Senior Life, August 2021

Youngest, oldest, richest explore new heights, page 22

VOLUME 24

OF FLORIDA

ISSUE 4

myseniorlife.com

August 2021

Backyard beekeepers sweeten the market

Ed and Terry Brittain sell their raw wildflower honey primarily through farmers’ markets, word of mouth and after-hour markets. See story, page 6.

Upgraded shore, page 3

Safest haven for all, page 6

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Students soon will be back in school from their summer vacation, but we still have two more months of hot Florida summer.

So, this might be your time to get out and do something.

In this edition of Senior Life, we tell you about seniors who are doing what they love, whether it is working or pursuing a hobby.

There is nothing like doing what you love to do. If that is your case with a part-time job, it is probably more like a hobby.

Take Karen Lewis, for instance. She has been styling hair for a long time and has no intention of giving it up. To her, it is an art that she loves. There are others out there who are working beyond retirement age because they love what they do.

Perhaps somewhere and at some time, you will find a story in Senior Life that will inspire you to pursue a job or a hobby that you will love doing.

Then, there is Skip Murphy. He rises well before the sun so he can capture the beauty of those first rays of the day glistening over the horizon and shimmering on the Indian River Lagoon or the Atlantic Ocean.

Isn’t it interesting that we now have a different kind of space race — one between billionaires? Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic zoomed into space with three others, to become the first.

He was followed 11 days later by Jeff Bezos and his crew that rocketed into space on Blue Origins’ New Shepard spacecraft. We look at it in this edition.

Also read about a unique animal rescue that takes animals that are injured, given up or abandoned in Brevard County. And as a continuing series on small urban farms in Brevard, we tell you about beekeeping and how others are producing honey that they sell at various locations.

We always try to bring you stories on health and fitness that might help you or prompt you to take steps to protect or improve your health.

Meniscus tears are common among people 50 or older. While it is not unusual, the treatment can be different depending on the severity. Some might require surgery. So, be careful if you go out to kick the soccer ball with your grandchildren.

We have mentioned immunizations before, but vaccinations have become more important than ever. And we are not just talking about COVID — though that’s especially important — but about other shots that already are routine for some.

Be informed with Senior Life and enjoy the rest of our Florida summer. SL R. Norman Moody norm@myseniorlife.com

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Sonata East at Viera offers true local community for its residents

BY JILL BLUE The Sonata East at Viera, Viera's newest senior living community, held a VIP Open House July 22. A facility tour and ribbon-cutting ceremony were conducted.

The new 133,000square-foot senior living community is located at the corner of Breslay Drive and Veterans Way in Viera, which is across the street from the Viera VA Outpatient Clinic. Its sister property, Sonata Viera Assisted Living, is within walking distance of the new property.

The first residents of the three-story independent living and memory care community will move into the complex Aug. 2.

“It's wonderful to see a locally

based senior living company contribute to raising the bar in Viera,’’ said Todd Pokrywa, the president of The Viera Company.

“As our residents throughout the master-planned community age, they don't have to leave the social networks that they've built. They have the opportunity at Sonata to be able to keep their community together.’’

It is filling up fast.

“Sonata East at Viera is 55 percent pre-leased with 50 percent being veterans,’’ said Shelley Esden, the chief operating officer for Sonata Senior Living. “The new building will feature 88 independent living and 30 memory care apartments with the latest technology in dementia care.’’ SL

PHOTOS BY JILL BLUE

Patrick’s beach renovation provides ADA compliant ramp for visitors

BY MIKE GAFFEY Patrick Space Force Base has renewed and replenished its beaches for better access following severe erosion.

About four miles of shoreline along the formerly named Patrick Air Force Base has been replenished with 450,000 cubic yards of sand pumped from shoals some five miles east of Cape Canaveral.

Some Patrick beaches also sport new beach crossovers constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as newly planted, dunestrengthening sea oats.

SENIOR LIFE Adam Palumbo The fourth Patrick beach Newly planted, dune-strengthening sea oats are seen growing on the coast of Patrick’s newly restored beaches. restoration effort since 1998 was part of a larger $48 million renourishment project that replenished the shoreline was completed in the spring. workers rebuilt seven crossovers overwhelmingly favorable. from Cocoa Beach to Sebastian Inlet.

“These renourishment projects help at fi ve sites.

One new walkway at “Not real white, more light gray, Launched in 2019 as a partnership maintain an area’s vitality and protect Hangar Beach meets Americans With but soft and nearly perfect for water between the Bureau of Ocean Energy valuable infrastructure,” BOEM Disabilities Act requirements and has fun and sun time,” Clint Massie wrote Management and the Army Corps of Deputy Director Walter Cruickshank a ramp to the beach. of sands at 2nd Light Beach.

Engineers Jacksonville District, the said in a press release.

The new sand initially might have “The sand was smooth and easy to project spread 1.9 million cubic yards Department of Defense funds paid a different color and texture than the walk in,” Tables Beach reviewer Anna of sand dredged by California-based for the Patrick beach work while sand it replaced, but in time it will Smith stated. SL contractor The Dutra Group from an federal funds covered North Reach match existing area known as Canaveral Shoals II. A renourishment. Federal and county sands. Officials said hopper dredge delivered sand to the monies covered the South Reach the sand should not shore through a temporary pipeline, project area as well as Mid Reach interfere with sea widening the beaches by about 60 project work for Satellite Beach turtle nesting. feet. and Indian Harbour Beach that was Visitors’ recent After the Patrick beaches were completed in 2020.

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Volume 24, Issue 4 Senior Life of Florida 7350 Shoppes Drive, Suite 102 Viera, FL 32940 321-242-1235

Table of contents ©2021 Bluewater Creative Group, Inc. All rights reserved

myseniorlife.com jill@myseniorlife.com Publisher Jill Blue

Editor R. Norman Moody

myseniorlife.com

Office Manager Sylvia Montes

We encourage organizations to contact Senior Life by the 15th of each month prior with information and dates regarding upcoming community-oriented events by email and mail.

Art Director Adam Palumbo Staff Reporter Katie Sivco Copy Editor Jeff Navin

Feature Writers Ernest Arico Ed Baranowski Brenda Eggert Brader Mike Gaffey Sammy Haddad Linda Jump Fred Mays Jennifer H. Monaghan Flora Reigada Katie Sivco Maria Sonnenberg John Trieste

7 8 10 12-14 16-17 18 19-20 25 30

AUGUST 2021

NEIGHBORS TECH KNOW TIDBITS SENIOR LIVING STRIPES VETERANS HEALTH & WELLNESS HISTORY THEN AND NOW COLUMNISTS NORTH BREVARD NEWS BOOMER SENIOR SENTIMENTS

COUPONS & DISCOUNTS Boomer Guide —the best resource guide in Brevard!

Senior Life of Florida is published on the first of each month. The entire contents of this newspaper are copyrighted by Senior Life of Florida with all rights reserved. Senior Life of Florida is not liable for errors or omissions in editorial, advertorial or advertising materials. Distribution of this newspaper does not constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited.

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Chateau Madeleine Quilts and Lace We Dance Academies Air Gagers Personal Hearing Solutions Sergio’s Tacos Hippo Roofing ASAP Rubbish Removal Dream Farms Hemp

pg. 27 pg. 28 pg. 28 pg. 28 pg. 29 pg. 29 pg. 29 pg. 29 pg. 29

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5

THE FOURTH IN A SERIES ON URBAN FARMS IN BREVARD COUNTY

Brevard beekeepers abuzz with pure honey from hive to bottle

BY MARIA SONNENBERG Beehives are like potato chips. You can’t have just one.

Ed Brittain discovered the addictive nature of a hobby-turned-cottage industry when his beekeeping brotherin-law introduced him to the wondrous world of bees. Brittain started with one hive, primarily as a lark, but soon after realized that bees propagate, as in really, really propagate.

“You have to start splitting hives and then you have more and more hives,” said Brittain, now co-owner of Bee Happy with his wife, Terry.

The Brittains are part of Brevard Backyard Beekeepers, an enthusiastic group of bee aficionados, many of whom sell honey-based products of various shapes.

In addition to several hives in their Cocoa backyard, the Brittains keep hives by the grounds of the Agricultural Extension Service offices in Cocoa, as well as at a friend’s property. It seems beekeepers quickly run out of room.

“We’re always scouting around for more space,” Brittain said.

The couple sell raw wildflower honey primarily through farmers’ markets, word-of-mouth and venues such as the after-hour markets hosted

by Rockledge Gardens. Terry Brittain, who works at the Pinch-a-Penny store on Wickham Road at Lake Washington, always keeps some bottles in stock for folks who stop by for a honey fix.

In addition to the honey, Bee Happy

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Deanna Taylor

The Brittains are part of Brevard Backyard Beekeepers and have several hives in their Cocoa backyard. offers wax cloth covers, a clever product made from the wax of the hives. The reusable covers are an alternative to plastic bags.

“They work really well and are ecofriendly,” explained Brittain.

They also offer lip balm mixed with essential oils. Their son is currently

conducting experiments in creating beard oil and mustache wax and they are working on honey soap. Honeycomb cassettes, rich in pure honey, also are available.

The honey, of course, remains their flagship product, not surprisingly, since it is far superior to store-bought varieties that lose medicinal power through the production process. According to Brittain, some large scale manufacturers also have been known to cut corners by adding ingredients such as rice syrup from China.

“We take pride that our honey comes straight from the hive into the bottle, eco-friendly and with no pesticides,” Brittain said.

The Brittains, like all beekeepers, appreciate the amazing nature of their buzzing little charges. Worker bees toil hard for the 40 days they inhabit the planet, so the queen bee must lay 1,500 to 2,000 eggs a day to keep up with needed replacements. If she senses that the population is thriving, she will cut back on egg production. After three or four years, her working days are over and the queen is replaced. Despite their reputation for stinging, honeybees are generally docile, although they, like everyone else, have their bad days, particularly if the weather changes.

“They will crash your (beekeeping) veil and let you know you are not welcome that day,” Brittain said.

For more information on Bee Happy honey and other products, call 321-5019735 or 321-652-3161. SL

Critters great and small find safe haven at Fallin’ Pines

BY MARIA SONNENBERG When animals other than cats and dogs are dumped at the SPCA of Brevard, the staff know to head straight for Christmas, where Shirley Cannan of Fallin’ Pines Critter Rescue welcomes the abandoned critters with open arms.

“Shirley has accepted many smaller pets, such as rabbits and birds surrendered to us, and has even taken a potbelly pig or two,” said Susan Naylor, the SPCA public relations director.

In her four-acre spread, Cannan cares for a Noah’s Ark of abandoned animals, from swans and peacocks to ball pythons and even wallaroos, a mid-sized marsupial that is larger than a wallaby, but smaller than a kangaroo.

“Everyone here is a throw-away,” said Cannan, who has no patience for people who cast off animals, from rabbits to the exotics, like trash.

“You would not believe how many animals I get that have been thrown with their cages into the dumpster to be crushed,” Cannan said.

Good-hearted garbagemen or passersby find the prairie dogs or hedgehogs or chinchillas, often in filthy cages not cleaned for months, and bring them to Cannan. Her current menagerie also includes peacocks, a couple of swans, 60 sugar gliders, a pair of Egyptian geese, numerous chickens, 100 koi and 26 tiny quail hatchlings.

