Atlanta Senior Life - March 2021

By Mark Woolsey

Envision the archetypal genteel ladies garden club: white gloves and lace; finger sandwiches; possibly a cocktail or two. Polite socializing and gossip interspersed with—yes— some talk about yard and garden matters.

If that’s your image of a gardening society, then take it to the compost heap. Garden clubs are a different breed today. While many remain mostly female institutions with a large representation of seniors, their focus has shifted toward environmental awareness, conservation and eco-friendly gardening. Beautification projects remain a mainstay, but there’s more emphasis on a variety of other community improvements, community engagement and education.

In addition, more and more senior gardeners volunteer at botanical facilities and work in community gardens. A number have become certified master gardeners, teaching the art and science of nurturing plants to a much wider audience.

“Hell yeah, gardening is growing in popularity among seniors,” said an enthusiastic Annie Offen, the president of the Cherokee Garden Club in Atlanta, which dates from 1928. “It has been for a long time, but now COVID has everybody at home and the people I have talked to through the garden club have rediscovered their yards.”

The COVID pandemic has changed much for the clubs. Lectures and workshops have been cancelled or moved online. Field trips and garden tours have been shut down. Planting projects and fundraisers have been scaled back in scope and number.

Garden clubs bloom across metro Atlanta

As pandemic continues, more seniors rediscover gardening as a way to get outside

Roswell Garden Club members Dorothy Juzdan, left, and Sherron Lawson

Still, Offen doesn’t think the heightened interest she sees in gardening will decline once the pandemic subsides. People of all ages, she said, have zeroed in on nature’s rich bounty of flora. A survey of her club members last summer found that two-thirds of the respondents still wanted active involvement, whether inperson or online.

Women, she said, have a tendency to gravitate to the club after the age of 45, when they have raised their children

was formed in 1891 in Athens, Georgia.

Today, the American Hydrangea Society makes its home in Atlanta. The Athens-based Garden Club of Georgia claims it has nearly 400 individual clubs in its organization.

Ethridge said that initial group and its spinoffs— “cuttings,” maybe?—encouraged growing “anything from a cabbage to a chrysanthemum” plus a regard for civic beauty and protection of native trees and wildflowers.

“I think that was a misconception from the very beginning, “ Ethridge said. “The women in the original club aimed to benefit the community.”

Ethridge said her club’s 2021 footprint ranges from planting and maintaining vegetable and butterfly gardens at city historic landmarks to patriotic endeavors as they partnered with the city to improve the War Memorial at Roswell City Hall to weighing in on environmental concerns affecting the state at the Gold Dome. There’s also a strong emphasis on education.

and more able to fulfill the notinconsiderable investment in time required of membership. “Sixty-five and over is kind of ideal,” she said. “Our most active group ranges from 65 to 75.”

That doesn’t surprise Lisa Ethridge, the president of the Roswell Garden Club and a North Fulton Master Gardener. The Atlanta region, she said, has particularly strong roots in gardening organizations. The first garden club in the country

Across town, The Garden Hills Garden Club doesn’t stop with tending and improving the plants on the neighborhood’s streets by planting bulbs and liriope. Their fundraisers reach out into the community, with members collecting money for local projects such as replacing the playground at a local elementary school. President Courtney Nickels said the group also focuses on park cleanup and has many members who’ve been active since its inception in the 1970s.

The Cherokee Garden Club also is active in fundraising

Continued on page 6

“Hell yeah, gardening is growing in popularity among seniors. It has been for a long time, but now COVID has everybody at home and the people I have talked to through the garden club have rediscovered their yards.”

Annie Offen President, Cherokee Garden Club

u a l i t y O U R H

o m p a n i o n s h i p O M E Y

e a n i n g f u l A c t i v i t i e s O U R W E L L B E I

N G O U R P

n T o i l e t i n g & G r o o m i n g O U R

S h o p p i n g & S t o c k i n g C l e a n i n g & H o u s e k e e p i n g C A R E Y

A S S I

O

Continued from page 5 with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, sees the same dynamic at work and thinks a practical consideration might be involved with civil unrest and resultant fears about the supply chain leading some to stock up on seeds and fertilizer and till the earth.

and then turns around and gives grants that can run into the thousands of dollars for environmental and beautification efforts, Offen said. Trees Atlanta and a refugeetended garden in the Clarkston area have been among the recipients.

Y o u D e s e r v e T h e B e s t H o m e C a r e E x p e r i e n c e ! S e l f - p a y a n d M e d i c a i d a c c e p t e d

A s k u s a b o u

S F C

N S T R U C T U R E D F A M I L Y C A R E G I V E R

“We have a 91-year-old who is very active, “ said Ethridge. “She is in charge of one of our initiatives involving Meals On Wheels,” where small decorations and gifts are placed on meal trays are delivered during holidays.

6

-

h e l l o @ p a s s i o n t o c a r e h c c o m w w w p a s s i o n t o c a r e h c c o m

You’ll also find retirees digging in the dirt and handling a broad range of other chores among volunteers at facilities such as the Atlanta Botanical Garden. “Our volunteer of the year last year was 82,” said Raleigh Wasser, the Atlanta institution’s horticulture manager.

Wasser said that with more time available to volunteer, seniors bring decades of gardening knowledge and sometimes science backgrounds to the work. They handle a broad range of duties: leaf-raking, general cleanup, weeding, watering, deadheading plants and light pruning.

She and others say that gardening groups also are increasingly focused on vegetable gardening instead of ornamental horticulture. “People are more interested in growing their own food now. It may harken back to how people of older generations grew up where the grocery store wasn’t the main source of food,” Wasser said.

And there’s the nostalgia aspect as well.

Murphy comments that “They’ll say, ‘Grandma used to grow rattlesnake beans and I want to do the same thing.’ It’s a creative endeavor. It helps channel their energies and keeps them moving and engaged at a time when we’re all trapped inside. It gives them a sense of connection that’s really motivating to them.”

She said another factor perhaps heightening involvement is that year-round gardening is possible in metro Atlanta as long as some coldweather precautions are taken. Warm summers and relatively mild winters yield everything from tomatoes to beans and peas to both summer and cool-season staples as collards and kale. And don’t forget the perennials that can lend color and beauty 12 months a year.

As her agency puts together programs at senior centers, she finds that while a large number of the participants enjoyed gardening at mom or grandma’s knee, many also have gardened throughout their lives “and there is a small percentage that have never given it a go, and they want to try it. “

Her advice for those wanting to nurture emerging shoots?

“Everybody starts with tomatoes. They are easy to grow and can be grown in a smaller space like

a container, “said Murphy. She notes that may be an important consideration for seniors in a limited space or perhaps in some kind of care center.

Walter Reeves, host of a gardening show on WSB radio says a good many seniors drop out of the hobby both because of that change in living circumstances and because of physical limitations. He’s an advocate of kneeling benches and pads and other specialized tools that can help them.

“Find a plant you can’t kill and plant it,” he said. Lenten Rose and Daylilies are ideal for those putting a toe in the … um, dirt. He also said that small tomatoes are hardier than the big beefsteak tomatoes that a lot of folks want to grow.

