Prime Montgomery

Prime Celebrating Midlife and Beyond

September 2011 F R E E

Early Birds

Montgomery

get the courts INSIDE

nBirddog Training nCredit

Cards vs Cash nRemember These Treats? nPhysical Therapy/Rehab nPlant A Tree and more!

The Canvas of History

Writing Demons

22

September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

Features 9 WHAT DID ASTRONAUTS DRINK?

Prime

Celebrating Midlife and Beyond!

Montgomery

Remember that powered orange breakfast beverage?

Astronaut wannabes consumed it by the gallon. Here’s Part 2 of our sweet trip down memory lane. By Tom Ensey

12 PAINTING HISTORY Exquisitely detailed paintings depicting Montgomery history, unseen ‘til now, surfaced recently at, of all places, a sewing shop. By Brenda Robertson Dennis

18 ORDER ON THE COURT Court’s in session three days a week. Bring a racquet, balls, towel, and a good sense of humor. By Tom Ensey

24 DEMONS IN DIXIE How long would you pursue a dream until you quit? Wetumpka author Jean Therkelsen never gave up, proving that persistence, and talent, can win. By Lenore Reese Vickrey

Downtown Montgomery, 1885 or ‘86. From a painting by the late Andy Anderson (story page 12).

September 2011 www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

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Financial 10 INVESTMENT SECURITY “Low Risk! High returns!” Just one of many ‘red flags’ for investors. By Joseph Borg 15 SOCIAL SECURITY Disabled and drawing Social Security? The Ticket to Work program could add real value to your life. By Kylle’ McKinney 17 PAPER, OR PLASTIC? Some surprising ways credit cards cost you money. By Alan Wallace

Lifestyles 23 YARD ‘N GARDEN Plan your tree-planting now, and enjoy the benefits for years. By Ethel Dozier Boykin

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27 OFF THE BEATEN PATH Backyard birddog training Part #2: commit to the journey you and your dog will take. By Niko Corley

Entertainment

29 AROUND MONTGOMERY Our first indoor Mystery, and a winner for August.

By Jake Roberts

34 34 PRIME DIVERSIONS Reviews of DVD releases:

29

By Mark Glass

My Dog Tulip, Paul, The Tourist.

Health/Medical

11 IN EVERY LIFE 16 PHYSICAL THERAPY & REHAB Rehabilitation is a team effort, and you’re part Learn about research being conducted of the team. By Arlene Morris through the National Institutes of Health.

On the Cover

Prime Celebrating Midlife and Beyond

September 2011 F R E E

Early Birds

MontgoMery

get the courts INSIDE

nBirddog Training nCredit

Cards vs Cash

nRemember These Treats?

22 MARCIE’S MEDICARE ANSWERS Find a list of Medigap providers in your area.

28 MOVING FREE WITH MIRABAI Making the exercise transition from Summer to Fall. By Mirabai Holland 4

September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

nPhysical Therapy/Rehab nPlant A Tree

and more!

The Canvas of History

Writing Demons

Lynoid Vaughn on the court. Photo by Bryan Carter. Story page 18.

Prime

Celebrating Midlife and Beyond

MONTGOMERY

September 2011,Volume 2, Issue 6 PUBLISHER Bob Corley, primemontgomery@gmail.com EDITOR Sandra Polizos, primeeditor@gmail.com ART DIRECTOR Callie Corley, primemagdesign@gmail.com WRITERS Brenda Robertson Dennis, Tom Ensey, Lenore Vickrey CONTRIBUTORS Joe Borg, Ethel Boykin, Mazie Bryant, Tina Calligas, Niko Corley, Mark Glass, Mirabai Holland, Kylle’ McKinney, Arlene Morris, Jake Roberts, Alan Wallace PHOTOGRAPHERS Bryan Carter, Bob Corley, Heath Stone INTERN Mazie Bryant SALES Bob Corley, 334-202-0114, primemontgomery@gmail.com Stephanie Crompton 334-462-1240 stephaniecrompton7@gmail.com Prime Montgomery 7956 Vaughn Road, #144 Montgomery, AL 36116 • 334-202-0114 www.primemontgomery.com ISSN 2152-9035 Prime Montgomery is a publication of The Polizos/Corley Group, LLC. Original content is copyright 2011 by The Polizos/Corley Group, LLC., all rights reserved, with replication of any portion prohibited without written permission. Opinions expressed are those of contributing writer(s) and not necessarily those of The Polizos/ Corley Group, LLC. Prime Montgomery is published monthly except for the combined issue of December/January. Information in articles, departments, columns, and other content areas, as well as advertisements, does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Prime Montgomery magazine. Items relating to health, finances, and legal issues are not offered as substitutes for the advice and consultation of health, financial, and legal professionals.

Consult properly degreed and licensed professionals when dealing with financial, medical, emotional, or legal matters.

We accept no liability for errors or omissions, and are not responsible for advertiser claims.

EDITOR’S NOTE As anxious as we all are for summer to arrive, many of us heave a sigh of relief as the season draws its last breath. September arrives as our hero every year with the promise of chasing away the heat and humidity of the past several months.

Truth be told, my beneficially altered emotional state has little to do with weather; it’s still far too hot for my liking. September, for me, brings order back into my life. I no longer feel obligated to leave town each weekend, feast at every opportunity, or spend ridiculous sums of money on garden paraphernalia. The summertime spell has been broken. I heave a tired sign and settle back into my routine.

Regular routines are what this issue is all about. Whether it’s the healthy routine of an exercise regimen or steady adherence to practicing an avocation, steadfast dedication to a purpose can be satisfying.

This month, Lenore Vickrey introduces us to Jean Therkelsen, a River Region writer who’s a prime example of the value of sticking to a routine. Currently penning her third book in the paranormal romance genre, Therkelsen is also a full-time attorney for the State of Alabama, a wife, and a mother. In Writing Demons (page 24) Vickrey shows how this local author manages to complete her multiple job tasks while still finding time to pen a book that Publisher’s Weekly gave a four star rating.

These days we’re repeatedly reminded of the value of exercising as we age.

The secret to successful adherence (though I admit I’ve never learned it) is making the exercise a routine. In Early Birds Get the Courts (page 18) Tom Ensey profiles a group of middle to older-aged tennis players who’ve made exercise routine by making it fun. Be sure to read this lively account of 50-plus individuals who meet on the courts several days a week, enjoying the camaraderie as much as the competition.

The hours of meticulous research artist Andy Anderson did before he began painting historical images of Montgomery are impressive.Yet until a few short months ago his work had not been publicly seen. Thanks to Anderson’s widow the paintings have been ‘discovered’, and local historians are abuzz at the degree of detail they reveal. In The Canvas of History (page 12) Brenda Dennis tells Anderson’s story, and the painstaking effort he took to create historically accurate paintings depicting our city in the 19th and 20th centuries. Don’t miss this most intriguing read.

Tom Ensey’s back with Part 2 of Things We Ate as Kids, continuing his smileprovoking look at the odd items we Baby Boomers considered fun and delicious. There’s definitely no accounting for taste. All I can say is, where on earth were our parents?

Happy reading!

Sandra

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NEWS YOU CAN USE Money Can’t Buy Happiness Freedom and personal autonomy are more important to people’s well-being than money, according to a metaanalysis of data from 63 countries published by the American Psychological Association.

While a great deal of research has been devoted to the predictors of happiness and life satisfaction, researchers at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand wanted to know: What is more important for well-being, providing people with money or providing them with choices and autonomy? Researchers found, “Money leads to autonomy but it does not add to well-being or happiness.”

Previous research has shown that higher

income, greater individualism, human rights and social equality are all associated with higher well-being.

The effect of money on happiness has been shown to plateau – that is, once people reach the point of being able to meet their basic needs, more money leads to marginal gains at best or even less well-being as people worry about “keeping up with the Joneses.”

Keeping up Your Overall Health May Keep Dementia Away Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, may lower a person’s risk for developing dementia, according to a new study published in the online issue of Neurology®. The study suggests that rather than just paying attention to

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already known risk factors for dementia, such as diabetes or heart disease, keeping up with general health may help reduce the risk for dementia.

Participants were asked questions about 19 health problems such as arthritis, trouble hearing or seeing, denture fit, chest or skin problems, stomach or bladder troubles, sinus issues, broken bones and feet or ankle conditions, among others.

The study found after 10 years that each health problem increased a person’s odds of developing dementia by 3.2% compared to people without such health problems.

Older adults without health problems at baseline had an 18 percent chance to become demented in 10 years, while such risk increased to 30% and 40% in those who had 8 and 12 health problems, respectively.