6

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Shirley Cannan

Shirley Cannan holds one of her rescued critters.

“Somebody bought a bunch of quail eggs and once they hatched, they realized they didn’t want to deal with them and brought them to me,” Cannan said.

There are monkeys and lemurs, too. Some of the animals can be adopted out, but the exotics remain under Cannan’s care for life.

The time, money and effort required to care for such a diverse group of animals is mind boggling.

As a 501(c)3 charity, Fallin’ Pines receives a few donations and a small grant from Orange County Animal Services. Donations have been significantly down because of the

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Shirley Cannan

Casper, a Leucistic Grey Squirrel, found refuge at the Fallin’ Pines Critter Rescue. pandemic. Cannan is frugal, pouring much of her funds to feed and care for the animals.

Ringo the wallaroo, for example, arrived at Fallin’ Pines as a sickly baby that was pulled too soon from his mother’s pouch by a greedy breeder. More than $4,900 in vet bills later, Cannan was still trying to save the hapless creature. It was only after some frantic calls to a rehabber in Sydney, Australia that Cannan finally made some progress. Ringo lived to see 18 years before passing away earlier this year.

In the 31 years she has been in rescue, Cannan has not taken an overnight trip, much less a vacation.

“I’m happy if I can take a halfhour nap,” she said.

She worries for the animals and wishes someone younger would emerge to take up the work when she no longer can continue. But, she will keep cleaning and feeding and loving whatever child of Mother Nature arrives at her door.

“It’s in my blood,” she said.

Donations to Fallin’ Pines Critter Rescue are tax deductible. Donate at fallinpinesrescue.org, choose the rescue as a charity of choice at Amazon Smile and purchase from the rescue’s Amazon wish list. For more information, call 407-568-7988. SL

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Neighbors

Widower enjoys taking sunrise photographs

BY JENNIFER H. MONAGHAN Meet Skip Murphy. He’s an amateur photographer, nature enthusiast and avid sunrise chaser. His hobby gets him up before the first rays of natural light each day. It takes him to parks, beaches and trails. It also brings him pleasure.

With his iPhone and a DSLR camera, each day Murphy photographs the rising sun from select locations in south Brevard and north Indian River counties, often along the coastline.

Twelve years ago, Murphy suffered a severe injury to his right leg in an accident. During his long recuperation, his wife got him a camera and would take him around to take photographs.

On Saturday mornings, a friend would load his wheelchair in the back of his truck and drive him to locations Murphy’s wife suggested.

From his wheelchair, he realized that he saw familiar images from a new perspective. His photo taken of the Barber Bridge in the dark won first

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Skip Murphy

This beautiful sunrise image was captured by Skip Murphy from his wheelchair. place in the Vero Beach Museum of Art photo contest. “Are you kidding me?” he remembered musing. “It started me on this journey.”

“It’s fun; it’s been good to me.

I’m not going to be a famous artist or anything like that, but I see things.

I take the time and I look at things.

And everybody should; they should look at them and appreciate them

— appreciate what he’s given us. If you’re too busy, you lose.”

Murphy’s recovery has been remarkable and he’s fully ambulatory.

His wife died of cancer a couple years ago.

His interest in his hobby remains vital. His morning ritual with the sun gives him comfort. “I get pleasure from this, and in a small way, it’s like

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Skip Murphy

Skip Murphy photographs the rising sun from select locations in Brevard County. honoring my wife,” he said.

Murphy shares his photos on the public Facebook page Beauty of Sebastian, Florida. SL

As long as there are clients, styling artist won’t retire

BY MARIA SONNENBERG As far as Karen Lewis is concerned, styling hair is as much of an art as painting a watercolor. In fact, Lewis is adept at both mediums.

“Hair coloring is the same as painting a picture, and hair cutting is like drawing, connecting lines and shapes,” said the owner of Alla Prima Salon in the Eau Gallie Arts District.

The Indian Harbour Beach resident named her salon after the Italian term for completing a painting in a single session, a technique favored by the Impressionists, eager to capture the immediacy of a subject.

Housed in the 1920s-era Ginter Building, Alla Prima is equal parts hair salon and art gallery. Somewhere during the 22 years that the salon has occupied the corner of St. Clair Street and Highland Avenue, Lewis decided to lend the walls to fellow artists. It was an inspired move, for she has a captive audience who fall in love

SENIOR LIFE Maria Sonnenberg

Karen Lewis works on Kim Flohe’s hair at Alla Prima Salon.

with the works while getting their hair done. She charges no commission, unlike traditional art galleries that often

require as much as half of the proceeds.

“It’s not anything I planned, but I just had some of my works on the walls and artist friends began asking to show their stuff here,” Lewis said.

Lewis attended high school at the old Melbourne High School building that once adjoined the Henegar Center.

At 15, she was already washing hair and sweeping floors at local salons.

“I always wanted to be a hairdresser,” she said.

After school and on Saturdays, she would help at the salon at the old Coleman’s Department Store in downtown Melbourne.

“I never got out of there with any money, because I would spend it in the store,” she joked.

She went solo in the mid-1970s with her first salon. Several clients have followed her since those days. Retired Indialantic pediatrician Dr. Leonor Zies has counted on Lewis to care for her hair for three decades.

“I’m one of her newer clients,”

joked Zies.

Several clients have followed Lewis since the 1970s.

“Because she is an artist, she has a gift for color,” said Zies, who considers Lewis a caring friend who also happens to be a hairdresser.

For Lewis, art came as a refuge from grief after the 1989 death of her youngest son, stricken with cancer while a student at Florida Tech.

A member of the Strawbridge Art League, the Brevard Watercolor Society and the Florida Watercolor Society, Lewis paints weekly with the Melbourne Beach Art Club. One of her watercolors was part of the July exhibition at Eau Gallery.

She draws energy from her interaction with salon clients and has no plans to give up playing with scissors.

“I won’t retire as long as someone wants to sit in my chair,” Lewis said.

SL

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SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

7

Tech Know Tidbits Upgrade your kitchen with smart cooking technology

BY KATIE SIVCO Imagine an oven that perfectly cooks a roast for you with the push of a button or a refrigerator that automatically orders groceries.

Welcome to the world of smart kitchen technology where a new class of appliances won’t just help you get organized — they’ll help you cook and entertain better, too.

We’ve rounded up some of the best smart kitchen devices available today to help you find the best cooking gadgets for when you’re looking to update your appliances.

Air fryers Average price: $100

In the world of kitchen appliances, there is one important item that you can’t escape from these days — the air fryer. Air fryers are the newest “it” kitchen gadget to come on the scene.

Air fryers are small ovens with a highly concentrated heat source and powerful fan that moves the hot air around to crisp up frozen and homemade finger foods, and even vegetables, with little to no oil. With less oil comes fewer calories and fat than that of traditional cooking methods.

“I use mine almost daily. It’s

replaced several other small kitchen appliances since we got a 7-in-1,” said Viera resident Sherrell DaSilva.

The Cosori Air Fryer Max is a popular model that features 13 one-touch cooking functions, rapid 360-degree air circulation and removable, nonstick baskets that are dishwasher safe.

Bread makers Average price: $75

Making bread has long been considered a tedious process. But the right bread machine makes baking the perfect loaf close to effortless.

The Hamilton Beach Bread Maker Machine promises fresh homemade bread in just three steps: add your ingredients, select a cycle and press start.

“I was asking for a bread machine for years before I bit the bullet and finally bought one,” said Titusville resident Alan Fettero. “It really does everything besides assemble the ingredients, which takes five minutes once you have a recipe you like.”

You can choose between making either 1.5- or 2-pound loaves in the Hamilton Beach Bread Maker.

The machine’s settings include basic, express, French, gluten-free, yeastless, sweet and whole grain.

Pressure cookers Average price: $80

A pressure cooker works on the simple principle of steam pressure.

A sealed pot, with a lot of steam inside, builds up high pressure, which helps food cook faster. And now the small appliances are even easier to manage with remote access through the Instant Pot app and voice access through Amazon Alexa.

“I got an Instant Pot on a Cyber Monday deal, and I don’t regret it,” said Rockledge resident Carol Ehrlich. “The idea of cooking a whole chicken in 10 minutes in just one pot is crazy, but it really works.”

The Instant Pot Smart WiFi 8-in1 Pressure Cooker combines eight kitchen appliances in one: pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker, cake maker, sauté pan, steamer and warmer.

Smart toasters Average price: $300

Making toast can be a delicate operation, but the Revolution Cooking Touchscreen Toaster promises to never burn your toast again. That’s because this toaster can be easily programmed to suit your preferred toasting needs all by selecting one of seven browning levels on its user-friendly touchscreen. Whether you like nearly burnt toast or flawless golden brown, smart toasters can do it all.

Smart refrigerators Average price: $3,000

Design innovation and technological advancement have drastically increased the potential of refrigerators with high-end models serving as connected smart devices and hubs of information.

Samsung’s 4-Door Flex Refrigerator comes equipped with drawers that can convert from a fridge to a freezer with five preset temperature modes: freeze, soft freeze, meat/fish, fruits/vegetables and beverage. Another smart feature of the refrigerator is an intuitive 21.5inch touchscreen on the refrigerator door that allows families to stay connected and entertained. This can be synced with smartphones and used with apps to manage refrigerator inventory and order groceries. SL

Tracking collars bring comfort for people with pets

BY KATIE SIVCO The American Humane Association estimates that more than 10 million dogs and cats are lost and stolen in the United States each year. Equipping pets with ID tags or microchips is one way to ensure your pets’ safe return in case they get lost.

But you can take your dog or cat’s safety to another level with wearable tech for pets.

Pet trackers provide an important safety net for when pet-related emergencies arise and can give you a clearer picture into your pet’s overall health.

Dave Shinstrom of Palm Bay has an active cat named Millie who he wanted to make sure wasn’t getting into trouble when he let her out.

“My goal was to monitor where she goes and how often she crosses a busy street, so we could decide

8

SENIOR LIFE Shutterstock

Pet tracking collars are an effective way to monitor the location of your pet in case they get lost. whether to let her out in the future,” Shinstrom said. “I like the tracker so much that we’ll probably continue using it, which I hadn’t planned on.”

All you have to do is establish

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

the link between the tracker and your smartphone. A GPS chip in the tracker gets your pet’s position and sends the information through an app. It doesn’t matter how far

away your pet is, the tracker works by connecting to your cellphone network.

Pet trackers, such as Tractive GPS, promise live tracking, virtual boundary creation, quick notifications that keep you in the loop and indepth analytics of your dog’s daily activities.

Shinstrom was most impressed by the boundary creation feature of his pet tracker.

“I wanted to know exactly when she crosses a street on our block. I was surprised I could draw the fence lines so precisely up to the edge of our yard,” Shinstrom said.

Tractive GPS is also one of the least expensive pet trackers on the market, as most can cost upward of $150. The Tractive GPS costs $49.99 plus $4.99 per month for the required subscription. SL

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SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Orlando City Soccer Club

The Wall at Exploria Stadium is formidable.

Brevard soccer fans are really kicking in Orlando

BY FRED MAYS Brevard County soccer fans are experiencing a good season, following the men’s and women’s professional teams in Orlando. Both the Orlando City of Major League Soccer, and the women’s team, the Orlando Pride, are currently in second place in their respective league standings.

