Idaho Senior Independent Feb/Mar 2012

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Curling For Fun In Coeur d’Alene By Jack McNeel Americans are not too familiar with the sport of curling having seen it primarily on TV every four years during the Olympics. But cross the border into Canada and it’s an entirely different story as many schools include it as part of the P.E. program and it’s a rare town of any size that doesn’t have an ice rink designed for curling. It is surprising then to find women in Coeur d’Alene who venture across the border to enter a bonspiel, or curling tournament, something that originated in Scotland but is now played throughout Europe and various British countries such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Even without an ice rink in the area, a group of nurses from Kootenai Memorial Hospital including Charlene Miller, who has worked there for 34 years, decided to start the rather informal Coeur d’Alene Curling Club. The inspiration likely came from four nurses who were raised in Canada and who had been curling for a number of years. Not having an ice rink is not a problem Charlene says, “Because the people from Creston, British Columbia will give (Continued on page 6)

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You Must Re-title Assets in the Name of Your Trust to Avoid Probate By Jonathan J. David Dear Jonathan: I am a bit angry right now. I am writing to you because I know you have no vested financial interest in how you respond to my question. Five years ago, my husband and I completed our estate planning with a local attorney. The documents we had prepared included wills, financial power of attorneys, health care power of attorneys, living wills, and a joint trust. The meetings and the documents were quite comprehensive, and the cost was not cheap. Our main concerns, which were expressed to the attorney at that time, was that neither one of us wanted any hassles when the first one of us died and we certainly did not want to deal with probate. He assured us that what we were doing with our documents would address those concerns.

A few months back my husband passed away, and about a month later, I received a letter from that same lawyer asking me to contact his office to set up a time to meet to review our estate planning file and to make sure no probate estate had to be opened on my husband’s behalf. I figured this was a routine meeting and was shocked to find out that not only did the attorney aggressively recommend that I redo all of my estate planning documents, but that a probate would be required of my husband’s estate. Then when he told me what all of this would cost, I told him I would think about it and get back to him. That was three weeks ago and I have no intention of calling him back. I am very upset by all of this and I feel that I have been taken advantage of. Am I overreacting? What was the purpose of setting up our trust five years ago when my husband’s estate has to be probated anyway? I look forward

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

to your response. Jonathan Says: I cannot tell you whether you are overreacting based on the information you provided me. What I can tell you is that I always try to meet with the surviving spouse of a deceased client relatively soon after the deceased client’s death. The purpose of this meeting is two-fold; (1) to determine whether a probate estate needs to be opened on behalf of that deceased client’s estate; and (2) to determine whether the surviving spouse’s estate-planning documents should be updated. This is in line with what you said your attorney’s reasons were for wanting to meet with you. Let’s look at both. Regarding the question of probate, first of all you have to understand that a trust only helps a person’s estate avoid probate if the trust in fact owns that persons assets at his or her death. If the individual dies with assets in his or her name alone, then those assets generally need to be probated. Did the attorney advise you when you met five years ago that in order for the trust to accomplish its probate avoidance purpose, that you actually had to re-title assets in the name of the trust? If he

did not, he should have. I assume in your husband’s case that a probate estate has to be opened because whatever assets he owned in his own name alone at the time the trust was implemented were never transferred to that trust or that he acquired assets subsequent to the trust’s implementation, and never titled those assets in the name of the trust. I always advise clients that once the trust is established, the next step they have to take is actually to re-title assets to the trust. Sometimes clients are very diligent in making sure that they do that, but sometimes clients do not follow through or later on they acquire new assets that they fail to put in the name of the trust, and unfortunately, in either case, a probate estate has to be opened on their behalf at the time of their death. Regarding the attorney’s recommendation to update your estate planning documents, I often will advise a surviving spouse that it makes sense to update his or her documents to not only bring them current (which depends upon how long it has been since the last set of documents was prepared and whether there have been any changes to either

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 3

state or federal law over that period of time), but for the sake of clarity, to remove any reference to the decedent spouse in those documents, either as a fiduciary or as a beneficiary, and to name other individual(s) in his or her place. This is a common practice. If after reading this you are still not inclined to call your attorney back, I recommend that you at least meet with another attorney in your area to see if he or she agrees with the recommendations your attorney made, and if so what he or she would charge you to handle this work on your behalf. Good luck. Jonathan J. David is a shareholder in the law firm of Foster, Swift, Collins & Smith, P.C., 1700 East Beltline, N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49525. ISI

Don’t Let Politics Affect Your Investment Decisions Provided by Edward Jones® While the election season heats up, you will hear many promises, claims, and counter-claims from the candidates. As a citizen, you may or may not enjoy this “political theater,” but as an investor, you might be concerned over all the talk about taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and other financial topics. Will you need to adjust your savings and investment strategies? If so, how? Before you think about adjusting your investment strategy in anticipation of any actions coming from Washington, keep in mind a couple of facts. First, few campaign promises become reality. And second, due to our system of government, radical shifts in direction are difficult to implement — which is why so few of them occur. Still, we may see some smaller-scale — yet not insignificant — changes in the near future. In light of this possibility, what investment decisions should you make? Here are a few suggestions: • Consider owning investments that are taxed in different ways. No one can predict what will happen with income tax rates or the tax rates that are applied to capital gains and dividends. Consequently, it may be a good idea to seek “tax diversification” by owning investments that are taxed in different ways. For example, when you sell appreciated stocks, you pay capital gains taxes, whereas interest payments from bonds will be taxed at your individual tax rate. And it’s always a good idea to take advantage of taxadvantaged vehicles, such as an IRA and your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. • Stick with quality. It’s a good idea, when owning stocks, to invest in quality companies with diversified businesses. These companies are usually less dependent on a particular government policy, and they typically have a global

reach, so they may be better able to handle any changes implemented in Washington. • Stay focused on your long-term goals. Politicians come and go, and our political parties seem to take turns holding the reins of power. Yet your long-term goals — such as college for your children, a comfortable retirement, and the ability to leave a legacy to your family — don’t really change. By realizing that you are largely responsible for achieving your goals, and by following an investment strategy that’s suitable for your individual risk tolerance and time horizon, you can make gradual, but still meaningful, progress toward those goals — no matter what’s happening in Washington. • Review your strategy regularly. With the possible approach of changes in tax policies and in government programs that can affect your retirement security, you’ll want to review your investment strategy regularly to make sure it’s still on track toward helping you meet your objectives. As part of this review, you may want to seek out more “tax-smart” investment opportunities, while always looking for ways to supply the asset growth you’ll need to enjoy the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned. It’s not just a checking account... Aside from vot...it’s a complete package just for you! ing for the candidates who best represent If you’re aged 55 or better, you qualify for our Senior Banking your interests, you may Package that we’ve customized to fit your specific needs. not have much influence over what goes TO FIND OUTT MORE, CALL US TODAY AT AT 888-275-3434 on in Washington. But by “electing” the right moves to help meet your goals, you can have plenty of control over your investment strategy. ISI www.IntermountainBank.com

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Cupid’s Corner Works! I would like to thank you for all the responses that I have received from my ad for pen pals in your publication; however, the love of my life and I have recently gotten back together, and I continue to receive letters from ladies wanting some mail

or companionship. Would you kindly remove my letter from any future publication? Thank you once again. Name Withheld Twin Falls ISI

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Idaho Senior Independent A Barrett-Whitman Publication P.O. Box 3341 • Great Falls, MT 59403-3341 208-318-0310 • Toll Free: 1-866-360-5683 Fax: 406-761-8358 www.idahoseniorindependent.com E-mail: idahoseniorind@bresnan.net The Idaho Senior Independent is published six times each year in February, April, June, August, October, and December by Barrett-Whitman, 415 3rd Avenue North, Great Falls, MT 59401 and is distributed free to readers throughout the state of Idaho. The mail subscription rate is $10.00 per year (6 issues). The Idaho Senior Independent is written to serve Idaho’s mature population of all ages. Readers are encouraged to contribute interesting material. Views expressed in opinion stories, contributions, articles, and letters are not necessarily the views of the publisher. The appearance of advertisements for products or services does not constitute an endorsement of the particular product or service. The publisher will not be responsible for mistakes in advertisements unless notified within five days of publication. All copy appearing in the Idaho Senior Independent is protected by copyright and may be reprinted only with the written permission of the publisher. Advertising copy should be received or space reserved by the 5th of the month preceding the month of publication.

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Contributing Writers Natalie Bartley Connie Daugherty Holly Endersby Clare Hafferman Cate Huisman Gail Jokerst Bernice Karnop Craig Larcom Liz Larcom Jack McNeel Michael McGough Dianna Troyer Š 2012

By Ron Pollack, Executive Director, Families USA A champagne toast and a romantic kiss are New Year’s Eve traditions for many, but when the celebrations end, it is time to start a new tradition and see your health care provider for preventive services and screenings. Last year, Medicare marked a milestone when, thanks to the health reform law, it started covering preventive services like mammograms and diabetes screenings at no cost to you. Now, in 2012, as part of Medicare’s efforts to keep people well and not just provide care when they are sick, Medicare will cover more services. One of the new benefits is screening for your risk of types of cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure and high blood pressure. With this benefit you will be able to meet once a year with your doctor, who will check your heart health and help you design a plan to avoid cardiovascular disease, such as eating healthy. Since cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, it is important that we do all we can to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. A related new benefit will help people achieve a healthy weight. More than 30 percent of people with Medicare are obese, yet obesity is a preventable health condition for many people. Obesity is associated with not only physical discomfort and lower energy levels, but also increased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Starting this year, Medicare will now cover obesity screening and counseling services to help you lose weight. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just losing 5 percent of your body weight will lead to improved health, such as lower

blood pressure. Another important new benefit is depression screening. We all feel a little blue sometimes, but for a surprising number of people, depression is a serious, undiagnosed medical condition. Medicare will also cover other new preventive benefits including alcohol misuse screening and counseling. If you have Medicare, all of these services and many other preventive services are available at no cost to you. But it is important to understand when you may have to pay something and when you do not. This has been a point of confusion for some people since the new benefits began last year. While you do not have to pay out of pocket for certain preventive services, you may have to pay for the office visit with your health care provider. You may also have to pay for additional services you receive during the same visit. Additionally, if you need to have screenings more often than is recommended, you may have to pay for the more frequent screenings. Finally, you may have to pay for preventive services if you receive them in an ambulatory surgical center or in a hospital’s outpatient department rather than a doctor’s office. The important thing to keep in mind is to ask your health care provider before you go to your appointment. If you have any questions, you can contact your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and a counselor will help you, or you can also call 1-800-Medicare for additional assistance. Last year, more than 22 million people benefited from this new coverage. This year, you should be one of them! So, in keeping with the tradition of a New Year’s Eve toast: Here’s to you and a happy, healthier new year! ISI

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Jim Flodin, Coeur d’Alene Diver Article & Photo by Jack McNeel “Coeur d’Alene has a lot to offer,” Jim Flodin says regarding SCUBA diving. He should know as he’s been a diver since 1982 and has been the owner of Divers West in Coeur d’Alene since 2007. He has also certified more than 250 divers since he arrived and estimates there are probably

400-600 divers in the area. Jim tells of being drawn to the water since he was a child in Sunnyside, Washington. “We’d go out to my aunt’s pool and they couldn’t keep me off the bottom. I’ve always been a waterdog.” It was not until he entered the Air Force (not the Navy) that he started diving. He was stationed in Turkey where there was not a lot to do and where summers were very hot. “The Mediterranean was less than an hour away from our base,” he explains. “I wasn’t into the indoor stuff

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but I loved to be swimming.” The opportunity was there to become a certified SCUBA diver and he jumped at the chance. “I took the course and it’s been my passion ever since,” he explains. Since that beginning in 1982, Jim has dived in the Mediterranean from Greece to the southern part of Turkey. “Castle by the Sea is another famous spot I’ve dived,” he adds. He has dived from the Sea of Cortez, off the coast of Mexico, and all the way up to British Columbia. He has dived in the Caribbean, the Grand Caymans, and Cozumel. Jim has trouble picking a favorite spot, but the Grand Caymans and Cozumel would be near the top. Try to pin him down on a favorite and his answer is, “The place I am diving that day. They all have beautiful things to see and they all have something different.” Between his military duty and his move to Coeur d’Alene, Jim spent time in Grant County, Washington with the Search and Rescue program. Part of that work involved rescues and body recoveries. This past year he has been working to move Shoshone County in this direction. Divers West is a full service facility where you can purchase SCUBA equipment or get it serviced. Along with that they offer instruction from SCUBA diver all the way to instructor. They also provide travel opportunities as Jim explains. “We try to do two dive trips a year with customers.We have gone to Fiji, Grand Caymans, Belize, and St.Croix to name a few.” These trips last at least a week and the biggest trip coming up will be in

2013 when they travel to Truk Lagoon in Micronesia. They also offer advice to customers looking for places to go diving, either locally or in some more exotic location. Jim is quick to point out that you don’t have to travel far to find some good places to dive. In fact, you can simply walk down to the shore of Coeur d’Alene Lake, something that he and many others do on a regular basis year around. If you have a boat to dive from, it even opens up more opportunities. “I do like wall dives, natural vertical walls, more than just flat bottoms,” he says. “Arrow Point (on Coeur d’Alene Lake) has an excellent one which goes down to 130 feet. It is a beautiful dive.” He does offer the caution that one must be careful because of vessels above that come close to shore. A second vertical wall is just off of Tubbs Hill, practically in downtown Coeur d’Alene, that he also recommends. Coeur d’Alene Lake has a history of large steamboats on the lake back to the late 1800s, transporting people around the lake and meeting trains from the mines farther upstream on the Coeur d’Alene River. This may have been the

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largest concentration of steamboats anywhere. Some of those boats are still here, but sitting on the bottom of the lake. “These add a whole other dimension to diving in Coeur d’Alene Lake.” These were not small boats. The Idaho was a side-wheeler that measured 147 feet long with a 23-foot beam and was capable of carrying a thousand people. The wheels were each 21 feet in diameter. The ship had an 800 horsepower dynamo that powered 125 lights. As large as the Idaho was, the Georgie Oaks was even longer. “We have a lot of wrecks,” Jim says, referring to some of these steamboats now submerged in Coeur d’Alene Lake. “I’ve done the Seeweewana, the Spokane, the Rutledge, and the Harrison. My next attempt will be the Eagle. They vary in depth. The Harrison is one of the shallower wrecks. It’s also easy to get to by land. The stern is in 40 feet of water and the bow is in about 10 to 12 feet.” When asked about the condition of these old steamboats Jim replies, “You can still tell what they are. The most popular one and most attractive is the Seeweewana.” Jim is also an underwater photographer and videographer. He combines those with a love of history. He tells of a recent dive at a missile silo

site near Royal City, Washington. “At the missile site they left the structure inside so it’s all history. These were Titan I missile silos.” Jim’s web site – www.diverswest.biz – contains a number of videos of some of these dives. Will Jim be diving anytime soon during this winter season? His answer was immediate, “I’m always diving. I may be going this Saturday morning and a group of us dives every Tuesday evening.” Asked about age and diving, he replies, “It is all about how healthy a person is. We have a number of restrictions in diving that are standard practice and include your health. Three basics prohibit a person from becoming certified or staying active in the diving community: asthma, diabetes, and heart disease. As we get older we potentially have more risks involved. It’s all based on the health risks that we’re willing or not willing to take and diving is one of those sports. So it’s how fit a person is, mentally and physically. “I certified a young man of 76 two years ago here in Coeur d’Alene. I have seen other divers in their 80s and just read about one who was about 89.” The bottom line is, if you are in good mental and physical health, do not have any of those three diseases, and want to learn to SCUBA dive – go for it! ISI

Curling For Fun In Coeur d’Alenecontinued from page 1

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us instruction. All we do is call up and say, ‘Hey, we’ve got some new members. Could you give us a little instruction?’ They have an instructional video and give us ice time. Then it’s pretty much on-the-job training, if you want to call it that.” “We’ve had as many as 15 women go curling and one time as few as four,” Charlene says. Members of the club range in age from their 30s into their 70s. The bonspiels, or tournaments, are not divided by age or ability. Charlene compares it to a bowling tournament in this country. They usually play three or four games, which last about an hour and a half. Asked how they have done she laughs and says, “We’re happy to score a point.” Then she adds, “Actually, over the years we’ve gotten better.” “We don’t go there to take the tournament because we know that’s not going to happen. But the Canadian people are very gracious to us. They love to have us come, they absolutely do. They’ll give us instruction when we’re out on the ice, suggesting, ‘You might want to do this or might want to do that.’ They’re not pushy.” “We almost always curl in Creston but also in Fruitdale and Salmo. Some of the gals have been to other places but basically just over the border. We usually go three times a year, always have a good time, and they look forward to seeing us.” The enjoyment factor is a big reason for the club. Charlene explains that the bonspiels are bracketed so you might be curling at 8 A.M or 10 P.M. “You never know,” she says. Between matches, there is a chance to look around town and have fun. “We shop and do a little partying. Creston is a nice town. They’ve just built an athletic center and it’s absolutely beautiful. We always have to hit the bakeries; they have terrific bakeries, the pharmacies to get the meds you can’t get here, and the liquor store for liquor.” The husbands don’t travel with this all-woman curling club to the bonspiels. The team has shirts that say, “Coeur d’Alene Curling Club” and “When Hell freezes over we’ll curl there too.” Obviously these women have a good time. For those not familiar with curling, it resembles shuffleboard on ice. A “rock,” which weighs 42 pounds, is slid along the surface of the “sheet,” which is like a bowling lane of ice. The object is to make the rock land on the “button.” “You want to maneuver your rock into the button, or want to take out another rock,” Charlene explains. Four people make up a team and essentially take turns sliding the rock, and then using brooms in front of the rock to adjust its speed and direction. A “skip” stands at the end of the sheet to direct the others on where to throw the rock. “We do not look anything like the curlers on TV,” Charlene says with a laugh. “We’re not nearly as smooth but over the years we’ve had some good rocks. We do okay.” The rocks are supplied at the rink. The ladies have brooms and some have special shoes while others just wear tennis shoes. “You can get real elaborate with sliders, and shoes, and a timer, timing how many times the rock curls down the ice. But not us,” she laughs again. “We go to have fun but we’ve gotten better. They always have a banquet, and most of the places have a theme. We get a little crazy dressing up for the themes.” Interest in curling seems to pick up after the Olympics and then fades as time passes. The club could use a couple more women who have a keen interest in the game. But if you join, plan for a good time. ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 7

Wendy Carroll – Part time actor, full time mother

Article & Photo by Jack McNeel

immerse myself in theater.” again, she auditioned and got the same role of At the time, Lake City Playhouse in Coeur Miss Clairee. d’Alene was casting for Steel Magnolias. “There “Again my social circle just multiplied again,” were two roles I would like to do, so I went down Wendy adds. and auditioned and got the role of Miss Clairee. Then she did two shows at Interplayers in I knew from experience that the theater commu- Spokane, the only professional theater in the area nity is a very giving, loving environment. I didn’t where actors are paid for their work, rather than know anybody in town when I moved here, but I just volunteering their time. “I did Together Again knew that once you became involved in a show for the Next Time and Miracle Worker. That was your group of friends expands incredibly. With intense rehearsals, you get to know people really well fast. I wanted to get to know people locally, people who had a shared interest.” There was another reason this giving, loving environment was very important to Wendy. It had to do with her son, Toby, now 22-years-old. While working for Disney, Wendy and her husband adopted a baby boy with special needs. Her husband has passed Celebrating five years of advanced on, so Wendy care in the Inland Northwest. raises Toby by herself, and she feels her move to Idaho has e provide advanced been beneficial in that long-term acute care, regard. including critical care “Toby has mild cefor patients who require additional time to heal rebral palsy and epifrom catastrophic injury lepsy,” she explains. or illness. We are proud to The theater community be the newest addition to is very much a family the healthcare continuum community. I include in the Inland Northwest. Call 208.262.2800 to schedule a tour, or visit us online at him when I can in the NIACH.ernesthealth.com. theater and he considWe welcome tours of the hospital every day of the week. 600 North Cecil ers himself to be a big Post Falls, Idaho 83854 part of the theater comph: 208.262.2800 munity. They’ve been fx: 208.262.2813 wonderful! They emNIACH.ernesthealth.com 185220-0507 brace him and include him and make him part of the group. No matter what show we’re working on he participates, and that’s lovely.” She assigns him jobs in the theater. It may be bringing water to the actors or tidying up the lobby after intermission. “They’ve been good to include him and he enjoys it. Without that kind of reception I wouldn’t have been able to continue in the theater,” she adds. About a year after performing in Steel Magnolias in Coeur d’Alene, the play was offered at Civic Theater in Spokane. Figuring that since she knew the dialogue it would not be hard to relearn the lines

