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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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July 2022
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
BOOM!, The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Contents
July 2022 Volume 13 Issue 1
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
11 The Eyes Have It: FAQ’s Upper Blepharoplasty Dr. Blake Raggio 12 Publisher's Column 16 A Case for Gratitude 18 Pigging Out on Pork Idioms Nick Thomas 22 Boiled Corn on the Cob
page 16
24 Gogue Center Preparing for 2022–23 Season
Features 30 God’s Great Outdoors, Navy Vet Takes Air Force Vet Mom on Epic Tour
36 15 Things You Should Give up to Be Happy
38 At 80, Paul McCartney Shows Us How to Age Gracefully
42 Travel Experiences: Jeff Barganier: Secure Borders Honest Elections
95th Anniversary Celebration, Saturday July 23rd!
Departments 44 This and That A variety of TIDBITS
58 Greg Budell The Dead Budell Show!
Celebrate Farmers & Farming Montgomery Curb Market
28 Optimism Associated With Living Longer 33 Masterworks of Photography 34 “It Won’t Happen to Me” Susan Moore 40 Right Plant, Right Place By Alice Jackson
page 20
page 11
41 Get Acquainted with AUM OLLI 44 Summer Deals at MGM-Air 45 Joy To Life Podcast
page 52
page 28
page 30
page 36
page 33
47 Kombucha & 'Kraut - Home Fermentation Workshop! 50 Humor-Cartoons 52 BOOM! Cover Profile Diann & Jim, Curb Market 56 Fighting Disease/Depression With Fermented Foods
page 24
page 42 page 21
page 47
page 48
page 38
Free Subscriptions @ w w w. r i ve rre gio n b o o m.co m
60 Ease Digestive Discomfort with Essential Oils Tracy Bhalla
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 2022 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.
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Dr. Blake Raggio, Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
The Eyes Have It: FAQ’s Upper Blepharoplasty
You may recall from last month’s article, Beauty and the Brows, where we discussed the options available for brow rejuvenation. This month, we will continue our discussion on facial rejuvenation and explore the topic of upper eyelid surgery by answering some frequently asked questions about blepharoplasty (eyelid lift), a simple and low-risk in-office procedure with minimal downtime but impactful results. As they say, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” So why not make them look their best?
Remind me again, what happens to the eyelids as we age? In short, the main issue with aging upper eyelids revolves around a loss of collagen and elastin in the eyelid skin (Fun Fact: upper eyelid skin is the thinnest skin on the human body). The loss of structural integrity creates a redundant, heavy upper eyelid which contributes to a sad or tired look. Heavy upper lid skin has more than just cosmetic consequences, however, as it may create a functional vision impairment too. Keep in mind, a drooping eyebrow may contribute to a heavy upper lid appearance and may require attention as well (see previous article, Beauty and the Brows, for more information on brow lifting modalities). In addition to upper lid heaviness, mispositioned upper lid fat pads may create aesthetically displeasing contour irregularities which can also be addressed at the time of surgery. What exactly does a blepharoplasty (eyelid lift) entail? In the most basic sense, an upper lid blepharoplasty involves the precise removal of a small portion of redundant upper lid skin, with or without removal of eyelid muscle and/or eye fat. If an upper lid blepharoplasty is the only procedure, you are having done, this can The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Insurance: Is an upper blepharoplasty covered? If you are interested in undergoing an upper lid blepharoplasty, you might be surprised to hear that insurance often covers the procedure, but only if the upper lid redundancy contributes to a problem with your vision. This visual deficit can be easily confirmed with a visual field test done by your local ophthalmologist (eye doctor). If the procedure is done for purely cosmetic reasons, you can expect to pay around $3600 out-ofpocket (varies depending on your surgeon’s associated anesthesia fees and facility costs). Just remember, when it comes to Facial Plastic Surgery, you certainly “get what you pay for.” It is your face, after all.
be easily performed in-office under local anesthesia with minimal discomfort. The procedure takes no longer than 1 hour to perform and has very little downtime with low risks of serious complications. Of course, some mild but temporary bruising and swelling is expected for the first 1-2 weeks. NOTE: do not let the
straightforward nature of the procedure fool you, as a successful blepharoplasty requires precise measurements and meticulous surgical technique to ensure a satisfactory functional and aesthetic result.
At what age is an upper blepharoplasty usually required? There is really no age requirement for an upper blepharoplasty. For instance, some patients in their early 30’s and 40’s who suffer from congenitally redundant upper eyelid skin may benefit from a modest skin excision performed in the office setting. On the other hand, patients in their 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s with heavy upper lids and droopy brows often benefit from a combined upper lid blepharoplasty and a surgical browlift.
How can I learn more about a blepharoplasty? If you are interested in learning more about upper eyelid surgery to correct a functional or aesthetic issue with your eyes, I suggest consulting with a surgeon experienced in a wide variety of both surgical and non-surgical facial plastic surgery-related procedures. This will ensure that you receive a thorough evaluation and comprehensive treatment plan. As always, choose a surgeon whom you trust. There is nothing more important than the relationship you have with your doctor. In Good Health, Dr. Blake Raggio Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeon
Alabama Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
334-373-3611 www.ALplasticsurgery.com Dr.Raggio@alplasticsurgery.com R ive r Re gio n Bo o m . co m
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Publisher’s Letter
Montgomery's Model Community 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 cell/text jim@riverregionboom.com
Contributing Writers Jeff Barganier Tracy Bhalla
Welcome to the July issue of BOOM! We are honored to be able to give a well-deserved focus on the The Montgomery Curb Market. Most of you have experienced the Curb Market by partaking in the bounty presented by the many vender entrepreneurs each week of the year. The cakes always get my attention and of course the tomatoes, but what really gives me that special feeling are the people. The Curb Market truly is a community that we can all belong too. It represents what’s best about the city of Montgomery, a diverse group of people coming together to share their food and ideas, it sounds “old school” in Jim Watson, Publisher ways but it’s just a simple community of like-minded people, sharing with one jim@riverregionboom.com another. The Curb Market is a safe place to escape the “us vs them” thinking which has infected much of our discourse in recent years. Thanks to the people of The Montgomery Curb Market for giving us a sense of community…and great products to enjoy! Read more on page 20 about The Montgomery Curb Market and their 95th Anniversary Celebration on July 23! We also featured a couple of good folks from the Curb Market as this months Cover Profile, Diann and Jim Causey. As Diann mentions in her feature, she and Jim have been around the Curb Market so long, it’s in their blood! I hope you’ll take time and get to know Diann and Jim this month as we all look forward to celebrating one of the very best things about living in Montgomery.
Greg Budell
Diann Causey Louise Chambers Jon Friedman Barb Howe Alice Jackson Dr. Joseph Mercola Susan Moore Dr. Blake Raggio Luminita Saviuc Nick Thomas
Yes, we have much more content for your reading pleasure. Greg Budell uses technology to explain the afterlife, or the lack of Greg is always a fun read. What if I said eliminate 15 things you do in your life and you’ll be very happy, interested? We drill down on a new book about just that. For me it’s not just about being happy but it helps us all age better, because the article instructs to unload some of the baggage we’ve been burden with for far too long. Maybe you’ve already unpacked those suitcases but if not check out the 15 things to do to get happy!
Cover Photography Photography by DiAnna Paulk photographybydiannapaulk.com
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Jim Watson, 334.324.3472 jim@riverregionboom.com
Jeff Barganier has something to say about America. He shares his concerns and probably yours too, about the demise of America and if and when it will stop. Thanks for getting us fired up Jeff. One other feature is about a woman who takes her mom on a fantastic road trip because she’ suffering from Dementia and she wants to see everyone she loves before she dies. Her mothers in her nineties and has more energy than any of my friends. Enjoy the inspiration of loving your mom in such a unique way. Thanks for reading BOOM! and sharing it with friends. It means a lot when people will say positive things about their reading experience with BOOM! You are the reason we create a BOOM! each month…and I love it! Age well my friends.
Jim
RECYCLE Share with a Friend!
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Written by Barb Howe
A Case for Gratitude Gratitude can be defined as a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, the way one feels for gifts or favors received that are sometimes unexpected or undeserved. It brings to mind some of my favorite birthday or Christmas gifts, as well as some of the happiest events in my life. Like everyone, I have ample reasons to be thankful. For starters, I am thankful for my parents and others who taught me about God early in life. Despite the reality that they were both humanly flawed, there was never a time in my life when I did not sense their unconditional love for who I was: their child. They’re the ones who showed me by word and deed what it looks like to pass along good things to others. Having a godly husband as I do, is another reason why I thank God for His blessings. Through the years, I have grown to respect the important role my husband fills in our life as the spiritual head of our home, modeling God’s design of servant leadership. I’m grateful that I have lived long enough to become a grandmother. People often say if they knew how great it felt to be a grandparent, they would have done it sooner. I agree that being a grandparent is mind blowingly fabulous. I see it as a second chance to do better at the things I messed up so badly the first time around the parenting phase.
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But what about the things of life that don’t generate a warm and fuzzy feeling? Day to day life has a way of throwing out unexpected challenges at us. The Bible reminds us to be grateful even when things don’t go our way. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I don’t know about you, but this is a tough one for me. I have been known to fail miserably when life doesn’t go my way, especially when God’s answer to my prayers doesn’t meet my expectations. My fuse shortens and I forget to ask what God is trying to teach me through the trial. Thank God for His patience with me. That’s another reason why I’m grateful. I anticipate things that are yet to become reality, prayers yet to be answered in ways I cannot imagine. Psalm 37:4
encourages us with the words: “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” That’s future focused. When my heart’s desire is to glorify the Lord, nothing can disappoint. This mindset allows me to release my grandmotherly concerns to God and then step out of His way. So far, God has brought about unimaginable blessings, all according to His perfect timing. I know he can be trusted for what is yet to come. At times, I try to imagine the heavenly realms and what it will be like to live forever in the presence of the Lord with the ones we love who have accepted Christ’s gift of salvation. These are things we can only dream about. Revelation 5 paints a picture of this glorious reality to come. This is among the greatest desires of my heart: to greet my family members and friends in God’s heavenly realm. It keeps me diligently praying that their names will be written in the Book of Life. It is with enormous gratitude that I accept my grandmotherly calling to share my faith, considering it an honor to proclaim to younger generations, “Christ is my Lord and Savior.” Thanks be to the Father for creating mankind in his image, and to Jesus Christ for offering a free gift of salvation to all who choose to believe in him. For this, I am eternally grateful. Source: www.ChristianGrandparenting.com The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Jest a Moment
By Nick Thomas
Pigging Out on Pork Idioms
Despite the brutal heat we are likely to experience this summer, firing up the barbeque grill will likely remain a July backyard tradition. One of the best cuts of meat to slow cook and pig out on is a Boston butt, also known as pulled pork. The origin of the term ‘butt’ is not what you’re probably thinking, since the cut actually comes from the upper part of the front leg shoulder, rather than “down south,” although that has not precluded its continued use as the subject of terrible butt puns. It seems that butchers of prerevolutionary New England would pack meat into casks or barrels known as butts for storage and shipment. Other parts of the country soon began referring to the cut as a Boston butt which today remains a prized family meal. Even if you purchase a precooked Boston butt, rather than grill it yourself, your family will still likely applaud you for bringing home the bacon. The origin of this familiar pork expression is a little obscure, possibly derived from the quaint ancient English custom of giving bacon to a young couple at the end of their first year of marriage. Fortunately, modern anniversary gift-giving has improved since medieval times.
