BOOM Magazine May 2015

May 2015

Making

Memories that

Last

Celebrating

Mother's Day With Your Grandkids

12 14

8

22

Cover Photo Provided By: Phyllis Rose

boom / What's inside EVERY MONTH

boom TRAVELER

4

On The Cover

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5

Contributors & Testimonials

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BOOM Timeline

boom BOOK REVIEW 24

Books On Brewing!

Reviewed By: Margo Ferguson

boom RECIPE 25

Grilled Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Bites

boom PETS 25

Loving Animals Are In Need Of Families

boom HEALTHY LIVING 8

Keep Your Joints Jumpin’

10

For Your Eyes Only Part II

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Tennis Elbow VS. Golfer’s Elbow: What’s The Difference?

By: Ellen Kraybill, PT, Cert MDT By: Dr. Richard C. Boling

By: A.J. Mencias, M.D.

Day Trip: Middlebury & Shipshewana By: Phyllis Rose

boom LIFE 16

Making Memories That Last

22

Celebrating Mother’s Day With Your Grandkids

26

What Memorial Day Means To Me

28

Wild Parents Know Best

30

Saint Mary’s Gerontology Project

By: Pam Gunterman By: Rita Miller

By: Margo Bell

By: Evie Kirkwood

By: Caroline Stickell

boom HOBBIES 17

Movie Trivia: Mothers (And Fathers) And Actors By: Margo & Jim Bell

boom HOME 20

The ABCs of DIY Landscaping By: Thom Villing

THE PLANNER 31

Boom Events to Put in Your Planner

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on the cover PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER: Betsy Tavernier Betsy@MichianaFamilyMagazine.com

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Managing Editor:

Jessica Haviland Jessy@MichianaFamilyMagazine.com

Leave A Lasting Memory For Your Grandkids!

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Local Veterans Share What Memorial Day Means To Them!

+ Also 20

AD COORDINATOR & INSIDE SALES MANAGER

Amanda Oiler Amanda@MichianaFamilyMagazine.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN Manager: Zuzanna Zmud Zuzanna@MichianaFamilyMagazine.com

MEDICAL EDITOR: Dr. Jesse Hsieh

Distribution Managers: Mike Trentacosti Kevin Reynolds

BOOM Magazine is a division of Michiana Family Magazines, LLC established in 2006. All rights reserved.

We would love to hear from you!

Please submit press releases, event information and inquiries to: Jessy@MichianaFamilyMagazine.com The FAMILY Magazines P.O. BOX 577 Granger, IN 46530 PH: 574.387.5420 • FX: 574.217.4700 www.MichianaMom.com Permission from the publisher is required for any reproduction or reprint of this publication.

Read BOOM Magazine online each month!

Go to www.MichianaMom.com and flip the pages, cover-to-cover the organic and green way!

May 2015 Volume 4: Number 5

Save Money This Year By Doing Your Own Landscaping!

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Don’t Let Your Joints Stiffen Up!

22

Fun Activities To Do With Your Grandkids This Mother’s Day!

LOOK WHO’s TALKING

follow us on Twitter, and become our fan on Facebook. @MichianaBoom www.facebook.com/pages/BOOM-Magazine/ www.pinterest.com/boommagazine/ MichianaBoom

may / contributors

boom / testimonials

A.J. Mencias, M.D.

is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with fellowship training in elbow, forearm, wrist and hand surgery. He has earned the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand (CAQSH) and joined South Bend Orthopaedics in 2003. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and is a physician consultant for ND sports.

In his spare time, he enjoys golfing, live music, travel and especially spending time with his kids.

Margo Bell Margo Bell, a first-wave Boomer, has a B.S. degree in Biology from Arkansas State University and worked in medical and marine biology research before making a mid-life career change to writing for adults and children. Margo is a former magazine editor and has published over 50 articles and features in newspapers and magazines. She and her husband Jim live in South Bend and have two grandchildren.

Photo Credit: Classic Image Photography

Evelyn Kirkwood

Evelyn Kirkwood is Director of St. Joseph County Parks in Indiana and the host of Outdoor Elements, which is broadcast Sundays at 9 AM and Wednesdays at 5:30 PM on WNIT Public Television.

My daughter always brings me a copy of BOOM Magazine! I simply love this magazine!”

– Shelly B.

The Calendar of Events in BOOM gives me great ideas for date nights with my husband.”

– Brenda K.

Thanks BOOM Magazine for having an eco-friendly digital version for me to read online for free!”

– Rose M.

Phyllis Rose With a love for the English language and travel, Phyllis Rose became an English teacher, freelance writer and traveler. She taught high school English for 29 years while also working as a freelance writer and editor. Retiring from teaching, she turned her part-time writing career into full-time, writing for newspapers and magazines. Phyllis loves international travel, especially to Europe. When not writing or traveling, she loves to read, do counted cross-stitch projects and plan her next travel adventure.

Want to know when BOOM Magazine is giving away some amazing prizes? Sign up to be a part of our eBlast!

May Events F

Memorial Day Camping Checklist

1 MS: Michiana 2015, 7:30 A.M., 2 Walk Indiana University South Bend

Sa Su

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4 Bird Day

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5 Cinco de Mayo

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Th

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8 Military Spouses Day

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Su M Tu

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Spring Photography Workshop, 9:30 A.M., Wellfield Botanic Gardens

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Dart for the Arts 5K Run or Walk, 8:00 P.M., The Lerner

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Th

W Th F Sa

 Tent  Sleeping Bag  Air Mattress  Cookware  Coolers  Blankets/Pillows/Bed Sheets  Paper Plates & Plastic Utensils  Aluminum Foil  Trash Bags  Ziplock Bags  Folding Table  Soup/Hand Sanitizer  Non-perishable Food  Pie Irons  S’mores  Sunscreen  Lanterns/Flashlights  Camping Chairs  First Aid Kit  Batteries  Bug Spray  Watch  Water  Radio  Sunglasses  Fire Extinguisher  Backpack/Fanny Pack  Trail Map  Personal Hygiene Products  Extra Set of Clothes  Swimsuit

The Perfect

Sweet Tea Ingredients: • 1 Pinch Baking Soda • 2 Cups Boling Water • 6 Tea Bags • ¾ Cup White Sugar • 6 Cups Cool Water Directions: Sprinkle a pinch of baking soda into a 64-ounce glass pitcher. Pour in the boiling water and add the tea bags.

Cover and allow to steep for 15 minutes.

Then, remove the tea bags and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Pour in the cool water and refrigerate until cold.

Enjoy!

Recipe found at www.allrecipes.com.

What We Are Pinning:

Outdoor Décor!

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25 Memorial Day 26 Women's Leadership Engagement Day, 27 THRIVE 8:30 A.M., Saint Mary's College 28 - 31 Niles Family Carnival and Bluegrass Festival, 7:30 P.M. Riverfront Park, Downtown Niles

Life of Elkhart County, 30 AllRelayDay,ForGoshen High School

Porch

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Wine into Water (And Beer Too!), 5:30 P.M., Palais Royale

23 International Jazz Day

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Bob Dylan and His Band, 8:00 P.M., Morris Performing Arts Center Pieces of South Bend, 10:00 A.M., The History Museum, South Bend

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Sa Su

Spring Fling, 4:30 P.M., The Centre P.C. and Centre Yourself Medical Spa, Mishawaka

Walk, Rock 2015, 16 Run, 7:00 A.M., Lory’s Place, St. Joseph, MI

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Elkhart ArtWalk, 5:00 P.M., Downtown Elkhart

15 Police Officer’s Memorial Day

F Sa

Mother’s Day Canoe and Cookies, 9:00 A.M., St. Patrick’s County ParkHappy Mother’s Day!

Below is a list of a few (not all) items that you will want to bring with you on your next family camping trip:

(www.etsy.com) MAY 2015 | boom

Sunflower Pillows (www.sacmacjetty.com)

Welcome

(www.myvinyldirect.com)

www.goodwill-ni.org

“I was arrested more times than I can remember. I lost my freedom, my family‌ I almost lost my life. But mom never gave up on me. Not many stories like mine have happy endings. My future began when Goodwill Janie #give2goodwill

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Healthy living

By: Ellen Kraybill, PT, Cert MDT

Keep Your Joints Jumpin’ Don’t let arthritis get in the way of your daily activities!