Healthy Sources of Vitamin D The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. To avoid skin cancer, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer recommend getting the

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and provides 115 – 124 IUs. -Fortified cereals: Ready-to-eat cereals, fortified with 10% of the daily recommendation for vitamin D, can provide at least 40 IUs. The daily recommended allowances from the Food and Nutrition Board for adults is 600 IUs for those under age 70 and 800 IUs for those 70 and older.

Vitamin D is the main building block for maintaining bone health. It also boosts the immune system to help fight off germs, bacteria and diseases, including certain cancers.

daily fill of vitamin D from foods and, if necessary, supplements, including: -Cod liver oil: One tablespoon offers 1,360 IUs (International Units).

-Fish: One serving (about three ounces) of certain types of fish can give you a healthy dose of vitamin D. This includes: -Salmon: Provides 447 IUs per serving -Mackerel: Provides 388 IUs per serving -Tuna: Provides 154 IUs per serving -Milk: One cup of whole, reduced fat or non-fat milk is fortified with vitamin D

Vaccine Improves Survival for Metastatic Melanoma For patients with advanced melanoma, which is the most lethal type of skin

cancer, the results of a large clinical trial show that a vaccine combined with the immune-boosting drug Interleukin-2 can improve response rate and progression-free survival. The findings of the study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

This marks the first vaccine study in the disease and one of the first in all cancers to show clinical benefit in a randomized Phase III clinical trial.

Researchers noted, “If we can use the body’s own defense system to attack tumor cells, we provide a mechanism for ridding the body of cancer without destroying healthy tissue”. Therapeutic cancer vaccines, unlike typical vaccines that prevent infections, are meant to jump-start the immune system to help it battle existing tumors.

New Drug Helps Hepatitis C Patients Achieve Viral Cure According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the drug Incivek, when given in combination with two other medications, can dramatically increase the chances of people chronically infected with untreated

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7

genotype 1 hepatitis C virus achieve a viral cure. Currently less than half the people in the U.S. with hepatitis C are cured, but this new medication – and the recent FDA approval of it – means that number should increase to closer to

80 percent. Another advantage to the Incivek-combination therapy was that more than 60 percent of those treated for the first time were able to complete the treatment within 24 weeks. That is

less than half the time of the current treatment regimen.

Immune System Can Counteract Alzheimer’s Disease A research team at Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Universitätsklinik Freiburg has documented this discovery in a newly published paper. Their research showed that certain scavenger cells in the immune system,

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called macrophages, play a key role in counteracting the disease.

“Macrophages can reduce harmful deposits in the brain that are the cause of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Prof. Josef Priller, Dir. of Neuropsychiatry at Campus Charité Mitte and head of the research team.

The team was now able to show, in an animal model, which certain subset of macrophages is responsible for reduction of the deposits. Contrary to earlier academic opinion, this defense reaction cannot be handled by the immune cells of the brain, the microglia, because they themselves are damaged by the pathological process.

Instead, specialized bone marrowderived macrophages are activated and directed into the brain to remove the toxic deposits. The carrier cells receive the command to specialize and infiltrate the brain in the form of certain cell-signaling proteins. The researchers managed to identify a specific chemokine for the first time.

This results in a completely new treatment approach for Alzheimer’s disease.

“In the future we hope to be able to systematically introduce specialized scavenger cells to the brain and thus speed up the reduction of Alzheimer’s disease deposits,” says Prof. Priller.

Researchers are confident they have found the approach for a cellbased therapy with relatively few side effects. Study results have been published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

FEATURE

Things We Ate as Kids

By Tom Ensey

W

e Baby Boomers came of age during a golden era of weirdness in the manufacture and distribution of confections, crackers and more-or-less edible doo-dads that were none too tasty and in some cases, just wrong. But we babysat and mowed lawns, saved our allowances, bought this junk and ate it.

TANG There was a time when dumping a spoonful of colored powder into a glass of water to give it an orangey, um … tang … was a new and unique thing. Tang, a product of General Foods, was put on the market in 1957 and didn’t sell so well at first. But in 1962 NASA used it on John Glenn’s Mercury flight and subsequent Gemini flights. It helped mask the unpleasant taste of space-water, produced on the space flights as a byproduct of an ongoing chemical reaction in the life-support system. It had a little sugar, some vitamin C, a few other nutrients and no caffeine.

Astronauts were the coolest people alive back in the days of the space race. Every kid on Earth wanted to drink the watery OJ they quaffed, even though here on terra firma we had full access to juice made from real oranges and water that didn’t taste like it was condensed through a copper pipe.

Tang is still one of Kraft’s top powdered beverage brands, available in more than 30 countries in a variety of fruit flavors “based on local consumers’ preferences,” according to the company’s website.

The Tang dynasty is in decline in the USA, but it’s still around, which is more than you can say for manned space flight.

You can probably find it at your local supermarket if you’re prepared to search a little. Or check out Amazon. com and you can grab a pair of 72 oz. canisters for about 30 bucks – enough to make 11 gallons, which should hold you from here to Mars.

BLACK JACK GUM The first flavored gum sold in the U.S. was invented by a photographer and tinkerer who, no kidding, bought a giant wad of chicle from Anton Lopez de Santa Anna, the exiled Mexican general whose forces slaughtered everybody at the Alamo in

(Part 2 of 3)

1836. Santa Anna was living in exile in New Jersey with little to show for his military escapades but a ton of rubbery tree sap he brought with him.

Thomas Adams of Staten Island, N.Y. used the stuff in a failed attempt to invent a substitute for rubber. He’d seen Santa Anna chewing the chicle, so with nothing to lose and a load of this junk on his hand, he whipped up a batch of chewing gum on his kitchen stove and sold it in a local store. It sold briskly, completely unflavored.

In 1884, he laced the stuff with licorice and started selling it in individually wrapped sticks – the same way gum is packaged today. It sold well until about 1970 when people finally realized that licorice tastes awful.

Adams company changed hands a few times until Cadbury, which makes mostly good candy, bought it in the early 2000s. They whip up a batch of Black Jack every few years and you, too, can get you some at: oldtimecandy.com.

WAX LIPS Enormous red lips made of flavored wax with a bite plate behind the lips upon which you could clinch your teeth making the giant lips cover your own to the amusement of all. If you and your girlfriend both wore them at your birthday party, you could “kiss” in front of everybody by touching them together and maybe your dad would run to get the Instamatic to shoot a few photos that he would then use to embarrass you for years by showing them to other girlfriends who came over to your house. But that probably didn’t happen to everybody, only those of us with insane fathers.

The popularity of wax lips has waned, which taken for all in all, is probably a good thing. But they are still available here: Orientaltradingcompany.com.You can also find waxen, bloody vampire fangs, big handlebar mustaches, and buck teeth.

Ed.’s Note: Next month, Tom Ensey continues his irreverent look back at Baby Boomer childhood treats, including Smarties necklaces, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Chick-aStick, and Bit-A-Honey, in “Things We Ate as Kids, Part 3.”

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

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SAFE INVESTING

I

INVESTMENT RED FLAGS

n today’s chaotic economic climate, senior investors are eager, sometimes desperate, to restore losses their investments may have sustained. If they delayed retirement or tapped into savings to make ends meet, they may feel compelled to do something fast to seek higher returns.

Remember the time-honored principle - “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” So-called ‘can’t-miss opportunities’ can turn a promise of profits into thin air, further damaging personal financial assets. Investors must be alert for Red Flag language that an investment may not be suitable and in some instances illegal. These Red Flags were developed by regulators observing scams throughout North America: - Guaranteed to double your money.

- Low risk for high returns.You should act right now.

- This is a limited-time offer.

- It takes advantage of a little-known loop hole in tax laws.

Acting as your own financial watchdog and investigating before you invest can help you avoid a potentially bad decision that could set you back years in achieving financial security.

Before investing your money, ask: - Did I initiate this meeting?

- Is this person recommended by someone I trust?

- Have I been provided with written information?

- Have I been encouraged to borrow in order to invest?

- Have I verified this information with a trusted source such as the ASC?

The following tips can help safeguard retirement assets from fraudulent activities: – Check the licensing/registration of the seller and product offered by contacting the ASC. – Check to see if any enforcement action has been taken against the person offering the investment.

– Check with someone you know and Joseph P. Borg trust before investing any money.

– Get written information (but beware, con artists can produce professional-looking information) – Know how much risk you are willing to take and how much risk you should be taking given your age, family circumstances and other factors.

– Don’t allow anyone to rush your decision-making process.

– Never accept a verbal contract.

– Never sign anything before reading it carefully and understanding it.

If you are suspicious of an investment offer or want more information about safe and wise investing, contact the ASC at 1-800222-1253, visit the website, www.asc.alabama.gov, or e-mail Dan Lord at dan.lord@asc.alabama.gov.