Both play at Exploria Stadium in downtown Orlando, and both have a fan base in Brevard County.

The fan clubs of Orlando City are known as Ruckus clubs. The Ruckus of Brevard consists of 19 members, who regularly attend home games and gather at a local brewery to watch away games on TV. The Ruckus clubs pack into standing-room-only bleachers behind the goal at the end of the field, beating on drums, waving flags and generally raising a ruckus. That section of the field is known as The Wall.

“We’re a participant, rather than just a spectator,” said Cameron Caldwell of Rockledge. Brevard’s Ruckus leader, Eric Popham of West Melbourne, said members usually tailgate prior to games and come to the field with flags that are often homemade.

“There’s definitely an energy,” Popham said. When he and his wife, Wanda, went to their first game, they sat in regular seats. Noticing all the commotion in the end zone, “we

decided that’s where we want to be.”

They’ve been members of The Wall ever since.

Samatha Senger and her son Jadyn are regulars at the men’s games, splitting season tickets with friends.

“Splitting tickets is good. We get to about nine, 10 games a year.”

They’ve been going to games since the team played in the Citrus Bowl. Exploria Stadium, a socceronly field, opened in 2017.

“We have lots of jerseys,” Senger said. The team even took official photos of the two of them and they were featured on the big screen at one of the games this season.

Melbourne resident Kim Smith started out as a season ticket holder of the Orlando Pride women’s team in their inaugural season. She also attends a couple men’s games each year. She calls it a “really cool experience, a fun time.”

Both teams have players with Brevard connections. Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris is a graduate of Satellite High School.

Defender Toni Pressley went to West Shore. For the Lions, Thomas Williams of Titusville is a member of their Under-17 squad.

Ruckus of Brevard has a Facebook page. They meet for away games at the Dirty Oar on King Street in Cocoa.

Single game tickets start at $18, and can be hard to come by. Exploria Stadium has a capacity of 25,500 and often sells out. SL

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STRIP STRI PES

Brevard Veterans News

Space Coast Honor Flight hosts popular luncheons

Veterans, including some who were reluctant to go on an Honor Flight, are among the hundreds who meet each month for the camaraderie, the food and to share memories.

Space Coast Honor Flight hosts four monthly luncheons at restaurants in Titusville, Merritt Island, Melbourne and Sebastian that attract an average of 450 each month.

I have attended several of these luncheons. Each one is like a big party, with veterans happy to see each other and new attendees getting to know other veterans and exchanging stories of their service.

The four locations allow the veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, some of them in their 90s, to meet at the

location closest to their homes.

On the first Tuesday of the month, they meet at Smokey Bones in Melbourne; first Thursday at Red Lobster on Merritt Island; third Tuesday at Capt. Hiram’s in Sebastian and third Thursday they meet at Dixie Crossroads in Titusville.

Frank Jennings, 90, is a U.S. Army

veteran of the Korean War who with his wife, Maxine, makes sure that everything is coordinated for the luncheons.

Volunteers call the veterans to remind them each month about the gathering at the different restaurants.

Some of the veterans go to more than one each month.

“They really look forward to it,” he said. “I think they come for the camaraderie. Shall I say rubbing elbows.”

The luncheons started as a gathering of about 20 people following a suggestion to meet for a meal after an Honor Flight. Today, it brings together hundreds.

The luncheon gathering has become

the highlight of the month for many of the older veterans.

Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that takes veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the monuments and memorials for the war in which they served. Flights usually leave in the early morning and return late the same night. After a pause during the pandemic, Space Coast Honor Flights are scheduled to resume in September. There is no cost to the veterans for the trip.

Many of the veterans form a bond during the trips and continue that friendship and contact with the luncheons, which are open to anyone.

SL.

Brevard honors sacrifices of Purple Heart recipients

BY MARIA SONNENBERG The Purple Heart might well be the one award no one wants to receive, for it comes at an extremely high cost.

Since George Washington’s tenure,

the United States has honored those who have been wounded or killed in service to the country with a special medal.

Its precursor, the Badge of Military Merit, was established in 1782 under Washington’s orders. The name was

changed to Purple Heart in 1932.

Purple Heart Day, celebrated annually on Aug. 7, provides an opportunity to formally acknowledge some of the recipients. In Brevard County, Chapter 453 of the Military

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Order of the Purple Heart, pays tribute to members of the Armed Forces wounded or killed in action with a ceremony at the Brevard Veterans Memorial Center at 400 S. Sykes Creek Parkway on Merritt Island. The 2021 event will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8. The public is welcome.

During the ceremony, each of the honoree’s stories will be recounted by a member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. A special monument at the Veterans Center is surrounded by pavers listing local recipients of the Purple Heart.

Among the honored this year are Capt. Charles Donovan, Sgt. John Erskine, Lance Cpl. Joshua Frey, Sgt. First Class Jonathan Langford, First Sgt. Mike Lomax, Sgt. Ray Lynch, Master Sgt. Adrian Marquez, Col. Danny McKnight, Sgt. Brian McGinnis, Lance Cpl. Carl Miller, Sgt. First Class Juan Santiago and Staff Sgt. Thomas Trotter.

“These are all individuals who have dedicated their lives to their country,” said Miller, who knows a thing or two about dedication to country.

Retired Col. McKnight earned the attention of the world for his role as commander of the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at the Battle of Mogadishu, the subject of the film “Black Hawk Down.”

Miller, commander of Chapter 453, is also being honored for his heroism.

Miller was on foxhole watch duty during his first year in Vietnam when a Viet Cong grenade killed the two soldiers with him and left him with a severed left arm. A Viet Cong soldier then sprayed him with bullets, leaving him for dead. Miraculously, medics, doctors and three surgeries saved his life and his arm, although Miller had to spend a year of his life in a full-body cast.

Purple Heart recipients like Miller and McKnight are in the company of heroes such as Audie Murphy, Chuck Yeager and Gen. George Patton, all among the more than two million Americans who have earned the medal.

SL

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SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Bob Olsen

At times, even the food provided was frozen solid during Bob Olsen’s service in Korea.

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Bob Olsen

Bob Olsen was a machine gunner for the United States Marine Corps.

Veteran recalls bitter cold during Korean War

BY MARIA SONNENBERG

In the 1970s film and sitcom “M*A*S*H,” the denizens of the 4077 spent a large portion of their service in Korea sipping cocktails and snuggling with pretty nurses.

Bob Olsen remembers his own experience of the Korean War slightly differently.

“It was cold as hell,” he said.

Olsen knows about cold climes, since he was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, never famous for balmy weather. Compared to Korea, however, Plymouth was a tropical paradise “It was below zero, and our rations would freeze like a rock,” said Olsen, a machine gunner for the United States Marine Corps’ George Company, nicknamed the “Bloody George Company” for its involvement in some of the war’s deadliest battles.

The cold was indeed as lethal as the enemy in the Korean War. American soldiers engaged in heated

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Bob Olsen

Bob Olsen is retired and lives in Indialantic.

combat in cold, mountainous areas where temperatures often fell to 25 degrees below zero. Feet froze inside boots. Bullet wounds froze. The bodies of the fallen froze.

“I lost a lot of friends,” Olsen said.

Accommodations were also vastly different from those portrayed on the “M*A*S*H” version. No cozy tents with built-in distilleries were to be found.

“You built a hole and that is where you lived,” Olsen said.

Olsen didn’t mind that his gunner job always put him in the thick of the action.

“It was a way to keep warm,” he joked.

After high school graduation and a stint in construction, Olsen enlisted in the Marines in 1949, following the lead of an older brother who served in the Corps during World War II. When infantry training in California finished, Olsen was shipped to Korea, where he completed his tour of duty.

Although he sometimes regrets not making a career of the military, Olsen finished his military service and returned to the Bay State to start his own painting company, a business he ran until he retired to Florida,

where he had friends. One of his two daughters, Kathy Barbieri, still lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Laurie, his other daughter, lives with him in Indialantic. His son, Robert Olsen Jr., lives in Satellite Beach.

Olsen has heard about “M*A*S*H,” but has never seen the film or television series. For him, the true depiction of the Korean War can be found in the pages of military writer Patrick O’Donnell’s book, “Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War’s Greatest Untold Story.”

The book vividly describes the herculean struggle of modern-day Spartans against an enemy that greatly outnumbered them at the brutal Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, which claimed more than 10,000 United Nations casualties. Olsen’s George Company was highly decorated for its valor, yet it remains a largely unrecognized part of the Forgotten War. “People have no idea how bad the war was,” Olsen said. SL

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MOAACC honors local students during annual luncheon

BY KATIE SIVCO Mary Fentress is going into her senior year as a human resources management major at Florida State University with one less worry—paying her tuition.

“I was so honored and it was amazing to meet everyone. I was very appreciative that they gave me the opportunity to focus more on my studies,” said Fentress, who graduated from Viera High School in 2018. “I felt proud to be an American.”

The Military Officers Association of America Cape Canaveral (MOAACC) chapter, during a luncheon on July 20, honored Fentress and nine other college students each with $5,000 scholarships to help fund the rest of their education.

Eligible applicants must be a descendent of a service member.

“I will use this money to not work as much at Publix,” Fentress said.

For 38 years, MOAACC members have honored students continuing their education through the support of donations. This year’s luncheon and award ceremony was held at The Tides Collocated Club at Patrick Space Force Base.

“It’s great to see the look on people’s faces when you can help them out and eliminate some of the struggle that goes along with paying for college,” said Chairman Brent Baysinger. “Any time you make an investment in the youth, that’s an investment in the future of the country.”

Baysinger said that the scholarship

SENIOR LIFE Katie Sivco

Winners of the MOAACC scholarships are all smiles after they each received a $5,000 check and certificate at the 38th annual MOAACC Scholarship Corporation awards luncheon at The Tides Collocated Club. board is extremely selective and each winning student showed high regard for military heritage among other merits.

Thomas Reilly, a Viera High School 2014 graduate, is another scholarship recipient who will be attending medical school in the fall at the University of Central Florida to pursue neurology and psychiatry.

“It definitely took a huge weight off my shoulders. It means I can take out

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The other students to receive scholarships include: • Sean Alcorn, Merchant Marine Academy • Alexandra Baysinger, Florida State University • Isabella Bordner, University of Central Florida • Deborah Yelle, Florida

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Health & Wellness

Advancements in medical are game changers for pat

BY BRENDA EGGERT BRADER Prosthetics have been a wonder in medicine from familiar knee and hip joint replacements to making hearing a breeze through cochlear implants.

The world of prosthetics is ever changing, renewing and updating.

“My area is external prosthetics for older adults’ new limbs due to diabetes and vascular disease,” said Kevin Carroll, a board certified prosthetist for Hanger Clinic. “As a result, each needs to have a limb to walk on so that is the technology that has been advancing in recent years — socket technology.

“Bionics is pretty much artificial body parts,” Carroll shared about the definition. “Most people, when they think of bionics, think of microprocessors and micro mechanical processors.”

Bionics is the study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms. The making and fitting of artificial body parts is prosthetics. As a result, through the combination lives are changed.

Advancements are forever coming about.