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Wendy Carroll moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2006 and says, “I thought I was a big city girl. I thought if I didn’t live in a big city I’d just die. Then we moved up here and within the first two days I wished I’d moved 20 years ago. This is my style.” Wendy was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, but then moved to California where she worked with Disney Studios. She was producing films and film strips for Disney, first on staff and then as a freelancer. “I had an interest in theater then too but you can’t do both, you have to pick one, and that was the one that paid.” The film strips were for schools and libraries, “anything from school bus safety to ethics in the computer age. Disney didn’t dwell on academics, they were more into the social issues with educational things,” she explains. Her 13 years with Disney also included work as a story analyst, the person who reviews scripts and looks for winners, “the ones they recommend for production.” She moved from there to Nashville and her background with Disney allowed her to begin teaching classes on how to write screenplays. “I taught private lessons and offered seminars,” she adds. Her next move was to Arizona and another big city where she began working for the Arizona Film Commission plus being on the faculty for Scottsdale Community College in the television department. “I taught screen writing there for about five years. I also wrote for Marquee Magazine, an industry related magazine.” Her move to Coeur d’Alene may seem out of character but she was ready for a change. She had worked in the film industry one way or another for 26 years but wanted something different. “I realize acting is not a huge leap but it really is in terms of being the talent rather than the producer. When I came up here I decided to

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a real boost to my ego. I was actually being paid to do this. It indicated to me I was doing something right. It was fun to do and fun to work with Patty Duke (who lives in Coeur d’Alene). It was really flattering to be selected and directed by her.� “The theater community has really provided my son and me a social base, a home, and an environment that’s safe for him that we can share.� Wendy is now looking forward to the next acting opportunity but explains that many plays don’t have a role for someone in the age range she can work in. She explains, “When you’re 25 or 30 you can play a lot of range but as you get older you’re seen as a certain age range with the directors. Some may tend to see me more as the grandmother, anywhere from 55 to 65.� And those roles aren’t as numerous. She has become involved with commercials and videos, “and stuff through Ann Mitchell who owns Triple L Talent. She was director of Steel Magnolias when I did it here in Coeur d’Alene.� And, she’s enjoying life in Coeur d’Alene. “I don’t really enjoy visiting big cities anymore, even going back to visit friends. I honestly have no desire. I’d rather they come visit me. I like Coeur d’Alene a lot, but I don’t think I’d like it much bigger than it is. Once you find the perfect spot you want to close the doors.� From that perspective, she also sounds like many long-time residents. ISI

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Riding into History By Susan Carlbom WANTED: Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. One hundred eighty-three men answered ads like this one from an 1860s California newspaper soliciting riders for the Pony Express. Most were in their 20s; the youngest was 11, the oldest in his mid 40s. Not many were orphans. They usually weighed around 120 pounds. April 3 marks the anniversary of the short-lived (April 3, 1860, to late October 1861), financially disastrous endeavor known as the Pony Express. The founders, William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell, were already partners in the Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, one of the largest freighting companies in the west. Their main purpose in the venture was to provide the fastest mail delivery between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. In addition, they hoped to draw public attention to the central route in the hope of gaining the milliondollar government mail contract. Other routes were the water route from New York to San Francisco and across Panama by pack mule and the Southern or Butterfield route from St. Louis and Memphis to El Paso to Los Angeles to San Francisco. The logistics involved were monumental. Preparation began in late 1859. The 2,000-mile route was to connect St. Joseph and Sacramento via the present day states of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado (NE corner), Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada. Departures were scheduled once a week from April 3 to mid-June 1860, then twice a week from mid-June to late October 1861. Departures were from both the east and the west. There were approximately 165 stations and 400 horses. Riders got a fresh horse every 10-15 miles. New riders took over every 75 to 100 miles. Horses traveled an average of 10 miles per hour. Riders were paid $100 per month. The cost of the mail was $5 per ½ ounce at the beginning, and by the end of the Pony Express, the price had dropped to $1 per ½ ounce. Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider from St. Joseph. Billy Hamilton was the first eastbound rider from Sacramento. “Pony Bobâ€? Haslam who rode 370 miles due to a lack of riders achieved the longest ride. Keep in mind what these young fellows faced. The terrain was remote and infested with hostiles. For instance, the Paiute Indians who lived in present day Nevada and Utah were mad about the white settlers killing all the antelope on their land so they started raiding the Pony Express stations. Sixteen people were killed, including one of the riders. Because of this, operations were suspended for three weeks. It cost the company $75,000 to get the horses up and running again. Financially, the owners spent $700,000 on the Pony Express and had a $200,000 deficit. They failed to get the million-dollar mail contract because of political pressures and the outbreak of the Civil War. On the positive side, they did improve communication between east and west and proved that the central route could be traveled all winter. Their efforts supported the route for the transcontinental railroad and kept the communication open to California at the beginning of the Civil War. As with many jobs today, the Pony Express bit the dust because of advanced technology. The telegraph established instant communication between the East and West on October 24, 1861, and the Pony Express closed operations two days later. Even though its time in history was brief, the Pony Express captured the hearts and the imagination of people all over the world. Among the colorful riders was 15-year-old William “Wild Billâ€? Cody who went on to fame with his Wild West Show. Branded into our collective minds is the image of the lone rider racing across the desolate plains on horseback. Suggested reading: • Benson, Joseph: The Traveler’s Guide to Pony Express, Helena, Montana: Falcon Press, 1995 • Beggs, W.S. and Nathan, M.C.: the Pony Express, Collector’s Handbook no. 15, New York: Theodore E. Steinway Memorial Publication Fund, 1962 • Dunlop, Richard: Great Trails of the West, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971 ISI

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Angus McDonald of the Great Divide: the Uncommon Life of a Fur Trader 1816-1889 by Steve A. Anderson; Museum of North Idaho Press, 2011. Reviewed By Connie Daugherty Angus McDonald (or MacDonald) is not an uncommon name in Scotland, neither was it that unusual in the Mountain Northwest during 1880s. Therefore, when Steve Anderson took over management of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum a century later, he discovered documentation of at least three separate Angus McDonalds and all were somehow involved with the Hudson’s Bay Company. He also discovered that, over the years, historians had, “inter-mixed the actions of all three men.” Determined to figure out exactly who was who, Anderson set out to “separate the gravel from the gold.” He re-christened the men, “Angus–a”, “Angus–b”, and “Angus-e.” The result is Angus McDonald of the Great Divide, Angus-e’s story. Anderson has taken Angus’s own work journals and personal correspondence - and reorganized them into chapters and topics, added additional facts about time and place to put it all into context, and created an interesting, informative, and easy to read history of the fur-trading era from an insider’s perspective. It is the original source materials used here that make history literally come alive for the reader. Born in Craig Scotland, Angus McDonald was well educated, but also curious and adventurous - a skilled athlete as well as a scholar who immigrated to America in 1838 eventually finding his way west. Angus fit into the rough, unsettled cultures surprisingly comfortably; but he could not leave the scholarly side of his personality behind. He found himself approaching his adventure almost as an observer as well as a participant. As such he “purloined a blank ledger book from the fort’s [Colville] trade shop and began writing things down. His ledger book soon gained the title of Memoranda.” It is selected excerpts from this Memoranda “filled with a conglomeration of poetry, Indian mythology, autobiography, and history” that make up most of Angus McDonald of the Great Divide. In chapter six, Angus and the reader meet teenage Catherine Baptiste, the daughter of a Nez Perce woman and a Scotch hunter. It is as the saying goes, love at first sight for both of them, though they would have to endure a year’s separation as Catherine was taken with her family on an “overland trip to the Sea of Cortez.” During that time, Catherine kept a journal and those writings make up a chapter in Anderson’s book. “While Catherine walked to the sea and back, Angus was promoted to the under-clerk rank of

‘postmaster” and after Catherine returned the courtship and marriage soon followed. McDonald’s Memoranda includes a sketch of the wedding ceremony. In 1845 Catherine gave birth to the couple’s first son, and “Angus rejoices the providence that had placed him with his family among the American Indians of the largely unsettled Snake River basin.” However, by 1847, a promotion required that the family move again - this time to the Mission valley and the Flathead Indian territories. “With the passage of time, Angus’s experiences and dress mirrored the Flathead and Nez Perce warrior class,” as he continued his work as a trader for the Hudson’s Bay Company. He also advocated for the area tribes and acted as a trusted interpreter during treaty negotiations. Always cognizant of the value of education, Angus began educating his children at home. However, “soon neighboring children were attending classes… Angus McDonald was credited with having started the first community school in the region.” Then gold fever hit the region and, along with dishonestly attained Indian nation treaties, made for an extremely volatile situation. Angus McDonald was right in the middle of things and, as he played the diplomat struggling to balance the arguments, raised the ire of local politicians. Suddenly, “Angus McDonald had… been branded a traitor.” Although Angus successfully overcame the accusation, his respect for what went on between the U. S. government represented by local politicians and the native peoples was forever tainted. He continued his passion and his work as chief trader for the Hudson’s Bay Company for the next several years, but never again completely trusted the regional leaders. He took part in the negotiations that determined the U.S.–Canada border and continued to advocate for the little person whenever possible. In 1870 Angus McDonald became a U.S. citizen and “turning 55 years old, the Highlander retired from the fur trade.” As his obligations to the Hudson’s Bay Company ended, Angus had more time to spend with his family, with his cattle ranching, and with his writing. He penned a long poem memorializing the suffering, especially of the women and

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 9

children, as the Nez Perce and the Sioux battled each other and the encroaching white civilization. He also continued to be an active participant in his chosen community. Angus McDonald of Craig, Scotland has been described as a “mountain man, diplomat, Indian fighter and advocate, chief trader, patriot, bard and traitor.” He lived a life of “adventure, tragedy, love, language and a good deal of history.” And in his exceptionally well-researched book, Angus McDonald of the Great Divide, Steve Anderson allows the readers to see each aspect of this unique man’s life as well as how his contributions to the early days of the Mountain Northwest created a foundation for the west we have today. ISI

PAGE 10 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

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By Sue Ronnenkamp If you are preparing for your own downsizing, right-sizing transition, please think about how you might say good-bye and bring closure to leaving your current home. You may not feel that this is a high priority in the midst of everything else you must do related to your move, but it is important. If this has been your home for 50 or just 5 years, it has become a part of your life and memories. Bringing some level of closure with your current home, and allowing yourself time to grieve this loss, are essential parts of the transition process. Treat endings with as much importance as beginnings and use this opportunity to say good-bye so you do not have regrets about this later. 1. Make plans for bringing closure with your current home. There are several ways you can do this. One is by recalling your favorite memories of this home. You might even want to think about your favorite memories on a room-by-room basis. You can do this alone, or with family or friends. Tears may come with this Cardona Senior Apartments process, but that’s okay - leaving a place you have 208-238-5780 called “home” can be very emotional. And do not )BXUIPSOF t $IVCCVDL hesitate to repeat this as many times as needed. Another idea is to plan a way to include family Devon Senior Apartments and/or friends in some kind of home celebration 208-735-2224 party. This idea is especially fitting if you have lived / $PMMFHF 3E t 5XJO 'BMMT in your current home for many years, or if this is the house where you raised your family. Ask each Eagle Manor person invited to come prepared with a story or 208-939-0409 favorite memory of your home. After sharing food $FEBS 3JEHF 4U t &BHMF and drink together, ask each person to tell their memory or story. Don’t forget to include several of Friendship Manor I & II your own favorite recollections as well. 208-459-7075 8 -PHBO t $BMEXFMM You might also want to host a neighborhood party if you have friends and shared memories Gleneagles among this group of people. Share favorite memo208-735-0308 ries of living together in your neighborhood, and )BSSJTPO 4U / t 5XJO 'BMMT make sure everyone leaves with your new address and phone number so they can stay in touch after Lake Wood Ranch your move. 208-765-4111 2. Create a memory book for your home. This / UI 4U t $PFVS E "MFOF would be a wonderful project to do with one of your children or grandchildren. Take current pictures of Leisure Village I your home on the inside and outside. Then pick 208-452-7927 out some old photos of your home - pictures of 4 $PMPSBEP "WF t 'SVJUMBOE the physical parts of your house, as well as those that depict some of your favorite memories from Leisure Village III your years living here. You will have this book to 208-459-6036 look through if you become homesick during the 4 UI "WF t $BMEXFMM adjustment phase in your new home or just as a fun way to remember your current home and your Leisure Village IV 208-452-7927 good memories. 4 UI 4U t 1BZFUUF 3. Consider those who will benefit from the home you are passing on. It may be hard when Leisure Village V you’re leaving a long-time residence to consider 208-459-6036 the value of what you are passing on to the new #FMNPOU 4U t $BMEXFMM owner, but this passing on is often the wonderful result of this process. I can’t tell you how much it Oakhaven meant to me to go back and visit the home where I 208-465-7200 grew up - the home my parents lived in for 34 years 8FTU 0HEFO "WF t /BNQB until they made their own later life move and see how much the young family who bought my parents’ Poplar Grove house is enjoying it. The new owners are a couple 208-678-9429 with three children who love their new home! They "MNP "WF t #VSMFZ have done some wonderful remodeling, and the house and yard look fully lived in again as it did Rosslare Senior Apartments when I was a child growing up there. 208-227-0584 For those of you who have been in a home for )PPQFT "WF t *EBIP 'BMMT a long time and who live in neighborhoods where Sunset Manor I many of the older houses are being torn down or 208-934-8141 totally remodeled, it may be harder to think of let &BTU .BJO t #VIM ting go because of your fear that your current home will disappear once you sell it. In your case, you Sunset Manor VI

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need to remember that you had the wonderful gift of living in the home you created for many years. Once you decide to pass your home on to new owners, please accept that they do have a right to a very different picture of what they want their own dream home to be. 4. Realize that you will create a new home for yourself. Last but not least, fully realize that you can create a new home for yourself anywhere you live. I experienced this for the first time after my parents’ move in 1996 when the family home that I grew up in was empty and ready for transfer to the new owner. This place I had called “home” for so many years was truly back to being just a house. I realized at that moment that my family “home” connection really resided with my parents and would so wherever they are living and for as long as they are alive. I also experienced this dur-

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 11

ing my last move. I remember that as the house got further and further dismantled during the packing process, I saw that this home I loved was turning back into just a house again. What made it home for me were all the personal touches that I added. Once those things came down, it was just an empty wall or an empty room. This helped me to see clearly that I was taking my home with me. You are taking your true home with you, too, and can create it again wherever you are living. Remember: home is where you are, home is what you create, home is not the physical structure. Sue Ronnenkamp is a retirement living and transition expert. Her education and consulting work focuses on planning, embracing change, moving forward, and living every season of life to the fullest. For more information, visit Sue’s website at www.AgeFullLiving.com. ISI

Treasure Hunting through Attic Trash? Historian Says Pan the Paperwork for Gold From PBS’s Antiques Roadshow to A&E’s Storage Wars, reality TV has capitalized on our fascination with discovering treasure in household junk. It happened to historian Michael Mendoza, whose patient culling through boxes of old papers was rewarded when he found a Civil War veteran’s personal account of his experiences. The 17-page letter was so rich in detail, Mendoza used it as the basis of his first novel, Glorious Reality of War. Mendoza owned an antiques store in 1997 when 95-year-old Alice Bowersock died in San Diego, Calif., he says. He acquired her estate: furniture, knickknacks, and stacks of boxes full of photographs, insurance policies, and letters. Most people, Mendoza notes, might trash the papers right off the bat. “Don’t,” he says. “Toss or sell the knickknacks, and keep the paper. It can be invaluable.” Collectors value ephemera because such paper records are unique and irreplaceable, he says, so he pored through the boxes page by page, finding birth and death records, paintings and prints, and old books. “And then I saw the letter – a documented firsthand experience of the Civil War. It was

written in 1925, typed on 8½-by-14-inch paper,” Mendoza says. “Reading it, I got a real good sense of who (the writer) was.” Charles Wesley Rickard was 64 when he wrote the letter to his daughter, Alice, who had asked him to write about his war experience. He was a 15-yearold Iowa farm boy, he wrote, when “a great desire came over me to go to the war. My parents were loathe to give their consent, and so I made life miserable for them until they finally gave in.” In 1862, he enlisted as a Union fifer because he was too young to serve as a private. “I had never seen a fife before,” Rickard wrote. “But I could use a rifle, and I was bound to go as something.” When the fighting began, he

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was in the thick of it. Three years later and all of 18 years old, he remembers noting how very young the new replacement troops looked. Mendoza kept Rickard’s letter and sold off some of the memorabilia. “I knew the value was more in presenting it as a historical fiction novel,” he says. Finding inspiration for a novel may not equate to striking it rich for everyone, but people willing to invest time in sorting through old family papers stand to profit, Mendoza says. “Many things are valuable on their own, like first editions of classic books,” he says. “But don’t forget the family records. Even if you’re not into genealogy, you should save those because once you throw them away, they’re lost to the next generation.” Mendoza offers these tips for dealing with old paperwork:

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

Don’t throw it away simply because it’s damaged. Mendoza found a first-edition copy of “Gone with the Wind” that was so waterlogged, it was destroyed. “I sold it for $80,” he says, “and that was cheap.” Put together items on the same topic to improve chances of selling to collectors. Collectors like to buy in lots, Mendoza notes. They’d rather have a whole bunch of things than just one. Among Alice Bowersock’s belongings, Mendoza found photographs and documents from the time her father helped to build the Panama Canal. Mendoza pulled all the canal material together and sold it to a collector. Store papers in an open zipper bag in a dry place. If the paper is very valuable, invest in bags designed for that purpose. Otherwise, zipper baggies from the grocery store do fine. Don’t seal them, though, because if there’s no air circulation, the paper might stick to the plastic.

