The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
March 2015
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BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Contents
March 2015
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Volume 5 Issue 9
Carl Bard
Humor Advice Health Community
Thought Relationships Taste Inspiration
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C.S. Lewis
3 Jackson Hospital’s Health News 6 Publisher’s Letter 8 Exercise and Dementia Leigh Anne Richards 10 Seasons Change! Are You Ready? with Brandt McDonald 12 When Dinosaurs Roamed: Wetumpka Impact Crater 16 BOOM! Cover Profile
page 32
Features
20 Legacy Videos
The best way to share after your gone
Departments 12 This and That
Now You’re “In the Know”
28 Silver Skaters
32 ‘DRESSING DOWNTON’
Senior Women Ice Hockey.
Bucket List Adventure: at The Biltmore House
44 {12} Things
Solutions for Bored Boomers
46 Greg Budell
MIRACLES
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22 Let’s talk about lips: Pucker Up! Dr. Michael Bowman 25 Couple copes with earlyonset Alzheimer’s disease 26 Know When to Hold ‘Em Ask an Elder Law Attorney 30 Having a Hearing Screening May Just Help Your Heart 35 Gallery One Fine Art Anne Wilson Goldthwaite 37 Ask Nancy: Caring for Aging Relatives 39 Dating Advice: being an alpha female doesn’t work 40 Super Smoothies Tips with Tracy Bhalla
COVER PROFILE
41 “We Wish We Had Known About Hospice Sooner…”
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page 12 page 39
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BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, 6398 Eastwood Glen Pl., Montgomery, AL 36117. The phone number for voice and fax is 334.523.9510. Copyright 2015 by River Region Publications. No part of this publication can be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Opinions expressed in BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the owners, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products and services herein.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
March 2015
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Publisher’s Letter
We Share Stories People over the age of 50 are worth more, wouldn’t you agree? I thought so. But why are they worth more? You could say they’re worth more because they have accumulated more wealth because they’ve had more time to do it. They’re worth more because they exhibit more wisdom in their life choices because they’ve had time to reflect on their past choices. They’re certainly worth more to their Grandkids because we all know Grandkids get way more stuff from Grandparents then they ought to. But for me, people over the age of 50 are worth more because of their stories.
The mission of BOOM! is to serve the folks of the River Region age 50 plus with information and ideas to inspire new experiences, better quality of life and new beginnings.
Publisher/Editor
Jim Watson, 334.523.9510 jim@riverregionboom.com
Associate Editor
I have published 55 issues of BOOM! and in each one of them we featured a person on our cover who was willing to share their stories with the River Region’s 50+ Community. It is a privilege to share these stories each month because sharing stories is how we all get to know one another and connect as a community. Each of you is a valuable part of our effort to build the BOOM! Community. Thanks. Jim Watson, Publisher
Kelly Watson
kelly@riverregionboom.com
Contributing Writers Sandi Aplin Margaret Barber Tracy Bhalla Dr. Michael Bowman Greg Budell
This month’s issue includes another wonderful Cover Profile with a terrific story to share. Her name is Margaret Barber and she is an artist, actually, a potter. One of her true heart tugs is her work on the Empty Bowls Fundraiser which happens this month on Thursday the 19th at First Baptist Church Downtown Montgomery from 11-1 pm. I hope you can support Margaret’s efforts and the Montgomery Area Food Bank for this worthy cause. There’s plenty more to her story, especially her hiking experiences, so take a few minutes and get to know her, it’ll be fun!
Diane Cole Lisa Copeland Erica Curless Karen Garloch Brandt McDonald Leigh Anne Richards Katie Slade Brittany Spahr Nancy Stein Raley L. Wiggins Kathy Witt
Kathy Witt returns with a Downton Abbey twist in her Bucket List Adventures. We offer dating advice for “Alpha Females” which I didn’t know existed until now. Greg Budell shares about the miracles of our lives today and yesterday. We also have a new column for caring for aging parents called Ask Nancy. Let me know what you think, I know it’s a very important part of many of your lives.
Cover Photography Kim Bethea The Studio @ EastChase
thestudioateastchase@gmail.com
www.thestudioateastchase.com 334.239.3196
I hope you’ll find plenty more value as you read through this month’s issue, I’ve been told many times, it’s the best reading experience for the 50 + community in the River Region and we will strive to make it so. Please continue sharing, I love to listen. And if you’re going to spend some money please consider our advertisers, they value each of you and will work very hard to serve your needs. Remember, you can read and share the Digital & Interactive BOOM! online at RiverRegionBoom.com. Thanks again for being part of our BOOM! Community and allowing us to share stories with you.
Advertising
Jim
Jim Watson, 334.523.9510 jim@riverregionboom.com
jim@riverregionboom.com 334.324.3472 cell/text 334.523.9510 office
Design & Layout Lake House Graphics
DIGITAL and INTERACTIVE?
Distribution
Network Delivery
Printing Publications Press, Montgomery, AL 334.244.0436
When you read the Digital version of BOOM! at
RiverRegionBoom.com, you will be interactive with every website and email in the magazine. You can click through to your favorite advertiser’s website or send them an email
Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!
requesting more info. You will also learn more from our articles because if there’s more information to learn you can click the link and go learn more! “The best reading experience for the 50+ community”
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Exercise and Dementia Leading a physically active lifestyle has a significant impact on well- being. Exercise is beneficial for our physical and mental health. We have spent many articles discussing all the benefits of physical activity but this month I want to focus on a major study that has recently come out on reducing the chance of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease through exercise. As we are aging we seem to hear more and more people having dementia. You may be a person diagnosed yourself. What are some of the things that we can do to prevent it or even slow it down? The research by Cambridge University says one in three cases can be prevented by increased activity levels, a reduction in smoking and tackling health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Just one hour’s exercise a week can reduce the chance of Alzheimer’s disease by almost half, according to this landmark study. The study published in Lancet Neurologythe first to quantify the combined impact of lifestyle factors influencing dementiaidentifies exercise as the most significant protection against the condition. Those who did not achieve three 20 minute bursts of vigorous exercise per week, such as jogging/ running, or five 30 minute moderate activity sessions such as walking were 82% more likely to develop dementia. Obesity in mid- life increased the risks of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease by 60%, while high blood pressure raised the threat by 61%, the analysis found. Smoking was found to increase the risks by 59%, while those with diabetes were 46% more likely to develop dementia Interestingly, the major study follows growing evidence that efforts to maintain a healthy heart also protect against dementia. Reduced blood flow to the heart- caused by poor diet or lack of exercise can reduce
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blood flow to the brain. The research published by Cambridge Institute of Public Health concluded that one in three cases of dementia could be avoided with changes in lifestyle. Lead author Professor Brayne, from the University said: “Although there is no single way to prevent dementia, we may be able to take steps to reduce our
Fitness over Fifty by Leigh Anne Richards
risk of developing dementia in our older ages. Simply tackling physical inactivity for example will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia as well as being healthier in old age- it’s a winwin situation.” One in three people will develop dementia in their lifetime, and a rapidly ageing population means that the numbers are forecast to double within two decades. Researchers estimated that by reducing the relative risk posed by each lifestyle factor by just ten percent, it would be possible to reduce global prevalence by 8.5% by 2050. Dr. Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer’s society said. “This valuable study adds to a growing body of evidence strongly suggesting that simple lifestyle changes can help lower our risk of developing dementia. What is good for your heart is good for your head and there are simple things you can start doing now to reduce your risk of developing dementia. Regular exercise is a good place to start as well as avoid smoking and eating a Mediterranean diet.” The following is taken from the Help Guide on Alzheimer’s and Disease Prevention Pillar #1- Regular Exercise • Aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five times per week- walking, swimming or any activity that gets your
heart rate up. Even routine activities such as gardening and cleaning count as exercise. • Build muscle to pump up your brainModerate levels of resistance training not only increases muscle mass , but helps maintain brain health. For those over 65, adding 2-3 strength sessions to your weekly routine may cut your risk of Alzheimer’s in half • Include balance and coordination exercises. Head injuries from falls are increasing as we get older, which in turn increase your risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s. Balance and coordination exercises can help “prevent spills.” Try yoga or Tai Chi. • Stick with it for at least 28 days to become a habit. Then it will be a natural part of your daily routine and a habit that makes you feel so much better while releasing those feel good endorphins. If you are in the early stages of dementia exercise is also very beneficial for all the same reasons. Gardening, music and dance along with swimming, walking and Tai chi are also recommended. Seated exercises are less strenuous than a standing position but they are still beneficial to maintain muscle strength. Some examples of seated exercises can include: • Marching • Turning the body from side to side • Raising the heels and toes • Bending the arms • Bending the legs • Clapping under the legs • Bicycling the legs • Making circles with the arms • Raising the opposite arm and leg • Practicing moving from sitting to standing. The key for us all is movement. Physical activity creates valuable opportunities to help maintain well- being for as long as possible. Get out of the chair and off the sofa and stimulate your brain by being active Info taken from: Health news on Exercise and Dementia Alzheimer’s Society Leigh Anne Richards, MEd, Certified Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, General ManagerMetroFitness. For any questions or comments, contact Leigh Anne at LAMetrofit@aol.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Seasons Change! Are You Ready? As we reach new market highs, I am heartened by the fact that so many have been able to recover from the financial crisis of 2008-2009. Call it what you will. But at times like these, when so much money has been piled into one side of the boat. When valuations of stock indexes are the highest they have been in 40 years, minus the tech bubble of 2000. When I see the myriad of events occurring around the world today. When I see it in its totality! That’s when my twenty six years’ experience of managing money triggers a healthy awareness of risk management.
miles away. Unfortunately, there are always a select few who find themselves in the destructive path of a raging storm. Preparedness is the only chance for survival. The saying goes “it’s always calmest, right before the storm.” In so many ways, global financial markets are very much like the weather – fickle, rapid, and sometimes violent. My team works hard every day to be the weather station of a vast and widely misunderstood with economic landscape. Brandt McDonald
If you’ve ever been in my office, you will notice two etchings that hang on my wall. The first is an original etching from the 1600’s by Bruegal, entitled “The Quarreling of the Peasants.” In this etching you see a cart of food that has been turned over and the peasants are fighting one another to get the smallest piece of food. The second etching is entitled “The Bread Line.” Standing in the line are once proud men who have been reduced to peasants themselves in some way. They wait in line for a single loaf of bread to provide daily sustenance for their family. It’s scenes like these that remind me and motivate me to do everything I can to protect that for which I have been entrusted. Historical scenes like these, real history to be learned from, is the driving force behind the methodology and processes that we employ every day at McDonald, Barranco, and Hagen, Wealth Management. We should embrace our history to prepare for our future. And like the scenes depicted in my etchings, the seasons can change unexpectedly for the worst.