But perhaps the most dubious political hog is the pork barrel – that familiar reference to appropriations secured by politicians for their local pet projects. It has fed irate political commentators for decades and soured some voters to the political system. However you acquire a Boston butt, just hope it doesn’t turn out to be a pig in a poke. That 19th-century idiom refers to a poor-quality item obtained without first confirming its condition or value – a poke being an old term for a bag. A tough Boston butt might just turn your family hog wild. The baked ham is another popular pork product, but this delicious centerpiece may not be the only ham at the dinner table. Just how ham became associated with individuals who crave the center of attention is a bit of a mystery. One theory dates from Shakespearean days when actors used ham fat to remove their heavy make-up. These performers became known as hamfatters, eventually shortened to hams. Speaking of attention-seekers, there’s no shortage of elected officials who could be described as political hams – and possibly even boars, swine, or sowbellies.
America’s political pork seems to have originated in the pre-civil war years from a somewhat common practice in the South. On special occasions, Southern plantation owners would place salt pork in big wooden barrels for the workers who would rush to snatch what they could before the supply ran out. Quickly identifying with this term, pigheaded politicians have been shamelessly grabbing state and federal dollars for pet projects ever since. Some have even been accused of stashing public money in their personal piggybanks, no doubt sweating like a pig for fear of discovery. But taxpayers don’t begrudge their political leaders for living high on the hog. In a pig’s eye. Nick Thomas teaches at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama, and has written features, columns, and interviews for many newspapers and magazines. See www.getnickt.org.
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Happy 95th Anniversary!
“Farm to Table” 95 years; Celebrate Farmers and Farming at Montgomery Curb Market While the cool grey early morning mists drift over the Alabama river, and the first rays of the morning sun begin to awaken Montgomery, the farmers who sell at Montgomery Curb Market are unloading fresh produce to array in tempting displays. Fondly referred by most, as the “Curb Market”, it is a historical treasure for all Montgomery families. Started in 1927 at the corner of Washington and Perry, farmers brought fresh produce, eggs, milk, and butter to sell on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The market was housed in a WWI canvas tent, until 1947. The City of Montgomery provided the market with the land and the farmers selling there formally incorporated as Montgomery Curb Market Association, borrowed the money, and built the current building at 1004 Madison, downtown Montgomery. The “Curb Market” is one of the oldest continuous farmer’s markets in the United States. In 95 years, it has not closed its doors. Produce and fruit vendors provide peaches, heirloom and regular tomatoes, corn, watermelons, peas, beans, and much more, while the home bakers, bring sweets and treats that will remind you of your grandmother’s kitchen. Keeping up with the times, newer vendors bring mushrooms, folk art, retail gift items and the market also has six chefs available for private parties and catering, a holistic herbalist, and a European baker. The “Curb Market” is more than a place to buy fresh from the farm produce, it is a social gathering space. Vendors know your name, remember what you like to buy, and ask about you and your family. When you visit, you will often meet other neighbors and friends shopping, it’s a great place to meet and greet. Even fur-children visit and know which vendors have treats for them and are excited when vendors call them by name. Most important for families, the “Curb Market” is a safe place for children, to visit. The market is a gateway to downtown Montgomery. It is also a small business incubator, giving young entrepreneurs a place to start a business and learn from older more experienced vendors.
It is a Montgomery tradition, that has to be experienced to be appreciated. Join the market vendors on July 23rd for the 95th year celebration. Ninety-five years in existence this year! What an accomplishment!
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Montgomery's FDL Claims Bama’s Best Tomato Dish With Tomato Pie
"Curb Market Community"
understand the Sweet Grown Alabama mission,” Watson said. “FDL has built relationships with local farmers to highlight fresh produce. Their tomato pie shows off what Alabama farmers do best — grow safe, affordable, tasty food for families.”
A trio of judges sampled savory tomato pie June 14 — just steps from the Montgomery Curb Market stand where FDL Gourmet To Go chef Preston Williams purchased the dish’s star Better Boy tomatoes hours earlier. The tomato pie’s simple, salty flavor earned it the title of Bama’s Best Tomato Dish, a contest sponsored by Sweet Grown Alabama. As the winner, Montgomerybased FDL earns bragging rights, a cash prize, a plaque and a feature on Simply Southern TV. “It was love at first sight!” said judge Kathleen Phillips. “The beautiful presentation of the ripe red tomatoes arranged on top told me tomatoes were going to take center stage of that tasty show. Sure enough, as I cut into the warm pie, another layer of salted tomatoes was found between layers of creamy, cheesy goodness. At that point, I knew I would be a fan girl of the FDL tomato pie.”
Williams is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef who specializes in Southern food with a Mediterranean flair. He and Carter, a lawyer, broke into the gourmet foodto-go business during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with pop-up events in neighborhoods. FDL (which stands for fleur di lis, a nod to Williams’ French ancestry) has a catering kitchen and takes custom delivery orders weekly. FDL also has a booth with refrigerated foods (casseroles, pimento cheese and more) at the Montgomery Curb Market. “Once someone gets our tomato pie, they come back and get more,” Carter said. “We do a lot of deliveries for people throughout the week for funerals, new parents and events. Loved ones send things they like.” “Some people are scared of tomato pie if they’ve never had it,” Williams said. “I’ve never met a tomato pie I didn’t like. With ingredients being in season, it would be a shame not to use them. To highlight a tomato is to eat it fresh.”
Sweet Grown Alabama Director Ellie Watson accompanied the crew, which visited the Flavorful Four Finalists across the state to taste their takes on Bama’s Best Tomato Dish. “Preston and Phillip
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Boiled Corn on the Cob
Milk boiled corn! Truly THE ONLY way to cook corn on the cob (in an epic butter bath of course)! So buttery so sweet! A butter bath to cook up all your fresh summer corn on the cob in 30 minutes or less? YES YES YES. Where do we sign up? No, but really, this milk-butter bath is simply epic here. It doesn’t require too many ingredients (nor much effort). And if you have some really really sweet corn this season, you can absolutely opt out of the brown sugar. Ingredients: • 3 cloves garlic, halved • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste • 2 cups whole milk • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed • 1/4 cup brown sugar • 6 ears corn, husks removed and halved • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives Directions: 1. Combine 4 cups water, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. 2. Stir in milk, butter and brown sugar. Bring to a boil; working carefully, add corn, reduce heat and simmer until just tender, about 10 minutes. 3. Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired. Source: www.damndelicious.net
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Gogue Center Preparing for 2022–23 Season Vince Gill, Clint Black, Broadway favorites “Legally Blonde” and “Hairspray” coming to East Alabama
The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University has announced the full schedule of dates and performances for its 2022–23 season. The new season begins in August 2022 and features nearly 30 performances running the gamut from Grammy-winning country music legends and classic Broadway musicals to some of the most dynamic artists from the worlds of dance, comedy, chamber arts, and rock ‘n’ roll. Performances are divided across six genre-specific series, including Amphitheatre, Broadway, Celebrity, Concert, Dance & Movement, and Orchestra & Chamber Music. A seventh series, Family, is offered separately and includes four shows tailored especially for young audiences.
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Highlights from the 2022–23 season include Grammy and Academy of Country Music award winners Vince Gill and Clint Black; comedian and late-night television icon Jay Leno; Grammy-winning composer David Foster and singer/songwriter and actress Katharine McPhee; and Mark Morris Dance Group’s “The Look of Love: An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach,” a new work co-commissioned by the Gogue Center. The 2022–23 season will also feature four Broadway productions: “Legally Blonde,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Hairspray” and “Chicago.” Three additional season performances will be announced during the month of July. Season and series subscriptions for the year are currently available. Remaining single tickets will be made available to the general public beginning Tuesday, August 9. For additional information on subscription and tickets sales, contact the Gogue Center box office at 334.844.TIXS (8497) or gpactickets@auburn.edu.
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the jay and susie gogue performing arts center at auburn university
presents our
2022–23 SEASON
Study on Women Shows Optimism Associated With Living an Extra Four Years of Life
A Harvard University study on women across different racial groups suggests links between optimism and a longer lifespan; with the group scoring the highest on optimism associated with an extra 4.5 years of life when compared to the lowest-scoring group. “Our findings suggest that there’s value to focusing on positive psychological factors, like optimism, as possible new ways of promoting longevity and healthy aging across diverse groups,” said lead author of the study, Hayami Koga.
featuring Vince Gill • Damien Sneed • MOMIX: Alice Fiddler on the Roof • The Kat & Dave Show • Jay Leno Clint Black • Croce Plays Croce • Hairspray Trinity Irish Dance Company • and many more
Season subscriptions available now! 334.844.TIXS (8497) GOGUECENTER.AUBURN.EDU
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The study found that optimism remained consistently correlated with longevity regardless of the factors considered whilst pessimism was associated with a shorter life span. The study found women who were in the top 25 percent for optimism had a 10 percent higher chance of living past the age of 90 when compared to the bottom 25 percent on optimism and were also more likely to have a 5.4 percent longer lifespan, translating to 4.5 more years. The authors suggest that the impact of optimism may be comparable to that of exercise as studies have shown that exercise adds 0.4 to 4.2 years of life— similar in years to the findings of this study. The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
As part of the study, women aged 50 to 79 years were recruited from 1993 to 1994 and scored based on their survey responses to optimism, lifestyle, race, education, marital status, and more. Follow-ups were conducted within 26 years following the study, and more than 131,000 women were studied. The researchers found that for the 55,885 women that had the highest prediction for longevity; after taking into consideration their optimism and lifestyle, over half—53 percent—lived over 90 years of age. Further, the team noted that the association between optimism and life expectancy generally excluded depression, suggesting that “optimism may confer benefits for longevity beyond simply signaling the absence of depression.” Lifestyle factors, such as regular exercise and healthy eating, also played into an increase in lifespan, but accounted for less than a quarter of the optimismlifespan association, indicating other factors at play. Though no racial group had significantly stronger associations between lifespan and optimism, the study found that women that scored higher for optimism were more frequently to be non-Hispanic white, “had higher education levels, were less likely to report prevalent health conditions including depression, and had somewhat healthier lifestyle.” Speculating on the reason behind the association, the authors reason that optimists may be less prone to stress. “Optimists appear to have greater social support, use problem-solving and planning strategies to minimize health risks, and are better able to regulate emotions and behavior,” the team wrote. “We tend to focus on the negative risk factors that affect our health,” said Koga. “It is also important to think about the positive resources such as optimism that may be beneficial to our health, especially if we see that these benefits are seen across racial and ethnic groups.” The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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By Louise Chambers
‘God’s Great Outdoors’
Navy Vet Takes Air Force Vet Mom on Epic Tour of 20 States Norma standing next to the 400-foot-tall American Flag in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Visiting this place was Norma’s “favorite thing” on the tour, according to Teresa.
Teresa (L) and Norma at London Bridge, Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Teresa and Norma with their tour trailer, nicknamed “Blessing.”