Digitize everything. Scanning your documents and photographs allows you to study them without damaging them. For the record – Mendoza is still going through Alice Bowersock’s boxes. Michael Mendoza holds a master’s degree in American history and is an adjunct instructor for Central Texas College. He lives in Santee, Calif., and plans a sequel to Glorious Reality of War. His website is www.dentedcanenterprises.com. ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 13

Growing Perennials In Cold Climates By Clare Hafferman In the game of gardening, there are discoveries every season. More blooms, a new spin on the color wheel, seeds from across the oceans, and hybrid combinations of old favorites. If you have thought of a perennial border in a new spot or to improve what you already have, there is a beautiful, big new book devoted to that subject, and it’s been written for our place on the globe - Growing Perennials In Cold Climates by Mike Heger, Debbie Lonnee, and John Whitman. Heger is co-owner of Ambergate Gardens in Chaska, Minnesota and an expert on the subject. Debbie Lonnee works for Bailey Nurseries in Newport, Minnesota, is a thirty-year veteran in the nursery business and an editor of Northern Gardener. John Whitman is a garden writer and photographer and wrote Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates, and Growing Roses in Cold Climates. Let us assume all three know about bitter winds and below zero temperatures! Their book is published by the University of Minnesota Press and sells for $39.95. I picked it up at my local library, so you could get it through inter-Library loan and then decide if it should be your next birthday present. There are individual listings of perennials, beginning with Achillea and ending with Veronica, and also by their common names if you escaped learning Latin. I am not going through the whole inventory, just some I have raised, and those I failed with, and knowledge I gained from this book. Follow their garden path and you will see striking photos of the most popular perennials, information on where to plant them, what other flowers look good as companions, how to propagate the plant and if it is used for cut flowers or can be dried. Included is what kind of fertilizer to use, if needed and sources for buying the plant or sending for seeds. You will know how long it will take to grow the plant from seed and once in

your garden, how many years it will last. There are sketches for perennial borders in horticultural books, articles, and catalogs. I have parted company with some of these for the inclusion of plants from two different climate zones, put side by side and supposed to bloom in concert. Wrong violin in that suite. I have never seen a trumpet vine blooming by northern-growing gladiolas. One border drawing I saw lately was in my old Crockett’s Victory Garden, and although Mr. Crockett dealt mainly with vegetables, he included four pages of flowers that he fostered, along with the recommended varieties, colors, and their flowering time. While I could visualize the things he planted, it was difficult to think about a big clump of rhubarb near Maltese cross, Campanula, lupine and yarrow and fronted by forget-me-nots. The last border featured a dozen herb plants in front of baby’s breath, asters, and hollyhocks. Maybe he wasn’t after appearance, just a lot of variety. Sensible as to the basics, Mr. Crockett advised digging in compost and manure beforehand, to plant clusters of color, and not to always put taller numbers in the back. He said try putting something tall in back of another plant of medium height and try to weave your favorites in and out, not just in straight shots. When I began reading this book, I started with yarrow (Achillea), because I have grown a variety named Gold Plate that has big yellow blooms and requires little care. The hybridizers have added some new colors I had never seen. There was a shade of salmon pink, a dark wine red, and a bright Fire King that would light up any area. I have used yarrow in fresh and dried bouquets, witnessed the butterflies that like it, but I had no idea you could dry these flowers in a box of cat litter! Learn something... I have also grown three of the first plants noted:

wormwood (Artemesia), columbine (Aquiligia), and asters. Wormwood is recommended for a grey accent, but it proved too invasive and I like a wild variety called Silver Sage instead. I planted a wild columbine, red and yellow, a double version named Nora Barlow, and a dark purple columbine along with some coral bells, all to attract the hummingbirds. The birds seemed to prefer the coral bells and I failed to pinch off the columbine blossoms, as this book advises, so half a day spent digging out starts, was my punishment. The asters I grow are the New England variety, planted because they attract many insects, butterflies and the bees, but the ones featured in this book are striking shades of color and a temptation to buy. Asters are grown primarily for fall color and they can last up to 15 years if you choose disease resistant kinds. Do not crowd them so they get good air circulation, and companion plants are daylilies, the aforementioned wormwood, and chrysanthemums. The authors admitted that chrysanthemums in our climate are better treated as annuals, but they did include some elegant samples you could order and try. I have never been successful at growing them or false blue indigo or a butterfly bush, and the Coreopsis that I did get to bloom soon faded out. The indigo plant is supposed to resemble lupine, a long-lived addition and has little black seeds that you are to plant where it grows because it does not like transplanting. The seeds I tried twice have never surfaced and neither has the butterfly bush. This has a beautiful flower and smells good and again, in planting it twice; nothing has sprung up to reward me. If you have any favorites of your own, you will no doubt discover them within these pages, and from the details and photos, you could probably begin to sketch your own border plans for next season. ISI

PAGE 14 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

Golden Oldies streaming on the radio can jolt you back to memorable moments in time. For this month’s quiz, Billboard Rockin’ Chart Toppers of the 60s, we reflect on some of those musical blasts from the past. Can you name the artists who hit number one on the Billboard charts and their tunes that got you dancing? Congratulations to Frances Castillo of Caldwell, who submitted the winning answers to Shoot for the Literary “Canon� that appeared in our Decem-

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

ber 2011/January 2012 issue. Thank you, Esther. Two $25 cash prizes are awarded from the “Contest Corner� in each issue of the Idaho Senior Independent. One prize goes to the person who submits the entry selected by our staff as the featured quiz or puzzle in the “Contest Corner� for that issue. Turn your creativity loose and send us some good, interesting puzzles! The second $25 prize goes to the person who submits the correct answers to the featured quiz

or puzzle from the previous issue. When there is a tie, the winner is determined by a drawing. Please mail your entries to the Idaho Senior Independent, P.O. Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403 or email them to idahoseniorind@bresnan.net by March 10, 2012 for our April/May 2012 edition. Remember to work the crossword puzzle in this issue and on our website www.idahoseniorindependent.com.

Billboard Rockin’ Chart Toppers of the 60s Created by MSN Staff Below are 25 clues about some of the numberone Billboard hits of the 60s, followed by the 25 artists who made those songs stick in our heads. On a numbered sheet of paper, match clue with the corresponding artist and send it to us. As an extra challenge, name the songs in the clues. The winner will receive a $25 cash prize. Good luck! 1. This man had the moves, swooning the

lonesome ladies of the evening in 1960. 2. His August 1960 chart topper was about making a fashion statement at the beach, and being embarrassed about it. 3. These women jumped to number one in December 1961, with their snail-mail hit. 4. He may have been blind, but you wouldn’t want to mess with him! He saw his way to the top of the charts in 1961, with his in-your-face-number.

5. Even today, you are likely to hear this group’s 1962 number every time Halloween rolls around. 6. Despite his size, this rocker really gave the crowd a workout in January of ‘62. 7. She could host a shindig and not care whether or not her guests were having fun, with her 1963 hit. 8. These gals had a reputation to keep with their 1963 hit. 9. This foursome charted a whopping six times in 1964. 10. This group’s playful romance diddy shot to the top in October of 1964. 11. This satchmo blew to the top with this 1964 musical number. 12. Although they swiped the tune from Bob Dylan, this band rocked it up, shooting to the top of the Billboard charts in the summer of ‘65. 13. This group made the charts in 1965 with this tempting number about a special lady. 14. This British pop group clung to cloud nine when they hit number one in November of ‘65. 15. This east coast duo “ever-so-quietlyâ€? rose to number one in January of ‘66. 16. Just as her father the very same year, this classy lady stomped her way to the top in 1966. 17. They definitely were not slow in the race to number one when their cheery number hit in March of ‘67. 18. They had no doubt they had a hit when this playful foursome busted the charts with at the top of year in ‘67. 19. This young artist demanded respect when she hit the scene in June 1967. 20. He wasted no time, really, when he rocked the charts in the spring of ‘68. 21. It is no rumor‌. with this Motown crooner, the audience could not stand still. Even the raisins were dancing to this 1968 Billboard hit. 22. This L.A. trio introduced themselves with a rockin’ unconventional, love song in the summer of 1968. 23. This sly group knew about people like you and I, which is why their song raced to top of the Billboard charts in 1969. 24. This group’s sweet tooth got the best of them, that’s why they charted in August of ‘69. 25. This folk group rose to the top in 1969 with a melancholy number about a sad departure.

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A. Lesley Gore B. The Byrds C. Elvis Presley D. Aretha Franklin E. Manford Man F. Rolling Stones

G. The Marvelettes H. Nancy Sinatra I. Marvin Gaye J. Chubby Checker K. Sly & the Family Stone

L. Peter, Paul, & Mary M. Ray Charles N. Otis Redding O. The Beatles P. Louis Armstrong

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 15

Q. Simon & Garfunkel R. The Turtles S. The Temptations T. The Angels U. The Archies

Answers to Shoot for the Literary “Canon” Created by MSN Staff 1. H - Anthony Burgess 2. S - Sylvia Plath 3. M - William Shakespeare 4. R - Charles Dickens 5. C - Walt Whitman 6. W - Oscar Wilde 7. G - Rachel Carson 8. T - Albert Camus 9. Q - Homer

10. X - Alexandre Dumas 11. L - Arthur Miller 12. B - Jane Austen 13. Y - Wilkie Collins 14. V - Sandra Cisneros 15. F - Louisa May Alcott 16. I - Ray Bradbury 17. U - William Golding

18. A - Victor Hugo 19. N - Mary Shelley 20. J - Joseph Heller 21. O - Herman Melville 22. D - Charlotte Bronte 23. P - Harper Lee 24. K - Aldous Huxley 25. E - George Orwell ISI

Down

Across 1. “Like a Rolling Stone” singer 4. Sam and Dave’s 60s hit (2 words) 9. Yes, to De Gaulle 10. “___ of The Needle” by Ken Follett 12. Israel’s 60s and 70s war leader 14. 1960’s Chinese communist leader 15. 1979 horror flick 17. My gal 18. “Blazing Saddles” director, Brooks 19. The 70s saw this genius discover black holes 23. “Live and Let ___” 24. The bad guy in “Dallas” 26. “A” variation 27. DNA’s cousin 28. 70s country music great 30. Packers great QB from the

‘60s, Starr 32. Baltimore’s state 34. Wall is one 36. Blues Rock Band originally called the Electric Elves 37. “The Cincinnati ___” 40. One of the 60s most successful cars 43. TV’s tank engine 46. Oriental game 47. “____ are the apple of my eye” 48. Woodward and Bernstein’s famous investigation 52. Soak up the sun 54. Missile crisis site 56. One kind of gang member 57. “I Have a Dream” speaker 58. Camera action 59. “Of mice and ___” 60. 1977 Mini-series 61. “Let’s Get it On” singer 62. “__ are the champions” song

1. Fathers 2. 70s hit from Eric Clapton 3. ___ proliferation treaty 4. One of the “Bridge over Troubled Waters” singers 5. In the late 70s these flying objects became a national sensation 6. 1972 Superbowl winners 7. First name of the Commander of the mission that put the first man on the moon 8. Placido Domingo, for one 11. You, for Shakespeare 13. Sound of relaxation 16. Ogle like Bond 20. Existed 21. Ending of the Ali vs Liston fight 22. Talks too much 23. Greenback, for short 24. Wing it, musically 25. Nolan Ryan was one 29. Sandy Koufax was one 31. The 60s saw the development of this banking machine 33. Like a lot, in the 60s 35. First man into space 38. “___ in love with her and I feel fine” Beatles 39. “This is the ___ of the Age of Aquarius” 41. 1979 Fleetwood Mac song 42. “Just the opposite!” 44. Santa sound 45. Salvation Army, for short 49. ____ bopper 50. 70s military plane, aka F-15 51. Identifying mark 53. “The ___ Daba Honeymoon” 55. Friend 57. He met Barbie in 1961 58. “___, I love You” Beatles

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V. The Doors W. Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers X. The Monkees Y. Brian Hyland ISI

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Snoring - a nuisance or one of the many signs of sleep apnea? By Susan Frances Bonner RN, BSN “Honey please turn around; your snoring is keeping me awake!” “Honey don’t lie on your back when you sleep - you snore so loudly and then stop breathing!” “Mommy close your mouth you’re so loud, I can’t get to sleep!” Does any of this sound familiar? Snoring, sighing, coughing, and stopping breathing while asleep are the hallmarks of a condition that has been the brunt of jokes as well as the consternation of husbands, wives, and family members for millennia. Until recently, most people just accepted this annoying phenomenon as something to be endured. But there is a valid medical reason for snoring. Snoring is the hoarse or harsh sound that occurs when your breathing is obstructed in some way as when air flows past relaxed tissues in your throat, causing the tissues to vibrate as you breathe. Sometimes snoring may indicate a serious health condition. As many as half of adults snore at least occasionally. My husband snores and was diagnosed

with obstructive sleep apnea. As a nurse, I knew his snoring was not normal, especially when he stopped breathing. But my friends and family would joke about it. I will never forget a camping trip we took with our friends in the backcountry on the border of Colorado and Utah. I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and was appalled that my husband’s snoring was echoing throughout the surrounding mountains. The next day our friends, laughing, asked if we could move our tent farther away so that they could get some sleep, but also said they were grateful he snored so loud because it was probably keeping the bears, wolves, and coyotes away from the campsite! You can see how hard it is to get help for someone that may have sleep apnea because of the misinformation and old wives’ tales surrounding snoring and sleeping disorders. Even though, it has been a recognized medical condition at least from the turn of the century. According to Wikipedia, the clinical picture of this condition has long been recognized as a character trait, without an understanding of the disease process. The term “Pickwickian syndrome” that is sometimes used for the syndrome was coined by the famous early 20th century physician, William Osler, who must have been a reader of Charles Dickens. The description of Joe, “the fat boy” in Dickens’ novel The Pickwick Papers, is an accurate clinical picture of an adult with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Instead of relying on fictional characters to convince someone that snoring may be a symptom of a bigger problem it is important to understand who is at risk and the signs and symptoms of this “noisy” illness.

Risk factors for sleep apnea include: • Male gender • Being overweight • Being over the age of forty • Having a large neck size (17+” in men and 16+” in women) • Having large tonsils, a large tongue, or a small jaw bone • Having a family history of sleep apnea • Gastroesophageal reflux, or GERD • Nasal obstruction due to a deviated septum, allergies, or sinus problems Common sleep apnea symptoms include: • Waking up with a very sore and/or dry throat • Loud snoring • Occasionally waking up with a choking or gasping sensation • Sleepiness or lack of energy during the day • Sleepiness while driving • Morning headaches • Restless sleep • Forgetfulness, mood changes, and a decreased interest in sex • Recurrent awakenings or insomnia This information is just a start and should be used to help you consult with your physician. Treatment varies from person to person. Do not be afraid to have your doctor customize it. Health care is personal and getting a good night’s sleep is no laughing matter, so take charge of that bedroom and stop wearing the ear muffs because there is help controlling sleep apnea. Susan Frances Bonner is the author of Opening A Registered Nurses Eyes: A life Altering Journey Across North America. ISI

Staying Connected Is Good For Your Health Some Tips To Nurture Relationships By Lisa M. Petsche Research has shown that healthy relationships help maintain physical, mental, and emotional well-being, not only enhancing quality of life but also contributing to longevity. As people age, however, their social network typically diminishes due to retirement, relocation, and friends moving away or passing on. Preoccupation with health issues or caring for an aging relative may also cause relationships to slide, resulting in social isolation. This separation from others can foster loneliness and precipitate depression. Despite life’s changes, it is important to nurture existing relationships and forge new ones – vital sources of pleasure, validation, and practical support. Here are some ideas for how to go about this.

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Get Busy - Get out around people every day. To combat isolation, join a dinner club, fitness center, or bowling league. Or head to an indoor mall that has a morning walking program. Sign up for an adult education course or lessons that interest you. Be sure to check out available programs at the local senior center or recreation center, as well as those offered by educational institutions. Learning something new will energize you and boost your self-confidence, and you will make new friends in the process. Get involved in your community. Volunteer for a charitable or environmental cause, animal shelter, political campaign, or church ministry. Attend school, workplace, and other types of reunions whenever opportunities arise. Better yet, offer to help organize such an event. You can rekindle some old friendships. (Cont’d on pg 18)

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(Continued from page 16) Reach Out - Take the initiative and invite friends over. Do not wait for them to call or drop in. Some ideas for activities: Try out a new recipe, watch a movie, work on a challenging jigsaw puzzle, or play card or board games. Organize a weekly coffee time among your friends (at a centrally located coffee shop or rotating in participants’ homes) or a monthly lunch or dinner date (for example, the first Friday of every month). Keep in touch with out-of-area loved ones though phone calls (find a good long-distance savings plan), letters, e-mail, or instant messaging. If it is hard to get out or you are shy, meet new people with similar interests through internet social networking sites aimed at seniors.

Get to know neighbors. An evening stroll is one way to do this. Another is to volunteer for a neighborhood association or condo board. Do nice things for others, especially those who are going through a difficult time. This takes your mind off your own situation, boosts your self-esteem, and strengthens relationships. If you are recently widowed, join a support group to connect with others who understand what you are going through. Information on relevant groups can be obtained from the local community information service or office on aging. If it is hard to get out or you prefer anonymity, internet message boards, chat rooms, and discussion forums are some alternatives. Further Tips - Get a pet. Cats and dogs provide companionship and affection and give you

a sense of purpose. A dog also ensures you will get out of the house. While walking it, you can meet new friends. If you do not have grandchildren or they live far away, find out from your local office on aging if there is an Adopt-a-Grandparent program. Cultivate some solitary pastimes. Hobbies not only enable you to enjoy your own company but also give you something to talk about in social situations. If you live alone and do not like it, consider taking in a boarder, sharing accommodations with a relative or friend, or moving to a senior living community. Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social worker and a freelance writer specializing in boomer and senior issues. ISI

The Big Book of Health and Fitness: A Practical Guide to Diet, Exercise, Healthy Aging, Illness Prevention, and Sexual Well-Being By Dr. Philip Maffetone Skyhorse Publishing paperback; ISBN: 978-1-61608-379-3; Price: $22.95 “The Big Book is superb. It’s a true owner’s manual for the care and maintenance of the human machine. I’ve pored over health and fitness books for the past five years, and I haven’t found anything to compare with the clarity and wisdom of Dr. Phil Maffetone.” - Christopher McDougall, Author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen Aging baby boomers refuse to go quietly into the night - they want to stay fit, healthy, and active for many years to come! And if you are not on the bandwagon, you will be after browsing The Big Book of Health and Fitness (January 2012). Dr. Philip Maffetone, internationally recognized clinician and author in the field of nutrition, exercise, and sports medicine, lays out a sensible and holistic road map that makes health and fitness an easy-to-achieve goal for both men and women, at any age. He even informs beginners to fitness how to create their own personal health care program. Organized into three sections - Choose Your Food Wisely, Physical Health and Fitness, and Self Care - chapters include: • The Power of Protein: Are You Eating Enough?

• Healthy Heart: Cardiovascular Disease is Preventable • Chronic Inflammation: How to Safely Eliminate It • Footwear Made Simple: Finding the Right Pair of Shoes is a Key Step to Better Health • Healthy Sex: For as Long as You Want • Heart Rate Training: Applying the Basic Principles of Aerobic Fitness • Stress and Hormones: How They Affect Your Overall Health and Fitness • And much more If for you “health care” is synonymous with “health scare,” it is time to take your life into your own hands. Learn everything you need to know about self-care in The Big Book of Health and Fitness and see how easy it can be to put in to practice! About the Author - Dr. Philip Maffetone is an internationally recognized researcher, educator, clinician, and author in the field of nutrition, exercise and sports medicine, stress management, and biofeedback. He was honored by Inside Triathlon magazine as one of the top twenty most influential people in endurance sports worldwide. He is the author of more than a dozen books on sports, fitness, and health, including The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing. ISI

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Glaucoma – Preventable Blindness By David B. Leach, MD, FACS Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness in America and it has been called the “sneak thief of sight.” This is because there are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease and once vision is lost, it is permanent. Vision loss results from glaucoma damaging the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable with over a million wires that carry images from the eye to the brain. The loss is so gradual

that a person can lose nearly half of their vision without even noticing. The earlier glaucoma is diagnosed the better the chances of preserving good vision for the years to come. Although there is no cure for glaucoma, treatment is typically accomplished by using a daily prescription eye drop. In more advanced cases, surgery may be required. Regular follow up examinations and testing at routine intervals with the treating eye doctor is required for successful

management. Those at a higher risk for glaucoma include African Americans, seniors, diabetics, people with a family history of glaucoma, and those using steroid medications. If you are in this category and have not been screened for glaucoma in the last year, contact your eye doctor. If you have any other questions about glaucoma, Dr. David Leach welcomes your email at eyeguy@moscow.com. ISI

Dry Eye Syndrome – It is Enough to Make You Cry By Tait Trussell, Senior Wire When you read a newspaper, watch TV, or even when you blink, is it irritating to your eyes? If so, you likely have dry eye. “It is one of the most common eye problems and it increases with age,” says the Johns Hopkins Health Information Library. Of people over age 65, about 15 percent have dry eye, according to an international task force put together by Johns Hopkins University-Wilmer Eye Institute. Typical symptoms of dry eye syndrome are burning, itchy, gritty-feeling eyes, excessive reflex tearing, and blurred vision. Many are the causes. In women, where it is more common than in men, it often is associated with menopause and post menopause. Dry eye also can be caused by such medications as antidepressants, antihistamines, decongestants, and blood pressure medicines. Allergic reaction to medications being used to treat other eye conditions can also cause dry eye. The tearing symptom may seem strange if your eyes feel dry. But what seems to be excessively watery eyes is usually just one layer of the eyeball producing a reflex reaction. These tears just run off without lubricating the eyes as do healthy tears. Smoke, wind, heat, low humidity, or eyestrain also can cause the dry eye syndrome, Johns Hopkins says. Arid high altitudes increase the evaporation of tears. In fact, several cities have been recognized by the National Women’s Health Resource Center and won the dubious honor of being recognized as “Dry Eye Hotspots.” Long hours peering at a computer screen and not blinking often enough may well worsen the condition. I think that is what causes my dry eye problem. As more people go online, dry eyes will probably become even more common.