Garden clubs locally provide plenty of help for both the novice and more experienced folks. They gather certified master gardeners and others for

presentations on workshops on vegetable gardening, ornamental horticulture, and landscaping. Presentations on eco-friendly gardening have become much more common in recent years, with an emphasis on eliminating invasive plants and promoting native species. And they take field trips to see others’ gardens.

And there is, of course, the social aspect. Garden clubs can feed and fertilize their human members as much the plants they grow. They offer a place to meet the neighbors and form new friendships.

“Yes, we do the gardening and that’s part of the mission, promoting the beauty of our neighborhood,” Ethridge said, “but it’s also about the community of women that are part of the club, and the social aspect as well.

“If someone is ill or needs some sunshine, “Ethridge said, “the outpouring of basic support

is awesome.”

The New York-based Garden Club of America, a national umbrella organization for clubs in Atlanta and elsewhere, spells out its members’ mission on its website: “Garden. Create. Advocate.”

Variety of Fine Dining Options - Taste of East Cobb Winner 2019, 2018, 2016 Cottage Floor Plans: All on One Level-Only 3 left We have weathered the Covid storm, with vaccine here, blue skies in 2021!

Members of the Garden Hills Garden Club assemble mailbox decorations.

Company zooms in on strength training for seniors

By Donna Williams Lewis

Eric Levitan wasn’t satisfied with just accepting the decline he saw in his parents’ health as they aged deeper into their 70s, especially as his mother began having a series of “catastrophic” falls.

His research into what was happening with them led Levitan to leave corporate America after more than 25 years of working in technology and running software companies.

He found his new calling in preventing loss of muscle mass, something that begins to happen after the age of 30, according to health experts.

In 2019, with a team of medical advisors, the Sandy Springs resident launched Vivo, an interactive online strength training fitness program for adults 55 and older.

Incorporating individualized stretching, balance, cognitive and resistance exercises, the program gives

participants a chance to develop community with a personal trainer and other class participants from their own homes.

Vivo’s certified trainers lead live 45-minute classes on Zoom, working with up to six seniors per class, typically twice weekly.

It’s one of an ever-increasing array of fitness programs for seniors, but Vivo’s sole focus is on building strength — something Levitan calls “the No. 1 factor in maintaining a high quality of life.”

“We really want to change the narrative around what aging looks like,” Levitan said. “You don’t have to age into a frail older person. You can continue of life and maintain your independence and remain According to the U.S. Control and Prevention, strength training helps

and conditions common among older adults, including arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, obesity and back pain.

Vivo offers monthly memberships, which include classes averaging about $20 per session, nutrition analysis and initial and follow-up fitness assessments.

“It’s just not that hard. It doesn’t take that much work. Literally, 45 minutes twice a week and I can tell you it will change yours and anybody else’s life who tries it,” Levitan said. “Even it’s not Vivo … if you focus

Free fitness programs

on building your strength as you get older it will absolutely change the course of your life.”

For more information: teamvivo.com or 678-701-8486 facebook.com/teamvivo

Search YouTube to find plenty of strength training and other fitness workouts for seniors. Check community centers, recreation centers, senior centers, libraries and other locations for online classes. Here are some resources:

SilverSneakers - Live online classes, on-demand videos and access to thousands of fitness locations and classes. Free program for adults 65+ through select Medicare plans. silversneakers.com.

Local government senior services:

■ Atlanta — https://www.atlantaga.gov/government/departments/parksrecreation/office-of-recreation/prime-time-seniors-ages-55-and-up.

■ Cobb County — https://www.cobbcounty.org/public-services/seniorservices.

chronic diseases

■ DeKalb County — https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov/senior-services/ senior-services-1.

■ Fulton County — https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/services/seniorservices.

■ Gwinnett County – https://www.gwinnettcounty.com/web/ gwinnett/departments/communityservices/healthhumanservices/ seniorservices.

Above, Vivo founder and CEO Eric Levitan and his wife Dana, bottom left, do shoulder presses with a strength training class led by trainer Kevin Snodgrass of Atlanta, top center, using any equipment available to class members. Levitan’s mother Marjorie Lassoff, top left, of Boca Raton, FL, uses water bottles. (Vivo)

Eric Levitan

By Kathy Dean

For most of us, retirement means slowing down and enjoying what’s familiar and comfortable. That’s not true of everyone, however. There are older adults who have an enterprising spirit that kicks in and keeps going well after their mid-60s. We’ve found four of them nearby.

Mary Ellen Moseley found herself in need of a new career in the late 1990s, so she turned her skills into a business helping others keep up with their household chores. “Anything a housewife doesn’t have time to do, I’m there,” she said. Miss Moseley, as she prefers to be called, will turn 80 in August, but she has no intention of slowing down.

Much of Geoffrey Levy’s life involved selling pearls and working with soccer teams. When the 65-year-old noticed small CBD shops popping up in the area, he saw an opportunity. “I decided to open one that’s more like a supermarket,” Levy said. His Apothecary ATL, located in Sandy Springs, offers more than 250 products.

For Gene Rubel, 78, the prompting to do something new came from his wife, he said. His business ended after the 2008 recession, and she wanted him to stay active — so Rubel found a way to turn his computer hobby into a business. “That’s how Digital Device Doctor got started,” he said.

Paul Richin, MD, who goes by Dr. Richin, retired from working in hospitals in August 2020. The doctor, who said he is “over 65 and on Medicare,” decided to go back into private practice and “get back to old-style medicine” with Orthopedic Cortisone Injection Center, the office he opened in Dunwoody at the end of last year.

A New Lease on Old-Style Medicine

Dr. Richin was an orthopedic surgeon who practiced at the DeKalb Medical Center in Decatur for almost 40 years. “I was Chief of Orthopedics for a few years and on many committees at the hospital,” he said.

Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Dr. Richin attended medical school at Georgetown University, where

Starting Fresh and Going Strong

Older adults find new ventures after retirement

a regular patient, and not like she was getting charity,” he said. “She said she loved coming to the office. Now she has insurance, and to this day, she comes to see me at my office.”

Eventually, Dr. Richin’s practice was absorbed by DeKalb Medical Center, and subsequently by Emory Healthcare. “For the last four or five years, I worked for hospitals,” he said, “but I was always much happier when I was working for myself.”

Once he retired, that’s just what he decided to do. Dr. Richin opened his private medical practice, the Orthopedic Cortisone Injection Center (OCIC), at the end of 2020.

OCIC provides easy access and same-day appointments to patients who want non-surgical and non-narcotic pain relief for ailments like arthritis, bursitis and tendonitis. “I wanted to get back to old-style medicine, where patients would see a physician and could get in very quickly for a visit, without having to wait up to six weeks,” he explained.

Dr. Richin said that he tries to treat conservatively, with physical therapy and injections rather than rushing into surgery. Though, he cautioned, conservative treatment does depend on the joints involved. “I’m not trying to get patients in the operating room, I’m just trying to get them better.”

Keeping with the traditional concept, Dr. Richin and his wife of 50 years live across the street from his Dunwoody office. He said that allows him to be flexible, since he can just walk over to the office and see his patients fairly quickly.

