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March 2019
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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A BOOM! FEATURE
Getting To Know You
Angels for the Elderly “Home is where the
Not just in Hallmark movies but in real life, HOME is where the heart is. Agree? For most of us, home is where we feel safe, loved and content. We have a favorite chair, comfy clothes and a routine that suits our personality and values. We have family and friends nearby who understand us and want the best for us. For many, HOME is definitely near the top of our blessings list. As we enjoy this side of 50, most of us want to stay in our home, maintain our independence and thrive as best we can. What happens, though, when life throws a curve ball, and we’re faced with the unexpected and unwanted? Do you ever wonder what options are available when HOME is no longer a safe or comfortable place for you or your loved one? Maybe a fall, a stroke, an accident or even recovery from scheduled surgery leaves you uneasy about living independently in your home. Maybe you’re alone, possibly unable to drive or missing loved ones, coworkers and friends who can no longer keep in touch like they once did. Or just maybe, you’re one of a growing number who’ve noticed changes in cognitive or emotional health that make it risky for you or a loved one to live at home. Could you use some good news? Would you be relieved to know that you or
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your loved one could be safe, loved and well cared for right here in the River Region—living in a comfortable home with those facing the same challenges you experience? Tucked away in the Dalraida neighborhood, Angels for the Elderly is just such a place! With four separate ranch-style homes, Angels has a longstanding reputation as one of the area’s premiere Specialty Care Assisted Living communities. By state regulation, residents’ level of care and medical oversight are much stronger in the specialty care setting. With only 16 private bedrooms/baths in each house, Angels’ intimate houses aren’t just “homelike.” They actually look like home, smell like home, and quickly become home to residents and their loved ones who are valued and immediately accepted as part of the Angels’ family. We all have a past, present and future. At Angels, we focus on the person, not the diagnosis. While residents may be “different,” we never see them as “less” or “broken.” Our experience shows that residents and family members can thrive, despite challenges they face. We are family, and we lovingly support one another--day in and day out. Whether it’s chatting at the table, visiting in the hallway, rocking on the porch or engaging in daily one-on-one and group
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activities, we laugh, we cry, we play, we sing, we dance, we dream, we pray, we reminisce, and we encourage because we truly care about one another. Simply stated, our goal is to help residents and their families experience the joy of everyday living. Have questions? Need more information or resources? We can help. Would you appreciate a listening ear or the benefit of our experience? We’re here for you. No obligation. No judgment. Whether you need a place to call home or you’re just gathering information for what the future may hold, we would be delighted to meet you. We’d love to answer questions and show you around our campus. We’ll even treat you to a delicious homecooked meal if you’d like to chat over lunch in our sunroom. To schedule an appointment or learn more, contact Kim Wilson at 334.270.8050 or kwilson@angelsfortheelderly.com or Jayne Love at 334.322.4136 or jlove@ angelsfortheelderly.com. Please visit our Angels for the Elderly Facebook page to learn more about our activities, our campus and our incredible Angels’ family. Residents, their families and volunteers experience the joy of everyday living because at Angels, we focus on the person, not the diagnosis. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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February 2020
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Senior Services Alabama Department of
Our vision is to help society and state government prepare for the changing aging demographics through effective leadership, advocacy and stewardship.
Greetings from the Alabama Department of Senior Services. We are excited to launch our new partnership with BOOM! magazine. In the coming months I hope to introduce and inform you about our department and all the programs and services we offer.
adults, individuals with disabilities, and their caregivers. The ADRC acts as a “no wrong door” for those needing assistance by providing benefits screening, education and options counseling on long term care services, and support. It is also an entry point for professionals, The Alabama caregivers, and family Department of Senior members to seek Services (ADSS) is resources and assistance the state agency on behalf of their Commissioner - Jean W. Brown responsible for clients, friends, or family coordinating state and federal programs members. Telephone callers are screened serving senior and disabled Alabamians. for assistance utilizing a universal Since its inception, ADSS is best known screening tool that prevents the caller for its Elderly Nutrition Program; from having to give the information however, ADSS does much more. numerous times. Referrals are made ADSS strives to enhance and promote on behalf of the individual needing independence and dignity for Alabama’s assistance and follow-up is provided for senior and disabled populations by quality assurance. The ADRC will offer meeting a variety of needs, such as extended assistance to those who choose providing assistance with prescription an advocate to assist with applying for drugs, supporting Alzheimer’s and services and benefits. ADSS strives to dementia initiatives, teaming with the support individuals with the tools they UAB geriatric dental project, Masters need to make informed decisions and Games, Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of maintain their independence in the Fame, and a host of other ways. community of their choice. Alabama has 13 designated Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) which are responsible for administering the Senior Services programs and services available to older adults and people of any age with a disability. The AAAs cover all 67 counties in the state and were established under the Older Americans Act in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans 60 and over in every local community.
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Housed within every AAA is an Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC). ADRCs are part of a national initiative put in place by the Administration for Community Living to provide access to information and assistance for older
The Medicaid Waiver for the Elderly and Disabled (E&D Waiver) Program is designed to provide services to seniors and persons with disabilities whose needs would otherwise require them to live in a nursing home. Our goal is for clients to retain their independence by providing services that allow them to live safely in their own homes for as long as it is appropriate. Through our State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) you can get: • Answers to your questions about Medicare, Medigap, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and other health insurance The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
programs for seniors; • Information and materials designed to assist Medicare beneficiaries in specific areas such as home health benefits, Medicare claims and appeals, and other similar issues; • Assistance in understanding your Medicare and other health insurance benefits; • Referrals to other programs or agencies, where appropriate; and • Group presentations by our SHIP counselors on a variety of health insurance topics. Since its inception in 2002, the Alabama SenioRx Prescription Assistance program has saved thousands of Alabamians millions of dollars in medication expenses by providing free or low cost prescription drugs from pharmaceutical manufacturers. SenioRx is a program for Alabamians who are age 55 and older and for persons with disabilities, who are diagnosed with chronic medical conditions requiring daily medication. The program aims to help people manage their chronic illnesses earlier and prevent more serious health problems later in life. This medication assistance helps people utilize their limited resources for food and other important expenses. Persons who qualify for SenioRx receive a 3-month supply of prescriptions from various pharmaceutical companies free or at a low cost. The drug cost assistance can be renewed as long as the person is eligible. To qualify you must be at least 55 years of age with a chronic medical condition, have no prescription drug insurance coverage, and must meet certain income guidelines. Social Security disabled individuals, those who have applied for disability, or have a doctor's declaration of disability, and who are in the 24-month Medicare waiting period are also eligible for medication assistance regardless of age. For more information contact your local AAA and ADRC at 1-800-AGE-LINE (1-800-243-5463). You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We are here to help in any way we can. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Persons Served by ADSS People 60 years old and above Senior Employment-55 yrs+ SeniorRx - 55 yrs+ Caregivers of senior citizens - any age People with Alzheimer's/Dementia - any age People with disabilities - any age
ADSS Services
Advocacy Planning Coordination Interagency linkages Information sharing Funding Monitoring and evaluation
How can we help YOU? alabamaageline.gov R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
February 2020
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BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Contents
February 2020 Volume 10 Issue 6
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
Facebook.com/RiverRegionBoom
C.S. Lewis
Thought Relationships Taste Inspiration
Humor Advice Health Community
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.”
Carl Bard
6 Getting To Know You Angels for the Elderly 8 Alabama Department of Senior Services 12 Ancient Rome Exhibit 14 Publisher's Column 16 17th Annual Jewish Food Festival 18 Join OLLI at Auburn University at Montgomery
page 40
Features 20 Overcoming the Emotional Impact of Long-Distance Caregiving
30 Rekindle the Romance: Date Night Ideas
40 Going Back to Work After Retiring
48 Hunting Big Hogs Bare-Handed-Jeff Barganier
52 {12} Things For Active Boomers
23 How to Become a Master Gardener? 24 Heart Health Leigh Anne Richards
Departments 32 This and That Interesting Stuff
22 How To Grow The Best Tasting Tomatoes Jim Mooney
50 Greg Budell How to Get In The Globe
Animal Enrichment
page 33
26 Culinary Caper 28 Venice, Tuscany, Rome 35 CAIN’S CHAPEL UMC TO CELEBRATE 200 YEARS 28 How do I love thee? 35 Let me count the ways... Ask an Elder Law Attorney
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42 BOOM! Cover Profile 47 BOOM! 2019 Cover Profiles page 6
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page 12
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54 Herbal Infusions Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla 55 Route 66 & Grand Canyon
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Free Subscriptions @ w w w. r i ve rre gio n b o o m.co m BOOM! The River Regions 50+ Lifestage Magazine is published monthly by River Region Publications, P.O. Box 6203, Montgomery, AL 36106. The phone number is 334.324.3472. Copyright 2020 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
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February 2020
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Ancient Rome Exhibit Make plans now to attend
History Museum of Mobile, 111 S. Royal Street Mobile, AL 36602 I (251) 208-7569 I www.HistoryMuseumOfMobile.com
The History Museum of Mobile’s latest exhibit, Ancient Rome: The Empire That Shaped the World, brings to life the most incredible machines and technologies from ancient Rome for the first time in 2,000 years! From catapults, to gladiators, to the secrets of the incredible Colosseum, visitors can experience the Roman Empire’s most impressive machines of war and peace for a limited time in Mobile, Alabama. Traveling to Mobile all the way from Florence, Italy, this award-winning exhibition contains more than thirty interactive models that integrate science and history. Each piece is beautifully hand-crafted and fully functional – the result of six years of research, pouring over ancient Roman texts and blueprints. When the exhibition first opened in Rome, it was awarded the Italian President’s Gold Medal for Cultural Innovation, because it recreates machines and technologies that had been lost for over 2,000 years. At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from what is today England, east to Turkey, and south to Egypt and north Africa. In both war and peace, expanding the Empire required the
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invention of an extraordinary amount of technology. Pile drivers allowed the Romans to build bridges across rivers into enemy territories. Assault towers created a way to scale city walls and catapults hurled projectiles into enemy ranks. Then, to build over 250,000 miles of roads connecting the empire to Rome, engineers cut through hills, filled deep ravines, channeled water through aqueducts, tunneled mountains, and established a system of roads so enduring that many are still used today. Some of the exhibition’s most interesting machines don’t look all that different from those we use in the modern world. The sophistication of the Roman engineering resonates particularly well in Mobile, a port city known for building airplanes, constructing warships, and producing steel. In fact, some of the Roman
cranes look remarkable similar to those swinging in the Port of Mobile, just a few blocks from the History Museum. Allowing for a motor instead of oxenpower, it is the same systems of pulleys and levers that allow cranes to load cargo and drive commerce today. Handcrafted by the Artisans of Florence International, this exhibition Guests will be encouraged to explore the innovative machines “The History Museum is excited to be able to bring this remarkable exhibit from Italy to Mobile, and we’re grateful our partners AM/NS Calvert and the J.L. Bedsole Foundation have allowed us to do just that,” said Meg McCrummen Fowler, director of the History Museum of Mobile. This is a hands-on, interactive exhibit that allows visitors to discover such innovative machines that continue to influence the technologies of today. These machines don’t exist anywhere else in the world, and getting to experience them in Mobile is a rare treat. Visitors will be richly rewarding for touring an exhibition that explores the tactics, equipment, armor, logistics, war machines, and – above all – the empire that changed the world.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
February 2020
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Publisher’s Letter
Love is in the Air 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, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
Contributing Writers Jeff Barganier Tracy Bhalla Greg Budell
Kelly K. James Janeen Lewis Julian McPhillips Leslie McPhillips Jim Mooney Leigh Anne Richards Raley L. Wiggins
Cover Photography Total Image Portraits www.totalimage.com
Advertising
Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
Please Recycle This Magazine, Share with a Friend!