During the normal aging process, our bodies and our eyes produce less oil. This reduction in oil in the tear film results in quicker evaporation, leading to dry spots on our eyes. If you use contact lenses and experience symptoms of dry eye syndrome, stop wearing them, the Johns Hopkins doctors advise. Dry eye is one of the main reasons people stop wearing contacts. If you have mild to moderate dry eye, the first course of treatment may be to use artificial tears as prescribed by your doctor. There’s a variety of over-the-counter drops for dry eye. Depending on the nature of your tear film deficiency, your doctor may recommend artificial tears with a specific salinity and viscosity. Sometimes if the oily layer of the tear film is deficient, your physician may suggest that you eat more oily fish or take flax seed oil as a dietary supplement and drink plenty of water. Tears are composed of three layers. The innermost layer coats the cornea with a lubricant that allows the tear film to stick to the eye. The middle layer is made up mostly of water. The outermost layer is an oily film that acts to prevent evaporation. Eye doctors can use tests to determine which layers of the tear film are causing the dry eye problem. Each time you blink, the eyelids act

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PAGE 20 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

like squeegees to smooth and spread the eye film so it is uniform across the surface of your cornea. Wonder why your nose runs if you cry? Excess tears flow along the lower eyelid toward the nose and into two tiny ducts called lacrimal puncta, doctors explain. These open into small canals that drain into the nasal passage. This sometimes makes a runny nose. It is amazing how our body parts are interconnected. Pain or an emotional event, as you know, can also bring tears. Such reflex tears, however, do not alleviate dry eye. Treatment for the condition may be as simple as using artificial tears from the drug store several times a day. In more persistent cases, a simple non-surgical procedure is available. It can provide long-term relief of dry eye syndrome using tiny plugs called punctual occluders. These devices occlude, or block, the punctum, or tear duct that carries the tears away from the eyes’ surface. Blocking these ducts keeps the eye from draining away tears too quickly – something like putting a stopper in a sink drain. This procedure is quick and painless. I know. I had it done. The National Eye Institute presently is funding 25 studies to find additional treatments for dry eye. ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

Fighting Osteoporosis By Linda Hightower, RN, ONC A woman falls on her way to the mailbox and lays there until someone walks by to rescue her because she has broken her hip and cannot get up. She goes to the hospital for surgical repair of the hip and dies of complications several days later. This scenario is not as uncommon as we might hope. There are more than 350,000 hip fractures every year due to osteoporosis. Nearly a quarter of these people will die as a result of their fracture. There are more than a million other fractures also due to osteoporosis. Did you know that half of women over the age of fifty will suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime? This does not have to happen! Osteoporosis is a disease that slowly steals strength from bone, making it break more easily. It occurs more frequently in women than men and more frequently among older people than younger people. Some things we can do to prevent osteoporosis include: • Consuming enough calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is a big part of the material needed to build stronger bones. Most of our bone strength is accumulated during teen years so teens need about 1300 mg of calcium a day. Adults need about 1000 mg a day to maintain bone strength. The most common sources of calcium are dairy products. An eight-ounce glass of milk, whether non-fat or whole milk, contains about 300 mg of calcium. That same glass of milk is also fortified with 200 International

Units of vitamin D, which helps the body absorb the calcium. Some other food sources of calcium include cheese, yogurt, and sardines. If your consumption of these foods is very low, you may need to think about adding supplements to your diet. • Exercise is very important as well. Exercise does for bones the same thing it does for muscles - makes them stronger. When we stress our bones with exercise, they respond by building more mass to make themselves stronger. Weight-bearing exercises like walking, running, hiking, dancing, and skiing are best. • Talk to your doctor about osteoporosis. Find out if you are at risk. Some important risk factors include family history of osteoporosis, smoking, and using certain kinds of medications. • Have a DEXA test done. This test is easily done and is relatively inexpensive. It will tell you exactly how much bone mass you have. It will also help your doctor develop a treatment plan for you if one is needed. • Talk to a physical therapist about preventing falls. They can evaluate your balance and give you an program to help improve balance, strength, and endurance. This can help prevent falls that can result in broken bones and other injuries. There is no cure for osteoporosis, but there are medications that will help improve strength so that when a fall does occur, it is less likely to result in a broken bone. Protect your bones; they need to last your lifetime. ISI

Doctors Relate Embarrassing Medical Incidents Submitted by Jim Meade 1. A man came into the ER and yelled, “My wife’s going to have her baby in the cab!” I grabbed my stuff, rushed out to the cab, lifted the lady’s dress, and began to take off her underwear. Suddenly I noticed that there were several cabs, and I was in the wrong one. Submitted by Dr. Mark MacDonald, San Francisco. 2. At the beginning of my shift, I placed a stethoscope on an elderly and slightly deaf female patient’s anterior chest wall. “Big breaths,” I instructed. “Yes, they used to be,” replied the patient. Submitted by Dr. Richard Byrnes, Seattle. 3. One day I had to be the bearer of bad news when I told a wife that her husband had died of a massive myocardial infarct. Not more than five

minutes later, I heard her reporting to the rest of the family that he had died of a “massive internal fart.” Submitted by Dr. Susan Steinberg. 4. During a patient’s two week follow-up appointment with his cardiologist, he informed me, his doctor, that he was having trouble with one of his medications “Which one?” I asked. “The patch. The nurse told me to put on a new one every six hours, and now I’m running out of places to put it!” I had him quickly undress and discovered what I had hoped I would not see. Yes, the man had over fifty patches on his body Now, the instructions include removal of the old patch before applying a new one. Submitted by Dr. Rebecca St. Clair, Norfolk. ISI

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Provided by Eastern Idaho Public Health District Colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon and rectum) kills many people in Idaho every year. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so it is a good time to learn about the disease and how it can be prevented... so that one of those lives

lost is not yours or that of someone you love. Colorectal Cancer Screening Saves Lives Since there are very few symptoms associated with colorectal cancer, regular screening is essential for two reasons: colorectal cancer is extremely preventable if polyps (abnormal growths in the colon or rectum) are detected and removed before they develop into cancer and colorectal cancer is very treatable and curable if detected in its early stages. It is estimated that as many as 60% of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented if all men and women aged 50 years and older were screened. Screening Tests for Colorectal Cancer There are several types of tests for colorectal cancer but “Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening and is a safe and effective procedure when performed by a physician with specialized training,” says Dane Dickson, M.D., an oncologist in Rexburg. Unfortunately, many patients referred for colonoscopy fail to complete the procedure, due to a variety of reasons including: cost, scheduling, long waiting times, and modesty and privacy concerns. Mountain View Hospital, in partnership with various surgeons and gastroenterologists in the community, has de-

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

veloped a colon cancer-screening program called Open Access. Open Access addresses these concerns and makes getting a colonoscopy easier and more cost effective than ever. If you have any questions about the Open Access program, please contact Chelsey Anderson at Mountain View Hospital at 208-557-2726. Who Should Be Screened for Colorectal Cancer? - The risk of developing colorectal cancer increases with age. Men and women aged 50 and older are at an increased risk for colorectal cancer and should be screened at least every 5-10 years. Some people are at higher risk and should

be screened at an age younger than 50, including those with a personal family history of inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer or polyps. Reducing Risk for Colorectal Cancer - To lower your risk for colorectal cancer, the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons recommends: • Getting regular colorectal cancer screenings beginning at age 50. • Maintaining a healthy weight. • Eating a low fat, high-fiber diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. • Using alcohol only in moderation and quit-

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 21

ting tobacco if you use it. Alcohol and tobacco in combination are linked to colorectal cancer and many other cancers. • Engaging in physical activity for at least 20 minutes, three to four days each week. If you are aged 50 or older, or think you may be at risk for colorectal cancer, speak with a healthcare professional or your doctor about being screened. If you have any questions about this article or are interested in more information about colorectal cancer, please call Mimi Morgan (208533-3151) at Eastern Idaho Public Health District. ISI

Have you been screened lately for diabetes? By Jim Miller It is called the “silent disease” for a reason. With no significant warning signs, there are millions of people who have diabetes today that do not realize it. Here is what you should know. Undiagnosed Epidemic - The diabetes epidemic in the U.S. is huge, especially among older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 12 million seniors, age 60 and older – roughly 23 percent of people in this age group – have diabetes today, but nearly half of them do not know it. The danger of undiagnosed diabetes is that, left untreated, it increases the risk of heart disease and stroke and can escalate into kidney failure, blindness, loss of limbs, and death. Who is Vulnerable? - There are a variety of factors that can put you at risk of getting type 2 diabetes, including your: • Family history: The more relatives you have with the disease, the higher your risk. • Weight: Being overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more. See www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi to calculate your BMI. The heavier you are, the greater your risk. Also, having excess fat around your waist, rather than around the hips and thighs increases your risk. • Age: Your risk increases as you get older, especially after age 45. • Blood pressure: Having high blood pressure – 140/90 or higher. • Cholesterol: Having low HDL (good) cholesterol under 35 mg/dL or high triglycerides over 250 mg/dL. • Race: Hispanic, Asian, African, or Native Americans are more vulnerable. To help you determine your risk, the American Diabetes Association has a quick, online quiz you can take free at www. diabetes.org/risk-test.jsp. Symptoms - The tricky thing about diabetes is that the symptoms (fatigue, increased hunger, excessive thirst, fre-

quent urination, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision, slow healing cuts or sores, tingling, or numbness in the hands and feet) usually seem harmless, and often don’t appear for years until significant damage to the blood vessels has already occurred. That is why beginning at age 45, everyone should be tested for diabetes every three years. And you should get tested annually if you have any of the previously listed factors that put you at risk. The Tests - There are several tests your doctor can give you to determine whether you have diabetes including the “fasting blood glucose test “or the “oral glucose tolerance test,” that require an eight hour fast before you take it. And the “hemoglobin A1C test” or “random blood glucose test,” that can be taken any time regardless of when you ate. If you are reluctant to visit your doctor to get tested, an alternative is to test yourself. To do that, go to your pharmacy and buy a blood glucose monitor (many of them cost under $20). Fast overnight, and check your blood sugar in the morning. If your result is less than 100, you are okay. But if

your blood glucose is 100 to 125, then you have prediabetes. And if your reading is higher than 125, you may have diabetes. If your reading is above 100, you need to visit your doctor to develop a plan to get it under control. In many cases lifestyle changes like losing weight, exercising, eating a healthy diet and cutting back on carbohydrates may be all you need to do to get your diabetes under control. For others who need more help, many medications are available. Savvy Tips: Medicare provides free diabetes screenings to seniors with increased risk factors – see Medicare.gov or call 800-633-4227 to learn more. And for more information, including dozens of free publications on all aspects of diabetes visit the National Diabetes Education Program at www. ndep.nih.gov, or call 888-693-6337. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior book. ISI

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Sugary Soft Drinks Can Lead to Poor Heart Health in Women Provided by www.spot55.com Ladies, you’ve probably heard this mantra for years, whether it has come from that inner voice that’s always berating you for not weighing precisely what you weighed at age 16, or from various sources always reminding us of the importance of lowering our exposure to heart disease and diabetes: too many of those soft drinks will make you fat. But according to the American Heart Association, it’ll also make you prone to a number of health issues by significantly raising your diabetic blood sugar levels. Alas, you don’t have to be a doctor to know that your diabetic blood sugar levels should be low and that having them run too high in your system would set off bells and whistles if only you were naturally equipped with them. Apparently, though, you don’t even have to be much of a soft drink enthusiast to be hit with the negative side effects of ingesting them on a regular basis. According to the American Heart Association, women who drink two or more sugar-enriched drinks a day are at higher risk of developing heart disease and diabetes than women who limit themselves to having one or less. This doesn’t mean that you’re in the clear to switch from your favorite

Attaining a Healthy and Robust Heart in Today’s Modern World By Ramin Manshadi, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FAHA, FACP Most people know very little about what makes them tick. Some stick to the old adage that “what you don’t know won’t hurt you,” but when it comes to the health of your heart, that’s a very dangerous mindset. What you don’t know CAN hurt you… and will. According to respected cardiologist Ramin Manshadi, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FAHA, FACP, most heart attacks happen to people who have no clue they even had a problem, which is why everyone should know what is going on with their bodies so they can lead a longer, healthier, and happier life. Dr. Manshadi shares his extensive knowledge of cardiovascular health through his new book, The Wisdom of Heart Health: Attaining a Healthy and Robust Heart in Today’s Modern World. Covering a wide range of important topics related to heart health, this guide should be mandatory reading for everyone concerned about cardiovascular disease. Written in a very accessible way, The Wisdom of Heart Health enables readers to understand, better than ever before, how their heart functions and how to take the best care of it. Touching upon the most useful and intriguing issues in cardiovascular care – ones that will help the reader step up several notches in their ability to care for themselves - Dr. Manshadi presents an easily understood, as well as highly informative and factual guide to heart health. “The purpose of this book,” says Dr. Manshadi, “is to offer understanding of something incredibly vital to your own life: your heart. In ways, it literally is the center of your being. Dutifully beating throughout the day without a second thought from you – your heart needs to be cared for.” Broken into engaging, short, easy to digest chapters, The Wisdom of Heart Health touches important, potentially life-saving topics including: • Congestive Heart Failure – Not What You Think • Cholesterol – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly • Women and Heart Disease – Equality for All • Technology on Our Side – Testing Today for Heart Health • The Cardiologist’s Office – Unveiling the Mystery • Human Side of Heart Health – Treating Patients with Patience • And so much more! “What I wish to pass along to you through The Wisdom of Heart Health,” adds Dr. Manshadi, “is an appreciation for this most amazing organ. The center of our being. The heart.” ISI

Beware of the silent killer By Dr. Michael Haderlie, M.D. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often called the silent killer. Typically, abnormal blood pressure has no symptoms, the reason for this nickname, which makes blood pressure checks an important part of every individual health screening. Blood pressure expressed in millimeters of mercury consists of systolic and diastolic blood pressures written as a fraction would be written, such as 120/80. The top number is the systolic blood pressure, and the bottom is the diastolic pressure. Maximum blood pressure (systolic) occurs when the left side of the heart contracts producing blood flow. Minimum blood pressure (diastolic) occurs when the left side of the heart relaxes for refilling with oxygen-rich blood supplied by the lungs. Normal blood pressure is controlled by several factors, including the strength of the heart contraction, the tension of the blood vessels, and complicated interactions among hormonal systems, the nervous system, and even individual cells. The kidneys are the organs of the body

carbonated soda to an equally tasty beverage with a sporty logo on the side. According to the study, the drinks that were shown to have caused the most significant negative impact in women also included sugary sports drinks, which in many cases only appear to be better for you because they don’t have the negative association that carbonated sodas have. The way it works is this: sugary drinks can cause a spike in the level of triglycerides in the blood, which are basically fat particles. The more fat particles are present in the blood, the greater the chances of developing heart disease further down the line. Interestingly enough, researchers only found this to be the case in women. Men apparently did not experience a significant risk for heart disease or diabetes as a result of ingesting sugary drinks on a regular basis. This last fact begs the question: are fat particles biased in favor of men? Hardly. But the fact is, women are built differently and therefore require fewer calories in a given day than their male counterparts. So when a woman ingests two sugary beverages, the calories that are contained go much further and represent a larger percentage of their daily caloric intake. It’s entirely possible for women to enjoy sugary drinks and keep their diabetic blood sugar levels low - the trick is to do so in moderation, and to balance out their intake of liquids with the original health drink: water. ISI

PAGE 24 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

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-marily responsible for regulating blood pressure. The majority of individuals with hypertension have what is called primary or essential hypertension. In other words hypertension without any particular identifiable cause. Many studies have tried to find a cause for this type of hypertension, and we have gained some new insights, but there is no single factor thus far. Some individuals have what is termed secondary hypertension, which is due to a positively identified abnormality that when corrected, will lead to correction of the hypertension as well. Secondary hypertension is uncommon and typically requires a specialist trained in hypertension to uncover these diseases, such as a nephrologist or cardiologist. Hypertension is currently defined as a blood pressure greater than 140/90 on repeated occasions. All of us experience regular changes in our blood pressure, even minute to minute. There is also variability in blood pressure related to sleep/wake cycles. Nighttime typically yields lower blood pressures in normal individuals. In normal subjects, transient elevation of systolic blood pressure can easily reach 150 at times, without cause for concern. The problem is when blood pressure elevation is sustained on multiple occasions. Primary hypertension is an epidemic in the United States where the incidence has increased from 11% in the early 1900s, to nearly 31% today. This means nearly 65 million Americans have hypertension. This trend has also been observed in other developed areas of the world. Why is this occurring? Those who study population trends and statistics have noticed a direct correlation with the increasing frequency of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney disease, suggesting a close relationship. Other risk factors include increased age, male gender, and race with genetic factors also being contributors. The risks of uncontrolled hypertension are largely cardiovascular including stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, and heart failure. Other diseases related to hypertension include visual impairments, aneurysms, coronary artery disease, and the list goes on. The most important thing to emphasize is that a healthy lifestyle is the most important aspect of prevention and that a number of strategies can help avoid developing hypertension. Nearly all health professionals agree that the following yield significant improvements in blood pressure: • Discontinue tobacco use • Lose weight • Limit alcohol consumption • Exercise regularly • Reduce salt intake • Increase fruit and vegetable intake • Decrease total fat intake, particularly saturated fats Of the items on this list, the two most important starting points are making a plan to quit smoking and to reduce weight. Unfortunately, 65% of adults in

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the U.S. are overweight, which is driving this epidemic of hypertension, not to mention many other related illnesses. Hypertension is a serious illness without symptoms in most individuals. Make sure you have your blood pressure screened by your primary care provider at every visit. It is important to have blood pressure screened at least annually if you do not

have a diagnosis of hypertension and more often if you do. Lifestyle changes are the most important way to naturally lower blood pressure. In individuals where lifestyle changes alone are not adequately reducing elevated blood pressure, talk to your physician. Now more than ever, we have many medications to assist with improving blood pressure. In individuals whose blood pressure is

Understanding The Urology Specialty By Joseph H. Williams, M.D. Idaho Urologic Institute Urology is a specialty that deals with diseases of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs. Urologists treat conditions with medical therapies and are trained as surgeons. However, knowledge of internal medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, and other specialties is required by the urologist due to the wide variety of clinical problems encountered. You should see an urologist for the following problems: • Blood in the urine: This is referred to as hematuria and can actually be seen in the urine or diagnosed with a microscopic analysis of a urine sample. It is an absolute reason to see an urologist. Possible causes of blood in the urine are bladder cancer, kidney cancer, severe urinary tract infection (UTI), kidney stones, prostate cancer, or diseases inherent in kidney tissue. Hematuria can occur intermittently even if there is a serious cause for it; therefore, blood in the urine one time is enough to see an urologist. • Frequent urinary tract infections: In women, this may be an indicator of an anatomic abnormality the person was born with, kidney stones, bacteria embedded in the tissue of the urinary tract, or poor voiding habits. In men, UTIs may be caused by any of these or possibly long-term prostate gland infections. UTIs are generally first treated by primary care physicians, then possibly an urologist. • Elevated PSA test: An elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) test can be the first indication of possible prostate cancer in men. It may also be caused by other prostate conditions, and an urologist is the best physician to make this determination. Although there is controversy about the use of PSA tests for prostate cancer screening, the PSA remains the most useful blood test for cancer in all of oncology. • Abnormal prostate exam: A prostate exam is also an important part of prostate cancer screening for men. The primary care physician or urologist performs a digital rectal exam to rule out abnormalities such as a nodule, unusual firmness, or one side of the prostate being larger than the other is, which are possible indicators of prostate cancer. • Kidney mass: A mass found on the kidney with an ultrasound or CAT scan must be further evaluated by an urologist. Cure rates from kidney cancer are very high if found at early stages. • Urinary tract stones or urolithiasis: Urologists specialize in determining if a painful stone will pass out the body with natural process or if surgery

must be performed. Surgery for kidney stones can usually be done successfully without making an incision. Urologists are experts in providing those who are prone to kidney stones with techniques to avoid recurrence. • Testis cancer: This is the most common solid tumor in young men and very curable if found early. It grows quickly, however, and a male with a testicular mass should be seen by his primary care physician or urologist as soon as possible. • Male infertility: Urologists are experts in evaluating and treating men when a couple is unable to conceive. Many causes of male infertility are curable and urologists employ assisted fertility techniques to help couples with conception. • Erectile dysfunction: This is a common problem as men become elderly. It may be an indication of a hormonal problem or significant cardiovascular problem in younger men. Urologists treat all forms of erectile dysfunction. • Urinary incontinence: One in three women lives with uncontrolled loss of urine, and urologists provide expert care with medical, surgical, and behavioral remedies for this uncomfortable and embarrassing problem. Men also suffer incontinence and should be seen by an urologist. These are some of the diseases and conditions that can be addressed by an urologist with medical and surgical therapies to help ensure that urination, kidney function, and fertility problems can be normalized. ISI