Norma outside the trailer. Her daughter affectionately addresses her as “a super hero” for her resilient spirit and love for life.
Courtesy of Teresa McFarland
A retired Navy nurse took her 95-year-old mother, a U.S. Air Force veteran diagnosed with dementia, on a 26,000-mile adventure across the United States. Together, they passed through 70 cities in 20 states, collecting stories and experiences like none they’d had before.
‘I Want to See the People I Love Before I Die’ Norma moved in with Teresa in March 2018 when she could no longer afford to keep up her home in Oceanside, California, and needed help with chores. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and life grew even harder.
Teresa Lee McFarland of Lone Pine, California, is 63 years old. She retired as a Navy Nurse Corps commander and family nurse practitioner in 2020 to care for her mother, Norma Lee Lamascus, full time. Norma, who celebrated her 96th birthday on the tour, was once a registered nurse and served two years with the U.S. Air Force between 1952 and 1954.
“The forced isolation and travel restrictions shut down her social life,” Teresa said. “She couldn’t go to visit her dearest friends living near her former home, and five of her new friends died. Needless to say, she became despondent with grief.”
The mom-daughter pair have since returned home from their over 10-month-long trailer tour of a lifetime and are planning to travel again, starting in July. The best part, after all this traveling, is that Norma’s dementia scores have improved.
Teresa was determined to make it happen.
“[I feel] humbled by the beauty and greatness of our big country,” she told The Epoch Times. “I learned that life is wonderful and that I can still enjoy God’s great outdoors at my age! Life is for living. Every moment can be a wonderful adventure if you look for it.” Teresa added, “I learned that, with God’s help, there isn’t really anything we can’t do. Also that most strangers are kind and generous.”
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Norma told her daughter, “I want to see the people I love before I die!”
In October 2020, she bought a 2011 2WD Toyota Tacoma and 17-foot 1985 Aljo Aly pull trailer to fix up. Teresa oversaw the modifications herself, raising the seats 3 inches for accessibility, adding hand grips, a new heater and window, and updating the decor. By March 2021, the revamped trailer, nicknamed “Blessing,” boasted a fully functional kitchen, bathroom with shower, sleeping spaces, and a brand-new look. “I did everything but the heater myself,” she said. With Norma fully on board, Teresa plotted a route using paper maps and an old U.S.
Road Atlas to include visits to old friends, family, and even relatives whom Norma had discovered through DNA testing but never met. The pair chronicled their epic trip on a dedicated Facebook page, Norma’s 95: Big Adventure. With a preference for quiet rural spots and natural beauty, Teresa made reservations at campgrounds ahead of each pit stop. She found military base campgrounds especially welcoming, and says life on the road was both “fun and challenging.” “I did all of the trip planning, packing, shopping, cooking, laundry, driving and towing, set-up and take down for the trailer,” Teresa said. “My goal was to drive less than five hours each day, stop before dark, and stay at least two days at each stop. At this pace, we could both enjoy the journey all along the way. “We remained flexible and didn’t plan ahead too much so we could accommodate unexpected mishaps, like a flat tire, and take advantage of any surprise opportunities that showed up: the public art murals, sculptures, mosaic-tiled automobiles, riverside walking paths, swimming pools, community concerts, spontaneous dancing in the grass, and the amazing beauty of God’s creation.” Making Memories In over 10 months, with four oil changes and The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
four new tires along the way, Teresa and her mother visited 20 states: California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. In their home state of California, Norma visited her childhood best friend since kindergarten at Scotts Valley. In St. Louis, Missouri, the pair visited Teresa’s sister; Norma met her latest great-grandson for the first time in Crystal City. Colorado heralded a nostalgic meeting. “Norma enjoyed seeing three of her nursing classmates from 1946,” said Teresa, “and we went to Presbyterian Saint Luke’s Hospital to see if there was any interest in Norma, a 1946 graduate of the Denver Saint Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing. They gave Norma a wonderful book filled with photos and detailed history of the hospital.” In her hometown of Lewellen, Nebraska, Norma reunited with family and old friends and met a 94-year-old third cousin for the very first time. As the tour progressed, they kept adding new memories to their book of life. The pair also made ample time for day trips, including Noah’s Ark in Williamstown, the Minneapolis Zoo, where Norma fulfilled a lifelong wish to ride a camel, and Sheboygan’s 400-foot-tall American flag. They spent the holidays in Lake Havasu City, enjoying London Bridge, walking in the cactus garden, and taking the ferry to Christmas dinner at the casino. “The Arizona sunsets still warm our memories,” said Teresa. Norma celebrated her 96th birthday in Meridian, Idaho. And in Cascade, 15 family members spanning in age from 7 to 96 hosted “Camp Grandma” for the nonagenarian birthday girl. The Conscientious Daughter Teresa first noticed warning signs of dementia in her mother in November 2019. Norma had trouble problem-solving, did not use logical reasoning, and was forgetting more frequently; she had difficulty following The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
directions of more than two steps, repeated questions already answered, and said the same things over and over again. As she became less active physically, her social life declined. Unable to drop to a part-time schedule, Teresa retired to become her mother’s fulltime caretaker. Ironically, she believes Norma herself might have invented the “assisted living” model we know today during her career as a nurse. Teresa said: “In 1968, [my mother] bought a too-large house to provide a home-like ‘board and care’ to elderly men and women who needed help with their medication, laundry, and meals. Otherwise they were independent and on their own. The health and fire inspectors weren’t sure what to do with her, as this type of care was otherwise unheard of.” Well-versed in Norma’s needs by the time the trailer was ready, Teresa made sure their trip was accessible. Norma uses a four-wheeled rolling walker for stability, quickly runs out of steam due to heart failure and COPD, and cannot stand without support for more than a few seconds. It was Norma’s job to inspect every new campground for adequate bathroom facilities, said Teresa, while she set up the trailer for each stay. The thoughtful daughter carried three portable suction grab bars, a shower stool, and a hand-held shower spray with wrenches, just in case they needed them. But during their travels, Teresa noticed that even Norma’s transport chair was too flimsy to handle the uneven trails and river walks they hoped to explore. She found a $4,000 all-terrain chair from France online, but was reluctant to commit without trying it first. Then she came across an advocacy group that provides running pushchairs for disabled athletes. “This contact led me to Mike DiDonato of Southbridge Tool and Manufacturing in Massachusetts,” said Teresa. “He offered to let us borrow a blade running chair with trail wheels for as long as we needed it, all we had to pay was the shipping costs.” Teresa believes that when one is faced with problems or challenges, it’s important to be curious and to ask others for ideas and whatever help they can offer, and “be
persistent to find a solution.” Help was never far away. When Norma contracted a painful ear infection in Minnesota, they visited a local urgent-care facility with a prescription vending machine in the waiting room, getting the antibiotics they needed in the middle of the night. The Traveling Veterans Program looked after Norma throughout her recovery. Even the trailer suffered a few health issues as the trip went on, but Teresa saved the day. She recalled: “Once the weather started to get colder in Tennessee, some of the trailer’s old pipes became frozen. I solved this issue by placing small portable heaters inside the bathroom cabinet.” After 10 months on the road with now-96year-old Norma, Teresa feels proud of her mother for her enduring adventurous spirit, proud of herself for making the trip happen, despite obstacles, and grateful that they ignored the naysayers. “I learned that enjoying the present is an incredible gift to myself and those around me,” Teresa reflected. Concerned about her mother’s memory and mental health, Teresa recently got Norma’s thorough neuro-cognitive assessment done. The results were surprising. “Her score had actually improved from January 2021,” Teresa said. “I am convinced that the mental stimulation, social experiences, and travel to new places actually improved her mental function!” Teresa, who is a member of the VA Caregiver Support Network, implores other caregivers to find support from people who understand and empathize. The “frank, funny, steady, reliable” friends in her virtual support group have made caregiving possible for Teresa, and thriving possible for Norma at 96. “I encourage everyone to experience an adventure every day. This is important for young and old. It makes all of life much richer, fuller, and more fun,” Teresa said. “I’m forever grateful we took this trip.” Source: www.theepochtimes.com
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Central Alabama Aging Consortium (CAAC), Connecting You To Services CAAC coordinates services for the elderly and disabled populations and their caregivers in Autauga, Elmore, & Montgomery counties. The primary goal is to develop, coordinate, and provide services in the community that supports an active and independent lifestyle where those we serve can live and thrive. CENTRAL ALABAMA AGING CONSORTIUM (CAAC) is a part of a state-wide aging network that provides a variety of Home and Community based services to the region’s senior and disabled populations and their caregivers. CAAC coordinates services for these targeted populations in Autauga, Elmore, and Montgomery counties. The primary goal is to develop, coordinate, and support services in the community that promote an active and independent lifestyle where those we serve can live and thrive. CAAC is designated by the Alabama Department of Senior Services, the state unit on aging, as the Area Agency on Aging for the tri-county region and recognized by local governments, state agencies, and service providers as the lead aging organization of the Central Alabama area. The Consortium works with public agencies and private businesses to provide a full range of health, education and social services for older citizens and those with disabilities. Our goal is to foster independence and improve the quality of life for all senior citizens and their caregivers. For Your Free Phone Screening Call: (334) 240-4670 or toll free (800) 264-4680 or visit https://centralalabamaaging.org/
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The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
Embrace New Experiences!
Masterworks of Photography from the Lamar Dodd Art Center and Jared Ragland: What Has Been Will Be Again The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts is excited to present Masterworks of Photography from the Lamar Dodd Art Center and Jared Ragland: What Has Been Will Be Again. Both exhibitions have roots in the past yet speak to our current time. Through photography, we are transported by both images of contested spaces and open landscapes and portraits of everyday people as well as figures well known in our world. About the exhibitions on view, MMFA Curator of Art, Jennifer Jankauskas, says, "These two exhibitions help us filter the present through our past. With images of joy and hardship, beauty and the ordinary, we can celebrate the strength and resilience of our world.” Masterworks of Photography from the Lamar Dodd Art Center through July 24, 2022. Jared Ragland: What Will Be Will Be Again through September 11, 2022. www.mmfa.org
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“It Won’t Happen to Me”
Seventy percent¹ of Americans will need long-term care before they die The statistics cannot be denied. Seventy percent¹ of Americans will need long-term care before they die. On average, someone needing longterm care will receive over four years of care in their home and then will go on to a facility, such as an assisted living, a memory care facility, or a nursing home for another two years. Long-term care includes assistance with bathing, dressing, eating, moving around, toileting or incontinence due to physical limitations or cognitive impairment. The interesting dynamic is how differently men and woman tend to view long-term care, which relates to how they tend to think about risk. Harley Gordon, an influential elder law attorney, wrote a book about it, “The Conversation,” Helping Someone You Love Plan for an Extended Care Event.” He notes, “Men are wired to minimize if not dismiss risk in life. If there is no risk of a serious event happening, what consequences can there be? If there are no consequences, why put together a plan?” Whereas, he says, “women have an aversion to risk. They see the risk of serious event and the consequences of it as being inseparable.” Gordon observes that trying to motivate men to plan for long-term care with the statistics doesn’t work because they don’t believe it will happen to them, whereas women hope it won’t but understand that the odds are that it will. He recommends that since men are most motivated by taking care of those they love, the conversation about planning for long-term care needs to focus on the consequences to those they love if they fail to act, and long-term care is needed.
