OutreachNC magazine - October 2014

COMPLIMENTARY

Navigating Lifestyle Choices for Active Adults

Up, up

HOBBY BALLOONS INTO RETIREMENT VENTURE

and away!

October 2014 | Volume 5, Issue 10 | www.OutreachNC.com S E R V I N G T H E S O U T H E R N P I E D M O N T, S A N D H I L L S & T R I A N G L E A R E A S

c a p e

f e a r

v a l l e y

n e u r o s u r g e r y

a n d

s p i n e

c e n t e r

named a top 100 hospital with great neurosurgery and spine programs – becker’s hospital review

capeable

of bringing you hope and healing

If you or a loved one has a neurological problem, you may not know where to turn. You may even think you need to travel out of town to an academic medical center for treatment. Cape Fear Valley Neurology and Cape Fear Valley Neurosurgery offer comprehensive treatment and surgery right here in Fayetteville: Headaches : Dementia : Movement Disorders : Neuropathies : Neuromuscular Diseases Stroke and TIA : Epilepsy and Seizures : Trigeminal Neuralgia Brain Tumors : Aneurysms : Simple and Complex Spinal Disorders : Neurosurgical Management of Pain Together these specialists bring hope and healing to patients from all over the Cape Fear Region and beyond.

Call to learn more about your treatment options. [910] 615-3350.

neurosurgery and spine

www.capefearvalley.com/neuro

A Trusted Advisor Guiding you along the way When faced with the challenges of caring for an older family member, many families don’t know where to turn. Spring Arbor can help you through this difficult process. From performing daily tasks such as medication management, bathing, or dressing, to the challenges of Alzheimer’s or memory loss, we are here to be your guide.

Call or come by for your tour today!

Spring Arbor of Raleigh 1810 New Hope Road Raleigh, NC

Spring Arbor of Apex 901 Spring Arbor Court Apex, NC

919-303-9990 919-250-0255 www.SpringArborLiving.com AN H. H. HUNT COMMUNITY

ComPlimentary

Navigating Lifestyle

Features

Choices for Active

Adults

October 2014

Up, up

hoBBy Balloons into retirement venture

and away!

Cover Photo by

Diana Matthews

October 2014 | Volume 5, Issue 10 | www.Outre achNC.com

serving the southern Pie d m o n t, s a n d hills & trian gle areas

Volume 5

Issue 10

28 Centre Presbyterian, Maxton

Since 1797, this church's storied past includes the Civil War and N.C.'s first women's college.

by Flo Johnston

36

30 Parkinson's Moving Day

This annual event, Nov. 1 in Cary, raises funds and awareness for those coping with the disease.

by Thad Mumau

32 Carolina Conversations with

humorist Jeanne Robertson At home with the professional speaker who now takes her comedy on tour and satellite radio.

By Carrie Frye

42

36 Celebrating Community

38

28

Civic-minded groups abound making a positive impact on members and their neighborhoods.

By Ann Robson

38 Harvesting Retirement

Destination Retirement seeds a Carthage garden where the harvest is more than vegetables.

By Jonathan Scott

42 Ballooning Retirement

48

Pittsboro couple inflates hot-air ballooning hobby into a venture filled with smiles.

By Carrie Frye

48 Still Playing Ball

At 81, Coach Doug Watts takes his Fayetteville American Legion team to the state playoffs.

By Thad Mumau

32 30 4 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

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A SHORT DRIVE. A LONG LIST. Our long list of specialties rivals that of any of the big hospitals in the Triangle or Charlotte or Fayetteville. And you don’t have to deal with long commutes or traffic snarls because we are right here in the Sandhills.

FirstHealth has the same fellowship-trained physicians, state-ofthe-art technologies and first-class facilities as the academic medical centers...but, get this...with front door parking!

To learn more about our full array of services, visit our website at www.firsthealth.org or call (800) 213-3284.

Columns October 2014

10 Law Review Helping widows navigate finances

By Jackie Bedard

11 Medicare Update Immunizations for beneficiaries

by Lynne Drinkwater

12 Sentimental Journey

Our spirit never ages

by Jennifer Pollard

13 Consumer Beware Prevent caregiver fraud

by Roy Cooper

14 Literary Circle

"The Book Thief " Review by Cos Barnes

15 Book Review

"Voices of a Sandhills Baby Boomer" Review by Ann Robson

16 Senior Moments All in a name

by Barb Cohea

"October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen. It is the distant hills once more in sight, and the enduring constellations above them once again."

— HA L B O R L A N D

17 Ask the Expert

Moving to new state may alter Medicare providers

by Amy Natt

18 Cooking Simple

Fall squash and sausage bread pudding

by Rhett Morris

19 Senior Shorts Poetry

"The Fifties" and "Homecoming: WWII"

by Ruth Moose

20 Planning Ahead

Delaying retirement to reduce health care costs

by Elizabeth Donner

21 Spirituality

Falling with faith

by Rev. Pam Hudson

22 Fall Crafting Preserving the past

by Mary Dosh

24 Caregiving

WHAT'S

Online

Two important truths

by Mike Collins

26 Brain Matters Healthy heart, healthy brain

by MaryBeth Bailar

27 Belle Weather

The ups and downs of transatlantic flight

By Celia Rivenbark

52 Grey Matter

Crossword, sudoku and word search

COOKING SIMPLE

RECIPES

Beer-braised cabbage and more just a click away...

HOMETOWN HAPPENINGS Calendar events from around the region

BACK

55 Resource Marketplace

ISSUES

Missed an issue of OutreachNC?

Find the professional services you need.

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YOUR ONE STOP LOCAL NEWS SOURCE

FOR MOORE COUNTY. 6 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

www.AberdeenTimes.com

When it comes to cancer care, we’ve got connections.

Scotland Cancer Treatment Center is affiliated with one of the country’s premier providers – The Duke Cancer Network.

Thanks to our partnership with Duke Medicine, patients of Scotland Cancer Treatment Center receive the best medical and radiation oncology possible. This affiliation also provides us with access to the latest clinical trials and ground-breaking research in cancer treatment.

Our team of Duke-affiliated cancer specialists is here to provide the highest quality care, from diagnosis to aftercare. It’s good to know this level of care is so close to home.

Drs. Andrew Brown, Kelvin Raybon, Kathleen Havlin, Ivy Altomare and Beth Lindsay

To learn more about Scotland Cancer Treatment Center, or to schedule a consultation, call us today.

910-291-7630 • 877-762-2735 • scotlandhealth.org/cancer

From the Editor

O

ctober brings a new crispness to the air as we await autumn’s colors to arrive as if being stroked by an artist’s brush.

Bright colors of another kind abound against the blue sky as hot air balloons of all shapes and sizes take riders up, up and away for Carolina BalloonFest in Statesville, Oct. 17-19.

We’ll introduce you to a Pittsboro pilot who has taken on ballooning in retirement, turning his hobby into a small business that brings smiles and lasting memories to those who climb into the basket and float away in a beautiful balloon.

Balloons, T-shirts, smiles and hundreds of participants will be on hand at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary for Moving Day®, a Walk for Parkinson’s on Saturday, Nov. 1. This annual fundraising walk is gearing up to raise awareness, education and outreach to families affected by the disease. We’ll meet two couples, one in Fayetteville and one in Pinehurst, coping with Parkinson’s and their hopes for further advocacy in their communities and across North Carolina.

Groups and clubs and their volunteer members are often the leaders in communities, big and small, lending helping hands to each other and local nonprofits for worthy causes.

We’ll learn about the Whispers in Whispering Pines, which is celebrating 50 years, and the Cary Newcomers Club and see how they do good works that not only benefit their neighbors but also the health and well-being of members themselves.

If laughter is the best medicine, good health is only a few pages away in our Carolina Conversations this month with professional speaker and humorist Jeanne Robertson. If you haven’t heard of the 1963 Miss North Carolina, Robertson’s humor shows have gone viral in the past five years, growing a fan base and keeping her audiences laughing out loud. We sit down to learn about how she embraced the Internet, her tour and her Alamance County roots.

Our destination retirement series lands this month in a bountiful Carthage garden where roots run deep, and Dr. Mike Maness uses his green thumb to yield quite a harvest as this retired obstetrician is tending to plants instead of patients for this next season of life.

One Fayetteville baseball coach just wrapped up another playoff season with his American Legion team, and he’s not ready to hang up his uniform. What might surprise you is that the coach is 81 years young and already looking forward to next year. We’ll round the bases with Doug Watts and learn why he still loves the old ball game.

Thanks for spending some time turning pages with us this month. Jeeves the co-editor and I wish you a beautiful fall season filled with plenty of sweet treats! Until next month…

8 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

— Carrie Frye

Editor

Carrie Frye | carrief@OutreachNC.com

Creative Direction/Graphic Design

Stacey Yongue | staceyy@OutreachNC.com

Advertising Sales

Shawn Buring | shawnb@OutreachNC.com

910-690-1276

Ray Stancil | rays@OutreachNC.com

919-909-2693

Marketing & Public Relations

Susan McKenzie | susanm@AgingOutreachServices.com

PO Box 2478 | 676 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28388 910-692-9609 Office | 910-695-0766 Fax PO Box 2019 | 101-A Brady Court Cary, NC 27512 919-909-2693 Office | 919-535-8719 Fax OutreachNC is a publication of Aging Outreach Services, Inc The entire contents of OutreachNC are copyrighted

by Aging Outreach Services. Reproduction or use, without permission of editorial, photographic or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. OutreachNC is published monthly on the first of each month.

Follow us on Twitter! @OutreachNC

www.OutreachNC.com

Jeeves the co-editor received his treat bag a little early.

a classic horror dripping with passion.

and the masque of the red death

Fletcher Opera Theater: October 9–26 CarolinaBallet.com | 919-719-0900 Ticketmaster.com | 800-982-2787

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Law Review by Jackie Bedard

Helping widows navigate finances

I

October is

Breast Cancer

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Consultations & Evaluations are always FREE of charge 95 Aviemore Drive | Pinehurst, NC 910.295.4489 • info@oandpcares.com

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10 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

t's not a new phenomenon that most American women work full-time outside the home. However, many boomers and their aging parents still have so-called "old-fashioned" marriages, in which the husband handles all of the family's money issues.

Losing a spouse can be the most emotionally difficult time in a person's life. This can be especially true for a new widow whose involvement in finances goes as far as her checking and savings accounts and little further. Money matters once handled by a husband—paying monthly bills, managing investments, and taking care of taxes—are suddenly a widow's responsibility.

Although it can seem overwhelming, there are steps to take to get your financial footing and move forward. Take a deep breath. Don’t make any rash, long-term decisions.

That's the first advice other experts give to those—especially women—who find themselves with much responsibility and little know-how, according to The New York Times.

However, there are things that need to be done within a month or so of a spouse's death. These include paying the monthly bills, taking care of taxes that might be due and collecting any life insurance policies the spouse left. Once those responsibilities are dealt with, it's time to dive into the nuts and bolts of keeping financially fit.