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 25

not controlled even with medication, consider discussing with your primary care provider a referral to a hypertension specialist for additional testing. Dr. Michael Haderlie is a board certified nephrologist and internist with specialized training in hypertension among other areas. Dr. Haderlie practices medicine at the Idaho Kidney Institute with locations in Idaho Falls, Blackfoot, and Pocatello. ISI

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Paul Napper and other volunteers make sure the lost are found By Dianna Troyer Every time Paul Napper heads out on a search and rescue call, he is reminded of what matters most in his life. “After seeing what we’ve seen over the years, you realize how quickly life can end,� says the 69-year-old Pocatello resident, who is commander of the Bannock County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, a volunteer organization whose 25 members search for missing people and respond to vehicular accidents. “It makes you appreciate life. Sometimes, you think people shouldn’t have survived a rollover, and miraculously they do. Other times, an accident looks minor, yet someone dies.� One wintry morning, his radio, tuned to a dispatcher’s frequency, crackles occasionally in the cavernous shop behind the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, where he and Bill Reier, 46, vice commander, check on the unit’s five snowmobiles, one snow-cat and other equipment, ensuring they are ready to go at a moment’s notice. Every year, the unit responds to more than 100 medically related calls and rescues and does

another 200 calls dealing with public service work before sunset, search and rescue volunteers on snow machines found her trudging along in early or road closures and traffic control. “Paul has so much knowledge and experi- stages of hypothermia, delirious and oblivious to ence,� Bill says. “He’s calm, organized, focused, her rescuers. “In winter, a lot of our calls come from and has a sense of humor.� Paul praises members of the unit. “We have snowmobilers in the Inman Canyon area above a lot of dedicated volunteers who are willing to Inkom,� Paul says. “Several years ago, we had come out in all kinds of weather and train to keep t w o g u y s who walked to the top of a ridge to call a and say they were building up-to-date.� a snow cave and would be out in Since joinmo the morning. Another time, two ing Search guys w were able to get to a yurt, and Rescue where they stayed overnight.� in 1969, Paul M Most snowmobilers who has responded need help get their machines to thousands of stuck in deep snow, or can’t calls, keeping b get back out of steep canyons meticulous logs 0 ge lost due to zero visibility. or get and more than 40 d T Technology helps volunjournals. “I joined e teer find people. “With GPS teers because I’m the o unit and cell phones, it’s a units kind of person who lp littl easier to pinpoint somelittle will stop and help he on one’s location,� Paul says. people along the ke Along with technology, road if it looks like p,� co continuous training keeps they need help,� m members tuned up for their says Paul, who has vote n next rescue. “We’re one of been able to devote t few search and rescue the more time to the unit u units in the state trained since retiring in 2000 ationa certified to do extricaand from the Idaho Nationtion,� says Bill, who drives al Laboratory, where truck for a steel company he worked 32 years riff’s and routinely rigs loads e h S ty ineer. as a nuclear engineer. n Cou Bannock lps find and operates cranes. der of the y way “Doing this is my n ts and he a n m e m id c o c c a r, e to p s p d Paul Na e, respon l Those workday skills of helping people. I also nd Rescu a Troyer] Search a by Diann to o h [P help him be comfortable running extricaenjoy volunteering as a . le lost peop fireman with the Chubbuck Fire tion equipment. “We had one call in the south part of the county, where a girl was in a rollover and buck Fire Department.� In winter, sudden changes in weather quickly the roof collapsed around her head. Once we got create hazardous conditions for drivers, snow- the roof cut off, she got out with hardly a scratch.� Other people aren’t so fortunate, dying in mobilers, and backcountry skiers. “We laugh at ourselves because we’re heading out into the remote areas where searchers are unable to find same weather conditions that caused problems them, until their bodies have decomposed. “One for the person we’re going to help,� says Paul, an summer, we had a couple in a pickup that rolled down into a ravine. It took about a week to find avid cross country skier and snowmobiler. One of his most memorable calls came about them,� Bill recalls. “Another time, we didn’t find three years ago in the forested Mink Creek area the victims of a small plane crash for months.� Most people are grateful for the search and south of Pocatello. “We got a call on a Thursday night about 11 from a man whose wife hadn’t rescue services, although some are embarreturned from snowshoeing. He told us she went rassed. “We’ve had a few people who get lost out because she liked to check on snow depths. and don’t want a ride back to our base camp She was easy to track. We followed her trail up because they don’t want the media to see them,� and down the sides of steep canyons, back and Paul says. One soldier who had returned from Iraq was forth across a creek, until about 4 a.m. Then we in uniform and lost in the mountains above Inkom. had to stop to rest and build a fire.� The next morning, other searchers relieved “It’s easy to get turned around out there,� say Bill, Paul, but the woman still eluded them. Finally, just who spends much of free time during summer,

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exploring that same back country. When they aren’t finding lost people, the search and rescue volunteers help do traffic control for the Idaho State Police along the interstates around Pocatello. “We’re also trained

to provide emergency medical services,” Paul says, “so we help at accidents.” When he’s not on call, Paul enjoys snowmobiling into his recreational property along the Big Lost River south of Mackay. “It’s beautiful up

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 27

there. We’ve had a dry winter and could use a little more snow. It’s not all bad, though, because we haven’t had many calls so far this winter. We’re always ready to go.” ISI

Love and laughter pour forth from the Boes’ home By Dianna Troyer certificate in 1957. “Peace to all who enter here,” reads a metal “Mutual friends introduced us at a Christmas postcard-sized plaque at Dr. Roger and Donna dance,” Roger recalls. “The girls had to put one of Boe’s front door. The Pocatello couple could add their shoes in a pile in the middle of a room. The another plaque, saying that visitors will exit their boys had to grab a shoe and match it to its owner. home feeling a healing dose of love and laughter, When I saw Donna, I watched where she put her ideals that have guided shoe and made a mad their nearly 60 years dash for hers.” together, through timeIn 1954, they were consuming careers, married and Roger raising a family, and joined the Army. “I had more recently, missionbeen accepted to mediary work that has led cal school but didn’t them around the world. have enough money to Throughout their pay for it, so I joined the lives, Roger, 78, a reArmy to be eligible for tired pediatrician, and the G.I. bill to finance Donna, 77, a retired my education.” state legislator, have He was stationed in relied on one of their Japan at Tokyo Army favorite Bible passages Hospital. “I worked as a about love for guidance technician in the hemaat home with each other tology lab, and Donna and outside the home found a job in the hoswith their hectic profespital’s library.” sions. After Roger com“We like the verses pleted his tour of duty, about love starting with the Boes returned to First Corinthians 13:4,” the U.S., and Roger enDonna says, referring Dr. Roger and Donna Boe enjoy sharing their expertise in rolled at the University to passages about love medicine and politics as they travel the world. [Photo by of Colorado School of being patient, kind, not Dianna Troyer] Medicine. jealous or conceited, “We lived on $120 a not proud or easily provoked. Love doesn’t keep month in low income housing,” Roger says. “Donna a record of wrongs, rejoices with truth, hopes all taught school, and I worked part time as a lab tech. things, and never fails. To us, McDonald’s was a big treat.” To celebrate their love for each other, on Valentine’s Day and their wedding anniversary on September 16, the Boes do not have a set way to honor these occasions. In fact, this year they will be in the Galapagos Islands on February 14 and will need to invent a new way to celebrate. For their 50th wedding anniversary, they had a reception in Lava Hot Springs with friends and family. “After we were first married, we realized how opposite we were,” Roger says, laughing. He is introverted. She is extroverted. He likes emotions and feelings. She is logical. At first, they clashed over those differences, but gradually learned to respect and accept each other’s personalities. “We’ve had our share of adjustments to make,” Donna says. “Early on, we realized we would have to compromise.” Along with love, Roger says having a sense of humor “helps with healing and lets us be ourselves with our personality foibles that might otherwise be irritants.” They have found common ground in their missionary work. “That has allowed us to share our respective interests and skills in the best possible way and has bonded us more deeply. We’ve found it’s something we love to do together.” Recently, friends joked about Roger’s and Donna’s differences, when they heard the Boes summarize their missionary trip to Maua Methodist Hospital in eastern Kenya, where they worked in May and June 2011. “Roger painted a big picture with a lot of feeling, while I did a point-by-point logical presentation of why they have the problems they do,” Donna says. “Kenyans face complex issues with no easy solutions dealing with government corruption, a shortage of doctors, 41,000 AIDS orphans, along with drought and starvation.” Roger says, “They do so much with so little.” The Boes have done so much with their lives after a humble start together. They met at the University of New Mexico, where Roger earned a degree in biology in 1954 and Donna graduated with a degree in social studies and a teaching

After completing his internship, residency, and a fellowship in neonatology in Seattle, the Boes settled in Pocatello in 1965. “We looked at a lot of places and deeply respected the high-quality practice of Dr. Bill Brydon,” Roger recalls. “At the time, he was the only pediatrician in town. We also liked the friendliness of Pocatello people and the outdoor lifestyle.” Donna raised their children, Carl and Karen, and became interested in local politics. From 1975 to 1985, she served on the Pocatello City Council and was elected as mayor by the council in 1977. “At that time, we had a city manager, and the council elected the mayor.”

PAGE 28 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

Donna worked on various local and national campaigns, and ran her own campaign when local Democrats asked her to run for the Idaho House of Representatives. From 1996 to 2010, she served District 30A and was on committees dealing with education, the judiciary, and legislative oversight. In 1999, Roger retired from his pediatric practice and was hired to start a new program, coordinating missionary health care projects nationwide for the First United Methodist Church. He retired from that job in 2010, the same year Donna retired from the Legislature. These days, the Boes are active in the Pocatello First United Methodist Church, visit their children and three grandchildren, and are always ready for a new travel adventure. “We’ve traveled to more than 15 countries,” says Roger, who documents their trips with awardwinning photographs. They chronicled their recent trip to Kenya on a blog, www.mission2maua. blogspot.com. An edited version of it is being printed into a book for friends and family. “We printed four copies for our first and last edition,” says Roger, laughing. “We’ve been blessed.” ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

Barb and Bob Parris live the way life ought to be By Dianna Troyer lished, members named it for locally grown pota“Good evening and welcome to the Barony of toes, and the eyes on Idaho’s signature vegetable. One Thousand Eyes in the Kingdom of Artemisia. “But then we realized potatoes were more of a New I’m Baroness Ariel of York.” Standing beside her, a World vegetable, so we kept the name but refer dignified man introduces himself as Baron Robert to the eyes as those on a peacock’s tail feathers. the Lost. “Welcome. Come and visit with us.” The peacock is our emblem.” Every Thursday at 7 p.m., Ariel and Robert, Barb and Bob joined the along with dozens of other Barsociety 25 years ago. “Everyony residents, dress one is so enthusiastic, enerin medieval or regetic, friendly, and familynaissance garb and oriented,” Barb says of the meet at the Blacksoutheastern Idaho chapter. foot Charter School. “We have about 150 paying Instead of a school in members, and another 70 their mind’s eye, they or 80 who come to events are converging in a vilbut aren’t members. Our lage, a continent away territory includes most of during a bygone era. southeastern Idaho. We For a few hours, they welcome anyone and forget their day jobs, as have plenty of garbs to they slip into their roles loan, so you can blend of yesteryear. into the time period.” B y d a y, A r i e l i s The Parris’ chil52-year-old Blackfoot dren, grandchildren, resident Barb Parris, and Barb’s 73-year-old who runs a business as mother, Shirley Gooda personal in-home chef, year of Riverside, all while Robert the Lost is come to events. “We her 47-year-old husband, have four generations Bob, an operator at Basic doing this,” Shirley aroness says. “All age groups b American Foods. d n a n aro eastern ork are b They belong to the SoAriel of Y the south nism. are welcome from d , n s a e t y s E o nd eL ro ciety for Creative Anachro- Robert th rony of One Thousa for Creative Anach babes-in-arms to a ty B ie e c o nism, a worldwide non-profit of th chapter of the S seniors. I’m Lady aho yer] educational society founded Id hoto by Dianna Tro Esther, a middle-class merchant.” [P in 1968 in Berkley, Calif., When Bob and Barb joined, they picked their whose members re-create life between about 600 persona. “You can’t be a person who actually and 1625 A.D. lived, so you have to do research and decide who “Here, life is the way it ought to be - people you’d like to be and learn how that person would are welcoming, treat each other with respect, have lived,” Barb says. “I love the name Ariel, so I learn, and laugh a lot,” Barb says. “We all live our picked that for my name. I’m a widow of a wealthy lives as closely as possible according to values of merchant and surviving heir of my father, so I have honor and chivalry, and we learn so much about the means to travel extensively and wear whatever history, crafts, and food. I want. My sister-in-law is a fantastic seamstress, For a short time at our so she makes a lot of our clothes by hand.” gatherings, we get a Bob says he picked his name because he is occhance to experience life casionally absent-minded and lost. “I’m descended a thousand years ago from Norwegians and like to do sword-fighting and without the hardships. archery.” We use running water Bob and Barb are also baron and baroness, and electricity to cook representatives of the king and queen. “Usually, our meals, yet we eat by those positions rotate every two years, but we were candlelight. In our Bar- appointed three years ago and have one more ony, we have the best of year to go,” Barb says. “The king and queen are both worlds.” chosen every six months and must win a crown In 1987, when the tournament to earn their royal titles.” Barony of One ThouFor Barb, it is fascinating to see architectural sand Eyes was estab- accomplishments and artwork from centuries ago. “I’m amazed at how Notre Dam was built. You wonder how ink was developed or glass was made, considering technology at that time was rudimentary. Yet, people made gorgeous, eternal artwork such as glass, tapestries, calligraphy, paintings, and poetry. In the midst of their harsh lives, people yearned to create beauty and were ingenious at using what materials they had.” Barb learned to make glass beads. “Whatever craft you want to learn, there’s always someone around to show you how to do it, whether it’s wood

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

carving, leatherwork, weaving, spinning, brewing, calligraphy or metalwork. Activities aren’t genderbased either. Men sew, and women fight. We all follow our bliss, and our attitude is ‘Let’s learn together.’” She dispels a few medieval myths. “People think no one bathed back then, but they did. And they didn’t eat rotten food and mask it with spices.” Surprisingly, women’s dresses often outweighed men’s armor, says Barb’s sister-in-law Angela Goodyear, a seamstress. “An Elizabethan dress might have 14 yards of cloth in it. A woman’s garb from hat to dress to shoes with all the supports in between weighed 38 to 45 pounds, while armor

might weigh about 26 pounds.” Belonging to the society has helped the Parris children love history. “If you teach kids interesting history when they’re young, they’ll love it the rest of their lives,” Barb says. “We’ll be watching a movie or TV show, and they’ll say, ‘That’s the wrong armor for that time period.’” During the Thursday meetings, members practice their sword fighting, using blades with blunted edges or swords made of rattan, so they fray when struck repeatedly and will not injure anyone. “We joke that it’s okay to kill your friends in jest, but it’s not okay to hurt them in reality. Safety is a priority,

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 29

and fighters wear full body armor.” The Barony’s annual gathering, called The Uprising, is scheduled in June at a field near Firth and attracts 700 to 900 people. “We camp for about a week from the Tuesday before Father’s Day until Father’s Day,” Barb says. “We’re like a big extended family. You wander from camp to camp and everyone is so welcoming. People ask where you are from, what you like to do. It’s how life in a community ought to be.” More information about the local chapter may be found at www.barony1000eyes.org, or Barb and Bob may be contacted at 208-680-0914. ISI

Bowler Gene Giesbrecht anticipates elation and agony at the alley By Dianna Troyer the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I won the qualifying Perfection was only one frame away for long- tournament with a 255. He was a very personable time bowler Gene Giesbrecht two years ago at and informative person. I learned a lot, but didn’t Tough Guy Lanes in Pocatello. bowl very well - 155. Nerves definitely got the best “I’ve relived that moment so many times. It of me.” a touch was the 12th frame, and I threw At the alley, Gene strives for perfection in too hard,” says the 66-year-old himself and those he coaches, including his retired librarian who throws his 17-year-old grandson, Tyler Ames, ball about 14 to 15 miles an hour, who bowls for Pocatelslightly less than the pros’ averlo High School’s age speed of 20 miles an hour. “I team. Pocatelblew the six pin over the 10 pin lo has nearly 200 and left it standing. I had 299 competitive teen instead of 300.” bowlers at high That near perfect night, he schools, including had even relied on his lethal 20 at Pocatello, 80 weapon, The Cherry Bomb, at Highland, and 60 a bright red, 16-pound pearlat Century. ized resin bowling ball. “It’s So far this year, one of my oldest balls, Gene has been elatand that night it was my ed to bowl close to a hot ball.” perfect 300. “I had a If the pin would have 289 game and a high fallen, he would have series of 789.” With bowled his second perscores like that, he will fect game. “On Sepbe a contender at the Potember 19, 2002, I catello Men’s City Tourbowled a 300 in sancnament on Feb. 18 and 19 tion play,” says Gene, Gene G at Tough Guy Lanes. He’s ie who has been bowl- his lethal sbrecht is co accustomed to tournament m w ing more than a half pearlized re easpon, “T petitive at a pressure. sin b h all. [P e Cherry ny bowling century on the south“My son Christian and hoto by Di Bomb,” a alley with anna c eastern Idaho bowling circuit. I won the city doubles tourh e rry re Troye d r] He not only bowls in three leagues every nament in 1997. Last year, week, he also coaches Pocatello High School’s Ty l e r Tyler and I placed second in bowling team and serves as president of the Men’s the Junior/Adult tournament. There are some Majors and vice president of the 444-member days when Tyler can beat me, and Christian beats Pocatello Men’s Bowling Association. He had me regularly,” Gene admits, “and I’m happy for previously served as president of the Jack and them. We’re all competitive with each other but in Jill League in the 1970s and was president of the a good way.” Men’s Majors for six years. Competing in the SeGene made sure Christian and Tyler started nior Intermountain Scratch Bowling Association, bowling as kids, just as he did. “I started when I he travels throughout Idaho, Utah, and Nevada, was in grade school and bowled with my brother.” hoping to win first-place prizes of up to $500. Since childhood, Gene’s interest in bowling “I love the game and sharing some techniques waned only briefly. “After I got back from Vietnam I and strategies that will help others,” says Gene, didn’t bowl for a while, then my wife, Sally, sugwho is at an alley five to seven days a week bowl- gested I get back into it. We had some friends who ing in local leagues and tournaments, practicing, needed a sub for their team, so I started doing that or coaching. “I had some kids on the high school in 1971, then began bowling in a league, and have team who started this season bowling 30 and after been bowling ever since.” a couple of weeks, they were up to 129 to 159. The bowling alley often beckoned him, whenThey were elated. I love seeing their enthusiasm.” ever he needed a break from studying for his One of the most memorable events in his college degrees in German and education with bowling career was bowling in 2004 with record- certifications in history and library science. setter Walter Ray Williams, considered the greatest bowler of all time. “He was participating in the World Horseshoe Championships that year. Steve Young, owner of the Tough Guy Lanes at that time, asked him to hold a clinic and bowl one game for

Gene has always been a natural teacher, whether in a classroom or at the bowling alley, giving tips about approach, aim, and release. His first priority is to teach bowlers how to roll the bowl down the alley, to focus, relax, and stroke the ball. “The first spare I teach them is how to pick off the 10 pin. You have to learn from losing, too. If you find yourself in a slump, determine what you’re doing wrong. You might need to relax your arm swing or stop overthrowing the ball.” He reminds bowlers, “you can have a good throw but not always be rewarded for it. The pins respond to the speed of the ball, the angle it approaches, whether the ball is sliding or rolling. It’s a game of physics and geometry and occasional frustration and elation. You never know what will happen, but it’s always entertaining. No matter what, have a sense of humor.” Gene’s humor helps his grandson relieve tension. “Sometimes, I sing either Light My Fire by

PAGE 30 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

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the Doors or Treasure Your Love by Meat Loaf. Then I do the Cherry Bomb, a dance in which I swivel my hips enough to make Elvis jealous. Tyler gets so embarrassed and tells me to stop. When I’m done, though, he’s laughing and relaxed and bowls better.” To keep in shape for bowling, Gene lifts weights three days a week and does a Soloflex machine to keep his shoulders, back, arms, and legs strong and limber.