Things seem to be going well at this point, Dr. Richin noted. “I think the patients are getting a better experience, and I’m getting a better experience also!”

he also performed his orthopedic residency. He spent two years in the Air Force, based in Montgomery, Alabama.

In 1979, Dr. Richin came to Atlanta to open his orthopedic practice. One of the personal touches that his patients enjoyed was his clear explanations of their health issues. He drew simple diagrams and described their problem, diagnosis and treatment in clear terms.

“Many of my patients would keep the pictures, use them to

explain things to their family and even bring them back to later doctor visits,” he said. “They seemed to love the pictures and the way I’d explain their problems to them.”

Dr. Richin was also one of the few orthopedic specialists to volunteer at the Free Clinic in Decatur, and he performed many free-of-charge operations for its patients. He remembers one clinic patient in particular.

“She told me that I’m the only doctor who made her feel like

The Digital Doctor Is In

For 25 years, Gene Rubel, a Sandy Springs resident who originally hailed from New York, was a business broker through InterLink Technologies. “I had my own business, making connections between international companies and doing acquisitions with companies all over the world,” he said. “I traveled three weeks out of four for many years.”

He “was retired” from that career when the crash of 2008

Paul Richin, MD

put him out of business. “So, I felt sorry for myself for a little while,” he said. “Then I had the opportunity to run a small non-profit — Jewish Healthcare International — where volunteer doctors and nurses were sent to different places in world.” Much of the activity was in Ethiopia, he noted.

Eventually, the organization finished their mission and Rubel was back to looking for somewhere to put his skill and energy.

“My wife said, ‘You can’t stay home,’” he chuckled, so he turned to his hobby of 60 years. “I enjoyed technology and working with computers. I wondered: is there some way to make a business out of it?” He found a way, by starting his Digital Device Doctor business.

Rubel found a specific niche for his business when he noticed that many older adults needed help with technology. “I thought I had a pretty good way to work with seniors, so that’s been my marketing focus,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for almost six years now. I’m busy and it’s a real pleasure to do it.”

Through his business, Rubel works with people at all levels of technical ability. Some clients just need advice on what kind of computer or tablet to buy, while others have very limited experience. “A lot of people are retired from a place where

EXERCISE AND BRAIN HEALTH

they had an IT department,” he said. “I’m also working with about three or four women whose husbands are suffering with dementia; before that, the husbands took care of everything. The women have to confront things they never had to deal with before.”

Rubel has built long-term relationships with many of his clients, and he manages the computers for a couple of nonprofit groups. He said most of his business comes his way from word of mouth, through organizations he works with and his regular column in Atlanta Senior Life. He noted another source: a computer shop that refers him to customers that need a home visit — usually because of wi-fi problems — and anyone with Microsoft Outlook issues.

“I started my business with friends and relatives, and gradually expanded from there,” he said. “Mostly, from people referring their friends and relatives.”

Generally, customers come to him when they’re in a technology crisis — a crashed computer or a phone that won’t sync up — and Digital Device Doctor offers a pay-by-the-hour service to get them up and running. Rubel also offers a subscription service, where customers pay a regular

Continued on Page 12

Gene Rubel

Continued from page 11

fee and call him whenever they have problems. He even emails them monthly newsletters with tech new info and advice.

The business has given Rubel the opportunity to help more people, especially since the pandemic started. “Many people, especially seniors, are disconnected, but they can connect through Zoom,” he said. Sometimes his clients need an expert to figure out how to use the conferencing platform.

“They’ll say, “My camera doesn’t work,” and I let them know: “You have a desktop computer, so you don’t have a camera.” Or they’ll say, “Nobody can hear what I’m saying,” and I’ll explain, “You don’t have a microphone.”

He added that a perk of having a business in the technology field is that he gets to buy all the latest gadgets to learn about them. “My wife can’t complain about me buying yet another printer!”

A Driven Entrepreneur

For many years, Geoffrey Levy has made his living with his South Sea pearl business. His business has taken him all around the world as he sold the high-quality Australian, Tahitian and Indonesian pearls to jewelers, wholesalers and manufacturers.

Now an Alpharetta resident, Levy was born in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia at the time) and came to the United States in 1977. “Like most citizens of Rhodesia, I was drafted into service during the Bush War,” he said. The Rhodesian Bush War, 19641979, was a civil conflict that resulted in the independence of Zimbabwe. For three years, Levy was a pilot in the Police Air Wing (PRAW), flying reconnaissance, before he made his way to the U.S.

Levy still has strong ties to his African homeland. One of the ways he stays connected is through his support of 14 boys (now young men) in Zambia who were orphaned by the AIDS epidemic there.

He also has a long history with soccer, and he became a FIFA/USS-licensed soccer intermediary. “I was administrator of Zambian women’s soccer for five or six years,” he said. “I took it on because I didn’t like how the girls were being treated. They were paid so little, while the men’s team was getting a lot of money. I thought it was important for them to get an education and improve their lives.”

His faith and efforts paid off. The under-17 women’s team qualified in 2014 for the World Cup. “I took them to California, where they trained for two

weeks,” Levy said. “Then we went on to Costa Rica for the World Cup.” Most of the players from that team are part of the team that qualified for the 2020 Olympics, and others are now playing on European soccer teams, he reported.

About a year ago, Levy decided to open a marketplace for CBD products — Apothecary ATL in Sandy Springs. He explained that, personally, he had a good experience with CBD when he broke a toe and was getting no help from doctors. “Nothing helped,” he said. “Then several people told me to try CBD, and when I did, it gave me relief.”

More and more CBD stores began popping up in the area, and Levy noticed something that piqued his entrepreneurial interest. “I saw that most of them were franchises with just 10 to 12 products,” he said. “I decided to open one that’s more like a supermarket. I have over 250 products.”

Even after the store was up and running, Levy didn’t stop there. Now he manufactures 32 of his own products. “I’m wholesaling and selling them to other stores,” he said. “I’ve had a fantastic response; it’s great.”

A Career of Silver Service

In her “original” career, Mary Ellen Moseley — who goes by MeM or Miss MeM — worked as

an administrator / bookkeeper for Dick Hagman Associates, her husband’s manufacturing rep business. “In 1972, we were one of the first Swarovski Crystal representatives in the U.S.,” she said. “We had a showroom in the Dallas Trade Mart.”

Dick Hagman Associates was one of the original tenants in Kansas City, Missouri’s Amigo Mart, which was built in the 1980s. Then came the opportunity to return home.

Though Miss Moseley was born in Sumter, South Carolina, she moved to Vinings, Georgia in 1949. “In the 1990s, after moving back to Atlanta, we were tenants of the Americas Mart on Spring Street in Atlanta,” she said.

The showroom was open five days a week and for gift shows three times a year, “so decorating was always involved, as well as cleaning, packing and storing,” she said. “I became accomplished at most of these, including keeping the books and paying the five reps that we had in the Southeast.”

In 1998, once her marriage ended, Miss Moseley realized that she needed employment, so she joined an agency that specialized in newborn care. “I think the training lasted about six weeks, and I worked for them off and on until I found something more permanent,” she said. “I ended up moving in with

Mary Ellen Moseley

Geoffrey Levy

one of my client’s families and caring for their newborn — and eventually for their two other children — for a total of eight and a half years.”