While our clients are at work or at play, we know that they are counting on us to get it right. The thing that gives me comfort though is that I am supremely confident that we have brought every resource to bear at our firm – talent, technology, and the right process to completely know and understand our clients’ personal goals and objectives in life. We put our client’s through a rigorous, yet enlightening planning process that is designed to uncover the heartbeat of individual hopes and dreams. The end result is an extremely comprehensive plan that addresses assets and liabilities (balance sheet management), cash flows, insurance needs, estate planning, and investment solutions that are tailored to our client’s specific situation. In other words, we pride ourselves in building a strong foundation that is designed to weather most storms over the longterm. Our strategic, proactive money management style is designed to identify long-term storm clouds that may be approaching. We live in a new day and time - one that requires the utmost due diligence. If you are questioning your current plan. If you don’t understand exactly what you own, why you own it, and most importantly, what will happen to your plan if a storm hits, then I implore you to use this recent market strength as an opportunity to review your investments with someone
As I write this in late February, I can only envision the changes to come one month from now in late March. Local weather stations will begin discussions of weather preparedness. Tornado season will be right around the corner. Thank goodness for new weather radar technology that can pinpoint a threatening storm from
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Financial Thoughts
you highly trust and who will act as a fiduciary with nothing but your best interests in mind. Hopefully, by the time I prepare to write next month’s column, the sun will be out, the temperatures a bit warmer, and the warm weather clothes will be stashed away! We will all come out of hibernation to embrace a new season filled with new hopes, new dreams and new experiences. And, if you’re like me, we will all start our “spring cleaning!” Just don’t forget about the spring cleaning of your investment portfolio! The last etching I will mention is from 1782, entitled “The Enchanted Castle.” In it, you see a lone woman sitting in a field staring across the water at a majestic castle. I’m sure she is not ready to give up on her dreams! She is at a moment of decision – a decision that could change her life forever. She just needs a plan to get there! If you need a plan, I invite you to come visit my team and me. I’ll even show you my etchings personally. Until next time, never run with the herd, always be thankful, and look to the future with anticipation of what’s yet to come. Brandt McDonald, Managing Partner McDonald, Barranco & Hagen Wealth Management LPL Branch Manager MBCapitalWealth.com Direct comments and questions to bailey.worrell@lpl.com or 334.387.0094
Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual. The opinions expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the views of LPL Financial.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Diana Krall Diana Krall returns to UAB’s Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham on Monday, April 20th at 7 pm. She will showcase her latest album, Wallflower – a tremendously refreshing and collaborative effort that reflects Krall in a gorgeous new light. This fivetime Grammy-winning jazz pianist and vocalist is one of the most accomplished and distinctive musicians in the world today. Respected far and wide as a wildly successful recording and performing artist, Krall remains a true musical force. At any given moment she could be producing Barbra Streisand’s new album, serving as musical director/arranger for Paul McCartney, or hitting the road for a good cause with Neil Young. Krall has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist of the last 30 years, establishing herself as one of the most beloved performers of her generation, one whose recordings thus far have earned her nine gold, three platinum and seven multi-platinum albums. For more info visit alysstephens.org
When Dinosaurs Roamed: The Wetumpka Impact Crater, through April 18th The Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery in conjunction with the Wetumpka Crater Commission will present the exhibition: When Dinosaurs roamed: the Wetumpka Impact Crater. The multifaceted exhibition will include work by professional paleoartists Karen Carr of new Mexico, Jonathon Hughes of Thailand, rick Spears of Georgia, Jerry armstrong of Georgia and Ashere Eilben, a recent graduate of the university of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Other professional artists will include Wayne Atchison of Titus, Alabama. The KFMG is located at 408 South Main Street, Wetumpka. for more info visit KFMG-online.org or e-mail at: info@KFMG-online.org, phone: 334.567.5147
Cancer Wellness Presents Paul Finebaum The Cancer Wellness Foundation Presents Paul Finebaum at 7 pm, Friday, March 13 in Wesley Hall at Frazer United Methodist Church in Montgomery. The Orlando Sentinel named him one of the SEC’s 10 most powerful people. Sports Illustrated recently named him among the 20 most influential people nationally in sports media. Finebaum joined ESPN in 2013 and became a regular on programs ranging from SportsCenter, College Football Live, Olbermann and College GameDay. Finebaum currently hosts a daily radio show on ESPN radio and is syndicated throughout the nation. His program also appears on the new SEC ESPN television network. For more info and tickets visit cancerwellnessfoundation.org
FREE Estate Planning and Asset Protection Workshop Wednesday, March 25: Hosted by Red Oak Legal, PC: 1:30 - 3:30 pm at the Archibald Senior Center (MACOA) in Montgomery. This educational workshop presented by local attorney Raley L. Wiggins covers wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, living wills, probate administration, protecting assets from creditors, bankruptcy, divorce and remarriage, nursing homes, long-term care and Medicaid qualification. Registration is required. Call 334.625.6774 today to reserve your seat or register online at www.redoaklegalpc.com.
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BOOMERS, share your stuff with BOOM! We Love to Bring BOOMERS Together, send info and pics to jim@riverregionboom.com
Send Your Grandchild to MANE for Horsey Fun This Summer! MANE’s annual Unified Summer Camp allows riders with disabilities as well as able-bodied riders to learn about adaptive activities, acceptance, and horses! MANE’s Unified Summer Camp program encourages the sport of riding and horsemanship in a safe setting for all children of the Tri-County Area. REGISTER NOW! Classes are conducted daily, Monday through Friday, from 9 AM. to 12 noon, and will be held the weeks of July 13-17, July 20-24, and July 27- 31. Each week concludes with a horse show so that all participants can show off their new skills to friends and family. Tuition is $250 per week per rider. Families receive a $25 discount when you sign up multiple riders or multiple weeks. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis and there is a 12-rider limit per week. MANE must receive all mandatory paperwork and registration fees for a camper’s slot to be reserved. Applications will not be accepted after June 19, 2015. For more information, please contact MANE at 334.213.0909 or online at maneweb.org
Do You Know Wine? Here are some wine facts and did-you-knows guaranteed to impress your fellow wine lovers... • In 1801, Thomas Jefferson spent 12% of his $25,000 Presidential salary on wine. • There are over 5,000 wine grape varieties in the world—many of which have multiple names. • The Book of Jonah is the only book in the Old Testament that contains no reference to wine or the vine.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
• The Romans mixed lead with wine to improve preservation, flavor, and texture. Unfortunately, lead is poisonous. • Of the wine sold in restaurants, 55% is red wine. • Red wine becomes lighter in color as it ages, but white wine becomes darker. • There are more chemical compounds in wine than in blood.
• There are about 44 million bubbles in a bottle of sparkling wine. • 90% of wine produced in America comes from California. • And finally, a Latin proverb: “It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend; one’s present or future thirst; the excellence of the wine; or any other reason.” bottlenotes.com
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Hospice of Montgomery will host its Hittin’ for Hospice Tennis Tournament Hospice of Montgomery will host its Hittin’ for Hospice Tennis Tournament on Thursday, March 12, 2015 at Montgomery Country Club, 8:30 a.m.-Noon. The 5th annual tournament will bring new dimensions this year. Players can register as an individual or a team, but pairings will be by USTA rating and 1st and 2nd place will be recognized for 3 separate levels. Participation in the Hittin’ for Hospice Tennis Tournament supports Hospice of Montgomery, which is Montgomery’s ONLY independent, nonprofit hospice provider in the River Region. Funds will provide counseling and bereavement services to families, community education seminars, and care for terminally ill patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Cost is $100 Team of 2/$50.00 Individual and includes continental breakfast, lunch, individual player gift and fabulous prizes. Need a second chance? Tennis Mulligans will be available for purchase. Everyone who buys a mulligan will be entered into a drawing to win a Wilson racquet! Reservations are required. Register at hospiceofmontgomery.org or at Montgomery Country Club 334.263.3213.
International Services Council of Alabama to honor Professor James Nathan The International Services Council of Alabama has named Auburn Montgomery Professor James Nathan Citizen Diplomat of the Year. Nathan, Khalid Bin Sultan Eminent Scholar in Political Science and International Policy at AUM, will be honored at the ISC’s 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner. “Dr. Nathan was selected as our Citizen Diplomat of the Year because of his personal and professional commitment to citizen diplomacy, which is a responsibility that we all have to influence the foreign relations of the U.S., one handshake at a time,” said ISC Executive Director Jacquelyn Shipe. Nathan received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his master’s and doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. He was a career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the founding Executive Director of the Alabama World Affairs Council, one of the most successful in the country. Dr. Nathan has held senior posts at the Naval War College, the Army War College, the University of Delaware and Johns Hopkins University. He is the recipient of seven Fulbright awards. Most recently, he was Senior Distinguished Fulbright Professor at the Foreign Affairs University, Beijing. The author of seven books and numerous academic articles, Dr. Nathan has also written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Times, USA Today and other popular publications.
Work to Begin Soon at Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park Visitors to Montgomery’s Oak Park can already see some tangible signs of progress as plans for the forthcoming Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park begin to take shape. Orange protective fencing has been erected and city crews soon will begin removing several trees from the “southern garden” quadrant of the proposed gardens in preparation for landscaping. Crews will remove seven dead or decaying trees in the quadrant, including ginkgo, cherry, chestnut and sweet gum trees and one crepe myrtle. “Our volunteer board has been working diligently for several years on this project and we are excited that the public will finally see some of this hard work coming to fruition,” said gardens founder Ethel Dozier Boykin. “The trees that are being removed are dead or deteriorating, and their removal will greatly enhance the beautiful green space being planned for the gardens.” The removal of all of the trees has been coordinated with the city’s urban forester, Russell Stringer, who will direct city crews in the project. Once the trees are removed, work can begin on landscaping and planting, said landscape designer Fairlie Rinehart. Ground was broken on the gardens in 2013. Plans are for the gardens to reflect the city’s history and provide an educational green space incorporating the work of artists from around the state, featuring sections devoted to different types of flowers, including a rose garden, Alabama native plants garden, children’s garden and more. Volunteers are welcome to join the project by emailing montgomerybotanicalgardens@gmail.com or joining the gardens’ Facebook page at facebook.com/MontgomeryBotanicalGardensAtOakPark
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Ninth Annual Empty Bowls Fundraiser
Empty Bowls, a fundraiser for the Montgomery Area Food Bank, is in its 9th year! This year the EB luncheon will be held at First Baptist Church on 305 South Perry Street in Montgomery on Thursday, March 19, from 11am-1pm. Tickets are available by making a check payable to the Montgomery Area Food Bank for $25 or email: emptybowls1@gmail.com. The $25 ticket includes your choice of a handmade bowl, soup and bread, and you take the bowl home! 100% goes to the food bank...checks should be made directly to: Montgomery Area Food Bank. For more info visit montgomeryareafoodbank.org or facebook.com/pages/Montgomery-Empty-Bowls
An old man goes in to town... An old man decides to go into town one day to run some errands. On the way back, his wife calls his cell phone. “Look out honey, I just saw on the news that there’s a car driving the wrong way on the interstate.” “Not just one car, they all are!”
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Want to become a Hospice Volunteer? Hospice of Montgomery will train and support you in this rewarding journey! Contact Clara Jehle, Volunteer Coordinator at or email cjehle@hospiceofmontgomery.org.
Volunteer Open House
Thursday, March 5th, 2 sessions 10:30 - 11:30 am and 1:30 - 2:30 pm Please call 271-4924 to reserve your seat.
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BOOM! COVER PROFILE
Margaret Barber, Potter
This month’s BOOM! profile is Margaret Barber who is a local potter and the organizer of the Empty Bowls fundraiser for The Montgomery Area Food Bank. The Empty Bowls event is celebrating it’s ninth year this March and they have raised thousands of dollars for those in need. We are excited to feature Margaret because she also creates beautiful art through her pottery, which is an amazing thing when you realize her art is a very “hand crafted” piece of work. We sat down with Margaret for a little while in her studio recently and had a great time learning and appreciating what she does and who she is. We hope you enjoy getting to know Margaret as much as we have. BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e. where you’re from, education, what brought you to the Montgomery area, did you raise your family here, schools, family, etc? Margaret: I grew up in Madison, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson, but spent lots of time playing in the woods near my grandparents home. My husband, Terry, and I met our freshman year of college, and married our junior year. I graduated with a BFA from Mississippi University for Women and he from Mississippi State University in 1986. After relocating a couple times in the ‘80s, we settled in Tupelo, MS. All three boys were born in Tupelo, MS, and in 1999, we continued Terry’s (36 years this year!) radio career in the Montgomery area with a 9 year old, a 3 year old and an infant. We had no idea Montgomery would become our permanent home base. Our oldest, Peden, now 24, married Savannah Rivers in 2011,
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and they have a two year old and a baby on the way! David, 18, is about to graduate from Montgomery Catholic and attend AUM. He just completed his BSA Eagle Scout rank with Troop 8. (Many thanks to his mentors!) Michael, 16, is a sophomore at Montgomery Catholic and is my faithful hiking companion and soccer player. This summer he and I will complete the section of the Appalachian Trail to Damascus, VA. He informed me if we EVER planned to finish the AT, we would need to step it up and hike longer sections...that I wasn’t getting any younger! We have enjoyed several trails in the Lake Martin area-CRATA-Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association’s-Cherokee Ridge Trail, Deadening trail and the Smith Mtn fire tower trail, all of which are close and offer from leisurely to moderately difficult hiking opportunities. BOOM!: You’re an artist who makes beautiful pottery, how does someone become a pottery artist or should I say a potter? What makes your handmade pottery distinct? Where can readers purchase your pottery? Does anyone else in the family create pottery with you? Margaret: We were talking in the studio the other day about art and fine craft... that got me thinking. I feel that someone is artistically inclined innately. I feel that I make art...from clay instead of paint on a canvas. Some are offended if they aren’t referred to as an artist. I’ve referred to myself as a potter, a clay artist, a ceramicist...any way you slice it, if I’m using the gifts and talents I was given, then the description doesn’t matter too much.