When your joints are painfully stiff, this may sound like the last thing you want to do: MOVE! But, staying active is exactly what helps people cope with arthritis. Exercise builds strength in the muscles that support joints and is thought to control inflammatory chemicals in the body.

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MAY 2015 | boom

People who are active, who keep themselves in good shape, will be bothered by arthritic joints a lot less.

5 Tips to Stay Active Despite Arthritis 1. Adapt your activities. Accept that high-impact activities like running may be too hard on joints. Find a gentler replacement, like swimming, biking or yoga. You have to say, ‘Maybe running is not the thing.’ The mission is to maintain your overall health and wellness.

2. Add more movement to your day. Stand and move about every half-hour to prevent stiffness from setting in. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the farthest spot from the mall. Sign up for an exercise class.

3. Watch your weight. A little weight loss goes a long way for joints.

Every pound lost equates to four pounds of pressure taken off each knee.

4. Warm up and cool down. Try a heating pad or hot bath to relax muscles and reduce stiffness and soreness. After exercise, apply ice and take over-the-counter pain relievers to control pain and swelling.

5. Know what else relieves your pain. Some people swear by painrelieving creams or glucosamine supplements. Try and see which ones work for you. There’s not a perfect formula for everybody.

8 Exercise Tips 1. Here’s one more reason not to give up your exercise routine: Benefits gained from exercise start to diminish after two weeks and disappear after two months.

2. When creating an exercise routine, consider this crosstraining schedule: Do aerobic exercise three times a week, strength training twice a week (but not on consecutive days) and stretching exercises daily.

3. If you ran two miles yesterday, you’re probably not ready to try five miles today. Increase your mileage by no more than 10 percent weekly.

4. The shock absorbers in your running shoes don’t absorb much after 500 miles. If you run 10 miles a week, replace your shoes every year.

5. There’s a right way to sit at your desk. To avoid injury, sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor, and make sure your knees are at the same level as your hips.

6. Sleeping on your back adds 55 pounds of pressure on your back. Place pillows under your knees, and you’ll cut that pressure in half.

7. If you strain a muscle, reduce the swelling through RICE: rest, ice (15 to 20 minutes, three times a day), compression and elevation.

8. For heel and arch pain, try stretching your foot over a rolling pin or a bottle.

Assess Your Knee Pain

Take this assessment to understand the effects of knee pain on your life.

1. Does knee pain prevent you from performing daily tasks, like cleaning or running errands?

2. Does knee pain bother you at night?

3. Do you worry that your knee is going to give out?

4. Do you have trouble getting out of a car or chair?

5. Have you declined an invitation for a social event or activity you love because of knee pain?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your symptoms as well as treatments that can relieve your pain. •••

Declutter.

Spring is a great time to get rid of unwanted clothing, furniture and household items – things someone else could really use. With the snow finally gone, the weather is perfect for cleaning out overflowing closets, attics and garages.

When you’re done, drop the nice stuff off at St. Vincent de Paul because of every item you donate helps us help someone in need.

Donations can be made at drop boxes all around town or at any store location. Free pickup can be arranged by calling 574.234.6000.

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Healthy Living

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By: Dr. Richard C. Boling

hether you’re day-tripping, getting out of Dodge for a few weeks or heading toward permanent holiday, you can count on new adventures, new experiences, new friendships and new ways to celebrate the life you’ve earned.

Cataracts may develop in only one eye, but that’s atypical; most people have cataracts in both of their eyes. However, cataracts aren't always totally symmetrical. It’s entirely possible that the cataract in one eye may be much more advanced than in the other.

Moving closer to retirement can mean moving closer to that dream of owning a second home – maybe not where the buffalo roam, but hopefully where winters are a bit less harsh than Michiana’s. The last thing you want is to get there and have the skies be cloudy all day.

What causes cataracts? Are there different kinds?

Cataracts affect the vision of nearly every person who reaches 60 years of age. Symptoms include foggy, blurry or cloudy vision, problems with glare during the day, difficulty driving at night and dulled perception of colors. Not what you were counting on?

Here’s an encouraging word about cataracts!

Advances in eye care technology make treatment of cataracts one of the most frequently performed and ultimately successful surgeries you can have. Nearly three million Americans have cataract surgery every year, and most enjoy a permanent solution to their vision problems.

What’s a cataract?

Contrary to popular assumption, a cataract is NOT a film that develops over the surface of the eye.

Behind the iris, or the colored part of your eye, is the lens. The lens focuses the light that passes into your eye and produces clear, sharp images on the retina.

As you age, the lenses in your eyes become thicker, less flexible and less transparent. Age-related changes cause proteins within the lens to clump together. The clumping, known as a cataract, causes cloudiness or blurred vision.

The cataract scatters the light as it passes through the lens, preventing a sharply defined image from reaching your retina.

As the cataract continues to develop, the clouding becomes denser and involves a greater part of the lens.

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There are three primary reasons cataracts can develop.

Congenital cataracts are sometimes diagnosed in infants or children whose mothers had certain infections during pregnancy. Traumatic cataracts can develop from an injury to the eyes. Our main focus here is on age-related cataracts, which are a natural part of getting older. This may be due to prolonged exposure to toxic substances, radiation or ultraviolet light; environmental pollution, Diabetes, smoking and people who use illegal drugs or consume alcohol heavily have increased likelihood of developing this type of cataract.

Cataracts fall into one of three categories, depending on which part of the lens is affected.

Nuclear cataracts affect the center of the lens. At first, you may notice that you’re more nearsighted or perhaps even experiencing an improvement in your ability to read without corrective or magnifying lenses. Be aware! Over time, a nuclear cataract causes dense yellowing or even browning of the lens, clouding your vision and making it difficult to distinguish between colors. Make sure you contact your eye care professional if you begin to have these symptoms.

Whitish, wedge-shaped clumps or streaks on the edge of the lens are cortical cataracts, which cause problems with glare, especially as the streaks extend over time to the center of the lens.

Cataracts that affect the back of the lens are called posterior subcapsular cataracts. A posterior subcapsular cataract starts as a small, opaque area that usually forms near the back of the lens, right in the path of the light on its way to the retina.

A posterior subcapsular cataract often interferes with your reading vision, reduces your vision in bright light and causes glare or halos around lights at night.

How are cataracts treated? Can they be prevented?

Treatment options for cataracts depend on the severity of vision impairment. Regular eye exams will help your eye doctor determine how fast your cataracts are progressing, whether surgical treatment is advisable and how soon you ought to schedule lens replacement.

Early, non-surgical treatment can include a prescription for stronger lenses in your glasses, and/or the recommendation that you use magnification devices and improved lighting for reading and other close-up activities.

Treatment of moderate to severe cataracts is possible only through removal and replacement of the intraocular lens (IOL). IOLs are thin, artificial corrective lenses that are easily inserted in place of cloudy lenses and provide a permanent solution to declining vision caused by cataracts.

Standard IOLs eliminate cataract problems and provide corrected vision at a single distance, usually far away. In other words, a patient who received a standard IOL would probably still need glasses to see up close and at intermediate distances.

Premium IOLs offer the advanced technology of a multifocal lens that allows for clear, proper vision at any distance, just like your natural lens. Premium IOLs also tend to correct nearsightedness, far sightedness, astigmatism and difficulty focusing on objects close-up.

Cataracts are nothing to be afraid of, especially if you are getting your eyes checked regularly. Thanks to today’s technology, they can actually be one of the most exciting parts of getting older. With new horizons stretching before you, you’ll be able to see like never before! And that you can count on. •••

While there is no way to prevent cataracts entirely, eye doctors do recommend that you: • Have regular eye exams – at least annually, more frequently for diabetics or those with significant risk factors.

• Wear sunglasses that block 100% UVB, especially in the summer and the closer you are to the Equator.

• Reduce alcohol consumption and quit smoking.

• Maintain a healthy weight and healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables (antioxidants promote eye health).

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healthy living

Tennis Elbow Golfer’s Elbow: What’s the

Difference?

By: A.J. Mencias, M.D. Time to break out your tennis racket and dust off your clubs … spring has finally arrived in Michiana. The greens are trimmed and you are ready to try that new driver you bought at the end of last golf season; or maybe you had your racket re-gripped and you’re ready for some court time!