Jim Watson, Publisher jim@riverregionboom.com
For many years now we have featured a loving couple as our cover profile for the month of February. It has been a joy to feature people with a history of a long loving relationship as well as those who have found a new love at an older age. This month we have as our cover profile Julian and Leslie McPhillips. They have been married for more than 40 years and have truly spent much of their time building a loving relationship while serving others and creating a loving family with five grandkids. They are passionate about their faith, their politics and their family. It was a pleasure getting to know Julian and Leslie, I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I have, please share with your friends.
There’s a whole lot more to read and relax with in this issue. Jeff Barganier offers a rare glimpse into hunting big hogs…bare-handed. Not for everyone, but it’ll get your juices flowing! We also have a feature about returning to work after you retire and why you might want to do it. I guess that’s because retirement isn’t exactly as advertised in the brochures. For the romantics or not, we have some date night ideas to help you rekindle some love energy in your marriage. Yeah, things can get a little boring sometimes, you know same old, same old. THINK DIFFERENTLY, at least on date night and we help stimulate your thinking with some ideas, so come on, stretch your love creativity outside the box a little. Leigh Anne Richards shares some good info about your heart health and the importance of exercises, DUH! The bottom line is if you want to age well with longevity in mind, you must protect your heart muscle from disease and yes, exercise is the most effective thing you can do for your heart! If you are trying to deal with a long-distance caregiving situation, you’re going to have some emotional issues to deal with and we offer some solutions for your peace of mind, check it out to reduce the stress. Greg Budell has great story from his radio days in Florida that will remind you just how special each of us can be when we least expect it. There are plenty more good reads in this month’s issue so sit back and enjoy the read, it was designed for you. Please consider our advertisers when you have needs, they’re all on the right side of positive aging and would love to do business with each of you. Please share your thoughts on this issue or any other ideas regarding BOOM! I love to listen. Get creative and love the one you’re with…especially on date night!
Jim 334.324.3472 cell/text
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
February 2020
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Montgomery’s 17th Annual Jewish Food Festival Sponsored by Temple Beth Or will be held on Sunday, February 23, 2020
~We look forward to coming every year. I get excited when I see the signs around town announcing the date.~ ~Love, love, love the food. I wish they would hold it every month!~
Comments by past visitors to Temple Beth Or’s Jewish Food Festival
MONTGOMERY – Once a year Temple Beth Or opens its doors and welcomes the community to enjoy ethnic Jewish food, learn about Judaism from Rabbi Scott Looper and buy unique items from our Treasure Market. Rolls, Kugel, Quajado, and fresh-cooked potato Latkes with applesauce and sour cream toppings are also available.
The 17th annual Jewish Food Festival & Treasure Market will be held on Sunday, February 23rd at Temple Beth Or located at 2246 Narrow Lane Road beginning at 9:00 AM and continuing until 2:00 PM. The outreach event, which is the Temple’s only fundraiser, is free and attracts 2,000-plus attendees. “We are thankful for the generous support of the business community and the work of all the temple members who continue sharing their cooking talents and family recipes that have been handed down for generations,” said Jenny Ives, a former Temple president and chair of the event. This year’s event will feature live family musical entertainment by Dahlia Road. Also, Rabbi Looper will be giving sanctuary tours throughout the day. The Treasure Market is made possible through generous donations of items from our members, so we are able to offer unique and beautiful treasures for sale, Those treasures will include furniture, books, children’s toys, as well as beautiful silver, jewelry, dishes, and other decorative items.
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Ethnic Jewish food is the main attraction for many. Hot plates are a favorite consisting of slow-cooked Beef Brisket, Noodle Kugel (an egg casserole cooked with sugar and raisins), Sephardic green beans and tomatoes and a slice of traditional Challah bread. A veggie plate has Quajado (Sephardic casserole dish of spinach, egg, and cheese), Kugel, potato Latke, slaw, and a slice of Challah bread. If you are in the market for a deli sandwich, we serve a thin-sliced corned beef sandwich on seedless rye bread, homemade slaw and a pickle. Individual dishes of our famous Cabbage
We will be selling our highly popular New York Imported Carnegie Deli cheesecake by the slice with the topping of your choice to enjoy with live entertainment, or you can buy an entire frozen cheesecake to enjoy at a later date. Bakery items are a huge hit with everyone! Purchase homemade Strudel, Mandelbrot, Rugelah, Curabies (Sephardic sand tart-like cookie) and Praline Matzoh are available separately or in an assortment plate. Hand rolled and homemade Challah loaves, our traditional Sabbath bread, or Challah rolls are for sale fresh or frozen to enjoy at a later date. Jewish Matzoh Ball Soup will also be available as a to-go item, but only as long as it lasts!
For a menu or information, visit Temple Beth Or’s website at www.templebethor.net.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
February 2020
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2020 New Year’s Resolution:
Join OLLI at Auburn University at Montgomery It is not too late to make a New Year’s Resolution: join OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) at Auburn University at Montgomery. Becoming an OLLI member gives you the opportunity to learn new things about a wide variety of subjects, develop new skills, and get some exercise, all in one place. Even though OLLI classes for the winter term of 2020 have already started, there are a number of ways to get involved with the organization now. OLLI membership gives everyone the opportunity to participate in bonus opportunities and activities. A good way to get acquainted with the OLLI program and its members is to attend a potluck lunch (one is scheduled every term). The winter term potluck is Monday, February 10, from 12:20 – 1:20 p.m., at the Center for Lifelong Learning (75 TechnaCenter Drive). Individuals
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bring a dish – appetizer, salad, casserole, meat, bag of cookies, whatever. OLLI at AUM provides the drinks, plates, and utensils. We do request a registration to attend the potluck lunch. This is a good opportunity to get acquainted with instructors and OLLI members in an informal setting. There are, on occasion, special guests who mingle with those in attendance (come enjoy the surprises!). OLLI at AUM also sponsors other lunch presentations during the term that are free to all members. The ones for the 2020 winter term are still being scheduled, but a detailed schedule will be announced in the next week. Subjects to be covered are Truman Capote, Alabama history, and the Alabama Historical Association. The naturalists from the Alabama Nature Center will also make a presentation during the term.
Other bonus activities include a book discussion group and occasional field trips. The book group meets every first and third Tuesday of the term at the Center for Lifelong Learning from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. During the winter term, the group will read and discuss The Wife by Meg Wolitzer, The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry (the 2020 Harper Lee Award Winner), and The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. These sessions are free with membership, but we ask for registration. The catalog for the spring and summer terms has gone to the printer and will be available (online and in print) soon. To get more details about OLLI – membership, fees and the online catalog -- you can go to www.aum.edu/OLLI or contact Brittany Thomasson at 334-244-3804.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
February 2020
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Overcoming the Emotional Impact
of Long-Distance Caregiving
Being a long-distance caregiver brings many conflicting emotions. You know you are doing something good for a loved one and simultaneously feel guilty because you live so far away.
delegate specific responsibilities and schedules for things like taking your loved one to the grocery store, to the doctor, delivering or cooking meals and doing the laundry. Although one primary caregiver will need to serve as a connection to doctors and other providers, the family care team can share the overall responsibilities. Adjust the schedule regularly. It’s not easy and not all family members will pull their weight, but it is a good place to start.
That is normal. Unless you are willing to move closer to your loved one, you should know how to overcome the six most common emotional impacts of long-distance caregiving. Learn to provide the best care for your loved one and cope with the stress caused by the distance with these strategies. We’ve broken them down based on the feelings you’re going through at the moment: 1. Sadness that your loved one’s illness is worsening, and you can’t be there. This is one of the toughest situations for long-distance caregivers. Find ways to be there vicariously or figure out if it is feasible for you to visit occasionally. Try the following: S Have a standing call with your parent weekly or daily to check in and see how they are doing S Ask friends and family who live nearby to visit your loved one and give you an assessment of their condition S Travel over a weekend to see them for yourself S If you have a long flight and work, talk to your employer in advance about taking a day off each quarter each to check in on the well-being of your loved one
If your instincts are telling you that your loved one is getting worse, pay attention to them. If you or a trusted friend or family member can’t visit your loved one, find a responsible, certified home care agency to conduct a home assessment. You need to know the health status of your loved one, if they are eating, and if they are taking their medications regularly. You can make a list of medical, emotional and physical issues that you want to be assessed as well as things in the home environment that you want to be checked like food, cleanliness and fall hazards. 2. The realization that you are the only one willing to be a caregiver. This can be a rude awakening if you live a distance from your loved one and realize that you are the only one willing to bear caregiving responsibilities. The best way to respond is with structure. Set up a family meeting immediately and keep the following in mind: S Don’t wait for an emergency S Include your senior loved one in the meeting if he or she is able to participate S Ask what types of assistance would help the most and use this as the basis for a care plan Once you have identified the care needs,
3. Not feeling ready for the reversal of adult/child roles. Everyone has limits. It is important to realize this and recognize that no one is fully ready for the reversal of child/ parent roles. Know that grieving the situation is important and that it is going to take time to come to terms with it. Here are some things that you can say to yourself to reinforce that you are doing the very best you can as a long-distance caregiver: S I'm not perfect, and that's okay S I can't control everything S Sometimes, I just need to do what works for right now S I will enjoy the moments when we can be together in peace S I will try to get help from a counselor if caregiving becomes too much for me 4. Feelings of guilt start creeping up. It's normal to feel guilty for being so far away, but you can still be a great caregiver from a distance. Try these strategies to overcome any guilt: S Make simple communication changes. The more you increase your communication and connection to your loved one, the less guilty you may feel. You can do this by: - Calling more - Visiting more if you can - Sending cards and letters - Skyping or Facetiming
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
- Sending quick texts throughout the day if they use a cell phone S Accept your limitations. Realistically, you may not be able to change the fact that you are a long-distance caregiver. However, if you accept that fact as the reality of the situation and then acknowledge your strengths as a caregiver, you may begin to feel better. When you make your own expectations concrete and find a way to meet them, it can help to reduce the guilt you feel. - List the things that you can do and the things that you cannot do - Find help and support services to provide the things that you cannot S Recognize your feelings. If you feel guilty, don’t try to sweep it under the rug. Realize that there are very real reasons why you feel guilty and then work to adjust the situation, so you feel less so. Extend your caregiving efforts by trying the following: - Hiring an at-home caregiver - Installing remote monitoring technology in your loved one’s home
It is easy to ask, “Why me?” after years of exhaustive attention to caregiving responsibilities. If you are resentful toward your loved one, it is important to know that it is a very common feeling for caregivers. You are not a bad person because resentment has welled up. However, it is important to resolve resentment because it can be a destructive emotion. It can interfere with caregiving duties and lead to apathy that may cause you to ignore important
caregiving responsibilities. Try the following: S Talk about it. Talk to a trusted friend, advisor or member of the clergy. S Vent in a journal. As you write about the stress of caregiving and the resentment you feel, it may begin to release, and you may feel better. S Seek the support and help of a therapist. Resentment can quickly turn to anger so make sure to find a way to work through it and resolve it.
5. Doubting your caregiving abilities. It is common for long-distance caregivers to doubt their abilities to care for a loved one. After all, you can’t be with them every day. They may sound frail when you talk to them, making you doubt that you are doing the right thing by living at a distance. However, you can replace that doubt with information by doing the following: S Research caregiving and the resources for long-distance caregivers in your area S Research the specific disease your loved one is diagnosed with, so you know what to expect S Find community services for your loved one and support groups for yourself S Call your loved one’s doctor if you have concerns 6. Resentment is building. For caregivers, resentment is the elephant in the room. Many feel it but few talk about it. Eventually, after months and years of caregiving, pushing personal time aside and struggling to juggle personal, work and home life, many caregivers are deeply resentful toward their loved ones. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Master Gardener's Perspective
By Jim Mooney
How To Grow The Best Tasting Tomatoes This article covers some of the common challenges that I faced with growing tomatoes in Middlesex New Jersey (my hometown), Oxford England (US Air Force) and my home in Millbrook Alabama. The philosophy of growing is first, learn how the plant grows without you. Second, do not try to get the plant to grow in a way that it was not intended to grow. To keep your tomato plants healthy, the two primary principles of growing tomatoes are spacing and moisture.