The Wall Street Journal recently told a story of a woman who lost her husband and watched as her checking account balance dwindled to $150. What she didn't know— and what a financial adviser helped her discover—was that she had $25,000 in a credit union savings account and $100,000 in laddered CDs. Outside of her checking account, the adviser says, these other sources of income were foreign to her.

When a widow with little knowledge suddenly comes into a large amount of money, there will be wolves at the door.

Unscrupulous salesmen touting financial get-rich schemes are to be avoided, of course, but those closer can also put the pinch on her, too. A son or daughter can more easily prey on their mother’s emotions, saying, "If Dad were alive, he'd help me buy this car," or whatever it is they may want.

CNBC warns to be firm and not to give in; being played can bring lasting negative consequences.

Bedard, an elder law attorney with Carolina Family Estate Planning in Cary, can be reached at 919-443-3035.

Medicare Update by Lynne Drinkwater Immunizations for beneficiaries

T

he Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) for many years has built a reputation for providing reliable, unbiased Medicare information. SHIIP provides free counseling to Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers by phone and in person in all 100 counties.

No organization can do this kind of work without help from other experts. One of SHIIP's long-time partners is the N.C. Immunization Coalition, a statewide network that coordinates and supports efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.

Each year, tens of thousands of adults needlessly suffer, are hospitalized and even die as a result of diseases that could be prevented by vaccines. Not only can vaccine-preventable diseases make you very sick, but if you get sick, you may risk spreading the disease to others.

SHIIP's partners at the N.C. Immunization Coalition want to remind us all that while vaccinating children against preventable diseases is increasingly commonplace, many adults fail to get the vaccines they need to protect vigorous health and prevent serious illness. SHIIP wants to add to a reminder that most vaccinations are covered under either Medicare Part B or Part D. Getting vaccinated is easier than you may think. Adults can get vaccines at doctors' offices, pharmacies, workplaces, health clinics and health departments. The website, www.vaccine.healthmap.org, can help you find a vaccine provider near you. Most health insurance plans cover the cost of recommended vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a short quiz at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults to help you find out which vaccines are recommended for you. All adults should get an annual flu vaccine to protect against seasonal flu and Td/Tdap vaccine to protect against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis. You may also need other vaccines based on your age, health conditions and other factors. If you are planning to travel outside of the U.S., check on any additional vaccines you may need and plan ahead.

If you have questions about whether your vaccine is covered by Medicare, contact SHIIP, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-855-408-1212.

2014-2015

Bolshoi Ballet Series

CAPTURED Live in HD from MOSCOW

SUNDAYS at 1:00pm

October 26th Legend of Love November 16th Pharoah’s Daughter December 7th La Bayadere December 21st The Nutcracker January 25th Swan Lake March 8th Romeo and Juliet April 19th Ivan the Terrible TICKETS: $20 & $15 (12 & Under) SEASON TICKETS: $120

The Sunrise Theater | 910.692.8501 250 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines, NC

The Sunrise Preservation Group is a 501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible, Non-Profit Organization

www.SunriseTheater.org

Drinkwater, program coordinator for the Moore County Department of Aging, can be reached at 910-215-0900, ext. 206 or ldrinkwater@moorecountync.gov .

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 11

Sentimental Journey by Jennifer Pollard Our spirit never ages

I

seem to have quite a number of clients aged 89 and 90 these days. They overwhelmingly mention how hard this age is for them and the amount of changes that seem to come about overnight, making them see unrecognizable faces in the mirror.

One client wisely quipped, “I just don’t know what to expect anymore. This is my first time being 90, after all.”

Wise words. We are all just novices at our current age.

What we seem to be really good at is looking back at our former ages. Remembering all the things we used to do well and so much faster. It’s hard to realize your current age may not bring with it a new accomplishment, but a remembrance of what you once could do.

Maybe that is why music is a powerful tool for remembering.

Music touches us and connects us to the many younger ages of our spirit. Is there an age of our spirit? I recently read a poignant quote: “We all feel younger than we are because the spirit never ages.” That makes perfect sense to me in light of the conversations I have with my clients. Our bodies may remind us of our age when there is a new ache or pain or doctor visit, but our spirit feels years younger.

A favorite musical I heard growing up was “The Fantastiks,” a 1960 musical comedy by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, with its well-known song, “Try to Remember.” The final verse always gives me chills…

“Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Although you know the snow will follow.

Deep in December, it's nice to remember, Without a hurt the heart is hollow.

Deep in December, it's nice to remember, The fire of September that made us mellow.

Deep in December, our hearts should remember And follow."

So in our remembering, we are connected to a part of us that we knew, which helps us learn to be the person we are becoming. Music is truly a language of the spirit. What song helps you to remember your younger self?

Share your music memories with Pollard at jenniferp@aoscaremanagement.com.

Givens Performing Arts Center Direct from Beijing

National Acrobats

of the People’s Republic of China

October 13 - 7:30 pm

Educators Night - Special Discounts For Teachers, TAs, Principals, Etc.

Don’t miss these upcoming GPAC shows!

Michael Ian Black

OCT. 20, 7:30 p.m.

OCT. 24, 9 p.m.

Order tickets online at www.uncp.edu/gpac or call 910.521.6361 12 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

NOV. 13, 7:30 p.m.

facebook.com/givenspac

Consumer Beware

by N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper

Prevent caregiver fraud

C

aring for an aging family member can be emotionally and financially draining. These caregivers provide one-onone assistance while relieving some of the strain on the family.

While there are many well-qualified and caring in-home health workers, some may lack important qualifications or even pose as caregivers to try to scam seniors.

To find the best caregiver for your loved one: • Find out about their education, training and experience.

• Request references and check them.

• Ask if you can conduct a probationary period.

• If the caregiver is independent, do a criminal background check, and check with an accountant about tax issues. Draft a written agreement for both you and the caregiver to sign. It should include what you’ll pay, when you’ll pay it, what hours the caregiver is expected to work, their duties and what to do if the caregiver cannot work at the scheduled time. Keep a copy for your records.

• If the caregiver works for an agency, check if the agency has a copy of their criminal background. If not, conduct a background check yourself. Learn whether the agency is bonded and insured in case of an accident.

Determine what the agency will do if your caregiver cannot come to work one day. Will they send another employee? Ask if you can meet potential back-up caregivers. Review all paperwork carefully before you sign it, and ask questions about anything that isn’t clear.

Once you’ve hired a caregiver, take steps to protect your loved one against theft and fraud. Locking up valuables around the house may be obvious, but there is also a risk of identity theft. To help protect your loved one’s identity: • Don’t let in-home health providers manage mail or medical paperwork. Have important mail sent to a different address such as your own.

• Consider a security freeze on your loved one’s credit. It will freeze an untrustworthy caregiver’s ability to open a new account in your family member’s name.

• Require receipts for all purchases made for your family member and/or with your family member’s money.

To learn more about fighting identity theft and medical identity theft, visit www.ncdoj.gov or call 1-887-5-NO-SCAM (toll-free in NC).

Your tax deductible donations of reusable materials are sold in the Habitat ReStore and all proceeds support Habitat’s mission to end substandard housing in your community.

For donation criteria, or to learn more about Habitat’s FREE pick up service, call the ReStore in your county.

Visit our Facebook page and our Web site: www.SandhillsHabitat.org

MOORE COUNTY 2268 NC 5 Highway, Aberdeen, NC | 910.295.2798 RICHMOND COUNTY 300 E. Broad Avenue, Rockingham, NC | 910.817.9576

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 13

Literary Circle Book Review by Cos Barnes

“The Book Thief ”

M

arkus Zusak’s “The Book Thief ” is a powerful story, detailing the power of the written word. It stresses the ability of books to feed the soul.

It tells the story of Liesel Meminger, who was taken at age 9 to live in Molehing, Germany, with a foster family. Her foster father, Hans, an accordian player, helped her learn to read, but more importantly, he taught her the love of books and of the written word. They read each night in farfrom-pleasant circumstances, and thus her love of books was born, starting with the “Gravediggers’ Handbook,” which she picked up at her brother’s grave.

Narrated by death, the book is moving and profound.

Fanatical Germans prior to World War II dominate the town. Liesel’s foster mother earns a few dollars by taking

Because Your Eyes Deserve the Best!

in washing and ironing, and Liesel learns the trade. She plays soccer with Rudy, the boy next door, who idolizes Jesse Owens.

As the plot develops, Liesel’s family shelters a Jewish man in their basement and Liesel, among other things, stages a snowball fight in the basement when he is so ill and unconscious about what is going on outside. He is eventually marched to Dachau.

Among her book stealing, Liesel frequently takes them from the mayor’s wife. Books become her treasures. It is an astounding book. Read it.

Zusak has won numerous awards. The book was a New York Times bestseller and was made into a major motion picture in 2013.

Email Barnes at info@outreachnc.com.

MOORE COUNTY

Farmers Market

Food Demo by Fiona McKenzie of Sweet-Fi Cakes & SCC Culinary School | Saturday, Oct. 11th • 9:30-11:30 Balance Posture Screening & Yoga by Karen Poppele, SP Physical Therapy | Saturday, Oct. 18th • 9:30-11:30

Catalys™ Laser R & D top Award Winner

Our cataract specialists offer cataract laser surgery with advanced technology lenses. Let us help you choose the lenses right for your active lifestyle!

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Cataract ● Glaucoma ● Corneal Eye Disease Macular Degeneration ● Diabetic Eye Dry Eye Disease ● Eyelid & Brow Lifts ● LASIK

Pumpkin Painting by Jr. League of Moore County | Saturday, October 25th • 9:30-11:30

PUMPKINS PROVIDED BY MCFM

Enjoy local, fresh produce 3 times weekly!

Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkins, Winter Squash, Kale, Greens, Tomatoes, Fruits, Veggies, Jams, Meats, Flowers & Plants, Crafts, Chicken, Baked Goods, Prepared Foods, Goat Cheese

Mondays

FirstHealth (Fitness Center) 170 Memorial Drive Pinehurst 2pm-5:30pm Open through 10/27

Thursdays

Saturdays

Armory Sports Complex

Downtown Southern Pines

604 W. Morganton Southern Pines 9am-1pm

Broad Street & New York Avenue 8am-12 Noon

Open Year Round

Open through 10/25

Facilities Courtesy of FirstHealth & Town of Southern Pines

www.carolinaeye.com ● 910-255-2095 ● 800-SEE-WELL

More information? Call 947-3752 or 690-9520 Email: hwwebster@embarqmail.com

Laurinburg, Southern Pines and Sanford

www.facebook.com/moorecountyfarmersmarket

Our Locations: Albemarle, Asheboro, Cheraw, Dunn, Fayetteville,

14 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

Websearch: Moore County Farmers Market Local Harvest

Book Review by Ann Robson

“Voices of a Sandhills Baby Boomer”

B

ill Lindau proves himself to be a very capable writer in several genres: poetry, short story and novella. This collection of selected works provides interesting reading but is not specific to the Sandhills.

Lindau's topics cover subjects that could happen in many other places.

He has lived in North Carolina since he was 14 and has had many works in various regional publications.

He opens with a series of poems that give a mournful picture of lost love.