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Financial Thoughts with Susan Moore
By Susan Clayton Moore, J.D.
Principal of Moore Wealth Management, Inc.
The cost of long-term care can be prohibitive. Genworth, in its annual 2020 Cost of Care Survey, estimated that a home health aide in the Alexander City area cost $3,432 a month or $41,184 a year. The cost of an assisted living facility in the Alexander City area was estimated to be $3,323 a month, or $39,876 a year. So, six years of receiving longterm care in the Alexander City area currently costs more than $230,000. There are multiple ways to financially plan for long-term care, including traditional insurance, hybrid types of life insurance and long-term care insurance, long-term care annuities, self-insuring, etc. These methods will be covered in a Webinar format on Wednesday, July 20th by Susan Moore of Moore Wealth Management, Inc. at 12 p.m. Please call 334.270.1672, or email sarah@ moorewealthmanagement.com, for more information and reservations. We conduct a variety of workshops and seminars at MWM. The mission statement of MWM is very simple: “and then some.” We attempt to do
what is expected, what is required “and then some”. The Planning for Retirement workshop is part of our monthly “and then some” workshops. In addition, MWM conducts daily current events market updates that attempt to explain what is going on in the financial world. If you would like to be on the mailing list or receive email notifications of upcoming webinars, please call 334.270.1672. Susan Clayton Moore, J.D., is a financial advisor and wealth manager of Moore Wealth Management, Inc, with offices in Auburn, Montgomery, and Alexander City, AL. Susan has under advisement assets over $170 million (as of 1.21.2022) in brokerage and advisory assets through Kestra Financial and has been a financial planner for over 38 years. Contact Susan at 334.270.1672. Email contact is susan@moorewealthmanagement.com. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney or tax advisor regarding your individual situation. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. Kestra IS or Kestra AS are not affiliated with Moore Wealth Management, Inc. https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures ¹https://www.genworth.com/aging-and-you/finances/ cost-of-care.html
July Workshop (webinar)
Long-Term Care
to register, call our Montgomery office at
334.270.1672
sarah@moorewealthmanagement.com
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By Luminita Saviuc
15 Things You Should Give up to Be Happy 5. Give up Your Limiting Beliefs
We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress, and suffering – and instead of letting them all go, instead of allowing ourselves to be stress-free and happy – we cling on to them. Not anymore.
Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!
Starting today we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go.
6. Give up Complaining
1. Give up Your Need to Always Be Right There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain, for us and for others.
Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel. “By letting it go it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” ~ Lao Tzu
It’s just not worth it.
3. Give up on Blame
Whenever you feel the ‘urgent’ need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question:
Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.
“Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” ~ Wayne Dyer What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big? 2. Give up Your Need for Control Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be.
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4. Give up Your Self-Defeating Self-Talk Oh, my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that. “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, many things – people, situations, events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. 7. Give up the Luxury of Criticism Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all. 8. Give up Your Need to Impress Others Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take off
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all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly. 9. Give up Your Resistance to Change
better than the present and the future looks so frightening, but you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have.
Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.
10. Give up Labels Stop labeling those things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open.
11. Give up on Your Fears Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt 12. Give up Your Excuses Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real. 13. Give up the Past I know, I know. It’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much
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The moment you detach yourself from all things you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words. “Love allows your beloved the freedom to be unlike you. Attachment asks for conformity to your needs and desires. Love imposes no demands. Attachment expresses an overwhelming demand – “Make me feel whole.” Love expands beyond the limits of two people. Attachment tries to exclude everything but two people.” ~ Deepak Chopra
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” ~ Joseph Campbell
“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” ~ Wayne Dyer
there can’t be fear. Because of that, attachment and love cannot coexist.
15. Give up Living Your Life to Other People’s Expectations
WIN THIS BOOK Text "Get Happy" to 334.324.3472 then you'll be entered to win a copy of “15 Things You Should Give up to Be Happy”
The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all, life is a journey, not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now. 14. Give up Attachment Many people mistake attachment with love but love and attachment have nothing to do with one another. Attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and self less, where there is love
Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them, they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them, to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need….and eventually, they forget about themselves. You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path. If you want to learn more about HOW to let go of these 15 things, check out the book with the same title, available NOW on Amazon for order. By Luminita Saviuc This article was originally published on www.purposefairy.com.
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At 80, Paul McCartney
Shows Us How to Age Gracefully
end, you do what I do, what most people do: just remember the great stuff." Even beyond McCartney's grieving, he had his mind on coping with the state of the world, which was in a worrisome place at the time of the conversation with Stern. The global economy had tanked, and our morale was low. Stern: "Are you depressed by the world's situation now?" McCartney: "I'm not exactly happy about it. But I'm an optimist. You've been around a little while, you've seen stuff. You've seen Vietnam. You've seen Nixon. 9/11." McCartney has always been an optimist — an attitude and life philosophy that has served him well. Does he think the glass is half-full? Just look at his songwriting credits.
Celebrating his 80th birthday on June 18, Paul McCartney is still "The Cute Beatle" — and so much more. The nickname-happy media gave McCartney that label around the time that "A Hard Day's Night" came out, at the dawn of worldwide Beatlemania in 1964. McCartney has allowed himself to look his age with great dignity. He lets his generous amount of gray hair shine through. There may now be a bit of a puddle around his mid-section — not that most guys wouldn't love to trade physiques with him — but big deal. What McCartney radiates will always allow him to look on the sunny side. Do you want to know a secret? Paul McCartney acts his age. Happily! Yes, a cynic would say dismissively, "Of course, he always looks happy. He's worth a billion dollars!" As the Beatles once sang, on "She's Leaving Home," "fun is the one thing that money can't buy." McCartney remains philosophical. Remember the sentiment that he expressed on the cover of his first solo album, "McCartney," in 1970, which contained a photograph of a spilled bowl
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of cherries: Life is not always a bowl of cherries. Since those heady days, the man who went on to give us "Yesterday," "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane," "Hey Jude," and "Let It Be," not to mention a slew of hits as a solo recording artist, has had to cope with his share of setbacks, heartbreaks and losses. Somehow, though, like a fine watch, he keeps right on ticking. Like a gutsy prize fighter, he rises off the canvas. How does McCartney stay so productive and upbeat? And what lessons can we mere mortals learn from his shining example? Getting Better McCartney has exhibited his hopeful nature in public. During an interview he did on Howard Stern's radio show on Jan. 14, 2009, Stern asked him how he had been coping with the 2001 death of band mate George Harrison and McCartney answered philosophically. "How are you doing with everyone dying? Your mom and dad. I've lost both my parents. I lost John (Lennon), lost George, lost (first wife) Linda. It's very tough. You want them back. You want them back all the time. But I think in the
As a songwriter in the Beatles, he was the one who sang "it's getting better all the time" even as his songwriting partner, John Lennon, answered with a smirk in the same song, "It couldn't get much worse". McCartney sang, "We can work it out." When the Beatles were in the process of breaking apart and McCartney was distressed, he solved his existential crises by counseling, "Let it be." He urged us to "Take a sad song and make it better." He believes in yesterday. You say goodbye. Paul McCartney says hello. The Long and Winding Road The Beatles broke up in 1970, ending the reign of what their music publisher Dick James once called "the perfect entertainment machine." After privately despairing the termination of his brilliant collaboration with John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, McCartney put the pieces together and struck out on his own — and, at first, anyway, strike out he did.
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Music critics savagely panned his first few post-Beatles albums. On a 1971 song called "How Do You Sleep?" Lennon dismissed McCartney's new music as "Muzak to my ears." Coming from Lennon, McCartney's boyhood his idol and ex-partner, those unusually harsh words especially stung. McCartney released the worldwide hit "Band on the Run" in 1973 and got back on his feet, creatively. But in 1998, Linda, his beloved wife of 29 years, died of breast cancer, the same disease that had claimed his mother, Mary, when Paul was 14 years old. A second marriage in 2003 to British activist Heather Mills, 26 years his junior, proved explosive fodder for worldwide tabloids and ended after only five years. Happily, he and his third wife, Nancy Shevell, a New York business executive, continue to go strong after a decade. As he navigates his own long and winding road, Sir Paul — born James Paul McCartney to a working-class family in Liverpool, England during the height of World War II — has personified a remarkable capacity for aging gracefully. He has been utterly unselfconscious about embracing — even celebrating — his advancing years. When you remember that McCartney remains one of the world's most photographed and identifiable people, this disdain for looking falsely youthful makes him a wonderful role model. A Day in the Life McCartney has sported a head of natural-looking gray hair for so long that it seems hard to think of him in his Beatle days. He is comfortable looking his age and not losing any sleep about whether he will keep up with his fellow rock stars, who seem willing to strike a deal with the devil just to look young again. But McCartney's hair color is merely a The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
cosmetic decision. Far more crucially, he has kept up a demanding workload. Proclaimed in the media to be a billionaire, McCartney clearly doesn't make new music or go on tour or stay in the public eye for the money. Proclaimed in the media to be a billionaire, McCartney clearly doesn't make new music or go on tour or stay in the public eye for the money. Despite any aches and pains that come naturally in one's twilight, Paul McCartney has never lost his love for the work he does so well. I've never met McCartney. But I have gained a sort of understanding about the rock and roll mentality and aging. I wrote
underscoring the public's curiosity to learn the holy grail of how a rock star ages. He said: "He likes to work. Touring helps him stay in good physical shape. He gets to travel around the world and see old friends. He loves singing the songs he wrote, which still mean so much to him." At that point, my interview subject smiled and added: "And yeah, he likes the money." Paul McCartney, it appears, likes it all. He enjoys reminiscing in interviews. You'd never catch him in a "Sunset Boulevard" kind of weakness, when he yearned for the good old days. He respects what he has accomplished but won't allow himself to get stuck in the past. While the world was bemoaning life during the global pandemic, McCartney got back to work. He couldn't tour, of course. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and recorded an album of new songs.
