April/May 2014

Shoshone Falls photo

by Dianna Troyer

www.idahoseniorindependent.com

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Steampower And Technology Combine Fantastically For Artist Paula Lahti

By Jack McNeel As did I, you may be wondering, “What the heck is steampunk art?” But it just took a visit with Lewiston artist Paula Lahti to provide some context for this interesting if unconventional art form.

Paula came to steampunk art indirectly. Born in Boise, her family moved to Lewiston when she was nine, and she has lived here ever since. About twenty years ago, she began quilting and belonged to the Seaport Quilters Guild in Clarkston. That occupied her interest for a number of years until she switched to making art quilts.

Art quilts use traditional quilting techniques but have more in common with fine art and are usually hung on the wall for display, much as would be an oil painting for example. About three years ago, she discovered that her art quilting had evolved into steampunk art.

Paula explains, “I was doing quilting art to hang on the wall and went to a second hand store. The man said, ‘You’re doing steampunk.’ I replied that I did not know what steampunk was, but when I looked it up... lo and behold, I was doing steampunk. Now I’ve really gotten into it.”

According to Paula, there are different definitions but all (Continued on page 36)

Gather the Hidden Eggs Just for fun, we have hidden 21 Easter eggs throughout this issue of the Idaho Senior Independent.

Can you find them and let us know the page numbers on which you found them? We will award a $25 prize to the person who finds all of the eggs. The winner will be determined by a drawing from the correct entries. None of the hidden eggs is located within an advertisement. Have fun!

PAGE 2 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

Poem From Idaho Pioneer Below is a poem I found among some others that were written by my mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Ashtan (1902-1992). She came to Idaho around 1910 and lived in Rupert, Paul, and Kimberly.

My mother taught all to love our state and all its beauty, while loving the great outdoors herself. I hope you see fit to put this in your wonderful paper.

Viola Brown Ammon

This Is Idaho

By Elizabeth Klebe Ashton This God forsaken land – the city folks call it, as they gagle with pitying eye Nothing here but hills and sagebrush and a vast expanse of sky.

We don’t know how you take it – those city folks declare, and How do you make a living or do you live on air?

They wonder at the twinkle in our eyes and the smiles we try to hide, For in all this lonely windswept land, they see no cause for pride.

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

But we tell them of our ranches, where great herds of cattle roam, And the flocks of bleating woolies that claim Idaho as their own.

We could show them of our wells that pour forth liquid gold And those in places they call “barren” there are deep, rich veins of gold.

They must not see our fertile ranches with their fields of hay and grain But nestled there among the hills we have them just the same.

This loneliness they talk about – to us is God’s own peace.

There’s so much beauty all around that our thanks shall never cease.

Our streams are filled with rainbow trout; we have antelope, elk, and deer.

We’re a mile up nearer heaven and the air is pure and clear.

Our sunsets glow with color and in the pearly dawn of morn The pungent scent of sage drifts down on a breeze that’s mountain born.

We don’t know much of city life or where they seek God there But we do know in Idaho that we find him everywhere.

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.

So to them we’ll leave the cities where the living is so grand And we’ll stay in Idaho – in our God Blessed Land!

Help Honey Bees This Year Most people are aware that bees are in peril.

Between parasitic mites, viruses, pesticides, and a lack of good forage, bees are struggling, and since our food supply depends on bees to a large degree, it is in the best interest of everyone to do what we can individually, to assist them.

Many hobby beekeepers have started to help

For Quality Products & Services, Visit The Following Advertisers Online at www.idahoseniorindependent.com!

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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 © 2014

“save the bees,” and while it is a noble theme, improvement can only come from a total public effort. While mites and bee viruses can be fought though improved hive management, better forage for bees can be increased by anyone.

Even small yards can support a few bee plants, while those with large yards could devote a large bed. Farmers could make a huge difference if they were to leave just one corner of a field or fence line unsprayed, and scatter flower seeds on those spots.

While the mindset is to spray weeds with weed killer, those blooms provide a variety in the bee diet, which equates to better nutrition, so the spot back of the shed, or the fence row that usually gets denuded, can play a very important role in helping bees survive.

Bee friendly seed mixtures are readily available. Whether you use seeds or purchased plants, bees will benefit most from later blooming varieties like asters, salvia, mint, and sage because late summer is when bees have less food available.

Spraying of pesticides seems normal these days. We all fight bugs somehow. If you read the label before you purchase pesticide, it will indicate how toxic it is to bees. Choosing the mildest poison in the smallest quantity that will work is the best policy both for bees and your pocket book.

If you care about bees, never spray pesticides in the middle of the day. For yard and garden, there are organic methods that will work well, but if you are going to spray bugs anyway, spraying in late evening is the best policy. The bees have pretty much gone to bed, and it gives the pesticide several hours to break down before bees begin to forage again. If you spray in the daylight, pesticideladen pollen is brought back to the hive and fed to the young.

So we all can play a role, the beekeeper by using best management practices, and the property owner growing bee forage, and using common sense with chemicals. When bee habitat improves, we all benefit with increased farm production, and gardens that show significant improvement, so let’s work together.

Frank Grover Boise idahohoneybee.com ISI

Gold & Silver Health

Insurance Pack Trips Real Estate Retirement Living

BRP Health Services Hearts for Hospice Baker Heritage Museum Crazy Horse Memorial Historical Museum at Fort Missoula Warhawk Air Museum World Museum of Mining Rosehill Coins & Jewelry American Heart Association Cassia Regional Medical Center Charles P. Lawless Idaho Kidney Institute Kootenai Outpatient Imaging North Idaho Dermatology Peaks & Plains, Inc. University Health Care Dialysis SHIBA Eagle Cap Wilderness Pack Station Moscow Realty Chateau de Boise Kootenai Creek Village Tomlinson & Associates

brphealth.com heartsforhospice.com bakerheritagemuseum.com crazyhorsememorial.org fortmissoulamuseum.org warhawkairmuseum.org miningmuseum.org rosehillcoins.com americanheart.org cassiaregional.org eyesurgerypocatello.com idahokidney.com kootenaihealth.org niderm.com peaks-plains.com utahdialysis.org shiba.idaho.gov eaglecapwildernesspackstation.com moscowrealty.com chateaudeboise.com kootenaicreekvillage.com tomlinsonassociates.com

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

At some time or another we all probably have wondered what we would do with an unexpected windfall… perhaps winning the lottery or some sweepstakes or another. Then there is the erroneous windfall – the one that tweaks at our conscience and ambivalence at such “good” fortune. This issue’s Remember When selection is by Pearl Hoffman who shares a story from a time when this windfall, though small in today’s dollars, was a significant event. Thank you, Pearl for sharing this memory with our readers.

Remember When contains our readers’ personal reflections, contributions describing fictional or non-fictional accounts from the

“Good ol’ Days” or reflections on life in general.

Contributions may be stories, letters, artwork, poetry, etc. Photos may be included.

Each issue of the Idaho Senior Independent features the contribution deemed best by our staff. The contributor of the winning entry for the next issue will receive a $25 cash prize.

We look forward to receiving your contributions for our June/July 2014 issue. Mail your correspondence to Idaho Senior Independent, P.O. Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403; email to idahoseniorind@bresnan.net; or call 1-866360-5683 or 208-318-0310. Visit us online at idahoseniorindependent.com.

Ten Thousand Dollars Is Not What It Used To Be

By Pearl Hoffman It was 1947, the dawn that followed the dark days of the Great Depression, when ten thousand dollars was the stuff of which dreams were made.

My husband Arny’s salary had reached a level that necessitated his employer to withhold Federal Income Tax. When Arny prepared our tax return for that year, he discovered of the $15 that had been withheld, we were due a $10 refund. Though we were happy finally to be in an income bracket that required us to pay taxes, we were even more excited to get back most of what we paid.

I waited with anticipation for the daily mail delivery, and finally the magic envelope was in my hand. I unsealed it, and stared in disbelief at the check inside. The $10 rebate had magically, and mistakenly, grown to $10,000. We were rich!

Grand and elaborate visions danced in my head. First thing, I decided, we would send a handsome contribution to our house of worship.

Next, I would insist that my weekly table and miscellaneous allotment Arny and Pearl Hoffman on the night before the $10,000 be increased from $14 to dollar check was returned to the IRS posing as newly rich $20. That seemed fair members of highfalutin’ society. As Pearl notes, “Acting was not our calling.” [Photo provided by Pearl Hoffman] enough. After all, rich people should live like rich people. And that was only the beginning. All day my wish list grew and grew and by the time Arny came home from work, I had mentally frittered away the better part of $500.

I could scarcely wait for Arny to arrive home. I met him at the door, the check in my hand. As he stood, staring open-mouthed at our bonanza, I reminding him of the tried and true adage, “Finders keepers, losers weepers”, proof-positive that the government’s mistake was our good fortune.

When Arny caught his breath, he said although the theory was pregnant with possibilities, we could not keep the check because he was not in favor of relocating to a permanent lockup facility. We returned the check to the IRS, an entity that needed the money far less than we did.

For a long while, on dark, stormy, or sleepless nights, I would think expansive thoughts of what might have been had we been adventurous enough to keep the money and enjoy the serendipity.

I wrote a short song of lament about the matter. Although I do not recall most of the lyrics, the last verse sings in my mind.

“The return of the check was a thorn in my side, but I was no Bonnie and Amy, no Clyde.

At best, the whole thing was Catch-22ish, and prison’s no place for a boy who is Jewish….”

The song never made the Hit Parade. ISI

The secret of managing is to keep the guys who hate you away from the guys who are undecided.

- Casey Stengel

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 3

PAGE 4 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

Finally, spring is here – albeit a bit hesitant. And we even have some snowpack. We know there is nothing but buds, blossoms, and bountiful gardens ahead for the next six months or so. Wouldn’t this be a good time to reach out and share the bounty of your heart with new friends or even someone special? Take time today to write a personal ad or reply to one of the personal ads on these pages.

To respond to any of these personal ads, simply forward your message, 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. When 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 be 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!

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

Responses to personal ads appearing in this column can be submitted at any time. However, to place a personal ad to appear in the June/July 2014 issue, the deadline is May 10, 2014.

Looking for possible soul mate to share my travels with. I’m a male snowbird with places in Idaho and Arizona. No couch potatoes please.

Must like outdoors, nature, and travel. I’m 69, healthy, non-smoker, 6’ and 200 lbs. Please send photo and brief history. Sorry I don’t use the internet, email, etc. What are you waiting for? Reply ISI, Dept. 10101, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

SWF 66 years old. 5’2”, 145lbs. I speak English and Spanish. I’m in fairly good health, physically and emotionally. Active, good manners, romantic, happy with myself, nonsmoker, nondrinker. I enjoy swimming, walking, and yoga; have a zest for life and sense of adventure. If you are a gentleman with similar values, please contact for further info. Let’s get to know each other! Reply ISI, Dept. 10102, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

SWM, 58, wanting to meet with single gal in their 40s or so for dating and possible relationship. I like holding hands and kissing and want an honest female and would like companionship and perhaps more with the right person. I like swimming, fishing, camping, dining out, and walks in the park. I want to be wanted. Reply ISI, Dept.

10103, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

SWF, retired, own my home in NID. Seeking Mr. Personality with a good sense of humor, plus a clean man, financially secure, kind, loving, and non-religious. NS, ND, ND. I am somewhat overweight and don’t mind if you are. I like fishing, camping, road trips, music – a plus if you play a string instrument. I prefer old-time country and bluegrass. You play and sing for me, I’ll cook for you. Take a chance, let’s have fun! Photo please.

Must also have good sense of humor. Reply ISI, Dept. 10104, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403.

Is there anybody out there? Is there anybody out there? Pink Floyd Rocks! Seriously, I am looking for fun lady in the Coeur d’ Alene area with a real zest for life. To be more specific, a single woman between 45 and 65 who still has some living left to do and knows how to reciprocate. I am a SWM, 65, retired, HWP 5’9” 175lbs, active and in excellent health. I have a variety of interests including walking, biking, hiking, reading, music, dancing, boating, and camping. I love nature and the outdoors. I am looking for someone with similar and/or compatible qualities and interests to have fun with. Friendship first is a must with me. I am a spiritual person who values positive interaction with others very highly. Inner peace, happiness, and contentment are very important to me. Money, material things, and status are not. If I have touched a chord in you, please contact me.

Reply ISI, Dept. 10105, c/o Idaho Senior Independent, Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403. ISI

Book Review: Take The Train To Town, by Paul Rechnitzer

Contact our Aging & Disability Resource Center for information about services available in your community for older adults and adults with disabilities.

800-859-0321 or 208-908-4990 seniors.idahocog.com

By Cate Huisman North Idaho transplant Paul Rechnitzer has had a very productive retirement, and he continues to enlighten Panhandle residents about their history well into the tenth decade of his life. A major contribution to this effort is Take the Train to Town, published by Comanche Press in 2006.

Four railroads have run through Bonner County in the past century and a half, and dozens of trains still pass through Sandpoint each day.

Why? “When designing a railroad, the major factors are curves and grades,” writes Rechnitzer as he begins his story. “While shorter routes had been proposed... the grades would make for slower trains and higher maintenance.” Coming north through Sandpoint turned out to be an easier approach to the Rockies than other, more direct, but steeper options.

The Northern Pacific was the first to arrive, in 1881, and the Great Northern came through shortly after. Within the next 20 years, two other railroads joined these continental crossers: Spokane’s own robber baron, D.C. Corwin, built the Spokane International Railway and liked to claim that it, too, was a continental railroad, as it met up with the Canadian Soo Line to reach Chicago and connections east. The Idaho and Washington Northern, which began service in 1907, curved through the western side of the county, connecting Spokane (via Grand Junction) with Metaline Falls, Washington, near the Canadian border.

Just as Bonner County was important to the railroads, the railroads were important to Bonner County.

“The railroads made settlement and development in the part of the world possible,” writes Rechnitzer.

Sandpoint came into being as trains provided access to markets for its timber and agricultural products. In addition, trains were essential in the genesis of a more lasting element of Sandpoint’s

economy – tourism, which remains important today, long after the easy timber has been cut and the advent of irrigation has made drier, warmer areas more profitable for agriculture. Popular early tourist train trips let Spokane residents escape the hot city summer for the spray of Albeni Falls and the refreshing shores of Lake Pend Oreille.

Rechnitzer provides a brief history of each of the railroads, but the bulk of the book is devoted to reproductions of historic documents relating to them. These include route maps, timetables, tickets, contemporary newspaper articles, photos of the builders, stock certificates, and even engineer’s drawings for the bridge across the Pend Oreille River at Sandpoint, which is the longest railroad bridge on the NP line.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the book is the map on the back cover, which shows the routes and stops of the four railroads. This provides a welcome sense of order for travelers in Bonner County, to whom it can seem that no matter where they are headed, their route parallels one railroad and crosses others.

Copies may be ordered directly from the publisher at books@comanchepress.com. ISI

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 5

Win Big And Help North Idaho College!

The World Museum of Mining… Where History Tells a Story in Butte, Montana

The North Idaho College Foundation’s Really BIG Raffle is a great way to support student scholarships and program needs and possibly win big! With a good cause at stake and prizes that include a brand new $265,000 home, a car, and a boat, the event is a winning combination. In its 21st year, NIC’s largest annual fundraiser is now underway with only 5,000 tickets being sold for the upcoming July 9, 2014 drawing. Tickets are sold for $100 each at area businesses and through the college.

Located in beautiful Post Falls, Idaho, the grand prize home is a 2,068 square foot rancher with a three-car garage. Features include a vaulted great room, granite kitchen counters, skylights, central A/C, gas fireplace, and fully landscaped 1/3 acre park view lot. The home is constructed by the college’s Carpentry program students, offering them a learning lab for their trade. The raffle is a fun event that community members support year after year and typically generates around $200,000 in support for NIC students.

To learn more about participating in this event, please call 208-769-3271 or visit www.nic.edu/rbr. ISI

The World Museum of Mining was founded in 1963 when the close of Butte’s mining heyday was less than two decades away. In the end, Butte experienced a century of hard rock mining and earned the reputation of being home to one of the world’s most productive copper mines of all time. The museum exists to preserve the enduring history of Butte and the legacy of its rich mining and cultural heritage.

The World Museum of Mining is one of the few museums in the world located on an actual mine yard – the Orphan Girl Mine. The “Girl” is the centerpiece of the Museum and is marked by a 100-foot high steel headframe. Once mined to a depth of 3200 feet, she produced silver, lead, and zinc from 1875 until 1956.

Visitors to the museum are able to see, feel, and taste life in this mining camp by touring the massive steel headframe and venturing into the depths of the Orphan Girl Mine on an Underground Mine Tour. An experience so realistic, you can almost see the miners’ blackened faces and hear their exhausted sighs at the conclusion of the workday.

For more information call 406-723-7211 and visit miningmuseum.org. ISI

PAGE 6 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 7

Recommended Reading

By Connie Daugherty Works Cited: An Alphabetical Odyssey of Mayhem and Misbehavior by Brandon R. Schrand, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln 2013 Most bibliophiles have favorite books that they are sure somehow influenced or directed their lives. Many of us can remember when we read a particular book, the person who introduced us to the book – or to the joy of reading.

Brandon Schrand is no exception. And in his recent memoir, he traces the important moments of his life through the books.

“I acknowledge that books themselves cannot save your life,” he writes in the acknowledgements.

“Not in any literal sense. But if I misread my ways into mayhem and misbehavior for so many years, I was able, finally to read my way to some kind of safety. That journey is my story.”

Schrand’s story, Works Cited: An Alphabetical Odyssey of Mayhem and Misbehavior, is a cleverly developed and skillfully written memoir presented in MLA annotated bibliography style – from the first chapter, Abbey, Edward to the last chapter, Wolff, Tobias. The organization is more-or-less chronological. Each chapter introduces the reader to at least one book by the cited author, as well as to at least one aspect of Schrand’s life. This technique is not only unusual; it is a fun and inviting way to bring the reader into the story. Works Cited becomes more than one person’s story, because as Schrand examines his reactions to the books of his life he sets a scene in history and allows readers to re-connect with those familiar books, times and places.

“When I was eleven… I picked up a particular book about a gang of goofy kids whose lives I wanted to be my own so badly that it left me aching in the joyous way books often leave us: high, yet abandoned somehow.”

In the chapter headed, Brinley, Bertrand R., Schrand introduces the reader to the world of books and how a childhood book influenced his experience. Another boy’s author Schrand recalls is Samuel Clemens. “After the Children’s Bible but before The Mad Scientist’s Club there was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn… I read the entire thing aloud to my grandmother and several women who worked in the café… the spell it cast over me.”

Schrand was not so enamored with Dickens, but not without his own expectations. He had convinced himself that, “college was what other people did… not the rocker kid.” Not the “C student.”

However, encouraged by his friends and having nothing better to do at the time, Brandon Schrand packs eight “to-read-for-college” in his trunk and heads off for college.

In the chapter headed, Abbey, Edward Schrand recalls his first days of college.

“I had fled my hometown of Soda Springs,

Idaho for Southern Utah University… plunk down the sage-brush-born, cow-shit-on-his-shoes, first-generation college kid in beautiful scenery inhabited by beautiful girls and be amazed that he doesn’t ditch classes… he is a nineteen-year-old boy who has confused the wondrous burdens of independence for manhood.”

Thus begins the Odyssey of Mayhem and Misbehavior, citations of Schrand’s memoir. During his first year of college, Schrand learns about fraternities, girls, acid, drinking, pot smoking, and meets The Great Gatsby and Strunk and White.

He quickly discovered that he “felt out of place on campus, in my own skin, in social settings.” However, he found comfort and a moment of success in English 101.

“The skies were clear and I felt like I was living, breathing, thinking for the first time in my life.

The essay was a small success, but it was my first moment of validation in college, the first time I felt like I could really cut it.”

And cut it he would, just not that year. But before he flunked out he rediscovered Hemmingway.

Reading, writing, and that newly discovered need for an academic connection – “those golden days when everything existed in abstract” – eventually brings Schrand back to the university, back to discovering more of his life through books, and back to writing and publishing an underground newspaper.

Then one day on a boat in Lake Powell there was that one special girl and love, and finally graduation. In Morrison, Toni, he focuses on his final year as an undergraduate, the struggle, and the determination. “Beloved, for me, was a puzzle… it was like nothing I had read before. I would inhale its pages only to have to stop, regroup, and restart .”

Then it was marriage, graduate school, and searching for a thesis project. In the chapter headed Lopez, Barry he has an epiphany. “Maybe you could write about rural Idaho, I thought, and maybe people would actually read it.” Maybe it should be a story about his not-so-ordinary family and his not-so-unusual upbringing in a small Idaho town.

Meanwhile Schrand has a family to support and classes to teach as well as his own academic work to do. He discovers Running in the Family by Michael Ondaatje.

“My experience, then, reading the book was schizophrenic…. I would read this or that passage about a strange family… and would be reminded of this or that story from my own life… it’s a book I always keep near at hand. A kind of manual.”

In Orwell, George through Wolff, Tobias Schrand explores more of life’s changes, where he was, what he was reading, and how he reacted when the World Trade Center came down. Making difficult choices, the value of friendship, and finally growing up – sort of.

Works Cited: An Alphabetical Odyssey of

SAFER DRIVING

Mayhem and Misbehavior, while fully Brandon Schrand’s story, is one of those rare memoirs that is also, in part, everyone’s story. It is a story for anyone who has ever had a relationship with a book – serious, classical literature or cheap airport paperback. It is a must read for any book lover anywhere.

Brandon R. Schrand is an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Idaho. His book, was a River Teeth Literary Nonfiction prizewinner and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. ISI

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PAGE 8 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

Be Inspired: Senior Games are a “Fun for All” Field Day

By Bernice Karnop Dennis Elder really loved track and field when he was high school. He picked it up again last summer at the Lewis-Clark Senior games in Lewiston. Dennis took time off work to compete in the youngest age bracket in the games, 50-54.

Lewis-Clark Senior Games director, Cathy Robinson says, “He showed he still had it after all those years, and he’ll be back again this year.”

Bob Barrows also participated for the first time last year in the 75-79 age group. Bob, a retired sports writer, says, “I’ve always been in good shape. I can do these things.” He, too, will be back

“Everybody’s different,” acknowledges Cathy.