“In Florida, it gets hot. Now we have new breathable prosthetics that expel perspiration from the body through the liner,” Carroll said as an example of advancement.

“Pieces below the socket, prosthetic knee or angle joint have advanced with a microprocessor indicating walking on uneven ground.

The prosthesis will ‘know’ if the person is already on the floor or on an uneven surface. Especially for an older person on uneven terrain, it keeps that person from falling,” Carroll said.

“As walking down a hill, the muscles are controlling the limb to not shoot too far forward,” Carroll said.

“As the person is walking down the hill, the foot plants down. Hydraulics in the same ankle keeps it so it is controlled up and down the hill — the up and down motion of the foot — is considered bionic. The person doesn’t have to think about it. The microprocessor allows the knee to flex in the part as you are walking down the hill.

“It is difficult to walk on different terrain like gravel car lots that most can handle very well. But when legs are gone, and you are on two prosthetic legs, it changes. Think about someone walking on stilts in the circus and now ask people to do it. It just blows my mind every time when they get up and get going.

Microprocessors can make a

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huge difference.”

Electrodes placed on top of arm muscles allow that arm to open and close and perform the same task for opening and closing prosthetic hands.

“If a person has lost the hand, a couple inches above the wrist we can put an electrode over the muscle belly and produce that signal. That signal will close the hand or open it. The same goes for the elbow and we can move electrodes around to flex and extend the elbow. The sooner we get involved the better,” Carroll said.

“Older people, because of diabetes, vascular disease or an accident, may lose their limbs. There is a big demand for the lower extremity limbs. But someone who just needs to move from a wheelchair to a commode or into bed, doesn’t need a computerized leg to get there.”

Those people are fitted with a regular lightweight prosthesis.

“Hearing loss is the third most common chronic condition among the elderly in the United States affecting about one-third of adults over 65 and half in their 80s,” according to the U.S. Library of Medicine. “Cochlear implants replace the function of sensory hair cells in the cochlea that are no longer able to generate electrical impulses to respond to sound. Cochlear implants might provide a viable alternative to hearing aids among adults with profound sensorineural hearing loss.

“Any disorder of heart rate or rhythm is an arrhythmia. Serious arrhythmias might need a cardiac pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) to help control life-threatening arrhythmias that might cause sudden cardiac arrest.

Most new ICDs can act as both a pacemaker and a defibrillator. Some record (the) heart’s electrical patterns that can help the doctor plan future treatment.”

Pacemaker technology continues to advance.

“Remote monitoring has ushered in an era of greater safety and the ability to respond to device malfunction in a timely fashion, improving outcomes,” according to the National Library of Medicine .

The real game changer for future human health might be bionic organs where already dozens of medical companies are surgically fitting humans with robotic devices that mimic and replace specific organs such as the pancreas, eyes and heart.

“The (latest) way prosthetics have been changing is in composite materials to make the prosthesis lighter,” Carroll concluded. SL

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Hanger Clinic

A patient is fitted with a bilateral above-knee prosthesis.

A girl learns to write with a prosthetic arm.

SENIOR LIFE Shutterstock

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technology tients Prosthetic hand: Myoelectric arms work by sensing, via electrodes, when the muscle in the upper arm moves, causing an artificial hand to open or close.

Hip prosthesis: Mimics the balland-socket action of the hip joint.

Prosthetic leg: An electronic leg prosthesis uses a single motor to control movement of the knee joint. Electrodes implanted in the prosthetics respond to muscles in the thigh, contracting to tell the knee which way to move.

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robotics, bionics Hearing: Cochlear implants replace the function of sensory hair cell in the cochlea that are no longer able to generate electrical impulses to respond to sound.

Cardiac pacemaker: A medical device that generates electrical impulses is delivered by electrodes to cause the heart muscle chambers (the upper, or atria and/or the lower, or ventricles) to contract and therefore pump blood.

Electrode arm muscles: Electrodes placed on top of arm muscles allow that arm to open and close and is the same task for opening and closing prosthetic hands.

Artificial Knee: Metal alloy and high density plastic are used in knee replacement.

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

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History Then and Now

History – Then and Now features Space Coast historic landmarks or sites in pictures and what those same areas look like today in photographs.

Then - 1965

Now - 2021

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of First Christian Church

The first service in this building at First Christian Church in Cocoa Beach was held in April 1963.

SENIOR LIFE Elaine Moody

First Christian Church recently celebrated its 62nd anniversary. The church started out at a different site and has been in this location on Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Beach since 1963.

Eau Gallie Arts District seeks to transform into prime destination

BY LINDA WIGGINS Look for a brand new jewel in the Space Coast crown as downtown Eau Gallie aims to become a major destination with a hotel, five-story parking garage and an east-west St. Claire Street redesigned to extend the scope of the district as the new main street.

This is the dream of the Eau Gallie Arts District (EGAD) Main Street Visioning Committee that met July 2 to seek public input.

The former Brevard Art Museum transitioned to Foosaner Museum under the ownership of Florida Institute of Technology, which recently closed the museum and put it up for sale.

The proposed parking garage would be built where the former museum stands, the hotel on the south side, with the Eau Gallie Civic Center to the north, and all would be mutual amenities.

“We are all so excited about the parking garage,” said EGAD Main Street Executive Director Keenun Barley, who is tasked with promoting the downtown area and attracting the right mix of businesses to the area. “The garage and hotel have to be connected,” she said, adding that with the Civic Center adjacent, the three will be key to attracting major conferences and tourism to the area, which will benefit the entire Space Coast.

Filling out the panel were advertising and promotions expert Mike McBride, EGAD board member and chair of the Visioning Committee; Melbourne Councilman Mark LaRusso; EGAD Vice Chair Melanie Schrader; Larry James, president and CEO of Northboro Builders/Relentless Equity Group; and EGAD Chairman Brian Stephens.

Barley's operational budget comes from the current Community Redevelopment Agency agreement (CRA), which will end in 2024. The Visioning Committee is proposing a new CRA to be in place by that time and

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SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of the Eau Gallie Art District

Eau Gallie Art District visioning plan would bring a hotel, fountain, street redesign and river boardwalk. any funds raised would go to pay off the parking garage. Part of Barley's task as the new EGAD director — a position she has had since January — is to create a replacement income stream to replace the existing CRA’s funding.

Other proposed details include making St. Claire a subtly S-designed street from U.S.1 that will ultimately take traffic directly to the parking garage at Highland Avenue. There would be roundabouts at Avocado Avenue and at Highland, with a central fountain at Highland. There would be a tree-lined walk out toward the Indian River Lagoon, which would meet up with a boardwalk to be built from the Eau Gallie Causeway to Pineapple Park.

Meeting attendees were able to check out the new proposed plan with a VisionQuest rendering on display.

The public/private effort hopes to inspire new businesses to build in the district. The meeting was held at the

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

SENIOR LIFE Linda Wiggins

Members of the EGAD visioning panel include Mike McBride, left, EGAD board member and chair of the Visioning Committee; Melbourne Councilman Mark LaRusso; EGAD Vice Chair Melanie Schrader; EGAD Executive Director Keenun Barley; Larry James, president and CEO of Northboro Builders/ Relentless Equity Group and EGAD Chairman Brian Stephens. newly built Pineapples, a three-story restaurant with a different theme for each of its floors. It’s similar to Dr. Joe’s, which has been shuttered for more than 20 years. The battered old building is highlighted by a huge shark mural that greets beachside traffic.

The two restaurants represent a development quandary. It is typically more cost effective to demolish an old building and build new, rather than to retrofit it for a new occupant, yet there is a great desire to preserve historic buildings. SL

myseniorlife.com

Even babies not named Joy are a joy

Babies are such a joy. I can say that now and appreciate that it is true.

However don’t say that to the parents who have just been up all night for the 14th straight night.

I remember about three decades ago when we were having children and every time somebody said they were a joy I wanted to slap them, or better yet hand them the kid and say “See ya.” We just welcomed our seventh grandchild into the world and he greeted me by peeing on me while looking totally adorable.

Yep, just like his dad at that age. So I handed him back to my son and said

“See ya.” Not really, but I could have if I wanted to. I wonder if he did that on purpose.

Another question I have is about them smiling and the doc says it’s only

Yikes! Hurricanes are headed our way, the COVID Delta Variant is a new medical concern and Burmese pythons have moved north of the Everglades.

Everyday, we seem to have a new challenge.

The combined Chinese characters for crisis are danger and opportunity. With each new challenge of danger we face in life, there is an opportunity. Worry is not a solution. Focus on the causes more than the culprit. More than 95 percent of what people worry about never happens.

Seniors have an advantage. Our years of experience give us a perspective of learning.

After World War II, the Cold War was a challenge. The threat of an atomic bomb attack added to our fears.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin officials had built air raid shelters, stocked them with supplies and conducted drills. As a 14year old Explorer Scout, I was trained to direct people to the underground

chambers. I had my armband reading “Emergency Service” in my pocket at all times.

Through the years, we learned that with “danger, there is an opportunity.”

We listed potential crisis situations and developed an action plan to prevent or reduce the impact of the danger.

Understanding a potential danger, we could evaluate options and solutions.

We elected to fight or take flight. Often those who run from danger experience more problems. Anxiety heightens the danger.

When my wife and I decided to move to Florida, our friends in the Northern states warned of the dangers of tropical storms and hurricanes. We lived here 20 years before our beachside condo was trashed by two hurricanes in 2004 followed by a tornado that removed most of the roof. We learned a lot from that experience. We moved to downtown Melbourne, installed

Funny thing is...

Sammy Haddad

gas. Is that still happening in the teen years when we’re dating and the girl smiles from across the table at you?

In our house after each grandchild is born, my wife becomes this angel who goes to sleep early every night so she can wake up early every day. She bolts over to the house to take care of the baby so the parents who have just been through another sleepless night can go back to bed.

She actually might be an angel because I can’t tell you how many times while talking to me she simply dissolves into thin air only to reappear in another part of the house seconds later.

Seriously I’m saying something and turn around and all I see is the puff of smoke where she was just a second ago.

Then, I hear this distant voice in another room saying “You know I can’t hear you when I’m in the other room.”

I’m like “But you were just here.”

Anyway, back to the babies. Is it true that babies wet mostly at night and that’s why they call it the “wee wee hours of the morning?” My little granddaughter asked why the baby has to wear a diaper.

I told her two reasons. Number 1 and number 2. See ya. SL

New dangers, opportunities appear each and every day

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Sudoku solution on page 30

Do you suffer from: • • • • • • •

in local newspapers. FEMA, state and county emergency preparedness agencies have checklists available online.

When I face daily challenges and danger, I find comfort in my St. Anthony prayer book and pray: “Dear God, free me from undue anxiety, needless worry and burdensome fear. Grant me greater confidence, unfailing trust and a daily sense of serenity in your loving mercy.

Amen.”

What’s your perspective? SL Ed Baranowski is an award-winning writer, artist, speaker and seminar leader. He lives in Melbourne and can be contacted at fast75sr@gmail.com

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SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

19

Behind the

Beat

By Randal Hill

‘Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)’ — Marvin Gaye Dave Marsh is a well-respected rock-music critic and historian. He’s normally quite sparing in his praise, but Marsh could barely contain his enthusiasm when he reviewed a Marvin Gaye single and proclaimed it to be “the greatest piece of music ever written in favor of the survival of the environment on the greatest Black pop album ever made.”