Spacing:
• Tomato plants need airflow. Place your plants 24 to 30 inches apart and continue to heavily prune any lower leaves or branches that are less than 12 inches above the ground. In most cases, your tomato plant may only have two main branches coming up from the ground.
Watering:
• Do not water your plants overhead. Heavy moisture on the leaves or water spotting can be the first step toward blight or a fungus outbreak. • Water carefully and slowly near the roots and use caution not to splatter the water on the plant leaves. • On average, except during a draught, water for one hour every two to three days when there has been little or no rain. Some experts recommend that you use a soaker hose; deep watering encourages stronger root formation. • After periods of heavy rainfall, you should examine your plants and check for airflow and excessive water and when necessary, prune lower branches or leaves. Gently remove (leaf shaking with your finger) any excessive moisture on the plant. Wait three days before watering. It is not uncommon to see gardeners using a portable fan, portable hairdryer or other devices to gently remove excess water from the plant leaves. • Mulching prevents splash back and keeps the plant dry while retaining soil moisture. Mulch and compost create a bug friendly garden that attracts wasps and other insects that attack tomato worms. • If any of the plant leaves are wilting, your plant is under stress and you must determine
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if you need to increase your watering or if you are watering too much.
Common Issues:
• Blossom End Rot (BET): Commonly caused by overwatering or not watering your plants. Overwatering prevents the plant from absorbing calcium. In rare cases, when confirmed by a soil test, BET can be caused by a lack of calcium in the soil. A common remedy is to add eggshells to the soil, but it takes about a year for the eggshells to break down. A quicker calcium fix is to add Tums to the soil for immediate benefit to the plant. Crush the Tums into a powder and apply 7 1/2 Tums per square foot. This equates to 750 Tums for a 10' by 10' garden. Though not economical it does provide for an emergency fix. • Tomato worms: Also called tomato hornworms, (Manduca quinquemaculata) they can quickly decimate a healthy tomato crop. These worms are identified by their green bodies, ornamented with white V-shaped marks along the sides along with the prominent "horn" growing at the rear of their bodies. They defoliate your tomato plants and feed on the fruit. To protect your tomato crop, consider using Mother Nature as a natural pest control method to kill tomato worms by heavy mulching to attract hornworm predators and growing basil, plant dill, marigolds or borage among your tomatoes to repel hornworms. Growing the herb borage has the added benefit of enriching the soil with potassium, calcium and other organic minerals. To outwit the pupae that may be lurking in the soil, rotate your crops, and the pests may move on from your garden. Mother Nature will also send in reinforcements in the way of lady beetles, green lacewings and braconid wasps, as well the common wasp, the egg or larvae stage, lady beetles and green lacewings solve the problem by eating the immature hornworms. Once developed into mature caterpillars, plant, braconid wasps lay eggs on the worm, which in turn eat the caterpillar as they develop. If you notice hornworms covered in white egg masses, there's no need to remove the caterpillar, as the wasp larvae are doing the job for you. Common wasps kill and feed off tomato hornworms. • Cat facing: Malformation of the fruit
caused by faciated blossoms fusing together creating deep hardened fissures or pockets. There are no preventive measures. Fruit is edible and tasty and at worst, you may have to cut away small portions of the fruit. • Cracking: Section rots and is inedible. Too much water too fast. Caused by improper watering or extended periods of heavy rain. Water slowly and deeply every three days rather than daily.
Maximizing the Taste:
• Molasses: Nitrogen is essential but too much nitrogen and the fruit loses its full flavor potential. Add two tablespoons of molasses to a gallon of chlorine free water and spray on the plant leaves every 2 weeks through the growing season. High potassium will offset the excess nitrogen and raise the lycopene which increases the sugar levels in the tomato plant for maximum flavor. • Aspirin: Induce stress by spraying aspirin on the plant to trick the plant into defensive mode against an attack. Ascylic acid beefs up the flavor, adds vitamin C and makes the plant stronger. In the event of a real bug or fungus attack plant defensive mechanisms are already in place. Place one aspirin in a gallon of water and add a dash of mild liquid soap (Dawn) to allow the aspirin water to stick to tomato plant. Spray the plant when first setting in the ground and spray every two to three weeks. This will also help germinate the plant, stimulate growth and attract fewer insects. • Best Time To Pick: Pick your tomatoes early in the afternoon during the hottest part of the day when the fruit sugar is at its highest concentration. • Do Not Refrigerate: This will cause the flavor to "tank". After picking, the fruit while on the counter or in a bowl, the fruit continues to ripen and aromatic compounds as the flavor continually evaporates into the air and is recaptured. My hope is that the information in this article will help you grow the healthiest and tastiest tomatoes to impress your family and friends. Jim Mooney, an Intern in the 2019 Master Garden Class, lives in Millbrook. For more information on becoming a master gardener, visit www. capcitymga.org or email capcitymga@gmail.com. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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February is designated as heart health month. What an appropriate time to write an article about heart health and exercise. Inactivity is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. However, exercise can improve heart health and, in some cases, reverse some heart disease risk factors. You heart is a muscle and like all muscles it becomes stronger as a result of exercise; therefore it can pump more blood through the body with every beat and can continue to work at maximum levels, if needed, with less strain. The resting heart rate is slower for those who exercise because less effort is needed to pump blood.
Heart Health
A person that exercises often and vigorously has the lowest risk of heart disease, but any amount of exercise is beneficial. Studies consistently find that light to moderate exercise is beneficial for people with existing heart disease. People who do not exercise are almost twice as likely to get heart disease as people who are active. Note, however, that anyone with heart disease or cardiac risk factors should seek medical advice before starting an exercise program. Exercise has a number of benefits on the heart and circulation. The benefits
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include improving cholesterol and fat levels, reducing inflammation in the arteries, helping with weight loss and helping to keep blood vessels flexible and open. Studies continue to show that physical activity and avoiding high
cholesterol) levels occur when people performed low to moderate –or high intensity exercise such as walking of jogging 12 miles in a week. However, more intense exercise is needed to see significant changes in increasing the HDL (good cholesterol). An example of this kind of exercise program would be jogging about 20 miles a week or any activity that is comparable.
Fitness over Fifty by Leigh Anne Richards
fat foods are two of the most successful ways of reaching and maintaining heart healthy levels of fitness and a healthy weight. The American Heart Association recommends that individuals perform moderately- intense exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week. This recommendation is also supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. People who maintain an active lifestyle have a 45% lower risk of developing heart disease than sedentary people. Experts have been attempting to define how much exercise is needed to produce heart benefits. Beneficial changes in cholesterol and lipid levels, including lower LDL (bad
Some studies even suggest that for the greatest heart protection, it is not the duration of a single exercise session that counts but the total weekly amount of energy expended. Therefore, it is recommended 150 minutes a week. Resistance (strength or weight) training has also been associated with heart protection. It may offer a complimentary benefit to aerobic activity. If you have heart disease, check with your doctor before doing resistance training. You can use weights, resistance bands, or even your own body weight. Do it 2-3 times a week and let your muscles recover for a day in between sessions. What about people that are high risk individuals? Of course, one should consult their doctor before ever
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undertaking an exercise program. Patients with known heart disease can exercise safely as long as they are evaluated beforehand. Sometimes they need to begin their workout under medical supervision. At risk individuals should be aware of any symptoms warning of harmful complications while they are exercising. Some people believe that men over 45 and women over 55 whether or not they are at risk for heart disease should have a complete physical exam before starting or intensifying an exercise program. The following is a questionnaire for people over 40 to help determine whether they require such an exam: • Has any doctor previously recommended medically supervised activity because of a heart condition? • Does physical activity bring on chest pain? • Has chest pain occurred during the previous month? • Do you faint or fall over from dizziness?
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• Does bone or joint pain intensify after exercise? • Has medication been prescribed for high blood pressure or heart problems? • Are you aware of, or has the doctor suggested any physical reason for not exercising without medical supervision?
Source: Health Guide The New York Times WebMD- Fitness and Exercise
Those who answer yes to any of the above questions should have a complete medical exam before developing an exercise program.
Tell Your Friends
Always listen to warning signs when you are exercising. 40% of young men who die suddenly during a workout have previously experienced and ignored warning signs of heart disease. In addition to avoiding risky activities, the best preventive tactic is to listen to the body and seek medical help at the first sign of symptoms or following exercise.
Leigh Anne Richards, MEd, Certified Personal Trainer, Group Exercise Instructor, General Manager- MetroFitness. For any questions or comments, contact Leigh Anne at LAMetrofit@aol.com
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Exercise is a great prescription for keeping heart disease away. Celebrate Heart health this month!
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By Janeen Lewis
Rekindle the Romance 52 Creative Date Night Ideas
Are you skipping date night with your spouse because of everyday responsibilities, work, or boredom? A recent study shows you may want to rethink the amount of time you rendezvous with the one you love. According to a study from the National Marriage Project, “The Date Night Opportunity Report,” couples who spend time together at least once a week are “markedly more likely to enjoy high-quality relationships and lower divorce rates, compared to couples who do not devote much couple time to one another.” What better way to have one-on-one time than date night? No matter what your interests, personality or financial status, there are date night ideas to suit everyone. Change your thinking today and commit to a weekly date with your spouse, you’ll like it! Cheap Dates 1.Stargaze. Find a spot away from city lights and look at the Milky Way, Orion’s Belt or possibly a shooting star. 2. Go to a local wine-tasting or coffee-tasting. 3. Rent bikes and ride around town. If you feel really adventurous, try a tandem bike. 4. Test your knowledge by participating in a local trivia night. Before making a debut, check out sporcle.com or funtrivia.com to play games that challenge your trivia knowledge. 5. Visit a local pool hall. Shoot pool and play darts. 6. Test drive an expensive, racy sports car, then go find a happy hour and eat appetizers for dinner. 7. Treat each other to an at-home spa night with bubble bath, foot rubs and massages. Fancy Dates 8. Make your most exquisite meal at home. Use silverware, China, candles and cloth napkins. 9. Take a cruise on a dinner yacht. 10. Dine at a restaurant that has live entertainment like jazz, blues or theater. 11. Ride on a dinner train. Visit dinnertrains. com to find one near you. 12. Take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the city at night.