I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands, and I questioned my decision to be a graphic designer when I realized I spent most of my waking hours in an office usually without windows. My path to ceramics was different than most-there are universities that have excellent ceramics programs, and many go on to complete their MFA and teach or have a working studio. Clay was love at first sight for me, but I was committed to graphic design, and had work study opportunities and a good beginning career in magazine production. Everywhere we lived I would find a way to barter my skills to use clay studio facilities. Terry bought me a potter’s wheel for my 30th birthday. Next came the kiln, and after attending a class or workshop every year, the work slowly started to take shape-pardon the pun! I work in stoneware, using mostly botanical or natural motifs. I carve stamps from clay and use them to decorate my pieces. Most work exhibits a bit of whimsy and loose reference to the natural world...leaves, flowers, tree bark... My work is sold locally at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art’s gift shop. Most of my work passes to buyers via art festivals or galleries/shops in the southeast. Each of my boys have tried their hands at the wheel-each have good coordination and an eye for design. Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a second generation potter, or artist, in the family. I can’t wait to get my grand baby in the studio! BOOM!: One of the River Region’s unique
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fundraising events is “Empty Bowls,” as one of the organizers please share more about the event, how it got started and the benefits to our community? When and where will this year’s “Empty Bowls” take place?
BOOM!: Many Boomers are experiencing a renewed sense of purpose, new goals, new careers, especially if they’ve experienced the empty nest syndrome. How would you describe this sense of renewal in your life? Any advice for the rest of us seeking renewal?
weekend retreat are in order. Alabama has several retreat facilities to accommodate different styles of retreat experiences. A renewed promise to ourselves to exercise or discovering a quiet path on the lake might be just what the doctor ordered! Whatever your style of respite, make that time for yourself. The wise ones I’ve watched, who seem the most content with life, take time to listen to and be kind to themselves so that in turn can be better parents, grandparents, friends or coworkers.
Margaret: Empty Margaret: Well, I think by Bowls is a national the age of 50 we, Boomers, grassroots initiative (hopefully) have matured to started by a teacher in BOOM!: Margaret, what are you most the point of putting others Michigan to encourage passionate about? Why? before ourselves in many a spirit of volunteerism ways-our children, our elderly and community Margaret: Oh goodness, passion...I’m parents, grand kids, even our involvement in his passionate about my kids and their well careers or vocations. Those high school art class. being. I’m passionate about instilling people and circumstances are While running one character, integrity and a positive work vitally important. As parents Wedding Day, Margaret and Terry morning with my ethic in my rooftop friends, we decided Montgomery family, living still in the thick of needed an Empty Bowls event. It started as Jesus taught teen-raising (hairwith 50 tickets-and since 2007, we’ve us. I guess I’m pulling joy!), we grown to accommodate 350 patrons this passionate may have put our year. Montgomery Area Food Bank is the about many needs-spiritual, beneficiary and services 35 of 67 counties in things and vocational, central Alabama. Your donation stays here! strive daily physical, in $18,000 ($9,000 grant from the Hussmann to do better perspective, but Foundation) was raised last year, which as the next perhaps, on the means 54,000 additional pounds of food opportunity back burner. were distributed by the Montgomery Area arises. A Food Bank to needy Alabamians. passion for I want to be living and living healthy-to be Montgomery Empty Bowls will be held at intentionally able to enjoy First Baptist Church, downtown, March probably best life and all it’s Our three sons...Michael, Peden and David 19, 11am -1pm. Advance tickets are $25. answers that abundanceThe donation question... children, grand children, provides the recreation, my pottery ticket holder BOOM!: How do you like to relax and wind career (which is physically a handmade down from a full day’s work? demanding). I began to bowl of their feel the need for spiritual choosing, soup, Margaret: Twenty years ago, I would have deepening and renewal, bread, dessert gone for a run at ten o’clock at night; ten not necessarily a 180 and drink. The years ago I would have spent time sketching degree change. I also felt patron takes the and writing in my journal. Lately, I’m doing the need for inspiration bowl home as a well to finish folding a load of clothes in my career. I needed to reminder of the without falling asleep on the couch in a pile figure out what I would ongoing work to of laundry! Really-I know it sounds crazy-I like life to look like in reduce hunger in enjoy the monotony of ironing while Food twenty years, and to work Alabama. Make Network is on...I’ve never been much of a toward those goals. My checks payable TV watcher, but “cooking” television is fun answer was to RUN AWAY! to MAFB, to watch. No, not forever, for 40 and tickets days. Terry and I discussed are ordered BOOM!: We understand you have done it, and I began planning a by email: some serious hiking, especially for your walk across Spain! emptybowls1@ 50th birthday on the Camino de Santiago in Daughter-In-Law, Savannah and Rebekah gmail.com Spain, would you share some of your hiking Not everyone wants or (We prefer advance ticketing for head count) experiences? Any special hiking plans for needs that kind of renewal. Sometimes a the future? book, a bible study with solid friends or a
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Margaret: I’m going to hang closer to home since this was quite a big adventure, and hike some more of the Appalachian Trail this May with my youngest son!
albergue, in order for that lesson to sink in!
For those unfamiliar with the Camino de Santiago, it is a five hundred Rebekah mile spiritual pilgrimage across Spain to the resting place of St. James, the apostle’s cathedral. There are several good guide books out there- the Brierly guide being one. There are many points of origin, and for me the pilgrimage began in a town at the base of the French Pyrenees, St. Jean Pied de Port. The hiker or pilgrim, peregrino, as we were referred to, walks each day at their own pace and stops each night at a resting place-I chose albergues, kind of like bunk houses or hostels, but in most villages there are basic local hotels or inns. I walked between 8 and 20 miles each day, depending on my weariness. I ate local food and most times drank from the town fountain and filled my water bottle, as pilgrims since the eighth century had done. Pilgrims carry EVERYTHING on their back (backpack) so I made sure contents were vital, but that was something that took a week or so and leaving a bunch of unnecessary stuff at an
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starting point (without knowing Spanish) than all the hiking combined. I quickly realized that one is not alone on Camino for The Camino de Santiago very long! I walked mostly with a woman was an amazing and, for me, from England, but had plenty of solitude. probably, a once in a lifetime Experiences are so numerous, I’m sure I’ll trip. It WAS some serious be uncovering memories to share for years. walking, and it allowed for One of several I’ll share was experiencing some of the most concentrated the deep respect and love of Camino by the contemplation and prayer time Spanish. After a fiasco of finding a church I’ve ever experienced. It also and being tardy to mass one Sunday, a tiny afforded me the opportunity to elderly Spaniard approached me and the experience the good in God’s woman I was walking with. He told us (she human creation, on a very had to translate for me) how proud he was basic level-daily life. I met some of us for walking the Camino, how special a quite colorful, wise people on journey it was and how we would be blessed “the Way”. As well as viewing for the sacrifices we make along the way. stunning art and architecture, He then struggled to lift my heavy pack and enjoying Gallego soup, pulpo and chocolate place it on my shoulders, then turned and croissants (that I’ve craved since coming placed my friend’s pack as well. His sincerity home), I wandered through some of and reverence for our journey, brought tears the most beautiful to my eyes. He proceeded to landscapes in the escort us to his favorite cafe French Pyrenees and in and would have bought us Spain. breakfast if we had allowed. Another time, I experienced I went alone-all you the love of neighbor. There ladies are going to freak were several of us walking out! My parents and together in a remote area my mom-in-law were and had struggled for 20 convinced I would be minutes to reach the top of abducted, or worse. It a large hill. At the top, the took a while to convince owner of the house near Terry that the crime the crest was tending to his rate in Alabama is much car. He called to us-again, no higher than in Europe. Spanish-and motioned for us It was more challenging to wait. He went inside and for me, coordinating returned with four beautiful the plane, trains, hotel peaches from his yard-the Kissing farmer-gave me a and bus to get to my best I’ll ever have! He must walking stick
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
have seen how hot and tired we were. There Margaret: That’s easy-a marine biologist or BOOM!: Margaret, give us three words that are many a fishing charter captain... describe you? more living on or near the ocean examples and being out on the water Margaret: Reliable, hardworking, loving of love and would be amazing! amazing BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or other people, but BOOM!: Margaret, we activities that grab your attention? another understand you have a two was year old granddaughter, Margaret: There are several things I’d like meeting would you share your grand to have the time to do more of...maybe and parenting experiences so far? one day. I love the water! We have kayaks, trying to Do you have grandparent but don’t use them enough. I’d like to have understand names yet? a paddle board to use. I enjoy crochet, the life of gardening and reading science magazines. a tiny 91 Margaret: It’s so strange. year old Before grand children, BOOM!: Do you have time to be involved Alison, from England and me at the woman my eyes would glaze over in community, civic or other activities, in halfway point in Sahagun, Spain who had and ears go numb when addition to the “Empty Bowls” event? lived and worked her whole life in this people would incessantly share pictures, particular village. She shared about working stories and even audio of their gifted, Margaret: I would enjoy doing more in the fields since she was a girl, marrying and genius grandchildren! Now I HAVE one of community. This year I’ve really scaled back having a child, of the loss of the young those-smart, on my volunteer daughter, and the loneliness of old age beautiful, commitments, as her husband had passed and extended talented with Empty family moved out of the village for better grandchildrenBowls being jobs in the city-all while we stood beside Haha!! I’m the most time her church, listening, clouds and sun racing sure folks are consuming. I across the sky. The church behind us had tired of seeing am enjoying been her support, her salvation; her family and hearing being available and now only a handful were left to finish about MINE to babysit when out their lives. It is about life lived, with no now! Seriously, I’m needed, and regrets. though, I enjoy being we enjoy involved in my Experiences included shopping for and swinging, church. cooking meals in the albergues with other reading, pilgrims, and a couple times at a parish getting eggs BOOM!: How albergue all the pilgrims participated in from the do you get French Pyrenees making, cleaning up and prayer service at chicken coop. along with mealtime, another was a concert by a sweet Our favorite is her bubble bath with lots technology? Do your children keep you group of nuns, always after masses there of bubbles when she is at Grandma and connected? would be a pilgrim’s blessing. PopPop’s house. The Camino’s accommodations and Margaret: I’m slow at doing things on situations are not for everyone. I have BOOM!: What is it about living in the the computer, but I enjoy technology and to admit, being a modest southerner, I Montgomery/River Region area that you appreciate all the applications for searching was initially shocked by big hairy (Speedo like? just about anything!! My kids get frustrated wearing) men wandering to and from with me, and want to do whatever it is the unisex shower facilities. But, when Margaret: I enjoy being centrally located. themselves. They’re very helpful though! in Spain, right?! Sometimes the sleeping Before we moved to Montgomery, travel, arrangements were less than “five star”! especially to the beach, was a hassle. We want to thank Margaret for sharing her Your sleeping area usually consisted of a Here we’re close to the beach, Atlanta, story with us this month. If you have any bunk-(bottom if you were lucky that day)-in Birmingham, not a bad drive to the NC questions for Margaret, you can visit her website a room with 20-40 others, who when the mountains...We have the best of both at margaretbarberpottery.com or email her lights went out turned into freight trains landscapes-hills and good hiking to the at mbpottery@me.com. Most importantly, with their snoring. There were aching feet north, sun and sand to our south, and all participate in this month’s “Empty Bowls” and bodies, blisters, stinky clothes that had sorts of fresh water outdoor options just fundraiser and purchase a bowl to help feed those to be washed daily (usually by hand) and minutes away. of us who are in need for food. The event is March hung to dry-hopefully dry before morning... 19th, 11-1 pm at First Baptist Church Downtown Montgomery, hope to see you there! As always, But, if I had the opportunity, I’d go back BOOM!: As you’ve aged, have your thanks to Kim Bethea from The Studio @ tomorrow!! ambitions changed? BOOM!: If you weren’t an artist, what dream job would you want?