That 45 was the now-classic “Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology),” which was lifted from Gaye’s legendary 1971 LP “What’s Going On,” the first album in his extensive Motown catalog to sell a million copies.

When Motown owner Berry Gordy Jr. was approached about “Mercy Mercy Me,” he was unfamiliar with the term ecology and had to have it explained to him. Gordy was always a tough sell about including anything political or controversial on his records and always kept an eye on the mainstream sales charts in seeking as wide an audience as possible. Initially, Gordy argued against releasing Gaye’s thought-provoking “What’s Going On?” as he feared it could run the risk of alienating Gaye’s fans who would be expecting Gaye’s usual pop/soul product such as “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.”

But Gaye was growing as an artist and he wanted to go deeper than his previous releases. “I began to reevaluate my whole concept of

Marvin Gaye died tragically in 1984. what I wanted my music to say,” he explained later to Rolling Stone. “I wanted to write songs that would reach the souls of people. I wanted them to take a look at what was happening in the world.”

SENIOR LIFE Wikipedia, Public Domain

Industrialization, corporate greed and a lack of environmental concern all fueled Gaye’s interest in creating a thoughtful message rather than another commercial ballad.

Gaye’s offering arrived a year

after the first Earth Day brought concern about our stewardship of the Earth, so his tune served as a clarion call for us to face responsibilities to our home. In an interview with Sounds magazine, Gaye said, “I’d love to become only interested in knowledge and power that this Earth will give us, if we’re only willing to put in the time and effort… The power’s here. It’s in the rocks, it’s in the air, it’s in the animals… I would like to become a man of power.”

Contrary to Gordy’s fears, “Mercy Mercy Me” peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100; Gaye was the sole composer of a work considered by many to be the most meaningful anthem ever in regards to pollution, global warming and our deteriorating environment.

In 2002, his creation won a prestigious Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Gaye’s lyrics pulled no punches when he delivered his ethereal, thought-provoking lament of polluted skies, poisonous winds, oceanic oil slicks and mercury-contaminated fish. Also, the realization that, sadly, far too many creatures had become endangered. Those elements, and the increasing overpopulation of our planet, inspired Gaye’s tough rhetorical question: How much more abuse from man can she stand?

How much more indeed, Mr. Gaye! SL

Take a trip to Fort Christmas Historical Park in Christmas Nearby Fort Christmas Historical Park in Christmas offers another one-day educational, inexpensive and family friendly mini-vacation from the Greater Melbourne area for you and your family to enjoy.

You might want to pack a picnic lunch for this trip. Fort Christmas Park has extensive picnic facilities throughout the park and restrooms.

Your first stop is the park’s Visitors Center, where you can pick up maps and other information about the park.

The Fort Christmas master plan for the area is to preserve and relate the story of this historic community of Christmas in a living history environment.

At present, the park features the following: A dramatically reconstructed fullsize replica wooden fort of one built in 1837 with twin stockades housing a wealth of historic memorabilia.

There are a number of historic homesteads exhibits with furnished homes from the 19th and the early 20th century to visit. There is a traditional Florida Cracker house and eight pioneer homes plus a schoolhouse with a lunchroom.

You also will see a citrus grove, sugarcane field and a turpentine

20

Touring the Town

John Trieste

exhibit. There were many historic homes being worked on in the park and future exhibits will include a Union School, Timucuan and Seminole Indian camp exhibits and typical early community life and times of early settlers.

The park also features extensive recreational facilities for the whole family to enjoy, including a softball field, tennis court, basketball court and a large playground. There are three pavilions that can be rented for family parties.

During the year, the park features many special events including a Cowboy Reunion, Bluegrass Festival, Florida Living History Festival, a craft fair, Militia Encampment and the famous Cracker Christmas.

Fort Christmas is a great, free,

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

SENIOR LIFE Shutterstock

Fort Christmas was built in Christmas, Florida during the Second Seminole War. Construction began on December 25, 1837. one-day outdoor adventure for family and friends.

Fort Christmas Historical Park is located at 1300 Fort Christmas Road, (SR 420) in Christmas. For information, call 407-568-4149 for tours, dates and times for events.

Admission is free. It is closed

on Monday. Group and school tours also are available. Please call before you go since days and times do change.

Christmas, Florida is located on State Road 50 about 20 miles west of Titusville. The Fort is located on State Road 420 in Christmas. SL

myseniorlife.com

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 “Star Trek” weapon 7 Tea party city 13 Enjoy a memory 14 Galvanize 15 Banishes 16 Sports division 17 HBO alternative 18 ___ eared bunny 19 Top NCO 22 Eureka!

24 Gossip tidbit 28 ___ Magnon man 29 Brood 30 Columnist ___ Bombeck 31 Tear 32 Civil War general 33 Neck annoyance 34 Sonic prefix 36 Med. plan 38 Lawyer’s charge 39 Beat a retreat 40 Icy precipitation 41 Grass skirt accessory 42 ___ shui 43 Startled cries 44 NY hours 45 Rx writers org.

47 Brief time 50 Stroller 53 Diviner 57 Nest builders 58 Biased 59 Building exterior 60 Wobble

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DOWN 1 Opposite of post2 Jinx 3 Husband of Fatima 4 River deposit 5 Flush with 6 Work with antiques 7 Vote 8 Layered cookie 9 Sudsier 10 Barge pusher 11 Big Ten sch.

12 Born as 19 Nape 20 Auto front 21 Countdown list (2 wds.)

23 Donkey’s bray 25 No big thing 26 Moderators 27 Succeed (2 wds.)

29 Spring training loc.

33 Mil. rank 35 Crown and scepter 37 Lose an opportunity (2 wds.)

40 Throaty 46 Recover, as from an injury 48 Seacoast eagle 49 Small eatery 50 Dog’s bark 51 Ostrichlike bird 52 Telly network 54 Domestic animal 55 Tell an untruth 56 Get wrong

Crossword solution, page 30

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

21

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Blue Origin

Astronaut Wally Funk, the oldest human to fly in space, celebrates a safe landing in the West Texas desert.

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Blue Origin

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos celebrates a successful first human flight.

Space flight the new billionaire trend

BY LINDA JUMP

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Blue Origin

New Shepard lifts off from Launch Site One in West Texas with four humans on board.

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Virgin Galactic

Unity 22 Mission Specialists Colin Bennet, left, Beth Moses, Sirisha Bandla and Sir Richard Branson gather before the flight.

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, and both the oldest and youngest astronauts flew July 20 to the edge of space.

The historic flight is the second in what might be seen as the billionaires’ space race.

Blue Origin has a $2.5 billion facility at Cape Canaveral, but this launch, planned to coincide with the anniversary of the first moon landing, was from the firm’s Van Horn, Texas site in its reusable New Shepard rocket system.

The 11-minute pilot-less flight took the passengers 62 miles above earth with nearly three minutes of weightlessness, before the crew capsule free-fell to earth, guided by parachutes.

They experienced Mach 4 gravitation force equivalent.

The race to be the first private firm to deliver humans toward orbit has had three primary players — Blue Origin, Space X and Virgin Galactic. After Bezos announced his July 20 date, Sir Richard Branson moved his late summer flight up to become the first.

According to media reports, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has booked a suborbital space flight aboard Virgin Galactic. SpaceX was the first private company to launch NASA astronauts into orbit.

On July 11, Branson and five crew members flew a Virgin Galactic rocketpowered plane up 53 miles above the New Mexico desert.

“Ever since I was 5 years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space. To see the earth from space, it changes you.

It changes your relationship with this planet, with humanity,” Bezos said.

Bezos, 57, is considered the world’s richest man with $190 billion, founding Amazon and later Blue Origin in 2000.

Bezos stepped down last month as Amazon’s CEO. He asked his brother Mark, 51, to join him. Mark runs a marketing firm and is a volunteer firefighter in New York. “When he asked me to go up with him, I was awestruck.”

Bezos also invited Wally Funk, 82, a gender-breaking female who was the youngest graduate of the Women in Space program of the 1960s. None

of the Mercury 13 women ever made it to space. She has more than 19,600 flight hours and has taught more than 3,000 students how to fly. Funk was the first female to be an investigator for the Federation Aviation Administration and National Traffic Safety Board. “I’ve been flying forever (but) I didn’t think that I’d ever get to go up … I’ll love every second of it. I can hardly wait.”

Oliver Daemen, 18, a Dutch student who begins college soon, became the youngest to fly to space. “I’ve been dreaming about this all my life,” he told Bezos. He was the losing bidder in an online auction for a seat in the rocket.

He replaced a still-unidentified man whose $28 million bid won, but who said he had a scheduling issue and plans to join a later flight. Blue Origin has two more flights planned this year.

The live auction drew 7,000 participants from 179 countries. That money was donated to Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, a foundation designed to inspire young people to pursue careers in STEM and to propel life in space. So far, 19 space-based charities have received $1 million. SL

Space shuttles’ legacy a decade later full of successes, disasters

BY MIKE GAFFEY

With the safe landing of space shuttle Atlantis and its four-member crew at Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011, NASA ended the shuttle program after 30 years and 135 missions.

A decade after that final flight, the shuttle program’s legacy is one of technological triumphs and unthinkable tragedies that still evoke awe, pride and bittersweet memories across the Space Coast.

“It’s great looking back, because I think that it’s still serving its intent,” Atlantis Cmdr. Chris Ferguson said July 8 at KSC during an anniversary celebration of the orbiter’s last liftoff.

Ferguson was joined by two other members of the final shuttle crew: mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim.

Starting with Columbia’s launch on April 12, 1981, the fleet of winged orbiters achieved an array of firsts in human spaceflight as history’s first reusable crewed spacecraft.

Shuttles Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour set endurance records and carried dozens of astronauts into low Earth orbit, where they built the International Space Station, launched, recovered and repaired satellites and conducted important experiments.

But two shuttle disasters shocked the nation and the world. Challenger

22

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of NASA

The Atlantis STS-135 was the final flight of the shuttle program in July 2011. The orbiter is on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. exploded shortly after liftoff on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members aboard, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher and the first civilian in space. And on Feb. 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated as it was reentering the atmosphere in preparation for a landing at KSC. Another seven astronauts died. The accidents grounded the program for years and

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

prompted major design changes.

Originally the shuttle was going to be a “space truck” to haul satellites into orbit, said Mark Marquette, a community liaison and astronomy coordinator for the American Space Museum & Walk of Fame in Titusville.

“After the Challenger, we knew that wasn’t going to happen so

shuttles became more of a science, environmental and physiological test bed,” Marquette said.

The program was phased out after the space station was completed, falling short of its original goal of low-cost access to space. Thousands

SHUTTLE

continued to page 23

myseniorlife.com

BCOA NEWS BREVARD COMMISSION ON AGING

BCOA meetings are open to the public and are held the second Thursday of each month at the government center in Viera. For information, contact Cindy Short at 321-633-2076, FAX 321633-2170, cindy.short@brevardfl.gov, brevardf l.gov/ HumanServices/CommissionOnAging or at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, B-106, Viera, FL 32940.

Be prepared if special needs shelter is only evacuation option

With hurricane season underway and the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center predicting another abovenormal Atlantic hurricane season, now is the time to be thinking of storm preparation.