He trolls the depth of deep emotion and takes his reader along with him.

His “To a Deceased Friend” consists of only four lines but offers a powerful message: “Lovely you looked the day you said goodbye Before gray hair and sallow skin set in No matter how often the sun rides across the sky I always remember your loveliness, my dear”

Lindau uses very little punctuation in his poetry, thus allowing the reader to pause at differing spots. What he lacks in punctuation, he more than makes up for in his use of meaningful words.

Animal lovers will enjoy his short story about Pug, the town dog. He also writes about his love of horses.

His tribute to his mother, “The First Woman of My Life,” would make any mother proud. He articulates the bond between mother and child superbly and gives sincere thanks for that woman.

There are many facets to Lindau. He dabbles in art and participates in community theater. He also performs American and contemporary love ballads at open mic nights. He now resides in Southern Pines with his two cats.

Email Robson at info@outreachnc.com

“My clients come first.

They are the reason I work hard every day.

I am a surrogate daughter with advanced training and education in navigating aging and health care needs.

When there is a transition or a crisis, I am the one who will be there to help you get through it.

Together, we face the future.

I am a care manager.”

Trish

Trish Orr, MS AOS Care Manager

TrishO@AOSCareManagement.com

919.909.2645

www.AgingOutreachServices.com

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 15

Senior Moments

All in a name

M

ONE WEEKEND ONLY!

16 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

any of you will be surprised, but I found out today that the government doesn’t know who I am.

If you are screaming YEEHAW and want to know how I did it, just follow the instructions below. I have reverseengineered them since I really didn’t know what I did, until it was all over.

Always remember, it helps if you act like you don’t really know what you’re doing.

You just need to confuse the government and specifically the Social Security Administration, not the DMV, the DOD, the DOI or the IRS. And shockingly, it’s not that hard to do. It’s just a matter of paperwork.

A: You’ll need to change your name on your Social Security card, repeatedly, over several years.

Remember patience is a virtue, so get some.

B: Changing your name on your card is easy. You marry, you blend your collective names, he takes yours, you take his, you divorce, you do it all over again . . . at least twice is good.

All your old marriage and divorce certificates are great for this one.

C: You decide you don’t really like your middle name and you change it. This works well because you’re not changing your last or first names. I’ve done this, oh . . . at least four times. Yes, all of them had to do with vanity, but none of them rendered me an NBE— non-biological entity—to the Social Security Administration until the last permutation.

I added a second middle name and put a hyphen in between the first and the second one. So instead of Barbara Katherine, I was Barbara Katherine-Hillary. Which has

by Barb Cohea nothing to do with that Hillary.

Anyway, it was the hyphen that gummed up the works. The computer system freaks out over hyphens, so the computer dumped my hyphen between Hillary and Cohea, giving me an entirely new last name, which even I didn’t know existed.

D: There are lots of problems with this, but the one I was interested in was getting a new social security card because I’d lost the old one. I had to physically go to their office and bring two items, but not from the same category, off a menu of different choices showing the exact same name and a picture. The expired passport, the current driver’s license, electric bills, a 1976 official college transcript, old W-2s, all reading Barbara Katherine Cohea.

I needed a card, but the sign over the clerk’s desk read, YOU MAY NOT USE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE AS IDENTIFICATION. Because it doesn’t have a picture on it, that’s why! There went the back-up plan!

I pleaded, I begged. She said I had to use my birth name, Barbara Kay Cohea, which I know is not right.

I thought it better not to tell her that. I told her about the hyphen problem instead. Nope, this was governmental agent payback time.

She insisted I change other . . . stuff at other offices. I . . . don’t think so.

I’m keeping Barbara Katherine and now I know who they think I am, and I’ve got a card. What could be the problem? Clever!

For more humor, visit www.

BarbaraCohea.com or barbaracohea@ gmail.com .

Ask the Expert

by Amy Natt, MS, CMC, CSA

Our certified care management professionals will answer any aging questions you have.

Email your questions to info@outreachnc.com.

Q

I am 68 years young and getting ready to move to North Carolina for my retirement. We lived up north for 47 years and want less snow and to be closer to our daughter in Raleigh. I mentioned this to my pharmacist, and he said I might need a different prescription plan. Is this true?

A

Moving from one state to another can often mean that a new health insurance plan or provider will be needed for you to continue to receive coverage. The Medicare program itself is a Federal program and therefore extends into every U.S. state. Medicare Part A and Part B benefits are not affected. You will need to update your address and contact information with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to ensure that any important notices and information reach you. You can update your information by contacting your local SSA office or visiting www.ssa.gov .

When you get into supplements and prescription drug coverage, it is not always that simple. Sometimes, you can keep the provider you have but will need to enroll for the plan offered in the new state. The best way to switch plans is to just enroll in the new plan. Once you do this, you will be automatically disenrolled from your old plan. Some policies offer

multi-state participation, some have transferable plans and others are only applicable in the state you resided in when you enrolled. It is best to double-check with each provider individually on the coverage area your current plan includes. Rates can also vary between different states, so be sure to look into all your plan options for North Carolina.

This is a great time of year to call and have that conversation, as Medicare open enrollment begins Oct.15. During this time, you can opt to change plans and find the one that will provide the best coverage for you in North Carolina. If you want assistance reviewing plans, you can go to the Medicare.gov website, talk to an independent insurance agent, a Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) advisor through the N.C. Department of Insurance or a certified geriatric care manager. You want to compare cost and coverage and select the one that will best meet your individual needs.

As you prepare for your move, call each of your insurance providers: Medicare Advantage or Medigap, Medicare Part D, dental and vision plans and any supplemental policy you have. Talk to your financial adviser to ensure they are licensed to provide services in North Carolina.

Talk to your accountant to find out how to transition your tax return.

You will want to have all legal, estate planning and advanced care directives reviewed by an attorney in North Carolina. Getting these items in place will give you peace of mind and allow you to enjoy retirement.

Natt, a certified senior adviser and care manager, can be reached at amyn@agingoutreachservices.com .

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Cooking Simple

by Rhett Morris

Fall Squash and Sausage Bread Pudding INGREDIENTS ½ small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, diced ½ cup grated Ashe County Cheddar Cheese 1 cup browned Happy Tails Farm breakfast sausage 3 cups stale bread, cubed 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup milk 1 tablespoon chives, chopped ½ cup butternut squash, peeled, chopped and roasted at 400 degrees for 15 minutes ½ cup kale, chopped 2 tablespoons softened butter

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven on to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except butter in a large mixing bowl. Let soak together for 10 minutes. Put in a well-greased 8”x5” loaf pan and top with butter.

Cook for 40 minutes and enjoy.

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The Fifties

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O proms and roses Swishy skirts Pony tails flippy flirting. Back seats and lakeside parking moon watching we owned the stars bought on time. Tickets unlimited we wanted it all. Our tab, bought more. Enough was never. Enough the rainbow’s end, the palace, the prince.

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Planning Ahead by Elizabeth Donner

Delaying retirement to reduce health care costs

A

ccording to the 2014 Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate from Fidelity Investments, a couple retiring at age 65 should expect to incur an average of $220,000 in health care costs during their retirement years.

Under Social Security, you may already know you can take early retirement, with the earliest age one can begin taking Social Security income being 62. However, claiming Social Security income at this youngest possible age, instead of Full Retirement Age (FRA), results in reduced monthly benefits. Opposed to popular opinion, this decrease in monthly benefit continues for the person’s lifetime.

If you elect to take Social Security benefits at age 62, your monthly income benefit will be reduced by as much as 30 percent, from your FRA

amount. This can easily equate to a difference (plus or minus) in tens of thousands of dollars of income over a person’s lifetime, and obviously those amounts are doubled for a couple.

Your FRA depends on the year in which you were born, and FRA is increasing as an offset to the fact that we are statistically living longer lives. It’s estimated that a couple that retires at age 62—before they are eligible for Medicare—will spend an extra $17,000 annually, according to the same Fidelity survey. Therefore, having to come off a group health plan, due to early retirement, and needing to obtain an individual policy, can be an expensive proposition.

If you want to maximize your Social Security income, you may want to delay the benefit until age 70, and depending

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on the year of birth, delaying Social Security will add an additional 24 to 31 percent to your FRA monthly benefit. In addition, delaying retirement until one is fully eligible for Medicare coverage, at the age of 65, saves the premium cost of individual health coverage. For those who are working after age 65, a close examination needs to be given to staying on the group health plan versus activating Medicare.

You have the ability to make or break your retirement when it comes to your Social Security and Medicare decisions.

Donner is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, is licensed in Med/Supp & LTC & is NAIC Partnership Certified.

She can be reached at 919-460-6076 or Beth@ DiversifiedPlanning.com .

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Spirituality by Rev. Pam Hudson

Falling with faith

I

t seems like most everywhere you look now there is news that is less than good—death, tragedy, heartache.

Many days I do not even want to look at the news, and I grew up in an era when listening to Walter Cronkite every evening was a must. In many ways, that habit is hardwired in my psyche, but there is so much going on, I find myself resisting and not wanting to know the next thing. I want to pull away before I begin to listen with only critical ears.

We are beginning the fall season, a time when things in nature begin to “fall” away. Trees shed their leaves, landscapes lose their vibrancy and even the air starts to lose its warmth. It almost seems like nature is turning away and resisting the space it inhabits. And yet, if we remind ourselves to watch, we know that this is a necessary season and part of the cycle of our year. From fall to winter to spring to summer, it all works together in the rhythm of life.

Growth continues with each passing year and, as seasons change, we will, too. We can move our awareness away from all that is going on outside, slow down a little and pull away so that we can take in our seasons of living.

Sometimes we are like the leaves of fall: one minute, we Coordination of the Move | Packing & Unpacking | Minor Home Repairs Sorting, Organizing & Downsizing | Setting Up Your New Home Estate Liquidations/Auctions | Disposition of Unwanted Items

are full of color and the next, we are letting go to the wind.

Sometimes, we are like a bear in winter, hibernating until the cold has passed. Sometimes, we have a new idea that starts to grow like the flowers in spring. And sometimes,we bustle about, full of energy playing in the summer sunshine.

I believe these changes speak to the ebb and flow of the faith we are given, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

So may we remember as the less than good news abounds, and the leaves around us fall, to let go of what we have no control over, to rest up for what we can do, to listen up for what is ours to take part in and to then put our energies behind that growth around us. Then as we continue through this season and those that will follow, may we be reminded how they can inform us and guide us along our ways.

As we once again return to the fall of the year, a time full of color and wonder, shorter days and a time of letting go, let us keep the faith.

Hudson, senior development officer at The Foundation of FirstHealth, can be reached at 910-695-7500 or email phudson@firsthealth.org.

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OutreachNC.com 21

Preserving the past

By MARY DOSH, Special to OutreachNC

Photographs are a time capsule of memories.

The special moments of a child’s first step, a graduation, or a wedding are captured in a tangible form for some to see and remember and others to view and ask for the story. Yet, so many of these memories have been packed away in boxes and forgotten in a dusty attic or a dark basement.

Preserving your family’s old photographs is preserving an important part of your history. The longer you wait, the more time plays a factor in harming old photos.