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Margaret: Maybe not my ambitions, but my priorities have definitely changed.
Eastchase for her professional cover photos. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to jim@riverregionboom.com
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Legacy Videos
By Diane Cole
There were tears when Barbara Bardak’s three young children first started watching the video she’d made for them about her life and what she wanted for theirs. It wasn’t long, though, before they were nudging and kidding each other in affection for the mother they’d lost to breast cancer five months earlier at age 43. “It was such a beautiful moment,” said Nora Bardak, Barbara’s mother-in-law and caregiver for the children _ 10, 11 and 14 _ in Rocky Point, N.Y. “What a gift this was, and it couldn’t have been easy for her _ she had to think, ‘maybe I’m dying,’” even though she looked healthy on the tape made six weeks before she died in July. The idea that some families might be deprived of enriching stories, advice and sentiments because a parent has a lifethreatening illness inspired breast cancer survivor Carri Rubinstein to start Thru My Eyes, a New York nonprofit that has produced more than 60 legacy videos in about three years. There’s nothing quite like hearing and watching a loved one talk about his or her life, especially after death, Rubinstein said. And to the person making the video, it’s a way to be a part of children’s milestones _ prom, graduation, job interviews, falling in love. “They know what they want to say to their children,” she said. “And they’re giving their children the gift of a lifetime. They can know what their parent looked like, what she sounded like, and get answers to some things that they might not be able to get after she passed.” Jennifer Trypaluk, 46, who lives on Long Island, made a video last fall that she’s kept secret from her 15-yearold son. He’s seen her endure surgery and treatment for breast cancer that
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metastasized to her liver, but she had things she wanted to say to him and to her husband and wanted to do it while the disease was at bay, for how long she doesn’t know.
Glass, a former art therapist who shoots and edits the Memories Live videos, and Rubinstein solicit donations and grants and hold fundraisers to pay for the service and spare families additional expense and stress. They do not know of other organizations providing similar services. Glass asks questions that guide a person through the stages of life, talking about everything from college to favorite travel destinations and hobbies. “You want the children to be able to see parts of themselves in their mom or dad,” she said. Those being videotaped sometimes have guilt over their illnesses, she said, “but it’s incredibly cathartic for them to be leaving something for their family.”
“There’s a monumental difference between looking at photos and hearing a voice,” said Trypaluk, an office manager for an accounting firm. “I wanted my last words to be what I wouldn’t be there to say every day, the nagging mom stuff. You want your family to know you love them, that you’ve always loved them.” While Rubinstein has found some people hesitant to make a video because it means confronting the reality of their illness, mental health professionals are part of the process. “I know it’s therapeutic. We’re encouraging them to speak about things that are important. When they’re finished, they’ll look at us and say, ‘I’m so glad I did this.’ It gives them peace of mind,” she said. Thru My Eyes makes the videos free to those who meet the criteria of having a life-threatening illness and children under age 21 or are the sole caregiver of young children. Interviews are done in person or via Skype. Another nonprofit, Memories Live, also offers free videos to those in the New York area without the age restriction on children. Both Kerry
Videos from both organizations can go beyond the initial taping. Glass accepts up to 50 photos, which she puts together in a slide show and will set to a person’s favorite song. Rubinstein lends a camera that can be used for additional thoughts or to capture everyday moments, such as baths or bedtime. These are woven into the recording at appropriate intervals by the group’s professional videographer. The videos are “very, very powerful, much more than a photo album,” said Maureen Empfield, a psychiatrist in private practice who has helped Thru My Eyes with some interviews. For the patient, “it sums up the central pieces of your life, ... these are the things that made me who I am.” Then the children, she said, will someday realize, “They were dying. They were trying to save their lives, but they stopped and tried to get the strength to do this for me so I’d have this.” Trypaluk has put her video in a box of treasures for her son with instructions to her husband and sister that they all watch it when the time is right. “I feel I’ve left a little piece of me behind for him and, God willing, he’ll even look at it with his children,” she said. (c)2015 Chicago Tribune Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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Let’s talk about lips: Pucker Up! Presented by River Region Facial Plastics
Hello, This is Dr. Michael Bowman with River Region Facial Plastics. I wrote this column just a few days after Valentines Day, Dr. Michael Bowman and so there has been a lot of romantic information out there to peruse. CNN had an article which reported that kissing can help you reduce your blood pressure, get rid of headaches, and increase your “happy hormones” to name just a few of the benefits. When thinking about kissing, you have to think about lips. I am frequently asked about the best way to rejuvenate the lips and area around the mouth. Although it may seem like one area to you, I actually subdivide that lower portion of the face into several different areas to help me get the best results from all my products and rejuvenation techniques. First, there are the nasolabial folds, the creases that extend from the corners of the nose towards the corners of the mouth. These folds can be easily diminished with a filler like Juvederm® or Restylane®. These products work very well, but I find that many people overemphasize the importance of these folds, so don’t be too surprised if I focus your attention on other parts of your face first. The vertical lines above the lip have been a challenge to deal with in the past; however, I have some great new products and techniques that are proving excellent at addressing this area!
I was recently appointed as a physician trainer for Galderma, the maker of Restylane®, Sculptra® and Dysport®. As a result of my faculty status, I’ve been one of the first in the state to get experience with Galderma’s newest product called Restylane® Silk. I, along with many of my colleagues, am very happy to see that this product has finally been FDA
approved in the United States, as our colleagues in Canada and Europe have had this same product for over 10 years. Therefore, we know it is a very safe and dependable product. Restylane® Silk is in the basic family of hyaluronic acid (HA) fillers like Restylane® L, Perlane®, Juvederm® and Voluma®. It is unique in terms of its small and fine particle size, hence the name “Silk.” It is indeed very smooth, and it does a remarkable job of addressing those fine lines around mouth. The same product is called “Restylane® Fine Lines” in Canada where it has a 10+ year track record. While it is new to the US, this is a tried and true product. Restylane® Silk excels in correcting the vertical fine lines that emanate from the lips. It is also great for adding volume to the lips themselves. For people with more severe lines around the mouth, a drop of Botox® Cosmetic or Dysport® will help soften even the most severe of those lines. Juvederm® Ultra Plus is
thicker than Restylane® Silk, and so it is great for adding volume to the lips and helping to correct the downward turn of the mouth that sometimes creeps in with age. The great news about all these techniques and products is that a beautiful but subtle enhancement can be done in 20 minutes or so. I also use a dental block technique to ensure that the procedure itself is just about painless. Afterwards, there is very rarely any bruising, and swelling isn’t too severe, and usually lasts less than 24 hours. Finally, I have to address one of the biggest universal concerns with lip rejuvenation. Of course I am writing about the dreaded “Real Housewives” look. If you watch TV or look at magazine covers in the grocery store, you’ve probably seen a pair of over-done lips. If the look of those lips scares you… that is precisely the reason you should come visit River Region Facial Plastics for your facial rejuvenation. Proper technique, knowledge of facial anatomy, and an artist’s eye for what looks natural will keep your lips looking fresh, beautiful, and most importantly, natural. I certainly hope your Valentines Day was full of sweet kisses from your Valentine of choice. Remember to “Do Something Beautiful!” Come by to see what we can do to help make your lips look their best. Yours in good health, Michael Bowman
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
By Karen Garloch
Couple copes with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease The movie, “Still Alice” is about a linguistics professor diagnosed with earlyonset Alzheimer’s disease, and Sharon Biondo, for one, is glad for the attention being paid to the disease that is taking her husband away, day by day. Dave Biondo was only 54 when, in the summer of 2010, his wife noticed he was having trouble using his computer. This was unusual because Dave “lived on the computer” as a project manager for Vanguard, where he helped oversee the company website.
Subsequently, Sharon quit her job as a real estate agent to care for Dave, whose illness progressed quickly. “He’s in the late stages now,” she said. “He can look right at my face and say, ‘Where’s my wife?’ But when I ask, ‘What’s your wife’s name?’ he’ll say Sharon. ... He knows he’s with a person he can trust ... He can sing songs from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s verbatim but could not tell you whether he went to the
bathroom five minutes ago.” During the day, Sharon takes Dave to The Ivey Memory Wellness Day Center, where he gets art, music and recreational therapy. When he hears music, he’s often the first to sing or get up to dance. “He gets a lot of stimulation and socialization that he’s not going to get while he’s at home,” Sharon said. In recent weeks, Sharon has hired a nurse to watch her husband four nights a week so she can rest. “I’m not even looking at nursing homes. It’s my goal to keep him at home.”
Periodically he “did what I call zoning out,” Sharon recalled. “Just staring ahead and not hearing what I said. He didn’t remember it, and he didn’t believe me.” But then it happened at work, when he was waiting to give a presentation but failed to respond when colleagues turned to him to begin. Sharon said it was difficult to get a diagnosis. Because Dave was younger than most Alzheimer’s patients and working in a demanding job, many doctors attributed his symptoms to stress, she said. But after undergoing many tests, Dave’s doctors at Duke University Medical Center diagnosed him with early-onset Alzheimer’s in 2011. His condition was already so severe that he was advised to stop working and driving immediately. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Sharon, now 55, is thankful that Dave bought long-termcare insurance a year and a half before his diagnosis. She was surprised to learn that Medicare doesn’t cover expenses such as in-home care. She hopes others learn from her experience and from the “Still Alice” movie. “Before Dave developed the disease, I didn’t know how to spell Alzheimer’s and didn’t know it was so prevalent and didn’t know you could get the disease in your 30s, 40s and 50s,” Sharon said. “The earlier you get a diagnosis, the better off you’re going to be.” (c)2015 The Charlotte Observer Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
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Ask an Elder Law Attorney By: Raley L. Wiggins | Attorney at Law | Red Oak Legal, PC
Know When to Hold ‘Em When I was in college the No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em fad was sweeping its way through the dregs of ESPN2 and other cable “sports” networks. It even found its way into my circle of friends, which I found irritating since I wasn’t interested in having a seat at that table. Personally, I’ve always been a gambling agnostic—I don’t particularly have a problem with other people gambling if that’s how they choose to spend their money. I understand that for some, the competition and the little rush they get from winning a big hand is exciting. What I could never understand, what I will never understand, is the appeal of watching other people play poker on television. To each his own. Plenty of people have made analogies about life and card playing. Perhaps the best known example is the Kenny Rogers tune, The Gambler and it’s hook which I’m confident, after you read this article, will be stuck in your head for at least the next several hours: You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em / know when to walk away, and know when to run. / You never count your money, when you’re sittin’ at the table / They’ll be time enough for counting / when the dealin’s done. Since this is an estate planning and elder law column, I’ll do my best to see what we can learn about planning your estate from a classic country song. Know When to Hold ‘Em. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to do nothing at all. Consider this: leaving an inheritance to someone who doesn’t have the tools to manage it can lead to disaster. For example, leaving a teenager even a relatively modest amount of money, without any strings attached, can be a recipe for disaster. Likewise, loved ones may be ill-equipped to handle an inheritance due to substance abuse problems, or even gambling problems. Sometimes the best thing you can do for someone you love is to leave them an inheritance in a way that benefits them, without giving them unfettered access to money that may only exacerbate
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their problems. Consider a testamentary trust provision to protect your heirs from themselves.
truth. We have no way to know who will be alive at the time we die, or what kind of property we will own at our deaths. We may have more property as the result of Know When to Fold ‘Em / Know When successful investments, inheritance, or even to Walk Away. Sometimes you’ve got a the lottery (in another state, of course). On bad hand, and you’re sitting across the the other hand, we may have much less table from someone you can’t bluff. Time property due to poor investments or due to to cut your losses and fold. In my line of the cost of a nursing home stay (currently about $6,000 per month) or some other Estate Planning and Asset Protection Workshop financial pitfall. As a Wednesday, March 25: Hosted by Red Oak Legal, PC: 1:30-3:30 result, your pm at the Archibald Senior Center (MACOA) in Montgomery. This estate plan educational workshop presented by local attorney Raley L. Wiggins must include contingencies covers wills, trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, living for dealing wills, probate administration, protecting assets from creditors, with these ups bankruptcy, divorce and remarriage, nursing homes, long-term care and downs.