Either way, this time of year is great for outside activities, whether that is golf, tennis, running or even yard work. There is just one problem … that throbbing pain in your elbow. This could be the early signs of Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow. And you don’t have to be Roger Federer or Phil Mickelson to have it. Even if you’ve never played a set of tennis or a round of golf, you can still suffer from these elbow injuries.

Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow are both overuse injuries that are caused by any activity that requires repetitive motion of the arm and wrist. The difference between the two conditions lies in where the elbow is inflamed.

Both are forms of epicondylitis, an inflammation of tendons that attach to the elbow. Tennis Elbow affects the lateral, or outside, epicondyle and Golfer’s Elbow affects the medial, or inside, epicondyle. These injuries often begin as a small, nagging pain but can grow into serious injuries if 12

MAY 2015 | boom

they aren’t properly treated early on.

The good news is that such injuries can be prevented with some changes to technique and the use of proper equipment.

Your goal is to have a healthy, active, and injury-free lifestyle, that’s one of the reasons you love to be outside when the weather is nice! So in this article we will explore some of the more common upper body sports injuries and also discuss injury prevention methods and treatment options.

40-Love: Understanding Tennis Elbow

Tennis Elbow, or lateral epicondylitis, is an overuse and muscle/tendon strain injury that results in an inflammation of the outside of the elbow and forearm areas. With repeated use of your forehand and backhand, those muscles are often overworked, becoming inflamed. It is important to understand that inflammation is our body’s natural attempt at self-protection. When something harmful or irritating affects a part of our body, there is a biological response to try to remove it, resulting in inflammation.

Repetitive activities and sudden trauma can injure tendons and lead to inflammation, pain, and difficulty using the joint. This is called tendinitis.

As we age, tendons can break down (degenerate) or even tear; this is called tendinosis, with symptoms usually lasting more than a few weeks.

This condition probably affects 40-50% of all senior athletes who play racquet sports. It also can be caused by any activity that repeatedly twists and flexes the wrist, such as pulling weeds, raking leaves or using a screwdriver. Plumbers, carpenters, painters and cooks are prone to Tennis Elbow due to the repetitive nature of their occupations.

The onset of pain is usually gradual, with pain or tenderness felt on or near the elbow. It can be a constant ache in the elbow area, or you may only feel it while performing activities that involve reaching, grasping or lifting. The pain may also radiate from the outside of the elbow to your forearm and wrist. There is usually no specific injury associated with the start of symptoms.

Bunker Shot: Dealing With Golfer’s Elbow

Did you know that the elbow is the second most injured area in golfers? The first is your lower back. Medial epicondylitis, commonly called Golfer’s Elbow, is an inflammation of the tendons that attach your forearm muscles to the inside of the bone at your elbow. These muscles and tendons become damaged from poor swing mechanics and the repeated motion of swinging the club. This leads to pain and tenderness on the inside of the elbow.

This condition can be caused by any activity that requires repeated twisting or flexing (bending downwards) of the wrist. Generally, it is an overuse of the forearm muscles during such tasks as gardening, shoveling, throwing a ball, playing golf or tennis. Repeated lifting, especially when your elbow is extended, can also cause Golfer’s Elbow.

In addition to golf, other activities may cause this condition such as racquet sports, baseball or softball, weightlifting, carpentry, painting and other similar activities.

Symptoms of Golfer’s Elbow are similar to Tennis Elbow, except the pain and tenderness are felt on the inside of the elbow. An additional factor may be compression of the ulnar nerve, causing numbness. Symptoms include pain on the inside of the elbow when lifting the wrist or hand, pain when twisting the forearm or when making a fist. The area may be slightly swollen or tender to the touch. If the problem has lasted for a while, additional symptoms can include stiffness in the elbow or weakness in the hands or wrist.

“If you suffer from elbow pain, there is good news; 80-90% of those with either condition will have success with nonsurgical treatment.”

Match Point: Treating Both Conditions

If you suffer from elbow pain, there is good news; 80-90% of those with either condition will have success with nonsurgical treatment.

As in sports, the best defense is often a good offense. One of the best ways to avoid elbow problems is to strengthen your forearm muscles. Squeezing a tennis ball for five minutes at a time is a simple, effective exercise that will strengthen your forearm muscles. Wrist curls using a lightweight dumbbell will increase flexibility as well as improve your strength.

A regular exercise program that includes core strengthening, stretching and strengthening all major muscle groups can also help decrease your chance of injury. For best results, perform strength training exercises year round. Build your endurance with regular aerobic activity. Try walking, jogging, bicycling or swimming.

Rest is the first treatment for elbow injuries. It may take several days of resting your elbow and wrist to feel a decrease in pain and symptoms. It is important to understand that rest is best defined as the absence of abusive activity, not complete absence of activity.

Take a break from activities that cause irritation to your elbow and forearm, don’t stop all activity.

Now is a good time to do an equipment check. If playing racquet sports, make sure the grip is proper size for your hand and strings are not too tight. Are your golf clubs in good shape, or is it time for a new set or at least new grips? When working in your yard or gardening, make sure all your tools are in good condition.

Using tools with ergonomic handles will help as well.

Icing the injured area will help with pain and swelling. Apply ice for 20-30 minutes every 3-4 hours. Do this for 2-3 days or until the pain is gone. Anti-inflammatory medicines, such as aspirin or ibuprofen, will also reduce pain and swelling.

For those who have suffered from elbow injuries in the past, it may be a good idea to wear a tennis elbow compression strap. They work by preventing the wrist extensor muscles (that run along the outer side of the forearm) from contracting fully, thus reducing the strain on the elbow. This is a form of functional bracing, which helps disperse forces that otherwise would be absorbed at the site of injury.

If you do need to seek medical treatment, your physician may recommend a steroid injection. Steroids, such as cortisone, are very effective antiinflammatories that are injected directly into your damaged area. These should not be used as a long-term strategy as multiple injections have been shown to degrade and weaken muscle tissue.

In chronic cases where conservative treatments have not worked, then surgery may be required. Most surgical procedures for Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow involve removing diseased tendon tissue and reattaching healthy muscle and tendon back to bone. Most seniors return to athletic activity in 2-4 months.

I can’t stress enough to listen to your body! If a body part is sore or swollen,

them something is wrong. You need to evaluate your activity and make appropriate changes to avoid long-term injury. Now get out there and enjoy this great Michiana spring weather! •••

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the traveler

Photos By: Phyllis Rose

Daytrip

Middlebury & Shipshewana

H

By: Phyllis Rose

istory and mystery make a great theme for a daytrip to Middlebury and Shipshewana. You can easily work both into a day of shopping in Shipshewana or munching memorable meals in Middlebury.

For Dave and I, the history and mystery started at the Middlebury Community Historical Museum, 301 W. Bristol St., a delightful museum cared for by volunteers. Director Richard Smith showed us around the museum, explaining that most of the museum’s items are borrowed from local residents, but military and school artifacts are part of the permanent collection.

One showcase highlights the history of Krider Nurseries, a major business in Middlebury for almost 100 years. In fact, the museum sits on the site of the former nursery, Richard told us as he pointed to the location on a black and white aerial photo of Krider Nurseries.

The Amish Room in the Menno-Hof allows you to experience a little bit of Amish life.

Richard also showed us a copy of the Krider deed from 1899 when the Krider family bought the property for $1900. A plaque commemorates the company’s customers in that first year. There were 12 of them who spent a total of $205.

In 1934, Krider exhibited a garden for the Century of Progress International Exposition in Chicago. After the exposition ended, they recreated the garden in Middlebury, across the street from the museum. Still in use today, the park has picnic tables, a walking path, a bridge over a creek, a bright blue windmill, and a gazebo, creating a wonderful place to spend a summer afternoon amid the beautiful flowers.

The park is also part of the Pumpkinvine Trail, a 25-mile trail linking Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana.

After learning more about the Kriders, their business, and descendants, we moved on to a Middlebury mystery. In a far corner of the museum is an old safe, rusty and battered.

Richard pointed out the damaged areas, the result of the efforts of unsuccessful bank robbers. The robbers were chased on horseback, caught and hung from the nearest tree - maybe. No one really knows for sure, but that’s the local lore, Richard said.

Another mystery surrounds a grandfather clock, built in Middlebury in 1927 at the Old Colony Clock Company. It still chimes out the hours, but there’s a mystery there, too. The owner of the clock company up and disappeared one day, only to be found many years later in California.