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IN EVERY LIFE

“The rehabilitation team is composed of many skilled professionals...”

Rehabilitation Requires Teamwork

R

ehabilitate originates from Latin tual), or retrain for employment is demanding. An additional “habilitas” meaning “to make able concern is the cost for “rehab” services. Evaluation of what again”. Rehabilitation in healthspecific services or providers will qualify for reimbursement care is a category of services that helps by various insurance companies or Medicare/Medicaid is esindividuals achieve the highest level of sential, and can allow planning for co-payments, deductibles, independence possible as they recover or filing with coinsurance. Authorization prior to beginning from injury, illness, or disease. Those rehabilitation services may be required. Further information experiencing concerns such as from can be obtained from personal insurance companies or from trauma, addiction, cardiac or pulmonary the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at https:// diseases, stroke, www.cms.gov/ Arlene Morris musculoskeletal Checking credentials of individudamage, etc. can als or facilities and asking questions often benefit from rehabilitation serabout past experiences can help vices. Restoring optimal functioning determine the most appropriate fit and well-being is highly individual and between provider and the needs and is based on perceptions of quality of goals of the individual/family. Adlife involving physical, emotional, social ditional questions include policies and spiritual aspects. about admission criteria, visitation Rehabilitation is a team effort. The policies, treatment frequency and rehabilitation team is composed of schedules, types of education and many skilled professionals, including support for the individual and family, psychiatrists, psychologists, counpolicies for management of emergenselors, social workers, chaplains, cies, care provided by licensed theraphysicians, nurses, physical therapists, pists, nurses or physicians or by aids, occupational therapists, speech and and types of discharge assistance. language pathologists, dieticians, case Further information can be obmanagers, or others. Rehabilitative services are provided tained from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitaacross all levels of healthcare delivery settings: in-patient tion Facilities (CARF) at http://www.carf.org/home/. acute care or rehabilitation hospitals, out-patient hospitals or Arlene H. Morris, RN, Ed.D. is a Distinguished Teaching Associate clinics, long-term care skilled nursing facilities, or home care Professor in the Auburn Montgomery School of Nursing. She enjoys services. Rehabilitation is not intended necessarily to undo teaching content regarding gerontology and professional nursing damage from various health concerns, but rather to assist issues. E-mail her at amorris@aum.edu. individuals and families to modify effects in order to: 1) regain as much function as possible and 2) prevent further possible damaging effects. Thus, goals must be determined by COME VISIT OUR NEW LOCATION! collaboration among the individual, family, and rehabilitation team and include: atreating the basic disease and preventing complications atreating any resulting disability to restore as much function as possible aassistance with modifying the environment or learning to use adaptive tools ateaching individuals and families methods to adapt to lifestyle changes for a new F I N E J E W E L RY “normal”.

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FEATURE

August 12, 1861. A crowd gathers at what is now Court Square for the announcement of the start of the Civil War.

The Canvas of History

By Brenda Robertson Dennis Photos by Bob Corley; Heath Stone, Stone Images

E

very city has its tales to tell - its mysteries, its triumphs, its heartbreaks. In many ways a city is a living organism, growing older and gaining wisdom as it ages.

Meanwhile, its busy inhabitants can seem nothing more than visitors passing through, rising each morning, going to work, raising families while the city breathes around them with memories they can never know… or can they? The truth is, a city can live forever if it’s not destroyed, but it takes the passion of an historian to keep it alive. Through a trio of paintings, local artist Andy Anderson has captured more than just a glimpse of our city’s past.

Anderson isn’t with us today to explain his meticulous attention to historical accuracy, or to tell us what inspired his interest to begin with. But there are clues to help us fit together the pieces of this quiet and fascinating individual’s life, and perhaps fulfill his seemingly obsessive dream to tell a few of Montgomery’s stories through his paint brush.

Anderson was born William Michael Andrusyszyn, the middle son of Ukrainian 12 September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

Artist Andy Anderson, circa 1980s.

immigrants. By trade, his father was an automobile painter, adept at putting striping on cars with a freehand style any surgeon would admire. That is probably where Anderson got his talent for the crisp detail seen in his own work. Growing up in Rochester, New York, he developed a passion for art and music that would stay with him throughout his life.

After pilot training in the Army Air Corps, where he graduated first in his class, he was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base. Anderson deeply regretted not finishing his training before WWII ended, but quickly fell in love with the mild temperatures of Alabama and decided to stay and pursue a career in graphic art. He took his first job at Paragon Press, then located downtown on Adams Street, doing airbrush work for yearbooks. He later freelanced for Paragon and other businesses creating Janice Anderson logos and print ads, including logos for Dorsey Trailers in Elba, whose vehicles still bear his work. According to Janice Anderson, his wife of 34 years and a retired elementary school teacher, Anderson had a voracious interest in many things and attacked those interests with no subtle Moses Building, late 1800s. (Andy Anderson) gusto. everything that had happened in those times.You could never “There was not a thing he could not master,” she says. “He do that now.” just had that kind of desire and ability. He was self-taught in Anderson was searching for incidents he thought would many things. He went for whatever he was interested in. If it make a good subject around which to center a painting. Using took day and night, hours and hours, he went for it because old newspapers, “Blue’s History” (a directory of who lived and that was what he was all about.” worked where), and Sanborn Maps he and his wife studied One of Anderson’s many interests was history. During the at the University of Alabama’s Library in Tuscaloosa, Andy 1970’s, while playing drums in a big-band style group called created a complicated, meticulously hand-written key of loca“The Corporation,” he was handed a tions and events in Montgomery history. The notes alone are book by a friend entitled “A History of enough to peak the interest of any historian, Montgomery In Pictures” (Society of but it’s the paintings his notes inspired that Pioneers of Montgomery, 1962). Someare so fascinating. thing in the book sparked a passion Noted historian Mary Ann Neeley was one that would consume him for the next of the first to see Anderson’s paintings, which several years, sending him and his wife had never been shown until they surfaced a few into the basement of the Archives and months ago in, of all places, Sara Howard Stone, History building for hours, pouring a sewing shop in Old Cloverdale. The shop is run over hundreds of old Montgomery

by Stone’s son, Bill, a local historian and lecturer. newspapers.

“This is a good story about how things hap“At that time we could actually pen,” says Neeley. “[Janice] came in to have her put our hands on all those old newspasewing machine repaired. While she was there Bill pers,” Janice recalls. “We could handle them and read about got a telephone call about something he was going www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

13

to give a talk on and that’s how it came up.” discussing the possibility of reproducing them to benefit The Anderson agreed to bring the paintings by and leave them Landmarks Foundation and the Montgomery County Historifor a few days so Stone could have Neeley and Stonehenge cal Society. If this happens, Andy Anderson will become a part Gallery owner Rusty Gregory take a look. of Montgomery’s history. It’s easy to imagine a man with such “I got on the floor and started examining them because of drive and talent taking a small moment to smile and be proud the detail,” says Neeley, “and thought ‘geez, that’s a lot to put of that accomplishment, even if it’s just one of many that mark in this book!’” a quiet but extraordinary life.

The book she is referring to is her upcoming project entitled “Montgomery in the 20th Century” (Historical Publishing Network). Due to their historical accuracy, Neeley is including Anderson’s paintings in her book.

“I don’t know why he chose those scenes and locations except that’s what interested him,” she says. “But they are very realistic and I think there’s Mary Ann Neeley a place for realism in art that teaches us lessons.”

All three painting have their interesting points to delve into, particularly the crowd scene at Mahoney’s Fountain, now Court Square. In it, one can find historically precise styles of dress and transportation, as well as a depiction of the Market Street buildings stretching up to the State Capital.

None of the details come from photographs, but the amount of research Anderson put into creating the paintings brings us about as close as we can come to what it might have looked like on April 12, 1861. That’s the day Dr. Weir stepped out of the Magnetic Telegraph Company office on the second floor, west of the Winter Building, to announce to the crowd below that the first shot had been fired on Fort Sumter. This event officially started the Civil War, and though it might require a magnifying glass to find him, he’s there, standing at the Reading the telegram. Detail from painting on page 12. railing, reading the fated news. It’s interesting to note that the focal point of the entire painting, the reason for its very existence, is also the most diminutive element of the entire 16x20 work. But even that says a great deal about the artist himself who was, by his wife’s description, a modest and stoically private individual.

Andy Anderson passed away in 1999, following a fairly swift battle with Alzheimer’s disease. On his mausoleum is a simple phrase his wife feels sums up his life: “No CALL NOW Task Unconquered.”

Though he might not relish the attenNew Classes tion his paintings are receiving, it’s likely he Start in September would be pleased that at least some of the tasks he conquered, namely his painstaking research and expression of events in Montgomery, are now being appreciated.