We have all seen the lists of household items you should have on hand, but let’s look at an option for those who cannot shelter in place.

Brevard County Housing & Human Services sees an uptick in calls about the special needs shelters.

These countywide shelters open at the discretion of the Office of Emergency Management and have strict rules.

These shelters are intended to keep you safe, not necessarily comfortable.

Here is some valuable information directly from the official Brevard County website: A shelter is a place to go in the event of an evacuation, but it can be noisy, crowded and have few personal comforts. Shelters should be your last resort if you have nowhere else to go.

A shelter is a stressful environment for everyone; please treat your fellow evacuees with courtesy and kindness.

Residents going to a shelter need to take their own supplies, some of

which might be found in your disaster supply kit: • Bring your own pillows, sheets, blankets, portable cot or air mattress, chaise lounge, folding chairs or sleeping bags.

• Cots or beds are not provided.

• If you are on a special diet, bring a supply of nonperishable food that will be sufficient for three days per person.

• All required medications and medical support equipment.

• Wheelchair/walker, oxygen, dressings, feeding and suction equipment, diapers, etc.

• Any specific medications or care instructions (two-week supply).

• Personal hygiene items like toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, towels, brush/comb, dentures, glasses, eye drops, diapers, etc.

• Entertainment items such as games, cards, books or magazines.

Persons with disabilities, barriers or impairments: • By evaluating your own personal needs and making an emergency plan, you can be better prepared

SENIOR LIFE Shutterstock

Shelters can be an uncomfortable option during a hurricane evacuation.

Remember to bring your own supplies for at least three days.

SHUTTLE

continued from page 22

of space workers in Brevard County lost their jobs after the fleet was retired.

Today, Atlantis, which flew 33 missions in 25 years, is on permanent display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The other remaining orbiters, including Enterprise, which was built for atmospheric test flights and was incapable of spaceflight, are exhibited in Virginia, Los Angeles and New York City.

Some shuttle innovations can be seen in today’s revived space program.

Experiments once done in Spacelab, a reusable laboratory carried in the orbiters’ cargo bays, are conducted daily aboard the ISS. Private company SpaceX, which in May 2020 sent Americans into orbit from U.S. soil for the first time since the shuttles were retired, regularly reuses capsules and boosters. And NASA’s powerful Space Launch System rocket will use shuttle-style solid rocket boosters at liftoff and four shuttle engines to power its core stage.

Around Brevard County, many shuttle program reminders remain, including schools named after the orbiters and Challenger crewmates McAuliffe and Ronald McNair.

Ferguson, who admitted he still gets chills when he sees Atlantis on display, said the retired orbiters retain their power to inspire.

“We explore, we research, we understand more about the human body,” he said. “But clearly, a byproduct of it is that we are inspiring the next generation of people to do really cool things.” SL

321-242-1235

technology.

• Have a method to communicate your impairments and needs.

Remember, being ready is the key to maintaining your independence.

For more information, go to brevardfl. gov/EmergencyManagement/ BePrepared/HaveAPlan/Shelters SL

for any situation.

• Inventory what you need every day to live independently.

Identify the essential items you will need for at least three days.

• Stock custom essentials in your kit like: durable medical equipment and assistive

Specialist

321-267-0008

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

23

Vaccinations prevent spread, death from diseases

BY BRENDA EGGERT BRADER Vaccinations are important for all, especially seniors.

“Influenza is the most frequent cause of death from a vaccinepreventable disease in the United States,” said Helen Medlin, a registered nurse at the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County. “But COVID-19 just might take over that claim. Rates of infection from seasonal influenza are highest among children, but the risks for complications, hospitalizations and death are higher among adults ages 65 years and older, children younger than five years, pregnant women and people of any age who have medical conditions that place them at increased risk for complications from influenza.”

Other common vaccinations include shots for pneumonia, shingles, tetanus and whooping cough. All vaccinations mix with the COVID-19 vaccination, assured Dr. Patricia Alexander, an internal medicine and primary care physician for Steward Primary Care in Cocoa.

“Get the flu and pneumonia protection in the fall as usual. Get the shingles vaccine as well. The latest shingles vaccine is Shingrix. Get one and two months later get a booster. It is highly protective from shingles. It is quite common to get it again after having had shingles. The nerve pain will be very mild and not get as much pain as you do when you get it without having had a vaccination.”

“Pneumonia vaccine protection is

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Steward Health Care

Patrick Dion, a laboratory client representative, receives his flu shot from Deborah LaPointe, an employee health nurse for Steward Health Care in Brevard County. usually given after age 65,” Alexander said. “If you do have medical conditions (like diabetes, being a smoker or having COPD), take it prior to age 65. Since people have been taking this vaccination, we have been seeing a decrease in the disease.

“With a surge in whooping cough, that vaccination was reactivated,” Alexander said. “Especially for

grandparents who have grandchildren less than a year old.”

Adults, after reaching age 65, should start their well care doctor visits. Physicians have been quite successful in trying to get them to take vaccinations.

“I was so impressed with the majority above age 65 vaccinated for COVID-19,” Alexander said. “You

get that conversation to educate them to bring the point to the success of the vaccine and that they should get it. Sometimes you are successful, sometimes not. Those people not vaccinated are the ones really at risk with the COVID variance.”

In Brevard County, 53 percent of people age 12 and older were vaccinated as of mid-July for COVID-19, Medlin said. SL

Wickham Park Senior Center fully reopens to excited crowds

BY KATIE SIVCO Staff at the Wickham Park Senior Center are calling for seniors to come back following its restarting of all programs offered before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re really looking to get people back,” said Diane Weinzierl, the president of the Wickham Park Senior Center. “People who have come back are anxious to talk to people face-to-face again.”

The Senior Center partially reopened in October 2020, but not all of its programs resumed. This time around, every program that seniors might have missed is back: bingo, cards, games, arts and crafts, exercise and fitness, billiards, shuffleboard and more.

“Some people didn’t even know we existed here. There are a lot of seniors wanting to get out and find out what they can do,” Weinzierl said.

During its reopening celebration July 19 through 23, it offered an assortment of complimentary baked goods and coffee in the lobby of the Senior Center for people to enjoy as they chatted with vendors or entered member raffles.

The Wickham Park Senior Center is membership-based and the cost of dues is $20. The minimum age to become a member is 50. The center is at 2785 Leisure Way in Melbourne. SL

24

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

myseniorlife.com

Senior Life

News for Titusville, Mims & Port St. John

North Brevard

Titusville’s theater scene grows with Playhouse expansion

BY FLORA REIGADA The Titusville Playhouse, located in the historic Emma Parrish Theatre, has announced that it will expand and enhance the arts in Titusville.

It has acquired the former site of Shuler’s Auction House and storage yard, along with two adjacent parcels, including two historic buildings: the former Hill’s Grocery & Lunch Store and the former Hill Hotel Apartments.

“We will be the engine for a designated entertainment district in Titusville’s redeveloping downtown,” said Steven Heron, the executive artistic director. “We are excited to work with the city as we begin the immediate and long-term development of our newly acquired properties, which will increase our footprint from the quarter-acre site of the Emma Parrish Theatre to more than 2.5 acres.”

“We will be the engine for a designated entertainment district in Titusville’s redeveloping downtown.”

— Steven Heron Although the properties are not contiguous, they are in close proximity on Julia Street in Downtown Titusville.

Immediate plans are to establish an outdoor venue of 200 seats, called the Shuler Stage.

While it’s curtains up for Titusville Playhouse’s 57th season on July 30 for “A Funny Thing Happened on the

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Niko Stamos

The cast of “Hair” performed on the Titusville Playhouse’s mainstage. In September, performances will also take place at the outdoor Shuler Stage, formerly the Shuler Auction House.

Way to the Forum,” the Shuler Stage’s inaugural season will open Sept. 10 with “The Great American Trailer Park Musical.”

Heron and his staff recognized the potential and possibility of the site when they moved some shows outdoors during the COVID pandemic.

“This included a show under the Shuler canopy,” Heron said.

Through careful attention to COVID protocols and creative thinking, such as a streaming option for ticket holders, the theater survived the impact of reduced box office revenue and its staff

remains intact.

Heron’s vision reaches beyond the immediate expansion.

“The goal is to build a state-ofthe-art complex, targeting 450 seats, as well as hosting events that aren’t necessarily theater, such as a Martin Luther King celebration and re-inviting country music singer Ray Scott.”

“We want to increase our impact on the entire community,” Heron said.

This year, Broadway World again recognized Titusville Playhouse’s production excellence with four “Best of the Decade” musical theater awards

to Steven Heron, Niko Stamos and Spencer Crosswell.

Rick Schreiber, the vice president of the Downtown Titusville Merchants Association and owner of The Infinite Mushroom Comic and Game Shop, raved about the theater’s plans.

“This expansion of the arts is good for Downtown Titusville, its merchants and the community. It is one of the best things that can be done,” he said.

The Titusville Playhouse is at 301 Julia St. For information, call 321-268-3711 or go to titusvilleplayhouse.com. SL

Carter House soon to become home to Boys and Girls Club

BY FLORA REIGADA Children are synonymous with Titusville’s historic Carter House, built in 1915 at 126 S. Grannis Ave. Patricia and Brig. Gen. Ellerbe Winn Carter, who moved there when he retired from the U.S. Army in 1946, were parents of nine.

But with the passage of time, the house eventually fell into disrepair.

It would find new purpose when Carter family members donated it to the North Brevard Charities Sharing Center.

“Joe Robinson is a visionary,” the organization’s Executive Director Brian Walton said of his retired predecessor, who now serves on the Titusville City Council.

Executive director at the time of the donation, Robinson saw beyond a restoration project, to a home where children could realize their full potential.

After Robinson teamed up with Titusville City Council Member Jo Lynn Nelson and a steering committee, the North Brevard Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida found its home.

321-242-1235

SENIOR LIFE Dan Reigada

Titusville’s historic Carter House is in the final leg of a restoration before it opens as the North Brevard Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida.

“It will be one of Titusville’s greatest assets, especially for youth in our economically disadvantaged neighborhoods,” Robinson said.

Things were moving ahead, until COVID prolonged the process.

Walton has caught the vision.

“I see the house as a place that comes alive with youth and the community involved in developing young people’s skills,” Walton said. “In Brevard County, 18,236 children live below

the poverty level. We want them to know there are options, and to create opportunities.”

Things are again moving forward at the house and the goal is to open during the fall.

“It was not just one person or group that made this happen,” Robinson said.

“The community pulled together.”

But as this finish line nears, the community’s support still is needed and tax-deductible contributions can be made through the North Brevard Charities website NorthBrevardCharities.org For information, call 321-269-6555 or email nbcsc@cfl.rr.com Contributions also can be mailed to: North Brevard Charities Sharing Center, 4475 S. Hopkins Ave., Titusville, FL 32780. Mark donations for Titusville Carter House.

For those making donations of more than $100, they will have their names placed in a drawing to win a copy of the book, “Come Gently Sweet Lucina,” written by Patricia Cloyd Carter. The book is valued at $600. SL

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

25

Just to be safe — please call each event location to confirm date and time.