The museum honors firefighters and policemen through various items, including an old 1902 fire truck which was pulled by hand. It has no pump, so how did the firefighters get the 40 gallons of water out of the tank?

That’s a mystery that a museum docent can explain. Be sure to ask when you visit.

Leaving Middlebury, Dave and I drove to the Menno-Hof, 510 S. Van Buren St., in Shipshewana, a museum detailing the history of the Anabaptists including the Mennonites and Amish. The museum was founded to clear up some of the mystery and misunderstandings surrounding these groups and their beliefs.

We paid our entrance fee in the gift shop and then a docent guided us to the first stop on our tour, a short video, “Good Fences Make Good Community,” which defines some of the core beliefs of the Mennonites, Hutterites and Amish.

From there, we moved to the next room which outlined church history to the time of Martin Luther and the Reformation in the 16th century. Next, in a room designed to look like a courtyard in Zurich, Switzerland, we learned about the beginning of the Anabaptist movement.

Because of their rejection of Catholic theology, including infant baptism, Anabaptists were imprisoned, tortured and even murdered, facts brought home as we listened to an audio report in a dungeon-like cell.

From that point, we wandered on our own through Anabaptist history, including their immigration to the New World. Walking through a replica of a 17th century sailing ship, we imagined the horrible conditions the Anabaptists endured in their quest for religious freedom. But endure, they did, with some Amish eventually coming to northern Indiana in 1841.

The museum does a great job of not only highlighting the history of the various Anabaptist groups, but also showing how they fare in the 21st century. You’ll experience a tornado in the Tornado Room which emphasizes how the Amish and Mennonites help others after natural disasters. The last room, the Meetinghouse, showcases the Amish/ Mennonite faith and worship services. It’s a quiet place for reflection before heading back out into the modern world.

One last exhibit tells the story of Dirk Willems, an Anabaptist in Holland in the 16th century. Fleeing arrest, Willems safely ran across some thin ice, but his pursuer fell in and cried out for help so he wouldn’t drown. What would Willems do - continue running or stop to help his pursuer? Be sure to read this remarkable story which will help you to understand some of the mystery surrounding the Amish/Mennonite beliefs, but also what people did for religious freedom long before there was a United States of America.

This 1902 fire truck, which was pulled by hand, has no pump. Be sure to ask how the firefighters got the 40 gallons of water out of the tank.

More Info: Middlebury Community Historical Museum 574-825-0978 • www.mchm.org Menno-Hof 260-768-4117 • www.mennohof.com The Blue Gate Restaurant 888-447-4725 • www.riegsecker.com (Click on The Blue Gate Restaurant tab.)

This room in the Menno-Hof outlines church history until the time of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.

Leaving the Menno-Hof, we headed to one of our favorite restaurants, The Blue Gate, 195 N. Van Buren St., Shipshewana. While they offer an all-youcan eat option, we prefer ordering off the menu. Waiting for our meal, we enjoyed the homemade bread which is even better topped with the creamy Amish peanut butter spread.

Our southwest chicken soup was deliciously creamy and lightly spiced. A big fan of the restaurant’s meatloaf, Dave eagerly devoured his huge portion with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans.

My favorite choice is the country cobb salad - filled with fresh greens, bacon, cheese, eggs, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, blue cheese and peas.

I always choose the wonderfully sweet poppyseed dressing. Dessert was cinnamon ice cream for Dave and pecan pie and ice cream for me.

In the end, there’s no mystery about what we love about Shipshewana and Middlebury. Filled with history, a touch of mystery, good food and shopping, these towns will continue to draw us back for more. •••

This old safe on display at the Middlebury Community Historical Museum was damaged when bank robbers once tried to rob it according to local lore in Middlebury.

boom | MAY 2015

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boom

life

Making

Memories

Last that

By: Pam Gunterman

t is natural to wonder about where we come from. Recently, there has been a surge of folks getting into genealogy to discover their roots. While knowing where we come from helps us to identify the branches on our family tree it only tells about our lineage and not about the people who make up those lines. One way to bridge the gap between knowing who our relatives are and actually relating to them is to be more diligent about passing on family stories, photos and traditions.

When I became a grandparent, one of the gifts I received was a box with the title Grandma, Tell Me a Story. In the box was a book to be used to record family history information that included names and dates, mostly items of a factual nature. The second part of the book had a place to place photos from my years growing up and places to record stories about significant events and treasured family traditions. The box also included a cassette tape (yes, it was a few years back) upon which I could record my stories for my grandson using my own words and in my own voice.

There are numerous products on the market today that can assist grandparents in preparing a book of history and family stories.

At www.mixbook.com/memory-books you will find software that will assist in the assembling of a memory book. There are also some hard copy books, similar to the one I received, that are helpful tools.

A few titles include: Grandmother’s Gift: A Memory Book for My Grandchild by Claudia Karabaic Sargent and Memories for My Grandchild: A Keepsake to Remember by Suzanna Zenkel. An internet search will also provide you with some other good titles to choose from.

While all the products on the market are helpful and will assist you in preparing complete and polished looking end products, there is always the tried approach. All you really need are your stories, family photos and some simple supplies.

Begin with a spiral notebook, a three ring binder and sleeves in which to place photos. Prepare a family tree, in a table format or print a family tree diagram from the internet or draw it free hand. Then record stories from your youth in the notebook along with family traditions and recipes. Share the stories and photos with your grandchildren now so they can ask questions and hear the stories in your own voice.

You can also enlist the help of your grandchild to create a cover or provide some special artwork. This can become a project you work on with your grandchild over time and they will enjoy be part of the process. In addition to the historical data you can include photos and stories of vacations or visits with your grandchildren.

In the future, each time they look at the book, see the photos or follow one of the traditions, they will not only have what you have prepared, but also a personal memory of you personally sharing it with them. In this digital world, the creating of something the grandchild can hold on to is priceless legacy. •••

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Hobbies

MOTHERS (and fathers)

AND ACTORS By: Margo and Jim Bell

It’s fairly common for the offspring of actors and actresses become actors and actresses themselves. To honor Mother’s Day, we’ve paired famous actresses with their acting child. And to get a jump on Father’s Day, we’ve included dads who have children acting under another surname.

1. Blythe Danner

a. Amy Irving

2. Diane Ladd

b. Patrick Cassidy

3. Goldie Hawn

c. Melanie Griffith

4. Ingrid Bergman

d. Angelina Jolie

5. Judy Garland

e. Mamie Grummer

6. Meryl Streep

f. Kate Hudson

7. Priscilla Pointer

g. Gwyneth Paltrow

8. Tippi Hedren

h. Isabella Rossellini

9. Patty Duke

i. Emilio Estevez

10. Shirley Jones

j. Nell Potts

11. Martin Sheen

k. Sean Astin

12. Jon Voight

l. Laura Dern

13. Paul Newman

m. Liza Minelli

Answers on Page 18

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hobbies

MOTHERS (and fathers) AND ACTORS

By: Margo and Jim Bell

ANSWERS! 1-g:

Tony-Award-winning actress Blythe Danner—you may have seen her lately doing TV commercials and as Teri Polo’s mom in Meet the Parents (2000) and its two sequels—is the widow of producer/director Bruce Paltrow. Their daughter Gwyneth starred in such films as Sylvia (2003) and Shallow Hal (2001). As an experiment, Gwyneth wore the 200-lb. “fat suit” she wore in Shallow Hal to a bar and was “treated rudely.”

Danner is also the mom of actor/director Jake Paltrow.

2-l:

Oscar winners to win her own Oscar, for her role in the 1972 hit musical Cabaret. First-choice Barbra Streisand turned down the role because she wanted to venture away from musicals.

6-e:

Born Mary Louise Streep, Meryl has been nominated for Oscars a record 19 times—and won three—in addition to 25 Golden Globe nominations. After her three-year affair with actor John Cazale ended with his death in 1978, she married sculptor Don Gummer, who is the father of her four children.

Streep was pregnant with Mamie (born Mary) when she accepted the Best Actress Oscar for the 1982 movie Sophie’s Choice.