The family moved away, and Miss Moseley found a temporary job cooking three days a week for a couple who were both attorneys. That led to other jobs, mostly in fresh meal preparation.

Since then, Miss Moseley has fine-tuned her “Silver Service” business. “I call my career ‘duplicating a housewife’,” she said. She’s ready to do whatever is needed. “Sometimes it’s cooking, gift wrapping, addressing envelopes, sewing or ironing.”

She also offers “The Five Star Hotel 30-Minute Pick-Up” service. Miss Moseley prepares things so when the owners arrive home, dishes are in the dishwasher, beds are made, the bathroom is tidied, and the lights and music are turned on, ready for their return.

“I always wanted to have clean linens on my bed every night, so I figured that a special cleanup like that would be something that a busy attorney would like,” she said, “and generally, it doesn’t take longer than 30 minutes.”

Miss Moseley said that she sees her jobs as more than a way to earn income; she considers them her ministry. “I love helping people organize their space,” she said. “I have helped people downsize from their homes to apartments, organize their linen and kitchen closets, and get rid of unnecessary household items.”

These days, Miss Moseley lives in a Buckhead retirement community, where she helps run the Caring Hands Boutique at Calvin Court with another resident and fellow volunteer Tom Hart. The boutique raises money that is earmarked for use at Calvin Court to help residents in need.

Caring Hands is a charity of Presbyterian Homes of Georgia; it helps residents with things like paying doctor bills, rent or meal cards, she explained.

Although she’s ready to help in many ways, Miss Moseley is narrowing her focus these days. “I no longer do any housecleaning or shopping,” she stressed. “The 30-Minute Pickup — yes!”

Do you get angry more often as you grow older?

In a Psychology Today article and blog, Morton Shaevitz notes the old saying: “You’re only as old as you feel.” Then, he adds: “Yet, to the outside world, you’re only as old as you behave.”

“Being grumpy, negative, judgmental, critical, rigid, and complaining doesn’t really feel very good, and guess what? It doesn’t make the people around you feel good, either.”

A recent “anger management” survey found that Georgians (in general) were angry about six times per week during 2020 (comparable to our national average). The survey (from Alcohol. org) included 3,003 Americans.

Many said that spending more time at home for social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic was a major contributor. A slow WiFi connection or an excess workload can add to one’s irritability. The pandemic brought with it a wave of negative emotions, such as fear, stress, anger and frustration at these unprecedented circumstances, according to the survey.

The survey also found that 68% of the Georgians who have anger based on the pandemic have used alcohol as a coping mechanism, and two of three of them admit that alcohol only makes them angrier.

So, in these angry times, here are some thoughts on getting mad as you grow older.

Grumpy Old Men

Here’s what Jim Kershner, in The Spokesman Review, suggests to aging men: “Do not turn into a ‘Grumpy Old Man’ — shift your still not-inconsiderable energies into new, constructive pursuits, [the] ones that make sense for a 60-year-old man.”

There’s little reward for yelling at the neighborhood kids to stay off your property.

“Otherwise, you’ll waste all of your energy patrolling your yard and yelling at kids to get the hell off it,” Kershner wrote.

Closer to home, 80-yearold Dunwoody resident Barry (I’m using first names only, at the request of the interviewees) agrees. “Many of my retired male friends find they have time on their hands and say they will take a closer look at their daily surroundings and voice opinions on what they see.”

To others, this may seem like criticism and may be viewed as “grouchy” behavior. But Barry sees it as leading to “the popular description of ‘grouchy old men.’”

Jim (also in his 80s) and a long-time friend of Barry’s said, “In recent years, I have become more ‘grouchy’ or impatient. This has only been exacerbated by the arrival of COVID last March!”

Jim and Barry both say their activity since retirement includes keeping healthy and being involved with non-profit groups. It has been very rewarding. In asking about Jim’s opinion of women and irritability, he indicated their “forbearance has improved by several degrees,” and he says he is thankful for that.

Paul, a colleague and editor on aging issues says, “I’m always on the lookout for ageist stereotypes, of course, and have had my aging self as a primary source. I do find that in some ways I’ve become less patient with things I used to let slide — with a bit of subvocal grousing — ‘Good grief, Charlie Brown, who’s got time for that?’”

“I think that’s true of many men and women as we look back

on what we had to put up with before. But if one can learn not to take it out on people — store clerks, loved ones, politicians and their office staff, and mainly on yourself — you can possibly realize the challenge of making a point more creatively.” Paul calls this strategic impatience.

Senior lecturer Louise Brown Nicholis wrote in a 2019 article that “not all negative emotions are necessarily bad. If you’re stuck in traffic and running late, anger with the situation might motivate you to find an alternative route, which will then relieve your stress. But anger is less useful if you’re in the same situation but stuck on a motorway with no option to divert.”

However, Nicholis also reminds us that, “Emotions have physiological effects, such as raising the level of cortisol in your bloodstream, and can affect your health. Indeed, a study, (published in a Canadian Psychology and Aging article) shows that high levels of anger are associated with poor health in older people.”

According to Nicholis, “[N]ew research shows a link between emotion and health in older age — we do not know whether anger causes inflammation and illness or whether health problems make people angrier.”

Grouchy old women

“A major study of cultures all over the world identified six basic human emotions—and not surprisingly, anger was one of them,” Rosalind Barnett and Caryl Rivers state in a 2020 Psychology Today article. “Girl babies may scream until their little faces grow red with rage. But the older they get, the less such behavior is tolerated.”

“As adults, women get the message that anger is alien to them. We simply have no script for female anger that does not involve such words as “crazy,” “out of control,” or simply “bonkers,” state Barnett and Rivers.

Writer Ann Richardson says

she has a “… good life and little to complain about.” She believes most people who know her see her as a cheerful older woman. Yet, at the same time, Richardson says she feels herself turning into a Grumpy Old Woman.

“I don’t know whether I am more annoyed by other people or by the increasing presence of modern technology,” Richardson writes. “All I know is that sometimes all my good cheer gets taken away.”

Bonnie Marcus, who coaches executives, talks about a woman’s “double whammy” in the workplace. These are items that can add to a woman’s grumpiness, she explains in a Forbes article. “What’s clear from my conversations with women over 50,” says Marcus, is that the majority are still ambitious and don’t want to retire.”

“Their motivation is not always financial,” states Marcus. “They‘re seeking fulfilling work and have the desire to utilize their skills and experience and remain in the workplace as long as possible.”

These women have a lot to contribute and want to be productive. If that’s your case, Marcus says to “declare your ambition and let others know that you have no intention of slowing down.”

Anger Doesn’t Discriminate

If you find yourself feeling angry when you’d rather not, there are plenty of ways to help control and manage the emotion, from journaling feelings, to meditation, to exercise, or to talking things over with a trusted friend, loved one or professional.

Some “silver lining” ideas for all of us come from Shaevitz (and others). Over the next week or two, be enthusiastic and see what happens. Text your grandchildren and reconnect. Don’t try to win every argument — instead, listen to what the other person is saying.

But most of all, don’t be a grouch.