“Everyone is interested in different sports. Go walking, throw a ball, try running, or dust off your bike, but stay active all year long. The goal of the games is to get seniors into a healthy and active lifestyle and then to offer them a competitive venue where they can show their stuff.”

The games are open to men and women who are 50+. Although they see a full range of participants, most are the newly retired 65-75 age group.

The people who are still working want to participate but can’t always take time from work because the games are held during the day.

Cathy is inspired by the vitality of the people

and all their differences. She sees some who have never been active as well as those who have always been active. There are couples and those who have lost their spouse and have gone through a grieving process. These brave souls realize that they still have a life to live and want to get out and be around people. They start a new chapter to their lives and Cathy has seen romances blossom and surprise people who thought that part of their life was over.

Cathy, who just turned 50, is inspired on a personal level as well. “I realize that I, too, can stay active, young, vibrant, and participating in life like these people do,” she says.

Proceeds from the Lewis-Clark Senor Games support senior volunteerism in the Lewis-Clark Valley through the efforts of the Washington-Idaho Volunteer Center. ISI

Lewiston Athlete Bob Barrows Loves His High Intensity Ride Article & Photo By Bernice Karnop Bob Barrows’ passion is roller coaster rides.

Every summer he corrals one of his grandchildren and searches out the best high-intensity ride he can find – last summer at San Jose’s Great America.

“They love it,” he says. “They’re mostly a chip off the old block.”

It might not seem unusual to love the wild rides, but Bob is 79. He’s even passionate about his personal roller coaster life. By nature he’s a competitive guy as well as a spiritual person. He stays active and he’s in good shape.

“It doesn’t matter about a person’s age. It’s just how they feel,” he says.

Last year Susi, his wife of 58 years, suggested he would enjoy the Lewis-Clark Senior Games.

He’d never considered them, even though he’s lived in Lewiston since 1972, and was a sports writer for the Tribune for 32 years. Last year he competed in four events and plans to do more this year.

He grew up in Oakland, California, and played high school baseball. He goes back every summer to attend a Los Angeles-Oakland baseball game.

He’s umpired countless baseball games himself, including college and professional. He still umpires slow-pitch softball men’s and women’s games for the recreation department. He’ll be 80 this season but he can still do it and he still enjoys it.

“I guess my body will tell me when it’s time to call it quits,” he says.

He got to know bowling well when he was a youngster working as a pinsetter before the advent of the pinsetting machines. Today he bowls almost every week. He won ping-pong tournaments when he was in Europe with the army, and he still has a table in the basement. He says a person can practice half an hour and get their skill back.

At the Senior Games he’ll compete in bowling, table tennis, running, and other field events.

“I like to get out there with people my own age,” he says. He’d be happy to have more competition. That would make the gold medals more meaningful.

At the Lewis-Clark Senor Games Bob found that there are other older people in Idaho who are active and in good shape.

“A runner who was in his 80s, just ran everyone else right into the dirt,” Bob says with a chuckle. ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

Fix Your Golf Slice And Avoid Miss-Hits

By Roberta Barrow The colloquial term for a golf slice is banana ball because when an amateur player performs this shot, usually, the ball curves like the curved shape of a banana. For right-handed amateur golfers, it is usually started towards the target’s left and then dramatically bends toward the right.

The reverse occurs for those who are left handed. This slice is seldom intentional except by experienced golfers, so it results in many bad shots.

Thus, if you are a beginner in golf, you want to know how to fix a slice.

Start With The Right Stance – Many things can contribute to a slice, but it is critical that you begin by aligning your body with the target. The left shoulder should be aimed exactly at the target to avoid a slice.

Be Aware Of Your Grip – Prior to taking a swing, look down first on the club grip. You will know you are properly gripping your club if you can see clearly 2-3 knuckles on your hand. Small adjustments can be done to the left hand and your grip. It is essential to practice swinging after every adjustment so you can be sure the correction will have the desired effect.

Balance In Your Grip – To correct/avoid a slice, you should focus on the amount of pressure in your grip. Too loose or too tight of a grip is a problem that can produce a slice. Gripping tightly will restrict release on impact while a loose grip can only make the ball to fly off the course you intend.

Turn The Hips – Slicing to the right is caused by an incomplete hip turn through the swing.

The face of your club should squarely hit the ball or it will not fly correctly. If your hips do not turn properly, you are also more likely to slice the ball. As with all training, there is no need for time spent on the practice tee and driving range.

Do Not Over-swing – Concentrate also on the speed of your swing if you want to fix a slice.

You may think that by swinging fast, you can hit the ball and make it fly farther. Yet, this will only result to your hands getting ahead of the clubface, which will open and produce a slice.

By swinging more slowly, you can minimize the opening of the clubface.

Know Where Your Head Is – A perfect swing requires the right positioning of your head. It needs to remain down until you have completed your swing. Do not be tempted to lift it too soon when you have made impact because this will only compromise your shot. Lifting the head just to see where your ball goes will help cause your shots to slice.

Examine Your Shoulder – When you strike the ball and notice your right shoulder move inappropriately and perhaps contact your chin, this will make your head rise and again produce a slice. The right shoulder must remain in the proper position as you swing.

Golf is not an easy game and a frequent slice can be very frustrating, but by concentrating on these various factors and practicing diligently, you can make it an infrequent shot. ISI

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 9

PAGE 10 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

Idaho State Parks Trivia

By Bernice Karnop Summer in Idaho invites everyone to don their hiking boots, grab a picnic, and head for the outdoors. While many have favorite spots, it’s a good time to remember that special places in the state have been set aside for public use. Thirty different pristine areas in Idaho are open and accessible to all of us. What a concept! That means that there are some close to where you live, and that there are some that you probably have not visited.

They were set aside for various reasons, historical, geological, and recreational. Wildlife, scenery, and fresh air are some of the blessings few states enjoy to the degree Idahoans can. The Oregon Trail stories, the mining tales, the history of the fur trade, to name a few, and State Parks give you access to the stories.

Check out this Idaho State Park Trivia and build a bucket list for this summer.

1. Beautiful Farragut State Park on Idaho’s largest lake – Pend Oreille – provides outdoor recreation all over its 4,000 acres, but did you

know that it once held the world’s second largest naval training station? The Museum at the Brig tells about it.

2. Also in North Idaho, pristine Priest Lake State Park, nestled in the Selkirk Mountains, is surrounded by forests of cedar, fir, and tamarack.

A two-mile trail takes hikers or bikers to Upper Priest Lake.

3. Heyburn State Park is the oldest State Park in the Pacific Northwest. It was 100 years old in 2008.

4. Dworshak State Park on the western shore of Dworshak Reservoir attracts water sports enthusiasts. The dam is the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere and the third highest dam in the U.S. 5. The 18-mile long Skyline Drive in McCroskey State Park overlooks the Palouse Prairie. Uniquely, the land was deeded to the state in 1955 “in memory of women and the hardships they endured.”

6. Visit Winchester Lake State Park, at the foot of the Craig Mountains, and the Wolf Education

and Research Center, home to the Sawtooth wolf pack. They do research and provide education concerning the grey wolf in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

7. Rock climbers love City of Rocks National Reserve and Castle Rocks State Park, but one doesn’t have to climb them to enjoy these granite spires, some reportedly 60 stories high. It was a landmark on the California Trail.

8. Land of the Yankee Fork State Park is great for hiking, fishing, and hunting, but it is also rich in mining history. The museum at Challis shows how to pan for gold and tells about ghost towns, the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, the Challis bison kill site, and more.

9. Bear Lake State Park, which laps over into Utah, is a beautiful high elevation lake at 5,900 feet. It’s 20 miles long and 8 miles wide.

10. Thousand Springs State Park is a collection of beautiful scenery. Niagara Springs tumbles down the canyon, attracting photographers and birds.

It is designated a National Natural Landmark. ISI

Competition Awaits You In St. George, Utah

Lewis-Clark Senior Games Invite Registration For Fun And Friendship

The Huntsman World Senior Games have come a long way since that first year in 1987 when St. George, Utah, USA, welcomed a few hundred athletes competing in a handful of sports. From those humble beginnings, the Games have grown into the world’s largest annual multi-sport event for men and women ages 50 and better. They continue to take place in St. George, Utah, each October and are open to athletes of all skill levels.

In 2014, the Games will welcome more than 10,000 athletes. Beginning on Monday, October 6, and running through Saturday, October 18, these participants enjoy the competition and camaraderie of what has become an annual tradition for many. Traditionally, all 50 of the United States of America are represented and athletes from a couple dozen different countries take the playing field. Since 1987, the Games have hosted 66 different countries at the event. It truly is an Olympic-style experience.

This year, the Games offer 28 different sports. From archery to volleyball, individual events to team sports, there is something for everyone.

Online registration is currently open at www.seniorgames.net and remains open until September 1, 2014. Register today. ISI

It is not for wimps, that’s for sure. But it is for men and women 50 “and better” who enjoy having fun, seeing new places and new faces, have some gas left in their tank, and may even have a slightly authentic sense of humor and a bit of a wild side!

Sure, it attracts serious athletes who have spent years pursuing and attaining remarkable goals. But even those dedicated souls rave about the fun and the spirit of connectedness they experience.

Senior Games events occur across our nation and provide a level playing field for those of us over 50 with a nagging sense that we still have boundaries to push and possibilities to explore. Sounds a bit mysterious, doesn’t it? And a little intriguing perhaps?

The 2014 Lewis-Clark Senior Games happens June 18-21 in Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington. Try something for the first time, or compete for a medal. Either way, you win!

Explore the possible and enjoy the journey. Visit lewisclarkgames.org or call 208-746-7787. ISI

Win a House!

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It won’t be long until all those skeletons of trees will be bursting forth in green leaves to hide their boney branches.

This issue’s winning quiz, Do You Know Your State Trees, was created by Patty Friedrich. Thank you Patty for reminding us of our giant friends who keep us company on our streets and in our forests.

We hope you enjoy figuring out this quiz.

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 that our staff selects as the featured quiz or puzzle for that issue. Be creative and send us some good, fun, challenging, and interesting puzzles! The second prize goes to the

person who submits the winning answers to the quiz presented in the previous issue.

This month’s winners (3) of our special I Spy quiz from the February/March 2014 issue are Sandra Orton ($80) of Pocatello; Joan Jones ($60) of Nampa; and Amanda Manty ($40) of Cataldo.

Congratulations to our winners and thank the hundreds of you who played I Spy. Please mail your entries to our State Tree quiz to the Idaho Senior Independent, P.O. Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403, or email to idahoseniorind@bresnan.net by May 10, 2014 for our June/July 2014 edition. Remember to work the crossword puzzle on our website idahoseniorindependent.com.

Do You Know Your State Trees?

By Patty Friedrich Below are the numbered names of 25 states and the lettered names of 25 trees. On a numbered sheet of paper, match the name of the official state tree with the name of its state.

Mail or email you answers to idahoseniorind@bresnan.net and you may win $25.

1. California 2. Arizona 3. Colorado 4. Idaho 5. Indiana 6. Iowa 7. Kansas 8. Arkansas 9. Maine 10. Montana 11. Nebraska 12. New Hampshire 13. New York

14. Ohio 15. Oregon 16. Pennsylvania 17. South Carolina 18. Texas 19. New Jersey 20. Utah 21. Vermont 22. Wyoming 23. Alaska 24. South Dakota 25. Virginia

a. Tulip Tree b. Palmetto c. Redwood d. Blue Spruce e. Dogwood f. Cottonwood g. Pecan h. Sugar Maple i. Buckeye j. Oak k. White Pine l. Cottonwood m. Sugar Maple

n. Red Oak o. Blue Spruce p. White Birch q. Cottonwood r. Palo Verde s. Black Hills Spruce t. Southern Pine u. Sitka Spruce v. Ponderosa Pine w. Hemlock x. Douglas Fir y. White Pine ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 11

Answers to Are You Ready To Play I Spy & Win? Lewiston Civic Theatre Clue Pg Advertiser Clue Pg Advertiser Presents Les Miserables 1.

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Fisherman’s Market Grill & Sushi Idaho State Veterans Home Clearwater Orthotics & Prosthetics Clarkston Denturist Clinic G & G Electric The Cottages Shoshone Funeral Services Hodge Funeral Home Proficio Mortgage Kindred Mountain Valley Nursing Ivy Court Aladdin’s Floral Vogts Heating & Air Guardian Angel Homes Rose Hill Coins & Jewelry Boise Valley Monument Heart N’ Home Hospice E. Idaho Regional Medical And Books Too Vista Travel Addus Healthcare – Coeur d’Alene Assure Link Univ. of Utah Health Care Madison Memorial Hospital Jewels Home Care Service Assisting Angels Home Care

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Ocean Terrace Condominiums Sunset Taxi North Idaho Dermatology Logan Park Devon Senior Apartments Emeritus - Highland Hills Boyer Jewelry Elegant Assisted Living Cottonwood Cove Pickles Place Sunset Resort Thrifty Meds Peaks & Plains, Inc. Main Street Books Soper’s Mobility Hearts For Hospice Liberty Square Shoshone Medical Center Low Vision Eye Care Community Restorium Vig’s Health Food Short’s Funeral Home Legends Park Assisted Living Kootenai Outpatient Imaging Rockwood Lane

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Miserables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice, and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.

Jean Valjean, a burly French peasant of abnormal strength and potentially violent nature, is on a quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for his starving sister’s child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a kindly bishop inspires him, but the ruthless policeman Javert hunts him for decades. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

With Javert on the hunt and a revolution tearing the city apart, everyone is forced to question what they are willing to sacrifice in pursuit of love and justice.

This passionate tale will be performed at the Lewiston Civic Theatre, 805 6th Avenue, May 22 thru June 8, 2014.

Call 208-746-3401 for ticket information and show times. Visit lctheatre.org to learn about our exciting 2014-2015 season. ISI

30. Win an auction 35. Dull or dense 37. Dutch cheese 39. Game ragout 40. Carpet layer’s calculation 41. Indy 500 entrant 43. Cajole 44. Earvin Johnson, Jr. 46. Of long ago 47. Burkina Faso neighbor 48. Olympian Ted Ligety’s sport 50. Feudal laborer 52. Bathroom sign 53. Like unwelcome neighbor 55. Web address 57. *Underground Railroad conductor 60. They are notoriously slow 63. *Location of General MacArthur’s last war 64. ET carrier 66. Nymph of lakes and springs 68. Liturgy instrument 69. In favor of 70. _____ brûlée 71. Bookkeeping entry 72. Unwelcome deduction 73. Industrial center of the Ruhr

DOWN

ACROSS 1. Tropical fruit 6. Bug enemy 9. ____ bargain 13. Relating to Quechuan people 14. Monetary unit of Afganistan 15. “_____ Science” (1985) 16. Daughter of a sibling 17. “But I heard him exclaim, ____ he drove out of sight...”

18. Wall hanging of hand woven fabric 19. *Anti-Communist ______ Doctrine 21. *U.K. and U.S.S.R. to U.S. (1939-1945), e.g.

23. One-shot Atticus Finch’s forte 24. *He sent naval fleet to support North in Civil War 25. Big fuss 28. Relinquish, as in property

1. Bathtub hooch 2. “U” in I.C.U. 3. Tree or shrub type having winged fruit 4. Absence of matter, pl.

5. Like one with low hemoglobin 6. *Nixon worked to do this to relations with China 7. Hudson’s Bay Co original ware 8. Bubonic plague carriers 9. Disembodied spirit 10. Italian money, 1861-2002 11. *The Colonial Period and Roar ing Twenties, e.g.

12. Highly anticipated during Super Bowl 15. Toothy marine mammal

20. Arabian chieftain 22. ___-tzu 24. High tea padded accessory 25. *Washington’s veep 26. Relating to dura mater 27. Opposite of alpha 29. *June 6, 1944 31. A boor lacks this 32. “Ulysses” protagonist 33. Candidate’s concern 34. *Mason’s partner 36. Get-out-of-jail money 38. Insignificant 42. Old episode 45. Charles Ponzi, e.g.

49. Bygone bird 51. *Gave us Miss Liberty 54. A pinch in the mouth 56. Pinocchio and his kind 57. Civil wrong 58. Craving 59. Beacon light 60. Tender 61. *Things Washington didn’t tell?

62. “The more things change, the more they stay the ____” 63. Ornamental carp 65. Joker to Batman, e.g.

67. Bear home ISI

PAGE 12 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

Head to Cascade for Payette River Flyer and Kelly’s Whitewater Park adventures

Enjoy the Rail Trails of Northern Idaho and Western Montana

The Thunder Mountain Line is excited to announce the return of train service to the wonderful city of Cascade from our launching point at Smith’s Ferry. After a long absence, the Payette River Flyer will return with service to Cabarton to drop off river adventurers.

Bear Valley Rafting will offer guided rafting trips and guests can load their own equipment onto our train for self-guided trips down the mighty Payette River. We will then continue on to Cascade’s famous Ashley Inn to drop riders off and pick up others for a round-trip service on the scenic train tracks of yesteryear. Guests will be able to enjoy great wildlife including bald eagles, mountain scenery, and views of the Payette River along the way.

Starting in June of 2014, round trip service will run every Friday thru Sunday until the end of the floating season – usually in September. The Thunder Mountain Line is a staple of the Payette River Byway and we will continue this long-standing tradition with the Payette River Flyer. We welcome all aboard to create new memories for families, river adventurers, and tourists from around the globe.

Reserve tickets by visiting thundermountainline.com, calling 208-3311184, calling the Ashley Inn Room & Ticket Packages at 208-382-5621, or by visiting theashleyinn.com.

More adventure awaits you at Kelly’s Whitewater Park, since 2010 recognized as one of the premier whitewater parks in the country. Kelly’s has hosted two National Kayak Championships and is proud host of the 2014 Payette River Games June 20-22, 2014.

Kelly’s is popular with stand-up paddle boarders and river surfers. In addition, floaters on inner tubes and canoeists of all ages can enjoy the whitewater features of the park.

Visitors can comfortably stroll along the 2.5-mile river trail (The Strand), view the action in the river from the 3.4 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, or walk across the bridge to Rock Island to relax by the river.

Kelly’s is a premier site in Valley County preserved for trout habitat in the Payette River. In the early morning and late into summer evenings, anglers enjoy fishing from the banks or from the man-made island.

Be sure to visit the bronze statue of John Borbonus at Kelly’s – an American soldier from Boise who died in Iraq in 2007.

For more information visit kellyswhitewaterpark.com. ISI

By Natalie Bartley Idaho is graced with old railroad grades converted into recreational rail trails for modern-day users. Runners, hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, ATV riders, and snowmobilers access the trails for exercise, solitude, and a peek into America’s past when railroads ruled the transportation world.

In northern Idaho, the Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trail is a world-famous bicycle destination. In western Montana, the Route of the Olympian Rail Trail is quickly becoming accessible to recreationists. Plans include linking the two trails.

The Route of the Olympian serves annually as a venue for the Trail Rail Run put on by the Trail 103.3 radio station in Missoula. In 2013, the inaugural ultra run attracted 275 registered participants from 17 states. Ages varied from 7- to 86-years-old. Whether you are a runner, supporter, or volunteer, this rail trail event is for everybody. The second annual Trail Rail Run is June 21, 2014.

Race director Jennifer Straughan was instrumental in creating the race.

She frequently drove between Missoula and Seattle and was curious about the abandoned rail bed she glimpsed from Interstate 90 (I-90) in Montana.

Jennifer thought it looked like an amazing place to run. By chance, her explorations about the use of the rail grade for a running event coincided with the ongoing development the Route of the Olympian by the Superior Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. The route is on the abandoned Milwaukee Railroad grade from near the Taft Exit off I-90 near Lookout Pass to St. Regis.

“It was a great timing thing,” says Jennifer.

The Trail Rail Run features four distances. All participants in the 2013 event made it over the finish line before the 14-hour cut off time. The 52-mile run starts in Mullan, Idaho, follows the Northern Pacific Rail Trail, then connects to the Route of the Olympian near the Taft Exit along I-90 in Montana, where the 33.5-mile run starts. All runners proceed eastward to the Savenac Nursery at Haugan, where the 19.2-mile run starts. Runners continue eastward to the start of the 7.6-mile run at Ward Creek Road. All participants finish at the park in St. Regis. Along the way, runners pass through the forest and across rail trestles. Numerous volunteers are needed to serve at the four starting areas, nine aid stations, and the finish line.

This ultra run (longer than a marathon) is unique because runners travel

ing

APRIL/MAY 2014

along a gentle grade on a soft surface, perfect for and repairing the 626-foot Saltese trestle, currently runners new to ultra runs or as a training run. Plus in private ownership and a critical link for the trail. the spacious width of the rail trail allows for side-by- Enter the Friends of the Olympian Trail, a volunteer side running, something not possible on the steep, group working on the rail trail. Save the Saltese single-track trails where ultra runs often are held. Trestle is the group’s first project.

“It’s wide enough for a train, by golly,” says “When all the stars align, the Route of the Jennifer.

Olympian will be about 30-miles from the existing Runners and other recreationists now reap the trailhead at the Route of the Hiawatha at the Taft benefits of years of rail trail planning and work. Ef- Exit to St. Regis,” says Beth. forts have been underway since 2007 to develop If you are visiting the Montana/Idaho border and open the abandoned railroad section along area, add a mountain bike ride down the 14.4-mile the St. Regis River between St. Regis and Taft, the Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trail from the Taft Exit old railroad town site. Accomplishments included trailhead downhill to near Avery, Idaho.

Dominion tunnel and trestle repairs, trailhead Another experience, near the historic town of enhancements, and rail grade work, as well as Wallace is the Silver Streak Zipline Tour. Hooked purchases of necessary land parcels. on to metal cables, you’ll glide effortlessly from Beth Kennedy, a recreation and resource staff launching stations to landing stations 2,000 feet member for the Superior Ranger District serves as above the Silver Valley. Afterwards, delve into the the project leader for the development of the rail history of the area at the Northern Pacific Railroad trail. She says, “It’s still very much a work in prog- Depot Museum in Wallace. It is next to the Trail ress.” Trail imof the Coeur provements are d’Alenes, a evolving at varipaved 72-mile ous locations, rail trail bewith maintetween Mullan nance vehicles and Plummer in action and that passes construction through old projects unmining towns, derway. Before along a river, accessing the and beside trail, Beth recLake Coeur ommends cond’Alene. tacting the SuFor inforperior Ranger mation: District regardTrail Rail ing open secRun – regtions and curister online The East Portal trailhead near Taft is shared by the Route of the Olympian and rent closures. the Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trails. [Photo courtesy of the U.S.Forest Service] (runners and Segments volunteers) at open depend on the season and activity. For ex- trailrailrun.com; ample, in the winter, snowmobilers use a portion Lolo National Forest – Superior Ranger Staof the rail grade as part of a groomed snowmobile tion, 406-822-4233; system.

Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trail and Lookout In the future, a segment is proposed for sum- Pass Ski and Recreation Area, 208-744-1301 or mer non-motorized use while another segment ridethehiawatha.com; is proposed for summer ATV use. The Dominion Silver Streak Zipline Tours, 208-556-1690 and tunnel will be open to motorized use in the spring silverstreakziplinetours.com; and fall, giving people a unique opportunity to drive Northern Pacific Railroad Depot Museum in their vehicle through the rail tunnel and walk onto Wallace, 208-752-0111 and npdepot.org. a trestle. Beth says the long-term, big picture is Natalie Bartley is a freelance writer/photograthat the Taft to Haugan section will have parallel pher based in Idaho. Look for her mobile app guide non-motorized and motorized routes.

Boise’s Best Outdoor Adventures and guidebooks Two big projects are underway. One is rebuild- Best Easy Day Hikes Boise and Best Rail Trails ing a fallen bridge. The other project is securing Pacific Northwest at nataliebartleyoutdoor.com. ISI

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 13

PAGE 14 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

Put Southeast Idaho Senior Games On Your Fun Calendar

African Children’s Choir Performs In Nampa April 4, 2014

By Dana Olson Pursuit of gold takes commitment and determination. With personal goals and high expectations, competitors will gather July 11-19, 2014 for the Portneuf Medical Center Southeast Idaho Senior Games in Pocatello, proving that no one is ever too old to go for gold.

The Senior Games has something to offer every interest and level of fitness – from basketball and track and field events to archery, softball, pickleball, table tennis, tennis, softball, swimming, and cycling.

Less physically demanding games include shuffleboard, croquet, horseshoes, bowling, mahjong, Wii bowling, and a variety of card games such as bridge, hand and foot canasta, and pinochle. Golf is 18-hole scratch play and don’t forget your dancing shoes for the ballroom dance competition.

The emphasis of the Portneuf Medical Center Southeast Idaho Senior Games is to provide participants, 50 years of age and better, with opportunities for competition, fun, and camaraderie. The Southeast Idaho Senior Games is endorsed by the Idaho Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and belongs to the U.S. National Senior Games Organization.

Our motto is “You don’t stop playing because you get old; you grow old because you stop playing.” Everyone who comes and competes is a winner. And, with the common thread of the games, people really get to know each other and create new friendships.

For registration information, visit seidahoseniorgames.org or call 208233-2034. ISI

The African Children’s Choir melts the hearts of audiences with their charming smiles, beautiful voices and lively African songs and dances.

The program features well-loved children’s songs, traditional Spirituals, and Gospel favorites.

Concerts are free and open to all. A free-will offering is taken at the performance to support African Children’s Choir programs, such as education, care and relief and development programs.

Music for Life (MFL) (The parent organization for The African Children’s Choir) works in seven African countries such as, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa. MFL has educated over 52,000 children and influenced the lives of over 100,000 people through its relief and development programs during its history. MFL purpose is to help create new leadership for tomorrow’s Africa, by focusing on education.

The African Children’s Choir has had the privilege to perform before presidents, heads of state, and most recently the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, for her diamond jubilee. The Choir has also had the honor of singing alongside artists such as Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey, Michael W. Smith, and other inspirational performers!

Most recently, the African Children’s Choir accompanied South African opera singer, Pumeza Matshikiza, on some tracks for her debut album that was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Promotional support of this community concert is greatly appreciated.

The African Children’s Choir is a nonprofit humanitarian and relief organization dedicated to helping Africa’s most vulnerable children today so they can help Africa tomorrow.

The performance is scheduled for 7 pm, Friday, April 4, 2014 at Karcher Church of the Nazarene, 2515 W Karcher Rd., Nampa. Phone 208-4667061 for additional information.

Hosted with First United Presbyterian Church of Nampa. ISI

Preserving What Makes Idaho a Gem State The Idaho Fish & Wildlife Foundation was established in 1990 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its mission is to preserve and sustain Idaho’s fishing, hunting, and wildlife heritage.

We recognize the importance of preserving wildlife habitats for many generations to come and support statewide restoration projects and access to public lands. We also help to fund conservation education programs for youth. We are fortunate to have a bounty of nature’s most beautiful landscapes and wonderful wildlife right out our own backyards. We enjoy and appreciate the unique outdoor opportunities that Idaho gives to all of us – a quality of life we sometimes take for granted.

Everyone can make a significant difference in preserving what makes Idaho so special. Legacy gifts for future generations take many forms. Gifts include bequests made in a will, endowed funds, special project funds, charitable annuities, land donations, and conservation easements. Those who make personal gifts to the Foundation have an important impact on our work. Planned gifts help us to continue our mission of preserving Idaho’s wildlife heritage.

If you would like to learn more about the Foundation’s work or to discuss legacy giving through your estate plan, please call us at 208-334-2648. ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 15

Ten Backpacking Trip Essentials

By Steve Gillman I have had backpacking trips that included rain, snow, lightning, rockslides, altitude sickness, and twenty-mile days – all in a summer weekend.

Wilderness trips can be dangerous, but you can make them less so, by having the following ten essentials in your backpack.

1. Knowledge. What good is a compass if you do not know how to use it? Play with matches if your fire-making skills are shaky. Learn what to do when you see a bear. Read a little, practice a little – knowledge is more likely to save you than gadgets.

2. Map and compass. These are together because that is the way you need to use them.

3. Matches and lighter. Bring both, or water-

proof matches and a fire starter of some sort.

Having two ways to start a fire is much safer.

4. First-aid-kit. Buy a pre-packaged one or build your own. Make sure it has pain relievers, bandages, disinfectant, and notes on basic first aid procedures.

5. Foot care. Your first aid kit needs moleskin, and maybe a pin, to treat blisters. Your feet have to be well cared for when you are hiking miles from the nearest road.

6. Water purification. A filter works, but they clog and break so often that you should have a small bottle of iodine tablets or other water purification as back up.

7. Rainwear. One of the biggest killers in the woods is hypothermia, and it often starts when you

get wet. Try to stay dry.

8. Shelter. This can be a tent, tarp, or bivy sack.

Just be sure you know how to use it.

9. Sleeping bag. Down bags are the warmest for their weight, but be sure you know how to keep it dry, or bring a synthetic bag.

10. Specific trip items. For backpacking trips in Michigan in May, bring insect repellant. In June in Arizona, bring sun block. Think about the specific conditions for the time and place of your trip.

Make your own list if you take regular backpacking trips. It is no fun when a friend tells us ten miles down the trail that he is allergic to bees and forgot his medicine. A little planning means less worries, and a better trip. ISI

Boise Race for the Cure

By Bernice Karnop Breast cancer. It’s an unwelcome guest in far too many households. It randomly strikes both women and men causing cells in the breast tissue to divide and grow abnormally. There is still no cure for breast cancer, but, according to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, there is hope. Hope springs from early detection, improved treatment, and better access to breast health services. These factors give individuals a greater chance of survival than ever before.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation, Idaho, works to bring these services to our area. The Boise Race for the Cure fundraiser gives area residents an opportunity to support this important work. Women, men, and children can sign up now to participate for the 5K on Saturday May 10, 2014. The Kendall Ford competitive Timed 5K starts at Albertsons Headquarters, 250 East Parkcenter Boulevard, at 9:00 a.m. A non-competitive 5K and 1 mile walk start at 9:05.

Registration is $25 and adults receive a t-shirt and this year there is a special Kids for the Cure t-shirt for young participants.

Online registration is available at komenidaho.org/2013-boise-race-forthe-cure. Participants may also register offline by mailing the form to Komen Idaho Office, 1409 West Main Street, Suite 120, Boise, ID 83701, or in person, Monday through Friday at the Komen Idaho Office, or at Kendall Ford, 250

Everything You Need To Know And More “Stewardesses” is the longest word typed with only the left hand.

“Lollipop” is the longest word typed with only the right hand.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple “Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt.

Our eyes stay the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

The sentence: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” uses every letter of the alphabet.

The words “racecar,” “kayak,” and “level” are the same whether they are read from left to right or from right to left (palindromes).

There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous” - tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order - “abstemious” and “facetious.”

“Typewriter” is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.

Cats have 32 muscles in each ear.

Goldfish have a memory span of three seconds. ISI

East Overland Road, Meridian on Saturday April 19 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Volunteers are needed for a variety of positions that are also listed on the web site. Individuals may donate without attending the race from that site as well. Hilarie Engle, executive director of the Susan G. Komen Foundation Idaho, reminds readers that 75 percent of the funds raised stay in the 28 county service area around Boise and are used to promote breast health education, screening services, and patient assistance. ISI

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PAGE 16 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

How to Feel Better at 54 than at 24

By Tabitha Bailey Aging well is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult to face any loss — loss of strength, flexibility, energy, memory, balance, anything. Actively participating in a practice that helps to train and focus the mind and body will help develop a positive perspective to see the benefits in our second and third stages of life.

It is a fact that as we age our hormonal levels change naturally causing the loss of lean muscle mass; therefore, consistent exercise with strength training is an essential part of aging. Shirley Archer, award-winning author of titles such as The Strength & Toning Deck: Exercises to Shape Your Body and Pilates Fusion: Well-Being in Body, Mind and Spirit, recommends the following for feeling better at 54 than you did at 24: • Increase or maintain a commitment to weight training to keep up lean body mass. Modern living simply does not provide the average person with enough stress to keep muscles strong. A recent study showed that people who were committed runners did not maintain lean body mass as effectively as those who did strength training, so simply doing aerobic activities (which is better than no exercise) are not enough to keep up our lean body mass against the forces of aging.

• Make it a point to include some high intensity interval training in your routine to stimulate fast twitch muscle fibers (at least twice a week).

Research tells us that as we age, we tend to lose the neural connection to fast twitch fibers before slow twitch, resulting in a higher proportion of slow twitch fibers. This is why people like Diana Nyad can achieve what she does. Physically, she cannot compete against younger elite athletes when

it comes to strength and power, but if we stay in shape and continue to train as we age, we can remain competitive in endurance sports.

• It is important to be mindful of joints as we only have one set to last a lifetime unless we have joint replacement surgery. While joint replacement technology is constantly improving, if one can enjoy life without surgery, it is better. To protect joints, you must keep muscles strong. Train smart – avoid overdoing it.

• Keep the body flexible. Make time for massages and stretching. Try to find a trainer who can help you with myofascial release – this helps rid the knots of tension in the body and promotes smooth movement overall. Yoga is also an excellent practice with a good instructor for your level that does not encourage any type of extreme stretching. Stretch when muscles are warm.

• Give your body proper rest and recovery (especially adequate sleep).

• Lots of hydration. Research tells us that our thirst mechanism is less accurate so we need to be sure to hydrate even if we don’t feel particularly thirsty. Hydration will also keep all systems working much more efficiently – and even help keep our thinking clear.

• Good nutrition and managing weight are very important. Loss of lean body mass and hormonal changes also lower resting metabolic rate, which means you burn fewer calories so you need to pay more attention to what you eat to minimize the risk of gaining body fat more easily than when younger. High nutrients and lower calories are recommended for older adults.

• With respect to cultivating mindfulness,

Shirley recommends picking up at least one form of mindful movement – yoga, Tai chi, Pilates, qigong, whatever appeals to you most. This will help to strengthen your inner peace for the courage and perspective required to age gracefully.

“As a 54-year-old, I am more committed than ever to cultivating mindfulness and practicing meditation. Mindfulness is important so that one stays in touch on a daily basis with one’s energy levels and how one is feeling so that you listen to your body and respect the needs of body and mind,” Shirley explains.

• Cultivate happiness and mindfulness. Recent research shows that happier people maintain more physical ability as they age. Stay in tune with how you are feeling and enjoy being active without any need to beat yourself up. Give your body challenges and also allow time for rest and recovery. Focus on the things that you can do and that you enjoy, rather than beating yourself up over what you can no longer accomplish. Cultivate equanimity in all things.

Shirley also notes another important point is that our generation is aging very differently from previous ones. We now have the scientific knowledge to help us optimize our health and create vitality and fullness so that we enjoy our potential as we age. Each of us should take advantage of this wealth of knowledge and choose to live as fully and healthfully as possible each day. Studies show that it is never too late to start and that you can continue to reap the benefits of an improved healthier lifestyle even if you start in your seventies!

But don’t wait! Start now. ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 17

Breast Cancer Not Indicator of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Older Breast Cancer Survivors Study Finds PLAINSBORO, N.J. – Factors such as smoking, diabetes, and hypertension were far better indicators of an older woman’s likelihood of suffering a cardiovascular event than being a breast cancer survivor, according to a study published recently in The American Journal of Managed Care.

Breast cancer survival rates are rising due to better screening and early detection. That means breast cancer survivors are aging, with more than half the 2.6 million women who have beaten the disease over age 65. That also means these women suffer the same ailments common among older Americans, including cardiovascular disease, which is the leading killer among those who have had breast cancer.

But the question remained: Did having breast put a woman at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, or were the other factors that came with getting older the culprits?

The AJMC study examined 2,722 women, half of them breast cancer survivors and half cancer-free, and followed them for 15 years to answer this question, considering factors such as race, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), smoking habits, hypertension, and whether the women had

diabetes.

Results found the women who had survived cancer were more likely to suffer from hypertension than those who had been cancer-free, while smoking habits and diabetes status were not significantly different. While equal numbers experienced a cardiovascular event – 45.3 percent of the cancer group and 47.7 percent of the control group – no overall differences were seen. The strongest predictors of whether a woman would have cardiovascular disease were whether she had diabetes, hypertension, or had used tobacco. The study concluded that primary care physicians are well equipped to manage cardiovascular screening for cancer survivors, based on these results. For the full study visit - ajmc.com/publications/issue/2014/2014vol20-n1/comorbiditiesand-cardiovasculardisease-risk-in-olderbreast-cancer-survivors/1. ISI

Take Steps To Improve Your Bone Health (NAPSI) – No bones about it, you need to protect your bones from conditions such as osteoporosis. Fortunately, it is preventable for many people. A comprehensive program that can help prevent osteoporosis includes: • Eating a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D • Doing weight-bearing exercise • Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake • Taking medication, when appropriate To help you understand your bones and how to protect them, information about bone health is available from the experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center provides patients, physicians, other health professionals, and the public in general with an important link to resources and information on bone diseases. You can search for scientifically accurate bone health information on the Center’s newly launched website by audience type, language, reading level, and disease. The Center is dedicated to increasing awareness and enhancing knowledge and understanding of the prevention, early detection, and treatment of osteoporosis and related bone diseases, as well as strategies for coping with them.

The materials fill important gaps in information, such as osteoporosis in men. Many diseases, such as asthma and diabetes, and certain medications can increase risk for osteoporosis and broken bones. The site also provides links to other resources.

One feature is the Check Up On Your Bones tool, an online, interactive bone health checkup. After answering a few questions, you can get personalized information about your bone health, including factors that may increase your personal risk for osteoporosis and broken bones and ways you can minimize your risk and improve your bone health.

Go to www.bones.nih.gov to find free, timely, accurate, and researchbased information on topics such as bone health for adults and children, osteoporosis, osteogenesis imperfecta, and Paget’s disease of bone.

The Center also distributes information packets, pamphlets, fact sheets, and other materials related to bone diseases in English, Spanish, and Asian languages. Publications are downloadable or can be ordered at no charge.

To order publications, or if you have questions about bone diseases or bone health, you can call (800) 624-BONE. Information specialists answer calls in English and Spanish. All information is confidential. You can also write to the NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center, Two AMS Circle, Bethesda, MD 20892-3676. ISI

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APRIL/MAY 2014

I Can’t Hear You Without My Glasses

By Cathy Zimmerman I’m never on the phone for chatting, for small talk. I’m there to hear things that I really want or need to hear, and that’s why I need my glasses when using the phone.

When a person has trouble hearing, phone conversations are usually short simply because it’s too difficult to struggle with unheard words. Typically, he/she will say what has to be said, listen to what little can be heard, and then get the call over as quickly as possible.

That was my method of using the phone until I was introduced to captioned telephone (CapTel). Now I read the other person’s words on the bright, built-in display screen. The words stream across the screen and are powered by a captioning center operator who hears only the voice on the other end of the phone – not mine – and uses voice recognition technology to convert what’s being said into captions. The conversations are confidential and the service provides what I need most – a view of what’s being said over the phone.

Who Is This? It’s important for me to know who is calling. There is something very painful about trying to understand names on the phone. Like an owl, I spent the first part of the conversation repeating the word “Who? Who?” But with the CapTel phone, I do not have to ask again and again who is calling.

Having the ability to hear what I can, while reading word-for-word captions of what the other person says, allows me to conduct my phone conversations with confidence. In the past, I would have to gather all the details I could and wait while my brain processed the bits and pieces into something that made sense to me. As a person who regularly conducts business over the telephone, it’s often difficult to anticipate what the subject of the phone call will be. By using Captioned Telephone, I read everything the caller says. Now I can see the day and time of my doctor’s appointments and other important details without asking several times.

A Little Louder, Please! When using the CapTel phone, I can increase the volume of the call, as it has several ranges of amplification up to 40dB. This allows me to hear voices that I have been missing – my children who live farther away, my grandchildren whose little voices sound like pleasant whispers, my sisters, brothers, and a couple of cousins. Even before I had the CapTel phone, I would willingly enter into a phone conversation with these dear people, just for the voices themselves. Even though I couldn’t hear everything that was said, I was able to recognize the voices that I’ve heard for many years. They are unique to special people in my life.

CapTel Solves Other Problems. There are still many people who don’t want others to know they have hearing loss, and I was one of those people many years ago. Now it doesn’t bother me to admit or even broadcast the fact. With captioned telephone, I can be in control of my calls. I explain to the caller that I’m reading their words on the phone so there may be a slight delay in my response. My family is glad that they don’t have to repeat what they have said, so it saves a good bit of aggravation for both sides of the conversation.

Special Features. A marvelous feature of the CapTel 800i phone is the permanent phone book. Once the names and numbers of your favorite people are programmed into the phone, simply locate their name and pick up the phone to call them. You don’t have to dial. I may not be a technological person, but I am impressed with that feature – and if I was able to put the phone numbers and names into the unit, anyone can.

Here’s something else that you might want to think about. A person like me, who doesn’t hear well even with a hearing aid, must learn to compensate to stay in the real world. On the CapTel 840i phone, there is a feature that saves up to 480 lines of conversation captions so that I can review them after the call is complete. So if I’m not sure whether someone said what I thought they did, I can review the captions again and again.

Many times, persons with hearing loss will hand the phone to a spouse or someone else in their home. I understand that perfectly because that’s what I used to do, but not any longer. Now I can hear the familiar voices and enjoy the giggles and excitement in voices, and be able to listen politely when the occasion is serious and someone needs my understanding. Since I can read everything that’s said, I don’t have to worry any more about whether I’m ordering something accidentally or replying foolishly to a question.

With CapTel, I’m active in my conversations again. All I need is my glasses. Where did I leave them this time?

Captioned Telephone Relay Service (CTRS) is available in both English and Spanish. The service is provided free of charge through many state programs. Placing and receiving calls is simple and easy, but a CapTel phone is required. It requires an analog (traditional) or internet phone line for both voice and captions.

Hamilton Relay and other relay services also offer a Web-based relay and recently mobile phones applications have been made available to provide captions on the move. Visit hamiltonrelay.com and captel.com for more information. ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 19

Psychiatry Connection: How To Recognize Depression At Any Age

By Phillip Holman, MD As a husband and father of nine children, I am always concerned about the genetic legacy we pass down to our children. Depression is one of those conditions that can have genetic roots and may be part of other ongoing medical diagnoses.

Depression is a word we hear tossed around very casually and often but never fully defined. It can be a challenge to pinpoint what it means to be depressed. Therefore, I have outlined what things to look for when you think you or someone you know might be depressed.

Depression in adults can be best described as sadness, feelings of inadequacy and guilt, tiredness beyond sleep deprivation, irritability, pessimism, loss of interest or pleasure, lack of energy and inactivity, and feelings of hopelessness. Depression presents itself in various levels of generalized mood numbness, emptiness, or sadness. It can be part of another disorder, a result of an illness, or an inherited condition. Depression may be short-term or long-term. It may be associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which occurs when the number of hours of natural light decreases during the winter months.

In any case, depression should not be viewed as shameful.

Additionally, it is important to note that depression and depressed moods present different symptoms in children and adolescents. For this

age group, one would tend to see behaviors that ognizable mood differences, and as we age we may naturally feel somewhat slower. reflect boredom, sadness, and/or irritability.

It is very important to help loved ones who are Teens may have longer periods of feeling depressed that may be associated with changes suffering with depressed moods. Find a psychiain weight, sleep disturbances, psychomotor trist, physician, or mental health provider who is a changes, decreased energy, loss of interest in good listener and cares about you or your loved school and activities, suicidal thoughts, feelings one. Positive treatment plans with the right psyof guilt, and feelings of worthlessness. Often chological and medically therapeutic intervention youth/teens participating in high risk behaviors are keys to helping the depressed individual lead show identifiers of depression. These high risk a happy, successful life. It is equally important to behaviors may be a predictor of future depres- have support for family members providing support. ISI sion.

School age children, in general, may show signs of irritability, sad moods, unexplained crying, suicidal thoughts, poor school performance, frequent headaches, or abdominal pain. Preschool children may look very sad, stop gaining weight, complain of frequent tummy aches, and cry more frequently.

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that the elderly often do not talk about feeling depressed or having depressed moods. They often present more ambiguous symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, and/ or anorexia. As we get older, it may become Have you scheduled more difficult to define feelings of depression. your mammogram?

There may be no rec-

Dieting Tips and Glitches

By Saralee Perel When my husband, Bob, was told to go on a low carbohydrate diet, I knew he’d freak out.