7-a:

Actress Diane Ladd appeared in several films, notably Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974), Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1983), and Calder Willingham’s Rambling Rose (1991), which was the first time a mother and daughter (Laura Dern) were nominated for Oscars for the same film. Diane is no relation to actors Alan Ladd and Cheryl Ladd. Diane and actor Bruce Dern are the parents of Laura Dern. Mother and daughter each made a dinosaur film the same year, with Laura starring in the box office hit Jurassic Park. However, mom’s movie was a flop.

With an impressive acting career spanning four decades, Priscilla Pointer is most noted for her “mother” roles, including daughter Amy’s mother in the original Carrie (1976). The mother/daughter team starred in a total of seven films. Amy Irving, daughter of Priscilla Pointer and director/ producer Jules Irving, was once married to Steven Spielberg and garnered around $100 million when the couple separated in 1989. She has a son by Spielberg and another son by second husband Brazilian director Bruno Barreto.

3-f: Goldie Hawn—yes, Goldie is the name she was born

Born Nathalie Kay Hedren, Tippi (father’s nickname for her) was a New York fashion model when she married her first husband, advertising executive Peter Griffith. Before their divorce Hedren gave birth to Melanie Griffith, who became a movie and TV actress. Remember the fur coat Hedren wore in The Birds? She stopped wearing fur after becoming an animal activist. She manages the Shambala animal preserve in Acton, California, supported by Griffith. Melanie got her mother to stop a fifteen-year smoking habit.

with—got her start on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, the hit TV comedy series of the late 1960s. She won an Oscar for Cactus Flower (1969). She gave birth to Kate Hudson in 1979 with musician Bill Hudson as the father, but Kate considers Goldie’s partner of 32 years, actor Kurt Russell, as her dad, as he and Hawn raised her together.

4-h: Isabella Rossellini is the daughter of Swedish-born

actress Ingrid Berman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini; she also has a twin sister Isotta Rossellini, a literature professor at several prestigious U.S. universities. In 1983 Isabella made $9,000/day as a model! Winner of multiple acting awards, Bergman advised Isabella, “Keep it simple. Make a blank face and the music and story will fill it in.”

5-m:

After filming Meet Me In St. Louis (1944), Judy Garland went on a three-month honeymoon with her new husband director Vincent Minelli and returned home pregnant with their first daughter. They named her Liza after Ira Gershwin’s song of the same name. She is the only child of two 18

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8-c:

9-k:

Despite her struggles with bipolar disorder (diagnosed in 1982), Patty Duke has enjoyed a scintillating acting career in TV, movies, and on stage, winning a Best Actress Oscar at the age of 16. It was long believed that her third husband, actor John Astin, was the biological father of Sean Astin. Duke thought the child was that of Desi Arnaz, Jr. Years later Sean did DNA research and found that his actual biological father was rock promoter Michael Tell, Duke’s second husband. That marriage lasted only 13 days, ending in an annulment. Sean Astin calls four men “Dad”: John Astin, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Michael Tell, and his stepfather, Michael Pearce.

10-b:

Talented beauty Shirley Jones was pregnant with her second son Patrick while filming The Music Man (1962). Special costumes hid her condition. Patrick is Jones’s second son and is the brother of Shaun and Ryan Cassidy and the half-brother of David Cassidy. Actor Jack Cassidy is their father.

11-i:

Born Ramon Antonio Gerard Estevez to a Spanish father and an Irish immigrant mother, for his acting career Martin Sheen adopted “Sheen” from Catholic Archbishop Rev. Fulton Sheen, although all his legal documents list him as “Ramon Estevez.” Emilio, however, stuck with the original family name Estevez. All four of Martin’s children— Emilio, Renée, Ramon—and Charlie Sheen—became actors.

12-d:

Actor Jon Voight—noted for Midnight Cowboy (1969) and the National Treasure movies—and his ex-wife actress Marcheline Bertrand are the parents of Angelina Jolie Voight.

“Angie” substituted her middle name Jolie (French for “pretty”) for her actual surname Voight. She and her father were estranged for years but Angelina reconciled with him in 2007. In fact, she said of Jon, “You’re a great actor but you’re a better father.”

13-j:

Actor, racecar driver, philanthropist, and food company co-founder Paul Newman (now deceased) had, with wife actress Joanne Woodward, three daughters. The eldest, Nell Potts, starred in two films directed by her dad. She co-founded Newman’s Own Organics featuring the image of Paul, and often Joanne, on the products’ labels. The company’s $100-millionplus profits go to charity. Newman confessed, “The embarrassing thing is that my salad dressing is out-grossing my films.” ••• SOURCES: IMDb, Wikipedia, Screen Junkies, more.

ATTENTION MOVIE CHALLENGE PUZZLE FANS:

Made possible by

More James Bond! Look for additional mother/father/actor teams coming later. boom | MAY 2015

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Hobbies

By: Thom Villing

Great landscaping

can do wonders for the curb appeal of your home and add to the enjoyment of your outdoor space for you, your family and your guests. And, unlike some home improvement projects, it may seem to make sense to do it yourself. After all, how hard can it be to plant some trees, shrubs and flowers and install paving bricks, edging and the like?

Actually, do it yourself landscaping is a great way to save money, get a nice workout and a healthy dose of fresh air. But, there are some important things you should know before you start digging in on a major outdoor project like this.

Experts say the most common mistake amateur landscapers make is not adequately researching the project. Tim Sharpe, manager of Aay’s

Tool Rental, says a man without a plan is probably in trouble from the get-go.

“Everyone has heard the expression about measuring twice and cutting once. The same goes for landscaping projects,” Sharpe adds.

Pre-planning is important. There

are certain ways of doing things, steps that need to be taken and preplanning will help make sure you have the right equipment to do the job correctly. A perfect example, Sharpe notes, would be power raking. “If you try to do it when the soil is too wet, you could really tear up your yard.

That kind of mistake wouldn’t exactly inspire the confidence of your spouse or neighbors.”

The right trees and shrubs can make a world of difference in a landscaping project but a little research will go a long way in making sure the project is a success.

It’s important to know what plants will grow best in this climate and the type of soil you have, how big they will grow, or how much space you should allow. You’ll want to find out how much maintenance they will require and their tolerance to drought, summer heat or winter cold. A reliable garden center can educate you on everything you ever wanted to know about the best plants for your perfect project.

Then there are the tools of the trade to consider. What tools do you need? How do you use them safely and efficiently? Should you buy or rent?

Obviously the type of project will dictate the type of tools you will need. To do a landscape makeover, for example, some of the most common necessities are hedge trimmers, aerators, tillers, sod cutters, bed edgers and dingos (small dozer/front end loaders). For patio projects, the DIYer would typically need a brick saw for cutting paving bricks and a plate

compactor for tamping down the soil.

Most of these tools are in addition to the basic ones you probably own already such as rakes and shovels.

Steam train rides all summer long.

Of course, this raises the question of when should you buy and went should you rent? Sharpe says the decision should be based on how frequently you may need the equipment, your ability to maintain it properly and how much storage space you have. “Most people I know simply don’t have the storage for all the equipment they may need to maintain their yards,” Sharpe commented. “And not many people have the knowledge or desire to service these tools. But to me, the biggest benefit of renting is the cost savings.

If you only need the equipment once a year or for a one-time project, it probably doesn’t make sense to buy.”

So now you have a plan, you know the tools you need and you’re ready to start digging, right?

Wrong!

“Everyone has heard the public service commercials advising people to call before they dig,” Sharpe says. “But it’s amazing how often people either forget or don’t want to take the time.

That’s dangerous. Not only could they knock out utilities for their whole neighborhood, but they could create a life-threatening situation by hitting a power or gas line.”

Take a ride on three different steam railroads

& get up close to machines of the industrial age.

Experience a different kind of museum.

Bring this ad for a

Free Single Fare Train Ride with purchase of same.

Not valid Labor Day Weekend. Offer not valid in combination with any other offer. No Cash Value Free ticket equal or lesser value. One per guest per day. Expires: 1/1/16

www.hesston.org

Just minutes off I-94 (Exit 1) or Indiana Toll Road (Exit 49)

These risks are easily avoidable, Sharpe reminds us. All the DIYer has to do is call 811. It’s a free service to get underground utility lines marked which will help protect everyone from injury and the homeowner from a costly mistake.

OK, now you’re ready! DIY projects

are not for everyone. This area is blessed with any number of talented professional landscapers you could hire to get the job done. But, if you enjoy the work and the savings, doing it yourself can be very rewarding. •••

Visit Doc’s, a 1930

vintage

lunch & ice Soda Fountain for

cream.