1

SUNDAY National Friendship Day

Issues in Parkinson’s and Dementia

2

MONDAY

Give Blood, Save Lives

10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

All donors will receive a 10 - 11 a.m.

First Responder T-shirt How do you handle the and a $10 eGift card. speech and swallowing Plus, a wellness checkup, changes that occur with Parkinson’s and Dementia? including blood pressure, temperature, iron count, A speech-language pathologist will discuss these pulse and cholesterol screening. and many more issues.

Melbourne Police One Senior Place Department 8085 Spyglass Hill Road 650 N. Apollo Blvd.

Viera, 321-751-6771 Melbourne 321-768-8585

8

Independence Day

9

National Book Lovers Day

Writers’ Conference Write, 55+ Gardeners 5 p.m. Second Mondays Publish, Sell!

9 a.m. - 8 p.m.

New and experienced authors gather for a day of excitement and education to improve skills and find support for their writing.

Hilton Melbourne 200 Rialto Place, Melbourne Registration at AuthorsForAuthors.com

55+ Club of Satellite Beach 1089 S. Patrick Drive Satellite Beach 321-773-4647

15

16

World Honey Bee Day

Tailgate 2 Miler

6:45 a.m.

Support your favorite football team on race day.

Fun football awards.

Tailgate party after the race catered by Pizza Gallery and Grill and 28 North Gastropub patio in the courtyard with beer (21+ and older). Benefits Sharing Center of Central Brevard. Finisher medals for all participants.

2261 Town Center Ave. Viera, 321-751-8890

Spanish Class

1 - 2:30 p.m.

Martin Andersen Senior Center 1025 Florida Ave. Rockledge, 321-631-7549

National Tell a National Pecan Joke Day Pie Day

China Painting 9 - 11:30 a.m.

3

TUESDAY National Watermelon Day

Bunco

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Greater Palm Bay Senior Center 1275 Culver Drive NE Palm Bay, 321-724-1338

4

Grieving through Art

10 a.m. - Noon Everyone copes with grief in different ways. Join St. Francis Reflections as we work to acknowledge and cope with our feelings. Art Social Scrabble can be a way to help make 9:15 - Noon sense of the process. RSVP. Members, $1, Sunflower House non-members, $3 Merritt Square Mall Wickham Park Senior Center 777 E. Merritt Island Cswy.

2785 Leisure Way Merritt Island Melbourne 321-452-4341 303-458-7301

10

11

National Presidential Joke

Blood Pressure Check 10:30 a.m.

Blood pressure check by Visiting Nurses Association.

Wickham Park Senior Center 2785 Leisure Way Melbourne, 321-255-4494

Free Spine Seminar with Dr. Cronin

6 p.m.

If neck and back pain are keeping you from enjoying life to the fullest, join spine surgeon Michael Cronin, Shell Harbor Information DO, for an in-person discussion about minimally Seminars 11:30 a.m. Aug. 10 and 11 invasive treatment options to preserve the motion of Lunch and Learn about Shell Harbor’s limited time your spine.

Charter Resident program. Melbourne Regional River Rocks, 245 S. U.S. 1, Medical Center Rockledge, 321-252-4882 250 N. Wickham Road Melbourne, 321-752-1427

17

Medicaid Planning Seminar

10 - 11 a.m.

Informative seminar 6 - 7:30 p.m. presented by William A. 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. All Levels Johnson PA. RSVP required.

8:30 - 9:30 p.m. Practice Wickham Park Senior Center One Senior Place 8085 Spyglass Hill Road 2785 Leisure Way Melbourne, 321-258-5916 Viera, 321-751-6771

Ballroom Dancing

WEDNESDAY

7:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Greater Palm Bay Senior Center Palm Bay, 321-951-9998

29

30

31

Sept. 1

Intermediate and Advanced 2 - 4 p.m.

Members $3, non-members, $4 North Brevard Senior Center 909 Lane Ave. Titusville 321-267-0195

10 a.m. Mondays Senior adults meeting together weekly for Bible study, fellowship and fun.

Church At Viera 9005 N. Wickham Road Viera, 321-256-3454

6 - 9 p.m.

Show off your trivia skills and win prizes. Call ahead to reserve a team table.

2 Angry Wives Pub 3826 Murrell Road Rockledge, 321-848-0227

6 p.m.

New or experienced players welcome.

55+ Club of Satellite Beach 1089 S. Patrick Drive Satellite Beach 321-773-7705

Bone Builders

Book Club

10 a.m.

“The Life We Bury” by Allen Eskens Read the book and join us for a discussion. This book is a USA Today best seller.

Shell Harbor Information Copies can be picked up Seminars for checkout at the Aug. 24 and 25 reference desk.

11:30 a.m.

Suntree/Viera Library Lunch and Learn about 902 Jordan Blass Road Shell Harbor’s limited-time Suntree Charter Resident program. 321-255-4404 River Rocks, 245 S. U.S. 1 Rockledge, 321-252-4882

Trivia Tuesday

Chair Yoga

2:30 - 4 p.m.

9 - 10 a.m. Mondays, Members $6, non-members Wednesdays and Fridays $8 Martin Andersen Senior Center Wickham Park Senior Center 1025 Florida Ave. 2785 Leisure Way Rockledge, 321-631-7549 Melbourne, 321-626-1969

2:30 p.m.

Named after their favorite hub for activities, the Melbourne Beach Library Book Club is all-inclusive, welcoming locals to join in on the discussion of a different book each month.

Melbourne Beach Library 324 Ocean Avenue Melbourne Beach 321-956-5642

National Pinot Noir Day

Fishing Club

Aug. 13 and 14 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Eau Gallie Civic Center 1551 Highland Ave. Melbourne, 321-608-7400

Friday Afternoon Movies 1 - 3 p.m.

Aug. 6: “The Marksman” Aug. 13: “Minari” Aug. 20: “Instant Family” Aug. 27: “Maleficent” Sunflower House Merritt Square Mall 321-452-4341

20

Hearing Loss = Brain Stress?

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Personal Hearing Solutions.

RSVP to One Senior Place 8085 Spyglass Hill Road Viera, 321-751-6771

27

of most months.

Do you, or someone you know, have or suspect they have Multiple Myeloma?

This is a support group to share experiences with others who understand what you are going through.

Suntree/Viera Library 902 Jordan Blass Road Suntree, 321-255-4404

Young at Heart Seniors

14

Eau Gallie Civic Center’s two-day Rummage Sale

26

1 - 3 p.m.

Second annual Bowling Fundraiser to raise money for the Haven for Children.

Silent auction & 50/50 will be available. $400 per team of six members (Ticket price includes bowling and shoe rental). Proceeds will go to the Haven for Children.

Bowlero 1099 N. Wickham Road Melbourne, 321-537-4279

Line Dancing

13

Melbourne Beach Library Book Club

6:30 p.m.

Music by DJ Suzie. $7.50 per person. BYOB. Veteran Memorial Center 400 S. Sykes Creek Pkwy.

Merritt Island 321-453-4253

25

National Toasted Marshmallow Day

12

National Left Handers Day

6:30 - 7:15 p.m.

We Dance Academies 7640 N. Wickham Road Unit 114, Suntree 321-334-9136

24

The State of Palm Bay 10:30 a.m. Fourth Monday Breakfast

Music and more.

Knights of Columbus 3746 2150 Dairy Road Melbourne, 321-474-5824

Social Ballroom Class

23

Multiple Myeloma Group

National Root National Fruitcake Purple Heart Day Beer TossFloat Day Day Swingtimers Vocal Trip All White Affair 9 p.m.

Concert

Princess Cruises ThreeDay Sales Kickoff

National Banana Split Day

Cribbage

Jazzercise Lo

8 - 9:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays Wickham Park Senior Center 2785 Leisure Way Melbourne, 321-698-0445

7

SATURDAY

7 p.m.

A concert loaded with lush romantic songs in threepart harmony. There will be upbeat pop songs and a few silly songs to give a little spice to the evening.

Highland Fellowship Church 1591 Highland Ave. Melbourne 321-724-0555

1 p.m.

Third Thursday 55+ Club of Satellite Beach 1089 S. Patrick Drive Satellite Beach 321-773-4647

22

National Peach Pie Day

6

FRIDAY

11 a.m.

First and Third Thursdays Paint with watercolors.

Open to the public, any age, any skill level — beginners welcome. There is no cost to attend. Bring your own supplies.

Melbourne Beach Library 324 Ocean Ave. Melbourne Beach 321-674-9986

10 - 11:30 a.m.

Wednesdays Viera Regional Community Center, 2300 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Viera 321-323-4928

2 p.m.

Quilts and Lace 7720 N. Wickham Road Suite 111 Suntree, 321-622-8602

National Caviar Day National Ice Day Bowling forCream the Haven

Melbourne Beach Watercolor Society

19

Noon - 3:30 p.m. Mondays Greater Palm Bay Senior Center, 1275 Culver Drive NE Palm Bay, 321-724-1338

Straight Poker

5

18

Line Dancing with Larry

6 - 8 p.m.

Princess Cruise Line rep will make a presentation.

Expedia Cruises 6375 N. Wickham Road Melbourne, 321-233-1400

Beginner Quilting

THURSDAY

SHRED DAY

BCSO Shred Event

9 - 10:30 a.m.

The Sheriff’s Office, in partnership with a local document shredding company, will host a shredding event where you can safely have your personal documents shredded on site.

Home Depot parking lot 1140 Malabar Road SE Palm Bay, 321-264-5201

2

National College Colors Day

VA Aid and Attendance Seminar

Presented by Elder Law Attorney William A. Johnson, PA. Limited seating, must RSVP. One Senior Place 8085 Spyglass Hill Road Viera, 321-751-6771

Social Ballroom Class

6:30 - 7:15 p.m.

We Dance Academies 7640 N. Wickham Road Unit 114, Suntree 321-334-9136

Friday Night Dance

Fourth annual “Golf to End Alzheimer’s” Best Ball Tournament

11:30 a.m.

All proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

Turtle Creek Golf Club 1278 Admiralty Blvd.

Rockledge, 321-806-6836

Shuffleboard

10 a.m. - Noon North Brevard Senior Center, 909 Lane Ave. Titusville, 321-544-1430

3

Master Gardner Clinic

Line Dancing Class by the Space Coast Steppers

Noon - 1:30 p.m.

Second and third Saturdays Isaac Campbell Sr. Community Center 701 South Street Titusville, 321-312-0512

National Pina Colada Day

Brevard Symphony Orchestra

LISA FERRIGNO & SCOTT WATKINS IN RECITAL 7 p.m.

Concert #3 in the 2021 Summer Evenings Series.

Presented by BSO Concertmaster Lisa Ferrigno and pianist Scott Watkins.

Tickets are $25 General Admission.

Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne.

Call the BSO, 321-345-5052.

21

National Senior Citizens Day

80/90s Themed Dance Party 8 p.m.

Come enjoy all of your favorite hits from the 80s and 90s that will inspire you to get on the dance floor.

Dress like the 80s/90s.

Italian American Club of South Brevard 1471 Cypress Ave. Melbourne 321-242-8044

28

National National Beautician’s Day Bow Tie Day

10th annual Tuxes and Tails Gala

5:30 p.m.

This elegant formal affair brings together a diverse group of supporters for delectable food and fine entertainment.