“What’s a carbohydrate?” he said, though it was hard for me to understand him because his mouth was filled with sugar cookies.

“Well, um, take cookies for example.”

Misunderstanding, he took another cookie from our junk food trough.

“Sweetheart,” I said, “there are lots of carbs that are good for you, but you’re supposed to limit things like – um,” I whispered, “cookies.”

“What?”

I softly said, “And sugary soda, white bread, cake....”

“NO! You’re lying.”

Forcing myself to be honest, I added, “And candy.”

“You’re evil.”

He stormed out of the room to his den. I sat alone in front of the fire listening to crackling sounds, which were not coming from the fire. They were coming from the den.

I found him gorging on potato chips. “Potatoes come from the ground, for heaven’s sake,” he said.

“So does lava.” I grabbed the bag.

“Then what am I supposed to eat?”

“Here’s a good rule of thumb, Bob. Everything you eat now? Don’t eat it.”

That afternoon, we went to Burger King for salads with grilled chicken. Bob came to the car with an extra bag. “It’s the new Big King!” he said, showing me the huge double cheeseburger. He tossed the bun and started eating the burgers, which were loaded with a creamy sauce. “No carbs. See?” “You had high-cholesterol bacon and eggs this morning, and now you want that?”

He nodded emphatically.

“There’s this brand new concept, Bob. It’s called dropping dead.”

Later, he was at the kitchen table holding a blank piece of paper. He

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PAGE 20 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

said, “I’m making a list of all the foods I can eat.”

“But it’s blank,” I said.

“Exactly.”

“I’ll help you,” I said, sitting beside him. “What do you like that’s good for you?”

He wrote, “Pepperoni pizza.”

I crossed it off.

“But I’ll eat the gluten-free kind,” he said.

“Nobody knows what gluten is. Plus you’ve got to watch high fat food.”

And that was when the pivotal moment occurred – the most important moment in any relationship. That moment when love is professed from the core of one’s being. The culmination of all the vows made to cherish and honor – that moment when – when one partner tells the other that they need to lose weight.

“Saralee,” he said gently. “You need to lose a few pounds.”

Tenderly, I replied, “You’re vile.”

He held my hand. “We both have a middle-age spread – that part around the waist.” He pointed.

I grabbed his finger, “I know where it is, you insensitive monster.”

“You love me,” he said. “That’s why you’re helping me with sugary carbs. And I love you. That’s why I’m helping you lose some....”

“Lose some what, Bob? Say it. Just say it!”

“Now I’m scared to say it.”

“Scared, Bob?” I was raising my voice. “If you point that finger at my stomach again, I’ll cut off that finger and another appendage you’re so fond of.”

Sweetly he said, “I love you just the way you look.”

“Oh, that’s a beauty.”

“I mean, I love you no matter how much you weigh.”

“Bob, where will you be sleeping tonight?”

He sighed.

“Just tell me,” I said. “Do I look as good as I did at our wedding?”

“You look better now.”

“Good answer.”

“You were so skinny at our wedding,” he said.

“You look healthier at this size.”

“You should write a book, Bob. Call it How to Guarantee You’ll Never Have Sex the Rest of Your Married Life.”

“Come sit on my lap,” he said. I did. I heard a little pop in his knee.

“I’m sorry I was mean,” I said.

We kissed. Then we slowly and sensuously fed each other celery sticks, but not until we slathered them with peanut butter.

Award-winning columnist, Saralee Perel, can be reached at sperel@saraleeperel.com or via her website, saraleeperel.com. ISI

One in five older Americans takes medications that work against each other

By David Stauth About three out of four older Americans have multiple chronic health conditions, and more than 20 percent of them are being treated with drugs that work at odds with each other – the medication being used for one condition can actually make the other condition worse.

This approach of treating conditions “one at a time” even if the treatments might conflict with one another is common in medicine, experts say, in part because little information exists to guide practitioners in how to consider this problem, weigh alternatives and identify different options.

One of the first studies to examine the prevalence of this issue, however, found that 22.6 percent of study participants received at least one medication that could worsen a coexisting condition. The work was done by researchers in Connecticut and Oregon, and published in PLOS One. In cases where this “therapeutic competition” exists, the study found that it changed drug treatments in only 16 percent of the cases. The rest of the time, the competing drugs were still prescribed.

“Many physicians are aware of these concerns but there isn’t much information available on what to do about it,” said David Lee, an assistant professor in the Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy.

“Drugs tend to focus on one disease at a time, and most physicians

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treat patients the same way,” Lee said. “As a result, right now we’re probably treating too many conditions with too many medications. There may be times it’s best to just focus on the most serious health problem, rather than use a drug to treat a different condition that could make the more serious health problem even worse.”

More research in this field and more awareness of the scope of the problem are needed, the scientists said. It may be possible to make better value judgments about which health issue is of most concern, whether all the conditions should be treated, or whether this “competition” between drug treatments means one concern should go untreated. It may also be possible in some cases to identify ways to treat both conditions in ways that don’t conflict with one another.

A common issue, for example, is patients who have both coronary heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Beta-blockers are often prescribed to treat the heart disease, but those same drugs can cause airway resistance that worsens the COPD. “There are several types of beta blocker that don’t cause this negative interaction, but many of the other types are still prescribed anyway,” Lee said. “It’s this type of information that would be of value in addressing these issues if it were more widely known and used.”

This study was done by researchers from OSU and the Yale University School of Medicine, with 5,815 community-living adults between the years

APRIL/MAY 2014

2007-09. The lead author of the study was Dr. Mary E. Tinetti at Yale University, and it was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

The analysis included a nationally representative sample of older adults, and both men and women.

The research identified some of the most common competing chronic conditions, in which medications for one condition may exacerbate the other. They included hypertension and osteoarthri-

tis; hypertension and diabetes; hypertension and COPD; diabetes and coronary artery disease; and hypertension and depression. These issues affect millions of older Americans.

“More than 9 million older adults in the U.S. are being prescribed medications that may be causing them more harm than benefit,” said Jonathan Lorgunpai, a medical student at the Yale School

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 21

of Medicine and co-author of the study. “Not only is this potentially harmful for individual patients, it is also very wasteful for our health care system.”

The researchers pointed out that the presence of competing conditions does not necessarily contraindicate the use of needed medications, but rather the need for this competition to be more seriously considered in treatment. ISI

What puts the temperature in thermoregulation?

By Susan Frances Bonner RN BSN Temperature affects all life on earth. Cold-blooded dinosaurs died because of dramatic temperature changes. Warm-blooded mammals adapted to earth’s varied and changing temperatures.

But what regulates the human body temperature? And how important is it to our well-being?

Simply put, temperature is the measurement of the kinetic energy of the particles in a particular sample of matter expressed in degrees on a standard scale. Normal human body temperature is 98.6F (37.0C).

The human body maintains its core internal temperature through mechanisms of thermoregulation. The state of having an even internal temperature is called homeostasis, which is the goal of our body’s thermoregulation. The body is constantly monitoring internal changes, the effects of external conditions, and adapting to them. The hypothalmus is the portion of the brain responsible for maintaining body temperature.

It issues instructions to your muscles, organs, glands, and nervous system when it senses your core internal temperature is becoming too low or too high. When your temperature increases, your body activates a system to promote heat loss that helps return body temperature normal.

This process has three steps. Sensors in your central nervous system (CNS) send messages to your hypothalamus that your internal temperature is increasing or decreasing. Your hypothalamus then activates any of several mechanisms to lower or raise your temperature as appropriate.

Sweating is one of the first methods your body will use to lower your temperature, because sweat cools your skin as it evaporates and helps lower your internal temperature. Your hypothalmus may also instruct the capillaries under the surface of your skin to dilate, which increases blood flow at the skin surface and releases heat through radiation.

If your body is too cool, your muscles, organs, and brain can produce heat to offset a sinking internal temperature. Muscles are especially effective at this process called thermogenesis. They can produce large quantities of heat quickly by shivering for example.

Temperature regulation is very important to our well being, especially if you have a chronic disease. Studies show that older people and people with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia can be more sensitive to temperature changes and may complain of being too cold, too hot, or alternately too hot or cold. Unfortunately, there is no treatment for temperature sensitivity except to try to keep them as warm or cool as possible.

For the rest of us, temperature control is automatic and works without thought or effort. ISI

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New Cookbook Serves Up Incredible Grilled Culinary Adventures - Grill To Perfection

By Andy Husbands and Chris Hart, with Andrea Pyenson The art of grilling is as old as fire and more popular than ever. Whether it’s the convenience of a gas grill or the traditionalism and taste of charcoal, the right recipes paired with the right techniques can create delicious and unforgettable meals.

As home grillers look for new backyard culinary adventures, a new book takes the art of grilling to the next level. Grill To Perfection [Page Street Publishing, April 2014, $21.99 US, ISBN: 9-78162414-042-6], by veteran barbecue champions Andy Husbands and Chris Hart, break the mold by offering a wide range of incredible new recipes for the grill along with tips, techniques and tools of the trade that will make anything cooked on a grill perfection.

“Grilling to us is more than a way to cook, it’s a way of life,” the authors state. “This book is about grilling and for us, as in all our books, technique is the key. Because temperatures can vary dramatically in a grill, it’s important to develop a feel for the fire rather than rigidly follow recipes. Once you master the temperatures and timing on a grill, the sky’s the limit.”

The authors cover topics such as: Our Go-To Cooking Methods, How to Build a Two-Zone Fire in a Gas Grill, and The Tools We Always Have When We Grill.

Andy and Chris, winners of multiple national barbecue championships including the Jack Daniel’s Invitational, take influences from lesser-known but delicious styles of American and international dishes. Recipes in the book feature fish, pork, lamb, poultry, beef, veggies, drinks, and desserts, perfect for any occasion and include many delicious recipes such as: • Tamari-Glazed Steak with Sweet-and-Spicy Rice • Curried Chicken Tenderloins with Coconut and Papaya Salad • Seared Greens with Grilled Chicken Livers and Blue Cheese • Jerk Ribs with Guava Glaze and Grilled Bananas • Lemon and Fresh Herb Grill-Roasted Leg of

Lamb • Wood-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Bruschetta and Pork Butter Spread • Grill-Roasted Ginger Clams with Sake and Scallions • Grilled Trout Stuffed with Fresh Herb Salad • Eric’s Molasses-Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potatoes • Charred Spring Vegetables • Sweet Onion Corn Cakes • Grilled Corn with White Miso Butter • Elvis’s Grilled Banana Split • Pumpkin Bread in a Can with Chocolate Sea Salt Butter This delicious collection of grilling recipes and techniques will have anyone serving up perfection every time. Grill To Perfection is the must-have cookbook for outdoor cooking lovers who enjoy their culinary adventures from the grill.

“This book was written for those amongst us who want to master the art of grilling.” – Nick Stellino, Celebrity Chef “Andy and Chris have made the mysterious art of grilling easy and approachable. I especially like the way they lower the heat and use the grill to layer complex smoky flavors in their food.”

– Gordon Hamersley, author of the bestselling, Bistro Cooking at Home and Chef/Co-owner of Hamersley’s Bistro in Boston About the Authors: Andy Husbands is the award-winning chef/owner of Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel. Husbands’ signature dish “180 ribs” was given the perfect score in a barbecue competition.

Husbands has made several TV appearances, including his run as a contestant in Season 6 of Hell’s Kitchen. Husbands was a semi-finalist in the James Beard Award’s Best Chef category. Other honors include Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence, Massachusetts Restaurant Association’s Executive Chef of the Year, and several “Best of Boston” awards.

Chris Hart is part of the IQUE barbecue team, which won the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

Andrea Pyenson is a Boston-based food and travel writer and co-authored Wicked Good Barbecue. ISI

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By Clare Hafferman I received three seed catalogues this year, which is always fun because you can check out old favorites and the see what’s new.

Totally Tomatoes arrived first. I used to get a similar booklet from Florida, but this one had a Wisconsin address (334 West Stroud Street, Randolph, WI, 52956). It features old and new tomato varieties plus other items including tomato cages to support the plants and a Fleece Grow Tunnel designed to provide protection from frost. These are 9’8” long x 20” wide x 18” high.

There is also Kozy Coat, a new reusable waterfilled tepee that warms the soil around the plant.

Wall-O-Water is similar in principle, the idea being to collect heat from the sun during the day and release it at night.

This catalogue also sells a red plastic sheet, developed by Clemson University that reflects sunlight onto the tomato plants. There is also a circle of red plastic, called a Tomato Crater, which has slots for a wire cage to support the plant and a circle cut in the middle where you add fertilizer and water.

The Tomato Tray is a square of red plastic for four plants that supposedly increases tomato yields by 40% because the light is reflected off the tray to the plants.

APRIL/MAY 2014

Totally Tomatoes also lists fertilizers, fungicides, garden decor, and even a rolling seat for comfort while doing gardening chores. The latter has a multi-purpose bag for loading leaves and other debris. If you need trellises and plant supports, they have them too.

Beside tomato seeds, Totally Tomatoes also lists vegetables. Whether you are interested in the traditional bell peppers for stuffing or the “hot stuff” varieties not as familiar, they are listed. One is the Italian pepper named Carman Hybrid, sweeter than most and having a distinctive horn shape, was previously selected as a 2006 AAS winner.

In the different shape category Green Grape, a small tomato with fruit that is 1” across that could be used as an hors d’oeuvre or sliced as a smaller version of my old favorite, Green Zebra, used for fried green tomatoes. You can use an egg dip and pancake mix as an easy recipe for fried green tomatoes.

Also of note are the cherry tomatoes in the Tumbling Tom series, designed for hanging baskets or pots on your deck. Red or yellow varieties cascade to 20” or more with 1” to 2” fruits, perfect for snack or salad. Zebra Cherry Hybrid is another hanging basket tomato plant with exotic tomatoes having red and green stripes, 1” to 1.5” in size, easy to cut, flavorful and firm – ideal for windowsills or pots.

Fire breathing peppers fill six pages in Totally Tomatoes catalogue including their hottest fivepacket collection – one packet each of Early Jalapeno, Fish, Hungarian Yellow Wax, Mushroom, and Super Chili.

A milder offering from the Totally Tomatoes catalog is their Temptation Strawberry, perfect for hanging baskets or pots. It provides berries in

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 23

120 days.

My next catalog was from Pinetree Garden Seeds and Accessories (P.O. Box 300, New Gloucester, Maine, 04260), which has vegetable seeds, herbs, annual and perennial flowers, a listing of cookbooks, and many books relating to gardening. To aid in gardening they have plant and garden labels, potting mixes, weather monitors, mulches, landscape fabric and weed control, plus organic insecticides, pesticides, and fungicides.

They also offer the red tomato trays and an advanced version of the Kozy Coat. This one has double walled plastic tubes that you fill with water and place them over the tomato plants, cucumbers, peppers, melons, or other heat loving plants.

In the garden-products section there is a glass humming bird feeder and an interesting Bee Block, which is a 6” tall by 7” deep milled spruce and pine lumber with 14 holes bored for solitary hole-nesting bees to lay their eggs when crops are flowering.

Pinetree also sells The Garden Bandit weeding tool that cuts emerging weeds just below the soil surface, and a handy Flip-It Garden Knife as well as pruners.

You can order asparagus roots and strawberry plants and start them growing with the Pinetree Manure Medley - three highly effective manures wrapped in a sturdy 1.5 gallon Canvas Bucket that is rugged enough to withstand many uses.

You can add to your kitchen equipment with Pinetree’s Spice Grinder, useful for grinding whole nutmeg or peppercorns. They market a 6” stainless steel Bash

Treasure Hunting Through Attic Trash?

N’ Chop blade to chop, slice, mince, and bash a variety of vegetables, even garlic. Pinetree has a nice selection of spices in a one-ounce size and several kinds of loose tea in bags of both the oneand three-ounce sizes.

Another useful catalogue comes from Le Jardin du Gourmet (P.O. Box 75, St. Johnsbury Center, VT 05863-0075), a simple black and white seed catalog. They specialize in a very large selection of packets of herbs, vegetables, and flower seeds. A sample seed packet sells for 40 cents while a large seed packet is $1.05. Herb plants are also sold. With few exceptions, herb plants are mostly in 2.25” pots selling for $2.50. They also sell bulbs, plants, and seeds of shallots, garlic, leeks, and ginseng.

Le Jardin du Gourmet has some unusual items for the adventurous gardener like the Shiitake Mushroom Log, an all-natural hardwood log that has been inoculated with shiitake spawn and incubated for 8-12 months. It will grow mushrooms every two months for about four years producing about 1/4 to 1/3 pound of shiitakes at first with increasing yields with each fruiting. Le Jardin du Gourmet is chock-full of seeds and plants that will tempt any gardener.

Spring is here, and if you are like me, the urge to plant is stirring! ISI

Hey, It’s Free

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-year-old 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.”

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APRIL/MAY 2014

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: BUYING and SELLING 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 Coins & Paper Money - US & Worldwide destroyed. “I sold it for $80,� he says, “and that was cheap.�

Gold t Silver t Bullion Put together items on the same topic to improve chances of selling to Coin Collecting Books & Supplies collectors. Collectors like to buy in lots, Mendoza notes. They’d rather have Metal Detectors t Prospecting Supplies a whole bunch of things than just one. Among Alice Bowersock’s belongWe now carry food storage supplies ings, Mendoza found photographs and documents from the time her father helped to build the Panama Canal. Mendoza pulled all the canal material 10-5 Mon - Fri or Call for an Appointment together and sold it to a collector.

210-C Triangle Dr. ‡ Ponderay Store papers in an open zipper bag in a dry place. If the paper is very 263-7871 (Behind Pampurrred Pet Store) 609426S-0815 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 Devon Senior Apartments American history and is an adjunct instructor for 208-735-2224 Central Texas College. He lives in Santee, Calif., / $PMMFHF 3E t 5XJO 'BMMT and plans a sequel to Glorious Reality of War. His website is www.dentedcanenterprises.com. ISI Eagle Manor

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 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.

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Whether You Are Buying A New Home Or Downsizing Follow These Tips NAPSI – The housing market is roaring back in many areas, as increased demand and decreased inventory combine with very low interest rates to boost real estate sales. Here are a few tips: • Know the market. Stay on top of new home listings by checking real estate listings using online search engines. In a market where a home can have multiple offers, buyers must be ready to make an offer quickly. Think through the “must havesâ€? of your future home. • Show you are serious. Demonstrating that you’re prepared to close a purchase quickly can be an advantage in a competitive housing market.

First, get a prequalification letter from your lender to show you qualify. Second, when making an offer, don’t “lowballâ€? the seller. Make your bid competitive and keep contingencies to a minimum, particularly if there are additional offers. Sellers are looking for a worry-free, uncomplicated sale. • Consider all financing options. If you are nearing retirement, consider a larger down payment. Borrowers who have a down payment of less than 20 percent must also budget for mortgage insurance. Recent changes have made governmentsponsored Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance more expensive, so private mortgage insurance may be a better option. In most cases, borrowers can save more than $100 per month with private mortgage insurance.

Another consideration is policy cancellation.

FHA no longer allows cancellation of mortgage insurance premiums for borrowers with less than 10 percent down, requiring them instead to pay premiums for the life of the loan. In contrast, private mortgage insurance can be cancelled once you’ve established 20 percent equity and loan payments are current, among other conditions. According to Mortgage Insurance Companies of America, 90 percent of borrowers cancel their mortgage insurance within 60 months. Check with your lender about all your financing options. Private mortgage insurance is available with down payments as low as 3 percent. Learn more at SmarterMI.com.

A strengthening housing market means today’s buyers are facing new realities. Before you buy, make sure you understand and address these challenges, so you can increase your chances of getting into the home of your dreams. ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 25

Challenges Of Long-Term Ailments Can Be Handled

By Lisa M. Petsche Approximately one in three North Americans has a chronic illness, defined as a permanently altered state of health that significantly affects daily living. Examples of long-term health issues include arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.

Upon diagnosis of a major medical condition, most people initially go into a state of shock or disbelief. Subsequent emotions typically include anger, fear, anxiety, guilt, sadness, and perhaps a sense of aloneness.

With progressive diseases, losses can be many, including strength, coordination and energy, communication, bodily functions, roles and responsibilities, previously enjoyed pastimes and plans for the future. The resulting dependence on others can strain relationships and negatively affect self-esteem.

Periods vary for individuals, but eventually most people come to accept the reality of their situation. At that point, they are ready to plan for their future and take control of it as much as possible.

Coping Tips. If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a long-term illness, the following are some ways to become empowered mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

Learn as much as possible about the illness and its management. Educate family and friends to help them understand.

Be receptive to learning new ways of doing things and trying new activities. Concentrate on what you can rather than can’t do.

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude, consciously focusing on the good things in your life, such as supportive relationships, and seeking beauty and tranquility – for example, through appreciation of art or nature. Learn to live in the moment and enjoy life’s simpler pleasures.

Redefine what quality of life means to you.

Recognize that there are many ways to lead a meaningful life. Remind yourself that your identity goes much deeper than your appearance and physical abilities.

Find an outlet for expressing your thoughts and feelings – perhaps talking with a friend, keeping a journal, or participating in a support group.

Accept that how you feel and what you can do may vary from day to day, and be flexible about plans and expectations. Take things one day at a time.

Recall past life challenges and how you overcame them, to remind yourself of your resilience and to generate hope.

Stay connected to people who care. If your social network is limited, develop new connections through volunteering, taking an adult education course, or joining a club or group.

Allow yourself plenty of time to adjust to your illness and any lifestyle changes that are required.

Recognize that your family and friends will also need time to adjust and may not know what to say

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PAGE 26 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

or do. Let them know how you wish to be treated and keep the lines of communication open.

Do something nice for someone. It will take your mind off your own situation and boost your self-esteem.

Set aside quiet time each day, to nurture your spirituality and help to keep you grounded.

If applicable, turn to your religious faith for comfort.

Seek counseling if you are stuck in one of the phases of grieving, such as anger or depression, or if you find yourself making unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Recognize that no matter what happens, you always have a choice

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about how to respond to your circumstances. Tap into your mental power.

Final Thoughts. However unwelcome it may be, illness - like other life challenges - presents opportunities for growth. Many people gain a richer perspective on life, including a deeper spirituality; discover inner resources they did not know they possessed; develop new interests; acquire new skills; and, form new relationships or experience strengthening existing relationships.