The paintings will stay in the family and eventually go to his daughter in Rochester, NY. In the meantime Janice Anderson is

832-1907

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September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

SOCIAL SECURITY

‘Ticket to Work’ for Those with Disabilities

M

illions of Americans receive disability benefits from Social Security and there could be good news for many of those who want to work. A free and voluntary program called Ticket to Work gives individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security disability benefits access to meaningful employment while maintaining control over benefit choices.

Ed Bairos, a farmer and mechanic, went back to the work he loved with the help of the Ticket program. He began receiving Social Security disability benefits after suffering from severe arthritis, complicated by a knee Kylle’ McKinney injury that would require 20 surgeries. He was concerned about losing the cash payments and health care he needed to survive and worried that employers might not want to hire him.

Then Bairos learned about the Ticket to Work program when he received a notice in the mail from Social Security. The notice was a “ticket” that Bairos could use with an employment network of his choosing. Employment networks are organizations that offer specialized services such as career counseling, job search assistance, vocational rehabilitation and training. Bairos decided to use his ticket with an employment network and returned to work. He continued to receive health care and cash benefits because of work incentives, which are special considerations that make it easier for beneficiaries to explore whether

going back to work is right for them.

Pleased with Bairos’ industry knowledge and skills as a farm manager, his employer gave him a promotion and a raise. Now he is self-sufficient, working for another division within the company.

Bairos earns more money than he would have by relying solely on disability benefits. By using his Ticket, Bairos’ medical reviews were put on hold and he is eligible to receive Medicare coverage for up to eight-and-a-half years after discontinuing his disability payments.

“Returning to work has made me whole again, especially being able to work in the area that I love,” said Bairos. “My self-esteem was at its lowest when I wasn’t working and on disability. Returning to work not only improved my self-worth but also my financial wealth. The Ticket to Work program and the ability to keep my Medicare was the reason I was able to return to work.”

If you receive Social Security or SSI benefits due to disability, are between 18 and 64 years old and want to work, getting started is easy.

Visit www.socialsecurity.gov/work for more information on the Ticket to Work program and work incentives.You also may call (866) 968- 7842 (TDD (866) 833-2967) to learn how going back to work may affect your benefits.

Kylle’ D. McKinney is Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Montgomery. He can be reached at kylle.mckinney@ssa.gov., or by calling 866-593-0914 ext. 26265 (office), or 334-369-8355 (mobile).You can visit the Social Security website at www.socialsecurity.gov.

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15

FEATURE

Rehab & Physical Therapy: Finding Your Way Back

R

ehabilitation is exercise and other therapy designed to return you to your normal activities after an illness or injury. Stroke, heart attack, arthritis, serious illness or injury often lead to a long, slow return to health.

Thoughts of making a comeback take a backseat to simple survival. Recovery can also mean learning to live with a disability. Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health are studying the roads people take to recovery. No matter where you’ve been, their findings may help you find your way back.

An important key to recovery is participation, says Karen Lohmann Siegel, a physical therapist at NIH’s Clinical Center.

“Many medical procedures and treatments are done to a patient by a health care provider, and the patient’s role in the treatment is small,” she explains.

“That is not the case in rehabilitation. In rehab, the patients do a lot of the work themselves to get better.”

Each year about 700,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke and 1.1 million suffer a heart attack. The moment you survive the critical stage of an illness or injury, you start the recovery phase, says Dr. Michael Weinrich of NIH’s National

Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

“We have good data that people who engage in moderate activity improve their cardiovascular system,” Weinrich says. “That’s particularly true for people who have a stroke.”

Results from several studies stress the role of physical activity in rehabilitation. It’s possible to help people get enough exercise to improve their chances of recovery. Researchers supported by NIH’s National Institute of Nursing Research, have found education and encouragement promoted exercise in a rehab program for people recovering from heart attack or bypass surgery.

NICHD and NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke are funding a 5-year clinical study on improving motor skills of stroke survivors.

Called EXCITE (Extremity Constraint Induced Therapy Evaluation), the study is looking at how well patients recover function in an arm disabled by a stroke.

For a period of time, the patient avoids using the healthy arm to perform daily tasks, instead using the weak arm. Results so far have shown the forced activity strengthens the weak arm and helps the stroke survivor recover motor skills faster. Joint replacement surgery

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is another condition for which physical activity speeds recovery.

As people live longer and remain active, operations to replace worn-out knees and hips have become more common. Recovering from this type of surgery means learning to walk again.

Not long after surgery, doctors and nurses want you back on your feet. A physical therapist will plan exercises to help retrain muscles and adjust to using the artificial joint. You’ll have pain, but movement will help you recover more quickly.

People with nervous system injury after a stroke want to regain more than basic movements. They want to move the way they did before they became sick. Scientists are now testing the idea that damaged muscles may recover better and faster with help from technology. NIH-funded researchers at Arizona State University (ASU) designed a lightweight robotic device called RUPERT (Robotic Upper Extremity Repetitive Therapy) to help stroke survivors regain basic activity in their arms Dr. Jiping He, ASU professor of bioengineering and RUPERT research team leader, explains that the device has an advanced control system that detects the wearer’s intent to move. It can help them do the things we take for granted - reaching for a cup, eating, etc. It’s being developed by Kinetic Muscles, Inc., the company that helped ASU produce Hand Mentor, a device for recovering hand function. Power is supplied by “pneumatic muscles,” instruments using compressed air to mimic muscle movements.

Research teams funded by NICHD and NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) began testing the Hand Mentor in stroke survivors. Dr. He says RUPERT should be ready in a year or so to start testing in patients. Preliminary work is under way for leg rehab devices as well.

Compiled from information from the National Institutes of Health, www.nih.gov.

MONEY WISE

“...people spend more when they use a credit card than they do when paying with hard cash.”

T

Paper - or - Plastic?

he first time that a cashier asked me, “Paper or plastic?” was years ago. My first impression was not that she was asking for my bag preference, but whether I was going to pay with cash or a credit card. Over the years the use of credit and debit cards has become almost universal, but if you use plastic, you may actually Alan Wallace be hurting yourself even if you pay off your card balance each month. Here’s why.

First, merchants have to pay a fee whenever a customer pays with a credit card. The fee may run 2-5% of the purchase amount. Merchants are not charities and build this cost into the price of their goods and services which means that we all pay more because of the volume of purchases that use credit cards.

Second, many credit cards subject the user to an annual fee for the convenience of having the card. Depending on your purchase and payment history, your memory, and other variables, you may find yourself paying sizable late fees or over-limit fees. And then there are the high interest rates that card issuers charge for balances carried over from month to month.

Finally, numerous studies have shown that people spend more when they use a credit card than they do when paying with hard cash. Impulse buying is easier and feels painless because no cash is leaving our wallets. The additional spending with plastic appears to be in the 12-18% range.

Are debit cards any better? Probably not. The overspending factor is still in play, merchants have to pay swipe fees, and some banks also levy charges on the customer using the card.

The only benefit of a debit card is that you might avoid interest payments on balances carried over at month’s end.

In addition, cards involve the risk that someone will steal your card(s) or numbers and use them illegally. Even if you avoid financial liability, you will still be dealing with considerable hassles to straighten things out.

Now suppose, on the other hand, that you paid with cash, check or direct electronic transfer from your checking account and avoided the use of cards.You avoid annual fees, over limit fees, late fees, finance charges, and the risk of someone using your card(s) without authorization.You also spend a fair amount less because your spending carries a bigger emotional toll, and you think longer before parting with your hard-earned money. Furthermore, if you talk to merchants,

particularly about larger purchases, they may agree to give you a better price for a cash purchase since they will avoid the merchant fees levied by card issuers.

While this approach may not help you on such expenses as your house payment, car purchase, tax bills, or charitable gifts, it could save you 15-25% on your routine spending such as for gasoline and car repairs, food, clothing, and household supplies. If you have a credit card balance, avoiding continuing interest charges alone could save you a bundle. And the switch from plastic to paper does not really have to affect your standard of living at all. Admittedly, cash and checks are not as convenient as cards, but what does that convenience cost you?

Think about “paper” as a way to get a discount of 15% or more on much of what you buy, and the notion of “plastic fantastic” may lose its attraction.

Alan Wallace, CFA, ChFC, CLU is a Senior Financial Advisor for Ronald Blue & Co.’s Montgomery office. He can be contacted at 334-270-5960 or by e-mail at alan.wallace@ronblue.com.

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17

FEATURE

y l r a E ds Get the Courts Bir

By Tom Ensey Photos by Bryan Carter, Carter Photography; Bob Corley

B

‘Early Bird’ players Harold “Woody”Woodman (L) and David Angle.