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Snuggle-at-Home Dates 13.Make popcorn and enjoy a romantic movie like Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Sleepless in Seattle or The Notebook. 14. Play a board game for couples like Scene It? Squabble or Battle of the Sexes. 15. Share yearbooks from your childhood, high school and college days. Learn about each other before you were a couple. 16. If you have a fire pit in the backyard, build a roaring fire, make s’mores, and snuggle. 17. Share letters describing what you love and admire about each other. Write why you are important to each other. Thrill-seeking Dates 18.Take a hot-air balloon ride. 19. Visit an amusement park and ride all the roller coasters. 20. Race go-karts. 21. Take a helicopter or airplane ride together. If you really want a thrill, sky dive out of the plane. 22. Take SCUBA diving certification classes together. Plan a trip to an exotic place to scuba dive. Outdoorsy Dates 23. Hold hands and wade in a creek. 24. Canoe or kayak together. 25. Go spelunking. Find out if where cave camping is allowed. Pack your gear and spend the night in a cave. 26. Go on an outdoor treasure hunt by geocaching. Using a GPS, treasure seekers enter a specific set of coordinates and then attempt to find a hidden container at the location. Check out geocaching.com to find out more. 27. Grab life jackets and inner tubes and spend a lazy afternoon floating down a river. Around Town Dates 28. Visit your local planetarium. There is something romantic about viewing constellations in the night sky, even if it is indoors. 29. Audition for a part in a community theatre production together. 30. Attend a gallery hop, an event where several art galleries open their doors for free viewings on the same night. 31. Take a self-guided tour of your town. Check out shops and attractions and to mix things up, eat appetizers, dinner, and dessert
in three different restaurants. 32. Pack a picnic and attend a live concert on your town’s green. Socially Conscious Dates 33. Volunteer at a community garden. Grow your relationship along with some vegetables and donate your harvest to a soup kitchen. 34. Love animals? Volunteer at your local humane society. 35. Serve together at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. 36. Volunteer as a docent, greeter, or server at one of your favorite charity events. 37. Buy tickets to a charity gala. Dress up in a tuxedo and evening gown, have a glamorous night and help others. Book Lover Dates 38. Buy a book you both want to read. Take turns reading and write notes to each other in the margins. 39. Read a relationship book together. Try to outdo each other following its advice. 40. Visit a bookshop/coffee house combo. Peruse the bookshelves and then sit, sip and read together. 41. Take a class together at a local college or community center. 42. Start your own book. Take turns writing in a journal about your life together. If you have children, they will cherish the book one day. Dates that make you feel like a kid again 43. Go to a carnival, fair or festival. Ride the rides, visit booths and eat food on a stick. 44. Go putt-putting 45. Visit your local roller rink and skate. 46. Visit a farm and take a hay ride. 47. Go to the zoo. Physically Fit Dates 48. Take a dance lesson together. Whether you pick a steamy salsa, intimate tango or flirty cha cha, it will be good for your heart both physically and romantically. 49. Run a marathon. Cross the finish line together. 50. Take aerobics, yoga or Pilates together. 51. Lift weights together. 52. Take karate together. Janeen Lewis is a freelance journalist and mom to Andrew and Gracie. She has been published in several anthologies and parenting magazines across the country. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Downtown Montgomery's 7th Annual Mardi Gras Block Party & Cajun Cook-off Join us for our 7th Annual Mardi Gras Block Party - Saturday, February 15th, 2020 on Commerce Street in downtown Montgomery! This is our event of the year and its tons of fun! Tickets are available in advance for the Cajun Cook-off. Advance sales are limited so get them early before they sell out! A portion of the proceeds from the cook-off will go to Valiant Cross Academy and That's My Child. NOTE: Regular admission to the block party (which lasts from 12 - 6pm) is free, but tasting tickets are required if you want to enjoy the Cajun cuisine from our particpating restaurants and vote for your favorites! (NOTE: the cookoff starts at 12pm noon and ends at 2pm). Contact dbamontgomery@gmail.com for more information. All proceeds from Cajun Cook-off will go to That's My Child and Valiant Cross Academy, two local nonprofits that are changing our city for the better through education, equipping and empowering our youth. More Information and tickets visit www.eventbrite.com
Millbrook Mardi Gras The annual Millbrook Mardi Gras parade and festival will be early this year – Saturday, February 15th from 9 until 3pm! This family-friendly event takes place in the lovely town Blue Yonder of Millbrook at the Mill Creek Park on Main Street. Vendors will be ready and waiting with all kinds of arts and crafts, Cajun food, music, pony rides, zips lines and more. Designated as one of the “Must Attend” events in Alabama, the Millbrook Revelers Mardi Gras Festival & Parade brings Millbrook’s streets to life with parade viewers shouting for beads, moon pies and trinkets, lively tunes played by the colorful marching bands, and the infectious merriment that dominates the city all day. For more info www.millbrookrevelers.org
Prattville Mardi Gras
Prattville’s 16th Annual Mardi Gras Parade and Celebration will be held on February 8. The good times will begin to roll with food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, inflatables, and other activities at 11 am and a car show starting at 8 am at the Public Safety Building. The parade will start at 2pm at the Autauga County Courthouse. It will follow Main Street through downtown, turn right on Northington then left on Doster Road, ending at Stanley Jensen Stadium. For more information, call 334.595.0854.
Jere Beasley Honored with MCBA 2020 Service & Achievement Award The Montgomery County Bar Association (MCBA) honored Beasley Allen Law Firm founder Jere L. Beasley with its 2020 Service & Achievement Award during its annual meeting this week. The award was created to recognize Montgomery lawyers who have distinguished themselves through their exemplary service to the local community and bar. The honor is presented to a lawyer who demonstrates the highest standard of professionalism and is respected for outstanding legal ability. “Without a doubt, Mr. Beasley is the best trial lawyer in the entire country but, more importantly, he is a leading advocate for those who have been wronged,” said Larry Golston, a lawyer in the firm’s Consumer Fraud Section and the new president of the Montgomery County Bar Association, installed during the same meeting when Beasley was honored. “This award is definitely well-deserved. He is not only a great litigator, he is a great leader and mentor as well.”
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Animal Enrichment Day At the Montgomery Zoo, twice a year, we hold an event entitled Animal Enrichment Day. The goal of the event is to physically and mentally stimulate our animals by the practice of safely adding various stimuli to their environment. Here at the Zoo, our goal is to provide enrichment that will stimulate behavior in captivity that is typical of the species in the wild. It is also our goal to provide enrichment resources to our animal collection that will result in increased physical and mental exercise. It can be as simple as adding food, treats, scents, toys, and puzzles. But this is not just a twice a year event. The Montgomery Zoo provides enrichment to its animals on a daily basis. Animal Enrichment Day allows the Zoo to share a daily activity with our guests and present it on a grander scale. It is a lot of trial and error, but it is always fun. Our ultimate goal is to ENHANCE well-being, health, and happiness through enrichment. And you can do this too. Intentionally set a goal to add enrichment to your life, family, friends, and even your pets at home. To witness this all first hand, join us for Animal Enrichment Day at the Montgomery Zoo, Saturday, Feb 15, 10am-2pm. Fun a little fun, and learn how enrichment is good for everyone.
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Former Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange Awarded MAZS highest honor, Golden Egg Award
L-R, Marcia Woodard, Zoo Director, Todd Strange, Former Mayor of Montgomery, Dottye Hannan, MAZS Board and Life Member Cassandra Crosby, MAZS Board President, Kenneth White, MAZS Board Immediate Past President
The Montgomery Area Zoological Society (MAZS), a support organization of the Montgomery Zoo, presented the Golden Egg Award to former Montgomery Mayor, Todd Strange, for his support and desire to ensure the Montgomery Zoo is ranked among the premiere zoological facilities in the southeast. The Golden Egg is the highest honor given by Montgomery Area Zoological Society. It is only awarded to individuals or organizations for their long standing dedication to the zoo and their work to ensure the Zoo continues its mission to improve the future of wildlife through conservation efforts, education/outreach programs and to ensure that each Zoo guest gains a greater understanding of our place in the world and our responsibility to protect its resources. Past recipients include Leon Hadley (2000), Larry Stevens (2000), Mayor Emory Folmar (2000), Jack Galassini (2000), Bob Robinson Sr. (2000), Mark Sabel Family (2001), The Hobbs Foundation (2002), The Blount Foundation (2003), Adolph Weil Jr Family (2004), Luther Waller (2005) Helga Finks (2005), Mayor Bobby Bright (2007), Dottye Hannan (2008), Betty Brislin (2014), and Doug Goode (2018).
Free Subscriptions @ w w w.rive r re gio n b o o m.co m HCA Caregiver of the Month Ashley goes above and beyond to help her clients have a better quality of life. We would like to thank Ashley for all her hard work since she has joined our team. Thank you Ashley for all your hard work and dedication to the company. Ashley is a great asset to our team. Ashley always puts her whole heart in her job. Ashley your dedication does not go unnoticed. Thank you again. Home Care Assistance is grateful that Ashley is a part of our family. For more information visit www.homecareassistancemontgomery.com
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CAIN’S CHAPEL UMC TO CELEBRATE 200 YEARS OF LOOKING BACK – LIVING FORWARD Cain’s Chapel United Methodist Church, located in the Holtville/Slapout Community of Elmore County, began on January 12, 2020, to celebrate two hundred years as one of the oldest continuously meeting congregations in the entire River Region. The theme for the year-long celebration is “Looking Back – Living Forward,” Regina Witt (left) and Sharon Holland welcome folks to Cain's Chapel reflecting not only reenactments on the church’s rich of historical past, but on how it can continue to moments thrive in the future. The church and in both adjoining cemetery were recently added the church to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and the and Heritage, and the historic marker community. and a new stained-glass window in the Historical sanctuary commemorating its founders moments and heritage were dedicated on January will present 12. District Superintendent Rev. Allen monthly Newton was the special speaker for vignettes from the occasion. Guests were welcomed each twentyby greeters in costumes of the 1820s year time and enjoyed a luncheon following the period of the worship service. two hundred years, The church has planned numerous beginning with 1820-1840 in January, celebratory events to be held throughout 1840-1860 in February, 1860-1800 the year, including second Sunday
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in March, etc., culminating with a Homecoming celebration on November 8, 2020. Programs and activities planned include an old fashioned wedding with a Valentine dinner and musical program in February, a brush arbor service featuring a mystery guest and the Mortar Creek Blue Grass Gospel Company in March, a patriotic concert by the Upbeats in July, a “Voices from the Past” cemetery tour in October, and a summer movie night, during which the movie THE STORY OF HOLTVILLE will be shown, followed by interviews with several cast members. Other events include special guests such as reenactor Rev. Ed Shirley; Dixie Art Colony Foundation Director Mark Harris; historian Annie Crenshaw (Grandma’s Kitchen presentation); Dr. Susan Dubose, formerly with Department of Alabama Archives and History (Famous Alabama Women from the Last 200 Years); and Sean Dietrich (Sean of the South), writer, humorist, and novelist known for his commentary on life in the American South. 2020 is sure to be an exciting year at Cain’s Chapel, and the public is cordially invited to attend any and all events! Please visit www.cainschapelumc.org for more info.
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Pike Road Arts Council's 9th Annual Art Market Call your friends for the Pike Road Arts Council's 9th Annual Art Market on Saturday, March 7th from 9 am - 4 pm at Pike Road Town Hall (9575 Vaughn Rd). This event is free to enter and features artists and artisans from the River Region and beyond. A local British Car Club will be showcasing their cars in the parking lot outside Town Hall during the event. Those interested in learning more can contact the Town of Pike Road by visiting www.pikeroad.us, calling 334.272.9883, or emailing info@pikeroad.us.
Ted, The Wine Guy Big Wine Bash Ted, The Wine Guy will host The 13th Annual Big Wine Bash on Friday February 21st, 6 to 8 pm downtown Montgomery at our NEW LOCATION, The Archibald Center at Montgomery Area Council on Aging, 115 East Jefferson Street. (Corner of Lawrence and Jefferson, one block behind St Johns Episcopal). This year will be another wonderfully diverse wine tasting, with over 100 selections to choose from. Tickets are now on sale at $35 per person + tax. Available in the store or through the Eventbrite website: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-wine-bash-2020-tickets-90041948893. In addition to our local sales reps pouring wines, we make an effort to get winery staff and reps here to better describe their wines. So far, we have commitments from the following wineries: Black Stallion, Klinker Brick, Vignerons de Buxy, Marietta Cellars, Hahn Family Wines, Jackson Family Wines, Chateau Ste Michelle, Daou Vineyards, Easton/Terre Rouge, Ferrari Carano, New to the list: Empson Imports...This is shaping up to be an outstanding evening of wine tasting! Don't wait too long to get your tickets...we sold out two years in a row and had to turn folks away. For more info call 334.395.9911 or visit www.tedthewineguy.com
PING PONG TOURNAMENT [all ages and abilities] 2020 Ping Pong is a sport that keeps older people who want to continue to stay fit “on their toes.” The low impact bending, reaching, squatting and eye-hand coordination keep the body tuned for daily life and for the occasional recreational challenge. The physical impact of ping pong may be low, but the charitable impact for Renascence keeps men with few support systems “on their toes” as they bounce back to a life out of prison. FRIDAY, MARCH 6 [PARTY] 6-9 pm; SATURDAY, MARCH 7 [TOURNAMENT] 9 am-2 pm at the ALCAZAR CENTER, 555 EASTERN BLVD. in Montgomery. The Tournament benefits Renascence and the men coming out of the prison system who need a hand up, not a hand-out, as 2019 Masters level winners they transition into society and employment. No other group in the city, and few in the state, provide safe, drug-free housing for male ex-offenders. Like a ping pong ball, the men of Renascence want to bounce back into productive lives. To register visit www.halfway-home.net to sign up for the tournament and/or the preview party. The cost is $10 age 18 and under, $20 ages 19 and over. PREVIEW PARTY COST: $45 per person includes food, beverages, dance band, silent auction and the opportunity to play ping pong. For more info call Renascence Re-Entry Community, In 2019, for the second year in a row, veteran 334.832.1402
friends came together for reunion and ping pong.