a book about McCartney admirer and peer, Bob Dylan, in 2012 called "Forget About Today: Bob Dylan's Genius for (Re) Invention." In the course of my research, I interviewed many people who were or continue to be close to Dylan. I asked a family member, "Why does he still tour so much?" This is the same point you could raise to McCartney, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who as well as the likes of Elton John, not to mention Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones — all men who have been making music for more than five decades and have happily stayed prolific over the years. When I asked the Dylan insider that key question, he nodded thoughtfully, as if
Nothing seems to keep Paul McCartney down for long. His life philosophies enable him to turn the page time after time. He knows his place in the world. We should all be so lucky to have this gift of self-awareness. Yes, he once sang a song called "I'm Down." But he also sang, "It really doesn't matter if I'm wrong — I'm right. Where I belong, I'm right." Jon Friedman Jon Friedman, the author of the ebook "Goo Goo Ga Joob: Why I Am the Walrus is the Beatles’ Greatest Song" (2014, Miniver Press) Source: www.nextavenue.org
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Master Gardener's Perspective
By Alice Jackson
Right Plant, Right Place
I am writing this article plants, big and small. I about a recent trip to began trying to identify Apalachicola, Florida, several trees that were and the interesting discussed on my zoom things I discovered call. Like the large bald about plants. cypress trees, some very Apalachicola is a enormous and such a laid-back fishing town contrast from the dwarf with a lot of charm cypress tress I saw the and so much nature day before. Using a leaf surrounding it. You identification article have the Apalachicola I identified the red Bay for fishing, shallow maples, sugar maples, marshes with a lot magnolias, and of course of wildlife, pristine numerous palms. Since Dwarf Cypress Boardwalk - boardwalk over ancient dwarf cypress trees beaches, and many I have learned more nature sites to see about trees and shrubs, to coastal areas to admire their beauty. with an abundance of flora and fauna. I have become more appreciative and inquisitive of what nature has provided On our first day there was a trip to Since I have been enrolled in the ACES. us. the Dwarf Cypress Forest located in Edu Master Gardner program I have been Eastpoint, Fl. not far from Apalachicola, more interested in learning the various In closing I want to leave you with a few but down a long bumpy remote road. varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants landscaping and plant selection tips I Once there, a long boardwalk takes you and what will grow successfully in my learned. First, to do your research. Locate to a look out over a crater of hundreds landscape. So, for this trip I wanted to your plant hardiness zone by using the of dwarf white cypress trees. Local focus on all things of nature. Except, for USDA plant harshness zone map. This will information states that some of these the many trips to the local oyster bars help determine which plants will thrive cypress trees have been growing there and great restaurants. While riding in in your climate zone. If you know the in this unusual habitat for 150 years or the car on the trip down I was listening type of plant you want to select, make more. According to the information, to a zoom class for my Master Gardener sure you read the plant label. This will these trees are dwarfed due to the program. This particular topic was on provide planting requirements such as sunken crater covered with a layer of tree, shrub and plant selection for your the amount of light necessary, moisture hard clay soil which prohibits the roots home landscape. It was quite interesting requirements, pest susceptibility and from growing deep and therefore limiting listening to the various types of tree other planting tips. You may want to the tree height to 6 to 15 feet. There selections that would or would not have your soil pH tested to understand was also a variety of wildlife to be seen, grow well in a home landscape and the what type of soil you have. This can be so it was worth the bumpy ride there to reasons why. As I learned in class it is all done by contacting your local county see this unusual but interesting site of about “Right Plant, Right Place”, or as extension office for information of the nature. But these trees would certainly they say in real estate, location, location, website www.Aces.edu. Remember, right not thrive in my landscape. location. An example of right tree, right plant, right place is the key for successful place is the Southern Live Oak. These plant growth. The next excursion was a nature trail, majestic trees with their huge trunks Alice Jackson, an intern in the Master Gardener densely populated with a variety of and enormous canopies grow in warm 2022 Master Gardener Class. For more information species. It was an easy trail and so quiet coastal climates but would not grow well on becoming a master gardener, visit and peaceful; you couldn’t help but stop in colder climates. So, if you love these www.capcitymga.org or email capcitymaga@ and admire all the various trees and gmail.com. trees like I do, you need to travel south
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Get Acquainted with AUM OLLI
AUM Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is an enrichment program designed to inspire retirees to stay active mentally, creatively, and physically. July, before the beginning of the year’s four terms, is a good time to get acquainted with the initiative and its organization. AUM OLLI has four terms a year: fall (eight weeks), winter (seven weeks), spring (seven weeks), and mini-summer (the four weeks of June). During these terms, the program offers classes in a number of different categories: study/ discussion (subjects vary from term to term), do-it- yourself (painting, crafts, etc.), and active (hiking, Tai Chi, line dancing, etc.). There is an annual membership fee, paid once a year, and a course fee, a flat fee paid each term to take numerous courses of interest.
AUM OLLI also offers lunch presentations on a variety of subjects during each term. In the 2022 Spring Term, lunch
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presentations included a performance by AUMcappella, a discussion of the Alabama Humanities Alliance by its executive director, a presentation about a travel opportunity, and an informative presentation about Ukraine. Spring 2022 Bonus Opportunities included book discussion groups (one in Montgomery and one at the SelmaDallas County Library), an arts and crafts “fun” room, and an informative guided tour of AUM’s woodlands. The lunch presentations and bonus opportunities are included in the course fee. Field trips are scheduled when possible.
To learn more about AUM OLLI, select one of the following times to come to AUM’s Center for Lifelong Learning, located at 75 Technacenter Drive, Montgomery AL. There you can meet the OLLI staff and some members of AUM OLLI, learn more about the initiative and its offerings, and tour the building.
• Monday, July 11 – 11:00 a.m. – Noon • Tuesday, July 12 – 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. • Wednesday, July 13 – 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. Confirm your appointment for one of the above sessions at ceinfo@aum.edu You can also get more details about AUM OLLI by calling 334-244- 3804 or at www.aum.edu/OLLI.
Come & Meet The AUM OLLI Staff During July! Tell your friends! www.aum.edu/OLLI
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Travel Experiences with Jeff Barganier
Secure Borders - Honest Elections About forty-seven years ago as a US Army Reservist, I was assigned to the 322nd Military History Detachment. This unique unit was attached to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Jeff exploring Fort Campbell Kentucky. Our job was to write a history of the 101st in civilian Vietnam. My CO, Major McKenzie, leadership in told me years later that our work whose hands (mostly his work) was archived at the American Fort Campbell’s Don F. Pratt Museum. people have During a writing assignment to nearby placed their Clarksville, Tennessee, I was allowed destiny. on post to visit the museum in search of this historical manuscript. The curator of the museum was out, so I was unable to locate the document. To my chagrin, I found the road leading But before departing, my escort to Fort Campbell’s gate littered with treated me to a tour of the post. There tattoo shops, massage parlors, pawn were few soldiers present because shops, check cashing stores, title loan the 101st was in the field training. I stores, beer joints, and “adult” novelty learned later, according to a Pentagon shops. I have always believed the announcement, that elements of the presence of some such establishments, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) anywhere really, poses a national had been ordered to deploy to Europe. security threat. But perhaps this Headquarters, 101st Airborne Division threat is especially keen near military and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team installations. In my view, the proximity have been notified to begin movement of prurient businesses to American to Europe as soon as this summer. Soldiers besmirches the honorable, By the time you read this, the 101st heroic mission our servicemen and may already be in Eastern Europe. women face. Our warfighters deserve The deploying units will join V Corps better. In fact, they deserve the in support of the US commitment absolute best. Not the crumbs. And to Europe and NATO Allies as part of certainly not the current incompetent the ongoing response to the invasion
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of Ukraine. Following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, whoever’s actually running the Biden Administration wants new wars. So, we pivot to Ukraine and Somalia. As Major General JP McGee, Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division explained, “Over the last six months we conducted two division-wide training exercises, greatly increasing the readiness of our Soldiers, units, and Families. As we have for the last 80 years, the 101st Airborne Division stands ready to deploy anywhere to support and defend the Nation and our Allies. The contributions and sacrifices that our Families make in support of our Soldiers are critical to our success. They are an integral part of the Screaming Eagle Team and we are committed to supporting them while deployed. Since D-Day, June 6, 1944, this division has repeatedly answered the Nation’s call in every major conflict. Once again, Screaming Eagles head to Europe. The Screaming Eagles of today are ready to support our Allies to preserve the long-lasting stability in Europe that our predecessors fought and died to secure.” It disturbs me to see our brave young warriors deployed like pawns; not, as I see it, “to preserve the long-lasting stability in Europe” as General McGee states. But to secure the borders The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
of corrupt foreign countries while America’s borders are deliberately and systematically abolished. Meanwhile, terrorists—perhaps from those very countries we feign to protect, as well as from countries that flat-out hate us—infiltrate America through our open border. The invasion of our southern border seems no accident but follows the pattern of similar invasions of European countries. Invasion is part and parcel of the unrestricted
league with America’s enemies. Will millions of people flooding our country also be allowed to vote in fraudulent elections? Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conclude their multi-day qualifications with the firing of AT4, recoilless smoothbore anti-tank weapon, at Fort Campbell, KY, March 31, 2022.
A nation without borders isn’t a nation. The 101st should be deployed on OUR border! Because immigration and election laws are not being enforced, we are witnessing the lawless destruction of our country; and becoming an increasingly subjugated Military engineers from 326th Brigade Engineer Battalion "Sapper people. In effect, we are Eagles," 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division blow through concertina wire. now the United States of America in name only. warfare our enemies have declared And whether or not America is ever against us, designed to destabilize restored to its former status depends America and overwhelm resources. on four words: The fact that invasion is allowed, SECURE BORDERS - HONEST ELECTIONS if not encouraged, would seem to constitute treason as committed by May God help us during this season the Biden Administration’s puppet of feckless leadership, skyrocketing masters whose policies place them in
inflation, widespread lawlessness, border control by narco-terrorists/ human-traffickers, suppression of speech, fraudulent elections, food shortages, $30.5 trillion US debt--$40 billion to Ukraine, etc., etc.
Happy 4th of July!
Thousands of migrants advance towards US border.
Jeff S. Barganier is a novelist, travel writer and manager of Cindy Barganier Interiors LLC. He travels far and wide upon the slightest excuse for something interesting to write about. Contact: Jeffbarganier@knology.net. Instagram: @jeffbarganier. You may print out Jeff ’s features at www.jeffbarganier.com.
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It’s time to book your summer getaway with the Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM). Recently, the airport launched an incredible deal that allows you to experience the Washington, D.C., area with a steep discount. MGM launched its Buy One, Get One summer promotional offer for travelers taking off from MGM and flying into Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. Travelers will be reimbursed for a round-trip ticket, and MGM will take care of the parking fees. The promotion is valid on roundtrip travel from MGM to DCA through July 31, 2022. “It’s a great time to visit Washington, D.C. and see first-hand how easy it is to fly from Montgomery Regional Airport; choose the faster and easier way to fly!” said Wade A. Davis, MGM’s Executive Director. “The limited-time BOGO opportunity to explore Washington, D.C. is an excellent chance to fly local and save.” Currently, MGM offers a non-stop from MGM to DCA operated by American Airlines. To take advantage of the promotion, purchase your ticket by visiting American Airlines at www. aa.com. Once your purchase is completed, submit your proof of travel documentation to promotions@flymgm.com. MGM will also launch a bonus gift card offer for Delta Airlines passengers in the coming weeks. Things to Do in Washington, D.C. From exploring the nation’s capital on a double-decker tour bus, from concerts and multi-course dinners to paddling on the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, D.C. has so much to offer. Tell us on Facebook at @FLYMGM how you plan to discover your summer in D.C. *Ticket purchases or travel completed before June 10, 2022, are excluded from this promotion, and reimbursement will only be made to the person identified as the purchaser of the tickets. To qualify, customers must submit legibly scanned or photographed proof of purchase to promotions@flymgm.com. Visit https://flymgm.com/summer-deals/ for additional rules and information.