Attend Free Workshop
and Medicaid qualification. Registration is required. Call 334-625-6774 today to reserve your seat or register online at www.redoaklegalpc.com.
business, I sometimes have to counsel clients who, after much angst and heavy thought, decide to disinherit one or more of their children. For whatever reason, the relationship between the parent and child has deteriorated to the point where the parent feels as though leaving that child an inheritance would not be appropriate. This is part of my job that I do not relish, but the fact is that sometimes it is the right thing to do under the circumstances. When a parent has tried everything they can to encourage a wayward child to change their ways, cutting their inheritance may be the last best way to get their attention. Don’t Count Your Money While You’re Sittin’ at the Table. Most people assume that everyone in their family will die when they are “supposed to.” That is, they assume that their children will outlive them, that their grandchildren will outlive their children, and so on. Most people also assume that they’ll die in pretty much the same financial condition as they are in on the day that they create their estate plan. Nothing of course could be further from the
Consider for example that the day you wrote your will you had $220,000 in the bank. Your will leaves a gift of $20,000 to your church, and splits whatever is left between your four children. Ten years pass, and your health declines. After a long stay in a nursing home, you pass away with only $15,000 left in the bank. In that case, your church would receive $15,000, and your children would receive nothing. While leaving it to the church is a good and noble thing to do, it probably wasn’t what you intended when you drafted your will. But, by assuming you know what you will have when you die, your children wound up with no inheritance at all. You never know what hand life will deal you, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a strategy before you ante up and turn your cards over. You have to know when to hold ‘em . . . Raley L. Wiggins Attorney at Law, Red Oak Legal, PC 334-239-3625 | info@redoaklegalpc.com 445 Dexter Avenue, ste 9000, Mont, AL 36104 www.redoaklegalpc.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Silver Skaters By Erica Curless
Hockey has no age limit. It’s a lifelong sport, so say the women in the newly formed Silver Skaters, a division of Spokane Women’s Hockey League for women age 50 and older ... much older. Olga Pasher is 75. Sharon Meyer is 72. Nancy Kellner is 69. Deb Kyle is 63. The other gals are youngsters in their 50s. Yet those numbers are as irrelevant as the notion that hockey is about blood, broken teeth and fights. “People have a really strange notion of who plays hockey,” said Kyle, a recently retired college instructor, while helping pin a black Silver Skaters patch on one of her teammate’s oversized jersey. The Silver Skaters are all about camaraderie, the finesse of skating and playing on a team for fun regardless of their ability to slap the puck into the goal. Besides, checking, slamming your body into your opponent to get the puck from them, isn’t allowed in women’s leagues. “Women my age did not have team sports when we were young.” said Kellner, who turns 70 this year and
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attended high school long before Title IX established girls sport teams in 1972. “This is good for us. We’re learning to play as a team.” Kellner came up with the idea for the Silver Skaters after registering women for the league’s new season. She realized there were enough older skaters to make a team. Then came the idea for a 50-plus women’s jamboree where the Silver Skaters invited other skaters from across the Spokane Region and the Northwest. Many of the Silver Skaters didn’t start until they were older. Some started because their husbands played. Others, like Kellner, had children who became interested in the sport. Some received peer pressure from friends who were already playing. Sharon Meyer started at 57, when her coworker at Spokane Community College encouraged her to join. “I was hooked,” Meyer said, adding that skating is a good weight-bearing exercise and that it’s easy on the joints because of the gliding. Yet, like most things, it’s not totally safe.
Players still fall. Sometimes they can’t stop and crash into one another. Ankles twist. “The fights are just part of the show,” Kyle said about the bloody dog piles for which the sport is infamous. “We’re much more into the game.” Besides, she said, the women’s league scrambles the teams each year so that the person who was your nemesis last year is likely to be your teammate this year. “Nobody wants to make an enemy of friends,” she said.
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game time before they switch off with other players.
The women’s games are slower and lower-scoring than the men’s games and the puck is easy to track. Yet there is lots of action and even more laughs. “My husband always comments that ‘You guys smile too much and laugh on the ice,’” Kyle said. Kellner is always reminding the women to stop apologizing: “There is no ‘sorry’ in hockey.” As the women get ready for a recent Friday night game, they sip from flasks filled with whiskey, Fireball and other pre-game spirits of courage as they put on their shoulder, knee and elbow pads and tape their colorful stockings in place. Kyle pulls red jerseys from a big bag and calls out numbers. “I’m 9,” Meyer shouts, catching the jersey. “Nine. That’s how many grandchildren I have.” She returns to lacing her skates. Then she takes off her gold hoop earnings and puts them in the case that holds her mouth guard.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Jacque Early, 52, swings her silvery gray purse over her shoulder as she holds her helmet with full face guard in the other hand. “This isn’t a purse,” she jokes. “This is a big bag of whoop ass.” Jean Tarr, 54, shows off her “hot-flash” gloves, thick protective gloves with holes worn in the fingers. These women obviously enjoy themselves. The laughing lasts as they sit in the box and as they skate out onto the ice for quick 1-to-2 minute bursts of
At 75, Pasher is the “mom” of the team. She hasn’t played in several years but is back on the ice getting ready for the jamboree. Raised in Alberta, Pasher skated a lot as a kid but, even in Canada girls didn’t play hockey. She remembers moving to Spokane in the ‘60s and working with a couple women to start a female hockey team. She laughed, recalling that they wore figure skates with toe picks, wool sweaters and tight jeans. They had helmets but no pads or other safety equipment. Yet that didn’t stop them from learning the game and growing it into what is now a women’s league with more than 50 active members, of which about 15 are part of the Silver Skaters. “It’s addictive,” Pasher said before heading out to skate a few laps for warmup. “You can’t get out of it.” (c)2015 The Spokesman-Review Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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Having a Hearing Screening May Just Help Your Heart Recent studies indicate that having a hearing screening can also help you monitor your cardiovascular health, says the Better Hearing Institute (BHI). BHI and Doctors Hearing Clinic are raising awareness of the link between cardiovascular and hearing health. At Doctors Hearing Clinic we offer a complimentary pass/fail hearing screening as the first step in identifying hearing loss. If you fail the hearing screening a comprehensive test will be recommended. Through the case history and the results of the hearing evaluation a referral to a cardiologist, or other healthcare professional, might be necessary to further examine your cardiovascular and overall health. New research from the University of Wisconsin in Madison has reconfirmed the link between hearing and cardiovascular health. The study helped provide additional evidence that hearing loss may be an early indication of cardiovascular disease in healthy middle-aged people. There is a strong relationship between good health of the cardiovascular system (arteries, heart, and veins) and hearing sensitivity. The inner ear is very sensitive to maintaining the appropriate amount of blood flow and when there is inadequate blood flow to the inner ear it can cause damaged blood vessels, which can result in hearing loss. Recent studies suggest that abnormalities in the cardiovascular system could be detected in the inner ear before it is noticed in less sensitive areas of the body. A recent study found that certain audiogram configurations can strongly correlate with peripheral arterial and cerebrovascular disease. The study concluded that patients with low-frequency hearing loss are at a higher risk for cardiovascular events, and the appropriate referrals should be made. The study also noted that blood flow may be compromised to the inner ear if individuals have been diagnosed with atherosclerosis or plaque formation. Hearing loss is not only associated with cardiovascular disease, it is also linked to other chronic illnesses as well, including
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diabetes, depression, moderate chronic 4. Additionally, by addressing hearing loss kidney disease, and Alzheimer’s. When it can improve overall quality of life by hearing loss is left untreated it adversely reducing the amount of stress in your life. affects quality Individuals with hearing of life, potential loss often stress over earnings, and missing parts of the physical and conversation and being By Dr. Brittany Spahr and Dr. Katie Slade emotional wellleft behind. Eighty being. Below are percent of individuals five heart healthy who wear hearing aids reasons to have report that they are your hearing more satisfied, have evaluated. less stress, and have a reduced amount of 1. There has been anger and frustration more than 60 after getting their years of research hearing aids. that have concluded with correlations 5. Lastly, today’s hearing aids are statebetween hearing and cardiovascular of-the-art, sleek, and can be virtually health. Through the last few decades invisible. Hearing aids can help people of studies researchers concluded that maintain younger lifestyles by allowing having impaired cardiovascular health has individuals to stay social and active. a negative impact on the peripheral and Hearing aids can help individuals reconnect central auditory system. They found that with their loved ones by enhancing their by improving cardiovascular health you can communication. help improve the health of the peripheral and central auditory system. Through our hearing evaluations and 2. Having your hearing evaluated may be thorough case history, Doctors Hearing the first step in identifying cardiovascular Clinic ensures that the appropriate concerns. Seeing as though research has referrals are made in order to provide shown such a strong correlation between the best healthcare to our patients. With hearing and cardiovascular health, research indicating a strong correlation healthcare professionals are working between hearing and cardiovascular together to make the appropriate referrals health it is important to obtain a hearing if necessary. screening annually to help screen for both your hearing and any additional medical 3. Similar lifestyle habits have been shown concerns. Here at Doctors Hearing Clinic, to affect both your heart and your hearing we offer complimentary hearing screenings, which is shown in studies on modifiable so if you or a loved one has concerns behaviors. One study found that a higher regarding your hearing call to schedule level of physical activity is associated with your complimentary screening today by a lower risk of hearing loss in women. contacting our office at (334) 396-1635. Another study revealed that smokers are more likely to suffer hearing loss. Content adapted from BHI: http://www. Additionally, results of a third study found betterhearing.org/news/help-your-heart-getthat regular fish consumption associated hearing-test with a higher intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were found to Dr. Katie Slade is a Board Certified audiologist and have lower risk of hearing loss in women. fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. With these studies it helps demonstrate Brittany Spahr is a Doctor of Audiology and a fellow the importance of a healthy heart providing of the American Academy of Audiology. Amy Davis adequate blood flow to the inner ear. is a Doctoral Extern from the University of South
Healthy Hearing
Alabama.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Bucket List Adventure by Kathy Witt
‘DRESSING DOWNTON’ at Traveling by horse-drawn carriage and, later, horseless carriage, the luminaries and literati of the day would traverse a threemile forested drive to arrive at a grand estate. One might expect to be greeted by the lord and lady of the manor, but the 250-room French Renaissance chateau is not located in the English countryside, but in the mountains of North Carolina in Asheville. Surrounded by the 80,000-acre Pisgah National Forest, the Biltmore House is America's Highclere Castle, known more familiarly as Downton Abbey. Built over six years and completed in 1895 by George Vanderbilt, the Lord Grantham of his day, the Biltmore is drawing parallels between the two grand estates with its current exhibition. "Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times" features 47 exquisite costumes from the PBS Masterpiece series that airs on Sunday evenings and is now in its fifth season. THE CRAWLEYS AT BILTMORE The costumes are showcased in rooms throughout Biltmore House in groupings
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The Biltmore House
inspired by the fictional show and real life at Biltmore: sumptuous evening gowns in silk with net overlays, antique beads, gold and silver metallic threads and other embellishments and attire for every occasion, including a beaded tea dress with velvet jacket for entertaining friends, a gentleman's country tweeds for going to town and evening dresses for a London "at home" party or simply to create a stir at dinner. "The costumes worn by these characters were strategically placed in rooms in order to tell many previously untold stories of the Vanderbilt family and the staff that ran Biltmore House," says curator Leslie Klingner. "This exhibition has allowed us to layer these new stories about the very real people who lived, visited and worked at Biltmore into the experience people have at Biltmore." Lord Grantham's officer's uniform, a tea dress Cora wore at the hospital's charity concert and Mr. Carson's evening suit are located in Biltmore's Banquet Hall, where,