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Master Gardener Associations Presents Free Lunch & Learn Programs
Someone’s Grandchild Needs Your Support
Capital City Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn 2019 the 1st Wednesday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They meet at the Armory Learning Arts Center, 1018 Madison Avenue, Downtown Montgomery. Mark your calendars, February 5th, Healthy Trees, Dr. Beau Brodbeck, Specialist, ACES and March 4th, Landscape Design Renee Thompson, ACES . Autauga County Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn 2019 the 1st Thursday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They meet at the Trinity United Methodist Church, 610 Fairview Avenue, Prattville 36066. Mark your calendars, February 6th, Pesky Garden Weeds, Virginia Pruitt, Master Gardener. and March 5th, Let’s Learn about Hostas, Bionca Lindsey, Master Gardener. Elmore County Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn 2019 the 2nd Tuesday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They meet at the First Presbyterian Church, 100 West Bridge Street, Wetumpka 36092. Mark your calendars, February 11th, Houseplants, Elizabeth Leatherwood and March 10th, Gardening With Climate Change, Lee & Amanda Borden, Adv. MGs. For information, please contact the Montgomery County Extension Office 334.270.4133. Also visit www.capcitymga.org.
MONTGOMERY
AGLOW INTERNATIONAL Thursday, February 20, St. James UMC, 9045 Vaughn Rd, Montgomery 9:30-11:30 am
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Ask an Elder Law Attorney
By: Raley L. Wiggins | Attorney at Law | Red Oak Legal, PC
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... The English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning penned those famous lines around 1845 in a sonnet dedicated to her future husband, Robert Browning. The sentiment has been quoted so often it has become a part of our popular culture, seen in everything from Hallmark cards to Bugs Bunny cartoons. While most of us are familiar with the opening stanza of the poem, I suspect that few of us can recall all fourteen lines of the sonnet’s iambic pentameter. In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, take a moment to read the entire poem: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of being and ideal grace. I love thee to the level of every day’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise. I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith. I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath, Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death.
This poem is a love letter, written in an era where people sat in contemplation by candle light with nothing to distract them but books, lively conversation, or perhaps even pen and paper. Not a modern, cheap, disposable ball-point pen mind you, but a finely-tipped fountain pen which applies ink to paper via a method that is essentially a controlled leak. The ink, once applied to paper, would have to be blotted dry to avoid smears and smudges. When was the last time you sat down, shut out the distractions of modern society, and wrote a letter to someone you loved? Not an email, not a text, not a Facebook post or Tweet, but an honestto-goodness paper letter?
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We rarely take the time to express our feelings to our loved ones the way the future Mrs. Browning did when she wrote the lines quoted above. While we may not write many letters these days, an
Once we leave this earth, an estate plan is also an opportunity to give gifts of property to the people we care about. They may be sentimental gifts, like family heirlooms, or they may be monetary gifts. They may even be gifts of Estate Planning and Asset Protection Workshop education, ensuring that Wednesday, March 18: Hosted by Red Oak Legal, PC: 1:30-3:30 pm children or at 322 Catoma Street downtown Montgomery. This educational grandchildren workshop presented by local attorney Raley L. Wiggins covers wills, go to college. trusts, powers of attorney, advance directives, living wills, probate You might even leave administration, protecting assets from creditors, bankruptcy, divorce a gift of and remarriage, nursing homes, long-term care and Medicaid motivation— qualification. Registration is required. Call 334-625-6774 today to conditioning reserve your seat or register online at www.redoaklegalpc.com. such gifts on achieving certain goals, estate plan can be a final expression of like a minimum GPA, for example. love, a love letter of sorts, to the people we care about most. Every person’s estate planning goals will of course be unique. Every family is Think about it: the one person who will unique. That is why you, and only you, not be around to benefit from your estate can adequately craft a final expression of planning is you. Getting your affairs in love to the people you care about. Most order is not a selfish act, it is a gift to your love letters are written by the young, loved ones. And I’m not just talking about but you shouldn’t assume that estate monetary gifts. planning is only for the old, the sick, or the dying. To the contrary, the best time For example, what if you were in a terrible to draft your final love letter to your car accident, and your family had to family is while you are strong of body and make the decision whether to continue sharp of mind. to keep you alive using machines or other treatments that would serve to prolong This year, skip the flowers and chocolate, your life, but that would not cure you. turn off the TV, shut down the cellphone, In those conversations, the topic usually and write a letter to someone you love. turns to what you “would have wanted.” Without written instructions, your family Raley L. Wiggins is left to guess whether you would want Attorney at Law, Red Oak Legal, PC to be kept alive indefinitely, or whether 334-239-3625 | info@redoaklegalpc.com 322 Catoma Street, Montgomery, AL 36104, you prefer to be allowed to die a natural www.redoaklegalpc.com death. (If you’re familiar with the famous Terry Shaivo case from the 1990’s, her family spent several years debating whether Terry “would have wanted” to be kept alive using machines, even though she was permanently unconscious).
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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The Big Pull: Going Back to Work After Retiring Jobs can be lovelier the second time around By Kelly K. James When Kathy Pauss retired from her job as a school secretary a few months before turning 65, the Downers Grove, Ill. resident thought it was for good. She was looking forward to gardening, spending time with her grandson and getting to a long list of projects she’d been itching to complete. She lasted just eight months before returning to work. “I retired in June and went back in January,” laughs Pauss. “My gardening was done; my projects were all finished and my grandson was back in school. I missed people, and I wanted to help people and have human contact.” She soon found a new position, working three days a week as a patient service specialist at a rehabilitation center less than a mile from her home. Pauss isn’t working again for the income as much as the meaning and connection she finds on the job. Why People Go Back to Work After Retiring More people are coming out of retirement and returning to the workforce for a number of reasons, says Catherine Collinson, CEO and president of the Transamerica Institute and the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. “Some of the reasons may be financial, and others include staying active and involved and enjoying what they do,”
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Collinson says. “Some people see it as an opportunity for an encore career or to try something new.” Conni Eckstein, of Oklahoma City, had worked for Boeing as a manufacturing engineer for decades before retiring at 61 in 2016. “I felt a need to do something else, and the hours and the travel that were required in my job got to be too much,” says Eckstein. She had lost her son, Damien, a U.S. Army veteran, to suicide in 2013, which influenced her decision as well.
Eckstein calls “an outrageous amount of money.” Eckstein returned in 2018. But she kept thinking about what she’d do when she “re-retired.” By the fall of 2018, Eckstein had had enough of the workplace politics and minutiae — and more clarity about how she wanted to spend her time. These days, she finds meaning by volunteering with TAPS, a national nonprofit that supports those grieving the loss of members of the armed forces. She started a local TAPS care group in Oklahoma City and is a Peer Mentor.
Boomeranging to Boeing
Exploring Options in Retirement
After a once-in-a-lifetime sailing trip on a rented yacht in the Virgin Islands and serving as a temporary director for a nonprofit for several months, though, Eckstein started feeling bored. That’s when her former Boeing manager asked her to return, part-time, for what
One of the benefits of working in retirement is that you may have options you didn’t have before. That could be doing a similar job to the one you had previously, just part-time. Or trying a field you’ve wanted to explore.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Though Pauss knew she wanted to go back to work after retiring, she decided to be selective about how she’d do so. She says she wanted “more than just a job,” something part-time, and something near her home. When an acquaintance mentioned a position at a nearby physical therapy facility, Pauss walked in with a resumé and introduced herself. “I probably broke some of the common rules of applying for a job, but I knew the position was open and I wanted them to see me — that I wasn’t a 65-year-old lady, but a 65-year-young lady,” she says. “And I wanted to make sure that the place felt good; I wanted to work for my heart, not for the money.” That’s a common thread among people returning to work after retiring, says Collinson. “Often, people who go back to work in one fashion or another really enjoy working and problem-solving and the social connections,” she says.
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
What Do You Want to Do? If you’re retired, but feeling the itch to work, “ask yourself what you want to do — and explore those possibilities,” says Collinson. “Be creative in terms of your thinking…if you have a long history of work experience or have something you love to do, is there a new and different way to apply that experience?” You might like sites like Retirementjobs. com to check out retirement-job options. But working for a nonprofit, either in a paid or volunteer position, can also let you reap the psychic rewards of making a difference. “See what’s out there, and what is the best fit, and consider the financial ramifications if you need the money,” says Collinson. Eckstein’s second try at retirement is happy and fulfilling, she says. In addition to her volunteer work with TAPS, Eckstein is very active in Rotary
and has developed a suicide prevention program for Rotary clubs. She also recently started doing improv comedy. “I really had no expectation of what I was going to do [at first] and boom, it’s happening!” she says. “So many people I would have never met have come into my life…and I’m making a lot more friends.” Pauss has been surprised by how much she is enjoying her second career. All of her new colleagues are in their 20s, but that’s not a detriment to her. “I’m the ‘work mom’ to everyone, and that’s said with affection. And they are willing to learn from me. One of the things I didn’t expect was that I really love the challenge of learning something new. I honestly didn’t think I’d be working this long…but I love my patients, and I love what I do every day.” Source: www.nextavenue.org Kelly K. James is a health, wellness and fitness writer and ACE-certified personal trainer based in Downers Grove, Ill.
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BOOM! COVER PROFILE
Julian & Leslie McPhillips, Crusaders This month’s cover profile features Julian and Leslie McPhillips, Julian is referred to as “The People’s Lawyer” for much of his work in the Civil Rights area and representing individuals without voice, Leslie is a very active member of their marriage team, which allows Julian to spend much of his time at the law firm he started, McPhillips Shinbaum, LLP. Together they have supported efforts to change our culture for the better through politics, the arts and their faith. They have traveled extensively throughout the world because they love to explore and engage with different cultures. More importantly Julian and Leslie love spending time with their children and five grandchildren, through travel and hanging out at the lake. Julian was an All-American Wrestler at Princeton and it has served him well when solving legal issues for his clients, tenacity usually wins in both arenas. We recently met Julian and Leslie at their Cloverdale home for the cover photo, where they shared many of their life’s memories through photos, books and art. They have aged well and show little desire to slow down, maybe just change direction from time to time. We think you’ll enjoy reading their story and sharing with your friends.
BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e. where you’re from, what led you to the Montgomery area, careers, marriage, family, etc.? Julian/Leslie: Julian was born on November 13, 1946 (his father's 26th birthday) in Birmingham, raised in Cullman from 1946-1959; Sewanee, TN while attending Sewanee Military Academy from 1959-1964 and Montgomery from 1962-64; Princeton University in NJ 1964-1968; and finally New York starting my law career while a student at Columbia Law 1968-1971 and a Wall Street attorney from 1971-1975. Leslie was born on February 14, 1948 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, daughter of an American banker, and lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil for 14 years, with 3 more years in Rio. At the age of 17, my family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, but I flew across the Atlantic to Lausanne, Switzerland, to attend Chateau Brillantmont for 2 years. Upon graduation, I went to college at Lake Erie College in Paynesville, OH from 1967-71, then moved to New York City in 1971, to begin working for Chemical Bank. We met on March 30, 1973 at a party on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, were married on June 22, 1974, and honeymooned in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. In another year they left New York, and started traveling around Africa and Brazil, then moved to Montgomery on April 28, 1975. Julian began working as an Assistant Attorney
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Julian and Leslie's family L/R: Laurel, Jude, Sage, Rachel and Jay Plucker, Leslie and Julian, Grace, Corbett, Nanette and Emanualle Lunsford; David McPhillips and fiance Melinda Reese
General, specializing in white collar crime, which he did until resigning in June 1977 to enter private practice and began running for Attorney General of Alabama. In September 1978, he finished 2 nd in a 9-man race but launched a meteoric career that is still ongoing today, 43 years later.
age 8, Nanette, age 4, Sage, age 3, and Emanualle, age 2.