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September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

y 5 a.m. the coffee’s ready and not long after, the first doubles matches are under way at O’Conner Tennis Center. There may be 30 or 40 people there before the earlyrising members of the Early Birds finish their workouts – a couple sets of doubles tennis and a round or two of conversation, sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch, watching the others play.

They range from early middle-age to a few who are well north of 80, and their skill levels vary just as widely. The players are all men except for Martha Poole Simmons, who’s been volleying with the guys for about 15 years and has been “grandfathered” into the group. She’s been a regular since the mid1990s, when there were a couple of other women who played. One passed away and one moved away, but Martha remains a special member of the organization.

“They call me ‘Miss Martha,’” she said. “They don’t curse when I’m there. They are gentlemen and they accept me.

I always told them, as long as I can keep up, let me play; when I can’t, I’ll quit.”

Organization may not be the best word for the

group of tennis enthusiasts who meet at this public facility every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Nobody can really pinpoint when it all began, and the rules for participating have largely to do with showing up with a racket and balls and having a good sense of humor and fellowship.

Lynoid Vaughn (see cover photo), one of the over-80 gang, is a longtime member – he said he spends about $125 a year to have all-the-time playing privileges. Others who are less regular pay $5 a day to play. Martha is the self-appointed “secretary.” She keeps up with names and numbers and such.

Harold “Woody” Woodman, another 80-plus player, is the one they call “coach.”

“He’s always offering helpful advice when you play with him,” Martha said, tongue firmly in cheek.

“Nobody listens a lot,” Woody countered.

He continues shouting that same helpful advice from the porch when he’s finished his early sets. The rules Martha Poole Simmons was are simple – first-come, first-served. ‘grandfathered’ into the group.

The first two to show up are a team State and the women’s group that played there started in and play the next two. If you win, you hold the court. Once you win two sets, you’re off to the rock- the mid-morning. She was rushed to get in a game, go home, shower and make it to class on time. ing chairs, the coffee and the conversation.

She noticed the group of guys playing, asked if she could Woody is always one of the first on and off the court, enjoin, and has been there ever since. abling him to sit on the porch and continue coaching. One of Most of the stories about how “members” drifted into the the Early Birds grew up in Germany, another is from Puerto group are the same – they never have meetings or vote on Rico and speaks fluent Spanish. things. They So the rockingjust show up. chair coaching Some come staff learned from Prattville, how to say “hit and Wetumpka, it harder,” “hold others as your head up!” far away and “that was as Eclectic. out!” in German You’re always and Spanish. welcome and It’s a diverse if you don’t group, comprised show up one of a lot of ex-milday, you haven’t itary folks, school let anybody teachers, doctors, down. and businessmen.

Some have Most are retired. pacemakers, Martha said she one has had got involved betwo knee recause she used to placements, teach at Alabama www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

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Jimmy Cleveland sends a shot to the net, defended by Jim Weinstock.

and as Woody said, “all of us have something or the other wrong with us.”

But they have much more than that in common. They love tennis and they love being together. On frosty mornings in the winter, they’re playing bundled up, under the lights. In the summer, when it’s blistering, they’re there before the sun gets

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September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

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high, swinging away before the humidity and heat can catch up to them. It’s important to stay active the older you get, and they’re seeing to it.

“Some of the guys who are in their 80s get around better than some of the younger ones,” Vaughn said. “It’s definitely a big part of staying fit and feeling well as you get older.”

Monday morning, 7:30 a.m. About half the O’Conner “Early Birds” are on the courts. (L-R) Kneeling; Waldo Spencer, Lynoid Vaughn, Harold “Woody” Woodman, Jim Barrs, M.N. “Buddy” Freeman, Milt Ganier, Ken Barnett. Standing: Gerrard Elliot and son Christiaan, Isaiah Flowers, Jimmy Cleveland, Jerome Smith, Jim Weinstock, Martha Poole Simmons, Harry Lawson, Gene Cau, Bob Hawkins, Gerry Shook,William “Doc” Blackmon, Lynn Murray, Harrel McKinney, Ken Cole, David Escabar, David Angle, Misty Reid.

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

21

MEDICARE

Marci’s Medicare Answers Dear Marci, How do I get a list of Medigap companies in my state?

— Darlene Dear Darlene, It is a good idea to start researching Medigaps in your area well before you enroll in Medicare or lose other supplemental coverage so that you will not have any gaps in coverage.

Under national law, persons age 65 and older have rights to buy a Medigap policy only at certain times. During these times, Medigap companies cannot refuse to sell you a policy based on your age or health status. Depending on your circumstances, you may be subject to a waiting period before pre-existing conditions are covered by your Medigap policy.

National law does not give the same protections to persons under age 65. State law may give more protections to persons both over and under 65.

Generally, you can call your State Department of Insurance or your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for a list of Medigap companies in your state and for help choosing a plan.Visit www.shiptalk.org to find your SHIP.You can

22

September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

also visit www.medicare.gov to see what plans are offered in your area.

If your physician, provider or supplier accepts assignment, they should automatically receive Part B claims from Medicare so that you do not have to submit the claims to the insurer yourself. Some Medigap insurers also choose to receive Part A claims directly from Medicare. Before you sign up for a Medigap policy, be sure to ask the insurer if it will receive bills for your care from Medicare automatically or whether you will need to do this yourself.

Marci’s Medicare Answers is a service of the Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org), the nation’s largest independent source of information and assistance for people with Medicare.To speak with a counselor, call (800) 333-4114.To subscribe to “Dear Marci,” the Medicare Rights Center’s free educational e-newsletter, simply e-mail dearmarci@medicarerights.org.To learn more about the services that Medicare will cover and how to change plans, log on to Medicare Interactive Counselor at the Medicare Rights Center’s website at www.medicareinteractive.org.

YARD N GARDEN

I t ’ s Tr e e Ti m e !

W

ith Fall approaching and a few trees throwing off shades of orange, I think back to Saturdays raking golden leaves into large piles, being blessed to live amongst large trees in Dalraida. Looking back over the summer, was there a side of your house the sun baked each afternoon? A tree could help take care of some of that heat.

Trees are friends to the home owner Ethel Dozier Boykin if correctly chosen and planted in the right place. They’re either evergreen or deciduous,the later losing its leaves in the winter. If you want to block the view of the shed next door use an evergreen. However, it won’t allow winter sun to warm that side of the house. Sometimes it takes more than one tree to block a view, so several may be needed. It depends on how wide the tree is at maturity.Yes, there’s an ending width; wish that was true of us! You can find the height and width of a tree by looking on-line or at your nursery. If a tag doesn’t state the size, most good nurseries have a Manuel Of Woody Landscape Plants by Michael Dirr, the Bible for horticulturists. Like us, there are trees that will always be short, and those that will grow toward Heaven.

Trees grow at different rates, and this can get you into trouble. A fast-growing tree won’t live long. Look at the Leyland Cypress so popular years ago. They’re now dead or on the way. The Bradford Pear also has issues. Except for the Silver Maple, which is a trash tree, look to Oaks and Maples with nice fall leaves for color and raking. These leaves should not be bagged but used to enrich the soil in flower beds. If you don’t have many leaves rake straight into the bed, wet down and cover with pine straw. If you have an abundance make a pile in the back yard, allow them to decay over winter, then add them to your flower beds next spring.

Often my clients say they want to sit under this tree before they get old.You can give nature a hand and help a tree grow faster. Use drip irrigation around the base of the tree, fertilize three times a

year, and you’ll see what a tree can do if pushed. I once planted a seven-foot Pin Oak. By diligently applying water and fertilizer, in five years it was 30' tall! Tree spikes are an easy way to fertilize and can make a big difference.

With all the soil types we have in Montgomery check which trees like what soils for best results. Drive around your neighborhood to see which trees are doing well in your area. I regret telling clients that a tree they want will not do well in their area, but it happens. With the large selection of trees in Alabama everyone should be able to find one to meet their needs. Decide now which tree you want, because winter is coming and it’s the best time to plant a tree. When you’ve made your choice and picked a spot, tie a string measuring half the circumference of the tree at maturity around a can of spray paint. Stick a pole in the ground, tie the string to the pole, and spray a circle on the ground to show where the limbs will be at maturity. This keeps you from planting too close to the house. Nurseries don’t dig trees until they’re dormant, so you can’t plant larger trees until colder times, if they ever come again. Decide on your tree choice now, so you have time if you need to order a tree. And maybe one day that tree will have a limb big enough to hang a swing from for your retirement days.

Ethel Dozier Boykin, a Montgomery native, owns Art in the Garden, a landscape design and consulting company in the Capital City. Contact her at 334-395-5949, or by email at etheldozierboykin@yahoo.com.

