4 Chicken fried steak/mashed potatoes/corn/ applesauce/roll
11 French onion sausage casserole/cauliflower/ pickled beets/mandarin oranges/garlic toast
6 Baked fish/hashbrown casserole/green beans/peaches/cookie
13 Hawaiian chicken over rice/peas/carrots/ pears/roll
7 Taco soup/ salad bar
T T
18 Holiday dinner: Corned beef and cabbage/ potatoes/carrots, onions/applesauce/roll/dessert
25 Birthday dinner: Roast beef/mashed potatoes with gravy/carrots/juice/roll/cake/ice cream
20 Chicken bacon ranch casserole/veggie medley/pickled beets/fruit cocktail/garlic toast
27 Pork fritter with gravy/au gratin potatoes/broccoli/peaches/roll
14 Clam chowder/salad bar/ cheddar biscuits
W TH F M
21 Cream of asparagus soup/salad bar/ cheddar biscuits
28 Corn chowder/salad bar/ garlic toast
MOSCOW SENIOR NUTRITION PROGRAM — When: Noon, Tues./Thurs. • Where: 1912 Center, 412 E. Third St. or call (208) 310-3779 for delivery. Cost: $5 suggested for seniors 60 and older; $7 for nonseniors. • Notes: Soup (starting at 10:30 a.m.), salad bar (at 11:30 a.m.) and dessert are available daily. Menu is subject to change. • Online: users.moscow.com/srcenter.
4 Sweet-and-sour chicken/rice/buttered veggies/fruit/roll
11 Scrambled eggs/hashbrown patty/sausage patty/biscuit/juice
6 Beef macaroni casserole/roasted zucchini/garlic bread/pears
T M W TH F
18 Tuna croissant/potato salad/roasted carrots/mixed fruit
25 Cheese enchiladas/Spanish rice/Tater Tots/mixed veggies
13 Oven-fried chicken/broccoli/mashed potatoes/corn muffin
20 Hot dog with chili/coleslaw/roasted potatoes/peaches
27 Meatloaf/mashed potatoes/green beans/pears/roll
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
VALLEY MEALS ON WHEELS — MARCH MENU
HOT: Turkey/ stuffing/squash
SACK: Ham/ veggie cup/chocolate pudding
HOT: Pork loin/ rice/mushrooms SACK: Egg salad/cottage cheese/banana
HOT: Chicken cordon bleu/scalloped potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Tuna salad/garbanzo bean salad/Rice Krispies treat 9
HOT: Beef stew/roasted potatoes/carrots
SACK: Chicken salad/ spinach salad/cookie
HOT: Pot roast/ mashed potatoes/ carrots
SACK: Chicken salad/ crackers/banana pudding 10
HOT: Italian baked chicken/mashed potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Roast beef/marinated mushroom salad/bread pudding
HOT: Teriyaki chicken/rice/ cabbage
SACK: Roast beef/ pea salad/cake 11
SACK: Ham/ celery sticks and cucumber/orange 12
HOT: Lasagna/ corn
HOT: Tater Tot casserole/peas
SACK: Turkey/ tomato, rice-and-feta salad/mandarin oranges
HOT: Pork loin/stuffing/ cauliflower
SACK: Uncrustable/ carrot-raisin salad/pears 13
HOT: Chicken strips/mac and cheese/green beans
SACK: Seafood salad/ chips/coleslaw
HOT: Tuna noodle casserole/green beans
SACK: Egg salad/potato salad/peach cobbler 14
HOT: Stroganoff/ noodles/cabbage
SACK: Turkey/ broccoli salad/ pineapple
HOT: Ribs/roasted potatoes/corn
SACK: Uncrustable/ green bean and onion salad/blondie dessert
HOT: Sweet-andsour meatballs/ rice/peas
SACK: Turkey/green salad/cookie 15
16 17
HOT: Chicken fried steak/mashed potatoes/carrots
SACK: Uncrustable/ yogurt/apple
HOT: Turkey/ stuffing/squash
SACK: Ham/ veggie cup/chocolate pudding
HOT: Ham/ yams/corn
SACK: Seafood salad/ chips/peaches
HOT: Pork loin/ rice/mushrooms SACK: Egg salad/cottage cheese/banana
HOT: Chicken cordon bleu/scalloped potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Tuna salad/garbanzo bean salad/Rice Krispies treat
Menus are prepared by St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and are subject to change. Meals are delivered to established clients between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. 365 days of the year, with delivery guaranteed by 1 p.m. each day. Individuals can have a hot meal delivered to their residence for $4 per day for a hot meal and a sack lunch for $5 per day. More info: (208) 799-5767. 21
18
HOT: Veggie lasagna/ broccoli
SACK: Ham/pasta salad/Jell-O fluff
HOT: Beef stew/roasted potatoes/carrots
SACK: Chicken salad/ spinach salad/cookie
HOT: Pot roast/ mashed potatoes/ carrots
SACK: Chicken salad/ crackers/banana pudding
19
HOT: Chicken cordon bleu/mac and cheese/green beans
SACK: Egg salad/marinated cucumbers/cookie
HOT: Italian baked chicken/mashed potatoes/broccoli
SACK: Roast beef/marinated mushroom salad/bread pudding
HOT: Meatloaf/ baked beans/ cauliflower
SACK: Roast beef/pickled beet salad/applesauce 20
HOT: Tater Tot casserole/peas
SACK: Turkey/ tomato, rice-and-feta salad/mandarin oranges
HOT: Pasta bolognese/ peas
SACK: Tuna salad/ green salad/cake
HOT: Chicken strips/mac and cheese/green beans
SACK: Seafood salad/ chips/coleslaw
HOT: Stroganoff/ noodles/cabbage
SACK: Turkey/ broccoli salad/ pineapple 22
HOT: Ribs/roasted potatoes/corn
SACK: Uncrustable/ green bean and onion salad/blondie dessert