Judith L. Kanne, RN, BSN, BA is a registered nurse and freelance writer who lives in Atlanta.

From Big Bird to rock and roll to the circus, the Omni hosted them all

In 1972, a new structure appeared downtown. It was called the Omni. This Omni Complex, now home to State Farm Arena and CNN Center, had everything in those days from ice skating, a Burt Reynolds restaurant, a game arcade to restaurants and bars.

FROM THE CRATES

Kelly McCoy

is a veteran Atlanta broadcaster who writes about the days popular music only came on vinyl records, which often were stored in crates

To say it was different from anything making up a part of Atlanta’s cityscape, is beyond an understatement. It definitely was what the city needed to begin meeting the entertainment demands from a growing public…locally, and statewide.

The Omni addition had a significant impact on Atlanta becoming a major city. The Omni Coliseum could host any and every kind of event imaginable, from tractor pulls to Big Bird to every major music act touring America.

Not to mention the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

The list goes on and on. There were Atlanta Flames Hockey matches, pro basketball games with the Hawks, professional tennis matches, even performances by motorized vehicles. After an evening of motocross or monster trucks and the fumes of their fuel, I’d imagine a shower and fresh air were welcomed. I never attended either, but knew

of many who did.

The amazing, strange, cool structure that could accommodate all these events was itself a marvel. Maybe, unlike other venues, it cost a couple of extra bucks to park -- I mean this was downtown. And one thing I learned…park near the exit! It was grand going in, but if you left with everyone else, there were just too many people and not enough asphalt so the getaway could be a mess.

I chuckle when I think about how much the area has changed. Thank goodness in 1979, a MARTA train station opened. Some parking stresses were relieved, but there were still hundreds of people who didn’t take the train because it didn’t travel in their direction home.

a ton of funky soul bands, and artists.

We saw the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, perform there and there was no doubt as to why he held that title: James and the Flames had the place as funky as it had ever been…and possibly was until its demise. Later, we saw Michael Jackson. Some of his moves were not human, but he didn’t have a whole lot on JB. Omni shows made room for all sorts of acts. We saw Steely Dan… they were perfect. Rumor has it they brought their top producer, Gary Katz, along to assist with “tuning the room.” Another artist whose show was perfect: Stevie Wonder. His amazing songs and energy were incomparable. And, for showmanship, I remember standing on the floor at a Bob Seger concert as his sax player flew over our heads while hoisted to a cable from above.

crackers and cheeses with mineral water to drink! Not the afterparty one would expect.

Both times we saw Bruce Springsteen, he played for two hours, took a 30-minute break, and then came back and played two more hours. The Boss gave you your money’s worth.

While the building was a great place for most events, for concerts or any kind of musicbased show, it could turn into an acoustical nightmare with cement and steel walls set at various angles. Still, I would bet that every genre of music known to mankind performed there. The Omni hosted loud rock and roll, gospel, metal, and

I had a 15-year-old niece who was a Billy Squire fan. I was lucky enough to get free tickets to his show and a backstage meet and greet. Billy opened for Queen, and Freddy Mercury’s group got the star treatment, which meant more hospitality space. We wound up on Billy’s tour bus. Here is this rocker dude who was as nice and polite as a southerner. We had fruits,

Probably the best experience we ever had was sitting onstage with the Eagles. Yes, I said on stage. There were 12 of us. We were so close to guitarist Joe Walsh that he could give us all high fives. The afterparty backstage was anything but calm. I remember meeting Jann Wenner, the founder, and publisher of Rolling Stone magazine, along with Irving Azoff, the top dude at Frontline Management, the Eagles management company.

As I said in the first article, I began my career in 1978, six years after the opening of the Omni. When the building closed in 1997, I was left with countless experiences over the 19 years of entertainment memories there.

While putting this together, I had flashbacks of so many things I didn’t get to mention that there may be “The Omni, Part Two” column coming in future editions.

Above, Kelly McCoy with Steve Wonder and Motown Records representative James Bishop backstage at The Omni

The Omni

Groove On Record shops weather the pandemic as vinyl popularity flourishes

five years.” Not only were vinyl purchases robust he added—their sale of turntables scored a five— year high.

Gunter said a good percentage of sellers are those who stored their records away for a good long while, with many of them now downsizing. Rock is their biggest category.

At Criminal Records in Little Five Points, you’ll find folks like Sean Zearfoss. No greybeard, he’s in his mid-30s but loves vinyl and is firmly in the camp of those regarding it as a warmer and richer-sounding medium than digital.

“It’s kind of an experience,” he said. “Give me your best 40 minutes on a vinyl record and let’s see what you’ve got.”

By Mark Woolsey

The dark-haired young lady knew exactly what she wanted.

“What do you have by Minnie Riperton?” she asked Mark Methe, co-owner of Decatur’s Wuxtry Records.

“Come with me and I’ll show you,” said the genial, somewhat garrulous senior, leading his prospective customer through a small store that’s a riot of organized clutter, a process that rinses-and-repeats regularly.

You could say that Methe, pushing 70, has grown old in the service of vinyl, with his store having opened in 1978.

Wuxtry is one of a half-dozen or so Intown independent spots specializing in vinyl, most of which have been around since the heyday of arena rock and disco. The mainly modest enterprises have been subject to two centers of gravity pulling them in different directions. One is the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to multimonth closures (except for online and curbside service in some cases) last spring. The other is increasing interest in vinyl, with healthy pressings of new product as well as re-issues from the days when CDs ruled the musical roost and pressings were an afterthought. Think albums like Nirvana’s “Nevermind.”

It’s made for a roller coaster ride akin to watching the gyrations of a long-neglected and warped album.

There’s Methe, who at one

point used the term “scraping by” and points out “I never went to business school” while allowing that between his store and another location in Athens, they did about a million dollars’ worth of sales in 2020.

He adds that they were closed for a couple of months during the first wave of the pandemic but that Christmas brought them a burst of sales. There are some numbers that pump up the volume on that last assertion.

Billboard magazine, quoting Nielsen Music/MRC Data, says a record 1,842,000 records were sold in the week ending Dec. 24, buoyed by Christmas sales and easily eclipsing compact discs. That’s the highest number since Nielsen began tracking vinyl sales in 1991. The website Statista quotes Nielsen as saying vinyl sales grew for the 14th consecutive year in 2020.

On the less rosy side, Wax’ n’ Facts, a longtimer in Little Five Points, closed for almost three months and resorted to a GoFundMe campaign which raised some $12,000 to stay afloat and cover employees lost wages. The store is also only open half its former hours and had to let a parttimer go.

But not all of the previously pandemic-darkened stores are on an equal footing.

Open since 1976, Buckhead mainstay Fantasyland Records has seen vinyl sales rise considerably, especially that of new product, despite their spring in the

wilderness.

“I would say for us it probably goes up 10% each year,” said longtime manager (since 1981) Mark Gunter, including 2020 in that skein. “We’ve been busier than ever since we reopened in mid-May. And we probably had our best in December in the past

Zearfoss explained that “We’ve sold a lot of hip-hop and R&B in part, I think, because Atlanta really is a hip-hop town.” Childish Gambino’s “Awaken, my Love!” is the top seller in that space, he noted.