Look for the billboard at CR 1000 North and IN-39 GPS: 1201 East 1000 North LaPorte, IN 46350 Hesston Steam Museum boom | MAY 2015

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LIFE By: Rita Miller

Celebrating

Mother's Day With Your Grandkids By: Rita Miller

May is a double whammy for my family. My birthday is in early May and Mother’s Day is about a week later. I’m always appreciative of lovely gifts and cards. My outdoor swing last year was something I use every single day during warm weather, but the memory I treasure most about that day was relaxing with my kids and looking forward to seeing my grandchildren in the backyard later that summer.

I know Mother’s Day is supposed to be a day of rest, but planning some fun activities with the kids makes the day so special! Here are some of my favorites: • St. Patrick’s Park on Laurel Road is a favorite destination for us. Teens and grandchildren will love this park. Pack a

simple lunch that the kids will eat. My daughter includes plenty of vegetables, fruit and water, along with any leftovers that can be transported easily. You can leave the picnic cooler in the car with a waterproof blanket, as the parking lot is close to the entrance of the park, by the playground. The grandkids

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will love the playground. It is small enough that you can watch them closely, but big enough for them to enjoy.

After they are tired of playing (but not exhausted!), you can take a hike along one of the many paths in the park. Stay on the path, as poison ivy seems to grow on the edges. Make sure you are wearing sturdy shoes and have already applied sunscreen. We always take the grand dog. He enjoys it as much as we do! Circle around the hiking trails to the inner tube hill. At the bottom of the hill is the playground! You can sanitize your hands, open up your lunch and enjoy the fresh air.

Follow up with a trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream, the Chocolate Café for a hot chocolate or Kilwins for fudge!

NOW IS YOUR CHANCE.

Make a difference. Impact your community.

• Potawatomi Playground and Zoo are great areas for families. The

playground is huge and has many areas for play. There are rope bridges and tunnels, as well as slides and swings.

Kids will enjoy this playground and parents can sit right by the entrance and watch. It is enclosed. You can cross the street and go to the newer playground by the zoo. This playground is big so you have to follow the little ones around.

Last year, my granddaughter climbed a teepee like structure and could not get down. Grammy climbed up after her to bring her down! Crossing the parking lot brings you to the Potawatomi Zoo. We purchase a pass every year so that we have unlimited access. The kids like the animals and there are plenty of opportunities for pictures. Our favorite activity at the zoo is feeding the fish.

A quarter will get you a handful of fish food and the kids love to see the fish jump for it.

Learn more and apply at

www.adecinc.com

ADEC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Part time/full time with benefits.

The zoo has a snack bar for cold drinks and ice cream, making that the perfect spot to end the trip.

• A favorite activity to do right at home is an Art Show. Help the

grandkids create a masterpiece using paint, crayons, markers or foam shapes.

Make sure they sign their work. Display the pieces in your backyard, pinned to a clothes line. I strung a line across the width of the yard one year and it was an instant art show! Aunts and uncles can be judges and prizes should be given to each child. It’s such a fun way to create and enjoy, all in an afternoon.

I hope you have some treasured activities of your own.

Enjoy your Mother’s Day! boom | MAY 2015

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book review

Books on Brewing!

Breweries seem to be opening everywhere. Craft beers are gaining in popularity. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to make your favorite beer at home? Going to a store that specializes in selling items for the homebrewer can be a little confusing.

These books are great for the beginner or for individuals looking to learn more about the craft.

Reviewed By: Margo Ferguson, Bittersweet Reference Librarian

The Complete Guide to Brewing Your Own Beer at Home:

Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply

By Richard Helweg

n.com Photo Courtesy: Amazo

The Complete Guide to Brewing Your Own Beer at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply is a wonderful guide for the beginner, and gives great instructions to the experienced individual and anyone in between. The information is very basic and detailed at the beginning and advances to very specific instructions on all grain brewing. The book also presents a detailed history through the ages of brewing beer. Throughout the book is a standalone box called “Brew Note” providing information or stories on the chapter subject.

Brewing Made Easy:

A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Beer at Home By: Joe Fisher & Dennis Fisher Brewing Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Beer at Home is a great title for this book.

The instructions in the book are easy to understand. Specifically, it is a good book for the beginner. In addition, many useful illustrations are provided throughout. The book also has eye appealing charts on various subjects.The first time brewer will not be overwhelmed with information, but will be given enough to produce a variety of beers.

Photo Courtesy: Alibaba. com

Craft Beer for the Homebrewer: Recipes from America’s Top Brewmasters

By Michael Agnew Craft Beer for the Homebrewer: Recipes from America’s Top Brewmasters is a book with great photos and well written sections about the breweries that craft beer. The basic organization of the book is by types of beer and breweries that produce them. There is a recipe from each brewery featured and useful information for the process. The book has been laid out well and is fun for individuals who are fans of craft beer to read. This book would be appropriate for individuals with some brewing experience. n.com Photo Courtesy: Amazo

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Please drink responsibly! Happy brewing! •••

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Pets

The Elkhart Humane Society Needs Your Help!

Loving animals are in need of families!

ADARA: I am Adara! I am a feline

superhero here at the shelter. I came in with my back totally burned. My shelter friends took really great care of me and helped me heal and now I am ready to head home. I am just over a year old, have been spayed and have the most wonder “milk moustache.” Come and meet me, maybe we could be best buds!

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CHESTER:

Hello all! I wanted to wear a tie for my photo to impress everyone. I am a great looking guy with lots of fur and smiles— my eyes are deep brown and speak volumes! I am just over a year old and my shelter friends think I am a mix of an English Shepherd and an Australian Shepherd. But, they all agree that I am just a good looking dude. I love people, petting and treats.

recipe

Grilled Bacon Stuffed Jalapeno Bites Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ingredients • 6 Fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Halved Lengthwise and Seeded • 1 (8 ounce) Package Cream Cheese • 12 Slices Bacon Directions 1. Preheat your outdoor grill for high heat.

2. Spread the cream cheese to fill the jalapeno halves. Wrap the jalapenos with the bacon. Then, secure with a toothpick.

3. Place on the grill and cook until the bacon is crispy.

Nutritional Information: According to www.healthyeating.sfgate.com, jalapenos are a rich source of vitamin C, with almost 17 milligrams in a small pepper. That is equal to 18 percent of the recommended daily allowance for men and 23 percent for women. Jalapenos also supply a good amount of vitamin A, which supports skin and eye health; one pepper offers 17 percent of the RDA for men and 22 percent for women.

BLAZE:

Here at the shelter I am a superhero along with Adara. I am just over a year old and have been neutered. I was brought into the shelter with burns on my side. My wonderful shelter friends helped me heal and I am ready for a home to call my own. I am a gray tabby with lovely markings. I just love to sit and watch the world go by.

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life

What MEMORIAL DAY Means to Me

By: Margo Bell

Decorating graves is an ancient custom, but in America it took firm hold during the Civil War, probably in the South. After the war, with more than 600,000 dead, the practice gained significance in both the North and South, with at least seven cities and towns claiming to be the founding site of Decoration Day, now known as Memorial Day. The first nationally recognized Memorial Day was celebrated in 1868 on Saturday, May 30th. That date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of any significant battle, and flowers were likely to be in bloom.

While Memorial Day may mark the beginning of the summer season and a day off work and school to enjoy the outdoors, to many it is what it was meant to be: a day to remember those who died in the service of our country.

Three Hoosier veterans give their views of Memorial Day:

W

ithin a month of graduation from Rolling Prairie High School, Rich Mrozinski gained employment at the Northern Indiana Public Service Company. After a year and facing the military draft, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, completing basic training at Lackland AFB in Texas. Rich joined the Air Force Drum and Bugle Corps (“I played drums in high school”) before being assigned to the supply squadron in weapons at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. In April 1970 he was deployed to Tuy Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam. His assigned job, posting technical orders for aircraft, was at Base Operations, a complex where all pilots coming to and departing from the base had to report. The complex also included the weather department, intelligence, and transit alert (“the guys who park the planes”). The base used a WWII vintage DC3 (C47) aircraft to pick up supplies. “Many times I would get to go along on rides and our pilots would let me fly the plane while they relaxed,” Rich recalls. “I landed at every air base in Vietnam, two trips to Hong Kong, and two trips to Singapore. Pretty cool stuff for a farm boy from Rolling Prairie!”