Physical Therapy • Wellness/Personal Training www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

23

FEATURE

Writing

DEMONS

A

By Lenore Reese Vickrey Photos by Heath Stone, Stone Images

s a little girl, Jean Therkelsen loved to read. Growing up in the tiny town of Canoe in Escambia County, she escaped to other worlds with fantasy stories like “The Wizard of Oz,” sci-fi adventures and Greek mythology.

As she grew older, she became a fan of romances, especially the regency romance genre made popular by Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, in which the hero and heroine speak from another time and place.

A lover of the written word, she wrote her first poetry in third grade, but the writing muse didn’t kick in seriously until 23 years later.

“I didn’t start my first novel until age 32. It was a fantasy. I worked on it 10 years. I wrote and started over eight to 10 times,” said Therkelsen, who by this time had finished law school, gotten married, had children, and was working in the Alabama Attorney General’s Office handling criminal appeals.

Yet she hadn’t taken any formal writing classes.

“I’d never written a book. I didn’t know there were rules, or about genres, word count or point of view. I learned by trial and error and the internet.”

But that didn’t stop her. Besides, she had a goal: to be published by age 50. Despite a full-time job and being a wife and mother, she disciplined herself to write a chapter a week. She finished her manuscript before the big Five-O, but that’s as far as the fantasy novel went. She sent it off to 100 publishers, and got 100 rejections.

“Enough to wallpaper several bathrooms.”

Discouraged and frustrated, she’d found encouragement and comfort from a local writers’ group in Wetumpka and other groups online. One of the web-based groups challenged her to write the first chapter of a paranormal romance (one of the fastest growing trends in romance novels) and they would critique it.

This was something new for Therkelsen.

She loved romances, she liked sci-fi, and this sub-genre blended the two. Because she knew something about small Southern towns, she set her story in the fictional town of Hannah, Alabama, a location that blended the ele24

September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

ments of her childhood home near Atmore and her current residence, Wetumpka.

It took about a year, but in November 2009 she finished the novel about Addy, a small-town Southern florist, and a hunky immortal demon slayer named Brand who “gets his socks knocked off by a Southern chick.” The novel was a paranormal romance alright, but with what she calls southern-fried humor. “The group loved it,” she said.

Agents, not so much.

She sent out 45 query letters and several asked to see the full book. She got very excited, but the response was underwhelming.

“They said ‘funny’ doesn’t sell,” she said.

“I got bummed out and wondered, what now?”

After bemoaning her plight on the web site of Southern Magic, a Birmingham-based writer’s group, a woman Therkelsen didn’t know had some advice.

She told her to seek out a particular editor with Kensington Books, the largest independent U.S. publisher of mass market, trade paperback and hardcover books. She did. A month later on March 11, 2010, her cell phone rang.

“I was in a friend’s car and we were driving on Ann Street

“If you’ve got a passion or a dream, keep striving for it.”

Author Jean Therkelsen, aka Lexi George to her fans.

past the WalMart and I got the call,” she remembered. “They (publishers) only call if they’re interested. I started screaming!”

The editor, Megan Records, not only liked her book, she offered her a three-book deal. Demon Hunting in Dixie and its author were on their way to the big time.

At 54, Jean Therkelsen was finally living her dream of being a published author. Not by age 50, but who’s counting? No sooner had she come down from the high of selling her first book, than she had another deadline to meet - a 30,000-word novella had to be written in three months.

But she did it, by giving herself a goal of writing 10,000 words a month. The Bride Wore Demon Dust was published August 30, 2011 as part of a Kensington Halloween anthology, So I Married a Demon Slayer, that also includes short novels by two well-known romance writers, Angie Fox and Kathy Love. And Therkelsen has submitted book two of the Demon Hunter series and is hard at work on number three.

“But I will admit it has been challenging,” she wrote on her blog. Because she works full-time, she uses every spare moment to write – holidays, lunch hours, weekends, thinking about it on the way to work and when she gets home.

“[It’s]…jump out of your seat, grab the stranger next to you and hang on for dear life fun!”

-Louisville.com

October 7–30

Adapted by William McNulty Originally dramatized by John L. Balderson and Hamilton Deane from Bram Stoker’s Dracula

AlAbAmA ShAkeSpeAre FeStivAl

montgomery, Alabama 1.800.841.4273 www.ASF.net www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

25

Writing romances is a welcome escape from her attorney job, where “it’s all about the rude things people do to one another,” she said. “When I sit down to read, I want escapism. I don’t want to be enlightened!”

Her novels are part of the Brava series by Kensington, which she describes as “steamy romance.” When she wrote the sex scenes between her hero and heroine (“they have to be really in love”), it was a struggle to begin with.

“I was a little nervous,” she said. “I saw the face of my elementary librarian and my Baptist preacher uncle.” But she persevered “with the help of mint chocolate chip ice cream and red wine.”

Where did the pen name Lexi George come in?

“My middle name is Alexandra, and my family calls me

George. No one knows why,” Therkelsen said. The name is “more like what I write -- sassy and over the top.” So Lexi George is the name by which her fans will know her.

She hopes Demon Hunting in Dixie and its follow-up books are just the beginning of a literary career for this “pantser” (“I write by the seat of my pants as opposed to plotters, who have flow charts of family trees before they start writing”). Her advice to erstwhile writers?

“If you’ve got a passion or a dream, keep striving for it. I thought the odds were against me. Set goals, whether they be daily, weekly or monthly. Whatever it takes to get your butt in the chair. When you set out to eat an elephant, take small bites.

That’s my philosophy and it works for me.

“Life didn’t end at 50 and neither did my passion for writing.”

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Prime Celebrating Midlife and Beyond

September 2011 F R E E

Early Birds

MontgoMery

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nBirddog Training nCredit

Cards vs Cash

nRemember These Treats? nPhysical Therapy/Rehab nPlant A Tree

and more!

The Canvas of History

Writing Demons

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With 10,000 copies a month distributed through more than 430 locations, PRIME Montgomery is the best way to reach those 50 and older in the River Region.

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Use your Smart Phone to visit our website.

QR Codes, such as the one above and those in the two ads on this page, are tiny black-and-white blocks in a square that can be read by a Smart Phone using a free application. QR stands for quick response, and that’s what the codes provide, a quick link to almost anything, from a website to your personal or business contact information.

PRIME Montgomery is experimenting with QR Codes with a few of our advertisers to see if we can add more value to their presence in the magazine, as well as provide you, the reader, an enhance reading experience.

With 83% of U.S. adults owning a cell phone, and 42% of those having a Smart Phone (for a whopping 35% of ALL adults), use of QR Codes and similar web-accessing methods will only increase.

If you have a Smart Phone, download a free QR Code-reading app. One good site is QR Code City, but there are many available. Once you download the free app, scan the QR Code above and send me a message telling me what you found.

Happy scanning!

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Backyard Bird Dogs, Part 2

T

wo things training books and trainers harp on in training any dog, hunting or not, are repetition and consistency. Whatever the required task, be it sitting on a whistle blast or taking casts at a distance, practice makes perfect. Also, Coco & Bella be consistent: the dog must understand there is only one correct response to a command. If other people don’t require the same thing of your dog as you (like allowing the dog to jump up on them), it creates confusion for the dog because sometimes the dog is rewarded and at other times scolded.

It’s more cruel to confuse the dog with inconsistencies than it is to ask others to require the same things of your dog that you do. If not, training will be exponentially more difficult because the dog will be unsure what is required of it. Consistency is not a one-time occurrence – it takes repetition to achieve the goals you’ve set for the dog and yourself.

fidence that it can succeed by following the trainer’s commands.

It is important to continually challenge dogs in training; it’s how you judge progress. When I feel a dog is “getting” a particular command I usually challenge the dog by introducing a new variable. If the dog meets the challenge I know the dog is progressing. If not, I will step back and work on the basics of the previous command to ensure the dog understands it before challenging again. Progress occurs in small steps, not large leaps. In introducing a new variable, it is important to set the dog up for success so that even if the dog does not overcome the new challenge it still succeeds because it followed the underlying command. This builds confidence and eventually, the dog will rise to meet the challenge.

Part 3 in October addresses obedience, innovation, and making training fun.

Niko Corley spends his free time hunting, fishing and enjoying other outdoor activities.

He can be contacted at cootfootoutfitters@ gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @cootfootoutfitters.

It’s a Journey, Not a Trip You never hear someone say they’re taking a “journey” to the grocery store. “Trip” denotes something of short duration; a journey takes much longer. Dog training is a journey taking many years, but also one that never really ends. Like professional athletes conditioning their bodies for competition who never reach a certain level and cease training, the same goes for dog training. You’ll never reach a point where the dog is “trained” and you just stop training altogether.