As my parents’ wedding anniversary is this month, I wanted to give them a gift that would memorialize their pasts. My sister and I dug out the old albums and searched through black and white photographs of relatives that had died before I was born. However, my mom had a name and a story for each of them.

I realized that if my family wants to preserve their history, we need to salvage these old photographs and label each one before time destroys the image and the memories.

Sissy

Digitize. The first step in preserving old photos is digitizing

them. Many look at the shoeboxes full of old photos and are overwhelmed with the enormity of the project of scanning and organizing them. Diana Matthews, owner of a local photography business, recommends sending off your photographs to a professional scanning company.

“We always say that we’ll do it tomorrow, but everyone is busy and your tomorrow may never come.” Some scanning companies that are relatively inexpensive are ScanCafe and GoPhoto, with prices ranging from 22 to 44 cents per scan, depending on the number of photos. These companies also do photo restoration to erase any damage visible in the scan.

Another option is scanning the photos yourself. This is a great option if you have a small number of photos. Dave Nicoll, owner of DNR Photography and a photo restorer, believes that “with scanners available to the public today, 22 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

Mother

Fall Crafting

Grandpa

Grandmother

you can buy an inexpensive scanner and still get very, very good scans of your photographs.” He recommends scanning negatives at the highest resolution possible, but most other photos between 240 and 300 ppi (pixels per inch). However, if many of your photos are damaged and need restoration, it is probably best to send them to a professional.

Protect.

Making or receiving a CD of your photos is only the first step in the preservation process. The second important step is to protect the original photograph. The rule of thumb is acid-free everything. Use acid-free pencils or archival pens to write on the back of photos and store them in acid-free photo boxes or photo albums. To display the photos, use archival mat board with a UV filtering glass.

Nicoll shares a tip: “If you look at a mat board and the inside core is a yellowish-brown, that is not archival mat.”

Make an album.

A third important step is letting others see the photographs. The family memories are something you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Several websites allow you to upload photos and create an album. Shutterfly is the most common; however, for the lessthan-savvy computer users, Mixbook is an easy website to use. With the template “A Book of Remembrance,” all of the design work is done and you just have to choose the photos.

The price is also good—20 pages for under $20.

Be creative.

Dad Grandpa

The last step is to unleash your creative side.

When I was searching for gift ideas for my parents, I looked on Pinterest and found a tutorial on making photo sachets.

Using photo transfer paper, I printed out several photos of my grandparents and ironed them onto a few pieces of white fabric. For the backing, I used a burlap-like fabric and sewed three sides of the pockets. After filling them with potpourri, I stitched the last side. The entire project took me only one evening, but I know my parents will enjoy the memories printed on the sachets for many years.

The key to preserving your family’s old photos is to do it now while damage can be prevented. Even if you only have enough time to send the photos off and give CDs to your family, at least there are copies of the photos in case of any damage or loss.

“The most important thing,” adds Matthews, “is preserving memories the best that you can."

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 23

Caregiving by Mike Collins Two important truths

L

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et's be honest, being a family caregiver is a wonderfully supportive, loving and caring activity, but the experience and responsibilities can make you as crazy as a bat if you let them. In simple terms, if you check the dictionary, one of the synonyms for crazy is “out of one's mind.” Caregiving stresses can do that to us.

Caregiving can cause us to feel, think, act and experience life in ways we otherwise would not. The stresses can take us out of our minds and out of the life we had before we became caregivers.

Here are two truths about caregiving—the first you’ll only hear in whispers—that should be the foundation of your experience. First, it’s OK to not like caregiving. You certainly care about the person for whom you are caring; you may even love him or her, but you don’t have to like all the caring activities for which you are responsible. The fact that you don’t like some of the activities does not say anything lessthan-positive about you. It’s OK. No one likes everything they have to do as a caregiver, and it’s OK to say so to your inner circle. Complaining about your responsibilities to anyone who seems to listen can assure that sooner or later, few people will be there to listen.

Second, it’s OK to not know everything. No one does, not even professional caregivers. The solution is to ask more questions.

Get as much information as you can and make informed decisions. The bottom line of the caregiving experience is this: As long as the person for whom you are caring is safe, everything else is a bonus. So, get as much information as you can, make good decisions and do it your way.

Again, caregiving can be an experience that broadens and deepens your life in ways you can’t imagine. Or, it can be an experience that steals the life you have, shrinks your world and turns you into a negative person you never meant to be.

Respect yourself enough to admit that you may not like everything the experience of caregiving has brought into your life. In fact, the next time you’re talking with another caregiver, lean forward and whisper, “What do you really think about caregiving?” Their answer may surprise—and comfort—you.

Collins has a masters from Duke University with a focus on caregiver well-being and is a caregiver for his 86-year-old mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s.

He can be reached through his website, www.crazycaregiver.com .

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OutreachNC.com 25

Brain Matters by MaryBeth Bailar, Psy.D. Healthy heart, healthy brain

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any common conditions that can affect your heart, such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, can also affect your brain.

If you have high blood pressure, your heart must pump harder. In addition, your arteries are carrying blood that is moving under greater pressure. In particular, this can lead to tearing in the lining of the walls of your blood vessels, which increases the likelihood that fatty tissue will develop in those spaces. This is the same thing that can happen if you have high cholesterol—with this condition, there is essentially too much cholesterol and fatty substances in the blood.

The build-up of plaque in the blood vessels can lead to narrowing of the walls and the space through which blood can travel, thereby decreasing adequate blood flow and oxygen to the brain. This decreased oxygen to the brain very often causes changes to the small vessels of the brain and can result in both subtle and more noticeable thinking and memory problems. In addition, as the narrowing worsens, pieces of plaque in arteries (the primary blood sources for the brain) can break free, travel to the brain, and block vessels that supply blood to the brain. This can lead to stroke, which can cause paralysis, language problems, or other cognitive deficits.

Like your heart, your brain needs oxygen and nutrients from your blood in order to work properly. High blood pressure and high cholesterol can cause several problems in your brain, leading to reduced attention, mental processing speed and memory retrieval abilities.

What you can do: Maintain a healthy weight. Check

with your health care provider to see if you need to lose weight. If you do, lose weight slowly using a healthy eating plan and engaging in physical activity.

Be physically active. Research shows that engaging in physical activity for a total of 30 minutes (e.g., walking) on most days of the week can not only reduce the effects of high blood pressure or cholesterol, but can also actually improve memory performance.

Follow a healthy eating plan.

Consider working with a nutritionist to set up a healthy eating plan. Writing down everything that you eat and drink in a food diary can help as well.

Drink alcohol in moderation. In addition to raising blood pressure, too much alcohol can add unneeded calories to your diet. If you drink alcoholic beverages, have only a moderate amount—one drink a day for women, two drinks a day for men. Make sure to check with your doctor regarding whether alcohol is inappropriate medically or if it will interact with your medications.

Take prescribed drugs exactly as directed. If you need drugs to

help lower your blood pressure, you still must follow the lifestyle changes mentioned above. Use a pillbox along with notes to help you remember to take your medications. If you experience bothersome side effects from your medications, let your doctor know so that a more tolerable medication can be prescribed.

Dr. Bailar, a clinical neuropsychologist at Pinehurst Neuropsychology, can be reached at 910-420-8041.

Belle Weather by Celia Rivenbark

The ups and downs of transatlantic flight

O

ur first European vacation got off to a shaky start after I was given a thorough, and thoroughly embarrassing, pat-down after setting off the bomb detector thingy at my hometown airport.

Here's what happened next: Finally on board, I decided the eight-hour flight to London was a little like being in the hospital. You drift off, finally, and, well, looky here, here's the flight attendant/ nurse waking you up for something random. Like an ice cream bar.

What do I look like? A 2-year-old?

And, yes, I would LOVE an ice cream bar presented "just because."

This is the bestest plane ride ever!

This sleeping/wakeup routine continued through a procession of head phones, blankets, sleep masks, warm towelettes, drinks, dinner, more towelettes, more drinks, and finally, breakfast. As I sat trapped in the sweaty confines of the dreaded middle seat, flanked by a dozing Duh Hubby and the Princess, I couldn't help resenting The Chosen in Business Class, whom we had slammed in the heads with our carry-ons just for fun during the Bataan death march to our seats in coach. To me, every single person in business class (they have BEDS!!!!) looked like the mean guy in "Titanic." You know, the one who scooped up a random poor kid just so he could get on a lifeboat ("I'm all she's got!")

To be fair, which I just hate, The Chosen paid a fortune for those seats and they deserve their perks.

Besides, I believe anyone can put up with anything for eight hours,

especially if there's free beer and ice cream. Which, now that I think of it, is exactly what I said at the Princess's 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

I enjoy air travel but I'm not very good at it because my ears stop up completely somewhere around take-off. Can't hear a thing.

Which is why, one day, I will be the one with a stupid smile on my face when the pilot announces an emergency landing. Everyone will marvel at my calm acceptance but, really, I'm just wondering what's keeping the pretzels.

I was fascinated with the video channel that lets you watch your flight the whole way. When the screen read: "Time left: 2 hours, 6 minutes," I suddenly remembered Aunt Verlie's much repeated reminder to get up and walk around or I'd almost certainly "get a blood clot like that good-looking reporter on the TV news did and die."

I jumped up, realized my seat belt was securely fastened and sat back down hard. Finally, I just sat there and did calf kegels, which I think I just invented. You're welcome.

Being in the back of the plane meant we were nearly the last ones off and I was desperate to stand up.

I briefly considered racing toward Business Class and grabbing a kid.

"I'm all she's got!" I would say.

Next month: Royals are wicked inbreds and other fun facts.

Rivenbark is the author of "Rude Bitches Make Me Tired." Visit www. celiarivenbark.com Distributed by MCT Information Services..

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OutreachNC.com 27

Historic North Carolina Churches Series

CentrePresbyterianChurch

S

By FLO JOHNSTON , Special to OutreachNC Photography by DIANA MATTHEWS

28 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

M axton, N.C.

truck by lightning, hit by a speeding vehicle and having had its top broken off by the winds of a hurricane, the gnarled old oak in front of Centre Presbyterian Church is still a force to be reckoned with. Raking its annual crop of leaves and acorns is always on the list of fall chores at the church that has housed generations of Presbyterians for 217 years.

One of Robeson County's oldest, Centre, located about six miles north of Maxton, has a twin church, Old Laurel Hill Church, that's located near Laurinburg. Both churches officially became members of Orange Presbytery in 1797.

Don't be surprised that many Presbyterian churches are among the oldest in the area, because this part of North Carolina was populated early by disgruntled Scots who were looking for some peace and quiet after getting “cleansed” from their homes in the Highlands of Scotland. Migrating up the Cape Fear Valley, they brought their church and their culture with them.

Centre and Old Laurel Hill not only share their birth dates, but their buildings are almost exactly alike with a balcony around the sanctuary for slaves, beautiful pews and handhewn woodwork. However, Centre's sanctuary is a bit larger than Old Laurel Hill's, because by 1859, the church had 487 members, including 139 black members. A special door at the end of the vestibule was the slave entrance.