Capital City Master Gardeners Association Lunch & Learn @ The Armory
Capital City Master Gardener Association presents Lunch & Learn, the 1st Wednesday of Every Month from 12-1 pm. They will meet at Armory Learning Arts Building, 1018 Madison Ave., Montgomery 36104. Mark your calendars, July 6, “Growing Turmeric & Drying Garden Herbs”, Mary McCroan, Advanced Master Gardener, will present a program on “Growing Turmeric & Drying Garden Herbs”. She will cover what is turmeric, how is it grown, and how is it used. She’ll also give suggestions for drying your own garden herbs. August 3, “Ferns for All Seasons and Environments”, Maria Pacheco, Horticulturist and Master Gardener, will present a program on “Ferns for All Seasons and Environments”. Come join us to find out about the many varieties of ferns available, where to plant them in your garden, and how to care for them. BRING A SACK LUNCH, FREE PROGRAM, WATER PROVIDED, For information, please contact the Montgomery County Extension Office 334.270.4133. Also visit www.capcitymga.org.
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Leading Healthcare Providers Join Forces to Provide a Strong Continuum of Care
Jackson Hospital & Clinic is privileged to partner with Hospice of Montgomery in fulfilling our collective missions in delivering care to the River Region. With a rich history of dedicated service and a focus on patient-centered-care, it is our belief that the partnership will assist each organization in positively impacting more lives throughout the River Region. Throughout the process of discussing the potential of the organizations coming together: it became immediately evident of organizational parallels. Similarities in organization structure, stand-alone community not-for profit organizations, as well as similarities in goals, mission & vision. Both organizations strive to fulfill their missions and improve the lives of those in the River Region; working together in collaboration helps positively touch more lives. The resources, expertise and experiences of both organizations bring perspective and insight to addressing challenges, capitalizing on opportunities, and growing services. “The partnership between Jackson Hospital and Hospice of Montgomery was created from our mutual goal to enhance the continuum of care for all,” said Joe Riley, CEO of Jackson Hospital & Clinic. “As two organizations with a long history of providing high-quality care for the River Region, we’re looking forward to meeting our patients’ needs together.” For more information, visit www.jackson.org/hospice.
Joy To Life Podcast: Hands On Healing – The Body Loves Movement Imagine that you’re experiencing pain in your shoulder. Now imagine the key to relieving you of that pain lies in your foot. Sound weird? It is…weirdly amazing as we find out from our guests on this episode– Anthony Allegro and Carla Wall. Anthony and Carla are experts at myofascial release (as well as other forms of massage therapy) and have helped our Joy Blondheim regain and maintain her mobility and flexibility. During the course of our conversation (which includes Joy to Life Foundation co-founders Joy and Dickie Blondheim), we learn what fascia is (and why it’s vitally important), how interconnected the parts of our (pictured above l – r: Joy Blondheim, Carla Wall, Anthony Allegro, and Dickie Blondheim) bodies really are (for better or worse) and how much better all our lives would be if we would just get up and move! to listen vist https://liveheregivehere.org/category/podcasts/ To find out more about Hands on Healing and the work that they do, visit their website at www.handsonhealingal.com.
The Monroe Market Pop-Up
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The Monroe Market Pop-Up. When: Thursday, June 23 - July 31, T ime: 11:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. Location: Kress on Dexter. Shop and explore curated goods by Black makers in Kress on Dexter during this six-week pop-up market on Dexter Avenue in downtown Montgomery.
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KC & The Sunshine Band @ The MPAC, September 18, 7:30 PM KC and The Sunshine Band has celebrated over 40 years of making booties shake. They gave a voice to a generation, helped define an entire culture and continue to make an impact today. With over four decades of success, the group, led by Harry Wayne “KC” Casey, has been in a state of constant renewal in their niche of cultural relevancy– thanks in part to their music being featured in numerous motion picture soundtracks, television shows and national advertising campaigns. KC and The Sunshine Band formed in 1973 with one single purpose: to create instant happiness through music - and the group has done just that, topping the charts with singles including “That’s the Way (I Like It),” “Get Down Tonight,” and “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” tallying worldwide sales of over 100 million, and receiving numerous awards. In 2013, KC was honored with two distinct Lifetime Achievement Awards, made several television appearances and earned a new star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame in his home state of Florida, which accompanies his previously awarded national recognition of a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. www.mpaconline.org or ticketmaster
Special Hours for Seniors
The Montgomery County Probate Court now offers special hours for seniors. Everyday between 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. those residents age 65 years or older or those with a demonstrated special need will receive priority service at each of our offices.
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Kombucha & 'Kraut - Make It At Home with Help From our Home Fermentation Workshop! Join the Ag & Stewardship Club for our Home Produce Fermentation Workshop on July 15 from 3 - 5 PM, and prepare to ferment your way through the produce aisle. Food Safety & Quality Extension Agents Angela Treadaway and Dani Reams will lead the workshop and demonstrate proper preservation procedures for preparing fermented foods and Kombucha, a fermented tea. Participants will leave with sauerkraut and a kombucha starter! Spaces are limited, and there is a $20 fee to to register, which covers the needed materials. For more information, please contact Community Involvement Coordinator Katy Garren at katy@ pikeroad.us or 334.495.4123. Home Fermentation is the July installation of the 2022 Ag & Stewardship Seminar Series, presented in partnership by the Pike Road Ag & Stewardship Club and the Montgomery County branch of the The Alabama Cooperative Extension System. https://www.aces.edu/event/fermentation-workshop-pike-road/
Volunteers needed at River Region Connects! Thursday, August 4, 2022 - 8:30 am - 1:30 pm at Montgomery Multiplex What is River Region Connects? River Region Connects is a One Day, One-Stop Shop for the community's homeless population to gain access to vital services. Most importantly, the event is outcome oriented; it is not just a day for people to wait in line but a day for people to make changes and have immediate access to essential services. Volunteers...working on the front lines! • You will be matched with a homeless client to guide them through the event. • Treat clients with dignity - Try to talk with them, not at them. • Respect client privacy - When handling paperwork, do not review it unless necessary. • Ask for help if you need it. • Don't promise services as some of the services have limited availability and eligibility requirements. Register today, www.handsonriverregion.org Interested but need further information? Call 334-261-6182.
Caregiver of the Month Spotlight: Christine
Bennett
Christine is a newcomer to Home Care Assistance of Montgomery and has “HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.” In the brief time that Christine has been with the company she has proven to be DEDICATED, DEPENDABLE, EMPATHETIC, AND ENCOURAGING. She is loved by both family members and clients, welcoming them all with open arms and a beautiful smile.
“I don’t run away from a challenge because I’m afraid. I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your foot”-Nadia Comaneci We appreciate your hard work and dedication, thank you for a Job Well Done!! For more information visit www.homecareassistancemontgomery.com
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Summer Blossoms Greet Visitors in the Montgomery Botanical Gardens @ Oak Park The heat of the summer is enhanced by the beautiful timely blooms of the Hydrangea, the Daylilies, and the various pollinator plants in the Southern Garden in Montgomery Botanical Gardens. The Blushing Bride Hydrangea, Glory Blue Hydrangea, Oak Leaf and Limelight Hydrangea provide a tapestry of various colors and shapes to view as you walk the pathway. You will see the pink, blue, lavender and white of the various specimens. The Daylily Garden is displaying numerous daylilies in a multitude of colors along with a variety of companion plants that are in bloom much to the delight of visiting pollinators. The Pollinator Gardens are also thriving and providing for pollinators. Of course, the entrance beds greet you as you start your walk in the gardens with their lush reds and purples. So plan an early morning or late afternoon walk through the gardens to avoid the heat and relish the beauty of the summer blossoms. Enjoy your next visit to Montgomery Botanical Gardens @ Oak Park. www.montgomerybotanicalgardens.com/
The Alabama Seinor Olympics pickleball competetion
The Alabama Seinor Olympics pickleball competetion will be held at the Opelika Sportsplex. Registration closes August 12. Athletes may compete with only one partner per event. Under NSGA rules, doubles and mixed doubles are classified as events. Therefore, athletes may not compete in more than one age division for doubles and mixed doubles. Competitors must provide their own paddles. Balls will be provided. The Alabama Senior Olympics will include skill divisions. When registering, please know your skill level and enter it into the corresponding text box. Doubles will be decided by the youngest players age and the highest players skill level. If you have any questions regarding your skill level, please contact Sam Bailey. Opelika SportsPlex, 1001 Sportsplex Pkwy, Opelika, AL 36801, Sam Bailey, 334.705.5560. www.alseniorolympics.org
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“People ask me what I’d most appreciate getting for my eighty-seventh birthday. I tell them, a paternity suit.” George Burns
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BOOM! COVER PROFILE
Diann & Jim Causey "The Montgomery Curb Market is in our blood"
This month’s cover profile is Diann and Jim Causey. Diann and Jim have been invloved with the Montgomery Curb Market for many years, in fact, Jim’s aunt and uncle, the Duncan’s, were original vendors at the market, and Jim grew up helping them on Saturday mornings. Diann has been an educator in the River Region and Jim’s claim to fame are his “Cakes Made from Scratch”. We wanted to help The Montgomery Curb Market celebrate their 95th Anniversary this month so we thought it would be fitting to feature a couple of vendor entrepreneurs from the market. We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know Diann and Jim as much as we have and by all means get down to the Montgomery Curb Market, open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 5:30 am – 2pm., it’s a Montgomery tradition!
BOOM!: Please give us a brief biography, i.e., where you’re from, education, what brought you to the Montgomery area, did you raise your family here, schools, married, family, etc.? Diann: I was born in Maxwell AFB Hospital, my mother’s family is from the South Montgomery County, but my dad, was born and raised in West Texas and New Mexico. He met my mom while stationed at Maxwell AFB. As a child, we lived in Greenville, South Carolina, and Hampton Roads, Virginia. When he retired, we moved to Venice Florida, where I graduated from Venice High School in 1967. I attended and graduated with a BA from Shorter College in Rome, Ga. I have since earned a MS in Counseling and Human Relations, and an Ed.S (abt) from Troy University here in Montgomery. I moved back to Montgomery from Rome GA., intending to join the Navy but met and married by husband, Jim on May 19th, 1979. We were never blessed with any children, but we do have nieces and nephews, Jim has a brother, and I have two sisters. One who lives here, the other lives in North Carolina. BOOM!: For many years you were involved with the education community, could you share some of your journey in this field?