Committing to spend the time necessary to train a dog is the hardest part. If you’re not willing to do that then pick another hobby. Like a fine wine, a good hunting dog takes time, and a 100-yard blind retrieve is a masterpiece in motion. As part of the journey be sure to set short term, realistic goals and train accordingly – repetitively and consistently – toward that goal, keeping in mind that the duration of time spent on different phases of training varies between dogs.

Confidence Through Challenge A reliable retriever must be confident, in him/herself in understanding the command given, and confident in the trainer who issues the command. A right cast to a trained retriever means not only a command to move in one particular direction but also that there should be a bird or training bumper in that direction. The dog learns to trust the trainer through rewards or corrections and in doing so builds its own conwww.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

27

MOVING FREE WITH MIRABAI

Exercise in Transition

S

eptember again. Summer’s unofficially over, vacations are behind us, the kids are back to school. It’s a busy month, a transitional month. Transitional times come with danger and opportunity. Many people fall off the exercise wagon at this time of year. It’s easy to do.

On the other hand, many people start or step up their exercise programs in September.

This is a perfect time, as your schedule transitions, to add something new.

So I’m going to suggest we do something new with something old, the old fitness standbys, the major building blocks of fitness, Cardio, Strength and Flexibility. A proper balance of these three can improve your quality of life at any age and may help you live longer.

We all know cardio exercise burns calories and helps prevent or manage heart disease. But did you know that, according to the National Institutes of Health, daily moderate cardio exercise can reduce one’s risk of heart attack by 50%? In our sleek 21st century way we’ve kind of back-burnered cardio in favor of more ooh-la-la exercises like Pilates and Yoga. Bad

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September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

idea.

Try dancing around to an old favorite CD. Walk, run, swim, bike, spin, take a class.

Find new ways to get that cardio. I know you’ll actually enjoy it, especially after about 20 minutes when the endorphins kick in.Your body will be eternally grateful, and if you’re prone to mood swings, those may improve, too.

Strength is in for women. It’s finally fashionable for women to be buff.You don’t have to look like you could arm-wrestle a lumberjack, but a firm sculpted physique is healthy, feminine and sexy. Strength training builds muscles and bones, burns calories and picks up your metabolic rate to aid in weight control.

If you’re pressed for time now, try some compound strength exercises that address more than one muscle group at a time. For instance pushups against a wall or on the floor work your chest and arms together. Modified squats (go half way down to save stress on your knees) work the front and back of your legs, buttocks, and if you go up on your toes when you come up, you’ll work your calves, too.

Last but not least, Flexibility promotes a supple, youthful body, increases range of motion around the joints making daily movements easier, and helps keep us mobile as we age.

Here’s where Yoga and Stretch classes come in. If you’re not stretching or only stretching after other exercises, try mixing in at least one stretch session a week.

Stretching has the added benefit of inducing a near meditative state.

You end with a feeling of well-being and a renewed vitality.

So don’t let a good transition go to waste. Mix the Big Three into your schedule and get a jump on those holiday bulges.

Mirabai Holland M.F.A. is a leading authority in the Health & Fitness industry, and a public health activist specializing in preventive and rehabilitative exercise for women. Her Moving Free™ approach to exercise is designed to provide a movement experience so pleasant it doesn’t feel like work. Send your questions to: askmirabai@movingfree.com. or visit her website at www.movingfree.com.

AROUND MONTGOMERY

September Mystery

T

his mystery village is under the jurisdiction of an agency that was the first of its kind in the U.S., and is part of a larger endeavor that when completed, will reveal the breadth of Alabama’s HISTORY as nothing else has.

Find the village, take your photo there, and send it to me by September 15 and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a Gift Certificate from Mr. G’s, and get your photo in the next issue of Prime. E-mail your photo and contact information to jakebroberts1@gmail.com.

Oh. By the way. Our mystery site is indoors.

August FOUND!

The old Webber’s department store downtown was the mystery location for August.Thanks to everyone who sent in photos. And to Nancy Ausley (above), congrats! You won!

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

29

OUT & ABOUT 1) Irene Collins, Dept. of Sr. Services Commissioner, speaks at the induction ceremony for the Ala. Sr. Hall of Fame. On stage (L-R) , 2011 Hall of Fame inductees Selena Daniel, Shirley Hudson, Roy Drinkard, Phillip Martin, Senator Jabo Waggoner, Richard Wright; Hall of Fame Chair Melvin Cooper, Religion Award Honoree Rev. A. Ray Foreman, guest speaker Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey.

2) Dr. Ed Bridges, Dir. of Archives and History, conducts a press tour of their newest exhibit.

3) Tai Chi Instructors (L-R) Ruth DeRamus, Elaine Ward, Janet Hutto, Makiko McCoy, Susan Smith at a Tai Chi Open House.

4) 1970 Lee High graduates (LR) Nina Kynard, Sydney Carroll, Debbie Rouse, Theresa Sides, Patsy Smith, and Linda Pugh met at the home of PRIME Yarn ‘N

1

Garden columnist Ethyl Boykin.

5) Paul Robertson, Sr. (L), presents a camera to Ed Bridges, Dir. of Archives and History.

Robertson used the camera to take the famous photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Montgomery city jail. The photograph, held by Bridges, received national exposure, including Life magazine. Robertson also volunteers at Archives.

2

5

3 4

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September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

De•fin'•ing Re•tire'•ment 1. Care•free (adj.) - untroubled, relaxed 2. In•de•pen•dent (adj.) - self-determining 3. Com•for•ta•ble (adj.) - a state of physical ease

Eastdale Estates

5801 Eastdale Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 Contact: Frank or Lynn; Wade or Rose 334-260-8911 • • • • •

Studio, 1 & 2 bedroom apts. w/kitchenettes Prepared meals, restaurant-style dining Guest dining and lodging Pets welcome Library/TV media room

• • • •

Exercise equipment Paid utilities and cable Daily shuttle bus Enjoy a complimentary lunch prepared by our award-winning chef, then take a guided tour of our community

For more information visit www.holidaytouch.com and click on Our Communities.

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

31

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

• Local Theatre Reviews • Michael Howley reviews local professional, university, and community theatres (theatremontgomery.blogspot.com. ) A professional stage director, Howley is a member of the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers and the American Theatre Critics Association. He retired from Alabama State University where he taught as both Chairman of the Dept. of Theatre Arts and as an English professor.

Theatre Sept. 8-11 & 15-18. Mtgy. Unseen. Theater AUM. 334-2443632, kpearso2@aum.edu. $.

Sept. 15-18. Troy. Smokey Joe’s Café. Troy U. Theatre Dept.

334-808-6142, www.troytheatre.org.

Sept 22, 23, 25, & 27. Auburn. La Bete. AU Theatre Dept. 334844-4154, www.cla.auburn.edu/theatre. $.

Sept. 22-25 & 29-30. Millbrook Community Players. A Bad Year for Tomatoes. 334-782-7317, www.millbrooktheatre.com. $.

Music Sept. 9, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Mtgy. Chestnut Street Opry. 2201 Chestnut Street. Play, listen, sing, dance. 334-313-0843, 334-5310054, www.chestnutstreetopry.com.

Sept. 10, 24, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mtgy. Jam Session, Old Alabama Town. 334-240-4500, www.oldalabamatown.com.

Sept. 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mtgy. Hank Williams 88th Birthday Celebration. Hank Williams Museum. Live music, collector’s fair.

334-262-3600, www.thehankwilliamsmuseum.com.

History Sept. 5, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mtgy. Labor Day, Old Alabama Town.

334-240-4500, www.oldalabamatown.com. $.

Sept. 15, noon-1 p.m. Mtgy. “Tecumseh at Tuckabatchee: Fact and Fiction”, Kathryn Braund. Dept. of Archives/History. 334353-4726, www.archives.alabama.gov.

Arts & Crafts Sept. 4- 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mtgy. Works by Bruce Phillips. Rosa Parks Museum. 334-241-8701, www.montgomery.troy.edu/rosaparks/museum.

Fundraisers Sept. 25, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Wetumpka. Bark in the Park. Elmore Co. Humane Soc. Ft. Toulouse-Jackson St. Park. Pet contests, vendors, music. 334-567-3377, www.elmorehumane.com. $.

Sept. 11, 2:30 p.m. Mtgy. Chorale,Youth Chorale, Orchestra.

38th season starts with Concert of Remembrance. Ala. Shakespeare Fest. 334-265-3737, info@montgomerychorale.org. $ Other Sept. 8, 4 p.m. Mtgy. Hearing Loss Support Group. Cloverdale United Methodist Church. Speaker, refreshments, fellowship, information on hearing loss.