A significant event from the church's history happened in 1875 when the session (governing body) voted “to give all aid and encouragement in their power to the building of a church at Shoe Heel Depot (now Maxton).”

Three years later, the Maxton church was organized and nearly all its charter members were former members of Centre. This was a gesture of Christian love from the mother church to its first daughter.

Centre's church campus includes the sanctuary, a fellowship hall, a manse (home for minister) and an education building called Steward's Hall, probably built in 1841 as a dormitory

for the first college for women in North Carolina: Floral College, located nearby was named for the South's young women, “her flowers of youth and beauty.”

The college was operated by a board of trustees all of whom were Presbyterians. The church moved Steward's Hall from its original site to its present location in 1966. It has been renovated for use as an education building, now housing six classrooms, a pastor's study and the church library.

When Union Gen. William Sherman's raiders passed through Robeson County in March 1865, Centre did not take the brunt of that visit as did Old Laurel Hill. Instead, the raiders turned attention to Floral College and destroyed “everything of value within the walls of the college buildings,” according to the church history.

The school operated under difficult financial circumstances until 1878 when it was finally closed.

Centre lays claim to a North Carolina governor, Angus Wilton McLean, who grew up in the church. He was the 56th governor of the state, born in 1870, and educated at the University of North Carolina, where he earned a law degree in 1892.

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 29

Parkinson's Moving Day

By THAD MUMAU | Photography by DIANA MATTHEWS

M

ore than 1 million people in the United States are afflicted with Parkinson's disease, with 60,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Of the newly diagnosed, 15 percent are under 50 years of age and 5-10 percent are under 40. Most cases, however, occur after the age of 50.

Named for James Parkinson, an English doctor who published the first detailed description in An Essay on the Shaking Palsy in 1817, the disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. The most obvious symptoms are movementrelated and may include tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and difficulty with walking and gait.

Later, thinking and behavioral problems may develop, with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages, with depression

being the most common psychiatric symptom. There may also be sensory, sleep and emotional problems.

The revelation after Robin Williams' death that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's and Michael J. Fox's ongoing battle with the disease have provided visibility to the illness, but more awareness and research are needed.

That is the reason for Moving Day, a fund-raising effort spearheaded by the National Parkinson Foundation, which has funded more than $180 million in research and support since its inception in 1957.

The annual Moving Day Walk for Parkinson's takes place Saturday, Nov. 1, at Booth Amphitheatre in Cary.

The idea is for people to move any way they can—walking, stretching or doing yoga—with the mission of improving the quality of care for people with Parkinson's through

photos courtesy Jessica Katz

Organizers, like Jessica Katz, left, and advocates like Eleanor Vann, right, are raising awareness for Moving Day NC Walk for Parkinson's, Saturday, Nov. 1 at Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary. For more information on Moving Day, visit www.parkinson.org .

30 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

research, education and outreach.

Jessica Katz is the chair for Moving Day NC Triangle. She is the center coordinator and clinical social worker for the National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence at the Movement Disorders Center of the Department of Neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“The interest in Moving Day NC Triangle has grown tremendously from the inaugural walk in 2013,” Katz says. “We have been recruiting teams, walkers, volunteers, exhibitors and sponsors at twice the rate of last year. Last year, our initial goal was $50,000, and we raised $117,000.

“We are expecting 1,500 participants to attend. I have noticed people coming out of the woodwork – from local businesses, organizations, support groups, families and clinics – wanting to be a part of this.

“The increased interest,” Katz says, “has shown me that this is a cause that has deserved greater attention and that the community wants to support."

Pinehurst's John Vann, whose wife, Eleanor, has Parkinson's, is trying to raise awareness for Moving Day and for the disease itself. A licensed massage therapist, he was asked to coordinate chair massage for last year's Moving Day. The demand was so great that this year, as many as 10 massage therapists are expected to participate.

Eleanor, 73, was diagnosed with Parkinson's about nine years ago.

“Most people have tremors with the disease,” John says. “An early indicator for her was when her handwriting became very small. She was shuffling within the first year and had a tendency

to fall asleep. Another sign was that because of massage therapy, which any more, and he's not in a trance,” getting started was difficult. She would helps Parkinson's patients. It can help Carmean says. “He is doing so much want to do something, but would just with range of motion. I never really better. His main symptoms are trouble sit there, unable to get going. intended to be a massage therapist; it expressing himself—he speaks very “Doctors started Eleanor on all started just to help her.” low and sometimes gets words mixed dopamine and progressed her Bill and Carmean Cannon live in up—and freezing, when he will be medications to four, which she now Fayetteville. He is a former director of moving and, all of a sudden, just stop. takes in high doses. Balance has continuing education at Fort Bragg.

“He does shuffle some and uses a been a big thing; in the last three to She is a retired school teacher. They walker, although there are times when three and a half years, she developed have been married 49 years. Bill, 72, he won't need it and will just walk dyskinesia (which is an impairment was diagnosed with Parkinson's four across the floor like you or I would.” of voluntary movements resulting in years ago.

Recently, Carmean has taken Bill to fragmented or jerky motions). She “The doctor we had initially was Tokay Fitness Center for Seniors in would have constant movement of horrible,” Carmean says. “Bill was Fayetteville. They go most weekdays, her whole body. put on doses of medications that and she joins him in exercising.

“We heard about deep brain were too strong, and as a result, he “I believe that has helped him a stimulation,” John says, “and drove had hallucinations and was walking lot,” she says. “He mostly rides the to Richmond (Virginia) stationary bike and uses some last year to meet with a of the machines too. He seems neurosurgeon, Dr. Kathryn able to walk and move more Holloway. She performed freely as a result of regular the operation in which wires exercise. We are glad we came (leads) were put in place in and tried it. the brain. Two weeks later, a “I think it's helping,” Bill says. pacemaker was placed in the “It is good to do something and upper chest to activate the to see the other people there." leads, and three weeks after “The social aspect of going that, the leads were activated. to exercise is just as important "The pacemaker sends a as the exercise itself,” Carmean signal to the brain, and the says. “Bill loves people. Before signal has a calming effect, getting Parkinson's, he was Exercising regularly at the Tokay Fitness Center which can stop tremors and busy all the time. He was in Fayetteville is one way Bill and Carmean dyskinesia. That is exactly always active, going off in 20 Cannon cope with his Parkinson's disease. what has happened with directions, and he loved it.

Eleanor. It has worked.

“This whole Parkinson's “We thought she was good to go for around in a trance all the time. process is a learning experience for a long time,” John says, “and then one The doses were what should have us. We try to do what we can to keep day we were in the kitchen making been prescribed for someone in the him happy, healthy, active and social. soup, and she fell and broke two advanced stages of Parkinson's.

I think he is doing pretty well." bones in her back. So she has been “I didn't know any better at the start, For those families coping with a fighting back from that. She uses a but I have done a lot of reading and Parkinson’s diagnosis, Moving Day is cane now to help with her balance.” learning. We changed neurologists one way to come together.

“I don't give up,” says Eleanor, who and have been very fortunate to now “It is gratifying for me,” says Katz, is also a breast cancer survivor. “I be seeing Dr. Keith Hull of Raleigh. “to know that an event like this is work to get better.”

He is wonderful—very patient and bringing together the North Carolina As for Moving Day, John says, “We always accessible. I have called him community to focus on living well, want to get people walking. I was at night with a question, and he enhancing programming and quality asked to coordinate this program in called me right back. of care in the area across the Triangle the Sandhills because of Eleanor and “Bill is not having hallucinations and beyond.”

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 31

CAROLINACONVERSATIONS

humorist

Jeanne Robertson

By CARRIE FRYE | Photography by DIANA MATTHEWS

A professional speaker and humorist is how Jeanne Robertson defines herself.

With more than 50 years in the business, the 1963 Miss North Carolina has made a career on the stage with a microphone in hand sharing her quick wit and funny stories with many a convention attendee and a growing fan base of all ages.

Robertson was content with traveling and booking speaking events with meeting planners for her professional life. Then five years ago, the Internet took some of her clever clips viral, not only changing her perspective but also bringing her humor to a much larger audience.

Now, Robertson’s shows are in arenas all over the country, over the SiriusXM satellite radio air waves, on social media and on CDs and DVDs sold by the thousands.

Robertson’s YouTube clips keep people laughing out loud every day with titles like: “Don’t Send a Man to the Grocery Store,” "Don’t Go Rafting Without a Baptist in the Boat” and “Don’t Line Dance in the Ladies’ Room.”

A native of Graham, Robertson and her husband, Jerry, whom she lovingly refers to as “Left Brain” in her comedy, have their roots firmly planted in Alamance County, although she may spend more time in those Carolina blue skies in between her destinations. A former physical education teacher and basketball coach, her 6-foot-2 frame is only taller when enhanced by her high heels. This beautiful grandmother is a devoted Elon University supporter, proud of her Southern heritage, unafraid to discuss humor in aging and still doing what she loves most every day, making people laugh.

ONC: When you’re not traveling, do you work from home?

JR: We’ve added on to the house six times, because we didn’t want to pay for office space, and one room has now turned into three. We are in the process of installing a new computer, which is like birthing a baby. If you open up this desk, everything will fall out.

Can you tell us the impetus for you becoming a speaker?

Actually, I have been a professional speaker, which now starts my 51st year. I got started because even though it was the only pageant I ever entered, I became Miss North Carolina. That year in 1963 and into '64, I made more than 500 little speeches, not hour and a half shows that I do now, but I was on my feet every day giving remarks, so I developed a reputation that I was funny. It took about a week, but it was just like a duck to water. I crowned the next Miss North Carolina, and the following week, I spoke at four meetings. I just never looked back.

I have done everything else. I went back to college, graduated and taught physical education and coached, but I kept speaking all summer and every weekend.

I printed little brochures, always humorous, not motivational, and there’s a difference. People would say, “Why don’t you go out to California and try to get in the comedy clubs?” Every Holiday Inn had a comedy club practically back then, but I had no desire to do that, because professional speaking was so good to me. I felt at home there. I enjoyed it. I joined the National Speakers Association and eventually became president, so I know speakers all over the country, and they’re my family.

How did your professional speaking career mushroom into your humor shows?

In my late 60s, I embraced the Internet. I encourage people my age to do it, not all of it. I don’t have time for all of it, but if you’re in business and not embracing it, you might be going backwards or standing still.

So I embraced the Internet, and I went viral twice.

It is the most exciting thing, because you are getting 10,000 hits every hour. It just lasts a little while. Then SiriusXM satellite radio started playing me 10 or more times a day on their family comedy channels.

So some people came to me from Nashville and said, “You can sell tickets for theater shows.”

CONTINUED PAGE 34 u

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 33

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33

And I said, “I don’t think I can.” But we put my stories on YouTube and iTunes and went digital.

About the same time, my assistant Toni said people are calling, and they want to know when your “show” is going to be in Kansas City, and we realized they meant a show they could come to, so we realized there is a difference between a speech and a ticketed event.

Did you think about giving up professional speaking?