beneath the seven-story-high ceiling as many as 38 would gather for seven- to 10-course dinners. In the library, which houses nearly half of Vanderbilt's 23,000-volume collection, is Lady Mary Crawley's dusty-pink silk evening dress, worn at dinner the first time ruthless newspaper tycoon Sir Richard visits Downton. The two-story-tall library has a staircase leading to the upper gallery where a door opens to a staircase. Guests on the third floor could nip down to choose their reading material, anything from books on world history and philosophy to ones on architecture and American literature, including (presumably) the works of novelists Edith Wharton and Henry James, both guests at Biltmore. The folks upstairs changed at least five times a day, not a problem for an efficient lady's maid who, at Biltmore, could lay out the required garments based on the day's schedule (and the lady's maid always knew The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
her mistress' schedule) in five-layered, glass-fronted cabinets designed specifically for this purpose. Below stairs, wardrobe changes were less frequent. Costume displays include examples of what housemaids, such as Anna Bates from "Downton Abbey", would wear during the day and what they would change into once tea time arrived. In Biltmore's servants dining room are footman and valet uniforms. Both would be covered with an apron and sleeve protectors for polishing silver or shoes, but removed for working upstairs. In each room on the house tour, visitors see not only the lavish costumes set among the Vanderbilt family's original collection of furnishings, art and antiques, but also floral arrangements created by the Biltmore's floral team and selected for their color, formality and historical significance to enhance the costumes. 'DRESSING DOWNTON' Since no one has slept in the Biltmore House since the mid-1950s, visitors to the home today do the next best thing and check into the Inn at Biltmore. A gracious 210-room respite routinely cited among the world's finest hotels, it offers four-star and four-diamond luxury in the tradition of George Vanderbilt himself. For those interested in visiting during the "Dressing Downton" exhibit, the Inn's package provides an immersive experience into the lives and times of the fictional Crawleys and real-life Vanderbilts. It includes afternoon tea at the Inn's elegant Library Lounge that begins with an amuse bouche and a selection of teas, including Coco Chai, served exclusively in the Library Lounge, as well as finger sandwiches, cheeses, scones and sweets, Devonshire cream, lemon curd and strawberry jam. Not part of the package but very worthwhile is Biltmore's lively behind-thescenes "Upstairs, Downstairs Tour." Step The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
down the back stairs to see the domains of the butler, head housekeeper and lady's maid, the round-the-clock kitchens and laundry room, the dumbwaiters and dozens upon dozens of dishes, then slip into a suite of guest rooms to learn about some of the colorful characters who stayed at Biltmore. Along the way, you'll see some American innovation. For instance, rather than the tinkling bells that alert the servants at Downton Abbey, the Biltmore had a system of butler call buttons linked to high-tech call boxes labeled by room. At any hour of day or night, the Vanderbilts and their guests could ring for service. Even in Edith Vanderbilt's private bathroom there are three call buttons, should the lady of the manse have desired a glass of champagne during her toilette. LEISURE PURSUITS Like George and Edith Vanderbilt in their day, the Biltmore offers its guests many recreational pursuits. Besides touring the house, there is biking, hiking, horseback riding, carriage rides, sporting clays, fly fishing, Segway tours and more. Guests of the Vanderbilts had access to an indoor pool and exercise equipment (some of which look more like torture devices). Today's visitors may avail themselves of the spa, offering extensive body treatments and services. Shopping options are plentiful, with many shops located in the Biltmore stables, including A Christmas Past, Toymaker's, the Confectionary and Bookbinder's. At A Gardener's Place, located in the walled garden on the conservatory's lower level,
you'll find estate-grown plants, garden accessories, books and gifts. Dining is exceptional and options range from the Inn's dining room, Library Lounge and Bake Shop to the eateries at Antler Hill Village and Winery. The Biltmore Winery, the most visited winery in the country, is an experience in itself, and a guided tour is included in the price of admission. INFORMATION "Dressing Downton: Changing Fashion for Changing Times" is on exhibit through May 25 and is included in admission to the Biltmore House and Gardens, which were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of American landscape architecture. A shuttle service is offered from the Inn to Biltmore House that drops guests at the front door. Entry times for tours: 9:30 a.m.3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Biltmore's "Dressing Downton" package includes accommodations, chef's breakfast buffet daily in The Dining Room, estate daytime admission valid for the length of stay, audio guides to Biltmore House, afternoon tea in the Library Lounge at the Inn, Biltmore souvenir guidebook, valet parking at the Inn and complimentary estate shuttle service. Rates start at $399/night. Package valid through May 22. The Behind-the-Scenes Guided "Upstairs, Downstairs Tour" requires advance reservations and is $17 per person in addition to the price of estate admission. Upcoming events at Biltmore include Biltmore Blooms, March 20-May 25, and Biltmore Concert Series, selected evenings, July through August. For additional information, visit Biltmore.com. Author, travel and lifestyle writer, and travel goods expert Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end of your bucket list; there’s just too much to see and do in the world. She can be reached at KathyWitt24@gmail.com or KathyWitt.com. (c)2015 Kathy Witt Distributed by MCT Information Services R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
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MARCH EXHIBITION: Gallery One Featured Artists
First Day Jitters, 24x24 oil on canvas Pam Wesley Copeland galleryonefineart.com/Pamela-Wesley-Copeland
Down Stream, 40x30 mixed media Cecily Hulett galleryonefineart.com/Cecily-Hulett
The Lamp, 18x24 acrylic on canvas John Mazaheri
Whisper of the Wind, 40x30 mixed media, Carol Barksdale galleryonefineart.com/Carol-Barksdale
Yes, 20x16 acrylic on canvas, Jane Segrest galleryonefineart.com/Jane-Segrest
galleryonefineart.com/John-Mazaheri
The Night Blooming Cereus, 18x36 oil on canvas John Wagnon galleryonefineart.com/John-Wagnon Rusty Shadows, 40x30 mixed media Shirley Esco galleryonefineart.com/Shirley-Esco
Untitled, wood sculpture, Ken Lever galleryonefineart.com/Ken-Lever
Hibiscus, 30x40 oil on canvas Anita Westerberg galleryonefineart.com/Anita-Westerberg Sugar Daddy 20x16 oil on canvas, Anne Hugghins galleryonefineart.com/Anne-Hugghins
Visit Gallery One Fine Art- 423 Cloverdale Road, Montgomery Gallery Director Sandi Aplin, galleryonefineart.com
As Green as Spring, 8x8 mixed Media Judith Ivy Hayden galleryonefineart.com/Judith-Ivy-Hayden
By Sandi Aplin
Art & Soul
Gallery One Fine Art - Anne Wilson Goldthwaite I love the internet, simply put in a subject and pages and pages of information will appear. My subject is Anne Goldthwaite and the Smithsonian American Art Museum says,” Anne Wilson Goldthwaite was born in Montgomery, Alabama in 1869 and died in New York, New York in 1944. A painter and etcher born during the Reconstruction era, she studied in New York at the National Academy of Design and in Paris, France with Charles Gu’erin. She established herself principally as a recorder of the South’s past.” And then the Johnson Collection, LLC contributes, “Though she traveled extensively, she always considered the south to be her true home. Her parents passed away when she was very young and she was raised by various well-to-do family members. After officially coming out in Southern society at the age of eighteen, it soon became clear that marriage was not in Goldthwaite’s immediate future. At the age of twenty –three, her family sent her to New York City to study art at the National Academy of Design. In 1906, she continued her education in Paris where she associated with some of the great modern artists of the time. Through her friendship with American expatriate and great patron of modern art, Gertrude Stein, she became acquainted with such notable artists as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. While in Paris, she joined a group of The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Though she associated with many abstract artists, Goldthwaite remained more expressive in her art. That is, she painted her subjects with loose, artistic brushstrokes to convey emotion, but her subjects remained recognizable and not completely abstracted. After returning to New York, she painted many portraits of her close friends and taught at the Art Students League for twenty-three years. She taught her students to portray their subjects respectfully and she worked as an advocate for both womens’ and minorities’ rights. Goldthwaite also served as the president of the New York Society of Women Artists from 1937-1938.”
Young Blond Girl, Anne Wilson Goldthwaite
young artists who exhibited together each spring and founded the Academie Moderne. The onset of the Great War forced Goldthwaite to return to the United States in 1913 where she participated in the famed Armory Show in New York.”
Anne Wilson Goldthwaite returned to Alabama to paint with Kelly Fitzpatrick and the Dixie Art Colony in Alabama on Lake Jordan. The Colony flourished from the mid 1930’s to the mid 1940’s.
Sandi Aplin, Director of Gallery One Fine Art A freelance writer living in Montgomery, AL sandiaplin@aol.com or galleryonefineart.com
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Ask Nancy: Caring for Aging Relatives Nancy Stein answers your questions about caring for aging relatives
A Solution for a frustrated sibling. Q: My parents moved to be close to me eight years ago when they were in their mid-80s and moved into an independent living facility. I have two sisters whom I talk to often, but who live several hours away. Everything went very smoothly, for the first five years. However, their health has declined a lot and they now reside in the assisted living section of the facility where they require considerable additional help and services. There isn’t a day when there isn’t a crisis du jour. My siblings visit a few times a year, but they seem to come for “vacation” and when they leave I am more frazzled then before they came. It would be so much better if they came to help me and to give me a break. I don’t seem to be able to get the message across. What can I do to get them to pitch in and give me some relief? _JoAnn G., Boca Raton, Fla. A: It’s not unusual for one sibling to shoulder most of the responsibilities of caring for their aging parents. Often it’s because he or she lives closest to where the parents reside or has the most available time to devote to their ongoing care. But as you have learned, it
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can leave you feeling unappreciated and unsupported by those closest to you. I have a hunch that because of your competence and generosity toward your parents, you might not have communicated to your sisters just how challenging the situation has become for your parents, now in their 90s, and for you, their primary caregiver. Your sisters may also believe, mistakenly, that because your parents are residing in an assisted living facility that most, if not all of their physical needs are being met. Melissa A. Friedman, a psychologist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, told me she has observed this same dynamic in many other families and offered this advice: “Be mindful of the perception you are giving your siblings. For instance, you may be giving them the impression that you are fully in control of matters, organized and comfortable with your role as the primary caregiver. They may not know how unhappy, tired or in need of help you are.” If they’re unable to pitch in on a regular basis, their visits should be able to relieve you of some responsibilities and give you a much-needed break. Here is
some further advice from Friedman on how to better communicate with your sisters: “It’s great that your sisters come to visit a few times a year, but it’s important that you communicate clearly that you would like them to do tasks or activities, to give you relief from the caregiver role. Don’t assume they know what you are expecting or wanting. “Better yet, ask them if they’d be willing to make a plan for their visit, which will enable them to supervise or monitor your parents’ care during their visit. Then firm up the plan and obtain each others’ formal agreement to it.” There’s a good chance that your sisters will appreciate your taking the lead in involving them in your parents’ care, and they might even surprise you by making more frequent and longer visits in order to make a real difference to your parents and to you. Nancy Stein, Ph.D., is the founder of Seniority Matters (senioritymatters.com), a caregiver advisory and referral service in South Florida for seniors and their families. You can contact her at nancy@senioritymatters.com. (c)2015, Seniority Matters Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
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“
As a physician, clearly understanding patients was critical. Getting the right hearing aids blocked out distracting noise and brought in clear speech.
“
Neil Stronach, M.D. Retired Montgomery Otolaryngology Physician, hearing aid wearer
To read more of Dr. Stronach’s story, visit MontgomeryHearingServices.com/testimonials
Healthy Hearing Starts Here. As the leading hearing healthcare provider in the greater Montgomery area, Montgomery Hearing Services combines the expertise of highly trained ENT physicians and audiology professionals to offer patients the best quality of care possible. Trust your hearing to the Ear, Nose & Throat Specialists.
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(334) 651-0500 1758 Park Place, Suite 101 • Montgomery, AL 36106 MontgomeryHearingServices.com © 2015 SMPN. All Rights Reserved. 2/15 TJAD2631-03-EE-XX
DATING Coach
5 reasons being an alpha female doesn’t work It wasn’t long ago that I was a major alpha female. Not only did I know how to do it all, I held the belief I could do it even better and faster than most men. I felt powerful and I loved that power.