If you are living with a chronic illness, rise to the challenges it presents. Think of yourself as a survivor rather than a victim. Attitude really does make a difference!

Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social worker and a freelance writer specializing in boomer and senior health matters. ISI

Celebrate Older Americans Month

By Bernice Karnop When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty, and there were few programs to meet their needs. In April of that year, President John F. Kennedy, with the advice of the National Council of Senior Citizens, designated May as Senior Citizen’s Month. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter revised the name to Older Americans Month.

The Idaho Senior Independent joins in celebrating Older Americans Month this May. The theme of this year’s celebration is Safe Today. Healthy Tomorrow. We have a front row seat to appreciate the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of Idaho communities. Their shared histories, diverse experiences, and wealth of knowledge make our state what it is today.

We also celebrate all the advances that help older Americans live longer, healthier, and more engaged lives. Older Idahoans are out and about, giving back and making a difference in their communities across the state. They mentor leaders of tomorrow and take time to volunteer in schools. They connect with others by delivering meals, helping with home repair, assisting with shopping, and offering companionship and care.

Join us in celebrating Older Americans Month by not only recognizing those who have gone beyond the call of duty, but also by contacting your local Area Agency on Aging to find out how you can be part of this amazing volunteer force. Opportunities are so diverse, we are sure there is a perfect place for you! ISI

Take Charge Of Your Health To Reduce Complications And Prevent Situations That Could Land You Or A Loved One In The Hospital

By Lisa M. Petsche As we age, our chances of being hospitalized increase due to the greater likelihood of developing multiple chronic health conditions. The good news is that numerous risk factors are within our control, and reducing the risks can help us prevent or manage health problems, lowering our chances of complications and hospitalization.

Follow these tips to help preserve your wellbeing and independence or that of a loved one for whom you are providing care.

Physical health - Get regular medical checkups. If you miss an appointment or a test, call to reschedule right away.

Have your vision and hearing tested on a regular basis.

Ensure vaccinations are up to date.

Get vaccinated against influenza annually and early in the season.

Stay away from people with colds, flu, or other contagious illnesses. Keep hand sanitizer by your front entrance and use it coming and going.

Also keep a travel size bottle in your vehicle or handbag, or a miniature-sized one in your pocket.

Take medications as prescribed and at regularly scheduled times each day. Fill all prescriptions at one p h a r m a c y. A s k t h e

APRIL/MAY 2014

pharmacist about available products to help you organize and remember to take your medications.

Practice healthy lifestyle habits: eat nutritious meals, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly.

Limit your sun exposure and always use sunscreen outdoors. A widebrimmed hat is also advisable, as are sunglasses that block out 100 percent of ultraviolet rays.

Do as much for yourself as possible to maintain your abilities.

Investigate available resources in your community, some of which might include grocery delivery services, meals on wheels, volunteer driver programs, accessible transportation, home health services, and senior housing.

Such information can be obtained from the local office on aging.

Mental health - Do things that center you and bring inner peace, such as practicing yoga, keeping a journal, or spending time in nature.

Keep in regular contact with friends. If your social network has diminished, make new connections by taking a class, volunteering, or joining a club.

Safety - In addition to health- and age-related changes, hazardous conditions in the home environment are a major cause of falls resulting in hospitalization.

Fortunately, there are numerous ways to reduce these hazards for yourself or a loved one.

In stairwells: Ensure steps are in good repair and have a non-skid surface. Keep them free of clutter. Have solid handrails installed on both sides of stairways and ensure adequate lighting.

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

Facing a life change? You’re not alone.

Retirement. An injury. An empty nest. An unexpected diagnosis or progressive illness. A desire to explore new things.

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Nationwide, our not-for-profit organization annually provides 30,000 people with housing, assisted living options, skilled nursing care, therapy and rehabilitation, specialized dementia care, in-home care and monitoring, spiritual and social activities, and other services to help them live the fullest possible life.

We strive to provide the care people need, the service people want, and the love we all desire. Our staff is challenged to follow Christ’s example of showing compassion, respect, honesty, acceptance, and joy to everyone – it’s something we’ve been doing for nearly a century.

To learn how the Good Samaritan Society can help you, please visit good-sam.com or call toll-free 888-296-1445.

Let’s talk about what you want your new life to be – together. ISI

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handrail and rubber tips. Never use a chair.

In the bathroom: Have grab bars professionally installed by the toilet and in the bathtub or shower area. Use a rubber mat (the kind with suction cups) in the tub or shower, and a non-skid bath mat on the floor. Consider getting a raised toilet seat, a bathtub seat or shower chair, and a hand-held shower attachment.

General tips - Wear slippers or shoes that fit snugly, offer good support, and have a non-skid sole.

Ensure that throw rugs and scatter mats have a non-skid backing. Better yet, remove them.

Keep walkways clear of electrical and telephone cords.

Avoid clutter in rooms and hallways.

Use night-lights in the bedroom, hallways, and bathroom. Get the kind that has a built-in sensor to automatically turn the light on in dim conditions.

Also get plug-in, rechargeable flashlights that automatically come on when the power goes out.

Sign on with a personal emergency response service, through which you wear a lightweight, waterproof pendant or bracelet that has a button to press if you run into a crisis and need help.

Visit a medical supply store and check out the many products that can make daily activities easier and safer.

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 how to use it properly.

Lisa M. Petsche is a medical social worker and a freelance writer specializing in boomer and senior issues. ISI

Enjoy Affordable Senior Living In Southwest Idaho Elderly Opportunity Agency, Inc. (E.O.A.) is a non-profit organization that owns and manages three housing complexes in Southwest Idaho with both 1- and 2-bedroom apartments: 1. Council is nestled along the Weiser River and is a wonderful mountain community with a rich past. Council Senior Housing is located near downtown and a very active Senior Center.

2. Parma Senior Housing has two housing locations from which to choose. The City of Parma is a close and thriving village with shops, many services, restaurants, several parks, and many opportunities for its residents. Parma is surrounded by rich farmland, recreational possibilities, and is home to Old Fort Boise, the Oregon Trail, and the Boise River.

3. New Plymouth is a friendly welcoming historic community. Home to the World’s Largest Horseshoe. The town was platted with a horseshoe shape with its open end facing to the north, toward the railroad and the river. New Plymouth Senior Housing is located close to downtown & shopping.

Qualified individuals include those 62+ years of age or disabled, with or without children.

Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture & Rural Development, rental assistance is available to qualified applicants. For additional information, please contact E.O.A. at 800-273-4462. ISI

PAGE 28 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

Less Is More

By Peggy Henderson There are no easy rules for successful aging as there are no easy rules to eradicate an addiction. Each day an individual strives to make his or her own way. The uncertain journey winds through peaks and valleys of decisions based on personality traits and cultural family background.

And, who’s to judge what path is THE answer?

Regarding age, the one thing we know is that our bodies will decline and no matter how many nips and tucks we may be able to afford, the body will let us know when it’s our time to cross the finish line. Once we totally accept our imminent death, we crafty seniors can concentrate on what really matters, and that’s today.

High on my list of importance is that my relationships with my family and friends remain in a state of reciprocal pleasure just being around each other. I’m not asking for the moon, and so far, so good. This means: No obligatory responsibilities.

No strings attached promises. No grand drama for drama’s sake. Above all, unconditional love.

I’ve been pondering the issue of living in harmony with myself and others I love. A universal

ponder. The idea that positive senior living is an art form appeals to me rather than stuffy, pragmatic principles. I don’t want to revisit my school days.

Remember the “do this or else?” I confess that I prefer creative options that offer a sense of freedom rather than how-to manuals that offer sketchy solutions. But of course this is the catch-22, I’ve always wanted my cake and chocolate icing too.

By happenstance, I’ve discovered that one option is to practice the adage “less is more.”

To avoid unnecessary conflicts, I attempt, more times than not, to bite my tongue. Actually, I was born with red hair and with the red came along a rosy temper. As we age, it’s natural to slow down and live more measured lives. Gleefully, we own more time than our adult children. This gives us the opportunity to use our measured time wisely.

For example, before we expose our mind to the public or private arena, we can choose our words carefully before we allow our irretrievable views to escape our lips.

The message less is more means: resist the impulse of being daily involved with family members. I believe that the motto, “Absence makes the

heart grow fonder” works. Don’t give sage advice unless asked. Be consistently authentic.

This self-serving discipline is more of a headache than a challenge for me because I egotistically like to entertain the thought that someone might actually value my opinion.

An unhealthy dialogue begins with: As your mother, I feel that I must; Being a close friend you should be aware of; or Nana loves you but.

The silly irony is that 99 per cent of the time, the recipient of your advice is NOT listening to you.

They are itching to pull out their Smartphone. It could be a generational issue, or worse, just the boredom of it all.

By the way, the same message applies to one’s spouse. They appear to be listening to you about your lunch with Martha, but dare to suggest something that might interrupt their comfort zone and watch them zoom into focus.

The good news is that as we practice the skills of reticence, I’m convinced that improved communication will enrich our lives. We don’t have to do anything. Just sit back, relax and let life play itself out. And what could be better? ISI

How to Help Extend Driving Years

By Jim Miller With more and more Americans driving well into their 70s, 80s, and beyond, what should you do when your mother, for example, is still behind the wheel. Here are several tips, tools, and programs available to help her (and Dad, too) drive safer and longer.

Schedule an eye exam – Because about 90 percent of the information necessary to drive is received through our eyes, this is a good first step in ensuring your mom’s driving safety. So get your mom’s eyes checked every year to be sure her vision is up to par.

Check medications – Does your mom take any medicine or combination of medicines that could impair her driving? A new resource that can help with this is Roadwise Rx, an online assessment tool at roadwiserx.com that provides personalized feedback on how the medications she may be taking can impact her safety behind the wheel.

Evaluate her driving – A do-it-yourself driving assessment is a simple way to help your mom get a handle on her driving abilities and vulnerabilities.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has some great resources on its website to help with this. Just go to seniordriving.aaa.com, click on Evaluate Your Driving Ability then on Self-Rating Tool, and have her take the Drivers 65-Plus self-rating exercise.

Then, click on “Interactive Driving Evaluation” and download the AAA Roadwise Review. This free confidential online screening tool will test her vision and reaction time, which are very important for safe driving.

Take a refresher course – AARP and AAA both have older driver refresher courses that can help your mom brush up her driving skills, and learn how to manage and accommodate common age-related changes in vision, hearing, and reaction time. Taking a class may also earn her a discount on her auto insurance. To locate a class contact your local AAA (aaa.com) or AARP (aarp. org/drive, 888-227-7669). Most courses cost under $20 and can be taken in the classroom or online.

Another good resource to look into is CarFit. This free assessment program will help your mom adjust her vehicle for a better fit, making it easier and safer to drive. CarFit events are held around the country in select locations. See car-fit.org to look for one near you.

Get a professional assessment – If your mom needs some extra help, consider getting a professional assessment done by a driver rehabilitation specialist. They will evaluate her driving ability and test for things like reaction time, decision-making skills, as well as how well she and her car fit together, pinpointing trouble areas and offering solutions. This type of assessment can cost several hundred dollars. To locate a professional, contact the Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialists (driver-ed.org, 866672-9466) or the American Occupational Therapy Association (aota.org/olderdriver).

Make some adjustments – Recognizing vulnerabilities and adapting her driving habits to

compensate for them can go a long way in helping keep your mom safe and driving longer. Some simple adjustments include not driving after dark or during rush hour traffic, avoiding major highways or other busy roads, and not driving in poor weather conditions.

It’s also good to know if there are any older driver’s license renewal provisions in your mom’s state, which you can get by calling her nearby driver’s license office or at iihs.org/laws/olderdrivers.aspx.

When to quit – If it gets to the point that your mom’s driving isn’t safe anymore and she needs to quit, The Hartford Financial Services Group and MIT AgeLab provide online resources and free publications like We Need to Talk: Family Conversations with Older Drivers that you can access at safedrivingforalifetime.com.

Send 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

Out of the mouths of babes…

Submitted by Julie Hollar Steven (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. “I love you so much that when you die I’m going to bury you outside my bedroom window.”

Brittany (age 4) had an earache and wanted a painkiller. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she would have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked, “How does it know it’s me?”

Susan (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. “Please don’t give me this juice again,” she said, “It makes my teeth cough.”

D.J. (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked, “How much do I cost?”

Clinton (age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried when his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, “I don’t know what’ll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in it?” ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 29

Hacking & ID Theft: Are You Next?

Seven Tips for Protecting Your Identity & Money At least 110 million consumers were affected by the hack involving Target and Neiman Marcus retailers. Whether or not millions more will have their identities manipulated and finances ruined within the coming months due to more breaches of security at other stores is anyone’s guess, says identity theft recovery expert Scott A. Merritt.

“By necessity, I became an expert on identity theft. My information was stolen in 2006, and in repairing the damage, I learned some not-so-obvious ways we can all protect against identity theft in the first place,” says Merritt, CEO of Merritt & Associates (scottamerritt.com) and author of Identity Theft Do’s and Don’ts.

Merritt’s problems began quickly. While disputing financial charges and dealing with resulting business problems, in 2007 he was stopped for a traffic violation and arrested on a false outstanding felony warrant. He immediately knew why.

“I had to enlist my U.S. representative and convince the state police, NCIC, FBI, and Secret Service that I didn’t commit the felonies. For a few years, I had to prove that the prints did not match the false record in question.

After legal action, however, I was able to have this corrected.”

Unfortunately, the millions affected by the recent hacks may be dealing with similar repercussions in the years ahead, he says. Before you become a victim of identity theft, Merritt offers seven ways to guard against it.

• Understand how and where it happens. Identity theft is like being robbed when you are away from home; most thefts occur in places where you do business every day. Either a place of business is robbed, a bad employee acts improperly, or a hacker breaches the office through the computer.

• Secure your wallet’s information. Photocopy everything in your wallet: photos, credit cards (front and back), membership cards – everything.

Put the copies in the order the cards are arranged in your wallet, staple the pictures and place them in a strongbox or safe.

• Make sure your information is consistent. For all of your identity and financial documents, make absolutely sure, to the smallest detail, that all of your personal information is accurate and consistent! Discrepancies such as using your middle initial on some documents, and not others, or having different addresses, can wreck havoc in proving your identity, and can compromise your credit score.

• Secure your digital habits and data. Change your passwords at least twice a year on a non-scheduled basis – don’t be predictable. Have a strong firewall if you shop online, and only access sites that are protected by a strong firewall and high industry standards. Access accounts of a financial nature only from your personal computer.

• Protect your banking information. While in the bank, keep account numbers and other data out of sight, and avoid stating account numbers, Social Security numbers, and similar information aloud. When planning a bank visit, have items such as deposits and withdrawal slips prepared in advance.

• Account for your interactions with vendors. Every time you speak to someone with whom you do business, write down the time, date, name, and the purpose or outcome of the call. If an identity theft occurs on the vendor’s end, you will be able to reference these prior conversations effectively.

Be sure to note any animosity or reluctance from the vendor.

• Don’t carry around your birth certificate or Social Security card. Unless it’s necessary, keep those vital items in a safe, or at least a firebox. If you know someone is going to need a copy of your tax returns or your driver’s license, for example, make the copies ahead of time. This avoids the need for a firm’s employee to leave the room with such information.

“Of course, you can greatly reduce being a victim of such recent hacks that occurred at the major retailers by using cash more often,” he says.

“But if you’re going to use credit, use a card from a national bank or a national credit union and never a debit card, no exceptions.”

Scott A. Merritt is the CEO and sole stockholder of Merritt Ventures, Inc. He has more than a decade of experience in the real estate industry, financial planning, insurance, investment services, and has more than a decade in mortgage services, all under the umbrella of Merritt Ventures. ISI

The Upside Of Downsizing Your Idaho Home Sooner or later the idea of moving from your four-bedroom home into a two-bedroom bungalow will start to sound appealing. Less home means less space to clean, furnish and of course to insure. If downsizing is the next thing on your bucket list, make sure and call one of our local Farm Bureau Insurance agents today. They’ll help you bundle your home and auto policies to help you save even more. Oh, and don’t worry, there’ll be no downsizing when it comes to the great customer service that our agents are known for.

We Know Idaho, We Grew Up Here.

IdahoFarmBureauInsurance.com

Car designers are just going to have to come up with an automobile that outlasts the payments.

- Erma Bombeck

PAGE 30 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

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Protect Your Land Forever And Save Taxes

By Eric Grace, Executive Director Kaniksu Land Trust Sophisticated estate planning tools exist to help preserve your assets for future generations. Charitable remainder trusts, life insurance, and testamentary trusts are just a few options. However, did you know that if you own land, these tools can also be used to protect that land forever, while giving you and your estate significant tax-savings?

If you own land that has habitat, farmland, woodland, or scenic values that you would like to see remain protected into the future, you might consider working with a land trust to achieve your goals. Many of the same estate planning tools can be used not only to protect the property, but also to preserve your wealth.

In north Idaho, the Kaniksu Land Trust has successfully partnered with 13 landowners on projects that protect over 2,300 acres of open space.

We use tools that ensure the land remains free from development, while meeting the economic needs of the property owner.

The Kaniksu Land Trust is not alone. There are 19 land trusts that operate in Idaho. For more information, see the advertisement on page 29. Also visit kaniksulandtrust.org or call 208-263-9471. If you do not live in north Idaho, contact the Idaho Coalition of Land Trusts (www.idaholandtrusts.org). ISI

Tax season is taxing enough – do not fall victim to scam artists this time of the year Provided by AARP During tax time, most consumers are focused on getting their returns filed and are perhaps looking forward to spending a refund. Unfortunately, con artists are looking for ways to scam you during tax season. Every year, tax season is prime time for scammers and the scams are getting pretty slick. Don’t get taken.

Here are some of the most common scams this season.

Phishing Scams: Among the scams making the rounds again this filing season is a twist on “phishing” scams. E-mail scammers are impersonating the Internal Revenue Service. Across the nation, hundreds of thousands of people are receiving bogus e-mails claiming to be from the government’s tax-collection agency. Bearing the IRS logo, the messages offer tax refunds and direct consumers to an authentic-looking IRS “clone” Web site that requires the taxpayer to disclose personal information before the refund can be claimed. Federal investigators say a dozen Web sites operated by people in 18 countries are hosting versions of this “phishing” scheme – so called because the perpetrators are fishing for personal data.

“Pay the Tax and Get a Prize” Scam: You receive a call or an officiallooking notification saying that you have won a prize. The promoter claims that you have to pay taxes in order to receive your winnings. Don’t believe it! If you have really won a prize, you may need to make an estimated tax payment to cover the taxes that will be due at the end of the year. But the payment would go to the IRS, not the prize promoter after you receive your winnings. Whether you have won cash, a car, or a trip, a legitimate prize giver should send you a Form 1099 showing the total prize value that should be reported on your tax return.

Armed Forces Refund Scam: Consumers need to beware of any variation of a scenario in which a telephone caller posing as a government employee tells a family member that he is entitled to a $4,000 refund because his relative is in the Armed Forces and then requests a credit card number to cover a $42 fee for postage. The scammer provides an actual IRS toll-free number as the call back number in order to make the call seem legitimate. However, the scammer then makes numerous unauthorized purchases with the victim’s credit card number.

Social Security Refund Scam: If you’re offered refunds for Social Security taxes paid during your lifetime, don’t be fooled — the law doesn’t allow such a refund. The scam artist usually asks victims to pay a “paperwork” fee of $100. The con artist keeps your $100 and you get nothing.

Phony Tax Preparer Scam: Unfortunately, tax season is the time of year when some con artists take on the role of tax preparer. Unscrupulous preparers — many of whom disappear after the tax season — inflate a taxpayer’s return with fictitious expenses, false deductions, and unallowable credits. Then they take a portion of the inflated refund as their fee. The preparer files the falsified tax report electronically and tells the taxpayer that the refund will be sent to them directly. Meanwhile, the victim pays the con artist the inflated fee and may never receive their refund. On top of getting ripped-off, the taxpayer could be investigated for tax fraud.

AARP serves as a resource on all sorts of scams and fraud. A big part of what we do is education and training on fraud and scams. We know the best kind of consumer protection is the kind where the crime doesn’t find the victim in the first place, which is why we began the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

To find out more about prevention of scams and fraud or to sign up for “Watchdog Alerts” log onto the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/ FraudWatchNetwork.

People who believe they are a victim of fraud contact the Office of Consumer Protection at doj. mt.gov/consumer or call 800-481-6896 or 406-4444500 or via e-mail at contactocp@mt.gov.

To locate an AARP Tax-Aide site, visit MontanaFreeFile.org or call 1-888-AARPNOW (1-888227-7669). ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 31

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Since 1978, the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel has been located in Cranbrook British Columbia. The museum features one locomotive and twenty-three rail cars, many of which have been completely restored, while others are partially restored, but still speak to their historical significance. The museum is one of the only places in North America that possesses a complete historical train line.

The 1929 Trans Canada, a classic “jazz era art deco� train, crossed much of the continent from Montreal to Vancouver. Rail passengers crossing Canada travelled in luxury in these “hotels on wheels� that included a dining car and fully appointed sleeping compartments. The second rail line nearly restored is the Soo-Spokane. Unlike the Trans Canada, the Soo-Spokane stopped in Cranbrook on its way to Spokane, Washington.

Visitors to the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel can get up close and personal with these trains.

Guided tours allow the visitors to enter the rail cars and learn about their magnificent history and how first class travelers enjoyed their scenic travels around the vast expanse of Canada. With audio presentations and anecdotes from tour guides, the guided tours also explain the restoration process and the important part in Canadian history played by these trains.

The Cranbrook History Centre is opening a new area focusing on local history including the colorful characters and events that took place in Cranbrook. Another part of the new exhibit includes a replica model train of Cranbrook’s original train line and an 18-foot model train of the Canadian Rockies that is fully operational. We invite you to come explore the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel and the Cranbrook History Centre.

For more information, visit trainsdeluxe.com or call 1-250-489-3918. ISI

Crazy Horse Memorial: The Dream Becomes Reality Seventy-five years ago, Lakota (Sioux) Chief Henry Standing Bear asked Korczak Ziolkowski to create a monument of Crazy Horse in the sacred Black Hills. Today, you can see Standing Bear’s dream slowly becoming a reality.