Other stores said they’re sending customers out the door with plenty of Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar albums and that with their status as local icons, it’s hard to keep anything by Outkast in stock.

But rock and classic rock is still

Wuxtry Records in Decatur

Wax ‘n Facts in Little Five Points

a mainstay of theirs, said Zearfoss. “We still sell plenty of Eagles and Fleetwood Mac.” Jazz, soul, world music and country are also wellrepresented in the spacious, wellorganized store.

Fans of those classics – both young and old – are among those re-upping on vinyl, said Methe at Wuxtry.

“Every week I hear a sob story from someone saying they sold their record collection in 1987 and now that stuff is hard to find.”

Re-issues of albums from the tail end of the 80s to the mid aughts – the vinyl dead zone –seem to be helping to fill that gap. And then there are others of a certain age who simply never stopped opening their wallets for vinyl.

Another significant buyer demo: much younger folks who have embraced vinyl and snap up product from current performers as well as those already-mentioned re-issues and even classic rock. Nobody’s blinking when someone totes both Imagine Dragons and David Bowie to the checkout counter. And there are the hardcore collectors methodically

perusing the bins, their narrowed eyes missing nothing.

Co-owner Harry DeMille at Wax ‘n’ Facts has seen a plethora of them over the years.

“I can’t stress the avid nature of the collector enough. Some of them told me they all but died when we closed down for a few months,” he said.

He said some of them are not just serious “vinylphiles” but also canny collectors who mimic some coin and stamp enthusiasts.

“If they see something that’s desirable and even if they have five copies of it already they’ll go ahead and get another to use as ‘trade bait’, DeMille explained.

At Decatur’s Ella Guru record shop owner Don Radcliffe weighed in with “We all have our favorites we try to force on our customers. That’s my favorite part of the job. Everyone who works in a record store wants to do that.”

Despite COVID, Radcliffe said he saw heightened demand and overall “decent “sales this year at his cubbyhole spot.

There are other hopeful signs, with, believe it or not, the pandemic getting some credit.

Music purveyors think that with many restaurants limited to curb service and takeout and movie theaters shut down, a visit to a music store has become an attractive and relatively safeseeming-outing.

“I never have enough of the most popular stuff,” is how Radcliffe put it.

But Wax ‘n’ Facts’ Demille puts his finger on the groove of a couple

of countervailing factors. “Customers that I have had for many years – and we’ve been here 44 – some of those longtime collectors have literally died. And I’m not sure that they’ve been replaced. Plus, the new stuff is phenomenally expensive. It’s a lot easier to sell five $5 records than one $25 record.”

Ella Guru in Decatur

Lifespan throws seniors a digital lifesaver

When Tony Lazzaro, Beth Micek and Jeanne Merritt join their friends from Lifespan Atlanta on a morning Zoom videoconference to share coffee and conversation, it’s their opportunity to share what’s happening in their lives before they scatter in cyberspace for the rest of the day’s activities. It’s all been made possible by Lifespan Resources Atlanta and the dedication of its executive director, Peggy Palmiter.

For seniors driven inside and mostly confined to a solitary existence by the COVID-19 pandemic, morning Zoom gatherings and a variety of online classes – including those taught by Peggy on using technology – have been a lifesaver. All three made the characterization in unison during –what else? – a Zoom conference.

Lifespan, a nonprofit, was established in Atlanta in 1981 as a physical space for seniors to gather to talk and learn together. Headquartered in Buckhead, it later joined forces with Agape, a non-profit whose core mission is serving disadvantaged children in south Fulton with educational programs.

person gathering,” she said. “We spent the next month trying to get people connected online.”

[Full disclosure: I work with Lifespan to meet their clients’ technology hardware needs. I got involved by finding the required hardware, mostly refurbished laptop computers. The acquisitions were made possible by an extensive fund-raising effort to help those who couldn’t afford new or suitable technology.]

Getting suitable hardware for her clients was necessary to train the seniors to get them online.

belief that getting online is a huge barrier to get over, but we can get them over that. I know how to talk to them about technology and how to adapt to their fears and capabilities. That’s something their grandchildren or children either can’t do or don’t have the patience to do.”

to get some people really going, they’re willing to tolerate all the glitches to do it. We even have a group of 10 people who meet online to play Bingo on their tablets.”

Gene Rubel the Digital Device Doctor, cures digital anxiety for seniors and home/home-office users. A graduate of Harvard Business School, “Doctor Gene” spent more than 30 years in international business. He can be reached at generubel@gmail.com.

Lifespan began providing technology education to their small senior program called Ragtime. Whether in person or online, Lifespan promotes lifelong learning, something to which I’ve always ascribed as a fellow senior who wants to maintain my vigor.

When the pandemic hit a year ago, Lifespan’s client rolls dropped from a peak of 85 between Lifespan and Agape to about 40 (30 in online classes and 10 at Agape Zoom classes), but Palmiter embraced a new online strategy to fulfill Lifespan Resources’ mission to build communities that welcome seniors as they age. To make the strategy a success, she drew on her 15 years of experience in teaching seniors how to use technology.

“March 7, 2020, was our last in-

“Older people tend to hang onto their equipment longer because it does the job and they don’t want to change,” she said. “But connecting to the internet for more than email or web browsing required a certain level of capability by a computer or a tablet. For those who could afford it, we found a source of refurbished laptops that had been used for business and we got tablets: iPads for those who could afford them and Samsung tablets for others.”

Once she got the hardware, Palmiter loaded the required application software and formatted the devices for Zoom and Gmail accounts.

“We found that was the best way to get them started,” she noted. “We were able – and still are able – to use Splashtop, an application that enables us to work their devices remotely and show them how to get on a Zoom conference. We can do it as many times as they need it, and for some people, it’s like starting from scratch every Monday morning.”

With the right equipment and tools, Palmiter can do what does best: teach each person technology individually at his or her own level.

“Seniors have a resiliency they didn’t know they had,” she said. “There is fear or a sense of

Indeed, that was the problem Jeanne Merritt faced. Technology wasn’t foreign to her, but in the 31 years since she retired as a medical technologist for a lab, she was “stuck” with email. She got a new computer, but three people couldn’t help her get set up until she worked with Palmiter to get her system issues solved and get on track with Zoom.

“After getting Zoom, I was able to expand my contact with other people,” Merritt said. “I’m able to visit with friends in England, although we mostly use Skype instead of Zoom.”

Tony Lazzaro calls Merritt his hero and inspiration for using Zoom to stay in touch with others and to take Lifespan’s online courses.

“Being online prevents loneliness,” he said. “I’m by myself. I’ve had technology in my life and could always do things on a computer, but with Peggy and Lifespan, I can always ask technical questions and overcome any problems with adapting.”

Beth Micek, who taught college math for eight years and then spent the rest of her career as a systems analyst for mainframe computers, has used Lifespan to adapt to laptop computing. “Mainframes are a totally different world,” she said, “but Peggy held my hand to learn how to do what I needed, and we got my sister into Zoom, too.”

Handholding is the key. With everyone’s stick-to-itiveness, Palmiter is able to guide groups through their in-session difficulties during a Zoom session, regardless of whether they’re using a computer, iPad or Samsung tablet or an iPhone or Android-based phone.