When the air base was being taken over by the U.S. Army, Rich stayed with a residual force of 30 to help with the transfer. His first tour ended at Cam Rahn Bay Air Base but he decided to extend his service so that his brothers—one in the Army in Maryland and one in the Marines in San Diego—would not be sent to Vietnam. After a month’s stay at home, Rich returned to Da Nang Air Base, then to Patrick AFB in Florida where he was assigned to the communications department working on Apollo 16. He was discharged as Staff Sergeant in July 1972 and returned to NIPSCO, retiring in 2005.

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Today Rich is a 25-year member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) who has served in a number of positions, currently is Vice President of Veterans Affairs for the Air Force Association Chapter 411, as well as Post Commander for the Rolling Prairie VFW that sponsors a special observation of Memorial Day. The large event includes flag placements, speeches by elected officials, and a parade that ends in a cemetery where over 300 veterans are buried. Prior to Memorial Day the local VFW places flags on veterans’ graves in ten cemeteries.

“The flags on the graves, the Memorial Day parade and services, and the camaraderie of doing all this with my VFW brothers and sisters are what Memorial Day is all about to me,” observes Rich. “Most Americans only remember our departed veterans on Memorial Day, but I think about them every day.”

L

eslie Ackermann chose to join the U.S. Army for education and travel opportunities. “My dad was in the Army Air Corps, my brother joined the USMC, and one of my younger sisters also joined the USMC,” she points out. Following basic training in 1981 in Fort Dix, New Jersey, she went to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, for Advanced Individual Training (AIT) and Jammer School, apparently volunteering after answering “yes” during AIT to the question “Who wants to be a Jammer?”

(Jamming uses a type of special military equipment—TRQ [pronounced “Turkey”] 32 that prevents the enemy’s signal from being transmitted.) “They let us know that a Jammer maybe has a thirty-second survival rate if the enemy targets the Jammer. Silly me.” Although well trained, Leslie never had the occasion to be a Jammer.

Leslie went on to her first duty station at Fort Hood, Texas, where she met her future husband Karl Ackermann. After their wedding, Karl received orders to report to Korea, and Leslie later followed, where she spent six months monitoring the DMZ. Back at Fort Hood, Leslie was discharged as Army Sergeant E-5 and followed Karl to Germany and Italy before service at his last duty station at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin.

B

orn in Munsingen, Germany, Ed Buras arrived with his family in the United States when he was three years old and is a 60-year resident of South Bend. He’s a graduate of St. Joseph High School and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master’s in Secondary Education from Indiana University South Bend.

Ed joined the Marines in February 1968, completing basic training at MCRD in San Diego and infantry training at Camp Pendleton north of the city. In Vietnam he served as a machine gunner with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment. After a tour in Vietnam he was discharged from service as a Corporal (E-4). He then worked at Sears and St. Anthony de Padua School before retiring.

“People often ask, why the Marine Corps and would I do it again?” Ed reports. “My answer is, because I felt the Marine Corps has a certain aura and a distinct sense of honor (SEMPER FI) and I would most definitely do it again.”

In his spare time, Ed volunteers at Miller’s Vets, a group of 24 veterans residing at the Robert L. Miller, Sr. Veterans Center in South Bend that also includes a score of veterans who have gone through various programs and are now living independently. He participates in the group’s Color Guard, providing Honor Guard functions for funerals, marching in various area parades, and placing flags at graves of veterans.

Ed continues, “For me, Memorial Day is a day set aside for people to remember and honor the men and women of the Armed Forces who gave their lives in the service of our United States of America.”

Leslie and Rich ad; “Lead By Example.” •••

Currently Leslie is Post Commander of VFW Post 2689 in Huntington, Indiana, and in late June will become the Fifth District Commander. She becomes the first female to serve both positions.

Leslie comments, “As a female, when I was in the military I was constantly proving I belong and could pull my own weight.

Same thing when I joined the VFW—always going above and beyond to prove myself. I feel I am a better person because I never had the opportunity to lag or be lax. I continue to help veterans and community.”

Her observation of Memorial Day: “It is a reminder of those who have served that have passed, the price paid and continues to be paid by veterans for the freedoms we enjoy.” boom | MAY 2015

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life

Wild Parents

Know Best By: Evie Kirkwood

Every nature center takes calls in spring regarding orphaned wildlife.

“I found a baby rabbit, how do I take care of it?”

“There is a baby bird on the ground, what should I feed it?”

“A tree fell down with baby raccoons in it. How can I help them?”

Timid young rabbits, waddling raccoons and flightless birds tug at our parental instincts. But, in most cases “found” animals don’t need rescuing at all.

It is hard for us to relate to animal parenting skills, so different from our own.

A mother deer leaves her scentless fawn alone in the grass all day.

Only at dusk, when she is sure she is not being watched, will she return to nurse the camouflaged baby. If you stumble upon a spotted fawn, let it be.

And that goes for most wild youngsters, as well.

The baby rabbits nibbling at my hostas were kicked out of the nest when they were only three weeks old. Until then, their mother left them huddled in their “form” or grassy nest during the day, and

returned under the cover of darkness to nurse them. A baby rabbit whose eyes are open, and capable of perking its ears does not need to be rescued.

By time young birds are old enough to stretch their wings in pre-flight practice, the adult birds are busy hunting insects to feed them. It is a myth that bird parents will desert their young if you touch them. Put fallen, featherless or partially feathered birds back in their nest. If the nest has fallen, wedge a colander or sieve in the tree, put in the nest parts, and the baby birds.

When young birds fledge, they are followed and fed by one or both parents for several days. This must be a frantic time for bird families. Think of a human mom trying to find three toddlers that have wandered off in a grocery store! Fledglings may not fly very well, but rest assured the parents are nearby.

If a tree topples with a den of baby raccoons, the parents may lure or tote them to another safe place. Or the parents may abandon them.

In the wild, 75 percent of all animals do not survive their first year. Studies show a young creature’s chances of survival diminish even further if it falls into the hands of a wellmeaning, untrained human caretaker.

For a human surrogate parent, raising wild animals is difficult and risky. The young have specific nutritional needs and

“It is a myth that bird parents will desert their young if you touch them.”

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“Raising wild animals is difficult and risky.” rigid feeding schedules. Many harbor transmittable diseases. Not only is it difficult, in most cases it’s illegal to harbor wild animals. State or federal permits are required to do so. Good wildlife rehabilitators work closely with area conservation officers and nature centers to handle truly orphaned animals.

If you find an animal you know is orphaned or injured contact an area park or nature center for a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators in the area. You can also find a list on the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) web site. You may need to transport your injured animal to the rehabber’s location. Remember, rehabbers are volunteers. Food and cages are expensive. Consider offering a donation to help cover costs.

Find local fun for your

Grand kids with our...

FAMILY

Newsletter!

Many bird rehabbers will not accept non-native species such as starlings or house sparrows, and many mammal rehabbers will not accept raccoons because of the diseases they carry.

The best advice a wildlife expert will share is that if you find a young wild animal, give it a fighting chance. Keep pets and children away and perhaps just leave it alone. •••

Subscribe at www.MichiananMom.com! boom | MAY 2015

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By: Caroline Stickell

Saint Mary’s Gerontology Project is Music to the Ears of Healthwin Residents

H

ave you noticed how a song on the radio can take you back to a moment it your past? Imagine if the simple act of listening to music could trigger memories in the aging population. Research shows that such intervention is helpful to those with neurocognitive disorders like dementia. This spring, social work and gerontology students at Saint Mary’s College, at the invitation of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County, participated in a Music and Memory Project with residents at Healthwin, a specialized care facility in South Bend.

Junior Stephanie Aguilera of South Bend was one of 14 juniors enrolled in the course “Social Work Practice with Groups” who took part in the project. The students each loaded a personalized music library on to a media player for the resident with whom they are paired. The students contacted family members of their resident to learn about the music that might trigger a memory.

“I believe that the music takes my client to a place where he is able to become comfortable.” ~ Aguilera.

“The family could give us a list of songs or a certain music genre and then we as students would play music for the client based on this information,” said Aguilera, who was paired with a 63-year-old male patient.