For some seeking riches during the Depression, the prospects were promising. In the end, however, they seemed hardly worth the effort. This issue, our winning Remember When contributor, Corinne Moyers of Nampa, recalls the treacherous descent to her grandfather’s gold mine in the Snake River Canyon, as well as the small returns on his placer claim. Thank you and congratulations to Ms. Moyers, the winner of our

“Bowling is a sport for anyone of any age. I’m teaching our 3-year-old granddaughter, Amyah, and our grandson, Soren, to bowl. In one league I bowl in, people are in their 80s and 90s and some have arthritis, heart problems, MS, or carpal tunnel syndrome. Still, they’re out there competing. We never show each other mercy. We joke that if you want to win, you have to earn it. When I’m their age, I hope I’ll be bowling as well as they are.” ISI

$25 Remember When prize. Remember When contains our readers’ personal reflections or contributions describing fictional or non-fictional events from some time in the past. Contributions may be stories, letters, artwork, poems, essays, etc. Photos may be included. Each issue of the Idaho Senior Independent features the contribution(s) deemed best by our

staff. The contributor of the winning entry receives a $25 cash prize. We look forward to receiving your contributions for our April/May 2012 issue. Mail your correspondence to Idaho Senior Independent, P.O. Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403, email to idahoseniorind@bresnan.net, or call 1-866-3605683 or 208-318-0310.

Grandfather’s Gold Mine By Corinne Moyers, Nampa “Gold Claim Staked on Snake River by Oscar A. McClure” read the headline in the Thursday, September 10, 1931 issue of the Twin Falls Country Citizen-Record, my father’s newspaper. It went on to read, “notice of location of gold placer claim was made in the country recorder’s office Tuesday by Oscar A. McClure. “He has named his claim the Gold Eagle and states that it is approximately one mile below the Hansen Bridge in the Snake River Canyon. The northwest corner of the claim is located 750 feet east of a location stake situated on a rock reef on the south side of the river. Date of location is given as August 16, 1931.” Getting to Grandfather’s mine was perilous in places. First, the car was parked as near the river as possible, in the yard of a farmer whose pasture ran back to the edge of the cliff above the river. Supplies were carried in two gunnysacks slung over Dad’s shoulders. The path along the edge of the canyon went through the farmer’s field, and when we ran out of field, we were on the edge of the canyon. A rope ladder dangled down the face of the cliff, and the descent was negotiated, one person at a time. At the bottom of the ladder was lush green undergrowth, consisting of interesting things like poison ivy and nettles. If anyone mentioned “nettles” to Mother, she promptly broke out in a rash. The path from there wound around boulders and through more brush. In one place, a part of the river that had gotten separated from the main stream boiled and splashed its way through a narrow gash in the rock, about four feet wide. To get across, we climbed along two stretched cables, one for the feet and one to hold on to. The path went on further through the area where a home was built many years previously – each board and brick had been lowered over the side of the canyon by ropes. The garden was green with vegetables and perky with flowers. The path went on past the edge of the river, where stagnant moss was piled and the river turned on around the cliff. This was where Grandfather’s gold mine was. A fire hose was placed at the beginnings of a spring that came out of the canyon wall; the water ran down to the sluice box where the tiny feathers of gold from his gold pan washed over the ripples of burlap. The tiny bits of “cullah” (Grandfather was from Boston and dropped his R’s.) were then picked up with globules of mercury. Beyond the sluice box, Grandfather had pitched his tent. Inside, a little

potbellied stove sat in a corner, within reach of his bed, so he could start his fire in the morning without getting out of bed. His other supplies were piled in one corner of the tent. His bed was an army cot. To get fresh drinking water, he had found a fresh water spring in the Snake River itself. A large can with one side cut out was placed around the spring. The open side faced downstream, and a cup rested on the top of the can. The following year, Grandfather returned to work his mine, and in the fall when he came out of the canyon, he had a little vial with a lump of mercury combined with the gold. The newspaper office had a large window, which faced the street. On the wide shelf behind the window would reside the “largest squash” or “largest pumpkin” of the season for all to see. Dad placed the little vial of gold in the window with an identifying sign. Grandfather insisted that the little vial had at least $25 worth of gold in it; Dad insisted that it could not be more than $5. The argument went on and on. While they were arguing, someone picked the little vial out of the window, so the argument was never settled. “Old Prospector Placering Again,” read the item in the June 8, 1933 newspaper. “O.S. McClure Returns with Partners to Claim on Snake River.” O.A. McClure returned to Filer last Friday from Portland, Ore., where he spent the past winter. He was accompanied by his two partners, T.M. Dolan and Charles Erickson, who will endeavor to wrest a fortune from the rocks in Snake River Canyon, approximately a mile and a half east of Twin Falls. Saturday morning, the men, in company with the editor of the CitizenRecord, packed their camp and mining equipment into the promised land, operations starting sluicing the claim Monday. This is Mr. McClure’s third year in the Canyon, and he expects to bring it to production this year. It was also the last year that Grandfather came to the mine because in October of 1933, Dad lost the newspaper, due in part to the Depression. The few business people left in the area were not advertising as much because their sales had dropped. And it is advertising that keeps a newspaper running. Dad’s story was that the fellow who held the mortgage on the paper got into a crap game, lost the newspaper, and the winner decided he wanted to run the newspaper. Actually, Dad was unable to meet the payments on the loan from the bank. He had traded the equity in the house in Portland for the paper, as well as getting the loan. ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 31

A lesson for all students Submited by Julie Hollar-Brantley Back in September, Martha Cothren, a social studies teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, Arkansas did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks from her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room, they discovered that there were no desks. “Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?� She replied, “You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.� They asked, “Is it our grades?� “No,� she said. “Maybe it’s our behavior.� She told them, “No, it’s not even your behavior.� And so, the day passed - first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. By early afternoon, television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren’s classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the deskless classroom, Martha Cothren said, “Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.� At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twentyseven U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they walked over and stood alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned. Ms. Cothren said, “You didn’t earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. Now, it’s up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don’t ever forget it.� ISI

Don’t miss the next best thing to spring training... “Six months out of every year, when we cook for them it never pays; Instead of praising our goulash, they’re appraising the plays of Willie Mays!� So sings the wife of a 1950s baseball fanatic who trades his soul to the Devil for a chance to lead his favorite team in the pennant race against The New York Yankees. The seven Tony Award winning Broadway musical, Damn Yankees, will be performed in the Colonial Theater for one night only, Tuesday, March 6, 7:30 pm. Tickets are $44 and can be purchased by calling the Idaho Falls Arts Council at 208-522-0471 or www.idahofallsarts.org. Faust, fly balls, and devilishly good fun all meet at the home plate of this story. “Shoeless� Joe Hardy, transforms the hapless Washington Senators into a winning team, only to realize the true worth of the life (and wife) he’s left at home. With the help of a handy escape clause and a guilt-ridden temptress named Lola, Joe outsmarts the Devil, returns to his former self and shepherds the Senators to the World Series . Filled with hit songs like “Whatever Lola Wants� and “You Gotta Have Heart�, this is a musical comedy home run. We’ll see you there! ISI

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Classic DVD’s Remakes and Sequels By Mark Fee Hollywood has an endless supply of successful films. Most remakes, sequels, and prequels rarely eclipse the original. But the film industry has thrived with the adage, “If it worked once, it’ll work again.” Some films have been remade or reworked with different titles. If the success of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol (2011) is any indication, audiences are in for more sequels and remakes in 2012 and years to come. The Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Batman, and Superman films began, as television series. The Rocky films are based on a fictitious character, as are the James Bond movies. They have all done blockbuster box office. The Planet of the Apes film series, including Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Planet of the Apes (2000) is based on a neo classic science fiction novel. The original Planet of the Apes (1968) was ground-breaking. Many sequels and remakes have been forgotten or neglected and are available at your local DVD store. I’ve listed some of my favorites and a few sleepers, below. In John Frankenhiemer’s French Connection II (1975), Gene Hackman returns as Detective “Popeye” Doyle. Doyle travels to France from New York to catch a drug lord. He is set up and unfamiliar with French law. The film is not as action driven as the original directed by William Friedkin (1971). Frankenhiemer’s film concentrates on the character of Doyle and is slower. The final chase is spellbinding. Rated R; three stars. Sidney Poitier plays San Francisco Detective Virgil Tibbs in The Organization (1972). Tibbs investigates a cover-up involving the mafia. Poitier

played Tibbs in the Academy Award winning, In the Heat of the Night (1967) and banal sequel, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs (1970). The Organization is sharp and right on target. The film is a sleeper and well worth watching. Rated PG; three stars. In The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Steve McQueen plays a financial wizard, who decides to rob a bank for kicks. He enlists a group of thieves without letting them know who he is. The heist is pulled off like clock work. Faye Dunaway plays a suave and very seductive insurance investigator. The film was remade in 1998 with Pierce Brosnan. The original directed by Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof - 1971; Moonstruck - 1997) is better and edgier. The soundtrack by Michele Legrand includes the Academy Award winning song, The Windmills of Your Mind. Rated PG; three stars. Gregory Peck plays a retired cavalry scout in The Stalking Moon (1968), who helps Eve Marie Saint and her half-Apache son, escape from an almost mythic Apache warrior. Though not acknowledged, the film is virtually a remake of another Peck thriller, Cape Fear (1963). Cape Fear was remade by Martin Scorsese in 1991. The photography for Stalking Moon is stunning; the film is haunting and chilling. The final battle between Peck and the Apache is shattering. Rated PG, three stars. Blake Edwards’s A Shot in the Dark (1964) with Peter Sellers, is even funnier than the original Pink Panther (1963). Edward’s made four other Pink Panther films with Sellers. A Shot in the Dark is a hilarious, riotously funny, sophisticated comedy. Sellers plays the incompetent and unforgettable, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Clouseau is assigned to investigate a murder that takes place at

the home of a wealthy land owner (George Sanders). One of the suspects is the enticing and very funny, Elke Sommers. The film is non stop laughter from beginning to end. Rated PG; 3 1/2 stars. In Walt Disney’s The Incredible Journey (1963), a bull terrier, Siamese cat, and Labrador travel some 250 miles across hazardous country in Canada, to be reunited with their owner and his family. Disney remade the film in 1993 as Homeward Bound with a sequel. Neither film compares with the original. It is an amazing film and must see for the whole family. Rex Allen narrates the original; human voices are used for the animals in the remake and sequel. Rated G; 3 1/2 stars. In Lewis Milestone’s spectacular remake of the classic Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), Marlon Brando plays an aloof British naval officer, Fletcher Christian. Christian leads a rebellion against the sadistic and tyrannical, Captain Bligh. The original film with Clark Gable, Charles Laughton (1935) is considered far superior by most critics. Milestone’s film was a massive undertaking and flawed but fascinating, particularly Brando’s performance as Christian and Trevor Howard as Captain Bligh. The film was remade again as The Bounty (1984) with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins. Rated PG; three stars. Walt Disney’s Savage Sam (1963) is not as rewarding as the immensely popular Old Yeller (1957). The sequel is exciting with memorable characters, including Brian Keith. Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran play the owners of the dog. The boys are kidnapped by renegade Indians. Savage Sam and Keith come to the rescue. NR; 2 1/2 stars. Until the next time, enjoy the New Year and enjoy these classic DVDs. ISI

Where Are They Now - Dolores Hart? By Marshall J. Kaplan The former 1950s and 1960s leading lady is now leading a life as an American Roman Catholic nun. Dolores Hart was born as Dolores Hicks on October 20, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. With the onset of her parent’s marital problems, Dolores moved in with her grandparents. Her grandfather was a movie theater projectionist, and it was his enthusiasm about films that led Dolores to pursue a career in acting. Also, when Dolores was eleven, her father Bert Hicks, a bit player actor, was offered a contract with a movie studio and was off to Hollywood taking star struck Dolores with him. “I was a Hollywood brat. We lived in Beverly Hills and I would visit the movie lots with my Dad. I wanted to be part of that life!”

With her father’s help, Dolores changed her last name to Hart, got a movie contract, and was signed to play Elvis Presley’s love interest in 1957’s Loving You... a career break other actresses only dream of! It is all about whom you know! And what about Dolores’ on-screen kiss with Elvis? “My kiss was 15 seconds long on film, but has lasted 50 years!” After Loving You, Dolores was in demand, appearing in Wild in the Wind (1957 with Anthony Quinn) and Lonelyhearts (1958 with Montgomery Clift), until appearing in yet another Elvis movie - 1958s hit, King Creole! Dolores then appeared on Broadway in 1959, earning a Tony award nomination for Best Featured Actress in The Pleasure of his Company. Dolores was then off to Rome, filming the classic Where The Boys Are (1960) and Frances of Assisi (1961). It was during this time in Rome that changed her life. When she met Pope John XXIII, she told him, “I am Dolores Hart - the actress playing the nun, Clare.” The Pope replied, “No, you ARE Clare!”

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

After appearing in four more films and breaking off her engagement to Los Angeles executive, Dan Robinson, the 25-year-old actress decided to leave the film industry and become a nun at the Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut. “I took my final vows in 1970,” Dolores relates.

Today, Mother Dolores Hart is instrumental in bringing the arts into the community - raising awareness and money for the Abbey. She is also the only member of the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences who is a nun. A true combination of Hollywood and religion - with a touch of Elvis! ISI

Well, it’s the season for sweethearts, and Cupid is calling! Time to find that special someone, so you can send a heart-shaped box of sweets or fragrant bouquet of flowers. A romantic dinner for two, perhaps? By responding to one of these ads, you may discover the first flutterings of love. And what better occasion for new romance? Take a chance… Cupid’s arrow could be pointed directly at you! To those who wish to respond to any of these personal ads, simply forward your message and address, phone number, or email address to the department number listed in the particular personal ad, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, P.O. Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403. We will forward your response, including your address, phone number, and/or email address to the person placing the ad. If you answer an ad in this section, there is no guarantee that you will receive a response. That is up to the person who placed the ad. Please make sure you submit your correct address plainly printed, so you can promptly receive responses. Respond to the ads in this issue, and also sit down now and prepare your own ad to run in our next issue. There is no charge for this service, and your ad may lead you down the path of true love! Responses to personal ads appearing in this column can be submitted at any time. However, to place a personal ad in the April/May 2012 issue, the deadline is March 10, 2012.

Friend, companion, gentleman wanted. 65-80 and non-smoking. Would you like to meet a nice lady to relax and enjoy life with? I am clean, honest, sincere, financially stable, smart, and goodhearted. You can be yourself with me. I have been widowed for 6 years, and am a tall, slim, blondhaired, blue-eyed, retired nurse. I wear Levis and love the outdoors, animals, flea markets, and much more. Write me now and make it happen! Reply ISI, Dept. 7604, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

Dependable and clean, attractive, compact 1955 model with low miles. Auburn hair, green eyes, 5’2”, sense of humor, old fashioned, affectionate, considerate, honest spontaneous, down to earth. Likes quiet times at home, reading, and gardening. Enjoy camping, spontaneous road trips, antiques, and yard sales. Seeking a Grizzly Adams/biker with good personal hygiene/ daily habits. Facial hair a plus. No boozers, smokers, druggies, or whiners. Seeking 52-64 years, financially secure, with some of the same interests and qualities. An honest one-to-one. Please send photo. Reply ISI, Dept. 7601, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

I am an active, 60-year-old gal who wants to find the right man to enjoy life with. Looking for a companion who is HONEST, no more than a social drinker, and easy going (no hotheads), between 58-67. I like to travel by motor home, car, airplane, or horse! Having time on one’s hands invites spending time enjoying life and having fun. I also enjoy everything from campfires to reading, to being part of the Shriner’s organization. I live and love the Coeur d’Alene/ Spokane Inland Northwest. I am 5’4”, blonde, blue eyes, and average weight. I am able to take care of myself financially, and you be too, please. Reply ISI, Dept. 7607, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

SWF would like to meet a nice gentleman, 70+, who would enjoy friendship with a country gal. I’m financially secure - you, too, please. I like traveling, camping, cozying up to a campfire, RVing, 4-wheeling. Let’s meet and have fun! Who knows, we may find love! Send photo and phone number. Reply ISI, Dept. 7602, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403. Attractive, semi-retired gal wants to have fun with a man who is friendly, likes to laugh, and enjoys life. 59, non-smoker, light drinker; blonde hair, blue eyes, 5’5”, moderately built. I live in the Spokane-Inland Northwest area. I enjoy camping/traveling, gardening, and photography. I enjoy most music much more than TV. Honest and financially secure; you should be, too. Your looks aren’t as important as who you are. Please be between 58-67. Send photo and information about yourself, and I will do the same. Reply ISI, Dept. 7603, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

Interested in SWM only, not over 65. I live in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I am a SWF who has been a widow since 2008. I need a friend. I want someone to share thoughts with and laugh with. Must have a good sense of humor. I am 65, love people, and enjoy having fun. No smokers or drug users! Reply ISI, Dept. 7605, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403. SWF, 70, retired, live in Coeur d’Alene area. I am looking for a SWM for a friend and companion. I am a non-smoker, honest, and friendly. Live on a limited income, which I budget quite well, but I don’t have extra if that is important to you. I am not looking for someone to take care of me, and you should be able to take care of your own needs. Reply ISI, Dept. 7606, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

I am a more or less retired professional man who is looking for a trim and fit senior lady who might enjoy traveling and likes dancing. I would like to take a cruise, but not all by my-

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 33

self. I am a light social drinker and do not smoke. I enjoy doing a little computer work, watching some TV, and cooking. I live in the Snake River Canyon. I will answer every letter and age is not important to me. I am 6’2”, 217 lbs (less than when I joined the Navy in WWII). I clean up nicely. Will exchange photos. Reply ISI, Dept. 7608, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403. ISI

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Headlines of History: Washington DC’s Newseum In addition, the Newseum houses hundreds of videos. In fact, a person Story by Andrea Gross (andreagross.com) One minute I am standing in front of eight 4’ wide, 12’ tall sections of the could spend hours just watching videos - from an eight-minute overview of Berlin Wall. A few minutes later, I am watching videos of the moon landing, major events narrated by Charles Osgood to a 25-minute look at the history of sports reporting. Princess Diana’s wedding, JFK’s assassinaI hesitate before walking into the Comcast tion, 9/11.... As I walk through the Newseum, 9/11 Gallery. Do I really want to relive that horWashington DC’s 250,000-square-foot paean rible day? But of course I go in and sit spellto journalism, I am reminded of the old adage: bound as journalists who were there tell what Yesterday’s news is today’s history. they did to bring the story to the rest of us. The The museum, which is located on Pennaudience is transfixed; the room is completely sylvania Avenue just blocks from the National silent. I feel as if I am in a church. Mall, contains more than 35,000 newspapers, All told, the Newseum houses 15 theaters including one from 1718 that heralds the death and 14 main exhibits. My personal favorite is of Blackbeard, the notorious British pirate, and The Pulitzer Prize Gallery, a collection of phoone started by the brother of Benjamin Franklin. tographs that deliver a gut punch to the soul. It’s filled with journalistically relevant artifacts, There is the horrified girl who saw her fellow like the microphone used by Edward R. Murrow student shot at Kent State, the napalm-burned for his radio broadcasts during the Blitz and the notebook used by the Newsweek reporter who A replica of Tim Russert’s office as it looked on the day of his child running down a street in Vietnam, the flag death is on display through 2012. [Photo by Maria Bryk/Newseum] being raised on Iwo Jima. Video interviews with broke the Monica Lewinsky story. the photographers give the story behind the story. In addition, there are a number of temporary exhibits that will only run until the end of this year. One of the most popular and poignant, Inside Tim Russert’s Office, shows the famous newsman’s desk arranged exactly as it was on the day of his death. Another, titled First Dogs, features nearly two dozen pets that have provided our presidents with apolitical companionship. These include Coolidge’s white collie, which was photographed wearing an Easter bonnet; George H. W. Bush’s English springer spaniel, which was credited with writing a bestselling book; and Warren Harding’s Airedale, which attended Cabinet meetings with his master. (One can only wonder what scandals would have been adverted if the dog had barked a few words of caution into the President’s ear.) On a more serious note, the G-Men and Journalists exhibit provides insight into the tension between law enforcement and the press, showing how the press prevents abuses of power but also makes the work of the special agents more difficult. More than 200 artifacts complement the photos and newspapers, including the cabin used by the Unibomber and the electric chair that ended the life of Bruno Hauptmann, who steadfastly denied that he was the person who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby. Later, after a quick lunch in the Wolfgang Puck cafe on the lower level, I explore some of the interactive galleries, which are among the museum’s most popular. In one, reporter wannabes try reading a news report from a Teleprompter and writing a story on deadline. In another, they confront ethical problems. When is it okay to quote anonymous sources? Is it more important to photograph a dying child who is about to be eaten by a vulture, and thus alert the world to the plight of the Sudanese, or is it better to drop the camera and try to save the child?* I wander out on the terrace, where a guide tells me that the Newseum was built on the site of the old National Hotel. “That’s the hotel where John Wilkes Booth stayed when he plotted the murder of Abraham Lincoln,” he says. Inside I see the newspaper announcing the assassination of the president as well as ones telling of the hunt for Booth. For contemporary events, there is the broadcast studio where ABC News films its Sunday morning program, This Week. Behind the desk where George Stephanopoulos has interviewed the week’s newsmakers is the famous view of the capitol. But even more interesting is the daily display of the front pages of 80 newspapers from across the United States and around the world, posted every morning at 6 a.m. Washington time. They are a stark reminder that while we in the United States may be absorbed with the presidential primaries, the people in New Zealand are focused on something else entirely. For more information, visit www.newseum.org. * Faced with this dilemma, Kevin Carter opted to snap the award-winning photo. Afterwards he chased the vulture away, but haunted by the scene and by his own priorities, he committed suicide a few months later. ISI