The people in Nashville said, “You should give up speaking and just do ticketed events.” And I said, “No, this is my day job. It has been for years, and I love it.” I am on the road 23 to 25 days a month, 10 months a year. I really love it. I will do anything to keep from cooking and cleaning. I’m just having a ball, like being at the Grand Ole Opry.

It’s fun. I’m taping again, and I write my own material, so we’ll have another hour and half of all new stories, and then people still have the other seven.

They have gotten better. I’m still loving it and having a good time.

I have to say, pageants take a lot of criticism. Some of it is justified, but a lot of it is not, and I don’t think you can find another opportunity at age 19 to make 500 speeches in a year. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have found professional speaking, I might have found it, but this gave me a real quick edge.

I had a speaker friend of mine call me and ask, “What’s the secret to going viral?” And I said, “I have 10 clips up, and two have gone viral, and eight haven’t. If I knew the secret, they would have all gone viral.”

Tell us about finally doing your show in a comedy club.

This

syndicated

TV

show

34 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

in

Jeanne Robertson takes the stage at an array of venues across the country this fall as her FABulously Funny Tour continues including: • Oct 24: Rocky Mount, Dunn Performing Arts Center • Nov. 1: High Point, High Point Theatre • Nov. 2: Goldsboro, Paramount Theatre • Nov. 6: Lumberton, • Robeson Community College • Jan. 25: Clayton, The Clayton Center Visit www.jeannerobertson.com .

California wanted to do a show about me and filmed it in a comedy club, since I had never performed in a comedy club. They thought that was funny. And they send a story every week to all these TV stations as a technology supplement to local TV news. And they named the segment “Grandma goes viral.” They asked me, “Does that hurt your feelings? And I said, “Are you kidding? May I use it?”

That’s what I am. I can’t go out there and pretend I am 55 when I am 70.

How do you keep your material fresh?

In the '60s, I talked about being small town and a 6-foot-2 basketball player in the Miss America pageant or “MissMerca” pageant as I call it. In the '70s, same thing, emceeing pageants, I had a lot of pageant stories. In the '80s, I had a little boy, and life changed.

Then in the '90s, and what I really play off of now is my age, which I am 72 and traveling and living with Left Brain. If I, at this age, was doing one hour of pageant material, it would a little bit sad, like you’re a one-trick pony, living off that one thing forever, and I am going strong.

Have you always referred to Jerry as “Left Brain?”

No. I always knew something was different. When you’re young, you always think you can repair things, but you are not going to repair anything. So I said, he’s just left brain.

We’ve been married forever, 40 some, 50 some years. If you put in the line that you love each other, you are giving the audience permission to enjoy what you say. I make it clear that it is OK with Left Brain that I tell the story.

What do you enjoy most about your audiences?

The best part is when you walk out there and make them laugh. When you try a new piece of material, and it goes; oh y’all. For example, I always have things I mention in every speech. I have my cast of characters, and my people are waiting to hear this: Left Brain, Toni, my “bestest” friends Norma Rose and Jan Tucker, my son Beaver, my grandsons, my daughter-in-law, and I’ve got to mention Graham, mention Elon, because I am on the board of trustees, and that’s where my son and grandson went to school. I mention Auburn; that’s where I went. Then I mention getting older.

If you look every day, there’s humor.

Do you ever think about slowing down?

I think when you get a little older, you think about it.

What has cut me back the most is the airlines. It is not the same. I used to be able to do 150 shows a year, and I could not possibly do 150 now. I have never missed a convention if they thought I was coming. If you’ve sold tickets, you have to be there. You have to be there, period. The only death that would be acceptable would be your own.

Now, I still come out in heels. My daughter-in-law, about three years ago, told me, “I’m worried about you in those heels, because you said the spotlights blind you.” And I said, “I know that, but I’m going to know when it is time to quit

wearing heels.” She said, “I would hate to see you fall.”

A year later, she asked if I was still wearing those heels, and I said, “I am. I am just going to use up the ones I’ve got.” And she said, “That’s not good enough, I know how many you’ve got. Let me just tell you like it is. If you trip on a curb, and you break your leg or your hip, I will come from Georgia and take care of you, but if you’re out on that stage in those pointy-toed high-heeled shoes, and the spotlight blinds you, and you fall and you break a leg or a hip, you are on your own.”

So what I would tell the audience is, “If I fall, the two of you come up here and prop me up, but if I break something, call 911 and then you drag me to the curb.”

How is your Southern humor perceived in other parts of the country?

They get it. At a convention, the people are from all over, so in Vegas, the people aren’t from Vegas, but they are familiar with the casino. So I always tell my story, “Don’t Go to Vegas Without a Baptist.” My favorite line in that story is, “That’s the fastest I have seen a woman change denominations.

She sat down a good Southern Baptist and within an hour jumped up an Episcopalian.”

Having such a successful career, you could live anywhere, so what makes North Carolina home?

This is my home. This is my roots. I grew up in Graham, and now we live in Alamance County and support Elon.

These are my people. They understand me. If you approach people the right way, we are basically all the same. Most of us don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, and most of us want be nice, and if you smile at people first, they will smile back, even strangers on the sidewalk. Now, you can’t go around advertising that.

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OutreachNC.com 35

Community CELEBRATING

By ANN ROBSON, Special to OutreachNC Photography by DIANA MATTHEWS

J

oining a club can be good for your health.

There are club members across the region who can attest to this fact found by recent studies. Most clubs offer volunteer activities that also give back to their communities, making membership a win-win proposition. According to the Institute of Volunteering Research, “volunteering can help maintain a sense of purpose and selfrespect,” along with improved selfesteem and psychological well-being.

Most cities and towns of any size have some sort of group for newcomers to their areas. While the membership requirements may differ, all groups have the general purpose of welcoming new people to the area and providing opportunities for them to get to know their community, to become involved in something of interest and to make new friends.

“After moving to Cary, I realized that I missed that sense of belonging to something larger than just my neighborhood,” says Mary Bryan Bowers, who joined and is now the president of the Cary Newcomers Club, which serves Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Morrisville, FuquayVarina, and surrounding areas of Wake County. “I love meeting new people. Many of us moved to Cary to 36 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

be closer to our kids and grandkids; that's what brought us here. Most people who join find that they have a lot in common with other newcomers.”

Cary Newcomers maintains a website (www.carynewcomers.com) and a schedule of events to keep members informed of all the opportunities matching up members to any array of interests like reading, Bunco, knitting, golf, bowling or outings for coffee, breakfast, lunch or dinner just to name a few.

“Many retirees are looking for ways to make new friends and to be involved in new activities,” says Bowers. “There is something for almost everyone. Anyone can join, and you can remain a member for as long as you like. Membership is open to both women and men, so we have several men who regularly attend our meetings and activities.”

While clubs and groups abound in North Carolina with their arms open wide to welcome new members, these clubs also fill a community need with volunteer projects and fundraising.

“Each year Cary Newcomers adopts a local charity and raises money to support it,” says Bowers. “This year we chose Life Experiences, a nonprofit that offers employment to adults with varying disabilities while affording them the self-esteem of earning a wage for their work. Another of our

outreach efforts is called Volunteer Connections. Members volunteer at a local soup kitchen, help with a food pantry, prepare food for the Ronald McDonald House and assist with several other charities.”

One women’s group in the Village of Whispering Pines known simply as the Whispers is celebrating their 50th anniversary of making a difference in their community. Their name may be deceiving, because this is an active group with major impact that meets regularly, growing friendships, welcoming neighbors and supporting philanthropic causes.

Whispers, during their halfcentury, has donated nearly $300,000 to various charitable organizations in Moore County, including the local fire and rescue squad in its infancy, the Sandhills Children’s Center, Sandhills Coalition, Lifeline First Response, Sandhills Community College, Bethany House, Friend to Friend, Moore County Department of Aging, MANNA, Good Hands Gang and FirstHealth Hospice.

Fundraisers such as the annual village directory, arts and crafts fairs, silent auctions and other events allow the group to give generously.

Many in Whispers are volunteers at the village’s thrift shop. Whispers volunteers can be found throughout the county performing tasks such as tutoring, mentoring, delivering

Cary Newcomers Club President Mary Bryan Bowers, top center, leads a meeting of the book club at a member's home, which is just one of the many ways members connect.

meals, helping with blood drives and serving on committees and boards of several organizations.

Whispers’ secret to their success may well be that there are no dues, no membership or age limits; all one has to do is live in Whispering Pines.

Martha Hardee, wife of the founder of the village, decided there should be some regular social activity, particularly for those women who did not play golf. Golfers were not excluded, and women golfers are also still a part of Whispers.

“Camaraderie” was the single response from several members as to what makes Whispers special.

One member who has recently had several life challenges says that Whispers people “are the reason I still live here.” She has found several

Whispers members Carol Rossi, left, Florence Mohor, and Lori Motta display the latest Whispering Pines Directory, one of the group's many projects.

caring friends. Most of the women note that the “genuine concern” of their friends and neighbors whom they met through being a part of the group, “keeps us going.”

“In addition to the camaraderie, Whispers help give you a purpose beyond the social aspect,” explains Carol Rossi, who is chairing the Whispers’ 50th Anniversary Gala on Oct.24 at the Country Club of Whispering Pines and has been working on a timeline of events in the organization's past 50 years.

Lori Motta says that a neighbor invited her to go to one of the lunches, and from there, she met other women who don’t golf.

Whispers proves there is much more to life in Whispering Pines than golf.

Florence Mohor, one of the

longtime members, has served as treasurer for several years. She is grateful to her Whispers friends for their attention and care when she has medical problems. Mohor is a major promoter of Whispers, encouraging all women of the village to get to know each other and the group in general.

No matter the reason for joining, becoming a part of a community group has benefits that pay dividends physically and emotionally and encourages community involvement.

“It has given me the opportunity,” adds Bowers, “to try new things and to connect with people I never would have met otherwise, and I've made some wonderful new friends in the process.”

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 37

OUTREACHNC SPECIAL SERIES

destination:

Retirement

retirement

By JONATHAN SCOTT, Special to OutreachNC Photography by DIANA MATTHEWS

L

ike other physicians, Dr. Mike Maness used to keep his skilled hands meticulously clean while he was in active practice. Now, in his retirement, he gets those same hands dirty every day. If it seems unlikely, it's not once you get to know him.

Maness grew up working on his family's farm in Montgomery County.

“Working long days under the hot sun helped motivate me,” he says. “At 17, I walked out of my family's tobacco fields and never went back. I wanted to find a different way of earning a living.”

Maness decided he'd use his brain instead of his back—and he powered that brain with the kind of passion that can only come to a person naturally. He studied biochemistry, then attended medical school, and finally became one of Moore County's most popular OB/GYNs, working 29 years at the Southern Pines Women's Health Center. His patients were sad to see him retire in February 2014. But for this brilliant and energetic man,

retirement only meant a change of focus, not a lessening of passion.

The truth is, although Maness left farming at an early age, farming never quite left him. The half-acre garden on his 75-acre property in Carthage demonstrates a passion and a mind that still loves science.