The Music and Memory project has allowed the residents to relax and enjoy music that is important to them and their lives. “I believe that the music takes my client to a place where he is able to become comfortable,” said Aguilera.

Photo Caption: Saint Mary's College social work and gerontology student Stephanie Aguilera of South Bend, right, plays music

JoAnn Burke, associate professor of social work and the director of the gerontology program at Saint Mary’s, describes the educational benefits of the program for both the students and the residents. “The students are learning how to work with individuals with neurocognitive disorders and the residents enjoy music which has been proven to improve functioning in individuals with these disorders,” she said.

for a Healthwin resident with whom she was

Saint Mary’s students presented their experiences to representatives from Healthwin and the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County at the end of the semester. •••

trigger memories.

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paired for the Music and Memory project.

Research shows that playing music that is familiar to someone with neurocognitive disorders, like dementia, can sometimes

Photo Provided By: Saint Mary's College

May 2015 Events

The following list includes events around town. Always call ahead for updates.

May 2nd

Walk MS: MIchiana 2015

7:30 A.M.-12:00 P.M. Indiana University South Bend Walk MS: Michiana 2015 will be held on May 2nd at IUSB. Check in is at 7:30 A.M. and the walk will kick off at 9 A.M. Participants can enjoy a one mile walk through IUSB’s beautiful campus housing or a 2.5 mile walk along the St. Joseph River. Walk MS is the rallying point of the MS Movement-a community coming together to raise funds and celebrate hope for the future. Our goal for this year’s walk is to raise $90,000 and to have 1,000 participants!

When you participate in Walk MS, the dollars raised support cutting-edge MS research and critical programs and services for the more than 8,000 people living with multiple sclerosis in the state of Indiana as well as their loved ones.

For more information, please contact Jennifer V. Lindell at Jennifer.liddell@nmss.org.

May 6th

Hula Hoop 101

6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. St. Patrick’s County Park-South Bend Hula hooping- it’s fun for kids and great exercise for adults! Custom make a hula hoop so it is tailored to your height and then have fun decorating it!

Registration and payment are required by May 1st.

To register call 574-654-3155.

May 10th

Mother's Day Canoe and Cookies

9:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. St. Patrick’s County Park-South Bend Time to close the computer, put the phone down and avoid the mall parking lot for a while. It’s a day to play, explore and create some adventurous memories on Mother’s Day for moms and kiddos while enjoying a canoe trip down a 4.5 mile stretch of the St. Joseph River. Following the canoe trip enjoy some cookies and milk. Each canoe can accommodate up to three people.

Canoes, paddles, cushions, lifejackets and basic instruction will be provided. Not recommended for children 3 years and under. Registration and payment are required by May 7th. To register call 574-654-3155.

experience levels welcome. Cost is $10 per person. Participants will meet at the Visitors Cottage. Bring your camera. Space is limited.

Registration is required and ends on Friday, May 8th. To register go to www.wellfieldgardens. org or call 574-266-2006 for more information.

Meditation Yoga

5:30 P.M. – 6:30 P.M. Elkhart Environmental Center Do you enjoy yoga? Would you like to try yoga, but don’t know where to start? The Elkhart Environmental Center hosts a monthly introductory yoga class led by Kristen Smith-Myers, RYT 500, from Tree of Life Yoga Center in Elkhart. The class is suitable for all levels of yoga practitioner, including beginners! It is recommended that you refrain from eating several hours before the class, bring a yoga mat or towel and dress comfortably.

Advance registration is required. Call 574-2935070 to register. Space is limited and this class fills up fast!

May 16th

ADEC Ride-A-Bike

8:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. Northridge High School-Middlebury The 43rd Annual ADEC Ride-A-Bike consists of scenic bike rides beginning and ending at Northridge High School, with routes along the Pumpkinvine Trail. Enjoy family friendly SAG stops featuring local flavors and specialty snacks along the way. New this year - Family Fun Fair at Northridge. Enjoy delicious food, inflatable games, face painting, balloon making and carnival-style games. For more information regarding the ride, please visit www.adecinc.com or call 574-848-2443.

Partridge Woods Neighborhood Annual Garage Sale

9:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. Partridge Woods Neighborhood - Granger Partridge Woods neighborhood is located in Granger. This is a large neighborhood with over 200 homes. Our official neighborhood garage sale is Saturday, May 16th from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Plan to spend the whole day shopping.

May 11th

April 17th

9:30 A.M. – 11:30 P.M. Wellfield Botanic Gardens - Elkhart Are you interested in photography but aren’t sure where to start? Learn to capture the essence of spring and its budding landscape during the Spring Photography Workshop at Wellfield Botanic Gardens on Monday, May 11th. Photographer Peggy Scholfield will lead the class in the basics of white balance, histogram, light and exposure and more. All

1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park – Osceola Come out to the park to experience a wide variety of outdoor recreational activities in honor of the National Wildlife Federation’s “Be Out There” campaign and the “No Child Left Inside” national initiative. Go canoeing or kayaking, learn to fish, play disc golf, practice archery or go geocaching!

This event is designed for the whole family to get outside and enjoy the outdoors!

Spring Photography Workshop

Get Out There!

Bob Dylan and His Band

8:00 P.M. – 10:30 P.M. Morris Performing Arts Center American singer-songwriter BOB DYLAN is performing at the Morris on his 2015 U.S. tour after coming off his highly-acclaimed concert performances in 2014. Tickets available at Morris Box Office: M-F 10 AM-5 PM; by phone: 800-537-6415; or online at www.MorrisCenter. org. Ticket Outlets with credit card: Hammes Bookstore/Eddy Street Commons; O’Brien Recreation Center, South Bend; and TG Music, Goshen.

May 18th

Wonders of Herbs: Planning Your Herb Garden 5:30 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. Wellfield Botanic Gardens-Elkhart Herbs are a very important part of our everyday lives. Join us at Wellfield Botanic Gardens as Certified Herbalist Vickie Abernathy leads us through the many benefits and uses of herbs during the three part series The Wonders of Herbs. All classes in the series are $8 for non-members, $4 for members. Program is held outdoors rain or shine. Meet under the education tent. Space is limited. Please register by calling 574-266-2006 or going to our website www.wellfieldgardens.org.

Registration closes May 15 at 5:00 pm.

May 20th

Women Experience the Outdoors: Guided Kayak Trip

5:00 P.M. – 7:00 P.M. St. Patrick's County Park – South Bend Women wanting to explore the sport of kayaking, we have the kayaks, paddles and lifejackets ready for you. Sign up and join other women for a leisurely kayak trip on the St. Joseph River. Participants will be accompanied by park staff in this casual journey via kayak to enjoy the splendor of the spring colors. Kayak instructions will be provided. Registration and payment are required by May 18th. To register call 574-654-3155.

May 28th – 31st

Niles Family Carnival and Bluegrass Festival

All Day Riverfront Park – Downtown Niles The 2015 "The Niles Family Carnival and Bluegrass Festival" are May 28 - May 31.

Carnival rides, Bluegrass and Americana music, carnival games, bingo tent, art and craft vendors, a variety of food vendors and more! Hours of events: Thursday: 5 P.M. - 9 P.M. Friday: 3 P.M. - 9/10 P.M. Saturday: 10 A.M. - 9/10 P.M. Sunday: 12 P.M. - 6/7 P.M. For more information, please email nilesfamilyfestivals@gmail.com. boom | MAY 2015

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Show Mom How Much You Care Give mom the gift of independence.

UP TO

$200 off

Elkhart General Home Care and Memorial Home Care stores offer unique gifts for everyone’s mother.

20% off SCOOTERS

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LIFT CHAIRS

*Discount based on chair style Choose from many colors and styles. Free home assessment and delivery. Discounts do not apply to insurance or Medicare reimbursement purchases and cannot be combined with any other offer.

Offer expires June 30, 2015.

Visit any of our stores in May to enter to win a lift chair ($600 value). No purchase necessary.

One lift chair will be given to a randomly selected person.

5155 Verdant Dr. | Elkhart, IN 46516 | 574.294.6181 | 3355 Douglas Rd. | South Bend, IN 46635 | 574.647.2273 2602 South U.S. 35 | Knox, IN 46534 | 574.772.4458 | 900 I St. | LaPorte, IN 46350 | 219.324.1775

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