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Winter bestows gifts of lifetime memories to Yellowstone visitors Article & Photo by Dianna Troyer Winter is the most wonderful time of year in Yellowstone National Park for Jim Evanoff, the environmental protection specialist for the Park, who is based at Mammoth Hot Springs. “I’ve worked in Yellowstone for 23 years and always look forward to winter.” Every winter, the park seems to bestow a gift upon him in the form of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, an unforgettable memory. “One year, I was cross country skiing at Old Faithful to celebrate New Year’s Eve, when it went off at 12:01 a.m. Only my wife, selected friends, and myself witnessed the eruption. It was wonderful, incredible timing. I felt like the park was pleased with me, giving me a bonus for the different projects I’ve worked on during the past decades.” Wintertime visitors can find plenty to do to make their own lifetime memories, Jim says. “There are many activities during winter; they’re just different from what you’d do in summer. You can snowmobile; take a snowcoach tour, cross-country ski, snowshoe, watch wildlife, or sign up for educational classes.” During the winter season from late December to early March, the 2.2 million-acre park is not crowded. About 94,000 recreational visits are logged during winter, compared to 3.6 million people coming in summer. The attitudes of wintertime visitors, who dress for subzero temperatures, are quite different from those of summertime tourists. “During the winter, no one is in a hurry like they sometimes are in summer, so there’s no atmosphere of hustle and bustle,” he says. “The solitude here during winter and the remoteness attracts a certain kind of person. People who stay overnight in lodging at Old Faithful or Mammoth Hot Springs relax

and don’t seem to miss not having a TV or radio. They play board games or cards, read a book, or visit with each other. A lot of times, people who stay a day or two tell me they wish they would have stayed a week.” For many, the park’s appearance in winter is enchanting. On a sunny day, snowflakes form countless prisms, reflecting a rainbow of colors. The hoarfrost builds up on trees around the geothermal features, turning them to crystal sculptures. Bison are dusted with frost. During the past few years, more crosscountry skiers have been coming into the park. “We’ve seen an increase in recent years, due to efforts to make snowmobiles clean and quiet, which allow for the coexistence of multiple user groups.” Of all the places in the park, Jim’s favorite is the Lamar Valley in the park’s northeastern corner where wolves were reintroduced in 1995. “I was fortunate to help carry in the first wolves that were released in the park. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for wolves, and winter is when they are the most efficient at what they do.” Today, more than 300 wolves live in the Greater Yellowstone Area. As temperatures warm, Jim relishes his wintertime memories and cherishes the inevitable shift into spring. “The subtle transitions as seasons change in spring and fall are wonderful to watch,” he says. “Here in the park, you see something to make you feel revived every day.” For about planning a winter trip, visit http:// www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/winteract.htm. ISI

Fairbanks and Beyond: Exploring the Far North Article & Photo by Holly Endersby In the dead of winter it might seems strange to think about Alaska, but now is the time to plan for a big trip... As our Alaska Airlines flight slipped below the clouds, the vibrant city of Fairbanks lay like a last outpost in the vast boreal forest surrounding it. Located in the Tanna River Valley, water surrounds Fairbanks. From the Minto Flats State Game Refuge on its western flank littered with thousands of tiny lakes and ponds, the Teklanika and Nenana Rivers to the southwest which feed into the larger Tanna and the Chena and Little Chena Rivers on the city’s eastern flank, water is a constant in the valley… and so are the famous Alaskan mosquitoes, gnats, and biting flies. But to those who know, fall, winter, and early spring are a great time to visit Fairbanks, enjoy the outdoors, take part in a rich array of cultural activities, and escape those nasty winged insects as well. Our recent visit took place in mid-August when the insects were still around but if we had waited just a few weeks, early frosts would have rid us of the pests. But our plans were to enjoy the Arctic tundra north of Fairbanks, so weather, river levels, and hunting opportunity dictated our timeline. We

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would raft two wild rivers and hunt caribou by boat on the Arctic plain before returning to Fairbanks. Traveling by pickup truck ten hours north along the haul rode to Prudhoe Bay we moved through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the Gates of the Arctic National Preserve and out onto the Arctic plain through Atigun Pass, a low point in the stark Brooks Mountain Range. Used to the timber-clad slopes of mountains in Idaho and Montana, the Brooks Range Mountains appeared to us as the

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bare bones of the planet, lying naked and brawny under the midnight sun. Just beyond Atigun Pass, the Atigun River passes close to the haul road so we pulled onto a gravel parking area and bivouacked for the night near the giant pipeline, a constant companion on the Dalton Highway. Laden with glacial silt, the Atigun looked like the dregs of a cold triple shot latte. Due to record rains, the usually low river was running high and the thought hat of entering that he torrent on the aft prow of a cataraft est encased in chest waders and my an trusty LL Bean g PacLight fishing d jacket proved e daunting. The last thing I wanted was to take a dunking in those grey waters. But since my husband, Scott, would be the one n the on the oars, in al harmony, I choked down my name of marital eminded myself that I was the one dismay and reminded who championed this trip with friends. “It’ll be the trip of a lifetime,” I remember declaring. Now I was just hoping to survive the adventure! Before crawling into our sleeping bags, we pumped each of the rafts and inflatable kayaks full of air, ready for an early morning launch. After a sleepless night alongside the highway with a steady stream of enormous trucks, we woke and stumbled to a small pot of boiling water and instant coffee drunk from the back of a pickup bed. Properly caffeinated, we carried gear down to the river’s edge and began lashing on the mountain of dry bags and boxes containing tents, tarps, sleeping bags, personal gear, food, game bags, rifles, and bows needed for our party of twelve. Finally, around ten, we launched into the roiling river with more than a little trepidation on my part. Passing quickly under the pipeline spanning the Atigun, we left any vestiges of civilization behind. Fortunately, the weather god smiled on us that first day and we moved along in sunshine, something we would not see for another five days. However, the river was highly technical, littered with barely submerged boulders and holes just waiting to suck the unwary into trouble, so the oarsmen on the rafts had little time to enjoy the scenery. We stopped for a “lunch” break around 4:00 pm and part of our group went off to view a waterfall gushing from a hole in the side of a low-lying mountain ridge, while the rest of us basked in the sun like turtles. Shoving off again, we were nearing the confluence of the Atigun and the much larger Sagavanirktok River, called The Sag

by locals. Forewarned of gnarly rapids ahead, we beached our boats, unloaded gear, portaged the crafts around the rapids, reloaded, and launched once again, easily absorbing two hours of daylight in the process. The final set of Atigun rapids was just a mile above The Sag, and after scouting them, we decided our two most experienced oarsmen could take the rafts down safely while the rest of us cheered them on. v Upon entering The Sag, the volume and width of the swirling grey water increased tremendously. Now, we were completely out of the mountains a well onto the and A Arctic plain, with u undulating land a and steep ridges li lining the river. F i n a l l y, a r o u n d 10 10:00 p.m., tired fro battling a ragfrom ing river, we found s a suitable place to cam on a gravel camp bar with enough willow shrubs to offer shel shelter from the incess cessant Arctic wind. By midnight, boats were unloaded and secured, tiny backpack tents were up, and we were enjoying a hot meal. The next four days were tough but rewarding, with steady light rain and a river that rose three feet due to heavy storms in the mountains. Hiking across tundra and bogs is always a challenge. The tussocks that rise like foot-size pods wobble each time you step on them and often each footfall produces a frenzied abandonment of that tiny piece of dirt by numerous mice and shrews. In between the tussocks, tiny rivulets of water glisten from melting permafrost, a constant reminder of the icy stranglehold winter places on this land. This time of year, dwarf blueberry plants are loaded with ripe fruit, and whenever we shrugged off our heavy packs, we would sit on the soft smooshy mounds and graze on nearby blueberries, ending up with indigo fingers and tongues. The morning I shot a bull caribou brought more rain, a plague of biting black flies and slogging through muddy bogs. After seeing two bulls on a ridge about a mile away, my husband and I began a stalk made difficult by the lack of trees or shrubs for cover. Finally, we shed our packs and crawled on our bellies to a slight rise. Within moments, the larger bull appeared above us and we were lucky to be able to contribute fresh meat to the evening’s communal meal. Increasingly high river levels, torrential rain, and hundreds of pounds of fresh meat and antlers to stow on our inflatable boats complicated our departure from camp the next morning. The stretch of river we would run that day on our way to the take-out 50 miles from where we put in was even worse than the boney Atigun. As wave after wave pummeled me in the face as it broke over the front of the cataraft, I realized what a long, wet day this would be. My husband, meanwhile, was rowing with all his might as the 800 pounds of baggage made the cataraft lumber along with very little room for error as we navigated between the worst of the boulders and holes. By 4 p.m., we were thoroughly soaked, cold, and hungry so we tied our boats at a rocky ledge just inches above the river and devoured some grab and go food to give us energy to tackle the last long stretch of Class IV rapids. It was a huge relief to arrive at the boat ramp at 7 p.m. that night. After unloading gear, deflating boats, repacking everything into pickups, and changing into dry clothes, we began the long ride back to Fairbanks, stopping at midnight in Cold Foot, an outpost for pipeline and highway workers, for dinner. We pulled into Fairbanks at 7 a.m., with all of us heading to bed to sleep like the dead… fitting relief for our tired bodies. ISI

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Muscle car restorations bring back the day for Bill LaBounty Article & Photo by Dianna Troyer Even in winter, inside Bill LaBounty’s car restoration shop in Moore, it feels like an endless summer with ’60s and ’70s music from satellite radio bringing back his teen-aged days of cruising around sunny southern California in powerful muscle cars with friends. “Anytime you drive a muscle car from the late ’60s or ’70s, you can’t help but feel like you’re 16 again,” says Bill, grinning. “Restoring and driving these cars brings back the day. You think of all that happened at that time, and what we built as a country. Car materials - the steel, the window switches, even the door handles - were so much better than today. Cars were built better, with solid frames instead of two sub-frames.” Bill, 60, is nationally known for his restorations. “I’ve been restoring cars for so long that I can pick up the phone, make a few calls, and sell anything I’ve worked on.” The one car he will never sell, however, is a rare vintage muscle car, a white 1974 Hurst Oldsmobile-Cutlass built for George Hurst, who specialized in building hot rods. In 1996, Bill restored it for a friend who found it half sunk in mud in a Utah field. “He recognized the Hurst symbol on the car,” says Bill, who recently bought it from his friend when he was deployed overseas. “Oldsmobile gave Hurst a frame and body, and he basically did the rest, putting in the horsepower and suspension he wanted. This model has a 500-horsepower engine and gets about 6 miles to a gallon of gas when I drive it to Idaho Falls and back. Cars like this, with 450-horsepower engines or larger, were monsters made to go fast on a straight line for a quarter mile, so they were challenging to stop and steer.” He showed the Hurst at the Moore Car Show, a summer event started in 2010 to raise money for community improvements. “We have about 100 cars and raise about $5,000. We used that money to improve the streets in town and to turn weed patches into gardens. We also worked with local Wish Upon a Star Foundation members who bought playground equipment for kids,” says Bill, who along with other residents started the Moore Community Association in 2009. “Eventually, we’d like to build a community center.” Bill’s restorations have won numerous trophies at car shows, but he shrugs that off. “It’s not about winning something. The ultimate and priceless

reward is just being here in the shop with friends, listening to music, laughing, and working on a car together. We never know what unexpected and hilarious things will happen, or what we’ll talk about.” Bill began restoring cars in childhood, helping his dad, the late Bill L a B o u n t y, Sr. “He was a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force and restored these cars after work. I loved rebuilding cars as much as he did. He couldn’t keep me away. You name it, and we restored it.” He bought his first car when he was 14, unbeknownst to his dad. “We were living near Fort Lewis, and I worked at a horse farm. The owner had a 1956 Chevrolet he wanted to sell, so I bought it with $300 I’d saved. I kept it at the farm, and then I’d ride my bike over and drive it to school, where I parked it about a block away, so teachers wouldn’t know I was driving. After school, my buddies and I would ride around in it. I had it for six months, shined it up, and then sold it for $750 to a lieutenant on the base who was on my paper route. I thought I should probably wait to get a car until I could legally drive. When I was 16, I bought a ’65 Malibu, and Dad and I rebuilt it.” As an adult, Bill ran a car restoration business and sold cars in Riverside, Calif., where he met his wife, Terry. With his automotive background, honesty, and skills he learned while earning a college degree in marketing, he had high sales records. His knack for selling cars, especially Sprints, which appealed to consumers because they were inexpensive and had high gas mileage, caught the eye of General Motors managers. In 1983, GM offered him a job in Germany, managing the sales of American cars to soldiers stationed on military bases.

Is Proofreading a dying art? What do you think? Submitted by Julie Hollar-Brantley • Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter • Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says • Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers • Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over • Miners Refuse to Work after Death • Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant • War Dims Hope for Peace • If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile • Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures ISI

“When I started, about 650 cars were sold annually through the PXs,” he recalls. “When we left several years later, 5,200 cars were selling a year. We sold all U.S. products. Terry worked there, too, and her office had high sales records.” In 1988, Bill and Terry quit their jobs and moved back to California to care for their aging parents. “After our dads died, we started looking for some property near my sister in Star Valley, Wyoming. We must have looked at 60 places between Wyoming and Washington and bought this place in 2007. We have plenty of room, a gorgeous view of the mountains, and if I make some noise in the shop, it doesn’t bother anyone.” Bill’s restorations are not only a time machine to the good times of an earlier era, they are a sound investment. “These cars hold or escalate in value. Owning one of these is better than having a 401K these days. After I restore a car, I’ll drive it until someone offers me enough money, so I can’t say no. I’m not getting rich doing this, but I can sell one to make enough money to start on the next one,” he says, pointing to his next project. It is a 1968 red Corvette with no engine or hood sitting outside the shop, awaiting his restorative touch. ISI

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“Bad Bones” Bill repairs gliders to keep pilots aloft and alive By Dianna Troyer Three decades ago, a bumpy crash landing earned pioneering paraglider, Bill Anderson, his nickname of Bad Bones, a name that people still know him by today. “I had a crash landing and went to a friend’s party on crutches,” says the 56-year-old Moore resident, who was one of the first people to begin paragliding in the U.S. in the early ’80s, after the sport started in France in 1978. “At the party, everyone teased me about having bad bones, and the name stuck. Even today, if I’m talking to someone on the phone, and they don’t recognize me right away, I’ll tell them it’s ‘Bad Bones,’ and they know who I am,” says Bill, who repairs paragliders, hang gliders, and chutes at his shop called Rising Air Glider Repair. At his shop, he works diligently to ensure others will not have crash landings. “I love what I do. When I get a call from a pilot who thanks me because he had to pull his reserve chute and it saved his life, it makes my day.” Because of his reputation, Bill receives tattered gliders from around the world at his shop, the official repair center for Airwave, UP, Niviuk,

and Windtech products. “I get boxes, suitcases, or crates stuffed with tattered gliders from Europe, Canada, and Mexico. Doing this keeps me busy, and I probably send out 150 to 200 invoices a year.” Bill is known in the fairly small and close-knit gliding community for his decades of experience and perfectionism. “He has been in the free flying industry since the beginning and is simply the best, providing unparalleled professional service to our industry,” according to www.paragliding. com. “Rising Air is the Bill ‘Bad Bones’ Anderson repairs paragliders and hang gliders at his shop in Moore. most comprehensive, full [Photo by Dianna Troyer] service paraglider repair When a glider, harness, or chute comes to his shop in North America and has fast turn-around shop, one of the first things Bill does is to check times, affordable prices, and reliable shipping.” the fabric’s porosity. “You don’t want the air flowing Bill started paragliding to feel the thrill of flight. through it,” he says. “The coating on it needs to “I’ve done some crazy things. I was a skier and rock stay intact. A glider costs about $3,000 to $4,000 climber who liked an adrenalin rush, and it looked and will last three to five years, depending on how like a neat thing to do,” says Bill, who at the time often you fly.” was working as the ski patrol director at Donner Next, he repairs tears, applying radial seam Ski Ranch near his hometown of Truckee, Calif. “A patches. To test the strength of hundreds of lines, lot of people liked to ride the lifts up and fly back he uses a hydraulic press. He also checks brake down. It was a fairly new sport back then.” lines for wear, proper adjustment, and attachment Before moving to Moore in September 2001, to the handle. Bill lived in dozens of places in the western United Bill could work seven days a week but takes States. “I was working for a company in Ketchum, time off to serve on the Moore City Council and to traveling all over the country, going to flying meets explore nearby mountains and the valley. “It’s great to demonstrate products and to do repairs and here. The cost-of-living is low, the scenery is gorinspections. I was definitely a road warrior. Then geous, people are friendly, and there’s no crime.” I wanted to settle down and start my own shop. I His out-of-state friends often call him and ask had been over here a lot, flying off King Mountain what he does for fun “up there in Spudville. I tell and found some property for sale and bought it.” them I stop working for a day. They don’t have In his 20-foot by 30-foot shop adjacent to his any idea how much there is to do up here - flyhome, he examines a bright amber-colored para- ing, climbing, fishing, riding motorcycles. Before glider. I started flying, I loved rock climbing and was a “A pilot in Wisconsin landed in a tree,” he says sponsored climber for North Face, so I still do a of the canopy that has more than a half dozen rips little climbing. I have a lot of interests, and there and some frayed cords. “It might not be worth re- are still so many places around here I haven’t had pairing. He might be better off buying a new one. time to check out yet.” ISI I’ll have to see.”

The Benefits Of Funeral Preplanning A growing number of people are finding both emotional and financial security in something that is also an important part of estate planning. They are preplanning their funeral. Many are also finding that taking advantage of what preplanning has to offer may be easier if they do their homework about what they may want and the options available before they sit down with the experts. Thinking ahead can help you make informed and thoughtful decisions about funeral arrangements. It allows you to choose the specific items you want and need and to compare the prices offered by several funeral providers. It also spares your survivors the stress of making these decisions under the pressure of time and strong emotions.