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Diann and Jim Causey, sharing Jim's cakes at The Montgomery Curb Market
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with the Montgomery Curb Market? Diann: In What’s the best part about being 1994, my involved with the Curb Market? nephew was struggling in Diann: From 1981-1983, Jim and I leased school. His IQ a restaurant in downtown Montgomery, tested on the “The Blue Rose Inn”. We got out of the genius level, restaurant business and searched for and he was what to do to earn a living, Jim’s aunt diagnosed and uncle, the Duncan’s, were original with ADD, vendors on the market, and Jim grew up which was helping them on Saturday mornings. So, believed we applied for tables and after several to be the months in line we were given tables on cause of his the market, that was in May 1983, 39 struggles. My years ago this year. My parents were sister placed also vendors at the Curb market, as well him in a as my grandmother who sold butter, local private Curb Market baby playing drums on Diann and Jim's Watermelons buttermilk, and eggs on the original school, but market at the corner of Washington and he still wasn’t succeeding. A group of first school in the local area to introduce Perry, in the 1930’s. So, I guess the curb parents approached the owner of the a self-paced, computer-based market was in our school, and she basically told them, classroom. Students could not blood. “If you don’t like my school, go start earn a grade lower than a “B”. your own.” So, four investors came The idea being, most students BOOM!: Please together and opened Canterbury High do not know why they missed describe the variety School, which evolved into -Canterbury an answer, the “Glasser” of goods you sell at Education Foundation, a not-for-profit theory says, teach the student the Curb Market? 501(c)3. I was Executive Director of the what he/she did wrong and Do you have a foundation and principal of the school teach them how to do his/her specialty? What’s for 20 years. In that time, I experienced best work. It was amazingly the most popular great joy and great heartache, but I successful! items in your live with the knowledge that I made a booth? difference in the lives of many students. BOOM!: Diann, you, and your I believed that when a student walked husband are one of the many Diann: We sell through the doors of CHS they did so vendor entrepreneurs that set homemade “from with a Tabula Rasa, who they were Diann and Jim's dog, "Tate" up at the Montgomery Curb scratch” cakes, and what they did while at Canterbury Market each week, would you share with both pound and layer, cookies, candy, was written on that blank slate. I led our readers how you became involved fresh cooked pork rinds, boiled peanuts, Canterbury to become the first William canned vegetables, salsa, and pickles. Glasser Quality I am also a folk artist, doing gourds, High School. It took gnomes, hair bows, corn shuck and our students, and pinecone wreaths as well as wreaths in staff two years to other mediums. accomplish this goal. As a result of this Camp Stew and pound cakes are the accomplishment, we most popular items we sell, throughout were able to take two the year. different groups of students to present BOOM!: You and your husband Jim at two international work together at the Curb Market, how conventions one would you best describe your working in Boston, Mass., and the other in relationship? What are some of the Dearborn, MI. benefits? Challenges? Diann's award winning Gourd Art Canterbury was the The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
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Diann making a wreath in her craft room
Diann: Jim and I work well together. We are opposite side of a coin, Jim quiet, me chatty. Jim can be a bit bossy at times; after all he is the “super chef” having done this since he was in the army. The benefits, we are very close, closer than many married couples, he has always supported me in all that I do, everything I have accomplished, I owe it to his love and support. BOOM!: The Montgomery Curb Market is celebrating it’s 95th Anniversary on July 23rd, can you share some details about the festivities planned for that special celebration?
Jim at the curb market
Diann's cat "Smut" helping her make a wreath
community to come and experience our 95th Anniversary!
in books, and she will be happy.” It’s true, I love to read.
BOOM!: With a busy life, how do you like to spend time with family and friends?
BOOM!: What is it about living in the Montgomery/River Region area that you like?
Diann: I love to get together with family and friends, nothing better!
Diann: I like the Montgomery area, the people are friendly and caring plus it has been fun to watch the region grow and change. BOOM!: As you’ve aged, how have your priorities changed? How would you describe what it means to “age well”?
Diann: To me, “aging well” means accepting Pepper and Barbara, friends from adult camp in Blue Ridge, Rural Retreat, VA Diann: We’re in the that there are things you final planning stages, of the celebration can no longer or should we have confirmation of the following: BOOM!: What are some of your favorite no longer do but at the same time Live music, Cajun Chef (Casey Dodd) travel experiences? Any travel dreams embracing all the things you can still do. will be selling a special Cajun dish, planned? I never really think about my age, I walk popcorn, games for the kids, including a little slower, I have more aches and a bouncy house, free anniversary Diann: My favorite vacation pre-Covid pains, and am sometime stiff from sitting cake, provided by Jim Causey, vendors was an annual trip to the Blue Ridge too long, but I don’t dwell on grey hair or will be giving away free food samples Mountains. I love the mountains, having wrinkled skin. I earned everyone I have. at their booths, Dipping Dots will be grown up around the beach in Virginia I also have a strong faith in God, when there, butter churning, a wood carving and Florida. We are planning to go on one door in my life has closed another demonstration, the New Curb Market a cruise to Alaska on our 50th wedding has always opened. Cookbook will either be back from the anniversary. We also hope to take the publisher or available for pre-order, train into the interior, making it a very BOOM!: Give us three words that Raffle tickets for baskets of market long and memorable vacation. describe you? goodies to be given away every hour, and several Montgomery leaders will be BOOM!: How do you like to relax and Diann: Smart, determined, and caring. speaking. It will be a celebration of one wind down from a full day of activity? of the longest standing traditions in the BOOM!: Do you have any hobbies or Montgomery area, providing fresh food Diann: I am an avid reader, when we other activities that grab your attention? and goodies for 95 years! We invite the married, my mother told Jim, “keep her
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a huge empty hole in my Diann: As I said We want to thank Diann and Jim for life, I felt purposeless earlier, I am a sharing some of their unique story with and drifted for many newbie gourd us this month. Be sure and let them months. I think the artist. I won know you read their story in BOOM! pandemic affected many two ribbons newxt time you're shopping the great of people the same way. at the South products at The Curb Market. If you It was a malaise that Alabama State have questions please email Diann overtook my life, then a fair for my at cakesfrmscratch@gmail.com. We friend asked if I wanted a gourd art, last also want to thank DiAnna Paulk for part-time job, I said yes, year. I find it her creative eye and that job challenging and in photographing saved me. relaxing at the Diann and Jim One of Diann's my best friends, Reeda McElweney, Now I have same time. I she and I were decorating the market for Santa Claus for this month's not only the want to attend cover. If you Curb Market but a part-time gourd conferences and take classes. It have questions, job, no more malaise. So, is such a diverse hobby; I want to learn comments, or my advice: stay active, get how to do everything connected with suggestions a part-time job, volunteer, gourding. about our cover mentor a child, do something profiles, including to help yourself and others, BOOM!: Many people as they age nominating don’t sit and “rust”. discover a renewed sense of purpose, someone, please new goals, etc. How would you describe text them to I have realized that my life this sense of renewal in your life? Any Jim Watson at purpose may be simply advice for the rest of us seeking renewal? small acts of kindness. You What are your thoughts on retirement? Jim and his cat, "Tiger" enjoying a moment 334.324.3472 or never know when a simile, email them to a helping hand, or a small gesture can Diann: I must admit, after retiring from jim@riverregionboom.com. change another person’s life; it doesn’t education, I found myself dealing with have to be something spectacular, little the consequences of the pandemic. I acts of thoughtfulness are important, missed teaching and the challenges of www.RiverRegionBoom.com more important than most of us realize. being a teacher and principal, there was
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Fighting Disease and Depression By Dr. Joseph Mercola
With Fermented Foods
Recent research has shown that fermented foods can not only improve gut microbiome diversity, but lower the inflammatory response in your body that affects conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
While I was still in active practice, I was passionate about helping people with RA. In fact, I treated more than 3,000 people with this disease, 80 percent to 85 percent of whom experienced significant recovery, if not remission. One of the hallmark symptoms of RA is pain in the proximal joints of the hands or feet. These are the joints that are closer to the palm of your hand as opposed to joints further out in your fingers. RA is also often symmetrical, which means it affects the same joints in both hands or feet. The condition is far less common than osteoarthritis. In joints that are affected by RA, the lining becomes inflamed from an autoimmune and inflammatory response that causes your body’s own immune system to attack itself. This can trigger chronic pain, loss of balance, and deformities. Unlike osteoarthritis, which damages the cartilage between the bones in your joints, RA can also affect other tissues outside of the joints, such as the eyes, heart, and lungs. Many people with RA experience fatigue, low-grade fever, and symptoms that vary from day to day. According to Health Canada, “Approximately 374,000 (1.2 percent) Canadians aged 16 years and older live with diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis.” In the United States, a search of health care claim databases from 2004 to 2014, researchers found the prevalence of RA in the U.S. population ranged from 0.41 to 0.54 percent. Numbers tend to vary substantially in each year and by gender and age. However, the data also revealed
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that the rate appeared to increase during that period, which affected a conservative estimate of up to 1.36 million adults by 2014. A later study in 2019 indicated there has been a global rise in prevalence and incidence of RA. At the regional level, it appeared to be highest in the high-income areas of North America, the Caribbean, and Western Europe. The lowest rates were found in Western sub-Saharan Africa, southeast Asia, and Oceania. The most recent 2021 study offers an insight into reducing the inflammatory response and, potentially, the damage caused by RA. Fermented Foods Reduce Inflammatory Proteins Researchers from Stanford Medicine published their data in the journal Cell, in which they evaluated 19 inflammatory protein biomarkers from 36 healthy adults who were randomly assigned to eating either fermented or high-fiber foods over a 10-week intervention period. Both diets have shown an ability to impact gut microbiome in past scientific studies. In this clinical trial, researchers sought to evaluate how two microbiota-targeted diet interventions could modulate the gut
microbiome. They found the gut microbiome and immune system effects on the participants were different. The scientists measured stool and blood samples collected during a three-week period before the intervention diet started, during the intervention, and during a four-week period after the diet ended. The data revealed that eating foods such as kefir, fermented cottage cheese, vegetable brine drinks, kombucha tea, and kimchi in other fermented vegetables increase the overall microbial diversity in a dose-dependent manner. The primary outcome of the study was a cytokine response score, which remained unchanged. However, the data also showed that a high-fermented food diet increased microbial community diversity and decreased inflammatory markers, particularly interleukin-6 that has been linked to conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, chronic stress, and Type 2 diabetes. In contrast to the reduction of inflammatory markers in a group eating fermented foods, those eating a high-fiber diet that consisted of legumes, seeds, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables showed no change in inflammatory markers or microbial diversity. Erica Sonnenburg was on the research team and said in a press release:
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“We expected high fiber to have a more universally beneficial effect and increase microbiota diversity. The data suggest that increased fiber intake alone over a short time period is insufficient to increase microbiota diversity. “It is possible that a longer intervention would have allowed for the microbiota to adequately adapt to the increase in fiber consumption. Alternatively, the deliberate introduction of fiber-consuming microbes may be required to increase the microbiota’s capacity to break down the carbohydrates.” The researchers concluded that fermented foods could be a valuable strategy to counteract a decreasing microbial diversity and increasing inflammatory response that is ubiquitous in Western society. Additionally, another researcher postulated that other means of targeting the gut microbiome may include probiotics, prebiotics, and dietary interventions that could affect bacterial health, and therefore your immune health. Fermentation Creates Healthy Bioavailable End Products Historically, the primary reason for fermenting foods was to preserve it. Over time, many cultures incorporated these foods into their daily diet and were shared with the world. For example, Japanese natto, Korean kimchi, and German sauerkraut are popular in many areas outside the respective places of origin. The process is controlled by microorganisms and the type of food being fermented. There’s a growing consensus that the fermentation process has nutritional benefits by transforming the food and forming bioavailable end products, including an increase in density of vitamins. When you consume fermented foods, live cultures give you the primary benefits. Unfortunately, fermented foods in the grocery store don’t usually contain live cultures. Instead, before packaging, they might be baked, pasteurized, filtered, or smoked. During the fermentation process, biologically active peptides are formed. In one paper published in Nutrients, the authors wrote: The River Region’s 50+ Lifestage Magazine
“Fermentation was found to increase antioxidant activity of milks, cereals, fruit and vegetables, meat and fish. Antihypertensive peptides are detected in fermented milk and cereals. Changes in vitamin content are mainly observed in fermented milk and fruits. “Fermented milk and fruit juice were found to have probiotic activity. Other effects such as anti-diabetic properties, FODMAP [fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols] reduction, and changes in fatty acid profile are peculiar of specific food categories.” According to the authors of a paper published in Clinical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, the bacteria in fermented foods produce peptides that have multiple health benefits. The authors say: “Among these peptides, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which have shown the ability to lower blood pressure, exopolysaccharides exhibit prebiotic properties, bacteriocins show antimicrobial effects, sphingolipids have anti-carcinogenic and anti-microbial properties, and bioactive peptides exhibit anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, opioid antagonist, anti-allergenic, and blood pressure lowering effects … “As a result, fermented foods provide many health benefits such as antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, antiinflammatory, anti-diabetic and antiatherosclerotic activity.” Gut Bacteria and Mental Health Scientific evidence has demonstrated that your gut microbiome plays a leading role in your mental health. Researchers have found there is bidirectional communication between your gut microbiome and your central nervous system. It’s called the gut-brain axis and mounting evidence has demonstrated that dysbiosis, an imbalance in your microbiome, is associated with triggering mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Some have coined the term “psychobiome” to describe the crucial connection between your gut bacteria
and how you think, feel, and act. A small start-up lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is researching human stool samples with a focus on brain drugs. As Science Magazine reports, the small company hopes to capitalize on the mounting scientific evidence from animal studies and epidemiological studies that your gut microbiome is linked to health conditions such as anxiety, Alzheimer’s disease, and autism. As of 2020, the company had developed “one of the world’s largest collections of human gut microbes” over a short five years. When talking to reporters from Science, the company CEO said the initial targets were depression, insomnia, and visceral pain conditions that are typical of irritable bowel syndrome. Kimchi Can Provide Vitamin K2 One of the benefits of the fermenting process is that it can improve the nutritional value of a particular food. For example, kimchi has antioxidant properties associated with lipid-lowering cardiovascular benefits, antimicrobial action, immune system activity, and antiatherogenic activity. Fermented plants also provide high concentrations of vitamin K2. Vitamin K is important element for your heart health. In fact, results from the Rotterdam study published in 2004 looked at causes of diseases in the elderly, and determined that those who had consumed the highest amount of vitamin K2 were less likely to experience severe calcification in their arteries and die from heart disease. K2 is also important for bone health and osteoporosis prevention. Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder of Mercola.com. An osteopathic physician, best-selling author, and recipient of multiple awards in the field of natural health, his primary vision is to change the modern health paradigm by providing people with a valuable resource to help them take control of their health. This article was originally published on Mercola.com.