Crazy Horse Memorial, humanity’s largest art project in progress (641 feet long and 563 feet high, with a 219-foot high horse’s head) is on U.S. Highway 16/385 between Hill City and Custer. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is just 17 miles NE of Crazy Horse.

Korczak, a noted New England sculptor, first

came to the Black Hills in 1939 to help Gutzon Borglum on Mount Rushmore. Standing Bear read news reports of Korczak’s artistic achievements and wrote asking him to carve the mountain.

After serving in the European theater during World War II, Korczak returned to the Black Hills to tackle Standing Bear’s challenge. He started with chisels and hammers, doing backbreaking work by hand. The first blast on the mountain was on June 3, 1948, dedicating a Memorial that South Dakota Gov. George T. Mickelson said, “Will serve to remind us of the debt we owe to

Mountain Carving in Progress Indian Museum of North America Historical and Cultural Displays Original Sculptor’s StudioLog Home and Antiques Gift Shops Čˆ ‡•–ƒ—”ƒÂ?– Čˆ ”‡‡ ‘ƥ‡‡ Specialized Tours Available

Š Crazy Horse Memorial Fnd. Korczak, Sc. 1/34th Scale Model

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Korczak’s Remembrance Day

Volksmarch

PAGE 32 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

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enthusiastic staff, a business-savvy board of directors of the nonprofit foundation, and a growing international group of friends that help support the Memorial who are called Storytellers.

Seven of their children have continued to help expand on Korczak’s work. The other three children live within five miles of the Memorial. All 10 of the children grew up working on the mountain and helping with the visitor complex.

Ruth still lives in the home Korczak built in 1947-48 and works 7 days a week keeping all aspects of the Memorial going. At age 87 she says, “If you love your job, it doesn’t seem like work, you are happy and grateful to begin each new day.�

Crazy Horse’s face was finished in 1998, giving lasting human form in granite to what was once just a lofty wish. He looks out across the landscape with his hand pointing to the sacred Black Hills saying, “My lands are where my dead lie buried.� In 2014, the crew is focusing on finish work on the hand and the 219-foot high horse’s head.

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these first Americans.�

Korczak’s wife, Ruth, from Connecticut, was

by Korczak’s side every step of the way. She was 18 years younger than Korczak, but embraced his dream. She took care of 10 children, five girls and five boys, the visitors, a dairy, a sawmill, and Korczak.

Following his death at age 74 in 1982, Ruth took on Korczak’s monumental task of making the dream come true. She is supported by an

of the finest Indian Museums in the Midwest and is still growing. In 1978, Korczak began a scholarship program with just $250 to start the educational portion of the dream. As of this year, the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation scholarship fund has grown tremendously and in 2014 has awarded over $2 million dollars in scholarships to Native American students in South Dakota.

In 2010, the Indian University of North American held its first summer program and the fifth class will begin in June of 2014. They can earn 12-14 college credits, work an internship at the Memorial, and get a jump-start on college making their dreams come true.

Philanthropist, T. Denny Sanford pledged $10 million to the Memorial provided Crazy Horse friends match his gift, which will then become $20 million to further work on the hand and horse’s head. People from throughout the world are helping to achieve the goal – some with a dollar and some with very large gifts. All are very much appreciated and will accelerate the work on the mountain.

When visiting Crazy Horse Memorial you will have the opportunity to see: • The 40,000-square-foot Welcome Center.

This is where the storytelling begins, in two theaters showing the must-see Dynamite & Dreams. • The Indian Museum of North America, the visitor complex, and the scale models for work on the mountain. • The sculptor’s log studio-home, built in 1947-48, is filled with antiques and works of fine art as well as Korczak’s workshop, and sculpture gallery. • The new Mountain Museum that focuses on the mountain carving. • The Native American Educational & Cultural Center, where American Indian artists and artisans create their work and visit with the guests.

Also, more than 100 Edward Curtis portraits of American Indians and photographs of frontier

C I Destinations presents

Spain and the Sunny Costa del Sol with the Lewis Clark Valley Chamber of Commerce Departing October 22, 2014

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life are on display. • American Indian dancers perform at scheduled times throughout the summer. • Legends in Light, a spectacular multimedia laser-light show on the mountain begins at dark nightly from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October.

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 33

• An up-close view of the mountain carving is available by taking an optional bus ride to the foot of the mountain. A small guided tour to Crazy Horse’s face is available. • Museum gift shops featuring Indian made arts, crafts, jewelry, and the exclusive outlet for Crazy Horse gift items and souvenirs.

• Laughing Water Restaurant & Snack Shop – dine inside or on the viewing deck – always FREE coffee.

For more information on Crazy Horse Memorial, visit crazyhorsememorial.org, call 605-6734681, or e-mail: memorial@crazyhorse.org. ISI

Learn About The Birth Of Missoula The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula presents “Growing the Garden City: Missoula’s First 50 Years� celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of Missoula. In conjunction with the main exhibit, the orientation gallery will investigate themes throughout Missoula’s history, from Highlander Beer to the Missoula County Fair and local hotels. Open now in the upstairs gallery is a photography exhibit about the Missoula Camera Club.

In 1860, Christopher Higgins, Francis Worden, and Frank Woody left Walla Walla with a pack train of 76 animals loaded with merchandise and a license to trade in what became the Montana Territory. They reached the Missoula Valley in August and selected a site for their store, the site that eventually became Hellgate village.

Life in Hellgate was rough; winters were difficult, jobs were scarce, and liquor was plentiful. Even so, it did not take long for other businesses to appear. The permanent population never exceeded 14, and there were nine violent deaths within four years. Eventually Higgins and Worden built a more permanent log structure for their store, but in 1864 they moved their operations four miles upriver to a place they called Missoula Mills. Within several years Hellgate disappeared, Missoula thrived, and as they say, the rest is history.

For information, please call 406.728-3476, visit fortmissoulamuseum.org or stop by 3400 Captain Rawn Way in Missoula. ISI

Never Leaving Las Vegas (And it’s not for the reasons you may think)

By Kim Thielman-Ibes After four whirlwind days zipping around Las Vegas (seriously, we actually did do a zip line), a friend and I find ourselves with an unscheduled hour, sixty full minutes to do with what we will.

Afraid that if we actually sat down at this point we might not ever get up, we trekked over to Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat thinking its spa-like atmosphere might give us the energy we’d need to finish out the next 24 hours of our trip.

The cool blue waters of the dolphin pools, surrounded by lush green foliage, and a calm, soothing ambiance, did indeed create a Zen-like, relaxing atmosphere. Watching the trainers work with these smart, beautiful creatures as they flipped, walked on their flukes backwards in water, tossed balls, and happily gulped down fish did induce a calming influence from the incredible adventure called Las Vegas.

Adjacent to the dolphin pools, retired master illusionists, magicians, and entertainers, Siegfried and Roy, have created a preserve for the animals they’ve worked with over the years. Wandering through the reserve, where their white lions, spotted, Asian, and golden tigers live, we found Siegfried playing magic tricks with a small boy in front of the snow-white tiger habitat. He stopped for a few moments, took pictures with us, and spoke to us about his concern about this majestic creature.

Apparently he had to be separated from his mate over marital issues and was understandably upset.

I walked away thinking, only in Las Vegas. I’d had many of those thoughts over the five days we spent in Sin City, where as the saying goes, what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas. Oddly enough, given all the adventures, not one included gambling. I didn’t pull a lever, push a button, play a card, or place a bet of any kind – who has that kind of time!

Since I don’t gamble, I wouldn’t have called myself your typical Las Vegas visitor, but like this city I have evolved. Las Vegas is nothing, if not a city of reinvention. Today the non-gambling activities on and off the strip are more fun than ever, diverse, and worth multiple trips back to this twinkling city.

Sightseeing alone could have taken up our five days (though it did not, we squeezed this in between escapades). From the all-out, expect nothing less, but larger-than-life, fine art and architectural designs, sculptures, and displays that grace each and every resort interior, to the Disneylike quality of a stroll down the strip – it really does feel as if you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole.

There are so many must-sees, including the 2,000-square foot, hand-blown Chihuly glass ceiling at the Bellagio, to the spectacular 200-plus aluminum canoe sculpture in front of Vdara, and on a smaller scale the charming Beatle-mania sprinkled throughout the Mirage, a nod to the new Cirque du Soleil Beatle’s (Cont’d on page 38)

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PAGE 34 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

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Jack Skille, hunting guide and hydrologist Article & Photo By Jack McNeel With a doctorate in hydrology, one would not expect a person also to be a whitetail-deer hunting guide, but that’s what Jack Skille did for a number of years.

Jack grew up on a small dairy farm but his parents bought a resort on a lake in northern Wisconsin when Jack was in his teens. His dad was also a muskie-fishing guide in addition to a dairy farmer. Jack’s final few years at home were spent at the family home, doing a lot of fishing plus some guiding for anglers visiting the resort.

“I was always involved in outdoor things and the whole family hunted.” This enthusiasm for the outdoors has remained with him throughout a life that’s taken him from Wisconsin to South Dakota and on to Idaho.

He attended college at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point and graduated with a

bachelor’s degree in biology.

“I liked school so I got a masters in wildlife science at the University of South Dakota at Brookings.”

That degree led to a job with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in Wisconsin working on the Chippewa Flowage. He explained flowage was the term in the Great Lakes region for what we would call a reservoir in Idaho, essentially a pond or lake created behind a dam.

Chippewa Flowage is a muskie and walleye body of water but his job was water quality.

“My career kind of went down the path of things I grew up doing; fishing and being on the water. It was just a natural thing for me.”

“I wanted to get out west,” he explains. So he and his wife, Carolyn, headed to the University of Idaho to pursue a doctorate in hydrology.

He knew Moscow was in the panhandle of Idaho and had good hunting for many species but didn’t know the area also contained very good whitetail hunting, a species he knew from his years in Wisconsin, and something he would later develop into a guiding business. He also knew it was near Lewiston, the home of Jack O’Connor, his lifetime idol and the idol of many other hunters nationwide.

“If Jack O’Connor chose to live in this part of the west, it has to be right for us,” he told Carolyn at the time.

They settled in HOME CARE Princeton. Carolyn taught in Potlatch while Jack attended the University. When he received his doctorate, he Fix a meal, do the laundry, remained at the Univerhelp you bathe, sweep the floor. sity for six years doing We do this and a whole lot more... both teaching and research. Carolyn taught in elementary school in Our goal is to help you keep your quality independent lifestyle.

Princeton for 16 years Visit Us at Our NEW location!! plus an additional four 108 S. Mill St. 208-983-1237 Grangeville, ID years in Coeur d’Alene plus tutoring another five or six years.

Nobody was guiding whitetail hunters in the area and seeing this opportunity, Jack applied for and received his guiding license in 1985, which he continued through 1998.

“Guiding is kind of in my blood. I’m the one that when there are two or three guys standing around and ready to hunt, I seem to be the one that gets the stick and starts drawing in the dirt how we’re going to do it,” he says with a laugh. “My dad was al-

“Helping you is what we do!”

ways that way and I guess I got some of that from him.” It was only a sideline thing, a part time job, but got him into something he had long enjoyed.

Jack took a job with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in Coeur d’Alene about that same time; however, he kept his Princeton home and continued to guide whitetail hunters each November from that location.

He eventually retired from DEQ in 2003, and he and Carolyn now live in Princeton and spend about four months each winter in Yuma, Arizona.

Having a full-time job in Coeur d’Alene and a guiding job in Princeton presented some challenges but they made it work.

“My vacations were all eaten up by the guiding, but it was okay,” he recalls. “We did that for 14 years and really had some interesting things.

Guiding can be dealing with the public. It was a real challenge.”

Carolyn was also deeply involved in the guiding business. She would get up early, serve breakfast to the hunters about 5 a.m., pack lunches, and then head off to teach school. After school it was back home to prepare dinners for the hunters.

“After a miserable day of hunting when spirits were low, her great meals often saved the day,” Jack says. She also helped set up tree stands before the season started, helped brush trail, responded to calls and letters from prospective clients, and even picked up hunters at the Pullman airport. “I couldn’t have done it without her for 14 years,” Jack adds.

Most of the hunters were from eastern states and were not familiar with hunting conditions in this part of Idaho. “Steep country,” he notes, “and heavy timber. Tough to get around. Tough hunting actually but we figured out how to do it and we killed some real good bucks.”

Retirement from DEQ opened up more time to hunt. Most of his life he had been a rifle hunter but he took up archery and admits to being successful as an archer. He has taken three antelope, a couple of bear, a couple of elk, plus numerous deer in recent years.

Next up on his hunting agenda is to try muzzleloaders. It will be a new method for him and offer some new challenges.

Working as a guide and being a lifelong hunter has provided him with lots of good stories.

He admits to being something of a storyteller.

Friends encouraged him to write some of those stories and what started as random stories ended up in a book entitled They Came to Hunt—Recollections of a Whitetail Guide. He self-published 1,000 copies and says there may be an outlet in Helmer, Idaho still has a few for sale. Used copies sometimes appear on Amazon and for whitetail hunters such a purchase might be a good investment. Jack’s knowledge of whitetail hunting is immediately apparent and his stories and suggestions are likely to improve most hunters’ successes… plus it’s just good reading! ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 35

Know What’s Below – Always Call 811 Before You Dig There are nearly 20 million miles of underground utility lines in the United States. These gas, water, sewer, cable TV, high-speed Internet, landline telephone, and electric lines provide the services Americans depend on for their basic everyday needs.

If you are planning a job that requires digging, even if you plan to hire a professional, a call to 811 is required before you begin working. 811 is a free, FCC-designated national one call number that connects a caller from anywhere in the country to the appropriate local one call center. The one call center will then alert the appropriate underground facility owners so they can dispatch locators to mark the approximate location of their lines with paint or flags.

Every six minutes an underground utility line is damaged because someone decided to dig with-

out first calling 811. Also, according to a recent Common Ground Alliance survey 45 percent of people who plan to dig this year will not call 811 first, despite there being 100 billion feet of utility lines buried underground in the United States.

Unintentionally striking a line can result in inconvenient outages for entire neighborhoods, harm to yourself or your neighbors, and repair costs.

Every digging project, no matter how large or small, warrants a call to 811. Installing a mailbox, building a deck, and planting a tree or garden are all examples of digging projects that should only begin a few days after making a call to 811.

Here is how it works: 1. One free, simple phone call to 811 makes it easy for your local one-call center to notify all appropriate utility companies of your intent to dig.

2. Call at least two business days prior to digging to ensure enough time for utility lines to be properly marked.

3. When you call 811, a representative from your local one call center will ask for the location and description of your digging project.

4. Your local one-call center will notify affected utility companies, who will then send a professional locator to the proposed dig site to mark the approximate location of your lines.

5. Once lines have been properly marked, roll up those sleeves and carefully dig around the marked areas.

Again, this is all FREE! Protect yourself and your neighbors from unwanted outages and keep safe when digging.

For more information about Call 811 just call your local one call center. ISI

International planner turned community activist – DeAnn Scrabeck Article & Photos By Jack Mc Neel Few people in Idaho have the opportunity to meet the Pope in a small group setting and travel internationally in their work as well as for pleasure.

For DeAnn Scrabeck, life has included both world travel and a local attachment to her place on land settled by her immigrant grandparents over one hundred years ago. In retirement, she remains an active volunteer in her birthplace, Lewiston.

DeAnn started school in Kooskia where her parents worked at the Japanese Internment Camp. She graduated from Lewiston High and Kinman Business College in Spokane and then spent six years working with 4H clubs through the County Extension Office.

DeAnn got into convention planning after she and her husband, a dental educator, moved to Denver. They moved to Milwaukee and when the National Funeral Directors Association ran an ad for a convention planner she applied and was hired. She loved the work, the details, and had fallen into a job that would take her around the world and to her meeting with Pope John II. Near the end of her 25-year career as a convention planner, she managed an international funeral service organization with meetings of 6,000+ in such cities as Boston, San Antonio, Baltimore, Chicago, Orlando, and many others. Some were in smaller cities including the Coeur d’Alene Resort, and some took her to such places as Barcelona, Beijing, and Australia.

She laughs as she tells of a national meeting she arranged in Coeur d’Alene. “I told them we were going to Idaho. I think they thought we were going to be living in a teepee with outdoor plumbing. They fell in love with the Coeur d’Alene Resort and have gone back three times with another planned in the future.�

It was the details of making all the arrangements that she loved. There might be 350 activities during the week with 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, meetings all over the country and board meetings. “It was very rewarding,� DeAnn says. “I

would do it again in a heartbeat.�

Between those jobs and time off, she and her educator husband traveled a lot. Thanksgiving week was always an adventure with visits to Paris, Morocco, Italy, and the U.K. Spring break trips included Egypt, Turkey, and the Caribbean. Christmas break one year ran from Manila to Bali, Singapore, and Bangkok then back to Manila. Her husband’s sabbatical took them to New Zealand and Australia. Her passports would show travels to 30+ countries.

Meeting Pope John Paul II arose from meeting Monsignor Kenneth Velo, secretary to Cardinal Bernadine of Chicago. She happened to tell the wife of the president of a group for whom she had worked a conference in Barcelona that she and her husband were planning to spend a week in Italy before returning to the U.S. The woman asked why DeAnn didn’t ask Monsignor Velo to get them in to see the Pope.

Laughing, DeAnn replied, “You don’t pick up the phone and say ‘I want to see the Pope.’�

When she and her husband checked into their hotel in Rome, there was a note that said, “Call the Vatican� and a number. They didn’t speak Italian so their tour guide made the call for them. After a lengthy call, she said she thought it was a hoax, but they were told to be at the brass doors to the right of St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday at 6:30 a.m. “It was dark. There weren’t any people, not a soul. We looked across the square and sure enough, there was a brass door. We went over,

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and at precisely 6:30, the brass doors opened. The Swiss Guard stepped out and said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Senator and Mrs. Bliley?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;No, Dr. and Mrs. Scrabeck.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I knew Senator Bliley from many conferences in Washington, D.C.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were ushered in. No identification, nothing. We went into his Holinessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private chapel.

There were about 30 of us. It was a very intimate

PAGE 36 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

kind of setting and we received the Eucharist from the Pope’s hand. After Mass, we gathered in a conference room with a big oblong table. His Holiness greeted each of us in our own language, spoke a few words, and asked about Chicago. We were given a rosary and a book in Italian. The following Friday we returned and picked up the pictures taken by the Vatican photographer. It was probably the highlight of my life!” That was in 1992.

DeAnn has now been retired 10 years but she hasn’t slowed down. Following a divorce, she returned to Lewiston to the house in which she was raised. It’s owned jointly with her brother who lives just across the driveway.

Her grandparents were immigrants from Italy. “She was sort of a mail order bride,” DeAnn explains.

“Their house was a block and a half up and I think they had either 11 or 13 acres.”

The grandparents had a truck garden for their livelihood and perhaps that interest was passed down as DeAnn loves to garden.

“I have good soil. I probably grow more than I need but I furnish the

neighborhood. Remind me not to plant twelve tomato plants this spring,” she says smiling. “I raise zucchini, asparagus, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, and beans, you name it. Then I have flowers too. It’s something I truly enjoy. It must be in my genes.”

She is also part of Friends of the Airport that promotes the Lewiston Airport.

“We get together and have no officers, no budget, and we meet when there’s a need, probably twice a month. We are planning an open house and 70th anniversary of the airport next September 20.”

The group was asked to create a marketing plan. They created a new logo for the airport and launched a new website. One of several activities involves changing displays at the airport terminal.

“Before we took this on there wasn’t anything there.” One display that was just removed involved the Nez Perce National Park where DeAnn worked with Park employees to incorporate memorabilia to promote the Park.

“It’s fun being around airplanes and pilots,” she says, and that enticed her to join the Experimental Aircraft Association to help with events and support their fundraisers.

DeAnn is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution with lineage back to the 1700s.

In addition, she is a Rotarian and member of Lewiston’s Sunrise Rotary Club. The club is hosting a Senior Scam Jam on April 3, to provide information to avoid being caught in a scam. They can handle 224 registrants, it’s free, and lunch is being provided at Lewis Clark State College. Her role? “Three of us are doing the bulk of the work. My task is marketing and media,” she said.

As long as things continue to be a joy and an opportunity to give back to the community, DeAnn says she will keep on. “I never thought I’d retire in the valley but one thing I’ve learned in life is you never say never. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” ISI

Steampower And Technology Combine For Paula Lahti embody some variation of “Where technology meets romance.”

Wikipedia says, “Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steampowered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of... the British Victorian era or American wild west, in a post-apocalyptic future where steam power has regained mainstream

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use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk... features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as... the 19th century might have envisioned them... in the era’s perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art. Steampunk may also incorporate additional elements from the genres of fantasy, horror, historical fiction, alternate history, or other branches of speculative fiction....”

Does this make it all clear now? Probably the best thing is to look at an example of Paula’s work and read her description.

Gaslight Annie is the name given to the doll by Paula. She bought the doll itself from an antique store for a dollar. From that point, she has added the adornments.

“The front side has an old brass gas light.

Where the gas would come out, I put the tube of an old radio at the end. I made an Amelia Earhart looking cap for her. On either side of the hatch are watch gears. Half the face is covered in copper.

The buttons are Victorian boot buttons used to lace up boots and she’s holding a pistol,” Paula explains.

I asked, “Why the pistol?”

Laughing Paula replied, “All my steampunk ladies are armed because that’s the way I would be if I lived back there.”

Paula made the entire outfit. The coat is of hand dyed silk and the pants are wool. The base is cast iron. “Probably a mantle clock of some kind,” she explains. “She has a stick ruler holding up chains that hang off of everything.

“On her back (not visible in the photo) she has a breathing apparatus.”

This was made of rusty parts gathered at the old Winchester sawmill plus some little boxes with bullet holes and marbles “and things that look like they would just be able to be used,” Paula explains.

“Steampunk would fit a post-apocalyptic era where the city of Seattle was so polluted with carbon monoxide from cars and the planet was slowly dying, that they had to go underground.

- continued from front page If they come up on the surface of Seattle, the buildings are still there but they have to wear a breathing apparatus to survive.”

Paula says some of this came from a book called Dreadnought by Cherie Priest.

A second piece Paula created is drastically different but reveals possibilities of steampunk art.

Working the Rail and is basically two gourds, one for the body and one for the head and trunk with ears made from the blinders from an old horse harness. There are hinges on the ears so they’ll move; lots of gears and other decoration cover the head much like Indian elephants are adorned.