“The need to connect has motivated seniors to get online,” she said. “They’re desperate to know technology to avoid isolation and depression. Even though it can take up to six weeks

But more than just visiting and playing games, Lifespan’s clients are using technology to take a variety of courses or view presentations and movies online. This winter’s classes have included both Windows and Apple technology taught by Palmiter, a 30-part presentation on the U.S. National Parks, a course about the BeltLine and instruction on Tai Chi and line dancing. There’s also a series on classic movies. While lifespan has offered other services, the educational program has always been its core mission. Classes are open to any older adult over 55 without a membership requirement. The cost for an eight-week class session is $50 for a single class, $59 for any and all non-activity classes during the session, and $84 for any class, anytime during the eight weeks.

Classes used to be held every Thursday for eight weeks. Now that we are virtual on Zoom, classes are scheduled throughout the week. Visit lifespanatlanra.org for all the details.

Tony and Jeanne both applaud the online learning classes, and Beth has used her newly discovered online skills to participate with her family in a product called StoryWorth, in which people are asked to answer a weekly question and then build a book online during the year. She collaborates with her sister online, and this helps keep their memories sharp. At the end of the year, they can purchase a printed version of their books.

“We haven’t stopped learning,” Tony said.

“Their willingness to keep on trying helps their mental acuity,” Palmiter said.

That’s why Lifespan’s fans say Palmiter and Lifespan Resources have thrown them a digital lifesaver.

For more: lifespanatlanta.org or 404-237-7307

Do COVID-19 bonuses count toward Social Security’s earnings limit?

Dear Rusty

I’m 63 and still working, and I receive Social Security benefits. Because of COVID-19, my employer has been giving us a $300 bonus, every 3 months. This will be $1,200 for the year and it will put me over the $18,240 earnings limit for this year.

My question is, since these bonuses are COVID-19 related are they still considered earned income?

My second question is, if I go over the limit does Social Security stop my check, even if it might be a portion of the check?

Working During Covid-19 Dear Working:

Whether your 2020 earnings (and those bonuses) put you over the annual earnings limit will depend upon how the bonuses are reported on your Federal income tax return (or your W-2, if you aren’t required to file). Your employer will send your W-2 earnings to the IRS which will, in turn, inform Social Security of your earnings. Social Security compares your 2020 W-2 earnings to the earnings limit to see if you exceeded the allowable limit.

In other words, how your employer defines those COVID-19 bonuses and reports them to the IRS determines whether SS will count them toward the earnings limit. You should check with your employer’s Human Resources department to see if your COVID-19 bonuses will be considered as taxable earnings reportable on your W-2.

If you exceed the limit, and you don’t inform Social Security in advance that you did, they won’t know about it until they receive your W-2 information from the IRS (sometime next year, after you file your income taxes). They will then send you a notification that you exceeded the limit and tell you how much

you owe them, and they will want to recover $1 for every $2 you are over the limit (half of what you exceed the limit by).

They’ll give you the option to repay what they consider to be an overpayment in one lump sum, request a repayment plan or to have your benefits withheld for as many months as it takes for them to recover what you owe. Note they only withhold full months of benefits, not partial, so you could go several months without collecting any SS benefits until they recover what is owed.

The money they withhold because you exceeded the limit

is not lost forever, because when you reach your full retirement age (66 ½ if you turned 63 in 2020) they will give you time credit for any months they withheld benefits. That means they will move your effective claim date forward by the number of months benefits were withheld, which will result in a small increase in your benefit amount.

But you’ll get that higher benefit for the rest of your life, enabling you to eventually recover the money they withheld because you exceeded the limit. And for information, during the year you reach your full retirement age, the limit goes up and the penalty is less, and once you reach your FRA there is no longer a limit to how much you can earn while collecting benefits.

This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity. To submit a question, visit our website (amacfoundation.org/programs/ social-security-advisory) or email us at ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

About AMAC

The 2.3 million member Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] www.amac.us is a conservative advocacy organization founded in 2007 that represents its membership in the nation’s capital and in local Congressional Districts throughout the country. The AMAC Foundation (www.AmacFoundation.org) is the Association’s non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and educating America’s Seniors.

living

than ever.

Russell Gloor is a certified Social Security advisor with the Association of Mature American Citizens

We’re still here despite the pandemic, tie-dye and ruffled shirts

I know what you’re thinking. 2021 was going to be a magic beginning and all of the bruha-ha of 2020 would fade like a bad dream. Yet here we are in March, celebrating the first anniversary of COVID-19, which is like celebrating the month you learned you had hemorrhoids. Yea!

We’ve turned a year older and I believe a year wiser, but at times, I think I’m surrounded by those who got stuck along the way. I get irritated at those who don’t wear masks in public places. There’s no argument that a mask helps slow the spread of germs and bacteria, so wear one. Also, stores need to mandate it. I know that hard core (idiots) will go somewhere else to shop, but I think their numbers are small. We have to get some tough love going here, and do you know why?

STAY SAFE

dimensional cardboard figure behind home plate, and believe me, those behind-home-plate seats were awesome, but they figured me out when I tried to order a beer for me and Cardboard Chipper Jones sitting next to me. So, for the sake of baseball, wear the mask. What about crime related to the Coronavirus?

skepticism until proven otherwise, like a father on his daughter’s first date, only without the firearm.

of this past year, but let’s just say there is a lot of work to be done.

Steve Rose is a retired Sandy Springs Police Captain, veteran Fulton County police officer and freelance writer. He is the author the book “Why Do My Mystic Journeys Always Lead to the Waffle House?” and the column

“View from a Cop.”

That depends on whom you ask. Overall, crime numbers are down nationally, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, but they don’t specifically address crime related to the virus.

Unfortunately, violent crime rose, according to the statistics in the first six months of 2020. Some of that could be related to COVID-19 but most? Probably not. Atlanta’s violent crimes, specifically homicides and aggravated assaults have spiked, but I think the reasons are beyond blaming COVID-19, and more towards traditional reasons, such as drugs, alcohol, dysfunctional families and a dozen other reasons. You still want to defund the police? Look at Portland. It’s like a Mad Max movie. No thanks. Let’s stop all this nonsense about defunding and deal with problems like adults.

But let’s remember who we are. We are not millennials who feel “getting involved” is tweeting an opinion. We’ve been there.

We were under our desks when the Russians were going to bomb us and we had bicycles with banana seats, butterfly handlebars, no helmets and (gasp) no Spandex. Guys had “Butch Wax” to keep that little wall of hair thing up in the front.

Baseball.

I love baseball and I can’t go to the games if COVID-19 continues to spread. Sure, I tried to fake it as a one-

Obviously, the favorite choice of crime related to the virus would be fraud. Fraudulent claims and hundreds of websites taunting wonder drugs, vaccines, and antibodies surfaced almost immediately, but the advice now, as it was then, is to check and double-check the websites offering these wonderful things. Look for FDA-approved sites and proceed with extreme

What about the vaccine? That is the talk of the town, other than the Kim Kardashian divorce. If you have not tried to get on one of the vaccine lists, keep trying.