It's the kind of garden that most of us would love to have, if we only had that amount of energy and that green of a thumb. By t h e mid-summer, Maness' 80-foot rows show off burgeoning and colorful peppers, delicious-looking green beans, cucumbers, butter beans, and sweet corn.

CONTINUED PAGE 40 u OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 39

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And then there are the tomatoes.

Only someone who's still a scientist at heart would plant more than 30 varieties and know each and every one by heart. Maness strolls down the rows of neatly caged, hearty plants, casually name dropping as he goes.

Some of the names are appropriately fruity (yes, tomatoes are fruits). Black cherry, sweet treats, and Hawaiian pineapple, but then there are Juliettes, hillbillies, carbons and Cherokee chocolates.

There are heirloom varieties and romas, the kind chefs like to use in sauces.

“I'm testing them to see which ones do best,” explains Maness, regarding why he planted so many kinds. “I'll choose the most successful eight or nine to plant again next year.”

As a scientist, he's not against using chemical fertilizers.

“The plants can't tell the difference between the chemical and the

natural,” he says. “But I don't use chemical pesticides or herbicides.

When a plant is healthy, it's able to fend off pests and disease by itself.”

Maness doesn't depend on his plants' natural defenses alone. His garden is surrounded by a green mesh fence tall enough to keep out the most determined deer.

“I've done just about everything to deter racoons,” he says. “I've played the radio all night and even camped out to frighten them off. Somehow, though, they seemed to know when I was asleep.”

Maness engineered a more serious defense system with portable electrified wire holding 5,000 volts, which surrounds the section of his corn that's ripening. After he harvests those ears, he'll move the fence to the next planting, leaving the racoons stymied.

In the spring, he uses half of his reclaimed 50-foot greenhouse to start plants before Mother Nature is able to provide the right weather.

You’ll

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In the fall, he uses his mower to shred 10,000 pound of leaves from his woods to make mulch for the garden. And, throughout the year, he makes compost from a large pile of vegetative matter.

“Put your hand in there,” Maness tells guests to the garden.

Not everyone would want to comply, but for those who do, the experience is a feeling of warmth that borders on heat.

“It's 140 degrees,” he says as if he were a research scientist. “I checked it this morning.”

It's strategies like that lead to his impressive yields.

“We harvested 400 ears of corn in one day,” he says matter-of-factly.

“We'll get 140 quarts of green beans, about 300 pounds of tomatoes and 40 gallons of blueberries.”

Maness seems to get as much pleasure from storing the fruits of his labor as he does from producing them. In his basement, he has a vintage-style refrigerator he's set

at a perfect 48 degrees that's been devoted to keeping root crops.

Upstairs, he's taken up a corner of an office room with a device the size of an old-time copy machine.

“The technical term for this type of food storage is sous vide,” Maness says.

That's a French term meaning under vacuum, which says it all. A bag of corn, for example, processed for 30 seconds in the machine comes out perfectly vacuum-sealed and freezer-ready.

Perhaps the most telling indications of Maness' passionate approach to his garden are the two chairs set up under a large tent shade. The chairs look out on the garden. “My wife, Becky, and I come out here in the evening and enjoy the view,” he adds.

It's a view that is continually changing. It seems as if the only thing that hasn't changed is the former obstetrician's enthusiasm for bringing new life into the world.

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MYSTIC VENTURE RISING The envelope (balloon) fills and rises with loud intermittent bursts of propane and flames as Richard and Lindy Parr and their balloon chase crew prepare for takeoff from a field in Silk Hope in Chatham County.

Ballooning Retirement

By CARRIE FRYE Photography by DIANA MATTHEWS

A

n array of brilliant hues expands and rises over the Piedmont. It is not just the early autumn leaves but instead bright pops of color against the blue sky as pilots takes their hot air balloons up, up and away at the annual Carolina BalloonFest over Statesville every October. Mystic Venture, one of those balloons shining in all the colors of the rainbow, is one retirement adventure Richard Parr and his wife, Lindy, didn’t necessarily plan, but one that has taken them to new heights.

“I have had an interest in aviation for a long time,” says Parr, a career pilot in the U.S. Air Force and private sector, flying aircraft since he was 15. “Ballooning is obviously more time consuming and strictly a sport, not for transportation. When you get involved in festivals, it is time-consuming, but in retirement, you are more flexible. It is another part of flying for me.”

Participating in the festivals and ballooning competitions keeps Parr riding high and traveling these days. It’s a hobby that took flight back in the 1980s when he surprised Lindy and their two children with a family balloon ride while they were living in Georgia. That experience changed his perspective and gave him the idea to pursue ballooning more seriously in retirement.

“Each one, flying and ballooning, has its own challenges using different skills,” explains Parr. “A balloon obviously has very directional control other than winds at different altitudes, and the challenge is to use that to your advantage, so planning with what the wind is giving to you and trying to constantly anticipate the changes. The fun part is the challenge, and the enjoyment is floating along going slowly with the wind speed, taking in the atmosphere.”

Ballooning now for nearly a decade, Parr did his balloon training in Park City, Utah. He is an FAA-certified pilot.

The balloon is also FAA-certified for air-worthiness and inspected annually. He has two balloons, one for racing competitions and one for taking up passengers.

Taking those enthusiastic riders up is what Parr and a number of his fellow balloon pilots do for the festivalgoers

at the Carolina BalloonFest three-day event, this year Oct. 17-19 at the Statesville Regional Airport. Demonstrations of how the balloons are inflated and deflated carry on while several tethered hot air balloons take up novice riders a few hundred feet, instead of the thousands of feet where the untethered balloons soar. Spectators gather with chairs and blankets to take in the sights and sounds of ballooning against the backdrop of festival food, music and arts and crafts vendors. Those wishing to schedule a ride can contact balloon pilots in advance through the festival's website, www.carolinaballoonfest.com .

When they’re not gearing up for a festival, the Parrs and their colorful Mystic Venture balloon, along with their balloon chase crew friends John Justice and Jack Moore, might be found in an open field setting up to take riders into the skies over Chatham County.

“I didn’t think we would be doing this in retirement,” says Lindy, at sunrise in a field in Silk Hope, but she soon realized her husband’s plan and has embraced it. “I do enjoy seeing the envelope (balloon) inflated.”

“The ballooning, she probably expected it though,“ adds Parr, smiling. “Ballooning doesn’t take you anywhere, but the airplane we use for transportation. Lindy likes that, and she travels well.”

The Parrs, who have lived in Pittsboro for 17 years, reside in a flying community with a grass landing strip, which makes it convenient for Parr to keep his small engine planes. That open field near the community center in Silk Hope is close by and perfect for the set-up required for ballooning.

Parr begins by releasing a pie balloon, which is a small, helium-inflated balloon, to access wind speed and trajectory. Weather and wind are crucial elements to ballooning.

“The basket is 600 pounds fully loaded: the basket, balloon and four tanks of propane,” says Lindy, as the crew unfolds the envelope and begins to inflate it with loud bursts of heat and flame from the tanks. “The spring and fall are the best times for ballooning.”

“This time of year, we fly mostly in the morning,” adds Moore, a retired athletic director from Ohio, who is always happy to come out and help a friend. “We just fell in love with Jordan Lake and this area and moved here about three years ago.”

CONTINUED PAGE 44 u

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 43

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

Moore’s cohort and fellow balloon chaser, Justice, is a Pittsboro native who’s also retired and stays in constant communication with Parr during the flight via a two-way radio. The crew follows along so they can be there when the balloon lands and take the riders back to the field where they launched.

“I have been up lots of times,” says Justice. “I really like both, the higher you go because of the bigger distance you can see, but then down low, you can really see everything and talk to people on the ground.

The adventure is part of the thrill.

There was a lot to learn, a lot of stuff completely out of my background.

I will be heading to Statesville with Richard again this year. I just really enjoy being out here.”

44 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

Sunrise from basket of the Mystic Venture balloon.

The smiles from Moore and Justice only pale in comparison to those of the riders Parr takes up in the basket.

“It is certainly very enjoyable to have the slower pace as you are flying over the terrain,” says Parr, “and you get to see more details. You can fly higher, but most people enjoy flying below 20,000 feet. At 11,000 feet, the air is thinner and you heat up the balloon more, but the temperature is cooler.

“A few years back, we had a couple going up on their anniversary,” recalls Parr. “The husband didn’t tell his wife where they were going, and he pulls into the field on a fall evening, and she says, ‘There are two things I don’t like: being cold and surprises.’ But it all turned out fine.”

The average flight time for the balloon ride is about an hour, with an hour before for preparing the balloon and another hour once the balloon lands to stow it away.

“The majority of the people enjoy everything involved,” Parr says. “They like to take pictures and see how things come together, and after we land, we have champagne. A lot of people share the experience with the others who didn’t go up with them. We’ve done bucket lists, elders in their 80s and even a 90-year-old once. Physical condition is a concern, so if they are more fragile, then I want to pick ideal conditions for them. Most people prefer a comfortable ride and a softer landing. We don’t want to take any risks and minimize all risks. And then there are some who like adventure and like it faster.”

Parr has 410 hours logged for his Mystic Venture balloon, in comparison to 20 on his racing competition balloon.

“I do enjoy the festivals and taking people up, but I get more interested in competition,” says Parr.

CONTINUED PAGE 47 u

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 45

The Golf Capital chorus proudly presents its 34th Annual Production with “Zero Hour”, our featured guests!

All Aboard for the

Join us Saturday, November 1, 2014 Pinecrest High School Auditorium

Tickets are $15 and available at The Country Bookshop • Heavenly Pine Jewelers The Moore County Arts Council Or call Larry Harter (295-3529) or Bob Tweed (295-3199)

Visiting Southern Pines this Autumn?

You’re welcome to stay with us!

Easy access to shopping & dining Vacation packages & Catering available Cottage sleeps 4 comfortably Visit AOSVC.com or scan code to tour 46 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

Mystic Venture is a hot air balloon hobby turned into a retirement small business that brings smiles to many a rider for Richard and Lindy Parr of Pittsboro.

Their chase crew includes their retired friends, Jack Moore and John Justice.

For more information, visit www.mysticventure.info .

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 45

Having already competed in events in Battle Creek, Michigan, and Longview, Texas, this year, he has more events scheduled for the fall.

“This is my third year of competing,” adds Parr. "For nationals, you have to be invited by going to various competitions around the country during the calendar year.

So for 2014, I will get a certain ranking based upon points in those competitions, and that will place me among a certain group of competitors, and you usually need to be in the top 100 for the group to be invited. Obviously, I am starting much later in life. Some are very good and have been competing for years or since childhood.

"For me, I like to challenge myself. I have placed fifth or sixth, depending on the competition, out of 50. I have been to nationals twice now. They fly in teams, and there’s a definite advantage to flying in teams with passing information along. The crews are experienced, whereas my crew has little to no experience. I would like to compete in the top 20 before I wrap it up. I’m 71, so I just have a few more years of competition, and then I will just give rides,” Parr says, smiling.

One future rider is a special one, the Parrs' grandson.

Parr only takes up children when they are tall enough to see over the balloon basket, around age 6 or 7, so that they can truly enjoy the ride.