Source: www.epochtimes.com
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The Mayor of BOOMTOWN
The Dead Budell Show!
By Greg Budell
"A true story from the Greg files"
Pardon me while I download my late parents. Not a picture. Their voices. And Alexa will bring them to audio life! You read that correctly. In a matter of form, Alexa will soon "bring back the dead".
IBM Selectric Typewriter
Internet.
Let me explain. I have embraced much of today’s technology. In fact, my track record has been pretty good in that regard. In the early 70s, I was the first kid on my block to own my own IBM Selectric typewriter! It cost me $600, an extravagant purchase for a radio newbie making little more than that per month. In today’s dollars that Selectric would run $4,051(or for me, about 4 good laptops or iPhone). What was so special about the Selectric? It did away with typewriter keys! The letters were on a metal ball that danced like magic with every stroke. The nasty old typewriter ribbon was replaced by a cartridge that delivered a nice, consistent result on paper. With a little help from Liquid Paper, I could correct mistakes while producing ad copy and written radio bits quickly and neatly. I also remember wondering ‘how could it get any better than this?”. I got my answer a couple years later when IBM introduced the Selectric II. It was basically the same machine, but it had a SELF-CORRECT function that did away with that tiny brush of Liquid Paper. Eventually, with great resistance early on, I discovered that writing on a computer
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was even easier. I sold my Seletric for $40. For a mere $4,031 dollars in today’s money, I purchased my first HewlettPackard desk top computer (with a dot matrix printer!). It would be 6 years before I realized that same HP computer could connect me to this thing called the
I’d reached that point in life where things were moving faster and faster. Too fast. When I finally figured out AOL and realized I could send business and/or love letters to someone in an instant without paper or postage I again wondered, how can it get any better than this? In the late 80s, I was one of the first cell phone owners in Miami because a company advertising on my radio show gave me one. Calling anyone anywhere from anyplace? How can it get better than that? One glance at my iPhone 12 or 13 (not sure) and it’s laughable I ever wondered.
I’ve seen the adorable TV commercial featuring an elderly couple spinning gently on their living room dance floor. The old man says, “Alexa, play our favorite song”. The dark tower that is Alexa immediately begins playing “I Only Have Eyes For You” and the lovebirds resume dancing. It’s a well-produced spot that touches the heart and in fact, made my eyes sting. No sale, however. Why ask Alexa when I have Siri in the palm of my hand? Here's where it gets dark. According to a recent tech story, that same couple could one day soon, be dancing to their favorite song and then ask Alexa, “please have my dead Grandmother read 50 Shades of Grey (or is it “Gray”?). Artificial Intelligence, using a sample of the deceased’s voice will be able to replicate it, and command it to do anything (like reading the aforementioned, bestselling book). As my dentist says, this is a bridgework too far. Technology will soon exist that will “bring back the dead”. In the 80s, I recorded my parent’s voices with my modern Panasonic video recorder (while wondering how can it get any better than this ...lol?). I subsequently transferred those slowly decaying tapes to DVD (assuming again, how can it ...).
I have refused, however, to have Alexa in my house. I spend 6 hours every weekday talking to people I can’t see. I don’t need to come home and Panasonic Recorder talk to a high-tech toy which I really believe is a sinister dataMy parent’s voices now rest in peace collecting device sending my life to our somewhere in the Cloud. The Cloud is a government or China (take your pick). digital cemetery for, well, anything! And They’re both evil. that is where my folks will remain. Oh, I thought about it.
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Truth is, I have not been able to bring myself to watch those video moments in any of their various states of preservation at any time in any form. Mom, Dad their voices and mannerisms are stored in the cloud between my ears. It’s perfect there. Using A.I. to synthesize my mother into a talented household appliance has zero appeal, even if she’s programmed to say only “everything is going to be OK Gregory Benjamin”. Likewise, the day Pops told me “I’m proud of you son” was so special. I can hear it in my ‘cloud’ any time I want. Nothing will ever replace the moment.
my time comes (and to provide a small additional income to my grieving family), they use those stored broadcasts to run The Dead Budell Show for an hour late at night. It wouldn’t be too creepy. There are entire TV nostalgia networks featuring shows by people long gone. What’s an hour of radio after I croak? I proposed this with one codicil. If they reject it, don’t make that decision until I am gone. I am SO sensitive.
Greg's Cell Phone
On the other hand, it’s possible you’ll never hear the end of me! Once upon a time, a radio station music library required a large room to store all the vinyl records in use. Before I knew it, a single wall was all we needed to store the CDs in use. Today? Every song you play fits in a single computer. Thanks to digital radio storage, thousands of hours of my radio shows are preserved. I have suggested to Bluewater Broadcasting management that when
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I’m done. “Siri, finish this column for me”. THE END
(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, Stepson, Sho, and dogs Hershey and Briscoe. He’s been in radio since 1970, and has marked 16 years in the River Region. He hosts the Newstalk 93.1FM Morning Show with Rich Thomas, Jay Scott & Jessie Lynn, 6-9 AM Monday-Friday. He returns weekday afternoons from 3-6 PM for Happy Hour with sidekick Rosie Brock. Greg can be reached at
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Smart Health - Nature's Way - Tracy Bhalla
Ease Digestive Discomfort with Essential Oils
One of the first blends I made during my Certification training was a Digestive blend for my husband. He was regularly taking TUMS, pretty much every evening, so he actually asked me if I could help wean him off them onto a more natural path. Now having a medical Doctor ask me for help was pretty cool! So, I set to work trying a few different blends before settling on one that worked for him. I’m not going to lie, occasionally he still reaches for the TUMS, but it’s really a comfort thing now. Most times he uses the roll-on blend I gave him, and he has one in his travel pack as well. So, what is in it? Some of the oils I am going to talk about today, to be sure, but also some special additions just for him. LogHouse Aromatics Digestive blend: - Peppermint (there’s a reason for those after dinner mints!), - Ginger (well known for it’s anti-nausea and digestive calming effects), - Fennel (in the same family as Anise/ aniseed, that you see in most Indian restaurants to chew on after your spicy food - Tarragon (anti-spasmodic and calming, nice herby fragrance). I made this in a roll-on so he can carry it and use it anywhere. It easily slips into your pocket or handbag. You literally roll it onto your belly area after eating and let the oils do their work. I know that may seem a bit strange when you’re used to popping pills, but just trust me on this one. Using essential oils for digestion is primarily about: 1) Calming muscle spasms
can ease an upset stomach and help ease bloating. It also helps you feel refreshed as the scent is so uplifting. Others that you may not be so familiar with are: Black Pepper – helps to calm muscles and ease feelings of bloatedness. Cardamom- awesome at easing belly spasms. Sweet orange – anti-spasmodic and uplifting Sweet marjoram – helps keep you regular and detox your system, particularly after an evening of rich food (and drink!)
2) Relieving sensations of bloating – usually caused by gas 3) Easing a queasy belly Fortunately, we have a number of options in our arsenal to apply to this kind of problem, so we can really offer people a very individualized solution. In my husband’s case, although he loves mint and ginger, he didn’t want to be smelling of them himself, so we added fennel and tarragon to counteract that as well as adding an even broader spectrum of calming and antispasmodic properties to the blend. I would say that Anise, Ginger and Peppermint are my top go-to oils for digestive issues, and all are extremely well documented for centuries as having been used in this way. Anise is a powerful anti-spasmodic, helping calm a queasy tummy and dispel gas. Ginger is every pregnant woman’s go-to for nausea; it can also help soothe sore achy tissues. Peppermint can relax muscles fast and so
Some of these oils are what we call “hot” oils – black pepper, cardamom, ginger…what we mean by this is that they can be very “hot“ on your skin, so never use them undiluted and only then at very low dilution levels. They are all very potent; a little goes a very long way. If use on mucous membranes, in the mouth, nose, etc. they can even create a burning sensation, so please do not treat this lightly. Use these oils only under supervision of an aromatherapist or buy them already blended. Having said that, you do not have to apply them to the skin at all in order for them to have an effect. You can diffuse them in the air and breathe in the molecules that way. This would ensure a much lower dilution level and is very effective at treating symptoms like nausea and queasiness. And of course, you can also have a drink of peppermint tea or ginger tea to help calm your stomach after a large meal – that is also very effective.
email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com I web: us.nyrorganic.com/shop/tracybhalla I www. LogHouseAromatics.com Tracy Bhalla, independent consultant with NYR Organics and founder of LogHouseAromatics.com; after 25 years of using homeopathic remedies, it was time to take charge and complete my Aromatherapy Certification, which I achieved April 2020 and since founded LogHouseAromatics.com as a source for useful essential oil and general natural health information and a place to purchase certain products. email: nyrbhalla@gmail.com I am here to answer any questions you may have.
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