Although some people may find it hard to talk about advance planning, it can be harder on your family if you do not talk about your wishes for your final arrangements. One way to tackle planning without feeling overwhelmed is to break up the process into more manageable steps. Memorial or Funeral Service - Focus on the type of service you would want and how you can personalize that service, whether it’s more traditional, somber, or a unique celebration of your life. Decide if it should be a more intimate or larger gathering and consider music, readings, or any other unique element to personalize the service. Remember, it is your funeral and it can be as elaborate or simple as you desire. Burial or Cremation - If burial is your preference, consider purchasing a cemetery plot in advance. If you decide on cremation, remember to make plans for permanent placement of the cremated remains. Consider a mausoleum or columbarium to give your family a physical place for visitation and reflection. This also prevents the possibility of the ashes being misplaced or discarded in later years if kept with a family member. Select a Funeral Home - Compare the options available and the quality of service provided. What types of facilities do they have? With the right funeral provider, you can feel more confident that your wishes will be fulfilled and you will not feel uncomfortable asking questions or rushed into making selections. You will want the funeral home you select to provide you with the administrative guidance to make sure that your family receives

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the benefits to which they are entitled and that the location of all your personal records and papers are properly recorded so that they are available to your family. Funding Options - One advantage of prearranging your funeral is that you can lock in today’s prices for products and services that may be more expensive in the future. It is best to work with a professional to understand the particular laws and

regulations that protect those funds. It is also important that provisions are in place to protect your funds, such as insurance and a trust arrangement. Flexibility - Remember, not all providers offer the same services. Can you change your plans before your death? Should you move could your prearranged funeral services be transferred to another funeral provider? What if you are in a nursing home at the time of your death? Try to anticipate

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all of the circumstances that may arise between the time you plan your final arrangements and your death. It is also wise to review your plan every few years. With thoughtful planning and collaboration with your funeral provider, you will be able to ease the burden of your passing on your family and friends. ISI

Colorful Expressions Submitted by Julie Hollar-Brantley Well, if you hold your horses, I reckon I’ll get this whole kit and caboodle done and sent off to you. Please don’t be too persnickety and get a bee in your bonnet because I’ve been pretty tuckered out. I haven’t been just stringin’ around and I know I’m not the only duck in the pond, but I do have too many irons in the fire. I might just be barking at a knot, but I have tried to give this article more than just... a lick and a promise. “I’ll just give this a lick and a promise,” my mother used to say as she quickly mopped up a spill on the floor without moving any of the furniture. “What is that supposed to mean,” I asked as in my young mind I envisioned someone licking the floor with his or her tongue. “It means that I’m in a hurry and I’m busy canning tomatoes so I am going to just give it a quick swipe with the mop and promise to come back and do the job right later.” A lick and a promise was just one of the many old phrases that our mothers, grandmothers, and others used that they probably heard from the generations before them. With the passing of time, many old phrases become obsolete or even disappear. This is unfortunate because some of them are very appropriate and humorous. Below are a few of these expressions that have added color to the English language over the years. A Bone to Pick - wanting to discuss a disagreement. An Axe to Grind - someone who has a hidden motive. This phrase is said to have originated from Benjamin Franklin who told a story about a devious man who asked how a grinding wheel worked. He ended up walking away with his axe sharpened free of charge. One bad apple spoils the whole barrel - one corrupt person can cause others to go bad if you don’t remove the bad one.

At sea - lost or not understanding something. Bad egg - someone who was not a good person. Barking at a knot - meaning that your efforts were as useless as a dog barking at a knot. Barking up the wrong tree - talking about something that was completely the wrong issue with the wrong person. Bee in your bonnet - to have an idea that you won’t let loose of. Been through the mill - had a rough time of it. Between hay and grass - not a child or an adult. Blinky - between sweet and sour as in milk. Calaboose - a jail. Catawampus - something that sits crooked such as a piece of furniture sitting at an odd angle. Dicker - to barter or trade. Feather in your cap - to accomplish a goal. This came from years ago in wartime when warriors might receive a feather they would put in their cap for defeating an enemy Hold your horses - be patient! Hoosegow - a jail. I reckon - I suppose. Jawing/jawboning - talking or arguing. Kit and caboodle - the whole thing. Madder than an old wet hen - very angry Needs taken down a notch or two - like notches in a belt usually a young person who thinks too highly of himself and needs a lesson. No spring chicken - not young anymore. Persnickety - overly particular or snobbish. Pert near - short for pretty near. Pretty is as pretty does - your actions are more important than your looks. Red up - clean the house. Scalawag - a rascal or unprincipled person. Scarce as hen’s teeth - something difficult to obtain. Skedaddle - get out of here quickly.

Thoughts To Ponder Submitted by Julie Hollar-Brantley Birds of a feather flock together… and then dump on your car. A penny saved is a government oversight. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends. The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement. He who hesitates is probably right. Did you ever notice: The Roman numerals for forty (40) are XL. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame. The sole purpose of a child’s middle name is so he can tell when he is really in trouble.

Aging: Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it. Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know why I look this way. I have traveled a long way and some of the roads were not paved. When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to your youth, think of algebra. One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young. Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable. ISI

Sparking - courting. Straight from the horse’s mouth - privileged information from the one concerned. Stringing around, gallivanting around, or piddling around - not doing anything of value. Sunday go to meetin’ dress - the best dress you have. We wash up real fine - we can be presentable. Tie the knot - to get married. Too many irons in the fire - to be involved in too many things. Tuckered out - tired and all worn out. Under the weather - not feeling well. This term came from going below deck on ships due to seasickness thus you go below or under the weather. Wearing your best bib and tucker - being all dressed up. You ain’t the only duck in the pond - it’s not all about you. ISI

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Take Your Next “Shot” at a Healthier Life Turning 65 is a reason to celebrate. You have reached a point when you are hopefully able to enjoy some free time, take up a new hobby, travel, and perhaps, play with your grandchildren. Your 65th birthday is also a health milestone - it is the age when you should receive an important vaccine for an infection you may not know about. Even if you are perfectly healthy at 65, your age puts you at high risk for this infection, which is called pneumococcal disease. According to Dr. Thomas M. File, Jr. an infectious disease specialist and president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID), every adult age 65 and

older should receive this vaccine. Pneumococcal disease is an infection caused by common bacteria that can strike quickly and lead to death within just a few days. It kills thousands of US adults each year, yet four out of five Americans do not know about it, according to a recent survey by NFID. Even when the infection is not deadly, treatment can require hospitalization. Some patients need weeks or months before they can return to work or other daily activities. Although anyone can get the disease, it’s most dangerous for those age 65 and older and adults of any age who smoke or have common health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and asthma - even if the condition is well controlled with medication or other treatment. If you are one of these adults at risk, health officials recommend the vaccine to prevent the most serious forms of the infection. It is available at most primary care doctor’s offices and at many pharmacies. “Pneumococcal disease is a very dangerous infection. Too many US adults are unprotected because they haven’t been vaccinated,” said Dr. File. “Whether you are age 65 or older or a younger adult with one of many common health conditions,

you should lower your chances of getting sick by getting vaccinated. Ask your healthcare professional about vaccination today.” You need the pneumococcal vaccine if you are: age 65 and older; age 19-64 with any of the following: asthma, diabetes, heart, liver, lung, or kidney disease, immune problems, including HIV/ AIDS, cancer, damaged/absent spleen, sickle cell disease, alcoholism, cochlear implants or cerebrospinal fluid leaks; an adult who smokes; living in a chronic-care or long-term care facility. Dr. File shares his top five reasons for at-risk adults to get the pneumococcal vaccine: • Vaccination is the best and safest way to protect against pneumococcal disease. • If you are a healthy adult age 65 or older, it is a simple step that can help you stay healthy. • If you have a chronic illness such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, vaccination can help protect you from serious complications of infection. • Even if the vaccine does not stop you from getting the infection, it can reduce the severity, helping to keep you out of the hospital. • Medicare covers the cost of the vaccine and most private insurers will pay for at-risk adults. ISI

Tips For Healthier Living With Heart Disease By Lisa M. Petsche Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Coronary artery disease (also known as arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries) is the most common type. CAD is caused by accumulation in the coronary arteries of fatty deposits called plaques. This results in narrowing within the arteries, restricting blood flow to the heart. Typically CAD progresses over many years and may go undetected until a crisis occurs. Symptoms can include angina (usually brought on by physical exertion or emotional stress), shortness of breath and, if a coronary artery becomes completely blocked, a heart attack. A diagnosis of CAD can cause anxiety and fear. If heart disease runs in the family, the diagnosed person may become fatalistic, believing there is no point in trying to manage their disease. Some people cope through denial, carrying on with their usual lifestyle. Others, particularly those who have had

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

a heart attack, may embrace changes in habits that can help halt or slow disease progression. Family members, too, respond in various ways. Anxiety and fear are common, and may be manifested in behaviors such as regularly checking if their loved one has taken his medication, scrutinizing and criticizing his eating and other habits, and over protectiveness due to concern that any stress or physical exertion might cause a heart attack. Coping Tips - If you have been diagnosed with CAD, here are ways to take charge of your situation: • Learn as much as possible about your disease and its management, and educate family and friends. • Focus on controllable risk factors. Commit to making lifestyle changes, keeping in mind it takes 3-4 weeks to develop a new habit. • Find an outlet for expressing your thoughts and feelings - perhaps talking with a friend, keeping a journal or joining a support group. • Stay connected to people who care. Let them know how you wish to be treated, and keep the lines of communication open. • Learn to live in the present and enjoy life’s simpler pleasures. • Set aside quiet time each day, to nurture your

and learn to settle for less than perfection. spirituality and help keep you grounded. Keep as active as possible. Just do not overdo • See your primary physician if you continually feel sad, angry, overwhelmed, or unmotivated. it. If you are concerned about particular types of activity, such as sexual activity, snow shoveling, Depression is treatable. or lifting heavy objects, consult with your doctor. Practical Tips For Daily Living Cultivate a healthy sense of humor. Read the Find a cardiologist whom you respect and comics, watch a TV sitcom now and then, or rent trust. Follow the prescribed management plan, funny movies. Do something you enjoy every day, perhaps which might include medication, a smoking cessation program, blood pressure monitoring, diet listening to music, reading or engaging in a hobby, changes, exercise, rest, stress management revive a former pastime, or try something new. Do not hesitate to ask for help when you techniques, and regular check-ups. Ask loved ones to support you – and, where applicable, to need it. Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social worker join you - in making lifestyle changes. and a freelance writer specializing in boomer and If you have had a heart attack, join a cardiac rehabilitation program. To locate one, talk to your senior issues. ISI doctor or contact the local office of the W E A R E C O M F O R T K E E P E R S® American Heart Association. Keep an up-to-date medication list in your wallet. Consider crisis options such as medical alert jewelry and, if you live For over a decade, Comfort Keepers® S E R V I C E S alone, a personal emergency response has been helping seniors maintain system for summoning help. independent lives by providing in-home Set up a record-keeping system to care and safety. Like cooking, light organize your health information. Readyhousekeeping, bathing or grooming. And our SafetyChoice ™ PERS and made products can be found in stores. Transportation Medication Management Systems means Eliminate as many sources of stress help is always available. as possible. Set priorities, simplify tasks,

Your Future Comfort Could Depend on Long-Term Care Insurance By Teresa Ambord As the new year rolls out, it’s time to think about the future and make sure your ducks are in a row. Whether or not you are rapidly approaching the day when you may need some kind of nursing home, it pays to consider insurance that can help when the time comes. True, we’re living longer. But as life expectancy rises, so do costs. And more than four out of ten people, age 65 and older, do enter some sort of nursing facility. A 2011 Genworth Financial study shows that the average cost of a semi-private room in a nursing home is about $70,445 for one year. In some states, the cost is far more. And the average stay for those entering long-term care is 2 2 years. Unless you can easily cover that cost, you might want to give serious thought to purchasing long-term care insurance. The later you wait to initiate a long-term care policy, the more expensive the premiums will be. And, if you should develop serious health issues in the meantime, you may be unable to purchase this insurance at all. Don’t Forget the Tax Benefits. If your long-term care policy is “qualified,” the premiums you pay may be deductible for federal tax purposes, subject to limits. The maximum amount you can deduct for 2012 is: • $350 if you are age 40 or under • $660 if you are age 41 to 50. • $1,310 if you are age 51 to 60. • $3,500 if you are age 61 to 70. • $4,370 if you are over age 70.

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 41

Be sure to include these amounts in your total medical expenses when you talk to your tax advisor. Once you determine the deductible amount based on your age, you must combine that with other medical expenses (such as health and dental premiums, insurance co-pays, out-of-pocket prescription costs, etc.). If the total exceeds 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, you can write off the excess as an itemized medical expense on your Schedule A. Otherwise, there is no tax savings for your long-term care insurance costs. What Is a Qualified Policy? A qualified plan vs. nonqualified is mostly determined by what conditions trigger benefits. For example, a plan must cover assistance for the activities of daily living (ADL). ADLs are eating, toileting, transferring, bathing, dressing, and continence. If your policy includes an ADL trigger, you have met the trigger if you require help with at least two ADLs.

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Another trigger is cognitive impairment. If you are judged to be cognitively impaired, that means you need substantial supervision to protect yourself from health and safety threats brought on by that impairment. In addition, there must be a medical certification indicating that assistance will likely be required for at least 90 days. What else should you consider when purchasing long-term care insurance? • If tax benefits are important to you, be sure

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your agent knows you need a qualified policy. • Also ask the agent what the effect of inflation on your policy will be. There could be a long gap of time between purchasing the policy and using it. Obviously benefits that are eaten up by inflation will be of little use. • Be clear on what the waiting period is between initiating the policy and being able to get benefits. Even if you are relatively young now, an accident could render you in need of long-term care at any age, so the waiting period should be reasonable. • Don’t buy a policy without checking the repu-

tation and stability of the insurer. After all, there could be decades between buying a policy and using it so you need insurance from a company that will be around for the long haul. • Ask for details about how benefits will be paid. Will your insurer pay actual costs or only what is customary and reasonable? What must you do to prove your need for benefits? Finally, if you are married and wish to insure your spouse as well, ask your agent about the possibilities. Some companies offer policies that allow you to take advantage of the unused benefits of your spouse, and other interesting alternatives. ISI

How to Help Drivers Limit or Stop Driving When they Should For many families, telling a parent it’s time to give up the car keys is a very sensitive and difficult topic. While there’s no one simple way to handle this issue, here are a number of tips and resources you can try to help ease your dad away from driving. Take a Ride - To get a clear picture of your dad’s driving abilities, the first thing you need to do is take a ride with him and watch for problem areas. • Does he drive too slowly or too fast? • Does he tailgate or drift between lanes? • Does he have difficulty seeing, backing up, or changing lanes? • Does he react slowly? • Does he get distracted or confused easily? Also, has your dad had any fender benders or tickets lately, or have you noticed any dents or scrapes on his vehicle? These, too, are red flags. Start Talking - After your assessment, you need to have a talk with your dad about your concerns, but don’t sound alarmed. If you begin with a dramatic outburst like “Dad, you’re going to kill someone!” you’re likely to trigger resistance. Start by gently expressing that you’re worried about his safety. For tips on how to

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talk to your dad about this touchy topic, the Hartford Financial Services Group and MIT AgeLab offer some guides titled Family Conversations with Older Drivers and Family Conversations about Alzheimer’s disease, Dementia & Driving that can help, along with an online seminar called We Need to Talk that was produced by AARP. To access these free resources, visit www.safedrivingforalifetime. com. Like many people, your dad may not even realize his driving skills have slipped. If this is the case, consider signing him up for an older driver refresher course through AARP (aarp.org/drive, 888-227-7669), your local AAA, or a driving school. By becoming aware of his driving limitations, your dad may be able to make some simple adjustments – like driving only in daylight or on familiar routes – that can help keep him safe and driving longer. Or, he may decide to hang up the keys on his own. Refuses To Quit - If, however, you believe your dad has reached the point that he can no longer drive safely, but he refuses to quit, you have several options. One possible solution is to suggest a visit to his doctor who can give him a medical evaluation, and if warranted, “prescribe” that he stops driving. Older people will often listen to their doctor before they will listen to their own family. If that doesn’t do it, ask him to get a comprehensive driving evaluation done by a driver rehabilitation specialist – this can cost several hundred dollars. A driving evaluation will test your dad’s cognition, vision, and motor skills, as well as his on-road driving abilities. To locate a specialist in your area, contact the Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (driver-ed.org, 866-672-9466) or the American Occupational Therapy Association (aota.org/older-driver). If he still refuses to move to the passenger seat, call your local Department of Motor Vehicles to see if they can help. Or, call in an attorney to discuss with your dad the potential financial and legal consequences of a crash or injury. If all else fails, you may just have to take away his keys. Arrange Transportation - Once your dad stops driving he’s going to need other ways to get around, so help him create a list of names and phone numbers of family, friends, and local transportation services that he can call on. To locate community transportation services call the Area Agency on Aging. Call 800-677-1116 for contact information. Send your senior questions to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller contributes to the NBC Today show. ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 43

Simple Improvements Can Make Home Safer - Some Tips To Avoid A Potentially Serious Spill By Lisa M. Petsche Falls are the primary cause of injury and hospitalization for older adults, and half of those injured do not regain their former level of independence. Even more sobering, falls are the seventh leading cause of death in people aged 65-plus. The majority of falls by seniors take place at home while they are carrying out everyday activities. Most often they occur in the bathroom, bedroom or a stairwell. Health- and age-related changes that contribute to falls include arthritis, decreased sensation in the feet (known as peripheral neuropathy), loss of strength, visual impairment, balance problems, and the use of certain medications. The other major cause of falls is hazardous conditions in the home environment. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to reduce these hazards for yourself or a loved one. Many of them involve little or no cost. In the Kitchen - Keep regularly used pots, dishes, staple foods, and other supplies within easy reach. Ensure the heaviest items are stored in the lower cupboards. If you must reach high places, get a step stool that has a high handrail and rubber tips. Never use a chair. In the Bedroom - Situate a lamp within easy reach of your bed. Also keep a flashlight on hand in case there is a power failure (do not forget to regularly replace the batteries). Keep a phone at your bedside. If your bedroom does not have a phone jack, get a cordless phone and keep the receiver with you at night. (Don’t forget to place it back on the base in the morning, so it can recharge during the day.)

Ensure there is a clear path from your bed to the bathroom. In the Bathroom - Have grab bars installed by the toilet and in the bathtub or shower area. Ensure they are placed in the proper location and are well-anchored to the wall. Use a rubber mat (the kind with suction cups) in the tub or shower, and a non-skid bath mat on the floor. Get a bathtub seat or shower chair. Obtain a raised toilet seat if you have trouble getting on and off the toilet. Get a hand-held shower head so you can shower sitting down. Stairwells - Steps should be in good repair and have a non-skid surface. Have solid handrails installed on both sides of stairways - ideally these should project past the top and bottom steps. Keep steps free of clutter. Ensure stairwells are well lit. (If necessary, get battery-powered dome lights that easily attach to the wall.) General Tips - Wear slippers or shoes that fit snugly, offer good support, and have a non-skid sole (avoid a sticky sole like crepe, though). Ensure throw rugs and scatter mats have a non-skid backing. Better yet, remove them, since they are one of the most common causes of falls. Keep walkways clear of electrical and telephone cords. Avoid clutter in rooms and hallways. Post emergency numbers by the telephone for easy access. If vision is a problem, get a phone with a large, lighted keypad. Sign on with a personal emergency response

Smarter Than We Look Submitted by Lowell Halleen A lawyer and an older gentleman are sitting next to each other on a long flight. Now, the lawyer had the opinion that old people are so dumb that he could put something over on this old fellow. So, the lawyer asks if the gentleman would like to play a game. The gentleman is tired and wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists, saying that the game is a lot of fun. “I ask you a question, and if you don’t know the answer, you pay me $5. Then you ask me a question, and if I don’t know the answer, I pay you $500,” said the lawyer. This caught the gentleman’s attention and, to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game. The lawyer asks the first question. “What’s the distance from the Earth to the Moon?” The gentleman does not say a word, but reaches into his pocket, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer. Now, it is the old gentleman’s turn. He asks the lawyer, “What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?” The lawyer uses his laptop to search all references he can find on the Internet. He sends emails to all the smart friends he knows, but to no avail. After an hour of searching, he finally gives up. The lawyer wakes up the gentleman and hands him $500, which he pockets and goes right back to sleep. The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. Finally, he wakes the old fellow and asks, “Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?” The old gentleman reaches into his pocket, hands the lawyer $5, and goes back to sleep. ISI

service, whereby you wear a lightweight, waterproof pendant or bracelet that has a button to press if you run into a crisis and need help. (Studies have found that getting help quickly after a fall reduces the risk of hospitalization and death.) Use night-lights in the bedroom, hallways, and bathroom. Get ones that have built-in sensors that automatically turn the light on in dim conditions. Also consider getting one or more plug-in, rechargeable flashlights that automatically come on when the power goes out. Spend some time browsing in medical supply stores or perusing their catalogues to discover the many items available - for example, reachers and electric-lift armchairs - that can increase household safety and make everyday activities easier. Consider a cane or walker if balance is an ongoing problem. Make sure you are fitted with the appropriate type of aid and receive instruction on proper usage. Arrange for a home assessment by an occupational therapist if you would like more information about identifying potential safety hazards and successfully addressing them. The therapist may point out areas of risk and make recommendations that would not have occurred to you or your family. Lisa M. Petsche is a clinical social worker and freelance writer specializing in adult care issues. ISI

PAGE 44 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

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