Space Coast Convention Center, 301 Tucker Lane Cocoa, 321-636-3343

Saturday Night Dance

7:30 - 10:30 p.m. The Dynamics will perform. $7.

Greater Palm Bay Senior Center, 321-724-1338

4

National Mutt Day

10 a.m.

Master Gardeners will answer questions about plants, pests, insects, diseases. Bring questions or plant cuttings.

Cocoa Beach Library,

550 North Brevard Ave.

Cocoa Beach, 321-868-1104

Bingo

11:15 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Tuesdays and Fridays Wickham Park Senior Center 2785 Leisure Drive Melbourne, 321-255-4494

World Beard Day

All Inclusive Resort-Style Senior Living Community

In the Heart of Suntree area. Locally Owned and Operated Call to schedule an In-Person or Virtual Tour

321-701-8000

­

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Love Having Fun!

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www.suntreeseniorliving.com 321-242-1235

205 Hardoon Lane • Melbourne, FL 32940

sales@suntreeseniorliving.com

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

27

Volunteers offer free showers to homeless from mobile stalls

BY FLORA REIGADA For most of us a regular shower is something we take for granted, along with all its essentials, such as hot water, soap, shampoo, towels and deodorant.

But for some, a shower can be an almost unattainable luxury.

John Adams of Palm Bay already was an advocate for the homeless, when he asked where they bathe.

“I bathe in Palm Bay Springs,” a man told him.

Adams learned that Palm Bay Springs is a drainage canal.

“Sometimes the homeless can hose off at a gas station, but others have not showered in months,” he said.

Adams knew he had to do something, so he called the Texasbased Streetside Showers, which brings hot showers and personal hygiene care to those who otherwise have no access.

This is done via trailers containing private shower stalls, bathroom facilities and hygiene items. Eight weekly shower stops are made in North Texas and Florida.

Adams was told a trailer was waiting in Texas, if he would come and get it.

He set out and today, Adams is Florida’s mobile service manager for Streetside Showers. Each week, he makes two shower stops: a North

SENIOR LIFE Dan Reigada

John Adams, the Florida mobile service manager for Streetside Showers, talks about the organization’s mission of offering hope and help, and restoring human dignity to the homeless in the form of a hot shower and personal hygiene care.

Brevard stop, 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at LifePointe Ministries at 4220 S. Hopkins Ave. in Titusville, and a South Brevard stop from 10 a.m. to

1 p.m. Saturday at Mosaic Church at 2100 Port Malabar Blvd, Palm Bay. A Central Brevard shower stop in Cocoa is in the works.

LifePointe Ministries offers shower guests a complimentary, home-cooked meal.

At both locations, men and women are given two pairs of new underwear, two pairs of new socks and a hygiene kit.

Volunteers Ashly Champion, Patrick Champion and Grant Hammond help keep things running smoothly. The men are “shower valets,” sanitizing the showers after each use.

“The homeless are used to hearing, get a job or get off drugs,” Hammond said. “When you’re in life’s battlefield and see someone wounded, you pick them up and carry them to safety.”

Adams recalled comments people made after showering.

“One man said, ‘I feel like a human being again.’ Another person said, ‘I feel like I won the lottery.’”

A nonprofit organization, Streetside Showers was founded by Lance Olinski.

The community can help by participating in sock drives and also by making a donation. Checks can be mailed to: Streetside Showers P.O. Box 2623, McKinney, Texas 75070 For information, call 321-8003250 or 214-842-3132. Donations also can be made through the website streetsideshowers.com. SL

Market Square Activities & Classes

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M,W,Th,F: 10am - 5pm, Tue: 12N - 7pm, Sat: 10am - 2pm, Sun: CLOSED

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ANTIQUES

Air Conditioning

321-626-2995 sudahnym@gmail.com

Local help with your Medicare questions.

Medicare Supplements?

Medicare Advantage Plans?

Part D? RX Plans?

June Clark

Licensed Sales Agent

321-591-4949

juniperfl202@aol.com

Space Coast Medicare Solutions 20 years serving Brevard

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8085 Spyglass Hill Rd., Viera (inside One Senior Place) SERVING ALL OF BREVARD Financing available, Insurance accepted

Independent Agent serving Brevard since 2002

Realty

SANDRA WAGNER BC-HIS

PersonalHearingSolutions@outlook.com PersonalHearing.org

Restaurant

Restaurant

New

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Menu!

Call Sara Today! 321-794-9001 3230 Murrell Rd., Rockledge, FL 32955

August Is BACK TO SCHOOL Month!

Thinking of selling?

Ask about specials!

Trivia on Tuesdays!

Mon-Sat: 11 am - 9 pm Sun: 10 am - 9 pm

Give Sara a call.

321-848-0227

Your Seniors Real Estate Specialist SaraForstGriffin@Remax.net

3826 Murrell Rd., Rockledge

Sara Forst Griffin

2AngryWives.com

Cocoa Beach

321-677-5124

321-450-4300

Brevard’s Health Food Store

701 S. Apollo Blvd. Melbourne

321-724-6923

NaturesMarketMelbourne.com

Catering • DoorDash • GrubHub • UberEats Tacos • Tortas • Burritos • Quesadillas Horchata • Vegetarian • Kid’s Meals

Titusville

Nature’s Market Health Foods

Must present coupon.

One coupon per order. Exp. 8/31/21.

76 S. Orlando Ave,

321-383-1616

20% Dine-in or Take-out Off

3580 Cheney HwY,

Sunday – Thursday: 9am-9pm Friday & Saturday: 9am-10pm

Rubbish Removal

Roofing

Restaurant

2850 South Hopkins Ave.

Hours: 11 AM - 9 PM Daily

SergiosTacosGrill.com

Order online and use promo code sergios10

Senior Care

Senior Care

Enhancing the lives of aging adults and their families.

Denise Bilder, MSW Senior Consultant Independent Living • Assisted Living Memory Care • Long Term Care • Respite Care

Direct: 321-403-2366 • Office: 321-209-8686 denise@allyslc.com • www.allyslc.com 142 N. Orlando Avenue, Ste. 100, Cocoa beach

321-242-1235

Easing the issues of independent living with respect, dignity & compassion Karen Wernlund BS Psy Care Broker 321-622-8030

emeraldcare21@gmail.com

Emerald Care Management LLC We offer a 30 minute care consultation to help you stay independent at home.

Wellness August Special

BUY ONE GET ONE

FREE All products Must present this ad.

Exp. 8/31/21

Skincare • Edibles Hair Care • Vape • Topicals WATCH PRODUCTS BEING MADE EDUCATED STAFF • CLEAN KITCHEN

DreamFarmsHemp.com 321-421-7280

674 Wickham Rd, Melbourne Wickham Green Center

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

29

BoomerSenior

Crossword Solution Crossword on page 21

Sentiments

What is the most important task you want to complete in the coming year?

Photos by Ernest Arico

Susan Koon

Steve McConnell

Sudoku Solution Puzzle on page 19

“I want to shoot even par on the golf course.”

“I want to visit the top 10 U.S. national parks this year.”

Stephen Vidurek

Jerry McAnulty

“I want to see my grandkids in Washington state and Maryland.”

“I want to visit with family in North Carolina that I haven’t seen in two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Our aging community is a sacred asset that we should learn from, honor, and support.

We’re still here, serving seniors since 1965

\I A ing

Call us to Volunteer: » Assist with Food Prep Seeking Volunteers to: at the Kitchen Assiston with Food Prep »• Meals Wheels Driver at the Kitchen » Provide a senior • transportation Meals on Wheels Delivery Driver » Provide a veteran • transportation Provide a senior transportation to » Provide information important to Caregivers at the appointments Sunflower House

g

Matters IN BREVARD

Please call today for further information (321) 639-8770

Call us if you need: » Caregiver Respite Caregiver Training Call us» if you need: and Support • Caregiver Respite, Training » Case Management and »Support Catering • Catering » Handyman Services • Home Safety Modifications » Information and Referral • Light» Light Housekeeping Housekeeping • Meals on Wheels » Meals on Wheels » Personal • Personal CareCare » Seniors at Lunch • Transportation Fellowship Dining » Transportation » Volunteer Opportunities

Our aging community is a sacred� asset that we should learn from, honor and support. .@.

WEARE 0 .<Q& Senior TranServe Meals On Wheels Retireu VeTs Driving Vets S en10r CD missro'n driven So no seviior- rrs h.u�.

Volunteer Program Please call today for further information transportation for non·driving seniors

.--WIThe �Kitchen

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(321) 639-8770

Sunflower House

community caregiver center

An inffiative of the Corporation for National t, Community Service

Seniors At Lunch

group dining at neighborhood sites

Home & Community ,\ Based Services

Aging Matters in Brevard is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit orginization recognized by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Area Agency on Agingbyasthethe Lead Agencyoffor senior in Agency Brevard County.

Aging Matters in Brevard is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofu organimtion recognized Florida Department Elder Affairsservices and the Area on Aging as the LRad Agency for senior servues in Brevard County.

www.AgingMattersBrevard.org Serving the Matters of Aging Since 1965 • www.agingmattersbrevard.org Visit us on Facebook & Instagram

30

SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

myseniorlife.com

Newspaper of Viera & Suntree...........BLUEWATER CREATIVE GROUP

Builders Wanted

r e t En ild Bu oll Str

Saturday, Oct. 16

At Viera’s Harvest Festival New Venue - Viera Regional Park

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From October 1nimewo - March 31,dewe areManm open 7 days akipolicies week, a.m.alto 8filep.m.

From Aprilalso 1 H1019_MKDMFNPR3891102021_M -anteriormente.

September we areAyisyen open Monday or employment programs activities. inquiries regarding CarePlus’ non-discrimination tonúmero a complaint, known as a30, grievance, please contact Esta información de forma enTanpri otrosafter idiomas.

Favor llamar a Servicios Afiliados que call aparece Kreyòl (French -Member Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

You may always leave a voicemail hours, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays and we will return your within one business day.

Español (Spanish): Services at 1-800-794-5907 (TTY: 711).

From October 1 March 31, we are open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

From April 1 September 30, we are open Monday Creole): Enfòmasyon sadisponible a disponib gratis nangratuita lòt lang.enTanpri rele nimewo Sèvis Manm nou yopara ki nan lis anwoalan.

H1019_MKDMFNPR3891102021_M Esta información forma otrosafter idiomas. de pou llamar a Servicios Afiliados número que call aparece Kreyòl Ayisyen(Spanish): (French - Friday, 8 a.m. to está 8 p.m. You may de always leave a voicemail hours,Favor Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays and we will return your withinanteriormente. one business day.

Español Creole): Enfòmasyon sa a disponib gratis nan lòt lang.

Tanpri rele nimewo Sèvis pou Manm nou yo ki nan lis anwo an.

H1019_MKDMFNPR3891102021_M Esta información está disponible de forma gratuita en otros idiomas. Favor de llamar a Servicios para Afiliados al número que aparece anteriormente. Kreyòl Ayisyen (French Creole): Enfòmasyon sa a disponib gratis nan lòt lang. Tanpri rele nimewo Sèvis pou Manm nou yo ki nan lis anwo an.

H1019_MKDMFNPR3891102021_M

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SENIOR LIFE • AUGUST 2021

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