1. Men want women who are intelligent and can think for themselves. They aren’t looking for needy, clingy women. They want to find someone they can be proud of at their sides.
The problem was what I was feeling was masculine power, not feminine power, and I ended up being told by different men that I was controlling and emasculating, and one man told me I didn’t “know how to let a man be a man.”
2. Men don’t want to be controlled or told what to do. When you tell a guy how to do his job at home or at work, especially when he hasn’t asked for your
5. Men need to be needed. Yes... you are strong and we as women emotionally need to be strong for the family and the relationship. But when you do all the physical work and all the emotional work in the relationship, you don’t leave room for a man to honor his DNA coding of doing for you.
And truthfully, I DIDN’T. I wasn’t taught the power of my feminine nature or how to get my needs met in a relationship with a man or even how to be a partner. I just wanted to be in control. Growing up as a product of women’s lib, which by the way did awesome things when it came to opening doors to previously unattainable careers for women, I learned to follow a philosophy of never needing a man except to make a baby. So like many women of our generation, I became a powerhouse who stepped on men regardless of their feelings or how my behavior made them feel. And this brought out the WORST in the men in my life. The men who accused me of not letting them be men couldn’t tell me in words what made them feel emasculated or less than as a man. They just felt it. And that’s why I began doing a ton of research on men and what makes them tick. I’ll tell you that being an alpha female definitely doesn’t, and here are five reasons why.
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4. Over-giving is a masculine, alpha quality. Our DNA comes from the caveman days where we as women needed protection and we needed a man to provide for us to survive. These roles are still in your DNA coding. When you over-give to a man, you are saying, I’m the alpha in the relationship. It doesn’t mean you can’t give, of course you can. But when you over-give, you become a man’s mother, not his partner.
opinion, he doesn’t feel good. He wants to be your hero, trying his best to be that for you. 3. Men want a relationship, not a competition. When you are an alpha and he’s an alpha, you have two leaders and a lot of competition. Ever see a man when he’s competing? He wants to win, and he will do what it takes to make that happen. By coming from your feminine side, which is your heart versus your mind, it takes the power struggle out of it, which will bring out the best in him.
Coming into your feminine power doesn’t mean lying down like a doormat and just allowing a man to walk on you. Far from it. It means learning how to bring out the best in a man and in turn, he will bring out the best in you. When I was finally able to let go of rubbing my strength and power in a man’s face, I found men were stepping over themselves to help me. It didn’t take anything away from me. It actually helped me get over the idea of “I have to do it all” and it brought me into true partnership with men. And you know what? That felt good. I felt cherished, adored and respected for being myself. Lisa Copeland, “The Dating Coach Who Makes Dating Fun and Easier after 50!” Find out more at Findaqualityman.com (c)2014, Lisa Copeland, findaqualityman.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla
Super Smoothies The term Smoothies covers a variety of drinks – from a pure pureed fruit and water drink to the much thicker consistency yoghurt and milk based drinks. Which you prefer is primarily a matter of personal preference and depends what you wish to acquire from the drink, be that something that will fill you up as a meal replacement or just a drink with an added antioxidant boost (or similar). With that in mind, I shall suggest a few ways you can incorporate these dietary enhancers into your daily routine, and you can see which works for you. Some of us find eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day hard to do. Smoothies can be a way of making it that bit easier. My morning smoothie (also called breakfast!) consists of half an Activia yoghurt (probiotics plus extra fruit), half a banana, a handful or two of whatever berries I have available – they can be fresh or frozen, it doesn’t matter – a teaspoon of NYR Superfoods Organic Greens Complex and sometimes a teaspoon of Williams Sonoma antioxidant boost smoothie mix too. Top it up with fat free or low fat organic milk then whiz it up in the Magic Bullet (or whatever blender you have) for 30 seconds or so. Et Voila! One smoothie containing antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, two to three portions of fruit and calcium, among other things. AND it fills me up till lunchtime – something that cereal just doesn’t do. This was one of my more unusual creations – literally what I had in the fridge that morning, but it actually tasted fabulous! One blood orange, half a banana, pure pineapple juice, Antioxidant smoothie mix and Superfoods Complex. Topped up with fat free organic milk. Just goes to show, you really can just throw anything together. If you are less concerned with keeping those hunger pangs at bay and more
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concerned with reaching your 5-a-day, simply throw as many fruits – and vegetables – in your blender as you dare and see what happens. You’ll be surprised at what combinations actually turn out great.
If additional protein is your aim then you can simply add the powder to milk, then shake or blend. However there is nothing stopping you from combining this with fruits and vegetables thereby getting more of your 5-a-day as well.
If you need inspiration, this site has some great healthy ideas: eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/ collections/healthy_smoothie_recipes
These protein powders do tend to thicken the smoothie too, so if you prefer more of a milkshake drink then this may be your preferred option.
Including ones that have added flax seed – great for Omega 3 (brain food!) and vitamin B1; added peanut butter - great taste and additional protein, but do read the label and check there is no added salt or sugar in it first; and added avocado, which as well as being full of healthy fats and protein, can also add a nice creamy dimension to the smoothie.
If you like the thicker consistency but don’t want to use milk or protein powder, chia seeds may be a good option for you. Small black seeds with a powerful nutritional punch: A one ounce (28 grams) serving of chia seeds contains: • Fiber: 11 grams. • Protein: 4 grams. • Fat: 9 grams (5 of which are Omega3s). • Calcium: 18% of the RDA. • Manganese: 30% of the RDA. • Magnesium: 30% of the RDA. • Phosphorus: 27% of the RDA. • They also contain a decent amount of Zinc, Vitamin B3 (Niacin), Potassium, Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) and Vitamin B2. If you soak them for a while in water or juice (whatever you plan to use in your smoothie would work,) they expand and form a gel like substance which nicely acts as a thickening agent in your smoothie.
Body builders and athletes use smoothies to get more protein without having to eat copious amounts of meat and fish, etc. Simply by adding a scoop of protein based smoothie mix to your regular smoothie, you can increase your daily protein intake significantly. There are usually around 25g of protein In a scoop of protein powder – whey protein being one of the most popular, made from whey protein found in milk; it is easily absorbed and tastes pretty good. Of course if you need to avoid milk products then there are other options such as soy protein.
Try one for breakfast or a mid-afternoon snack. Make it a habit – you’ll be glad you did. Tracy Bhalla, Owner/ Manager of Cool Beans Restaurant, 115 Montgomery Street, P: 334.416.8447, coolbeans.mgm@gmail.com or facebook.com/coolbeans.mgm Trained as an architect! Worked as a teacher of product design and graphic design for 9 years in England and Bermuda. Always had a love of healthy, good-for-you food. Always cooking for friends and family. Married a cardiologist in 2007. We have a shared passion about eating healthily (and wine) and both love to cook, so when Cool Beans became available we jumped at it.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
“We Wish We Had Known About Hospice Sooner…” One of the most common sentiments from families who have been helped by hospice care is, “We wish we had known about hospice sooner.” We hear this all too frequently here at Hospice of Montgomery. There are so many advantages hospice has to offer that the sooner you get to know hospice, the sooner organizations like Hospice of Montgomery can begin to provide the care you need. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NPHCO) reports that while there is an increase in the number of patients cared for through hospice, an increased percentage of these patients either died or were discharged within seven days of admission…far too many receive care for a week or less, according to NPHCO data. The unique inter-disciplinary team of hospice is equipped to aid patients through the last months of life. “We need to reach patients earlier in the course of their illness to ensure they receive the full benefits that hospice and palliative care can offer,” said Jenille Ball, Executive Director of Hospice of Montgomery. “Earlier access to hospice care can reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations; additionally, quality of life for patients and family caregivers can be improved.” The New England Journal of Medicine published a study that showed those receiving hospice related palliative care lived an average of three months longer that those who did not seek this type of care. Research has shown that 8 out of 10 Americans would prefer to be at home The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
at the end-of-life, and hospice can make that happen. Hospice is an option for patients coping with a serious or lifelimiting illness. The goal of hospice is to provide comfort and quality of life. Patients and family caregivers should not wait too long to call hospice. Ask your healthcare providers about the benefits hospice might offer.
to have a more alert, pain-free life… making the wishes of the patient a priority and living each day as fully as possible Research shows that the comprehensive approach to hospice care (physical, social, psychological, spiritual) greatly improves the quality of life for both the patient and their family. Usage of hospice has doubled in the past decade due in part to providers learning to care for a wider range of patients with more complex diagnosis such as dementia, heart disease, lung disease and more. This growth reflects the expertise of hospice providers in caring for those during an advanced illness.
From nursing to counseling to assistance with paperwork, hospice offers a host of services. Most often there is no cost to patients and families for hospice care. Lack of awareness of hospice means that too many Americans still die alone or in pain. Too many patients are being referred to hospice care too late, or not at all. And too many families are left without bereavement support. “The full benefits of hospice care cannot be experienced in just a day or two,” says Ball. “It makes me sad to get calls from family members who realize their loved one is dying within a few hours or days because they can’t make the most of it.” If you or a loved one is facing a serious or life-limiting illness, the time to find out more about hospice care is right now. There is a common misconception that hospice care is giving up. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hospice is about living and enabling the patient
“At Hospice of Montgomery we believe in empowering our patients with choices and options. Each day we reach out to those we care for and help them by providing the information, resources and support they need to make informed decisions.” said Ball. “I believe we all want to spend our final weeks or months in comfort, with dignity, surrounded by those we love. We believe hospice makes this possible.” Hospice of Montgomery is available to assist you on this journey. Our compassionate, experienced staff and volunteers will be there to provide the loving support, education, and care needed to navigate through the challenging times ahead. For more information designed specifically to help individuals and families facing a serious illness gain resources and information to help them, visit hospiceofmontgomery.org or simply call us at 334-279-6677. Hospice of Montgomery Alabama’s First Hospice. Still Local. Still Non-Profit.
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Montessori@Mulberry advertorial
The River Region’s Preferred Montessori Preschool M@M’s New Expanded Campus
Montessori @ Mulberry has added a new building to its Mulberry Campus. The building is a charming house, newly renovated, next to the current location and includes a classroom, a Montessori Resource Center and an additional playground. We have also expanded our classroom to the outdoors with “The Children’s Garden.” Our students now participate in all the phases of gardening: from germination, planting, caring for and harvesting an organic crop. According to Jackie Maloy, Executive Director, “The response to our unique educational approach has been very positive and we are excited to offer more opportunities for parents who appreciate the Montessori Education we specialize in.”
M@M Location
Elena Olson-Shimp and Milan Crittenden
Montessori@Mulberry is centrally located in Midtown Montgomery a few blocks from Jackson Hospital and Huntingdon College. Conveniently located just blocks from Interstate I-85.
The M@M Classroom
In the Montessori classroom, each child is encouraged to reach his or her full potential in all areas of life. The specific needs of individual children are met at each developmental level. The classroom contains many multisensory, sequential and self-correcting materials that facilitate learning. Concepts are presented concretely and students work with materials until Neah James they are ready to move to more abstract materials. Children are free to work at their own pace with materials they have chosen. All classrooms have multi-age groupings, which encourages a family-like atmosphere where learning can take place naturally. Our curriculum, which is challenging, interdisciplinary and real world related, provides a strong academic bridge to elementary school. Annalise Applegate
Why Choose Montessori @ Mulberry
Is it a coincidence that many of the mavericks on the leading edge of innovation and creativity in our culture are Montessori graduates? The founders of Google and Amazon.com along with T. Berry Brazelton, noted pediatrician, to Peter Drucker, the well known management guru, were all educated in the Montessori Classroom. As you research and think about how you want your child to begin his or her education, Montessori @ Mulberry should be at the top of your list. We offer certified Montessori teachers in each classroom and a quality environment designed for fostering the love of learning. As a parent, you want the “peace of mind” knowing your child will have the opportunity to learn and grow according to his or her ability. We invite you to call Jackie MaloySriram Madadi Watson at 265.7733 to schedule a tour and discover why Montessori @ Mulberry is the River Region’s preferred Montessori Preschool. Begin your child’s education for life with the skilled staff at Montessori @ Mulberry.