Meanwhile we have raised 3 children into adulthood, Rachel, born in 1977, now married to Jay Plucker; Grace born in 1981, now married to Corbett Lunsford and David in 1990. Today they have 5 grandchildren, Laurel, age 11, Jude,
Julian: Yes, I am the founding and senior partner of the law firm McPhillips Shinbaum, LLP. That includes as additional partners: Kenneth Shinbaum; Aaron Luck; Jim Bodin; and Joe Guillot and additional attorneys Chase Estes;
BOOM!: Julian, you are the senior partner at McPhillips Shinbaum LLP, “The People’s Law Firm”, please tell us about your law firm, it’s areas of practice and what makes it “The People’s Law Firm?”
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Tanika Finney and David Sawyer. It also includes a powerhouse office manager Amy Strickland, and 7 other employees. The firm's areas of practice include employment litigation, personal injury, civil rights, criminal defense, civil plaintiffs, worker's compensation and Social Security disability. We don't represent any large corporations or agencies of government-state, federal, or municipal, but instead represent average, ordinary individuals who have legal Leslie and Julian visiting Lake Moraine in Alberta, Canada problems with the corporate or governmental sector or 1960's. All that inspired me to go into personal injuries of many kinds. Because civil rights work. we represent individuals, we have become The Peoples Law Firm. BOOM!: Since Valentine’s Day is around the corner would you BOOM!: Julian, you have been involved share with our readers your love in politics and as a civil rights attorney, story, how you met and some what inspired you to engage in these of the secrets to your marriage fields? success?
Julian/Leslie: Faith has guided Julian's life from an early age of about 2, when he went to his first summer Bible School. It grew in 1950, at age 4, when his parents split the difference between his father's Roman Catholic roots (Jesuit) in Mobile and his mom's Presbyterian background in New Orleans. In 1950 both parents helped form Grace Episcopal Church in Cullman. Julian grew up in an enthusiastic faith throughout the entire 1950's decade, with family prayers at night. His faith soared when his parents went to the seminary in Tennessee, and Julian attended Sewanee Military Academy (1959-64) a military school with strong religious orientation. From 1964-75 Julian defended his faith at Princeton, Columbia, and Wall Street before returning to Alabama in 1975, with his wife Leslie.
Julian: I was inspired to enter politics Julian/Leslie: With Valentine's (running for Attorney General of Day around the corner, our love Alabama in 1978 and the U.S. Senate in story has certainly involved much 2002) and be a civil rights attorney by a romance and adventure and a strong spiritual upbringing. This included strong commitment and fidelity the influential example of my father to one another, and a strong leaving a prosperous family business to commitment to Jesus as Lord. go to seminary for 3 years and become Leslie's photo of a rare moment, capturing a giraffe crossing a A big part of the success of our an Episcopal priest. His first church was canal to an island in Botswana marriage has been twice-daily in Montgomery, 1962-64 at the Church prayers, great mutual respect, and seeing of the Ascension, but he also pastored We have grown in our faith together in the other as the all-black Montgomery, which has included helping the better Church of the to found Christ the Redeemer Episcopal half of one Good Shepherd. Church ('CTR") in 1980-81. We have whole. In two years, he also developed a strong interest in the became rector healing ministry and have seen many BOOM!: of the largest Holy-Spirit-empowered healings since Faith has Episcopal Church 2013. Julian has been senior minister at been an in Birmingham, CTR, and Leslie head of the alter guild important Alabama (64-66) there. part of your with 5 priests lives, please under him, before BOOM!: What is it about living in the share with becoming director Montgomery/River Region area that you us how your of the American like? What do we need more of? Julian discussing how to carry a tray of fruit in the Caribbean faith has Peace Corps guided your lives? Would you share some in India (66-69). My parents lived in Julian/Leslie: It has also been a great of your experience in starting Christ the Calcutta, India where my mother worked place to raise our children. The Alabama Redeemer Church? closely with Mother Teresa in the late Shakespeare Festival, the Montgomery The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Museum of Fine Art and Fitzgerald Museum are wonderful examples of Montgomery's quality of life. Mayor Steven Reed has been a great addition to our city. Montgomery needs better public schools and more taxes from wealthy Julian and Leslie's grands, Sage, Jude, Emanualle, Nanette, Laurel landowners on their properties my involvement and observations in and less tax on groceries. it. My book, Only in Alabama explores BOOM!: With a busy life, how do you like to spend time with family? What is your grandparent name? Favorite activities to do with your grandchild? Julian/Leslie: We spend time with our children and grandchildren at their homes in Huntsville and Atlanta and at our Lake Martin home. We have also done much family traveling in both the U.S. and abroad, and we enjoy family reunions. Julian's nickname as a grandparent is "Poppy", Leslie's is “Nana.” BOOM!: Julian, you have written a few books and your latest is called Only in Alabama, can you give us a summary of what it’s about and where people can buy it? Many people think they would like to write a book, would you share some of the challenges to writing a book?
what makes Alabama unique and tries to share some colorful stories about things, good and bad that occur only in Alabama. The other two books are The People's Lawyer and Civil Rights in My Bones. I also have written a surprisingly popular book about the role of the French Communist Party in the Resistance Against the Nazis, 1939-44, entitled From Vacillation to Resolve, nominated for a top book award in Paris 2019. While writing has required some self-discipline, it has largely been a joy and a hobby, which is important to good writing.
Leslie and Julian sharing a laugh with the Most Right Reverend
BOOM!: What are some of your favorite travel experiences? Favorite vacation spot? Any travel dreams planned?
Julian/ Michael Curry, Presiding Episcopal Bishop USA Julian: Yes, Leslie: Some I have written five books, including of our favorite trips include journeys to three about Alabama's legal world and Antarctica, South America, the Orient
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and Australia, Scandinavia, and Africa. BOOM!: Thanks to your efforts, Montgomery is home to the Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald Museum, www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org, please share how you became involved with starting the Fitzgerald Museum and how it continues to be a valuable attraction for the River Region? Julian/Leslie: It is natural for a civil rights attorney to have an interest in history, literature, and museums. Surely F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda would make the connection and approve of it. After all, the Fitzgerald Museum in Montgomery is the only museum anywhere in the world dedicated to either of these internationally renowned literary icons. This was a huge shortcoming, which was set right in 1986—1989.
Julian and Leslie's Lake Martin Sunset
At that time, Ernest Hemingway had four museums, including ones in Key West, Florida; outside Havana, Cuba; in Forest Park, Illinois; and Sun Valley, Idaho. Edgar Allen Poe had three museums: in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Richmond. Most literary buffs would say that Fitzgerald is at least the equivalent of Hemingway, if not more outstanding. According to an Oxford University of England study in 2000, The Great Gatsby is the second most widely read novel in the world. Only James Joyce's Ulysses is ahead, and Tender is the Night by Fitzgerald ranks 26. Fitzgerald is quoted by speakers far more often than Hemingway. Only Mark Twain is quoted The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
as much. Fitzgerald's almost 300 short stories were popular entertainment for the American public in the 1920s—'30s. Fitzgerald also coined the phrase "the Jazz Age," and his novels and short stories chronicled the era. Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was also a novelist, and an artist, and has recently experienced a resurgence of interest in her life. This colorful twosome is absolutely unique as a couple impacting the literary world. It also helped that Leslie and I only lived two houses down from what is now the Fitzgerald Museum, in Montgomery's Old Cloverdale neighborhood. We also wanted to see the historic nature of Felder Avenue preserved. It has been 34 years now since that fateful December 24, 1986, day when Leslie and I bought the house at 919 Felder Avenue to keep developers from tearing it down. It was an 8,500-square-foot mansion when the Fitzgerald’s lived there for only six short months during 1931/32, which was a homecoming for Zelda as she moved back to her hometown. No organization stimulates the arts in Montgomery written and visual— more than the Fitzgerald Museum. Its annual Gala, literary and art contests, its highlighting of Zelda's paintings, and the popularization of and access to Scott and Zelda's novels, short stories, letters, documents, and artifacts have benefited our city, state, and even the world. The Fitzgerald Museum has been administered by the McPhillips Shinbaum law firm since December 1986, when Leslie and I purchased the house. In the 34 years since, all the official functions of the Museum, from secretary, treasurer, president, and attorney have been volunteered by our firm. We’ve been asked why we were so committed to the Museum. Besides my usual response about living close by, it has also become a hobby and a
Julian/Leslie: We both seek continued renewal through growing in our faith together, in traveling, and in visiting our children and grandchildren together. Although Julian turned 73 in November 2019, Leslie with the girls, Grace and Rachel he intends to remain fully active until age 75, and after labor of love. We welcome folks to visit taking some sabbatical leaves of absence and share with friends and family. The and traveling in 2022, Julian plans to Fitzgerald Museum is also available as return to a semi-retirement stage. Leslie a wonderful Airbnb location for visitors stays active in many ways, actively to Montgomery and its deep historical helpful in the church, museum, law firm roots. Check it out at and family, but she looks forward to the www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org sabbatical/semi-retirement stage. BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or other activities that grab your attention? Julian/Leslie: Leslie's primary hobby is photography and she and Julian both enjoy traveling together and with the family. They've done it enough to call it a hobby. Julian's work and church ministries are both enjoyed enough to be called hobbies. Likewise, his writing is a hobby, and starting as assistant coach of wrestling teams has been a hobby. Our Lake Martin home is a refuge and retreat, and a restful hobby no matter what the weather on weekends.
Daniel Harris, Montgomery County Commissioner, and wife Deborah, during a reception at Julian and Leslie's home
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
BOOM!: Many people as they age seek new experiences, a renewed sense of purpose, new goals, even new careers, how would you describe this sense of renewal in your life? Any advice for the rest of us seeking renewal? How do you view the idea of retirement?
BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your priorities changed? Julian/Leslie: For Leslie, it's been exercising more, Julian has always exercised regularly. Both pursue good health habits in diet and drink and enjoy worshipping God and praying together. Both are active in the healing ministry. BOOM!: Do you have time to be involved in community, civic or other activities? Julian/Leslie: Yes, we've both been involved in many community activities, including charities and civil rights activities. Julian is also a member of the Montgomery Lions Club, where he relaxes with Friday lunches and serves good community causes. Leslie also is active in her "Pilates" workout 6 hours a week and enjoys helping in the Reality and Truth ministry headed by LaDonna Brendle. BOOM!: How do you like to relax and wind down from a full day’s activities? Julian/Leslie: Julian relaxes by coming home the short distance from work. He runs about 2 miles slowly every evening and 3 times/week works out with weights on the back porch, while doing
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push-ups and calisthenics on alternate dates. Many days, after work, he will take a short nap before his workouts. Leslie jokes that she has never had to have dinner on the table when Julian comes home from work. BOOM!: Many of our readers know who Helen Keller is, the Alabama born deaf-blind woman who overcame many obstacles to become an American author, political activist, and lecturer, what’s your connection to Helen Keller? Julian/Leslie: Helen Keller was a frequent visitor to our Old Cloverdale home from
the 1920's-1950's, visiting her sister Mildred Keller Tyson. We are inspired by Helen Keller's mission, purpose and ministry and a historic marker in front of our house and a picture on the front porch commemorates and celebrates her connection to our home. BOOM!: Julian and Leslie, give us three words that describe you? Your marriage? Julian/Leslie: Leslie: Laid back, Prayerful, Patient. Julian: Focused, Friendly; Faithful. Our Marriage: Faith, Action, Love (grow together, support each other, love to explore).