“The whole head is done up with old clock gears to show the ambiance of steampunk,” Paula explains.

The tusks are tubes from an old radio, and a 12-inch piece of railroad track from an old Lionel train hangs from two rusty hooks across the chest of the elephant, and thus the title, Working the Rail.

Paula explained this piece sold at Dahmen Barn in Uniontown, Washington, one of the places she shows her work and that a photo of it had been part of an ad in Spokane. Prices for her work vary as one would expect but most go for $200 to $300.

“Steampunk is becoming very, very popular on the east and west coast,” she said. Paula adds that not many people in this area are doing steampunk, but it is becoming more popular. “Some people think it’s really dark... and some of it is.”

In addition to the Dahmen Barn in Uniontown Paula has had work at The Bank Left Gallery in Palouse and in Lewiston at The Creative Shop co-op where she volunteers two days a week and at Studio 202.

“I’m getting a lot of people coming in to the co-op and they’re coming in to see the steampunk stuff. I just had a woman come in looking for me and she handed me a box with about 13 old watches. She heard I used it in my art and asked if I could use it as she had planned to throw it away.”

Many of the items in her art come from those who have seen her work, things lying around their houses that they save for her. Her husband’s friends bring things; her grandkids walk the railroad tracks for old spikes, and of course, there is rummaging through antique and thrift stores.

“I collect ephemera and antique lace, tucking it into pieces to create depth and age. I delve into the realm of steampunk style in my wanderings, looking for bits and gadgets,” Paul says.

The next time you are in Lewiston, stop to view Paula Lahti’s work. Although every work is steampunk art, each subject is different and each piece is unique and creative in unexpected ways. ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 37

Wrong again, Doctor Feynman

By Bill Hall Richard Feynman, one of the smartest human brains who ever called this planet home, laughed almost joyfully at a mistake he made. He was trying to help NASA uncover the cause of the 1986 crash of space shuttle Challenger that killed all seven aboard.

A new Science/Discovery Channel movie on the subject, starring William Hurt as Feynman, was broadcast in November and, presumably, will be available one day soon on DVD. I was startled at first when I saw the movie Feynman laughing at his mistake. By his own admission, he had a large ego. And he had the most infuriating kind of conceit from the perspective of ordinary brains like mine. He really was as smart as he thought he was.

Among many other contributions to science, he helped invent and develop the atomic bombs that shortened the end of World War II. But on reflection, he had his doubts about how wise and sane that might have been.

Doubts or not, he was definitely no dummy.

He was a colleague of Einstein and, like Einstein, won a Nobel Prize for physics. In fact, Feynman was part of a swarm of Nobel physics prizewinners. The measure of his mind is that people like me can barely understand a fraction of his work.

Unlike Einstein and other big brain scholars, Feynman had a down-to-earth common touch. He loved to play the bongos. He liked a drink. And during the courting years in his life, he enjoyed the company of women.

But fundamentally, he was a good person.

Early in life, he married his childhood sweetheart, knowing she had a terminal disease. He loved her in ways deep as the universe, and he became her constant nurse as she lay dying.

As a teacher, he had a gift for translating his complex knowledge into words that people like thee and I could understand. His students adored him. He was their rock star. His classes were packed to the rafters. His lectures were published and read by curious fans that never made it into his classes.

You can find Feynman’s witty interviews and lectures on YouTube. There are many books about him, including chatty, funny books he wrote. One such is Surely you’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! One of the best books about him was Feynman’s Rainbow: A Search for Beauty in Physics and in Life by Leonard Mlodinow, an admirer of the professor.

Feynman was the great explainer. And so it was that he explained in a way anyone could understand what killed the Challenger 7 and brought NASA to its knees for a time. Though dying of cancer, he took the time and had the genius to locate Challenger’s smoking gun.

But at first, he missed the mark. His first guess was mistaken. But he laughed – at himself.

Not so smart after all, Doctor Feynman.

Of course, he more than made up for that by eventually discovering, almost single-handedly, what had happened. An o-ring – kind of a fancy rubber-like gasket – failed at low temperatures

and allowed the lethal explosion.

He laughed at himself when his first conclusion was wrong because he believed he had it coming. But he also seemed almost happy to discover he was wrong. He was the ultimate scientist, well aware that there were hundreds of reasons for the explosion, and he had crossed off another one, gradually narrowing the hunt.

After all, that is the way of ethical, serious, grown-up scientists. They keep experimenting and failing. They try this, and they try that until they strike pay dirt – or a cold o-ring.

But a scientist must watch himself and be honest about what he has – or mostly hasn’t – discovered. As Feynman said, “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.”

That’s because refusing to recognize you are wrong is a common failing in many professions. Whether it’s police officers, prosecuting attorneys, medical doctors, investigative reporters, it’s heartbreaking to beat your brains out for months or years and then admit to yourself that you have been wrong.

Innocent people have been executed because law enforcement personnel lacked the grit to admit they were wrong.

Richard Feynman was better than that, much better. And of course, he was also better on the bongos than most of us.

Bill Hall may be contacted at wilberth@cableone.net or at 1012 Prospect Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501. ISI

Classic DVDs: Shockers

By Mark Fee Once upon a time films like Otto Preminger’s classic Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963) shocked audiences. Anatomy of a Murder was shocking because of explicit sexual references.

Psycho was unforgettable because of a nightmarish shower scene with Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. The thought of thousands of birds attacking a small coastal town in California, made The Birds a huge hit at the box office.

Hollywood has produced a plethora of shocking films. Compared to Quentin Tarantino’s blood spattered films (Django Unchained (2012), Preminger’s courtroom drama and Hitchcock’s films are tame. Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (1994) was about a mob of psychopaths. It made Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather Trilogy (1972-90) look like Disney. Larry Clark’s Kids (1995) was supposed to be fiction but played like a documentary. It was one of the most repulsive and shocking films I have ever reviewed. It was about a day in the life of a group of sex crazed, drugged youth. They callously talk about rape and pulverize an African American male with a skateboard. Audiences sat in stunned silence. No one left the theater unaffected. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) was another assault on the senses. However, the film was compelling and the acting was excellent.

Classic shockers still hold the edge over most of today’s films because of the writing, acting, and direction. Preminger and Hitchcock along with other films like John Boorman’s Deliverance (1972) and some of Sam Peckinpah’s violent sagas, are chilling works of art. I have listed a few of my favorite shockers and some sleepers.

In Joseph Mankiewicz’s Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), Elizabeth Taylor plays a young woman, who is tormented by troubling dreams about her cousin. Her aunt, a wealthy and ruthless matriarch, is played by Katherine Hepburn who has her niece committed to an insane asylum. She asks a psychiatrist (Montgomery Clift) to perform a lobotomy on Taylor. Clift is hesitant because of the risk in the operation. He is not sure Taylor is mentally ill. Taylor is extraordinary as the young woman – Hepburn, maliciously vindictive. The film touches on homosexuality and cannibalism. NR; 3 ½ stars.

In Mike Nichol’s sardonic and savage, Catch-22

(1970), Alan Arkin plays a WWII bombardier named Yossarian who wants to stop flying missions but can’t because of catch-22. He thinks someone or some group is trying to kill him. His bunkmates and friends think he’s crazy. He’s knifed by a stranger after visiting headquarters. One of his associates sells his parachute. He wants to be hospitalized, but can’t because of catch-22. The film has some notably gruesome and shocking scenes. Nichols directs the film with a hallucinatory craziness.

Rated R; 3 ½ stars.

Dustin Hoffman plays an astrophysicist (Sumner) in Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs (1971). His life is turned upside down. Hoffman and his wife, Amy, played by Susan George stay at her parent’s home in Cornwall. Amy plays vicious, seductive games with her former boyfriend. He and his pals work on the Sumner home and entice Sumner to join them on a hunt. Sumner is almost killed. Amy’s former boyfriend rapes her. Sumner accidentally hits a developmentally disabled man on the way back from church. Amy’s former boyfriend’s father and his son and friends want the disabled man.

Sumner defends him and his home and the ensuing siege is horrific. Rated R; 3 ½ stars.

Robert Shaw plays an Israeli agent in the John Frankenheimer sleeper, Black Sunday (1977).

He tries to tell the FBI that a group of Palestinian terrorists should be taken seriously. They’re planning an unnerving explosion at the Super Bowl.

The FBI ignores the warning. The last scenes are overwhelmingly exciting and nerve wracking. The film is more shocking and relevant now, than when it was released. Rate R; 3 ½ stars.

In John Schlesinger’s Marathon Man (1976), Dustin Hoffman plays a graduate history student, who unwittingly becomes involved in a conspiracy, involving a high-ranking Nazi. One shocking scene follows the other. He is seized and taken to meet a former Nazi dentist played by Laurence Olivier.

Olivier operates on him without Novocain. Hoffman doesn’t know his brother (Roy Schieder) or the woman (Marthe Keller) he has fallen love with is involved. This is an extremely intense and unforgettable film. Rated R; three stars.

Sigourney Weaver plays an astronaut in Alien (1979) who discovers a horrifying monster is alive and well, in the body of one of her crew. The entire crew is vulnerable in this absolutely stunning,

shocking science fiction treat that never lets go. I remember seeing it with my Dad. We were petrified. Rated R; 3 ½ stars.

Until the next time enjoy the increasing light of spring and enjoy these dark, unforgettable films.

You’ll need lots of popcorn. ISI

PAGE 38 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

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What would Honest Abe say? “That’s sweat on your pizza.”

By Bill Hall Politicians who oppose raising the minimum wage have inadvertently made me see the greater wisdom of lowering the minimum wage.

If raising the minimum wage does in fact reduce the number of minimum wage jobs, as we are told, then lowering the minimum wage should increase the number of minimum wage jobs. The more you lower the minimum wage, the more jobs you will produce.

Granted, lowering the minimum wage below $7.25 an hour might fall rather harshly on such workers, producing a certain amount of malnutrition. But not to worry. Lowering wages below present levels is an essential sacrifice applied entirely to people who are too weak politically to fight back against the rest of us.

The upper 90 percent of the population can pretty much dictate how low we push the minimum wage. After all, these are mostly young, relatively healthy kids. They are more likely to endure a certain amount of hunger than the rest of us.

Best of all, lowering the minimum wage could lower the price of burgers, tacos, and pizzas, the principal diet of so many of us. Opponents of a higher minimum wage kindly point out that raising the minimum wage would drive up the cost of our favorite fast foods. That’s because the bosses of those workers feel compelled to pass on any increased cost of employee wages to customers like you and me.

If an increase in the minimum wage lifts the price of a pepperoni pizza from $8 to $8.15, you pretty much have to concede a merchant his inclination to overcompensate and raise the price all the way to $9 just to be ready for possible future inflation.

If a higher minimum wage would kill a lot of the current minimum wage jobs in our society, then cutting the minimum wage in half – to about 3.62 an hour – should double the number of minimum wage jobs.

I remember the days I worked in restaurants for minimum wage. I was a busboy, and that doesn’t mean I was a boy driving a bus. No, I was bussing dishes. My job was taking dirty dishes back to the kitchen for washing and bringing clean glasses and silverware to the workstations of the waitresses.

And while management was not likely to give a minimum wage worker a raise, waitresses would pitch in a little extra cash from their tips if you kept their stations stocked.

That made it possible for waitresses to give the best service to their customers. And good service tended to increase the size of the tips. So the waitresses, in effect, would give me a modest but generous increase in pay even if nobody else would.

When it came to waitresses, I scratched their backs and they scratched mine. That was my favorite part of restaurant work. You wouldn’t know a good day at work if you have never scratched the back of a waitress.

I have never worked as hard since as I did in those restaurants. Whether you’re a waitress or a busboy, you are on a dead run for most of your shift, carrying heavy trays of dishes and racing through the high humidity and

greasy air of a steaming kitchen.

Minimum wage jobs were the hardest I ever did, and strangely enough, the more I was paid in later life, the easier the job.

I really shouldn’t be paid for writing. That’s not work. That’s recreation.

In fact, if this were an ethical world, the lowest paid workers would be those with the most enjoyable work – writers, movie stars, CEOs, major league baseball players, members of Congress, and fishing guides.

If justice ever prevails, the highest paid people would be garbage collectors, caretakers of the dying, bloody chicken pluckers, and waitresses, not to mention mothers of small children.

Abraham Lincoln understood what is going on when you work people like slaves and pay them dirt. He lived his life with a melancholy heart, stressing a powerful biblical admonition.

“It may seem strange,” Lincoln said, “that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces.”

Minimum wage involves something like that. If we who are better paid are so fat and sassy that others must work for a pittance until the sweat runs down their faces, then we are stealing from the poor.

Don’t think of raises in the minimum wage merely as simple justice. Think of them as a new emancipation.

Hall may be contacted at wilberth@cableone.net or at 1012 Prospect Ave., Lewiston, ID 83501. ISI

Can you believe what they say in court?

The following exchanges are from Disorder in the American Courts and are verbatim statements made in court, recorded, and now published by court reporters who had the torment of staying calm (and not laughing aloud) while these exchanges were actually taking place.

Attorney: Are you sexually active?

Witness: No, I just lie there.

Attorney: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact?

Witness: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Attorney: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?

Witness: Yes. Attorney: And in what ways does it affect your memory?

Witness: I forget.

Attorney: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?

Attorney: What was the first thing your husband said to you that morning?

Witness: He said, “Where am I, Cathy?”

Attorney: And why did that upset you?

Witness: My name is Susan!

Attorney: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo?

Witness: We both do.

Attorney: Voodoo?

Witness: We do.

Attorney: You do?

Witness: Yes, voodoo.

Attorney: Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?

Witness: Did you actually pass the bar exam?

Attorney: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?

Witness: Uh, he’s twenty-one.

Attorney: Were you present when your picture was taken?

Witness: Are you kidding me? ISI

Never Leaving Las Vegas - continued from page 33 Love production, all worthwhile and fun venues.

It’s best to have a designated walker to hang on to while strolling down the strip; this will allow you to take in the extraordinary sights without either running into or over your fellow visitors.

Here, you can actually have your picture taken with Minnie and Mickey (or as we did with Alan and his tiger, a character from the movie Hangover).

Sightseeing off the strip is equally mesmerizing. Just a limo ride away, Sundance Helicopters flew us over Hoover Dam, past the circular walkway overlooking its rim, for a champagne picnic on a picturesque plateau within the Grand Canyon. In the revitalized downtown core, the newly

opened National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement – otherwise known as the Mob Museum, really got our attention, especially when our tour leader told us some of the old Vegas crew are known to stroll through its storied exhibits from time to time.

A short drive away, Mesquite is the place for golf, and though we unfortunately didn’t have time to swing a club, I walked away with a promise to come back and golf as many of their 14 area golf courses as I could. They are stunning with their links wrapped around ancient red rock outcroppings. Along with the first class digs at the Eureka

Resort, the Awesome Adventure Park (where we zip lined and you can drive Rally Cars, rock climb, or try a 3-D archery range) and the affordable spa packages at CasaBlanca Resorts, it’s was a shame we only had a day to spend there.

Our nights were filled with a variety of shows: Celine Dion, Jersey Boys, and Cirque du Soleil.

Truly, Las Vegas contains a depth, breadth, and variety of evening entertainment that is simply unequalled anywhere else. In between we sandwiched in spa treatments. And the food – don’t get me started.

Las Vegas… who has time to gamble? ISI

APRIL/MAY 2014

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 39

Brian Shields blends adventure, philanthropy during Peking to Paris race sound,” says Brian. “He rebuilt the V-8 engine

By Dianna Troyer With each thunk and clunk he heard while and installed a 24-gallon gas tank.”

The more Brian thought about the trip, the driving across Mongolia’s roadless Gobi Desert, more he wanted it to have a deeper meaning.

Brian Shields couldn’t help but wince and wonder Placing the Idaho Food Bank’s logo on Daphne, what repairs awaited.

Driving his classic 1965 Mustang, Brian and he raised $14,371 in pledges for the miles he his daughter Chantal as navigator were in the traveled to benefit the bank.

“The food bank and Micron have had a longmidst of a vintage standing affiliation,” car race called the he says, making it Peking to Paris Motor a natural charitable Challenge. The 33choice. day, arduous 7,600To prepare menmile trek during May tally for the trip, he and June, 2013 atmounted a plaque tracted 96 drivers with on the dashboard. their vintage vehicles It reminded him, “To from throughout the finish first, you first world. have to finish.”

The Endurance That bit of inRally Association, a spiration helped on British-based trekking the toughest part of organization, planned the trip, the expanthe event for pre-1975 Brian B i and d Chantal Ch l Shields Shi ld rest in i Ulaan Ul Baatar, B Mongolia, M li with ih vehicles and provided the city sprawled out behind them. [Photos courtesy of Brian sive and seemingly endless Gobi Desmechanical support and Chantal Shields] ert that resembled and a morning and parts of northern Nevada. evening meal. Drivers all finished at the same “We had to navigate from point A to point point each evening.

When Brian was 12 years old growing up in B without roads. We drove about 3 to 4 miles his native Scotland, he first read about the rally an hour for about 11 hours for a few days. The that traces a route through China, Mongolia, terrain is rocky and sandy. The fine dust can create problems with electronics and mechanics Russia, and Europe.

“I found a book about it at the library and of the car, too.”

Drivers had started the race at 60-second couldn’t stop daydreaming about driving that route one day,” says Brian, 52, vice president of intervals, so they traveled somewhat closely, but for several stretches of the race, the Shields worldwide operations for Micron Inc. In the back of his mind, his daydream ac- drove alone.

Brian had packed tools and parts to make companied him as he studied computer science repairs along the way. “So many things can go at Cardonald College in Scotland and when he wrong.

We had support vehicles, but they were began working for Micron, most recently dividing his time between Boise and Singapore.

“Car racing is popular in Scotland, and my dad was a car nut, so I picked up that interest, too. This particular rally was first run in 1907, and this was only the fifth time that it has been staged, so I jumped at the chance.”

As he began transforming his dream into reality, he needed another driver and a car. He invited his 22-year-old daughter because she could relieve him behind the wheel, guide them using a GPS system, and chronicle the trip via social media. As for a car, he settled on one that had been in the family, a Mustang. Chantal called the car Daphne, nicknaming it after the British character on the TV show Frasier.

“A mechanic friend made sure she was

often quite far away and couldn’t carry all the parts that might be needed.”

During one memorable repair, he had to replace wheel bearings in a front wheel but had lost the dust cap. “Another racer drank Coke, so we cut the end off one of his plastic bottles and used that. It lasted 3,000 miles.”

On their days off, racers repaired their cars, finding local garages or mechanics if the support vehicle didn’t have what they needed.

Crossing the mountains into Russia impressed Brian. “I’ve traveled in 36 countries and still marvel at seeing new sites. Those mountains can easily compete with the Swiss Alps in grandeur and immensity. They were gorgeous. I was grateful to see that and meet people in different countries.”

As they descended the Alps, the brakes heated up intensely, forcing the Shields to stop 132 E. State St. Eagle, ID

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APRIL/MAY 2014

to let them cool.

In the final stretch, Brian let Chantal drive.

They crossed the finish line 33rd overall and 19th in their class of 32 cars.

Reflecting on the trip, Brian says the best part was spending time with his daughter. “She was influenced by all the things we went through and developed a sense of self-reliance and confidence.”

While the scenery made an unforgettable

impression on him, Brian says more importantly, they made new friends from around the world.

“We still keep in touch,” he says.

Brian is already planning his next exotic vehicular adventure. In 2017, he will drive from Beijing to the Taj Mahal, traversing the Himalayas. Daphne will stay in the U.S. “She deserves to be retired after this trip.

Chantal might drive her for road trips, wherever there’s pavement.”

Brian is searching for the right vehicle for his upcoming trek. “It needs to have high clearance with an engine that will do well at high altitude.

I’m leaning toward one from the ’30s or ’40s. They were built strong because roads back then were sometimes only rutted tracks or gravel. Whatever happens, I’ll take it one day at a time.”

Details of their epic journey may be found at ultimatejourney.tumblr.com. ISI

Genealogy volunteers love being up a family tree paid subscribers worldwide. Its data bases provide

By Dianna Troyer With a few taps on a keyboard, Allen Knowles 10 billion online searchable documents and imsummons his ancestors, who stare from historical ages including prison logs, ship manifests, historic newspapers, and yearbook photos, according its photos on a computer screen.

“Most came from England,” says Allen, 76, as website.

To help people get started and not feel so overhe gazes at his family tree. “On my dad’s side, I’ve whelmed with information, the center offers classes traced relatives 13 or 14 generations back to the 1500s. Some of them worked in cotton mills. On on Monday from 10 a.m. to noon and Wednesdays my mom’s side, I’m back to the 1700s. They were from 7 to 9 p.m.

“We just warn people that researching your mostly farmers and carpenters.” genealogy can become addicting,” says Allen.

He learned his grandfather was born on the “Before you know it, you Great Plains in 1855, “with want to research just one only canvas for shade,” acmore person to learn cording to a family journal. a little more, then one Allen, director of the more, and one more.”

Family History Center in The internet has Boise for nine years, and made family research other volunteers help peoeasier, too, because ple trace the branches some families post old of their family tree. The family photos on webcenter, organized by the sites to share informaChurch of Jesus Christ of tion with others who may Latter-day Saints in Boise, be curious about their is open to anyone.

“You don’t have to be Allen Knowles, director of the Family History Center genealogy.

For those who wona church member to use in Boise, and other volunteers help people trace their family tree using vast data bases available to der where to start, Allen our data bases,” says Al- the public. [Photo courtesy of Family History Center] advises writing down len, estimating 250 to 300 people come to the center monthly to do searches. what you do know and asking other family mem“Genealogy is one of the most popular hobbies in bers for whatever information they have.

“Then begin to fill in the gaps. If people are still the world because everyone gets excited when they learn who their ancestors were and where alive, most websites can’t list their information due to privacy issues, but there’s so much information they came from.”

The center provides about people from the past.”

Besides information from websites, the center 22 computers and 9 premium genealogy web- has ledgers listing census data and other informasites such as ancestry. tion about Idaho’s early settlers. The center has Highest Over 3 Prices Turn Your Years S 5 In com for free. During the 3,000 microfilms and about 2,000 books for referd erv Pai Old Forgotten the Trea ing Decades Treasures sure past few years, the cen- ence.