Offering Exceptional Educational Experiences for children 12 months through Kindergarten. Limited space available beginning January 5th, 2015
Call Jackie Maloy-Watson Today to Schedule Your Tour @ 334-265-7733 or Cell 334-462-0548 casadebambini@aol.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
_ www.montessoriatmulberry.com _ 2034 Clubview St.n Boino mthe District R ive r Re gio . co mMulberry March 2015 BOOM!
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March 2015
{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond
CLOVERDALE, ALABAMA
CAPRI TO PRESENT PLAYS FROM SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATRE Sundays 2 pm, March 1, 29th, May 3, June 27th, July 12th The Capri Theatre in Montgomery will be presenting five plays from Shakespeare’s Globe theatre in London beginning March 1st and running through July. The plays are presented in high definition digital and starring some of the best British stage actors working today. Shows are monthly on Sunday afternoons at 2 pm. Tickets for these special presentations are $20 for the general public and $18 for Capri Theatre members. For more info visit capritheatre.org
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
ClefWorks Presents Deep River World Premiere Alleyway Warehouse Ballroom, Downtown Montgomery Friday, March 6, 8:30 pm Friday, March 6, ClefWorks presents a new song cycle written by composer Mohammed Fairouz and performed by Grammy-nominated Imani Winds and baritone Sidney Outlaw. The set of songs, commissioned by ClefWorks to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March and the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, feature texts that include poetry by Langston Hughes, the Black Civil War Soldier’s War Chant and the traditional American Spiritual Deep River with a new melody by Fairouz. Join us to commemorate the past and celebrate the future in the newly opened Alleyway Warehouse Ballroom on Commerce Street. Tickets are $20 and available at clefworks.org and for more info about Imani Winds visit imaniwinds.com
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MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Drawing From Life MMFA 9:30 to 4:30 pm Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8 Use a variety of dry and wet media (including graphite, charcoal, india ink, ink wash) to explore drawing the figure and still-life objects, with the expert guidance of AUM professor and artist Andrew Hairstans. Students of all skill levels will benefit from this two-day workshop. Some supplies and a model will be provided. Sign up early; class size is limited to 12 participants. To register for classes, call 334.240.4365 or email edsecy@mmfa.org
PRATTVILLE, ALABAMA
Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple: Female Version Prattville’s Way Off Broadway Theatre Thursday, March 12th and weekends thru end of March Prattville’s Way Off Broadway Theatre presents Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple: Female Version beginning March 12 and running weekends through the end of March. Directed by Kim Mason, the play promises to be one of Way Off Broadway Theatre’s comedic best. The play takes place in New York City in 1985. Unger and Madison are at it again—Florence Unger and Olive Madison, that is, in Simon’s contemporary comic classic female version. Instead of the poker party that begins the original version, Ms. Madison has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit. Tickets are just $10 in advance or $12 at the door. For tickets and info contact the Special Events Office at 334.595.0854 or visit the website at wobt.prattvilleal.gov.
CLOVERDALE, ALABAMA IRISH VOICES 2015 Edition Cloverdale Playhouse Saturday March 14, 7:30
Back by popular demand, with some new additions, an evening of readings from some of the glorious writing of Ireland. From Friel to Heaney to McCourt to O’Casey to Yeats, the wit and wisdom, poetry and power of this grand isle will make for an en- chanted night wellspent. Who knows- you may even hear a tune or two. For more info visit cloverdaleplayhouse.org The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
PINE MOUNTAIN, ALABAMA
will be competing for points at this year’s Rodeo! There will be plenty of entertainment from the clowns as well, and the Grand Entry is always Grand. For ticket info and event times, visit slerodeo.com.
On Saturday, March 14, guests are invited to wear their green for live music by both Daniel Lee, who defines his music as ‘not country, not rock but southern,’ and the Barstool Prophets, and a group of musicians that love the blues with a little soul, fun and rock and roll thrown in to make their unique sound. In addition to food and drink being available, those wearing green can purchase special $2.50 drafts and try their luck at a St. Patty’s Day outfit contest. These outdoor performances will be on Callaway Gardens’ Robin Lake Beach between 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $10* and be purchased both online or at the gate. To purchase tickets, visit callawaygardens.com/stpatricksday or call 1.800.463.6990.
FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA
St. Patrick’s Day Party Callaway Gardens’ Robin Lake Beach Saturday, March 14, 2-8 pm
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA The Importance of Being Earnest Alabama Shakespeare Festival - ASF Through March 15th, various times
Hailed as one of the greatest comedies ever written, Oscar Wilde’s deliriously funny masterpiece is a comedic concoction with all the best ingredients: mistaken identities, meddling chaperones, madcap situations and a happy ending for everyone. For more information call 334.271.5353 or visit asf.net
ENTERPRISE, ALABAMA
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Enterprise High School Performing Arts Center Monday, March 16, 7 pm Seven Brides for Seven Brothers tells the story of Millie, a young bride living in the 1850’s Oregon wilderness, who plans to civilize and marry off her six rowdy brothers-in-law to ensure the success of her own marriage. The plan backfires when the brothers kidnap six women from a neighboring town to be their brides. This musical performance is all boisterous fun and romance. “Goin’ courting” has never been as rambunctious as in this rip-roaring stage version that harkens back to the glory days of the movie musical. For information/tickets, call 334.406.2787 or visit CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Southeastern Livestock Exposition and Rodeo Garrett Coliseum Thursday-Saturday, March 19-21 Round up your little cowboys and cowgirls for an action packed afternoon or night at the Rodeo! Professional bull riders, steer wrestlers, barrel racers and calf ropers from all over the country The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Fairhope Arts Festival Downtown Fairhope along the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay Friday-Sunday, March 20-22 Over 230 exhibitors from throughout the nation will bring their best works to show and sell at this prestigious juried show. Live entertainment will be going on throughout the three-day event and unique cuisine will be served up in the food court. It all takes place on the streets of beautiful downtown Fairhope, Alabama. For more info visit fairhopealabama.net or call 251.928.6387
PRATTVILLE, ALABAMA
The 10th Annual Fountain City Arts Festival Pratt Park, Historic Prattville Saturday, March 28, 9-5 pm The 10th Annual Fountain City Arts Festival will feature an Artist Village, Children’s creative pavilion, entertainment, art demonstrations, children’s play areas, and food. This festival is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Special Events Office at 334.595.0854 or visit prattvilleal.gov
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Autism Crawfish Boil Rock Bottom Cafe Saturday, April 4, 12-5 pm
The BEST crawfish boil in town, along with live music and cold beverages! This is always the best party in The Gump! All the proceeds are donated to assist with Autism programs provided by Easter Seals Central Alabama for families in the River Region. These programs include Autism diagnosis which is costly and difficult to receive here in Central Alabama. Autism affects 1 in 88 children... Easter Seals is one of the premier organizations to get help for your loved ones! For more info visit autismmudbugball.org
Read Digital & Interactive BOOM! at RiverRegionBoom.com
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By Greg Budell
The Mayor of BOOMTOWN
MIRACLES My Grandpa Ed was a cool guy. At age 86, he drove from Chicago to Ft. Lauderdale over 2 days to hold his Granddaughter for the first time. When he passed in 1992 at the ripe old age of 88, my Dad asked me to speak at his funeral. Just 2 months before he passed, Grandpa asked me to take him for a drive to the farm areas southwest of Chicago. As we were rolling up Illinois 47, he asked me to pull over to the side of the road next to a sprawling cornfield. “Right there”, he said, was where I saw my first “areo-plane” in 1911. He was 5 when he saw his first flying machine, and through his life bore witness to bigger and faster planes, and the entire race to the moon. Two decades later, I am realizing some of what I’ve seen in my life and it’s no less impressive than Grandpa’s resume. I just don’t care for the amount of time that’s passed while experiencing these miracles. We were a typical BOOMer family in Chicago, where summers can be every bit as hot as they are in Alabama. In 1965, my Dad installed a window air conditioner that served our basement (finished basements were common in Chicago). NO homes in our neighborhood had central AC, so my
basement was the go-to hangout when the heat was overwhelming. No central AC? Savages! Two months later, Pops announced the end of the black and white TV era in our house and treated us to 24 inches of living color! Better yet, my brother and I inherited the old B&W set to the room we shared. High times! A two Television household, and one was mine and my brother’s to fight over! On September 12th, 1965, something called the “Ford City Mall” opened a 10 minute walk from our house. Noting Chicago’s hostile climate, some genius took the giant plant where Ford built B-29 engines for WWII- gutted it, and put NINETY TWO stores under one roof! This must sound absolutely whacked to anyone born into the Mall Age but it was a big frickin’ deal- that you could shop all those places minus a jacket and without reparking the car. Soon, an amazing new product became available at the Ford City Mall. Called the “hot comb”, it was really just a hair drier with an attached comb but men in the late 60s were not metrosexual enough to be boasting about a new hair dryer. My hair got a lot longer- since there was now something to speed the drying process and by the 70s, it was cool to call it what it was- a hair dryer. The first digital calculators (1972) made Texas Instruments a brand to own, allowing
me to compute my bowling average with a couple of clicks. Like, wow! In ’74, I treated myself to the first of many cars I could not really afford- a Pontiac Firebird! While the car had a look that made it uniquely unique (lol)- it was my first car with a cool look AND air conditioning! Seriously it took a little time to get used to driving with the windows rolled up in hot weather. The revolution continued shortly thereafter with the microwave oven. Yes, the first ones weighed as much as the TV and cost $700 (= $2100 today)- but hey! Hot food in one minute! It launched the Era of Encouraged Leftovers. Experiencing these miracles for the first time, having known ONLY the old-fashioned way, was exciting. For years, on Sunday, the family gathered for dinner, then around my Dad’s Kodak 8MM film projector- to watch 50 feet of things we did a few weeks previous. So when the instantly watchable video cameras came out- that was a miracle. So was the heavy, expensive machine you played them on (at about 2K a crack in 1980s dollars). That same machine allowed you to record and watch shows at your convenience, and the local convenience stores were renting movies you could watch-pause-enjoy, without commercial interruption. Miracle! In 1987, a company called Cellular One bought advertising time on my show and gave me a cell phone. It was huge, and heavy (I once said you could use it to beat
Greg Budell's column is proudly sponsored by McDonald, Barranco & Hagen Wealth Management
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an attacker without breaking it). I will never forget the first day I drove all over Miami, calling anyone whose number I’d memorized, awestruck that the telephone was now portable. Along the way, smaller miracles came along (button dialing, cordless phones and ANSWERING MACHINES) but even the smaller miracles changed your life at some level. Anyone remember rushing into your home to see if the red light was flashing? And if it was, was the call from that special someone you were hoping to hear from? I had my first computer (I thought IBM Selectric typewriters were miracles in the 70s) from 1994 to 1998 before I had a clue about going “on-line”. I wrote scripts and stories on that first PACKARD BELL for money- and quickly learned the miracle of writing without Liquid Paper or Correctype strips. I guess all pre-BOOMers were born into much of what I’ve described here so it’s no big deal. I just thought I’d take a couple minutes, and celebrate everything I’ve been privileged to experience. This column is now concluded so I will email it to Mr. Watson. E-mail?? MIRACLE! Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his wife, children and dogs. He’s a 25 year veteran of radio who hosts the Greg & Susan morning show 6-9 am and Happy Hour 3-6 pm on NEWSTALK 93.1, Greg can be reached at gregbudell@aol.com
The Business Mini Directory
A Business Mini is a little fatter than your old business card and for a limited time we are offering a Business Mini to fit your budget. Fifty dollars will get your business message in front of thousands of people over 50 who have the money to buy stuff. Every business needs one more customer, where will yours come from? Call today and get your $50 Business Mini, 324.3472 or jim@riverregionboom.com
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wic offers growing families: Healthy food nutrition education
Breastfeeding g support Healthcare referrals
alabama’s wic Program helps pregnant women, new mothers, infants and young children stay healthy and eat right during times of important growth.
Nutrition Program
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.