Friends and neighbors of Julian and Leslie, Robert S. Graetz and his wife, Jeannie
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We want to thank Julian and Leslie for sharing their story with us in this month's cover profile. We especially appreciate the opportunity to do the photo shoot in their beautiful historic Cloverdale home. If you want to reach out, visit www. mcphillipsshinbaum.com and be sure to check out the Fitzgerald Museum at 919 Felder Ave in Montgomery, www.thefitzgeraldmuseum.org. A special thanks to Shellee Roberts at Total Image Portraits for making this month and other cover shots the best they can be, you can check them out at www.totalimage.com. If you have questions, comments or suggestions about our cover profiles, including nominating someone, please send them to Jim Watson at jim@riverregionboom.com. Read all of the BOOM! Cover Profiles at www.riverregionboom.com/archive/
Robert S. Graetz (born May 16, 1928) is a Lutheran clergyman who, as the white pastor of a black congregation in Montgomery, Alabama, openly supported the Montgomery bus boycott, a landmark event of the civil rights movement. Graetz's first full-time job as pastor was to a black congregation, Trinity Lutheran Church, in Montgomery. He began working there in 1955, the year of the Montgomery bus boycott. A personal friend of Rosa Parks, Graetz became secretary of the Montgomery Improvement Association, the organization founded to organize and support the boycott. Graetz's support of the movement included appearing at meetings led by Martin Luther King Jr. For his support of the boycott, Graetz and his family were ostracized by other whites and suffered several episodes of harassment, including tire slashings,[4] arrest,[5] and bombings. Bombs were planted at his home on three occasions; the largest did not explode. The Graetzes are actively involved in various civic activities including the diversity group One Montgomery and the League of Women Voters. Each year they host the annual Graetz Symposium at the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University. (Wikipedia)
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Travel Experiences with Jeff Barganier
Hunting Big Hogs Bare-Handed An Adrenaline Rush like No Other By Marty Edge as told to Jeff Barganier
as he fights the dogs. I finally get there and kick toward the bushes. I can see the bushes shaking and make out the hog but can’t tell anything else about him. So, I stomp my boot through and tear the underbrush where I can see him. And he’s big!
We get into hogs right off. My dogs and another guy’s dog catch a hundred-and-fortypound boar. We go in and tie him. We’re hearing shotguns all over. They kill eight on that drive. We get the dogs circled back in and they bay a hog here and there. One of my dog's bays two hogs right in front of a guy and he kills both of them with a shotgun. Twelve gauge. Buckshot. I never carry a gun.
jeff-Marty Edge with son Zach and friends Kyle Gay and Luke McDuffie
We push on. Everything is terribly wet. It’s been raining forever. We put the dogs back in and we’re really struggling through a whole lot of water. Some guys with us have a pack of hounds but no bulldog. They’re running them but aren’t catching hogs. They want to get the big hog up and running, let him cross a dirt road somewhere, put the cur dogs on him and stop him. In the world of game-bred hunting dogs, a cur dog means it’s not a bulldog and it’s not a hound dog. In the old school, when they fought dogs, any dog that’s not a game-bred dog would cur out. But when you shoot these cur dogs to the hog, they’re fresh and fast. They get ahead of him. And he gets slam worn out. He just can’t stand it, and he’ll bay up (stop). At this point the hog admits: Okay guys, I can’t outrun you and you can’t whip me, so I’m gonna stand here and knock your block off. The
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dogs just stand back then and bark at him—sort a’ like treeing a coon or a bear. They’re very dangerous at this point. Now sometimes this happens like a textbook and sometimes it just doesn’t turn out! This time is textbook. We stop on a dirt road, looking at the GPS and someone shouts “here he comes!” In three or four minutes a big black hog crosses the road. We shoot our cur dogs to him. I shoot two of mine to him and Big O shoots a couple to him. They run him three hundred and seventy yards and bay him. I leave the dirt road and sprint through an old clear-cut. The briars are thick and I’m knee-deep water. I start to the hog and yell for them to send in the bulldogs. It takes me several minutes to get there because it’s thick stuff. Even fifty yards away, I know where the dogs are because I can see high bushes and little maples and whatnot being shaken by the hog
Now, I saw him cross the road, but from a distance size can be misleading. Anyway, I knew he was big because we have eight or nine dogs baying this hog. We usually don’t use that many. Talking about jeff-Marty and children music, they’re pose with a big hog sounding off. It’s good. The hog is doing what we call a rally—haw, haw, haw, haw—gruntin’ like that. The dogs are barking and all hell’s breakin’ loose with limbs poppin’ and crackin’, the hog’s popping his teeth together. It’s pretty intense. I forget sometimes just how intense it is—I do this so often. It’s an adrenaline rush like no other. All the dogs are baying. I maneuver in behind him. You don’t ever want to get in front of a hog. You have to approach him from behind. A lot of people are under the impression that that bulldog, that catch-dog, can hold him down. He’s got the hog by the ear—often a dog The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
on each ear. But these dogs are pretty much earrings, holding on for dear life. I get there and there’s a dog on each ear. If I’m in front of him, he can shake those bulldogs off and run at me. I kick a hole in the briars and I can see his tail is right at me, so I reach through and grab him by the tail and lift his back feet off the ground— he drives and spins with those back feet—and he stops fighting the bulldogs. I’ve saved those bulldog’s lives because he stops fighting them and starts walking forward. I holler “come on boys!” When I holler, they holler back telling me how far away they are. I don’t want to try and throw this hog and nobody be closer than two hundred yards of me, because once I expend the effort to throw him, usually, it’s a one-shot thing. Either I get him thrown or it’s wasted energy. So, I holler. Big O is maybe twenty yards and he hollers back. When I hear him, I know he’s right close, so I go ahead and attempt to throw him. I step under one of his back legs and reach underneath him with my right hand, catch his front leg, throw him and straddle him. As long as I have
that front leg, he can raise Cain but can’t get up. It ain’t the easiest thing you’ve ever done.
a huge tooth, three and a quarter inches on the right side. The other one is broken at an inch and a half, inch and a quarter, and growing back. Several of the dogs are cut pretty bad. None of mine are. We always bet on the weight. The closest guess is two-hundredseventy-one pounds. A hog over two-fifty is a monster. A hog over three-hundred is really a monster—I don’t care what anyone says. This one weighs in at three-twenty-two!
Marty Edge is a construction manager for the Georgia Department of Transportation and lives in Soperton, Georgia. A 42-year-old father of three, he has caught hogs weighing as much as 490 pounds and has over 1400 lifetime catches as of this writing. His wife hunts with him. Occasionally. On one hunt, she was trying to pull a bulldog jeff-Marty with wife Rachel, children Izzy, Zach and Susannah off a 175-pound boar when the dog let the hog go and caught her in the thigh. “He was shaking her. I Big O, Luke and somebody else had to let the hog go to get the dog comes through the bushes and they off Rachel. She’s a little bitty woman. hold him. I tie him up. Sometimes It was an inferior catch-dog,” Marty I use mule tape. Sometimes I use laughed. They caught the hog again handcuffs. We load him on the fourlater. wheeler and haul him out. He has
Jeff S. Barganier is a freelance writer and manages Cindy Barganier Interiors LLC in Pike Road, Alabama. (www.cindybarganier.com) He travels far and wide upon the slightest excuse for something interesting to write about. Contact him at Jeffbarganier@knology.net. Follow him on Instagram #jeffbarganier.
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By Greg Budell
The Mayor of BOOMTOWN
How to Get In The Globe Without Really Trying "A true story from the Greg files"
It all began with a quiet, early morning prayer. It ended in The Globe. Here’s everything that happened in between. Going “viral” was not invented when Al Gore came up with the whole internet idea. I’ve been blessed to be in several viral situations and have learned one thing - they cannot be planned. They are organic. While planning my February BOOM! column, I scanned the calendar looking for something (other than Valentine’s Day) to write about, and February 4 jumped out. You never forget the date you were on Good Morning America for the first and only time. A few weeks earlier, January 9th, 1986, I woke up feeling exhilarated. That day marked nine months of sobriety. My life was a daily celebration because I’d climbed (with lots of help) from the depths of despair. Booze and cocaine had paralyzed my soul. By chance, the 9th was the fifth anniversary of my brother’s death. A brilliant foot surgeon, Dave got too successful too fast, and began using prescription meds to keep up with his schedule and get to sleep at night. On his 27th birthday he fell asleep, and died. Five years later, before preparing to leave for my morning show, during my morning meditation, I simply asked God to help me remember Dave in a meaningful way. As shows go, that morning was quite typical. The Miami Dolphins were prepping to play the Patriots in the AFC
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Championship game, so we were playing the hits and taking calls making harmless fun of Patriot fans. At 7:35, we went to a break, and one of the studio lines lit up. I answered off the air. A soft, feminine voice said, “Please help me. I’m crashing off coke. I’ve been raped. I’m cut. I don’t know where these men left me.” I knew she was telling the truth. Then she said, “I want to kill myself.” Hearing that, my team went into action. Calls were made to police and the phone company to launch a trace. There was no “Caller ID”, *69 or any other way to find her. My job was to keep her talking. She said her name was Sherry. “Please don’t leave me,” she pleaded despondently. There was no way I’d let the drama go public. Everyone on the studio team was calling someone, trying to get help. Every time I spoke on the air, it was brief. Sherry had awakened in a hotel - an old one - because it had a TV with a radio console built in. Her kidnappers had left her, taken her clothes so she couldn’t leave, but left the radio tuned into our station. In her fog, and horrendous state of withdrawal, she heard my name and remembered I’d been public about getting off cocaine and had learned to be happy without it. She called the station with the help of an operator. For 45 minutes, we kept the show going, setting the phone down so Sherry would know we hadn’t abandoned her.
At 50 minutes, in withdrawals, she said, “I can’t take this anymore. I’d rather be dead”. Desperate for an idea, any idea, I said, “Let me play Sherry by the Four Seasons. Help is coming.” She replied with a weak, “OK.” That bought 2 minutes. Before that song ended my producer handed me “Oh Sherry” by Steve Perry. I popped it on and dedicated it to her. Again, she weakly agreed to hang in there. As the song started, my newsman, Jeff Chase, signaled that the police found the hotel. The problem? It was so old the switchboard did not reveal outgoing calls. The cops went door to door looking for her. As the final, beautiful notes of “Oh Sherry” (a personal favorite) were winding down, I heard a “boom”. My heart sank, as it sounded like a gunshot. A moment later, the voice of a Miami Fire Rescue hero came on the line and said, “We got her.” He quickly confirmed her story. They found her bleeding. Broken glass was everywhere. She had been sexually assaulted. I had broken format to play the “Sherry” songs, so after the show ended at 9AM, I walked to the boss’s office in case he had questions. I did have a pretty good excuse. As I appeared in the door, he looked at me - phone in hand - and asked, “Why is Edna Buchanan (herself a noted crime novelist) from the Miami Herald asking me about a suicide rescue during your show?”
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As it turned out, the Herald newsroom was following the entire situation on police scanners. The cops, the phone company, my team - did an AMAZING job of saving Sherry. All I did was make small talk to keep her engaged. The story was front page news, and was circulated world-wide on the Associated and United Press wires. I reached out to a friend who drove to the Crisis Center at Jackson Hospital in Miami, picked Sherry up and got her a room at a halfway house for women. Later I learned Sherry had a young daughter. A week after this unfolded, her house sponsor asked me to join them at a 12-Step meeting. Sherry was a strikingly beautiful young woman. She was nervous, pointing to the cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. “I don’t know how to thank you,” she said. I’d brought with me hundreds of letters from around the world, offering support. As I presented the bag of mail, I was able to honestly say, “The whole planet is rooting for you!” Sherry looked at the stack with disbelief. On February 4th, Sherry, I and a guardian from the halfway house were in a limo
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on our way to Good Morning America, sharing the story of hope with Joan Lunden and David Hartman. We stopped to pick up Nick Nolte along the way. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any more surreal, I got a call from The Globe (the tabloid). They wanted to run the story but asked if I’d pose for a picture holding a phone (as if it were from that memorable morning). I agreed, and to my everlasting embarrassment, it is here in BOOM, re-published for the first time in 35 years. This whole, incredible sequence came about from a simple prayer - “God, help me remember my brother in a meaningful way.” Did He ever! I hope He forgives me for The Globe. If you have a comment on this column, email me at gregbudell@aol.com. It’s still fun to hear from new people!