Sept. 8, 11 a.m. Eastdale Estates. Silver Haired Legislature planning session; general meeting 2 p.m. Discussion includes Elder Justice Alliance.

Sept. 9, 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Mtgy. Ballet, “Ballet and the Beast.”

Zoo. Picnic, concessions. 334-240-4900, www.montgomeryzoo. com.

Sept. 11, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Union Station Train Shed. 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. City of Mtgy, HandsOn River Region.Volunteer service activities, disaster preparedness info/ training, tribute to 9/11 victims. To volunteer, 334-264 -3335 or handsonriverregion.org.

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September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

Other (cont’d) Sept. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Mtgy. Ala. Business Women’s Assn., Arbonne International Wellness Workshop. Jack Ingram Mercedes. www.abwariverregion.org.

Sept. 13, 1:30 & 6:30 p.m. Mtgy. Bridge Club. Free lesson, games, refreshments. 334-244-5052, www. montgomerybridgeclub.org.

Sept. 17, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Jackson Hosp. Classroom 1. AARP Driver Safety Program. Refresher course may qualify older drivers for auto insurance discount. 334-293-8805. $ Sept. 18, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Arrowhead CC. Retired Officers Wives Club Luncheon (all services). Make reservations by Sept. 23. Janet Lewis 334-567-9872, Linda Davis 334-224-9929.

Sept. 30, 7-11 p.m. Court Sq. to the Alley. Zombie Walk/Prom benefiting Mtgy. Area Food Bank. Dress like a zombie, bring non-perishable food item to donate.

Oct. 1, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. 9th Annual AUM Adopta-Thon, Moore Hall. Animal shelters/rescue organizations bring adorable pets needing new homes.

334-244-3350

Crossword answers on page 23.

GAMES Crossword Clues ACROSS 1 Burn badly 6 The lightning bolt on Harry Potter’s forehead, e.g.

10 Squirrel away 14 “__ World”: ticklish Muppet’s “Sesame Street” segment 15 Woody Guthrie’s son 16 Candy that comes in twos 17 Winter Olympics event with gates 20 Invoice fig.

21 Place for inks or oinks 22 Subtle vibes 23 One stalking lions or tigers 28 It.’s continent 29 Raw rocks 30 “Octopus’s Garden” singer Ringo 33 Talk show guest’s blatant promotion 35 Swelled head 38 T-bone with a warm, red center 42 Colorful card game 43 Lends a hand to 44 Lecture rooms 45 Abel’s assassin 47 Jazzy horn 48 Lass awed by the big city, maybe 54 Bright

55 Sis’s sib 56 IM offerer 58 He “runs through the town ... in his nightgown” 63 Thomas __ Edison 64 Tater __: Ore-Ida product 65 Big tractor name 66 Movie house suffix 67 Allergy trigger, often 68 Passover dinner DOWN 1 Nintendo competitor 2 Start up the mountain 3 Italian violin maker 4 Chaney of horror 5 “Spring ahead” hrs.

6 Witch trials town 7 Whooping bird 8 Entirely 9 Kanga’s kid 10 Vain walks 11 In the loop 12 Anglican parish priest 13 Flames that have cooled?

18 Box for practice 19 Horse’s hair 24 Spice Girl Halliwell 25 Ashram authority 26 Store posting 27 Craving 30 Sch. in Big D 31 Commandment count 32 Hubbub 33 Painting reproduction 34 Schoolboy 35 Slippery fish 36 “For Me and My __” 37 Gives the nod 39 Postal sackful 40 Layered haircut 41 Crosstown bus alternative 45 Auto finish protection 46 Height: Pref.

47 Chilly powder?

48 What the nose knows 49 “Circle of Friends” writer Binchy 50 Newspaper bye lines?

51 Seize (from) 52 Gathered, as fallen leaves 53 OrlŽans’s river 54 Exchange 57 Ogle 59 India Inc.?

60 Gehrig who played with Ruth 61 Credit card users may be asked for them, briefly 62 Society page word ©2011 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

33

PRIME DIVERSIONS

Recent dvd releases My Dog Tulip • Paul • The Tourist

My Dog Tulip (NR) This animated treatment of J.R. Ackerley’s reminiscence about the dog who shared much of his later years is a low-key, touching homage to a pet, with which most animal lovers will find common emotional ground. In his lonely, declining years, Ackerley found himself with a dog - surprising to both of them - since the man hadn’t been particularly interested in them before.

The relationship began awkwardly, with some embarrassing aspects, as we see and hear from Christopher Plummer’s wistful voice-over, imbuing the tale with nostalgic warmth and the sort of droll humor we associate with refined Brits. The hand-drawn animation style makes this a visual treat, with an ethereal timelessness. Everything important about the bond and behaviors of man and dog, including the uncertainty that evolves over who is the master of whom, could have fit into any era of the last few centuries.

and has been held by the government in a secret facility ever since. He escapes and runs into our lads while they’re touring all the sites of sci-fi and urban legend through- Mark Glass out the Southwest. When they decide to help Paul, the chase is on, complete with minions of men-in-black types in hot, top-secret pursuit.

From his years on Earth, Paul has become surprisingly hip about our customs and language, making him much savvier than his new human pals.

The script (written by Pegg and Frost) mixes some sharp satiric elements with a bumper crop of lowbrow-to-grossout laughs we all expect from the lads’ previous collaborations.

Kristin Wiig and Jason Bateman head a deep supporting cast.

Rogen seems funnier as Paul’s voice than in most screen gigs in his own body. Paul may fall short of the wow! factor of Shaun, or the farcical brilliance of Hot Fuzz, but it’s easily the best comedy so far this year.

The Tourist (PG-13) A subset of romantic comedies might be called “love on the run”. An attractive pair of stars is thrown together in a crime or spy caper, mixing varying degrees of humor, suspense and exotic settings for a backdrop. Examples of the perfect balance include classics like Charade,To Catch a Thief or How to Steal a Million. Others, like this year’s Knight and Day, hope that highoctane pace and action (plus the dazzling smiles of Tom Cruz and Cameron Diaz) will obscure all other deficiencies in the product.

This one starts with Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, a James Bondian villain and an almost-exciting Bridge Lessons • multi-party chase among them and Interpol through the canals and rooftops of Venice, in search of an elusive thief and a mind-boggling amount of booty (financial, not anatomical).

But somewhere between the script and the director’s choices, the film suffers from indeciFood, Fun, sion. Most of the running time is too slow and Friendly dramatic for the leaps of logic one must make stay engaged. That minimizes our feeling the People! to essential chemistry between the leads, undermining the payoff value of the later plot twists.

Depp was either the wrong choice for this role, or excessively restrained from fleshing out a character that would seem worthy of a place in Jolie’s heart. For all the assets that were at hand, the result is far more disappointing than satisfying.

Paul (R) If you’ve joined the legions of fans belonging to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost after their cult hits Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, you’ll be delighted by their new antics, as two British nerds on a veritable pilgrimage to San Diego’s ComicCon, whose wildest dreams are surpassed when they meet an actual alien (voiced by Seth Rogen). With elaborate nods to popular culture and conspiracy theories, our eponymous visitor crashed here in 1947,

• Four FREE Contract

Montgomery Bridge Club

Two Sessions Tuesday, Sept. 13 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Montgomery Bridge Club 1711 Mulberry Street To register, call or e-mail: 334-244-5052 or clubinfo@montgomerybridgeclub.com 34

September 2011 | www.primemontgomery.com

Mark Glass is an officer and director of the St. Louis Film Critics Association.

63rd Annual

Labor Day BBQ & Greek Pastry Sale __________________________________ Monday, September 5th 9 a.m. until Sold Out _______________________

$9 Chicken or Pork Plate $12 Lamb Plate Plates include Camp Stew, Slaw, Bread _________________

Drive-Thru, Eat In, Take Out ____________

Greek Orthodox Church

Corner of Mt. Meigs & Capitol Parkway ________ Call 334-263-1366 for tickets/info www.primemontgomery.com | September 2011

35

Did you know?

Untreated hearing loss can cost you $30,000 in annual income.

Those with severe hearing loss have unemployment rates double that of their peers who use hearing aids.

For mild hearing loss, hearing aids can reverse income loss by 90 to 100%.

Only 13% of general practitioners screen for hearing loss.

When someone in the family has a hearing loss, the entire family has a hearing problem. LET US HELP! A medical evaluation of your hearing can best discover the cause of your hearing loss and allow us to select the proper treatment.

Whether medicine, surgery or a hearing instrument is right for you, at all EARS we provide comprehensive, physician-directed hearing services.

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Use your Smart Phone to find out why.

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Find us on the web at www.allearscenters.com.

Call us today • (334) 281-8400 “The doctor to see is an ENT.”