“He’s mentioned that to me twice already,” says Parr, laughing. “He goes up with me in the airplane and is already starting to dominate the co-pilot chair. He told me the last time we went up that he would be the primary pilot.”

Having lived all over the world, the Parrs are quite content with a ballooning retirement under Carolina blue skies.

“We really love the area,” says Parr. “I like spring and fall, and I like the colors. We’ve always liked the Southeast because of the seasons. Ballooning is good, and you can even balloon when there is snow on the ground.”

Mystic Venture plans to be at Carolina BalloonFest, Oct. 17-19 in Statesville.

For more information, visit www.carolinaballoonfest.com .

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OCTOBER 2014

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OutreachNC.com 47

Game n

Still playing ball

By THAD MUMAU | Photography by LONDON GESSNER

D

oug Watts has been involved in two very long love affairs, and both have flourished mightly. Growing up in Southport, Watts was always throwing a baseball – back and forth with his best friend, up on the roof to catch caroms as they bounced off the house and with the local high school and American Legion teams.

“There was just something about it,” he says of America's pastime. “I just loved it from the start, and I still do.”

As a college senior, Watts was refereeing a high school basketball game, where LaVonne Williams was crowned homecoming queen. Immediately smitten, he asked someone her name, eventually got a date, and they have been married 54 years.

He's 81 now, and this past summer was his 48th coaching American Legion baseball. His Post 32 team reached the final eight of the state playoffs, and while that is a nice accomplishment, it wasn't the most important one in his eyes.

“Every one of our players got better,” Watts says. “I tell the boys every year that my goal is for them all to improve. That's really why we do this.”

After high school, Watts worked on a dredge for a couple of years, helping make rivers deeper, until he was drafted into the Army. He spent 14 months in Korea, and when it was about time to get out of the service, his life took an unexpected turn.

“Al Vaughan, a buddy who was also getting out, said he was going back to college. I said I was too. Now, he had gone to Chowan a while. None of my people had even talked about going to college, but I decided that's what I would do.”

48 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

Watts attended East Carolina and tried out for the baseball team. “I asked who they had lost from last year, and the only one was the catcher. I said catcher is the position I would play. So did 14 others.

“At the end of tryouts, Jim Mallory, the coach, put a list on his door of those who made the team. My name wasn't on it. I went to him and said, 'Coach, you left my name off your list.' He told me to come on to practice.”

It wasn't long before Watts was the Pirates' starting catcher, and he remained behind the plate, where he was a defensive standout, the rest of his career. As a senior, his teammates elected him a co-captain.

He was a high school teacher and coach from 1960 until 1975, when he left education for the insurance business.

In 1966, he became the coach of the Post 32 American Legion baseball team in Hope Mills, and despite a few thoughts of stepping down, he continued year after year.

“I think the Lord meant for me to try to help the children,” Watts says, “and to do it through baseball. It is such a wonderful sport, and I guess I just have it in my blood.

When the grass turns green every spring, it's time to get nine together for a game of baseball. I've always done that.”

This year's Legion team finished 20-4. The 1984 club went 32-16. The 2008 team defeated perennial power Wilmington for the Area II championship in what is probably Watts' favorite feat. The fondest memory is the night his son, Chip, struck out 21 in a game at Dunn.

For several years, he was a bird dog for the Cincinnati Reds. Scouring the area for prospects, he passed along promising names to Reds' scouts, and if they signed one of the players he suggested, Watts got paid. His proudest “find” was Gene Locklear, who spent five years in the major leagues.

CONTINUED PAGE 50 u

Doug Watts shares nearly 50 years of American Legion coaching experience with Justin Huggins, left, and Trey Davis.

OCTOBER 2014

OutreachNC.com 49

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50 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48

Baseball has provided great joy for Watts and his wife, who seldom misses a game and says, “It has been a big part of our life for Doug and me, and for our children. Chip and both of our daughters, Allison and Paula, try to get to the games when they can.”

The sport has also paved the way to several honors. Watts has been inducted into the Fayetteville Sports Club Hall of Fame, the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Wall of Fame at Southport, which gave him the key to the city. He was presented the Dick Knox Distinguished Service Award for many years of umpiring North Carolina High School Athletic Association games.

“I have been fortunate to have some talented players and some fine teams,” he says, “and I have been blessed to be able to coach as long as I have. The Lord has been good to me, and He has been a part of all this. I pray with both teams before every home game. I've done that for as long as I can remember.”

The 2015 baseball season is around the corner.

Watts is like any 81-year-old would be about anything—cautiously optimistic.

“I'm getting on up in age,” he says, “and I have three men (Mark Kahlenberg, Randy Nalls and Cecil Combs) helping me, so I don't know, but . . . Yes. Yes, I plan to be back.”

// Doug Watts offers bunting tips to Trey Davis.

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OutreachNC.com 51

GREY MATTER See Grey Matter Puzzle Answers on Page 54

Absorb

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Edges

Robots

Again

Assembled

Debts

Films

Russia

Anger

Cobwebs

Doesn't

Front

Shoot

Asked

Countryside

Drink

Heart

Sight

Hoped

Skied

Hutch

Slave

India

Soils

Jailed

Spins

Killed

Stick

Knife

Strict

Medal

Timer

Needed

Tired

No-one

Units

Obtain

Violence

Orbits

Whale

Peaks

Wives

Pines

Yawned

Pronounce Rabbit Rests

36. Dog command 37. 1973 triple crown winner 40. Live wire, so to speak 42. Hungarian 43. Aimless 46. Rich soil mixture 47. Bean counter, for short 50. Childhood disease with red spots 52. Diamond stat 54. Contiguous 58. Burning 61. ___ vera 62. Box office take 63. Brownish gray 64. Absorbed 65. Sean Connery, for one 66. Moth larva that spins tent-like webs 67. "Trick" joint 68. Beach shades

ACROSS 1. "Drat!"

5. Demoiselle 9. Asparagus unit 14. The America's Cup trophy, e.g.

15. "Mi chiamano Mimi," e.g.

16. Dawdle 17. Perlman of "Cheers" 18. Atomizer output

19. Be bombastic 20. Grades five through eight (2 wds) 23. Back street 24. Glut 28. "Malcolm X" director 29. Curb, with "in" 33. More inexplicable 34. Representations of Mary mourning Jesus

52 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

DOWN 1. Skin-related 2. For some time 3. Bug 4. Mark 5. Charades, e.g.

6. Western blue flag, e.g.

7. Reduced instruction set computer (acronym) 8. Carpenter's machine 9. Butt of jokes 10. Railway coach with reserved

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Over My Shoulder by Ann Robson Ride worth the wait

W

ow! That’s about the best way I can describe my recent hot air balloon experience. I’m sure there are many other adjectives that could convey how great the experience was. It was exciting, thrilling, breathtaking, heart stirring, impressive and much more.

Many have asked if it was what I expected. As I had no specific expectations, it was all I could have hoped for. And I’ve been hoping for such an experience for more than 50 years. It began in 11th grade when our French literature teacher assigned “Le Tour du Monde en Quatre-vingts Jours” in its 1873 original French.

“Around the World in 80 Days” was quickly translated into English and then become a popular movie in 1956.

As I researched the original book, I discovered that Phileas Fogg did not go by hot air balloon at any time during his voyage. Bummer! Illustrators are responsible for my linking the story to a balloon and adding it to my life (aka bucket) list. Nonetheless, it was a longtime dream that came true.

We had a perfect day and perfect ride, starting at 6:30 a.m. in a field near Silk Hope where we met Richard and Lindy Parr, a retired couple who love ballooning. The grass was still damp with dew so the chase crew used a huge fan to start inflating the balloon to give it a chance to dry out before it was put to work. The balloon cage measured 42 inches by 48 inches with 20-pound propane cylinders nestled in each corner. We were a cozy threesome —Rick, our balloonist, Diana, our photographer, and me, celebrating a life list event for my 75th birthday.

Our takeoff was so smooth that I had to look down to see if we really were ascending. Even the landing was smooth. (Those few, including my husband, who witnessed my entry and 58 OutreachNC.com OCTOBER 2014

exit from the basket, did not laugh out loud nor take any incriminating pictures but let’s just say, I’m not as graceful as I once may have been.)

Calm silence surrounded us as we floated over the countryside with the trees appearing to be a soft cushion below us. I was surprised to see many different varieties of trees. When you see overhead pictures from one of the large balloons taken at golf tournaments, that is exactly what the landscape below looked like.

The only noise from us was when Rick fed the flame. Dogs greeted us with various levels of barking; an angry black bull in a small pen made it known he didn’t like where he was; deer dashed for cover below us; a fox, in a different area, was prowling the tree line. We skimmed the tops of tall pines and have souvenir pinecones from one of them.

Looking from above at how land has been divided was intriguing. We saw how trees have been planted to mark territory, how one large house on a large piece of land often has two or three slightly smaller houses built close by, and we all surmised these were parents’ or grandparents’ homes with lots separated out for the next generations.

I was impressed with a church we went over showing how precisely the tombstones stand in the cemetery at the back of the church. Actually, I was impressed with everything I saw. As it was still early in the day the morning, mist on the horizon kept us from seeing some of the skyline of Chapel Hill or Durham. The mist is much more intriguing than a skyline.

Personal history was made that morning—I was up, dressed, fed and on the road shortly after 5 a.m. I’m not a morning person except in cases of emergencies or balloon rides.

Thanks to all who made this happen.

And yes, I’d do it again!

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Magnolia Glen 919.841.4747

YOUR journey can be easier

At Magnolia Glen, we take pride in exceeding our residents’ expectations and when residents mention that they wish they had moved to Magnolia Glen sooner, that’s the highest compliment in our eyes.

Offering Independent and Assisted Living.

5301 Creedmoor Road · Raleigh, NC 27612 LifeatMagnoliaGlen.com

than you think!

Woodland Terrace

area, adding a new chapter to

919.465.0356

As charming as a small southern town, Woodland Terrace is arranged on 22 acres of lush landscaped grounds surrounding a lake, creating a very tranquil and beautiful community. Offering Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care.

300 Kildaire Woods Drive · Cary, NC 27511 LifeatWoodlandTerrace.com

KiscoSeniorLiving.com Facebook.com/KiscoSeniorLiving

ASH MG WT ad 7.875 x 10.25 Outreach NC.indd 1

This is where your personal journey begins.

Call us today to learn more.

5/13/2014 4:41:47 PM

Where life just keeps getting better.

Living fully takes on a whole new meaning at Pine Knoll and Belle Meade. Our communities offer a virtual feast of opportunities to connect with cherished friends and make new ones. Delight in a past passion or learn something new. Enjoy a healthy lifestyle with just the right amount of indulgence in any of our excellent restaurants.

Live secure in the knowledge the St. Joseph of the Pines continuum of care is there should you ever need it. Enjoying your retirement, your way has never been easier!

CALL TODAY – 910.246.1008

Where life just keeps getting better.

Southern Pines, North Carolina • www.sjp.org • 910.246.1008 Belle Meade and Pine Knoll are two nationally accredited continuing care retirement communities.

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