Greg Budell lives in Montgomery with his wife, Roz, and dogs Hershey and Briscoe. He’s been in radio since 1970, and is marking 12 years in the River Region in 2017. He hosts the Newstalk 93.1FM Morning Show with Rich Thomas, Jay Scott & Emily Hayes, 6-9AM Monday-Friday. He returns weekday afternoons from 3-6PM for Happy Hour with sidekick Joey Clark. Greg can be reached at gregbudell@aol.com
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February 2020
{12 Things} for active boomers and beyond
MOBILE, ALABAMA
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Did you know that Mobile is the birthplace of America's original Mardi Gras? That's right, Mardi Gras originated in 1703 right here in our port city. It was revived after the Civil War when citizen Joe Cain, fed up with post-war misery, led an impromptu parade down city streets. They've been doing it ever since and we mark the annual occasion with majestic parades, colorful floats and flying Moon Pies. Mardi Gras celebrations begin two and a half weeks before Fat Tuesday and the Port City comes to life. Our Carnival is a family-friendly time of parties, balls, parades and revelry. Mobile Mardi Gras kicks off in Downtown Mobile on February 1 and ends on Fat Tuesday, February 25, 2020! For more info visit www.mobile.org/events/mardi-gras/
And Then They Came for Me is a unique theatrical experience. The multimedia play combines videotaped interviews of Holocaust survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss with live actors recreating scenes from their lives during World War II, including their memories of Anne Frank. Part oral history, part dramatic action, part direct address, part remembrance, And Then They Came for Me breaks new ground and has been acclaimed by audiences and critics in worldwide productions. “It’ll stay with you for the rest of your life.” – The Indianapolis Star. For more information, call ASF 334.271.5353 or visit www.asf.net
Mardi Gras Mobile, Alabama February 1-25
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Beaver Trail 5k Lagoon Park Trails Saturday, February 8, 9-10 am
Plan to make the trip to Lagoon Park’s Pete Peterson Lodge in Montgomery, AL to be a part of the 2nd annual Beaver Trail 5K. The Beaver Trail 5K will take runners on the beautiful Lagoon Park Trails, Montgomery’s outdoor adventure area! After the race, runners will enjoy complimentary post-race refreshments and musical entertainment. In addition, to showcase the versatility of the Lagoon Park Trails, there will be a mountain bike time trial with awards for several age groups following the run awards ceremony. More Information on Website: www.runsignup.com/Race/AL/Montgomery/BeaverTrail5K
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Second Sundays at MMFA Montgomery Museum of Fine Art Sunday, February 9, 2-4 pm
Create: Come and make a print in our studio inspired by works in the Hans Grohs exhibition. Enjoy: Check back soon for details about the band/musician that will perform. Discover: Docents will lead you in exploring the works of Hans Grohs during this free, 20-minute tour. Tours will begin every halfhour in the Museum’s lobby. Featured Exhibition: Hans Grohs. www. mmfa.org
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AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME: Remembering the World of Anne Frank ASF, Festival Stage February 9 – 15
OPELIKA, ALABAMA
Young at Heart Valentine Dance Opelika Sportsplex, 1001 Andrews Road, Opelika, AL Tuesday, February 11, 5:30 - 9 pm The Young at Heart Dance will be held at the Opelika Sportsplex on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, starting at 6 p.m. This is for adults 55+, it is $15 for single tickets and $25 for couples. 334.705.2493
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA The Curious Incident Cloverdale Playhouse February 13-23
15-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world. www.cloverdaleplayhouse.org
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
2020 Home Building and Remodeling Expo Montgomery Multiplex at Cramton Bowl The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Friday-Sunday, February 21-23
The Greater Montgomery Home Building and Remodeling Expo is scheduled for February 21-23 at Montgomery Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. The 2020 Expo is a three-day event that will highlight the latest and greatest in home building and remodeling trends and technology. If you are looking to start your own home building and remodeling project the 2020 Home Expo is the place for you. Expo times will be Friday & Saturday 10 am to 6 pm - Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm. Regular Admission is $6, military Free Friday. Call 334.277.7766 for more information or visit www.gmhba.org
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
Author Betty Montgomery, Aren't hydrangeas heavenly? 2020 Spencer Lecture, Birmingham Botanical Gardens Thursday, March 5, Reception: 5:30 pm, Talk: 6 pm
Please join us for our 2020 Spencer Lecture featuring master gardener and author Betty Montgomery! No stranger to the hydrangea, Betty has been collecting and growing these Southern favorites for more than 20 years. Her latest book, Hydrangeas: How To Grow, Cultivate & Enjoy, walks readers through varieties of hydrangeas, tips for caring for them, and ways to use them in arrangements. After her talk, Betty will be available to sign copies of the book, which may be purchased at Leaf & Petal at the Gardens. Free Admission • Limited Seating Available Registration Required. www.bbgardens.org
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Grandchild Opportunity Alabama Dance Theatre-Cinderella The Davis Theatre Friday, Saturday, Sunday, March 6-8 19, 7 pm, 2 pm
Y ou are cordially invited by royal invitation into the enchanted world of Cinderella. Prepare to be dazzled by pumpkins, mice, and fairy godmothers who always make dreams come true. This timeless rags to riches story embodies the ideal that with kindness anything is possible. Choreographed by ADT's own Sara Sanford and set to music by Sergei Prokofiev, this beloved tale will delight you with opulent costumes, comedy, and breathtaking scenery. www.alabamadancetheatre.com
tickets visit www.mpaconline.org.
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA
Basic Woodturning Class Longleaf Wood Shop, 3116 Wetumpka Highway, Montgomery Thursdays, 6-9 pm
Longleaf Wood Shop is offering a basic woodturning class on Thursday evenings. This is a three-hour class taught by Pat Johnson. Pat has been turning wood for over 30 years and teaches at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Participants will be assigned their own lathe and tools and will make a wooden shop mallet to keep. Cost of the class is $60 and it is limited to four participants. Go online at www.longleafwoodshop.com or call the shop at 334-593-9599 to schedule your spot! More Information on Website: www.facebook.com/events/2519296995061871/
EVERYWHERE, ALABAMA Alabama’s Birding Trails From the Mountains to the Gulf Year Round
Ready for BIRDWATCHING? Over 10 years in the making, the system of eight trails highlights the best public locations available to watch birds year-round. Alabama provides critical habitat for hundreds of bird species, from the Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker to the now flourishing Bald Eagle. Interest in wildlife observation continues to grow, and more and more people want to explore our amazing biodiversity, which makes us second only to Florida in the Eastern U.S. in total number of species of plants and animals. The Birding Trails project provides a major attraction for nature-loving tourists, while offering exciting birding opportunities for Alabama’s school groups, families, and seasoned birders. Check out www.alabamabirdingtrails.com
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA Nitty Gritty Dirt Band MPAC, Downtown Montgomery Thursday, March 19, 7:30 pm
With a refreshed lineup and newfound energy, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band remains one of the most accomplished bands in American roots music. Following an extended 50th anniversary tour, the ensemble grew to a six-piece in 2018 for the first time since their early jug band days. The group now includes Jeff Hanna (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Jimmie Fadden (drums, harmonica), Bob Carpenter (keyboards), Jim Photoglo (bass, acoustic guitar), Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin), and Jaime Hanna (electric and acoustic guitar). All six members also sing, and when their voices merge, the harmonies add a powerful new component for the legendary band. And with the father-son pairing of Jeff and Jaime Hanna, the band carries on a country music tradition of blood harmony. For
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Eating Smart with Tracy Bhalla
Herbal Infusions Not the same as herbal teas, though there are obviously some similarities. Think of an infusion as a more powerful version of the tea and you won’t be far off. We all know that drinking certain herbal teas at certain times can help with certain things (certainly!) For example, drinking Chamomile tea before bed will generally help you to sleep better. Drinking peppermint tea after dinner will help you digest your meal more effectively (with less discomfort). Drinking Echinacea tea at the first signs of a cold can help reduce the effects of said cold and indeed shorten its time span. These are just a few examples. There are, of course, dozens of teas out there to try. Just take a look in your regular supermarket tea aisle to start with, or if you have a health store, they will have an even bigger selection. With so much choice, where do you start? Well, a suggestion would be do you want a tea to address an issue, such as indigestion, trouble sleeping, bloating, etc., or do you simply want a tea that is healthy (no caffeine) and tastes great? If it is just a great tasting tea you are looking for then first decide what flavors you like – mints, berries, herbs…and then try a few. Some may need a little honey to sweeten them, some are perfectly fine without. I love Stash’s Wild Raspberry tea; you do have to let it steep for a good 6-7 minutes to let all the flavor come out, but once you do, oh my, it is the best and no sweetening needed! If, however, it is a health or emotional issue you are trying to address, then you may want to explore infusions a little
further. As I said, you can consider them a more powerful version of a storebought tea, but they are not complicated to make yourself. The trick with herbal infusions is the amount of time to steep the herbs – too long and it can cause you to feel quite unwell, which is clearly not desired. You must, therefore, use a recipe from a source that you trust. I have found some great ideas on www.Pinterest. com by searching for “herbal tea infusion recipes”. Be sure to follow the recipe to the letter! You do not need much equipment, just a glass jar with a tight lid (Ball jars are perfect), boiling water and your herb/s of choice. In teas you generally only see the leaves of an herb used, however in infusions all parts of the plant can be used – bark, roots, stems, flowers, etc. This also makes it a much more powerful concoction as it draws from more parts of the plant. While making the infusion, be sure to keep the jar covered at all times to contain the steam. The heat that's trapped inside is crucial to releasing those beneficial compounds in the herbs.
2. Pour boiling water over the herbs so they are completely covered. 3. Seal the jar with a tight-fitting lid to keep the steam and volatile oils from escaping. 4. Allow the infusion too steep until the water cools to room temperature or for the time recommended by the infusion recipe. In general, roots and barks require the longest infusion (or a decoction) of about 8 hours. Leaves should be infused for a minimum of 4 hours, flowers for 2 hours, and seeds and fresh berries for at least 30 minutes. 5. Strain the spent herbs out of the water using cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer (or both). Repeat if necessary, to remove all the pieces of herbs. 6. The resulting liquid is called an infusion. Clean out the jar and pour the infusion back into it for storage. An infusion can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. After this, it should be discarded. If you want to do this frequently and to avoid the straining, you can make a sachet to contain the herbs during the steeping process. Place the herbs inside a small piece of cheesecloth, tie it closed with a string, and place the bundle inside your jar of boiling water. Just like a tea bag! You can even let the string hang over the side for easy removal. If you have tried all that and are still curious for more, you can start investigating tinctures and decoctions, but we’ll leave that for another day. Happy tea drinking!
Method: 1. Place the herbs in a glass container.
Tracy Bhalla, Independent Consultant with NYR Organics, website: us.nyrorganic.com/shop/tracybhalla email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com You can also visit Tracy’s blog
at Tracybhalla.com, Continuing my RiverRegionBoom.com obsession with all things organic, I have been working with NYR for two years now, using skincare products myself for over 2020 BOOM! February Thetheir River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine 54 25 years! Your skin is the body’s largest organ, it deserves to be well looked after. I am here to answer any questions you may have.
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