Honestly, 2020 was just plain weird. Politics hit an all-time low with political ads striving to see who could punch the furthest below the belt. It was like a bad reality show. I can’t talk about the “social unrest” without giving some heavy personal opinions on the events

We had proms to which real men wore ruffles so large that a decent breeze would flutter us to death. We drove to school in Chevy Chevelle SS’s with dual-quads and semi-overhead lifters, not to mention the Highjacker Bumper Bunnies. (Look it up, Chad.)

We had hippies and original tie-dye T-shirts made by certified hippies. You think this is bad? We had Charles Manson, Vietnam, and worst of all, we had disco.

So, the moral of the story is this, as bad as it has been this past year, it’s been worse and we’re still here. We’ll make it work somehow.

Talk radio led Martha Zoller to a career in politics and commentary

Atlanta native and University of Georgia Grady School of Journalism graduate Martha Zoller was a stay-at-home mom when she landed a political-talk gig with WDUN radio in Gainesville in 1994. She parlayed her conservative Republican take on all things political and societal into other radio talk-show jobs that led to state-wide syndication.

Zoller has served as a panelist on Fox 5’s “The Georgia Gang” and jumped into the national spotlight with appearances on CNN, FNC and MSNBC, among others. She’s done more than just talk about politics. She ran unsuccessfully on the GOP ticket for Congress in the then-new 9th Congressional District of Georgia in 2011-2012 (Zoller lost in the runoff). She also served in staff jobs for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue. In 2016, she went back to college and at 61, thinks she may be into her last semester.

ASL contributor Mark Woolsey caught up with her on a recent busy afternoon.

Q. What drew you into politics and political discourse?

A. I grew up in Atlanta and we talked about politics at the dinner table. My father had been a POW in World War II and he thought it was important for us to understand the way the world worked, that there were values and you had to fight for them. I was very young when [Martin Luther King Jr.] and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated in 1968. I was very impacted like that and wanted to be involved.

Q. You had worked doing some radio in college. What got you back into that business?

A. I started doing radio because I was a caller into a radio show (at WDUN in Gainesville) and Jacobs Media invited me to come in a couple of days a week and that became three, then four, then five. It was a natural progression.

Q. Along the way there was also a switch to the GOP, correct?

A. I voted Democratic until about 1988, and that was a turning point for me. The Democratic National Convention was in Atlanta that year and I saw all these people bashing capitalism and saying the country was so bad and I said, “I don’t need to be here. This party doesn’t reflect my values.” And they are still talking about how bad things are instead of how to build things. As for Republicans, I think we aren’t messaging effectively. We need to be talking about the things that unite us.

Q. What’s your take on the current political situation?

A. [For the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoffs] in Georgia, a half-million Republicans stayed home and 150,000 Democrats sat out compared to [the general election on] Nov. 3. The Republicans stayed home because they were disenchanted with the election process and they were given the message of “get out and vote, but it might not count.” That was a case of mixed messages and what we need is clear messaging.

Where we are right now is that some people feel they’re more powerful if they’re not participating, and that’s concerning because you don’t want people to not participate in the process. My dad used to say if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.

Q. To what do you ascribe your becoming a national political commentator?

A. [24-hour news days] are a double-edged sword. It means there’s a lot of time to fill and a lot of times first reports are not accurate. But also, with a 24-hour news cycle, there are a lot

more voices out there and that’s a very positive thing. Without that cycle, I don’t think a woman from Gainesville Georgia would have made hundreds of appearances on television.

Q. What convinced you to go back to school?

A. I have always wanted to go back to school, but life got in the way. When my children got out of college, I decided I didn’t want to sit at home watching TV at night. I started my graduate process in 2016 and I am getting a political science master’s degree in American politics. I love it because you get to be with a bunch of 25-year-olds.

And a lot of times they don’t know what to think because I’m probably the most conservative person they’ve ever met. I don’t know if I’ve changed any of their minds, but now I think they consider other points of view.

Q. How do you plan to make use of your master’s degree?

A. I wanted the degree so I can do some adjunct teaching in American politics. You need the degree to be able to do that and I really think Politics 101 classes need to be taught by some conservatives. There aren’t enough conservatives to teach those kinds of introductory courses and I think that viewpoint needs to be brought in. I do think the student base -- especially students who have stayed in college because of the recession -- are a little liberal about their viewpoints and they don’t get challenged very often.

In January of 2017, I started a class on the American presidency. I told them I was Martha Zoller and I work for Senator Perdue. I told them I was glad Hilary Clinton lost because my dad always told me I was going to be the first woman president, and that’s still possible. That broke the tension.

“It is time to get back to old style medicine where a board certified orthopedist sees you, evaluates you, and cares for you.”

- Dan Richin & Dr. Paul Richin, MD

Getting outside

▲Atlanta Blooms!, the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s annual explosion of color, opens March 1 and continues through April 30. The annual display includes thousands of blooming tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths. At the garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE. Tickets to the garden cost $21.95 for adults, $18.95 for children aged 3-12. For more, including information on peak bloom times: atlantabg.org

▲The Peachtree Road Farmers Market opens March 6 for its 2021 season. It is scheduled to operate through Dec. 18. The market, open from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturdays, is based at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta. Masks and social distancing from other customers are required. For more: peachtreeroadfarmersmarket. com.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center’s Nature Club meets March 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the CNC, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. No potluck supper due to the pandemic, but a presentation on the natural world is to begin at 7:30 p.m. Attendance is being limited to 30 people, aged 16 and older. Admission cost $10, or $5 for CNC members. Advanced registration required. For more: www.chattnaturecenter.org.

▲Through May 9, Fernbank Museum hosts more than 200 artifacts coupled with immersive and interactive displays to present what it calls one of the largest exhibits about the Maya ever displayed in the U.S. “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed” offers hands-on activities and explorations of Maya art, architecture and beliefs, including concepts of death and rebirth. Admission is included with admission to the museum, located at 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta. Tickets to the museum cost $20 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children. Timed tickets are required. For more: FernbankMuseum.org.

@AtlantaIntown on Instagram Facebook &

Staying inside

Theatrical Outfit opens its spring season March 2 with a filmed performance of “The Catastrophist,” a new play by Lauren Gunderson. The play is based on the work of virologist Nathan Wolfe, who was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Influential People in the World for his work tracking Ebola and swine flu and also happens to be the playwright’s husband. Performances stream through March 21. Tickets cost $34.80 for a family, $23.20 for an adult and $11.60 for a student. For information: theatricaloutfit.org or 678528-1500.

The Spruill Center for the Arts Guild holds Artistic Affair, its annual fundraiser for the arts center in Dunwoody, as a virtual event on March 20. The center promises raffles, a silent auction, live music, and art demonstrations. The event is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more: spruillarts. org.

On March 7, North Fulton Master Gardener Katherine Coppedge leads a virtual stroll through the John Ripley Forbes Big Trees Preserve, a 30-acre, oldgrowth forest in Sandy Springs that is the legacy of Forbes, a nationally known preservationist. The webinar begins at 2 p.m. To register: https:// us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7Z1-DVFWS16gd4v8WBFCGw