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How sweet it is to tend bees in Treasure Valley Article & Photo By Dianna Troyer The sound of thousands of buzzing bees is soothing instead of menacing to Treasure Valley beekeepers Frank Grover and Roman Yoder. Whenever they check their hives, the steady reassuring hum means a hive is healthy and thriving.

“Bees aren’t aggressive,” says Frank, who lives in Boise and tends 10 hives at his house or friends’ properties. “They’re just defensive, so you’re fine if they don’t perceive you as a threat. Just like people, they have moods swing. On sunny days when they’re busy, they ignore you. On cloudy overcast days they become more defensive and might need to be smoked a little to calm them.”

While Frank and Roman both harvest honey every fall, that sweet golden reward isn’t the reason they became beekeepers. They do it because bees fascinate and mesmerize them.

“The organizational structure of a hive is so complex. They’re some of God’s most fascinating creatures, providing for themselves as well as for us,” says Roman, 66, who has 10 hives and began his apiary hobby in 2008 after he retired from trucking.

“Ever since I was young, I wanted to be a beekeeper,” says Roman, “but college, family, and being a trucker kept me too busy. When we moved to New Plymouth so my wife could be closer to her family in the valley, we had room for hives.”

Bees have “an intriguing life cycle,” says Frank, 62, a member of the Treasure Valley Beekeepers Club and a mentor to new members. “Beekeeping interest has exploded in recent years. We have more than 300 members.”

APRIL/MAY 2014

Bees live productive yet short lives, with each stored honey, they can be left to themselves. Their bee having a specific task. constantly thrumming wings keep the hive at about Drones’ sole purpose is to breed the queen. 96 degrees year-round.

The queen’s job is to lay eggs. The worker bees “Caring for bees is relaxing for me after work,” are non-fertile females and says Frank, 62, who sells literally work themselves to industrial diesel engine death in five to six weeks parts. “Having bees reand are replaced. Workers minds me of raising kids. intuitively know their tasks.

When you first get them, They gather pollen or nectar, you wring your hands like care for the brood, build wax, a new parent and worry. guard the hive, scout for a Then you realize what will new hive, or clean. be, will be.”

Their communication is When he opens a mysterious. Somehow they hive, Frank is assessing occasionally switch tasks, its health. depending on the hive’s “It’s like touching bases needs. To tell others where with your kids,” he says. blooming flowers can be “You see what’s going on found, they do a waggle and help solve some probdance, moving in lines and lems if you can. You might circles to indicate direction. replace a queen, find a betPollen brought to the ter place for a hive, or treat hive is mixed with honey to a disease.” feed the brood. Other bees When honey is harbring in nectar, which is vested, enough must retransferred to hive bees that main in a hive for the bees chew it and add enzymes Roman Yoder catches a swarm of bees to start to eat during winter. After before depositing it into wax a new hive. keeping some honey for cells. Others fan the nectar, themselves, the beekeepcreating the humming sound heard at a hive, until ers give the excess to appreciative friends and its moisture content is reduced to 17 to 18 percent neighbors. and it becomes honey. It’s then capped with wax Honey isn’t the only prized product of a hive. to eat later.

“My grandchildren are making lip gloss with the Beekeepers cannot ignore their hives and as- wax,” says Roman. “They might try candles next.” sume they will have abundant honey to harvest For those who want to start a hive, club memevery fall, says Frank. In spring and fall, the hives bers offer advice or allow their hives to be rented. should be checked weekly, while in summer about It costs about $200 to $300 to get started with every other week. During winter when bees eat equipment and bees.

Sweet Magnolias revive each other with healing humor Article & Photo By Dianna Troyer Jerri Stanfield never tires of watching the transformative touch of a Sweet Magnolias meeting at her home in Boise.

“Women come in looking downcast, burdened, and drained from caring for a spouse affected with Alzheimer’s or other related dementia,” says Jerri, who hosts a potluck dinner the last Friday of the month for Sweet Magnolias members.

The members between ages 50 and 70 are all caregivers. Jerri founded the local, grassroots, non-profit group four years ago, so caregivers wouldn’t feel socially isolated. She named the group after the flowers that are recognized for beauty and durability, admirable traits she sees in the 14 caregiver members.

“Usually several women would say they felt so overwhelmed, they almost didn’t come. We mingle until everyone arrives, then sit down together at my table to have dinner and to talk,” says Jerri. “By the time three hours have passed, we’re laughing from telling stories, hearing how we’re doing, and what’s new.”

As they say goodbye, Jerri notices how the women’s demeanor and body language have changed.

“They’re revived and ready to face another month of being a caregiver,” says Jerri. “They say they’re glad they came after all. They’re so strong, loyal and dedicated to their husbands.

They inspire me and give me strength.”

Jerri plans the evening to make the Sweet

Magnolias feel special for a few hours, a queen for an evening. A name is drawn, and one person leaves with a door prize.

“Just for our special evening, a friend of mine, Joy Dewhirst, makes incredible desserts that are so beautiful they look as if they came from a professional bakery.”

Jerri manages the Sweet Magnolias from her home office, which enables her to care for her husband, who has been disabled for 23 years due to injuries and surgeries.

“I certainly don’t have the same dynamics that these women have at home, but I understand what they’re experiencing,” says Jerri, who worked as an administrator in assisted living facilities for 15 years.

Her dad was her role model.

“He took care of his mom and two widowed aunts,” she says. “He was from Denmark, and family was really important in his culture.

He set the most caring example for me.”

About five years ago, while working for an agency providing private caregiving services, she trained the professional caregiving staff and was the chair for the annual Alzheimer’s

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 41

Even if you don’t have a hive, you can help bees in several ways.

“Plant late blooming flowers such as asters, salvia, mint, and sage,” says Frank, who has a website www.idahohoneybee.com and sends out a newsletter. “Also, bees are susceptible to pesticides, so spray in late evening to give the pesticide several hours to break down before bees begin to forage again.”

Frank is still as intrigued with bees as he was when he bought his first hive 24 years ago.

“There’s always something new to learn. They’re a lot of fun.”

More information about beekeeping in the Treasure Valley may be found at www.idabees. org. The club’s annual dues are $10, and members meet on the third Tuesday of most months at the Idaho Outdoor Association. ISI

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“I realized there was a huge unmet need for in-home training, coaching, and assisting – and without cost.”

Jerri also is executive director of the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Idaho, a local organization she started to provide support to families caring for someone with the disease. Thirty to 40 volunteers work for Alzheimer’s Idaho.

“Every penny we raise stays in the Treasure Valley area to assist our local families,” says Jerri, who relies on fund-raisers, grants, and private donations, so the Sweet Magnolias and Alzheimer’s Idaho volunteers are able to help people in their homes.

They sell a cookbook, hold a yearly golf tournament, and host a yearly “Battle of the Badges” contest in which representatives from police forces, fire departments, emergency services, and the military and Civil Air Patrol compete and have a chili feed.

APRIL/MAY 2014

Members of the Sweet Magnolias participated in a Family Caregiver Conference in Boise in January. From left are Betsy Clouse, Jerri Stanfield, and Sally Rubens.

“A local benefactor recently awarded a special grant to us, so we can start a subsidized respite program. Some caregivers can’t afford to

pay someone to come in for a few hours, so they can get groceries or go to a doctor’s appointment themselves. We’ll help them defray the costs of getting respite help.”

During the past four years, the dynamics have changed for some Sweet Magnolias. Some women’s husbands have passed on or have been moved to an assisted living center.

“No matter how circumstances have changed, all are welcome. Besides our monthly dinners, we’ll get together for simple, inexpensive activities like going to a movie or a park for lunch.

A while ago, we laughed ourselves silly just playing miniature golf for an hour. We’ve all bonded for a lifetime.”

Jerri often reminds volunteers and caregivers of one of her favorite sayings. “We cannot direct the winds, but we can adjust our sails.”

For information, call Jerri at 208-914-4719.

ISI

Heroic smokejumpers relive harrowing adventures based in Winthrop, Wash., from 1951 to 1954.

Article & Photo By Dianna Troyer He recalls the relief and desperation he felt that The stories that retired Treasure Valley smokejumpers tell sound as if they’re pitching script ideas day.

“Unpredictable afternoon winds blew up sudto film producers. denly, making the fire explode, so we started fly“Sometimes, we’re still surprised we survived,” ing to look for the smokejumpers. They had been says Tom Kovalicky, 78, who lives in Grangeville and retired in 1991 as supervisor of the Nez fighting fire since about noon. Finally, about 5:30 p.m., I noticed orange movePerce National Forest after a ment. It was the color of their 31-year career with the agenfire retardant shirts they had cy in Wyoming, Montana, recently been issued.” and Idaho. He also served Rod was relieved to see more than two years in the them, but landing was nearly U.S. Army, 9th Infantry Diviimpossible due to poor vission. “Now that so many years ibility, heat, and 60 mph wind have passed, it’s easier to talk gusts. about some of the things that On the ground, Tom and happened to us.” others began running, carTwice a month, 15 to rying only water, toward a 30 National Smokejumper Assmall landing spot that a sociation members between previous trail crew had built ages 55 and 96 who live in atop a ridge. It was so hot, the Boise area meet for coffee their fingers blistered when and talk. Calling themselves they tried to touch their metal “The Leapin’ Legends,” they helmets. laugh and relive near-death Finally able to land, Rod escapes and surviving fickle shouted to two jumpers to get and ferocious wildfires. Ever inside the cockpit. He lifted adventure-seekers, they’re After being a smokejumper Tom Kobalicky off and flew about 10 minutes still vibrant outdoorsmen. worked for the Forest Service for 31 years in to a meadow he had spotted “We had closes calls in the Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. where it was safe to land. unusually active summer of “It took some time to pick up all the jumpers and 1961,” recalls Tom. “Records were broken regarding fire jumps. As a rookie I had 17, which was way ferry them to a safe place because the helicopter was only designed for three people,” recalls Rod. above the average.”

On August 4 of that year, 20 smokejumpers in- “For the next trips, I took four jumpers at a time cluding Tom almost died while fighting a wildfire on because time was of the essence. I carried two Higgins Ridge near Grangeville in the Nez Perce jumpers inside and two more in the trays outside National Forest. Their lives were saved thanks to the helicopter, which was a great overload. But it their crew boss Fritz Wolfrum and helicopter pilot worked.”

Tom, who rode outside, says, “There was so Rod Snider, who was flying for Johnson Flying much smoke, confusion, and roaring from the fire Service based in Missoula, Mont.

“Fritz was experienced and kept his head about and the copter. It was just like a scene out of a our escape route and teamwork,” says Tom, “and Hollywood film. The fire burned up 20 sets of jump Rod flew in unbelievable conditions to rescue us.” gear, parachutes, and personal gear bags.”

For his rescue at Higgins Ridge, Rod was Rod, 84, a Boise resident, says he understood their plight, having been a smokejumper himself, awarded the North American Forest Service Medal for Outstanding Heroism, the Montana Pilots Association Pilot of the Year Award, the Stanley-Hiller Pilot of the Year Award from the Helicopter Association of America, and the Carnegie Medal for Bravery.

Tom nominated Rod for the Forest Service award in 1976, the first time that award had been offered since World War II. “It was the year of the nation’s bicentennial, too, and was the perfect time to recognize him.”

Rod is humble about receiving the awards, turning attention from himself to the helicopter he flew.

“The Bell 47G-3 turbo super-charged helicopter was ideal for that mission,” says Rod. “I doubt any other copter could have done it.”

The excitement of flying inspired Rod since childhood.

“I always dreamed of being a pilot one day.

APRIL/MAY 2014

When I was 22, I bought my own plane, an Aeronca Chief, and learned to fly. Then I joined the Air Force and flew. There’s nothing as wonderful as flying.”

After his discharge from the Air Force in 1957, he flew for Johnson Flying Service for eight years.

In 1965, he was hired at Boise-Cascade and worked there until he retired in 1982. He has flown many types of helicopters and planes, including fire bombers and Learjets. He even built two planes himself.

Rod also piloted a hang glider for 30 years. “I flew with hawks and eagles. They look back at you,

trying to understand what type of bird you are.”

After gliding in the skies of Idaho, California, Utah, Oregon, and Washington, he quit eight years ago. “It seemed the gliders were becoming heavier,” he says, laughing. “Maybe that comes with age.”

Rod still maintains his pilot’s license, although he hasn’t flown for a few years. These days, he seeks adventure on the ground, riding bicycles and cross country skiing.

Another jumper, Dale “Rocky” Stone, 80, was

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 43

in the Army paratroopers, serving from 1953 until 1956. He was a smokejumper, based in McCall from 1957 to 1960. After being a jumper, he worked in sales in the Boise area and retired in 1991. He lives on a small acreage outside Caldwell where onion seed is grown.

Dale’s attitude about being a smokejumper in Idaho is shared by others. “Those summers jumping were unforgettable. I felt at home in the mountains and loved the thrill of the job. They’re some of the best memories of my life.” ISI

Irene Wilson rides into Idaho Rodeo Fall of Fame

By Dianna Troyer pole bending titles from 1957 to 1959, competing Horses have taken Irene Wilson, 78, on the at weekend rodeos. ride of her life throughout the Northwest, as a In 1959 for the first time, the Idaho Cowboys trick roper, rodeo competitor, race horse owner, Association offered a prize of a new saddle to and volunteer in several the barrels champion. “I horse associations. Most was determined to win recently, she was inducted because I really wanted into the Idaho Rodeo Hall a new saddle, and I did.” of Fame, an accolade that She juggled her riding surprised her. with raising her two sons “Only two or three and sometimes brought women have been chothem along at ages 3 sen, so it was quite an and 1 ½. honor,” says the Star resi“I’d load the horse in dent, who still pastures the bed of my old Ford her four horses on her pickup with a suitcase 10-acre farm. “I grew up on one side and diapers around horses because on the other side.” my dad grew hay here in Irene not only comStar and also worked at a peted in barrels and pole mine in the little town of bending, she also vied Pearl. Since I was a kid, to be rodeo queen of it seems like every ten the Snake River Stamyears; I’ve always done pede. She never won, some new horse activity. but happily settled for I love it.” runner-up. The top three She was inducted into Irene Wilson was inducted in the Idaho contestants would ride the Hall of Fame during Rodeo Hall of Fame last summer. She is in a convertible in towns the Gooding Pro Rodeo one of a few women slected for the honor. in Idaho and Oregon to in August, crowning an [Photo provided by Irene Wilson] promote the rodeo. equine career that started “That was more fun when she was 6-years-old. Her dad decided than being queen anyway. She always had to Irene and her sister Mary should be trick ropers give speeches,” says Irene with a chuckle. on a rodeo circuit in Idaho and Oregon.

As her sons grew, they showed quarter “We practiced every day for an hour, whether horses on weekends. After they left home, she we wanted to or not,” she says. Performances and her second husband, Bert, began raising were nerve-wracking, but she overcame her and training race horses with the help of their fears for the next nine years to stand on the back granddaughters. In 1999, her mare Irish Staff of a horse while twirling a rope around her. won the prestigious Idaho Cup race. Satisfied When she turned 15, Irene’s sister married, with her racing accomplishments, Irene set her breaking up the act. Their dad turned to cow sights on new equine activities. cutting as an equine hobby, a pastime that Irene She became involved with EhCapa, a preciadmits she disliked but did to please him. sion bareback riding group based in Boise. The In her early 20s, she married and turned her group, formed in 1956, has about 50 members. attention to barrel racing. With the purchase of The name was chosen by its founder, who a gelding named Candy Bill, the two became an spelled the name of his beloved horse Apache unbeatable team. They won barrel racing and backwards. Members aged 8-19 ride without

saddle or bridle, guiding the horse with their body and a thin leather strap called a tack rein around the horse’s neck.

“I lease out my horses to my great granddaughters if they need one,” says Irene of Kelsi Tackitt, 14, and her sister, Devin, 12 who are members. “The EhCapa riders came to Gooding to perform in my honor when I was inducted. It felt great.”

Besides helping to coach her great granddaughters, Irene volunteers on several equine organizations. She is one of the directors of the Idaho Horse Council and serves on the Idaho Horse Expo Committee.

The expo is scheduled this year in Boise from April 18 to 20 at the Idaho Horse Park in Nampa. The expo offers educational seminars, trade show exhibits, arena demonstrations, artwork, and celebrity guests. Two popular events are the Extreme Cowboy Race and the Stallions on Parade.

Irene will be there volunteering.

“I have to be at the gate, making sure riders have signed their liability waivers. It’s a great event. I’ll be helping there as long as I can.” ISI

Logan Park

Government Subsidized Apartments for Self-Reliant Elderly

senior living

~CALDWELL~

A Loving Family Atmosphere On Site Beauty Parlor & Laundry Units Home Cooked Meals Every Day

208-454-000 612 W Logan St Equal Opportunity Provider & Employer

LoganParkSeniorLiving.com

APRIL/MAY 2014

When I was 22, I bought my own plane, an Aeronca Chief, and learned to fly. Then I joined the Air Force and flew. There’s nothing as wonderful as flying.”

After his discharge from the Air Force in 1957, he flew for Johnson Flying Service for eight years.

In 1965, he was hired at Boise-Cascade and worked there until he retired in 1982. He has flown many types of helicopters and planes, including fire bombers and Learjets. He even built two planes himself.

Rod also piloted a hang glider for 30 years. “I flew with hawks and eagles. They look back at you,

trying to understand what type of bird you are.”

After gliding in the skies of Idaho, California, Utah, Oregon, and Washington, he quit eight years ago. “It seemed the gliders were becoming heavier,” he says, laughing. “Maybe that comes with age.”

Rod still maintains his pilot’s license, although he hasn’t flown for a few years. These days, he seeks adventure on the ground, riding bicycles and cross country skiing.

Another jumper, Dale “Rocky” Stone, 80, was

IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT PAGE 43

in the Army paratroopers, serving from 1953 until 1956. He was a smokejumper, based in McCall from 1957 to 1960. After being a jumper, he worked in sales in the Boise area and retired in 1991. He lives on a small acreage outside Caldwell where onion seed is grown.

Dale’s attitude about being a smokejumper in Idaho is shared by others. “Those summers jumping were unforgettable. I felt at home in the mountains and loved the thrill of the job. They’re some of the best memories of my life.” ISI

Irene Wilson rides into Idaho Rodeo Fall of Fame

By Dianna Troyer pole bending titles from 1957 to 1959, competing Horses have taken Irene Wilson, 78, on the at weekend rodeos. ride of her life throughout the Northwest, as a In 1959 for the first time, the Idaho Cowboys trick roper, rodeo competitor, race horse owner, Association offered a prize of a new saddle to and volunteer in several the barrels champion. “I horse associations. Most was determined to win recently, she was inducted because I really wanted into the Idaho Rodeo Hall a new saddle, and I did.” of Fame, an accolade that She juggled her riding surprised her. with raising her two sons “Only two or three and sometimes brought women have been chothem along at ages 3 sen, so it was quite an and 1 ½. honor,” says the Star resi“I’d load the horse in dent, who still pastures the bed of my old Ford her four horses on her pickup with a suitcase 10-acre farm. “I grew up on one side and diapers around horses because on the other side.” my dad grew hay here in Irene not only comStar and also worked at a peted in barrels and pole mine in the little town of bending, she also vied Pearl. Since I was a kid, to be rodeo queen of it seems like every ten the Snake River Stamyears; I’ve always done pede. She never won, some new horse activity. but happily settled for I love it.” runner-up. The top three She was inducted into Irene Wilson was inducted in the Idaho contestants would ride the Hall of Fame during Rodeo Hall of Fame last summer. She is in a convertible in towns the Gooding Pro Rodeo one of a few women slected for the honor. in Idaho and Oregon to in August, crowning an [Photo provided by Irene Wilson] promote the rodeo. equine career that started “That was more fun when she was 6-years-old. Her dad decided than being queen anyway. She always had to Irene and her sister Mary should be trick ropers give speeches,” says Irene with a chuckle. on a rodeo circuit in Idaho and Oregon.

As her sons grew, they showed quarter “We practiced every day for an hour, whether horses on weekends. After they left home, she we wanted to or not,” she says. Performances and her second husband, Bert, began raising were nerve-wracking, but she overcame her and training race horses with the help of their fears for the next nine years to stand on the back granddaughters. In 1999, her mare Irish Staff of a horse while twirling a rope around her. won the prestigious Idaho Cup race. Satisfied When she turned 15, Irene’s sister married, with her racing accomplishments, Irene set her breaking up the act. Their dad turned to cow sights on new equine activities. cutting as an equine hobby, a pastime that Irene She became involved with EhCapa, a preciadmits she disliked but did to please him. sion bareback riding group based in Boise. The In her early 20s, she married and turned her group, formed in 1956, has about 50 members. attention to barrel racing. With the purchase of The name was chosen by its founder, who a gelding named Candy Bill, the two became an spelled the name of his beloved horse Apache unbeatable team. They won barrel racing and backwards. Members aged 8-19 ride without

saddle or bridle, guiding the horse with their body and a thin leather strap called a tack rein around the horse’s neck.

“I lease out my horses to my great granddaughters if they need one,” says Irene of Kelsi Tackitt, 14, and her sister, Devin, 12 who are members. “The EhCapa riders came to Gooding to perform in my honor when I was inducted. It felt great.”

Besides helping to coach her great granddaughters, Irene volunteers on several equine organizations. She is one of the directors of the Idaho Horse Council and serves on the Idaho Horse Expo Committee.

The expo is scheduled this year in Boise from April 18 to 20 at the Idaho Horse Park in Nampa. The expo offers educational seminars, trade show exhibits, arena demonstrations, artwork, and celebrity guests. Two popular events are the Extreme Cowboy Race and the Stallions on Parade.

Irene will be there volunteering.

“I have to be at the gate, making sure riders have signed their liability waivers. It’s a great event. I’ll be helping there as long as I can.” ISI

Logan Park

Government Subsidized Apartments for Self-Reliant Elderly

senior living

~CALDWELL~

A Loving Family Atmosphere On Site Beauty Parlor & Laundry Units Home Cooked Meals Every Day

208-454-000 612 W Logan St Equal Opportunity Provider & Employer

LoganParkSeniorLiving.com

PAGE 44 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014

PAGE 44 IDAHO SENIOR INDEPENDENT

APRIL/MAY 2014